The impact of inter-organizational knowledge transfer on sustainable development of the Sri Lankan coastal tourism industry

This study explores the impact of inter-organizational knowledge transfer (IOKT) on the sustainable development of the coastal tourism industry in Sri Lanka, an area that is critical yet under-researched. Grounded in the Quintuple Helix Model (QHM), which combines academia, industry, government, civil society, and the environment, this research critically evaluates the model's applicability in the context of Sri Lanka, a developing country. Using a qualitative methodology, the researcher interviews 25 participants from academia, government, industry, and coastal communities through purposive and snowball sampling. Reflexive thematic analysis is employed to identify key patterns in knowledge transfer processes. The results confirm that IOKT significantly contributes to the sustainable development of the coastal tourism industry. However, the factors influencing the stability and weakening of the IOKT are not adequately addressed in the original QHM. Therefore, this research refines the original QHM to better reflect the complex realities of IOKT in developing country contexts, particularly in socio-ecologically sensitive sectors such as coastal tourism. This macro-level traditional QHM often overlooks critical structural, relational, and contextual factors, including institutional thickness or thinness, centre-local power dynamics, and the role of informal economies, which significantly influence the effectiveness of knowledge transfer in countries like Sri Lanka. To address these limitations, the refined model integrates key elements such as inter- and intra-organizational knowledge flows, formal and informal knowledge exchange processes, tacit and explicit knowledge, and factors influencing knowledge transfer. This approach enhances the model’s ability to strengthen central-local relationships, reduce power asymmetries, support participatory governance, and foster institutional robustness. By incorporating these dimensions, the model becomes more adaptable to diverse global contexts, particularly those characterized by decentralization and informal governance. The refined framework offers a comprehensive and context-sensitive understanding of how knowledge is created, shared, and applied within complex socio-ecological systems. Practically, the refined model serves as a roadmap for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers, guiding them in developing inclusive, resilient, and effective knowledge systems, thereby demonstrating its practical applicability in real-world settings.</p

The Art of Skating Institutions: Incidental Positionality as an Artistic Strategy in Reappropriating Civic Space

This thesis accompanies the project Civic Skateboarding developed for Leeds 2023 Year of Culture that culminated in a mini-festival seeking to support the growing female and marginalised gender skateboard community in Leeds, UK. Starting from John Latham and Barbara Steveni’s conceptions of the ‘Incidental Person’ for the Artist Placement Group (1966–1979), this thesis considers what we might deem the incidental positionality of the contemporary artist working within socially engaged art practice and how this offers opportunity for increased inclusion and participation in the use of civic space. Intentionally adopting an incidental position between the local skateboard community, arts organisations, universities, and the local authority, the key question of this research is how the role of the artist can be utilised to establish mutually beneficial relationships in support of actively excluded groups, such as female and marginalised gender skateboarders, who are disproportionality affected by a lack of safety in public space. Seeking to be what Natalie Loveless might term ‘polydisciplinamorous’, there is an intention in both the production, dissemination and analysis of this practice-based research to simultaneously court the fields of socially engaged art practice and skateboard academia. This research attempts to align the prefigurative power of socially engaged skateboarding with artistic concepts such as Jeanne Van Heeswijk’s notion of the ‘not-yet’ and the practices of ‘gotong royong’ (mutual assistance) and ‘nongkrong’ (hanging out) employed by Indonesian artist collectives such as ruangrupa. In doing so, a range of concerns emerge: addressing gender exclusions within skateboard culture and skate urbanism; the leveraging of evolving arts funding policies; the adoption of agonistic or affable artistic approaches; strategic entitlement and the disambiguation of grey space; the moral right of the artist and what protections this may afford; as well as the resolution of deep disagreements, or what Jean-François Lyotard describes as ‘the differend’.</p

Locomotor and Collision Characteristics of Rugby League Match-Play: Analysis of League-Wide Player Tracking and Event Data to Evaluate Longitudinal Changes

