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Analysis of authentic legal negotiation discourse: towards an ELP pedagogy
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 265-282.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Theoretical perspectives on discourse analysis -- Chapter 3. Legal and business discourses -- Chapter 4. Theoretical perspectives on the research methodology -- Chapter 5. Data collection and analysis -- Chapter 6. Contextual research perspectives -- Chapter 7. Stage One : Initiating the bidding process -- Chapter 8. Stage Two : Deal-making -- Chapter 9. Stage Three : Finalising the transaction -- Chapter 10. Summary and contributions -- References -- List of appendices.Lawyers have traditionally learned how to negotiate the operational terms of contracts based on an experiential or implicit sense of what is appropriate, gained through working closely with other lawyers. A significant implication for law graduates is that while they may acquire a more or less passive familiarity with key contractual genres from formal education, they are not always able to produce situation-specific examples of such genres and remain relatively unaware of the discursive subtleties of situated practice in the legal-professional workplace (Bhatia, 2004, 2008). These challenges can be much more acute for the growing body of lawyers from non English speaking backgrounds and contexts, many of whom will need to negotiate contracts in English as the primary lingua franca across a wide range of multilingual and multicultural contexts (see Breeze, 2014).In response to these pedagogical challenges, I carried out intensive research in a commercial law firm in Istanbul, where I gained access to the authentic legal texts and discourse practices pertaining to the negotiation of a Mergers-and-Acquisitions (M&A) type transaction, conducted in English, with European partners and counterpart lawyers. Applying the innovative multi-perspective research model of Candlin & Crichton (2011), I aimed at providing richly contextualised analyses of a wide range of discursive and discourse related practices and of the interactional roles and relationships of the legal and business professionals involved in the negotiation process, as they operationalise their own individual repertoires and expertise. My findings show how lawyers and other professionals, using English as the lingua franca in an international business and legal context, depend on the strategic use of language and discourse(s), as mediated by the intertextual use of emails and covering letters to negotiate and record negotiation activities. Using discourse and genre analytical methodology, I identify key lexicogrammatical features and rhetorical structures both in email communications and in the negotiated contractual documents. Analysis also shows how these genres overlap and interact as part of genre repertoires (see Orlikowski and Yates, 1994a, 1994b) and how certain genres are adapted and hybridized to create new genres to achieve context specific discursive goals as a type of genre ecology (see Spinuzzi & Zachry, 2000) for this M&A transaction. Other important findings relate to the institutionalised use of theTrack Changes editing tools in Microsoft Word as the dominant communicative function to negotiate amendments to contractual documents, where it is supported by other ancillary discourse types like advising and informing.This thesis is to my knowledge the first of its kind to produce a comprehensive intertextually and interdiscursively oriented ontology and ecology of legal negotiation discourse. The study makes an original contribution to applied linguistics and especially to the emergent field of professional discourse studies in situated legal contexts. My hope is that findings from this thesis will also be used to develop more effective pedagogy for teaching English for Legal Purposes (ELP) by situating learning in rea lworld scenarios.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xii, 292 pages) table
Translating swear words in Pulp Fiction: a comparative case study in DVD subtitles and internet fansubs
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 78-84.Chapter 1: Introduction -- Chapter 2: Literature review -- Chapter 3: Methodology -- Chapter 4: Results and discussion -- Chapter 5: Conclusion.Due to the prevalence of swearing in popular films such as some of those produced in Hollywood, it is a linguistic phenomenon that causes significant issues in cross-cultural adaptation when these films are translated for contexts where swearing is further from the norm, and is considered taboo. In line with this, the present study sets out to investigate two main research questions: (1) What are the translation strategies employed in rendering swear words into Arabic in the context of subtitles? (2) Are there any significan differences between the subtitles by professionals and by fans in terms of the strategies used?This study takes the film Pulp Fiction (1994), directed and written by Quentin Tarantino, as a case study. The data of the corpus is drawn from two versions of the film translation, namely the official DVD subtitles and the internet subtitles created by fans (fansubs). A quantitative analysis was carried out to identify the distributions and frequency of each instance of swear words and the translation strategies used in the official DVD subtitles and the internet fansubs, and to determine whether there are significant differences between these two subtitled versions or not. Based on the quantitative results, a qualitative analysis is provided. The results show that around two-thirds of English swear words have been omitted in both subtitled versions, although the words chosen in the fansub version tend to be harsher than those in the official DVD version.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (84 pages) graph
Revisiting the foundations of animal personality
