The contribution of human capital towards economic growth in China

The major theme is the structural transformational growth of China's economy. Aggregate measures of human capital has had no effect on either provincial output levels or growth rates. When human capital has been disaggregated, vocational education is the only category of human capital which has a positive effect.

Changing the nature of teachers' work : an enquiry into the relationship between capital, the state and education

Examines the extent to which education has become a focus for capitalist intervention resulting in the restructuring of schools. Teachers were interviewed to identify changes in their work. The theories used to explain these changes are based on a Marxist approach. The thesis examines the ways in which the work of schools is constructed, arguing that the intellectual potential and creativity of both teachers and students is constrained by an education system that is constructed to meet the productive and reproductive needs of capital.

Disordered eating and drinking behaviours : the role of sensitivity to reward and punishment

Examines whether the personality traits of sensitivity to reward and punishment as defined by Jeffrey Gray contributed to the prediction of disordered eating and hazardous alcohol use. Studies were conducted in both subclinical and clinical populations. Heightened sensitivity to reward contributed to the prediction of hazardous alcohol use and heightened sensitivity to punishment contributed to the prediction of disordered eating in women. Women with comorbid bulimia and alcohol dependence were more behaviourally sensitive to reward than normal controls.

Causality analysis between public capital and economic growth

Public capital has been considered to be the wheels of a nation's or a region's economic activity. The reverse effects, the contributions of economic growth to public capital, are also worth analysing. Non-structural
approaches in econometrics were implemented for the Australian economy using yearly data for the period from 1960 to 2008. A co-integration test was carried out to investigate whether tbere are long-term equilibrium relationships between each pair among public capital, private output, private capital and labour. Tbe Ganger causality test was further
employed to determine whether public capital contains useful information to predict a private production variable and vice versa. The results will provide historical evidence for Australia's federal and regional governments to assist in estimating the effects among these production variables, in particular, the effect of infrastructure spending on gross
domestic product.

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.

A critical evaluation of the standardisation potential of business plan evaluation aids (BPEA) used in venture capital investment decision-making

The research objective was to perform a critical evaluation and comparison of four, representative Business Plan Evaluation Aids (BPEA) to facilitate constructive discussion of the proposition that greater standardisation of venture capital decision-making might be both desirable and possible.

The four BPEA were systematically compared using a structured, taxonomic process employing seven key criteria. The evidence of this investigation suggests a clear superiority for BPEAs, which are based on the known attributes of successful ventures and use actuarial modelling. Discussion centred on the importance of using BPEAs in a quest for greater consistency of venture capital investment decision-making.

Toward the standardization of venture capital investment evaluation : decision criteria for rating investee business plans

This study examined the criteria used by venture capitalists to evaluate business plans in order to make investment decisions. A literature survey revealed two competing theories: “espoused criteria” where evaluation decisions are based on what venture capitalists say are the decisive factors; versus the use of “known attributes” that successful ventures actually possess. Brunswik’s Lens Model from Social Judgment Theory guided an empirical investigation of several different evaluation methods based on information contained in 129 business plans submitted for venture capital over a 3 year period. Data evaluation culminated in the comparison of the percentage of correct decisions (“hit-rate”) for each method. We found that decisions based on the known attributes of successful ventures have significantly better hit-rates than decisions made using espoused criteria. Discussion centred on the goal of achieving consistency in the conduct of venture analysis. Process standardization can aid in the achievement of consistency. Future research will both deepen and broaden insights.

Civil society, social capital and the Twelve Step group

This article examines the nature of community and family by using the concept of civil society through a Twelve Step group called Al-Anon. Al-Anon is related to Alcoholics Anonymous and is a support group for families of alcoholics. The concept of civil society is addressed by looking at its development in political philosophy and sociology. The work of Putnam, in particular, is used to understand how civil society and the associations which make it up develop social capital [Making Democracy Work: Civic Traditions in Modern Italy, Princeton University Press (1993); Journal of Democracy, 6(1), 65-78 (1995); The Responsive Community, 5(2), 18-33 (1995)]. Social capital is understood to be norms and values such as trust and reciprocity that enable sociability or social connectedness. Community, then, embodies these norms of trust and reciprocity through their development in Al-Anon. Al-Anon is studied as an example of an association in civil society. The data come from an ethnographic study in Australia and five European countries as well as in-depth interviews with women members in Australia. The article reviews the similarities and differences between the various countries as well as the form that social capital takes for individual members.

Love thy neighbour? Associations of social capital and crime with physical activity amongst women

Using a multilevel study design, this study examined the associations between social characteristics of individuals and neighbourhoods and physical activity among women. Women (n = 1405) recruited from 45 Melbourne (Australia) neighbourhoods of varying socioeconomic disadvantage provided data on social factors and leisure-time: physical activity; walking; and walking in one’s own neighbourhood. Individual level social factors were number of neighbours known and social participation. Neighbourhood-level social characteristics (interpersonal trust, norms of reciprocity, social cohesion) were derived by aggregating survey data on these constructs within neighbourhoods. Objective data on crimes within neighbourhoods were obtained from Victoria Police. In bivariable regression models, all social variables at both the individual and neighbourhood level were positively associated with odds of physical activity, walking, and walking in one’s own neighbourhood. Associations with individual social participation (associated with all three physical activity variables) and neighbourhood interpersonal trust (associated with overall physical activity only) remained significant in multivariable models. Neither neighbourhood crime against the person nor incivilities were associated with any form of physical activity. These results demonstrate that women who participated in local groups or events and, less consistently, women living in neighbourhoods where residents trusted one another, were more likely to participate in leisure-time physical activity. While redressing macro-level social and economic policies that contribute to neighbourhood inequalities remains a priority, public health initiatives aimed at promoting physical activity could consider focusing on fostering social interactions targeting both individuals and communities. Further investigation of causal mechanisms underlying these associations is required.