Australia's venture capital industry : past performance, present structure and future prospects

A brief history of the Australian venture capital (VC) industry to April 2001 precedes critique of the current industry framework. This focuses on two questions: What has history taught us? and How well does the Australian VC industry enable entrepreneurship in the Australian economy? The answers embrace suggestions for better encouragement of entrepreneurship through research-based VC industry enhancement. A positive prognosis is based on a case history. A knowledgeable private citizen significantly influenced the passage of legislation vital to the industry. This success indicates the practical importance that a future program of structured research might have for the development of venture capital and entrepreneurship in Australia.

Regional differences in business start-up rates in Australia : implications for future research and public policy

The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) project in Australia provided both data and theoretical framework for this investigation of regional differences in entrepreneurial activity within Australia and the factors that might underlie such differences.

This study found that entrepreneurial activity as measured by participation in business start-ups varied significantly between 11 defined regions of Australia. Factors found to be associated with high start-up activity were personal acquaintance with someone who had recently started a business (strong and statistically significant) and the perception of good opportunities for starting a business locally (indicative only). Participation rate by age range across region varied widely. Sample size precluded more in-depth analysis.

The study indicates a need for a research program designed to produce data and analysis that might be constructively shared by those who wish to foster entrepreneurship in Australia.

Measuring the occupational health and safety performance of construction companies in Australia

Many facility managers are now required to deal directly with small firms engaged in the maintenance, alteration and cleaning of physical infrastructure. Increasingly the performance of small firms reflects on the manager of the facility, and so an understanding of their operation is required. It is mandatory for all firms to provide a safe working environment for their workers and subcontractors. Consequently, occupational health and safety (OHS) is a major issue for companies mainly due to the fear of prosecution. The introduction of Zero Tolerance by the Victorian government WorkCover Authority in 1999 provided even higher OHS safety standards for the construction industry. This has placed an increased burden on construction and maintenance companies especially small firms that are not in a position of financial strength. The size of the company has been found to be a major contributing factor to the OHS performance of construction contractors. This research is based on a benchmarking study of 44 construction companies in Victoria, Australia. The results show that the major factors influencing safety performance were; company size, and management and employee commitment to OHS.

A systematic approach to risk management for construction

Systematic risk management is expecting the unexpected – it is a tool which helps control risks in construction projects. Its objective is to introduce a simple, practical method of identifying, assessing, monitoring and managing risk in an informed and structured way. It provides guidance for implementing a risk control strategy that is appropriate to control construction projects at all levels. This paper will review systematic management approaches to risk. It discusses the allocation of risk and suggests that risk needs to be identified and managed early in the procurement process. In addition, a case study of a small project that was affected by difficult economic circumstances is included to demonstrate the effectiveness of systematic risk management.

Analysis of the value of home automation systems

Smart technology involves the integration of a variety of home systems including lighting, climate control, security etc. to enhance the comfort, convenience and economy of the home for its users. It is currently unknown if homebuyers believe that these systems add value to the home. This study used the market value of home sales and an attitudinal survey of homebuyers, to determine the increased value of homes containing smart technology. The results demonstrated that a significant price premium was paid for the incorporation of the technology into new homes. In addition, the research suggests that the use of this technology is not limited to high-income earners or other demographic stereotypes. Instead it has broad market appeal and the potential to save energy for the community at large.

Auditors' going-concern-modified opinions after 2011 : measuring reporting accuracy

An important change in auditors’ reporting behaviour in the period after the high-profile corporate collapses in 2001 is that auditors were more likely to issue going-concern (GC)-modified audit opinions. Comparing company failure rates subsequent to receiving a first-time going-concern (FTGC)-modified audit opinion in the pre- and post-2001 periods, we find a consistent type 1 error (misclassification) rate (the rate of survival among companies issued an FTGC opinion). Results are indicative of auditors maintaining GC reporting accuracy when comparing the 1995–1996 and 2004–2005 periods. This conclusion is supported after considering the impact of mitigating circumstances surrounding companies that received an FTGC-modified audit report and survived.

