Power relations, ethnicity and privatisation: A tale of a telecommunications company

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the confluence of political and economic interests of the Fijian elite in transforming state assets into private property and financial gain. Drawing on a Habermasian theoretical framework applied to a privatised state monopoly (Telecom Fiji), it is demonstrated how an implementation of privatisation concealed social and political interests. Thus privatisation provided a convenient rhetoric and tool of implementation for social and political gain by a ruling elite. For those inside the Telecom company, the ethos of public service could not withstand the messengers of capitalism with their rhetoric of the need for greater efficiency, effectiveness and consumer awareness. However, as for many other privatisation programmes around the world, the results are not reflected in the improved organisational performance or wellbeing of the ordinary citizen when state monopolies are privatised

Protocol for the saMS trial (supportive adjustment for multiple sclerosis): a randomized controlled trial comparing cognitive behavioral therapy to supportive listening for adjustment to multiple sclerosis

BackgroundMultiple Sclerosis (MS) is an incurable, chronic, potentially progressive and unpredictable disease of the central nervous system. The disease produces a range of unpleasant and debilitating symptoms, which can have a profound impact including disrupting activities of daily living, employment, income, relationships, social and leisure activities, and life goals. Adjusting to the illness is therefore particularly challenging. This trial tests the effectiveness of a cognitive behavioural intervention compared to supportive listening to assist adjustment in the early stages of MS.MethodsThis is a two arm randomized multi-centre parallel group controlled trial. 122 consenting participants who meet eligibility criteria will be randomly allocated to receive either Cognitive Behavioral Therapy or Supportive Listening. Eight one hour sessions of therapy (delivered over a period of 10 weeks) will be delivered by general nurses trained in both treatments. Self-report questionnaire data will be collected at baseline (0 weeks), mid-therapy (week 5 of therapy), post-therapy (15 weeks) and at six months (26 weeks) and twelve months (52 weeks) follow-up. Primary outcomes are distress and MS-related social and role impairment at twelve month follow-up. Analysis will also consider predictors and mechanisms of change during therapy. In-depth interviews to examine participants’ experiences of the interventions will be conducted with a purposively sampled sub-set of the trial participants. An economic analysis will also take place. DiscussionThis trial is distinctive in its aims in that it aids adjustment to MS in a broad sense. It is not a treatment specifically for depression. Use of nurses as therapists makes the interventions potentially viable in terms of being rolled out in the NHS. The trial benefits from incorporating patient input in the development and evaluation stages. The trial will provide important information about the efficacy, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of the interventions as well as mechanisms of psychosocial adjustment.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN91377356<br/

Representations of illness: patient satisfaction, adherence and coping

Chapter I evaluates the self-regulatory model and other theoretical frameworks which have informed the six empirical studies described in this thesis. Chapter 2 reviews the literature on patients' satisfaction with care, adherence to treatment recommendations and coping with chronic illness. It highlights omissions in the literature which are addressed by the current research. Chapter 3 provides a systematic description of people's representations of 37 different illnesses and examines the basis on which these illnesses are categorized. It was found that beliefs about symptoms, typical sufferer, and treatment were particularly important in discriminating between different illnesses. Using data from interviews with patients visiting their GP (pre- and post-consultation), chapter 4 explores the relationship between patients' representations of their illness, and satisfaction and intentions to follow treatment recommendations. It was found that doctor-patient discrepancies about diagnosis and treatment were the sole predictors of satisfaction, but were not related to intentions. In a follow-up study, chapter 5 investigates the predictors of satisfaction and adherence two weeks after the consultation. Several factors were found to predict satisfaction at time 2, but doctorpatient discrepancies were no longer related to ratings of satisfaction. Belief in the benefits of treatment was the principal predictor of adherence. The primary aim of the two studies described in chapter 6 was to produce a shorter version of the 60-item COPE suitable for assessing coping in patients. The 32-item measure demonstrated construct validity with the longer version and acceptable internal reliability. Chapter 7 explores the relationship between the different stages of the self-regulatory model in diabetic and hypertensive patients. It was found that beliefs about the costs and benefits of treatment were the principal predictors of dietary and exercise adherence. As predicted, strong relationships were found between patients' illness representations, coping strategies and appraisal of functioning. The final chapter surnmarises the findings of the research and concludes that the self-regulatory model is a useful too] for understanding people's responses to illness and adaptation to chronic illness. SuggestionsN verem ade regarding ways in which the self-regulatory model might be extended to incorporate other conceptually compatible models. Theoretical, methodological and practical implications are discussed

