title: A new Geographic Profiling Suspect Mapping And Ranking Technique for crime investigations: GP-SMART

authors: Curtis-Ham, Sophie

abstract: This study developed and tested a new geographic profiling method for automating suspect prioritisation in crime investigations. The Geographic Profiling Suspect Mapping And Ranking Technique (GP-SMART) maps suspects' activity locations available in police records—such as home addresses, family members' home addresses, prior offence locations, locations of non-crime incidents, and other contacts with police—and ranks suspects based on both the proximity and nature of these locations, relative to an input crime. In accuracy tests using solved burglary, robbery and extra-familial sex offence cases in New Zealand (n = 4511), GP-SMART ranked the offender at or near the top of the suspect list at rates greatly exceeding chance. Highlighting the benefit of its novel inclusion and differentiation of many different types of activity location, GP-SMART also outperformed baseline methods—approximating existing algorithms—that ranked suspects using only the proximity of their activity locations, or home addresses, to the input crime.

text: A new Geographic Profiling Suspect Mapping And Ranking Technique for crime investigations: GP-SMART This study developed and tested a new geographic profiling method for automating suspect prioritisation in crime investigations. The Geographic Profiling Suspect Mapping And Ranking Technique (GP-SMART) maps suspects' activity locations available in police records—such as home addresses, family members' home addresses, prior offence locations, locations of non-crime incidents, and other contacts with police—and ranks suspects based on both the proximity and nature of these locations, relative to an input crime. In accuracy tests using solved burglary, robbery and extra-familial sex offence cases in New Zealand (n = 4511), GP-SMART ranked the offender at or near the top of the suspect list at rates greatly exceeding chance. Highlighting the benefit of its novel inclusion and differentiation of many different types of activity location, GP-SMART also outperformed baseline methods—approximating existing algorithms—that ranked suspects using only the proximity of their activity locations, or home addresses, to the input crime.

year: 2022

title: The impact of autonomy on the effectiveness of universities in Thailand

authors: Panitcharoen, Pochara

abstract: Since the 1990s the Thai Government has worked to reform higher education to meet a need for greater effectiveness in public universities. Long established bureaucratic systems were judged to deliver an inappropriate administrative structure, therefore, the Government formulated policies and plans to push public universities to be more autonomous. However, the shift towards greater autonomy has potential benefits and drawbacks. The primary objective of this research is to examine the impact of autonomy on the effectiveness of Thai universities using an institutional theory perspective. The study adopts a qualitative, interpretivist methodology using a case study approach. Three Thai universities with distinctive backgrounds and at different stages of adopting an autonomous form were identified and chosen. The data was collected through a series of extensive, face-to-face semi-structured interviews with key senior members of each of the three case universities. Information was also collected from the Government sources, public information and from internal organisational records. 
The research findings indicated that the influences of institutional pressures play a significant role in how each university adopts an autonomous model. While autonomy has brought benefits to the universities in terms of flexibility, it also has brought some challenges. The autonomous model has increased the level of complexity within the universities in terms of structure and administrative process. The level to which the university achieves the Government missions varies depending on how well it can adapt to the autonomous model. Two out of three case studies, are able to effectively adapt to the autonomous model, achieve the Government missions at higher level, while the other that is struggling to adapt, achieves at lower level. Historical root, identity and leadership are important variables in determining such different outcomes in the case studies. The analysis of the case studies suggests that the meaning of effectiveness is shaped by institutional factors and that universal forms of structure and governance in every university may not be appropriate. 
This research concludes that rather than a focus on developing a standard autonomous form, the emphasis should be on standardisation of outcomes while allowing some measure of flexibility in how autonomy is interpreted in the structure and processes of each university.

text: The impact of autonomy on the effectiveness of universities in Thailand Since the 1990s the Thai Government has worked to reform higher education to meet a need for greater effectiveness in public universities. Long established bureaucratic systems were judged to deliver an inappropriate administrative structure, therefore, the Government formulated policies and plans to push public universities to be more autonomous. However, the shift towards greater autonomy has potential benefits and drawbacks. The primary objective of this research is to examine the impact of autonomy on the effectiveness of Thai universities using an institutional theory perspective. The study adopts a qualitative, interpretivist methodology using a case study approach. Three Thai universities with distinctive backgrounds and at different stages of adopting an autonomous form were identified and chosen. The data was collected through a series of extensive, face-to-face semi-structured interviews with key senior members of each of the three case universities. Information was also collected from the Government sources, public information and from internal organisational records. 
The research findings indicated that the influences of institutional pressures play a significant role in how each university adopts an autonomous model. While autonomy has brought benefits to the universities in terms of flexibility, it also has brought some challenges. The autonomous model has increased the level of complexity within the universities in terms of structure and administrative process. The level to which the university achieves the Government missions varies depending on how well it can adapt to the autonomous model. Two out of three case studies, are able to effectively adapt to the autonomous model, achieve the Government missions at higher level, while the other that is struggling to adapt, achieves at lower level. Historical root, identity and leadership are important variables in determining such different outcomes in the case studies. The analysis of the case studies suggests that the meaning of effectiveness is shaped by institutional factors and that universal forms of structure and governance in every university may not be appropriate. 
This research concludes that rather than a focus on developing a standard autonomous form, the emphasis should be on standardisation of outcomes while allowing some measure of flexibility in how autonomy is interpreted in the structure and processes of each university.

year: 2017

title: He Taonga te Ta Moko ki Tauranga Moana: A survey of attitudes, opinions, whakāro noa iho, towards ta moko during the Tauranga Moana, Tauranga Tangata Festival (Labour Weekend 2002)

authors: Cairns, Puawai

subjects: Maori

abstract: During Labour Weekend (26 – 28 October 2002) in Tauranga, a celebration called
the Tauranga Moana, Tauranga Tangata Festival was held. The festival
represented the artists, kapa haka, lectures, sports, and personalities of Tauranga
Moana. It was during this festival that a ta moko survey was conducted, with the
support of the lead ta moko artist there, with the aim to canvass opinions and
attitudes towards ta moko. The basis of the survey was to broadly examine the
extent to which ta moko has become a form of inscribed identity for Māori. This is
a first stage in a wider research project to examine Māori attitudes towards ta
moko, but it happens that this initial step was taken in the author’s own rohe.

text: He Taonga te Ta Moko ki Tauranga Moana: A survey of attitudes, opinions, whakāro noa iho, towards ta moko during the Tauranga Moana, Tauranga Tangata Festival (Labour Weekend 2002) During Labour Weekend (26 – 28 October 2002) in Tauranga, a celebration called
the Tauranga Moana, Tauranga Tangata Festival was held. The festival
represented the artists, kapa haka, lectures, sports, and personalities of Tauranga
Moana. It was during this festival that a ta moko survey was conducted, with the
support of the lead ta moko artist there, with the aim to canvass opinions and
attitudes towards ta moko. The basis of the survey was to broadly examine the
extent to which ta moko has become a form of inscribed identity for Māori. This is
a first stage in a wider research project to examine Māori attitudes towards ta
moko, but it happens that this initial step was taken in the author’s own rohe.

year: 2003