Does New Zealand visitors follow the Joseph Effect? Some empirical evidence

The report departs from conventional time series analysis and investigates the existence of long memory (LRD) in the stream of daily visitors, arriving from various sources to New Zealand from 1997 to 2010, using selected estimators of the Hurst-exponent. The daily arrivals of visitors are treated as a stream of "digital signals" with the inherent noise. After minimizing the noise (i.e. the presence of short-term trends, periodicities, and cycles) we found the existence of significant long memory embedded in our data of daily visitors from all sources and in the aggregate. Strong evidence of embedded “long memory” implies that Joseph Effect – that good times beget good times and bad times beget bad – whose existence in the underlying process may have interesting implications for tourism policy makers. Our findings suggest evidence of such long term memory in tourist arrival data. Further, unless this long memory effect is taken into consideration, any traditional statistical analysis based on Gaussian and Poisson assumptions may be overly biased

A study of quantitative genetics on some characters of the meadowfoam plant (Limnanthes alba Benth.) : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Applied Science degree in Plant Science at Massey University

The meadowfoam plant is a moisture-loving native of the west coast of the North American continent near the borders of USA and Canada. It has recently stirred great interest in the chemical oil industry due to the potential of its seed oil to substitute for sperm whale oil. Due to the relative lack of published literature on this plant, an experiment was planned to study the quantitative genetics of some of its characters. Thirty-six half-sib families were planted and the following characters were examined: plant height; diameter; uprightness; intensity of redness on branches and its distribution; leaf shape; period to first flower; seed set; mature seed retained; degree of seed shattering; and thousand-seed mass. Factor analysis was also performed on the flowering pattern of the plants. Results indicated that all characters were heritable in the broad-sense, and all but two characters (diameter and degree of seed shatter) had significantly heritable narrow-sense heritabilities. The amount of genetic variability present in this species is also very high. Plant improvement methods based on selection are therefore recommended. Predictions on genetic advance show that the characters plant height, seed retention, leaf shape, and red intensity and distribution on branches showed greatest promise for rapid improvement

Evaluating a formative feedback intervention for international students

Assessment is too often concerned with measurement, rather than learning; however, there is a growing interest in research into formative assessment, which appears justified by studies into its effects on learning. Changes in higher education have led to increased numbers of students, many of whom are from non-traditional backgrounds. This has highlighted the need for transparency and student involvement in assessment. However, the corresponding pressures on staff and on resources mean that many desirable innovations are not easy to implement. The overall aim of this formative feedback intervention (FFI) was to provide timely and helpful feedback to international students who are final-year direct entrants in a large business school. Timeliness of feedback and the development of academic literacy were key concerns. The study concludes that although the FFI did not have a significant impact on module grades, the intervention was successful in getting students to engage in academic writing at an early stage. Most respondents perceived the feedback to be helpful and the feedback messages were clearly received and internalised. Whether appropriate actions were taken by the students to close the gap between their current and their target level requires further investigation