The impact of divergent historical and cultural factors on convergence in global communication practice

Communication practice is increasingly converging around globally consistent approaches and techniques shaped by both globalisation and globalising communications technologies. However, this paper argues, national and regional practice histories and cultural characteristics have shaped, and continue to shape, practice in individual markets. The paper analyses the extent of that these divergent histories and cultures have shaped the structure and practices of the public relations industry in Australia and other countries. The paper challenges the common assumptions about public relations development and industry practice having developed from a predominantly US-based model progressively disseminated globally. It traces the history of public relations in Australia, counterpointing its distinctive origins, to the US-origin thesis. It also examines the impact of demography and diverse national culture on industry shape and practice, comparing the Australian industry to that of other industries around the world. It uses mini-case studies of campaigns in specific countries to assess the extent to which they are culturally bound by historical and cultural differences and the extent to which they are capable of being transferred or adapted to individual markets. For instance, assumptions about globally consistent brand identities are contradicted by McDonald’s’ branding practices in markets such as Canada and Japan. The paper also discusses how emerging market PR industries are being shaped by distinctive and divergent cultures and development paths and may create new structural and practice models as the emerging economies becoming dominant internationally. The authors suggest that history and cultural diversity continue, and will continue to, shape national and regional practices.

Culture, media and sport : the Gambling Act 2005: a bet worth taking? Written evidence submitted by Professor Linda Hancock

At the outset, it should be noted that under the watch of the 2005 Gambling Act, there is robust evidence of increasing harms caused by gambling. The increase in problem gambling from 0.6% (prior to the implementation of the Act) to 0.9% of the British population reported in the British Gambling Prevalence Survey (BGPS) (2010) is significant at the .05 level; which is internationally recognised as a robust significance level. This represents a 50% rise in problem gambling since the Act was implemented. It was disingenuous of the Gambling Commission to report the results as “not statistically relevant” and “at the margins of statistical relevance” in its media release concerning the study. This equates to around 451,000 adults aged 16 and over experiencing serious gambling-related problems and significant additional numbers experiencing moderate problems. Regular (approximately monthly) use of gaming machines, fixed odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in betting shops, casino games and online gambling are associated with problem gambling.

Reducing stress in the workplace : an evidence review : full report

Job stress is a large and growing concern in Australia and internationally. This report presents a current snapshot on job stress concepts and measures, an overview of the evidence linking job stress to ill health, estimates of the size of the problem, the benefits of reducing job stress, a summary of the intervention research on ways to prevent and control job stress, an outline of international best practice in job stress intervention and resources for workplace stakeholders to support efforts to implement best practice.

Reducing stress in the workplace: an evidence review: summary report

Job stress is a large and growing concern in Australia and internationally. This report presents a current snapshot on job stress concepts and measures, an overview of the evidence linking job stress to ill health, estimates of the size of the problem, the benefits of reducing job stress, a summary of the intervention research on ways to prevent and control job stress, an outline of international best practice in job stress intervention and resources for workplace stakeholders to support efforts to implement best practice.

Antibiotic resistance in invasive Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates identified in Scotland between 1999 and 2007

Data from 4727 invasive isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae submitted to the Scottish Haemophilus, Legionella, Meningococcus and Pneumococcus Reference Laboratory between 1999 and 2007 were analysed to establish susceptibility profiles to penicillin, erythromycin and cefotaxime. Pneumococcal resistance to penicillin over the study period remained low, with only 0.2 % (n=7/4727) of isolates falling into this category (MIC ≥2 mg l−1). These isolates have been sporadic, and have mainly represented serogroup 14 (ST9) and 9 (ST156). In comparison, the ‘intermediate sensitivity’ group (MIC 0.12–1 mg l−1) ranged between 2 and 6 % per year, the majority from serogroup 9 (ST156). Over the study period, we found that 12 % (n=585/4727) of isolates were erythromycin-resistant (MIC >0.5 mg l−1), with the majority (n=467; 80 %) of these isolates identified as serogroup 14 (ST9). Cephalosporin resistance (cefotaxime MIC >1 mg l−1) was found in only 0.06 % (n=2/3135) of isolates. Internationally recognized clones (Pneumococcal Molecular Epidemiology Network) accounted for 35 % (n=28/81) of the penicillin non-susceptible isolates and 75 % (n=248/330) of the macrolide-resistant isolates, with ST9 and ST306 predominating. Between 1999 and 2007 we found that 11.6 % (n=18/155) of the penicillin non-susceptible isolates and 4.8 % (n=28/585) of the macrolide-resistant isolates were from serogroups not covered by the 7-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine in use in the UK since 2006. Susceptibility to first-line antimicrobial agents for invasive pneumococcal disease in Scotland remained high over the period 1999–2007.

