Showing papers by "University of New South Wales published in 1989"

Social Cognitive Theory of Organizational Management

Abstract: This article analyzes organizational functioning from the perspective of social cognitive theory, which explains psychosocial functioning in terms of triadic reciprocal causation. In this causal structure, behavior, cognitive, and other personal factors and environmental events operate as interacting determinants that influence each other bidirectionally. The application of the theory is illustrated in a series of experiments of complex managerial decision making, using a simulated organization. The interactional causal structure is tested in conjunction with experimentally varied organizational properties and belief systems that can enhance or undermine the operation of the self-regulatory determinants. Induced beliefs about the controllability of organizations and the conception of managerial ability strongly affect both managers' self-regulatory processes and their organizational attainments. Organizational complexity and assigned performance standards also serve as contributing influences. Path analys...

Economics of Natural Resources and the Environment

Abstract: This comprehensive and popular textbook is a core text for undergraduate students of environmental economics, and also appeals to geographers and environmentalists. The book deals fully with the orthodox theorems of the economics of pollution and optimal depletion rates for natural resources.

Impact of conceptions of ability on self-regulatory mechanisms and complex decision making.

Abstract: Tested the hypothesis that induced conceptions of ability as a stable entity or as an acquirable skill would affect self-regulatory mechanisms governing performance in a simulated organization. Ss served as managerial decision makers in which they had to match employees to subfunctions and to discover and apply managerial rules to achieve a difficult level of organizational performance. Those who performed the challenging managerial task under an entity conception of ability suffered a loss in perceived self-efficacy, lowered their organizational goals, and became less efficient in their analytic strategies. Ss who managed the organization under an acquirable skill conception of ability sustained their perceived self-efficacy, set challenging organizational goals, and used analytic strategies effectively. These divergences in self-regulatory factors were accompanied by substantial differences in organizational performance. Path analysis revealed that perceived self-efficacy had both a direct effect on organizational performance and an indirect effect through its influence on analytic strategies. Personal goals also affected organizational performance through the mediation of analytic strategies. The relation of prior organizational performance to subsequent performance was mediated entirely by the combined influence of the self-regulatory factors.

Corporate Social Reporting: A Rebuttal of Legitimacy Theory

Abstract: Various rationales have been advanced to explain the phenomenon of corporate social reporting. Among these has been legitimacy theory which posits that corporate disclosures are made as reactions to environmental factors and in order to legitimise corporate actions. This paper reports the results of an historical analysis of social disclosures in 100 years of annual reporting by a dominant corporation in the Australian mining/manufacturing industry. A variable but significant pattern of social reporting is identified and compared with an earlier study of social reporting by US Steel. The results of this study fail to confirm legitimacy theory as the primary explanation for social reporting in the Australian case.

Alternative Models for Conditional Stock Volatility

Abstract: This paper compares several statistical models for monthly stock return volatility. The focus is on U.S. data from 1834-19:5 because the post-1926 data have been analyzed in more detail by others. Also, the Great Depression had levels of stock volatility that are inconsistent with stationary models for conditional heteroskedasticity, We show the importance of nonlinearities in stock return behavior that are not captured by conventional ARCH or GARCH models. We also show the nonstationariry of stock volatility, even over the 1834-1925 period.

Predator vigilance and group size in mammals and birds: a critical review of the empirical evidence

Abstract: One commonly cited benefit to animals that forage in groups is an increase in the probability of detecting a predator, and a decrease in the time spent in predator detection. A mathematical model (Pulliam 1973) predicts a negative relationship between group size and vigilance rates. Over fifty studies of birds and mammals report that the relationship at least partly explains why individuals forage in groups. This review evaluates the strength of these conclusions based on their evidence. Those variables that may confound the relationship between vigilance and group size are outlined, and their control is assessed for each study. The variables I consider to be important include the density and type of food; competition between individuals; the proximity to both a safe place and the observer; the presence of predators; the visibility within the habitat; the composition of the group; the ambient temperature and the time of day. Based on these assessments, most of the studies fail to adequately demonstrate an unambiguous relationship between vigilance behavior and group size. Nevertheless, many studies reveal interesting features of the relationship between vigilance and group size that should provide fruitful avenues for future research.

