Space within the surface : the patterned surfaces of Florence Broadhurst and Jim Thompson

The Woods Bagot 2007 refurbishment of the Qantas and British Airways Bangkok Business lounge in the Survarnabhumi Airport features wall finishes designed by wallpaper designer, Florence Broadhurst (1899-1977) and Thai Silk trader, Jim Thompson (1906-1967). This distinctive selection, which is proclaimed on the airport’s website, of patterned wall surfaces side by side draws attention to their striking similarities and their defining differences . Thompson and Broadhurst would appear to be worlds apart, but here in the airport their work brings them together. Thompson, the son of a wealthy cotton family in America, worked as an architect before joining the army. He moved to Bangkok to start The Thai Silk Company in 1948. Broadhurst was born on a farm in Mt. Perry, Queensland. She began her career as a performance artist, as part of an Australian troupe in Shanghai, moving onto pursue a career in fashion design, catering to the middle and upper classes in London. Upon her return to Australia, Broadhurst started a print design company in 1959. Both Broadhurst and Thompson pursued multiple careers, lived many lives, and died under mysterious circumstances. Broadhurst was murdered in 1977 at her Sydney print warehouse, which remains an unsolved crime. Thompson disappeared in Malaysia in 1967 and his body has never been found. This chapter investigates the parallels between Thompson and Broadhurst and what lead them to design such popular patterns for wall surfaces towards the end of their careers. While neither designer was a household name, their work is familiar to most, seen in the costume and set design of films, on the walls of restaurants and cafes and even in family homes. The reason for the popularity of their patterns has not previously been analysed. However, this chapter suggests that the patterns are intriguing because they contain something of their designers’ identities. It suggests that the coloured surface provides a way of camouflaging and hiding its subjects’ histories, such that Broadhurst and Thompson, consciously or unconsciously, used the patterned surface as a plane in which their past lives could be buried. The revealing nature of the stark white wall, compared with the forgiveness provided by the pattern in which to hide, is elaborated by painter and advocate for polychromatic architecture, Fernand Léger in his essay, “The Wall, The Architect, The Painter (1965).” Léger writes that, “the modern architect has gone too far in his magnificent attempts to cleanse through emptiness,” and that the resultant white walls of modernity create ‘an impalpability of air, of slick, brilliant new surfaces where nothing can be hidden any longer …even shadows don’t dare to enter’. To counter the exposure produced by the white wall, Thompson and Broadhurst designed patterned surfaces that could harbour their personal histories. Broadhurst and Thompson’s works share a number of commonalities in their design production, even though their work in print design commenced a decade apart. Both designers opted to work more with traditional methods of pattern making. Broadhurst used hand-operated screens, and Thompson outsourced work to local weavers and refrained from operating out of a factory. Despite humble beginnings, Broadhurst and Thompson enjoyed international success with their wall patterns being featured in a number of renowned international hotels in Bahrain, Singapore, Sydney, and London in the 1970s and 1980s. Their patterns were also transferred to fabric for soft furnishings and clothing. Thompson’s patterns were used for costumes in films including the King and I and Ben Hur. Broadhurst’s patterns were also widely used by fashion designers and artists, such as Akira Isogowa‘s costume design for Salome, a 1998 production by the Sydney Dance Company. Most recently her print designs have been used by skin illustrator Emma Hack, in a series of works painting female bodies into Broadhurst’s patterns. Hack’s works camouflage the models’ bodies into the patterned surface, assimilating subject and surface, hinting at there being something living within the patterned wall. More than four decades after Broadhurst’s murder and five decades since Thompson’s disappearance, their print designs persist as more than just a legacy. They are applied as surface finishes with the same fervour as when the designs were first released. This chapter argues that the reason for the ongoing celebration of their work is that there is the impalpable presence of the creator in the patterns. It suggests that the patterns blur the boundary between subject and surface.

