Interprofessional interactions influence nurses' adoption of handover improvement

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore clinician experiences of adopting quality improvement tools to standardise interprofessional (anaesthetist-to-nurse) handover communication when patients arrive in the post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU). Method: In this study, factors that impacted PACU nurses' adoption of the quality improvement tools were explored using pre- and postimplementation, semi-structured focus group interviews. Interview data was analysed using the PARiHS¹ (context, evidence and facilitation) framework as a deductive analysis tool. Results: PACU nurses recognised that PACU handover from anaesthetists to PACU nurses was suboptimal and described the tools as useful for their practice. However, PACU nurses frequently cited fear of anaesthetists' reactions as reasons not to insist on the use of the handover improvement tools. PACU nurses at Hospital 2 identified lacking "authority" (Hospital 2 FG 2) in the OR as hindering their willingness to use the tools against these behaviours. In comparison, visible support from leadership at Hospital 1 was described as encouraging nurses to be "assertive" (Hospital 1 FG 2) and take charge of their patients' care. Conclusion: PACU nurses perceived the handover tools were useful and helped them identify gaps in handover practice; however, PACU nurses described difficult relationships as hindering communication effectiveness and discouraging their adoption of the tools. However, strong leadership and organisational support of change emerged as essential to mitigate the effects of these difficult relationships.

The potential adoption of IFRS for U.S. Issuers: a textual analysis of responses to the proposal

This paper uses textual analysis to analyse the comments received by the U.S. SEC on the proposal to allow U.S. listed companies to prepare financial statements following International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The paper contributes to the understanding of the overall desirability of international accounting convergence as well as the politics involved in attempting to reach consensus on such decisions. Most respondents supported the proposal. Respondents outlined the advantages of adopting IFRS as enhanced comparability, simplification, cost savings, extensive information sets, its capacity to improve the standard setting process, and its potential to serve U.S. interests. On the other hand, a minority of respondents were not supportive of the proposal. There was criticism of the lack of independence, enforcement mechanisms and resource availability of the IASB; the deleterious effect on U.S. interests; the questionable quality of the IFRS; and the perceived myths of convergence. Following the review of such comments, the paper outlines the implications of such a potential adoption of IFRS in U.S. to the Asian region as the pressure to extend IFRS to non-listed companies mounts. The paper also argues that Asian countries need to lobby for higher representation on the IASB and consider local customs, law and context while adopting IFRS, as such factors have been stressed upon by U.S. respondents to the SEC’s proposal.

Adoption and maintenance of gym-based strength training in the community setting in adults with excess weight or type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Participant adoption and maintenance is a major challenge in strength training (ST) programs in the community-setting. In adults who were overweight or with type 2 diabetes (T2DM), the aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a standard ST program (SST) to an enhanced program (EST) on the adoption and maintenance of ST and cardio-metabolic risk factors and muscle strength. METHODS: A 12-month cluster-randomized controlled trial consisting of a 6-month adoption phase followed by a 6-month maintenance phase. In 2008-2009, men and women aged 40-75 years (n = 318) with T2DM (n = 117) or a BMI >25 (n = 201) who had not participated in ST previously were randomized into either a SST or an EST program (which included additional motivationally-tailored behavioral counselling). Adoption and maintenance were defined as undertaking ≥ 3 weekly gym-based exercise sessions during the first 6-months and from 6-12 months respectively and were assessed using a modified version of the CHAMPS (Community Healthy Activity Models Program for Seniors) instrument. RESULTS: Relative to the SST group, the adjusted odds ratio (OR) of adopting ST for all participants in the EST group was 3.3 (95 % CI 1.2 to 9.4). In stratified analyses including only those with T2DM, relative to the SST group, the adjusted OR of adopting ST in the EST group was 8.2 (95 % CI 1.5-45.5). No significant between-group differences were observed for maintenance of ST in either pooled or stratified analyses. In those with T2DM, there was a significant reduction in HbA1c in the EST compared to SST group during the adoption phase (net difference, -0.13 % [-0.26 to -0.01]), which persisted after 12-months (-0.17 % [-0.3 to -0.05]). CONCLUSIONS: A behaviorally-focused community-based EST intervention was more effective than a SST program for the adoption of ST in adults with excess weight or T2DM and led to greater improvements in glycemic control in those with T2DM. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered at ACTRN12611000695909 (Date registered 7/7/2011).

