26729 research outputs found
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Alice in Canning Town Education Resource Pack
No full textAlice in Canning Town’s Educational Resource Pack is part of Newham Plays Education/Outreach programme. Each of the Newham Plays has been followed by a series of free drama workshops offered to Newham primary and secondary schools, using drama techniques like improvisation, games, and role play to explore the themes and issues of the plays. Fully resourced, documented and professionally printed Education Resource Packs feature pupils and staff from schools who took part in the drama workshops. The Resource Packs provide a historical, social and cultural context for each play, and contain a series of workshop exercises which explore in a stimulating and creative way, the issues and themes arising from the play, notably themes that are relevant to today’s young generation, for example, multiculturalism, diversity, tolerance, community, democracy
Religious discrimination at the CJEU and the social inclusion approach
Get PDFThe social inclusion approach to EU anti-discrimination law, as set out by Ringelheim, is aimed at achieving inclusion and participation in employment and wider society of all groups, including the most disadvantaged. But is the CJEU using this social inclusion approach, especially in cases concerning religious discrimination? This article argues that the CJEU in cases regarding racial and ethnic origin, disability and sexual orientation discrimination as well as in some cases regarding religion or belief discrimination, has indeed applied a social inclusion approach but that the six judgments regarding the wearing of Islamic headscarves at work are an exception. In the latter cases, the CJEU did not appear to pay any attention to the effect of the judgments on the employment opportunities of Muslim women who want to wear religious symbols at work
Etudes de concert – the journey continues
No full textAn account of the composition process of 'Etudes de concert 1' (2021) and 'Sailing to Byzantium' (1999) for solo recorder, exploring context and sources of inspiration. Also discussing the preparation of the published score (Composers Edition 2023, 2024), collaboration with performer Elizabeth Knatt, and recordings released on the KAIROS label as part of the album 'To Byzantium and beyond' (2024)
Swimming against the tide: why do people create spaces to support mental health and wellness? A reflexive thematic analysis
Get PDFThis thesis explores the motivations driving individuals to establish mental health and wellness spaces in the UK, addressing the growing need for alternative, entrepreneurial and charitable initiatives within a context of inadequate mainstream provision. The current lack of insight into motivations that drive individuals to create and sustain these initiatives hinders efforts to develop effective interventions and support structures within the counselling psychology field. Using Reflexive Thematic Analysis to answer the question: “Why do people create spaces to support mental health and wellness?” this study investigates the experiences of founders and directors, by constructing three interconnected themes: "Who I am dictates what I do," "My people are suffering," and "I make things happen." This research fills gaps in the field by emphasising lived experiences and providing valuable insights for practitioners and researchers interested in social change within counselling psychology. Despite limitations stemming from subjectivity and a small, purposeful sample size, the thesis advances the understanding of the complex dynamics underlying mental health support structures. Additionally, it proposes practical interventions to empower mental health professionals and advocates for diversity, inclusion, and activism within the profession. By addressing the business aspects of mental health services, the research contributes to enhancing the profession's effectiveness in serving people and fostering positive changes in mental health support. Overall, this study offers a subjective yet valuable perspective on the motivations and actions of individuals driving change in mental health, wellness and community support, reflecting a narrative of hope and resilience amidst societal challenges
Solving mean-payoff games via quasi dominions
No full textWe propose a novel algorithm for the solution of mean-payoff games that merges together two seemingly unrelated concepts introduced in the context of parity games, namely small progress measures and quasi dominions. We show that the integration of the two notions can be highly beneficial and significantly speeds up convergence to the problem solution. Experiments show that the resulting algorithm performs orders of magnitude better than the asymptotically-best solution algorithm currently known, without sacrificing on the worst-case complexity
Comments by a critical fellow-traveller
No full textIn a commentary on the contributions in this volume, I highlight integrationism’s status as a cure against a particular kind of misguided theorizsation of language, its ethos and normative dimensions, and I discuss each chapter briefly, addressing how it points to new directions for the study of language. As the field is widening rapidly and leaving behind some of the entrenched theoretical positions of past decades, new opportunities for integrationism to come into its own as a way of doing linguistics (in a new understanding of this term) rather than only talking about linguistics, emerges
Unraveling the determinants of FDI in the GCC: a multifaceted analysis of economic, regulatory, and institutional factors
No full textThe remarkable surge of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the non-oil sectors of the Gulf countries over the past decade signifies a pivotal shift in their economic landscape. This surge has been driven by the urgent need to diversify these economies and ensure sustainable growth, given the challenges posed by depleting oil resources and volatile prices. In response to this imperative, there arises a critical need to investigate and comprehend the "other" factors that exert influence over FDI inflows in the region. To address this knowledge gap, a comprehensive study was conducted, employing advanced panel data techniques and analyzing data from the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries over the period from 2000 to 2015.
