Satisfaction in marriage and committed heterosexual relationships: past, present, and future

The article discusses the factors associated with satisfaction in marriage and successful heterosexual relationships. It is stated that a major focus in determining marriage satisfaction is by examining spousal personality characteristics associated with marital happiness. Thus, to understand adequately the play of factors related to marital satisfaction, it is important to recognize that different factors may impact different types of people in different situations.

Marriage: every bride`s ambition satisfied?

It has been acknowledged through sociobiological research that women seek men who will provide good genes to produce strong healthy offspring, and men seek women who are attractive, because these women are seen to be most suitable for producing fit children. According to the author in last two centuries, in western societies, mate selection has also frequently led to marriage. If the man fails to meet these genetic standards, women may be driven to have extramarital affairs so that they can obtain good genetic stock, but will still keep their husband if he provides good support resources for her and her children.

The emergence of the public sector expectations gap

This paper focuses on the continuing worldwide phenomenon of homogenisation of audit rules, regulation and procedures between the government and private sectors. The observations are informed by Pusey’s (1991) criticisms of ‘economic rationalism’ as the driving mechanism behind public sector reforms in Australia. The presumed superiority of commercial audit is questioned in association with the work of Hopwood (1983, 1998), Otley and Pierce (1996) and, Power (1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997) that contextualise the role of audit. In the private sector audit there continues to be an ‘expectations gap’ arising from commercial pressures and a rhetorical support for the public interest. It is contended that audit quality in the public sector is driven by a different perception of public interest that has been eroded with the advent of economic rationalism. The consequent emergence of a public sector audit ‘expectations gap’ is an amalgam of new components particular to the government audit environment and, aspects of the private ‘expectations gap’ which have been transplanted into the public domain.

Beyond the gap: great liberation through architectural design teaching in the bardo?

Tibetan Buddhists articulate the bardo as the gap that exists between one fundamental stage of existence and another. Its most common usage is to describe the interval between death and reincarnation, but more literally, bar means 'in-between' and do 'island' or 'mark'. The 'bardo experience' is thus any one in which the 'past situation has just occurred and the future situation has not yet manifested itself. Instruction in architectural design attempts to provide guidance in the process of guiding students across the bardo from intention, analysis, and theorisation, to the creation of architectural representations and products. As such the architectural academy operates within a history of methods and codifications which try to quantify and bring a level of certainty to this process.
Recently however, there has been a questioning of traditionally accepted ways of ‘knowing’ the world, which has manifested in challenges to received ‘truths’ and increasing interest in other, previously marginalised histories and knowledges. The critiques that flow from this questioning contend that objective cultural ‘truths’ are simply the discursive result of the dominance of particular ways of perceiving the world. The practice of architecture has not been immune from this. The field has become a subject, for instance, of sociological, feminist and postcolonial critiques. However, their bearing on the pedagogy of composing architecture remains fragmentary and contested. My interest in this subject is derived from a desire to use the opportunities presented by contemporary cultural shifts to develop design-based architectural research that will assist future architects to operate in the uncertainties of an irreducibly plural global community. This paper will explore some ways in which academic research might bear upon the design studio’s negotiation of architectural bardos.

Identifying the energy gap: magnitude and determinants of 5-year weight gain in midage women

Objective: The aims of this study were to estimate average yearly weight gain in midage women and to identify the determinants of weight gain and gaining weight at double the average rate.
Research Methods and Procedures: The study sample comprised 8071 participants (45 to 55 years old) in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health who completed mailed surveys in 1996, 1998, and 2001.
Results: On average, the women gained almost 0.5 kg per year [average 2.42 kg (95% confidence interval, 2.29 to 2.54) over 5 years]. In multivariate analyses, variables associated with energy balance (physical activity, sitting time, and energy intake), as well as quitting smoking, menopause/hysterectomy, and baseline BMI category were significantly associated with weight gain, but other behavioral and demographic characteristics were not. After adjustment for all of the other biological and behavioral variables, the odds of gaining weight at about twice the average rate (>5 kg over 5 years) were highest for women who quit smoking (odds ratio = 2.94; 95% confidence interval, 2.17, 3.96). There were also independent relationships between the odds of gaining >5 kg and lower levels of habitual physical activity, more time spent sitting, energy intake (but only in women with BMI > 25 at baseline), menopause transition, and hysterectomy.
Discussion: The average weight gain equates with an energy imbalance of only about 10 kcal or 40 kJ per day, which suggests that small sustained changes in the modifiable behavioral variables could prevent further weight gain.

