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1 – 10 of 73
Article
Publication date: 20 January 2021

Fedra Vanhuyse, Alison Bailey and Richard Tranter

Farm businesses in England are under pressure to intensify production sustainably while managing costs and meeting market demands. Commodity prices and support from Common…

Abstract

Purpose

Farm businesses in England are under pressure to intensify production sustainably while managing costs and meeting market demands. Commodity prices and support from Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments are important determinants of profitability. With the United Kingdom (UK) leaving the European Union (EU), revised policy will see farming more exposed to fluctuating commodity prices and financial support from Government more focused on encouraging environmental land management. The research reported here, investigated whether business management practices of farmers influences financial performance, and how policy could be tailored to better meet the needs of farm businesses.

Design/methodology/approach

Regression models were estimated for 862 Cereals, Dairy and Livestock farms in England using official data for 2011–2012, in order to assess whether different farm characteristics, business management practices (identified from a systematic review of 102 studies), knowledge acquisition indicators and manager experience had an effect on four different financial performance ratios. The financial performance of the top 25% of the sample was also compared to the bottom 25% in terms of use of business management practices.

Findings

The results show that business planning and benchmarking had a positive, statistically significant, effect on financial performance, as do business size and knowledge acquisition, albeit to a lesser extent.

Originality/value

The research reported here is the most extensive examination, to date, of the impact of management practices on the financial performance of farms. Thus, it sends strong policy recommendations.

Details

Agricultural Finance Review, vol. 81 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0002-1466

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Mental Health Review Journal, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-9322

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 19 October 2023

Tinna Dögg Sigurdardóttir, Lee Rainbow, Adam Gregory, Pippa Gregory and Gisli Hannes Gudjonsson

The present study aims to examine the scope and contribution of behavioural investigative advice (BIA) reports from the National Crime Agency (NCA).

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Abstract

Purpose

The present study aims to examine the scope and contribution of behavioural investigative advice (BIA) reports from the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Design/methodology/approach

The 77 BIA reports reviewed were written between 2016 and 2021. They were evaluated using Toulmin’s (1958) strategy for structuring pertinent arguments, current compliance with professional standards, the grounds and backing provided for the claims made and the potential utility of the recommendations provided.

Findings

Consistent with previous research, most of the reports involved murder and sexual offences. The BIA reports met professional standards with extremely high frequency. The 77 reports contained a total of 1,308 claims of which 99% were based on stated grounds. A warrant and/or backing was provided for 73% of the claims. Most of the claims in the BIA reports involved a behavioural evaluation of the crime scene and offender characteristics. The potential utility of the reports was judged to be 95% for informative behavioural crime scene analysis and 40% for potential new lines of enquiry.

Practical implications

The reports should serve as a model for the work of behavioural investigative advisers internationally.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to systematically evaluate BIA reports commissioned by the NCA; it adds to previous similar studies by evaluating the largest number of BIA reports ever reviewed, and uniquely provides judgement of overall utility.

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2014

Wayne Heatherington and Iain Coyne

Little research has explored individual experiences of cyberbullying in working contexts. To start bridging the gap in our current understanding, we used Interpretative…

Abstract

Little research has explored individual experiences of cyberbullying in working contexts. To start bridging the gap in our current understanding, we used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to explore individuals' shared experiences of cyberbullying encountered through work. In-depth interviews, conducted with five cyberbullied workers from the pharmaceutical, charity and university sectors, resulted in five superordinate themes: attributions of causality; crossing of boundaries; influence of communication media richness on relationship development; influence of communication explicitness and openness; and strategies for coping. Overall, some similarities emerged between cyberbullying experiences and traditional bullying research, yet the complexities associated with managing relationships, both virtually and physically, were central to individuals' subjective experiences. Practical implications in developing effective leadership and business policies to support virtual groups and manage behaviours are discussed.

