Anne Felton, Penny Arnold, Sarah Fairbank and Torsten Shaw
Tackling the social exclusion of people with mental health problems is a primary concern for contemporary mental health services. A social inclusion network was developed to…
Abstract
Tackling the social exclusion of people with mental health problems is a primary concern for contemporary mental health services. A social inclusion network was developed to co‐ordinate a small participatory project arising as part of a practice development initiative. It aimed to examine the experiences of involvement in the community from the perspectives of those using and working in rehabilitation adult mental health services.To gather information three different approaches were used. Networks between rehabilitation services and community resources were identified using a mapping tool whilst focus groups were used to gain more in‐depth perceptions from rehabilitation staff. Finally, a participatory photo project was conducted which involved working with people who use services to capture images of their involvement in their local community. This article reports on the outcomes of the focus groups and photography project.Findings suggested that services reported some success at developing partnerships within the community, but discrimination still remained a significant obstacle. For those people living in the units, social inclusion was an acutely subjective experience in which people continued to experience acceptance and inclusion within mental health services and had made active choices in defining this as their community.
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It is only fair to say that this work is backed by a larger basis of research than exists in most countries. For nearly twenty years, that is since the formation of the…
Abstract
It is only fair to say that this work is backed by a larger basis of research than exists in most countries. For nearly twenty years, that is since the formation of the “Dehydration Committee” by the Department of Agriculture in 1923, experiments have been carried on to determine the best methods of dehydrating Canadian apples, and the experience gained is now being applied to the dehydration of vegetables. One point which has been emphasised consistently throughout the work of the Committee is that high quality and fine flavour are essential for fruit or vegetables to be processed. During the past winter the Canadian Government was informed that the British Government was interested in dehydrated vegetables to an amount of approximately 1,000 tons. While the Canadian industry was not equipped to handle on short notice such a large order, immediate steps were taken in the establishment of test plants and the speeding up of experimentation. At that time representatives from the United Kingdom pointed out that no commercial samples of dehydrated vegetables from any country had been considered entirely satisfactory from the point of view of nutrition. The Canadian tests indicate that dehydrated vegetables can be of fine flavour and retain from 50 to 75 per cent. of the original vitamin content. Five experimental dehydration plants have been operating for some months, processing potatoes, carrots, turnips and cabbages from the 1941 crop. These are being held as a reserve supply for the Canadian Army. On the basis of these results, Canada should be able to supply large quantities of high‐quality dehydrated vegetables. The actual methods of dehydration employed vary according to the product. The simplest is that applied to the drying of fruits. Many of these, such as dates, figs, raisins, are dried in the whole state; others, apricots for example, are halved and pitted, while apples should be peeled, cored and sliced. Cut fruits, such as apricots and apples, are treated with sulphur dioxide, which acts as a steriliser and prevents discolourisation. Such fruits must be cooked before using in order to drive off the sulphur, but other dried fruits can be used without soaking or cooking. The moisture is removed by natural drying in the sun or by artificial evaporation. Many of the dehydration processes lie in the realm of chemical technology, but a short sketch of the principles involved may be of interest. The dehydration process used in the case of vegetables involves careful cleaning and cutting into small pieces, shreds or flakes. These are then “blanched” in steam or boiling water and placed in the dryer. While the amount of moisture which should be left varies with the particular vegetable, it should never exceed 7 per cent., and best results indicate a moisture content of 3 to 5 per cent. Substantial progress has already been made in research into the pre‐treatment of the vegetables. Cabbages, for example, should be “blanched” in steam, potatoes in plain water, and carrots in salt water. Investigation is continuing, however, into the actual drying of the vegetables and particularly as to the proper stage of maturity at which dehydration should take place. So far, it appears that no vegetables which are woody or fibrous have produced satisfactory results. Soft fruits, such as raspberries or strawberries, are reduced to a pulp, after the preliminary cleaning and “blanching.” This pulp is forced out over a heated drum, and when drying is completed looks something like “coloured crepe paper.” This filmy layer is broken into small fragments for packing and storage. It is reported that the original flavour and colour of