Using the theory of planned behaviour to explain junior nurses' and final-year student nurses' intention to care for COVID-19 patients in China : a multisite cross-sectional study
- Zhong, Yaping, Zhao, Huan, Wang, Xiaolei, Ji, Ji
- Authors: Zhong, Yaping , Zhao, Huan , Wang, Xiaolei , Ji, Ji
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Nursing Management Vol. 30, no. 7 (2022), p. 2259-2267
- Full Text:
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- Description: Aim: To explore junior nurses' and final-year student nurses' intention to care for COVID-19 patients amidst the Delta COVID-19 variant outbreak in China using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as a framework. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified global nursing shortage. Junior nurses and final-year student nurses represent the backbone of the future frontline nursing workforce. The TPB is a valid theoretical model for predicting nurses' caring behaviours. Methods: A 47-item self-administered questionnaire was disseminated online to a convenience sample of 547 junior nurses and final-year student nurses located in 13 regions across mainland China. Results: Approximately 63.4% of the participants intended to care for COVID-19 patients voluntarily and 65.6% by non-voluntary assignment. The TPB model significantly predicted 45% of the variance in behavioural intention, subjective norms being the strongest predictor. Gender, vaccination status and ethical perceptions regarding frontline work significantly correlated with the intention to provide care. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of social, organisational and family support underpinning future junior nurses' professional commitment in times of public health crisis. Implications for nursing management: Pandemic-tailored workplace training programmes for nurses/student nurses that emphasize on self-care and ethical issue discussions are warranted. Hospital managers should collaborate with community partners to offer additional family support for nurses in need. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
- Authors: Zhong, Yaping , Zhao, Huan , Wang, Xiaolei , Ji, Ji
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Nursing Management Vol. 30, no. 7 (2022), p. 2259-2267
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Aim: To explore junior nurses' and final-year student nurses' intention to care for COVID-19 patients amidst the Delta COVID-19 variant outbreak in China using the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) as a framework. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified global nursing shortage. Junior nurses and final-year student nurses represent the backbone of the future frontline nursing workforce. The TPB is a valid theoretical model for predicting nurses' caring behaviours. Methods: A 47-item self-administered questionnaire was disseminated online to a convenience sample of 547 junior nurses and final-year student nurses located in 13 regions across mainland China. Results: Approximately 63.4% of the participants intended to care for COVID-19 patients voluntarily and 65.6% by non-voluntary assignment. The TPB model significantly predicted 45% of the variance in behavioural intention, subjective norms being the strongest predictor. Gender, vaccination status and ethical perceptions regarding frontline work significantly correlated with the intention to provide care. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of social, organisational and family support underpinning future junior nurses' professional commitment in times of public health crisis. Implications for nursing management: Pandemic-tailored workplace training programmes for nurses/student nurses that emphasize on self-care and ethical issue discussions are warranted. Hospital managers should collaborate with community partners to offer additional family support for nurses in need. © 2022 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
The development of a competency assessment standard for general practitioners in China
- Rao, Xin, Lai, Jinming, Wu, Hua, Li, Yang, Xu, Xingzhi, Browning, Colette, Thomas, Shane
- Authors: Rao, Xin , Lai, Jinming , Wu, Hua , Li, Yang , Xu, Xingzhi , Browning, Colette , Thomas, Shane
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 8, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper describes the development of a competency assessment standard for General Practitioners in Shenzhen, China. The standard is to be used for developing and delivering the training curriculum for General Practitioners and to enable rigorous assessment of the mastery of the standards by GP trainees. The requirement for the training of General Practitioners in China is mandated by government policy requires an international standard curriculum to meet the needs of patients and the community. A modified Delphi process was employed to arrive at a curriculum consensus. An expert panel and 14 expert working groups derived from the expert panel were established to review and evaluate national and international competency standards for General Practice and develop a set of standards, through a modified Delphi methodology. Forty three experts were involved in the project. The project resulted in a detailed curriculum statement. The curriculum was then used in 2017 and 2018 where pilot examinations of GP trainees (n = 298 and n = 315, respectively) were conducted to assess the trainee's competencies against the Standards. The examination included two modules, a written test (Module A) and a practical test (Module B). The success rate for participants was relatively low with the majority not successfully completing the assessments. The assessments will be further refined in subsequent work. The project achieved its goal of developing a rigorously evaluated standard to support clinical practice and the training and assessment of GPs. © Copyright © 2020 Rao, Lai, Wu, Li, Xu, Browning and Thomas.
- Authors: Rao, Xin , Lai, Jinming , Wu, Hua , Li, Yang , Xu, Xingzhi , Browning, Colette , Thomas, Shane
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 8, no. (2020), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper describes the development of a competency assessment standard for General Practitioners in Shenzhen, China. The standard is to be used for developing and delivering the training curriculum for General Practitioners and to enable rigorous assessment of the mastery of the standards by GP trainees. The requirement for the training of General Practitioners in China is mandated by government policy requires an international standard curriculum to meet the needs of patients and the community. A modified Delphi process was employed to arrive at a curriculum consensus. An expert panel and 14 expert working groups derived from the expert panel were established to review and evaluate national and international competency standards for General Practice and develop a set of standards, through a modified Delphi methodology. Forty three experts were involved in the project. The project resulted in a detailed curriculum statement. The curriculum was then used in 2017 and 2018 where pilot examinations of GP trainees (n = 298 and n = 315, respectively) were conducted to assess the trainee's competencies against the Standards. The examination included two modules, a written test (Module A) and a practical test (Module B). The success rate for participants was relatively low with the majority not successfully completing the assessments. The assessments will be further refined in subsequent work. The project achieved its goal of developing a rigorously evaluated standard to support clinical practice and the training and assessment of GPs. © Copyright © 2020 Rao, Lai, Wu, Li, Xu, Browning and Thomas.
