Development and External Affairs
Media
News Archive
January
International Honour for Harris
Children's Experiences of Disability: A Positive Outlook
Relationship Between Race and Face Recognition
Search is on for Innovative Idea of the Year
Gaelic Learners in the Primary School
Gallery on Gambling
Date released
Wednesday 7 January
Professor of Sports History at the University of Stirling, Wray
Vamplew has teamed up with the National Horseracing Museum at Newmarket
to develop a new gallery dealing with the history of gambling. It
will trace the relationship between horseracing and gambling from
the beginnings of on-course bookmaking in the 1790s through to modern
times when betting takes place via the Internet.
Among the objects on display will be one of the multi-coloured jackets
worn by ‘Prince’ Monolula, a tipster made famous by
his catchphrase ‘I Gotta Horse’. There are also letters
revealing a major scandal when the 1844 Derby, a Classic race for
three-year-old horses, was won by a heavily disguised four-year-old.
Another scam is shown by the newspaper racecard and results of the
Trodmore Hunt races of August Bank Holiday Monday 1898. The meeting
actually never took place but was a phantom fixture organised by
a betting syndicate. “The perpetrators were certainly imaginative;
not only did they invent a meeting but also the names of 41 runners.”
Said Professor Vamplew.
For much of the period under review, till the legalisation of betting
shops in 1961, cash betting away from the racecourse by working-class
men and women was illegal. Both bookmakers and punters disregarded
the law and an illegal betting industry thrived.
Professor Vamplew said: “Most illegal bookmakers employed
‘runners’ who received commission on the bets that they
collected from pubs, factories and small shops, especially tobacconists.
These were picked up in clock bags, leather purses which, when shut,
set the time on the clock to confirm that the bets had taken place
before racing started. A clock bag used by bookies’ runners
will be on display.”
The Tote was introduced to British racing in 1929 so that gambling
would help finance the sport. A major exhibit will be a mock Tote
office, complete with the uniforms of ‘the ladies in red’
who have helped create an image for the Tote different to that of
the bookmakers.
Professor Vamplew said: “At the course the Tote appeals particularly
to those preferring the orderly queue to the push and shove of the
betting ring, those wishing to bet in small amounts, and those seeking
to bet each-way or even place only.“
Betting shops will also feature, as that is where most betting takes
place. When they were allowed to open in 1961, the government did
not wish to be seen as encouraging betting and hence insisted that
the shops be unattractive and not be allowed television, comfortable
seating, the provision of refreshments, or even a toilet! A radical
change came in 1986, following legislation of 1985 that allowed
shops to have televised coverage of racing and other sports, and
to sell soft drinks in more comfortable, well-furnished surroundings.
The exhibition will also seek to be socially responsible. Professor
Vamplew said: “For most betters racing and the associated
gambling is fun, but, for some, addiction to gambling has resulted
in dire consequences for them and their families. Attention will
be drawn to those organisations which can assist people with a gambling
problem.”
The new gallery has been sponsored by The National Sporting League
Benevolent Fund in memory of one-time president Charles Layfield.
It is scheduled to open in April 2004.
Lesley Pollock
Media Relations Manager
(01786) 467058
For further information:
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Wray Vamplew University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK |
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Tel: + 44 (0) 01786 466491 |
International Honour for Harris
Date released: Thursday
8 January
University of Stirling economist Dr Simon Harris has been awarded
the
prestigious Gunnar Hedlund Award for his PhD thesis ‘National
Values and Strategy Formation by Business Leaders’.
This international accolade and a prize sum of €10,000 is bestowed
each year by the Stockholm School of Economics and the European
International Business Academy on work that has the greatest potential
to impact on the field of International Business.
The jury stated: “Simon Harris has written a novel piece in
the heart of the field of International Business. The main strength
of the thesis is the originality of the topic and the multi-method
approach to studying it. The use of culture and strategy process
research, and the meticulous data gathering were also commended.”
Dr Harris’ work examines the effect of cultural predispositions
on strategy processes in electronic manufacturing firms in three
countries: the UK, France and Holland. He shows that the greatest
differences in strategy formation are associated with national values,
and these are in the ‘mental models’ of business.
