Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Australian Studies'
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1
Shanahan, Catherine M. "Cytogenetical studies in Australian scorpions /." Title page, contents and summary only, 1986. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09phs5278.pdf.
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Latip, Jalifah. "Phytochemical studies on Australian Rutaceae." Thesis, University of Strathclyde, 2000. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.366989.
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Ellison, Elizabeth Rae. "The Australian beachspace : flagging the spaces of Australian beach texts." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2013. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/63468/1/Elizabeth_Ellison_Thesis.pdf.
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The Australian beach is a significant component of the Australian culture and a way of life. The Australian Beachspace explores existing research about the Australian beach from a cultural and Australian studies perspective. Initially, the beach in Australian studies has been established within a binary opposition. Fiske, Hodge, and Turner (1987) pioneered the concept of the beach as a mythic space, simultaneously beautiful but abstract. In comparison, Meaghan Morris (1998) suggested that the beach was in fact an ordinary or everyday space. The research intervenes in previous discussions, suggesting that the Australian beach needs to be explored in spatial terms as well as cultural ones. The thesis suggests the beach is more than these previously established binaries and uses Soja's theory of Thirdspace (1996) to posit the term beachspace as a way of describing this complex site. The beachspace is a lived space that encompasses both the mythic and ordinary and more.
A variety of texts have been explored in this work, both film and literature. The thesis examines textual representations of the Australian beach using Soja's Thirdspace as a frame to reveal the complexities of the Australian beach through five thematic chapters. Some of the texts discussed include works by Tim Winton's Breath (2008) and Land's Edge (1993), Robert Drewe's short story collections The Bodysurfers (1987) and The Rip (2008), and films such as Newcastle (dir. Dan Castle 2008) and Blackrock (dir. Steve Vidler 1997).
Ultimately The Australian Beachspace illustrates that the multiple meanings of the beach's representations are complex and yet frequently fail to capture the layered reality of the Australian beach. The Australian beach is best described as a beachspace, a complex space that allows for the mythic and/or/both ordinary at once.
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Dumay, Johannes Cornelius. "Intellectual capital in action: Australian studies." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2398.
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The overarching objective of this thesis is to investigate and examine several contemporary IC theories and how they are utilised in practice so that understandings of the IC concept can be developed, in order to answer in part the main research question of “How does IC in action influence organisations?” The content of the thesis is based on a review of IC from both a theory and practice perspective and four empirical papers that examines IC theory as it is implemented in practice. In combining these papers into a coherent piece of work, a critical research perspective, as outlined by Alvesson and Deetz (2000), has been utilised as the theoretical framework. The term ‘critical’ is used in this thesis not to find fault with contemporary theory and practice of IC but rather to examine and question the application of IC theory into practice. The end result of doing so is the narrowing of an identified gap between IC theory and practice. A ‘critical’ analysis of IC in action is justified because the development of the concept of IC parallels that of ‘critical’ theory in that both have evolved from changing conditions in society as technology and the proliferation of knowledge that have fundamentally altered the conditions under which organisations operate. The overarching findings of the thesis are based on three outcomes of critical research being insight, critique and transformative re-definitions. Insight into IC is developed by examining contemporary IC frameworks as they have been applied. Critique is developed by putting to the test the implications for organisations as a result of implementing these contemporary IC frameworks. Last, transformative re-definition is achieved by opening a discourse on the impact of implementing IC practices so that academics and practitioners can develop critical, relevant and practical understandings that begins the process of change and develops practical managerial skills. More importantly this thesis identifies how the development of tools to reduce ‘causal ambiguity’ about how intangible resource help create (or destroy) value has the potential to raise the profile of IC as a strategic management technology. But from the wider view of the critical perspective, it is not the intention of this thesis to prescribe specific formulae for the measuring, management and reporting of IC, nor does it intend to further develop theory. So while the individual papers may proffer that certain avenues proved productive in developing insights, critique and transformative re-definition, these avenues are not offered as the preferred way of investigating IC. More specifically the goal of a critical perspective is to open a discourse. The opprurtinity for academics and practitioners to engage in discourse is enabled by the thesis’ focus on the issues identified by highlighting the gap between IC theory and practice. Furthermore, each of the included papers offers the opportunity for further discourse by way of the opportunities that remain for future research. Additionally, the thesis achieves exemplifies a number of different approaches to conducting research into IC practice that puts to the test particular aspects of IC theory in order to develop insights and understandings of IC in practice. As the empirical material only examines a fraction of contemporary IC theory there is scope for further research and thus discourse into the implementation of IC theory into IC practice. This future research should not be constrained by a particular method of research as exemplified in the variety of methods employed to gather the empirical material for the papers which stretches along the continuum of qualitative and quantitative research. This too provides an avenue of for future discourse.
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Dumay, Johannes Cornelius. "Intellectual capital in action: Australian studies." Faculty of Economics and Business, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2398.
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Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)The overarching objective of this thesis is to investigate and examine several contemporary IC theories and how they are utilised in practice so that understandings of the IC concept can be developed, in order to answer in part the main research question of “How does IC in action influence organisations?” The content of the thesis is based on a review of IC from both a theory and practice perspective and four empirical papers that examines IC theory as it is implemented in practice. In combining these papers into a coherent piece of work, a critical research perspective, as outlined by Alvesson and Deetz (2000), has been utilised as the theoretical framework. The term ‘critical’ is used in this thesis not to find fault with contemporary theory and practice of IC but rather to examine and question the application of IC theory into practice. The end result of doing so is the narrowing of an identified gap between IC theory and practice. A ‘critical’ analysis of IC in action is justified because the development of the concept of IC parallels that of ‘critical’ theory in that both have evolved from changing conditions in society as technology and the proliferation of knowledge that have fundamentally altered the conditions under which organisations operate. The overarching findings of the thesis are based on three outcomes of critical research being insight, critique and transformative re-definitions. Insight into IC is developed by examining contemporary IC frameworks as they have been applied. Critique is developed by putting to the test the implications for organisations as a result of implementing these contemporary IC frameworks. Last, transformative re-definition is achieved by opening a discourse on the impact of implementing IC practices so that academics and practitioners can develop critical, relevant and practical understandings that begins the process of change and develops practical managerial skills. More importantly this thesis identifies how the development of tools to reduce ‘causal ambiguity’ about how intangible resource help create (or destroy) value has the potential to raise the profile of IC as a strategic management technology. But from the wider view of the critical perspective, it is not the intention of this thesis to prescribe specific formulae for the measuring, management and reporting of IC, nor does it intend to further develop theory. So while the individual papers may proffer that certain avenues proved productive in developing insights, critique and transformative re-definition, these avenues are not offered as the preferred way of investigating IC. More specifically the goal of a critical perspective is to open a discourse. The opprurtinity for academics and practitioners to engage in discourse is enabled by the thesis’ focus on the issues identified by highlighting the gap between IC theory and practice. Furthermore, each of the included papers offers the opportunity for further discourse by way of the opportunities that remain for future research. Additionally, the thesis achieves exemplifies a number of different approaches to conducting research into IC practice that puts to the test particular aspects of IC theory in order to develop insights and understandings of IC in practice. As the empirical material only examines a fraction of contemporary IC theory there is scope for further research and thus discourse into the implementation of IC theory into IC practice. This future research should not be constrained by a particular method of research as exemplified in the variety of methods employed to gather the empirical material for the papers which stretches along the continuum of qualitative and quantitative research. This too provides an avenue of for future discourse.
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Hoffmann, Terrence Martin, and mikewood@deakin edu au. "Using competencies in human resource management: case studies in Australian companies." Deakin University, 1998. http://tux.lib.deakin.edu.au./adt-VDU/public/adt-VDU20050815.114903.
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This study investigated the use of competencies for human resource management in seven Australian companies. Despite advocacy for the use of competencies by Government Committees and Task Forces (For example Carmichael (1992), Mayer, (1992) and Karpin, 1995), and the existence of competency standards for eighty per cent of the Australian workforce, the competency approach has not been widely adopted. A review of the literature indicated that the term competency had several meanings with different implications for its use depending on the meaning. The study looked at how individuals have defined the term and applied the approach to human resource management practices.
Interviews were conducted with Human Resource and Training managers, and operative staff in companies using competencies. How they defined the term, described the rationale for using competencies, and applied competencies to selection, training, performance appraisal and remuneration were determined. Case studies were written for each company to describe their particular application of competencies.
Competencies were found to be defined in several ways by those interviewed. Some advantages of using competencies in human resource management applications were found. The amount of work involved in introducing the competency approach was described as a reason why competencies have not been more widely adopted.
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Clark, Benjamin Robert. "Studies on the chemistry of Australian microbes /." [St. Lucia, Qld.], 2005. http://www.library.uq.edu.au/pdfserve.php?image=thesisabs/absthe.pdf.
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Tan, Ee Lyn. "Drug and Therapeutics Committees: Studies in Australian hospitals." University of Sydney. Pharmacy Practice, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/711.
