Getting below the surface of the principal recruitment 'crisis' in New Zealand primary schools

Since 1989 in New Zealand, the work of the primary school principal has been transformed in official policy texts from that of leading professional to chief executive officer. Surveys document the changing nature of the role and the workload and other pressures that have resulted, particularly for principals with teaching responsibilities in smaller schools. There is a generally accepted crisis of preparation, recruitment, development and retention. Below the surface, however, are deeper-seated, structural difficulties: women comprise the majority of teachers, yet are a minority of principals and their career advancement is largely limited to small schools and those in poorer socioeconomic areas. This article reviews the situation and examines the reasons why dominant images of the primary school principalship may be both partial and counterproductive.

Teledermatology: The Case of Adoption and Diffusion of Telemedicine Health Waikato in New Zealand

Telemedicine emerged as a possible solution to New Zealand health providers in reaching out to rural patients, by offering medical services and conducting administrative meetings and training. However, despite the rapid growth and high visibility of these projects in countries like the United States, relatively few patients are now being seen through telemedicine. Accordingly, this research attempts to investigate telemedicine's effectiveness in New Zealand by using a theoretical framework. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to explain factors influencing the adoption and diffusion of telemedicine utilising the video conferencing technology (TMVC) for dermatology within Health Waikato Ltd. (HW).

Observations of loxocythere (loxocythere) ouyenensis (chapman, 1914) (ostracoda) from the cenozoic of S.E. Australia with comments on species attributed to microcytherura müller, 1894 and hemiparvocythere hartmann, 1982 from Australian and New Zealand ma

The type material of Loxocythere (Loxocythere) ouyenensis (Chapman, 1914) from mid Cenozoic strata of the Mallee Bore No. 11 in the Murray Basin, S.E. Australia is partially redescribed and refigured. This species belongs to a discrete group of large elongate Cenozoic fossil and living Loxocythere species, the carapaces of which possess sub-rectangular inner margin outlines, and broadly rounded posterior extremities. Some much smaller but otherwise very similarly shaped species, that have previously been placed under the genus Microcytherura (i.e. Microcytherura? peterroyi Yassini and Jones, 1995) or the genus Hemiparvocythere Hartmann, 1982 (i.e. Hemiparvocythere Iagunicola Hartmann, 1982), are also known from marine Cenozoic strata and modern seas of the Australasian region. There is a marked difference in the shape of the inner margin between this group of small Australasian forms and European species of Microcytherura s.s .. The former have broadly rounded posterior inner margins, whilst the latter have acutely rounded posterior inner margins. The latter also usually present posterior extremities located well below mid carapace height. It is here argued that this difference in inner margin shape between smaller Australasian species such as Microcytherura? peterroyi, and European species of Microcytherura s.s ., suggests that there is not a direct phylogenetic relationship between these two species groups.

Tongan and European children`s interactions at home in urban New Zealand

Three- and four-year-old children have a range of culturally specific opportunities to develop social skills at home. In culturally diverse environments such as New Zealand, interplay between ethnic group, caregivers' expectations, and children's home interactions is important because different cultural groups share common educational and health systems. In this exploratory study, we compared three and four-year-old children's interactions with adults and older siblings in Tongan (N = 5) and European (N = 5) families who had lived in urban New Zealand for one to five generations. Adults' ideas of appropriate behaviors for their young children provided the basis for interpreting quantitative data obtained from counts of selected verbal and nonverbal behaviors, and measures of children's active involvement in their interactions. Tongan children had similar patterns of interaction with adults and older siblings. European children were more verbal and tended to elicit more ongoing interactions with adults versus siblings. We also compared the interactions of Tongan and European children directly. European children's interactions with adults were more verbal than those of Tongan children. European children were more successful at achieving ongoing interactions with adults. These cultural differences reflected caregivers' ideas of child-appropriate behavior. While all children demonstrated social skills that were important in their respective homes and communities, European children had more opportunities to develop patterns of child–adult interaction that are rewarded in New Zealand schools.

eBusiness and information systems : academic programs in Australia and New Zealand in the e-Age

