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1 – 5 of 5Yvonne van Zaalen, Mary McDonnell, Barbara Mikołajczyk, Sandra Buttigieg, Maria del Carmen Requena and Fred Holtkamp
The purpose of this paper is to focus on ethical and judicial themes related to technology and the older adults.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on ethical and judicial themes related to technology and the older adults.
Design/methodology/approach
Different consecutive phases in technology design and allocation will be discussed from a range of perspectives.
Findings
Longevity is one of the greatest achievements of contemporary science and a result of development of social relations. Currently, various non-communicable diseases affect older adults and impose the greatest burden on global health. There is a great emphasis across Europe on caring for the older person in their own homes. Technology has a mediating role in determining the possibilities for good quality of life (QOL). The concept of assisting the older adult through the use of technology so as to access healthcare services has enormous potential. Although the potential of technology in healthcare is widely recognised, technology use can have its downsides. Professionals need to be aware of the risks, namely, those related to the privacy of the older person, which may accompany technology use.
Research limitations/implications
By 2050, there will be more people aged over 65 than there are children. This phenomenon of global ageing constitutes a massive challenge in the area of health protection.
Practical implications
Professionals need to be aware of the risks, for example, related to the privacy of the older person, that may accompany technology use.
Social implications
There is a great emphasis across Europe on caring for the older person in their own homes. Technology has a mediating role in determining the possibilities for QOL.
Originality/value
The concept of assisting the older adult through the use of technology to avail of healthcare has enormous potential. Assistive technology, social media use and augmentative and alternative communication can have a positive effect on the QOL of older people, as long as they are supported enough in use of these technologies. However, ethical and juridical considerations are at stake as well.
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Yvonne Wambui Githiora, Margaret Awuor Owuor, Romulus Abila, Silas Oriaso and Daniel O. Olago
Tropical wetland ecosystems are threatened by climate change but also play a key role in its mitigation and adaptation through management of land use and other drivers…
Abstract
Purpose
Tropical wetland ecosystems are threatened by climate change but also play a key role in its mitigation and adaptation through management of land use and other drivers. Local-level assessments are needed to support evidence-based wetland management in the face of climate change. This study aims to examine the local communities’ knowledge and perception of climate change in Yala wetland, Kenya, and compare them with observed data on climate trends. Such comparisons are useful to inform context-specific climate change adaptation actions.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a mixed methods approach that combined analysis of climate data with perceptions from the local community. Gridded data on temperature and rainfall for the period from 1981 to 2018 were compared with data on climate change perceptions from semi-structured questionnaires with 286 key informants and community members.
Findings
Majority of the respondents had observed changes in climate parameters – severe drought (88.5%), increased frequency of floods (86.0%) and irregular onset and termination of rains (90.9%) in the past 20 years. The perceptions corresponded with climate trends that showed a significant increasing trend in the short rains and the average maximum temperature, high incidence of very wet years and variability in onset and termination of rainfall between 1981 and 2018. Gender, age and education had little influence on knowledge and awareness of climate change, except for frequency of floods and self-reported understanding of climate change. The community perceived the wetland to be important for climate change adaptation, particularly the provision of resources such as grazing grounds during drought.
Research limitations/implications
The study faced challenges of low sample size, use of gridded climate data and reproducibility in other contexts. The results of this study apply to local communities in a tropical wetland in Western Kenya, which has a bi-modal pattern of rainfall. The sample of the study was regional and may therefore not be representative of the whole of Kenya, which has diverse socioeconomic and ecological contexts. Potential problems have been identified with the use of gridded data (for example, regional biases in models), although their usefulness in data scarce contexts is well established. Moreover, the sample size has been found to be a less important factor in research of highly complex socio-ecological systems where there is an attempt to bridge natural and social sciences.
Practical implications
This study addresses the paucity of studies on climate change trends in papyrus wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa and the role of local knowledge and perceptions in influencing the management of such wetlands. Perceptions largely influence local stakeholders’ decisions, and a study that compares perceptions vs “reality” provides evidence for engagement with the stakeholders in managing these highly vulnerable ecosystems. The study showed that the local community’s perceptions corresponded with the climate record and that adaptation measures are already ongoing in the area.
Originality/value
This study presents a case for the understanding of community perceptions and knowledge of climate change in a tropical wetland under threat from climate change and land use change, to inform management under a changing climate.
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Angela Wroblewski and Rachel Palmén
Gender equality plans (GEPs) are currently the preferred approach to initiate structural change towards gender equality in research organisations. In order to achieve structural…
Abstract
Gender equality plans (GEPs) are currently the preferred approach to initiate structural change towards gender equality in research organisations. In order to achieve structural change, GEPs have to be more than just a formally adopted institutional policy. Effective GEPs lead to a transformation of gendered practices and thus to structural change. This chapter presents the innovative approach developed for an H2020 structural change project and its theoretical background. We argue that due to the dual logic, which characterises academic organisations, the organisational logic and the academic logic, change is a complex endeavour. To deal with this complexity, one of the main functions of a GEP is to provide space and initiate reflexivity at an individual as well as at an institutional level. A theory of change approach supports reflexivity in all stages of a GEP as it ensures that basic assumptions of the institutional change process are questioned and reflected on by the different stakeholder groups involved in the implementation.
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In the UK and countries following similar systems of doctoral assessment, there is little research-based evidence about what goes on in vivas. However, “doctoral assessment…
Abstract
Purpose
In the UK and countries following similar systems of doctoral assessment, there is little research-based evidence about what goes on in vivas. However, “doctoral assessment ‘horror stories’”, abound. The purpose of this paper is to report a study focussing on difficult doctoral examining experiences and argue that sharing such stories can provide a useful basis for examiner and supervisor education.
Design/methodology/approach
The study took a narrative auto/biographical approach.
Findings
The stories participants told show that doctoral examining is relational, emotional and ethical work and that viva outcomes are strongly influenced by subjectivities. There was felt to be a need to share stories of difficulties in order to bring them into the open with a view to prompting transformational change.
Research limitations/implications
Participants were self-selecting and all worked at the same institution.
Originality/value
There are few accounts of examiners’ experiences of the viva.
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Mohammed Muneerali Thottoli and Essia Ries Ahmed
Based on the importance of E-accounting, the purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants influencing information technology and E-accounting among small and…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on the importance of E-accounting, the purpose of this study is to investigate the determinants influencing information technology and E-accounting among small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Design/methodology/approach
A survey method was used to select the sample among SMEs in Oman. Using descriptive statistics, the impact of the determinants on E-accounting practices in SMEs in Oman were tested.
Findings
The findings reveal that except information technology (IT) cost, all other possible determinants (IT risk, employee IT skills and employee theoretical knowledge) has a significant influence on E-accounting practice among SMEs.
Research limitations/implications
The link between variables of this study was not analyzed in Oman. Moreover, this study only concentrated on the impact of the fourth determinants, while in reality, there must be other determinants that should also be investigated by other researchers.
Practical implications
This study has added to the literature by examining the E-accounting practices while evaluating the effect of IT determinants on the relationship. Besides, this might add benefits to many SMEs relating to their current accounting practice that might lead to adopting E-accounting practice to ensure application of applicable accounting standards to show fair financial statements to its stakeholders.
Originality/value
This current study is one of the first works in the context of Oman. It has added a new discussion to the body of knowledge in light of the IT determinants and their relationship with E-accounting practices; hence, an approach that is not widely discussed in the literature. Furthermore, conducting such research in the field of accounting provides new insight into the literature among both emerging and developed economies including Oman.
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