Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Reviewing Workplace Bullying: Strengthening Approaches To A Complex Phenomenon, Diana J. Kelly

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

Workplace bullying is a growing problem which is costly for organisations and individual targets. The costs for organisations include loss of productivity and increased insurance costs, as rising stress claims generate rises in premiums. Measuring the costs to individuals or the ethical capital of an organisation is much more difficult but just as important. This paper seeks to understand the research practices in bullying in order to identify potential needs for research and practice. After examining the nature and extent of workplace bullying, approaches to bullying are surveyed, revealing how different disciplines and professions investigate workplace bullying. The importance of …

Diasporic Spectrality: Minorities & Cultural Assertions In Canada, Australia And Beyond, Gerry Turcotte, Gaetano Rando

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

This paper provides a critical introduction to a special issue of Australian Canadian Studies 23(2) 2005 - "Diasporic Spectrality: Minorities and cultural Assertions in Canada, Australia and Beyond" - guestedited by Gerry Turcotte and Gaetano Rando. The paper discusses the selection of papers that produced a coherent, though not uniform, picture of minority interests that examine the complex ways culture is “asserted” in contemporary times, primarily in the Canadian context, but understood within the larger story of migration, plurality and diaspora. As we worked through the contributions we found not only that they represented a wide variety of fields — …

Metropolis In Black And White - The Art Of Percy Benison, Michael K. Organ

Faculty of Creative Arts - Papers (Archive)

In April 1928 the Australian release of Fritz Lang's Metropolis was marked by a media campaign which included the black and white drawings of Sydney-based artist Percy Benison. The paper comments on selected works and presents a brief outline of the artist's life.

Salarymen Doing Queer: Gay Men And The Heterosexual Public Sphere In Japan, Mark J. Mclelland

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

This paper looks at the difficulties gay men in Japan experience in discussing their sexuality in the Japanese workplace.

Enemy Aliens: Gli Italoaustraliani E Il Secondo Conflitto Mondiale, Gaetano Rando

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

L’entrata in guerra dell’Italia rese molto problematica l’esistenza della comunità italoaustraliana che negli anni ’30 annoverava oltre 30000 unità ed era diventata la più numerosa collettività nonangloceltica del quinto continente. Le autorità australiane, ritenendo la presenza di tanti non-britannici una grave minaccia potenziale alla sicurezza della nazione, rinchiusero 4727 Italoaustraliani, quasi tutti uomini, in appositi campi di internamento indipendentemente dai titoli di cittadinanza o dalla fede politica. Quale conseguenza le donne e i bambini furono lasciati allo sbaraglio in un ambiente palesemente ostile, fascisti convinti e attivisti antifascisti furono rinchiusi nello stesso campo talvolta con esiti devastanti, i figli degli …

Inside Out: Queer Theory And Popular Culture, Mark J. Mclelland

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

This paper looks at the proliferation of gay characters and subtexts in late 1990s media.

The World Of Yaoi: The Internet, Censorship And The Global “Boys’ Love” Fandom, Mark J. Mclelland

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

This paper looks at the recent explosion of cultural concern over child sexual abuse and child pornography, particularly as it relates to the trading of such images via the internet. It is noted that legislation originally enacted to prohibit the sexualized representation of actual children has recently been extended to include fictional representations and in Australia includes text as well as graphics. Taking the online global fandom dedicated to ‘boys’ love’ (also known as yaoi) as an example, I argue that legislation prohibiting fictional accounts of ‘child’ sex-abuse is ill-conceived and potentially damaging to human rights and freedom of expression. …

Simmel, Ninotchka And The Revolving Door, Jon Cockburn

Faculty of Creative Arts - Papers (Archive)

In this paper, Jon Cockburn examines the device of the revolving door employed by Ernst Lubitsch in the opening scene to the film "Ninotchka" (1939), in which the operation of this architectural mechanism metaphorically prefigures several key themes in the film. Specifically, these themes are first, the complementary necessity of coupling efficiency with desire and second, that firmly held principles should be balanced with mutual pleasure. In the late 1930s, in articulating these contrasting attributes the film described the balancing act that confronted self-sufficient modern women, who faced expectations that they be industrially efficient yet noticeably sensual. However, while recognising …

Transient Workers Count Too? The Intersection Of Citizenship And Gender In Singapore’S Civil Society, Lenore T. Lyons

