Influences on Islamists : an analysis of radicalisation and terrorism in an Australian context
- Authors: Dimaksyan, Margarita
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Terrorism has long existed throughout history. However the Islamist terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 (known as 9/11) in the United States represented a fundamental turning point and a significant change in the terrorism landscape. Since 9/11, terrorism discourse has dominated not only the media, but also a sense of security and safety globally. Over a decade after 9/11, there was another significant shift with the declaration of a caliphate in June 2014 by terrorist organisation, Daesh. The atrocities committed by and in the name of this terrorist group sparked global outrage and horror and have had long lasting impacts around the world. Despite the fact that the conflict originated in the Middle East, the impact was felt domestically with a number of terrorist attacks perpetrated and planned in Australia in the name of an extremist neojihadist ideology. To understand Islamist terrorism in an Australian context, this thesis explores the factors which have influenced the radicalisation of domestic Islamist terrorists who have engaged in terrorist acts. This is achieved having regard to the characteristics of 194 Islamist terrorists from Australia who engaged in a multitude of terrorist acts between 2001 and 2018 (either domestically or overseas), their motives and the role of social and familial networks on their radicalisation and involvement in terrorism. In responding to the central research question – In an Australian context, what has influenced the radicalisation of Islamist terrorists who have engaged in terrorist acts? – this thesis:
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Dimaksyan, Margarita
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Terrorism has long existed throughout history. However the Islamist terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 (known as 9/11) in the United States represented a fundamental turning point and a significant change in the terrorism landscape. Since 9/11, terrorism discourse has dominated not only the media, but also a sense of security and safety globally. Over a decade after 9/11, there was another significant shift with the declaration of a caliphate in June 2014 by terrorist organisation, Daesh. The atrocities committed by and in the name of this terrorist group sparked global outrage and horror and have had long lasting impacts around the world. Despite the fact that the conflict originated in the Middle East, the impact was felt domestically with a number of terrorist attacks perpetrated and planned in Australia in the name of an extremist neojihadist ideology. To understand Islamist terrorism in an Australian context, this thesis explores the factors which have influenced the radicalisation of domestic Islamist terrorists who have engaged in terrorist acts. This is achieved having regard to the characteristics of 194 Islamist terrorists from Australia who engaged in a multitude of terrorist acts between 2001 and 2018 (either domestically or overseas), their motives and the role of social and familial networks on their radicalisation and involvement in terrorism. In responding to the central research question – In an Australian context, what has influenced the radicalisation of Islamist terrorists who have engaged in terrorist acts? – this thesis:
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
It takes a village to raise a family : designing desire-based community support with parents receiving a family service in south-west Ballarat
- Authors: Goff, Rachel
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: In Victoria, Australia, the family services system is characterised by high referral rates and ongoing challenges to meet the needs of families who are experiencing risks and vulnerabilities. These issues are demonstrating the fact that there is a need to strengthen the level of community support that is being provided to children and their families prior to the escalation of their circumstances. Although the current neoliberal family services system has a key policy priority of reducing and managing family risk and vulnerability, it is neglecting to account for what families no longer want or are yet to experience. This is a shortcoming that the research study that is the subject of this thesis has addressed. In the context of a place-based, government–industry–university collaboration, this research study used a human-centred design methodology to engage with eight parents who were living in the south-west region of Ballarat, Victoria – an area characterised by socio-spatial disadvantage – and receiving a family service. This research study collected data over two phases of investigation. First, it explored the parents’ conceptualisations and experiences of community support in semi-structured interviews. Second, in a design workshop and post-workshop feedback and review interviews, it examined their views, priorities and recommendations for how their self-defined communities might support them in ways that would meet their own and their families’ needs. The research study found that parents conceptualise and experience community support as primarily informal, relational and bound to interpersonal characteristics such as reciprocity, trust, connection and belonging. It also found that their key priorities were supporting their children’s needs, their growing minds and their social skills, as well as bringing people together to promote equality. The parents who participated in this study proposed four recommendations: address the systemic constraints that are impacting on social cohesion; provide more opportunities for parents to support each other; provide non-judgemental and tailored services that can be accessed as a last resort; and enable greater self-determination, equality, trust and safety. These recommendations indicate that parents do not view community support as synonymous with risk and vulnerability; rather, they consider such support enables transformative change to occur in spite of it. Therefore, this research study has provided an understanding of the support that Victorian families want from their communities and has indicated that the paradigms that underpin the family services system are potentially incompatible with parents’ needs and desires.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Goff, Rachel
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: In Victoria, Australia, the family services system is characterised by high referral rates and ongoing challenges to meet the needs of families who are experiencing risks and vulnerabilities. These issues are demonstrating the fact that there is a need to strengthen the level of community support that is being provided to children and their families prior to the escalation of their circumstances. Although the current neoliberal family services system has a key policy priority of reducing and managing family risk and vulnerability, it is neglecting to account for what families no longer want or are yet to experience. This is a shortcoming that the research study that is the subject of this thesis has addressed. In the context of a place-based, government–industry–university collaboration, this research study used a human-centred design methodology to engage with eight parents who were living in the south-west region of Ballarat, Victoria – an area characterised by socio-spatial disadvantage – and receiving a family service. This research study collected data over two phases of investigation. First, it explored the parents’ conceptualisations and experiences of community support in semi-structured interviews. Second, in a design workshop and post-workshop feedback and review interviews, it examined their views, priorities and recommendations for how their self-defined communities might support them in ways that would meet their own and their families’ needs. The research study found that parents conceptualise and experience community support as primarily informal, relational and bound to interpersonal characteristics such as reciprocity, trust, connection and belonging. It also found that their key priorities were supporting their children’s needs, their growing minds and their social skills, as well as bringing people together to promote equality. The parents who participated in this study proposed four recommendations: address the systemic constraints that are impacting on social cohesion; provide more opportunities for parents to support each other; provide non-judgemental and tailored services that can be accessed as a last resort; and enable greater self-determination, equality, trust and safety. These recommendations indicate that parents do not view community support as synonymous with risk and vulnerability; rather, they consider such support enables transformative change to occur in spite of it. Therefore, this research study has provided an understanding of the support that Victorian families want from their communities and has indicated that the paradigms that underpin the family services system are potentially incompatible with parents’ needs and desires.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Mapping Australia felix : maps, myths and mitchell
- Authors: Coleridge, Edward
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This investigation into the oeuvre of Thomas Mitchell, the Surveyor-General of New South Wales from 1827 to 1855, intends to reveal the remarkable opus of work he produced and enquire how he achieved it. The feat that won him fame was his discovery of the rich pasturelands and picturesque landscapes in an area that is now western Victoria, which he called Australia Felix. He matched this enthusiastic name with a finely illustrated and densely detailed two-volume journal of his three exploratory journeys - ostensibly to find where the River Darling met the Murray River. Mitchell learnt his trade as a surveyor and mapmaker in Wellington’s army fighting the French in Spain and Portugal, that theatre of the Napoleonic Wars termed the Peninsular War. The objective of this thesis is twofold. The first is the exposition of a rare and remarkable atlas of battlefield plans he was commissioned to survey at the conclusion of the war, a task which took him five years in the field, but was only completed and published 25 years later. There are only two known copies of this immense tome in Australian public libraries. The parallel plan is to relate it to the wealth of imagery with which he illustrated the journal of his expedition in 1836 that discovered Australia Felix. By the artifice of fusing the magnificent maps and landscapes in the atlas with the illustrations in the journals, together with his unpublished artwork, and commissioned structures, a metaphorical map of the new Promised Land can be attempted. Set in a period of revolution and European expansion, it is a study encompassing histories of nationalism, exploration, cartography, colonisation, indigenous relations, warfare, art, and theories of landscape art, architecture, neoclassicism and romanticism, and the aesthetics of the sublime, the beautiful and the picturesque.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Coleridge, Edward
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This investigation into the oeuvre of Thomas Mitchell, the Surveyor-General of New South Wales from 1827 to 1855, intends to reveal the remarkable opus of work he produced and enquire how he achieved it. The feat that won him fame was his discovery of the rich pasturelands and picturesque landscapes in an area that is now western Victoria, which he called Australia Felix. He matched this enthusiastic name with a finely illustrated and densely detailed two-volume journal of his three exploratory journeys - ostensibly to find where the River Darling met the Murray River. Mitchell learnt his trade as a surveyor and mapmaker in Wellington’s army fighting the French in Spain and Portugal, that theatre of the Napoleonic Wars termed the Peninsular War. The objective of this thesis is twofold. The first is the exposition of a rare and remarkable atlas of battlefield plans he was commissioned to survey at the conclusion of the war, a task which took him five years in the field, but was only completed and published 25 years later. There are only two known copies of this immense tome in Australian public libraries. The parallel plan is to relate it to the wealth of imagery with which he illustrated the journal of his expedition in 1836 that discovered Australia Felix. By the artifice of fusing the magnificent maps and landscapes in the atlas with the illustrations in the journals, together with his unpublished artwork, and commissioned structures, a metaphorical map of the new Promised Land can be attempted. Set in a period of revolution and European expansion, it is a study encompassing histories of nationalism, exploration, cartography, colonisation, indigenous relations, warfare, art, and theories of landscape art, architecture, neoclassicism and romanticism, and the aesthetics of the sublime, the beautiful and the picturesque.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Measuring trustworthiness of image data in the internet of things environment
- Authors: Islam, Mohammad
