Exploring the reason for the high withdrawal rate of distance education students enrolled in first level accounting : a research report presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of the Master of Business Studies at Massey University

Massey University is the only New Zealand university providing first level distance education (extramural education) in accountancy, and is one of the largest university providers of extramural accountancy education in Australasia. The last three years have witnessed a steady growth in the demand for extramural first level accountancy. The number of students enrolling have almost doubled in that period from just over 500 to nearly 1,000 in 1989. Unlike some of the world's open universities Massey University is a "dual mode" institution. That is extramural and internal courses are taught to the same prescriptions and assessed by the same final examinations. An advantage of this system is that standards achieved by extramural students are comparable to those achieved by internal students in the same course, and there is no distinction between a qualification gained extramurally and one by internal study. The latter is important to the many extramural students wishing to pursue an accountancy career and eventually qualify for membership of the New Zealand Society of Accountants. However, for extramural students the method of delivery of accountancy education is different to that of the internal students. It is a method of education heavily reliant on printed materials and involves very little face-to-face contact. Coupled with this is the fact that many extramural accounting students are of mature age, working, have young families, and have had no previous experience of university study or distance education

A Tiger with No Teeth: The Case for Fee Shifting in State Public Records Law

A federal lawsuit filed against the city of Columbia, Missouri, alleging police brutality seemed destined for headlines in 2010. At its core was an incident in which a routine traffic stop for a broken taillight erupted into a “fracas” in which police allegedly both tased and beat a man and threw a woman to the ground. A Columbia Daily Tribune reporter following the case filed a public records request for any documents concerning the incident. A police spokesperson contacted him days later to let him know the records were ready for pickup

Study of the Effect of Non-Informational Cues on Students' Test Performance

Higher Educatio

Realisms and idealisms in Italian culture, 1300-2017

This special issue of the Italianist collects ten essays that consider the multiple manifestations of realism and idealism in Italy from the Trecento to the present day. Notions of the ‘real Italy’ (and of ‘Italian realism’) remain fundamental for scholars working in various disciplines, while the exploration of the ideal Italies constructed throughout history continues to inspire innovative work on virtually every period of Italian culture. Rather than accepting the many assertions of realism and the many projections of idealism that have characterized Italian culture from its beginnings, this volume aims for a critical and multi-focal assessment of manifestations of realism and idealism in Italy

Drought-tolerant Desmodium species effectively suppress parasitic striga weed and improve cereal grain yields in western Kenya

Abstracts The parasitic weed Striga hermonthica Benth. (Orobanchaceae), commonly known as striga, is an increasingly important constraint to cereal production in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), often resulting in total yield losses in maize (Zea mays L.) and substantial losses in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench). This is further aggravated by soil degradation and drought conditions that are gradually becoming widespread in SSA. Forage legumes in the genus Desmodium (Fabaceae), mainly D. uncinatum and D. intortum, effectively control striga and improve crop productivity in SSA. However, negative effects of climate change such as drought stress is affecting the functioning of these systems. There is thus a need to identify and characterize new plants possessing the required ecological chemistry to protect crops against the biotic stress of striga under such environmental conditions. 17 accessions comprising 10 species of Desmodium were screened for their drought stress tolerance and ability to suppress striga. Desmodium incanum and D. ramosissimum were selected as the most promising species as they retained their leaves and maintained leaf function for longer periods during their exposure to drought stress conditions. They also had desirable phenotypes with more above ground biomass. The two species suppressed striga infestation, both under controlled and field conditions, and resulted in significant grain yield increases, demonstrating the incremental capability of Desmodium species in striga suppression. These results demonstrate beneficial effects of Desmodium species in enhancing cereal productivity in dry areas

Push-Pull: Chemical ecology-based integrated pest management technology

Lepidopterous stemborers, and parasitic striga weeds belonging to the family Orobanchaceae, attack cereal crops in sub-Saharan Africa causing severe yield losses. The smallholder farmers are resource constrained and unable to afford expensive chemicals for crop protection. The push–pull technology, a chemical ecology- based cropping system, is developed for integrated pest and weed management in cereal–livestock farming systems. Appropriate plants were selected that naturally emit signaling chemicals (semiochemicals). Plants highly attractive for stemborer egg laying were selected and employed as trap crops (pull), to draw pests away from the main crop. Plants that repelled stemborer females were selected as intercrops (push). The stemborers are attracted to the trap plant, and are repelled from the main cereal crop using a repellent intercrop (push). Root exudates of leguminous repellent intercrops also effectively control the parasitic striga weed through an allelopathic mechanism. Their root exudates contain flavonoid compounds some of which stimulate germination of Striga hermonthica seeds, such as Uncinanone B, and others that dramatically inhibit their attachment to host roots, such as Uncinanone C and a number of di-C-glycosylflavones (di-CGFs), resulting in suicidal germination. The intercrop also improves soil fertility through nitrogen fixation, natural mulching, improved biomass, and control of erosion. Both companion plants provide high value animal fodder, facilitating milk production and diversifying farmers’ income sources. The technology is appropriate to smallholder mixed cropping systems in Africa. Adopted by about 125,000 farmers to date in eastern Africa, it effectively addresses major production constraints, significantly increases maize yields, and is economical as it is based on locally available plants, not expensive external inputs