Accommodating 'others'?: housing dispersed, forced migrants in the UK

Utilising insights from a qualitative study in the city of Leeds (UK), this paper considers issues related to the housing of dispersed forced migrants. The term 'dispersed forced migrants' is used here as a general label to include four groups of international migrants (i.e. refugees, asylum seekers, those with humanitarian protection status and failed asylum seekers) who have previously been dispersed, on a no choice basis, to a variety of locations across the UK under the requirements of the Immigration and Asylum Act (1999). The tiering of housing entitlement that exists within the generic population of dispersed forced migrants (a consequence of the particular socio-legal status assigned to individuals), and its role in rendering migrants susceptible to homelessness is outlined. The adequacy/standard of accommodation made available to forced migrants is also discussed. It is concluded that current arrangements fail to meet the basic housing needs of many forced migrants. Any future improvement in this situation will require a significant shift in government policy

Normalising jurisdictional heterotopias through place branding : the cases of Christiania and Metelkova

This paper explores the political dimensions of place branding as a path to normalisation for areas where a paradoxical relationship with the law exists, places that we coin “jurisdictional heterotopias” borrowing from Foucauldian literature. We posit that place branding plays a fundamental role in facilitating scale jumping in the otherwise vertically aligned legal space, a hierarchy designed to exclude spatial multiplicity from its premise. By examining the role of place branding in such areas, we endeavour to understand and appreciate the selective application of the law, the perpetuation of unregulated and illegal activity, as well as the place – specificity of legal practice. Ultimately, we argue that strong place branding associations permit the engulfment of this type of heterotopias in the “mainstream” leading to their normalisation; such a normalisation results not only in the acceptance of their uniqueness by the institutional elements, but also in the potential nullification of the liberties their communities advocate

Corporate image: a service recovery perspective

This article explores direct and indirect antecedents that contribute to corporate image formation in a service recovery context. Two studies were carried out in Egypt. Study 1 comprises 29 semistructured interviews with complainants of mobile phone network service providers in Egypt. Study 2 encompasses a mail survey of another 437 complainants. Findings reveal the importance of perceived justice, namely, interactional justice, in corporate image formation, as well as the mediating role of satisfaction with service recovery in the perceived justice-corporate image relationship. Results also reveal two empirical relationships: problem solving as a determinant of distributive justice and follow-up as a driver of procedural justice. Accordingly, this study contributes to the service field by providing the first empirical evaluation of new direct and indirect antecedents of corporate image formation in a service recovery context. Managerial recommendations are provided that encourage service practitioners to emphasize perceived justice and satisfaction with a service recovery process to enhance the company’s image. Additionally, companies should invest in implementing problem solving and follow-up as service recovery strategies since both significantly enhance perceived justice

Serum placental-type alkaline phosphatase activity in women with squamous and glandular malignancies of the reproductive tract

AIM -To investigate serum placental-type alkaline phosphatase (PLAP-type) activities in women with squamous and glandular malignancies of the reproductive tract using an immunoradiometric assay. METHODS--PLAP-type immunoreactivity was measured in 180 women with non-ovarian malignancies of the reproductive tract and the values were compared with those from 334 controls. The cases comprised 18 vulval, nine vaginal, 103 cervical, 46 endometrial, and five fallopian tube cancers. RESULTS - Serum PLAP-type activities were no different from controls in patients with squamous cell tumours. Women with adenocarcinoma of the cervix, endometrium, and fallopian tube had increased values: women with endometrial cancer had a median value nearly four times greater than that of controls. There was no direct correlation between PLAP-type activities and stage of disease in patients with endometrial cancer, but values reverted to normal after treatment. CONCLUSIONS -Serum PLAP-type measurements are of no value in the management of patients with squamous cell tumours of the female reproductive tract. Raised activities can, however, be found in glandular tumours, in particular endometrial cancer where serum PLAP-type measurements may be of value in predicting remission

Internal branding in universities and the lessons learnt from the past: the significance of employee brand support and transformational leadership

The paper reviews the literature on the concept of internal branding and its effects in the service sector in general, as well as in UK universities. In addition, the concept of employee brand support is reviewed, discussing the influence of leadership characteristics on internal branding in universities. Employee brand support is a crucial element to successful internal branding activities. A great concern is that the knowledge of internal branding and employee brand support in higher education institutions is based on knowledge imported from the business sector, and more practices should thus be adapted and implemented. It is found that transformation leadership, despite being little researched in the internal branding context, remains the pivotal element to the successful implementation of internal branding, as transformational leadership provides space for intellectual stimulation and consideration of individuals that are present at universities. Potential future research areas for internal branding studies are identified and discussed

Investigating key antecedents and outcomes of employee-based brand equity

A wealth of research examines firm- or consumer-based brand equity but largely ignores internal stakeholders’ perceptions of the brand asset. The present study focuses on service employees who affect both internal (i.e. other employees) and external (i.e. customers) stakeholders through their interactions. The study draws on cognitive psychology and social identity theory to develop and empirically test an integrated model of antecedents and consequences of employee-based brand equity (EBBE) that distinguishes between a cognitive and an affective route for its development via brand knowledge and brand identification respectively. The research extends the limited work on EBBE by examining how perceptions of employees about their supervisors’ brand leadership behaviors and their supervisors’ focus on their subordinates significantly drive employees’ responses to the internal brand. The proposed model also highlights the significant role of EBBE vis-à-vis two citizenship behaviors, namely brand value dissemination and customer orientation