A criminologically informed examination of looting behaviour during natural disaster incidents

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles Gaherity ◽  
Philip Birch
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Crime Prevention ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Prevention Measures ◽  
Prevention Policy ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine looting behaviour during natural disaster incidents. As a consequence, this study considers looting in the context of two case studies: a Tsunami and a Bushfire. The study offers an exploration into the types of and motivations for looting, as well as reflecting on prevention measures. Design/methodology/approach The methodological approach of a rapid evidence assessment (REA) is used to examine looting behaviour within the context of two natural disaster incidents, drawing on a thematic analysis, as outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006) to support the presentation of findings. Findings The findings of the REA yield three themes. The first theme, Theme 1, focuses on the types of offenders – looters, while Theme 2 focuses on the motivations for offending behaviour – looting. The final theme, Theme 3, presents crime prevention responses: looters and looting. Each theme is further illustrated through a number of sub-themes, and while the two case studies centre on two distinct natural disaster incidents, there are similarities that exist between them offering insights for why looting occurs and consequently how to respond to looting. Research limitations/implications Previous research has recognised how incidents such as bushfires enable and create opportunity for looting behaviour. Yet, arguably, little has been achieved in successfully preventing such behaviour. This study offers evidence for why looting occurs during natural disaster incidents and considers the prevention measures that can lead to a reduction in this offending into the future. The need for more detailed and primary research into looting during natural disaster incidents is a research implication engendered by the current study. Practical implications This study considers crime prevention approaches in the form of situational crime prevention and social development crime prevention that have direct relevance on crime prevention policy and practice. The practical implications are worthy of attention from law enforcement agencies and other first/emergency responders. Social implications This study seeks to offer evidence for policy and practice initiatives that can increase public safety and reduce further threats to community safety during natural disaster incidents. Originality/value After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, a concerted effort for swifter and more effective responses to emergency management incidents has occurred. However, the focus of such responses has typically overlooked looting during natural disaster incidents. This study goes some way in addressing that gap in the literature and connects the current scientific knowledge to prevention strategies, informing future policy and practice responses to addressing looting during such incidents. This study provides a stimuli for further research into looters, looting and natural disaster incidents.

A local case study of the crime decline

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-114
Author(s):  
Garner Clancey
Keyword(s):  
Crime Prevention ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Crime Decline ◽  
Local Case ◽  
Case Study Site ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the local dimensions of the “crime decline”. Design/methodology/approach – Two focus groups and 15 semi-structured interviews with local practitioners. Findings – Some offences have fallen significantly in the case study site in the last ten to 12 years. Local practitioners tended to explain these declines with reference to local services and programmes. These declines have potentially contributed to the reduction in crime prevention infrastructure and there is concern that funding will be reduced as crime falls. Research limitations/implications – The findings have been generated from a single case study site. While aspects of the findings resonate beyond the case study area, there are some characteristics of the site that limit the application of the findings to other areas. Practical implications – The findings from this research have few practical implications. The research sought to understand dimensions of local crime and the impact on local activities. Social implications – This research provides some insights into crime trends and local responses to crime. The findings will be of interest to crime prevention and community safety practitioners and policy makers. Originality/value – There has been little analysis of the impact of the “crime decline” on local communities and community safety infrastructure. Therefore this paper is original and adds to the growing knowledge of the “crime decline”.

“Masked crusader”: a case study of “crime-fighting” activities by a “real-life superhero”

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 56-64
Author(s):  
Vladislav Iouchkov ◽  
Philip Birch
Keyword(s):  
Social Control ◽  
Crime Prevention ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Bystander Intervention ◽  
Informal Social Control ◽  
Community Safety ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Safety Policy ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine informal social control, vigilantism, and bystander intervention with reference to the Real-Life Superhero (RLSH) movement/community. Design/methodology/approach – This is a qualitative case study in which an in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted with a member of the RLSH community. Findings – This paper conceptualises RLSH activity as a novel approach to informal social control and bystander intervention, whilst revealing the inaccuracy of the media-imposed “vigilante” stigma attributed to RLSHs. Research limitations/implications – Clarifying the goals and methods of RLSHs as striving to be pro-social and law-abiding in nature creates an avenue for dialogue between RLSHs and local justice agencies to establish a working partnership for community safety, thereby mediating interactions between informal and formal agents of social control. Practical implications – Justice agencies to engage with all individuals and groups who are performing community safety/crime prevention functions in a more effective and inclusive way. To ensure formal and informal mechanisms of social control, and the wider community, recognise, and legitimise the RLSH movement in community safety policy and practice. Reconsider the use of the term “vigilantism” and how it is it applied to individuals and community groups involved in community safety policy and practice. This case study presents a unique approach to community safety and crime prevention that can be extended within this public safety philosophy and practice. Originality/value – This study is a contribution to a small but growing body of research concerning the RLSH movement/community.

