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Risk in the aviation context : investigating risk perception and risk communication from a behaviour based approach
Get PDFSafety is an essential part of aviation. Risk assessment is considered subjective, while the
operational context necessitates conformity and a unilateral approach. Eventually, the results
assess individual risk perception and risk communication and are not being planned
proactively. Additionally, due to the diversity of organisations and cultures, there is further
fragmentation of what is recognised as risk behaviour, what should be communicated, and
what is hazardous. Considering risk perception and communication within the daily practice is
seen as essential to explain the behaviours during an adverse event. Safety analysis and
investigation methods (SAIMs) have the goal to suggest ways to achieve acceptable system
outcomes and avoid unfavourable consequences on humans, equipment, facilities, and the
environment. However, there is no widely common and accepted framework engulfing safety
recommendations and proactive safety management such as a behavioural intervention to
enhance risk perception and risk communication and minimise danger. Risk perception and
communication have been underrepresented in studies regarding their complexity in aviation
practice. They have not been explicitly addressed for their role in incidents/accidents,
resulting in ambiguous proactive safety suggestions and planning. Based on the premise that
risk behaviour results from inappropriate risk perception and risk communication, this thesis
supports that a behaviour-based intervention can enhance risk perception and
communication.
This thesis aimed to generate a holistic intervention plan to modify risk behaviour on the
assumption that risk perception and communication are the basic factors. The hypotheses
included that specific factors can be associated with risk perception and communication
leading to risk behaviour, which may be influenced to enhance the latter. Also, a complete
integrated intervention model can be generated and fused with a Strategic Communications
approach, which makes it usable by most aviation air-carrier organisations. The objectives are to determine two sets of risk perception and communication factors, which lead to risk
behaviour and then generate an integrated model applicable in the aviation context. This
thesis followed the pragmatism paradigm and adopted a fixed multiphase mixed methods
approach, investigating SAIMs, safety events reports, two groups of Subject-Matter-Experts,
and the wider aviation workforce. The resulting behaviour based model consolidates the role
of risk perception and communication factors as moderators of antecedent behaviour while
holistically envisaging the aviation work environment. Contribution to theory and practice
within the aviation safety context is provided, as well as future research for additional
applications of the mode
Egg white protein-hypophosphorous acid-based fire retardant single bilayer coating assembly for cotton fabrics
Get PDFThe combination of egg white proteins (W) and hypophosphorous acid (HA) was used for developing a flame retardant coating for cotton fabrics by adopting the layer-by-layer assembly technique. This has resulted in a novel phosphorous-nitrogen-based assembly due to strong electrostatic interactions between W and HA. Coated cotton fabrics were characterized by using a variety of microscopic, analytical and thermal/combustion tests. Flammability properties of the fabrics were evaluated as per widely recognized standards like BS EN ISO 15025:2016 for protective clothing and ASTM D6413 for flame resistance of textiles. Coated cotton fabric showed self-extinguishing property with significant but fragile residual char structure, whereas uncoated fabric completely burnt with a little ash as residue. Thermogravimetric analysis revealed that decomposition temperature of coated fabric was lowered compared to control fabric, but char residue increased at 800 °C. Forced combustion cone calorimeter tests on the coated and uncoated fabrics showed that peak heat release rate, total heat released, and average rate of heat emission values reduced by 80%, 38%, and 40%, respectively, for coated fabrics as compared to control fabric. Even the mass loss rate value of the coated fabric has reduced significantly (from 514 g/m2.s for the uncoated fabric to 2 g/m2.s for coated fabric). Wash durability of the coated fabrics, though showed a slight reduction in flame-retardant properties as a consequence of ~ 9.7 wt% coating loss during soaking, yet there was no after-glow
Counselling as a calling: Meaning in life and perceived self‐competence in counselling students
Get PDFBoth meaning in life (MIL) and perceived self-competence (PSC) have been linked to
a sense of calling, and better well-being. To the authors' knowledge, no study has
examined MIL or PSC in counselling students. Current counselling students (N = 292)
were asked whether studying counselling brought them MIL, and completed the
Meaning in Life Questionnaire, and an adapted Perceived Competence Scale for
Counselling Students (PCS-CS). Results showed that students with a higher sense of
MIL had a higher level of PSC. Over 95% of participants found meaning in their study
of counselling, implying that many found it to be a calling. The PCS-CS was found to
be reliable, and implications include its potential usefulness in future research on PSC
in counselling populations. With MIL and PSC being linked to better workplace wellbeing, this study implies that trainee counsellors have high levels of these protective
factors, with further research warranted to establish whether this is also the case for
counselling professionals
Losing a loved one during the Covid-19 pandemic: an on-line survey looking at the effects on traumatic stress, coping and post-traumatic growth
Get PDFThe Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating effect across the world. In the UK
alone, the death toll is 132,742, with 207 people dying the previous day and a total of
6,825,074 cases of Covid-19 thus far (September 1st, 2021). The aim of this study
was to look at post-traumatic stress, coping skills and post-traumatic growth in
relatives, who lost a loved one during the pandemic. Some 185 individuals took
part in a Qualtrics survey. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire,
the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the Coping Assessment for Bereavement and
Loss (CABLE) and the Post-Traumatic Growth Questionnaire. There were two
major findings. First, there were very high levels of post-traumatic stress, with 94.6% of the sample scoring above the threshold of 33 for a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Second, levels of post-traumatic growth were
very low. Losing a relative during the Covid-19 pandemic may lead to more PTSD.
