Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Modelling Patient Arrivals When Simulating An Accident And Emergency Unit, Le Yin Meng, Trevor A. Spedding

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper presents a case study of a discrete event simulation model of an Accident and Emergency Unit in a hospital in the UK. The objective of the study is to create a simulation study of the A&E Unit, to evaluate alternative scenarios and hence reducing patient waiting time. The case study uses a novel approach to predict the arrival time of patients and hence results in a more realistic platform on which to base the subsequent scenario analysis. The scenario analysis illustrates that significant reductions in the waiting time of patients can be obtained by relatively minor changes in …

Choice And Context In Studying Change, Creativity And Innovation At Work: Call Off The Search For Excellence, Question Combinational Perspectives, And Loosen The Straightjacket Of Polarised Views, Patrick M. Dawson

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This article draws attention to debates on studying change, creativity and innovation at work. Attention is given to 'stable' and 'process' views of organizations and how these positions influence research objectives, methodological approach and findings. The paper is critical of those who seek to hold to a superior position - a one best approach for all; as well as those who seek the best from all worlds - a combinational approach that services both quantitative and qualitative research. In drawing on over 25 years of field research on change management, the paper also seeks to explore the broken links between …

Global Staffing In Developing Countries: A Case Of American And Japanese Multinational Companies In Vietnam, Anne Cox

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper addresses three research areas of global staffing: to determine the influences of the home country on multinational companies (MNCs) global staffing strategies at their overseas subsidiaries, how institutional and cultural distance affects the 'context generalisability' of global staffing policies; and how MNCs localize their human resources within their subsidiaries.

Balancing The Seesaw: How Australia's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Can Fail, Andrew S. Tan, Mary A. Kaidonis, Lee C. Moerman

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Australia’s ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and the recent release of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme Green Paper affirm the Government’s commitment toward carbon emissions reduction and the advancement of the environmental cause. Using a naïve model which maximises the environmental cause at the expense of financial impact on the economy, this paper highlights how the failure of the first phase of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme can be attributed to the over-relaxation of parameters crucial to the success of the scheme as measured by verified reduction in emissions. The Government’s preferred position as elucidated in the Green Paper …

Association Between Corporate Disclosure And Information Needs Of Company Annual Report Users In Sri Lanka, Anura De Zoysa

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper examines the extent of disclosures in company annual reports of Sri Lankan listedcompanies and the user perceptions on the importance of information disclosed in company annualreports. For this purpose, annul reports of 65 Sri Lankan listed companies were analysed using adisclosure index. Furthermore, a questionnaire survey was conducted covering seven user groups toexamine the importance they attached to various information items disclosed in company annualreports. The results of the study revealed a fairly high level of overall disclosure (69.8%) in Sri Lankancompany annual reports with 90 per cent of the sample companies disclosing 43 per cent ofinformation items …

The Value Of Prerequisites: A Link Between Understanding And Progression, Vicki Baard, Edmund W. Watts

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper contributes to the debate about the value of discipline-specific prerequisites. The study compared the results of students from 2003 to 2006 completing the subject Principles of Finance and who had completed the subject Business Statistics, to students who had not. This comparison indicated that the students who completed Business Statistics performed significantly better overall than those students who had not. The findings imply that discipline-specific prerequisites provide students with a minimum level of understanding required to undertake advanced subjects, and can improve their chance of success.

Southeast Asian International Firms And Their Strategies, Ah Ba Sim

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

No abstract provided.

