"Working through it" : men's experiences of fatherhood following a life event / Allan H. Donelly
- Authors: Donelly, Allan H.
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "This study set out to determine if and how men change their approach to fatherhood for reasons other than those prescribed by society, that is, are fathers capable of change for personal and interpersonal reasons. ... The participants needed to have experienced a life event whist being a father."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
'And for harmony most ardently we long' : Musical life in Ballarat, 1851-1871
- Authors: Doggett, Anne
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "The study examines two decades in the musical life of Ballarat, a regional city in south-eastern Australia. Beginning at the time of the 1851 gold rush, it covers the period in which Ballarat grew from a rough mining camp to an established city with a socially and ethnically diverse population of over 40,000 people. The thesis pursues the aim of looking at the music practices of the community in ways that will further our understanding of the significance of music in the lives of the people."--Abstract.
- Description: Doctor of Philosphy
'I can be this' : Image, identity and investment in physical education
- Authors: Brown, Leann
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: This study investigated how student expectations, experiences and involvement in physical education teacher education impacted upon and shaped identity development. The research focused on student social interactions and identified a range of behaviours and practices which reinforced student notions of what it means to be a physical educator. [...] The research itself was conducted within a creative analytical practice framework resulting in the following research products: the thesis text; a collection of one act plays titled, 'Plays from the identity playground', written about student social experiences; a CD which includes the filmed production of one of the plays 'Boys' training', and 'I can be this: a phototext', which presents key 'photographic' themes as insights into PETE student social events and activities.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
'What's in a name?' : place and toponymic attachment, identity and dependence : a case study of the Grampians (Gariwerd) National Park name restoration process
- Authors: Kostanski, Laura
- Date: 2009
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The ultimate intention of this thesis is to propose the meta-theory of toponymic attachment, which is comprised of toponymic identity and dependence, and to explore ways in which it is related to , but distinct from, existing widely-published theories on place attachment.
- Description: Doctorate of Philosophy
'You Beauty' Alex Jesaulenko An historical exploration of the migrant who became a legend
- Authors: Eddy, Daniel
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: The Austrian-born Alex Jesaulenko played football in the Victorian Football League (VFL) from 1967 to 1981. His rise to national prominence emerged during a period of great change within both Australian society and Australian rules football. This thesis, through a critical biographical approach, examines for the first time Jesaulenko’s early life, looking at his migrant experience and the role that Australian rules football played in aiding his integration into Australian society. It is not a kick-and-handball analysis of Jesaulenko’s entire football career; that has been extensively covered within copious amounts of primary and secondary sources. Instead, it explores his migrant journey – an important aspect of Jesaulenko’s life which has been largely overlooked – and the key developmental years of sporting education prior to emerging as a VFL champion. It concludes with one of, if not the most, iconic moments in the game’s history: Jesaulenko’s mark in the 1970 VFL grand final, which cemented his name within the Australian sporting consciousness. Australian rules football, and sport more generally, holds a unique place within society. Footballers, it can be argued, are archetypes for our daily dreams and aspirations; exalted figures that we afford status which few will experience in their everyday lives. Therefore, it is through the prism of Jesaulenko’s journey that we can learn more about the role Australian rules football has played for migrants integrating into Australian society.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
(Re)creating spaces within rural general practice : Women as agents of change at the organisational and practitioner levels
- Authors: Schwarz, Imogen
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis examines how women, as agents of change, contest the male-dominated structures at the organisational and practitioner levels of rural medicine in Australia. The premises for this study are that females now outnumber males as medical graduates and general practice trainees, yet women are significantly less likely than men to occupy rural and remote practice positions in Australia. Furthermore, the organisation of medicine remains strongly patriarchal. A feminist qualitative design underpins this empirical study involving: in-depth interviews with seventeen women activists and thirteen rural women general practitioners; grounded theory analysis of transcribed interviews; and interpretation of findings through a feminist poststructural lens. Findings uncover the gendered organisational and practitioner environment through which change is negotiated. At the organisational level, male exclusionary practices – played out through the ‘male as norm’ and the ‘problem is women’ discourses – position women in highly