890 resultados para Literature and experience


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Understanding micropolitics has become an important part of understanding leadership and power relations within schools. In this paper we review some of the pertinent literature and writing in the field, particularly as it relates to school leadership. Drawing on a couple of existing models, we present a new model that highlights three central power-based leadership approaches—‘power with’, ‘power through’ and ‘power over’. We put forward two contrasting vignettes that reveal a variety of micropolitical strategies used by school principals in the governance of their schools. These strategies range from favouritism and control at one end to empowerment and collaboration at the other. The vignettes are analysed in the light of the model and micropolitical literature presented in this article.

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Despite the size and growth of the computer and video gaming industry – as well as the increasing use of the medium for the placement of advertising and product placement – researchers have neglected this area. By drawing on existing literature and research in similar and related areas of film product placement, sponsorship and interactivity, the authors present a conceptual overview and identify areas for research.

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BACKGROUND: Literature and clinical experience suggest that some people experience atypical, complicated or pathological bereavement reactions in response to a major loss. METHOD: Three groups of community-based bereaved subjects--spouses (n = 44), adult children (n = 40), and parents (n = 36)--were followed up four times in the 13 months after a loss. A 17-item scale of core bereavement times was developed and used to investigate the intensity of the bereavement response over time. RESULTS: Cluster analysis revealed a pattern of bereavement-related symptoms approximating a syndrome of chronic grief in 11 (9.2%) of the 120 subjects. None of the respondents displayed a pattern consistent with delayed or absent grief. CONCLUSIONS: In a non-clinical community sample of bereaved people, delayed or absent grief is infrequently seen, unlike chronic grief, which is demonstrated in a minority.

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This study sought to improve understanding of the persuasive process of emotion-based appeals not only in relation to negative, fear-based appeals but also for appeals based upon positive emotions. In particular, the study investigated whether response efficacy, as a cognitive construct, mediated outcome measures of message effectiveness in terms of both acceptance and rejection of negative and positive emotion-based messages. Licensed drivers (N = 406) participated via the completion of an on-line survey. Within the survey, participants received either a negative (fear-based) appeal or one of the two possible positive appeals (pride or humor-based). Overall, the study's findings confirmed the importance of emotional and cognitive components of persuasive health messages and identified response efficacy as a key cognitive construct influencing the effectiveness of not only fear-based messages but also positive emotion-based messages. Interestingly, however, the results suggested that response efficacy's influence on message effectiveness may differ for positive and negative emotion-based appeals such that significant indirect (and mediational) effects were found with both acceptance and rejection of the positive appeals yet only with rejection of the fear-based appeal. As such, the study's findings provide an important extension to extant literature and may inform future advertising message design.

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As the economic and social benefits of creative industries development become increasingly visible, policymakers worldwide are working to create policy drivers to ensure that certain places become or remain ‘creative places’. Richard Florida’s work has become particularly influential among policymakers, as has Landry’s. But as the first wave of creative industrial policy development and implementation wanes, important questions are emerging. It is by now clear that an ‘ideal creative place’ has arisen from creative industries policy and planning literature, and that this ideal place is located in inner cities. This article shifts its focus away from the inner city to where most Australians live: the outer suburbs. It reports on a qualitative research study into the practices of outer-suburban creative industries workers in Redcliffe, Australia. It argues that the accepted geography of creative places requires some recalibration once the material and experiential aspects of creative places are taken into account.

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BIM (Building Information Modelling) is an approach that involves applying and maintaining an integral digital representation of all building information for different phases of the project lifecycle. This paper presents an analysis of the current state of BIM in the industry and a re-assessment of its role and potential contribution in the near future, given the apparent slow rate of adoption by the industry. The paper analyses the readiness of the building industry with respect to the product, processes and people to present an argument on where the expectations from BIM and its adoption may have been misplaced. This paper reports on the findings from: (1) a critical review of latest BIM literature and commercial applications, and (2) workshops with focus groups on changing work-practice, role of technology, current perceptions and expectations of BIM.

