Graham Martindale, Peter Willett and Roger Jones
– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the new e-lending scheme on the users of libraries operated by Derbyshire County Council.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of the new e-lending scheme on the users of libraries operated by Derbyshire County Council.
Design/methodology/approach
A web-based questionnaire was distributed to current and recent users of the e-lending service, and 452 responses were obtained.
Findings
The service is very highly valued, and its users would wish it to be continued and, if possible, extended and improved, most obviously by increasing the stock. The principal motivating factors for use of the service are convenience and time-saving, as opposed to physical remoteness from a library or accessibility issues.
Originality/value
This is one of the first, and the largest, surveys in the UK of a public library e-lending service, and it provides guidance for the future development of such services.
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Antony John Tomlinson, Elizabeth Martindale, Karen Bancroft and Alexander Heazell
Each year approximately 3,200 women have a stillbirth in the UK. Although national evidence-based guidance has existed since 2010, case reviews continue to identify suboptimal…
Abstract
Purpose
Each year approximately 3,200 women have a stillbirth in the UK. Although national evidence-based guidance has existed since 2010, case reviews continue to identify suboptimal clinical care and communication with parents. Inconsistencies in management include induction and management of labour and the frequency of investigation after stillbirth. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
An audit of stillbirths was performed in 2014 in 13 maternity units in the North West of England, this confirmed variation in practice described nationally. An integrated care pathway (ICP) was developed from national guidelines to enable optimal care for the management of stillbirth, reduce variation, standardise investigations and coordinate patient-focussed care. This was launched in 2015 and updated in 2016 to resolve the issues that were apparent after implementation.
Findings
Each participating unit had commenced using the ICP by May 2015. Following implementation there were changes in care, most notably from diverse methods for the induction of labour to guideline-directed induction of labour. There were trends towards better care in terms of information given, choices offered, more appropriate analgesia in labour and improved post-delivery investigation for cause. Staff feedback about the ICP was positive.
Practical implications
The use of this ICP improved care for women who had a stillbirth and their families. Issues with implementing a changed care pathway meant that further iterations were required, ongoing improvement is expected following the refinement of the ICP.
Originality/value
ICPs have been used for various clinical conditions. However, this is the first example of their use in women who had a stillbirth.
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John Hamel, Sarah Desmarais, Tonia Nicholls, Kathleen Malley‐Morrison and Jon Aaronson
If child custody decisions are based on erroneous beliefs, family courts may not be acting in the best interests of children. This study examined family court professionals'…
Abstract
If child custody decisions are based on erroneous beliefs, family courts may not be acting in the best interests of children. This study examined family court professionals' beliefs about family violence. Respondents (N = 410) of diverse professions, including child custody mediators, evaluators, and therapists, family law attorneys and judges, victim advocates and university students, completed a 10‐item multiple‐choice quiz. Results revealed low rates of correct responding, with respondents correctly answering approximately three out of 10 items on average, based on current research in the field. Overall, response rates were highly consistent with the discredited patriarchal paradigm. Shelter workers and victim advocates had the lowest average score, and men were found to have slightly higher scores than women. More troubling, students' scores were not significantly lower than those of family court professionals. Implications are discussed with respect to decision‐making in the context of child custody disputes.
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Isadora do Carmo Stangherlin and Marcia Dutra de Barcellos
The purpose of this paper is to analyse main drivers and barriers to food waste reduction in the consumption phase and analyse pathways to anti-wastage behaviours.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyse main drivers and barriers to food waste reduction in the consumption phase and analyse pathways to anti-wastage behaviours.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review was performed in order to understand the main variables affecting the behaviour and to identify pathways to move to an anti-waste behaviour. In the end, 84 articles were selected for the final analysis.
Findings
Drivers and barriers to reduce food waste were categorised in societal factors, personal factors and behavioural factors. Variables can increase the amount of waste (+) or reduce it (−). From them, efforts to move to an anti-wastage behaviour are classified in macro-environmental change, retailers’ engagement, raise awareness of the issue and creating anti-wastage social norms.
Research limitations/implications
The systematic review did not capture all variables that can influence consumer food waste and it is necessary different approaches to study the issue.
Practical implications
From the drivers for food waste reduction it is possible to design efforts to help consumers change their pattern of behaviour.
Social implications
Reducing food waste has effects in changing economic inequality, relative poverty and environmental damages.
Originality/value
The great majority of studies that analyse consumer food waste focus on behaviours that increase food waste. This special paper identifies how to stimulate and proactively work with behaviours that help to food waste reduction.
