title: Ballycross RFC: Sectarianism, masculinity and racism in a Northern Irish rugby club

authors: Kavanagh, Thomas Richard

subjects: Ethnography

abstract: This thesis is a study of Ballycross RFC, a rugby club in Northern Ireland. With a history of violent conflict and a society that remains largely segregated by religion, politics, education and housing, Northern Ireland provided a dynamic and complex context to this season-long ethnography. 
As a British sport, rugby has traditionally been a Protestant domain and the Catholic minority population at the club were made very aware of this. Through the use of banter, sectarian statements that sought to maintain the status quo were justified with disclaimers of humour. A male-only environment, the rugby club provided members of Ballycross RFC with multiple discourses of masculinity. Problematic performances were frequent, but there was also evidence of more positive masculine identities. As an all-white club in a country with little ethnic diversity, I explore how discourses of whiteness function to highlight and ‘other’ those from different ethnic groups, and simultaneously strengthen in-group bonds. 
Playing, training and socialising as a full member of the club, I utilised participant observation, focus groups and semi-structured interviews to understand the experiences of Ballycross RFC members. Through the use of a novella, I attempt to represent my experiences at Ballycross RFC and the complex, fluid, and at times contradictory issues of politics and identity in a Northern Irish rugby club.

text: Ballycross RFC: Sectarianism, masculinity and racism in a Northern Irish rugby club This thesis is a study of Ballycross RFC, a rugby club in Northern Ireland. With a history of violent conflict and a society that remains largely segregated by religion, politics, education and housing, Northern Ireland provided a dynamic and complex context to this season-long ethnography. 
As a British sport, rugby has traditionally been a Protestant domain and the Catholic minority population at the club were made very aware of this. Through the use of banter, sectarian statements that sought to maintain the status quo were justified with disclaimers of humour. A male-only environment, the rugby club provided members of Ballycross RFC with multiple discourses of masculinity. Problematic performances were frequent, but there was also evidence of more positive masculine identities. As an all-white club in a country with little ethnic diversity, I explore how discourses of whiteness function to highlight and ‘other’ those from different ethnic groups, and simultaneously strengthen in-group bonds. 
Playing, training and socialising as a full member of the club, I utilised participant observation, focus groups and semi-structured interviews to understand the experiences of Ballycross RFC members. Through the use of a novella, I attempt to represent my experiences at Ballycross RFC and the complex, fluid, and at times contradictory issues of politics and identity in a Northern Irish rugby club.

year: 2019

title: Accountability in the retail and distribution sectors of the New Zealand electricity industry

authors: Hooks, Jill

abstract: Since the mid-1980s organisation of the electricity industry in New Zealand has been radically reformed. The public sector reforms implemented by successive governments between 1984 and 1999 aimed to reduce or eliminate government involvement in business activities and to create competition within industries, some of which might otherwise be natural monopolies. A “light-handed” regulatory regime was introduced to monitor and control the electricity industry. To date, this regime has rejected the use of price controls and associated methods in favour of market-based methods involving competition and transparent accountability. Corporate annual reports are therefore one of the prime ways in which organisations meet their accountability obligations. 

This research describes and explains the development of a disclosure index and the results of its application to the 1999 annual reports of the 33 electricity retail and distribution companies. The index was developed with the support of a panel representing 15 stakeholder groups. The disclosure index is a complex measure. It emphasises accountability through the provision of both financial and non-financial information to meet the needs of a wide range of stakeholders. It is designed to assess the comprehensiveness (both in extent and quality) of annual report disclosures. It also incorporates a best-practice model of annual reporting for electricity retail and distribution companies. 

