Performance appraisals in Australian universities- imposing a managerialistic framework into a collegial culture

As a result of federal government pressure in the late 1980’s Australian universities now find themselves embracing managerial practices at the expense of their traditional collegial practices. The application of managerialism into the
university sector has seen the inculcation of business practices, including the widespread application of performance appraisals, into an environment which has in the past, been self-regulatory. Performance appraisals as a tool of managerialism, have provided university administrators with a mechanism which provides a sense of compliance with private sector practices. But has it worked? This paper examines the nature of performance appraisals and its usage within one university and questions how successful the introduction of such practices has been. In doing so, it identifi es areas of further research.

Industrial relations and catholic social doctrine

This paper reviews the key principles of Catholic Social thought as they pertain to relations between labour and capital. It is argued that such principles are foundational for the conduct of ethical relations and the exercise of moral values in the workplace, and are recognisable in the right of workers to employment and just compensation for their labours, in the duty of employers to provide safe and engaging work for those in their charge, and in the obligation of the state to dispense wise governance in a manner that guarantees the welfare and security of all its citizens. It is argued that these principles have had de facto airing in Australian political and economic history, and that they might be usefully drawn upon again to protect the rights of workers under the current ascendency of neo-liberal policy solutions.

Marketing information sources and the performance of Australian businesses

This study investigated the various sources of information used by business organisations and their association with business performance indicators. The results showed that larger Australian companies predominantly used various internal and external secondary data sources of information, followed by formal primary marketing research. The study indicated an association between market share and the use of competitors, advertising agencies, and sales promotion agencies as sources of information, while overall financial performance was associated with the use of competitors and media/trade publications.

Behind WorkChoices : how one company changed Australia's industrial relations

Never has a form of legislation created such contentious and wide-reaching emotional debate in Australia. It has divided the community and has resulted in extensive media activity. To the forefront are Australian academics who have often been the resource of expert comment and their reports have been prolific. In this book, academics have taken to opportunity to write their own perception of the impact of Work Choices in the workplace.

Ischaemic heart disease and Australian immigrants: the influence of birthplace and language skills on treatment and use of health services

Admission rates for ischaemic heart disease (IHD), and the use of invasive cardiovascular procedures, separation mode and length of stay (LOS) were compared between Australians from non-English speaking background (NESB; n=8627) and English speaking background (ESB; n=13162) aged 20 years and over admitted to Victorian urban public hospitals. The study covered the period from 1993 to 1998. It was found that, compared with their ESB counterparts, the incidence of admission for acute myocardial infarction was significantly higher for NESB men and women before and after controlling for confounding factors. The age-adjusted ratios for NESB women compared with their ESB counterparts ranged from 1.23 to 1.89 for cardiac catheterisation, from 0.23 to 0.27 for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA), and from 1.04 to 1.80 for coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).
Procedure rates were comparable in men for cardiac catheterisation and CABG but higher for PTA rates in NESB men (OR: 1.29, 95%CI: 1.11-1.50) than their ESB counterparts. Both NESB men (β=0.04, 95%CI: 0.01-0.07) and women (β=0.03, 95%CI: 0.02-0.08) experienced significantly longer hospital stays than their ESB counterparts. These findings indicate there may be systematic differences in patients’ treatment and service utilisation in Victorian public hospitals. The extent to which physicians’ bias and
patients’ choice could explain these differences requires further investigation.

The importance of overcoming cultural barriers in establishing brand names: an Australian company in China

Considering the importance of cross-cultural competencies in the context of rapid globalisation and the growth of China in the world economy, this paper uses case study methodology, to document the difficulties encountered by an Australian multinational beverage company, Foster’s, in attempting to establish its brand in China’s rapidly expanding market economy. Many of these related to culturally distinct attributes of the market, the consumer base and retail practices. The paper analyses these in terms of key concepts in marketing and cross-cultural business theory, in order to provide guidelines on how to overcome cultural barriers when establishing a foreign brand name in China. It also discusses the impact of cultural differences on brand loyalty after the establishment of the brand and on the sustainability of that brand. In attempting to assist foreign firms to succeed in the Chinese market, this paper offers suggestions that will help marketers to first understand the importance of cultural differences and then to succeed with further recommendations. Being a complex market and a market that is different from the Australian market, this is extremely valuable for those foreign brands entering China.

The structural events approach- A "better" way to understand long-term change in trade union structure: the Australian story (1986-96)

Traditional studies of long-term change in trade union structure have predominantly focused on aggregate trends in union merger activity in constructing explanations of change. Using the Australian trade union movement as an example, this article argues that our understanding of the long-term change in the external structure of trade unions would be better served by a structural events approach (Waddington, 1995) that examines the incidence of union formations, dissolutions, and breakaways, in addition to that of union mergers. In doing so, this article presents new data on structural change in the Australian trade union movement between 1986 and 1996, and explains the additional contribution made by union dissolutions and union formations to the reductionist effects of the merger wave that dominated these years.

Framing the discourses of harm and loss: a case study of power relations, mobile phones, and children in Australia

The current penetration of mobile phones in Australia is 92% and it records one of the world’s highest rates of ownership among children under 18. The paper reviews the literature on mobile phones and Australian children and examines the various discourses dominating the public debates; the systematic frames used in these discourses; and whose interests are served in the process. The frames discussed fall under the optimistic (gains); pessimistic (losses, costs or harms); pluralistic (technology per se is neutral but how it is used matters); historical development (skills learnt and the importance of using mobiles); futuristic predictions (promises and dangers for the future); current uses (connectivity, convergence and interactivity); and the techno-realist view (as a mixed blessing) views of technology. Taking the critical perspective and borrowing from Joshua Meyrowitz, the paper illustrates how mobile phones have eroded parental power over how, when, where and with whom their children communicate, surpassing adult supervision, intervention or knowledge, while at the same time, becoming a ‘digital leash’ for parents to re-establish their control an d an ‘umbilical cord’ for their off spring to remain connect! ed with parents, at all times.

