Deterrence policies and asylum seekers: the case of Australia

The basic tenets of the international refugee protection regime, set out in the UN's 1951 Convention and the 1967 Protocol, grant individuals the right to seek asylum, but do not provide for laws obliging signatory states to grant asylum. This inherent paradox allows signatory states ongoing manoeuvre to prevent would-be asylum seekers from accessing protection in their territories. To this end, countries of the global north have designed and implemented a range of measures aimed at deterring onshore asylum seekers - privileging border control over refugee protection. This paper examines the effectiveness of deterrence measures taken by Australia. It argues that deterrence measures and attendant political rhetoric are not only contrary to international humanitarian obligations, but obscure empirically grounded understandings of forced migration as a complex social phenomenon, and as such are problematic in terms of meeting their publicly stated objectives of stopping on-shore asylum seeking in the long term.

Gender and ethnic diversity on boards and corporate responsibility : the case of the arts sector

This study provides insights on sector-specific characteristics, challenges and issues that affect corporate responsibility (CR) in relation to ethnicity and gender on arts boards. Using stakeholder theory, the study explores how arts board composition (e.g. gender and ethnicity) sets the scene for dynamics that affect CR. Data analysis is based on interviews with 92 board members and stakeholders sitting on 66 arts boards in Australia. Results suggest that the dynamism of gender and ethnic diversity on arts boards makes them responsive to CR; however, their presence does not always lead to CR. For diverse boards to lead to CR, our findings indicate the significance of board member attributes of passion, skill and capability of developing networks, irrespective of gender and ethnicity. The article advances understanding of the implications and relevance of ethnic and gender diversity on non-profit boards and contributes to an important yet under-researched body of literature.

Corporate social responsibility, economic globalization and developing countries: a case study of the ready made garments industry in Bangladesh

Purpose – This paper aims to examine the state of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in labour-intensive industries in developing countries in the context of economic globalization. Using the ready-made garments’ (RMG) industry in Bangladesh as a case study, challenges and key issues relating to CSR are highlighted. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws from the review of existing literature, and the content analysis of two leading newspapers in Bangladesh for a period of one year (July 2012-June 2013) to identify the key and contemporary issues related to CSR in the RMG industry. Findings – Findings identify the contemporary issues of concerns associated with CSR in the RMG industry, relating them to the debate on the applicability of Carroll’s CSR pyramid to developing countries. The findings suggest that non-compliance of CSR in labour-intensive industries is a function of the nature of economic globalization. The need for a stakeholder approach towards CSR for the profitability and sustainability of this industry is also highlighted. Practical implications – This paper makes contributions to two different but important interrelated discourses on CSR and economic globalization. It also provides insights into the complexity involved in CSR in labour-based export industries in developing countries and acts as a springboard for further research. Originality/value – The paper is the first to look at all major issues of concern regarding CSR in theRMG industry in Bangladesh. As Bangladesh is an exemplar of developing countries andRMGis a typical starter industry, the findings are generalizable to similar industries in other developing countries.

Unlawful acts, unkind architecture and unhelpful perceptions: a case study of Market Square Mall, Geelong

On a quiet Sunday afternoon in January 2015, a 12 year old girl was assaulted in Geelong’s Market Square mall. The attack sparked a media furore over what should be done to address the ongoing safety and amenity issues of this intractable public space. The city’s mayor, Cr Darryn Lyons, responded to the situation by declaring the mall a ‘haunt for bogans and scumbags’ and renewed calls for its demolition. Such rhetoric highlights the exclusionary mindset that casts certain types of people as undesirable inhabitants of public spaces. It also bolsters negative public perceptions of the mall. Once formed, such attitudes are difficult to shift, despite an overall improvement in the area’s crime rates over recent years. Poor perceptions are further reinforced by the soulless nature of the mall’s built fabric and weak urban interfaces. Its formal language is one of hostility, not only towards would-be delinquents, but to all people. The space is furnished with cold stainless steel seats, CCTV cameras and limp, pavement water spouts, while its inactive edges consist of loading bays, security grilles and neglected facades. This paper considers how a more inclusive architecture might be utilised to create a kinder, more generous physical environment that reflects the public nature of the space. While not a quick fix, fostering an architecture that encourages a more equitable use of the mall may diminish the sense of fear, anxiety and suspicion that the space currently elicits, tackling the problem at both a structural and social level.

Examining the cognitive and affective trust-based mechanisms underlying the relationship between ethical leadership and organisational citizenship: A case of the head leading the heart?

