title: The Meetings Incentives Conferences and Events Industry in Hang Zhou, China: Residents' Perceptions of Policies

authors: Zhou, Chao (Nicole)

subjects: Event tourism

abstract: This thesis was initiated by the occurrence of the 2006 Hang Zhou World Leisure Expo. Hang Zhou is the author's home city, and thus the Expo was of interest, and from this interest came the idea of conducting research into residents' perceptions of the impacts of the 2006 Expo and the more general impacts of Hang Zhou's Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) policies. As in other Chinese cities, these policies are primarily determined by the Municipal Government with comparatively little reference to residents.
The researcher has found very little prior research into the subject of resident perceptions of MICE, even though, as described in the thesis, there has been increasing competition between cities as each seeks to build conference centres and attract business for those centres. Much of the literature reviewed was based on research into western cases, and in the final chapter reference is made to potential differences between China and the locations of this other research.
After a literature review, the author undertook a qualitative study by conducting interviews with 40 respondents to both elicit their views and determine items for a subsequent quantitative study based on self completed questionnaires. After 5 months, a sample of just over 400 usable responses had been collected. The design of the questionnaire permitted discriminant analysis to be used, and thus in addition to the use of t-tests and ANOVA, factor, cluster, regression and path analysis were all used.
Given the lack of previous research within China, the main focus of the research was descriptive and exploratory in nature, but the initial results permitted the development of a potential set of causal relationships that are summarised in the main text as Figure 4.3. This permitted a series of four propositions to be examined. It is to be noted that the term ‗proposition' is used rather than ‗hypothesis'. The latter term implies quantifiable relationships are thought to exist and that can be tested. The literature review reveals a deficiency generally about residents' perceptions of MICE and very specifically almost nothing about the Chinese situation, so at this stage it is proposed that a relationship between residents and MICE, but no specific hypothesis of quantifiable relationships exist to be tested.
These were:
Proposition One
Socio-demographic variables impact on perceptions of MICE at the city and personal level, and on evaluations of Hang Zhou's MICE policy. In this respect, generally, it was found that socio-
ii
demographics were not discriminating variables, and only employment status and a past history of MICE attendance had some role of significance.
Proposition Two
There will be differences between residents' perceptions of the impacts of MICE policies when asked to consider (a) impacts in Hang Zhou generally, and (b) impacts on personal daily life. This was found to be generally true, and generally respondents were supportive of MICE policies that generated benefits for the city as a whole even when they were either not affected personally, or those personal impacts such as traffic congestion, were negative.
Proposition Three
There will exist differences in perceptions that can be caught in psychometric measurements that will enable different clusters to be discerned, whereby some will be supportive of MICE policies and others less so - such differences being determined by the evaluations of social and environmental costs as against economic gains. In short, there is an inherent tension between the economic, social and environmental within the current state of Hang Zhou as a developing city in a developing nation. This proved to be the case.
Proposition Four
A history of past attendance at MICE will be a variable that shapes support for MICE development and evaluations of the MICE policy. This was partially supported.
While distinct factors, clusters and the role of past attendance were found, the overall model proposed in chapter four, whereby a mix of civic advantages and personal impacts were thought to generate evaluations of MICE policies, was not wholly supported by path analysis. Goodness of fit measures failed to achieve figures of 0.9, although individual components of the model did achieve this. Reasons for this were thought to exist in the developmental nature of the MICE industry in Hang Zhou, and possibly in China as a whole, and these considerations are discussed in the final chapter.

