Vigilantism, the press and signal crimes 2006 - 2007

The clear presence of vengeance as an underlying motive behind calls for self-help in the immediate aftermath of some violent homicides indicates that community protection is largely irrelevant where vigilantism is associated with these 'signal crimes'. This paper documents the characteristics of five major cases between 2006 and 2007 where the threat ofcommunity-generated vigilante activity received media coverage, the nature of that coverage, the role of police in cautioning the public to reassert their legitimacy and monopoly over the correct procedures for conducting criminal
investigations and the implications of these issues in light of the moral 'outrage' associated with the status of the victim in each case. In an era of increased community concern about crime, it appears vigilantism is an important rhetorical indicator of the level of collective insecurity prompted by fatal assaults, especially in regional areas characterised by underlying racial
tensions and cases involving vulnerable child victims. However, when viewed alongside the virtual victimhood promoted by stylised press reporting, it appears 'vigilantism' is a pertinent signifier of public anxiety over the timing, location and antecedents of some serious violent crimes, rather than a descriptor of any substantive community-generated measures aimed at promoting greater levels of public safety.

Professionals' attributions and referral decisions in cases of domestic violence

This thesis is the first national study of workers who have contact with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence. It highlights that the victim and perpetrator's gender, as well as the relevant professional's agency type and experience, all influenced their attitudes to, and service delivery decisions with, domestic violence-related clients. The portfolio utilises four case studies to examine the way that two Victorian sex offender programs attempt to balance risk-need and good lives principles in the assessment and treatment of sex offenders.

Accounting problems and issues in cases of municipal boundary changes

Analyses the methodologies and accounting treatments used for the transfer of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses resulting from municipal restructuring in Victoria during the early 1990s. It was found that most municipalities adopted simple or pragmatic methods, whereby fixed assets and associated liabilities were allocated physically avoiding the need for financial valuations.

An analysis of police officers decisions about whether to refer cases of child abuse for prosecution

In many jurisdictions, police officers are responsible for deciding whether cases of child abuse are referred for potential prosecution. Such discretion justifies the need to scrutinise these professionals' decisions to determine if they are consistent with the scientific eyewitness memory literature. Prior research has shown that interviewer questioning is one of the most critical factors impacting the reliability of child witness statements. Hence, we asked: 'To what degree do officers' consider the quality of interviewer questions when making case authorisation decisions?'. In order to answer this question, we conducted a thematic analysis to identify issues referred to in a sample of documented police correspondence (n=33) about potential prosecution of child abuse cases. Two key themes emerged: the existence of corroborative evidence and whether the suspect denied the allegations. Questioning technique, however, was not considered. All but one decision that referred to interview process focused on the presentation of the witness, even though the witness interviews (as a whole) did not adhere to recommended best-practice guidelines. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Business intelligence systems implementation : testing a critical success factors framework in multiple cases

This paper presents and discusses the critical success factors (CSFs) influencing the implementation of business intelligence (BI) systems. Based on a preliminary critical success factors (CSFs) framework, multiple case studies approach was applied to investigate the CSFs influencing BI systems implementation in seven large engineering enterprises. The empirical findings demonstrate a clear trend towards multidimensional challenges involved in such resourceful and complex undertaking. The CSFs exist in various dimensions composed of organisation, process, and technology perspectives. More significantly, the study reveals that a more fundamental issue concerning the business needs of BI systems may, in the end, impede BI systems success. That is, BI stakeholders are urged to apply a business-orientation approach in tackling implementation challenges and ensuring buy-in from business stakeholders.