title: Exploring Women's Leadership Journeys

authors: Loeffen, Olivia

subjects: Leadership

abstract: Women comprise a very small proportion (28%) of senior managers and leaders in New Zealand organisations and statistics reveal a plateauing in their numbers over the last decade (Grant Thornton, 2012). The dearth of women business leaders has significant organisational consequences. Previous research has shown that women bring a variety of skills and talents to organisations due to their diversity of skills, and decision-making abilities (McKinsey & Company, 2010; Deloitte Australia, 2011). In addition, a series of Catalyst studies from 2004 to 2011 has shown that companies that have more women in their management ranks and on their boards have significantly better revenue and profitability (Catalyst, 2011). Women’s active participation in senior leadership is therefore good not only for New Zealand’s economy but also for their organisations’ bottom lines. This underutilised resource is too valuable for New Zealand to ignore. In this research, I sought to understand how existing women leaders had moved into senior leadership roles in New Zealand organisations and how they had succeeded, in order to find ways of increasing the number of women leaders in the future. Taking an Appreciative Inquiry research approach, I aimed to discover ways of raising the percentage above 28% by interviewing a number of women business leaders about the stories, methods, and strategies that they believed underpinned their transition to top leadership roles. To give the study breadth, I selected women leaders from areas as diverse as public relations, publicly listed companies and not-for-profit organisations and then interviewed them individually to learn about the successes and challenges of their leadership journeys. One unexpected but welcome finding was the lack of evidence from any of the participants of the famous “glass ceiling.” Nevertheless, the participants did provide insight into many other challenges women have to face in order to obtain senior leadership positions. While they didn’t find a glass ceiling, the women often indicated signs of continuing gender discrimination. Many of the participants expressed their frustration that getting to the top is a lot harder for women than men and many participants noted that work/life balance was one of the biggest obstacles they had to negotiate. The thesis closes by deriving practical recommendations for the advancement of women to influential leadership positions.

text: Exploring Women's Leadership Journeys Women comprise a very small proportion (28%) of senior managers and leaders in New Zealand organisations and statistics reveal a plateauing in their numbers over the last decade (Grant Thornton, 2012). The dearth of women business leaders has significant organisational consequences. Previous research has shown that women bring a variety of skills and talents to organisations due to their diversity of skills, and decision-making abilities (McKinsey & Company, 2010; Deloitte Australia, 2011). In addition, a series of Catalyst studies from 2004 to 2011 has shown that companies that have more women in their management ranks and on their boards have significantly better revenue and profitability (Catalyst, 2011). Women’s active participation in senior leadership is therefore good not only for New Zealand’s economy but also for their organisations’ bottom lines. This underutilised resource is too valuable for New Zealand to ignore. In this research, I sought to understand how existing women leaders had moved into senior leadership roles in New Zealand organisations and how they had succeeded, in order to find ways of increasing the number of women leaders in the future. Taking an Appreciative Inquiry research approach, I aimed to discover ways of raising the percentage above 28% by interviewing a number of women business leaders about the stories, methods, and strategies that they believed underpinned their transition to top leadership roles. To give the study breadth, I selected women leaders from areas as diverse as public relations, publicly listed companies and not-for-profit organisations and then interviewed them individually to learn about the successes and challenges of their leadership journeys. One unexpected but welcome finding was the lack of evidence from any of the participants of the famous “glass ceiling.” Nevertheless, the participants did provide insight into many other challenges women have to face in order to obtain senior leadership positions. While they didn’t find a glass ceiling, the women often indicated signs of continuing gender discrimination. Many of the participants expressed their frustration that getting to the top is a lot harder for women than men and many participants noted that work/life balance was one of the biggest obstacles they had to negotiate. The thesis closes by deriving practical recommendations for the advancement of women to influential leadership positions.

