Evaluating the effectiveness of website branding for institutions of higher learning in the Klang Valley

The intention of this study is to determine the perception of students in evaluating the effectiveness of website branding for institutions of higher learning (IHLs). In addition, it is also to measure the effectiveness of website branding and the important role it plays as a medium in branding for institutions of higher learning. Besides, it is also to determine how brand recall may influence students’ decision to enrol into a particular school. The findings of this research are, hopefully, intended to provide accurate and useful information so as to facilitate further research in similar fields of study. Permission was granted by the Directors of the IHLs to deliver and collect the questionnaires. Questionnaires were given to 600 students of 10 selected IHLs in the Klang Valley. The respondents involved were students enrolled in the social science, technology and arts and design courses as well as all the school administrators ranging from the Principals to the key personnel of the departments. The respondents were asked about their perception with regard to evaluating the effectiveness of website branding for institutions of higher learning so as to gain their true interpretation and understanding of website branding. Responses from the respondents have shown that, generally, branding through a website was more important as compared to the use of other traditional mass media. The website was another medium that could be important for branding of IHLs. Many student respondents agreed that the website was more effective in their search for information compared to the use of the traditional mass media. From the traditional mass media, one might find it difficult to obtain the required information since many IHLs seldom employ any publicity using the traditional mass media. Educational institutions that posted good websites that could provide clear and sufficient information to their potential students would then have a competitive advantage over those that did not. The findings have shown that strong brand recall could provide customers with an assurance of quality and a reduction of search time in the purchasing process. Besides that, the findings have also indicated that branding through a website was definitely more effective in influencing the students in making decisions to enrol in their courses compared to the use of traditional mass media strategies

BRANDING THROUGH FACEBOOK FOR INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING

The intention of this study is to determine the perception of students towards the effectiveness of Facebook branding for institutions of higher learning through the use of social networking sites (SNS). It is also to explore the important role they play as a media in branding for institutions of higher learning. The findings of this research are intended to provide accurate and useful information so as to facilitate further research in similar fields of study. Permission was granted by the Directors of the IHLs to deliver and collect the questionnaires. Questionnaires were given to 200 students of ten selected institutions of higher learning in the Klang Valley. The respondents involved were students enrolled in the social science, technology and art and design courses as well as all the school administrators ranging from the Principals right down to the key personnel of these departments. The respondents were asked about their perception with regards to its current Facebook website and how does it play a role in branding the institutions of higher learning so as to gain their true interpretation and understanding of Internet branding. Responses from the respondents showed that, generally branding through Facebook was more important when compared to the use of other traditional mass media. Website was another medium that could be important for branding institutions of higher learning. Many student respondents agreed that branding through Facebook was more effective in finding information as compared to the use of the traditional mass media. From the traditional mass media, one might find it difficult to obtain the required information since many institutions of higher learning seldom employ any publicity using any traditional mass media. Educational institutions that posted good websites that could provide clearer and sufficient information to their potential students, would then have a more competitive advantage compare to those who did not. Besides that, the findings have also indicated that branding through a website was definitely more effective in influencing the students in making decisions to enroll in their courses when compared to the use of traditional mass media strategy. Keywords: Facebook, Branding, Institution of Higher learning, social networking, Internet branding

Engaging gen Y through social network sites / Vincent Wee Eng Kim and Vivien Wee Mui Eik @ Bee Jade

Social networking sites are able to build on the interactive power of the Internet. This study attempts to discover the influence of social media on the present generation Y as consumers, their buying behaviour and to determine the roles that the social media plays as a popular medium to communicate a message. The findings of this research will provide clear and useful information to facilitate further research in similar fields of study. A set of questionnaire was administered to 200 students from ten selected institutions of higher learning in the Klang Valley. The respondents were asked about their current perceptions regarding their interaction with the social media websites and how these websites have influenced their purchasing behaviour which would enable further understanding about the social media. The respondents, responses show that, generally social media was used to seek useful information. They prefer to purchase in groups and the social media acts as a community platform to post and share their views. The respondents agreed that social media was more effective in finding information as compared to the use of the traditional mass media. Viral advertising in the form ofvideos are very appealing to them. Furthermore, social media also improves customers service and business networking