Dr Harris said: “Business leaders in France and Holland think
in a different way from those in Britain. They don’t concern
themselves with the market and with competition as much as we do,
but focus more on their skills and their relationships. They also
tend to discuss their business problems more openly, whereas we
British are quite secretive.“
The greatest similarities between the countries are in the goals
they pursue, such as long or short term, and in the procedures that
they follow, such as whether they use business plans or not.
Dr Harris said: “The differences between different types of
UK businesses are at least as big as the differences with the French
and Dutch. Business leaders in Britain can expect to encounter at
least as much diversity in approaches to business at home as abroad.
Business negotiation may well be easier with like counterparts abroad
than with unlike counterparts at home.”
The thesis has already received considerable interest from UK businesses.
Dr Harris said: “Firms doing business in other countries,
especially those entering new foreign markets, have already begun
to use this research. Knowing how potential partners in other countries
may differ from British partners helps to lower some of the real
cultural barriers faced when doing business abroad.”
Lesley Pollock
Media Relations Manager
(01786) 467058
For further information:
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Dr Simon Harris University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK |
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Tel: + 44 (0) 7946 645069 |
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Email: s.g.s.harris@stir.ac.uk |
Children's Experiences of Disability: A Positive Outlook
Date released: Thursday
14 January
Disabled children maintain a positive outlook on life despite encountering
barriers in the form of people’s attitudes towards them and
the excluding practices of institutions.
The findings are the result of a two year study by the University
of Stirling’s Social Work Research Centre into disabled children’s
understandings of disability, and brothers’ and sisters’
views about having a disabled sibling.
The research, funded by the Scottish Executive, and conducted by
researchers Kirsten Stalker of the University of Stirling and Clare
Connors of the University of Durham, broke new ground by speaking
directly to young people to elicit their opinions. 26 disabled children
and 24 of these children’s brothers and sisters were interviewed.
Two disabled children also acted as advisors to the study.
Almost half the children interviewed reported being bullied at school
as well as near or within their home. Most children dealt effectively
with a single incident of bullying themselves but, for a few, being
bullied was a daily occurrence.
Dr Stalker said: “Although all schools should have anti-bullying
policies, it may be helpful to review their effectiveness. The findings
indicate the need for pupils to be taught to accept and respect
difference from an early age. Most children spoke well of educational
staff. Parental views, however, were not so positive. Many parents
reported long-running difficulties securing inclusive education,
and/or keeping their child in a mainstream setting.”
Siblings generally gave positive accounts of their relationships
with their disabled brothers or sisters. Most siblings talked about
their disabled brother or sister in very ‘ordinary’
ways and where difference was perceived, it was seldom negative.
There was a strong sense of disabled children being different but
equal:
“She’s really like any other normal ten-year-old. I
don’t see her as being deaf. I just see her as a normal child”
– a sibling.
Unlike the findings of much previous research, most siblings in
this study did not report that having a disabled brother or sister
had a negative impact on their own lives. However, for some, the
presence of a disabled sister/brother resulted in them being bullied
or taunted at school.
Dr Stalker said: “The research confirms the need for a public
education programme to foster more enlightened, positive attitudes
in the general population about disabled people. The findings also
indicate a need to encourage more open communication within families
about impairment and disability, to ensure that children have accurate
information and reduce any anxieties. Many siblings lacked opportunities
to talk to other young people who also had a disabled brother or
sister. More provision for informal peer support for children, whether
on a one to one or group basis is important.”
The research findings are reported in full in “The Views and
Experiences of Disabled Children and their Siblings: A Positive
Outlook”, written by Clare Connors and Kirsten Stalker and
published by Jessica Kingsley.
Lesley Pollock
Media Relations Manager
(01786) 467058
For further information:
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Kirsten Stalker University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK |
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Tel: + 44 (0) 1786 467729 |
Relationship Between Race and Face Recognition
Date released: Monday
19 January
People find it easier to recognise and remember own race-faces even
when the expression changes, according to new research being carried
out by the University of Stirling’s Department of Psychology.
The finding is the result of a study set up by second year PhD student
Yoriko Hirose to investigate the effect of changing expression on
recognition memory cross-racially. Yoriko has run several experiments
at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, Japan and as well at Stirling
University with European and Japanese participants.