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Australia�s policy on Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) aims to achieve appropriate use of medicines and improved health outcomes. Drug and Therapeutics Committees (DTCs) are educators, policy makers as well as financial gatekeepers in matters relating to medicine use. Increasingly, DTCs are also involved in risk management and clinical governance. As such, DTCs could be considered to be QUM advocates in the institutions in which they function. In a health care arena where there are escalating demands on high standards of clinical practice, quality assessment and improvement is essential in ensuring safe and effective patient care. Given the role DTCs play in safeguarding the interests of the stakeholders of the health care system, research into ways in which DTC performance could be enhanced is required. Although indicators specific to DTCs exist, the literature does not seem to provide straightforward answers to the question of what is currently being done in terms of quality assessment and quality improvement of DTCs. In the absence of such data, an opportunity for research is clearly identified. The first aim of this research project was to gain insight into the current activities undertaken by, and challenges facing Australian DTCs. Following this, the second aim was to explore ways in which DTC performance could be augmented. In addressing the first aim of this project, a national survey of Australian DTCs was conducted. These findings reinforce the evidence in the literature about the roles, structure and stakeholder expectations of DTCs. Our research also documents DTCs� quality improvement initiatives and barriers to DTC activities. It appears that there is little support available to Australian DTCs. Further, a case study was undertaken in order to gain an understanding of the depth and detail of DTC operations. An audit of a DTC in an Australian hospital was conducted. This study revealed that DTC decisions are being implemented in an ad hoc manner. In fact, there were no strategies (or action) planned to implement the majority of their decisions. This could have an impact on DTC performance. In view of this finding, qualitative methods were used to explore stakeholder opinions regarding the implementation of DTC decisions and policies. Stakeholders believed that strategies used to implement DTC policies should be targeted (to the audience as well as the type of decision/policy being implemented), timely, and delivered at the point of care. Face-to-face strategies were perceived to be more effective than printed materials, particularly when an influence on clinical practice was desired. Stakeholders also felt that the lack of resources was a significant barrier to DTC performance augmentation. This probably contributed to a lack of follow-up (or review) of implemented policies. According to stakeholders, other barriers to policy implementation include a lack of ownership of policies, low DTC profile, and an over-reliance on pharmacy to implement DTC decisions. Stakeholders felt one of the ways in which DTC performance could be improved was to prioritise DTC decisions for implementation. In pursuit of a method to prioritise DTC decisions, a survey was conducted. Stakeholders identified patient safety, cost, and the practice of evidence-based medicine as domains of important DTC decisions. The results also suggest that stakeholders recognise the need for the prioritisation of DTC decisions for implementation. Stakeholders implied that higher priority would be assigned to DTC decisions considered to be important. In a follow-up survey, stakeholders (including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and DTC members) seemed to have agreement of the primary domains of DTC decisions. Higher levels of importance and higher priority were assigned to decisions involving the primary domains of patient safety and cost. However, level of importance and priority assignment were not consistently correlated. The work presented in this thesis suggests that there are ways to improve DTC performance. Although conducted primarily on hospital-based DTCs, it is anticipated that the lessons learnt could be applied to state-based, or even, Area Health-based DTCs. In conclusion, this research found that there was a range of views regarding �importance� and prioritisation for implementation. Social, organisational, as well as environmental factors may contribute to this. Future research should examine other possible factors contributing to the importance and priority of DTC decisions, so that DTC policy could be appropriately implemented into practice.
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Tada, Masayo. "Grappling with another other : Australian studies in Japan." Phd thesis, Canberra, ACT : The Australian National University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/10073.
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Australian studies in Japan provides an example of the dynamics of the construction of area knowledge. The definition and promotion of Australian studies has been shaped by specific Japanese needs, and Australian interests have been intertwined in the process. While individual practitioners' engagement has been framed within the context formed by Japanese and Australian states' concerns, their independent concerns as researchers and as educators have played a significant role in the construction of discourses of Australian studies. Through a case study of Australian studies in Japan as a network of representations of the area known as 'Australia', this thesis considers the meanings created when a specific country or region is represented in area studies education at a university level. The analysis of this thesis is interdisciplinary, deploying the methodological tools from history, cultural studies, and political science. Australian studies in Japan is investigated via textual analysis, using the related written texts and aural texts collected from interviews. The case study of Australian studies in Japan is synthesised with an analysis of the modem and contemporary cultural history of the respective countries and their bilateral relations in the changing international relations. The examination involves in depth investigation of institutions such as school textbooks, government agencies and universities. Integrating the discussion of knowledge/power relations and the questions of national identity in the contexts of Australia and Japan, the thesis examines a variety of approaches to area studies education. Comparisons of Australia and Japan are illuminating for the analysis of representations of the Other and the consequences of colonialism. Each country relates to the experiences and memories of both the colonised and the coloniser. Australia was colonised by Britain, and Japan colonised the neighbouring Asian countries. Indigenous peoples were colonised by the mainstream group within both countries. This thesis demonstrates the ways in which the two countries have common concerns with the question of national identity, vacillating between 'the
West' and 'Asia' as totalised imaginary entities through their colonial and postcolonial experiences. This localised case study generates broader intellectual and educational issues, the relevance of which is not limited to Australia and Japan. It is also a study of the consequences of colonialism, the imaginary boundaries of world areas, the location of culture, and national identity in the context of globalisation. As a study of area studies practices at a university level, the thesis addresses issues concerning the internationalisation of higher education, and area studies education in relation to the internationalisation of curriculum in particular. This study itself demonstrates a possible form of area studies with an interdisciplinary approach that deals with trans-area issues.
10
Cirino, Gina. "American Misconceptions about Australian Aboriginal Art." Kent State University / OhioLINK, 2015. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1435275397.
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Partington, Geoffrey. "The significant past in Australian thought : some studies in nineteenth century Australian thought and its British background." Title page, preface and contents only, 1989. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09PH/09php2732.pdf.
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Payne, Rachel. "Australian identity, the press and major international sporting events: A study of two Olympic and two Commonwealth Games held in Australia since 1956." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2007. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/449.
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This thesis explores links between perceptions of Australian identity and the national press reporting of two Olympic and two Commonwealth Games staged in Australia: the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games, the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, and the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. When Australia plays host to the world or Commonwcalth of Nations it is the press' role to communicl!te to Australians and international visitors how Australia and its peoplc are seen, and where Australia positions itself in global or Commonwealth contexts. The assumption guiding this study is that during these major intcmational sporting events Australia's newspapers depicted athletes and Games rituals, such as opening and closing ceremonies, in ways that conveyed a sense of national identity and consciousness. The newspaper is selected as the main medium for analysis because written reports consistently provided substantial coverage of each of the selected Games.Particular attention is paid to the ways in which Australia's newspapers defined "Australianness" and "otherness" within this sporting framework. From onc perspective, the concepts "Australian" and "other" can be treated as two distinctive, or separate, entities. From another, the idea can be entertained that the boundaries of Australian identity and "otherness" are often blurred, in the sense that someone who is part of the nation may be perceived as being an "other", and someone who is not directly connected to the nation might be considered to be more compatible with the (mainstream) Australian way of life. Therefore, the findings of this study are divided into six sections which, one by one, focus on representations of Australian athletes and Australia as Games host; Indigenous Australians; the British monarchy and the Commonwealth of Nations; athletes from the regions of Africa, the Caribbean and South Asia; and depictions of Australian identity through Games ceremonies. The sixth section employs a case study of press constructions of local identity during the Perth British Empire and Commonwealth Games. The research is presented as both quantitative and qualitative findings. The qualitative results comprise the bulk of the thesis, and involve textual analyses of the prcss reporting and a semiotic analysis of the Games ceremonies. Comparisons of thefour Games are historical in nature. The findings and analysis draw on ways in which the coverage of these major events reflected social, cultural and political factors linked to the evolution of Australia's identity, but overall the study is grounded in communications discourse. The dissertation is interdisciplinary in that the research combines the fields of identity, print journalism, sports journalism, Australian sports history, and Western Australian history. In particular, this thesis aims to cxpand on the currently limited literature on Australia's involvement in the Commonwealth Games.
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KLAASSEN, Anne, and anne klaassen@det wa edu au. "A LEARNING COMMUNITY APPROACH TO SCHOOLING : TWO AUSTRALIAN CASE STUDIES." Edith Cowan University. Education And Arts: School Of Education, 2006. http://adt.ecu.edu.au/adt-public/adt-ECU2006.0045.html.
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This research project investigates the implementation of a learning community approach in two rural Australian communities with a particular focus on the initiatives of a primary school in each community. Case study research describes and analyses the developments in each community and a cross case analysis examines similarities and differences in approach and outcomes.
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edu, aruddy@indiana, and Annie Ruddy. "Internationalisation: Case studies of two Australian and United States universities." Murdoch University, 2009. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20090416.20912.
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Higher education has undergone significant change as universities have sought to respond to government reforms in a period of globalisation. One major reform that globalisation has introduced is the reduction in state funding for higher education. Universities have turned to other resources to provide funding and one of these is the recruitment of international students. The focus of this thesis is on contrasting the internationalisation policies of two nations, Australia and the United States, by analysing published policies, statistics and carrying out interviews on two campuses. Two universities, one in Australia and the other in the United States, served as case studies to examine the strategies used to implement these policies. Approximately 100 participants were interviewed, including administrators and faculty members, international and domestic students.
Each university featured internationalisation as a goal in its mission statement. By integrating intercultural and global dimensions into the teaching, research and service functions of a university, internationalisation encompasses a multitude of activities that provide an educational experience. While administrators generally stated that the implementation of strategic plans to achieve international goals had been successful, many faculty members, domestic and international students were of the view that international goals were yet to be realised. These contrasting discourses revealed that each university was falling short of achieving its internationalisation goals. Faculty members and domestic and international students expressed dissatisfaction about cultural insensitivity, lack of adequate services that offered housing and emotional/social support, and language barriers. At the same time, each university was achieving some of its internationalisation goals. In conclusion, strategies are suggested that might improve the implementation of internationalisation at both universities.
15
Fay, Mark Roger. "Comparative life cycle energy studies of typical Australian suburban dwellings /." Connect to thesis, 1999. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00000382.