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Since the 1980s, industries and researchers have sought to better understand the quality of services due to the rise in their importance (Brogowicz, Delene and Lyth 1990). More recent developments with online services, coupled with growing recognition of service quality (SQ) as a key contributor to national economies and as an increasingly important competitive differentiator, amplify the need to revisit our understanding of SQ and its measurement. Although ‘SQ’ can be broadly defined as “a global overarching judgment or attitude relating to the overall excellence or superiority of a service” (Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml 1988), the term has many interpretations. There has been considerable progress on how to measure SQ perceptions, but little consensus has been achieved on what should be measured. There is agreement that SQ is multi-dimensional, but little agreement as to the nature or content of these dimensions (Brady and Cronin 2001). For example, within the banking sector, there exist multiple SQ models, each consisting of varying dimensions. The existence of multiple conceptions and the lack of a unifying theory bring the credibility of existing conceptions into question, and beg the question of whether it is possible at some higher level to define SQ broadly such that it spans all service types and industries. This research aims to explore the viability of a universal conception of SQ, primarily through a careful re-visitation of the services and SQ literature. The study analyses the strengths and weaknesses of the highly regarded and widely used global SQ model (SERVQUAL) which reflects a single-level approach to SQ measurement. The SERVQUAL model states that customers evaluate SQ (of each service encounter) based on five dimensions namely reliability, assurance, tangibles, empathy and responsibility. SERVQUAL, however, failed to address what needs to be reliable, assured, tangible, empathetic and responsible. This research also addresses a more recent global SQ model from Brady and Cronin (2001); the B&C (2001) model, that has potential to be the successor of SERVQUAL in that it encompasses other global SQ models and addresses the ‘what’ questions that SERVQUAL didn’t. The B&C (2001) model conceives SQ as being multidimensional and multi-level; this hierarchical approach to SQ measurement better reflecting human perceptions. In-line with the initial intention of SERVQUAL, which was developed to be generalizable across industries and service types, this research aims to develop a conceptual understanding of SQ, via literature and reflection, that encompasses the content/nature of factors related to SQ; and addresses the benefits and weaknesses of various SQ measurement approaches (i.e. disconfirmation versus perceptions-only). Such understanding of SQ seeks to transcend industries and service types with the intention of extending our knowledge of SQ and assisting practitioners in understanding and evaluating SQ. The candidate’s research has been conducted within, and seeks to contribute to, the ‘IS-Impact’ research track of the IT Professional Services (ITPS) Research Program at QUT. The vision of the track is “to develop the most widely employed model for benchmarking Information Systems in organizations for the joint benefit of research and practice.” The ‘IS-Impact’ research track has developed an Information Systems (IS) success measurement model, the IS-Impact Model (Gable, Sedera and Chan 2008), which seeks to fulfill the track’s vision. Results of this study will help future researchers in the ‘IS-Impact’ research track address questions such as: • Is SQ an antecedent or consequence of the IS-Impact model or both? • Has SQ already been addressed by existing measures of the IS-Impact model? • Is SQ a separate, new dimension of the IS-Impact model? • Is SQ an alternative conception of the IS? Results from the candidate’s research suggest that SQ dimensions can be classified at a higher level which is encompassed by the B&C (2001) model’s 3 primary dimensions (interaction, physical environment and outcome). The candidate also notes that it might be viable to re-word the ‘physical environment quality’ primary dimension to ‘environment quality’ so as to better encompass both physical and virtual scenarios (E.g: web sites). The candidate does not rule out the global feasibility of the B&C (2001) model’s nine sub-dimensions, however, acknowledges that more work has to be done to better define the sub-dimensions. The candidate observes that the ‘expertise’, ‘design’ and ‘valence’ sub-dimensions are supportive representations of the ‘interaction’, physical environment’ and ‘outcome’ primary dimensions respectively. The latter statement suggests that customers evaluate each primary dimension (or each higher level of SQ classification) namely ‘interaction’, physical environment’ and ‘outcome’ based on the ‘expertise’, ‘design’ and ‘valence’ sub-dimensions respectively. The ability to classify SQ dimensions at a higher level coupled with support for the measures that make up this higher level, leads the candidate to propose the B&C (2001) model as a unifying theory that acts as a starting point to measuring SQ and the SQ of IS. The candidate also notes, in parallel with the continuing validation and generalization of the IS-Impact model, that there is value in alternatively conceptualizing the IS as a ‘service’ and ultimately triangulating measures of IS SQ with the IS-Impact model. These further efforts are beyond the scope of the candidate’s study. Results from the candidate’s research also suggest that both the disconfirmation and perceptions-only approaches have their merits and the choice of approach would depend on the objective(s) of the study. Should the objective(s) be an overall evaluation of SQ, the perceptions-only approached is more appropriate as this approach is more straightforward and reduces administrative overheads in the process. However, should the objective(s) be to identify SQ gaps (shortfalls), the (measured) disconfirmation approach is more appropriate as this approach has the ability to identify areas that need improvement.

