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11 – 20 of 157
Article
Publication date: 7 September 2015

Shelley Kinash, Vishen Naidu, Diana Knight, Madelaine-Marie Judd, Chenicheri Sid Nair, Sara Booth, Julie Fleming, Elizabeth Santhanam, Beatrice Tucker and Marian Tulloch

The paper aims to disseminate solutions to common problems in student evaluation processes. It proposes that student evaluation can be applied to quality assurance and improving…

2789

Abstract

Purpose

The paper aims to disseminate solutions to common problems in student evaluation processes. It proposes that student evaluation can be applied to quality assurance and improving learning and teaching. The paper presents solutions in the areas of: presenting outcomes as performance indicators, constructing appropriate surveys, improving response rates, reporting student feedback to students and student engagement as a feature of university quality assurance.

Design/methodology/approach

The research approach of this paper is comparative case study, allowing in-depth exploration of multiple perspectives and practices at seven Australian universities. Process and outcome data were rigorously collected, analysed, compared and contrasted.

Findings

The paper provides empirical evidence for student evaluation as an instrument of learning and teaching data analysis for quality improvement. It suggests that collecting data about student engagement and the student experience will yield more useful data about student learning. Furthermore, findings indicate that students benefit from more authentic inclusion in the evaluation process and outcomes.

Research limitations/implications

Because of the chosen research approach, the research results may lack generalisability. Therefore, researchers are encouraged to test the proposed propositions further and apply to their own university contexts.

Practical implications

The paper includes recommendations at the institution- and sector-wide levels to effectively use student evaluation as a university performance indicator and as a tool of change.

Originality/value

This paper fulfils an identified need to examine student evaluation processes across institutions and focuses on the role of student evaluation in quality assurance.

Details

Quality Assurance in Education, vol. 23 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0968-4883

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 October 2005

Rhys Rowland‐Jones and Malcolm Cresser

The aim of this research is to develop a model for environmental management from which quantifiable indication of overall environmental performance for an organisation may be…

1519

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this research is to develop a model for environmental management from which quantifiable indication of overall environmental performance for an organisation may be derived.

Design/methodology/approach

The links between environmental performance and financial performance are considered. Several research methods are described which consider pollution performance. However, it is clear that no single method wholly reflects quantitative pollution management (QPM). The initial model for QPM is derived, and the weightings that should be allocated for the individual and combined categories in achieving the indicator of pollution performance are established.

Findings

The paper establishes a methodology for the derivation of a QPM indicator that provides a numeric variable, by using numerical values that have been obtained from a set of linguistic values evaluated against determinations of prescribed events. The robust nature of the developed QPM indicator is provided by means of a prescribed methodology where the outcome indicator is constructed from the results of the audit and the inter‐relationship of the individual components. This inter‐relationship of numeric and linguistic variables encourages the use of modified set theory in which an individual could have a degree of membership ranged over a continuum of values.

Practical implications

The development of a quantifiable pollution indicator enables customers/consumers to make a purchase decision that takes into account environmental concerns. These unique QPM indicators will assist in promoting a sustainable management strategy with preventative approaches to pollution. Under these circumstances, a QPM indicator would allow industrial and regulatory strategies to be implemented beyond the traditional boundaries of pollution control and waste management. It would give a broader perspective on performance, and encourage application of preventive technologies to reduce pollutant and waste loads, while also promoting environment‐friendly products and services through openly available quantitative indicators. The derived indicator will be limited to the state of a particular process at a given point in time, and as such will need recalculation over given time intervals. This methodology enables the organisation to demonstrate improvement, if applicable. Monitoring tools should in any case be an aid to strategy formulation, not a determinant of it.

Originality/value

This study will assist in allowing environmental performance to become a strategic factor in business planning. Direct comparisons may be made between the operational characteristics of organisations, and how those organisations impact on the environment via pollution, providing direct business benefits to organisations that manage their business and protect the environment.

