Higher Degree Theses

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The central role of entrepreneurial identity in shaping opportunity evaluation and opportunity development
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Almasri, Omar Radwan; Gibb, Jenny; Sunyer, Albert
Entrepreneurial opportunities drive both venture creation and business performance, yet research has mostly studied opportunity recognition and exploitation while placing less concentration on the ways that assess and advance business opportunities. Moreover, although entrepreneurial identity has been identified as a key psychological driver of entrepreneurial behavior, little is known about how its distinct dimensions shape opportunity-related outcomes, particularly within resource-constrained and emerging economy contexts. While entrepreneurial identity is inherently motivational, it does not in itself explain how entrepreneurs regulate emotionladen judgments during opportunity evaluation and development. Entrepreneurial identity provides motivational direction, yet opportunity evaluation and development unfold in emotionally charged contexts characterised by uncertainty, risk, and ambiguity. Nevertheless, existing research has broadly conceptualized emotional intelligence as an immediate predictor of its antecedents, with less considering its theoretically significant role as a moderator of the way in which motivations grounded in identity are transformed into evaluative judgments and developmental actions. With the aim of addressing the identified gaps, this thesis explores the impact of entrepreneurial identity salience and centrality on opportunity evaluation and development, and the moderating effect of emotional intelligence on these relationships. Drawing on role identity theory and the entrepreneurial identity literature, this research conceptualises entrepreneurial identity as a multidimensional construct and advances a processoriented view of opportunity evaluation and development. The objective of this thesis is to shed light on how different aspects of entrepreneurial identity shape opportunity evaluation and development, as well as emotional intelligence as a moderating factor that shapes the expression of identity-driven motivation in challenging emotional contexts of entrepreneurship. A survey method is used to investigate 344 founder entrepreneurs in Jordan, where Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) with confirmatory factor analysis is employed to verify the proposed models. For moderation effects, Z-standardized interaction terms in the SEM approach are used to ensure robustness and comparability of models. The results indicate that entrepreneurial identity salience and entrepreneurial identity centrality have different and differential effects on opportunity evaluation and opportunity development. Entrepreneurial identity salience is found to positively affect opportunity evaluation and opportunity development, and emotional intelligence plays a moderating role in these relationships in subtle ways. Emotional intelligence reduces the effect of identity salience on opportunity evaluation and increases its effect on opportunity development, implying that the effect of identity salience on opportunity development becomes less impulsive and more emotionally driven. Entrepreneurial identity centrality exhibits a strong positive relationship with opportunity evaluation, which is significantly reinforced by emotional intelligence. In contrast, emotional intelligence does not moderate the relationship between entrepreneurial identity centrality and opportunity development, suggesting that highly central identities may rely more on intrinsic commitment than on emotional regulation to sustain development activities. This thesis makes several important contributions. Theoretically, it contributes to the research on entrepreneurial identity by disentangling the concepts of salience and centrality and making an explicit connection to opportunity evaluation and development, rather than just opportunity recognition. Empirically, it provides evidence from an underexplored emerging economy context, highlighting the contingent role of emotional intelligence in identity– opportunity processes. Practically, the findings provide guidance for entrepreneurs, educators, and policymakers interested in promoting more reflective opportunity evaluations and continuous opportunity development to create programs that improve their decision-making skills through a better understanding of challenges in their institutional environment.
The application of search heuristics to the single machine early/tardy scheduling problem
(The University of Waikato, 1995) James, Ross Jonathan William; Buchanan, John; Foulds, Les R.
Just-In-Time manufacturing aims to reduce waste within an organisation, by focusing on completing orders at the time requested by customers. Failure to complete orders at the time specified causes the organisation to incur additional costs. The Just-In-Time environment has introduced complexities for scheduling which have been modelled by the Single Machine, Early/Tardy Machine Scheduling problem. Research to date has concentrated on models with assumptions such as the use of a single due date for all jobs or restrictions on early/tardy penalties. This research uses a generalised model which makes no such assumptions. The use of three popular ‘intelligent’ search techniques: Simulated Annealing, Genetic Algorithms and Tabu Search are investigated as possible solution techniques. The properties of the common due date, early/tardy scheduling problem enable schedules to be defined from early/tardy job specifications - which state whether individual jobs are scheduled earlier or later than requested. Search techniques can then be applied using an early/tardy job specification solution space rather than the sequence of jobs solution space. Experiments found that the former was more efficient. The properties of the common due date problem are generalised for the distinct due date problem so that a distinct due date schedule can also be defined from early/tardy job specifications, however, this is only possible with the use of a heuristic. By incorporating an early/tardy heuristic into a search, the early/tardy job specification solution space can be used in a search technique. Two early/tardy heuristics are developed, one being a construction based heuristics, the other based on a principle of conflict resolution. Both of these heuristics, unlike any other heuristic for this problem, determine the sequence and timing of each job simultaneously. Experiments demonstrated that the early/tardy heuristics could find good quality solutions, however, search techniques based on the standard sequence of jobs solution space found better solutions. On larger sized problems, searches based on the early/tardy heuristic made large initial gains but little subsequent progress. Hybrid techniques which used both the heuristic solution space and the sequence of jobs solution space were found to produce the best results. Of the search techniques, Tabu Search was found to consistently produce better results than Simulated Annealing and Genetic Algorithms. Experiments also found that a Tabu Search with an early/tardy heuristic-based diversification strategy was the least sensitive to the starting point used by the search. A final experiment found that if an error in the earliness and tardiness penalties is within the range of -25% and 20%, there is unlikely to be a significant difference in the solution quality.
‘The management of quality’: New Zealand joins a global discourse for controlling work(ers)
(The University of Waikato, 1995) Humphries-Kil, M.; Bettison, David; Day, Patrick
The introduction to New Zealand of Japanese Management Practices and their later variations, here, collectively named ‘the management of quality’, is examined in this thesis. ‘The management of quality’ is seen as the most recent phase of a long transformation of the process of work control. ‘Work’, ‘workers’ and ‘managers’, regarded in this thesis as instances of social fabrication, are examined in their transformation from ‘serfs’ to ‘labour’ during early industrialization, and then to their contemporary re-shaping for future forms of global capitalism. While employees and ordinary citizens have had a measure of influence on the nature of these fabrications, it is argued that theorizers and designated experts have provided techniques which give employers significantly more impact. The thesis is divided into four parts. In Part One I draw on Foucault’s method of archaeology to examine the way in which capitalist practices came to be routinized in western countries, particular England and America. Part Two examines the Japanese transition to the predominance of capitalist practices and argues that a number of key features of their form of capitalism differ from those developed in the west. In particular, post World War Two Japanese developments in management techniques are examined as these were liberally drawn on in the effort to convert New Zealand workers and managers to new ways of organising work. This effort of conversion is the focus of Part Three. The introduction of ‘the management of quality’ was achieved through the skilled use of rhetoric that, to varying degrees, involved employers, managers and workers. I conclude in Part Four, that global capitalists, in their pursuit of ever decreasing costs and their desire to increase their mobility, benefit from the achievement of global standardization of work, workers and managers. ‘The management of quality’ has been used to advance greater control over apparently self-managing employees.