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This article reports on the first stage of a study that uses Young People as Researchers methodology to investigate the phenomenon of middle-year student disengagement. The study obtains student perspectives on the meanings of engagement and disengagement using a variety of innovative research methods. The first stage of the study focused on a two-day workshop giving students and teachers an overview of the project and providing training and experience in conducting research in their schools. The process employed by the study provides spaces and resources for critical thinking and encourages imaginative responses to the real life problems confronting the students and their peers and affecting their educational engagement. This article describes ways in which engagement is viewed both theoretically and through the empirical work of the student researchers, and how various applications of ‘disciplined imagination’ connect with methods of investigating and understanding engagement.

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The composition of many professional services firms in the Urban Development area has moved away from a discipline specific ‘silo’ structure to a more multidisciplinary environment. The benefits of multidisciplinarity have been seen in industry by providing synergies across many of the related disciplines. Similarly, the Queensland University of Technology, Bachelor of Urban Development degree has sought to broaden the knowledge base of students and achieve a greater level of synergy between related urban development disciplines through the introduction of generic and multidisciplinary units. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of delivering core property units in a multidisciplinary context. A comparative analysis has been undertaken between core property units and more generic units offered in a multidisciplinary context from introductory, intermediate and advanced years within the property program. This analysis was based on data collected from course performance surveys, student performance results, a student focus group and was informed by a reflective process from the student perspective and lecturer/ tutor feedback. The study showed that there are many benefits associated with multidisciplinary unit offerings across the QUT Urban Development program particularly in the more generic units. However, these units require a greater degree of management. It is more difficult to organise, teach and coordinate multidisciplinary student cohorts due to a difference in prior knowledge and experience between each of the discipline groups. In addition, the interaction between lecturers/ tutors and the students frequently becomes more limited. A perception exists within the student body that this more limited face to face contact with academic staff is not valuable which may be exacerbated by the quality of complimentary online teaching materials. For many academics, non-attendance at lectures was coupled with an increase in email communication. From the limited data collected during the study there appears to be no clear correlation between large multidisciplinary student classes and student academic performance or satisfaction.

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The high level of scholarly writing required for a doctoral thesis is a challenge for many research students. However, formal academic writing training is not a core component of many doctoral programs. Informal writing groups for doctoral students may be one method of contributing to the improvement of scholarly writing. In this paper, we report on a writing group that was initiated by an experienced writer and higher degree research supervisor to support and improve her doctoral students’ writing capabilities. Over time, this group developed a workable model to suit their varying needs and circumstances. The model comprised group sessions, an email group, and individual writing. Here, we use a narrative approach to explore the effectiveness and value of our research writing group model in improving scholarly writing. The data consisted of doctoral students’ reflections to stimulus questions about their writing progress and experiences. The stimulus questions sought to probe individual concerns about their own writing, what they had learned in the research writing group, the benefits of the group, and the disadvantages and challenges to participation. These reflections were analysed using thematic analysis. Following this analysis, the supervisor provided her perspective on the key themes that emerged. Results revealed that, through the writing group, members learned technical elements (e.g., paragraph structure), non-technical elements (e.g., working within limited timeframes), conceptual elements (e.g., constructing a cohesive arguments), collaborative writing processes, and how to edit and respond to feedback. In addition to improved writing quality, other benefits were opportunities for shared writing experiences, peer support, and increased confidence and motivation. The writing group provides a unique social learning environment with opportunities for: professional dialogue about writing, peer learning and review, and developing a supportive peer network. Thus our research writing group has proved an effective avenue for building doctoral students’ capability in scholarly writing. The proposed model for a research writing group could be applicable to any context, regardless of the type and location of the university, university faculty, doctoral program structure, or number of postgraduate students. It could also be used within a group of students with diverse research abilities, needs, topics and methodologies. However, it requires a group facilitator with sufficient expertise in scholarly writing and experience in doctoral supervision who can both engage the group in planned writing activities and also capitalise on fruitful lines of discussion related to students’ concerns as they arise. The research writing group is not intended to replace traditional supervision processes nor existing training. However it has clear benefits for improving scholarly writing in doctoral research programs particularly in an era of rapidly increasing student load.

