PhD
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Item #LOCALFOOD: A MULTIMETHOD ANALYSIS ON THE PROMOTION OF LOCAL FOOD IN SCOTLAND BY SCOTTISH INFLUENCERS ON INSTAGRAM(2025) Ishaq, MaryamThis research aims to analyse the role Scottish Foodie Influencers as producers play in promoting local food in Scotland through their everyday lifestyle presentations on Instagram, as well as considering how they use Instagram as a tool to facilitate this communicative practice. This research utilises two methods of data collection to analyse how Influencers promote local food on Instagram: Qualitative semi-structured interviews and a content analysis of their promotional content on Instagram. This research demonstrates how Influencers reproduce social norms about local food through their lifestyle presentation by portraying local food as a distinctive consumer practice that they encourage their followers to emulate. Despite also being motivated by a desire to support local food businesses in Scotland based on their connection to their local area, Influencers still promoted a perception of locality in Scotland that they acknowledged was financially and culturally inaccessible to many. Influencers also adhered to the aesthetic norms of Instagram by constructing an imagined local on Instagram that appealed to the aesthetic conventions of the platform. This style of visual representation prioritised the visual quality of local food over other markers of quality that leaves any discourse around locality as an ethical food practice to promote heritagisation and re-localisation largely absent from the promotion of local food in Scotland on Instagram. This research demonstrates the importance of analysing the effectiveness of a given social media platform in generating a space for online food discourse. These conclusions contribute to the growing scholarship around the digitalization of food and how specific social media platforms play a role in shaping online food discourses. How local food in Scotland is communicated through its aesthetic representations by Scottish Foodie Influencers on Instagram highlights how the conventions of a given social media platform can transform a food practice originally grounded in ethical consumption into a greater emphasis on the social distinction local food can provide consumers in Scotland.Item PREHABILITATION FOR RECREATIONAL RUNNERS: DEVELOPMENT OF AN INJURY RISK REDUCTION STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORK(2025-12) Queen Margaret University, EdinburghRunning-related injuries (RRI) currently remain higher than other sports which have adopted injury risk reduction practices. The overarching aim of this PhD by retrospective publication was to develop a prehabilitation intervention for recreational runners with recommendations for best practice implementation. Intervention development is mapped to the Medical Council Research (MRC) framework for complex interventions and Context Matters Sequence of Prevention Framework and underpins the sequence of research comprising five published studies using a range of methodologies to (1) investigate factors associated with RRI (2) establish views, perceptions and engagement of RRI injury risk reduction practices from stakeholders (3) review literature for efficacy of exercise-based injury prevention programmes in sport (4) compile and map all injury reduction strategies specific to runners and methods of delivery. Findings from this body of work outline development, feasibility and evaluation of an injury risk reduction intervention for recreational runners and proposes a framework that maps with the Capability Opportunity Motivation Model of Behaviour Change. This supports a multifaceted intervention addressing the complexity of RRI, with personalized approach to runners’ needs and risk profiles and supervision appearing critical for runners’ engagement. Moving forwards prehabilitation for runners will be implemented to a larger scale study providing novice recreational runners within social running environments with the “capability” to learn using health care professional endorsed resources, modules and supervised guidance from running coaches. Providing “opportunity” for coaches via a train the trainer approach to support runners, alongside digital technologies can help promote self-efficacy and “motivation” for ongoing behaviour change.Item FINANCIAL SUSTAINABILITY BEYOND GRANTS AND DONATIONS: THE CASE OF CHARITY-RUN SOCIAL ENTERPRISES IN SCOTLAND(2025-12) SIMPSON, EUNICE YAWAThis research investigates the impact of trading results on the funding gap of charity-run social enterprises in Scotland, a crucial topic given the significant decline in public funding for charities. Between 2009-10 and 2020-21, government and local authority funding for charities fell by 23%, equating to a £13.2bn cut (University, 2021) This substantial reduction, a consequence of the global recession, has created a serious funding deficit and survival challenges for charities. To address this pressing issue, a number of charities in Scotland are actively engaging in social enterprise activities, aiming to generate profits to support their parent charities. This study examines the effectiveness of these social enterprises in alleviating the funding gaps of their parent charities, exploring the sustainability of their financial operations and identifying critical success factors and challenges they encounter. The research is framed within the theoretical framework of hybridity and institutional logic, providing a lens through which to understand the complex interplay between