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Internet of Things (IoT) image sensors generate huge volumes of digital images every day. However, easy availability and usability of photo editing tools, the vulnerability in communication channels and malicious software have made forgery attacks on image sensor data effortless and thus expose IoT systems to cyberattacks. In IoT applications such as smart cities and surveillance systems, the smooth operation depends on sensors’ sharing data with other sensors of identical or different types. Therefore, a sensor must be able to rely on the data it receives from other sensors; in other words, data must be trustworthy. Sensors deployed in IoT applications are usually limited to low processing and battery power, which prohibits the use of complex cryptography and security mechanism and the adoption of universal security standards by IoT device manufacturers. Hence, estimating the trust of the image sensor data is a defensive solution as these data are used for critical decision-making processes. To our knowledge, only one published work has estimated the trustworthiness of digital images applied to forensic applications. However, that study’s method depends on machine learning prediction scores returned by existing forensic models, which limits its usage where underlying forensics models require different approaches (e.g., machine learning predictions, statistical methods, digital signature, perceptual image hash). Multi-type sensor data correlation and context awareness can improve the trust measurement, which is absent in that study’s model. To address these issues, novel techniques are introduced to accurately estimate the trustworthiness of IoT image sensor data with the aid of complementary non-imagery (numeric) data-generating sensors monitoring the same environment. The trust estimation models run in edge devices, relieving sensors from computationally intensive tasks. First, to detect local image forgery (splicing and copy-move attacks), an innovative image forgery detection method is proposed based on Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT), Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and a new feature extraction method using the mean operator. Using Support Vector Machine (SVM), the proposed method is extensively tested on four well-known publicly available greyscale and colour image forgery datasets and on an IoT-based image forgery dataset that we built. Experimental results reveal the superiority of our proposed method over recent state-of-the-art methods in terms of widely used performance metrics and computational time and demonstrate robustness against low availability of forged training samples. Second, a robust trust estimation framework for IoT image data is proposed, leveraging numeric data-generating sensors deployed in the same area of interest (AoI) in an indoor environment. As low-cost sensors allow many IoT applications to use multiple types of sensors to observe the same AoI, the complementary numeric data of one sensor can be exploited to measure the trust value of another image sensor’s data. A theoretical model is developed using Shannon’s entropy to derive the uncertainty associated with an observed event and Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) for decision fusion. The proposed model’s efficacy in estimating the trust score of image sensor data is analysed by observing a fire event using IoT image and temperature sensor data in an indoor residential setup under different scenarios. The proposed model produces highly accurate trust scores in all scenarios with authentic and forged image data. Finally, as the outdoor environment varies dynamically due to different natural factors (e.g., lighting condition variations in day and night, presence of different objects, smoke, fog, rain, shadow in the scene), a novel trust framework is proposed that is suitable for the outdoor environments with these contextual variations. A transfer learning approach is adopted to derive the decision about an observation from image sensor data, while also a statistical approach is used to derive the decision about the same observation from numeric data generated from other sensors deployed in the same AoI. These decisions are then fused using CertainLogic and compared with DST-based fusion. A testbed was set up using Raspberry Pi microprocessor, image sensor, temperature sensor, edge device, LoRa nodes, LoRaWAN gateway and servers to evaluate the proposed techniques. The results show that CertainLogic is more suitable for measuring the trustworthiness of image sensor data in an outdoor environment.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Islam, Mohammad
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Internet of Things (IoT) image sensors generate huge volumes of digital images every day. However, easy availability and usability of photo editing tools, the vulnerability in communication channels and malicious software have made forgery attacks on image sensor data effortless and thus expose IoT systems to cyberattacks. In IoT applications such as smart cities and surveillance systems, the smooth operation depends on sensors’ sharing data with other sensors of identical or different types. Therefore, a sensor must be able to rely on the data it receives from other sensors; in other words, data must be trustworthy. Sensors deployed in IoT applications are usually limited to low processing and battery power, which prohibits the use of complex cryptography and security mechanism and the adoption of universal security standards by IoT device manufacturers. Hence, estimating the trust of the image sensor data is a defensive solution as these data are used for critical decision-making processes. To our knowledge, only one published work has estimated the trustworthiness of digital images applied to forensic applications. However, that study’s method depends on machine learning prediction scores returned by existing forensic models, which limits its usage where underlying forensics models require different approaches (e.g., machine learning predictions, statistical methods, digital signature, perceptual image hash). Multi-type sensor data correlation and context awareness can improve the trust measurement, which is absent in that study’s model. To address these issues, novel techniques are introduced to accurately estimate the trustworthiness of IoT image sensor data with the aid of complementary non-imagery (numeric) data-generating sensors monitoring the same environment. The trust estimation models run in edge devices, relieving sensors from computationally intensive tasks. First, to detect local image forgery (splicing and copy-move attacks), an innovative image forgery detection method is proposed based on Discrete Cosine Transformation (DCT), Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and a new feature extraction method using the mean operator. Using Support Vector Machine (SVM), the proposed method is extensively tested on four well-known publicly available greyscale and colour image forgery datasets and on an IoT-based image forgery dataset that we built. Experimental results reveal the superiority of our proposed method over recent state-of-the-art methods in terms of widely used performance metrics and computational time and demonstrate robustness against low availability of forged training samples. Second, a robust trust estimation framework for IoT image data is proposed, leveraging numeric data-generating sensors deployed in the same area of interest (AoI) in an indoor environment. As low-cost sensors allow many IoT applications to use multiple types of sensors to observe the same AoI, the complementary numeric data of one sensor can be exploited to measure the trust value of another image sensor’s data. A theoretical model is developed using Shannon’s entropy to derive the uncertainty associated with an observed event and Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) for decision fusion. The proposed model’s efficacy in estimating the trust score of image sensor data is analysed by observing a fire event using IoT image and temperature sensor data in an indoor residential setup under different scenarios. The proposed model produces highly accurate trust scores in all scenarios with authentic and forged image data. Finally, as the outdoor environment varies dynamically due to different natural factors (e.g., lighting condition variations in day and night, presence of different objects, smoke, fog, rain, shadow in the scene), a novel trust framework is proposed that is suitable for the outdoor environments with these contextual variations. A transfer learning approach is adopted to derive the decision about an observation from image sensor data, while also a statistical approach is used to derive the decision about the same observation from numeric data generated from other sensors deployed in the same AoI. These decisions are then fused using CertainLogic and compared with DST-based fusion. A testbed was set up using Raspberry Pi microprocessor, image sensor, temperature sensor, edge device, LoRa nodes, LoRaWAN gateway and servers to evaluate the proposed techniques. The results show that CertainLogic is more suitable for measuring the trustworthiness of image sensor data in an outdoor environment.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Open data and interoperability standards : opportunities for animal welfare in extensive livestock systems
- Authors: Bahlo, Christiane
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Extensive livestock farming constitutes a sizeable portion of agriculture, not only in relation to land use, but in contribution to feeding a growing human population. In addition to meat, it contributes other economically valuable commodities such as wool, hides and other products. The livestock industries are adopting technologies under the banner of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) to help meet higher production and efficiency targets as well as help to manage the multiple challenges impacting the industries, such as climate change, environmental concerns, globalisation of markets, increasing rules of governance and societal scrutiny especially in relation to animal welfare. PLF is particularly dependent on the acquisition and management of data and metadata and on the interoperability standards that allow data discovery and federation. A review of interoperability standards and PLF adoption in extensive livestock farming systems identified a lack of domain specific standards and raised questions related to the amount and quality of public data which has potential to inform livestock farming. A systematic review of public datasets, which included an assessment based on the principles that data must be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) was developed. Custom software scripts were used to conduct a dataset search to determine the quantity and quality of domain specific datasets yielded 419 unique Australian datasets directly related to extensive livestock farming. A FAIR assessment of these datasets using a set of non-domain specific, general metrics showed a moderate level of compliance. The results suggest that domain specific FAIR metrics may need to be developed to provide a more accurate data quality assessment, but also that the level of interoperability and reusability is not particularly high which has implications if public data is to be included in decision support tools. To test the usefulness of available public datasets in informing decision support in relation to livestock welfare, a case study was designed and farm animal welfare elements were extracted from Australian welfare standards to guide a dataset search. It was found that with few exceptions, these elements could be supported with public data, although there were gaps in temporal and spatial coverage. The development of a geospatial animal welfare portal including these datasets further explored and confirmed the potential for using public data to enhance livestock welfare.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Bahlo, Christiane
