Search results

1 – 10 of 97
Article
Publication date: 2 December 2019

Rachel Hay and Lynne Eagle

This paper aims to compare the findings from a survey of a cohort of students at an Australian regional university across two time points: immediately on commencing their first…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to compare the findings from a survey of a cohort of students at an Australian regional university across two time points: immediately on commencing their first semester of study and at the end of their final semester of study to determine whether, and in what ways, these students’ views concerning sustainability appear to have changed. This paper reports on a longitudinal study of the attitudes, beliefs and perceptions of undergraduate business students regarding a range of sustainability issues.

Design/methodology/approach

A paper-based questionnaire was delivered to approximately 250 first year and 150 third year students.

Findings

A factor analysis shows small but statistically different positive differences, which indicate that the revised curriculum has been successful in raising student awareness and achieving behaviour change.

Research limitations/implications

The study focussed on Australian undergraduate university business students, which reduced generalizability of the findings.

Practical implications

The findings of this study can inform instructors in higher education of student attitudes towards sustainability and climate change adaption and in turn inform changes to tertiary curriculum in sustainability and climate change adaption.

Originality/value

The authors confirm that the research is original and that all of the data provided in this paper is real and authentic. As the paper reports on the third phase of the longitudinal study, some parts of the methodology have been previously published but differ as they reflect the third phase of the study. The results of this study have not been previously published.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 28 June 2019

Rachel Hay, Lynne Eagle, Muhammad Abid Saleem, Lisa Vandommele and Siqiwen Li

The purpose of this paper is to report student attitudes and beliefs towards climate change adaptation and sustainability-related behaviours.

981

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report student attitudes and beliefs towards climate change adaptation and sustainability-related behaviours.

Design/methodology/approach

A paper-based questionnaire was completed by 247 first-year (students in their first semester of study) and third-year (students in their final semester of study) students in the same year (2012) of the study (Table I). A factor analysis shows that common themes previously identified failed to reflect the diverse range of influences on young people, including family, friends and news media.

Findings

Contrary to the literature, few significant differences were found in sustainability-related behaviours between first- and third-semester students, with an increase in scepticism regarding the reality of climate change among the latter.

Research limitations/implications

The study focused on Australian undergraduate university business students. As a single-institution case study, the results may not be generalised to all university students. As such the authors recommended that the study be completed in other universities from around the world. The study was undertaken over one year, but the participants may not have necessarily been the same students in third semester as they were in first semester. Therefore, it is recommended that the study be repeated in future years so that the same cohort can be measured over time, providing a more accurate account of the development of student knowledge and perceptions of sustainability during their time at university.

Practical implications

Achieving significant long-term changes in behaviours will be a substantial challenge for tertiary curricula. The findings of this study can inform instructors in higher education of student attitudes towards sustainability and climate change adaption and in turn inform changes to tertiary curriculum in sustainability and climate change adaption.

Originality/value

This paper reports on the second phase of a longitudinal research project examining the effects of an undergraduate business studies curriculum on student views of sustainability. The authors confirm that the research is original and that all of the data provided in the study are real and authentic. Neither the entire work nor any of its parts have been previously published.

Details

International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1467-6370

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 10 May 2019

Rachel Hay, Lynne Eagle and Muhammad Abid Saleem

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the implications of claimed detrimental impacts for the agricultural activity of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) ecosystem health in…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to focus on the implications of claimed detrimental impacts for the agricultural activity of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) ecosystem health in Queensland, Australia. The authors discuss the complex interaction of factors that have contributed to the decline in reef ecosystems and the challenges presented by multiple industries operating within the GBR catchment area. The authors then discuss measures employed to address agricultural run-off, claimed to be a significant factor in declining reef water quality.

Design/methodology/approach

Surveys of land managers were undertaken in partnership with two of the six natural resource management (NRM) organizations operating in areas adjacent to the GBR identified as having very high risk of natural and anthropogenic runoff. The sample population was obtained from a membership database within the two regions. Participants include land managers from the both regions who engaged in sugar cane production (Region 1 and Region 2, included in this paper) and cattle production (Region 2, to be reported later). Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed including open-ended responses.

