Description:
The debate around corporate governance has been particularly vigorous in this part of the 21st century. Theoretical frameworks have been tested by spectacular corporate failures that also raise questions as to the effectiveness of different approaches. Empirical, contextually-based research into how governance theory informs practice assists in understanding these questions. This paper explores findings from empirical research conducted into the make-up of boards of directors in New Zealand, an export focused economy dominated by small and medium-sized enterprises. These findings are revealing in demonstrating that despite the challenges faced by the New Zealand industry in a volatile global environment, the skill-sets and other characteristics present in, and sought from, directors appear to be both narrow and traditional. However, there is also evidence to suggest shifting expectations and requirements are to some extent and will continue to propel change in both boards and in contributions expected of individual directors.
Description:
Protein Structure Prediction (PSP) is a challenging optimization problem in computational biology. A large number of non-deterministic approaches such as Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs) have been have been effectively applied to a variety of fields though, in the rugged landscape of multimodal problem like PSP, it can perform unsatisfactorily, due to premature convergence. In EAs, selection plays a significant role to avoid getting trapped in local optima and also to guide the evolution towards an optimal solution. In this paper, we propose a new Sib-based survival selection strategy suitable for application in a genetic algorithm (GA) to deal with multimodal problems. The proposed strategy, inspired by the concept of crowding method, controls the flow of genetic material by pairing off the fittest offspring amongst all the sibs (offspring inheriting most of the genetic material from an ancestor) with its ancestor for survival. Furthermore, by selecting the survivors in a hybridized manner of deterministic and probabilistic selection, the method allows the exploitation of less fit solutions along with the fitter ones and thus facilitates escaping from local optima (minima in case of PSP). Experiments conducted on a set of widely used benchmark sequences for 3D-FCC HP lattice model, demonstrate the potential of the proposed method, both in terms of diversity and optimal energy in regard to various state-of-the-art selection methods.
Description:
Early childhood education, in its deepest sense, concerns the preparation of young children for their future lives. In this paper, I will argue that issues of preparing young children for the future should be addressed in terms of living in the context of increasing globalization. To make this argument, the paper looks across academic experiences of young children in some nations around the world. The idea is to identify congruence and differences in academic experiences of young children, set them in the context of globalization, and discuss the significance of shifting early childhood education from a local orientation to a more-encompassing view of global practice. Only moving deeply into the concept of globalization, we can bring out into the open both our ways and theirs of teaching and learning, thereby realistically, contextually and appropriately preparing young children for their common living in this globe.
Description:
The chapter offers a road map that charts the key issues raised in this edited collection that contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) series. Throughout the book, questions are raised, tensions observed, and practices highlighted, often through passionate discussion, regarding the ways in which considerations of equity, inclusion, and social justice are configured, challenged, observed, or ignored in a range of educational settings. All chapters address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education which advocates for the provision of inclusive and equitable education and the promotion of lifelong learning for all. This chapter extends the focus of diversity, inclusion, and social justice to examine the inclusive approaches embedded in the production of the book. Rejecting potentially exclusionary publication processes, the editors mobilized inclusive approaches to selecting, reviewing, and editing chapters and the development of edited scholarship. Focusing on connections and capacity building, a diverse range of authors, reviewers, and editors worked together in a supportive, inclusive, and encouraging framework to produce an interwoven contemporary narrative about the state of diversity and inclusion in mainstream education settings.
Description:
Corio Bay Innovators, trading as dal Gourmet Cafe and Catering, is an innovative supported training and employment service that operates a gounnet catering service and two retail cafes in Geelong. Currently, dal has around forty staff who receive federal or state disability funding, and about half as many support staff. Rather than being seen as an agency providing supported employment, dal is regarded as a successful and competitive business that is very popular locally, and is in demand in the hospitality sector. Yet dals primary purpose is not the friendly service, great atmosphere, and delicious food, but the creation of a range of innovative employment opportunities in a caring work environment for adults who have been labeled as having disabilities. Most significant, however, is the extremely strong emphasis on inclusion in the local community, in combination with an actively supportive and empowering workplace. Staff at dal have voted that they do not want to be labelled as having disabilities but to have it noted that they have special needs. While the choice of such termninology may not necessarily be in line with current "politically correct" discourse, it is a choice that is respected at dal. It is a description worn with pride in difference and collective identification adopted by Other oppressed communities and acknowledged by Meekosha (2000) and Barton (2003). While exploring dal as a model of best practice in training young people for the hospitality industry, this paper will explore the conflicts raised by contrasts between the voices ofthe staffat dal and the discourses of educators and trainers, in an attempt to develop a sustainable model for the future.
