Alternative naming strategies : family versus individual brand names

Increased competition in the consumer goods marketplace has resulted in too many brands chasing too few consumers. In an attempt to ease pressure on margins, and both brand and product range profitability, marketers would be well advised to reinspect their policies towards brand naming and the attendant costs associated with those policies. Is it really necessary for each new product to be individually named? If it is, then what are the strategic and financial implications of this decision? Why is it that the practice in some companies is to resort to a string of unrelated brand names whereas the practice elsewhere is to use an umbrella family name, with or without, a brand name as a suffix? The answers to such questions are by no means obvious and closer inspection of the issues relating to naming policy fails to yield any consensus let alone a definitive approach. This article seeks to depict the alternative naming strategies engaged by marketers and to focus on those considerations that would favour a family name in preference to an individualised brand name. The article concludes with recommendations that are drawn from current literature and the experience of marketers with a view to determining those circumstances that may influence the formulation of a more appropriate naming policy.

Train the trainer model : implications for health professionals and farm family health in Australia

Australia is a large country with 60% of land used for agricultural production. Its interior is sparsely populated, with higher morbidity and mortality recorded in rural areas, particularly farmers, farm families, and agricultural workers. Rural health professionals in addressing health education gaps of farming groups have reported using behavioralist approaches. These approaches in isolation have been criticized as disempowering for participants who are identified as passive learners or 'empty vessels.' A major challenge in rural health practice is to develop more inclusive and innovative models in building improved health outcomes. The Sustainable Farm Families Train the Trainer (SFFTTT) model is a 5-day program developed by Western District Health Service designed to enhance practice among health professionals working with farm families in Australia. This innovative model of addressing farmer health asks health professionals to understand the context of the farm family and encourages them to value the experience and existing knowledge of the farmer, the family and the farm business. The SFFTTT program has engaged with health agencies, community, government, and industry groups across Australia and over 120 rural nurses have been trained since 2005. These trainers have successfully delivered programs to 1000 farm families, with high participant completion, positive evaluation, and improved health indicators. Rural professionals report changes in how they approach health education, clinical practice, and promotion with farm families and agricultural industries. This paper highlights the success of SFFTTT as an effective tool in enhancing primary health practice in rural and remote settings. The program is benefiting not only drought ravaged farmers but assisting rural nurses, health agencies, and health boards to engage with farm families at a level not identified previously. Furthermore, nurses and health professionals are now embracing a more 'farmer-centered model of care.'

Perceptions and personality : a viewer-centred approach to film violence research

This thesis took a viewer-centred approach to the study of media violence. The findings indicated that viewer perceptions and personality mediate the affective, cognitive and arousal responses of viewers. The importance of the viewer perception and personality examined in this thesis also differed as a function of gender and age. The portfolio focused on the current Victorian correctional system's response to, and attempts to rehabilitate, convicted sexual offenders. It presents four case studies to demonstrate how the Victorian Sexual Offender Treatment Program attempts to apply empirically validated "best practice" principles of offender rehabilitation.

Case study demonstration of the family context of anxiety disorders across the lifespan and the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioural interventions

This portfolio aims to explore some of the issues related to the treatment of anxiety disorders in clinical practice by reviewing the literature on anxiety disorders across the lifespan and presenting four clinical case studies of individuals with different anxiety disorders.

Seeking the views of health professionals on translating chronic disease self-management models into practice

Abstract
Few studies have investigated the views of health professionals with respect to their use of chronic disease self-management (CDSM) in the workplace.
Objective
This qualitative study, conducted in an Australian health care setting, examined health professional's formal self-management (SM) training and their views and experiences on the use of SM techniques when working with people living with a chronic illness.
Methods
Purposive sample of 31 health care professionals from a range of service types participated in semi-structured interviews.
Results
The majority of participants (65%) had received no formal training in SM techniques. Participants reported a preference for an eclectic approach to SM, relying primarily on five elements: collaborative care, self-responsibility, client's individual situation, structured support and linking with community agencies. Problems with CDSM centred on medication management, complex measuring devices and limited efficacy with some patient groups.
Conclusion
This study provides valuable information with respect to the use of CDSM within the workplace from the unique perspective of a range of healthcare providers within an Australian health care setting.
Practice implications
Training implications, with respect to CDSM and patient care, are discussed, together with how these findings contribute to the debate concerning how SM principles are translated into healthcare settings.

Family-owned businesses : perspectives on Australian policy

In 2008, a report was commissioned by the European Commission (EC) outlining various policy matters in the field of family business within the auspices of the European Union (EU). Family-owned businesses make a significant contribution to Australia's economic and social welfare. The EC report offers a template for examining family business issues relevant to Australia in seven key areas: political awareness, intergenerational business transfer, financial obligations, balancing business and family, lack of specific education, access to finance for growth and maintaining a skilled workforce. We find that Australian family business policy does not differ markedly to that of Europe. Several policy recommendations are outlined to enhance the recognition of, and provide support to, Australian family-owned businesses.

