bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Unraveling the secret life of cryptic algal species: evolution, phylogeography and eco-physiology of the red alga, Bostrychia intricata
Authors:   , Muangmai Narongrit
Published: November 2021

Molecular techniques have enhanced our ability to unravel the evolutionary history and hidden diversity of species, and to explain how historical events have helped to shape the demography and dispersal of populations. Cryptic species are typically defined as two or more genetically distinct species that are morphologically indistinguishable. The discovery of cryptic diversity has become a challenge for biologists in understanding the species concepts and biodiversity patterns. Many current studies have revealed the existence of cryptic species, but few studies have focused on their ecological and biological aspects.  Bostrychia, a filamentous red alga, has long been used as a model system for studies of evolutionary process and biogeographic history. In the Southern Hemisphere, there are four endemic species: B. arbuscula, B. gracilis, B. intricata and B. vaga. Bostrychia intricata is widely distributed in the Southern Hemisphere, whereas the other three species have more restricted distributions. The aim of this study was to reveal the evolutionary history, phylogeographic pattern and eco-physiological trait within B. intricata.  Phylogenetic analysis based on combined data (mitochondrial COI, chloroplast rbcL and nuclear 28S) strongly supported the monophyly of the four Southern Hemisphere Bostrychia species, with B. vaga as a sister species to the other three. Multigene phylogeny and COI-based species delimitation revealed cryptic species diversity within B. intricata and B. vaga. Additionally, a COI-based phylogeographic study indicated the existence of three cryptic B. intricata species (N2, N4 and N5) in New Zealand. Population analyses demonstrated that cryptic species N2 populations recently expanded, possibly after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), while N4 was more diverse, showing a stable population, which possibly persisted during the LGM. The results suggested that the contrasting pattern in population structure and demographic histories between cryptic species was probably due to the difference in the evolutionary history and survival ability.  Growth experiments clearly showed that cryptic species N4 had a significantly higher specific growth rate than other two species, N2 and N5, in different salinities and temperature, suggesting physiologically differentiation between these cryptic species. Additionally, the small-scale distribution of B. intricata at Moa Point, Wellington of three cryptic species showed that N4 was found at the higher tidal position than species N2 and N5. Cryptic species N2 occurred in more wave-exposed areas than other two species. These results suggest spatial niche differences between cryptic species, possibly allowing them to sympatrically co-exist. This study highlights the fact that cryptic species are distinctly different in many biological characteristics, while maintaining \identical morphologies.
Identifying and Validating Prelinguistic Communicative Forms and Functions in Children with Developmental Disability
Authors:   , Stevens Michelle L.
Published: November 2021

While children with developmental disabilities often fail to develop speech, many will nonetheless engage in a range of prelinguistic behaviours. Prelinguistic behaviours include actions such as eye gaze or eye pointing, pointing with a finger, facial expressions (e.g., smile, frown), and body movements (e.g., waving an arm, leg extension). The purpose of this research project was to evaluate procedures for (a) identifying prelinguistic forms in the repertoires of children with developmental disability, and (b) validating the communicative function, if any, of these existing prelinguistic behaviours. This was achieved through a three-phase study involving a total of 10 children with developmental disabilities and their parents. For Phase 1, the author interviewed each child’s parent(s) and teacher using a structured protocol; The Inventory of Potential Communicative Acts (IPCA; Sigafoos, Woodyatt, Keen et al., 2000). The IPCA has been used in numerous previous studies to identify prelinguistic behaviours that are interpreted as forms of communication. In Phase 2, the author used informant report to identify and replicate six situations: three in which each participant was reported to communicate a specific function and three in which he/she reportedly did not communicate. The author then compared the children’s responses during the clinical trials to the behaviours he/she was reported to use for the targeted function. In Phase 3, the parent replicated the structured trials used in Phase 2 to determine whether participant performance varied relative to communicative partner. Findings from this study provide evidence to support the validity of the IPCA as an interview protocol for identifying potential communicative acts in children with developmental disability and severe communication impairment. The comparisons made between the reported communicative behaviours used for each function revealed both similarities and differences across children. The results also provide evidence that children with severe communication impairment and developmental disability are using similar behaviours to communicate specific functions across different environments and with different communicative partners.
A student music therapist's exploration of her cultural identities in relation to music therapy practice in a specialist music therapy centre in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors:   , Han Hee Hyun
Published: November 2021