Findings

A large-scale study of land managers reveals several reasons for the lack of success at reducing agricultural run-off. The authors discuss the rationale for a move to a theory-grounded social marketing approach to encouraging land manager behavior change, highlighting barriers, and potential enablers of sustained behavior change.

Originality/value

This study is first of its kind that discusses the behavior of land managers in the GBR catchment area and highlights facilitators and impediments of land managers’ behavior change toward GBR protection actions.

Details

Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, vol. 31 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1355-5855

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 1 October 2013

Jennifer Thomson

This chapter examines the historical development of different conceptions of health among environmental activists in the postwar United States.

Abstract

Purpose

This chapter examines the historical development of different conceptions of health among environmental activists in the postwar United States.

Methodology/approach

The historical analysis combines archival research with oral history interviews.

Findings

This study argues that applications of “health” to describe the environment are more diverse than generally acknowledged, and that environmental activists were at the forefront of connecting the two terms within broader public discourse.

Originality/value of chapter

This study provides a historical context for understanding the contemporary diversity of perspectives on the links between ecology and health. It illustrates the cross-fertilization between scientists, philosophers, and environmental activists in the 1970s that led to this contemporary diversity.

Details

Ecological Health: Society, Ecology and Health
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78190-323-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 July 2003

Rachel Kovacs

This study compares the strategies and impact of six British activist groups, as documented in 1997, with data gathered on the same groups in 2000. These groups, Voice of the…

Abstract

This study compares the strategies and impact of six British activist groups, as documented in 1997, with data gathered on the same groups in 2000. These groups, Voice of the Listener and Viewer, Campaign for Quality Television, Deaf Broadcasting Council, Consumers Association, National Consumers Council and National Listeners and Viewers Association, attempted to build a public sphere for generating debate around and catalysing changes to broadcasting policies and programming. They were tracked in 2000 in order to identify those issues, relationships and groups that had endured. The research design provided a telescopic look at their interactions with their targets and with each other during a period of rapid technological and industry change. In a multichannel broadcasting environment where convergence and globalisation are buzzwords, activists used public relations to create a broader public forum for a wide range of significant issues with which to engage demographically, psychographically and geographically diverse publics. The ensuing media education, media advocacy and relationship building, although elite in origins, strengthened democratic discourse, thus reaffirming broadcasting’s invaluable role in civil society.

Details

Journal of Communication Management, vol. 7 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1363-254X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 November 2018

Stephen A. Zeff and Rachel F. Baskerville

The purpose of this paper is to identify the circumstances that gave rise to an adverse audit opinion by a New Zealand (Christchurch) accounting firm, Hicks and Ainger, on the…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the circumstances that gave rise to an adverse audit opinion by a New Zealand (Christchurch) accounting firm, Hicks and Ainger, on the annual financial report of the local firm, T.J. Edmonds Ltd, in 1976. In so doing, this study revealed not only previously undocumented issues surrounding major asset purchases but also the impact of key personalities before and after the adverse opinion decision.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is located within the Cultural Theory of History, to theorize the narratives within the wider contextual perspective. The issues surrounding the use of memory from such interviews are also considered. The key material offered in this study is sourced from a 2015 interview with the two key audit partners in this audit engagement.

Findings

The accounting standard on depreciation at that time, SSAP 3, had not been applied properly to the accounting treatment of four helicopters for wild deer operations, purchased a week before balance date. Neither the artificial suppression of profits by this purchase decision and accounting choice nor the fall in profits nor the adverse opinion, influenced share prices or shareholder perceptions long term.

Originality/value

The significance of this project is that it informs the appreciation of the importance of contextual understanding of a singular adverse audit opinion.

