Survivalist anxieties: Australian responses to Asia, 1890s to the present

From the 1880s there has been speculation about Australia's Asian futures. The contexts in which Asia has been invoked and the constructions of both a 'generic Asia' and specific countries in the region have played a critical role in defining the limits and possibilities of Australian nationhood. While there has been a persistent anxiety about Australia's vulnerability to Asia (our empty north, our unguarded coastline) there have long been advocates of closer engagement with the region.

Australia, Asia and cultural anxiety : inaugural AHA Anniversary Public Lecture, given at the Grand Hotel, Mildura on 29 September (2003).

My theme tonight is the recurrent idea that Australia could be expected to have an Asian future. From the 1880s there developed a speculative literature around the notion that Asia ('generic Asia' as I prefer to call it) would exert an increasing influence, possibly a determining influence, on the development and settlement of the Australian continent. There is a certain pathos about this story of a young, newly formed community on the threshold of nationhood finding Asia blocking its path. Would the ensuing contest be the making of white Australia; would the young nation define its national purpose and assert its right to exist or would it succumb to a force more powerful? Would white Australia become nothing more than a faint historical memory, a failed experiment in the complex and uncertain business of nation building? In short, would white Australia fail?

Corporate social responsibility in Asia

"Introduction JCC theme issue"

Nervous outsiders : Australia and the 1955 Asia-Africa conference in Bandung

In 1955 29 Asian, African and Middle Eastern nations gathered in Bandung. Indonesia, to discuss a range of issues including colonialism, racialism, economic development, war and peace. India's Prime Minister. Jawaharlal Nehru, was one of the key figures at the conference, but the Chinese Prime Minister, Chou En-lai. was the primary focus of world attention and media interest. The conference raised awkward questions for the Australian government. It highlighted the point that Australia was geographically part of Asia and had a vital interest in the region, but the fact that Australia had not been invited to attend the conference emphasised its status as a nation apart, racially and culturally. The Bandung conference provides an ideal opportunity to examine thinking about Australia's place in Asia as key figures in the Department of External Affairs. journalists and Asianist intellectuals debated whether or not Australia should attend.

Strange reading: Keith Windschuttle on race, Asia and White Australia

In his recently published book, The White Australia Policy, Keith Windschuttle accuses academic historians of errors of fact and judgement in their accounts of white Australia. This article examines these claims of exaggeration and distortion with particular reference to the nature and meaning of race, racism and representations of Asia in Australian history. The article rejects Winschuttle's sweeping claim that academic historians have sought to make Australia appear a much more racist society than the historical record would suggest.

Postgraduate international students from Asia: factors influencing satisfaction

The growth in the international education market within the next two decades will be dominated by Asia, accounting for almost 70% of the global demand for international higher education (Bohm et al., 2002). The market attractiveness with significant pecuniary and non-pecuniary gains from full-fee paying students will result in a more competitive environment for higher educational institutions around the world seeking to improve their market position. Student satisfaction is a key strategic variable in maintaining such a competitive position with long-term benefits arising from student loyalty, positive word of mouth (WOM) communication and image of the higher educational institutions to meet the challenges of increasing global competition, rising student expectations of quality, service, and value for money. This process requires educational institutions to carefully analyse these key factors contributing to student satisfaction and therefore develop strategies accordingly.

Using logistic regression analysis with factor scores and aggregated satisfaction scores, this study examines the relative importance of factors and their impact on the satisfaction levels of international postgraduate students from four Asian countries studying in Australian universities. The study concludes that the dominant factors that impact on student satisfaction are quality of education, student facilities, reputation of the institutions, the marketability of their degrees for better career prospects, and the overall customer value provided by the universities.

Student satisfaction : impact of age and gender on satisfaction among international postgraduate students from Asia

Customer satisfaction is a core-marketing concept. It is considered as a major outcome of marketing activity and serves to link processes, culminating in purchase and consumption with post-purchase phenomena such as attitudinal change, customer retention, repeat purchase, brand loyalty, positive word-of-mouth communication. Student satisfaction is a strategic factor in developing a competitive advantage in the highly attractive and globally competitive international education market. Market forecasts indicate a seven-fold increase in the number of students seeking higher education overseas by 2025 and given the competitiveness of the industry, universities will need to focus on variables influencing student satisfaction in order to address areas where improvements in service quality are required.

A sample of 371 postgraduate students from China, India, Indonesia and Thailand, is investigated. The study highlights the development of a scale to measure international postgraduate student satisfaction. The scale demonstrates the importance of four predominant factors influencing university choices - Education Resources; Communication and Guidance; Customer Value and Study Outcomes; and Image, Prestige and Recognition. Using logistic regression and chi square testing, this paper investigates the impact of age and gender on satisfaction among international postgraduate students from four Asian countries studying in universities in Victoria, Australia, on theses factors. The results indicate that age has a positive relationship with satisfaction among postgraduate students while the influence of gender has no effect on influencing satisfaction among postgraduate students from Asia.