Managing labour: UK and Australian employers in comparative perspective, 1900-50

The exceptionalism of Australian industrial relations has long been asserted. In particular, the Australian system of industrial arbitration has been argued to contrast markedly with other countries, such as Britain, which developed a more 'voluntarist' model of industrial regulation. However this distinction relies upon limited historical research of workplace-level developments. In this paper, we focus on a comparative analysis of employer practice in British and Australian workplaces during the first half of the twentieth century. While we find some differences in the nature and extent of management control between the British and Australian experience, what is more striking are the strong similarities in employer practice in work organisation, employment and industrial relations. While economic and institutional factors explain differences in employer practice, fundamental similarities appear to relate to the close economic and social linkages between British and Australian business

Employing dynamic fuzzy membership functions to assess environmental performance in the supplier selection process

The proposed system illustrates that logic fuzzy can be used to aid management in assessing a supplier's environmental performance in the supplier selection process. A user-centred hierarchical system employing scalable fuzzy membership functions implement human priorities in the supplier selection process, with particular focus on a supplier's environmental performance. Traditionally, when evaluating supplier performance, companies have considered criteria such as price, quality, flexibility, etc. These criteria are of varying importance to individual companies pertaining to their own specific objectives. However, with environmental pressures increasing, many companies have begun to give more attention to environmental issues and, in particular, to their suppliers’ environmental performance. The framework presented here was developed to introduce efficiently environmental criteria into the existing supplier selection process and to reflect on its relevant importance to individual companies. The system presented attempts to simulate the human preference given to particular supplier selection criteria with particular focus on environmental issues when considering supplier selection. The system considers environmental data from multiple aspects of a suppliers business, and based on the relevant impact this will have on a Buying Organization, a decision is reached on the suitability of the supplier. This enables a particular supplier's strengths and weaknesses to be considered as well as considering their significance and relevance to the Buying OrganizationPeer reviewe

The representation of meaning in episodic memory

In several models of long-term memory it is assumed, either explicitly or implicitly, that different meanings of homonyms and even different senses of nonhomonyms have separate representations in long-term memory. While evidence has accrued, particularly from studies employing lexical decision tasks, to suggest that homonyms are multiply represented in semantic memory, claims for multiple representation of homonyms in episodic memory have tended to be made on a purely post hoc basis. The aim of the present research was to determine the manner in which homonyms are represented in episodic memory. A series of experiments were conducted in which either one or two meanings of homonyms were encoded at input. Retention of the homonyms or their biasing nouns was tested in a variety of retrieval contexts. The results obtained were consistent with a conceptualisation of episodic memory in which successive encodings of the same item are represented within the same memory trace which was established on the first occurrence of the item. When to different meanings of a homonym are encoded at input the encoded meanings will be represented within a single memory trace, with each different meaning being represented by an independent set of encoded semantic features. The generality of the framework for episodic memory which is developed is demonstrated through its interpretive application to a wide range of episodic memory phenomena

Professional decision making and women offenders : containing the chaos?

This article draws on the findings from research undertaken in south-east Scotland in 2008 which sought to identify the characteristics of female offenders and to document the views of policy makers and practitioners regarding the experiences of women involved in the Scottish criminal justice system. Despite Scotland having retained a stronger 'welfare' focus than elsewhere in the UK (e.g. McAra, 2008), this is not reflected in the treatment of women who offend, with the rate of female imprisonment having almost doubled in the last ten years and community based disposals falling short of a welfare-oriented system. This article explores why the treatment that women offenders receive in the criminal justice system may be harsh and disproportionate both in relation to their offending and in relation to the treatment of men. It is argued that interventions with women need to be initiated earlier in their cycle of offending and at an earlier stage in the criminal justice process but also that the wide-ranging health, welfare, financial and behavioural needs of women who offend cannot be met solely within an increasingly risk-averse and punitive criminal justice environment

Listening and learning : the reciprocal relationship between worker and client

The relationship between worker and client has for the best part of 100 years been the mainstay of probation, and yet has recently been eroded by an increased emphasis on punishment, blame and managerialism. The views of offenders are in direct contradiction to these developments within the criminal justice system and this article argues that only by taking account of the views of those at the 'coal face' will criminologists, policy makers and practitioners be able to effect real change in crime rates. The article thus focuses on the views of a sample of previously persistent offenders in Scotland about offending, desistance and how the system can help them. It explores not only their need for friendship and support in youth but also the close association between relationships and the likelihood of offending. It also demonstrates the views of offenders themselves about the importance of the working relationship with supervising officers in helping them desist from crime. The article concludes that the most effective way of reducing offending is to re-engage with the message of the Probation Act of 100 years ago, namely, to 'advise, assist and befriend' offenders rather than to 'confront, challenge and change' offending behaviour

Regional coastal food risk assessment for a tidally dominant, natural coastal setting: North Norfolk, southern North Sea