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Ruddy, Anne-Maree. "Internationalisation : case studies of two Australian and United States universities /." Murdoch University Digital Theses Program, 2008. http://wwwlib.murdoch.edu.au/adt/browse/view/adt-MU20090416.20912.
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Lee, Timothy Robert Charles. "Molecular phylogenetic, ecological, and evolutionary studies of Australian Rhinotermitid termites." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/14528.
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The termite family Rhinotermitidae contains some of the world’s most economically significant pests. In Australia, members of the Rhinotermitidae are found distributed across nearly all environments on the mainland. Some Australian species in this family are of particular evolutionary significance because they are the only species in the family to build mounds above ground- the other species nest underground or in wood. How these Australian rhinotermitids- in the genus Coptotermes- acquired the ability to build mounds has not been studied, nor has the time of their arrival in Australia or how they diversified there. Little is known also about the colony and population structure of many species in the Australian Rhinotermitidae. This thesis describes the use of several different methods to address the issues above. I conducted a mitochondrial and nuclear molecular phylogenetic analysis, including all Australian species of Coptotermes as well as members of the genus from around the world to estimate the timing and pattern of diversification in this group. Using environmental niche analysis software, I estimated the environmental niches of all Australian Coptotermes and compared them to determine environmental influences on the evolution of moundbuilding behaviour in this group and to analyse patterns of diversification in the group over evolutionary time. Having found two divergent genetic lineages among the Australian Coptotermes, I described two new species from Queensland and Western Australia based on morphological and molecular data. I performed the first investigation of colony and population structure in the Australian pest rhinotermitid Schedorhinotermes intermedius, using five microsatellites markers I discovered, and I also tested one hypothesis concerning the presence of all-female workers and soldiers in this species. Finally, we investigated the role of juvenile hormone analogues in inducing the differentiation of presoldiers in Coptotermes lacteus, S. intermedius, and Mastotermes darwiniensis. My project shows that the Australian Coptotermes termites arrived in Australia from South- East Asia about 12.5 million years ago and rapidly diversified, adapting to newly developing environments very different to those in which their ancestors existed. I found that the Australian Coptotermes’ niches diverged rapidly and that the degree of niche similarity between taxa was uncorrelated with their degree of phylogenetic relatedness. I also found that the Australian mound-building Coptotermes live in significantly different ecological niches from one another. My project also adds two new species to the known Australian Coptotermes fauna- C. cooloolae and C. nanus- and provides evidence that there are yet more species undiscovered in this group. This project also confirms genetically that S. intermedius colonies are usually headed by a single king and queen, with some being headed by secondary reproductives. I was able to rule out parthenogenesis as a mechanism maintaining its strongly biased sex ratio. Finally, this project demonstrated that C. lacteus and S. intermedius workers can be induced to differentiate into presoldiers using juvenile hormone analogues Hydroprene and Methoprene, with the former much more readily differentiating than the latter. This study furthers our understanding of the Australian termite fauna. My work contributes to the discussion of the systematics of the Australian Rhinotermitidae, our understanding of their evolution and colony dynamics.
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Williams, Catherine F. (Catherine Felicia). "Studies on the Australian bluetongue viruses / by Catherine F. Williams." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 1994. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/27530.
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Bluetongue disease is an infectious, noncontagious, arthropod-borne disease transmitted by certain species of midges belonging to the genus Culicoides. The causative agent, bluetongue virus (BTV), is a member of the Reoviridae family and orbivirus genus. Although mostly affecting sheep, other ruminants including wildlife can be infected.
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Ruddy, Annie. "Internationalisation: case studies of two Australian and United States universities." Thesis, Ruddy, Annie (2008) Internationalisation: case studies of two Australian and United States universities. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2008. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/469/.
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Higher education has undergone significant change as universities have sought to respond to government reforms in a period of globalisation. One major reform that globalisation has introduced is the reduction in state funding for higher education. Universities have turned to other resources to provide funding and one of these is the recruitment of international students. The focus of this thesis is on contrasting the internationalisation policies of two nations, Australia and the United States, by analysing published policies, statistics and carrying out interviews on two campuses. Two universities, one in Australia and the other in the United States, served as case studies to examine the strategies used to implement these policies. Approximately 100 participants were interviewed, including administrators and faculty members, international and domestic students.
Each university featured internationalisation as a goal in its mission statement. By integrating intercultural and global dimensions into the teaching, research and service functions of a university, internationalisation encompasses a multitude of activities that provide an educational experience. While administrators generally stated that the implementation of strategic plans to achieve international goals had been successful, many faculty members, domestic and international students were of the view that international goals were yet to be realised. These contrasting discourses revealed that each university was falling short of achieving its internationalisation goals. Faculty members and domestic and international students expressed dissatisfaction about cultural insensitivity, lack of adequate services that offered housing and emotional/social support, and language barriers. At the same time, each university was achieving some of its internationalisation goals. In conclusion, strategies are suggested that might improve the implementation of internationalisation at both universities.
20
Ruddy, Annie. "Internationalisation: case studies of two Australian and United States universities." Ruddy, Annie (2008) Internationalisation: case studies of two Australian and United States universities. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 2008. http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/469/.
Full textAbstract:
Higher education has undergone significant change as universities have sought to respond to government reforms in a period of globalisation. One major reform that globalisation has introduced is the reduction in state funding for higher education. Universities have turned to other resources to provide funding and one of these is the recruitment of international students. The focus of this thesis is on contrasting the internationalisation policies of two nations, Australia and the United States, by analysing published policies, statistics and carrying out interviews on two campuses. Two universities, one in Australia and the other in the United States, served as case studies to examine the strategies used to implement these policies. Approximately 100 participants were interviewed, including administrators and faculty members, international and domestic students.
Each university featured internationalisation as a goal in its mission statement. By integrating intercultural and global dimensions into the teaching, research and service functions of a university, internationalisation encompasses a multitude of activities that provide an educational experience. While administrators generally stated that the implementation of strategic plans to achieve international goals had been successful, many faculty members, domestic and international students were of the view that international goals were yet to be realised. These contrasting discourses revealed that each university was falling short of achieving its internationalisation goals. Faculty members and domestic and international students expressed dissatisfaction about cultural insensitivity, lack of adequate services that offered housing and emotional/social support, and language barriers. At the same time, each university was achieving some of its internationalisation goals. In conclusion, strategies are suggested that might improve the implementation of internationalisation at both universities.
21
Klaassen, Anne. "A learning community approach to schooling: Two Australian case studies." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2006. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/77.
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This research project investigates the implementation of a learning community approach in two rural Australian communities with a particular focus on the initiatives of a primary school in each community. Case study research describes and analyses the developments in each community and a cross case analysis examines similarities and differences in approach and outcomes.
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Klaassen, Anne. "A learning community approach to schooling two Australian case studies /." Connect to thesis, 2006. http://portal.ecu.edu.au/adt-public/adt-ECU2006.0045.html.
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Payne, Alice Ruth. "Design, sustainability and Australian mass-market fashion : three case studies." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2013. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/61985/1/Alice_Payne_Thesis.pdf.
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The production of fashion garments has negative environmental and social impacts that can potentially be reduced through decisions made in the design process. This research explores to what extent Australian mass-market fashion designers consider environmental sustainability within product design. The study presents three case studies from different market levels, assembled through interviews with designers, along with an analysis of the Australian mass-market fashion industry. The project provides insights into the workings of the fashion design process within mid and high volume companies, and identifies opportunities and barriers for consideration of sustainability.
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Badock, Philip R. "Performance attributes of talented schoolboy Australian Rules Football players." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1992. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1139.
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The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between selected psychological characteristics and performance of a group of talented young Australian Rules football players. The study group consisted of 50 of the best identified schoolboy 15 year old Australian Rules football players in Western Australia. From this group 25 boys were selected to represent Western Australia at the Australian School Sports Council National Football Championships. The selected psychological characteristics were competitive anxiety (trait and state), competitive sport orientation (competitiveness, win and goal orientation) and sport confidence (trait and state). Performance was measured, first, by the selection or non selection of the player in the final team and second, by a high or low performance rating at the completion of the championships. Psychological characteristics of those players who were selected in the team were compared with those who did not make the team in an attempt to identify those characteristics that related to successful team selection. A further comparison of psychological characteristics and performance levels at the completion of the championships was made to determine any common characteristics that identify the higher performing players and possibly to identify predictors of successful performance which could assist with the selection process of other similar groups. The results did not indicate any significant relationships between the selected psychological characteristics of competitive sport orientation, competitive sport anxiety and sport confidence. Nor did the results indicate any relationship between the selected characteristics and the performance of the study group. The results did show however, significant differences between the perceptions of performance as rated by the players themselves and the ratings by the coach, manager, teammates and other independent observer. In every performance rating measure, factor loadings clearly showed that player self-assessments of performance was highly inconsistent with the assessments of the other assessors. This potential area of research may be of significant value in that the player's perception of his performance is not consistent and at variance with the views of the coach and of his teammates.
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Phillimore, Anthony John. "Technology, work organisation and training : Australian trade unions, 1983-1994." Thesis, University of Sussex, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.259454.
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Ivan, Timbs. "The Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement : An analysis of the class divide within Australian society appertaining to globalization." Thesis, Linköping University, Department of Management and Economics, 2006. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-7970.
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Global interest in using free trade agreements to expand trade, investment, integration and other linkages has expanded dramatically in the last twenty years. Australia is not alone in this development and has concluded Free Trade Agreements (FTA), with a number of countries, with little division or debate, within Australian society, about their merits. However, the announcement by the Australian Government in December 2000 of its intention to pursue an FTA with the United States ignited significant controversy in the Australian community and exposed deep concerns about the phenomenon of globalization and the future of Australian society. The ensuing debate revealed deep-seated divisions within Australian society.
