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1 – 10 of 12Margaret MacQueen, Michael Lawson and Wen-Nyi Ding
In the UK, responses to intense weather events regarding national and regional level perils include the support of a General Insurance policy at the address level as part of…
Abstract
Purpose
In the UK, responses to intense weather events regarding national and regional level perils include the support of a General Insurance policy at the address level as part of private residential and other insurance policies covering the key risks of flooding, subsidence and windstorm. In respect of the subsidence peril, dry summers can lead to many thousands of properties on shrinkable clay soils suffering differential downward movement as water is abstracted from the soil by vegetation. These events are forecast to increase in frequency and severity due to climate change, with costs for a dry event year of more than £500m to UK insurers. Assessing the character of these event years can inform government, local government, insurers and their agents as to the typical characteristics of an event year and its impacts. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive overview of the 2018 UK subsidence event year as it relates to trees and low rise buildings.
Design/methodology/approach
The research material is taken from claims that originated within the period commencing in the Summer of 2018, which in the UK was dry and with high levels of claim notification, and is from the private database of Property Risk Inspection Limited, one of the largest UK specialist subsidence claims handling businesses.
Findings
The data clearly illustrates the wide range of vegetative species causing or contributing to claims in the UK, their age ranges, sizes and conditions, management options and the range of land uses and statutory controls that exist in relation to title and other boundaries.
Originality/value
There have been various small-scale studies looking at individual cases of subsidence and the impacts of vegetation, but there have been no detailed investigations of large-scale claims-driven events such as the 2018 surge. The importance of this population-level investigation will only increase given the modelling for increased hot and dry summers over the coming decades.
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In our last ‘Notes and News’ we made an unfortunate mistake. In writing on the poetry section of the School Library Association's book list Fiction, Verse and Legend we referred…
Abstract
In our last ‘Notes and News’ we made an unfortunate mistake. In writing on the poetry section of the School Library Association's book list Fiction, Verse and Legend we referred to the Bodley Head series of poetry for the young as ‘now regrettably out of print’. Before making this categorical statement we had referred to the Bodley Head's current catalogue ‘with complete back‐list’, and had failed to find any reference to the series, but we had also failed to notice the comparatively insignificant sentence on page ii of the cover: ‘Children's books are listed in a separate catalogue.’
AN ESTEEMED correspondent points out that there are about two dozen library magazines of all sorts and sizes in circulation, whereas when he started his career there were no more…
Abstract
AN ESTEEMED correspondent points out that there are about two dozen library magazines of all sorts and sizes in circulation, whereas when he started his career there were no more than three. Our correspondent has himself had considerable editorial experience, and it may be that he is still in harness in that regard. One of his earliest efforts was in running the magazine of the old Library Assistants' Association, and it is not likely that that magazine has ever reached the same heights of excellence as it attained in his day. He observes that there are far too many library magazines now in circulation. We agree.
THE re‐organisation of local government in Greater London and the resultant amalgamation of library authorities is viewed by many with considerable misgivings. The upheaval of…
Abstract
THE re‐organisation of local government in Greater London and the resultant amalgamation of library authorities is viewed by many with considerable misgivings. The upheaval of staff, the loss of status for some senior officers, the general uncertainty for the future—these are very real consequences of the Act and they cannot be ignored. Many chief librarians will see the work of a lifetime, perhaps spent in building up a comprehensive and unified system, made virtually meaningless overnight.
The re‐organisation of local government in Greater London and the resultant amalgamation of library authorities is viewed by many with considerable misgivings. The upheaval of…
Abstract
The re‐organisation of local government in Greater London and the resultant amalgamation of library authorities is viewed by many with considerable misgivings. The upheaval of staff, the loss of status for some senior officers, the general uncertainty for the future—these are very real consequences of the Act and they cannot be ignored. Many chief librarians will see the work of a lifetime, perhaps spent in building up a comprehensive and unified system, made virtually meaningless overnight.
Although the production of a dissertation and the transition to an independent researcher undergird the outcomes of doctoral education, this study aims to emphasize issues of…
Abstract
Purpose
Although the production of a dissertation and the transition to an independent researcher undergird the outcomes of doctoral education, this study aims to emphasize issues of inequality in doctoral study through the use of Bourdieu’s (1977, 1986) concepts of cultural capital and field.