Description:
Corio Bay Innovators, trading as dal Gourmet Cafe and Catering, is an innovative supported training and employment service that operates a gounnet catering service and two retail cafes in Geelong. Currently, dal has around forty staff who receive federal or state disability funding, and about half as many support staff. Rather than being seen as an agency providing supported employment, dal is regarded as a successful and competitive business that is very popular locally, and is in demand in the hospitality sector. Yet dals primary purpose is not the friendly service, great atmosphere, and delicious food, but the creation of a range of innovative employment opportunities in a caring work environment for adults who have been labeled as having disabilities. Most significant, however, is the extremely strong emphasis on inclusion in the local community, in combination with an actively supportive and empowering workplace. Staff at dal have voted that they do not want to be labelled as having disabilities but to have it noted that they have special needs. While the choice of such termninology may not necessarily be in line with current "politically correct" discourse, it is a choice that is respected at dal. It is a description worn with pride in difference and collective identification adopted by Other oppressed communities and acknowledged by Meekosha (2000) and Barton (2003). While exploring dal as a model of best practice in training young people for the hospitality industry, this paper will explore the conflicts raised by contrasts between the voices ofthe staffat dal and the discourses of educators and trainers, in an attempt to develop a sustainable model for the future.
Description:
In this chapter, we investigate the ways in which academics’ identity factors can impact their work experiences and pedagogies in two Australian tertiary institutions. While there is a body of literature that interrogates the concept of diversity in higher education, most of the research focuses on diverse student populations rather than examining academic diversity. Current research does not explore in depth the ways in which intersections of identity factors such as gender, race, class, and able-bodiedness might impact academics’ experiences in the chiefly middle-class-institutions that comprise the Australian Higher Education landscape. The authors employed a mixed methods approach. To collect data for the project, we constructed an anonymous online Qualtrics survey and invited participation from academics working at one regional and one urban university. The survey consisted of a mixture of open and closed questions concerning the relationship between identity and teaching approaches within universities. Responses were coded, and common themes were examined by the researchers using an intersectional approach. The survey findings reveal that academics who identify as equity group members see these identities as a strength in teaching and interactions with students, however, these identities sometimes give rise to tensions with colleagues and can be seen as a barrier to career progression.
Description:
Civilizational analysis has not concerned itself too greatly with the historical experiences of the American New World. There are good reasons to correct this position and Shmuel Eisenstadt’s principal work on America’s distinct modernities goes some way to establishing the colonization of the Atlantic world as an opening phase of modernity. Nonetheless, a more far-reaching analysis of the distinctiveness of diverse American societies can be developed that goes beyond the image of a Protestant North America contrasted with southern Latin cultures. This article outlines the basis for a more nuanced approach in three steps: a focus on intercivilizational engagement (which goes beyond the notion of ‘intercivilizational encounters’ developed by Benjamin Nelson and Johann Arnason), examination of civilizational factors neglected by Eisenstadt and reconsideration of the conceptual range of the notion of ‘civilization’ itself. The archetype of two Americas is replaced by a model of four with some consideration given to indigenous civilizations as a fifth America.
Description:
Civilizational analysis has not concerned itself too greatly with the historical experiences of the American New World. There are good reasons to correct this position and Shmuel Eisenstadt’s principal work on America’s distinct modernities goes some way to establishing the colonization of the Atlantic world as an opening phase of modernity. Nonetheless, a more far-reaching analysis of the distinctiveness of diverse American societies can be developed that goes beyond the image of a Protestant North America contrasted with southern Latin cultures. This article outlines the basis for a more nuanced approach in three steps: a focus on intercivilizational engagement (which goes beyond the notion of ‘intercivilizational encounters’ developed by Benjamin Nelson and Johann Arnason), examination of civilizational factors neglected by Eisenstadt and reconsideration of the conceptual range of the notion of ‘civilization’ itself. The archetype of two Americas is replaced by a model of four with some consideration given to indigenous civilizations as a fifth America.
Description:
Tropical rainforests have been disappearing at an alarming rate. In addition to preserving remaining tropical rainforests, we need to convert degraded and abandoned pasturelands into secondary forests. To accelerate this, human intervention in the recovery process is essential. In this review paper we (i) encapsulate some of the problems, which might surface when converting abandoned land to secondary forest. (ii) Look at some of the restoration techniques used in restoration programs and propose additional techniques for consideration. Major barriers to natural regeneration on abandoned and degraded pasturelands are: weed infestation, lack of indigenous soil seed bank, lack of seed supply/movement, soil compaction, depletion of soil nutrients and unsuitable microclimate and microhabitat. Although several restoration techniques have been recommended, most restoration programs have been carried out using native seedling transplants to accelerate natural recruitment. Most restoration groups in the tropics are still in the initial stages of determining which species or species combination to chose to gain maximum benefit. On the other hand restoration ecologists are struggling to detect which techniques are most appropriate to restore degraded and abandoned pasturelands. Our review shows that there is immediate need for further research and development on restoration techniques by examining the ecological and economic effectiveness of: direct seeding, stem cuttings using native pioneer or climax species and simple manipulation such as displacing branches of pioneer species with mature seeds on abandoned and degraded pasturelands and artificial perching to accelerate natural regeneration. These techniques are essential to successfully heal the wound humans have inflicted on the most spectacular and species-rich ecosystems on earth.