The circumstances surrounding many Covid deaths, may have long term negative
consequences for the bereaved relatives
Cognitive fuzzy-based behavioral learning system for augmenting the automated multi-issue negotiation in the e-commerce Applications
Get PDFEvolution of agent-based technology presents
behavioral learning and sustainable negotiation challenges
in e-commerce applications. In particular, the challenge of
designing the negotiation strategy to incorporate
sustainability in e-commerce business that can leverage the
agent to reach its objectives by increasing the negotiation
coordination and cooperation with the opponent agents.
Therefore, the proposed research introduces the
negotiation strategy sustainable solution using a cognitive
fuzzy-based behavioral learning system which can change
the preferences of negotiating agents according to human
psychological characteristics. It will mimic the attitudes of
human risk, patience and regret during the course of
bilateral negotiation and also change the preference
structures according to the fuzzy logic rules. As a result,
the proposed negotiation strategy makes significant
improvements on various parameters such as utility value,
success rate, total negotiation time, and communication
overhead while changing the negotiation rounds from 50
to 500. Since this system leverages the negotiation strategy
of the agent by taking appropriate decisions to reach better
agreement based on the interest, belief and psychological
characteristics of negotiating opponents. Moreover, the
usage of negotiation in the cloud-based platform can
leverage the e-commerce applications to handle as many
requests as possible due to its dynamic elasticity
Constraints and opportunities for increasing the adoption of technologies for reducing postharvest maize losses in Sub-Saharan Africa : a case study of Zambia
Get PDFThe annual global food wastage of 1.3 billion tons valued at US 4
billion. Reducing food wastage is one approach to increase food availability.
The inadequacy of information on postharvest losses makes Zambia suitable for such a study. Despite
the availability of technologies for reducing postharvest losses, their adoption remains low among
smallholder farmers in Zambia.
The study used the interpretive paradigm to investigate and explain the factors responsible for the low
technology adoption by farmers. Empirical data was collected using the case study strategy. The study
adopted the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology framework. Data collected from 100
respondents was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Scientists and the Grounded Theory
approach.
The study findings are presented as factors responsible for the low adoption of technologies for reducing
postharvest maize losses by farmers in Zambia. These factors include lack of information and knowledge
of the available technologies and associated benefits, perceived cost, non-availability and challenges of
operating the technologies.
With support from literature the study findings have been used in developing the CAD and Cooperative
Postharvest Management Models for increasing technology adoption.
In terms of contribution to knowledge and practice the study played a role in developing the Food Loss
and Waste Accounting and Reporting Standard. Furthermore, it strengthened the food and income
security of farmers and grain traders in the region through capacity building. Additionally, it helped to
increase the number of farmers using the hermetic storage technology. The study also enriched the
database on the prevalence of the larger grain borer in Zambia
Every cloud has a silver lining : short-term psychological effects of COVID-19 on British university students.
Get PDFThere are widespread concerns about the mental health implications of the pandemic, particularly among university students, an already
at-risk population for poor mental health. This study looked at 1,281 UK
university students, recruited through the Prolific website. Participants
were asked to complete the Attitudes towards COVID-19 Scale, the
CORE-10, the PERMA Profiler, the GAD-7 and the Office for National
Statistics wellbeing questions (ONS4). The first survey was conducted
between May 14th and 16th, when the UK was in national lockdown.
