Breakfast intake, habits and body composition in New Zealand European women : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Background: The rise of obesity and related poor health outcomes is rampant in New Zealand. Dietary factors are key in the aetiology of obesity. One dietary factor with wide reaching implications on health and weight maintenance is breakfast consumption. Breakfast consumption has declined in New Zealand in recent years, and adverse health outcomes have risen concurrently. Breakfast consumption has been associated with lower BMI, improved appetite control, better diet quality, and more stable glycaemia. Objective: The aim of this study was to describe and compare reported and observed breakfast consumption between obese and normal weight New Zealand European women aged 18-45 years, living in Auckland, New Zealand. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, healthy women (n=75 normal BMI, n=82 obese BMI) completed a 5-day food record, an observed ad libitum buffet breakfast assessment and body composition measurements. Nutrient intake, food choices and behavioural aspects, including pace of eating and meal skipping data were obtained and analysed. Results: More normal BMI women (n=69; 84.1%) than obese BMI women (n=56; 74.6%) consumed breakfast daily. Obese BMI women consumed significantly more energy at the observed breakfast (1915 ± 868 kJ) than at the recorded breakfast (1431 ± 690kJ, p<0.001); however neither BMI group met one third of estimated energy requirements at either breakfast occasion. Carbohydrate consumption was lower than recommended (AMDR: 45-65%) in both groups in the recorded breakfast (40.7% and 42.6%; normal BMI and obese BMI respectively), whereas total fat consumption was higher than recommended (AMDR: 20-35%) (36.5% and 35.9% respectively). Protein consumption was within AMDR recommendations (15-25%) for both groups in the recorded breakfast (16.3% and 17.5%) but not in the observed breakfast, (13.0% and 14.0%), obese BMI and normal BMI respectively. Foods with the greatest contribution to energy at the observed breakfast for obese BMI women were discretionary items (fats, cake and biscuits), compared with sweetened cereals, nuts and seeds for normal BMI women. Having a faster pace of eating and consuming foods with a higher energy density significantly increased the likelihood of falling into the obese BMI category (b=3.11, p=0.016; b=1.35, p=0.042 respectively). Conclusions: Consuming a breakfast, particularly one that contains whole grains, fruits and low-fat dairy products, and minimising discretionary items could enable women to more closely meet dietary recommendations, and as a result, improve health outcomes. Key words: breakfast, obesity, energy intake, appetite, pace of eatin

Unlikely Pilgrim: The English Journey of Zilpha Elaw

Unlike Frederick Douglass and other abolitionists, African American Methodist preacher and fellow abolitionist Zilpha Elaw initiated her Atlantic crossing to England not as part of the anti-slavery initiative, but as a mission to bring authentic wisdom to English Christians whose pride, she asserted, corrupted real spirituality. When she met in London with the religious leaders who later lionised Douglass, they rejected her immediately. She, in turn, rebuked them for their arrogant assumptions of spiritual superiority. Like Douglass, though, Elaw’s wayfaring to England marked a turning point in her life. On her sacred venture, she became a critic of the very Christianised reform culture that Douglass praised in his autobiography. As a result, Elaw spoke more directly than any of her African American peers about the need for the radical transformation of Christianised western civilisation itself. However, her ideas never seem to extend further than the pages of her memoir; she faded from history after the 1846 publication of the text in London. Despite Elaw’s historical erasure, her memoir of pilgrimage provides perceptive countercultural insights about new world revivalism in conflict with resistant English religion in her era; her unusual perceptions spring from her itineration as an independent black American woman preacher pursuing what she understood to be a divine mandate to bring renewal to a respected bastion of Christendom

Pre-service teacher education in the postmodern state

Over the past thirty years more than one hundred teaching and teacher education inquiries have been published in Australia. Despite each of these documents having made recommendations for reform it has been claimed that change has been limited. Moreover, teacher educators have been criticised for lacking the ability to change. The author of this study challenged this assertion and sought to investigate its accuracy. To explore the claim of minimal change the researcher framed the study design around pre-service teacher education reforms. The following three questions underpinned the investigation. 1) What recommendations were made? 2) What recommendations were implemented? 3) Why were some recommendations implemented and others not? Combining document and life history research offered the researcher an innovative and novel approach to identify barriers to change in teacher education. The findings of this study address the claim that change to pre-service education has been limited and adds to the existing body of literature centred on policy formation and implementation in teacher education