year: 2016

title: Long/continuous bio-derived fibre reinforced PLA composites for FDM 3D printing

authors: Muthe, Lakshmi Priya

abstract: High mechanical performance applications often rely on fibre-reinforced composites using continuous synthetic fibres and petrochemical-based polymers. A shift towards bio-derived fibres and bio-derived polymers can reduce the reliance on non-sustainable materials. Long/continuous high-strength bio-derived fibres, such as flax and viscose, offer the potential to achieve mechanical properties similar to synthetic fibre composites. Polylactic acid (PLA), a sustainable bio-derived thermoplastic polymer known for its relatively high strength and stiffness compared to other polymers, is a promising alternative to petrochemical-derived counterparts. This study used long flax fibres and continuous viscose fibres in yarn form to reinforce PLA matrices, resulting in high-performance composite filaments. These filaments are designed for a recently developed and evolving manufacturing method, Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D printing, for which product performance has been limited by the commercially available filaments. Achieving high-performance FDM filaments requires addressing challenges related to fibre wetting and uniform fibre/polymer distribution, which this study addresses through impregnation and consolidation techniques. The research covers comprehensive experimental investigations into the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of viscose, flax fibres, and PLA matrices. Successful outcomes include the development of long/continuous bio-derived fibre-reinforced composite filaments by employing two impregnation methods: solution and emulsion impregnation. Analysis covers the morphology, porosity, fibre weight fraction, and mechanical and thermal properties of the composite filaments and 3D printed composites.
Composite filaments were produced using three reinforcement yarns in their as-received form: viscose, two types of flax – standard flax and bleached flax. Viscose fibres were purchased in the form of fully continuous bio-derived fibres, while flax fibres were long and discontinuous, twisted into continuous yarns. Two PLA grades, PLA 2003D (in the form of granules) and PL 1005 (in the form of a PLA/water emulsion), were employed for solution and emulsion impregnation, respectively. Tensile testing of single fibres and matrices yielded results consistent with literature values. Bleached flax fibres exhibited the highest tensile strength (921.6 MPa), standard flax fibres displayed the highest Young’s modulus (31.8 GPa), and viscose fibres demonstrated the highest elongation at break (13.2%). PLA 2003D exhibited the highest tensile properties of the two PLA grades. Thermal stability, as assessed by TGA, demonstrated stability of both bio-derived reinforcements and matrices up to 250 oC. DSC analysis confirmed the semi-crystalline nature of PLA 2003D and the amorphous nature of PL 1005.
An impregnation and consolidation methodology was developed to produce composite filaments using both PLA solution and emulsion. Initially employing a single impregnation bath, it was later upgraded to dual baths in tandem for enhanced efficiency. A yarn spooler directed the fibre into the impregnation bath with squeezing rollers, followed by excess resin removal through a nozzle. The impregnated filament was collected on a winding mandrel and passed through a heated consolidation die. Various formulations with different impregnation cycles were tested for solution and emulsion impregnation methods. Polymer uptake depended on the affinity between the fibre and impregnating liquid, while yarn twist influenced polymer distribution. Emulsion impregnated composites exhibited higher polymer uptake due to better affinity between water and bio-derived fibres. However, solution impregnated composites showed better polymer distribution, particularly for twisted flax-reinforced filaments, relating to the efficient impregnation of PLA/DCM solution. For both impregnation methods, standard flax and bleached flax reinforced composites exhibited improved interfacial adhesion compared to viscose, attributed to mechanical interlocking between the rough surface of flax fibres and PLA in contrast to smooth viscose fibres. For PLA/viscose composites, emulsion impregnation resulted in higher tensile strength (254.7 MPa) and Young’s modulus (9.1 GPa), surpassing reported values in the literature. On the other hand, for PLA/standard flax and PLA/bleached flax, solution impregnation yielded superior tensile properties. Solution impregnated PLA/bleached flax, for the 7wt% x 3 formulation, had the highest tensile strength (356.1 MPa), while the 7wt% x2 tandem formulation showed the highest Young’s modulus (17.6 GPa) of all composites. The achieved tensile strength for PLA/bleached flax in this study also exceeded values reported in existing literature for PLA/flax composites.
The highest-performing formulations for each reinforcement, employing both solution and emulsion impregnation, were chosen to produce 3D printing filaments. A Makergear® FDM 3D printer, compatible with filament diameters of 1.4 to 2 mm, was utilized. Three filaments were pultruded together into one using a consolidation die to achieve the required filament diameter. PLA/viscose and PLA/bleached flax were selected for 3D printing in both solution and emulsion impregnation formulations, following an analysis of morphology, porosity, fibre weight fraction, and tensile properties of the multiple consolidated filaments. To further optimize diameter and enhance printability, the multiple consolidated filaments underwent melt-impregnation with additional polymer, resulting in 1.45±0.5 mm diameter filaments. Characterization of the 3D printing filaments revealed a reduction in tensile strength and Young's modulus due to increased polymer content.
Optical microscopy and porosity analysis of the 3D printed composites revealed increased porosity in the printed specimens compared to the filaments due to voids between the printed layers and pulling of the fibres onto the surface of the printed part because of the nozzle's drag force exerted during the printing process. Emulsion impregnated PLA/viscose exhibited lower porosity and printing defects compared to other composites relating to better affinity between PLA emulsion and viscose as mentioned earlier. Tensile strength and Young’s modulus values of the 3D printed composites decreased compared to the filaments due to printing induced defects mentioned previously. The highest tensile and flexural properties were obtained for emulsion impregnated PLA/viscose composites, demonstrating the significance of efficient impregnation. The 3D printed emulsion impregnated PLA/viscose composites displayed an impact strength greater than 127KJ/m2, which is higher than what has been reported in the literature for any PLA biocomposite.

