Search results

This paper aims to examine the prospect for international investment disputes in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic due to measures implemented by the Australian government to tackle the pandemic.

Doctrinal research. Contains qualitative analysis.

This paper finds that claims based on the protections in the International Investment Agreements (IIAs) signed by Australia are unlikely to succeed and that Australia’s COVID-19 measures can be justified as necessary measures under the general and security exception clauses included in more recent IIAs and under customary international law.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, scholars have written papers apprehending possible claims by international investors against emergency measures adopted by host countries to face the pandemic which might also have damaged the interest of the foreign investors. The existing literature is too vague and general. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper that draws some specific conclusions in this regard applicable to the COVID-19 regulatory measures taken by Australia. While the existing literature projects the possibility of such investor claims, this paper argues that at least no such claim would succeed against the COVID-19 measures taken by Australia.

Prisoners have a high level of drug use prior to imprisonment. Many inmates report having injected drugs and using cannabis. Prison authorities employed a range of strategies to detect drugs and drug use in prison. However, it was unclear which supply reduction strategies operated, and the prevalence and types of drugs detected in Australian prisons. The purpose of this paper is to examine supply reduction strategies in Australian prisons. Information on searches for drugs, and from inmate urinalysis was collected. The study focussed on adults in fulltime custody in Australia in 2009.

A representative of all corrective services departments and justice health services was asked to complete a questionnaire on supply reduction strategies, including searches for drugs and drug testing of inmates.

The two main supply reduction strategies identified in all Australian prisons were the use of drug detection dogs and urinalysis programs. Despite an extensive use of drug searches and urinalysis, the detection of drugs was modest for both strategies. The most commonly used drug was cannabis with the detection of drugs such as amphetamines and heroin being very low.

Prison inmates have a history of high levels of drug use prior to imprisonment. However, the supply reduction measures of drug detection dogs and urinalysis indicate that drug use was low in Australian prisons.

The paper recommends that urinalysis comprises targeting testing regimes and that random testing ceases in order to be a more cost effective use of resources for drug detection.

The study is the first report on the range of supply reduction measures in Australian prisons and, possibly in the world. Both measures were employed extensively across the country and finds of drugs and drug use were relatively low. Two possible conclusions can be drawn; that either drug use was very low in prison or that it was well concealed from the authorities. A comparison of random testing with targeted testing of inmates, where the former yields fewer positive results shows drug use was likely to be low rather than well concealed.

This paper describes the extent to which Australian university alumni offices currently apply benchmarking principles. Not surprisingly, there is considerable diversity in the way that the offices measure, evaluate, and progress their operations. Benchmarking has been adopted by only half of the respondents to a survey of management practices. To some extent, the differences reflect differences in alumni officers’ perceptions of the primacy of various customer groups, and the extent to which the top echelons of the universities advocate quality management practices. Resource constraints and concerns about meeting target performance measures are key deterrents to the adoption of benchmarking. Those associations that adopt benchmarking out‐perform those that do not on the following dimensions: commitment to quality management practices; communication with employees; continuous improvement, emphasis on customer satisfaction; and participative management. Organisations that have adopted quality management principles vary according to how they implement benchmarking, including the types of benchmarking partners adopted.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the quality of voluntary intellectual capital (IC) by universities in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK.

An IC framework was developed to measure IC reporting in the university sector. Content analysis was used to analyse the 2011 annual reports before a three-year comparative analysis of 90 universities (eight New Zealand universities, 38 Australian universities, and 44 UK universities) was undertaken.

New Zealand and Australian universities outperformed the UK universities in terms of IC disclosures. Additionally, the study found moderate increases in the levels of IC disclosures over the period of the study. The quality of IC disclosures by New Zealand universities was generally higher than their Australian and UK counterparts. Internal capital and human capital were the most disclosed categories with external capital being the least frequently disclosed in all three countries. However, the quality of external capital disclosures was higher than internal and human capital. Finally, most IC disclosures were narrative in nature.

The framework developed in this study could be adapted, further enhanced, and then applied to exploring IC disclosures in higher educational institutes in other jurisdictions.

This is the first comparative analysis of IC disclosures made by universities in three countries.

The purpose of this paper is to showcase empirical findings in the literature relating to Australian superannuation fund performance in the pre-reform period, from 2000 to 2014.

The authors synthesize Australian superannuation performance studies in an attempt to identify empirical approaches employed in the academic literature, showcase findings and uncover themes for future research.

