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Recruiting cisgender, heterosexual young men for research participation can be a difficult endeavour. This is more challenging with qualitative research studies that require substantial time commitment, or be of a sensitive nature, such as discussions of sex, intimacy, and emotion. These challenges can be amplified with the shift to online data collection procedures due to COVID-19. In this paper I reflect on the process of recruiting cisgender, heterosexual men for a qualitative study on sex and intimacy that relied solely on online advertising during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. I build on a critical men and masculinity (CMM) studies framework by considering a 'sex-as-dirty-work' approach which centres the uncomfortable practice of talking about and researching sex. I highlight the success of this approach that counters recommended best practice in getting men to participate. I conclude with a discussion of the implications of this approach, and suggestions for researchers.

Studio music teachers have always been constant in Australian society, rarely recognised beyond their immediate surrounds. Building a 'connection' of students required advertising, primarily by word-of-mouth or via local press announcements. Few teachers placed individual advertisements in local papers. This changed in 1911 with the establishment of monthly The Australian Musical News, intended to report and support musicians and music teachers. In its first edition, four studio music teachers placed advertisements, first to use this new opportunity. We unfold the stories of Mrs. Arthur Royce, Herr Franz O. Schieblich, James Ure, and J. Alfred Johnstone. By happenstance, their diverse careers capture the different ways of being a studio teacher in contemporary Australia. We note the unchanging nature of studio music teaching and suggest that, with the exception of technologies, the activities of these four teachers resonate with modern practice.

The process of curriculum development can be informed by seeking the views of stakeholders, including employers, academics, students and recent graduates, about the skills, attributes and personal characteristics required by various professions. The views of several stakeholders may also be compared to help ensure reliability of results and identify areas of agreement or variance. However, there are documented limitations regarding the perceptions of academics and students of employability skills, and also problems with employers' and recent graduates' views. Another approach to identifying the skills required in various professions is content analysis of job vacancy advertisements. Content analysis of advertisements is a versatile way of identifying current skills required by various professions, and allows comparison across countries and over time to identify trends. Yet there is little evidence to suggest that this information is used to inform curriculum development. This paper presents a qualitative integrative review of studies looking at employability skills (ES) through the use of content analysis of job vacancy advertisements. Here ES are equated with essential requirements stated in vacancy advertisements. ES is the term adopted in Australia by DEST (2002) to define skills required to both secure employment and progress in an organisation. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (2014) checklist for qualitative research was used in this integrative review of 40 studies. The range of application, research methods used and findings are discussed in this paper, as are the advantages and challenges associated with analysing job vacancy advertisements as a method of identifying employability skills (ES) required by employers.

The underlying thesis of much popular parenting discourse in circulation in western Anglophone countries is that parenting labour has intensified historically, notably in regard to schooling, and that we are witnessing new kinds of parental attitudes and strategies. A related argument holds that parents, especially middle-class parents, have become entrepreneurial agents in their children's education, and that this activity is a consequence of global neoliberal policy reform. This paper examines the intensification thesis through a study of popular parenting advice in the late pre-neoliberal era, the 1960s and 1970s. It proposes that the rise of intensive school parenting must be understood not only through policy histories of competition, choice and marketisation but also through histories of domestic life, of the material and affective activities of 'home-making'. The focus is on a collection of parenting advice (including advertisements) published in one mass-market women's magazine, the Australian Women's Weekly. Such publications were, the paper argues, significant and exemplary in disseminating forms of advice that encouraged parents, especially mothers, to discover and develop new repertoires of educational child-rearing competencies and to consider themselves as competitors in the educational arena, on behalf of their own children.

In the last decade education has experienced a shift from privatization to commercialization. This paper argues that the commercialization of education has evolved more recently as a result of artificially intelligent corporate players, enabling forms of insights sales called 'Dark Advertising'. It unpacks how Dark Advertising are profiting from data-driven predictions that reveal where demand is emerging, rather than responding to perceived problems by examining reports by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Able to produce techno-solutions 'just in time' through Dark Advertising, Dark Advertising are considered to be enabling new forms of governance and influencing educational policy. Findings of the examination reveal associations in terms of teachers' privacy, ability to provide consent, and agency. Arguably, circumnavigating Codes of Conduct and Privacy legislation, the author calls for greater scrutiny into various information asymmetries associated with Insight Sales strategies that predict, nudge and experiment with teachers' behavior for profit.

Objective To examine how the intensity and duration of tobacco control advertising relate to adolescent smoking prevalence. Methods Australian students (aged 12-17 years) participating in a national survey conducted triennially between 1993 and 2008 (sample size range 12 314-16 611). The outcome measure was students' smoking in the previous 4 weeks collected through anonymous, self-completed surveys. For each student, monthly targeted rating points (TRPs, a measure of television advertising exposure) for tobacco control advertising was calculated for the 3 and 12 months prior to surveying. For each time period, cumulative TRPs exposure and exposure to three intensity levels (≥100 TRPs/month; ≥400 TRPs/month; ≥800 TRPs/month) over increasing durations (eg, 1 month, 2 months, etc) were calculated. Logistic regression examined associations between TRPs and adolescent smoking after controlling for demographic and policy variables. Results Past 3-month cumulative TRPs were found to have an inverse relationship with smoking prevalence. Low TRPs exposure in the past 12 months was positively associated with adolescent smoking prevalence. However, smoking prevalence reduced with cumulative exposure levels above 5800 cumulative TRPs. Additionally, exposure to ≥400 TRPs/month and ≥800 TRPs/month were associated with reduced likelihood of smoking, although the duration needed for this effect differed for the two intensity levels. When intensity was ≥400 TRPs/month, the odds of smoking only reduced with continuous exposure. When intensity was ≥800 TRPs/month, exposure at levels less than monthly was associated with reductions in smoking prevalence. Conclusions Both antismoking advertising intensity and duration are important for ensuring reductions in adolescent smoking prevalence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Decisions about which antismoking advertisements should be aired are often guided by audience ratings of perceived effectiveness (PE). Given that the usefulness of PE measures depends on their ability to predict the likelihood that a message will have a positive impact on outcomes such as behaviour change, in the current study we used pre-exposure, postexposure and follow-up measures to test the association between PE and subsequent changes in quitting intentions and smoking behaviours. Methods Daily smokers (N=231; 18 years and older) completed baseline measures of quitting intentions before watching an antismoking advertisement. Immediately following exposure, intentions were measured again and PE was measured using six items that factored into two scales: ad-directed PE (ADPE) and personalised PE (PPE). A follow-up telephone survey conducted within 3 weeks of exposure measured behaviour change (reduced cigarette consumption or quit attempts). Results From pre-exposure to postexposure, 18% of smokers showed a positive change in their intentions. Controlling for baseline intentions, PPE independently predicted intention change (OR=2.57, p=0.004). At follow-up, 26% of smokers reported that they had changed their behaviour. PPE scores also predicted the likelihood of behaviour change (OR=1.93, p=0.009). Conclusions Audience ratings of PPE, but not ADPE, were found to predict subsequent intention and behaviour change. These findings increase confidence in the use of PE measures to pretest and evaluate antismoking television advertisements, particularly when these measures tap the extent to which a smoker has been personally affected by the message. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we explore methodological considerations for recruiting stigmatised populations online. Advertising for research participants via social networking sites (SNS) has increasingly become a tool of choice for both quantitative and qualitative researchers. However, such recruitment practices pose a range of challenges for researchers, especially in handling negative commentary such as trolling and its potential negative impact on prospective research participants. Using a case study involving a project on the health and well-being of older lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Australia, we outline the types of commentary we received on our advertising campaign, as well as our strategies for managing such commentary. We seek to offer ways in which researchers working with stigmatised populations, as well as controversial issues that may attract hostile attention, can effectively manage participant recruitment as researchers increasingly utilise online technologies for recruitment advertising.

