Showing papers by "Northumbria University published in 1999"

Political Geography: World-Economy, Nation-State and Locality

Abstract: Tips for reading this book Preface to the fifth edition Acknowledgements 1 A world-systems approach to political geography Making sense of an age of "Empire" World-systems analysis Dimensions of a historical system Power Power and politics in the world-economy A political geography perspective on the world-economy 2 Geopolitics revived What is geopolitics? Past, present and future Geopolitical codes and world orders Situating geopolitical codes and theories The War on Terrorism: Geopolitical transition and world order 3 Geography of imperialisms The revolutionary heritage Formal imperialism: the creation of empires Informal imperialism: dominance without empire Empirein the twenty-first century 4 Territorial states The making of the world political map The nature of the states Territorial states under conditions of globalization 5 Nation and nationalism The ideological heritage Nationalism in practice Modern theories of nationalism Renegotiating the nation? Synthesis: the power of nationalism 6 Rethinking electoral geography The liberal heritage Liberal democracy in the core Elections beyond the core 7 Locality politics Theoretical foundations Localities matter A new theory of politics in localities Localities and the War on Terrorism Political geography of world cities 8 Place and identity politics Three key concepts of political geography Theorizing political action in politics Modernity and the politics of identity Identity politics and the institutions of the capitalist world-economy Beyond globalization and Empire Glossary Bibliography Index

Learning and knowledge management in the intelligent organisation

Abstract: Core competences, emanating from an organisation and that provide distinctive benefits to customers, are commonly viewed as the basis of competitive advantage. While these exist in many forms, the role of individual and organisational knowledge is increasingly important in the formation of knowledge‐based core competences. This paper explores the ideas of knowledge management, making reference to a number of sectors and companies, and specifically the airline industry, arguing that the culture, structure and infrastructure of an organisation are integral elements that facilitate and nurture learning. As a consequence, competences are built and developed within the “intelligent” organisation, which in turn, contribute to its competitive success.

Self‐esteem and anxiety in the educational histories of adult dyslexic students

Abstract: The self-esteem, anxiety and past and present educational histories of 16 dyslexic university students and 16 matched controls were compared. Self-esteem was measured using the Culture-free Self-esteem Inventory and anxiety was measured with the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. A questionnaire devised by the research team was used to gather information on past and present educational histories, including a number of questions that could be rated on a five point scale. The dyslexic group was found to have significantly lower self-esteem than the controls. On the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory there was no significant difference between the groups. On the five point rating scales the dyslexic group reported themselves as feeling more anxious and less competent in their written work at school than the controls and rated themselves at university as less competent both in their written work and in their academic achievements. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sediment transport and siltation of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) spawning gravels in chalk streams

Abstract: Deposition rates of fine sediment into brown trout spawning gravels were measured at monthly intervals for a period of one year in a small channel of the River Test, Hampshire. Data were also collected on stream discharge, water depth, flow velocity and suspended sediment concentrations. Deposition rates followed a seasonal pattern and were maximal during periods of high discharge in the late winter/early spring when suspended sediment concentrations were high. The material deposited in the spawning gravels included silts and fine sands (<250 μm) that were transported in suspension and coarser fragments of low density tufalike material that were transported as bed load. The ecological implications of fine sediment deposition for salmonid egg survival in chalk streams are considered.

The internationalisation of business service firms: a stages approach

Abstract: (1999). The Internationalisation of Business Service Firms: A Stages Approach. The Service Industries Journal: Vol. 19, No. 4, pp. 68-88.

Evaluating qualitative research: dealing with the tension between ‘science’ and ‘creativity’

Abstract: Summary This paper responds to recent calls for detailed evaluative criteria for qualitative research in human geography. It argues that the dualism between ‘science’ and ‘creativity’ is unfounded, and that while systematic methods of evaluation are required, standardization is inappropriate. Furthermore, it seeks to demonstrate that grounded theory provides an alternative framework that demonstrates how these ideas might be put into practice.

Effect of frailty on marginal regression estimates in survival analysis

Abstract: Unexplained heterogeneity in univariate survival data and association in multivariate survival can both be modelled by the inclusion of frailty effects. This paper investigates the consequences of ignoring frailty in analysis, fitting misspecified Cox proportional hazards models to the marginal distributions. Regression coefficients are biased towards 0 by an amount which depends in magnitude on the variability of the frailty terms and the form of frailty distribution. The bias is reduced when censoring is present. Fitted marginal survival curves can also differ substantially from the true marginals.

