Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Adoption Economic aspects Australia'
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1
Smith, Burston Helen K. "Heartlines : a novel and, A study of the cultural context of adoption between 1950 and 1980 with particular, but not exclusive, reference to the Australian birth mother and her relinquished child : an accompanying essay." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2006. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/329.
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This thesis deals with the loss experienced by all participants in adoption, especially during the period 1950 to 1980 and with particular, but not exclusive, reference to the birth mother and her child. The work is in two parts, the first being a contemporary novel, 'Heartlines', written in the form of a fictional memoir from the point of view of a woman in her early forties who suddenly is confronted with the daughter she relinquished twenty years previously, and whose existence she has kept secret from her husband. The novel deals with the difficult relationship that develops between mother ann daughter and the adjustments the main character must make in her realisation that the young woman who has come back into her life is not the person she had imagined her to be during the years since she was forced to give her up for adoption. Part Two is an essay that puts into context the cultural background of the period studied, the stigmatisation of women who bore ex-nuptial children and how the society in which they lived left them few options other than to abandon their infants to strangers. It deals with the consequences for young women following a lapse of judgement that would have repercussions for the rest of their lives. Many of the women who relinquished babies during the period are believed to have suffered post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of their experience, and remained in an ongoing state of pathological grief.
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Philpott, Rodger Frank. "Commercializing the university: The costs and benefits of the entrepreneurial exchange of knowledge and skills." Diss., The University of Arizona, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/186730.
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The emergence of the global economy has forced the Australian government to revise economic strategies and to seek institutional changes. Higher education's new roles in research and human resource development, have been manifested in university commercialization activities. Mindful that Universities are prestige rather than profit maximizers, this study applies Schumpeter's (1942) theoretical model for the survival of a firm under financial stress. The model's responses, extended to education by Leslie and Miller (1973), include new products, new markets, restructuring, increased productivity and new supply factors. University entrepreneurial activities have monetary and non-monetary impacts. The non-monetary costs and benefits of Australian university enterprise were studied by Leslie (1992) and Leslie and Harrold (1993). In this study, academics at Curtin University of Technology (Perth, Western Australia) were selected as entrepreneurial or non-entrepreneurial subjects and surveyed on the non-monetary costs and benefits of entrepreneurial activities affecting Curtin's teaching, research and public service mission. This data were analyzed and subsequently compared with data obtained by Leslie (1992). Differences in academic perceptions were found among the Curtin respondents by gender, academic status, discipline area, entrepreneurship and non-entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurial revenue importance. Using the Leslie data inter-institutional differences were examined and an order of entrepreneurial institutional types proposed, with Curtin University described as a frontier entrepreneurial university. The taxonomy of costs and benefits developed by Leslie (1992) was revised with the addition of personal social costs, stress, networking and professional development. An estimate was made of the dollar value of non-monetary items; non-monetary benefits were three times the dollar value of monetary benefits; non-monetary costs were less than half the monetary cost levels. The ratio of non-monetary costs to benefits was 1:3.5. Academics in the disciplines of engineering and science had more favorable perceptions of entrepreneurial costs and benefits than respondents in business studies. Health science respondents were described as having pessimistic perceptions. Future research may look at the levels of commercial revenue and investigate the effects of the amount of financial success or failure on the entrepreneurial efforts of academics. In university enterprise successes seem to foster success and the favorable perceptions of academics.
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Govender, Judian. "Adoption of cloud computing by the South African public sector." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2016. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6791.
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Technology enables progress for individuals and organisations; however, adopting technology may not always be simple. Cloud computing technology has revolutionised how one consumes IT. Governments too can leverage the advantages of adopting cloud computing. A review of the literature reveals a gap in research on the adoption of cloud computing by the South African public sector. Limited research has been done on the topic of cloud computing and none of them are from a quantitative perspective. This study set out to answer the question, “What is the extent (current state, benefits, barriers and readiness levels) of the adoption of cloud computing by the South Africa public sector?” The study is of much value to the public sector of South Africa and other countries and organisations wanting to understand what to consider when adopting cloud computing. The study used a survey research strategy that was exploratory in nature. The sample comprised government CIO’s and government Senior IT management. Questionnaires were sent via a web link and 51 responses were completed. The results revealed that more than half of the South African public sector has adopted cloud computing; however there is a lack of visibility of government initiatives that promote cloud computing. The study shows that public organisations that have adopted cloud computing significantly perceive more benefits of cloud computing than organisations that are yet to adopt. The Technology Organisation Environment (TOE) framework tested the barriers to adoption, revealing areas of concern that are limiting successful cloud computing adoption and adoption rates. The study uncovers a timeline for further cloud computing adoption in the South African public sector.
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Fell, Gordon. "The impact of immigration on the Australian economy." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1991. https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:c811beb5-8090-459f-a3e7-e5bd68884cf7.
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Australian immigration policy has traditionally been justified as a means to ensure national security and promote economic development. Neither of these rationales retains much contemporary force. A larger population is no longer regarded as critical to Australia's defensive capacity, and the quest for economic development, synonymous with aggregate growth, has been superseded by a concern about per capita growth performance. While humanitarian and cultural justifications for immigration have been advanced, they are either restricted in scope or contentious. Currently, the programme is operating on a large scale without a clear rationale. The purpose of this work is to investigate the economic consequences of immigration, and so consider whether the economic rationale may be recast in an alternative form. In this chapter, the existing literature is reviewed and a strategy for carrying the analysis further is outlined.
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Cohen, David H. "The adoption of innovative wood processing technologies in the building products industry." Diss., Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/54508.
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The strategic importance of the adoption of innovative processing technologies was analyzed for building products businesses. This study examined the two components of wood building products businesses: the structural panel industry and the softwood Iumber industry. To ensure that the relevance of adopting of innovative processing technologies was examined within an accurate contextual environment, additional important strategies and performance were also measured.
A mail survey of the seventy-five largest North American producers of these two products provided the primary data necessary to investigate the strategic importance of process technology adoption, forward vertical integration, relative market share, grade sector focus, and investment intensity on firm performance as measured by profitability surrogates and changes in relative market share. This survey collected direct measures of the proportion of 1987 production produced by respondent firms that used controlled distribution channels and each of twentythree processes indicative of innovative technologies in the manufacture of building products. Information concerning the other strategic and performance factors was collected from secondary data sources.
Results indicate that the adoption of innovative processing technologies has a positive impact on firm profitability. Investment intensity and grade sector focus also contributed to superior profitability. Forward vertical integration, and relative market share had no impact in differences between performance levels for the firms studied.
Technologies were examined for underlying dimensions that group different process technologies together. Firms were clustered according to their level of adoption of innovative processing technologies and these clusters were then described according to a variety of firm-dependent characteristics, strategies, and performance measures. A strategy-performance model was developed for standardized, industrial product-markets and empirically tested using the data collected for the building products industry as an industry representative of this type of competitive environment.Ph. D.
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Kim, Ye Ryung. "Understanding the adoption of clusters by SMEs in Australia using innovation diffusion theory a case study /." Access electronically, 2007. http://www.library.uow.edu.au/adt-NWU/public/adt-NWU20080610.120546/index.html.
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Reif, Alison. "Waves of change : economic development and social wellbeing in Cardwell, North Queensland, Australia." University of Western Australia. School of Social and Cultural Studies, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0184.