Challenges of inter-generational succession in the Chinese Australian family business

Chinese immigrants have long been a feature of Australia's population mix and play a critical role in the country's economic activities, with particular contribution by Chinese family-owned businesses. Although these family-owned businesses can generate and significantly improve the financial wealth which stems from the family's original fortune, most Chinese family businesses are relatively short-lived, rarely extending beyond one generation. The high mortality rate in family businesses points primarily to the challenges of management succession. There is recognition that inter-generational succession is essential for both the profitability of Chinese family businesses and the welfare of the family as a whole. However, the intentions of inter-generational pursuit of continuity can be subject to the different goals and interests of key participants, as well as the surrounding context in which the business develops. This paper presents issues pertaining to the inter-generational diversity that might challenge the business continuity of Chinese family businesses, through the identification of how individuals perceive, relate to and initiate the succession process.

AssetDivider : a new mediation tool in Australian family law

This article describes research in a new theory of decision support in negotiation in family law mediation. AssetDivider was based on the principles of Family_Winner. As a Negotiation Decision Support System Family_Winner takes ratings assigned to items by the parties involved and develops a list of allocations to each party; based on trade-offs inherently present in the dispute. Given advice provided from our industry partners Relationships Australia (Queensland) - RAQ, AssetDivider uses an ideal “percentage split” to guide the development of an allocation list for parties. The system has been tested informally by our contacts at RAQ, and we now look forward to extensive testing and evaluation by mediators at RAQ in the near future. We hope to report on a comprehensive evaluation which will report on the effectiveness of this program in practice.

A critical review of relations between corporate responsibility research and practice

This essay identifies epistemological, theoretical and methodological problems in a potentially influential subset of the interdisciplinary corporate responsibility literature, that which appears in the management literature. The received conceptualization of stakeholder analysis is criticised by identifying six sets of factors conventionally considered as promoting social responsibilities in the firm: inter-organizational factors, economic competitors, institutional investors, end-consumers, government regulators and non-governmental organizations. Each is addressed on conceptual grounds, its empirical salience in terms of the latest relevant research and prospects to be a significant factor in promoting outcomes consistent with social welfare. Despite obvious antagonistic relations between organization-centred economic objectives and extra-organizational-directed social considerations, the huge body of research we address drifts in a disengaged Sargasso Sea. The essay argues for appropriate directions for continuing business ethics/responsibility/corporate citizenship research, suggesting certain sociological works on moral leadership, moral courage, and academic leadership.

Supporting rights-based ideas in policy and practice

Principles of human rights rest at the heart of social justice and notions of an inclusive society. This article seeks to refocus practice attention on the issue of human rights and the ways in which rights-based ideas can be integrated across practice, policy and legal domains. It argues that creating systems in which critical components mutually reinforce rightsbased ideas will be more likely to have the depth of influence required to shift thinking toward rights-based practice and maintain its endurance over time.

The management of individuals with bipolar disorder : a review of the evidence and its integration into clinical practice

Bipolar disorder is a common, debilitating, chronic illness that emerges early in life and has serious consequences such as long-term unemployment and suicide. It confers considerable functional disability to the individual, their family and society as a whole and yet it is often undetected, misdiagnosed and treated poorly. In the past decade, many new treatment strategies have been trialled in the management of bipolar disorder with variable success. The emerging evidence, for pharmacological agents in particular, is promising but when considered alone does not directly translate to real-world clinical populations of bipolar disorder. Data from drug trials are largely based on findings that identify difterences between groups determined in a time-limited manner, whereas clinical management concerns the treatment of individuals over the life-long course of the illness. Considering the findings in the context of the individual and their particular needs perhaps besl bridges the gap between the evidence from research studies and their application in clinical practice. Specifically, only lithium and valproate have moderate or strong evidence for use across all three phases of bipolar disorder, Anticonvulsants, such as lamotrigine. have strong evidence in maintenance; whereas antipsychotics largely have strong evidence in acute mania, with the exception of quetiapine, which has strong evidence in bipolar depression. Maintenance data for antipsychotics is emerging but at present remains weak. Combinations have strong evidence in acute phases of illness but maintenance data is urgently needed. Conventional antidepressants only have weak evidence in bipolar depression and do not have a role in maintenance therapy. Therefore, this paper summarizes the efficacy data for treating bipolar disorder and also applies clinical considerations to these data when

Coproduction in practice : participatory action research to develop a model of community aged care

