4101 research outputs found
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Aligning factors that impact direct and online corporate communication to external premium stakeholders, to influence brands' value and reputation during change
No full textDifficulties exist for brands undergoing change when they may also be transitioning between technologically mediated communication and networking (Caughlin and Sharabi, 2013). Corporate communication trends towards a digital diet, (Brabazon, 2013) which for many Fortune 500 companies Shin, Pang and Kim (2015) suggest, primarily suits information dissemination. Others (Saffer, Sommerfeldt and Taylor, 2013) indicate digitisation is tenable in dialogue with premium stakeholders. However, as implied by the latter writers, the proposition is not limited to traditionally low accessibility of corporate leaders in larger or transnational organizations; it may be appropriated in regional or smaller to medium-sized entities (SMEs).Initially applying Grounded Theory and philosophical constructs of Constructivism, this thesis proposes tenets of a postmodern communication strategy for service and manufacturing brands. This is in an eclectic theoretical framework that maintains the content and mode of corporate accessibility and by extension, the accuracy and trustworthiness of corporate brand messages. This is achievable by a greater definition of the balance between online and network communication, establishing value and reputation while brands experience change. Challenges involve sustaining brand resonance, therefore narratives akin to change management theory, outline parameters for and of change. The narrative includes Schema Theory and Communication Theory (CT), which give boundaries for discussing resonance.Select UK, USA and CARICOM brands are examined while acknowledging cultural or phenomenological control of epistemology and communication. Evaluation of relevant theories climaxes with incorporation of Systems Theory using leadership principles, supporting scientifically sound communication strategy. Successive stages of data collection involving ethnographic preliminary primary and secondary data, followed by forty premium stakeholders in a quantitative questionnaire, set a foundation for qualitative interrogation with decision-makers. Six case studies using dyadic associations, appropriated webometrics and meaning-making reflected by Personal Construct Theory, are contextualised by Reasoned Action and Planned Behaviour Theory. With interpretivist foci, upon thematic, statistical, and content analyses together underscored by a discursive approach to findings, a theoretically and empirically justified postmodern corporate communication prototype emerges, providing sound principles for future triadic research
Effective removal of Cd2+ and Pb2+ pollutants from wastewater by dielectrophoresis-assisted adsorption
No full textDielectrophoresis (DEP) was combined with adsorption (ADS) to simultaneously and effectively remove Cd2+ and Pb2+ species from aqueous solution. To implement the process, bentonite particles of submicro-meter size were used to first adsorb the heavy metal ions. These particles were subsequently trapped and removed by DEP. The effects of the adsorbent dosage, DEP cell voltage and the capture pool numbers on the removal rate were investigated in batch processes, which allowed us to determine the optimal experimental conditions. The high removal efficiency, 97.3% and 99.9% for Cd2+ and Pb2+, respectively, were achieved when the ions are coexisting in the system. The microstructure of bentonite particles before and after ADS/DEP was examined by scanning electron microscopy. Our results suggest that the dielectrophoresis-assisted adsorption method has a high capability to remove the heavy metals from wastewater
Intangible assets disclosure and its impact on fair value in the banking sector : a comparative analysis between conventional and Islamic banks
No full textOver the last decades, due to the need for high quality financial information, the economy has generally moved from being industrial-based towards being more knowledge-based and, as a result, the intangible assets have become one of the crucial factors in promoting the value of firms. Accordingly, it can be stated that the intangible assets of the firm are the key factors for sustaining competitive advantage. Based on such awareness, the issues related to intangible assets become the focal concern for many industries, including the banking sector, as banks play an important intermediary role in the financial industry through which they transfer savings into productive investments. However, the issue of intangible assets could have more impact in the case of Islamic banks as their operations are based on Islamic financial principles that are derived from Islamic law. The reason for such expectations is that such adherence to Islamic law embeds the moral and ethical aspects in their business activities, which is considered the key intangible assets in attracting customers that wish to conduct their financial activities according to their belief. Therefore, this research aims to measure the disclosure of intangible assets and assess the impact of such disclosure on the fair value of Islamic banks compared to conventional banks. In order to fulfil the research aims, this research applies the content analysis to measure the level of intangible assets disclosure and utilises the regressions analysis to examine the impact of intangible assets disclosure on the fair value of examined banks. The research sample consists of 44 banks from the GCC region, where 22 are Islamic banks and 22 are conventional banks covering the period from 2006 to 2016. The key contribution of this study derived from bridging the existing gaps in the literature through providing empirical evidences that suggest that Islamic banks disclose higher level of intangible assets compared to conventional banks. The research outcomes, further, confirm that the disclosure of intangible assets has a positive and significant impact on fair value of the examined banks. In addition, this study empirically confirms that the extent of association between the disclosure of intangible assets and fair value is higher in the case of Islamic banks compared to conventional banks in the GCC region during the examined period. Accordingly, it can be stated that the outcomes of this research are consistent with the developed hypotheses and discussion of the theoretical framework. Therefore, it can be argued that this research study has been successful in achieving the research aims and objectives
Triboelectric nanogenerator-based self-powered resonant sensor for non-destructive defect detection.
