Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Historical Trends (historical + trend)
Selected AbstractsInternational political marketing: a case study of United States soft power and public diplomacyJOURNAL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2008Henry H. Sun Political marketing can be categorized with three aspects: the election campaign as the origin of political marketing, the permanent campaign as a governing tool and international political marketing (IPM) which covers the areas of public diplomacy, marketing of nations, international political communication, national image, soft power and the cross-cultural studies of political marketing. IPM and the application of soft power have been practiced by nation-states throughout the modern history of international relations starting with the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. Nation-states promote the image of their country worldwide through public diplomacy, exchange mutual interests in their bilateral or multilateral relation with other countries, lobby for their national interests in international organizations and apply cultural and political communication strategies internationally to build up their soft power. In modern international relations, nation-states achieve their foreign policy goals by applying both hard power and soft power. Public diplomacy as part of IPM is a method in the creation of soft power, as well as, in the application of soft power. This paper starts with the definitional and conceptual review of political marketing. For the first time in publication, it establishes a theoretical model which provides a framework of the three aspects of political marketing, that is electoral political marketing (EPM), governmental political marketing (GPM) and IPM. This model covers all the main political exchanges among six inter-related components in the three pairs of political exchange process, that is candidates and party versus voters and interest groups in EPM ; governments, leaders and public servants versus citizens and interest groups in GPM, including political public relations and lobbying which have been categorized as the third aspect of political marketing in some related studies; and governments, interest group and activists versus international organizations and foreign subjects in IPM. This study further develops a model of IPM, which covers its strategy and marketing mix on the secondary level of the general political marketing model, and then, the third level model of international political choice behaviour based the theory of political choice behaviour in EPM. This paper continues to review the concepts of soft power and public diplomacy and defines their relation with IPM. It then reports a case study on the soft power and public diplomacy of the United States from the perspectives of applying IPM and soft power. Under the framework of IPM, it looks at the traditional principles of US foreign policy, that is Hamiltonians, Wilsonians, Jeffersonians and Jacksonians, and the application of US soft power in the Iraq War since 2003. The paper advances the argument that generally all nation states apply IPM to increase their soft power. The decline of US soft power is caused mainly by its foreign policy. The unilateralism Jacksonians and realism Hamiltonians have a historical trend to emphasize hard power while neglecting soft power. Numerous reports and studies have been conducted on the pros and cons of US foreign policy in the Iraq War, which are not the focus of this paper. From the aspect of IPM, this paper studies the case of US soft power and public diplomacy, and their effects in the Iraq War. It attempts to exam the application of US public diplomacy with the key concept of political exchange, political choice behaviour, the long-term approach and the non-government operation principles of public diplomacy which is a part of IPM. The case study confirms the relations among IPM, soft power and public diplomacy and finds that lessons can be learned from these practices of IPM. The paper concludes that there is a great demand for research both at a theoretical as well as practical level for IPM and soft power. It calls for further study on this subject. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Producers, Processors and Unions: The Meat Producers Board and Labour Relations in the New Zealand Meat Industry, 1952,1971AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 2 2001Bruce Curtis In New Zealand, the historical trend towards the rational-capitalistic transformation of agriculture was forestalled in part by producer boards, institutions that were intended to operate in the collective interests of farmers. Recently, there has been renewed interest both in the economic effects of the boards and in the role of farmers themselves within New Zealand's unique arbitral system of industrial relations. This paper bridges these areas of research by examining the influence of the Meat Producers Board on management,labour relations within the export meat industry. Whereas the Board is generally regarded as having empowered family-labour farmers, we argue that its interventions also empowered meatworkers and simultaneously weakened meat-processing companies as employers. The power resources indirectly supplied to meatworkers by the Board were an important external source of union power in the industry. By examining these resources, we identify the neglected effects of a key institution that shaped New Zealand's path of development by preventing the subsumption of ,independent' farming. [source] Heroin users in Australia: population trendsDRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 1 2004C. YALÇIN KAYA Senior Lecturer Abstract The aim of this paper is to identify certain important population trends among heroin users in Australia for the period 1971 , 97, such as: population growth, initiation, i.e. the number who were initiated to heroin in a given year, and quitting, i.e. the number that quit using