The challenge of culture change the cross-cultural adaptation of Hong Kong Chinese adolescent immigrants in New Zealand
(The University of Waikato, 1995) Ho, Elsie; Hills, Michael; Ritchie, Jane; Farmer, Ruth
This study aimed to investigate changes in adaptive outcomes within Hong Kong Chinese adolescent immigrants from pre-migration to four years after arrival to New Zealand. The study used a quasi-longitudinal design, in which information was collected from one sample of respondents before migration and several samples of respondents after migration. Based on John Berry’s (1980) cross-cultural model, four cultural identity states were identified: assimilation, integration, separation and marginalization. Other adaptive outcomes were indicated by a variety of daily living activities and different modes of social-psychological functioning. A total of 283 Hong Kong Chinese adolescents in three phases of migration to New Zealand (pre-migration, less than two years in New Zealand, and between two and four years in New Zealand) participated in the study. Each respondent completed a booklet containing six questionnaires and a cultural identity scale. The study showed that respondents across cultural identity states and within migration phases differed significantly in adaptive outcomes. The proportion of respondents in the assimilation and integration states increased with length of migration, while those in the separation and marginalization states decreased. Across migration phases, respondents in the pre-migration phase differed significantly from the two post-migration groups in behaviours, preferences, attitudes and social support ratings; but the two post-migration groups did not differ significantly from each other. Across cultural identity states, assimilated, integrated, separated and marginalized respondents differed significantly from one another. Assimilated respondents manifested behaviours, preferences and attitudes indicating non-maintenance of ethnic culture; integrated respondents were characterized by both maintenance of ethnic culture and penetration into the host society; separated respondents were characterized by both maintenance of ethnic culture and a lack of penetration into the host society; whereas marginalized respondents showed a desire to penetrate into the host society but an inability to do so. Family separation, the desire to stay in the host society, causal attribution for cultural learning performance and social support, also influenced the respondents’ ability to adapt. Finally, the dynamic changes of the respondents’ cultural identity states over time were studied. Using the findings, seven paths of adaptation taken by a majority of Hong Kong Chinese adolescent immigrants in New Zealand are derived.
The masters of truth and justice? : TVNZ news-culture and ‘the discipline of the market’: 1989 - 1992
(The University of Waikato, 1994) Winter, Pahmi; Day, Patrick; Bettison, David
During the 1980s, New Zealand was among the first countries to translate the reemergent neoliberal ideology of economic rationalism into legislation and policy, thereby bringing about a radical shift in the ethos and organisation of many of New Zealand’s public corporations. Among these changes, New Zealand’s public television corporation became a ‘market-led’ state-owned commercial telecommunications enterprise. This study is concerned with the news-culture at Television New Zealand Ltd subsequent to the company’s restructuring into a cluster of profit-centres. It presents an ethnographic account of journalists’ practice and editorial control immediately after the company’s transition into a rationalised system oriented by quasi-privatised market transactions. It focuses on the ascendency of a particular scale of values within TVNZ news-culture as a populist ethos became institutionalized within the State-Owned Enterprise. TVNZ’s news executives hold that market forces and populist production values enhance their representation of the broad public interest. This thesis assesses the claim in the context of ideological, material and regulatory structures. I seek to demonstrate that the problem of conflicting goals, which beset TVNZ prior to its restructuring into a SOE, has not been resolved. The tensions and ambiguities engendered by conflicting commercial and social objectives remain. I argue that discrepancies between journalists’ professional norms and routine practices in TVNZ news-culture are concealed through the co-option of journalists’ professional ideologies into the wider market-oriented discourses of TVNZ corporate culture. Thus this thesis challenges the news executives’ claim that they effectively balance organisational and journalists’ professional goals. I contend, instead, that news executives compromise journalistic standards by defining them in relation to the market performance of the commodities they produce. In a wider frame it is indicated that the public debate about standards of TVNZ journalism focuses too exclusively on the programmes and their producers without addressing standards in terms of the statutory framework which requires TVNZ management to operate the company as a cash-cow for the state. In conclusion, I contend that the state has a responsibility to ensure the television network, set up for and largely paid for by New Zealand taxpayers, provides a public space for citizenly discourse.
Optimising line graph aspect ratio
(The University of Waikato, 1994) McEwan, James S.A.; Parsonson, B.S.; Guerin, Bernard
The aim of these studies was to find a way of selecting aspect ratios for line graphs so that they would provide the data analyst using graphical methods with the most information with the least distortion. If an ideal aspect ratio could be discovered it would help scientist make the best possible use of their research data. Cleveland and McGill (1987) theorised that the ideal aspect ratio could be selected by adjusting the aspect ratio until the line segments that make up a graph’s data path were positioned as close as possible to 45°. Cleveland and McGill went on to report a study which supported their theory. Experiments 1-3 here failed to replicate the results of Cleveland and McGill. Further analysis showed that the measure of accuracy used by Cleveland and McGill (1987) and in Experiments 1- 3 was corrupted by a confounding. This confounding was between response bias and accuracy, and as a result nothing could be concluded about Cleveland and McGill’s theory from the data. Given the problems with the previous accuracy measure, a new technique was required to test Cleveland and McGill’s theory of ideal aspect ratio. A “signal detection” style procedure called the “behavioural detection model” was used which produced separate measures of accuracy (log d) and response bias (log c). Using these measures it was found that, as the angle of a pair of lines increased from 0° to 45°, accuracy improved. For all angles greater than 45° accuracy was poor. These results partially support the theory of ideal aspect ratio suggested by Cleveland and McGill (1987). Like Cleveland and McGill’s theory it seems the data path should be positioned as close as possible to 45°; Unlike Cleveland and McGill’s theory the results here suggest that the data path should never be greater than 45°. These conclusions still need further testing to see if the results here apply to lines with negative slopes, as well as positive slopes, and how well the theory works in applied settings.
Freedom of expression and human dignity
(The University of Waikato, 1995) Harris, Bede Xavier Peter; Wilson, Margaret
The question of what limits should be placed on the right to freedom of expression is among the most intractable in human rights law. The central importance of the free flow of ideas to democracy means that tolerance of opposing views is a necessary precondition of that form of government. Freedom of expression also protects activities such as artistic endeavour, which further individual self-fulfilment. However, the need to protect freedom of expression must be balanced against the need to remedy the emotional harm it can cause. Hate speech (consisting of group defamation and insult) inflicts emotional injury, and thus impairs an important human interest. Some argue that sexually explicit material also has harmful effects. It is with the balance between freedom of expression, on the one hand, and the need to remedy harms, on the other, that this thesis is concerned. The thesis examines the strengths and weaknesses of both the existing approach to freedom of expression, which is founded primarily on the Millian argument from truth-seeking, and the equality-based approach, in terms of which hate speech and pornography are characterised as forms of discrimination. The conclusion reached is that neither strikes a satisfactory balance between expressive rights and other human interests. The suggested alternative is that the concept of human dignity be used both to justify freedom of expression and to set suitable limits to it. Whereas dignity, in the sense of autonomy or privacy, is known to Anglo-American jurisprudence, the concept of an actionable right to remedy offence to dignity is not. Here it is argued that the principles underlying the actio injuriarum of the Roman Dutch law of South Africa would be useful in setting limits to freedom of expression, as the actio provides a civil remedy for impairment of dignity, including impairments taking the form of insult and defamation. The thesis examines the compatibility of the principles of the actio with the interests served by freedom of expression, and concludes that where dignity is impaired by meaningless abuse, liability can be imposed without compromising such values, but that where harm takes the form of derogatory statements of fact, the correct balance between free speech and personality rights requires that the plaintiff bear the burden of proving the falsity of such statements. So far as pornography is concerned, it is suggested that where material depicts harmful conduct in such a manner as to incite those exposed to it to emulate what is depicted, publication should be seen as an impairment of the dignity of the individuals or groups against whom the incitement is directed. Publishers should be held civilly liable to such individuals or groups where it can be shown that the material depicts a combination of sex and violence in such a manner as to incite consumers. In accordance with general principles governing incitement, liability would arise irrespective of whether the incitees acted upon the incitement. However, liability could be imposed only where the conduct depicted was harmful in the sense that it was non-consensual, or was of a type to which the law should not recognise the validity of consent.
