Traditional financial theories see capital structure as a result of mainly financial, tax and growth factors (Modigliani & Miller, 1958). But corporate governance theories (Jensen & Meckling, 1976) and business strategy theories (Barton & Gordon, 1988) suggest that ownership structure and ownership concentration, product diversification and asset specificity may also influence capital structure. Focusing on the examination of the determinants of capital structure in Chinese listed companies, this research goes beyond financial factors and considered business strategy and corporate governance approaches, and their impact on capital structure, in a transitioning Chinese context where institutions, expertise and regulatory processes are different to, but converging on, Western approaches. A panel data set of 1,098 Chinese listed companies for the period of 1991 to 2000 was collected from published sources, and conventional and innovative econometric methodologies were used to model a range of relationships between capital structure and its financial and non-financial determinants. The statistical approaches used in this study included Ordinary Least Squares Model and also Linear Mixed Model, which is a powerful tool to examine panel data where independence of explanatory variables is not assumed. The analysis also involved Hox’s model building procedures to measure model fit. The capital structure of listed companies in both the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the Shanghai Securities Exchange is positively related to a firm’s tax rate, growth and capital intensity and negatively related to a firm’s profit and size. Other financial factors such as tangibility, risk and duration are non-significant. The capital structure of listed companies, particularly in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, is positively related to product diversification and negatively related to asset specificity. The capital structure of listed companies in the Shanghai Securities Exchange is positively related to government ownership and ownership concentration of the largest shareholder and negatively related to legal person ownership and ownership concentration of the ten largest shareholders. The data and modelling support financial and non-financial determinants of capital structure. In particular, information asymmetry, business diversity and asset specificity have a significant impact on capital structure. In addition the empirical work in the study supports agency cost explanations of debt and equity. Finally the research demonstrates that the two main financial markets in China, Shenzhen and Shanghai, have operated differently but are converging towards a common norm. The research contributes to the general field of capital structure and provides valuable insights into the nature of the Chinese firm and the evolution of the Chinese financial system. / Doctor of Philosophy

"This thesis proposes a Kristevan reading of the fantasy novels of Stephen Donaldson, with particular attention given to Kristeva's concepts of the symbolic order, the semiotic 'chora', abjection, the imaginery father and the thetic. It also identifies and comments on shortcomings in Kristevan theory. Donaldson's fantasies are dominated by male protagonists, one of whom is a leper while the others are rapists or murderers or else engaged in some form of violence or sexual perversion. This thesis not only offers an interpretation for this representation of disease and gross physical abuse, but also looks to the implication such corporeality brings to bear on the amatory relationships that the novels attempt to establish. "The thesis is organized into three broad sections. The first considers the ways in which the concept of the mother manifests in Donaldson's text and how the male protagonists respond to the maternal dynamic established in these books. [...] The second section of the thesis examines the role played by Donaldson's father figures. [...] The third section of [the] thesis examines the consequences of this male vulnerability with regard to its central characters who oscillate between symbolic standing and semiotic sprawl." / Doctor of Philosophy

"Although awareness of the pervasiveness and significance of partner abuse has been growing, little data exist on matching type of abusers with specific interventions. The aim of this study was to evaluate one example of the empirically based typologies of partner abuse that could lead to improved interventions for abusers." / Doctor of Psychology (Clinical)

"The aims of this research were to investigate the association between air pollution and respiratory health effects using a spatial approach, and to derive a composite indicator of ambient air pollution." / Master of Information Technology by Research