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This thesis is an anthropological study of local understandings of economic development in a small regional town in far North Queensland, Australia. How do preferences regarding lifestyle and social wellbeing impact on those living in the community? The study takes a particular interest in the aspirations, values and choices of the residents and their desires for the future and the future of their town. Throughout this thesis I argue that social wellbeing and lifestyle are important factors in Cardwell residents' choices and feature predominantly in their approaches to economic development. I contextualise this study through a comparative analysis of the effects of economic development on the wellbeing and lifestyle of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people in the Cardwell region of north Australia. This comparison arises firstly from an anthropological interest in the circumstances of Australian Aboriginal people as a significant minority in regional towns. Explicit attention is directed toward the Aboriginal people of the Cardwell region as they constitute a socially and culturally distinct sector of the local population. Secondly, my study explores ways in which comparative work of this kind may be instructive on cultural issues relevant to economic development. This is a study of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people, who live in similar circumstances, and who, I propose, regard factors other than economic development as important. It is argued that while the Cardwell region does not provide ample nor a variety of economic opportunities, outward migration remains undesirable to many residents.
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Henderson, Marilyn. "Some aspects of the production of cashmere fibre from nonselected Australian feral goats." Title page, contents and forward only, 1990. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phh497.pdf.
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Includes bibliographical references (leaves 246-280) and index. Deals with the domestication of the goat and the history of the cashmere industry; investigates fibre physiology and production in general; and gives a detailed account of skin histology and fibre production of goats with particular reference to the cashmere-bearing animal; followed by research related to cashmere fibre production
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Matheson, Rob. "The economic effects of supply management on technology adoption in the Quebec and Ontario dairy sector /." Thesis, McGill University, 1987. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=63896.
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Burroughs, Gary Leslie. "The response to environmental economic drivers by civil engineering contractors in South Australia." Title page, contents and abstract only, 2000. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ENV/09envb972.pdf.
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Bibliography: leaves 91-93. Examines the response of two civil engineering construction contractors in South Australia to environmental economic conditions and market requirements using primarily an action research methodology whilst the researcher was engaged as the environmental manager at both corporations.
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Goff, Rachel. "The economic value of tourism and recreation in forested areas of Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2003. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1302.
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In recent years, natural area tourism has been presented as a more profitable, labour intensive and environmentally sound industry than the traditional extractive industries which have resulted in the depletion of primary resources in many countries (Burr, 1995). However, in order for economic returns from tourism to be maintained over a long period of time, investment in resources and infrastructure that support and encourage sustainable tourism and recreation activity in natural areas is required. The key to sustainability is maintaining the capital stock of resources (Garrod & Fyall, 1998; Russell, 2001). In a society driven by economics, resources are allocated according to their representative worth to the population. However, the true value of the environmental resources, which underpin tourism and recreation in natural areas, is hidden due to the non-price and common-good attributes (Marcouiller, 1998). The application of measurement techniques which capture economic values for these resources provides a decision framework which promotes sustainability in the sector. This thesis estimates the gross economic value of tourism and recreation in the forested areas of the South West of Western Australia. The research utilises an established non-market valuation technique, travel cost analysis. The determination of travel costs by visitors to forested areas is used as a market substitute to estimate the tourism and recreation value of the forests in the Conservation and Land Management's Central and Southern Forest regions in the South West of Western Australia. The findings presented in this thesis provide an order of magnitude estimate of the gross market value of tourism and recreation in the Central and Southern Forest regions in 2000-2001 at between $122 million and $160 million. Primary research at a single forest site in the region, the Valley of the Giants, Tree Top Walk, Walpole, provides an estimate of the annual gross market value at between $27.8 million (intrastate market only) and $28.9 million (entire market) using an attribution factor of 70%. This calculation is based on all visitors to the site, with 70% of their visitor expenditure in the region (Manjimup/ Walpole/ Denmark) being attributable to the Valley of the Giants site. With the inclusion of the opportunity cost of travel time, the estimate increases to $33.16 million (based on the intrastate market only and an attribution factor of 70% ). The consumer surplus value of the Valley of the Giants site, without accounting for the money spent on park entry fees to the site, is estimated at $50.84 million (measure based on the intrastate market only who account for 79% of the market and without the inclusion of the opportunity costs of travel time). With an attribution factor of 70% the consumer surplus value is $35.58 million. Intrastate visitors to the Valley of the Giants spent approximately $760,000 on park entry fees to the Valley of the Giants site in 2000-2001. Therefore with the attribution factor applied, the consumer surplus value, net the park entry fees is approximately $35 million . With a visitation rate of approximately 151,200 intrastate visitors in 2000-2001, the benefits accruing to each individual are $231.48 per person or $83 per person per day spent in the Manjimup/ Walpole/ Denmark region (average length of stay 2.8 days). The findings from this study provides a significant contribution to the management of forested areas in Western Australia providing valuable economic information with which to compare other forest use values. This information can be used to facilitate zoning decisions and multiple-use management strategies in forested areas, particularly when aggregated with other valuation studies. In a climate where public funds are limited, the economic measurement of tourism and recreation in forested areas provides justification for the allocation of government resources to facilitate the sustainable management of tourism in the region. In addition, the methodology adopted will provide a basis for future repeat studies and may also be applicable to other forest regions around Australia.
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Kebede, Yohannes. "Household decision-making : the adoption of agricultural technologies in Ethiopia." Thesis, McGill University, 1993. http://digitool.Library.McGill.CA:80/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=41250.
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Technology adoption has been seen as key to the development of more productive agriculture in lesser developed countries. But the adoption and adaptation of new agricultural technology occurs at the level of farm families where decisions are made based on perceived risks and benefits of the new technology, and its fit within the knowledge and practices of existing agricultural system.The processes and consequences of household decision-making are investigated using unidisciplinary methods of decision analysis involving statistical, mathematical, psychological, anthropological and econometric techniques brought together in a holistic manner. The study is focused in the Ada and Selale regions of the Central Ethiopian Highlands. The technologies studied are fertilizer, improved crop varieties, pesticides and cross-bred cows.
Differences in goals and strategies of households are caused by inequalities in ownership of physical resources, and access to local institutions and indigenous knowledge. Village and regional institutions greatly influence access to physical (e.g. land) and non-physical (knowledge and information) resources. Successful intervention strategies are those that recognize region- and experience-specific potentials.
When compared with physical resources, non-physical resources exert greater influence on decisions to adopt technologies and on the efficiency with which inputs are used in the production of grain and milk outputs. Producers are willing to take risks in enterprises in which they have the advantages of favourable location or experience. The degree of risk-averse behaviour of households reduces the probability of adopting technologies in both study sites. Natural factors (e.g. rainfall) and policy variables (e.g., land tenure and market) increase production risk. Indigenous production knowledge and schooling consistently reduce variability in production.
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Taneka, D. "Estimating the performance of rural roads in remote areas." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 1996.
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Cleland, Jonelle. "Western Australia's salinity investment framework : a study of priority setting in policy and practice." University of Western Australia. School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2008. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0120.
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In March 2002 the Western Australian Minister for Environment and Heritage adopted a policy framework to guide investment decisions on salinity management. Promoted as Western Australia's Salinity Investment Framework (or the SIF), it offered a set of principles for prioritising investment decisions that were generally grounded in economic theory. This represented a significant landmark in terms of the government's appreciation of the scale of salinity problem and its acknowledgement that a full turnaround in the situation was beyond the reach of both volunteers and the public purse. The evolution of the SIF policy, including an initial trial in the Avon Basin, provided an opportunity to evaluate pre-policy processes; observe policy on the run; and test stakeholder reactions to the investment principles embodied in the the SIF, as well as their reaction to its implied outcomes. The intention of the study was to highlight any barriers standing in the way of effectively implementing a policy to prioritise investments in salinity management and identify any novel approaches developed in an attempt to overcome them. The evaluation was multifaceted to incorporate retrospective and prospective modes of inquiry. The retrospective investigation involved the construction of a series of policy narratives using evidence from notes and minutes taken at SIF meetings, as well as other formal and informal documents. It systematically captured the influence of key people, events and decisions on the SIF up until June 2008. This evaluation highlighted the impact of (1) policy entrepreneurs; (2) time lags; (3) vertical silos, and (4) priority setting hierarchies. The prospective investigation involved the execution of a community survey featuring attitudinal questions, paired comparisons and a choice modelling experiment. The survey involved 269 personal interviews with rural landholders, townspeople and landcare officers across the Avon Catchment. It captured perceptions towards past funding strategies and proposals for future allocations and explored the nature of priority setting decisions in relation to trade-offs between: (1) the mix of assets protected; (2) the degree of risk; (3) the level of community involvement in the decision, and (4) the distribution of benefits. This evaluation highlighted the importance of (1) incentives and disincentives for change; (2) awareness of priority setting concepts; (3) the capacity of regional bodies; and (4) elements perceived to be crucial in priority setting.
