Image-potential band-gap narrowing at a metal/semiconductor interface

GW approximation is used to systematically revisit the image-potential band-gap narrowing at metal/semiconductor interfaces proposed by Inkson in the 1970's. Here we have questioned how the narrowing as calculated from quasi-particle energy spectra for the jellium/Si interface depends on $r_s$ of the jellium. The gap narrowing is found to only weakly depend on $r_s$ (i.e., narrowing $\simeq 0.3$ eV even for a large $r_s = 6)$. Hence we can turn to smaller polarizability in the semiconductor side as an important factor in looking for larger narrowing.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figure

Labour Process Theory and the Chain System in the New Zealand Meatworks

This paper applies a labour process perspective to the "chain system" in the New Zealand meat freezing industry. It traces the introduction of the chain system, contrasting it with traditional work methods and uses this historical perspective to provide a critique of Braverman 's theory of changes in the labour process

The New "Office Temp": Alternative Models of Contingent Labour

Office temps are contingent workers, predominantly female, with secretarial and administrative skills, who hire their services out through an agency to client organizations requiring temporary labour. As organizations face changes in demand and workload, and seek flexible rather than stable structures, 'temping' is increasing in prevalence and importance, and is being used for increasingly skilled and responsible work. Understanding the work orientations and attitudes of temps is of value to employers, agents, and policy makers. Past studies and prevailing discourse on contingent labour suggest a somewhat negative picture of the temp as a member of the secondary labour market, and as a marginalized and insecure victim unable to secure a firm foothold in the economic marketplace. This study suggests a somewhat different picture

Pathways to Employment for Young New Zealanders: Effects of Social Capital

The Pathways to Sustainable Employment (PAS£) research programme is a five-year programme aimed at determining the supply-side and demand-side parameters of employment-seeking and career development of New Zealanders aged 15-34, and developing policy implications. In an initial phase of the project, 866 participants sampled from four geographical areas and representative of different age, gender, and ethnic groups took part in a Computer Aided Telephone Interview (CAT/) concerning their employment experiences to date and their aspirations for the future. This paper reports on the experiences of participants in respect of seeking and finding their current job, their last job, and their first job and the role social networks play in supporting career decision making. The data, which demonstrate the key role that social capital plays in these regards, raises issues about such things as the expertise of network members, their objective understanding of others' capacities and interests, and their knowledge of the labour market. We suggest that the importance of social capital is underestimated and policy makers could do well to take this into account when considering developing strategies for sustainable employment

Design of electron correlation effects in interfaces and nanostructures

We propose that one of the best grounds for the materials design from the viewpoint of {\it electron correlation} such as ferromagnetism, superconductivity is the atomically controlled nanostructures and heterointerfaces, as theoretically demonstrated here from three examples with first-principles calculations: (i) Band ferromagnetism in a purely organic polymer of five-membered rings, where the flat-band ferromagnetism due to the electron-electron repulsion is proposed. (ii) Metal-induced gap states (MIGS) of about one atomic monolayer thick at insulator/metal heterointerfaces, recently detected experimentally, for which an exciton-mechanism superconductivity is considered. (iii) Alkali-metal doped zeolite, a class of nanostructured host-guest systems, where ferromagnetism has been experimentally discovered, for which a picture of the "supercrystal" composed of "superatoms" is proposed and Mott-insulator properties are considered. These indicate that design of electron correlation is indeed a promising avenue for nanostructures and heterointerfaces.Comment: to be published in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. on Atomically Controlled Surfaces, Interfaces and Nanostructures, Nara, Nov. 2003, 14 pages, 10 figure

Kiwi talent flow : a study of chartered accountants and business professionals overseas

New Zealanders have always had a propensity to travel overseas. The globalisation of the world has seen an increase in the number of people who, having completed their education and gained some work experience, set off on their overseas experience. Concern has been expressed as to the potential “brain drain” that would result should these well-educated and talented citizens remain overseas permanently. This research considers the propensity to return of over 1,500 expatriate Kiwis working in the areas of accounting and finance. It examines their demographics, attitudes, values, motivations, factors of attraction to, and repulsion from, New Zealand and their concerns for change in New Zealand. It therefore provides insights into the nature and purpose of this significant group of professionals resident mainly in the United Kingdom and Australia. We find that less than half are likely to return to New Zealand. This is because of the lack of career and business opportunities despite the “pull” of family and relations in New Zealand

A comparison of He and Ne FIB imaging of cracks in microindented silicon nitride

Helium ion microscopy (HIM) offers potential as a high spatial resolution technique for imaging insulating samples that are susceptible to charging artifacts. In this study helium and neon ion microscopy are used to image cracking in microindented samples of the non-conductive ceramic silicon nitride. The crack morphology of radial cracks emanating from the microindentations has been characterized for two different compositions of silicon nitride, with and without conductive coatings. Gold coating enhances crack edge contrast, but masks grain contrast for both He and Ne ion-induced secondary electron (ISE) imaging. Carbon coating enables the crystalline and glassy phases to be distinguished, more clearly with Ne-ISE, and the cracking pathway is found to be primarily intergranular. Zones of < 100 nm diameter depleted ion-induced secondary electron emission along the crack paths are identified, consistent with charging ‘hotspots’

Technological Change and the Labour Process in New Zealand: A Synthesis

This paper draws together some of the common themes and summarises the key points which emerge from the industry case studies presented in this symposium on technological change