Creationism and evolution

In Tower of Babel, Robert Pennock wrote that “defenders of evolution would help their case immeasurably if they would reassure their audience that morality, purpose, and meaning are not lost by accepting the truth of evolution.” We first consider the thesis that the creationists’ movement exploits moral concerns to spread its ideas against the theory of evolution. We analyze their arguments and possible reasons why they are easily accepted. Creationists usually employ two contradictive strategies to expose the purported moral degradation that comes with accepting the theory of evolution. On the one hand they claim that evolutionary theory is immoral. On the other hand creationists think of evolutionary theory as amoral. Both objections come naturally in a monotheistic view. But we can find similar conclusions about the supposed moral aspects of evolution in non-religiously inspired discussions. Meanwhile, the creationism-evolution debate mainly focuses — understandably — on what constitutes good science. We consider the need for moral reassurance and analyze reassuring arguments from philosophers. Philosophers may stress that science does not prescribe and is therefore not immoral, but this reaction opens the door for the objection of amorality that evolution — as a naturalistic world view at least — supposedly endorses. We consider that the topic of morality and its relation to the acceptance of evolution may need more empirical research

International Organizations as Corporate Actors: Agency and Emergence in Theories of International Relations

In this paper, the implicit and explicit conceptualizations of international organizations found in the three major theories of international relations are outlined and compared. It turns out that in a neorealist framework, international organizations can be explained; however, they exhibit no autonomy and cannot therefore be conceptualized as a corporate actor. Principally, the same applies to rational choice institutionalism, although limited autonomy is conceivable. Both theories are reductionist in the sense that they do not allow a corporate actor beyond the nation-state. International organizations are at best instruments of state interests. Solely social constructivist theories allow a conceptualization of international organizations as partly autonomous corporate actors. The reason for this conceptual openness lies in its ontology that includes ideational factors such as knowledge and ideas. The concept of emergence gives the core explanation for international organization autonomy: identities and interests of states and international organizations constitute each other mutually. This is specified by referring to the generation of new knowledge within international organizations as the key feature which accounts for feedbacks to the member-states of international organizations. This power of international organizations to alter perceptions and identities of their own ‘founding fathers’ makes them more than state instruments. International organizations thereby gain autonomy, which justifies conceiving of them as high-order corporate actors in international relations.

Measuring Perceptions of Frequent Users Towards Service Quality in the Fitness Industry: Public Sports Centres in Northern England

This thesis explores the perceptions of frequent users towards service quality in public sports centres in Northern England. In light of the increasing competition for members between highly specialised fitness facilities and multipurpose facilities with a broad range of services, the main focus of the thesis is placed on the users of fitness services in the sports centres, i.e. users of fitness suites and fitness classes. In order to address the gap in the previous literature in terms of measuring service quality in these two separate fitness contexts, the adapted model by Ko and Pastore (2005) was applied within the quantitative mono-method research design of this study. To ensure that the instrument is relevant and appropriate for use in the business operating environment, a pilot study and a series of consultation with practitioners took place, as a part of the model’s development. To measure and compare quality perceptions between two groups of frequent users, data was collected via an online survey from a random sample of customers in fourteen public sports centres managed by Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL) Trust, based in the North of England. The purpose of the survey was to capture customers' evaluations of service quality, by inviting them to score the importance and performance of service quality attributes. The survey received a total of 680 responses, out of which 522 respondents self-reported being frequent users of fitness suites, fitness classes, or both. The data was analysed with the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS); this included importance-performance analysis, quantitative comparison of scores and explanation of satisfaction scores for each of the two groups of users. The findings of the study revealed the exceptional importance of the physical environment quality for both contexts of fitness suites and fitness classes. The empirical data showed that personal achievement was equally important for the users of both fitness suites and fitness classes and this attribute was, relatively speaking, underperforming in both settings. The greatest differences in quality perceptions between the two groups were found in the areas of sociability and inter-client interaction. Sociability was not seen as a desirable outcome by users of fitness suites, yet this may differ depending on the type of facility and customers' motivations. The study found evidence that individuals who participated frequently in both fitness settings tend to give a higher score on performance of certain service attributes. Finally, the study established that evaluations of perceived service quality by the two user groups contribute to their overall satisfaction differently and, therefore, they need to be considered as users of two distinct fitness settings. Overall, this thesis extends existing research by providing classification of areas related to perceived service quality in the fitness services and utilises an industry-specific model for measuring service quality perceptions of customers in the fitness industry

Exploring poor outcomes from quality assurance programs – An analysis based around the concept of Mechanisms and The Theory of Constraints (TOC) Thinking Process (TP)

Quality programs have been used by organisations since their advent in the 1930s and continue to be implemented to achieve various goals. For example, according to the International Organization for Standardization (2015) and the CASRO Institute for Research Quality (2016), organisations aim to reduce costs, gain a competitive advantage, improve the quality of their processes and products, and enhance profitability through attaining such accreditations. ISO accreditations have also been used to ensure compliance with market requirements (Williams, 2004). However, a major challenge in implementing these programs, referred to in this thesis as ‘Quality Assurance Programs’ (QAPs), is the gap that continues to exist between the desired and the actual outcomes (Prajogo, 2011; Williams, 2004). The actual outcomes are often poor and disappointing, with many firms reporting dissatisfaction with the outcomes of such expensive QAPs (Heravitorbati, Coffey, & Trigunarsyah, 2011; Ormerod, 2006). Successful ISO accreditations are typically evident when the ISO standards are met, and profitability and organisational performance enhanced; however, failed accreditations are difficult to quantify because organisations may attain the accreditation but fail to achieve fundamental desired outcomes, such as increased productivity. These disappointing outcomes come at a high cost for both the organisation and the employees. This thesis sets out to explain this observed anomaly for three different case examples. The focus is on investigating “how” and “why” QAPs succeed or fail, and to provide an explanation for such outcomes. In other words, this thesis seeks to contribute to answering the research question “what works for whom in what circumstances?” (Pawson & Tilley, 1997). This requires defining the possible mechanisms in context that explain the observed outcomes. The investigation conducted in this thesis proposes particular mechanisms that explain the observed outcomes. For this purpose, a structured-case method was used. Structured-case refers to a formal process model involving three structural components: a conceptual framework, a predefined research cycle, and a literaturebased scrutiny of the research finding (Carroll & Swatman, 2000). This method has the advantage of constructing a theory from the data collected in the field. Three case studies were selected to explain anomalies in outcomes related to ISO accreditations and QAP. The core of the investigation is the proposal that implementing ISO accreditations can enable the organisation to lead the market in one or more of Treacy and Wiersema’s (1993) strategic choices: Customer Intimacy (CI), Operational Excellence (OE), and Product Differentiation (PD). For implementing this purpose, a relatively new feature within the Theory of Constraints (TOC) - the Strategy and Tactic (S&T) tree - was used. The thesis demonstrates how combining the S&T tree with Treacy and Wiersema’s (1993) strategic choices has important outcomes for QAP. The aim of this thesis is to explain the anomalous outcomes of the ISO accreditation. For this purpose, the research required a research philosophy that enables an explanation and proposal of generative mechanisms. Therefore, Critical Realism (CR) was adopted as the philosophy of the thesis and this provided the foundation for proposing mechanisms. It is argued that mechanisms proposed from the Theory of Constraints (TOC) have the capacity to explain the poor performance demonstrated in the three case organisations. The particular mechanisms proposed are Goal Alignment, Defining the Constraints, and Defining the Tactics. It is suggested that when these mechanisms exist and are activated, the desired outcomes are more likely to be achieved. On the other hand, it is proposed that the absence of these mechanisms can explain the anomalies and the disappointment in the outcomes of the three cases. Case study A is an ISO certified professional service provider. Their goal was to upgrade from local Australian standards to ISO accreditation in order to meet market requirements. Attaining this accreditation effectively addressed customer intimacy (CI in the strategic choices model); in addition, it helped the organisation to streamline their processes. The examination of this case showed that the outcomes were generally poor and that employees had varied understandings of the goal of the ISO accreditation. To explain such an anomaly, the TOC Thinking Process (TP) tools were used. Through this process, the causal mechanisms behind poor outcomes were proposed as being not targeting the system constraint, and a lack of goal alignment between the ISO accreditation goal and the organisational goal. In addition, it was suggested that for this organisation to continue its quality program successfully, their next ISO accreditation should aim to achieve another Treacy and Wiersema (1993) strategic choice, namely OE, and apply the S&T tree in its tactical implementation. Such significant findings needed to be checked and tested in a second case, which was the rationale for selecting organisation B. At the time of data collection, this organisation had recently attained an ISO accreditation, after two previous unsuccessful attempts. The accreditation helped to improve their internal operations (OE) which consequently reduced their operational and rework costs. However, several undesirable outcomes associated with the accreditation became evident such as the staff not realising the importance of following the ISO accreditation’s procedures and standards. The mechanisms suggested to explain this anomaly were again a lack of goal alignment and not targeting their constraint. The analysis also showed that the organisational goal was not defined in terms of the organisation’s throughput (the TOC defined necessary real goal). It was suggested that to continue their QAP successfully, this organisation needs to link the subsequent accreditation’s goal to achieving CI. This will encourage goal alignment and result in leading the market in this strategic choice. The third case study, organisation C, did not go through a QAP program and the role of their auditing, as a simplified form of a quality program was more holistic, and the S&T tree assisted in defining the pervasive role of quality, in the sense of “fitness for purpose”, throughout the organisation. This case is a professional not-forprofit research centre. After three years of operating, the management sought to restructure and reinforce their research focus. This decision was made because the observed research outcomes were not meeting their stated goals. In this case, it was felt that their goal was articulated well but their implementation was poor. In order to focus on their implementation issues, it was decided to develop models of S&T trees specifically for the critique of the stakeholders. This provided an opportunity for management to reflect on the goal of the organisation and their performance. The process of developing and validating the S&T trees models actually became an important QAP in its own right and led the centre to defining and addressing the conflicts within the system. The suggested explanation of the anomaly of poor outcomes in this case is that the tactics to achieve their strategies were not well defined; in other words, poor implementation leading to disappointing outcomes Besides defining TOC based mechanisms, a major contribution of this thesis is the development of a new approach for the S&T tree which expands its usage to include operationalising Treacy and Wiersema’s (1993) strategic choices. This new model is a platform that provides an opportunity for stakeholders to define and possibly address the assumptions underpinning the organisation’s decisions and actions. The stakeholder feedback generated is also important because it communicates the strategic choice in light of the actual needs of the organisation. Most importantly, the S&T tree can be used for more than just planning the execution of a goal; it actually can be used to plan the organisation’s sequential growth and lead the market in one or more of Treacy and Wiersema’s (1993) strategic choices. This thesis proposes a linkage between TOC and the concept of mechanisms and demonstrates how TOC can help explain the mechanisms behind poor QAP outcomes. By so doing, it also demonstrates the advantages of linking Critical Realism and TOC, and how the S&T tree models provide a promising platform for operationalising the achievement of Treacy and Wiersema’s (1993) strategic choices. Finally, from a practical perspective, it suggests that any QAP, including ISO accreditation, should only be considered if they target the constraint of the syste

