34028 research outputs found
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“It was completely transformational”: Experiences of a prison staff coaching programme
No full textThe research details the perceived benefits of coaching for prison staff and adds to the evidence base about what interventions can usefully support the health and wellbeing of correctional staff. The findings have implications for prisons as well as broader occupations who experience challenges with staff retention. </p
Delving into the influence of sustainability strategy: Exploring the influence of sustainability committees on company performance
No full textThis research delves into the connection between companies' adoption of sustainability strategies and the consequent effects this has on their overall performance. Based on a global panel of companies listed between 2015 and 2021, utilizing panel data analysis with fixed effects regression, the findings indicate that a genuinely implemented sustainable strategy significantly contributes to the enhancement of firm performance. Moreover, the efficacy of the sustainable strategy is shaped by its incorporation into ownership structures characterized by dispersed ownership, highlighting the pivotal role of board independence in fostering value creation. The study reveals variations specific to each sector, challenging the applicability of a universal approach across all industries. The findings highlight the importance of these approaches in cultivating favorable environmental results, emphasizing the vital links between environmentally sustainable business practices, strategic decision-making, and their impact on the environment.</p
The influence of ESG on mergers and acquisitions decisions and organisational performance in UK firms: comparison between financial and non-financial sectors
No full textThis paper aims at investigating the influence of environmental, social and governance (ESG) on mergers and acquisitions (M&As) decisions/activities and organisational performance in UK- financial and non-financial firms over the period (2012-2022). The theoretical lenses underpinning this study is rooted on stakeholder theory and Resource-Based Theory (RBT). The empirical analysis is based on sample of financial and non-financial firms selected from FTSE All listed companies over the period (2012-2022). Findings of this study reveal ESG score has statistically significant impact on organisational performance in both the financial and non-financial firms. An increase in firm ESG performance significantly increases the likelihood of M&As. The results reveal that the impact of ESG on firm financial performance is negative and significant, but this is not the case for non-financial firms where the impact despite being positive is insignificant. Our findings add to the extant literature recent empirical evidence, our study among the first to examine the influence of ESG on M&As and firm performance through comparison between financial and non-financial sector. Findings of this study have managerial and theoretical implications. Integrating ESG into operational and strategic organisational activities enhance attractiveness to potential bidders and contribute to sustainable financial performance because acquiring targets with high ESG performance can have a positive effect on the acquirer’s post-merger market value, thereby strongly confirming the use of ESG as a value-enhancing strategy to promote corporate external growth.</p
Goal-setting strategies: A primer for coaches on the goal-setting process in sport
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Goal setting is a widely used strategy that has been shown to enhance sport performance. However, much of the literature on goal setting, including experimental research and professional practice resources for coaches, has focused on how to set goals and the characteristics of setting effective goals. Less attention has been given to the stages and steps in the goal-setting process that occur before, during, and after setting a goal. The purpose of this paper is to outline a goal-setting process that coaches could consider when setting goals with an athlete. In addition, we provide examples of strategies that coaches can use to implement the goal-setting process and advice on best practices that should also be considered when facilitating the setting of goals with athletes.</p
An introduction to the local-to-global behaviour of groups acting on trees and the theory of local action diagrams
No full textThe primary tool for analysing groups acting on trees is Bass--Serre Theory.
It is comprised of two parts: a decomposition result, in which an action is decomposed via a graph of groups, and a construction result, in which graphs of groups are used to build examples of groups acting on trees. The usefulness of the latter for constructing new examples of `large' (e.g.~nondiscrete) groups acting on trees is severely limited. There is a pressing need for new examples of such groups as they play an important role in the theory of locally compact groups. An alternative `local-to-global' approach to the study of groups acting on trees has recently emerged, inspired by a paper of Marc Burger and Shahar Mozes, based on groups that are `universal' with respect to some specified `local' action.
In recent work, the authors of this survey article have developed a general theory of universal groups of local actions, that
behaves, in many respects, like Bass--Serre Theory. We call this the theory of local action diagrams. The theory is powerful enough to completely describe all closed groups of automorphisms of trees that enjoy Tits' Independence Property \propP{}.