heroin. For this purpose, we summarize and extract relevant characteristics from data from National Drug Strategy Household Survey (NDSHS 1998) conducted in Australia in 1998. We devise a systematic procedure to estimate historical trends from questions concerning past events. It is observed from our findings that the size of the heroin user population in Australia is in a sharp increase, especially from the early 1980s onwards. The general trend obtained for the period 1971 , 97 is strikingly similar to that obtained by Hall et al. (2000) for the dependent heroin user population in Australia, even though their study was based on different datasets and a different methodology. In our reconstruction of the time history we also detect a levelling-off prior to 1990. Initiation is also observed to be on a sharp increase. The latter trend is accompanied by a similar trend of quitting, perhaps indicating a relatively short heroin use career. A sharp decrease in both initiation and quitting is observed after 1990. In conclusion, in the case of the trend in the population of heroin users a high rate of growth has been identified that is consistent with the existing literature. In the process, we demonstrated that even a static survey such as NDSHS 1998 can, sometimes, be used to extract historical (dynamic) trends of certain important variables. [source] Apportionment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon sources in lower Fox River, USA, sediments by a chemical mass balance modelENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 6 2000Ming-Chien Su Abstract Four sediment cores were collected from the lower Fox River, Wisconsin, USA, to identify possible sources of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using a chemical mass balance model. The cores, which were obtained in 1995 from areas close to Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA, had total PAH concentrations between 19.3 and 0.34 ppm. To determine historical trends of PAH inputs, 210Pb and 137Cs dating was used, and elemental carbon particle analysis was done to characterize particles from the combustion of coal, wood, and petroleum. Source fingerprints were taken from the literature. Our results indicate that coke oven emissions, highway dust, coal gasification, and wood burning are likely sources of PAHs in the lower Fox River. Coke oven emissions are in the range of 40 to 90% of total PAHs, and this fraction decreases from 1930 to 1990, except in core Fox River,A (FR-A). The overall highway dust (HWY) contribution is between 10 and 75%, and this fraction increases from 1930 to present, except in core FR-A. The wood burning (WB) contribution (i.e., wood burning or coal gasification) is less than 7% in cores FR-B, FR-C, and FR-D. In core FR-A, a maximum (,23%) is found around 1960. The contribution of wood burning has changed from less than 6% in 1950 to between 3 and 10% in 1995. Evidence of aerobic biodegradation or photolysis in the sediment of phenanthrene, with a half-life of approximately 0.5 years has been found at the site of core FR-D, which is the shallowest (1.1 m) of the four core sites. [source] TESTING THE ROLE OF INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION IN THE EVOLUTIONARY ORIGIN OF ELEVATIONAL ZONATION: AN EXAMPLE WITH BUARREMON BRUSH-FINCHES (AVES, EMBERIZIDAE) IN THE NEOTROPICAL MOUNTAINSEVOLUTION, Issue 5 2007Carlos Daniel Cadena Interspecific competition might drive the evolution of ecological niches and result in pairs of formerly competing species segregating along ecological gradients following a process of character displacement. This mechanism has been proposed to account for replacement of related species along gradients of elevation in many areas of the world, but the fundamental issue of whether competition is responsible for the origin of elevational replacements has not been tested. To test hypotheses about the role of interspecific competition in the origin of complementary elevational ranges, I combined molecular phylogenetics, phylogeography, and population genetic analyses on Buarremon torquatus and B. brunneinucha (Aves, Emberizidae), whose patterns of elevational distribution suggest character displacement or ecological release. The hypothesis that elevational distributions in these species changed in opposite directions as a result of competition is untenable because: (1) a historical expansion of the range of B. brunneinucha into areas occupied by B. torquatus was not accompanied by a shift in the elevational range of the former species; (2) when B. brunneinucha colonized the range of B. torquatus, lineages of the latter distributions had already diverged; and (3) historical trends in effective population size do not suggest populations with elevational ranges abutting those of putative competitors have declined as would be expected if competition caused range contractions. However, owing to uncertainty in coalescent estimates of historical population sizes, the hypothesis that some populations of B. torquatus have declined cannot be confidently rejected, which suggests asymmetric character displacement might have occurred. I suggest that the main role of competition in elevational zonation may be to act as a sorting mechanism that allows the coexistence along mountain slopes only of ecologically similar species that differ in elevational distributions prior to attaining sympatry. The contrasting biogeographic histories of B. brunneinucha and B. torquatus illustrate how present-day ecological interactions can have recent origins, and highlights important challenges for testing the hypothesis of character displacement in the absence of data on population history and robust reconstructions of the evolution of traits and geographic ranges. [source] The Financial Accountability of Australia's Medicare System: A Generational Accounting AnalysisFINANCIAL ACCOUNTABILITY & MANAGEMENT, Issue 2 2001Paul J. M. Klumpes The financial sustainability of publicly funded health care systems is sensitive to