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Giovanni Formilan, Gino Cattani and Simone Ferriani
Consecration represents the most definitive form of legitimation in every cultural field. Complementing previous research focused on individual, contextual, and structural…
Abstract
Consecration represents the most definitive form of legitimation in every cultural field. Complementing previous research focused on individual, contextual, and structural conditions underpinning consecration, this paper takes a sequence analytical perspective and explores whether diverse creative trajectories are more frequently associated with consecration. We introduce the notion of signature style and the pace of category spanning as key features for consecration. We argue that a consecrated signature style is just as likely to result from a producer’s adherence to a specific style over time or from a consistent (and fast-paced) category-spanning creative trajectory. The resulting identity will be specialist in the first case, eclectic in the second. We analyze the stylistic trajectories of 863 electronic music artists and find robust support to our hypothesis. The analysis is corroborated by further exploratory findings that identify intriguing questions for future research. By examining the organization of creative journeys in the career of cultural producers, this paper emphasizes the importance of considering the unfolding and rhythm of creativity over time. This temporal perspective sheds new light on the dynamics of distinctiveness and consecration in cultural fields.
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Vasiliki Aitsidou, Anastasios Michailidis, Maria Partalidou and Olga Iakovidou
The purpose of this paper is to estimate respondents’ socio-ecological consciousness (SEC) (knowledge, perceptions, behaviour, habits and feelings) concerning household food waste…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to estimate respondents’ socio-ecological consciousness (SEC) (knowledge, perceptions, behaviour, habits and feelings) concerning household food waste (HFW) and to identify factors that influence attitude concerning HFW.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected through a questionnaire survey addressing to 279 residents in Western Macedonia, Greece. A principal component analysis was primarily applied to provide a manageable set of variables relevant to SEC. These variables were analyzed according to their positive/negative influence in SEC through descriptive statistics. Independent samples t-test analysis was employed to examine factors that influence HFW.
Findings
Results show that SEC is formed by three main activities: knowledge, perception and attitude. The survey reveals an inconsistency between existing knowledge and problematic perceptions, while the attitude includes neither harmful nor harmless HFW-related activities. A significant finding is that respondents’ age affects food rejection in different consumption stages in a household.
Research limitations/implications
Reliance on self-reported data for HFW that concerns a Greek case study does not allow a generalization of results.
Practical implications
The authors suggest a campaign plan for local bodies. The aim is to enhance respondents’ perceptual abilities and attitude concerning HFW. In order to raise awareness of students and individuals/households, related campaigns could be implemented by educational institutions and other policymakers.
Originality/value
The survey provides information for HFW, a topic not widely examined in Greece, and it is analyzed for the first time on the basis of SEC theory.
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Amlan Haque, Gamithri Gayana Karunasena and David Pearson
This paper aims to stimulate the pursuit of waste-free food consumption and develop guidelines to avoid irresponsible consumer behaviours. In doing so, the paper answers the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to stimulate the pursuit of waste-free food consumption and develop guidelines to avoid irresponsible consumer behaviours. In doing so, the paper answers the questions: How much food is thrown away by Australian households? What are the causes of food wasted? And, how motivated are Australian household members to reduce food waste?
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was completed by a demographically representative sample of 5,272 households in Australia to address these questions. Using the state-wise data set and a structural equation modelling technique, this paper analyses behavioural and socio-demographic factors that influence household food waste in Australia.
Findings
The study identified that inedible food waste was the most common waste that people threw away (69%). The second-largest contribution towards waste came from meal leftovers (44%). The study identified household members not finishing their meal and cooking too much food as the leading causes of food waste from meal leftovers. Furthermore, household food members were unable to identify whether the food was safe to eat, uncertain whether they would eat prepared food that was saved for later consumption and remained confused about when to discard food. Finally, 42% indicated a high level of motivation to reduce food waste, while 34% indicated a moderated level.
Originality/value
This study's findings contribute to the practical challenges associated with the measurement of food waste in households. Further, the study provides insights to policymakers and practitioners to develop customised interventions to reduce household food waste.
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THE application of science and technology to industrial processes over the last twenty‐five years has unquestionably made life for most people more materially satisfying. The…
Abstract
THE application of science and technology to industrial processes over the last twenty‐five years has unquestionably made life for most people more materially satisfying. The paradox is that, side by side with high earnings, there is an almost unprecedented mass of unemployment. This situation puzzles politicians no less than industrialists and union leaders.