UK meteotsunamis: a revision and update on events and their frequency

A tsunami is a series of waves caused by the displacement of water. The displacement may result from ‘bottom‐up’ seabed movement, such as caused by earthquakes, landslides and volcanic eruptions or ‘top‐down’ movement, from pressure perturbations in the atmosphere. These ‘top‐down’ events are termed meteotsunamis. Meteotsunamis frequently occur in the Mediterranean, the Baltic Sea, the east coast and Great Lakes of North America, and Japan, so they are not exclusive to the United Kingdom. The most recent meteotsunami near the UK coast was in May 2017, when waves around 2m in elevation, generated by a storm passing over the UK, struck the coast of the Netherlands. Historical documents covering the past 150 years describe many meteotsunamis from United Kingdom (UK) coastal waters (Haslett et al ., 2009; Haslett and Bryant, 2009; Tappin et al ., 2013; Vilibić et al ., 2015; O'Brien et al ., 2018). Some of these events have resulted in fatalities, involving beach users who were struck by unexpected sea waves. Meteotsunamis commonly strike the coasts of the UK, damaging harbours, boats and very rarely, causing fatalities. In the UK, they were usually detected by analysis after the event, unless witnessed first‐hand. This post‐event analysis is particularly necessary in the UK because the data provided by the tide gauge system, operated by the Environment Agency, only records at 15‐min intervals, not in real time as in the rest of Europe. The periods of meteotsunamis are in the range of minutes to tens of minutes (Pattiaratchi and Wijeratne, 2015). A frequency of tens of minutes is similar to a typical frequency expected from a meteotsunami that would have an amplified response from harbour or bay resonance (Tappin et al ., 2013). Therefore, those occurring in UK waters are not often recorded with the present tide gauge settings and as a consequence, cannot be analysed effectively

Opening lines of communication: book ordering and reading lists, the academics view

This article outlines and assesses the research into resource management and ordering processes at the University of Northampton and academics’ knowledge of these processes. The aim of the research was to identify ways of streamlining the service, to improve communication between academic and library staff, with the objective of an enhanced student experience. The focus groups highlighted concerns around growing spoon-feeding in Higher Education and the ongoing communication barriers between academic and library staff. This article will evaluate the current debates, research and practices within the sector and present and analyse the findings of the research

Journalism and the Invasion of Grenada 30 Years On: A Retrospective

The 1983 United States-led invasion of Grenada represents an important case study of journalism in the front line because it marked a changing point in the relationship between journalists and the US administration. The exclusion of news organisations and independent journalists at the time can be conceived of as a test in trying new forms of information management. The tensions experienced between journalists, government and military officers signalled the need to design alternative solutions to the problem of information coverage in wartime

Science and Film-making

The essay reviews the literature, mostly historical, on the relationship between science and film-making, with a focus on the science documentary. It then discusses the circumstances of the emergence of the wildlife making-of documentary genre. The thesis examined here is that since the early days of cinema, film-making has evolved from being subordinate to science, to being an equal partner in the production of knowledge, controlled by non-scientists

Deepening democracy within Ireland's social partnership

Ireland's social partnership process, now under attack from a number of quarters, has repeatedly been charged with being 'undemocratic' in that it undermines the sovereign position of elected political representatives, with key policy formulation and decision-making taking place in fora outside the institutions of representative democracy. These critiques echo those against new forms of networked governance more globally. A key question therefore is how (and if) democracy may be deepened within social partnership or its potential successor(s). This article addresses this question by employing a post-liberal democratic framework to examine social partnership in practice, and by drawing lessons from another partnership process, Malawi's PRSP. Drawing from Malawi's experience, it is argued that democracy can be deepened within social partnership when governance deliberations and negotiations are conducted under conditions of vibrant public debate and genuine perspective-based representation, and when the communicative and discursive norms are widened to allow for such representation

To what extent is behaviour a problem in English schools?:Exploring the scale and prevalence of deficits in classroom climate

The working atmosphere in the classroom is an important variable in the process of education in schools, with several studies suggesting that classroom climate is an important influence on pupil attainment. There are wide differences in the extent to which classroom climate is considered to be a problem in English schools. Some ‘official’ reports suggest that behaviour in schools is ‘satisfactory or better’ in the vast majority of schools; other sources have pointed to behaviour being a serious and widespread problem. The paper details four studies conducted over the past decade which aimed to explore these disparities. The aim of the research was to gain a more accurate insight into the extent to which deficits in classroom climate limit educational attainment and equality of educational opportunity in English schools. The findings question the suggestion that behaviour is satisfactory or better in 99.7% of English schools and the concluding section suggests ways in which deficits in classroom climate might be addressed. Although the study is limited to classrooms in England, OECD studies suggest that deficits in the working atmosphere in classrooms occur in many countries. The study therefore has potential relevance for education systems in other countries

Big sugar in southern Africa : rural development and the perverted potential of sugar/ethanol exports

This paper asks how investment in large-scale sugar cane production has contributed, and will contribute, to rural development in southern Africa. Taking a case study of the South African company Illovo in Zambia, the argument is made that the potential for greater tax revenue, domestic competition, access to resources and wealth distribution from sugar/ethanol production have all been perverted and with relatively little payoff in wage labour opportunities in return. If the benefits of agro-exports cannot be so easily assumed, then the prospective 'balance sheet' of biofuels needs to be re-examined. In this light, the paper advocates smaller-scale agrarian initiatives

The influence of institutional factors on corporate narratives: a thematic content analysis of Guinness

This paper provides a thematic content analysis of the Chairman’s Statement of Arthur Guinness & Son Ltd over time. The analysis traces the evolution of the content over four distinct periods using a coding scheme developed from extant research. The objective is to study whether the corporate narratives change in line with the institutional factors over time. To interpret the results, we draw on an institutional theory-based lens to offer potential explanations of some of the change and stability noted. Institutions can constrain behaviour, but they can also support and empower agents to bring about change. The results of the longitudinal content analysis reveals some variations over time, but in general the content is relatively stable. This may be explained by the organisation itself being an institution that is sufficiently institutionalised so that corporate reporting remained relatively stable. This suggests Guinness may be an example of a strong institution over time. "The final, definitive version of this paper has been published in Accounting History, 2020, 25(3), 425-447, published by SAGE Publishing. Available online: https://doi.org/10.1177/1032373219881811. DOI: 10.1177/1032373219881811. Please cite the published version.

Welcome to the House of Fun: Work Space and Social Identity

Following the diffusion of HRM as the dominant legitimating managerial ideology, some employers have started to see the built working environment as a component in managing organisational culture and employee commitment. A good example is where the work space is designed to support a range of officially encouraged ‘fun’ activities at work. Drawing on recent research literature and from media reports of contemporary developments, this paper explores the consequences of such developments for employees’ social identity formation and maintenance, with a particular focus on the office and customer service centre. Our analysis suggests that management’s attempts to determine what is deemed fun may not only be resented by workers because it intrudes on their existing private identities but also because it seeks to re-shape their values and expression

Women secondary head teachers in England: where are they now?

The underrepresentation of women in secondary school headship in England and elsewhere is an early and longstanding theme in the women and gender in educational leadership literature. The purpose of this article is to report findings from a statistical survey of secondary school head teachers across England. Data available in the public domain on school websites have been collated during a single academic year to present a new picture of where women lead secondary schools in England. Mapping the distribution of women by local authority continues to show considerable unevenness across the country. This article argues that a geographical perspective still has value. It might influence the mobilization of resources to targeted areas and ultimately result in women’s proportionate representation in school leadership. Alongside this is a need for schools and academy trusts to comply with the Public Sector Equality Duty