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1 – 10 of 13Carol Atkinson, Fiona Carmichael and Jo Duberley
In this chapter, we discuss menopause transition in the workplace and its implications for workplace well-being. This is an important work-life interface topic, given the…
Abstract
In this chapter, we discuss menopause transition in the workplace and its implications for workplace well-being. This is an important work-life interface topic, given the increasing number of women who will work during transition. It is also a topic that we currently know relatively little about, particularly in relation to well-being. We present findings that demonstrate both that many women experience symptoms that are bothersome at work and that these frequently have negative effects for two elements of workplace well-being, job satisfaction and health well-being. We evidence that individual/job characteristics and workplace context can either improve or worsen experiences of transition symptoms and make recommendations on how organization and HR practice can be designed to support women in menopause transition. We argue that working with line managers to create a more supportive context is one of the most important strategies to implement. Our research is situated in the UK police service and has wider relevance across the Global North, where similar demographic patterns are experienced, and in other male-dominated organizations and sectors.
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Fiona Armstrong-Gibbs and Jan Brown
This empirical chapter explores the case of Baltic Creative Community Interest Company (BC CIC), a creative hub that enabled and demonstrated intrapersonal entrepreneurial…
Abstract
This empirical chapter explores the case of Baltic Creative Community Interest Company (BC CIC), a creative hub that enabled and demonstrated intrapersonal entrepreneurial capitals (Pret et al., 2016) to adapt quickly and develop novel offers for their tenants during an unprecedented period of crisis and change in the wider ecosystem. BCCIC is a community-owned property development company established to regenerate an underused post-industrial area in Liverpool and support the Creative and Digital community. Over the past decade, they have become a creative hub where small, unique micro-businesses thrive alongside more established enterprises.
Using an organisational ethnographic approach, the authors highlight the complexity in the conversion of entrepreneurial capitals and how this has demonstrated resilience and adaptability in the CIC during the global coronavirus pandemic in the 2020s. During the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020, The CIC responded swiftly to tenants by providing a wide variety of business support initiatives. Regular communications on sector-specific COVID-19 operational guidance and a support programme to help tenants apply for Liverpool City Council Small Business Support grants.
The establishment of this hub for creative entrepreneurs prior to the recent disruption proved invaluable. Although they were severely tested, emerging behaviours, such as agility, adaptability, and resilience during periods of crisis, were identified. This chapter offers key insights for scholars and those leading on creative hubs and cluster policy development and economic initiatives for creative sector support regionally, nationally, and internationally.
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Jonathan Menary, Stacia Stetkiewicz, Abhishek Nair, Petra Jorasch, Amrit K. Nanda, Adrien Guichaoua, Mariana Rufino, Arnout R.H. Fischer and Jessica A.C. Davies
Restrictions on social interaction and travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected how researchers approach fieldwork and data collection. Whilst online focus groups have…
Abstract
Restrictions on social interaction and travel due to the COVID-19 pandemic have affected how researchers approach fieldwork and data collection. Whilst online focus groups have received attention since the 2000s as a method for qualitative data collection, relatively little of the relevant literature appears to have made use of now ubiquitous video calling software and synchronous, interactive discussion tools. Our own experiences in organising fieldwork aimed at understanding the impact of different “future-proofing” strategies for the European agri-food system during this period resulted in several methodological changes being made at short notice. We present an approach to converting in-person focus group to a virtual methodology and provide a checklist for researchers planning their own online focus groups. Our findings suggest data are comparable to in-person focus groups and factors influencing data quality during online focus groups can be safeguarded. There are several key steps, both before and during the focus groups, which can be taken to ensure the smooth running of such events. We share our reflections on this approach and provide a resource for other researchers moving to online-only data collection.
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Melanie Barlow, Bernadette Watson, Kate Morse, Elizabeth Jones and Fiona Maccallum
The response of the receiver to a voiced patient safety concern is frequently cited as a barrier to health professionals speaking up. The authors describe a novel Receiver Mindset…
Abstract
Purpose
The response of the receiver to a voiced patient safety concern is frequently cited as a barrier to health professionals speaking up. The authors describe a novel Receiver Mindset Framework (RMF) to help health professionals understand the importance of their response when spoken up to.
Design/methodology/approach
The framework draws on the broader receiver-focussed literature and integrates innovative findings from a series of empirical studies. These studies examined different receiver behaviour within vignettes, retrospective descriptions of real interactions and behaviour in a simulated interaction.
Findings
The authors' findings indicated that speaking up is an intergroup interaction where social identities, context and speaker stance intersect, directly influencing both perceptions of and responses to the message. The authors' studies demonstrated that when spoken up to, health professionals poorly manage their emotions and ineffectively clarify the speaker's concerns. Currently, targeted training for receivers is overwhelmingly absent from speaking-up programmes. The receiver mindset framework provides an evidence-based, healthcare specific, receiver-focussed framework to inform programmes.
Originality/value
Grounded in communication accommodation theory (CAT), the resulting framework shifts speaking up training from being only speaker skill focussed, to training that recognises speaking up as a mutual negotiation between the healthcare speaker and receiver. This framework provides healthcare professionals with a novel approach to use in response to speaking up that enhances their ability to listen, understand and engage in point-of-care negotiations to ensure the physical and psychological safety of patients and staff.
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Lisa Marie Thompson, Ewan Wilkinson, Sharleen Nall-Evans, Felix Michelet, Michael Thomas Lewis, Fiona Pender and Sujeet Jaydeokar
Autistic young people have health and care needs that may benefit from a multi-agency intervention. The “Current View” tool is routinely used in England to profile the needs of…
Abstract
Purpose
Autistic young people have health and care needs that may benefit from a multi-agency intervention. The “Current View” tool is routinely used in England to profile the needs of young people referred to mental health services. This study aims to examine associations between comorbidities and complex needs in autistic and non-autistic young people to assess the multifaceted needs of autistic young people.
