Bridging the divide between consumers and employees in brand relationships

The employee as an advocate for his/her own brand has achieved heightened attention of late. However, despite a wealth of research into consumer-brand relationships, how employees relate to their own brands and subsequently exhibit specific brand-behaviours is poorly understood. Particularly, little attention has been directed towards the concept of the employee as forming brand relationships as compared with consumers. This thesis examines the nature of the employee-brand relationship; more specifically we discuss functional, symbolic and experiential brand value as drivers of employee-brand self-connection and employee-brand identification and subsequently the effect on brand-specific behaviours. Given the relative paucity of literature on employees and brands we adopt a grounded theory approach and conduct a series of in-depth interviews to access employees’ insights and experiences with the brand. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and coded. The themes that emerge are used to construct a conceptual framework that is subsequently tested using a survey instrument and Structural Equation Modeling. Our findings suggest a number of similarities and differences between the way in which employees relate to the brand and the way in which consumers relate to the brand. Our findings have far reaching implications for academics and practitioners alike.Open Acces

A ‘Rupture Backwards’: The Re-emergence of Shamanic Sensibilities Amongst the Russian Avant-Garde from 1900-1933.

This PhD examines the re-emergence of shamanic sensibilities amongst the Russian avant-garde in the period 1900-1933, focusing on the artists Larionov, Goncharova, Malevich, Filonov and Kandinsky. It considers how these pioneering artists, having anticipated Jung’s crisis of psychic dislocation, were perhaps inspired by the ideology, iconography, ritualistic practice and mystical symbolism inherent in shamanism and other associated phenomena. Shamanism was chosen as the theme as it was Jung’s quintessential metaphor for the process towards psychic reunification. The thesis analyses how the artists utilised parallel conceptions in their work in order to attempt to bring about the reunification of the consciousness, both on a visual level in their pictorial imagery, and on a more subtle level through referencing psychological or philosophical principles which may lead to the manifestation of an experience arguably similar to those common in the practice of ‘primitive’ cultures. The thesis attempts to take the reader on a metaphorical shamanic journey, through focusing on four aspects which parallel those found in shamanic practice in the stages that they occur to the neophyte. Firstly, it considers the concept of dvoeverie, a painterly principle relying on the conflation of pagan and religious imagery, and how its artistic expression might equate to Jungian archetypal expression. Secondly, it discusses how the avant-garde re-defined the role of the artist so that the artistic figure might parallel Jung’s metaphorical shaman, and how they began assuming an archetypal role. Thirdly, it examines how these artists began to express a sense of escapism, in an attempt to express Jungian collective archetypes metaphorically expressed in the ‘soul-journey’, through referencing ecstatic and mystical practises frequently utilised to facilitate ritual, through creating a sense of transcendent voyage, and through visually attempting to express the experience of cosmic noumena. Finally, the journey culminates in the examination of how the avant-garde adopted the ultimate Jungian telos of cosmic psychic healing. Throughout this discussion, the thesis attempts to understand why these artists might have been inspired by shamanic and mystical philosophies, through interpreting their practise using a Jungian framework, arguing that it was the artists’ perception of Jung’s crisis of psychic dislocation that inspired the re-emergence of shamanic sensibilities to provide a visual metaphor for the expression of their overall social and ameliorative aims

Ways of Seeing: Sexism the Forgotten Prejudice?

Recent developments in feminism, charted in Gender, Place and Culture over the past 21 years, have stressed the relational, differentiated and contested nature of gender. This has led to the rejection of the unified category women, and with this the right for feminism to make claims on behalf of all women. This paper argues that an unintended consequence of this development in ways of thinking about gender is that patriarchy as a form of power relations has become relatively neglected. It draws on research from a European Research Council project (including biographical interviews and case studies of a gym and workplace) to demonstrate that while the development of equality legislation has contained the public expression of the most blatant forms of gender prejudice, sexism persists and is manifest in subtle ways. As a consequence, it can be difficult to name and challenge with the effect that patriarchy as a power structure which systematically (re)produces gender inequalities,is obscured by its ordinariness. Rather, sexism appears only to be ‘seen’ when it affords the instantiation of other forms of prejudice, such as Islamophobia. As such, we argue that Gender, Place and Culture has a responsibility going forward to make sexism as a particular form of prejudice more visible, while also exposing the complexity and fluidity of its intersectional relationship to other forms of oppression and social categories

Survival of the selfish: contrasting self-referential and survival-based encoding

