Least square support vector and multi-linear regression for statistically downscaling general circulation model outputs to catchment streamflows
- Authors: Sachindra, D. A. , Huang, Fuchun , Barton, Andrew , Perera, Bimalka
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Climatology Vol. 33, no. 5 (2013), p. 1087-1106
- Full Text: false
- Description: This study employed least square support vector machine regression (LS-SVM-R) and multi-linear regression (MLR) for statistically downscaling monthly general circulation model (GCM) outputs directly to monthly catchment streamflows. The scope of the study was limited to calibration and validation of the downscaling models. The methodology was demonstrated by its application to a streamflow site in the Grampian water supply system in northwestern Victoria, Australia. Probable predictors for the study were selected from the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCEP/NCAR) reanalysis data set based on the past literature and hydrology. Probable variables that displayed the best significant correlations, consistently with the streamflows over the entire period of the study (1950-2010) and under three 20-year time slices (1950-1969, 1970-1989 and 1990-2010) were selected as potential predictors. To better capture seasonal variations of streamflows, downscaling models were developed for each calendar month. The standardized potential predictors were introduced to the LS-SVM-R and MLR models, starting from the best correlated three and then, others one by one, based on their correlations with the streamflows, until the model performance in validation was maximized. This stepwise model development enabled the identification of the optimum number of potential variables for each month. The model calibration was performed over the period 1950-1989 and validation was done for 1990-2010. LS-SVM-R model parameter optimization was achieved using simplex algorithm and leave-one-out cross-validation. The MLR models were optimized by minimizing the sum of squared errors. In both modelling techniques, validation was performed as an independent simulation. In calibration, LS-SVM-R and MLR models displayed equally good performances with a trend of under-predicting high flows. During validation, LS-SVM-R outperformed MLR, though both techniques over-predicted most of the streamflows. It was concluded that LS-SVM-R is a better technique for statistically downscaling GCM outputs to streamflows than MLR, but still MLR is a potential technique for the same task. Copyright © 2012 Royal Meteorological Society.
Puberty, health and sexual education in Australian regional primary schools : Year 5 and 6 teacher perceptions
- Authors: Duffy, Bernadette , Fotinatos, Nina , Smith, Amanda , Burke, Jenene
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sex Education Vol. 13, no. 2 (2013), p. 186-203
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The research reported in this paper investigates why teachers in regional primary schools in the Ballarat region of Victoria, Australia, are choosing to outsource the teaching of sexuality education. A survey was conducted of 29 Year 5 and Year 6 teachers from local primary schools. The teachers provided information about: their confidence in delivering sexuality-related topics; their perceptions of the relevance of given sexuality topics to their students; the teachers' own professional development preferences; and what they saw as their personal limitations in teaching sexuality education. Teachers tended to report low confidence in teaching topics that are considered 'sensitive', such as menstruation, wet dreams and sexual intercourse. Furthermore, they indicated a need for professional development in teaching sexuality education. The greatest hurdle identified lies in identifying how to motivate, engage and support teachers to take a professional interest in teaching sexuality education. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
- Description: 2003009651
Sea-level trend analysis for coastal management
- Authors: Parker, Albert , Saad Saleem, Muhammad , Lawson, M.
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Ocean and Coastal Management Vol. 73, no. (2013), p. 63-81
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: A proper coastal management requires an accurate estimation of sea level trends locally and globally. It is claimed that the sea levels are rising following an exponential growth since the 1990s, and because of that coastal communities are facing huge challenges. Many local governments throughout Australia, including those on the coast, have responded to the various warnings about changes in climate and increases in sea levels by undertaking detailed climate change risk management exercises. These exercises, which use projections passed on by the relevant state bodies, are expensive, but still a fraction of the cost of the capital works that they recommend. Several councils have complained to an Australian Productivity Commission report on climate change adaptation they do not have the money for the capital works required. It is shown here that the exponential growth claim is not supported by any measurement of enough length and quality when properly analysed. The tide gauge results do not support the exponential growth theory. The projections by the relevant state bodies should therefore be revised by considering the measurements and not the models to compute the future sea level rises for the next 30 years following the same trend experienced over the last 30 years. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.