Future directions in Australian social policy : new ways of preventing risk

Future directions in Australian social policy: new ways of preventing risk, no. 49: growth.
The papers presented in this issue of Growth aim to explore the scope for new directions in social policy in the light of critical shifts in working life, household relations and the economy.

Outsourcing in the Australian health sector : the interplay of economics and politics

Purpose – The paper discusses the reasons and approaches used at three health organisations in introducing outsourcing. It specifically answers the question: why have managers of health organisations outsourced some functions in preference to others?

Design/methodology/approach – This research employs a case study method making use of qualitative analysis. The health organisations were chosen first as representatives of their type, and secondly due to the nature of the outsourcing decisions made. The first health organisation operates in the rural sector; the second is a metropolitan network; and the third is a large metropolitan hospital, which, in contrast to the other two case study organisations, had made only one decision to outsource, producing the largest outsourcing contract in health in Australia. Furthermore, this situation was distinctive as the contract was terminated and re-issued to another private sector organisation.

Findings – The reasons for outsourcing varied within and between health organisations. Although generally they were made on the bases of the characteristics of the labour market, employee skill levels and the nature of industrial relations, the perception of what was core, the level of internal management skills, the ability of internal teams to implement change and the relationship between management and staff. Even though cost savings and a downsized labour force resulted, generally these occurred even when services were not outsourced, through the use of other change processes, such as introducing new technology, changing structures and promoting workforce flexibility. The interplay of political reasons and economic effects was evident along with the political nature of the decision-making and processes used. The paper concludes that the power of managers was a moderating factor between the desire for outsourcing and whether outsourcing actually occurred.

Research limitations/implications – Although this research was conducted solely within the health sector it has implications for other public sector bodies and the private sector.

Practical implications – Managerial decision making can be enhanced with the exploration of the full complement of reasons for the outsourcing decision.

Originality/value – The paper has value to both academics researching in the public sector and public sector managers.

Australian forex market anaylsis using connectionist models

The need for intelligent monitoring systems has become a necessity to keep track of the complex forex market. The forex market is difficult to understand by an average individual. However, once the market is broken down into simple terms, the average individual can begin to understand the foreign exchange market and use it as a financial instrument for future investing. This paper is an attempt to compare the performance of a Takagi-Sugeno type neuro-fuzzy system and a feed forward neural network trained using the scaled conjugate gradient algorithm to predict the average monthly forex rates. The exchange values of Australian dollar are considered with respect to US dollar, Singapore dollar, New Zealand dollar, Japanese yen and United Kingdom pound. The connectionist models were trained using 70% of the data and remaining was used for testing and validation purposes. It is observed that the proposed connectionist models were able to predict the average forex rates one month ahead accurately. Experiment results also reveal that neuro-fuzzy technique performed better than the neural network.

'Research as dialogue' and cross cultural consultations : confronting relations of power

The 'rescuing' of Indigenous children (from their communities) through education, and the notions of assimilation associated with that, is an aspect of colonialism that has persisted into the so-called 'post-colonial' era. Recent national policy statements (eg. MCEETYA, 2000; NBEET, 1995) argue the importance of education/research that keeps the locus of control within the Aboriginal community as a means to further the goal of self determination and improve educational outcomes. In this paper, we report on the initial stage of a small empirical research project, Engaging Aboriginal Students In Education Through Community Empowerment.

'Research as dialogue' was a guiding principal and a primary aim was to listen actively to all key stake holders in the remote community setting, particularly to Indigenous parents, teachers and service providers, in order to identify current

strengths and concerns regarding the provision of culturally inclusive schooling; and then, to develop, on the basis of these consultations and in collaboration, community-based education projects that engage non-attending Aboriginal students.

In this paper, we critically analyse the difficulties as well as potential strengths of trying to form collaborative partnerships as researchers, across cultural differences and with diverse community groups. For example, what does 'acknowledging' very different cultural perspectives actually mean to/in this kind of research process? The ways in which relations of power amongst all parties are played out in/through such an approach is also opened up for scrutiny and further discussion.

Our wicked foreign game : why has association football (Soccer) not became the main code of football in Australia?

This essay examines the role of soccer in Australian popular life, emphasizing the game's position of secondary importance to rugby or Australian Rules in different regions. It draws on international comparisons with the USA or white British colonies to argue that in a uniquely multicultural country like Australia with established sporting traditions, domestic experience of the game could shape the past, present and future of soccer in the country. Given the cultural diversity of the state, it should work towards a strategic competitive advantage for the popularization of soccer in contemporary Australia

Exploding the stability myth : structural change in the Australian trade union movement, 1969-85

Traditional studies of long-term change in trade union structure have predominantly relied upon the aggregate number of trade unions as the principal measure, or indicator of change over time. Using the Australian trade union movement as an example, this article argues that our understanding of the long-term change in the external structure of trade unions would be better served by using Waddington's structural events approach examining the incidence of four distinct 'structural events'--union formations, dissolutions, breakaways and mergers. In doing so, this article presents new data on structural change in the Australian trade union movement between 1969 and 1985. It casts doubt on the traditional argument, which relied on the apparent lack of change in the aggregate number of unions reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics to argue that this period was one of structural rigidity. The structural events data reveals that far from being a period of structural stability, it was in fact one of significant change, albeit in the composition of the Australian trade union movement, rather than in the aggregate number of trade unions in operation.