The dissertation summarizes the drug-related death phenomenon in the UK emphasizing England and Wales and compares the figures with international development, particularly in the EU. Legal regulation, in particular the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971 and its amendments strive for classifying drugs and label illicit drugs or their exceptional use. Moreover, legislation gives us a bundle of measures to investigate drugs misuse and especially drug-related deaths, allocating the duties of the police, coroner and judiciary. Opiates, especially heroin, cocaine and stimulants are still the major drugs involved in the UK, which largely – with the exception of cocaine – reflects the situation on the continent. The distribution of age of death shows a tendency from the range of 20 to 30 years towards men in their forties during the last decades. Overall, the UK, Scandinavia and the Baltic states have leading numbers drug-related deaths. New Psychoactive Substances are a new challenge in Europe but the UK may be especially affected by this unfortunate wave. All authorities world-wide have to deal with this 'hydra' of new psychoactive substances (NPS) due to infinite chemical variations and unlimited supply. Nevertheless, heroin and cocaine still belong to the most noxious drugs with regard to the fatal outcome. The problem of drug-related deaths starts with the neurobiology of addiction including cerebral reward cycles which disinhibit prefrontal control, leading to craving and drug intake, even if severe somatic damage occurred. This fatal course does not depend on a particular drug but may be concerned as the final part the fatal reward pathway. In general, noradrenalin, serotonin and dopamine are involved, although some drugs may act on specific receptors such as opiates or cannabinoids. Unfortunately, the pharmacology of the NPSs is often not well known, and this lack of information will increase the risk of drug-related deaths or delinquency in future. Autonomy, paternalism and liberty form a field of tension in democracy, so that preventive measures must respect individual rights. Restrictive strategies alone show a limited success. It will be the concerted action of law, judiciary, police, science, educators, social work and medicine among others to strengthen future generations. We struggle hard against drugs and the sequelae but we should never give up.:Abstract 7 1 Introduction 8 2 Definitions and Epidemiology 9 3 Legal Aspects 13 4 Psychology and neurobiology of drug abuse 16 5 Toxicology and drug-effect relation 18 6 Pharmacokinetics and routes of administration 19 7 Some notes concerning drug detection 22 8 Drugs and mechanisms of action 24 9 New Psychoactive Drugs 33 10 Legal compounds for illegal use 37 11 Dying from drugs – a clinical view 39 12 Prevention strategies 40 References 42 Appendix 56 Figures and Tables Abbreviations

MCom / Department of Accountancy / The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) concept emerged in the 1960s as an attempt to link businesses with their surrounding society and environment. Over recent years, CSR has been recognized as one of the significant concepts that are prioritized in both academic and professional practices, and this concept has also aided companies to achieve sustainable competitive advantages within their respective industries. This study is aimed at evaluating the nature and level of CSR disclosure in the South African banking institutions in comparison to Nigerian and United Kingdom banking institutions. Secondly, it aims to investigate the determinants of CSR disclosure of the South African, United Kingdom and Nigerian banking institutions. The study used data collected from the integrated reports of South African, Nigerian and the United Kingdom listed banks during the period from 2010 until 2018. In line with the Branco and Rodrigues’ (2006 and 2008) disclosure index, the study used 23 items of CSR disclosure to conduct the content analysis of the bank’s integrated reports to evaluate the nature and level of CSR disclosure. The study also made use of the regression analysis to identify the determinants of CSR disclosure used by South African, United Kingdom and Nigerian banks. The data collected for the regression analysis was split into three panels, namely, South African banks, Nigerian banks and the full sample. To identify these determinants, the study utilized STATA 15 and the fixed effects and random effects estimators to fit the regression models. The results of the content analysis show that South African and the United Kingdom banks mainly focused on the disclosure of CSR information relating to Human Resources while the Nigerian banks mainly focuses on the disclosure of CSR information relating to Product and Customers. The study also found that the overall level of CSR disclosure between the three countries does not differ significantly. With regard to the determinants of CSR disclosure, the banks’ leverage and the number of board members appear to be the main factors that have either a positive or negative impact, on the CSR disclosure in the South African banks. For Nigerian banks, the age of the banks is the only factor that appears to have an impact on the disclosure of CSR information. Furthermore, this study also found that the age of the bank is the main factor that has a positive impact on the disclosure of CSR information of the full sample (combined South African and Nigerian banks sample). Other factors including, bank size, return on equity, and ownership concentration were found to have no significant impact on the disclosure of CSR information of either South African or Nigerian banks. The study is subjected to the limitations of using manual content analysis and the use of integrated reports as the only source of data collected for the study. This study contributes to the limited literature on CSR disclosure within financial institutions. / NRF

This dissertation examines two recent programs for post-secondary Islamic theological training in Europe that aim to produce a new class of professional Islamic scholars for emerging roles within European society. Graduates can use their training and new qualifications to secure advanced professional roles and leadership positions within the Muslim community and the broader society and state. In the process, these graduates develop and define an emergent institutional role for Islamic knowledge and authority in Europe. This study is based in seven months of fieldwork research in 2017 at two centers for higher Islamic education, including participant observation within classrooms and interviews with students, faculty and alumni. Founded in 2009, the Cambridge Muslim College in Cambridge, England is a small private school that provides professional training for about a dozen graduates of the many Islamic seminaries in the UK. Founded in 2012 with support from the German state, the Center for Islamic Theology at the University of Tübingen provides Islamic theological training to hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students each year, many of whom have received no prior formal Islamic education. In addition to the institutional differences between the schools, their graduates enter into different job markets. Where the British graduates must develop new entrepreneurial roles for Islamic leaders in the UK, the German graduates become the skilled workforce to meet existing demand for public school Islam teachers, academic theologians and professional chaplains. Comparing these two educational programs—one private, the other public—this dissertation explores how the position of each school vis-á-vis the Muslim community and the state shapes the construction of scholarly authority and the professional outcomes of the graduates. It finds that students at each school leverage their new authority to formulate creative programs of Islamic reform that justify and promote new roles for professional Islamic scholars within both the Muslim community and the larger society. Drawing upon current scholarship about Muslim identity, Islamic authority and secularism in Europe, this study considers how prevailing national discourses that marginalize Muslims in Europe shape students’ creative programs of reform and so also the future institution of Islamic knowledge in Europe. / 2022-09-30T00:00:00Z