Coproduction has become synonymous with innovative approaches to public service delivery in European Union countries as well as in Australia. Coproduction has the potential to bring together individuals, communities, and organisations in a process to collaboratively develop new models and services which improve public services. Yet, Australian policy makers and practitioners who would like to deploy coproduction within the context of older adult social care can only draw on a handful of papers and reports that could guide implementation. This paper fills this gap by reporting on the implementation of a multi-stakeholder coproduction approach to the development of a consumer directed care model for older people with complex health issues. The paper describes and critically highlights methodological challenges encountered during the 12 month-long participatory action research phase of a larger project involving older people with complex care needs, their carers, and government and non-government stakeholders. The paper outlines key considerations regarding (1) the involvement of older people with complex needs, (2) collaboration with industry partners, (3) engagement of government representatives, and (4) reflects on implementing participatory research projects within a context of outsourcing and interlinked supply chains. While not all challenges encountered could be resolved, the coproduction approach was successful in bringing together a wide range of stakeholders with competing agendas in an iterative process geared to resolve a plethora of concerns raised by older people, carers and services providers. This paper provides an example for others seeking to use coproduction and participatory methods to provide person-centred care services for older people.

Staking a claim : analysing interventionist discourses of men's family violence

This research analysed behaviour change groupwork intervention as a response to the behaviour of men who perpetrate violence and abuse within the family.

It found incongruences between stated rhetoric and practice, and highlighted tensions between sector-specific language, ambitions to operate within a feminist analysis, professional claims to knowledge and expertise, and the development of standards for professional practice.

Teaching secondary school mathematics : research and practice for the 21st century

For the last decade or so, educational policy makers and researchers in many countries have been calling for significant changes to the way mathematics is taught in secondary schools. Australian mathematics curriculum documents now promote learning goals that go beyond mastery of a pre-determined body of knowledge and procedures - the traditional emphasis on facts, skills, formulae - to include mathematical reasoning and problem solving, communication, and real world applications. There is also pressure to move away from over-reliance on teacher-centred practices such as exposition and individual seatwork, towards activities that promote learners' involvement in constructing, applying, and evaluating mathematical ideas. Further impetus for reform comes from research recommending that if learners are to develop mathematically powerful forms of thinking and habits of mind, then classrooms should immerse them in the authentic practices of the discipline by supporting a culture of collaboration and sense-making. Teaching Secondary School Mathematics - incorporates recent developments in research and practice and applications to teaching mathematics in Australian secondary schools. Covering such areas as curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; teaching mathematical content; equity and diversity in the classroom; and professional and community engagement, it is an invaluable resource for all practising and pre-service mathematics teachers.

Building the capacity of family day care educators to promote children’s social and emotional wellbeing : an exploratory cluster randomised controlled trial

Background: Childhood mental health problems are highly prevalent, experienced by one in five children living in socioeconomically disadvantaged families. Although childcare settings, including family day care are ideal to promote children’s social and emotional wellbeing at a population level in a sustainable way, family day care educators receive limited training in promoting children’s mental health. This study is an exploratory wait-list control cluster randomised controlled trial to test the appropriateness, acceptability, cost, and effectiveness of “Thrive,” an intervention program to build the capacity of family day care educators to promote children’s social and emotional wellbeing. Thrive aims to increase educators’ knowledge, confidence and skills in promoting children’s social and emotional wellbeing.
Methods/Design: This study involves one family day care organisation based in a low socioeconomic area of Melbourne. All family day care educators (term used for registered carers who provide care for children for financial reimbursement in the carers own home) are eligible to participate in the study. The clusters for randomisation will be the fieldworkers (n = 5) who each supervise 10-15 educators. The intervention group (field workers and educators) will participate in a variety of intervention activities over 12 months, including workshops; activity exchanges with other educators; and focused discussion about children’s social and emotional wellbeing during field worker visits. The control group will continue with their normal work practice. The intervention will be delivered to the intervention group and then to the control group after a time delay of 15 months post intervention commencement. A baseline survey will be conducted with all consenting educators and field workers (n = ~70) assessing outcomes at the cluster and individual level. The survey will also be administered at one month, six months and 12 months post-intervention commencement. The survey consists of questions measuring perceived levels of knowledge, confidence and skills in promoting children’s social and emotional wellbeing. As much of this intervention will be delivered by field workers, field worker-family day care educator relationships are key to its success and thus supervisor support will also be measured. All educators will also have an in-home quality of care assessment at baseline, one month, six months and 12 months post-intervention commencement. Process evaluation will occur at one month, six months and 12 months post-intervention commencement. Information regarding intervention fidelity and economics will also be assessed in the survey.
Discussion: A capacity building intervention in child mental health promotion for family day care is an essential contribution to research, policy and practice. This initiative is the first internationally, and essential in building an evidence base of interventions in this extremely policy-timely setting.