Food, eating, and happy aging : the perceptions of older Chinese people
- Browning, Colette, Qiu, Zeqi, Yang, Hui, Zhang, Touhong, Thomas, Shane
- Authors: Browning, Colette , Qiu, Zeqi , Yang, Hui , Zhang, Touhong , Thomas, Shane
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 7, no. APR (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: China's government and its people have for a long time focused on food security for its population as one of the most important issues in economic and social development. Many older people in China have lived in times when food security was not stable. Thus, while food has a central position in Chinese culture for all Chinese people, it is of particular pertinence to older people. In this paper we explore the meaning of food and eating in the lives of older Chinese people in China and how it contributes to healthy, thus happy aging. Focus groups and qualitative interviews were used in this study. Participants were recruited from the rural Yongfu Province of Southwest China, and the urban Fangzhuang and Haidan districts in Beijing. Forty-two participants were recruited aged 62-83 years of age. All focus groups and interviews were conducted in Mandarin and audiotaped with the participants' permission. Audio-tapes were transcribed by a Chinese speaking researcher and then were translated into English. Data were analyzed continuously and comparatively, transcripts were coded, and themes and sub-themes were identified. The initial analysis and interpretation were then presented and discussed at a workshop with all the authors. Two major themes emerged-the quantity of food and the quality of food required to have a happy old age. Participants discussed the desire to eat "until you are full" because of their experiences of famine during childhood. However, they also believed that as an older person they should eat less for their health, particularly less high fat foods. The importance of the food quality and food affordability was also discussed. Grain and meat were characterized as "good" foods and important in their diets for a happy old age. The participants, especially those from urban areas, were concerned with food safety. The high cultural importance of food for older Chinese in China was confirmed in this study. Social and economic lifespan experiences continue to impact on the food and eating attitudes and practices of older Chinese. The food related life experiences of older Chinese in China are quite different from younger Chinese and health promotion messaging needs to be informed by these unique perspectives in order to maximize its effectiveness. © 2019 Browning, Qiu, Yang, Zhang and Thomas.
- Authors: Browning, Colette , Qiu, Zeqi , Yang, Hui , Zhang, Touhong , Thomas, Shane
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 7, no. APR (2019), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: China's government and its people have for a long time focused on food security for its population as one of the most important issues in economic and social development. Many older people in China have lived in times when food security was not stable. Thus, while food has a central position in Chinese culture for all Chinese people, it is of particular pertinence to older people. In this paper we explore the meaning of food and eating in the lives of older Chinese people in China and how it contributes to healthy, thus happy aging. Focus groups and qualitative interviews were used in this study. Participants were recruited from the rural Yongfu Province of Southwest China, and the urban Fangzhuang and Haidan districts in Beijing. Forty-two participants were recruited aged 62-83 years of age. All focus groups and interviews were conducted in Mandarin and audiotaped with the participants' permission. Audio-tapes were transcribed by a Chinese speaking researcher and then were translated into English. Data were analyzed continuously and comparatively, transcripts were coded, and themes and sub-themes were identified. The initial analysis and interpretation were then presented and discussed at a workshop with all the authors. Two major themes emerged-the quantity of food and the quality of food required to have a happy old age. Participants discussed the desire to eat "until you are full" because of their experiences of famine during childhood. However, they also believed that as an older person they should eat less for their health, particularly less high fat foods. The importance of the food quality and food affordability was also discussed. Grain and meat were characterized as "good" foods and important in their diets for a happy old age. The participants, especially those from urban areas, were concerned with food safety. The high cultural importance of food for older Chinese in China was confirmed in this study. Social and economic lifespan experiences continue to impact on the food and eating attitudes and practices of older Chinese. The food related life experiences of older Chinese in China are quite different from younger Chinese and health promotion messaging needs to be informed by these unique perspectives in order to maximize its effectiveness. © 2019 Browning, Qiu, Yang, Zhang and Thomas.
Non-communicable diseases and cognitive impairment : pathways and shared behavioral risk factors among older Chinese
- Yiengprugsawan, Vasoontara, Browning, Colette
- Authors: Yiengprugsawan, Vasoontara , Browning, Colette
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 7, no. (Oct 2019), p. 7
- Full Text:
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- Description: Population aging has brought about a number of challenges to public health and primary health care systems due to increases in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). As a country with one of the largest populations globally, China is confronting a rising number of chronic NCDs including cardiometabolic related conditions. This mini-review investigates the link between NCDs and cognitive impairment through common risk factors. Identifying risk factors is important for the prevention and management of these chronic conditions. In addition, this review also identifies the role of primary health care services in reducing behavioral risk factors for NCDs and cognitive impairment. Addressing shared determinants and pathways is important in the design of public health interventions and primary health care services in China. Monitoring and management of NCD biomarkers and behavioral risk factors may also be beneficial for cognitive health among older Chinese.