Directions at mid-life: Women theorise their lives
(The University of Waikato, 1995) Drewery, Wendy; Mitchell, David; Middleton, Sue
The concept of development as it is used in developmental psychology and human development requires re-examination in the light of post-Enlightenment doubts about the power of rationality and the possibility of progress. Increasing fragmentation of social life is also a concern raised by postmodern theorists. In this thesis I show how women who have taken primary responsibility for caring for children at midlife face a number of similar difficulties, particularly in relation to the “public” world. I argue that both liberal humanist psychology and liberal feminism are complicit in producing the impression held by many women, particularly women at home, that they are powerless social failures. The study uses a social constructionist framework to examine how five women develop and maintain a sense of themselves as responsible adults, as they negotiate their shifting multiple identities within different contexts of discursive and material constraint and possibility. The focus of analysis is on their decisions about responsible adulthood as they live them out in their personal lives. In each case, it was possible to identify a coherent, sustained sense of purpose or purposes which cut across the usually dichotomised categories of work and family. I argue that by their practical actions in everyday, unremarkable situations, these women demonstrate constrained but consciously ethical positions of concern for the direction of human development. Unlike feminist writers such as Carol Gilligan who suggest that care is a central preoccupation of women, I make no claim about the success of these particular efforts against some grand moral scale. Rather, I claim simply that the problems of plurality, relativism, and conflicting needs which are a feature of the “post-modem” world can begin to be addressed through respectful and care-full relationships at an interpersonal level, and that these women are consciously addressing such problems. The invisibility of women in the discourse of identity formation is seen as a product of the discourse, rather than as an effect of different socialisation, epistemology, or moral focus.
A public accountability index for annual reporting by New Zealand universities
(The University of Waikato, 1995) Coy, David; Pratt, Michael; Buchanan, John
This thesis addresses two questions about accountability and annual reporting in the context of New Zealand universities. The first is to identify what information should be disclosed in universities’ annual reports to meet public accountability expectations. The second question asks how the quality of annual reports may be measured from a public accountability perspective. An historical overview of universities’ annual reporting since the establishment of New Zealand’s first university at Otago in 1869 sets the scene for the thesis in Chapter Two. For over 120 years annual reports were ritualistic documents with a circulation limited to the oversight agencies in Wellington. Massive economic reform instigated by the 1984 Labour government culminated in legislative changes in 1990 which necessitated more timely and comprehensive reporting by the universities. The objectives of reporting and the meaning of accountability are explored in depth, first from a functionalist standpoint and then using a political economy approach. It is argued that accountability plays a critical role in organisational power relationships, and acts as an important check against undesirable traits such as provider capture, low efficiency and effectiveness which may develop in public organisations. The delphi technique is used with 39 university stakeholder and preparer panellists to evaluate a normative framework of reporting and provide a stakeholders’ perspective on disclosure priorities. This information is used to develop a Public Accountability Index for measuring the quality of universities’ reports. The Index advances knowledge by virtue of its theoretical development, empirical testing by stakeholder groups, parametric statistical qualities, and more comprehensive coverage of disclosure items than the extant indices. The most important contribution of the thesis is its advocacy of a public accountability reporting which emphasises openness over secrecy, service performance over financial performance, and narrative, statistical and other quantitative disclosures over financial statements. Public accountability reporting gives stakeholders the opportunity to gain valuable insights about organisations’ activities, and their objectives and success in meeting these. Public accountability reporting has important implications for the accountancy profession because it is not clear which organisational officials are best equipped to take responsibility for the new reporting. This is both an opportunity and a threat for accountants.
The role of MS/OR in strategic management: a NZ/UK comparative evaluation
(The University of Waikato, 1994) Clark, Delwyn N.; Scott, John L.; Pratt, Michael
In this thesis the role of MS/OR in Strategic Management has been examined in an original multi-disciplinary, comparative, empirical investigation. Focussing primarily on tool usage for a series of core strategic tasks by practitioners in both the MS/OR and the Strategic Management disciplines enabled the MS/OR contribution to be evaluated in a strategic context. In addition, this was the first broad-based empirical study of Strategic Management tool usage linked to specific strategic tasks, and the first investigation of strategic tool selection. To provide a structure for the evaluation, a normative framework of strategic tasks was developed. A multi-method research design was chosen to collect descriptive and explanatory data. The empirical study was replicated in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom using postal questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The target populations were the practitioner members of the Operational Research Societies and Strategic Management Societies in both countries. Cross-country comparisons in both disciplines showed a very high level of similarity in tool user proportions for the strategic tasks. The results demonstrate the current strategic involvement of MS/OR practitioners and confirm the ability of MS/OR to make a contribution at the strategic level; formal recognition of strategic level MS/OR is proposed. Potential strategic application areas for MS/OR in future have been identified, along with a series of strategic roles for MS/OR practitioners. The contributions of this research include new evidence on (1) the current status of MS/OR tool usage in Strategic Management in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom, (2) the current status of Strategic Management tool usage in New Zealand and in the United Kingdom, and (3) the factors affecting strategic tool selection. New theoretical developments include the Strategic Management framework, a Strategic Management tool typology and an overview level model of the strategic tool selection process. The research also provides a methodological template for future multi-disciplinary comparative research, and a rich source of follow-on research projects including new tool developments.
