Local authority handling of Freedom of Information requests: lessons from a research project

The purpose of this article is to report on early findings from a wide scale research project which relies on the effectiveness freedom of information provisions in order to obtain data. If freedom of information legislation does not function to ensure disclosures by public authorities, the research data necessary for the research would either not be available or would be much more difficult to obtain. In making FOIA requests, the authors hope to map the use of whistleblowing disclosures within a complex regulatory landscape, involving both local authorities and national regulators

The Effect of Human Resource Management Practices on Farm Profitability: An Initial Assessment

Sound human resource management practices such as performance bonuses, performance reviews and feedback, and standard operating procedures allow farm managers to improve the human capital, and profitability, on the farm. To date, no research of the impact of HRM practices on farm profitability has been published. This article provides a theoretical justification for analyzing the impacts of HRM practices on firm profitability. This model assumes that HRM practices are labor-augmenting technologies, causing existing labor to be more efficient in production. Empirical results provide little support for a positive relationship between HRM practices and farm profitability, although additional research is suggested.

The role of civil liability in ensuring police responsibility for failures to act after Michael and DSD

Police failures may contribute to a failure to prevent injury, or worse. The question of whether the police should be liable for such investigatory failures has exercised the higher courts frequently since the seminal case of Hill. The Supreme Court has recently revisited the question in the case of Michael, holding that the police will not be liable for a failure to prevent injury unless there are special circumstances showing an assumption of responsibility. In parallel to the developments in negligence, claims have been brought under the Human Rights Act, with an argument that the failures by the police led to injury or death, breaching obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Such a claim was successful before the Court of Appeal in DSD.This article seeks to analyse these two parallel trends, and to consider whether civil liability after Michael and DSD provides an avenue for obtaining both compensation and accountability

The role of civil liability in ensuring police responsibility for failures to act after Michael and DSD

Police failures may contribute to a failure to prevent injury, or worse. The question of whether the police should be liable for such investigatory failures has exercised the higher courts frequently since the seminal case of Hill. The Supreme Court has recently revisited the question in the case of Michael, holding that the police will not be liable for a failure to prevent injury unless there are special circumstances showing an assumption of responsibility. In parallel to the developments in negligence, claims have been brought under the Human Rights Act, with an argument that the failures by the police led to injury or death, breaching obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights. Such a claim was successful before the Court of Appeal in DSD.This article seeks to analyse these two parallel trends, and to consider whether civil liability after Michael and DSD provides an avenue for obtaining both compensation and accountability

Concepts of corporate responsibility in a free society expressed by theorists in recent publications

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

Whistleblowing without borders: the risks and rewards of transnational whistleblowing networks

Cross-border disclosures by whistleblowers are of increasing importance. The regulatory regime is unclear, both with regard to employment protection and with regard to ensuring that the information reaches those able to best respond to the disclosure. This chapter considers the risks of cross-border disclosures, and how systems can change to accomodate them, so as to best achieve thier potential

A Prototype E.S.D. Home: Towards a Model for Practice in Solar Sustainable Design

The design of an urban house located on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia has been completed as an exemplar of Ecologically Sustainable Design. The home is an essay in design synthesis: intended to integrate existing principles with state of the art environmental technologies and a comprehensive methodology for evaluating the performance of these technologies. The aim of this paper is to present selected results of the data gained from this evaluation to give feedback on the performance of the solar technologies used in the building. The paper argues that the project can form a Trojan horse for future practice concerning sustainability. The outcomes inform the debate on the design for wider use of solar design principles in building design in urban areas and how this confronts present approaches to provide some form of Energy Code compliance legislation

Household Energy Rating: Questioning the Current Direction

Greenhouse gas emissions are only one of a plethora of environmental impacts that buildings have on the environment, however they are currently the focus of much attention as Australia attempts to achieve its Kyoto target. The process of Housing Energy Rating (HER), in which the envelope of the house is simulated to produce predictions of heating and cooling energy, is gaining momentum as a method for reducing residential greenhouse gas emissions. This paper questions the underlying aims of HER, concluding that current tools assist assessors/regulators but are of little use to building designers. It also questions the focus on heating and cooling energy and through a case study of warm climates, highlights alternative routes to achieving reductions in household greenhouse gas emissions. These routes are to broaden the scope of greenhouse gas assessment and to refocus on design-phase assessment rather than post design/compliance assessment