text: The Meetings Incentives Conferences and Events Industry in Hang Zhou, China: Residents' Perceptions of Policies This thesis was initiated by the occurrence of the 2006 Hang Zhou World Leisure Expo. Hang Zhou is the author's home city, and thus the Expo was of interest, and from this interest came the idea of conducting research into residents' perceptions of the impacts of the 2006 Expo and the more general impacts of Hang Zhou's Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) policies. As in other Chinese cities, these policies are primarily determined by the Municipal Government with comparatively little reference to residents.
The researcher has found very little prior research into the subject of resident perceptions of MICE, even though, as described in the thesis, there has been increasing competition between cities as each seeks to build conference centres and attract business for those centres. Much of the literature reviewed was based on research into western cases, and in the final chapter reference is made to potential differences between China and the locations of this other research.
After a literature review, the author undertook a qualitative study by conducting interviews with 40 respondents to both elicit their views and determine items for a subsequent quantitative study based on self completed questionnaires. After 5 months, a sample of just over 400 usable responses had been collected. The design of the questionnaire permitted discriminant analysis to be used, and thus in addition to the use of t-tests and ANOVA, factor, cluster, regression and path analysis were all used.
Given the lack of previous research within China, the main focus of the research was descriptive and exploratory in nature, but the initial results permitted the development of a potential set of causal relationships that are summarised in the main text as Figure 4.3. This permitted a series of four propositions to be examined. It is to be noted that the term ‗proposition' is used rather than ‗hypothesis'. The latter term implies quantifiable relationships are thought to exist and that can be tested. The literature review reveals a deficiency generally about residents' perceptions of MICE and very specifically almost nothing about the Chinese situation, so at this stage it is proposed that a relationship between residents and MICE, but no specific hypothesis of quantifiable relationships exist to be tested.
These were:
Proposition One
Socio-demographic variables impact on perceptions of MICE at the city and personal level, and on evaluations of Hang Zhou's MICE policy. In this respect, generally, it was found that socio-
ii
demographics were not discriminating variables, and only employment status and a past history of MICE attendance had some role of significance.
Proposition Two
There will be differences between residents' perceptions of the impacts of MICE policies when asked to consider (a) impacts in Hang Zhou generally, and (b) impacts on personal daily life. This was found to be generally true, and generally respondents were supportive of MICE policies that generated benefits for the city as a whole even when they were either not affected personally, or those personal impacts such as traffic congestion, were negative.
Proposition Three
There will exist differences in perceptions that can be caught in psychometric measurements that will enable different clusters to be discerned, whereby some will be supportive of MICE policies and others less so - such differences being determined by the evaluations of social and environmental costs as against economic gains. In short, there is an inherent tension between the economic, social and environmental within the current state of Hang Zhou as a developing city in a developing nation. This proved to be the case.
Proposition Four
A history of past attendance at MICE will be a variable that shapes support for MICE development and evaluations of the MICE policy. This was partially supported.
While distinct factors, clusters and the role of past attendance were found, the overall model proposed in chapter four, whereby a mix of civic advantages and personal impacts were thought to generate evaluations of MICE policies, was not wholly supported by path analysis. Goodness of fit measures failed to achieve figures of 0.9, although individual components of the model did achieve this. Reasons for this were thought to exist in the developmental nature of the MICE industry in Hang Zhou, and possibly in China as a whole, and these considerations are discussed in the final chapter.

year: 2010

title: Survival and recovery of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during starvation at sub-optimal temperatures

authors: Xavier, Ron Neo

subjects: escherichia coli

abstract: Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important foodborne pathogen with a dual lifestyle of growth within a host and persistence in non-host environments. Environmental survival of E. coli O157:H7 is particularly important in New Zealand due to the increasing trend in notified clinical cases, with most being associated with rural environments rather than contaminated regulated foods. Starvation and a decrease in temperature are characteristic of the conditions encountered by bacteria during transition from a reservoir host, normally a ruminant, to the environment; cf. feast to famine. These conditions are known to induce bacterial entrance into the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state where cell viability can only be detected using culture-independent methods with the number of colonies recovered decreasing over the duration of the starvation period. Findings from this study showed that formation of a VBNC sub-population can be induced by starving E. coli O157:H7 at sub-optimal temperatures. 

Five E. coli O157:H7 strains were used in this study; NCTC12900 as a reference strain, three New Zealand clinical isolates and a New Zealand bovine isolate. Cells were starved in phosphate buffered saline for 84 days at sub-optimal temperatures. Cell viability was determined using the SYTO 9-PI staining system coupled with a haemocytometer counting method developed in this study. Cell culturability was assessed using the nutrient-rich tryptic soy agar (TSA), nutrient-limited plate count agar (PCA), and PCA with additional supplements. The distribution of colony size provided information on the population dynamics of starved cells and their ability to recover on agar. The role of quorum sensing (LuxS/autoinducer-2) on starved cell recovery was investigated by supplementing PCA with quorum sensing molecules and using a mutant strain deficient in luxS, a gene encoding the synthase of autoinducer-2. The ability of starved and non-starved cells to metabolise single carbon sources were compared using the Biolog MicroPlatesTM.
	
