Exploring the Impact of Para-Social Interaction

In today’s world, social media platforms have overtaken traditional channels in influencing how consumers make purchasing decisions. Young individuals who have grown up in the internet age are notably engaged with platforms such as Douyin, forming a significant audience for fashion brands aiming to strengthen their market presence. This conceptual chapter aims to investigate the impact of virtual influencers on social media platforms, particularly interacting with Douyin. Taking an innovative approach, the chapter leverages insights from established theories such as the Source Attractiveness Model and the Theory of Persuasion to dissect the relationships followers maintain with virtual influencers, who are digital representations in the online space. Through an in-depth analysis of interactions with the well-known virtual influencer Yexi Liu, the chapter unravels the nuances of how these digital personas are reshaping followers’ brand perceptions and purchasing habits

Differences in Sprinting and Jumping Performance Between Maturity Status Groups in Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background: Large interindividual differences can exist in the timing and tempo of growth and maturation of youth athletes. This can provide significant physical performance advantages to young athletes who mature in advance of their peers. Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to determine the magnitude of differences in sprinting and jumping performance in youth of different maturity status (classified as pre-, circa- or post-peak height velocity [PHV]) (aged < 18 years) to enhance the evaluation of performance. Methods: Eligibility criteria for inclusion were as follows: (1) the study had cross-sectional data available; (2) participants were male and/or female ≤ 18 years of age; (3) a somatic measure of maturity was used to identify maturity status (e.g. Mirwald or Khamis-Roche methods) with at least two maturity status classifications present; (4) the study included a measurement of sprinting speed (e.g. 10–100-m sprint data) and/or jump tests commonly used to assess power (e.g. countermovement jump [CMJ]). Searches were conducted up to November 2024 in PubMed, Embase, SPORTDiscus and preprint servers SportRxiv and medRxiv to identify any unpublished trials. Risk of bias and study quality was assessed using the Appraisal tool for Cross‐Sectional Studies (AXIS). Meta-analysis was computed using a random-effects model. Results: The search identified 1578 studies. From those, 40 studies were identified for qualitative assessment and quantitative synthesis. In the primary analysis, 21 studies provided data for measures of speed, and 19 studies provided data for measures of power using jump tests. Sprinting and jumping performance increased with advancing maturity status and overall effect sizes were predominantly moderate to large between maturity groups. Pre-PHV versus post-PHV comparisons found moderate to large overall effect sizes (ES) for sprinting performance (10-m ES 1.34 [95% CI 0.87–1.80]; 20-m ES 1.40 [95% CI 0.85–1.96]; and 30-m ES 0.93 [95% CI 0.15–1.76] sprint times) and large to very large ES for the jump tests (CMJ ES 1.53 [95% CI 1.14–1.92]; squat jump ES 1.32 [95% CI 0.70–1.94]; and standing long jump ES 2.18 [95% CI 1.32–3.04]). When comparing consecutive maturity groups (i.e. pre- to circa-PHV and circa- to post-PHV), ES were predominantly moderate across the sprinting and jumping measures, with only a trivial difference found in 30-m sprint time (ES 0.45 [95% CI 0.21–0.69]) for the circa- to post-PHV comparisons. Conclusion: Large differences exist in sprinting and jumping performance between the least and most mature male athletes (pre- and post-PHV), with trivial to moderate ES indicated between consecutive groups (e.g. pre- and circa-PHV). Practitioners working with youth athletes should consider how these differences may impact performance in the athlete’s sport, and regularly assess individual maturity to accurately evaluate performance against age and maturity group benchmarks to account for large differences in maturity that exist within chronological age groups. It should be noted we observed inconsistencies in maturity thresholds and test methods; thus, standardization is required for future research

Events, turns, and critical junctures: unpacking the temporality of supporter rights and democracy in English football

The future of professional men’s football in England stands at a critical juncture. In the wake of a global pandemic, the national game has been beset by volatility and upheaval. In April 2021, six of the most storied clubs in England announced they would be joining a new breakaway European Super League (ESL). These proposals triggered vehement opposition from fan movements, catalysing the intervention of the UK government who established a fan-led review of football governance (FLR) to consult fans on future regulatory reform and the security and safety of supporters at major events. Emerging out of these exogenous shocks and endogenous change, the governance of English football is set to be radically transformed via the establishment of a new regulatory regime. In this article, we employ eventful sociology and historical institutionalism to operationalise the concept of critical juncture and apply this through an analysis of two temporal periods (1985-1990) and (2020-2024). In doing so, we show how the current ‘regulatory turn’ is interdependently linked to prior historical transformative events, namely the Heysel and Hillsborough stadium disasters and the subsequent neoliberal transformation of English football across the last four decades. Incorporating a more nuanced understanding of change and continuity in the governance of English football, we argue that new regulatory frameworks, despite their transformative potential, may continue to exhibit institutional legacies of the existing regime and prevailing political economy

The impact of mentoring in higher education on student career development: a systematic review and research agenda

