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Does good quality disclosure need good quality regulation? The case of 2014/95/ EU Directive
No full textAdopted recently in the European Union (EU), the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) requires companies with more than 500 employees to disclose the information they consider relevant to their business relating to environmental matters, social aspects, anti-corruption, and human rights issues, diversity on board of directors, etc. This study investigates the consequences of the directive adoption by exploring its impact on both corporate social responsibility (CSR) disclosure and information asymmetry (IA). The sample consists of 832 publicly listed companies in the EU for the period 2014-2018. The Bloomberg ESG disclosure score is used as a proxy for CSR disclosure. Relative bid-ask spreads, the Amihud illiquidity metric, and the proportion of zero daily stock returns are used as proxies for IA. Based on a difference-in-differences estimation, the results show that the NFRD adoption positively impacted CSR disclosure as a whole and environmental, social, and governance disclosure considered individually. The results also show that increased CSR disclosure due to the NFRD adoption is associated with decreased information asymmetry. This suggests that the NFRD adoption was truly beneficial to market participants. Additional investigations show that countries with more stringent disclosure requirements than the NFRD requirements exhibit higher growth in CSR disclosures. Lastly, the NFRD adoption's impact is stronger for firms that used to disclose less non-financial information before NFRD adoption than high disclosing firms prior to the adoption. The results further reveal that high disclosing firms before the NFRD adoption lowered their environmental and governance disclosure after adopting NFRD to match the directive requirements
Constellations
No full text‘Constellations’ is a solo exhibition which comprises several works by Ramsgate artist, Dr Melanie King. The artworks are presented in each ground floor room of Albion House, forming ‘constellations’ within the overall ‘universe’ of Kings’ artistic practice.
Works shown in the exhibition:
-In Praise Of Raw Data
The In Praise of Raw Data project is a result of an ongoing collaboration between artist Dr Melanie King and Dr Claudia Mignone - an astronomer and science communicator at INAF - Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica, Rome. This project highlights the beauty of raw data artefacts resulting from cosmic interactions with telescope sensors.
- Ancient Light
Ancient Light comprises a series of analogue photographs of the night sky, produced in several dark sky locations.
- Lunar Portraits
Kings related project Lunar Portraits consists of a series of photographs using only light from the Full Moon to expose the image. Participants were asked to gaze up at the full moon whilst moonlight fell upon their face
Translations of control: Trial by algorithm
No full textThis presentation uses Kafka’s The Trial to explore the perceived powerlessness and responsibility of individuals trapped within the opaque inscrutability of AI systems of governance and bureaucracy. The project reimagines Kafka’s critique within the context of contemporary and future AI-driven decision-making, algorithmic governance and ‘public safety’ narratives. Through a collection of diptych-style framed prints, the installation juxtaposes four themes and text from The Trial in multiple languages. It highlights the parallels between Kafka’s imagined court, its processes and assumed guilt, with today’s AI-augmented public safety apparatus; where systems can operate in ways that remain impenetrable to those subjected to their authority and consequences. The four themes visually presented are: the identification of risk; the weight of accusation; surveillance and omnipresent authority, and death and liberty. The installation was created from staged photography, digital prints from which sketches were made and embellished with mixed media. The aim is to provoke the observer to consider important questions about human relations with AI-driven technology and the potential for alternatives, with questions such as:
• How does AI reinforce bureaucratic absurdity?
• How do algorithmic systems create and sustain power asymmetries?
• Can AI, like Kafka’s ‘court,’ generate narratives of guilt without tangible evidence?
• How might alternative AI imaginaries redefine the ‘public safety’ narrative?
• What responsibility do humans have for creating, using, and resisting AI systems?
• To what extent do individuals bear personal responsibility for surveillance culture and its impacts on people and communities?
