Code of ethics quality : an international comparison of corporate staff support and regulation in Australia, Canada and the United States

The objective of this paper is to examine the ‘Code of Ethics Quality’ (CEQ) in the largest companies of Australia, Canada and the United States. For this purpose, a proposed CEQ construct has been applied. It appears from the empirical findings that while Australia, Canada and the United States are extremely similar in their economic and social development, there may well be distinct cultural mores and issues that are forming their business ethics practices. A research implication derived from the performed research is that the construct provides a selection of observable and measurable elements in the context of CEQ. The construct of CEQ consists of nine measures divided into two dimensions (i.e. staff support and regulation). They should not be seen as a complete list. On the contrary, it is encouraged that others propose and elaborate revisions and extensions. A practical implication of this paper is a structure of what and how to examine the CEQ in a managerial setting. It may assist companies in their efforts to establish, maintain and improve their ethical culture, norms and beliefs within the organization and supporting them in their ethical business practices with different stakeholders in the marketplace and society. The dimensions and measures of the construct may be used as a frame of reference for further research. They may be useful and applicable across contexts and over time using similar samples when it comes to large companies, as small- or medium-sized ones may not have considered all areas nor have the elements in place. This is a research limitation, but it provides an opportunity for further research.

Public relations, activism, and social change: speaking up

Why are some voices louder in public debates than others? And why can’t all voices be equally heard? This book draws significant new meaning to the inter-relationships of public relations and social change through a number of activist case studies, and rebuilds knowledge around alternative communicative practices that are ethical, sustainable, and effective. Demetrious offers a powerful critical description of the dominant model of public relations used in the twentieth century, showing that ‘PR’ was arrogant, unethical and politically offensive in ways that have severely weakened democratic process and its public standing and professional credibility. The book argues that change within the field of public relations is imminent and urgent—for us all. As the effects of climate change intensify, and are magnified by high carbon dioxide emitting industries, vigorous public debate is vital in the exploration of new ideas and action and if alternative futures are to be imagined. In these conditions, articulate and persistent publics will appear in the form of grassroots activists, asking contentious questions about risks and tabling them for public discussion in bold, inventive, and effective ways. Yet the entrenched power relations in and through public relations in contemporary industrialized society provide no certainty these voices will be heard. Following this path, Demetrious theorises an alternative set of social relations to those used in the twentieth century: public communication. Constructed from communicative practices of grassroots activists and synthesis of diverse theoretical positions, public communication is a principled approach that avoids the deep contradictions and flawed coherences of essentialist public relations and instead represents an important ethical reorientation in the communicative fields. Lastly, she brings original new perspectives to understand current and emergent developments in activism and public relations brought about through the proliferation of Internet and digital cultures.

Migration and refugee law: principles and practice in Australia

Migration and refugee law and policy is fundamentally concerned with the choices that we as a nation make regarding the people that we allow into our community and to share our resources. Migration and Refugee Law: Principles and Practice in Australia 2nd Edition provides an overview of the legal principles governing the entry of people into Australia. The 2nd edition encompasses legislative amendments and significant judicial decisions to 2007. As well as dealing with migration and refugee law today, the book analyses the policy and moral considerations underpinning this area of law. This is especially so in relation to refugee law, which is one of the most divisive social issues of our time. The book suggests proposals for change and how this area of law can be made more coherent and principled. This book is written for all people who have an interest in migration and refugee law.

Development, implementation and evaluation of an interprofessional graduate program for nursing-paramedicine double-degree graduates

Over the past decade, several Australian universities have offered a double degree in nursing and paramedicine. Mainstream employment models that facilitate integrated graduate practice in both nursing and paramedicine are currently lacking. The aim of the present study was to detail the development of the Interprofessional Graduate Program (IPG), the industrial and professional issues that required solutions, outcomes from the first pilot IPG group and future directions. The IPG was an 18-month program during which participants rotated between graduate nursing experience in emergency nursing at Northern Health, Melbourne, Australia and graduate paramedic experience with Ambulance Victoria. The first IPG with 10 participants ran from January 2011 to August 2012. A survey completed by nine of the 10 participants in March 2014 showed that all nine participants nominated Ambulance Victoria as their main employer and five participants were working casual shifts in nursing. Alternative graduate programs that span two health disciplines are feasible but hampered by rigid industrial relations structures and professional ideologies. Despite a 'purpose built' graduate program that spanned two disciplines, traditional organisational structures still hamper double-degree graduates using all of skills to full capacity, and force the selection of one dominant profession.

Relationality and ethical know-how in Indigenous research

The central aims of principles and protocols for ethics and ethical conduct of Indigenous research such as those found in AIATSIS Guidelines for Ethical Research in Indigenous Studies (2012) and thoseon pre-­‐ethics protocols recently developed by emerging researchers in this field (Martin, Barrett , Koolmatrie et al , 2015) has been to address the problem of non-­‐Indigenous researchers remaining blind to their own imitations, overlooking the partial and situated perspectives and assumptions that underpin their approaches to research and hence creating asymmetrical relations between researcher and participant -­‐ usually to the detriment of the latter. However, we may ask whether these principals, in themselves, are enough to achieve this aim if the very ontological and epistemological foundations of western research in Indigenous contexts remain the same.

