Digital Commons Network^™

A Dynamic Credit Ratings Model, David E. Allen, Robert Powell, Abhay Singh

Research outputs 2013

The Global Financial Crisis (GFC) provided overwhelming evidence of the problems caused by inadequate credit ratings. Losses and problem loans experienced by banks over this period were staggering. Yet many of the securitized sub-prime parcels which were widely seen as an underlying cause of the GFC, as well as corporate obligors who experienced severe difficulties during the GFC, retained extremely strong external credit ratings. They may have had low perceived risk at the time of rating, but as circumstances changed, the ratings stayed static and became far removed from the underlying risk. A key problem is that the external credit …

Digital Representation Of Visual Artworks For High-Stakes Assessment, Christopher P. Newhouse

Research outputs 2013

The collection and marking of student artwork across a large jurisdiction such as Western Australia is challenging where the work is submitted to a central location to be marked by experts and returned to students. An alternative approach would be to submit digital representations of the artworks online for marking. However, to give a valid and reliable measure the representations would need to be of adequate quality. Further, judgements of artworks are necessarily subjective giving concern about the reliability of marking for high-stakes assessment. The comparative pairs method of marking lends itself to addressing this problem and is feasible where …

The Road To Damascus Leads To One Infinite Loop: An Introspective Adventure Into Apple Computer Customer Evangelism, Nathalie S. Collins

Research outputs 2013

This paper draws on a literature review, conceptual development and an introspective narrative to explore “quintessence” and Customer Evangelism (CE). Quintessence, a mystical connection between the customer and a product, elevates a profane product experience to the sacred. This paper argues that the quintessential moment, the root of the Customer Evangelism conversion experience, awakens or redirects a propensity toward evangelistic behaviour. As the moment of conversion, quintessence is as pivotal as it is mystical. Tourism entities can attempt to nurture a seemingly religious experience, and for some entities quintessence is an unexpected by-product. An introspective narrative, through one of the …

Mining Workers Ability To Identify Hazards Using A Picture Survey, Susanne T. Bahn

Research outputs 2013

This paper presents the first phase on a study investigating the skills of workers in the resource sector at their safety induction to identify workplace hazards. This study questioned the ability of managers and employees to identify workplace hazards correctly (phase 1) and to determine the processes that can be used to increase hazard identification skills (phase 2). Fifty-four completed surveys that contained 6 pictures displaying complex and hazardous work environments in an underground mine in WA are analysed. The analysis sought to determine the average number of hazards that each participant could identify out of a possible 10 in …

Risk Blindness Among Temporary Migrant Workers In Australia, Susanne T. Bahn

Research outputs 2013

Workers can suffer from risk blindness in that they fail to recognise workplace hazards or their severity, thereby jeopardising their health and safety and their organisation’s performance. This problem is exacerbated in organisations who employ temporary migrant workers because not only do ‘home country’ cultural factors influence the way they understand and see risks; more critically the temporary nature of their work contract can reduce their commitment, and perceived responsibility, to acknowledge risk. The result of which could expose temporary migrant and domestic workers to increased incidents of work-related injury, disease and fatalities. This paper presents this problem through the …

The Unmet Promise Of Occupational Health And Safety Harmonisation: Continued Complexity For Small, Multi-Jurisdictional Firms, Susanne T. Bahn, Susan Mayson, Rowena Barrett, Llandis G. Barratt-Pugh

Research outputs 2013

Harmonisation of state-based occupational health and safety (OHS) regimes is a Council of Australian Governments (COAG) initiative designed to ‘cut red tape’ for Australian firms. However Western Australia’s, South Australia’s and Victoria’s lack of harmonisation makes it problematic for firms that conduct business in multiple jurisdictions. In this paper we investigate what impacts harmonisation has on firms generally and specifically smaller, multi-jurisdictional firms. First, we look at the requirements of the model WHS Act and what it said about managerial responsibilities for OHS. We focus on the due diligence clause which places personal liability on company directors or persons conducting …

An Exploratory Study Of Factors Influencing The Participation In Training And Development Of Engineers In Small Businesses, Pattanee Susomrith, Alan J. Coetzer

Research outputs 2013

The provision of workforce training and development (T&D) has the potential to provide benefits to both employers and employees. However, employees in small businesses receive less access to T&D than employees in large businesses. Prior research into reasons for the relatively low levels of employee participation in formal T&D in small businesses has typically involved surveys of owner-manager opinions regarding ‘barriers’ to T&D. This study explored factors influencing employee participation in T&D from the perspective of employees. Data were collected through semistructured interviews with 15 employees in small engineering businesses. Consistent with the main aim of exploratory research, the study …

Harmonisation Of Construction Health And Safety Laws In Australia, Manikam Pillay

