Description:
It has been suggested that work-life balance policies are good weather policies, which have been implemented in times of a favourable economic environment and/or high demand for labour but may be withdrawn once those conditions deteriorate. This paper outlines three critical limitations of the management-oriented work-life balance literature. I argue that organisational approaches alone cannot bring about more balanced work-life conditions and that the scope of the current discussion needs to be systematically broadened to incorporate insights provided by research in other disciplines.
Description:
Major biological parameters of four permanent (Lake Colac, Modewarre, Bolac and Tooliorook), shallow and slightly saline lakes in the volcanic plains of western Victoria, Australia recorded bi-monthly between November 1999-September 2001 are described. Chlorophyll a concentration ranged from 3-29
Description:
This paper focuses on the registration of supervisors as a crucial element in constructs and practices of postgraduate studies in Australian universities. It examines two processes in a number of Australian universities postgraduate divisions' practices in compilation of postgraduate supervisor registers-how people get onto the register, and how people get off it. It takes issue with the reliance on custom and tradition as a dominant practice of registration and/or deregistration for supervision of postgraduate research studies. It suggests a model of supervisor registration and deregistration as intentional and systematic intervention, based on literature deriving from research in postgraduate supervision which acknowledges the problematic natures of relationships between teaching, learning and knowledge production. In doing so, it examines issues of discursive practice and the problematic nature of power differentials in supervisor/supervisee relationships and the possibilities presented by both registration and deregistration for such relationships.
Description:
This paper focuses on the registration of supervisors as a crucial element in constructs and practices of postgraduate studies in Australian universities. It examines two processes in a number of Australian universities postgraduate divisions' practices in compilation of postgraduate supervisor registers-how people get onto the register, and how people get off it. It takes issue with the reliance on custom and tradition as a dominant practice of registration and/or deregistration for supervision of postgraduate research studies. It suggests a model of supervisor registration and deregistration as intentional and systematic intervention, based on literature deriving from research in postgraduate supervision which acknowledges the problematic natures of relationships between teaching, learning and knowledge production. In doing so, it examines issues of discursive practice and the problematic nature of power differentials in supervisor/supervisee relationships and the possibilities presented by both registration and deregistration for such relationships.
Description:
This article arose from a concern that OHS professionals are not strategically influential with senior managers, and that this lack of influence may be limiting workplace health and safety improvements and, in turn, hindering the progress of the national OHS improvement strategy. The article analyses data from an Australian survey into the communication patterns and activities of OHS professionals in an attempt to clarify whether their activities are likely to have a strategic influence on senior managers. While there may be a number of interpretations of the data, the results indicate that the focus of the activities of OHS professionals is mainly task-oriented. Less often, the focus of their activities is operational (such as developing the OHS management system), while a few of their activities may be considered as strategic. The Australian survey was part of a broader international study and a comparison of the results with those from other countries revealed that the limited focus on strategic activities is not unique to Australia.
Description:
This article considers the barriers to higher education currently faced by rural students in Australia. Three barriers to participation in higher education for rural students that appear consistently in the literature are financial pressures, family and community attributes, and physical location. Results of recent studies in this area suggest that these factors often coexist to create one, complex and intertwined barrier which needs to be approach by all involved in a collaborative and cooperative way in order to provide rural people with equitable access to higher education.
Description:
There is little published information on the impacts of exotic fishes in the shallow slightly saline, closed catchment lakes of western Victoria. The present study assessed the diet of exotic carp (Cyprinus carpio) from two lakes of western Victoria (Lake Colac and Lake Modewarre) between November 1999-September 2001, using a numerical and volumetric method of gut contents analysis. Carp larvae <2 cm total length fed exclusively on microcrustacea (Cladocera and Copepoda). At a mean total length of >2 cm carp larvae shifted their diet to include benthic food resources, but microcrustacea still dominated the larval diet. Small carp (≤15 cm) showed a high preference for microcrustacea and tended to avoid benthic macroinvertebrate food resources. As carp size increased the proportion of macroinvertebrates in gut contents increased. Medium (15-40 cm) and large sized carp (>40 cm) displayed broad food assemblages in their guts with microcrustacea, Gastropoda, Ostracoda, Amphipoda and detritus being dominant. Carp showed a selective preference for Diptera and a balanced preference for Amphipoda. Schoener's dietary overlap was high between small and medium carp (0.55-0.65) and medium and large carp (0.72-0.74) but was low between small and large carp (0.36-0.44). When considering only benthic macroinvertebrate food resources, Hurlbert's dietary overlap between size classes of carp remained reasonably low. There were no observable seasonal patterns in the diet of carp in the two lakes but the proportion of the food items in the gut varied between sampling occasions. This study identified the potential of exotic carp in altering lake function by feeding predominantly on microcrustacea, thus causing a 'top-down' trophic cascade.
Description:
In the 1920s and 1930s working-class people from the inner suburbs of Melbourne, Australia took to the foothills of the nearby Dandenong ranges on weekends and public holidays to enjoy a bush picnic or holiday. It was a time in both Britain and Australia when working people were able to take family holidays in greater numbers. Unstructured interviews with former female visitors began with the purpose of gaining an insight into the leisure of the time. Information obtained along the way about working lives reinforced the importance of thinking about work and leisure in association with each other. The incidents that some women remembered from their working lives presented a strong and autonomous view of themselves. While such power could be seen as a realistic view of their holidays in the bush, it appears that the context of the interview relationship contributed to the highlighting of an assertive and lively work identity.