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

In November 2002, a group of Singaporean activists established a group called The Working Committee 2 (TWC2) to advocate for the rights of foreign domestic workers in Singapore. By limiting both its lifespan and the scope of its activities the TWC2 avoided the requirement that all NGOs formally register under the Singapore Registrar of Societies. At the end of its year-long campaign, however, the group signalled its intention to continue with its advocacy work. The new TWC2 (now called Transient Workers Count Too) was registered in August 2004. For some commentators, the TWC2 represents a new phase in the People’s …

Moving Beyond The Ob Markers: Rethinking The Space Of Civil Society In Singapore, Lenore T. Lyons, J. Gomez

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

In January 2004, prior to his appointment as Singapore’s third Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong gave a landmark speech to the Harvard Club of Singapore in which he outlined a new style of statesociety relations. Claiming that “I have no doubt that our society must open up further”, Lee emphasized that one of the important tasks facing the government was to “promote further civic participation, and continue to progressively widen the limits of openness” (Lee 2004). In his comments, Lee sought to signal a break between the ruling style of former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, and himself.1 In light …

A Re-Examination Of Graphic Design Pedagogy, And Its Application At The University Of Wollongong: Towards A Phd Study In Design Education, Grant Ellmers

Faculty of Creative Arts - Papers (Archive)

The pedagogical approach in the Graphic Design discipline at the University of Wollongong, as in other design institutions (Kvan 2001), is informed at a fundamental level by the studio-based learning framework. The ever-present challenges in the higher education sector, such as increasing student to teacher ratios and resourcing issues, lead educators to constantly evaluate their pedagogical approach. With the current advances in computer-aided design, and the emergence of alternative learning frameworks, it is timely to re-evaluate the role and effectiveness of studio-based learning in graphic design education. Problem-based learning and Schön's reflective practitioner framework have parallels with studio-based learning, however …

Leadership, Network Facilitation And Regional Development: Critical Reflection As A Tool For Insight???, Robbie Collins

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

In his keynote address at the ANZRSAI Conference 2005, Professor Blakely challenged regional scientists to use their “ideal position to forge these [separate disciplines informing regional science] into a disciplinary understanding that operates across disciplines”. In doing so the forces at work in the myths, magic and mix of regional innovation are necessarily viewed as interdependent components. The component to be focussed upon here is leadership, especially where it assists in developing networks and “knowdes” in the web of the development of the knowledge economy. Such a critical perspective encourages a consideration of the work of practitioners in regional development …

Pocket Gamelan: A Blueprint For Performance Using Wireless Devices, Greg Schiemer, Mark Havryliv

Faculty of Creative Arts - Papers (Archive)

Mobile phone handsets have introduced new possibilities for musical interaction between multiple performers, as we reported in previous papers. Wireless communication between handsets now extends these possibilities even further. This paper describes development and implementation of a new performance scenario that involves remote instrument control using a Bluetooth connection. The paper proposes a low-level functional control protocol designed primarily around the current state of the mobile phone handset. The protocol makes provision for extended musical functionalities developed around tuning systems that are not adequately served by existing musical performance interfaces based on twelve equal divisions of the octave. Development is …

Patients With Metabolic Syndrome: A Study Using Automated Dietary Assessment In Primary Care, Y. C. Probst

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

An automated dietary assessment website has been developed for patients with metabolic syndrome. Computers have been set up in local GP practices to which the GP may refer their patients. These patients enter their dietary information into the website and receive an individualised dietary prescription put together by a dietitian. This study outlines the profile of patients using the website and their rates of completion of the assessment. Recruited patients were primarily female(66%). Ranging between 22 and 75 years of age patients reported to be overweight(77%), have high cholesterol (53%), elevated blood pressure (54%) and/or type 2 diabetes mellitus (35%). …

The Politics Of A Scientific Meeting: The Origin-Of-Aids Debate At The Royal Society, Brian Martin

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

The Royal Society of London held a scientific meeting in September 2000 focusing on two theories of the origin of AIDS, one that it occurred through "natural transfer" of immunodeficiency virus from monkeys or chimpanzees to humans and the other that it occurred through iatrogenic transfer via contaminated polio vaccines used in Africa in the late 1950s. This meeting was the culmination of years of public contention over the polio-vaccine theory. Several dimensions of the politics of science are revealed by analysis of this issue, including the power of scientific editors, the use of the mass media, decisions about selection …