social mission and market forces within these organisations. Employing a critical realist framework, the study utilises an abductive approach and a concurrent mixed-method design. Both primary and secondary data sources are employed, including interviews with senior management staff and board members, as well as archival quantitative information covering twelve years from 2011 to 2022. The study reveals that social enterprises in Scotland are indeed narrowing the funding gaps faced by their parent charities. However, a significant finding is that only around 25% of these social enterprises currently appear to be financially sustainable, and even then, at a relatively small margin. Furthermore, the research identifies ten critical success factors and ten challenges that characterise the operation of social enterprises. The findings of this research contribute significantly to the body of knowledge in the field of charity-run social enterprise financial sustainability, providing valuable information for practitioners and researchers. The findings also hold relevance for informing the Scottish Government's third sector policy in supporting social enterprises, contributing to the sector's growth as outlined in its ten-year strategic plan 2016-2026. This research, however, highlights the need for further investigation with a larger sample size to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the financial sustainability of charity-run social enterprises in Scotland.Item EXPLORING THE MEANING OF FACILITATION IN PRACTICE DEVELOPMENT IN COLLABORATION WITH REGISTERED NURSES AND HEALTHCARE ASSISTANTS: A PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH STUDY(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2025-10) Breslin, ElizabethBackground This research study aimed to explore the meaning of facilitation in Practice Development (PD). My co-researchers were registered nurses and healthcare assistants (practice co-researchers) working in two residential care facilities in Ireland. PD is an approach to developing person-centred cultures of care grounded in critical social science that integrates collaborative, inclusive, and participatory approaches to achieve person-centred and evidence-based care. Central to PD is person-centred facilitation, which is the focus of my research, examining the meaning of facilitation in the reality of practice. Research Methods Using a person-centred methodological approach, this study was conducted in two residential care facilities in Ireland and underpinned by participatory and emancipatory principles. Research fieldwork was conducted over fourteen months. A range of Practice Development (PD) methods were used, including one-to-one interviews, reflective accounts, observations of practice, facilitation workshops, and informal conversations. These activities were conducted over fourteen months to support engagement and foster trust. A creative hermeneutic data analysis was used to interpret how facilitators experienced and made sense of facilitation in practice. In the later phase, experienced co-researchers joined the analysis process to critically reflect on and deepen their understanding of the emerging outcomes. Research Outcomes In this research, five key elements emerged that illuminate the meaning of facilitation in PD: autonomy, courage, understanding person-centredness, embracing active learning, and flourishing. Person-centred relationships between individuals are underpinned by trust, knowledge of self and others, learning to be creative, having time, and having a supportive space to work together towards a shared purpose in practice.Item FROM SCOPING TO SCALING: COLLABORATIVE INDIVIDUAL PATIENT DATA PLATFORMS FOR NEGLECTED INFECTIOUS DISEASES: A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy [PhD by publication](2025-10) Maguire, Brittany JaneThis thesis presents the rationale and theoretical context for a portfolio of published work examining the clinical study landscape across five different neglected and poverty-related diseases (NPRDs). It critically analyses the limitations of traditional aggregate meta-analysis for synthesising evidence for these diseases, demonstrating how challenges such as limited volume of trials and enrolled participants, methodological heterogeneity and inconsistent reporting necessitate alternative approaches. Meta-analysis of individual patient data (IPD) is proposed as an alternative; however, access to IPD raises legal, ethical, and technical barriers, which I critically examine, drawing on the experiences gained through stakeholder engagement. I engaged with the disease specific research communities to assess the feasibility of building global collaborative data platforms which can provide solutions to the many challenges of sharing IPD. The common difficulties identified in my publications across the NPRDs, together with the limited global attention, funding, and resources available, strongly reinforced the need for a unified data-sharing infrastructure to enable economies of scale. My work directly informed the evolution of the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO) Roadmap, a framework of tools, templates, and resources to streamline platform scoping and development, reduce duplication, and adapt processes efficiently to new disease areas. I also demonstrate how systematic review outputs from my publications evolved into dynamic, openaccess tools that enhance the discoverability of IPD and promote data-sharing. I describe the development of a research community consensus-driven process for generating research agendas that enable