1,704 search results

Methods in Motion: The magpie
Society, Politics & Law

Methods in Motion: The magpie

...systemic explanations of how the world is ordered. Rather, I want to see why and how certain themes were used by states (in my case, Iran) in their diplomacy and wider foreign policy. So, I learnt Persian, I went to Iran - I ‘immersed’ myself in the culture of my object of study during my PhD. One might see this as me acting like a true 19th Century orientalist...
The devil is in the (complex) detail
Health, Sports & Psychology

The devil is in the (complex) detail

...system uses shortcuts to simplify the task. When there is information conflict in such highly complex situations, this creates a state psychologists refer to as “cognitive dissonance”. Human beings generally seek to reduce such dissonance by trying to restore the consistency of the information they are exposed to, such as by integrating new information into their...
Soil could save Earth from overheating
Nature & Environment

Soil could save Earth from overheating

...systems, use charcoal-based composts, and exploit a suite of more efficient practices tailored to their crops and terrain. Schemes such as Cool Farm Tool could help farmers measure and manage emissions from their own land. There would not be one big answer, but a host of varied responses. These range from better crop rotation to low tillage as opposed to deep ploughing,...
The Bottom Line Expert Opinion: Customer Service
Money & Business

The Bottom Line Expert Opinion: Customer Service

...system] Customer service must also be forward thinking. It cannot just meet the needs of present customers. It additionally must consider new ways of doing business and therefore the needs of new consumers. This future-oriented perspective is perhaps especially relevant in the current period as technology and evolving social values are rapidly changing the 21st century...
Assisted dying or non-assisted living?
Society, Politics & Law

Assisted dying or non-assisted living?

...system that does not prolong a life of suffering. When Mother Nature says it’s time to go, we should be able to choose whether to acquiesce or rebel, whether to accept the inevitable or fight for one last hurrah. It might be that the legislation is already in place to allow this, but anecdotal evidence suggests it is, in practice, a grey area that serves no one well. I...
Weighing up the reliability of expert criminal evidence
Society, Politics & Law

Weighing up the reliability of expert criminal evidence

...system, and through its Codes of Practice and Conduct (Codes) recognises how factors such as bias and uncertainty of measurement can undermine the reliability of evidence. Mitigation of these types of issues can vary between the different disciplines of forensics. For example, some would argue uncertainty of measurement is not relevant to digital forensics, where there is...
Why you should visit the OpenLearn sustainability hub
Nature & Environment

Why you should visit the OpenLearn sustainability hub

...systems, or circular economies - there’s something for you. The hub brings together a wide mix of content that makes sense of the big issues and helps you join the dots between them. 3. It’s completely free and open to all No fees. No hidden catches. Just high-quality, open-access content from The Open University. You don’t need to sign up for a course (though you...
Esports: an introduction to the industry
Science, Maths & Technology

Esports: an introduction to the industry

...systems are prioritising the development of future ready digital skills to prepare learners for new and emerging career pathways. Schools now recognise that esports offers powerful opportunities for student engagement, skills development and career exploration. To support this growing demand, EStars, in partnership with The Open University, has launched a comprehensive...