Assessment of damages for defamation of business and personal reputation

An award of damages for defamation is to provide reparation for harm to a plaintiff’s reputation for the publication of defamatory material, compensate for any personal distress caused and vindicate the plaintiff’s reputation.1 Assessing such damages is recognised as a difficult task and perhaps the Queensland courts face further difficulties as there are few awards of damages for defamation in the state. This was pointed out in the recent decision of the Queensland Court of Appeal, Cerutti & Anor v Crestside Pty Ltd & Anor.2 This decision examined in detail the principles of assessing damages for defamation.

Mining business process deviance : a quest for accuracy

This paper evaluates the suitability of sequence classification techniques for analyzing deviant business process executions based on event logs. Deviant process executions are those that deviate in a negative or positive way with respect to normative or desirable outcomes, such as non-compliant executions or executions that undershoot or exceed performance targets. We evaluate a range of feature types and classification methods in terms of their ability to accurately discriminate between normal and deviant executions both when deviances are infrequent (unbalanced) and when deviances are as frequent as normal executions (balanced). We also analyze the ability of the discovered rules to explain potential causes and contributing factors of observed deviances. The evaluation results show that feature types extracted using pattern mining techniques only slightly outperform those based on individual activity frequency. The results also suggest that more complex feature types ought to be explored to achieve higher levels of accuracy.

Career Development and Systems Theory : Connecting Theory and Practice [3rd edition]

"The 3rd edition of this classic book offers practitioners, researchers and students a comprehensive introduction to, and overview of, career theory; introduces the Systems Theory Framework of career development; and demonstrates its considerable contemporary and innovative application to practice. A number of authors have identified the framework as one of a small number of significant innovations in the career development literature. The Systems Theory Framework of career development was developed to provide coherence to the career development field by providing a comprehensive conceptualisation of the many existing theories and concepts relevant to understanding career development. It is not designed to be a theory of career development; rather systems theory is introduced as the basis for an overarching, or metatheoretical, framework within which all concepts of career development, described in the plethora of career theories, can be usefully positioned and utilised in both theory and practice. It has been applied to the career development of children, adolescents and women. Since its first publication, the Systems Theory Framework has been the basis of numerous publications focusing on theoretical application and integration, practice and research, with a growing number of these by authors other than the framework developers. Its application across cultures also has been emphasised. The theoretical and practical unity of the Systems Theory Framework makes this book a worthy addition to the professional libraries of practitioners, researchers and students, new to, or experienced in, the field of career development."--PUBLISHER WEBSITE

Conceptualising business models : definitions, frameworks and classifications

The business model concept is gaining traction in different disciplines but is still criticized for being fuzzy and vague and lacking consensus on its definition and compositional elements. In this paper we set out to advance our understanding of the business model concept by addressing three areas of foundational research: business model definitions, business model elements, and business model archetypes. We define a business model as a representation of the value logic of an organization in terms of how it creates and captures customer value. This abstract and generic definition is made more specific and operational by the compositional elements that need to address the customer, value proposition, organizational architecture (firm and network level) and economics dimensions. Business model archetypes complement the definition and elements by providing a more concrete and empirical understanding of the business model concept. The main contributions of this paper are (1) explicitly including the customer value concept in the business model definition and focussing on value creation, (2) presenting four core dimensions that business model elements need to cover, (3) arguing for flexibility by adapting and extending business model elements to cater for different purposes and contexts (e.g. technology, innovation, strategy),(4) stressing a more systematic approach to business model archetypes by using business model elements for their description, and (5) suggesting to use business model archetype research for the empirical exploration and testing of business model elements and their relationships.

My System of Career Influences MSCI (Adult) Facilitator's Guide

Career development in the 21st century presents many challenges and opportunities to adults. They must now navigate a complex and rapidly changing world of work influenced by technology, globalisation and fluctuating economic conditions. The My System of Career Influences (MSCI) (Adult) is a qualitative career assessment tool based on the constructivist theory from cognitive psychology. Acknowledged as the third wave in cognitive science after psychoanalysis and behaviourism, constructivism emphasises the individual in the assessment and counselling process. Individuals actively participate in the construction of their own reality and are encouraged to respond to and deal with both anticipated and unanticipated events that influence their careers. The tool comprises a facilitator guide and participant workbooks. The guide describes the Systems Theory Framework of career development that provides the theoretical background to the MSCI as well as a step-by-step user guide to conducting the MSCI (Adult) process with individuals and groups. Each participant uses the accompanying MSCI (Adult) Workbook (sold separately) which they can complete and keep for later reference. With its attention to an holistic and storied approach to career intervention My System of Career Influences (MSCI) (Adult) is an essential resource for all career practitioners working with adults in today's workplaces.

