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The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruption in community support for vulnerable older people and is thought to have exacerbated existing issues within UK adult social care. This study aims to examine the legacy of that disruption on how meeting centres for people affected by dementia have been impacted in continually evolving circumstances.

Semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were conducted at three meeting centre case study sites. Ninety-eight participants, including people living with dementia, family carers, staff, volunteers, trustees and external partners, were asked about the impact and legacy of the pandemic upon meeting centres. A thematic analysis was carried out on the data.

Ten themes were identified: ability to re-open venues; increased health decline and loss of members due to isolation; closure or halting of linking services and dementia community support; disruption to diagnosis and referrals; increase in outreach, building communities and overall reach; digital access and use of technology (boom and decline); changes to carer involvement and engagement; continued uncertainty and changes to funding, resources and governance; staff and volunteer recruitment issues; and relief at/wish for return to pre-pandemic norms.

This paper offers new insight into a still-developing situation, namely, the legacy effects of the pandemic upon third-sector community support for people affected by dementia and the health and social care services that support it. The reduction in maintenance of pandemic-era technological innovations is a key finding.

Community Makers (https://communitymakers.co) is an active UK wide network that evolved rapidly in response to COVID-19 and the negative impact of social isolation and distancing on people and families affected by dementia. The network is led by the Alzheimer’s Society, UK Dementia Research Institute Care Research and Technology Centre and The Association for Dementia Studies, at the University of Worcester. This study aims to investigate what works for whom and why and in what circumstances as a basis for the development of an online toolkit for people supporting people affected by dementia to connect and reconnect during the pandemic and beyond.

The development of the toolkit was informed by an iterative approach of engagement with people affected by dementia, learning from a network of community organisations and a rapid realist literature review.

Four common factors that combine to make a successful support intervention, regardless of its type, size or location were identified: relationships, purpose, technology and community. The application of the factors, adopted as principles, is illustrated by applying them to three real-world examples.

The main output was the online tool kit, which is a resource of creative ideas to inspire groups with different approaches to digital involvement and help reduce social isolation.

This report offers new insight, based on identification of four principles, into how people affected by dementia can be supported online and offline during a pandemic and beyond.

THIS month will see, we understand, the publication of the results of months of regular work of the Library Association Post War Policy Committee, which we believe has been working with exemplary industry. We hear that the Council has endorsed the scheme and that it will deal with such points as the central control of libraries, the sort of area that can support a library service efficiently, the ideals of an efficient system, the training of librarians and many other matters. These topics could be envisaged as obvious ones for any such report to pronounce upon. We shall deal in some detail with them when the report is released but, even now, we can express our gratification that a programme and a policy have been enunciated well before the end of the war is in sight. This does not mean that the report is in any way sacrosanct; it can have no character of a legal document; it can and will be criticised and, no doubt, amended.

WORDS COINED BY IMAGINATIVE WRITERS are nothing more than highly cultured pearls of thought. Though they never come into existence spontaneously or naturally, they truly adorn the language and help to perpetuate the works of novelists, playwrights, and poets. Better still, they prolong indefinitely the popularity of many novels, plays and poems that probably would otherwise slip into oblivion. If Henry Carey had never nicknamed Ambrose Philips Namby Pamby, the two eighteenth century poets would probably long be forgotten, and the English language would lack a choice verbalism as well as the humorous lines:

While strategy was traditionally perceived as exclusive, and limited to small groups within organizations, recently a shift toward greater openness through inclusion of a larger number and variety of actors is emerging. The purpose of this paper is to adopt a social network perspective to develop a theoretical framework on how this increased openness has a varying impact in the different phases of the strategy process.

The author suggests that the strategy process is shaped through social interactions between individuals. Specifically the author conceptualizes how introducing openness affects individuals’ structural and relational characteristics, which impact generating new strategic ideas (variation), and selecting (selection), and integrating them into the existing set of routines (retention).

The framework shows that benefits and costs of increased openness balance differently. While substantial benefits may be realized in the idea generation phase, costs may outweigh the benefits in the selection and retention phase.

Based on the framework, implications can be drawn on how openness should be introduced in the different phases of the strategy process. Specifically the author discusses appropriate open strategy tools based on social technologies, which organizations can use to benefit from openness in the different stages.