This heuristic research explores a student music therapist’s (SMT’s) journey of discovery with respect to her cultural identities in relation to music therapy (MT) practice with clients from diverse cultural backgrounds. A review of the literature was undertaken to investigate issues of identity in relation to MT practice. In order to analyse and evaluate the SMT’s experience of working with culturally diverse clients, secondary analysis of the student’s reflexive journal was used to identify the relationships between the SMT’s cultural identities and her MT practice with clients. Four main themes emerged during the process of thematic analysis of data: experiencing strong feelings as an SMT; observing individual reactions as an SMT and interpreting clients’ reactions; making connections and disconnections with clients; and learning to adapt and refine the use of MT methods. The research emphasised how a student can learn about practice and research through reflexive self-examination, and raised awareness of the complex interactions of identities of therapist and client that occur in MT practice.
Branding The Corporate Winery
Authors:   , Sansom Finn
Published: November 2021

Corporate branding can be an important part of a company’s communication strategy. The corporate identity shapes how a company is known and perceived by the public. Logo’s, jingles, products and advertising are only part of the shaping of this image. It has been identified that architecture can play a significant role too (Melewar & Jenkins, 2002).  The wine industry in New Zealand is very competitive and has a very involved relationship with the public. This thesis explores how a wine company can display corporate values through architecture.  Using Pernod Ricard as the company, and a new winery production facility as the case study, the thesis will use architectural design elements to produce a functional winery with a unique experience driven by Pernod Ricard’s values. Being an international cooperation, place specific values as well as sub-brand values compete with core values of the company. These factors present an interesting architectural investigation.
The New Zealand productivity puzzle: A paradox or an issue of 'firm governance'
Authors:   , Tong Sodany
Published: November 2021

New Zealand’s productivity under-performance, despite its good quality institutions, has remained a puzzling phenomenon. This topic has generated spirited debates among academia and public policy experts seeking to provide an answer to this age-old paradox. Solving ‘The New Zealand Productivity Puzzle’ is not a straightforward proposition. Previous studies in this area attempted to pin down the main determinants behind the extent to which New Zealand’s actual GDP per capita growth has undershot its predicted rates based on policy settings (Barnes et al., 2013). The recent New Zealand Productivity Commission (2014a) report shows the three key determinants accounting for such a gap are New Zealand’s weak international connections, low innovation and low managerial quality. This paper seeks to go further than merely highlighting the determinants (symptoms) of poor productivity performance in New Zealand, to the cause(s) of the problem by asking ‘why’ these key determinants (symptoms) of poor productivity performance occur. The analytical process of piecing together key results and findings (from available data, literature, and empirical studies) enables one to build a richer picture of New Zealand’s relatively poor productivity performance, to better understand the mechanism behind this puzzling phenomenon. The findings unraveled in this paper verify that this phenomenon is not paradoxical but simply an issue of firm/corporate governance. The sort of issues uncovered here is neither one of poor corporate governance in a conventional manner or an issue of managerial competency alone. Rather problems arise largely as a consequence of inappropriate incentives unintentionally generated by a certain ownership structure. This paper discusses how high ownership concentration associated with lower firm performance in New Zealand negatively affects managerial effectiveness by exacerbating the agency costs associated with managerial entrenchment. The paper shows that together New Zealand’s relatively lower managerial competency and managerial effectiveness associated with lower firm performance, can account for New Zealand’s lack of international connections, low innovation and low managerial quality, and thus potentially explain ‘The New Zealand Productivity Puzzle’.
IMBY: Creating a model for density that maintains suburban values
Authors:   , Mooney Catherine
Published: November 2021

With Greenfield approaches becoming less popular among city councils, forms of densification are being sought out, the most common yet unprecedented form being infill housing. On grounds of this, other methods including apartments are being considered the best solution. For suburban cities, this runs the risk of ignoring fundamental suburban qualities that have been highly desired in New Zealand since settlement, such as open space, autonomous land ownership, and control over one’s own property. Considering ‘the state house’ as a foundational suburban housing model for New Zealand, the Hutt Valley becomes the focus of study for this thesis.  This thesis proposes using infill as a viable solution and means of exploring suburban living to produce a model of densification that offers both continuity with and transformation of cultural and architectural traits of suburban living. It argues for more compact and affordable models that are easily applicable to current New Zealand suburbia and are more responsive to current households. By exploring suburbia at different scales and exploring the current housing layout, new forms of suburban density are formed, where flexibility and neighbourliness are prioritized. The resulting dwelling is arranged based on the varying social needs of humans, allowing inhabitants to define private, shared and public areas both internally and externally.
Peter Tomory : the New Zealand years, 1956-1968
Authors:   , Johnston Courtney
Published: November 2021

