Browse by Type of Work

The aim of this article is to report some of the work undertaken by a nursing “think tank”, focussed on examining the causes of poor nursing care in hospitals, and potential solutions. A “think tank” was convened which incorporated widespread discussion with national, regional and local stakeholder...
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The aim of this article is to report some of the work undertaken by a nursing “think tank”, focussed on examining the causes of poor nursing care in hospitals, and potential solutions. A “think tank” was convened which incorporated widespread discussion with national, regional and local stakeholders, a critical literature review, and a focus group of senior nurses. It was found that there are no widespread systems of staff support that help nurses working in hospitals to cope with the emotional component of their work. This is one element that contributes to nurses providing poor care. A number of approaches to staff support have been developed that warrant further study. If episodes of poor care are to be prevented it is necessary for hospital boards to recognise the importance of supporting nurses in managing the emotional labour of caring. The introduction of routine systems of staff support should be considered. In addition to highlighting and condemning poor care, it is important to seek solutions. This article offers a new perspective on an enduring problem and identifies approaches that can be part of the solution.

The world of work continues to change. Labour markets in most countries are increasingly shaped by policies of neoliberal deregulation while strategies of flexibility dominate public policy and corporate strategy across an array of sectors. At the forefront of these changes are the myriad labour mar...
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The world of work continues to change. Labour markets in most countries are increasingly shaped by policies of neoliberal deregulation while strategies of flexibility dominate public policy and corporate strategy across an array of sectors. At the forefront of these changes are the myriad labour market intermediaries that are used by workers and employees to enhance their ability to navigate ever more complex and volatile labour markets. For some, mediated employment, recruitment and work practices mean greater career progression and profit making ability, but for many others, it means increased precarity, vulnerability and insecurity. This paper critically reviews existing literature within geography on three types of private labour market intermediary, namely temporary staffing agencies and contract brokers; executive search firms and headhunters; and informal intermediaries such as gangmasters. The final section addresses the future for research in labour geography and, in particular, suggests new ways in which to broaden our understanding of labour market intermediaries and their impact on worker agency.

The central questions this paper seeks to address are: 1) What are the attitudes of first year medical students in a Japanese medical school towards the varieties of English that exist in the world? More specifically, do these students consider mother tongue varieties of English to be disproporti...
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The central questions this paper seeks to address are: 1) What are the attitudes of first year medical students in a Japanese medical school towards the varieties of English that exist in the world? More specifically, do these students consider mother tongue varieties of English to be disproportionately superior to other varieties of English? 2) What implications do those attitudes have on the teaching of English within the context of a medical English conversation class in a Japanese medical school?

Peter R. R. White, describes ‘systemics’ as that which provides an ‘account of the grammar of the language as it is used in actual social situations and hence is concerned at all times with the meaning, communicative functionality and rhetorical purposes of language’ (2000). This analysis examines t...
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Peter R. R. White, describes ‘systemics’ as that which provides an ‘account of the grammar of the language as it is used in actual social situations and hence is concerned at all times with the meaning, communicative functionality and rhetorical purposes of language’ (2000). This analysis examines two scientific texts, one for specialists and one for a general audience using the systemic framework devised by M. A. K. Halliday. Through the identification and analysis of the lexico-grammatical differences between the two texts using aspects of the systemic framework, this paper seeks to determine the stylistic and communicative consequences of these differences.

This paper uses an innovative analysis of an individual’s cognitive processes to investigate a real-life example of processing rendered subconcious by a mask that shared characteristics with the varied feature. In about half the participants, integrative performance on the object was better than ana...
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This paper uses an innovative analysis of an individual’s cognitive processes to investigate a real-life example of processing rendered subconcious by a mask that shared characteristics with the varied feature. In about half the participants, integrative performance on the object was better than analytical performance on the feature. The cognitive processes mediating this achievement varied among assessors. In a few, the integrative judgment discriminated levels of the feature directly through sensory processes (subceptually). The others succeeded by implicitly using the analytical concept to achieve feature discrimination in overall object recognition.