Relationships between inventory, sales and service in a retail chain store operation

Effective inventory management is critical to retailing success. Surprisingly, there islittle published empirical research examining relationships between retail inventory, sales andcustomer service. Based on a survey of 101 chain store units, this paper develops and tests aseries of hypotheses about retail inventory. Seventy-five percent of the store owners/managersresponded to the mail survey. As expected, significant positive relationships were found betweeninventory, service and sales. Specifically, support was found for the theory that inventory is afunction of the square root of sales. Also, greater product variety leads to higher inventory, andservice level is an exponential function of inventory. Finally, demand uncertainty was found tohave no apparent effect on inventory levels.

La inversión y la promoción fiscal en Argentina (2002-2009) : Patrones y tendencias

El problema de la inversión en el marco de la salida de la crisis de 2001-2002 se ha vuelto fundamental para comprender dos dimensiones fundamentales del "modelo" post-convertibilidad. De una parte un detalle de los patrones de inversión permiten distinguir en el crecimiento registrado cuanto se debe a reutilización de capacidad instalada y cuanto a nuevo capital. Y por otro, la estructura sectorial y las tendencias de la inversión permiten caracterizar las novedades y continuidades en la estructura productiva. Este trabajo consiste entonces en el análisis de nivel, estructura y tendencias de la inversión en el período 2002-2009. La recuperación de la inversión (en términos reales) desde niveles bajísimos de 2002 alcanzó en 2006 el equivalente a los valores de 1998, pico del período de convertibilidad (Gaggero y Libman 2008). Esto abre la pregunta por los paralelos de este comportamiento por fuera de los niveles agregados. Describiremos entonces los patrones de inversión que iluminan varias características de la recuperación y permiten distinguir a esta última de un nuevo período que llamaremos provisionalmente "post-convertibilidad"

La inversión y la promoción fiscal en Argentina (2002-2009) : Patrones y tendencias

El problema de la inversión en el marco de la salida de la crisis de 2001-2002 se ha vuelto fundamental para comprender dos dimensiones fundamentales del "modelo" post-convertibilidad. De una parte un detalle de los patrones de inversión permiten distinguir en el crecimiento registrado cuanto se debe a reutilización de capacidad instalada y cuanto a nuevo capital. Y por otro, la estructura sectorial y las tendencias de la inversión permiten caracterizar las novedades y continuidades en la estructura productiva. Este trabajo consiste entonces en el análisis de nivel, estructura y tendencias de la inversión en el período 2002-2009. La recuperación de la inversión (en términos reales) desde niveles bajísimos de 2002 alcanzó en 2006 el equivalente a los valores de 1998, pico del período de convertibilidad (Gaggero y Libman 2008). Esto abre la pregunta por los paralelos de este comportamiento por fuera de los niveles agregados. Describiremos entonces los patrones de inversión que iluminan varias características de la recuperación y permiten distinguir a esta última de un nuevo período que llamaremos provisionalmente "post-convertibilidad"

La inversión y la promoción fiscal en Argentina (2002-2009) : Patrones y tendencias

El problema de la inversión en el marco de la salida de la crisis de 2001-2002 se ha vuelto fundamental para comprender dos dimensiones fundamentales del "modelo" post-convertibilidad. De una parte un detalle de los patrones de inversión permiten distinguir en el crecimiento registrado cuanto se debe a reutilización de capacidad instalada y cuanto a nuevo capital. Y por otro, la estructura sectorial y las tendencias de la inversión permiten caracterizar las novedades y continuidades en la estructura productiva. Este trabajo consiste entonces en el análisis de nivel, estructura y tendencias de la inversión en el período 2002-2009. La recuperación de la inversión (en términos reales) desde niveles bajísimos de 2002 alcanzó en 2006 el equivalente a los valores de 1998, pico del período de convertibilidad (Gaggero y Libman 2008). Esto abre la pregunta por los paralelos de este comportamiento por fuera de los niveles agregados. Describiremos entonces los patrones de inversión que iluminan varias características de la recuperación y permiten distinguir a esta última de un nuevo período que llamaremos provisionalmente "post-convertibilidad"