The individual and combined anorexigenic effects of oxytocin and naltrindole in rodents
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Te Rire-McNeil, Shaun Toroa; Olszewski, Pawel K.; Head, Mitchell; Peters, Linda M.; Grainger, Megan N. C.; McGowan, Robert
Obesity is a characterized by excess body mass, and it reflects a failure to match energy intake to energy expenditure. Energy intake is regulated by a plethora of mechanisms, including the oxytocin (OT) and opioid systems, making both attractive targets for obesity pharmacotherapy. Initial studies utilizing OT and mu-opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone (NTX) suggest that combined targeting of OT and opioid signaling may enhance hypophagia. Thus far, there have no attempts to examine potential synergy between OT and delta opioid receptor blockers. The work presented in the current thesis was conceptualized to bridge this gap in knowledge by evaluating the anorexigenic potential of OT and naltrindole (NTI) when administered both individually and in combination. The literature describing OT effects on fat intake remains inconsistent. Macronutrient-focused studies that assess the anorexigenic effect of OT on fat consumption using liquid emulsions, most commonly Intralipid, report no suppression of intake. Conversely, studies which use solid high-fat foods more often report OT-induced hypophagia, despite not being designed to systematically test the influence of fat content. Therefore, in Specific Aim 1 of this thesis I systematically determined whether OT suppresses the consumption of solid fatty foods. Adult male rats received intraperitoneal (i.p.) OT (0.1–10.0 mg/kg) and were tested in no-choice and two-choice paradigms using solid mash diets providing 62%, 79%, or 91% of energy from fat; chow diets providing 10% or 60% of energy from fat; or a matrix-matched, cornstarch-rich control chow. The effect of fatty food consumption on neuronal activity was measured using c-Fos immunohistochemistry and c-Fos-OT double staining, where sated rats were either given small meals of 10% fat chow, 60% fat chow, or no food. In the single choice tests, OT reduced the consumption of the solid diets across a range of fat contents, and in the two-choice paradigm, OT-treated rats consumed less 60% fat chow than 10% fat chow compared to control animals. Consumption of 60% fat chow, but not 10% fat chow, increased activation of OT neurons in the PVN and SON and increased c-Fos immunoreactivity in multiple feeding-related regions. These findings demonstrate that OT suppresses intake of solid high-fat foods and help reconcile the discrepancy between Intralipid-based and solid-diet paradigms. In the context of the overarching aim of this thesis, our findings also indicate that conclusions about the anorexigenic effect of OT drawn from Intralipid intake data should be interpreted as specific to Intralipid, rather than assumed to generalise to dietary fat consumption more broadly. The literature lacks a consensus on how NTI affects sucrose intake. Prior reports frequently describe mixed or null effects of NTI on sucrose consumption, but these findings are commonly derived from paradigms in which animals are not habituated to sucrose and instead receive sucrose access in acute, ad hoc test sessions. For this reason, Specific Aim 2 of this thesis was to determine the effect of NTI, and by extension the role of DOR, on sucrose intake in rats that habitually consume sucrose solution. Adult male rats were habituated to daily 1 h access to sucrose solution for three weeks. Following habituation, rats received i.p. NTI (5 or 10 mg/kg) prior to their regular sucrose access period and sucrose intake was measured. We also assessed whether NTI altered deprivation-induced water intake or produced a conditioned taste aversion (CTA). Additionally, c-Fos immunoreactivity was assessed in rats with habitual sucrose access and in sucrose-naïve controls, with and without NTI treatment. NTI at 10 mg/kg reduced sucrose solution consumption independent of changes in thirst and without evidence of a CTA. Moreover, NTI induced changes in neuronal activity across a broader set of feeding-related regions in sucrose-habituated rats than in sucrose non-naïve rats. Together, these findings demonstrate that NTI can suppress sucrose intake once consumption is habitual, and that habituation is associated with a broader recruitment of central feeding-related mechanisms following NTI treatment. Of relevance to the overarching aim of this thesis, these results indicate that null effects of NTI observed under ad hoc sucrose access conditions should not be assumed to reflect NTI efficacy once sucrose intake is predictable and habitual. Finally, having established foundational knowledge of the individual effects of OT and NTI on intake in Specific Aims 1 and 2, we next examined their combined administration. Based on prior reports indicating that simultaneous targeting of OT and opioid signalling can produce stronger anorexigenic effects than either system alone, we tested OT and NTI in combination. We aimed to determine whether co-administration could overcome context-dependent limitations observed with each drug individually, including OT’s failure to suppress Intralipid intake and the dependence of NTI effects on habitual sucrose exposure. Specific Aim 3 of this thesis was to test whether the simultaneous targeting of OT receptors and DOR, through combined administration of OT and NTI, synergistically suppresses the consumption of liquid diets. Adult male mice received i.p. OT (0.1–3.0 mg/kg), NTI (3.0–10 mg/kg), or OT+NTI prior to 2 h access to saccharin, Intralipid, or sucrose solutions, and intake was measured. We also assessed post–water deprivation water consumption and characterised treatment-induced changes in neuronal activation in feeding-related regions using c-Fos immunohistochemistry. NTI, but not OT, reduced saccharin consumption, whereas OT+NTI produced a stronger reduction than NTI alone, consistent with a synergistic anorexigenic effect. In contrast, OT, but not NTI, reduced sucrose consumption, and neither drug alone nor the combination altered Intralipid intake. These intake outcomes occurred independent of changes in thirst. At the neuronal activation level, OT × NTI interactions were observed in the nucleus accumbens core and shell and in hypothalamic nuclei including the ventromedial and suprachiasmatic nuclei. Although combined treatment did not overcome the individual limitations observed for sucrose and Intralipid intake, the synergistic suppression of saccharin consumption is notable and extends evidence that combined targeting of OT and opioid signalling may hold promise for development of anorexigenic treatments. In summary, this thesis provides novel insights into the context-dependent anorexigenic actions of both OT and NTI, demonstrated by the efficacy of OT as an inhibitor of solid fatty food consumption but not Intralipid, and by the dependence of NTI-induced sucrose suppression on habitual consumption. Furthermore, this thesis provides additional evidence that simultaneous targeting of OT and delta opioid signalling can produce anorexigenic effects which extend beyond those achieved with single-drug treatment, as demonstrated by the synergistic suppression of saccharin intake observed with OT and NTI co-administration.
Towards prosperity? Rural transformation in post-colonial Vanuatu
(The University of Waikato, 1993) Tapari, Budai; Cleary, Mark C.; Campbell, John; Bedford, Richard
This thesis examines the question of progress towards “prosperity” with particular reference to cash-generating activities of households in Nerenigman on Mota Lava in the Banks/Torres Local Government Region and the Longana area in East Ambae of the Ambae/Maewo Local Government Region. The assessment and comparison of post-colonial rural change in these areas is based on detailed anthropological research, and geographic and demographic theses published in the early 1980s by Rodman (1981) and Campbell (1985). These studies, together with results obtained from the 1979 population census, provide a baseline from which an examination of aspects of change in rural communities during the 1980s is conducted. The two areas were chosen as case studies to examine whether “balanced” rural development and prosperity had been achieved by the early 1990s. Rural villagers’ participation in cash-earning activities has meant that their subsistence mode of production has been modified and a path towards market-oriented farming established. Rural villagers in the study areas want development as measured in both tangible and intangible terms. In the study areas, this aspiration was evident through their participation in the capitalist economy. The presence of physical infrastructure such as schools, health centres, water supply systems and other capital assets villagers used for promoting development purposes, indicated their changing aspirations for Western-type consumer goods and services. In addition to the provision of the above services, the presence of commercial institutions such as co-operative stores, trade stores, commercial centres and banks were examples of facilities which were regarded as important for facilitating development. The villager’s access to these services has paved the way for their deepening integration into the modern cash economy. The evidence from this study suggests that opportunities for households to diversify and extend their sources of cash incomes on Mota Lava have been very limited since the independence of Vanuatu in 1980. There was little evidence that material living standards had improved much on the island. By comparison, the Longana area has shown evidence of increased levels of prosperity. There has been a significant change in the structure of the agricultural economy, from heavy dependence on copra in the 1980s to kava and livestock production which had become important sources of income by the early 1990s. While cultural values remain important attributes of ni-Vanuatu assessments of prosperity, most villagers expressed a real desire to participate in the capitalist system and to share some of the material benefits of that participation in the early 1990s. This study of cash-generating activities of households in the study areas serves to underline the nature and direction of change, which increasingly involves the integration of rural villagers into a capitalist economy.
