Gender identity inclusion in the workplace: broadening diversity management research and practice through the case of transgender employees in the UK

Based on 14 in-depth interviews, this paper explores the unique workplace experiences of transgender individuals in the UK employment context. The paper identifies gender identity diversity as a key blind spot in HRM and diversity management research and practice. The findings reveal the range of workplace challenges experienced by transgender employees. Major findings are that discriminatory effects are often occupation- and industry-specific; transition is a period where many transgender workers suffer due to lack of proper organisational support; and expertise deficits exist in supporting and accommodating transgender employees’ needs. In unpacking these experiences, the paper demonstrates the distinctive dimensions of challenges faced by transgender employees, revealing the need for conceptually expanding how we frame diversity and diversity management. Our findings identify the necessity for an emic approach not only to researching diversity but also to devising organisational diversity strategies. The paper provides recommendations for HRM policy and practice in order to develop a more sophisticated approach to achieving inclusion

The Liberalisation of European Energy Markets: The Use of Competition Law as a Regulatory Tool

The objective of this thesis is to examine the approach adopted by the European Commission in recently regulated energy markets. Antitrust investigations indicate that the European Commission increasingly tends to implement competition law, in particular through commitment decisions, in order to create a quasi-ex ante regulatory effect in the markets. The main conclusion of this thesis is that a lack of legal certainty and insufficient clarification of the law originating from this approach might have detrimental impacts on a single and competitive energy market design in Europe. This thesis consists of three substantial chapters in addition to the introductory and final conclusion chapters. The first chapter analyses long-term supply contracts concluded in the wholesale markets from both an economic and a legal perspective. The economic analysis of the contracts shows that the functioning of European energy markets remains ambiguous. The European Commission thus seems to adopt a strategy to balance spot market trading with long-term supply contracts and vertical integration through antitrust investigations. The second chapter aims at examining the tendency of European Commission to assess the foreclosure effects of a preferential use of cross-border energy transmission networks within the new liberalised energy markets. While a pro-entry bias approach of the European Commission is observed in the case law, it is difficult to find recognition by the Commission as well as secondary EU law of the likely pro-competitive effects of long-term cross-border transmission network reservations resulting from the associated long-term cross-border supply contracts. Besides, it can be observed from the case law that the European Commission and the European Courts tend to approve the preferential use of networks as long as the right holder engages in a major investment in these networks. As a consequence, the methodology adopted by the European Commission for the antitrust analyses of priority access rights to cross-border infrastructure might fail to correspond with legal predictability and economic accuracy. The aim of the third chapter is to show the tendency of the European Commission to finalise antitrust investigations through a public settlement procedure, which seems to be a convenient tool for the facilitation of market regulation through antitrust enforcement. The increased number of commitment decisions in the energy markets raises a concern regarding the possible detrimental effects of this trend. With the consideration of the importance of legal certainty in the regulated markets in terms of market building and social welfare, the chapter proposes a hypothetical framework guideline including certain measures which may increase the efficiency and sustainability of public settlement procedures and also improve legal certainty in the energy markets

One-dimensional transient numerical modeling of a micro-power generation system

Two core modules of a more comprehensive model for analyzing the flow of fluids in a hybrid system including a fuel cell are developed. First part consists of a new procedure for scaling turbomachinery maps. In the last few decades, the sizes of turbomachinery have been getting smaller and smaller for various purposes. New designs have pushed the limits of power generation to be in more compact sizes, which lead to smaller compressors and turbines. For new designs, it is important to know how the turbomachinery in the system will behave at certain conditions. But it is not practical to build a turbomachinery during the design process since there might be changes in the configuration of the system afterwards and it is a very costly procedure. It is also a very time consuming process to obtain experimental data for off design conditions. What is usually done is to use similar sized turbomachinery maps to predict the behavior of the system with reasonable approximations. This method provides better estimates with much less cost.;Second part introduces a transient one-dimensional numerical model of the flow in pipes. The program uses the projection method to solve for the variables in a transient 1-D compressible flow system in a variable cross-sectional duct with friction and heat transfer. This model is verified through comparison with the analytical solutions of various flows. It gives very accurate results for any type of flow including unsteady flows with friction and heat transfer. A case study of flow through a combustion chamber is also presented