Open strategy is a newly emerging phenomenon, which seems to fundamentally change the strategist’s work. More open, inclusive ways of strategizing offer new benefits but also create costs in the strategy process. This paper deepens the theoretical understanding of the consequences of openness in the strategy process.

In the midst of the pandemic, the American Library Association (ALA) Rainbow Round Table (RRT) celebrated the 50^th anniversary of the Stonewall Book Awards, which recognize books of exceptional merit relating to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, and plus (LGBTQIA+) community experience. In tandem, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) reported record numbers of book challenges, mostly based on texts written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community. This chapter considers these seemingly divergent issues within a broader social and historical context – and serves as a testament to the steadfast resolve of librarians to resist censorship and promote the freedom to read during turbulent times. The first section provides an overview of pandemic complexities. The second part of the chapter centers around professional milestones and some recent award-winning literary works. The middle section briefly reviews issues related to challenges over time. This is followed by an exploration of the recent surge in censorship with emphasis on LGBTQIA+ content in public libraries as well as aspects of resistance. The final section offers some ideas for moving forward.

Notes that across corporate USA, companies are achieving remarkable results against quality, productivity, and customer satisfaction targets. Outside their home town, or state, few receive much publicity. Presents profiles of three businesses from Oklahoma, USA, all of which have been winners of the state Quality Awards: the companies are AT&T ‐ Oklahoma City; Bama Pies Limited ‐ Tulsa; and Armstrong World Industries, Inc. ‐ Stillwater.

To explore the experiences of overseas black and minority ethnic nurses in the National Health Service (NHS) in the south of England.

Semi‐structured in‐depth interviews were conducted with 12 overseas black and minority ethnic nurses. All interviews were taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. All transcripts were read and re‐read to elicit general themes.

Qualitative data analysis was undertaken using Van Manen framework and this enabled a number of themes to be identified that were part of overseas black and minority ethnic nurses' experience, however, two main themes would be discussed in this study. Firstly, unequal opportunities in career advancement and secondly, unequal opportunities for skill development and training. Both themes affected overseas nurses chances of promotion in the NHS.

The study has identified a notably gap in the implementation of equal opportunity policies and suggests that a more transparent implementation of such policies is needed in the NHS in the UK where this study was conducted. Additionally, more research is needed to determine whether overseas nurses in other areas experience similar problems.

The findings of this study could encourage managers to re‐examine their equal opportunity policies in the light of these findings. Although this study has explored overseas nurses experiences, the findings cannot be generalised to the wider population.

The differences experienced by overseas nurses in relation to career opportunities and skill development and training.

Consumers often prefer sustainable goods and services but fail to follow through with purchases that reflect these espoused values. The green intention–outcome gap is studied in many contexts but has yet to inform deathcare decisions. Industry reports suggest that most Americans prefer sustainable deathcare options, yet unsustainable corpse dispositions dominate the market. The purpose of this paper is to understand how history informs this phenonea.

This study looks to the past – using historical narrative analysis of deathcare trends and influential intermediaries – to understand the future of sustainable deathcare and the prospective role that marketers can play in bridging the gap between decedents’ preferences and survivors’ purchase outcomes.

Historical ritualization, medicalization and commercialization have resulted in the monopolization of traditional deathcare services. Mortuary professionals remain unresponsive to consumer preferences for sustainable alternatives.

Socioeconomic shocks can allow humanity to reflect and transition from consumerism to sustainability. COVID-19 has led to greater awareness of self-mortality, and death has become less taboo. The slow market penetration of sustainable deathcare services suggests a lack of communication between a decedent and their survivors. Marketing scholars need to help marketing practitioners bridge the preference-outcome gap.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is amongst the first to examine how history informs the sustainable action–outcome gap for deathcare preferences in a post-COVID environment and the role that marketers can play in perpetuating change.

A study of the price discounts granted by Morton Salt Company and other producers of table salt in the U.S. on their sales of table salt to grocery wholesalers and retailers. The discounts were found to be illegal under the Robinson-Patman Act by the Federal Trade Commission and the Supreme Court. The Commission and the Court believed that the discounts were unjustified price concessions granted to “large” buyers, consistent with the concerns of the Robinson-Patman Act. However, the evidence indicates that the most common discount – the “carload discount” – was received by virtually all buyers, regardless of the buyer’s size; the other discounts – “annual volume” discounts – though received primarily by “large” buyers, were likely cost based. The history of the discounts and likely reasons why they were granted are explored in detail.