Economic Rationalism in Canberra: A Nation-Building State Changes its Mind

Abstract: Throughout the world since the 1970s, state and public sector reform has been driven by a conservative agenda emphasising notions of 'streamlining' and 'rationalisation'; Australia has been no exception. Michael Pusey undertakes a detailed analysis of top bureaucrats in Canberra who have been responsible for this recasting of national policy. He concludes that economist rationalist view dominate each of the key ministries, and have altered the traditional balance between the economy, the state and society. The book also discusses the social significance of economic rationalisation and public sector reform from a theoretical perspective, contributing to contemporary understanding of modernisation, public morality and citizenship in the new global order.

Quantitative Studies of Student Self-Assessment in Higher Education: A Critical Analysis of Findings.

Abstract: Student self-assessment occurs when learners make judgements about aspects of their own performance. This paper focuses on one aspect of quantitative self-assessments: the comparison of student-generated marks with those generated by teachers. Studies including such comparisons in the context of higher education courses are reviewed and the following questions are addressed: (i) do students tend to over- or under-rate themselves vis-a-vis teachers?, (ii) do students of different abilities have the same tendencies?, (iii) do students in different kinds or levels of course tend to under- or over-rate themselves?, (iv) do students improve their ability to rate themselves over time or with practice?, (v) are the same tendencies evident when self-marks are used for formal assessment purposes?, and (vi) are there gender differences in self-rating? The paper also discusses methodological issues in studies of this type and makes recommendations concerning the analysis and presentation of information.

The distribution of muscular weakness in upper motor neuron lesions affecting the arm.

Abstract: SUMMARY The strength of 12 muscle groups of the arm was measured to determine the distribution of upper motor neuron weakness in man. Three groups of subjects were studied 14 intact volunteers (both sides recorded), 10 patients with unilateral arm paresis (both sides recorded) and 6 patients with severe paralysis of the arm (the ‘intact’ arm only measured). On the side contralateral to the causative lesion the pattern of weakness was not the same in all patients. Shoulder muscles were relatively spared while the wrist and finger flexors were relatively severely affected, the difference being statistically significant. In hemiparetic and hemiplegic patients the strength of muscles ipsilateral to the lesion was reduced compared with normal controls. These observations refine previous clinical descriptions of upper motor neuron weakness and have implications for its pathophysiology.

The Life Skills Profile A Measure Assessing Function and Disability in Schizophrenia

Abstract: We review limitations of representative measures of function and disability associated with schizophrenia and specify requirements of a suitable measure for service evaluation: It should reliably and validly assess constructs relevant to survival, function, and adaptation in the community. Additionally, it should be brief, comprise specific and jargon-free items assessing distinct behaviors, and therefore be capable of completion by family members and community housing managers as well as by professional staff. The initial development of such a measure, the 39-item Life Skills Profile (LSP), with its five scales, is described. We report data to suggest that it is likely to be a measure of considerable utility both in research studies and in defining and assessing clinical services.

The Parental Bonding Instrument: psychometric properties reviewed.

Abstract: The Parental Bonding Instrument (PBI) was designed as a refined self-report measure of fundamental parental dimensions of care and protection. The utility of such a self-report measure is dependent on demonstration of robust psychometric characteristics, particularly the extent to which the PBI provides valid ratings of actual and not merely perceived characteristics. This paper reviews initial and more recently published studies assessing the psychometric properties of the PBI, and which suggest satisfactory reliability and validity.

Development of a scale to measure interpersonal sensitivity.

Abstract: Six patients with a history of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) were treated with bright artificial light. Patients presented with at least two consecutive years of loss of energy, difficulty in working, loss of interest in activities, difficulty in concentrating, increased somnolence, over-eating (carbohydrate craving) and depressed mood. All received seven consecutive days of full-spectrum bright light with an intensity greater than 2,500 lux at a distance of three feet. Evening exposure for two hours resulted in significant clinical improvement. The main improvements were a return to normal sleeping patterns, a reduction in eating habits, improved energy level, a desire to continue with interests and activities and an improvement in mood. Possible mechanisms for the clinical effects of bright light treatment are discussed.