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Intimate partner violence (IPV) is not only a problem for heterosexual couples. Although research in the area is beset by methodological and definitional problems, studies generally demonstrate that IPV also affects those who identify as non-heterosexual; that is, those sexualities that are typically categorized as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI). IPV appears to be at least as prevalent in LGBTI relationships as it is in heterosexual couples, and follows similar patterns (e.g. Australian Research Centre on Sex, Health and Society 2006; Donovan et al. 2006; Chan 2005; Craft and Serovich 2005; Burke et al. 2002; Jeffries and Ball 2008; Kelly and Warshafsky 1987; Letellier 1994; Turrell 2000; Ristock 2003; Vickers 1996). There is, however, little in the way of specific community or social services support available to either victims or perpetrators of violence in same-sex relationships (see Vickers 1996). In addition, there are important differences in the experience of IPV between LGBTI and non-LGBTI victims, and even among LGBTI individuals; for example, among transgender populations (Chan 2005), and those who are HIV sero-positive (Craft and Serovich 2005). These different experiences of IPV include the use of HIV and the threat of “outing” a partner as tools of control, as just two examples (Jeffries and Ball 2008; Salyer 1999; WA Government 2008b). Such differences impact on how LGBTI victims respond to the violence, including whether or not and how they seek help, what services they are able to avail themselves of, and how likely they are to remain with, or return to, their violent partners (Burke et al. 2002). This chapter explores the prevalent heteronormative discourses that surround IPV, both within the academic literature, and in general social and government discourses. It seeks to understand how same-sex IPV remains largely invisible, and suggests that these dominant discourses play a major role in maintaining this invisibility. In many respects, it builds on work by a number of scholars who have begun to interrogate the criminal justice and social discourses surrounding violent crime, primarily sexual violence, and who problematize these discourses (see for example Carmody 2003; Carmody and Carrington 2000; Marcus 1992). It will begin by outlining these dominant discourses, and then problematize these by identifying some of the important differences between LGBTI IPV and IPV in heterosexual relationships. In doing so, this chapter will suggest some possible reasons for the silence regarding IPV in LGBTI relationships, and the effects that this can have on victims. Although an equally important area of research, and another point at which the limitations of dominant social discourses surrounding IPV can be brought to light, this chapter will not examine violence experienced by heterosexual men at the hands of their intimate female partners. Instead, it will restrict itself to IPV perpetrated within same-sex relationships.

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Background For more than a decade emergency medicine organizations have produced guidelines, training and leadership for disaster management. However to date, there have been limited guidelines for emergency physicians needing to provide a rapid response to a surge in demand. The aim of this study is to identify strategies which may guide surge management in the Emergency Department. Method A working group of individuals experienced in disaster medicine from the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Disaster Medicine Subcommittee (the Australasian Surge Strategy Working Group) was established to undertake this work. The Working Group used a modified Delphi technique to examine response actions in surge situations. The Working Group identified underlying assumptions from epidemiological and empirical understanding and then identified remedial strategies from literature and from personal experience and collated these within domains of space, staff, supplies, and system operation. Findings These recommendations detail 22 potential actions available to an emergency physician working in the context of surge. The Working Group also provides detailed guidance on surge recognition, triage, patient flow through the emergency department and clinical goals and practices. Discussion These strategies provide guidance to emergency physicians confronting the challenges of a surge in demand. The paper also identifies areas that merit future research including the measurement of surge capacity, constraints to strategy implementation, validation of surge strategies and measurement of strategy impacts on throughput, cost, and quality of care.