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Enzinger, Sharn Emma 1973. "The economic impact of greenhouse policy upon the Australian electricity industry : an applied general equilibrium analysis." Monash University, Centre of Policy Studies, 2001. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/8383.
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Tham, Poh Weng Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications Faculty of Engineering UNSW. "Managing market risks in the Australian national electricity market." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Electrical Engineering & Telecommunications, 2005. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/20834.
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The restructuring of many national and state electricity industries over the last two decades has created new sets of laws and regulations, market design and participants. Along with those changes, industry risks have also been transformed significantly. Prior to restructuring, government-owned or carefully regulated monopoly private utilities would manage most of these industry risks. With restructuring, however, both the government, through their market regulators, and industry participants need to manage a range of previous,, yet also now new, risks. While the government???s risk management strategy is focused on the industry as a whole, participants are naturally more concerned with their individual risks. The Australian National Electricity Market (NEM) is one of the many electricity markets that were formed through the restructuring process underway worldwide. It created a number of new types of market participants facing different sets of risks. The main objective of this thesis is to examine the management of market risk by these different NEM participants. The methodology used in the thesis involves developing a fundamental understanding of electricity restructuring, the NEM and the various risks faced by the different NEM participants. Data on NEM spot prices, ancillary costs and forward prices are analysed to gain a better understanding of its relationship with market activities. Different risk management strategies, both proactive and reactive, that can be taken by the participants are discussed This thesis has highlighted some of the complexities involved in managing risks in a restructured electricity industry. Risks are never static and changes in market conditions alter the risk exposure of the participants. Therefore, participants will need to constantly monitor their risk exposure and update their risk management strategies. The Cash-Flow-at-Risk methodology is introduced as a possible tool to measure risk and analyse risk management options for different NEM participants.
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Gao, Chunyuan. "China's new generation migrant workers and anomie social momentum and modes of adoption." HKBU Institutional Repository, 2016. https://repository.hkbu.edu.hk/etd_oa/264.
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Using anomie theory, in this paper it is argued that the new generation migrant workers (NGMWs) in China are not only receptors under structures, but also a reactive force towards those structures. However, anomie theory has faced theoretical ambiguities, controversies and misunderstandings. It also lacks the power to explain micro-to-macro relationships. For these reasons, anomie theory is first clarified and refined in this study based on its classical roots. It is then further developed by introducing the concept of social momentum to mend its theoretical lacuna. It is argued that anomie naturally reflects structural discoordination at the macro level, and that deviance and normlessness, although typically seen as indicators of anomie, are only its symptomatic presentations. Furthermore, social momentum, determined by the quantity, solidarity and modes of adaption, reveals the capacity of a social category to influence structural relationships. This study demonstrates that China entered a comparatively anomic age after its economic reform. The NGMWs can be considered as a potential antithesis to anomie in China, as implied by certain qualities of their uniqueness indicated in earlier studies. The NGMWs’ social momentum is analysed according to a field study carried out by the author in 2015 in Shanghai and the 2011 Chinese Social Survey (CSS 2011). The data from the survey and study are used to discuss whether the NGMWs will help to remedy anomie. The findings show that (1) the NGMWs’ social momentum is strong but segmental and fragile due to the primary level solidarity of them, i.e., they lack a strong identity, and (2) the directions of their social momentum can be narrowed to two undetermined modes. The NGMWs tend to aggravate the symptoms of anomie, as they are weakly attached to cultural norms. However, they have an uncertain and not yet fully formed effect on the essence of anomie.
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Sounness, Marcus Neil. "Alternative grazing systems and pasture types for the South West of Western Australia : a bio-economic analysis." University of Western Australia. School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2005. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2005.0054.
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Alternative grazing systems and pasture types for wool production in the south west of Western Australia were analysed using bio-economic modelling techniques in order to determine their relative productivity and profitability. After reviewing the experimental and modelling literature on perennial pastures and grazing systems, seven case studies of farmers were conducted in order to investigate the practical application of innovative grazing systems and use of perennial pastures. Together these case studies provided information for identifying relevant variables and for calibrating the modelling work which followed. The core of the work lies in a bio-economic model for investigating the comparative value of the three grazing systems and two pasture families mentioned above. A baseline scenario using currently available and reliable scientific data provides baseline results, after which a number of sensitivity analyses provide further insights using variations of four key parameters: persistence, heterogeneity, water soluble carbohydrates, and increased losses. Results show that perennial pastures are in the studied region more profitable than annual pastures. Under current baseline conditions, continuous grazing with perennial pastures is the most profitable enterprise, but this superiority is not robust under parameter variations defined by other scenarios. The more robust solution in terms of enterprise profitability is cell grazing with perennial pastures. The results indicate that intensive grazing systems such as cell grazing have the potential to substantially increase the profitability of grazing operations on perennial pasture. This result is an encouraging one in light of its implications for water uptake and salinity control. It means that economics and land care can go hand in hand, rather than be competitive. It is to be noted that it is the choice of the grazing system in combination with the pasture species, rather then the pasture species itself, that allows for such complementarity between economics and sustainable land use. This research shows that if farmers adopt practices such as cell grazing they may be able to increase the area that they can profitably plant to perennial pasture thus reducing the impacts of dryland salinity. This finding is consistent with the findings of the case studies where the farmers perceived that, provided grazing was planned, increasing the intensity of their grazing management and the perenniallity of their pastures would result in an increase in the profitability of their grazing operation. As a result this research helps to bridge a gap which has existed in this area of research, between the results of scientific research and those reported in practice.
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Graham, Tennille. "Economics of protecting road infrastructure from dryland salinity in Western Australia." University of Western Australia. School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2009. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2009.0207.
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[Truncated abstract] The salinisation of agricultural land, urban infrastructure and natural habitat is a serious and increasing problem in southern Australia. Government funding has been allocated to the problem to attempt to reduce substantial costs associated with degradation of agricultural and non-agricultural assets. Nevertheless, Government funding has been small relative to the size of the problem and therefore expenditure needs to be carefully targeted to interventions that will achieve the greatest net benefits. For intervention to be justified, the level of salinity resulting from private landholder decisions must exceed the level that is optimal from the point of view of society as a whole, and the costs of government intervention must be less than the benefits gained by society. This study aims to identify situations when government intervention is justified to manage dryland salinity that threatens to affect road infrastructure (a public asset). A key gap in the environmental economics literature is research that considers dryland salinity as a pollution that has off-site impacts on public assets. This research developed two hydrological/economic models to achieve this objective. The first was a simple economic model representing external costs from dryland salinity. This model was used to identify those variables that have the biggest impact on the net-benefits possible from government intervention. The second model was a combined hydro/economic model that represents the external costs from dryland salinity on road infrastructure. The hydrological component of the model applied the method of metamodelling to simplify a complex, simulation model to equations that could be easily included in the economic model. The key variables that have the biggest impact on net-benefits of dryland salinity mitigation were the value of the off-site asset and the time lag before the onset of dryland salinity in the absence of intervention. ... In the case study of dryland salinity management in the Date Creek subcatchment of Western Australia, the economics of vegetation-based and engineering strategies were investigated for road infrastructure. In general, the engineering strategies were more economically beneficial than vegetation-based strategies. In the case-study catchment, the cost of dryland salinity affecting roads was low relative to the cost to agricultural land. Nevertheless, some additional change in land management to reduce impacts on roads (beyond the changes justified by agricultural land alone) was found to be optimal in some cases. Reinforcing the results from the simple model, a key factor influencing the economics of dryland salinity management was the urgency of the problem. If costs from dryland salinity were not expected to occur until 30 years or more, the optimal response in the short-term was to do nothing. Overall, the study highlights the need for governments to undertake comprehensive and case-specific analysis before committing resources to the management of dryland salinity affecting roads. There were many scenarios in the modelling analysis where the benefits of interventions would not be sufficient to justify action.
