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A study investigating the advancement of female solicitors in England : exploring the promotion to partner level process, challenges and opportunities.
No full textThe disparity in the number of male and female partners within law firms is a problem that has been present within the legal profession in England. As of July 2017, female partners constituted 33% as against 67% of male partners.Previous studies on gendered marginalization within the profession focused mostly on large/global law firms to the exclusion of small and medium firms where the majority of solicitors practice. Three theoretical frameworks (Preference Theory, Role Congruity theory and Social Constructionist theory) underpinned this empirical study. This research investigated the promotion to partner processes in two large, three medium and two small law firms in England with the aim of identifying the cause of the problem.The research was conducted using a qualitative approach with an interpretive paradigm. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews with five partners, a Sole Practitioner, a Human Resource Director, fifteen females and thirteen male solicitors were undertaken. The data was recorded verbatim using an audio- cassette recorder, then transcribed and thematically analysed with an inductive approach. Three main themes (ambition, work culture and promotion process) were identified coupled with several sub-themes.Findings confirm a lack of female -gender identity within all sizes of firms and the prevalence of male-oriented social constructs and stereotypes. In medium and large firms, female solicitors experienced minimal support from management in mentoring, case- allocation, remunerations, and support for female returnees after childbirth. In addition, male-oriented promotion processes coupled with poor knowledge management and an inadequate communication about the promotion models were found. A culture of silence exists across all firms together with a high rate of attrition about promotion to partner prospects among females. Poor well-being among solicitors and partners due to pressure of work was another finding of this study. Women, BAME and LGBT solicitors across all firms exhibited distrust and apathy towards equality and diversity initiatives.The recommendations made as researcher’s contribution to knowledge include a recognition of multi-gender trajectories and changes in work culture in all law firms, 4 compulsory membership of the Diversity Monitoring Scheme, the imposition of sanctions for non-compliance, introduction of partnership quotas for male and female solicitors in medium and large firms and an amendment of Section 78(2)(a) of the Equality Act, 2010 relating to equal pay. Compulsory incorporation of Equality and Diversity principles into continuous development programmes for management and practitioners and the appointment of Welfare officers alongside COLPS was recommended. Aspiring female solicitors should be more assertive and engage in self-help strategies for better selection opportunities.Further contribution by this researcher to existing knowledge includes the recommendation of a fair model of promotions to Partnerships in Medium and Large firms. The model that includes a clear written promotion criteria accessible to all, periodic six -monthly secondment of all partnership aspirants to serving partners for equal mentoring opportunities regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexual preference, age and disability. A model including quarterly workshops for such practitioners to enhance their human and cultural capital was proposed also
What causes medication administration errors in a mental health hospital? A qualitative study with nursing staff
No full textObjective Medication administration errors (MAEs) are a common risk to patient safety in mental health hospitals, but an absence of in-depth studies to understand the underlying causes of these errors limits the development of effective remedial interventions. This study aimed to investigate the causes of MAEs affecting inpatients in a mental health National Health Service (NHS) hospital in the North West of England. Methods Registered and student mental health nurses working in inpatient psychiatric units were identified using a combination of direct advertisement and incident reports and invited to participate in semi-structured interviews utilising the critical incident technique. Interviews were designed to capture the participants’ experiences of inpatient MAEs. All interviews were transcribed verbatim and subject to framework analysis to illuminate the underlying active failures, error/violation-provoking conditions and latent failures according to Reason’s model of accident causation. Results A total of 20 participants described 26 MAEs (including 5 near misses) during the interviews. The majority of MAEs were skill-based slips and lapses (n = 16) or mistakes (n = 5), and were caused by a variety of interconnecting error/violation-provoking conditions relating to the patient, medicines used, medicines administration task, health care team, individual nurse and working environment. Some of these local conditions had origins in wider organisational latent failures. Recurrent and influential themes included inadequate staffing levels, unbalanced staff skill mix, interruptions/distractions, concerns with how the medicines administration task was approached and problems with communication. Conclusions To our knowledge this is the first published in-depth qualitative study to investigate the underlying causes of specific MAEs in a mental health hospital. Our findings revealed that MAEs may arise due to multiple interacting error and violation provoking conditions and latent ‘system’ failures, which emphasises the complexity of this everyday task facing practitioners in clinical practice. Future research should focus on developing and testing interventions which address key local and wider organisational ‘systems’ failures to reduce error
Sustainability 2030: a policy perspective from the University Vocational Awards Council
