Exploring the re-criminalising of OHS breaches in the context of industrial death

Since the 1980s the calls for further criminalisation of organisational conduct causing harm to workers, the public and the environment have intensified in Australia, Canada and England and Wales.' One focal point of this movement has been the criminal law's response to organisations (and their personnel) failing to comply with occupational health and safety ('OHS') standards, particularly when physical harm (death and serious injury) has resulted from those breaches. Some governments have responded with proposals to enable manslaughter prosecutions to be initiated 'more effectively' against organisations causing the deaths of workers or, in some cases, members of the public (Archibald et al, 2004; Haines and Hall, 2004; Hall et al, 2004; Tombs and Whyte, 2003). In Australia governments have also increased monetary penalties for regulatory OHS offences, a few have introduced other contemporary organisational sanctions, and some have initiated OHS prosecutions more vigorously and with larger fines.

Spontaneous volunteering : trends and challenges in the Australian context

This chapter reviews spontaneous volunteering in Australia and its challenges for volunteers and volunteer organisations. Drawing on their own empirical research mzd the wider literature, the authors suggest that better understanding of the nature and functions of spontaneous volunteering is needed to support community resilience and individual wellbeing.

The Leg Club model in the Australian context

Leg Clubs are an innovative approach to the holistic treatment of leg ulcers. They are run in a social context by community nurses who deliver ongoing support and treatment for a wide spectrum of lower limb pathology. This article looks at how the Leg Club model has been established in Australia.

The elaboration likelihood model : review, critique and research agenda

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review, critique and develop a research agenda for the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM). The model was introduced by Petty and Cacioppo over three decades ago and has been modified, revised and extended. Given modern communication contexts, it is appropriate to question the model’s validity and relevance. Design/methodology/approach: The authors develop a conceptual approach, based on a fully comprehensive and extensive review and critique of ELM and its development since its inception. Findings: This paper focuses on major issues concerning the ELM. These include model assumptions and its descriptive nature; continuum questions, multi-channel processing and mediating variables before turning to the need to replicate the ELM and to offer recommendations for its future development. Research limitations/implications: This paper offers a series of questions in terms of research implications. These include whether ELM could or should be replicated, its extension, a greater conceptualization of argument quality, an explanation of movement along the continuum and between central and peripheral routes to persuasion, or to use new methodologies and technologies to help better understanding consume thinking and behaviour? All these relate to the current need to explore the relevance of ELM in a more modern context. Practical implications: It is time to question the validity and relevance of the ELM. The diversity of on- and off-line media options and the variants of consumer choice raise significant issues. Originality/value: While the ELM model continues to be widely cited and taught as one of the major cornerstones of persuasion, questions are raised concerning its relevance and validity in 21st century communication contexts.

Rupturing otherness : becoming Estonian in the context of contemporary Britain

While identity construction continues to be a widely discussed and researched area in contemporary social sciences, the existing theories have overlooked the importance of understanding why and how identities as semiotic constructions emerge in individuals' consciousness in the flow of their everyday functioning. This article seeks to address this limitation in the theorizing by proposing an alternative conceptualization of identity, according to which identity construction is triggered by rupturing life-experience, which surfaces another perspective and makes the person aware of a possibility to be otherwise or of the reality of being different. Theoretical claims put forward in the paper are drawn from data gathered in a recent study, which explored lived-through experiences of young Estonians, who made study-visits to the United Kingdom. The discussed data will also highlight some interesting aspects in Estonians' self-definition as it is constructed in relation to Eastern-European identity in the context of contemporary Britain.

Growing men's health: Broadening the conceptual and practical agenda

It still surprises those of us working on men’s issues that it has taken so long to realise – and that there is so little real grassroots support and advocacy for – men’s health as a legitimate domain in public health. The men’s movement – such as it is (see Connell 2005/1995) – goes back to the late 1970s; the gay men’s movement started earlier and the gay men’s health movement has been better organised and articulated since then (if one understands and concedes the central place that HIV/AIDS has taken during the last 28 years). What men’s health will become, what it will include, redefine and incorporate in the next ten years is interesting to consider.