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Jordan, Matthew. "Procuring industrial pollution control : the South Australian case, 1836-1975." Title page, contents and abstract only, 2001. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phj816.pdf.
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Wallace, Gary E., of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, and Faculty of Environmental Management and Agriculture. "Governance for sustainable rural development : a critique of the ARMCANZ-DPIE structures and policy cycles." THESIS_FEMA_XXX_Wallace_G.xml, 1998. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/263.
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The focus of the thesis is a critique of the form and function of the federal institutions governing the development of Rural Australia. In undertaking this study two cycles of a systemic action research were followed, the first to explore the policy development environment and the second to validate and expand on findings of the first cycle of enquiry. The thesis follows the historical development of policy institutions and the deliberations of poicy actors that have lead to normative, strategic and program change within these institutions. These institutional changes have then been critiqued from theoretical perspective of governance for sustainable development. Conclusions from this critique indicate that that the pace of policy change is very slow and after 20 years from the Rural Policy green paper of 1974 the federal institutions have taken on board a rhetoric of sustainable rural development that encapsulates much of the principles espoused in the Green Paper.This includes principles that aim to empower rural communities to find local solutions to their natural resource management and local economic development problems. The downside is found in institutional conflict over resource dependencies and spheres of responsibility and an apparent lack of community economic development facilitation skills within the service organisations of rural institutions.Master of Science (Hons)
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Evans, Daniel, and mikewood@deakin edu au. "The internet and competitive advantage in Australian professional sport organisations." Deakin University. Bowater School of Management and Marketing, 2002. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20050825.144334.
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The electronic revolution has proven to be a powerful stimulus for change in business practice. As a business tool however, the Internet must endure the same scrutiny under which other business activities are placed. If the use of the Internet in business is a sound strategy, then it must contribute toward competitive advantage. The sport business industry has not been isolated from the vagaries of Internet applications. Moreover, as the industry has become more competitive, forcing sporting organisations towards unprecedented levels of accountability and business practice, the Internet has been increasingly seen as a potential 'holy grail' for sport organisations struggling for revenue (Stewart & Smith, 1999). This research is a response to these pressures. It seeks to identify Internet based opportunities for competitive advantage, and to provide strategies and recommendations for the successful use of the Internet in Australian professional sport organisations.
In realising this objective, a newly developed and integrated Business Activity Model has been constructed. The model assists in the identification of specific Internet based competitive advantage strategies, and provides a theoretical framework for this research. The Business Activity Model conceptualises, for the first time, the relationships between the value chain, constituents of electronically enabled competitive advantage, and the Internet.
With Australia's limited group of fully professional sports capable of sustaining the human resources and budgets necessary to implement comprehensive e-commerce strategies, the organisations selected to participate in this research represent the pinnacle of Australian professional sport clubs. Specifically, the 55 clubs competing in the Australian Football League (A.F.L.), National Basketball League (N.B.L.), National Rugby League (N.R.L.), and National Soccer League (N.S.L.) constituted the research sample and population. In concert with the 87% participation rate, sampling approached a census. A telephone-administered survey, based primarily on
the rigorously tested instrument developed by Sethi and King (1994), was employed for data collection.
This research employs a comprehensive set of descriptive statistics, and is bolstered by a confirmatory and an exploratory factor analysis, undertaken on one component of the data. The outcome of this research was the identification of seven practical recommendations for Australian professional sport organisations seeking to improve competitive advantage via the Internet. These recommendations were based on an inventory of the 'gaps' between the strategies proposed by the literature, and the practices of the sample, and relate to both overall Internet strategy, and specific web site applications. The development of the new Business Activity Model and the identification of key online strategy themes support and complement these recommendations. An examination of variations in the practices of participating organisations, and some comparisons against United States sporting organisations, also provides depth and context to the findings.
This research provides a platform for sport managers to effectively harness the potential of the Internet, through their web sites in particular, and realise significant competitive advantages. The Business Activity Model provides managers in all industries with a tool for the detection and understanding of potential elements of competitive advantage, and incorporates all activities critical to business in the new digital economy. Seven practical recommendations for improved online performance based on identified competitive advantage and strategies fulfils the primary objective of this research. E-commerce continues to grow at astronomical rates, and with the Internet poised to become the life-blood of 21st century sporting organisations, these recommendations will assist managers in their ongoing search for competitive advantage.
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Kerin, Paul D. "A spatial economic analysis of the Eyre Peninsula grain handling and transportation system." Title page, abstract and contents only, 1985. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ECM/09ecmk39.pdf.
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Manning, Elizabeth Sophie Mary. "Local content and related trade policy: Australian applications /." Title page, abstract and table of contents only, 2004. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phm2832.pdf.
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Usman, Abdullah. "Socio-economic factors influencing farmers' adoption of a new technology : the case study on the groundwater pump irrigation in Lombok, Indonesia." Title page, Abstract and Contents only, 1997. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09A/09au86.pdf.
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Bibliography: leaves 146-153. This thesis analyses factors influencing farmers use of groundwater pump irrigation in Lombok, Indonesia. It aims to identify the determinants of the speed of technology adoption, to identify factors affecting the levels of water use and to estimate the state of water use by comparing the actual water use to the estimated optimal water use.
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"Economic development and foreign technology adoption." 2007. http://library.cuhk.edu.hk/record=b5893304.
Full textAbstract:
Wong, Tsz Nga.Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-77).
Abstracts in English and Chinese.
Chapter 1 --- Introduction --- p.1
Chapter 2 --- Literature Review --- p.5
Chapter 3 --- Model --- p.8
Chapter 3.1 --- Discussion --- p.17
Chapter 3.2 --- Static Market Equilibrium --- p.18
Chapter 3.3 --- Comparative Static Studies --- p.29
Chapter 4 --- Dynamics --- p.37
Chapter 4.1 --- Steady States --- p.38
Chapter 4.2 --- Open or Not? --- p.52
Chapter 4.3 --- Optimal Timing to Foreign Production Function --- p.54
Chapter 4.4 --- Discussion --- p.57
Chapter 5 --- World Economy of Production Globalization --- p.61
Chapter 5.1 --- Technological Progresses in Globalization Environment --- p.66
Chapter 5.2 --- Discussion --- p.67
Chapter 6 --- Conclusion --- p.69
Chapter 7 --- Appendix --- p.70
Chapter 7.1 --- Al. Derivation of CES Technology from Cobb-Douglas Production Function --- p.70
Chapter 7.2 --- A2. Proof of Lemma 2 --- p.73
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"Relinquishment and abjection: a semanalysis of the meaning of losing a baby to adoption." University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Nursing, Midwifery & Health, 1999. http://hdl.handle.net/2100/295.