Participants were shown several European and Japanese faces with
happy and neutral expressions. They were later asked to identify
the faces they had seen from a set containing several new faces
as well as the original faces with half their expressions changed.
Recognition accuracy was measured and compared across different
race faces.
Yoriko said: “The results from the European participants showed
that they could recognise European faces quite well, even when the
expression changed. However with Japanese faces, their recognition
performance suffered when expression changed. Overall European faces
were more accurately recognised, indicating the own-race bias.”
The results from Japanese participants were more complex, as Yoriko
explains: “They did not show any signs of own-race bias, but
this could be because Japanese people are more used to European
faces through the Japanese media. Expression change affected their
performance for both race faces, except for Japanese faces which
were learned in a neutral expression.”
The discovery that people find it difficult to recognise other race
faces under expression change may be of use in practical settings
such as eyewitness identification involving other races and in the
construction of more accurate automated face recognition systems.
Lesley Pollock
Media Relations Manager
(01786) 467058
For further information:
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Yoriko Hirose University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK |
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Email: yoriko.hirose@stir.ac.uk |
Search is on for Innovative Idea of the Year
Monday 26
January
Staff and students at the University of Stirling have the chance
to win funding for their innovative ideas.
Prizes of up to £10,000 for staff and £1,500 for students
are up for grabs in the third annual round of Innovation Awards,
run by Stirling University Research and Enterprise (SURE).
Marketing Manager Daniela Bolle said: “We are looking for
projects with commercial potential. These can either be product
or service development ideas or training and development programmes.
Students are invited to come forward with a business idea which
they would like to take forward by starting up a company or with
a product idea for which they wish to develop a prototype.”
Last year’s winners in the student section were Bandit Productions:
a group of five students with the dream of setting up their own
audio-visual production company. A year on, that dream has become
a reality.
Matthew Harrison of Bandit Productions said: “Our idea was
to create the first ever Stirling University Yearbook video. This
was made to be sold to fellow students as a memento of their time
here. Our £3,000 award from SURE allowed us to purchase our
own digital equipment and begin working as a fully-fledged media
company. Since then we have pursued other projects including a Freshers’
CD-ROM and a music video for a Glasgow band.”
Entries close on Thursday 29 January and the winners will be announced
in March.
Lesley Pollock
Media Relations Manager
(01786) 467058
For further information:
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Daniela Bolle Director, Scottish CILT University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK |
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Tel: + 44 (0) 1786 458139 |
Gaelic Learners in the Primary School
Date released:
Tuesday 27 January
Peter Peacock, Minister for Education and Young People, will address
a Gaelic Learners in the Primary School (GLPS) seminar at the University
of Stirling on Thursday, 29 January.
The purpose of the seminar is to launch an evaluation of a GLPS
initiative. The evaluation was carried out by Professor Richard
Johnstone, Director of Scottish Centre for Information on Language
Teaching and Research (Scottish CILT), University of Stirling and
highlights the success of the GLPS programme in schools across a
consortium of local authorities consisting of Argyll & Bute,
East Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Stirling and Perth & Kinross.
Comparisons have been made between the GLPS programme and the Modern
Language in the Primary School (MLPS) initiative that has been running
in Scottish schools for almost twelve years. MLPS trainees are required
to have prior knowledge of their chosen language, whereas the GLPS
programme is unique in that it targets teachers with no prior knowledge
of Gaelic language.
The programme provides 24 days training for teachers in Gaelic language
and cultural awareness. Participants in the programme are provided
with a range of pupil resources to support their delivery of Gaelic
within their primary classrooms.
To date over 30 teachers have undertaken this training and more
than 1,000 pupils across the consortium authorities are receiving
Gaelic tuition.
It is hoped that the seminar will generate a Scotland-wide interest
in GLPS and will inform delegates of the principles and practices
behind the initiative.
Lesley Pollock
Media Relations Manager
(01786) 467058
For further information:
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Professor Richard Johnstone Director, Scottish CILT University of Stirling Stirling FK9 4LA UK |
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Tel: + 44 (0) 1786 466294 |