the meaningful re-use of IPD to address critical knowledge gaps in these under-researched disease areas. My contribution helped shape and operationalise the vision of IDDO as a researcher-driven initiative to build data platforms, supporting the identification, collation, and harmonisation of IPD to promote meaningful data re-use and advance the treatment and control of neglected infectious diseases.Item FAMILIES OF CARE AND CONNECTION: A RELATIONAL EXPLORATION OF HOW REFUGEES NAVIGATE STRUCTURAL CONSTRAINTS TO INTEGRATION IN THE UK: A critical appraisal submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD by Publication (Retrospective)(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2025-10) Baillot, HelenDrawing on data from three inter-related studies, the four papers considered in this critical appraisal foreground the role played by social connections – relationships with other people, organisations and statutory bodies – in integration. My central argument is that family and family-like relationships are critical to refugees’ experiences of navigating new systems and structures in countries of settlement. These relationships are defined, developed and sustained through practices of care. I therefore position both care and family as central vectors in integration and as sites where refugees are agentive decision-makers shaping their own integration trajectories. Empirically I call for researchers and practitioners to move away from individualistic notions of integration to fully incorporate the family and the care that flows through family-like relationships into the design and delivery of research and practice. Conceptually, I outline the ways in which this process of incorporation moves us away from integration and towards an alternative feminist post-migration ecological framework, within which orientations and practices of care play a crucial role.Item Finding Our Way, Telling Our Stories: A Story-Informed Transformation Toward Person-Centred Culture and Practice after Australia’s Oakden Report: An introduction and critical appraisal in partial fulfilment of the Doctor of Philosophy degree by retrospective publication.(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2025-10) McKellar, DuncanThis doctoral study by retrospective publication examines the transformation of health, aged and social care environments from dehumanised and dysfunctional into compassionate, person-centred cultures. The research is grounded, firstly, in my experience as a reviewer of South Australia’s Oakden Older Persons’ Mental Health Service, a profoundly flawed institution whose exposure led to several national inquiries and, secondly, in my subsequent experience as the strategic clinical lead of systemic reforms occurring after the report’s publication. Through immersive, embodied scholarship, involving practice-based learning, reflective practice, and autoethnographic research, this study explores the role of storytelling as a mechanism for culture change. The thesis explores the relationship between storytelling, organisational culture, and person-centred care, synthesising insights from philosophy, theology, and social science. It argues that a story-informed approach—where storytelling and story-listening are embedded in work and care practices—enhances empathy, disrupts power hierarchies, and fosters psychologically safe environments. This principle, alongside the co-designed Culture Framework developed in the Oakden reform process, provides a strategic model for sustainably embedding person-centred values into health, aged, and social care services. The critical appraisal considers theologically informed personalism as an ontology, functioning as a wellspring for a dynamic embodied scholarly practice. It also positions storytelling as an epistemology that humanises care and builds ethical, empathetic, and inclusive cultures. It evaluates the study’s methodological foundation in evocative autoethnography and reflexive scholarship, addressing the ethical complexities of narrating lived experience. The findings affirm that systemic failures, such as those at Oakden, are often rooted in the erosion of personhood and relational care. By offering an applied model of cultural transformation, this thesis contributes new knowledge to the field of person-centred practice, advocating for narrative as a central mechanism in achieving sustainable, compassionate care environments.Item THE INSTITUTIONALISATION OF WHISTLEBLOWING IN THE SCOTTISH HEALTH SERVICE: AN INTERPLAY BETWEEN ORGANISATIONS, MEDIA AND POLITICAL INFLUENCE(2025) Burnett, AlexisThe act of whistleblowing has become a common, global phenomenon in recent decades, and the necessity to find satisfactory solutions has become a major focus for organisations world-wide. This is particularly important in the field of health, where the National Health Service has witnessed serious whistleblowing events to the detriment of healthcare staff and, perhaps more importantly, to patients. NHS Scotland is selected as a case study to explore the reconceptualization of whistleblowing as a normative organisational process. This research study contrasts with existing literature on whistleblowing, which has focused primarily on the treatment of healthcare whistleblowers at the hands of their managers and organisations, where the primary victim is the whistleblower, subjected to organisation reprisal. A qualitative research study has been undertaken, which includes interviews with NHS leaders, media coverage of high-profile whistleblowing cases and official whistleblowing-related documents. The primary