No full textA triboelectric nanogenerator-based self-powered resonant sensor is proposed and investigated. By integrating an inductor and a microswitch with a triboelectric nanogenerator, a new type triboelectric nanogenerator is obtained, the pulse voltage output is converted to an oscillating signal with a very stable modulated resonant frequency, immune to the cross disturbance of contact-related variation (force, frequency, distance) and environmental variation, such as humidity and temperature. This is utilized for non-destructive defect detection. When the coil inductor scans the surface of a specimen with defects, varying resonant frequencies are obtained for different types of defects, showing excellent consistency between the experimental and simulated results. The results demonstrate the potential of the self-powered TENG-based resonant sensor to be a highly stable and sensitive magnetic sensor for the non-destructive defect detection applications
Spiraling in the Classroom
No full textJerome Bruner the American Psychologist proposed the spiral curriculum which has been widely adopted in schools throughout the world. The presenter has applied this principle to the one-to-one teaching situation over many years. This workshop asks, and partially answers, the question 'can this one-to-one tutoring method be extended to become an effective classroom teaching strategy, and if so, how?
Enabling peer to peer energy trading in virtual microgrids with LP-WAN
No full textThe increasing interest in distributed energy generation from renewable sources is enabling traditional energy consumers to become active energy producers. They can be formed into virtual clusters for easier management and to reduce costs; the virtual clusters are usually referred to as virtual microgrids (VMG). The VMGs are coordinated by energy trading agents (ETA), a communication hardware or software, which coordinates a population of prosumers of a certain size. We examine the case when prosumers communicate within VMGs via low-power wide area network (LP-WAN) technologies, such as LoRaWAN, whose spreading factor (SF) property affects the coverage distance and, consequently, the size of the served population of prosumers. The SF property enables the transformation of VMGs into dynamic schemes (i.e. varying number of prosumers are seen per trading period). Based on this formulation, we propose two energy trading cost models: one for the energy and one for the LoRaWAN communication system. Results show that the optimal techniques prescribed in this study can reduce energy trading cost by 52% and energy consumption for the LoRaWAN system by up to 45%. Lastly, we formulate a closed form relationship to demonstrate that bit energy decays with increasing distance for varying SF values
Stakeholder perspectives of compassion in nursing: The development of the compassion strengths model
No full textAIMS:To explore stakeholder perspectives of compassion in nursing.BACKGROUND:Studies show that nurses' compassion can be characterized by 11 characteristics. A growing body of research illustrates how courses aimed at teaching nursing students about compassion can be effective. Including the views of key stakeholders in the design of these programmes is recommended, yet the number of studies that have explored this are limited.DESIGN:This study used a qualitative exploratory design, applying a directed content and thematic analysis to the data.METHODS:Key stakeholders (N = 34), including nurse educators, nursing students, registered nurses and service user/patients, were recruited between September 2016 - July 2017. Focus groups and semi-structured one-to-one interviews were conducted. Data were transcribed verbatim. Directed content analysis and thematic analysis were applied to transcripts to address two separate research questions.RESULTS:In relation to question 1, 'What are the characteristics of a compassionate nurse'? eight themes: (a) character; (b) self-care; (c) connection; (d) empathy; (e) interpersonal skills; (f) communication; (g) competence; and (h) engagement, emerged from the content analysis. For question 2, 'How can compassion be taught to nursing students'? there were five separate themes that emerged from the thematic analysis: (a) beliefs about teaching compassion; (b) motivation; (c) the 5 W's needed to teach compassion to nursing students; (d) barriers to compassion in practice; and (e) compassion requires strength CONCLUSION: The findings of this research support previous research into compassion in nursing. The Compassion Strengths model may serve as a framework for nursing students and nurses' compassionate practice. This may also assist nurses internationally to develop further research in this vital area
Adaptable, Edible, Oedipal? The His-Story of Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and its Adaptations
No full textThis article explores the two film adaptations of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Mel Stuart’s 1971 Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and Tim Burton’s (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Warner Bros., Burbank, CA, 2005). It champions Robert Stam’s approach to adaptation, which looks at the way a text positions itself in relation to earlier texts in the light of the surrounding cultural environment, arguing that this is a more flexible and “adaptable” approach than earlier favoured models, such as Geoffrey Wagner’s influential tripartite approach. It is argued that these adaptations, despite some attempts at political correctness (especially regarding the Oompa-Loompas) have been at the expense of the feminine, which has been marginalised
