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Article
Publication date: 13 August 2019

Shiobhan Alice Smith, Antje Lubcke, Dean Alexander, Kate Thompson, Christy Ballard and Fiona Glasgow

The University of Otago Library conducted a review of its postgraduate support program in 2018. The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings of a questionnaire and…

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Abstract

Purpose

The University of Otago Library conducted a review of its postgraduate support program in 2018. The purpose of this paper is to report on the findings of a questionnaire and follow up focus group undertaken as part of the review. It highlights postgraduate student preferences for learning about support services, their ideas on marketing these services effectively and the kind of engagement that works best for them.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was developed and deployed in July 2018. It contained 20 questions and was emailed to 2,430 enrolled Otago doctorate and master’s students by the University of Otago (GRS). A total of 564 responded, 391 completing all questions. A follow-up focus group was held in August 2018. Quantitative data were collected and analyzed using Qualtrics software and qualitative data were coded and analyzed using NVivo software.

Findings

Respondents highlighted the difficulty they have learning what support services are available to them. In some cases, they also feel a stigma when seeking help because of their status as postgraduate students. They suggest practical ways libraries can better reach out to them. The findings confirm previous literature about the need for libraries to improve marketing of their services to postgraduate students, communicate via supervisors and departments where possible and provide a variety of engagement options.

Originality/value

Before (re)developing postgraduate programs, libraries can gain valuable insights and test assumptions by surveying students.

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Book part
Publication date: 27 September 2023

Abstract

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High Impact Practices in Higher Education: International Perspectives
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-197-6

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Article
Publication date: 20 April 2022

Iain McPhee, Barry Sheridan, Andrew Horne, Steph Keenan and Fiona Houston

This study aims to provide data on substance use amongst young people in Scotland to inform policy and practice for an age group who generally do not access specialist alcohol and…

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to provide data on substance use amongst young people in Scotland to inform policy and practice for an age group who generally do not access specialist alcohol and drug services. The main objectives of the study were to assess the problem severity scores of items from a modified version of the DAST-10 brief screening instrument among respondents; examine correlations between a range of variables in relation to DAST-10 problem severity scores; and explore respondent knowledge of how and where to seek help.

Design/methodology/approach

A fixed quantitative design methodology recruited a non-probability sample of 4,501 respondents from an online survey made available by “We are With you” Scotland.

The survey was ethically approved by the School of Education and Social Sciences, University of the West of Scotland. It consisted of 32 questions exploring substances used within the past 12 months, and 12 weeks, and included the DAST-10. We further explored help seeking, and knowledge of support available to respondents.

Findings

Substance use patterns were markedly different from people currently known to specialist alcohol and drug services. Over half of respondents were under 25, and 62% report being employed. The most commonly used substances were cannabis and cocaine. One third of respondents recorded substantial or severe problem severity scores and reside in Scottish Local Authorities with high concentrations of socio-economic inequality.

Secure accommodation, stable relationships and being employed are protective factors in relation to reported negative health consequences associated with problem substance use.

Just under one third (27%) of respondents report knowing where to seek help for substance use problems; however, they are unwilling to attend existing specialist alcohol and drug services.

Research limitations/implications

A non-probability sample of the Scottish population has a potential for response bias due to how and what way the survey was made available to respondents. It is acknowledged that while useful as a method of generating drug use data, there are limitations in how recently the substance use occurred, and in relation to the types of substances reported (cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy).

Practical implications

The study provides data to inform wider public health measures in relation to accessing support and addressing societal discrimination associated with the use of substances. The study provides data on service design for young people who do not access specialist alcohol and drug services.

Social implications

The study informs substance use policy in the Scottish context in relation to a population of young people who use licit and illicit substances. Data contributes to evidence supporting correlations between problematic substance use and socio-economic inequality. Data indicates that existing specialist services require redesign.

Originality/value

The study is the first to be conducted within a Scottish context.

Details

Drugs, Habits and Social Policy, vol. 23 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-6739

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Article
Publication date: 11 February 2019

Akis Kleanthous, Robert A. Paton and Fiona M. Wilson

The financial crisis of 2008 resulted in calls for change. Commentators suggested that co-operatives, in particular credit unions, could provide accountability and sustainability…

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Abstract

Purpose

The financial crisis of 2008 resulted in calls for change. Commentators suggested that co-operatives, in particular credit unions, could provide accountability and sustainability through their open governance and mutual status. However, such suggestions assumed that co-operative principles and practice continued to underpin the efficacy of co-operative banking, and that credit unions, one of the most prevalent forms of co-operative banking, could offer a viable financial alternative. Instead, in the case of Cyprus, the financial crisis and the associated aftershocks triggered the nationalisation and demutualisation of credit unions. This prompted the researchers to question both the viability of a co-operative banking future and the extent to which co-operative principles were shaping decision making, governance, accountability and sustainability. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study approach was adopted to explore the degree to which co-operative principles still shaped credit union thinking and stakeholder relationships.

