cometadata/datacite-rtg-text-other-reclassification-records huggingface dataset:
Farmer Management of Groundwater Irrigation in Asia: Development of Groundwater Resources and Farmer-Managed Irrigation Wells in Shandong Province, China
Creators: name: Wen, Sun
name: Wen, Sun
Publisher: name: Unknown
Year: 1994
Subjects: Land Economics/Use
Resource /Energy Economics and Policy

description: THIS PAPER DISCUSSES the status of the development of the groundwater resources and the organizational structure of the farmer-managed irrigation wells in Shandong Province, China. In order to develop and utilize groundwater resources scientifically and effectively, an overall investigation should be made first, to understand the distribution of the aquifer and law of movement of groundwater so as to assess the availability of resources. On the basis of such an investigation, unified planning and a reasonable layout of wells can be effected. The following model is applied to control the groundwater table, pumping-recharging by diverting Yellow River pumping (drawdown-recharging-drawdown). With this model groundwater recharging capacity can be enlarged; the recharging ability can be raised so that more surface water goes to the aquifer and becomes resources that can be reclaimed. Thus a stable aquifer will be sustained. With the widening of the agricultural reforms associated with the household, contract responsibility system changes have been noticed in the agricultural economy, production group, distribution method and the requirements of the irrigation projects at large. Simultaneously much attention has been paid to the development of the groundwater resources. Farmers hold the opinion that groundwater utilization through wells has many advantages such as less investment, short construction period, instant effect, less influence from outside, reliability as a water source, flexible application and convenient management. Farmers call it "self-responsible water" or "self-managed water." Management systems of irrigation wells are mainly as follows: (i) village committee management; (ii) production group management; (iii) special household management; and (iv) special selectee management. All these systems permit the direct participation of the farmers in the management system ensuring timely irrigation and the increase of crop yields.
title: 01_1190
Creators: name: Wesley Baldwin, John
name: Baldwin, John W.
Publisher: name: NAKALA - https://nakala.fr (Huma-Num - CNRS)
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/04ces3204
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2018
Subjects: subject: LaMOP
subject: Laboratoire de Médiévistique Occidentale de Paris

description: L'ensemble de ces notes ont été crée par John Baldwin lors d'une de ses premières périodes de résidence à Paris. Ces documents comprennent tous les magistri qu’il avait pu rencontrer dans ses sources. Aux XIIème et XIIIème siècles, les universités n'existant pas encore, le titre de magister s'il évoque certainement une compétence n'est pas rattaché de façon systématique au passage par les écoles. De surcroît, les magistris sont le plus souvent désignés par leur seul prénom. La lecture de ces données est donc difficile et suppose un long travail pour tenter d'identifier un individu auquel on pourrait rattacher plusieurs mentions. John Baldwin avait donc renoncé à utiliser ces données pour donner un prolongement à sa magnifique étude sur les gradués d'université et leur emploi par les Capétiens et les Plantagenêts. Néanmoins, il a conservé ces données et elles sont potentiellement très utile dans le cadre de Studium, comme le sont toutes les mentions dans les volumes des Fasti Ecclesiae Gallicanae de chanoines portant ce titre de magister sans autres précisions. L'ampleur des dépouillements rend ces données très utiles et nous devons une grande reconnaissance à John Baldwin pour avoir pris la peine de faire photocopier ses fiches et de nous les avoir transmises amicalement.
Les données ainsi que les images des fiches sont accessibles sur le site Internet à l'adresse suivante : http://studium-baldwin.lamop.fr/.
Les transcriptions des fiches ont été effectuées par des étudiants de Paris 1 Panthéon - Sorbonne mais elles n'ont pas été corrigées par la suite.
description: Relation: https://lamop.hypotheses.org/
Box-cox Stochastic Volatility Models With Heavy-tails and Correlated Errors
Creators: name: Zhang, Xibin
name: King, Maxwell L.
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Paper not available. Full text of working paper suppressed by author. This paper presents a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm to estimate parameters and latent stochastic processes in the asymmetric stochastic volatility (SV) model, in which the Box-Cox transformation of the squared volatility follows an autoregressive Gaussian distribution and the marginal density of asset returns has heavy-tails. To test for the significance of the Box-Cox transformation parameter, we present the likelihood ratio statistic, in which likelihood functions can be approximated using a particle filter and a Monte Carlo kernel likelihood. When applying the heavy-tailed asymmetric Box-Cox SV model and the proposed sampling algorithm to continuously compounded daily returns of the Australian stock index, we find significant empirical evidence supporting the Box-Cox transformation of the squared volatility against the alternative model involving a logarithmic transformation.