This thesis examines the longitudinal evolution of match-play characteristics in senior male professional rugby league at both domestic and international levels, with a particular focus on the impact of rule changes within the sport. The experimental chapters analyse whole-match, ball-in-play, and peak characteristics, and evaluate the variability of these segments using player locomotion and match-event data collected during the Rugby League World Cup and from domestic Super League competition. Throughout the thesis, the implications of rule changes within rugby league are discussed. Chapter 3 presents a systematic review of the literature as it relates to the effect of rule changes within football-code team sports and provides insights into how rule changes effect physical performance and technical-tactical events, injury incidence and prevention, match scoring or points awarded, and player development opportunities. A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2019 identified a scarcity of research investigating the characteristics of international rugby league matches. The first published study in this thesis (Chapter 4) addresses this gap by analysing data from the 2017 Rugby League World Cup, thereby advancing the knowledge base of international match-play characteristics. Chapter 4 found that international-level rugby league competition exposes forwards to higher collision rates during defensive phases of play, while backs experience higher collision rates during attacking phases, which has implications for training drill design. Chapter 4 also presents a practical method for estimating peak average speed and collision frequency using slope and intercept values derived from international rugby league matches, which may assist coaches in the planning of technical-tactical training. The 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis also noted a bias, with significantly more published studies from the southern hemisphere (n = 27) than from the northern hemisphere (n = 3). The second and third published studies (Chapters 5 and 6, respectively) therefore analysed data collected from the highest level of northern hemisphere competition, the Super League. Chapter 5 analysed player locomotion and match-event data collected across three years of Super League competition and revealed changes in match duration and ball-in-play duration, particularly in response to rule changes implemented due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Season 2020, divided into pre- and post-pandemic interruption, showed reduced average speeds and increased collision rates upon the return to competitive matches. Chapter 6 analysed match-event data collected from seven seasons of Super League competition, including over 1,000,000 tackle events, and for the first time demonstrated significant positional variability in collision-based events. These findings suggest that training approaches tailored to specific playing positions would be beneficial.</p

Haunted American Blood: The Gothic Fictions of William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, and Toni Morrison

This study seeks to investigate the extent to which American literature is inherently Gothic. Its significance lies in shedding light on the relevance of history to Gothic literature, particularly in revealing the American Gothic's distinctiveness. The study focuses on the American Gothic mode in the works of three writers, William Faulkner, Ralph Ellison, and Toni Morrison. It employs textual, historical, and psychological methodologies to demonstrate the convergence of these approaches in what constitutes the American Gothic. The study's primary finding is that all three writers used the Gothic mode for different purposes. Faulkner employed it to explore the Gothic nature of the “white psyche” and its struggle to come to terms with its past. On the other hand, Ellison used it to examine the inherently Gothic nature of the African-American experience and the struggle to be recognised in a society that denies one's existence. Morrison used it to give African-Americans a collective voice. The study also finds that all three writers used Gothic and non-realist writing techniques to parallel real-life Gothic events through the literary Gothic form. This created a “Gothic unreal” style for white writers, who portrayed how the “white psyche” creates psychological fears, alongside the “Gothic real” for African-American writers, where reality is shown to be just as true in reality as in the mind. These findings suggest that studying Gothic texts through a historical lens can provide fascinating insights into their inherent prejudices and traumas. This nuanced examination of the links between history and the Gothic mode highlights the importance of understanding how Gothic literature can serve as a vehicle for exploring complex social and cultural issues.</p

Higher Education as a Turbulence of Risk Society? Repercussions for Working Class Students

In today's society, which is underpinned by rapidly evolving socio-economic changes, the impact of neoliberalism can scarcely be trivialised. Neoliberalism, a term coined in the 1930’s, is a political and economical ideology which venerates the need for a free market laissez- faire economy and an emphasis on an anti-welfarism state (Maisuria, Cole, 2017). Education, a detrimental pillar of society, is not unsusceptible to the repercussions of neoliberalist ideology. As Harvey (2007: 24) showcases, the entangling of neoliberalism in higher education over the last three decades has been so deep, encompassing and rigorous, that it has virtually become natural and the ideology of neoliberalism has normalised the narrative that depicts Higher Education (Maisuria and Cole, 2017). To demonstrate this, this critical reflection will highlight the profound ways neoliberalism has seeped into higher education and the impact this has on working- class students.</p

Exercise-induced endothelial progenitor cell mobilisation: acute and chronic effects on cardiovascular health in diverse populations

