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The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of knowledge transfer partnership (KTP)as a means for universities to generate and exchange knowledge to foster sustainable cities and societies.

This paper reports on a series of separate yet interrelated KTPs between a university and the local authority in the North East of England, designed to enhance the environmental, social and economic performance of a large-scale urban housing procurement project.

Results from the partnerships indicate that KTPs may play a crucial role in developing capacity within local authorities tasked with creating sustainable cities and societies, whilst at the same time, enhancing skills and knowledge within the communities whom they represent and their industry partners.

The paper contributes an understanding as to how universities can act as a conduit for the generation and exchange of knowledge for sustainability. It presents a case study which examines how a series of KTPs can provide a useful mechanism for enhancing environmental, social and economic sustainability.

I HAVE SEEN no comments in our professional press on the notice given by the United States of intention to withdraw from Unesco at the end of 1984. Yet this decision concerns all of us who look beyond our own coastline, and take some interest in libraries throughout the world, because there can be no doubt that Unesco has been a major factor in their development. This is certain to suffer if the us contribution to the budget, some 25%, ceases. The decision has not yet come into effect, and there is still time to persuade the us not to implement it.

Following the landmark 2003 Ontario Court of Appeal decision legalizing same‐sex marriage, some same‐sex couples sought to formalize their unions through legal marriage. The purpose of this paper is to explore the personal and political reflections of recently married same‐sex couples on the meaning of their marriages for themselves, their partners, their community as well as the implications for progressive social change in the broader social world.

An ethnographic approach was employed to semi‐structured in‐depth qualitative interviews with six lesbian and gay couples.

An emerging thesis is that, while seeking access to a most conventional and conformist institution, same‐sex couples inadvertently become “cutting edge” couples as they make public their declarations of love and commitment and model new and challenging notions of marriage.

The paper provides a snapshot of a small number of interviews that took place approximately 11 months after the Ontario Court of Appeal decision.

Law should take into account the importance of social and legal recognition of marriage for all. The heteronormativity of marriage is thus challenged from within, to make these types of marriages truly cutting edge.

The paper provides evidence of the personal and political reflections of people who had the choice to get married and did, at a time when this was seen as really cutting edge. Few personal accounts exist which provide a picture of the continued importance of marriage to human beings.

The purpose of this paper is to review cases of artificial reefs built through additive manufacturing (AM) technologies and analyse their ecological goals, fabrication process, materials, structural design features and implementation location to determine predominant parameters, environmental impacts, advantages, and limitations.

The review analysed 16 cases of artificial reefs from both temperate and tropical regions. These were categorised based on the AM process used, the mortar material used (crucial for biological applications), the structural design features and the location of implementation. These parameters are assessed to determine how effectively the designs meet the stipulated ecological goals, how AM technologies demonstrate their potential in comparison to conventional methods and the preference locations of these implementations.

The overview revealed that the dominant artificial reef implementation occurs in the Mediterranean and Atlantic Seas, both accounting for 24%. The remaining cases were in the Australian Sea (20%), the South Asia Sea (12%), the Persian Gulf and the Pacific Ocean, both with 8%, and the Indian Sea with 4% of all the cases studied. It was concluded that fused filament fabrication, binder jetting and material extrusion represent the main AM processes used to build artificial reefs. Cementitious materials, ceramics, polymers and geopolymer formulations were used, incorporating aggregates from mineral residues, biological wastes and pozzolan materials, to reduce environmental impacts, promote the circular economy and be more beneficial for marine ecosystems. The evaluation ranking assessed how well their design and materials align with their ecological goals, demonstrating that five cases were ranked with high effectiveness, ten projects with moderate effectiveness and one case with low effectiveness.

AM represents an innovative method for marine restoration and management. It offers a rapid prototyping technique for design validation and enables the creation of highly complex shapes for habitat diversification while incorporating a diverse range of materials to benefit environmental and marine species’ habitats.

Science has become a powerful tool for examining our bodies, our environment, and our universe. In fact, we have adopted science as the technique of choice for examining most phenomena. The intent of this manuscript is to critique the role of science as it pertains to investigating social phenomena, i.e. entrepreneurship, and offer a highly unique twist on the discourse. An overview of historical scientific results leads into the introduction of a Social Periodic Table. The conclusion is that science is quite often the improper tool to use in order to capture the essence of entrepreneurial phenomena. Some suggestions are offered for future research perspectives. The paper does not rehash the science debate from the 1980s marketing literature.

This study aims to understand how staff in homelessness services conceptualise readiness for change in the individuals they support and how this informs their decision-making in practice.

A qualitative design was used. Ten staff members participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were examined through inductive–deductive thematic analysis, using a social constructivist epistemological lens.

Five main themes were constructed: “multiple complex needs mean multiple complex changes”, “talk versus behaviour”, “change is not a linear trajectory”, “the role of consistent boundaried relationships” and “change is not solely within the individual’s control”.

This research challenges existing notions of “readiness for change” as located within individuals and a prerequisite for using support from services. It has implications for staff and services, particularly those which are time-limited and address only single problems; service users may not be ready for some changes, but it should not be assumed they are not ready for change in other areas of their life. The offer of supportive relationships may precede and contribute to readiness for positive changes. Support should be offered based not only an individual’s intra-psychic readiness for change but also how the system might actively work to promote hope that change can be achieved and maintained.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore staff members’ conceptualisations of readiness to change in relation to individuals with multiple complex needs and how this might influence practice.

This paper aims to look at the leadership lessons which can be learnt from Scottish soccer coach, Alex Ferguson.

The paper examines the characteristics and methods of Alex Ferguson's leadership style and how managers in business can apply the wider principles that underlie them.

Just like football teams, businesses have long periods of fantastic success as well as times when winning titles or new business seems an unattainable goal. A great leader takes their team through good times and bad. With the enrolment and engagement of their people, they too can be a true leader and someone that people actively choose to commit to and follow.

The author believes that managers can learn much from Ferguson's principles of leadership.

The purpose of this paper is to provide an interview with Alex Pratt, an award winning entrepreneur and one of the UK's leading business figures. He started trading bankrupt stock at the age of 16, and was quickly spotted as a national rising business star. Today, Alex is Director of Serious Brands. He has worked with several governments as an advisor on business, competitiveness and innovation

This briefing is prepared by an independent interviewer.

After decades of growth, business leaders are now facing unfamiliar territory, the biggest cuts in spending since the Great Depression and a more uncertain future. In addition, to tackling the economic challenges, entrepreneurs need to keep their eyes open for emerging opportunities like those related to the transition to a greener, lower carbon economy. In his new book Austerity Business: 39 Tips for Doing More with Less. Alex offers help and inspiration to businesses in dealing with the new “Age of Austerity”.

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that can have a broader social impact.

Alex book offers advice on how companies can thrive during a period of austerity.