La razón neoliberal. Economías barrocas y pragmática popular. En: LaRivada, V. 3, nº 4 

Basado en la tesis de investigación doctoral “Mutaciones en el trabajo en la Argentina post 2001: entre la feminización y el trabajo esclavo” (2012), el libro de Verónica Gago: La Razón neoliberal. Economías barrocas y pragmática popular, reproduce una suerte de simbiosis en su estructura argumentativa con la complejidad y elu­sividad del fenómeno que describe: las mutaciones del neoliberalismo contemporáneo que hunden sus prácticas en las economías populares. Para dar cuenta de ello, la escritura nece­sita abandonar (afortunadamente) toda pretensión de linealidad historiográfica o socioló­gica para recorrer trayectos oblicuos que van y vienen entre la Feria de La Salada (ubicada en el límite de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires con los partidos bonaerenses de Lomas de Zamora y La Matanza), los talleres textiles, la villa, la migración y la constitución de las ciudades como espacios heterogéneos des-idealizados.

The Persistence of Torture: Explaining Coercive Interrogation in America’s Small Wars

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Washington, 2016-08

Governing a copyright culture in post-WTO China : copyright in the film and music industries, 2001 - 2005

In 2001 China amended its copyright law in accordance with the requirements of the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS). This thesis explores the impact of copyright reform on China’s domestic film and music industries. Through extensive interviews with film and music industry workers – directors, producers, executives, judges, lawyers and musicians – it investigates the role of copyright in film and music’s shift from state driven to commercially focussed. The construction and negotiation of a new ‘copyright culture’ in China is examined through the lens of Yurchak’s (1999) concept of ‘entrepreneurial governmentality.’ Administrative structures put in place prior to China’s economic reform are no longer capable of controlling film and music production and consumption and new approaches to managing it are becoming more important. High levels of unauthorised distribution are forcing these industries to adapt their business models so that they can function in a system with weak copyright protection. Legal, economic and political changes have resulted in the emergence of an ‘entrepreneurial governmentality’ among film and music industry professionals. This commercially focussed group is, in turn, increasing pressure on the state to expand the space in which it can function and support efforts to strengthen the copyright system that allows it to exist. It is suggested that the construction and negotiation of a new ‘copyright culture’ is now taking place. This thesis describes the current situation in the film and music industries. It examines the tension between the theoretical possibilities created by copyright law, and the practical challenges of operating in China. It observes innovative business models being applied by film and music businesses in China. It discusses the impact of traditional attitudes to copying and also examines the role that open licensing models might play in helping limit the negative effects of copyright protection on public access to content and in raising levels of education about copyright among key groups within the community.

Transformación de la Doctrina de Seguridad de la OTAN, en la Post- Guerra Fría, y sus efectos en la intervención en Macedonia (2001-2003)

El objetivo de esta monografía es examinar la transformación de la doctrina de seguridad de la OTAN en la Post-Guerra Fría y sus efectos en la intervención en la República de Macedonia. La desintegración del bloque soviético implicó la variación en la definición de las amenazas que atentan contra la supervivencia de los países miembro de la Alianza Atlántica. A partir de la década de los noventa, los conflictos de naturaleza interétnica pasaron a formar parte de los riesgos que transgreden la seguridad de los Aliados y la estabilidad del área Euro-Atlántica. Por lo anterior, la OTAN intervino en aquellos Estados en los que prevalecían las confrontaciones armadas interétnicas, como por ejemplo: en Macedonia. Allí, la Alianza Atlántica ejecutó operaciones de gestión de crisis para contrarrestar la amenaza. El fenómeno a estudiar en esta investigación será analizado a partir del Realismo Subalterno y de la Teoría de la Seguridad Colectiva.