Universities are increasingly turning to ‘fashionable’ education programs to attract bright, high-quality students to both under-graduate and post-graduate degree programs. Traditional offerings in technology areas, such as Information Systems and Information Technology are being augmented by newer, more marketable degrees in areas such as eCommerce/eBusiness. This paper analyses the eCommerce/eBusiness and Information Systems (IS) / Information Technology (IT) academic programs in Australian and New Zealand universities on the basis of Kotler and Fox's service offering model of educational institutions; and considers what differences exist between these two apparently similar areas of academic endeavour. Finally we look at the trends of academic program delivery in the e-age and question whether universities need to take a more consumer-product approach to the issue of attracting appropriate students.

Championing telemedicine in New Zealand : the case of utilizing video conferencing in psychiatry and dermatology

This research explores the factors that could influence telemedicine success in two hospitals involved in a rural setting in New Zealand. Findings from the cases revealed that telemedicine utilising the video conferencing technology (TMVC) was adopted based on its cost-benefit to the hospitals. This is necessary but considering the impact of other factors, specifically the compatibility factor could have made the adoption decision more effective earlier on. The administration manager was the primary instigator of TMVC in psychiatry in one of the hospitals, whereas in the other hospital it was the dermatologist. Therefore, this research emphasises the importance of the tight coupling between the roles of both the management and the clinical champions for TMVC to succeed in New Zealand. However, the research results suggest the limited use of the technology in the cases.

Teledermatology : the case of telemedicine adoption and success in New Zealand

Using a theoretical framework extracted from thetechnological innovation theories, this research attempts to explain factors influencing the adoption and diffusion of telemedicine utilising the video conferencing technology (TMVC) for dermatology within health Waikato (HW) in New Zealand. Findings indicate weak presence of critical assessment into technological innovation factors prior to TMVC adoption. Factors such as complexity, compatibility, and trialability were not assessed extensively by HW and could have hindered its adoption. TMVC was mainly assessed according to its relative advantage and cost effectiveness. This is essential but should consider other important factors explained in this research. The successful diffusion of TMVC in the case study relied on its economical benefit and on its effectiveness as a diagnostic tool. This research highlights the importance of the product champion factor on the successful adoption and diffusion of TMVC.

Marketing readiness of websites and organisational performance in Australia and New Zealand: a discussion of pre-test findings

The Web played a role in the burst of economic activity that occurred in the late 1990s that saw company values dramatically rise and fall, business and government processes reshaped, traditional marketing media challenged, and much written concerning the benefits to customers from the adoption of what was initially termed e-commerce. Initial empirical studies of Australian and New Zealand business and government use of the Web found that while the Web was used for marketing communication, it was not as favoured as trade press reports suggested as a marketing transaction channel, nor for relationship management. This paper, which reports the findings of a pre-test of the self-administered online questionnaire stage of a three-phase study, suggests that little has changed in organisational use of the Web in Australia and New Zealand since the late 1990s, even among high network traffic organisations. The pre-test findings reported do not present a clear picture concerning the influence of strategic use of traditional and online marketing mix elements on organisational performance. Analysis employing a Marketing Readiness of Website Indicator (MRWI) content analysis tool is shown not to predict organisational performance as hypothesised.

The contextual nature of the market orientation and organisational performance relationship: an Australian and New Zealand study

As part of a broader study of the relationship between traditional and online marketing mix elements and organisational performance, the study reported in this paper utilised structural equation modelling to examine the relationship between market orientation and organisational performance. The study found that there was an insignificant relationship between market orientation and organisational performance, thereby lending support to studies conducted in the UK, Ghana, and the US (since the studies in the US by Narver and Slater (1990)), which found that there may be a contextual nature to the relationship between the two constructs. The study, therefore, does not support Pulendran et al. (2000).

The influence of marketing logistics networks on organisational performance in Australia and New Zealand

Predictions concerning the influence of traditional and online marketing logistics network competency on organisational performance were tested via structural equation modelling employing a sample of Australian and New Zealand companies. The study finds a significant influence of the use of traditional marketing logistics networks on organisational performance, but that the use of the Web in this regard is yet to have such an influence.