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Mitchell, James Ian School of Sociology UNSW. "MANAGEMENT DISCOURSE AND PRACTICE IN AUSTRALIA." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. School of Sociology, 1998. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/17459.
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This thesis sought to place the development of managers, management theory, practice and discourse within its general historical context. The emergence and growth of a body of managers in Australia was examined utilising Historical Sociology, Survey, Content Analysis and Theory of Practices methods. Australian managers, management practice and discourse were influenced by British, American and, more recently, Japanese management theories and practices. Theories and practices from Classical Management and subsequent theories were evidenced as trends which dominated for periods, changing the practices and discourses of managers. Based on a survey of Australian managers, the interaction between management theories and practices was examined and interpreted. Counter trends existed in periods that were dominated by particular theoretical models. These counter trends provided the links to newer practices and theories. The results indicated the continued importance of all theoretical models and the practices they describe. In Australia, the theoretical perspectives did not fit the trends of broad cycles of economic activity but overlapped, having been introduced in differing time frames. Management discourse was evaluated through content analysis of the editorials of Rydge's (a local management magazine) from 1945 to 1987 to ascertain any changes in management discourse as the result of the introduction of new management theories. Other themes and trends were identified and examined to provide insights into managers' values. The production and reproduction of practices were considered utilising a Theory of Practice. In the field of management, practices are produced and reproduced by managers influenced by their habitus, the division of labour and the exercise of power. The survey and content analysis results were examined to profile the habitus through the impact of managers' backgrounds on their behaviour, practice and discourse. These constituted forms of cultural capital which mediated managers' beliefs through symbolic instruments embedded in its structuring structures. Overall, the research highlighted relationships between typologies of management theories, discourses and practices and provided a profile of the production and reproduction of practices in a contemporary Australian setting.
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Brooke, Cassandra. "Marine pollution management under the Environment Protection Act 1993 (SA) /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1996. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ENV/09envb872.pdf.
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Hovey, Delia. "Idiosyncratic Risk and Corporate Governance: An Empirical Analysis of Australian Listed Firms." Thesis, Griffith University, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366089.
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The primary focus of this study is on the relationship between idiosyncratic risk and corporate governance, and the first research question is based on this. A secondary focus of the study is on the relationship between firm performance and corporate governance, and the second research question is based on this. Then, a potential corporate governance-to-idiosyncratic volatility-to-firm performance link is considered.
In this study, corporate governance is approached in the context of internal governance controls, based on board structure and composition, and also ownership and ownership structure. These are essential elements of corporate governance, and relevant for studies pertaining to a market with internal-governance-control characteristics, such as the Australian market.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith Business School
Griffith Business School
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Kritikos, Vicky. "INNOVATIVE ASTHMA MANAGEMENT BY COMMUNITY PHARMACISTS IN AUSTRALIA." University of Sydney, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/2123/2064.
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Doctor of PhilosophyExcerpt Chapter 2 - A review of the literature has revealed that asthma management practices in the Australian community are currently suboptimal resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. In adolescent asthma there are added challenges, with problems of self-image, denial and non-adherence to therapy where self-management skills assume a greater importance (Forero et al 1996, Price 1996, Brook and Tepper 1997, Buston and Wood 2000, Kyngäs et al 2000). In rural and remote areas in Australia, asthma management practices have been shown to be poorer and mortality rates from asthma are considerably higher compared to metropolitan areas (AIHW ACAM 2005, AIHW 2006). Limited access and chronic shortages of specialist services in rural areas are shifting the burden more and more towards the primary sector (AIHW 2006). It becomes paramount that people with asthma in rural settings become involved in self-management of their asthma and that community based health care providers be more proactive in facilitating these self-management behaviours by appropriate education and counselling. Health promotion activities, which are a broad range of activities including health education, have been acknowledged as having the potential to improve the health status of rural populations (National Rural Health Alliance 2002). Community pharmacy settings have been shown to be effective sites for the delivery of health promotion, screening and education programs (Anderson 2000, Elliott et al 2002, Cote et al 2003, Hourihan et al 2003, Watson et al 2003, Boyle et al 2004, Goode et al 2004, Paluck et al 2004, Sunderland et al 2004, Chambers et al 2005, Saini et al 2006). In the case of asthma, outreach programs have been shown to have beneficial effects in terms of reducing hospital admissions and emergency visits and improved asthma outcomes (Greineder et al 1995, Stout et al 1998, Kelly et al 2000, Legorreta et al 2000, Lin et al 2004). We proposed to extend the role of the community pharmacist beyond the traditional realm of the “pharmacy” into the community in rural Australia with the first asthma outreach programs designed for community pharmacy. The outreach programs were designed to include two health promotion strategies, the first targeting adolescents in high schools and the second targeting the general community. The project aimed firstly, to assess the feasibility of using community pharmacists to deliver two asthma outreach programs, one targeting adolescents and one for the wider community in a rural area and secondly, to assess the programs’ impact on adolescent asthma knowledge and requests for information at the community pharmacy. Excerpt Chapter 3 - Patient education is one of the six critical elements to successful long-term asthma management included in international and national asthma management guidelines, which have emphasised education as a process underpinning the understanding associated with appropriate medication use, the need for regular review, and self-management on the part of the person with asthma (Boulet et al 1999, National Asthma Council 2002, National Asthma Education and Prevention Program 2002, British Thoracic Society 2003, NHLBI/WHO 2005). The ongoing process of asthma education is considered necessary for helping people with asthma gain the knowledge, skills, confidence and motivation to control their own asthma. Since most health care professionals are key providers of asthma education, their knowledge of asthma and asthma management practices often needs to be updated through continuing education. This is to ensure that the education provided to the patient conforms to best practice guidelines. Moreover, health care professionals need to tailor this education to the patients’ needs and determine if the education provided results in an improvement in asthma knowledge. A review of the literature has revealed that a number of questionnaires have been developed that assess the asthma knowledge of parents of children with asthma (Parcel et al 1980, Fitzclarence and Henry 1990, Brook et al 1993, Moosa and Henley 1997, Ho et al 2003), adults with asthma (Wigal et al 1993, Allen and Jones 1998, Allen et al 2000, Bertolotti et al 2001), children with asthma (Parcel et al 1980, Wade et al 1997), or the general public (Grant et al 1999). However, the existing asthma knowledge questionnaires have several limitations. The only validated asthma knowledge questionnaire was developed in 1990 and hence, out of date with current asthma management guidelines (Fitzclarence and Henry 1990). The shortcomings of the other knowledge questionnaires relate to the lack of evidence of the validity (Wade et al 1997, Grant et al 1999, Bertolotti et al 2001), being outdated 81 with current concepts of asthma (Parcel et al 1980) or having been tested on small or inadequately characterised subject samples e.g. subject samples consisting of mainly middle class and well educated parents (Brook et al 1993, Wigal et al 1993, Moosa and Henley 1997, Allen and Jones 1998, Allen et al 2000, Ho et al 2003). Furthermore, most of the published asthma knowledge questionnaires have been designed to assess the asthma knowledge of the consumer (i.e. a lay person with asthma or a parent/carer of a person with asthma). There is no questionnaire specifically developed to assess the asthma knowledge of health care professionals, who are key providers of asthma education. It is hence important to have a reliable and validated instrument to be able to assess education needs and to measure the impact of training programs on asthma knowledge of health care professionals as well. An asthma knowledge questionnaire for health care professionals might also be used to gauge how successful dissemination and implementation of guidelines have been. Excerpt Chapter 4 - Asthma self-management education for adults that includes information about asthma and self-management, self-monitoring, a written action plan and regular medical review has been shown to be effective in improving asthma outcomes (Gibson et al 1999). These interventions have been delivered mostly in a hospital setting and have utilised individual and/or group formats. Fewer interventions have been delivered in a primary care setting, usually by qualified practice nurses and/or general practitioners or asthma educators and, to date, their success has not been established (Fay et al 2002, Gibson et al 2003). Community pharmacy provides a strategic venue for the provision of patient education about asthma. Traditionally, patient education provided by community pharmacists has been individualised. However, group education has been shown to be as effective as individualised education with the added benefits of being simpler, more cost effective and better received by patients and educators (Wilson et al 1993, Wilson 1997). While small group education has been shown to improve asthma outcomes (Snyder et al 1987, Bailey et al 1990, Wilson et al 1993, Yoon et al 1993, Allen et al 1995, Kotses et al 1995, Berg et al 1997, de Oliveira et al 1999, Marabini et al 2002), to date, no small-group asthma education provided by pharmacists in the community pharmacy setting has been implemented and evaluated.
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Lind, Anna. "Mercury (Hg) Risk Management in Sweden and Australia." Thesis, Griffith University, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/366477.
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Mercury and its compunds are applied in numerous industrial processes and products. For instance, mercury is used in chlor-alkali production and in pesticides, as well as in products such as thermometers and batteries. These processes and appliances have become commonplace and taken for granted necessities in many societies. However, the negative environmental and human health risks from mercury release outweigh these uses positive benefits.
Mercury is toxic and when it is released it bioaccumulates and bioconcentrates in the food chain. Mercury persists in the environment and is capable of being transported aerially far from its original source. Due to long-range transport, emissions in any country can contribute to deposition and risks in others. Hence, even areas with minimal natural or anthropogenic mercury release may be adversely affected by mercury risks. It is therefore significant to examine if nations address mercury risks sufficiently, to avoid them becoming global problems.
This thesis will identify the risks associated with using mercury in industrial products and processes. To do this, it is informed by Ulrich Beck’s ‘risk society’ theory. The aim of the thesis is to explore how mercury-associated risks are managed in two countries, Sweden and Australia, in order to limit negative consequences and to offer recommendations for better mercury risk management. The thesis examined Sweden and Australia’s ability to be organised in response to risks associated with mercury use, such as the extent to which Sweden and Australia have introduced alternatives to mercury products, or applied cleaner technologies to processes that utilise mercury. Further, the researcher explored if the two nations had set any specific national goals or legislation to minimise mercury release. The research methods for this research was a case study approach which involved document searching and primary data collection via in-depth interviews with key stakeholders from non-governmental organisations, governmental agencies, academic and research institutions and corporations.
