bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Three Essays on Capital Structure
Authors:   , Yaghoubi Mona 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis consists of three self-contained essays about the relationship between cash flow and investment volatility and firm capital structure and cash holdings. Capital structure measures sources of financing that allow a firm to operate, invest, and grow. The first essay reviews the theoretical relationship between firm capital structure and cash flow volatility, develops testable hypotheses, constructs a data set, and then tests the hypotheses using several measures of firm cash flow volatility and econometric methods that account for the non-linear relationship of proportional variables. Overall, the evidence indicates that ceteris paribus, a one standard deviation increase from the mean of cash flow volatility, implies approximately by 24% decrease in the long-term debt ratio, a 26% decrease in probability of holding debt with over 10 years to maturity, and a 39% increase in the probability of not holding either short or long term debt. These findings are novel in the empirical capital structure literature and show the importance of cash flow volatility in firm financial policies. The second essay studies the financing behaviour of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) from 1990 to 2013 and demonstrates variation in HCA’s market and book leverage ratios due to 1) mergers and acquisitions and divestitures that change the firm’s total assets, 2) share buybacks, and 3) leveraged buyouts and public offerings that change the firm’s ownership. The paper scrutinizes variation in HCA’s market and book leverage ratios independently as well as relative to each other. Our evidence shows that i) HCA’s management team used HCA’s excess cash from divestitures to repurchase HCA’s stock rather than pay off HCA’s debt, ii) HCA’s market leverage ratio tends to stay in a target leverage zone, and iii) in some years HCA’s management team used the book leverage ratio as a tool to keep the market leverage ratio inside a target leverage zone. In the third essay, we investigate the influence of investment volatility on capital structure and cash holdings using a broad definition of investment. Despite theoretical motivation, the relationship between investment volatility and capital structure has not been studied in the empirical literature. All in all, our evidence suggests that i) firms with relatively high capital expenditure and acquisition investment volatility hold relatively higher levels of debt and lower levels of cash, ii) firms fund large capital expenditures and/or acquisition by increasing debt or decreasing cash, and iii) immediately after funding large investment firms reduce debt levels and increase cash holdings. Research and development investment volatility is related to lower debt levels and higher cash levels, and does not exhibit similar investment spike funding. Overall, our results are consistent with parts, but not all, of the DeAngelo, DeAngelo and Whited (2011) model.</p>
Investigating the analgesic properties of Kurkinorin, a novel mu-opioid receptor analogue of Salvinorin A
Authors:   , Shivaperumal Nirajmohan 
Published: November 2021

<p>Background: The mu-opioid receptor (MOPr) activating drugs such as morphine, fentanyl, etorphine and methadone are used to treat moderate to severe pain. However, their long-term use produces serious adverse effects such as respiratory depression, sedation, tolerance, nausea, dependence, and constipation and this signifies the search for an alternate pain therapeutic agent. Here we report the investigation of antinociceptive and side effect profiles of a structurally unique MOPr-activating drug, kurkinorin from Salvinorin A (Sal A) that was compared with morphine and herkinorin. Methods: Adult male B6-SJL mice (22-29 g) were used to investigate the antinociceptive effects of kurkinorin, herkinorin and morphine utilising the 50° C warm-water tail-withdrawal assay. The 2% intra-dermal formalin assay was used to evaluate acute nociceptive and inflammatory pain and paw oedema. The side effect profiles were evaluated by measuring core-body temperature and utilising behavioural tests of motor co-ordination (accelerating rotarod test). Kurkinorin’s rewarding properties were assessed using the conditioned place preference (CPP) assay in male Sprague-Dawley rats (240-350 g). Results: Kurkinorin produced significant antinociceptive effects in the tail-withdrawal assay at both 5 (p<0.01, 10 min, p<0.001, 15-60 min) and 10 mg/kg (p<0.001, 5-90 min, p<0.01, 120 min) and attenuated both nociceptive and inflammatory pain in the 2% intra-dermal formalin model in mice. The analgesic effects of kurkinorin at 10 mg/kg were similar to the analgesic effects of morphine at the same dose. The decrease in pain score in the intra-dermal formalin assay with kurkinorin and morphine produced a corresponding reduction of paw oedema. In comparison, herkinorin had reduced analgesic effects in the tail-withdrawal assay (10 mg/kg, p<0.05, 30 min) and attenuated inflammatory pain in the intra-dermal formalin assay (10 mg/kg, p<0.001) with reduced paw oedema (10 mg/kg, p<0.05). Morphine produced significant motor incoordination effects from 15-60 min post injection whereas kurkinorin produced no significant motor impairment. Kurkinorin and herkinorin (5 mg/kg, i.p) did not produce rewarding effects, whereas morphine produced a significant, rewarding effect in the CPP assay. Kurkinorin produced no change in the core body temperature while morphine significantly reduced the body temperature. Conclusions: Kurkinorin is central acting and is as potent as morphine in attenuating acute nociceptive and inflammatory pain. It produced no significant sedative and rewarding effects. Therefore, kurkinorin has been identified as a structurally new class of mu-opioid analgesic, displaying improvements compared to morphine.</p>
Museum Diplomacy: Developing cultural partnerships between New Zealand and China
Authors:   , Bayly-McCredie Lillian 
Published: November 2021