Design/methodology/approach
This qualitative study with 15 doctoral students in Engineering and in Philosophy revealed that activities in doctoral study that tend to socialize students possess value, given the conventions of various contexts or social spaces related to academe.
Findings
Doctoral students who attain particular accomplishments experience doctoral study in ways that suggest that doctoral study is a system of conventions and norms that imbue particular activities with value, which then impact students’ doctoral education experiences.
Originality/value
Inequality is tied to students’ portfolio of achievements, as the value of these achievements suggests differential socialization experiences, such that different students learn about the norms and practices within doctoral study in different ways.
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Austin Chia, Kim Doyle and Margaret L. Kern
Drawing upon a contractarian lens of corporate social responsibility (CSR), this study aims to explore community construals of happiness and evaluates conceptual boundaries of CSR…
Abstract
Purpose
Drawing upon a contractarian lens of corporate social responsibility (CSR), this study aims to explore community construals of happiness and evaluates conceptual boundaries of CSR for happiness.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a mixed-methods design, natural language processing and thematic analysis techniques were used to analyse large volumes of textual survey data collected from over 1,000 research participants through an online survey.
Findings
Results indicated that lay construals of happiness were primarily defined in terms of socioeconomic conditions and psychoemotional experiences. In explicating the boundary conditions, community perceptions regarding the extent of businesses’ social responsibilities for happiness were evidenced in five themes: that businesses have a responsibility not to harm happiness, a responsibility to enable conditions for happiness to occur, a responsibility to exercise awareness of happiness implications in decision-making, a responsibility for happiness that is limited by strategic purpose and resource capability and a responsibility for happiness that is limited by stakeholder proximity.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the theoretical and empirical foundation of CSR for happiness while simultaneously developing and applying a novel approach for processing and analysing large volumes of qualitative survey-based data.
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Ailsa Stewart and Jacqueline Atkinson
This article seeks to consider the links between emerging concepts of citizenship in the twenty‐first century and the legitimization of this agenda by providing an overview of UK…
Abstract
Purpose
This article seeks to consider the links between emerging concepts of citizenship in the twenty‐first century and the legitimization of this agenda by providing an overview of UK policy as it relates to adult protection as well as consideration of concepts of citizenship and the links between the two areas.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides an overview of adult protection in the UK and then takes the reader through concepts of vulnerability and citizenship and considers the implications of these concepts on the citizenship of those most likely to be subject to adult protection procedures in the UK.
Findings
This article shows how models of citizenship have altered over time to reflect societal norms and customs and in particular how this paradigm shift has legitimized intervention in the lives of adults. It further highlights the likely impact of adult protection procedures on the citizenship rights of those most likely to experience them.
Originality/value
The paper brings together conceptual discourses on citizenship and adult protection.
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Sarah Dodds, Sandy L. Bulmer and Andrew J. Murphy
This paper aims to explore consumer experiences of spiritual value and investigates whether it is distinct from ethical value within a large and growing private sector health-care…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore consumer experiences of spiritual value and investigates whether it is distinct from ethical value within a large and growing private sector health-care setting. Understanding consumers’ experiences of spiritual value versus ethical value has important implications for corporate social responsibility as increasingly, consumers want their spiritual needs met.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopts an exploratory case study approach using in-depth interviews with 16 consumers who use complementary and alternative medicine health-care services. Drawing on consumer value frameworks, a thematic analysis identified dimensions of spiritual and ethical values co-created during their consumption experiences.
Findings
From a consumer’s perspective, spiritual value is distinct from ethical value. The key finding is that participants talked about spiritual value predominantly in reactive terms (apprehending, appreciating, admiring or responding), whereas ethical value was referred to as active (taking action).
Research limitations/implications
This paper enhances the understanding of spiritual value and provides evidence that people want their spiritual needs met in a private health-care context. Furthermore, this study provides insights into the consumption experience of spiritual value that can be considered, with further research, in other health-care and service contexts.
Originality/value
This paper offers a new view on corporate social responsibility by taking a consumer’s perspective, and identifying that consumer experiences of spiritual value are important and distinct from ethical value.
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