Regulation of tissue insulin-like growth factor-1 production in the post-natal sheep through the growth hormone axis
(The University of Waikato, 1993) Hua, Ke Min.; Molan, Peter C.
Somatic growth represents the outcome of interactions between the genetic potential of an individual to grow and environmental factors, prominent amongst these is nutrition. GH, the IGFs, and their respective receptors appear to play important and interrelated roles in co-ordinating these interactions, and as such they are considered one hormonal system ‘GH axis’ which controls normal post-natal growth. A large number of external and internal stimuli impinge on the GH axis. Experiments in this thesis were conducted to address whether nutritional status (a powerful external stimulus) or GH (a prominent internal stimulus) treatment differentially alters tissue and plasma IGF-1 immunoreactivity, tissue IGF-1 mRNA and plasma IGFBPs. GH stimulation of IGF-1 in the liver and other tissues and the associated response of circulating IGFBPs was measured with a view to investigating IGF-1 production in both hepatic and extra-hepatic tissue and its regulatory control through the GH axis. This would provide an insight into the relative contribution or importance of local versus hepatic production of IGF-1 in post-natal sheep. To achieve the objectives in this study, methods of IGF-1 tissue extraction were developed and evaluated in the experiments presented in this thesis to provide an efficient extraction of IGF-1 and reliable removal of IGFBP for measurement of IGF-1 by RIA in various tissues in sheep that were fed or fasted, with or without administration of exogenous GH. To monitor changes at transcriptional step, levels of IGF-1 mRNA in tissues were measured using in-situ hybridisation. Responsiveness of circulating IGFBPs to administration of GH was investigated by IGF-1 ligand blot analysis. Administration of exogenous GH significantly elevated IGF-1 levels in liver, kidney, heart, spleen and muscle. The rise in tissue (except muscle) levels of IGF-1 preceded that in plasma, suggesting that IGF-1 derived from multiple tissues contributes to plasma concentrations of the growth factor. GH stimulated IGF-1 mRNA in both hepatic and extra-hepatic tissues. The elevated levels of tissue IGF-1 and GH-dependent IGF-1 mRNA in both hepatic and extra-hepatic tissues indicate production of IGF-1 in the liver and other tissues. The response of muscle IGF-1 to administration of GH followed the rise in plasma IGF-1. This may indicate a late response in local production of IGF-1 in the muscle or may reflect the influence of changes in IGF-1 plasma concentration, implicating a possible endocrine role for IGF-1 in the muscle, although the relative contribution or importance of local versus plasma-origin IGF-1 is not certain in this tissue. Data in this thesis demonstrated that GH not only stimulates IGF-1 production but also plays a pivotal role in regulation of circulating levels and tissue availability of IGF-1 (ie. tissue distribution of IGF-1) by affecting both IGF-1 and its binding proteins either directly or indirectly. Fasting depressed plasma and tissue levels of IGF-1. The degree of the depression in IGF-1 levels varied between tissues. Levels of IGF-1 mRNA in liver were positively correlated with concentrations of liver IGF-1 in animals that were well fed with or without GH treatment, but not in those that were fasted or fasted and treated with GH. This indicates that GH regulation of IGF-1 production in liver is, to a large extent, dependent on nutritional status. Nutrition therefore plays a critical role in the regulation of IGF-1 production in the sheep. The current study has also provided a way to estimate total organ content of IGF-1 and the response of this parameter to GH treatment. The GH-induced increase in total liver IGF-1 is 4-fold more than the corresponding increase in kidney, 13-fold more than that in heart and 30-fold more than that in spleen. These results support the traditional concept that liver is a major contributor of circulating IGF-1, although the data in this study suggested that IGF-1 is synthesised in multiple tissues in the sheep. In conclusion, the results of the present study are compatible with the concept of both local and classic central production of IGF-1 under the influence of GH, and therefore do not exclude either an autocrine/paracrine or an endocrine mechanism of IGF-1 action. The relative importance or contribution of each may be related to a tissue-specific fashion of IGF-1 gene expression which is differentially regulated by GH, nutrition and numerous other factors.
Radiocarbon dating the prehistory of New Zealand
(The University of Waikato, 1993) Higham, Thomas F.G.; Mackay, Kenneth M.; Hogg, Alan G.; Hendy, Chris H.
The impact of radiocarbon dating upon chronological studies of New Zealand’s prehistory has been limited for several reasons. A long standing tradition of investigating archaeology as ethnology, based on the rich sources of ethnographic data has lessened the apparent need for chronological control. Second, there has been an element of consensus regarding the date of discovery by initial human settlement due to the establishment of a chronology based on tribal traditions. There has been a failure by some archaeologists adequately to implement radiocarbon dating programmes and scientific dating effectively as a research tool. The most important reason, however, is the short span of prehistoric occupation. This dissertation addresses a number of issues affecting accurate radiocarbon dating of New Zealand prehistoric material with particular reference to errors which restrict the application of high precision dating. Such errors come from three principal sources - during field collection of the samples, in the measurement of the radioactivity of the sample in the laboratory and in the variation in the amounts of ¹⁴C in the atmosphere and the measurement of the half-life. Field errors are common in New Zealand and often reflect post-depositional migration and erosion, and bioturbation and a failure to understand the site’s stratigraphy. Errors due to the misreporting of radiocarbon dates and failure to adequately interpret them have also been common. Accuracy, reproducibility and precision are analysed in the University of Waikato laboratory. Close statistical agreement is shown in the results obtained from the laboratory’s IAEA standard set of measurements. A laboratory error multiplier is calculated using 11 repeat dates of the IAEA C3 standard. Spectral shifts identified in certain standard and sample spectra is investigated and the external standard is found to be artificially influencing the position of the end point of successive spectra. The significance of this upon calculated radiocarbon dates is shown to be insignificant and reproducibility in count rate is maintained even with end point shifts of up to 7 channels. The three main sample types used in New Zealand archaeological are considered for their contribution to radiocarbon errors. All possess intrinsic problems. Moa eggshell carbonate samples from sites in Otago and Hawkes Bay are investigated for accuracy. These are the first moa eggshell samples dated from cultural contexts. The material is appropriate for the radiocarbon technique, dating the prehistoric event closely and resistant to contamination. The only drawback is its irregular presence in sites. Contamination in shell and charcoal samples is investigated. Charcoal from Shag Mouth, Pleasant River and Killermont sites is used in a series of physical and chemical pretreatments. It is largely free of contamination with the exception of the Pleasant River site, where adsorption by young carbonates has occurred. All samples possess errors due to rootlet intrusion, although these are negligible in their error. Shell dating is investigated extensively. Hard water effects are considered at North Otago sites. Dates of modem shell limestone regions at Shag Mouth and Pleasant River are compared with those from near Dunedin. No significant differences are identified. Differences are found, however, in prehistoric dates of shell of a variety of species. The major influencing variables are the immediate environment and the type of shellfish species selected for dating. Shellfish from estuaries which are regularly flushed with tidal waters are likely to give more accurate dates than those which have larger riverine inputs and barrier spits blocking tidal encroachment Shellfish obtain their carbon from a variety of sources. The proportion of carbon obtained from metabolic carbon and dissolved inorganic carbon utilised in their shell carbonate varies, so their radiocarbon uptake may vary. In an estuary, within which resources from a number of areas are collected, this variety may be manifested in different radiocarbon dates from different shellfish species. Models for accurate dating using charcoal and shell in the light of different environmental situations are described. Radiocarbon dates measured in the dissertation are considered in their contexts and sites and the initial colonisation of Murihiku is reviewed. A model of rapid colonisation and the short-term occupation of coastal, estuarine sites is presented on the basis of radiocarbon and archaeological variables. Further avenues of research are then examined.
