Risky driving behavior among university students and staff in the Sultanate of Oman

Background: There is a well developed literature on research investigating the relationship between various driving behaviours and road crash involvement. However, this research has predominantly been conducted in developed economies dominated by western types of cultural environments. To date no research has been published that has empirically investigated this relationship within the context of the emerging economies such as Oman. Objective: The present study aims to investigate driving behaviour as indexed in the Driving Behaviour Questionnaire (DBQ) among a group of Omani university students and staff. Methods: A convenience non-probability self- selection sampling approach was utilized with Omani university students and staff. Results: A total of 1003 Omani students (n= 632) and staff (n=371) participated in the survey. Factor analysis of the BDQ revealed four main factors that were errors, speeding violation, lapses and aggressive violation. In the multivariate logistic backward regression analysis, the following factors were identified as significant predictors of being involved in causing at least one crash: driving experience, history of offences and two DBQ components i.e. errors and aggressive violation. Conclusion: This study indicates that errors and aggressive violation of the traffic regulations as well as history of having traffic offences are major risk factors for road traffic crashes among the sample. While previous international research has demonstrated that speeding is a primary cause of crashing, in the current context, the results indicate that an array of factors is associated with crashes. Further research using more rigorous methodology is warranted to inform the development of road safety countermeasures in Oman that improves overall traffic safety culture.

Culture as a driver of entrepreneurship : contrasting independent entrepreneurship versus employee entrepreneurship

Principal Topic Counties in Northern Europe, such as Sweden, Finland and Denmark, have comparatively low per capita rates of entrepreneurship as measured by independent new venture start-up rates – as for example measured by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) Total entrepreneurial activity (TEA) rate. However, the latest 2011 GEM data reveals that these same countries have comparatively very high Employee Entrepreneurship Activity (EEA) rates – that is a high rate per capita of employees involved in new product development or new enterprise activities. This observation has prompted us to investigate the role of national culture in driving independent versus employee entrepreneurial activities. Prior research has established that national (and regional) culture plays an important role in forming an “entrepreneurial culture” that encourages (or discourages) independent business start-ups and TEA (e.g. Davidsson, 1995; Beugelsdijk, 2007). However, the relationship of culture and EEA has not received research attention. Moreover, empirical relationships between elements of national culture and independent entrepreneurship have revealed some surprising results. For example, Wildeman et al. (1999) report an unexpected higher share of individual business ownership in countries that have higher uncertainty avoidance, higher power distance and lower individualism according to Hofstede’s dimensions of culture. They speculate that dissatisfaction can be a source of entrepreneurship: in countries with a high power distance, a high uncertainty avoidance and low individualism, there may be relatively more business owners since enterprising individuals cannot satisfy their needs within existing organizations. Yet it remains a rather open question whether entrepreneurial behaviour in existing organisations provides a satisfactory explanation for these empirical findings. Methods We will conduct a cross sectional study of the influence of national culture according to the five / six dimensions of Hofstede (1980; 2001) on both TEA and EEA for the 54 countries that participated in GEM 2011. Since it is well established that the opportunities for entrepreneurship vary substantially with a country’s level of economic development, we intend to conduct separate analyses for the three categories of development – innovation driven economies, efficient driven economies and factor driven economies. We also intend to restrict our assessment of TEA to opportunity driven entrepreneurship, as necessity driven entrepreneurship has a different relationship to the “entrepreneurial culture” that is the focus of our study. We will control for a range of factors such as GDP growth, ease of doing business index and unemployment. Results and Implications Descriptive analyses of the GEM TEA and EEA data reveal clusters of countries that appear to be have similar national culture. We are yet to conduct regression analyses.

Legal regulation of corporate social responsibility : evidence from Bangladesh

The business corporations' internal strategies in weak economies merely respond to the public policy goals for social development. The role of corporate self-regulation in Bangladesh is not an exception. The extent to which legal regulations related to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Bangladesh could contribute to including CSR notions at the core of self-regulated corporate responsibility is the focus of this paper. It explains that the major Bangladeshi laws related to corporate regulation and responsibility do not possess recurrent features to compel corporate self-regulators to contribute to developing a socially responsible corporate culture in Bangladesh. It suggests that, instead of relying on the prescriptive mode of regulation, Bangladesh could develop more business-friendly but strategic legal regulations.