Utlilizing a combination of Weber’s class-based theory and liberal ideologies (economic, welfare and radical), this research intends to analyze public submissions made to the Australian Parliament Senate Select Committee on the Free Trade Agreement between Australia and the United States (US) in an attempt to identify the reasons for the divisions within Australian society concerning the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA). It is expected the results will illuminate the challenges facing both governments and societies alike in a globalizing world and provide fruitful insights for policy makers in future trade negotiations.
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Tan, Carole A. "'Chinese Inscriptions': Australian-born Chinese Lives." Thesis, University of Queensland, 2004. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/1826/1/1826_abstract.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis represents a transdisciplinary study based on qualitative research and critical analysis of oral history interviews and the personal narratives of sixty-seven Australian-born Chinese. It uses cultural studies approaches to investigate the diverse ways Chineseness becomes inscribed into the lives of Australian-born Chinese. It investigates diverse ways Chineseness becomes inscribed into the lives of Australian-born Chinese within three social and cultural spaces Australian-born Chinese inhabit. These are the family, mainstream Australian society and Chinese diasporic spaces located in China and Australia. In examining these three social and cultural spaces, this study seeks to demonstrate that Chineseness represents an inescapable ‘reality’ Australian-born Chinese are compelled to confront in their everyday lives. This ‘reality’ exists despite rights of birth, generational longevity, and strong national and cultural identities and identifications grounded in Australia, and whether or not Australian-born Chinese willingly choose to identify as ‘Chinese’. Nevertheless, despite the limits of Chineseness Australian-born Chinese experience in their lives, this study demonstrates that Australian-born Chinese are individual agents who devise a range of strategies and tactics which empower them to negotiate Chineseness in relevant and meaningful ways of their own choosing.
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Sobb, Ah Kin Camilla. "A Chance Gathering of Strays: the Australian theatre family." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/8200.
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Walker, John Charles. "Studies on Australian buliniform planorbids : their potential role as schistosome hosts." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 1985. https://hdl.handle.net/2123/26329.
Full textAbstract:
The potential role of Australian buliniform planorbids in the transmission of Schistosoma haematobium and Schistosoma mansoni has been assessedby experimental exposures to infection
in the laboratory. No Australian snail became infected with trematode and these results are discussed in relation to previous reports of the transmission of Schistosoma haematobium in Australia.
The fact that these planorbids appear to lack susceptibility to human schistosomes has significance for the frequent use of as a generic name for Australian snails in particular, for the synonymising of Isidorella Tate with Bulinus Muller by Hubendick.
The genera of Australian buliniform planorbids recognised by Iredale have been examined anatomically and their classification reviewed. The major conclusions reached are:
1/. Isidorella is not congeneric with Bulinus and is an endemic Australian genus.
2/. Iredale's genera Lenameria, Tasmadora and Mutalena are synonyms of Physastra Tapparone Canefri which, in turn, is a synonym of Glyptophysa Crosse. In this classification Physastra is recognised as a subgenus of Glyptophysa,
3/. Glyptamode Iredale is a synonym of Glyptophysea.
4/. Oppletora Iredale and Whitley, synonymised with Bulinus by Hubendick, is actually related to Glyptophysa and is placed in a separate subgenus.
5/. Ancylastrum Bourguignat has been examined and the results confirm Hubendick's opinion that this limpet-like genus is related to Glyptophysa. Two species can be separated by simple anatomical characters.
6/. The genus Bayardella Burch includes two species. B. johni and B. cosmeta, once considered to be a species of Glyptophysa.
7/. Ameriella Cotton is recognised as a subgenus within Amerianna Strand and includes species with a lateral penis pore. The nominate subgenus includes species with a terminal penis pore.
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Jeong, Jaewoon. "Epidemic Modelling Studies of Hendra virus and Coronavirus in Australian Bats." Thesis, Griffith University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/376845.
Full textAbstract:
Bats (order Chiroptera) are known as natural reservoir hosts of many emerging zoonotic diseases. The increasing trend in outbreaks of bat-borne emerging zoonotic diseases in recent years poses serious risks to public health. Coronaviruses in bat populations have demonstrated their potential to bring about deadly pandemics, such as SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome). Hendra virus in Pteropus spp. (fruit bats or flying foxes) is a lethal zoonotic virus that has repeatedly emerged to infect horses, leading to fatal human infections in eastern Australia. However, more research has been needed on mechanisms how bats maintain zoonotic pathogens in their populations and on factors that stimulate the reservoir hosts to excrete the pathogens. This knowledge would help understand the spillover mechanism and manage the diseases effectively in their natural reservoir hosts before the diseases spillover. This thesis explores the transmission dynamics of bat-borne viruses (coronavirus and Hendra virus) in their natural reservoir hosts of bats, by employing mathematical epidemic models to simulate the dynamics.
Chapter 1 commences with the story of the emergence of Hendra virus. From the story, particular questions are extracted. I review the knowledge previously available to answer those questions and explain how approaches for mathematical modelling of infectious diseases can be used to study these topics. Relevant information on bat biology and ecology is suggested. Management strategies for bat zoonotic diseases are also previewed. Finally, the aims and structure of the thesis are outlined.
Chapter 2 analyses the effect of persistent infection on coronavirus maintenance in a population of Australian bats (Myotis macropus). By using a previously performed capture-mark-recapture (CMR) study, more intensive mathematical methods were employed. The multi-model selection processes supported the notion that it is appropriate to divide coronavirus infectious bats into two groups of persistently infectious and transiently infectious bats, based on the infectious period. The epidemic models predicted that the grouping of bats increases the probability of coronavirus maintenance in the bat population.
Chapter 3 explores the effects of maternally-derived immunity in seasonally breeding wildlife on epidemic patterns by using a system of Hendra virus infection in black flying foxes (Pteropus alecto). Deterministic models were used to simulate epidemics, which were characterised by a variety of timings of viral introduction and a range of pre-existing herd immunities. Waning maternally-derived immunity dispersed the timing of supply of susceptible individuals from births and losses of maternally-derived immunity and thereby diluted the effect of seasonal breeding on epidemics. The dispersion of timing increased the probability of viral persistence and contributed to shifting the timing of epidemic peaks further away from the peak of a birth pulse.
Chapter 4 numerically examines whether a metapopulation of flying foxes (Pteropus spp.) can support the maintenance of Hendra virus. The implications of metapopulation structure of flying foxes on Hendra virus dynamics needs more investigations. A single population of flying foxes in the context of a metapopulation structure was stochastically simulated to repeat the cycle of viral extinction and recolonisation in the population. The simulation results predicted that viral recolonisation should occur more frequently than extinction in a colony in a metapopulation, supporting the hypothesis that the metapopulation structure of flying foxes can maintain long-term persistence of Hendra virus.
Chapter 5 examines the effects of culling and dispersal of flying foxes on the spillover risk of Hendra virus. Metapopulation models were simulated stochastically using various culling and dispersal scenarios. The models used the most favourable possible assumptions about Hendra virus epidemiology for the application of these management strategies. Nevertheless, many scenarios were predicted to be counter-productive in reducing the spillover risk of Hendra virus. Even though the scenarios expected positive effects on decreasing the spillover risk, the degree of benefits was not realistic if the cost was considered. I, therefore, concluded that culling or dispersal were not effective strategies to manage Hendra virus spillover.
Chapter 6 describes the findings provided in each chapter. Then, I discuss the findings, focusing on the viral dynamics in reservoir populations of emerging infectious diseases. Based on the dynamics, I suggest the disease management strategies. I discuss how to do proper modelling research using insufficient data on wildlife diseases. Finally, this chapter provides suggestions for further research.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Environment and Sc
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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Sanders, Anne E. "Studies in contemporary Australian sculptural practice: Hilarie Mais and Fiona Hall." Thesis, Canberra, ACT : The Australian National University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/8756.
Full textAbstract:
The subject of this thesis is contemporary Australian sculptural practice. Within the limitations of a Master of Arts sub-thesis, it aims to provide an analysis of developments in contemporary Australian sculptural practice since 1980. This analysis is conducted within the context of the theoretical frameworks of postmodernism, feminism and postcolonialism.
The first chapter seeks to establish a general overview and context, both nationally and internationally, for the significant changes and developments in contemporary sculptural practice in Australia. Specifically, three key theoretical concepts are identified as major protagonists of these changes. The second and third chapters seek to provide specific examples of these theoretical concepts identified in chapter one within the context of two monographic case studies of mid-career sculptors, Hilarie Mais and Fiona Hall.
