scholarly journals Exploring the Prospects for Islamic Home Finance in the UK: Evidence from the Industry Practitioners’ Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 353-368
Author(s):  
Tanveer Ahmed ◽  
Sarkar Kabir ◽  
Aqsa Aziz

The predominant focus of most of the existing literature assessing the potential of Islamic home finance in the UK has been on Muslim customersand also appears to be outdated. This updated study takes a fresh approach, exploring the prospects for Islamic home finance taking into account the UK’s current financial position by involving neglected key stakeholders: independent mortgage consultants. The findings—derived from semi-structured interviews with a sample of ten experienced mortgage brokers—reveal that factors such as affordability (i.e. higher deposits), acceptability (i.e. strict criteria), accessibility (i.e. lack of products and banks),and low levels of product knowledge and recognition have restricted its uptake. The findings also highlight that the Muslim community does not provide a sufficiently large market for Islamic home finance and,as such,it has a limited scope in the UK market.

2014 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 544-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris I. Goodier ◽  
Ksenia Chmutina

Purpose – This paper aims to demonstrate the complex inter-relationship of non-technical barriers involved in the implementation of decentralised energy (DE) projects. To meet its ambitious 2050 target of 80 per cent carbon emission reduction, the UK needs to increase dramatically the wider uptake of DE systems. Many examples exist internationally of DE systems leading to enhanced carbon emissions reductions, including systems based not only on technological but also on more innovative policy, financial and social-economic approaches. Design/methodology/approach – Following semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and thematic analysis with NVivo8, four exemplar international DE case studies have been investigated. Findings – The main non-technical barriers were not necessarily financial, as is often believed; governance barriers, such as out-of-date regulations or unreliable partners, can also play a critical role in a project’s success or failure. Social barriers such as public apathy and misinformation often affect a project’s operation. It is further hypothesised that non-technical barriers are often shaped by personal and/or organisational values related to consumption, abundance, trust and control. Finally, recommendations are provided on overcoming these barriers with regards replicating similar DE projects in the UK context. Originality/value – A systematic perspective is presented, which takes into account the possible interactions between the various barriers and demonstrates that to remove some of these barriers, it is important to understand and account for their varied and interconnected nature.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (5) ◽  
pp. 308-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuala Devlin ◽  
Seana Duggan

Nurse education in the UK has undergone a radical change over the past 30 years. The integration of nursing students within practice has evolved from an apprenticeship style to bespoke mentoring support. To act as mentors, registered nurses must have met stage 2 outcomes of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards to Support Learning and Assessment in Practice, which clearly stipulate that mentors should have a reduced clinical commitment when supporting students, with one hour per week being protected, in addition to the 40% of time through direct or indirect supervision with their mentor/sign off mentor when facilitating a student on their final 12-week experience. However, this does not seem to be the case in reality. A qualitative study comprising six semi-structured interviews was undertaken across one health and social care trust. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. A number of themes and subthemes were identified: engagement (barriers versus strategies), support (inclusivity versus exclusivity), and lack of recognition (strategic versus organisational). Due to the expected changes of supervising and assessing nursing students in practice, it is imperative that an innovative, collaborative and engaged approach is facilitated from all key stakeholders to ensure the sustainability of supporting and assessing students by registered nurses and the safeguarding of the public within clinical practice.


Publications ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie Baldwin ◽  
Stephen Pinfield

Whilst take-up of open access (OA) in the UK is growing rapidly due partly to a number of funder mandates, managing the complexities of balancing compliance with these mandates against restrictive publisher policies and ingrained academic priorities, has resulted in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) often struggling with confused researchers, complex workflows, and rising costs. In order to try to address this situation, the UK Scholarly Communication Licence (UK-SCL) was formulated to bypass the root causes of many of these challenges by implementing a licensing mechanism for multiple-mandate compliance in one single policy. This is the first empirical study to focus on the genesis of the UK-SCL and how its implementation has been conceived thus far. A qualitative research method was used, taking the form of 14 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders from the initiative across the UK. The results indicate that those working within UK HEIs are concerned with the complexity of the current OA policy landscape and are frustrated with the inertia within the current system, which has resulted in higher costs, further publisher restrictions, and has not addressed the underlying tensions in academic culture. The UK-SCL is seen by its initiators as a way to achieve further transition towards OA and take back some element of control of the content produced at their institutions. The study concludes by modelling the ways in which the UK-SCL is intended to impact relationships between key stakeholders, and discussing possible implementation futures.