The power of place: landscape in New Zealand children’s fiction, 1970 - 1989
(The University of Waikato, 1992) Hebley, Diane Alison; Cochrane, Kirsty; Arvidson, Ken; Pilditch, Jan; Williams, Mark
…without the power of place, without that discovery of a special country of the mind right for this tale, the story could not have been told … Eleanor Cameron New Zealand children’s fiction shows a remarkable rise in quality during the 1980s. By this time, writers have developed a post-colonial, post-provincial awareness of a New Zealand cultural identity and a confidence in their perceptions and technical skills to explore their fictional concerns in a recognisable New Zealand landscape. The distinctive characteristics of the New Zealand landscape are a result of the country’s largely tectonic and volcanic origins. The landscape is inherently dangerous. This thesis shows that writers increase the significance of their children’s fiction when they choose to call on that danger and internalize its power. The maturing of New Zealand children’s fiction, though associated mainly with the 1980s, is discernible from 1970 on. The choice of 1970 to 1989 inclusive for this study, therefore, provides a time-span of two decades for comparison. This thesis is the first of its kind. Indeed, research carried out as its foundation, and recorded in the Appendix, proves that serious critical commentary is woefully lacking for New Zealand children’s fiction. Yet the genre has reached international recognition, most notably for the award-winning novels of Margaret Mahy. This thesis, therefore, makes an initial and important contribution to critical studies of an internationally valued body of children’s fiction. To highlight the thematic and technical achievements of New Zealand children’s writers, this study is divided into two parts, ‘Seascapes’ and ‘Landscapes’. The two chapters in Part One explore the way the sea permeates the New Zealand consciousness. Seascapes highlight the isolation of island settings, the sense of betrayal when danger violates the protection of a harbour, and the contribution of beaches to the significance of dividing lines, physical and symbolic. The four chapters in Part Two trace the impact and significance of danger in landscape features such as mountains, bush, hill country and plains, lakes, rivers, caves and tunnels, the last pair being particularly powerful through psychological associations. The emphasis is always on a ‘relational’ reading, exploring how the landscapes relate to the point of view or outlook of the characters or the structure or theme of the novel itself. The development of writers’ literary skills, as in shifts of time, voice and tense, enhances the art of their narratives and the establishing of characters and themes in their settings. The conclusion is that the dangerous characteristics of the New Zealand landscape have provided writers with scope to explore and develop themes and human relationships in an exciting and experimental way with a uniquely New Zealand voice. Moreover, in the highlighting of landscape and themes concerned with conservation, this study draws attention to what humanistic geographers call the fundamental problem of the Age: survival on this Earth. These are important achievements for New Zealanders. Not only do expressions of their national identity in their children’s fiction contribute to their feelings of self-worth, but also this fiction on an international level can make a contribution towards increasing understanding and tolerance of different points of view.
Writing people and place: discourses of ‘race’ and gender in European constructions of ‘native rebels’ in the Auckland Press, 1863
(The University of Waikato, 1995) Berg, Lawrence Douglas; Bedford, Richard D.; Cleary, Mark C.; Goldsmith, Michael; Stokes, Evelyn
The Governor of New Zealand, George Grey, ordered an invasion of the Waikato region on 12 July 1863. The invasion was predicated on the notion that Waikato Māori were planning to attack Auckland, ‘ravage’ the town, and murder ‘peaceable’ settlers. I argue that such notions about the ‘danger’ of ‘savage’ Natives gained their rhetorical power from intertextual links to a host of longstanding racialised and gendered discourses about British masculinity and its Other. I illustrate my argument through a discursive analysis of representations of the Waikato Wars in the Daily Southern Cross, and The New Zealander during July 1863. This thesis has three objectives. First, I argue that geographic scholarship needs to be situated within the masculinism of the discipline of academic geography in Aotearoa/New Zealand, and within wider theoretical debates about modernity and postmodernity. Second, I argue that ‘Native rebels’ and the spaces they inhabited were not some pre-existing phenomena which the Auckland press merely ‘reported’ in its news stories, but instead that they were (at least partly) constructed in newspaper representations of the Waikato War. Third, I argue that notions of ‘race’ were inextricably tied up with those of gender in the nineteenth-century identity politics that dominated commonsense rhetorics concerning the Wars. Māori people and the places they inhabited in the 1860s were present in newspaper rhetorics as a significant absence -- that is, they played a part as a gendered, racialised, and negatively valued foil for British notions of masculine superiority, rationality and Enlightenment. Māori were constituted as objects by which a masculine European subject discursively affirmed its own superiority. Social constructions of gender played such an important role in hegemonic European constructions of the masculine Self that they helped reconstitute racialised constructions of the Other.
Interrelationships between perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), the endophytic fungus Acremonium lolii and black beetle (Heteronychus arator)
(The University of Waikato, 1994) Ball, Olivier; Musgrave, D.R.