Findings

As is the case elsewhere within the co-operative movement, the findings point the fact that governance is weaken by the low membership participation and that the principles are no longer universally applied. Credit unions, if not co-operative banking, may not offer the financial assurances that commentators have called for. Moreover, the guiding principles may no longer be embedded within the fabric of the movement.

Practical implications

Findings are important for practitioners/supervisory body as they highlight possible impacts on co-operative’ future and especially on their governance model and level of autonomy and independence in case of state intervention.

Originality/value

The research undertaken is original as it is the first time credit unions in Cyprus were examined for adherence to co-operative principles.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 46 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

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Article
Publication date: 28 January 2014

Fiona MacNeill and Jillian Vanzetta

This paper reflects a two-year evaluation research study by Fiona MacNeill Associates (FMA), focused on an Appreciative Leadership Programme. The aim of this study was to explore

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper reflects a two-year evaluation research study by Fiona MacNeill Associates (FMA), focused on an Appreciative Leadership Programme. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of designing a bespoke Appreciative Leadership Programme (commissioned by Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust), around a specific set of organisational values and the associated sustainability linked to the delivery using conversation and inquiry.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper is a review of 497 delegates and their associated 423 line managers. The main evaluation methods were questionnaires, conversations, content analysis and thematic analysis. The research collects data pre, during, end and post-programme.

Findings

The analysis of data collected indicates a statistically significant link between the programme design and delivery and the subsequent sustainability of the learning and levels of engagement within the organisation.

Research limitations/implications

The research provided information on all key areas of inquiry and allowed improvements to be made for future programmes. In future study, a focused follow up with a larger sample of at least 30 per cent of the total population will provide greater validity and reliability of the impact of on-going positive attention. The evaluation of leadership learning sets also needs to be more focused.

Practical implications

The findings can be used to inform the next iteration of the programme, by building on areas of strength and those identified for development. The data allows the organisation (LCFT) and the provider to co-create the next programme. The findings have also been presented to other NHS organisations and to an international training and development conference in Dallas.

Originality/value

Appreciative Leadership is built on the foundation of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), whole systems thinking, and action research. The organisation is seen as a relationship to be explored and developed, teams as communities of purpose and practice, and individuals as thinkers and innovators. This approach favours interdependencies, conversation, novel and creative ideas, and engagement that fosters a true desire to co-create the future. The paper provides connections between concepts and theories used in the education of clinicians and cutting-edge leadership development thinking. The paper has value to leaders, and those who commission leadership development, healthcare professionals and training and development professionals.

Details

Industrial and Commercial Training, vol. 46 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0019-7858

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Article
Publication date: 2 August 2021

Fiona Wilson

The purpose of this research was to understand the lived experience of mentoring to provide insight for those who manage and experience mentoring at work.

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this research was to understand the lived experience of mentoring to provide insight for those who manage and experience mentoring at work.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews with a cohort of 43 mentors and their mentees plus key informants were conducted. It is a longitudinal qualitative study undertaken with a year's cohort of mentors (referred to as “devilmasters”) and mentees (“devils”) in the profession of law, amongst Scottish barristers, advocates.

Findings

The meanings of mentoring differed widely between individuals. Mentoring relationships differed in their depth, quality and benefits the mentees received. The research findings reveal the inconsistencies and inequalities that are a fundamental part of the experience of mentoring that, as yet, the research literature has missed. The research also revealed how mentoring alone was not enough and that structured training was required to supplement mentoring. Further, there is a dependency to be found in mentoring. The mentoring process is power laden.

Research limitations/implications

Researchers may need to provide a definition of mentoring to those they research. Power needs to be fore-grounded in research.

Originality/value

As almost all previous research on mentoring is survey based, this is one of the few studies of the lived experience of mentoring, socialization and cognitive apprenticeship.

Details

Personnel Review, vol. 51 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0048-3486

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Book part
Publication date: 27 September 2023

Christopher J. M. Smith, Constantinos Choromides, Victoria Boyd, Linda Proudfoot, Marty Wright and Fiona Stewart-Knight

Impactful pedagogies in Higher Education are required to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. This chapter outlines an inclusive, flexible, and work-based learning…

Abstract

Impactful pedagogies in Higher Education are required to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century. This chapter outlines an inclusive, flexible, and work-based learning curriculum design framework to respond to these needs. Two cases from Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) are used to illustrate this framework in a transnational educational context in Sub-Saharan Africa. Case one explores the impact of a Railway Operations Management program in South Africa, where the views of two cohorts of 137 recent graduates were gathered through an online questionnaire. Case two examines the views of Optometry/Orthoptics students who undertook an intensive two-week clinical work experience on the train-based clinic (Phelophepa train) in South Africa; data was gathered through an online questionnaire from 58 participating students since 2014. Both examples highlight transformative personal experiences and impacts of their education beyond just their studies – to a clearer sense of personal and professional pride, to becoming role models for their families and to developing meta-cognitive skills to support lifelong learning. In the Railway Operations Management example, additional benefits were seen to their organization – through improved interpersonal skills, decision-making, and problem-solving and creating knowledge-sharing – whereas in the Optometry/Orthoptics case life-changing impacts to patients were delivered through this work experience.