The Knowledge Bases and Related Tools (KBAR T) working group was set up in January 2008 as a joint UKSG and NIS O initiative to explore data problems associated with the OpenURL supply chain. The Recommended Practice from Phase I of KBAR T—NIS O RP-9-2010, KBART: Knowledge Bases and Related Tools—wa...
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The Knowledge Bases and Related Tools (KBAR T) working group was set up in January 2008 as a joint UKSG and NIS O initiative to explore data problems associated with the OpenURL supply chain. The Recommended Practice from Phase I of KBAR T—NIS O RP-9-2010, KBART: Knowledge Bases and Related Tools—was released in January 2010 and provides guidance on the role and importance of accurate and timely metadata supply to link resolver knowledge bases, along with a practical set of recommendations for metadata transfer.

The debate over scholarly communications and the future of publishing continues to simmer. Open Access is seen to be a Good Thing in principle, but how does it work, how much does it cost and who pays for it? A pilot study in supporting "gold" and "green" Open Access at the University of Birmingham ...
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The debate over scholarly communications and the future of publishing continues to simmer. Open Access is seen to be a Good Thing in principle, but how does it work, how much does it cost and who pays for it? A pilot study in supporting "gold" and "green" Open Access at the University of Birmingham is examining the costs to the institution and the requirements of the funders, researchers, research administrators and the library. Information from the pilot will be used to recommend a practical way forward that meets the needs of different research disciplines and cultures, in the context of the University’s research strategy.

This paper considers enjoyment of formal education for young people aged 14 to 16,largely from their own perspective, based on the view of around 3,000 students in England. The data includes documentary analysis, official statistics, interviews and surveys with staff and students. Enjoyment of schoo...
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This paper considers enjoyment of formal education for young people aged 14 to 16,largely from their own perspective, based on the view of around 3,000 students in England. The data includes documentary analysis, official statistics, interviews and surveys with staff and students. Enjoyment of school tends to be promoted by factors such as successful social relationships, small classes, variation in learning, and students having some control of their learning. Enjoyment tends to be inhibited by perceived lack of respect or concern by teaching staff and passive pedagogy. For some disengaged students, a work or college environment with more adult relationships appears to restore enjoyment and enthusiasm. Enjoyment, unlike attainment for example, is not particularly stratified by the standard student background variables. Nor is there evidence of a clear school effect. This means that enjoyment should be easy to enhance more widely, positively affecting the learner identities of all young people, including the more reluctant learners.

In this contribution, we present an overview and discussion of the key policies, trends and issues in UK education. The focus in the initial sections is more on the school system of early and compulsory education. Later sections focus also on post-compulsory and higher education, and links to the wo...
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In this contribution, we present an overview and discussion of the key policies, trends and issues in UK education. The focus in the initial sections is more on the school system of early and compulsory education. Later sections focus also on post-compulsory and higher education, and links to the world of work. There are four home countries in the UK – England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales – with increasingly divergent education systems. Where possible and relevant we distinguish these systems, especially at the start of the chapter. However, it is not possible within space constraints to provide detailed discussion of the distinctive legislative framework in each home country and for the purpose of this chapter we have focused primarily on England, which is the most populous of the home countries.

Japan and the U.S. have a long intimate relationship. Both have a history together that has included some of the most epic clashes and collaborations of all time. It stands to reason that even though both countries differ markedly in culture, values, socially accepted norms and conventions, there ex...
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Japan and the U.S. have a long intimate relationship. Both have a history together that has included some of the most epic clashes and collaborations of all time. It stands to reason that even though both countries differ markedly in culture, values, socially accepted norms and conventions, there exist similarities as well, especially in the way mass media texts are related to the social domains for which they exist. This critical analysis of two editorial news articles covering the tragedy at Virginia Tech in April of 2007 - one from a Japanese/International perspective and the other from an American perspective - will attempt to show, through critical discourse analysis, how the authors’ texts, reflect and serve to at least contribute to defining the society for which they have been written (Coulthard, 1991). Norman Fairclough, who is considered one of the founders of critical discourse analysis, lays the foundation upon which this analysis is built. This analysis will first identify five “aspects of textuality” (Fairclough, 1989) as they appear in the articles, and then will proceed with the Fairclough’s “interpretation of the interaction” in part 2. Part 3 is devoted to explaining how the identification and interpretation above “are inserted in social action” (Fairclough, 1992a and b, 1995). How discourse is shaped by relations of power and ideologies will be brought to light in parts two and three through a critical analysis looking at the following five aspects: 1) visibility and invisibility, 2) consistency, 3) modality, 4) relational processes, and 5) common sense appeal.