the fruit is well maintained. The handling of milk and eggs, which are very liquid in their original form, requires a different process. After testing and preliminary sterilisation, the liquid is sprayed into a drying chamber where hot air in constant motion reduces it to a powder which falls to the floor. Although dehydrated foods can be kept under conditions of ordinary storage, they do require special care in packing. Metal containers are unnecessary, but the cartons must be impervious to moisture, to changes in temperature and to the attacks of insects and rodents. Canadian experience also indicates that removal of the oxygen in the container and its replacement by an inert gas, such as hydrogen, prevents any recurrence of chemical change and retains flavour for a considerably longer period. The acceptance of any product in war‐time, even for civilian consumption is, of course, no proof of its continued acceptance under normal conditions. Shortages of supply and the exigencies of the situation necessitate strange substitutions. Sometimes these are found better than the original product, and in the post‐war period tend to replace it. But this only occurs when the new substance or material has intrinsic advantages and can compete on a basis of quality. Many of us can remember the reaction in Great Britain against Canadian bacon after the last war, resulting from war‐time shipments of a type and quality to which the British were not accustomed. Long years of effort were necessary to break down the prejudice against Canadian bacon which was built up at that time. In the present war Canadian bacon is being prepared to suit the British palate. Since dehydrated foods have not yet come into general war‐time use it is impossible to prophesy regarding post‐war markets, but there are a number of interesting sidelights on the situation. One of the industries hardest hit by the tin shortage has been the manufacture of dog food, which had been growing rapidly in the pre‐war years. These manufacturers have been the first to produce dehydrated products to be sold to the general public, truly a case of “trying it out on the dog.” While we do not attempt to draw any analogy between dog biscuits and food for human consumption, it will be interesting to watch the results of this experiment. Dogs are certainly not interested in eating things that are good for them regardless of flavour, and if our canine friends accept the new preparations it will at least indicate that a palatable product has been obtained. The palatability of food can only be determined in use. It is feared, for example, that dehydrated vegetables would tend to become monotonous in constant use. General consumer interest has, however, been aroused by the wide publicity which has been given the industry, and already commercial dehydrators in the United States are studying the possibilities of civilian markets. The future of this development would appear to depend upon the assurance of quality, as the convenience of such products is undeniable.
In April 2010, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS trust won Regional Innovation Funding to recruit, train and employ six peer support workers in community mental health teams. At the…
Abstract
Purpose
In April 2010, Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS trust won Regional Innovation Funding to recruit, train and employ six peer support workers in community mental health teams. At the time, practical examples of the employment of peer support workers were lacking in England. The aim of this paper is to communicate the key lessons learned in this first year of peer support in the hope that these will provide a foundation for other services to build upon.
Design/methodology/approach
The project was evaluated using a simple evaluation model reflecting service structure, processes and outcomes, collected through qualitative methods: documentary analysis, semi‐structured interviews and a focus group.
Findings
The peer support employment process has been broken down into its fundamental components (selection, recruitment, training, supervision relationships, recovery approach and discharge of clients) and within each of these sections a brief narrative is provided to explain some of the challenges faced. Each section ends with recommendations based on the lessons learned as a result of the pilot study.
Research limitations/implications
A second paper will examine the nature of peer support: what the peers did with clients and what difference this made.
Originality/value
At present many mental health services are planning to employ peer support workers and this paper provides some early guidance for implementing this process in the NHS.
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Sanjukta Choudhury Kaul, Manjit Singh Sandhu and Quamrul Alam
This study aims to explore the role of the Indian merchant class in 19th-century colonial India in addressing the social concerns of disability. Specifically, it addresses why and…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the role of the Indian merchant class in 19th-century colonial India in addressing the social concerns of disability. Specifically, it addresses why and how business engaged with disability in colonial India.
Design/methodology/approach
This study’s methodology entailed historiographical approach and archival investigation of official correspondence and letters of business people in 19th-century colonial India.