Endothelial dysfunction, a key contributor to atherosclerosis, begins early in life and leads to vascular damage. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), primarily derived from the bone marrow, play a crucial role in endothelial repair and vascular health, while reduced EPC levels are associated with cardiometabolic diseases and elevated cardiovascular risk. Exercise is known to improve endothelial health and influence EPC mobilisation. This thesis investigates the effects of various types of exercise on circulating EPCs, and angiogenic and inflammatory responses, through systematic review approaches and analytical methods. The first systematic review focuses on the acute and chronic effects of exercise in patients with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, showing that EPC mobilisation is influenced by exercise intensity, particularly high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICON), and the clinical condition. Chronic trials revealed that MICON, alone or combined with resistance exercise (RE) or HIIE, enhances resting EPC levels. The second systematic review focuses on the prospective cohort studies in healthy adults. Acute trials found that prolonged exercise, RE, and maximal exercise significantly increased EPCs, while chronic trials demonstrated improvements in both EPC mobilisation and vascular function following HIIE and MICON. The experimental chapter presents a randomised cross-over pilot study in healthy young males, comparing the effects of HIIE, RE, and MICON on EPC mobilisation, angiogenic factors, and inflammatory markers. Although no significant condition-by-time-point interactions were observed (p = 0.249, η²p = 0.145), exploratory analysis revealed a statistically significant difference, with HIIE eliciting a greater acute response in EPC mobilisation compared to RE at the two-hour time point (78.5 ± 88.7% vs. -2.02 ± 68.4%, p = 0.017). Findings should be interpreted cautiously due to the small sample size and limited blood collection points. Strong associations were observed between exercise-induced EPC responses, endothelial function, and cardiometabolic health markers. The final chapter identifies limitations and proposes future research directions, emphasising the variability of EPC responses based on exercise type and individual health status. This thesis provides valuable insights into exercise as a mechanism to enhance EPC mobilisation and supports its role in cardiovascular health interventions. Future research involving diverse populations is needed to determine optimal exercise protocols for EPC enhancement.</p

Running Greatest Of All Time - dataset

This dataset includes results of performances by athletes competing in global competitions since 1896 (1267 men and 803 women). All had won at least one medal at a major global championships or set a World Record (WR) ratified by World Athletics as of March 1st, 2025. World Best marathon times from before 2004 were considered WRs provided they were accepted by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). Analysed athletes competed in sprint, distance, and hurdling events.</p

The development of first-class cricket umpires: Holistic exploration into the demands, competencies, and learning of the role

Within the world of sport, individuals always aspire to work at the top of their profession. As a result, there has been a growing amount of interest in the study of expertise and what makes an elite performer (e.g., Baker & Farrow, 2015; Farrow, Baker, & MacMahon, 2013). Bourne, Kole and Healy (2014) described expertise as elite, peak, or exceptionally high levels of performance on a particular task or within a given domain. Whilst expert performance and expertise has been widely documented in the athlete, research has paid less attention to the expert performance of other key stakeholders e.g., officials. A sports official is “someone who controls the actual play of a competition (e.g. umpire, referee or judge) and administers the rules and laws of the sport to ensure the proper conduct of a sporting fixture in a safe environment.” (Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries, 2023). Although officials are considered vital to the sporting environment, as their decisions have the potential to influence the overall outcome of the match (Larkin et al., 2011), research has shown an increase in the scrutiny of officiating decisions and consequently an increase in the volume of verbal abuse directed towards officials (Dawson et al., 2022; Livingston et al., 2020). The current research attempts to provide a valuable contribution to the sparse officiating literature, but it also provides knowledge of expertise within an unexplored population within the officiating world: the cricket umpire. Moreover, the programme of work had the umpire at its centre by offering umpires a platform to voice their opinion of the i) demands of high-performance cricket umpiring; ii) the key competencies of high-performance cricket umpires; and iii) the opportunities that high-performance cricket umpires' access to facilitate the development of the competencies that, consequently, enable them to meet the demands of the role. Adopting Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory as a theoretical lens, a total of 11 demands (aligned with the Micro-, Meso- Exo-, and Macro- levels of the environment), 6 Competencies (Cognitive, Functional, and Social), and 7 Learning Opportunities (Formal, Informal, and Non-formal) were extrapolated from the data to form a framework for the professional development of cricket umpires. The results were discussed in-line with previous literature and recent organisational advancements (e.g., a competency framework for recreational officiating).</p

Exploring yoga access and inclusion for people with marginalised identities in northern British cities