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National culture is deeply rooted in values, which are learned and acquired when we are young (2007, p. 6), and „embedded deeply in everyday life. (Newman & Nollen, 1996, p. 754). Values have helped to shape us into who we are today. In other words, as we grow older, the cultural values we have learned and adapted to will mould our daily practices. This is reflected in our actions, behaviours, and the ways in which we communicate. Based on the previous assertion, it can be suggested that national culture may also influence organisational culture, as our „behaviour at work is a continuation of behaviour learned earlier. (Hofstede, 1991, p. 4). Cultural influence in an organisation could be evidenced by looking at communication practices: how employees interact with one another as they communicate in their daily practices. Earlier studies in organisational communication see communication as the heart of an organisation in which it serves, and as „the essence of organised activity and the basic process out of which all other functions derive. (Bavelas and Barret, cited in Redding, 1985, p. 7). Hence, understanding how culture influences communication will help with understanding organisational behaviour. This study was conducted to look at how culture values, which are referred to as culture dimensions in this thesis, influenced communication practices in an organisation that was going through a change process. A single case study was held in a Malaysian organisation, to investigate how Malaysian culture dimensions of respect, collectivism, and harmony were evidenced in the communication practices. Data was collected from twelve semi-structured interviews and five observation sessions. Guided by six attributes identified in the literature, (1) acknowledging seniority, knowledge and experience, 2) saving face, 3) showing loyalty to organisation and leaders, 4) demonstrating cohesiveness among members, 5) prioritising group interests over personal interests, and 6) avoiding confrontations of Malaysian culture dimensions, this study found eighteen communication practices performed by employees of the organisation. This research contributes to the previous cultural work, especially in the Malaysian context, in which evidence of Malaysian culture dimensions of respect, collectivism, and harmony were displayed in communication practices: 1) acknowledging the status quo, 2) obeying orders and directions, 3) name dropping, 4) keeping silent, 5) avoiding questioning, 6) having separate conversations, 7) adding, not criticising, 8) sugar coating, 9) instilling a sense of belonging, 10) taking sides, 11) cooperating, 12) sacrificing personal interest, 13) protecting identity, 14) negotiating, 15) saying „yes. instead of „no., 16) giving politically correct answers, 17) apologising, and 18) tolerating errors. Insights from this finding will help us to understand the organisational challenges that rely on communication, such as during organisational change. Therefore, data findings will be relevant to practitioners to understand the impact of culture on communication practices across countries.

