Jean Harding and Gillian Martin
Small voluntary sector organisations with limited budgets often cannot afford expensive commercial software and may not need all the facilities such software provides. A large…
Abstract
Small voluntary sector organisations with limited budgets often cannot afford expensive commercial software and may not need all the facilities such software provides. A large quantity of cheap software is distributed in the form of shareware but, for a number of reasons, is not widely used in the UK. This article describes the findings of a postgraduate project which aimed to assess the usefulness of shareware to information officers in small, voluntary sector organisations. A specific objective was to identify reliable shareware packages that could be used to manage reading lists, mailing lists, and other inhouse databases. The packages evaluated were 3by5, Business Librarian, File Express, Freefile, Instant Recall and PC‐File 5. The use of four of the packages was tested in two voluntary organisations (the National Self‐Help Support Centre and the Women's Nutritional Advisory Service) and is described.
Managers of information units with limited budgets must find little comfort in the endless stream of ‘never had it so good’ articles. Microcomputers are daily becoming more…
Abstract
Managers of information units with limited budgets must find little comfort in the endless stream of ‘never had it so good’ articles. Microcomputers are daily becoming more powerful and less expensive, today giving computing power that 10 years ago only me largest institutions with access to mainframes could command. Specialised library software capable of handling all the housekeeping and retrieval requirements can be purchased for mere thousands of pounds. And, with a little ingenuity, general purpose software for a fraction of those prices can be purchased and cobbled together to form a workable system designed to meet specific needs.
In a celebrated article, published in 1990, McSean and Law described CD‐ROM as a ‘transient technology’. This paper provides a starting point for a general discussion on the…
Abstract
In a celebrated article, published in 1990, McSean and Law described CD‐ROM as a ‘transient technology’. This paper provides a starting point for a general discussion on the future role of CD‐ROMs in libraries. An examination of the CD‐ROM market and the range of applications available highlights the popularity of the medium. Technical limitations remain, however, and in some subject areas the lack of currency of the data is a significant drawback. Alternative sources of electronic information, including online, tape leasing, BIDS and storage on hard disc, are explored. Although these alternatives are superior to CD‐ROM in some respects, the latter has a promising future particularly for small full‐text applications, multimedia, and small specialised databases. CD‐ROM should be seen, in general terms, as a replacement for printed material rather than a competitor to other forms of electronic information.
My last formal report to the Annual Conference was at Norwich in 1985, but I did offer both broad and detailed comments and opinions on the ‘state of the nation’ at the…
Abstract
My last formal report to the Annual Conference was at Norwich in 1985, but I did offer both broad and detailed comments and opinions on the ‘state of the nation’ at the Multipartite Conference in Bournemouth in September 1985.
Damian Elgin Maclean Milton, Susy Ridout, Marianthi Kourti, Gillian Loomes and Nicola Martin
The Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC) was initially set up with the purpose of bringing autistic people, including scholars and activists (but not exclusively)…
Abstract
Purpose
The Participatory Autism Research Collective (PARC) was initially set up with the purpose of bringing autistic people, including scholars and activists (but not exclusively), together with early career researchers and practitioners who work with autistic people, with the aim being to build a community where those who wished to see more significant involvement of autistic people in autism research could share knowledge and expertise. This paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper explores the development of the PARC network, reflecting upon its activities and ethos within current higher education practices and structures.
Findings
In supporting autistic individuals in their attempts to establish themselves within academic systems that may not always be considerate or accommodating, the existence of PARC creates a structure with which autistic people can influence social change. PARC serves as a network of support, strengthening the presence of autistic scholars in academia. It also provides a structure through which autistic people are able to demonstrate helpful practices with which to engage more broadly.
Originality/value
The PARC network is the first autistic-led venture of its kind in the UK to have a sustained impact. PARC is growing to become an important element in the field of autism studies both by supporting emerging autistic academics and by promoting ethical and participatory research methods and practices.
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Elaine Beaumont, Gillian Rayner, Mark Durkin and Gosia Bowling
The purpose of this paper is to examine pre and post outcome measures following a course of Compassionate Mind Training (CMT). Participants were students enrolled on a Post…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine pre and post outcome measures following a course of Compassionate Mind Training (CMT). Participants were students enrolled on a Post Graduate Diploma in Cognitive Behavioural Psychotherapy (CBP). The aim of the research was to explore whether CMT would increase self-compassion, compassion for others, dispositional empathy and reduce self-critical judgement.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 21 participants who had enrolled on the CBP programme took part in the study. Data were collected using the self-compassion scale, interpersonal reactivity index, and the compassion for others scale.
Findings
Results reveal an overall statistically significant increase in self-compassion scores and statistically significant reduction in self-critical judgement scores post training. There was no statistically significant difference post training on the interpersonal reactivity index or the compassion for others scale.