- Authors: Yiengprugsawan, Vasoontara , Browning, Colette
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 7, no. (Oct 2019), p. 7
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Population aging has brought about a number of challenges to public health and primary health care systems due to increases in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). As a country with one of the largest populations globally, China is confronting a rising number of chronic NCDs including cardiometabolic related conditions. This mini-review investigates the link between NCDs and cognitive impairment through common risk factors. Identifying risk factors is important for the prevention and management of these chronic conditions. In addition, this review also identifies the role of primary health care services in reducing behavioral risk factors for NCDs and cognitive impairment. Addressing shared determinants and pathways is important in the design of public health interventions and primary health care services in China. Monitoring and management of NCD biomarkers and behavioral risk factors may also be beneficial for cognitive health among older Chinese.
Perspectives on the training of Chinese Primary Health Care Physicians to reduce chronic illnesses and their burden
- Sun, Wenmin, Li, Yang, Hu, Yitting, Rao, Xin, Xu, Xingzhi, Browning, Colette, Thomas, Shane
- Authors: Sun, Wenmin , Li, Yang , Hu, Yitting , Rao, Xin , Xu, Xingzhi , Browning, Colette , Thomas, Shane
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 7, no. (2019), p. 1-7
- Full Text:
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- Description: This paper is a commentary on the training of Chinese Primary Health Care Doctors to reduce chronic illness and its burden. First, we will consider the policy position of the Chinese government concerning the development of a competent and enlarged primary physician workforce to deliver the proposed primary health care system reforms. We then turn to a review of the drivers of the high burden of chronic illnesses especially in older people in China. We argue that the curriculum for the training of primary health care medical practitioners should match the demonstrated high prevalence chronic illnesses and their risk factors and that there needs to specific competencies in prevention and mitigation of the diseases and their risk factors.
- Authors: Sun, Wenmin , Li, Yang , Hu, Yitting , Rao, Xin , Xu, Xingzhi , Browning, Colette , Thomas, Shane
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 7, no. (2019), p. 1-7
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper is a commentary on the training of Chinese Primary Health Care Doctors to reduce chronic illness and its burden. First, we will consider the policy position of the Chinese government concerning the development of a competent and enlarged primary physician workforce to deliver the proposed primary health care system reforms. We then turn to a review of the drivers of the high burden of chronic illnesses especially in older people in China. We argue that the curriculum for the training of primary health care medical practitioners should match the demonstrated high prevalence chronic illnesses and their risk factors and that there needs to specific competencies in prevention and mitigation of the diseases and their risk factors.
Effect of a health coach intervention for the management of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus in China : a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial
- Chapman, Anna, Browning, Colette, Enticott, Joanne, Yang, Hui, Liu, Shuo, Zhang, Tuohong, Thomas, Shane
- Authors: Chapman, Anna , Browning, Colette , Enticott, Joanne , Yang, Hui , Liu, Shuo , Zhang, Tuohong , Thomas, Shane
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 6, (2018)
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- Description: Aim: To determine the effect of a health coach intervention for the management of glycemic control, as well as physiological, psychological and self-care outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), compared with usual care. Methods:This pragmatic cluster RCT was conducted in the Fengtai district of Beijing from August 2011 to December 2013. Forty-one community health stations (CHSs) were cluster randomized (stratified geographically, 1:1 ratio) and eligible, randomly selected T2DM patients were sequentially contacted by CHSs. Control participants received usual care according to the Chinese Guideline for Diabetes Prevention and Management. Intervention participants received 18-months of health coaching based on principles of Motivational Interviewing (MI) plus usual care. Medical and pathology fees were waived for both groups. Outcome assessment was performed at baseline, 6, 12, and 18-months. The primary outcome was glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c); secondary outcomes encompassed a suite of physiological, psychological and self-care measures. Results:No differential treatment effect was found at 18-months for HbA1c (adj. difference -0.07, 95% CI -0.53 to 0.39, p = 0.769) or any specified secondary outcomes. Interestingly, both groups displayed a statistically and clinically significant within-group improvement of the same magnitude at 18-months for HbA1c (intervention: mean change -3.65, 95% CI -3.92 to -3.37; control: mean change -3.38, 95% CI -3.67 to -3.08). Conclusions:The lack of differential treatment effects observed indicate that it may be premature to recommend the routine delivery of health coach interventions based on MI principles for the management of T2DM in China. However, the large, comparable within-group improvement in mean HbA1c promotes the establishment of free, regular clinical health assessments for individuals with T2DM in China. © 2018 Chapman, Browning, Enticott, Yang, Liu, Zhang and Thomas.
- Authors: Chapman, Anna , Browning, Colette , Enticott, Joanne , Yang, Hui , Liu, Shuo , Zhang, Tuohong , Thomas, Shane
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Frontiers in Public Health Vol. 6, (2018)
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Aim: To determine the effect of a health coach intervention for the management of glycemic control, as well as physiological, psychological and self-care outcomes of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), compared with usual care. Methods:This pragmatic cluster RCT was conducted in the Fengtai district of Beijing from August 2011 to December 2013. Forty-one community health stations (CHSs) were cluster randomized (stratified geographically, 1:1 ratio) and eligible, randomly selected T2DM patients were sequentially contacted by CHSs. Control participants received usual care according to the Chinese Guideline for Diabetes Prevention and Management. Intervention participants received 18-months of health coaching based on principles of Motivational Interviewing (MI) plus usual care. Medical and pathology fees were waived for both groups. Outcome assessment was performed at baseline, 6, 12, and 18-months. The primary outcome was glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c); secondary outcomes encompassed a suite of physiological, psychological and self-care measures. Results:No differential treatment effect was found at 18-months for HbA1c (adj. difference -0.07, 95% CI -0.53 to 0.39, p = 0.769) or any specified secondary outcomes. Interestingly, both groups displayed a statistically and clinically significant within-group improvement of the same magnitude at 18-months for HbA1c (intervention: mean change -3.65, 95% CI -3.92 to -3.37; control: mean change -3.38, 95% CI -3.67 to -3.08). Conclusions:The lack of differential treatment effects observed indicate that it may be premature to recommend the routine delivery of health coach interventions based on MI principles for the management of T2DM in China. However, the large, comparable within-group improvement in mean HbA1c promotes the establishment of free, regular clinical health assessments for individuals with T2DM in China. © 2018 Chapman, Browning, Enticott, Yang, Liu, Zhang and Thomas.
Modeling Chinese inbound tourism arrivals into Christchurch
- Authors: Fieger, Peter , Rice, John
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: e-Review of Tourism Research Vol. 15, no. 4-5 (2018), p. 404-414
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- Description: New data and modeling approaches are improving the usefulness of Internet search data for forecasting inbound tourist arrivals. Previous research has focused on Google Trends as a source of search data to augment tourism forecasting capabilities. In the context of rapidly increasing Chinese outbound tourism Google data lacks the market penetration in China to produce reliable auxiliary data for tourism forecasting. This short paper provides evidence of the usefulness of Baidu search data in predicting Chinese inbound tourist arrivals into a specific region in New Zealand. It also compares three modeling approaches, finding a Vector Autoregressive approach the most useful. © 2018 Texas A and M University.
- Authors: Fieger, Peter , Rice, John
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: e-Review of Tourism Research Vol. 15, no. 4-5 (2018), p. 404-414
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: New data and modeling approaches are improving the usefulness of Internet search data for forecasting inbound tourist arrivals. Previous research has focused on Google Trends as a source of search data to augment tourism forecasting capabilities. In the context of rapidly increasing Chinese outbound tourism Google data lacks the market penetration in China to produce reliable auxiliary data for tourism forecasting. This short paper provides evidence of the usefulness of Baidu search data in predicting Chinese inbound tourist arrivals into a specific region in New Zealand. It also compares three modeling approaches, finding a Vector Autoregressive approach the most useful. © 2018 Texas A and M University.
Percy : A life in China - The life and times of Percy Nettle : 1886-1964
- Authors: Nettle, Rodney
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis is about the transnational life of Percival Edward Nettle (1886-1964), a young man born in Ballarat who moved from Australia to Shanghai at the end of 1906 on his way to San Francisco. He never did get to San Francisco but lived in and out of China until he died in 1964. This thesis tells his story and also addresses the perennial human management problem of achieving a co-operative fit between people from different cultural backgrounds. Percy Nettle achieved this fit with the Chinese through developing an exceptional rapport with Chinese people from the time he commenced working with them in 1907 on engineering projects, and later during and through wars and other civil engagements. He was a great success in China, the key to which was his skill with the language and later from his ability to culturally adapt and empathise with the people in the environments in which he was living at the time. Percy also found that his ‘Wesleyan’ approach to people conveniently dovetailed with the ‘Confucian’ values approach of the Chinese. Percy was able to communicate with Chinese people from Viceroys to infantry men and bandits and could win their trust regardless of social levels. Percy documented his ‘fitting in’ experience with the Chinese in his diaries, letters and journals over a fifty-five-year period until his death in Hong Kong in 1964. The analysis and contextualisation of his original records form the basis of this thesis and what is learned from this study of his exceptional life is the importance of achieving a very high level of cultural empathy and understanding with the people we deal with beginning with learning how to speak with them in their own language. Percy was also able to demonstrate the universal efficacy of strong ethical values even when they are transposed from one cultural setting to another.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Nettle, Rodney
- Date: 2016
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis is about the transnational life of Percival Edward Nettle (1886-1964), a young man born in Ballarat who moved from Australia to Shanghai at the end of 1906 on his way to San Francisco. He never did get to San Francisco but lived in and out of China until he died in 1964. This thesis tells his story and also addresses the perennial human management problem of achieving a co-operative fit between people from different cultural backgrounds. Percy Nettle achieved this fit with the Chinese through developing an exceptional rapport with Chinese people from the time he commenced working with them in 1907 on engineering projects, and later during and through wars and other civil engagements. He was a great success in China, the key to which was his skill with the language and later from his ability to culturally adapt and empathise with the people in the environments in which he was living at the time. Percy also found that his ‘Wesleyan’ approach to people conveniently dovetailed with the ‘Confucian’ values approach of the Chinese. Percy was able to communicate with Chinese people from Viceroys to infantry men and bandits and could win their trust regardless of social levels. Percy documented his ‘fitting in’ experience with the Chinese in his diaries, letters and journals over a fifty-five-year period until his death in Hong Kong in 1964. The analysis and contextualisation of his original records form the basis of this thesis and what is learned from this study of his exceptional life is the importance of achieving a very high level of cultural empathy and understanding with the people we deal with beginning with learning how to speak with them in their own language. Percy was also able to demonstrate the universal efficacy of strong ethical values even when they are transposed from one cultural setting to another.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Cultural influence on China's household saving
- Authors: Boffa, Zhang-Ming
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The recession following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis highlighted the problem of deficient household saving and imprudent consumer credit. Studies of selected economies reveal that household saving tends to decline as economies move to higher stages of development. Following rapid economic growth, China’s household saving, possibly due to the influence of traditional culture, has remained high by international standards while consumer credit levels are low. This significant phenomenon has prompted the question of what this development trajectory may become as China proceeds to higher income levels. Whereas the economic, social and financial development factors related to household saving and development have been well researched, from the perspective of this investigation, there are missing ‘cultural values’ in the analysis. Consequently, the Institutional Economics concept of ‘culture as a value’ provides the basis for this thesis into the influence of culture on China’s household saving and its effects. By extending Keynes’s General Theory in relation to saving, and incorporating studies from both the Chinese and Western scholarly traditions, five themes