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Between 1960 and 1975 more than 38,000 mothers lost babies to adoption in New South Wales, Australia, a pattern which was replicated in other Western societies. Various theories were proposed for women's exnuptial pregnancies which resulted in their babies being taken for adoption, culminating in the discursive construction of the unmarried mother as 'mad, bad, or stupid'. Until the 1990s, the voices of women whose babies had been taken for adoption had been silenced by the social order which adoption practices served. It is through their voices, and through the voices of other women who remember the era of the adoption bounty, that another meaning for the loss of a baby to adoption, through the process of semanalysis, has been sought. This thesis is informed primarily by the writings of the French postmodern feminist, Julia Kristeva. In addition the works of the post-structuralist philosopher, Michel Foucault, the German socialist feminist, Frigga Haug, and the American feminist psychologist, Michelle Fine are used as an heuristic lens through which to examine the phenomenon of losing a baby to adoption. A qualitative research methodology, incorporating feminist praxis and feminist multiple methods, has been employed. The framework for this thesis is that of a double helix which depicts two orders, the symbolic and the semiotic, which intertwine and intersect. The symbolic order is analogous to the public social order which through its hegemonic discourses constructed the unmarried mother and adoption. The semiotic order refers to the personal space where the voices of women are heard through counterdiscourses. At the scission of the two helical strands sits the thetic phase, a point of rupture by the semiotic into the symbolic where the voices of mothers are expressed through their poetry and art. Through the process of semanalysis, the tensions which simultaneously resist and challenge the semiotic and symbolic orders are exposed: tensions between discourse, discipline and docility; power and knowledge; sexuality and silence; power of / as sexuality; power and resistance; and resistance and / as silence. Furthermore, I examine the manifestations of mothers' resistance to silence, and their resistance as activism. My concluding analysis involves the notion of abjection as it binds together the threads of the loss of a baby to adoption: abjection as entrapment; abjection as infertility; and abjection as / in reunion. For mothers who lost babies to adoption, their loss finds meaning in the ultimate horror: it is abjection.
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Townsend, Philip Vernon. "An integrated analytical economic framework to inform future Australian plantation policy." Phd thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/156307.
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Australia's plantation forest estate expanded rapidly between 1995 and 2008, consistent with the intentions of the National Forest Policy Statement and Plantations for Australia: the 2020 Vision. The near-doubling of the plantation estate, to almost 2 million hectares, was financed largely by small-scale investors under favourable tax and investment arrangements. Almost all the plantations were short-rotation eucalypts grown for woodchips. Expansion of these 'simple' plantation forests coincided with the emergence of new domestic policy initiatives in many arenas of relevance to Australia's forestry sector, which also sought to drive the internalisation of production externalities across much of the Australian economy. Thus, the plantation sector was exposed to emerging and often contentious policies governing water use, the sequestration of greenhouse gases and the delivery of other environmental services, as well as changes in the tax policy settings. This thesis explores the policy settings which might favour the establishment of plantations to deliver multiple goods and services, rather than just the production of wood, and the analytical framework for assessing the economic implications of those settings. A typical economic approach for testing policy impacts is cost-benefit analysis. Such an approach is insufficient to capture the interactions between multiple policy arenas. A more sophisticated integrated analytical framework was required to address this challenge and investigate the tension and synergies in tax, water, climate change and environmental services policies. The analytical framework made it possible to assess their likely net effects influencing private sector decision makers, measuring the effects in terms of the financial returns, volumes and types of wood grown, and the flow of environmental service such as the amelioration of salinity or dis-benefits such as the impacts on catchment water yields. The bias in recent investment towards short-rotation plantations was demonstrated to be a consequence of the tax and investment rules, and the lack of policy enabling factors: there was no requirement for growers to internalise their water use as a factor input, no national market for trading carbon credits, and no means for realising the value of environmental services provided by plantations. By integrating multiple policy elements into a single analytical framework, it was possible to estimate the net effects of proposed and alternative policy settings, and to suggest particular changes for reducing the policy bias towards short-rotation and single-purpose forestry. Changes to the tax rules would provide equal treatment for all plantations, encourage more efficient water use and carbon sequestration within the forestry sector, and indicate where incentives might be best used to encourage targeted investment in plantations that also deliver environmental services. The structure of the integrated analytical model makes it possible to incorporate other policy dimensions relevant to forestry into the assessment framework, such as investing in roads or other public infrastructure. While an advantage of using this approach is a greater capacity for quantifying the net effects of multiple policy settings, a major challenge is accessing the information necessary to build and maintain such a framework.
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Serajuddin, Umar. "The influence of neighbors in technology adoption: evidence from farmers in Pakistan and Malawi." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/2152/2643.
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Chia, Tai Tee. "Returns to higher education in Australia." Phd thesis, 1990. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/138458.
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Ficher-Orzechowska, Ewa. "Labour supply in ageing economies : a comparison of Japan and Australia." Phd thesis, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/150860.
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Khemka, Gaurav. "The impact of economic changes on disability income insurance and health in australia." Phd thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/156103.
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This thesis empirically examines the impact of economic changes on: i. the health of the general Australian population, and ii. the claim incidence experience of the Australian Disability Income Insurance (DII) business. Changes in economic conditions have been captured via movements in the unemployment rate. Changes in health by the following two indicators: a. mortality rate, and b. per capita general physician (GP) visits. In many countries it has been established that short-run cyclical patterns in mortality are associated with economic fluctuations. In Chapter 2, an aggregate state level panel data analysis is used to investigate the general pattern of cyclical mortality in Australia for the period 1985-2008. Employing a fixed effects regression methodology, we show that there is a significant counter-cyclical pattern of mortality (mortality increases during economic contractions) in the general Australian population. Evidence in the literature suggests that the pattern of cyclical mortality experienced in other countries is varied. Drawing from this literature, it is argued that one reason for the observed counter-cyclical mortality in Australia is the relatively high level of social security expenditure. In Chapter 3, a poisson fixed effects analysis shows that, in Australia, over the period 1994-2010, per capita GP visits increase with economic expansions. This may indicate that self-perceived morbidity in Australia is pro-cyclical in nature. At first glance, while this result appears to be in contradiction with counter-cyclical mortality (established in Chapter 2), it is argued that the various financial and psychological factors that cause a reduction in GP visits during economic downturns may be a factor in explaining the increase in mortality observed in Chapter 2. Practitioners of DII commonly believe that DII claims experience is highly correlated with economic movements. In Chapter 4, using claims incidence data from Australian DII business for the period 1986-2001, and a conditional model, it is found that the incidence of claims significantly increases with increasing unemployment, illustrating a counter-cyclical pattern of claims incidence. Moreover, a multinomial logit analysis on cause of claim shows that the probability of a new claim arising from accidents significantly increases with increasing unemployment. The results suggest that the counter-cyclical pattern of claim incidence may stem from increasing claims for minor causes amongst the insured population. Our results are important from the perspective of policy makers and insurance companies. For example, to a policy maker, evidence of counter-cyclical mortality and pro-cyclical GP visits provides insights on the impact of economic changes on health. This may lead to further research in order to isolate the causes of these relationships and quantify the social costs associated with tackling the issues. From the perspective of an insurer, the counter-cyclical patterns of mortality and DII claims may help them to incorporate appropriate premium loadings and capital reserves in anticipation of economic downturns.
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Butler, Rose. "In fairness we trust : children making sense of economic insecurity." Phd thesis, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/155820.