This paper builds upon an earlier analysis presented in this journal. Using official figures for school compositions and for outcomes at KS4 from 1997 to 2007, this paper considers each of the annual cohorts of new Academies in England, from 2002 to 2006. It shows that their level of success in comp...
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This paper builds upon an earlier analysis presented in this journal. Using official figures for school compositions and for outcomes at KS4 from 1997 to 2007, this paper considers each of the annual cohorts of new Academies in England, from 2002 to 2006. It shows that their level of success in comparison to their predecessors, national averages, their changing compositions, and their changing exam entry practices, are insubstantial. Of course some schools are gaining higher scores since Academisation, but others are gaining lower scores. Using the most recent results available there is no clear evidence that Academies produce better results than local authority schools with equivalent intakes. The Academies programme therefore presents an opportunity cost for no apparent gain.

This background paper is concerned with the intersection between Hinduism and international development. It provides an overview of existing studies, discusses the views of some of the main academic interpreters who have drawn attention to links between Hinduism and issues relevant to development, a...
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This background paper is concerned with the intersection between Hinduism and international development. It provides an overview of existing studies, discusses the views of some of the main academic interpreters who have drawn attention to links between Hinduism and issues relevant to development, and refers to relevant religious organizations.The paper is divided into three main sections. The first section aims to clarify what is meant by the 'Hindu Tradition'. In the second section, the relationship between Hinduism and some concepts and debates relevant to development (social ethics, including human rights and inequality; political systems; and attitudes towards economics, including notions of wellbeing, poverty and wealth) are explored. The final section contains a more focussed investigation into some important contemporary development issues and the ways that Hindus might approach them.

Managing references is a labour intensive, but necessary part of Information Management. Referencing correctly ensures that appropriate credit is given to sources and authors used to support research, avoids plagiarism and provides evidence that adequate research has been undertaken. If references a...
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Managing references is a labour intensive, but necessary part of Information Management. Referencing correctly ensures that appropriate credit is given to sources and authors used to support research, avoids plagiarism and provides evidence that adequate research has been undertaken. If references are found incomplete and hence are untraceable then there is a serious problem for you, your organisation and your users. There are now a growing number of reference software packages which can help both you and your users in this process. This article outlines what reference software is, issues to consider when choosing a package to support with examples of software packages and concludes with information about a campaign to simplify the whole process!

At the University of Birmingham, 2008 was the first time that library staff were involved in a Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), and by ensuring the completion of all record elements and the sourcing of over 4,000 items, they became an integral part of the process. This article highlights the info...
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At the University of Birmingham, 2008 was the first time that library staff were involved in a Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), and by ensuring the completion of all record elements and the sourcing of over 4,000 items, they became an integral part of the process. This article highlights the information retrieval and metadata skills that they brought to the task, and the lasting benefits of involvement in the project, from better quality output data to enhanced processes for the ongoing collection and validation of publication information. In addition, there is a greater awareness of the skills and expertise of librarians in this area, which will remain even more pertinent for support in the successor to the RAE, the Research Excellence Framework (REF).