Trust and the organisation-stakeholder relationship
Creators: name: Greenwood, Michelle
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Trust is a fundamental aspect of the moral treatment of stakeholders within the organisation-stakeholder relationship. Stakeholders trust the organisation to return benefit or protections from harm commensurate with their contribution or stake. However, in many situations, the firm holds greater power than the stakeholder and therefore cannot necessarily be trusted to return the aforementioned benefit to the stakeholder. Stakeholders must therefore rely on the trustworthiness of the organisation to fulfil their obligation in accordance to Phillip's principle of fairness. The notion that low power stakeholders may not be fully consenting in the organisation-stakeholder relationship serves to reinforce this necessity. Four distinctive propositions arise from the consideration of trust in the organisation-stakeholder relationship: that trust implies a fiduciary duty to stakeholders; that trust co-exists with dependency and power; that trust should not be unconditional; and that formal mechanisms may enhance trust or substitute for trust.
International NGOs and Global Social Policy: the Strategic Management Dimension
Creators: name: Ramia, Gaby
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: The partial globalisation of social policy is seen in the growth in importance of welfare programs emanating from supranational and global governmental and non-government institutions. Yet, while there is a literature from within the social policy research community on the international institutional response to poverty and the increasing inequality of world resource-distribution, relatively little appreciation is given to the importance of the redesign of organisational management in elevating the importance of global social policy. The primary objective of this paper is to draw conceptual connections between 'strategic management' patterns within the international (super) NGO sector and the fight against poverty. The principal argument is that the recent emulation by international NGOs (INGOs) of the strategic management methods of multinational corporations feeds directly into the delivery of anti-poverty programmes, and that the fight against global poverty calls upon social policy researchers to pay closer attention to the strategies of private sector organisations and managers in assessing the effectiveness of global welfare reform. Primary among the salient management changes have been the increasing use of NGO-Government-corporate strategic alliances, increased contractualism, and various organisational redesign tools. The next phase of the ongoing project of which this paper forms part, will use in-depth fieldwork interviews with key managers within super-INGOs to establish the contours of the link between INGO management strategy and global social policy.
How should a public good be provided? A transaction Cost Approach
Creators: name: Cheng, Wenli
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This paper investigates how the trade-off between organization costs, transaction costs and economies of specialization may affect the way public goods are provided. In doing so, it considers two ways of providing a public good. One is collective provision where users organize themselves to jointly finance the public good which is produced by a specialized firm. The other is market provision with bundling where a firm produces the public good and a private good and sells them as a bundle. Both methods of public goods provision deal with the problem of non-excludability. The first method involves organization costs, but can take advantage of specialization economies; the second method avoids organization costs, but may incur some transaction costs and forgoes the benefit of specialization economies. Which method is superior depends on the relative magnitudes of organization costs, transaction costs, specialization economies as well as other features of the economy such as population size.
Corporate reforms to Australian universities: views from the academic heartland
Creators: name: Winter, Richard
name: Sarros, James C.
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This paper presents survey findings relating to academics' work attitudes, values and responses to corporate reforms within eight Australian universities. Academics (n= 1,041) responded to the Academic Work Environment Survey, a diagnostic questionnaire designed to examine the quality of academic work life within universities in Australia (Winter, Taylor, & Sarros, 2000). Academics indicated strong positive responses to items indicative of corporate reforms across the higher education sector (i.e., decreased public funding, rise of consumerism, business-related managerial practices, quality assurance mechanisms, appraisal systems), reported high levels of role overload (stress) and moderate levels of job involvement and organisational commitment. Value conflict statements indicated academics felt market behaviour mechanisms and business-related principles were compromising the primary goals of teaching, learning and scholarship and exerting a strong negative effect on academic morale and productivity. Role overload and work motivation responses suggested a perceived violation in the 'psychological contract' between academics and their universities (work stress and poor recognition and rewards practices are cited as evidence of contract violation). The paper concludes by discussing the types of university leadership and work structures needed to reduce value conflict in academe and build trust between academics and university managers.