<p>Museums play an increasingly important role in cultural diplomacy. New Zealand cultural organisations support international objectives by assisting cultural exchange, increasing mutual understanding and connecting key players. However, the intersection between museum and government activity is often regarded with scepticism, stemming from a general antipathy towards instrumentalism in museum and cultural policy studies literature. This research draws on recent work by Nisbett (2013), which revealed how British cultural organisations inverted instrumentalism—the use of cultural ventures by governments to help achieve goals in other areas—to achieve their own goals. The literature suggests that British museums strategically promoted their cultural diplomacy activity to formulate cultural policy and expand the scale of their international activity. This provides a useful model for the New Zealand cultural sector to build on, in its unique environment. This dissertation addresses this gap in the literature by investigating the intersection of museum and government activity between New Zealand and China. Through a case study of the partnership between Te Papa and the National Museum of China the research explored the state of cultural organisation partnerships, and assessed to what extent museums benefit by acting instrumentally. Interviews were conducted with ten cultural sector professionals and grounded theory was used to analyse the data. This research found that New Zealand’s national museum positioned itself as willing and able to engage in cultural diplomacy activity, in order to develop its international activity, and offer benefits in return to its principal funder, the government. Results suggested that while the museum has not utilised instrumentalism to impact cultural policy in New Zealand, there is scope to develop this. Consequently, the research identifies an emerging area in museum practice, ‘museum diplomacy’, which I define as the developing practice of intersecting activity between international museum work and state-sponsored cultural diplomacy. The research contributes to museum and cultural policy studies literature by producing modest, yet original data about museum partnerships and cultural diplomacy in New Zealand, and provides insights for government and the cultural sector in international cultural partnerships. It echoes the critical view of the disjuncture between museum theory, policy and practice, and concludes by discussing some recommendations and calling for further research to be conducted on museum diplomacy.</p>
Towards a curatorial continuum or How to fire a gun and time-travel
Authors:   , Phillips Bruce E. 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis questions the ethics of curatorial agency: an issue that has plagued the profession since the influence of institutional critique of the 1960s. The proliferation of the ‘curatorial turn’ during the 1990s developed out of this legacy of institutional critique by grouping a diverse range of alternative practices that aimed to question curatorial agency. Curator Maria Lind defines this shift by making a methodological distinction between ‘curating’ and the ‘curatorial’. This is a binary division that posits curating as conventional practice that maintains hegemonic power structures and the curatorial as progressive and emancipatory. However, critics and curators such as Paul O‘Neill and Nina Möntmann argue that methodologies of the curatorial turn have become compromised by personal, institutional, political and economic motivations. Due to this, it is apparent that a shift in methodology alone is not sufficient to question the ethics of curatorial agency and that Lind's dichotomy of curating and the curatorial requires revision. This study therefore explores how curators practice by studying different methodologies and to understand why curators practice by considering to what extent motivations influence the application of a curator’s methodology. The research specifically addresses these questions in relation to contemporary art curating within the broader framework of museum and heritage studies. To do so, I have put my own curatorial practice under scrutiny, using a range of mixed qualitative methods such as autoethnography, in order to delve deep into the decision-making process. My research consists of six exhibition case studies that pertain to one of three common exhibition forms: group, solo or process-led exhibitions. Through a cross case analysis of these different exhibitions my findings suggest that there is not a distinct division between curating and the curatorial. Instead, I reveal that there is a complex interplay between spectrums of methodology and motivation. From this perspective, I argue for a new philosophy of curating that considers curatorial practice as an emergent spectrum charged with infinite possibilities, what I call the curatorial continuum.</p>
From the Fragrant Highlands to the Netherlands: A Case Study on the Evolution of the Adoption of Ethical Value Chains for Kerinci Cinnamon
Authors:   , Wikaningtyas Theresa Sila 
Published: November 2021

