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[In Press] Exploring Africa's heterogenous middle class' brand behaviour in the new digital age : practical insights from a multiple country study
No full textThe article’s purpose is to critically examine the heterogeneous middle class in Africa’s evolving relationships with brands in the new digital age environment identifying drivers for brand purchase decision-making that brand managers can adopt for their strategies. The new environment is conceptualized from the impact of digitalization and the emergence of more discerning consumers, informed and empowered in their interaction with brands. The article contributes significantly to responses to calls by international marketing scholars for further research in global brand building and management in the new digital age. Our article provides insights into how the heterogeneity of the middle class in Africa influences the consumers’ relationship with brands considering the impact of digital connectivity and nuances of each middle-class segment. We identify the core drivers for brand selection that the heterogeneous middle-class segments consider and how this influences their attitudes toward brands. The study also highlights the complexities of the relationship between the middle class and counterfeit brands. Practical and theoretical implications to provide guidelines for improving practice and research on managing brands in the new international marketing environment are presented
[In Press] Does effort increase or decrease reward valuation? : considerations from cognitive dissonance theory
No full textThe present research tested the effect of manipulated perceived control (over obtaining the outcomes) and effort on reward valuation using the event-related potential known as the Reward Positivity (RewP). This test was conducted in an attempt to integrate two research literatures with opposite findings: Effort justification occurs when high effort leads to high reward valuation, whereas effort discounting occurs when high effort leads to low reward valuation. Based on an examination of past methods used in these literatures, we predicted that perceived control and effort would interactively influence RewP. Consistent with the effort justification literature (cognitive dissonance theory), when individuals have high perceived control, high effort should lead to more reward valuation than low effort should. Consistent with the effort discounting literature, when individuals have low perceived control, low effort should lead to more reward valuation than high effort should. Results supported these interactive and integrative predictions
The measured impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on nursing students' wellbeing, clinical placement and learning experiences : a cross sectional study
No full textBackground: The epidemiological patterns of COVID-19 varied across Australia and differed from most other countries. Few studies describe the impact that the pandemic had on nursing student wellbeing, education and career. Aim: This study aimed to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted on nursing students’ well-being, clinical placement and learning. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Sydney, Australia. Participants: Second- and third-year nursing students. Methods: Second- and third-year nursing degree students were asked to participate in an ethically approved study during March to May 2021. The de-identified on-line survey consisted of 63 closed end question and one open ended question. On completion, the dataset was exported from Redcap and imported into SPSS for analysis. Open ended text data were analysed by two researchers. Results: Of the 105 participating nursing students, a third (n = 26/83, 31%) thought about changing their degree to a non-nursing degree. The acknowledged risk of caring for a COVID-19 patient incrementally increased stress (β-coefficient = 0.6, p value = 0.009, 95% CI 0.2–0.9). Conversely students who intended to complete their degree were less likely to report stress. Students who had prior nursing experience were three times more likely to report an increased generalised anxiety level (OR 3.8, p-value = 0.02, 95% CI 1.2–12.2), yet they were less likely to experience personal accomplishment burnout compared to other students. Nursing students who contemplated a change of degree to a non-nursing degree were 15.7 times more likely to experience emotional exhaustion and were 3.5 times more likely to be report a risk of depersonalisation (p = 0.03, 95% CI, 1.3–11.5). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic compromised nursing student well-being, and theoretical and practical learning. Findings have implications for healthcare and academic staff who teach nursing students. Implementation of student-centred evidence-based strategies to manage stress, burnout and anxiety, and to sustain a healthy student cohort is essential to retain the future nursing workforce
Extreme drought impacts have been underestimated in grasslands and shrublands globally
