The prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) among British South Asians (BSA) is increasing. Evidence suggests that people of BSA background are more likely to develop IBD than white Europeans. Research on women with IBD is primarily focused on reproduction, which limits our understanding of their IBD experience and its consequences. This study aimed to investigate how BSA women discursively construct their experience of IBD, how this links to overarching sociocultural and medical discourses, and what the disciplines of counselling psychology (CP) and health can do to improve it. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight BSA women with IBD and analysed using Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA). The analysis revealed subject positions sourced in sociocultural and medical discourses. These were the Seeker Woman, the Private Woman, the Flawed Woman, and the Empowered Woman. These subject positions illustrate how sociocultural factors and medical practices influence BSA women’s subjectivity and actions. The study indicated that BSA gender stereotypes and attitudes towards women impact their experience and highlighted the societal dynamics that medical professionals, mental health providers, and politicians must address to deliver care customised to the specific needs of BSA women with IBD. Suggestions and recommendations for future research and policy are made.

Innovation is the driving force of a high-tech small business and plays a vital role in developing the firm's competitiveness and achieving sustainable growth. High-tech firms are a significant force for innovation as they are primarily private firms and the main foundation of the UK private sector. This thesis endeavours to unravel the innovation dilemma of high-tech firms by examining how strategic firm resources and the use of these strategic firm resources are exploited in their innovation process to achieve innovation performance. Firstly, this study draws upon the resource-based view and resource orchestration theory to examine how technology orientation influences innovation performance. Secondly, this study examines the impact of strategic firm resources (availability of technological resources, availability of financial resources, networking capability, and degree of openness) on the relationship between technology orientation and innovation performance. Thirdly, this study examines the role of resource orchestration (structuring, bundling, and leveraging) between the availability of strategic firm resources and innovation performance. Based on a quantitative study, this thesis examines the mechanism of the innovation process using quantitative survey data from 141 high-tech small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The key findings of this thesis revealed that technology orientation positively impacts innovation performance. Furthermore, the results show that the availability of technological resources, networking capability, and the degree of openness positively affect the nexus of technology orientation and innovation performance. In contrast, the availability of financial resources does not positively impact the relationship between technology orientation and innovation performance. Furthermore, other key findings show that resource orchestration (structuring, bundling and leveraging) impacts the relationship between the availability of strategic firm resources and innovation performance. Specifically, structuring, bundling and leveraging positively and partially mediate the relationship between strategic firm resources (availability of technological resources, networking capability, and degree of openness) and innovation performance. However, regarding the availability of financial resources, structuring has a negative impact on the relationship between the availability of financial resources and innovation performance, whilst bundling and leveraging have a full mediating effect on the relationship between the availability of financial resources and innovation performance. This research extends the understanding of the innovation process in high-tech small firms by exploring the role and orchestration of resources. It tackles the problem of how high-tech firms can achieve innovation performance with scarce resources. Moreover, it enhances the literature on UK high-tech firm's innovation, which provides new knowledge about high-tech business in a developed country, contributing to a more holistic picture of high-tech business innovation worldwide. Finally, the study makes a methodological contribution to the study of the innovation performance of high-tech firms by providing a comprehensive understanding of the innovation performance in UK high-tech small firms as it examines two levels of the mediating effect of availability of strategic firm resources and orchestration of strategic firm resources and integrating both resource-based view and resource orchestration theory.

This paper reviews the unique needs, performance aspects, and assessment recommendations for judo athletes with visual impairments. A needs analysis reveals the importance of custom training strategies and environmental adaptations to facilitate training and competition. Performance aspects, including time-motion analysis and match-related performance, are discussed to elucidate the specific demands and movement patterns in judo athletes with visual impairment. Additionally, recommendations are proposed to develop standardized protocols for physical assessment and skill evaluation, ensuring the optimization of training strategies. Collaborative research initiatives are recommended to further explore integrating multisensory stimuli and enhance athletic development in this population. By addressing the unique challenges judo athletes with visual impairment face and providing evidence-based recommendations for performance assessment and training optimization, this review contributes to advancing adapted sports science and promoting inclusivity and excellence in judo.

The normative theory of ethical egoism has been widely applied in management studies, and there is an increasing number of organisations subscribing to its core tenet of best interest and self-interest. Using ethical egoism and ethical impact theory, this article examines the reality of business ethics and ethical professionalism in the Nigerian banking sector by focusing on the different targets set by banks for their employees and the impacts thereof on their work and non-work lives. We present the findings of interviews with 47 present and past bankers in Nigeria, and these findings suggest that banks use egoism to set and ethicise unreasonable loan and deposit targets for their workers. Our findings further indicate that the pressure and consequences of not meeting these targets have forced many bankers to engage in various forms of unethical behaviour, such as bribery and ‘corporate prostitution’. We explain how bankers’ work-life balance and health are negatively affected in the contemporary banking workplace, in which organisational wellbeing is valued above employees’ wellbeing. This article makes a unique and original contribution to the study of corporate egoism and its associated implications in the global South.

For years, the worldwide gold mining sector has grappled with environmental and social issues, particularly evident in the small-scale operations which are predominant in developing nations. This research examines the incorporation of “Mining Formalization” into a framework for small-scale gold mining, with the goal of suggesting methods that could bolster environmental conservation and social accountability. Concentrating on developing countries where small-scale mining significantly influences local economies, this study investigates the customization of formalization principles to diminish human and environmental harm, by advocating for ethical regulatory frameworks and standards, fostering community development, and achieving the advancement of enforcement and oversight. Employing a multidisciplinary approach, this study adopts a single source systematic search (4S) strategy for its methodology. It then reviewed and integrated geological, environmental, social, and economic viewpoints to frame a holistic set of recommendations that can create significant positive changes when applied as an optimized set of Formalization Standards. Thus, by tackling specific challenges encountered by small-scale gold ventures, this investigation now offers practical insights and advice for policymakers, mining communities, and industry players that can be adopted to cultivate a more sustainable and socially accountable path for small-scale gold mining in developing nations. Envisaging a future where small-scale gold mining can contribute as a positive force for both environmental and local community welfare, this research also endeavoured to optimize its advantages, aligning them with global happenings that are tending toward responsible resource extraction.