text: Long/continuous bio-derived fibre reinforced PLA composites for FDM 3D printing High mechanical performance applications often rely on fibre-reinforced composites using continuous synthetic fibres and petrochemical-based polymers. A shift towards bio-derived fibres and bio-derived polymers can reduce the reliance on non-sustainable materials. Long/continuous high-strength bio-derived fibres, such as flax and viscose, offer the potential to achieve mechanical properties similar to synthetic fibre composites. Polylactic acid (PLA), a sustainable bio-derived thermoplastic polymer known for its relatively high strength and stiffness compared to other polymers, is a promising alternative to petrochemical-derived counterparts. This study used long flax fibres and continuous viscose fibres in yarn form to reinforce PLA matrices, resulting in high-performance composite filaments. These filaments are designed for a recently developed and evolving manufacturing method, Fused Deposition Modelling (FDM) 3D printing, for which product performance has been limited by the commercially available filaments. Achieving high-performance FDM filaments requires addressing challenges related to fibre wetting and uniform fibre/polymer distribution, which this study addresses through impregnation and consolidation techniques. The research covers comprehensive experimental investigations into the physical, mechanical, and thermal properties of viscose, flax fibres, and PLA matrices. Successful outcomes include the development of long/continuous bio-derived fibre-reinforced composite filaments by employing two impregnation methods: solution and emulsion impregnation. Analysis covers the morphology, porosity, fibre weight fraction, and mechanical and thermal properties of the composite filaments and 3D printed composites.
Composite filaments were produced using three reinforcement yarns in their as-received form: viscose, two types of flax – standard flax and bleached flax. Viscose fibres were purchased in the form of fully continuous bio-derived fibres, while flax fibres were long and discontinuous, twisted into continuous yarns. Two PLA grades, PLA 2003D (in the form of granules) and PL 1005 (in the form of a PLA/water emulsion), were employed for solution and emulsion impregnation, respectively. Tensile testing of single fibres and matrices yielded results consistent with literature values. Bleached flax fibres exhibited the highest tensile strength (921.6 MPa), standard flax fibres displayed the highest Young’s modulus (31.8 GPa), and viscose fibres demonstrated the highest elongation at break (13.2%). PLA 2003D exhibited the highest tensile properties of the two PLA grades. Thermal stability, as assessed by TGA, demonstrated stability of both bio-derived reinforcements and matrices up to 250 oC. DSC analysis confirmed the semi-crystalline nature of PLA 2003D and the amorphous nature of PL 1005.
An impregnation and consolidation methodology was developed to produce composite filaments using both PLA solution and emulsion. Initially employing a single impregnation bath, it was later upgraded to dual baths in tandem for enhanced efficiency. A yarn spooler directed the fibre into the impregnation bath with squeezing rollers, followed by excess resin removal through a nozzle. The impregnated filament was collected on a winding mandrel and passed through a heated consolidation die. Various formulations with different impregnation cycles were tested for solution and emulsion impregnation methods. Polymer uptake depended on the affinity between the fibre and impregnating liquid, while yarn twist influenced polymer distribution. Emulsion impregnated composites exhibited higher polymer uptake due to better affinity between water and bio-derived fibres. However, solution impregnated composites showed better polymer distribution, particularly for twisted flax-reinforced filaments, relating to the efficient impregnation of PLA/DCM solution. For both impregnation methods, standard flax and bleached flax reinforced composites exhibited improved interfacial adhesion compared to viscose, attributed to mechanical interlocking between the rough surface of flax fibres and PLA in contrast to smooth viscose fibres. For PLA/viscose composites, emulsion impregnation resulted in higher tensile strength (254.7 MPa) and Young’s modulus (9.1 GPa), surpassing reported values in the literature. On the other hand, for PLA/standard flax and PLA/bleached flax, solution impregnation yielded superior tensile properties. Solution impregnated PLA/bleached flax, for the 7wt% x 3 formulation, had the highest tensile strength (356.1 MPa), while the 7wt% x2 tandem formulation showed the highest Young’s modulus (17.6 GPa) of all composites. The achieved tensile strength for PLA/bleached flax in this study also exceeded values reported in existing literature for PLA/flax composites.
The highest-performing formulations for each reinforcement, employing both solution and emulsion impregnation, were chosen to produce 3D printing filaments. A Makergear® FDM 3D printer, compatible with filament diameters of 1.4 to 2 mm, was utilized. Three filaments were pultruded together into one using a consolidation die to achieve the required filament diameter. PLA/viscose and PLA/bleached flax were selected for 3D printing in both solution and emulsion impregnation formulations, following an analysis of morphology, porosity, fibre weight fraction, and tensile properties of the multiple consolidated filaments. To further optimize diameter and enhance printability, the multiple consolidated filaments underwent melt-impregnation with additional polymer, resulting in 1.45±0.5 mm diameter filaments. Characterization of the 3D printing filaments revealed a reduction in tensile strength and Young's modulus due to increased polymer content.
Optical microscopy and porosity analysis of the 3D printed composites revealed increased porosity in the printed specimens compared to the filaments due to voids between the printed layers and pulling of the fibres onto the surface of the printed part because of the nozzle's drag force exerted during the printing process. Emulsion impregnated PLA/viscose exhibited lower porosity and printing defects compared to other composites relating to better affinity between PLA emulsion and viscose as mentioned earlier. Tensile strength and Young’s modulus values of the 3D printed composites decreased compared to the filaments due to printing induced defects mentioned previously. The highest tensile and flexural properties were obtained for emulsion impregnated PLA/viscose composites, demonstrating the significance of efficient impregnation. The 3D printed emulsion impregnated PLA/viscose composites displayed an impact strength greater than 127KJ/m2, which is higher than what has been reported in the literature for any PLA biocomposite.