This thesis concerns Peter Tomory's nine years as Director of the Auckland City Art Gallery, between 1956 and 1964. The main theme that emerges in this study concerns the emphasis Tomory placed on professional practices, both at the Gallery and in the visual arts in New Zealand as a whole. The discussion is broken into four chapters. The first chapter sets the context for Tomory's directorship: his professional background, the New Zealand art world of the 1950s, and his initial vision for the Gallery. The second chapter is devoted to Tomory's development of the Gallery's permanent collection, and the third explores the ambitious programme of temporary exhibitions undertaken at the Gallery during his tenure. These broad topics are considered with reference to Tomory's policy statements, and through the close study of selected case studies. The final chapter examines the history of New Zealand art that Tomory developed over his twelve years in New Zealand (including both the texts he published while at the Gallery, and those he wrote while lecturing at the University of Auckland School of Fine Arts from 1965 to 1968) and his call for a more professional approach to art writing in this country. A bibliography of Tomory's published texts is included. A special effort is made in this study to consider Tomory's activities at the Gallery and his writing within their original historical and art-historical contexts, and also with reference to the way these actions and texts have been interpreted and employed by later commentators, especially post-nationalist critics. In this way, it is revealed that the history of New Zealand art formulated in the 1950s and 1960s was less homogenous, more complex and more contentious than it has more recently been portrayed.
Preschool Storytime in Auckland’s public libraries: A qualitative study of book selection practices
Authors:   , Carroll Valerie
Published: November 2021

Research problem: Anecdotal evidence suggested a lack of uniformity across Auckland Libraries, in that Preschool Storytime sessions were being delivered by a range of different people with varying levels of training and experience. The purpose of the research was to gain an understanding of their book selection practices and the nature of the books selected for reading aloud.  Methodology: The researcher took a qualitative approach, using a purposive sampling technique to select 10 participants from nine different libraries across the Auckland region. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect the required data.  Results: Seven main factors were found to influence the book selection process: length; illustrations; subjects, concepts and themes; use of language; the potential for audience participation; the potential for emotional engagement and personal preference. Participants employed various strategies to assist them in finding suitable books. These included physical browsing, online browsing, searching the library catalogue and seeking recommendations. Toy and movable books and picture storybooks were popular with participants.  Implications: The findings from this study may be of interest to librarians working with children in public libraries elsewhere in New Zealand. The results could potentially be used as a tool to guide and inform their storytime practices, and as a basis for training and development. A subsequent study involving content analysis could be undertaken at a later date, with a view to describing in detail the books shared with children during Preschool Storytime sessions.
Reflecting the science of instruction? Screencasting in Australian and New Zealand academic libraries: a content analysis
Authors:   , Murphy Jason Simon
Published: November 2021

Research problem Instructional screencasts are increasingly part of the online tutorial mix offered by academic libraries, but what makes for effective screencast design? This research provides a snapshot of screencast design in Australian and New Zealand academic libraries and appraises it through the lens of multimedia learning theory.  Methodology Evidence-based design principles that promote effective learning for multimedia were identified from the research literature. A cognitive psychological approach was taken, drawing principally from Mayer’s cognitive theory of multimedia learning. The principles outlined in Mayer’s theory were translated into guidelines applicable to screencast tutorial production. These guidelines formed the basis for an assessment rubric which was applied to screencasts produced by New Zealand and Australian Universities. Content analysis was then applied to determine to what extent screencast tutorials in the sample reflected the principles outlined in Mayer’s theory.  Results On average, screencasts from the institutions surveyed integrated 7.6 of 9 effective multimedia principles. The low variance across the sample suggests this high standard was approximated or exceeded by most tutorials. Australian and New Zealand libraries were of a comparable standard overall with similar areas of strength and weakness.  Implications Mayer’s principles provide a useful foundation for designing effective multimedia instruction. The translation of these principles into screencast design guidelines will hopefully serve as useful considerations. Commonly neglected principles (coherence, signalling and segmenting) present areas for design improvement but also opportunities for further research in an academic library context.
The role of social capital for self-employed information professionals in Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors:   , Traser Simona Pilar
Published: November 2021

