Margaret Brunton

Differences in Living and Learning: Chinese International Students in New Zealand

The international education market has developed rapidly throughout the Western world. Accordingly, Chinese students have become the largest group of international students studying in New Zealand. However, despite an increasing role that the Chinese market plays in sustaining the New Zealand education export industry, the education experience of Chinese students has not always been reported positively. The importance of this market to the educational sector gave rise to questions about the way in which Chinese international students perceived their New Zealand education and how satisfied they were with both their sociocultural and educational experiences. A study of 140 Chinese international students enrolled at a range of educational institutions in Auckland was undertaken. The results show that recognition of the influence of sociocultural factors beyond the learning experience itself is vital in facilitating mutually beneficial outcomes for Chinese international students and the international education industry in New Zealand.

Ethical Perceptions of Business Students in a New Zealand University: Do Gender, Age and Work Experience Matter?

Ethical issues at the workplace have once again become topical and important due to considerable adverse publicity surrounding reports of unethical business practices by corporate managers. Accordingly, this paper re-visits the question of whether gender, age and work experience do have an effect on ethical judgement, using 655 business students as respondents. This is necessary as business students are likely to become managers during their career and will face complex ethical concerns and dilemmas in their daily, routine affairs. The findings currently demonstrate that females are more ethically aware than their male counterparts – that is, there are differences between males and females regarding ethical judgement. There is also evidence to suggest that age is a factor that does impact on ethical judgement. However, we also found evidence to suggest that in some cases, the age factor does not necessarily have a significant impact on ethical awareness. The results further indicate that there is a difference in ethical judgement related to work experience. However, at the same time, in one question there is no evidence to suggest the claim that work experience does impact significantly on ethical judgement. Overall, it appears that ethical awareness does increase alongside work experience.

Developing a Framework for Communication Management Competencies.

Using a hierarchical needs assessment model developed by Hunt we identified the essential competencies of communication management practitioners for the purpose of curriculum development and selection. We found that the underlying values of the profession were embodied in two superordinate goals. Six major competencies were identified, which were defined by further sub‐competencies. In addition, four main personal attributes were rated as important to professional performance. While we found high levels of agreement between practitioners and academics, there was a difference in opinion about the importance of the competency external interface management and this has implications for changing the focus of tertiary curricula.

Divergent acceptance of change in a public health organization

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the way in which health professional (HP)‐based subcultures interpret reform‐based changes.Design/methodology/approach – A three‐phase study is carried out using thematic analysis to examine data from semi‐structured interviews held with 19 HPs to examine their responses to change. Also, responses from 639 self‐completion questionnaires and focus group interviews with 44 women provide insight into the influence of the change on end‐users of the service.Findings – This study extends previous work through inductive examination of the interpretations of two subcultures, which reveal that acceptance of the strategic change objective is subsequently undermined by divergence in the way members of the subcultures interpret and seek to enact change – a divergent acceptance.Research limitations/implications – The findings result from a single case‐study healthcare setting. Future studies can extend the research to other settings.Practical implications – The insight...

Emotion in health care: the cost of caring

PURPOSE The purpose of this paper is to understand the centrality of emotion, and how that emotion both created and contributed to meaning, in the communication of health professionals who worked in a regional pilot program for cancer screening. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH As the third phase of a larger study, thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews was carried out with the 19 members of the professional groups, which comprised the service. Brief comments were included from the questionnaire survey in phases 1 and 2 of the study to demonstrate the overflow effects on those served by the organization. FINDINGS Emotion was found to be a critical component in the communication interface between the groups. The complexity of the way in which emotion was managed with the client group overflowed into the management of the communication process between the professional groups in the organization. However, it was not always recognised, and thus created difficulties for a number of staff. RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS Although the research was limited to one health-care organization, it is possible that other health professions are experiencing similar situations as they cope with the certainty of unending change. Also, although secondary interviews were carried out to ensure that themes were credible to participants, it is possible that carrying out the interviews in the work environment may have constrained some participants. ORIGINALITY/VALUE Stresses the importance of the emotional component of communication and how it is recognised to facilitate effective working relationships and support staff coping with change and heavy workloads in health-care organizations.