The second survey was carried out between June 26th and July 15th.
There was only an 11% attrition rate between the two time points. Wellbeing improved overall between the two time points. Some findings were
contradictory as overall well-being, anxiety and levels of flourishing
improved, but reports of psychological distress increased. It is also important to note that levels of positivity about the pandemic increased as time
went on. There was evidence that higher levels of positivity were linked to
better mental health outcomes. Encouraging a positive mindset and outlook
in students, probably through positive psychology-based interventions,
might act as a protective factor against severe mental illness. The wider relevance and practical implications for higher education are discusse
Supply chain collaboration of Ghana's gold mining industry
Get PDFThe gold mining industry contributes about 41% of Ghana's export earnings, generating
about 14% as tax revenue and a total of 5.5% gross domestic product (GDP). It is essential
to salvage the industry’s image. Employees of the industry can be laid off and made
redundant because the industry's financial position is almost always affected during critical
moments. This in most cases result in the holding up of suppliers' payments and operations
grinding to a halt due to procurement, logistics and inventory issues. In light of this, an
empirical study is being conducted with the aim of identifying the factors of supply chain
collaboration in Ghana's mining industry.
Mixed methods were used including a purposive sampling method which was used with
survey questionnaires administered on eleven operational mining companies in Ghana. SPSS
tool was used in the analysis of data. Semi-structured interviews were conducted at the mines
site (company premises) in September 2019 in Ghana. The results identified some factors
that affect the collaborative supply chain. These are the pricing of products and service,
variable payment systems, open book, the share of company values, and consolidation of
orders. Identifying these factors contribute to existing literature which makes this study
unique as they have not been discovered in any of the supply chain literature in the context
of gold mining. A framework in supply chain collaboration was developed, which is unique
to the gold mining sector in Ghana. The result will have managerial implications to drive the
gold mining industry's performance forward. Mining organisations will benefit from this
study as this can be replicated in other gold mining sectors in Africa and across the globe’s
mining industry
Trust and cultural factors impacting on information system compliance through the lens of Arab culture in a Saudi Arabian company
Get PDFPrevious studies explored some factors that impact on information security but research that
presents a comprehensive understanding of managing information security through the lens
of local Arab culture has been lacking. Hence this research investigates various cultural
factors to enable local organizations to holistically adopt those factors to manage information
security compliance in the Middle Eastern Arab region. This study used a quantitative
research approach, and a web-based questionnaire was custom designed and administrated
to a representative sample of 300 of which there were 247 usable responses. Following a
series of pilot phases, the data was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)
with AMOS, and SPSS software. The sample was drawn from a total of 1500 local Arab
employees within a Saudi Oil Company. An initial model linked the 6 factors that were latent
in the literature. The initial model connected trust, workplace culture, leaders, western
technology, employees’ alignment with information security. However, that model was
found to be inadequate and following analysis of the pilot data from 3 pilot phases, a final
parsimonious model showed 8 interconnections between 6 new emergent factors. That
model contained belief, expectation, and trustworthiness of co-workers, workplace culture
and supportive leadership, trust towards others, Western IT satisfaction, data privacy, and
ISS compliance. Hence, this research makes a novel contribution by modelling the
information security compliance in the lens of the local Arab region and leads the way for
further research in the context of information security culture in the Arab region. This
research was first to be conducted Information Security Management through the lens of
Arab culture and opens-up many new avenues for future research in the context of Arab
culture and Information Security Management
Mastering teaching: thriving as an early career teacher
No full texthis book builds on the experiences of school leaders, early career teachers and their mentors and responds to the challenges that new teachers face as they move beyond initial teacher training. Practiced educators provide research-informed guidance in each chapter to scaffold new teachers' workplace learning when the learning curve is steepest. Support for new teachers is vitally important in enhancing teaching quality, promoting teacher wellbeing, and reducing staff burnout rates.
Each chapter, co-authored by school-based and university-based teacher educators, contains rich illustrative examples and vignettes from lead practitioners in UK primary and secondary schools. The book is relevant across curriculum areas and phases of education so that all new teachers can ease their transition into teaching, build their confidence and lay foundations for their career-long professional growth