John Raven and Karen O’Donnell
This paper discusses the implementation of Web 2.0 technology for work experience (WE) in a tertiary context. The technology, specifically social networking software, was…
Abstract
This paper discusses the implementation of Web 2.0 technology for work experience (WE) in a tertiary context. The technology, specifically social networking software, was implemented in an attempt to help overcome challenges experienced by students out on WE at the Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology. Typically faculty visited WE students in the field every few weeks but had little other direct interaction due to time and travel constraints, and many students reported feelings of isolation. A social network tool that we named Tawasul was implemented to help overcome this issue by building a virtual community of practice that included both students and faculty. Student feedback revealed strong support for the online application as well as significant differences between male and female students. It is clear from the study that emerging technologies such as social networking tools can help learning during WE, although there are academic and cultural issues that need to be taken into consideration.
John Raven and Karen O'Donnell
Many believe that in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the perception of a national identity, as a construct amongst Emiratis, is under threat at the moment. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
Many believe that in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) the perception of a national identity, as a construct amongst Emiratis, is under threat at the moment. The purpose of this paper is to examine this concern and describe how one educational establishment in the UAE, the Sharjah Higher Colleges of Technology (SHCT), a context that presents unique language and cultural issues, used a digital storytelling competition to address this issue with Emirati students.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 150 students at SHCT used a variety of tools to create digital stories around the theme of “Proudly Emirati”, a topic aimed at building a sense of self. Stories covered topics ranging from family traditions to cultural icons. A case study investigated this initiative and addressed how the process of creating digital stories shaped the students' perspectives of self and national identity. We collected feedback on the digital storytelling initiative using focus group interviews and surveys with the students involved.
Findings
Strong support is voiced for the competition and its impact on helping students express feelings of national pride and identity.
Research limitations/implications
The survey addresses a limited number/range of issues and many more points and implications are raised in the focus group meetings that we would like to include in future research of digital storytelling.
Practical implications
The paper highlights the practical implications and huge potential of digital storytelling for learning environments.
Originality/value
This is an innovative approach to highlighting a contentious social issue with the students and community.
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The purpose of this paper is to understand how J. Walter Thompson (JWT) utilized its private forums for its executives over the period 1936‐1938 to build trust both within its own…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to understand how J. Walter Thompson (JWT) utilized its private forums for its executives over the period 1936‐1938 to build trust both within its own organization as well as with the public in the 1930s. This was a time when the advertising industry was under public scrutiny resulting from using what consumers considered emotional and irrational appeals in their advertising practices.
Design/methodology/approach
This archival research examines the meeting minutes of these forums to discover what topics were most important to the leaders of JWT at this time. The archives are located at the Hartman Center at Duke University.
Findings
This paper highlights the importance of these forums that were led by the top management team and attended by the creative staff of JWT. These forums played an important role in strengthening the culture of JWT, by building organizational trust and fostering organizational communication with a new generation of JWT leadership.
Originality/value
This paper utilized primary data sources – the meeting minutes from 1936 to 1938 – to uncover the values of JWT and how those values were disseminated to their employees, as well as how it impacted their work with their clients and ultimately the public.
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The purpose of this paper is to quantify the characteristics of dual-harm behaviour in prison in comparison with sole self-harm or assault behaviour in prison, with an analysis of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to quantify the characteristics of dual-harm behaviour in prison in comparison with sole self-harm or assault behaviour in prison, with an analysis of the distinguishing features.
Design/methodology/approach
Official data on in-prison incidents, demographic and offending information were analysed for 326 prisoners in two prisons in England.
Findings
Proportions of up to 42 per cent of offenders who assault others in prison will also engage in self-harm and vice versa. Dual-harm prisoners will engage in a broader and greater frequency of prison incidents than either sole group; with dual-harm prisoners reflecting greater proportions of damage to property and fire-setting. There were no differences in their time in prison or presence of serious violent current conviction, however, an index offence of drug supply was less likely in the dual-harm group, with minor violence slightly more likely in longer sentence prisoners. There was no difference for the dual-harm prisoners whether the first incident was self-harm or violence, with mean duration from sole to dual harm of less than three months.
Practical implications
In-prison behaviour can assist in the identification of prisoners at dual risk of harm. Greater inclusion of in-prison behaviour and awareness of dual harm in research methodologies may assist in improving risk management. A wider use of joint risk assessment and single case management approach is suggested for prisoners with dual-harm profile.
Originality/value
This is the first study on dual-harm behaviour in UK prisons and to evaluate their wider prison behaviour and offending characteristics.
The purpose of this paper is to consider historical shifts in the mobilisation of the concept of radical in relation to Australian schooling.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider historical shifts in the mobilisation of the concept of radical in relation to Australian schooling.