"Three sampling campaigns were conducted in the Ballarat, Creswick and Maldon areas. The sampling area is part of the Golden Triangle region where significant gold-mining activities took place from the 1850s to the present day. [...] Locations were chosen to evaluate arsenic distribution in soils, surface waters and plants in different environments. Easy access to sampling locations allowed detailed scientific sampling, especially in the seasonality study. The different range of environments such as agricultural, state forest, mining, urban and rural provided an opportunity to compare the concentrations of arsenic and other elements in the study area. The study of the three selected areas combined provided further understanding of possible exposure and pathways through which arsenic can get into the food chain. "The objective of the study is to measure levels of heavy metals/metalloids in soils, water and plants in various environments, identify whether the heavy metals/metalloids are mobile and bioavailable and understand the importance of clays and oxide complexes in the fixation of metals." / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This thesis examines how women, as agents of change, contest the male-dominated structures at the organisational and practitioner levels of rural medicine in Australia. The premises for this study are that females now outnumber males as medical graduates and general practice trainees, yet women are significantly less likely than men to occupy rural and remote practice positions in Australia. Furthermore, the organisation of medicine remains strongly patriarchal. A feminist qualitative design underpins this empirical study involving: in-depth interviews with seventeen women activists and thirteen rural women general practitioners; grounded theory analysis of transcribed interviews; and interpretation of findings through a feminist poststructural lens. Findings uncover the gendered organisational and practitioner environment through which change is negotiated. At the organisational level, male exclusionary practices – played out through the ‘male as norm’ and the ‘problem is women’ discourses – position women in highly contradictory ways and marginalise their voices. Yet simultaneously, activists are challenging entrenched interests through individual and collective strategies of change which include: initiating gender-awareness projects; claiming legitimacy by using male-centred tactics and women-defined discourses; developing female-friendly initiatives; and mentoring of and building alliances between women. At the practitioner level, results reveal how women’s everyday lives as rural general practitioners are shaped by oppositional tensions. However, beyond the struggle of ‘fitting in’, women are altering rural medicine by (re)shaping meanings and (re)constructing work practices. Furthermore, their narratives suggest that rural spaces are integral to ways women carve out women-defined practice. A key innovation of this thesis is analysis of change at dual levels, both organisational and practitioner. This thesis marks a significant advancement upon the usual themes that attend only to the marginalisation of women and rural areas. It highlights the transformative process through which women (re)create the discursive spaces of rural general practice. / Doctor of Philosophy

Recent publicity has focused on the problems created by the usage of illicit drugs in the community. The growing use of illicit drugs throughout the Grampians region and the lack of resources and professional services available to regional and rural areas raise many questions as to treatment options and the accessibility and appropriateness of drug and alcohol and mental health services. Despite the fact that mental health professionals in rural/regional areas are expected to deliver the most appropriate care to individuals with a comorbid drug and alcohol and psychiatric disorder, a number of these rural/regional mental health professionals have limited preparation and experience in dealing with dual diagnosis issues. This phenomenological study focuses on the area of dual diagnosis, specifically the experiences of health professionals who care for clients diagnosed with a serious mental illness and a coexisting drug and alcohol disorder. Results are described in the form of four themes, which emerged from data collected during in-depth interviews with 13 mental health professionals who care for clients with a dual diagnosis. The themes captured in this research will be described using metaphors as headings. The first theme Sink or swim represents mental health professionals’ initial preparation to care for this group of complex clientele. Treading water symbolises mental health professionals’ endeavours to keep their head above water and reflects on their feelings while endeavouring to do so. Rowing against the tide describes mental health professionals’ understanding of clients’ drug misuse, which impacts greatly on the level of care. / Master of Nursing

"While consumer participation is the focus of 21st century health policy, little is known about this concept from the perspectives of people who require acute hospital services. [...]This project set out to explore older people's perspective of participating in their care. Adopting critical ethnographic method, field work included observation of the inpatient experience. Following discharge home people were interviewed about their experiences including what helped and what hindered participation in their care. Similarly nurses involved in [...] a hospital experience were invited to be involved in individual and focus group discussions aimed at defining how they believed they facilitated people to participate as well as barriers that prevent this style of care." / Doctor of Philosophy

The purpose of this research is to contribute a non indigenous perspective to current discourse on sense of place in contemporary Australia. The research employs a number of strategies to investigate current responses to our geographic and historical time position. Within the exegesis there is a vers libre poem, written from the imagined viewpoint of members of the Burke and Wills’ expedition. The poem is supported by a superimposition of the Don Quixote story over that of the ill-fated inland Australian explorers. [...] / Master of Arts (Visual Arts)

This thesis began with a research project on suicide that was abandoned after many hurdles were encountered in terms of reaching participants and after various applications to ethics committees. The ultimate research question was then recast as ‘Do Human Research Ethics Committees influence the conduct of suicide research in Australia?’ The conceptual framework for setting up the research was derived from literature on Critical Theory, Feminism and Weberian concepts of power and rationality. Subsidiary questions were then derived from this literature and the starting exemplar case of my own research attempts. These considered whether suicide research was problematic for ethics committees, the nature of the experiences of ethics committee members in making decisions regarding suicide research and whether the influences of disciplinary background, patriarchal medical dominance and pro-positivism were evident. In addition, questions were raised about whether and how other researchers who sought approval to conduct research into suicide-related issues were appraised. [...] / Doctor of Philosophy