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Tort to the environment: a stretch too far or a simple step forward?
No full textThis analysis considers the implications of Smith v Fonterra Co-operative Group Ltd [2020] NZHC 419 and the possibility of a new tort to the environment developing within New Zealand jurisprudence. In Smith, the New Zealand High Court refused to strike out a cause of action based upon a new inchoate tort against seven corporations for the damage likely to be caused by their greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), and allowed the matter to proceed to trial. The case raises questions as to whether the time is ripe in New Zealand for the development of a tort to the environment, and whether such a tort could apply to hold private emitters liable for harm caused to the atmosphere by GHGs. In this analysis, we conclude that a duty to protect the environment may be a natural evolution of the New Zealand law of torts and may extend to conduct causing damage to the atmosphere, opening up the possibility of successfully suing corporations for harm to the climate.Peer Reviewe
Computer Vision for Measuring Boxes: a comparison of Model-based Bayesian Inference and Convolutional Neural Networks
Get PDFThis thesis compares two approaches for measuring the dimensions of boxes using computer vision (CV). The first approach is model-based Bayesian Inference (MBI), which uses a geometric cuboid model as well a camera-conveyor system model. The second approach is using Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The methods were compared on: statistical scoring rules that were applied to posterior probability density function estimates, training and testing times, robustness to noise addition, and cuboid edge roundedness. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) training data was generated by photo-realistic rendering of computer generated 3D CAD models, consisting of: 6,000 training images, 2,000 validation images, 2,000 testing images spread across five textures. Training was performed using Keras. MCMC was implemented in Python 3 using the same test data as used with CNN models. Methods of the CNN and MBI approaches were also briefly compared on images of real boxes. It was found that Corner Detection (CD) performance was the strong limiting factor for MBI performance, which was able to form tight posterior estimates when complete CD occurred. Due to low mixing, sometimes MCMC sampling runs became stuck in local minima, causing overly tight estimates and leading to poor scores. With full CD and good mixing, MCMC scores would tend to outperform CNN scores. MCMC suffered from an approximately 1000 times longer testing time than CNN (70 s vs 70 ms). However, CNN required significant time (strongly reduced by GPU) and data to pre-train the model before use. The robustness of the techniques were measured by systematically adding gaussian noise to images, as well as rounding the edges of the boxes. It was found that above a threshold noise variance of 100 (images used a 255 RGB colour scale) the CD failed to detect corners, breaking the MBI and causing poor performance compared to CNN, which broke more gracefully. Likewise, when box edges were rounded it was found that above an edge rounding threshold of 0.15 (0=cuboid and 1=sphere) CD failed, breaking the MBI and causing poor performance compared to CNN, which broke more gracefully. A single-image-input (SII) CNN model demonstrated greater robustness with respect to noise addition than a two-image-input (TII) CNN model. There was negligible difference between SII and TII with respect to box edge rounding
A Qualitative Study of Malaysian Parents’ Purchase Intention of Functional Weaning Foods using the Theory of Planned Behavior
Get PDFIn this study, qualitative research methods were used to explore the behavioral, normative, and control beliefs underpinning parents’ decisions to purchase functional weaning food products.Seven focus groups were conducted with 44 parents in two locations in Malaysia (Sabah and Selangor). Based on the Theory of Planned Behavior theoretical framework, participants were prompted with questions about commercial weaning foods including functional weaning foods and shown several different products to stimulate discussion. Important behavioral beliefs (product attributes, babies’ needs and suitability of the product, perceived healthiness), referrals and influences (family and friends’ opinions and experiences, internet and social media influence, health professionals’ recommendation and advice) and facilitating and inhibiting factors (trust and confidence, brand and cost, and product availability and options) were identified. Overall functional weaning food purchase intention was influenced positively and negatively by behavioral, normative and control beliefs. To increase the awareness and commercial product knowledge on weaning food are suitable for their children, more information on functional weaning food products from reliable sources that can reach the parents and other potential customers is needed. Government, health professionals and manufacturers should work together to develop a better way to inform parents about functional weaning foods
Consumer acceptance of insects and ideal product attributes
