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An evaluation of important plant areas around the world
Get PDFArea‐based approaches have long dominated biodiversity conservation and have been reinforced by the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The important plant area (IPA) approach is a leading framework for the spatial conservation prioritization of plants and fungi, but over 20 years since its launch, its application and conservation outcomes remained unevaluated. Through systematic mapping and semistructured interviews of key informants, we evaluated IPAs globally. We investigated where and how the framework has been applied, to what extent identification has led to plant conservation, how IPAs are perceived by plant conservationists and researchers globally, and key opportunities and challenges for IPAs. We reviewed over 140 relevant sources, spanning scientific publications, reports, websites, and databases, and interviewed 47 key informants. Most publications focused on developing guidance or identifying IPAs. Sixty‐four percent of informants were aware of IPAs that had been incorporated into conservation processes, with broader benefits of IPAs also highlighted, such as generating botanical data. Overall perception of IPAs was positive; they were seen to provide a unifying focus for plant conservation and as maintaining a flexible and inclusive approach. Opinions were split on the effectiveness of IPA programs in engaging broader stakeholders or incorporating local ecological knowledge. Key themes affecting participant perceptions and lessons learned for bridging the research–implementation gap were found. Informants recommended that IPA programs globally seek more ambitious and targeted funding; tailor stakeholder communications; invest time in cross‐sectoral stakeholder engagement; clarify relationships with key biodiversity areas; and create a single central hub for IPA information. With plants underpinning all terrestrial ecosystems, improved outcomes will have broad benefits for biodiversity protection, particularly as new IPA programs are launched in some of the most biodiverse countries in the world
Aligning risk and value creation: A process model of supply chain risk management in geopolitical disruptions
Get PDFPurpose
This study aims to develop a process model that captures the co-evolution of supply chain risk management (SCRM) and value creation. The model is designed to support multinational small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in addressing the challenges of geopolitical disruptions, such as the US–China trade war, by providing a framework for simultaneously strengthening SCRM and enhancing value delivery in the global supply chain.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employed an inductive case study methodology to construct a theoretical process model of SCRM, drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with eight multinational SMEs impacted by the US–China trade war since January 2018. Using grounded theory techniques—including open coding, axial coding, and selective coding—the interview data were systematically analyzed to develop a process model that captures the complexities of managing supply chain risks in a volatile geopolitical context.
Findings
This study presents a process model illustrating the co-evolution of SCRM and value creation within firms in response to geopolitical disruptions. The evolutionary process of SCRM progresses through four stages: decoding disruption dynamics, synergizing the information ecosystem, catalyzing adaptive transformation, and architecting resilient adaptation. Correspondingly, the value creation process evolves alongside SCRM, aligning with each stage. It includes value-contextualized recalibration, value-driven communication, value-centric customization, and value-sustained resilience.
Originality/value
This study offers a novel contribution by developing a process model that captures the co-evolution of SCRM and value creation. It identifies four critical stages in the SCRM life cycle, each intricately aligned with corresponding phases of value creation. This integrated framework provides a strategic pathway for firms to navigate supply chain risks while simultaneously enhancing value delivery, particularly in the context of geopolitical disruptions such as the US–China trade war. By linking SCRM and value creation, the study equips multinational SMEs with a practical and comprehensive roadmap for building resilience and competitiveness in an increasingly volatile global environment
The Resurrection of the Subject: Differential Ontology and Transcendental Thought
No full textIn this thesis I argue that the subject, as a ground and site of knowledge about the world, exists. In much contemporary thought, the transcendental subject - as described by Kant - is considered an outdated concept. Following Nietzsche, thinkers such as Foucault and Deleuze have turned instead to theories of difference that preclude the subject's identity with itself. For them, the subject fails because it cannot support itself ontologically. I however claim that, within a proper conception of being, a particular idea of the transcendental subject does remain. I therefore make, to this end, three main points: 1. That post-Nietzschean differential ontology is not opposed to but depends on the category of the transcendental, where the transcendental is immanent to what it conditions. This immanence is then the basis of Deleuze's philosophy of transcendental empiricism. 2. That the place of the transcendental corresponds to a logicality of being as such, an "onto-logic", according to which the logical and the ontological are two sides of the same coin. With this the subject appears as an onto-logical entity. And 3. that this onto-logic determines the subject as ideological no less than as transcendental, and that the ideology of the subject is its logicality. The subject is thus, finally, not abstracted from but immanent to its expression in the world. Through this thesis I therefore hope to show that the subject is not opposed to difference but immanent to it, as an ontological given. I aim to thereby resolve the existing tension between ontological and transcendental thought, and so enable a more productive treatment of the philosophically central concepts of being and thought
The Methuen drama anthology of contemporary Italian plays
No full textItaly is home to one of the most vibrant contemporary playwriting scenes in Europe, yet Italian dramatists are little known to English-language readers and audiences: discover their stories and perspective in English for the very first time.
