Identity development of people with learning difficulties through the recognition of work

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis examines the development of identity of people with learning difficulties. It concentrates on an aspect which has hitherto not received significant attention, that is the importance of recognition of work in the developmental process. In order to do this the thesis defines work in a particular way, based on the work of E Jaques. It defines work in terms of the decision making process which leads to an external transformation of the world. It is the recognition of this transformation by another person which affirms the actor and enhances a sense of self. For this recognition to be effective, i.e. help in the development of identity, the thesis argues that it is critical to understand the way in which a person constructs their world and links intention with action. A general model is offered to describe this process whereby the person moves from a subjective construction of the world (a world of subjective discontinuity) to one which can be understood by others (interactive discontinuity). Although the model can be applied generally the thesis examines problems faced by people with learning difficulties due to their relatively limited intellectual ability, communication skills and not least the particular social context in which many have lived, i.e. institutional care. The thesis begins by examining the problem of the appropriate social role for such people given the current intention to allow each person to develop to their full potential. This involves a discussion of social policy leading to a consideration of institutionalisation and its alternatives. Then the model of identity development is presented in terms both general and specific to people with learning difficulties. In the context of methods of assessment a particular form of assessment, The Chart of Initiative and Independence, is considered in the light of the main thesis of identity development. Its subsequent use is then analysed and compared with other approaches in different settings. The thesis concludes by appreciating the limitations of both the model of identity development and the C.I.I, and considering complementary approaches whilst underlining the significance of recognition of work in any setting

A Hedonic Price Analysis for the New Zealand Wine Industry: Preliminary Results

This paper presents preliminary results from a hedonic price analysis of premium wines in New Zealand over the vintages 1994 – 2003. Implicit prices are presented for a sensory quality rating, as well as wine variety and regional reputation. Results show that the price premium associated with Michael Cooper's five-star quality rating is highly significant and increasing in magnitude over the study period. Trends in regional and varietal preferences are also explored.Hedonic pricing, New Zealand wine, quality, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Public Transport – An Essential Service

This paper titled, “Public Transport – An Essential Service”, asks the questions: (a) Is the contracting out of bus services by Government a truly competitive process? (b) Do the processes provide real competition, which ensures continuing and reliable transport services, which are cost efficient and which provide value for money to the tax payer? (c) Is it possible to provide real competition through the competitive tendering of transport services in such a labour intensive industry as public transport? (d) Does employment law in Australia and bus service contract terms limit true competition for transport services? (e) Would a declaration that public transport was an essential service make the process more competitive or would it infringe upon the internationally accepted human right to freedom of association? The paper looks at the legislative and contractual regimes in Australia and seeks to answer the questions posed above. An analysis is made of the process of tendering bus service contracts in Australia, including offering transport service contracts, formerly operated by public utilities, to private enterprises and the process of testing the market by way of tender in the renewal of existing privately operated service contracts. The proposition presented by this paper is that the contracting out process limits real competition, especially when passenger transport contracts in Australia require a successful tenderer to take on all the existing employees and all existing employment conditions, including rates of pay, rostering and hours of work. Furthermore, the paper espouses the view that the industrial laws of Australia hinder the ability of an incoming transport operator to negotiate with their work force for greater work productivity and cost efficiencies. It is suggested that Australian industrial laws, supported by the unalienable right to freedom of association make it almost impossible for an transport operator to negotiate a new industrial agreement (an enterprise agreement) without disruption to the transport services, placing the transport Operator potentially into default through unchecked industrial strike action (protected action) from Trade Union members, which causes an unacceptable disruption to services. A conclusion is provided which suggests that the current contracting out process is flawed because it propagates the problem and that a solution for true competition would be for public transport to be considered an essential service and therefore any successful contracted operator would be able to bid for a transport contract knowing that costs efficiencies would be able to be achieved through enterprise bargaining, unimpeded by the threat of stop work, which disrupts the transport services. Key Words: Competitive Tendering, Protected Action, Enterprise Bargaining, Industrial Relations, Freedom of Association, Public Transport an Essential Service.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne

Small forests, big ambitions and a hard reality - Community Forestry in Nepal

Community forestry in Nepal is intended to reduce poverty by sustainable management of forests. Timber is one of the most high-value forest products, especially in the case of Sal (Shorea robusta) forests in the Terai region of Nepal. Despite having several advantages, including high value forests on fertile land, connection with transportation networks, and being close to regional markets, community forests in the Terai region produce little or no timber from their Sal forests. This research looks at what is affecting the production of Sal timber from community forests. Three aspects of community forest user groups (CFUG) are examined using institutional economics, transaction cost economics and micro-economics. First, the scale of CFUG operations is examined in terms of their ability to profitably carry out logging and organise market sales. Second, the capacity of CFUGs to carry out logging in terms of internal physical and human resources, and property rights is examined. Finally, barriers to vertical integration with the market in terms of contracting and cooperation with other CFUGs are investigated. To answer these questions, data was collected from 85 CFUGs and interviews were carried out with 39 key respondents from CFUGs, government agencies, and private firms. The results show that the size of the forest was not an issue for harvesting and marketing logs. However, the organisational capacity of CFUGs was found to be weak because of a lack of financial resources, limited property rights over timber, control over decisions by the District Forest Office, policy constraints, and corruption. In terms of vertical integration, a lack of legal rights to enter into contracts, a high degree of uncertainty about policy and property rights, small and irregular amounts timber harvest, and the interpretation of CFUG rules by the District Forest Office were found to be barriers for the formation of long-term contracts between CFUGs and private firms, and of cooperative developments between CFUGs.Community forest user group, institutional economics, transaction cost economics, cooperatives, contractual arrangement, Nepal, Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,

A review of recent evidence relating to sugars, insulin resistance and diabetes

The potential impact on health of diets rich in free sugars, and particularly fructose, is of major concern. The focus of this review is the impact of these sugars on insulin resistance and obesity, and the associated risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Much of the concern is focussed on specific metabolic effects of fructose, which are argued to lead to increased fat deposition in the liver and skeletal muscle with subsequent insulin resistance and increased risk of diabetes. However, much of the evidence underpinning these arguments is based on animal studies involving very large intakes of the free sugars. Recent human studies, in the past 5 years, provide a rather different picture, with a clear dose response link between fructose intake and metabolic changes. In particular, the most marked effects are observed when a high sugars intake is accompanied by an excess energy intake. This does not mean that a high intake of free sugars does not have any detrimental impact on health, but rather that such an effect seems more likely to be a result of the high sugars intake increasing the chances of an excessive energy intake rather than it leading to a direct detrimental effect on metabolism

Stress Responses in Mental Disorders

1. The blood pressure responses to sympathetic and parasympathetic stimulation of 100 patients suffering from the commoner types of mental illness were recorded before and after treatment. The responses of 10 healthy male subjects were recorded for control purposes. 2. With the exception of hysteria, all the types of mental illness investigated showed abnormal autonomic patterns in terms of blood-pressure response but the individuals in each group showed a pattern which appeared to be characteristic of that group. 3. The possible reasons for the inconsistency in the observations of previous workers in this line of investigation were discussed. 4. Following treatment the tests revealed a relationship between clinical improvement and altered patterns of response in that the greater the improvement the nearer did the patterns approach 'normality' as judged by those of the controls. 5. The possible psychophysiological mechanisms involved in this relationship were discussed. 6. Suggestions were made on the influence of the autonomic pattern upon behaviour