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.

Look down, look up : Barbara Bolt's art beyond representation

I review the thinking of Barbara Bolt in her recent book, which is informed by Martin Heidegger’s theory of art. Bolt argues that it is in the flux of art practice, where the artist responds bodily, with hands and eyes, to the encounter with the materials of practice, that visual art produces real material effects. That is, through the praxical encounter, art does not merely represent, it performs radically. Bolt thus argues for a materialist ontology of the work of visual art. I examine what Bolt means by ‘real material effects’ and ‘radical performativity’.

In developing my own project on the poetic response to visual art, particularly portraiture, I have freely adapted Heidegger’s theory of art to propose that the poet responds to the visual encounter in a manner similar to that of Heidegger’s preserver, by restraining usual knowing and looking. In this way the poet facilitates the emergence from the work of visual art of truth about being and earth, as defined by Heidegger. In my forthcoming article ‘Ekphrasis and illumination of painting’, I argue that the poet, like the artist, restrains seeing-as and operates in a mode approximating mere seeing, as these terms are defined by Heidegger and Wittgenstein.

In the present article I propose to examine the role of looking down and looking up in non-representational art, and in particular Bolt’s ‘oil stain paintings’ exhibited in the Forty-five Downstairs gallery in Melbourne in conjunction with the launch of her book.

I propose to expose some blind spots in the thinking which underpins theories derived from Heidegger. I will examine the way ‘representation’ has been constructed in twentieth-century thought, and will argue that Heideggerian truth and Bolt’s ‘real material effects’ result from the privileging of perception over knowledge. I will examine, with particular reference to portraiture, Bolt’s assertion that the referent can be rehabilitated in Western thought and traced in ‘real material effects’. I will argue that ‘representation’ is an unstable process occurring within and outside signification, and that this very instability enables us to confidently predict that all art produces ‘real material effects’, or in other words, Heideggerian truth.

Understanding environmental influences on nutrition and physical activity behaviors: where should we look and what should we count?

Research interest in the influence of environmental factors on nutrition and physical activity behaviors has surged internationally in recent years. This is evident from a rapidly expanding literature and facilitated by advances in methodological and analytical approaches to assessing multiple levels of influence on health behaviors. However, a number of conceptual challenges complicate research endeavours in this field. The purpose of this paper is to provide a 'state of the science' overview of evidence regarding environmental influences on nutrition and physical activity behaviors. We focus particularly on a number of key conceptual and methodological issues, including: a consideration of how the environment is defined; the selection and operationalization of environmental exposures; and the importance of integrating existing understanding of individual influences on behavior with the emerging data on the role of the environment. We draw on examples from the published literature including our own research studies to illustrate these issues. We conclude by proposing a research agenda to progress understanding of the influences of the environment on population nutrition and physical activity behaviors.

Comfort letters- a fresh look?

The topic of “comfort letters” is an ongoing debate in Australia. There are arguments for and against enforceability of comfort letters, yet little has been said about how the “law” can be reformed. In support of enforceability, this article provides a comparative perspective on the American and Australian models and suggests that certain principles from the former could be adopted in Australia to eliminate the inconsistency in the treatment of comfort letter cases. The article also analyses Gate Gourmet and Lasalle Bank, two recent cases from Australia and the United States, respectively.

National governments doing business on-line : an Australian look at current practice and future hazards

Governments around the world are taking advantage of the numerous benefits offered by the World Wide Web in order to provide client services to citizens. Australia has been a leader in this trend. The literature in this area focuses primarily on the pragmatic issues such as governmental accountability and transparency, interactivity, policy making, security and privacy, quality and costs. Along with the positive accounts of eGovernment development, however, some concerns are emerging in the literature. This paper examines such issues with particular reference to national governments. Although Australia can be proud of its position as a leader in bringing government business to the Web, it must also be cognisant of the concerns about eGovernment that are being more widely identified.

Integrating IT : look, no wires!