Processing information in the context of personal survival scenarios elicits a memory advantage, relative to other rich encoding conditions such as self-referencing. However, previous research is unable to distinguish between the influence of survival and self-reference because personal survival is a self-referent encoding context. To resolve this issue, participants in the current study processed items in the context of their own survival and a familiar other person’s survival, as well as in a semantic context. Recognition memory for the items revealed that personal survival elicited a memory advantage relative to semantic encoding, whereas other-survival did not. These findings reinforce suggestions that the survival effect is closely tied with self-referential encoding, ensuring that fitness information of potential importance to self is successfully retained in memory

Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries and Future Risk of Developing Alzheimer's Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases the risk of future dementia and Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is unclear whether this is true for mild TBI (mTBI). OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between mTBI and subsequent risk of developing AD. METHOD: We systematically searched four electronic databases from January 1954 to April 2020. We included studies reporting primary data and where mTBI preceded AD by≥5 years. We meta-analyzed included studies for both high quality studies and studies with a follow up of > 10 years. RESULT: We included 5 of the 10,435 results found. Meta-analysis found a history of mTBI increased risk of AD (pooled relative risk = 1.18, 95% CI 1.11-1.25, N = 3,149,740). The sensitivity analysis including only studies in which mTBI preceded AD by > 10 years, excluded two very large studies and resulted in wider confidence intervals (RR = 2.02, 95% CI 0.66-6.21, N = 2307). CONCLUSION: There is an increased risk of AD following mTBI. Our findings of increased risk even with mTBI means it cannot be assumed that mild head injuries from sports are harmless. The sensitivity analysis suggests that we cannot exclude reverse causation, and longer follow up times are needed. Implementation of policy to reduce mTBIs, including in children and sportsmen, are urgently needed. Further research is needed on the effect of frequency and age at injury of mTBIs

Performing "Moral Resistance"? Pro-Life and Pro-Choice Activism in Public Space

This article focuses on acts of resistance regarding reproductive politics in contemporary Britain. Drawing on empirical research this article investigates grassroots activism around a complex moral, social, and political problem. This article therefore focuses on a site of resistance in everyday urban environments, investigating the practice and performance involved. Identifying specifically the territory(ies) and territorialities of these specific sites of resistance, this article looks at how opposing groups negotiate conflict in public space in territorial, as well as habitual, ways. Second, the article focuses on questions around the impact, distinction, and novelty both in the immediate and long term of these acts of resistance for those in public space. Here, then, the focus shifts to the reactions to this particular form of protest and questions the “acceptability” of specific resistances in the public imaginary. </jats:p

Digital Advance Care Planning with Severe Mental Illness:A retrospective observational cohort analysis of the use of an electronic palliative care coordination system

Abstract Background People living with severe mental illness (SMI) face significant health inequalities, including in palliative care. Advance Care Planning (ACP) is widely recommended by palliative care experts and could reduce inequalities. However, implementing ACP with this group is challenging. Electronic Palliative Care Coordination Systems such as Coordinate my Care (CMC) have been introduced to support documentation and sharing of ACP records with relevant healthcare providers. This study explores the use of CMC amongst those with SMI and aims to describe how those with a primary diagnosis of SMI who have used CMC for ACP, and makes recommendations for future research and policy. Method A retrospective observational cohort analysis was completed of CMC records created 01/01/2010–31/09/2021 where the service user had a primary diagnosis of SMI, with no exclusions based on comorbidities. Descriptive statistics were used to report on characteristics including: age, diagnosis, individual prognosis and resuscitation status. Thematic analysis was used to report on the content of patients’ statements of preference. Results 1826 records were identified. Of this sample most (60.1%) had capacity to make treatment decisions, 47.8% were aged under 70, 86.7% were given a prognosis of ‘years’ and most (63.1%) remained for full cardio-pulmonary resuscitation in the event of cardio-pulmonary arrest. Records with completed statements of preferences (20.3%) contained information about preferences for physical and mental health treatment care as well as information about patient presentation and capacity, although most were brief and lacked expression of patient voice. Discussion Compared to usual CMC users, the cohort of interest are relatively able, younger people using CMC to make long-term plans for active physical and mental health treatment. ADM is a service user-driven process, and so it was expected that authentic patient voice would be expressed within statements of preference, however this was mostly not achieved. Conclusions This digital tool is being used by people with SMI but to plan for more than palliative care. This cohort and supporting professionals have used CMC to plan for longer term physical and mental healthcare. Future research and policy should focus on development of tailored digital tools for people with SMI to plan for palliative, physical and mental healthcare and support expression of patient voice