The need for a new entrepreneurship paradigm to address the issue of inequality

In their article on Sustainable Development and Entrepreneurship, Hall et al (2010, 446) make the point that “much of the work to date in the entrepreneurship field has an implicit assumption that entrepreneurship only leads to positive outcomes for society” and question the conditions under which entrepreneurship is welfare creating rather than welfare destroying. In our chapter in the ICSB’s 2024 Annual Global Micro, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises Report, Felicity and I address this with respect to the inequalities (SDG 10) that entrepreneurship has tended to create in “impoverished communities within developing and emerging economies” (op.cit). We provide examples of MSMEs that are addressing this issue and propose the need for a new Harmonious Entrepreneurship paradigm that does not see inequality as an inevitable consequence of entrepreneurship as Isenberg (2014) has contended

‘Ail i neb yn ei ddysg Gymraeg’: Dr Siôn Dafydd Rhys a Chyfraith Hywel

Wrth bori drwy gampwaith Dr Daniel Huws, A Repertory of Welsh Manuscripts and Scribes c.800–c.1800, deuthum ar draws y llawysgrif hon: Llanstephan 79 (33C) Welsh law s.xvi/xvii A transcript, on pp.1–68, in the hand of Siôn Dafydd Rhys, of part of an unidentified text of the Law of Hywel, beginning abruptly, containing damweiniau, cynghawsedd and triads. A few marginal references to sigla ‘S3’, ‘S4’, ‘Cott. 3’ and ‘J’ [sigla used in Leg. Wall.] in the hand of Moses *Williams (e.g. pp.46, 54) and another (pp.65–7). 4o. 37 fols (pp.i–iv, 1–70; i–iv and 69–70 are fly-leaves).2 Bwriad yr ysgrif hon yw gweld a oes modd adnabod cynsail y testun a cheisio gweld a yw trawsgrifiad Siôn Dafydd Rhys yn gopi gwerthfawr o un o lawysgrifau coll Cyfraith Hywel. Ystyrir hefyd pwy oedd Siôn Dafydd Rhys a rhai o’i gyfoeswyr a beth oedd eu diddordeb yn y gyfraith cyn symud ymlaen i ddadansoddi cynnwys y llawysgrif. Drwy ystyried y llawysgrif hon, nad yw wedi derbyn unrhyw sylw o’r blaen gan ysgolheigion, cynigir ychwanegiad newydd at y corpws o lawysgrifau cyfraith a’r hyn a wyddom am eu trosglwyddiad

Diplomacy and (mis)comprehension in the Antique Indian Ocean: gift-giving and ritual as a form of communication

There has been much discussion of the fluid nature of concepts like luxury, prestige and symbolism in the Ex Oriente Luxuria series (Schneider 2015). It is frequently recognised that these categorises are not immutable and whether an object (or the complex set of interactions involving its use) is imbued with such meaning is often dependent upon on specific circumstances, subjective experience and wider cultural values. Factors such as rarity, expense and what constitutes the exotic is heavily context dependent. As such, the meaning attributed to different items, be they spices, precious gemstones, or animals (/animal products) will vary from location to location. This raises an important series of questions – how easily could shared codes of interaction exist between societies separated by vast distances? More specifically, how might gifts that formed part of diplomatic dialogue be understood both by the giving party and the recipient? Do our sources allow us to easily analyse such forms of communication or is any original meaning too heavily distorted by the medium of record (such as literary genre) and pre-existing cultural expectations (clichés, topoi, notions of “otherness”)? The present paper explores these issues in relation to the Antique Indian Ocean (end of the first millennium BC to mid-first millennium AD). Two broad areas will receive particular focus. The first is relations between the Roman Empire and South Asian polities. In particular, considering the extent to which such diplomatic contact was coloured by the legacy of Alexander the Great. The second area to be examined relations between the Roman state, the Blemmyes and Axum. In addition to drawing upon source material from antiquity, comparative evidence from the better documented early modern period will also inform the discussion

