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1 – 10 of 29Marcus Grace, Kathryn Woods‐Townsend, Janice Griffiths, Keith Godfrey, Mark Hanson, Ian Galloway, Marta Cristina Azaola, Kerry Harman, Jenny Byrne and Hazel Inskip
The purpose of this paper is to report the outcome of a city‐wide survey of teenagers’ views on their health, and compare this with the outcomes of a science‐oriented health…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to report the outcome of a city‐wide survey of teenagers’ views on their health, and compare this with the outcomes of a science‐oriented health intervention called LifeLab, a hospital‐based classroom aimed at developing teenagers’ attitudes towards their health and that of their future children.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey of 597 14‐year olds across the city of Southampton was conducted to gauge their views and behaviour in relation to their own health. The views of 37 students who took part in innovative, hospital‐based, hands‐on LifeLab activities were compared with those of their peers six months after the intervention to analyse long‐term impacts of the experience. Interviews were carried out with ten LifeLab students to gain further insights.
Findings
The intervention created a wider appreciation among students that food they eat now could affect their long‐term health and the health of their future children. Students became significantly more interested in studying science beyond compulsory schooling, and in considering science and healthcare career options.
Research limitations/implications
Although results were statistically significant, the intervention sample was quite small, and further data collection is ongoing. The city‐wide student response rate of 29 per cent was fairly low.
Social implications
This study has shown that a carefully structured hospital‐based classroom visit, and associated science lessons can have a marked effect on student engagement with health‐related issues, and an impact on their consideration of their career choices.
Originality/value
The hospital‐based classroom is an innovative approach to improving teenagers’ knowledge and attitudes towards their health. The paper's findings should be of interest to a range of educational stakeholders including teachers, local education authorities and local politicians concerned with health education matters.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine recent literature for a review of the concepts of collaboration in library and information science and related disciplines and to develop a…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine recent literature for a review of the concepts of collaboration in library and information science and related disciplines and to develop a conceptual framework for application in academic contexts globally.
Design/methodology/approach
An investigation of literature exploring the multifaceted meanings and dimensions of collaboration and subsequent development of a framework for analysis. To exemplify the use of the framework in analysing collaboration between academics and librarians, and to demonstrate the impact of context on collaboration, the paper explores the situation and educational contexts in two national settings – one a developed country (Australia) and the other a developing country (Vietnam).
Findings
Contextual factors have a substantial impact on the nature of collaboration between academics and librarians. The collaboration framework developed is applied to academic settings in two countries, Vietnam and Australia, and dimensions of collaboration are compared and contrasted in the two countries. Insights and implications are drawn concerning the distinctive features of effective collaboration as well as the achievements and challenges of such collaborative partnerships.
Research limitations/implications
This literature-based article reports on the first part of a larger research project. Further development and application of the conceptual framework in studying the collaborative relationship between academics and librarians empirically are deemed important.
Originality/value
This paper provides insights into the current condition and challenges in developing collaboration between academics and librarians. The proposed framework is beneficial to academics, librarians and universities interested in addressing the issues of this partnership in various academic contexts.
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A.C. Chilton and Mark Franckel
The meeting, held on 17 May 1990, was opened promptly by the Chairman Andrew Nicholson, who welcomed everyone to the Seminar and introduced Tony Harman, who gave a very good…
Abstract
The meeting, held on 17 May 1990, was opened promptly by the Chairman Andrew Nicholson, who welcomed everyone to the Seminar and introduced Tony Harman, who gave a very good review of the present situation of cleaning electronics assemblies before turning to future developments. In his paper ‘An Assessment of CFC Replacements—Proposed UK Collaborative Programme’, Tony developed the ideas which had led the UK Government to support this work. He did, however, point out that the funding was only now becoming available and this had delayed the start of the programme. Nevertheless, the itinerary of the cleaning trials had been decided and the practical work would commence shortly. In general terms, the programme will cost £¾m and will use between 600 and 700 test boards. As this programme is funded by Central Government, the results will be widely disseminated, especially to Small and Medium Enterprises.
B.P. Richards, P.K. Footner, D.J. Prichard and C. Lea
With the advent of the Montreal Protocol, the removal of flux residues from printed circuit assemblies using solvents based on CFC‐113 is no longer an acceptable option. An…
Abstract
With the advent of the Montreal Protocol, the removal of flux residues from printed circuit assemblies using solvents based on CFC‐113 is no longer an acceptable option. An alternative range of cleaning technologies is being developed and marketed for this purpose, and the aim of this work was to study the efficiency of a variety of these alternative cleaning regimes after IR reflow soldering. The results indicated that: (i) all the cleaning regimes were capable of removing flux and flux residues after standard IR reflow soldering; (ii) as the level of flux contamination under the components increased, the ability of the cleaning regimes to clean the boards decreased; (iii) the cleaning regimes had varying problems in removing the flux residues after the non‐standard (overheat) IR profile processing; (iv) when additional flux is introduced under the components (i.e., non‐standard IR reflow), the delay between soldering and cleaning becomes important; and (v) the cleaning regimes exhibited a wide variation in their ability to clean under components with small stand‐off heights.
Andrei Alexander Lux, Flávio Romero Macau and Kerry Ann Brown
This paper extends entrepreneurial ecosystems theory by testing how aspects of the local business environment affect individual entrepreneurs' ability to translate their personal…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper extends entrepreneurial ecosystems theory by testing how aspects of the local business environment affect individual entrepreneurs' ability to translate their personal resources into firm performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Data were collected from 223 business owners across Australia. Moderation hypotheses were tested using multiple hierarchical regression and confirmed with the Preacher and Hayes (2004) bootstrapping method.