Findings
Using institutional theory, the study’s findings indicate that guided by philanthropic and ethical motives, Indian businesses, while recognizing the normative and cognitive challenges, accepted the regulative institutional pressures of colonial India and adopted an involved and humane approach. This manifested in the construction of asylums and the setting up of bequeaths and charitable funds for people with disability (PwD). The principal institutional drivers in making of the asylums and the creation of benevolent charities were religion, social practices, caste-based expectations, exposure to Western education and Victorian and Protestantism ideologies, the emergence of colonial notions of health, hygiene and medicine, carefully crafted socio-political and economic policies of the British Raj and the social aspirations of the native merchant class.
Originality/value
In contrast to the 20th-century rights-based movement of the West, which gave birth to the global term of “disability,” a collective representation of different types of disabilities, this paper locates that cloaked in individual forms of sickness, the identity of PwD in 19th-century colonial India appeared under varied fragmented labels such as those of leper, lunatic, blind and infirm. This paper broadens the understanding of how philanthropic business response to disability provided social acceptability and credibility to business people as benevolent members of society. While parallelly, for PwD, it reinforced social marginalization and the need for institutionalization, propagating perceptions of unfortunate and helpless members of society.
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OF all trades or professions, with pretensions to some measure of specialization, if not learning, librarianship is the only one which does not make preliminary technical training…
Abstract
OF all trades or professions, with pretensions to some measure of specialization, if not learning, librarianship is the only one which does not make preliminary technical training an absolute condition of entrance to its fellowship. We know, from past experience, that the ranks of the library profession are filled from all sorts of sources and by all kinds of men, very few of whom can show a diploma, or any kind of certificate, beyond their own word and the testimony of interested friends, to prove that they possess any special qualification for the work. In this respect librarianship differs from every other branch of the municipal and public educational services of the country. There is no independent test of fitness applied, even for positions of great responsibility, and librarians hold tenure of their offices by means of credentials which would not be accepted in the case of most town clerks, medical officers, accountants, surveyors, schoolmasters, and even sanitary inspectors. We are assumed to possess qualifications of a profound and immense range, but, beyond the undoubted power to announce this, by means of the voices and tongues with which we are lavishly endowed, our references are, for the most part, testimonies to character and experience, rather than to scientific training and professional capacity. Mr. X. spends fifteen years in the service of the O. Public Library, which was organised by a superannuated railway guard in 1862, on lines which were, no doubt, suggested by his former experience in dealing with parcels, passengers, and other luggage. This system has the merit of being based upon the science of Mathematics, because number is the main factor relied upon in every department, and for every purpose. It may, possess, moreover, an elementary relationship to the science of literature by making some use of the ordinary English alphabet, and so we have a combination of letters and numerals which is satisfactory evidence that the librarian was no fool, although he was only a railway guard. His literary methods are, therefore, of the A, B, C, 1, 2, 3. type, and all his assistants are carefully trained in the art of preserving bibliographical order by observing that 5 comes between 4 and 6, and q after p. Now, the assistant who has been brought up in this kind of library may have 15 years' so‐called experience behind him to which he can proudly refer, when applying for a chief post, and there is nothing on earth to show that he does not know absolutely everything about literature, bibliography and library methods—ancient and modern, retrograde and advanced, childish and scientific, or that he is not, in every sense of the word, a Complete Librarian. Indeed, the possession of such an imposing qualification as Fifteen Years' Experience is enough to intimidate any ordinary committee who have no standards by which to compare such a phenomenon. There is no standard by which we can at present judge the qualifications of any librarian, unless he is ass enough to reveal his shortcomings by writing books and papers, and what is really happening every day is simply that appointments are being made on the successful candidate's own valuation of his fitness. He is not tested as regards his professional ability at all, and library authorities are driven to appoint men who have had a long term of experience, no matter how elementary or antiquated it may be. They cannot do anything else in the absence of proper training schools, and certificates of special knowledge, issued by independent and impartial examining bodies. It is quite common to hear librarians boasting about their ten, twenty, or thirty years of experience, who would be sorely put to it to answer intelligently any ordinary question in English literature, systematic