In their technical report “On the bitopological nature of Stone duality” Jung and Moshier axiomatise a bitopological space as a d-frame, which can equivalently be described as a partial frame, a structure with two orders, one being a special Scott domain and the other a complete lattice. The rich ...
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In their technical report “On the bitopological nature of Stone duality” Jung and Moshier axiomatise a bitopological space as a d-frame, which can equivalently be described as a partial frame, a structure with two orders, one being a special Scott domain and the other a complete lattice. The rich interaction of these two orders arises from a ternary operation on distributive lattices and is informally known as the 90-degree-lemma. Motivation for considering a second order originates in Belnap’s four-valued logic. The infinitary connections of the two orders are based on a set of axioms which are derived from the Stone duality for bitopological spaces. In this paper it is shown that the axioms given by Jung and Moshier contain some previously unknown redundancies. The redundancies yield an isomorphism of two categories, one having special Scott domains as objects and the other a certain type of complete lattice.

This article explores whether and the extent to which the Islamic tradition espouses particular development models. Specifically the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of recent materials produced by relevant Islamic institutions and by some of the main academic interpreters, in order t...
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This article explores whether and the extent to which the Islamic tradition espouses particular development models. Specifically the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of recent materials produced by relevant Islamic institutions and by some of the main academic interpreters, in order to assist in the development of a basic conceptual understanding of the factors that may influence particular Islamic approaches to development issues encountered in the field. As background, first some trends in the study of Islam are identified, and then a brief history of Islamic civilization is sketched. The paper then moves to explain the basic tenets of the Muslim face, followed by a description of the main Islamic sects. The article finally moves to an exploration of some key pan-Islamic organizations, and their role in development.

This paper provides a review of literature that bears on the relationship between Sikhism and development. At its most general level, this review raises the question of whether the Sikh tradition is compatible with or hinders development, as generally understood in the mainstream 'development discou...
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This paper provides a review of literature that bears on the relationship between Sikhism and development. At its most general level, this review raises the question of whether the Sikh tradition is compatible with or hinders development, as generally understood in the mainstream 'development discourse.'Various facets of development are discussed by examining the Sikh scriptural writings on those subjects, and how Sikh norms and beliefs have evolved into particular ethical practices bearing on developmental issues. Thus, the teaching of Sikhism on key development concepts and practices, such as wealth, poverty and inequality, are discussed along with related topics of debt, credit and usury. The paper also tests a popular image of Sikhs' contribution to rapid economic development in Indian Punjab and juxtaposes it with the contemporary crisis in Punjab agriculture, which is marked by decreasing productivity and an environmental crisis.

Both reactive and deliberative qualities are essential for a good action selection mechanism. We present a model that embodies a hybrid of two very different neural network architectures inside an animat: one that controls their high level deliberative behaviours, such as the selection of sub-goals,...
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Both reactive and deliberative qualities are essential for a good action selection mechanism. We present a model that embodies a hybrid of two very different neural network architectures inside an animat: one that controls their high level deliberative behaviours, such as the selection of sub-goals, and one that provides reactive and navigational capabilities. Animats using this model are evolved in novel and dynamic environments, on complex tasks requiring deliberative behaviours: tasks that cannot be solved by reactive mechanisms alone and which would traditionally have their solutions formulated in terms of search-based planning. Significantly, no a priori information is given to the animats, making explicit forward search through state transitions impossible. The complexity of the problem means that animats must first learn to solve sub-goals without receiving any reward. Animats are shown increasingly complex versions of the task, with the results demonstrating, for the first time, incremental neuro-evolutionary learning on such tasks.

This article describes Phase 2 of the ICT Skills project, which used the WebCT Virtual Learning Environment to deliver information literacy and IT Skills training materials to 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates at the University Of Birmingham. It describes the aims of the project, the development of le...
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This article describes Phase 2 of the ICT Skills project, which used the WebCT Virtual Learning Environment to deliver information literacy and IT Skills training materials to 2nd and 3rd year undergraduates at the University Of Birmingham. It describes the aims of the project, the development of learning objects in conjunction with partner schools, responses from the wider academic community, and feedback from the Information Literacy practitioner community. It also discusses the problems and issues surrounding embedding Information Literacy learning objects within the curriculum and the student experience. The authors conclude by identifying the beneficial outcomes of the project.