year: 2024-06-27

title: “It’s becoming part of their knowing”: a study of bicultural development in an early childhood teacher education setting in Aotearoa/New Zealand

authors: Ritchie, Jenny

abstract: This study is an exploration of the implementation of bicultural development within a university-based early childhood teacher education programme in Aotearoa/New Zealand, which can be considered to be a bicultural country (Walker, 1987, p. 221). Bicultural development is a process in line with obligations contained within the Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi, which are reflected within the New Zealand Ministry of Education’s Revised Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices (Ministry of Education, 1996a) and the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996b). The study adopts a critical, transformative theoretical paradigm, and employed an eclectic and emergent qualitative methodological approach, that reflected aspects from ethnographic, narrative and grounded theory methodologies. Interviews with university lecturers, early childhood care and education teachers, and professional development facilitators within the early childhood field; observations within early childhood care and education centres; audio taping of university class discussions; samples of university student assignments; and a written survey of graduates of the university teacher education programme provide the sources of data for the study. Central to the methodological process is a commitment to ethical care for participants, which involves attentive accountability to the interpretations that they place on the material that they contribute to the study and to the overall theorising of the significance of the findings. 

Key research questions of the study were to define ‘bicultural development’ in the context of early childhood care and education in this country; to identify key components of the bicultural development implementation process employed within the university teacher early childhood education programme; to distinguish some useful ‘indicators’ of bicultural development within early childhood centres; and to consider the implications for the teacher education programme in terms of preparing graduates to facilitate bicultural development within their future work in early childhood education. 