Testing the effectiveness of health risk messages : threat and efficacy processing / Thinavan Periyayya and Vincent Wee Eng Kim

This is a micro study of an on-going macro study of the different categories of fear appeals used in the on-going national anti-smoking campaign. A quasi-experimental design was used to study the respondents’ responses to the anti-smoking print advertisement campaign. Two types of advertisements were selected, one which depicted a social threat and the other a damaging health threat. Each type of advertisement was evaluated by two separate groups of participants. The evaluation was based on the extended parallel process model’s (EPPM) risk diagnosis scale. The social threat advertisement had a low fear and efficacy message while the health threat advertisement had a high fear and efficacy message. Findings showed that the social threat (low fear/efficacy) was able to make the respondents of the study take a preventive behavioural or danger control position to avoid the negative consequences. In comparison the damaging health threat (high fear/ efficacy) was found to move the participants to a fear control position or maladaptive behavioural position. The study supported the main predictions of the EPPM, and showed that the efficacy construct determined how the fear appeal was processed (danger control or fear control)

EXPLAINING SUSTAINABILITY IN HEALTHCARE - A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF AN AGED CARE ORGANISATION IN AUSTRALIA

IT initiatives in healthcare often promise much but fail to deliver. As with IT projects in any other industry, healthcare projects may be abandoned before delivery, or if delivered, they may lack adoption or fail to deliver continuous use over a sustained period of time. Failure factors typically discussed in the IS literature fail to fully explain why sustainability is such an issue in the healthcare industry. Healthcare systems are technically complex to begin with. They involve a large number of stakeholders. Therefore their implementation process involves more planning and forethoughts. This paper focuses on the sustainability issues of healthcare information systems (HIS) implementation. We reviewed a broad array of literature to try to clarify the concept of sustainability within the defined context. We arrived at a broad framework for defining different types of sustainability for HIS. We propose they must all be considered for every sustainable healthcare IS implementation. Then using a successful aged care organisation in Australia, we explain the relevance of each type of sustainability defined. We conclude with some discussions of future work

Charge Storage Effect in a Trilayer Structure Comprising Germanium Nanocrystals

A metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) device with a trilayer insulator structure consisting of sputtered SiO₂ (~50nm)/evaporated pure germanium (Ge) layer (2.4nm)/rapid thermal oxide (~5nm) was fabricated on a p-type Si substrate. The MIS device was rapid thermal annealed at 1000°C. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements showed that, after rapid thermal annealing at 1000°C for 300s in Ar, the trilayer device exhibited charge storage property. The charge storage effect was not observed in a device with a bilayer structure without the Ge middle layer. With increasing rapid thermal annealing time from 0 to 400s, the width of the C-V hysteresis of the trilayer device increased significantly from 1.5V to ~11V, indicating that the charge storage capability was enhanced with increasing annealing time. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy results confirmed that with increasing annealing time, the 2.4nm amorphous middle Ge layer crystallized gradually. More Ge nanocrystals were formed and the crystallinity of the Ge layer improved as the annealing time was increased. When the measurement temperature was increased from –50°C to 150°C, the width of the hysteresis of the MIS device reduced from ~10V to ~6V. This means that the charge storage capability of the trilayer structure decreases with increasing measurement temperature. This is due to the fact that the leakage current in the trilayer structure increases with increasing measurement temperature.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA

Real-time electron nanoscopy of photovoltaic absorber formation from kesterite nanoparticles