Concepts in Conflict: Students and Customers
Creators: name: Brennan, Linda
name: Bennington, Lynne
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Increasingly, pressure is being brought to bear on Australian academics as service providers in the higher education 'industry.' Students are attracted to universities by marketing and promotion activities which inculcate the perception that the student is a customer. Furthermore, education is being treated by various governments as a commodity which may be purchased by customers in a free market system. The authors argue that students are not customers in the sense currently recognised by business. An alternative view of the customer base of a institution is put forward. This alternative more effectively accounts for the variety of interests that must be served by the higher education industry.
Employee Commitment in Times of Radical Change: Further Evidence of a Changing Psychological Contract
Creators: name: Winter, Richard P.
name: Schmuttermaier, John
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This paper explores the changing nature of commitment as reported by professional employees in work environments characterised by radical organisational change. During 1998, interviews were conducted with full-time managers, technicians, and team leaders in five organisations undergoing downsizing and restructuring in the Latrobe Valley, Victoria. To understand and explain the changing nature of employee commitment, findings are situated in the context of job insecurity, work intensification, and perceived organisational support: core dimensions of the psychological contract (Brooks & Harfield, 2000; Cavanaugh & Noe, 1999; Lester, Claire, & Kickul, 2001). Findings reveal clear differences between employees (i.e., change recipients) and managers (i.e., change implementers) with respect to perceived job security, recognition, feedback, and acceptance. Employees referred to their organisations in abstract, impersonal terms signifying a weak relational contract between employee and employer. Managers referred to their organisations in warm, personal terms signifying a strong relational contract at work. These differences translated into low and high levels of affective commitment respectively. To conclude, the paper considers organisational processes that can maintain and/or renew employee commitment in the context of radical change.
Understanding Safety Performance Using Safety Climate And Psychological Climate
Creators: name: Clissold, Gemma
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This paper aims to explore the relationship between psychological climate, safety climate and safety performance. Safety research is increasingly expanding from a central focus on safety specific explanations of safety performance, to encompass more general management principles (e.g. leadership, role stress, and performance management). This research aims to contribute to this body by exploring the way in which psychological climate can be used to explain safety performance. This paper compares the fit of three competing models of safety performance using structural equation modelling. In the first model safety performance is predict by safety climate only, in the second by psychological climate only and the third is a saturated model using both safety and psychological climate. Comparison of the models revealed that the saturated model provides a better and more parsimonious explanation of safety performance than safety climate alone.
Who Are the Self-employed? a New Approach
Creators: name: Brown, Sarah
name: Farrell, Lisa
name: Harris, Mark N.
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Modelling the incidence of self-employment has traditionally proved problematic. Whilst the individual supply side characteristics of the self-employed are well documented, the literature has largely neglected (or misspecified) demand side aspects. In this paper we present results from an econometric framework that allows us to separately, and simultaneously, model the supply and demand side characteristics that determine employment outcomes. We show that whilst individual characteristics are important determinants of the type of employment contract that individuals hold, there are also important contract specific factors that influence the nature of the contract an individual is employed under. Our results suggest that workers may be "captive" to a particular type of employment because of the sector in which they work, the number of hours they prefer to work and their ethnicity. The results are based on a new estimator, the parameterised DOGEV model, which allows for ordering and correlation in the observed alternatives, and for captivity within an observed alternative.
Revisiting Calendar Anomalies in Asian Stock Markets Using a Stochastic Dominance Approach
Creators: name: Hooi, Lean Hooi
name: Keung, Wong Wing
name: Smyth, Russell
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Extensive evidence on the prevalence of calendar effects suggests that there exists abnormal returns, but some recent studies have concluded that calendar effects have largely disappeared. In spite of the non-normal nature of stock returns, most previous studies have employed the mean-variance criterion or CAPM statistics, which rely on the normality assumption and depend only on the first two moments, to test for calendar effects. A limitation of these approaches is that they miss much important information contained in the data such as higher moments. In this paper, we use the Davidson and Duclos (2000) test, which is a powerful non-parametric stochastic dominance (SD) test, to test for the existence of day-of-the-week and January effects for several Asian markets using daily data for the period from 1988 to 2002. Our empirical results support the existence of weekday and monthly seasonality effects in some Asian markets but suggest that first order SD for the January effect has largely disappeared.
Non-linear exponential smoothing and positive data
Creators: name: Akram, Muhammad
name: Hyndman, Rob J.
name: Ord, J. Keith
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: We consider the properties of nonlinear exponential smoothing state space models under various assumptions about the innovations, or error, process. Our interest is restricted to those models that are used to describe non-negative observations, because many series of practical interest are so constrained. We first demonstrate that when the innovations process is assumed to be Gaussian, the resulting prediction distribution may have an infinite variance beyond a certain forecasting horizon. Further, such processes may converge almost surely to zero; an examination of purely multiplicative models reveals the circumstances under which this condition arises. We then explore effects of using an (invalid) Gaussian distribution to describe the innovations process when the underlying distribution is lognormal. Our results suggest that this approximation causes no serious problems for parameter estimation or for forecasting one or two steps ahead. However, for longer-term forecasts the true prediction intervals become increasingly skewed, whereas those based on the Gaussian approximation may have a progressively larger negative component. In addition, the Gaussian approximation is clearly inappropriate for simulation purposes. The performance of the Gaussian approximation is compared with those of two lognormal models for short-term forecasting using data on the weekly sales of over three hundred items of costume jewelry.
Good Capitalism versus Bad Capitalism: Effects of Political Monopoly of the Ruling Elite on the Extent of the Market, Income Distribution, and Development
Creators: name: Liu, Wai-Man
name: Yang, Xiaokai
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This paper develops a general equilibrium model to simultaneously endogenize the level of division of labor, the extent of the market, the degree of inequality of income distribution, and aggregate productivity. It shows that good capitalism with free markets for all goods including government services generates equal income distribution, which entails great extent of the market. Hence, the equilibrium level of division of labor and aggregate productivity are high. Political monopoly by the ruling elite generates unfair relative prices of government services to other goods and inefficient inequality of income distribution, which results in a narrow market, thereby generating inefficient equilibrium level of division of labor and aggregate productivity. The degree of inefficient inequality of income distribution caused by bad capitalism is positively dependent on the degree of commoners' tolerance of unfair income distribution inequality. This degree can be reduced by free migration between countries and competition between different governments. As rivalry between sovereigns and free migration reduces such tolerance in a country with political monopoly of the elite group, the equilibrium degree of inefficient inequality of income distribution decreases. This implies attenuated rents of political monopoly. This shrink political rent will lead to good capitalism with no political monopoly by the elite group. The story of our model is consistent with historical phenomena documented by economic historians. This model may be used as a working hypothesis for analyzing what is going on in the newly industrialized economies.
Assessing manufacturing plant competitiveness: an empirical field study
Creators: name: Gordon, John
name: Sohal, Amrik S.
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: In spite of the recognition that the manufacturing function can create and sustain a competitive advantage for the firm, only a few empirical studies have examined the relationship between manufacturing practices and plant performance. In this paper, based on responses from a large number of Canadian manufacturing plants and a number of Australian manufacturing plants, we identify the manufacturing practices which distinguish the "Most Successful" (MS) plants from the "Least Successful" (LS) plants. Success was measured by asking respondents to indicate year-over-year trends for each of 22 performance measures by specifying whether there had been an increase, a decrease or no change. The differences in the manufacturing practices used by the MS plants and the LS plants reflect three general distinctions between the two groups: (i) adopting a logical portfolio of practices which relate to competitive priorities, (ii) workforce focus, and (iii) process orientation.
What makes expatriate assignments successful?
Creators: name: Lee, Wai Ling
name: Beaumont, Nicholas
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Expatriates are employees on assignments that require them to live overseas for lengthy periods (often defined as at least six months, a period forcing them and their families to interact with the host community). This paper identifies factors affecting expatriate assignment success. Globalisation generates more and more demanding international assignments (IBM stands for "I've been moved."). About half of expatriate assignments fail, generating high tangible and intangible costs. Expatriates may terminate assignments early for job or family reasons; are ineffective on the job; or do not reintegrate on returning to Head Office. Clear objectives and rational management enhance the success of an organisation's expatriate program; we propose a seven-step methodology that will help ensure that expatriate postings are managed effectively and efficiently. We stress the importance of planning the fruitful reintegration of repatriates on their return to Head Office and mention some emerging issues.
