Competing on the higher ground : social expectations and sport

Research in sport ethics has traditionally focused on the ethical dimensions of the sport event and athletes, however the examination of the principles of ethics to the management and organisation of sport is a relatively recent phenomenon. The tension between the roles and responsibilities of sport as a business, and sport as an ethical and moral aspect of society has forced sport organisations to face an increased number of complex ethical dilemmas. As sport systems throughout the world become further professionalised and bureaucratised, the community understanding of what is ‘good’ is challenged. It is a commonly held expectation that there should be a high level of moral behaviour from those participating directly in the sport event (athletes, coaches, referees), however this expectation has extended to the sporting clubs and organisations which govern the sport itself.

Often used interchangeably, ethics and morality are complex terms concentrating on issues of right and wrong behaviour. Beauchamp and Bowie (1993) stated that the term morality suggests a social institution, composed of a set of standards which are pervasively acknowledged by the members of a culture, or alternatively a social construction. The application of ethics and moral values to the business environment applies across all sectors, including for-profit, non-profit and government, however Rubin (1990) found that the normative ethics, those which society accepts as ethical behaviour, varies from sector to sector. In the non-profit sector, to which many sport organisations belong, Rubin (1990) found that because the community expects more ‘good’, they accept less ‘bad’. As many sport organisations throughout the world remain largely non-profit, linked with the commonly held belief that sport is a foundation for moral behaviours, the idealistic expectation of ethical conduct placed upon them may be different to those of more mainstream business organisations.

Mewett (2003) noted the importance of sport as a social phenomenon which ramifies widely through society to become an intrinsic part of culture and community life. The different expectations of ethical conduct and moral value placed on sport organisations increases the public interest in the ethical dilemmas faced by these organisations. Using the concept of conflict of interest as an example, this paper will examine the tension and difference between the community and social understanding and expectations of sport, and those of the sport organisations themselves.

A need for national regulation on property investment advice and marketeering - suggestions put forward

The property investment advice and marketeering industry is currently unregulated in Australia. There is no uniform national or state regulation in this area. The only protection and remedies currently available are those under the general consumer protection laws scattered in various Acts, and even so, these have numerous problems.This article sets out to argue for a new set of laws to regulate property investment advice and marketeering. In providing suggestions for reform, the article also argues that, to overcome the constitutional difficulty, a national co-operative approach is the only way to move forward in this area and suggests that a new regulator be set up to administer and enforce the new proposed laws on property investment advice and marketeering.

Research indepedence matters for practitioners and researchers in the addictions

As governments, industry bodies, and other interest groups become more adept at influencing the conduct and dissemination of research, it is increasingly important that the alcohol and other drug (AOD) sector maintains and protects the integrity of its evidence base. This commentary discusses the level and type of influence being exerted on the research process by different interest groups within the field. It explores the impact and influence of funding bodies, other interest groups, and social systems on addiction and recovery using relevant examples to identify questions for practitioners and researchers to consider when encountering interested parties in their day-to-day practice. Ultimately, it is service users and clinicians at the "front line" of recovery who have the most to lose from research findings that have been unduly influenced. The best protection against bias in these forms is to practice critical self-reflection and to keep openly and honestly debating those things that we find most challenging.

If in doubt - disclose

This thesis develops a conceptual model to explain executive conflict of interest in the AFL, including: a definition of conflict of interest in sport management; a process for managing conflict of interest; and the impact of social expections on the management process.

Migrant housing in the city and the village : from Melbourne to Zavoj

This paper will discuss the kinds of communities that evolve through historical practices of migration. The migrant house is associated with a new architecture that hod appeared in the cities of immigration of the new worlds (Melbourne, Toronto, Chicago). It is perceived as a stereotypical symbolisation of immigrants from Southern European origins that had arrived in the decades following the Second World War. The appearance of houses built by returning migrants in sites of origin suggests other traiectories, other modes of travel, and other forms of community. Central to the thesis of this paper is the testimony of two types of migrant houses. The study draws on theories of migration that address the site of departure, the site of arrival, and the question and conflict of return which is at the centre of the migrant's imaginary. This study will examine the migrant houses in the village of emigration (Zavoj in Macedonia), migrant houses built by returning emigrants. A study of the two houses of migration implicates a set of networks, forces, relations, circumscribing a large global geopolitical and cultural field that questions our understandings of diaspora, the binary structure of dwelling/travelling, and the fabric and fabrication of community. In addition, the paper will explore the notion of house as an imaginary landscape, a psychic geography narrated through migratory travels.