No full textPurpose: The policy and practice sphere of higher education, skills and work-based learning has become increasingly problematic in the last few years, and the extent to which sustainability and sustainable development are embedded in policy and practice spaces is a cause for concern. This paper posits a policy perspective from the University Vocational Awards Council (UVAC), the national representative organisation for universities committed to the vocational agenda and an independent voice in the sphere of higher education, skills and work-based learning.Design/methodology/approach: This paper is a reflective policy and practice piece which draws on the latest policy moves by the UK government and associated organisations and engages the latest literature to examine the issues in policy and practice that need to be tackled.Findings: This paper argues for a greater integration of sustainable development into higher education, skills and work-based learning policy and practice, and specifically in relation to (1) creating inclusive workplaces, (2) promoting social mobility, (3) a balanced approach to productivity, health and wellbeing, and (4) embedding educational approaches and methods which promote inequality in workplaces.Originality/value: The paper is the only UK policy perspective explicitly dedicated to sustainability and sustainable development in the context of the sphere of higher education, skills and work-based learning. Although it is focused on UK policy context, it will be of interest to international readers wishing to learn about UK developments and the sustainable development challenges in relation to its apprenticeship, technical and vocational education system
Game Design Lineages: Minecraft’s Inventory
No full textGame design is conditioned by the practice, both formal and inormal, of drawing from previous designs as a source of knowledge and inspiration. Innovation in game design is thus often the result of old ideas recombined in novel ways. We propose the concept of the game design lineage as a framework for tracing, analyzing, understanding and explaining the historical significance of specific design elements in games. In addition to game design elements, a design lineage should consider a game’s socio-cultural context, including the design and player practices of its creators, and the relationship between these and the prevailing player practices of the time. We contrast this with approaches that consider individual games as their unit of analysis – e.g. comparing different games with each other and establishing connections between them without considering the historical context of their player practices. We feel this approach, while insightful for understanding changes between games that are superficially similar, risks implying a strict Linnaean-style inheritance pattern (inheritance by genre), and thus struggles to account for games with a diversity of design elements that originate elsewhere. We argue that the flow of influences in game design is typically fluid and heterogeneous, and not constrained by genre. Key to this concept of a game design lineage is the role of player practices; i.e. how players receive, perceive and interact with games, and the ways these have shaped the ideas that are then implemented. We illustrate the game design lineage approach with an analysis of Minecraft’s inventory system, tracing its different elements across multiple games, genres, designers, and player practices
Assessing the outcome of the potential entrance of Greece in the energy map as an energy producing state and/or as an energy transit hub for itself and for the EU.
No full textIn light of the new hydrocarbon reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean for Greece, as well as the exploitation of the Greek reserves that might exist in its territory and marine area many possibilities arise. Along with the possibility of Greece becoming an energy transit hub, the changes and new conditions this scenario would bring for Greece, the European Union, their relation and their relations with third countries has to be considered. International relations, geopolitics of energy and energy globalization are interrelated and of high importance for every contemporary nation state. However, it appears that the literature around energy globalization is rather limited, despite the role it plays for the well-being of states and its primacy in the international political agendas. The international organizations as well as regional organizations such as the EU have forwarded a large number of treaties and legal agreements to regulate the energy market, reduce CO2 emissions and tackle climate change. However, it is important to point out that specific states are more competitive than others in the international energy market and have different needs, aims, weaknesses, dynamics and perspectives on the matter. Attempting to approach the subject with a focus on Greece as a case study, this paper shall attempt to assess the aforementioned factors. In particular, the study will start with a historical analysis of the long and complex history of Greece with regards to hydrocarbon reserves, followed by any market. Questions with regard to exploitation and availability of resources will be the main research question, which will be answered through a combination of a literature review, along with qualitative research using interviews as primary data. The essence of the research is to examine the geopolitical impact of energy, therefore proving the significance of energy and its impact on states, their behaviour and well-being is one of the key findings, since energy can lead to dynamic alternations on states that own, produce and consume energy, as well as on the transit states. Another important finding is the overall energy insecurity of the EU, due to its high dependence on a single energy supplier, therefore its need for alternative sources and suppliers in order to establish energy security. However, while examining the alternative options of the EU, it became apparent that the alternatives are few and all with their own distinct problems and that the complete replacement of Russia is impossible. Another finding of this research is that the Eastern Mediterranean corridor and the possibilities that arise from it can offer to the EU a very promising and safer new supplier and that there is a role for Greece in this scenario as well. However, further findings are not very optimistic when it comes to the transition of Greece to an energy producing state. The Greek exploratory program is currently on a primary level still an it is still very unclear whether the state can become an energy producing state. Even so, the state’s potential of becoming an important transit hub is very real and by taking the right measures, making the necessary moves and applying the correct policies, this potential can become a reality very soon, a prospect that would overall upgrade the Greek state’s role in the EU and within its region. Triggering point of this research was the overall lack in literature with regards to Greece, its hydrocarbon reserves and the prospects that were opening up for Greece after the Eastern Mediterranean discoveries, so main goal was to fill in this gap, but also to create new questions through the in depth analysis. The fact that data on the subject matter change constantly because it is an on-going condition, can not only provide food for thought to policy-makers but also trigger more researchers to try and continue on the research
