Dr James Ost’s contributions to the work of the British False Memory Society

The British False Memory Society (BFMS) is a registered charity founded in 1993 in response to an epidemic of false claims of past childhood sexual abuse by adults in therapy. The accusers believe they have recovered unconscious memories of a hidden past, but scientific and other evidence raise the possibility of false memories or retrospective reappraisal. The BFMS aims to raise awareness about false memory and to reduce the impact of the resulting false accusations. Dr James Ost was an active member of the BFMS’s Scientific and Professional Advisory Board. Three lines of his research were particularly relevant to the work of the BFMS. The first of these was his investigations of retractors. His insights provided a deeper understanding of processes involved in the formation and subsequent rejection of false memories and beliefs relating to such allegations. He also carried out experimental studies providing empirical proof that false memories can be implanted under well controlled conditions. Finally, he carried out, and produced reviews of, surveys of misconceptions about the nature of memory, thus highlighting issues that have major implications for the working of the legal system. Dr Ost also served as an expert defence witness on a number of occasions

When the working day is through: The end of work as identity?

This article seeks to present a counter-case to the ‘end of work thesis’ advocated by writers such as Beck, Sennett and Bauman. It argues that work remains a significant locus of personal identity and that the depiction by these writers of endemic insecurity in the workplace is inaccurate and lacks empirical basis. The article draws upon case study data to illustrate how, across a range of workplaces, work remains an importance source of identity, meaning and social affiliation

Is Virtual Cognitive Stimulation Therapy the Future for People with Dementia? An Audit of UK NHS Memory Clinics During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Access to psychosocial interventions for people with dementia, such as Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST), has been restricted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some services have shifted to provision via videoconferencing, but the prevalence of this is unknown. This audit aimed to understand provision of virtual CST (vCST) within National Health Service (NHS) memory clinics throughout the UK and Channel Islands and investigate plans for ongoing CST provision. A cross-sectional survey was circulated to NHS memory clinics, which included closed and open-ended questions to generate quantitative and qualitative data. Thirty-three memory clinics responded to the survey. During the pandemic, 55% of respondents offered vCST, whereas 45% offered no CST. Of those offering vCST, 80% plan to continue with a hybrid model of separate face-to-face and vCST groups, whilst 20% intend to deliver face-to-face CST only. Reported positive aspects of vCST were participant and staff enjoyment, perceived improved digital confidence in participants, and improved accessibility for those who cannot attend face-to-face groups. Negative aspects related to digital poverty, limited digital literacy, support needed from carers, the impact of sensory impairment on engagement, and staff time commitment. Virtual CST has been a feasible alternative to face-to-face services during the pandemic but should not completely replace in-person groups. A hybrid approach would increase accessibility for all. Future research should explore efficacy of vCST and seek to understand patterns of exclusion from such digital interventions

The Role of Entrepreneur-Venture Fit in Online Home-based Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Literature Review

Home-based businesses and their founders represent an important, but under-researched facet of entrepreneurship. Far from being small, hobby-businesses with little economic impact, home-based business make significant contribution to national economies in terms of both turnover and employment. Online home-based businesses have been recognised as an important and distinct sector of the home-based business domain, offering unique opportunity for innovation and business diversity. The paper presents a systematic literature review of extant research on online home-based entrepreneurs and their businesses. The findings of the review are structured and discussed using the theoretical lens of entrepreneur-venture fit. Use of this lens allows the study to bring coherence to previously fragmented extant studies, providing a basis for future research in this domain. The study also develops a novel model of entrepreneur-venture fit in the specific case of online home-based businesses. This allows us to suggest five positive interactions between entrepreneurial and venture characteristics. It also allows us to suggest a number of previously unidentified negative interactions, which may result in entrepreneurs becoming ‘locked-in’ and suffering multiple sources of stress

Older workers in the hospitality industry: valuing experience and informal learning

The research sets out to identify the learning processes adopted by older workers in the hospitality and visitor attraction industry in Scotland, with a view to determining how employers may better support their education and training within enterprises. The study was undertaken as part of the ESRC project on ‘sustaining the employability of older workers in the hospitality sector: personal learning strategies and cultures of learning. The data collection period was from 2008-2010 and focused on six case studies; three in hospitality and three visitor attraction centres. The conceptual framework of the research is based upon the simple yet important notion of experience and how this enhances the learning lives of older employees. It will be argued that the learning processes used by older employees are primarily recognisable as social practices, based upon the utilisation of existing knowledge and skills. The analysis suggests that organisations should be encouraged to avoid using a ‘one size fits all’ approach to education and training and, in the case of older workers, to make more use of their past work and life experiences in order to facilitate their own and others’ learning

Occupational sex-segregation, specialized human capital and wages: evidence from Britain

Female-dominated occupations are poorly paid, but there is disagreement about why. Sociological explanations argue that pay in such occupations is low because society undervalues 'women's work', while economic theory argues that this is due to scant requirements for specialized skills. This article sheds light over these debates by examining the impact of occupational feminization on wages in Britain and exploring the mechanisms that produce it, using innovative statistical models that account for both observable and unobservable skill. Results confirm that occupational sex-segregation explains a sizeable portion of the gender wage gap and that wages in female-dominated occupations are lower than wages in other occupations. Inconsistent with human capital theory, low pay in female-dominated occupations cannot be explained fully by low skill specialization or by observable or unobservable characteristics of their workers. Remaining wage penalties in such occupations are consequently taken as evidence of institutional devaluation of 'women's work'

Seaweed aquaculture and mechanical harvesting: an evidence review to support sustainable management

Natural England currently advise on a range of seaweed gathering and aquaculture enquiries and advice is given by specialists on the specific enquiry / application using the best available evidence and knowledge, using the precautionary principle. The aim of this contract was to increase understanding of the methods used for mechanised harvesting and seaweed aquaculture, potential environmental effects or impacts, potential management measures, and to develop recommendations for best practices. A key part of this project was to highlight evidence gaps and identify how these can be addressed

Direct participation and employee learning at work

The creation of a learning environment at work has been seen as an essential concomitant of the growth of an advanced economy. This article explores the implications of direct participation for different types of employee learning, drawing upon the British Skills and Employment Surveys of 2006 and 2012. It confirms that direct participation is strongly associated with enhanced learning opportunities at work but finds important differences in the benefits of specific forms of direct participation. Moreover, direct participation was found to be particularly important for those in less favorable work contexts with respect to technological level and skill

Re-conceptualising talent management and development within the context of the low paid

Those working in organisations have choices to make not only associated with the goods and services they produce but also their wider social and economic impact. The number of employees in low skilled/low paid jobs and the high proportion of companies adopting business strategies based on low-specification goods and services are a concern for many developed and developing economies. Addressing this problem is not traditionally the concern of Human Resource Development however we argue that through exploring the role that a wider, more balanced approach to Sustainable Talent Management and Development (S-TMD) may play within the context of the low skilled in the UK provides a crucial link to enhancing an organisation’s performance and responsibility to society. At the heart of this approach lies a shift to appreciate the collective endeavour of work practices, an enhanced role for stakeholders and identification of, and participation in skills eco-systems to support sustainable development. The paper identifies the opportunity for S-TMD to move from a predominantly individualist, managerial and unitarist understanding to one grounded in the value of tacit and embedded development processes undertaken to reflect a pluralist, multi-voiced approach to understanding of a skills eco-system