Additional file 1 of Frequency of prothrombin time-international normalized ratio monitoring and the long-term prognosis in patients with mechanical valve replacement
Creators: name: Geng, Le
name: Gu, Jiaxi
name: Li, Minghui
name: Liu, Hong
name: Sun, Haoliang
name: Ni, Buqing
name: Gu, Weidong
name: Shao, Yongfeng
name: Li, Mingfang
name: Chen, Minglong
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2023
Subjects: subject: Space Science
subject: Medicine
subject: Environmental Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Biological Sciences not elsewhere classified
subject: Marine Biology
subject: Science Policy
subject: Infectious Diseases
subject: FOS: Health sciences
subject: Virology

description: Additional File 1: Appendix has been provided by the authors to give readers additional information about their work
From Compliance to Continuous Improvement Focused Non-financial Auditing: a Comparison of Attitudes Between Auditors and Their Clients
Creators: name: Power, Damien J.
name: Terziovski, Mile
name: Sohal, Amrik S.
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: The purpose of this study is to compare the attitudes of non-financial auditors with that of their clients regarding the conduct of these audits, and the auditing process in general. The research involved the development and application of two survey instruments, one applied to a sample of 300 practising non-financial auditors, the other to a sample of 1500 of their clients. The respective response rates from each survey were 42% for the auditor sample (126 responses) and 27% for the client sample (400 responses). The research study revealed the following key findings: The non-financial auditor sample saw compliance focused auditing as being of significantly less importance than did their clients. On the other hand, they saw auditing focused on continuous improvement as being significantly more important. The client group appear to prefer an auditing style that is a combination of both compliance and continuous improvement auditing, whereas the auditors appear to be highly focused on continuous improvement. Non-financial auditors believe they are providing a style of auditing that is strongly focused on developing continuous improvement of client's quality systems. Their clients have entirely the opposite view, believing they are getting less continuous improvement focused auditing than they would like, and more compliance auditing than they need. Based on the results of this study, we conclude that there is a significantly different view as to the "ideal" auditing style. The client group appear to see this as a combination of both compliance and continuous improvement auditing, whereas the auditors see it as being entirely focused on continuous improvement. This analysis verified that significant differences in expectation of audit conduct and performance exist between non-financial auditors and their clients. The main implication of our findings is that the auditing fraternity needs to bridge the gap that seems to exist between themselves and their clients. The new ISO 9001-2000 standard may play a key role in this process.
Ned Kelly v The Man From Snowy River: which film-induced destination brand to choose?
Creators: name: Frost, Warwick
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: In 2006 Tourism Victoria announced plans to change the destination brand for the north-east of the state of Victoria in Australia. Formerly 'Legends, Wine and High Country', the new brand will be 'Victoria’s High Country'. In adopting this new brand, Tourism Victoria is linking this region with the popular adventure film The Man From Snowy River (1982). Whilst a fictional story, the film's historical background is the nineteenth century mountain cattleman of the area. The choice of this brand projects the mountain cattlemen of the high country as the defining cultural heritage of the region. However, the area also has another strong cultural heritage which has been projected widely through film, art, music and other media. This is the bushranger Ned Kelly. For many years the area has been unofficially known as Kelly Country. The choice being made by Tourism Victoria is also being duplicated by Destination Marketing Organisations elsewhere. In choosing to base a destination's brand on a particular film, they are also choosing to not utilise other potential films or sources. Whatever film is chosen for a destination image, it comes with certain cultural baggage. Films, and the stories they are based on, have meanings which differ markedly from person to person. Projected into the present and utilised for a destination brand they may offer contested or dissonant views of the region's cultural heritage. In choosing one film, there is also a choice of which cultural heritage is preferred.
Relationships Between Tourist And Trip Characteristics And Visitor Satisfaction: A Case Study Of The Panama Canal Watershed
Creators: name: Weiler, Betty
name: Ham, Sam
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: The relationships between socio-demographic and trip characteristics and tourists' satisfaction with their park experiences are still relatively poorly understood. An objective of this study was to determine whether these relationships could be isolated and quantified in the experiences of 727 domestic and international tourists in the Panama Canal Watershed (PCW). Results determined that variations in both global satisfaction and item-specific satisfaction of PCW tourists were largely unrelated to variations in socio-demographic and trip characteristics, with the notable exceptions being group type, country of origin and the tourist's native language. There were significantly higher satisfaction levels among both international (as opposed to domestic) visitors and those in guided tour groups (as opposed to independent travellers). Moreover, tour group visitors had consistently higher satisfaction levels than independent travellers both with interpretive and non-interpretive services and setting attributes, regardless of whether they were domestic or international tourists.
