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Article
Publication date: 9 July 2019

Amanda Davies

204

Abstract

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 5 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Article
Publication date: 31 May 2019

Yeslam Al-Saggaf and Amanda Davies

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the design, application and findings of a case study in which the application of a machine learning algorithm is utilised to identify the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the design, application and findings of a case study in which the application of a machine learning algorithm is utilised to identify the grievances in Twitter in an Arabian context.

Design/methodology/approach

To understand the characteristics of the Twitter users who expressed the identified grievances, data mining techniques and social network analysis were utilised. The study extracted a total of 23,363 tweets and these were stored as a data set. The machine learning algorithm applied to this data set was followed by utilising a data mining process to explore the characteristics of the Twitter feed users. The network of the users was mapped and the individual level of interactivity and network density were calculated.

Findings

The machine learning algorithm revealed 12 themes all of which were underpinned by the coalition of Arab countries blockade of Qatar. The data mining analysis revealed that the tweets could be clustered in three clusters, the main cluster included users with a large number of followers and friends but who did not mention other users in their tweets. The social network analysis revealed that whilst a large proportion of users engaged in direct messages with others, the network ties between them were not registered as strong.

Practical implications

Borum (2011) notes that invoking grievances is the first step in the radicalisation process. It is hoped that by understanding these grievances, the study will shed light on what radical groups could invoke to win the sympathy of aggrieved people.

Originality/value

In combination, the machine learning algorithm offered insights into the grievances expressed within the tweets in an Arabian context. The data mining and the social network analyses revealed the characteristics of the Twitter users highlighting identifying and managing early intervention of radicalisation.

Details

Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice, vol. 5 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2056-3841

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 June 2022

Amanda Jane Davies, Irwyn Shepherd and Elyssebeth Leigh

Globally, private and public organisations invest ever increasing amounts of money, time and effort to develop leadership capabilities in current and future leaders. Whilst such…

Abstract

Purpose

Globally, private and public organisations invest ever increasing amounts of money, time and effort to develop leadership capabilities in current and future leaders. Whilst such investment results in benefits for some, the full value of developmental strategies on offer is not always realised. Challenges inhibiting achievement of full value include struggling to identify learning programs that best fit with the organisational structure, culture, mission and vision and difficulties in maximising engagement of personnel at multiple levels of the management structure.

Design/methodology/approach

The purpose of this study is to introduce a pathway for health services to develop and embed simulation-based educational strategies that provide targeted learning for leaders and teams. Aligning this approach to leadership development through presentation of case studies in which the model has been applied illustrates the pathway for application in the health-care sector.

Findings

The findings of the approach to leadership development are presented through the presentation of a case study illustrating application of the ADELIS model to simulation-based learning.

Practical implications

The ADELIS model, outlined in this study, provides a guide for creating customised and flexible learning designs that apply simulation-based learning, enabling organisations to develop and provide leadership training for individuals, units and teams that is appropriately fit for purpose.

Originality/value

The key contribution to health-care leadership development offered in this study is the rationale for using simulation-based learning accompanied by a model and pathway for creating such a pedagogical approach, which embraces the reality of workplace circumstances.

Details

Leadership in Health Services, vol. 36 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1751-1879

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 June 2024

Amanda Jane Davies, Antony Stephenson, Belinda Briggs and Douglas Allan

Literature and research are emerging in an effort to contribute to strategy development and implementation to address these challenges. Currently, there is no readily identified…

Abstract

Purpose

Literature and research are emerging in an effort to contribute to strategy development and implementation to address these challenges. Currently, there is no readily identified study that combines examination of both academic and grey (i.e. media, government, and non-government reports) literature in a recent time frame (2019–2023) focused specifically on identification of the factors that influence attrition and retention rates; or detailed studies that have evaluated the implementation of strategies to address these challenges within the law enforcement and policing employment field. The study presented in this article seeks to add to the body of knowledge informed by recent (2019–2023) literature and in parallel offer insight into the critical areas of influence to be considered by police and law enforcement decision-makers.

Design/methodology/approach

The study utilised the PRISMA-P concept for systematic reviews as a general guide for identifying appropriate literature which revealed a total of 37 academic peer-reviewed articles and 21 grey literature documents contributing to identification of five overarching areas influencing attrition and retention.

