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Dr Nick Pilcher's Outputs (65)

Piracy defense strategies for shipping companies and ships: A mixed empirical approach (2021)
Journal Article
Tseng, P.-H., Her, Z.-C., & Pilcher, N. (2021). Piracy defense strategies for shipping companies and ships: A mixed empirical approach. Maritime Transport Research, 2, Article 100020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.martra.2021.100020

Piracy attacks constitute a serious threat against which ships must be ready to defend themselves, particularly given the financial, political and logistical challenges involved in ensuring internationally coordinated protection. Yet, defense is high... Read More about Piracy defense strategies for shipping companies and ships: A mixed empirical approach.

Dealing with the Competition of English-language Export Editions: Voices from the Dutch Trade Book Market (2021)
Journal Article
Trentacosti, G., & Pilcher, N. (2021). Dealing with the Competition of English-language Export Editions: Voices from the Dutch Trade Book Market. Publishing Research Quarterly, 37, 278-292. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-021-09798-6

This project explores the responses of the Dutch trade book market to the ever-increasing influx of Anglophone publications. Based on in-depth interviews (n = 42) carried out between 2015 and 2017 with Dutch publishing professionals, this research id... Read More about Dealing with the Competition of English-language Export Editions: Voices from the Dutch Trade Book Market.

Considering Generic Study Skills and the roles of Academic Advisers (2021)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2021, January). Considering Generic Study Skills and the roles of Academic Advisers. Presented at ScotHELD Winter 2021 Conference, Online

In this short session we draw on work we have done over a number of years but primarily on a recent paper published in Teaching in Higher Education entitled ‘Study Skills: neoliberalism’s perfect Tinkerbell.’ We outline our own roles in the UK and Au... Read More about Considering Generic Study Skills and the roles of Academic Advisers.

Study Skills: neoliberalism’s perfect Tinkerbell (2020)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2023). Study Skills: neoliberalism’s perfect Tinkerbell. Teaching in Higher Education, 28(3), 580-596. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1839745

We argue that current approaches to Study Skills support are presented as being a panacea for resolving the issues presented by neoliberal approaches to educational expansion. We argue that for such a panacea to be believed pedagogically effective, f... Read More about Study Skills: neoliberalism’s perfect Tinkerbell.

The UK private housebuilding sector: social media perspectives (2020)
Journal Article
Craig, N., Pilcher, N., MacKenzie, R., & Boothman, C. (2021). The UK private housebuilding sector: social media perspectives. International Journal of Housing Markets and Analysis, 14(3), https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhma-05-2020-0051

Purpose
The UK private housebuilding sector is the key supplier of new-build homes for customers, constituting a fifth of the entire UK construction industry. Yet, despite the high average cost of houses, and official reports advocating improvement,... Read More about The UK private housebuilding sector: social media perspectives.

Measuring the effectiveness of English medium instruction shipping courses (2020)
Journal Article
Tseng, P.-H., Pilcher, N., & Richards, K. (2020). Measuring the effectiveness of English medium instruction shipping courses. Maritime Business Review, 5(4), 351-371. https://doi.org/10.1108/mabr-10-2019-0042

Purpose: Shipping courses contain much technical and specialist knowledge and present particular challenges for English medium instruction (EMI). This paper aims to investigate both student perceptions of the importance and satisfaction level of EMI... Read More about Measuring the effectiveness of English medium instruction shipping courses.

How a particular view of language enables neoliberalism in student support – and how to resist it. (2020)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2020, May). How a particular view of language enables neoliberalism in student support – and how to resist it. Paper presented at DPR20 Discourse, Power and Resistance the values of education, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

In this presentation, extending previous research, the authors argue that a particular view of language which sees it as a concrete abstract objectivist entity separable from any context for analysis and teaching underpins neoliberal approaches to su... Read More about How a particular view of language enables neoliberalism in student support – and how to resist it..

Aligning the times: Exploring the convergence of researchers, policy makers and research evidence in higher education policy making (2020)
Journal Article
Smith, K., Fernie, S., & Pilcher, N. (2021). Aligning the times: Exploring the convergence of researchers, policy makers and research evidence in higher education policy making. Research in Education, 110(1), 38-57. https://doi.org/10.1177/0034523720920677

The complexity of contemporary higher education policy making and the multitude of evidences and actors in policy networks mean that relationships between higher education researchers, policy makers and research evidence are not straightforward. In t... Read More about Aligning the times: Exploring the convergence of researchers, policy makers and research evidence in higher education policy making.

Role requirements in Academic Recruitment for Construction & Engineering (2020)
Journal Article
Pilcher, N., Galbrun, L., Craig, N., Murray, M., Forster, A., & Tennant, S. (2021). Role requirements in Academic Recruitment for Construction & Engineering. European Journal of Engineering Education, 46(2), 247-265. https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2020.1725451

Two ongoing and recurrent debates in the employment of academic staff are (1) how much industry experience should faculty staff have? and (2) what priority is given to research, teaching or both? Such debates take place worldwide and are particularly... Read More about Role requirements in Academic Recruitment for Construction & Engineering.

