Meredith Lawley

Modelling Choice of Destination of Hong Kong Students

Many universities are interested in knowing why overseas students choose one country over another in which to pursue their studies. Most Hong Kong students who study overseas choose either Australia, the UK, the USA or Canada, but why do they choose one over another? Exploratory research identified 17 variables thought to influence this choice. These variables were structured into a model of choice of destination involving three underlying dimensions: course and country characteristics, administrative processes, and costs. The model and two competing models were tested using data gathered through a questionnaire personally administered to 354 Hong Kong residents intending to study overseas. The model with the best fit contained only course and country characteristics.

Can Regional Communities Successfully Participate in the Smart State? The Case of Maranoa Online Regional Community Portal

This paper presents a case study of the initial planning and implementation of an emerging e-model, community portals, in a regional Queensland community, focusing on the adoption of this model by the two key stakeholder groups of businesses and consumers. Our study was undertaken in two stages: an initial exploratory stage utilising depth interviews with businesses and focus groups of consumers to identify key reasons for participation, followed by a survey of all businesses and households in the region. Two key implications for successful planning and implementation of regional community portals include the need to focus on not only the establishment and start up phase of the portal but also on the longer term growth and development of the portal and secondly, the importance of considering and addressing the needs of all stakeholder groups at initial planning and implementation phases, rather than focussing on one stakeholder group. Overall the results question the viability of regional community portals if they are to be self-funding, hence necessitating a commercial focus.