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Extensive livestock farming constitutes a sizeable portion of agriculture, not only in relation to land use, but in contribution to feeding a growing human population. In addition to meat, it contributes other economically valuable commodities such as wool, hides and other products. The livestock industries are adopting technologies under the banner of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) to help meet higher production and efficiency targets as well as help to manage the multiple challenges impacting the industries, such as climate change, environmental concerns, globalisation of markets, increasing rules of governance and societal scrutiny especially in relation to animal welfare. PLF is particularly dependent on the acquisition and management of data and metadata and on the interoperability standards that allow data discovery and federation. A review of interoperability standards and PLF adoption in extensive livestock farming systems identified a lack of domain specific standards and raised questions related to the amount and quality of public data which has potential to inform livestock farming. A systematic review of public datasets, which included an assessment based on the principles that data must be findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) was developed. Custom software scripts were used to conduct a dataset search to determine the quantity and quality of domain specific datasets yielded 419 unique Australian datasets directly related to extensive livestock farming. A FAIR assessment of these datasets using a set of non-domain specific, general metrics showed a moderate level of compliance. The results suggest that domain specific FAIR metrics may need to be developed to provide a more accurate data quality assessment, but also that the level of interoperability and reusability is not particularly high which has implications if public data is to be included in decision support tools. To test the usefulness of available public datasets in informing decision support in relation to livestock welfare, a case study was designed and farm animal welfare elements were extracted from Australian welfare standards to guide a dataset search. It was found that with few exceptions, these elements could be supported with public data, although there were gaps in temporal and spatial coverage. The development of a geospatial animal welfare portal including these datasets further explored and confirmed the potential for using public data to enhance livestock welfare.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Patients’ experiences of acute deterioration and Medical Emergency Team (MET) encounter : a grounded theory study
- Authors: Chung, Catherine
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Globally, considerable effort has been made to ensure hospital patients whose clinical condition deteriorates receive timely and appropriate care. Research suggests that hospitals have increasing numbers of patients who are more likely to become seriously ill during their admission due to complex problems. Recently, patient experience has been recognised as a means of assessing healthcare delivery with healthcare services across the world gathering patient experience or satisfaction data. Acute deterioration is unique and complex for all involved. However, little is known about this experience from the patient’s perspective. The purpose of this study was to generate theory about processes patients engage in when experiencing acute deterioration and MET encounter. Also, the research aimed to recognise and explain the factors that mediate patients’ experiences. The findings of this study contribute to a growing body of knowledge that will improve patient care and practice guidelines for healthcare professionals. Underpinned by the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, grounded theory was employed for this study. From it ontological, epistemological, and methodological underpinnings, constructivist grounded theory was considered the most suitable approach. Using purposive sampling, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 patients across three Australian healthcare services. Data were collected over a 12-month period, between May 2018 – May 2019 and analysed using constant comparative analysis. The theoretical model ‘Unravelling a complex experience: contextualising patients’ experiences of acute clinical deterioration and Medical Emergency Team (MET) encounter’ emerged, offering a possible explanation of patients’ actions and processes. Most patients began their journeys feeling something was wrong which triggered emotional changes (experiencing changes-before the encounter). Patient experience was influenced by a combination of physical and psychological changes and a MET response (perceiving the reality - the encounter). After the MET encounter, some patients searched for deeper understandings about their illnesses and the events that occurred, whereas others managed without further reflection (reflecting on the event-after the encounter). Contextual conditions emerged influencing patients’ experiences with three broad mediating factors identified. Some participants identified that their acute deterioration and subsequent MET encounter was unexpected, and they perceived the nature of their illness (before their acute deterioration) as stable, based on what they had been told by medical staff (expectations and illness perception). Many participants acknowledged that their experience was dependent on the health care professionals who were caring for them at the time (relationship with the MET). Past experiences of illness and hospitalisation played an important role in participants’ abilities to conceptualise their experiences of acute deterioration and MET encounter (past experiences). These factors exerted a significant influence on participants’ experiences and helps to explain the differences between them. Unravelling a complex experience: Conceptualising patients’ experiences of acute deterioration and MET encounter offers a possible explanation of patients’ meanings, actions and processes when experiencing acute deterioration and MET encounter. The theory leads to recommendations that healthcare organisations gather data about patients’ experiences of acute deterioration and MET encounters, as these provide insights and opportunity to identify challenges that can be addressed.. Findings provide an explanatory framework for similar phenomena and increase awareness of patients’ experiences to ultimately inform health policy and improve patient care. The findings highlight the need for healthcare services to instigate strategies that support patients who have experienced acute deterioration. Further research could evaluate the effectiveness of implemented strategies.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Chung, Catherine
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Globally, considerable effort has been made to ensure hospital patients whose clinical condition deteriorates receive timely and appropriate care. Research suggests that hospitals have increasing numbers of patients who are more likely to become seriously ill during their admission due to complex problems. Recently, patient experience has been recognised as a means of assessing healthcare delivery with healthcare services across the world gathering patient experience or satisfaction data. Acute deterioration is unique and complex for all involved. However, little is known about this experience from the patient’s perspective. The purpose of this study was to generate theory about processes patients engage in when experiencing acute deterioration and MET encounter. Also, the research aimed to recognise and explain the factors that mediate patients’ experiences. The findings of this study contribute to a growing body of knowledge that will improve patient care and practice guidelines for healthcare professionals. Underpinned by the theoretical framework of symbolic interactionism, grounded theory was employed for this study. From it ontological, epistemological, and methodological underpinnings, constructivist grounded theory was considered the most suitable approach. Using purposive sampling, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 27 patients across three Australian healthcare services. Data were collected over a 12-month period, between May 2018 – May 2019 and analysed using constant comparative analysis. The theoretical model ‘Unravelling a complex experience: contextualising patients’ experiences of acute clinical deterioration and Medical Emergency Team (MET) encounter’ emerged, offering a possible explanation of patients’ actions and processes. Most patients began their journeys feeling something was wrong which triggered emotional changes (experiencing changes-before the encounter). Patient experience was influenced by a combination of physical and psychological changes and a MET response (perceiving the reality - the encounter). After the MET encounter, some patients searched for deeper understandings about their illnesses and the events that occurred, whereas others managed without further reflection (reflecting on the event-after the encounter). Contextual conditions emerged influencing patients’ experiences with three broad mediating factors identified. Some participants identified that their acute deterioration and subsequent MET encounter was unexpected, and they perceived the nature of their illness (before their acute deterioration) as stable, based on what they had been told by medical staff (expectations and illness perception). Many participants acknowledged that their experience was dependent on the health care professionals who were caring for them at the time (relationship with the MET). Past experiences of illness and hospitalisation played an important role in participants’ abilities to conceptualise their experiences of acute deterioration and MET encounter (past experiences). These factors exerted a significant influence on participants’ experiences and helps to explain the differences between them. Unravelling a complex experience: Conceptualising patients’ experiences of acute deterioration and MET encounter offers a possible explanation of patients’ meanings, actions and processes when experiencing acute deterioration and MET encounter. The theory leads to recommendations that healthcare organisations gather data about patients’ experiences of acute deterioration and MET encounters, as these provide insights and opportunity to identify challenges that can be addressed.. Findings provide an explanatory framework for similar phenomena and increase awareness of patients’ experiences to ultimately inform health policy and improve patient care. The findings highlight the need for healthcare services to instigate strategies that support patients who have experienced acute deterioration. Further research could evaluate the effectiveness of implemented strategies.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Shelter From the Storm. Webs of connectedness and entanglement in contemporary painting of the everyday
- Authors: Griffin, Tony
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Considering the often-overlooked objects in a single Australian suburban home through the practice of still life painting, this project examines the everyday as a means to understand our anxious times. By employing phenomenological approaches this project explores the theoretical understandings of the everyday and many recent iterations of “thing theory”. Through the practice of still life, its traditions, language and its contemporary currency, painting is employed as a means to understand this age of anxiety. My research closely observes, documents and presents the everyday objects in a single suburban Australian home in the early part of the twenty-first century. Ian Hodder’s theory of entanglement and the mutual dependency between humans and things that it proposes, is considered as a suitable tool for a contemporary visual art practitioner in creating new understandings of our domestic and broader world. Additionally, my research employs the innovative and challenging approaches to the familiar championed by the French writer Georges Perec. His work in revealing an understanding of our world through the exhaustively comprehensive and meticulous description of everyday things provides a structural basis for this project. Our homes are where we experience the everyday nature of our existence most keenly and my home is not unlike the homes of others. It is a place that shares those broader ideals considered to constitute a home, my shelter and my refuge. It is a worthy place in which to seek an understanding of our complex world. This project reveals in paint my observations of the minor things which, when combined, constitute the major things in my small home. The result of these observations is a series of representations of a familiar environment that enables an audience to recognise their own surroundings and re-evaluate the many hidden entanglements in their world in more complex and evocative ways.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Griffin, Tony
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Considering the often-overlooked objects in a single Australian suburban home through the practice of still life painting, this project examines the everyday as a means to understand our anxious times. By employing phenomenological approaches this project explores the theoretical understandings of the everyday and many recent iterations of “thing theory”. Through the practice of still life, its traditions, language and its contemporary currency, painting is employed as a means to understand this age of anxiety. My research closely observes, documents and presents the everyday objects in a single suburban Australian home in the early part of the twenty-first century. Ian Hodder’s theory of entanglement and the mutual dependency between humans and things that it proposes, is considered as a suitable tool for a contemporary visual art practitioner in creating new understandings of our domestic and broader world. Additionally, my research employs the innovative and challenging approaches to the familiar championed by the French writer Georges Perec. His work in revealing an understanding of our world through the exhaustively comprehensive and meticulous description of everyday things provides a structural basis for this project. Our homes are where we experience the everyday nature of our existence most keenly and my home is not unlike the homes of others. It is a place that shares those broader ideals considered to constitute a home, my shelter and my refuge. It is a worthy place in which to seek an understanding of our complex world. This project reveals in paint my observations of the minor things which, when combined, constitute the major things in my small home. The result of these observations is a series of representations of a familiar environment that enables an audience to recognise their own surroundings and re-evaluate the many hidden entanglements in their world in more complex and evocative ways.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
The care factor of leadership : identifying and understanding workplace appreciative behaviours in the supervisory relationship
- Authors: Timmerman, Geoffrey
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Most would agree, people like to be appreciated for who they are and for the work they do. Yet, the process resulting in employees feeling appreciated is not well understood. Further, appreciation in the workplace is complex, when considering the concept’s multifaceted nature. Workplace-relevant research supports hypotheses that being appreciated at work is associated with desirable employee outcomes such as enhanced subjective well-being (SWB), higher levels of job satisfaction and performance, creativity while also benefiting organisations through higher employee productivity. Some authors even suggest that being appreciated links to physical well-being. Regardless, empirical evidence supporting a putative relationship between appreciation and key workplace outcomes (SWB, job satisfaction and happiness) is lacking; This represents a knowledge gap in the management literature. An important related question concerns optimal ways that managers can express appreciation to their employees at work, and conversely, employee preferences for the form of appreciation that they receive from their manager. Past studies investigating the influence of appreciation in the workplace, though informative, have failed to apply a rigorous process to identify forms of appreciative behaviour. To advance knowledge on forms of workplace appreciation endowed by supervisors, and how this may influence employees, the first study aim was to identify and appraise the underlying components of appreciation-type behaviours. Hence, the supervisor-employee relationship forms the central component for this study. The second study aim was to identify whether and how supervisor-enacted appreciative behaviours influence selected employee work outcomes. A review of literature pertinent to the research aims provided theoretical foundations for understanding appreciative behaviours in the workplace. These included social relationships, human motivation, workplace sources of support, dispositional versus behavioural approaches to appreciation, selected aspects of leadership and the theorised function of workplace appreciation. From this, a conceptual model of an iterative workplace appreciation cycle was proposed to support the study aims. To meet the research aims, a two-phase study approach was adopted. Firstly, a qualitative study investigated the construct of expressed appreciation (phase 1). Here, expressed supervisor appreciative behaviours were identified through 19 one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with employees from a variety of professions and employment sectors. Through a rigorous thematic analysis, five supervisor appreciative behavioural themes (Interest, Rewards, Acknowledgment, Trust and Endorsement) were established to determine what (forms of appreciative behaviours enacted by supervisors). This first thematic framework was complemented by three outcome-related themes (Cognisance, Confirmation and Commendation) capturing the why (with regard to why employees feel appreciated) as a second thematic framework. Phase 2 of the study employed an online quantitative survey directly informed by phase 1 results. The hypothetical what and why constructs forming workplace appreciative behaviours were each developed as itemised scales (20-item and 12-item, respectively). An online survey instrument gathered employee (N=206) responses for itemised scales plus workplace outcome scales measuring SWB, job satisfaction and job commitment. Factor analysis of the 20-item what scale identified workplace appreciation behaviours endowed by supervisors to comprise a three-factor structure (factors labelled acknowledgement, trust and reward). A 12-item scale representing why employees feel appreciated provided a one-factor solution. Subsequent multiple regressions revealed the factors of acknowledgement and trust to be associated (p<.05) with job satisfaction, job commitment and overall well-being. Reward was not associated with any measured employee workplace outcome. Relationships of workplace appreciation factors with other measured variables including employee age, gender and workplace role were identified. The study findings provide both theoretical and practical contributions concerning the roles of and importance of supervisor appreciative behaviours manifest in the workplace. Supervisor acknowledgment is theorised to provide a foundation for developing a positive supervisor-employee relationship with trust conveyed over time to realise positive employee and organisational outcomes. Building on this, further studies are recommended to confirm this study’s results across a range of workplaces and for other national cultures.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Timmerman, Geoffrey
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Most would agree, people like to be appreciated for who they are and for the work they do. Yet, the process resulting in employees feeling appreciated is not well understood. Further, appreciation in the workplace is complex, when considering the concept’s multifaceted nature. Workplace-relevant research supports hypotheses that being appreciated at work is associated with desirable employee outcomes such as enhanced subjective well-being (SWB), higher levels of job satisfaction and performance, creativity while also benefiting organisations through higher employee productivity. Some authors even suggest that being appreciated links to physical well-being. Regardless, empirical evidence supporting a putative relationship between appreciation and key workplace outcomes (SWB, job satisfaction and happiness) is lacking; This represents a knowledge gap in the management literature. An important related question concerns optimal ways that managers can express appreciation to their employees at work, and conversely, employee preferences for the form of appreciation that they receive from their manager. Past studies investigating the influence of appreciation in the workplace, though informative, have failed to apply a rigorous process to identify forms of appreciative behaviour. To advance knowledge on forms of workplace appreciation endowed by supervisors, and how this may influence employees, the first study aim was to identify and appraise the underlying components of appreciation-type behaviours. Hence, the supervisor-employee relationship forms the central component for this study. The second study aim was to identify whether and how supervisor-enacted appreciative behaviours influence selected employee work outcomes. A review of literature pertinent to the research aims provided theoretical foundations for understanding appreciative behaviours in the workplace. These included social relationships, human motivation, workplace sources of support, dispositional versus behavioural approaches to appreciation, selected aspects of leadership and the theorised function of workplace appreciation. From this, a conceptual model of an iterative workplace appreciation cycle was proposed to support the study aims. To meet the research aims, a two-phase study approach was adopted. Firstly, a qualitative study investigated the construct of expressed appreciation (phase 1). Here, expressed supervisor appreciative behaviours were identified through 19 one-on-one, semi-structured interviews with employees from a variety of professions and employment sectors. Through a rigorous thematic analysis, five supervisor appreciative behavioural themes (Interest, Rewards, Acknowledgment, Trust and Endorsement) were established to determine what (forms of appreciative behaviours enacted by supervisors). This first thematic framework was complemented by three outcome-related themes (Cognisance, Confirmation and Commendation) capturing the why (with regard to why employees feel appreciated) as a second thematic framework. Phase 2 of the study employed an online quantitative survey directly informed by phase 1 results. The hypothetical what and why constructs forming workplace appreciative behaviours were each developed as itemised scales (20-item and 12-item, respectively). An online survey instrument gathered employee (N=206) responses for itemised scales plus workplace outcome scales measuring SWB, job satisfaction and job commitment. Factor analysis of the 20-item what scale identified workplace appreciation behaviours endowed by supervisors to comprise a three-factor structure (factors labelled acknowledgement, trust and reward). A 12-item scale representing why employees feel appreciated provided a one-factor solution. Subsequent multiple regressions revealed the factors of acknowledgement and trust to be associated (p<.05) with job satisfaction, job commitment and overall well-being. Reward was not associated with any measured employee workplace outcome. Relationships of workplace appreciation factors with other measured variables including employee age, gender and workplace role were identified. The study findings provide both theoretical and practical contributions concerning the roles of and importance of supervisor appreciative behaviours manifest in the workplace. Supervisor acknowledgment is theorised to provide a foundation for developing a positive supervisor-employee relationship with trust conveyed over time to realise positive employee and organisational outcomes. Building on this, further studies are recommended to confirm this study’s results across a range of workplaces and for other national cultures.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Towards robust convolutional neural networks in challenging environments
- Authors: Hossain, Md Tahmid
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Image classification is one of the fundamental tasks in the field of computer vision. Although Artificial Neural Network (ANN) showed a lot of promise in this field, the lack of efficient computer hardware subdued its potential to a great extent. In the early 2000s, advances in hardware coupled with better network design saw the dramatic rise of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Deep CNNs pushed the State-of-The-Art (SOTA) in a number of vision tasks, including image classification, object detection, and segmentation. Presently, CNNs dominate these tasks. Although CNNs exhibit impressive classification performance on clean images, they are vulnerable to distortions, such as noise and blur. Fine-tuning a pre-trained CNN on mutually exclusive or a union set of distortions is a brute-force solution. This iterative fine-tuning process with all known types of distortion is, however, exhaustive and the network struggles to handle unseen distortions. CNNs are also vulnerable to image translation or shift, partly due to common Down-Sampling (DS) layers, e.g., max-pooling and strided convolution. These operations violate the Nyquist sampling rate and cause aliasing. The textbook solution is low-pass filtering (blurring) before down-sampling, which can benefit deep networks as well. Even so, non-linearity units, such as ReLU, often re-introduce the problem, suggesting that blurring alone may not suffice. Another important but under-explored issue for CNNs is unknown or Open Set Recognition (OSR). CNNs are commonly designed for closed set arrangements, where test instances only belong to some ‘Known Known’ (KK) classes used in training. As such, they predict a class label for a test sample based on the distribution of the KK classes. However, when used under the OSR setup (where an input may belong to an ‘Unknown Unknown’ or UU class), such a network will always classify a test instance as one of the KK classes even if it is from a UU class. Historically, CNNs have struggled with detecting objects in images with large difference in scale, especially small objects. This is because the DS layers inside a CNN often progressively wipe out the signal from small objects. As a result, the final layers are left with no signature from these objects leading to degraded performance. In this work, we propose solutions to the above four problems. First, we improve CNN robustness against distortion by proposing DCT based augmentation, adaptive regularisation, and noise suppressing Activation Functions (AF). Second, to ensure further performance gain and robustness to image transformations, we introduce anti-aliasing properties inside the AF and propose a novel DS method called blurpool. Third, to address the OSR problem, we propose a novel training paradigm that ensures detection of UU classes and accurate classification of the KK classes. Finally, we introduce a novel CNN that enables a deep detector to identify small objects with high precision and recall. We evaluate our methods on a number of benchmark datasets and demonstrate that they outperform contemporary methods in the respective problem set-ups.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Hossain, Md Tahmid
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Image classification is one of the fundamental tasks in the field of computer vision. Although Artificial Neural Network (ANN) showed a lot of promise in this field, the lack of efficient computer hardware subdued its potential to a great extent. In the early 2000s, advances in hardware coupled with better network design saw the dramatic rise of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). Deep CNNs pushed the State-of-The-Art (SOTA) in a number of vision tasks, including image classification, object detection, and segmentation. Presently, CNNs dominate these tasks. Although CNNs exhibit impressive classification performance on clean images, they are vulnerable to distortions, such as noise and blur. Fine-tuning a pre-trained CNN on mutually exclusive or a union set of distortions is a brute-force solution. This iterative fine-tuning process with all known types of distortion is, however, exhaustive and the network struggles to handle unseen distortions. CNNs are also vulnerable to image translation or shift, partly due to common Down-Sampling (DS) layers, e.g., max-pooling and strided convolution. These operations violate the Nyquist sampling rate and cause aliasing. The textbook solution is low-pass filtering (blurring) before down-sampling, which can benefit deep networks as well. Even so, non-linearity units, such as ReLU, often re-introduce the problem, suggesting that blurring alone may not suffice. Another important but under-explored issue for CNNs is unknown or Open Set Recognition (OSR). CNNs are commonly designed for closed set arrangements, where test instances only belong to some ‘Known Known’ (KK) classes used in training. As such, they predict a class label for a test sample based on the distribution of the KK classes. However, when used under the OSR setup (where an input may belong to an ‘Unknown Unknown’ or UU class), such a network will always classify a test instance as one of the KK classes even if it is from a UU class. Historically, CNNs have struggled with detecting objects in images with large difference in scale, especially small objects. This is because the DS layers inside a CNN often progressively wipe out the signal from small objects. As a result, the final layers are left with no signature from these objects leading to degraded performance. In this work, we propose solutions to the above four problems. First, we improve CNN robustness against distortion by proposing DCT based augmentation, adaptive regularisation, and noise suppressing Activation Functions (AF). Second, to ensure further performance gain and robustness to image transformations, we introduce anti-aliasing properties inside the AF and propose a novel DS method called blurpool. Third, to address the OSR problem, we propose a novel training paradigm that ensures detection of UU classes and accurate classification of the KK classes. Finally, we introduce a novel CNN that enables a deep detector to identify small objects with high precision and recall. We evaluate our methods on a number of benchmark datasets and demonstrate that they outperform contemporary methods in the respective problem set-ups.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Transversality, regularity and error bounds in variational analysis and optimisation
- Authors: Nguyen, Duy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Transversality properties of collections of sets, regularity properties of set-valued mappings, and error bounds of extended-real-valued functions lie at the core of variational analysis because of their importance for stability analysis, constraint qualifications, qualification conditions in coderivative and subdifferential calculus, and convergence analysis of numerical algorithms. The thesis is devoted to investigation of several research questions related to the aforementioned properties. We develop a general framework for quantitative analysis of nonlinear transversality properties by establishing primal and dual characterizations of the properties in both convex and nonconvex settings. The H¨older case is given special attention. Quantitative relations between transversality properties and the corresponding regularity properties of set-valued mappings as well as nonlinear extensions of the new transversality properties of a set-valued mapping to a set in the range space are also discussed. We study a new property so called semitransversality of collections of set-valued mappings on metric (in particular, normed) spaces. The property is a generalization of the semitransversality of collections of sets and the negation of the corresponding stationarity, a weaker property than the extremality of collections of set-valued mappings. Primal and dual characterizations of the property as well as quantitative relations between the property and semiregularity of set-valued mappings are formulated. As a consequence, we establish dual necessary and sufficient conditions for stationarity of collections of set-valued mappings as well as optimality conditions for efficient solutions with respect to variable ordering structures in multiobjective optimization. We examine a comprehensive (i.e. not assuming the mapping to have any particular structure) view on the regularity theory of set-valued mappings and clarify the relationships between the existing primal and dual quantitative sufficient and necessary conditions including their hierarchy. The typical sequence of regularity assertions, often hidden in the proofs, and the roles of the assumptions involved in the assertions, in particular, on the underlying space: general metric, normed, Banach or Asplund are exposed. As a consequence, we formulate primal and dual conditions for the stability properties of solution mappings to inclusions. We propose a unifying general framework of quantitative primal and dual sufficient and necessary error bound conditions covering linear and nonlinear, local and global settings. The function is not assumed to possess any particular structure apart from the standard assumptions of lower semicontinuity in the case of sufficient conditions and (in some cases) convexity in the case of necessary conditions. We expose the roles of the assumptions involved in the error bound assertions, in particular, on the underlying space: general metric, normed, Banach or Asplund. As a consequence, the error bound theory is applied to characterize subregularity of set-valued mappings, and calmness of the solution mapping in convex semi-infinite optimization problems.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Nguyen, Duy
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Transversality properties of collections of sets, regularity properties of set-valued mappings, and error bounds of extended-real-valued functions lie at the core of variational analysis because of their importance for stability analysis, constraint qualifications, qualification conditions in coderivative and subdifferential calculus, and convergence analysis of numerical algorithms. The thesis is devoted to investigation of several research questions related to the aforementioned properties. We develop a general framework for quantitative analysis of nonlinear transversality properties by establishing primal and dual characterizations of the properties in both convex and nonconvex settings. The H¨older case is given special attention. Quantitative relations between transversality properties and the corresponding regularity properties of set-valued mappings as well as nonlinear extensions of the new transversality properties of a set-valued mapping to a set in the range space are also discussed. We study a new property so called semitransversality of collections of set-valued mappings on metric (in particular, normed) spaces. The property is a generalization of the semitransversality of collections of sets and the negation of the corresponding stationarity, a weaker property than the extremality of collections of set-valued mappings. Primal and dual characterizations of the property as well as quantitative relations between the property and semiregularity of set-valued mappings are formulated. As a consequence, we establish dual necessary and sufficient conditions for stationarity of collections of set-valued mappings as well as optimality conditions for efficient solutions with respect to variable ordering structures in multiobjective optimization. We examine a comprehensive (i.e. not assuming the mapping to have any particular structure) view on the regularity theory of set-valued mappings and clarify the relationships between the existing primal and dual quantitative sufficient and necessary conditions including their hierarchy. The typical sequence of regularity assertions, often hidden in the proofs, and the roles of the assumptions involved in the assertions, in particular, on the underlying space: general metric, normed, Banach or Asplund are exposed. As a consequence, we formulate primal and dual conditions for the stability properties of solution mappings to inclusions. We propose a unifying general framework of quantitative primal and dual sufficient and necessary error bound conditions covering linear and nonlinear, local and global settings. The function is not assumed to possess any particular structure apart from the standard assumptions of lower semicontinuity in the case of sufficient conditions and (in some cases) convexity in the case of necessary conditions. We expose the roles of the assumptions involved in the error bound assertions, in particular, on the underlying space: general metric, normed, Banach or Asplund. As a consequence, the error bound theory is applied to characterize subregularity of set-valued mappings, and calmness of the solution mapping in convex semi-infinite optimization problems.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Virtual streetgames : a mixed methods study exploring the delivery of an online youth physical activity program
- Authors: Kemel, Paul
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic there was already considerable concern relating to the declining physical activity rates of adolescents and young adults seen across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic, along with the various corresponding social distancing and lockdown guidelines, has further exacerbated these concerns. The utilisation of various forms of technology to maintain and encourage a degree of social connectedness during these timeframes sparked a degree of creativity in how our usual ways of interacting could be modified to the unique social-political circumstances. One such example is the youth community physical activity program Latrobe Streetgames, who adapted their program to be delivered across a range of social media platforms. A mixed methods study was conducted to help understand the impact that the adapted online program had on its participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the study highlight the negative impact that the various COVID-19 lockdowns had on the target population, and while the ability to maintain some degree of social-physical intractability via the modified Latrobe Streetgames delivery was beneficial, it likely did not outweigh the negative impact of the lockdowns itself. Therefore, as the world moves pasts the pandemic, an emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring that youth physical activity is promoted in order to combat the acquired negative health effects relating to physical, mental and social health.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Kemel, Paul
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic there was already considerable concern relating to the declining physical activity rates of adolescents and young adults seen across the world. The COVID-19 pandemic, along with the various corresponding social distancing and lockdown guidelines, has further exacerbated these concerns. The utilisation of various forms of technology to maintain and encourage a degree of social connectedness during these timeframes sparked a degree of creativity in how our usual ways of interacting could be modified to the unique social-political circumstances. One such example is the youth community physical activity program Latrobe Streetgames, who adapted their program to be delivered across a range of social media platforms. A mixed methods study was conducted to help understand the impact that the adapted online program had on its participants during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of the study highlight the negative impact that the various COVID-19 lockdowns had on the target population, and while the ability to maintain some degree of social-physical intractability via the modified Latrobe Streetgames delivery was beneficial, it likely did not outweigh the negative impact of the lockdowns itself. Therefore, as the world moves pasts the pandemic, an emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring that youth physical activity is promoted in order to combat the acquired negative health effects relating to physical, mental and social health.
- Description: Masters by Research
“I’ve got something to say and I need you to listen” : a photovoice study with women who have experienced family violence
- Authors: Hunt, Michelle
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Family violence is recognised as a significant social issue in Australia that is predominantly perpetrated by men against women in intimate partner relationships. Once only of concern to women and feminist activists, family violence is now part of mainstream public policy and community service provision. This research was conducted within an industry, community and university partnership to improve services for women and children who have experienced family violence in the Central Highlands region of Victoria. This research study used photovoice, a feminist participatory research method, to gather the insights and knowledge of some of these women from this region. The participants produced, selected and contextualised photographs to share their vision of “strong families, safe children” as well as providing their insights on what services needed to do to support this vision. Ten women participated in the study and collectively contributed 42 photographs and attended 15 individual interviews and four group workshops over a six-month period. Through their photographs and narratives, the participants detailed their experiences of services, including the systemic abuse of power and coercion that undermined their relationships with their children. The participants described feeling blamed and further victimised when their interactions with services replicated the coercive control that they had experienced in their intimate partner relationships. Systemic racial discrimination and violence further compounded service encounters described by the Aboriginal women who participated in the study. The participants advocated for the transformation of family violence policy and practice from one reliant on patriarchal and colonial knowledge to one grounded in feminist epistemologies and women’s experiential knowledge. Consistent with feminist epistemologies, this research study highlights the importance of relational understandings of family violence, a position that acknowledges the significance of women’s social context and family networks, as well as the interconnectedness of women’s and children’s safety and wellbeing. This research study has implications for the family violence service system grappling with the inclusion of lived experience as being more than voice but encompassing the positioning of women’s experiential knowledge (with all its emotion, complexity and subjectivity) at the heart of policy and practice.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Hunt, Michelle
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Family violence is recognised as a significant social issue in Australia that is predominantly perpetrated by men against women in intimate partner relationships. Once only of concern to women and feminist activists, family violence is now part of mainstream public policy and community service provision. This research was conducted within an industry, community and university partnership to improve services for women and children who have experienced family violence in the Central Highlands region of Victoria. This research study used photovoice, a feminist participatory research method, to gather the insights and knowledge of some of these women from this region. The participants produced, selected and contextualised photographs to share their vision of “strong families, safe children” as well as providing their insights on what services needed to do to support this vision. Ten women participated in the study and collectively contributed 42 photographs and attended 15 individual interviews and four group workshops over a six-month period. Through their photographs and narratives, the participants detailed their experiences of services, including the systemic abuse of power and coercion that undermined their relationships with their children. The participants described feeling blamed and further victimised when their interactions with services replicated the coercive control that they had experienced in their intimate partner relationships. Systemic racial discrimination and violence further compounded service encounters described by the Aboriginal women who participated in the study. The participants advocated for the transformation of family violence policy and practice from one reliant on patriarchal and colonial knowledge to one grounded in feminist epistemologies and women’s experiential knowledge. Consistent with feminist epistemologies, this research study highlights the importance of relational understandings of family violence, a position that acknowledges the significance of women’s social context and family networks, as well as the interconnectedness of women’s and children’s safety and wellbeing. This research study has implications for the family violence service system grappling with the inclusion of lived experience as being more than voice but encompassing the positioning of women’s experiential knowledge (with all its emotion, complexity and subjectivity) at the heart of policy and practice.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A Ballarat chinese family biography – an intergenerational study
- Authors: Horsfield, Yvonne
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: This thesis addresses the gap that has existed in Ballarat’s historiography regarding the historical neglect and ignorance of Chinese family narratives and their life experiences. In doing so this thesis presents a longitudinal, three generational study of an immigrant Ballarat Chinese family from the early 1860s until the 1950s. It examines how members of each Tong Way generation strove to gain acceptance and establish an enduring sense of cultural belonging in a former regional, Victorian gold mining city. An ancestor, Liu Chou Hock, was a sojourner who arrived on the Haddon goldfield in 1862 and successfully worked a claim. Within three years, he returned to his village, Wang Tung, in Taishan, China. His experience was in sharp contrast to that of his son John Tong Way (Liu’ Zongwei) who permanently settled in Ballarat. The family strived to integrate against a background of migrant adjustment, ethnic discrimination and later a policy of assimilation. These factors represented a challenge for all Chinese who remained until the White Australia Policy was abandoned by the Whitlam Labor government in 1973. Unlike Caucasian immigrants, who could assimilate, whilst retaining certain features of their ethnic identification, the Chinese were culturally alienated and often excluded from everyday cultural life and practice. They represented a demographically significant ethnic minority. The thesis also compares the experiences of the Ballarat and Bendigo Chinese communities in order to examine the similarities and differences. In doing so, it analyses how they were able to establish a sense of belonging in their respective communities. The analysis of the Ballarat family’s experiences, combined with that of other Chinese descent families forms the basis of an extended case study. One that argues that adaptation was necessitated by their individual aspirations for acceptance, respectability and success.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A continuous flow elevator to lift ore vertically for deep mine haulage using a cable disc elevator
- Authors: Webb, Colin
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Vertical continuous ore haulage with elevators in mining for deep haulage is virtually non-existent. In this, research investigations concentrated on a cable disc elevator. The problem of using a cable disc elevator is the friction between the elevator fixed tube and the moving ore on the disc. This research establishes the friction forces existing as the elevator cable and discs are elevated up a stationary tube. Then the focus is to find a way to eliminate that friction. The method involved developing three test rigs: Test Rig 1 measures static friction with the ore placed on a disc in a tube mounted on load cells to measure the resistance with the ore on the disc lifted by a counterweight. This is relevant for an elevator that has stopped under load. Test Rig 2 measures the dynamic friction in an operational 5-inch elevator with the tube on the lifting side held stationary by load cells when the cable discs are lifting the ore. Test Rig 3 eliminates friction in the lifting tube by using a pipe conveyor that travels vertically at the same speed as the cable disc elevator to contain the ore on the cable disc elevator. The cable disc elevator does all the ore lifting. The research generated results for static and dynamic friction for gravel, granite and coal. Cable tension required for ore lift of 1000 metres and the maximum hoisting distance for some existing cables are calculated. Implications of this research are that the cable disc elevator has the potential to haul from depths greater than existing elevators, has a small footprint in a mine, and with some further development could eliminate the need for truck haulage in open cut and underground mining from the mine.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Webb, Colin
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Vertical continuous ore haulage with elevators in mining for deep haulage is virtually non-existent. In this, research investigations concentrated on a cable disc elevator. The problem of using a cable disc elevator is the friction between the elevator fixed tube and the moving ore on the disc. This research establishes the friction forces existing as the elevator cable and discs are elevated up a stationary tube. Then the focus is to find a way to eliminate that friction. The method involved developing three test rigs: Test Rig 1 measures static friction with the ore placed on a disc in a tube mounted on load cells to measure the resistance with the ore on the disc lifted by a counterweight. This is relevant for an elevator that has stopped under load. Test Rig 2 measures the dynamic friction in an operational 5-inch elevator with the tube on the lifting side held stationary by load cells when the cable discs are lifting the ore. Test Rig 3 eliminates friction in the lifting tube by using a pipe conveyor that travels vertically at the same speed as the cable disc elevator to contain the ore on the cable disc elevator. The cable disc elevator does all the ore lifting. The research generated results for static and dynamic friction for gravel, granite and coal. Cable tension required for ore lift of 1000 metres and the maximum hoisting distance for some existing cables are calculated. Implications of this research are that the cable disc elevator has the potential to haul from depths greater than existing elevators, has a small footprint in a mine, and with some further development could eliminate the need for truck haulage in open cut and underground mining from the mine.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A good sheep run. Letters from New South Wales in Scottish newspapers between 1820 and 1850 with potential to influence decisions on emigration
- Authors: Hannaford, Graham
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The primary aim of this thesis is to contribute to ongoing historical research into migration to and settlement in Australia by Scots. It achieves this by identifying and examining letters sent from the colonies in New South Wales which were printed in historic Scottish newspapers between 1820 and 1850. In examining the material, this thesis argues that the letters had potential to influence emigration decisions by Scots. The study shows some of the ways in which New South Wales was reported in the Scottish press and compares those reports with conditions in Scotland at the time. The comparisons and analyses of the letters, with consideration of their authors and likely readers as well as the newspapers in which they were printed demonstrate that the letters did have potential to influence emigration decisions. Its particular contribution to knowledge arises from demonstrating how mostly private letters which became publicly available through publication in newspapers had potential to influence emigrants’ decisions about moving to Australia. Rather than claiming direct evidence of the publication of particular letters as having influenced emigration, it shows how reporting of conditions in Australia when set into a context of contemporary events and conditions in Scotland had potential to influence decisions. It is grounded in the body of historical research about colonial Australia and sits within this Australian historiographical context. Given the motivations and attractions of Scots to colonial Australia this thesis also engages with techniques and theoretical approaches associated with Scottish diaspora studies, an area of research that often emphasises other Scottish migration patterns to Canada, New Zealand and the USA. When considered together both of these historiographical approaches lend themselves to primary source material analysis and a methodological approach that this doctoral study uses to examine the motivations of Scots who migrated to colonial Australia.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Hannaford, Graham
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The primary aim of this thesis is to contribute to ongoing historical research into migration to and settlement in Australia by Scots. It achieves this by identifying and examining letters sent from the colonies in New South Wales which were printed in historic Scottish newspapers between 1820 and 1850. In examining the material, this thesis argues that the letters had potential to influence emigration decisions by Scots. The study shows some of the ways in which New South Wales was reported in the Scottish press and compares those reports with conditions in Scotland at the time. The comparisons and analyses of the letters, with consideration of their authors and likely readers as well as the newspapers in which they were printed demonstrate that the letters did have potential to influence emigration decisions. Its particular contribution to knowledge arises from demonstrating how mostly private letters which became publicly available through publication in newspapers had potential to influence emigrants’ decisions about moving to Australia. Rather than claiming direct evidence of the publication of particular letters as having influenced emigration, it shows how reporting of conditions in Australia when set into a context of contemporary events and conditions in Scotland had potential to influence decisions. It is grounded in the body of historical research about colonial Australia and sits within this Australian historiographical context. Given the motivations and attractions of Scots to colonial Australia this thesis also engages with techniques and theoretical approaches associated with Scottish diaspora studies, an area of research that often emphasises other Scottish migration patterns to Canada, New Zealand and the USA. When considered together both of these historiographical approaches lend themselves to primary source material analysis and a methodological approach that this doctoral study uses to examine the motivations of Scots who migrated to colonial Australia.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Adventures in software engineering : plugging HCI & acessibility gaps with open source solutions
- Authors: Lansley, Alastair
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: There has been a great deal of research undertaken in the field of Human-Computer Interfaces (HCI), input devices, and output modalities in recent years. From touch-based and voice control input mechanisms such as those found on modern smart-devices to the use of touch-free input through video-stream/image analysis (including depth streams and skeletal mapping) and the inclusion of gaze tracking, head tracking, virtual reality and beyond - the availability and variety of these I/O (Input/Output) mechanisms has increased tremendously and progressed both into our living rooms and into our lives in general. With regard to modern desktop computers and videogame consoles, at present many of these technologies are at a relatively immature stage of development - their use often limited to simple adjuncts to the staple input mechanisms of mouse, keyboard, or joystick / joypad inputs. In effect, we have these new input devices - but we're not quite sure how best to use them yet; that is, where their various strengths and weaknesses lie, and how or if they can be used to conveniently and reliably drive or augment applications in our everyday lives. In addition, much of this technology is provided by proprietary hardware and software, providing limited options for customisation or adaptation to better meet the needs of specific users. Therefore, this project investigated the development of open source software solutions to address various aspects of innovative user I/O in a flexible manner. Towards this end, a number of original software applications have been developed which incorporate functionality aimed at enhancing the current state of the art in these areas and making that software freely available for use by any who may find it beneficial.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Lansley, Alastair
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: There has been a great deal of research undertaken in the field of Human-Computer Interfaces (HCI), input devices, and output modalities in recent years. From touch-based and voice control input mechanisms such as those found on modern smart-devices to the use of touch-free input through video-stream/image analysis (including depth streams and skeletal mapping) and the inclusion of gaze tracking, head tracking, virtual reality and beyond - the availability and variety of these I/O (Input/Output) mechanisms has increased tremendously and progressed both into our living rooms and into our lives in general. With regard to modern desktop computers and videogame consoles, at present many of these technologies are at a relatively immature stage of development - their use often limited to simple adjuncts to the staple input mechanisms of mouse, keyboard, or joystick / joypad inputs. In effect, we have these new input devices - but we're not quite sure how best to use them yet; that is, where their various strengths and weaknesses lie, and how or if they can be used to conveniently and reliably drive or augment applications in our everyday lives. In addition, much of this technology is provided by proprietary hardware and software, providing limited options for customisation or adaptation to better meet the needs of specific users. Therefore, this project investigated the development of open source software solutions to address various aspects of innovative user I/O in a flexible manner. Towards this end, a number of original software applications have been developed which incorporate functionality aimed at enhancing the current state of the art in these areas and making that software freely available for use by any who may find it beneficial.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
An examination of physical exercise as an adjunct treatment for depressive symptoms in adults aged 65 years and older
- Authors: Miller, Kyle
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: In light of impending demographic shifts and projected strain on healthcare systems, this thesis set out to progress our putative understanding of the benefits of physical exercise on mental health in older adults aged 65 years and over. Herein, four studies of divergent research design interrogated the current knowledge base relating to the potential benefits of exercise in older adults with depressive symptomology. Study 1 set out to establish preliminary experimental evidence that four years of unsupervised aerobic exercise can improve cardiorespiratory function (determined by VO2max) and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in lifelong sedentary ageing men compared with lifelong exercising athletes. Results demonstrated preliminary proof of concept for exercise-induced benefits on cardiorespiratory function and HRQL in ageing men. Study 2 surveyed community-dwelling older adults (n = 586) to establish a hierarchy of exercise-associated factors to predict depressive symptomology. Contrary to expectation, exercise behaviour did not confer additional antidepressant effect, but was substantially predicted by exercise-induced mood, exercise self-efficacy, and social support (f2 = 0.993). Study 3 pooled evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to quantitatively compare the treatment effectiveness from aerobic, resistance and mind-body exercise training in older adults with pre-existing clinical depression, whereas Study 4 followed the same methodology in apparently health older adults without pre-existing clinical depression. Using network meta-analytical techniques, both clinical depressed (g = -0.41 to -1.38) and apparently healthy (g = -0.27 to -0.51) older adults demonstrated equivalent effectiveness for aerobic, resistance, and mind-body exercise interventions, with encouraging levels of study compliance. Taken together, these findings encourage personal exercise preference when prescribing either aerobic, resistance, or mind-body exercise as a treatment adjunct for clinical depression and older adults with symptoms thereof. The sum of works herein provide new knowledge to guide exercise prescription for stakeholders in mental health and older adults over 65 years.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Miller, Kyle
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: In light of impending demographic shifts and projected strain on healthcare systems, this thesis set out to progress our putative understanding of the benefits of physical exercise on mental health in older adults aged 65 years and over. Herein, four studies of divergent research design interrogated the current knowledge base relating to the potential benefits of exercise in older adults with depressive symptomology. Study 1 set out to establish preliminary experimental evidence that four years of unsupervised aerobic exercise can improve cardiorespiratory function (determined by VO2max) and health-related quality of life (HRQL) in lifelong sedentary ageing men compared with lifelong exercising athletes. Results demonstrated preliminary proof of concept for exercise-induced benefits on cardiorespiratory function and HRQL in ageing men. Study 2 surveyed community-dwelling older adults (n = 586) to establish a hierarchy of exercise-associated factors to predict depressive symptomology. Contrary to expectation, exercise behaviour did not confer additional antidepressant effect, but was substantially predicted by exercise-induced mood, exercise self-efficacy, and social support (f2 = 0.993). Study 3 pooled evidence from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to quantitatively compare the treatment effectiveness from aerobic, resistance and mind-body exercise training in older adults with pre-existing clinical depression, whereas Study 4 followed the same methodology in apparently health older adults without pre-existing clinical depression. Using network meta-analytical techniques, both clinical depressed (g = -0.41 to -1.38) and apparently healthy (g = -0.27 to -0.51) older adults demonstrated equivalent effectiveness for aerobic, resistance, and mind-body exercise interventions, with encouraging levels of study compliance. Taken together, these findings encourage personal exercise preference when prescribing either aerobic, resistance, or mind-body exercise as a treatment adjunct for clinical depression and older adults with symptoms thereof. The sum of works herein provide new knowledge to guide exercise prescription for stakeholders in mental health and older adults over 65 years.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
An investigation of Surf Life Saving Australia's Junior Development Program for Nippers
- Authors: Higgerson, Amanda
