A three‐year study, partly funded by the Quality, Design and Education Division of the Department of Trade and Industry, has been carried out on the general subject of quality…
Abstract
A three‐year study, partly funded by the Quality, Design and Education Division of the Department of Trade and Industry, has been carried out on the general subject of quality improvement. As part of this work a literature survey of the English language papers was conducted on such issues as the effects of international competition, the nature of quality management, organisations and change, leadership, how companies set about quality improvement and supplier development. In order to examine topics pertinent to the research subject, the search covered not only the general literature on quality management but also the literature on corporate strategy, marketing, organisational psychology and operations management. The main findings from the literature search are presented and guidance is provided on some authoritative reading on quality improvement.
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The phenomenon of student mobility in higher education is influenced by several factors, including the infrastructure provided by institutions in different countries as student…
Abstract
The phenomenon of student mobility in higher education is influenced by several factors, including the infrastructure provided by institutions in different countries as student support services. These student support services play a pivotal role in fostering students’ adaptability within a new environment, thereby significantly impacting their academic performance and social integration. The study focuses on international students in Uganda and investigates how student support services (as part of institutional infrastructure) support students’ adaptability. Based on Leask’s conceptual model of internationalisation, the study reveals that the presence of such services is essential; in addition, the need to provide newly arriving students with orientation is crucial for them to effectively navigate their surroundings. Offices dedicated to international students are also instrumental in facilitating the students’ orientation and settling-in process and they enhance their overall experience. By recognising the significance of both student support services and orientation, education institutions can create a more conducive and supportive environment for international students, ultimately enriching their academic journey and social interactions.
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Verity Chester, Harriet Wells, Mark Lovell, Clare Melvin and Samuel Joseph Tromans
Elucidating where antisocial or violent behaviour arises within the life course of individuals with intellectual disability (ID) could improve outcomes within this population…
Abstract
Purpose
Elucidating where antisocial or violent behaviour arises within the life course of individuals with intellectual disability (ID) could improve outcomes within this population, through informing services and interventions which prevent behaviours reaching a forensic threshold. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The Historical Clinical Risk Management-20, Version 3 assessments of a cohort of 84 inpatients within a forensic ID service were analysed for this study, with a particular emphasis on items concerned with the age at which antisocial or violence first emerged.
Findings
For most participants, violent or antisocial behaviour was first observed in childhood or adolescence. The study also highlighted a smaller subgroup, whose problems with violence or antisocial behaviour were first observed in adulthood.
Originality/value
The study findings suggest that targeted services in childhood and adolescence may have a role in reducing the offending behaviour and forensic involvement of people with ID. This has implications for the service models provided for children and adolescents with ID with challenging or offending behaviour.
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Historically, counter-terrorism's attitude towards women has been complicated, partly because both counter-terrorism and terrorism were for many years considered almost…
Abstract
Historically, counter-terrorism's attitude towards women has been complicated, partly because both counter-terrorism and terrorism were for many years considered almost exclusively a male business. This approach has also been reflected in the media's sensationalised representation of women involved in political violence. This chapter explores how women's participation in non-state political violence is still largely explained through traditional conservative notions of sexual difference that characterise women as irrational and highly influenceable, eliminating the possibility of any informed discussion. Focusing on the British case, the chapter shows how the actions of female militants are still bound to gendered narratives and limited to specific frames that generally portray violent women as highly sexualised and pathologised. Depictions of female terrorists and ‘radicalised’ women are based on stereotypes that reinforce the image of women as weak, easily influenced, naïve, driven by romantic emotions, deceitful and in constant need of protection and supervision. From an intersectional perspective, the chapter also explores the orientalist imaginaries of Muslim women who are seen as victims and as individuals lacking empowerment and agency. The discussion highlights ultimately that explanations of women's violence must go beyond myths that explain women's involvement in political violence via a wide range of personal and emotional factors, to examine political motivations and consideration of the complexity of their decisions, and the wider context.
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With the high penetration rate of the Internet and the prevalence of social networking sites (SNSs), the negative emotions caused by stressors on SNS have become an important…
Abstract
Purpose
With the high penetration rate of the Internet and the prevalence of social networking sites (SNSs), the negative emotions caused by stressors on SNS have become an important issue worthy of attention. This study explored the relationship between SNS stressors, negative emotions and prosocial behavior, by employing negative emotions as the mediation role and social support as the moderator.
Design/methodology/approach
The samples of this study were Facebook users who have used it constantly in the past six months. An online survey was conducted, from which 547 responses were completed, and 525 were valid, for an effective recovery ratio of 95.98%.
Findings
Employing the structural equation model (SEM), the findings show that five paths were supported with a good fit. Negative emotions (anxiety and loneliness) have a moderating effect.
Originality/value
This study contributes to the literature by factors divided by negative emotions of anxiety and loneliness from SNS stressors’ perspectives. In addition, this study provides additional support the moderating effect of social support of anxiety on prosocial behavior.
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S.E. Galaitsi, Krista Rand, Elissa Yeates, Cary Talbot, Arleen O'Donnell, Elizaveta Pinigina and Igor Linkov
Water is a critical and contentious resource in California, hence any changes in reservoir management requires coordination among many basin stakeholders. The Forecast-Informed…
Abstract
Purpose
Water is a critical and contentious resource in California, hence any changes in reservoir management requires coordination among many basin stakeholders. The Forecast-Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) pilot project at Lake Mendocino, California explored the viability of using weather forecasts to alter the operations of a United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) reservoir. The pilot project demonstrated FIRO's ability to improve water supply reliability, but also revealed the key role of a collaborative Steering Committee. Because Lake Mendocino's Viability Assessment did not explore the features of the Steering Committee, this study aims to examine the relationships and interactions between Steering Committee members that supported FIRO's implementation at Lake Mendocino.
Design/methodology/approach
The project identified 17 key project participants who spoke at a FIRO workshop or emerged through chain-referrals. Using semi-structured interviews with these participants, the project examined the dynamics of human interactions that enabled the successful multi-institutional and multi-criteria innovation as analyzed through text-coding.
Findings
The results reveal the importance for FIRO Steering Committee members to understand the limitations and constraints of stakeholder counterparts at other organizations, the importance of building and safeguarding relationships, and the role of trust and belonging between members. The lessons learned suggest several interventions to support successful group collaboration dynamics for future FIRO projects.
Originality/value
This study identifies features of the Steering Committee that contributed to FIRO's success by supporting collaborative negotiations of infrastructure operations within a multi-institutional and multi-criteria context.
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Auditing has to be relevant in a social as well as a technical sense. This wide‐ranging article shows some of the key issues that need to be addressed.
This study aims to measure the moderating effect of geographical and organizational proximity by focusing on readily available Chinese regional economic data over a five-year…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to measure the moderating effect of geographical and organizational proximity by focusing on readily available Chinese regional economic data over a five-year period.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors used multilevel regression analysis to analyze the relationship.
Findings
Results show that increasing government investment in research and development (R&D) can improve innovation performance during this period, organizational proximity and geographic proximity have a positive moderate effect on the relationship between R&D investment and Innovation performance.
Originality/value
This study enriches the existing theories on government innovation input and output from the perspective of regional differences and provides meaningful guidance for current Chinese regional innovation policies.