A significant finding of the study was the identification of a range of strategies for implementing bicultural development in early childhood education teacher education and care and education settings. The key strategies include Tiriti-based partnership models of teaching whereby Māori and Pākehā work alongside each other, enabling the paralleling of Māori and Western perspectives within both university teacher education and early childhood care and education programmes. It was considered essential that universities employ Māori lecturers to enable Māori content within the teacher education programme to be adequately provisioned. Since there are few Māori educators employed in mainstream early childhood services, it was suggested that teachers might seek to employ a “whanaungatanga” approach. This involves the early childhood centre staff creating a climate and environment in which Māori families/whānau are comfortable to participate fully in programme planning, implementation, and evaluation, which will enable all children attending to access Māori perspectives alongside the Western curriculum content. This approach is consistent with Article Two of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which guaranteed to Māori their tino rangatiratanga, or self-determination. 

An implication for management and staff of early childhood teacher education programmes in Aotearoa/New Zealand is the need to equip graduates with the knowledge bases and commitment that will enable them to implement bicultural development, ideally through adopting, a whanaungatanga approach. This involves facilitating teacher education students to move beyond the dysconscious racism (King, 1994) that is deeply embedded in mainstream Pākehā culture in this country, to the position where they are able to adopt a critical, transformative stance that is humble, respectful and responsive to cultural difference. This stance includes valuing the inclusion of te reo me ōna tikanga throughout early childhood programmes, in a partnership initiated by teachers, but one in which whānau Māori are then able to take the lead in determining the nature and application of Māori content.

text: “It’s becoming part of their knowing”: a study of bicultural development in an early childhood teacher education setting in Aotearoa/New Zealand This study is an exploration of the implementation of bicultural development within a university-based early childhood teacher education programme in Aotearoa/New Zealand, which can be considered to be a bicultural country (Walker, 1987, p. 221). Bicultural development is a process in line with obligations contained within the Te Tiriti o Waitangi/The Treaty of Waitangi, which are reflected within the New Zealand Ministry of Education’s Revised Statement of Desirable Objectives and Practices (Ministry of Education, 1996a) and the early childhood curriculum, Te Whāriki (Ministry of Education, 1996b). The study adopts a critical, transformative theoretical paradigm, and employed an eclectic and emergent qualitative methodological approach, that reflected aspects from ethnographic, narrative and grounded theory methodologies. Interviews with university lecturers, early childhood care and education teachers, and professional development facilitators within the early childhood field; observations within early childhood care and education centres; audio taping of university class discussions; samples of university student assignments; and a written survey of graduates of the university teacher education programme provide the sources of data for the study. Central to the methodological process is a commitment to ethical care for participants, which involves attentive accountability to the interpretations that they place on the material that they contribute to the study and to the overall theorising of the significance of the findings. 

Key research questions of the study were to define ‘bicultural development’ in the context of early childhood care and education in this country; to identify key components of the bicultural development implementation process employed within the university teacher early childhood education programme; to distinguish some useful ‘indicators’ of bicultural development within early childhood centres; and to consider the implications for the teacher education programme in terms of preparing graduates to facilitate bicultural development within their future work in early childhood education. 

A significant finding of the study was the identification of a range of strategies for implementing bicultural development in early childhood education teacher education and care and education settings. The key strategies include Tiriti-based partnership models of teaching whereby Māori and Pākehā work alongside each other, enabling the paralleling of Māori and Western perspectives within both university teacher education and early childhood care and education programmes. It was considered essential that universities employ Māori lecturers to enable Māori content within the teacher education programme to be adequately provisioned. Since there are few Māori educators employed in mainstream early childhood services, it was suggested that teachers might seek to employ a “whanaungatanga” approach. This involves the early childhood centre staff creating a climate and environment in which Māori families/whānau are comfortable to participate fully in programme planning, implementation, and evaluation, which will enable all children attending to access Māori perspectives alongside the Western curriculum content. This approach is consistent with Article Two of Te Tiriti o Waitangi, which guaranteed to Māori their tino rangatiratanga, or self-determination. 

An implication for management and staff of early childhood teacher education programmes in Aotearoa/New Zealand is the need to equip graduates with the knowledge bases and commitment that will enable them to implement bicultural development, ideally through adopting, a whanaungatanga approach. This involves facilitating teacher education students to move beyond the dysconscious racism (King, 1994) that is deeply embedded in mainstream Pākehā culture in this country, to the position where they are able to adopt a critical, transformative stance that is humble, respectful and responsive to cultural difference. This stance includes valuing the inclusion of te reo me ōna tikanga throughout early childhood programmes, in a partnership initiated by teachers, but one in which whānau Māori are then able to take the lead in determining the nature and application of Māori content.

year: 2002