Research outputs 2013

For over four decades all states and territories in Australia have maintained their own and separate set of laws for the management of health and safety risks in construction. This resulted in at least ten different sets of health and safety legislation. Responding to calls for national uniformity, a harmonised set of laws wer issued in 2011 by the Federal Government, in the form of Model Work Health and safety Act and Regulations. These, together with industry-specific codes of practice, are expected to provide construction organisations their first ever common set of standards and benchmarks across the states and territories …

The Optimisation Of A Turbulent Swirl Nozzle Using Cfd, Brett K. Thomas, Zahir U. Ahmed, Yasir M. Al-Abdeli, Miccal T. Matthews

Research outputs 2013

Swirl is imparted into free and impinging nozzle flows as well as jet flames to affect convective heat transfer, fluid mixing or flame stability. At the nozzle exit plane, the emerging flow strongly influences downstream flow development and so factors which impact upon the emitted flow are worthy of study. This paper presents preliminary CFD analyses into the effect of design parameters and operational settings on the emerging flow at the exit plane for a swirl nozzle (Remax~30,500). The research was conducted in the premanufacture stage to optimise the nozzle. Swirl is aerodynamically generated using multiple tangential ports located upstream …

Multi-Component Adsorption Of Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, And Xylene From Aqueous Solutions By Montmorillonite Modified With Tetradecyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide, Heshmatola Nourmoradi, Mehdi Khiadani, Mahnaz Nikaeen

Research outputs 2013

Multicomponent adsorption of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX) was assessed in aqueous solutions by montmorillonite modified with tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB-Mt). Batch experiments were conducted to determine the influences of parameters including loading rates of surfactant, contact time, pH, adsorbate concentration, and temperature on the adsorption efficiency. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD) were used to determine the adsorbent properties. Results showed that the modification of the adsorbent via the surfactant causes structural changes of the adsorbent. It was found that the optimum adsorption condition achieves with the surfactant loading rate of 200 of the cation …

Plain Language Review Of Cardiovascular Health Among Indigenous Australians, Caitlin Gray

Research outputs 2013

This document summarises, in plain language, information about the cardiovascular health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It provides information about :

• the various cardiovascular diseases and their risk factors
• the extent of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, including prevalence, hospitalisation and death rates
• types and levels of care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CVD patients
• strategies and programs that aim to improve the cardiovascular health status of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

The publication is a plain language summary of the Review of cardiovascular health among Indigenous Australians (2013) by …

Overview Of The Health Of Indigenous People In Western Australia 2013, Neil Thomson, Andrea Macrae, Anomie, Jane Burns, Belinda D'Costa, Caitlin Gray, Joanne Hoareau, Leah Levitan, Miranda Poynton, Kathy Ride, Avinna Trzesinski

Research outputs 2013

This Overview has been prepared by the Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet as a part of our contributions to ‘closing the gap’ in health between Indigenous people and other Australians by making relevant, high quality knowledge and information easily accessible to policy makers, health service providers, program managers, clinicians, researchers, students and the general community.

The main purpose of the Overview is to provide a comprehensive summary of the most recent indicators of the health of Indigenous people.

Research for this Overview involved the collection, collation, and analysis of a wide range of relevant information, including both published and unpublished material. Sources …

Indirect Measures Of Learning Transfer Between Real And Virtual Environments, Michael J. Garrett, Mark T. Mcmahon

Research outputs 2013

This paper reports on research undertaken to determine the effectiveness of a 3D simulation environment used to train mining personnel in emergency evacuation procedures, designated the Fires in Underground Mines Evacuation Simulator (FUMES). Owing to the operational constraints of the mining facility, methods for measuring learning transfer were employed which did not require real world performance evaluation. Transfer measures that examined simulator performance relative to real world experience, fidelity assessment, and appraisal of the training value of the platform were utilised. Triangulation of results across all three measures indicated the presence of learning transfer, suggesting the viability of indirect measures …

A New Species Of Neocauculus (Acari: Prostigmata: Caeculidae) From Barrow Island, Western Australia, With A Checklist Of World Cauculidae, Christopher Taylor, Nihara Gunawardene, Adrianne C. Kinnear

Research outputs 2013

Neocaeculus imperfectus new species is described from material collected on Barrow Island, Western Australia. Keys to genera and Australasian species of Caeculidae are provided, and the relationship between the genera Neocaeculus and Microcaeculus is discussed. A checklist of species for Caeculidae is provided.