Design/methodology/approach
A cohort study was conducted using data from the electronic patient record, comparing autistic and non-autistic young people to see which items in the four “Current View” tool categories were associated with autistic young people.
Findings
Issues associated with autistic young people were: “community issues”, “attainment issues” and “deemed child in need” (all p < 0.001). Autistic young people scored significantly more items (p < 0.05) in the categories complexity/contextual/educational factors. Comorbidities associated with autistic young people included anxiety, “behavioural difficulties”, “peer relationship difficulties” and “self-care issues” (all p < 0.001). There was an association with increased comorbidities and complexity factors in autistic young people which suggests increased support from agencies may be beneficial.
Originality/value
Few studies have used data in the “Current View” tool to assess young people referred to services. More use could be made of this data for planning and delivering services.
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Catherine Powell, Beth Fylan, Kathryn Lord, Fiona Bell and Liz Breen
The 999 ambulance call handler is critical in responding to emergency patient treatment; however, the call handlers are often a hidden component of the healthcare workforce and an…
Abstract
Purpose
The 999 ambulance call handler is critical in responding to emergency patient treatment; however, the call handlers are often a hidden component of the healthcare workforce and an under-researched group. The objective of this study is to understand stress triggers experienced by 999 ambulance call handlers that could lead to burnout and examine personal and organisational mechanisms and strategies which reduced the risk of burnout.
Design/methodology/approach
A single interview case study approach applying qualitative methods was undertaken. Participants were identified through a purposive sample of 999 ambulance call handlers with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust (UK). Participants were interviewed via telephone between July 2019 and September 2019.
Findings
In total, 18 staff participated in this study. Societal factors including public incivility and media representation and organisational factors, such as a demanding environment, lack of appreciation and career progression, training issues and protocols were key stressors. Organisational well-being services were helpful for some, but for others lacked accessibility and appropriateness. Positive public feedback and speaking with peers bolstered well-being. 999 ambulance call handlers suggested that sufficient breaks, co-design or feeding back on training and protocols and creating more informal opportunities to discuss ongoing everyday stressors as methods to reduce stress and burnout.
Originality/value
This paper explores a previously under researched area on stressors and potential burnout in 999 call handlers. This paper highlights the need for improved organisational support services and appropriate public and sector peer recognition of the role of ambulance 999 ambulance call handlers.
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Mahantesh Halagatti, Soumya Gadag, Shashidhar Mahantshetti, Chetan V. Hiremath, Dhanashree Tharkude and Vinayak Banakar
Introduction: Numerous decision-making situations are faced in education where Artificial Intelligence may be prevalent as a decision-making support tool to capture streams of…
Abstract
Introduction: Numerous decision-making situations are faced in education where Artificial Intelligence may be prevalent as a decision-making support tool to capture streams of learners’ behaviours.
Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to understand the role of AI in student performance assessment and explore the future role of AI in educational performance assessment.
Scope: The study tries to understand the adaptability of AI in the education sector for supporting the educator in automating assessment. It supports the educator to concentrate on core teaching-learning activities.
Objectives: To understand the AI adaption for educational assessment, the positives and negatives of confidential data collections, and challenges for implementation from the view of various stakeholders.
Methodology: The study is conceptual, and information has been collected from sources comprised of expert interactions, research publications, survey and Industry reports.
Findings: The use of AI in student performance assessment has helped in early predictions for the activities to be adopted by educators. Results of AI evaluations give the data that may be combined and understood to create visuals.
Research Implications: AI-based analytics helps in fast decision-making and adapting the teaching curriculum’s fast-changing industry needs. Students’ abilities, such as participation and resilience, and qualities, such as confidence and drive, may be appraised using AI assessment systems.
Theoretical Implication: Artificial intelligence-based evaluation gives instructors, students, and parents a continuous opinion on how students learn, the help they require, and their progress towards their learning objectives.
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Fiona Lavelle, Claire McKernan, Blain Murphy and Moira Dean
Foodborne disease remains a significant public health threat and cause for concern. Despite numerous studies indicating that the domestic kitchen is a high-risk area for foodborne…
Abstract
Purpose
Foodborne disease remains a significant public health threat and cause for concern. Despite numerous studies indicating that the domestic kitchen is a high-risk area for foodborne illness, consumers believe it is low-risk. The type of food being prepared in the kitchen has drastically changed, with an increased use of convenience products, perceived low-risk products. Little is known about consumers' behaviours with convenience meals. Therefore, it is essential to understand actual and perceived food safety behaviours in their use.
Methodology
A mixed-methods approach using in-home observations and semi-structured interviews was undertaken with participants from the UK and the Republic of Ireland (N = 50). Observational data was summarized using descriptive statistics and an inductive thematic analysis was conducted to interpret the qualitative data.
Findings
In this study general food safety behaviours, such as handwashing, use-by date checking, as well as identifying obvious safety hazard were suboptimal. However, participants' convenience meal safety behaviours were as optimal as possible with the provided instructions. The qualitative data supported the participants' struggle with the provided on-packet instructions. They also displayed participants' uncertain perceptions around different products, for example if oven-products could be reheated multiple times, and varying levels of concern around meat and dairy products. Consumers urged for more detailed and clearer instructions with these products. Recommendations for producers are provided to enhance consumer experience with the use of the products as well as contributing towards ensuring consumer safety.
Originality/value
Mixed-methods approach investigating consumers' real and perceived food safety behaviours.
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