1,721,106 research outputs found
Anticipation: the influence of expected task duration on cognitive strategies, perceived exertion and heart rate during a running task
No full text'Fidel the musical' and hairdressers – turning research into impact
No full textAcademia is often accused of focusing too much on theory and not doing enough to address real world challenges. Inspired by principle 4 of the UNPRME framework which claims that ‘we will engage in conceptual and empirical research that advances our understanding about the role, dynamics, and impact of corporations in the creation of sustainable social, environmental and economic value’, this paper describes two initiatives that in very different ways have addressed the challenge of turning research into impact. In the first I present an account of a high impact study using hairdressers to disseminate sustainable practices across the population. In the second I engaged with schools and colleges across the UK to ask students to write songs for a musical about Fidel Castro and the Cuban revolution
Anticipation of the end: the effect on psychological, physiological and performance variables
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Engaging society in the search for Utopia via a musical project
No full textWhile the media, the news and most discourse adopts a problem-based view of the world, those attempting to motivate more sustainable mindsets increasingly acknowledge that positive visions are more effective than doom-laden facts and figures. As a result organisations such as the Climate Coalition are working to engage people on positively framed narratives about sustainability that are meaningful to them (COIN 2014). Art and culture can shape values, trigger reflection, enable creative visioning of alternative possibilities, build democratic dialogues and challenge the power dynamics of vested interests (MMMCC 2013). This project aims to build on the positive psychology tradition to engage people in the task of considering the question of what a sustainable/Utopian society might look like and how we might get there. In phase 1 insights from an initial stage of research into what makes people happy and what constitutes Utopia across societies will be gathered. We will develop a website where individuals/organisations can upload blogs, stories, ideas which will provide the basis for the second phase. In phase 2 the website content will then be made available to schools, colleges and universities and promoted as a free educational project that involves collaboration between music, and other students to develop songs, poems, short stories and lyrics for a caberet musical called Utopia
The end is nigh: psychological and physiological effects of anticipating the end of exercise
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Engaging hairdressers in pro-environmental behaviours
No full textThe project explores the efficacy of an innovative bottom-up social marketing approach to encourage pro-environmental behaviour, using hairdressers as ‘catalytic individuals’ to diffuse knowledge relating to responsible chemical, energy and water use across their social networks. Hairdressers use a lot of energy, water and chemicals, but our research last year (Baden, 2010) indicated that, despite the increased concerns and public pronouncements on the importance of sustainability, little awareness has filtered into the hairdressing sector. This lack of attention to environmental issues by hairdressers then constitutes a social norm that is antagonistic to sustainability awareness, especially hair-washing, drying and colouring, which are activities that are also carried out at home. Thus the study aims to engage hairdressers, both in developing their own sustainability practices, and as ‘catalytic individuals’ to diffuse practices and ideas relating to responsible chemical, energy and water use across their social networks. The project isin the form of action research:Action Selected hairdressers will be interviewed to assess their current sustainability practices and extent to which they provide a model of environmentally friendly behaviours (e.g. reduced toxicity of hair products, water conservation, low use of energy in terms of drying and style) either through their practices or through their conversations with customers. Our pilot research found zero examples of such sustainability awareness, but a willingness to engage with the topic further. Twenty five hairdressers will then be invited to an event to raise awareness of sustainability issues in their work and encouraged to come up with their own ideas to reduce environmental impacts. We plan to create positive attitudes towards the project by making the event fun, with food and drink and inspirational speakers. A follow up event will be held four months later to share what worked and what didn’t and engage the hairdressers in developing best practice benchmarks for their industry, and to enable them to attain the Steps Towards Environmental Management (STEM) certification. We plan to hold two events and two follow-up events, with a total sample size of 50 hairdressers. The research part of the action research will look at how hairdressers can be used to disseminate information about sustainability to the general public. Social networking theory proposes that information is best disseminated by weak ties (Granovetter, 1973). Diffusion of Innovations theory explores social networks and their role in influencing the spread of new ideas and practices. Of all occupations, hairdressers spend the most time generally chatting to a wide variety of people and comprise a weak tie for many. The research plans to explore the extent to which hairdressers involved in the development of sustainability benchmarks talk to their customers and other colleagues about sustainability and act as a diffuser of information on sustainability in areas related to the use of water, electricity and chemicals. This is cross disciplinary proposal which brings some of the theoretical insights from the disparate areas of network modelling (social network theory, diffusion theory); social psychology (e.g. self-determination theory, social learning theory, social norms) and marketing (word of mouth marketing, social marketing, catalytic individuals) and sustainability management together in one project that has real potential, both to transform a particular sector, and to test the efficacy of developing a more innovative and bottom-up approach to social marketing to address our urgent need for a transition to a low carbon economy.<br/
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