Browsing by browse by HERDC Category Description "T1 Thesis - Masters Degree by Research"

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AAOIFI Reporting Standards: Measuring Compliance
(2008)
Vinnicombe, Thea Edith
;
Yarram, S
Islamic banking and finance has grown rapidly in recent decades. Islamic banks offer a range of products that comply with Shari'a law, many of which differ from traditional Western financial products. In addition modern Islamic banks are large entities listed on stock exchanges around the world, and as such are required to provide annual financial statements which accord not only with the relevant regulatory authorities, but also demonstrate the entities' compliance with Islamic principles. In consequence, the development of Islamic accounting standards to guide Islamic financial reporting has become an important issue. A practical response exists in the form of the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Organizations (AAOIFI), established in Bahrain in 1991. To date, the AAOIFI has published a substantial body of accounting and governance standards, but little empirical research has thus far been conducted into compliance with these standards by Islamic reporting entities. This study provides an initial step in addressing the empirical gap. An index approach following that used to study compliance and disclosure of Western reporting entities is used to test compliance with the accounting and governance standards published by the AAOIFI. A benchmark index comprised of items identified in the literature as most significant for Islamic accounting is identified through a study of the literature. The English language Annual Reports from a sample of Islamic banks licensed and domiciled in Bahrain provide the data to measure compliance over a three year period.
3483 1295
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An Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal find Relational space: Yarns from a Joint Leadership Team at a Rural Community Based Preschool
(2012)
Amadio, Karren Anne
;
Edwards, Helen
;
Wolodko, Brenda
;
Noone, Genevieve
Members of the dominant culture have generally not been prepared to relinquish power or status as professional leaders in education (Colbung, Glover, Rau, & Ritchie 2007; Huggins 1998). My research tells our story, one of a relationship of belonging, of community, of creating a place for early childhood education. It is a story of three women, two of whom came together as joint directors of a community based preschool in a rural district. Two of the main characters are women from the local Bundjalung people who are the traditional custodians of the land where the preschool is situated. The other woman, myself, is non-Aboriginal. An objective of my thesis is to share reflections about myself as a non-Aboriginal person collaborating with the Bundjalung community for over twenty five years, rather than another white expert or observer of Aboriginal people. As an active participant of my community, I can discuss my own discoveries, such as the knowledge gained through learning to turn down the 'white noise' (McCoy 2000). My methodology is an auto-ethnographic narrative that has been influenced by phenomenology, yarning, feminist poststructural method, and postmodern emergence. This methodology permits me to write in an accepted academic method, which also honours the spiritual essence of my story. This thesis tells a story; it is my story, their story, our story. It is the story of our day. It is a story of moving from contact zone to relational space.
3693 796
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Aboriginal Burning in South Eastern Australia: Lessons from Brush Turkey
(University of New England, 2021-03-02)
Hooper, Shaun Boree
;
Beck, Wendy
;
Lynch, Anthony
;
Prior, Julian
;
Ridges, Malcolm
Aboriginal Communities are continuing to revitalise Aboriginal Burning to reinstate it in the broader landscape. While Aboriginal Burning Practices and the theoretical frameworks have the potential to assist in the management of bushfire and biodiversity threats, Western Scientists continue to misconstrue these Aboriginal practices and theory.

Using a Theory of Wiradjuri Knowledge (or Aboriginal Science) I apply it to an understanding of how Knowledge is emerged to ngadhuringa ‘Caring for’ the Land through Reciprocal Obligations. Through critically reviewing the concept of Cultural Loss I show how the concept of Cultural Change fits the evidence better. With the general preconception of what is termed ‘Traditional Knowledge’ which does not truly represent what is happening, Aboriginal Mob struggle to present our understandings of Cultural Burning in a way that meets the general template of this ‘traditional Knowledge’ and so is undervalued by land managers and related Scientists.

The three practical and theoretical problems this thesis addresses are: Western Science destabilises Aboriginal knowledge; how Aboriginal Mobs’ Land and Sea Management is impacted by past cultural change; and how cultural ways are required to intellectualise Aboriginal burning practices. In this way our Ancestors, particularly Brush Turkey guides our understandings. I have developed a research approach for creating change within Western models of Aboriginal Burning as an insurgent act of challenging existing paradigms.

From this way of understanding the Cultural Practice of Aboriginal Cultural Burning, I created a model of Aboriginal Cultural burning to inform the debate and inform the practice of Cultural Burning. The model is based on the nature of Aboriginal concepts of the cosmos and how the contributions of the Ancestors, including Brush Turkey, emerged from the landscape, Dhuruwirra.