No full textClimate change is increasing the frequency and severity of short-term (~1 y) drought events—the most common duration of drought—globally. Yet the impact of this intensification of drought on ecosystem functioning remains poorly resolved. This is due in part to the widely disparate approaches ecologists have employed to study drought, variation in the severity and duration of drought studied, and differences among ecosystems in vegetation, edaphic and climatic attributes that can mediate drought impacts. To overcome these problems and better identify the factors that modulate drought responses, we used a coordinated distributed experiment to quantify the impact of short-term drought on grassland and shrubland ecosystems. With a standardized approach, we imposed ~a single year of drought at 100 sites on six continents. Here we show that loss of a foundational ecosystem function—aboveground net primary production (ANPP)—was 60% greater at sites that experienced statistically extreme drought (1-in-100-y event) vs. those sites where drought was nominal (historically more common) in magnitude (35% vs. 21%, respectively). This reduction in a key carbon cycle process with a single year of extreme drought greatly exceeds previously reported losses for grasslands and shrublands. Our global experiment also revealed high variability in drought response but that relative reductions in ANPP were greater in drier ecosystems and those with fewer plant species. Overall, our results demonstrate with unprecedented rigor that the global impacts of projected increases in drought severity have been significantly underestimated and that drier and less diverse sites are likely to be most vulnerable to extreme drought
Toward sustainable architecture : structural analysis and energy efficiency of vertical sun control systems
No full textVertical sun control and shading devices such as louvers are essential features of modern building design. These devices are being used increasingly in the Middle Eastern region due to the extreme temperatures. These devices reduce building peak heat and cooling requirements and enhance indoor natural light. However, it is important to assess these devices so that they meet specific structural strength and serviceability criteria, because if they start to deform, discomfort for the tenants could result. Such deformation might even cause damage to parts of the building, such as the glass windows, especially if this deformation occurs repeatedly over time. An actual case study with aluminum and glass sun control devices was analyzed structurally. Aluminum devices with a twofold height curvature were made from 6-mm-thick curved tubes. They were supported by brackets at various heights with thermal expansion joints for temperature fluctuations. Aluminum devices can withstand 2.0-kPa wind loads, whereas glass fins can withstand loads of 1.8-kPa. The research assessed the induced stresses and deflections through numerical simulations using shell elements. The practical implications of this research indicate that the devices have been proven to be safe within acceptable safety standards and criteria
Numerical and analytical modeling of SPH-ECC strengthened RC beams
No full textMany studies have suggested that engineered cementitious composite (ECC) could be a highly efficient and cost-effective material for enhancing the flexural strength of reinforced concrete (RC) beams. Recently two effective retrofitting configurations using steel and polyvinyl-alcohol hybrid fiber reinforced engineered cementitious composite (SPH-ECC) were proposed (Qasim et al., Eng Struct, 2023, 284, p. 115992) and their high effectiveness for enhancing the flexural strength of RC beam was verified experimentally. However, to examine the performance of these strengthening configurations thoroughly by conducting experiments to cover practical ranges of design parameters is deemed to be too expensive and time consuming. In this study, a numerical parametric study of SPH-ECC strengthened RC beams was conducted by employing a validated finite element (FE) modeling procedure developed by the authors. The effects of four key design parameters including the compressive strength of concrete and SPH-ECC, the thickness of SPH-ECC strengthening layer and the area of reinforcement bars embedded in SPH-ECC layers on the flexural performance of the strengthened beams were studied. Parametric study results showed that the area of reinforcement bars in the SPH-ECC layers could significantly affect the flexural strength of the strengthened beams. Furthermore, in order to allow engineers to predict the flexural strength of the strengthened beams quickly, two simple but accurate analytical models were also developed for the two strengthening configurations considered. Their reliability and accuracy were then verified and confirmed by comparing with the parametric study results
Brilliant palliative care : partnering with culturally diverse communities using participatory visual methods
No full textBackground: Approximately 20% of the Northern Adelaide population are from non-English speaking backgrounds – this represents a larger community of culturally and linguistically diverse people when compared to the rest of South Australia. Palliative care benchmarking data show that people of diverse cultural backgrounds are not representative of the population. A report commissioned by Palliative Care Australia further highlights a range of barriers that hinder access to palliative care services for people of culturally diverse backgrounds. Despite the importance of culturally-appropriateness, palliative care does not always meet changing needs and preferences Palliative care for these communities is often plagued by myriad barriers and issues. Objectives: Rather than add to the discourse on all that is wrong with palliative care, this study purposely aimed to establish what constitutes brilliant palliative care for these communities. Brilliant palliative care is understood to be that which exceeds expectation, bringing joy and delight to those who experience or witness it. Design and/or Method: This qualitative study was underpinned by positive organisational scholarship and Merten’s transformative research approach. The study