Details

International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, vol. 17 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1093-4537

Article
Publication date: 28 September 2018

Alison F. Stowell and Martin Brigham

In the context of the environmental impacts caused due to the increasing volumes of discarded technologies (e-Waste), this paper aims to critically evaluate whether environmental…

Abstract

Purpose

In the context of the environmental impacts caused due to the increasing volumes of discarded technologies (e-Waste), this paper aims to critically evaluate whether environmental policy, the Waste of Electronic and Electrical Equipment (WEEE) legislation in particular can contribute to a shift in logic from neoliberal growth to green growth.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing upon empirical research, this paper shows how three computer waste organisations evolve through the imbrication of pre- and post-policy logics in collaborative and heterogeneous ways to create an “economy of greening”.

Findings

Extending the concept of a fractionated trading zone, this paper demonstrates the heterogeneous ways in which computer sourcing is imbricated, providing a taxonomy of imbricating logics. It is argued that what is shared in a fractionated trading zone is a diversity of imbrications. This provides for a nuanced perspective on policy and the management of waste, showing how post-WEEE logics become the condition to continue to pursue pre-WEEE logics.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses on three organisations and the EU 2003 and UK 2006 versions of the WEEE legislation.

Practical implications

The research findings have important implications, more specifically, for how e-Waste policy is enacted as an “economy of greening” to constitute managerial and organisational adaptation needed to create a sustainable economy and society.

Originality/value

This paper’s contribution is threefold. First, theoretically, the literature on trading zones and imbrication is extended by considering how they can complement one another. Our focus on imbrication is a “zooming in” on the managerial and organisational implications and dynamics of a trading zone. Second, the literature on imbrication is added to by identifying a diverse range of imbricating logics that can be used to discern a more nuanced understanding of the translated effects of policy. Last, these ideas are ground in a relevant empirical context – that of e-waste management in the UK, providing a deeper knowledge, over time, of specific actors’ translations of policy into organisational practices.

Details

Society and Business Review, vol. 14 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5680

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 14 February 2018

Alison M. Konrad

The purpose of this paper is to document the racist undertones of Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign rhetoric and draw implications regarding its impact on equality, diversity…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to document the racist undertones of Donald Trump’s Presidential campaign rhetoric and draw implications regarding its impact on equality, diversity, and inclusion. Most contemporary individuals reject explicitly racist beliefs and strive to present themselves as having egalitarian attitudes toward other races and ethnicities. However, commonly held implicit biases toward historically marginalized racioethnic groups drive negative effect that is often unconscious and unacknowledged. Inconsistency between the conscious and unconscious aspects of contemporary racism generates a population of individuals who are uncomfortable with their attitudes, creating an opening for politicians willing to leverage racist rhetoric and gain support by resolving this inconsistency.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applies social psychological theory and research to address the questions of what attracts otherwise non-racist individuals to racist-tinged rhetoric. The paper also provides theory-based interventions for reducing the attractiveness and impact of racist political campaigns.

Findings

Supporters of racist politicians resolve the conflict between their negative feelings toward racioethnic minorities and their espoused anti-racist views by distancing themselves from racist rhetorical content in three ways: by denying that racist statements or actions occurred, denying that the statements or actions are racist, and/or by denying responsibility for racism and its effects. These techniques provide supporters with validation from an authority that they can express their negative affect toward out-groups and still consider themselves to be good people and not racists.

Practical implications

Distancing from racism has allowed contemporary American extremists to reframe themselves as victims of closed-minded progressives seeking to elevate undeserving and/or dangerous out-groups at the in-group’s expense. Effective anti-racism techniques are needed to counter implicit biases in order to limit the attractiveness of extremist views. Implicit biases can be effectively reduced through training in counter-stereotypic imaging, stereotype replacement, and structured inter-group interaction. Effectively countering denial of the facts involves affirming the audience’s belief system while building skepticism toward the sources of misinformation.

Social implications

While countering racist politicians requires commitment, these efforts are essential for protecting the identity of the USA as a society striving toward equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Originality/value

By articulating the social psychological principles underpinning racist-tinged populist rhetoric, this paper explains the attractiveness of racist statements by politicians, which tends to be under-estimated.