Four poems: 'Patient', 'Your anxiety', 'The Bull', 'Cage'
No full textFour original poems, published in the national print magazine The Spectator, which variously give fictionalized voice to marginalised voices through a variety of poetic strategies including dramatis personae
Understanding, action, and the use of the cane in Sri Lankan schools
No full textPurpose– The purpose of this paper is to consider the use of corporal punishment in schools in Sri Lanka, and to offer reflections on how cybernetics could shed light on its persistence despite initiatives to ban it.Design/methodology/approach – The ASC 2013 Heinz von Foerster Award for the most significant contribution to the conference was awarded following discussion of the use of the cane in Sri Lankan schools. This paper provides a personal account of difficulties in overcoming the use of corporal punishment in a school in Sri Lanka.Findings – The Sri Lankan education system is introduced. The response of the ASC 2013 is discussed. The feedback between social forces and the education system is seen as being too complex for analysis, and Bateson's conception of ethos is proposed as an appropriate starting point for making progress on this issue.Social implications – The use of corporal punishment has been forbidden by the Ministry of Education, but the practice evidently continues and there is evidence that this has negative impact on young people. The paper offers an approach to understanding the reasons for the prevalence and persistence of corporal punishment, as a first step towards designing measures to eliminate it.Originality/value – The paper takes a new approach to understanding the persistence of corporal punishment in Sri Lanka by applying Bateson's concepts of ethos and schismogenesis
Environmentally sustainable flame retardant surface treatments for textiles: the potential of a novel atmospheric plasma/UV laser technology
No full textConventional flame retardant (FR) application processes for textiles involve aqueous processing which is resource-intensive in terms of energy and water usage. Recent research using sol-gel and layer-by-layer chemistries, while claimed to be based on more environmentally sustainable chemistry, still require aqueous media with the continuing problem of water management and drying processes being required. This paper outlines the initial forensic work to characterise commercially produced viscose/flax, cellulosic furnishing fabrics which have had conferred upon them durable flame retardant (FR) treatments using a novel, patented atmospheric plasma/Ultraviolet (UV) excimer laser facility for processing textiles with the formal name Multiplexed Laser Surface Enhancement (MLSE) system. This system (MTIX Ltd., Huddersfield, UK) is claimed to offer the means of directly bonding of flame retardant precursor species to the component fibres introduced either before plasma/UV exposure or into the plasma/UV reaction zone itself; thereby eliminating a number of wet processing cycles. Nine commercial fabrics, pre-impregnated with a semi-durable, proprietary FR finish and subjected to the MLSE process have been analysed for their flame retardant properties before and after a 40 C 30 min water soak. For one fabric, the pre-impregnated fabric was subjected to a normal heat cure treatment which conferred the same level of durability as the plasma/UV-treated analogue. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and limiting oxygen index (LOI) were used to further characterise their burning behaviour and the effect of the treatment on surface fibre morphologies were assessed. Scanning electron microscopy indicated that negligible changes had occurred to surface topography of the viscose fibres occurred during plasma/UV excimer processing
Online counselling forums to support young people with mental health and emotional needs
No full textAnalysis of penalties imposed on organisations for breaching safety and health regulations in the United Kingdom.
No full textThe study analyzes penalties imposed on organizations for breaching safety and health regulations. The research questions are as follows: what are the commonly breached safety and health regulations? How proportional are penalties imposed on organizations for breaching health and safety regulations in the United Kingdom? The study employed sequential explanatory mixed research strategies for better understanding of health and safety penalties imposed on organizations. Actual health and safety convictions and penalties data for 10 years (2006 to 2016) were obtained through the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive (HSE) public register for convictions. Overall, 2,217 health and safety cases were analyzed amounting to total fines of £37,179,916, in addition to other wide-ranging penalties. For thorough understanding, eight interviews were conducted with industry practitioners, lawyers, and HSE officials as part of the study qualitative data. Findings show that the Health and Safety at Work (HSW) Act accounted for 46% of all HSE prosecution cases in the last decade. This is nearly half of the total safety and health at work prosecutions. Moreover, there is widespread desire for organizations to comply with the HSW Act, but route fines are seen as burdensome and inimical to business growth. A key deduction from the study reveal significant disproportionality concerning penalties imposed on organizations for breaching safety and health regulations. On aggregate, small companies tend to pay more for health and safety offenses in a ratio of 1:2 compared to large companies. The study also reveals that the HSW Act accounted for nearly half of the total safety and health at work prosecutions in the last decade