Quality of work life of academics in Australian universities: a pilot study
Creators: name: Winter, Richard
name: Sarros, James C.
name: Tanewski, George
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: A cross-sectional study of the work environment and Quality of Work Life (QWL) of academics in Australian universities is in progress. The study aims to: (1) establish current levels of academic QWL, and (2) identify the relative importance of role, job, supervisory, structural, and sectoral characteristics to academic QWL. To meet these aims, the study's primary data collection instrument, the Academic Work Environment Survey (AWES), was developed. This paper reports on the piloting of the AWES across three campuses of Monash University. Findings relate to the unidimensionality, reliability and construct validity of the AWES scales. An overview of academics' quantitative responses to the AWES is also reported. A brief conceptualisation and operationalisation of academic QWL is first provided.
Absenteeism from the frontline: explaining employee stress and withdrawal in a call centre
Creators: name: Dean, Alison M
name: Rainnie, Al
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This paper reports on a study which investigated employees' views on why they find call centre work more stressful than other types of work and the reasons for high levels of absenteeism in their workplace. Data were collected from frontline employees (n = 58) of a telecommunications call centre during ten focus groups. Content analysis of the data identified nine major themes. Overall, the study suggests that employee stress results from managers' emphases on sales and efficiency demands, directed by specific targets and high levels of electronic monitoring. Additionally, employees vary in their ability to provide emotional labour and deal with the stress of customer interactions. Other themes focused on call centre support processes and structures, teams, insufficient rest time, inadequate communication systems and human resource management issues. All the themes contributed to accumulated stress. Absenteeism was explained in terms of the accumulated stress, the perceived hygiene of the centre, proximity to others and employees' lack of identity. Finally, decreased employee commitment and withdrawal were attributed to perceived inequities in the workplace. The paper concludes with a discussion of managerial applications.
Cost Utility Analysis: What Should be Measured; Utility, Value or Healthy Year Equivalents?
Creators: name: Richardson, Jeff
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This paper re-examines the question of the appropriate unit of measurement in cost utility analysis and the technique that will measure it. There are two main themes. The first is an examination of the use of utility' as an object of measurement. It is argued that, as it is often conceived and measured, utility' is not an appropriate unit. The second major theme of the paper is the selection and evaluation of a unit of measurement if the usual application of utility theory is rejected. Because of its appeal to utility theory, the standard gamble has been widely accepted as the gold standard for measurement. More specifically, the standard gamble is believed to measure utility directly while other techniques simply measure value' or are pragmatic devices for replicating the results of the somewhat complex standard gamble. In the first part of the paper it is argued that the standard gamble cannot be supported in this way because the theory from which it is derived is unsatisfactory. Three issues are considered. The first is the historical ambiguity in the concept of utility' itself. The second is the validity of the distinction between utility and value which is used to demonstrate the superiority of the standard gamble. Third, there is a consideration of both the evidence and the normative argument used to defend utility maximisation as envisaged by the proponents of the standard gamble. In the second part of the paper the view that there can be no unambiguous unit of output is discussed and rejected. It is suggested that this view may have arisen as some of the measurement techniques in CUA have been adapted from psychometrics where the object of the measurement is often imprecisely defined. Four criteria are suggested which appear to satisfy social objectives and the practical requirements of CUA. These are that there is a social consensus; that an increase in the number of the units corresponds with a socially desired outcome; that the units have a meaningful interval property; that they are readily understood and that it is possible to map the various health outcomes from an intervention into the unit. These criteria are applied to five of the major measurement techniques currently in use including the standard gamble. It is tentatively suggested that Healthy Year Equivalents are probably the best available units of output but that these should be derived directly from the time trade off or equivalent technique. In the final section of the paper there is a consideration of some of the recent criticisms of cost utility analysis and particularly those associated with equity and distributional objectives. It is argued that critics have implicitly demanded more from a unit of output than is reasonable. When its inevitable limitations are recognised cost utility analysis in its present form fulfils an important role in the analysis of resource allocation.