Understanding the new context of the male sex work industry

The article reviews past and recent research on male sex work to offer a context to understand violence in the industry. It provides a critical review of research to show, first, the assumptions made about male sex workers and violence and, second, how such discourses have shaped thinking on the topic. The article presents a case study and original findings from two studies conducted by the authors in Australia and Argentina on violence in the male sex industry. Finally, the article reviews examples of legislative reforms to show how the sex industry is being regulated.

Sex work and health in a rural context: results of qualitative study undertaken in New South Wales

The paper reports health related findings of the first study undertaken of rural sex workers in an income-rich nation. In-depth interviews were conducted with eighteen purposively selected women who work in the rural sex industry. Rural sex services have a unique structure which informs the experiences of sex workers. Recent advances in telecommunications technology have impacted upon the organisation and structure of the sex industry in rural environments. Notable has been the growth of escort services in rural areas, which has diversified the rural sex industry from its traditional base of brothel operations. The general absence of street prostitution in rural settings has meant that the profile of rural sex workers tends to resemble that of escorts or call girls in urban settings, with workers having a relatively high level of control over working conditions and compliance with public health initiatives. Important issues which impact upon the rural sex industry include confidentiality and the more limited market for sexual services likely to be encountered in rural settings. These issues may impact on the sexual health of rural sex workers in terms of risk practices and access to health services.

Enhancing Raman signal sufficiently for practical sensing applications

Techniques are presented for enhancing weak Raman scattering signals for rapid yet accurate substance detection. Novel surfaces that allow signal enhancement quantification are described as are eye-safe methodologies that maximize the stand-off Raman detection range.

Analysing children’s persuasive texts : the use of hedging and intensification

Research Quality This is a dialogue between two Australian literacy scholars about two persuasive writing techniques that posed difficulty for the students in our research. This dialogue flows from the analysis of Year 6 writing samples from an ARC Linkage Project, URLearning (2009-2013) - the focus of the symposium. We use vivid examples of writing from students’ handwritten persuasive texts on topics that were chosen by teachers. The persuasive structure in the texts followed the Toulmin (2003) model: a thesis statement, three arguments with evidence, and a conclusion. The findings show that to realise the effective power of rhetorical persuasion, students need an expanded lexicon that does not rely on intensifiers, and which employs a greater range of advanced hedging techniques to use to their advantage. National & International Importance The study is potentially of national and international relevance, given that argumentation or persuasion is a key life skill in many professional, personal, and discourses. It is also a requirement in the International English Language Testing Systems (IELTS) tests, which are a critical gateway for tertiary studies in many English-speaking countries (Coffin, 2004). Timeliness The research is timely given the Australian Curriculum English, in which persuasive texts figure prominently from Preparatory to Year 10 (ACARA, 2014). The recommendations are also timely in the context of educational policies in other parts of the world. For example, in the United States, the Common Core Standards: English Language Arts, mandates the teaching of persuasive texts (Council of Chief State School Officers & National Governors Association, 2013) Implications for practice/policy The findings of the study have specific practical implications for teachers, who can address the persuasive writing techniques of hedging and intensification with which children need targeted support and explicit instruction. The presentation is positioned at the nexus of teacher practice to better address the national priorities of the Australian Curriculum: English (ACARA, 2014), while having implications for applied linguistics research by identifying common problems in students' persuasive writing.

Practical analysis of big acoustic sensor data for environmental monitoring

Monitoring the environment with acoustic sensors is an effective method for understanding changes in ecosystems. Through extensive monitoring, large-scale, ecologically relevant, datasets can be produced that can inform environmental policy. The collection of acoustic sensor data is a solved problem; the current challenge is the management and analysis of raw audio data to produce useful datasets for ecologists. This paper presents the applied research we use to analyze big acoustic datasets. Its core contribution is the presentation of practical large-scale acoustic data analysis methodologies. We describe details of the data workflows we use to provide both citizen scientists and researchers practical access to large volumes of ecoacoustic data. Finally, we propose a work in progress large-scale architecture for analysis driven by a hybrid cloud-and-local production-grade website.

