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1 – 10 of 91The most common argument against child pornography is that children are harmed in the process of producing it. This is the argument from abusive production. However, it does not…
Abstract
The most common argument against child pornography is that children are harmed in the process of producing it. This is the argument from abusive production. However, it does not apply to ‘virtual’ child pornography, i.e. child pornography produced using computer technology without involving real children. Autilitarian who wishes to condemn virtual child pornography cannot appeal to the argument from abusive production. I discuss three possible ways out of this: (1) abandoning the intuition that virtual child pornography is wrong, (2) abandoning utilitarianism, or (3)circumventing the problem. I propose a version of the third way out.
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Ann‐Kristin Sandin‐Bojö, Linda J. Kvist, Marie Berg and Bodil Wilde Larsson
The aim of this study is to describe how Swedish women, planned for vaginal birth, perceive the quality of intrapartal care that they receive and the subjective importance they…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to describe how Swedish women, planned for vaginal birth, perceive the quality of intrapartal care that they receive and the subjective importance they ascribe to their care.
Design/methodology/approach
The study was nested within a Swedish national survey of intrapartal care. The women whose care was investigated were invited to participate in the current study by the midwife who attended the birth. A total of 1,173 women agreed to answer a questionnaire about “quality of general care” and “quality of specific intrapartal care” at two months postpartum. The questions were posed in two ways, the perceived reality (PR) of care given and the subjective importance (SI) the women ascribed to this care.
Findings
A total of 739 women (63 percent) returned their questionnaires. Scores for PR and SI for “quality of general care“ were in the main high (PR range 2.98‐3.81; SI range 2.85‐3.85, out of a possible 4) and also for “quality of specific intrapartal care” (PR range 3.15‐3.86; SI range 3.23‐3.86, out of a possible 4). A total of 12 items showed statistically significantly higher scores for SI than for PR. Of the women, 81 percent agreed fully or mostly that the birth of their child was a positive experience.
Originality/value
The way in which women answer questions about intrapartal care reflects the way in which the questions are posed. This study therefore has asked not only how care was perceived but also what importance individual women ascribed to different areas of their care. The questionnaire used in this study allows identification of areas where “what is, could be better”.
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In this paper I utilize ethnographic data from the construction industry to demonstrate that occupational safety must be interpreted as having two different forms: the official…
Abstract
In this paper I utilize ethnographic data from the construction industry to demonstrate that occupational safety must be interpreted as having two different forms: the official policies and the actual operating procedures. This distinction is significant because it highlights the difference between rules that are stated – and may even be formally trained – and the rules that actually govern the workplace. It is this latter set of rules, a complex set of decision-making practices balancing the speed of work against acceptable loss, that actually shapes the worker’s individual decision-making. By illuminating the distinctions between these two forms of training, and the structures in which they occur, I challenge a common assumption of much safety-related research in construction, that worker behaviors and worker cultures are the most common causes of policy violations (e.g. Dedobbeleer & German, 1987; Hoyos, 1995; Hsiao & Simeonov, 2001; Lewis, 1999; Lingard, 2002; Personick, 1990; Ringen, Seegal & Englund, 1995; Rivara & Thompson, 2000; Smith, 1993). I argue here that what is often construed as “worker culture” is actually a structurally determined response to the unwritten rules of the construction industry. This is meaningful because the assumption that workers “choose” to forgo occupational safety protections as a cultural choice (generally construed as an enactment of working-class masculinity) is then used to assume or prove workers’ consent to the larger capitalist exchange of wages for work (e.g. Burawoy, 1979; Marx, 1867, 1977). By drawing on the media coverage of the workplace fatality, I highlight the costs and legal ramifications of such a dual system.
Ouarda Azdad, Najlae Mejrhit, Alae Chda, Mohamed El Kabbaoui, Rachid Bencheikh, Abdelali Tazi and Lotfi Aarab
The purpose of this study is to compare the evolution of self-reported milk allergy in children and adults within the population of Fez-Meknes region, as well as to investigate…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to compare the evolution of self-reported milk allergy in children and adults within the population of Fez-Meknes region, as well as to investigate the consumption of milk and its correlation to milk allergy.