Description:
Tropical rainforests have been disappearing at an alarming rate. In addition to preserving remaining tropical rainforests, we need to convert degraded and abandoned pasturelands into secondary forests. To accelerate this, human intervention in the recovery process is essential. In this review paper we (i) encapsulate some of the problems, which might surface when converting abandoned land to secondary forest. (ii) Look at some of the restoration techniques used in restoration programs and propose additional techniques for consideration. Major barriers to natural regeneration on abandoned and degraded pasturelands are: weed infestation, lack of indigenous soil seed bank, lack of seed supply/movement, soil compaction, depletion of soil nutrients and unsuitable microclimate and microhabitat. Although several restoration techniques have been recommended, most restoration programs have been carried out using native seedling transplants to accelerate natural recruitment. Most restoration groups in the tropics are still in the initial stages of determining which species or species combination to chose to gain maximum benefit. On the other hand restoration ecologists are struggling to detect which techniques are most appropriate to restore degraded and abandoned pasturelands. Our review shows that there is immediate need for further research and development on restoration techniques by examining the ecological and economic effectiveness of: direct seeding, stem cuttings using native pioneer or climax species and simple manipulation such as displacing branches of pioneer species with mature seeds on abandoned and degraded pasturelands and artificial perching to accelerate natural regeneration. These techniques are essential to successfully heal the wound humans have inflicted on the most spectacular and species-rich ecosystems on earth.
Description:
This paper argues that publicly funded infrastructure, or the welfare state, were indispensable in enabling a group of migrant women to exercise energetic self determination during resettlement in Melbourne between the mid 1970s to late 1990s. Even though the group of participants in my doctoral study were extraordinarily resilient, and mostly educated women, they needed the service system developed within the bi-partisan supported policy of multiculturalism which granted access to newcomers on the basis of citizenship rights. The paper unpacks the sufferings of migrants who come from communally based societies, lose their former worlds and meaningful place in society and encounter negative representations fuelled by ignorance in the Australian context. I then present the women’s detailed evidence about how the network of publicly funded services, as they existed up to the end of the 1990s in Victoria, enabled them to not only recapture their former energies, but also had life affirming reverberations for their families and the community. In contradiction to recent divisive, neo-liberal public discourses (Edgar 2001; Mendes 2003), the welfare state and the policies of multiculturalism and related programs enabled engaged citizenship and the building of vibrant and diverse civil society. Rather than being a drain on the public purse, modest government investments into programs enabled the nation to benefit from the women’s enormous industriousness. After some brief contextual information, I will present vignettes from their narratives about connecting with a variety of services. The tragically amusing dialogue with an isolated woman’s experience of poor medical practice will provide a counter balance to the discussion.
Description:
This paper argues that publicly funded infrastructure, or the welfare state, were indispensable in enabling a group of migrant women to exercise energetic self determination during resettlement in Melbourne between the mid 1970s to late 1990s. Even though the group of participants in my doctoral study were extraordinarily resilient, and mostly educated women, they needed the service system developed within the bi-partisan supported policy of multiculturalism which granted access to newcomers on the basis of citizenship rights. The paper unpacks the sufferings of migrants who come from communally based societies, lose their former worlds and meaningful place in society and encounter negative representations fuelled by ignorance in the Australian context. I then present the women’s detailed evidence about how the network of publicly funded services, as they existed up to the end of the 1990s in Victoria, enabled them to not only recapture their former energies, but also had life affirming reverberations for their families and the community. In contradiction to recent divisive, neo-liberal public discourses (Edgar 2001; Mendes 2003), the welfare state and the policies of multiculturalism and related programs enabled engaged citizenship and the building of vibrant and diverse civil society. Rather than being a drain on the public purse, modest government investments into programs enabled the nation to benefit from the women’s enormous industriousness. After some brief contextual information, I will present vignettes from their narratives about connecting with a variety of services. The tragically amusing dialogue with an isolated woman’s experience of poor medical practice will provide a counter balance to the discussion.