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This thesis examines a series of social and emotional strategies undertaken by children to cope with social situations that arise through economic insecurity. Drawing on 18 months fieldwork in regional Victoria with children, parents and two school communities, I argue that children in this cultural environment make sense of economic insecurity through the re-appropriation of cultural narratives of "fairness". I distill four sets of strategies that children develop and enact in order to cultivate and sustain feelings of belonging when faced with situations of economic uncertainty. I call these practices Going Without, Staying Within, Cutting Down and Managing Stigma, and show how each is distinctively tied to cultural ideas around fairness. As I evidence, these strategies are shaped by children's own experiences of classed and racialised identities, cultural constructions of stigma, and the socio-cultural, political and economic environment in which they live. Through this analysis, I show how cultural narratives around fairness, recreated by children in different social spaces of everyday life, provide an avenue through which to repatriate feelings of envy and sustain meaningful relationships with others. Furthermore, I demonstrate ways in which such actions, while generating forms of inclusion, potentially recreate boundaries of exclusion in children's social worlds. More broadly, I argue that children's understandings of economic insecurity in post-industrial contexts are deeply tied to the dominant cultural narratives that underpin their lives. I contend that such narratives intersect with market-based imperatives, neoliberal articulations of childhood, and the culture-making practices of children's own collectively-focused peer group interactions. In making sense of economic insecurity, children must strategically balance these interests as they both compete and converge, in ways that generate and sustain feelings of belonging. By focusing on children's uses of "fairness" in this local context, I further bring to light the overt and subtle social and emotional impacts of broad economic restructuring on children and parents in Australia. The ethnographic focus here moves between the collective worlds of children and the private lives of their families, illuminating how market-driven global and state changes in education and employment are negotiated and absorbed in relationships between children, their peers and their parents. As I demonstrate, these structural and social transformations surface in daily life through dilemmas over care, dignity and belonging. The ways in which children use the cultural resources available to manage such experiences forms the subject of this thesis.
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Crockett, Judith Anne. "Agricultural restructuring in the South Australian dairy industry: a case study of the Adelaide Milkshed." Thesis, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/115367.
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Over the last two decades, a great many farmers in the Adelaide Milkshed (the region supplying Adelaide with its liquid milk) have left the dairy industry which has led to a decrease in milk production relative to demand. Reasons are explored and improved management of the farm, and relocation of dairies to the south east and mid north are considered as possible options for increased milk production. How the dairy farm system operates and the means by which can adopt to malfunctioning or breakdown within the farm system is also discussed.Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Geography, 1993
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Nakhumwa, T. O. (Teddie Oliver). "Dynamic costs of soil degradation and determinants of adoption of soil conservation technologies by smallholder farmers in Malawi." Thesis, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/2263/25032.
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This thesis aimed at measuring the economic costs of soil degradation and to determine factors that influence the incidence and extent of adoption of soil conservation technologies by smallholder farmers in Malawi. A dynamic optimisation model was used to derive and analyse the optimal conditions for soil resource extraction and use in Malawi, while a selective tobit model was used to simulate the two-step decision-making process of farmers with respect to adoption of soil conservation technologies. Soil degradation has long-term consequences and static models, which form the bulk of studies that have so far been carried out in Africa on this topic, do not account for the inter-temporal dimension of optimal resource management. To deal with this shortcoming, this thesis used an inter-temporal optimisation framework, which considers soil in a time-dependent resource extraction perspective. This thesis has demonstrated that soil degradation is causing an enormous reduction in the productive value of smallholder land in Malawi. Current user cost of soil quality based on current practices of smallholder farmers, which represents annual loss in productive value of land, was estimated to be US$21 per hectare. Based on this value and land area under smallholder agriculture in Malawi, economic costs of soil degradation among smallholder farmers were estimated to amount to 14 per cent of the agricultural GDP. If left unabated, soil degradation threatens not only the future of smallholder agriculture but also, economic growth prospects of the nation. Although not operating on the SS optimal path in terms of soil resource management, current practices show that smallholder farmers in Malawi still consider, to certain degree, the dynamic costs in soil resource use. Hence, there is no strong evidence to suggest that current trends in land degradation are due to an institution failure (i.e., smallholder farmers have private incentives to conserve their soil resource). A result that suggests presence of other factors, most likely market distortions, behind existing deviations of farmers' practices from dynamic optimum. Government's serious support of the input and output market reforms is important not only to make the markets work but also, to make smallholder agriculture a profitable enterprise. It is only when smallholder agriculture becomes profitable that farmers can seriously invest in the soil resource. Agricultural support programs such as "food for work" if extended to include soil conservation, could lead to substantial curtailment of soil erosion since farmers can invest their labour in their own gardens during the critical times of land preparation. The sensitivity analysis indicated that increasing the discount rate to' 5%, SS solutions were close to current practice solutions. This suggests that one reason smallholder farmers are exploiting the soil resource is because they have a higher time preference. The high levels of poverty, especially among the smallholder subsistence farmers in Malawi, entail that farming households are more concerned with their survival now than their future well being. The study estimated an optimal output of 1.5tonlha and nitrogen fertiliser rate of 49 kg/ha at SS. The fertiliser estimates are based on smallholder farming system that incorporates soil conservation. In one of the most detailed studies on nitrogen use efficiency in Malawi, Itimu (1997) indicated that with the incorporation of manure, nitrogen fertiliser use dropped from 60 to 30 kg/ha to produce about 2.5 tons of maize. Malawi uses area specific recommendations for fertiliser application. However, using "best bet" technologies, at least 35kgN/ha is recommended for smallholder farmers on average. The SS optimum fertiliser estimated in the current study was somehow higher due to the fact that an inter-temporal framework, which considered the dynamic costs of soil nutrient extraction, was used. Results from fertiliser recommendation trials may be reinforced if researchers consider the inter-temporal nature and dynamic costs associated with the use of soil. The selective tobit model results indicate that factors that influence smallholder farmers' decisions to adopt soil conservation technologies may not necessarily be the same factors that influence subsequent decision on levels of adoption. The implication of this finding is that different policy prescriptions on soil conservation should strictly be guided by the goals the government wants to achieve. With fertiliser prices being out of the reach of most smallholder farmers in Malawi, soil conservation is one of the reliable options available to reduce soil degradation. However, any policy aimed at improving adoption of soil conservation technologies among smallholder farmers would succeed only if the various needs of smallholder farmers at the two decision stages are properly identified and addressed.Thesis (PhD (Agricultural Economics))--University of Pretoria, 2006.
Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development
unrestricted
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Lam, David Taiwan, University of Western Sydney, College of Business, and School of Economics and Finance. "The economic impact of Asian migrants under Australian migration policy." 2006. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/14469.
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For many years, migration has been intensively politicised in Australia. Political parties have different stands about migration and the government has raised its transparency to such a high level that the public is aware of developments and policy directions in migration for the present and future years. It was realized that well-educated migrants with skills and experience are able to accomplish better employment prospects and settlement outcomes. Skilled migration has therefore been emphasized. This thesis consists of a literature review on some of the motivations that support the objectives of migration over past years, outcomes brought by migration and overview of the migration program and main categories under skilled migration. As skilled migration has been placed with more emphasis since the 1990s and a larger quota has been allocated to facilitate younger migrants with the skills and expertise that are of use to Australia, it has become necessary to assess the economic impact brought by some of these skilled migrants. Coinciding with the emphasis of skilled migration, the trend of settler arrivals has changed so that Asians have increased their presence in Australia and the focus of this thesis is narrowed down to assess the economic impact of Asian groups. A description of general Asian culture and characteristics is also included in the literature review. Although Asians in Australia maintain their own cultures and some common characteristics, I have chosen the two biggest groups, namely Chinese and Vietnamese, to explore and identify their differences and economic contributions. Apart from ethnicity factor, other elements specifically educational attainment, occupational achievements, labour force status in which they have participated, age, English language proficiency, years of arrival and hours worked are tested for significance in enabling Chinese and Vietnamese migrants to earn income. This study also examines whether higher qualifications would increase the prospects of employability.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Dammen, Sarah J. "The effects of safety practices, technology adoption, and firm characteristics on motor carrier safety." Thesis, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/32470.
