The Australian and New Zealand dialysis workforce study in the international context

Background: Given increasing demand for renal replacement therapy, this study sought to identify of key workforce issues facing dialysis units, based on a “snapshot” of the current workforce.

Methods: A web-based survey of all dialysis unit managers in Australia and New Zealand, in October 2008, about their workforce.

Results: A significant minority of dialysis staff in most regions were not registered nurses. Many renal registered nurses worked part time. Staff/patient ratios in dialysis units varied significantly by region, reflecting the relative prevalence of home therapies. Most dialysis units were generally adequately staffed. The proportion of registered nurses with specific renal qualifications varied significantly by region.

Conclusion: The changing character of the workforce in the dialysis unit in the future will require clarification of the relationships between different categories of dialysis staff. Specialty education for nurses needs to be oriented to equipping staff to be effective in their changing work environment.

Citizenship, identity and belonging in contemporary Australia

In response to recent events, Australian scholars examine the prospects of conflict and cooperation between the Muslim world and the West and the future of Muslim communities in Australia. The essays fall into three thematic sections: the broad international context, with reference to the repercussions of the war in Iraq and the initiatives launched by Muslims, namely the Organization of Islamic Conference, and the current discourse among radical Islamic groups about prospects of "conflict" between the Muslim world and the West; the implications of growing Islamic agitation and the heightened sense of insecurity for Muslim states in South and Southeast Asia; the challenges faced by Muslim communities in Australia and implications for interethnic relations and asylum-seekers.

A new relationship between planning and democracy? Urban activism in Melbourne 1965-1975

This paper is a reflective overview of urban social protest in the years 1965-1975 and its influence on post-war planning, especially on models of public participation in planning, and conceptions of effective local democracy. Drawing extensively on a major study of urban activism in Melbourne, Australia, the paper discusses the political and organisational strategies used by activists in Melbourne’s inner city areas to resist the large-scale planning/urban renewal projects especially of the Victorian state government. The paper focuses on Melbourne’s inner city Residents’ Action Groups and examines their motivations, strategies and rationales, placing them within an international context of urban protest movements demanding local democracy and consultation. The paper concludes that the Melbourne urban protest movements of the late 60s and early 70s deserve recognition for their contribution to inclusive, consultative processes in planning decision-making. This is done within a context of questioning contemporary academic discussion around the interpretative concept of gentrification, widely and indiscriminately applied to this and later periods of urban change.

Schooling, normalisation, and gendered bodies : adolescent boys' and girls' experiences of gender and schooling

Dominant discourses construct boys and girls as two homogenous groups in need of particular, and uniform, kinds of interventions (Martino, Mills, & Lingard, 2005, Mills, Martino, & Lingard, 2004; Jones & Myhill, 2004). The boys and girls themselves, however, tell a much more complex story and challenge us to consider very different implications for addressing gender conformity and, more broadly, diversity in schools. In this chapter, the voices of students are used as text to explicate, first, how issues of gender, sexuality, social class, ethnicity and the body are implicated and interweave in girls’ and boys’ social experiences of schooling; and second, what the implications of this interweaving might be for addressing diversity in schools (Connell, 1995; 2002; Martino, 1999, 2000; Pallotta-Chiarolli, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2005). This work draws on and elaborates further our previous published research that investigates issues of gender and schooling. It locates such research within the broader international context of studies conducted into issues of gender and schooling that document student perspectives and voice (Fine & Weiss, 2003; Ferguson, 2001; Renold, 2003; Mac an Ghaill, 1994; Lees, 1993; Ornstein, 1995; Thorne, 1993; Mills, 2001; Hey, 1997; Willis,1977; Walker, 1988). The use of student voice as text is considered within that broader context and highlights the significance of gender regimes and power relations in students’ lives at school (Martino & Pallotta-Chiarolli, 2005; 2003; 2002; 2001; Pallotta-Chiarolli, 1998). We illustrate the extent to which the risky business of ‘fitting in’ involves negotiations around normative and transgressive masculinities and femininities and how such practices intersect with sexuality, race/culture, class, and geographical location (see James, 2003; Kumashiro, 2002).

Stem cell research and ethics : a socio-economic and marketing perspective

This paper addresses the ethical and moral issues surrounding stem cell research (SCR) and development within the socio-economic and macro marketing environments. A two dimensional conceptual framework is developed towards broadening the understanding of the complexities of these issues in an international context. The conceptual model captures the two dimensions of narrow moral/ethical to broader imperatives and the cost-benefits realm of SCR. Four quadrants emerge within these two dimensions which are likely to help identify the dominant views and the people associating themselves with these views in terms of their demographics and psychographic characteristics. These findings have important socio-economic and marketing implications which are highlighted in the paper.

Politics and technology : friends or enemies of the story?

Taking its cue from the conference at which it was presented, this article considers both old stories and new ways, and addresses the question of the impact not only of new technology but also of politics upon 'the story'. Fundamental is the question of whether politics and technology might be considered friends or enemies of the story. Drawing on her long term experiences as an interviewer, the author interrogates particular oral history projects undertaken into children's play lore and play ways, to show how children's games and play time activities have been politicised. Locating her analysis in an international context of US legislation and British and Australian research, the author examines how play itself has become the plaything of both politicians and fear. She then examines the impact of high fidelity recording equipment and the universal accessibility of material located on the internet to address the question of technology as friend of the story, ultimately concluding that the story and the question will both go on.

A green profession? A global survey of RICS members and their engagement with the sustainability agenda

Purpose – This study seeks to provide a review of the background and context to the engagement of RICS members with the sustainability agenda, and to examine the extent to which the surveying profession uses relevant information, tools and techniques to achieve the key objectives of sustainable development (or sustainability).

Design/methodology/approach – The paper analyses results from a major international online survey of 4,600 RICS respondent members, supported by 31 structured telephone interviews.

Findings – The results suggest that, although sustainability is highly relevant to RICS members' work, a lack of knowledge and expertise is making it more difficult for sustainability tools and other information to be used effectively.

Research limitations/implications – The survey is based on a substantial number of responses which are broadly representative of the global RICS population. A key implication is that “laggard” faculties include the disciplines of commercial property and valuation.

Practical implications – The research suggests that key stakeholders must work together to provide better information, guidance and education and training to “hardwire” the sustainability agenda across RICS faculties.

Originality/value – This is the first truly global survey of its kind and focuses particularly on those faculties that play a major role in property investment and finance (i.e. valuation and commercial property), comparing their position with that of other faculties in an international context.

Retail franchising : management and support within the franchise network

Management and support within the franchise network has been an underdeveloped area in the literature to date, especially in the international context. In light of this acknowledgment, the current paper will focus on management and support within the franchise network, by looking at coercive and non-coercive power sources, as methods used for control in the franchisor-franchisee relationship. The relationships between these power sources, the degree of uniformity and the franchise offering will subsequently be addressed.

Heritage places in Queensland

This paper will explore the 150 year evolution of identifying and managing Queensland’s heritage places, geographic entities with politically sanctioned protection. It will examine Queensland events in the intercolonial, interstate, national and international context; and it will note the key players and organisations in securing this protection both through public campaigns and through legislation.