Ulrich Beck outlines certain criteria that a society could encompass in order to be efficiently organised towards modern risks, this evaluation criteria was utilised to compare Sweden and Australia’s mercury risk management.
The results of the study identified several cultural, economic and social risks engendered in mercury applications. Further, the findings of this research show that both countries need to strive for more complete risk organisation to not affect others by their mercury use. Sweden and Australia are, to an extent, handling their mercury related risks. However, both countries need to improve in areas such as policy and information and education outreach in regard to mercury risks. This comparative study demonstrated Sweden has implemented more efforts to mitigate mercury-related risks than Australia. The thesis concludes with a series of recommendations to further improve mercury management in Sweden and Australia. For instance, both countries would benefit from greater legal restrictions. Sweden’s remaining uses of mercury in products and processes needs to be covered by a general ban. While in Australia, regulations are required, especially for mercury products such as thermometers and blood pressure gauges.
Sweden and Australia both continue to contribute mercury emissions to the global pool. As such, wildlife, people and the natural environment remain at risk from the mercury used in products and processes in both nations. The findings presented in this thesis point to the ways both countries could engage in a more effective organisation towards modern risks, such as mercury risks. The research makes a substantial contribution by providing insight into ways of managing other modern risks, such as other toxic chemicals. The study findings also contribute to the understanding of how other similar industrialised developed countries can manage their mercury use and risks.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Griffith School of Environment
Science, Environment, Engineering and Technology
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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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Sefton, Robin 1941. "Alternative futures : cultivating a new management paradigm in vocational education and training." Monash University, Faculty of Education, 2000. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/7658.
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Powell, Robert. "Industry value at risk in Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2007. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/297.
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Value at Risk (VaR) models have gained increasing momentum in recent years. Market VaR is an important issue for banks since its adoption as a primary risk metric in the Basel Accords and the requirement that it is calculated on a daily basis. Credit risk modelling has become increasingly important to banks since the advent of Basel 11 which allows banks with sophisticated modelling techniques to use internal models for the purpose of calculating capital requirements. A high level of credit risk is often the key reason behind banks failing or experiencing severe difficulty. Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) measures extreme risk, and is gaining popularity with the recognition that high losses are often impacted by a small number of extreme events.
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Kwok, Ho King Calvin Actuarial Studies Australian School of Business UNSW. "Energy price modelling and risk management." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. Actuarial Studies, 2007. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/40602.
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This thesis focuses on the development of a forecasting model for short- to medium-term electricity spot prices, based on modelling the dynamics of the supply and demand functions. It is found that the equilibrium assumption frequently adopted in electricity price models does not always hold; to overcome this problem, a notional demand process derived from the market clearing condition is proposed. Not only is this demand process able to capture all the price-affecting factors in one variable, but it also allows the equilibrium assumption to be satisfied and a spot price model to be built, using any appropriate form of hypothetical supply function. In addition, this thesis presents a model for approximating and modelling the bid stacks by capturing the points that govern their shape and location. Integrating these two models provides a realistic model that has a mean absolute percentage error of approximately 19% and 24% for week- and month-ahead forecasts respectively, when applied to the New South Wales (NSW) half-hourly electricity spot prices. Additionally, the density forecasting evaluation method proposed by Diebold et al. (1998) is employed in the thesis to assess the performance of the model. Besides the development of a spot price model, a two-part empirical study is made of the prices of NSW electricity futures contracts. The first part of the study develops a method based on the principle of certainty equivalence, which enables the market utility function to be recovered from a set of futures market quotes. The method is tested with two different sets of simulated data and works as expected. However, it is unable to obtain useful results from the NSW market quotes due to the poor data quality. The second part uses a regression method to investigate the relationship between futures prices and the descriptive statistics of the underlying spot prices. The result suggests that futures prices in NSW are linear combinations of the median and volatility of the final payoff.
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Wright, Tarah Sharon Alexandra. "Investigating community-based coastal zone management in Queensland, Australia." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1998. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape17/PQDD_0014/MQ36542.pdf.
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Kennelly, Jason. "IT Management Consulting in Australia: A Major Issues Study." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2005. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16190/1/Jason_Kennelly_Thesis.pdf.
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We are amidst a period of radical change in Management Consulting worldwide. The latter half of the twentieth century has seen major extensions to the range of services promoted under the umbrella of Management Consulting. The traditional Management Consulting Firms, such as McKinsey & Co., tend to provide strategy consulting. By contrast, the other multinational Management Consulting Firms have focused on Business Process Re-engineering and other services with an Information Technology emphasis. Significantly, several multinational Management Consulting Firms have come under the control of Information Technology companies. As yet, very little research has been conducted into the issues that Management Consultants face in Australia. This research project provides an empirical investigation aimed at identifying these issues. In doing so, the study intends to answer the following research question "What are the major issues facing Management Consulting Firms in Australia?" To assist in answering this overarching question the study endeavours to address three investigative questions (1) What is the relative severity of issues facing Management Consulting Firms in Australia? (2) What are the Knowledge Management related issues facing Management Consulting Firms in Australia? And (3) What distinctions can be made between Knowledge Management issues and approaches of small-medium sized Management Consulting Firms and large Management Consulting Firms?
This thesis is a compilation and comparison of evidence gathered from four separate but related sub-studies into the Management Consulting industry. The first, a Context Case Study of Management Consulting issues faced by small-medium sized firms, aimed to generate a rich, qualitative description of the study context, which, in turn, provides background to a larger follow-up Issues Delphi Study. Interpretation of the data gathered for the Context Case Study focuses on gaps between the literature and observed practice. The Issues Delphi Study garners response from members of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) in two survey rounds that inventory issues and then gauge their importance.
In addition, an exploratory and descriptive case study was performed to investigate Knowledge Management Strategies and Practices in the Australian branch of Accenture, a well known International Management Consulting Firm. Though the Accenture Case Study has an operational emphasis, both macro and micro issues of Knowledge Management are considered; macro issues pertain to the strategic leverage of Knowledge Assets, while micro issues pertain to creation, transfer and reuse of knowledge within the firm, and between the firm and its clients.
Knowledge Management is identified as essential to the achievement of sustained competitive advantage for all Professional Service Firms; of which Management Consulting Firms are a subset. As such, a conceptual analysis of the Knowledge in Professional Service Firms model, developed by Empson and Morris (1998), was performed to enhance the researchers understanding of Knowledge Management in Management Consulting Firms. The analysis of the model's constructs and their relationships assists the researcher's analysis of data gathered from the other three sub-studies. In addition, the attempt to develop several model variants is explored and an argument for the resulting final model variant which incorporates a new construct, Knowledge Management, is presented.
Finally, the study compares the issues identified from the four separate sub-studies. The issues gathered are mapped into Knowledge in Professional Service Firms model, providing useful insights into the importance of sound Knowledge Management practices in small, medium and large Management Consulting Firms.
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Kennelly, Jason. "IT Management Consulting in Australia: A Major Issues Study." Queensland University of Technology, 2005. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16190/.
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We are amidst a period of radical change in Management Consulting worldwide. The latter half of the twentieth century has seen major extensions to the range of services promoted under the umbrella of Management Consulting. The traditional Management Consulting Firms, such as McKinsey & Co., tend to provide strategy consulting. By contrast, the other multinational Management Consulting Firms have focused on Business Process Re-engineering and other services with an Information Technology emphasis. Significantly, several multinational Management Consulting Firms have come under the control of Information Technology companies. As yet, very little research has been conducted into the issues that Management Consultants face in Australia. This research project provides an empirical investigation aimed at identifying these issues. In doing so, the study intends to answer the following research question "What are the major issues facing Management Consulting Firms in Australia?" To assist in answering this overarching question the study endeavours to address three investigative questions (1) What is the relative severity of issues facing Management Consulting Firms in Australia? (2) What are the Knowledge Management related issues facing Management Consulting Firms in Australia? And (3) What distinctions can be made between Knowledge Management issues and approaches of small-medium sized Management Consulting Firms and large Management Consulting Firms? This thesis is a compilation and comparison of evidence gathered from four separate but related sub-studies into the Management Consulting industry. The first, a Context Case Study of Management Consulting issues faced by small-medium sized firms, aimed to generate a rich, qualitative description of the study context, which, in turn, provides background to a larger follow-up Issues Delphi Study. Interpretation of the data gathered for the Context Case Study focuses on gaps between the literature and observed practice. The Issues Delphi Study garners response from members of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) in two survey rounds that inventory issues and then gauge their importance. In addition, an exploratory and descriptive case study was performed to investigate Knowledge Management Strategies and Practices in the Australian branch of Accenture, a well known International Management Consulting Firm. Though the Accenture Case Study has an operational emphasis, both macro and micro issues of Knowledge Management are considered; macro issues pertain to the strategic leverage of Knowledge Assets, while micro issues pertain to creation, transfer and reuse of knowledge within the firm, and between the firm and its clients. Knowledge Management is identified as essential to the achievement of sustained competitive advantage for all Professional Service Firms; of which Management Consulting Firms are a subset. As such, a conceptual analysis of the Knowledge in Professional Service Firms model, developed by Empson and Morris (1998), was performed to enhance the researchers understanding of Knowledge Management in Management Consulting Firms. The analysis of the model's constructs and their relationships assists the researcher's analysis of data gathered from the other three sub-studies. In addition, the attempt to develop several model variants is explored and an argument for the resulting final model variant which incorporates a new construct, Knowledge Management, is presented. Finally, the study compares the issues identified from the four separate sub-studies. The issues gathered are mapped into Knowledge in Professional Service Firms model, providing useful insights into the importance of sound Knowledge Management practices in small, medium and large Management Consulting Firms.
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Bailey, Trevor. "Chemical management in research laboratories : South-Eastern Australia, 1997." Thesis, Federation University Australia, 1997. http://researchonline.federation.edu.au/vital/access/HandleResolver/1959.17/164876.
