Sustainability and Perceptions of Fair Water Resources Management: a case study of the Lark Valley, Suffolk

As socially and naturally imposed limits place water resources under greater pressure, the frequency of resource disputes will intensify. The emerging regulatory challenge is to mediate competing claims to water while taking account of conflicting decision criteria within the sustainability discourse. This thesis set out to explore the extent to which the objectives of sustainable and just water resource management strategies can be informed by an understanding of different perceptions of fairness among water abstractors, other interests groups and the environmental regulator. The normative dimensions of resource problems and solutions are underrepresented in the literature on water resources management and most work on equity and water operates with a predetermined position regarding the meaning of equitable allocation and management. There exists, therefore, a need for an understanding of local fairness norms for water, and fairness judgements held by stakeholders themselves. The main objective of the research was thus to determine what is fair water resources management, and to what extent are perceptions of fairness important in advancing sustainable water resources management? A qualitative and quantitative stakeholder analysis and catchment case study were employed to map competing claims on water in a small, rural water stressed catchment in East Anglia. The empirical study is contextualised in the drought events, regulatory change and new discourses influencing water management of 1989-1995. Analysis of attitudes to the regulator and to management strategies and support for different principles of water justice reveals the differing views of fair water management and expectations for water regulation which frame conflict and cooperation in the catchment. The thesis shows that as the environment has become a major player in water resource management: the notion of fairness as 'balance' (implicit in the regulation of water abstraction) has become contested, and the expectations for regulation more diverse

Examining the ‘flexible museum’: exhibition process, a project approach, and the creative element

Flexibility - considered broadly as adaptability and responsiveness to external forces - is a highly valued trait in late-modern life. As it reaches into new settings, there is scope to examine the diverse meanings, forms, and effects that it takes on. Using Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (Glasgow) as a case-study, this paper explores how a ‘flexible museum’ is produced and sustained. By recounting ethnographic observation of the making of a small display on Charles Darwin, it identifies how flexibility is variously made manifest not only as frequent material change, but also through new work-procedures and improvisatory practice. More broadly, and as situated within the landscape of museological reform, insight into the experiences and perceived effects of change on the everyday practice and sense of professional self of museum staff is provided

Examining the ‘flexible museum’: exhibition process, a project approach, and the creative element

Flexibility - considered broadly as adaptability and responsiveness to external forces - is a highly valued trait in late-modern life. As it reaches into new settings, there is scope to examine the diverse meanings, forms, and effects that it takes on. Using Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum (Glasgow) as a case-study, this paper explores how a ‘flexible museum’ is produced and sustained. By recounting ethnographic observation of the making of a small display on Charles Darwin, it identifies how flexibility is variously made manifest not only as frequent material change, but also through new work-procedures and improvisatory practice. More broadly, and as situated within the landscape of museological reform, insight into the experiences and perceived effects of change on the everyday practice and sense of professional self of museum staff is provided

A review of the village adoption project in Yunnan, China : a manual for service-learning and China\u27s rural development : 2007-2010

The Village Adoption Project in Yunnan was the first service-learning project jointly organized by a public institute of higher education and a private enterprise to focus on the development of China’s rural village. This is a valuable manual that systematically brings together the experience of the various organizations involved.https://commons.ln.edu.hk/osl_book/1015/thumbnail.jp

Understanding drawing: a cognitive account of observational process

This thesis contributes to theorising observational drawing from a cognitive perspective. Our current understanding of drawing is developing rapidly through artistic and scientific enquiry. However, it remains fragmented because the frames of reference of those modes of enquiry do not coincide. Therefore, the foundations for a truly interdisciplinary understanding of observational drawing are still inceptive. This thesis seeks to add to those foundations by bridging artistic and scientific perspectives on observational process and the cognitive aptitudes underpinning it. The project is based on four case studies of experienced artists drawing processes, with quantitative and qualitative data gathered: timing of eye and hand movements, and artists verbal reports. The data sets are analysed with a generative approach, using behavioural and protocol analysis methods to yield comparative models that describe cognitive strategies for drawing. This forms a grounded framework that elucidates the cognitive activities and competences observational process entails. Cognitive psychological theory is consulted to explain the observed behaviours, and the combined evidence is applied to understanding apparent discrepancies in existing accounts of drawing. In addition, the use of verbal reporting methods in drawing studies is evaluated. The study observes how drawing process involves a segregation of activities that enables efficient use of limited and parametrically constrained cognitive resources. Differing drawing strategies are shown to share common key characteristics; including a staged use of selective visual attention, and the capacity to temporarily postpone critical judgement in order to engage fully in periods of direct perception and action. The autonomy and regularity of those activities, demonstrated by the artists studied, indicate that drawing ability entails tacit self‐knowledge concerning the cognitive and perceptual capacities described in this thesis. This thesis presents drawing as a skill that involves strategic use of visual deconstruction, comparison, analogical transfer and repetitive cycles of construction, evaluation and revision. I argue that drawing skill acquisition and transfer can be facilitated by the elucidation of these processes. As such, this framework for describing and understanding drawing is offered to those who seek to understand, learn or teach observational practice, and to those who are taking a renewed interest in drawing as a tool for thought