A Coastal Risk Assessment Framework (CRAF) provides two levels of coastal risk and vulnerability assessment, by combining information on the spatially variable hazard and exposure. In Phase 1, areas of greatest risk or `hotspots' are identified. In Phase 2, these hotspots are then analysed in greater detail to identify both direct and indirect extreme event impacts. This approach was applied to the barrier coastline of North Norfolk, eastern England. The CRAF identified high risk coastal hotspots on the basis of both hazard impacts (swash regime (tide + surge + wave runup) and overwash/terrestrial inundation regimes) from a 1 in 115 year return period storm and a range of land use, infrastructure, economic and social vulnerability indicators. Hazard extents and hazard severity, in some locations modified by the presence of intertidal saltmarsh, were calculated for 45, 1-2 km wide sections along the topographically complex coast. When combined with ve exposure indicators, eight hotspots were identified along the 45 km long frontage. In a 2nd phase, two of these hotspots, one a chain of small villages (Brancaster/Brancaster Staithe/Burnham Deepdale) and one a small town (Wells-next-the-Sea), were compared in more detail using a suite of coastal inundation and impact assessment models to determine both direct and indirect impacts. Hazards at this higher resolution were calculated using the 1D process-based XBeach model and the 2D LISFLOOD inundation model. Vulnerability to the hazards was calculated using the INDRA (Integrated Disruption Assessment) model with comparison of the two hotspots through the use of a Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA). The selection of hazard hotspots and comparison of hotspots using these techniques allows areas at greatest risk to be identified, of vital importance for coastal management and resource allocation

Modelling of root reinforcement and erosion control by ‘Veronese’ poplar on pastoral hill country in New Zealand

Background The control of erosion processes is an important issue worldwide. In New Zealand, previous studies have shown the benefits of reforestation or bioengineering measures to control erosion. The impetus for this work focuses on linking recent research to the needs of practitioners by formulating quantitative guidelines for planning and evaluation of ground bioengineering stabilisation measures. Methods Two root distribution datasets of ‘Veronese’ poplar (Populus deltoides x nigra) were used to calibrate a root distribution model for application on single root systems and to interacting root systems at the hillslope scale. The root distribution model results were then used for slope stability calculations in order to quantitatively evaluate the mechanical stabilisation effects of spaced trees on pastoral hillslopes. Results This study shows that root distribution data are important inputs for quantifying root reinforcement at the hillslope scale, and that root distribution strongly depends on local environmental conditions and on the tree planting density. The results also show that the combination of soil mechanical properties (soil angle of internal friction and cohesion) and topographic conditions (slope inclination) are the major parameters to define how much root reinforcement is needed to stabilise a specific slope, and thus the spacing of the trees to achieve this. Conclusions For the worst scenarios, effective root reinforcement (>2 kPa) is reached for tree spacing ranging from 2500 stems per hectare (sph) for 0.1 m stem diameter at breast height (DBH) to 300 sph for 0.3 m stem DBH. In ideal growing conditions, tree spacing less than 100 sph is sufficient for stem DBH greater than 0.15 m. New quantitative information gained from this study can provide a basis for evaluating planting strategies using poplar trees for erosion control on pastoral hill country in New Zealand

Research opportunities for sustainable productivity improvement in the northern beef industry: A scoping study

The production and economic context of beef production in northern Australia has been seriously challenged over the last decade. Costs of production have escalated rapidly and beef prices have not increased in real terms since 2004 while productivity improvement, necessary to offset these cost-price pressures, has been slowing. Reversing these trends is imperative for a viable industry over the longer term. This report describes an approach taken to explore options for sustainable development of the industry as a basis for guiding research and development for the next two decades. A range of development scenarios that offer potential to significantly improve industry profitability through productivity gains were developed in consultation with industry and technical experts. The potential effect of these scenarios on productivity and economic and environmental outcomes of northern enterprises was evaluated using a new simulation model of northern beef enterprises. The evaluation was conducted for ten regions spanning Queensland, the Northern Territory and north-western Western Australia. The results suggest that significant gains in productivity and profitability can be achieved by integrating individual technologies that target specific components of the livestock system e.g. genetics, reproduction, nutrition

Magnetic cycles of the planet-hosting star Tau Bootis: II. a second magnetic polarity reversal

In this paper, we present new spectropolarimetric observations of the planet-hosting star Tau Bootis, using ESPaDOnS and Narval spectropolarimeters at Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) and Telescope Bernard Lyot (TBL), respectively. We detected the magnetic field of the star at three epochs in 2008. It is a weak magnetic field of only a few Gauss, oscillating between a predominant toroidal component in January and a dominant poloidal component in June and July. A magnetic polarity reversal was observed relative to the magnetic topology in June 2007. This is the second such reversal observed in two years on this star, suggesting that Tau Boo has a magnetic cycle of about 2 years. This is the first detection of a magnetic cycle for a star other than the Sun. The role of the close-in massive planet in the short activity cycle of the star is questioned. Tau Boo has strong differential rotation, a common trend for stars with shallow convective envelope. At latitude 40 deg., the surface layer of the star rotates in 3.31 d, equal to the orbital period. Synchronization suggests that the tidal effects induced by the planet may be strong enough to force at least the thin convective envelope into corotation. Tau Boo shows variability in the Ca H & K and Halpha throughout the night and on a night to night time scale. We do not detect enhancement in the activity of the star that may be related to the conjunction of the planet. Further data is needed to conclude about the activity enhancement due to the planet.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 3 tables Accepted to MNRA