Julie Travers and Veronica G. Payne
According to the investigative research of the forecasters at the British Weather Services, the climate in England has changed over the last decade. Hot, dry summers and wearm…
Abstract
According to the investigative research of the forecasters at the British Weather Services, the climate in England has changed over the last decade. Hot, dry summers and wearm, wet winters have smudged the distinction between seasons. As a result of the unpredictable climatic extremes of recent years, combined with such other factors as the recession, Sunday trading and lifestyle changes, a re‐evaluation of consumer buying patterns is required. Owing to the factors outlined above, there is a need for a new approach towards women's wear in England on the part of retailers and manufacturers. Their vision is required to realise the need for versatility in adopting core colours and transseasonal fabrics into collections, allowing for a continuum offering and thus, a breaking down of divisions between the four seasons. This report offers an insight into the fluctuating climate in England throughout recent years, outlining the weather sensitivity of the clothing industry. It analyses the influence of the unseasonal developments on consumer buying behaviour through the use of a regional questionnaire. It is appreciated, however, that the relationship does not exist in isolation and therefore other factors in the equation are acknowledged. The extent to which retailers are adapting their buying strategies in response to changing market demands is investigated, while methods of incorporating retail demand for transitional collections into manufacturing strategies are examined. In conclusion, research findings are reviewed and recommendations are provided for those in the clothing industry concerned with satisfying the changing demands of the women's wear market on the high streets of England.
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Jason C. Travers, Matt Tincani, Julie L. Thompson and Richard L. Simpson
Learners with autism require specialized education and supports to ensure acquisition and mastery of various communication skills. This is particularly true for individuals whose…
Abstract
Learners with autism require specialized education and supports to ensure acquisition and mastery of various communication skills. This is particularly true for individuals whose disability significantly impacts their language development. Without functional communication, these individuals often engage in severe behavior, have reduced self-determination, and experience diminished quality of life. Accordingly, researchers in special education and related fields have sought ways to improve the communication skills of learners with autism who need specialized language and communication interventions. Although the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is well-established in the empirical literature and has helped countless individuals learn to communicate, the method known as facilitated communication (FC; which also is being called “supported typing” and “rapid prompting method”) has become increasingly popular in recent years. Few methods in special education have been as thoroughly discredited as FC and perhaps none are as dangerous. This chapter contrasts the thoroughly debunked FC and its pseudoscientific characteristics with those underpinning PECS. A brief historical account of each method is provided along with key scientific and pseudoscientific features that distinguish science from pseudoscience. Ultimately, our intent is to further clarify how FC is not an augmentative or alternative communication method and why PECS is.
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Julie Smith and Richard Waller
This study explores the beliefs of ‘high expectation teachers’, and the practices through which teachers aim to build an inclusive learning environment in addition to the ways…
Abstract
This study explores the beliefs of ‘high expectation teachers’, and the practices through which teachers aim to build an inclusive learning environment in addition to the ways they develop strategies that do not rely on pre-determined ability labelling. The study is a case study design focused on one phenomenon, that of the beliefs and practices of high-expectation teachers, and one bounded case illustrates the phenomenon. The case is specific and bounded by time and location. It emphasises uniqueness through the in-depth exploration of the participants' experiences. Following the use of thematic analysis to analyse data collected through questionnaires, interviews and focus groups, the phenomena of high teacher expectation remained only partially scrutinised in terms of social justice. Therefore, the social concerns raised throughout this study are also explored through the theories of Bourdieu, to make sense of the wider issues of inequality inherent in this study. Habitus is helped by, and helps shape, pedagogical action. Findings include the requirement to recognise that in education, socially advantaged interests and voices dominate in terms of social mobility agendas. Furthermore, teachers are only granted space in the public domain through technical competency. Teachers must however be emotionally committed to different aspects of their jobs, as their sense of moral responsibility lies at the core of their professional identity.
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Julie Grail, Catherine Mitton, Nikos Ntounis, Cathy Parker, Simon Quin, Chloe Steadman, Gary Warnaby, Emily Cotterill and Diane Smith
The purpose of this paper is to review the development and current position of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the UK, drawing on the content within a State-of-the-Art…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to review the development and current position of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the UK, drawing on the content within a State-of-the-Art Review of Business Improvement Districts in the UK: setting the agenda for policy, practice and research, commissioned by The BID Foundation and produced by members of the Institute of Place Management.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is divided into seven main sections. The first section defines the concept of BIDs, outlines their process of establishment and provides a brief critique of BIDs from the academic literature. Second, the process of introducing BIDs into the UK is discussed. Third, the different types of BIDs that currently exist are detailed. The fourth section outlines the development of BIDs since their introduction in 2004. Fifth, an analysis of BID ballots is provided, involving details of ballot results, demonstrating a general improvement as BIDs develop over time. The sixth section comprises a discussion of unsuccessful ballots and BID terminations. The paper concludes with a brief analysis of issues BIDs face in the UK, looking into the future.
Findings
The paper contains three main empirical contributions: first, a numerical analysis of the different types of BIDs in the UK; second, a timeline of their development from 2005 to 2018; and third, a statistical analysis of BID ballot results over this period, with an indication of the numbers of unsuccessful ballots and BID terminations.
Originality/value
This paper provides the first comprehensive overview of BIDs in the UK detailing development and performance (e.g. ballot results) in the 15 years since their introduction.
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Geva Iftach and Orly Shapira-Lishchinsky
The study's main goal is to investigate different leadership styles that characterize middle-level leaders, the intermediate leadership tier of role holders in school, as they…
Abstract
Purpose
The study's main goal is to investigate different leadership styles that characterize middle-level leaders, the intermediate leadership tier of role holders in school, as they practice leadership scenarios through active participation in a professional learning process of role-play simulation, using a social-ecological approach.
Design/methodology/approach
Thirty middle-level leaders from different Israeli high schools and districts participated in the study during an M.A. course in an educational leadership program. The authors used qualitative analysis to examine role-play simulations of leadership scenarios based on group debriefings. This content analysis was conducted within a two-dimensional theoretical framework composed of leadership style theory and a social-ecological model.
Findings
The study findings address four main leadership styles: authentic, transformational, participative and transactional. Regarding their appearance within different social-ecological layers, the interpersonal layer was the most salient one with a prominent appearance of transformational and authentic leadership styles. On the organizational and communal layers, authentic leadership was more prominent. The study findings demonstrate multidimensionality in both the leadership styles and social-ecological layers, as different styles appeared in different layers concurrently.
Practical implications
The findings may help articulate the nature and characteristics of middle-level school leadership. They may also provide relevant theoretical content and instructional strategy to develop simulation-based preparation programs for middle-level leaders.
Originality/value
The study findings highlight unique leadership characteristics of middle-level school leaders and suggest a contextual perception of their leadership styles within a social-ecological framework.
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This book was written across a period of intense turmoil and change in higher education in Australia and England. We are deeply unsettled by these changes and wish to open up the…
Abstract
This book was written across a period of intense turmoil and change in higher education in Australia and England. We are deeply unsettled by these changes and wish to open up the discussion about what it means to be an academic and engage in academic work in the 21st century. Accordingly, each of the authors has nominated a theme or lens through which to examine the changes, tensions and uncertainties that have erupted in higher education. Thus, we offer this book as a constellation of ideas that traverse a number of aspects of our work and identities as academics. The overlap between these ideas is deliberate so that the multiple and complex challenges that underpin the higher education landscape can be examined.