Empirical Analysis Of The Uae Stock Market Volatility, Sami Khedhiri, Naeem Muhammad

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Financial market volatility of developed economies have been studied extensively since the 1987 stock market crash as well as the volatility of the East Asian stock markets after the East Asian financial crisis. However the volatility characteristics of the financial markets in the Middle East are far from being thoroughly analysed despite their tremendous growth in recent years. The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, we investigate the volatility characteristics of the UAE stock markets measured by fat tail, volatility clustering, and leverage effects, in order to explore a parsimonious model for the UAE stock market and predict its …

The Influence Of Perceived Credibility On Preferences For Recommender Systems As Sources Of Advice, Kyung Hyan Yoo, Ulrike Gretzel

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Recommender systems promise to support travelers in complex decision-making processes; however, whether a recommendation is seen as credible advice and actually taken into account not only depends on travelers' perceptions of the recommendation but also of the system as the advice giver. A scale to measure recommender system credibility was developed and tested. The results confirm that credibility has two dimensions: expertise and trustworthiness. Further, significant gender differences in credibility perceptions were found. The findings also indicate that respondents prefer humans as recommendation sources and that this preference is influenced by perceptions of lack of credibility of recommender systems as …

Enhancing Occupational Health And Safety In Young Workers: The Role Of Social Marketing, Anne M. Lavack, Sherry Magnuson, Sameer Deshpande, Debra Z. Basil, Michael D. Basil, James H. Mintz

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

• Young workers (age 15-24) suffer work-related injury at a much higher rate than older workers, yet research on the role and effectiveness of social marketing to influence and improve workplace safety is limited.
• A review of the relevant literature reveals that significant gaps exist in terms of effectively using social marketing to reduce young worker injury rates.
• A comprehensive, multi-faceted social marketing approach is required to address young worker safety.
• Directing more attention toward the practice of social marketing can enhance the effectiveness of campaigns to reduce workplace injurie.

Simulating Information Exchanges In Order To Investigate The Utility Of Public Health Websites, Kholoud Alkayid, Helen M. Hasan, Joseph A. Meloche

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper explores the nature of communication and information flows in critical medicalenvironments to inform the design of public website support. Results are presented of a study ofcommunication in Intensive Care Units (ICU), where data was collected from the website owners,public users of the site and ICU clinicians who traditionally find communication with families ofpatients difficult. The paper presents the results of this research aimed at understanding the situationand needs of potential website users. The study has provided a greater understanding of howinformation technologies can help to resolve problems that arise with the ad-hoc, face-to-facecommunication that currently occurs in this …

The Impact Of Knowledge Management Infrastructure On Organisational Competitiveness In A Confucian-Socialist Market Economy, Thi Nguyet Q. Nguyen, Philip A. Neck, Thanh Hai Nguyen

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The critical role of knowledge management (KM) in achieving and sustaining a competitive advantage (CA) has been strongly emphasised in the extant literature. However, most previous studies were conceptually grounded and empirically examined in advanced, developed and newly industrialised countries and from a large company perspective. Meanwhile, little attempt has been made to address the relative importance of different factors constituting the organisational KM infrastructure capability in the context of Asian emerging, less developed countries such as Vietnam where a socialist market economy, a Confucian culture and a majority of small and medium sized enterprises currently exist. By adopting a …

Approaches And Perspectives In The Studies Of China's Urban Poverty, Zhiming Cheng

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The paper reviews some research on urban poverty in China. This topic began to attract academic attention in mid- 1990s. In the marketization, the old socialist system in China, which included full employment and comprehensive social welfare for urban citizens, has been replaced by an emerging labor market and a socialized and partially privatized social security. The time lag between the old and establishing systems has thrown a large number of retrenched state workers and migrant workers into poverty and then concentrated the poor in particular areas or communities of city. There is impressive progress on identifying and measuring poverty, …

Identity-Based On-Line/Off-Line Signcryption, Dongdong Sun, Xinyi Huang, Yi Mu, Willy Susilo

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

We present an identity-based on-line/off-line signcryption scheme, where most of computations are carried out when the message is not available(i.e., off-line stage) and the on-line part of our scheme does not require any exponent computations and therefore is very efficient. It combines the functionalities of signature and encryption and is provably secure in the random oracle model. We also show that our scheme is indistinguishable against adaptive chosen-ciphertext attacks (IND-IDSC-CCA2) and is existentially unforgeable against adaptive chosen-message attacks (EF-IDSC-ACMA).

