The Future BTWC Organisation: Some Observations from the OPCW

Ye

The CWC Paris Resolution: Unresolved Issues

Ye

Northington veterinary clinic: a new lease of life?

Adele Feakes, Diane Whatlin

Hope and ambition turn to dismay and neglect: the biological and toxin weapons convention in 2001

The background to the failure of the December 2001 Fifth Review Conference of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC) to agree a politically binding final declaration is discussed. Negotiations in the Ad Hoc Group (AHG) of the BTWC, which was set up after the 1994 Special Conference, are described. Accusations of non-compliance with the BTWC are not new and it is concluded that the ultimate failure of the 2001 Review Conference was principally, but not entirely, due to rejection by the United States that the AHG should remain in being. Strengthening the BTWC remains as important as ever, but it remains to be seen if there is the political will to achieve this

Cascade veterinary practice: changing times

Adele Feakes, Diane Whatlin

Developments relating to the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention, implications for the BTWC

YesDaniel Feakes assesses the success of the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and comments on the potential for such a regime for the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention

'Context' matters: factors considered by employers when selecting new graduate veterinarians

Assisting students to develop employability attributes is considered a core responsibility of higher education institutions. While there are some common employability attributes across disciplines, there are also differences. Empirical research into employability from less-well represented disciplines, such as veterinary science, helps to broaden the current employability discourse. Using semi-structured interviews, and criterion sampling for maximal variation, this study explored factors employers consider when selecting new graduate veterinarians for employment. Eighteen employers were interviewed and data were analysed using thematic analysis within the context of an interpretivist, constructivist lens. Accounts were distilled into 20 sub-themes, or ‘selection factors’, and arranged into four interlinked themes: (1) personal attributes; (2) interpersonal skills; (3) veterinary capabilities; and (4) job match. This work illuminates the complexity of each selection factor including local influences, employer interpretations and ‘filter in’ and ‘filter out’ considerations. Findings emphasise the critical role that employer circumstances and needs can play in the selection of new graduate veterinarians, and the influence of perceptions of candidate job suitability and employee-workplace match. Our results resonate with existing employability literature, while highlighting some nuanced and previously underemphasised selection factors that may be of relevance beyond our discipline.Daniel Schull, Eva King, Wendy Hamood and Adele Feake