Findings
The results show that business owners' psychological capital, social capital and entrepreneurial education directly affect their individual firm performance. These positive relations are moderated by specific aspects of the business environment, such that they are stronger when the environment is more favorable.
Originality/value
This study puts individual business owners back into entrepreneurial ecosystems theory and explains how they can make the most of their personal resources, suggesting a complex interplay where one size does not fit all. Far-reaching practical implications for policymakers are discussed.
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Rory Francis Mulcahy, Rebekah Russell-Bennett, Nadia Zainuddin and Kerri-Ann Kuhn
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to extend transformative service and social marketing practitioners’ and academics’ understanding of how gamification and serious…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to extend transformative service and social marketing practitioners’ and academics’ understanding of how gamification and serious m-games are designed, and second, to model the effects of game design elements on key transformative service and social marketing outcomes, satisfaction, knowledge, and behavioural intentions.
Design/methodology/approach
The research adopted a two-study, mixed-method research design, encompassing focus groups (n=21) and online surveys (n=497), using four current marketplace serious m-games. Study 1 was qualitative and the data were analysed in two cycles using an inductive and deductive approach. Study 2 was quantitative and the data were analysed using PLS-SEM.
Findings
The qualitative results of Study 1 discovered a framework of five game design elements for serious m-games. In Study 2, a conceptual model and hypothesised relationships were tested at a full sample level and by each serious m-game. Results show different significant relationships for each serious m-game and moderate to high levels of explanation for satisfaction and knowledge, and low to high levels of explained variance for behavioural intentions. The findings are therefore not only robust across four different serious m-games, but also demonstrate the nuances of the relationships.
Originality/value
This research contributes to two service research priorities: leveraging technology to advance services, and improving well-being through transformative services. This research demonstrates that gamification through serious m-games is one form of technology that can be designed to create a satisfying and knowledge-creating service experience, which can also influence intentions to perform health and well-being behaviours.
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Mandy M. Cheng and Kerry A. Humphreys
Strategic uncertainty from emerging threats and opportunities in the business environment can significantly impact managers’ abilities to successfully implement their business…
Abstract
Purpose
Strategic uncertainty from emerging threats and opportunities in the business environment can significantly impact managers’ abilities to successfully implement their business strategy. A key strategic control and governance mechanism designed to enable managers to respond to strategic uncertainty is a strategic performance measurement system, such as the balanced scorecard (BSC). This study aims to investigate whether strategic uncertainty is associated with the diversity and types of performance measures in a BSC, which are used by managers for various strategic control and governance purposes.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey of senior-level managers within strategic business units of Australian Stock Exchange listed organizations was conducted.
Findings
This study finds that the extent to which managers face strategic uncertainty is positively associated with performance measurement diversity. Further, managers faced with greater strategic uncertainty use performance measures relatively more to evaluate subordinates’ performance, communicate business strategy, track performance against targets, identify problem areas and guide future directions. Outcome measures are used to a greater extent for all five purposes, whereas leading measures are used more only for future-oriented purposes.
Practical implications
Strategic performance measurement systems, such as the BSC, can and are being used to provide managers with the information and control mechanisms necessary to meet the challenges associated with strategic uncertainty.
Originality/value
This study provides the first evidence on the relations between strategic uncertainty, performance measurement diversity and managers’ use of performance measures for five key purposes. Understanding these relations is important, as managers need to formulate appropriate responses to strategic uncertainty, to protect and create value by exploiting emerging opportunities and managing associated threats.
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Kerry R. McGannon, Sydney Graper and Jenny McMahon
To explore the digital landscape, narrowing to Instagram, as a cultural space to advance sociological understanding of elite athlete mother identity meanings and lives.
Abstract
Purpose
To explore the digital landscape, narrowing to Instagram, as a cultural space to advance sociological understanding of elite athlete mother identity meanings and lives.
Design/methodology/approach
Relativist narrative inquiry is outlined as a theoretical and methodological approach to expand sociological research on motherhood and sport, by exploring big and small stories on social media sites. Elite athlete mother's mediated self-portrayals on Instagram are theorized as identity stories (re)created and made possible, by cultural narrative resources.
Findings
An example of big and small story research is outlined from a larger case study of elite athlete figure skating mothers' self-portrayals on Instagram as they negotiated motherhood, and a professional sport career. Thematic narrative analysis findings include a big story plot in the post-partum period: negotiating intensive mothering and career. Two small stories that fed into fluid meanings of this big story plot are also presented: holding the baby close and working mum/new mumtrepeneur. These findings show nuanced contradictions of contemporary motherhood meanings, within sportswomen's personal and public digital stories.
Originality/value
A big and small story approach grounded in narrative inquiry holds value to learn more about the contemporary digital landscape's shaping of the meanings of sportswomen's identities and lives. Future research is recommended using this approach on additional social media platforms (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube) to expand intertextual understanding of elite athlete mother identities in socio-cultural context, tapping into these underexplored naturalistic data resources.
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Psychedelic drugs have been miscategorised in the UK and the US as being among the most harmful and warranting no medical investigation. Likewise, users of psychedelic drugs are…
Abstract
Psychedelic drugs have been miscategorised in the UK and the US as being among the most harmful and warranting no medical investigation. Likewise, users of psychedelic drugs are falsely stereotyped as disorganised and delusional. Conversely, psychedelics have been used by leaders in a number of fields to aid creative problem‐solving. This may be due to the psychedelic substances aiding dissolution of cognitive boundaries and temporarily allowing the individual to escape their reality tunnel. This aid to problem‐solving may be just what we need to solve the complex problems facing us today.
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