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The aim of this paper is to investigate the role of a large scale change approach, namely Reengineering, as a method of implementing change in the further education (FE) sector in Northern Ireland (NI). Case studies on 17 FE colleges in NI provided a valuable source of material on how a process‐based Reengineering project can be applied to an FE college. A comparative analysis of the key change issues facing FE colleges and the key elements of business process reengineering (BPR), revealed a commonality in key areas namely: customer focus – a key element of BPR and an imperative for the FE sector; an emphasis on designing and improving key business processes – a key element of BPR and a goal for FE colleges due to internal restructuring caused by incorporation; fundamental change – an essential key tenet of BPR and a key requirement in the FE sector; critical success factors – a key BPR implementation issue covering factors unique to the FE sector that must be addressed for the successful implementation of change.

Salt is one of the most valuable substances available to man, with a definitive role in the human body and in food production. However, the continued use or indeed misuse of salt has led to adverse effects on health. The increasing consumption of convenience foods has contributed greatly to a high salt intake. Highly processed, convenience foods are known to contain large quantities of salt to optimise storage stability and flavour acceptability. Current high salt intakes have therefore been attributed to processed foods, accounting for 75‐85 per cent of total salt intake. Such findings and associated health implications have prompted a call from health professionals and food researchers to reduce salt intake. Effective salt reduction, however, can only be achieved with the co‐operation and commitment of the food industry in the development of lower‐salt processed foods.

The purpose of this paper is to focus on low‐income families who are excluded from consumer culture. It explores their experiences and responses to material deprivation, social deprivation and stigmatization.

Given the need for identification and calculation of exclusion thresholds to be supplemented by the voice of the excluded themselves, the study is based on qualitative analysis of 30 in‐depth interviews with low‐income families who encounter consumption constraints in the marketplace.

While the harsh realities of consumer exclusion cannot be denied, findings also present a more positive outlook as excluded consumers can achieve empowerment through employment of stigma management strategies, creative consumer coping and rejection of the stigmatizing regime.

Research is based only on families with children under the age of 18; future research on older people and exclusion would prove a useful comparison.

The research raises a number of important policy issues in relation to social barriers to inclusion and the role of marketing in contributing to consumer exclusion.

Social policy studies surrounding social exclusion in terms of separation from mainstream society tend to focus on employment. This paper highlights that a social exclusion discourse can also provide a useful perspective to investigate exclusion in relation to consumerism.

UNTIL 1952 Queen's University was fortunate to have one main library building. With the establishment of the Institute of Clinical Science in the hospital area 1½ miles from the main university site, the formation of a separate medical library near the hospitals was considered essential.

The purpose of this paper is to consider the potential use of creative, arts-based methods to address child sexual exploitation (CSE) through connecting with and supporting young people affected by CSE; and engaging the wider community through awareness-raising and education to help keep young people safe. The use of the arts in building understanding, promoting agency, educating and countering negative portrayals of those affected by CSE are also explored.

A literature review identified that there is currently a limited evidence-base surrounding the use of arts in addressing the negative outcomes for young people affected by CSE and promoting the inclusion and safety of young people in the community. To explore the potential use of the arts in engaging young people and the communities they inhabit, this paper draws from research with other “hard to engage” and stigmatised groups, and learning from efforts to tackle other sensitive and challenging issues that impact on communities.

The paper suggests that despite the relatively young evidence base concerning the role of creative, arts-based methods to tackle CSE, there is relevant transferable learning that suggests that there is potential in utilising the arts to help prevent CSE and promote community safety.

There is a clear need to consider the ethical implications of this work and to further examine how the arts may be utilised to tackle CSE and bring about positive outcomes for both individuals and for the wider community.

The paper brings together bodies of literature from other fields to explore the potential use of creative arts-based methods to tackle a significant contemporary issue of community safety.

This paper analyses the relative inequality of the personal income distribution in the EU15 and Member countries using the European Community Household Panel (1994–2001). We select well-known measures like the Gini and Atkinson indices and calculate the 95 percent confidence intervals. Whenever possible we identify unambiguous rankings; when this is not possible we explain the differences through their inequality sensitivity and normative meaning.

We find an important regional differences in income inequality when comparing Southern European countries with the Northern and Central European ones. In 2001, Southern Europe and the United Kingdom are the most unequal countries in spite of the fact that the majority of these countries enjoyed decreasing income inequality over the time period studied.

Investigates the differences in protocols between arbitral tribunals and courts, with particular emphasis on US, Greek and English law. Gives examples of each country and its way of using the law in specific circumstances, and shows the variations therein. Sums up that arbitration is much the better way to gok as it avoids delays and expenses, plus the vexation/frustration of normal litigation. Concludes that the US and Greek constitutions and common law tradition in England appear to allow involved parties to choose their own judge, who can thus be an arbitrator. Discusses e‐commerce and speculates on this for the future.

To examine the determinants of smoking cessation and tobacco consumption in the European Union (EU) countries. Specifically, the paper seeks to examine the role of smoking risk perceptions and anti‐smoking regulation.

The paper utilizes multivariate analysis of an EU representative survey.

From all anti‐smoking policies examined, regulatory and information policies seem to show some influence on the cessation decision. Furthermore, once individuals decide to quit smoking they tend to perceive smoking risks differently.

The main policies influencing smoking cessation in the EU are informational campaigns and regulation policies. However, tobacco price does not seem to influence smoking cessation such as advertising.

Regulation is largely associated with smoking cessation due to the role of social interactions of smoking and thus we might expect risk regulation policies to continue to impose constraints on the capacity of smokers to freely smoke.

The use of a common questionnaire for a sample representative of EU countries. The specific consideration of regulatory variables and risk perceptions.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the proximity of study centres to the students of College of Distance Education, University of Cape Coast (CoDE/UCC) and whether further studies of distance learners who were teachers and employees could lead to absenteeism in their workplaces.

A sequential explanatory strategy was used. A self-administered questionnaire and unstructured interviews as well as observation guides were employed to collect data from 2,077 students pursuing business and education programmes of CoDE in all study centres across Ghana. Data were analysed with descriptive statistics and pattern matching of content analysis.

The study found that few teachers and other workers pursuing the distance education do absent themselves from the workplace or classroom on Fridays preceding their face-to-face session because they embarked on their journey to the study centres on Friday morning. Some teachers also absented themselves from work on Mondays after face-to-face sessions for a lack of means of transport on Sunday after lessons. The absenteeism of these respondents directly and indirectly affected their employers, students and customers.

It was therefore recommended that management of CoDE/UCC should open more study centres in all the regions especially Western, Ashanti, Upper East, Northern and Upper West Regions to reduce number of hours spent by students to their study centres and consider introducing the business programmes at the existing district centres to reduce average distance covered by these students to commute from their places of work to their respective centres in the regional capitals. It was also recommended that online/electronic learning and audio versions (impersonal communication) of the study modules should be introduced so that students would not necessary have to travel to the study centre to participate in lectures/face-to-face sessions.

The findings of this study will help managers and administrators of both public and private distance educational providers. In addition to providing basis and areas for establishing study centres for geographical proximity, findings of the study should prove helpful for designing and delivering electronic and audio versions of distance education modules to reduce the level of absenteeism in workplace for the students.