Findings

The study identified the following factors contributing to attrition and retention: Job satisfaction and organisational factors; Supervision; Work-life balance; Recruitment, Training and Officer expectations; Financial compensation and job alternatives. There are differences in factors between this study and previous studies, i.e. recruitment strategies related to officer expectations was identified as a contributing factor. These additional factors offer a further contribution to future policy and strategy deliberations and implementations to address the workforce levels within police agencies.

Research limitations/implications

Future research endeavours may include examining the outcomes of strategic endeavours addressing the five core influencing factors for retention of law enforcement and police officers.

Practical implications

The identification of these five factors drawn from the literature review offers potential direction/areas of concentration for law enforcement and policing agencies to direct their efforts in addressing retention and attrition of staff.

Originality/value

Currently, there is no readily identified study that (a) combines examination of both academic and grey (i.e. media, government and non-government reports) literature in a recent time frame (2019–2023) focused specifically on identification of the factors that influence attrition and retention rates; or detailed studies for addressing these challenges within the law enforcement and policing employment field. The study presented in this article seeks to address this gap in the literature and in parallel offer insight into the critical areas of influence to be considered by police and law enforcement decision-makers.

Details

Policing: An International Journal, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-951X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1999

Amanda Jane Davies and Ashok Kumar Kochhar

Recent years have witnessed considerable interest in benchmarking as a technique for measuring performance against world class performers and identifying best practices. However…

1049

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed considerable interest in benchmarking as a technique for measuring performance against world class performers and identifying best practices. However, a study carried out to ascertain the extent of use of benchmarking and best practice in manufacturing companies revealed that this interest has resulted in a limited use of benchmarking in overall terms and, in particular, has not led to benchmarking being undertaken at lower levels of manufacturing organisations. For example, the activities associated with manufacturing planning and control systems. This paper reports on the obstacles to benchmarking in companies and suggests the prerequisites necessary for carrying out an effective benchmarking study. It also discusses the importance of applying benchmarking activities to the lower levels of manufacturing organisations. The study was based on detailed field studies carried out in four batch manufacturing companies. It investigated 15 areas of manufacturing planning and control to establish the level of benchmarking and implementation of best practices within them.

Details

Integrated Manufacturing Systems, vol. 10 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0957-6061

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 2002

Amanda J. Davies and Ashok K. Kochhar

The number of studies relating to best practice in manufacturing has been increasing at a rapid rate over the last few years. As companies strive to attain world‐class…

4833

Abstract

The number of studies relating to best practice in manufacturing has been increasing at a rapid rate over the last few years. As companies strive to attain world‐class manufacturing status the search for best practice has intensified. Focus has evolved from benchmarking as a means to improve company performance through the identification of best practice, to the need to identify, manage and transfer best practices. This paper discusses this evolution of focus and identifies key issues for consideration in best practice investigations. In particular, it addresses issues of methodology which can improve the quality of findings from studies of best practice and maximise company performance through the transfer of appropriate best practices.

Details

International Journal of Operations & Production Management, vol. 22 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0144-3577

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 11 December 2018

Lisa Wood, Nicholas J.R. Wood, Shannen Vallesi, Amanda Stafford, Andrew Davies and Craig Cumming

Homelessness is a colossal issue, precipitated by a wide array of social determinants, and mirrored in substantial health disparities and a revolving hospital door. Connecting…

5780

Abstract

Purpose

Homelessness is a colossal issue, precipitated by a wide array of social determinants, and mirrored in substantial health disparities and a revolving hospital door. Connecting people to safe and secure housing needs to be part of the health system response. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

Design/methodology/approach

This mixed-methods paper presents emerging findings from the collaboration between an inner city hospital, a specialist homeless medicine GP service and Western Australia’s inaugural Housing First collective impact project (50 Lives 50 Homes) in Perth. This paper draws on data from hospitals, homelessness community services and general practice.

Findings

This collaboration has facilitated hospital identification and referral of vulnerable rough sleepers to the Housing First project, and connected those housed to a GP and after hours nursing support. For a cohort (n=44) housed now for at least 12 months, significant reductions in hospital use and associated costs were observed.

Research limitations/implications

While the observed reductions in hospital use in the year following housing are based on a small cohort, this data and the case studies presented demonstrate the power of care coordinated across hospital and community in this complex cohort.

Practical implications

This model of collaboration between a hospital and a Housing First project can not only improve discharge outcomes and re-admission in the shorter term, but can also contribute to ending homelessness which is itself, a social determinant of poor health.