Socio-ecological value of wetlands: The dilemma of balancing human and ecological water needs
- Authors: Graymore, Michelle , McBride, Dawn
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australasian Journal of Environmental Management Vol. 20, no. 3 (2013), p. 225-241
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Humans' need for water has changed flow regimes, degraded ecosystems and depleted water resources. In the Wimmera Mallee in Victoria, the dilemma between human and ecological water requirements began in the colonial era when a channel and dam system was built to transport water. Prolonged drought prompted government to replace this with the Wimmera Mallee Pipeline. This pipeline produced a closed system, reducing water available for the environment, including on-farm wetlands. This study identifies the socio-ecological values of on-farm wetlands and the impact the changed water regime had on these. An interpretative landscape approach was used to integrate geophysical, ecological and social information on nine on-farm wetlands. This identified a range of socio-ecological values on-farm wetlands provide, including aesthetic, amenity, production and biodiversity, that are impacted by the pipeline system. A range of implications for on-farm wetland management were also identified. © 2013 Copyright Environment Institute of Australia and New Zealand Inc.
- Description: C1
The Audit We Had to Have : The Economic Record, 1960-2009
- Authors: Millmow, Alex , Tuck, Jacqueline
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Economic Record Vol. 88, no. 284 (2013), p. 112-128
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: The Economic Record, one of the world's oldest economic journals, has a distinguished history. The flagship journal of the Economic Society of Australia and New Zealand was launched in 1925 and is approaching its 100th birthday. We undertake a forensic examination of the journal over the last 50 years, exploring issues like its content, most-cited articles and most frequent contributors. This article discusses the journal's internationalisation but also identifies how Australia's top economists have, for the most part, faithfully persisted with it. The changing nature of academic publishing is explored through the patterns of collaboration, citations and dry holes. © 2013 Economic Society of Australia.
- Description: 2003010823
The baby, the bath water and the future of IMGs
- Authors: Terry, Daniel , Lê, Quynh
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Innovative Interdisciplinary Research Vol. 2, no. 1 (2013), p. 51-62
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Migration has significantly accelerated over in the past few decades, with the migration of doctors and other health professionals from developed countries forming a large part of the globalisation of health care. As such, migrant labour has been observed as a means of meeting job shortages within developed countries, from low-skilled to highly-skilled professional occupations, such as International Medical Graduates (IMG). Australia, like many other developed countries, has trained insufficient doctors in the past. This has led to the immigration of IMGs to fill this gap, particularly in rural and remote areas. As countries, such as Australia has developed an ongoing need for IMGs, so too the policies and regulations have developed over the decades to meet those needs. However, as Australia now begins to train more local medical graduates, the future for IMGs remains less conceivable. The aim of this paper is to discuss the increased use of IMGs and the development of legislation and policy to regulate this cohort of migrant labour in Australia while examining what the future may be for IMGs.
The provision of sexual health education in Australia : primary school teachers' perspectives in rural Victoria
- Authors: Smith, Amanda , Fotinatos, Nina , Duffy, Bernadette , Burke, Jenene
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sex Education Vol. 13, no. 3 (2013), p. 247-262
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In Australian schools, one significant component of whole-school learning in sexuality education is to provide students with developmentally appropriate curriculum and learning opportunities, with the intention of influencing positive health and well-being. In the situation where the usual classroom teacher is under-prepared or unwilling to teach sexuality education to their students, the use of external providers who are experts in puberty and sexual health is crucial. While the provider is a key influential factor in any sexual health programme, reliance on external providers for the provision of sexuality education in regional Australian cities is not well documented. This mixed-method study aims to address this gap in the literature with a specific focus on Ballarat, where the provision of sexuality education, particularly in primary schools, is heavily reliant on several external providers. Participant schools highlight the need for further positive synergies between the classroom teachers, external agencies and the accessibility of a rigorous curriculum to sustain the delivery of an effective programme to young people in schools. © 2013 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.
