Email stress and its management in public sector organisations

Email stress: what are its causes? how is it measured? can it be solved? The literature review revealed that, despite the term being well used and recognised, discussions surrounding the root cause of email stress had reached little consensus and the concept was not well understood. By its very nature, email stress theory had fallen victim to the academic debate between psychological vs. physiological interpretations of stress which, as a result of either choice, limited more progressive research. Likewise an array of email management strategies had been identified however, whilst some generated quick successes, they appeared to suffer longevity issues and were not maintained a few months after implementation in the workplace. The purpose of this research was to determine whether email communication causes employees psychological and physiological stress and investigate the impact of email management strategies in the workplace. A pragmatic philosophy placed the research problem as central and valued the differences between paradigms to promote a mixed-method approach to research. The decision to pair both case studies and action research methods ensured a framework for presenting results and an actionable solution was achieved. In direct response to the research aims an original email stress measuring methodology was devised that combined various data collection tools to measure and investigate email stress. This research design was applied and evaluated ‘email free time’ and email filing at the '''''''''''' '''''''''''''''''''''''''. Results of the study showed an increased stress response to occur during email use, i.e. caused employees’ increased blood pressure, heart rate, cortisol and perceived stress, and a number of adverse effects such as managing staff via email, social detachment, blame and cover-yourback culture were identified. Findings revealed ‘email free time’ was not a desirable strategy to manage email stress and related stressors, whereas email filing was found more beneficial to workers well-being. Consolidation of the data gathered from the literature review and research findings were used to develop an initial conceptualisation of email stress in the form of two models, i.e. explanatory and action. A focus group was conducted to validate the proposed models and a further investigation at the '''''''''''''''''''' ''''''''''''' was carried out to critique the use of an email training intervention. The results showed some improvements to employees’ behaviour after the training, e.g. improved writing style, email checked on fewer occasions each day and fewer sufferers of email addiction. The initial models devised, alongside the latter findings, were synthesised to create a single integrative multidimensional model of email stress and management strategies. The model made an original contribution to knowledge in terms of theory, i.e. to conceptualise email stress, and practice, i.e. to offer practical solutions to the email worker

Human factors in cybersecurity; examining the link between Internet addiction, impulsivity, attitudes towards cybersecurity, and risky cybersecurity behaviours

The present study explored the relationship between risky cybersecurity behaviours, attitudes towards cybersecurity in a business environment, Internet addiction, and impulsivity. 538 participants in part-time or full-time employment in the UK completed an online questionnaire, with responses from 515 being used in the data analysis. The survey included an attitude towards cybercrime and cybersecurity in business scale, a measure of impulsivity, Internet addiction and a 'risky' cybersecurity behaviours scale. The results demonstrated that Internet addiction was a significant predictor for risky cybersecurity behaviours. A positive attitude towards cybersecurity in business was negatively related to risky cybersecurity behaviours. Finally, the measure of impulsivity revealed that both attentional and motor impulsivity were both significant positive predictors of risky cybersecurity behaviours, with non-planning being a significant negative predictor. The results present a further step in understanding the individual differences that may govern good cybersecurity practices, highlighting the need to focus directly on more effective training and awareness mechanisms

Cross-curricular embedding of maths and English: the journey of an FE college and its ‘me strategy’

More young people are not achieving good qualifications in Maths and English, which is ultimately “socially damaging and economically unsustainable” (Coughlan 2013). In the UK, students continue to underachieve resulting in a higher number of retake exams, with the least progress made within FE colleges (Belgutay 2017). The growing pressure on teaching practitioners to embed literacy and numeracy within vocational areas (Casey et al. 2006) and to contextualise learning (Higton et al. 2017) have led to a profession using a variety of strategies with little reflective review and sharing of good practice. Utilising a single FE college case study, the purpose of this research was to investigate the role of cross-curricular embedding of Maths and English to support student achievement. A contemporary example of the cross-curricular approach for embedding can be found in the ME strategy used by the case study college and examined in this thesis. This strategy is characterised by the targeted focus on tools and/or changes in the planning, delivery and review of functional skills in main study programmes. The decision to pair both case studies and action research methods ensured a research framework for presenting results towards actionable solutions relevant to both college-specific policy and provisions, and wider professional applications and improvements. Findings showed that in the year of its use students studying GCSE Maths and English were consistent or exceeded achievement targets, whilst those studying Level 1 functional skills performed below expectations. There is a divergence in data however as student attendance was significantly lower than expected for GCSE delivery whereas functional skills was in line or above target. Overall staff felt using the ME strategy had improved their teaching compared to previous years, were more like to use embedding in vocational delivery. Although in some instances this felt ‘forced’ and dual tutors often felt unsupported with little training. Further discussion on the impact of these results on stakeholders, i.e. national government, SMT and teaching practitioners, and the role each of them play in defending a similar approach and what is required to secure improvements in the wider sector are discussed. The key recommendations prescribed included an Ofsted framework that rewards change, more opportunities for SMT to innovate and to form a community of practice for practitioners to participate in. Future research is required to further conceptualise the term embedding, and longitudinal research that can validate conceptual models presented within this thesis

Abstract WP222: Predictive Value of the Miami Emergency Neurologic Deficit (MEND) Exam for Detecting Large Vessel Occlusion Strokes

Introduction: The Miami Emergency Neurologic Deficit (MEND) exam is a screening tool for identifying stroke patients in the field. It is rapid, and can detect both anterior and posterior circulatio..

Compulsive internet use in adults: A study of prevalence and drivers within the current economic climate in the UK

Compulsive Internet Use (CIU) refers to a maladaptive relationship with the tool, including a loss of control over the use, the use for mood change and withdrawal symptoms. Most studies have relied on student samples, thus little is known about its prevalence in adults. The first objective of this study was to examine CIU in adults that were either employed (N = 260) or unemployed within the last year (N = 256). Second, the drivers of CIU were examined, with a focus on attitudes that reflected the reality of long working hours and job insecurity that people experience in current workplaces. A high risk of CIU (63%) with no significant differences between employed and unemployed individuals was found. However, unemployed individuals were in the highest band of Internet use, a risk factor for CIU. Interestingly, unemployed 40–55 years old females experienced higher CIU than their male counterparts. Regarding drivers of CIU, the job attitudes working excessively and compulsively were the strongest predictors, beyond emotion stability. This was particularly true at high levels of social support. In view of this, organizations should proactively evaluate the risks associated with encouraging working excessively as ill-health consequences associated with CIU could outweigh the benefits