Written between 2013 and 2022 by award-winning authors, the plays in this collection document a theatre culture not only preoccupied with the personal dimension of intimate and family relations, good food and designer fashion, as some stereotypical views of 'Italianness' would have it, but with deeply political, socially engaged matters of global resonance.
Together the plays look at issues such as climate change (The Fattest Woman in the World); gender equality (Gentleman Anne); racism and citizenship (The Foreigner's Smile); history and memory (Portrait of the Artist as a Dead Man); the world of work in neoliberal times (Bidibibodibiboo); mental health, trauma and grief (Big Fright); migration and the 'refugee crisis' (Antigone Power); and life beyond Earth (Carbon). Each of these themes feature as key apprehensions in the characters' lives and stories, creating engaging and contemporary works of drama.
Translated by leading practitioners and including a critical essay by the editor, The Methuen Drama Anthology of Contemporary Italian Plays acts as a perfect introduction to the world of contemporary Italian drama for both performance and study
Bullying in schoolchildren and its relationship to malocclusion accounting for demographic and psychosocial factors: a cross-sectional study of 10- to 14-year-olds in the United Kingdom
No full textObjectives
To investigate the prevalence of bullying in schoolchildren and its relationship with malocclusion, accounting for demographic and psychosocial factors.
Materials and Methods
This was a cross-sectional study on 10–14-year-old schoolchildren in the United Kingdom. Clinical examination was undertaken measuring Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN), overjet, overbite, and crowding or spacing. Questionnaires were used to measure bullying, oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), self-esteem (SE), loneliness, and behavioral and emotional difficulties.
Results
Of 698 participants, 68 reported being bullied (9.7%). No difference was found in prevalence for gender, ethnicity, or age. Increased prevalence was found in participants with overjet > 6 mm (P = .02) and great need for treatment (IOTN Dental Health Component 5 P < .001, Aesthetic Component 9–10 P = .008). Bullied participants reported lower OHRQoL (P < .001) and SE (P < .001) and higher levels of loneliness (P < .001), emotional symptoms (P < .001), conduct problems (P = .002), and peer problems (P < .001). Multivariate analysis showed that being bullied was related to higher levels of loneliness (P = .007), poor peer relations (P < .001), and increased overjet (P = .032).
Conclusions
Accounting for psychosocial factors, risk of being a victim of bullying was related to malocclusion, specifically an increased overjet
Leading by example? Culture, change, and strength-based social work
Get PDFLeaders play a central role in positive change through setting out a clear vision and inspiring others to commit their skills and resources. Leadership can also influence professional and organizational cultures to provide a more receptive environment for new ways of working. This article considers the interplay of leadership and culture within the context of strengths-based transformational programme within adult social work. Using theory of change, the research used mixed qualitative methods over a twenty-four-month period to understand assumptions of those tasked with leading change and experiences of those involved in implementation. Participants included senior managers, social workers, operational managers, health professionals and the voluntary and community sector. Underlying programme assumptions highlighted potential benefits of distributing leadership within and outside social work organizations to encourage practice innovations. In reality, senior leaders remained central to the process and communities often had limited influence. The need for culture change was recognized but how best to approach and sustain within local contexts was not sufficiently understood. Improving knowledge and practice of distributed leadership and culture change within social work will result in more effective transformation. Building stronger infrastructures to support co-production and skills in community development will enable more inclusive leadership contributions
Exploring the role of Approved Mental Health Professionals in relation to the detention of people from Black and Minority Ethnic groups under the Mental Health Act (MHA) 1983
Get PDFPersistent inequalities in mental healthcare have contributed to the over-representation of people from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) groups being assessed under the MHA. This was reinforced as recently as 2018 by the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983, detailing how BME communities - especially people with African and Caribbean heritage - are less likely to receive person-centred or community-based social care, and likelier to be compulsorily admitted to psychiatric hospitals than white people. Despite the longstanding nature of the problem, little has been researched about the role of one of the two key professionals responsible for decision-making about compulsory admission: the Approved Mental Health Professional (AMHP). Under the Mental Health Act, AMHPs possess overriding responsibility for deciding whether someone should be detained for compulsory treatment. While the institutional dimensions of this problem have been highlighted in earlier research, this thesis focuses on the use of power and discretion in AMHP decision-making. This research's objectives were to explore the key influences professionals consider when forming judgements about compulsory detention, to examine how practitioners construct risk when arriving at a decision, and to investigate the views and accounts of Black service users concerning their detention experiences, and their level of involvement or participation in decisions determining their care and treatment. This thesis employs empirical data from an ethnographic study conducted in two London Boroughs, involving observations of professional practice and follow-up interviews with 14 AMHPs and 8 Black service users purposively selected across the two sites. Fricker's theory of epistemic injustice and the applied sociological concept of risk work provided a useful theoretical basis for developing an understanding of AMHP decision-making and Black service users' detention experiences. My analysis reveals a mutually constitutive relationship between risk and ethnicity during detention-based decision-making, describing the racialised categorisation of risk, and how AMHP decision-making continues to be shaped by a risk or public safety agenda. The analysis of my observational data generated a nuanced and complex relationship between the diagnostic practices and lower risk