Research problem: The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how self-employed information professionals perceive the role of social capital in the development of their businesses in New Zealand. This required gaining an understanding of their professional relationship-building, networking, help-seeking and related activities.  Methodology: A purposive sample of eight self-employed information professionals was interviewed. The interviews were semi-structured and occurred via Skype, phone, and face-to-face meetings. Anderson, Park, and Jack’s (2007) conceptual framework of social capital served as a theoretical lens in the interview design and data analysis.  Results: Social capital was described in terms of giving (voluntary activity) and sharing (exchanging information and resources). Ethics, generosity, human touch, and mutuality emerged as important behavioural principles in the development of strong and effective relationships and networks. Apart from market opportunities, personal and professional well-being appeared to be equally important outcomes of social capital.  Implications: In focusing on a lesser-known, but potentially growing, occupational group of sole traders, the study contributes to the library and information studies and social capital research in New Zealand. The results are indicative only and more data is needed, but they provide a useful resource for future and present self-employed information professionals.
Pyridyl Phosphine Complexes in the Design of Hydration Catalysts
Authors:   , Somerville Rosemarie Janet
Published: November 2021

Recent advances in homogeneous catalysis have identified the importance of ligands able to participate in the catalytic cycle. Particularly relevant to making chemistry “greener” are those ligands that solubilise the catalyst in aqueous solution, and those that are able to activate water molecules towards reaction with the metal complex or substrate. This thesis describes the synthesis and coordination chemistry of a novel ligand bearing 2-pyridylphosphine substituents attached to a 2,6-pyridyl backbone (²⁻pyrPNP, [(C₅H₄N)₂PCH₂]₂C₅H₃N). These components were selected for their abilities to interact with water through dearomatisation processes, hydrogen bonding, and the basic pyridyl nitrogen atoms.  The synthesis of pure ²⁻pyrPNP described here represents a much improved method for the synthesis of pyridylphosphines compared to those published in the literature. This is demonstrated by comparison with the original synthetic route, which produced many intractable impurities, as well as by the ability of the new method to provide PhPNP from an economical and air-stable starting material.  Reactions of ²⁻pyrPNP with rhodium precursors show complicated reactivity, including the potential formation of paramagnetic species. Investigation into the reactivity of ²⁻pyrPNP with analogous iridium precursors resulted in the synthesis of [(²⁻pyrPNP)Ir(cod)]Cl. This is the first crystallographically characterised complex containing a facially coordinated PNP ligand. The cod ligand can be removed with ethene and hydrogen to form bis(ethene) and chloroiridium(III) bis(hydride) complexes [(²⁻pyrPNP)Ir(C₂H₄)₂]Cl and [(²⁻pyrPNP)Ir(H)₂Cl], respectively. Both complexes contain meridionally-coordinated ²⁻pyrPNP.  Preliminary investigations reveal that the iridium complexes are fairly successful nitrile hydration catalysts under aqueous conditions. In addition, the cod and bis(ethene) complexes bearing ²⁻pyrPNP are more active than the cod complex of the pyridyl-free PhPNP ligand.
Sport as a tool of politics: A study on Myanmar's Southeast Asian Games 2013
Authors:   , Min Aung Ko
Published: November 2021

Since a new semi-civilian government came to power in March 2011, Myanmar has embarked on sweeping reforms to end its isolation and integrate its economy with the international economy. As a signal of stimulating the economic stagnation, President Thein Sein's government revamped finance and investment laws to draw more foreign investment into the country and asked for financial and technical assistance from the international community at the same time. However, the image of a military-influenced civilian government has created administrative problems for Myanmar's policy of national re-unification and economic development. So Myanmar badly needed to improve its national image and legitimacy in order to reduce the obstacles to its regional and international political and economic objectives. As a diversely populated country, Myanmar leaders thought that projecting a positive national image will contribute to a higher level of national brand and uplift their political legitimacy. Therefore the government decided to host the 27th SEA Games which may be vital for re-branding of Myanmar and so they prepared to formulate this idea since before the transfer of power from military government to a new semi-civilian government in 2011. The Games was a good opportunity for the former Myanmar military leaders to showcase their top-down democratization model. Eventually, with the honour of hosting the Games in December 2013 that returned to the country after 44 years, Myanmar successfully hosted the biggest regional sporting event as a promotion for the new Myanmar. Especially, Myanmar showed its kind hospitability throughout the Games while sport athletes uplifted the nation’s image by earning the most medals for the first time since the competition began in 1959. Therefore, it can be said that hosting the SEA Games could revitalize the standard of Myanmar sports. After the Games, Myanmar people proudly say the words, "That's Myanmar". They have swallowed those words under an oppressive era for decades. The aim of this thesis is to investigate how the once-pariah state, Myanmar, used the 2013 SEA Games to present itself as a normal and friendly country and to achieve international recognition.
The order of questions on a test affects how well students believe they performed
Authors:   , Franco Gregory
Published: November 2021