This paper examines Australia's history of uniformed schooling as mediated by its leading mass-market magazine, the "Australian Women's Weekly." This magazine was a significant cultural agent that served as an authority on everything from fashion to schooling, capitalizing on the matter of school dress by running advertisements for school uniforms, printing articles and letters on school wear, and featuring attractive images of uniformed schoolchildren. This paper argues that the "Weekly" used this content to provide textual and visual reinforcement for a powerful cultural trope of the proper, desirable, happy, and modern Australian schoolchild as uniformed. In doing so, it represented the normative school mother as working behind the scenes to produce or procure the school uniform as well as to arrange and manage the uniformed child. We contend that the magazine portrayed this work as part of a project to draw the mother into a respectable and ostensibly "Australian" community.

Background: There has been a proliferation of external agencies 'knocking on the door' of, and being welcomed into, Health and Physical Education (HPE). This opens HPE up to new products, partners, and services. Although scholarship on the practice of outsourcing HPE is steadily growing in quantity and in scope, there is a significant gap in the literature around how external providers (or outsourcers) of HPE interpret the curriculum, and how this translates into certain kinds of products and services. Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse one external provider's interpretations of the curriculum and of the roles of key pedagogical agents and stakeholders (e.g. HPE teachers and students), as well as their translation of these interpretations into particular kinds of products and services. This is achieved through a critical discourse analysis (CDA) of Tennis Australia's Tennis in Secondary School (TSS) Program teacher resources and interviews with key employees of Tennis Australia. Methods: The larger study from which this paper draws is a network ethnography of the external provision of HPE. TSS was selected as a case study in the initial web-audit undertaken as part of this network ethnography. The criteria which resulted in the selection of TSS as a case study were: the utilisation of educational language within product descriptions or marketing, provision of services to a significant number of schools, and a rationale for services that included a contribution to HPE. A CDA was undertaken on the TSS advertising, product materials, teacher resources, and the transcripts of semi-structured interviews conducted with three employees of the organisation. Findings: Tennis Australia markets an explicit alignment between their TSS Program and the Australian Curriculum: HPE (AC:HPE). For example, teacher resources are structured to include a 'Learning Intention' (i.e. a curriculum content descriptor); 'Focus Questions and Teaching Points' (i.e. pedagogical styles); and 'Success Criteria' (i.e. self-described 'assessment criteria'). Significantly, however, there were several tensions and gaps in their interpretations and understandings of the AC:HPE and their approaches to pedagogy and assessment within the subject. Conclusion: External agencies, such as Tennis Australia, are becoming increasingly sophisticated at marketing their products in relation to HPE curricula. Rather than divesting or relieving teachers of curriculum decision-making and design responsibility, however, we argue that these efforts from external agencies mean that now, more than ever, teachers need to recognise, articulate, and enact their pedagogical and curriculum expertise. This will allow teachers to better broker, bridge, and translate knowledge and ensure that HPE remains an educative experience.

Australia's private tutoring market is expanding in a context where parents' trust in school personnel as educational experts is vulnerable. Simultaneously, a parentocratic logic is nudging parents to infuse the resources at their disposal into their pedagogic work in order to achieve the educational outcomes that they wish for their children. However, little is known about the specific strategies that private tutoring suppliers are using to attract prospective parents. This paper reports on a study of 160 parent testimonials published on the websites of 16 private tutoring suppliers in Australia. Drawing on Giddens' concept of 'fateful moments' and Bauman's work on the persuasion of the peer example, together with tools of critical discourse analysis, we argue that parent testimonials use emotional appeals to construct private tutoring as a resolution to parents' fateful moments. In addition, we speculate that this emotional footing resonates with the pedagogic preferences of the dominant Australian middle classes.

In Australia, where high temperatures, excessive ultraviolet (UV) radiation and an outdoors lifestyle is commonplace, adherence to sun protection by adolescents is poor. As a group of sun-seekers, adolescents have the highest incidences of sunburns and repeat sunburns. This health-compromising behaviour occurs despite the knowledge that simple preventive actions reduce harm. It occurs irrespective of school-based programmes like SunSmart, the availability of public health interventions that target youths and the advertising of the UV Index across the media. This paper reports on a study that investigated the ability of pre-service teachers (PsTs) of health education to translate sun safe knowledge gathered from freely available sources into lesson planning. The research sample for the study comprised 48 PsTs of secondary schooling. Discussion of the data reflects on the professional standards for teachers to provide insight for content inclusions in curriculum planning aimed to increase adolescent awareness about sun protection.