The findings of this study sheds significant light on the determinants that shape FDI inflows in the Gulf countries. Notably, market size, infrastructure development, trade openness, inflation levels, and political stability emerged as crucial factors driving FDI. These factors were found to have a statistically significant impact on FDI inflows, underscoring their importance in attracting foreign investment to the region. Conversely, the study did not find a significant association between FDI inflows and the variables of risk and competition.
The insights provided by this research hold immense value for policymakers, investors, and other stakeholders interested in fostering economic diversification and attracting further foreign investment in the Gulf countries. Such measures can serve as catalysts for attracting higher FDI inflows, stimulating economic growth, and reducing dependence on the volatile oil sector
A reflexive thematic analysis of the experiences of psychotherapy of adult men with a history of suicidality
Get PDFMale suicide is an ever-pressing issue that presents a unique challenge to society. The impact of male suicide in the UK is considerable, and for every female suicide death, there are approximately 3.5 male deaths. For every successful suicide attempt, researchers speculate that there are twenty unsuccessful attempts and attempting suicide increases the likelihood of further attempts by up to 45 times. Despite significant research into the phenomenon, the number of successful suicides remains stubbornly high in the UK amongst men. Ultimately, a middle-aged man who has had a previous suicide attempt is at a very high risk of death by suicide. Despite the wide acknowledgement of the severity of male suicide, its disproportionate impact on families and society, and the encouragement of men to access formal and informal mental health support, there is minimal research on the experience of help-seeking for men recovering from a suicide attempt.
This research aimed to explore the experience of therapy of men aged between 25 and 65 who had a history of suicidality to generate much-needed information on their experience of help-seeking and how best to help men who have an arrested or unsuccessful suicide attempt.
Six male participants/co-researchers who had previously had an unsuccessful or arrested suicide attempt and had participated in individual long-term therapy (of at least 20 weeks) took part in the research. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis within a critical realist paradigm. From this, three themes were identified: (1) Creating a safe space in therapy, (2) The push and pull of gender proximity, and (3) Iatrogenic harm in institutional care. Innovative methods of scriptwriting, acting, and filming were used to consolidate and display findings.
The data revealed the necessity for time and resources to develop safe therapeutic relationships to fully meet clients' needs and facilitate and support possible traumatic history revelations. Findings highlight a complex dynamic between the client’s and therapist’s gender, in the form of maternal representation, avoidance of competitiveness masculine traits and erotic transference within the therapeutic dyad. The experience of ineffective therapeutic help and high levels of bureaucracy from institutions, such as the NHS and their over-reliance on psychiatric medication, highlighted a significant issue and constituted a level of iatrogenic harm, which was a considerable influence in them seeking alternative provision in the form of private therapy or alternative medication
Examining the antecedents and consequences of private label brand consumers’ value co-creation behaviour and customer engagement: a study within the context of retailing in the United Kingdom
No full textThis research investigates how involvement, perceived risk, product quality, corporate image, brand image, emotional value, and brand attachment influence value co-creation behaviour and customer engagement. It also examines how customer engagement impacts brand loyalty, participation, word-of-mouth, and trust. Despite extensive research on value co-creation and customer engagement across various contexts to extend the theory and conceptualisation, there has been limited attention on value co-creation behaviour and customer engagement among private label brand consumers.
This research explores four key areas. Firstly, it examines how involvement with the brand, perceived risks, product quality, corporate image and store image influence value co-creation behaviour and customer engagement. Secondly, it explores how emotional value (the perceived benefits beyond the functional aspects) and emotional attachment to the private label brand influence both value co-creation behaviour and customer engagement. Thirdly, the research considers whether the specific supermarket plays a role in these relationships (moderating effect). In other words, does the choice of supermarket influence how these factors affect consumer behaviour towards private label brands? Finally, the research explores the consequences of strong customer engagement with private label brands. It examines how engagement impacts on brand loyalty, participation in brand activities, positive word-of-mouth recommendations, and overall brand trust.
