Paula Hunt, Jenny Poulter and Maureen Strong
The British Meat Nutrition Education Service has updated its food guide “Getting the balance right” (GBR). Qualitative research to explore the use, perceived suitability and…
Abstract
The British Meat Nutrition Education Service has updated its food guide “Getting the balance right” (GBR). Qualitative research to explore the use, perceived suitability and effectiveness of the new GBR posters and supporting booklet suggests it has been very well received by nutrition educators in the field. The GBR graphic was unanimously preferred to the Food Standards Agency’s “Balance of good health” model, which was now appearing somewhat out‐dated. The GBR materials were felt to have strong visual impact and wide appeal except perhaps for those working mainly with minority ethnic groups. Whilst prospects for the educational effectiveness of the GBR materials look promising, this can only be truly demonstrated by quantitative research. The commercial origin of the GBR materials does not seem to compromise their use as core resources for the promotion of balanced healthy eating messages.
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This paper briefly details the preliminary findings on the usage of the Web site launched by the British Meat Nutrition Education Service which is dedicated to health care…
Abstract
This paper briefly details the preliminary findings on the usage of the Web site launched by the British Meat Nutrition Education Service which is dedicated to health care professions. The way in which the Web site has been launched to state‐registered dietitians in the first instance is discussed. The uptake of the nutrition education tool entitled “Getting the balance right” available both as a poster and leaflet is briefly quantified. This tool acts as a food selection guide, which can be used by those involved in nutrition education. Details of how to obtain copies of “Getting the balance right” are included.
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Reviews the recently updated version of “Getting the balance right”, the food selection guide which has been successfully used as a nutrition education tool by the British Meat…
Abstract
Reviews the recently updated version of “Getting the balance right”, the food selection guide which has been successfully used as a nutrition education tool by the British Meat Nutrition Education Service in the UK. It is part of a range of nutrition education support materials which have been extensively used by health professionals, teachers and caterers. Provides details of its availability and distribution and advises that a Welsh language version and a South Asian food selection guide will be available shortly.
Kim Matthews, Mabel Blades and Maureen Strong
In response to concerns over the role of meat products in the Scottish diet, a study of the nutritional analysis of a range of meat products for sale in Scotland was carried out…
Abstract
In response to concerns over the role of meat products in the Scottish diet, a study of the nutritional analysis of a range of meat products for sale in Scotland was carried out. The nutritional analysis of products was compared with that in the composition of foods (Royal Society of Chemistry and Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food). This indicated a probable reduction in the fat content of some products, such as sausage‐rolls and burgers. It is concluded that more information could be conveyed to consumers on the nutritional value of meat products to enable informed choices to be made based on the value of products in a balanced diet.
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As a leading supplier of food management services to schools, Gardner Merchant has conducted extensive national market research into the eating patterns of schoolchildren. The…
Abstract
As a leading supplier of food management services to schools, Gardner Merchant has conducted extensive national market research into the eating patterns of schoolchildren. The fifth biennial school meals survey confirms that today's children continue to replace the traditional three meals a day with a ‘grazing’ eating pattern. However, it has become questionable whether this pattern of consumption inherently results in a poorly balanced diet. The survey gives an insight to the attitudes, perception and eating behaviour of schoolchildren and considers how they and their parents view school meals today. Trends have been tracked through the nineties to assess the impact of healthy eating messages and to determine how ‘eating out’ experiences in the High Street have influenced the expectations of children and their parents. The results of the survey have been used to inform the development of a new school food service offer called EDz.
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Elizabeth Daniel, Elizabeth Hartnett and Maureen Meadows
Social media such as blogs are being widely used in organizations in order to undertake internal communication and share knowledge, rendering them important boundary objects. A…
Abstract
Purpose
Social media such as blogs are being widely used in organizations in order to undertake internal communication and share knowledge, rendering them important boundary objects. A root metaphor of the boundary object domain is the notion of relatively static and inert objects spanning similarly static boundaries. A strong sociomaterial perspective allows the immisciblity of object and boundary to be challenged, since a key tenet of this perspective is the ongoing and mutually constituted performance of the material and social. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The aim of the research is to draw upon sociomateriality to explore the operation of social media platforms as intra-organizational boundary objects. Given the novel perspective of this study and its social constructivist ontology, the authors adopt an exploratory, interpretivist research design. This is operationalized as a case study of the use of an organizational blog by a major UK Government department over an extended period. A novel aspect of the study is the use of data released under a Freedom of Information request.
Findings
The authors present three exemplar instances of how the blog and organizational boundaries were performed in the situated practice of the case study organization. The authors draw on the literature on boundary objects, blogs and sociomateriality in order to provide a theoretical explication of the mutually constituted performance of the blog and organizational boundaries. The authors also invoke the notion of “extended chains of intra-action” to theorize changes in the wider organization.