Contract cheating sites advertise that they provide high quality, undetectable, bespoke work delivered in a timely manner to students purchasing their assignments. This paper tests contract cheating sites' promises about the products they sell. We built on previous reported research examining contract cheating sites' persuasive features which were mapped into three major dimensions. In this study, we explore how those dimensions are realised in practice. By purchasing 54 assignments from 18 different contract cheating sites across a range of disciplines, we found contract cheating sites' promises flawed. Many sites do not deliver assignments on time, or at all; they provide variable quality assignments (including fail grade work), and do not necessarily respond rapidly to user queries. When markers graded work, 52% of cheated tasks failed to meet the university pass standard. Furthermore, many contract cheating sites retain the right to share personal details with third parties under their privacy clauses and require levels of personal identification that leave users vulnerable. Students need to be aware that contract cheating sites' slick advertising is not necessarily borne out in reality. Universities can draw on this study's findings for student awareness and deterrence campaigns pointing out the risks of using contract cheating sites.

Surveys are commonly used to determine how people feel about a specific issue. The increasing availability of the internet and popularity of social networking sites have opened up new possibilities for conducting surveys and, with limited additional costs, enlarge the pool of volunteer respondents with the desired background, experience, or characteristics. In this paper, three different educational research studies are described. In each, a Facebook advertisement was among the methods used for recruitment of survey participants. In two of the studies, Facebook advertising was adopted to overcome obstacles encountered when more traditional sampling procedures failed; in the third study, Facebook was used to broaden representation to include international participants within project budget limitations. Details of the studies and of the recruitment approaches adopted, and the effectiveness of using Facebook advertising are presented. The limitations of using Facebook as a source of recruitment are also considered.

As universities have succumbed to market discourses, they have adopted advertising strategies. It is not uncommon to see advertisements for them displayed in such mobile spaces as railway stations and alongside highways. Whilst it is true that such environments have always sought to take advantage of populations in transit, the fact that higher education institutions have turned to them as promotional sites, reflects the fact that the "transit" demographic now includes large numbers of young people and high school students. In this paper, a sample of higher education advertisements found in Sydney's transit spaces is analysed along with the "rationale" provided by advertising companies responsible for their design. It is argued their existence reflects the fact that universities compete against one another for students and need to develop a persuasive "brand". Thus in line with neo-liberalist constructions of subjectivity, they individualise the educational experience, and translate that experience into an economic asset, as a value-adding process. It is of note then that much of the imagery and copy of the advertising "visualises" education as a journey and underpins the fact that mobility is an inescapable predicate of quotidian life.

Media constructions of schooling provide suggestions about what should be expected of the school experience. Studies on discourses of schooling have examined how the school is framed in media discourses, but few have examined how it is formed mundanely and repeatedly in advertisements promoting products that are not directly educational. This paper examines how the school is constructed in a range of television advertisements that sell products that are not directly educational such as cereal and broadband Internet, focusing on how schools come to be framed negatively in advertising narratives. The television advertisements often use the technique of governmentality, whereby they attempt to direct the conduct of viewers by suggesting that self-improvement is achievable through personal enterprise. These advertisements position parents as agentive consumers of education, whose consumption habits are central to their children's scholarly success within problematic educational spaces.

