The world-wide spread of journalism convergence

Convergence is a likely destination for news media in many parts of the world, though the duration of the journey will vary from country to country. This paper defines convergence as well as it is possible to do so, traces its spread around the world, and describes some of the most common business models. It looks at the forces driving convergence, and factors common to the most successful converged operations. The paper also describes the uncertain scenario in Australia now the Howard government has announced plans to change media ownership laws. It ends with discussion about changes in curricula at journalism programs in the United States in the light of the spread of convergence.

The impact of security surveys within Australia and New Zealand

Information security is portrayed as a global problem that impacts all countries that are considered as part of the Information Society. Recent surveys show that there are increased concerns about computer crime. The paper will focus upon recent national security surveys from Australia and New Zealand and the trends that this research shows. Is it fair to assume the security practices are the same all over the world? The paper looks at security practices from a number of different countries perspectives and shows that security practices are not generic and vary from country to country. The paper will also evaluate the worth that National Security Surveys have in the field of Information Security Surveys.

The DALY, context and the determinants of the severity of disease: an exploratory comparison of paraplegia in Australia and Cameroon

This paper summarises the findings of an empirical investigation of some of the technical and social assumptions on which the disability adjusted life year (DALY) is based. The objectives of the study were to examine the notion that the burden of disease is broadly similar without regard to country, environment, gender or socio-economic status and to develop detailed descriptions of the experiences of the burden of disease as they related to these contextual factors. The study was a multi-factorial exploratory study employing qualitative and quantitative techniques to obtain data on the effects of country (development), environment (urban versus rural), gender and socio-economic status on people with paraplegia. The data provided an extensive and detailed compilation of context rich descriptions of living with paraplegia. Striking features of the data were the differences between countries with respect to the impact of the health conditions on functioning and highlight a context in which paraplegia of like clinical severity can be fatal in one environment and not in another. While there has been some focus on the control of social determinants of disease, there has been little work on the social determinants of the severity of disease. The underlying assumptions of the DALY, which ignore context in the assessment of the burden of disease, risk exacerbating inequalities by undervaluing the burden of disease in less-developed countries. There is a need to continue to subject the development of indicators to rigorous debate to determine a balance between the assumption of a global “average social milieu” and the treatment of each individual as belonging to their own context in the assessment of population health in order for indicators to be meaningful cross-culturally.

Conceptualization, measurement, and application of quality of life for persons with intellectual disabilities: report of an international panel of experts

In this article a number of issues involving the concept of quality of life as applied to persons with intellectual disabilities are summarized, and a number of agreed-upon principles regarding its conceptualization, measurement, and application are presented. We realize that the concepts and models presented in this article will vary potentially from country to country, and even from area to area within countries. The cross-cultural understanding of the concept of quality of life is in its infancy, and we hope that the discourses resulting from the material presented in this article will facilitate both cross-cultural understanding and collaborative work. The article reflects current thought about the conceptualization, measurement, and application of this increasingly important and widely used concept in the field of intellectual disabilities and sets the stage for its continuing development.

Visionnaire 2010

Visionnaire 2010 : A screening of 15 postgraduate and masters films.

Two hundred and two - Daniella Said, Adam Green, Phoebe Beasley, Juntra Santitarangkun, Olexander Barnes & Rhett Ortlipp.
Gone to see - Sean Rafter.
Hippocratic oath - Nathan Primer, Daniel Merei, Melina Flood, Michael Dearnley, Mathew Karanicolas & Nicholas White.
The other voices - Tania Raouf.
Standover - Nicholas Hancock, Ryan Thomas, David Hurley, Nicholas Weller, Mitch McTaggart & Djorvan Caro.
Sisters - Kailai Gu.
Escape - Jonathan Burton, Simon Todd, Todd Johnson, Amanda Klimos, James Murphy, Ola Gytri & Max Reed.
Welcome to the Anderson's - Maneesha Jacob.
Hannah - Jodi Deutrom, Ardimas Andi, Ben Engeset, Kim Han Law, Steffen Hagen & Timotius.
Hour3 - Akanksha Shakya.
3-25-6 - Syamsul Azhar, Ethan Bottomley, Tiffany Dalton, Kane Gloury, Alexandra Latimer & Lene Moerch.
Seher and others - Bircan Eral.
Edward Barsky - Breidi Boyle, Bree Mansell, Simon DeNatris & Murphy McLachlan.
Detecting Calvin - Kara Tyson, Aimee Linossier, Jessica Ruffino, Seamus Parkinson, Dean Sacco & Simon Holt.
Double date - Adriana Bizzarri, Matthew Smolen, Effie Telianidis, Oliver Kerr, Lucy Ramshaw & Luisa Tascone.

Baby boomers' reasons for choosing specific food shops

Purpose – Baby boomers (people born between 1946 and 1964) are approaching retirement and there is concern about their preparation for their future health and wellbeing. Food shopping is likely to play a major role in their future lives. The purpose of this paper is to examine their reasons for choosing to buy food from particular shops and whether demographic characteristics and health status were associated with them.

Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted among a random sample of 1,037 people aged between 40 and 71 years in Victoria, Australia. Respondents were asked to indicate, from a list, their reasons for choosing to shop at particular food outlets. Regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between respondents' demographics and health status and their reasons for shopping at the food stores.

