Sally Hodges, Madeleine Cooke and Jack Meadows
Investigates whether public libraries are capable of providing abasic science enquiry service. Examines the range of environmentalenquiries handled by five participating libraries…
Abstract
Investigates whether public libraries are capable of providing a basic science enquiry service. Examines the range of environmental enquiries handled by five participating libraries as a part of their everyday business. During the study some 110 detailed enquiries where recorded: somewhat less than 20 per cent of these concerned local environmental questions; the rest related to environmental queries at the national or global level. The three most popular topics were: pollution; names/addresses of environmental organizations and people; and recycling. Enquirers were evenly split between school attenders and adults. Most of the enquiries could be answered by making use of the resources already available in the library; no more than 10 per cent had to be referred elsewhere for an answer.
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Individual psychodynamic psychotherapy for people with learning disabilities has been more available since the 1980s, with numerous case studies and reports of effectiveness, yet…
Abstract
Individual psychodynamic psychotherapy for people with learning disabilities has been more available since the 1980s, with numerous case studies and reports of effectiveness, yet little is know about the history of psychodynamic psychotherapy. This paper is a historical account of the international development of psychodynamic psychotherapy for people with learning disabilities. It discusses some of the clinicians' case reports, views and conclusions. It is important that, as therapists, we continue to learn and develop. This is a story of ‘opportunities lost’. Although a number of therapists were well‐placed to develop psychotherapy as a valuable treatment option, it did not happen. The paper discusses the reasons, ranging from widespread therapeutic pessimism to inability in the therapist to process the ‘disability transference’. It outlines the various British contributions before and since the ground‐breaking and well‐known work of Valerie Sinason, whose 1992 book is still the most influential contribution. Psychodynamic psychotherapy has developed more of a tradition than other therapy approaches in this field, but there is still only sparse literature on and recognition of this work.
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This research note provides some practical advice on accessing financial reports on the internet and the collection of associated data for subsequent analysis. It will be of use…
Abstract
This research note provides some practical advice on accessing financial reports on the internet and the collection of associated data for subsequent analysis. It will be of use to practitioners, academics, students and other researchers embarking on this kind of analysis for the first time. Suggestions are put forward to accelerate the effective collection of data.
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Rebecca Checkley, Nick Hodge, Sue Chantler, Lisa Reidy and Katie Holmes
This paper focuses on accessing the experiences of three boys who are on the autism spectrum to identify what using a voice output communication aid (VOCA), within a classroom…
Abstract
This paper focuses on accessing the experiences of three boys who are on the autism spectrum to identify what using a voice output communication aid (VOCA), within a classroom setting, means to them. The methods used to identify the boys' perspectives are described and evaluated. Establishing these through direct methods of engagement proved problematic but working with parents and school staff as ‘expert guides’ provided a rich insight into what using a VOCA appeared to mean to the boys. The findings suggest that using a computer‐based VOCA can be viewed by children with autism as a pleasurable and motivating activity. This technology also seems to offer the potential for a much broader developmental impact for these children than that currently recognised within the research literature.
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Zahra Sharifzadeh, Natasha T. Brison and Gregg Bennett
This study investigates the personal branding strategies utilized by Iranian professional athletes. It also examines the challenges these athletes face in attempting to create a…
Abstract
Purpose
This study investigates the personal branding strategies utilized by Iranian professional athletes. It also examines the challenges these athletes face in attempting to create a personal brand. For example, unlike their global counterparts, Iranian athletes’ access to social media is limited to only Instagram, due to a ban in Iran on the use of Facebook and Twitter. This specific situation provides unique opportunities and interactions in the personal branding process.
Design/methodology/approach
Utilizing a criterion purposive sample of Iranian professional athletes, the authors conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews to understand the branding strategies and challenges of these athletes.
Findings
Two categories (branding strategies and cultural/societal challenges), along with Six themes emerged. The categories were derived based on the literature review and the subsequent research questions.
