scholarly journals The Absent Presence of Aeromobility: A Case of Australian Academic Air Travel Practices and University Policy

2022 ◽  
pp. 79-101
Author(s):  
Andrew Glover ◽  
Tania Lewis ◽  
Yolande Strengers
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
University Policy ◽  
Strategic Plans ◽  
University Policies ◽  
Absent Presence ◽  
Academic Policies

AbstractMobilities scholarship has paid considerable attention to the forms of presence enabled by air travel in hypermobile organisations (Elliott & Urry, 2010; Strengers, 2015; Storme et al., 2017). However, there has been less focus on the absences that these presences simultaneously generate. This chapter develops the concept of ‘absent presences’ enabled through the practices and policies of academic hypermobility. The chapter draws on qualitative interviews with 24 Australian-based academics, alongside a review of university policies that are relevant to air travel. We use these data to explore ‘absent presence’ in academic air travel. First, we suggest that there is an assumption in academia that embodied presence is required for authentic modes of knowledge sharing and networking, primarily at conferences and meetings. Yet this type of presence abroad requires that one is absent from home for extended periods. Second, we show how absent presence exists in academic policies concerning air travel. In university strategic plans, air travel is present as a means and measure of academic success. In university sustainability policies, however, air travel’s environmental impacts are often absent from consideration. We conclude by discussing the implications of absent presence in academic work life, as well as university policy and practice more broadly.

scholarly journals Exploring Social Integration of Sport Students during the Transition to University

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rick Hayman ◽  
Linda Allin ◽  
Andrew Coyles
Keyword(s):  
Social Integration ◽  
Best Practice ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
First Year ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Transition To University ◽  
First Year Students ◽  
University Policy ◽  
The North

This paper outlines findings from a study exploring student experiences of their transition and social integration during the first semester of a sport programme at a post 1992 University in the North of England. The study was implemented due to an issue with retention across the sport degree programmes and the knowledge that whilst a student’s decision to withdraw from university is multifaceted, it is influenced by factors relating to a lack of social integration, including homesickness and difficulties in making new friends (Thomas, 2002). A failure or lack of opportunity to socially integrate can also negatively impact the opening months of a student’s university experience (Mackie, 1998; Wilcox, Winn, & Fyvie-Gauld, 2005). Students were engaged as partners and co-creators with academic staff throughout the study: second year peer mentors undertook qualitative interviews with first year students, which focused on the students’ experiences of the transition to university, the importance of social integration, including barriers and facilitators and the role sport may play towards this process. Nine first year students were interviewed. Findings and best practice which may assist academic and support staff in maximising the overall university student experience are presented. Implications to aid effective university policy and practice to improve student retention, attainment and progression are discussed as well as identifying how sport can play a role as both a facilitator and barrier to developing sense of identity and belonging.

scholarly journals Older Adults as Citizen Scientists and Policy and Planning Voices in Higher Education

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 547-547
Author(s):  
Lenard Kaye ◽  
Sarah Burby
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Community Based Participatory Research ◽  
Retirement Communities ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
University Policy ◽  
Adult Participation ◽  
Life Education ◽  
Older Citizens

Abstract The University of Maine is embarking on achieving AFU status. In addition to maximizing older adult participation in all facets of campus life (education, recreation, culture, etc.), their presence in nontraditional sectors of university activity will be emphasized. Building on the principles of community-based, participatory research, focal points of UMaine’s AFU strategy will be to ensure that age-specific, engagement mechanisms are created and maintained that ensure older citizens play an influential role in guiding and interpreting academic research and development and curricula innovation across multiple professions and disciplines. Using a state-wide, older adult research registry, and co-design, community test-beds in partnership with continuing care retirement communities, older adults will serve as citizen scientists. Other empowerment strategies for maximizing elder voice include expanding the number of departments that incorporate life span perspectives in their mission statements and expanding the number of older adult advisory bodies that inform university policy and practice.

scholarly journals Improving the quality of child-care centres through supportive assessment and ‘communities of practice’ in informal settlements in Nairobi: protocol of a feasibility study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. e042544
Author(s):  
Margaret Nampijja ◽  
Kenneth Okelo ◽  
Patricia Kitsao Wekulo ◽  
Elizabeth W Kimani-Murage ◽  
Helen Elsey
Keyword(s):  
Child Care ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Informal Settlements ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Child Care Providers ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Child Care Centre ◽  
Scientific Review