Details

Pacific Accounting Review, vol. 30 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0114-0582

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 December 2004

Rachel Kovacs

The research explored, over seven years, the strategies and impact of six UK pressure groups. The main method used was in‐depth interviews. In addition, extensive searches of…

1714

Abstract

The research explored, over seven years, the strategies and impact of six UK pressure groups. The main method used was in‐depth interviews. In addition, extensive searches of several literatures and database, archival, print, government and online works were undertaken, as was unobtrusive monitoring of consultations and other group communications. The data strongly suggested that these groups raised awareness of, and debate about, compelling broadcasting issues that affect viewers and listeners as citizens. At times, they achieved legislative changes. Groups that built strategic relationships with target publics, in tandem with media advocacy and media education, were more likely to achieve their goals, but relationship building was itself a successful outcome and contributed to ad hoc alliances/coalitions that increased organizational effectiveness. Overall, these groups had an impact on the range and quality of broadcasting issues discussed and on citizen engagement in broadcasting issues on national, regional and, increasingly, global levels. This research is one of the first studies from the activist perspective and posits public relations' value to democratic dialogue. It also presents a cross‐cultural perspective that may be transferable to other societies.

Details

Corporate Communications: An International Journal, vol. 9 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1356-3289

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 February 2020

Shaw Tearle, Sam S. and Rachel R. Holt

There is a need to evaluate an adapted Equipping Youth to help One Another (EQUIP) programme for people with intellectual disabilities and forensic needs. The purpose of this…

Abstract

Purpose

There is a need to evaluate an adapted Equipping Youth to help One Another (EQUIP) programme for people with intellectual disabilities and forensic needs. The purpose of this paper is to explore a service user’s experience of completing the intervention as part of their transition into the community.

Design/methodology/approach

A collaborative case report was used. Following hospital discharge and completion of the adapted EQUIP programme, one service user with mild intellectual disability was supported to share their treatment experiences using participatory action research.

Findings

Findings suggest that while the adapted community EQUIP group can support skills acquisition (e.g. problem-solving), discharge processes and community reintegration, professionals need to maintain a person-centred approach mindful of participants’ complex emotional journeys.

Research limitations/implications

The design allows for tentative conclusions to be made about the service user’s journey and is not necessarily generalisable.

Practical implications

There is a pressing need to develop the evidence base for interventions offered in the community to people with intellectual disabilities and a history of offending. This report provides some evidence that EQUIP can be adapted to support this population.

Originality/value

This is the first coproduced publication exploring the experience of a service user with intellectual disability who completed an adapted EQUIP programme.

Details

Journal of Intellectual Disabilities and Offending Behaviour, vol. 11 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-8824

Keywords

Book part
Publication date: 15 October 2020

Jussara dos Santos Raxlen and Rachel Sherman

In the 1970s and 1980s, studies of the unpaid household and family labor of upper-class women linked this labor to class reproduction. In recent years, however, the topic of class…

Abstract

In the 1970s and 1980s, studies of the unpaid household and family labor of upper-class women linked this labor to class reproduction. In recent years, however, the topic of class has dropped out of analyses of unpaid labor, and such labor has been ignored in recent studies of elites. In this chapter, drawing primarily on 18 in-depth interviews with wealthy New York stay-at-home mothers, we look at what elite women’s unpaid labor consists of, highlighting previously untheorized consumption and lifestyle work; ask what it reproduces; and analyze how women themselves interpret and represent it. In the current historical moment, elite women face not only the cultural expectation that they will work for pay, but also the prominence of meritocracy as a mechanism of class legitimation in a diversified upper class. In this context, we argue, elite women’s unpaid labor serves to reproduce “meritocratic” dispositions of children rather than closed, homogenous elite communities, as identified in previous studies. Our respondents struggle to frame their activities as legitimate and productive work. In doing so, they not only resist longstanding stereotypes of “ladies who lunch” but also seek to justify and normalize their own class privileges, thus reproducing the same hegemonic discourses of work and worth that stigmatize their unpaid work.

Details

Professional Work: Knowledge, Power and Social Inequalities
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-210-9

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1983

Rachel Errington

Goats' milk is mainly sold in the frozen state and is often in short, unpredictable supply. It is usually twice the price of cows' milk and is packaged in either waxed‐lined…

Abstract

Goats' milk is mainly sold in the frozen state and is often in short, unpredictable supply. It is usually twice the price of cows' milk and is packaged in either waxed‐lined cardboard or a thick polythene bag.

Details

Nutrition & Food Science, vol. 83 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0034-6659

1 – 10 of 97