Findings – Multivariate analysis showed that the reasons the respondents reported in choosing shops fell into four groups: saving, convenience, quality and healthy foods, and user-friendly environment. Saving was negatively related to income, age, level of education and also linked with country of birth, religious affiliation, and marital status. Convenience was negatively associated with age and also related to health status and religious affiliation. Quality/healthy food products were positively related to age but negatively associated with body mass index, and also linked to country of birth. User-friendly environment was negatively associated with income and education and related to gender and religious affiliation.

Originality/value – The paper's results show that stores could provide more information, perhaps as signage, to their recycling and health information facilities, particularly in low socio-economic status areas. Furthermore, the social status and religious associations confirm the view that shopping reflects broad societal affiliations among baby boomers. Shopping centres can be used to provide support for health and environmental sustainability promotions.

Avoiding the second year slump : a transition framework for students progressing through university

The ‘Sophomore Slump’ is a lack of engagement that can be experienced by students entering their second year at University. It has been a recognized phenomenon in American universities for many years but has gone largely unrecognized within Australian Universities. In 2009 a program called ‘Welcome to Second Year’ was introduced at a Metropolitan Australian University for Science students returning as second years or articulating straight into second year. The one day program took place during the week before trimester 1 classes commenced. The aim of the program was to re-engage students both socially with their peers, and academically with their course, and also to introduce them to professionals in their field. This paper provides a description of the program as well as student evaluation of the program over the three years it has now been run.

Indigenous landscape change and climate change : the historical transformation of the Port Phillip bay from an indigenous and landscape architectural perspective

Currently there is a dearth of research into Australian Indigenous knowledge and their understanding of climate change especially in regard to how it fits into an Indigenous world view. Recent discussions by the National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility (NCCARF) have highlighted this deficiency and also the need to source projects that address this perspective, and enable the incorporation of traditional ecological knowledge into the planning of climate change adaption strategies. Within this context, this paper examines the use and understanding of landscape, both urban and regional, surrounding Port Phillip Bay and the risks and opportunities climate change adaptation brings to the local Indigenous communities. This paper comprises a literature review and proposes further research with the Wurundjeri (Yarra Valley), Wathaurong (Geelong-Bellarine Peninsula) & Boon Wurrung (Mornington Peninsula - Westerport - southern Melbourne) which aim to elicit a contemporary and local response to issues raised by NCCARF but importantly to articulate a possible Indigenous position about the formation, change and direction that Port Phillip Bay and its environs should take from their perspectives. The research looks to draw on how these communities have adapted to climate change physically, mentally and spiritually over their long habitation of the region and their perceptions of climate change this century. The project looks to uncover a longitudinal perspective of adaptation focused upon Indigenous views of 'country' and custodial obligations to 'country' including accumulated cultural and environmental histories, and how this can inform the contemporary practice of landscape architecture and the design of resilient and sustainable human environments.

If the land is healthy… it makes the people healthy

This PhD explores the connection Aboriginal Victorian people have to their traditional lands (known as Country) and its relationship with health. Findings identify the deep connection Aboriginal Victorian people have to their Country and the need for public health clinicians to engage with diverse Indigenous practices and knowledge when applicable.

From parallel descriptions to parallel grammars: unravelling the complexity of Lutyen's country house folio

Based on an analysis of a corpus of forty of Sir Edwin Lutyens's country house designs (Rollo 1997) a procedure for developing Parallel Descriptions will be discussed. This procedure will attempt to facilitate an integrated approach to the analysis of complex architectural forms and will provide a framework for investigating the development of parallel grammars. This is an approach which acknowledges that design does not necessarily involve the importance of one aspect, but rather a number of coextensive issues with emphasis on the ordering and priority of these issues periodically shifting.

NGO's use of the media to create changes in corporate activities and accountabilities : evidence from a developing country

This paper investigates how social and environmental NGOs use the news media to create changes in the operations and associated accountabilities of multinational companies operating in, or sourcing products from, a developing country. In this research, we explicitly seek the views of senior officers from global and local NGOs operating in Bangladesh, as well as the views of journalists from major global and local news media organisations. Our results show that social and environmental NGOs strategically use the news media to effect change in the operating and disclosure policies pertaining to corporate labour practices. More particularly, both the NGOs and the news media representatives stated that NGOs would be relatively powerless to create change without media coverage. Our results also show that the media agenda has been responsible for creating improvements in working condition within Bangladesh, but further improvements are necessary. This is the first known study to specifically address the joint role of NGOs and the news media in creating changes in the social and environmental operating and disclosure practices of organisations operating in developing countries.

Motivations for an organisation within a developing country to report social responsibility information

Purpose – The aim of the paper is to describe and explain, using a combination of interviews and content analysis, the social and environmental reporting practices of a major garment export organisation within a developing country.

Design/methodology/approach – Senior executives from a major organisation in Bangladesh are interviewed to determine the pressures being exerted on them in terms of their social and environmental performance. The perceptions of pressures are then used to explain – via content analysis – changing social and environmental disclosure practices.

Findings – The results show that particular stakeholder groups have, since the early 1990s, placed pressure on the Bangladeshi clothing industry in terms of its social performance. This pressure, which is also directly related to the expectations of the global community, in turn drives the industry's social policies and related disclosure practices.

Research limitations/implications – The findings show that, within the context of a developing country, unless we consider the managers' perceptions about the social and environmental expectations being imposed upon them by powerful stakeholder groups then we will be unable to understand organisational disclosure practices.

Originality/value – This paper is the first known paper to interview managers from a large organisation in a developing country about changing stakeholder expectations and then link these changing expectations to annual report disclosures across an extended period of analysis.