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1 – 10 of 48Russell Mannion and Ewen Speed
This paper aims to explore right wing populist government responses to the coronavirus pandemic.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore right wing populist government responses to the coronavirus pandemic.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a narrative overview of right-wing populist policies and strategies, which is loosely structured around fascistic themes set out in Albert Camus’ allegorical novel, The Plague.
Findings
Although individual responses to the coronavirus pandemic among right-wing populists differ, they appear to coalesce around four central themes: initial denial and then mismanagement of the pandemic; the disease being framed as primarily an economic rather than a public health crisis; a contempt for scientific and professional expertise; and the “othering” of marginal groups for political ends. Populist responses to the pandemic have given rise to increased levels of xenophobia, the violation of human rights and the denigration of scientific expertise.
Research limitations/implications
This is a narrative overview from a personal viewpoint.
Originality/value
Drawing on themes in Camus' novel The Plague, this is a personal perspective on right wing populist government responses to the coronavirus pandemic. Populist responses to the pandemic have given rise to increased levels of intolerance and xenophobia and the violation of human rights and civil liberties.
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Caroline Barratt, Gillian Green and Ewen Speed
Previous research has established that there is a relationship between housing and mental health, however, understanding about how and why housing affects mental health is still…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous research has established that there is a relationship between housing and mental health, however, understanding about how and why housing affects mental health is still limited. The purpose of this paper is to address this deficit by focusing on the experiences of residents of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).
Design/methodology/approach
Semi-structured interviews were carried out with 20 HMO residents who were asked about their housing career and experience of living in a HMO. Participants were recruited with assistance from community organisations and landlords.
Findings
The physical properties and social environment of the property, as well as personal circumstances experienced prior to the move into the property, all influenced how mental health was affected. The authors identify and discuss in detail three key meditating factors: safety, control and identity which may affect how living in the property impacts the mental health of tenants.
Practical implications
Good property management can lessen the potential harmful effects of living in a HMO. However, poorly run properties which house numerous vulnerable people may increase the risk of poor mental health due to attendant high levels of stress and possible risk of abuse.
Originality/value
Based on the reports of HMO residents, the authors outline the key mediating processes through which living in HMOs may affect mental wellbeing, as well as illuminating the potential risks and benefits of HMOs, an overlooked tenure in housing research.
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Hanna Carlsson and Roos Pijpers
This paper analyses how neighbourhood governance of social care affects the scope for frontline workers to address health inequities of older ethnic minorities. We critically…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper analyses how neighbourhood governance of social care affects the scope for frontline workers to address health inequities of older ethnic minorities. We critically discuss how an area-based, generic approach to service provision limits and enables frontline workers' efforts to reach out to ethnic minority elders, using a relational approach to place. This approach emphasises social and cultural distances to social care and understands efforts to bridge these distances as “relational work”.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a two-year multiple case study of the cities of Nijmegen and The Hague, the Netherlands, following the development of policies and practices relevant to ethnic minority elders. They conducted 44 semi-structured interviews with managers, policy officers and frontline workers as well as 295 h of participant observation at network events and meeting activities.
Findings
Relational work was open-ended and consisted of a continuous reorientation of goals and means. In some cases, frontline workers spanned neighbourhood boundaries to connect with professional networks, key figures and places meaningful to ethnic minority elders. While neighbourhood governance is attuned to equality, relational work practice fosters possibilities for achieving equity.
Research limitations/implications
Further research on achieving equity in relational work practice and more explicit policy support of relational work is needed.
Originality/value
The paper contributes empirical knowledge about how neighbourhood governance of social care affects ethnic minority elders. It translates a relational view of place into a “situational” social justice approach.
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Qiong Tao and Yingjiao Xu
Fashion subscription service is a newly emerged retailing model that provides an innovative way of shopping to meet consumers’ fashion needs. From the perspective of innovation…
Abstract
Purpose
Fashion subscription service is a newly emerged retailing model that provides an innovative way of shopping to meet consumers’ fashion needs. From the perspective of innovation adoption, the purpose of this paper is to provide an insight of consumers’ perceptions as well as adoption intention of this innovative retailing format.