contradictory ways and marginalise their voices. Yet simultaneously, activists are challenging entrenched interests through individual and collective strategies of change which include: initiating gender-awareness projects; claiming legitimacy by using male-centred tactics and women-defined discourses; developing female-friendly initiatives; and mentoring of and building alliances between women. At the practitioner level, results reveal how women’s everyday lives as rural general practitioners are shaped by oppositional tensions. However, beyond the struggle of ‘fitting in’, women are altering rural medicine by (re)shaping meanings and (re)constructing work practices. Furthermore, their narratives suggest that rural spaces are integral to ways women carve out women-defined practice. A key innovation of this thesis is analysis of change at dual levels, both organisational and practitioner. This thesis marks a significant advancement upon the usual themes that attend only to the marginalisation of women and rural areas. It highlights the transformative process through which women (re)create the discursive spaces of rural general practice.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
.comUnity : A study on the adoption and diffusion of internet technologies in a regional tourism network
- Authors: Braun, Patrice
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis describes the initiation and evolution of an action research project, which investigates the adoption and diffusion of Internet technologies in a regional Australian tourism network. The research evolved out of a portal development consultancy. The aim of the study was two-fold: to investigate the nature of the change process when a collaborative network seeks to adopt e-commerce; and to determine how the change process differed in the face of incremental change (adding some e-commerce solutions to the network), or radical change (changing the overall business model). The purpose of the study was to gain a better understanding of the economic, strategic and social potential of regional business networks in the current techno-economic climate. The study builds on Rogers' (1995) seminal work on the diffusion of innovations and makes a unique contribution to existing diffusion studies by its focus on the nature of the network links as the unit of analysis; and by its application of an action-oriented methodology to untangle the effects of the embedded network structure on diffusion. The study suggests a strong relationship between diffusion and network positioning, both in terms of place (status and position in the network) and space (the geographic make-up of the network). Diffusion further hinged on network cohesion, actors' trust in and engagement with the network. Adoption of e-commerce was obstructed by actors’ worldview; lack of time, reflexive learning, and commitment to change. The incorporation in the study’s diffusion framework of contextual moderators such as network position, worldview, trust, time and commitment considerably extends Rogers’ traditional diffusion framework. Based on its emergent analysis framework, the study introduces a dynamic change model towards sustainable regional network development. It is suggested that both the diffusion framework and the regional innovation model developed in this study may, either jointly or separately, be applicable beyond the tourism and service sector.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
10 Days in 2009 : An auto-ethnographical study of "Communical Resistance" taken by international students in Australia
- Authors: Saunders, Owen
- Date: 2017
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The early millennium saw the rise of an educational system in Australia where unchartered private educational provider institutions teach degree courses via contractual arrangements with parent universities. This study examines an incident where students at several such institutions collectively declined to submit a required online assessment piece to the possible detriment of the successful completion of their degrees. The research questions that arose from this incident were; what went wrong; how can we understand what happened here; and, what does this mean for me personally? Students’ perceptions of an online assessment piece are examined in the study of this incident. The study covers identical units offered at six private providers in three different Australian cities and the parent university. The students at the private institutions were all international students; those at the parent were a mix of international and domestic students. The assessment piece, a mandatory requirement for completion of the degree, was given to a collective cohort of approximately 400 students. The majority of students from four of the private institutions declined to submit the assessment piece. Initial research indicated that the students were uncomfortable with the format of a new blended-learning delivery introduced that year (2009). Upon deeper investigation, it was revealed that the declination to submit was, in fact, a complex situation involving conflicts, cultural clashes, social upheaval, and legislative misunderstandings that combined to create an environment where the students felt they had no option but to openly protest against perceived injustices. The author of this work is also the educator at the centre of this event, thus the thesis has been written in an auto-ethnographical method, viewed through the educator’s lens. To protect sensitive information, pseudonyms have been used and identifying details removed. The parent university at the centre of the event, named Newgarth University, is fictitious. Auto-ethnography has been used to present the empirical data (quantitative and qualitative), and the reader will be taken through a “detective story” that reveals various characters, plots, and protest. The study documents a previously unrecorded incident in the international student education industry in Australia. The study offers explanations as to why this incident occurred and adds to the cumulative knowledge of the international student education industry in Australia by offering suggestions to prevent such incidents occurring again. The study demonstrates that when a group of students are placed in an unfamiliar uncomfortable environment with little or no access to pastoral care or welfare services, they will create support groups of allegiance to protect their interests. These allegiance groups will employ tried and tested methods of communal resistance practised by the dominant culture of that field of endeavour.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
100 years of annual reporting by Australian Red Cross : Accountability amidst wars, disasters and loss of life
- Authors: Langton, Jonathan
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Purpose: This critical interpretive and historical case study of Australian Red Cross extends from the organisation’s beginning in 1914 through to the present day. The overarching purpose is to reveal and analyse the annual reporting practices of one of Australia’s oldest and most important humanitarian organisations in the discharge of accountability over the course of a century. Design/methodology/approach: A Political Economy of Accounting theoretical framework guides the content analysis and interpretation of findings. Background: While the review of literature acknowledges the annual report as a crucial element in the discharge of accountability, studies investigating the evolution of annual reports of International nongovernmental development and humanitarian aid organisations (INGDHOs) over extended periods of time appear to be absent from the literature. Findings: The annual reports were found to be responsive to the changing social, political, economic and institutional environment, casting doubt on any claims to objectivity in organisational management’s disclosures, including assertions regarding unadulterated adherence to its Fundamental Principles. Furthermore, sources of pressure from the wider environmental context impacted upon the development of accountability regimes and shaped the way in which organisational management reported to stakeholders. These regimes evidence the alignment of mission preservation and emotive disclosures with strategic priorities. Implications: This study extends understandings of how INGDHOs discharge accountability through annual reporting practices. It provides a more holistic framework for understanding the role of accountability in organisational management reporting, the development of accountability regimes and the implications for organisational and social functioning. Originality/value (significance): The contribution is distinctive not only for the context and extensive period covered, but also for the significant institutional setting of Australian Red Cross – encompassing deep social, political, economic and institutional changes. This adds to the extant literature and provides significant insights into the contested interplay between annual reporting practices and accountability regimes.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
[Dis]Abled justice: Why reports of sexual assault made by adults with cognitive impairment fail to proceed through the justice system
- Authors: Camilleri, Marg
- Date: 2010
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Description: This study considers why, despite increased prevalence of sexual assault perpetrated against adults with cognitive impairment, reports of sexual assault made by adults in this cohort to the police seldom progress beyond the investigation stage. The study is informed by a triangulation of theoretical perspectives consisting of radical feminist theory, symbolic interactionism and the social model of disability. A combined qualitative and quantitative methodological approach is underpinned by the social constructionist epistemology. Data was gathered through 13 focus group discussions conducted with Victoria Police members, including members of the Sex Offences and Child Abuse Unit, Criminal Investigation Unit and Sex Crimes Squad, as well as with staff from the Office of Public Prosecutions and advocates consisting of disability and victim support workers. The other main sources of data were 76 police case file narratives and a case study involving an adult victim whose report of sexual assault was successfully prosecuted. Qualitative data from focus group interviews and file narratives were subjected to thematic analysis and critical discourse analysis. Basic frequencies and correlations of the case file data were analysed using SPSS and the case study was analysed utilising Yin’s (2003) explanatory case study framework. The research indicates that there are seven points in the course of police investigations at which decisions are made about sexual assault reports. Discretion is applied by police at all stages of decision making. Decisions are informed by an influence cycle consisting of social forces, the justice system, the police organisation, and the culture of the police unit. Police decisions are therefore subject to a range of influences, which perpetuate negative patriarchal and ableist stereotypes and disabling generalised assumptions about adults with cognitive impairment. The primary assumption is they are not credible. The result is that opportunities for people with cognitive impairment to access justice are extinguished prematurely.