Design/methodology/approach
It is a cross-sectional study conducted in Fez-Meknes region between April 2014 and March 2015 basing on a questionnaire completed by 3,068 children and 1,281 adults.
Findings
The results showed that food allergy was more reported among children (29.4 per cent) than adults (16.9 per cent). Milk allergy was reported by 5.3 per cent of children and 4.2 per cent of adults. Children reported mostly cutaneous manifestations (64.8 per cent) while adults reported mostly gastrointestinal manifestations (68.5 per cent). The consumption of milk showed a protective effect against the development of milk allergy (p < 0.001).
Originality/value
The consumption of milk was associated significantly with a low rate of milk allergy, especially in adults. However, the pasteurization of milk seemed to be correlated to increase milk sensitivity.
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Margareta Johansson, Christine Rubertsson, Ingela Rådestad and Ingegerd Hildingsson
This paper has two main aims: to explore fathers' postnatal care experiences with a specific focus on deficiencies and to investigate which service deficiencies remained important…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper has two main aims: to explore fathers' postnatal care experiences with a specific focus on deficiencies and to investigate which service deficiencies remained important for fathers one year after childbirth.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a prospective longitudinal study. Two months and one year after birth, the overall satisfaction with care were sought. A care quality index was created, based on perceived reality and subjective importance of the care given. The study excluded fathers not mastering Swedish. Total eligible fathers was consequently not known therefore pregnancies served as an estimate.
Findings
In total, 827 fathers answered the questionnaire two months after birth and 655 returned the follow‐up questionnaire after one year; 21 per cent were dissatisfied with overall postnatal‐care. The most important dissatisfying factors were the way fathers were treated by staff and the women's check‐up/medical care. Two months after the birth, information given about the baby's care and needs were most deficient when parents had been cared for in a hotel ward. Furthermore, information about the baby's needs and woman's check‐up/medical care was most deficient when fathers had participated in emergency Caesarean section.
Practical implications
Most fathers were satisfied with the overall postnatal care, but how fathers are treated by caregivers; the woman's check‐up/medical care and information given about the baby's care and needs can be improved. Professionals should view early parenthood as a joint project and support both parents' needs.
Originality/value
The paper provides knowledge about postnatal service quality including fathers' needs.
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Håkan Wiklund, Bengt Klefsjö, Pia Sandvik Wiklund and Bo Edvardsson
Emphasis on quality improvement has been one of the most characteristic features of higher education policy in Nordic and other European countries during the 1990s. In Sweden, the…
Abstract
Emphasis on quality improvement has been one of the most characteristic features of higher education policy in Nordic and other European countries during the 1990s. In Sweden, the universities’ work with quality management has been evaluated for several years. In January 2001, the National Agency of Higher Education in Sweden introduced a new comprehensive system for quality assessment. The Swedish assessment system stresses that the assessment should have as a corner‐stone the specific prerequisites for each university and subject, e.g. business administration and their development strategy. The comprehensive quality assessments of Swedish higher education institutions are discussed together with stimulating innovation and continuous improvement of higher education.
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This chapter shows how different recycling locations influence closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) cost and carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e), as well as reveal competitive recycling…
Abstract
This chapter shows how different recycling locations influence closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) cost and carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e), as well as reveal competitive recycling and manufacturing locations, including relevant distance- and location-related factors, for achieving very low cost and CO2e CLSCs supporting circular economy. Exploratory data analysis is used to analyze results from simulations based on empirical data and market rates relating to textile and clothing CLSCs. The results show that most very low-cost and CO2e CLSCs consist of fabric and garment manufacturing located at the same or nearby locations, and whose labor costs and electricity CO2e are low, whether fiber recycling facilities are located in proximity to used garment sorting facilities or not. Scenario and sensitivity analyses of important cost and CO2e factors for recycling location competitiveness reveal that increasing used garment prices makes locations with high import duties lose competitiveness, and that varying water freight CO2e changes comparative location competitiveness.