<p>The concept of ethical value chains emerged as a response to conventional trade that has put a strain on small producers in the resource periphery. The alternative chains are said to allow trade to be carried out in fairer terms and for the benefits to be distributed to all actors in the value chains. This concept however, has not been widely used in the global spice industry. This research aims to investigate the nature and evolution of ethical value chains of an Indonesian cinnamon commodity. As part of the resource periphery, Indonesia is the leading producer of cinnamon, with 66% of the world’s cinnamon supply coming from this country. The cinnamon industry itself has long been an important source of income for the people of Kerinci, the largest cinnamon producing area in Indonesia. Using a qualitative case study, this research examined TAKTIK, a farmers’ group in Kerinci, which is known to have been implementing some form of ethical practices in their value chains. The study found that ethical practices occurred as a result of a value chains intervention programme conducted by an International NGO and a local NGO. Ethical value chains were adopted through the establishment of a farmers’ organisation, adoption of organic farming and certification, and Geographical Indications registration. This study finds that the factors that prompted the adoption of the ethical practices varied among value chain actors. However, there was a common goal of improving the livelihood of farmers and realising more equitable commodity trade. This research enriches the global literature on ethical value chains, particularly on spice commodity and the benefits of adoption for value chain actors.</p>
“Keeping the wet in wetlands”: A case study of wetland response to projected changes in climate at Mathews Lagoon, Boggy Pond and Wairio Wetlands
Authors:   , Warren Samwell Mytton 
Published: November 2021

<p>Wetlands are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. They are critical for global, regional and local ecosystems, and provide considerable social and economic value for human populations (Findlayson, et. al., 2011). Wetlands have been extensively destroyed in many developed countries, establishing a growing concern and greater awareness of the importance of wetlands in the global hydrological cycle - for climate regulation, and for ecological migration (Pfadenhauer & Grootjans, 1999). Changes in climate, driven by increases in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gasses are predicted to cause significant changes to the spatial and temporal distributions in rainfall. Since water is the dominant forcing component in the structural development of wetland systems, they are particularly susceptible to changes in climate. While considerable work is now being conducted globally to better understand how wetlands will respond to changes in climate, little work has been conducted in New Zealand to identify the vulnerability of New Zealand wetland systems. Recent projection by NIWA (2016a) on regional changes in climate have been used to assess how three wetland systems (Wairio Stage 1, Boggy Pond, and Mathews Lagoon), located in the Lower Wairarapa Valley may respond to changes in climate. This study identifies relationships between ground and surface water, examines the interactions and connections between the three wetlands, and explores the sensitivity of the wetlands to climate-induced changes in evapotranspiration, temperature, humidity, wind speed, and rainfall. Wairio stage 1 has been identified as the most susceptible wetland of the three due to a lack of recharge source, while Boggy Pond is the least susceptible due to its interaction/connection with the local groundwater system.</p>
Normal Faulting and Volcanism in the Kora 3D Seismic Volume
Authors:   , Hurst Ian 
Published: November 2021

<p>The spatial and temporal relationship between normal faulting and volcanism in offshore Western North Island, New Zealand can be used to gain insight into basin formation, hydrocarbon resources, regional tectonics, and large subduction processes. It is hypothesised that there is a causal relationship between volcanic activity and faulting, however, within the Taranaki Kora 3D seismic volume (survey) this relationship has not yet been explored. The overall aim of this thesis was to map and identify whether there is a relationship between volcanism and normal faulting within the Kora 3D survey. A causal relationship in location and timing between volcanic processes and fault activity was discovered in this study. Two novel models were created to explain the creation of the local stress leading to this causal relationship. The first model uses intrusive magma build up and the second extrusive cone building to explain the changes in local stress. These models not only support the causal relationship between volcanism and faulting activity but also provide a new understanding into how Kora volcanic cone activity may have influenced active faulting in the Kora 3D survey. Application of this new information will allow innovative insights into basin formation, regional and local tectonics, and subducting plate geometry in the Taranaki Basin. This research could be utilized to increase knowledge for prospecting and reduce geologic uncertainty, which is of importance for the New Zealand petroleum industry at this northern end of the Taranaki Basin.</p>
Tweet Carefully, Museums: A Case Study of the #decolonizeourmuseums Protest
Authors:   , Liverant Natalie 
Published: November 2021