This paper provides an overview of the literature concerning African Traditional Religion and its relationship to development. Given the shortage of material pertaining specifically to this topic, the paper attempts to use the available broader literature to shed light on how the religious tradition...
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This paper provides an overview of the literature concerning African Traditional Religion and its relationship to development. Given the shortage of material pertaining specifically to this topic, the paper attempts to use the available broader literature to shed light on how the religious tradition views certain concepts related to development, how these concepts have evolved over time, and how the religion underpins the social and cultural attitudes and behaviour of Africans. The paper is also intended to provide a basic overview of the religious tradition to readers who may be unfamiliar with it.

The main aim of this background paper is to provide an understanding of the development studies literature and how this has evolved over time, to inform work on the relationships between religions and development, especially for those who are engaging in research on development issues for the first ...
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The main aim of this background paper is to provide an understanding of the development studies literature and how this has evolved over time, to inform work on the relationships between religions and development, especially for those who are engaging in research on development issues for the first time. Central to this review is an understanding of 'development' and how it has been conceptualised from different perspectives and in different areas. the review starts by examining the meaning of 'development', and different approaches to development, starting from classical understandings to contemporary conceptualisations.The debates leading to the current pre-occupation with 'poverty reduction' are summarised, with a specific section devoted to conceptions of poverty. In section 4, self-styled alternatives to the mainstream areas of development literature are discussed briefly. Finally an outline some areas within the development studies literature that deal with issues of religion/faith is included.

The aim of this study is to provide a background paper that is concerned with the intersection between Buddhism and international development. Firstly, it provides a brief overview of Buddhist teachings, beliefs and practices; secondly, it will discuss the relationship between Buddhist values and ke...
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The aim of this study is to provide a background paper that is concerned with the intersection between Buddhism and international development. Firstly, it provides a brief overview of Buddhist teachings, beliefs and practices; secondly, it will discuss the relationship between Buddhist values and key development concerns; and, finally, it will provide a more focussed investigation into some areas of development and the way that Buddhists might approach them (i.e. ecology;economics, poverty, debt and borrowing; gender; and peacebuilding).

This paper aims to give an overview of thinking on development and related issues in the major Christian traditions. The paper is divided into five sections: Roman Catholic social teaching; liberal Protestantism and social Christianity; the Ecumenical movement and liberation theology; Conservative-E...
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This paper aims to give an overview of thinking on development and related issues in the major Christian traditions. The paper is divided into five sections: Roman Catholic social teaching; liberal Protestantism and social Christianity; the Ecumenical movement and liberation theology; Conservative-Evangelical and Fundamentalist movements, and Pentecostal and independent indigenous churches. The paper concludes by summarising Christian attitudes to the key concepts of the Religions and Development project and Christian approaches to the key issues.

This paper reviews literature that is concerned with the role of religion in public administration and management. Firstly we provide some conceptual clarifications and then go on to examine and compare the key features of the traditional/bureaucratic model and the new public management model (NPM),...
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This paper reviews literature that is concerned with the role of religion in public administration and management. Firstly we provide some conceptual clarifications and then go on to examine and compare the key features of the traditional/bureaucratic model and the new public management model (NPM), as well as the theoretical frameworks and values that underpin them. We then move to assess the extent to which the mainstream literature in public administration/management considers aspects of values and beliefs and the role of religion with respect to these. This section also reviews literature that discusses the influence of culture on public administration and development. In section four we review the few studies that have directly addressed the role of religion in public administration/management, and finally, in section five, we attempt to identify research gaps.