Description:
In the 1920s and 1930s working-class people from the inner suburbs of Melbourne, Australia took to the foothills of the nearby Dandenong ranges on weekends and public holidays to enjoy a bush picnic or holiday. It was a time in both Britain and Australia when working people were able to take family holidays in greater numbers. Unstructured interviews with former female visitors began with the purpose of gaining an insight into the leisure of the time. Information obtained along the way about working lives reinforced the importance of thinking about work and leisure in association with each other. The incidents that some women remembered from their working lives presented a strong and autonomous view of themselves. While such power could be seen as a realistic view of their holidays in the bush, it appears that the context of the interview relationship contributed to the highlighting of an assertive and lively work identity.
Description:
Pecans from the cultivars Wichita and Western Schley [Carya illinoinensis (Wangenh.) K. Koch] collected over three years were analyzed for the following constituents: total lipid content; fatty acid profiles; sucrose content; protein; total dietary fiber; the minerals magnesium, calcium, potassium, sulfur, phosphorus, boron, copper, iron, manganese, sodium, zinc, and aluminum; vitamin C; and lipase and lipoxygenase activities. Year of harvest and cultivar had little effect on the composition of the pecans. Overall, protein content was the only constituent that differed between pecans grown in Australia and those grown in the United States. This difference is probably related to differences in growing location and horticultural practices between the two countries.
Description:
Analysis of the data collected from a survey into what OHS professionals do in practice indicated that they are not strategically influential with senior managers and that this lack of influence may be limiting workplace health and safety improvements. This article revisits the survey data to investigate the potential links between the personal (gender) and professional (education and experience) characteristics of OHS professionals, the industry and the size and geographical location of the organisation in which they work, and their involvement in strategic activities. The analysis indicates that the profile of OHS professionals who are strategically influential includes the following: they are male; they have worked in OHS for six to 10 years; and they are employed by large organisations, particularly in the mining and construction industries. The data regarding the role of education were contradictory to expectations and other reports. While this analysis has provided a profile of OHS professionals in Australia, it has added little to our understanding of the interactions and dynamics of factors that might impact on the strategic influence of OHS professionals.
Description:
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for improving training for mature-aged workers may be offered. Design/methodology/approach – Six expert interviews were carried out by telephone, and three case studies involving company site visits were completed. Each company case study involved interviews with managers, trainers and mature-aged workers. The study was confined to the manufacturing industry. Findings – Mature-aged workers bring many advantages to workplaces and some employers show a definite preference for them over younger workers; but in some cases training needs to take account of lack of confidence and literacy and health issues. However, there is great diversity among mature-aged workers. Research limitations/implications – The research is confined to shop-floor workers in manufacturing, and does not address training of mature-aged managers and professionals. The research is small-scale but provides new insights, and importantly the voices of the workers themselves. Practical implications – The paper identifies managerial and training practices that can immediately be implemented. Originality/value – The paper identifies some issues that can be taken up at a policy level as well as within companies. For example, the preference for qualification-based training at a national level is not necessarily consistent with what mature-aged workers prefer.
Description:
Purpose – This paper aims to examine the employment and training of mature-aged workers, so that suggestions for improving training for mature-aged workers may be offered. Design/methodology/approach – Six expert interviews were carried out by telephone, and three case studies involving company site visits were completed. Each company case study involved interviews with managers, trainers and mature-aged workers. The study was confined to the manufacturing industry. Findings – Mature-aged workers bring many advantages to workplaces and some employers show a definite preference for them over younger workers; but in some cases training needs to take account of lack of confidence and literacy and health issues. However, there is great diversity among mature-aged workers. Research limitations/implications – The research is confined to shop-floor workers in manufacturing, and does not address training of mature-aged managers and professionals. The research is small-scale but provides new insights, and importantly the voices of the workers themselves. Practical implications – The paper identifies managerial and training practices that can immediately be implemented. Originality/value – The paper identifies some issues that can be taken up at a policy level as well as within companies. For example, the preference for qualification-based training at a national level is not necessarily consistent with what mature-aged workers prefer.
Description:
It is an interesting contrast. On the one hand society has never been so aware and conscious of child sexual abuse and sexual violence against women and children, but despite this awareness the degree of denial, victim blaming, prejudice and ignorance around sexual abuse continues to pose challenges for those affected by such violence and those who work and research in this field (Taylor, 2002). This paper is concerned with identifying and articulating some of these ongoing challenges within a rural domain. Given both the author’s grass-roots involvement, activism and professional work in the field of sexual assault against women and children, this paper draws on relevant research literature concerned with sexual violence and rural communities, before utilising a case study and vignettes obtained either directly from victim/ survivors1 or from the author’s research in issues of sexual assault. It is my intention to bring together a small sample of experiences relating to sexual violence within rural domains to elucidate the very real and ongoing challenges that face those victim/survivors.
Description:
In this paper we examine variations in Honours programs in Australian universities and the consequences that this has for students who wish to undertake higher degrees by research after their undergraduate programs have been successfully completed. Our review of universities' Honours programs across rural, regional, and urban Australia has indicated that there is a degree of variation that is localised as far as each university is concerned, and that there is a lack of consistency in various universities' application of policies or procedures in the implementation of their Honours programs. We conclude by calling for greater consistency across universities in Australia in the awarding of Honours, certainly, but also suggesting that a review needs to be undertaken as part of national, systematic and orchestrated project.
Description:
In this paper we examine variations in Honours programs in Australian universities and the consequences that this has for students who wish to undertake higher degrees by research after their undergraduate programs have been successfully completed. Our review of universities' Honours programs across rural, regional, and urban Australia has indicated that there is a degree of variation that is localised as far as each university is concerned, and that there is a lack of consistency in various universities' application of policies or procedures in the implementation of their Honours programs. We conclude by calling for greater consistency across universities in Australia in the awarding of Honours, certainly, but also suggesting that a review needs to be undertaken as part of national, systematic and orchestrated project.