A Life Cycle Approach to the Development and Validation of an Ontology of the U.S. Common Rule (45 C.F.R. § 46)

Requirements for the protection of human research subjects stem from directly from federal regulation by the Department of Health and Human Services in Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.) part 46. 15 other federal agencies include subpart A of part 46 verbatim in their own body of regulation. Hence 45 C.F.R. part 46 subpart A has come to be called colloquially the ‘Common Rule.’ Overall motivation for this study began as a desire to facilitate the ethical sharing of biospecimen samples from large biospecimen collections by using ontologies. Previous work demonstrated that in general the informed consent process and subsequent decision making about data and specimen release still relies heavily on paper-based informed consent forms and processes. Consequently, well-validated computable models are needed to provide an enhanced foundation for data sharing. This dissertation describes the development and validation of a Common Rule Ontology (CRO), expressed in the OWL-2 Web Ontology Language, and is intended to provide a computable semantic knowledge model for assessing and representing components of the information artifacts of required as part of regulated research under 45 C.F.R. § 46. I examine if the alignment of this ontology with the Basic Formal Ontology and other ontologies from the Open Biomedical Ontology (OBO) Foundry provide a good fit for the regulatory aspects of the Common Rule Ontology. The dissertation also examines and proposes a new method for ongoing evaluation of ontology such as CRO across the ontology development lifecycle and suggest methods to achieve high quality, validated ontologies. While the CRO is not in itself intended to be a complete solution to the data and specimen sharing problems outlined above, it is intended to produce a well-validated computationally grounded framework upon which others can build. This model can be used in future work to build decision support systems to assist Institutional Review Boards (IRBs), regulatory personnel, honest brokers, tissue bank managers, and other individuals in the decision-making process involving biorepository specimen and data sharing

Exploration of Higher Education Delivery of Artistic Sport Curriculum in the UK and China

This study explored the challenges and opportunities within the realm of artistic sports courses in China, primarily focusing on vocational outcomes for students in Chinese universities and addresses potential implications for enhancement in the context of teaching and learning practices. Through the insights garnered from higher education experts, on-campus students, and social professionals related to artistic sports, this research considered the potential of UK practices to inform the development of Chinese courses, adopting a rigorous and methodical approach to research design, informed by Saunders et al.'s "Research Onion" model. It comprehensively explored philosophical underpinnings, theory development approaches, research choices, strategies, and techniques with procedures. In addition, the research incorporated an in-depth review of pedagogic theory and contemporary literature to establish context. A series of semi-structured interviews were conducted with participants from both China and the U.K. The primary analytical strategy employed was thematic analysis, enriched by a template analysis approach. This comprehensive methodology facilitated a deep exploration, interpretation, and analysis of the data, culminating in a detailed understanding of the current state and potential improvements of artistic sports courses in China. Key findings from the research illuminate a range of expanded employment opportunities in artistic sports. This includes roles in artistic sports therapy, artistic sports health consulting, careers in health and social care, traditional Chinese artistic sports, artistic sports creativity, academic research, and positions requiring entrepreneurial skills. Further findings encourage a series of research implications for enhancing the teaching and learning practices within artistic sports courses, which span five critical dimensions in higher education delivery: course design, course content and learning experience, course implementation, course assessment, and quality enhancement. Among the key implications, the study highlights the expansion of course objectives, the need for course content diversification to cater to broader vocational outcomes, effective communication and cooperation strategies to improve course implementation, and comprehensive, diverse assessment approaches, especially including the innovative use of student portfolios. It also emphasises the importance of enhancing quality by updating university policies, enhancing the lecturer team, and shifting teaching methods to more learner-centred approaches. The above findings presented in this study offer significant contributions to developing artistic sports education in China. By aligning course design with societal and industry demands and addressing the distinctive interests and abilities of students, the study also offers the potential opportunity to enhance the quality, relevance, and impact of higher education in the realm of artistic sports courses

