Tawanda Machingura, Gurjeet Kaur, Chris Lloyd, Sharon Mickan, David Shum, Evelyne Rathbone and Heather Green
Previous research has provided limited evidence on whether and how demographic factors associate with sensory processing patterns (SPP) in adults. This paper aims to examine…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous research has provided limited evidence on whether and how demographic factors associate with sensory processing patterns (SPP) in adults. This paper aims to examine relationships between SPPs and sociodemographic factors of age, sex, education and ethnicity in healthy adults.
Design/methodology/approach
A cross-sectional study design was used. A total of 71 adult participants was recruited from the community, using convenience sampling. Each participant completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile (AASP) and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales – short version (DASS-21). Demographic information on age, sex, education and ethnicity was collected. Results were analysed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA).
Findings
SPPs, as measured by the AASP, were significantly correlated to demographic factors of age and education after controlling for emotional distress using the DASS-21. A statistically significant multivariate effect was found across the four dependent variables (low registration, seeking, sensitivity and avoiding) for the age category, F = 6.922, p = 0.009,
Research limitations/implications
This was a cross-sectional study with limitations including that the study used a relatively small sample and was based on self-reported healthy participants.
Practical implications
SPPs may correlate with healthy adults’ age and to a lesser extent education. This suggests that it might be helpful to consider such demographic factors when interpreting SPPs in clinical populations, although further research in larger samples is needed to reach firmer conclusions about possible implications of demographic variables.
Originality/value
The findings in this paper add to the growing evidence that suggest that SPPs vary with sociodemographic factors.
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Espouses the Web with regard to the media and all its areas of relevance. Encourages and supports multinational forms of production as new but admits they may be no more…
Abstract
Espouses the Web with regard to the media and all its areas of relevance. Encourages and supports multinational forms of production as new but admits they may be no more sympathetic to social need and democratic practice than previous commercial media. Charts the market and the Web’s changes for commercial business.
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Dachen Sheng and Heather A. Montgomery
This paper aims to examine whether a green premium exists in the banking industry in Chinese financial market and then further explores the impact of the 2019 policy revision on…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine whether a green premium exists in the banking industry in Chinese financial market and then further explores the impact of the 2019 policy revision on the green premium. Additionally, this study explores whether and how the 2019 policy revision affected the performance as measured by net interest spreads and profitability of banks that subsequently issued green bonds.
Design/methodology/approach
This study utilizes data on green bonds issued by banks in the Chinese market to illustrate that green bond benefit from lower coupon rates by using OLS method, attributable to investors’ recognition of governmental support for such initiatives. The policy effect is analyzed by the difference-in-difference method and the robustness checks using an amalgamated data set and propensity score matching techniques confirm the overall findings.
Findings
Banks that issue green bonds pay lower coupon rates on those bonds and the 2019 policy revisions further decrease green bond coupons, thereby augmenting the net interest spreads of banks issuing green bonds and enhancing their profitability performance. A so-called “green premium” exists for banks in China that issue green bonds. These results underscore investors’ heightened confidence in banks showcasing loan policies supportive of the green industry, reflecting an increased emphasis on sustainability considerations.
Originality/value
Most of the current green bond and sustainability studies focus on the manufacturing sector; this paper sheds light on the under-discussed support from financial institutions. Unlike other traditional financial institutional research focusing on market power and bank-firm relations, this paper investigates the policy effects, which are especially interesting in the context of Chinese financial market, since most of the financial institutions are state-owned enterprises (SOEs).
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Rodrigo Cortopassi Goron Lobo, Heather Thompson-Bahm and Joselia E. Teixeira
Sepani Senaratne and Prasanna Rajitha Hewamanage
Leadership of the project team is vital for green building projects in achieving LEED certification. Literature findings confirm the need for managing green building projects…
Abstract
Purpose
Leadership of the project team is vital for green building projects in achieving LEED certification. Literature findings confirm the need for managing green building projects differently from ordinary projects. The team leader should be able to work with the project team to manage the general project activities while following the LEED certification procedure to finally achieve LEED certification. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a research project which was aimed to explore the role of team leadership in achieving LEED certification in a green building project through a case study research approach.