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Miller, Wendy. "Design, Construction and Performance of Australian Sustainable Homes: Subtropical Case Studies." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2012. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/107519/1/__qut.edu.au_Documents_StaffHome_StaffGroupR%24_rogersjm_Desktop_Wendy%20Miller%20Thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Housing is a critical national asset that underpins Australians’ economic,social and environmental well-being. On the one hand, a house can be a reflection of personal aspirations, world views, lifestyles and social and
economic status, and collectively housing is a reflection of national and regional cultural values and standard of living. On the other hand, housing also significantly impacts economic, social and environmental sustainability
at personal, regional, national and international levels. If housing,individually and collectively, is to become ‘sustainable’, we need to be able to define, deliver and evaluate a ‘sustainable house’ as a product, a process and a place to live. Very little is known about a sustainable house as an environmentally sound technology and as an integrated system. Little is known about the perspectives and experiences of end-users and their
possible role in the diffusion of this technology into the market. The objective of this research was to investigate the complex nature of sustainable housing in an Australian context through an examination of the experiences of end users who are early adopters of contemporary, sustainable homes in subtropical south-east Queensland. The aim was to evaluate these experiences in relation to consideration of a sustainable house as a complex integrated system comprised of the product and its subsystems, the process of product design and delivery, the performance outcomes of the product, and the impact of the product and processes on the end-users. The results show that, for these end-users, a sustainable house embraces the collective and integrated aspects of environmental protection, resource
management and social wellbeing. This product is an expression of personal and social identity and enables and supports its inhabitants in living sustainably. The urban context, regulation and multiple supply chain agents
affected both sustainability aspirations and outcomes. The findings of the study reinforce the concept of a sustainable house as an integrated system that is centered on end-user goals and aspirations, specific building elements and subsystems, design and construction processes and practices, and the urban context. These interactions take place within the context of multiple supply chain agents. The performance outcomes of this integrated product
are reliant on not only an integrated systems approach, but also on good communication and robust decision making processes between and amongst the multiple supply chain agents. These research findings have implications
for the development and refinement of regulatory instruments and for strategies and measures currently used in the housing market. This study makes a substantial contribution to the field by providing new knowledge in relation to family experiences of the design and construction processes that resulted in the completion of their sustainable homes; their practices in the occupation of these homes; and the post-construction environmental performance of these homes. This new knowledge adds
clarity with respect to how end-users define and value a sustainable house, and quantifies to some extent the impact that a sustainable house has on family economic, social and environmental sustainability. The current study
modifies the conceptual framework for sustainability in the construction industry (Sev, 2008) by developing and applying a framework for defining and evaluating a sustainable house. Innovation diffusion theory is applied to a sustainable house as an integrated system and as an environmentally sound technology, utilizing the experiences of early adopter families to identify and evaluate market diffusion barriers. Building on existing knowledge about
barriers to the diffusion of environmental technologies, this study provides clear characterization of the barriers early-adopter families face in seeking sustainable homes in the form of a Taxonomy of barriers to a sustainable house.
The taxonomy provides insight into ways in which these barriers might be addressed by research, regulation and the market to enable more rapid diffusion of sustainable housing as a positive response to environmental,
social and economic challenges.
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Olcelli, Laura. "Questions of authority: Italo-Australian travel narratives of the long nineteenth century." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2014. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/12581.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis investigates Italo-Australian literary travel exchanges throughout the long nineteenth century. The 1800s witnessed major transformations in Australian overseas travel: it gradually evolved from a replica of the Continental Grand Tour of the British, whose goals were the cities of Rome, Florence and Venice, to a more idiosyncratic cosmopolitan experience, either touristic or professional. Moreover, it was during the second half of this century that both Italy and Australia underwent crucial political upheavals; these resulted in shifts from colonial and subjugated status, to self-government and ultimately independence. This thesis connects the geographical, political and socio-cultural contexts of Italy and Australia by considering their interlaced odeporic library, produced at a significant time in history. It looks at key texts compiled by Italians in Australia, and Australians in Italy: these chiefly consist of voyage accounts, but also include the records of explorers, missionaries, scientists and migrants coming from the Italian peninsula. About one third of the primary sources are unpublished travel diaries compiled by the first Victorian women visitors to the Bel Paese, which have been largely neglected by scholarship thus far. This examination pinpoints the enduring significance of Italy in travel-related terms, showing how this destination was adapted from the map of eighteenth-century British Grand Tourists, to that of nineteenth-century Australian holiday makers. Most critically, it suggests that Italo-Australian peripatetic connections entail issues of authority, that emerge in the ways in which Italian and Australian travel writers displayed their authorship, cultural capital and national identification in relation to ‘the other country.’ Finally, it demonstrates how these are highly regulated by, and yet simultaneously challenge, British colonial hegemony.
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Otsuji, Emi. "Performing transculturation : between/within 'Japanese' and 'Australian' language, identities and culture /." Electronic version, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/2100/598.
Full textAbstract:
University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Education.This thesis examines the construction processes of language, culture and identities in relation to both the macro level of society and culture, as well as the micro-individual level. It argues that there is a need to understand these constructions beyond discrete notions of language, identities and culture. The thesis mobilises performativity theory to explore how exposure to a variety of practices during the life trajectory has an impact on the construction and performance of language, identities and culture. It shows how a theory of performativity can provide a comprehensive account of the complex process of, and the relationships between, hybridisation (engagement in a range of cultural practices) and monolithication (nostalgic attachments to familiar practices). The thesis also suggests that the deployment of performativity theory with a focus on individual biography as well as larger social-cultural factors may fill a gap left in some other modes of analysis such as Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Conversation Analysis (CA). Analysing data from four workplaces in Australia, the study focuses on trans-institutional talk, namely casual conversation in which people from a variety of linguistic and cultural backgrounds work together. Following the suggestion (Pennycook 2003; Luke 2002) that there is a need to shift away from the understanding that a particular language is attached to a particular nation, territory and ethnicity, the thesis shows how discrete ethnic and linguistic labels such as ‘Japanese’ and ‘English’ as well as notions of ‘code-switching’ and ‘bi-lingualism’ become problematic in the attempt to grasp the complexity of contemporary transcultural workplaces. The thesis also explores the potential agency of subjects at the convergence of various discourses through iterative linguistic and cultural performances. In summary, the thesis provides deeper insight into transcultural performances to show the links between idiosyncratic individual performances and the construction of transcultural linguistic, cultural phenomena within globalisation.
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Thomas, Stuart John, and stuart thomas@rmit edu au. "Modelling Commodity Prices in The Australian National Electricity Market." RMIT University. Economics, Finance and Marketing, 2007. http://adt.lib.rmit.edu.au/adt/public/adt-VIT20080528.160806.
Full textAbstract:
Beginning in the early 1990s several countries, including Australia, have pursued programs of deregulation and restructuring of their electricity supply industries. Dissatisfaction with state-run monopoly suppliers and a desire for increased competition and choice for consumers have been the major motivations for reform. In Australia, the historical, vertically-integrated, government-owned electricity authorities were separated into separate generation, transmission, distribution and retail sectors in each State and a competitive, wholesale market for electricity, the National Electricity Market (NEM) began operation in December 1998. The goal of deregulation was (and remains) increased competition in electricity supply, so that consumers may enjoy wider choice and lower prices. The first benefit has largely been delivered but it is arguable whether the second benefit of lower prices has been realised. Increased competition has come at the price of increased wholesale price volatility, which brings with it increased cost as market participants seek to trade profitably and manage the increase in price risk. In the NEM, generators compete to sell into a pool market and distributors purchase electricity from the pool at prices determined by demand and supply, on a half-hourly basis. These market-clearing prices can be extremely volatile. Electricity prices are generally characterised by significant seasonal patterns, on an intra-day, weekly and monthly basis, as demand and supply conditions vary. Prices are also characterised by strong mean-reversion and extremely high spikes in price. While long-run mean prices typically range between $30 and $45 per megawatt hour, prices can spike to levels above $9,000 or $10,000 per megawatt hour from time to time. These spikes tend to be sporadic and very short-lived, rarely lasting for more than an hour or two. Although infrequent, spikes are the major contributor to price volatility and their evolution and causes need to be investigated and understood. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and model Australian electricity prices. The research work presented is mostly empirical, with the early analytical chapters focusing on investigating the presence and significance of seasonal factors and spikes in electricity price and demand. In subsequent chapters this work is extended into analysis of the underlying volatility processes and the interaction between extreme values in demand and price is specifically investigated. The findings of the thesis are that while the characteristics of strong seasonal patterns and spikes that are generally observed in similar electricity markets are present in the NEM in both price and demand, there is significant variation in their presence and effect between the regional pools. The study also finds that while time-varying volatility is evident in the price series there is again some variation in the way this is characterised between states. A further finding challenges the accepted wisdom that demand peaks drive price spikes at the extremes and shows empirically that price spikes are more likely to be caused by supply disruptions than extremes of demand. The findings provide useful insight into this highly idiosyncratic but economically important national market.
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Wang, Ying. "Representations of obesity in national newspapers: A comparative study between China and Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2020. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/2367.
Full textAbstract:
Nearly two-thirds of Australians and up to half of all Chinese are overweight. Global obesity figures have tripled since 1975 (WHO, 2018b), which demonstrates that obesity is a major global health problem. It is critical to examine how print media represent obesity because they influence public understanding of the problem. It is also essential to determine ways to improve health journalism and health outcomes. While there is a significant body of literature that has examined representations of obesity in the Australian press through mixed approaches, there is a deficit of media research into how China’s press has represented this issue. This study investigated how obesity was represented in two national newspapers—China Daily and The Australian—between 2013 and 2018. Content analysis was performed to reveal the types and frequency of obesity-related news items regarding causes, determinants, impacts, solutions and sources. Additionally, discourse analysis was undertaken to qualitatively reveal the framing of obesity based on findings from the content analysis. China Daily was selected because it is China’s largest-selling national daily English-language newspaper, while The Australian is Australia’s largest daily national newspaper. More than 1000 news items on obesity published in the two newspapers between 2013 and 2018 were retrieved through Factiva. Content analysis uncovered that obesity was under-presented in both newspapers. Individual causes and solutions were the most prominent news items in both newspapers, whereas genetic and biological determinants were less likely to be presented. For childhood obesity, parental determinants appeared more often than social determinants. Findings from the discourse analysis found three prominent frames—legitimation, responsibility and stereotype—in which individual responsibility was highlighted, while social responsibility was backgrounded. Individual responsibility and blaming were the dominant discourses in both newspapers. Further, stereotypes, weight stigma and the thin ideal discourse were mentioned in the news items. Framing analysis revealed that news items on obesity tended to shift health costs onto individuals rather than highlight the responsibility of the food and drink industries. The presence of stereotype frames was greater in China Daily than The Australian.
