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Employability and Skills Development in the Sports, Events, and Hospitality Industry
No full textTo enter the sports, events, and hospitality industry, it is necessary to develop and hone certain skills to ensure competitiveness. These skills must be studied further to educate those interested in pursuing a career in these fields on what it takes to begin this long process and enhance their employability.
Employability and Skills Development in the Sports, Events, and Hospitality Industry provides insight into current professionals working in the sports, events, tourism, and hospitality industry and considers the skills and qualifications necessary to work within or enter the industries. Covering key topics such as hard skills, volunteerism, virtual events, and educational institutions, this reference work is ideal for event managers, coaches, property owners, entrepreneurs, industry professionals, researchers, academicians, scholars, educators, and students
Anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant extract preserves gastrointestinal barrier permeability and reduces enterocyte damage but has no effect on microbial translocation and inflammation after exertional heat stress
Get PDFThis study investigated the effects of 7 days of 600 mg/day anthocyanin-rich blackcurrant extract intake on small intestinal permeability, enterocyte damage, microbial translocation and inflammation following exertional heat stress. Twelve recreationally active men (maximal aerobic capacity = 55.6 ± 6.0 mL.kg-1.min-1) ran (70% VO2max) for 60 minutes in an environmental chamber (34°C, 40% relative humidity) on two occasions (Placebo/Blackcurrant, randomized double-blind cross over). Permeability was assessed from a 4-hour urinary excretion of lactulose (L) and rhamnose (R) and expressed as a ratio of L/R. Venous blood samples were taken at rest and 20, 60 and 240 min after exercise to measure enterocyte damage (intestinal fatty acid binding protein, I-FABP), microbial translocation (sCD14; lipopolysaccharide binding protein, LBP), and interleukins 6 (IL-6), 10 (IL-10) and 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA). Exercise increased rectal temperature (by ~2.8 °C) and heart rate (by ~123 beats.min-1) in each condition. Blackcurrant supplementation led to a) ~12% reduction in L/R ratio (p<0.0034) and enterocyte damage (~40% reduction in I-FABP area under the curve, AUC; p<0.0001) relative to placebo. No between condition differences were observed immediately after exercise for LBP (+80%, +61 to +99%; mean, 95% confidence interval), sCD14 (+37%, +22 to +51%), IL-6 (+494%, +394 to +690%), IL-10 (+288%, +105 to +470%) or IL-1RA (+47%, +13 to +80; all time main effects). No between-condition differences for these markers were observed after 60 or 240 min of recovery. Blackcurrant extract preserves the GI barrier, however at sub-clinical levels this had no effect on microbial translocation and downstream inflammatory processes
The Role of Migration in Women Entrepreneurship and Empowerment: Evidence from Nigeria
Get PDFThe research examines the relationship between the migration of men and the empowerment of women who remain in the households. The study looks at Nigeria – a Sub-Saharan African country with the highest migration outflows and prevalent gender inequality. The core research question is to examine whether the migration of men affects the entrepreneurship and empowerment of Nigerian women. For the purpose of this study, private entrepreneurship will state the employment status of women from both migrant and non-migrant households while the amount of housework and degree of decision-making power will constitute empowerment. The data is obtained from Nigerian General Household Survey 2018-2019. The sample used in the current analysis consists of 12,199 women, 15 years and older. The Ordinary Least Squares model is applied to assess the changes men’s migration might bring to the housework of women who remain in the household. Logit regression addresses the entrepreneurship and decision-making power of women in Nigeria. Probit regression serves as a robustness check for Logit, and as a separate econometric model. The findings generally support the pre-experiment expectations: migration of men decreases the amount of housework of women in Nigeria, encourages them to run businesses, but reduces their decision-making power
Virtual wobble spaces: A pilot study of the outcomes of online therapeutic spaces on practitioner well-being and social work practice