classification, or bibliography. These men have managed to establish a kind of freehold for mere experience, minus every other qualification, and it is their continuance in office which has prevented Public Libraries from being more liberally recognised by both State and local authorities. This absurd substitution of mere experience in feeble and unworthy methods, for systematic training in the higher departments of librarianship, has produced a race of self‐sufficient librarians—inferior in general intelligence to commercial clerks and shopmen—who have succeeded, by their narrow‐minded mal‐administration and absence of culture, to thoroughly eradicate any little scrap of confidence in the Public Library idea originally cherished by the people. It is fashionable among those gentlemen to blame parliamentary and municipal stinginess and indifference, as the sole causes of the inadequate financial provision to be squeezed out of a 1d. rate. They can account for everything on this theory—small salaries, invisible book‐funds, poor buildings equipped with inferior furniture, and so on—forgetting, in their inflated self‐sufficiency, how much of this neglect and indifference is due to their own ignorance and failure to interest either people or governors. The argument that everything must wait till the penny rate is abolished is the refuge of everyone who has failed to realize the important fact that, if recognition is wanted, it must be worked for. It may be taken as pretty conclusive that the failure of Public Libraries to obtain greater support from the people and Parliament is due largely to an all‐round failure to meet public needs in a thoroughly efficient manner. It matters not if some twenty or thirty places are managed on business‐like and scientific lines. They cannot influence other places at a distance, scattered all over the Kingdom to the number of 450, and inaccessible in other respects to the reformative effect of a good example. There are plenty of superior, cock‐sure librarians going about, with all the authority conferred by twenty years' experience—and nothing else—telling the people that the utmost degree of accomplishment to be had for a penny has been reached. This alone is enough to counteract the good work of fifty well‐managed libraries. The people say to themselves, “If our library represents all we can get for a penny, and our librarian is the sort of man we may expect in the future, what's the good of paying more for a double dose of the same kind of outfit?”
A MIXED feeling seems to be present in the minds of members of Public Library Committees regarding the clause in the new Libraries Bill which gives local authorities the option of…
Abstract
A MIXED feeling seems to be present in the minds of members of Public Library Committees regarding the clause in the new Libraries Bill which gives local authorities the option of increasing the present limited rate of one penny to any amount up to a maximum total of twopence in the pound. In view of the fact that the extension of the rate can only be made at the discretion of local authorities, it is difficult to see what objections can be brought against it. One of the strongest arguments in favour of an extension of the penny rate limit is that about thirty library districts have varied the Acts by special legislation giving increased rating powers. When one realizes the demands made on Public Libraries at the present day, compared with those made upon them in 1855, when the penny rate was fixed, the suggested increase appears to be only reasonable.
This is a study of the social consequences of accounting controls over labour. This paper aims to examine the system of tasking used to control Indian indentured workers in the…
Abstract
Purpose
This is a study of the social consequences of accounting controls over labour. This paper aims to examine the system of tasking used to control Indian indentured workers in the historical context of Fijian sugar plantations during the British colonial period from 1879 to 1920.
Design/methodology/approach
Archival data consisting of documents from the Colonial Secretary’s Office, reports and related literature on Indian indentured labour were accessed from the National Archives of Fiji. In addition, documented accounts of the experiences of indentured labourers over the period of the study gave voice to the social costs of the indenture system, highlighting the social impact of accounting control systems.
Findings
Accounting and management controls were developed to extract surplus value from Indian labour. The practice of tasking was implemented in a plantation structure where indentured labourers were controlled hierarchically. This resulted in their exploitation and consequent economic, social and racial marginalisation.
Research limitations/implications
Like all historical research, our interpretation is limited by the availability of archival documents and the theoretical framework chosen to examine these documents.
Practical implications
The study promotes a better understanding of the practice and impact of accounting controls within a particular institutional setting, in this case the British colony of Fiji.
Social implications
By highlighting the social implications of accounting controls in their historical context, we alert corporations, government policy makers, accountants and workers to the socially damaging effects of exploitive management control systems.
Originality/value
The paper contributes to the growing body of literature highlighting the social effects of accounting control systems. It exposes the social costs borne by indentured workers employed on Fijian sugar plantations.