The influence of virtual reality exposure on social and phobic behaviours
No full textBackground: For decades, researchers and therapists have attempted to utilize virtual reality (VR) technologies for therapeutic use, most notably for treatments regarding specific phobias and anxiety disorders, but implementation of VR-based therapies was largely held back due to factors such as cost, accessibility, and technological limitations. Modern VR, however, appears to address many of the issues from older VR models, making the technological medium more affordable, accessible, and powerful than any previous VR iteration. While modern VR was largely designed for entertainment purposes, the features inherent in modern VR systems, such as online storefronts, stereoscopic displays, and tracking capabilities, may prove to be invaluable to advancing the implementation and delivery of VR-based therapies.Objective: The aim of this thesis was to evaluate the influence of repeated VR exposure on both phobic and social behaviours to inform the development of a self-directed VR exposure therapy (VRET) procedure that appropriates VR programs that were not specifically designed for therapeutic purposes, such as VR games, for therapeutic purposes.Methodology: A systematic review and three experimental studies were conducted as part of the present thesis. The systematic review examined a total of 88 studies obtained through multiple databases, with findings from the review serving to inform the efficacy of VRET, application of VR technology in therapeutic and experimental settings, and the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing VR technologies.The first experimental study (N = 3) was a case study that examined the effectiveness of a self-directed VRET in which patients were randomly assigned to either a Pure Self-Help (PSH), Guided Self-Help (GSH), or Waiting List group. Both PSH and GSH patients were allotted up to 12 1-hour treatment sessions, with the only difference between the groups being the amount of interaction with the lead experimenter during the treatment sessions. The second experimental study (N = 21) sought to examine the influence of repeated VR gaming on cyberaggression, with participants being randomly assigned to either a Violent, Non-Violent, or No Game group. Participants in the Violent and Non-Violent group played a selection of three games related to their group category over the course of six weekly sessions, with measures for aggression being conducted through questionnaires and a YouTube commenting task. Lastly, the third experimental study (N = 20) was conducted to reinforce findings from the second study by evaluating potential changes in prosocial behaviours. Participants were randomly assigned to either a Violent Competitive or Non-Violent Cooperative group, each playing a single game over the course of two weekly sessions, and prosocial behaviours were measured via a questionnaire.Results: Findings from the first experimental study showed promise towards the effectiveness of self directed VRET, but with a few caveats. While both the PSH and GSH patients experienced improvements at the post-treatment phase, the PSH patient was still within the clinical average across each measure for acrophobia. Objective measures such as heart rate and self-report questionnaires did not appear to indicate significant improvement for the PSH patient, but the patient believed significant improvement had been made during post-treatment and 6-month follow-up interviews. As for the experimental studies regarding VR gaming’s influence on aggression and prosocial behaviours, there were no significant differences in behaviours between each group.Contribution to Knowledge: The present thesis has created a foundation to build a self-directed VRET procedure by appropriating non-therapeutic VR applications for therapeutic use, while also demonstrating that while repeated exposure to VR experiences can reduce acrophobia-related fear and anxiety, it cannot amplify or diminish the individual’s aggression and prosocial behaviours, respectively
Biopolymer blends from hardwood lignin and bio-polyamides: Compatibility and miscibility
No full textThe compatability of hardwood lignin (TcA)/bio-polyamide (PA) blends, prepared by melt compounding TcA with three different biobased polyamides, PA 1012, PA 1010 and PA 11 in a twin screw extruder have been studied. FTIR studies indicated the existence of physicochemical interactions between the TcA and polyamide. The melting temperatures of the blends were significantly reduced compared to the respective neat polyamides, which was attributed to the enhanced compatibility between the two components. The compatibility was also attributed to the increased glass transition (Tg) of the polyamide. Thermogravimetric studies, while not indicating any interaction during the processing stage, suggested that there was some during the thermal degradation stage, which assisted formation of carbonaceous residue. The addition of each polyamide to TcA considerably reduced its viscosity and enhanced its processability even at high lignin contents. Morphological analysis showed that heterogeneity for all the blends was quite uniform, although TcA domain sizes were considerably smaller (~ 0.5 μm) in the PA11 matrix compared to those in PA1010 and PA1012, suggesting better compatibility in the TcA/PA11 blends. This observation was consistent with the thermodynamic Gibbs’ free enery values of the respective blends. Overall, the order of blend compatibility was TcA/PA11 > TcA/PA1010 > TcA/PA1012