are identified as influencing the cultural preferences of China’s household saving. These are: (i) precautionary motives; (ii) habit formation; (iii) children’s education; (iv) consumer credit; and (v) teaching thrift. The holistic approach of this study has allowed a deeper understanding of the role of cultural values on agency and structure in economic events and their subsequent impact on household saving. Results of this investigation indicate that the Confucian value of family ties and ‘Zhong Yong’ – the Golden Mean, which translates essentially as balance, enable Chinese households to save. This development has highlighted a growing tension, in China’s modernity process, between the traditional Confucian value of thrift and the Western cultural influence of stimulating economic growth by consumption. After consideration of current saving practices and the anticipation of economic changes, this research advocates the striking of a balance between household saving and increasing consumption in China in order to avert a future financial crisis and to facilitate economic growth. The implication of this research is that finding a balance between household saving and consumption is crucial to sustainable future development in China as it shifts its development focus from investment and export-led to domestic consumption-driven growth and social development.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Boffa, Zhang-Ming
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The recession following the 2008 Global Financial Crisis highlighted the problem of deficient household saving and imprudent consumer credit. Studies of selected economies reveal that household saving tends to decline as economies move to higher stages of development. Following rapid economic growth, China’s household saving, possibly due to the influence of traditional culture, has remained high by international standards while consumer credit levels are low. This significant phenomenon has prompted the question of what this development trajectory may become as China proceeds to higher income levels. Whereas the economic, social and financial development factors related to household saving and development have been well researched, from the perspective of this investigation, there are missing ‘cultural values’ in the analysis. Consequently, the Institutional Economics concept of ‘culture as a value’ provides the basis for this thesis into the influence of culture on China’s household saving and its effects. By extending Keynes’s General Theory in relation to saving, and incorporating studies from both the Chinese and Western scholarly traditions, five themes are identified as influencing the cultural preferences of China’s household saving. These are: (i) precautionary motives; (ii) habit formation; (iii) children’s education; (iv) consumer credit; and (v) teaching thrift. The holistic approach of this study has allowed a deeper understanding of the role of cultural values on agency and structure in economic events and their subsequent impact on household saving. Results of this investigation indicate that the Confucian value of family ties and ‘Zhong Yong’ – the Golden Mean, which translates essentially as balance, enable Chinese households to save. This development has highlighted a growing tension, in China’s modernity process, between the traditional Confucian value of thrift and the Western cultural influence of stimulating economic growth by consumption. After consideration of current saving practices and the anticipation of economic changes, this research advocates the striking of a balance between household saving and increasing consumption in China in order to avert a future financial crisis and to facilitate economic growth. The implication of this research is that finding a balance between household saving and consumption is crucial to sustainable future development in China as it shifts its development focus from investment and export-led to domestic consumption-driven growth and social development.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Effective leadership behaviours to manage people issues of cross border mergers and aquisitions in China
- Authors: Wang, Jian
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The aim of this research is to identify the effective leadership behaviours in managing people issues of a British-Chinese cross border acquisition case study in China. There are three areas involved in this study: people issues in mergers and acquisitions (M&As), cross culture differences and cross culture leadership. The knowledge gap identified from past research is that there appears to be no in-depth empirical study to date on an integrated model of the three areas noted above to have a holistic understanding of their influence on the success or failure of M&As, especially in the context of cross border M&As in China. This is the focus of this research. The objectives of this research are to identify how leaders have managed cross culture issues, communications, employees’ resistance, stress and trust in a Western-Chinese cross border acquisition as well as the perceived effectiveness of these leadership behaviours both from the perspectives of Chinese employees and the western managers. The conceptual framework of this research adopted and built on the theoretical model of Project GLOBE. Findings from this study suggest a ‘multiplier’ effect with impact across all the people issues in this cross border acquisition, which means that when one people issue is not managed well by the leadership team, other people issues are triggered. The outcome of this acquisition was influenced by the integrated and holistic effect of all the people issues. In this study, management of people issues in a cross-culture environment was fundamental. There are seven culture dimensions proposed by this study to measure the organisational culture differences pre- and post-acquisition as influenced by both Chinese and British cultures. Specific cultural behaviours related to the proposed seven culture dimensions were also identified. Organisation culture clash was found with the post-acquisition organisation culture which influenced the leadership behaviours in managing the people issues and the perceived effectiveness of the leadership behaviours. This study contributes to existing knowledge by adding the integrated dimension of effective leadership behaviours in managing people issues in a cross culture context of M&As in China as well as extending the theoretical model of Project GLOBE. The practical learning from this study could help leaders in future M&As to take effective actions in managing people issues to improve the success rate of cross border M&As in China which can potentially contribute to the economic development of China and other developing countries.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Wang, Jian