2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 714-730 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Lord ◽  
Nicola Gale

Purpose – Patient-centred care and patient involvement are increasingly central concepts in health policy in the UK and elsewhere. However, there is little consensus regarding their definition or how to achieve “patient-centred” care in everyday practice or how to involve patients in service redesign initiatives. The purpose of this paper is to explore these issues from the perspective of key stakeholders within National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in the UK. Design/methodology/approach – Semi-structured interviews, covering a range of topics related to service redesign, were conducted with 77 key stakeholders across three NHS Trusts in the West Midlands. In total, 20 of these stakeholders were re-interviewed 18 months later. Data were managed and analysed using the Framework Method. Findings – While patient-centred care and patient involvement were regularly cited as important to the stakeholders, a gap persisted between values and reported practice. This gap is explained through close examination of the ways in which the concepts were used by stakeholders, and identifying the way in which they were adapted to fit other organisational priorities. The value placed on positive subjective experience changed to concerns about objective measurement of the patients as they move through the system. Research limitations/implications – Increased awareness and reflection on the conceptual tensions between objective processes and subjective experiences could highlight reasons why patient-centred values fail to translate into improved practice. Originality/value – The paper describes and explains a previously unarticulated tension in health organisations between values and practice in patient centred care and patient involvement in service redesign.


Author(s):  
Feryad A. Hussain

Radicalisation to violent action is not just a problem in foreign lands. Research has identified numerous politico–psychosocial factors to explain why young people from the UK are now joining terrorist groups such as ISIS. Our understanding has been expanded by the accounts of “returnees” who have subsequently either self-deradicalised or joined a government deradicalisation programme in the role of an Intervention Provider (IP). These individuals are now key to the deradicalisation programme. This article presents the reflections of a clinical psychologist who worked within a social healthcare team managing psychosocial issues related to radicalisation, in conjunction with an allocated IP. The project involved individuals from the Muslim community and, as such, issues discussed are specific to this group. It is acknowledged that the process in general is universally applicable to all groups though specifics may vary (under Trust agreement, details may not be discussed). This article also aims to share basic information on the current Home Office deradicalisation programme and raises questions about the current intervention. It also offers reflections on how the work of IPs may be facilitated and supported by clinical/counselling psychologists and psychotherapists.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yicong Liu

BACKGROUND The transition from China to the UK can be challenging, and there is increasing concern among academics since cross-cultural learning and living may be a challenge for these students. OBJECTIVE To find out international pharmacy students’ worries and challenges as well as benefits on the transition experience from China to the UK. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were used to explore this group of students’ transition experiences. Selective transcription was done because of time limitations in the project. RESULTS The natural and cultural environment was the most pleasant experience for Tianjin students during this transition process. Cross-cultural adjustment and self-adaptability, as well as their autonomous learning ability were the main barriers for international students. CONCLUSIONS The difference between Asian and Western culture caused barriers for international students to fit into a new environment. In terms of integrating into local students, insufficient English language skills, culture shock and personality could be the influence factors. Moreover, the different teaching style and learning style could be the possible reasons for students having difficulty in an independent study. CLINICALTRIAL N/A