Investing and reinvesting in social capital : the spill-over effects of social capital in self help groups

Part studies on the impact of microfinance through self help groups (HGs) and other collective poverty alleviation initiatives have predominantly focused on the financial benefits to the individual or the group (Hermes and Lensink 2011; Hulme and Mosley 1996). Such benefits are typically attributed to the financial capital made available to SHGs (Swain and Varghese 2009) and the social capital which accrues through networking mechanisms within SHG processes (Tesoriero 2005). Few studies however, have examined the benefits of SHGs beyond group members. Accordingly, research was conducted to look beyond the immediate group processes and outcomes, and examine the impact of SHGs in the wider (local) community.

Factors associated with suboptimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy in Viet Nam: A cross-sectional study using audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI)

Background: Optimal adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is necessary for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHIV). There have been relatively few systematic analyses of factors that promote or inhibit adherence to antiretroviral therapy among PLHIV in Asia. This study assessed ART adherence and examined factors associated with suboptimal adherence in northern Viet Nam. Methods: Data from 615 PLHIV on ART in two urban and three rural outpatient clinics were collected by medical record extraction and from patient interviews using audio computer-assisted self-interview (ACASI). Results: The prevalence of suboptimal adherence was estimated to be 24.9% via a visual analogue scale (VAS) of past-month dose-missing and 29.1% using a modified Adult AIDS Clinical Trial Group scale for on-time dose-taking in the past 4 days. Factors significantly associated with the more conservative VAS score were: depression (p < 0.001), side-effect experiences (p < 0.001), heavy alcohol use (p = 0.001), chance health locus of control (p = 0.003), low perceived quality of information from care providers (p = 0.04) and low social connectedness (p = 0.03). Illicit drug use alone was not significantly associated with suboptimal adherence, but interacted with heavy alcohol use to reduce adherence (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This is the largest survey of ART adherence yet reported from Asia and the first in a developing country to use the ACASI method in this context. The evidence strongly indicates that ART services in Viet Nam should include screening and treatment for depression, linkage with alcohol and/or drug dependence treatment, and counselling to address the belief that chance or luck determines health outcomes.

Self-regulated learning and executive function : exploring the relationships in a sample of adolescent males

This study investigated relationships between SRL and EF in a sample of 254 school-aged adolescent males. Two hypotheses were tested: that self-reported measures of SRL and EF are closely related and that as different aspects of EF mature during adolescence, the corresponding components of SRL should also improve, leading to an age-related increase in the correlation between EF and SRL. Two self-report instruments were used: the strategies for self-regulated learning survey (SSRLS) and the behavioural rating instrument of executive function (BRIEF). Strong correlations between the measures of EF and SRL were found, especially in areas associated with metacognitive processes. Correlations between EF and SRL were found, with weaker correlations between behavioural regulation and SRL were found to be weaker for the younger participants in the sample while the relationship between EF and SRL appears to grow stronger during the initial years of high school even though self-reported levels of EF along with motivation for SRL and important components of SRL such as goal setting and planning were found to decrease with age. Decreasing levels of motivation for learning during adolescence are speculated to moderate the deployment of SRL and EF in a school context.

Large-scale community projects in regional Queensland : unlocking creative potential and community identity : Artspoken Queensland Regional Arts and Culture Conference 2011

In this presentation, renowned arts practitioner, Sean Mee, and Nigel Lavender, Executive Director of the Queensland Music Festival, talk about how community arts practice can be used to build cultural captial in communities, using examples such large-scale musicals such as The Road We're ON (Charleville) and Behind the Cand (Bowen), Mee and Lavender highlight the importance of community-driven narrative and particiaption.

Sleeping Beauty : global advertising self regulation awakens

The system of self regulation of advertising in mass-media was a dream scenario. If stakeholders complained and the advertisement was deemed offensive by an expert panel, it was an easy matter to withdraw the advertisement from mass media and from public attention. This was done locally, according to the cultural values and aesthetics of the population and the mandate of the self regulation board. To advertising regulators, the internet became their worst nightmare. The system of self regulation was no longer closed, and could be circumvented by placing the offending advertisements online. The system of self regulation was also no longer local, but global. All internet users had access to the same advertisements, regardless of cultural considerations. The awakening of global advertising self regulation is something that demands discussion. It is of value to all conference goers of AAA 2010 Europe, as it affects all advertising academics and all stakeholders in the advertising process. As the leading advertising body seeking to bring global advertising issues to a new venue in Europe, the AAA 2010 European Conference seems ripe for a special session on advertising self regulation. This is especially true as the panel contributes a European, US and Asia-Pacific viewpoint.

