Conservation biology : a crisis discipline

Conserving biodiversity is of utmost importance on a global scale. Species conservation, however, is a challenging task, which is often compounded by a lack of knowledge of target species. New advances in information technology and molecular techniques, however, are enabling conservation biologists to obtain large amounts of data quickly, which will certainly aid in assigning conservation priorities. This article reviews the use of genetics in conservation biology and highlights, using the Powerful Owl Ninox strenua as an example, how DNA can be a valuable source of data.

Crisis of meanings : divergent experiences and perceptions of the marine environment in Victoria, Australia

The oceans of the world are regularly depicted as under threat from human exploitation with the problem portrayed as being of 'global' concern. In a world market characterised by the division of labour, many of those who eat fish do so without directly experiencing the ocean as a domain of productive utility. Rather, their encounters are with representations that depict the 'natural' world as an aesthetic object of contemplation, and environmentalist discourses that identify human activities as' threatening marine ecosystems. So prevalent is this experience that tangible institutions, such as state fisheries management bodies, have emerged, acting to reinforce the ontology of this 'contemplated' ocean, giving weight to the illusion that humans can, and should, appreciate it only from afar. In this representation, commercial fishers are regularly depicted as transgressing a 'natural' boundary between humans and the environment. It is when the world is simultaneously encountered as an object of consumptive utility and aesthetic utility that the human role in the environment becomes ambiguous and a sense of crisis arises. This paper investigates disjunctions in experiences and understandings that contribute to environmental anxiety, and debates over the appropriate use of the ocean.

Latest Guadalupian brachiopods from the Guadalupian/Lopingian boundary GSSP section at Penglaitan in Laibin, Guangxi, South China and implications for the timing of the pre-Lopingian crisis

A brachiopod fauna comprising nine species in eight genera from three closely spaced stratigraphic horizons of the same stratigraphic section is described for the first time from the Laibin Limestone in the uppermost part of the Maokou Formation in the Guadalupian/Lopingian (G/L) GSSP section at Penglaitan, Guangxi Autonomous Region, South China. The brachiopod assemblages are bracketed between two conodont zones: Jinogondolella xuanhanensis Zone below and Jinogondolella granti Zone above and, therefore, they can be safely assigned to the latest Capitanian in age. However, all but one of the nine brachiopod species from the Laibin Limestone carry strong early Lopingian (Wuchiapingian) aspect. Thus, the discovery of this brachiopod fauna not only suggests that some Lopingian brachiopod species had already appeared in the late Guadalupian (Capitanian); more importantly, it has also highlighted the fact that both the previously noted pre-Lopingian life crisis (or end-Guadalupian or Middle Permian mass extinction) and Lopingian recovery/radiation actually occurred in late Capitanian times, sometime before the G/L chronostratigraphic boundary. So far, the Penglaitan GSSP section provides the highest-resolution disappearance patterns of different fossil groups around the G/L boundary.

Asian studies in "crisis" : is cultural studies the answer?

This article explores some of the benefits and limitations of Cultural Studies in Asian studies with particular reference to the expression of Asian-Australian identity in diaspora. It has been suggested that the influence of Cultural Studies – a discipline that is viewed as more globally relevant – may be an answer to the Asian studies “crisis”. In relation to the Cultural Studies approach to Asian-Australian identity, I argue that the discourse and rhetoric of Cultural Studies is highly beneficial in breaking down stereotypes and rebuilding the national narrative of identity. However, as a methodology it is not without limitations.

Wool industry : a decade of turbulence : an examination of some of the factors contributing to the crisis within Australia's wool industry, and the resulting economic, social and demographic effects on a small isolated rural community

A central issue of this thesis has been an examination of the effects that the current wool crisis has had on the Balmoral district, an area almost solely devoted to the production of wool and wool sheep. Examines the methods being utilised to try to alleviate some of these effects.

Politics of educational crisis

The Chinese symbol for 'crisis' is a combination of the symbols for danger and opportunity. Constructing a sense of crisis is dangerous because crisis discourse mobilises powerful emotions such as concern, fear and desire - particularly when it surrounds something as important to us as our children's education. Using the example of recent crisis discourses surrounding physical education, this thesis examines dangers and opportunities that arise when we declare that our education institutions are in crisis.

Firm survival through a crisis : the influence of market orientation, marketing innovation and business strategy

As an outcome of the economic crisis, the global manufacturing sector is collapsing. Focusing on Chinese manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), this study investigates whether marketing innovation, defined as improvements in the marketing mix, can assist in withstanding the challenges of operating under the current economic conditions. A conceptual model linking market orientation, marketing innovation, competitive advantage and firm survival is tested using structural equation modelling. Three key findings are derived. First, the examined Chinese manufacturing SMEs had a greater perceived likelihood of survival had they developed and sustained a competitive advantage. Second, marketing innovation assisted in developing and sustaining competitive advantages based on differentiation and cost leadership strategies. Third, marketing innovation capabilities improved when the examined manufacturing SMEs were competitor oriented and had good inter-functional capabilities.