Casting light into the black hole : partisan politics of European compliance

The main analytical concern of this project is to develop and use innovative theoretical and methodological tools to explain the compliance process in the European Union (EU). There are three major issues in the existing literature on EU compliance: lack of theoretical achievement, failure to adequately chart the domestic politics of EU compliance and underrealized potential of the Large-N Research design. This project addresses each of these issues. As far as the first and second issues are concerned, I identify the lack of a sustained dialogue with international relations and comparative politics as the main limitation of the existing literature. Based on this diagnosis, I develop the most systematic theoretical treatment to date of the domestic politics of EU compliance, which rely on insights drawn from various literatures in international relations and comparative politics. Developing a partisan approach to International compliance, which applies not only to the EU, but also all other instances of international regulatory regimes, I demonstrate that domestic contestations over compliance with international rules, being structured along different preferences toward the process and substance of international rule making and mediated through partisan politics, systematically affect the compliance patterns of the governments of the member states. The partisan approach yields two hypotheses, the process and substance, each of which concerns the impact of preferences toward the process and substance of the European rule making on the compliance patterns of member states. As far as the third issue is concerned, I employ the Large-N quantitative analysis to test empirical models based on the partisan approach. Relying on a data set of all infringement actions from 1995 to 2004, I test the process and substance hypotheses of the partisan approach in the context of the European Union through a series of empirical analyses. In the empirical analyses, I first examine the compliance patterns of member states across all policy areas, and then investigated compliance patterns in sub categories of EU policies, de-regulatory and re-regulatory policies. Different empirical models yield the same results that the party preferences of national governments have a systematic impact on their compliance patterns

The Public\u27s Perception of an Earthquake Early Warning System: A Study on Factors Influencing Continuance Intention

This paper investigates the perceptions of the New Zealand public towards the Android Earthquake Alert (AEA) system, a public-facing earthquake early warning system. Specifically, it examines the public’s continuance intention towards the AEA system and the influencing factors of satisfaction, confirmation, perceived usefulness, and perceived trust. To gather insights into the public’s perceptions regarding the AEA system, this study distributed online surveys following two separate earthquake alert events on 12 October and 22 October 2021. A total of 524 and 671 participants responded to the two events’ surveys, providing valuable data for analysis and exploration. Structural Equation Modelling of the two datasets revealed that the continuance model fit the data to some extent, especially on the significance of perceived usefulness and perceived trust to continuance intention. However, the results also showed varying results for satisfaction’s relationship with perceived trust and continuance intention. These findings underscore the need for further investigation into the role of satisfaction and perceived trust, considering the evolving nature of EEW technologies and users’ familiarity over time. The descriptive and inferential analysis results raised concerns about potential confusion around the alerts’ source and highlighted the question of responsibility and liability for EEW. Overall, this study contributes to understanding continuance intention in the EEW context and provides insights into the public’s perception of the AEA system in New Zealand. The findings have implications more broadly for EEW systems’ design, implementation, and communication strategies

Michel Foucault's the Birth of Biopolitics and contemporary neo-liberalism debates

Neo-liberalism has become one of the boom concepts of our time. From its original reference point as a descriptor of the economics of the ‘Chicago School’ or authors such as Friedrich von Hayek, neo-liberalism has become an all-purpose concept, explanatory device and basis for social critique. This presentation evaluates Michel Foucault’s 1978–79 lectures, published as The Birth of Biopolitics, to consider how he used the term neo-liberalism, and how this equates with its current uses in critical social and cultural theory. It will be argued that Foucault did not understand neo-liberalism as a dominant ideology in these lectures, but rather as marking a point of inflection in the historical evolution of liberal political philosophies of government. It will also be argued that his interpretation of neo-liberalism was more nuanced and more comparative than more recent contributions. The article points towards an attempt to theorize comparative historical models of liberal capitalism

