“I would rather write a thesis than a letter”: from description to inscription in feminist pedagogical enquiry

The discourses that dominate schooling and education are complicit in, and circulate reductionist and bounded understandings of social relationships (Lather, 2004; MacLure, 2003; Atkinson, 2003a). Those deeply implicated in these  relationships understand that the pragmatic discourses of teaching and learning do little to elucidate or generate understandings about pedagogy that recognise the complex and contingent. There is a need for research that gives account of the experience of learning to teach without abetting the neoliberal accountability discourses in teacher education. This paper unfolds to the reader one practitioner researcher’s ways to come to know living pedagogy (Aoki, Low & Palulis, 2001) and research through the possibilities of epistolary in pedagogical enquiry.

Management information systems in job shops : design of interfaces

A study of management information system technology suitable for the job shop environment, highlighting deficiencies in generic software with respect to supplying users the information they actually require. To solve this problem a set of flexible interfaces was developed through the use of object-oriented programming. The methods used were simple enough to be adopted by vendors of any generic MIS application.

Compliance and conformity or confidence restored? : job clubs and becoming employed

A case study of the Job Club Program for unemployed people, as it was run in a single location in Victoria, Australia. Documents and describes the views of those involved and explores their perceptions of the successes and failures of the program.

Review of Alataleberis McKenzie and Warne, 1986 and description of Alatapacifica gen. nov. (Ostracoda, Crustacea) from the Cenozoic of Australasia

Species originally assigned to the pterygocytherine genus Alataleberis by McKenzie & Warne, 1986 are placed here in two genera—Alataleberis sensu stricto and Alatapacifica gen. nov. Alataleberis species possess poorly defined dorsal ridges marked by a few spines in adult specimens and lack a subcentral tubercle. Alatapacifica species possess well-developed and buttressed dorsal ridges and a well-developed subcentral tubercle. Pterygocytherine genera/species groups recognized here from the southwest Pacific region are Alataleberis, Alatapacifica (septarca and robusta species groups), Alatahermanites Whatley & Titterton, 1981 and the velivola species group of Pterygocythereis Blake, 1933.

Description and qualitative evaluation of Jigsaw, an integrated young persons' mental health program

Objective: The aim of this paper is to describe the establishment of an integrated young person’s mental health service and the findings of a qualitative evaluation conducted 2 years after its establishment.
Method: A qualitative evaluation of the service was undertaken using a semi-structured interview, a service satisfaction survey and partnership analysis tool.
Results: The major problems encountered in establishing the service were insufficient recognition of the cultural challenges in working together, difficulty in recruiting general practitioners, establishing a youth friendly environment and maintaining the quality of the relationship between partners.
Conclusion: Despite almost 3 years of preparation, many important aspects of change management were underestimated or inadequately attended to.

Why business academics remain in Australian universities despite deteriorating working conditions and reduced job satisfaction : an intellectual puzzle

In the last two decades, Australia's 38 universities have been subjected to profound changes affecting the working lives of their academic staff. That the working conditions of staff have deteriorated cannot be denied, while many studies have shown that job satisfaction has been affected adversely. Paradoxically, there is little evidence that academics are seeking employment outside the university system. In this article, the authors report the findings from their survey of over 3000 academics employed in business disciplines in Australian universities, which aimed to find explanations for this phenomenon.

Changes in higher education and valuing the job : the views of accounting academics in Australia

In a previous article (Bellamy et al., 2003), the authors reported on survey research that investigated reasons why academics from business disciplines enter and remain in academia, and the conditions they deem necessary to creating ideal work satisfaction. For both entering and remaining, as well as in achieving ideal work satisfaction, the most important factors were found to be autonomy and flexibility, with teaching and research the next most important factors. In a subsequent analysis of the data, reported in this article, the authors identify and explore significant differences between accounting academics and other business academics in the relative importance placed on these key factors. The findings may be used to inform policy makers and university administrators of the importance of discipline differences when identifying key factors for recruitment and retention of accounting academics specifically, and business academics generally.

Implementing a suitable jobs register in the construction industry : preliminary evidence

This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a job register index to support return to work (RTW) for injured workers in the construction industry. Participants included injured workers (n = 22), supervisors/managers (n = 23), treating practitioners (n = 5), occupational rehabilitation consultants (n = 5), union representatives/occupational health and safety representatives (n = 5), RTW coordinators (n = 2), steering committee members (n = 4) and the designated project officer (n = 1). A pre–post test intact group design was used to evaluate the perceived utility of the job register. A partial set of the sample including injured workers and supervisors/managers participated in the pretrial phase (n = 28) while the trial phase included more numerous stakeholder groups to assess the perceived utility of the register (n = 39). Participants completed surveys that incorporated a number of differing sections including injury description and circumstances, communication and collaboration with others, their overall opinion of the return to work process in general and suggestions for future improvements. Additional questions were designed for those participating in the trial with regards to the efficacy of the register. Data were analysed using analysis of variance procedures with pairwise comparisons of pre–post intervention test means. Alternative job options were seen to be offered more frequently. Communication and cooperation improved post implementation. Supervisors perceived the job register a useful innovation to facilitate RTW. The register represents a new resource to the construction industry with potential for wider application following further study.