Physiological Demands Of Road Sprinting In Professional And U23 Cycling. A Pilot Study, Paolo Menaspa, Marc Quod, David Martin, James Victor, Chris Abbiss

Research outputs 2013

This pilot study described and compared the power output (absolute, relative to body weight and relative to frontal area) recorded during successful road sprints in professional and under 23 men’s cycling races. The study also described the exercise intensity and requirements of sprinters throughout final 10 min of the race. Nine successful (top 3) sprints performed by a professional (PRO: 23 y old, 1.76 m, 71.8 kg) and an under 23 (U23: 18 y old, 1.67 m, 63.2 kg) cyclist sprinter were analysed in this study. No statistical differences were found in absolute peak and average sprint power (PRO: 1370±51 …

Review Of Physical Activity Among Indigenous People, Caitlin A. Gray, Rona Macniven, Neil J. Thomson

Research outputs 2013

Physical activity is important for all Australians, particularly in the prevention, management and treatment of chronic conditions, and for social and emotional wellbeing. Chronic health conditions, including cardiovascular conditions, endocrine conditions (such as diabetes), and certain cancers, account for 70% of the observed difference in the burden of disease between the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations. Modifiable risk factors, particularly behavioural determinants such as physical activity, can help to reduce the extent and impact of these conditions, and assist in the prevention, management and treatment of disease. The levels and impacts of physical inactivity are greater for Indigenous people than they …

Review Of Kidney Disease Among Indigenous People, Sasha A. Stumpers, Neil J. Thomson

Research outputs 2013

Kidney disease is a significant health problem for all Australians, but severe kidney disease is more common among Indigenous people than among non- Indigenous people. In particular, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and the overall levels of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are consistently reported as significantly higher than among other Australians. Information on CKD among Indigenous Australians is available from self-reported survey data, as well as from community-based studies and screening programs [10-20] but the main focus in the literature has been on ESKD. The incidence of ESKD is especially high …

Optical Magnetometer Employing Adaptive Noise Cancellation For Unshielded Magnetocardiography, Valentina Tiporlini, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2013

This paper demonstrates the concept of an optical magnetometer for magnetocardiography. The magnetometer employs a standard Least-Mean-Squares (LMS) algorithm for heart magnetic field measurement within unshielded environment. Experimental results show that the algorithm can extract a weak heart signal from a much-stronger magnetic noise and detect the P, QRS, and T heart features and completely suppress the common power line noise component at 50 Hz.

Technique Adjustments Influence The Performance Of Sprint Paddling In Competitive Male Surfers, Jeremy M. Sheppard, Mark Osborne, Dale W. Chapman, Mark Andrews, Phil Mcnamara

Research outputs 2013

The present study evaluated what are considered common and contentious differences in paddling technique within the surfing population, across the three distinct categories of: 1) Paddle Stroke length (Reach); 2) Torso Inclination (Chest Position); and 3) Arm Recovery. To assess the differences among paddling techniques, this study employed a within-subjects comparison of sprint paddling kinematic performance differences. Twenty competitive male surfers (19.1±6.8 years, 168.2±11.3 cm, 61.7±13.6 kg) performed 2 maximal trials each of Long vs. Short Reach, Chest Up vs. Down Position, and High vs. Low Arm Recovery during 15 m sprint paddle trials. The sprint paddle efforts were initiated …

Getting Inside The Black Box Of Technology Integration In Education: Teachers' Stimulated Recall Of Classroom Observations, Jo Tondeur, Lorraine H. Kershaw, Ruben Vanderlinde, Johan Van Braak

Research outputs 2013

This study explored the black box of technology integration through the stimulated recall of teachers who showed proficiency in the use of technology to support teaching and learning. More particularly, the aim of the study was to examine how these teachers use technology in their lessons and to gain deeper insights into the multifaceted influences affecting their current practices. In order to explore this black box, observations and stimulated recall interviews with primary school teachers were conducted in schools which were selected by the inspectorate on the basis of advances they had made in educational technology use. Stimulated recall interviews …

Engaging Students In Peer Review: Feedback As Learning, Catherine Moore, Susan Teather

Research outputs 2013

There is a growing interest in tertiary education in Australia about developing the capacity of learners to evaluate and improve both their own work and that of others (Boud & Falchikov, 2006; Oliver, 2011). In order to successfully direct their own learning beyond university (and engage in lifelong learning), students need to be able to evaluate their performance in relation to a standard, identify gaps, and determine how to bridge them in order to achieve the desired standard if required. One strategy that can be employed to help students achieve this is engaging them actively in a feedback process, so …

Using Sensemaking As A Diagnostic Tool In The Analysis Of Qualitative Data, Megan Paull, Ian Boudville, Helen Sitlington

Research outputs 2013

Analysis of qualitative data is a process which novice researchers must learn as they progress, and which experienced researchers must negotiate and adapt to suit the study they are undertaking and the data they are collected. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how researchers can use sensemaking to diagnose and explain phenomena in ordinary situations, and how it can be added as an analysis and interpretation tool in their toolkit. This paper describes the use of sensemaking employed as a tool for diagnosis of the processes which take place when a manager encounters perceived declining performance in an …

Analysing Data From Innovative Designs, Lelia Green

Research outputs 2013

No abstract provided.