Design/methodology/approach
Two texts composed at two distinct points in a 40-year period in Australia relating to radicalism and education are strategically juxtaposed. These texts are: the first issue of the Radical Education Dossier (RED, 1976), and the Attorney General Department’s publication Preventing Violent Extremism and Radicalisation in Australia (PVERA, 2015). The analysis of the term radical in these texts is influenced by Raymond Williams’s examination of particular keywords in their historical and contemporary contexts.
Findings
Across these two texts, radical is deployed as adjective for a process of interrogating structured inequalities of the economy and employment, and as individualised noun attached to the “vulnerable” young person.
Social implications
Reading the first issue of RED alongside the PVERA text suggests the consequences of the reconstitution of the role of schools, teachers and the re-positioning of certain young people as “vulnerable”. The juxtaposition of these two texts surfaces contemporary patterns of the therapeutisation of political concerns.
Originality/value
A methodological contribution is offered to historical sociological analyses of shifts and continuities of the role of the school in relation to society.
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Keywords
Karen Burnell, Adrian Needs and Kim Gordon
Informal social support is often sought by veterans to support reminiscence or cope with traumatic memories. However, it can also encourage unhelpful ways of coping, such as…
Abstract
Purpose
Informal social support is often sought by veterans to support reminiscence or cope with traumatic memories. However, it can also encourage unhelpful ways of coping, such as avoidance, or may be absent altogether. This project is borrowed from the growing peer support literature. The purpose of this paper is to explore the suitability of peer support services to enhance the wellbeing for older veterans, when naturally occurring support is absent or unhelpful.
Design/methodology/approach
This was a sequentially staged research programme involving a scoping review of current practice and evidence, and a consultation with veterans. In total, ten veterans (nine male, one female) took part in the consultation (M=66 years).
Findings
Peer support was considered suitable, particularly in addressing loneliness and social isolation. There was an understandable concern regarding its use with more complex issues such as trauma. An added issue was the implicit assumption that this consultation concerned transition; supporting younger veteran as they move from military to civilian life. This mirrored the focus of current UK policy and affected the focus of the consultation. Issues were also raised around the sustainability of services more broadly.
Social implications
Peer support is appropriate in supporting older veterans, but must be implemented in a sustainable way. Raising awareness of the needs of older veterans in older adult services is an important implication for service development and delivery.
Originality/value
There is a considerable lack of research concerning older veterans, particularly concerning their formal and informal social support needs. This paper addresses the current gap in the literature.
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Murder is overwhelmingly a male affair (UNODC Global Study on Homicide, 2019). So, when women kill, their crimes gain a lot of attention and even more hysteria in both courts and…
Abstract
Murder is overwhelmingly a male affair (UNODC Global Study on Homicide, 2019). So, when women kill, their crimes gain a lot of attention and even more hysteria in both courts and media. This chapter will analyse the cases of Sally Challen, Belinda van Krevel and Maxine Carr to show that portrayals of women who are involved in killing exist on a continuum, from abused victims to those simply ‘born evil’ to the incomprehension of those whose crimes render them outside society altogether; or in simple terms, from sad, to bad, to mad. In all cases, the agency of the women is presented as incomplete or impossible, indicating our inability in heteropatriarchy to acknowledge that women are as capable as men of exhibiting the full spectrum of human behaviour. Denying agency, particularly to violent women, allows Western societies to avoid having to face and thus, attempt to understand, the female capacity for aggression.
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Business incubators (BIs) represent a significant category of entrepreneurial support organizations. They provide support to entrepreneurs engaged in traditional and social…
Abstract
Business incubators (BIs) represent a significant category of entrepreneurial support organizations. They provide support to entrepreneurs engaged in traditional and social ventures. They can facilitate the development of inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems by linking entrepreneurs and stakeholders. However, incubators struggle to promote diversity and inclusion among their cohorts, and to ensure equal access to their support. There has been recent growing attention to supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs. In this context, neurodiversity has gained considerable attention. Consequently, specialized incubators and programs targeting neurodiverse entrepreneurs have emerged, and BIs have widely adopted explicit communication strategies to attract neurodiverse candidates. Considering these initiatives, this chapter explores how BIs can support neurodiverse individuals during their entrepreneurial journeys. The qualitative method uses semi-directive interviews with neurodiverse entrepreneurs to understand their experiences and expectations regarding BIs. The data was analyzed through inductive coding, resulting in three themes: (1) Specific yet diverse needs of neurodiverse entrepreneurs; (2) Visions of neurodiverse entrepreneurship; and (3) Representation of neurodiverse entrepreneurs. Findings show that neurodiverse entrepreneurs place significant hope in incubators to address the specific challenges they experience. However, to achieve their full potential in fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem, incubators must be mindful of unintentionally reinforcing stereotypes, stigmatization, and hierarchization of neurodiverse individuals. Incubators should diversify the role models for neurodiverse entrepreneurs they promote and broaden the perspectives on neurodiverse entrepreneurship. The implications of intersectional identities on neurodiverse individuals' experience of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial support should be considered. Involving neurodiverse entrepreneurs in the design and governance of incubation programs is important.