We know that students are more optimistic about their performance after they take a test that progresses from the easiest to hardest questions than after taking one that progresses in the opposite order¹. In fact, these “Easy-Hard” students are more optimistic than “Hard-Easy” students even when the two groups perform equally. The literature explains this question order bias as a result of students’ failing to sufficiently adjust, in the face of new information, their extreme initial impressions about the test. In the first two of six studies, we investigated the possibility that a biased memory for individual questions on the test is an alternative mechanism driving the question order bias. The pattern of results was inconsistent with this mechanism, but fit with the established impression-based mechanism. In the next four studies, we addressed the role that the number of test questions plays in determining the size of the question order bias, discovered that warning students is only a partially effective method for reducing the bias, and established a more precise estimate of the bias’ size. Taken together, this work provides evidence that the question order bias is a robust phenomenon, likely driven by insufficient adjustment from extreme initial impressions.  ¹ Although the research in this thesis is my own, I conducted it in a lab and supervised a team comprised of research assistants and honours students. I also received advice and direction from my supervisors. Therefore, I often use the word “we” in this thesis to reflect these facts.
Institutions and Relationships Policy in Western Liberal Democracies
Authors:   , Nimmo Christopher David
Published: November 2021

This thesis explores the influence of institutions in the development of policies dealing with adult intimate relationships in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States between 1990 and 2014. Over this period, the social importance and acceptance of non-“traditional” relationships has increased in New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. However, despite all three countries working from what Gauthier describes as a “non-interventionist” approach to family policy, relationships policies have developed in markedly different ways in each. I argue that divergent translations of similar social trends are the result of differences between the structures of decision-making and institutions of interest representation in each country, and of policy legacies that make particular policy avenues more readily accessible. Electoral systems, parliamentary procedures and party structures govern which interests are able to exercise power within legislatures, while other institutions such as courts, bureaucracies, and law commissions contribute to the policy-making process in different ways. Countries are less likely to move in a non-interventionist or pro-egalitarian relationships policy direction where candidate selection procedures allow religious conservatives to play a significant role in both major parties, but religious conservatives have had little success in reversing non-interventionist policy changes after the fact. Instead, pro-traditionalist policy changes are typically minor regulatory changes or expenditures that are vulnerable to budget pressures. Legal interests expressed through law commissions or justice bureaucracies have a key role in enabling transitions to non-interventionist policies, particularly in the treatment of non-marital relationships, although the treatment of these relationships in core government activities such as taxation and welfare may also contribute to decisions in this area.
Prosociality without morality: A Humean constructivist approach to prosocial practical reason for moral skeptics
Authors:   , Drake Nicholas
Published: November 2021

The moral skeptic frequently encounters the view that without a belief in moral facts she has insufficient justification for acting in prosocial ways, such as acting with concern for the interests or welfare of others. This thesis is an argument against that view. The thesis is in two parts, each employing a different type of philosophy. Part one is empirical philosophy, and draws on evidence from psychology and history to show that morality is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition of prosociality, and may in fact be an obstacle to it. Part two is in the fields of metaethics and practical reason, and addresses the question of how a moral skeptic can employ rationality to develop robust, stable, and coherent practical reasons for prosociality. I argue that this can be done by employing a Humean constructivist view. Finally, I use John Stuart Mill as a case study, arguing that he is a noncognitivist and thus a moral skeptic, and that a Humean constructivist reading of his utilitarian theory accounts for the harmony between his moral skepticism and his prosocial normative theory. Mill thus offers an example of prosociality and moral skepticism within a Humean constructivist framework.
Current Fluctuations in Hybrid-Superconductor Normal Structures with Quantum Dots
Authors:   , Droste Stephanie
Published: November 2021

