University of the Sunshine Coast
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Summer Saver Research Program: Qualitative and Quantitative Phase
No full textThis project that was undertaken by the QUT Business School, CitySmart, and the University of the Sunshine Coast, with the assistance of Clemenger BBDO. This report was commissioned by CitySmart on behalf of CitiPower, Powercor, United Energy, and RACV.
Quantitative phase: Online surveys were completed by key informants from 515 households.
Qualitative phase: A total of four co - design workshops were conducted in Victoria with 31 households (41 participants). The data from these workshops were deidentified, collated, reviewed and analysed by the research team.
This summary outlines the key insights we gained from both phases of this stud
Passenger Safety on Whale Watching Vessels in Australia
No full textTo date, the focus of research into risks and safety in whale watching has tended to be on the safety of the whales (or dolphins/porpoises). This paper explores the issue from the human side of the interaction and considers boat-based whale-watching passenger safety by reviewing evidence from available legal case records and legislation in Australia to better understand the risks and injuries that can occur to people in these marine wildlife tourism scenarios. A review of two legal cases and observations from media reports of whale watching incidents in other jurisdictions revealed that waves and associated violent vessel movement are responsible for serious injuries to passengers. Where there was a failure to keep a proper lookout for waves and safely adapt to changing sea conditions operators have been found negligent. Legal challenges have also been successful in cases involving inaccurate and misleading promotion and communication about the nature of the tour and associated risks, and where passengers had not received adequate safety briefings. Furthermore, signed waivers which sought to protect the tour operator from responsibilities for injuries sustained aboard were not sufficient to absolve operators from liability. Given the different cultures, languages and physical capabilities of a diverse range of international tourists interested in whale watching it is recommended that promotional materials, safety briefings and safety communications (such as warning signs) be communicated by widely used and understood symbols and in multiple languages. In addition, some screening of passengers to ascertain preexisting medical conditions and to assess their ability to participate in the voyage safely, and with understanding of safety instructions, should be undertaken prior to a vessel leaving the dock. Templates to assist operators with their responsibilities are now available from the Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Investigating How Bowel Cancer Survivors Discuss Exercise and Physical Activity Within Web-Based Discussion Forums: Qualitative Analysis
No full textBackground: Online cancer support group discussions enable patients to share their illness experience with others. The sharing of technical and emotional support information and the ability to ask for advice are some of the primary discussions shared online. People with bowel cancer can also use these forums to support each other by sharing information based on personal experiences. This type of support provides newly diagnosed patients with advice about several topics, including exercise from those who have been there. Information gathered from online discussion boards may complement the advice received by health professionals.
Objective: This study aimed to explore the nature of information related to exercise and physical activity exchanged online for cancer survivors.
Methods: A public open access bowel cancer discussion board was searched for threads containing information related to physical activity or exercise. Keywords such as exercise, physical activity, moving, walking, lifting, weights training, and resistance were used to search for threads (online conversations) related to exercise or physical activity. Only threads initiated by bowel cancer patients or survivors were included. From more than 6000 posts, the inclusion criteria yielded 75 threads for analysis. Inductive thematic analysis was conducted across all included threads.
Results: Analysis yielded 3 main themes: level of exercise competence, beneficial dimensions of exercise, and faith in the knowledge. Level of exercise competence illustrated the varying definitions of exercise that members of the forum discussed in the forum. Beneficial dimensions of exercise revealed that forum members shared both the spiritual benefits associated with exercise as well as the physical benefits or goodness that they feel exercise or physical activity provides them. Faith in the knowledge of exercise demonstrated that forum members were aware of the general benefits of exercise but felt disappointed that it did not keep the cancer at bay. However, members also had faith that exercise would keep them healthy after diagnosis and treatment.
Conclusions: The analysis revealed that people with bowel cancer discuss exercise and physical activity online and that they view exercise as having a mostly positive influence on their cancer journey. However, personal definitions of exercise became a source of conflict within the group. People with bowel cancer seeking information about exercise may benefit from participating in online support groups as it appears that there are many similar others willing to share their personal experiences with exercise. In addition, health care professionals responsible for caring for people with bowel cancer may use these findings to discuss exercise with their patients while being mindful of how they may view exercise
'A mysterious course that no one really understands': The Case for Approaching TOK, a required subject in the IB, through the history of History
No full textNo abstract available
Social media influence on tourists’ destination choice: importance of context
No full textWhile social media receive considerable scholarly attention, studies reveal mixed outcomes in relation to its influence on tourists’ destination choices. There is nonetheless a persistent perception that social media has a fundamental influence on destination choice. However, those studies that do find a social media influence are in contexts where tourists are predisposed to be influenced (the contexts were selected due to social media presence or influence). These studies also have limitations in terms of social media types, tourists and destinations. This research responds to the challenges and explores social media influence across diverse destination choice contexts. Through face-to-face interviews conducted with 39 Australian tourist decision-makers, the findings reveal that social media influence is only apparent when specific context-conditions are co-present. Instead, most destination choice contexts are likely to result in low levels of social media influence. The findings advance theory by identifying three contextual dimensions for social media influence: level of social media engagement; destination novelty or familiarity; and complexity of the planning decision. This research importantly demonstrates the need to illuminate context when conceptualising social media influence on tourists’ destination choices. Practically, destinations should utilise social media to demonstrate ease of visit planning
Can we resolve the taxonomic bias in spider venom research?
No full textThe rate of discovery of new spider species greatly exceeds the rate of spider venom characterisation, leading to an increasing number of species with unstudied venoms. However, recent advances in proteomics and genomics that enable the study of venoms from smaller species has expanded the accessible taxonomic range. Thus, although the number of unstudied spider venoms is likely to further increase, future research should focus on the characterisation of venoms and toxins from previously unstudied spider families
The impact of social capital on student wellbeing and university life satisfaction: a semester-long repeated measures study
No full textUniversity participation has increased in many countries in recent years in response to the requirement for a strong knowledge economy. While this has provided additional access opportunities, not all students enter university with the same transferrable social capital. To counter this, educational institutions could play a strategic role in the development of networks and connections that provide students with valuable information, support and a sense of belonging. This research project explored the development of social capital, and its impact upon university life satisfaction and wellbeing, within an Australian university course undertaken by all first-year students regardless of programme or discipline. A survey of students was conducted three times over one semester. The results suggested that peer-level social capital indicators of trust, social support and relatedness changed over the semester, while other social capital indicators begin high and remain stable. Bridging social capital and peer social support predicted university life satisfaction. The relationship between social capital and wellbeing was found to be more complex. In a competitive, global tertiary environment, institutions could maximise the satisfaction and success of increasingly diverse student cohorts through strategies that facilitate social capital development
Cooperation in health and wellness tourism connectivity between Thailand and Malaysia
No full textThailand and Malaysia are in a Southeast Asia Region that builds cooperative tourism promotion under the ASEAN Tourism Connectivity framework. The two countries must utilize their unique identities to build differentiation in their sales and promotion schemes but keep their coherence and co-promotion. While Thailand has paid attention to Thai herbs for physical and mind therapy, Malaysia has put its emphasis on the spa industry. Moreover, the two have introduced integration between Phuket and Langkawi to provide effective health and wellness connectivity destinations. Such cooperation will help to boost tourism connectivity within Southeast Asian countries. This paper aims to reach a clear understanding of how each country uses health and wellness tourism to attract tourists both domestically and internationally so that such cooperation and connectivity will help to promote the industry. The study identified health and wellness tourism connectivity between Thailand and Malaysia. http://travel.earth/wellness-tourism-southeast-asi