The review highlights the following findings in the literature: actively managed “retail” superannuation funds appear to underperform passive index and/or portfolio approaches; high management fees and preference for liquid, less growth-orientated assets may be further undermining performance. It also reveals the need for future research to assess whether the recent government inquiries and the related reformative measures have achieved the desired effect of improving the Australian superannuation system. The authors therefore identify three areas of investigation that will cater for this research need: the fund performance of not-for-profit fund and self-managed super fund; the efficiency of super funds; and the appropriateness of wholesale fund benchmarks.

It is expected that superannuation fund performance will be subject to heightened scrutiny to assess the effectiveness of recent legislative changes resulting from the Stronger Super reform and other public inquiries. This study provides a timely, substantive and informative review of empirical findings pertaining to Australian superannuation performance in the pre-reform period to assist researchers looking to conduct further empirical research on this topic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has necessitated the introduction of extra-ordinary restrictions to mitigate its spread. Authorities rely on the public's voluntary willingness to obey these restrictions, yet the intrusive nature of these measures may lead some people to believe that authorities are overstepping the limits of their rightful power (i.e. bounded-authority). This paper applies the bounded-authority framework to the COVID-19 context to understand the factors associated with the public's duty to obey authorities during COVID-19.

This paper utilizes survey data from 1,582 individuals to examine what factors drive COVID-19-related bounded-authority concerns, and in turn, how bounded-authority concerns may impact one's duty to obey authorities during COVID-19.

Results show that worry about freedom loss, opposition to surveillance tactics, police heavy-handedness and perceptions of procedural injustice from police during the pandemic all drive bounded-authority concerns. Findings also reveal that bounded-authority concerns are associated with reduced duty to obey and mediate the relationship between procedural justice and the duty to obey authorities' enforcement of COVID-19 restrictions.

Findings reveal new evidence about the bounded-authority framework and the public's duty to obey authorities, with implications for the COVID-19 context and beyond.

This study aims to explore which outcome measures are used by occupational therapy staff in adult social care settings in the UK, and the factors affecting use of outcome measures.

A quantitative descriptive research design was used, using a cross-sectional study to explore occupational therapy staff views on the use of outcome measures. A 38-question survey was developed on Microsoft Forms. Recruitment occurred online over a three-week period in 2021 via the social media platform “Twitter”. Results were analysed using Excel using descriptive statistics and qualitative results used thematic analysis.

Participants (n = 20) used a range of outcome measures (13) in adult social care settings in the previous 12 months. Standardised measures were used by half the sample in the previous 12 months. The Therapy Outcome Measure and Barthel Index were in most use. The breadth of adult social care practice and practical factors such as caseload and lack of a meaningful tool were found to be barriers to outcome measure use. Facilitators included service improvement, accountability, use of audit and professional occupational therapy leadership.

The overall use of outcome measures can be considered low in this setting, with manager support seen to be key to the use of outcome measures. Further research is needed to investigate nationwide use.

Training, time and manager support are key to use of standardised tests and outcome measures in the adult social care settings. The use of occupational performance measures should be considered to demonstrate unique professional impact.

This contemporary study reveals use of outcome measures within occupational therapy adult social care services in the UK, which is an under researched and under published area.

Considers the determinants of income for employed indigenous Australians compared with other Australians. Applies ordinary least squares (OLS) regression techniques to 1991 census data to consider the question: does the lower income of these indigenous people compared with other Australians reflect differences in their factor endowments or differences in the rewards they receive for a given set of endowments? Claims the results show that the main source of lower incomes for indigenous Australians was their smaller endowment of human capital.

Presently, knowledge about the design of multiple perspectives performance measurement and management systems (PMMS), comprising financial and non-financial measures, in Australian business organisations, is limited. The empirical findings of a questionnaire-based study provide evidence to describe PMMS implemented in a sample of the Australian listed organisations, including information on levels of PMMS use, PMMS types, perspectives and measures.

Australian universities have a rich history for enabling, promoting and evaluating innovation and excellence in learning and teaching. Universities have used this practice to respond to drivers from government and the changing global educational environment, as well as accommodating for the characteristics of Australian universities such as scale, equity of access and the balance of domestic and international students. Often through institutional collaborations, educators have challenged pedagogical practices and introduced and tested innovative ways to enhance student learning, which has contributed to an international reputation for quality learning and teaching. However, the recent removal of specific government funding to support innovation, the increased emphasis on student success and employability outcomes and the threat of performance-based funding means that Australian universities will need to commit to the ongoing development of learning and teaching and demonstrate the potential for learning gain.