Research limitations/implications
CMT training may help students develop healthy coping strategies, which they can use to balance their affect regulation systems when faced with organisational, placement, client, academic, personal and supervision demands. Further research and longitudinal studies, using larger sample sizes are needed to explore if cultivating compassion whilst on psychotherapy training helps students build resilience and provide a barrier against empathic distress fatigue, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout.
Practical implications
Incorporating CMT into a CBP programme may bring changes in student levels of self-compassion and self-critical judgement.
Originality/value
This inaugural study examines whether incorporating CMT into a CBP programme impacts on students levels of compassion, dispositional empathy and self-critical judgement. The findings from this preliminary study suggest the potential benefits of training students in compassion focused practices.
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Aileen O’Reilly, Alanna Donnelly, Jennifer Rogers, Olive Maloney, Gillian O’Brien and Elizabeth Doyle
Measuring parent satisfaction is regarded as essential but there is a paucity of research reporting on parental satisfaction with community youth mental health services. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Measuring parent satisfaction is regarded as essential but there is a paucity of research reporting on parental satisfaction with community youth mental health services. This study aims to examine parent satisfaction with Jigsaw – a primary care youth mental health service.
Design/methodology/approach
A measure of parent satisfaction was developed and administered to parents in 12 Jigsaw services over a two-year period (n = 510, age range: 28 to 70 years) when young people and parents were ending their engagement with these services.
Findings
Overall, parents had high levels of satisfaction with Jigsaw and their level of satisfaction did not vary depending on the parent or young person’s age and/or gender. Examination of qualitative feedback revealed three overarching themes relating to growth and change in young people, parents and their families; strengths of the service and; suggestions for future service development. Analysis of the psychometric properties of the measure provided evidence for a two-factor structure examining satisfaction with the intervention and outcomes and service accessibility and facilities.
Originality/value
This study represents one of the first efforts to measure parent satisfaction with primary care youth mental health services. It has resulted in the development of a brief measure that can be more widely administered to parents engaging with primary care youth mental health services.
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We are long overdue for a conversation about ethical treatment of student researchers. Ethical treatment of research participants has been carefully defined through decades of…
Abstract
We are long overdue for a conversation about ethical treatment of student researchers. Ethical treatment of research participants has been carefully defined through decades of public conversation, and ethical practices have been institutionalized through mechanisms like mandatory ethics trainings and Institutional Review Boards. Student researchers deserve the same level of consideration. While there are many types of ethical violations of student labor in research projects, there are two that are of particular concern to social movements researchers: use of volunteer labor without clear academic or professional benefits, and failure to ensure the safety of student researchers. The first of these ethical violations is especially common in social movements research because of the emergent nature of protests: new rounds of protests begin and researchers seek to rapidly collect data on a tight timeframe, making grant funding to pay student researchers challenging. The second situation emerges when faculty researchers do not consider the ways students' race, gender identity, or other characteristics, or the nature of the protests themselves might create potential risks for students.
In this paper, I propose using the Belmont Report principles to create guidelines for ethical treatment of student researchers. While these principles were developed for the purposes of protecting research participants, the principles of respect for persons, beneficence, and justice help us to clarify the risks and benefits for student researchers, to find ways to maximize the benefits of student research participation, and to understand and address the inequalities that plague graduate student training.
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Judy Oliver, Gillian Vesty and Albie Brooks
The purpose of this paper is to offer theoretical and practical insights on the ways in which integrated thinking is observed in practice. Integrated thinking is linked to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to offer theoretical and practical insights on the ways in which integrated thinking is observed in practice. Integrated thinking is linked to integrated reporting, and described as an attribute or capacity for senior management to constructively manage tensions between the multiple capitals (manufactured, intellectual, human, natural, social and relationship as well as financial capital) in strategy, resource allocation, performance measurement and control.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical framework is developed from the accounting and systems thinking literature, linking integrated thinking to sustainability. Soft versus hard integrated thinking approaches are applied to contrast the siloed management of sustainability with a model that focuses on relationships and broader indicators of societal health and well-being. Practical illustrations of the conceptualised framework are presented for discussion and for further empirical research.
Findings
The illustrative examples offer a diversity of corporate, government and not-for-profit viewpoints, providing evidence of both hard and soft integrated thinking in practice. Valuable insights are provided into innovative approaches that foster and make explicit the soft integrated thinking skills and map them to broader societal outcomes.
Research limitations/implications
Potential problems can arise if hard integrated thinking dominates over the soft, and data required for internal management accounting purposes become narrow, linear and segregated. Routines and practices will then be based on quasi-standards, further concealing the soft integrated thinking that might be occurring within the organisation.
Originality/value
With theoretical roots in systems thinking, this paper contributes to the relatively underexplored area of integrated thinking in accounting for sustainability.