Get PDFInsects can be sustainably produced and are nutrient rich. However, adoption of insects in western culture, including New Zealand (NZ) is slow. The purpose of this paper is to explore consumer attitudes, drivers and barriers towards entomophagy and uncover consumer expectations surrounding what their ideal insect product attributes are. In total, 32 participants took part in three product design workshops. This involved two sections. First, focus groups discussion took place surrounding consumer acceptance. Second, following adapted consumer idealised design, groups of three or four designed their ideal liquid and solid product incorporating extracted insect protein. Designs included the ideal product, place, price and promotional attributes. Participants were both disgusted and intrigued about entomophagy, with common barriers including; culture, food neophobia, disgust sensitivity, lack of necessity and knowledge. Motivational drivers were novelty, health, sustainability and/or nutrition. Most of the liquid and solid food products were designed as a premium priced sweet snack, drink or breakfast option, as opposed to a meat substitute. The convenience, health and sustainability benefits of certain products were promoted towards health and fitness oriented consumers. Whereas, other designs promoted the novelty of insects to kids or the general population, in order to introduce the idea of entomophagy to consumers. The study is the first attempt at uncovering what insect products NZ consumers are accepting of; therefore, contributing to both limited research and product development opportunities for industry
Investigating consumers’ perception of apple juice as affected by novel and conventional processing technologies
Get PDFThis work evaluates consumers’ perception of apple juice processed by high pressure processing (HPP) and pulsed electric field (PEF) compared with thermal processing. As a case study, young Chinese immi grants living in New Zealand were selected. Targeting a broad understanding of process impact, three industrially relevant apple cultivars (New Zealand Jazz, Rose and Granny Smith) were chosen. The con sumer study was performed using napping with ultra-flash profiling technique (n = 38). The process impact on sensory perception seems to vary among the investigated apple cultivars. For Jazz and Granny Smith apple cultivars, PEF- and HPP-treated juices are perceived as fresh, natural, sweet and balanced flavour. For Rose apple cultivar, however PEF-processed juices appear to be perceived as fresh flavour in comparison with HPP and thermally treated juices. Moreover, thermal processing caused cooked flavour. With respect to colour, immediately after processing, HPP retains the natural apple juice colour compared with other treatments
Research on the relationship between organizational transformation and employee perception and commitment - A case example on the overseas education college of Shanghai Jiaotong University
Get PDFThe vigorous development of China's education industry under the transition system has brought many opportunities and challenges to Chinese education organizations. Organizational change and transformation have become an important issue, and are rich in theoretical and practical value. However, the existing research on organizational change and transformation lacks top-down systematic thinking on the two levels of organization and employees, and lacks attention to the human factor in organizational change. Moreover, the research on employees' perception and response in organizational change is inadequate, and at the same time, the research objects of the organization are mostly concentrated in commercial organizations, and the attention to Chinese educational organizations is insufficient. Due to the fragmented characteristics of the research on organizational change, there is a disconnection between the theoretical research of organizational change and management practice. Management practitioners lack a systematic knowledge system about organizational change learning and the multiple dynamics of contextualized factors, which leads to a low success rate of organizational change practice.
The main purpose of the thesis is to study the motivation of organizational change of educational organizations in China and what impact it will have on the organization. What are the factors in the implementation of organizational change and how do they affect employees' awareness and commitment to change events? The author combines the experience of organizational change initiated and participated by himself, takes all the organizational reform events of the Chinese educational organisation and the employees of the changing organization as the research object, adopts in-depth case study method and questionnaire survey method to review the previous organizational change events in the Chinese educational organization, elaborates on the four major organizational change events in the past five years, analyzes the types, causes, and effects of organizational change events, and explores and explains the motivations, reasons and influences for the transformation of Chinese education organizations. On this basis, combined with the microscopic research results of event theory and organizational change theory, the author, using nested data and cross-layer analysis, explored and empirically tested the relationship between characteristics of organizational change events and employees' perception of change and the relationship between employees' perception and commitment to change in the context of organizational change, and the boundary conditions of the relationship between the two are verified based on the three perspectives of leadership style, employee individual characteristics and change communication. The research findings in this thesis provide some inspiration for the initiation and implementation of the next organizational change of the Chinese educational organization and the reform of the Chinese educational organization. Specifically, it includes the following:
First, factors such as institutional changes, market drivers, and technological innovations may prompt organizations to initiate changes. In the face of China’s institutional transition, compared with commercial organizations, Chinese education organizations can be affected by more institutional changes, and the organizational changes caused by this are also more significant in scope and effect. Both the current and future development of the Chinese educational organisations should focus on the changes in the above three factors to achieve organizational sustainable development through organizational change.