The History of Turkey’s Civil-Military Relations: Lessons for the European Union

Under the scope of the EU, militaries are distinct from civilian power, but they are indisputably subordinated to civilians, as well as completely depoliticized. Because Turkey’s CMR practices do not conform to this outlook, many believe that Turkey cannot acquire EU membership, due to the poor quality of her democracy, especially from the CMR perspective, since the army has excessive political power.On the other hand, most of the Turks believe that Turkey has been governed by a sui generis democracy for almost ninety years. To underpin this view, they refer to her long-lasting memberships to many democratic international organizations, such as her about six-decade-year membership to NATO, which also requires some certain democratic criteria to be met. Besides, some also argue that democracy in Turkey should ineluctably be different from the western practices, as her population is Muslim in 99.8%, and the first condition of democracy, secularism, has not yet been sufficiently internalized by her politicians and people. Because of this, Turkey, like most other Muslim majority countries, is constantly vulnerable to the threat of sharia. With the contributions of her unfavorable geography, they claim that her democracy should be distinct from traditional western democracies in order to contain threats arising from those factors.What makes the issue even more complex and interesting is that this odd model is perceived as normal by not only the military but also the majority of the civilian elites. Although the anti-militarist looking Justice and Development Party has recently gathered about fifty percent of all popular votes, most Turks seem to have no problem with this military flavored democracy, according to public surveys. This is in part because they view their army as the “Founder of the Republic” and “Savior of the Nation,” but also because more educated Turks believe that Turkey has tried a brand new democratization model during a time when the wall separating mosques and politics necessarily erects and the democratic culture of devout people sufficiently flourishes. They also persistently emphasize that unless simultaneous democratization of other civilian institutions accompany the reformation in CMR, as well as a genuine separation of powers, is achieved, Turkey could slide to an authoritarian regime with an Islamist autocracy.As noticed, the role of TAF in Turkish politics and society differs from the traditional roles and liberal-democratic practices outlined by the EU, while its intervention in the political realm differs from the Southeast American, Asian and African Juntas that demonstrate their hunger for power by directly ruling their countries for years. Furthermore, there seems to exist a considerable gap between the perceptions of the EU circles and Turkish Elites, as well as the majority of Turks.Thus, to shed light on all aspects of the problem this dissertation attempted to analyze cultural and historical roots of the CMR that is considered one of the major obstacles that Turkey must overcome to realize her EU membership goal

Understanding the Agency of Diversity Managers: A Relational and Multilevel Investigation.

PhDThis thesis aims to provide a critical realist account of diversity managers' agency, incorporating a critique of the existing diversity management research. A multilevel and relational analytical framework is offered in order to understand diversity managers' agency. The framework interpreted and operationalised Bourdieu's key concepts, `field', `habitus', `capitals' and `strategies' in the organisational context, for exploring and explaining macro, meso and micro level influences on the agency of diversity managers. The macro-social field of diversity management is mapped out by analysing data from an online national survey completed by diversity managers in the UK, and in-depth interviews with diversity managers of large public and private sector organisations. Then, findings of an extensive case study of Ford Motor Company, which includes company documentation and interviews with the company's diversity managers, are introduced to examine meso-organisational and micro-individual dynamics of diversity managers' agency. The analysis of the findings revealed that the agency of diversity managers is multilayered and complex. Whilst the boundaries of this agency are drawn by the deeply seated structures and mechanisms which are embedded in the fabric of social and organisational lives, diversity managers own varying degrees of social, cultural and symbolic capitals which are potential sources of power and influence, and they utilise strategies in order to activate this potential and widen the scope of their agency. The thesis addresses the limitations in diversity management literature, which are associated with dualisms of agency and structure, and qualitative and quantitative methods. It makes theoretical and methodological contribution by offering original empirical evidence generated through a multi-method strategy and analysing diversity managers' agency at the interplay of agentic and structural dynamics. It also offers policy makers at organisational and national levels a realistic understanding of diversity management processes that may inform design of more effective and progressive policies and initiatives.School of Business and Management Queen Mary University

Recent developments in the equality and diversity agenda in the UK: the 'big society' under austerity