Completely bounded multipliers of the Fourier algebra of a simple Lie group of real rank one

Abstract: The Fourier algebra A(G) of a locally compact group G is the space of matrix coefficients of the regular representation, and is the predual of the yon Neumann algebra VN(G) generated by the regular representation of G on L 2 (G). A multiplier m of A (G) is a bounded operator on A (G) given by pointwise multiplication by a function on G, also denoted m. We say m is a completely bounded multiplier ofA (G) if the transposed operator on VN(G) is completely bounded (definition below). It may be possible to find a net ofA (G)-functions, (m i : ie I) say, such that mi tends to

The Determination of Defense Style by Questionnaire

Abstract: The Defense Style Questionnaire was relabeled in terms of DSM-III-R defenses and administered to three groups: a normal population, family practice patients, and patients with anxiety disorders. The preferred factor structure identified mature defenses (sublimation, humor, anticipation, and suppression), neurotic defenses (undoing, altruism, idealization, and reaction formation), and immature defenses (projection, passive aggression, acting out, etc). Factor scores varied systematically with group membership and with measures of total symptoms. In this cross-sectional study, the vulnerability factors of neuroticism, locus of control, and defense style were all correlated with neurotic symptoms, but defense style added little to the variance explained by the other two. Within the patient group, however, neuroticism and locus of control did not distinguish among panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, and obsessive-compulsive disorder, while defense style showed patterns characteristic of each disorder.

A note on corporate social disclosure practices in developing countries: the case of malaysia and singapore*

Abstract: Most studies on corporate social disclosure (CSD) have focused on the industrialised countries of Europe, United States and Australia (for example, Dierkes & Preston, 1977; Beresford & Cowen, 1979; Brockhoff, 1979). Even international comparative studies of CSD concentrated on analyses of the similarities and differences of CSD practices in these countries (for example, Schoenfeld, 1978; Ernst & Ernst, 1979; Guthrie & Parker, 1988). There is however, a paucity of CSD literature on practices in the developing countries. The purpose of this paper is to address this imbalance by examining CSD practices in Malaysian and Singapore companies. Within the CSD literature on developed countries, there is evidence that a positive correlation existed between corporate size and CSD (Trotman, 1979). More recently additional evidence was found concerning the themes, methods, extent of CSD in the annual reports, as well as the relationship between CSD and industry groupings (Guthrie, 1983). In the few studies available on developing countries, Teoh & Thong (1984) and Singh & Ahuja (1983) f ound broadly similar evidence. The data reported in this paper is intended to be purely descriptive. The paper explored the CSD characteristics mentioned above and assessed the

Twisted crossed products of C*-algebras

Abstract: Group algebras and crossed products have always played an important role in the theory of C*-algebras, and there has also been considerable interest in various twisted analogues, where the multiplication is twisted by a two-cocycle. Here we shall discuss a very general family of twisted actions of locally compact groups on C*-algebras, and the corresponding twisted crossed product C*-algebras. We shall then establish some of the basic properties of these algebras, motivated by the requirements of some applications we have in mind [2, 9, 10]. Some of our results will be known to others, at least in principle, but we feel that a coherent account might be useful.

Orthogonal‐acceleration time‐of‐flight mass spectrometer

Abstract: A new time-of-flight mass analyser compatible with conventional continuous ionization methods is described. A mass resolution at m/z 2000 of m/Δm>2000 (50% valley) is predicted for the instrument which is presently being prototyped. Sensitivity advantages over scanning instruments are also predicted for this instrument.

