Volunteers’ psychological contracts: exploring experiences and expectations before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Volunteers occupy a unique position in organisations; not paid employees yet operating within organisational structures. Volunteering is also an additional life role, managed alongside home, family and, for many, work roles. Despite such complexities, our understanding of volunteer experiences and expectations is limited. We explore the experiences of 72 volunteers using a psychological contract lens (53 volunteers before the COVID-19 pandemic and 19 volunteers during the first national lockdown). Our findings offer insights into consistency across volunteers’ expectations (i.e., of collective commitment, shared values, and organisational and peer support) and two distinct aspects of experience aligning roles to the COVID-19 imperative (i.e., motivation and role flexibility). Implications for organisations are discussed in relation to volunteer support, engagement and retention, including ‘buddy’ systems, peer support networks and open communication regarding expectations

A job task analysis of the physical demands of manually preparing a 4-person battle trench as a military defensive position

Abstract Aim Conduct a Job Task Analysis (JTA) to quantify the physical demands of preparing a defensive position by British Army Ground Close Combat (GCC) roles. Method Subjective data to describe the demands of preparing a defensive position were gathered from focus groups (n = 90) and questionnaires (n = 1495). Eight GCC personnel were observed preparing a defensive position which involved digging, lifting, and carrying materials. The oxygen cost of digging was measured using staged reconstructions at slow (12 shovels min−1, n = 16) and fast (22 shovels min−1, n = 13) rates. Results The JTA identified digging trenches, filling sandbags, and shovelling debris as principal tasks of preparing a defensive position. Oxygen cost during the fast-digging rate (27.45 ± 4.93 ml kg−1 min−1) was 26 % greater than the slower rate (21.75 ± 2.83 ml kg−1 min−1; p < 0.001, d = −1.461). Conclusion Digging a defensive position was identified by military experts as a critical job-task, with variability in metabolic cost dependent on work rate. Data may inform selection, training, and technology interventions to improve task performance

Envisioning the good life: The limits of contemporary vitalism

Envisioning the Good Life is a call to re-imagine our lives beyond the limits of recent understandings. While contemporary thinkers of life have promoted a vision of life as excess to escape the crises that beset the present, these vitalist visions leave life detached from reality and fragmented. Contemporary vitalism imagines life as excessive, savage life, as damaged life that flees power, and as redeemed life that forms a new dispersed community. While exploring these visions of life, this book argues for an integrated understanding of the good life. Reading against the limits of the current imaginary, Envisioning the Good Life suggests that our lives are not defined by the limits of illness, death, and finitude. This book urges us to rediscover the vision of the good life in the collective and to grasp our own powers to transform our lives and the world

Gendered networking in international sport governance

Research question We aim to develop a deeper understanding of gendered networking in international sport governance. Specifically, we examine the perceptions and experiences of networking amongst women and men senior postholders within international federations (IFs). Research methods We draw on interview data from in-depth semi-structured interviews with six men and six women British senior postholders across 12 different Olympic (n = 10) and Paralympic (n = 2) IFs. Results and findings Networking was reported to be an instrumental factor in obtaining and maintaining a career in international sport governance. We present and discuss a ‘4 p’s typology’ that reflects and represents interviewees’ perceptions and experiences of the roles and mechanisms of networking: profile, place, purpose, and preference. We found that the roles and mechanisms of networking were complex and multi-faceted, spanning individual goals and strategies and group/organisational aims and processes. Furthermore, whilst men and women interviewees were mostly uniform in their perceptions of the roles and mechanisms of networking, there were clear gender differences in their experiences of, and outcomes from, networking. Implications Overall, the findings from this paper demonstrate how influential and important networking is for both individual career advancement and organisational agendas and decisions. Given this, our findings on the gendered nature of networking can be problematic if already underrepresented women benefit less than men from valuable networking activities. We end the paper by providing some recommendations for future research and concrete short-term strategies that can be implemented to work towards gender-inclusive networking

The effect of a short recipe book intervention on nutrition confidence and sports nutrition knowledge of women football players