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The topic of the paper is a description of basic elements of the philosophy of un/natural disasters generally, and specifically basic elements of multiple simultaneous un/natural…
Abstract
The topic of the paper is a description of basic elements of the philosophy of un/natural disasters generally, and specifically basic elements of multiple simultaneous un/natural disasters which is motivated by a series of disasters that hit Croatia all over 2020. The topic is presented in the following way: in the first part, case of Croatia 2020 is described in short; in the second part, elements of the philosophy of un/natural disasters are described; and based on the first and second part in the third part, the possibility of the philosophy of multiple simultaneous un/natural disasters which seem to be applicable to the case of Croatia 2020 is described. Elements of philosophy that are described are ontology, epistemology, a theory of action, and ethics. The purpose of the paper is to research the possibility of clarification of basic philosophical concepts in the context of disasters, namely existence-in, appearance/reality-in, knowledge-of, certainty-in, human action-in, habits-in, and morality and ethics of disasters. Research limitations relate mostly to conceptual-morphological research that hugely relies on facts of the case and on statistical and scientific data on disasters.
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Osama A.B. Hassan and Christopher Johansson
This paper aims to compare glued laminated timber and steel beams with respect to structural design, manufacturing and assembly costs and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to compare glued laminated timber and steel beams with respect to structural design, manufacturing and assembly costs and the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents structural design requirements in conformance with EN 1993: Eurocode 5 and Eurocode 3. With the help of these standards, expressions are derived to evaluate the design criteria of the beams. Based on the results of life-cycle analysis, the economic properties and environmental impact of the two types of beam are investigated. In this paper, the effect of beam span on the design values, costs and carbon dioxide emissions is analysed when investigating aspects of the structural design, economy and environmental impact. Different cross-sections are chosen for this purpose.
Findings
The study shows that the glued laminated (abbreviated as “glulam”) beams have a smaller tendency to lateral torsional buckling than the steel beams, and that they can be cheaper. From an environmental point of view, glulam beams are the more environmentally friendly option of the two beam materials. Furthermore, glulam beams may have a direct positive effect on the environment, considering the carbon storage capacity of the wood. The disadvantage of glued wood is that larger dimensions are sometimes required.
Research limitations/implications
Wind load and the effect of second-order effects have not been considered when analysing the static design. Only straight beams have been studied. Furthermore, the dynamic design of the beams has not been investigated, and the bearing pressure capacity of the supports has not been analyzed. We have investigated timber beams with a rectangular cross-section, and steel beams of rolled I-sections, known as “HEA profiles”. The cost analysis is based mainly on the manufacturing and assembly costs prevalent on the Swedish market. The only environmental impact investigated has been the emission of greenhouse gases. The design calculations are based on the European standards Eurocode 5 and Eurocode 3.
Practical implications
To achieve sustainability in construction engineering, it is important to study the environmental and economic consequences of the building elements. By combining these two effects with the technical design of buildings made of steel and/or timber, the concept of sustainable development can be achieved in the long run.
Social implications
The study concerns sustainability of building structures, which is an important of the sustainable development of the society.
Originality/value
The paper contains new information and will be useful to researchers and civil engineers.
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Oliver Lukason and Tiia Vissak
This paper aims to detect failure processes of French exporting firms and study their contingency with export processes.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to detect failure processes of French exporting firms and study their contingency with export processes.
Design/methodology/approach
The sample consisted of 131 bankrupted exporting firms from Bureau van Dijk’s Amadeus database. Factor and cluster analyses of six financial variables from Laitinen’s (1991) model were used to detect failure processes. Export processes were detected with cluster analysis of export share in total turnover. Contingency between failure and export processes was studied with a statistical test.
Findings
Three different failure processes existed for exporting firms. Two of these processes, which accounted for 79 per cent of firms, were classified as gradual failure: a step-by-step worsening of financial performance before the bankruptcy was declared. One was a symbiotic process reflecting varying pre-bankruptcy behaviours of different financial variables. Two different types of exporters existed. Most firms (77 per cent) were occasional exporters, while 23 per cent were constantly and more strongly involved in international markets before their bankruptcy was declared. There was no contingency between failure and export processes.
Originality/value
This study is the first one to detect failure processes specifically for exporting firms based on financial variables. In line with previous literature about non-exporting firms, gradual failure processes were most characteristic to exporting firms. The study shows that different types of exporters were not characterized by any unique behaviour of financial variables before their bankruptcy was declared.
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