Complexes of Metal Cations with Carbohydrates in Solution

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter describes the complexes (briefly designated as metal-sugar complexes) that are formed, in detectable proportions, in aqueous solution from cations and unionized carbohydrates. Complex formation between cations and carbohydrates can be readily detected by paper electrophoresis. Thin-layer ligand-exchange chromatography makes the use of commercially available, thin-layer plates coated with a cation-exchange resin in the sodium form; the sodium ions can readily be exchanged for other cations by immersing the plate in an appropriate salt solution. Complex-formation causes the changes of the chemical shifts in the nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of sugars and polyols. Complex-formation with a cation does not, in itself, affect the optical rotatory power of a carbohydrate. However, complex-formation is often accompanied by a change of conformation that causes a change in the optical rotation. The proposal that strong complexing occurs between cations and a contiguous a,e,a sequence of hydroxyl groups in carbohydrates was first based simply on the observation that many compounds having such an arrangement complex well and many others lacking such an arrangement complex poorly, as shown by electrophoretic mobilities. The nature of complex- formation between cations and monosaccharides is now well understood; this knowledge should form a firm basis for the study of cation-polysaccharide interactions.

The rat as an experimental animal.

Abstract: The development and characterization of many inbred, congenic, and recombinant strains of rats in recent years has led to the detailed genetic description of this species, especially in regard to its major histocompatibility complex. This information has contributed substantially to the study of comparative genetics and has greatly enhanced the utility of the rat in a variety of areas of biomedical research. This article focuses on the use of the rat in immunogenetics, transplantation, cancer-risk assessment, cardiovascular diseases, and behavior.

The effects of voluntary contraction on the H reflex of human limb muscles.

Abstract: The effects of a voluntary contraction on the H reflexes of various muscles were quantified to determine whether the reflex responses were sufficiently reproducible to be used in diagnostic studies. During a voluntary contraction, H reflexes could be recorded reliably from tibialis anterior and abductor pollicis brevis, but accurate identification of the onset of the H wave from the on-going background EMG required duplicate averages of multiple responses. During a contraction the H reflex could be obtained at lower stimulus intensities in the forearm flexor muscles than when relaxed, and a more clear separation of the H wave from the M wave was possible. The background contraction abolished the attenuation of reflex amplitude with increasing stimulus repetition rates, such that repetition rates of up to 4 Hz could be used without significant loss of reflex amplitude. There were only small and usually insignificant differences in the latency of the H reflex or its variability when elicited with the forearm muscles relaxed and when flexor carpi radialis was contracting steadily. The reflex latencies of abductor pollicis brevis, tibialis anterior and soleus were compared with F wave latencies for these muscles. The minimal F wave latencies were shorter than the H reflex latencies for abductor pollicis brevis (mean 2.2 ms) and tibialis anterior (mean 1.0 ms) but not for soleus. Comparison of the spread of F wave latencies (F max-F min) suggests that, for soleus, F waves are recorded only from the faster conducting motor units in the pool, presumably those less readily recruited in the H reflex. It was calculated that the distribution of motor conduction velocities responsible for the F waves of abductor pollicis brevis was 8.8 m.s-1. This value underestimates the likely distribution of motor conduction velocities for the thenar muscle by as much as 50%, consistent with the view that F waves rarely occur in slowly conducting motor units, the units of lowest threshold in reflex studies. It is concluded that, for many motoneuron pools, the H reflex and the F wave appear preferentially in different motoneurons, low and high threshold, respectively, and that reflex studies can provide information not available from somatosensory evoked potentials or F wave studies.

The role of self‐assessment in student grading

Abstract: While the educational benefits of student self‐assessment are being increasingly recognised and self‐assessment procedures introduced into post‐secondary courses of many different kinds, the use of self‐assessment for grading purposes is a more controversial matter. Is there a role for student self‐assessment in formal assessment proceedings? If there is to be a role, what should it be? This paper focuses on these questions and examines why a marking role for self‐assessment should be considered and what evidence is available on the reliability of student‐generated marks. The implications of these findings are considered and strategies are proposed to improve student markers reliability and to incorporate self‐assessment indirectly into the formal assessment process.

