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In this dissertation, three different medicinal plants from Chile and the Fiji Islands, Baccharis linearis (R. et P.) Pers, Aristotelia chilensis (Mol.) Stuntz, and Dysoxylum lenticellare Gillespie were chemically studied. Fourteen compounds isolated from Baccharis linearis were identified based on IR, NMR and mass spectroscopic methods. These constituents included three new neo-clerodane type diterpenes, baclinal (1), baclinepoxide (2), and 13-epi-baclinepoxide (3), as well as one new perhydroazulene derivative, baclinic acid (6). The other identified compounds included portulide B (4), jewenol A (5), oleanolic acid (7), stigmasta-7, 22-dien-3 β-ol (8), stigmasta-7, 22-dien-3 β-ol β-D-glucopyranoside (9), maslinic acid (10), lachnophyllum ester (11), nepetin (12), quercetin 3-methyl ether (13) and werneria chromene (14). With the exception of oleanolic acid, lachnophyllum ester, and werneria chromene, all the other compounds are reported for this species for the first time. Oleanolic acid was isolated as the major component with a yield of 0.3% of dry plant material. Werneria chromene and lachnophyllum ester displayed anti-Mycobacterium tuberculosis activity as well as activity in the brine shrimp test (BST). Six alkaloids isolated from Aristotelia chilensis were identified as aristoteline (15), aristotelinone (16), serratoline (17), aristone (18), 2-epi-aristotelone (19), and aristotelone (20). Serratoline was previously isolated from Aristotelia serrata, a species native to New Zealand. This is the first study that reports serratoline as a natural constituent of A. chilensis from Chile. Another alkaloid, 2-epi-aristotelone, was previously obtained as a synthetic product and is reported here for the first time as naturally occurring. Aristoteline was isolated as the major compound (370 mg) with a yield of only 0.04% as based on dry biomass. Aristoteline showed a weak activity in the brine shrimp test. This work also led to the isolation and characterization of three biflavonoids from Dysoxylum lenticellare. Two biflavonoids were identified as isoginkgetin (21) and bilobetin (22), two of the active components in extracts of Ginkgo biloba, which are used to increase blood-flow and as vascular dilating agents. The third compound was elucidated as the novel natural product robustaflavone 4', 7"-dimethyl ether (23).

This thesis aims to contribute to research in management accounting and control systems (MACS) in a developing country context: that of Fiji. It seeks to gain a theoretical understanding of how MACS reflect the social and political contexts in which they operate by using a case study of Telecom Fiji Limited (a major supplier of telephone communications in Fiji). The definition of MACS for the purpose of the thesis is broad- a social constructivist perspective is adopted in which systems are used to align employee behaviour with organisational objectives and to assist external relationships (with the State, Commerce Commission, aid agencies and customers). The thesis draws on institutional theory while raising questions as to how to refine and extend institutional theory. This theory has often been associated with institutional embeddedness (stability). The social constructivist approach helps to incorporate agency and cultural issues normally missing in conventional applications of institutional theory to accounting change. Telecom Fiji Limited (TFL) was restructured under the Fiji government's public sector reforms. Such reforms were insisted upon by the international financial agencies of the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Under the reform policy, TFL was transformed from a government department into a corporatised organisation and was subsequently privatised. The MACS changes which eventuated helped to change TFL management and employees' interpretive schemes. However, employees resisted initial changes to commercial business routines and it took some years for TFL actors to assimilate commercial practices. While the literature dealing with MACS changes has mostly portrayed changes as occurring with little resistance, MACS changes at TFL took several years to become institutionalised, partly because of cultural and political factors specific to Fiji. The study has practice implications as it shows that management accountants can act as institutional entrepreneurs in organisations, shaping new accounting technologies in reformed entities, and changing actors' interpretive schemes. The study has implications for policy makers, consultants and other stakeholders in terms of promoting a need for better understanding of the sensitivity to cultural and political circumstances in Less Developed Countries (LDC's) like Fiji in relation to the introduction of MACS changes. The study has implications for other recently corporatized/ privatised and state-sector organisations in Fiji and elsewhere. It also has implications for other researchers as institutional theory can be refined on the basis of new empirical evidence.

This thesis examines the role of both the local and international media during the May 2000 coup, to determine whether the coverage was fair and to suggest solutions for the future. It will first discuss and compare literature that has been written on the Fiji coups, focusing on literature on the media and the coups in particular. According to Fowler (1991) the role of a journalist is to collect facts, report them objectively and present them fairly and without bias in language which is designed to be unambiguous, undistorting and agreeable to readers. However, in most times this is not the case. A thematic content analysis will be done on news articles that appeared in The Fiji Times, The New Zealand Herald and The Australian to find common themes during the coverage of the crisis. A lot of criticism of the both the local and international media’s role during the May 2000 coup emerged after the crisis. Critics included editors and journalists of the local and international media and political and historical analysts who knew the ‘real reasons’ behind the coup and did not see this being reported. A summary of interviews with journalists and editors who covered the coup, both local and overseas, will give an insight into their thoughts and reactions during the coup. It will also determine whether the journalists suffered from the Stockholm syndrome. The Stockholm syndrome describes the behaviour of kidnap victims or people who associate a lot with the captors, and who over time become sympathetic to their captors. The name is derived from a 1973 hostage siege in Stockholm, Sweden when at the end of six days of captivity at a bank; several kidnap victims actually resisted rescue attempts, and afterwards refused to testify against their captors. During the Fiji coup, apart from Speights supporters, journalists were the only ones who spent a lot of time with the coup leader either at press conferences or staying at Parliament to get good stories. As a result, some journalists began to ‘sway’ towards Speight or began to experience the Stockholm syndrome which was reflected in their stories. The thesis concludes that a few journalists in Fiji did suffer from the Stockholm syndrome. It also concludes that a crisis manual is needed for media organisations in Fiji to avoid the same mistakes being repeated as in the last three coups. The overseas media on the other hand need to attach themselves to the local media to avoid parachute journalism and inaccurate reporting. Overseas media organisations need to assign special reporters to Pacific Island affairs to understand the culture and other complex issues which would help in reporting their issues fairly and accurately.