An adaptive internet management model for higher education institutions in South Africa

It has become standard practice at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) for their Internet management and relevant Information and Communication Technology (ICT) resources, specifically Internet resources, to be continuously investigated by HEI Management as well as by their users. The reason is that the Internet has become the foundation on which most ICT and business resources function and therefore is labelled as a distinctive competency for the HEI. HEIs, however, have limited ICT Internet resources and are expected to use these resources optimally, to ensure efficient and effective Internet connectivity on all campuses and to all users and systems. The management of Internet resources at South African Higher Education Institutions (SA HEIs) are the focus of this thesis. The primary purpose therefore, is to provide a proposed adaptive Internet Management Model for HEIs which will assist them to achieve prime value from their Internet management resources. This was realised by firstly; identifying the current Internet Management Business Models of the SA HEI landscape; secondly, determining what the Internet users of the Nelson Mandela University, a South African Higher Education Institute situated in the Eastern and Western Cape area in South Africa, were using the Internet for; thirdly, comparing these findings to the actual Nelson Mandela University Firewall data and lastly, using the combined findings to draw conclusions and create a proposed adaptive Internet Management Model for HEIs. This can assist the HEI ICT Management team to realign the Internet resources to match the current business and customer requirements. This thesis is an exploratory, mixed method study which consists of literature studies, surveys and cross sectional studies. The literature studies were conducted on secondary sources to identify the national and international governance structures that influence Internet management. The empirical study which consisted of two surveys was compiled from existing surveys as well as from literature studies and was completed by its respective respondent groups. The first survey was used to gain insight into what was considered the standard Internet Management Business Model at HEIs in South Africa. The second survey was used to gain insight how the Internet was being used at Nelson Mandela University by staff and students. Lastly, an extract of the Nelson Mandela University Firewall data were gathered and used to confirm or deny results from the previous survey. The findings of the first survey, HEI Internet Management Survey (HEIIMS), confirmed that the Internet and its relevant resources are extremely important to all HEIs. The HEIs Internet Management Business Models are to a large extent aligned with the National Research an Education Networks (NRENs) business models with some adjustments. The HEIs indicated that they cater for a large Internet community but do not differentiate between them. The findings do, however, specify that some differentiation does take place. The HEI Internet is provided to the Internet community at no cost and is funded by Council funds. The requirements of staff and students are mostly similar with some priority differences to key content needs. The Internet resources of the HEIs are very much aligned to support the physical infrastructure of the Internet. HEIs consider the NRENs to be key partners and suppliers with additional local suppliers used as secondary support. The second survey, Nelson Mandela University Internet Usage Survey (NMUIUS), indicated that there was a wide gap between how the Internet was used by the staff and students. The findings indicated that staff tend to be more aware of the policies and surrounding practices while students appeared somewhat unaware. The staff and students have different needs for the Internet and these needs also change slightly according to the time of day and day of the week. Regarding content access (including Firewall data), some of the users said Internet practices were true whilst others were false. The majority of those giving a false opinion said that said Internet practices were focused on activities linked to cyberloafing content. In addition, they stated that these activities were undersold, meaning that they said that they access the Internet content rarely while the Firewall data indicated that it was frequently being accessed and by many users. It was clear that the staff received a pleasant Nelson Mandela University Internet experience while the students received a slightly degraded Internet experience. The study concluded with the development of a proposed adaptive Internet Management Model for HEIs and recommendations and considerations on how to improve the current Nelson Mandela University Internet management strategy. This thesis makes a contribution towards the body of knowledge by identifying and discussing current national and international Internet Governance (IG) practices. It continues by identifying the current SA NRENs and their business models which overflow into the HEI landscape. This is followed by an investigation into the various HEI Internet Management Business Models, current usage of the Nelson Mandela University Internet and patterns of use and Nelson Mandela University Firewall data. The thesis will therefore assist readers to understand the effective and efficient management of their Internet usage requirements and the provision of Internet resources. This in turn, will confirm that the availability of the Internet for its users and systems becomes a productive, reliable and pleasant experience

Issue 13: Syrian Refugee Resettlement and the Role of Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs) in Ontario, Canada