Belassa-Samuelson Effect Approaching Fifty Years: Is It Retiring Early In Australia?, Muhammad K. Chowdhury

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper tests empiricaly the Balassa-Samuelson (BS) hypothesis using annual data for Australia. We applied the ARDL cointegration technique developed by Perasan et al. (2001) and found evidence of a significant long-run relationship between real exchange rate and Australia-US productivity differential during the period of 1950-2003. We found that a one per cent increase in labour productivity in Australia relative to the US will lead to 5.6 per cent appreciation in the real exchange rate of Australia. We suspect that the elasticity coefficient is "ever-estimated" due to the exclusion of relevant explanatory variables. The dynamics and the determinants of the …

Optimising User Acceptance Of Mandated Mobile Health Systems (Mhs): The Epoc (Electronic Point-Of-Care) Project Experience, Lois Burgess, Joan Cooper, Jason P. Sargent

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

From a clinical perspective, the use of mobile technologies such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) within hospital environments is not new. A paradigm shift however, is underway towards the acceptance and utility of such systems within community-based healthcare environments. Notwithstanding, introducing new technologies and associated work practices has intrinsic risks which must be addressed. In situations where end-users of a system are traditionally averse to technology through entrenched paper-based work practices (for example, community health workers), the process of managing change bears considerable determination in system implementation success. The authors propose a novel approach to end user acceptance within the …

Semifinite Spectral Triples Associated With Graph C*-Algebras, Alan L. Carey, John Phillips, Adam Rennie

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

We review the recent construction of semifinite spectral triples for graph C^*-algebras. These examples have inspired many other developments and we review some of these such as the relation between the semifinite index and the Kasparov product, examples of noncommutative manifolds, and an index theorem in twisted cyclic theory using a KMS state.

Low-Complexity Iterative Detection In Multi-User Mimo Isi Channels, Xiaojun Yuan, Qinghua Guo, Li Ping

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

We propose a low-cost detection strategy for multi-user multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) systems with inter-symbol interference (ISI). The cyclic prefix (CP) technique is assumed. The proposed detection algorithm is derived in a very concise manner based on some elegant properties of circulant matrices. We show that multi-user detection and equalization can be carried out jointly and efficiently. © 2007 IEEE.

On Generalization Of Constitutive Models From Two Dimensions To Three Dimensions, N Khalili, M D. Liu

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

In this paper, a study is made of the generalization of constitutive models for geomaterials from two-dimensional stress and strain states to three-dimensional stress and strain states. Existing methods of model generalization are reviewed and their deficiencies are highlighted. A new method is proposed based on geometries of the model imprints on two normal planes. Using the proposed method, various three dimensional failure criterions suitable for geomaterials are implemented directly into a two dimensional model and the generalized model is identical to its original form for the axially symmetric condition. To demonstrate the application of the proposed method, the Modified …

Performance Analysis Of Ofdm-Idma Systems With Peak-Power Limitation, Jun Tong, Qinghua Guo, Li Ping

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

This paper is concerned with orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing interleave-division multiple-access (OFDM-IDMA) systems over frequency-selective fading channels. Deliberate clipping is applied to reduce the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of each user's transmitted signal. An iterative multiuser detection (MUD) technique is developed to recover the performance loss due to clipping. A semi-analytical signal-to- noise ratio (SNR) evolution technique is proposed, which can provide quick and accurate prediction of the iterative MUD performance. Numerical results show that the performance of OFDM-IDMA is not sensitive to the frequency selectivity of channels, and OFDM-IDMA is more power-efficient than other alternative multi-carrier transmission techniques. © 2008 …

Tangential Sphere Bounds On The Ensemble Performance Of Ml Decoded Gallager Codes Via Their Exact Ensemble Distance Spectrum, Sheng Tong