Negotiation and corporate strategy

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 4-6
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Corporate Strategy ◽  
Organizational Strategy ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Consistent Approach

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Negotiation is a key tool in delivering competitive advantage but requires a clear and consistent approach closely linked to organizational strategy. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Blending global and regional planning in multinationals

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 16-18
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Regional Planning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Central Planning ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Blending global and regional planning is important for multinationals. Within a central framework, local offices should have input. Different regions will approach this in different ways, but regional planning needs to be in-synch with central planning cycles. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists, and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Public convenience, private company

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (11) ◽  
pp. 8-10
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Market Share ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Private Company ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Established Firms ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – The innovator’s dilemma is a relatively new story, although it seems to have been around in decades. The dilemma relates to established firms who cannot decide whether to “stick or twist” in their strategy. If they stay with their current offering, they will gradually lose market share or could quickly be overturned by a fast-paced competitor; if they invest in change, they will lose their profitable existence with no guarantee of success. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

The Google Knowledge Graph

2014 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 15-17 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Social Impact ◽  
Knowledge Graph ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Principal Source ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
The Web

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Becoming increasingly reliant on the web as a principal source of finding information is altering our brains and the way that we obtain and hold knowledge. We are becoming less reliant on our memories to hold knowledge, instead using technology – and search engines like Google in particular – to deposit and retrieve information. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Social implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that can have a broader social impact. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

scholarly journals “Happy slaves”? The adaptation problem and identity politics in the writings of Amartya Sen

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1178-1193
Author(s):  
Tony Burns
Keyword(s):  
Identity Politics ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Conceptual Analysis ◽  
Practical Implication ◽  
Methodological Approach ◽  
Mary Wollstonecraft ◽  
Amartya Sen ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Amartya Sen’s notion of adaptation and his views on identity politics by focussing on the issue of slavery and, more specifically, on the example of the happy or contented slave. Design/methodology/approach The paper is text based. The methodological approach adopted is that of conceptual analysis, as is typical for work of this kind. Findings The paper concludes that the example of the happy or contented slave is indeed a fruitful one for those interested in exploring the relationship between Sen’s views on “the adaptation problem” and his views on identity politics, especially in relation to the subjection of women. Here Sen’s debt to the ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill is particularly important. Research limitations/implications One implication of the argument of the paper is that there is a need to consider more carefully the differences that exist between the views of Wollstonecraft and Mill, so far as the example of the happy or contented slave is concerned. Practical implications One practical implication of the paper is that, hopefully, it establishes the continued relevance of the ideas of thinkers such as Wollstonecraft and Mill today, not least because of the influence that they have had on theoreticians such as Amartya Sen. Social implications The paper addresses issues which are of considerable social and political significance, especially for women in underdeveloped societies today. Originality/value The example of the happy or contented slave has not received much discussion in the literature on Sen, although Sen himself has suggested that the distinction between happiness and contentment is an important one, which does merit further discussion.

Shared learning in restaurant kitchens

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-34
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Driving Force ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Cutting Edge ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Shared Learning ◽  
Cooking Shows ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings – Cooking is big business right now. Television cooking shows are highly popular and this in turn is generating interest in cooking as a pastime. As a result, many professional chefs are becoming celebrities, endorsing products and publishing books. Less obvious is their role as the leader of a team and the driving force behind the development of apprentice chefs. They set the pace and direction of learning in the kitchen and have an important role as a coach and facilitator. Practical implications – The paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Agile ascension

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Competitive Advantage ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Learning Strategies ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Agile Learning ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Agile learning strategies and agile core competencies are crucial to the success of organizations in the digital economy. These principles can be adopted by others to gain and maintain competitive advantage. 10; 10; Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document