- Description: 1117 Public Health And Health Services
- Description: 1302 Curriculum And Pedagogy
- Description: 1699 Other Studies in Human Society
- Description: 2003010671
Top university managers and affirmative action
- Authors: Carvalho, Teresa , White, Kate , Machado-Taylor, Maria
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Vol. 32, no. 4 (2013), p. 394-409
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to analyse if the existence of equal opportunity legislative frameworks and affirmative action programs make any difference to the way senior managers perceive the role of top university managers in influencing women's position in their institutions. A comparative study was therefore undertaken between a country with traditions in implementing AA in universities - Australia - and another which has no tradition in this domain - Portugal. Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative methodology was chosen to collect and analyse data. A total of 44 interviews with male and female university senior managers - 21 in Australia and 23 in Portugal - were conducted by the principal researcher in each country. Findings - When describing the role of top managers, gender equality was not often mentioned, suggesting that it may not be a topic on the current institutional political agenda either in Australia or in Portugal. When specifically asked about gender, respondents considered that Rectors and VCs in the two countries took opposite positions with Australian VCs being more aware of their role in improving gender equality. The study therefore concluded that the existence of equal opportunities frameworks and AA policies may have an influence in increasing top managers' awareness of their roles in improving women's representation in management teams. Research limitations/implications - The research was restricted to public universities. In Portugal the system is more diverse and comparing HE with private and polytechnic institutions could provide important insights about senior managers' roles in relation to improving women's position in HE. More in-depth qualitative studies are needed, to obtain top managers' perceptions of the variables that impact on their views and attitudes to women in senior management. Practical implications - This study provides new and innovative contributions to knowledge about the perceptions of senior managers of their top managers and their roles in eliminating gender discrimination and the influence of affirmative action in HE in these perceptions. Originality/value - This paper contributes to the discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of using affirmative action programmes by analyzing a dimension which has not been explored - its impact on senior managers' perceptions of their role in promoting gender equality in HEIs.
Assessing the wave energy converter potential for Australian coastal regions
- Authors: Behrens, Sam , Hayward, Jennifer , Hemer, Mark , Osman, Peter
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Renewable Energy Vol. 43, no. (2012), p. 210-217
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Wave energy is particularly abundant along the Australian southern coastline. Harvesting wave energy using a converter could provide a sustainable alternative for electricity generation for Australia. In this paper, the performance of three different types of wave energy converter (WEC) has been evaluated spatially for Australian coastal regions using Australian Renewable Energy Atlas wave energy data. It was found one of the WECs operated with a capacity factor greater than 54.3% for a large portion of the Tasmanian western coastline, while being located close to transmission infrastructure. The levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) for the WECs for these regions was in the order of $78/MWh. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.
Cancer incidence and soil arsenic exposure in a historical gold mining area in Victoria, Australia : A geospatial analysis
- Authors: Pearce, Dora , Dowling, Kim , Sim, Malcolm
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology Vol. 22, no. 3 (2012), p. 248-257
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Soil and mine waste around historical gold mining sites may have elevated arsenic concentrations. Recent evidence suggests some systemic arsenic absorption by residents in the goldfields region of Victoria, Australia. Victorian Cancer Registry and geochemical data were accessed for an ecological geographical correlation study, 1984-2003. Spatial empirical Bayes smoothing was applied when estimating standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) for cancers in 61 statistical local areas. The derived soil arsenic exposure metric ranged from 1.4 to 1857 mg/kg. Spatial autoregressive modelling detected increases in smoothed SIRs for all cancers of 0.05 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.02-0.08) and 0.04 (0.01-0.07) per 2.7-fold increase in the natural log-transformed exposure metric for males and females, respectively, in more socioeconomically disadvantaged areas; for melanoma in males (0.05 (0.01-0.08) adjusted for disadvantage) and females (0.05 (0.02-0.09) in disadvantaged areas). Excess risks were estimated for all cancers (relative risk 1.21 (95% CI, 1.15-1.27) and 1.08 (1.03-1.14)), and melanoma (1.52 (1.25-1.85) and 1.29 (1.08-1.55)), for males and females, respectively, in disadvantaged areas in the highest quintile of the exposure metric relative to the lowest. Our findings suggest small but significant increases in past cancer risk associated with increasing soil arsenic in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and demonstrate the robustness of this geospatial approach. Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology advance online publication, 21 March 2012.