<p>Tweet Carefully, Museums presents an in-depth case study of audiences and a museum using social media in the current Web 2.0 age. It explores online protest and controversy over an event held at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) in 2015. This dissertation addresses a current gap in the literature centred on public use of social media as a platform to engage in museum-centred debate and discussion. At the moment, literature discussing new technologies in museums focuses heavily on an institution-to-audiences model. While this is indeed useful information, there is another aspect of digital media that has been largely neglected. In their case study, Gronemann et al. observed that overall, museums distanced themselves from discursive co-construction in their Facebook posts. The lack of engagement with audience can have adverse effects as social media grows in its popularity to mobilise the public in the name of social justice. “Western” museums, many of which have a history of fostering colonial narratives, can also be perceived as authoritative institutions. Museums need to engage more conscientiously with their online audiences. Unconsidered or insensitive engagement over social media may have adverse effects on institutions. Kimono Wednesdays was an event where the public was invited to try on kimono in Gallery 255 at the MFA. The MFA advertised the event on a few social media platforms. On Facebook, the advertisement drew the harshest criticisms from a section of the Asian-American community. The sensational attention on Facebook grew quickly into physical protest inside Gallery 255. This case study analyses a sample of the dialogic posts, comments, and replies left on Facebook during the protests. It also analyses a symposium organised by the MFA, Kimono Wednesdays: A Conversation, where a panel made up of academics, museum staff, and a protester discussed the various concepts and perceptions of the museum’s controversial advertising and event. This case study demonstrates that social media is a double-edged sword for museums, as it is a useful tool, but presents uncomfortable challenges. The key findings from this study show how content on the internet can be misinterpreted and how implicit bias can occur from any institution. As museums embrace Web 2.0 applications, they too must become more aware of their online presence and set in place methods of dialogic co-construction so as to better understand and communicate with the diversifying cultures that surround them.</p>
Chapman: To be or not to be
Authors:   , Levy Samuel Oliver 
Published: November 2021

<p>Declining core business in the conventional beverage categories of beer and carbonated sodas has compelled companies to turn to innovation to grow their sales and profitability. The research focus of this project was to determine, through adjacent category innovation whether my new branded premium craft carbonated soda product range was a consumer relevant innovation, scalable and therefore able to sustainably enhance market growth and profitability for my project partner, DB Breweries. A mixed methods research approach using qualitative and quantitative surveys revealed strong consumer preferences for the product to be authentic, artisanal, premium, health focussed and particularly targeted to females, older consumers and as an alternative to alcohol. These findings represented market opportunities, however, the clear-cut preference for a homespun, handcrafted, local and small batched produced product as opposed to mass machine manufactured, was an unexpected finding with significant implications for the project. This core finding created a tension between the preference for authenticity and the original concept of leveraging my project partner’s scale machine based manufacturing capacity. These findings and my advisory board’s guidance reshaped the business model canvas, proposing a joint venture between Chapman (my company) and my project partner, which as an established beverage company would bring know-how and distribution with my company being the entrepreneurial, authentic, artisanal, small batch producer. The reshaped strategy and business model shifted the adjacent category innovation from a product to a geographical perspective, with export potential to China and possibly the Muslim market. The online sales channel in China has significant export appeal with its deep retail market penetration and rapid growth, but very low current penetration in the beverage category which is forecast for significant growth. Successful export entry into China would establish a potential platform to enter segments of the global Muslim market, a commercially attractive market for premium non-alcoholic beverages. A deeper understanding of the rapidly growing negative consumer perception of artificial sweeteners led to a further innovative opportunity emerging from this project. As a consequence of this intersectional thinking a sub-project to develop a New Zealand natural sweetener based on indigenous plants, fruits or trees commenced. This research project has revealed the new branded premium carbonated soda product range to be a consumer relevant innovation, scalable but not as a straight forward product adjacent category innovation and with export success has the potential to significantly enhance market growth and profitability for DB Breweries. This project is now on a trajectory to be commercialised.</p>
The Politics of Land Law: Poverty and Land Legislation in Bangladesh
Authors:   , Billah S M Masum 
Published: November 2021

<p>This thesis examines the major colonial and post-colonial land laws of Bangladesh and their relationship with poverty. It interprets them in the light of historical developments and social realities. The thesis argues that land laws in Bangladesh are essentially anti-poor. They contribute to the perpetuation of poverty. At present, two-thirds of the poor in Bangladesh are land-related poor. The land system that prevailed in colonial Bengal during the British period deprived the peasants of their land rights. This situation demanded a radical land reform based on a distributive approach upon decolonisation in 1947. Unfortunately, in the post-colonial political and legal settings of Bangladesh, land distribution has been unequal. Such inequality coupled with a weak land tenure system and fragile institutional reform created widespread poverty. The Bangladeshi land laws are complex and vague and dominated by politics. Its land law regime has structural loopholes and ideological drawbacks, which are enough to make reform attempts dysfunctional. Poverty in Bangladesh is a result of cumulative and mutually reinforcing deprivations. Land law is a major participant in it. Poverty will persist unless law addresses the true reasons of the poverty and a pro-poor approach to land reform is pursued. The gap between “law” and “land” is exposed and a distributive land law reform model is proposed.</p>