Details

High Impact Practices in Higher Education: International Perspectives
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-197-6

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Article
Publication date: 1 October 2006

Jane Watters, Fiona Jackson and Iain Russell

Improved exploitation of Scotland's intellectual assets (IA) has been identified as a critical means of improving the economic wellbeing of the nation. Earlier research…

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Abstract

Purpose

Improved exploitation of Scotland's intellectual assets (IA) has been identified as a critical means of improving the economic wellbeing of the nation. Earlier research highlighted a general lack of awareness of IA amongst all types of organisations in Scotland. The Intellectual Assets Centre coordinated the Scottish devolved government and European Union (EU) funded Innovative Actions projects designed to help small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) from all industry sectors to start to address IA management issues. The purpose of this paper is to describe the activities implemented by the Intellectual Assets Centre.

Design/methodology/approach

A review of IA capture and development comparing IA activities in the EU and a survey of how 450 Scottish organisations (all SMEs) currently capture their IA was conducted. An IA capturing tool, the feasibility of a novel IA benchmarking tool and a toolkit to assist know‐how capture were developed. These were piloted with SMEs from various industries.

Findings

Simple tools were developed which proved to be very useful aids to facilitate improved learning and understanding of IA management issues for the SMEs involved in pilot testing.

Research limitations/implications

Although tools were web‐enabled, more value was seen to be gained when used with an advisor knowledgeable about IA management issues, especially when using the IA Capture Tool and Know‐how capture toolkit.

Practical implications

These new tools have been designed specifically for smaller businesses (SMEs).

Originality/value

This work has addressed an identified need for simple means to help smaller businesses to take their first steps in managing their intellectual assets, and as a result a series of tools have been developed.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Capital, vol. 7 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1469-1930

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Article
Publication date: 30 March 2010

Fiona Wilson and Stephen Tagg

While the entrepreneurship and small business research literature has tended to portray women as lesser than men in identifying the differences between them, little research has…

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Abstract

Purpose

While the entrepreneurship and small business research literature has tended to portray women as lesser than men in identifying the differences between them, little research has looked at how gender is construed in business ownership. The purpose of this paper is to provide a new focus, examining how male and female business owners construe each other.

Design/methodology/approach

The research employs George Kelly's personal construct theory and repertory grids to examine the constructs associated with male and female business owners.

Findings

It is found that there are many constructs used to describe business owners and, counter to predictions from some of the literature review, few differences between the way in which male and female business owners are construed. The paper offers explanations as to why so few differences are found.

Research limitations/implications

The sample is limited to just one area of Britain and the businesses had all been established in the last three years. This will influence the generalizability of the findings.

Originality/value

This paper is able to offer research evidence to demonstrate that male and female business owners do not construe male and female business owners differently.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

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Article
Publication date: 13 May 2014

Fiona Wilson

The purpose of this paper is to examine how female bank lenders are locked into a position of disadvantage in a UK bank. The work of Bourdieu is used to explore women's position…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine how female bank lenders are locked into a position of disadvantage in a UK bank. The work of Bourdieu is used to explore women's position of disadvantage and inequality. As Bourdieu helps us predict, the women are symbolically constructed as different, and face different problems to men. Women's social capital is not perceived as the same as men's.

Design/methodology/approach

The research method involved preliminary research interviews with seven key senior staff in the bank followed by focus group discussions with 35 male and female bank loan officers on bank premises within a nine-month period. Six focus groups were held – three with men and three with women in four British cities – London, Manchester, Bristol and Edinburgh. All the interviews were tape-recorded and analysed. The participants were told that the discussion was completely confidential, and that we were interested in the role gender played in entrepreneurial and corporate life. Findings were verified by taking them back to a selection of those who had been involved in the focus groups.

Findings

The findings show how the power dynamics are played out within the immediate workplace environment and influenced by the wider macro systems of society. The women differed in their views as to whether gender mattered. Despite the evident inequities these women face, some wished to deny or resist being seen as unequal or wanted to acknowledge inequity. The paper explains how and why this might be the case.

Research limitations/implications

The research is limited by its sample size to 35 bank loan officers.

Practical implications

The paper demonstrates some of the difficulties faced by those who wish to implement equality of opportunity in the face of women's denial of inequality.

Social implications

The paper clearly illustrates the difficulties and challenges faced by female bank loan officers in banking.

Originality/value

This paper discusses the subjective experience of equality, inequality and exclusion among female bankers showing how they are not a homogenous group, as they say they experience equality/inequality differently. These women face ideological dilemmas that are not widely discussed in the research literature. It is very unlikely that as a divided, heterogeneous group who find themselves in a very small minority in this bank, that greater equality for them is likely to come about.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 33 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

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