The purpose of this research was to analyse the content and context of tourism stakeholder management in Negara Brunei Darussalam and to investigate stakeholder views on tourism management, planning and development. The author attempted to identify the web of stakeholders as perceived by the main key groups of players in the tourism industry in the months leading up to the sultanate's first ever 'Visit Brunei Year 2001'. In addition, she attempted to investigate the underlying causes of ineffective tourism management in Negara Brunei Darussalam, which operates under a strict Malay Muslim Monarchy ('Melayu Islam Beraja' or'MIB') system of governance and national philosophy. Many hold the view that developing the tourism industry in Negara Brunei Darussalam is a necessary stepping-stone towards diversification from its dependence on oil and gas. However, very little effort has been made to educate the general community on its benefits and disadvantages. In addition, only a very select group of people are directly involved in its planning and development leading to conflict in the community. Little has been said about real community support of tourism development and on the impact it may have on its stakeholders. The present study has attempted to do this. Problems in tourism management, planning and development are expected to arise because of Negara Brunei Darussalam's inexperience in this field, lack of coordination and planning between government and private sectors; and, perhaps due to conflict between its MIB philosophy and the perceived negative nature of the tourism industry. Research was conducted in several stages from November 1999 to February 2001. Data collection from the fieldwork was elicited through questionnaires administered by four trained interviewers in all four districts in Negara Brunei Darussalam and through in-depth interviews with selected tourism stakeholders by the author. The author observed that key players of tourism were relatively unaware of the concept of community participation in tourism development and planning, as well as the identity of a wider range of tourism stakeholders. The community at large does support tourism development and planning and expectations for accrual of tourism revenue and benefits are high. Many in the private sector have voiced the view that the government should do more to give this industry a boost. Similarly, the governmental body believes that a pro-active private sector is needed for sustainability of this industry. An alternative model to western stakeholder management is proposed that is applicable to this small Muslim sultanate.

Thesis (M. Ec.)--University of Sydney, 1963. / Also available in print form.

No description available.

No description available.

With the anticipated effects of climate change due to global warming, there is concern over how animals, especially ectotherms, will respond to or tolerate extreme and fluctuating environmental temperature stress. Littorinid snails are intertidal ectotherms that live high on the shore where they experience both extreme and variable conditions of temperature and desiccation stress, and are believed to live close to their tolerance limits. This study investigated the thermal biology of littorinid snails of the genera Afrolittorina, Echinolittorina and Littoraria from temperate, subtropical and tropical regions in South Africa and Brunei Darussalam using thermal tolerance, heart function, and proteome approaches. The effects of conditions, such as rate of change in temperature, acclimation, heat shock, season and starvation were also tested. In addition, the evolutionary relationships and genetic diversity between and within the South African Afrolittorina spp. were investigated using mitochondrial and nuclear markers. Genetic results confirmed that these are two distinct species, with the brown to black A. knysnaensis predominant in the cool-temperate region of South Africa and the pale blue-grey A. africana in the subtropical region. There was low genetic variation and differentiation within each species, suggesting high gene flow among populations as a result of the effects of ocean currents on the dispersal of their planktotrophic larvae. Tests using exposure to high temperatures revealed differences in the thermal tolerances, heart performance and protein profiles of species from different latitudes, regions and zones on the shore. Thermal tolerance conformed to expectations, with clear, statistically significant trends from high tolerance in subtropical species to lower tolerance in temperate species. However, for Afrolittorina spp., there were no significant differences in the thermal tolerances of conspecifics from different regions, though there was a significant difference in thermal tolerance between juveniles and adults. Overall, adults of all species showed higher thermal tolerances than juveniles. Although lethal temperatures for these species were higher in summer than winter, laboratory acclimation had no effect on heat coma temperatures. All species showed some regulation of heart rate, with a degree of independence of heart rate from temperature across mid-range temperatures. The tropical species showed quick induction and good regulation of heart rate followed by the subtropical and temperate species, which displayed mixed responses including regulation, partial regulation and lack of regulation. Overall, tropical Echinolittorina spp. showed good regulation, while the subtropical E. natalensis and Littoraria glabrata exhibited a mixture of partial regulation and regulation. The subtropical/temperate Afrolittorina spp. showed high individual variability, some animals exhibiting regulation, while others did not. These effects seem to be largely phylogenetically determined as there were no differences in the heart rate responses of Afrolittorina spp. from different regions. The temperatures at which heart rate became independent of temperature (thermoneutral zone) were within the range experienced under natural conditions. In addition, there were differences in Arrhenius breakpoint and endpoint temperatures, showing a trend from higher in tropical animals to lower for temperate animals. Conditions such as acclimation, heat shock and starvation had little or no effect on heart performance. However, a slow increase in temperature induced good regulation of heart rate with noticeable shifts of breakpoints and endpoints for Afrolittorina spp. Lastly, there were differences in the proteome responses between and within Afrolittorina spp. as a function of species, size and treatment. Although both large and small A. knysnaensis had a greater number of protein spots in their proteome than A. africana (though the difference was not significant), the later showed significantly higher differential expression of certain proteins following heat stress. In addition, juveniles of both species displayed greater numbers of protein spots in their proteome than adults. The results indicate a difference in the physiological and biochemical responses (i.e. adaptations) of these snails to temperature, and this seems to relate to differences in biogeography, phylogeny, species identity and ecology. The ability to regulate heart rate is phylogenetically determined, while thresholds and lethal limits correspond to biogeography and species ecology. The proteome seems to correspond to species ecology. The results also indicate that these littorinids can tolerate high temperature stress and in this respect they are well suited to life in the intertidal zones or habitats where temperature and other stresses or conditions are extreme and can change abruptly. However, the limited ability of these snails to acclimate to different temperatures suggests that they are already living close to their tolerance limits with small safety margins or narrow thermal windows and so may be vulnerable to small rises in substratum temperature and/or solar radiation.