The UK labour market and society are characterized by a vibrant diversity generated by a combination of factors. These factors include migration associated with the country’s post- colonial legacy and to its more recent membership of the EU. It includes the relatively recent demographic shifts related to feminization of the labour market and with an ageing population. It also includes the increased visibility of religious and sexual minorities and of disabled people. Yet, inequalities and disadvantage continues to persist for members of some demographic groups spanning gender, ethnicity, age, disability and sexuality. Confronting discrimination in UK workplaces, in common with other coutries, has been based on a combination of regulatory pressure, derived from a variety of civil society pressures, and of voluntary measures introduced by employers, based upon business- case arguments about the potential benefits of promoting a diverse workforce representative of the social demographic characteristics of the local labour market and customer base. The equilibrium of this balance has not developed evenly and incrementally, however. As Dickens (2007) notes, there has never been a consensus over the extent of what is desirable with regards to equality and diversity, nor the means by which this consensus should best be achieved,The equilibrium that UK equality and diversity at work appeared to have settled at, has been disrupted as a consequence of the global financial crisis after 2008 and the subsequent election of a coalition government whose policy agenda for ‘tackling the deficit’. This chapter, as an update to the chapter by Tatli (2010), outlines the recent developments in equality and diversity at work in the UK. It begins with a brief summary of some key demographics and equality- related statistics. It then summarizes the key points made in the 2010 UK chapter. The chapter then moves on to identify the key changes in relation to the above mentioned responses to the global financial crisis. Since the publication of the 2010 chapter, the key shift in the equality and diversity landscape in the UK has been one of ideological and political rather than demographic, cultural or related to any notable shift in the dominant managerial discourse on the issue. As a result, equality and diversity has been radically reframed and resourced around the claims to an approach that pursues government austerity, but combined with a renewed focus on fairness, sometimes referred to in terms of a ‘big society’ agenda. This ideological shift – and its overspill into the framework of statutory rights on the issue – marks a significant change in UK approach to equality and diversity and, therefore, constitutes a key focus in this update chapter

Cone-Beam Computed Tomography for Oral and Maxillofacial Imaging

The invention of computed tomography (CT) technique revolutionized diagnostic imaging. Compared to conventional X-ray imaging procedures, CT involves higher radiation doses. Recently, cone-beam CT (CBCT) specifically designed for maxillofacial imaging was introduced. CBCT technique is based on a cone-shaped X-ray beam centered on a two-dimensional (2D) detector. The detector system performs one rotation around the patient, producing a series of 2D images which are then reconstructed in a 3D data set. The contemporary knowledge regarding CBCT and its proper application guides the practitioner for improvement in diagnostic purposes and treatment planning. The aim of this chapter is to focus on the details, advantages, drawbacks, and clinical applications of CBCT as a headmost CT imaging technique in the oral and maxillofacial (OMF) region. The main clinical applications of CBCT in the OMF region are dentistry including dentoalveolar and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, endodontics, and periodontics; and otolaryngology. The aforementioned clinical use of CBCT was described in detail with illustrated sample cases. In most of the cases in OMF region, CBCT takes the place of multi-slice CT. Thus, clinicians should know the clinical applications and capabilities of CBCT technique with its drawbacks

Internal Derangements of the Temporomandibular Joint: Diagnosis and Management

Millions of individuals worldwide suffer from temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders and are characterized by pain and joint dysfunction. TMJ internal derangement (ID) is the most frequent type of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). The ID of TMJ is defined as a joint dysfunction associated with an abnormal disc position. Identification and elimination of the causes of tissue breakdown of the TMJ that lead to ID are the key factors for successful treatment. The common causes for TMJ ID are trauma and parafunctional habits which lead to joint overload and degenerative changes in the articular structures, increased friction, and gradual disc displacement. Local and systemic inflammatory/degenerative arthropathies may also affect TMJ and cause ID. The aim of this chapter is to give comprehensive knowledge about the contemporary perspective of TMJ ID including diagnostic and therapeutic developments and innovations. Clinicians should establish the correct diagnosis and cause of the disease for appropriate management so that patients do not suffer from ineffective treatments. As an innovative development, TMJ replacements with alloplastic joint prosthesis and tissue-engineered structures hold promise for the future of management of TMJ ID

Mobile Identity Management Revisited

Identity management provides PET (privacy enhancing technology) tools for users to control privacy of their personal data. With the support of mobile location determination techniques based on GPS, WLAN, Bluetooth, etc., context-aware and location-aware mobile applications (e.g. restaurant finder, friend finder, indoor and outdoor navigation, etc.) have gained quite big interest in the business and IT world. Considering sensitive static personal information (e.g. name, address, phone number, etc.) and also dynamic personal information (e.g. current location, velocity in car, current status, etc.), mobile identity management is required to help mobile users to safeguard their personal data. In this paper, we evaluate certain required aspects and features (e.g. context-to-context dependence and relation, blurring in levels, trust management with p3p integration, extended privacy preferences, etc.) of mobile identity managemen

Coronary-Cameral Fistula with Angina Pectoris

Coronary-cameral fistula (CCF) is an anomalous connection between a coronary artery and cardiac chamber. Most of CCFs are discovered incidentally during angiographic evaluation for coronary vascular disorder. We report a case of CCF with angina pectoris. Selective coronary arteriography revealed diffuse CCF involving the left anterior descending artery (LAD) emptying into left ventricle (LV) and showed significant two-vessel coronary artery stenosis