Theme Unit Analysis: A Systemic-Functional Treatment Of Textual Meanings In Japanese, Elizabeth A. Thomson

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

According to Systemic Functional Linguistic (SFL) theory the structural shape of the clause in English is determined by the three metafunctions – ideational, interpersonal and textual (Halliday 1994:179). In Japanese, the situation is similar as far as ideational (Teruya 1998) and interpersonal (Fukui 1998) meanings are concerned. With respect to the textual metafunction, however, the situation appears to be different. Due to the presence of ellipsis, both anaphoric Subject ellipsis and formal exophoric Subject ellipsis (Hasan 1996), along with the operation of clause chaining, Japanese appears to organise textually over another kind of unit, the Theme unit. This paper will …

Exploring The Mystery Of Service Satisfaction, Felicity Mcgregor

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

[Extract] Customer satisfaction surveys and other feedback systems provide data and information on a range of service elements, however, they are limited in the insights they can provide into the total service experience, in particular the influence of staff attitudes, attributes and behaviours on overall satisfaction. Feedback from surveys does of course offer clues to guide further investigation. Mystery shopping was chosen by the University of Wollongong Library (UWL) to shed light on the value customers place on various aspects of their service interactions. The Customer Satisfaction Survey discussed in this paper was developed by an Australian company, Rodski Survey …

Realtime Display Of Landslide Monitoring Data, Russ Pennell, D. Ruberu, P. Flentje

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

In areas of high landslide risk, dangerous situations can develop rapidly. The system described here provides near real-time landslide information via the web to researchers, emergency personnel and others assisting them to assess developing risks. Remote field stations collect data continuously and download this to a central site at varying intervals via mobile phone. Processing and display software written using the ASP.NET framework stores the data in directly-graphable form and displays graphs in response to web requests. Design challenges included the changing nature of the instruments in the field, resolved by the use of user-editable configuration files that allowed for …

Consumer Understanding And Use Of Health Claims For Foods, P. G. Williams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Health claims for foods are permitted in an increasing number of countries but there are very few studies evaluating the effect of such claims on purchase behavior and consumer health. There are significant differences between countries, but in general consumers see health claims as useful, they prefer short succinct wording rather than long and complex claims, and they believe claims should be approved by government. Consumers view a food as healthier if it carries a health claim and this “halo” effect may discourage them seeking further nutrition information. Consumers do not clearly distinguish between nutrient content, structure-function and health claims. …

The Parkin Backfire, Brian Martin, I. Murray

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

In September 2005, the Australian government arrested and deported Scott Parkin, a visiting US peace activist. This caused a storm of protest and greatly stimulated community interest in nonviolent action and threats to civil liberties. The Parkin case shows how an injustice can backfire and how activists can use an understanding of backfire dynamics to be more effective.

Communicating Health Benefits - Do We Need Health Claims?, P. G. Williams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Many countries are now permitting health claims on foods and Food Standards Australia New Zealand is developing new regulations to permit their use in Australia. However there is no clear understanding of how consumers use health claims and their likely impact on consumer food behaviour or health. More research is needed, but a review of previous studies allows some common conclusions can be drawn. Health claims on foods are seen by consumers as useful, and when a product features a health claim they view it as healthier and state they are more likely to purchase it. Consumers are sceptical of …

Breakfast And The Diets Of Australian Adults: An Analysis Of Data From The 1995 National Nutrition Survey, P. G. Williams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

The aim of this study was to describe the nutrients provided to Australian adults by the breakfast meal and compare the food and nutrient intakes and health of regular breakfast eaters and skippers. The Australian Bureau of Statistics was commissioned to undertake additional analysis of data collected in the 1995 Australian National Nutrition Survey (NNS). The survey included 24 hour recalls, physical measurements and a food habits questionnaire collected during the period February 1995 to March 1996, with a nationally representative sample of 10851 Australians aged nineteen years and older. The median nutrient intakes at breakfast and the proportion of …

Australian Consumers Are Sceptical About But Influenced By Claims About Fat On Food Labels, C. Chan, C. Patch, P. G. Williams

Faculty of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Objectives: To explore the beliefs and attitudes of Australian consumers to claims about fat made on the labels of packaged food.

Design: Content analysis of transcripts from focus group discussions.

Subjects: 26 females and 10 males aged 20-80y, recruited by advertisement into six focus groups, stratified by age, sex and health status.