A Ballarat chinese family biography – an intergenerational study
- Authors: Horsfield, Yvonne
- Date: 2020
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- 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 case study of teacher roles in engaging with student aspirations
- Authors: Walker, Amy
- Date: 2019
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This thesis investigated the complex role teachers play, both formally and informally, in relation to engaging and supporting student aspirations. Due to the links that have been established between aspirations and school completion and involvement in tertiary education, aspirations are important in an educational context. Yet, despite the abundance of aspiration related research, most has focused on student or parent perspectives, with few scholars targeting teacher perceptions of their roles in relation to student aspirations. This research is therefore significant as it addresses this gap through a single case study investigating perceptions of P-12 teachers from a peri-urban independent school in Victoria, Australia. Data were collected from 57 teachers via survey, interviews, and school document analysis. A lens of research-as-bricoleur, incorporating the theoretical frameworks of Bronfenbrenner (1979; 1994), Turner (2001), Gottfredson (1981, 1996), and Patton and McMahon (2015), provided the interpretative basis for the applied thematic analysis of the different data sets. Findings demonstrated differences in the way that teachers conceptualised their role in engaging with student aspirations. While teacher participants identified various formal and informal roles that they played in relation to engaging student aspirations, they also reported a lack of clear guidance or guidelines, necessitating the development of personal processes to direct their involvement. Other important findings highlighted a number of factors that teacher participants perceived as facilitating or impeding possible roles they could play in engaging student aspirations. The understandings emanating from this research provide substantive assistance to stakeholders, including school administrators and teacher educators, in appreciating and appropriately responding to an area of practice which remains misunderstood and without clear policy or guidelines. Ultimately, this research adds to the growing body of research into student aspirations and the concomitant importance of teachers in helping students aspire to and achieve their goals.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A cognitive diagnostic system for explaining algebra errors
- Authors: Mays, Heather
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "This thesis presents a new approach to cognitive diagnosis within the domain of algebra that has greater power than existing techniques."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A collaborative exploration of creativity, doodling and flow : A practice-based education inquiry
- Authors: Barrand, Katherine
- Date: 2015
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: The initial stage of this inquiry is a solo exploration of my definition of doodling, how doodling became my preferred artistic process, and reflectively examines the factors that contribute to my experience of flow moments when creating art. An intrinsic component of this solo research was finding new ways to create moments of flow when working individually, and reflecting how they could influence and shape the second stage of the project. The second stage of this inquiry investigates doodling in collaboration with four participating artists. In an attempt to flesh out the spaces between conscious and unconscious artistic interventions, and the role that outside influences can play on the creative process, this collaborative inquiry developed into an examination of the factors which influence co-creation during different stages of art making. The framework for this second inquiry was created by utilising insights gained from the initial solo investigation Accordingly, this research includes multiple strands of artistic exploration, including solo works, works created in collaboration, and interviews with the collaborating artists involved in the project. Selected key solo works and all artistic collaborations are included in the body of this exegesis to encourage immersion in this practice based research. Beginning as an artist and incorporating the different roles of researcher and teacher into the work, this research is an a/r/tographical inquiry into the way these oftentimes overlapping identities influence and guided the research. The outcomes from this research include insights into my creative processes, revealing previously unacknowledged tensions between the need for creative control and flow. One of the most important outcomes from this research was the development of non-verbal conversations between artists, and the way the collaborative process has the potential to both encourage and hinder flow moments. This work is a self-study which incorporates others in relation to my own work. I believe it holds significant relevance to a wider artistic audience seeking a different perspective on encouraging collaborative artistic flow, and the method of collaborative doodling enacted in this research has potential applications in both formal and informal educational settings.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A comparative analysis of domestic violence against women in Australia and Bangladesh : government policies, legislation and organisational responses
- Authors: Rahman, Nasrin
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
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- Description: This is a comparative study of Domestic Violence (DV) between Australia (Victoria) and Bangladesh. It examined the interrelationship between factors which contribute to DV, government policies and legislation developed to deal with DV, and organisational responders (police and DV Crisis Support Services) implementing strategies and remedies in the policies and legislation. A comparative country case study strategy was adopted utilising triangulation of methods of data collection including an analysis of the countries’ respective policies and legislation and conducting in-depth interviews with key responder personnel. The conceptual framework identified policies and legislation as Steering Media, which influenced a society’s beliefs embedded in the Lifeworld, and which guided the actions of responders to DV in the two different countries’ Systems. Differences and similarities were found between the two countries. The main common factor was the identification of gender inequality as an underlying factor causing DV. Some social and cultural factors exist in both countries such as poverty. Some factors were specific to Australia, such as the consumption of alcohol; and in Bangladesh, such as dowry and dependency on men. Of significance is that gender equality is enshrined in the Bangladeshi Constitution, while Australia relies on legislation that could potentially be changed to disadvantage women. Differences revealed include identification of victims and perpetrators, with Bangladesh specifically naming women and children as victims but never the perpetrator and Australia (Victoria) naming any family member as victim or perpetrator. Also, responders deal with DV victims and perpetrators differently according to the policies and legislation of both countries. This research has implications for both theory and practice in both countries. The findings have potential to contribute to changes in policy and legislation related to DV as well as in the practice level by responders across both countries, learning from each other in the process.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A comparative analysis of the motivational factors of Chinese and non-Chinese tourists visiting Melbourne
