Global governance in the collective interest : between complex multilateralism and networked governance

This paper navigates the theoretical landscape between the concepts of Robert O’Brien et al’s ‘Complex Multilateralism’ and Anne-Marie Slaughter’s ‘Networked Governance’ to make both an empirical and normative argument about the practices of Global Governance. By incorporating state and non-state actors, as well as overlapping international regimes and institutions in the practices of Global Governance, this paper argues that the transition from traditional multilateralism, based almost solely on the activity of states, towards varying degrees of complex multilateralism is both clearly evident and gathering pace. A stronger form of complex multilateralism would appear to be heading towards what Slaughter describes as ‘Networked Governance’ that would see a rejection of a centralized approach to global governance. The paper takes this concept into consideration and maps out how this may, or may not, be an effective approach to Global Governance.

ERA replaces RQF

In 2007 we published a paper describing the approach the Australian Council of Professors and Heads of Information Systems (APHIS) had used in developing a ranked list of information systems journals. In late 2007 more details became available on the DEST requirements relating to journal and conference rankings for the Research Quality Framework (RQF). This prompted a response from the ACPHIS community and a review of the first list. As our original paper was written and published prior to the review and further work has been undertaken on the development of the list, it is therefore appropriate to provide an update of the revised Ranking list and the process undertaken to arrive at the updated list. Although the RQF in its current form has been abandoned, for the community maintaining a Ranking list is still important, and may be used in a revised version of the RQF in the near future. This addendum describes the process undertaken to arrive at the new extended ranking list.

Online audio background determination for complex audio environments

We present a method for foreground/background separation of audio using a background modelling technique. The technique models the background in an online, unsupervised, and adaptive fashion, and is designed for application to long term surveillance and monitoring problems. The background is determined using a statistical method to model the states of the audio over time. In addition, three methods are used to increase the accuracy of background modelling in complex audio environments. Such environments can cause the failure of the statistical model to accurately capture the background states. An entropy-based approach is used to unify background representations fragmented over multiple states of the statistical model. The approach successfully unifies such background states, resulting in a more robust background model. We adaptively adjust the number of states considered background according to background complexity, resulting in the more accurate classification of background models. Finally, we use an auxiliary model cache to retain potential background states in the system. This prevents the deletion of such states due to a rapid influx of observed states that can occur for highly dynamic sections of the audio signal. The separation algorithm was successfully applied to a number of audio environments representing monitoring applications.

Regional security and regional conflict

This chapter raises the following main points:
• Regions are groupings of states that share either geographic proximity or have sufficient cultural/historic ties that bind them together.
• Regionalization occurs within a region as interdependence is developed among the regional states.
• The development of regionalism is dependent on the support of the regional great power(s), the extent of reciprocity that exists in the relations of the states in the region, and the level of strategic reassurance that exists among these states.
• Regionalization is not a lineal process, that is, it can increase or decrease.
• The pace of regionalism is different in each region but a basic pattern exists where economic integration precedes political and security integration.
• Regional threats to security can be divided into four categories. The first two comprise traditional military threats such as balance of power contests between regional powers and ‘grass fire’ conflicts between smaller powers or over more localized issues. The
third category includes, for example, intra-state conflicts for ethnic, religious, nationalist or ideological, issues. Finally, transnational threats such as environmental degradation or resource scarcity can also cause regional instability and conflict.

Screening applicants for assisted reproduction : complexities and issues

Different jurisdictions take different approaches to whether screening people before permitting access to assisted reproductive treatment (ART) is permissible, the criteria to be used, and whether such screening is provided for by law, guidelines or left to clinician discretion. This chapter examines the reasons for screening applicants for ART, the primary criteria used to screen applicants, and approaches to screening taken in the United States, the United Kingdom, and a number of states in Australia (as jurisdictions illustrative of where law, guidelines, or clinician discretion are practised). It examines whether screening is a useful tool that protects children.

Overcoming data constraints to create meaningful ecological models

Many techniques used to model ecosystems cannot be meaningfully applied to large-scale ecological problems due to data constraints. Disparate collection methods, data types and incomplete data sets, or limited theoretical understanding mean that a wide range of modelling techniques used to model physical processes or for problems specific to species or populations cannot be used at an ecosystem scale. In developing an ecological response model for the Coorong, a South Australian hypersaline estuary, we combined several flexible modelling approaches in a statistical framework to develop an approach we call ‘ecosystem states’. This model uses simulated hydrodynamic conditions as input to predict one of a suite of states per space and time, allowing prediction of likely ecological conditions under a variety of scenarios. Each ecosystem state has defined sets of biota and physico-chemical parameters. The existing model is limited in that its predictions have yet to be tested and, as yet, no spatial or temporal connectivity has been incorporated into simulated time series of ecosystem states. This approach can be used in a wide range of ecosystems, where enough data are available to model ecosystem states. We are in the process of applying the technique to a nearby lake system. This has been more difficult than for the Coorong as there is little overlap in the spatial and temporal coverage of biological data sets for that region. The approach is robust to low-quality biological data and missing environmental data, so should suit situations where community or management monitoring programs have occurred through time.