Causes of morbidity and mortality of wild aquatic birds at billabong sanctuary, Townsville, North Queensland, Australia
- Authors: Hoque, Md Ahasanul , Burgess, Graham , Greenhill, Andrew , Hedlefs, Robert , Skerratt, Lee
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Avian Diseases Vol. 56, no. 1 (2012), p. 249-256
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Infectious diseases are common causes of significant morbidity and mortality events of wild aquatic birds (WABs) worldwide. Reports of Australian events are infrequent. A 3-yr passive surveillance program investigating the common causes of morbidity and mortality of WABs was conducted at Billabong Sanctuary near Townsville, North Queensland, from April 2007 to March 2010. Forty-two carcasses were obtained and evaluated by clinico-pathologic, histologic, bacteriologic, and virologic (molecular) examinations. Morbidity and mortality were sporadic and more commonly observed in chicks and juvenile birds in April than other months of the year. Morbid birds were frequently unable to walk. Hemorrhagic lesions and infiltration of lymphocytes in various organs were the most common findings in dead birds. Identified bacterial diseases that could cause bird mortality were colibacillosis, pasteurellosis, and salmonellosis. Salmonella serotypes Virchow and Hvittingfoss were isolated from an Australian white ibis (Threskiornis molucca) chick and two juvenile plumed whistling ducks (Dendrocygna eytoni) in April 2007. These strains have been previously isolated from humans in North Queensland. A multiplex real time reverse transcriptasePCR (rRT-PCR) detected Newcastle disease viral RNA (class 2 type) in one adult Australian pelican (Pelecanus conspicillatus) and a juvenile plumed whistling duck. No avian influenza viral RNA was detected from any sampled birds by the rRT-PCR for avian influenza. This study identified the public health importance of Salmonella in WABs but did not detect the introduction of the high pathogenicity avian influenza H5N1 virus in the population. A successful network was established between the property owner and the James Cook University research team through which dead birds, with accompanying information, were readily obtained for analysis. There is an opportunity for establishing a long-term passive disease surveillance program for WABs in North Queensland, an important region in Australian biosecurity, thus potentially significantly benefitting public health in the region and the country. © 2012 American Association of Avian Pathologists.
Characterising and predicting cyber attacks using the Cyber Attacker Model Profile (CAMP)
- Authors: Watters, Paul , McCombie, Stephen , Layton, Robert , Pieprzyk, Josef
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Money Laundering Control Vol. 15, no. 4 (2012), p. 430-441
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose – Ethnographic studies of cyber attacks typically aim to explain a particular profile of attackers in qualitative terms. The purpose of this paper is to formalise some of the approaches to build a Cyber Attacker Model Profile (CAMP) that can be used to characterise and predict cyber attacks. Design/methodology/approach – The paper builds a model using social and economic independent or predictive variables from several eastern European countries and benchmarks indicators of cybercrime within the Australian financial services system. Findings – The paper found a very strong link between perceived corruption and GDP in two distinct groups of countries – corruption in Russia was closely linked to the GDP of Belarus, Moldova and Russia, while corruption in Lithuania was linked to GDP in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine. At the same time corruption in Russia and Ukraine were also closely linked. These results support previous research that indicates a strong link between been legitimate economy and the black economy in many countries of Eastern Europe and the Baltic states. The results of the regression analysis suggest that a highly skilled workforce which is mobile and working in an environment of high perceived corruption in the target countries is related to increases in cybercrime even within Australia. It is important to note that the data used for the dependent and independent variables were gathered over a seven year time period, which included large economic shocks such as the global financial crisis. Originality/value – This is the first paper to use a modelling approach to directly show the relationship between various social, economic and demographic factors in the Baltic states and Eastern Europe, and the level of card skimming and card not present fraud in Australia. Acknowledgements: Paul A. Watters and Robert Layton are funded by IBM, Westpac, the State Government of Victoria and the Australian Federal Police.
- Description: 2003011112
Colin Clark and Australia
- Authors: Millmow, Alex
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: History of Economics Review Vol. 56, no. 1 (2012), p. 56-70
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Colin Clark was a rather quixotic figure. Much of his complex character is captured not only in his varied career choices but also the comments made of him by various referees over the years. While Clark spent half of his career in England and half in Australia it was to the latter that he was drawn. He was happy to be identified as an Australian economist. Despite his eminent academic record he was never to occupy a professorial chair in Australia. This was largely attributable to his own choices in career and his penchant for a doctrinaire brand of economics.
Governance and accountability in Australian charitable organisations: Perceptions from CFOs
- Authors: Dellaportas, Steven , Langton, Jonathan , West, Brian
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: International Journal of Accounting and Information Management Vol. 20, no. 3 (2012), p. 238-254
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to explore the perceptions of senior accounting officers on governance, performance and accountability issues in the charity sector. Design/methodology/approach - The empirical data presented in this paper were collected via a mail-out survey to Chief Financial Officers (CFO) of large charity organisations in Australia. Findings - The executives surveyed agreed that the public is entitled to receive high quality financial disclosures from charities, favouring "programme accountability", "fiscal accountability" and "profit" as relevant performance indicators rather than cash surplus/deficit. The respondents also considered that charities warrant a dedicated accounting standard but were less enthusiastic about an independent regulator with stronger control functions. Research limitations/implications - The data in this study report the opinions of financial executives which may not represent the view of all managing executives. Originality/value - While governance in charities has been examined previously from an organisational or management perspective, this is one of the few papers that emphasises how members of the accounting profession view this important topic.
Groups and teamwork
- Authors: Pillay, Soma
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Human resource management in Australia and New Zealand Chapter 13 p. 384-411
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: In today's highly competitive environment, organisations realise that they can achieve their goals only through the combined efforts of everybody involved in the organisation. Previously, organisations relied on hierarchiacal, functionally orientated, command-and-control systems. Today, the adoption of a team-based work arrangement creates a flat, focused, flexible, and adaptive organisation capable of rapid responses to change. Groups and teamwork allow for greater participation, increased performance, and ultimately influence the motivation and satisfaction of employees. However, changing to a team-based structure does not guarantee success. Some groups tend to be more successful than others, and for this reason it is essential to investigate the factors that contribute to effective group functioning. The introduction of virtual teams into the workplace also offers new challenges for the way in which people are managed. In this chapter, we explore the nature of groups, how they develope, and the factors that contribute to effective group functioning. We examine the difference between groups and teams, and give special attention to the utilisation of teams in the workplace.
Hydraulic heterogeneity in a highly weathered basaltic regolith : Impact on lateral-flow and solute transport
- Authors: Rasiah, Velu , Armour, John , Florentine, Singarayer
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Environmental Hydrology Vol. 20, no. 13 (2012), p.
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Reliable on-ground information on groundwater (GW) hydraulic heterogeneity is required to determine flow direction and quantities, but its experimental characterization is difficult because of the complexities associated with the interaction involving the temporal changes in space modified by regolith stratigraphy. The impact of the aforementioned variables, particularly stratigraphy in a 51 m thick highly weathered basaltic regolith in the northeast humid tropics of Queensland, Australia, on flow gradients and directions was investigated in this study. Regolith cores at 1 m increments indicated that there were 3 different major strata. The temporal changes in water table, hydraulic- and pressure- heads, and solute concentrations in space indicated the top 51 m aquifer was contiguous, dynamic and hydraulically differentiated into three segments which approximately corresponded with the regolith strata. The lateralflow and solute transport from each aquifer segment was controlled by depth to water table, the number of regolith layers the segment covered, and the solute concentration.
- Description: 2003010399
Interaction between a river and its wetland : Evidence from the Murray River for spatial variability in diatom and radioisotope records
- Authors: Grundell, Rosie , Gell, Peter , Mills, Keely , Zawadzki, Atun
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Paleolimnology Vol. 47, no. 2 (2012), p. 205-219
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Sinclair Flat is small wetland, located within the gorge section of the Murray River floodplain. situated near Blanchetown, South Australia, the wetland is closely linked to the River and, since regulation, has become permanently inundated. High summer evaporation rates deplete the volume of water within the wetland. However, this is compensated by perennial inflow via a permanent inlet from the River. This site provides an opportunity to explore the relative contribution of river and wetland diatom flora to the sediment record, and the fluvial and aerial contribution of radiometric isotopes to the system. The geochronological and biostratigraphic data provide an insight into the history of the water quality of Sinclair Flat. Evidence exists for the River being a source of sediments and isotopes and of diatom species typical of the main river channel. Prior to 1950, Sinclair Flat was an oligotrophic, oligosaline, clear-water wetland. The wetland shifted gradually to an environment that favoured clear-water benthic species, most likely as a consequence of changes following river regulation in the 1920s, although the capacity to date these sediments is limited. During the 1950s, the wetland became plankton dominated. Peaks in epiphytic diatoms during the 1960s suggest increased emergent macrophyte cover. The contemporary condition is of a connected, turbid, eutrophic and mesosaline lagoon. The ecological condition of Sinclair Flat has diverged considerably from its historical range of condition. This record supports evidence from upstream of widespread state switches in the Murray-Darling Basin floodplain wetlands. This record also lends considerable weight to modern studies attesting to the degraded state of the waterways of the Murray-Darling Basin and the impact of river regulation practices on the water quality of these ecosystems. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Motivation
- Authors: Pillay, Soma
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Book chapter
- Relation: Human resource management in Australia and New Zealand Chapter 11 p. 324-352
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Motivating employees is one of the most important managerial functions. Successfully motivating employees is essential in the quest to utilise the full potential of people. This helps to maximize the quality of products and service. In Australia, being such a multi-cultural society and with a very diverse workforce, motivation is a vert complex issue. This is owing to the uniqueness of people and the wide range of internal and external factors that impact on it. Motivation is interdisciplinary and therefore cannot be separated from other branches of social sciences. An example is leadership, which is the ability to inspire people to voluntarily and enthusiastically work towards the attainment of organisational goals. But what is motivation? And how does one motivate people? The purpose of this chapter is to provide a comprehensive approach to the question of employee motivation. First, we explore the meaning of motivation. We investigate the practical application of various content and process theories in the workplace. The role of goal setting in motivation is examined, and the power of money as a motivator is considered. We also consider new developments in the study of motivation.
Pedagogical concerns in doctoral supervision : A challenge for pedagogy
- Authors: Zeegers, Margaret , Barron, Deirdre
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Quality Assurance in Education Vol. 20, no. 1 (2012), p. 20-30
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to focus on pedagogy as a crucial element in postgraduate research undertakings, implying active involvement of both student and supervisor in process of teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on Australian higher degree research supervision practice to illustrate their argument, the authors take issue with reliance on traditional Oxbridge conventions as informing dominant practices of supervision of postgraduate research studies and suggest pedagogy as intentional and systematic intervention that acknowledges the problematic natures of relationships between teaching, learning, and knowledge production as integral to supervision and research studies. Findings: The authors examine issues of discursive practice and the problematic nature of power differentials in supervisor-supervisee relationships, and the taken-for-grantedness of discursive practice of such relationships. The authors do this from the perspective of the student involved in higher degree research programs, a departure from the bulk of the literature that has as its focus the perspective of the supervisor and/or the institution. Originality/value: The paper examines the perspective of the student involved in higher degree research programs, a departure from the bulk of the literature that has as its focus the perspective of the supervisor and/or the institution. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Political aspects of innovation : Examining renewable energy in Australia
- Authors: Effendi, Pranoto , Courvisanos, Jerry
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Renewable Energy Vol. 38, no. 1 (2012), p. 245-252
- Full Text: false
- Reviewed:
- Description: Despite possessing a very large potential of renewable energy sources, Australia has lagged behind other developed countries in embracing renewable energy. Various programs and policies have been devised and implemented by Australian governments. Nevertheless, the proportion of renewable energy in electricity generation in Australia has not increased significantly. This paper seeks to explain why Australia has difficulties in adopting renewable energy by using the Political Aspect of Innovation (PAI) framework to examine the causes and barriers that have blocked the taking up of renewable energy. The PAI framework is concerned specifically with public innovation policy in Australia and the way it aims to encourage and support investment in new technology development. The paper finally outlines some future suggestions for charting the progression of the Australian energy system toward a transformative sustainable future. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.