Over the past decade the push for student teachers to develop competencies in using information and communication technologies (ICTs) in teaching and learning has increased. This paper examines the implementation of the Mobile Teaching Facility (MTF) project (wireless notebook computers in trolleys) in the Faculty of Education at Deakin University. The use of these resources has enabled us to be more responsive to the needs of staff and students to effectively incorporate technology into teaching and learning in ways that are contextualised and authentic. The implementation of the MTFs has supported the professional development of staff and students and led to exciting possibilities in using technology to support practice. Not all staff and students are keen to adopt technology that often leads to new thinking about pedagogy and methods to overcome this issue are discussed.

Our experience shows that the integration of ICTs into the classroom with a focus on teaching and learning rather then computers themselves, helps support users other than early adopters to participate in the project using these tools.

What does mathematics understanding look like?

The concept of mathematical understanding is central to curriculum development, classroom interaction, and the training of mathematics teachers In this paper, some models of the growth of understanding that the literature presents are outlined Some results of a study that documented four primary teachers’ mental models of, and beliefs about, different forms of understanding are reported It is proposed that linear models may restrict ways that these teachers plan lessons Questions for further research are raised

Comprehensive look at the re-examination of the re-valuation effect of auditor switch and its determinants in Malaysia : a post crises analysis from Bursa Malaysia

This study examines economic rational for auditor switch and its impact on share revaluation of 51 switched firms main board of Bursa Malaysia for the post crisis period (1997-2002). This study adopted both logistic regression model and event study methodology to examine the determinants of auditor switches and its impact to share price. Findings show that the auditor switch decision of Malaysian listed finns for post crisis period has been partly explained by audit report, turnover growth and firm's performance. While, findings suggest no significant evidence of wealth effect from auditor switch announcements once switches were divided along the line of auditor switch type, different findings emerged.

Discordance of international adiposity classifications in Australian boys and girls - The LOOK study

Background: Various charts based on body mass index (BMI) and per cent body fat (%BF) are used to classify childhood body composition but outcomes may vary.

Aim: The study investigated variation in incidences of childhood obesity as depicted by four classification charts.

Subjects and methods: BMI and DXA-derived %BF were assessed in 741 children. Incidences of overweight and obesity were compared between two BMI charts and two bioelectrical impedance (BIA)-based %BF charts.

Results: The International Obesity Task Force (IOTF)-adopted BMI chart designated 21%, 6% (boys), and 26%, 9% (girls) as overweight and obese, respectively. Corresponding figures using the USA CDC BMI chart were 27%, 11% (boys) and 27%, 12% (girls). Using a USA-derived %BF chart incidences were 17%, 2% (boys) and 21%, 8% (girls) and using a UK-derived %BF chart 51%, 24% (boys) and 53%, 36% (girls). Sensitivity of BMI varied according to the %BF reference chart.

Conclusions: In contrast to the BMI-based charts, there were considerable variations in depicted incidences of obesity between the %BF-based charts. These discordances were considered to result from previously reported variation within and between BIA and DXA %BF assessments underlying the charts. The present study highlights the need for valid, reliable, unchanging BIA and DXA procedures.

Market makers v's the general public : a first look at S & P500 futures trade data

This paper considers 15 minute records of trading volume and traded prices coinciding with the reporting intervals required by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Records are extracted from trade records for market trade and also two way trade between market makers (CT1) and the general public (CT4) from January 1994 to June 2004. Futures price records are matched with S&P500 cash index price records. Simultaneous volatility models are specified and estimated to test trading volume to futures volatility lead/lag effects and also futures volatility to cash index volatility lead/lag effects. As we disaggregate from the market records to CT1 and CT4 records and further into year to year samples volume to futures volatility leading effects and also futures volatility to cash volatility leading effects dominate. The results raise important issues for risk management and dynamic hedging models employing intra-day trader data. A number of important issues for further analysis are also raised in this paper.