Originality/value
Adoption of a sociomaterial lens provides a highly novel perspective of boundary objects and organizational boundaries. The study highlights the indeterminate and dynamic nature of boundary objects and boundaries, with both being in an intra-active state of becoming challenging conventional conceptions. The study demonstrates that specific material-discursive practices arising from the situated practice of the blog at the respective boundaries were performative, reconfiguring the blog and boundaries and being generative of further changes in the organization.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of a dialogical approach, associated with the Russian literary critic and philosopher Bakhtin, in understanding the portrayal of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the use of a dialogical approach, associated with the Russian literary critic and philosopher Bakhtin, in understanding the portrayal of managerial identity in management narratives. In particular, it applies these ideas critically to understand how managers' identities are partly shaped by the dominant discourse or idea about what a manager should “be.”
Design/methodology/approach
The paper draws on three written narratives of managers. It applies a dialogical approach to consider how they position themselves interactionally in the narratives in such a way as to highlight a managerial identity based on being “enterprising” and “for change,” while simultaneously voicing alternative identities negatively. The use of the written narratives of managers and the application of a dialogical approach is an important contribution to the literature.
Findings
The findings suggest that managers, when reflecting on organizational events through narrative, assume a managerial identity that reflects current dominant discourse about what a manager should “be.” In doing so they reject other possible discourses that offer alternatives, not only to managerial “being,” but also to what management and organizations might reflect and represent. The paper also, however, recognizes that some managers reject this identity and its implications for organizational activity.
Research limitations/implications
The paper suggests that managerial identity is partly a product of a dominant discursive/ideological formation rather than individual choice. Although managers may reject this interpellation creating an alternative is constrained by the regime of truth that prevails about what management is at any given time. The approach might be considered overly deterministic in its view of managerial identity.
Originality/value
The paper extends the understanding of managerial identity and how it is portrayed through narrative by using a dialogical approach to interpretation.
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Bob Alexander, Maureen Fordham, Rohit Jigyasu, Mayfourth Luneta and Ben Wisner
This conversation presents the reflections from five prominent disaster scholars and practitioners on the purpose of Radix – the Radical Disaster Interpretations network – as the…
Abstract
Purpose
This conversation presents the reflections from five prominent disaster scholars and practitioners on the purpose of Radix – the Radical Disaster Interpretations network – as the authors celebrate its 20th anniversary.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on the conversations that took place on Disasters: Deconstructed Podcast livestream on the 13th October 2021.
Findings
The conversation reflects on personal and professional journeys in disaster studies over the past 20 years and on what needs changing in order to make disaster interpretations more radical.
Originality/value
The conversation contributes to the ongoing discussions around explorations of radical pathways for understanding and preventing disasters.
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Arlene P. Weekes, Shirleecia Ward and Maureen Mguni
The aim of this research was to explore and gain an understanding of the lived experiences of Black females transitioning from social work practice into academia and the support…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research was to explore and gain an understanding of the lived experiences of Black females transitioning from social work practice into academia and the support and barriers they experienced.
Design/methodology/approach
To achieve this an adaptation of Wengraf (2004) Biographical Narrative Interview Model (BNIM) was employed alongside Braun and Clarke (2006) thematic analysis as foundation of the methodology employed in this study. Whilst the adverse issues relating to Black female academics is not new, the paper is original in the manner in which data was gathered.
Findings
The study identified four themes: (1) significance of early life, (2) passion for learning, (3) overcoming obstacles and (4) navigating academia. The case studies highlighted the various examples of resistance, rebellion and activism the Black female academics employed within UK universities. The paper concluded that despite the positive messaging from families and communities, about pursuing education, and the need for having a strong work ethic, the progress that can be achieved by Black female academics is limited due to the pervasive nature of racism, therefore dispelling the myth of meritocracy.
Research limitations/implications
The research sample was small and therefore not easily generalisable to the whole population. The findings of the paper will need to be considered as a contribution of knowledge to the issue of structural racism.
Originality/value
Whilst the adverse issues relating to Black female academics is sadly not new, the paper is original in the manner in which data was gathered. Namely, the academics were both researchers and the participants, therefore simultaneously providing and analysing the data.
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Margaret McBeath, Maureen T.B. Drysdale and Nicholas Bohn
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between peer support and sense of belonging on the mental health and overall well-being, with a specific focus on…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between peer support and sense of belonging on the mental health and overall well-being, with a specific focus on comparing the perceptions of students in a work-integrated learning (WIL) program to those in a traditional non-WIL program.
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured group interviews were conducted with 25 participants, selected from a university with a WIL program. Interview data captured perceptions of peer support, sense of belonging, and how these influenced mental health, overall well-being, and confidence in making school-to-work transitions. Analysis followed the grounded theory approach of Glaser.
Findings
The analysis revealed that peer support and sense of belonging were essential protective factors for university student’s mental health and well-being, particularly during off-campus work terms or when transitioning to the labor market after graduation. Data suggested that participating in a WIL program can exacerbate students’ perceived barriers to accessing peer support resources and, in turn, lead to poor mental health.
Originality/value
The findings provide evidence for the importance of peer support and sense of belonging on mental health and help-seeking behaviors. Findings are important for the development of health programs, initiatives, and policies, particularly in light of the increase in mental illness amongst university students during their studies and as they prepare for the competitive labor market after graduation.