- Authors: Soldatenko, Daria
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study is devoted to a comparison of motivational factors of travellers from China and non-Chinese countries visiting the same destination (Melbourne). Given the importance of the Chinese market to Australia, it seems important to explore this market in terms of motivational factors and understand its specifics and peculiarities. In addition, the topicality of such research was revealed through a content analysis of cross-cultural push/pull motivational studies in tourism relating to nationalities. Leiper’s model of tourist’s pre-trip psychological process (2004) was adapted and modified in terms of push and pull factors that combine not only needs and destination attributes, but also include a number of additional factors, such as information about recreation possibilities of visiting places, expectation about potential experiences during the trip, as well as means, namely money, time and absence of other constraints. The model enables an understanding of the linkages and relationships between the various motivational variables and their influence on destination choice. This study employs quantitative methods to examine and compare the motivational factors of two studied samples. Data were collected through an online survey, which was provided in two languages (English and Chinese). The data analysis was undertaken in Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) - 26.0 software by the means of various descriptive and inferential statistical techniques, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Independent T-tests, Multiple regression analysis, and Canonical correlation analysis. In addition, the relationships between motivational variables in a proposed model were examined by using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The present study revealed a number of differences in trip characteristics and tourist motivational factors between the Chinese and non-Chinese samples. The differences identified between the two target markets are closely related to traits of individualist and collectivist cultures. This conclusion verifies the findings of previous tourism research that culture influences travel behaviour. The knowledge of cultural differences in motivation is very important for enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of international tourism marketing. In addition, customising the services, products, and marketing programs for specific markets results in a high level of tourist satisfaction, and that in turn, leads to an increase in financial benefits associated with customer satisfaction and loyalty. This research has both theoretical and practical scientific significance. One significant contribution of this research is the development of a model of interrelated motivational factors in the travel decision-making process that enables the identification of the most influential motivational factors in travel decisions. The relationships between the push and pull factors, such as motivations, destination attributes, information sources, expectations and constraints, and their influence on destination choice, were examined. In the present study, a close positive relationship between personal motivations and destination attributes, as well as a significant influence of information sources on expectations and destination choice were found. Such results highlight the importance of properly developed advertising and promotion strategies with special attention to their contents, emphasising particular push and pull factors for particular tourist markets or segments. In addition, the current study identified possible product bundles of tourists’ motivations and destination attributes and segmentation of visitors to Melbourne that might present valuable information for destination practitioners and marketers, as successful matching of push and pull factors is a prerequisite for effective and successful actions on attraction and retention of visitors. Identified similarities and differences between Chinese and non-Chinese samples in terms of their demographic profiles, trip characteristics, motivations for travelling, preferences of destination attributes, information source usage, trip expectations, constraints for travelling, and their evaluation of destination choice criteria provided useful information for developing specifically customised tourist products and services, as well as promotion programs, that are tailored to each market. Moreover, from theoretical perspective, the present study adds new depth to understanding the nature of motivational factors, affecting the travel decision-making process, and causal relationships among them. Thus, the study contributes to advancing both tourist behaviour research as well as tourism decision-making literature. In addition, this research identifies and addresses the gap in empirical research investigating tourists' behaviour patterns across economically and culturally different countries. As comparative motivational research of tourists from China and non-Chinese countries travelling to Australia had yet to be undertaken, this study might be considered important because it provides valuable information for targeting the main source countries for Australia. Such research may be especially valuable in post-COVID times when international borders open up and carefully planned marketing will be needed.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A comprehensive profile of elite tennis and strategies to enhance match play performance
- Authors: Hornery, Daniel
- Date: 2006
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: "This dissertation illustrates an interdisciplinary sport science approach to further understand the interaction between physiology and performance in tennis. An integral theme throughout the experimental phases was the emphasis on obtaining information from actual competitive scenarios or settings that simulated a match environment. [...] This study extended the work of similar investigations through the multifaceted methods in which performance was quantified. Overall the thesis provides unique insight into the physiological demands of professional tournament tennis and the constraints these impose on performance. Furthermore, evidence was accrued to support some of the common preparatory and in-match behaviours used by players to enhance performance."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A computational story model based on a story grammar that represents conflict
- Authors: Hall, Richard
- Date: 2002
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: "The work in this thesis investigates whether a computational story model can be formulated that can overcome the limitations of existing story models and also interact with stories in multiple ways, similar to the ways in which people interact with them."