My System of Career Influences MSCI (Adult) Workbook

NOTE: This client booklet is to be used in conjunction with the MSCI (Adult) Facilitators Guide. Career development in the 21st century presents many challenges and opportunities. Throughout your life you will make countless decisions and experience numerous transitions. Each decision may be subject to a range of influences, for example people we know may give us an opinion, we may be attracted to a particular place or a particular salary, or we may simply want a change. No two people will have the same pattern of influences. The My System of Career Influences MSCI (Adult) is a qualitative career assessment reflection process based on recent developments in theory and practice. It uses a constructivist view and encourages a narrative and story-based approach to your career development. It has been used successfully with employees by career development practitioners working in a range of businesses and organisations from large to small and in one-on-one career counselling sessions as well as in a group setting.

Small firms, the paid maternity leave debate in Australia and the business case

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the management of maternity leave in small firms and particularly to explore the perceived costs and benefits of paid maternity leave (PML). PML is a universal right in some countries (i.e. the UK), but not in Australia where most private sector female employees only have access to 12 months unpaid maternity leave. It also aims to explore how the business case for (or against) PML is constructed in small firms. Design/methodology/approach The study was limited to smaller firms operating in the business services sector in the same regional area. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with eight employers and female employees in six of these firms. Analysis by theme was undertaken within and across interview transcripts. Findings Not one of these small firm employers offered PML and the cost of doing so was not considered to outweigh the benefits already realised through the (legislated) unpaid maternity leave scheme. In these firms maternity leave was managed in an informal way with notions of flexibility – give and take – characterising what happens. Originality/value The paper addresses the lack of research on access to family‐related leave policies in small firms. Employer and employee views of the issue are drawn upon, the latter not often being heard. The paper contributes to understanding the construction of the business case for a specific issue in smaller firms and human resource management from a resource‐based view more generally in smaller firms.

Informal e-learning : the case of small business owners

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the use of an informal online discussion forum (ODF) to encourage voluntary participation and promote double-loop learning by small business owners (SBOs). Design/methodology/approach - A qualitative methodology was used where data gathered from three sources, the ODF posts, in-depth interviews with participants and a focus group with non-participants. These were analysed to evaluate learning of SBOs in an ODF. Findings - This research provides evidence that an ODF for SBOs supports double-loop learning; however, participation could not be assumed simply by the online availability of the discussion resource. Research limitations/implications - Few SBOs participated in the ODF which is consistent with research finding SBOs are a difficult group to engage in learning. Four forms of data were analysed to strengthen results. Practical implications - Caution should be exercised when considering investment in e-learning for SBOs. Originality/value - Evidence showing e-learning through an informal voluntary ODF can promote deep learning for SBOs.

Human resource management and entrepreneurship : building theory at the intersection

In 2008 we brought together much work at the intersection of entrepreneurship and human resource management (HRM) (Barrett & Mayson, 2008), after calls for more research (Baron, 2003; Katz, Aldrich, Welbourne & Williams, 2000; Tansky & Heneman, 2003). More has been collated since (Soriano, Dobon & Tansky, 2010; Tansky, Soriano & Dobon, 2010). We think it is now time again to regroup, pull conversational threads together and have a critical look at recent research at the intersection of HRM and Entrepreneurship. As editors of International Handbook of Entrepreneurship and HRM (Barrett & Mayson, 2008) we were privileged to collect 23 wonderfully diverse chapters from scholars around the globe addressing a range of issues at the intersection of the two pertinent disciplines or fields: HRM and entrepreneurship. This edition represented a coalescing of ideas that had been swirling about for some time. In three sections, the first dealt with theory and research methods, the second with the nature of HRM in small and entrepreneurial firms and the third with the functional aspects of HRM. At the time we were aware that the handbook did not cover the entire field and many topics were left unexplored. For example, the topic of regulation was generally absent while issues such as career advancement, performance management, organisational change and gender, diversity and ethnicity were also missing. In essence, the majority of those contributions sought to develop an understanding of the context in which particular aspects of HRM can be played out.