Objective: The personal importation scheme is a legislative mechanism that allows health consumers to import unapproved medicines under certain conditions. This article analyses the legal and policy basis for the scheme and considers how reforms to advertising laws for therapeutic goods may restrict communications about it. The article represents the first published analysis of the personal importation scheme's interaction with the communications of health professionals and buyer's clubs. It considers how these communications may be affected by legal amendments, particularly where unapproved medicines may be accessed through the scheme. Methods: An examination of Australian therapeutic goods law concerning the personal importation scheme was conducted, including both the historical law and recent regulatory reforms. Illustrative tables were prepared to identify scheme-related advertising that may contravene therapeutic goods law. Risk estimates were allocated to several new legal rules to indicate whether health professionals or buyer's clubs would contravene these laws when promoting the scheme to health consumers for unapproved medicines. Results: Representations made directly to the public by health practitioners or on buyer's clubs websites about accessing unapproved therapeutic goods through the personal importation scheme are likely to contravene one or more advertising laws. Conclusions: The Therapeutic Goods Administration has very strong powers to initiate compliance or enforcement action for advertising breaches in Australia for many promotional practices. Arguably, in the age of the internet and in the context of emerging expensive medicines, these powers should not be used to restrict health practitioners or buyer's clubs from sharing information about the lawful personal importation scheme to health consumers in need. Nevertheless, the study finds that health practitioners who promote or refer to the availability of unapproved medicines through the personal importation scheme outside of a consultation are likely to contravene the law and may be subject to disciplinary or enforcement action. What is known about the topic?. The personal importation scheme has not been studied extensively. This paper investigates whether recent updates to the advertising laws will affect the operation of the personal importation scheme and health practitioners' ability to refer to it in public. What does this paper add? This paper represents the first ever analysis of the way in which the personal importation scheme interacts with health practitioners' statements, buyer's clubs, and the internet. What are the implications for practitioners ? The study finds that health practitioners who promote the availability of unapproved medicines through the personal importation scheme outside professional consultations are likely to be liable to enforcement action from the Therapeutic Goods Administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore how and why the Australian records and archives professions are in decline by examining job advertisements. The hypothesis was that competencies, developed as standards to communicate a professional identity to recruiters, would show in job advertisements. Design/methodology/approach: Searches were set up to capture job advertisements for records and archives positions advertised on Australia's largest job seeking website: Seek.com.au. Criteria developed to identify relevant advertisements were based on existing competencies and standards outlining records professionals' skills, knowledge and attributes. Statistical analysis was used to assess the data. Findings: Employers and recruiters are looking for generalist skills rather than specialist knowledge. Additionally, the requirement of having experience outweighs qualifications. Most job advertisements did not demonstrate awareness of records professionals' specialist skills, knowledge and attributes. Originality/value: There is a dearth of research into the Australian records workforce. There has been only one other research project into job advertisements in Australia, which focussed only on Western Australia. This research collected data over a three-month period for jobs advertised all over Australia. This paper raises questions about the role of competencies in establishing and communicating professional identity, as well as the future of records profession in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption is associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic diseases; however, only one in 16 Australian adults consume F&Vs at the recommended two servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables per day. What and how much people eat is influenced by their social and physical environments. Supermarkets are a key setting influencing food purchases, and as such, they can shape consumption patterns of F&Vs. Implementing effective strategies to increase F&V intake is crucial. The objective of this research was to test the feasibility of modifying shopper purchasing behaviour to purchase more F&Vs using the Australian Dietary Guidelines 2&5 education message covering one‐half of the base of shopping trolleys. Placards giving the message that eating 2 fruits and 5 vegetables every day for good health were placed at the base of shopping trolleys as an educational nudge. Applying an intervention research design, 30 out of ~100 trolleys were fitted with the placards and shopper purchases were measured by collecting paper sales receipts to measure the weight (kg), total spending and F&V‐specific spending (Australian dollars) for intervention versus control trolleys for one Saturday. We also conducted a short intercept survey that was administered independently from the research study day on non‐trial shoppers. Shoppers who selected trolleys with the 2&5 education nudge placards (n = 101) purchased 1.66 kg less weight of F&Vs (Intervention: mean = 3.89 kg, SD = 3.40 kg, 95% CI = 3.21 kg, 4.56 kg, vs. Control: mean 5.55 kg, SD = 4.16 kg, 95% CI = 4.73 kg, 6.37 kg, p = 0.002) and spent less on F&Vs compared to shoppers in the control group (n = 102; Intervention: mean = $26.00, SD = $21.60, 95% CI = $21.78, $30.32 vs. Control: mean $36.00, SD = $27.00, 95% CI = $30.72, $42.36, p = 0.004). Intervention group shoppers also spent less in total spending between groups (Intervention: mean = $115.40, SD = $68.30, 95% CI = $101.95, $128.95 vs. Control: mean $151.30, SD = $79.40, 95% CI = $135.73, $166.93, p = 0.001). The 2&5 education nudge placard had the opposite effect as intended on shoppers' purchases to buy more F&Vs, although there may have been other differences between the intervention and the control groups since they were not randomised. Larger studies are required to elucidate and confirm these findings over the longer term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advertising of regulated health services to consumers is strictly regulated in Australia. The advertising prohibitions within the National Law that ban the use of testimonials relating to services provided by health practitioners have caused controversy, garnering mixed reactions from the health professions, health consumers and other stakeholders. Advertising that misleads health consumers may promote unnecessary and inappropriate engagement in health services and may therefore negatively affect consumers' ability to exercise autonomous decisions relating to their care. This article considers policy implications relating to advertising with a focus on the use of testimonials, particularly those that are online. Although there would seem to be appetite for amending the current legislative framework, there is uncertainty as to the form change may take and the effect this could have. What is known about the topic?: Testimonials relating to health care are a prohibited form of advertising, but a form still used by non-regulated health providers and those who are regulated but who are either ignorant of the law or defiant of its requirements. Views are split as to whether the restriction on consumer reviews of regulated health services is reasonable; frequently, arguments are put forward stating that the status quo inhibits consumers' ability to discuss their care. Other jurisdictions outside Australia permit the use of patient reviews and testimonials. What does this paper add?: This paper discusses the greater policy implications of the current restrictions within the National Law and analyses the arguments placed forward by different stakeholders from the health professions and those that consume health services. The ethical and market arguments surrounding advertising and testimonials are examined. Suggestions are then made as to the deficits in knowledge that presently exist relating to this area and the actions required before future policy may be developed. What are the implications for practitioners?: Practitioners should be aware of the current restrictions upon advertising within regulated health services. This paper develops an understanding of the complex arguments surrounding advertising and testimonials in health care, as well as when testimonials may be permitted and not subject to the current regulations. Before any amendment to the current legislation is actioned, regulators should consider instead the need to develop an evidence-based approach to understanding the effects of health advertising on the decision making of healthcare consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Industry self-regulation is the dominant approach to managing alcohol advertising in Australia and many other countries. There is a need to explore the barriers to government adoption of more effective regulatory approaches. This study examined relevance and quality features of evidence cited by industry and non-industry actors in their submissions to Australian alcohol advertising policy consultations., Methods: Submissions to two public consultations with a primary focus on alcohol advertising policy were analysed. Submissions (n = 71) were classified into their actor type (industry or non-industry) and according to their expressed support for, or opposition to, increased regulation of alcohol advertising. Details of cited evidence were extracted and coded against a framework adapted from previous research (primary codes: subject matter relevance, type of publication, time since publication, and independence from industry). Evidence was also classified as featuring indicators of higher quality if it was either published in a peer-reviewed journal or academic source, published within 10 years of the consultation, and/or had no apparent industry connection., Results: Almost two-thirds of submissions were from industry actors (n = 45 submissions from alcohol, advertising, or sporting industries). With few exceptions, industry actor submissions opposed increased regulation of alcohol advertising and non-industry actor submissions supported increased regulation. Industry actors cited substantially less evidence than non-industry actors, both per submission and in total. Only 27% of evidence cited by industry actors was highly relevant and featured at least two indicators of higher quality compared to 58% of evidence cited by non-industry actors., Conclusions: Evaluation of the value of the evidentiary contribution of industry actors to consultations on alcohol advertising policy appears to be limited. Modifications to consultation processes, such as exclusion of industry actors, quality requirements for submitted evidence, minimum standards for referencing evidence, and requirements to declare potential conflicts, may improve the public health outcomes of policy consultations., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: JS and HP contributed to the written submission of the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth to the inquiry into the NSW Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Prohibition Bill 2015 and JS appeared as a witness to a public hearing held for the inquiry. JS and HP contributed to the written submission of the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth to the ANPHA issues paper. TC was a member of the Australian National Preventive Health Agency’s expert committee on alcohol and contributed to drafting of the final report.