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
A computer-mediated framework to facilitate group consensus based on a shared understanding ConSULT
- Authors: Afshar, Faezeh
- Date: 2004
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters , PhD
- Full Text: false
- Description: "Group decision-making usually involves a process of discussion and evaluation of alternatives. Important aspects of a group decision support system are: freedom to participate; the ability to explicitly present points of view; the ability to augment or oppose views by supporting evidence and reasoning; and the ability to use and consider other additional views .... The overall aim of this work is to develop an approach that can alleviate some of the problems associated with group commuication and consensus decision-making by effectively supporting group discussions towards consensus. Towards achieving this goal we have developed an approach called ConSULT (Consensus based on a Shared Understanding of a Leading Topic) as a computer-mediated framework to allow argumentation, collection and evaluation of discussion and group decision-making. This approach employs existing theories and techniques in computer-mediated communication, argumentation, Delphi and voting." -- Abstract.
- Description: Master of Information Technology
- Description: "Group decision-making usually involves a process of discussion and evaluation of alternatives. Important aspects of a group decision support system are: freedom to participate; the ability to explicitly present points of view; the ability to augment or oppose views by supporting evidence and reasoning; and the ability to use and consider other additional views .... The overall aim of this work is to develop an approach that can alleviate some of the problems associated with group commuication and consensus decision-making by effectively supporting group discussions towards consensus. Towards achieveing this goal we have developed an approach called ConSULT (Consensus based on a Shared Understanding of a Leading Topic) as a computer-mediated framework to allow argumentation, collection and evaluation of discussion and group decision-making. This approach employs existing theories and techniques in computer-mediated communication, argumentation, Delphi and voting." -- Abstract.
A conceptual framework for a theory of liquidity
- Authors: Culham, James
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study contributes to the understanding of liquidity in two ways. First, it considers the multifaceted nature of liquidity and its relationship with money. Second, it constructs a conceptual framework for a theory of liquidity. The first contribution is achieved by clarifying and categorising the various forms of liquidity to identify those overlooked by the existing literature. The second contribution consists of a realist critique of the literature on liquidity and money to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each theoretical approach. The study reflects on the attempts to analyse liquidity using moneyless models of perfect barter with the assumption that every commodity exhibits perfect saleability; an assumption that removes any need for a medium of exchange and, moreover, crowds out all other forms of liquidity. It is concluded that, because liquidity is a social and monetary phenomenon, it cannot be analysed with models populated by a representative agent consuming a single commodity. Furthermore, this conclusion is not altered by the introduction of ‘financial frictions’, which are fundamentally at odds with the nature of money. Instead, the clarification of the nature of liquidity forms the basis for an interpretation of Keynes’s theory of liquidity preference that emphasises its reliance on liquidity in general, not money in particular. The study introduces the terms redemption liquidity and exchange liquidity to explain the trade-off that underpins the theory of liquidity preference. Properly interpreted, the theory of liquidity preference can then address many of the deficiencies prevalent in the dominant theories of the rate of interest. The study therefore has implications for monetary policy and asset pricing.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy