University of Canterbury

About: University of Canterbury is a education organization based out in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Large Hadron Collider. The organization has 11100 authors who have published 29846 publications receiving 893232 citations. The organization is also known as: Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha & Canterbury College.

Determinants of Internet Financial Reporting by New Zealand Companies

Abstract: The development of the Internet as a global medium for the dissemination of corporate financial information creates a new reporting environment. Extensive literature examines the determinants of voluntary financial reporting through traditional media such as print-based annual reports. This paper extends this literature by examining the voluntary adoption of the Internet as a medium for transmitting financial reports and determinants of such voluntary practice by New Zealand companies. The results indicate that some determinants of traditional financial reporting - firm size, liquidity, industrial sector and spread of shareholding - are determinants of voluntary adoption of Internet financial reporting (IFR). However, other firm characteristics, such as leverage, profitability and internationalization do not explain the choice to use the Internet as a medium for corporate financial reporting.

New indices for quantifying the resistance and resilience of soil biota to exogenous disturbances

Abstract: The stability (resistance and resilience to disturbance) of a soil system is a key factor influencing ecosystem properties and processes. To compare the stability of different systems, it is necessary to have indices that provide a relative quantitative measure of both the resistance and resilience of a response variable in all possible scenarios. However, the indices currently in use are frequently unable to do this, or are difficult to interpret. Here, we present new indices that avoid these problems. We compare our indices with previously published indices of stability, and also test their performance by using a real data set. We show that our indices accurately represent the response of soil properties (e.g. soil microbial biomass) to a disturbance, and that they are capable of determining differences in stability between contrasting soils.

Photocatalysts for degradation of dyes in industrial effluents: Opportunities and challenges

Abstract: Discharging dye contaminants into water is a major concern around the world. Among a variety of methods to treat dye-contaminated water, photocatalytic degradation has gained attention as a tool for treating the colored water. Herein, we review the recent advancements in photocatalysis for dye degradation in industrial effluents by categorizing photocatalyst materials into three generations. First generation photocatalysts are composed of single-component materials (e.g., TiO2, ZnO, and CdS), while second generation photocatalysts are composed of multiple components in a suspension (e.g., WO3/NiWO4, BiOI/ZnTiO3, and C3N4/Ag3VO4). Photocatalysts immobilized on solid substrates are regarded as third generation materials (e.g., FTO/WO3-ZnO, Steel/TiO2-WO3, and Glass/P-TiO2). Photocatalytic degradation mechanisms, factors affecting the dye degradation, and the lesser-debated uncertainties related to the photocatalysis are also discussed to offer better insights into environmental applications. Furthermore, quantum yields of different photocatalysts are calculated, and a performance evaluation method is proposed to compare photocatalyst systems for dye degradation. Finally, we discuss the present limitations of photocatalytic dye degradation for field applications and the future of the technology.

Creating Adventures in Wonderland: The Journey Metaphor and Environmental Sustainability

Abstract: This paper provides a critical exploration of the journey metaphor promoted in much business discourse on sustainability—in corporate reports and advertisements, and in commentaries by business and professional associations. The portrayal of ‘sustainability as a journey’ evokes images of organizational adaptation, learning, progress, and a movement away from business-as-usual practices. The journey metaphor, however, masks the issue of towards what it is that businesses are actually, or even supposedly, moving. It is argued that in constructing ‘sustainability as a journey’, business commentators and other purveyors of corporate rhetoric can avoid becoming embroiled in debates about future desirable and sustainable states of affairs—states of affairs, perhaps, which would question the very raison d’etre for some organizations and their outputs. ‘Sustainability as a journey’ invokes a subtle and powerful use of language that appears to seriously engage with elements of the discourse around sustainable deve...