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Mee, Tracey. "Australian National Identity: Somewhere Between the Flags?" Thesis, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, 2018. https://ro.uow.edu.au/theses1/248.
Full textAbstract:
The Australian national flag is the primary symbol of the nation. The flag produces and reproduces national identity through its presence in all spheres of the public domain. This thesis is an examination into the national flag’s representational force. It focuses on how the flag makes meaning in accordance with dominant discourses of nation and nationhood through an analysis of its uses and applications across a range of institutional sites. The thesis also takes into consideration the meaning-making potential of the national flag for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This work deploys a wide-range of historical and contemporary sources that include art and literary responses to the flag. The thesis also draws on a range of theoretical works on nation alongside the use of vexillology as a focused study of flags. A critique of the messages and meanings that the Australian national flag transmits raises important questions pertaining to the way the nation is constructed and maintained. While the thesis does not proffer a definitive solution to the many complexities surrounding Australian national identity, it offers the opportunity for further study as debates about changing the flag continue to circulate in the public sphere.
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Davis, Rohan. "Chemical Investigations of Great Barrier Reef Ascidians - Natural Product and Synthetic Studies." Thesis, Griffith University, 2000. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366561.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis describes the chemical investigations of several ascidian species collected from the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia. The thesis is divided into two separate components, Part A focuses on the isolation and structure elucidation of 11 previously undescribed ascidian metabolites. All structures were assigned using a combination of spectroscopic and/or chemical methods. Part B relates to the isolation and chemical conversion of a natural product to a combinatorial template. The natural product template was subsequently used in the generation of a solution-phase combinatorial chemistry library. A further two combinatorial libraries were generated from a synthesised model compound that was related to the natural product template. Part A. Investigation of Aplidium longithorax collected from the Swains Reefs resulted in the isolation of two new para-substituted cyclofarnesylated quinone derived compounds, longithorones J (30) and K (31). The former compound had its absolute stereochemistry determined by the advanced Mosher method. From an Aplidium longithorax collected from Heron Island, two new cyclofarnesylated hydroquinone compounds, longithorols C (46) and D (47) and a novel macrocyclic chromenol, longithorol E (48) were isolated. Longithorol C (46) had its absolute stereochemistry determined by the advanced Mosher method. Chemical investigation of the deep-purple colonial ascidian, Didemnum chartaceum collected from Swains Reefs led to the isolation of five new lamellarin alkaloids, which included the 20-sulfated derivatives of lamellarins B (94), C (95) and L (96), the 8-sulfated derivative of lamellarin G (97) and the non-sulfated compound, lamellarin Z (98). The known lamellarins A (63), B (80), C (64), E (65), G (67), and L (71) plus the triacetate derivatives of lamellarin D (82) and N (83) were also isolated. An aberration in the integration of signals in the 1H NMR spectra of the 20-sulfated derivatives (94-96) led to NMR relaxation studies. T1 values were calculated for all protons in the sulfated lamellarins (94-97) and their corresponding non-sulfated derivatives (80, 64, 71, 67). The protons ortho to the sulfate group in compounds (94-97) had T1 values up to five times larger than the corresponding protons in their non-sulfated derivatives (80, 64, 71, 67). A specimen of Eudistoma anaematum collected from Heron Island was shown to contain a new b-carboline alkaloid, eudistomin V (130), in addition to the two known metabolites, eudistomin H (105) and I (106). Part B. The known natural products, 1,3-diphenethylurea (29), 1,3-dimethylxanthine (30), 1,3-dimethylisoguanine (31) and the salts of tambjamine C (16), E (18) and F (19) were isolated from the ascidian, Sigillina signifera collected in Blue Lagoon, Lizard Island. Base hydrolysis on mixtures of the salts of tambjamine C (16), E (18) and F (19) resulted in the production of 4-methoxy-2,2-bipyrrole-5-carbaldehyde (26). This natural product template (26) was used in the generation of an enamine combinatorial chemistry library (98, 103-111) using solution-phase parallel synthesis. The biaryl compound, 4-(2-thienyl)-1H-pyrrole-2-carbaldehyde (59) was successfully synthesised using Suzuki-Miyaura coupling conditions and subsequently used as a template in the generation of an amine (67, 77, 80-87) and imine (78, 92-95) combinatorial library using solution-phase parallel synthesis.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Science
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Davis, Laurel F. "Voyage to Terra Australis." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2004. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1648.
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This thesis in Writing is composed of two parts, a creative work for stage, and an essay that both informs the writing of the drama and reflects upon it. The creative work, entitled Ann Flinders Remembers, a musical drama based on the life and journals of Matthew Flinders, navigator and cartographer, and his wife, Ann Flinders. The drama consists of lyrics, letters, extracts, dialogue, monologue, and stage directions, the story told from the point of view of Ann Flinders remembering, and by the all-knowing Chorus, of early Greek theatre. The essay, entitled 'Reflections on and of the Pastoral', traces the genre from the early Greek plays through to more recent theatre, and precedes the creative work to show how I came to the point of writing a musical drama based on the Pastoral genre, and what literature and theory might have been an influence. In the essay, I challenge some widely held conceptions of the Pastoral, at the same time re-acquainting myself with the techniques used by dramatists throughout history. Such a course enables me to reveal the habit of mind that lies at the source of the ancient genre.
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Saygin, Erdinc, and erdinc saygin@anu edu au. "Seismic Receiver and Noise Correlation Based Studies in Australia." The Australian National University. Research School of Earth Sciences, 2007. http://thesis.anu.edu.au./public/adt-ANU20091009.115242.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is directed at exploiting information in the coda of
seismic phases and the ambient noise field to provide new constraints
on the structure of the Australian Continent.
¶
The exploitation of the immediate coda following the onset of P waves from
a distant earthquake using radial receiver functions is now a well
established method. The 40 sec interval following P contains
reverberations and conversions, by deconvolving the radial component
trace with the vertical components, the conversions are emphasized
by canceling the part of the response that are common to both
components. A member of different styles of such deconvolution, are
investigated and a variant of the multitaper method is adopted for
subsequent applications. The TASMAL experiment 2003-2005
spans the expected location of the transition between Precambrian and
Phanerozoic Australia. The 20 portable broadband stations were
exploited in receiver function studies to extract S wave crustal
structure through the inversion of stacked receiver functions using the
Neighbourhood Algorithm. There is no clear crustal transition
associated with the presence of Tasman Line. The Precambrian Cratons
tend to exhibit crustal thicknesses close to 40 km but such values
are also found in some Phanerozoic sites.
¶
The second part of the thesis is directed at the exploitation of
ambient noise or seismic coda to gain information on the Green's
function between seismic stations. The TASMAL experiment
covered a significant fraction of the Australian continent with a
simultaneous deployment of portable broadband stations. From these
continuous records, it has proved possible to extract very clear
Rayleigh wave signals for station separations up to 2000 km, and to
demonstrate the frequency dependent variations in group velocity
behaviour. The combination of the paths between the 20 stations localize such
behaviour, but detailed images needed more data. The entire archive of
portable broadband data recorded by RSES was mined, and
combined with data from permanent stations to provide more than 1100
estimates of interstation Green's functions within Australia. Group
velocity analysis as function of frequency was followed by nonlinear
tomography with the Fast Marching Method. The resulting images of
group velocity patterns as a function frequency show pronounced regions
of lowered group velocities, most of which match regions of thick
sediment. The frequency dependence is not consistent with just
sedimentary structure and low midcrustal velocities, most likely due
to elevated temperatures, are also needed.
¶
The surface wave portion of the interstation Green's function is the
most energetic, and is normally all that seen in ambient noise
studies. However, in the coda of events record at the broadband
Warramunga seismic array in the Northern Territory, the P and S
body wave components also emerge. The characteristics of these
arrivals match those observed from
nearby small earthquakes. The stacked cross-correlation is the normal
approach to enhance Green's function information from ambient noise,
but a broader spectral band width with the same phase response can be
found by spectral division. It appears advantageous to compare both
approaches and select the best result, since very little modifications
to procedures are needed.
¶
The properties of the ambient noise at a single station have been
investigated in the logarithmic spectral domain and a station
dependent signal can be extracted by stacking. The signal appears to
be related to the local structure beneath the station, and when fully
characterized may provide a new means of investigating structure.
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Rom, Mitchell Paul. "Teaching Indigenous Australian Studies in Contemporary Settings: Are Pre-service Teachers Prepared?" Thesis, Griffith University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/368015.
Full textAbstract:
This research study critically explores the attitudes of Griffith University (Griffith) pre-service teachers in relation to teaching Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages in education contexts. Educational policy from the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) - Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (National Teaching Standards), in particular AITSL Graduate Standard 2.4 provides the framework for this study. At a graduate level, this standard requires graduates to “Demonstrate broad knowledge of, understanding of and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories, cultures and languages” (AITSL, 2011, p. 11). Research participants were Bachelor of Education students who completed an Indigenous education course 3030EDN Studies of Indigenous Australia (3030EDN) prior to participation in this study.
