Raising the Standards: An Integrated Approach to Promoting Professional Standards and Avoiding Professional Criminality

Crime in the Professions critically examines the nature and extent of crime and deviance in the professions and how it should be dealt with. The increasing professionalization of the work force and the changes in the way in which professionals carry out their work, such as through the use of computing and communications technology, have created new opportunities for professionals to break the law. Looking in detail at the nature and extent of crime committed by professionals such as doctors, accountants and nurses the book offers some innovative solutions on preventing and controlling professional crime. In addition to examining the nature and extent of crime in the professions, it also addresses some critical issues of regulation for the future, concerning new and emerging professional groups and issues relating to emerging technologies.

Embracing Philosophy and Raising the Standard of Pre-service Teacher Education Programs

In this chapter, a rationale is developed for incorporating philosophy into teacher training programs as a means of both preparing quality teachers for the 21st century and meeting the expectations detailed in the professional standards established by the statutory authority that regulates the profession in Queensland, the Queensland College of Teaching is presented. Furthermore, in-service teachers from Buranda State School, a Brisbane primary school that has been successfully teaching philosophy to its students for over 10 years, shares their experiences of teaching philosophy and how it has enhanced student learning and the quality of teaching and professionalism of the teachers. Finally, the implications of embedding philosophy into teacher training programs are explored in terms of developing the personal integrity of beginning teachers.

Raising the stakes : the challenges for teacher assessment

These are changing times for teachers and their students in Australia with the introduction of a national curriculum and standards driven reform. While countries in Europe such as England, and in Asia such as Singapore, are changing policy to make more use of assessment to support and improve learning it appears that we in Australia are moving towards creating policy that will raise the assessment stakes for the alleged purposes of transparency, accountability and fairness. What can be learnt from countries that have had years of high stakes testing? How can Australia avoid the mistakes of past curriculum and assessment reform efforts? And how can Australian teachers build their capacity to maximise their use of the learning power of assessment? These are key questions that will be addressed in this presentation with reference to innovative research from global networks that have maintained the assessment focus on learning.

Raising the voice of dissatisfaction : a qualitative study of the Queensland acute health care consumer and the experience of complaining

Research into complaints handling in the health care system has predominately focused on examining the processes that underpin the organisational systems. An understanding of the cognitive decisions made by patients that influence whether they are satisfied or dissatisfied with the care they are receiving has had limited attention thus far. This study explored the lived experiences of Queensland acute care patients who complained about some aspect of their inpatient stay. A purposive sample of sixteen participants was recruited and interviewed about their experience of making a complaint. The qualitative data gathered through the interview process was subjected to an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach, guided by the philosophical influences of Heidegger (1889-1976). As part of the interpretive endeavour of this study, Lazarus’ cognitive emotive model with situational challenge was drawn on to provide a contextual understanding of the emotions experienced by the study participants. Analysis of the research data, aided by Leximancer™ software, revealed a series of relational themes that supported the interpretative data analysis process undertaken. The superordinate thematic statements that emerged from the narratives via the hermeneutic process were ineffective communication, standards of care were not consistent, being treated with disrespect, information on how to complain was not clear, and perceptions of negligence. This study’s goal was to provide health services with information about complaints handling that can help them develop service improvements. The study patients articulated the need for health care system reform; they want to be listened to, to be acknowledged, to be believed, for people to take ownership if they had made a mistake, for mistakes not to occur again, and to receive an apology. For these initiatives to be fully realised, the paradigm shift must go beyond regurgitating complaints data metrics in percentages per patient contact, towards a concerted effort to evaluate what the qualitative complaints data is really saying. An opportunity to identify a more positive and proactive approach in encouraging our patients to complain when they are dissatisfied has the potential to influence improvements.

Raising awareness of traffic pollution: the potential benefits and problems of using a warning smell

Exposure to traffic pollution is increasing worldwide as people move to cities, and as more vehicles join the roads, creating longer journeys and more traffic jams. Most traffic pollutants are odourless and invisible, which hides exposure from the public. If traffic pollution had a distinctive smell it would enable people to avoid exposure, and increase the political will for difficult policy changes. A smell may also instigate longer-term changes, such as switching to active transport for school pick-ups. A smell could be added using a fuel additive or a temporary device attached to vehicle exhausts.