INTRODUCTION The World Health Organization recommends banning all forms of e-cigarette advertising, promotion, and sponsorship. The aims of the present study were to: 1) examine young people's exposure to e-cigarette advertising across a wide range of media in four diverse countries; and 2) identify any association between the number of different types of media exposures and e-cigarette use. METHODS A cross-sectional online survey was administered to approximately 1000 people aged 15-30 years in Australia, China, India, and the United Kingdom (n=4107). The survey assessed demographic characteristics, e-cigarette and tobacco use, numbers of friends and family members who vape, and exposure to multiple forms of e-cigarette advertising (e.g. television, radio, print, and various types of social media). Descriptive analyses were conducted on those who had heard of e-cigarettes (n=3095, significance threshold p<0.001) and a logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with e-cigarette ever use (significance threshold p<0.05). RESULTS The majority (85%) of respondents who had heard of e-cigarettes reported being exposed to e-cigarette advertising on at least one type of media, and the average number of types of media to which respondents were exposed was 5 (range: 0-17). The number of media types was significantly associated with ever use of e-cigarettes (OR=1.05; 95% CI: 1.02-1.08, p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS Despite advertising restrictions in place in all four countries, large majorities of young people reported being exposed to e-cigarette advertising. Social media and advertising on/around vape shops and other retailers appear to be key exposure locations. Urgent attention is needed to address these forms of exposure given their apparent association with e-cigarette use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper was to find out how knowledge and skills in demand by libraries compare with librarians' preoccupations and aspirations. Two sets of data were analysed using content analysis. A) 972 criteria in 127 Australian library-related job advertisements (from 2021) were coded against ALIA's Foundation knowledge for entry-level library and information professionals. B) 465 articles published in INCITE (an Australian professional LIS magazine) from 2018 to 2020 were mapped against the framework afforded by the IFLA Trend Report 2019 Update. From the ten domains in ALIA's foundation knowledge, behavioural skills were the most sought domain in the job advertisements (84.3% of advertisements), followed by those of leadership and management (58.3%), digital technologies (49.6%), and literacies and learning (22%). Professionalism (5.5%) and research (14.2%) were the least sought domains. Of the three key trends identified by IFLA, the top preoccupation in the professional literature was found to be 'dealing with uncertainty' (60.2% of articles). This is the first study to analyse both job advertisements and professional literature and map them against expected professional competencies and the sector's emerging trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New residential development is transforming coastal places in Australia. This paper untangles perceptions of coastal change by analysing representations of nature and lifestyles in marketing new residential developments on the New South Wales (NSW) coastline. We focus specifically on master-planned estates (MPEs). In this context MPEs are primarily a consequence of housing affordability and supply dilemmas in capital cities. Their form and character is derided as ‘suburbanisation by the sea’: vandalism of ‘authentic’ coastal cultures. We draw on Massey’s theorisation of place as ‘event’ and a relational politics termed ‘throwntogetherness’ to understand the role of real estate advertising in blending coastal places and MPEs. Our insights are drawn from visits to 19 MPEs for sale on the NSW coast, and discourse analysis of 76 advertisements collected in situ (billboards, signs, banners and brochures). Advertising narratives for new MPEs both sustain and contradict the idea of coastal suburbanisation: portraying permanent settlement by young families as a culture shift and implicating ‘sea change’ configurations of coastal places to do so. This makes lifestyle expectations with coastal nature perplexing. In the throwntogetherness of contemporary coastlines, marked by landscape change and development pressures, real estate advertisements are pivotal in establishing, grounding and guiding change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To assess the effects of Australian complementary medicines advertising policy after major changes in 2018. These included a legally enforceable advertising code, stronger investigative and compliance powers for the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and enhanced educational resources for industry. Methods Analysis of the TGA complaint outcome database from 1 July 2018 to 30 June 2019 and the new regulatory measures. Results Of 1821 complaint records analysed, 92% were classified as low priority and closed by sending the advertiser a Regulatory Obligation letter. For low priority complaints, no details of the product, advertiser or alleged Code violation were published, and no follow-up was undertaken. Of 121 higher priority complaints, 79% failed to meet their key performance indicator (KPI) time to closure (60-90 days). These included complaints about dangerous sports supplements and ineffective weight loss and hangover products, some of which had been submitted in July 2018. Conclusions Complaint classification and actions taken by the TGA were inconsistent. The TGA's new compliance powers were rarely applied. The new complaint system is less transparent than the one it replaced. There is a high rate of advertising complaints and a low rate of effective regulatory response. Time-based KPIs should be based on outcome measures, not when a case is closed by a process measure. An urgent review of the new system is required. Comment on Australia's 2018 Royal Commission into Misconduct in Banking is equally applicable to the TGA: 'Essentially a failure to enforce the law undermines the authority of the regulator whose fundamental responsibility is to do just that.' It also encourages others to break the law, leading to a race to the bottom and consumer detriment. What is known about the topic? The previous co-regulatory system for complementary medicines was the subject of long-standing criticism and high levels of regulatory non-compliance. The new system, operated solely by the TGA, was meant to overcome these problems. What does this paper add? High levels of advertising complaints persist. The TGA was unable to close many higher-priority complaints within the time frame set by its KPIs. These complaints involved serious breaches of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (Cwlth), which can attract both civil and (strict liability) criminal penalties. However, in most cases compliance was achieved by negotiation. The TGA met its KPIs for virtually all complaints it classified as low priority because these were closed by merely sending an obligations letter with no follow-up. What are the implications for practitioners? The persisting high levels of regulatory violation mean that practitioners cannot trust the claims made for complementary medicines or give good advice. In addition, consumers are wasting their money on useless products and are diverted from seeking more evidence-based remedies.

