Toolkit balances people and profit


A FREE, ONLINE, diagnostic toolkit developed at the University of Sheffield is helping organisations worldwide achieve financially sustainable supply chains and excellent employment practices.


The SCA-Emp (Supply Chain Accounting and Employment Practices) project studied 100- plus organisations in the automobile and textile sectors in Brazil and South Africa. Findings suggest that while these companies tried to treat workers fairly, arm’s length contracting with suppliers meant little was known of employment practices further down the supply chain. “We developed the SCA-Emp toolkit


to enable businesses to apply more ethical approaches to their supply chains, which should lead to improvements in employment practices,” says researcher Professor Pauline Dibben. “I hope that this will meet the end goal of making a positive difference to vulnerable workers across the world.” n


i Contact Professor Pauline Dibben, University


of Sheffield Email p.dibben@sheffield.ac.uk Telephone 0114 222 3472 Web www.sca-emp.com ESRC Grant Number ES/K006452/1


Deaf find reading a challenge despite improved hearing aids


etter hearing aid provision over the last decade for children with severe to profound congenital hearing loss has improved some language skills, says recent research. The study is the first to make a


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direct comparison between children recruited before and after the widespread availability of cochlear implants, digital hearing aids and the introduction of newborn hearing screening. It finds a significant improvement in children’s oral language skills and vocabulary knowledge. But contrary to expectations children in the recent cohort were not reading better than children in the earlier cohort, says researcher Professor Margaret Harris. “Analysis indicates that this was because their


phonological skills – knowledge of sounds that make up words – had not improved to the level shown by hearing children of the same age,” she explains. Findings suggest that many children


with severe-profound hearing loss still find reading a challenge and will benefit from continued support for literacy throughout school. “The next stage in taking our findings forward is to develop a structured approach to teaching the key skills that we have identified as crucial for deaf children who are in the early stages of learning to read,” Professor Harris concludes. n


i Contact Professor Margaret Harris, Oxford


Brookes University Email margaretharris@brookes.ac.uk Telephone 01865 483770 ESRC Grant Number ES/K005251/1


EATING TOGETHER Eating in a group of friends or family increases consumption at that meal by around 70%. New research will investigate whether the increase in food intake that occurs when eating with others is compensated for by reduced food intake later. Findings will contribute to the development of advice on healthy eating environments and how overeating in social contexts may be avoided. ESRC grant number ES/P01027X/1


LEARNING IN NIGER Less than 30% of the population in Niger is literate. One barrier to improvement is a high level of teacher absenteeism. Previous research has shown that weekly telephone calls to teachers can improve teachers’ attendance and student performance. In a new study, researchers will explore how mobile phone technology could enhance the relationships between teachers, communities and education service providers in remote rural areas. ESRC grant number ES/P005594/1


ENDANGERED PLANTS Illegal trade in wild plants is a growing problem and threatens numerous species and important natural resources. The Internet has vastly increased this illegal trade by making it far easier for potential buyers or sellers to do business. Researchers aim to combine innovative and cross- disciplinary ways of analysing online marketplaces as well as a review of existing policing practices to assist in combating this criminal trade. ESRC grant number ES/R003254/1


SUMMER 2011 SOCIETY NOW 9 WINTER 2018


IN BRIEF


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