Proposing a Comprehensive Meta-model for Technology Acceptance

New technologies appear constantly, offering the promise of greater efficiency and effectiveness for work processes in all types of organizations. However, not all reach their full potential, either because of employee rejection or less-than optimal implementation. Studies that examine Information Technology (IT) adoption in business have often used the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to predict IT adoption in a business environment. However, the TAM fails to explain much of the variance in technology usage. This article examines technology acceptance processes in the light oftheories of technology readiness, technology acceptance, and diffusion of innovation and proposes a comprehensive meta-model to integrate and expand existing models to explain technology acceptance in a wide range of contexts. With regard to future research, the paper also recommends attention to a greater breadth of contexts, cultures, and questions related to issues and recommendations for promoting technology acceptance

Novel multi-method approach investigating behaviour change maintenance

PhD ThesisBackground: Behaviour change, if maintained, can lead to significant health improvements. The aim of this thesis was to advance psychological theory of behaviour change maintenance and the design of behavioural interventions to improve health. This thesis used a novel multi-method approach to explore behaviour maintenance, with a particular focus on weight loss maintenance (WLM). Methods: A three stage, multi-method approach included: (1) A systematic review of behavioural theories to identify theoretical explanations for behaviour maintenance and to examine the relationships between these explanations; (2) An N-of-1 study of WLM assessing theoretical predictors of maintained behaviour based on the systematic theory review, which employed ecologic momentary assessment, wireless body scales, and activity monitors in 12 obese people who had lost at least 5% weight in the previous year, analysed through cross-correlations of time series; (3) Data-prompted semi-structured, longitudinal interviews with individuals who participated in the N-of-1 study to explore their experiences of WLM, prompted by personal data including summaries of N-of-1 data, pictures, notes and graphs, analysed using the Framework method. Findings: (1) Systematic review: out of 117 identified behaviour theories, 100 met the inclusion criteria. The main theoretical themes identified to underpin behaviour change maintenance included maintenance motives, self-regulation, habits, psychological resources and environmental/social influences; (2) N-of-1 study: for 12 participants a range of maintenance-related theoretical variables showed differential impact on ability to maintain weight, engage in physical activity and x follow a personal WLM plan. The combination of predicting variables that had significant impact on outcome variables was unique for each individual; (3) Data-prompted interviews: most of the theoretical explanations from the systematic theory review adequately accounted for participants’ experiences. Additional emergent themes included: competing goals, prioritising, and preparatory strategies that enhanced self-regulation. Using personal data summaries proved valuable in evoking narratives regarding unique experiences of WLM. Discussion: A range of theoretical explanations were identified and proved useful in explaining behaviour maintenance in the area of WLM. The main conclusion derived from the thesis is that behavioural interventions need to tap into relevant behavioural explanations and deliver intervention components in a timely manner to support individuals to maintain behaviour change. Interventions should include elements of choice and customisation and should be adaptable to personal needs. The main study strengths included employment of novel methods and technology. The main limitation included N-of-1 analytical challenges and scalability of the applied design. Future research should develop behaviour maintenance theory further and explore which combinations of WLM strategies, in which individuals, support effective WLM.Fuse Centre for Translational Research in Public Healt

The impact of self‐advocacy organizations on the subjective well‐being of people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review of the literature

Background: A high sense of subjective well‐being has been associated with more prosocial behaviours, better health, work productivity and positive relationships. The aim of this systematic review was to explore what impact self‐advocacy has on the subjective well‐being of people with intellectual disabilities. Method: The authors reviewed articles focusing on the perspectives of adults with intellectual disabilities engaged with self‐advocacy groups. Searches were performed in PsychINFO, Web of Science, SCOPUS, MEDLINE and CIHNL databases, resulting in 16 articles meeting the inclusion criteria. A framework synthesis approach was used to extract data deductively based on the Dynamic Model of Wellbeing. Results: While self‐advocacy has a positive impact on all domains of the Dynamic Model of Wellbeing, negative impacts associated with participation in a self‐advocacy group were also reported. Conclusions: The benefits of participating in self‐advocacy groups on the well‐being of individuals with intellectual disabilities outweigh the disadvantages