Quality of life assessment in the community-dwelling elderly : validation of the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument and comparison with the SF-36

Measurement of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) of the elderly requires instruments with demonstrated sensitivity, reliability, and validity, particularly with the increasing proportion of older people entering the health care system. This article reports the psychometric properties of the 12-item Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL) instrument in chronically ill community-dwelling elderly people with an 18-month follow-up. Comparator instruments included the SF-36 and the OARS. Construct validity of the AQoL was strong when examined via factor analysis and convergent and divergent validity against other scales. Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve analyses and relative efficiency estimates indicated the AQoL is sensitive, responsive, and had the strongest predicative validity for nursing home entry. It was also sensitive to economic prediction over the follow-up. Given these robust psychometric properties and the brevity of the scale, AQoL appears to be a suitable instrument for epidemiologic studies where HRQoL and utility data are required from elderly populations.

Increasing national capability for quality higher education the case of the Sultanate of Oman

This paper explores a number of quality enhancement initiatives being implemented in a developing country, the Sultanate of Oman, to increase the national capability for quality higher education. Oman is a young country with a youthful and rapidly growing population. A brief description of the relatively short history of Oman’s national systems for secondary and postsecondary education is provided. This highlights the challenges for quality education resulting from a strategy of importing postsecondary education from a variety of countries, and delivering the programs through a largely privatized sector.

The paper then describes the outcomes of an initial needs analysis that led to the development of a National Quality Plan. Some of the strategies in this plan for improving and increasing capability are considered, most particularly the establishment of a practitioner‐oriented Oman Quality Network, and the design and implementation of a National Quality Training Program. These two strategies attempt to address common obstacles to capability, namely a paradigm that entrenches compliance and helplessness, and only early awareness of effective quality enhancement and quality assurance principles and methods.

Evaluation results are presented that comment on progress thus far, and suggest critical success factors. These include building legitimacy and trust to overcome barriers to sharing information in a competitive privatized environment. They also include the establishment of peer to peer mechanisms that build confidence and create sustainability over time, as imported or external expertise gives way to local capability and expertise.

Critical success factors for the requirements engineering process, with reference to quality management of information systems development

Preliminary research into the critical factors associated with software development/implementation identified three dimensions for successful implementation based on alignment of the requirements engineering process with business needs, change management process and quality of the implementation process. Research results demonstrate the link between the conceptual model for process quality and the process management attributes determined during the research.

Reproductive performance and egg and larval quality of the blacklip abalone

The study highlights the interrelationship between physical characteristics of female broodstock with reproductive performance, egg quality and subsequent larval success, and reproductive seasonality of the blacklip abalone (Haliotis rubra Leach). Suitable indices for assessing broodstock were developed. Seasonal changes in biochemical compositions in relation to maturation and development was discussed.

A systematic review of the quality of liver biopsy specimens

Characteristics for an optimal liver biopsy specimen were recently defined as 20 to 25 mm long and/or containing more than 11 complete portal tracts (CPTs). A systematic review of percutaneous liver biopsy (PLB) and transjugular liver biopsy (TJLB) series yielded only 32 PLB studies in which these characteristics were evaluated: mean ± SD length, 17.7 ± 5.8 mm and number of CPTs, 7.5 ± 3.4; and 15 TJLB studies: mean ± SD length, 13.5 ± 4.5 mm and number of CPTs, 6.8 ± 2.3. Studies of sampling heterogeneity and intraobserver and interobserver variability also used inadequate specimens by present standards. Only 11 (5.3%) of 207 therapeutic studies for chronic hepatitis B and C documented length and/or number of CPTs. Of the current 12 studies evaluating noninvasive fibrosis tests, only 8 documented length or number of CPTs, and only 1 documented length and number of CPTs. New studies are needed based on adequate liver biopsy samples to provide reliable estimation of grading and staging in chronic liver disease.

Volunteering and quality of life of the older age population

The contribution of volunteers to society and economy is substantial. The participation in voluntary work is on the increase, particularly by the over 55 age group. Given the aging of the Australian population, this growth has an important social consequence. The aim of this conceptual study is to review the influences of older age Australian volunteering practice, its growth pattern and the types of voluntary work undertaken. The study uses the expectancy theory of motivation to argue that volunteers participate for the perceived benefits they get from their interaction with others, by experiencing self-esteem from being useful, being connected, gaining self-satisfaction, and by focusing on giving. It reviews the issue of quality of life (QOL) in relation to voluntary social engagement and suggests that there is an association between the older age group voluntarism and improvement in their QOL. The role of policy makers in further motivating larger participation by the older age groups and the social benefits emerging from this strategy is briefly reviewed.

The accounting professional of the future : never mind the quality check the look!

Using legitimacy theory this paper contrasts the values portrayed by public accounting firms via their recruitment practices and society's expectations of the responsibilities of a professional accountant. Society confers on organisations legitimacy when the value system of the organisation is congruent with the value system of the larger social system (Deegan, 2006). It is argued that there is increasing incongruence between the value system of public accounting firms (that employ accounting graduates) and society's value system that includes an expectation of accountants to act in the public interest. This study draws on evidence from recent corporate collapses, to question whether the attributes/skills displayed by accountants have reduced their capacity to act in the public interest. Interviews with employers show that preferences for employment are given to graduates who 'fit the culture' of the organisation and have the ability to 'market' the firm to clients. Attributes that define the professional accountant appear to be less highly valued. It is concluded that the attributes valued in the workplace today have the potential to increase the risk of 'severing the social contract' between the accounting profession and society.

A prospective study on building quality : enforcement of control in the Australian housing industry

The Australian housing industry is beset with quality issues with repeated building defects causing problems with customer satisfaction and housing performance. These defects are caused by a combination of initial poor workmanship and poor quality materials and subsequently by poorly executed or inadequate maintenance. These poor work practices increase the cost and maintenance of housing. The waste and rectification work generated by such practices means that the housing industry generally is not engaged with sustainability. Building Control is part of achieving quality of building output. Whilst the Australian Building Code has regulations for initial-build material quality and workmanship, there is no continuing control and effective enforcement over a house over its life span. Sustainability is not dealt with as a topic at all in the Building Code with only energy efficiency concerns regulated. Inadequate knowledge transfer, to the mainly small builders who produce the majority of Australia’s housing, is seen to be a key issue. Mechanisms to make the transfer of knowledge to those who need to use it need to be improved. Building regulations, for example, could be more visual and accessible in their content and small builders should be encouraged to update their knowledge and skills. This comparative research will guide industry service providers in improving their performance and suggest how overall housing quality can be improved (thereby reducing wasteful practices), by considering more appropriate mechanisms for knowledge transfer among industry service providers in the Australian housing industry.