Second, the initiation and implementation of organizational changes may have multi-faceted impact on the organization's governance structure, organizational structure, and business processes. To ensure the smooth implementation of organizational changes, it is not only necessary to conduct planning and analysis on change motivation, duration, sphere of influence and manifestation based on the organizational level, pay attention to the employees' perception and feelings of change events in the organization, as well as focus on the important role played by employees' direct leaders and the individual differences of employees. The Chinese educational organisations must not only pay attention to the reasons for the change, but also the process of the change in the organizational change, and not only the impact of the change on the organization, but also the impact of the change on the employees.
Third, in the implementation of organizational change, change communication plays an important role and directly affects employees' willingness to invest in change. Therefore, in the process of completing the top-level design of organizational change, attention also needs to be paid to the importance of communication. Communication about organizational change should not be limited to the senior management team and middle managers. It is necessary to emphasize that the change communication between middle managers and their subordinates can help improve employees' level of commitment to change. Before the organizational change is initiated, training on transformational leadership styles for middle- and high level leaders will help increase employees' recognition and investment in organizational change, and facilitate the implementation of the change
The basement geology and palaeontology of the Wairaki Hills, Southland.
Get PDFLithologic and biostratigraphic mapping of the Wairaki Hills was commenced to provide detailed geologic maps on which to base data subsequently derived from palaeontological study. Faunas found were collected quickly during mapping and field determinations were noted. Some rich localities were collected more thoroughly in later visits. The geologic age range of the rocks was found to be Makarewan (?Djulfian-Dorashamian} to Oretian (?late Carnian),
with a break in deposition between the latest Permian and earliest Triassic (i.e. Dorashamian-Smithian). In the laboratory, collections gathered in the field, as well as collections gathered by others previously, were prepared and all secure taxa available were described and drawn. The process resulted in identification of at least 17 new genera, perhaps as many as 22, as well as a plethora of undescribed species. Recognition of foraminiferids and ostracods
within the sediments opens new fields of study in New Zealand Triassic fossils. Other important finds include productinids and a crassatellid from the Wairaki Formation, Eophyllites from the Malakovian (Smithian) and a nautiloid, cidaroid, buchiid, beyrichitid, cirriped and trigonioid from the Etalian Stage (Anisian).
The faunas are regarded as marine, shallow shelf forms (probably mostly above wave base) and most collections are regarded as essentially in situ assemblages. After collation of data on biostratigraphy, informal stage definitions were attempted and successfully used; the base of the Makarewan Stage was drawn at the first appearance of Wairakiella rostrata at the type locality, the Malakovian Stage base at the first appearance of Owenites, and the Etalian at the first appearance of Mellarium at the type locality. Correlation with other New Zealand rocks of equivalent age is made as well as an attempt at correlation with important world faunas and sequences of equivalent age. The Makarewan Stage is correlated with the Djulfian-Dorashamian Stages of the world standard, the Malakoyian with the late Smithian Stage and the Etalian with the Varium Zone of the Anisian Stage.