Objective This study assessed the effects of complementary medicines advertising policy before major changes in 2018. Methods The study consisted of an analysis of Complaints Resolution Panel determinations from 1999 to 2018, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) post-marketing surveillance data of listed products from 2014 to 2018 and a 2018 consumer survey. Results Over 1999-2018, one company, Pharmacare Laboratories (with its acquisition, Cat Media), repeatedly breached the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code at a level threefold higher than that of any other company. Determinations of the Panel were ineffective at reducing code breaches. When the Panel referred problems to the TGA, usually no action resulted. Over 2014-18, on average there were 763 breaches of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code per year, most commonly because claims were misleading, unverifiable or exaggerated efficacy. Over the same period, TGA post-marketing surveillance reviewed, on average, 289 listed products each year; 77% were found to be non-compliant, primarily because of an inability to substantiate the claims made. Only 15% of 684 knowledgeable consumers surveyed agreed that complementary medicines were appropriately regulated. Conclusions Numerous complementary medicines (and medical devices) that were extensively advertised failed to meet real health needs, diverted consumers from more evidence-based treatment and wasted their money. The laws to protect consumers were adequate: the problem was lack of enforcement. What is known about the topic? The previous co-regulatory system for complementary medicines has been the subject of long-standing criticism; however, definitive data about the problems were largely unanalysed or disregarded. What does this paper add? This is the first analysis of the Complaints Resolution Panel's determinations over its entire life (1999-June 2018). The paper provides a baseline from which the outcomes of the new complaint system (after July 2018) can be assessed. At that time, the Panel was abolished and the TGA took over the complaint system, with enhanced investigative and enforcement powers. The analysis shows that most complaints received were upheld by the Panel and a small number of sponsors repeatedly breached the Code. TGA post-marketing data from 2014 to 2018 revealed a high level of regulatory non-compliance by listed products, and a 2018 consumer survey showed low levels of trust in the regulatory system. What are the implications for practitioners? The failure of the TGA to ensure regulatory compliance by advertisers of complementary medicines (and medical devices) meant that health practitioners and consumers were unlikely to recognise the extent of misleading and deceptive claims in the marketplace. Practitioners rarely have the time or resources to investigate claims themselves. The consequence is that consumers will waste their money on useless products and be diverted from seeking more evidence-based remedies. It remains to be seen whether the new regulatory system will address these problems.

Objectives: The Australian alcohol industry has observed that increased health consciousness among consumers is a threat to industry revenue, but also an opportunity for innovation and growth within the sector., Methods: This paper examines how the alcohol industry has responded to a perceived increase in health consciousness among consumers, considers policy implications and provides recommendations to address supposedly healthier alcohol products. We collected examples of new product developments and monitored alcohol industry publications for information on key trends and comments from alcohol company executives to inform the paper., Results: We found that existing regulations do not appear to be sufficient to adequately restrict health-related claims made by alcohol marketers and producers, as alcohol products continue to be advertised in association with health. Research shows that this can have significant implications for the way consumers view these products., Lessons Learnt: Restrictions on health-related claims should form part of broader reforms to alcohol marketing that should include strong, independent, legislated controls., Competing Interests: None declared.

Objective Aboriginal people experience a higher burden of disease as a consequence of drug and alcohol (D&A) abuse. Although media campaigns can be a popular tool for disseminating health promotion messages, evidence of the extent to which they reduce the impact of substance abuse is limited, especially for rural Aboriginal communities. This paper is the first to examine the impact a locally designed D&A radio advertising campaign for Aboriginal people in a remote community in Western NSW. Design A post-intervention evaluation. Setting The radio campaign was implemented in Bourke, (population 2465, 30% Aboriginal). Participants Fifty-three community surveys were completed. Main outcome measure(s) The self-reported level of awareness of the campaign and the number of self-referrals to local D&A workers in the intervention period. Results Most respondents (79%) reported they listen to radio on a daily basis, with 75% reporting that they had heard one or more of the advertisements. The advertisement that was remembered best contained the voice of a respected, local person. There was one self-referral to local health services during the intervention timeframe. Conclusion The community-led radio advertising campaign increased community awareness of substance abuse harms, but had limited impact on formal help-seeking. This paper highlights the value of radio as a commonly used, trusted and culturally relevant health promotion medium for rural communities, especially when engaging local respected Aboriginal presenters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From farmers' markets to primetime television cooking shows, notions of 'knowing where our food comes from' and 'reconnecting' with the sources of our food are now central to a range of contemporary cultural movements and popular media texts. While these ideas have primarily been mobilized by those with activist commitments to ethical and sustainable food production, they are also increasingly appearing in the media and marketing strategies of large agribusiness and retailing corporations, including those of the major Australian supermarkets. This paper explores some of the techniques currently used by major supermarkets to respond to criticisms about their food ethics, market control and relationship with producers. Using a case study of Australian supermarket Coles and its integration of its 'Helping Australia Grow' campaign into reality television cooking show, My Kitchen Rules, it will consider the textual practices of, and social media response to, Coles' sponsorship and integrated advertising strategies of putting a 'face' to the farmers who produce the products found on supermarket shelves. By emphasizing to Coles customers that they, too, can 'know where their food comes from' and that their purchasing decisions support individual farmers and family farms rather than large conglomerates, these strategies help to locate Coles within a network of meanings that seek to both shift and contest negative perceptions of the supermarket chain's corporate practices and food politics in ways that potentially complicate the activist discourses from which they draw. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Alcohol use by adults at school events and alcohol promotion through school fundraising activities is common, but little is known about secondary school parents' attitudes towards these practices. Parental attitudes may influence principals' decision-making on this topic, particularly in jurisdictions where education department guidance is limited. This study explored parents' attitudes towards the consumption or promotion of alcohol in schools or at school events. Design/methodology/approach: Parents (n = 298) from five non-government secondary schools in Western Australia completed an online survey and provided responses relating to the promotion and availability of alcohol through their child's school. Findings: This sample of parents were evenly divided in support of alcohol consumption or support of schools as alcohol-free zones. Parents reporting higher alcohol consumption were more supportive of alcohol promotion and use through schools, and those with higher education supported use of alcohol for school fundraising. Almost 20% of parents were neutral on several measures indicating they could be swayed by social pressure. Engaging parents is an ongoing challenge for school principals and alcohol may play a part in engagement activities. The results from this small, exploratory study suggest even engaged parents may have very differing views on alcohol use in schools. Practical implications: Education departments are encouraged to explore these issues carefully and introduce changes incrementally to assist decision-making and minimise potential parent disengagement. Originality/value: This paper addresses a knowledge gap about parents' attitudes towards alcohol in secondary schools. These findings can support those involved in the development of school alcohol policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background There are wide variations in the reported prevalence of exposure to sexual content online, but the literature tends not to distinguish between intended and unintended exposure. Moreover, there is little research exploring the pathways through which exposure occurs or descriptions of such content. While there is much public concern regarding exposure to sexual content, Australian students receive little or no education on mitigating the effect of sexual content online., Methods: Eleven focus group discussions with high school students aged 14-18 years were conducted to discover young people's experiences of exposure to sexual content in social media. In this paper, we describe these pathways to sexual content exposure, the nature of the sexual content young people are exposed to and their views about this exposure., Results: Focus groups showed that exposure to sexual content through social media occurred through networks of 'friends' or followers, and paid-for advertising. Content ranged from subtle messages or photos to explicit pornographic pictures/videos. Most of the exposure young people described was unintended., Conclusions: Exposure to sexual content, no matter the scope and intensity, was almost unavoidable among young people who use social media. Utilising this information to educate young people on mitigating the effect of sexual content, rather than trying to prevent young people from viewing it, could be a more effective approach.

