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The purpose of this paper is to examine ethnic Australian urological cancer patients and the positive life changes that those patients report after cancer diagnosis.

A sample of 50 Australian urological cancer patients of ethnic origin were chosen to participate in this study. One-on-one semi structured interviews were conducted with the patients.

Cancer diagnosis often serves as an impetus for making positive lifestyle changes. Most (98 per cent) of this study’s participants reported that they made positive lifestyle changes following a diagnosis of cancer. Those positive lifestyle changes include: greater appreciation of health and life (100 per cent); improved diet (94 per cent); closer relationships with family and friends (90 per cent); more frequent visits to the doctor for check-ups (74 per cent); increased physical activity (48 per cent); starting a new hobby (36 per cent); greater knowledge about their health in general (32 per cent) and increased spirituality (22 per cent).

The limitation of this study is the small sample of patients with ethnic diversity specific to western Sydney. Larger multicentre studies across Australia are required to confirm the findings. Additionally, this study focused on positive life changes, because 98 per cent of the participants reported positive lifestyle changes after diagnosis. However, there are related negative health behaviour changes, which this study has not addressed in depth. Furthermore, a comparison between positive life changes of ethnic Australian patients’ against the experience of post cancer diagnosis of non-ethnic Australian patients could investigate this issue further and possibly provide further insight.

The majority (98 per cent) of the participants report positive lifestyle changes following urological cancer diagnoses. The patient population of predominantly elderly (84 per cent), males (90 per cent) differs from the current literate which states that positive lifestyle changes (posttraumatic growth) are mainly found to be significantly correlated to being female, younger and non-white and greater event severity.

The purpose of this paper is to examine doctor-patient communication, focusing on ethnic Australian urological cancer patients.

Samples of 50 Australian urological cancer patients of ethnic origin were chosen to participate in this study. The patients completed a 31-question survey, followed by a one-on-one semi-structured 30-40-minute interview with the patient.

Most (90 per cent, n=45) of the patients indicated that they can communicate with their doctor without feeling stereotyped or judged. However, despite these responses 48 per cent (n=24) of the patients reported they did not ask for the doctor to explain the medical terms or meanings they did not understand. This resulted in 46 per cent (n=23) of the patients not knowing the stage of their cancer.

This is only a pilot study and the sample was limited to 50 patients. The limitations of this study make the results of the findings more suggestive rather than definitive. Further research would benefit by repeating this study with a larger sample size, to address the shortcomings of the study and to venture further into the realm of doctor and overseas patients communication in Australia.

This research found that patients from lower socioeconomic backgrounds for whom English is not their first language have low levels of medical literacy and therefore require additional written information about their illness and treatment such as informative brochures, educational booklets and educational videos on their illness.

To the knowledge, this is the first study that focuses on ethnic Australian urological cancer patients and their doctor-patient communication.

The purpose of this paper is to give professionals working in Islamic countries a better understanding of the legal system in those countries. As a rule, multinational companies are more equipped in dealing with problems when governed by Western legal philosophies and jurisprudence. However, when certain issues fall on the jurisdiction of an Islamic country they have to address it by using the Islamic laws (Shariah laws) maintained in the Qur'an.

The source of material for this paper is literature review based on texts and references sourced in the business environment. The literature used is Islamic literature in the Bosnian and English languages.

The findings are that Islamic laws compel companies to be wary of interest, uncertainty or risk. This means that companies that rely on compelling interest on the consumer are prohibited in operating in Islamic states. The law is there to protect the welfare of all the parties involved. The strict nature of these laws often seeks to provide justice and fairness to both parties. Thus, for organisations and international companies who intend to deal with companies based in Islamic countries and adhere to Shariah law should always be mindful of the fairness of their offers and the fairness of the outcomes of these agreements.

Islamic laws tend to adhere strictly on the principles and values intimated in the Qur'an and Hadith. This paper summaries the core of Islamic business laws. However, this research is limited to theory alone. For this reason, future research perhaps could look at case studies and see if what works in theory indeed does work in practice too. The review has been limited to Bosnian and English language texts. In addition, this paper has some limited literature review on such a complicated and sensitive topic.

This paper will provide important business factors that will essentially assist international businesses in their understanding of the legal standards in this region.

The aim of this paper is to explore the workplace behaviours of Australian project managers working in the UAE, as examples of Western cultural adjustment.

A 49‐question survey was developed using SurveyMonkey. This software was used to collect and analyse all the data, accurately and reliably.

For Western expatriates, working in the UAE (which is a Muslim country with different cultural and religious standpoints) can sometimes prove challenging. No matter, how good technically the project manager may, those individuals can still fail if they are unable to adapt to a foreign culture and if the right team dynamics are not realized. In order to act appropriately, they need adequate expatriate preparation and cross‐cultural training which can reduce or even prevent expatriate failure.

Employing the survey method means that some critical characteristics cannot be successfully captured and follow‐up questions cannot be asked. Further studies should explore the issues identified in the present study, using, for example, the case study approach.

The findings of this paper could potentially help organizations understand how to help their expatriate project managers to succeed; in return, this will save the organizations thousands of dollars as well as the organization's and the project manager's reputation.

The purpose of this paper is to find out if Australian project managers who are working in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) receive cross‐cultural training and if this training helps them to adapt to the new environment and perform better.

The information on which this paper is based was obtained through semi‐structured interviews conducted with Australian expatriates who were working the UAE in 2009.

The findings suggest that cross‐cultural training is very important in that it helps minimise, although not eradicate, misunderstandings and inappropriate behaviours. Specific cross‐cultural training provides expatriates with information and guidance that is relevant and particular to the culture in which they will be working. The information provided should be on the destination country and its people and that country's specific culture, values, attitudes and appropriate behaviours.

Providing expatriates with the appropriate cross‐cultural training is only useful if the expatriate is receptive and willing to learn. The best training in the world is useless if the expatriate is unwilling to learn. This research did not look at the selection criteria for expatriates. Selecting the right people, who are willing to learn and who enjoy new and sometime challenging environments, is paramount to the success of cross‐cultural training.

By providing expatriates with cross‐cultural training, expatriates are more likely to adapt to the new culture faster, which will in turn help the expatriates to perform at their full potential.