Results: Awareness of claims about fat was high in this sample of Australians and participants admitted that they influenced their purchase decisions. The most preferred form of claim was “X% fat free”. Claims were considered most useful on foods that were high in fat. There was considerable scepticism …

Opening Speech – Pontoon : Stephanie Monteith, Jon Cockburn

Faculty of Creative Arts - Papers (Archive)

Pontoon Exhibition Opening Address on behalf of Stephanie Monteith: 2004
Resident Artist. Wollongong City Art Gallery, Friday 24 June 2005, 7pm.

Quality, Service, Excellence: A Decade Of Quality, Margie H. Jantti

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

As the first education and training organisation to be recognised with an Australian Business Excellence Award in the Award’s 16 year history, the University of Wollongong (UOW) Library has demonstrated how the principles of quality and excellence can readily be translated to the library and information sector. The Australian Quality Council’s (AQC) Framework was selected in 1994 as the Library’s change management framework. Now known as the Australian Business Excellence Framework (ABEF), it provides a structured and integrated management system describing the essential features, characteristics and approaches of organisational systems essential to sustainable and excellent performance. The ABEF criteria provide …

A Politics Of Accommodation: Women And The People’S Action Party In Singapore, Lenore T. Lyons

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

For the first time since achieving Independence in 1965, women now make up more than 10% of parliamentary representatives in Singapore. While this figure still lags behind international benchmarks, it is a significant improvement on the last election in which women made up less than 5% of MPs. This article explores the factors that led to the increase in women’s parliamentary representation. I examine the attitudes of senior leaders within the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP), as well as recent constitutional reforms, including the introduction of the Nominated Members of Parliament (NMPs) scheme, and the creation of a Group Representative …

Clothing The Soviet Mechanical-Flâneuse, Jon Cockburn

Faculty of Creative Arts - Papers (Archive)

Jon Cockburn looks at fashion trends on both sides of the Atlantic to examine images of and ideals for the modern woman. At the center of his analysis is a history of the Soviet “mechanical-flâneuse,” a distinctive twentieth-century variation upon the nineteenth-century European metropolitan “flâneuse” (or intelligent idler), that emerged through Soviet interpretations of the American efficiency movement. Cockburn traces the efforts of three avant-garde designers who tried to realize the mechanical-flâneuse in the Soviet Union, but shows that as Stalin rose to power, production of the mechanical-flâneuse was restricted to an increasingly theoretical realm. Politics eventually trumped the efficient …

Snakes And Leaders: Hegemonic Masculinity In Ruling-Class Boys’ Boarding Schools, S. Poynting, Mike Donaldson

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

Recent events in a ruling-class boys’ boarding school college in Sydney prompted public discussion about “bullying.” Debate ranged between those seeing an endemic problem to be cured and those who saw minor, unfortunate, and atypical incidents in a system where bullying is under control. It is argued here that such a practice is inherent in ruling-class boys’ education. It is an important part of making ruling-class men. Using life-history methods with available biographical material, the article shows that ruling-class schooling of boys in boarding schools involves “sending away” and initial loneliness, bonding in groups demanding allegiance, attachment to tradition, subjection …

Developing A Culture That Values The Need For Assessment And Continuous Improvement: The Growth Of A Learning Organisation, Margie H. Jantti

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Education) - Papers

In a period of six years, the University of Wollongong (UOW) Library was transformed through a planned change management strategy. Prior to 1994 the Library was considered to be a conservative, hierarchically structured and risk-averse organisation using few and questionable performance indicators and measures to ascertain its success. The selection of the Australian Business Excellence Framework as the management framework to drive and support transformational change led to the development of a new cultural paradigm. Within a few years, the Library was positioned for external scrutiny and underwent assessment by third party evaluators using nationally and internationally recognised criteria of …

A Continuous Association …: Airaanz As A Scholarly Association , Diana J. Kelly

Faculty of Arts - Papers (Archive)

Over twenty years ago industrial relations academics in Australia and New Zealand formed a scholarly association as one means of strengthening their field of study. This paper considers the nature and effects of Association of Industrial Relations Academics of Australia and New Zealand on academic industrial relations in light of the changing context for universities and employment relations in Australia, on the one hand, and the broader literature on scholarly communities on the other hand. The paper concludes that the foundation ideals of AIRAANZ have served the scholarly community well.