To accompany the narrative depicted by the framed prints and themes, a poem titled ‘Trial by Algorithm’ has been written (see Appendix A)
Elite athletes report lower psychological safety and are less likely to report interpersonal violence compared to recreational athletes: a cross-sectional study
No full textThird party mechanisms for athletes to report experiences of interpersonal violence are highly recommended for safeguarding and a priority for sport organisations worldwide. Despite this, athletes can be reluctant to report experiences of interpersonal violence. This could be due to the environment of elite sport where interpersonal violence is often normalised, and there is a lack of psychological safety. The aims of this study were to: 1) determine differences between three competition levels (i.e., recreational, sub-elite, and elite) in psychological safety and intention to report interpersonal violence; and 2) examine if differences between competition levels in intention to report interpersonal violence are attributed to competition level differences in psychological safety. Athletes participating in different competition levels (N=383) completed an anonymous questionnaire that measured psychological safety and intention to report interpersonal violence. Results showed that compared to recreational athletes, elite and sub-elite athletes indicated lower intention to report interpersonal violence, which was attributed to lower feelings of psychological safety reported by these athletes (Partially standardised indirect effect = −0.10 to −0.05). Our results highlight the need to ensure sport leaders (e.g., coaches, managers, directors) actively promote psychologically safe environments that facilitate the reporting of interpersonal violence at all competition levels. Additional support may be required for those at elite and sub-elite levels to help improve feelings of psychological safety in voicing concerns and incidents of interpersonal violence
Moving to belong: A qualitative study of culturally responsive dance for adolescent motivation and physical activity using the COM-B framework
No full textPhysical inactivity among adolescents remains a global public health concern, with long-term consequences for physical, psychological, health and social well-being. This article explores the potential of dance as an intervention to increase motivation and participation in physical activity (PA), with adolescents. Through a qualitative study involving 89 adolescents aged 12–16 across three schools in the UK, the effectiveness of a culturally responsive dance programme on PA motivation, participation, and psychosocial outcomes was explored. Focus groups, reflective journals, and field notes were analysed thematically, with findings interpreted through the COM-B model. Results suggest that dance facilitated emotional expression, social connection, and physical confidence. Themes revealed dance as enjoyable, empowering, and inclusive, with students reporting increased motivation and a sense of connection and belonging. The dance programme enhanced capability through physical and emotional skill-building, opportunity through cultural relevance and accessibility, and motivation via intrinsic enjoyment and social affirmation. Findings support dance as an effective strategy to increase motivation and participation of adolescents in physical activity. The study also highlights the need for inclusive pedagogical training in dance for Physical Education teachers. The study offers a replicable model for global policymakers and educators, seeking to enhance equity in health and education outcomes
Representations of power, threat and meaning in individual accounts of psychosis: A meta-ethnography of psychosis narratives
No full textDespite the wealth of evidence linking adverse experiences and “psychosis,” biomedical explanations of distress still represent the dominant narrative within UK mental health services. The Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) offers a conceptual alternative to this position and, in doing so, considers the experience of emotional distress, and its associated behaviors, as a response to adverse life experiences. While the application of the PTMF to experiences of psychosis appears to be both logical and insightful, the extent to which overarching PTMF concepts are represented in people’s subjective experiences of psychosis is less clear. The aims of this review were to explore the perceived role of adversity in psychosis, to understand the extent that concepts of power, threat and meaning were represented in depictions of psychosis and to investigate the types of strengths and opportunities that contributed to individual survival and recovery. A systematic literature search and meta-ethnographic synthesis of narrative studies focusing on people’s subjective experience of psychosis was undertaken. Six overarching constructs were developed (third-order constructs) from 33 underlying researcher-interpreted themes (second-order constructs) identified within the research. The findings provide further supporting evidence for the role of adversity in psychosis and the importance that meaning-making and re-storying one’s experience plays in recovery
From ‘no space’ to ‘scholarly space’: A reflection on the place of scholarship in the third space
No full textThis opinion piece utilises our own scholarship journeys and collaborative work as an example to inspire others in the third space to join our commitment to share experiences, values, and theoretical underpinnings of our work beyond the confines of our immediate contexts. Through reflecting on these personal journeys, we present scholarship as a vehicle that can enable those working across boundaries in higher education to contribute to the theoretical and epistemological foundations of their praxis. We argue that a critical contributor to this effect is the increased visibility within our own and surrounding professions. This becomes possible through a wide-ranging concept of scholarship, encompassing outputs from those that are more informal and practice-oriented, through to more traditional, theory-driven accounts. Rather than focusing on the constraints of the third space, we encourage those operating in this liminal space — such as ourselves as learning developers — to take advantage of the possibilities it can afford them. Our scholarship has enhanced our understanding of Learning Development work as theory-informed praxis, an outcome that we hope can be motivational towards the scholarship of other third-space professions
Section A: A systematic review of the challenges faced by Black Doctor of Clinical Psychology trainees and the coping strategies used to navigate predominantly White institutions in the United Kingdom and States: a meta-ethnography. Section B: "Surviving the battle". The lived experiences of Black trainees within predominantly "White spaces" during clinical training and its impact on their identity and professional development within the UK.
No full textSection A
Universities with Predominantly White Institutions (PWI), in both the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US) have made efforts to widen access to clinical psychology training programs. This intention, in part, was to welcome racially minoritised candidates and diversify cohorts, but courses have failed to account for the inherent challenges that follow with navigating an environment that has consisted of predominantly White trainees and clinical tutors for decades. This review explored experiences of Black Doctor of Clinical Psychology trainees navigating predominantly White clinical training environments within the United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US). A systematic search of the evidence base was conducted and 10 studies consisting of PhD theses, published research and reflective accounts met inclusion criteria. Using a meta-ethnographic analysis, five third-order constructs were developed, consisting of 16 subthemes: Absence of ‘Black bodies’, Converging and Diverging Identities, Racism as an Additional Burden to Training, Strategies to Cope with Clinical Training, Professional Concerns and Blackness Under Scrutiny. Black trainees recounted the challenges faced and the strategies developed to arm themselves and protect their resilience in navigating Predominantly White Institutions as well as their simultaneous internal conflict on whether to speak up against harmful stereotypes.