Recognition of social diversity and difference has, over the last few decades, had a profound impact on development theory. Concerns of the different needs, roles and experiences of various gender, disability, age, and ethnicity groups have started to shape how theorists and practitioners alike enga...
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Recognition of social diversity and difference has, over the last few decades, had a profound impact on development theory. Concerns of the different needs, roles and experiences of various gender, disability, age, and ethnicity groups have started to shape how theorists and practitioners alike engage with development issues. Until very recently, however, the literature has been peculiarly silent on the role and place of religion. In this working paper, which introduces the University of Birmingham's state-of-the-art Religions and Development Programme (RAD), the reasons for this relative neglect of religion are explored alongside a delineation of RAD's central research questions.

The EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) project is building on previous e-thesis (or EDT) initiatives, and co-ordinating the work of some of the key players in the UK to develop a service for finding, accessing and archiving digital copies of Doctoral theses produced in UK higher education inst...
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The EThOS (Electronic Theses Online Service) project is building on previous e-thesis (or EDT) initiatives, and co-ordinating the work of some of the key players in the UK to develop a service for finding, accessing and archiving digital copies of Doctoral theses produced in UK higher education institutions. Key issues for the project are the development of a sound financial basis for a successful service, the provision of advice needed by authors and university staff on handling intellectual property rights, and protecting legitimate needs for confidentiality. EThOS will also establish workable and standards-based procedures for populating e-thesis repositories with current and retrospectively-acquired digital versions of theses and associated metadata. These developments must also fit with universities’ own internal administrative arrangements and regulations. The project aims to deliver an e-thesis infrastructure that is both technically and financially sustainable, together with a full supporting toolkit of guidance, standards and procedures.

This article focuses on the field of adoption to illustrate how an interpretative methodological approach to a single extract of research text can suggest diverse ways of making sense of an adoptive parent’s experience. We seek to demonstrate an approach to understanding text as narrative using a sh...
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This article focuses on the field of adoption to illustrate how an interpretative methodological approach to a single extract of research text can suggest diverse ways of making sense of an adoptive parent’s experience. We seek to demonstrate an approach to understanding text as narrative using a short extract from a long interview with an adoptive mother. Our analysis of this fragment sets out to show the richness, complexity and ambiguities of the respondent’s experience as they are expressed in her words. An argument is briefly presented for the utility of this approach for social work practitioners working in the area of adoption and fostering, and, by implication, in other areas of social work. Key words: narrative, adoption, meaning, text, user-centred

The educational inclusion of pupils with special, or additional, educational needs is being promoted internationally. One would expect that professionals for whom the group identity as ‘special professional’ is both important and perceived as being under threat, would only be supportive of inclusion...
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The educational inclusion of pupils with special, or additional, educational needs is being promoted internationally. One would expect that professionals for whom the group identity as ‘special professional’ is both important and perceived as being under threat, would only be supportive of inclusion if it could be orchestrated in a way which fosters that identity. This paper provides a review of the research literature concerning social group identification and perceived threat with particular reference to out-group derogation, perception of group structure and in-group affirming behaviour. This review provides the context for findings from a scale about social identity (devised for this research) concerning an e mail group oriented to professionals working with children with special needs (N=105). The survey identified three social identity factors (perceived typicality, public reference to the group and identification with prototypical group members). High (compared with low) e mail group message senders were less likely to see themselves as typical of workers in the field but more likely to identify with SEN as a group. The work has conceptual interest in that it supports recent theorising in social identity, and in an area for which there is a need for a greater variety of studies having good ecological validity. The work also has considerable relevance as an example of the possible application of psychological theories to the special needs context of fostering effective change concerning inclusion and integration.

These three short pieces were entries to a competition on "Tricky Stats" that were each published in British Psychological Sciety's monthly periodical, The Psychologist, in 1994 or 1995. [There is a slightly longer unpublished version of the piece on 'scales' at the end of this e-paper. See also a s...
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These three short pieces were entries to a competition on "Tricky Stats" that were each published in British Psychological Sciety's monthly periodical, The Psychologist, in 1994 or 1995. [There is a slightly longer unpublished version of the piece on 'scales' at the end of this e-paper. See also a short communication by this author in the journal Appetite (53, 438-441) for 2009, called "The basics of quantitative judgment."] The series then ended.