Studies published over the last four decades provide the basis for a systematic review of the impact of mentoring in higher education (HE) on student career development. We review 73 papers published between 1986 and 2023 and develop a framework to examine the relationships between mentoring approaches and career development outcomes. Here, we distinguish between different student populations (female students, under-represented groups). Notwithstanding an overall positive verdict on mentoring's career development potential, with particular emphasis on career choice and transitioning behaviour, the results are not always positive, and many nuances in the data are evident. At a time of increased concern about student transitions into the labour market, practical implications can be derived which may strengthen mentoring's benefits, e.g. the value of peer mentoring for female students, and cultural proximity of mentors for under-represented minority students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers. Key research recommendations include:(1) developing novel impact indicators related to emotion such as career inspiration and passion; (2) examining under-researched impact indicators related to non-traditional student careers (e.g. entrepreneurial intentions), and employment and socioeconomic impact indicators; and (3) investigating the role of context and mentoring content and delivery modalities, in helping to explain inconsistent findings across the reviewed papers

Banking prudentials, leverage, and innovation partnership choice in China

In a theoretical context where innovators borrow loans or settle for state-owned enterprise (SOE) sponsorship for their projects, we examine the effects of banking prudential regulations and their interaction with corporate leverage on the patenting partnership choice in China using a unique matched patent-firm-bank loan dataset for 15,623 observations in the 2013–17 period. We use a unique instrumental variable (IV) strategy to identify idiosyncratic bank prudential reform shocks associated with the post-2012 Basel III regulation and find prudential metrics (corporate leverage) of the financiers (firms) to positively (negatively) influence SOE patenting partnership choice, though prudential regulation mitigates the latter. Prudential reforms therefore come at a cost of further SOE dominance. However, conditional on an innovation project being SOE sponsored, we find positive spillover effect from the SOE's employment mandate to loan productivity. Our results are robust across different IV strategies, alternative measures, sub-sample and mechanism analyses

Politeness and Impoliteness in Coptic Documents: The Correspondence of the Monk Frange in 8th Century Thebes

The exceptional dossier of the monk Frange, who lived on the Theban mountain at the beginning of the 8th century, has preserved several hundred Coptic letters on ostracon. In these letters, the monk goes from the most exquisite politeness to extreme rudeness. Playing on the codes of language and epistolography of his time, whose codes he does not hesitate to break, he expresses the full range of his feelings, from exalted joy to cold anger. In addition to the letters that Frange himself wrote are those written by a range of other individuals, among whom a number of women are prominent. This article presents the first examination of politeness in this corpus, focussing first on Frange’s means of expressing politeness or rudeness in his messages, and second on the strategies employed by the women who wrote to him. Beyond politeness, these case studies also demonstrate how such an approach can provide significant contributions to understandings of the broader context in which such letters are produced

Cold hands and Cuddle Monsters: exploring subjective experience and psychological wellbeing with volunteers in a community pet rescue centre

The psychological benefits of human-animal interaction (HAI) for pet owners and animal carers are well-documented. To further explore community-based HAI and psychological wellbeing, this paper presents findings from an ethnography at a pet rescue centre. Nine volunteers were interviewed and observed whilst looking after rabbits, chickens, goats and ducks. An interpretive phenomenological analysis produced four themes relating to the experience and psychological benefits of the work; (i) holistic, individual care, (ii) volunteer resilience, (iii) communities and interactions, and (iv) porous boundaries, strong connections. This research extends the psychological literature on HAI, which mainly focuses on pet ownership and therapeutic HAI

Initiating Relational Public Sector Reform Through Micro- and Macro-initiatives in the Early Years System in Greater Manchester

In this chapter, we outline how we worked as embedded collaborators through academic membership of Greater Manchester Combined Authority's (GMCA) School Readiness Board, as evaluators and leaders in a large UK Government-funded project on early outcomes and as consultants, delivering a strengths-based coaching programme for early years leaders across GM’s 10 local authorities. As such, we were able to become embedded academic collaborators working with the system leadership rather than on it. Our coaching programme was delivered to leaders in the early years field where these strategies feed through into the Early Years Delivery Model and the GM School Readiness Programme. The findings show how a reflective approach to the challenges of leadership helped embed personal development through real-world relational encounters that maintained motivation and then created advocacy for the leadership programme across the lengthy timespan of its implementation. The participants eventually stopped asking for expert models and manuals of leadership development when they realized that they were engaged in an experiential leadership programme

Sustainable Adaptation to Climate Change

This PhD thesis compiled as part of the PhD by Published Works (Route 1) Programme at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, provides the context for the author’s research portfolio consisting of a total of 13 publications, hereof six published before and seven published after enrolment. The thesis serves to explain the conceptual foundation and elaborate on the relationships between a set of themes within adaptation science under the overarching topic of sustainable adaptation to climate change. It also offers a critical reflection of the works published and gives some directions for future adaptation research. Sustainable adaptation may be described as a complex, context-specific and multi-scalar undertaking which needs to be designed in a thorough, inclusive, and equitable manner to avoid maladaptation and disclose potential limits to adaptation actions where climate impacts cannot be avoided anymore. The author’s research papers address some key dimensions of sustainable adaptation that are key to disclosing context-specific vulnerabilities of climate-sensitive sectors and vulnerable groups, providing conceptual ideas and definitions, highlighting the value of local and traditional knowledge and pointing to potential risks associated with non-achievement of the global goals, i.e. the SDGs that were envisaged to put the world on a sustainable development path. In line with Manchester Metropolitan University’s PhD by Published Works (Route 1) Programme, the author’s PhD project thus contributed to adaptation science through a series of publications addressing important components for sustainably adapting to progressing climate change