Time trends in socio-economic inequalities for women and men with disabilities in Australia: evidence of persisting inequalities

Introduction The socio-economic circumstances and health of people with disabilities has been relatively ignored in public health research, policy and practice in Australia and internationally. This is despite emerging evidence that the socio-economic circumstances that people with disabilities live in contributes to their poorer health. Compared to other developed countries, Australians with disabilities are more likely to live in disadvantaged circumstances, despite being an economically prosperous country; it is therefore likely that the socio-economic disadvantage experienced by Australians with disabilities makes a significant contribution to their health. Despite the importance of this issue Australia does not routinely monitor the socio-economic inequalities for people with disabilities. This paper addresses this gap by describing time trends in socio-economic conditions for Australians with and without disabilities according to the severity of the disability and sex. Methods Cross-sectional analyses of the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers were carried out at three time points (1998, 2003 and 2009) to estimate the proportions of women and men (aged between 25 and 64 years) who were living on low incomes, had not completed year 12, were not in paid work, living in private rental and experiencing multiple disadvantage (three or more of the indicators). Results People with disabilities are less likely to have completed year 12, be in paid work and are more likely to be living on low incomes and experiencing multiple disadvantage. These conditions worsened with increasing severity of disability and increased or persisted over time, with most of the increase between 1998 and 2003. While women with milder disabilities tended to fare worse than men, the proportions were similar for those with moderate and severe/profound disabilities. Conclusion People with disabilities experience high levels of socio-economic disadvantage which has increased or persisted over time and these are likely to translate into poorer health outcomes. A large proportion experience multiple forms of disadvantage, reinforcing the need to tackle disadvantage in a coordinated way across sectors. People with disabilities should be a priority population group for public health. Monitoring socio-economic conditions of people with disabilities is critical for informing policy and assessing the impact of disability reforms.

A feminist critical perspective on educational leadership

Since the 1980s, there has been a burgeoning literature on women and educational leadership. The focus has primarily been on the underrepresentation of women in leadership informed by a feminist critique of the mainstream literature. Over time, key feminist theories and research have been appropriated in education policy and are now embedded in the mainstream literature, with little recognition of their provenance or political intent. This article identifies the discursive moves that have domesticated feminist research by depoliticizing and decontextualizing leadership and argues for refocusing the feminist gaze away from numerical representation of women in leadership to the social relations of gender and power locally, nationally and internationally. A feminist critical sociological perspective treats leadership as a conceptual lens through which to problematize the nature, purpose and capacities of educational systems and organizations to reform and indeed re-think their practices in more socially just ways. Feminist understandings provide substantive and normative alternatives to how we theorize and practice leadership.

Lifelong learning pathways : addressing participation and diversity in higher education, Final report 2013

Building effective pathways for students to transfer from and between education sectors and qualifications has been the subject of extensive research, policy development and practice over the last 20 years, both in Australia and internationally. Different researchers and policy-makers have examined this topic from various angles, but all from the perspective that improved pathways constitute an essential feature in a more flexible and integrated tertiary education system.

The 'country' within : the challenges for landscape architecture to legitimatise its residency on terra nullius

The nexus between the landscape architecture profession and the Australian Indigenous communities about place and 'country' has been floundering despite recent events in history, including recognition of native title by the High Court in Mabo v the State of Queensland [No. 2] (1992) 175 CLR 1 that have heightened recognition of the rights, interests, needs and aspirations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia and internationally.