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"Through a comprehensive literature review this project examines the necessary components of a laboratory chemical safety program, including requirements under the new hazardous substance regulations. It also examines, via a survey, the problems associated with the laboratory use of chemicals and with compliance with the new regulations. Finally the current situation in Australia and the approach research laboratories must take in the future to achieve compliance with the new regulatory package are reviewed."Master of Applied Science
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Clabaugh, Cecil A. "Downsizing : an analysis of organisational strategies and human resource management outcomes." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2001. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1070.
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The objective of this research was to examine the relationship between loss and retention of key employees in downsizing organisations and organisational performance. The purpose of this was to develop an understanding of the organisational performance that results when downsizing organisations are unable to retain their key workers. The secondary objective of the research was to examine the factors that make up a downsizing organisation's employee selection process in order to determine how these factors affect loss and retention of key workers. The research was guided by a theoretical framework developed by Kozlowski et al (1993) and Thornhill and Saunders (1998) and utilised a multi-method research approach suggested by Creswell (1994) and Eisenhardt (1989). The contextual issues in downsizing employee selection were examined through analysis of seven Western Australian case study organisations. The case studies, through structured interviews and secondary data, provided insight into the complexity of the employee selection process, enabled a rich contextual base which aided in understanding the downsizing process, informed the development of a survey instrument, and provided for triangulation of the data. Each organisation was analysed as a unique site. Cross-site analysis techniques, based on pattern analysis, provided a better understanding of the selection process (Miles and Huberman, 1984). The downsizing process for each organisation was mapped as a process model in order to compare the employee selection process across the organisations. The survey sampling frame was based on the Kompass Australia (1999) data set, which included around 26,000 organisations. A random sample of the data set resulted in selection of 1860 Australian organisations for survey. The firms constituted a wide cross-section of Australian private and public sector organisations and varied in size as well as type of company. Some 422 organisations responded to the survey for a response rate of 23%. Firms provided demographic information as well as data on the process used for employee selection, whether or not the firm lost key employees and managers, use of redundancy packages, use of selection strategies, and organisational performance subsequent to the downsizing. Factor analysis was used to develop a simplified classification system for organisational performance. This resulted in a reduction of the performance variables to two categories: employee performance and financial performance. The two factors of organisational performance were then used for cluster analysis in order to classify the organisations according to the two performance dimensions. The results of this stage of the analysis suggested that the best fit for modelling the groupings of performance was based on a three-cluster solution. It was discovered that most of the organisations, 52%, exhibited declines in both employee and financial performance. Additionally only 33% of the organisations improved both financial and employee performance, and some 15% of the organisations improved financial performance despite declines in employee performance. The three groups of organisations were then examined for differences in loss and retention of key managers and employees. Using chi-square tests, it was discovered that 66% of the organisations that suffered declines in both financial and employee performance lost key employees during the downsizing process and that only 32% of those organisations that improved both financial and employee performance lost key managers. The results were statistically significant and supported the premise that loss and retention of key managers and key employees is closely associated with organisational performance in downsizing firms. The effects of the employee selection process on loss and retention of key managers and employees were next examined. It was discovered that larger organisations tended to lose a disproportionate level of both key managers and key employees, that the greater the proportion of staff that were shed the greater the probability of loss of key managers and employees, and that certain types of industries, such as mining companies, insurance and financial institutions, and utilities, demonstrated a high proportion of loss of key managers. The factors influencing loss of key managers included transfers to lower paying jobs as a downsizing alternative to cost reduction, the use of delayering as a downsizing target, and use of across-the-board staff .cuts to achieve cost reduction. Strategies that resulted in retention of key managers included the use of a competitive selection process that utilised selection criteria such as skills and experience. Key employees were lost to organisations that transferred workers to lower paying jobs, reduced the number of working hours, downsized as a result of merger or takeover, downsized in order to achieve economic turnaround as the primary goal, close specific work sites, and used voluntary redundancy as the primary downsizing strategy. It is argued that these results have significant implications for human resource management theory and practice, suggesting that employees must be valued as strategic assets not only in periods of expansion, but during organisational contraction.
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Nelson, Mark 1957. "Aspects of pharmacological management of hypertension in general practice." Monash University, Dept. of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, 2002. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/7923.
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Nayak, Raveendra, and raveendranayak@yahoo com au. "Developing sustainable corporations in Australia." Swinburne University of Technology. Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship, 2006. http://adt.lib.swin.edu.au./public/adt-VSWT20060320.110540.
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In the wake of the environmental degradation, social inequality and injustice, and the
incidents of corporate frauds and mismanagement reported in Australia, domestic
business organisations have been asked increasingly by Australian governments and
people to pursue sustainable business practices. As prime movers of creating wealth
and employment, business organisations have an important and legitimate role to play
in sustainable development, which is defined as a notion that meets the needs of
present without compromising the ability of future generations.
Corporate sustainability, which is a subset of the concept of sustainable development,
involves integrating financial, social, and environmental values into business policy,
planning, and decision-making requiring changes in organisational values,
perspectives, culture, structure, and performance measures. Many Australian
businesses are wary of meeting financial, social, and environmental objectives
simultaneously claiming the agenda as contradictory and almost unattainable, but the
demand for achieving corporate sustainability seems inescapable. Since Australian
businesses are facing a fierce competition in domestic market as a result of reducing
trade barriers, globalisation, and market deregulation, demanding them to contribute
more to sustainable development may appear to be unreasonable. Furthermore,
business managers are often wary of any organisational changes, as several of them
have failed in creating organisational value. As a consequence, business managers are
cautious of engaging in sustainable business practices.
In an attempt to unravel the above dilemma, this study mainly examined how to
enhance organisational value by sustainable business practices. It examined the two
dominant strategic management theories, i.e. Barriers to Entry theory and the
Resource-Based View (RBV) theory. It collected the data from 102 Australian
business organisations using a survey method. Based on its findings, this study makes a number of contributions to the theory and practice of strategic management.
Notable among them are, first, it shows that socially crafted business practices such
as knowledge management, customer relationship management, and stakeholder
management can have substantial leverage to building business competitiveness.
Second, it demonstrates that environment-oriented business practices can provide a
number of effective opportunities for increasing the height of entry barriers to new
competition. Third, this study concludes that social-oriented business activities are
almost ineffective as entry barriers to new competition. Fourth, it substantiates why
environment protection measures such as Environmental Management System (EMS)
are least contributing to business competitiveness. Finally, this study substantiates its
main claim that a business organisation can enhance its competitive advantage by
pursuing corporate sustainability principles. This study upholds the view that
business organisations have enlightened self-interest in following corporate
sustainability.
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Martin, Geraldine M. "Outsourcing in Western Australian hospitals: Management considerations." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 1996. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/961.
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This thesis examines Health Care Managers' considerations with and experiences of outsourcing services in Western Australian hospitals. Support services such as cleaning and maintenance are some of the areas which have been targeted for outsourcing (contracting out) by the state government. These services have traditionally been delivered by permanently employed staff either on a full or part- time basis, usually with active union involvement. Core services such as nursing and medical care which involve direct patient care delivery are not included in the outsourcing debate. Firstly, this thesis reviews the literature on outsourcing and its application to the health care industry. Performance indicators and benchmarking are also explored within the context of contracted out services in a variety of settings. The implicit economic, social and legal implications are discussed. This study involved Health Care Managers in Western Australian hospitals and was conducted between June 1995 and May 1996. Their experiences with outsourcing of services together with the hospitals and the communities they served were key considerations in the final analysis. The research findings support the views of more recent studies which emphasize the importance of the context within which outsourcing is implemented, such as rural versus metropolitan hospitals. Hospital size, location, accessibility to contractors, human resource issues and funding arrangements such as those which affect teaching and non- teaching facilities were identified as major determinants affecting the degree to which outsourcing had been embraced. Finally, the implications of this research for future studies are discussed.
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Hood, Malcolm. "Coastal management in the District Council of Willunga South Australia." Adelaide : University of Adelaide, Mawson Graduate Centre for Environmental Studies, 1995. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ENV/09envh777.pdf.
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Zhang, Qing. "Management of construction international joint ventures between Australia and Asia." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2000. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/36103/1/36103_Zhang_2000.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
In recent years, many of South East Asian countries have experienced high
levels of economic growth. Coupled with their sheer population, this has led to
a huge demand for the improvement of infrastructure. The construction
market is growing rapidly in these countries, with governments encouraging
multinational companies to set up joint ventures with the local companies to
bring in advanced construction technology. International Joint Venture (IJV)
as a unique formation of project structure has become one of the most widely
used methods for multinational construction companies to enter into the Asian
market.
Australia is building closer relationships with Asian countries and is playing an
active role in the economy development of Asia Pacific region. Australian
contractors are also trying to gain a foothold in the international construction
market. They have the geographical advantage over their US or European
competitors to target the Asian market. Despite all this, the Australian
construction industry has been slow in accessing the Asian market, and has
experienced many difficulties.
As a result of the increasing interest in joint ventures in the business
environment and the high failure rate of the IJV, the study of IJV is gaining
increasing popularity among researchers. Most of the research has focused
on the motivations to joint venture. For example, past studies have
investigated joint ventures as means of coping with resource limitations and
uncertainty, reduction of risk and/or uncertainty, and expediting entry into a
new geographic or technological market. Another focus of joint venture research has been on joint venture performance and control. However, little
literature is available on how to manage the IJV between Australia and Asian
countries. As more and more Australian companies are forming joint ventures
in Asian developing countries, it is important to investigate the performance of
these joint ventures.
This research project aims at the Australian IJV in Asia. After the analysis of
existing joint venture problems, four areas of joint venture management - joint
venture formation, joint venture partnership and negotiation, joint venture
organisational management and joint venture project management have been
identified as the research concentration. Industry interviews and a
questionnaire survey has been used to collect data. Research findings are
further developed into a theoretical model for Australian IJV management.