Cu2ZnSnS4 nanocrystals are annealed in a Se-rich atmosphere inside a transmission electron microscope. During the heating phase, a complete S-Se exchange reaction occurs while the cation sublattice and morphology of the nanocrystals are preserved. At the annealing temperature, growth of large Cu2ZnSnSe4 grains with increased cation ordering is observed in real-time. Thisyields an annealing protocol which is transferred to an industrially-similar solar cell fabrication process resulting in a 33% increase in the device open circuit voltage. The approach can be applied to improve the performance of any photovoltaic technology that requires annealing because of the criticality of the process step

The Islet Estrogen Receptor-α Is Induced by Hyperglycemia and Protects Against Oxidative Stress-Induced Insulin-Deficient Diabetes

The female steroid, 17β-estradiol (E2), is important for pancreatic β-cell function and acts via at least three estrogen receptors (ER), ERα, ERβ, and the G-protein coupled ER (GPER). Using a pancreas-specific ERα knockout mouse generated using the Cre-lox-P system and a Pdx1-Cre transgenic line (PERαKO−/−), we previously reported that islet ERα suppresses islet glucolipotoxicity and prevents β-cell dysfunction induced by high fat feeding. We also showed that E2 acts via ERα to prevent β-cell apoptosis in vivo. However, the contribution of the islet ERα to β-cell survival in vivo, without the contribution of ERα in other tissues is still unclear. Using the PERαKO−/− mouse, we show that ERα mRNA expression is only decreased by 20% in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, without a parallel decrease in the VMH, making it a reliable model of pancreas-specific ERα elimination. Following exposure to alloxan-induced oxidative stress in vivo, female and male PERαKO−/− mice exhibited a predisposition to β-cell destruction and insulin deficient diabetes. In male PERαKO−/− mice, exposure to E2 partially prevented alloxan-induced β-cell destruction and diabetes. ERα mRNA expression was induced by hyperglycemia in vivo in islets from young mice as well as in cultured rat islets. The induction of ERα mRNA by hyperglycemia was retained in insulin receptor-deficient β-cells, demonstrating independence from direct insulin regulation. These findings suggest that induction of ERα expression acts to naturally protect β-cells against oxidative injury

Deepening responses associated with improved progression-free survival with ixazomib versus placebo as posttransplant maintenance in multiple myeloma

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The islet estrogen receptor-alpha is induced by hyperglycemia and protects against oxidative stress-induced insulin-deficient diabetes

The female steroid, 17beta-estradiol (E2), is important for pancreatic beta-cell function and acts via at least three estrogen receptors (ER), ERalpha, ERbeta, and the G-protein coupled ER (GPER). Using a pancreas-specific ERalpha knockout mouse generated using the Cre-lox-P system and a Pdx1-Cre transgenic line (PERalphaKO (-)/(-)), we previously reported that islet ERalpha suppresses islet glucolipotoxicity and prevents beta-cell dysfunction induced by high fat feeding. We also showed that E2 acts via ERalpha to prevent beta-cell apoptosis in vivo. However, the contribution of the islet ERalpha to beta-cell survival in vivo, without the contribution of ERalpha in other tissues is still unclear. Using the PERalphaKO (-)/(-) mouse, we show that ERalpha mRNA expression is only decreased by 20% in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus, without a parallel decrease in the VMH, making it a reliable model of pancreas-specific ERalpha elimination. Following exposure to alloxan-induced oxidative stress in vivo, female and male PERalphaKO (-)/(-) mice exhibited a predisposition to beta-cell destruction and insulin deficient diabetes. In male PERalphaKO (-)/(-) mice, exposure to E2 partially prevented alloxan-induced beta-cell destruction and diabetes. ERalpha mRNA expression was induced by hyperglycemia in vivo in islets from young mice as well as in cultured rat islets. The induction of ERalpha mRNA by hyperglycemia was retained in insulin receptor-deficient beta-cells, demonstrating independence from direct insulin regulation. These findings suggest that induction of ERalpha expression acts to naturally protect beta-cells against oxidative injury