When held at 4°C, a three- to six-log reduction in culturability on PCA was observed after 84 days of starvation. The reduction in culturability observed for cells starved at 15°C was between one to two logs on PCA. Despite the decline in culturability on PCA, the number of viable cells as determine by LIVE/DEAD® BacLightTM staining remained within one log of the initial viable count. Supplementation of PCA with 0.2% sodium pyruvate resulted in a significant increase in the number of colonies recovered from 4°C-starved cultures for all E. coli O157:H7 strains tested. Recovery on TSA was consistently at least two-logs higher than recovery on PCA for E. coli O157:H7 cells after 84 days of starvation at 4°C. The distribution of colony diameter was markedly wider for 4°C-starved cells compared to non-starved cells when recovered under aerobic conditions. In addition to the strain variation observed, culturability of starved E. coli O157:H7 was found to be dependent on the starvation temperature, the nutrient level of recovery media, and the presence of specific resuscitation factors such as pyruvate. While the culturability phenotype was similar between reference, clinical and bovine E. coli O157:H7 strains, metabolic profiles determined using carbon source MicroPlatesTM differed. Analysis of the carbon utilisation kinetics allowed comparison of carbon metabolism between exponential phase, stationary phase and starved E. coli O157:H7. The duration of lag in substrate utilisation was significantly different between starved and non-starved cells. Supplementing PCA with quorum sensing molecules and using a mutant strain deficient in luxS, a gene encoding the synthase of autoinducer-2, did not result in a significant improvement in the recovery of starved VBNC cells.

Based on current knowledge, models for the change in E. coli O157:H7 population dynamics during its lifecycle, the role of pyruvate resuscitation of VBNC cells, and factors involved in E. coli O157:H7 infection of bovine and human hosts were proposed. The ability of New Zealand clinical and bovine isolates to enter the VBNC state, which was demonstrated in this study, highlighted the potential for culture-based assessment methods to underestimate the number of viable E. coli O157:H7. While reports of the use of pyruvate for resuscitating VBNC cells are in the literature, this study is the first to propose a mechanism of pyruvate resuscitation. By understanding the physiology of VBNC cells and mechanism of their resuscitation, it may be possible to eliminate the potential for underestimation of viable E. coli O157:H7 in the environment and in food by tailoring culture methods to promote their growth.

text: Survival and recovery of Escherichia coli O157:H7 during starvation at sub-optimal temperatures Escherichia coli O157:H7 is an important foodborne pathogen with a dual lifestyle of growth within a host and persistence in non-host environments. Environmental survival of E. coli O157:H7 is particularly important in New Zealand due to the increasing trend in notified clinical cases, with most being associated with rural environments rather than contaminated regulated foods. Starvation and a decrease in temperature are characteristic of the conditions encountered by bacteria during transition from a reservoir host, normally a ruminant, to the environment; cf. feast to famine. These conditions are known to induce bacterial entrance into the viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state where cell viability can only be detected using culture-independent methods with the number of colonies recovered decreasing over the duration of the starvation period. Findings from this study showed that formation of a VBNC sub-population can be induced by starving E. coli O157:H7 at sub-optimal temperatures. 

Five E. coli O157:H7 strains were used in this study; NCTC12900 as a reference strain, three New Zealand clinical isolates and a New Zealand bovine isolate. Cells were starved in phosphate buffered saline for 84 days at sub-optimal temperatures. Cell viability was determined using the SYTO 9-PI staining system coupled with a haemocytometer counting method developed in this study. Cell culturability was assessed using the nutrient-rich tryptic soy agar (TSA), nutrient-limited plate count agar (PCA), and PCA with additional supplements. The distribution of colony size provided information on the population dynamics of starved cells and their ability to recover on agar. The role of quorum sensing (LuxS/autoinducer-2) on starved cell recovery was investigated by supplementing PCA with quorum sensing molecules and using a mutant strain deficient in luxS, a gene encoding the synthase of autoinducer-2. The ability of starved and non-starved cells to metabolise single carbon sources were compared using the Biolog MicroPlatesTM.
	