During the peak of the Syrian refugee “crisis” in 2015 and early 2016, the Canadian Federal Government responded with a push to drastically increase the number of Syrian refugees it planned to resettle. The resulting Syrian Refugee Resettlement Initiative (SRRI) put to the test Local Immigration Partnerships (LIPs), a form of place-based policy that had been in place since 2008 where communities collaborate in the support, development and execution of local immigration and refugee resettlement plans. This issue of Policy Points discusses a study of three LIPs (Hamilton, Ottawa, and Waterloo Region) and their response to the SRRI. The research provides three policy insights relevant to refugee and immigrant community resettlement. Bringing the community into the fold through multi stakeholder tables such as LIPs can coordinate local responses to the resettlement of refugees (policy insight 1). LIPs must be embedded in the local community and include leaders and personnel able to build and enhance local stakeholder networks (policy insight 2). Finally, it is key to involve LIPs in communication channels during mass resettlement events (policy insight 3). Policy action under points 2 and 3 will in turn enable LIPs to effectively support refugee resettlement at the local level. The experience of the three Ontario LIPs in this study is relevant to existing and potential new LIPs, but it also offers a unique place-based policy approach to engaging local communities in resettlement at other locations and scales

Promoting ICT Careers Using a South African ICT Career Portal

South Africa is experiencing an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) skills shortage and a limited number of scholars and students are pursuing ICT careers. The provision of a web-based ICT career information platform as an effective solution to the growing demand for skilled ICT employees is the focus of this study. The study is grounded in the network theory of social capital. The aim of the development of an ICT career portal was to provide ICT career information to scholars, students and the ICT industry. Scholars can obtain information about ICT career opportunities and determine if they qualify for specific degree/diploma programs. Quantitative and qualitative data was collected from students as well as Grade 9 – Grade 11 scholars from schools in the Port Elizabeth area. The results indicate that scholars became more aware of ICT careers and tertiary qualifications and students reported an increase in awareness of the number of careers and job opportunities in the ICT industry

Creating Environmental Awareness using an Eco-Feedback Application at a Higher Education Institution

Providing environmental education and creating environmental awareness assists future generations to conserve, preserve and sustain the environment. Organisations are supporting environmental awareness education efforts and universities are increasingly being required to exercise sound environmental behaviour and educate all stakeholders on their responsibility of being aware of their environmental impact. Gamification and eco-feedback applications in previous studies have been used to provide feedback on an individual’sbehaviour with the goal of creating environmental awareness. Students are generally not provided with environmental information regarding their use of electricity, water and waste management whilst on campus. In this exploratory study, an eco-feedback application was developed and used to create environmental awareness amongst postgraduate students at the Nelson Mandela University and the functionality of the eco-feedback application was evaluated. The results indicated that participants became more aware of their environmental impact after being exposed to an eco-feedback application. The functionality provided by the eco-feedback application, to assist in creating environmental awareness within an academic institution, proved to be useful

Determinants of Customer Satisfaction in the Kenyan Banking Industry

Banks depend on sufficient and sustaining profitability to survive in the global business world. Customers are the main source of banks’ profitability. Studies have established a link between satisfaction and variables such as profitability, retention, and share of wallet. This study intends to examine the antecedents of customer satisfaction from the banking customer’s perspective. In order to achieve this aim, structured questionnaires were issued to 2000 customers spread across the 43 banks in Kenya. The findings from the study established a positive relationship between bank-related factors and customer satisfaction in Kenyan banks. .Recommendations based on the findings were made to the Kenyan banks which if implemented will enhance the satisfaction of the bank customers as well as improve customer retention rates. The conclusion from this study is that Customer satisfaction can lead to higher rates of retention of the Kenyan bank customers. Key words: Customer Satisfaction,  banking, Keny

Happiness: a business model

The concept of happiness might appear elusive. It has been extensively analysed by philosophers and historians, who agree that the concept of happiness in antiquity centered on good luck and fortune. Something beyond human agency and therefore controlled by the Gods (McMahon, 2006).Today, happiness is viewed as something over which you can have control and something that can be pursued (Oishi, 2012)

Happiness: a business model

The concept of happiness might appear elusive. It has been extensively analysed by philosophers and historians, who agree that the concept of happiness in antiquity centered on good luck and fortune. Something beyond human agency and therefore controlled by the Gods (McMahon, 2006).Today, happiness is viewed as something over which you can have control and something that can be pursued (Oishi, 2012)