Are country and cultural values interchangeable? : a case example using occupational stress and coping

Cross-cultural research in occupational stress and coping has produced a wealth of knowledge. Although advancement has been made, there are still problems to be solved. One of these problems is the confusion generated in the literature by researchers claiming nation or country as representing cultural values, and the use of the two terms interchangeably. It remains unclear whether this practice is correct. The present paper reported on this by using 511 full time employees from Australia, Singapore and Sri Lanka to study occupational stress and coping. Results revealed that cultural value paradigm (i.e., Individualism-Collectivism) was distributed across the three nations, such that over 60% of participants across the three nations were either high or low in both I-C paradigms. The findings also indicated that the relationship between cultural value paradigm and country impacted on stress and coping differently. The study shows that significant differences exist within country, as well as between countries, such that any attempt to equate ‘culture’ with ‘country’ becomes problematic. Therefore, these findings establish that country or nation was not the same as culture values and could not be used interchangeably.

Reducing the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder in children following natural disasters

A significant number of children suffer long term psychological disturbance following exposure to a natural disaster. Evidence suggests that a dose-response relationship exists, so that children and adolescents who experience the most intense or extensive exposure to the risk factors for PTSD are likely to develop the most serious and persistent symptoms. Risk factors include gender, age, personality, extent of exposure to the natural disaster, amount of damage to property and infrastructure, witnessing injury or death of others or perceiving a threat to their own life. Knowing these factors enables various strategies to be put in place to decrease the risk of psychological disturbance following the aftermath of traumatic events. Re-establishing a sense of safety, security and normality is important in the aftermath of a natural disaster, and promoting social connectedness, positive family functioning, and effective coping mechanisms can make children more resilient in the face of catastrophic events. This paper examines the risk and protective factors associated with the development of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and considers how schools can use this knowledge to contribute to the recovery effort, and reduce the prevalence of PTSD amongst pupils in the wake of a natural disaster.

Dealing with Post-GFC stress disorder : Bwembya Chikolwa quoted by Christine Retschlag for Property Australia magazine 4th March 2010

Has the GFC really changed the thinking of the property industry? Or are investment managers suffering from post-GFC stress disorder fated to repeat the mistakes of the past? Christine Retschlag reports on the mindset of the market.

The Revised Transactional Model (RTM) of occupational stress and coping : an improved process approach

Despite more than three decades of research, there is a limited understanding of the transactional processes of appraisal, stress and coping. This has led to calls for more focused research on the entire process that underlies these variables. To date, there remains a paucity of such research. The present study examined Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) transactional model of stress and coping. One hundred and twenty nine Australian participants with full time employment (i.e. nurses and administration employees) were recruited. There were 49 male (age mean = 34, SD = 10.51) and 80 female (age mean = 36, SD = 10.31) participants. The analysis of three path models indicated that in addition to the original paths, which were found in Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model (primary appraisal-->secondary appraisal-->stress-->coping), there were also direct links between primary appraisal and stress level time one and between stress level time one to stress level time two. This study has provided additional insights into the transactional process which will extend our understanding of how individuals appraise, cope and experience occupational stress.

Sudanese refugees in Australia the impact of acculturation stress

Refugees from Sudan are the fastest growing community in Australia. Australian mental health professionals have to be prepared to offer services to this ethnic group along with the other mainstream and diverse consumers. In order to offer culturally competent services, these mental health professionals are required to be familiar with this emerging community. As such a review was undertaken with two main goals. Firstly, the review aimed to educate Australian mental health professionals about the demographics and culture of Sudan, the traumas encountered as a result of the civil war, factors leading to massive exodus, and the difficulties of the transit and post migration phase. Secondly, the review intended to inform Australian mental health professionals about the possible acculturation stress that is manifested in the form of intergeneration and role conflict and marital difficulties. The review highlights that there are few studies addressing acculturation stress of Sudanese refugees, and even fewer on the impact it has on relationships. Future research directions are discussed.

Empowerment and role stress in the human interface between the firm and its markets

Frontline employees constitute one of the key interfaces that service organisations have with their markets. Many strategies to enhance the ability of these employees to satisfy the needs of customers have been proposed. Amongst these, empowering employees has been suggested to enhance the customer orientation of the firm and consequently its effectiveness in serving the market. However, the impact of empowerment in service organisations remains somewhat contentious. This paper examines the role of empowerments an organisational service strategy and identifies its consequences for role stress, job satisfaction and the willingness of service employees to serve their customers.

A quasi-stationary approach to drying kinetics of different shaped food particulates in a heat pump assisted by fluid bed dryer

Experiments were undertaken to study drying kinetics of different shaped moist food particulates during heat pump assisted fluidised bed drying. Three particular geometrical shapes of parallelepiped, cylindrical and spheres were selected from potatoes (aspect ratio = 1:1, 2:1, 3:1), cut beans (length: diameter = 1:1, 2:1, 3:1) and peas respectively. A batch fluidised bed dryer connected to a heat pump system was used for the experimentation. A Heat pump and fluid bed combination was used to increase overall energy efficiency and achieve higher drying rates. Drying kinetics, were evaluated with non-dimensional moisture at three different drying temperatures of 30, 40 and 50o C. Due to complex hydrodynamics of the fluidised beds, drying kinetics are dryer or material specific. Numerous mathematical models can be used to calculate drying kinetics ranging from analytical models with simplified assumptions to empirical models built by regression using experimental data. Empirical models are commonly used for various food materials due to their simpler approach. However problems in accuracy, limits the applications of empirical models. Some limitations of empirical models could be reduced by using semi-empirical models based on heat and mass transfer of the drying operation. One such method is the quasi-stationary approach. In this study, a modified quasi-stationary approach was used to model drying kinetics of the cylindrical food particles at three drying temperatures.

Deposition of hydroxyapatite and calcium oxalate dihydrate on a heat exchanger tube

Most studies on the characterisation of deposits on heat exchangers have been based on bulk analysis, neglecting the fine structural features and the compositional profiles of layered deposits. Attempts have been made to fully characterise a fouled stainless steel tube obtained from a quintuple Roberts evaporator of a sugar factory using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The deposit contains three layers at the bottom of the tube and two layers on the other sections and is composed of hydroxyapatite, calcium oxalate dihydrate and an amorphous material. The proportions of these phases varied along the tube height. Energy-dispersive spectroscopy and XRD analysis on the surfaces of the outermost and innermost layers showed that hydroxyapatite was the major phase attached to the tube wall, while calcium oxalate dihydrate (with pits and voids) was the major phase on the juice side. Elemental mapping of the cross-sections of the deposit revealed the presence of a mineral, Si-Mg-Al-Fe-O, which is probably a silicate mineral. Reasons for the defects in the oxalate crystal surfaces, the differences in the crystal size distribution from bottom to the top of the tube and the composite fouling process have been postulated.