Financial crisis and central bank independence and governance (CBIG)

This study examines the impact of Asian financial crisis on central bank independence and governance in the Asia Pacific. It applies a unique CBIG index-model for 36 countries for the period 1991 to 2005. This paper examines changes in the CBIG in the Asia Pacific before and after the Asian financial crisis in 1997. It applies a panel data pooled regression model and finds that the Asian financial crisis dummy is significantly different in the post-crisis period compared to the pre-crisis period. As a result the improved CBIG in the post-crisis period has contributed to lower the inflation in the entire region.

Board behaviour and the global financial crisis : time for a holistic approach to governance

The heightened focus on corporate governance in the aftermath of the financial crisis and in particular the failure of boards to protect their corporations indicates the timeliness of this paper. Although corporate governance has been traditionally linked to control and compliance, the complexities of the 21st Century have focused attention on the need for more holistic approaches. This paper picks up these developments and using interpretive research, analyses thirteen in-depth interviews conducted with board members and senior management, before and after the crisis. The longitudinal data provides valuable insight into the role of boards, their behaviour, culture and decision-making structures.

Post global financial crisis international business strategies

International business strategies are affected by economic conditions, although the resource-based view would suggest that company resources are a more significant factor. This paper identifies differences in the international strategy behaviours of companies located in countries which, as a result of the GFC, entered either a deep recession, a shallow recession or no recession at all. Empirical evidence is provided for companies with home country markets with each of these conditions. The ability of international strategy theories to explain these behaviours is considered. Based on observations of international businesses with home country markets in each of these categories, it is suggested that determinants of international strategy during financial crises (and immediately after) are influenced by the strength of the home country market, foreign market government protectionist behaviour, international exchange rate variations and local levels of rivalry.

Thai hedging practices : post Asian financial crisis

This paper provides survey evidence captured from a sample of 113 respondents to a 2008 questionnaire that was sent to 344 listed non-financial companies in Thailand. The study examines how Thai companies manage their exchange rate exposure post Asian Financial Crisis.

Thailand is an interesting case study because it was a country at the core of the 1997 financial meltdown and was one of the first forced by the crisis to move from a fixed to a floating exchange rate regime. It is therefore constructive to examine how businesses in Thailand have coped with a shift from a fixed to floating exchange rate and to examine how they manage their exchange rate exposure post 1997.

Findings indicate that companies that use currency derivatives do so to reduce volatile cash flows are less risky and tend to be more profitable than companies that do not use currency derivatives. This is consistent with the theory that hedging increases the value of the firm.

The type of instruments that companies in Thailand use and how they are used is similar to what other studies find in other countries. Matching and the use of forward contracts are the most common ways that companies manage transaction exposure. The study also confirms that companies with higher levels of international business engagement are more likely to use currency derivatives.

What is unique in Thailand is that Thai businesses are less rigorous in their internal control of their currency hedging activities. It is therefore recommended that companies consider a documented hedging policy and that senior management actively monitor the policy and currency hedging activity.

Post Asian financial crisis : a survey of Thai hedging practices

This thesis examines how companies in Thailand coped with exchange rate volatility post Asian Financial Crisis. Findings indicate businesses quickly adjusted to the transition from a fixed to floating regime. However, Thai businesses appear to be less rigorous in their internal control of currency hedging activities. The thesis recommends strategies to overcome this risk.

Garden & landscape heritage:a crisis of tangible & intangible comprehension and curatorship

The cultural landscape of George Town, Penang, Malaysia, embraces the historic enclave of George Town as well as a range of other significant colonial vestiges adjacent to the entrépôt. Many of these landscapes cannot be isolated from the énclave as they are integral to and part of its cultural mosaic and character. Perhaps the most important are the Penang Hill hill-station landscape and the 'Waterfall‘ Botanic Gardens. The latter is an under-valued 'garden of the empire‘—a garden that significantly underpinned the development and historical and botanical stature of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.This paper reviews the cultural significance of colonial botanic gardens as they were established around the world during the scientific explosion of the late 1800s. It addresses their position within World Heritage listings, and considers the role, significance and importance of the 'Waterfall‘ Botanic Gardens within this context, within the concept of 'cultural landscapes‘, and critiques its absence from the recent World Heritage Listing of the colonial enclaves of Georgetown and Meleka in Malaysia.