Playing to win or trying your best: Media representations of national anxieties over the role of sport participation during the 2002 commonwealth games.

In the last few years, growing concern has emerged in New Zealand sport about the shift towards a more commercial or professionalised model of sport and away from a mass participation-based model. In the midst of a relatively intense period of debate and concern over this change in direction, the 2002 Commonwealth Games took place in Manchester, England. In this article, we analyse how media coverage of the Games articulated with the broader public debate over the direction of New Zealand sport. Grounded in the assumption that the media both reflects and impacts on public understandings of cultural issues, we believe this analysis of coverage of the Games reveals a profound ambivalence over a more profess ionalised model of sport and points to an unwillingness to give up traditional values of sports participation in order to win. We explore how this debate articulates with current tensions in the realm of Physical Education and suggest that health and physical educators have an important role to play in challenging current pressures towards a win-at-all-costs approach to sport

On the waiting time distribution for continuous stochastic systems

The waiting time distribution (WTD) is a common tool for analysing discrete stochastic processes in classical and quantum systems. However, there are many physical examples where the dynamics is continuous and only approximately discrete, or where it is favourable to discuss the dynamics on a discretized and a continuous level in parallel. An example is the hindered motion of particles through potential landscapes with barriers. In the present paper we propose a consistent generalisation of the WTD from the discrete case to situations where the particles perform continuous barrier-crossing characterised by a finite duration. To this end, we introduce a recipe to calculate the WTD from the Fokker-Planck/Smoluchowski equation. In contrast to the closely related first passage time distribution (FPTD), which is frequently used to describe continuous processes, the WTD contains information about the direction of motion. As an application, we consider the paradigmatic example of an overdamped particle diffusing through a washboard potential. To verify the approach and to elucidate its numerical implications, we compare the WTD defined via the Smoluchowski equation with data from direct simulation of the underlying Langevin equation and find full consistency provided that the jumps in the Langevin approach are defined properly. Moreover, for sufficiently large energy barriers, the WTD defined via the Smoluchowski equation becomes consistent with that resulting from the analytical solution of a (two-state) master equation model for the short-time dynamics developed previous by us [PRE 86, 061135 (2012)]. Thus, our approach "interpolates" between these two types of stochastic motion. We illustrate our approach for both symmetric systems and systems under constant force.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Polarised attitudes within Switzerland mean a pragmatic solution to the issue of EU free movement might no longer be possible

A proposal to reintroduce immigration quotas was approved by the Swiss electorate in a vote on 9 February. The vote has raised questions about Switzerland and the EU’s relationship as immigration quotas are incompatible with the principle of free movement which is contained within the bilateral treaties underpinning the Swiss-EU relationship. Clive H Church writes on the reaction both in Europe and within Switzerland over the last six months. He notes that opinion has become polarised over the issue in the country and that it may now be difficult for a pragmatic solution to emerge which is acceptable to both the EU and the supporters of the proposal

Switzerland is facing a dual crisis over its relations with the EU

On 26 May, Switzerland pulled out of negotiations over a new partnership with the European Union. Clive H. Church writes the country is now facing both a crisis in its relations with the EU and a democratic crisis over how the decision was made

Switzerland's 'green tsunami' slows to a trickle

Green parties were the main winners from the 2019 Swiss federal elections held on 20 October. However, as Clive H. Church writes, developments since the vote have illustrated the extent to which Swiss politics remains resistant to change. While the election generated some momentum behind efforts to strengthen the country’s climate policies, it remains unclear how far the process of ‘greening’ Swiss politics might go

Middle managers’ role in organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviours

“Any motivated behavior, either preparatory or consummatory, must be understood to be a channel through which many basic needs may be simultaneously expressed or satisfied. Typically an act has more than one motivation.” (Maslow 1943, p.370) Written before organizational behaviour had been named let alone studied as a separate discipline, Abraham Maslow warned of the dangers of assuming that an individual behaviour can be explained simply by a single motivation. This dissertation will argue that where organizations operate in the context of continuing downsizing over long periods it is necessary to consider more than just positive affect employee motivations, such as organizational commitment. It may also prove important to consider more ambivalent motivations such as those involved in impression management. Since the early days of organizational behaviour researchers have sought to explain the degree of attachment shown by workers towards their organization. A great deal has been learned regarding two related constructs, organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviours. This research contributes to the theoretical framework underlying these two constructs. Empirical studies have shown associations between organizational commitment and aspects of an organization’s culture, for example organizational values and vision/mission. The underlying process has been explained by use of social exchange theory (Blau, 1964). Similarly, studies have shown an association between organizational citizenship behaviours and two other constructs besides organizational commitment, the individual’s perception of support from the organization and from the individual’s manager respectively. The resulting, widely accepted, models explain citizenship behaviours through two ‘pathways’, one via support from the organization, the other via support from their manager. Provision of such support is met by positive reciprocation by the individual. The research reported here assumes that any relationship between an individual employee and their organization may, and is likely to, be influenced by the actions of their direct report manager. A systematic literature review showed comparatively little research into the role of the manager and his/her role in influencing organizational commitment. This led to two empirical studies of middle managers’ role in influencing organizational commitment in their teams. Throughout this thesis the term middle manager is used interchangeably with direct report manager or line-manager. These terms are expressly taken to exclude both senior managers (those in a position to determine or contribute significantly to organizational level factors e.g. vision/mission and HR policies) and the first line supervisor with only task and team leader responsibilities. The first study found that the managers in the sample preferred the term engagement to commitment and that they focused largely on those citizenship behaviours of their direct reports that contributed directly to major performance measures i.e. key performance indicators. The second study in a different organization set out to explore whether or not this finding was repeated and irrespective of this, what techniques if any the managers used to influence both organizational commitment and citizenship behaviours in their teams. In addition to repeating the use of qualitative methods this study also incorporated some quantitative methods (surveys) in order to identify the direct reports’ levels of the relevant constructs. While the survey results showed that levels of both commitment and citizenship were high, unexpectedly and contrary to current models, the levels of perceived organizational and manager support were low. This runs counter to the prediction of social exchange theory. Nevertheless, it is argued that the current data can be explained, if one adds a third pathway to the model via impression management. This in turn can be attributed to an individual’s heightened job insecurity in times of downsizing and a consequent attempt to demonstrate one’s value to the manager/organization. It is further argued that any citizenship behaviours that may arise from impression management may not fully exploit the potential contributions from individuals. The techniques used by middle managers to encourage both organizational commitment and citizenship behaviours in their teams are reported and suggestions for further research are discussed

The distressed ship: her right of refuge and the coastal state

Perhaps one of the most mutually beneficial customary rules on international sea law for seagoing nations is the right of a ship to seek refuge in a foreign state's sheltered waters. It means effectively that ships can travel the world knowing that should the need occur, they will due to reasons of force majeure, be able, not only to seek refuge in sheltered waters, but will also have a general right to enter the port of a foreign state. The rule is independent of any interstate treaties or conflict. The distressed ship becomes in a sense a neutral ship and when she seeks refuge, the flag she is flying becomes practically irrelevant. The coastal state's obligation to al low a distressed ship to enter its sheltered waters is the corollary to the distressed ship's right to enter. The state has, however, a customary right to protect itself against pollution or anything which could prejudice its security. It is obvious therefore, that a conflict situation could develop between a coastal state's "refuge" obligations and her right of self-protection. It is the objective of this paper to discuss the above situation by first analysing any relevant definitions, examining in detail the laws and customary practices affecting coastal states and distressed ships, and then·, with the example of some past incidents, attempt to describe the conflicts and dangers which can arise when a ship finds herself in a position where she is in dire need of a place of refuge. The position of the salvor will also be discussed where appropriate. In salvage law the reaching of a place of refuge by the distressed ship is the ·salver's ultimate objective. For the coastal state, however, the problems are only then just beginning

Why the world is wary of China’s ‘great wall of sand’ in the sea

China’s neighbours have accused it of destroying an estimated 120 hectares of coral reef systems in the disputed Spratly Islands through land reclamation. EPA/Armed Forces of the Philippines. The leaders of Southeast Asian nations recently took the extraordinary step of warning China that its island-building activities in the contested South China Sea “may undermine peace, security and stability” in the region. That’s strong language from the usually reticent 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and shows just how high tempers are flaring over what has been called China’s “great wall of sand” in a strategically important area. The commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Harry Harris, has described China’s island enhancement program as part of a “pattern of provocative actions” towards smaller South China Sea states. But island-building in regions like the Spratly Islands plays well to China’s nationalistic domestic audience and also appears to be aimed at reinforcing China’s territorial and maritime claims in a potentially resource-rich area. Such activities could, however, have dire consequences for the region’s marine environment and vital fisheries. Ensuring stability and maritime security in this area is crucial to Australian and global interests. An estimated 60% of Australian trade passes through the South China Sea, with US$5 trillion in trade overall flowing through the region

The UK could be in line for years of Swiss-style negotiations with the EU

Prior to the Brexit referendum, it was common to cite Switzerland as a model for the UK to follow after leaving the European Union. Clive H. Church writes that while Brexiteers’ enthusiasm for this approach largely evaporated following the referendum, the UK has ultimately ended up on a path that has many potential similarities with the Swiss-EU relationship