Corporate Moral Agency: Review and Implications

Abstract: The debate concerning corporate moral agency is normally conducted through philosophical arguments in articles which argue from only one point of view. This paper summarises both the arguments for and against corporate moral agency and concludes from this that the arguments in favour have more weight. The paper also addresses the way in which the law in the U.K. and the U.S.A. currently views this issue and shows how it is supportive of the concept of corporate moral agency. The paper concludes by considering the implications of the debate for business ethics in general, and stakeholder theory and virtue ethics in particular.

Part of the action, or ‘going native’? Learning to cope with the ‘politics of integration’

Abstract: Summary Despite continuing work within feminist research on issues of political commitment and critical forms of engagement, and an increasing desire within geography to effect social change through our privileged positions as academics, active collaboration with groups involved in social action continues to be fraught with ambiguity and anxiety. /n this paper, I consider the potential role of the ‘researcher as activist‘ through documentation of my interaction and repositioning of identities while becoming involved in credit union development in Kingston upon Hull. I hope to illustrate how the maintenance of a critical, multi-positioned (and repositioned) identity can be seen as a beneficial, reflexive learning experience for researchers operating within ethnography, and for the research itself.

From Modernism to Hypermodernism and beyond: An Interview with Paul Virilio

Abstract: In this interview, Paul Virilio talks at length about his life and numerous published works ranging from Speed & Politics: An Essay on Dromology to the recently translated Polar Inertia. Considering important theoretical themes and questions relating to post- and 'hyper'- modernism, poststructuralism, modernity and postmodernity, Virilio discusses his often controversial views on the cultural writings of Foucault, Deleuze, Derrida and Baudrillard. In so doing, Virilio not only clarifies many of his architectural, political and cultural concepts such as 'military space', 'dromology' and the 'integral accident' but also provides much food for thought for all those presently concerned with the social implications of the 'disappearance' of aesthetics, technoculture, information warfare, cloning and 'cyberfeminism'.

Tinged shareholder theory: or what’s so special about stakeholders?

Abstract: This paper contrasts the normative foundations of the stakeholder and shareholder theories of the firm. It demonstrates how the shareholder theory of the firm appears to have at least as much normative support as stakeholder theory and suggests that a way forward may be for a variant of pure shareholder theory to emerge.

Cognitive properties of sedation agents: comparison of the effects of nitrous oxide and midazolam on memory and mood.

Abstract: Objectives To compare the effects of nitrous oxide and midazolam on cognition and mood. Design A three-way, counterbalanced, cross-over study, using patients receiving conscious sedation for routine dental treatment. Methods On each of three separate visits, patients performed a computerised test battery to determine baseline cognitive performance. Then, following administration of either midazolam, nitrous oxide, or no drug, patients re-performed the test battery. Finally, patients completed visual analogue scales assessing their subjective mood state. Results Relative to baseline performance, midazolam administration produced significantly slower reaction times compared with nitrous oxide and no-drug conditions. Furthermore, patients receiving midazolam were impaired in accuracy relative to the other conditions on many of the cognitive tasks, particularly those assessing the recall of information. Patient performance in nitrous oxide and control conditions did not significantly differ. These results could not be explained by differences in mood between the conditions, as subjective mood ratings during midazolam or nitrous oxide administration were very similar. Conclusions It is important for clinicians to be aware that peri-operative recall of information is reduced in patients who have undergone midazolam sedation. This is an advantage for patients who are anxious, and do not wish to be aware of the operative treatment being performed. However, as the cognitive impairment is enduring, an adult escort and written post-operative instructions should be mandatory for midazolam sedation patients. In contrast, the use of nitrous oxide sedation does not significantly impair higher cognitive tasks and thus patients receiving nitrous oxide sedation can resume normal activities in the post-operative period.

Discharging older people from hospital to care homes: implications for nursing.

Abstract: This paper summarizes a research study which explored the experiences of older people being discharged from hospital to nursing and residential homes in the North East of England. While there has been considerable research which has looked at the discharge of patients from hospital to their own homes, little literature could be found which addressed discharge to care homes. While this may reflect an assumption that this form of discharge is less problematic, it is arguable that this is only the case for staff - there is a body of literature on re-location which suggests that the move to a care home is a major life event for older people. Taking a qualitative approach, this study interviewed 20 older people and 17 of their family members after discharge from hospital to a care home. We found that few people had been offered opportunities to discuss their move with nurses, and that older people tended to adopt a stoical attitude. In focus groups, interviews and written responses from 23 members of staff in the hospital and in care homes, we found that there was a lack of clarity over whose role it was to initiate such discussions. The paper concludes with some discussion of the implications for nursing practice of changing care interfaces.