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IN The verdict of you all, Rupert Croft‐Cooke has some uncomplimentary things to say about novel readers as a class, which is at least an unusual look at his public by a…
Abstract
IN The verdict of you all, Rupert Croft‐Cooke has some uncomplimentary things to say about novel readers as a class, which is at least an unusual look at his public by a practitioner whose income for many years was provided by those he denigrates.
Sara Adler, Joel I. Greenberg, William G. LeBas and Ellen Fleishhacker
To explain amendments to the definition of “accredited investor” approved by the SEC in August 2020 and to describe the impact of the changes.
Abstract
Purpose
To explain amendments to the definition of “accredited investor” approved by the SEC in August 2020 and to describe the impact of the changes.
Design/methodology/approach
Explains how the amendments expand the pool of qualified investors in various subsections of the definition, explains related amendments, and then discusses the implications of the changes.
Findings
The amendments, among other things: (i) permit natural persons to qualify as accredited investors based on certain professional credentials or, for investments in private funds, based on “knowledgeable employee” status”; (ii) add LLCs and other specified entity types to the list of potentially-qualifying entities, and add a “catch-all” category for unspecified entities (although with different quantitative standards); (iii) add the term “spousal equivalent” to the definition; and (iv) codify certain related staff interpretive positions. In addition, the amendments revise the definition of “qualified institutional buyer” to include additional entity types to avoid inconsistencies with the new accredited investor definition.
Originality/value
Expert analysis and guidance from experienced securities attorneys who counsel clients on all manner of SEC regulatory policy matters.
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The purpose of this paper is to provide a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a “Q&A interview” conducted by Joanne Pransky of Industrial Robot Journal as a method to impart the combined technological, business and personal experience of a prominent, robotic industry engineer-turned entrepreneur regarding his pioneering efforts in starting robotic companies and commercializing technological inventions. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The interviewee is Brennard Pierce, a world-class robotics designer and serial entrepreneur. Pierce is currently consulting in robotics after exiting from his latest startup as cofounder and chief robotics officer of Bear Robotics. Pierce discusses what led him to the field of robotics, the success of Bear Robotics, the challenges he’s faced and his future goals.
Findings
Pierce received a Bachelor of Science in computer science from Exeter University. He then founded his first startup, 5TWO, a custom software company. Always passionate about robotics as a hobby and now wanting to pursue the field professionally, he sold 5TWO to obtain a Master of Science, Robotics degree from the newly formed Bristol Robotics Lab (BRL) at Bristol University. After BRL, where he designed and built a biped robot that learned to walk using evolutionary algorithms, he joined the Robotics Research team at Carnegie Mellon University where he worked on a full-size humanoid robot for a large electronics company, designing and executing simple experiments for balancing. He then spent the next six years as a PhD candidate and robotics researcher at the Technical University Munich (TUM), Institute for Cognitive Science, where he built a compliant humanoid robot and a new generation of field programmable gate array-based robotic controllers. Afterwards, Pierce established the robotic startup Robotise in Munich to commercialize the omni-directional mobile platforms that he had developed at TUM. A couple of years later, Pierce left Robotise to cofound Bear Robotics, a Silicon Valley based company that brings autonomous robots to the restaurant industry. He remained at Bear Robotics for four years as chief robotics officer. He is presently a robotics consultant, waiting for post-COVID before beginning his next robotic startup.
Originality/value
Pierce is a seasoned roboticist and a successful entrepreneur. He has 15+ years’ of unique experience in both designing robotic hardware and writing low level embedded and high level cloud software. During his career he has founded three companies, managed small to middle sized interdisciplinary teams, and hired approximately 100 employees of all levels. Pierce’s robotic startup in Munich, Robotise, was solely based on his idea, design and implementation for an autonomous mobile delivery system. The third company he cofounded, Bear Robotics, successfully raised a $32m Series A funding lead by SoftBank. Bear Robotics is the recipient of the USA’s National Restaurant Association Kitchen Innovation Award; Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards; and the Hospitality Innovation Planet 2020 Award.