The Role of Information Quality in Healthcare Organizations: A Multi-Disciplinary Literature Review

The volume of data in healthcare repositories is growing exponentially, giving increased concerns on its organizational implications. The quality of data and information represents a considerable risk for organizations, particularly in healthcare, where consequences of poor quality may be fatal for patients. This research seeks to investigate the role of information quality in organizations, by reviewing multi-disciplinary research literature and provide a framework of the relations between IQ and its organizational implications. Findings suggest that research on information quality has focused on different aspects of organizational impact: organizational performance, process performance, process improvement, and decision-making. However, since the research is fragmented and scarce, this paper suggests a shift in research focus from defining, measuring and improving information quality, to understanding the implications and applications of information quality towards better and safer health services

An Inquiry into Model Validity When Addressing Complex Sustainability Challenges

Scientific modelling is a prime means to generate understanding and provide much-needed information to support public decision-making in the fluid area of sustainability. A growing, diverse sustainability modelling literature, however, does not readily lend itself to standard validation procedures, which are typically rooted in the positivist principles of empirical verification and predictive success. Yet, to be useful to decision-makers, models, including their outputs and the processes through which they are established must be, and must be seen to be “valid.” *is study explores what model validity means in a problem space with increasingly interlinked and fast-moving challenges. We examine validation perspectives through ontological, epistemic, and methodological lenses, for a range of modelling approaches that can be considered as “complexity-compatible.” *e worldview taken in complexity-compatible modelling departs from the more standard modelling assumptions of complete objectivity and full predictability. Drawing on different insights from complexity science, systems thinking, economics, and mathematics, we suggest a ten-dimensional framework for progressing on model validity when investigating sustainability concerns. As such, we develop a widened view of the meaning of model validity for sustainability. It includes (i) acknowledging that several facets of validation are critical for the successful modelling of the sustainability of complex systems; (ii) tackling the thorny issues of uncertainty, subjectivity, and unpredictability; (iii) exploring the realism of model assumptions and mechanisms; (iv) embracing the role of stakeholder engagement and scrutiny throughout the modelling process; and (v) considering model purpose when assessing model validity. We wish to widen the debate on the meaning of model validity in a constructive way. We conclude that consideration of all these elements is necessary to enable sustainability models to support, more effectively, decision-making for complex interdependent systems

An Inquiry into Model Validity When Addressing Complex Sustainability Challenges

Scientific modelling is a prime means to generate understanding and provide much-needed information to support public decision-making in the fluid area of sustainability. A growing, diverse sustainability modelling literature, however, does not readily lend itself to standard validation procedures, which are typically rooted in the positivist principles of empirical verification and predictive success. Yet, to be useful to decision-makers, models, including their outputs and the processes through which they are established must be, and must be seen to be “valid.” This study explores what model validity means in a problem space with increasingly interlinked and fast-moving challenges. We examine validation perspectives through ontological, epistemic, and methodological lenses, for a range of modelling approaches that can be considered as “complexity-compatible.” The worldview taken in complexity-compatible modelling departs from the more standard modelling assumptions of complete objectivity and full predictability. Drawing on different insights from complexity science, systems thinking, economics, and mathematics, we suggest a ten-dimensional framework for progressing on model validity when investigating sustainability concerns. As such, we develop a widened view of the meaning of model validity for sustainability. It includes (i) acknowledging that several facets of validation are critical for the successful modelling of the sustainability of complex systems; (ii) tackling the thorny issues of uncertainty, subjectivity, and unpredictability; (iii) exploring the realism of model assumptions and mechanisms; (iv) embracing the role of stakeholder engagement and scrutiny throughout the modelling process; and (v) considering model purpose when assessing model validity. We wish to widen the debate on the meaning of model validity in a constructive way. We conclude that consideration of all these elements is necessary to enable sustainability models to support, more effectively, decision-making for complex interdependent systems