The Influence of Culture on Ethical Perception Held by Business Students in a New Zealand University

The demand for principled and transparent corporate moral judgement and ethical decision making in the workplace makes it necessary for business students as future managers to understand the expectations of ethical workplace conduct. Corporate scandals mean that there is enhanced interest in ensuring that ethical content is included in curricula in universities. In this study, we re-visit the question of whether culture has an influence on ethical perceptions of workplace scenarios, using students enrolled in a College of Business in a New Zealand (NZ) university as respondents. Consistent with current research, this study demonstrated mixed results. However, we also found evidence to suggest some identifiable patterns in the data across cultural groups. Overall, Chinese and Other respondents were more likely than NZ European to consider the scenarios as ethical. On the other hand, Chinese respondents were significantly less likely to report that their peers would carry out ethically questionable actions.

Managing public health care policy: Who's being forgotten?

The purpose of this paper is to explore the lived experience and perceptions of a sample of caregivers who are providing informal care 24h per day, 7 days per week for those with Alzheimers disease in New Zealand. A mixed-method research design was used to collect and analyse the data. Semi-structured interviews with five caregivers and the completion of a questionnaire survey by 64 full-time caregivers provided insight into the significant burden carried by voluntary caregivers. However, alongside their experience of negative effects on their mental and psychological health, work and financial status, new perspectives of valued self-development and enhanced support networks in their caregiving role emerged. Despite this exploratory project being limited to a small sample of caregivers, the evidence suggests that they employ coping mechanisms which need to be recognised and supported with adequate and equitable resource allocation, if policy managers desire the current level of dependence on informal caregiving for those with Alzheimers in this country to be sustained.

Using the critical incident technique for triangulation and elaboration of communication management competencies

This paper presents the findings from research using the critical incident technique to identify the use of key competencies for communication management practitioners. Qualitative data was generated from 202 critical incidents reported by 710 respondents. We also present a brief summary of the quantitative data, which identified two superordinate goals, six major competencies and four main personal attributes required for competent practice. Our primary focus in this paper, however, is on the holistic, practitioner‐orientated descriptions and interpretations of workplace events, which illustrated how associated competencies and aptitudes are strategically applied in communication management. We identified further dimensions of competency development, such as reflective practice and transformative action as knowledge was constructed and reconfigured in the dynamic workplace environment.

The role of effective communication to enhance participation in screening mammography: a New Zealand case.

Changes in the organisation of health care have dominated policy initiatives over the past two decades in many countries. An increasing reliance on public health initiatives to prevent or detect disease early has resulted in an increase in programs that screen for cancer in the community. In turn, this accentuates the need to persuasively communicate the value of such initiatives to encourage continued participation. Merely placing screening programs into a community setting is not sufficient to ensure that adequate numbers will voluntarily participate regularly to achieve anticipated cost and mortality savings in the population. In this research the influence of managing communication in a public screening mammography program was investigated. The results revealed that significant opportunities were overlooked for reassurance and information during the physical mammography process. In turn, this highlights the influence of constraints imposed by the structure of the screening program and the resources allocated to the process. This research suggests that it is important to address multiple influences, including ethnic differences, when asking questions about the effectiveness of public health policy, particularly when considering the choices women make about ongoing participation in breast screening programs.

Are Strategic Communication Management Competencies and Personal Attributes Global? A Case Study of Practice in Finland and New Zealand

The drive to both maintain competitiveness and to meet marketplace expectations using the strategic management of communication is a feature of the international workplace. In the complex and dynamic commercial environment of the new millennium, this drive includes the imperatives to employ competent communication professionals. Whether organizations are intent on acquiring or developing proficient practitioners, the ability to achieve these aims rests on the identification of relevant competencies and attributes. This study uses the Critical Incident Technique to explore the practice of Communication Management in a sample of practitioners in New Zealand and Finland—two geographically disperse countries. The identified critical incidents mostly related to managing crisis communication across both countries. To manage the incidents, communication practitioners predominantly used two competencies: stakeholder relationship management and external interface management. In addition, the personal attribute of adaptability was most commonly employed in both countries. Despite the similarity of incidents and the competencies and attributes required to manage them, also variability in practitioners’ strategic and personal responses was evident.