Originality/value

Coordinated care between hospitals and programmes to house people who are homeless can significantly reduce hospital use and healthcare costs, and provides hospitals with the opportunity to contribute to more systemic solutions to ending homelessness.

Details

Housing, Care and Support, vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1460-8790

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 March 2017

Rebecca Naomi Davies, Shirli Werner and Amanda Sinai

Recent research has promoted the use of supported decision making, in contrast to historical methods of substitute decision making when working with people with intellectual…

Abstract

Purpose

Recent research has promoted the use of supported decision making, in contrast to historical methods of substitute decision making when working with people with intellectual disabilities. In Israel, people with disabilities are protected by the Legal Capacity and Guardianship Law of 1962, which was amended in 2016. The purpose of this paper is to consider how these recent changes are perceived by the professionals in Israel.

Design/methodology/approach

Professionals with experience in policy making, law, social work and with direct experience working with people with intellectual disabilities (ID) were interviewed using semi-structured interviews and one focus group. Interviews were recorded and subsequently coded and analysed qualitatively.

Findings

Two major themes were identified. These were: the law and its phrasing, and changing culture. Findings highlight the process of change within guardianship law and practice and the challenges in implementation encountered so far and anticipated in the future.

Originality/value

Guardianship laws are changing in many states and the challenges to implementation of supported decision-making in these countries have been echoed in this study. Functional models to allow implementation of supported decision-making have not yet been strongly evidenced. It is hoped that this research may provide a springboard for further study into legal capacity and guardianship issues in Israel and elsewhere.

Details

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-1282

Keywords

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 1 December 2022

Agnès Vandevelde-Rougale and Patricia Guerrero Morales

This chapter looks at the discursive dimension of the working environment in research and higher education organizations; more specifically at neoliberal managerial discourse and…

Abstract

This chapter looks at the discursive dimension of the working environment in research and higher education organizations; more specifically at neoliberal managerial discourse and at how it participates in shaping the way researchers, teachers and support staff perceive themselves and their experiences. It is based on a multiple case study and combines an intersectional and a socio-clinical approach. The empirical data is constituted by in-depth interviews with women conducted in Ireland and Chile, and includes some observations made in France. A thematic analysis of individual narratives of self-ascribed experiences of being bullied enables to look behind the veil drawn by managerial discourse, thus providing insights into power vectors and power domains contributing to workplace violence. It also shows that workplace bullying may reinforce identification to undervalued social categories. This contribution argues that neoliberal managerial discourse, by encouraging social representations of “neutral” individuals at work, or else celebrating their “diversity,” conceals power relations rooting on different social categories. This process influences one’s perception of one’s experience and its verbalization. At the same time, feeling assigned to one or more of undervalued social category can raise the perception of being bullied or discriminated against. While research has shown that only a minority of incidents of bullying and discrimination are reported within organizations, this contribution suggests that acknowledging the multiplicity and superposition of categories and their influence in shaping power relations could help secure a more collective and caring approach, and thus foster a safer work culture and atmosphere in research organizations.

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2021

Hang Vo, Richard John Kirkham, Terry Mervyn Williams, Amanda Howells, Rick Forster and Terry Cooke-Davies

Effective and robust governance of major projects and programmes in the public sector is crucial to the accountability of the state and the transparency of state spending. The…

Abstract

Purpose

Effective and robust governance of major projects and programmes in the public sector is crucial to the accountability of the state and the transparency of state spending. The theoretical discourse on governance, in the context of projects and programmes, is not fully mature, although is now sufficiently well developed to warrant an increased scholarly focus on practice. This paper aims to contribute to the empirical literature through a study of assurance routines in the UK Government Major Projects Portfolio (GMPP).

Design/methodology/approach

A framework analysis approach to the evaluation of a subset of GMPP database generates original insights into (1) the framing of assurance review recommendations, (2) the treatment of assurance review data and (3) the subsequent tracking of the implementation of actions arising from the assurance review process.

Findings

The analysis reveals that the “delivery confidence” of the major projects and programmes included in this study improves during the time that they are assured on the GMPP. This would suggest that “enhanced” governance routines are desirable in programmes and projects that exhibit high degrees of complexity and scale.

Originality/value

The research findings contribute to the wider conversations in this journal and elsewhere on project governance routines and governance-as-practice in the context of government and public services.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 14 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

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