Building The Systematic Teaching Of Reading Across Independent Schools: 2011-2012: Final Report, Deslea Konza, Paul Woodley

Research outputs 2013

The PALL project commenced in March 2011 with principals and other school leaders of 19 schools from the Association of Independent Schools in Western Australia, and concluded in November 2012. Participants attended five professional learning modules that centred on the leadership of literacy learning (specifically reading) and carried out activities between modules to connect their learning with practical action in their schools. Supporting these activities was a Mentor, whose task was to assist principals to understand and internalise key messages from the workshops, to implement interventions in reading consistent with the learning undertaken during the modules, and to support leaders …

A Sense Of Home: A Cultural Geography Of The Leschenault Estuary District: Report, Sandra Wooltorton

Research outputs 2013

Executive Summary

In 2012, a project was implemented to determine the place-based social values of the people of the Leschenault Estuary district. The project included a historical study, a literature review, a survey with quantitative and qualitative questions, targeted community engagement (five focus groups, six individual interviews) and a photo-elicitation study with a group of high school children.

Research Question

What is history of the relationship between people and place in the Leschenault Estuary District, and what is the relationship in 2012? What were, and what are the place-based social values of the population?

Expanding The Vision: Synthetic Phonics In Action Ii, Deslea Konza

Research outputs 2013

The Yorke and Mid North - Roxby Downs Area School (YMN-RDAS) Literacy Project in 2013 was largely an extension of the literacy project conducted with the YMN region of the South Australian Department of Education and Child Development in 2012. The 2012 project outcomes were very positive (see Konza, 2013) and funding was made available for continuation of the main elements of the project with another cohort of primary schools in 2013. As was the case with the YMN 2012 project, it was designed to ‘value-add’ to the Principals as Literacy Leaders (PALL) project which had been implemented in the …

Creating Cultural Empathy And Challenging Attitudes Through Indigenous Narratives, Cobie Rudd, Moira Sim, Colleen Hayward, Toni Wain

Research outputs 2013

The poorer health status of Indigenous Australians has been largely attributed to social disadvantage and their marginalisation within mainstream society (Marmot, 2011). This includes access to health care, as well as proximity to health services, availability and cultural appropriateness of health services, transport availability, health insurance, the affordability of health services and patient proficiency in English (AIHW, 2011).

The interpersonal attitudes and behaviours of non-Indigenous health providers, both conscious and unconscious, are also known to contribute to disparities in treatment, impairment of communication between health providers and patients, and consequently, patients’ mistrust of the health system due to negative past …

Building Leadership Capacity In Undergraduate Students: Final Report For Altc Teaching Fellowship, Lynne Cohen

Research outputs 2013

This Fellowship addressed the significant issue of leadership. Its primary focus was researching and developing leadership skills in undergraduate students. The Fellowship was designed to develop and trial a leadership program specifically to enhance the competencies and skills of undergraduate students beyond their discipline knowledge. A group of universities across Australia agreed to participate in a pilot program to respond to the following identified issues.

• The area of leadership development in undergraduates has been under-researched and under-debated in recent work about graduate attributes, generic skills, and work integrated learning.

• There has been considerable focus on leadership development for …

Higher Degree Research Training Excellence: A Good Practice Framework, Joe Luca, Trish Wolski

Research outputs 2013

Over the last decade, the Australian Government has tabled a number of reports targeting improved research and research training outputs from Australian universities. This is placing all Australian universities under increased pressure to promote quality and timely research training outputs.

The Good Practice Framework (GPF) for research training has been developed to respond to the Australian Government’s agenda for research training and to promote Australian excellence in research training. The GPF assists institutions to identify key areas of good practice or gaps when reviewing and evaluating their research training processes and practices...

Innovative Approaches For Investigating How Children Understand Risk In New Media: Dealing With Methodological And Ethical Challenges, Monica Barbovschi, Lelia Green, Sofie Vandoninck

Research outputs 2013

This report has been produced by drawing on examples of (self-assessed) innovative qualitative studies (or studies with a qualitative component) provided by researchers in the EU Kids Online network (see Annex 3). Its purpose is to offer an approach to qualitative research that balances methodological innovation with responsible, ethically sensitive attitudes towards research with and about children, and their online experiences. The anticipated audience of this report is an academic one, with at least some experience in qualitative social research. The report is intended to be useful to researchers with an inclination towards qualitative methodologies, to experienced qualitative researchers new …