This article is an introductory survey of the local-to-global behaviour of groups acting on trees and the theory of local action diagrams. The article contains many ideas for future research projects.</p
Gender and European Court of Human Rights
No full textSanna Elfving, Gender and European Court of Human Rights (Routledge 2025) (forthcoming)
Abstract
In applying an intersectional feminist legal analysis of the European Court of Human Rights’ case law in a variety of human rights issues, this book reveals a different and nuanced understanding of the gender issues. Case law within the ECtHR which does not explicitly raise gender issues may have gendered consequences. Profound developments have occurred in Europe in several related areas, including gender equality case law in the context of the prohibition of discrimination under Article 14 of the European Convention on Human Rights; non-conventional parenting rights; discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity; rights of asylum seekers, and family reunification rights in the past few decades. The analysis reveals the extent to which the Court considers an applicant’s gender, intersectional inequalities, and the concept of ‘vulnerability’ in its case law. This book contributes to existing literature on gender equality, gender and judging in supranational courts. Furthermore, it highlights the intersectional discrimination experienced by women and diasporic or minoritised groups by uncovering new dimensions of vulnerabilities. This book will be of interest to researchers in the field of European human rights law, gender and intersectional issues.
Foreword by Professor Loveday Hodson, University of Leicester
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Charles Dickens
No full textThis essay charts and evaluates the contribution of Charles Dickens to the development of the Victorian ghost story. It examines how Dickens’ stylistic inventiveness extends the generic possibilities of the ghost story, whose status is gradually elevated from that of a minor interlude embedded within the novel to a distinctive and powerful form of the short story. The chapter also traces how his Christmas books, which exploit the well-established association between winter fireside tales and the spectral, are fundamental in transforming the narrative scope and prominence of the ghost story, and leave a lasting cultural legacy. Dickens helped bring the ghostly into the Victorian home, but he represents a problematic case within the ghost story tradition. His treatment of the supernatural is poised uncertainly between credulity and scepticism, and his spectres variously provoke comedy, social critique or brooding introspection. His ghost stories revolve around haunting, memory and nostalgia, community and isolation, money and social conscience, but the allegorical function of ghosts is never settled for Dickens. This chapter will show that, in a period fascinated and daunted by the invisible and unseen, the ghost represents for Dickens a figure of doubtful and privileged perception, allowing us fleeting, enigmatic glimpses of the excluded or forgotten within Victorian culture.</p
Melandipity
No full textMelandipity is a portmanteau word derived from melancholy and serendipity. The bittersweet emotional state that arises when an unintended outcome – often one that is accidental or flawed – proves more powerful, beautiful, or resonant than the carefully planned original.
These series of books are the accidental result of working on a much larger project (in all senses of the word).
The actual book seems to have paled in comparison to the run-on sheets that were used to make sure that the ink was running properly, resulting in that moment when you realise that the work you didn’t mean to do is better than the work you did…</p
Understanding Refugee women's Experiences of Maternal Health Services in Türkiye
No full textThis is a Workshop presentation on my fieldwork findings about the experiences of refugee women in accessing maternal care services in Turkiye.
I presented my findings and we had a panel discussion along with other researchers also working on women, health and justice. </p
The Political Determinants of Oral Health Inequalities: Lessons in Policy Development and Implementation From Six Case Studies
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Abstract
Objectives: Oral diseases, despite being mostly preventable, affect almost half of the world’s population with a disproportionate burden being carried by the most vulnerable groups. While growing attention has been given to the social and commercial determinants of health, there is still a largely unexplored area in understanding the political determinants of health and oral health. This study examines how policy and legislative processes shape oral health outcomes.
Methods: A multiple-case study approach was used to analyse six case studies focused on national policy development processes targeting oral health. Kingdon’s Multiple Streams Model was used to examine how problems, policy solutions, and political factors aligned to influence policymaking.
Results: Some of the main barriers to policy adoption and implementation were misinformation strategies, legal challenges, industry lobbying, ideological opposition to state intervention, and lack of transparency regarding conflicts of interest. Key facilitators included robust scientific evidence presented in an accessible manner to the appropriate audiences, identification of key decision-makers, cross-party support, intersectoral collaboration, and ongoing policy monitoring and evaluation.
Conclusions: This study provides novel insights into the political determinants of oral health, demonstrating how political contexts and power dynamics shape national public health policy processes. Understanding these dynamics is essential to ensuring that public health interventions are evidence-based, politically feasible, and resilient to opposition from certain private industry and ideological interests.</p