Three broad, but related, categories of research were undertaken in this study. The first involved developing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to quantify Acremonium lolii levels in perennial ryegrass. The second was aimed at investigating how concentrations of the alkaloids peramine and lolitrem B (measured using high performance liquid chromatography) and of A. lolii (measured using the ELISA), varied with factors such as plant/endophyte genotypes, season, plant component, plant age and plant management. The third was aimed at investigating the effect of endophyte-infection on adult black beetle, and once an effect had been established, the chemical mechanism of the resistance. 1. A quantitative ELISA to A. lolii was developed by inoculating rabbits with either the mycelial antigen fraction or the soluble antigen fraction of A. lolii. Both antigen types were effective in eliciting immune responses, and it was found that using two different antibodies in the assay, one derived from a rabbit injected with the mycelial antigen, the other derived from a rabbit injected with the soluble antigen, greatly enhanced detection of the endophyte. It was also found that grass samples had to be freeze-dried rather than oven-dried before detection of A. lolii was possible. 2. A. lolii, peramine and lolitrem B concentrations were lowest in winter. The increase in A. lolii content appeared to be correlated with reproductive development of the ryegrass host. Peramine and lolitrem B concentrations in the plants were largely determined by the concentration of A. lolii. Peramine concentrations increased, and lolitrem B concentrations decreased as leaf age decreased. Also, lolitrem B and A. lolii concentrations were generally higher in leaf sheaths compared to leaf blades. Peramine was distributed more evenly between the leaf sheath and leaf blade. Compared to all other plant components A. lolii, peramine and lolitrem B concentrations were highest in the seed. A. lolii growth in plants which were not regularly trimmed and therefore allowed to become reproductive, was significantly enhanced compared to the growth of A. lolii in trimmed plants. The opposite was true of peramine concentrations early in the reproductive phase of rye grass. The significance of these results, and those of an experiment investigating the effect of plant age on alkaloid concentration, from the perspectives of the plant, insect pests and livestock are discussed. 3. Adult black beetle was found to be deterred from feeding by the presence of Acremonium endophytes in perennial ryegrass. Peramine, lolitrem B and paxilline did not deter adult black beetle from feeding on artificial diet discs. Ergotamine significantly deterred black beetle from feeding on artificial diets at a concentration of 5 μg/g or more. Choice tests using ryegrass plants infected with Acremonium endophytes producing different alkaloid spectra, confirmed that peramine and lolitrem B were not required for adult black beetle resistance. Ergovaline was also not necessary for adult black beetle resistance. The significance of these results with regard to using endophytic fungi as biocontrol agents of black beetle is discussed.
Some effects of land treatment/disposal of New Zealand meat processing plant effluent on soil properties
(The University of Waikato, 1995) Balks, Megan R.; Allbrook, R.F.; Lowe, David J.; Russell, J.M.; Harfoot, C.G.; McLay, C.D.A.
Meat processing plant effluent is a high-strength effluent comprising mainly organic materials including blood and fat. It is highly variable and often has high levels of suspended solids, biological oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, N and P. There is an increasing trend towards irrigation onto land for treatment and disposal of meat processing plant effluent. Perpetuation of a meat processing plant effluent irrigation scheme is dependent on maintaining adequate soil permeability on the land treatment area. A decline in soil permeability has been observed at a number of New Zealand meat processing plant effluent irrigation sites. If surface ponding of effluent and anaerobic conditions become widespread then odour and trafficability problems may become severe and it may become impossible to dispose of effluent without runoff. The main objectives of this thesis were to describe the occurrence and determine the mechanisms that lead to a decline in soil permeability at meat processing plant effluent irrigation sites. A reconnaissance survey of nine New Zealand meat processing plant effluent irrigation sites, from the King Country to Southland, was undertaken. At most sites, areas of soil surface crust development and effluent surface ponding were observed in topographic hollows and/or at the top ends of borders (where border dyke irrigation was practised). Surface crusting was associated with a build up in organic material, a decrease in soil bulk density and a decrease in infiltration rates. However, the survey demonstrated that land application of meat processing plant effluent was generally an effective means of dealing with large volumes of effluent. No long-term detrimental effects were identified, with surface crust development being regarded as a short-term problem that could be remedied, although sometimes at considerable cost to an effluent irrigation scheme operation. Laboratory and field experiments were designed to investigate the cause of soil permeability decline. A factorial laboratory experiment examined the effect of effluent type, volume of effluent added, soil type, time between effluent applications, temperature and rainfall on a range of soil and leachate properties. All of the factors tested had some impact on the soil or leachate properties that were monitored. However, effluent type and volume, and temperature, were the most important factors. High volumes of primary and untreated effluent caused the largest decline in soil permeability and were also associated with surface coat development. Soil permeability decreased more at 10 °C than at 25 °C and recovered more quickly at the warmer temperature. At 25°C soil drying and cracking led to increased macropore flow and a decrease in the effectiveness of effluent treatment. A field experiment was undertaken to compare the infiltration rates of untreated, primary treated, and anaerobically treated meat processing plant effluent with that of water. The infiltration rates of primary and untreated effluents declined faster than the infiltration rates of water or anaerobically treated effluent. The decrease in infiltration rate of primary and untreated effluents was attributed to physical pore blockage by the suspended solids in the effluent. A significant linear relationship (r = 0.97) was determined between infiltration rate and total cumulative suspended solids added. The linear relationship fits the model of Berend (1967), the coefficients of which were determined for primary and untreated meat processing plant effluent. Berend’s model was shown to have potential for use as a predictive tool to determine decline in infiltration rate as a function of effluent suspended solids content. To determine the magnitude of soil permeability loss and the rate of recovery, following effluent application, a laboratory experiment was carried out at 25 °C and 13 °C, using repacked soil cores. At 25 °C soil core permeability dropped by a mean of 70 % four days after effluent application, but recovered back to the initial level after 23 days. At 13 °C soil core permeability dropped by a mean of 50 % four days after effluent application, and took over 50 days to recover. It was concluded that the time taken for soil permeability to recover following application of large doses (200 mm) of primary treated meat processing plant effluent will be considerably longer in winter (approximately six weeks) than in summer (less than three weeks). Samples from effluent and water treated cores stored at 13 °C and at 25 °C, along with samples from field sites where meat processing plant effluent was regularly irrigated, were examined using a scanning electron microscope. There was a strong microbial response to addition of primary treated meat processing plant effluent to soils which resulted in formation of a semi-continuous coat on the soil surface. The surface coat developed under both field and laboratory conditions and formed and decomposed more quickly under warm moist conditions, taking 2 to 3 times longer to develop at 13 °C than at 25 °C. When allowed to dry out the coat did not decompose readily. A strongly developed continuous soil surface coat was present in areas where effluent had ponded in paddocks and was also present in areas where water ponding occurred, such as adjacent to water troughs. It was concluded that the decline in soil permeability observed as a result of application of New Zealand meat processing plant effluents, at the sites investigated, was caused by development of a soil surface coat which was formed from both, the suspended solids from the effluent, and, the microbial materials that develop in response to effluent application. The implications for management of soils receiving meat processing plant effluent are discussed.