In this paper, we investigate the trust-based mechanisms underlying the relationship between ethical leadership and followers' organisational citizenship behaviours (OCBs). Based on three-wave survey data obtained from 184 employees and their supervisors, we find that ethical leadership leads to higher levels of both affective and cognitive trust. In addition, we find support for a three-path mediational model, where cognitive trust and affective trust, in turn, mediate the relationship between ethical leadership and follower OCBs. That is to say, we found that ethical leadership leads to the development of cognitive trust, which subsequently influences the development of affective trust. Affective trust, in turn, induces followers to exhibit OCBs as a means of reciprocating the leader's favourable behaviour. Our findings suggest that both affective and cognitive trust plays an important role in the social exchange processes that underlie the relationship between ethical leadership and the discretionary behaviour of followers. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.

Integrating and implementing CSR: A case of CONCOR (Container Corporation of India) in India

CSR in India is gaining momentum as a result of new legislation and pressure from multiple stakeholders. This chapter discusses the CSR program of a public sector enterprise, CONCOR (Container Corporation of India) in light of the changing regulatory environment form CSR in the country. This success story highlights how the CSR program in an Indian public sector enterprise was designed, planned and implemented right from its inception stage. The critical success factors for the implementation of CSR program on economic and social status of the beneficiaries are studied and presented. The findings of the project highlight the broad scope and implementation of different CSR initiatives and the effectiveness of the implementing organization in enhancing the capabilities of these poor communities and thus improving their livelihoods.

Social values and species conservation: the case of Baudin's and Carnaby's black-cockatoos

We investigated how the socio–political and ecological environment are associated with the conservation management strategies for two rare, endemic and almost identical Australian white-tailed black-cockatoos: Baudin's (Calyptorhynchus baudinii) and Carnaby's black-cockatoo (C. latirostris). Substantially less investment and action has occurred for Baudin's black-cockatoo. Interviews with key informants revealed that this disparity has probably arisen because Baudin's black-cockatoo has long been considered a pest to the apple industry, lives primarily in tall forests and has had little research undertaken on its biology and threats. By contrast, Carnaby's black-cockatoo has been the subject of one of the longest running research projects in Australia, is highly visible within the urban environment and does not appear to affect the livelihoods of any strong stakeholder group. We suggest the social context within which recovery efforts occur could be an important determinant in species persistence. We argue that social research is fundamental to a better understanding of the nature of efforts to conserve particular species, the factors associated with these efforts and their likelihood of success.

Assets, markets and poverty in Brazil

Esse artigo estabelece uma base para pesquisas que tratam da relação entre pobreza, distribuição de recursos e operação do mercado de capitais no Brasil. O principal objetivo é auxiliar a implementação de políticas de reforço de capital dos pobres. A disponibilidade de novas fontes de dados abriu condições inéditas para implementar uma análise de posse de ativos e pobreza nas áreas metropolitanas brasileiras. A avaliação de distribuição de recursos foi estruturada sobre três itens: Capital físico, capital humano e capital social. A estratégia empírica seguida é de analisar três diferentes tipos de impactos que o aumento dos ativos dos pobres podem exercer no nível de bem estar social. A primeira parte do artigo avalia a posse de diferentes tipos de capitais através da distribuição de renda. Esse exercício pode ser encarado como uma ampliação de medidas de pobreza baseadas em renda pela incorporação de efeitos diretos exercidos pela posse de ativos no bem estar social. A segunda parte do artigo descreve o impacto de geração de renda que a posse de ativos pode ter sobre os pobres. Estudamos como a acumulação de diferentes tipos de capital impactam os índices de pobreza baseados na renda usando regressões logísticas. A terceira parte estuda o efeito que o aumento da posse de ativos dos pobres tem no melhoramento da habilidade dos indivíduos pobres em lidar com choques adversos da renda. Estudamos a interação entre a dinâmica da renda, imperfeições do mercado de capitais e comportamentos financeiros levando em consideração diferentes horizontes de tempo. As questões de longo prazo estão relacionadas com o estudo das flutuações de renda de baixa freqüência e ciclo da vida da posse de ativos usando análise de coorte. As questões de curto prazo estão relacionadas com o comportamento do pobre e as perdas de bem estar ao lidar com hiatos de alta freqüência entre renda e consumo desejado. A análise da dinâmica de renda e pobreza é conduzida a partir da combinação de dados de painel de renda com dados qualitativos sobre comportamento financeiro de curto prazo das famílias.