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

An efficient numerical approach to the exact ensemble distance spectrum of Gallager codes has been developed by evaluating powers of polynomials. With the exact ensemble distance spectrum of Gallager codes, tangential sphere upper bounds on their maximum likelihood (ML) decoding performance over binary input AWGN channels are investigated. Numerical results indicate improved bounds have been obtained, better than Sason and Shamai's results (which are based on Gallager's upper bound on the ensemble distance spectrum), especially in the error floor region. Furthermore, some critical properties of Gallager codes, including typical minimum distance and the performance tradeoff in the waterfall and error …

Thermal And Electrical Characterization Of Silicon Photomultiplier, M Petasecca, B Alpat, G Ambrosi, P Azzarello, R Battiston, M Ionica, A Papi, G U. Pignatel, S Haino

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Detection of low levels of light is one of the key aspects in medical and space applications. Silicon photomultiplier, a novel type of avalanche photodetector which operates in Geiger mode, shows promising results and offer superior design options. The performance characteristics of the SiPM realized in FBK-irst are studied and presented in this paper. The leakage current, dark rate and internal gain are characterized as a function of temperature. The investigation has been carried out in the framework of the DASiPM Collaboration and the INFN/FBK-irst MEMS project. © 2008 IEEE.

The Lander Chronicle Volume 8 Issue I, Lander College For Men

Yearbooks and Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Object And Context In Perception And Memory: Polish-Chinese Comparison Of Analytic And Holistic Thinking, Dominika Cieslikowski

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

No abstract provided.

Culture As Unfolding Process: Integrating Perspectives In Building A Theory, Ludmila N. Praslova

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

Current theory and research in culture and psychology produced multiple definitions and conceptualizations of culture. This paper reviews several approaches to understanding culture and introduces an integrative model of Culture as Unfolding Process (CUP) as a way of integrating insights from several perspectives. The model highlights mechanisms of cultural change and stability, and provides a versatile framework for understanding culture on multiple levels.

Intercultural And Intracultural Differences In The Value Of Children: Comparisons Between Four Countries And The Urban, Rural, And Floating Populations In China, Gang Zheng, Shaohua Shia

Papers from the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology Conferences

No abstract provided.

What Does It Mean To Live A Fully Embodied Spiritual Life?, Jorge Ferrer

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

This essay discusses the meaning of embodied spirituality—based on the integration of all

human attributes, including the body and sexuality—and contrasts it with the disembodied

spirituality—based on dissociation and/or sublimation—prevailing in human religious

history. It then describes what it means to approach the body as a living partner with which

to co-create one’s spiritual life, and outlines ten features of a fully embodied spirituality.

The article concludes with some reflections about the past, present, and potential future of

embodied spirituality.

The Past And Future Of The International Transpersonal Association, Stanislav Grof, Harris Friedman, David Lukoff, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

The International Transpersonal Association (ITA) was formed in 1978 for the purposes

of promoting education and research in transpersonal subjects, as well as sponsoring

global conferences for the international transpersonal community. The association was

subsequently dissolved in 2004, but is now in the process of being reactivated and revitalized.

As background for this development, this paper reviews the history of ITA including its

international conferences and noteworthy presenters, the organization’s definition, strategies,

and specific goals, and details of its contemporary revival.

Approaches To Transpersonal Psychotherapy: Introduction To Special Topic Section, Harris Friedman, Glenn Hartelius

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

NA

The Buddhist Notion Of Emptiness And Its Potential Contribution To Psychology And Psychotherapy, José M. Tirado

International Journal of Transpersonal Studies

A growing number of psychologists now have their practices and theories informed by Buddhist

meditation practices. Th ese practices, however, are themselves deeply informed by the

Buddhist notion of emptiness (śūnyatā). Th is Buddhist concept off ers a rich vein of possibilities

in informing psychology and psychotherapy. Th e present paper examines the development

and potential of this concept for infl uencing these and other areas.