Details

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal, vol. 16 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1477-7835

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 July 2010

William Jones and John Morgan

Eating disorders have long been perceived to occur primarily in women; few disorders in general medicine or psychiatry exhibit such a skew in gender distribution. Men and women…

2317

Abstract

Eating disorders have long been perceived to occur primarily in women; few disorders in general medicine or psychiatry exhibit such a skew in gender distribution. Men and women with eating disorders share common risk factors and exhibit some overlap in clinical presentation, but important differences do exist. Determining which factors best explain these differences remain uncertain. Furthermore, despite a marked increase in the incidence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in women over the last 50 years, the awareness of eating disorders in men remains low. This is in spite of the fact that men represent 10‐20% of cases of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa and up to 40% of cases of binge eating disorder. Similarly, recent research has focused on the assumption and stereotype that eating disorders in men are associated with homosexuality, when male body image objectification and body dissatisfaction are also widespread in younger heterosexual men who are being increasingly confronted with the same impossible body image ideals that already challenge women and gay men. The stigma of being a man with an eating disorder continues, and we persist in attempting to fit men with eating disorders into a theoretical and clinical framework largely focused on the physical, psychological, and emotional development of women. This article reviews the literature on eating disorders in men and explores the factors that may explain this gender discrepancy.

Details

Journal of Public Mental Health, vol. 9 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1746-5729

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 24 June 2004

Malcolm Prentis

Times were tough for the heads of Australian independent schools in the 1950s and 1960s. In New South Wales alone, Knox Grammar School lost two, Barker College and P. L. C…

Abstract

Times were tough for the heads of Australian independent schools in the 1950s and 1960s. In New South Wales alone, Knox Grammar School lost two, Barker College and P. L. C. Croydon one each in the 1950s and Newington College had lost two and Meriden School one in the 1960s. And in 1965, Allen McLucas was forced to resign from The Scots College Sydney. Behind these problems of governance and leadership in independent schools lay deeper social and moral changes in the broader community and changing educational philosophies.

Details

History of Education Review, vol. 33 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0819-8691

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 30 March 2010

H.G.A. Hughes

40

Abstract

Details

Reference Reviews, vol. 24 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0950-4125

Keywords

Open Access
Book part
Publication date: 1 May 2019

Jardar Lohne and Frode Drevland

The purpose of the study presented is to outline an understanding of the question of who benefits from crime in the AEC industry. The perspective chosen is conceptual in nature…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of the study presented is to outline an understanding of the question of who benefits from crime in the AEC industry. The perspective chosen is conceptual in nature, and therefore focusses professional roles rather than individuals and/or cases.

Design/Methodology/Approach

The methods chosen include literary studies and in-depth analysis of previous research carried out within the research project from which this publication stems. Being conceptual, it is, nevertheless, deeply grounded in practical, coordinated research.

Findings

The findings indicate that most actors would seem to profit from crime in the AEC industry. Decision-makers (owners, contractors and to a certain extent sub-contractors) seem the most likely to profit – structurally and/or individually – on such dubious activity. According to the analysis, controlling agencies – as institutions – tend to profit by rather than to suffer under such criminal activity. Blue collar workers (in particular legally employed workmen and FM-personnel) and society as a whole in general bear the burden of the costs inflicted.

Research Limitations/Implications

There is an urgent need for a reorientation of the activity of the controlling agencies, redirecting their focus of attention from simple working on controlling worksites to addressing in-depth organisational challenges and responsibilities.

Practical Implications

Several papers have been identified that discuss the downsides of criminal activity in the construction industry. This paper suggests how most actors – on individual level – may profit on criminal activity.

Originality/Value

Little seems to have been published on the subject of who is to actually gain and what there is to gain from crime in the AEC industry. This paper presents a contribution to this research gap.

