Search results

Part‐time work is a ghetto for women, a blessing for employers. As a route back to work for women after a career break, it is associated with returning to lower‐status jobs and occupations than those held full‐time before the break. But it is at the forefront of changing ways of working: job‐sharing, job splitting, flexible working and revolving working weeks all pivot on what is fundamentally part‐time work. It is a model of work preferred by many, but at an unacceptable price, particularly for men. Is it possible to manage part‐time work better, to exploit its benefits without suffering its ill consequences? Jane Phillips investigates.

The move towards greater flexibility in working practices, catalysed by the introduction of new technology, has for a long time promised women a better deal in the workforce, including offering an opportunity to combine employment with family responsibilities and personal interests. But what is the reality behind the shift to new work practices? Following Jane Phillips' discussion of part‐time working in the last issue, Dr Michael Cross, Fellow of the City University Business School and until recently a Principal Research Fellow at the Technical Change Centre, looks at contemporary approaches to flexible working in the UK and the forces bearing on their progress.

This is a story of partnership in action — the successful transformation of an outdated industrial therapy unit into a range of services that meet the diverse needs of individuals in an economically mixed locality in the south of England. The article is also a product of collaboration between people and perspectives.

The recent introduction of the Food Standards (Self‐Raising Flour) Order (S.R. & O. 1946 No. 157) heralds the passing of a period in which a most unfortunate state of affairs held sway. Happier conditions should now prevail, but it may not be out of place to review briefly the causes of the dissatisfaction which were justly felt not only by the manufacturer, but also by the authorities whose duty it is to protect the housewife. Shortly after the creation of a standard for self‐raising; flour (S.R. & O. 1944 No. 44) some two years ago, it became only too obvious that the meagre instructions for the determination of available carbon dioxide were far from sufficient, so that the same sample examined in different laboratories yielded results which differed appreciably. Trade chemists specially familiar with the examination of flour and the peculiar difficulties arising therefrom fared no better. Subsequent discussions by a Committee consisting not only of Ministry officials and trade chemists, but also of Public Analysts and consultants, produced a recommendation that a more detailed description of the analytical procedure should be given. This recommendation, which is adopted in the new Order, paved the way for the elimination of one source of dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, the vexed question of the limits to be specified remained. As is well known, self‐raising flour, in common with baking powder and allied products, suffers during storage loss in available carbon dioxide and hence in raising power. This is particularly so if the storage conditions are unsatisfactory or if the basis flour used in manufacture contains an abnormally high percentage of moisture. Long periods of high average relative humidity prevail in this country, and under these conditions flour tends to take up additional moisture. The paper bags or packages in which self‐raising flour is usually retailed offer little protection against the ingress of moisture, so that deterioration or “run down” under the usual retail conditions is not only likely to occur but has been clearly demonstrated. A recommendation by the Committee of assistance in this direction was that the previously‐specified upper limit for total carbon dioxide of 065 per cent. should be abandoned. This limit, fixed to prevent the use of unnecessarily large amounts of phosphate, caused the unfortunate manufacturer to be faced with a dilemma of the most awkward variety. Though he had to play for safety by incorporating an excess of aerating ingredients, this excess had to be restricted in order to yield a product which, at manufacture, possessed a total carbon dioxide content not exceeding 0 65 per cent. Where the basis flour contained added Creta Praeparata this of course had to be taken into account in arriving at the figure for total carbon dioxide. Following this recommendation, the recently‐introduced Order prescribes no maximum for the amount of total carbon dioxide. Should they so desire, manufacturers may now increase the proportion of active materials in an attempt to compensate for the natural deterioration of self‐raising flour. Whether this is done or no, the phenomenon of deterioration remains; consequently, the fixing of the minimum statutory standard for available carbon dioxide is one of extreme importance. The 1942 Order provided for a minimum of 0·45 per cent., a figure which was felt by the manufacturers of self‐raising flour to be too high. Their suggestion of an alternative figure of 0·35 per cent. was, however, declined by the Ministry of Food. Owing to the extreme importance of the matter, the question was again raised by the manufacturers, who felt that a figure higher than that suggested by them would be certain to result in unjust and unnecessary prosecution. They were satisfied that the figure suggested was fair and reasonable to both manufacturer and housewife. The contention that self‐raising flour containing approximately 0·35 per cent. of available carbon dioxide could give satisfactory results was supported by the submission of samples of cake which had been made with flours of differing available carbon dioxide content. In fact, the samples appeared to indicate that the results obtainable with a self‐raising flour of 0·35 per cent. strength were little, if at all, different from those obtainable with a flour complying with the then operative standard of 0·45 per cent. However, the Inter‐Departmental Committee on Food Standards held that though the cakes in question were admittedly satisfactory, the recipes employed called for higher proportions of eggs and fat than would be generally allowable under present rationing. Under such circumstances, the virtually identical results obtained with flours containing respectively 0·35 and 0·45 per cent. of available carbon dioxide were only to be expected. Further, the sample cakes had been made under conditions in which the latitude normally considered desirable for domestic cooking was absent. Accordingly, the Committee felt that proof was lacking that a self‐raising flour containing 0·35 per cent. of available carbon dioxide would be satisfactory for general use. Thus, research had shown that in the preparation of steamed puddings, a self‐raising flour containing 0·40 per cent. or more of available carbon dioxide was necessary to ensure ample aeration. The recommended analytical procedure should eliminate the institution of unjust proceedings, while, although he may become a party, no legal liability attaches to the manufacturer if non‐compliance with the standard at the time of retail sale is due solely to the retailer having stored the flour for an unduly long lime or under unusually bad conditions. Hence the risk of unfair prosecution could be stressed unduly. Nevertheless, although no legal liability might attach to the manufacturer, his becoming involved in proceedings could be most embarrassing. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that the minimum standard for available carbon dioxide should be reduced to 0·40 per cent., since available evidence indicates that such an amount gives adequate aeration. This is adopted in the new Order. The new standard has been most thoroughly thrashed out; may it result in a state of affairs which is fair to all.

