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In Australia and New Zealand (NZ) domestic wood heater emissions contribute to a substantial community burden of air pollution-related illness and death. Despite increasingly stringent emission standards for wood heaters in Australia, there has been frustratingly little progress in reducing ambient air pollution from this source. In contrast, Environment Canterbury NZ, has made impressive progress driving innovation in wood heater designs to improve air quality. Interventions have included the 2014 introduction of a new performance testing standard, the Canterbury Method One (CM1) that is used to define a class of Ultra Low Emission Burners (ULEBs). CM1 testing is conducted under conditions intended to simulate typical home usage and includes the heater's start-up phase which generates a significant portion of pollutant emissions. It is primarily designed to test the performance of appliances burning softwoods, the main source of fuel in NZ. We aimed to: (1) design a protocol based on the CM1 for testing appliances burning Australian hardwoods, and (2) conduct preliminary evaluations of exiting ULEBs fuelled with hardwoods as a test-of-concept for ULEBs in Australia. The main variation was that we used a single burn phase with double the weight of wood compared with the standard CM1. We tested two certified ULEBs of different designs using our protocol. Emissions from hardwood fuels were higher than for softwoods as anticipated because the appliances we tested had been optimised for softwood combustion. However, the overall performance of both heaters was promising. Our results provide proof-ofconcept that ULEBs could potentially be optimised for hardwoods and have a place in strategies for reducing the harm from air pollution in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proponents of development projects (e.g., new roads, mines, dams) are frequently required to assess and manage their impacts on threatened biodiversity. Here, we propose that the environmental legislation and standards that mandate such assessments are failing those threatened species and ecological communities listed as vulnerable. Using a case study of Australia's key environmental legislation, we highlight that vulnerable ecological communities receive no statutory protection, while vulnerable species are held to a less stringent standard in the impact assessment process compared with those that are endangered or critically endangered. In the 19 years since Australia's Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 was enacted, four times as many vulnerable species have declined in their threat status than have improved. Beyond Australia, we demonstrate the global relevance of this issue, as it applies to internationally recognized best practice impact assessment guidelines. These cases provide a cautionary tale: without greater attention and stricter assessment criteria in the impact assessment process, the vulnerable species of today risk becoming the endangered species of tomorrow, with all the attendant costs and missed opportunities for recovery that this implies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many governments in Western democracies conduct the work of leading their societies forward through policy generation and implementation. Despite government attempts at extensive negotiation, collaboration and debate, the general populace in these same countries frequently express feelings of disempowerment and undue pressure to be compliant, often leading to disengagement. Here we outline Plan B: a process for examining how policies that emerge from good intentions are frequently interpreted as burdensome or irrelevant by those on whom they have an impact. Using a case study of professional standards for teachers in Australia, we describe how we distilled Foucault's notions of archaeology into a research approach centring on the creation of ‘polyhedrons of intelligibility’ as an alternative approach by which both policy-makers and those affected by their policies may understand how their respective causes are supported and adversely affected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The authors outline the difference between content and performance standards and the rationale for standard setting at a medical college. The principles of the college's standard setting processes for the written and objective structured clinical examination summative assessments are discussed in greater detail.Conclusion: There is no evidence of any single standard setting method to be the best. Multiple methods exist and will have varied results when applied. The judgement of a panel of subject experts remains an important component of the standard setting process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes how a state education system in Australia introduced standards-referenced assessments into its large-scale, high-stakes, curriculum-based examinations in a way that enables comparison of performance across time even though the examinations are different each year. It describes the multi-stage modified Angoff standard-setting procedure used to establish cut-off scores on subject examinations, and how the results from this exercise were then used to develop standards packages. These packages illustrate the performances of students at the borders between the various bands. The paper also shows how originally it was intended to use a Rasch measurement model to create the statistical feedback used in the standard-setting procedure. It also describes the modifications to the feedback that were necessary to meet the real-time constraints of this large-scale examination programme. It argues that consideration should now be given to using the Rasch model to provide this feedback instead of the current approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – Teaching and unit evaluations surveys are used to assess the quality of teaching and the quality of the unit of study. An analysis of teaching and unit evaluation survey practices in Australian universities suggests significant changes. One key change discussed in the paper is the shift from voluntary to mandatory use of surveys with the results used to assess and reward academic staff performance. The change in the direction is largely driven by the introduction of performance-based funding as part of quality assurance arrangements. The paper aims to outline the current trends and changes and the implications in the future such as increased scrutiny of teaching and intrusion to academic autonomy. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on the analysis of current teaching and unit evaluation practices across the Australian university sector. The paper presents the case of an Australian university that has introduced performance-based reward using various measures to assess and reward academic staff such as the outcome of student satisfaction surveys. The analysis of external quality audit findings related to teacher and unit evaluations is also presented. Findings – The findings suggest a shift in trend from the use of voluntary to mandatory tools to assess and reward quality teaching. The case of an Australian university outlined in the paper and the approach taken by seven other universities is largely driven by performance-based funding. One of the key concerns for many in higher education is the intrusion of academic autonomy with increased focus on outcomes and less emphasis on resources needed to produce excellence in learning and teaching and research. The increased reliance on student happiness as a measure of educational quality raises the questions on whether high student satisfaction would strengthen academic rigour and student attainment of learning outcomes and generic skills which are seen as key factors in graduate exit standards. Practical implications – The renewal of quality assurance and performance-based funding using student satisfaction as a measure of educational quality will result in increased use of student voice to assess learning and teaching outcomes. Such direction will increase the accountability on academics to improve student experience and the measures will be used to assess academic staff performance. Originality/value – The paper outlines the trends and changes in the teacher and unit evaluations in Australian universities and its implications in the future. The paper also provides a case of an Australian university that has recently made teacher and unit evaluations compulsory with the results used in academic staff annual performance review and linking reward with performance outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the continued importance of the globalization era, there is an ever-increasing interest in the correlation between marketing mix standardization and the firm's market performance. This issue focuses on the firm's pursuit of global markets in an environment conditional to internal and external market factors. The research examines factors on multinational firm's marketing mix (program and process marketing) from Australia, Japan, and the United States and the impact on market performance. The results are mixed providing some support for marketing standardization and profit performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study that explores the work performance of employees with respect to Australian working conditions, particularly the demand to work for longer hours. The study found that the health-related absenteeism and work performance losses contributed to increased hours of work, low annual wage, and job insecurity. It was noted that the Australian working conditions contributed to low work performance and high absenteeism of employees regardless of their health status.

This paper summarises results from an evaluation of the adequacy and utility of the Australian Competency Standards for Entry-Level Occupational Therapists © (OT AUSTRALIA, 1994a). It comprised a two-part study, incorporating an online survey of key national stakeholders ( n  = 26), and 13 focus groups ( n  = 152) conducted throughout Australia with occupational therapy clinicians, academics, OT AUSTRALIA association and Occupational Therapy Registration Board representatives, as well as university program accreditors. The key recommendations were that: (i) urgent revision to reflect contemporary practice, paradigms, approaches and frameworks is required; (ii) the standards should exemplify basic competence at graduation (not within two years following); (iii) a revision cycle of five years is required; (iv) the Australian Qualifications Framework should be retained, preceded by an introduction describing the scope and nature of occupational therapy practice in the national context; (v) access to the standards should be free and unrestricted to occupational therapists, students and the public via the OT AUSTRALIA (national) website; (vi) the standards should incorporate a succinct executive summary and additional tools or templates formatted to enable occupational therapists to develop professional portfolios and create working documents specific to their workplace; and (vii) language must accommodate contextual variation while striking an appropriate balance between providing instruction and encouraging innovation in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, significant numbers of academics from the science and health disciplines at our institution have found that their students lack the appropriate 'mathematical' background to cope with first-year science subjects. Consequently, failure rates are on the increase in these subjects. The mathematical background of students entering university has been found to be a problem in other universities in Australia, as well as in the UK, Ireland and the US. In this report, the authors analyse data on current students' performance and present suggestions for addressing the problems found. The performance of first-year students in four different mathematics and mathematically related subjects is compared to the level of their secondary school mathematics and performance, and to their tertiary entrance score. We conclude that a student's secondary school mathematics background, not their tertiary entrance score, has a dramatic effect on pass rates. On the basis of our findings, a way forward is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the frequent prevalence of angina among coronary artery disease (CAD) patients in general care practices in Australia by the Coronary Artery Disease in General Practice (CADENCE) Study. It notes that limited awareness of clinicians on the angina burden of patients is the most important factor in angina prevalence. Moreover, it concludes that performance measurement and health practice feedbacks can improve clinical care and avoid angina recurrent prevalence.