This thesis examines modalities of identity and representation for the Indo-Fijian diaspora and its second shift diasporic remove in Liverpool, Sydney, Australia. Indo-Fijian Literature in English, Fiji-Hindi, Memoir form of Indo-Fijian diasporic writings along with representations of Indo- Fijians in other texts are examined in the first instance to enable siting of various identities and representations. This is used as a springboard to engage with instances of production; expression and consumption of Popular Culture in Indo-Fijian diasporas are examined towards a critical inquiry into the problematic of Indo-Fijian diasporic identities and representations. The problem at hand is the issue of identity and representation between the binaries of homogeneous constructs of a people and their lives and that of heterogeneous modalities that takes in difference and the place of the individual and their everyday lived space in the Indo-Fijian diaspora. Modes of identity and representation in its various modes, literary, non-literary narratives and in the production, expression and consumption of popular culture is examined in this thesis towards a construct of a diaspora, of a people, beyond convenient reductive homogeneous constructs. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Ever since 1976, livestock farmers in Fiji have been intrigued about biogas digesters as an animal waste management measure, but the concept has never evolved into one that is sustainable. Renewed interest came in 1997 after a better Chinese Modified Dome (CMD) design was established, with this came government funding, however by 2002, some failure was also observed. This study set out to investigate the reasons why biogas digesters have never been established as a sustainable concept, its effectiveness as an animal waste management tool and what changes if any, can be made to try and influence the further development of the concept in Fiji. In order to achieve the objectives, which were simply obtaining the answers to the questions presented above, several different approaches had to be followed. This study was the first on biogas digesters in Fiji and it was unique in the sense that the major component dealt with the social aspects of farmers in relation to their biogas digesters. Basically the study was carried out in two parts - desktop studies and field studies. Desktop studies were done to better understand the situation while the field studies included semi-structured interviews with the farmers as well as the collection of biophysical data. Twelve outcomes are presented in chapter 7 of this paper. Two in particular are the improvement of construction and maintenance, which can only come about through training. The research questions are also answered in chapter 7, with recommendations put forward on possible directions to take in terms of trying to influence the development of the concept in Fiji / Master of Science (Hons)

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) / At an upper level of education, especially Forms 5, 6 and 7 of secondary school and in tertiary institutions, Indo-Fijian students often perform better than their ethnic Fijian counterparts. This pattern of ethnic difference in academic performance is a long standing one, lasting over 70 years. However, both ethnic groups have been participants in the same educational system in Fiji. Educational policies have been implemented to reduce this difference. This present case study argues that there are cultural differences of values, beliefs and practices with respect to educational achievement among Indo-Fijians and ethnic Fijians. The achievement ethic of the two ethnic groups differs. Indo-Fijian culture respects and values education highly. Generally speaking, educating children has been always the top priority of Indo-Fijian culture. They believe that education changes people for the better, and the only way to “success” is through education. Thus, Indo- Fijian parents believe that helping children to strive for academic excellence is one of the most important tasks for them. The priority attached by such parents to educational success is one of the strongest forces behind academic success. By contrast, ethnic Fijian culture encourages children to have a strong sense of loyalty to their community and of becoming good members of their koro (i.e., village). Indeed, one’s total commitment to communal activities and cultural requirements is of vital importance. Although ethnic Fijian parents generally understand the importance of their children’s education and wish to support their education, ethnic Fijian communal demands are enormous in terms of time and labour. The pressure to maintain their moral and social obligations within the community tends to make ethnic Fijians spend a large amount of time, energy and money on functions such as ceremonial events and church activities, at the possible expense of providing for the formal education of their children. These demands mean that parents are often absent from home, and unable to supervise children’s homework. Ethnic Fijian children, upper secondary schoolers, feel strong pressure from their peers within their koro to conform to social activities, such as attending church, playing sports such as rugby and volleyball, and hanging around in the koro and town. Besides, the layout of the typical ethnic Fijian home is a more difficult environment than Indo-Fijian households for children’s study, largely due to the limited space to study independently. The socio-cultural background of ethnic Fijians, especially their home environment including family values and priorities, is one of the major barriers to their children’s educational progress. In addition, school leadership, teachers’ expectations, colonial policies and legacies, e.g., land tenure issues, play important roles in affecting differences in the academic performance of these two ethnic groups. Consequently, the educational achievement differences between ethnic Fijians and Indo-Fijians are revealed substantially during the secondary and tertiary educational institutions.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2003. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 156-174). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

This thesis is an application of the theory and method of the comparative world-systems approach to West Polynesia. This study examines the interactions between the archipelagos of Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa during the period between 1770 and 1870, that include the exchange in prestige valuables, military/political interactions, and marriages. Using the nested interaction net model of Chase-Dunn and Hall, this thesis analyzes the interactions in order to determine whether the interactions display systemic properties, that is to say whether the interactions are important in the social reproduction in each of the particular societal units of the region. The archival evidence shows that the region was an indigenous world-system, whereby interactions served to maintain the stability of the system, which then as a result of European involvement in the region resulted in an increase of Tongan political domination, before the entire system was broken up and governed by different colonial powers. / Graduate