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The purpose of this study is to identify firm safety practices, safety technologies,
and firm characteristics that are related to motor carrier accident rates. The theory of the
firm suggests that firms maximize profit by investing in safety practices and safety
technologies until marginal cost is equal to the marginal benefit. The data set used in the
empirical analysis is unique, in that it will allow for testing of the relationship between
firm safety performance and safety practices, new safety technologies, and firm
marketing strategies. By testing the impact of the safety performance marketing strategy
on carrier accident rates, it can be shown that firm managers have control over the
safety performance of their firm through management decisions.
The results indicate that firms with a safety performance marketing strategy
have significantly lower accident rates. All tested technologies, and most safety
practices, are found to be negatively related to carrier accident rates. These results
support the idea that through investment policies, safety practices, and choice of
marketing strategy managers have a direct impact on their carrier accident rate.
Interestingly, the firm characteristics of unionization and use of owner-operators are
found to reduce carrier accident rates the most. This suggests that motor carrier
managers should consider their firm's characteristics in their management of carrier
safety.Graduation date: 2003
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Smith, Jeremy Paul Duncan. "Aspects of macroeconometric time series modelling." Phd thesis, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/121824.
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This thesis contains six chapters which investigate different
areas in applied econometrics. The major focus of the study has been
the application of techniques from the applied econometrics
literature to a study of the Australian macroeconomy.
Chapter Two uses a Vector AutoRegressive (VAR) model and a
structural model of the Australian economy to discover those
variables responsible for the fluctuations which have buffeted the
Australian economy over the last fifteen years. Despite marked
differences in the appearance of the two models, the results are
similar in predicting how the economy responds to certain shocks.
Chapter Three examines the behaviour of the Australian dollar
over the period since float in December 1983. The analysis shows that
the dollar is over-valued, compared with a level that can maintain a
sustainable debt-GDP ratio . The over-valuation has meant that the
Australian dollar is discounted on the forward market and high
domestic interest rates are necessary to offset the depreciation
expected by foreign investors.
Chapter Four conducts a Monte Carlo analysis to investigate the
performance of alternative estimation methods in equations which
include a generated regressor as an explanatory variable. The results
show that while FIML tends to dominate with an increasing sample
size, in small samples FIML standard errors are downward biased,
leaving Correct OLS as the best estimation method.
Chapter Five further examines the generated regressor problem
using Barro’s (1977) New Classical unemployment model and shows that
the results are robust to the estimation method. However, the results
from the larger model suggested by Pesaran (1982) are sensitive to
the estimation procedure from the larger model suggested by Pesaran (1982) are sensitive to the estimation procedure.
Chapter Six evaluates alternative procedures for converting
qualitative expectation responses to quantitative expectations for
the Australian manufacturing sector and finds that a dynamic
nonlinear model which is a generalisation of the model suggested by
Pesaran (1987) is superior in picking up both turn in g points in the
data and in minimising the forecast error.
Chapter Seven further examines the behaviour of the Australian
manufacturing sector using multivariate cointegration and the derived
quantitative expectations of Chapter Six. The analysis shows that the
role of price variables is much more significant than that of output
in determining employment movements.
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Brennan, Michael J. (Michael Joseph) 1944. "Private and public economic impacts of coastal wetland preservation an ecological economic review of State Environmental Planning Policy No. 14 - New South Wales North Coast." 2001. http://mjbrennan@coffs.com.au.
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Worner, Shane Mathew. "Essays on the economic consequences of marriage, partnership and assortative mating." Phd thesis, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/151761.
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Geering, John W. ""Value for money" in defence planning." Thesis, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/145279.
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Beer, Andrew. "Owner occupation and profit : the creation and capture of value through Canberra's residential property market." Phd thesis, 1989. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/129747.
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This study examines the material advantages attached to owner occupation in Canberra
between 1962 and 1981. Canberra's housing market was used to review the debate on domestic
property and land rent A number of authors (Saunders, 1978, 1979; Pratt 1982) contend that
ownership of residential property generates significant economic interests independent of
production within society. Other researchers rejected this view and denied the significance of
gains through housing (Edel, 1982; Edel, Sclar and Lamia, 1984). One of the first objectives of
this thesis therefore was to ascertain the nature, size and origins of any benefits accrued
through the ownership of housing.
The history of property ownership in nine suburbs was examined and the benefits associated
with property ownership calculated. The study found that home purchasers in Canberra with
bank finance were typically $32,000 better-off once their dwelling was sold. The level of
benefits received varied according to socio-economic status. The largest gains were accrued by
the owners of the most expensive dwellings. The rats of return on the household's capital,
however, was not influenced by factors associated with social class or prestige. Market
conditions determined the rate of return with the greatest percentage gains to households which
purchased while the market was low and sold during a boom.
The receipt of benefits through housing reflected the history of real property within societies
with a British legal heritage, Canberra's special development history and Australia's post-War
housing system. It was concluded that explanations of housing-related benefits must recognise
that land is property like any other. The commodity nature of housing \s a function of the the
importance of production and the conditions associated with the production of wealth in
society. In addition, the market's role in the capture of benefits through housing must be
accepted. Price fluctuations determine the nature and size of any gains collected.
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Altmann, David. "Marginal cost water pricing welfare effects and policy implications using minimum cost and benchmarking models, with case studies from Australia and Asia /." 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/39464.
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Recent studies in water management policy point to insufficient recognition of water as a scarce commodity and the failure of pricing policies to account for the full economic costs of its production and supply. These costs include opportunity costs related to alternative uses of water; user costs associated with managing a scarce resource; and costs of externalities such as ground water depletion, pollution of waterways, and greenhouse gas emissions. Existing cost recovery based pricing policies may lead to inefficiencies such as excess consumption, under-investment in water infrastructure, and unnecessary subsidisation. Water scarcity can be managed in several ways. We can increase supply by investment in additional harvesting capabilities or new technologies such as desalination; we can constrain consumption so that existing supplies last longer; or we can use water in more efficient ways. As a short term measure, most countries adopt water restrictions when supplies are at critical levels. In the future, as urban population growth continues, harvesting of storm water and reuse of grey water may become part of a sustainable water management strategy. Water trading can be used to move water to where the marginal benefits are highest. Considerable water savings are possible through the use of more efficient industrial and domestic appliances. There is evidence in some countries that higher water tariffs have reduced consumption and promoted awareness of conservation. If we accept that water is an economic good, then we need to understand the costs related to its production, the patterns of its use, and the benefits received by different users. This thesis is an examination of theoretical and applied aspects of urban water pricing based on analysis of cost, demand, and welfare. We present theoretical models of cost that include economies of scale as a parameter, and a model of water demand by households with heterogeneous preferences. We determine marginal cost at the efficient level of output based on a partial equilibrium of supply and demand. We also show that when water is produced with increasing returns to scale, the efficient price will be insufficient to recover all costs, and therefore a form of second best pricing is required. We contrast conventional notions about water suppliers being cost minimisers with an alternative frontier model of cost efficiency. Two case studies examine the provision of water services under different forms of ownership. The first case study examines the provision of water to domestic households in the state of Victoria, Australia. The second case study examines the supply of water to the residents of Manila, one of the world’s largest cities that privatised its water service in 1997 under a form of concession agreement. A third case study derives an efficient cost frontier for a sample of water utilities from Asia and Australia and proposes a form of best practice pricing. The thesis concludes with a summary of the main results and policy conclusions, and ideas for future research.http://proxy.library.adelaide.edu.au/login?url= http://library.adelaide.edu.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=1289196
Thesis (PhD) -- School of Economics, 2007
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Kennedy, Steven. "The production of health : an examination of the economic determinants of health." Phd thesis, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/146064.
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Lambie, Ross. "Firm investment behaviour under a carbon emissions pricing scheme : a real options analysis of investment in low emissions electricity generation technologies in Australia." Phd thesis, 2013. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/150978.