Motivations for eWOM exchanges in an online community : self-development, problem solving support, relaxation

Electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) has gained significant attention from academics and practitioners since it has become an important source of consumers’ product information, which can influence consumer purchase intentions (Cheung & Lee, 2012). eWOM exchanges exist in two types of online communities: online communities of practice and online communities of interest. A few prior studies in online communities of interest have examined members’ motivations for product knowledge exchange (Hung & Li, 2007; Ma & Agarwal, 2007). However, there is a lack of understanding of member motivations for exchanging social bonds and enjoyment in addition to exchanging knowledge pertaining to products in the community. It is important to have an initial comprehension of motivation as an antecedent of these three eWOM exchanges so as to be able to determine the driving factors that lead members to generate eWOM communication. Thus, the research problem "What are the driving factors for members to exchange eWOM in an online community?" was justified for investigation. The purpose of this study was to examine different member motivations for exchanging three types of eWOM. Resource exchange theory and theory on consumer motivation and behavior were applied to develop a conceptual framework for this study. This study focused on an online beauty community since there is an increasing trend of consumers turning to online beauty resources so as to exchange useful beauty product information (SheSpot, 2011). As this study examined consumer motivation in an online beauty community, a web-based survey was the most effective and efficient way to gain responses from beauty community members and these members were appropriate samples from which to draw a conclusion about the whole population. Multiple regression analysis was used to test the relationships between member motivations and eWOM exchanges. It was found that members have different motivations for exchanging knowledge, social bonds, and enjoyment related to products: self-development, problem solving support, and relaxation, respectively. This study makes three theoretical contributions. First, this study identifies the influence of self-development motivation on knowledge exchange in an online community of interest, just as this motivation has previously been found in online communities of practice. This study highlights that members of the two different types of online communities share similar goals of knowledge exchange, despite the two communities evincing different attributes (e.g., member characteristics and tasks’ objectives). Further, this study will assist researchers to understand other motivations identified by prior research in online communities of practice since such motivations may be applicable to online communities of interest. Second, this study offers a new perspective on member motivation for social bonding. This study indicates that in addition to social support from friends and family, consumers are motivated to build social bonds with members in an online community of interest since they are an important source of problem solving support in regard to products. Finally, this study extends the body of knowledge pertaining to member motivation for enjoyment exchange. This study provides a basis for researchers to understand that members in an online community of interest value experiential aspects of enjoyable consumption activities, and thus based on group norms, members have a mutual desire for relaxation from enjoyment exchange. The major practical contribution is that this study provides an important guideline for marketing managers to develop different marketing strategies based on member motivations for exchanging three types of eWOM in an online community of interest, such as an online beauty community. This will potentially help marketing managers increase online traffic and revenue, and thus bring success to the community. Although, this study contributes to the literature by highlighting three distinctive member motivations for eWOM exchanges in an online community of interest, there are some possible research limitations. First, this study was conducted in an online beauty community in Australia. Hence, further research should replicate this study in other industries and nations so as to give the findings greater generalisability. Next, online beauty community members are female skewed. Thus, future research should examine whether similar patterns of motivations would emerge in other online communities that tend to be populated by males (e.g., communities focused on football). Further, a web-based survey has its limitations in terms of self-selection and self-reporting (Bhatnagar & Ghose, 2004). Therefore, further studies should test the framework by employing different research methods in order to overcome these weaknesses.

A prospective longitudinal survey of fatigue self-management behaviors in patients with advanced cancer

Background: Fatigue is a distressing symptom experienced by approximately 74-88% of patients with advanced cancer. Although there have been advances in managing fatigue with the use of a range of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic strategies, fatigue is not well-managed in patients with advanced cancer. Objectives: For patients with advanced cancer, the aims of the study were to examine the self-management (SM) behaviours associated with fatigue; the perceived effectiveness of these SM behaviours, and the socio-demographic and clinical factors influencing the effectiveness of these SM behaviours. Methodology: A prospective longitudinal study was undertaken with 152 patients with metastatic breast, lung, colorectal and prostate cancer experiencing fatigue (>3/10) over a two month period. SM behaviours associated with fatigue, medical/demographic characteristics, social support, depression, anxiety, self-efficacy and other symptoms were assessed. Results: Findings indicate that on most fatigue severity measures, levels of fatigue increased slightly over time. On average, participants used nine fatigue SM behaviours at each time point. Participants reported that the most effective SM behaviours were ‘pacing their activities during the day’, ‘planning activities to make the most of energy’, ‘taking short sleeps’, ‘doing things that distract them from their fatigue’, and ‘doing things to improve sleep at night’. Factors associated with the increased effectiveness of fatigue SM behaviours included higher self-efficacy, higher education level, lower levels of depressive symptoms, and lower functional status. These results can be used to inform the design of future interventions to support the use of effective fatigue SM behaviours in this population.