Findings
The research findings revealed the importance of utilizing the appropriate leadership roles of project team members in addition to the project leader’s role to achieve LEED certification for green building projects successfully. The research proposed four team leadership processes required to meet the LEED challenges; namely, proactive planning and visualization; collective implementation; teamwork for win-win; and, continuous learning and knowledge sharing.
Originality/value
Based on these findings, the research suggests a new project team environment enabled by effective team leadership to meet the LEED challenges. It is argued that the team leadership role of every team member is unique and best suited when used synergistically to achieve LEED certification for the project. The research is original in applying team leadership concepts to green building projects in a real-life setting.
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The Departmental Committee appointed in June, 1924, to inquire into the question as to whether and to what extent the practice of treating flour with chemical substances is…
Abstract
The Departmental Committee appointed in June, 1924, to inquire into the question as to whether and to what extent the practice of treating flour with chemical substances is objectionable on grounds of health and whether it is desirable that the practice should be prohibited or restricted, have issued their report. The Committee observe :—
Wendy Maria Purcell, Heather Henriksen and John D. Spengler
Universities can do more to deliver against the sustainable development goals (SDGs), working with faculty, staff and students, as well as their wider stakeholder community and…
Abstract
Purpose
Universities can do more to deliver against the sustainable development goals (SDGs), working with faculty, staff and students, as well as their wider stakeholder community and alumni body. They play a critical role in helping shape new ways for the world, educating global citizens and delivering knowledge and innovation into society. Universities can be engines of societal transformation. Using a multiple case study approach, this study aims to explore different ways of strategizing sustainability toward delivering the SDGs are explored in a university setting with an example from the UK, Bulgaria (Europe) and USA.
Design/methodology/approach
The first case is a public UK university that adopted enterprise and sustainability as its academic mission to secure differentiation in a disrupted and increasingly marketized global higher education sector; this became a source of inspiration for change in regional businesses and the local community. The second case is a business sector-led sustainability-driven transformation working with a private university in Bulgaria to catalyze economic regeneration and social innovation. Finally, a case from the office for sustainability in a major US research university is given to show how its engagement program connected faculty and students in sustainability projects within the institution and with external partners.
Findings
Each case is in effect a “living lab,” positioning sustainability as an intentional and aspirational strategy with sustainable development and the SDG framework a means to that end. Leadership at all levels, and by students, was key to success in acting with a shared purpose. Partnerships within and with universities can help accelerate delivery of the SDGs, enabling higher education to make a fuller contribution to sustaining the economic, environmental, cultural and intellectual well-being of our global communities.
Originality/value
The role of universities as the engine of transformational sustainability toward delivering the SDGs has been explored by way of three case studies that highlight different means toward that end. The collegiate nature of the higher education sector, with its shared governance models and different constituencies and performance drivers, means that sustainability at a strategic level must be led with leaders at all levels acting with purpose. The “living lab” model can become a part of transformative institutional change that draws on both top-down and bottom-up strategies in pursuit of sustainable development.
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Sarah Barnett and Heather Drew Francis
This paper describes how a pre-service teacher’s knowledge and pedagogy changed as she documented her reflective practice while teaching arts-integrated lessons in a fifth-grade…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper describes how a pre-service teacher’s knowledge and pedagogy changed as she documented her reflective practice while teaching arts-integrated lessons in a fifth-grade classroom during her pre-service teacher preparation program. The pre-service teacher spent three-months conducting an action research project in collaboration with a university mentor.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper explores what she and her mentor learned as she prepared arts-integrated lesson plans based on the four studio structures for learning and analyzed them along with identifying and documenting evidence of deep learning through field notes and video recordings.
Findings
Analysis of field notes, video recordings and lesson plans led the authors to take a deeper look at where the four studio structures for learning overlapped in the teaching event. In the data the intersections of the four studio structures shared a pattern of increased evidence of deep learning for the students. This paper describes the phenomenon in the classroom at various points of intersection.
Research limitations/implications
This action research study is preliminary, and the findings are suggestive of further research that would require indexing what deep learning looks like and gathering and analyzing student data.
Practical implications
It is recommended that teachers use the four studio structures to integrate the arts in their classrooms and to enhance and encourage creativity, communication, critical thinking, collaboration, character and culture and as teachers work toward deep learning for students.
Originality/value
This case shows how a university partnership provides fertile ground for educators of all skills and experience to participate in the expansion of the field of education as well as personal and professional development.