In order to explore this research topic, a case study methodology was employed. Within the case study, data collection methods included an on-line survey of 82 pre-service teachers, followed by extended interviews with four pre-service teachers, who identified themselves as being willing to participate in a yarning session. Moreover, an analysis of the course materials from 3030EDN as well as AITSL Graduate Standard 2.4 was undertaken. The collated data then formed the basis for a critical analysis framed by Indigenous standpoint theory (Nakata, 2007a).Thesis (Masters)
Master of Education and Professional Studies Research (MEdProfStRes)
School of Education and Professional Studies
Arts, Education and Law
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Meredith, Grant. "Managed identities : How do Australian university students who stutter negotiate their studies?" Thesis, Federation University Australia, 2019. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/169961.
Full textAbstract:
Previous social research focused on people who stutter has problematised and largely ignored the experiences of university students who stutter, relying heavily upon surveys of teachers and peers while almost ignoring the authentic voices of students who stutter. Using a novel bricolage approach incorporating autoethnography, this project posed the question: “How do students who stutter negotiate their university experiences in Australia?” In 2008, a unique, web-based audit of 39 Australian public universities concluded that little publicly accessible information about stuttering support services was available for prospective university students. In many ways, stuttering is absent from disability classifications and service systems in higher education. An online survey of 102 Australian university students who stutter, and follow-up individual interviews with 15 students, revealed how these students manage their social identities from enrolment through to graduation. Only a minority of students reported ever formally disclosing their functional impairment to university support services or academic staff. This meant they rejected and/or avoided the disability label and associated stigma. The students were found to exercise a high degree of individual agency and creativity throughout their university journey. Many employed ‘concessional bargaining’ techniques to effectively navigate the oral assessment requirements during their degrees. Analysis of the interview and survey data is interspersed with critical self-reflection by the author – as a university lecturer who himself stutters. This thesis makes a significant contribution to shaping our understanding of the social identities and trajectories of university students who stutter. These students have been recast as positive, purposeful, resourceful and creative agents whose actions can be largely understood from a social model of disability. A series of recommendations for supporting and teaching these students are made to key stakeholders in higher education.Doctor of Philosophy
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Nguyen-Duy, Thanh-Binh. "Aspects of cardiovascular risk in an Australian population study." Thesis, The University of Sydney, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/20101.
Full textAbstract:
Prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a leading cause of death in men and women, is both a global and national public health priority. Prevention efforts have generally focused on well-known lifestyle (e.g., physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, smoking) and metabolic (e.g., overweight/obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia) risk factors. It is also important for public health strategies to consider emerging risk factors, innovative approaches to risk factors, and evidence in middle-aged men and women, to develop effective prevention strategies. This thesis explored innovative aspects of cardiovascular risk in a large cohort of middle-aged and older Australian men and women (“the 45 and Up Study”) by examining: 1) emerging or lesser known risk factors such as raw vegetable intake (Chapter 3), sedentary behaviour (Chapter 4, Appendix 1) and psychological distress (Chapter 5); 2) the single versus joint influence of lifestyle risk factors on incident type 2 diabetes (Chapter 4, Appendix 1) and hypertension (Chapter 5); 3) potential gender differences (Chapters 3-5, Appendix 1), and female-specific behaviours such as breastfeeding (Chapters 6-7). Overall, findings support Australian recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity, alcohol intake and infant breastfeeding. While the importance of reducing known risk factors for CVD prevention was evident, the role of raw vegetable intake, sedentary behaviour and psychological distress was inconclusive. Breastfeeding was associated with a lower maternal risk of CVD. Findings confirmed that adopting a cluster of healthy lifestyle behaviours can reduce CVD risk in the middle-aged and older population. Potential gender differences were explored and identified. This thesis contributes to the literature by exploring innovative aspects of cardiovascular risk that are relevant to middle-aged adults, particularly women, as well as informs health care providers, researchers and policy makers.
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Page, Tara. "Place and belonging : ways of knowing and learning in the Australian bush." Thesis, Goldsmiths College (University of London), 2012. http://research.gold.ac.uk/8020/.
Full textAbstract:
‘Where are you from?’ This question often refers to someone’s birthplace, childhood home or a place that holds significance. The place that is offered in response to this question is more than a means of orientation, it is a lived place that has complex meanings that identify and emplace. The significance of ‘place’ and also of ‘belonging’ to our lives is often overlooked, something that is invisible or hidden, yet it is key to understanding who we are, both individually and collectively. This study explores and examines the ways that children living in a remote Australian cultural context, the bush, perform and construct their place-world, and how within this knowing and subsequent learning, they construct place and belonging. The driving questions of this study are: How do children living in a remote Australian cultural context know their place and belonging? and How do children living in a remote Australian cultural context learn place and belonging? Using the overlapping methodological approaches of critical, visual and sensory ethnography, underpinned with the theories of habitus and the bound relationship between the body and place, this study explores how the children’s, and my own, ways of knowing place emerged through embodied engagement in and with the world. This enabled an understanding of embodied (sensory perception and sensory memories) ways of knowing the place of the bush and how, through everyday practices, place and belonging are performed, constructed and learned through corporeal and socially-engaged pedagogies but also by being there. These findings may contribute to a more profound but also a subtle examination of embodiment as key to the performance and construction of social identities, the production of new analytical insights to develop the theoretical relationship between the where and the who, and knowledge and understanding of the loss of connection with place or displacement.
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Barnett, Vanessa. "Tasha: A practice-based problematisation of Australian comedy cinema’s representation of gender, family and nationhood." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2014. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1411.
Full textAbstract:
Between 2007 and 2012, 140 fictional feature films were financed with the assistance of Australian film funding bodies. Of these 140 films, only 31 featured female protagonists and of these 31 films, only 8 were comedies (see Appendix B). These figures show statistically, Tasha, the creative film component of this research project, is not a typical Australian comedy film; it is the story of Tasha, an unemployed girl from Girrawheen in her early twenties, who has lost her sense of identity. As Australian films such as Little Fish¸ Candy, Jedda and Muriel’s Wedding would suggest, this is certainly not an uncommon premise in Australian national cinema. However, this is not all there is to know about Tasha; she is preoccupied, not by a love interest or by a drug addiction, but by ninjutsu, and vigilantism. This is where Tasha finds its unique approach to Australian cinema’s historic treatment of the woman-centred narrative. That said, beneath Tasha’s unconventional surface arguably lies a truly Australian comedy film.
The exegesis component of this project re-interprets Bazin’s question, “Qu'est-ce que le cinéma?” (What is cinema?), with a theoretical framework inspired by Australian film theorist Tom O’Regan’s influential text, Australian National Cinema. The exegesis begins by looking at Australian national cinema as a whole, then narrowing the focus to Australian comedy cinema. O’Regan (1996) describes Australian cinema as a national cinema; a cinema that embodies Australian culture, society and history. The focus is on Australian comedy film texts, and their social, political and cultural contexts. Tasha, the creative film project, is what O’Regan would term a “problematisation” of Australian comedy cinema.
The key argument of this project is that Australian national comedy films are uniquely Australian, cinematic explorations of individual identity, socio-cultural identity, landscape and family. Australia laughs about what it knows best, these four narrative and aesthetic preoccupations being central to Australian socio-cultural values and attitudes, to understanding the concept of Australianness. Australian comedy cinema is a problematic genre unto itself. The theoretical component of this project is a profile of Australian comedy cinema’s homogenised representation of Australianness. Tasha is then presented as an alternative. This investigation aims to both improve, and demonstrate an understanding of Australian comedy cinema as a problematisation of gender, culture, landscape, family and identity.
Tasha responds to the research question, “What is Australian comedy cinema?” by revealing that even an Australian action comedy with exciting stunts and fight scenes, is still a story of an individual’s sense of identity, family, and place. Such stories are arguably the hallmark of Australian comedy cinema; this carries a uniquely Australian sense of quirkiness. It remains the domain of the underdog: the battlers, larrikins, and of course the ockers. It still carries the same messages; never forget who you are, who your friends and family are, or where you came from. Despite its unconventional narrative, subject matter, soundtrack and aesthetics, Tasha proves to be no exception; it is still easily identified as a truly Australian comedy film.
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Highland, Jacqueline M. "Asian migrant writers in Australia and the negotiation of the third space." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2011. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/156.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is a comparative study of three selected texts by Australian novelistsYasmine Gooneratne, A Change of Skies,(1991) Adib Khan, SeasonalAdjustments (1994) and Brian Castro, Birds of Passage ((1983). All three writersexplore the experiences and perceptions of their protagonists in relating to thelandscape, people and cultural traditions within the Australian context into whichthey have migrated from different Asian countries. Brian Castro’s centralcharacters, Lo Yun Shan and Seamus O’Young, are drawn from two contexts, theformer from the 19th century China while the latter is a contemporary Australianborn Chinese. Gooneratne’s and Khan’s protagonists hail from South-East Asiancontexts, which are again interestingly different, Gooneratne’s character beingfrom Sri Lanka and Khan’s from Bangladesh. From the multiplicity of culturesfrom which these texts emerge with their inevitable movements of theprotagonists between the originary and adoptive homes, there seems to be areaching towards a necessary ‘inter’ space, what Homi Bhabha calls the ‘ThirdSpace.’ In terms of perception of identity and belonging this borderline positionwould appear to be crucial to the diasporic condition. (1994, p. 53) While thisstudy explores the problematics, accommodations, resolutions and synergiesinvolved in the experience of negotiating this liminal space and living whatRushdie calls a ‘translated’ existence, (1991, p. 17) the focus is on particularprocesses crucial to that translation.