threshold operationalised by professionals when working with Black people. This thesis demonstrates the tensions emanating from risk work and suggests that the bureaucratic emphasis on risk management strategies designed to improve safety is paradoxically affecting trust and relationship-based practice, both of which are essential for reducing risk to Black service users. My analysis discloses that most AMHP practitioners doubt their capacity to apply social perspectives or exercise independent decisions within the context of multiagency working, organisational factors, resource implications, the dominance of risk, and "blame culture". AMHPs' inability to exercise autonomy and apply social perspectives presents profound implications for Black service users overwhelmingly faced with multiple social issues or disadvantages such as isolation, unemployment, marginalisation, low income, and social exclusion. This study provides further understanding of how epistemic injustice manifests itself within the mental health service, revealing how Black service users are more susceptible than their white counterparts because of the dual difficulties of experiencing stigma and the negative stereotypes attached to being Black and receiving a mental disorder diagnosis. There is further evidence of AMHPs from Black communities experiencing testimonial injustice from white colleagues ascribing lower credibility to their knowledge and competence due to prejudice associated with their racial identity. This study suggests numerous ways of enhancing epistemic justice, including the provision of IMHA services during MHA assessments in both the community and hospitals. It highlights that rather than adopting a position of 'knowing best', professionals must value and listen to Black service users' accounts to help reverse the stigma, sense of exclusion, and diminished control and choice that Black people with mental health problems continue to experience
Learning from Fungicide Resistance: Evolutionary Insights to Guide RNAi-based Control of Fungal Crop Pathogens
Get PDFCrop protection against fungal pathogens is essential to prevent crop losses and maintain food security. Current crop protection relies heavily on chemical fungicides. However, rapid evolution of fungicide resistance, the constant appearance of new pathogens, and legislation against chemical pesticides due to concerns regarding their impact on human health and the environment, mean new crop protection strategies are urgently required. One elegant solution is double-stranded RNA-based crop protection, which aims to silence selected genes in the pathogen to reduce crop damage. This technology brings the promise of targeting specific genes, which could be chosen to maximise protection, minimize off-target effects and reduce the risk of resistance evolution. Here we discuss strategies for successful use of this novel technology based on lessons learned from fungicide resistance and recent discoveries in fungal evolution derived from genome-sequencing
Poverty, Politics, and the Press: Uncovering the Complexities of Media Coverage on Nigeria's Social Investment Programmes
No full textThis thesis undertakes a comprehensive analysis of news media representation and public discourse concerning the National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP) in Nigeria. The NSIP, launched in 2016, is a key poverty alleviation initiative by the Nigerian government, and this study investigates how it has been portrayed and discussed across various media platforms, including traditional newspapers and social media. By exploring the role of the press and social media, this research aims to provide insights into the media's influence on public perception and policy implementation regarding the NSIP.
The research sets out to achieve four primary objectives. First, it seeks to identify the dominant themes in news reports on the NSIP published in Nigerian newspapers, offering insights into the prominent topics and recurring issues that have shaped the programme's media narrative. Second, the study uses content analysis to examine how the NSIP is portrayed in the news, focusing on the framing, tone, and sources of information used by the press to construct the narrative around the programme, highlighting the dominant narratives and perspectives in the media. Third, this thesis applies critical discourse analysis (CDA) to explore Nigerians' engagement with NSIP news on X (formerly Twitter), revealing public reactions, opinions, and discussions on the platform, and highlighting how social media users shape discourse around the programme Lastly, the study investigates the motivations and practices of Nigerian journalists in reporting on the NSIP, including their use of NSIP policy documents as sources of information. This aspect of the study seeks to understand the factors influencing their reporting choices and the degree to which these choices affect public perception.
The study's findings reveal that media coverage of the NSIP in Nigerian newspapers is predominantly framed around themes of governance, corruption, and inefficiency, with a recurring focus on the operational challenges affecting the programme's success. Social media discourse on X, meanwhile, reflects a range of public opinions, from scepticism and criticism to support for the programme, with power dynamics and socio-political influences shaping the conversations. Furthermore, interviews with journalists show that while NSIP policy documents are often used as a one-off primary source, journalists face difficulties in obtaining balanced information due to limited access to independent sources, which affects the depth and objectivity of their reporting.
The findings suggest that both traditional and digital media play a crucial role in shaping public perception of the NSIP. The press, through its framing and representation of the programme, contributes to the agenda-setting process, while social media provides a digital public sphere where diverse viewpoints and voices emerge. The study also underscores the importance of journalistic integrity and the need for more transparent "to information to enhance the quality and balance of media reporting on the NSIP.
This thesis contributes to the understanding of how media coverage and public discourse influence the perception and implementation of social welfare programmes like the NSIP in Nigeria. The study offers valuable insights for policymakers, journalists, and stakeholders involved in poverty alleviation efforts, recommending improved media engagement strategies and enhanced transparency in communication to foster public trust and accountability in the NSIP. Future research could explore the long-term effects of media representation on policy outcomes and public attitudes towards poverty alleviation initiatives
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