Details

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, vol. 37 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2040-7149

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 June 2008

Alison Brabban and Mike Kelly

This study aimed to determine the level of training in psychosocial interventions among staff in the 119 early intervention in psychosis (EIP) teams that were established at the…

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the level of training in psychosocial interventions among staff in the 119 early intervention in psychosis (EIP) teams that were established at the time. A brief questionnaire was sent to each of the teams asking for details of the composition of the team, and for details of any training in psychosocial interventions (PSI) the members of the team had undergone. Fifty‐two questionnaires were returned (44%). Over half of the teams had input from social workers, clinical psychologists and occupational therapists to compliment the nursing provision, though less than 50% employed support workers or had specific psychiatry input. All but two of the teams returning the questionnaire had members of staff trained in PSI though the type of training tended to reflect availability of local training provision. The results are discussed and practical recommendations are made to ensure evidencebased care is implemented within EIP.

Details

The Journal of Mental Health Training, Education and Practice, vol. 3 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1755-6228

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2003

Abstract

Details

The Journal of Adult Protection, vol. 5 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1466-8203

Article
Publication date: 1 November 1998

Alison Sheridan

Although affirmative action is often referred to as though it was an homogeneous entity, the reality is that affirmative action policies can take many different forms. To date…

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Abstract

Although affirmative action is often referred to as though it was an homogeneous entity, the reality is that affirmative action policies can take many different forms. To date, the variety of affirmative action policies that have been implemented in Australia has not been well‐documented. In this paper, a framework is developed to describe the variety of affirmative action policies being implemented in Australia in the 1990s. The most frequently reported policies by Australian organisations concern reviewing employment policies for discriminatory practices. The next most commonly reported policies relate to companies’ efforts to assist employees to balance the competing roles of work and family. Policies that seek to challenge traditional patterns of employment, and policies that seek to “fix” women are less commonly reported by organisations. The breaking down of affirmative action into various types of policies provides scope for more fully exploring the question of the effectiveness of affirmative action policies.

Details

Women in Management Review, vol. 13 no. 7
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0964-9425

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 August 2019

Gail Boddy, Alison Booth and Anthony Worsley

Teachers disseminate food knowledge and skills in secondary school curricula that provide essential skills for a healthy life. The purpose of this paper is to explore Australian…

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Abstract

Purpose

Teachers disseminate food knowledge and skills in secondary school curricula that provide essential skills for a healthy life. The purpose of this paper is to explore Australian secondary school teachers’ views of healthy eating and their sources of information in planning their food, nutrition and health curriculum.

Design/methodology/approach

Secondary school teachers’ perceptions were explored through semi-structured, in-depth interviews that were de-identified and transcribed verbatim. Codes were ascribed to sections of the transcripts and throughout the process of inductive thematic analysis. The teachers’ responses were grouped into five main themes: approaches to teaching healthy eating, sources of food and nutrition information, curriculum planning, teaching goals and teacher career influences.

Findings

The teachers were clear about the aims and importance of teaching healthy eating in an experiential curriculum. They reported that teaching healthy eating assists the health and well--being of adolescents and their families. The effectiveness of current teaching in Australian secondary schools may be compromised by the positioning of food, nutrition and health topics in two separate curriculum areas: technologies and health and physical education, and competing school priorities and resources that limit the students’ exposures to food curricula. The teachers sourced food information from online websites, popular culture and social media. Their knowledge and views of healthy eating appeared to be associated with their interests, life experiences, education and employment histories.

Practical implications

These findings can assist with health promotion and education policy development. They can assist the design of healthy eating curriculum approaches for secondary schools and professional development courses for teachers, which will foster healthy food habits for adolescents, and their families in the future.

Originality/value

Secondary school teacher perceptions of the place of healthy eating in food, and nutrition curricula have been under examined.

Details

Health Education, vol. 119 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-4283

Keywords

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