Pyramidal fly-eye detection antenna for optical wireless systems

Abstract: A novel, pyramidal fly-eye diversity configuration is presented for wireless communication in small and middle-sized office rooms. It is demonstrated that the configuration combats multipath dispersion and increases the received power level in a semi-disperse environment. Since the number of photodetectors in the configuration is limited, the penalty paid for an increase in performance is a limited increase in complexity. A new computation method, based on the reflection properties of plaster walls, is derived for an accurate calculation of the diverse detected pulse response. Pulse responses at various locations within a test room are displayed, both for a single photodetector and the pyramidal fly-eye receiver.

Practice development: ambiguity in research and practice.

Abstract: Practice development: ambiguity in research and practice Practice development activity occupies an ambiguous position in relation to both clinical practice and research. In practice, it is seen at times as an added extra to normal work despite arguably being an inherent part of professional practice. In research, it fails to demonstrate the rigour of being generalisable because of its explicit location in a specific care environment. The study reported in this paper explored the implications of this ambiguity for practitioners who seek to develop health care practice. Ten focus groups were held with health care researchers and practitioners concerning the processes of developing practice in the North East of England. The results demonstrate how people manage themselves and the uncertainty that surrounds the use of research in clinical practice. The paper argues for an appreciation of reflexive forms of research, such as action and practitioner research, which do not disassociate research and practice and in which practitioners have a role in knowledge creation as well as knowledge implementation.

Co-activation of vastus lateralis and biceps femoris muscles in pubertal children and adults.

Abstract: Determining the mechanisms of co-activation around the knee joint with respect to age and sex is important in terms of our greater understanding of strength development. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of age, sex and muscle action on moment of force and electromyographic (EMG) activity of the agonist and antagonist muscle groups during isokinetic eccentric and concentric knee extension and flexion. The study comprised nine pubertal boys [mean age 12.6 (SD 0.5) years], nine girls [12.7 (SD 0.5) years] nine adult men [23.1 (SD 2.1) years] and nine adult women [23.7 (SD 3.1) years] who performed maximal isometric eccentric and concentric efforts of knee extensors and flexors on a dynamometer at 30° · s−1. The moment of force and surface EMG activity of vastus lateralis and biceps femoris muscles were recorded. The moment of force:agonist averaged EMG (aEMG) ratios were calculated. The antagonist aEMG values were expressed as a percentage of the aEMG activity of the same muscle, at the same angle, angular velocity and muscle action when the muscle was acting as agonist. Three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) designs indicated no significant effects of age or sex on moment:aEMG ratios. Eccentric ratios were significantly higher than the corresponding concentric ones (P < 0.05). The results also indicated no significant effect of age and sex on the aEMG of the vastus lateralis and biceps femoris muscles when acting as antagonists. The antagonist aEMG was significantly greater during concentric agonist efforts compared with the corresponding eccentric ones (P < 0.05). These findings would suggest that the moment exerted per unit of agonist EMG and the antagonist activity are similar in children compared with adults and are not sex dependent. Future comparisons between eccentric and concentric moments of force and agonist ENG should take into consideration the antagonist effects, irrespective of age or sex.

The structural behaviour of layers of SnS grown by spray pyrolysis

Abstract: Thin layers of tin monosulphide have been grown from equimolar solutions of tin chloride and N,N-dimethyl thiourea on Corning 7059 glass substrates at various temperatures in the range 100-450 °C using spray pyrolysis. The structural properties have been determined by using x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to evaluate the crystalline phases present and the surface topography of the grown layers. The changes observed in the structural phases with the growth temperature during the film formation are reported and discussed.

Fitness for Purpose in the Assessment of Learning: Students as Stakeholders.

Abstract: A fitness‐for‐purpose approach to determining the quality of assessment practices in higher education requires the consideration of the perspectives of a range of stakeholders including students. Empirical data from case studies of assessment in practice are used to illuminate the student stakeholder viewpoint. Students judge assessment in terms of its effects on learning and motivation; the extent of openness and clarity; the feedback and guidance provided; and the content, form and accuracy of the assessment and its feasibility. It is suggested that students readily identify a range of purposes for assessment, which would be widely regarded as educationally sound, and that they do make judgements about how well purposes are met. Students should, therefore, be considered as valid stakeholders in the process of determining and maintaining quality in assessment.