Race, history, and the Australian faith missions

In 1901, the parliament of the new Commonwealth of Australia passed a series of laws designed, in the words of the Prime Minister Edmund Barton, “to make a legislative declaration of our racial identity”. An Act to expel the large Pacific Islander community in North Queensland was followed by a law restricting further immigration to applicants who could pass a literacy test in a European language. In 1902, under the Commonwealth Franchise Act, “all natives of Asia and Africa” as well as Aboriginal people were explicitly denied the right to vote in federal elections. The “White Australia policy”, enshrined in these laws, was almost universally supported by Australian politicians, with only two members of parliament speaking against the restriction of immigration on racial grounds.

Skills in LLB threshold learning outcomes and competency standards for entry-level lawyers – a comparison using CAQDAS

This exploratory study analysed the Threshold Learning Outcomes ("TLOs") specified in the Bachelor of Laws Learning and Teaching Academic Standards Statement December 2010, and the Competency Standards for Entry-Level Lawyers for Practical Legal Training, as updated by the Australasian Professional Legal Education Council and Law Admissions Consultative Committee in February 2002 ("NCS"). The qualitative analysis was undertaken using the NVivo computer assisted qualitative data analysis software ("CAQDAS"), to investigate how skills were categorised and defined in each of the documents. The results were then analysed to compare the respective categorisation and definition of skills, and to point to potential complements, overlaps, conflicts, gaps, or blind spots, between the TLOs and the NCS. The findings, and the methodology adopted, might provide insights for future instructional design, content, and delivery of Practical Legal Training programs, and for future reviews of the TLOs and NCS.

Legal practice and ethics

This book aims to challenge students and lawyers to think critically about the way in which they will or do practise law. It is intended to be a guide on the various obligations and duties that a lawyer owes to the court, other lawyers, clients and the community in general. The hope is that students of law will see the ongoing value of maintaining the integrity of the legal profession and the value that lawyers provide to the community when we get things right.

A quandary in management practice: Academic research or consulting?

This paper compares the practice of academic action research against management consulting. Consulting is founded upon a body of underpinning knowledge drawn from a different perspective than action research. Nevertheless, consulting and action research, in practice, draw from similar methods of investigation. The difficulty in distinguishing action research from consulting adds to unique ethical problems in practice. In this paper, an ethics quandary is identified, defined and explored with implications for research practice. An example of an action research project is presented to highlight the potential ethical dilemma and conflict of interest points of
the investigation, whether as an academic or a consultant. The authors, by crystallising the boundaries of academic action research and consulting posit that, when designed and executed well, risk can be minimised to gather rich and deep insights into management practice.

Designing a healthy food partnership: lessons from the Australian food and health dialogue

BACKGROUND: Poor diets are a leading cause of disease burden worldwide. In Australia, the Federal Government established the Food and Health Dialogue (the Dialogue) in 2009 to address this issue, primarily through food reformulation. We evaluated the Dialogue's performance over its 6 years of operation and used these findings to develop recommendations for the success of the new Healthy Food Partnership.

METHODS: We used information from the Dialogue website, media releases, communiqués, e-newsletters, materials released under freedom-of-information, and Parliamentary Hansard to evaluate the Dialogue's achievements from October 2013 to November 2015, using the RE-AIM (reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation and maintenance) framework. We also engaged closely with two former Dialogue members. Our findings update a prior assessment done in October 2013.

RESULTS: Little data is available to evaluate the Dialogue's recent achievements, with no information about progress against milestones released since October 2013. In the last 2 years, only one additional set of sodium reduction targets (cheese) was agreed and Quick Service Restaurant foods were added as an area for action. Some activity was identified in 12 of a possible 137 (9 %) areas of action within the Dialogue's mandate. Independent evaluation found targets were partially achieved in some food categories, with substantial variation in success between companies. No effects on the knowledge, behaviours or nutrient intake of the Australian population or evidence of impact on diet-related disease could be identified.

CONCLUSIONS: The new Healthy Food Partnership has similar goals to the Dialogue. While highly laudable and recognised globally as cost-effective, the mechanism for delivery in Australia has been woefully inadequate. Strong government leadership, adequate funding, clear targets and timelines, management of conflict of interest, comprehensive monitoring and evaluation, and a plan for responsive regulation in the event of missed milestones will be required if the new Healthy Food Partnership is to achieve its urgent public health goals.