Ausaid and capacity building: sustainability of an education aid project

This thesis is concerned with the effects and sustainability of internationally funded schools in Indonesia that have been established by the AusAID. By exploring and reviewing the constraints in maintaining the sustainability of aid projects, this research provides an actual description of an education-based aid project in Indonesia in the post-funding period.

Determining criteria to assess patient readiness for discharge from postanaesthetic care: an international Delphi study

Aims and objectives
To obtain expert consensus on essential criteria required to assess patient readiness for discharge from the postanaesthetic care unit.

Background
A patient's condition can deteriorate after surgery, and the immediate postoperative period is recognised internationally as a time of increased risk to patient safety. A recent systematic review identified evidence-based assessment criteria for the safe discharge of patients from the postanaesthetic care unit and identified gaps in the evidence.

Design
Descriptive consensus study using the Delphi method.

Methods
Members of international clinical specialist groups with expertise in anaesthesia or postanaesthetic care participated in three consultation rounds. Online surveys were used to determine expert consensus with regard to aspects of postanaesthetic care and specific criteria for assessing patient readiness for discharge. Three rounds of surveys were conducted from May 2011–September 2012.

Results
Twenty-three experts contributed to the panel. Consensus, that is, at least 75% agreement, was reached in regard to 24 criteria considered essential (e.g. respiratory rate 100%; pain 100%; heart rate 95%; temperature 91%). Consensus was also reached for 15 criteria not considered essential (e.g. appetite 96%; headache 76%). Consensus was not obtained for a further 10 criteria. Participants (95%) agreed that a discharge tool was important to ensure safe patient discharge.

Conclusion
Consensus was achieved by a panel of international experts on the use of a tool to assess patient readiness for discharge from postanaesthesia care unit and specific variables to be included or excluded from the tool. Further work is required to develop a tool and test its reliability and validity.

Relevance to clinical practice
The findings of this study have informed the development of an evidence-based tool to be piloted in a subsequent funded study of nursing assessment of patient readiness for discharge from the postanaesthetic care unit.

Spoken mathematics as an instructional strategy: the public discourse of mathematics classrooms in different countries

This chapter examines the use of spoken mathematics in the public discourse of eighth-grade mathematics classrooms internationally. By “spoken mathematics” we mean the recognizably mathematical terms used in spoken interaction in the classroom. Our principal focus was the relatively sophisticated terms by which each lesson’s central concepts or procedures were named. In our analysis we addressed the question(s): “What is the occurrence of publicly spoken mathematics in the different classrooms studied and what efforts do the teachers appear to make to promote students’ use of technical mathematical terms in their public classroom talk?” A companion chapter examines the question of students’ private spoken mathematics in the classroom and the possible learning that might result.

Rewind, repeat: TV’s fame machine is oh-so retro

As much as the contemporary talent show appears to be different, there are qualities that relate to earlier versions of televised talent contests internationally and domestically. This article explores how the past iterations inform the present and its production of an internal - almost studio system - of fame.

Just call me dad: health and social benefits to fathers and their children

In the past 20 years, social change and expectations for both maternal and paternal responsibilities have highlighted the need for services for families to better understand the role of a father in family relationships. In Australia, as well as internationally, there have been many contested understandings about what constitutes ‘good fathering’ in research, social media and in the political sphere. More specifically, there has also been an emerging trend to understand the challenging task of recruiting and maintaining men's involvement in child and family services programmes, particularly those fathers who are deemed a risk to children and mothers, violent or have been separated from their children. That many child and family/welfare services have exercised dedicated effort to work with fathers is still a relatively recent phenomenon, and has only emerged following criticism that services have been too geared towards working only with mothers. Despite this increasing interest, there is still ongoing need for more research to be undertaken in Australia. An important area of focus is the views of professionals about their perception and engagement of fathers, particularly the views of fathers who are described as being absent from family-based services. The purpose of this article is to report briefly on a study undertaken to examine how child and family welfare workers engage fathers in their work. First, this paper will describe some of the social and health benefits to fathers and their children, focusing on the key role of attachment through play. Research into effective service delivery involving fathers will then be presented, concluding with key practice factors necessary for fathers to be involved in family life.

Interpretative phenomenological analysis