involved reflexive discussions with leaders of culturally and linguistically diverse communities. The focus of these discussions was video footage of palliative care in acute services, particularly that which clinicians, patients, and carers (who were not part of the aforesaid communities) deemed to be brilliant. Results: Collectively, African (8), Syrian (3),and Nepalese (7) indicated that culturally brilliant palliative care involves: respect for cultural norms, while challenging taboos; the aptitude to step in, not back; as well as engagement with pre-existing compassionate communities. Conclusion: Leveraging visual data from a previous study and working together with community leaders led to co-produced films to raise the pro-file of culturally brilliant palliative care. These were tailored for different audiences including communities themselves and disseminated via different avenues
[In Press] Pandemic risks in PPPs : comparative analysis within developing countries
No full textGlobally, Public-private partnerships (PPPs) become a widely adopted method for advancing large-scale infrastructure projects. However, the inherent uncertainties and risks associated with these projects represent a significant managerial challenge, particularly when confronted with unforeseen events such as those triggered by COVID-19. This paper aims to identify and assess risk associated with the pandemic in PPPs in developing nations through a specific form of mixed-methods research, an embedded multiple-case study, involving the PPP programs in two developing countries in Central Asia and Latin America. Through a comprehensive analysis of risk assessment (including probability, severity, and impact) and applying Kendall’s concordance and Cronbach’s alpha tests with the SPSS 26 tool, a comparative examination of these risks between the two countries is conducted. Complementary, the embedded cases were analyzed through the triangulation of project reports, governmental websites, SPV’s websites, and interviews. The findings reveal variations in risk perception and priorities, with less mature PPP programs displaying higher risk aversion and concerns regarding project disruptions; and more developed programs seeking to address short-term liquidity challenges. Risk management strategies are proposed for PPP decision-makers to face unforeseen events more effectively
[In Press] Sonographic imaging education for sonographers versus health professionals : a literature review
No full textBackground: Sonographers are tertiary qualified health professionals who acquire, measure, and interpret diagnostic ultrasound images. Ultrasound is also used by many health professionals other than sonographers. As the imaging objectives of these two groups differs, and in the interest of enhancing education, we performed a literature review. Method: Research questions drove the literature search that initially yielded >4,000 articles: subject and theme relevance checks reduced this to a final selection of 44. Based on dominant themes within articles, the final 44 were placed into 7 categories, 3 in ‘skills development’ and 4 in ‘educational methods’ domains. In each category, articles were grouped by research participant type: 1. Sonographer or 2. Health Professional, and citation frequency used to measure impact. Result: Six sonographer-focused and 16 health professional focused articles were assigned to the skills development domain. The highest impact sonographer-focused article emphasised psychomotor skills for optimal development, the highest impact health professional focused article centered on rapid image acquisition and interpretation. Six sonographer-focused and 16 health professional focused articles were assigned to the educational methods domain. The highest impact sonographer-focused article identified a limitation of high-fidelity simulators, the highest impact health professional focused article cited a limitation of education delivery. Conclusion: Different sonographic imaging skills and educational methods are used for sonographers and health professionals. Sonographers utilise a wide range of imaging skills: teaching methods should be tailored accordingly. Health professionals rely on condensed imaging skills and standardised protocols: this requires a customised approach and may be enhanced by sonographer involvement
[In Press] Asymmetries in infants' vowel perception : changes in vowel discrimination in german learning 6- and 9-month-old infants
No full textInfants’ speech perception is characterized by substantial changes during the first year of life that attune the processing mechanisms to the specific properties of the ambient language. This paper focuses on these developmental changes in vowel perception. More specifically, the emergence and potential cause of perceptual asymmetries in vowel perception are investigated by an experimental study on German 6- and 9-month-olds’ discrimination of a vowel contrast that is not phonemic in German. Results show discrimination without any asymmetry in the 6-month-olds but an asymmetrical pattern with better performance when the vowel changes from the less focal to the more focal vowel than vice versa by the 9-month-olds. The results concerning the asymmetries are compatible with the Natural Referent Framework as well as with the Native Language Magnet model. Our results foster two main conclusions. First, bi-directional testing must be mandatory when testing vowel perception. Second, when testing non-native vowel perception, the relation of the stimuli to the native language vowel system has to be considered very carefully as this system impacts the perception of non-native vowels