Religiosity, citizenship and belonging: the everyday experiences of young Australian Muslims

 Since 11 September 2001 Muslim Diasporas have emerged as objects of anxiety in Western societies. Underlying this (in)security-driven problematisation is the question of whether Muslims living in the West have the capacity to become fully active citizens while maintaining their religious beliefs, rituals and practices. This apprehension has prompted reactionary government programmes, particularly targeting young Muslims. Such responses fail to recognise the societal capacities that practising Muslims possess, including those informed by the ethical precepts of Islamic faith. This paper argues that it is timely to explore expressions of Islamic religiosity as they are grounded in everyday multicultural environments. The paper draws on survey data and interviews conducted with Muslims living in Melbourne, Australia. We take into consideration key variables of age and generation to highlight how young, practising Muslims enact citizenship through Islamic rituals and faith-based practices and traditions. The paper will draw from key findings to argue that these performances provide a foundation for exploring ways of ‘living’ together in a manner that privileges ethics central to Islamic faith traditions.

Intervention programmes to recruit female computing students : why do the programme champions do it?

This paper looks at intervention programmes to improve the representation of female students in computing education and the computer industry, A multiple case study methodology was used to look at major intervention programmes conducted in Australia. One aspect of the research focused on the programme champions; those women from the computing industry, those working within government organisations and those in academia who instigated the programmes. The success of these intervention programmes appears to have been highly dependent upon not only the design of the programme but on the involvement of these strong individuals who were passionate and worked tirelessly to ensure the programme's success. This paper provides an opportunity for the voices of these women to be heard. It describes the champions' own initial involvement with computing which frequently motivated and inspired them to conduct such programmes. The research found that when these types of intervention programmes were conducted by academic staff the work was undervalued compared to when the activities were conducted by staff in industry or in government. The academic environment was often not supportive of academics who conducted intervention programmes for female students.

Distant relations : limits to relational contracting in domestic violence programmes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the applicability of relational contract theory in situations where government departments contract with non-government welfare organisations to deliver human service programmes. Its limits are highlighted by an assessment of programmes for domestically violent men that epitomise “management of incomplete contracts” central to the theory.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an evaluation of contracted-out programmes for perpetrators of domestic violence in Australia that set out to compare and contrast distinct models of service delivery by documenting programme logic, service delivery effectiveness and effects on programme participants. It reflects on the difficulties of monitoring such programmes and considers the implications of this for contracting theory and for human service practice.

Findings – In contrast to critiques of contracting-out in a neo-liberal environment that emphasise how accountability and reporting requirements limit the autonomy of contracted agencies, this paper highlights considerable variation in how programmes were managed and delivered despite standardised service delivery contracts developed by the government department funding the programmes. This leads to a consideration of “incomplete contracts” where service delivery outcomes are hard to measure or there is limited knowledge of the contracted agencies by the contracting government department.

Originality/value – The paper highlights a situation in which the recommendations of relational contracting theory can exacerbate the difficulties of quality assurance rather than minimise them. It then argues a need for workforce development in the government departments and the contracted agencies, to enable a nuanced monitoring of the programmes' service delivery and promotion of quality assurance processes.

Moving beyond a ‘bums-on-seats’ analysis of progress towards widening participation: reflections on the context, design and evaluation of an Australian government-funded mentoring programme

In 2010 the Australian Government established the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships programme – a funding agenda to promote programmes that respond to the underrepresentation in higher education of people from what is often denoted low socioeconomic status (SES) backgrounds. Many government-funded programmes and projects have since emerged that respond to the problem of low SES underrepresentation, based on partnerships between higher education providers and other organisations. The arguments made in this paper draw on one such project: a mentoring programme implemented from 2011 to 2013 that targeted the aspirations of Year 9 regional secondary students. We discuss data and documentation that provide insights into the conception and design of the mentoring programme, and the strategies used to evaluate it, in order to discuss how funding and policy contexts influences the possible solutions that might be implemented in response to the underrepresentation in higher education of people from low SES backgrounds.

Providing information for business: government strategy for the online world

Governments assume a major role in providing information resources for business as a way of promoting national development. This has proven to be a much more demanding task than one might suppose, given the diversity and complexity of business needs and the limitation of government resources for undertaking the task. This chapter will: (1) identify the challenges posed for government online business information strategies, (2) discuss research relating to the information strategy of one Australian government agency to support export development among small business, and (3) set out a framework for government online information provision in a diverse industry context. Coordination of the many government information services remains a challenge, especially among different levels of government. Well-designed strategies can improve the usability of online information and the efficiency of government information services.

