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1 – 10 of 36Stuart Kirby and Ian McPherson
The National Intelligence Model, described as a ‘model for policing’, defines a process for setting priorities and a framework in which problem solving can be applied. Its…
Abstract
The National Intelligence Model, described as a ‘model for policing’, defines a process for setting priorities and a framework in which problem solving can be applied. Its strength is a systematic approach that demands standard products and consistent methods of working, which ensure high levels of ownership and accountability. The problem solving approach can also work within this framework. It provides techniques to assist in analysis and develops the tasking and co‐ordinating mechanism through multi‐agency partnerships, which can deliver more sustainable solutions.
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Stuart Kirby and Ian McPherson
Although the ‘fear of crime’ has generated significant academic interest, the lack of clarity concerning definition, prevalence and concentration has generated difficulties for…
Abstract
Although the ‘fear of crime’ has generated significant academic interest, the lack of clarity concerning definition, prevalence and concentration has generated difficulties for community safety practitioners when implementing operational initiatives. This article explores the experience of the Norfolk Constabulary, and shows how the positive concept of ‘improving public confidence’ allowed the organisation to more effectively design and implement community safety initiatives, to change public perception.
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Madeleine Parkes, Katja Milner and Peter Gilbert
People go into employment for a range of reasons. One of those is usually to find a sense of meaning, as humans are meaning‐seeking animals.In the public sector there is even more…
Abstract
People go into employment for a range of reasons. One of those is usually to find a sense of meaning, as humans are meaning‐seeking animals.In the public sector there is even more likelihood of some kind of ‘calling’. This may not be a religious call, or even an overtly spiritual one, but there will usually be some sense in which the role and the individual reach out to one another.In a time of recession and strain on public finances and services, leaders need to work in a way that appeals to the spirit, the vocation in each person and the team.
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Peter Gilbert and Michael Clark
English governance has repeatedly had a tendency to veer between national, regional and local centres of power and influence. This has often led to profound disagreements…
Abstract
English governance has repeatedly had a tendency to veer between national, regional and local centres of power and influence. This has often led to profound disagreements, sometimes even open conflict. National policy guidance is usually helpful, if developed through consultation, to steer a clear, coherent direction for the system. But a narrow, excessively top‐down, mechanistic target‐driven approach can lead to a prevailing culture of ticking boxes at the expense of real patient priorities. Government ministers and civil servants, however, are often caught in a tension between being too dogmatic, or alternatively too flexible and giving responsibility to local agencies, whereupon people may complain about a ‘postcode lottery’ in services. Balancing perspectives and narratives in a coherent way for policy development and implementation and service improvement is a major challenge of leadership. The creation of the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) was designed to bring together the local, regional and the national in a form that would see policy and practice mutually developed and nurtured at all levels of governance.
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Peter Gilbert and Theodore Stickley
This article aims to focus on the role of lived‐experience in mental health education and practice as perceived by undergraduate students.
Abstract
Purpose
This article aims to focus on the role of lived‐experience in mental health education and practice as perceived by undergraduate students.
Design/methodology/approach
A small qualitative survey was conducted among Social Work and Mental Health Nursing students who were asked about their own experiences of mental ill health and its possible impact on their practice.
Findings
The article is contextualised in the concept of “Wounded Healers” as a number of students had previously (and were currently) experiencing mental distress.
Originality/value
There is a strong sense that students believe that their personal experiences inform their practice, and that this may assist them in empathising constructively with service users, within the boundaries of a professional relationship.
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Peter Jones and Daphne Comfort
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) agreed at a United Nations General Assembly in 2015 embrace an ambitious and wide ranging set of global environmental, social and economic…
Abstract
Purpose
The sustainable development goals (SDGs) agreed at a United Nations General Assembly in 2015 embrace an ambitious and wide ranging set of global environmental, social and economic issues designed to effect a transition to a more sustainable future. The United Nations called on all governments to pursue these ambitious goals but also acknowledged the important role of the private sector in addressing the SDGs. This paper offers an exploratory review of how some of the UK's largest volume housebuilders publicly claim to be committed to addressing the SDGs.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper provides an outline of the characteristics of sustainable development, of the SDGs and of the frame of reference and method of enquiry employed in the study, prior to reviewing the findings from the largest UK housebuilders.