Television (TV) advertising of food and beverages high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) influences food preferences and consumption. Children from lower socioeconomic position (SEP) have higher exposure to TV advertising due to more time spent watching TV. This paper sought to estimate the cost-effectiveness of legislation to restrict HFSS TV advertising until 9:30 pm, and to examine how health benefits and healthcare cost-savings differ by SEP. Cost-effectiveness modelling was undertaken (i) at the population level, and (ii) by area-level SEP. A multi-state multiple-cohort lifetable model was used to estimate obesity-related health outcomes and healthcare cost-savings over the lifetime of the 2010 Australian population. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were reported, with assumptions tested through sensitivity analyses. An intervention restricting HFSS TV advertising would cost AUD5.9M (95% UI AUD5.8M⁻AUD7M), resulting in modelled reductions in energy intake (mean 115 kJ/day) and body mass index (BMI) (mean 0.352 kg/m²). The intervention is likely to be cost-saving, with 1.4 times higher total cost-savings and 1.5 times higher health benefits in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic group (17,512 HALYs saved (95% UI 10,372⁻25,155); total cost-savings AUD126.3M (95% UI AUD58.7M⁻196.9M) over the lifetime) compared to the least disadvantaged socioeconomic group (11,321 HALYs saved (95% UI 6812⁻15,679); total cost-savings AUD90.9M (95% UI AUD44.3M⁻136.3M)). Legislation to restrict HFSS TV advertising is likely to be cost-effective, with greater health benefits and healthcare cost-savings for children with low SEP., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

In August 1900, a new type of charity event – the advertising poster ball – was introduced to Australia. The event brought together a range of pre-existing cultural forms to promote mass market brands, facilitated by a new, visual advertising culture. Over the next forty years, the poster ball was adopted by community groups, becoming a regular feature on the social and fundraising calendar. By harnessing people's innate longing for creative expression and shared social activity to the promotion of commercial brands, the poster ball linked these brands to pleasurable social events, helping embed them in Australian cultural memory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate how health consumer organisations manage their relationships with the pharmaceutical industry in Australia. Methods: We identified 230 health consumer organisations that received pharmaceutical industry support from 2013 to 2016 according to reports published by Medicines Australia, the industry trade association. A random sample of 133 organisations was selected and their websites assessed for financial transparency, policies governing corporate sponsorship and evidence of potential industry influence. Results: In all, 130 of the 133 organisations evaluated received industry funding. Of these 130, 68 (52.3%; 95% confidence interval (CI) 43.4–61.1%) disclosed this funding. Nearly all (67; 98.5%) reported the identity of their industry donors, followed by uses (52.9%), amount (13.2%) and proportion of income from industry (4.4%). Less than one-fifth (24/133; 18.0%; 95% CI 11.9–25.6%) had publicly available policies on corporate sponsorship. Six organisations (7.2%; 95% CI 2.7–15.1%) had board members that were currently or previously employed by pharmaceutical companies, and 49 (36.8%; 95% CI 28.6–45.6%) had company logos, web links or advertisements on their websites. Conclusion: Industry-funded health consumer organisations in Australia have low transparency when reporting industry funding and few have policies governing corporate sponsorship. Relationships between health consumer organisations and the industry require effective actions to minimise the risks of undue influence. What is known about this topic?: Pharmaceutical industry funding of health consumer organisations is common in the US and Europe, yet only a minority of such organisations publicly disclose this funding and have policies regulating their relationships with industry. What does this paper add?: Industry-funded health consumer organisations in Australia have inadequate financial transparency and rarely have policies addressing corporate funding. Organisations that have received more industry funding are more likely to report it publicly. What are the implications for practitioners?: Robust policies addressing corporate sponsorship and increased transparency are needed to maintain the independence of health consumer organisations. Governments may also consider regulating non-profit organisations to ensure public reporting of funding sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose This paper aims to determine the dimensions of service quality of advertising agencies and their effects on relationship quality between an advertising agency and their clients through the social and economic exchange.Design/methodology/approach The intention was to target firms which use the services of an advertising or marketing solutions agency; hence, participants were recruited from a business database service providing details for key decision makers in Australia and New Zealand. An online survey was used in this study.Findings Creative competence, project management processes and project outcome influenced relationship quality through value and interpersonal relationships. However, only creativity had a significant direct relationship with relationship quality.Practical implications Although creativity plays a major role in relationship development, agencies must have efficient and effective project management processes in place to ensure successful project completion within timeline and budget to be able to maintain ongoing relationships with their clients.Originality/value The research draws upon literature from three key disciplines, service quality, relationship marketing and project management, to address the gaps in the current literature related to customer relationship management in the B2B client–agency context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Young people in Australia are frequently exposed to alcohol marketing. Leading health organisations recommend legislative controls on alcohol advertising as part of a comprehensive approach to reduce alcohol-related harm. However, Australia relies largely on industry self-regulation. This paper describes the development and implementation of the Alcohol Advertising Review Board (AARB), a world-first public health advocacy initiative that encourages independent regulation of alcohol advertising. The AARB reviews complaints about alcohol advertising, and uses strategies such as media advocacy, community engagement and communicating with policy makers to highlight the need for effective regulation. In 4 years of operation, the AARB has received more complaints than the self-regulatory system across a similar period. There has been encouraging movement towards stronger regulation of alcohol advertising. Key lessons include the importance of a strong code, credible review processes, gathering support from reputable organisations, and consideration of legal risks and sustainability. The AARB provides a unique model that could be replicated elsewhere., Competing Interests: None declared