Gamification has a long-term effect on safety training for workers based on the lasting impact on memory and retention through simulation and inclusiveness in training activities to check of safety measures on-site. While the knowledge and application of gamification continually expands as a training measure in the construction industry, its application in Nigeria is still largely understudied. Therefore, this study investigates its use in safety training measure amongst construction experts within the context in Lagos State Nigeria. The study revealed that the application of gamification in the construction industry is beneficial for employees in the construction field as it enhances efficiency in operations and task delivery. The design method of research adopted is the quantitative methodology which considers the positivist method to ensure that the numerical data in research in general is scientific and analyzed with scientific tools and approaches. 0.839 Cronbach's Alpha score reliability test was applied to data and 0.839 score was achieved which shows high level of data reliability. The study found that the knowledge on gamification in the construction industry is Nigeria is higher among the high-ranking experts involved in training activities who are responsible for encouraging firms to adopt this approach as an effective training tool. Although the lower ranking experts who are more exposed to accident hazards are knowledgeable in theoretical safety training, hence, the call for gamification to be included as training tool for all employees due to its associated benefits in enhancing efficiency since gamification is seen to be an effective addition to safety training in construction. The implication of this study is the revealed opportunities to tailor gamified training to specific roles and associated hazard on project sites which could further influence safety regulations and training requirement in the construction industry.

The housing shortage in the UK has remained a prevalent and pressing issue, prompting a need for innovative and sustainable solutions. One contributing factor to this is limited availability of land, including brownfields sites. The offsite construction (OSC) approach has been recognized as a viable and eco-friendly solution to addressing the issue, yet its potential on brownfield site (BFS) remains largely unexplored. Prior research of literature suggested that integrating OSC on brownfield site has the capacity to support housing supply , while addressing some of the challenges of developing on BFS. A focus group discussion was conducted to establish industry opinion on the factors militating against the wide adoption of OSC approach on BFS for housing development despite the promises both concepts hold to support sustainable housing delivery. The study found that the UK government actively promotes BFS redevelopments and OSC approach to achieve sustainability goals, protect the greenbelt, and mitigate the housing crisis through policy and financial instruments. The study further grouped the findings of adopting OSC approach on BFS under process, human impact and sustainability. The result contributes to the literature by promoting the integration of OSC approach and BFS development and offer valuable insights for policymakers on the efficiency and effectiveness of government support instruments in relation to OSC and BFS for sustainable housing solutions.

Using Mark Fisher’s reconfigurations of Derrida’s Hauntology, this article explores the interactions between these narrative features in the works of Catherine O’Flynn and Joel Lane. Fisher reworks hauntology in relation to the distinct features of ‘futuristic’ music and ‘retro’ perceptions of what lay ahead. He links this psychic and cultural trap with ideas of the weird and the eerie. Both O’Flynn and Lane have produced eerie texts set in the off-kilter and marginal West Midlands regions, placing their characters in literal and symbolic haunted sites. Their respective spectres – people, places and cultures – are caught in a perpetual liminality and psychic looping: a hauntological position. These play out through the motifs of melancholic landscapes, personalities and cultural currents, most notably in music. This article interrogates these strange conjugations and interfaces that play out in the fiction of O’Flynn and Lane.

BACKGROUND: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a safe and effective treatment in psychiatry, but its use is decreasing. AIM: It was intended to evaluate the attitude and knowledge among psychiatric trainees and psychiatrists and any change following a training session on ECT. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey was conducted in a teaching psychiatric hospital before and after a training session on ECT using questionnaires on attitude, knowledge, and clinical scenarios for prescribing ECT. RESULTS: This study suggested that the majority of trainees and psychiatrists had positive attitudes and appreciable knowledge base regarding ECT. There were uncertainties in a few areas, such as ECT for treatment-resistant depression without risk of self or others, treatment-resistant schizophrenia, patients with no mental capacity, and those who refuse to consent. The change following the training session was more prominent in prescribing scenarios. In other areas, the change was marginal, probably because of the ceiling effect. CONCLUSIONS: While psychiatrists and trainees maintain positive attitude and appreciable knowledge about ECT, it is essential to remain aware of recent advances and guidelines about ECT through training to continue prescribing it appropriately.

Background: Although personality disorders (PD) are known risk factors for suicide attempts, studies on personality dimension are scarce, which may provide further insights for interventions. Methods: The relationship between personality dimension, lethality, intent, and quality of life (QOL) was studied in suicide attempters with or without PD. We used the international personality disorder examination (IPDE) dimensional score, the scale for assessment of lethality of suicide attempt (SALSA), suicide intent scale (SIS), and WHOQOL-BREF QOL scale, to assess a sample of suicide attempters admitted to a general hospital. Results: PD was present in 43.2% and 57.9% of them had more than one PD. Comparison of attempters with or without PD suggested that the lethality of attempts and QOL were comparable, whereas self-reported suicide intent was significantly low in patients with PD. A higher proportion of PD patients reported relational problems as the reason for the attempt. The personality dimensional score was significantly higher for female attempters from urban backgrounds than for those with previous attempt histories. It was negatively correlated with the lethality of attempts and suicide intent. Conclusion: It is important to explore the personality dimension of the suicide attempters, along with PD, that may highlight additional risks and suggest the need for specific support.