Section B
Few studies have attempted to understand the experiences of Black DClinPsy trainees within the UK, and the impact ‘White spaces’ have on identity and professional development. This study aimed to conduct an in-depth exploration of the lived experiences of Black DClinPsy trainees, how they manage predominantly ‘White’ spaces on clinical training in the UK and how their personal and professional identity development is felt to be impacted by this context. Ten Black trainees were interviewed. Data were analysed using an Interpretative Analysis Phenomenological (IPA) framework, and four Group Experiential Themes (GETs) emerged; 1) Realisations of Supervision, 2) Whiteness within Cohorts, 3) Keeping up appearances and 4) Surviving the battle. GETs consisted of 11 subthemes. Experiences of Black trainees included how it felt to navigate the supervisory relationship, what discussions about racial inequalities with their cohorts looked like, how they managed the visible aspects of their appearance and what type of psychologist they envisioned themselves as in the future. Findings highlight the importance of issues of ethnicity and personal identity during clinical training and the additional pressures that can emerge from being part of a minority ethnic group, compounding the demands of training itself. Implications are ethnic representation among staff within institutions, and calls for mandatory cultural competency training for all staff. Compulsory small group discussions on ethno-racial disparities could be considered. Importantly, these issues and appropriate changes should be implemented in tandem with ongoing widening access initiatives
My Blackness is my strength
No full textSocial media post: New PhD Research Output: “Embodied Frequencies: A Sonic Ethnography of Blackness”
Tonight, Inspired by a performance poetry exercise at the 'Common Ground poetry group' (Medway), facilitated by Alby tonight, I transformed my poem “My Blackness is My Strength” into a sonic artefact.
The session helped me explore emotion, tone, and pacing, all of which shaped the instrumental and voiceover.
This piece is now part of my doctoral research:
“A Practice-Based Ethnographic Study of Counternarratives, Culture, and Codes through Art, Activism, Aesthetics, and AI.”
Using AI, I composed original music and layered it with an audio voiceover using the full poem.
This is not just art. It’s ethnography. It’s soul. It’s data.
It’s a counter-narrative in sound. \u1f5a4\u1f3a7\u1f4d6
I am embodying the 4 R's (Resist, Reclaim, Reframe, and Retain), creating music from gospel, blues, and the civil rights movement and the Windrush era. I am resisting erasure, reclaiming my Blackness, reframing the Black British female lived experience, and retaining our UK Black presence through AI-created sound.
Providing an insight into Black British homes in the early 70's when I was a child on a Sunday after church.
"The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house," was said by the writer and activist Audre Lorde. I am challenging this viewpoint; I am using AI to dismantle bias and exclusion.
© Michi Masumi 2024. All rights reserved. This audio work was created under a Suno Pro subscription and includes original lyrics and voiceover; it is protected under UK copyright law and intended for academic and creative dissemination
The oral transmission of a classical style. What can the impact of colonialism on music pedagogy in North India tell us about current debates on curriculum music in England?
No full textThis paper explores the intersection of colonialism, music pedagogy, and curriculum reform, using North Indian Classical Music (NICM) as a case study. Drawing on ethnographic and interdisciplinary research—including fieldwork, thematic analysis of video data, and reflective practice—it examines the impact of colonial reformers' attempts to modernise and systematise NICM. These reforms, while integral to the establishment of music colleges and formal qualifications, often undermined the traditional oral teaching methods of the guru-śiṣya paramparā, replacing them with pedagogies rooted in hierarchical and colonial logics. By comparing oral and written traditions, this study highlights the persistence of oral practices within NICM, even as they adapt to contemporary contexts, including small-group instruction and institutional frameworks. It critiques parallels between colonial impositions on NICM and the privileging of Western classical music notations within England’s National Curriculum for Music. This privileging marginalises oral and alternative forms of musical literacy and sustains inequalities in music education. The paper argues for a more inclusive and equitable music curriculum that values diverse pedagogical approaches alongside diverse content. Oral transmission, as a pedagogical model, offers unique opportunities to engage students in immersive and culturally authentic learning experiences. The discussion concludes with practical considerations for decolonising music curricula, proposing that awareness of non-Western teaching traditions can inform a more holistic, inclusive, and equitable future for music education