Using physical objects as a portal to reveal academic subject identity and thought (2020)
Journal Article
Richards, K., & Pilcher, N. (2020). Using physical objects as a portal to reveal academic subject identity and thought. Qualitative Report, 25(1), 127-144

We are lecturers who help students studying subjects that use word-based writing, non-word based writing such as Mathematics, and non-text based language such as visual semiotics. To access examples of such language with subject lecturers we have fou... Read More about Using physical objects as a portal to reveal academic subject identity and thought.

Lime binders for the repair of historic buildings: Considerations for CO2 abatement (2019)
Journal Article
Forster, A. M., Válek, J., Hughes, J. J., & Pilcher, N. (2020). Lime binders for the repair of historic buildings: Considerations for CO2 abatement. Journal of Cleaner Production, 252, 119802. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119802

Lime binders are utilised worldwide and are associated with a considerable scale of production and corresponding CO2 emissions. The relevance of this review is therefore international in scope, with production transcending geographical boundaries and... Read More about Lime binders for the repair of historic buildings: Considerations for CO2 abatement.

Evaluating the key factors of green port policies in Taiwan through quantitative and qualitative approaches (2019)
Journal Article
Tseng, P.-H., & Pilcher, N. (2019). Evaluating the key factors of green port policies in Taiwan through quantitative and qualitative approaches. Transport Policy, 82, 127-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2018.12.014

This paper presents a holistic picture of the factors that affect green port policies through the use of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Quantitatively, fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) method with 25 questionnaires was used to i... Read More about Evaluating the key factors of green port policies in Taiwan through quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Tapping the thirdness in the intercultural space of dialogue (2018)
Journal Article
Zhou, V. X., & Pilcher, N. (2018). Tapping the thirdness in the intercultural space of dialogue. Language and Intercultural Communication, 19(1), 23-37. https://doi.org/10.1080/14708477.2018.1545025

In this paper, we explore intercultural communication as dialogue occurring in a third space. Through seven students' reflective essays on group-based intercultural learning, we analyse the ever-shifting communicative space that interlocutors produce... Read More about Tapping the thirdness in the intercultural space of dialogue.

Music Generated Narratives: Elaborating the Da Capo Interview Technique (2018)
Journal Article
Cortazzi, M., Pilcher, N., & Jin, L. (2018). Music Generated Narratives: Elaborating the Da Capo Interview Technique. Qualitative Report, 23(10),

Qualitative researchers draw on multiple, creative ways to elicit participant narratives. Our previous use of playing researcher-selected music to participants to elicit narratives at the end of a traditional interview, in what we call the ‘Da Capo’... Read More about Music Generated Narratives: Elaborating the Da Capo Interview Technique.

Western and Eastern Building Conservation Philosophies: Perspectives on Permanence and Impermanence (2018)
Journal Article
Forster, A. M., Thomson, D., Richards, K., Pilcher, N., & Vettese, S. (2019). Western and Eastern Building Conservation Philosophies: Perspectives on Permanence and Impermanence. International Journal of Architectural Heritage, 13(6), 870-885. https://doi.org/10.1080/15583058.2018.1490827

In this conceptual paper, we illuminate Western building conservation philosophy practice with insights into Eastern conservation philosophy and associated aesthetic understanding. We frame dialogue recognising individual and societal perspectives on... Read More about Western and Eastern Building Conservation Philosophies: Perspectives on Permanence and Impermanence.

A holistic framework to embed good company practice for customer retention (2017)
Journal Article
McCrory, B., Pilcher, N., & McMillan, J. (2017). A holistic framework to embed good company practice for customer retention. The TQM magazine, 29(2), 257-275. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-11-2015-0139

Purpose: To detail a holistic practice based guiding framework for improving customer retention, which helps companies instil a customer service culture through encouraging them to concentrate on the three key areas of culture, continuous improvement... Read More about A holistic framework to embed good company practice for customer retention.

What Is The ‘Academic Purpose’ Of ‘English’ In ‘English For Academic Purposes’? (2017)
Book Chapter
Pilcher, N., & Richards, K. (2017). What Is The ‘Academic Purpose’ Of ‘English’ In ‘English For Academic Purposes’?. In L. Tuen Wong, & W. Lam Wong (Eds.), Teaching and Learning English for Academic Purposes: Current Research and Practices. Nova Science Publishers

In this chapter, we suggest abandoning the current form of EAP for a form of EAP that is actively explorative of and taught within individual subject contexts. We argue that for students to meet the ‘academic purposes’ in academic subjects requires t... Read More about What Is The ‘Academic Purpose’ Of ‘English’ In ‘English For Academic Purposes’?.

Assessing the shipping in the Northern Sea Route: a qualitative approach (2017)
Journal Article
Tseng, P.-H., & Pilcher, N. (2017). Assessing the shipping in the Northern Sea Route: a qualitative approach. Maritime Business Review, 2(4), 389-409. https://doi.org/10.1108/mabr-06-2017-0013

Purpose－The Northern Sea Route (NSR) could become viable in the near future. If this happens it will radically reducey impact upon sailing times and distances current routes and have huge implications for shipping worldwide, and particularly on rout... Read More about Assessing the shipping in the Northern Sea Route: a qualitative approach.