The main purpose of this research is to explore the relationship between the EU and UK in terms of space defence policy developed from the viewpoint of historical institutionalism. As a research objective, it is intended to assess the nature of historical institutionalism as a concept and its applications to space defence policy. Another objective is to trace the historical development of the relationships between the EU and the UK in the space sector. Finally, this historical development is discussed through the lens of historical institutionalism. The attainment of these aims and objectives requires an optimal choice of methodology and research design. This study has been guided by the principles of interpretivism, a dominant philosophical stance in social studies. This philosophy emphasises the role of interpretations in the attainment of knowledge due to a lack of absolute truth, as according to interpretivism, the truth depends on the observer and their interpretations. In line with this philosophical stance, this research is conducted using an inductive approach, which stipulates theory development, hypothesis formulation, or new proposition statements based on observations. This contrasts with deductive testing of existing research hypotheses. The choice of an inductive approach has...

Climate change is one of the hottest topics on the globe as of right now. The deadline of reaching both the Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement is getting closer, and actions are needed. This thesis focus on how two countries, Sweden and the United Kingdom are working towards achieving goal 13 of the Sustainable Development Goals. Policies, implementations of policies and actions are assessed. The study is a comparative case study that is based on secondary data presented by each country in official reports, the annual Sustainable Development Report as well as the Nationally Determined Contribution report by each country. The International Regime Approach is the theoretical framework used for consideration and comparison between the actions and non-actions by the two countries, where the relationship to the European Union plays an important role. The findings of the study shows that both Sweden and the United Kingdom is passionately working towards achieving the climate goals and has pointed out relevant policies and actions to meet the SDGs. Progress has been made in both countries as emission rates has been radically reduced but despite their devotion, both countries are far from reaching the climate goals as the overall progress of implementation of policies are not on satisfactory levels.

This study explores the United Kingdom’s Nationality and Borders Act’s inadmissibility criteria for asylum claims. An inadmissible asylum claim results in transferral to Rwanda to process the applicant’s claim, formalised under the Memorandum of Understanding. The study uses a normative legal method, applying international human rights law to national law to aim to determine whether the United Kingdom’s immigration law is in violation of articles 3 and 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as articles 31(1) and 33(1) of the Refugee Convention. Each article is applied respectively to sections 16 and 40 of the Nationality and Borders Act. The aim is subsequently achieved when the conclusion is reached that the Nationality and Borders Act is in breach of articles 3 and 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as articles 31(1) and 33(1) of the Refugee Convention. The results of this study highlight a discussion surrounding impermissible externalisation of asylum law, the limitations of international human rights law, and the interrelation between law and politics.

No description available.

This study investigates the accountability of agencies responsible for countering Malign Information Influence (MII) during the 2018 general election in Sweden and the 2017 snap election in the United Kingdom. Using a comparative methodology, the study emphasizes the importance of timely, accurate, transparent, and sufficiently disseminated information as prerequisites for accountability. Qualitative data analysis of annual reports and media coverage was conducted, revealing that both Sweden and the UK were highly aware of the MII risks and implemented various measures to protect electoral integrity. While the conditions of timeliness were fulfilled,  limitations were identified in terms of transparency as well as dissemination. The study highlights common challenges and areas for improvement in the accountability mechanisms of government agencies, providing valuable lessons for countries facing similar issues. Ultimately, the thesis underscores the ongoing challenge for agencies to protect the electoral process from new sharp power threats, while also maintaining citizen trust. Suggestions for future research include incorporating mixed-methods approaches, broadening the research question to explore additional factors, conducting in-depth data analyses, and exploring additional cases to further enhance the generalizability of findings.

From 2015, a huge influx of refugees came from the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia and Africa to Europe. It is triggered by various persecutions, armed wars, economic impossibility. The majority of those arrived were refugees, those who had fled their country due to imminent threat or persecution and were even trying to reach the European continent at the risk of their lives. The others are economic immigrants who have migrated to the European Union in the hope of a better life - to work, study or reunite. The UK has been a major destination for both migrants and refugees for many decades. The dissertation draws attention to the complex effects of migration, with a particular focus on the host country, and highlights, especially in the UK, the need for migrants in an aging society in Europe, even if the public thinks otherwise. With the Brexit, the UK has exited the European Union, cut back on previous benefits for EU migrants and is opening up to former Commonwealth members as sending countries.

Sexual depictions were analyzed in $&, episodes of seven drama serials on British mainstream television over a four-week period in November– December %##). Scenes that depicted sexual behavior and talk about sexual matters were counted separately. Further distinctions were made on the basis of the levels of intimacy and the graphic nature of portrayals. A total of (#) sexual scenes were found that occurred at the rate of ).( per hour across the seven soaps, but this figure was inflated by one late-night serial that averaged $).# scenes per hourly episode. Nearly two-thirds of these scenes were restricted to talk about sexual matters, while the others contained overt depictions of sexual behavior. Sexual intercourse was relatively rare and restricted in terms of overt depictions to the late-night serial. Passionate kissing was far more prevalent throughout these programs regardless of the time of day the program was transmitted. When sexual intercourse was featured, this was generally in the context of loss of virginity or of infidelity.