Nanostructures with quantum dots in proximity to superconducting electrodes are an ideal tool to study superconducting correlations in systems with few degrees of freedom that exhibit strong Coulomb-interaction effects. Such hybrid superconductor-normal structures show rich physics due to the interplay of superconductivity, Coulomb interaction and non-equilibrium. Superconducting correlations are established on the quantum dot when it is coupled to a superconductor even in the presence of strong Coulomb repulsion and Cooper pairs can tunnel coherently between the quantum dot and the superconductor.  In this thesis, we investigate theoretically electronic transport through an interacting quantum dot coupled to normal and superconducting leads. The presence of the proximity effect can be detected by the dot's current, namely the Andreev current. However, current fluctuations might reveal information on the electronic transport and the internal structure of the system which is not visible in the mean value of the current. For this reason, we study the current fluctuations through the proximized quantum dot to get access to the properties of such a hybrid quantum-dot system. In particular, we are interested in the finite-frequency fluctuations to unveil the coherent dynamics underlying the proximity effect in the quantum dot and its internal time scales.  At first, we present a study of the frequency-dependent current noise for subgap transport through an interacting single-level quantum dot tunnel-coupled to normal and superconducting leads. For this purpose, we employ a non-equilibrium diagrammatic real-time approach to calculate the finite-frequency current noise. The finite-frequency noise spectrum shows a sharp dip at a frequency corresponding to the energy splitting of the Andreev bound states which is a signature of the coherent exchange of Cooper pairs between the quantum dot and the superconductor. Furthermore, in the high frequency regime, the so called quantum noise regime, the noise spectrum exhibits steps at frequencies equal to the excitation energies. These steps can be related to the effective coupling strength of the excitations.  However, the statistical description of the electron transport does not stop with the noise. Current cumulants of arbitrary order can be obtained by means of full counting statistics (FCS). We set up a theory based on the diagrammatic real-time approach to calculate the finite-time FCS for quantum transport with a non-Markovian master equation that captures the initial correlations between system and reservoir. This allows us to fully describe the current fluctuations of the hybrid quantum-dot system, that is the noise and all higher order current cumulants.
Restorative Justice: An unwanted invitation for tea and biscuits?
Authors:   , Eckersley Kerrin
Published: November 2021

On 6 December 2014 legislation mandating the consideration of restorative justice prior to sentencing was brought into effect. If an offender pleads guilty in the District Court to an offence where there is one or more identifiable victims then their case must be assessed to see whether a meeting between the offender and victim should be arranged, whereby both parties can discuss the cause and impact of the offending.  Critics have been quick to comment on the “mandatory” nature of the legislation, the perception that it is “offender driven” and have highlighted the fact that participation by the offender may lead to a more lenient sentence.  This essay responds to recent media reports which criticised the new legislation for the reasons noted. A particular focus is the idea that restorative justice is offender driven and therefore contrary to the purported philosophy of placing the victim at the centre of the justice system.
Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Appreciative Inquiry (AI): A comparative study of their effectiveness in improving Master's thesis students' performance
Authors:   , Pongsart Garoon
Published: November 2021

The foundations of this research derived from two separate directions: firstly methodological, and secondly, a problematic situation. Both were strongly driven by the “highs” and “lows” of the researcher’s experiences over several years working in the business sector in Thailand and overseas, combined with his passion for being part of education reform in Thailand.  Many students fail to complete their studies. Of domestic students starting an Honours/Master’s qualification at public providers in 1998, by the end of 2002 (5 years later), only 59% had completed their degrees successfully, 2% were still studying towards completion, while 39% had left without completing (Scott, 2004). Why was the completion rate so low? What were the problems that postgraduate students encountered while doing their theses? And how could we help improve the students’ performance?  This research compared and contrasted the two approaches, Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Appreciative Inquiry (AI), by applying them to improve this problematic situation area: Master’s thesis students’ issues. A Hybrid model, combining aspects of the two methods, was also developed and tested. A web-based survey was used to recruit 12 Victoria University of Wellington Master’s thesis students for individual interviews, allocating them into three similar groups of four: TOC, AI, and Hybrid. One interviewee from each group also took part in two coaching sessions (action research).  The outcomes yielded from the three methods revealed both the root causes of the students’ problems (TOC) and the root causes of their success (AI). Based on the two opposite approaches, and the hybrid model, the researcher developed and proposed guidelines for future postgraduate research students, their supervisors, and graduate school committees.  However, some limitations for TOC and AI were revealed: the time-consuming processes for full TOC analysis, and the fact that some tools were not user-friendly. To enhance AI’s performance, stress-free environments may be required. More research on applying TOC, AI, and the Hybrid model to individuals is therefore required in the future.
Object Cloning for Ownership Systems
Authors:   , Li Paley Guangping
Published: November 2021

Modern object-oriented programming languages frequently need the ability to clone, duplicate, and copy objects. The usual approaches taken by languages are rudimentary, primarily because these approaches operate with little understanding of the object being cloned. Deep cloning naively copies every object that has a reachable reference path from the object being cloned, even if the objects being copied have no innate relationship with that object. For more sophisticated cloning operations, languages usually only provide the capacity for programmers to define their own cloning operations for specific objects, and with no help from the type system.  Sheep cloning is an automated operation that clones objects by leveraging information about those objects’ structures, which the programmer imparts into their programs with ownership types. Ownership types are a language mechanism that defines an owner for every object in the program. Ownership types create a hierarchical structure for the heap.  In this thesis, we construct an extensible formal model for an object-oriented language with ownership types (Core), and use it to explore different formalisms of sheep cloning. We formalise three distinct operational semantics of sheep cloning, and for each approach we include proofs or proof outlines where appropriate, and provide a comparative analysis of each model’s benefits. Our main contribution is the descripSC formal model of sheep cloning and its proof of type soundness.  The second contribution of this thesis is the formalism of Mojo-jojo, a multiple ownership system that includes existential quantification over types and context parameters, along with a constraint system for context parameters. We prove type soundness for Mojo-jojo. Multiple ownership is a mechanism which allows objects to have more than one owner. Context parameters in Mojo-jojo can use binary operators such as: intersection, union, and disjointness.
The Difficult Choices of a Post-Colonial State: Timor-Leste and International Educational Aid
Authors:   , Correia De Almeida Nene
Published: November 2021

