Thoralf Dassler, Claire Seaman, Richard Bent, Lisa Lamb and Nicola Mateer
To address the issue of the low take‐up of available ethnic business support the article proposes the composition of a database for Scotland, thereby providing baseline data on…
Abstract
Purpose
To address the issue of the low take‐up of available ethnic business support the article proposes the composition of a database for Scotland, thereby providing baseline data on minority businesses and hence providing a sampling frame for future research. The database will hold the following information: name and gender of the business owner, sector, location, number of employees as an indicator of company size, generation, the year in which the business was established, as well as the legal form of ownership of businesses.
Design/methodology/approach
The database draws from the concept of mixed embeddedness as well as the political agenda of the Scottish Executive for the sector. Data sources used are commercial databases, the Yellow Pages of Scotland, local business registers across Scotland, a telephone survey and personal contact/networking with businesses.
Findings
In order to facilitate the composition of a Scottish database of minority businesses, this article has looked at existing theories of minority business support and issues currently considered in the literature. Based on the literature underpinning research on ethnic minority firms, a justification for the proposed database has been developed, which provides a sampling frame in the Scottish context and allows for new approaches to research.
Research limitations/implications
Though 100 per cent coverage of minority businesses in Scotland is a desired target, complete coverage may not be achievable. Some business might simply not be interested in participating in the research and cannot, therefore, be included in the database despite the multi‐facet methodology applied.
Originality/value
By proposing a methodology for composing the database, the article tackles a long‐standing issue in the area of ethnic business research. It is hoped that the database will improve understanding among policy makers and support organisations, in terms of the particular needs of individual businesses. Consequently, the better understanding should account for a more tailored and more attractive support, which, in turn, improves the take‐up of existing mechanisms.
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Julie Harrison, Lisa Marriott, Sue Yong and Rob Vosslamber
Jenny Rendahl, Peter Korp, Marianne Pipping Ekström and Christina Berg
The purpose of this paper is to explore and elucidate adolescents’ reasoning about risks related to food and eating.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore and elucidate adolescents’ reasoning about risks related to food and eating.
Design/methodology/approach
Boys and girls aged 15-16 years participated in a focus group interview with role-playing as a stimulus for discussion and reflection. In all, 31 participants took part, divided into five groups. In the role-playing, the participants portrayed agents who they perceived to give messages about food. In the focus group they discussed their experience of carrying out the role-play, and how they usually cope with conflicting messages, preferences and needs regarding food and eating.
Findings
The findings suggested that there were two main themes of risk profiling related to eating. One concerned bodily risk related to the food ingested and included concerns both about not reaching health and performance due to the unfavourable intake of calories, nutrients, additives, bacteria, viruses and parasites, and threats to immediate well-being following consumption. The second main category concerned the risk of being conspicuous, or “sticking out”, which incorporated food-based gender norms and norms related to table manners. In practice, the risk of not displaying an appropriate image of themselves through their food and eating choices was more prominent than risk perceptions related to impacts of food choices on well-being and performance. Difficulties in classifying foods as “good” or “bad” enhanced their uncertainty.
Originality/value
The results suggest that health-promotion activities for young people should focus not only on how to feed their bodies but also on how to avoid feeding their anxieties.
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A description is given of the system produced by the Irish Meteorological Service Library for computerised cataloguing and retrieval, linked to an automated loans/returns system…
Abstract
A description is given of the system produced by the Irish Meteorological Service Library for computerised cataloguing and retrieval, linked to an automated loans/returns system. The programs have been written entirely in FORTRAN 77 for the DEC 20–50 mainframe computer. Users can access the system through their own terminals, and may create retention files of records retrieved. In this system rapid retrieval is effected through a simple command language. Any number of keywords (which may be general keywords, authors' names or UDC subject classification numbers) can be combined in a single command by using the logical boolean operators AND, OR, NOT. Display is by a menu offering various formats on screen or on file. Online help is provided. The techniques used are discussed and indications are given of file structure, storage requirements and running speeds.
Simon Duff, Nick Wakefield, Aimee Croft, Lorraine Perry, Sophie Valavanis and Lisa Wright
The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a novel service for the non-offending partners (NOPs) of men who have sexually offended against children.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present a case study of a novel service for the non-offending partners (NOPs) of men who have sexually offended against children.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper examines the rationale for the current service and the preliminary qualitative data that reflect how NOPs experience the group innovations.