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Background: Reducing rates of healthcare acquired infection has been identified by the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care as a national priority. One of the goals is the prevention of central venous catheter-related bloodstream infection (CR-BSI). At least 3,500 cases of CR-BSI occur annually in Australian hospitals, resulting in unnecessary deaths and costs to the healthcare system between $25.7 and $95.3 million. Two approaches to preventing these infections have been proposed: use of antimicrobial catheters (A-CVCs); or a catheter care and management ‘bundle’. Given finite healthcare budgets, decisions about the optimal infection control policy require consideration of the effectiveness and value for money of each approach. Objectives: The aim of this research is to use a rational economic framework to inform efficient infection control policy relating to the prevention of CR-BSI in the intensive care unit. It addresses three questions relating to decision-making in this area: 1. Is additional investment in activities aimed at preventing CR-BSI an efficient use of healthcare resources? 2. What is the optimal infection control strategy from amongst the two major approaches that have been proposed to prevent CR-BSI? 3. What uncertainty is there in this decision and can a research agenda to improve decision-making in this area be identified? Methods: A decision analytic model-based economic evaluation was undertaken to identify an efficient approach to preventing CR-BSI in Queensland Health intensive care units. A Markov model was developed in conjunction with a panel of clinical experts which described the epidemiology and prognosis of CR-BSI. The model was parameterised using data systematically identified from the published literature and extracted from routine databases. The quality of data used in the model and its validity to clinical experts and sensitivity to modelling assumptions was assessed. Two separate economic evaluations were conducted. The first evaluation compared all commercially available A-CVCs alongside uncoated catheters to identify which was cost-effective for routine use. The uncertainty in this decision was estimated along with the value of collecting further information to inform the decision. The second evaluation compared the use of A-CVCs to a catheter care bundle. We were unable to estimate the cost of the bundle because it is unclear what the full resource requirements are for its implementation, and what the value of these would be in an Australian context. As such we undertook a threshold analysis to identify the cost and effectiveness thresholds at which a hypothetical bundle would dominate the use of A-CVCs under various clinical scenarios. Results: In the first evaluation of A-CVCs, the findings from the baseline analysis, in which uncertainty is not considered, show that the use of any of the four A-CVCs will result in health gains accompanied by cost-savings. The MR catheters dominate the baseline analysis generating 1.64 QALYs and cost-savings of $130,289 per 1.000 catheters. With uncertainty, and based on current information, the MR catheters remain the optimal decision and return the highest average net monetary benefits ($948 per catheter) relative to all other catheter types. This conclusion was robust to all scenarios tested, however, the probability of error in this conclusion is high, 62% in the baseline scenario. Using a value of $40,000 per QALY, the expected value of perfect information associated with this decision is $7.3 million. An analysis of the expected value of perfect information for individual parameters suggests that it may be worthwhile for future research to focus on providing better estimates of the mortality attributable to CR-BSI and the effectiveness of both SPC and CH/SSD (int/ext) catheters. In the second evaluation of the catheter care bundle relative to A-CVCs, the results which do not consider uncertainty indicate that a bundle must achieve a relative risk of CR-BSI of at least 0.45 to be cost-effective relative to MR catheters. If the bundle can reduce rates of infection from 2.5% to effectively zero, it is cost-effective relative to MR catheters if national implementation costs are less than $2.6 million ($56,610 per ICU). If the bundle can achieve a relative risk of 0.34 (comparable to that reported in the literature) it is cost-effective, relative to MR catheters, if costs over an 18 month period are below $613,795 nationally ($13,343 per ICU). Once uncertainty in the decision is considered, the cost threshold for the bundle increases to $2.2 million. Therefore, if each of the 46 Level III ICUs could implement an 18 month catheter care bundle for less than $47,826 each, this approach would be cost effective relative to A-CVCs. However, the uncertainty is substantial and the probability of error in concluding that the bundle is the cost-effective approach at a cost of $2.2 million is 89%. Conclusions: This work highlights that infection control to prevent CR-BSI is an efficient use of healthcare resources in the Australian context. If there is no further investment in infection control, an opportunity cost is incurred, which is the potential for a more efficient healthcare system. Minocycline/rifampicin catheters are the optimal choice of antimicrobial catheter for routine use in Australian Level III ICUs, however, if a catheter care bundle implemented in Australia was as effective as those used in the large studies in the United States it would be preferred over the catheters if it was able to be implemented for less than $47,826 per Level III ICU. Uncertainty is very high in this decision and arises from multiple sources. There are likely greater costs to this uncertainty for A-CVCs, which may carry hidden costs, than there are for a catheter care bundle, which is more likely to provide indirect benefits to clinical practice and patient safety. Research into the mortality attributable to CR-BSI, the effectiveness of SPC and CH/SSD (int/ext) catheters and the cost and effectiveness of a catheter care bundle in Australia should be prioritised to reduce uncertainty in this decision. This thesis provides the economic evidence to inform one area of infection control, but there are many other infection control decisions for which information about the cost-effectiveness of competing interventions does not exist. This work highlights some of the challenges and benefits to generating and using economic evidence for infection control decision-making and provides support for commissioning more research into the cost-effectiveness of infection control.

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Problem-based learning (PBL) is a pedagogical methodology that presents the learner with a problem to be solved to stimulate and situate learning. This paper presents key characteristics of a problem-based learning environment that determines its suitability as a data source for workrelated research studies. To date, little has been written about the availability and validity of PBL environments as a data source and its suitability for work-related research. We describe problembased learning and use a research project case study to illustrate the challenges associated with industry work samples. We then describe the PBL course used in our research case study and use this example to illustrate the key attributes of problem-based learning environments and show how the chosen PBL environment met the work-related research requirements of the research case study. We propose that the more realistic the PBL work context and work group composition, the better the PBL environment as a data source for a work-related research. The work context is more realistic when relevant and complex project-based problems are tackled in industry-like work conditions over longer time frames. Work group composition is more realistic when participants with industry-level education and experience enact specialized roles in different disciplines within a professional community.