The Impact of the Internationalisation of Higher Education on Scientists’ Multimodal Communication: A case study from Catalonia

Les universitats de tot el món són instades a participar en el procés d' ‘internacionalització’ com a distintiu de qualitat i com a reclam per atraure estudiants. Aquest estudi aborda aquesta qüestió des del context de les institucions catalanes d’educació superior, que afronten el dilema de donar suport a la/les llengua/gües local/s i, alhora, abraçar el multilingüisme i, sobretot, l’anglès. L'objectiu principal d'aquest estudi és examinar l'impacte de la internacionalització de l'educació superior en la comunicació diària dels científics. Les dades etnogràfiques s’han recopilat al llarg d’un període d’11 mesos d’observació de dos grups de recerca (RGs) multinacionals amb seu en una universitat catalana, i s’han contrastat amb dades extretes d’un RG amb seu a Alemanya i amb idees inspirades en les pràctiques del RG de la pròpia investigadora. De l'objectiu empíric n’ha derivat un objectiu teòric, que consisteix a dissenyar i provar un marc teòric adequat per estudiar el fenomen proposat de manera integral. Aquest estudi té l’objectiu de contribuir a la limitada literatura que descriu aquelles pràctiques comunicatives "informals" i inèdites dels científics, així com a la literatura sobre la internacionalització de l’ensenyament superior. A nivell pràctic, aquest treball pretén contribuir a la millora de les polítiques d’internacionalització de les institucions d’ensenyament superior de Catalunya, d’Europa i potencialment d’altres contextos arreu del món.Las universidades de todo el mundo son instadas a participar en el proceso de ‘internacionalización’ como distintivo de calidad y como reclamo para atraer estudiantes. Este estudio aborda esta cuestión desde el contexto de las instituciones catalanas de educación superior, que afrontan el dilema de apoyar la/s lengua/s local/es y, a la vez, abrazar el multilingüismo y, sobre todo, el inglés. El objetivo principal de este estudio es examinar el impacto de la internacionalización de la educación superior en la comunicación diaria de los científicos. Los datos etnográficos se han recopilado a lo largo de un período de 11 meses de observación de dos grupos de investigación (RGs) multinacionales con sede en una universidad catalana, y se han contrastado con datos extraídos de un RG con sede en Alemania y con ideas inspiradas en las prácticas del RG de la propia investigadora. Del objetivo empírico ha derivado un objetivo teórico, que consiste en diseñar y probar un marco teórico adecuado para estudiar el fenómeno propuesto de manera integral. Este estudio tiene el objetivo de contribuir a la limitada literatura que describe aquellas prácticas comunicativas "informales" e inéditas de los científicos, así como a la literatura sobre la internacionalización de la enseñanza superior. A nivel práctico, este trabajo pretende contribuir a la mejora de las políticas de internacionalización de las instituciones de enseñanza superior de Cataluña, de Europa y potencialmente de otros contextos en todo el mundo.Universities worldwide are urged to engage in the process of ‘internationalisation’ as a hallmark of quality and as a lure to attract students. The current study approaches this issue from the context of Catalan higher education institutions, which deal with the dilemma of supporting the local language(s) and at the same time embracing multilingualism and especially English. The main aim of this study is to examine the impact of the internationalisation of higher education on the daily communication of scientists. Ethnographic data have been collected throughout a period of 11 months from two multinational research groups (RGs) based in a Catalan state university, and contrasted with data taken from a RG based in Germany and with insights from the researcher’s own RG. From the empirical objective has derived a theoretical objective, consisting in designing and proving a suitable theoretical framework to study the phenomenon holistically. This study aims to contribute to the limited body of research describing scientists’ "informal" and unpublished communicative practices, as well as to the literature on the internationalisation of higher education. On a practical level, this work is intended to aid in the improvement of internationalisation policies of higher education institutions in Catalonia, in Europe and potentially in other contexts worldwide

Interactions of technology and society: Impacts of improved airtransport. A study of airports at the grass roots

The feasibility of applying a particular conception of technology and social change to specific examples of technological development was investigated. The social and economic effects of improved airport capabilities on rural communities were examined. Factors which led to the successful implementation of a plan to construct sixty small airports in Ohio are explored and implications derived for forming public policies, evaluating air transportation development, and assessing technology