In a randomised controlled trial, the internet-based ResilienceOnline (ROL) program was evaluated among sales managers from an Australian industrial organisation. This program is designed to enhance resilience by teaching seven skills to help improve ability to cope with challenges and setbacks and maximise potential achievements. Sales managers were allocated to complete the ROL program (n = 26) or to be in a waitlist-control condition (n = 27) and were compared on pre- and post-intervention measures of happiness, quality of life, depression, anxiety, stress and work performance. Sales managers found the resilience training very enjoyable and believed it would improve their work performance and life skills. However, a high proportion of sales managers did not complete the ROL program and it was not found to significantly reduce distress or improve quality of life or work performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

If the outcomes of the recent COAG meeting are implemented, Australia will have a new set of benchmarks for its health system within a few months. This is a non-trivial task. Choice of benchmarks will, explicitly or implicitly, reflect a framework about how the health system works, what is important or to be valued and how the benchmarks are to be used. In this article we argue that the health system is dynamic and so benchmarks need to measure flows and interfaces rather than simply cross-sectional or static performance. We also argue that benchmarks need to be developed taking into account three perspectives: patient, clinician and funder. Each of these perspectives is critical and good performance from one perspective or on one dimension doesn't imply good performance on either (or both) of the others. The three perspectives (we term the dimensions patient assessed value, performance on clinical interventions and efficiency) can each be decomposed into a number of elements. For example, patient assessed value is influenced by timeliness, cost to the patient, the extent to which their expectations are met, the way they are treated and the extent to which there is continuity of care. We also argue that the way information is presented is important: cross sectional, dated measures provide much less information and are much less useful than approaches based on statistical process control. The latter also focuses attention on improvement and trends, encouraging action rather than simply blame of poorer performers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extensive efforts are currently being devoted to the establishment of soil spectral libraries on regional, national, continent-wide and global domains. In particular, a new development goes in the direction of global harmonized soil spectral databases that shall be acquired following common standards and procedures so that they can be merged with other soil spectral libraries. The choice of standards is important, especially with respect to their behaviors when laboratory conditions, such as humidity, change. In this study, we test the application and robustness of the Internal Soil Standard (ISS) spectral re-alignment procedure on an extended number of soil samples acquired at different laboratories. In particular, a focus is placed on the comparison between two standards Lucky Bay (LB) and Wylie Bay (WB), for their performance with different humidity laboratory conditions. LB and WB are almost pure quartz sands from Australia. For this, 71 soil samples from Israel with different mineralogical background and variable soil organic matter contents are scanned at two laboratories. The scanning took place with different spectral measurement protocols and extreme diverse conditions in terms of laboratory humidity and moist. All scans are completed by the repeated scans of the two Australian white sands through all scan batches to harmonize the spectral measurements. Our results show that the ISS minimizes the visual spectral variation, aligns the minor and extreme systematic changes of the protocols, and makes them more stable. Furthermore, the LB and WB standards do not exhibit equal performance regarding to relatively dry and humid conditions. The WB standard provides more stable and satisfactory results in humid condition. However, the high performance of the LB sample in spectral correction is still observed, particularly in laboratories with lower moist. Accordingly, these analyses suggest that in the ISS re-alignment procedure, the WB sample is more reliable to be used in humid laboratory condition. • Testing the ISS method for spectral harmonization of a large number of soil spectra acquired in different laboratories • Testing the effects of different setups and extreme different laboratory humidity conditions • Comparing the performances of two standards LB and WB in the ISS re-alignment procedure • WB is recommended to be used in laboratories with high moist condition [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]