Centres of Hecke algebras: the Dipper-James conjecture

In this paper we prove the Dipper-James conjecture that the centre of the Iwahori-Hecke algebra of type A is the set of symmetric polynomials in the Jucys-Murphy operators.Comment: 27 pages. To appear J. Algebr

Grounded: characterising the market exit of European low cost airlines

The aim of this paper is to undertake a comprehensive study of LCC market entry and exit in Europe between 1992 and 2012. In the 20 year period between 1992 and 2012, 43 low cost carriers (LCCs) have taken advantage of the progressive liberalisation of the European aviation market and commenced scheduled flight operations within the continent. Of these 43, only 10 remain operational, a failure rate of 77%. This paper contributes to extant literature on LCCs by examining the market entry, business practices, operating longevity and fate of failed operators to characterise European LCC market exit. Drawing on the findings of a detailed continental-wide study, the paper identifies that an airline’s start-up date, the nature and size of its operation and the size and composition of its aircraft fleet are key factors which influence LCC success and failure. The implications for both European and emerging LCC markets are discussed

A Role for Management Accountants in Best Practice Benchmarking

Best practice benchmarking (benchmarking for short) generally refers to the pursuit by organisations of enhanced performance by learning from the successful practices of others. Comparisons of processes which contribute to strategic success are made with other parts of the same organisation; competitors; or organisations operating comparable processes in a context which is in some way relevant. Benchmarking continues to grow in popularity in both private and public sector organisations – but does it always produce the desired outcomes? Although spectacular gains from benchmarking are claimed particularly in practitioner literature, there is also growing evidence of disappointment with the effectiveness of benchmarking. It can be very time consuming to undertake and manage, and ensuring that sharing information with competitors is to the mutual advantage of partner organisations is difficult. With this in mind, it is important to recognise that management accountants play pivotal roles at organisational interfaces and therefore could play a (more) significant part in successful benchmarking activities. This paper will report on an ongoing research project at the Open University Business School, funded by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, aimed at understanding, in depth, the processes which are undertaken by Management Accountants, in the name of benchmarking. The project team are using postal questionnaires and case studies to identify the features of successful benchmarking practice, and the characteristics of benchmarking organisations or benchmarking processes which are considered to be problematic. This research centres on an extensive survey of Management Accountants. This research has begun to identify the contribution which Management Accountants can make to successful benchmarking and the factors which have led organisations to abandon benchmarking activities. This study is also facilitating better understanding of the relationship between organisational size and level of benchmarking activity, the impact of benchmarking clubs, and the perceived costs and benefits of benchmarking to stakeholders. The final phase 3 of this research will focus on providing innovative ways to make the findings available to management accounting practitioners

Democratic Humanism in German Painting, 1945-1949: Cultural Division and Public Reception

This article addresses the immediate post-war debates surrounding artistic production and more specifically the plural and often contradictory critical responses to visual artists who, also for quite contrasting reasons, saw the possibility of re-engaging with a humanist tradition as a way for art to rediscover its meaning and future purpose in a post-fascist world. Art became a metaphor for a country still in shock about its past and uncertain about its future as tensions emerged between those in the west hoping to rebuild continuities with the legacy of German visual cultural heritage, and those in the east who saw 1945 as the chance to construct new cultural foundations within in the context of the new Cold War social order. The analysis focuses on how these hotly-contested debates were constructed in Germany’s two most significant early post-war art periodicals, Bildende Kunst and Das Kunstwerk. By examining the critical responses to major exhibitions in both eastern and western occupation zones with a discussion of some of the key debates, editorial features and most-debated artists, it offers a new interpretation of how diversely painters, critics, cultural commentators and the art-going public interpreted and appropriated the humanist rubric to suit their own agendas. Despite this, humanism successfully managed to bridge the growing divisions between proponents of the restoration of art’s liberal principles and those who seeking to politicise its function to socialist ends

Testing behind bars: A mixed-methods realist evaluation of opt-out blood-borne virus testing and associated pathways of care within London prisons

