University of the Sunshine Coast
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Female franchisees; a lost opportunity for franchising sector growth?
No full textThe purpose of this study is to investigate why female franchisees are under-represented in franchise ownership. A qualitative approach was adopted using a collective, instrumental case study of 30 female franchisees. A number of different types of influences were identified in the literature and then elucidated and assessed. It was found that push and pull factors, work–family life balance, franchising sector characteristics and external influences act as variable incentives and disincentives among female franchisees’ selection of the franchise business model with different levels of risk-taking propensity. The marketing efforts of franchises would be more effective if the way in which the identified influences that impinge on the selection of the franchise business model informed the prospecting of potential female franchisees. A further need is identified for franchises to adjust their recruitment programmes to reflect the variable effect of incentives and disincentives at different levels of capital investment. Limited research specifically examines the selection of the franchise business model by female franchisees with various levels of risktaking propensity and identifies the nature of influences that act as incentives and/or disincentives on that selection decision
White-collar crime
No full textWhat is crime? How much crime is there in our community? Why do people offend? How do we prevent crime? The text is written by leading Australian criminologists and aims to answer these questions.
This book is for university students (particularly suited to first-year students) and others interested in crime to the fields of criminology and criminal justice. Each chapter is written by one or more of Australia’s most widely respected authorities on criminology, lending this collection legitimacy and currency.
The contributors to this volume guide readers through contemporary research on crime and criminality from Australia and overseas. The large majority of chapters do not simply summarise current knowledge but include data from the authors’ original research, as well as offering distinctive insights and policy recommendations.
The content in the text is a blend of Australian and international research, content and context.
This text can be delivered via Revel, offering an interactive learning experience available on all devices. Revel is an additional cost and not included in the book's price. [Book Synopsis
Thirty‐day readmission, length of stay and self‐management behavior among patients with acute coronary syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus: a scoping review
No full textAims and Objectives:
To summarize the current evidence on comorbid type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) related to 30‐day readmission and hospital length of stay (LOS) among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and evidence on the effectiveness of self‐management programs for patients with both conditions.
Background:
ACS and T2DM remain two major diseases leading to serious consequences.
Thirty‐day readmission and LOS were considered indicators of the quality of care, with the understanding that the potential significant effects of these outcomes could be varied.
Design:
This scoping review followed the methodology described by Arksey and O’Malley.
Methods:
Five databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and CINAHL were searched, and a total of 20 articles involving 913807 patients were included. Results were reported in accordance with PRISMA‐ScR guidelines.
Results:
The results indicated that patients with both ACS and T2DM have prolonged LOS and increased 30‐day readmission rates. The findings supported that improvements in patient self‐management behavior for optimal health outcomes was partially successful by effective self‐management programs; however, few articles on intervention programs specifically designed for patients with two conditions were found.
Conclusion:
Prolonged LOS and increased 30‐day readmission rates are found among patients with ACS and T2DM. Base on few pilot studies building on each other, the effectiveness of self‐management programs in promoting self‐care behavior, self‐efficacy and knowledge for patients with ACS and T2DM cannot be concluded.
Relevance to clinical practice:
Findings from this review provide valuable information on and a better understanding of readmissions and LOS among patients with ACS and T2DM for healthcare providers. Future developments and implementations of effective self‐management programs should target patients with dual diagnoses to improve health behavior and reduce readmission and LOS
Effect of Fe addition on properties of Ti–6Al-xFe manufactured by blended elemental process
No full textThe mechanical properties of titanium alloys produced by powder metallurgy (PM) are dependent on the amount of porosity within the fabricated component. The space between powder particles and the behaviour of alloying elements during sintering contribute to the formation of pores. Iron (Fe) is well known to be a cost-effective alloying element for titanium alloys which acts to stabilise the β-phase. This study aims to investigate the effects of Fe addition on the sintering response of titanium alloys containing aluminium. Ti–6Al-xFe(x = 1, 3, and 5 wt. %) alloy systems were manufactured by press and sinter PM from blended-elemental powders. The density, mechanical properties, microstructures and pore distribution in the sintered parts were evaluated. The compressive strength of the alloys was positively correlated to the levels of Fe. Grain boundary and solid solution strengthening accounted for the strength improvements. Furthermore, Ti–6Al–3Fe exhibited the highest strength/modulus ratio. Evaluation of the pore distributions revealed that the number of fine pores was reduced significantly as the amount of Fe was increased, though concomitantly the number of larger pores increased. It is argued that the increasing number of larger pores with higher levels of Fe is due to coalescence of fine Kirkendall porosity during the latter stages of sintering. With excessive iron additions, large pores counteract any beneficial impacts on the sintering response. It is suggested to limit the amount of Fe additions to around 3 wt.% to reduce adverse effects from large pores and to maximise the strength/modulus ratio
Evaluation of construct and criterion-referenced validity of a systems-thinking based near miss reporting form
No full textThe validity of methods is an ongoing issue in ergonomics. Inconsistent definitions and approaches to evaluation exacerbate this challenge. In this study, the construct and criterion-referenced validity of a new near miss reporting form was evaluated to determine the extent to which it comprehensively captures near miss incidents and is aligned with the systems thinking approach to accident causation. Interview data was used as the reference standard in the evaluation. Using signal detection theory, a high average hit rate, predictive value, and sensitivity index were found, with an almost perfect ranking for the Index of Concordance. The findings show that the reporting form has strong construct and criterion-referenced validity. It is proposed that the approach used in this study could be used by researchers and practitioners when testing the validity of incident data collection tools.Practitioner Summary: The validity of methods is a key issue in ergonomics. In this study we test the validity of a near miss reporting form using interview data as a standard. This approach could be used by practitioners when testing the validity of other ergonomics methods
Low redundancy and complementarity shape ecosystem functioning in a low‐diversity ecosystem
No full text1.Ecosystem functioning is positively linked to biodiversity on land and in the sea. In high diversity systems (e.g. coral reefs), species coexist by sharing resources and providing similar functions at different temporal or spatial scales. How species combine to deliver the ecological function they provide is pivotal for maintaining the structure, functioning and resilience of some ecosystems, but the significance of this is rarely examined in low‐diversity systems such as estuaries.