Performance appraisal in Australia and China: an analysis of best practices
Creators: name: Zhu, Cherrie Jiuhua
name: Dowling, Peter J.
name: Holland, Peter
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Cross-national comparative studies of Human Resource Management (HRM) practices have become increasingly prevalent because of factors such as the globalization of business, the increasing awareness of the impact of economic and cultural changes upon HRM, and the transferability of HRM practices from multinational corporations (MNCs) to their subsidiaries. In order to compete within the global economy, many organisations have begun to search for best international HRM practices by exploring the relationships between specific practices and various measures of organisational effectiveness in different countries (Von Glinow, 1993). Similarly, much of the literature in this field argues that it is critical for MNCs to understand how host countries utilise their human resources and to match their HR systems accordingly (Adler, 1991; Schuler, Dowling, & De Cieri, 1993; Moore & Jennings, 1995). Recognising this need, a Best Practice Study has been established utilising researchers from different countries to participate in a research project aimed at determining 'best international HRM practices' in domestic and globally oriented firms" (Von Glinow, 1993). The wording "best", as Milliman etal. (1994) explain, is adopted in a cultural and organisational specific sense rather than implying universalism. The authors of this paper have joined this international research program, undertaking research related to a wide range of HRM practices in both Australia and China. This paper discusses the HRM practice of performance appraisal (PA), a contentious and much-debated function in HRM in both Australia and China. The paper first examines the PA literature in Advanced Western Market Economies (AWMEs) specifically Australia, identifying the issues surrounding PA with a focus on its purposes and effectiveness. The research then highlights PA in the People's Republic of China under changing economic systems (moving from a centrally-planned economy to a market-driven economy). The focus of this paper is to diagnose to what extent PA is currently utilised to serve certain purposes and to identify the discrepancy between the current position and the ideal at both domestic and cross-national levels.
Additional file 1 of Towards the detection of copy number variation from single sperm sequencing in cattle
Creators: name: Yang, Liu
name: Gao, Yahui
name: Oswalt, Adam
name: Fang, Lingzhao
name: Boschiero, Clarissa
name: Neupane, Mahesh
name: Sattler, Charles G.
name: Li, Cong-jun
name: Seroussi, Eyal
name: Xu, Lingyang
name: Yang, Lv
name: Li, Li
name: Zhang, Hongping
name: Rosen, Benjamin D.
name: Van Tassell, Curtis P.
name: Zhou, Yang
name: Ma, Li
name: Liu, George E.
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Genetics
subject: FOS: Biological sciences

description: Additional file 1:
Strategic Management of Suppliers: an Australian Case Study
Creators: name: Comer, Mark
name: Beaumont, Nicholas
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This paper describes Telstra's (Australia's dominant telecommunications company) change from ad hoc to strategic management of its numerous suppliers and the resulting benefits. The need for change, recognized by top management, required careful planning and execution. The change had many ramifications; mostly beneficial but painful for some supplanted suppliers and employees reluctant to adapt to a new culture. Benefits of the new approach were: rationalization of the number of suppliers; a more rational and fruitful approach to procurement; the professionalisation of procurement personnel; classification and consequently different treatment of suppliers; and, most importantly, changing the relationship between the company and its key suppliers from one of attempted exploitation and short term thinking to long-term, mutually profitable co-operation. The changed approach required cultural change within the procurement function but suppliers came to appreciate the company's fact-based, rational, and commercial approach. Data for this study was obtained from interviews and surveys. The study demonstrates the advantages and difficulties of changing to rational procurement practices that support corporate objectives.
Future Perfect? Conversion Stories and the Narration of Organizational Change
Creators: name: Bryant, Melanie
name: Cox, Julie Wolfram
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: In this paper, we present a set of narratives about organizational change in which employees' experiences are presented as conversion stories. Within these stories, employees contrast their negative views on personal career, organizational culture and employment relations before major structural change with much more positive post-change perspectives. Organizational change appears to be a turning point, and conversion stories are associated with improved career prospects. We discuss the progressive, optimistic and dramatic nature of the conversion stories in the context of the optimism of the knowledge economy, shifts in the nature of organizational change theory, discursive preferences for successful change, presentational and attributional factors within interview settings, retrospective data collection, and the particular local context in which the stories were told. We suggest that all of these factors may complicate the representation of the conversion story as an example of extreme and positive transformational organizational change, and discuss their implications for both the theory and practice of narrative change research.