Contested terrain: Academics’ perceptions of the quality assurance processes, policies and practices shaping academic work within the context of Oman
(The University of Waikato, 2026) Al Aufi, Maryam; Morrison, Michele; Klinger, Don
Quality assurance (QA) continues to gain increasing global attention as higher education systems expand and diversify in response to massification, internationalisation and demands for accountability. Despite being embedded in many national and institutional frameworks for decades, QA remains a growing concern, particularly regarding its conceptualisation, implementation, and impacts on academic work. Academic staff, as key stakeholders in delivering education, are at the forefront of experiencing and interpreting QA processes, policies and practices. This study examines academics’ perceptions of how QA processes, policies, and practices shape academic work in higher education in Oman. The context of this study is the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) with a focus on teaching aspects, performance appraisal, and professional development. A qualitative case study methodology was employed across three academic colleges in four UTAS branches. The study used semi-structured interviews with 18 academic staff members, conducted via Zoom, as the primary data collection method. It is supplemented by document research to provide contextual understanding and enrich the data. Thematic analysis was applied to identify themes and meanings within participants’ experiences. NVivo software was used to manage and organise the qualitative data, enabling systematic coding and development of themes. Reflexivity was maintained throughout the research to account for my positionality and interpretation. The analysis presents two interconnected dimensions of QA: implementation and impact. Findings reveal that participants perceived the implementation of the QA system as dominated by compliance-oriented mechanisms, superficial engagement and bureaucratic documentation that marginalises genuine academic voice. Participants reported significant changes in their academic work, namely curriculum, pedagogical approaches and assessment practices. However, observable changes appeared to be driven more by external factors, such as technological developments and COVID-19 disruptions, than QA mechanisms themselves. Participants also reported intensified teaching standardisation pressures, the surveillant performance appraisal system and mandatory professional development requirements. The findings reveal interwoven tensions and persistent questions that echo global debates on QA in higher education. Key concerns include the continued lack of a conceptual consensus on the definition and purpose of QA, the prioritisation of compliance over academic improvement, and bureaucratic processes that constrain rather than enable autonomy and academic freedom. QA mechanisms at UTAS functioned primarily to ensure conformity and institutional discipline. This study makes several important research contributions. It contributes to the limited research on QA in the context of Oman by exploring how the QA system shapes academic work. This contribution extends to the broader Gulf and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) contexts, where similar centralised governance and top-down QA policy implementation exist yet remain under-researched. This creates opportunities for comparative research and establishes a baseline for longitudinal investigation tracking QA development in the region. This study also contributes to global debates on QA in higher education by both echoing widespread tensions and advancing understanding of how these tensions demonstrate with a centralised governance context. The study offers recommendations to enhance QA implementation at both policy and institutional levels. It advocates operational principles, including inclusivity in policy development, responsiveness to disciplinary diversity, transparency in expectations and processes, and trust-based rather than surveillance-oriented approaches. Underpinning these principles is the need for flexibility, autonomy and academic freedom in teaching and professional development, allowing academics to innovate pedagogically, make context-appropriate decisions and engage in meaningful professional growth rather than conforming to QA requirements and surveillance-based performance management.
Organometallic chemistry of arsenic, phosphorus and other systems
(The University of Waikato, 1992) Arnold, Leslie John; Nicholson, Brian K.; Main, Lyndsay
Arsenic hydride and antimony hydride reactions with iron carbonyls were investigated and compared to analogous reactions using germanium hydrides. The reaction between arsane and Fe(CO)₅ is a new, higher yielding synthesis of [(μ₃-As)₂Fe₃(CO)₉]. The reaction between arsane and Fe₂(CO)₉ led to the new cluster [Fe₂(CO)₈(μ₄-As)]₂[Fe₂(CO)₆]. Characterisation was by an X-ray crystal structure determination. [Fe₂(CO)₈(μ₄-As)]₂[Fe₂(CO)₆] crystallises in the orthorhombic space group Pbca, with unit cell parameters a = 22.908(7), b = 17.521(9), c = 16.071(7) Å and Z = 8. This cluster consists of four AsFe₂ triangles linked by arsenic vertices and an iron-iron edge. In an attempt to prepare similar antimony clusters, stibane was reacted with Fe(CO)₅, Fe₂(CO)₉ and Fe₃(CO)₁₂, but no analogues were isolated. The β-ketophosphane (2-acetylphenyl)diphenylphosphane, Ph₂P[C₆H₄COMe], was prepared in a multi-step synthesis that involved; (i) coupling chlorodiphenylphosphane and 2-bromoethylbenzene, (ii) oxidation of the phosphorus with H₂O₂, (iii) oxidation of the ethyl group with CrO₃, and (iv) reduction at the phosphorus atom. Attempts to prepare the similar disubstituted phosphane PhP[C₆H₄COMe]₂, by an analogous route, instead afforded PhP[C₆H₄C(O)O]₂ at the CrO₃ oxidation step. The potential use of Ph₂P[C₆H₄COMe] as a ligand on metal centres was demonstrated by its electron-transfer catalysed reaction with Ru₃(CO)₁₂, which gave the expected product Ru₃(CO)₁₁[PPh₂(C₆H₄COMe)]. Gentle heating of Ru₃(CO)₁₁[PPh₂(C₆H₄COMe)] in heptane led to the cyclo-metallated cluster Ru₃(CO)₉(μ-PPh₂)(η²-C₆H₄COMe) through P-C bond cleavage. A single crystal X-ray diffraction study on Ru₃(CO)₉(μ-PPh₂)(η²-C₆H₄COMe) showed that it crystallises in the triclinic space group Pī with a = 10.200(11), b = 12.084(12) and c = 14.422(13) Å, a= 81.06(7), β = 77.18(8) and γ = 76.98(8)° and Z = 2. The cluster is derived from Ru₃(CO)₁₂ with three carbonyl ligands replaced by a μ-PPh₂ moiety and an η²-2-acetylphenyl group. The reactions between ortho-manganated acetophenone derivatives and various halides were investigated and compared to the analogous aryl-transfer reactions using mercury chloride. From the reaction between RC(O) C₆H₃R"Mn(CO)₄, ( R=Me, OMe, Ph; R"=H, OMe ), R'OH ( R'=Me, Et and Ph ) and CuCl₂ the following products were isolated [Figures x 4] These can be explained in terms of competition between Mn-Cₐᵣᵧₗ bond cleavage ( the first two products ), or in terms of CO insertion into the Mn-Cₐᵣᵧₗ bond, with subsequent attack by the solvent ( the last two products). The reaction between 2-MeC(O) C₆H₄Mn(CO)₄, and PPh₂Cl involves CO replacement to give fac-[2-MeC(O)C₆H₄Mn(CO)₃(PPh₂Cl)] in essentially quantitative yield. Prolonged refluxing of fac-[2-MeC(O)C₆H₄Mn(CO)₃(PPh₂Cl)] yields Mn₂(μ-η¹-η¹-PhPPPh)-(μ-Cl)₂(CO)₆ in which the newly formed diphosphane ligand bridges two non-bonded manganese atoms; this compound was characterised by an X-ray structure analysis; Pī with a = 10.980(4), b = 11.756(3) and c = 12.186(3) Å, α = 96.20(2), β = 99.51(2) and γ = 96.56(2)° and Z = 2. The probable products from the reaction between SnCl₂ and 2-RC(O)C₆H₄HgCl ( R = Ph, Me) and from the reaction between RₙSnCl₄₋ₙ and 2-MeC(O)C₆H₄HgX ( R = Buⁿ, n = 1, X = Cl; R = Ph, n = 2, X = I) are the acylaryltin derivatives 2-RC(O)C₆H₄SnX₂Cl ( R = Ph, X = Cl; R = Me, X = Cl, Ph) and [2-MeC(O)C₆H₄]₂Sn(Buⁿ)Cl shown below [Figures x 2] These assignments were based on ¹¹⁹Sn and ¹³C nmr spectroscopy.

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