A story about being engaged in research : buzzing bees, small business and Australian unfair dismissal laws

Protection for employees from unfair dismissal (UFD) has been around in Australia under various guises for 30 years or so (Chapman, 2006). Labour standards, and particularly ILO Convention 158 (Convention Concerning Termination of Employment at the Initiative of the Employer 1982), underpin the adoption of a particular form of federal statutory UFD regime which first appeared in the 1993 reforms to the Industrial Relations Act 1998 (Commonwealth). Its existence, however, has not been uncontroversial, and the meaning, operation, scope and remedies have attracted attention over time. In fact, the first reforms to the federal UFD regime were undertaken under the Keating Labor government three months after they were enacted (Chapman, ibid.). Further reforms were made by the incoming Howard Liberal-national coalition government through the Workplace Relations Act 1996 (Commonwealth) (WRA), and arguably these reforms continued down the ‘contraction’ path (ibid.).

Understanding the quantitative skill base on introductory statistics : a case study from business statistics

Basic mathematical skills are critical to a student’s ability to successfully undertake an introductory statistics course. Yet in business education this vitally important area of mathematics and statistics education is under-researched. The question therefore arises as to what level of mathematical skill a typical business studies student will possess as they enter the tertiary environment, and whether there are any common deficiencies that we can identify with a view to tackling the problem. This paper will focus on a study designed to measure the level of mathematical ability of first year business students. The results provide timely insight into a growing problem faced by many tertiary educators in this field.

An e-support firm's response to local e-readiness and the global e-business environment

The purpose of this study is to understand a small e-support firm’s response to the local e-readiness and the global e-business environment in a developing context. E-Support firms provide Web development and consultancy services to user organizations, assisting them in their uptake and maintenance of their Internet applications. Within the e-readiness research area, little is known about e-support firms, particularly in connection with their interaction with their local and the global e-business environment. As yet the emphasis on e-readiness studies has been at the national level. Nevertheless, the e-support sector is very significant in the successful adoption and diffusion of the Internet and related applications in any economy. It is thus important to understand how such firms relate to their e-business environments.That said, this study draws on the interpretive case study of a small e-support firm in Ghana, a developing context, to investigate the firm’s response to the e-readiness level of the local and the global e-business environment. Findings show that the firm could employ resources from the global environment to address most of the infrastructural challenges posed by a relatively poor local e-readiness context. However, its attempt to transfer advanced e-business technologies from the global e-business environment to the local e-business context did not succeed. This chapter offers implications for practice and research concerning the notion of reconciling local and global e-business environments in the small e-support sector.

A business perspective of legacy systems

Abstract Legacy information systems evolved incrementally in response to changes in business strategy and information technology. Organizations are now being forced to change much more radically and quickly than previously and this change places new demands on information systems. Legacy information systems are usually considered from a technical perspective, addressing issues such as age, complexity, maintainability, design and technology. We wish to demonstrate that the business dimension to legacy information systems, represented by the organisation structure, business processes and procedures that are bound up in the design and operation of the existing IT systems, is also significant. This paper identifies the important role of legacy information systems in the formation of new strategies. We show that the move away from a stable to an unstable business environment accelerates the rate of change. Furthermore, the gap between what the legacy information systems can deliver and the strategic vision of the organization widens when the legacy information systems are unable to adapt to meet the new requirements. An analysis of fifteen case studies provides evidence that legacy information systems include business and technical dimensions and that the systems can present problems when there is a misalignment between the strategic vision of the business, the IT legacy and the old business model embodied in the legacy.