Raising the stakes: the challenges for teacher assessment

These are changing times in Australia for teachers and their students, with the introduction of a national curriculum and standards driven reform. While countries in Europe such as England, and in Asia such as Singapore, are changing policy to use assessment in the support of and improvement of learning it appears that we in Australia are moving towards creating policy that will raise the assessment stakes for the putative purposes of transparency, accountability and fairness. What can be learnt from countries that have had years of high stakes testing? How can Australia avoid the mistakes of past curriculum and assessment reform efforts? And how can Australian teachers build their capacity to maximise their use of the learning power of assessment? These are the questions that are addressed in this article, with reference to innovative research from global networks that have maintained the assessment focus on learning rather than accountability practices.

Protecting Vulnerable Young People in Cyberspace from Sexual Abuse: Raising Awareness and Responding Globally

This paper explores the danger that young people may be exposed to when using the Internet. The first part sets out the context by considering new developments in UK and international legislation and then explores educational moves to protect children. Focus is upon findings from research undertaken on behalf of the London Metropolitan Police Service in evaluating the Safer Surfing programme designed to enable young people’s safe Internet use. In the final part of this paper it is argued that more must however be done internationally both to protect children online and to curb the growing trade in indecent child images.

Raising corporate social responsibility - The 'legitimacy' approach

Discussing the normative arguments for the development of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is difficult but important. It is difficult/ as any argument for this development could be detrimental if it seems that it could narrow the scope of innovation in business and becomes a barrier to companies' usual business cases. It is important, as the civil society actors need the theoretical basis to further the instances of corporate irresponsibility to societies in an articulated way. Given this background, this article presents a detailed discussion on the 'legitimacy' argument as a normative basis for rising CSR. It is an analysis that runs counter to the functionalist economic arguments that mostly focus on the financial stakeholders and consider only the (allegedly free) 'market' outcomes.

Legal Regulation of Corporate Social Responsibility : A Meta-Regulation Approach of Law for Raising CSR in a Weak Economy

"Even though Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a widely accepted concept promoted by different stakeholders, business corporations' internal strategies, known as corporate self-regulation in most of the weak economies, respond poorly to this responsibility. Major laws relating to corporate regulation and responsibilities of these economies do not possess adequate ongoing influence to insist on corporate self-regulation to create a socially responsible corporate culture. This book describes how the laws relating to CSR could contribute to the inclusion of CSR principles at the core of the corporate self-regulation of these economies in general, without being intrusive in normal business practice. It formulates a meta-regulation approach to law, particularly by converging patterns of private ordering and state control in contemporary corporate law from the perspective of a weak economy. It proposes that this approach is suitable for alleviating regulators' limited access to information and expertise, inherent limitations of prescriptive rules, ensuring corporate commitment, and enhance the self-regulatory capacity of companies. This book describes various meta-regulation strategies for laws to link social values to economic incentives and disincentives, and to indirectly influence companies to incorporate CSR principles at the core of their self-regulation strategies. It investigates this phenomenon using Bangladesh as a case study."--publisher website

Postdiagnosis personal growth in an Australian population of parents raising children with developmental disability

Background Parenting a child with a developmental disability presents a variety of long-term physical and emotional challenges. When exploring parent wellbeing, the disability field is dominated by a deficit model despite parents reportedly demonstrating coping and resilience. The current study is embedded in a salutogenic theory (Antonovsky, 1979) and explores the potential for parents of children diagnosed with a developmental disability to undergo positive changes. Method Participants were 6 fathers and 27 mothers who completed measures of distress and posttraumatic growth. Results Compared with a number of other Australian samples, participants reported significantly higher levels of posttraumatic growth. Reports of growth did not negate reports of distress. Results also indicated that constructs of distress and growth were independent. Conclusions The research has important implications for disability support services, reminding providers to be cognisant of the potential for growth, as well as distress, thereby permitting an atmosphere conducive to exploring such outcomes.