When held at 4°C, a three- to six-log reduction in culturability on PCA was observed after 84 days of starvation. The reduction in culturability observed for cells starved at 15°C was between one to two logs on PCA. Despite the decline in culturability on PCA, the number of viable cells as determine by LIVE/DEAD® BacLightTM staining remained within one log of the initial viable count. Supplementation of PCA with 0.2% sodium pyruvate resulted in a significant increase in the number of colonies recovered from 4°C-starved cultures for all E. coli O157:H7 strains tested. Recovery on TSA was consistently at least two-logs higher than recovery on PCA for E. coli O157:H7 cells after 84 days of starvation at 4°C. The distribution of colony diameter was markedly wider for 4°C-starved cells compared to non-starved cells when recovered under aerobic conditions. In addition to the strain variation observed, culturability of starved E. coli O157:H7 was found to be dependent on the starvation temperature, the nutrient level of recovery media, and the presence of specific resuscitation factors such as pyruvate. While the culturability phenotype was similar between reference, clinical and bovine E. coli O157:H7 strains, metabolic profiles determined using carbon source MicroPlatesTM differed. Analysis of the carbon utilisation kinetics allowed comparison of carbon metabolism between exponential phase, stationary phase and starved E. coli O157:H7. The duration of lag in substrate utilisation was significantly different between starved and non-starved cells. Supplementing PCA with quorum sensing molecules and using a mutant strain deficient in luxS, a gene encoding the synthase of autoinducer-2, did not result in a significant improvement in the recovery of starved VBNC cells.

Based on current knowledge, models for the change in E. coli O157:H7 population dynamics during its lifecycle, the role of pyruvate resuscitation of VBNC cells, and factors involved in E. coli O157:H7 infection of bovine and human hosts were proposed. The ability of New Zealand clinical and bovine isolates to enter the VBNC state, which was demonstrated in this study, highlighted the potential for culture-based assessment methods to underestimate the number of viable E. coli O157:H7. While reports of the use of pyruvate for resuscitating VBNC cells are in the literature, this study is the first to propose a mechanism of pyruvate resuscitation. By understanding the physiology of VBNC cells and mechanism of their resuscitation, it may be possible to eliminate the potential for underestimation of viable E. coli O157:H7 in the environment and in food by tailoring culture methods to promote their growth.

year: 2014

title: Racism and bullying as correlates for considering ending psychology training in Aotearoa New Zealand

authors: Tan, Kyle K. H.

abstract: Despite global calls to enhance culturally safe care for Indigenous and minoritised groups, little attention has been given to exploring students’ experiences in psychology training programmes to meet these needs. A series of chi-square tests was performed to examine group differences for participants in the Kia Whakapapa Pounaumu survey (n = 107) in their consideration of ending their training and their decision to seek professional help. Over half (55%) of students reported having considered ending their psychology training. Our findings show that students who have experienced or witnessed forms of injustice such as institutional racism, microaggressions, and bullying, encounter additional barriers in completing their training. If psychology bodies wish to redress the harm caused to Indigenous and minoritised groups in the discipline of psychology, they must ensure the training programmes themselves do not perpetuate harm.

text: Racism and bullying as correlates for considering ending psychology training in Aotearoa New Zealand Despite global calls to enhance culturally safe care for Indigenous and minoritised groups, little attention has been given to exploring students’ experiences in psychology training programmes to meet these needs. A series of chi-square tests was performed to examine group differences for participants in the Kia Whakapapa Pounaumu survey (n = 107) in their consideration of ending their training and their decision to seek professional help. Over half (55%) of students reported having considered ending their psychology training. Our findings show that students who have experienced or witnessed forms of injustice such as institutional racism, microaggressions, and bullying, encounter additional barriers in completing their training. If psychology bodies wish to redress the harm caused to Indigenous and minoritised groups in the discipline of psychology, they must ensure the training programmes themselves do not perpetuate harm.

year: 2025