Originality/value
This paper provides valuable information on challenges and opportunities for athletes' personal branding from international perspectives. Also, the results of the study broaden our understanding of how athletes' personal branding can function in different countries and contexts. Findings will provide governing bodies and sport marketers have a better understanding of athletes' social media usage.
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Sally Riad and Urs Daellenbach
The speed of integration has been a salient and longstanding topic in the literature on managing mergers and acquisitions. Yet over the decades, speed has also been the subject of…
Abstract
The speed of integration has been a salient and longstanding topic in the literature on managing mergers and acquisitions. Yet over the decades, speed has also been the subject of extensive debate. While many have advocated for fast integration, others have recommended a more measured pace. In this chapter, the authors reflect on the discussion by canvasing the variety of views on the speed of integration. The work is positioned at the nexus of the literature on mergers with that on stakeholders, in particular its attention to urgency in stakeholder management. It approaches urgency in mergers and acquisitions as a “dilemma of stake,” a new lens on a well-established but challenging topic. The study draws on ethnographic research to examine accounts of speed of integration in a New Zealand public sector merger. The chapter juxtaposes varied views on the topic against the respective arguments within the merger literature. It examines the overarching themes of “go slow” and the “need for speed” by attending to the tensions between a prosocial service ethos on the one hand and a managerialist ethos on the other. The explication of the respective dilemmas of stake shows how participants articulate their views on urgency both in terms of its effects on their individual professional role, their own stake, as well as in terms of the effects on employees as internal stakeholders. The analysis also explores the role of internal and external context in shaping the views on urgency in merger integration. The work concludes by outlining an agenda for future research.
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Moses Segbenya, Sally Abena Baafi-Frimpong and Nana Yaw Oppong
This study examined the effect of COVID-19 on the acquisition of employable skills among national service personnel in Ghana.
Abstract
Purpose
This study examined the effect of COVID-19 on the acquisition of employable skills among national service personnel in Ghana.
Design/methodology/approach
The study adopted the cross-sectional descriptive survey design from the positivist paradigm to collect data from a sample of 2,263 out of a population of 77,962 trainees (national service personnel) posted to the public (85.1%) and the private (14.9%) sectors for the 2019/2020 service year. Sampling techniques were simple random, stratify and snowball sampling techniques and Google form softcopy questionnaire was used for data collection.
Findings
The study found that COVID-19 had made workplaces and work schedules very risky for trainees' acquiring employable skills in Ghana because their employers/trainers' were unable to provide adequate PPEs for trainees. Preventive measures such as mandatory leaves, reduced workload/working hours and shift system had reduced the duration for acquiring employable skills which could affect employability and aggravate graduate unemployment in Ghana. The sustainability and quality of job opportunities presented by COVID-19 to graduate trainees-farming; trading and online teaching could also not be guaranteed.
Research limitations/implications
It was recommended that employers/trainers should provide adequate PPEs, introduce teleworking with the necessary tools and training for their trainees. Educational institutions should provide work-based learning methods in their curricula to enhance employable skills for national service graduates. Government's support for trainees venturing into self-employed job opportunities presented by the COVID-19 was also recommended
Practical implications
It was recommended that employers/trainers should provide adequate personal protective equipment (PPE), introduce teleworking with the necessary tools and training for their trainees. Government's support for trainees venturing into self-employed job opportunities presented by the COVID-19 was also recommended.
Originality/value
This paper has not been published anywhere.
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Caroline Hodges Persell and Peter W. Cookson
Power without authority is fragile; to be effective, leaders must appear to deserve their positions. This sense of legitimacy is the most important end product of going through…
Abstract
Power without authority is fragile; to be effective, leaders must appear to deserve their positions. This sense of legitimacy is the most important end product of going through Prep school. This sense of legitimacy is magnified by the sense of collective identity that Prep schools generate among their students, and much of the bonding process essential to upper‐class solidarity begins in this institution. This is the social glove that holds together the privileged classes, often at the expense of individuality but to the long‐term gain of upper‐class hegemony.