The highly visible yet poorly studied phenomenon of roadside colossi—oversized commercial buildings and statues in the shape of everyday objects, referred to in this article as Big Things—has often been dismissed as a kitschy by-product of American post-war consumerism and car culture. There are no universal definitions or typologies for this form of material culture, nor is there a sufficiently global history that explains the origin, spread and contemporary popularity of these landmarks. In this article, I address these gaps in the discourse, drawing attention to the rich yet largely untapped theoretical underpinnings of Big Things. In doing so, I highlight the potential for further study of these landmarks as material evidence of broader socio-cultural impulses, particularly in communities across North America and Australia, where Big Things can be found in their greatest numbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth alcohol consumption has been steadily declining in Australia, as in other countries; fewer young people are drinking and the age of initiation is increasing. However, young people, their parents and others in their communities continue to believe that adolescent (excessive) drinking is the norm. This perception, and the concurrent misperception that the majority of parents are happy to provide their underage children with alcohol, creates a perceived culture of acceptance of youth alcohol consumption. Young people believe that it is accepted, and even expected, that they will drink; and parents perceive that not providing their adolescent children with alcohol will lead to social exclusion. There is evidence that shifting social norms can have an immediate and lasting effect adolescents’ (and adults’) alcohol related attitudes and behaviors. This paper reports on a novel, community based social marketing intervention designed to correct misperceptions of alcohol related social norms in an Australian community. The project utilized a social marketing approach, informed by the full complement of Andreasen’s social marketing benchmarking criteria, and concurrently targeted adolescents, parents of adolescents and the broader community. Using extensive formative research and multiple evaluation techniques, the study demonstrates that shifts in community social norms are possible and suggests that this approach could be used more widely to support the positive trends in youth alcohol consumption and parental supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Market researchers and the market research industry more generally have paid little attention to the history of market research. This inattention to the past has not only resulted in a significant gap in our knowledge of market research and history more generally, it has also obscured the benefits that can be derived from an understanding of history. Using letters, reports and survey contained in the Ashby Research Service archive at the State Library of New South Wales in Australia, this article seeks to illustrate the benefits to be derived from undertaking historical research on market research and those involved in the market research business. By examining some of the cultural factors informing market research business practices and the ways that the marketing and the media industries have interacted with market researchers, this article not only takes step in addressing the gap in our knowledge of market research history, it also demonstrates the relevance and importance of market research history for business and marketing historians and, indeed, market research scholars and practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the advertising industries in both Sydney and Melbourne and the development of a truly national industry from the 1920s to the 1980s. The relationship between the two cities has been largely complementary rather than confrontational, with Sydney's business acumen complemented by Melbourne's creativity. However, the growing concentration of business in Sydney would see its agencies and their client-focused culture emerge as the dominant partner in the two-city relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Consumer information and its communication in the digital space has undergone a paradigm shift in the past decade. Online reviews are one form of consumer information which is gaining increasing commercial value and consumer influence. Retailers, marketers, PR firms, competitors and commercial online review providers are all implicated in exploiting this situation through the strategic creation and dissemination of fake online reviews. Recent studies suggest that fake online review prevalence is escalating and representing a growing problem in terms of online informational accuracy and potentially, market regulation. The UK Advertising Standards Authority has already found against TripAduisor in this regard and other ubiquitous, highly popular review platforms are increasingly being examined by regulators for review accuracy as well. This paper considers fake online reviews and their potentials to mislead consumers, breach consumer laws and to undermine market efficacy. An examination of Australian law reveals that misleading and deceptive conduct and false testimonials in the form of fake online reviews are potentially actionable and that cases are starting to emerge which justify regulatory action. The paper also considers potential legal, technical and industry solutions, such as mandating best practice fake review detection and increasing enforcement and consumer education actions. The author concludes with the view that whilst the online environment is infinitely evolving and challenging, Australian consumer law is presently adequate to the task - provided that deficiencies in legal enforcement, fake review detection and consumer awareness are proactively addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been an increased international policy focus on the factors that may contribute to, and prevent, the normalization of gambling for young people. However, there is still limited research, which investigates the role of advertising in shaping young people's gambling attitudes and consumption intentions. Methods: Mixed methods study of 111 young people aged 11-16 years recruited from community basketball stadiums in Victoria, Australia, between May and July 2018. Interviewer-assisted surveys investigated recall and awareness of sports betting brands, perceptions of promotional strategies, intention to gamble, and reasons for betting on particular sports. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and χ2 tests. Thematic analyses were used to interpret qualitative responses. Results: Young people had high recall and awareness of advertising, with most able to name at least one betting brand (n = 90, 81.1%), and many demonstrating a high awareness of the distinct characteristics (such as colors and appeal strategies) of different brands. A fifth of young people (n = 25, 22.5%) expressed intentions to gamble at 18 years, with boys significantly more likely than girls to state they would gamble (χ2 = 10.90, p = .001). Young people perceived that advertising strategies associated with inducement promotions would be the most influential in encouraging individuals to gamble. While many young people took promotions at face value, there was evidence that some were able to critically engage with and challenge the messages within marketing. Discussion and conclusions: Current regulatory structures appear to be ineffective in limiting young people's recall and awareness of gambling advertising. Lessons from tobacco control support the application of precautionary approaches as a more effective way to limit young people's development of positive gambling attitudes and behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study builds on knowledge of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration by examining theoretically important aspects of this crime within an Australian community sample. More specifically, the current study examines the relationship between IPV offenders' levels of self-control and offense specialization and determines whether this relationship differs by gender. Method: An online survey advertised on social media yielded an analysis sample of 155 females and 170 males. Self-control was measured using the Brief Self-Control scale and specialization was measured with the Offense Specialization Coefficient (OSC) and a multilevel item response theory measurement approach. Results: Findings indicate that IPV offenders with low levels of self-control are more versatile in their offending and that this relationship was more evident and pronounced for females. Conclusions: Findings are mostly supportive of Gottfredson and Hirschi's General Theory of Crime and highlight important differences within IPV offender populations that should be considered when designing targeted prevention and intervention methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]