the demographics of ageing populations, which have a significant bearing on their financial management, accountability and reporting of their financial performance. This paper examines historical and current trends in demographic structure of Australia's population that are likely to impact on the financial management and accountability practices affecting Australia'suniversal public health care system (,Medicare'). The pay-as-you-go financed funding status of Medicare as represented under both currently required, cash-based accounting principles and proposed accrual-based accounting principles are criticised for not recognising the obligations of the Australian government under Medicare. An alternative system of generational accounting is proposed that projects the financial management costs of Medicare. Data are taken from both historical trends in expenditure and ageing as well as projected demographics. The analysis implies that there is significant intergenerational-inequity in the funding of Medicare, which is not recognised under accrual-based accounting principles that are now being used to evaluate the financial accountability and performance of government entities. [source] Effectiveness monitoring of fish passage facilities: historical trends, geographic patterns and future directionsFISH AND FISHERIES, Issue 1 2010David W Roscoe Abstract Fishways and other passage facilities frequently prevent or delay the passage of fishes, highlighting the need for effectiveness monitoring. We reviewed the scientific literature from 1960 to 2008 reporting on effectiveness monitoring of fish passage facilities to assess what taxa and life-stages have been studied, the questions that are asked during evaluation, and how these varied over time or by geographic region. We identified 96 peer-reviewed articles of which 68% focused on passage by adult fishes. Salmoniformes was the most studied order (58% of studies). The focus of fishway evaluations did not change over the years, but varied significantly by geographic region. Studies from the tropics had a broader taxonomic scope than studies from temperate locations. Exogenous mechanisms of passage failure, such as environmental, structural and behavioural factors, were studied in 90% of studies from North America but only ,50% of studies from Europe, South America and Australia. Endogenous (i.e. physiological) mechanisms affecting passage success were not often assessed anywhere, though they were a powerful means of evaluating mechanisms of failure. Few studies monitored migration after fish had left a facility. To improve effectiveness monitoring of passage facilities, we suggest that both endogenous and exogenous mechanisms need to be studied in an integrated fashion to understand passage failure and to inform design or operational changes that could improve passage efficiency. In addition post-departure monitoring is required to more completely assess the fitness consequences of passage. [source] George W. Bush, IdealistINTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, Issue 3 2003Michael J. Mazarr There is much anger and confused grumbling these days outside the United States,and in Europe in particular,about the character of the Bush administration's foreign policy. Perceived American unilateralism is raising hackles and questions. This article contends that current trends in US foreign policy can be better understood by realizing that many senior Bush administration officials are not ,realists', at least as that philosophy of world politics is classically understood. Many of the resulting views,that, for example, threats to security often originate in ideology rather than material strength,are demonstrably correct and even hopeful in their faith in long-term historical trends. But there may be no getting around the essential contradictions required of US foreign policy in an age when America is the leading power, when a new global community of trading democracies is emerging, and yet when a number of distinctly old-style threats to the peace remain very much in evidence. Washington could do more to smooth the edges of those contradictions in order to point up the idealism and hopefulness of US policy. [source] Measuring job satisfaction of UK pharmacists: a pilot studyINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACY PRACTICE, Issue 4 2007Professor Karen Hassell chair in social pharmacy Objective To review the UK published literature on pharmacy job satisfaction, in order to describe and assess the strengths of their methods and the findings and to validate an existing instrument to measure work satisfaction, with a sample of locum pharmacists. Method A literature review of relevant databases was used to identify UK studies exploring any aspect of job, role, career or work satisfaction. A search of the grey literature was also undertaken. A satisfaction scale, the Warr-Cook-Wall scale, previously used with general practitioners (GPs), was adapted and administered to a sample of locum pharmacists (n = 175, response rate = 75%). Validity and reliability analyses were undertaken in SPSS v13. Key findings Three articles, two reports, one thesis abstract and one conference abstract were identified through the search. The findings of the review indicate that the way in which pharmacist satisfaction has been measured to date renders it difficult to determine historical trends or make cross-sectoral comparisons. A Cronbach alpha coefficient of 0.90 was obtained for the job satisfaction scale, indicating that the job satisfaction scale is a satisfactory and reliable tool for use with this group of pharmacists. In terms of substantive findings, these suggest that locum pharmacists in general derive high levels of job satisfaction and higher levels than those reported by GPs. Conclusion Limited evidence is available regarding pharmacists' job satisfaction in the UK. The review highlights the need for a universal, multifaceted measure of satisfaction. The findings of this study suggest