Design/methodology/approach
This research is qualitative in nature, utilizing focus group study approach. In this paper, content analysis was applied to analyze the data.
Findings
While possessing varying degrees of knowledge about fashion subscription retailing, the participants shared the following perceptions of relative advantages, including convenience, personalization, consumer excitement, opportunities to try new styles, and opportunity to better manage their apparel budget. Concerns mainly focused on missing social shopping experiences and the hassle in the cancellation process. The overall adoption intention was high.
Research limitations/implications
Due to the nature of this research, the sample size was limited and results may not be generalized. This research paid less attention to individual differences, in terms of demographic and psychographic characteristics.
Practical implications
Future marketing could focus more on educating consumers about the attributes of the services they provide. Retailers can strategically leverage the positively perceived advantages in their marketing communications to enhance consumers’ adoption intention of their services.
Originality/value
The paper fills a gap in the literature on consumer behavior toward fashion subscription retailing and sheds light for companies in their endeavors to excel in this new retailing venue.
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The purpose of this paper is to develop an electronic solution to effectively lock swivelling wheel steering positions to driver‐control. Simple and affordable systems are…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to develop an electronic solution to effectively lock swivelling wheel steering positions to driver‐control. Simple and affordable systems are described to assist forklift users in steering their walkie type forklifts or pallet jacks across sloping ground.
Design/methodology/approach
A rolling road was created as an assessment tool and trials with both the test bed and in real situations were conducted to evaluate the new systems. The small swivel detector that was created could be successfully attached to swivelling wheel swivel bearings.
Findings
The new system was successful, robust and was not affected by changeable parameters. The simple systems assisted hand truck operators in steering their forklifts across sloping ground without veering off course. The systems overcame the problems associated with forklifts that steer using two swivelling wheels and meant that less work was required from hand truck operators as their forklifts tended to travel in the desired direction
Research limitations/implications
Experiments demonstrated that calibrating forklift controllers for straight‐line balance and optimizing motor‐compensation did not solve this problem. Instead, swivelling wheel angle was selected to provide feedback. At the point when veer is first detected, a forklift has already begun to alter course and the job of the correction system is to minimize this drift from the desired course.
Practical implications
The forklifts and pallet jacks often steer by having swivelling wheels but problems with this configuration occur when a forklift is driven along sloping ground because they can swivel in the direction of the slope. Gravity then causes the forklift or pallet jack to start an unwanted turn or “veer” and the vehicle goes in an unintended direction. This situation is exacerbated for vehicles with switch controls, as switches cannot provide fine control to trim and compensate.
Originality/value
Each year in the United States, over 100 employees are killed and 36,000 are seriously injured in accidents involving forklift trucks and pallet carriers. This is the second leading cause of occupational fatalities in “industrial” type workplaces. The research aims to make the use of this type of equipment safer and the systems can be attached to many standard forklifts and pallet jacks.
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Hilmi Kuscu, Ismail Becenen and Mumin Sahin
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate temperature and properties at interface of AISI 1040 steels joined by friction welding.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate temperature and properties at interface of AISI 1040 steels joined by friction welding.
Design/methodology/approach
In this study, AISI 1040 medium carbon steel was used in the experiments. Firstly, optimum parameters of the friction welding were obtained by using a statistical analysis. Later, the microstructures of the heat‐affected zone are presented along with micro hardness profiles for the joints. Then, the temperature distributions are experimentally obtained in the interface of the joints that is formed during the friction welding of 1040 steels with the same geometry. This study was carried out by using thermocouples at different locations of the joint‐interface. The results obtained were compared with previous studies and some comments were made about them.
Findings
It was discovered that temperature had a substantial effect on the mechanical and metallurgical properties of the material.
Research limitations/implications
The maximum temperature in the joint during frictional heating depends not only on the pressure, but also on the temperature gradient which depends on the rotational speed in particular. It is important to note that the measurement process was successfully accomplished in this study although it was particularly difficult to obtain temperature due to the large deformations at the interface. Future work could be concentrated on the temperature measurement of the joined materials.
