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Article
Publication date: 30 August 2011

Mark Stubbs and Phil Range

The need to establish more flexible and adaptable university curricula has been recognised as a strategic priority in recent years and has been supported by a number of…

Abstract

Purpose

The need to establish more flexible and adaptable university curricula has been recognised as a strategic priority in recent years and has been supported by a number of initiatives including the Curriculum Design and Delivery programme funded by the Joint Information System Committee (JISC) in the UK. The challenges of addressing flexibility of curriculum design are both technical and pedagogical. Manchester Metropolitan University has been developing an integrated, institution‐wide virtual learning environment (VLE) since 2006 and this paper seeks to consider the impact of this system.

Design/methodology/approach

A case study is used to illustrate how one institution has developed and integrated a curriculum design system.

Findings

By adopting a streamlined technology strategy the university can provide learners with personalized and flexible access to the university's resources from the range of different devices and contexts (whether mobile, VLE, or social software) in which learners may find themselves as they engage with their education.

Originality/value

A need to establish more flexible and adaptable university curricula is a strategic priority for academic institutions. This case study provides an insight into how one institution is achieving this.

Details

Campus-Wide Information Systems, vol. 28 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1065-0741

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 June 2003

56

Abstract

Details

Program, vol. 37 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0033-0337

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 September 2003

59

Abstract

Details

Program, vol. 37 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0033-0337

Book part
Publication date: 30 September 2021

Alex Brayson

The experimental parliamentary subsidy on knights' fees and freehold incomes from lands and rents of 1431 was the only English direct lay tax of the Middle Ages which broke down…

Abstract

The experimental parliamentary subsidy on knights' fees and freehold incomes from lands and rents of 1431 was the only English direct lay tax of the Middle Ages which broke down. As such, this subsidy has a clear historiographical significance, yet previous scholars have tended to overlook it on the grounds that parliament's annulment act of 1432 mandated the destruction of all fiscal administrative evidence. Many county assessments from 1431–1432 do, however, survive and are examined for the first time in this article as part of a detailed assessment of the fiscal and administrative context of the knights' fees and incomes tax. This impost constituted a royal response to excess expenditures associated with Henry VI's “Coronation Expedition” of 1429–1431, the scale of which marked a decisive break from the fiscal-military strategy of the 1420s. Widespread confusion regarding whether taxpayers ought to pay the feudal or the non-feudal component of the 1431 subsidy characterized its botched administration. Industrial scale under-assessment, moreover, emerged as a serious problem. Officials' attempts to provide a measure of fiscal compensation by unlawfully double-assessing many taxpayers served to increase administrative confusion and resulted in parliament's annulment act of 1432. This had serious consequences for the crown's finances, since the regime was saddled with budgetary and debt problems which would ultimately undermine the solvency of the Lancastrian state.

Details

Research in Economic History
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80071-880-7

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 6 July 2015

Joyce Liddle

This chapter examines whether Type 1 and Type 2 models of Multi-Level Governance (MLG) are suitable frameworks for analysing the operation of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs…

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter examines whether Type 1 and Type 2 models of Multi-Level Governance (MLG) are suitable frameworks for analysing the operation of local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) as significant new partnerships at the sub-national level of governance in England. In doing so it bridges some gaps in knowledge, largely absent from MLG literature, by demonstrating how actors in economic development attempt to solve governance problems through co-operation rather than central steering and control.

Methodology/approach

The approach follows Stubbs (2005) who called for more political anthropological or ethnographic analyses, and the chapter draws on primary interview data and secondary documentary evidence from two LEPs in the north east of England.

Findings

Some advocates of MLG believe that governance should serve citizen needs but it is clear from the contents of this chapter that MLG has a number of weaknesses in this respect, as well as neglecting power relationships and misinterpretations of the concept of territory. The conclusion shows that LEPs as multi-agency partnerships need to be accountable and it is essential to adopt models that facilitate a clearer understanding of new spaces of interactions and multiple accountabilities. Using a stakeholder analysis fills some gaps in understanding of how partnerships work and who they are accountable to, as well as assessing how public services delivery models operate within a multi-level governance setting. All 39 LEPs have varying levels of trust between partners, as well as responding to multiple accountabilities. Neither Type I nor Type II MLG is sufficient on its own as an explanatory framework for analysing LEPs, but each does offer a useful entrée into this important field of enquiry.

