The struggle for the body, mind and soul of AFL footballers

"The book discusses the profound, often troubling, always complex struggles for the body, mind and soul of elite performers in contemporary sports entertainment environments. This struggle is shaped by two powerful processes. On the one hand we witness the translation and application of a range of rationalities and knowledges from fields such as psychology, sport science and medicine, dietetics, education and management. All of which have the consequence of subjecting elite performers to often intrusive regimes of measurement, testing, medical intervention, surveillance, education and regulation in the pursuit of performance and success. At the same time we can identify ways in which the commodification of sports/games, the drive to develop and grow as a sports entertainment business and the pursuit and maintenance of a media presence and profile on which brand relationships can be established and grown has the consequence of transforming elite performers into highly paid sports celebrities whose image, persona and brand is positioned in a crowded, highly competitive marketplace to be scrutinised, judged and consumed.
[The] struggle that takes on new dimensions in the evolution of sports/games into global sports entertainment industries and businesses....The book reveals new insights into the tensions that emerge between different levels of the AFL sports entertainment industry about what it means to be a professional footballer at the start of the 21st century. The book analyses aspects of this struggle for the body, mind and soul at different stages in a playing career."--Media release.

Liberty beyond neo-liberalism: a republican critique of liberal governance in a globalising age

Steven Slaughter examines whether liberals can govern in a way that promotes liberty and moderates the significant social dislocation associated with neo-liberalism and economic globalisation. This book critically evaluates the potential of various liberal arguments to adequately address the harmful social aspects of economic globalisation in three distinct stages. First, it examines the configuration of contemporary economic globalisation and the consequences of this process for liberal thought and governance. Second, it examines contemporary liberal approaches by critically examining a series of liberal texts that provide practical alternative schemes of governance. Third, in finding these contemporary liberal arguments insufficient to the task of a socially responsible regulation of economic globalisation, the book concludes with an innovative scheme that stems from neo-Roman republican political theory.
This alternate approach is termed global civic republicanism and seeks to retrieve the public and civic character of the state in order to provide its citizens protection from economic vulnerability and thereby constitute a resilient form of individual liberty. As such, the philosophical and practical resources that support the idea of republican states are outlined and contrasted with cosmopolitan modes of thought. The legacy of republican ideas in respect to political economy, world politics and global governance are also examined.

A Look at Corporate Code of Conduct Legislation

Over recent years, there has been a growing perception among civil society in the developed world that multinational corporations are engaged in socially and environmentally exploitative practices that they would never get away with, or even attempt, in their home countries. Whether right or wrong, that perception and its political and economic ramifications have driven a global movement for more responsible corporate behavior. As part of that global movement, three common law jurisdictions—the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom—have seen legislation introduced to enforce standards of practice for multinational corporations based in those countries in respect of their overseas activities. None of those Bills has yet passed into law, but they are worthy of analysis as attempts to transform hitherto amorphous concepts like 'corporate social responsibility' into concrete legislation. This article compares and critically analyses the three Bills, making recommendations as to how they could be improved, with particular emphasis on the need to forge stronger links between the legislative provisions and international human rights law.

Marketing for participation, managing for success: the Louisville Racquet Club

Examines two different perspectives concerning the success of a tennis club. Case of the Louisville Racquet Club; Role of the coaching professional in the club; Elaboration on the equally valid perspective of the club owner; Analysis on data collected at the club.

Sustainability and health : supporting global ecological integrity in public health

Radical changes in the biosphere and human interaction with the environment are increasingly impacting on the health of populations across the world. Diseases are crossing the species barrier, and spreading rapidly through globalized transport systems. From new patterns of cancer to the threat of global pandemics, it is imperative that public health practitioners acknowledge the interdependence between the sustainability of the environment and the sustainability of the human species.* Why are issues of global and local sustainability of increasing importance to the public's health?* Why do issues of sustainability require new practices within the professions of public health?* How can future and current public health practitioners develop those new practices?Drawing on scientific evidence of global and local environmental changes, Sustainability and Health offers a thorough background and practical solutions to the overlapping issues in environment and health. It examines potential and existing responses to global and local environment and health issues, involving individuals, community, industry and government. The authors introduce a range of emerging conceptual frameworks and theoretical perspectives, link IT and epidemiology and explain how scoping can link program design, delivery, data collection and evaluation in projects from their very beginning. Public health practitioners need to be able to manage health issues that cut across environmental, economic and social systems and to develop the capacity for leadership in facilitating change. Incorporating learning activities, readings, international case studies and an open learning approach, this is a valuable resource for students of public and environmental health, as well as medical, environmental and health science professionals.