Practical implications
Temperature is one of the most important of all physical quantities in industry. Its measurement plays a key part in industrial quality and process control, in the efficient use of energy and other resources, in condition monitoring and in health and safety. This paper contributes to the literature about temperature measurement in welded, brazed and soldered materials.
Originality/value
The main value of this paper is to contribute and fulfill the influence of the interface temperature on properties in welding of various materials that is being studied so far in the literature.
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Jeffrey D. Senese and Thomas Lucadamo
Studies incident‐level pursuit data collected by a large metropolitan police department in the USA over the past decade. Demonstrates that accidents are the outcome of about…
Abstract
Studies incident‐level pursuit data collected by a large metropolitan police department in the USA over the past decade. Demonstrates that accidents are the outcome of about one‐third of pursuits. Urges that pursuit police should continue to evaluate a pursuit that proceeds into another jurisdiction. Finds that pursuits over borders are more likely to result in an accident; that training may be the most important preventative measure; that accidents are more probable when there is more than one police unit and the pursuit is on a non‐express roadway. Supports past evidence that speed is not a probable indicator of accidents.
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I'VE said it before, and I'll say it again: Eastbourne is an excellent place for a conference, and I set out for it after five years' absence with the hope that its handsome and…
Abstract
I'VE said it before, and I'll say it again: Eastbourne is an excellent place for a conference, and I set out for it after five years' absence with the hope that its handsome and genial presence would produce something better than the mixture of ordinary, obvious and sometimes inaudible papers that have been a constituent of more than one intervening conference. That towns can affect such occasions is no doubt a farfetched conceit, but they certainly affect me; as soon as I arrived the environmental magic worked, and old friends and new faces were seen in the golden light of perfect autumn weather.
Deniz Atik and Zeynep Ozdamar Ertekin
Detrimental impacts on social and ecological well-being of excessive fashion consumption and production practices are posing threats on future generations. Therefore, the need for…
Abstract
Purpose
Detrimental impacts on social and ecological well-being of excessive fashion consumption and production practices are posing threats on future generations. Therefore, the need for sustainable solutions and endorsing them through social marketing efforts is more urgent than ever. From the consumption angle, this study aims to explore the driving forces behind consumers’ restless desire for the new and the growing need to consume sustainably.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is conceptual in nature, and through a review of the literature in fashion, consumer, sustainability and social marketing studies, it examines why consumer desire for the new is so profound and how it conflicts with sustainability goals of the fashions industry. With a macrosocial approach, it reveals how multiple constituents of the fashion system can contribute toward sustainability goals.
Findings
This study explains consumers’ psychological and social needs driving their restless desire for the new and the role of fast fashion companies fuelling this desire. It also discusses the consequences of excessive fashion consumption and presents social marketing solutions at micro, meso and macro levels with upstream and downstream effects toward sustainability goals.
Practical implications
Considering the increasing consciousness about the negative impacts of excessive fashion consumption, this study suggests both practical and social implications that are associated with multiple stakeholders including consumers, fashion companies and public policymakers.
Originality/value
This study reveals in detail the challenges and potential social marketing solutions at micro, meso and macro levels, concerning the conflict between consumers’ restless desire for the new and the pressing need to consume more sustainably.
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Critical accounting research has viewed corporate annual reports as the signed public records of organisations' dominant managerial groups and/or as reflective and constitutive of…
Abstract
Critical accounting research has viewed corporate annual reports as the signed public records of organisations' dominant managerial groups and/or as reflective and constitutive of a wider set of societal values. To date, however, there has been little research on the social context of these reports. This paper seeks to further explore and question the role of corporate annual reports in post‐modernity. Since the end of World War II, a post‐modern, media‐dominated culture has risen in Western countries like Australia. The question of this paper is whether corporate annual reports are instrumental in reflecting and reproducing this consumerist culture. A content analysis of Australian National Industries Limited's annual reports from 1962 – 1991 demonstrates that there is a link in the content and form of these reports and the rise of a consumerist culture in Australia. This paper shows that if everything can be made to sell, so aesthetics can be commodified and be made part of a product (corporate annual reports) whose primary objective is to convince dispersed stakeholder groups that the company and its management are worth investing in.