The state of legislation and policy protecting Australia's mangrove and salt marsh and their ecosystem services

Saline coastal wetlands, such as mangrove and coastal salt marsh, provide many ecosystem services. In Australia, large areas have been lost since European colonization, particularly as a result of drainage, infilling and flood-mitigation works, often starting in the mid-19th century and aimed primarily towards converting land to agricultural, urban or industrial uses. These threats remain ongoing, and will be exacerbated by rapid population growth and climate change in the 21st century. Establishing the effect of wetland loss on the delivery of ecosystem services is confounded by the absence of a nationally consistent approach to mapping wetlands and defining the boundaries of different types of coastal wetland. In addition, climate change and its projected effect on mangrove and salt marsh distribution and ecosystem services is poorly, if at all, acknowledged in existing legislation and policy. Intensifying climate change means that there is little time to be complacent; indeed, there is an urgent need for proper valuation of ecosystem services and explicit recognition of ecosystem services within policy and legislation. Seven actions are identified that could improve protection of coastal wetlands and the ecosystem services they provide, including benchmarking and improving coastal wetland extent and health, reducing complexity and inconsistency in governance arrangements, and facilitating wetland adaptation and ecosystem service delivery using a range of relevant mechanisms. Actions that build upon the momentum to mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon – ‘blue carbon’ – could achieve multiple desirable objectives, including climate-change mitigation and adaptation, floodplain rehabilitation and habitat protection.

Leadership, ethics and schooling for social justice

Issues of social justice and equity in the field of educational leadership have become more salient in recent years. The unprecedented diversity, uncertainty and rapid social change of the contemporary global era are generating new and unfamiliar equity questions and challenges for schools and their leaders. In order to understand the moral and ethical complexity of work undertaken in the name of social justice and equity in diverse contexts, this book uses a range of different theoretical tools from the work of Michel Foucault. Rather than a prescriptive, best practice approach to leadership and social justice, this book draws on Foucault’s four-fold ethical framework, and specifically, the notions of advocacy, truth-telling and counter-conduct to critically examine the leadership work undertaken in case studies in schools in Australia and England.

Workplace "bargaining" and the wages/working time nexus: counting the cost of decentralisation

The impact of deregulation on dispersion of earnings in Victoria has been
acknowledged in the findings of the recent task force enquiry into industrial relations in Victoria. This paper argues that the link between hours worked and rates of pay has played a significant role in this increased dispersion. Drawing upon detailed analysis of hours and wages in Victorian agreements, data is presented on declining take-home pay flowing from the loss of penalty rates. This, we argue, is attributable to
the lack of substantive and procedural protections available to Victorian workers under schedule 1A of the Workplace Relations Act, and formerly under the Victorian Employee Relations Act, 1992. We contrast these findings with collective agreements trading off penalty rates certified by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, and Australian Workplace Agreements approved by the Office of the Employment
Advocate. We conclude by suggesting there is a scale of fair outcomes attached to the wages/hours trade-off, directly attributable to the various institutional mechanisms now influencing Australian wage determination.

A chance to bloom: female migration and salvationists in Australia and Canada, 1890s to 1939

Migration is usually analysed as a function of state policy of sending and receiving countries in the context of global movements of people. Thus, despite their sponsorship and support of thousands of migrants, independent, voluntary, religious and ethnic organisations have often been marginalised in international migration studies. This article arises from a broader investigation into the role of such organisations in the peopling of Australia and Canada from the 1890s to 1939: their visions, relationships with governments, significance and legacies. The aim is to bring a new perspective to comparative migration and population research and to assess how far such organisations paralleled, or stepped outside of, the racialised, gendered and class structures of ofŽficial immigration policies and  practices of the time. Here the focus is particularly on the place of women and girls in the migration schemes of some of the organisations operating in both Australia and Canada. The use of case studies such as the British Women’s Emigration Association, the Salvation Army and Dr Barnardo’s Homes provides an opportunity to examine the sexual distinctions implicit in these schemes and the direction of both women and men into what were seen at the time as gender-appropriate societal roles and occupations.

Molecular and cellular aspects of copper transport in developing mammals

Copper is an essential trace element that requires tightly regulated homeostatic mechanisms to ensure adequate supplies without any toxic effects because of the ability of the metal ion to catalyze the formation of free radicals. The Cu-ATPases, ATP7A and ATP7B, play an important role in the physiological regulation of copper. Adequate supplies of copper are particularly important in developing animals, and in humans this is illustrated by mutations of ATP7A that cause the copper deficiency condition Menkes disease, which is fatal in early childhood. In contrast, mutations in ATP7B result in the genetic toxicosis, Wilson disease. We propose that the physiological regulation of copper is accomplished mainly by the intracellular copper-regulated trafficking of the Cu-ATPases. This process allows the overall copper status in the body to be maintained when levels of copper in the diet alter. A study of the defects in mouse models of Menkes and Wilson diseases has demonstrated that both ATPases play an important role in supplying copper to the developing fetus and neonate