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Purpose – The purpose of this chapter is to develop a framework for understanding deviant genres of music. Although it seems destructive, deviant music has positive effects, and can encourage greater socialization into the larger society.

Design/methodology/approach – By looking at deviant music of the past, it is possible to see more clearly why such music was created, and what functions it has in society. Three main functions were identified: social criticism, spreading the news, and public catharsis of outstanding events.

Findings – These three functions are found in deviant music today. But there are differences. Heavy metal, a counter culture, uses offensive language and images to repel unwanted outsiders and thus avoids commercialization. Grunge, music of a drop out culture, became popular and lost some of its alternative identity. Rap started as a legitimate African American youth art form but was hijacked by the music industry and has expanded beyond a meaningful art world. This has left both artists and listeners vulnerable to a distorted image.

Originality – The real value of deviant music is its historical record of the inner world of subcultures.

The objective of this research is to develop a method for designing customised pressure garments that can be more accurately applied to a burn wound area. The method includes the use of a 3D digital image of the wounded body part obtained by a body scanner and the development of a 3D pressure garment model and a 2D pattern. The scanned data contain detailed information that cannot be feasibly obtained by manual measurements, such as body curvature. The model parameters include the pressure to be exerted, pressure garment fabric properties and radius of curvature of the cross-sections of scanned body parts. By using a 3D pressure garment model, a 2D garment pattern is developed, and then, a pressure garment is constructed by using the pattern. The technique has been experimentally verified and customised pressure garments are made for a number of volunteer subjects. The customised pressure garments made for the subjects exert pressures close to the design pressure, but vary along the circumference of a given cross-section. The customised pressure garments constructed by using the developed method have shown a more accurate fit to uniformly exert the design pressure onto the whole of the wounded area.

Management thinking has seen organisations group product development activities in a number of ways in the quest to improve performance. The implementation of multi‐disciplinary teams has been recognised as a means of rapidly improving the way product development activities are managed. However, such an approach is not without its ills. Moreover, Henderson's research (Henderson, R., “Managing innovation in the information age”, Harvard Business Review, January, 1994, Reprint no. 94105) indicates that what governs product development success is the ability of the company to overcome the boundaries of any organisational grouping, rather than the type of organisation structure adopted. This research seeks to corroborate Henderson's propositions in a number of different industrial settings. Social network analysis helped embody the theory into a specification for a model to visualise and manipulate the informal organisation and the on‐going research activities further developed the specification into a working model that has been trialed in a number of different industrial settings. This paper sets the research context and presents the results thus far, both in the context of knowledge from academic research and practical application of the model. The working model has been able to manipulate the informal organisation by enabling visualisation of “core knowledge communities”, generating discussion, and supplying focus for individuals and teams to manage relationships more effectively and hence improve product development performance. Implications for further use of the model are reported, together with its potential for improving performance in organisational areas external to product development.

This chapter explores the contribution of The Open University (OU) Library to influencing curriculum decisions about embedding digital and information literacies in an online environment. Recommendations can be applied to higher education (HE) institutions as they develop permanent e-learning strategies to prepare for a long-term solution to online learning experiences. Learning providers are creating strategies for online content creation, student engagement, and skills development. It is an opportunity to demonstrate their value by making an effective transition to online learning, streamlining services to create student-centered experiences.

It investigates existing e-pedagogical approaches developed pre- and during the COVID-19 pandemic to embedding digital literacies in practice, drawing on the OU’s experience of developing effective frameworks for online teaching programs. The aim is to review institutional preparedness for effective transition, so that staff members and students can adapt to post-COVID realities. This draws upon student-centered, holistic design of programs to embed accessible and inclusive processes in distance learning, utilizing technological solutions to create optimal teaching and learning environments.

It will also make recommendations about how embedding digital literacies within the curriculum will equip graduates for post-education experiences within working and social contexts, by building activities into module that develop digital capabilities. For effective learning experiences to take place, institutions require development of born-digital support material to develop staff confidence and ability to produce effective, accessible online learning objects. As more organizations move to online, hybrid, and flipped learning interventions, high-level university strategy can future-proof learning design by developing the support that staff need to provide the best experiences for their learners.

Social networking sites (SNSs) have established an important presence in our daily lives and at work. This study explores how public service professionals use SNSs and how they perceive the potential of SNSs. This study further examines the relationship between the use of SNSs and social trust and civic participation. Last, this study identifies the challenges and opportunities facing public administration practitioners who use SNSs to build collaboration and promote public interests. Based on the nationwide survey results, this study provides a broader understanding of SNS use among public service professionals. Furthermore, it also provides management recommendations on how public service professionals can make full use of SNSs to facilitate their interactions with other public service professionals and citizens, and foster collaboration to pursue public interests.

The objective of this study is to model the propagating front in the interaction of gases in an aircraft fuel tank. To this end, we introduce a nonlinear parabolic operator, for which solutions are shown to be regular.

The authors provide an analytical expression for the propagating front, that shifts any combination of oxygen and nitrogen, in the tank airspace, into a safe condition to avoid potential explosions. The analytical exercise is validated with a real flight.

According to the flight test data, the safe condition, of maximum 7% of oxygen, is given for a time t = 45.2 min since the beginning of the flight, while according to our analysis, such a safe level is obtained for t = 41.42 min. For other safe levels of oxygen, the error between the analytical assessment and the flight data was observed to be below 10%.

The interaction of gases in a fuel tank has been little explored in the literature. Our value consists of introducing a set of nonlinear partial differential equations to increase the accuracy in modeling the interaction of gasses, which has been typically done via algebraic equations.

Examines factors such as the trend to globalisation, triggers for change such as advances in information technology (IT), changing organisation structures and adoption of business process re‐engineering using the findings of a questionnaire. Questions addressed the topics of: industrial sector, organisational strategy, structure, people, performance, and the role of IT. The key findings included: that globalisation was a real and significant force for change affecting organisation strategy, operations, and characteristics; that alternative organisation strategies lead to varying organisational success, and scope for improvement; and that evolution (rapid or slow) to a virtual enterprise is feasible for most firms.

This chapter critically explores the transformative role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in higher education, highlighting both the opportunities it presents and the challenges it imposes. Focused on pedagogical enhancement, it details how AI-driven adaptive learning systems, tutors, and curriculum adjustments contribute to personalized education. It further examines AI's efficiency in streamlining administrative tasks, like enrollment and support services, while addressing significant ethical concerns, including data privacy and algorithmic bias. Moreover, the impact of AI on research and development is discussed, showcasing its potential to revolutionize scientific discovery through advanced data analysis. A strategic framework is proposed for stakeholders to effectively navigate AI integration and digital transformation, emphasizing a balanced approach that prioritizes innovation, ethical considerations, and quality in the digital era of higher education.

This case study documents the move to emergency virtual learning at the University of Johannesburg. Prefacing promoting social justice and care, the authors explain how key challenges unique to a university in a developing world context were considered. The findings highlight the importance of agility, adaptability and the role of Ubuntu (i.e. values of compassion, solidarity and sharing) in higher education institutional leadership in a crisis. Furthermore, the authors highlight the need to address how structural inequality and poverty impact the pace of technological infusion in higher education in the Global South.