The need for a more refined zonal scheme; for New Zealand Triassic rocks is acknowledged and the systematic palaeontology section of this thesis is regarded as a necessary preliminary step in establishment of such a scheme
Reducing waste of food left on plates Interventions based on means-end chain analysis of customers in foodservice sector
Get PDFSocial marketing and other types of targeted behaviour change interventions should appeal to an individual’s personal values in order to improve their effectiveness. However, there is currently little understanding of what these values are in relation to food waste. The purpose of this paper is to identify the values underpinning the specific behaviour of plate waste created in a residential foodservice setting. In semi-structured interviews (n ¼ 50) laddering techniques were used to identify links from behaviours through individual’s rationalisation for that behaviour to their personal values. The aim of the questioning was to uncover underlying drivers that lead to plate waste as well as those barriers to reducing it. The values identified as being most important are hedonism and self-direction. The aspects of these values for plate waste reduction interventions are not compromising on the individual’s enjoyment of the meal and meeting their health goals. Effective interventions include pre-ordering meals, reducing food options provided, reducing plate size, removing food tray and finally, information campaigns to raise awareness. The study provides insights into the personal values that influence behaviours resulting in plate waste. The study is the first to determine the links between this behaviour, rationalisations for that behaviour and personal values
Memory Verification Decisions
Get PDFAutobiographical memories are precious, they shape our identity, guide our thinking and behaviour, and facilitate social bonds in both helpful and unhelpful ways. However, our memory does not function like a video-recorder as we might hope, rather memory is highly vulnerable to error and often goes un-questioned. The present study investigated the role of memory function and individuals’ willingness to question their memories. Adult participants (N = 329) were asked to recall either a positive or a negative memory in detail. They were then required to rate their nominated memory on a range of memory function statements, followed by answering questions related to how willing they would be to question their memory and providing strategies for verifying their nominated memory if its accuracy was called into question. Lastly, they rated their nominated strategies on both perceived reliability, cost, and how likely it would be that they would employ these strategies in the future. In line with our hypotheses, the majority of participants had not previously questioned the validity of their memory and were unwilling to question their memory in the future. When examining the influence of memory function, results indicated that memory function was associated with verification in various ways. Specifically, the more helpful the memory was perceived to be, participants provided higher perceived reliability ratings for the strategies they would use to nominate their memories, lower perceived cost ratings, and overall, reported that they were less likely to use these strategies in the future. Overall, the findings of the present study demonstrate that despite the fallibility of memory, individuals are often reluctant to question the accuracy of their memory, and it is memory function that is a potential driver of this reluctance
Sun protection for adolescents at school in Aotearoa/New Zealand
No full textSkin cancer is a substantial public health issue in New Zealand (NZ) with exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) being the major modifiable risk. Excessive UVR during adolescence can have a lasting effect on long-term cancer risk. Additionally, risky behaviours can continue to adulthood. The aspirational-shared aim of the series of studies included in this thesis is to identify and assess processes and actions to help to reduce excessive exposure of UVR during adolescence for young people, thereby potentially contributing to reducing the burden of skin cancer. There were four studies undertaken as part of this PhD, chosen specifically to address knowledge gaps with respect to this cohort in NZ and internationally.
The first study was a systematic review using Effective Public Health Practice Project guidelines to review the quality of interventions targeting adolescents and delivered in secondary schools. In total 13 interventions were identified and received quality ratings of ‘strong’ (n=0), ‘moderate’ (5) or weak (8). Most interventions were health-based, emphasising the association between UVR exposure and skin cancer. These have limited success in changing behaviour. Two promising interventions were identified as potentially relevant. Both moved beyond presenting didactic education in the classroom. The first was an appearance-based intervention using facial ageing technology. The second was an environmental intervention with the provision of a real time ultraviolet index (UVI) display meter in the playground. Subsequently, the second and third studies assessed the feasibility and/or piloting of two separate interventions based on those identified in the review. The first was a classroom-based appearance intervention using ultraviolet filtering photographic technology, and the second a UVI display meter in a school sports setting. The classroom-based intervention was well accepted by students, however, it was resource intensive and so in its current format would not be practical for a population-based intervention. Unfortunately, ethical issues surrounding research with adolescents impeded the second study. In combination with the potential expense of repeated calibration of the UVI display meter, there was insufficient support to pursue a full Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) in the current format.
As National Sporting Organisations (NSO) are the governing organisations for many school sports, the fourth study was an audit, using both desk top review and semi-structured interviews, of NSO sun protection policies. Only two NSOs in NZ have a sun protection policy.
Schools are the obvious choice for addressing sun protection in adolescents. Furthermore, the school setting for this thesis is wider than the ‘in school’ environment, specifically with respect to participating in schools sports. There is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to sun protection for adolescents. It is not always feasible to provide a sun protective environment, so often there is no choice but for young people to engage in personal sun protection practices. Healthy policies and environments that either mandate or encourage young people to use appropriate sun protection are essential. Even this will not be entirely effective, and young people themselves need to be convinced that sun protection is important and necessary for them to engage in