An advantage of teaching is that you tend to keep yellowed notes, and the other day I ran across a warning from the July 22, 1965 Times Literary Supplement. Speaking of the wide availability of books, J.A.W. Bennett (the English love three‐lettered introductions to surnames) is appalled by the diminishing regard for the book in its physical aspect. He reports “works that were once rarities are now so expendable that undergraduates are said to jettison page after page as they read.” True, this still happens in libraries where students snap wet string to gather pages for future use, but it's been a long time since I've seen anyone scattering book leaves.

When it comes to establishing a computing environment that genuinely accommodates the range of human abilities, librarians are both cognizant of needs and capable of fulfilling those needs. They are cognizant of needs because almost everyone uses some sort of technology—glasses, adjustable chairs, computer wrist pads, Braille printers—to adjust a computing environment to his or her particular ability range. They are capable of fulfilling those needs because, even if they know nothing about making computers accessible to people with disabilities, they know how to obtain essential knowledge about their libraries: budget, needs of their clientele, current and planned computing systems, and a range of other crucial factors.

This study proposes to examine whether tales from childhood influence the psyche and self of the adult in their professional role as a leader in a large organization. It is positioned within a social constructionist and postmodernist framework.

The methodology development was challenging; to capture the level of abstraction within which it was positioned. Using narrative inquiry allowed for a less rigid methodology, data collection and analysis. The data were collected using a non‐structured single interview with a known subject, the data analysed using an initial thematic analysis followed by an in‐depth analysis of the themes against the background of an Enid Blyton novel.

This research project has shown how all are products of their whole life experiences to date; thus the tales from childhood must also impact on adult lives. This project identified links between the adult professional self and the characters in the tales, which were read as children. Leadership can be read as an adventure story or fairy tale, a myth born out of the narratives and language often used to describe it, reflecting tales of quest and achievement.

The interpretations on offer are only one version; another reader or teller would experience a different interpretation; finding her own story, while constructing herself as a researcher, was unexpected and surprising. There are at least two stories running throughout predominantly: the subjects’ story and the story of the research.

The purpose of this study is to explore the antecedents of consumer entitlement among loyal consumers in response to a perceived brand failure, as well as the effect of consumer entitlement on satisfaction and behavioral intentions.

An online questionnaire asked 226 Game of Thrones viewers about their reactions to the final season of the series. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was the analysis method for testing the hypotheses.

Investment, perceived justice and collective fairness are all predictors of entitlement. Fan identification increases feelings of investment. Entitlement has a negative relationship with satisfaction, and satisfaction is positively related to relational behaviors.

Loyal, highly entitled consumers can make life difficult for a brand in customer service encounters, on social media and financially. The manuscript offers managers an understanding of which consumers and situations may elicit entitlement and how to mitigate entitlement.

This is one of the first studies to attempt to model antecedents of consumer entitlement and to study entitlement among highly loyal consumers in response to a perceived brand failure. The study furthers existing research by pointing out the effect of entitlement on the relationship with the brand and consequences for the brand, as opposed to past studies, which have largely explored the effects of working with entitled consumers on front-line employees.

The growth of online communities and social media has led to a growing need for methods, concepts, and tools for researching online cultures. Particular attention should be paid to polarizing online discussion cultures and dynamics that increase inequality in online environments. Social media has enormous potential to create good, but in order to unlock its full potential, we also need to examine the mechanisms keeping these spaces monotonous, homogenous, and even hostile toward some groups. With this need in mind, I have developed the concept and theory of othering online discourse (OOD).

This chapter introduces and defines the concept of OOD and explains the key characteristics and different attributes of OOD in relation to other concepts that deal with disruptive and discriminatory behavior in online spaces. The attributes of OOD are demonstrated drawing on examples gathered from the Finnish Suomi24 (Finland24) forum.