Get PDFStress, emotional exhaustion and job dissatisfaction have been prevailing issues in social work for decades, with recent research by BASW demonstrating poor psychological outcomes for social workers, amidst inadequate levels of staff retention and high burn out rates. The Covid-19 pandemic added to these existing stresses, with social workers experiencing multiple losses, including bereavements and changes to working practices. As a response to the pandemic, many hospitals and health care settings established bespoke wobble spaces, dedicated to enhancing staff well-being. However, despite the reported success of these wobble spaces, results from a literature review show that they have not been established within social work. The pilot study discussed in this article explored and evaluated the impacts of a virtual wobble space provided for social workers over three months at fortnightly intervals. The research design was purposefully creative and aimed at focussing on positivity and fun as a counter to much of the existing literature on stress and burnout in social work. The study is limited by a small sample size but nevertheless the unanimously positive findings and wider interest, suggest there may be a broader role for wobble space provision in social work
Feeling Socially Anxious at University: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Get PDFFor those with feelings of social anxiety, university can present unique challenges. Socially anxious students can face functional impairments such as interpersonal and academic deficits, as well as social maladjustment due to a shift in their social networks. Despite this, there is surprisingly little research exploring their experiences at university using qualitative designs. The present study set out to explore how a small sample of undergraduate students experienced feeling socially anxious at university. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight psychology undergraduates and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to explore their experiences and interpret deeper meaning. Five main themes emerged, two of which are presented in the present study: ‘persistent self-consciousness and ‘avoiding reality’. Findings are discussed in relation to Clark and Wells’ (1995) cognitive model of social anxiety as well as existing literature. Areas requiring further exploration are discussed, as well as how universities may support socially anxious students
The impact of the SMART program on cognitive and academic skills: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Get PDFOnline interventions promoted to enhance cognitive ability hold great appeal for their potential positive impact in social, employment, and educational domains. Cognitive training programs have, thus far, not been shown to influence performance on tests of general cognitive aptitude. Strengthening Mental Abilities with Relational Training (SMART) is an online program that claims to raise intelligence quotient (IQ). This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the effect of SMART on indices of cognitive aptitude and academic performance. The review protocol was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42019132404). A systematic literature search of bibliographic databases (ERIC, PsycINFO, PubMed, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts, Scopus, Proquest Psychology) identified five studies (N = 195) that met the criterion for inclusion. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias ‘RoB 2’ tool. Overall, there was a moderate impact of SMART on measures of nonverbal IQ (g = 0.57, 95% CI [0.24, 0.89]). There was insufficient evidence to determine the impact of SMART on any other domain. All studies included in the review were judged to be at a high risk of bias for their primary outcome. Despite the methodological limitations of published studies to date, these initial findings suggest that a large-scale study of SMART is warranted
Examining the theory of challenge and threat states in athletes: do predictions extend to academic performance?
Get PDFChallenge and threat responses have been seen to predict success in meaningful performance environments, however, it is not as clear whether challenge and threat states predict academic outcomes. We tested if predictions from the Theory of Challenge and Threat in Athletes (TCTSA) can be extended to an academic context, by considering antecedents and outcomes of challenge and threat states as well as whether cardiovascular markers predicted academic performance. Thirty-six undergraduate students were asked to give speeches on an academic topic, and their cardiovascular responses, overall annual marks, and marks in a specific presentation assessment were recorded. Challenge and threat indexes failed to predict either of the performance measures. Limited support was found for other hypothesised relationships of the TCTSA, with challenge states predicting greater reinvestment, which was opposite to that hypothesised. Results suggest that predictions of the TCTSA may not be as pertinent in understanding goal pursuit in academic settings
Nutrition and Physical Activity during British Army Officer Cadet Training: Part 1 - Energy Balance and Energy Availability
