3,354 research outputs found

    The Impact of the UK Temporary Employment Industry in Assisting Agency Workers since the Year 2000

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    This thesis is concerned with assessing the impact of the UK temporary employment industry in assisting agency workers since the year 2000, and incorporates four research questions: (1) To what extent have temporary employment agencies provided employment opportunities to vulnerable groups since the year 2000? (2) How are individuals psychologically affected by working as temporary agency workers, and what are the implications? (3) Individual agency workers often interact with several different groups including temporary employment agencies, third party employers, permanent workers and trade unions. Are there tensions that exist between these groups, and how do they manifest themselves? (4) Recent legislative development has occurred with the adoption of the Agency Workers Directive. What are the implications for individual agency workers and temporary employment agencies? In order to investigate these questions, the study‟s research design incorporated semi-structured interviews and ethnographic analyses of diary extracts. The interviewees consisted of twenty-five participants, including agency workers, their permanent counterparts, recruitment consultants, and representatives from third party employers. I also recorded my experiences as an agency worker during several assignments, and the ethnographic analysis of these diary extracts represented a second source of findings. The approach of the thesis challenged the traditional quantitative method that has been prevalent throughout previous psychologically-orientated studies into agency working. Results highlighted the importance of motive, as it was found to influence how agency workers viewed their ensuing employment. Permanent workers‟ perception of their company‟s motive for utilising agency staff was also highlighted as significant to their resulting reaction to their organisation‟s recruitment practices. The method of using agency workers to protect pre-existing staff from redundancy was indicated, and permanent workers will often this employment practice favourably. The lack of obligation inherent in the contract increases the vulnerability of agency workers, and may cause reduced levels of job security and organisational commitment within the individual. The assumption that agency working is short term and cyclical can also lead to isolation from the workforce, as permanent workers may consider agency staff as non-committal, dispensable, and un-invested in the organisation. Several findings relating to the relationships which form between the main parties also emerged. A lack of contact between the recruitment consultant and the individual worker represented a potential obstacle, whereas the priority that temporary employment agencies placed upon fulfilling the needs of their client companies was also identified. The agency employment industry argues that it provides individuals with opportunities for permanent transition into the third party employer, but limited autonomy, short-term assignments, and the simplistic nature of tasks represented significant barriers to achieving this goal. The thesis concluded that the recently-adopted Agency Workers Directive would result in a reduction of open-ended employment arrangements, and that tenure would typically be established prior to each assignment. Recommendations for future research included a post-adoption analysis of the impact of the Agency Workers Directive, and an increased focus upon permanent worker reaction and perception regarding their company‟s utilisation of agency staff

    The Flexibility, Isolation, and Vulnerability of Agency Working A Qualitative Psychological Study

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    In recent years, temporary agency work has received increased attention in the realms of media, academia, and politics. Supporters of the industry cite fast access to flexible working opportunities for individuals and organisations, yet critics have highlighted disparities with permanent counterparts in relation to pay, treatment, and job security. Previous psychological research has forwarded a series of findings that have frequently conflicted, and the article will begin by exploring the previous literature in the area. Particular focus has been given to variables relating to job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and job security. The key objective of the study is to understand the psychological impact this form of employment can have upon individuals in relation to perceptions of flexibility, isolation, and vulnerability. The study adopted a qualitative research design that incorporated twenty-five semi structured interviews with agency workers, recruitment consultants, and representatives from third party employers. Secondary sources of data included ethnography analysis in the form of a researcher diary, and a longitudinal element resulting from follow-up interviews with the agency workers of the sample. Findings indicated the significant role of motive in the formulation of positive and negative perceptions that individuals hold towards their employment. The minimal tenures and lack of obligation associated with the contracts were also found to isolate agency workers from their permanent colleagues, increase vulnerability, and decrease job security and organizational commitment

    Ethical considerations in the use of Machine Learning for research and statistics.

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    This paper, based upon new guidance created in collaboration with researchers from several national statistical institutes, explores the main ethical considerations associated with the use of machine learning techniques for aggregate statistics. The aim of this paper is to provide applied, practical ethical guidance for researchers using machine learning techniques. Following an extensive literature review, alongside discussion and collaboration with a number of national statistical institutes, it was identified that there was a need for applied guidance on the use of machine learning for the production of official statistics by the international research and statistical community. Feedback was gathered from interested stakeholders, which found that whilst there were resources available to researchers relating to the ethical considerations of machine learning projects, these focus mainly on operational uses of machine learning, and furthermore, lacked advice on how to practically mitigate ethical issues that arise throughout the project lifecycle. The guidance focuses on four main ethical considerations, found to be prevalent within machine learning research, and offers ways to mitigate these issues should they arise. These are: the importance of minimising and mitigating social bias and discrimination within machine learning research, and clearly communicating these, and the limitations of our research; the need to consider the transparency and explainability of machine learning research, and the implications this has for reproducibility; the importance of maintaining accountability throughout machine learning processes, ensuring that models are used only for their intended purposes, and that different stakeholders are aware of their responsibilities; the need to consider the confidentiality and privacy risks arising from the data used, both in relation to training data which is fed into the machine, and outputs resulting from the machine learning’s findings. The guidance has been well-received following its release, and feedback from the wider user community to date has been positive. The IPDLN conference provides an opportunity for further feedback to be collated to ensure that the guidance continues to be valuable to its intended audience