Ethical transnational corporate activity at home and abroad: A proposal for reforming continuous disclosure obligations in Australia and the United States

Multinational Corporations establish operations in states with lower legal and ethical standards in areas including the environment, wages, labor standards, human rights, corruption, and company taxation. Corporate law scholars cannot be indifferent to the horrific consequences of these lax standards. From contributing to rapes and violent incidents stemming from trade in conflict minerals in the Congo to the killing of workers due to poor conditions in garment manufacturing units in Bangladesh, multinational corporations exploit conditions in developing countries abroad without disclosing their actions at home. We advance a normative argument to clarify and strengthen the existing model of disclosure-based regulation to hold MNCs accountable. We argue that, since the core expectations held by shareholders of companies are the same whether they are operating within our borders or externally, a harmonization of disclosure obligations imposed by law would be a more flexible and less costly solution. We posit that a broader reading of the disclosure obligations of companies under existing legislation like the Reg. S-K in the United States, the continuous disclosure rules under * Dean and Professor of Law, University of Newcastle Law School. Sandeep Gopalan would like to thank Terrie Troxel, Jack Tatom, Professor Bill Wilhelm, and the Networks Financial Institute at Indiana State University College of Business for their valuable support in conducting research for this article. We are also grateful to Audrey Son, Bassam Khawaja, and the editorial staff of the Columbia Human Rights Law Review for their excellent editorial work. ** Solicitor and doctoral candidate, University of Newcastle Law School. 2 COLUMBIA HUMAN RIGHTS LAW REVIEW [46.2:1 the Australian Corporations Act 2001, and listing rules such as those adopted by the Australian Securities Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange would require the disclosure of material corporate practices outside our national borders.

A demandeur-centric theory of regime design in transnational commercial law

Recent scholarship on international agreement design has almost exclusively focused on the public international law area. The literature on regime design in the area of international private law lacks a solid theoretical foundation. Academic writing on public international law's state-centric approach is only amenable to crude transplantation and poses several puzzles in the international private law context. Resolving these puzzles is important because of the proliferation of transnational commercial agreements in areas that were traditionally the province of domestic law. This paper attempts to provide a starting point to address the theoretical vacuum. Part I argues that functionalist, liberal, and realist theories cannot fully explain transnational commercial law agreement design. Part II puts forth a demandeur-centric approach with the aid of examples that span the spectrum from hard law to soft law. Part III concludes that agreement design in transnational commercial law is premised on demandeur preferences and relative power.

Adoption of social media as a communication medium : a study of theoretical foundations

The continuing popularity and adoption of social media by the general public and the realisation of its potential customer engagement power by business, is highlighting the importance of social media to ongoing business activities and strategies. However, current research that is more focused around the potential power of social media generates little debate of the adoption factors driving public use of social media as a communication medium. Even though businesses have an opportunity to broaden their reach by adding social media to the communication strategic-mix, the dearth of informed discussions relating to theoretical underpinnings associated with the public adaptation of social media as a communication medium fails to clearly inform strategic business decisions regarding adoption decision-making. This research study conducted in the Australian context queries established theoretical frameworks by asking the question; what theoretical foundations do influence the social media adoption by the intended audience of communication?