Get PDFMilitary training is characterised by high daily energy expenditures (EE) which are difficult to match with energy intake (EI) potentially resulting in negative energy balance (EB) and low energy availability (EA). The aim of this study was to quantify EB and EA during British Army Officer Cadet (OC) training. Thirteen (seven women) OCs (mean ± SD: age 24 ± 3 years) volunteered to participate. EB and EA were estimated from EI (weighing of food and food diaries) and EE (doubly-labelled water) measured in three periods of training; nine days on-camp (CAMP), a five-day field exercise (FEX) and a nine-day mixture of both (MIX). Variables were compared by condition and gender with a repeated measures ANOVA. Negative EB was greatest during FEX (-2197 ± 455 kcal·d-1) compared with CAMP (-692 ± 506 kcal·d-1; p<0.001) and MIX (-1280 ± 309 kcal·d-1; p<0.001). EA was greatest in CAMP (23 ± 10 kcal·d-1) compared with FEX (1 ± 16 kcal·d-1; p=0.002) and MIX (10 ± 7 kcal·d-1; p=0.003), with no apparent difference between FEX and MIX (p=0.071). Irrespective of condition, there were no apparent differences between gender in EB (p=0.375) or EA (p=0.385). These data can be used to inform evidenced-based strategies to manage EA and EB during military training and enhance the health and performance of military personnel
Nutrition and Physical Activity in British Army Officer Cadet Training Part 2 - Daily Distribution of Energy and Macronutrient Intake
Get PDFDietary intake and physical activity impact performance and adaptation during training. The aims of this study were to compare energy and macronutrient intake during British Army Officer Cadet training with dietary guidelines and describe daily distribution of energy and macronutrient intake and estimated energy expenditure (EE). Thirteen participants (seven women) were monitored during three discrete periods of military training for nine days on-camp (CAMP), five days’ field exercise (FEX) and nine days of a mixture of the two (MIX). Dietary intake was measured using researcher-led food weighing and food diaries and EE was estimated from wrist-worn accelerometers. Energy intake was below guidelines for men (4600kcal·d-1) and women (3500kcal·d-1) during CAMP (men: -16%; women -9%), FEX (men: -33%; women: -42%) and MIX (men and women both -34%). Carbohydrate intake of men and women were below guidelines (6g·kg·d-1) during CAMP (men: -10%; women: -9%), FEX (men: -18%; women: -37%), and MIX (men: -3%; women: -39%), respectively. Protein intake was above guidelines (1.2kcal·kg·d-1) for men and women during CAMP (men: 48%; women: 39%) and MIX (men: 9%; women: 3%), but below guidelines during FEX (men: -13%; women: -27%). Energy and macronutrient intake during CAMP centred around mealtimes with a discernible sleep/wake cycle for EE. During FEX, energy and macronutrient intake were individually variable and EE was high throughout the day and night. These findings could be used to inform evidenced-based interventions to change the amount and timing of energy and macronutrient intake around physical activity to optimise performance and adaptations during military training
Body composition and physical fitness improve after 8 weeks of high-intensity circuit training using body weight in obese women
Get PDFWe examined the effects of an 8-week modified high-intensity circuit training using body weight as resistance (HICTBW) on health-related physical fitness in sedentary obese women. METHODSːTwenty-four sedentary obese women were allocated into the HICTBW or a nontraining control group (CG). The modified HICTBW was performed for 8 weeks (3 times per week). Training consisted of a 30-second workout and 10-second rest for 12 exercise poses per 1 circuit (1 circuit in the first week), with an increase of 1 circuit every 2 weeks. Body weight and body composition included skeletal muscle mass (SMM), body fat mass (BFM), body fat percentage (BF%), visceral fat area (VFA), and skeletal muscle mass to visceral fat area ratio (MFR) were measured. Physical fitness included flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings (FlexLH), and leg and handgrip muscle strength (StrengthLeg, StrengthHG). Cardiovascular endurance included the Åstrand-Rhyming heart rate (HRÅstrand), relative maximum oxygen uptake (relative V̇ O2max), and workload. RESULTSː All variables were obtained at baseline, week-4, and week-8. The HICTBW improved FlexLH, StrengthLeg, and relative V̇ O2max from baseline to week-4 (All P<0.05). Improvements from baseline to week-8 were observed for SMM, BFM, BF%, VFA and MFR, FlexLH, StrengthLeg, HRÅstrand, relative V̇ O2max, and workload (All p<0.05). Furthermore, the HICTBW elicited a higher change in SMM (+2.9%), BFM (-3.4%), BF% (-3.2%), MFR (+9.5%), FlexLH (+145.7%) and relative V̇ O2max (+32.3%) than the CG at week-8 (All P<0.05). CONCLUSIONSː An 8-week modified HICTBW program thrice a week is an effective training modality to influence health-related physical fitness in sedentary obese women