No full textThesis by publication.Includes bibliographical references.Chapter One. Developing trait theory in animal personality : lessons from psychology and phylogenetics -- Chapter Two. The effects of acclimatisation on behavioural repeatability in two commonly assayed behaviours of the guppy Poecilia reticulata.Animal personality research is incredibly important, but at the same time faces constant criticisms over its methodological and theoretical foundations. These foundational problems undermine the progress of the field, its reputation, and its impact, and need to be addressed so that previous research can be understood clearly, and that future research can progress in a grounded and efficient way. This thesis addresses two concerns in the animal personality field: 1) a lack of developed theory of personality traits in animals, and 2) a lack of research informing basic methodological decisions.Chapter one develops a clear pathway for developing and testing trait theory in animals. An underdeveloped trait theory is the ultimate cause for most of the problems raised in recent reviews of the field. Learning from approaches used in human psychology and in phylogenetics, I describe a bottom up approach to develop the structure of animal personality in a species. This structure will both determine the appropriate number of personality traits and trait categories/dimensions, and determine which behaviours reflect each trait.Chapter two investigates the effect of acclimatisation on behaviour in two different populations of the guppy, Poecilia reticulata. I found that longer acclimatisation leads to more repeatable behaviour in an activity assay, and recommend that activity be measured in a familiar environment. For an emergence assay, individuals must be moved to an unfamiliar apparatus and cannot be acclimatised for long periods due to the nature of the starter box. Furthermore, acclimatisation periods are limited due to unideal starting conditions for the animal. I found that although intermediate acclimatisation time led to the highest behavioural repeatability, the emergence assay produced highly repeatable behaviour overall regardless of acclimatisation period. This suggests that the emergence assay generally generates robust behavioural responses. I recommend that researchers investigate acclimatisation times within their study population using their chosen behavioural assays prior to commencing research.Although further research is required to answer the criticisms of animal personality research, these chapters are each a step towards addressing two of the foundational issues in the field.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (67 pages) graphs, table
Evidence-based and reflective practice approaches to executive coaching: an interpretative phenomenological analysis
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 271-298.Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Introduction to executive coaching -- Chapter 3. Concept of evidence in executive coaching -- Chapter 4. Concepts of executive coaching and their research practices -- Chapter 5. From evidence-based practice (EBP) to practice-based evidence (PBE) -- Chapter 6. Method -- Chapter 7. Results and discussion -- Chapter 8. Conclusion -- References -- Appendices.The late 1990s and early 2000s were exciting times for executive coaching, a field of practice full of promise but lacking disciplinary boundaries. An emerging research focus is developing theories to support the practice and unify its diverse elements, by working towards shared agreement across different practices. But both research and practice share the problem of a plurality of approaches that are not necessarily commensurable. Aligning the different approaches to both coaching and research about coaching, so as to establish a shared understanding, remains an ongoing challenge.Theorising about coaching falls into two camps: evidence-based and reflective practice-based. Evidence-based approaches tend to be based on the principles of science. In contrast, reflective practitioner-based approaches tend to believe that theories are generated through reflection in the context of experience.Coaching can develop as a field only if research and practice are aligned and if these two contrasting theoretical approaches have a relationship to each other. To investigate this potential relationship, this study returned to the historical origins of evidence-based coaching, exploring how the focus in medical, nursing and psychological research has shifted from evidence-based research (EBR) to practice-based evidence (PBE). Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was then used to undertake an empirical investigation of this transition. The aim is not to argue for or against any one approach but to determine the feasibility of establishing a shared understanding that could accommodate a range of approaches to theorising about coaching. The thesis contributes towards a framework for shared understanding, which is essential for the development of executive coaching as a discipline.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xvi, 324 pages) table
To preach Him among the gentiles: a study of Paul’s missionary preaching according to his Epistles
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 164-173.Section 1. Literature review -- Section 2. Terminology : Paul’s use of preaching words -- Section 3. Particular passages in Paul -- Section 4. Conclusions : confidence, caution and further study required -- Works cited.Many have attempted to uncover or reconstruct Paul’s missionary message from various texts, chiefly Paul’s epistles and Acts. This study explores what of Paul’s missionary preaching we can uncover only from his epistles, but with reference to the secondary epistles and the Pauline tradition as presented in Acts.Following a review of the literature, a detailed examination is made of Paul’s word use in relation to his preaching. This includes words such as “gospel”, “word” and “mystery” and response words like “faith” and “repentance”. Attention then turns to specific summaries of the gospel in Paul’s epistles. These include 1 Thess. 1:9-10, 1 Cor. 1-2 and 15:3-5, Gal. 1:11-17 and Rom. 1:1-4. Included with the last passage is an exploration of the question of Romans itself being Paul’s gospel.The purpose of this thesis is to agree that there is one gospel/kerygma but that the expression of that changes with context. With unbelievers, the evidence would suggest that Paul preached the gospel in way that would most potently bring people to repentance and faith, but without compromising the truth of the message he presented. But with believers, the message became less (or non) negotiable and centred on the death and resurrection of Christ.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (173 pages