IntroductionInvesting in children during the critical period between birth and age 5 years can have long-lasting benefits throughout their life. Children in Kenya’s urban informal settlements, face significant challenges to healthy development, particularly when their families need to earn a daily wage and cannot care for them during the day. In response, informal and poor quality child-care centres with untrained caregivers have proliferated. We aim to co-design and test the feasibility of a supportive assessment and skills-building for child-care centre providers.Methods and analysisA sequential mixed-methods approach will be used. We will map and profile child-care centres in two informal settlements in Nairobi, and complete a brief quality assessment of 50 child-care centres. We will test the feasibility of a supportive assessment skills-building system on 40 child-care centres, beginning with assessing centre-caregivers’ knowledge and skills in these centres. This will inform the subsequent co-design process and provide baseline data. Following a policy review, we will use experience-based co-design to develop the supportive assessment process. This will include qualitative interviews with policymakers (n=15), focus groups with parents (n=4 focus group discussions (FGDs)), child-care providers (n=4 FGDs) and joint workshops. To assess feasibility and acceptability, we will observe, record and cost implementation for 6 months. The knowledge/skills questionnaire will be repeated at the end of implementation and results will inform the purposive selection of 10 child-care providers and parents for qualitative interviews. Descriptive statistics and thematic framework approach will respectively be used to analyse quantitative and qualitative data and identify drivers of feasibility.Ethics and disseminationThe study has been approved by Amref Health Africa’s Ethics and Scientific Review Committee (Ref: P7802020 on 20th April 2020) and the University of York (Ref: HSRGC 20th March 2020). Findings will be published and continual engagement with decision-makers will embed findings into child-care policy and practice.

“There is still a perception that homelessness is a housing problem”: devolution, homelessness and health in the UK

2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Whiteford ◽  
Glenn Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Homeless People ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Issue Salience ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Healthcare Provision ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Comparative Policy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide an exploratory account of the links between devolution, homelessness and health in the UK. Specifically, it focusses on the policy context and governance structures that shape the systems of healthcare for homeless people in London, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Design/methodology/approach Empirically the paper draws on semi-structured interviews with a small sample of policy and practice actors from the devolved territories. Qualitative interviews were supplemented by a comparative policy analysis of the homelessness and health agenda within the devolved regions. Theoretically, it takes inspiration from Chaney’s concept of the “issue salience of homelessness” and explores the comparative character of healthcare as pertains to homeless people across the devolved territories. Findings The paper provides clear evidence of areas of divergence and convergence in policy and practice between the devolved regions. These features are shown to be strongly mediated by the interplay of two factors: first, the scope and scale of national and local homelessness prevention strategies; and second, intra-national variation in public health responses to homelessness. Originality/value The paper offers considerable insight from a comparative policy perspective into the nature of healthcare provision for homeless people in the devolved regions.

scholarly journals Institutional thoughtlessness and the needs of older probation clients

2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 118-136
Author(s):  
Nichola Cadet
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Freedom Of Information ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Daily Experiences ◽  
Information Request ◽  
Older Prisoners ◽  
Probation Service ◽  
First Time

This article explores the increase in the number of older people on probation caseloads. ‘Older’ clients are defined as those aged 50 and over, in line with the use of this definition by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service. Drawing upon a Freedom of Information request submitted to the Ministry of Justice, the data show increases in the age of probation clients across community orders, suspended sentences, and supervision on licence. One in five residents in Approved Premises are over 50. Despite the increase, there is a dearth of research relating to the needs of older people on probation and how well probation services and staff are equipped to meet their needs. Consequently, this article utilises research relating to older prisoners, drawing inferences to probation experiences. This prompts the question of whether probation is ‘institutionally thoughtless’, a term coined relating to the daily experiences of older prisoners. This article depicts findings from qualitative interviews with older prisoners in prison for the first time. The findings highlight ambivalence towards completing accredited programmes, which may be applicable to probation settings. This article concludes that action to tackle discrimination requires a commitment to justice, self-awareness, and knowledge via policy and practice.

Discursive ripple effects in language policy and practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-179
Author(s):  
Wanyu Amy Ou ◽  
Mingyue Michelle Gu ◽  
Francis M. Hult
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Social Activity ◽  
Language Policies ◽  
University Administrators ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Ripple Effects ◽  
Multilingual Students ◽  
Local Practices ◽  
University Policies ◽  
Communicative Context

Abstract The advancement of English as an instrument for the internationalization of higher education has foregrounded English as an academic lingua franca (EALF), and the case of China is no exception. This study focuses on the process by which EALF has been interpreted and negotiated across university policies and local practices in China’s internationalized higher education. Drawing upon nexus analysis and multisource data, the study traced the discursive (re)location of EALF across different scales of social activity related to multilingualism at an English-medium transnational university in China. Our analysis illustrates the tension between English and other co-existing languages, as presented in educational language policies and as perceived and practiced by multilingual students in the local communicative context. The findings also show an interactive policymaking process through which students and university administrators opened ideological and implementational spaces that linguistically and semiotically pluralized communicative scenarios at the internationalized university in focus.