The educational context and services of children with additional needs in their first years of school in Australia

In Australia, children with additional needs are now primarily educated in mainstream regular classes and schools. While discussion has focused on teacher attitudes, teacher preparation and professional development to support the academic progress of children with additional needs, there is limited research examining the educational contexts and services provided to such children in Australian schools. This descriptive paper examines the educational contexts of 563 Australian children with additional needs, in reference to 3600 of their typically developing peers. Data in relation to educational setting, retention, prevalence of additional needs, access to specialist services, learning support, and individual programming are reported.

Expertise in the illustrative context of BPM

As Business Process Management (BPM) is evolving and organisations are becoming more process oriented, the need for Expertise in BPM amongst practitioners has increased. Proactively managing Expertise in BPM is essential to unlock the potential of BPM as a management paradigm and competitive advantage. Whilst great attention is being paid by the BPM community to the technological aspects of BPM, relatively little research or work has been done concerning the expertise aspect of BPM. There is a substantial body of knowledge on expertise itself, however there is no common framework in existence at the time of writing, describing the fundamental attributes characterising Expertise in the illustrative context of BPM. There are direct implications of the understanding and characterisation of Expertise in the context of BPM as a key strategic component and success factor of BPM itself, as well as for those involved in BPM. Expertise in the context of BPM needs to be characterised to understand it, and be able to proactively manage it. Given the relative infancy of research into Expertise in the context of BPM, an exploration of the relevance and importance of Expertise in the context of BPM was considered essential, to ensure the study itself was of value to the BPM field. The aims of this research are firstly to address the two research questions 'why is expertise important and relevant in the context of BPM?', and 'how can Expertise in the context of BPM be characterised?', and secondly, the development of a comprehensive and validated A-priori model characterising Expertise in the illustrative context of BPM. The study is theory-guided. It has been undertaken via an extensive literature review across relevant literature domains, and a revelatory case study utilising several methods: informal discussions, an open-ended survey, and participant observation. An a-priori model was then developed which comprised of several Constructs and Sub-constructs, and several overall aspects of Expertise in BPM. This was followed by the conduct of interviews in the validation phase of the revelatory case study. The primary contributions of this study are to the fields of expertise, BPM and research. Contributions to the field of expertise include a comprehensive review of expertise literature in general and synthesised critique on expertise research, characterisation of expertise in an illustrative context as a system, and a comprehensive narrative of the dynamics and interrelationships of the core attributes characterising expertise. Contributions to the field of BPM include firstly, the establishment of the importance of understanding Expertise in the context of BPM, including a comprehensive overview of the role the relevance and importance of Expertise in the context of BPM, through explanation of the effect of Expertise in BPM. Secondly, a model characterising Expertise in the context of BPM, which can be used by BPM practitioners to clearly articulate and illuminate the state of Expertise in BPM in organisations. Contributions to the field of research include an extended view of Systems Theory developed, reflecting the importance of the system context in systems thinking, and a narrative on ontological innovation through the positioning of ontology as a meta-model of Expertise in the context of BPM.

Teaching and assessment of prescribing medicines : how does pharmacy perform?

BACKGROUND Prescribing is a complex task, requiring specific knowledge and skills combined with effective, context-specific clinical reasoning. Prescribing errors can result in significant morbidity and mortality. For all professions with prescribing rights, a clear need exists to ensure students graduate with a well-defined set of prescribing skills, which will contribute to competent prescribing. AIM To describe the methods employed to teach and assess the principles of effective prescribing across five non-medical professions at Queensland University of Technology. METHOD The NPS National Prescribing Competencies Framework (PCF) was used as the prescribing standard. A curriculum mapping exercise was undertaken to determine how well the PCF was addressed across the disciplines of paramedic science, pharmacy, podiatry, nurse practitioner and optometry. Identified gaps in teaching and/or assessment were noted. RESULTS Prescribing skills and knowledge are taught and assessed using a range of methods across disciplines. A multi-modal approach is employed by all disciplines. The Pharmacy discipline uses more tutorial sessions to teach prescribing principles and relies less on case studies and clinical appraisal to assess prescribing when compared to other disciplines. Within the pharmacy discipline approximately 90% of the PCF competencies are taught and assessed. This compares favourably with the other disciplines. CONCLUSION Further work is required to establish a practical, effective approach to the assessment of prescribing competence especially between the university and clinical settings. Effective and reliable assessment of prescribing undertaken by students in diverse settings remains challenging.