Raising awareness of Australian Aboriginal peoples reality : Embedding Aboriginal knowledge in social work education through the use of field experiences

Effective social work practice with Aboriginal peoples and communities requires knowledge of operational communication skills and practice methods. In addition, there is also a need for practitioners to be aware of the history surrounding white engagement with Aboriginal communities and their cultures. Indeed, the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW) acknowledges the importance of social workers practising cultural safety. Engendering knowledge of cultural safety for social work students is the opportunity to listen and talk with Aboriginal people who have experienced the destructive impacts of colonisation and the subsequent disruption to family and community. This article discusses the use of field experiences within a Masters of Social Work (Qualifying) Program (MSW) as an educational method aimed at increasing student awareness of contemporary Aboriginal issues and how to practice effectively and within a culturally safe manner.

Raising Children in Single-Parent Families

Children from single-parent families fare more poorly on multiple outcomes than those in two-parent families. Most explanations for these differences assume that compromised parenting and parent mental health play a central role. This chapter explores the contribution of a range of factors to the parenting and mental health of single mothers using data from approximately 1000 Australian single mothers with a child aged 4–5 or 8–9 years. The findings show that single mothers are more likely than couple mothers to experience parenting and mental health difficulties; however, they also face heightened adversity in their home and extra-familial environments. Importantly, this comparison of single and couple mothers facing similar levels of adversity shows no difference in poor parenting practices, although single mothers remain more vulnerable to psychological distress. These findings have policy implications since they challenge the prevailing view that single-parent families inherently provide sub-optimal environments for raising children.

Gambling on gambling in Baccarat : financial implications of raising bet limits and table differentials

The house advantage for Baccarat is known, hence the theoretical win can be determined. What is impractical to theoretically determine is the frequency and financial implications of extreme events, for example, prolonged winning streaks coupled with various betting patterns. The simulation herein provides such granularity. We explore the effect of following the „hot hand‟, that is, rapidly escalating bets when players are on a winning streak. To minimize their exposure, casino management sets a table bet maximum as well as a table differential. These figures can and do serve as a means to differentiate one casino from another. As the allowable bet maximum increases so does the total amount bet, which increases the theoretical winnings, thus suggesting that a high bet limit and differential is beneficial for the house. However, the greater are these amounts, the greater the number of shoes that end with players losing relative to a constant betting scenario (the number of times a player wins at all can drop from ~47% of the time to less than a quarter); but there will, on occasion, be more extreme payouts to players. This simulation is therefore intended to help casino managers set betting limits that maximize total winnings while bearing in mind both the likelihood and magnitude of negative outcomes to the casino.

Raising levels of awareness of rights and obligations in the provision of financial product advice to retail clients

In September-December 2012, 548 financial planning retail clients and 77 financial advisers responded to online surveys addressing consumer satisfaction with financial planning services and the provision of information concerning regulatory and rights issues. Retail clients commented on areas related to the best interests duty in s 961B of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), in particular the extent to which advisers considered their clients’ financial objectives and lifestyle situations, and the client-centredness of the financial advice they received. Retail clients also indicated their level of awareness of their substantive rights in relation to receiving advice, the legal obligations imposed on advisers, and whether they would access internal and external complaints processes if warranted. Advisers reported on the extent to which they provide clients with information relating to their substantive rights, and complaints processes available to them. Responses were analysed in relation to client demographics (e.g., age, gender, education), and experience of financial advice. This article reports on the findings of the surveys and their implications for financial planners.

Radiation therapist peer review: Raising the bar on quality and safety in radiation oncology

Purpose An emerging developmental tool to help radiation therapists achieve better outcomes is 'peer review'. This review of the current literature summarises the challenges and benefits of peer review in both individual and departmental practice. Discussion There is compelling evidence supporting peer review implementation at both individual and department level in many professions. Implementing peer review requires that radiation therapists and other radiation oncology professionals embrace a culture that supports safety. Peer review can identify trends and barriers associated with quality radiotherapy and share best practice or recommend changes accordingly. Support for peer review must come from pre-registration educational systems as well as clinical managers. Continuing professional development in the workplace is nurtured by peer review of radiotherapy practice and an aptitude for this should be viewed as important to the profession as technical and clinical skills. Conclusion It is clear that peer review has the potential to facilitate reflective practice, improve staff motivation and help foster a culture of quality and safety in radiation oncology. To drive the issues of quality and safety a step further radiation therapists need to accept the challenge of adopting peer review methods in day-to-day practice.