By reenvisaging Aboriginal Cultural Practice as Aboriginal Science we can empower this Aboriginal Cultural Practice as an Alternative Knowledge Source for management of Country. My approach is that emergent methodologies provide a space for developing these ideas. In Aboriginal Societies, knowledge is emerged out of Country through sharing relationships with Human and NonHuman things.
480 2
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Aboriginal Health Workers: 'Trapped Between Two Worlds'
(2005)
Dahlstrom, Josephine Helen
;
Madison, Jeanne
;
Plummer, David
Although Aboriginal cultures have evolved and changed since the invasion in 1788 and colonisation by Europeans, many traditional cultural beliefs (e.g. socialisation and rituals) are still observed and practised. These cultural traditions and beliefs, even in the contemporary sphere, can clash with European (Western) ideals, socialisation and models of management. This collision of the dominant and Aboriginal cultures is particularly evident in the health status of Aboriginal people. The problems resulting from this cultural collision, in turn, impact heavily on the emotional, physical, spiritual and mental wellbeing of the Aboriginal Health Worker. This study, will explore, through in-depth interviews, how Aboriginal Health Workers live and adapt to working in two worlds, by trying to serve their black communities while using white rules. I will explore how Aboriginal Health Workers come to understand, manage and minimise risks to their own health while continuing to be effective helpers. The thesis will also explore how workers navigate both their workplace obligations and cultural responsibilities. The study aims to document and better understand how Aboriginal Health Workers manage these daily challenges and how it promotes their effectiveness as Aboriginal Health Workers. The aim is to improve their quality of life both in the communities they serve and at their places of work. Because of the necessity to live in these two worlds, the exploration of how they do or do not adapt to this way of working and living is the central concept of this study.
3311 1110
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Aboriginal matrifocality: A situational analysis
(1972)
Teasdale, Jennifer Irene
;
Bell, J H
European settlement in Australia led to the rapid decline of the indigenous Aboriginal population estimated by Radcliffe-Brown and Elkin to have been no more than 300,000 in 1788 for the whole of the Continent.1 It is also estimated that in 1788 the Aboriginal population of New South Wales, the State in which the study reported in this thesis is set, numbered about 40,000, a figure today reduced to less than 200 full-blood Aborigines.2 Another effect that European settlement had on the Aborigines was the appearance of a part-Aboriginal population, that is, a people with an admixture of both Aboriginal and European blood. Part- Aboriginal numbers in New South Wales have increased over the years from an estimated 2,400 in 1882,3 the year of the first reliable estimate, to over 14,000 today.4 There is every indication that their numbers will continue to increase.
3510 668
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Aboriginal Rock Art in Carnarvon Gorge, South Central Queensland
(1977)
Quinnell, Michael Clifford
;
McBryde, Isabel
During 1968-69 the Department of Aboriginal and Island Affairs and the Queensland Museum received many reports alleging deliberate vandalism to Aboriginal art and burial sites both within the confines of Carnarvon National Park and on cattle stations adjacent to its western, southern and eastern boundaries. Consequently in August 1969 the writer in his capacity as a Warden under the Aboriginal Relics Act carried out a preliminary inspection of Aboriginal sites on the upper Warrego and upper Maranoa rivers. As a result members of the Specialists advisory committee set up under the relics act informally approached the Queensland Museum to undertake a survey of the region. During this same period I had applied for admission to candidature for the M.A. degree at the University of New England. Coincidentally my future supervisor suggested a survey of the Carnarvon rock art. The subsequent official survey was originally envisaged as a twofold exercise: (i) to reconnoitre, locate and record as rapidly and accurately as possible Aboriginal parietal art sites in the Carnarvon Range and the Upper Maranoa river region as far west as the Chesterton Range (ii) to observe significant differences or similarities in technique, style, form and content of the parietal art in these two adjacent drainage systems, which rise in the same central highlands complex, but are physically separated by the Great Dividing Range.
5186 3759
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Academics Making Strategic Decisions: a case study of decisions and decision making in a student development unit in an Australian University
(1998)
Legge, Ian Hector
;
Harman, Grant
This thesis reports on a study of decisions and decision making among academics in a student development unit,the Educational development department, located on the Footscray Campus of the Victoria University of Technology (formerly the Footscray Institute of Technology). The study reviews literature on academic culture and decision making. Broad ideas from that field are applied to empirical data gathered at the field work site from 1986 to 1991. Individual academics gave key decisions sampled from their workplace settings and each was interviewed for their perceptions about further key decisions being made or contemplated. During the data gathering phase, the researcher tried to stay close to actors' own perceptions of the field. The study focuses mainly upon the many and varied ways in which academics perceived the domain of decision making within their own close circles of work. Among its findings, the thesis calls for a more careful approach to discourse upon decisions and decision making, finding that confusions arising in ordinary Language distort social realities. Decisions are more usefully seen as pinnacle points of meaning that do not remain static within social settings. Widely and deeply across fields of legitimation, actors in this higher education setting were found to use them to both support and undermine, and by that dual process, to displace persons, ideas and programs that are normally seen to be held static in authority locations
3086 970
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Access, Equity and Opportunity for Madrassa Students in Higher Education in Pakistan
(University of New England, 2023-03-20)
Nishat, Tayyaba
;
Harper, Helen
;
Maniam, Vegneskumar
Equitable educational access and opportunities are indispensable in creating just societies, particularly developing ones such as Pakistan. This study examines the sociohistorical causes and effects of a deeply segregated, class-based primary and secondary education system which has led to Madrassas, religious seminaries, becoming an education system primarily for the poor, thus creating challenges for its graduates in pursuing higher education and in accessing opportunities of social mobility after graduating from Madrassas. Through online surveys of forty-five participants and eight interviews, this ethnographic study brings out the perspectives of Madrassa graduates regarding educational inequities particularly in higher education, the causes of marginalisation of Madrassas and value of Madrassas as an Indigenous knowledge system. The value of Madrassas and the inequities their students experience, are interpreted using the causal theoretical frameworks of postcolonialism, Indigenous knowledge system and structural inequality. The reflective, descriptive, and change-based stories may inform decision makers and contribute to the development of policies that address the intractable social problems experienced by these students falling through the cracks and thus be a step towards exploring a relevant, inclusive, and quality higher education option for this forgotten youth.
448 2
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Accounting problems in the valuation of infrastructure assets in New South Wales local government
(2018)
Ivannikov, Igor
;
Dollery, Brian E
;
Blackwell, Boyd
Local government authorities in NSW manage a significant pool of infrastructure assets in order to serve community needs. These assets usually comprise roads, bridges, the water and sewerage network, stormwater drainage, buildings, and other infrastructure. Infrastructure assets represent a major proportion of the total asset base of every NSW council. All local councils in NSW are required to measure their infrastructure assets at fair value and revalue them every five years. However, there are many problems with the valuation of infrastructure assets in local government. Problems arise mostly as a consequence of the unique characteristics of public sector infrastructure assets; in particular, the assets have long and sometimes uncertain lives, there is no market into which they can be sold and - unlike commercial assets - local government urban infrastructure is not operated to make a profit. This makes the valuation and revaluation of these assets for financial reporting purposes a technically complicated exercise. The aim of this study is to (a) investigate whether NSW local government councils comply with the Australian Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) in performing the revaluation of their infrastructure assets and (b) to assess any consequences for the reliability of financial reporting in NSW local government. Using road assets as an example, we analyse the results of revaluations of road assets undertaken by 89 NSW councils as reported in their financial statements during the period from 2013 to 2016. In this analysis we focused on the effect of a change in accumulated depreciation as a percentage of the gross replacement cost of the revalued assets. The analysis revealed that in most cases this effect is significant: 36 councils reported a decrease of between 10% and 53%; 5 councils reported increases of between 10% and 31%; and others fell within a 10% range. In absolute terms, these are substantial changes. However, the accounting and reporting of this effect is strikingly inconsistent between the councils. This forms the rationale for this thesis. Based on the analysis of revaluation of roads, the study finds that the main reason for these significant changes arises from the change in the estimates of the remaining useful life of the assets at the time of revaluation. It is most unlikely that asset condition can have such a significant effect on many councils all at the same time. Furthermore, we concluded that the changes in estimates of the remaining useful life is the result of non-compliance with the requirements of AASB 116 to have the useful life reassessed at the end of each reporting period (i.e. each year). Instead, councils wait five years and undertake the next reassessment of the useful life at the time of the comprehensive revaluation. This leads us to a conclusion that, if material, the effect should be treated as an error based on the requirements of AASB 108. If councils did follow requirements of AASB 116 by assessing the useful life at the end of each year, then the effects would be unlikely to be material at the time of the comprehensive revaluation. Only 12 councils out of 89 reported this effect as an error. However, even these did not fully comply with the requirements of AASB 108 in presenting the effects of the error in the financial statements. All other councils did not report or disclose anything about this effect in their revaluation adjustment, regardless of the significance of that effect. There are two main conclusions of the thesis. First, most councils did not comply with the Australian GAAP in accounting, reporting and disclosing the effects of their asset revaluations. Second, there is a high risk that depreciation expense, operational results and financial ratios were materially incorrect in the years preceding each comprehensive revaluation. The latter makes the financial reporting in NSW local government unreliable for decision-making purposes for the users of financial reports. Our study has examined only roads assets in detail. If similar deficiencies in procedures were to exist in the treatment of other local government assets, then summed over all assets, the unreliability of the financial reports could be significantly greater.
4483 800
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Achievement from the Depths: A Critical Historical Survey of the Life of Marcellin Champagnat (1789-1840)
(1984)
Farrell, Keith Boyd
;
Ward, Russell
;
Kidman, John
;
Jones, Graham C