Tangent bundles, monoidal theories, and Weil algebras
No full textTheoretical thesis.Bibliography: pages 96-97.1. Introduction -- 2. Weil algebras and graphs -- 3. The category Weil1 -- the category Weil∞ -- 5. Concluding remarks.The construction of the tangent bundle of a manifold lies at the very foundations of differential geometry. There are various approaches to characterise the tangent bundle, and two such approaches are through Synthetic Differential Geometry (SDG) and Tangent Structures (in the sense of Cockett-Cruttwell). Here, we shall give a different perspective, that Tangent Structure can be viewed as a model of an appropriate theory. This theory arises as a certain full subcategory Weil1 of the category Weil of all Weil algebras. The connection between Weil algebras and SDG is well established, but their connection to Tangent Structure is not evident. In this thesis, we shall exhibit Weil1 as the universal tangent structure and in fact the axioms of tangent structure actually form a presentation for Weil1. We shall then continue by describing how this perspective allows us to extend this theory in a canonical manner.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (viii, 97 pages
The adoption and effectiveness of Quality Management practices in Bangladesh
No full textThesis by publication.Includes bibliographical referencesChapter One: Introduction -- Chapter Two: Literature review -- Chapter Three: Paper One -- Chapter Four: Paper Two -- Chapter Five: Paper Three -- Chapter Six: Conclusion.Globalisation, advances in technologies, and the impact of liberalisation have led to significant increases in competition, and resulted in enhanced use of Quality Management (QM) practices in order to remain competitive. Accordingly, this thesis examines the adoption and effectiveness of QM practices in the context of a developing economy. Specifically, the thesis examines the contingency factors,including institutional pressures and organisational related factors that affect the adoption of QM, including Total Quality Management (TQM). This thesis also examines the association between specific organisational factors and the effectiveness of QM practices, assessed in respect to competitive advantage, and the mediating role of Kaynak's (2003) core TQM practices and quality performance in this relationship. Data was collected through interviews with 16 managers of a garment organisation in Bangladesh and a survey of 673 managers in Bangladeshi garment organisations.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (xiv, 201 pages
Self-body relations: attachment, maladaptive schemas, and emotion regulation in eating disturbances
No full textTheoretical thesis.Includes bibliographical references.Chapter 1. Overview of research -- Chapter 2. Background – emotion-regulation models of eating disturbances -- Chapter 3. Background – eating disorders as disorders of self -- Chapter 4. The current research -- Chapter 5. Emotion inhibition, negative emotional experience, and eating disorder pathology in women -- Chapter 6. Beliefs about emotion and eating pathology in women : the role of emotion regulation strategies, negative emotionality, and depressive symptoms -- Chapter 7. Feelings about the self and body in eating disturbances : the role of internalised shame, self-esteem, externalised self-perceptions and body shame -- Chapter 8. The role of attachment dynamics, maladaptive schemas, and body shame in contributing to eating pathology in women -- Chapter 9. General discussion -- References -- Appendices.Self-concept deficits and difficulties with emotion have long been implicated in the development and maintenance of eating disorders (ED). This thesis aimed to integrate various emotion-regulation, self-regulation, and sociocultural models of ED pathology within an overarching framework of attachment theory. Such an integrated ‘self/emotion-regulation model’ of ED pathology posits that negative feelings about the self and unexpressed emotions are displaced onto the body and that ED pathology represents the maladaptive function of attempting to manage these painful internal experiences and to enhance self-worth via the body and achievement of idealised standards.This integrated self/emotion-regulation model was explored in a series of four studies using two distinct heterogeneous samples of women. In accordance with emotion-regulation models of ED pathology, the first study explored the roles of various forms of emotional inhibition (negative beliefs about emotion, ambivalence over emotional expressiveness, silencing-the-self and divided-self schemas), in individually and uniquely explaining variance in ED pathology and examined the possible mediating and moderating role of negative emotionality in the associations between each form of emotional inhibition and ED pathology. The second study then investigated the direct and indirect roles of a number of emotion regulation strategies (reappraisal, suppression, rumination, reflection, and emotional reflection), negative beliefs about emotion, negative emotionality, and depressive symptoms in contributing to variance in ED pathology within path models.In testing features of the integrated self/emotion-regulation model of ED pathology, the third study explored the role of feelings of low self-worth (internalised shame and low self-esteem), externalised self-perceptions (self-objectification and body surveillance), body shame, and depressive symptoms in directly and indirectly contributing to variance in ED pathology. Finally, the fourth study investigated the structural associations among insecure attachment styles (anxiety and avoidance), defectiveness/shame schemas, emotional inhibition, unrelenting standards (perfectionism), body shame, depressive symptoms and ED pathology within a path model.The results need to be interpreted with some caution due to a number of