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The aim of this research is to identify the effective leadership behaviours in managing people issues of a British-Chinese cross border acquisition case study in China. There are three areas involved in this study: people issues in mergers and acquisitions (M&As), cross culture differences and cross culture leadership. The knowledge gap identified from past research is that there appears to be no in-depth empirical study to date on an integrated model of the three areas noted above to have a holistic understanding of their influence on the success or failure of M&As, especially in the context of cross border M&As in China. This is the focus of this research. The objectives of this research are to identify how leaders have managed cross culture issues, communications, employees’ resistance, stress and trust in a Western-Chinese cross border acquisition as well as the perceived effectiveness of these leadership behaviours both from the perspectives of Chinese employees and the western managers. The conceptual framework of this research adopted and built on the theoretical model of Project GLOBE. Findings from this study suggest a ‘multiplier’ effect with impact across all the people issues in this cross border acquisition, which means that when one people issue is not managed well by the leadership team, other people issues are triggered. The outcome of this acquisition was influenced by the integrated and holistic effect of all the people issues. In this study, management of people issues in a cross-culture environment was fundamental. There are seven culture dimensions proposed by this study to measure the organisational culture differences pre- and post-acquisition as influenced by both Chinese and British cultures. Specific cultural behaviours related to the proposed seven culture dimensions were also identified. Organisation culture clash was found with the post-acquisition organisation culture which influenced the leadership behaviours in managing the people issues and the perceived effectiveness of the leadership behaviours. This study contributes to existing knowledge by adding the integrated dimension of effective leadership behaviours in managing people issues in a cross culture context of M&As in China as well as extending the theoretical model of Project GLOBE. The practical learning from this study could help leaders in future M&As to take effective actions in managing people issues to improve the success rate of cross border M&As in China which can potentially contribute to the economic development of China and other developing countries.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Proceedings of the Australia-China Wetland Network Research Partnership Symposium
- Authors: Kattel, Giri
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Full Text:
- Description: This publication is a compilation of short papers presented at the Australia-China Wetland Network Research Partnership Symposium, held in China at the Nanjing International Conference Hotel, 24 March 2014. The symposium, jointly organised by the Collaborative Research Network (CRN) of Federation University Australia and the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGLAS), brought together a range of scientists including the neo-ecologists, palaeoecologists and hydrologists from both Australia and China. More than 100 students and scientists from across China attended the symposium. A majority of papers presented at the symposium have overlapping themes between ecology and hydrology of the large river and wetland systems that are exposed to a range of impacts posed by humans and recent climate change. The research focus of this volume is around the topic highlighting the conservation and management of degraded wetlands in Australia and China and the maintenance of a long term ecological resilience.
- Authors: Kattel, Giri
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Conference proceedings
- Full Text:
- Description: This publication is a compilation of short papers presented at the Australia-China Wetland Network Research Partnership Symposium, held in China at the Nanjing International Conference Hotel, 24 March 2014. The symposium, jointly organised by the Collaborative Research Network (CRN) of Federation University Australia and the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGLAS), brought together a range of scientists including the neo-ecologists, palaeoecologists and hydrologists from both Australia and China. More than 100 students and scientists from across China attended the symposium. A majority of papers presented at the symposium have overlapping themes between ecology and hydrology of the large river and wetland systems that are exposed to a range of impacts posed by humans and recent climate change. The research focus of this volume is around the topic highlighting the conservation and management of degraded wetlands in Australia and China and the maintenance of a long term ecological resilience.
An identification of the meanings(s) of 'development' in a Chinese village context : The first piece of a jigsaw puzzle
- Authors: Roy, Cameron
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis examines the meaning(s) of ‘development’ within a rural village in Sichuan province, China... Importantly, this thesis is a unique snapshot account containing grassroots stories about what development means from the voice and perspective of average Han villagers in a single village in contemporary rural China. (Taken from Abstract)
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Roy, Cameron
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis examines the meaning(s) of ‘development’ within a rural village in Sichuan province, China... Importantly, this thesis is a unique snapshot account containing grassroots stories about what development means from the voice and perspective of average Han villagers in a single village in contemporary rural China. (Taken from Abstract)
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Accounting professionalisation and occupational context: The role of the public accounting profession in China
- Authors: Yee, Helen , West, Brian
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 6th Asia Pacific Interdisciplinary Research in Accounting Conference: Interdisciplinary Research in Accounting (APIRA 2010) p. 1-28
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: While applied broadly within the setting of accounting and some other occupations, ‘profession’ is a particularly Western concept with peculiarly British origins. However, the significance of such status and the process by which it is acquired has defied precise explication. Examination of the sociology of the accounting occupation within non- Western locations can contribute to exposing and clarifying these problematic and contingent aspects of occupational stratification, as well as assist in redressing the bias towards English-speaking and European countries within the accounting history literature. Proceeding from these theoretical premises, a historical study of the accounting occupation within China is undertaken. Integrating episodes from this country into the broader historical narrative of the professionalisation of accounting reinforces – often vividly – that accountants’ work status is not bound to an innate and predetermined trajectory. Rather, the variety of localised and time-specific variables which constitute the occupational context are shown to exert a dominating influence.