Self-reported health beliefs of government housing tenants

Our aim was to provide a description of the self-reported health beliefs of a sample of Victorian public housing tenants, and to identify how gender, age and geographic location relate to these beliefs. Telephone interviews were conducted with a stratified random sample of 360 tenants, asking questions such as what they believe are the major health problems for men and women, what they do to keep healthy, and what makes it difficult to keep healthy. There were many differences in the beliefs held by older participants compared with those of younger participants. By asking about health in general, rather than specific aspects of health, this research identified the views about health which are most salient to participants, rather than those prompted by a survey on a particular disease or health behaviour. The health promotion implications of these findings are discussed.

Mustering consent: government-sponsored virtual communities and the incentives for buy-in

The global trend to electronic service delivery (ESD) by governments can include the sponsorship of virtual communities that create value and become places where people, content, and communication come together around a need, enabling government agencies to extend their traditional service-provision role. Implementation is sometimes problematic, however, and understanding the implementation process is crucial to the success of such virtual communities. This paper reports a case study of a virtual community (an on-line export-documentation system) that links government and business. The study employs Bijker's framework to conceptualize the process of defining the technical standard and implementing the documentation system. Diffusion effects shaped the implementation and influenced participant responses, illustrating Bijker's argument that an artifact or product demonstrates interpretive flexibility before it stabilizes.

Teaching organisational theory in undergraduate management programmes: an exercise in facilitated theory testing for active experimentation

This paper argues that there is an opportunity to improve the way that social science theory is taught by introducing an exercise in facilitated theory testing through active experimentation. This paper describes a learning experience that enables students to discover the dynamic nature of theoretical discoveries. This idea is grounded in the notion that students will gain much from learning about and testing theory experientially using real world data. A data based exercise is outlined and illustrated to reveal a learning experience that provides an opportunity to improve the way social science is taught by linking theory to empirical data. We argue that this provides an opportunity to offer a more holistic learning experience for theory teaching. The paper will be of special interest to those teaching theory in management, commerce, business and organisational studies courses. It will also be of interest to a more general audience because it provides a framework that can be modified whenever forging a connection between theory and 'the real world' is a primary learning objective.

Incentive or deterrent: which encourages greater focus on health and safety in the Victorian construction industry?

The Australian Government commissioned a Royal Commission into the building industry in Australia that reported to Parliament in August 2002. Volume 6 of this report, released in February 2003, discussed certain aspects in occupational health and safety in Australia and leaned toward deterrents as a means of achieving reform. This research defines both incentives and deterrents used to increase awareness of, and improve safety on, building sites in Victoria, a state of Australia. A pilot survey questionnaire was developed following a literature review and industry employer representatives were invited to participate. Industry awareness of Government incentive programmes was found to be low, with less than a quarter stating they read Government strategies. One fund that provides actual research monies into health and safety was known to very few of the respondents. Of the employers surveyed, the majority agreed that financial fines do act as a valid deterrent. Increases in worker compensation premiums were seen as the greatest deterrent due to the effect on company overheads and thus competitive tendering bids. Deterrent programmes were more readily acknowledged by employers as they had an element of self promotion with employers attempting to avoid their application.

Regulation and autonomy in teacher education: government, community or democracy?

Current attempts in industrialised countries to regulate teacher education in increasingly prescriptive ways raise profound social, ethical and pedagogical issues. This paper looks at the challenge such prescriptions pose and suggests that such regulation serves the democratic state less well than a more autonomous form of education. The implications of this alternative for teacher education are explored.

Elections and representations in local government: A Victorian case study

This article examines the application of different views of representation in the electoral systems at local government level: interest, corporate and mirror representation. The electoral framework underpins the process of representation, influencing both who are eligible to become voters and how their votes are collected and counted. The paper examines the  interrelationship between representation and the electoral framework in local government in Victoria. We use a historical analysis, and identify a long period of interest representation; a short, relatively recent period of corporate representation; and an attempt to introduce some elements of mirror representation. We conclude by arguing that local electoral reform needs to take into account the multiple meanings of representation.

The Sustainability and Evolution of Quality Improvement Programmes-an Australian Case Study

This paper presents a case study on the implementation of quality management programmes and initiatives in one manufacturing company in Australia, which has lasted for more than two decades. Using data collected through in-depth interviews, the case study describes how the company progressed from an earlier initiative based on quality control to the present initiatives that emphasize customer focus, product development, and innovation. Several important insights are drawn from the case study, including the importance of aligning the quality programmes or initiatives with a clear strategic focus. In addition, the commitment and leadership of senior management of the company has been demonstrated, particularly in the provision of resources and facilities to support the TQM programme, and also shown is how the company has been successful in maintaining its long-term commitment to quality management, which has led to an accumulation of various knowledge and competencies, which function as a valuable resource to sustain its business performance.