The use of the disclosure index highlights an information gap between stakeholder expectations of information disclosure and the current level of disclosure in electricity company annual reports. Out of a maximum possible Index score of 100, the average score is 56 with a range from 15 to 72. Key areas of inadequate disclosure from an accountability perspective relate to performance measures (financial and non-financial), segmental information, asset valuation details, and cost of electricity purchased/generated. The research also identified a need for trust-owned companies to be as accountable as public companies. In this respect, copies of the annual report in its entirety should be available to interested parties on request. The concern is to make electricity companies and their activities more transparent by providing sufficient, understandable and easily accessible financial and non-financial information to allow stakeholders to fairly assess performance. The annual report is an appropriate vehicle for providing this information as it is a comprehensive document available to the public on a routine basis. Improved disclosure to meet best-practice levels would contribute significantly to the effective information sharing between companies and stakeholder groups - thus improving the accountability of each entity. Feedback from the research provides each company with indications of the parts of their reports which need attention if they wish to improve the quality of their reporting.

text: Accountability in the retail and distribution sectors of the New Zealand electricity industry Since the mid-1980s organisation of the electricity industry in New Zealand has been radically reformed. The public sector reforms implemented by successive governments between 1984 and 1999 aimed to reduce or eliminate government involvement in business activities and to create competition within industries, some of which might otherwise be natural monopolies. A “light-handed” regulatory regime was introduced to monitor and control the electricity industry. To date, this regime has rejected the use of price controls and associated methods in favour of market-based methods involving competition and transparent accountability. Corporate annual reports are therefore one of the prime ways in which organisations meet their accountability obligations. 

This research describes and explains the development of a disclosure index and the results of its application to the 1999 annual reports of the 33 electricity retail and distribution companies. The index was developed with the support of a panel representing 15 stakeholder groups. The disclosure index is a complex measure. It emphasises accountability through the provision of both financial and non-financial information to meet the needs of a wide range of stakeholders. It is designed to assess the comprehensiveness (both in extent and quality) of annual report disclosures. It also incorporates a best-practice model of annual reporting for electricity retail and distribution companies. 

The use of the disclosure index highlights an information gap between stakeholder expectations of information disclosure and the current level of disclosure in electricity company annual reports. Out of a maximum possible Index score of 100, the average score is 56 with a range from 15 to 72. Key areas of inadequate disclosure from an accountability perspective relate to performance measures (financial and non-financial), segmental information, asset valuation details, and cost of electricity purchased/generated. The research also identified a need for trust-owned companies to be as accountable as public companies. In this respect, copies of the annual report in its entirety should be available to interested parties on request. The concern is to make electricity companies and their activities more transparent by providing sufficient, understandable and easily accessible financial and non-financial information to allow stakeholders to fairly assess performance. The annual report is an appropriate vehicle for providing this information as it is a comprehensive document available to the public on a routine basis. Improved disclosure to meet best-practice levels would contribute significantly to the effective information sharing between companies and stakeholder groups - thus improving the accountability of each entity. Feedback from the research provides each company with indications of the parts of their reports which need attention if they wish to improve the quality of their reporting.

year: 2000

title: Waikato shallow lakes modelling

authors: Lehmann, Moritz K.

subjects: Lakes

abstract: The principal aim of this study is to apply a modelling approach to identify, evaluate and prioritise specific in-lake and catchment restoration options which could be applied to improve the water quality and ecological health of peat and riverine lake types across the Waikato Region. Four representative lakes have been selected as case studies for this work based on their social, cultural and ecological significance, as well as the availability of historical monitoring data and the potential transferability of the study findings to similar lake systems. The lakes include Rotomānuka, Ngāroto, Waahi and Waikare.

text: Waikato shallow lakes modelling The principal aim of this study is to apply a modelling approach to identify, evaluate and prioritise specific in-lake and catchment restoration options which could be applied to improve the water quality and ecological health of peat and riverine lake types across the Waikato Region. Four representative lakes have been selected as case studies for this work based on their social, cultural and ecological significance, as well as the availability of historical monitoring data and the potential transferability of the study findings to similar lake systems. The lakes include Rotomānuka, Ngāroto, Waahi and Waikare.

year: 2017