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Morrison-Saunders, Angus Neil. "The influence of EIA on environmental management in Western Australia." Thesis, Morrison-Saunders, Angus Neil (1997) The influence of EIA on environmental management in Western Australia. PhD thesis, Murdoch University, 1997. https://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/3306/.
Full textAbstract:
An important measure of the effectiveness of environmental impact assessment (EIA) is the extent to which it achieves its goals for environmental protection and management. To determine this requires an examination of environmental outcomes for projects that have undergone EIA. The utility of the pre-decision stages of EIA in influencing environmental management outcomes has been well documented by others. It is argued that EIA can also play a useful role in providing for ongoing adaptive environmental management. A theoretical model of the EIA/environmental management relationship is proposed which identifies three stages based on the principal approval decision point; pre-decision, post-decision and transitional; in which the influence of EIA may be realised. Consideration was also given to how environmental management activities came about based on the influence of rational processes, external pressures and internal reform. A methodology for EIA auditing to explore this model is presented. The audit uses a computerised database whose design reflects four distinct EIA components: impact prediction, occurrence of impacts, environmental management activities and environmental monitoring. The database structure enables predecision, post-decision and transitional stage EIA influences on project outcomes to be differentiated. The audit methodology is applied to six case studies in Western Australia. During project assessment, strong emphasis was placed on the need for ongoing monitoring and management programmes. The implementation of these programmes was found to be central to successful achievement of project and environmental performance objectives. The results indicate that EIA practitioners have focussed environmental management actions on issues of greatest significance. Some predicted impacts were avoided by management activities. Most impacts were identified in impact predictions although predictive accuracy had little bearing on environmental management response. Many impacts were responded to by EIA managers irrespective of whether they were predicted accurately or even considered in predictions. Most significant impacts had ongoing monitoring. Most environmental management activities originated from the pre-decision stage of EIA, although the transitional and post-decision stages were also important. There was considerable evidence of the influence of external pressures on environmental management outcomes as well as rational processes and to a lesser extent internal reforms. Overall, the case studies demonstrate that a strong relationship exists between EIA and ongoing environmental management performance in Western Australia.
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Montague, Thomas L. "The management of browsing damage caused by wallabies in Australian plantations." Thesis, University of Oxford, 1993. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.670283.
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Stenhouse, Renae N. "Ecology and management of bushland in Australian cities." University of Western Australia. School of Earth and Geographical Sciences, 2005. http://theses.library.uwa.edu.au/adt-WU2005.0027.
Full textAbstract:
[Truncated abstract] Native vegetation (bushland) in urban areas remains in small, isolated patches embedded within a matrix of human-dominated land uses. Bushlands in urban areas have high biodiversity conservation and social values, and there has been a local-level movement towards protecting and managing urban bushlands in Australia. This thesis aims to test principles, theories and concepts relating to the ecology and management of bushland fragments in Australian cities ... A commonly used qualitative scale was compared with an ecologically based, quantitative technique developed in the research. The qualitative scale was found to be a reliable proxy for assessing vegetation condition, while also being more user-friendly for community groups and other bushland managers. The human-caused disturbances and weed cover in urban bushlands indicate a need for management intervention. Local government has an important role in local biodiversity management, yet there has been little research on this topic ... Positive partnerships developed where local governments have taken a ‘contract model’ approach to volunteer coordination, have a number of expectations of volunteer groups, and provide the groups with relatively high level of assistance. Also important is a local government that supports, respects, trusts and communicates with the community group, and recognises volunteers’ skills, knowledge and contributions. With increased resources allocated to local government bushland management and conservation, and coordination with community groups, the full potential of local bushland management would be realised.
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O'Beirne, Cameron. "Online Strategies for Sport Organisations in Western Australia." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2003. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/1741.
Full textAbstract:
The globalisation of communications has brought with it the ability to increase the efficiency of various business aspects of sport organisations. Although the use of the Internet may be seen as a promotional and strategic eBusiness tool, there is little empirical evidence or analysis of the influence of organisational strategy on Internet initiatives within sport organisations. Little is known about the nature and effects of eBusiness developments in voluntary sport organisations and the extent that various sport management constructs influence organisational strategy to deliver sport business growth. Most of the existing research on the subject has simply provided what amounts to check lists of desired outcomes, or descriptive analysis of use of the Internet by sport organisations. This study has sought to investigate factors that contribute to voluntary sport organisations in Western Australia developing online strategies. To do this it was necessary to define characteristics of online sport organisations and development of a framework through an extensive literature review. Using sport strategic types from the literature, 5 imperatives of sport organisation strategy were identified and used to assist in developing research questions for the study. Specifically, the research sought to investigate what computer technologies are currently being utilised by sport organisations, how the Internet was being used by sport organisations, what were the features of sport organisation websites, which strategic imperatives contributed to the development of online strategies, and how do these strategic imperatives contribute to the development of online strategies. The research utilised complementary methods incorporating both qualitative and quantitative measures. The study used descriptive methodology to report what actually happened whilst examining relationships between strategic imperatives and the sport organisations through case study analysis. The major methods of data collection were survey analysis and interviews with key stakeholders within the sport organisations. The use of computer technology by sport organisations, and the use and role of the Internet within sport organisations was investigated. This was followed by an exploration of the features and characteristics of sport 2 organisation web sites which was analysed and contrasted with previous studies. This survey analysis provided a starting point for the main part of the study that entailed interviews with a number of participants from volunteer sport organisations in Western Australia. Using an interview guide approach, participants provided responses grouped around strategic imperatives for sport strategy that included fundability, the size of the client base, volunteer appeal, support group appeal, and total costs. Phenomenological nodes that arose from the research based on the qualitative method were analysed using a statistical computer program, NUD•IST. Using a case study analysis, the study explored a number of themes and issues that emerged from the data which influenced the development of Internet strategies within sport organisations. These included themes of strategic capability, intermediation effects, financial aspects, the issue of control, as well as measuring value. A plan of strategic preparedness for the online sport organisation was subsequently developed utilising the themes and results that emerged from the data coupled with planning models identified from the literature. The results of this research have many implications for the voluntary sport organisation in maximising online innovations to drive sport business growth. At the conclusion of the thesis, extensive recommendations for further research are provided.
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Venn, Danielle. "Work timing arrangements in Australia in the 1990s : evidence from the Australian time use survey /." Connect to thesis, 2004. http://eprints.unimelb.edu.au/archive/00000812.
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Nadarajah, Prashanthi Banking & Finance Australian School of Business UNSW. "Top management turnover: an empirical examination of changes in portfolio holdings and investment performance." Awarded by:University of New South Wales. Banking and Finance, 2004. http://handle.unsw.edu.au/1959.4/19356.
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This thesis presents two research projects examining the relationship between top management turnover (i.e. investment directors of funds management firms) and the performance of actively managed Australian institutional funds. Khorana (1996, 2001) studies this relationship from purely a performance perspective using U.S. managed funds. This thesis extends the work of Khorana (1996, 2001) by providing investors and other stakeholders with empirical evidence on performance, sources of performance and the dynamics of portfolios in the pre-and-post replacement periods. This issue is significant given the importance of executive management in the implementation of the institution's investment strategy, the sizeable assets under their control, as well as the overall success and profitability of the funds management operation. In addition, investors, asset consultants, managed fund ratings agencies and the financial media devote significant resources in scrutinizing the performance, organizational activities, leadership and human capital of investment management firms. Accordingly, the first research project examines the impact of performance and fund flow activity on top management turnover in both the pre-and-post replacement periods. The research documents that turnover of underperforming investment managers results in significantly higher performance in the post-replacement period, while turnover coinciding with outperforming managers delivers investors significantly lower returns (risk-adjusted). The evidence also identifies significant changes in portfolio risk associated with managerial turnover. Finally, the study finds that underperforming investment managers exhibit significantly lower fund flows prior to replacement. The second research project represents the first rigorous analysis of top management turnover with respect to monthly portfolio holdings for a sample of actively managed Australian equity funds. An examination of the dynamics of portfolios surrounding both the departure and the arrival dates of investment managers provides a finer decomposition in understanding investment performance, the sources of value added and the extent to which momentum strategies are executed both pre-and-post the turnover event. Accordingly, the study examines a manager's success or failure depending on 'winner' and 'loser' stock holdings, portfolio turnover, reliance on momentum strategies, variation in portfolio risk, stock preferences and fund flows for underperforming versus outperforming investment directors in the pre-and-post replacement periods. The research also documents that new investment managers of previously underperforming portfolios exhibit superior stock-selections skills in the post-replacement period, therefore reversing the portfolio's previously poor performance. The study finds that new investment managers liquidate 'loser' stocks (i.e. cleaning out the portfolio) as well as decreasing the portfolio's concentration (i.e. increases the portfolio's diversification and lowering tracking error). The results also indicate that underperforming investment managers in the pre-replacement period exhibit a preference for larger stocks (i.e. more liquid stocks with greater relative benchmark weights in the index), growth-oriented securities and a preference towards riding past period winners (i.e. following momentum strategies), however they are unable to successfully select and exploit momentum stocks. On the other hand, incoming managers of underperforming portfolios in the pre-replacement period do not show any particular stock size preference. The study also shows these managers prefer growth stocks, do not rely on momentum strategies, and yet still display superior returns in the post-replacement period. The study also documents that new investment managers of previously outperforming portfolios are unable to replicate the performance of the previous head of equities. In terms of stock preferences related to superior performing portfolios, the results show that departing investment managers prefer larger stocks and select stocks based on momentum strategies. On the other hand, incoming investment managers have a greater preference for smaller stocks, are less reliant on momentum strategies and prefer more volatile securities, however, these strategies do not provide superior returns relative to the pre-replacement period.
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Paull, Megan. "Sensemaking and the management of older volunteers." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2007. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/287.
Full textAbstract:
This study explores the experiences of older volunteers and their managers in particular when a change in the perfonnance of the volunteer is noticed by the manager. The impetus for this study was an expressed concern of the managers of volunteers which classified the management of 'older volunteers" as being somehow different from their younger counterparts. Conducted within an interpretivist framework this study employed a two-phase methodology comprising a context setting descriptive quantitative study followed by an in-depth qualitative grounded theory approach. The importance of the in-depth examination revealed the importance of context to the management process.