Background: The elimination of viral hepatitis C by 2025, hepatitis B by 2030, and the control of the human immunodeficiency virus is predicated on the diagnosis and treatment of these infections in high prevalence settings. In response to historic low testing rates, opt-out blood-borne virus testing has been implemented and linked with treatment pathways throughout the English prison estate. The aim of my PhD was to evaluate this initiative in London. Methods: Guided by realist methodology, a mixed-methods evaluation was performed. I began by conducting a pilot assessment of a hepatitis C care pathway implemented within one London prison. From this, I decided to focus on the testing stage of the implemented pathways. I analysed routine data to assess outcomes from opt-out testing across the London estate. I then conducted a rapid-realist review to begin developing an explanatory framework for the outcomes reported. Theories developed during the review were used to guide a qualitative comparative case-study, which explored the variation in performance between a higher and low performing local London prison. Results: The pilot evaluation highlighted significant attrition throughout every stage of the hepatitis C care pathway. Analysis of test outcomes revealed that healthcare teams operating within local prisons struggled to test people, whilst also reporting the highest test positivity for hepatitis C exposure. The review flagged a range of potential drivers of poor performance, including access issues and incentives for prisoners to refuse testing. Results from the qualitative comparative case study suggested that differences in the numbers of new prisoners tested, between two local London prisons, primarily stemmed from access issues, rather than test acceptability. Conclusion: The implementation of opt-out blood-borne virus testing has occurred at a difficult time for the prison service. The ability of healthcare staff to deliver testing and treatment pathways for blood-borne viruses is dependent on prison staff providing access to prisoners. Although small-scale pathway adaptation may help improve programme performance, better resourcing of prisons and systemic change that places healthcare at the centre of the rehabilitative mandate of the English prison service should be considered

A study of the factors affecting pigment distribution in latex paints

The distribution of pigment particles within a decorative gloss paint is of great importance in providing opacity and high gloss. Latex paints differ from solventborne paints in the wet state in a number of ways. One fundamental difference is that the volume occupied by the latex particles cannot be occupied by the pigment particles and the shape of this excluded volume varies as the size ratio of pigment and latex changes. Also, there is competition between latex and pigment surfaces to adsorb surface active species added to provide colloidal stability and rheological control in a latex paint. The geometric effect of varying the particle size ratio was modelled using binary mixtures of chemically similar latices stabilised with the same surfactant. It was found that dispersion of the pigment modelling latex particles was improved in the dry film as the size ratio of latex particles to model pigment particles decreased. Simultaneous computer simulation of binary dispersions using hard sphere potentials generated the same conclusions. There was good numerical agreement between the two sets of results once the effect of volume concentration of the model pigment particles had been mathematically corrected for. Study of systems containing real pigment particles showed that geometric effects predicted by modelling were still valid within the size range studied. Physico-chemical effects associated with varying surface area ratios were not observed. Some chemical effects were also evaluated. Different pigment grades were studied with differing surface treatments. The type and levels of additives were also varied. It was found that pigment distribution changed radically from grade to grade in otherwise similar formulations. The types and levels of additives required to promote good pigment dispersion was very pigment grade specific

BRITISH ACTION IN LIBYA 2011: THE LAWFUL PROTECTION OF NATIONALS ABROAD?

The forcible protection of one states’ own nationals on another state’s territory is one which stretches the boundaries of the broader, inherent right of self-defence available to states under international law. Known as the ‘protection of nationals abroad’ this doctrine is one which remains, at best, highly controversial. This Article examines the lawfulness of action taken by British forces when they rescued and evacuated British nationals prior to Libya descending into civil war. It also considers the extent to which action by British forces fits within the highly controversial paradigm of ‘protection of nationals abroad’

Teacher beliefs about listening in a foreign language

This study investigated, through a questionnaire, the stated beliefs and stated practices of 115 foreign language teachers in England regarding listening pedagogy: whether such beliefs and practices reflect the literature on listening, whether beliefs and stated practices converged, and what factors might underpin them. Responses indicated a mismatch between teachers’ stated belief in the importance of teaching learners how to listen more effectively, and the lack of evidence in their stated practice of such teaching, with a focus instead on task completion. Findings are discussed against the accountability agenda of the study’s context, and its implications for teacher development highlighted