Background: Nutrition knowledge and confidence can be key facilitators to good nutrition behaviours. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a structured and personalisable recipe-based nutrition education resource, on sports nutrition knowledge and confidence among women football players. Fifty-two women football players across different competitive levels (tiers two and four of the English league and academy players) completed a survey assessing training and nutrition habits, nutrition confidence, and sports nutrition knowledge. A sample of participants were randomized into an intervention group (n = 10), receiving a resource with practical applications and personalisable meal adaptations, or a control group (n = 8) receiving theoretical guidance without recipes (both two weeks). Both groups then repeated the same survey at the end of the two-week period. Results: In the initial survey fewer than half of the players (40%) regularly planned their meals ahead of time, but the majority planned what (71%) and when (73%) they ate in relation to training and competition most of the time. More than half had at least some responsibility for doing the grocery shopping (67%) and preparing and cooking meals (90%), highlighting an opportunity to intervene. Results demonstrated that while the intervention significantly improved nutrition knowledge compared to control (p = 0.004), the overall score was still low (< 50% for both groups), and the change was within the typical error for the measure. Nutrition confidence was also low, with no significant differences between groups. Conclusions: This short home-based intervention had a statistical but unlikely meaningful impact on nutrition knowledge, but not confidence. These findings are considered alongside the participants’ nutrition habits, and discussed in the context of self-determination theory to highlight the potential role of relatedness to improve competence and autonomy, and subsequently knowledge and confidence

Effects of prehabilitation concurrent exercise on functional capacity in colorectal cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Purpose: Our aim was to examine the efficacy of concurrent exercise (i.e., aerobic and strength exercise) during prehabilitation programs on functional capacity in comparison with standard cancer care strategies in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients scheduled for surgery. Methods: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was performed. A search of electronic databases [PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO Host] was conducted to identify all publications employing concurrent exercise in patients with CRC. Random-effects meta-analyses were used to calculate the standardized change in mean difference (SMD) and 95%CI between exercise intervention and control groups for the 6 min walking test (6MWT) distance covered before and after prehabilitation. Results: Six studies met the inclusion criteria (379 patients with CRC). Concurrent training during prehabilitation led to significant positive effects on the 6MWT (0.28 SMD [0.03–0.54], p = 0.037). Subgroup analyses showed a higher SMD (0.48 [0.00–0.98], p = 0.050) in younger (i.e., &lt;70 years) CRC patients compared to their older counterparts (0.10 [0.08–0.11], p = 0.310). Meta-regression models between SMD of the 6MWT and body mass index, prehabilitation program duration, and baseline 6MWT distance covered did not show any significant relationship. Conclusions: This meta-analysis demonstrates the superiority of concurrent exercise prehabilitation in improving functional capacity related to cardiometabolic changes and lowering postoperative risk in patients with CRC

Cold comfort

Eco-poem exploring themes of wilderness and technology

The jury on trial: assessing the impact of courtroom design and juror ideology on defendant guilt perception

This study explored how courtroom design and jurors' ideological attitudes influence guilt perceptions and sentencing. It hypothesized that defendants in secure docks would be perceived as more likely guilty and receive harsher sentences than those at the bar table, with stronger ideological attitudes increasing guilt likelihood. In a between‐subjects design, 556 participants reviewed courtroom sketches and case summaries, then rated guilt and sentencing. Defendants in secure docks were more often seen as guilty, and ideological attitudes partially influenced assessments. The findings highlight the need for interventions to reduce bias in legal proceedings and inform policy on courtroom design

Educational needs of the esports industry: a Delphi study

Although esports has grown significantly over the past decades with educational programs expanding globally, there is a lack of understanding of the specific areas where students in esports require development, including technical and interpersonal skills essential for success in emerging disciplines. To identify these educational needs in esports and thereby inform future research and educational programs, a Delphi study including global experts was conducted. Using an online survey, 25 experts prioritized educational needs for esports based on existing programs and suggest missing elements. Following this survey, 20 experts joined panel discussions to discuss the survey ranking and reach consensus. The study highlighted “Entrepreneurship and Innovation,” “Sport Science and Health,” and “Esports Management and Business” as the top three educational needs. Although aspects such as “Technology and IT Skills,” “Broadcasting and Journalism,” and “Game Design and Development” were ranked lower, the panels stressed the role of every educational need identified within this study and the constant-changing environment, including short- and long-term needs. The findings underline the necessity for evidence-based educational programs to support the esports industry and facilitate the transition from education to employment. Further research is needed to adjust educational pathways to keep up with the evolving esports industry

Poems from an attic: selected poems 1936-1995

This is the first selected collection of Iris Murdoch's poetry to be published in the UK