Water temperatures within spawning beds in two chalk streams and implications for salmonid egg development

Abstract: Water temperatures within brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) spawning gravels were measured in two Hampshire chalk streams from October 1995 to April 1996 inclusive. During the winter, mean intra-gravel water temperatures were higher than those in the stream, and increased with depth in the gravel bed. The amplitude of diel fluctuations in water temperature decreased with depth in the gravel bed, although diel fluctuations were still evident at a depth of 30 cm. Differences in intra-gravel temperature gradients between the two study sites were attributed to differences in the amplitude of stream water temperature fluctuations and there was no evidence that either of the study sites were located in zones of upwelling groundwater. Published equations are used to predict, from temperature, the timing of important stages in the development of brown trout embryos (eyeing, hatching and emergence) for eggs spawned in the autumn and winter and buried at different depths in the gravel bed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Questionnaire survey of post-traumatic stress disorder in doctors involved in the Omagh bombing

Abstract: On 15 August 1998 a bomb exploded in the main street of Omagh. It killed 29 people, including nine children, and injured over 300. The local hospital, Tyrone County Hospital, took most casualties into its very small accident and emergency department, and others were sent to the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen, 40 miles away. A postal questionnaire study of the health of all staff of Sperrin Lakeland Health and Social Care Trust, which covers both hospitals, took place four months later, and analyses are continuing This paper presents findings on the 41 doctors who replied in terms of their levels of post-traumatic stress disorder. All 115 doctors employed by the trust were sent questionnaires that included a well validated measure of post-traumatic stress disorder,1 which requires particular symptoms to be present and a total score above 6 as an indicator of …

Making Visible the Invisible

Abstract: Having digested the breadth, range and focus of the particular chapters contained within this volume the reader should by now be acutely aware of the complexity of the task we set ourselves. Also, having contracted, collated and edited the various contributions over the past year or so, we are also now much more aware of the complexity of the task we set ourselves! To recap, that task was to critically review a range of acts and events taking place at the end of the twentieth century which in our view remained to a greater or lesser extent hidden, and to map their particular contours under the generic title Invisible Crimes: Their Victims and Their Regulation.

Improving health care through professional behaviour change: introducing a framework for identifying behaviour change strategies

Abstract: The drive towards clinical effectiveness and cost‐effective care within the NHS is becoming increasingly apparent. Consequently, there is a need to change clinical practice, and a set of activities with which to implement the necessary and desirable changes is required. Resistance to accepting change at an individual and organisational level is common and it is postulated that the solution lies in adopting an eclectic approach where the range of factors affecting the implementation of change is considered. A possible framework for identifying suitable behaviour change strategies is proposed. Factors included are the context of change, the relevant theoretical and empirical literature and the implementation and maintenance of change. With practical application in mind, the framework is intended as a tool to assist health care professionals analyse the change process in a structured manner and develop potential strategies for achieving desirable behaviour changes within their own and others’ practice.

Family care-giving for people with dementia: some implications for policy and professional practice.

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to describe one study undertaken in the north of England which sought an understanding of family care-giving for people with dementia. Data were collected by interview and diary with 14 family carers, by questionnaire with 60 professional carers, and by interview and diary from nine case studies. Family carers were found to value their continuing relationship with the person with dementia. This emphasis on their relationship together influenced the contact which they had with professional carers. The implications of this research for policy and professional practice are explored through illumination of the tensions in professional responses to family carers.

Gender on the agenda in management education

Abstract: Business/management schools may be currently using an exclusive approach to the study and development of management; by ignoring gender in this arena they are reinforcing the notion that women in management are invisible. Previous research suggests that there is a masculine bias in management education, which disadvantages both female and male learners and which may discourage managers from capitalising on gender diversity in the workplace. Discusses experiences of women academics and students in a business/management school and is based on the premise that change in management education will facilitate change in organisations. Therefore, rather than reinforcing the premise that management knowledge contributes to the maginalisation of women in management, argues that business/management schools should move to an inclusive approach, where management incorporates the experience and abilities of both men and women. Concludes by suggesting a number of initiatives to place gender on the agenda in business/management schools.