Yoga offers multiple health and wellbeing benefits and is socially prescribed by clinicians in the NHS as part of health promotion measures in the United Kingdom (UK). However, socially marginalised groups are under-represented and yoga participants, or practitioners, are predominantly white, higher educated women. This research contributes to the knowledge by exploring, for the first time, the yoga access experiences of people with a broad range of marginalised identities in a UK context. It was prompted by my experiences of teaching yoga to diverse groups in a northern British city neighbourhood amongst the 10% most deprived in the country. Purposive sampling was employed to recruit 17 people from four northern UK cities who had practised, or participated in, yoga in the previous six months, but did not consider themselves to be yoga insiders, and who self-identified with one or more of seven marginalised identities, namely: Black, Brown or other people of colour; disabled; older (later life); LGBTQIA+; of a larger body type; from a religious faith or background; or on a low income. Data was collected via 1-1 teleconferencing software interviews during COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and analysed initially using thematic analysis and, subsequently, using a critical theory-based approach. Nine barriers to yoga access were initially identified using thematic analysis: cost, place, discomfort, physicality, appearance, behaviour, people, potential distress, and alien-ness. These were intersectional in impact and experienced across the range of identities studied. Additionally, nine areas of barrier effect were identified using a critical theory-based approach, these were: Inclusion and access; Whiteness/ableism; Postcolonialism and cultural/religious appropriation; Commercialisation/neoliberalism; Unaware of/don’t see; I was lucky; Belief in loveliness; and Power/challenge. These areas arose from practices and norms within the social institution of UK Yoga and could be associated with emerging criticisms in the literature. Findings were that a range of barriers to yoga access were experienced, some of which could be attributed to practices and norms within the social institution of UK Yoga. These barriers could be seen to contribute to the health inequalities faced by marginalised groups and could be associated with the social determinants of health. Recommendations are for appraisal and revision of delivery of yoga in the UK including: teacher training; pedagogy and language; tailored approaches; examination of privilege; and sharing of power. Further research is indicated with yoga ‘insiders’ with marginalised identities.</p

Developing A Theoretically Grounded And Practically Orientated Model For Holistic Talent Development In Sport

Youth sport has become increasingly professionalised. As a result, youth athletes are involved in formalised talent development environments (TDEs) designed to facilitate their effective and efficient development towards the elite level. However, it is argued that athlete challenges relating to transition efficacy, developmental sacrifice, and health impacts are not comprehensively addressed in these environments. Consequently, athletes can be left with adverse outcomes, affecting them immediately and in the future in sport and life. Increasingly, research has sought to explore the positive and negative outcomes emerging from TDE involvement. In recognition of these outcomes, holistic talent development (HTD) approaches have been recommended, often associated with promoting personal and whole-person development. Despite this recommendation, there is currently no conceptualised and empirically explored model of HTD that captures this landscape. This state of play is particularly surprising considering the popularised use of the concept ‘holistic’, which has become mired in conceptual ambiguity. Adopting a pragmatic approach and using multi-methods, this thesis aimed to develop a model of HTD that was theoretically grounded and practically orientated, conceptualising outcome and environmental components. A working theoretical model was developed from current literature, which was subsequently applied and abductively developed throughout the thesis, incorporating data from athletes, parents and practitioners. Three empirical studies were undertaken. Study 1 examined perceptions of TDE effectiveness across a large multi-sport and country sample from the perspective of athletes (n = 571), parents (n = 759) and practitioners (n = 134). Study two explored practitioner (n = 23) understandings of HTD across six environments, using Appreciative Inquiry interviews. Study 3 explored HTD practice in one cricket TDE through an ethnographic approach with observations and interviews/focus groups with athletes (n = 17), parents (n = 9) and practitioners (n = 6). Corresponding with the data, positive athlete outcomes were framed within three domains (Athletic Performance; Health and Wellbeing; Life Readiness) and six sub-domains (Performance Skills and Characteristics; Health for Development; General Health; Varied Life Identity; Instrumental Life Skills; Prosocial Character). A wide range of TDE features were found to influence HTD athlete outcomes, and these were categorised into four theme-families (Community; Lifelong Outlook; Practitioner-Athlete Relationship; Personal Development). Connections between the outcome and environmental components of the model were explored. HTD outcomes were found to be sensitively influenced by numerous interactive environmental features. Through a rigorous process of conceptual exploration, development, and refinement, this thesis presents a promising model of HTD. This model is grounded in theory, stakeholder-informed and orientated towards practical utility, building upon previous research and providing fresh insight. Those in research and practice may reflexively consider the working model to inform their critical explorations of effective TDEs from a HTD perspective (e.g., programme building and evaluations).</p