    The psychological impact of agency worker utilisation

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    Agency work represents a unique form of employment that has received increased attention in recent years. Supporters of the agency employment industry have cited increased accessibility and flexibility at an individual and organisational level, yet critics have highlighted disparities in treatment and the limited protection afforded by the contract. Previous psychological studies into the working experiences of these employees have forwarded a series of findings that have frequently conflicted, so this paper begins by exploring research into the areas of motive, job satisfaction, job security, and organisational support. The purpose of this paper is to better understand how this form of employment can psychologically affect agency workers by focusing upon these key areas. The study's research design incorporated 25 semi-structured interviews with agency workers, recruitment consultants, and representatives from third-party employers. These interviews were then supplemented by longitudinal data from follow-up interviews conducted with agency workers from the initial sample. During the study, the researcher undertook a number of agency working assignments, and ethnographic analysis of diary extracts represented a third source of data. Results highlighted the importance of motive, as it was found to influence how agency workers viewed their employment. The lack of obligation in temporary contracts was perceived to lead to isolation from permanent colleagues, increase vulnerability, and reduce job security and organisational commitment. Findings strongly supported the claim that the pre-assignment motives of individuals had a significant impact upon their resulting experiences. Agency workers employed in longer-term assignments reported greater integration into the organisation, resulting in increased commitment towards the third-party employer, and improved relationships with permanent staff. The current research incorporated multiple perspectives to create an increased understanding of the agency employment industry and its impact upon individuals

    HCV and the hepatic lipid pathway as a potential treatment target

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    Atherosclerosis has been described as a liver disease of the heart. The liver is the central regulatory organ of lipid pathways but since dyslipidaemias are major contributors to cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes rather than liver disease, research in this area has not been a major focus for hepatologists. Virus-host interaction is a continuous co-evolutionary process involving the host immune system and viral escape mechanisms. One of the strategies HCV has adopted to escape immune clearance and establish persistent infection is to make use of hepatic lipid pathways. This review aims to: update the hepatologist on lipid metabolism; review the evidence that HCV exploits hepatic lipid pathways to its advantage; discuss approaches to targeting host lipid pathways as adjunctive therapy

    CAPAbility: Comparison of the JOURNEY II Bi-Cruciate Stabilised and GENESIS II total knee arthroplasty in performance and functional ability: protocol of a randomised controlled trial

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    Background: Osteoarthritis of the knee is a common condition that is expected to rise in the next two decades leading to an associated increase in total knee replacement (TKR) surgery. Although there is little debate regarding the safety and efficacy of modern TKR, up to 20% of patients report poor functional outcomes following surgery. This study will investigate the functional outcome of two TKRs; the JOURNEY II Bi-Cruciate Stabilised knee arthroplasty, a newer knee prosthesis designed to provide guided motion and improve knee kinematics by more closely approximating a normal knee, and the GENESIS II, a proven existing design. Aim: To compare the change in Patient-reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) scores of the JOURNEY II BCS and the GENESIS II from pre-operation to 6 months post operation. Methods: CAPAbility is a pragmatic, blinded, two-arm parallel, randomised controlled trial recruiting patients with primary osteoarthritis due to have unilateral TKR surgery across two UK hospitals. Eligible participants (n = 80) will be randomly allocated to receive either the JOURNEY II or the GENESIS II BCS knee prosthesis. Baseline measures will be taken prior to surgery. Patients will be followed at 1 week, 6 to 8 weeks and 6 months post-operatively. The primary outcome is the Oxford Knee Score (OKS) at 6 months post-operatively. Secondary outcomes include: Other PROMs, biomechanical, radiological (computerised tomography, (CT)), clinical efficacy and safety outcomes. An embedded qualitative study will also investigate patients' perspectives via interview pre and post surgery on variables known to affect the outcome of TKR surgery. A sub-sample (n = 30) will have additional in-depth interviews to explore the themes identified. The surgeons' perspectives on the operation will be investigated by a group interview after all participants have undergone surgery. Discussion: This trial will evaluate two generations of TKR using PROMS, kinematic and radiological analyses and qualitative outcomes from the patient perspective

    First Nations pre‐LGM ochre processing in Parramatta, NSW, Australia

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    Previous archaeological evidence and published analysis has suggested that ochre was first used in the Sydney Basin around 9000 years ago, and that the Parramatta region may not have been occupied by First Nations peoples before ∼14 ka. We present new evidence which firmly places both events before the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Multiple ochre fragments, two with microscopically visible evidence of anthropogenic grinding, were recovered from the George Street Gatehouse site within the Parramatta Sand Body (PSB) at Parramatta. The ground ochre was associated with a pit feature buried within the PSB and dated by optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) between ∼35 and 30 ka. This find is the earliest evidence for ochre processing in the Sydney Basin by some 25000 years. A previous model for the region had proposed that occupation prior to and during the LGM was focussed on the Hawkesbury-Nepean River corridor as a refugium, with only equivocal evidence of occupation prior to ∼14 ka at Parramatta (Williams et al., 2021). We propose that the Parramatta River could also have acted as a refugium for people moving through and occupying the now-drowned Pleistocene coastal zone; and that those people used ochre in their symbolic expressions
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