The Casual Approach to Teacher Education: What Effect Does Casualisation Have for Australian University Teaching?

Universities in many countries are struggling to adapt to the competing forces of globalisation, new managerialism, entrepreneurialism and new technologies and quality agenda demands. Diminishing resources caused by restricted funding and an aging and diminishing academic workforce pose barriers. One solution to staffing shortages is the casualisation of academic teachers increasing causal or sessional teaching staff who take on significantly increased teaching responsibilities. This article explores the casualisation of university academics and reports on preliminary findings of a small scale sessional teacher development program that used data from a questionnaire on demographics of a small group of 22 sessional teaching staff employed at an Australian university. Results indicated that sessional staff believed they were effective university teachers yet their ongoing development was hampered by heavy teaching workloads, other employment and lack of time. The article concludes that these factors must be addressed by universities to provide quality outcomes for students

The influence of eleven Ps: An internal marketing and brand awareness perspective in a service environment

9Service organisations, of which car rental companies are an example, play a vital role in South Africa’s economy, contributing 74% to the country’s  gross domestic product (GDP) (Department of Trade and Industry 2009) .  Car rental companies, like many other service organisations, operate in a complex and extremely competitive environment. The employees of car rental companies are their most important asset. They require special attention to ensure their loyalty and commitment to deliver service excellence to customers. The brand’s image depends on the role  employees play in delivering the service (Wilson, Zeithaml, Bitner & Gremler 2012: 249). The aim of this research was to provide guidance to South African car rental companies to improve their respective brand awareness, enabling them to expand their customer bases whilst retaining existing customers. The influence of the 11 internal marketing mix elements (product, price, place, promotion, people, processes, physical evidence, personal relationships, packaging, positioning and performance) on South African car rental customers’ perception of brand awareness (brand recognition, trustworthiness, overall evaluation and loyalty) was investigated using structural equation modelling. Recommendations emanating from the findings include continual training of employees, communication with employees, rewarding employees and participation of employees in strategic discussions.Key words: service organisations, internal marketing mix elements, brand awareness,structural equation modelling, equivalence testin

South African surgical registrar perceptions of the research project component of training: Hope for the future?

Background. The Health Professions Council of South Africa requires that a research project be submitted and passed before registration as a specialist.Objective. To describe surgical registrars’ perceptions of the compulsory research project.Method. Ethics clearance was received before commencing the study. A questionnaire was developed to collect feedback from surgical registrars throughout South Africa (SA). Completed questionnaires underwent descriptive analysis using MS Excel. Fisher’s exact test and the χ2 test were used to compare perceptions of the research-experienced and research-naive groups.Results. All medical schools in SA were sampled, and 51.5% (124/241) of surgical registrars completed the questionnaire. Challenges facing registrars included insufficient time (109/124), inadequate training in the research process (40/124), inadequate supervision (31/124), inadequate financial resources (25/124) and lack of research continuity (11/124). Of the registrars sampled, 67.7% (84/124) believed research to be a valuable component of training. An overwhelming percentage (93.5%, 116/124) proposed a dedicated research block of time as a potential solution to overcoming the challenges encountered. Further proposals included attending a course in research methodology (79/124), supervision by a faculty member with an MMed or higher postgraduate degree (73/124), and greater research exposure as an undergraduate (56/124). No statistically significant differences were found between the perceptions of the researchexperienced and research-naive groups.Conclusions. Challenges facing surgical registrars in their efforts to complete their research projects were identified and solutions to these problems proposed. It is heartening that respondents have suggested solutions to the problems they encounter, and view research as an important component of their careers

GW quasiparticle energies of atoms in strong magnetic fields

Quasiparticle energies of the atoms H–Ne have been computed in the GW approximation in the presence of strong magnetic fields with field strengths varying from 0 to 0.25 atomic units (0.25 B 0 =0.25 ℏe −1 a −2 0 ≈58 763 0.25 B0=0.25 ℏe−1a0−2≈58 763 T). The GW quasiparticle energies are compared with equation-of-motion ionization-potential (EOM-IP) coupled-cluster singles-and-doubles (CCSD) calculations of the first ionization energies. The best results are obtained with the evGW@PBE0 method, which agrees with the EOM-IP-CCSD model to within about 0.20 eV. Ionization potentials have been calculated for all atoms in the series, representing the first systematic study of ionization potentials for the first-row atoms at field strengths characteristic of magnetic white dwarf stars. Under these conditions, the ionization potentials increase in a near-linear fashion with the field strength, reflecting the linear field dependence of the Landau energy of the ionized electron. The calculated ionization potentials agree well with the best available literature data for He, Li, and Be

Morphology and function of preserved microvascular arterial grafts: an experimental study in rats

