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.

Describing and understanding physical activity in desk-based work settings

This thesis investigated the physical activity behaviours of employees who commonly sit for work tasks. Specifically, this PhD explored the key influences on light-intensity physical activity during work hours and issues associated with subjectively assessing this behaviour. Overall, this PhD provided insights into a novel approach to address the important public health issue of physical inactivity.

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.

Emotions in organizational behavior

"Emotions in Organizational Behavior is an edited volume and the first of its kind to incorporate organizational behavior and bounded emotionality. The volume looks at the range of research on emotions within an organizational behavior framework, organized in terms of the individual, interpersonal, and organizational levels. This research was presented at the bi-annual International Conference on Emotions and Organizational Life held in London, England. Particular emphasis has been placed on obtaining the leading research in the international sphere. This book is intended to be useful to the student of organizational behavior, as well as the managers of organizations."

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.

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 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.

The presentation of gendered selves in everyday friendship

This thesis explores the gender differences in the way men and women conduct themselves in everyday friendship interaction, finding that the informal rules governing friendship interaction allow individuals a level of freedom to enact gender to extremes in the company of friends. Generational changes in men's friendships are also noted.

Clarifying the Effort-Reward Imbalance Model : the role of personality

The thesis aimed to identify the sources of stress experienced by a sample of Australian police officers. It was guided by the Effort-Reward Imbalance Model, augmented with Type A personality components. The findings support the research model and suggest that interventions to reduce stress should focus on reward and recognition.

A critical sociological perspective on harm minimisation

This text concentrates on the political factors and forces which determine government illicit drug policies. Provides relevant case study and source material which is used to analyse the influence of ideas and ideologies around the causation of illicit drug use, and potential solutions and impact of different local interest lobbies.

Work context, personal control, and burnout amongst nurses

While situational factors such as high workloads have been found to be predictive of burnout, not all people in the same work context develop burnout. This suggests that individual factors are implicated in susceptibility to burnout. We investigated the relationships between care type (acute/chronic), neuroticism, control (primary/secondary), and symptoms of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy) amongst 21 chronic care nurses and 83 acute care nurses working in a public hospital in regional Australia. Similar levels of burnout symptomatology and neuroticism were found in each group of nurses, and neuroticism was found to be associated with exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced professional efficacy in the total sample of nurses. Our prediction that primary control would protect against burnout symptoms in acute care nurses was supported only for professional efficacy, and the prediction that secondary control would protect against burnout in chronic care nurses was not supported.

The impact of work settings on organisational performance measures in built facilities

A current facilities management discourse seeks to discover how the built environment promotes or retards organisational change. However, whether or not significant change arises at all is yet to be definitively established. Hence, a contribution to the school of thought in this direction is considered important. This research investigated organisational performance relative to innovative work settings. The aim of the study was to determine whether organisational performance and, hence, change are indeed brought about by innovative work settings. A sample of 102 work settings was studied, and several null hypotheses on innovative work settings and organisational performance were tested using the Kruskal-Wallis H test. Although subtle shifts were observed in the aspects of organisational performance that seem predicated on innovative work settings, to some extent the proposition that the physical properties and design of the workplace can influence organisational performance was validated.