No description available.

Mathematics plays a key role in many of today’s most secure and financially rewarding careers. In almost every sector of the economy, a substantial core of mathematics is needed to prepare students both for work and for higher education. The impact of computers and information technology in areas as diverse as manufacturing and advertising means that understanding mathematics becomes more important because it provides students with basic prerequisites in other useful areas such as problem-solving. Technical students in Brunei are trained with the skills needed in the world of industry and commerce to become competent workers and many of them continue to pursue higher education. They need the right balance of mathematics that can prepare them for both purposes. Considered to be academically weak, and coming from the system (high schools) whose teaching approaches benefit abstract learners, these students need to be motivated and have their interest in mathematics nurtured. This study is an attempt to improve the mathematical skills of technical students in Brunei by developing a teaching and learning package that can be used by mathematics instructors with their students. The package was designed to provide student-centred instruction and focuses on the learning environment aspects of “Teacher Support”, “Innovation”, “Cooperation”, “Task Orientation” and “Relevance”. These learning environment aspects were incorporated into each category of the ARCS motivational model (Keller, 1983b) for the purpose of enhancing motivation. It was anticipated that students’ mathematical understanding and attitude would be improved when their learning environment and thus their motivation was enhanced. / When the package was implemented among a group of technical students, they experienced an approach to the teaching of mathematics that shifted from instruction fostering the procedures of practice and memorisation toward instruction that emphasised mathematical inquiry and conceptual understanding. Integrated curricula and cooperative learning techniques were used to link both the mathematics understanding of materials and their composition to the application of materials in the world of work. The use of technology to pursue mathematical investigations by way of learning aids was encouraged because the impact of technology on education today cannot be ignored. A group of students from two classes were involved in the implementation of the package to determine its effectiveness, for a duration of eight weeks. By applying the pre-experimental design methodology to the study, pre-test and post-test were used to measure students’ cognitive and affective changes. Mathematics proficiency in the categories of procedural skills, conceptual understanding and problem solving abilities were measured and examined by comparing students’ pre- and post-test results. Other forms of assessment such as projects and graded class-work (and homework) and also the communication that took place between the students during discussions were analysed to further validate their mathematical understanding. The learning environment and attitude factors mentioned were identified and validated through surveys, observations and interviews. A learning environment instrument called the College Classroom Environment Inventory (CCEI) was adapted for the purpose of measuring students’ perception of the learning environment. / Another instrument named the Attitude Towards Mathematics survey was designed to measure students’ attitude towards mathematics. Both instruments were created, validated and then used to measure students’ affective changes (before and after package implementation) and thus evaluate the efficacy of the package. Besides the quantitative data obtained, the qualitative data from observations and interviews was used to confirm, explain and verify results. The results obtained from this study demonstrated students’ improved cognitive outcome in all areas of mathematical proficiency measured. As for the affective outcome, there were improvements in students’ perception of the classroom environment and also in the attitude category of “Importance” where more post-test than pre-test students agreed on the importance of mathematics in everyday life. The result also indicated associations between cognitive outcomes and a number of the learning environment scales. Students who experienced the package also demonstrated better mathematical understanding compared to those who did not. Students, instructors, curriculum developers and administrators should benefit from the results of this study. The study also provides a starting point for more research of this kind to be carried out for the benefit of technical students in Brunei in particular, and for mathematics students generally.

This study provides a comprehensive perspective of the transition to school in the South East Asian Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. It is a cross-cultural, critical case study, grounded in qualitative research, which examines the school entrance policies, practices and procedures that are in place to assist children to make this significant transition in their lives. / Thesis (PhDEducation)--University of South Australia, 2002

Thesis (D. Miss.)--Western Seminary, Portland, OR, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 228-232).

Method This study used a descriptive correlational study design to examine new nurses within the first three years of work as a registered nurses' perception of stress and level of job satisfaction in today's complex clinical nursing working environment. Data was collected through distribution of self administered questionnaires, which comprised 59 items of Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (French, Lenton, Walters and Eyles, 1995) and the two part measurement tool of Index of Work Satisfaction Survey (Stamps, 2001). This questionnaire was distributed to 120 new registered nurses working in Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital (R.I.P.A.S.), the main referral hospital in Brunei Darussalam. The sample consisted of both male and female registered nurses (RN) who had less than three years working experience in nursing. Results Responses to the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS) identified that the new registered nurses rated their Uncertainty Concerning Treatment as highly stressful events that frequently occurred in the workplace. The study findings also revealed that the level of stress and the common stressors in new registered nurses within the first three years of work as a registered nurses were similar irrespective of whether they were working in the speciality units or in general wards. Results for Index Work Satisfaction Survey (IWSS) Part A and B also suggested that there was no significant difference on the levels of job satisfaction in both groups of new registered nurses, with the majority of nurse choosing Professional Status as the most important component. Conclusion Results of this study are likely to have important implications for nursing education, administration, management, organisation, practice, knowledge, and research. The study findings have the potential to make a significant contribution to determining coping strategies that might help in reducing the amount of stress experienced by the new registered nurses in day to day challenging and demanding nursing roles. The study also has the potential to have wider benefits to nursing practice not just at Brunei Darussalam.