Details

10th Nordic Conference on Construction Economics and Organization
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-83867-051-1

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 April 2012

Deniz Ilter

The purpose of this paper is to: distinguish dispute factors from dispute categories, terms generally used interchangeably in the literature; compose consistent and comprehensive…

1516

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to: distinguish dispute factors from dispute categories, terms generally used interchangeably in the literature; compose consistent and comprehensive lists of dispute factors and categories; and identify the impacts of various dispute factors through empirical analysis of the associations between dispute factors and categories.

Design/methodology/approach

In total, 50 construction projects in Turkey (each with a contract amount of 1 million USD or over) were investigated and analysed employing a specially developed dispute research survey form and through interviews with the project managers.

Findings

Specific suggestions have been developed for various stakeholders of construction projects, building upon the associations revealed by the correlation analysis. These suggestions relate to the following issues; for employers: contractor selection (experience and technical capability), avoiding variations and punctual instructions; for consultants: preparation of project documents; for contractors: project selection and approach to conflicts; for project managers: defining the project scope, punctual instructions and use of ADR methods; for all stakeholders: project duration, unfamiliarity with local conditions, adversarial approach in handling conflicts and communication problems.

Originality/value

This paper suggests an improvement to dispute terminology by differentiating between dispute factors and categories, and identifies the relations between these factors and categories by an empirical study. The results of this research can help practitioners and academicians by providing insights on the dynamics of dispute occurrence. An increased awareness of dispute factors and their specific impacts can allow practitioners to discern and identify the associated risks and endeavour to avoid certain practices, and thus eventually contribute to reducing disputes in the construction projects.

Details

International Journal of Law in the Built Environment, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-1450

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 1995

JOHN H. ASHFORD

A bilingual Welsh‐English full text database is planned for Inspection Reports of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools for Wales. Special requirements for free text retrieval in…

Abstract

A bilingual Welsh‐English full text database is planned for Inspection Reports of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools for Wales. Special requirements for free text retrieval in the Welsh language are identified, and practical solutions are proposed for problems arising from the use of standard text database products, some of which may also apply to other lesser‐used languages.

Details

Journal of Documentation, vol. 51 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0022-0418

Content available
Article
Publication date: 15 May 2007

Richard Jones

158

Abstract

Details

Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1361-2026

Article
Publication date: 30 April 2021

Pinar Irlayici Cakmak

While a considerable amount of research has been conducted on construction disputes, disputes remain prevalent in the construction industry and have still been a crucial problem…

Abstract

Purpose

While a considerable amount of research has been conducted on construction disputes, disputes remain prevalent in the construction industry and have still been a crucial problem in the Turkish construction industry as well. The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of different stakeholders on key factors that contribute to construction disputes by adopting a qualitative approach.

Design/methodology/approach

The qualitative approach adopted for the study provided gathering in-depth and rich information about the topic. To explore the phenomenon in-depth information, semi-structured interviews were conducted. A total of 38 interviews were conducted among experts and practitioners who engaged in construction disputes.

Findings

Content analysis of interview data resulted in the emergence of varying categories relevant to the problems which result in construction disputes. By grouping related themes into main categories, the analysis yielded five major ones: clarity of the contract form, errors in contract documents, payments, changes, delays and not granting extension of time.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitations are having interviewees from one country and results limited to the Turkish construction industry.

Practical implications

The findings provide insight on the factors contributing to construction disputes as perceived by different stakeholders, which should provide guidance to determine the associated risks for dispute occurrence, make effort to mitigate disputes once they happen, take proper precautions for minimizing the effects and after all make a significant contribution in the successful accomplishment of completed construction projects.

Originality/value

The findings of the study contribute to a deeper understanding of the factors contributing to construction disputes through a qualitative approach which is limited in the related literature. Although the qualitative exploration only focuses on the Turkish construction industry, the study has added significantly to the body of knowledge within the subject area.

Details

International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, vol. 40 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2398-4708

Keywords

11 – 20 of 157