Author(s):  
Filippo Oncini

AbstractCOVID-19 has brought to light the severity of economic inequalities by testing the capacity of the poorest families to make ends meet. Food insecurity has in fact soared all over the UK, with many people forced to rely on food support providers to not go hungry. This paper uses a unique dataset on 55 food support organizations active in Greater Manchester during the first COVID-19 wave, and 41 semi-structured interviews with food aid spokespersons and stakeholders, to shed light on what they overcame, the complications and drawbacks of the food emergency response plan put in place. The results indicate that food aid organizations that remained open were surprisingly effective despite the growth in user demand and the decrease in volunteers. However, the necessity to maintain a timely supply food at all costs came with important drawbacks. The lockdown measures that followed COVID-19 not only affected the financial stability and management of the organizations, and the availability of food, but undermined the ways in which food support providers used to operate. Owing to physical distancing measures and to the increasing numbers of users, more or less intangible forms of support such as financial advice, empathic listening and human warmth were partially lost, probably when they were needed more than ever.


Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 233
Author(s):  
Verónica Iñiguez-Gallardo ◽  
Fabián Reyes-Bueno ◽  
Olga Peñaranda

The perceptions and values that local communities have towards protected areas are of great value for the improvement of these territories’ management. Such perceptions and values are often absent in the conservation planning process, particularly in those privately protected areas that are established in areas where the land tenure system is based not only on ownership but also on customary uses. Drawing on qualitative and quantitative data obtained through semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders and members of communities surrounding a privately protected area in southern Ecuador, we identify that the level of collaboration with the managers, the distance to the protected area, the percentage of untitled land, and the dependence on the resources (customary uses) are among the variables affecting these perceptions and values. Positive perceptions towards protected areas and naturalistic values are developed among those who collaborate with the protected area managers, whereas negative perceptions, and a mix of naturalistic and biospheric values are developed among those who have a sense of a lack of attention to social needs although supporting nature conservation at the same time. The evidence presented shows the importance of matching local peoples’ expectations with conservation goals during the establishment of a protected area.


Author(s):  
Emilia Marie Wersig ◽  
Kevin Wilson-Smith

AbstractThis interpretative phenomenological analysis explores aid workers’ understanding of identity and belonging through the transition from working in humanitarian aid to returning home. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 participants who had returned to the UK after working in recently founded non-governmental organisations in Northern France between 2016 and 2019. Analysis of interview data identified four superordinate themes: (1) shared humanitarian identity, (2) limits and borders, (3) holding on to humanitarian identity and (4) redefining belonging and identity. Aid workers’ belonging in humanitarian work settings is rooted in shared moral values and being able to fulfil a clearly defined role. Upon returning, aid workers struggled to reintegrate, manifesting as denial of having left humanitarian work, re-creation of the social setting and moral demarcation. Participants formed a new sense of belonging through redefining their social in-group. The study sheds light on a previously unexplored area of research, specifically characterised through the closeness of the international humanitarian setting and participants’ homes. Findings suggest organisations can assist aid workers’ re-entry by supporting professional distance in the field, and through opportunities that allow to sustain moral values post-mission. Future research should focus on the role of peer support in the re-entry process and the re-entry experiences of aid workers returning from comparable settings further afield (e.g. Greece).


Antibiotics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Carolyn Tarrant ◽  
Andrew M. Colman ◽  
David R. Jenkins ◽  
Edmund Chattoe-Brown ◽  
Nelun Perera ◽  
...  

Antimicrobial stewardship programs focus on reducing overuse of broad-spectrum antibiotics (BSAs), primarily through interventions to change prescribing behavior. This study aims to identify multi-level influences on BSA overuse across diverse high and low income, and public and private, healthcare contexts. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 46 prescribers from hospitals in the UK, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, including public and private providers. Interviews explored decision making about prescribing BSAs, drivers of the use of BSAs, and benefits of BSAs to various stakeholders, and were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. Analysis identified drivers of BSA overuse at the individual, social and structural levels. Structural drivers of overuse varied significantly across contexts and included: system-level factors generating tensions with stewardship goals; limited material resources within hospitals; and patient poverty, lack of infrastructure and resources in local communities. Antimicrobial stewardship needs to encompass efforts to reduce the reliance on BSAs as a solution to context-specific structural conditions.


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