Research implications

The MLG concept is a helpful starting point, but its utility is governed by how it is augmented with other, more appropriate models of analysis. LEPs are a challenge to the dynamics of public accountability as they involve private actors at the heart of public service delivery; they are also interesting examples of persistent contestation between actors with different mind sets on outcomes and on legitimacy, accountability and representativeness. Stakeholder analysis allows a deeper appreciation of the interactions in space and multiple accountabilities of actors in LEPs.

Practical implications

LEPs in England are the preferred instrument for driving economic growth in regions and sub-regions. The findings help to explain more fully some of the intricate power and trust relationships in these partnerships. The chapter also examines multiple accountabilities and how actors connect within territories.

Social implications

Critically the findings show an absence of real citizen engagement or expression of public opinions and feedback loops to citizens/publics/individuals/other organisations within such diffuse partnership arrangements. In an era of Localism it is essential for partnerships to be accountable to a wider group of societal stakeholders

Originality/value

The chapter takes a novel approach to analysing LEPs and builds on some existing work on MLG to obtain a deeper analysis of some of the complex inter-relationships and connections between actors on LEPs.

Details

Multi-Level Governance: The Missing Linkages
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-874-8

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 6 July 2015

Oliver Hensengerth

The chapter attempts to evaluate the utility of applying multi-level governance outside of the EU, and also outside of the group of democratic states, to states that have defied…

Abstract

Purpose

The chapter attempts to evaluate the utility of applying multi-level governance outside of the EU, and also outside of the group of democratic states, to states that have defied the third wave of democratization and that are characterized by a so-called new authoritarianism. The case is the People’s Republic of China, and the focus falls on policy-making and implementation in the field of hydropower with special attention to the issue area of environmental protection.

Methodology/approach

The chapter draws on the notion of scales and indigenous Chinese governance concepts and brings these into a conversation with the concept of multi-level governance. Case studies on hydropower decision-making in China contribute empirical data in order to investigate the utility of multi-level governance in the Chinese governance context.

Findings

The chapter argues that if multi-level governance is to have utility in other cultural contexts it needs to move away from a consideration of pre-given scales as locus of authority and consider indigenous governance concepts and notions of scale, and it crucially needs to map power relationships in the making and implementation of policies in order to reach analytical depth.

Research implications

The case of China shows that authoritarian regimes can be analysed in terms of multiple levels as authoritarianism no longer automatically implies strict top-down entities. Instead, autocracies can be highly fragmented and subject to complex decision-making processes that can arise during processes of administrative reform. This can lead to vibrant and reflexive systems of governance that exhibit adaptive skills necessary to ensure regime survival amidst a continuously diversifying society and changing external circumstances. As a consequence, a research programme looking at the new authoritarianism from a multi-level governance perspective has the capacity to uncover and describe new forms of governance, by bringing the concept into a conversation with indigenous governance concepts.

Practical implications

In China, informal networks between the energy bureaucracy and hydropower developers determine the hydropower decision-making process. This is particularly detrimental at a time when the Chinese government emphasizes the importance of the rule of law and social stability. Informal networks in which key government agencies are involved actively thwart the attempt of creating reliable institutions and more transparent and accountable processes of decision-making within the authoritarian governance framework.

Social implications

The findings show the dominance of informal networks versus the formal decision-making process. This sidelines the environmental bureaucracy and fails to fully realize the importance of public input into the decision-making process as one potential element of institutionalized conflict resolution.

Originality/value

The chapter builds on existing multi-level governance approaches and fuses them with notions of scales and indigenous Chinese governance concepts in order to enable the applicability of the concept of multi-level governance outside of its area of origin. This advances the explanatory depth and theoretical reach of multi-level governance.

Details

Multi-Level Governance: The Missing Linkages
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-874-8

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 2 October 2017

Mara Del Baldo

This paper aims to discuss the most critical aspects relative to the “usability” of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Framework faced by small and medium-sized…

1662

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to discuss the most critical aspects relative to the “usability” of the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Framework faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in releasing the integrated report and adapting the Integrated Reporting (IR) principles (i.e. materiality, integrated thinking and connectivity) to their needs and features. Only recently the relevance of IR for SMEs has been internationally acknowledged.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on both a deductive and inductive approach. The first one is founded on a literature and technical review aimed at tracing the theoretical background and the framework on integrating reporting in SMEs. The second one is empirically constructed and follows the action research approach because it involves the analysis of a single case-study relative to a company – Costa Edutainment Spa that released its pioneering integrated report in 2014 – belonging to the Italian Network on Business Reporting, a working group which has been involved in the pivotal drafting process of a Guidance for IR in SMEs.