Marcellin Champagnat, the founder of the present-day Marist Brothers of the Schools, was born on 20th May 1789 in the hamlet of Le Rozey in the commune of Marlhes in South-eastern France. It is coincidental that the year of the birth of this man, who was to revolutionize some important aspects of education in France, was also the year of the outbreak of possibly the most influential of the world's revolutions. The French Revolution became anti-religious, yet the education in Christian principles of France's youth was the goal of Marcellin's life-work. We shall follow Marcellin's life throughout his youth and during his most difficult years of study prior to his ordination as a priest in the Catholic Church, stressing the experiences he judged to be of most value.
3167 2386
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Achieving a Global Peace Dividend
(1998)
Gillon, Carolyn
This dissertation aims to extend the knowledge available on the subject of the peace dividend, specifically in the area of how to capture the peace dividend opportunity and how to maximise it to achieve enhanced human development. Through an analysis of national and international case studies which report on recent experiences with reduced milex, this paper will report on the magnitude of the peace dividend in two industrialised nations (USA and France) and two African developing countries (Ethiopia and Kenya). ... Recommendations will be made regarding the following: (a) measures to minimise the short-run adjustments (b) measures to maximise the long-run social rate of return (c) optimal economic and social conditions and (d) preferred economic policies which together will enable a maximum peace dividend to be achieved. This overall aim is chosen chiefly to assist developing countries and regions with their capturing of the peace dividend. Whilst many of the developed countries have embarked on the process of disarmament, many developing countries have yet to do so because they face ongoing security concerns and/or absence of political will. It is hoped that this paper will provide a blueprint for developing countries to assist them with achieving national security, disarmament and enhanced human development. ... To assist in developing the above recommendations the following specific objectives will also be achieved: (a) specify the extent of the peace dividend post Cold War (1985-1995) (b) ascertain how the peace dividend has been spent ie., if and in what ways resources have been reallocated from military expenditure to other uses in a number of developed and developing countries, specifically, the United States and France, and developing countries on the African continent, Ethiopia and Kenya. (c) make policy recommendations regarding how the peace dividend might be implemented for maximum economic development and minimum adjustment costs (d) identify the factors inhibiting the attainment of a peace dividend and how these might be overcome.
2856 319
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Active Women: An Exploration of Women's Active Leisure Pursuits
(2001)
McNeill, Annette Yvonne
;
Somerville, Margaret
;
Dymock, Darryl
This study addresses the many problems associated with reduced physical activity in industrialized societies, believed in part to be due to improved living standards. Because of the low level of participation in active sport and/or leisure pursuits there are concerns for the long-term ramifications in terms of the heavy burden on the health system. To intensify this situation, hospitals and nursing homes are filled with a high proportion of older women experiencing 'the "bitter fruits" of chronic disease and disability' (Vertinsky 1998, p.87), largely due to the lack of regular exercise. To address this situation older women who do exercise were interviewed to identify how they have managed to develop regular exercise patterns. Three main questions were asked: Why they started? What influenced their choice? What aspects of the chosen programs keep them returning? Bandura's (1986) Self-efficacy Theory provided the underlying conceptual framework for analysis of the results. Factors found to influence these women's choices included family and friends, work/leisure beliefs, education and other interests. The reasons they had developed the exercise habit included: to improve health, for pain relief, for weight control and/or to reduce stress. Aspects of the programs that kept them returning were related to motivation, which was maintained by the enjoyment, the social support, variety and the absence of competition and/or expense. Of all these factors the one found to be have the strongest influence, not only on their choices when starting but their continuation, was the social support they found from friends, family and significant others in their lives. The conclusion drawn from this study is that, apart from promoting more fun and enjoyment in physical activity from a young age, there is a need for provision of more equitable opportunities for older people, especially women. The strongest implications for this are convincing and consistent role models of active older women of all ages and ethnic groups. Promotion could also include images of dynamic older women in positions of authority negotiating and establishing opportunities they have chosen for themselves with an attitude towards aging that is more exciting and exhilarating and alive than ever before.
3496 359
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Acts of Supplication in Ancient Greece
(1999)
McSweeney, Gaye
;
Stanton, Gregory
;
Horsley, Gregory
;
Mitchell, Lynette
Scattered widely through Greek literature are references to the practice of supplication, a practice which modern readers find alien yet oddly familiar. Clearly this was a social phenomenon widely understood, and (for the most part) respected, at least in the abstract. Examples abound in both historical narrative and literature. A few cases will serve as examples of typical supplications. Odysseus, in his mendacious re ply to Eumaios' request for the story of his arrival on Ithake, describes how he came to Egypt after he had arrived home from Troy. There his companions attacked the Egyptians, and were defeated. Odysseus describes how the supposed Cretan, on recognising his own imminent death, threw away his helmet, shield and sword, and approaching the Egyptian king in his chariot clasped his knees and kissed them in supplication. Despite the unprovoked attack by the "Cretan" and his men, the Egyptian king rescued him, and took him to his home, even protecting him from the understandable anger of other Egyptians ('Odyssey' 14.240-84 et passim, esp. 276-84). Of course, according to the main narrative, this did not happen; but Eumaios, well-versed in his responsibilities to strangers (ibid., 14.56-58), accepts the story without comment, thus tacitly testifying to its credibility.
3469 2881
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Actual and potential use of activity-based versus volume-based cost systems: an empirical study of cost systems including interrelationships with contextual factors
(1998)
Wilson, Michael
;
Warwick, David
The aim of this study is to contribute some explanation and understanding to the debate about the adoption and use of activity-based cost systems versus volume-based cost systems. A theoretical model is developed from the literature that links changes of contextual factors: intensity of competition, production complexity, and product diversity, to cost system use. Three hypotheses are developed which propose that the actual use of a cost system is interrelated between each contextual factor and cost system type. The expectations based on the theoretical model are that greater comparative use will be made of activity-based cost systems, when contextual factors are high, than of volume-based cost systems. Three alternate hypotheses are developed based on the first three. These hypotheses propose that activity-based cost systems are perceived to have, when each contextual factor is high, greater potential use. These hypotheses are specifically developed after consideration of the literature, and existing broadly based survey evidence that often did not validate expected findings.
3037 627
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Additive and Non-Additive Differences in the Postweaning Performance of Devon, Hereford and Reciprocal Cross Steers and Heifers
(1990)
Johnston, David
;
Hammond, Keith
;
Thompson, John
The postweaning growth and carcase characters of steers and the maternal performance of heifers from a complete two-breed diallel of the Devon and Hereford breeds were examined under Australian temperate grazing conditions. The aim of the project was to estimate additive and non-additive between breed differences for direct and maternal effects.The experiment reported here forms part of a large, long-term crossbreeding trial initiated in 1983 by the Devon Cattle Breeders' Society of Australia. Phase 1 of the trial evaluated the preweaning performance of Devon, Hereford and reciprocal cross calves generated from the complete diallel design and reported by Gyles (1987). This project reports Phase 2 of the trial which has examined growth postweaning in two different nutritional environments and carcase characteristics of 110 steers. Also the maternal performance (calf growth, milk and suckling and grazing behaviour) of 112 heifers was examined. The steers and heifers consisted of four breedtypes produced from the base mating of Devon and Hereford females to 15 Devon and 14 Hereford sires.
3286 747
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The Adoption of the User Pays Option by a Water Authority in a Developing Country: Its Viability
(1997)
Hunt, Christopher J
;
Staunton, John
In this dissertation the viability of the 'user pays' funding option, in the context of financial considerations, is examined. The setting of that examination is via a case study of a Water Authority operating in a developing country environment - the Solomon Island Water Authority (SIWA). A framework is developed which considers the key elements of accountability and funding and the associated sub-elements of planning and reporting. The development of the framework also considered the water issues of the long term nature of investments, the cost of those investments and the associated financing decisions, the recurrent costs required to maintain those investments and the conflicting claims on resources which normally confront water authorities. In order to test the viability of the 'user pays' option a revenue model is developed which acts to integrate all levels of planning. The revenue model also provides a funding mechanism for assessing the viability of the 'user pays' option by allowing for the running of simulations of that model. It was found through analysis of the revenue model simulations that, in terms of this study, that the 'user pays' option is not a viable option. It is not possible to draw conclusions from this study concerning economic issues such as those found in pricing models. The simulation results simply provide the means for managers to develop strategies to overcome obstacles in meeting the Objectives identified in the Corporate Plan and the associated cost with implementing those objectives in achieving the Corporate Mission Statement.
3064 629
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Adrenocortical Stress Hormones and the Development of Adipose and Lean Tissue
(1997)
Paull, David Robert
;
Thompson, John
;
Wynn, Peter
This thesis describes the role of the Hypothalamo-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in the role of controlling fat deposition and partitioning and muscle degradation in the mammal. The adrenal stress hormones (glucocorticoids) are also implicated in the function of the immune system and could be considered to be limiting animal production when they are significantly elevated. A review of past and present techniques for the measurement of body and carcase composition is included in order to justify the use of techniques in the experiments carried out in this study. An attempt to validate long standing techniques carried out on the carcase at slaughter and measurements on the live animal using image analysis derived from CAT scans is made with strong correlations. The series of experiments in this study attempt to improve the growth of lambs, reduce fat deposition per se, increase skeletal muscle mass and to improve the components of immune function by reducing stress induced elevated plasma glucocorticoid levels.
3100 393
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Adult Cancer Survivors’ Health Literacy Skills and Their Management of Chronic Issues Secondary to Oncologic Treatments in Australia
(University of New England, 2022-05-04)
Malaguti, Manuela
;
Wang, Shou-Yu Cindy
;
Thorsteinsson, Einar Baldvin
;
Smith, Zaneta
Background

