Changing Times, Changing Lives: a new look at job satisfaction in two university Schools of education located in the English West Midlands.

This article reports on the outcomes from an initial study to explore the job satisfaction of academics in the light of changes in higher education in the UK. The study is placed in relation to attendant concerns that the job satisfaction, motivation and morale of academic staff may be being tested. A questionnaire and semi-structured interviews were used to secure academics perceptions from two Schools of Education located within chartered and statutory universities in the English West Midlands. Thirty facets perceived important in impacting upon job satisfaction were identified and from these, key facets deemed either deeply satisfying or deeply dissatisfying to academics were established. These key facets have the potential to impact upon academic's motivation and morale as well as their job satisfaction. A typology based on the balance between key facets is presented as a means to enable manager-academics to further reflect upon possible actions within their Schools and institutions. The study captures insights relevant to informing the future research agenda and highlights the possible consequences of a laissez-faire stance to these important issues

This Is Too Formal for Us...

This article reports a case study of three multinational companies that work together in a consortium, focusing on intercompany and intracompany variation in writing products and processes. The authors discuss variation in two genres: meeting minutes and internal memos. Adopting a social constructionist, communities of practice (CofP) approach, they argue that the companies form overarching constellations of CofP. Although the participants broadly work with the same genres of written documents, the form of these documents varies according to the local context, audience, and purpose. The authors discuss the implications of their findings, with particular reference to the difficulty writers face when they make the transition from writing for one community of practice to writing for another. </jats:p

Lipolytic enzymes and hydrolytic rancidity

Lipolysis, the enzymic hydrolysis of milk lipids to free fatty acids and partial glycerides, is a constant concern to the dairy industry because of the detrimental effcts it can have on the flvor and other properties of milk and milk products. However, free fatty acids also contribute to the desirable flavor of milk and milk products when present at low concentrations and, in some cheeses, when present at high concentrations. The enzymes responsible for the detrimental effects of lipolysis are of two main types: those indigenous to milk, and those of microbial origin. The major indigenous milk enzyme is lipoprotein lipase. It is active on the fat in natural milk fat globules only after their disruption by physical treatments or if certain blood serum lipoproteins are present. The major microbial lipases are produced by psychrotrophic bacteria. Many of these enzymes are heat stable and are particularly significant in stored products. Human milk differs from cows' milk in that it contains two lipases, a lipoprotein lipase and a bile salt-stimulated lipase. The ability of the latter to cause considerable hydrolysis of ingested milk lipids has important nutritional implications