Findings

Results emphasise the main criticalities faced by an SME in the IR process, namely, the need for the following: clearly defining the relationship between sustainability and integrated reporting; adapting the main IR concepts (such us materiality, integrated thinking and connectivity) and fully understanding the benefits deriving from the implementation of IR. Moreover, results shed light on the usefulness of a simplified and operative guidance for releasing the integrated report within SMEs the effectiveness deriving from the direct involvement in the NIBR working group and the provision of practical examples and suggestions.

Research limitations/implications

The main limitations are due to the fact that the empirical analysis is related to a single case study, and it is explorative in nature. Consequently, results are not generalisable. However, the work contributes to nourish the debate on the benefits and critical issues relative to the diffusion of IR among SMEs in a research field which has not been adequately investigated and to develop reflections on the benefits of the diffusion of the IR among SMEs, pointing out the opportunity to follow an evolutionary path which drives the evolution of the entrepreneurial and organisational culture towards monitoring, assessing and reporting the company’s value process creation.

Practical implications

The work contributes to triggering the debate on the diffusion of IR among SMEs which represents a research field that remains still under investigated. It points out a fundamental gap on how to implement IR in SMEs and operationalise the IIRC concepts and principles. It develops reflections on the critical issues and benefits of the diffusion of the IR among SMEs. Drawing from a pioneering experience, the work contributes to supporting entrepreneurs by emphasising the possible benefits deriving from the implementation of the IR process. It suggests an evolutionary path through different steps (starting from the business model definition) which are necessary to drive the entrepreneurial and organisational culture towards monitoring, assessing and reporting the SMEs’ value process creation.

Originality/value

The work contributes to devoting the attention of both scholars and practitioners to an underestimated research field – the “feasibility of IR in the SMEs context – which has not been yet adequately investigated. Moreover, being empirically based, it helps in supporting the diffusion of the IR framework among SMEs, practitioners and consultants by providing insights aimed to improve the IR Guidance for SMEs and sensitise entrepreneurs by emphasising that a possible step-by-step “IR journey” is possible.

Details

Meditari Accountancy Research, vol. 25 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2049-372X

Keywords

Content available
Article
Publication date: 1 January 2003

Trevor Slack

David Stubbs is a specialist in conservation biology and environmental management with particular application to the sport and recreation industry. Here he talks to Trevor Slack…

Abstract

David Stubbs is a specialist in conservation biology and environmental management with particular application to the sport and recreation industry. Here he talks to Trevor Slack about green issues in the staging of major games and green sponsorship.

Details

International Journal of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship, vol. 4 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1464-6668

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 2 July 2020

Julie Stubbs

Despite the burgeoning research on mass incarceration, women are rarely its focus. Racialised women, whose rates of incarceration have increased more rapidly than other groups…

Abstract

Despite the burgeoning research on mass incarceration, women are rarely its focus. Racialised women, whose rates of incarceration have increased more rapidly than other groups, are at the best marginal within much of this literature. Within juvenile justice systems, racialised girls and young women are also disproportionately criminalised and remain markedly over-represented but are often overlooked. The absence of racialised women and girls from dominant accounts of punishment and incarceration is a matter of epistemological, ethical and political concern. Intersectionality offers one means to treat racialised women and girls as focal points for research and advocacy directed towards a reduction in criminalisation and incarceration. While intersectionality does not determine how the knowledge produced is deployed, recognising those who have been unrecognised is a necessary first step in striving to bring about positive change through praxis. Flawed mainstream accounts are unlikely to generate strategies that are well-aligned with the needs and interests of those who remain largely invisible.

Details

The Emerald Handbook of Feminism, Criminology and Social Change
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-956-4

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 1913

In October, 1908, a report was issued by the Medical Officer of Health for the City of London relating to the unsatisfactory manner in which soda water was manufactured at that…

Abstract

In October, 1908, a report was issued by the Medical Officer of Health for the City of London relating to the unsatisfactory manner in which soda water was manufactured at that time in the London district, and to the means that had been used after official enquiry to better the methods of manufacture. The circumstances were referred to in this Journal for November, 1908. It will be remembered that at the time reputable members of the trade readily agreed that they should be bound by certain regulations. These regulations had been drawn up by the Medical Officer of Health for the City of London and related to inspection of premises and examination of plant, water, and materials. As a proof that they had complied with the regulations a certificate was issued to each firm by their trade society, “The London Bottle Exchange and Mineral Water Trade Protection Society, Limited.” This certificate was submitted to and passed by the Medical Officer of Health for the City of London before issue. The arrangement, though good in conception, appears to be faulty in design, and it is desirable, therefore, to offer some criticism.

Details

British Food Journal, vol. 15 no. 12
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0007-070X

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