that the Warr-Cook-Wall satisfaction scale has very high reliability and is suitable for use with pharmacists without any further amendments. Although the study suggests relatively high satisfaction scores in this group of pharmacists, it would be instructive to determine the applicability of the job satisfaction measure and to explore the satisfaction levels of pharmacists in a wide range of roles and sectors, to determine relative levels of satisfaction. [source] D.E.Z. , A history in numbersMITTEILUNGEN AUS DEM MUSEUM FUER NATURKUNDE IN BERLIN-DEUTSCHE ENTOMOLOGISCHE ZEITSCHRIFT, Issue 1 2008Björn Stelbrink Abstract The Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift (D.E.Z.) celebrated its 150th birthday in 2007. Its 176 volumes comprises 5,522 articles and 73,711 pages written by 1,390 authors. This article attempts to analyse and summarise its history in numbers including taxonomic as well as historical trends and developments of the D.E.Z. from the past to the present. (© 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source] Social Movements and Development In Quebec: The Experience of the Desjardins MovementANNALS OF PUBLIC AND COOPERATIVE ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2001Roger Levasseur Along with the other sectors of the banking industry over the last two decades, the savings and credit cooperatives have been affected by deep currents which are radically changing their form and structure. In Quebec, the Desjardins movement is at present involved in a fundamental reform of the organizational structures which have characterized its growth since the period between the two world wars. This article deals with the major transformations which the Desjardins movement experienced, from the creation of the first caisse populaire in 1900 to the situation existing at the end of the twentieth century. Using an approach at the junction of history and sociology, it considers the Desjardins movement as one of the components of what Alain Touraine calls a ,social development movement'. We aim to show that the present changes affecting the savings and credit cooperation fall within the long-term historical trends, while at the same time reflecting new phenomena. We shall point out the most significant aspects of these new developments. [source] Effects of climate on occurrence and size of large fires in a northern hardwood landscape: historical trends, forecasts, and implications for climate change in Témiscamingue, QuébecAPPLIED VEGETATION SCIENCE, Issue 3 2009C. Ronnie Drever Abstract Questions: What climate variables best explain fire occurrence and area burned in the Great Lakes-St Lawrence forest of Canada? How will climate change influence these climate variables and thereby affect the occurrence of fire and area burned in a deciduous forest landscape in Témiscamingue, Québec, Canada? Location: West central Québec and the Great Lakes-St Lawrence forest of Canada. Methods: We first used an information-theoretic framework to evaluate the relative role of different weather variables in explaining occurrence and area burned of large fires (>200 ha, 1959-1999) across the Great Lakes-St Lawrence forest region. Second, we examined how these weather variables varied historically in Témiscamingue and, third, how they may change between the present and 2100 according to different scenarios of climate change based on two Global Circulation Models. Results: Mean monthly temperature maxima during the fire season (Apr-Oct) and weighted sequences of dry spells best explained fire occurrence and area burned. Between 1910 and 2004, mean monthly temperature maxima in Témiscamingue showed no apparent temporal trend, while dry spell sequences decreased in frequency and length. All future scenarios show an increase in mean monthly temperature maxima, and one model scenario forecasts an increase in dry spell sequences, resulting in a slight increase in forecasted annual area burned. Conclusion: Despite the forecasted increase in fire activity, effects of climate change on fire will not likely affect forest structure and composition as much as natural succession or harvesting and other disturbances, principally because of the large relative difference in area affected by these processes. [source] THE DEVELOPMENT OF ACCOUNTING REGULATION, EDUCATION, AND LITERATURE IN AUSTRALIA, 1788,2005AUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 3 2009Garry D. Carnegie accounting history; Australia; education; literature; regulation Accounting involves the recording of events, the preparation and reporting of results and is a key medium in discharging accountability. It pervades organisations and institutions in every country and is a key element of the business fabric and economic development of any nation. This study examines the development of accounting regulation, education, and literature in Australia across five key phases of European settlement from 1788 to 2005 and presents an overview of the major historical trends in each of these periods. The development of accounting and the profession is intimately linked with significant economic development in Australia over 200 years. [source] URBAN HISTORY AND THE FUTURE OF AUSTRALIAN CITIESAUSTRALIAN ECONOMIC HISTORY REVIEW, Issue 1 2009Lionel Frost Australian cities; sustainability; urban history; urbanisation Urban growth is a major theme in economic development and a policy imperative for developed countries that seek to create sustainable cities. We argue that the past weighs heavily on the ability of societies to sustainably manage urban environments. The policy implications of urban history are revealed in comparisons of cities across times and between places. The special issue presents some of the best recent work on the economic and social history of Australian cities. We aim to encourage historians to incorporate urban variables into studies of historical processes and to persuade policymakers to consider historical trends in their analysis. [source] | |||||||||||||||||||