The value of books : the fantastic flying books of Mr. Morris Lessmore and the social hieroglyphic of reading

The late eighteenth century witnessed the emergence of new technologies of subjectivity and of the literary. Most obviously, “the novel as a literary form appeared to embody and turn into an object the experience of life itself” (Park), and the novel genre came to both reflect and shape notions of interiority and subjectivity. In this same period, “A shift was taking place in the way people felt and thought about children and the accoutrements of childhood, including books and toys, were implicated in this change” (Lewis). In seeking to understand the relationships between media (e.g. books and toys), genres (e.g. novels and picture books), and modes of subjectivity, Marx’s influential theory of commodity fetishism, whereby “a definite social relation between men, that assumes, in their eyes, the fantastic form of a relation between things”, has served as a productive tool of analysis. The extent to which Marx’s account of commodity fetishism continues to be of use becomes clear when the corollaries between the late eighteenth-century emergence of novels and pictures books as technologies of subjectivity and the early twenty-first century emergence of e-readers and digital texts as technologies of subjectivity are considered. This paper considers the literary technology of Apple’s iPad (first launched in 2010) as a commodity fetish, and the circulation of “apps” as texts made available by and offered as justifications for, this fetish object. The iPad is both book and toy, but is never “only” either; it is arguably a new technology of subjectivity which incorporates but also destabilises categories of reading and playing such as those made familiar by earlier technologies of literature and the self. The particular focus of this paper is on the multimodal versions (app, film, and picture book) of The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, which are understood here as a narrativisation of commodity fetishism, subjectivity, and the act of reading itself.

The role of the board of directors in ensuring a culture of integrity

Corporate scandals are as old as the corporate form itself. Consider, for example, the controversies surrounding the role of one of the first modern corporations, the British East India Company, in the Bengal famine of 1770 and in the Chinese opium trade. Yet it is the increasing scale and scope of unethical acts carried out by individuals in the name, and interests, of corporations that continue to be concerning. Recent revelations surrounding the extent of bribery and covert surveillance used by News Corporation journalists in its British operations continue to shock the world and undermine confidence in that organiszation and journalists in general. Yet despite the systemic nature of many of these unethical activities, corporate leaders generally plead ignorance when transgressions come to light. During the enquity into the News Corporation scandal, Rupert Murdoch, the CEO and chairman, rejected the assertion that he was ultimately 'responsible for this whole fiasco' (House of Commons, 2011, Q.230). Instead, like many corporate leaders before him, Murdoch placed blame on the employees within the newspaper. His responses poses an increasingly important question: Do corporate leaders bear responsibility for the conduct of individuals within a corporation and, if so, why?

Governing self : SNSs as tools for self-formation

This thesis investigates how modern individuals relate to themselves and others in the service of shaping their ethical conduct and governing themselves. It considers the use of online social networking sites (SNSs) as one particular practice through which people manage their day-to-day conduct and understandings of self. Current research on the use of SNSs has conceptualised them as tools for communication, information-sharing and self-presentation. This thesis suggests a different way of thinking about these sites as tools for self-formation. A Foucaultian genealogical, historical and problematising approach is applied in order to explore processes of subjectivation and historical backgrounds involved in the use of SNSs. This is complimented with an ANT-based understanding of the role that technologies play in shaping human action. Drawing new connections between three factors will show how they contribute to the ways in which people become selves today. These factors are, one, the psychologisation and rationalisation of modern life that lead people to confess and talk about themselves in order to improve and perfect themselves, two, the transparency or publicness of modern life that incites people to reveal themselves constantly to a public audience and, three, the techno-social hybrid character of Western societies. This thesis will show how some older practices of self-formation have been translated into the context of modern technologised societies and how the care of self has been reinvigorated and combined with the notion of baring self in public. This thesis contributes a different way of thinking about self and the internet that does not seek to define what the modern self is and how it is staged online but rather accounts for the multiple, contingent and historically conditioned processes of subjectivation through which individuals relate to themselves and others in the service of governing their daily conduct.