Findings
The findings revealed that seven of the largest housebuilding companies claimed to be committed to contributing to the SDGs, though the scale and the extent of their claimed commitments varied. In reviewing the housebuilders approach to the SDGs, the authors drew attention to three challenges the housebuilders may face in pursuing their claimed commitment to the SDGs, namely, concentrating on specific goals, measurement and reporting.
Originality/value
The paper offers an accessible review of how seven of the UK's largest housebuilders claimed to be committed to addressing the SDGs.
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This pilot study for a larger research project aims to quantify and categorise elements of food label information and establishes an indicative physical relationship between…
Abstract
Purpose
This pilot study for a larger research project aims to quantify and categorise elements of food label information and establishes an indicative physical relationship between mandatory and other information thereby articulating the relative balance between information intended to inform healthy dietary choices and that intended to perform other functions such as aiding purchase decisions.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology employs quantitative content analysis performed on a number of different canned food labels (n=9).
Findings
Findings indicate the amount of available space on labels devoted to mandatory information ranged between 17 and 31 per cent, whilst the amount allocated to commercial information ranged between 18 and 45 per cent. Unoccupied space varies between 32 and 54 per cent. This indicates there is an imbalance between mandatory and commercial information, with the weighting in favour of the latter.
Research limitations/implications
The small sample size precludes generalization.
Practical implications
An extended version of this research could influence government and corporate policy in establishing a balance between the prominence given to different categories of label information, favouring that which is more “health positive”. Alternately, information could be presented in a larger format, thereby assisting a wider range of consumers to make healthy and informed dietary choices: both outcomes have positive health implications for the population. Another outcome is the formal classification of label information elements thereby enabling clearer comparisons to be made between consumers' food label interactions.
Originality/value
This is the first time content analysis has been conducted on food labels. The paper is also unique in proposing a formal taxonomy for food label information. It has value for those working on policy issues.
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Ian Blount and Delmonize Smith
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of employee homogeneity on the financial performance of minority business enterprises (MBEs). It is widely postulated that…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the impact of employee homogeneity on the financial performance of minority business enterprises (MBEs). It is widely postulated that MBEs tend to hire minorities that resemble the ethnicity of the founder(s) and that this is beneficial by helping to decrease minority unemployment rates as well as providing new opportunities to minorities that they might not otherwise receive at White-owned firms.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used hierarchical linear regression on archival data of 271 MBEs to determine if employee homogeneity will be a factor in understanding their financial performance. The authors also conducted exploratory interviews with a convenience sample of MBEs to gain insight into the concept of employee homophily.
Findings
The research uncovered that as homogeneity increases, MBE financial performance decreases, and this effect is more pronounced the longer the MBE is in business.
Research limitations/implications
The data set is cross-sectional in nature and lack the perspective and clarity of time. The paper only contains a small set of exploratory interviews. The most significant implication from the study is that a lack of diversity decreases the long-term financial viability of MBEs which is to counter mainstream arguments that speak only to the positive aspects of MBEs hiring their own.
Originality/value
The research builds on the scant literature on the impact of diversity within MBEs. It also provides guidance to MBEs by suggesting they be strategic in diversifying their employee base in order to improve performance.
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Raymond C.W. Sung, Jonathan R. Corney, David P. Towers, Ian Black, Duncan P. Hand, Finlay McPherson, Doug E.R. Clark and Markus S. Gross
Aims to develop a greyscale “painting system” by enabling the physical reproduction of digital texture maps on arbitrary 3D objects selectively exposing “pixels” of photographic…
Abstract
Purpose
Aims to develop a greyscale “painting system” by enabling the physical reproduction of digital texture maps on arbitrary 3D objects selectively exposing “pixels” of photographic emulsion with a robot mounted light source.
Design/methodology/approach
After reviewing existing methods of “decorating” 3D components, the properties of photographic emulsion are introduced and the nature of the rendering process' pixels discussed. A proposed path planning algorithm, used to derive both the robot's movement and the exposure times directly from a VRML representation, is then presented.
Findings
Results obtained from successfully rendering images on the surface of a test object are presented.
Research limitations/implications
Limitations of current system include the overall process time and the inability to handle objects with concave geometry.
Originality/value
The system requires no bespoke production tooling and fills an automation gap in rapid prototyping and manufacturing technology that is currently occupied by hand painting.
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