I read Bernard Holland's article in the first issue (see Structural Survey Vol 1 No 1 page 14) with great interest. Matters relating to claims of professional negligence are of…
Abstract
I read Bernard Holland's article in the first issue (see Structural Survey Vol 1 No 1 page 14) with great interest. Matters relating to claims of professional negligence are of great concern to all people in professional practice, and especially to those of us who engage in making structural surveys of buildings.
There has been a large increase in the number of negligence claims made against members of the profession over recent years. This may be due to a growing awareness of the right to…
Abstract
There has been a large increase in the number of negligence claims made against members of the profession over recent years. This may be due to a growing awareness of the right to claim and/or a lowering of the standard of advice given. Whichever is true, the matter is of importance. The legal decisions of courts are a critical indicator of the expertise required from a professional person. A case of proven negligence shows that a defendant has fallen below the standard of service required by the public. The law examined here is that relating to mortgage valuations and structural surveys, as many actions are brought in this area, and it is an important field in the employment of building knowledge.
Through examination of the Library Reference Model (LRM) specifications for nomen and the potential challenges visual nomen might present for their description and use in…
Abstract
Purpose
Through examination of the Library Reference Model (LRM) specifications for nomen and the potential challenges visual nomen might present for their description and use in information systems, the purpose of this study was to investigate two questions: (1) how do nonlinguistic or nonalphanumeric signs or symbols act as nomen to identify entities? and (2) what details or attributes are relevant to describe and classify such nomen to integrate them into information systems?
Design/methodology/approach
This research was built on an exploratory, qualitative instrumental case study design using multiple (or comparative) cases. Using the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions LRM conceptualization of nomen as the basis, this research explored the similarities and differences between the LRM definition, its attributes and the use of nonlinguistic and nonalphanumeric “strings” for visual nomen to represent a res, moving iteratively between the LRM documentation, visual nomen identified in previous research and additional examples. This study used a constant comparative method to conduct a structured, focused comparison across different cases found in the source survey.
Findings
A close review of the history of the development of the nomen entity was made to understand the semiotic relationship between entities and their symbolic representation, how those symbols are then reified to be further classified and described and how such definitions in the LRM offer a path forward for better understanding the role and function of visual nomen. Based on the foundation of the nomen entity and its attributes established in the LRM, this research then looked at visual representations of concepts and entities to suggest a nascent framework for describing aspects of visual nomen which may be relevant to their use and application
Originality/value
This exploratory study of the use of supralinguistic ways of referencing entities delineates novel insights into a potential framework for describing and using visual nomen as a way of labeling or naming entities represented in information systems. By examining the specifications of the nomen entity and its attributes as delineated by the LRM, this study reinforces the applicability of LRM-defined attributes in the use of visual nomen in addition to offering other attributes or dimensions.
Details
Keywords
LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE affairs occupy our foreground this month of course. The Llandudno meeting will, we understand, be the last to be held in the spring. Various…
Abstract
LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE affairs occupy our foreground this month of course. The Llandudno meeting will, we understand, be the last to be held in the spring. Various considerations, weighty enough, have made the early meeting undesirable. Municipal and county library authority members are occupied with elections and university and college librarians are pressed with imminent examinations. September, therefore, will hereafter be conference month, which, for those who so regard conferences, makes them a welcome extension of summer holidays. It also intrudes them into the holiday season and increases their cost and the difficulty of accommodating so large an assembly in halls and hotels.
David Wilkins, Rebecca Jones and David Westlake
The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast what is spoken about in supervision case discussions in Children’s Services with what subsequently appears in the written…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast what is spoken about in supervision case discussions in Children’s Services with what subsequently appears in the written record on the child’s file. As an exploratory study, the authors set two research questions – how do supervision conversations and corresponding records compare? And how do social work supervisors make use of these records?
Design/methodology/approach
The authors sampled ten pairs of supervision audio recordings and written records from the child’s file. Using a content analysis approach, the authors compared what was spoken about (on the audio recordings) with what was subsequently written down (on the child’s file).
Findings
The complex activity of social work case supervision is not easily captured in written form. Written records did not reflect objectively the content of the audio recordings and on occasion, even contained information absent from the discussion. Supervisors seemed to engage in an interpretative process when creating the records, translating what was spoken about into a record thought (more) suitable for the file.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was limited to one authority and did not compare between different models or approaches to supervision.
Practical implications
Supervisors understandably orient their recording behaviour towards anticipated audiences (chiefly, senior managers and Ofsted inspectors). To change recording practices, it would help to promote the role of children and families as the more important audience for written recordings of supervision case discussions.
Originality/value
The major strength of this study is the inclusion of audio recordings of actual supervision case discussions and real case records. This is an advantage over the more common methods of vignettes, role plays and self-reports because it allowed the authors to examine directly what happens in practice. The findings from the study are strengthened via the use of a focus group with social work managers, helping the authors to validate and test the themes the authors’ identified.