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A general finding from the growing literature applying 'real options' theory to investment under carbon emission pricing schemes (CEPSs), is that the level of uncertainty in the expected price of carbon is a key factor in the extent to which a CEPS's design provides incentives for a firm to invest in lower carbon emissions technologies. Notwithstanding this finding, major public policy analyses of CEPSs have not utilised real options analysis to gain insights into the effect of a scheme's design on the likely investment behaviour of firms. This thesis argues that real options analysis should be included in the suite of tools for informing public policy on the design of a CEPS. This thesis contributes to understanding the features of a CEPS's design on the decision of a firm in an energy-intensive sector to invest in new lower-carbon emitting plant, when the investment decision lends itself to being characterised as a real option. In contrast to existing real options studies in this area, a simpler analytic approach is adopted based on a model by Cortazar et al. (1998). The approach captures output price and carbon price uncertainties and is solved using contingent claims analysis to find the critical price of output required to trigger the decision to invest. Two empirical applications examine in detail a representative electricity generator's decision to invest in a range of low carbon-emitting and non-carbon emitting electricity generation technologies. The analysis of both a hypothetical CEPS's design in general, and the post-2015 carbon emissions trading scheme under Australia's Clean Energy Future package (CEFETS) in particular, show that there are four effects on the threshold required by a generator to trigger investment in a technology that are attributable to the design of a scheme. In addition to the impact of volatility in the carbon price and its correlation with the output price (the volatility effect) highlighted in other real options studies, three additional investment threshold effects are found that may jointly impact on a firm's decision to invest in a particular technology depending on the design of a CEPS. The three effects consist of the cost effect, the negative cost effect and the subsidy effect. The cost effect arises from the level of the carbon price and impacts only carbon emitting technologies. The negative cost effect and subsidy effect arise from allocations of free carbon emissions rights under a CETS that directly subsidises either a plant's operating costs or investment cost, respectively, and may apply to all technologies.
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McClure, Roderick. "The public health impact of minor injury." Phd thesis, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/144086.
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Chester, Lynne Social Sciences & International Studies Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences UNSW. "What are the outcomes and who benefits from the restructuring of the Australian electricity sector?" 2007. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/40779.
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The last decade has delivered rapid structural change to the Australian electricity sector. The common conceptualisation of the sector's restructuring has been narrowly based around sector-specific regulatory change and the creation of a national electricity market. This thesis argues that such a focus provides an incomplete and inaccurate explanation of the transformation. Three closely interrelated layers of policies and actions embodying the precepts of neoliberalism, and implemented by the state, have driven the sector's transformation. These policies and actions transcend 'electricity-centric' policies and encompass policies which have become systemic to the Australian public sector as well as a third layer which has transformed the prevailing industrial paradigm across all industry sectors. The drivers of the electricity sector's restructuring -- and the outcomes and beneficiaries arising -- form the core research focus of this thesis. The research task is addressed by using the analytical framework of the French theory of r??gulation. The analysis reveals that the electricity sector has been Australia's second largest contributor of privatisation proceeds, remains dominated by government ownership and has falling levels of foreign ownership. Higher relative wage levels and union membership are also evident as have been job losses and substantial real price increases for households whereas those for business have generally fallen. The purported 'reform' centrepiece, the national electricity market, was found to be increasingly uncompetitive due to its own regulatory regime and market manipulation by government-owned companies. In addition, the sector exhibits a heightened precariousness: an unprecedented financial vulnerability arising from a strong appetite for debt and derivatives and exacerbated by payments to government owners not by new investment in generation capacity; increasing tensions between the nation-state and local-state concerning the national electricity market and compromises with labour; and an exposure to political and financial risks from the sector's global integration. The clear winners from the sector's restructuring are the owners of capital and the state, particularly the local-state, although the sustainability of this situation is questionable. The analysis also generates a number of propositions about the application of r??gulation theory to sector-based research.
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Higuchi, Yoichiro. "Citrus siam adoption in a South Sumatran rubber smallholding village : an interdependence approach." Phd thesis, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/123110.
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In investigating the adoption process of a crop called “citrus siam” in a South
Sumatran rubber-smallholding village, Belatung, the importance of externality of other
villagers in a villager’s decision making was noticed. Neo-classical economics generally
uses a model in which individuals are treated as atomistic, self-interested and independent
beings, and attempts have rarely been made to incorporate an individual’s relative socioeconomic
position into a utility function framework. Previous attempts, which may be
placed under the broad haeding of ” interdependence approach” , are so far simplistic, and
still in their infancy.
On the other hand, the sociological and anthropological literature has paid greater
attention to these aspects. Approaches developed for analysis of a person’s socio-economic
position can provide useful concepts for economists to develop realistic economic models
of human behaviour. Techniques of sociological network analysis appear to be particularly
useful for economists to utilise in their work.
In this thesis, firstly, the interdependence approach literature and basic literature of
adoption process are reviewed. Secondly, villagers’ interactions with each other are
carefully described with sociological network analysis techniques. On this basis, thirdly, a
model of expected utility which explicitly incorporates both a person’s absolute and
relative income levels is developed for the analysis of the “Cancian Dip” or “upper-middle
class conservatism” hypothesis. Finally, with d ata collected from the village, Belatung,
hypotheses and propositions of the model are statistically tested.
The interdependence approach, though theoretically a little more complicated, is
empirically proved to be significantly more powerful in explaining the citrus siam
adoption process in Belatung.
49
McEwin, R. Ian. "An economic analysis of tort law and insurance : the impact of strict liability on road and workplace accidents." Phd thesis, 1988. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/127617.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis investigates the impact on accidents of the change from
negligence to strict liability in the workplace and on the roads. As
the impact of a liability rule and so safety incentives depend on the
risk sharing arrangements, the effect of the change in liability can
only be assessed after account has been taken of the other factors
influencing safety decisions, in particular, insurance incentives.
Other empirical studies of the introduction of workers'
compensation and road accident no-fault schemes have failed to
separate the impact of changes in liability from changed insurance
arrangements. The results of more comprehensive empirical studies
than so far attempted suggest that the introduction of strict liability
increased accidents both on the roads and in the yvorkplace. The
results suggest that the common law serves an important role in
promoting safety.
Workers' compensation reformers argued that the imposition of
employer strict liability for accidents would give employers greater
incentives to improve workplace safety. Road accident no-fault
reformers, on the other hand, did not regard safety as an issue
because, it was argued, insurance reduced any possible deterrent
effect. The empirical evidence presented here does not bear the
reformers out. Both workplace and road accidents increased after
strict liability was introduced.
As well, empirical results are presented which indicate that ex ante
risk compensation was paid as wages in the coal industry in New
South Wales at the time of the introduction of workers'
compensation. This occurred despite an exogenous wage fixing
process which decried the payment of 'blood money'. Risk
remuneration was paid, indirectly, through special allowances for
poor working conditions. A novel feature of this study was the
compilation of individual firm data from previously unused archival
records. All previous studies have used highly aggregated data
which suffer from measurement error, particularly in relation to the
measurement of risk. Evidence is presented to show, in accordance
with basic economic theory, that risk-compensating wages are an
important factor in promoting safety. Workers' compensation
reformers and subsequent legal and historical scholarship argued
that the 19th century employer defences (fellow-servant, assumption
of risk and contributory negligence) were designed to protect factory
owners from industrial accident liability and so shift the burden of
industrial development onto the shoulders of the working class. The
evidence presented in this thesis does not support the contention
that the working class bore the burden. Workers were compensated
for risk and there is evidence to suggest that wage risk-compensation
was lower after the introduction of workers'
compensation, suggesting that overall worker compensation may not
have changed a great deal.
50
Chalmers, Jennifer Joan. "Why marry? : an economic analysis of the male marriage premium." Phd thesis, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/146116.
Full text