2.We tested whether an ecological function is shaped by biodiversity in a low‐diversity ecosystem by measuring the consumption of carrion by estuarine scavengers. Carrion (e.g. decaying animal flesh) is opportunistically fed on by a large number of species across numerous ecosystems. Estuaries were chosen as the model system because carrion consumption is a pivotal ecological function in coastal seascapes, and estuaries are thought to support diverse scavenger assemblages, which are modified by changes in water quality and the urbanisation of estuarine shorelines.
3.We used baited underwater video arrays to record scavengers and measure the rate at which carrion was consumed by fish in 39 estuaries across 1,000 km of coastline in eastern Australia.
4.Carrion consumption was positively correlated with the abundance of only one species, yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis), which consumed 58% of all deployed carrion. The consumption of carrion by yellowfin bream was greatest in urban estuaries with moderately hardened shorelines (20%–60%) and relatively large subtidal rock bars (> 0.1 km2).
5.Our findings demonstrate that an ecological function can be maintained across estuarine seascapes despite both limited redundancy (i.e. dominated by one species) and complementarity (i.e. there is no spatial context where the function is delivered significantly when yellowfin bream are not present) in the functional traits of animal assemblages. The continued functioning of estuaries, and other low‐diversity ecosystems, might therefore not be tightly linked to biodiversity, and we suggest that the preservation of functionally dominant species that maintain functions in these systems could help to improve conservation outcomes for coastal seascapes
3D Imaging Insights into Forests and Coral Reefs
No full textForests and coral reefs are structurally complex ecosystems threatened by climate change. In situ 3D imaging measurements provide unprecedented, quantitative, and detailed structural information that allows testing of hypotheses relating form to function. This affords new insights into both individual organisms and their relationship to their surroundings and neighbours
A systems thinking perspective on the barriers to treatment access for people with eating disorders
No full textTreatment access remains low for people with eating disorders. In addressing the complexity inherent in this challenge, this article introduces systems thinking and argues that it could provide new insights. Systems thinking views behavior as an emergent property of a system and considers the relationships between technical, organizational, and social components. Several methods used in safety science incorporate this thinking. For example, AcciMap draws focus to the influence of decisions and actions made across hierarchical levels of a system, including those by government, regulatory bodies, management, services, and individuals. By examining the findings of the existing literature on barriers to eating disorder treatment access according to these levels, it is evident that most identified barriers relate to individuals and that further research is needed to consider the influence of high-level stakeholders. Research using systems thinking should consider the causal networks of influence from government, regulatory, and organizational decisions and actions through to outcomes for clinicians and individuals. The understanding of how barriers operate within specific healthcare systems also warrants investigation. Systems thinking is yet to be formally applied in the area of eating disorders and thus represents an opportunity to inform the development and implementation of more effective, system wide interventions
Activation of Homogeneous Precursors for Formation of Uniform and Refined α Precipitates in a High-strength β-Ti Alloy
No full textThe influence of heating rates and interrupted aging treatments on α precipitation in the β-quenched Ti-6Cr-5Mo-5V-4Al alloy have been investigated. Microstructure observations reveal that slow heating rates and low temperature pre-aging produce much refined and uniform distributions of intragranular α precipitates in comparison to aging using fast heating rates at a high temperature only. For interrupted aging treatments, the nucleation rate and refinement of α are gradually enhanced with increasing pre-aging time, but this is dependent on the final aging temperature: at high final aging temperatures, the distribution of α precipitates is similar to single aging at the same temperature. The kinetics of phase transformation were analyzed by thermal mechanical analysis (TMA) under the framework of the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami (JMA) theory. Coupled with microstructural observations, it is suggested that epitaxial growth of pre-existing α phase formed during heating to the aging temperature is the governing mechanism under slow heating rate conditions, while for interrupted aging treatments, the mechanism for intergranular α precipitation is consistent with that of fast heating rate single temperature aging treatments. For interrupted aging, the formation of uniform and refined α precipitates essentially relies on activation of homogeneous precursors associated with chemical partitioning and structural modulation which provide a strong driving force for nucleation of α
A qualitative exploration of apprehended women’s experience of drink driving events
No full textBackground: In Australia, drink driving remains a serious road safety issue. The few studies that have addressed drink driving behaviour amongst women often focus on aggregated statistical comparisons to men or view the concept of drink driving as part of broader criminological behaviour. In contrast, scant research has directly focused on convicted female drink drivers. The aim of this study was to explore the factors that contribute to drink driving in a cohort of women convicted for drink driving and examine why these women were unsuccessful in mitigating the risk of engaging in drink driving behaviour. Method: The study thematically analysed the narratives of 14 women who had been apprehended and subsequently convicted of a drink driving offence in the state of Queensland (Australia). All participants were recruited by way of their attendance at a drink driving education program. Results: Overall examination of participants’ narratives revealed drink driving behaviour derived from a complex set of processes including taking a risk, using alcohol to self-medicate and alleviate psychological distress, basing the decision to drive on subjective assessment, and past engagement in drink driving behaviour and punishment avoidance. Underpinning these themes was the participants lack of awareness about the increasing risks associated with their alcohol consumption levels, with cognisance only being achieved after apprehension. Conclusion: These findings add to the limited research addressing drink driving behaviour among women and highlight important factors to explain why women are increasingly engaging in this risky behaviour