theme of this thesis concentrates on whistleblowing institutionalisation as an emerging political process initiated by the Scottish Government. This thesis makes two main contributions to the issue of whistleblowing specifically in the Scottish health service. First, it provides evidence of the introduction of whistleblowing institutionalism through related policies and processes for the whole of NHS Scotland and associated organisations, including contractors. Second, it identifies media impact on public policy decision making in relation to whistleblowing with the discovery of a ‘whistleblowing’ specific frame. This frame provides empirical evidence of an influential media on the political landscape.Item Understanding unresolved higher education complaints: A mixed methods study on the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA)(Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, 2025) Elkington, Ossian LeoHigher education (HE) is increasingly shaped by the pressures of marketisation, which positions students as consumers within a competitive educational marketplace. Amidst this shifting landscape, the resolution of student complaints has become a critical issue, raising fundamental questions about fairness, accessibility, and the efficacy of independent adjudication systems. This research addresses these concerns by examining the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA), which serves as the principal complaint-handling body for unresolved disputes in HE across England and Wales. By blending theoretical and practical perspectives, this research seeks to illuminate the systemic factors shaping complaint outcomes and procedural fairness in a marketised HE context. Adopting an explanatory sequential mixed-methods approach, the research comprises two complementary studies. The first is a quantitative analysis of cross-sectional secondary data from 5,111 OIA complaints, revealing key patterns in complainant demographics and their relationship to complaint outcomes. Notably, the findings underscore significant disparities, with males, ethnic minorities, and international (non-EU) students being less likely to secure remedies. The second study delves deeper into these patterns through a qualitative exploration of stakeholder perspectives. Thematic analysis of focus groups involving complainants, university staff, and OIA staff uncovers diverse experiences shaped by structural and procedural factors. Participants describe mixed perceptions of procedural justice, encompassing concerns over impartiality, communication barriers, and varying levels of support. The qualitative findings propose three typologies of complainants, Persistent Pursuers, Reluctant Escalators, and Resolution Seekers, highlighting the motivations and expectations influencing student engagement with the OIA. This thesis makes significant contributions to both academic discourse and practical policy. It explores the application of procedural justice theory to the unique context of a HE ombudsman and challenges existing paradigms of student complaining behaviour. By providing actionable insights into the disparities and barriers within the OIA’s processes, the research offers recommendations to enhance fairness, transparency, and equity in student complaint resolution. Ultimately, this work advocates for a more thorough and transparent adjudication system that reflects the diverse needs of HE students.Item DISORIENTATED AFFECTS: ENCOUNTERING QUEER TRAUMA THROUGH EXPERIMENTAL DOCUMENTARY FILM(2025) Mosch, ReginaThis arts-based PhD investigates microaggressions against queer bodies through an experimental documentary film art process. While the idea of a spectacular, very violent, and rupturing trauma experience begins to take on more nuanced perspectives through inquiries of feminist, post/de/anticolonial and queer scholarship, the particular fragmented, embodied and subjective affects of an exposure to microaggressions have as of yet not been fully understood within trauma studies. What do microaggressions do with queer bodies? How do they change their shape and distort their appearance, thus enacting oppression on and beneath the surface of queer bodies? Thisstudy uses experimental film aesthetics and a queer film-phenomenological lens informed by Sara Ahmed (2006) and Katharina Lindner (2018) to question dominant understandings of trauma as rupture and demands a sensibility to forms of violence that are invisible, intangible, fragmented or purely embodied. Introducing a queer politics of encountering and sharing trauma on a sensory level, this study particularly explores what the cumulative, piercing nature of microaggressions takes out of queer people’s grasp, yet also the potentials of aesthetic and practical disorientation for building new lines of thought and action. The co-creative exhibition over/exposed acts as the main vehicle to (de)construct spaces of queerness, co-creation and trauma in experimental documentary film. over/exposed negotiates trauma through various filmic, bodily and spatial surfaces; its encounters disorientate, twist and trouble co-creators, viewers and researcher as a queer politics of encountering and sharing trauma on a sensory level is assembled. Through an affective analysis of the 10 artworks as well as the co-creative process, this study reveals a new understanding of trauma as overexposure that brings attention to abrasions, frictions and subtle intrusions to queer bodies, the (power) relations within and beyond an artistic process and the significance of an instable and disorientated body for producing new knowledge.