Wavenumber spectra of short gravity waves

Abstract: The spectral balances involved in shaping the short gravity wave region of the ocean wave-height spectrum have been the subject of recent physical models. In terms of the wind friction velocity u*, gravitational acceleration g and local wavenumber k, these models predict a wavenumber dependence of , where k = |k|, and a linear dependence on u* for the equilibrium range of gravity waves above the spectral peak. In this paper we present the results of an experimental determination of the wavenumber spectrum for the wavelength range of 0.2−1.6 m, based on stereophotogrammetric determinations from an oil platform under open ocean conditions.From our observations, for this wavenumber range, the one-dimensional equilibrium wavenumber spectrum was determined as \[ \phi (k_i) \sim \left(\frac{u^2_*k}{g}\right)^{\gamma} k^{-3}_{i}\;\;\;\;\;\;\;(i=1,2 \;\;\; K = (k_1,k_2)) \] where γ = 0.09±0.09 at the 95% confidence level. These limits embrace wind-independent approximations to the observed one-dimensional and two-dimensional wavenumber spectra of the form \[ \phi (k_i) \sim B k^{-3}_i \;\;\; (i = 1,2), \] and \[ \psi(k_i) \sim A k^{-4}, \] respectively, with B ∼ 10−4 and A ∼ 0.3 × 10−4 for and k = |k| is expressed in cycles/metre.The present findings do not support the wavenumber dependence predicted by the recent models in this wavenumber range and are at variance with their predicted dependence on the friction velocity. However, our observations are generally consistent with the radar reflectivity dependence on wind direction and wind speed under Bragg scattering conditions within our wavenumber range. The experimental observations also point out the potentially important role of wave-breaking of longer wave components in influencing the spectral levels of short gravity wave components.

Anxiety and/or Depression in the Pathogenesis of Addictive Gambling

Abstract: The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory were administered to 75 pathological gamblers seeking behavioral treatment, to investigate the hypothesis that anxiety and depression were important determinants in the maintenance of gambling behavior. Further, subgroups of "pure" poker-machine and "pure" horse-race gamblers were isolated and compared to determine whether differences existed between groups of individuals who selected different forms of gambling. Although the desire to win money was given as the main reason for participation, need for money played a less significant role in precipitating further gambling. Rather, the concept that pathological gambling is a behavioral stress reaction received some support. As a group pathological gamblers had moderate levels of depression. State or trait anxiety scores were no different from Spielberger's normative sample of neuropsychiatric patients, but were higher than those of college students. No significant differences were found between the poker-machine and horse-race gambling subgroups on age, years gambling, years of uncontrolled gambling, state and trait anxiety, or depression. It was suggested that environmental factors are of importance in determining the form of gambling selected, but differences between these subgroups on other psychological dimensions could not be excluded on the basis of the present study.

Fossil Mammals of Riversleigh, Northwestern Queensland: Preliminary Overview of Biostratigraphy, Correlation and Environmental Change

Abstract: Aspects of the results of studies of the fossil-rich Cainozoic deposits of Riversleigh, northwestern Queensland, are reviewed. A summary of five selected Riversleigh faunas representing the primary periods of the region's Cainozoic history is provided. Faunal and environmental changes over the last 25 000 000 years in the Riversleigh region are identified and changes in Australia's rain forest mammal communities over the same period are discussed. Evidence for the origin of Australia's modern mammal groups from ancestors now known to have lived in the Tertiary rainforests of northern Australia is reviewed. The geological record for Riversleigh's more than 100 local faunas is considered. At least three primary intervals of Oligo-Miocene deposition, one of Pliocene and many of Pleistocene and Holocene deposition are identified. An appendix is provided in which the principal faunal assemblages from Riversleigh are allocated to these depositional intervals. The evidence for correlating Riversleigh local fauna...

Steady-state and transient analysis of self-excited induction generators

Abstract: The authors describe a method for accurately predicting the minimum value of capacitance necessary to initiate self-excitation with a stand-alone induction generator. Final steady-state self-excitation voltages and frequencies are also calculated for loaded and unloaded operations, taking into account the rotor parameter variations with the frequency. It is shown that the calculated and measured results are in strong agreement, and for the loaded generator they agree considerably more so than when constant rotor parameters are used. The theory is also extended to include the transient build up of voltage during the initiation stage of self-excitation, and the perturbations of the terminal voltage and the stator current which result from load changes. >