My study will suggest that the arrival at the ‘Third Space’ is represented neitheras a benign experience of adaptation to a different sense of home nor a sense ofbeing relegated to a state of permanent loss and alienation. Rather it will beapparent that the migrant experience is more mosaic than formulaic resisting neatdefinitions of movement from an initial sense of estrangement from the hostnation to accommodation and assimilation within the new society. It seems thateach individual character is poised on different and differing configurations ofcultural allegiances and identities within the’ Third Space’. The representationand perception of the’ Third Space’ ‘in relation to the performance of identity as iteration and the recreation of self…[particularly in terms of] the desire forrecognition’ (Bhabha, 2004, p.12) appears more diverse than originally envisagedby Bhabha. There appears to be a plurality of articulations within thisformulation, suggesting it is not a single, homogenous in-between space but aconstellation of ‘Third Spaces’, fluid and changing, overriding the possibility of a‘happy hybridity’ which, in any case. most theorists in the field find an untenableconcept. The tracing of this highly complex . inter-related and entangled plethoraof experiences which constitute the fate of the migrant will be explored in depthand detail in this thesis. Finally, no arrival at certain certainties is promised at itsconclusion; only, possibly, a heightening of awareness, an expansion ofunderstanding.. This provides an opportunity to revisit, indeed to rethink thecomplexities of migrant experience as not only transcending dichotomies ofinsider/outsider, belonging/alterity which are encoded in the narrative of a nation,while simultaneously affirming the processes of hybridity as crucial to theformation of a ‘double selved’ identity.
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Lobb, Alexandra E. "Two studies of the Australian Wheat Board : a traditional price discrimination model, and the privatisation process and pricing behaviour of a risk averse firm." University of Western Australia. School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, 2003. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2004.0071.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is motivated by the impacts of contemporary political and economic issues such as microeconomic reform and regulatory control on the Australian wheat industry. Firstly, the suggestion of whether the AWB (International) Ltd commands market power and secondly, that the objectives of the AWB Ltd have changed since semi-privatisation of the Australian Wheat Board under the Wheat Marketing Act, 1989. The AWB (International) Ltd’s ability to price discriminate is a key component to the retention of the single desk regulatory arrangement for the export of Australian wheat. Due to data restrictions the market power of the AWB (International) Ltd has not been determined within this thesis. To complement this traditional approach, a more novel proposal is developed to determine the effect of microeconomic reform on the Australian wheat industry. Conceptualising the change of the AWB Ltd’s objectives as a shift from revenue maximization to profit maximization, this study examines the impact of such a change on the pricing policies of a multi- market price-setting firm. More specifically, this study investigates, for two hypothetical objective functions, a risk averse firm’s price-setting behaviour in an “overseas” and a “domestic” market, given differing costs of supply, uncertain demand functions and differing price elasticities of demand in each market. The aim is to generate empirically testable hypotheses relating to the impact of a change of objectives on pricing behaviour.
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Thomas, Roseanne. "Implications of electronic ordering in the Australian fresh foods industry: A longitudinal study of an Australian smallgoods company 1999-2005." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2007. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/315.
Full textAbstract:
The literature about information systems adoption generally, and specifically the use of EOI within supply chains. indicates that there are significant savings to be made, primarily by reductions in inventory costs. The Iiterature surrounding the Efficient Consumer Response (ECR) movement within the retail supply chain also claims that there are significant savings to be made and that these savings will be shared by partners within the supply chain and be passed on to consumers. This is a two stage study of a local case organisation operating within a duopoly industry environment. The research was conductad during the period of 1999 to 2005.
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Wang, Luo. "Four Studies of Managed Funds." Thesis, Griffith University, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/382713.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis, structured around four interrelated empirical studies, investigates three key
aspects that relate to the practice of fund management and analysis: (1) fund returns, (2) fund
flows, and (3) asset allocations. In fact, managed fund investors make investment decisions
primarily on the assumption that managed fund performance persists over time, despite the
lack of evidence for such performance persistence. Therefore, it is compelling to empirically
investigate factors that are of vital importance to investors if these factors can improve
investors’ ability to select winning funds, which will ultimately improve their investment
performance.
The first empirical study investigates the relationship between the performance of Australian
managed funds and the variables that capture the state of the economy. Apparently, Australian
investors make investment decisions based primarily on past performance, disregarding other
factors. This study, motivated by this issue, investigates factors that capture the state of the
economy, both domestic and international, with the aim of establishing whether those
economic factors have a possible impact on Australian managed fund returns. This study
contributes to the existing body of literature by utilising domestic and international
macroeconomic variables to explain Australian managed fund returns. Moreover, the
relationship uncovered between fund returns and macroeconomic variables challenges the
past performance issue attributed to Australian investors. Finally, the findings of this study
will motivate practitioners to extend their practice beyond using past performance to
encompass other potential factors. This study uses principal component and regression
analyses to discover that fund returns can be significantly explained by principal components
that reflect both international and domestic variables, especially at the next two quarters. The relationships between fund returns and macroeconomic variables are predominantly negative.
Further, the pooled regression results show that, at a more general level, the explanatory
power of macroeconomic variables is relatively weak regarding both fixed interest and
international shares funds, but is strong on multiple assets, property, and Australian shares
funds.
Building on the first empirical study, the second is an investigation of whether economic
variables have the potential to predict Australian managed fund returns. Using economic
variables to predict fund returns is a relatively new area of research; no published study was
found that investigates this issue in Australia. Therefore, this study helps to fill this gap by
investigating macroeconomic variables from Australia and overseas markets, as well as
establishing whether those variables have the potential to predict Australian managed fund
returns. This study contributes to the growing literature investigating the relationship between
macroeconomic variables and managed fund returns by shedding new light on the predictive
power of macroeconomic variables on managed fund returns. Furthermore, the findings of
this study have the potential to add value from the practitioner’s perspective. Since investors
always have to reallocate investments between funds, they need to know which economic
factors may affect their fund returns. Moreover, the findings may refine investor’ ability to
improve managed fund returns by monitoring the changes in economic conditions. The timeseries
regression results suggest that coal price, GDP, and the treasury bill rate have predictive
power over fund returns.
The third empirical study investigates the relationships between the managed fund flows from
different investor groups, the stock market returns and the factors that capture the state of the economy in Australia. The dynamic interactions between fund flows and stock market returns
have been well examined.
More recently, studies investigating fund flows and market returns from a different dimension
have tried to establish the relationship between fund flows, stock market returns, and the real
economy. As there is no study addressing this issue in Australia, this study investigates this
one in the Australian context. This study contributes to several strands of literature. Firstly, it
is the first to expand the stream of research investigating fund flows and stock market returns
by providing Australian evidence. Secondly, it sheds new light on the ongoing debate
regarding the relationship between fund flows and stock market returns by linking the results
back to the broad literature of the feedback-trader hypothesis. Thirdly, it provides a valuable
extension to an understanding of the relationship between fund flows and stock market returns
in Australia. The mechanism between fund flows and the real economy may affect investors’
returns if they collectively rebalance their portfolios in response to the changes of these
variables. This mechanism may also improve the efficiency of fund management by
understanding and predicting investors’ allocation decisions. This study will also help fund
managers to reach optimal investment decisions by incorporating fund flows as a factor.
The findings suggest that fund flows from different investor groups are related to the state of
the economy which is proxied by financial and macroeconomic variables. This study supports
the theory that the co-movement of fund flows and stock market returns is explained by
macroeconomic news. The state of the economy does not help to predict fund flows; however,
fund flows help to predict the state of the economy. This study also supports the theory that
fund flows are forward-looking and can predict the economy. Moreover, different investor groups, which are proxied by different fund categories, exhibit heterogeneous investment
patterns. The findings are more pronounced for equity and allocation funds because both of
these come with higher risk features, compared with fixed income and money market funds.
The fourth empirical study investigates whether the leveraged life cycle strategy is able to
produce better retirement wealth outcomes than either the balanced, conventional life cycle,
or the dynamic life cycle strategies. Using the factor of leverage in the design of the defined
contribution plan’s investment strategy is relatively new; no prior study investigating the
comparative performance of leveraged life cycle strategy and other strategies has been found.
Studying issues such as these provides a valuable contribution to the body of pension finance
literature by embarking on a robust analysis of four factors: balanced strategy, conventional
life cycle strategies, dynamic life cycle strategies and leveraged life cycle strategies. This
study may be regarded as unique: it is the first to synthesise the leveraged life cycle strategy
with other investment strategies currently offered by defined contribution plan providers, as
well as by those suggested in the literature. The outcomes of this study may also enhance
investors’ ability to improve fund returns by choosing different investment strategies.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept Account,Finance & Econ
Griffith Business School
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Hall, James. "Australia, March 2003 : the print media, democracy and the decision to invade Iraq." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2008. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/220.
Full textAbstract:
Models of mass media and democracy, as commonly discussed by media theorists, suggest there is a tight ideological relationship between the dominant discourse of mass media outlets and incumbent governments (Chomsky, 1997; Curran, 2002; Curran and Gurevitch, 2001; Curran and Park, 1996; Curran and Seaton, 1986; Herman and Chomsky, 1986; Herman and McChesney, 2001; Jacka, 2003; Schultz, 1998). In this thesis I analyse Australian print media opinion pages, and argue that the workings of Herman and Chomksy's Propaganda Model (1988, pp. 1-35) are evident in opinion page output on the Iraq issue. However, when applied to Australia and the Australian government's decision to invade Iraq in March 2003, as part of the Coalition of the Willing, I claim that the tight connection between mass media outlets and the dominant discourse of the government is not as evident. In other words, in this instance the dominant discourse that emerged from an analysis of print opinion pages was not as ideologically synchronised with the position of the Australian government as traditional theory would posit.