Ethics education in the Australian accounting curriculum: a longitudinal study examining barriers and enablers

Abstract: The increasing significance of ethics in the accounting profession is evidenced by the seminal events that witnessed the collapse of major corporations (eg. Enron and WorldCom); regulatory interventions (eg. Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the USA and the CLERP 9 Act in Australia); and calls for increased ethics interventions in the accounting curriculum. This project has two objectives: to investigate the nature of ethics education in the Australian accounting curriculum and how it has changed from 2000 to 2012; and to analyse the barriers to enhancing ethics education by soliciting the opinions of Heads of Department/Schools of Australian universities. Compared with early empirical evidence, universities responded to the call for ethics education with increased levels of ethics intervention, but had failed to enhance the extent of ethics education coverage in the intervening period in which the data were collected. He lack of qualified staff and research opportunities represent major obstacles to the enhancement of ethics education.

Professional development and accountability: working with newly appointed staff to foster quality

The aim of this paper is to examine some issues in professional development and the accountability of academic staff particularly in regard to newly appointed staff. It examines ways in which universities can assist new staff develop their skills in the various aspects of their academic role and identifies the responsibilities of the university and heads of departments in this task. It illustrates these issues by reference to a case study of a major Australian university which has recently adopted a department-based scheme for the professional development of academic staff. This scheme, amongst other things, involves new staff in planning sessions with the head of their department and the keeping of records of responsibilities, achievements, needs for professional development and the resources which will be provided to assist staff. The introduction of any scheme for accountability of staff or of professional development is likely to encounter some resistance in the prevailing academic ethos. The paper will examine ways in which the genuine fears of some groups can be addressed and how such schemes may be developed and introduced in a sensitive fashion.

Measuring organisational capabilities in the higher education sector

Purpose – Drawing on the resource-based view (RBV), the purpose of this paper is to develop a framework and instrument to measure the organisational capabilities of university schools/ departments. In doing so, this study provides evidence of the way competitive resources are bundled to generate organisational capabilities that give university schools/departments a sustainable competitive advantage. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire to measure the resources that contribute to the capabilities of university schools/departments was developed. Constructs were determined, and the questionnaire was refined based on an analysis of responses from 166 Heads of schools/departments across all 39 Australian public universities. Findings – Heads conceive of the development of capabilities within their schools/departments along the core operating functions of research, teaching, and networking. Reliability and supplementary analysis confirm these constructs have strong convergent and discriminant validity as well as internal consistency. Research limitations/implications – The findings confirm that effective management and coordination of research, teaching, and networking with important stakeholders are keys to success. The framework and instrument developed in this paper also provides the opportunity to investigate university performance through the perspective of the RBV, which will enhance the understanding of the determinants of universities’ performance. Practical implications – The framework and questionnaire developed in this study can be utilised by Heads as a diagnostic tool to gain an understanding of their department’s/school’s organisational capabilities in the areas of research, teaching, and networking. Originality/value – This paper is the first study to develop a framework and questionnaire to measure organisational capabilities for university academic schools/departments.

A localização da indústria de transformação brasileira nas últimas três décadas

O propósito dessa dissertação é avaliar, numa perspectiva geográfica, os setores industriais no Brasil nas últimas três décadas. Numa primeira instância, o objetivo é verificar o nível de especialização e concentração dos estados brasileiros em termos industriais, utilizando-se os índices de Krugman e Gini, respectivamente. Com os resultados desses dois índices, os estados brasileiros são separados em quatro grupos, segundo o método de grupamento de médias K. Através de um produto interno usual entre o vetor da distribuição da produção industrial dos setores nos estados e vetores de algumas características desses setores (chamado de Viés das Características da Indústria - VCI), verifica-se em que tipos de indústrias os estados estão se especializando e/ou concentrando. Uma análise multivariada de componentes principais é feita com os VCI’s, na qual esses componentes principais são usados para verificar a similaridade dos estados. Sob outra perspectiva, busca-se investigar o nível de concentração geográfico dos setores industriais brasileiros. Para tanto, utilizaram-se o índice Gini e o índice de Venables. Nesse último, a distância entre os estados não é negligenciada para mensuração da concentração. Os setores industriais são separados em três grupos pelo método de grupamento de médias K, no qual as variáveis utilizadas são os componentes principais das características das indústrias. Utilizando outro produto interno, o Viés da Característica dos Estados (VCE), observa-se em que tipo de estados os setores industriais estão se concentrando ou não. Para visualizar como essas duas perspectivas, ou seja, como as características dos estados e das indústrias influenciam a localização dos setores industriais no território brasileiro, um modelo econométrico de dados cruzados de Midelfart-Knarvik e outros (2000) é estabelecido para o caso brasileiro. Neste modelo econométrico, é possível investigar como a interação das características das indústrias e dos estados podem determinar onde a indústria se localiza. Os principais resultados mostram que os fortes investimentos em infraestrutura na década de 70 e a abertura comercial na década de 90 foram marcantes para localização da indústria brasileira.

Equity-premium puzzle: evidence from Brazilian data

This paper uses 1992:1-2004:2 quarterly data and two di§erent methods (approximation under lognormality and calibration) to evaluate the existence of an equity-premium puzzle in Brazil. In contrast with some previous works in the Brazilian literature, I conclude that the model used by Mehra and Prescott (1985), either with additive or recursive preferences, is not able to satisfactorily rationalize the equity premium observed in the Brazilian data. The second contribution of the paper is calling the attention to the fact that the utility function may not exist if the data (as it is the case with Brazilian time series) implies the existence of states in which high negative rates of consumption growth are attained with relatively high probability.