- Authors: Yee, Helen , West, Brian
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 6th Asia Pacific Interdisciplinary Research in Accounting Conference: Interdisciplinary Research in Accounting (APIRA 2010) p. 1-28
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: While applied broadly within the setting of accounting and some other occupations, ‘profession’ is a particularly Western concept with peculiarly British origins. However, the significance of such status and the process by which it is acquired has defied precise explication. Examination of the sociology of the accounting occupation within non- Western locations can contribute to exposing and clarifying these problematic and contingent aspects of occupational stratification, as well as assist in redressing the bias towards English-speaking and European countries within the accounting history literature. Proceeding from these theoretical premises, a historical study of the accounting occupation within China is undertaken. Integrating episodes from this country into the broader historical narrative of the professionalisation of accounting reinforces – often vividly – that accountants’ work status is not bound to an innate and predetermined trajectory. Rather, the variety of localised and time-specific variables which constitute the occupational context are shown to exert a dominating influence.
Globalisation and China's Military Modernisation: Fear not China
- Authors: Jiang, Xiaoli , Gong, Yihong
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Global Studies Journal Vol. 3, no. 2 (2010), p. 195-206
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: China has one of the most powerful military forces in the world. However, a little over 100 years ago, the Chinese military was repeatedly defeated by Western colonial powers and Japan. These defeats motivated the Chinese to make dramatic changes to their military forces.
- Authors: Jiang, Xiaoli , Gong, Yihong
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: The Global Studies Journal Vol. 3, no. 2 (2010), p. 195-206
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: China has one of the most powerful military forces in the world. However, a little over 100 years ago, the Chinese military was repeatedly defeated by Western colonial powers and Japan. These defeats motivated the Chinese to make dramatic changes to their military forces.
Validity of job satisfaction survey scale in Chinese
- Luan, Xiu-yun, Zhai, Qing-guo, Yang, Yu-wen, Wang, Zhihong, Zhai, Yu-bo
- Authors: Luan, Xiu-yun , Zhai, Qing-guo , Yang, Yu-wen , Wang, Zhihong , Zhai, Yu-bo
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 2010 International Conference on Management Science & Engineering p. 1008-1013
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The aim of this study is to examine the factor structure of the scale of Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), and its divergent and convergent validity in Chinese population. Data were collected with JSS from 1073 urban employees in Liaoning. Four alternative models were tested with confirmatory factor analysis. The first two models are models validated in the US, while the third and fourth models are composed of five commonly used dimensions of job satisfaction taken from JSS. The research found a poor model fit for the first two models, suggesting a possible national difference between China and the US. However, model three and model four displayed a good model fit, suggesting that the five dimensions in JSS (satisfaction with nature of work, with supervision, with co-worker, with promotion, and with pay) are five distinct dimensions. The correlations between these five facet job satisfaction and PA and NA demonstrated convergent and divergent validity of the scales for these five dimensions of job satisfaction.
- Authors: Luan, Xiu-yun , Zhai, Qing-guo , Yang, Yu-wen , Wang, Zhihong , Zhai, Yu-bo
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at 2010 International Conference on Management Science & Engineering p. 1008-1013
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The aim of this study is to examine the factor structure of the scale of Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS), and its divergent and convergent validity in Chinese population. Data were collected with JSS from 1073 urban employees in Liaoning. Four alternative models were tested with confirmatory factor analysis. The first two models are models validated in the US, while the third and fourth models are composed of five commonly used dimensions of job satisfaction taken from JSS. The research found a poor model fit for the first two models, suggesting a possible national difference between China and the US. However, model three and model four displayed a good model fit, suggesting that the five dimensions in JSS (satisfaction with nature of work, with supervision, with co-worker, with promotion, and with pay) are five distinct dimensions. The correlations between these five facet job satisfaction and PA and NA demonstrated convergent and divergent validity of the scales for these five dimensions of job satisfaction.
A great leap forward : EFL curriculum, globalization and reconstructionism - a case study in North East China
- Authors: Zhang, Xiaohong
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: I have used the name, The Great Leap Forward in relation to my study of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum reform as I have linked economic, political and social developments of the late 20th and early 21st centuries in China with education developments that have occurred at the same time as the reform has been implemented.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Zhang, Xiaohong
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: I have used the name, The Great Leap Forward in relation to my study of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) curriculum reform as I have linked economic, political and social developments of the late 20th and early 21st centuries in China with education developments that have occurred at the same time as the reform has been implemented.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Challenges facing Chinese PE curriculum reform : Teachers’ talk
- Authors: Jin, Aijing
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at ATEA 2009 Conference : Teacher Education Crossing Borders, Albury, New South Wales : 28th June-1st July, 2009
- Full Text:
- Description: China has attracted a huge amount of interest from around the world over the last two decades because of its rapid and vigorous development. Rapid economic growth has brought with it significant structural reforms in all trades and professions across China. Within this context of rapid social change, the Chinese basic education system has been subject to considerable reforms. Foremost has been the introduction of a new National Curriculum Standard comprising 18 learning areas in which Physical Education and Health was included in order to better accommodate the contemporary needs of (post)modern China. This study focuses upon the ways physical education teachers interpret and engage with the curriculum reforms advanced in the new National Physical Education and Health Curriculum. Through interviews with 18 practicing physical education teachers, the paper seeks to address some challenge issues facing Chinese physical education reform, especially the factors resisting implementation of the new curriculum. Among the core themes to be discussed in this paper will be the personal, structural and cultural factors that work against teachers taking up the change opportunities.
- Description: 2003007967
- Authors: Jin, Aijing
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Paper presented at ATEA 2009 Conference : Teacher Education Crossing Borders, Albury, New South Wales : 28th June-1st July, 2009
- Full Text:
- Description: China has attracted a huge amount of interest from around the world over the last two decades because of its rapid and vigorous development. Rapid economic growth has brought with it significant structural reforms in all trades and professions across China. Within this context of rapid social change, the Chinese basic education system has been subject to considerable reforms. Foremost has been the introduction of a new National Curriculum Standard comprising 18 learning areas in which Physical Education and Health was included in order to better accommodate the contemporary needs of (post)modern China. This study focuses upon the ways physical education teachers interpret and engage with the curriculum reforms advanced in the new National Physical Education and Health Curriculum. Through interviews with 18 practicing physical education teachers, the paper seeks to address some challenge issues facing Chinese physical education reform, especially the factors resisting implementation of the new curriculum. Among the core themes to be discussed in this paper will be the personal, structural and cultural factors that work against teachers taking up the change opportunities.
- Description: 2003007967
The determinants of chief executive officer turnover in Chinese listed companies : An aspiration level and power perspective
- Pi, Lili
- Authors: Pi, Lili
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study focuses on the determinants of CEO turnover of listed companies in China, the largest transitional and developing economy in the world, where governance institutions and structures are evolving. Drawing on the strategic change, aspiration, and CEO power literature, a CEO turnover model and a set of hypotheses have been contructed.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Pi, Lili
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study focuses on the determinants of CEO turnover of listed companies in China, the largest transitional and developing economy in the world, where governance institutions and structures are evolving. Drawing on the strategic change, aspiration, and CEO power literature, a CEO turnover model and a set of hypotheses have been contructed.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Tradition versus change : Evaluating the currency of some traditional chinese values in today's business environment
- Authors: Willis, Mike
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Global Marketing Vol. 22, no. 1 (2009), p. 67-89
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Is tradition dead in China?or, at least, are traditional values dead in a China that has moved progressively into a globalized society and market orientation? This is the question raised in this paper, which assessed how a range of traditional values were conceptualized by a younger generation of Chinese managers who now live and work in a variety of worldsglobal, local, international, and traditional. What was found that traditional values still remained used and relevant in China, but they had now tended to develop a harder and more westernized edgesharper, tougher, and more ruthless. Values that were once intuitive and almost innate now tended to be measured and compartmentalized. For example, the value of faceas a traditional valuewas still important but was now more than likely a value to be treated as an almost measurable aspect of behavior.
- Description: 2003006212
- Authors: Willis, Mike
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Global Marketing Vol. 22, no. 1 (2009), p. 67-89
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Is tradition dead in China?or, at least, are traditional values dead in a China that has moved progressively into a globalized society and market orientation? This is the question raised in this paper, which assessed how a range of traditional values were conceptualized by a younger generation of Chinese managers who now live and work in a variety of worldsglobal, local, international, and traditional. What was found that traditional values still remained used and relevant in China, but they had now tended to develop a harder and more westernized edgesharper, tougher, and more ruthless. Values that were once intuitive and almost innate now tended to be measured and compartmentalized. For example, the value of faceas a traditional valuewas still important but was now more than likely a value to be treated as an almost measurable aspect of behavior.
- Description: 2003006212
Shopping east and shopping West-Chinese consumer behavior in two worlds
- Authors: Willis, Mike
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of East-West Business Vol. 14, no. 3-4 (2008), p. 271-298
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In today's China, consumers not only have the chance to sample products and services from around the world, but to experience cultural influences from a vast range of countries. In particular, Western products and services - and cultural values - have become increasingly popular. Consumers now shift between different worlds (Chinese and Western) with seeming ease. This research identifies the factors that encourage consumers to shift between these different worlds - and values. The factors include the situation and context (of the shopping experience), peer influence and dynamics, the role of conversation at or near the time of purchase, and the nature of the product and service. The role of "time," "chance," and "intuition" in the shopping experience and cultural shifts are also examined. What emerges from the study is a changeable, mobile, and flexible community quite capable of shifting between different sets of values (and consumer attitudes) easily and often very quickly. For companies, the key to success (at least to some degree) is to place their goods and services in a context that helps to create a complementary, integrated, and supportive image of the world they wish to create in the minds of their Chinese consumers. © 2008 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved.
- Description: 2003006209
- Authors: Willis, Mike
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of East-West Business Vol. 14, no. 3-4 (2008), p. 271-298
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: In today's China, consumers not only have the chance to sample products and services from around the world, but to experience cultural influences from a vast range of countries. In particular, Western products and services - and cultural values - have become increasingly popular. Consumers now shift between different worlds (Chinese and Western) with seeming ease. This research identifies the factors that encourage consumers to shift between these different worlds - and values. The factors include the situation and context (of the shopping experience), peer influence and dynamics, the role of conversation at or near the time of purchase, and the nature of the product and service. The role of "time," "chance," and "intuition" in the shopping experience and cultural shifts are also examined. What emerges from the study is a changeable, mobile, and flexible community quite capable of shifting between different sets of values (and consumer attitudes) easily and often very quickly. For companies, the key to success (at least to some degree) is to place their goods and services in a context that helps to create a complementary, integrated, and supportive image of the world they wish to create in the minds of their Chinese consumers. © 2008 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved.
- Description: 2003006209