Explanations for mixed-orientation marriage : a comparative study of previously married and never-married gay men

Despite a large body of literature on the development of sexual orientation, little is known about why some men who marry women have (or develop) a homosexual orientation. In the current study, a selfselected sample of 43 never-married gay men and 26 gay men who were married to a woman completed a self-report questionnaire. As well as obtaining descriptive information from the 26 men about their marriages and reason for marrying, hypotheses were tested, based on five possible explanations for gay men’s marriages: (a) internalised homophobia; (b) religious intolerance (c) confusion created because of childhood/adolescent sexual experiences; (d) poor psychological adjustment; and (e) differences in strength of sexual preference. The two most frequent reasons for marriage were that it “seemed natural”, and a desire to have children and “family life”. The attitudes to gay men and lesbians held currently by the married group were significantly more positive than their reports of their attitudes around the time their marriage commenced, and the level of childhood sexual experiences with adults or older adolescents was significantly associated with the extent of their unsafe sexual practices with men (prior, during and/or after marriage). Marrieds described their families’ religious beliefs as more fundamentalist than never-marrieds. Family adaptability and family cohesion and the degree to which respondents reported having experienced child maltreatment did not distinguished between marrieds and never-marrieds, however these variables did predict the level of self-depreciation. No differences were found between marrieds and never-marrieds’ ratings of their sexual orientation and identity, homophobia, or self-depreciation. The results highlight how little is understood of the reasons why gay men marry, and the need to develop an adequate theoretical model.

Mind the gap 2014 : research to inform the next five years of library development

Libraries have a long history of gathering evidence of performance. The results of regular client satisfaction surveys directly inform the continuous improvement of library and information services. Staff and student input is critical for improving library physical and virtual spaces, facilities and resources, and also to learn how the university community may approach information discovery into the future.

At Deakin University Library we are investigating, developing and integrating Web 2.0 applications into our service delivery. At the same time, designs for next generation physical learning spaces are being developed and implemented. These will extend the opportunities for students to contribute to a connected network of learners and teachers, to develop social networks, and to enrich experience of university life. Both the online and spaces strategies support the University’s distinctive advantage in flexible education.

But what of the future? How can the Library ensure that its support of research, teaching and learning aligns with changes in the behaviour and preferences of the university community in the next five years? This paper reviews Deakin University Library’s recent achievements, exposes an important gap and previews its plans to ensure its reliable support to the university community continues.

Jump over the gorge : overcoming cultural gap in doing business with China

China has become a synonym for future business growth. It is the business nirvana of the 21st century (Chung 2004). As a major emerging market, China offers many companies great potential in their future growth. China's economic growth has been consistently double digits for the past two decades. China has become an economic power in the world. To Australia, China became its largest trading partner since 2007. While other parts of the world are experiencing economic down tum, e.g. the US and UK, Australia still enjoys its longest lasting economic growth. Much of the growth is largely built on this Chinese demand of minerals (Kirk 2004). Therefore research of Australian companies' internationalisation into China is timely and in high demand. 40 Australian companies' were investigated in a recent research conducted in July - December 2007. Among many findings through the research, one of the major issues was the impact of cultural differences on companies in their operations. The research discovered the gap of cultural differences between Australia and China is large which has caught many companies by surprise. Further the inability to deal with this large cultural gap as well as being properly prepared for the cultural issue they are about to encounter prior to entering into the Chinese market may cause serious issues on performance. It is through this research an important finding is presented that engaging culturally skilled consultants when dealing with Chinese market is an effective and cost efficient way of conducting businesses in China.