Timor-Leste is still a newly independent country, obtaining full independence in 2002. The new Constitution gives all citizens a right to education, showing how important education is for Timor-Leste. Educational aid has accounted for around 10% of the aid budget (and has been as high as 28%) over the three years from 2011 to 2014. This thesis explores the emerging relationship between Timor-Leste and its two largest aid donors: Australia and Portugal, through the lens of educational aid. Although there are currently some studies on Timor-Leste’s education policy, there is no current study which explores the relationship between donor foreign policy and educational aid.  The thesis builds on secondary literature and interviews with important figures in the Timorese government. It argues that donors’ political priorities have had an important impact on shaping education policy in Timor-Leste and that the provision of educational aid can help to highlight Timor-Leste’s position as a highly dependent nation in the world system. Portuguese aid has been strongly driven by Portugal’s attempts to maintain political relationships with its former colonies and promote Portuguese language worldwide. Portuguese funding for Portuguese language education has had an impact on language policy, cementing the position of Portuguese as an official language and promoting a Portuguese-influenced position in Timor-Leste’s foreign policy. Australian aid, meanwhile, has emphasised Tetum and English as appropriate languages and is connected with Australian attempts to minimise Timorese discontent over oil politics in the Timor Gap (or Timor Sea). Coordination between these two different donors with different interests has been weak. Timor-Leste finds itself in a difficult position of dependency whereby it needs foreign aid but cannot trust that aid is being given in a disinterested and functional way.
Vietnamese cultural diplomacy and the enhancement of Vietnam's soft power - A case study of Vietnamese cultural diplomacy towards ASEAN
Authors:   , Mai Thu Thi Dang
Published: November 2021

The idea of soft power has emerged since the beginning years of the 21st century and it has caught attention of many scholars and political leaders of the world. Cultural diplomacy is an instrument utilized by governments to attract the governments and the public of other countries, especially through cultural activities. Studies on soft power and cultural diplomacy have been carried out in different countries such as the United States (the U.S.), China, Japan, South Korea, India, Canada, Australia and so on. However, there are not many works on soft power and cultural diplomacy of small country like Vietnam in both Vietnamese and English literature. This thesis attempts to provide a more in-depth analysis on how Vietnam has carried out its cultural diplomacy in order to enhance its soft power in Asia. The thesis sets up a framework for the analysis of Vietnam’s soft power and cultural diplomacy with theories in international relations as well as with examples from the United States, China, Japan and South Korea. In the next parts, Vietnam’s soft power and cultural diplomacy will be analyzed in specific details. Vietnamese cultural diplomacy towards ASEAN will also be discussed in the last part of the thesis as a case study for a better understanding of Vietnam’s soft power and cultural diplomacy in general.
Tourism and the environment: The response of privately owned accommodation businesses in Da Nang city, Vietnam
Authors:   , Nguyen Trang
Published: November 2021

The purpose of the study is to investigate the response of privately-owned hospitality enterprises in Da Nang city, Vietnam to environmental concerns. The study is inspired by global growing attention to how sustainable development in general and sustainable development in the tourism industry in particular can be promoted, especially the environmental aspect. Given the vital role of the private sector in achieving sustainable development and the fact that in the context of Vietnam, the private sector is still a less powerful economic player than the state-owned sector, the study only focuses on the privately-owned hotels. The study was conducted with the aims of (i) filling in the gap of understanding of the issue in developing countries, (ii) seeing how effective the private sector’s contribution in Da Nang city and in Vietnam in general has been in promoting sustainable tourism development, and (iii) coming to suitable recommendations, based on the research results, to increase the effectiveness of the private sector in sustainable tourism development. Qualitative methodology was used. Fifteen hotel managers participated in the semi-structured interviews. Some governmental officers also joined the research to provide supplementary information. The research findings show that the hotel managers in Da Nang city generally had good understanding of relevant environmental issues in the accommodation sector and tourism industry. All hotels researched were using environmental practices but the smaller ones tended to have less practices. Noticeably, not all hotels were using obligatory practices described by laws. Reducing costs was the most chosen motivation for hotels to go green. Simultaneously, it was picked up by most participants as the biggest difficulty that prevented them from pursuing an environmental path. The research also revealed a weak collaboration between the city government and the accommodation businesses in dealing with environmental concerns.
Doing gender as an offender: A criminological analysis of offender narratives, and the interrelationship between masculinities and child sexual abuse
Authors:   , Ranger Laura
Published: November 2021

