University of the Sunshine Coast
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Diving in the Deep End: Visually Exploring Community Views on Corporate Accountability
No full textThe research responds to the dilemma of firms privileging shareholders over community stakeholders. Moving beyond ‘the business case’, the study aims to deepen and expand multiple understandings of accountability from a community perspective. Ultimately, the aim is to contribute to addressing a firm’s accountability to community, and to preferable social and environmental outcomes. Results suggest three dominant themes depicting corporate-community accountability. These are, 1. landscapes - shared, damaged and other ways of being viewed; 2. hearing and being heard - seeing and being seen; and, 3. adopting the long view. A problem-revealing analysis of these themes resulted in the emergence of reframing and counter-framing, along with questions for reflection; all of which enrich possibilities
Professional takeaways from COVID-19: Resilience, adaptability and transformability in social marketing practice
No full textNo abstract available
Separated Parents’ Experiences of Entrenched Co-Parenting Conflict and the Australian Family Law System
No full textFor some parents following separation, shifting from a spousal and parental system to a parental system only can be difficult. The current thesis explored post separation entrenched co-parenting conflict within the context of the Australian family law system. Previous research has evidenced a broad, vague, and disparate body of knowledge around entrenched co-parenting conflict. In Australia only 3% of separated parents use the courts as their main pathway to finalise parenting arrangements, however one third of separated parents’ co-parenting relationships comprise acrimonious behaviours which are constituted by high levels of conflict. Following separation legal processes may be drawn out and closure inhibited, with court and legal professionals reportedly spending 90% of their time on this separating population. The current thesis explored entrenched co-parenting conflict across two studies. Firstly, within a quantitative research design (Study 1) comprising online surveys and dyadic analysis. Secondly, within a qualitative research design (Study 2) comprising interviews.Submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2020
Situation Awareness in multi-agency emergency response: Models, methods and applications
No full textEffective emergency response to any disaster is predicated on successful multi-agency coordination, which in turn relies on agencies to understand ‘what is going on’, generally known as Situation Awareness (SA). SA can be viewed from an individual, team or a systems perspective. Research in other safety critical environments and multi-team systems that have adopted a systems thinking perspective indicates that Distributed Situation Awareness (DSA) may be a suitable theoretical framework to use when attempting to understand and optimise multi-agency emergency response (ER) systems. Despite its popularity in other domains, it is unclear the extent to which the DSA perspective has been applied in the ER context. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the current literature in the area of SA in multi-agency disaster response, and to establish the extent to which the theory of DSA has been examined in this context. A structured search of the literature identified only one study that applied the established DSA methodology to their research. Findings from this review reveal a knowledge gap exists in investigating SA from a systems perspective in ER and therefore future research utilising the theory of DSA in this domain is warranted
Genetic parameters for traits affecting consumer preferences for the Portuguese oyster, Crassostrea angulata
No full textProduction of the Portuguese oyster, Crassostrea angulata, is increasing rapidly in Vietnam, and consumer preferences for oyster appearance and meat quality have become more economically important. However, no studies have been conducted to estimate genetic parameters of meat colour, edible traits and the occurrence of disfiguring parasite infestation in any oyster species. In this study, we report genetic parameters for parasite disease traits, objective measurements of shell and mantle colours (L*, a* and b* colour) and edible traits (water holding capacity, taste and tenderness) for a selectively bred Portuguese oyster breeding population. We applied a restricted maximum likelihood method to estimate genetic parameters for the traits studied. Heritability estimates for the colour measurements of shell and mantle were low to high (h2 = 0.13–0.57), whereas those obtained for the parasite diseases on shells and tissues were close to zero (h2 = 0.011). Interestingly, there was genetic variation in edible traits (h2 = 0.04–0.17). The genetic correlations among whole weight and parasitic shell and tissue disease traits was significant but unfavourable, whereas the genetic correlations between whole weight and water holding capacity was significant and favourable (rg = 0.87 ± 0.05). These suggest that a multi-trait restricted selection index should be used to improve productivity and economic returns for the oyster aquaculture sector
Comparative analysis of adaptation strategies for coastal climate change in North West Europe
No full textAdaptation to climate change has experienced a recent rapid increase in guides, manuals and strategies, including the EU adaptation strategy of 2013. However, minimal critical review or evaluation has been done on the process and outcomes of adaptation strategies. This work presents a comparative analysis of progress towards adaptation strategies in nine coastal areas in NW Europe (from Belgium, France, Ireland and UK) where the INTERREG IVb IMCORE project was implemented. Adaptation progress was evaluated using a suite of indicators in six categories: Relevance, Effectiveness, Efficiency, Results & Impact, Sustainability and Management. Data were obtained through a combination of questionnaires and interviews. Although a similar IMCORE adaptation process was implemented there were notable differences between areas. Two alternate modes of implementation were identified: one focused more on impact and results and one on institutionalisation and future security of the adaptation process. The length of history of collaborative working was positively associated with progress in adaptation planning. The results thus recommend creation of a base for collaborative working prior to undertaking an adaptation initiative. However, this contrasts with the EU approach for developing adaptation strategies in which seeking agreement with stakeholders responsible for implementation is the penultimate stage
Effects of distance from canal and degradation history on peat bulk density in a degraded tropical peatland
No full textOver recent decades, the combination of deforestation, peat drainage and fires have resulted in widespread degradation of Southeast Asia's tropical peatlands. These disturbances are generally thought to increase peat soil bulk density through peat drying and shrinkage, compaction, and consolidation. Biological oxidation and fires burning across these landscapes also consume surface peat, exposing older peat strata. The prevalence and severity of deforestation, peat drainage and fire are typically greater closer to canals, built to drain peatlands and provide access routes for people. We compared bulk densities of 240 cm peat profiles from intact forests and degraded peatlands broadly, and also assessed differences between degraded peatlands near-to-canals (50–200 m from the nearest canal) and far-from-canals (300+ m from the nearest canal). The effects of vegetation type and fire frequency on bulk density, irrespective of the distance from canal, were also investigated. Mean bulk density values ranged between 0.08 and 0.16 g cm−3 throughout the 240 cm peat profiles. Drainage of peat near-to-canals increased bulk density of peat above the minimum water table depth. Degradation by deforestation and fire also increased bulk densities of upper peat strata, albeit with greater variability. Peat sampled further from canals experienced less intense water table drawdowns, buffering them from drainage effects. These areas were also more commonly forested and burnt less frequently. Differences in bulk densities below minimum water table levels are less clear, but may reflect lowering of the current peat surface in degraded peatlands broadly. These results clearly show that important differences in bulk density exist across degraded peatlands that are spatially dependent on distance from canals and disturbance history. These landscape features should be taken into account when designing future bulk density sampling efforts and peatland restoration programs, or when extrapolating from existing sources in order to make accurate inferences from them
Designing Gamified Apps for Sustainable Consumption: A Field Study
No full textThis research tests the effectiveness of a social marketing field study on sustainable consumption conducted by energy companies on real customers. The study uses a gamified app to encourage sustainable household energy usage. We analyze app usage, survey, and energy bills data to demonstrate the impact of specific game design elements on customers’ perceived enjoyment and knowledge, and their behavioral intentions regarding sustainable consumption. We show the gamified app influences energy saving behaviors and word-ofmouth, and results in significant monetary savings compared to a control group. These are exciting results that provide novel insights and help support the potential of gamified apps for businesses and consumers