'Visualcy': the Progenitor of Literacy and Numeracy

This article aims to enhance the pedagogy of drawing by integrating relevant aspects of art history and aesthetics with perception and communication theories. Visualcy is defined as an articulacy with visual languages, from which the more familiar ‘3Rs’ (Reading, wRiting, and aRithmetic), alluding to literacy and numeracy, evolved. It embraces not only the more familiar definition of ‘visual literacy’ in the sense of how people perceive, interpret and learn from existing visual imagery, but also the semogenic facility for producing the means to understanding through the articulation of visual elements (line, shape, tone, texture, colour) in the construction of new images. After reviewing the role of drawing in cultural evolution, the article discusses drawing in relation to aesthetics, before outlining a pedagogy of drawing designed to nurture visualcy, of central importance to human culture

Learner experiences of low attainment groups in the context of a rights approach to education

Participation is seen as an important right for learners, though there is lack of evidence to understand learners’ views on classroom practice. This includes decisions about grouping learners, for example, in terms of their prior attainment or perceived ‘ability’. This research took place in Wales where children’s rights are strongly promoted as an educational approach, but where there is also evidence of widespread attainment grouping in schools. Focus groups and interviews were carried out with secondary school learners in lower attaining groups (n = 70) and teachers and teaching assistants (n = 10) to understand experiences of learning support. Findings suggest strong learner satisfaction with groups, but also lack of movement between groups that reinforced ability hierarchies in schools and supported the development of negative identities for some learners. There was a lack of consensus among educators about the purpose of attainment grouping, with some seeing it as a way of addressing systemic issues within the school

Impact of Trust on Continuous Usage within Internet Only Banks (IOB) of the UK: A Quantitative Study on Continuous Trust

Internet-only banks (IOB) are an outcome of the financial technology sector and the latest addition to the banking industry. Despite having tremendous growth in terms of adoption, the industry lacks consumer trust in the UK financial market. The research investigates the impact of trust on continuous usage of internet only bank consumers in the UK to develop a continuous trust framework. A conceptual framework was developed based on the TAM and trust integrated model, IS success model and the trust restoration framework to address the research problem from multidimensional perspectives of trust. The quantitative approach was adapted during this research and primary data was collected from existing users of IOBs in the UK by deploying a self-administered survey questionnaire. Descriptive statistics and the structural equation modelling (SEM) were implemented to analyse the primary data. There were 8 exogenous and 2 endogenous variables in the proposed framework with 9 hypothesised relationships. The findings suggest that continuous trust of IOB users is influenced by their calculative trust, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, information quality and transparency of the system. On the contrary, familiarity and institution-based trust factors (Structural assurance and Situational normality) did not have any significant impact on continuous trust of consumers. Furthermore, continuous trust of consumers impacts their continuous usage of the system by means of increasing their usage, recommendation and using it as their primary account in future. The demographic and usage profile findings portray the limited usage pattern of consumers. The study contributes to the theoretical knowledge domain of continuous trust and post adoption literature. Additionally, it draws practical implications and recommendations for the banking industry. Whilst financial technological integration can give traditional banking an edge and advantage over the newcomers in the industry, increasing consumer trust and confidence will be beneficiary for the internet only banks in the long run to achieve consumer loyalty. Further research has been recommended in this sector to investigate regulatory and systematic factors that can contribute towards risk management of the internet only banks. Key words: Continuous trust, consumer behaviour, continuous usage, internet-only banks, financial technology (FinTech)

Falling into Glăveanu’s Gap: A lyric essay searching for resilience through creativity

This paper is in two parts comprising a literature review and a creative, non-fiction, lyric essay format to explore interplay between ambivalent emotions, creativity, and resilience. The context is my own state affect between client sessions, as a psychotherapist and researcher. The lyric essay, “Falling into Glăveanu’s Gap,” that comprises the second part of this paper covers a period of great disquiet in my personal and professional life, when adverse life experiences impacted my research, and, as such, formed an integral part of the research itself. My self-search heuristic exploration forms part of a larger, doctoral enquiry into the interplay between ambivalence, creativity, and resilience amongst therapists, examining whether those engaged in creativity experience a greater sense of resilience. Resilience is the antithesis of burnout, a condition which disproportionately affects practicing therapists. This research argues that therapist education, training and continuing professional development provision, would benefit from a stronger focus on therapist emotion and affect, outside of the therapy room. Opportunities for engagement with creativity are recommended to aid the development of therapist resilience and to combat therapist burn-out