Masculinity is a powerful construct that transcends other aspects of male existence and dictates codes of conduct accordingly. Masculinity describes a plurality of roles, norms and expectations that regulate the behaviour of men. Within criminology, many theorists have established an association between threatened masculinity and sexual violence perpetrated against adults. Comparatively little attention has been paid to the relationship between masculinity and sexual violence perpetrated against children. What research there is, suggests that men who sexually abuse children may offend as a way of overcompensating for perceived masculine inadequacies that have arisen as a result of chronic experiences of powerlessness.   This thesis is based on semi-structured, in-depth interviews with men who have sexually offended against children. Twenty men were recruited from community-based rehabilitation programmes around New Zealand. Transcripts of these interviews — as well as client records and results of a Q-sort task — were analysed to identify ways in which these men achieve, negotiate or defy normative gender expectations. A mixture of thematic and narrative analysis was used to interpret the data, revealing four prominent themes: powerlessness, entitlement, risk-taking and rigid thinking. Within each broad theme, several other factors were identified. For the theme of powerlessness these were: distorted perception, idealistic or nostalgic views of childhood, previous experience of trauma or abuse, an inability to seek help, experiences of humiliation or rejection, and perceived masculine failings. For the theme of entitlement these were: a propensity for resentment and blame, narratives of nice guys relegated to the friend zone, and valuing of hypermasculinity. For the theme of risk-taking these other factors were: narratives of boredom or addiction, as well as the existence of obsessive or compulsive tendencies. For the theme of rigid thinking these were: inconsistent or illogical cognitive patterns, poor or inappropriate boundary setting, and inflexible or unattainable religious ideals.  Overall, the results lend support to current theories of powerlessness and show that men’s sexual offences against children can be interpreted as overcompensatory behaviour occurring within the spectrum of normative masculinities. These findings highlight the need for rehabilitation to consider offenders’ masculine identities as a point of treatment focus. It is argued that society must challenge the rigid and unattainable nature of hegemonic masculinity because of its potentially harmful consequences for men, women and children. It is hoped that the content of this thesis can contribute to academic knowledge about ‘doing gender as an offender’.
Is Hegemony in the South Pacific possible?
Authors:   , Waqanivala Elisapeci
Published: November 2021

Hegemony is a concept associated with ‘superordinate’ powers equated to a sovereign state that has amassed great wealth and prowess. It is instrumental in developing institutions and defines the ‘rules of the game’. This paper explores the theory, that to be a hegemon in the region, a super-powerful state requires more than controlling inherent material capabilities. The rule of force and ideological thinking are now inadequate to keep a super state as the dominant or hegemonic power. There are distinct shifts of power dynamics from a realist perspective which includes John Mearsheimer’s “hard” and “latent power” to Evelyn Goh’s ideational thinking and the “cultural and social” components. China-US feature strongly in this paper. It will explore if hegemony is possible in the South Pacific Region (SPR). The region covers a large blue ocean space that has a number of small Pacific Island sovereign states and New Zealand and Australia. Geographically, the region has three distinct sub-regions namely, Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia. It is within these sub-region that ‘ordering’ of states occur with New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea occupying larger landmasses and having bigger populations than the smaller island states. The emergence of China with its foreign policy interests, ‘soft power’ and blue ocean naval strategy into the SPR has attracted attention from the traditional powers inside and outside the region. In response, US, a superpower identified as the hegemon in the Pacific region, post colonization era during the 20th and the early 21st century, earning its name as ‘Pacific Theatre or The American Lake’, is re-adjusting its strategy to counter China’s interest. An analysis based on the ranking table with specific parameters will assist in determining which of the powers, in this instance, US and China will occupy the top of the rank. Even so it may not be adequate to claim hegemonic status in the region. This paper agrees that ‘hegemony’ is specific to the region of its interest. Power is measured in terms of its relative gains. The primary criteria in the ranking table will measure Aid given by donor countries to Pacific Islands. Although New Zealand and Australia are within the region they are ranked as donor states rather than recipients like island states in the sub-region.