scholarly journals Environmental management control systems for carbon emissions

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadia Di Giacomo ◽  
James Guthrie ◽  
Federica Farneti
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Carbon Emissions ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Air Travel ◽  
Management Control ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Study Approach

Purpose This paper aims to focus on a global consulting company and examine how it struggled to establish an effective environmental management control system for carbon emissions for its employees’ air travel. The organisation was motivated to reduce its carbon emissions both to comply with regulation and to enhance or maintain corporate reputation. Design/methodology/approach The paper takes a case study approach, examining internal and external documents as well as conducting interviews with senior staff. Findings The case study investigates how Beta’s management implemented a system to reduce carbon emissions. The organisation focused on air travel, but the study finds that employee travel preferences did not radically change. Rather than reduction in carbon emissions, as planned by head office, air travel carbon emissions actually increased during the period, and, as a consequence, the reported reduction targets were significantly adjusted downwards to meet the new realities. Practical/implications The study has implications for both policy and practice for organisations seeking to improve their sustainability performance. Originality/value The study responds to calls in the literature to undertake research to identify how management practices might reduce negative sustainability impacts, as there is little evidence of what management practices and accounting tools are being adopted, particularly in relation to carbon emissions from air travel. The paper adds to the creation of new accounting, giving visibility to carbon emission management through case study analysis.

‘We’re Giving Them Choice Which Is Controlled Choice’—Care Managers’ Views on Finding Social Care Support for People with Learning Disabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (7) ◽  
pp. 2063-2082
Author(s):  
Lisa Richardson ◽  
Agnes Turnpenny ◽  
Beckie Whelton ◽  
Julie Beadle-Brown
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Care Management ◽  
Social Care ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Controlled Choice ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Care Managers ◽  
Quality Choice

Abstract Choice and control are pivotal in UK Government policy for achieving personalisation of social care for people with learning disabilities; however, little is known about the role care management plays in supporting people with learning disabilities finding social care services. This article explores that the support care managers provide people with learning disabilities, how care managers source and use information to offer choice in relation to accommodation and support, with a focus on people receiving managed budgets. Qualitative interviews with eight care managers from two local authorities in the South East of England were analysed using thematic network analysis, producing three global themes. The first ‘shaping choice’ describes the role of the care management process and assessments have in determining opportunities for choice. The gathering and interpretation of quality information is explored in the second global theme, highlighting the role of visiting settings to understand their quality. ‘Choice in principle’ is the third global theme, whereby the factors shaping choice come to be seen as choice akin to that anyone else has. These findings have implications for future policy and practice in relation to care management for people with learning disabilities.

Gender relations in the workplace: The experience of female managers in African harbours

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 291-314
Author(s):  
Henriett Primecz ◽  
Helena Karjalainen
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Work Life Balance ◽  
African Women ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Life Balance ◽  
Women In Management ◽  
Female Managers ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
North African Countries

Scholarship on women in management has been dominated by White Western women, rendering African women management research largely invisible. Consequently, we know very little about female managers in African contexts. This study advances knowledge of the career obstacles, work–life balance issues and leadership styles of African women leaders, by presenting testimonies based on exploratory qualitative interviews with 26 female port managers from two North African countries and eight sub-Saharan countries. The findings show that the interviewees in this sample are not subjugated women on the periphery of their societies. Rather, they are active agents who are capable of producing effective professional identities and mostly represent middle- or upper-class women in their societies. Although they face similar issues as those identified in previous women in management literature, including subtle or overt discrimination, work–life balance difficulties and a lack of recognition from male counterparts, their situation differs slightly from those in the West owing to their cultural, historical and religious context.

scholarly journals The Struggles of Attending Introductory English Courses in Bangladeshi Universities

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. 223-234
Author(s):  
Md. Akteruzzaman ◽  
Shaila Binte Sattar
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Mixed Mode ◽  
Language Skills ◽  
The State ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
International Language

Considering the recent economic milestone achieved by Bangladesh, a downright reformation has emerged as obligatory which is a sustainable and all-round delivery of English throughout the academic journey of all the learners. Still, students are found struggling with the elementary language skills while attending introductory English courses at the universities. This study, conducted in mixed-mode, recounts the findings based on the data collected from twenty-one universities. Through this investigative work, the researchers have tried to diagnose the reasons behind the struggles faced by the learners and attempt to explain such outcomes from the perspectives of the gaps between policy and practice, attitude towards English, and the state of ELT in Bangladesh. Findings suggest that the issue of maintaining the synergy between separate levels of education is ignored by the stakeholders as well as the policy makers since the policy itself fails to uphold the significance of English as an international language. In addition, faulty application of CLT in the learners’ secondary levels create a fearful image of English in their minds hindering them from conceptualising English as an international language as well as a tool for their future academic success.

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