The aim of this study is to examine the morphology and function and small-caliber, arterial grafts after preservation in the University of Wisconsin solution (UW). Rat carotid arteries were stored in UW (n = 10) or in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) (n = 10) for 1, 3, 7, and 14 days and were examined with light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Rat aortic preparations were stored in UW or PBS for 1 hour, 24 hours, 72 hours, 7 days, and 14 days and assessed for functional responses (stimulated contraction and endothelium-dependent relaxation). Segments (5 mm) of rat carotid arteries were stored in UW or PBS for 3 days, 7 days, and 14 days and orthotopically implanted as autografts and allografts. No immunosuppressive or anticoagulant agents were used. After 28 days of implantation, the grafts were assessed for patency and excised for LM and SEM. In UW, the endothelial layer remained intact up to 9 days of storage. In PBS, the endothelial layer showed deterioration after 1 day and was completely lost after 3 days. Functional responses were demonstrated to exist for as long as 7 days storage in UW. In PBS, no responses could be evoked after 24 hours storage. Autografts preserved in UW for 3 days (n = 6), 7 days (n = 6), and 14 days (n = 6) showed patency rates of 83.3%, 66.6%, and 66.6%, respectively, whereas patency rates of allografts were 66.6%, 33.3%, and 33.3%, respectively. Autografts stored in PBS for 3 days (n = 6), 7 days (n = 6), and 14 days (n = 6) showed patency rates of 33.3%, 33.3%, and 50%, respectively, whereas patency rates of allografts were 16.7%, 0%, and 33.3%, respectively. The UW preserved autografts showed normal morphology. All other groups showed vessel wall degeneration which in the allograft groups, were accompanied by lymphocellular infiltration. In conclusion, the endothelial layer and vessel wall of arteries are adequately preserved in UW. Functional responses are retained up to 14 days storage in UW, but, are lost after 24 hours storage in PBS. Autograft implantation studies accordingly show good performance of arterial segments preserved in UW, whereas allografts are subject to degradation as a result of rejectio

Een hernieuwde kijk op individuele besluitvorming in de glastuinbouw

In dit rapport wordt verslag gedaan van een verkennend onderzoek naar verschillen in de besluitvorming van individuele glastuinders en naar de rol die de 'omgeving' hierbij speelt. Onderzoeksvragen zijn: Hoe verloopt het besluitvormingsproces van een glastuinder bij investeringsbeslissingen omtrent energiebesparing? Wat is de rol van 'externen' (bedrijfs-adviseurs, collega-telers, en dergelijke) bij dit proces? Hoe krijgen we zicht op de interactie tussen de glastuinder en zijn of haar omgeving? Op basis van de literatuur is een conceptueel model opgesteld. Bij in totaal 70 glastuinders zijn, via een workshop en telefonische interviews, data verzameld met be-trekking tot persoonlijkheidskenmerken, attituden en informatieverzamelingsgedrag. Deze data zijn vervolgens gerelateerd aan hun bedrijfsgegevens die reeds eerder vastgelegd zijn in het Bedrijven-Informatienet van LEI B.V. De resultaten laten zien dat er significante relaties zijn tussen persoonlijkheidskenmerken van glastuinders, bedrijfsfactoren en informatieverzamelingsgedrag. Het persoonlijkheidskenmerk 'extraversie' en de bedrijfsfactor 'oppervlakte van het bedrijf' ble-ken (deels) te kunnen verklaren waarom de ene glastuinder zelf de uiteindelijke beslissing neemt en de andere glastuinder het overlaat aan een 'extern' persoon

Tensor Product Approximation (DMRG) and Coupled Cluster method in Quantum Chemistry

We present the Copupled Cluster (CC) method and the Density matrix Renormalization Grooup (DMRG) method in a unified way, from the perspective of recent developments in tensor product approximation. We present an introduction into recently developed hierarchical tensor representations, in particular tensor trains which are matrix product states in physics language. The discrete equations of full CI approximation applied to the electronic Schr\"odinger equation is casted into a tensorial framework in form of the second quantization. A further approximation is performed afterwards by tensor approximation within a hierarchical format or equivalently a tree tensor network. We establish the (differential) geometry of low rank hierarchical tensors and apply the Driac Frenkel principle to reduce the original high-dimensional problem to low dimensions. The DMRG algorithm is established as an optimization method in this format with alternating directional search. We briefly introduce the CC method and refer to our theoretical results. We compare this approach in the present discrete formulation with the CC method and its underlying exponential parametrization.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure

Bi- and trinuclear coinage metal complexes of a PNNP ligand featuring metallophilic interactions and an unusual charge separation

A selective synthesis of bi- and trinuclear complexes featuring a tetradentate monoanionic PNNP ligand is presented. The binuclear coinage metal complexes show a typical fourfold coordination for Cu and Ag, which changes to a bifold coordination for Au. The latter is accompanied by an unusual charge separation. Optical properties are investigated using photoluminescence spectroscopy and complemented by time-dependent density-functional-theory calculations. All compounds demonstrate clearly distinguished features dependent on the metals chosen and differences in the complex scaffold

The perceived influence of the elements of internal marketing on the brand image of a staffing agency group

The main purpose of the study on which this article is based was to determine the influence of internal marketing on service quality as a means of improving the brand image of staffing agencies. The population of the study was the public staffing industry in South Africa. The sampling unit was the clients of a selected staffing brand. The selected sample of respondents was surveyed through an online self-administered survey distributed via a link in an email. The data was analysed using multivariate regression statistics. The application of an internal marketing approach enables staffing agencies to minimise employee turnover and increase service quality and performance, aiding staffing agencies to gain strong brand images that result in higher levels of competitiveness and profitability. Successful internal marketing should have a positive influence on employee attitudes and actions and therefore enhance customer satisfaction and service quality. The integration of internal marketing into the organisation's overall marketing strategy is therefore critical. The purpose of such a strategy can be to ensure that the organisation recruits and trains employees to deliver on the values of the brand in order to ensure that staffing agencies strengthen their brand images