Findings
Interviews and previous qualitative analyses demonstrate both the positive changes that the NOP programme supports regarding child protections skills and the value that NOPs perceive in incorporating male therapists and male offenders into the process.
Research limitations/implications
Given these recent changes to the NOP group, and the small group sizes, the ability to examine how the NOPs perceive these innovations, the personal impact they have on change in NOPs, and more importantly, the impact on recidivism and reduction of further harm to children are yet to be fully investigated and these are central questions for the service to ensure that it offers a valid and reliable intervention programme and limits the extent to which the programme can be generalised. Further research will plug this gap.
Practical implications
The service offers new challenges for NOPs with the aim of making them better understand offending against children, their role in protecting children, and ultimately the protection of children in general. This may act as a model for the development of future services for these individuals.
Originality/value
There are few programmes aimed at providing support and intervention for an often marginalised group of individuals, the female NOPs of men who have sexually offended against children. This programme includes new approaches to working with the women providing them with new sources of support and insight.
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Claus Hedegaard Sørensen, Lisa Hansson and Tom Rye
Public participation is sometimes suggested as a way to establish legitimacy for contentious policies needed to realise a transformation in the transport sector to meet…
Abstract
Public participation is sometimes suggested as a way to establish legitimacy for contentious policies needed to realise a transformation in the transport sector to meet sustainability and climate goals. In this chapter, we first aim to summarise and draw conclusions from each part of the book, not least in relation to the transformative potential of public participation in the sector. The chapter also suggests recommendations for further research in the field. Important topics discussed are the diversity of public participation in transport; limits to participation; the specifics of participation in the field of transport; and the issue of consensus and dissensus. As regards transformation of the sector, public participation is considered a prerequisite, but the book also includes several cases where public participation does not seem to possess a transformational potential. We suggest representative, deliberative forms of participation as a possible solution to overcome dilemmas of representativeness, (lack of) knowledge, and the participation burden. We conclude that public participation is not easy, it has to be prepared and designed carefully to avoid unexpected consequences, and there is currently a need for more experiments and pilot projects on public participation in the field of transport.
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Anita Zehrer, Lisa Marx and Gundula Glowka
Every organization must deal with new challenges such as automation, digitization, or structural transformation, which requires a highly resilient and engaged workforce to stay…
Abstract
Every organization must deal with new challenges such as automation, digitization, or structural transformation, which requires a highly resilient and engaged workforce to stay competitive. Strong leadership in a firm and specific abilities of the leader are necessary to manage uncertainties and to be able to react to certain changes. Various studies regarding organizations and resilience focus on large enterprises, while studies on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are lacking. SMEs account for 99.6% of all companies in Austria and are largely run by entrepreneurial owners and their families. Based on transformational theory, the theory of resilience as well as positive psychology, we investigate five SME owners and their personal resilience in an exploratory study. The owners were selected by purposive sampling with the aim to develop a framework with recommended actions for the personal resilience of SME leaders.
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Jill Manthorpe, Bridget Penhale, Neil Perkins, Lisa Pinkney and Paul Kingston
This article presents an analysis of modernisation as it affects adult protection in England. One of the key policy goals of modernisation has been to improve protection of…
Abstract
This article presents an analysis of modernisation as it affects adult protection in England. One of the key policy goals of modernisation has been to improve protection of service users. The article outlines some areas of good practice that are emerging and draws attention to some of the latent conflicts that are apparent.
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Peter Smagorinsky, Andie Brasley, Rebekah Johnson and Lisa Shurtz
This paper aims to describe a letter written to undergraduate students before their enrollment in a required foundations course, Service-Learning in English Education, taken…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to describe a letter written to undergraduate students before their enrollment in a required foundations course, Service-Learning in English Education, taken before admission to the English education program at [the university]. The course, offered in the spring of 2017, came on the heels of Donald Trump’s election to the US Presidency, an event that followed from a campaign that raged against “politically correct” social developments that respect the dignity of people historically marginalized in US society.
Design/methodology/approach
The letter lays out the perils of teaching a diversity-oriented course in an era of disdain for diverse people and cultures. The letter explains how the course design attempts to give all interpretive authority to the students through their selection of course books and the book club design of promoting discussion outside professorial surveillance.
Findings
The paper includes the comments of three students regarding their response to the letter and course, and concludes that teaching a politicized course in a tempestuous time is risky yet possible.
Originality/value
This paper looks at one teacher educator’s approach to introducing diversity-related ideas in a Red State during an anti-diversity presidency.