Chamber : dance improvisation, masculine embodiment and subjectivity

[No Abstract]

Arts curriculum reform : social and cultural reproduction in Victorian schools

This thesis examines the implementation of the government educational policy document The Curriculum and Standards Framework. I examined the historical and political motivation behind the development of this document and how it introduced a pervasive new initiative of outcomes based education and accountability based on economic rationalism. In particular I examined the implications this new approach had for visual arts education and the subsequent changes to the arts curriculum. This has entailed the introduction of the aesthetic appreciation of the arts as an outcome of the CSF: The Arts. I applied Bourdieu's theory of cultural reproduction in education which draws predominantly on a Weberian view and a theory of practice. Bourdieu discusses differential educational achievement according to cultural capital stating education requires certain forms of cultural capital that are not equally distributed among the classes. This therefore impedes or enhances life chances according to social class i.e. educational qualifications become a commodity in the labour market and other social fields. I examined how aesthetic appreciation of the arts has evolved historically as a form of social distinction. This entails an abstract element of arts discourse, which demands a certain linguistic competence, and familiarisation, which Bourdieu claims, is developed in the family, as 'cultural capital' this is further perpetuated in schools. The likely outcome is that the introduction of aesthetic appreciation in arts education i.e the demand to 'write about' and 'talk about' art, will perpetuate class inequality due to social and cultural difference. The study has been to examine the practices of arts education in four schools and the extent to which aesthetic appreciation was implemented in the visual arts. Data was collected by case study methods of observation, questionnaire and interview and was interpretive in both quantitative and qualitative methods. I analysed the data based on class differentiation by socioeconomic divisions and examined the school ethos and attitude towards the Arts along with differentiation in cultural capital between student population. I also found teacher and student habitus played a vital role in the implementation of the CSF. This is because habitus can cause resistance to change due to the division between the formulation of the curriculum in the bureaucratic order and the practice of teachers in classrooms. My thesis interprets education as a form of social reproduction, perpetuating the existing social order. However, as Bourdieu asserts and I agree education is a form of symbolic power as it conceals its social function under the guise of neutrality and the technical functional premise. Therefore, this thesis aims to make transparent how the education system serves the interests of the dominant group through curriculum policy. Consequently, it becomes clear how education has far reaching social implications where the distinctions of class are perpetuated through cultural reproduction.

Exploring tensions in organisational learning : international and postcolonial perspectives

For the past decade I have been engaged as a management consultant in the area of organisational change and development. This has been primarily within international development environments, and all the professional opportunities, challenges and learning they offer. This thesis therefore employs reflexivity to explore professional practices within this context. These practices are primarily considered within the context of an emerging economy dealing with the challenges of globalisation, against a backdrop of tradition and the old vestiges of colonialism and socialism. Of particular interest have been the tensions between humanist and corporate values that emerge when dealing with the people and learning side of organisations, and within a context of what can be broadly defined as 'where west meets east'. These tensions are explored within a values framework and through consideration of some the themes that feature in the area of postcolonial studies. The intention of the study has been to explore some of the meanings and representations that emerge from professional experience, how they are explained and represented, and what the meanings and representations derived might imply in considering the requirements of 'principled' professional practice. The study is built around the work place and the researcher's role within it and therefore draws heavily on personal reflection and reflexivity. The qualitative methodologies employed draw heavily from the literature dealing with critical social science, and in particular that relating to 'narrative inquiry'. Particular consideration is given to the location of self in the research context and the way in which professional knowledge is constructed.

Exploring the dynamics of accountability relationships : a grounded theory approach

Examines accountability relationships within the organisational context of a local council. Results indicate that accountability is an intensely personal, complex, and context-bound phenomenon. A framework of accountability is suggested, linking the context and characteristics of accountability relationships with particular cognitive and emotive accountability outcomes.

Socioeconomic influences on women's eating behaviours

This thesis investigated the socioeconomic influences on women's eating behaviours. Results showed that women of low socioeconomic position not only perceived higher direct financial costs as a predominant barrier for consuming a healthy diet, but also a number of indirect or non-financial cost factors such as the perceived additional time costs involved in preparing and cooking healthy foods.