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Poorhosseinzadeh, Mahan. "Women in Senior Management Positions in Australia and the Concept of the "Ideal Manager"." Thesis, Griffith University, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/378549.
Full textAbstract:
The notion of women’s representation in leadership and decision-making
positions has been the focus of persistent interest in Australia since the first equity
review was conducted as part of the Royal Commission into Australian Government
Administration in 1975. Today, despite three decades of extensive legislation to address
gender equity and the disadvantaged position of women in the labour market, women
are still underrepresented in senior positions in Australian organisations. Only 16.5
percent of CEOs, 29.7 per cent of key management personnel (KMP), and 30.4 per cent
of general manager positions are held by women. The representation of women
gradually decreases when moving up management levels, and the gap between male and
female ratios increases with the levels of management.
This PhD study focuses on the underrepresentation of women in senior positions
in Australia. It explores the experiences of both women and men in senior management
positions in two Australian organisations and their views of what is required to achieve
a senior position. The study draws on case studies of two Australian organisations and
uses a qualitative approach with a social constructivist worldview grounded in a critical
social philosophy. A feminist lens is used to analyse gender relations in the two
organisations and relies on document analysis and semi-structured interviews with 50
executives and middle and senior managers, both male and female, from those
organisations.
Although much research has been dedicated to this problem, there has been
minimal published research about the experience of men in senior positions. This paper
looks at the perspectives of male senior managers in addition to those of female managers for two reasons: it is necessary to analyse social actions from the actors’
standpoints; and there is a need to examine men’s experiences to understand women’s
exclusion from leadership.
The study is theoretically informed by Acker’s (1990, 2006a, 2006b, 2012)
concept of the “ideal worker”, which was defined as an unencumbered worker, totally
dedicated to work and with no responsibilities for family care. However, the focus of
this study is on managers and through interviews, the related concept of the “ideal
manager” emerged. The ideal manager is distinct from the concept of the ideal worker
in emphasising the masculine aspects of senior positions, and is also characterised by
non-negotiable long working hours, the ability to be mobile, a focus on career ahead of
family with no career break, and a planned career path while proactively seeking
advancement. Focusing on this ideal has enabled organisations, in the minds of senior
executives, to recruit senior people willing who make the sacrifices necessary for the
economic success of the organisation. Women were therefore not seen as qualified for
the demands of senior positions, and the ideal manager was usually constituted by men
and by masculine values and norms. This ideal enabled dominant economic and
political interests to maintain control and the gendering of hierarchies, reinforcing the
practice whereby those people who committed more to the job and who desired more
responsibility and authority achieved senior positions. The ideal manager was not only a
male with a full-time and life-long job, he also had a woman in his life that took care of
his personal needs and his children. However, the reality of life as an ideal manager can
be difficult, as seen in some of the dilemmas the interviewees faced. The situation
examined did not bode well for increasing, attracting, or retaining women in senior positions.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept Empl Rel & Human Resource
Griffith Business School
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Cooper, Trudi. "Quality management in Australian higher education : A critical review." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2004. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/842.
Full textAbstract:
Quality management in higher education is a politically contentious issue in Australia. as it is in North America, New Zealand, and many European countries. The Australian government has instituted a quality management system for higher education that it claims will improve university efficiency, accountability and quality. Critics assert that the current quality management system is detrimental to universities and undermines the capability of universities to deliver maximal benefits to individuals and to society. Evaluation of the basis of conflicting claims is necessary to enable decisions about the usefulness of current practices and decisions about whether existing quality management arrangements should be retained, modified and developed, or replaced, or, abolished.
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Seethamraju, Ravi C. M., of Western Sydney Nepean University, and Faculty of Commerce. "Transition of engineers into management roles : an exploratory study in Australia." THESIS_FCOM_XXX_Seethamraju_R.xml, 1997. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/679.
Full textAbstract:
A significant number of engineers move into management positions, their numbers increasing with their length of service. However, engineers are not considered to be effective managers and are generally considered inadequate in soft skills. Given the centrality of engineers and management, understanding this transition is essential in order to develop strategies for managing. This research is an exploratory field-based study of the transition of professional engineers into management roles (engineer-managers) in Australia, from the perspective of the individual engineer. The study investigates the attitudes of engineers towards such areas as engineering education, towards managerial transition, status, organizational support systems, and strategies for managing transition, and examines their influence on the process of transition. Importantly, this research examines the influence of factors such as job nature, management qualifications, age, employing organizations, and other variables on their attitudes, and studies the differences between various subgroups of engineers. This research is based on the results of a case study and a questionnaire survey. An important outcome of this research is the focus on the process of engineering education. This research concludes that different emphases in the process of teaching and learning would contribute, in the long run, to engineers developing soft skills, and so make their transition into management easier. The study found that electrical engineers are more proactive than civil or mechanical engineers and that it is necessary to develop different strategies for different groups of engineers. The study observed that the higher the status of professional engineers within an organization, the greater was the likelihood of success. Supporting the anecdotal evidence from the case study, it is noted that the more engineers there are in management positions, the better the perception of senior management about their capabilities. This study found that management education for engineers has a strong influence, both in terms of their acquiring managerial skills as well as enhancing their status within their organization. Experiential learning, though, is the most common method by which engineers acquire managerial skills. The study also found that this is the least-managed strategy in Australian organizations; learning is left entirely to the individual. For engineers to be able to take advantage of experiential learning, better management is necessaryDoctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Reeve, Martin. "Fragmented landscape and fragmented law : threatened species management in South Australia /." Title page, contents and abstract only, 1998. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ENV/09envr331.pdf.
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Gauvin, Clea. "Controlling space : management of Torrens Title in South Australia and overseas /." Title page, table of contents and introduction only, 1997. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ISG/09isgg277.pdf.
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Ankhi, Abida Sultana. "Supply Chain Risk Management of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) in Australia." Thesis, Curtin University, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/68328.
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This research examines the supply chain risk management of Australia’s Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) supply chain. The study develops a risk management methodology based on quality function deployment and 0-1 multiobjective optimization model. The research reveals 33 LNG supply chain risks and 30 risk management strategies (RMSs) for Australian LNG supply chain. Optimal sets of RMSs are found using the methodology which would be beneficial for the LNG risk managers in a limited resources scenario.
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Pearse, Bronwyn L. "Implementation Of Bleeding Management in Adult Cardiac Surgery Units in Australia." Thesis, Griffith University, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/10072/406978.
Full textAbstract:
Background: Over 25,000 cardiac surgery operations are performed in Australia each year, with up to 10% of patients suffering clinically significant bleeding and, therefore poorer outcomes. Treatment of bleeding invariably requires transfusion of blood products; however, blood product transfusion may contribute to perioperative sequelae, incrementally increasing adverse outcomes including length of intensive care and hospital stay, mortality, and cost. There is a significant body of evidence including clinical practice guidelines to support clinician decision making regarding appropriate therapies and strategies to manage bleeding. Applying evidence-based bleeding management therapies could assist with minimising risk, but international literature demonstrates compliance is not high and contributing factors are not well understood. Managing bleeding in the cardiac surgical operating environment is technically complex, requiring the effective and efficient collaboration of multiple disciplines, employing multiple therapies over various timepoints during the perioperative period. Improvements in compliance through effective implementation activities are likely to be challenged by context, complexity, and process within the cardiac surgical and larger healthcare environment. At the outset of this doctoral thesis, the extent of current compliance with evidence-based bleeding management in Australia, the context in which clinicians provide this care, and any difficulties clinicians faced to implement practice improvement were unknown.
Aim: The aim of this study was to understand the extent and context of the implementation of evidence-based bleeding management in Australian cardiac surgery units.
Design/Methods: This research employed a pragmatic, multi-phase, mixed methods study design inclusive of three phases, underpinned by three theoretical approaches including the Knowledge to Action Framework (KTA), Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), and the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour Model (COM–B).
Phase One: The objective of Phase One was to develop an understanding of bleeding management implementation activity occurring at a local level. Factors influencing the success of a previously implemented single-centre quality improvement initiative to enhance bleeding management in adult cardiac surgery were explored using explanatory case study methods, with the KTA framework as an underpinning theoretical approach. Results of this study informed the development of a survey tool for Phase Two.
Phase Two: A national cross-sectional survey was conducted to quantify bleeding management practices at a national level. Perspectives were sought from cardiac surgeons, cardiac anaesthetists, and perfusionists. Thirty-nine close-ended questions focused on routine bleeding management practices to address pre- and intra-operative care. An open-ended question asked about what factors clinicians perceived would improve their bleeding management practice. Quantitative data were analysed with SPSS and the qualitative data were thematically analysed, underpinned by the TDF and COM–B. Results from the Phase Two quantitative survey informed the interview guide in Phase Three.
Phase Three: Perspectives of bleeding management of front-line providers from across Australia were investigated during semi-structured interviews, underpinned by the TDF and COM–B. Interviews explored key stakeholders’ beliefs about barriers and facilitators, their experiences, concerns, and successes when implementing evidence-based bleeding management strategies.
Results: Phase One findings provided context on the milieu of variables impacting implementation. Keys to the success of the quality initiative were: 1. an appropriately skilled project manager to facilitate the implementation process; 2. tools to support changes in workflow and decision making including a bleeding management treatment algorithm with point-of-care coagulation testing; 3. strong clinical leadership from the multidisciplinary team; and 4. the evolution of the project manager position into a perpetual clinical position to support sustainability. The Phase Two study revealed wide variation (3% to 86%) in compliance to the queried evidence-based bleeding management recommendations among surgeons, anaesthetists, and perfusionists in Australian cardiac surgery units. Conceptualising factors believed necessary to improve practice were a standardised approach including: point-of-care diagnostic assays; a bleeding management algorithm; access to concentrated coagulation factors; cardiac surgery-specific bleeding management education; multidisciplinary team agreement; dedicated blood management clinicians; and an overarching national approach. The Phase Three semi-structured interview findings identified that barriers experienced by clinicians included: a lack of confidence with change management skills; variability with non-technical skills; lack of cross-discipline education specific to cardiac surgery bleeding management; complicated institutional processes; lack of dedicated blood management clinicians; incongruent goals; and disparities between public and private healthcare services. Key messages for enabling successful implementation were: increasing ‘capability’ through standardisation of bleeding management practice; monitoring, auditing, and feedback of data; and ‘opportunity’ through efficient, supportive processes to allowing clinicians to navigate unfamiliar business and financial models of healthcare. No one strategy could improve the implementation of evidence-based practice; rather, success was dependent on mixing and matching improvements of technical and non-technical skills, and procedural and organisational measures, in conjunction with commitment to overarching shared goals.
Integrated Results and Meta-Inferences: Data from all study phases were integrated and analysed with the TDF and COM–B model revealing wide variation in reported evidence-based bleeding management, primarily as a result of factors impacting clinicians’ ‘capability’ and ‘opportunity’ to implement practice improvements. Motivation to change practice was not revealed as a barrier. The integrated findings confirmed clinicians’ capability to shape change could be achieved with standardisation of practice and behavioural regulation using contextually relevant evidence and locally tailored tools. Cross-discipline, cardiac surgery-specific education and training were identified as an effective means to improve communication, particularly where variability in non-technical skills were present. A lack of change management skills was found to adversely impact the ability of clinicians to access opportunities needed to implement practice improvements. The opportunity to successfully shape change is negatively affected by complex organisational process, and disparities in multidisciplinary partnerships and shared goals. Finally, dedicated blood management nursing roles add value and enhance capacity for practice improvements by functioning as intermediaries, enabling relationships and networks, and adapting and facilitating the transfer of knowledge.
Conclusion: This study has demonstrated that despite numerous evidence-based guidelines for managing bleeding in cardiac surgery, there is wide variation in compliance and thus a pressing need to implement practice improvements. Findings from this PhD research has provided a strong platform for clinicians, organisations, and researchers to work from to translate knowledge and implement change. There is a high level of engagement from front-line Australian clinicians to advance bleeding management practice. Organisations and governance bodies need to ‘tap’ into this human resource and support clinicians as they coalesce ‘knowledge’ and ‘translation’ with accountability, mismatched clinical goals, rambling organisational structures, fragmented governance, and fiscal responsibility. This series of studies revealed the use of theory-based investigation on the context of evidence–practice gaps can articulate elements of practice improvement requiring discussion and debate that may otherwise be rendered acceptable or largely invisible. This research has extended current evidence and generated new and novel evidence on the implementation of bleeding management in Australian cardiac surgery units. We now understand what factors are associated with implementing successful bleeding management practice improvements, where compliance to evidence-based bleeding management needs to improve, and what needs to be done to support clinicians to implement change and close the evidence–practice gap. The next step is to formulate opportunities to make it happen.Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
School of Nursing & Midwifery
Griffith Health
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Roberts, Irma. "Performance management : a connected professional learning model." Thesis, Edith Cowan University, Research Online, Perth, Western Australia, 2006. https://ro.ecu.edu.au/theses/324.
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Increasingly school principals are more accountable for the performance of both their staff and students. In Australia and most OECD countries, the performance management process is identified as a mandatory vehicle for accountability and improving teacher professional development to advance student achievements. Yet, professional development is identified as a secondary discourse in performance management models, while accountability is arguably the dominant discourse. The purpose of this portfolio is the development of a blended performance management model that meets teachers' needs. The model seeks to shift the emphasis from accountability to professional development and bring the two discourses into a more compatible relationship.
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Morrow, Guy Richard. "Managerial creativity a study of artist management practices in the Australian popular music industry /." Phd thesis, Australia : Macquarie University, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/1959.14/42648.
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Thesis (PhD)--Macquarie University, Division of Humanities, Department of Contemporary Music Studies, 2006.Bibliography: p. 377-385.
Introduction -- Literature review, discussion of methodologies and research orientation -- "20% of nothing": Australian rock music management -- Australian country music management -- Australian pop music management: the third party -- Conclusion: managerial creativity.
Artist managers 'create' careers for musicians, yet little has been written about their creativity in the academic domain. Thus this thesis develops the notion of managerial creativity. Artist managers build and maintain 'brands', and this is a creative industry function. The thesis begins with a description of what artist management is, then it reviews the way in which various Australian musicians' and artist managers' careers are created and maintained. A musical idea or product arises from the synergy of many sources and not only from the mind of a single person (Csikszentmihalyi, 1996). Therefore it is easier to enhance creativity by changing conditions in the environment the artist is located in than by trying to make artists think more creatively. Managerial creativity involves the creation and maintenance of the system, context or environment from which artistic creativity emerges and is therefore the facet of the music industry that can most effectively enhance musical creativity.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.
ix, 390 p., ill
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Wood, Judith, and n/a. "The emergence of 'information management' in Australian public administration." University of Canberra. Administrative Studies, 1995. http://erl.canberra.edu.au./public/adt-AUC20061110.165502.
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Nash, Daphne. "Aboriginal gardening : plant resource management in three Central Australian communities." Master's thesis, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/109809.
Full textAbstract:
This study examines modern Aboriginal plant resource management
in three Central Australian communities. Reappraisal of continuing
traditional practices identifies the usage of techniques which are more
often associated with other forms of plant management, including
gardening. Continuity of ideas and practices are reflected in people's
food choices. The field studies demonstrate that in hunting and
gathering trips, as well as in domestic gardening, people dealt with
plants and other resources for social and cultural reasons. They were
not solely motivated by biological survival. Cultural preferences
influenced the choice of species that were tended in both domestic and
non-domestic locations. In the home-gardens, plants were used not
only for food and shade but to maintain connection with traditional
country and culture. In the bush-gardens, people continued to
manage their favoured traditional resources. In both locations,
culturally significant species were planted, protected and encouraged
in ways that are readily recognised by observers as gardening
techniques when used by other cultural groups, but rarely recognised
as such in Aboriginal Australia. There are strong social and cultural
motivations for people to maintain their relationship with their
traditional resources. For the people of Kintore, New Bore and Mt
Liebig, gardening represents one aspect in this complex system of
resource use.
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Mitchell, James Ian. "Management discourse and practice in Australia /." 1998. http://www.library.unsw.edu.au/~thesis/adt-NUN/public/adt-NUN20001204.102253/index.html.
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Filby, Nicole E. "Burrunan dolphin (Tursiops australis) tourism in Port Phillip Bay, Australia: effects, implications and management." Thesis, 2016. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/32312/.
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In Port Phillip Bay, Victoria, Australia, the endemic and vulnerable Burrunan
dolphin (Tursiops australis) is the target species of a non-consumptive,
economically important, dolphin-swim industry. This industry commenced in
1986, and southern Port Phillip Bay is now a key eco-tourism destination in
Victoria, with 8 permitted trips daily targeting swimming with Burrunan dolphins.
Although this industry has been in operation for 29 years, understanding of the
occurrence, demographics, habitat use, behaviour and effects of tourism on
Burrunan dolphins is limited. This lack of empirical data is of concern as it has
impeded management of the Port Phillip Bay dolphin-swim industry. To ensure
the sustainability of this industry, it is imperative that sound scientific data be
provided so that management can make informed decisions. This study
assessed the potential effects of the dolphin-swim industry on Burrunan dolphin
behaviour whilst simultaneously assessing the efficacy of different management
strategies.
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Hao, Huang. "The cross cultural management: Australia Vs China." Doctoral thesis, 2019. http://hdl.handle.net/10071/22874.
Full textAbstract:
The era of globalisation presented opportunities for China corporations to expand to overseas markets. After the execution of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement in 2015, there is a considerable interest for Chinese corporations to invest and expand to Australia. Notwithstanding the favourable legal and political environment to support the expansion of Chinese corporations, including China based banks to Australian market; one potential hindrance to such expansion plan is the cultural differences between both countries. This dissertation aims to research on the potential issues arising from the cultural differences faced by China banks in their expansion plan to overseas market in particularly Australia and also how resolve such differences OCAI scores indicate that banks in mainland China scored higher for hierarchy culture (50.11) compared to overseas banks (30.11) which indicate that China banks’ structure are designed to maintain the stability and control of the banks by higher management. Interview conducted with nineteen (19) respondents indicates that there are contrasting views by the respondents on whether cultural differences play an important role in human resource management for banks. For client facing role, some respondents view that cultural similarity could be an advantage when dealing with clients but some consider ability and knowledge to be more important. Notwithstanding this, cultural differences are definitely an important aspect for human resource management for banks expanding to overseas market with different culture. It is recommended that bank management to employ a mixture of team with both Chinese and Australian cultural background to cater to different clientele and also staffs to headquarter office.A era da globalização ofereceu oportunidades às multinacionais Chinesas de se expandirem para os mercados estrangeiros.Após a implementação do Acordo de Comércio Livre entre a China e Australia em 2015,há um considerável interesse das multinacionais Chinesas investirem e expandirem-se na Austrália. Não obstante o contexto legal e politico favorável à expansão das multinacionais Chinesas,incluindo a banca Chinesa operando no mercado Australiano, as diferenças culturais, entre os dois paises poderão constituir um obstaculo a essa expansão. Esta dissertação procura investigar em que medida os problemas potenciais resultantes das diferenças culturais que os bancos Chineses poderão enfrentar no decurso do seu plano de expansão para mercados internacionais e particularmente para a Austrália e tambem como dar resposta a tais diferenças Os resultados do questionário OCAI indicam que os bancos na China Continental tem valores mais elevados na cultura hierárquica (50.11) o que sugere qua as estruturas dos bancos da China são desenhadas para garantir a estabilidade e o control pela direção de topo. Entrevistas a dezanove (19) inquiridos sugerem queestes têm perspectivas contrastantes no que se refere à importância do papel das diferenças culturais na gestão dos recursos humanos dos bancos. No que se refere às relaçoes com os clientes alguns dos inquiridos consideram que a semelhança cultural pode ser uma vantagem mas outros consideram mais importantes as capacidades e o conhecimento. Apesar disso as diferenças culturais são em ultima análise um aspecto importante na gestão dos recursos humanos nos bancos em expansão para um Mercado exterior com uma diferente cultura. Recomenda-se que a gestão dos bancos empregue equipas mixtas com culturas tanto Chinesas como Australianas tanto para lidarem com diferentes clientelas como nas equipas da direção de topo.
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Oliver, Barry Ross. "Issues in financial risk management in Australia." Phd thesis, 2001. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/12472.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis involves a theoretical and empirical examination of issues in financial risk management with a focus on the Australian environment. The primary aim of the thesis is to contribute to the understanding of the use and impact of derivative financial instruments for financial risk management. The majority of published work in this area is from the U.S.A. Therefore, the analysis and results contained in this thesis are of interest to an international audience. The results provide new evidence, in addition to
confirmatory evidence, in relation to a number of issues. The thesis is divided into three sections with the conclusions provided in chapter eleven. The thesis is divided into three sections with the conclusions provided in chapter eleven. Following the introduction in chapter one, the first section (chapters two to five)examines issues associated with risk management. Chapter two considers some of the professional standards for the management of risk that have been issued by various
professional and regulatory bodies. Chapter three examines different types of derivative
contracts and how derivatives may be used. Measuring risk is an essential part of
managing it. Financial risk is often difficult to identify from outside the organisation because organisations may hedge any portion of the exposure. Furthermore, financial risk may arise and then cease to exist as contracts are settled in such short periods that there is little evidence outside the firm to allow identification of them. However, there have been attempts to measure exposure to financial risk and these are covered in chapter four. Chapter five examines the theoretical issues associated with hedging financial risk and the potential benefits obtained from hedging.
Section two (chapters six and seven) considers the use of derivatives in Australian Commonwealth public sector organisations. Risk management has traditionally been seen within the context of private sector organisations. However, the issue is becoming increasingly relevant and important to public sector entities as governments around the world implement policies that involve corporatisation, devolution of financial responsibility and impose competitive neutrality on their departments and bodies. Australia is no different and in some circles is seen as a world leader in the evolution of a business-orientated public sector. However, the strict translation of private sector theories and practices to the public sector, in which there are fundamental differences, may not be feasible nor desirable. Further, risk management in the public sector may require different practices and methods to achieve the desired outcomes. Chapter six introduces the empirical aspects of the thesis by considering the legal power of Commonwealth organisations in Australia to enter into derivative contracts. Public sector organisations, in particular Commonwealth statutory authorities, do not always have the powers 'of a natural person' afforded to companies governed under Australian corporations law. Such inconsistency is the base for uncertainty and possible additional costs for parties
contracting with these organisations. Chapter six concludes with possible solutions to remove the uncertainty with respect to the legal power of Commonwealth organisations to enter derivative contracts. Chapter seven examines the use of derivative contracts in Commonwealth organisations through financial statement analysis and a questionnaire survey. This chapter represents the first public study of derivative use in Commonwealth organisations in Australia. Section three (chapters eight, nine and ten) considers important issues in the efficiency of derivatives markets. Three issues are considered. Chapter eight considers the price and volatility effects surrounding expirations of 90-day Bank Accepted Bill futures contracts. The evidence as presented in chapter eight for the Australian 90-day Bank Accepted Bills
market is not sufficient to conclude that there are abnormal price or volatility effects surrounding the expiration of equivalent futures contracts. Hedgers therefore are unlikely to experience higher volatility if contracts are closed out or rolled over on maturity day. Another potential problem when hedging is pricing derivative contracts, such as options.
When derivatives, in particular option contracts, are used in risk management the price of the contract must be ascertained. The Black-Scholes option pricing model is commonly used to price options. If the model incorrectly prices options then risk management strategies will be less effective. One bias, which has been identified in studies using overseas data, is the volatility 'smile'. Risk management strategies using options should take account of the effect of this bias. Chapter nine documents the volatility smile in the
Australian stock options market. Chapter ten extends chapter nine by considering time
varying volatility in option prices. Obtaining estimates of the volatility of the underlying asset price that provide more accurate Black-Scholes option prices is important. Generally, for options already trading, the implied volatility of previous day option prices is found to produce lower pricing errors over a range of different volatility estimates, including those obtained from a Generalised AutoRegressive Conditional Heteroscedastic (GARCH) model. However, if the option is not traded, GARCH estimates provide a better alternative than historical estimates.
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Perry, Justin James. "Fire management and biodiversity in Northern Australia." Thesis, 2016. https://researchonline.jcu.edu.au/48796/1/48796-perry-2016-thesis.pdf.
Full textAbstract:
Fire is a significant ecological determinant of patterns of plant and animal distributions across the globe. This is especially so for the tropical savanna biome as fire is intrinsically linked with a dynamic weather-driven interplay between C4 grasses and other vegetation types. We know that climate change will dramatically alter global ecosystems in the future, but the implications for savanna ecosystems are less clear. The potential changes are often discussed in terms of how things may alter up to 100 years into the future. In most cases these forecasts are too abstract to translate for land managers who need practical advice that will allow them to adapt in real time and that acknowledges the considerable challenges they face now.
For this thesis I have sampled fire and vertebrate fauna in the dominant vegetation type in northern Australia, open savanna woodland, and used these data to test several hypotheses that will help decision makers and land managers better understand fire management both now and into the future. To adapt to future change and to make better decisions about the current conditions we need to understand the determinants of fire, how these are linked to climate, the impact of human intervention through various fire management strategies, and what the likely implications for biodiversity are.
In this thesis I examine fire and biodiversity at a variety of scales, ranging from pyro-diversity models derived for all of northern Australia to a set of representative sites surveyed on Cape York Peninsula for the three dominant vertebrate taxa (birds, mammals and reptiles). The thesis includes six chapters that begin at the broadest scale (all of northern Australia) and then drill down in scale for the various vertebrate fauna responses.
Chapter 1 introduces fire as a disturbance regime and a ubiquitous part of northern Australia land management. It outlines the structure of the thesis and describes the connectivity of chapters.
Chapter 2 sets the scene for the distribution of fire in northern Australia from a climatic perspective and explicitly links weather and vegetation to fire distribution in recent history. This places the contemporary distribution of fire in a broader temporal perspective and outlines the implications of fire on carbon emissions and describes the variance in annual and inter-annual fire distributions.
Chapter 3 compares contemporary fire management strategies with traditional Aboriginal burning and discusses the challenges of supporting traditional burning with modern requirements such as infrastructure protection and financial incentives for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
In chapter 4 I explore the links between burning for greenhouse gas abatement and vertebrate fauna in savanna ecosystems of Cape York Peninsula. Carbon farming initiatives have rapidly developed in recent years creating incentives for broad scale changes to land management regimes. In the open carbon market a premium can be secured if additional benefits, such as biodiversity conservation or social advancement, can be quantified. In Australia, there is an accepted method for carbon abatement that requires shifting fire frequency from predominantly late to early dry season fires. There is an assumption and some evidence that this might accrue co-benefits for biodiversity. We tested this assumption by comparing terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity patterns (richness and abundance of reptiles, birds and mammals) against increasing fire frequency in the early dry season at the same spatial resolution as the savanna burning methodology.
Chapter 5 examines the contemporary distribution of mammals on Cape York Peninsula (data collected for this thesis) in comparison with limited historical data and changes in mammal fauna across northern Australia. I contextualise the changes in mammal populations with the historical disturbances present in the study area which includes changes to fire regimes.
Chapter 6 focusses on reptiles, one of the most abundant and diverse taxa in savanna ecosystems. Theoretically, if fire changes vegetation patterns then reptiles, as a heliothermic organism should be a good indicator of the impact of altered fire regimes.
Chapter 7 looks at changes in bird distributions across time in the study area. A systematic survey of the avifauna of Cape York Peninsula was conducted in the late 1990s and early 2000s providing an ideal basal dataset for measuring change in the avifauna. A subset (n > 600) of these sites, primarily within savanna landscapes, was selected for re-survey in 2008 to investigate changes in bird communities on Cape York Peninsula. Long-term monitoring can describe important patterns of species change over time, though in the case of large, highly seasonal environments like the tropical savannas, signals of change may manifest over decades rather than annually.
Chapter 8 discusses the broad implications of this research and describes how each chapter has collectively increased the understanding of the impact of fire on biodiversity in northern Australia.
This thesis provides the first major assessment of fire and biodiversity in the savanna ecosystems of Cape York Peninsula and uses novel analytical methods to demonstrate significant shifts in fire frequency in recent history. This dataset and the associated analysis and interpretation has provided a substantial improvement to the collective knowledge of fire and terrestrial vertebrate fauna across northern Australia.
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Wynter, Hugh. "Price risk management strategies for South Australian wheat growers." Thesis, 2004. http://hdl.handle.net/2440/69427.
Full textAbstract:
This study investigates how South Australian wheat growers have adjusted to the deregulation of their industry since 1989. Prior to this date growers were obliged to deliver their wheat to the Australian Wheat Board which undertook the management of price risk on their behalf. Since that date growers have an increasing number of ways by which they can price their wheat.Thesis (M.App.Sc.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, 2004
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Orr, Philip Timothy. "Cyanobacteria in Australia : management of blooms and toxins." Thesis, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10453/60599.
Full textAbstract:
University of Technology, Sydney. Faculty of Science.NO FULL TEXT AVAILABLE. Access is restricted indefinitely. The hardcopy may be available for consultation at the UTS Library.
NO FULL TEXT AVAILABLE. Access is restricted indefinitely. ----- Cyanobacteria are believed to be one of the earliest life forms on this planet. Some cyanobacteria are toxic and some toxic species form blooms. Research into cyanobacterial toxicology in Australia has been carried out since 1970, but it was our inability to effectively manage a bloom of Anabaena circinalis in the Darling River, western NSW, in November 1991 that exposed gaps in our knowledge about causes and consequences of cyanobacterial blooms in Australia. CSIRO responded by building a team of scientists to compliment these studies and undertake additional research into cyanobacteria and their management. The program was called the CSIRO Multidivisional Program on Blue-green Algae. The 10 papers presented in this Thesis describe a component of the program that studied the genetics and physiology of toxin production by, and management of, toxic estuarine and freshwater cyanobacteria. The first four papers describe experiments that investigated the cellular and environmental basis for control of peptide hepatotoxin production by cyanobacteria. The first two papers examine the genetic basis for production of microcystin and nodularin by Microcystis aeruginosa and Nodularia spumigena respectively. The third and fourth papers examine the complex physiological relationship between nutrient limited growth and microcystin production by M. aeruginosa. These papers unified more than 40 years of disparate research results and enabled us to understand and better explain toxicity changes in natural blooms. The final six papers investigate aspects of toxin management to help minimise or prevent human and animal intoxication. Two papers deal directly with water treatment options for microcystins and saxitoxins, and quantify the changes in toxicity following treatment of human drinking water supplies. Two papers examine the fate of microcystin fed to cattle that produce milk and meat products for human consumption, and show that there is little risk to cattle health from the drinking water, or to human health from consumption of milk or meat products derived from those animals where cell concentrations don't exceed 1 x 10⁵ cells (M. aeruginosa) mL⁻¹. The remaining two papers examine toxicity changes in field derived bloom material. The first examines toxin persistence in a recreational lake and compares toxicity measured using protein phosphatase inhibition assay and high performance liquid chromatography. The second paper, examines the changes in toxicity of bloom material obtained from the Swan River Estuary when exposed to a range of salinities, and demonstrated different salinity tolerances for toxic and non-toxic strains.
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Aba, Bulgu Mohammed. "Financial crisis management: application to SMEs in Australia." Thesis, 2005. https://vuir.vu.edu.au/15553/.
Full textAbstract:
The small and medium sized business sector plays a significant economic and social role in Australia. A large number of these businesses suffer from abrupt financial crises resulting from manmade or natural disasters such as fire, flood, storm, etc, which affect all business sectors in the Australian economy. There are numerous theoretical and empirical models that have been applied in relation
to corporate crisis management. The approach employed in this thesis is developed using a new theoretical framework
based on the elements of (i) financial management theories and policies such as risk management, financial engineering, portfolio theory, CAPM, capital budgeting and
optimal capital structure; (ii) accounting theories and practices including corporate financial distress and financial ratio analyses; and (iii) corporate management theories and principles with major emphasis on corporate governance, marketing management, business ethics and stakeholders analysis.
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Martin, Peter. "Democratising rural environments? : Landcare and Total Catchment Management in Australia." Phd thesis, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/145943.
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Mahoney, J. T. "Industrial democracy and employee participation in Australia /." 1987. http://adt.lib.utas.edu.au/public/adt-TU20051012.112200.
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Carroll, Leonardo Zi{u00EA}n. "Australian water management and population change." Phd thesis, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/150596.
Full textAbstract:
Australia's population is growing rapidly, and is projected to grow by 65 percent to reach over 35 million people by the middle of the century. This population growth could exacerbate stresses on Australia's already stretched water resources and environmental assets, particularly if climate change projections prove correct. At the same time, there is a possibility that water shortages and declining water quality could lead to population decline in some parts of the country. Both of these scenarios will present water managers with significant challenges. With this in mind, this thesis addresses the question: How does Australia's water management framework deal with population change. This topic has not previously been considered in a coherent fashion. While there is an extensive literature on the relationship between population change and the environment more generally, and there has been some discussion of population change and water in Australia, there is a scarcity of literature on water policy and how it deals with population change. The thesis investigates the question from two angles. Firstly, it investigates the institutional arrangements, organisations and policies which influence how population change is considered in the context of water management. Secondly, it investigates what demographic data are available and relevant to water managers, and how these data are and can be used in the context of these institutional arrangements, organisations and policies. Reflecting its focus on policies, legislation, institutions and organisations, the thesis is primarily an exploration of public policy. To a more limited extent, the thesis also draws upon a second discipline, demography. More specifically, the thesis: 1. Develops a conceptual model to help explain the linkages between water management and population in Australia. This is an important contribution to research methodology in the area of population and water management. 2. Explores how and where demographic and population issues are relevant to Australian water managers. The issue of population change, and how water managers deal with it, needs to be considered very differently in different rural and urban areas. These areas, and the ways in which population matters in them, can be identified through analyses of water policy and socio-economic data. 3. Considers in detail the water reforms flowing from the National Water Initiative (NWI) and subsequent Water Act 2007 (Cth) and 2008 Agreement on Murray-Darling Basin Reform, and how population change is dealt with in the context of these reforms. While the NWI provides a range of mechanisms for managing population change, in some cases the effectiveness of these mechanisms remains compromised while they are still being rolled out. Furthermore, the focus of the NWT is on reallocating water resources in rural areas; increases in urban water consumption, associated with urban population growth, will not necessarily be constrained by water allocation planning processes. 4. Considers how population change is dealt with in the context of broader approaches to water management, such as land use planning and urban water planning. In doing so, it draws upon an extensive study of the policy literature, and qualitative discussions with informants involved in water reform at national, State and regional levels in the Commonwealth, New South Wales, and Queensland. 5. Describes and catalogues the myriad of socio-economic data sources available to water managers. It finds that these sources are generally reliable and well-documented, and that there is an emerging body of work aimed at integrating sources of socio-economic data so that they can be more readily used by water managers. 6. Through case studies, assesses in detail how socio-economic data have been used by water allocation planners and urban water planners. To date, a pragmatic approach appears to have been taken, whereby socio-economic data are used only to the extent that is necessary. Other factors (such as land use planning) are equally important determinants of population change and how it should be managed. 7. Considers the relationship between Australian water policy and structural adjustment, and hence, how water policy may lead to population change. Overall, the thesis makes an important contribution to research in the area of water management and population change. It brings together two previously largely separate domains of intellectual inquiry. By identifying and describing many of the ways in which Australian water managers are dealing with population change, it helps build understanding of some of the strengths and shortcomings to how Australia manages its water resources, and areas for improvement. Through its methodology and findings, it also lays a foundation for future work in this area.
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Heath, Michael John M. L. Arch. "Asset and risk management of mature trees." 2002. http://web4.library.adelaide.edu.au/theses/09ARCHLM/09archlmh438.pdf.
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"March 2002." Bibliography: leaves 145-150. This thesis surveyed whether a "common-view' of tree care policy existed in Australia, and compiled a range of current tree-care practices and costs. Responses were compared with similar studies in Britain and Ireland. It found there were no uniform guidelines for determining a tree's function, status, health and safety or value, and no general risk identifying criteria by which trees can be managed. It proposes a draft tree management plan for use by local government to establish the number of trees that need to be managed, their condition, risk status and amenity value. It also contains recommendations about policy, strategies and performance criteria to guide management and operational staff.
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Carr, Anna. "Grass-roots and green-tape : community-based environmental management in Australia." Phd thesis, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/1885/114568.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis examines the role of community groups in environmental management.
It is recognised that governments have a responsibility to intervene at the local scale
to ensure sustainable management of the environment. Increasingly, there are also
community groups wishing to manage local environments. This study argues that
neither approach — top-down or bottom-up — is sufficient, but that they must
combine to create middle-ground approaches which encourage a plurality of
stakeholders to take environmental responsibility.
In Australia there is widespread agreement on the serious nature of environmental
degradation. Rural Australia now comprehends the damage done to the land by
erosion, vegetation decline, salinity and invasion by exotic species. Now that the
effects of these problems on biophysical and socioeconomic systems are at least
partially understood, people want action. This call for action has led to the
formation of local community organisations to act on water quality, weed control,
vertebrate pest management, dryland salinity, heritage conservation, forest protection
and many other environmental issues.
Proponents of community-based environmental management believe that bottom-up
approaches will change the face of Australian environments through participatory
processes and bioregional principles. On the other hand, critics of this approach
believe that community-based environmental management is a naive tool of the state.
This study concludes that community-based environmental management can occur
along any point of the community-government continuum and is presented as an
heuristic model. While the extremes are useful, there is an emerging consensus that
middle-ground approaches require cooperative environmental management.
Substantive findings of this research support both ends and the middle of the
continuum. Principles underlying government involvement in community-based
environmental management include a range of policy options, such as providing
seeding finance or in kind resources; providing opportunities for group facilitation or human resources; establishing the basis for local consultation and participation;
furnishing advice and information; and establishing the political, regulatory and
institutional arrangements within which local group action can flourish. Principles
behind community-based environmental management include a strong sense of
community; an attachment to place; extensive local knowledge; empowerment
through building relationships within the locality; and the strengthening of extracommunity
relations with government agencies and resource management
institutions.
This study uses a case-study approach to investigate three rural community groups
— Water Watchers in Western Australia, the Downside Landcare Group in New
South Wales and the Mitchell River Watershed Management Working Group in
Queensland. The research is exploratory, collaborative, reflective, experiential and
pragmatic. It borrows methodological procedures from a variety of research
paradigms in order to establish the profile of community-based environmental
management, the process by which it works and the principles underlying both group
and government approaches to local environmental management. The three case
studies reflect the diversity of community groups, but were not chosen using
statistical sampling techniques. Rather, the research design was replicated in three
case studies to make the findings generated more robust. The study uses grounded
theory to explore the principles of community-based environmental management and
links these with a range of disciplinary perspectives to generalise these findings in
the literature, not to other populations of community groups.
Although the research is interdisciplinary, it is largely based in the social sciences
and explores theory from community psychology, human ecology, rural sociology,
adult education, cultural geography and environmental policy. It does not examine
economic theory, but investigates emerging themes in the literature such as public
participation, cooperative management and environmental stewardship. Communitybased
environmental management is complex, uncertain and turbulent — requiring
an approach to the research which borrows from post-modernist thinking in
recognising diversity and celebrating individual difference.