Health literacy is an important determinant of health outcome for adult cancer survivors and their management of chronic issues secondary to oncologic treatments. It is postulated that the cancer survivors’ health literacy skills are inversely correlated to their long-term management of sustained and widespread health-related issues after the conclusion of cancer treatments. Health literacy embodies a set of skills that transcends cancer survivors’ cognitive abilities. It extends to community-based health literacy interventions, such as home visits; education to participate in health screening initiatives and preventive health programs. Cancer survivors are often impacted by complex and long-term health care needs that require decision making in a highly stressful environment. Although there has been limited research in this field, the rising number of Australian cancer survivors requires further and more robust investigations on their health literacy skills for the management of long-term health issues.

This is the first Australian study exploring the level of health literacy of cancer survivors and their management skills using the internationally validated Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ). The study addressed the different needs of cancer survivors including their individuals’ literacy skills, their ability to engage with their health care providers; the ability to appraise relevant information, and to apply that information to their daily life.

Aims and objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of health literacy of Australian adult cancer survivors attending two private multidisciplinary clinics and their management of health issues secondary to oncologic treatments. The objective was to provide recommendations, based on the results, aimed at improving survivors’ health literacy levels and their management skills of chronic health issues after the conclusion of cancer treatments.

Research question

The study research questions were: What is the level of health literacy of adult cancer survivors? What is the level of health literacy of adult cancer survivors and their management skills of chronic issues secondary to oncologic treatments?
479 3
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Advocacy of Peace and War and its influence on the Athenians in the late 350's B.C
(1992)
Welsh, David Andrew
;
Markle, Minor
From the end of the "Social War", peace is advocated repeatedly by the contemporary literary sources. Between 357 and 355, Athens was at war with some of her former allies who, with the assistance of Mausolus of Caria, broke off their alliance and initiated conflict with Athens. From an Athenian viewpoint, the war was disastrous: not only did the rebels launch successful raids against Lemnos, Imbros and laid waste to Samos, but they succeeded in defeating the Athenians at sea. This defeat, the financial expense of her recent wars and rumours that the Persian King was threatening to intervene on the side of the rebels, prompted the Athenians to make peace with her former allies. Thereafter, there is a noticeable decline in Athenian military activity. They abstained from war with Persia and they rejected proposals to intervene in the Peloponnese and Rhodes. Contemporary sources repeatedly complain that the Athenians were reluctant to perform their duty by serving on expeditions.
2887 729
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Agrarian Myth: Its History and Use by the Australian Country Party
(1992)
Wear, Rae
;
Wells, David
;
Archer, Jeffrey
It is widely acknowledged that agrarian myth was an important component of the Australian Country Party's ideology. This thesis undertakes a detailed examination of the nature of Australian agrarian myth and the manner of its use by the Country Party. The first chapter provides a theoretical framework for the study of myth and its relationship with ideology. The focus of the work then shifts to an examination of the characteristics of agrarian myth, first in Europe and then in America, where the land and the circumstances of its settlement brought about changes in the imported mythology. Some discussion of myth in the European tradition is essential, first to illustrate the strength and duration of the myth which Australia has inherited, and second to provide a model with which Australian agrarian myth can be compared. This also provides the reason for considering rural myth in the American context.
3222 1434
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Aid and Institution Building in Fragile States: A Case Study on Papua New Guinea
(2008)
Heinecke, Danielle
;
Fleming, Euan
;
Dollery, Brian E
The aim of this thesis is to examine the economic and development aid policy literature that builds on the central tenet that the quality of institutions are the single most important element of successful development. It is primarily concerned with exploring the emergent fragile states paradigm that is advocating a policy framework to aid donors of 'engaging differently' in states with declining governance and development indicators. This thesis assesses this framework and argues there is a major inconsistency within the fragile state paradigm. The hard end advocates a state-building approach based on propping up a state to avoid failure, whilst the soft end adopts a longer term incentive-based approach more consistent with the economics literature. In practice these approaches can be contradictory and undermine program outcomes. The case study of Australian aid to Papua New Guinea is illustrative of the application of both soft and hard end approaches and demonstrates how the net macro effect of aid interventions can be reduced by these contradictory approaches. An economic model of aid sector failure is applied to assess the marginal social costs and benefits of additional aid in fragile state environments. Acknowledging the geopolitical realities of aid, it advocates a policy of the "least worst" interventions in order to optimise the positive and negative effects of global aid. A framework has been proposed to help guide interventions and may assist aid practitioners to make more informed decisions about the objective of aid interventions, and the scale of its costs and benefits on a recipient country. The case study on PNG argues that Australian aid has not sufficiently focused on development of the underlying social and economic foundations that are prerequisites for the development of a modern state. It concludes that although Australia has made admirable attempts to apply incentive-based approaches, aid on the whole has been overly targeted to propping up the state and its' own core arms at the expense of enabling broader human and economic capacities that build the foundations of a society and the state. Although critical of Australia's approach, this thesis argues that there is no blueprint to resolve the pressure for aid donors to simultaneously pursue geopolitical and longer term development objectives of aid. It advocates acknowledging these dual objectives of aid, and locating equilibrium between interventions at either end of the fragile state paradigm in order to minimise the perverse incentives that interventions can create over the long-term.
3448 1390
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Ailan Dans: Critical Issues in Torres Strait Islander Dance and the Curriculum
(2003-10-11)
Costigan, Lynette A
;
McConaghy, Cathryn E
The question of the place of culture in the curriculum is complex and, at times, problematic for educators and community members. The issue is frequently at the heart of debates within fudigenous education. In particular, the critics of culturalism in fudigenous education argue that too often there is an over-emphasis on cultural issues to the detriment of other aspects of the curriculum. In addition, representations of fudigenous cultural practices often reify and essentialise Indigenous peoples. Despite these critiques, many Indigenous community members argue for respect for their cultural practices, standpoints and beliefs in education.
This thesis considers the issues surrounding the incorporation of dance in the curriculum for Torres Strait Islander students. It does so through a critical discourse analysis of Torres Strait Islander community discourses. As with other Indigenous peoples throughout the world, Torres Strait Islander perspectives are diverse. Among the dominant discourses identified was a discourse that linked dance to broader social imperatives. Not only a cultural practice, Island Dance (Ailan Dans) emerges as an important aspect of postcolonial social movements amongst Torres Strait Islander people.
Visual and performing arts such as dance are important in a postcolonial society and postcolonial curriculum in providing spaces to interrogate and engage with colonialist legacies, structures and representations. Dance is more than a practice or commodity in, for example, tourist performances: it is also a political product, in that fudigenous peoples can assert their rights through dance. Indigenous cultural practices are crucial as forums of Indigenous expression and 'voice', allowing people to resist dominant practices. The research suggests that Ailan Dans is important in community healing. Cultural practices such as dance also provide the possibility of interrogating stereotypical representations and images of Torres Strait Islander people.
This thesis interrogates anthropological representations of Ailan Dans and suggests the need to consider the significance of Torres Strait Islander dance in the curriculum as an important, although contested, aspect of Torres Strait Islander resistance, affirmation, economic empowerment, communal wellbeing and artistic expression.
2666 843
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The Aims of Hybrid Tribunals: An examination of the theoretical basis for the work of the Special Panels for Serious Crimes in East Timor
(2010)
Ryan, Alison
;
Moore, Cameron
;
Simpson, Brian
For societies recovering from mass atrocities, the hybrid tribunal is one of many post-conflict justice options aimed at dealing with the past. As opposed to international tribunals, hybrid tribunals are touted as a more relevant option for the harmed community as they are located within the territory where the crimes were committed and combine international and domestic law and personnel. These tribunals are also given varied and somewhat nebulous aims such as applying retributive justice, promoting deterrence, contributing to peace, reconciliation, the rule of law and strengthening of the national justice system. To date, research and analysis of hybrid tribunals has largely been dominated by consideration of their practical operation without consideration of their theoretical underpinnings. Focusing on one hybrid tribunal, the Special Panels for Serious Crimes (SPSC) in East Timor, this paper examines the two theoretical justifications cited most prominently by the SPSC, retribution and deterrence. The paper questions the assumptions of these theories developed in stable states in the context of mass atrocities as well as in the unique and fragile circumstances hybrid tribunals often operate. The application of these theories through the work of the SPSC is also assessed and in doing so the realpolitik in which the tribunal operates is examined revealing the sometimes competing concerns of nation building and reconciliation. The examination of the SPSC raises a number of problems in the establishment and operation of the hybrid model. However it is not necessary that the failures of the SPSC reflect a weakness of the hybrid model but provide lessons in relation to improving the design and implementation of future hybrid tribunals. The thesis argues that hybrid tribunals require a sound theoretical basis to guide their development and operation and to date such consideration is lacking. The applicability of both retribution and deterrence as sole theories for the operation of a hybrid tribunal is questioned but aspects of both theories are argued to be potentially useful in the development of a theory for hybrid tribunals.
2637
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Airborne Radiometric Mapping in the Mole Tableland, Northern New South Wales
(1989)
Sardjono,
;
Kleeman, J D
Airborne radiometric mapping was undertaken in The Mole Tableland Area in Northern New South Wales. This work comprised the production of coloured maps of radiometric parameters such as total radiation count (TC), potassium concentration (K), equivalent uranium concentration (eU). and equivalent thorium concentration (eTh). Maps of ratio parameters namely eU eU/eTh, and eTh/K were also created. Two types of maps were produced from the airborne radiometric survey: maps of corrected data and of corrected-and-deconvoluted data. In general, maps of corrected data resemble the geological map whereas maps of corrected-and-deconvoluted data enhance patterns of local anomalies which represent an abundance of radioelements K, U, and Th. In a number of cases these may be correlated with areas of mineralization. An experimental ground radiometric investigation was also conducted. Over 70 kilometres was traversed on foot with a portable --1 -ray spectrometer, imitating the time-and-distance integration of the radiometric data. This was undertaken to provide correlation to the airborne data. The correlation coefficients obtained from the investigation were used for converting the normalized airborne radiometric counts to radioelement concentrations. Attenuation of radiometric signal due to soil cover or alluvial sediments was also studied. High eTh/K ratio values were found to be diagnostic of soil cover on a granite with high U and Th.
3208 1483
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Aligning Assessment in Higher Education: Using a cognitive structural model to gain insight into student understanding of ecological practice
(2010)
Burns, Adrienne
;
Pegg, John
;
Panizzon, Debra
Student outcomes in a tertiary science setting are expected to be multi-faceted. Learning outcomes in science encompasses the range of incomplete and partial understanding of single concepts to complete and integrated understandings of multiple concepts accepted by the scientific community. Assessment in the disciplines of Ecology and Environmental Science often focuses on the progression of independence by the student, in scientific research design and report writing. Qualitative models such as SOLO (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome) have previously provided a framework for aligned curriculum design with allied assessment items for the teaching and learning of single scientific concepts. There has been no precedent for diverse and multiple concept analysis by SOLO to multifaceted educational science outcomes. This research project aims to develop a protocol for marking scientific written assessments using a cognitive structural perspective provided by the SOLO model for a second year tertiary level ecology unit. A sectional based and holistic approach within the cognitive structural model was used to compare the effective alignment of assessment through extended written assignments.
3662 471
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Aligning price signals throughout the beef value chain to reflect consumer preferences by assigning economic weights to the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) model inputs
(2013)
Doljanin, Ivan Andrew
;
Thompson, John
;
Griffith, Garry
;
Fleming, Euan
The international measure of beef quality has largely been associated with the increased presence of intramuscular fat, also known as marbling. Using a palatability analysis critical control point (PACCP) process, consumer research collated by Meat Standards Australia (MSA) over the last 20 years has demonstrated the interconnectivity of pre and post-slaughter treatments with the traditional measurements in relation to consumer palatability scores. This has enabled consumer grading of beef - predicting the consumers' assessment of the specified meal as either 3 star (good everyday), 4 star (better than everyday), or 5 star (premium) eating quality for six cooking methods (grilling, roasting, stir-frying strips, slow cooking cubes, thin sliced, corned). A commercial dataset (n=3,735) was collated over an eight year period that described the eating quality and yield of beef product offered to consumers using the MSA grading matrix of eating quality and cooking method. This dataset created an opportunity to overlay financial terminology to the various steps of beef production by aligning consumer choice about the predicted quality of beef with the production input variables. This financial information can overlay the PACCP process with economic weights for the production input variables, thereby contributing toward the creation of its financial equivalent (FACCP) for the beef industry. Generating effective long-term financial modelling by accurately linking consumer demand to production variables would help to secure future investment. Ongoing investment in the industry is essential to keep beef a competitive source of protein. In this thesis, six measures of carcase yield - primal, trim, waste and fat, bone, loss, and saleable meat (SMY%) - were assessed to determine the most appropriate indicator of carcase value. The analysis found SMY% was the best indicator of carcase value, with a 0.85 coefficient of determination (R²). SMY% was followed by waste and fat, trim, primal, loss, and bone with an R² of 0.72, 0.69, 0.42, 0.29, 0.28 respectively.
4231 1053
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Allelochemicals from 'Brassica' SPP. (Canola) Residues: Effects on Other Plants and Cereal Fungal Pathogens
(1996)
Umbers, Alan C
;
Lovett, John
;
Rovira, A D
'Brassica' spp. have been reported as showing allelopathic activity against other plants and fungi, with both living material and residues shown to be active. Glucosinolate breakdown products have been implicated in many of these allelopathic effects. Canola is a popular crop in Australia, with evidence of increased crop yields and freedom from fungal root diseases in cereals grown following canola. This supports canola's potential as an inhibitor of pathogens. It was hypothesised that allelopathic activity against other plants and fungi is due to compounds produced from canola residues, notably glucosinolate breakdown products. The experiments reported here supported the hypothesis that glucosinolate breakdown products can be phytotoxic to a number of indicator plant species. Indoleacetylnitrile (IAN), indoleacetylmethanol (IAM) and phenylethylamine (PEA) were shown to inhibit germination and early growth, with IAN being the most active. These compounds were found, using HPLC, to be present in canola residue leachates and their concentration estimated.
3138 829
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The Allelopathic Properties of Sunflower, 'Helianthus annuus' L.
(1984)
Fraser, Shirley Anne
Allelochemicals which may have allelopathic effects on other plants, including others of the same species, are released from many plant types including the North American weed or wild biotype sunflower. Both living plants and decaying debris have been shown to release these allelochemicals. Allelopathic responses have been noted in horticultural and agricultural plant communities. Workers in North America have documented allelotoxic activity in the biotype sunflower, which enables it to be a strong competitor in old-field succession. Many workers suggest that this type of activity is common in weed species, but that it has been bred out of types developed into crop plants to improve yields, and the harvested product. Experiments were carried out on an Australian naturalised biotype sunflower which showed little evidence for allelopathic activity, however, experiments on an unreleased hybrid cultivar sunflower showed, unexpectedly, consistent allelopathic properties in petri dish trials from living, dried and senesced leaf material. Similar, but less restricting activity was found in the male parent line of the hybrid. Gas chromatographic/mass spectrometric analyses of leaf wash solutions of the three sunflower types indicated that many organic compounds were common to all types. The hybrid and its parent generally had more compounds, and at higher concentrations than the Australian biotype. An ion mass of 127 was particularly noted; it may belong to the naphthyl group. Leaf surface structures were examined under both light and scanning electron microscopy. Glandular trichomes were found on all three sunflower types, but much more abundantly on the hybrid. These may be storage sites for the leaf allelochemicals. The evidence found for allelopathic activity in the hybrid cultivar is discussed in the context of allelochemicals as agents which may contribute to the defence and/or competitive ability of those plants which possess them in active concentrations, and that their presence may be an heritable factor.
3066 664
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Alternate Equity Indexation
(2016-06-13)
Agarwal, Nipun
;
Farooque, Omar Al
;
Kotey, Bernice
Global equity indexes are market capitalisation or price weighted indexes such as, the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA), S&P 500 or FTSE 100. Fund managers have been trying to consistently outperform these underlying indexes which can be hard to achieve. Passive indexation methods like fundamental, equal weighted, risk-based and risk-weighted alpha indexation have provided an alternative method to find ways to outperform market capitalisation and price indexes. This thesis develops the Alternate Equity Indexation (AEI) and Excess Return Indexation (ERI) methods which intend to provide even a higher return compared to market capitalisation and price weighted indexes over a longer period of time. Results show that the AEI DJIA index outperformed the underlying DJIA index by nearly seven (7) times during the 2nd January 2003 to 31st December 2012 period. The AEI method also resembles the Information Ratio (IR), except that it considers the standard deviation for the stock return compared to the active return. It could be possible that the AEI method may be a more accurate attribution tracking method than the IR.

Further, emerging market equity indexes can be highly volatile as hot money moves from developed markets to emerging markets in order to gain high returns, while it may move back as systemic risk increases in emerging markets. Existing indexes globally are market capitalisation or price weighted indexes and with subsequent movement in volatility these indexes fluctuate significantly as they track stock prices at that point in time reducing the stability of such an important benchmark. Additionally, it is in the interest of fund managers to outperform the underlying index which can be quite difficult especially with active management of funds. This thesis introduces the ERI method, which will help reduce index volatility and increase return compared to the underlying market capitalisation or price weight index. It compares the Bombay Stock Exchange 30 (BSE30) with the BSE30 ERI index and results show that the ERI index outperformed the underlying BSE30 index during the 2nd January 2003 to 31st December 2012 period.

Also, technology stocks can be quite volatile as innovation creates new opportunities. However, many technology companies may not provide dividends which make them harder to value. Fund managers try to outperform technology indexes but the majority of fund managers are unable to outperform them. So, investors have started looking at passive indexation methods. This thesis uses the AEI method that intends to provide a higher return than the underlying index by reducing underlying index volatility. The NASDAQ index is taken as an example of a technology index in this thesis. Results show that the index developed using the AEI method outperformed the NASDAQ index by five (5) times during the period from 2nd January 2003 to 31st December 2012.
352 9
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An Analysis of Consumer Online Reviews: Netnographic Evidence from Australia
(University of New England, 2019-07-08)
Safdar, Sara
;
Adapa, Sujana
;
Sheridan, Alison
The present study focuses on understanding various consumer experiences resulting from the interaction between consumers and online retailers during the search, purchase and post-purchase stages of the online shopping process. With a focus on understanding the role of utilitarian and hedonic consumer value orientations in influencing consumers’ decision to purchase online, the extant literature review identified six important value drivers that influence consumer experiences: perceived price, convenience, enjoyment, trust, risk and usefulness. These value drivers are either utilitarian and/or hedonic in nature, affect consumers’ decision-making process and influence the outcome of consumer shopping activities.

Using a qualitative netnography research method, the present study examined online consumer reviews to identify various consumer experiences in the online shopping environment. Data were collected through publicly available information in the form of online consumer reviews of the selected Internet-based retailers. Data were gathered from the retailers’ official websites, the retailers’ social media pages and an independent website, www.productreview.com.au.

The findings from the study showed that convenience, trust, usefulness and price play major roles in consumers’ decision to shop online. Also, consumers’ willingness to continue shopping online is influenced by the quality of service offered by online retailers at the post-purchase stage. Efficient customer service, quick delivery and easy and flexible return and/or exchange policies increase consumers’ satisfaction and influence their intentions to become a repeat customer.

The present study also showed that a positive consumer experience leads to consumer satisfaction and loyalty. Consumers who are happy and content with the service they received from the online retailer showed their interest in becoming a loyal customer. However, negative consumer experiences with the online retailer can result in consumer dissatisfaction that can lead to consumer disloyalty.
370 2
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An Analysis of Female Beef Cattle Inventory Response in New South Wales Using the Adaptive Risk Model
(1984)
Harrison, Ian
;
Griffiths, Bill
An analysis of variations in the annual inventories of beef cows and heifers and female calves at the regional level in New South Wales is reported. The State was divided into six relatively homogeneous regions for the purposes of this study. Just's adaptive risk model provided the theoretical basis for the specification of equations for each region. This model explicitly considers farmers' subjective evaluations of risk. Geometric weighting of the variances of prices was incorporated in order to study variations in the numbers of female beef cattle in response to changes in price risk. The coefficients of the equations were estimated empirically using a maximum likelihood method. Data for the period 1950 to 1978 were used in estimation. Wherever significant coefficients were obtained in the equations for the cow and heifer portions of the herd, inventories were positively related to expected beef prices and the variances of prices of alternative commodities; and negatively related to expected prices of alternative enterprises and the variances of beef prices. Beef price risk was significantly related to annual inventories of cows and heifers in the northern and coastal regions where, it was suggested, alternative enterprises are less readily available to the farmers possessing the majority of the beef breeding cattle. The estimated elasticities of cow and heifer inventories were higher in the Tablelands and Slopes regions than in the Coast and Western Plains regions; and higher in the central and southern regions than in the northern regions. The results of the empirical estimation of the equations to explain changes in the numbers of female beef calves were less satisfactory. Although results similar to those of the cow and heifer equations were often obtained, unexpected positive signs were obtained on some estimated coefficients associated with the beef price risk variables. Lower estimated elasticities of the inventory of female beef calves were obtained for the Central and Southern Slopes and Coast regions than for other regions. Overall, the estimation of regional level equations provided more satisfactory results than estimates of State level models. It is suggested that further research should be undertaken in order to more adequately assess the usefulness of the adaptive risk model in studies of beef cattle inventory response.
3054 660
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An Analysis of Food Consumption Expenditures of Rural Households: A Case Study of Three Regions in Sri Lanka
(1989)
Kottege, Dharmasri Jayantha Premalal
;
Parton, Kevin
Disaggregated analysis of food consumption expenditures of the poorer sectors of an economy is a useful task and yet one that is not frequently undertaken in LDCs. It is useful due to its many potential contributions 'inter alia' to the development of cost of living indices, standards of living indicators, 'poverty lines' and scales of income distribution crucial to effective policy-making. In this study, a disaggregated analysis of data from mainly subsistence agricultural households, in three selected rural regions of Sri Lanka, was conducted using descriptive and quantitative methods. Quantitative methods include regression analysis using single and systems of equation demand models. The results indicate that the three regions are largely similar in terms of socio-demographic characteristics that are likely to influence food consumption, leading to similar patterns of food consumption expenditure. The expenditure pattern for most items of food, is determined significantly by the level of total expenditure only. The variation in food consumption expenditures across the two seasons, corresponding to pre- and post-harvest periods of 1984, was found to be statistically significant. The total expenditure elasticities for the pre-harvest season were higher for most food categories than those for the post-harvest season. Food plays a patently predominating role in the budget of all income classes. Almost all items of food. including staples, involve increasing expenditures with rising incomes, suggesting that the scope for subsidising any particular type of food, as a means to benefit only the poorer segments of the population, is limited.
2932 618
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An Analysis of Market Integration for Two Vegetables in West Java, Indonesia
(1990)
Ma'mun,
;
Wright, Victor
;
Morison, Julian
Vegetables are important in Indonesia from the point of view of consumption, production and income. Vegetable production has been increased every year since the early 1970s and, in 1983, it increased by 35.1 per cent over the 1982 level. Marketing is one of the constraints in Indonesian agriculture. One of the important problems in agricultural marketing is the farmers' lack of knowledge of the local conditions and potential market. Therefore, the government has implemented marketing information services since 1979, which are designed to assist farmers and buyers to understand the price movement and other marketing parameters. West Java is one of the most important provinces in Indonesia in terms of agricultural production and is the biggest supplier of vegetables for the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta. In West Java,the vegetables which have the main role in the economy are potatoes, cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, red peppers and onions. The general objective of the study is to identify the price integration among markets for selected vegetables. More specifically, the objectives of the study are: (1) to study the price integration of market places for major perishable vegetables over time; (2) to study the price integration of market places for relatively non-perishable vegetables over time; and (3) to draw policy implications from the foregoing analysis. The measurement of price integration is undertaken using the concept of market integration. The market integration model can be employed to measure the extent to which local prices are influenced by prices elsewhere (Ravallion 1986). The present study used local prices in the production area of West Java and the reference prices are from Jakarta and Bandung. The study employed the index of market connection (IMC) constructed by Timmer (in Heytens 1986) to measure the degree of market integration between the local and reference markets. With the availability of appropriate data, the study used daily prices of potatoes and cabbages which are broadcast nationally every weekday at 8.05 p.m. (West-Indonesian Time). Potatoes were studied in two reference markets (Jakarta and Bandung) and three local markets (Pangalengan, Cikajang and Ciwidey) over the period 1986-1988. Cabbages, like potatoes, were studied in two reference markets and four local markets (Pangalengan, Cikajang, Cipanas and Lembang) during 1987-1988. The analysis of the degree of market integration was undertaken in two parts, i.e., for the whole study period and on a year by year basis. Firstly, the model was run by using the ordinary least squares (OLS) method where R squared values were satisfactory and F tests were satisfied. However, the Durbin h statistic indicated most of the models had autocorrelation (positive or negative). Therefore, the model was re-estimated using the moving average first order (MA (1)) error method. For the whole study period, the degree of market integration between the local markets and the reference market of Jakarta was found to be maximal. The highest degree of integration with a local market was for Ciwidey (for potatoes) and for Cipanas (for cabbages). The degree of market integration for potatoes is higher than that for cabbages. On the year by year basis, the results were not very different, although some differences were found. For example, these results indicated that in some years the markets are segmented rather than integrated for all years as suggested by the results of the whole period analysis. Finally, following the results of the study and assessment of the hypotheses, some possible policy recommendations and limitations of the present study are noted, and directions for further research are suggested.
3025 639
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Analysis of Policy on Privatization in Vietnamese Higher Education
(1998)
Pham, Nghi Thanh
;
Meek, Lynn
Privatization is one of the newly emerged issues in Vietnamese higher education but it has attracted little research attention. This study is undertaken in response to three questions that formed the research problem: What are the existing policies that are of critical importance to the development of the non-public sector in Vietnamese higher education? How are the existing policies on privatization in Vietnamese higher education made and implemented? To what extent have the objectives of the policies on privatization in Vietnamese higher education been achieved? The conceptual framework for this study is based on an understanding of influence of political, cultural, economic and behavioural factors on policy process in higher education. Policy is viewed as a process in which government, political parties, interest groups and the general public influence policy and policy making in different ways. Data were obtained through three principal methods: documentary analysis, interviewing and statistical data collection, which formulate an appropriate triangulation for data collection. In response to the three research questions, data were analysed to furnish information about objectives, major contents of the policy on privatization in Vietnamese higher education and regulatory framework for non-public higher education institutions; about how policy was made and implemented; and about how effective the policy has proved to be. Based on all of these, the measures for further development of the non-public sector in Vietnamese higher education were suggested. This study has gathered basic information about the policy on privatization in Vietnamese higher education as a recently emerging issue in Vietnamese higher education. The prospects for further research are extensive.
3030 517
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An Analysis of the Aggregate Supply and Demand Factors Which Influence Export Performance in Tanzania
(1995)
Faru, Zulekha
;
Davidson, Brian
;
Doran, Howard
The objectives of this research are to asses the relative importance of aggregate supply and demand factors in influencing the agricultural export performance in Tanzania, to analyse the effects different trade regimes may have on the export performance and to suggest both domestic production and export policies that could lead to an improvement in export performance. Improving the agricultural export performance in Tanzania is important as increased export earnings can lead to increased national income and provide foreign exchange for the import needs of the domestic economy. In this study export performance of the sector, over the period 1962 to 1992, is measured in terms of real export growth rate and a time series regression model is applied in the analysis.
2803 235
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Analysis of the In-School Professional Development Needs of Newly-Appointed Deputy Principals in N.S.W. Department of School Education Primary Schools
(1995)
Meaney, Douglas John
;
Duignan, Patrick
;
Marshall, Tony
;
Thomas, A Ross
The professional development needs of newly-appointed deputy principals are to be revealed in the role expectations held for deputy principals. Until the late 1980s deputy principals in primary schools fulfilled a functionary role, undertaking managerial activities. The changes occurring within education generally and the specific changes occurring in N.S.W. schools as the recommendations of reviews of public education are implemented have led to the need for school administrators to fulfil the roles of educational leaders, attending to the technical, educational, symbolic and cultural aspects of leadership. As senior school administrators, deputy principals are to fulfil functions that are vital to the leadership of schools and which have special relevance to the undertaking of the school development plan process which will launch schools into a devolved system of education. This research delineated the in-service professional development needs of deputy principals in the phases prior to and during the early assumption of the position of deputy principal.
2874 652
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An Analysis of the Nature and Circumstances of Early Mycenaean Warfare Based on a Study of the Pre LH IIIB Mycenaean Shields
(2015)
Smith, Allan Joseph Cameron
;
Weeks, Lloyd
;
Schmitz, Michael
The purpose of this thesis is to produce a definitive study of how the Mycenaean full body shields impacted on Mycenaean warfare and answer the question "is the current understanding of the how the Mycenaean tower shield was historically used accurate?" In the process this thesis will look at how Mycenaean military was organised, the role it played in the society of the time, and how warfare was physically waged – researched through the mediums of documentary evidence and weaponry. As the swords of this period and spears in general have received recent attention in publication, this thesis will focus on that most unique of early Mycenaean defensive armaments, the full body shields of both tower and figure-of-eight design. This thesis is an original contribution to the period being studied, and will make use of all resources at its disposal to arrive at its conclusion.
3544 1602
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An Analysis of the Transport of Soil by Rainsplash and an Evaluation of Methods of Measurement
(1984)
Reeve, Ian
;
Perrens, S
;
Fisher, I H
Land degradation due to soil erosion continues to be a threat to the maintenance of the productivity of Australia's agricultural and pastoral lands. The development of techniques of predicting soil losses to assist in management decisions concerning these lands is of considerable importance if future management strategies are to maintain long-term agricultural productivity. Deterministic modelling techniques would appear to be the most appropriate research direction to be taken in Australia, as the Universal Soil Loss Equation cannot be directly transferred to Australian soil and climatic conditions, nor is the establishment of the required data basis within financial reach of Australia's soil conservation instrumentalities. The inter-rill erosion component of published erosion models seems to be almost invariably based upon splash cup-based relationships of splash detachment to rainfall kinetic energy or intensity despite published analyses that suggest splash cup and soil tray measurements may be subject to configurational artefact. In view of the potential shown by a number of such analyses of the splash transport process, this aspect was chosen for further research, with a view to improving the predictive performance of the inter-rill component. It was found that inter-rill transport could be validly represented as a drop impact-induced soil particle displacement process. Analysis of this process showed that the transport rate of soil was a function of both the detachment rate and the magnitude and direction of particle displacements. The success of this analysis depended upon strict definition of detachment rate and transport rate as follows.
3294 983
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The Analytic Signal and Cross-Correlation Applied in Rapid, Detailed Analysis of Aeromagnetic and Radiometric Data
(1998)
Cobine, Trevor James
;
Acton, Gary
;
Flood, Peter
The analytic signal, which is derived from two-dimensional magnetic data sets, can be used to map magnetic boundaries or changes in susceptibility. As air-rock boundaries in steep terrains represent a change in susceptibility, there is an ambiguity between terrain and geology. This was evident in the trace of the analytic signal for the Goonaloom Creek area and the ambiguity could not be resolved satisfactorily by comparison of the analytic signal trace and the known geology. When applied to a small scale, high definition aeromagnetic data set, the analytic signal trace was fragmented by grid corrugation. The Laplacian convolution filter suggested by McLeod et al., (1993), accentuated the noise artifacts. The application of the analytic signal to the mid-latitude data of this project gave no advantages over reduce-to-pole methods, although this may not be the case at low magnetic latitudes. Cross-correlation in the Fourier plane is defined as the multiplication of one transformed signal by the complex conjugate of the second transformed signal. In a commercial image processing package such as ER Mapper, cross correlation is easily implemented. Cross-correlation of the total magnetic intensity and potassium-40 counts is useful in targeting areas of where hydrothermal activity has occurred. In the case of the Goonaloom Creek survey, the correlation anomaly can be interpreted as porphyry mineralization zoning under the Lowell and Guilbert (1970) model. This may also be the case for an area two kilometres south of Mt. Hastings mine west of Biggenden, Queensland. The cross-correlation of the first vertical derivative of the total magnetic field intensity and potassium-40 defines areas of possible structurally-controlled, near-surface mineralization.
3027 1005
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Thesis Masters Research
Ancient Rigor with a little Modern Delight: Romano Micheli and The Psalms of the Office of Vespers (1610)
(University of New England, 2024-05-09)
Lesueur, Brenda May
;
Blackburn, Alana Jane
;
Stoessel, Jason
This work presents a first modern edition of the premier opus of the prominent seventeenthcentury contrapuntist and polemicist, Romano Micheli. Several pieces in original notation, a collection of options for different voicings, and editions for male and female voices are presented. The Roman context and the personal, social and religious factors impacting the composer are investigated. The inclusion of instructions for the use of Micheli’s psalmi by nuns demands investigation of nuns and their music. The analysis of compositional techniques reveals a gradual adaptation of traditional musical language. This sophisticated work uses complex compositional techniques built on the foundations of the ‘Ancient Rigor’ of Renaissance modal counterpoint with added elements of ‘Modern Delight’.
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