International students in transnational mobility: intercultural connectedness with domestic and international peers, institutions and the wider community

International students’ connectedness with their peers, institutions and the broader community significantly affects their learning and wellbeing. It is important to understand their multiple desires for intercultural connectedness in order to nurture it. This paper analyses the motives and nature of international students’ intercultural connectedness. It is based on a study that includes more than 150 interviews and fieldwork with international students and staff from 25 vocational education colleges in Australia. Drawing on Blumer’s symbolic interactionism theory as a conceptual framework, the study found international students’ motivation to engage in intercultural connectedness is linked to not only their desire for respect and recognition for intellectual, cultural and linguistic capacities and diversities but also for employment aspirations. The research shows various dimensions in which intercultural engagement is seen to encompass not only empathy, sociability and equity but also employability. The findings suggest meaningful interaction is essentially bound to reciprocal learning.

Determinants and pre-hire outcomes of social recruiting technology adoption and use: an Australian study

 Social Recruiting technologies such as LinkedIn and Twitter have been fast emerging as one of the modern recruitment methods. However, research on their effective usage is scarce and outpaced by organisational practice. The current study addresses this gap by investigating the drivers of SR technology adoption on one hand, and their pre-hire outcomes on the other.

The adoption of social media by Australian banks to communicate with the public

 This thesis focuses on social media adoption by the Australian banks as method of communication. It proposes a ‘technology independent’ adoption model with components that encompass sociotechnological factors governing the adoption of social media. The model can also be adapted by any business organisation and prove beneficial for future.

Security and privacy concerns for Australian SMEs cloud adoption: empirical study of metropolitan vs regional SMEs

New national infrastructure initiatives such as the National Broadband Network (NBN) allow small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Australia to have greater access to cost effective Cloud computing. However, the ability of Cloud computing to store data remotely and share services in a dynamic environment brings with it security and privacy concerns. Evaluating these concerns is critical to address the Cloud computing underutilisation issue and leverage the benefits of costly NBN investment. This paper examines the influence of privacy and security factors on Cloud adoption by Australian SMEs in metropolitan and regional area. Data were collected from 150 Australian SMEs (specifically, 79 metropolitan SMEs and 71 regional SMEs) and structural equation modelling was used for the analysis. The findings reveal that privacy and security factors do not significantly influence the decision-making of Australian SMEs in the adoption of Cloud computing. Moreover, the results indicate that Cloud computing adoption is not influenced by the geographical location (i.e., metropolitan or regional location) of the SMEs. The findings extend the current understanding of Cloud computing adoption by Australian SMEs. The results will be useful to SMEs, Cloud service providers and policy makers devising Cloud security and privacy policies.

Does The Risk Of Groundwater Depletion Drive Tube-Well Technology Adoption: A Case Of Pakistan

We employ a moment-based approach to empirically analyse farmer’s decisions about adoption of tube-well technology under depleting groundwater resources using a farm level data from 200 farming households in the Punjab province, Pakistan. The results indicate that the higher the expected profit the greater the probability of adoption. Similarly, with increasing variance the probability of adopting tube-well increases significantly indicating that farmers choose to adopt tube-well technology in order to hedge against production risks. Statistical non-significant the third moment i.e., skewness indicates that farmer generally do not consider downside yield risk when decide to adopt tube-well technology whereas highly significant fourth moment (kurtosis) employ that probability of adoption decreases as a result of extreme events in profit distribution. In addition, we show that land tenureship and three other exogenous variables, i.e., extension services, access to different sources of information and off-farm income play a significant role in the adoption process.

Mobilidades Urbanas - Brevíssimas notas sobre o projeto 'Emerging Middle Classes and Low Carbon Mobilities: Setting long term foundations for transnational research'

Em uma conjuntura de expansão urbana, intensificação do consumo, mudança climática e escassez de petróleo, o tema das mobilidades assume inquestionável importância econômica, social e ambiental. O seminário internacional "Mobilidades Urbanas: Alicerces para Pesquisas Transnacionais" volta-se, por um lado, para a fomentação do debate em torno do paradigma das novas mobilidades - envolvendo mobilidade espacial e socioeconômica, entre outras - e de sua aplicabilidade no contexto brasileiro; por outro, para a capacitação de pesquisadores cujas investigações tematizam os processos de mobilidade social e espacial a partir de perspectivas comparativas e transnacionais.