Description:
Mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells) detect microbial vitamin B2 derivatives presented by the antigen-presenting molecule MR1. Here we defined three developmental stages and checkpoints for the MAIT cell lineage in humans and mice. Stage 1 and stage 2 MAIT cells predominated in thymus, while stage 3 cells progressively increased in abundance extrathymically. Transition through each checkpoint was regulated by MR1, whereas the final checkpoint that generated mature functional MAIT cells was controlled by multiple factors, including the transcription factor PLZF and microbial colonization. Furthermore, stage 3 MAIT cell populations were expanded in mice deficient in the antigen-presenting molecule CD1d, suggestive of a niche shared by MAIT cells and natural killer T cells (NKT cells). Accordingly, this study maps the developmental pathway and checkpoints that control the generation of functional MAIT cells.
Description:
Mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells) detect microbial vitamin B2 derivatives presented by the antigen-presenting molecule MR1. Here we defined three developmental stages and checkpoints for the MAIT cell lineage in humans and mice. Stage 1 and stage 2 MAIT cells predominated in thymus, while stage 3 cells progressively increased in abundance extrathymically. Transition through each checkpoint was regulated by MR1, whereas the final checkpoint that generated mature functional MAIT cells was controlled by multiple factors, including the transcription factor PLZF and microbial colonization. Furthermore, stage 3 MAIT cell populations were expanded in mice deficient in the antigen-presenting molecule CD1d, suggestive of a niche shared by MAIT cells and natural killer T cells (NKT cells). Accordingly, this study maps the developmental pathway and checkpoints that control the generation of functional MAIT cells.
Description:
"Despite the intensive efforts to measure and predict the effects of group diversity on performance, research has produced extremely inconsistent and mixed results. This state of knowledge has presented a diversity paradox suggesting coexisting and conflicting effects of diversity. In order to explain the paradox and therefore improve our understanding of diversity, a three-way relationship (i.e. diversity-conflict-performance identified as a paradigm) has been suggested as a promising explanation. This thesis explores the effects of diversity via the paradigm, thereby offering a deeper insight into the diversity paradox." --Abstract.
Description:
"Despite the intensive efforts to measure and predict the effects of group diversity on performance, research has produced extremely inconsistent and mixed results. This state of knowledge has presented a diversity paradox suggesting coexisting and conflicting effects of diversity. In order to explain the paradox and therefore improve our understanding of diversity, a three-way relationship (i.e. diversity-conflict-performance identified as a paradigm) has been suggested as a promising explanation. This thesis explores the effects of diversity via the paradigm, thereby offering a deeper insight into the diversity paradox." --Abstract.
Description:
Despite the intensive efforts to measure and predict the effects of group diversity on performance, research has presented a diversity paradox suggesting coexisting and conflicting effects of diversity. In explaining the paradox, scholars have reached a consensus that diversity may impact on performance indirectly via group processes building up a three-way relationship, diversity, conflict and performance, which has been described as a diversity-conflict-performance paradigm. Whereas the diversity-conflict-performance paradigm may provide a promising explanation to the diversity paradox, the results of research examining this paradigm have been mixed. Therefore, the specific effects of diversity are still difficult to predict. Following a stream of theoretical argument suggesting that contextual factors may affect whether diversity differences are noticed and how people react to these, this paper examines the question of whether research contexts could possibly moderate the diversity-conflict-performance paradigm and how the moderation works. By doing so, this discussion offers a means of dissecting the current diversity paradox.
Description:
Despite the intensive efforts to measure and predict the effects of group diversity on performance, research has presented a diversity paradox suggesting coexisting and conflicting effects of diversity. In explaining the paradox, scholars have reached a consensus that diversity may impact on performance indirectly via group processes building up a three-way relationship, diversity, conflict and performance, which has been described as a diversity-conflict-performance paradigm. Whereas the diversity-conflict-performance paradigm may provide a promising explanation to the diversity paradox, the results of research examining this paradigm have been mixed. Therefore, the specific effects of diversity are still difficult to predict. Following a stream of theoretical argument suggesting that contextual factors may affect whether diversity differences are noticed and how people react to these, this paper examines the question of whether research contexts could possibly moderate the diversity-conflict-performance paradigm and how the moderation works. By doing so, this discussion offers a means of dissecting the current diversity paradox.
Description:
This paper discusses a cross-cultural pedagogical approach, couched in a theory-practice nexus, used at a Victorian regional university to guide non-Indigenous pre-service teachers' (PSTs) engagement with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives and cultures. We have drawn on qualitative and statistical data, and current issues in Australian and international literature, to explore the relevance and success suggested by data from this cross-cultural pedagogical approach, in particular the notion of teacher ethnicity in racialised spaces. In doing so, we have addressed recent sentiments about a lack of quantitative and qualitative research that explores inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content and discussions of ways in which tertiary educators construct and influence teachings about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. It is anticipated that this paper will generate further dialogue and research-based evidence on ways in which other tertiary education providers may draw on cross-cultural theories to guide inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander content and perspectives in PST education courses.