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The primary aim of Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA), through their State and Territory bodies is to provide safe coastal environments for Australian beach goers. With over 312 affiliated clubs across Australia, SLSA provides an opportunity for primary school aged children (Nippers) to experience water safety and aquatic education in an open water environment. Nippers in the Under 8-Under 13 years age groups are involved in a participation-based education program known as the Junior Development Program (JDP), which aims to develop skills required for future lifesaving (Giles & Slade, 2012). The overall aim of this research was to identify and explore the barriers and enablers to involvement in SLSA’s JDP from the perspective of the participants, their parents/carers and those involved in the delivery of the program. Utilising a multiphase mixed method design, 341 Nippers from eight surf lifesaving clubs in New South Wales completed a questionnaire and 30 interviews were conducted – 19 with parents/carers from seven of the eight participating lifesaving clubs, and 11 Age Managers from six of the eight clubs. The findings indicated that the Nippers perceived most lifesaving skills were important and were happy/very happy to be learning about safety of themselves and how to assist others in the surf. Most concerns related to unknowns in terms of sea creatures and adverse weather conditions like storms and lightening. Interviewees believed Nipper participation was based on interpersonal and intrapersonal reasons, with socialisation a positive aspect of the program. In line with common fears reported by Nippers, interviewees reported unfavourable environmental conditions, including big surf, cold weather, weed and stingers, as barriers to participation. The findings and opinions from those involved in the JDP provide insights into barriers and enablers to participation in the program, which is intended to provide important guidance for future delivery of the JDP across Australia.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Higgerson, Amanda
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The primary aim of Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA), through their State and Territory bodies is to provide safe coastal environments for Australian beach goers. With over 312 affiliated clubs across Australia, SLSA provides an opportunity for primary school aged children (Nippers) to experience water safety and aquatic education in an open water environment. Nippers in the Under 8-Under 13 years age groups are involved in a participation-based education program known as the Junior Development Program (JDP), which aims to develop skills required for future lifesaving (Giles & Slade, 2012). The overall aim of this research was to identify and explore the barriers and enablers to involvement in SLSA’s JDP from the perspective of the participants, their parents/carers and those involved in the delivery of the program. Utilising a multiphase mixed method design, 341 Nippers from eight surf lifesaving clubs in New South Wales completed a questionnaire and 30 interviews were conducted – 19 with parents/carers from seven of the eight participating lifesaving clubs, and 11 Age Managers from six of the eight clubs. The findings indicated that the Nippers perceived most lifesaving skills were important and were happy/very happy to be learning about safety of themselves and how to assist others in the surf. Most concerns related to unknowns in terms of sea creatures and adverse weather conditions like storms and lightening. Interviewees believed Nipper participation was based on interpersonal and intrapersonal reasons, with socialisation a positive aspect of the program. In line with common fears reported by Nippers, interviewees reported unfavourable environmental conditions, including big surf, cold weather, weed and stingers, as barriers to participation. The findings and opinions from those involved in the JDP provide insights into barriers and enablers to participation in the program, which is intended to provide important guidance for future delivery of the JDP across Australia.
- Description: Masters by Research
Application of molecular diagnostic methods for the detection and quantification of Fasciola hepatica infection in cattle faecal samples
- Authors: Thakur, Sameer
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Fasciola hepatica, commonly known as liver fluke, is a globally distributed trematode causing significant production losses in ruminant livestock. Due to reduced drug efficacy, there is a need for appropriate diagnostic tools, which would allow alternative management practices to be developed and minimize economic losses. The traditional ‘gold standard’ method for diagnosis, faecal egg count (FEC), is associated with low sensitivity when diagnosing F. hepatica infection in livestock using faecal samples. The present study aimed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the molecular diagnostic methods [conventional PCR (cPCR), Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) and quantitative real time PCR (qPCR)] with the conventional diagnostic method FEC, for detecting F. hepatica infection using cattle faecal samples. Faecal samples were collected from 94 experimentally-infected cattle 12 weeks post infection and 40 faecal samples were collected from cattle with no previous history of F. hepatica infection, as a comparative control. The sensitivity of conventional PCR, LAMP and qPCR was 86.2%, 87.2% and 96.8% respectively, which was similar to the faecal egg count (97.9%). While the specificity of all the molecular methods were 97.5%, and for FEC the specificity was 100%. The potential advantage of these molecular diagnostic tests, with further development, suggest they may be a viable alternative diagnostic test when compared to FEC. In addition, a pilot study was conducted to evaluate the potential use of a commercial snail trap in catching and detecting the intermediate host of F. hepatica in irrigated farmland, as an alternative management strategy. However, under the parameters tested in these experiments, the use of commercial snail traps to catch the intermediate host of F. hepatica from farm irrigation channels was shown to be ineffective.
- Description: Masters by Research
- Authors: Thakur, Sameer
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: Fasciola hepatica, commonly known as liver fluke, is a globally distributed trematode causing significant production losses in ruminant livestock. Due to reduced drug efficacy, there is a need for appropriate diagnostic tools, which would allow alternative management practices to be developed and minimize economic losses. The traditional ‘gold standard’ method for diagnosis, faecal egg count (FEC), is associated with low sensitivity when diagnosing F. hepatica infection in livestock using faecal samples. The present study aimed to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the molecular diagnostic methods [conventional PCR (cPCR), Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) and quantitative real time PCR (qPCR)] with the conventional diagnostic method FEC, for detecting F. hepatica infection using cattle faecal samples. Faecal samples were collected from 94 experimentally-infected cattle 12 weeks post infection and 40 faecal samples were collected from cattle with no previous history of F. hepatica infection, as a comparative control. The sensitivity of conventional PCR, LAMP and qPCR was 86.2%, 87.2% and 96.8% respectively, which was similar to the faecal egg count (97.9%). While the specificity of all the molecular methods were 97.5%, and for FEC the specificity was 100%. The potential advantage of these molecular diagnostic tests, with further development, suggest they may be a viable alternative diagnostic test when compared to FEC. In addition, a pilot study was conducted to evaluate the potential use of a commercial snail trap in catching and detecting the intermediate host of F. hepatica in irrigated farmland, as an alternative management strategy. However, under the parameters tested in these experiments, the use of commercial snail traps to catch the intermediate host of F. hepatica from farm irrigation channels was shown to be ineffective.
- Description: Masters by Research
Audit education in a socialist oriented market economy – the case of Vietnam
- Dang, Ky
- Authors: Dang, Ky
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The objective of the research project is to contribute to the understanding of the auditing profession in Vietnam. In particular, it provides information on the challenges facing auditors in an emerging economy where economic transformation is in progress and where auditing, as a profession, is under development. Auditors operate in an environment of conflicting priorities where they must maintain independence and objectivity in discharging their responsibilities to stakeholders and society. In Vietnam, the audit profession only came into existence in 1986 when the country embarked on its new economic model. Whilst studies have been conducted on the status of current accounting practice in Vietnam, studies regarding the audit profession have been limited. In this research project an examination of the issues affecting audit quality in Vietnam are investigated and suggestions for changes to address the deficiencies are made. In particular, the project focuses on the relevance and appropriateness of the education of auditors. A national survey of accountants, auditors and accounting academics in Vietnam was undertaken. The survey results indicate that in Vietnam there are deficiencies in audit practices over and above those commonly observed in other countries. These deficiencies are the result of the unique history of Vietnam, the current stage of economic development and the education system for auditors. From an auditing perspective, the slow adaptation of the education system to the new economic environment is having negative effects on accounting graduates and their employment prospects. Although inadequate training was identified as the single most important factor affecting audit quality, the ineffective enforcement regime was also a contributing factor. This research project indicates that there is a need for an overhaul of the current education system in Vietnam and for universities to develop an accounting and auditing curriculum that meets the needs of employers while complying with government’s education objectives and international standards of auditing and accounting.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Dang, Ky
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The objective of the research project is to contribute to the understanding of the auditing profession in Vietnam. In particular, it provides information on the challenges facing auditors in an emerging economy where economic transformation is in progress and where auditing, as a profession, is under development. Auditors operate in an environment of conflicting priorities where they must maintain independence and objectivity in discharging their responsibilities to stakeholders and society. In Vietnam, the audit profession only came into existence in 1986 when the country embarked on its new economic model. Whilst studies have been conducted on the status of current accounting practice in Vietnam, studies regarding the audit profession have been limited. In this research project an examination of the issues affecting audit quality in Vietnam are investigated and suggestions for changes to address the deficiencies are made. In particular, the project focuses on the relevance and appropriateness of the education of auditors. A national survey of accountants, auditors and accounting academics in Vietnam was undertaken. The survey results indicate that in Vietnam there are deficiencies in audit practices over and above those commonly observed in other countries. These deficiencies are the result of the unique history of Vietnam, the current stage of economic development and the education system for auditors. From an auditing perspective, the slow adaptation of the education system to the new economic environment is having negative effects on accounting graduates and their employment prospects. Although inadequate training was identified as the single most important factor affecting audit quality, the ineffective enforcement regime was also a contributing factor. This research project indicates that there is a need for an overhaul of the current education system in Vietnam and for universities to develop an accounting and auditing curriculum that meets the needs of employers while complying with government’s education objectives and international standards of auditing and accounting.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy