The next 25 years is likely to see a transformation of attitudes in the UK and other Western countries. This will affect the way we view economic growth and how the benefits of it…
Abstract
The next 25 years is likely to see a transformation of attitudes in the UK and other Western countries. This will affect the way we view economic growth and how the benefits of it are used. There will be much greater concern about the quality of time use, and about the way our lives are divided between free time and paid work. Using the example of the UK, this article highlights the reasons why the conventional view of the future is not sustainable, and discusses the actions needed if the required transformation of the future is to be achieved.
Details
Keywords
Martin Weegmann and Tim Leighton
Twelve‐step facilitation (TSF) is becoming an important approach to the therapy of addiction. It proved an equally effective method as one of the three psychosocial approaches…
Abstract
Twelve‐step facilitation (TSF) is becoming an important approach to the therapy of addiction. It proved an equally effective method as one of the three psychosocial approaches used in Project MATCH during the 90s1‐with the added advantage of helping drinkers to replace prodrinking networks with more supportive peers2. Here Addiction Series editor Martin Weegmann and Tim Leighton share their experiences of using the twelve‐step methods and describe the skills and techniques that can be used by any therapist on almost any client.
Martin Kortus, Tim Ward and M.H. Wu
First results of a research project at Bolton Institute show advantages in using a text‐based off‐line programmer in conjunction with a low‐cost PC‐based kinematic simulator. The…
Abstract
First results of a research project at Bolton Institute show advantages in using a text‐based off‐line programmer in conjunction with a low‐cost PC‐based kinematic simulator. The system being developed could mean for small companies an economical alternative to using comprehensive robot simulation packages.
Tim Martin and Michael O'Brien
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experiences of a teacher education program in the United Arab Emirates to demonstrate how a program can best balance the particular…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the experiences of a teacher education program in the United Arab Emirates to demonstrate how a program can best balance the particular needs of a country's educational system with the requirements of international recognition, including benchmarking to international standards and undertaking formal third‐party accreditation.
Design/methodology/approach
The process begins first with the self‐reflection or analysis, reviewing the program terms of curriculum, assessment, clinical practice, faculty and operational indicators, coupled with a formal review of the market and economic drivers to determine future directions for the programs' offerings. After a year‐long analysis, the program was able to look at its operations personally, through the eyes of an external agency familiar with it, and those of an external expert in the field. This triangular process parallels the process that accrediting agencies employ to determine the health or effectiveness of the program to meet its mission.
Findings
After a process of deliberation, the program decided upon the Teacher Education Accreditation Council as the most appropriate agency to pursue accreditation with.
Originality/value
Many times international institutions must sacrifice or modify their existing programs to accommodate the traditional requirements of the outside accrediting agency. However, the paper shows that by thoroughly reviewing and investigating the agencies and their criteria, an institution can determine which agency will serve its needs and provide for a meaningful and successful partnership in the quest for accreditation and recognition.
Details
Keywords
Fang Lee Cooke and Wenqiong Xu
Impoverished employee mental health is harmful to employees and organisational performance. There is emerging interest in employee mental health in the human resource management…
Abstract
Purpose
Impoverished employee mental health is harmful to employees and organisational performance. There is emerging interest in employee mental health in the human resource management (HRM) field. The majority of these studies mainly focus on the organisational and individual levels from the psychological and managerial perspectives without considering the sectoral characteristics and societal context.
Design/methodology/approach
This perspective paper draws on extant literature as well as 10 informal interviews with medical professionals, organisational leaders in the public sector, teachers and HR professionals to shed light on employee mental health research, practice and challenges in the Chinese context.
Findings
This paper reveals national, sectoral, occupational and individual factors that shape mental health problems, individual coping mechanisms and organisational interventions. It also shows international influence on employee mental health in the form of institutional pressure and knowledge transfer.
Research limitations/implications
There is limited research on employee mental health and HRM in the Chinese context, which restricts the scope of discussion in this paper, but at the same time presents rich future research opportunities that may be relevant to other national settings.
Practical implications
Managing the mental health of the workforce is part of the mental health management of the population, which means a holistic approach to building a mental health eco-system needs to be adopted. The authors call for more research on employee mental health in the Chinese context to provide evidence to support policy development and organisational efforts to scale up mental health services at the national and organisational levels. The authors also provide practical recommendations for policymakers and employing organisations.
Originality/value
The authors present a multi-level and multi-factor overview related to employee mental health in the Chinese context. The authors argue for a resource-based and multi-stakeholder approach, which will help inform and improve mental health policy and practice. The authors present several avenues for future scholarship and research. The authors extend the research frontiers of employee mental health issues by calling for the inclusion of a broader range of theoretical lenses including institutional theory, cultural and spiritual perspective and critical sociology to understand more fully how employee mental health conditions may be undermined or improved.
Details
Keywords
The UK, unlike 12 of our fellow European countries, has decided not to join the euro. Indeed, the question of Britain’s membership of the single currency is unresolved. However…
Abstract
The UK, unlike 12 of our fellow European countries, has decided not to join the euro. Indeed, the question of Britain’s membership of the single currency is unresolved. However, whether the UK decides to join or not, the British public house industry will be affected by the single currency. This article discusses the European Union and the euro, the impacts of the single currency on the British public house industry and a strategy for currency changeover in UK public house companies. The article includes a survey of finance directors of public house companies to ascertain their views of the euro. This is presented as a case study. The information contained in this article should be useful in helping public house firms develop a suitable strategic response to the euro. In this context, it is important that currency changeover is seen as an opportunity rather than a threat.
Details
Keywords
Elizabeth S. Ampt, Juan de Dios Ortúzar and Anthony J. Richardson
Large-scale continuous mobility surveys have some advantages over less frequent (usually every 10 years), even larger-scale cross-sectional surveys; these advantages have been…
Abstract
Large-scale continuous mobility surveys have some advantages over less frequent (usually every 10 years), even larger-scale cross-sectional surveys; these advantages have been well documented in previous papers (Ampt & Ortúzar, 2004).
In this paper we first define what we mean by ‘ongoing mobility surveys’. We then describe the state of practice in this context, briefly reviewing the state of affairs in all the cases that we are aware of. We then discuss some problems encountered in practice and offer ideas for improvement. In particular, we discuss a wide range of issues that are likely to act as barriers to a high quality and sustainable implementation and suggest approaches for improvement. Issues covered include sampling frames and sampling methods, survey methods, respondent burden, weighting processes and expansion, and the increased importance of developing and maintaining field staff motivation. We also touch briefly on the practical/political issue of securing ongoing funding. Throughout, we advance some thoughts to try and explain why this method has not gained wider acceptance, particularly in the Northern Hemisphere where there are more examples of travel surveys in general.
The paper also raises some ideas and issues about the way in which ongoing mobility surveys can best collect data for the environmental accounting of travel. Finally, we raise questions about the environmental impact of the survey methods themselves as a stimulus for further consideration.