limitations, the most notable of which is the use of cross-sectional designs. Nevertheless, taken together the current findings provide preliminary support for an integrated self/emotion-regulation model of ED pathology grounded in attachment theory. Specifically, in support of emotion regulation models of ED pathology, findings suggest that various forms of emotion inhibition (in particular, negative beliefs about emotion), and other maladaptive emotion-regulation strategies serve to increase the experience of negative emotion, which in turn may trigger ED pathology as a means of alleviating this experience. In support of self-regulation models of ED pathology, findings suggest that negative feelings about the self (low self esteem, internalised shame) are externalised (via increased self-objectification and body surveillance) and displaced onto the body, thereby increasing body shame and giving rise to depressive symptoms and ED pathology. Finally, within a broad self/emotion-regulation model, findings suggest that insecure attachment styles contribute to negative feelings about the self (defectiveness/shame), emotional inhibition, and unrealistically high standards, which are externalised onto the body (in the form of body shame), and thereby contribute to depressive symptoms and ED pathology.Such evidence highlights the need for therapeutic interventions for young women with EDs to also address underlying difficulties with insecure attachment, feelings of low self worth, difficulties with emotion regulation and other maladaptive schemas in order to enhance the efficacy of current treatments and improve therapy outcomes.Mode of access: World wide web1 online resource (x, 346 pages) diagrams, graphs, table
Modelling speech analysis workflows in VisTrails
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages 57-59.1. Introduction -- 2. Background -- 3. VisTrails -- 4. Building a classifier for recognising phones -- 5. VisTrails implementations -- 6. Conclusions and future work -- 7. Abbreviations -- Appendix.Reproducibility of results is a fundamental component of conducting comprehensive research. When experimenting with data-analysis pipelines, time spent managing low-level processes and juggling inconsistencies between tools is a barrier to effective research. Rather than exclude persons who might not have a strong technical/programming background to work around these limits, Utilising a "higher level" workflow environment could be of great benefit in certain domains - for this project, that domain is acoustic phonetics. This project is an exploration into the effective use of the workflow sofware "VisTrails" for building acoustic phonetics workflows. VisTrails is a python-based application where workflows can be visually constructed using a "drag and drop" interface of logic modules and linked input/output ports. Users can test workflows under a variety of operational parameters without the need to modify low-level source-code. Furthermore, users can create custom VisTrails packages tailored for particular domains. These can be bundles and shared between colleagues for easily repeatable and extensible experiments. In this project, the core design elements of workflows are investigated within the context of acoustic phonetics, and a target analysis task (classifying phones using formant trajectory data) is implemented at various levels of module granularity. The benefits/drawbacks of each approach are investigated, and assessments are made on the practicality of working with VisTrails workflows, and their component modules, at these levels of abstraction.Mode of access: World wide web.1 online resource (xi, 61 pages diagrams
Remote electromagnetic energy (EME) power logging
No full textEmpirical thesis.Bibliography: pages [62-64].Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. Background -- Chapter 3. Project design & experimental procedures -- Chapter 4. Results & discussion -- Chapter 5. Conclusion -- Chapter 6. Future work -- Chapter 7. Acronyms -- Chapter 8. Glossary -- References -- Appendices.Today we take connectivity for granted, particularly in first world countries like ours. When using devices to connect to a vast network for everyday communication, we are generally unaware of the policies and procedures that are required for implementation.Electromagnetic energy (EME) exposure is something that is an underlying necessity for wireless connectivity. This has become increasingly important in the telecommunications industry when assessing exclusion zones for public health as new technologies (3G, 4G, 5G) will make it considerably harder to comply with regulatory standards. Currently, regulatory standards are based on precautionary methodology, which is restrictive as it relies on theory. The precautionary methodology is limiting to resources, productivity and efficiency.This project aims to show that by using readily available devices, a real-world problem can be solved by collecting accurate data from mobile base stations to find out the real exposure values. This will be achieved by accurately measuring the EME levels produced on site over a period of time.This data will enable us to detect the worst case scenario and provide vital information for more effective designs that meet the regulatory requirements. As the standards allow the six-minute sliding average to be taken, this can then be correlated to traffic from the site so that we in the future will be able to map the exclusion zones more accurately.The profile will provide a complete picture of exposure and traffic that defines the category of the site as either high or normal. Currently, exclusion zones don't account for actual beam tilts using a broad range of 0 to 10 degress for implementing boundary zones. Therefore, the current methodology is a one size fits all approach for all sites, as opposed to the tailored approach proposed by this research. By measuring using real-time logging, Optus will be able to see if this is viable and set an example for change in the industry once proven and verified by the National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA).Mode of access: World wide web.1 online resource (1 volume (unnumbered pages) colour illustrations