Trade union effectiveness: theorising a set of dimensions
Creators: name: Pyman, Amanda
name: Hanley, Glennis
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Australian unions currently face a multiplicity of adverse challenges. Union revitalisation has emerged as a key issue. Implicit in much of this debate is the question of what an effective union is. Rather surprisingly, there is a dearth of literature on union effectiveness. A survey of the six empirical studies that do exist reveals that improved terms and conditions, membership orientation, union leadership, union voice and industrial democracy augment union effectiveness. Much can also be gleaned however from related literature, such as that dealing with union goals and strategies. A review of both sets of literature results in the development of a 'core set of dimensions' of union effectiveness, including improved terms and conditions of employment, growth, internal democracy, organisational stability, activism and social movement unionism. Whilst such a conceputalisation contributes to redressing the omission in the literature, union effectiveness remains a fruitful and critical area for further research.
E-government in Australia and Spain: a Study of Contrasts and Similarities
Creators: name: Criado, Ignacio
name: Hughes, Owen
name: Teicher, Julian
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: Studies about the social impact of Internet and information and communication technologies (ICTs) are usually focused on private sector organizations. However, under the rubric of e-government, developments in the public sector are proceeding at a similar if not greater pace and are giving rise to a range of important issues which impact on the internal (organisational and managerial) and external (relations between government and citizens and clients) dimensions of public sector management and administration. Despite the importance of these developments, there is a dearth of academic critiques with the major contributors to the literarture being public managers and consultants. This paper is the result of a Spanish-Australian collaboration to investigate the development of e-government and its implications for public management and society at large. At first glance a comparative paper on Spain and Australia may seem surprising, however, the pervasiveness of the ideas of the New Public Management (NPM) and the univeral character of the set of innovations described as e-government suggests that a comparison of similar developments across divergent cultural, political and economic contexts may generate valuable insights into the character of both NPM and e-government, both separately and with respect to their interaction with each other. This paper proceeds on the hypothesis that governments in the two countries are making rapid advances in their use of e-government, but that this is not matched by the pace of change in the management process and the relations of governments and citizens. It is evident that public managers in both countries have welcomed Web sites and other Internet uses but it is necessary to ask whether these changes represent substantive rather than superficial advances. We suggest that, despite some notable exceptions, the development of ICT in Australia and Spain is actually improving unidirectional services rather than making innovations to online services and providing for interaction with citizens. This paper is in three parts. The first provides a comparative overview of developments in e-govenment in Australia and Spain. The second employs case study analysis of the leading e-government experiencies at the different levels of government in the two countries to explore the limitations of e-government in developing the information and knowledge society. Finally, as a result of interviews with managers, webmasters, ICT experts and public policy specialists from Spain and Australia about future trends and problems concerning e-government, we raise some questions for further discussion. The key issues here are: facilitating citizens access to ICTs, adapting organizations to ICTs and opening the internal structure of government to the social and political environment.
The Applicability of SERVQUAL in Different Health Care Environments
Creators: name: Dean, Alison M.
Publisher: name: Monash University
Year: 2017
Subjects: Uncategorized

description: This paper reports on a study that investigates the applicability of a modified SERVQUAL instrument as a means of measuring service quality in two types of health service environments; medical care, and health care (incorporating medical, social, cognitive and emotional elements). The research confirms a four factor structure that is stable for both environments, and similar to the service quality dimensions recognised in the literature. It also demonstrates the reliability and validity of SERVQUAL in this context but illustrates differences that highlight the complexity of health services. The dimensions of quality demonstrate quite different levels of significance to overall service quality for the two environments, and the relative importance of the dimensions is also shown to be inconsistent. These results confirm the suggestion that importance values should be part of the measurement tool. Finally, the extra diagnostic advantage achieved by the use of gap scores to measure service quality, when compared to perception only scores is demonstrated.
Additional file 1 of Adverse Cardiovascular Complications following prescription of programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) and programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitors: a propensity-score matched Cohort Study with competing risk analysis
Creators: name: Zhou, Jiandong
name: Lee, Sharen
name: Lakhani, Ishan
name: Yang, Lei
name: Liu, Tong
name: Zhang, Yuhui
name: Xia, Yunlong
name: Wong, Wing Tak
name: Bao, Kelvin King Hei
name: Wong, Ian Chi Kei
name: Tse, Gary
name: Zhang, Qingpeng
Publisher: name: figshare
Year: 2022
Subjects: subject: Medicine
subject: Biotechnology
subject: Immunology
subject: FOS: Clinical medicine
subject: Cancer
subject: Science Policy

description: Additional file 1.