Building on Social Exchange Theory (SET) to address the research questions, this study employed a mixed-method approach. A thorough literature review was conducted to develop robust measurement scales, followed by a qualitative study and a quantitative study. The qualitative study served two key purposes. First, it aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the research phenomenon, which has received limited prior attention. This exploration allowed the researcher to identify potential new measurement items based on participant comments during interviews and focus groups. Second, the qualitative data helped assess the validity of the initial measurement scales developed from the literature review. Third, by conducting the qualitative phase before the quantitative study, the research ensured a strong foundation for the main investigation. The quantitative data, collected through 1010 questionnaires, was then analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via IBM SPSS Amos 29.0.0 (AMOS). The software facilitated the evaluation of how well the scales captured the intended constructs and tested the relationships between the constructs.
This research yielded several key insights into private label consumer behaviour. Firstly, factors like involvement with the brand, positive perceptions of the corporate image, and strong brand attachment all contribute to increased customer engagement. Secondly, high levels of customer engagement lead to positive outcomes for the brand, including increased word-of-mouth recommendations, participation in brand activities, and stronger brand trust amongst private label consumers. The SEM results also revealed a moderating effect of supermarket choice. This suggests that the influence of emotional value, brand attachment, corporate image and participation on customer engagement may vary depending on the specific supermarket where the consumer shops. In other words, the supermarket choice itself may play a role in how these factors affect consumer behaviour.
Based on the results, there are numerous theoretical and managerial implications. Firstly, this study addresses a significant research gap in the literature. Additionally, it provides valuable insights for managers in the private label brand industry, with potential applications in other industries. The findings underscore the importance of customer engagement in enhancing brand trust, participation, and positive word-of-mouth, guiding strategies to achieve these outcomes. The study reveals that private label brands should actively foster a positive corporate image that resonates with their target customer segments' values. Further, while perceived emotional value may not directly influence engagement, building a strong emotional attachment to the brand is crucial. This research also identified the significant role of customer experience. Being an experienced customer of a particular retailer can influence the factors that drive private label brand consumers' engagement
Impact measurement in social enterprises: rationales & current practices in an Australian context
No full textPractices around the choice and implementation of social and/or environmental impact metrics are reflective of how organisational actors interpret sustainability, which in turn shape the organisation. The broad aim of this thesis is to explore the challenges of impact measurement as situated within hybrid organisations, such as social enterprises (SE), experiencing tensions of having multiple and competing social and commercial objectives. Claims of making an impact are no longer sufficient, and evidence of the impact an organisation makes is increasingly required. To tackle this topic, as well as respond to calls for research in understanding hybrid forms of organising; this study undertakes an exploration of the impact measurement practices, delving into the “hows” and “whys” of impact measurement, which effectively shape these organisations.
This thesis pays special attention to the quantification of impacts, acknowledging the contentious and political nature of these issues. It also examines the influence of numerical data in shaping and negotiating sustainability goals. Succinctly, the research project (1) explores organisational and stakeholders’ rationales for measuring impact, and (2) investigates the prevailing practices of
social/environmental impact measurement, while probing into the selection and application of specific impact measurement tools and approaches. This study is propelled by the growing attention and debates over the measurement of social and environmental impacts, prompting a deeper examination of accounting and calculation in social enterprises (SEs). It scrutinises the seldom explored assessment and evaluation of impact metrics within this sector, investigating the driving rationales, the adoption of particular evaluation systems, and the trust-based relationships that shape calculative practices.
Employing a multiple-case study approach, the investigation selected five Australian social enterprises from diverse sectors based on their status as SEs and their use of impact metrics. Through semi-structured interviews with stakeholders, access to documents, and participatory observation, the research meticulously documents the evolution of impact assessment, measurement, and reporting. The cases also explore engagement with Indigenous communities through the selected SEs. Utilising Latour's (2005) Actor Network Theory (ANT), the research dissects various episodes within specific SE networks, focusing on stakeholder engagements in these practices. This methodology is integrated with Nakata’s (1998) Standpoint Theory in efforts to respectfully acknowledge the knowledge gifted by the Indigenous participants of the study.
The findings underscore the diversity of rationales and perceptions regarding impact measurement and reporting across stakeholders, uncovering the complex dynamics of tension and negotiation inherent in impact measurement practices and the empirical challenges they pose for SEs