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Using a large sample of China's listed firms between 2005 and 2015, we find that domestic mutual funds have a positive effect on the CEO pay‐performance relationship, and this effect becomes stronger when their ownership is higher and closer to the controlling shareholder's ownership. This effect is stronger in non‐state‐owned enterprises (non‐SOEs), firms facing weaker industry competition incentives, and firms located in more developed regions. However, Qualified Foreign Institutional Investors (QFIIs) do not have such an influence. Overall, our study contends that the effectiveness of institutional investors' monitoring role is subject to their identity, controlling shareholders and institutional environments.

The literature widely documents the negative liquidity impact of foreign participation in firms that permit high foreign institutional ownership. This paper employs a unique setting for the limited participation of qualified foreign institutional investors (QFII) in China’s A-share market and examines how this impacts on stock liquidity in emerging markets. Contrary to the findings in the literature, foreign investor participation helps enhance the liquidity of affected stocks by promoting trade activities and price discovery. The improvement in liquidity does not occur through the information friction channel, but rather the real friction channel. Our results are robust to endogeneity issue and the possible influence of the global financial crisis, industry effects and the stock exchange. Further, the liquidity improving effects of QFII are even stronger when the analysis is performed on a subsample of QFII firms.

When students start their tertiary studies they move into a new world which differs in many ways from their prior experiences, including the way they were taught, access to faculty, learning environments, class sizes, expectations of independence and time management (Torenbeek, 2011). The first year experience (FYE) has become a pivotal focus for institutional programs that recognize that many students struggle in this transition. Such programs aim to improve student retention in tertiary studies through provision of orientation and mentaring activities. These initiatives have become widespread and are typically informed by key research in the field in terms of transition pedagogies (Kift, 2009; Kift, 2010; Lawrence, 2005) and student engagement and retention.

When students start their tertiary studies they move into a new world which differs in many ways from their prior experiences, including the way they were taught, access to faculty, learning environments, class sizes, expectations of independence and time management (Torenbeek, 2011). The first year experience (FYE) has become a pivotal focus for institutional programs that recognize that many students struggle in this transition. Such programs aim to improve student retention in tertiary studies through provision of orientation and mentaring activities. These initiatives have become widespread and are typically informed by key research in the field in terms of transition pedagogies (Kift, 2009; Kift, 2010; Lawrence, 2005) and student engagement and retention.

The popular series of novels that conprise the adventurous coming-of-age of a wizard named Harry Potter - the Potter novels - published by Joanne 'Kathleen' Rowling over a period of ten years between 1997 and 2007 function as a source of law. This is the main thesis that underlies this essay and I wish to clearly establish it from the very beginning, but I realise I must begin by clarifying two matters to justify the value and necessity of this claim. First, I need to establish the terms of my claim in the context of the Law and Literature movement. Second, I will justify why the Potter novels provide an exemplary site for this jurisprudential analysis.

When students start their tertiary studies they move into a new world which differs in many ways from their prior experiences, including the way they were taught, access to faculty, learning environments, class sizes, expectations of independence and time management (Torenbeek, 2011). The first year experience (FYE) has become a pivotal focus for institutional programs that recognize that many students struggle in this transition. Such programs aim to improve student retention in tertiary studies through provision of orientation and mentaring activities. These initiatives have become widespread and are typically informed by key research in the field in terms of transition pedagogies (Kift, 2009; Kift, 2010; Lawrence, 2005) and student engagement and retention.

The popular series of novels that conprise the adventurous coming-of-age of a wizard named Harry Potter - the Potter novels - published by Joanne 'Kathleen' Rowling over a period of ten years between 1997 and 2007 function as a source of law. This is the main thesis that underlies this essay and I wish to clearly establish it from the very beginning, but I realise I must begin by clarifying two matters to justify the value and necessity of this claim. First, I need to establish the terms of my claim in the context of the Law and Literature movement. Second, I will justify why the Potter novels provide an exemplary site for this jurisprudential analysis.

When students start their tertiary studies they move into a new world which differs in many ways from their prior experiences, including the way they were taught, access to faculty, learning environments, class sizes, expectations of independence and time management (Torenbeek, 2011). The first year experience (FYE) has become a pivotal focus for institutional programs that recognize that many students struggle in this transition. Such programs aim to improve student retention in tertiary studies through provision of orientation and mentaring activities. These initiatives have become widespread and are typically informed by key research in the field in terms of transition pedagogies (Kift, 2009; Kift, 2010; Lawrence, 2005) and student engagement and retention.

SMEs experience different and more pronounced challenges when entering foreign markets, compared with MNEs. This is most evident in terms of resources and the firms' ability to respond to institutional differences in a host market. This study explores the interactions between SMEs' utilisation of internal and external resources, and the influence of home and host country institutions in the foreign market entry process.

Purpose - Most of the research on international outsourcing of value chain activities focuses on larger firms. The purpose of this paper is to fill an important research gap by exploring how small firms manage institutional differences to enhance their international outsourcing success. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses data from interviews conducted with two managers of a small New Zealand apparel manufacturing firm who have over 35 years of combined experience with international outsourcing. The firmhad both failed and successful experiences in its international outsourcing ventures. Findings are discussed in the context of the extant literature on international outsourcing. Findings - Small firms overcome institutional constraints they face in offshore locations by leveraging from their entrepreneurial skills, learning from failures and using a relational governance mode. This results in achieving performance targets and sustaining long-term relationships with suppliers, defined as international outsourcing success in this study. Research limitations/implications - The findings may not be generalised as they are based on a single case and cover only the client perspective. The study contributes to the offshoring literature from the perspective of smaller firms and calls for quantitative investigations to generalise the findings. Practical implications - The key implications include that small firms need to develop quality relationships and leverage from their unique entrepreneurial capabilities to enhance their success while outsourcing to relatively different institutional environments. Moreover, even a failed experience might help generate subsequent multiple successful ventures, if lessons are learned and behaviour adapted accordingly. Operating in emerging economies is much more challenging than managers from developed markets usually expect - thus the need for them to understand and prepare well before undertaking operations in these mark

Purpose - Most of the research on international outsourcing of value chain activities focuses on larger firms. The purpose of this paper is to fill an important research gap by exploring how small firms manage institutional differences to enhance their international outsourcing success. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses data from interviews conducted with two managers of a small New Zealand apparel manufacturing firm who have over 35 years of combined experience with international outsourcing. The firmhad both failed and successful experiences in its international outsourcing ventures. Findings are discussed in the context of the extant literature on international outsourcing. Findings - Small firms overcome institutional constraints they face in offshore locations by leveraging from their entrepreneurial skills, learning from failures and using a relational governance mode. This results in achieving performance targets and sustaining long-term relationships with suppliers, defined as international outsourcing success in this study. Research limitations/implications - The findings may not be generalised as they are based on a single case and cover only the client perspective. The study contributes to the offshoring literature from the perspective of smaller firms and calls for quantitative investigations to generalise the findings. Practical implications - The key implications include that small firms need to develop quality relationships and leverage from their unique entrepreneurial capabilities to enhance their success while outsourcing to relatively different institutional environments. Moreover, even a failed experience might help generate subsequent multiple successful ventures, if lessons are learned and behaviour adapted accordingly. Operating in emerging economies is much more challenging than managers from developed markets usually expect - thus the need for them to understand and prepare well before undertaking operations in these mark

SMEs experience different and more pronounced challenges when entering foreign markets, compared with MNEs. This is most evident in terms of resources and the firms' ability to respond to institutional differences in a host market. This study explores the interactions between SMEs' utilisation of internal and external resources, and the influence of home and host country institutions in the foreign market entry process.

SMEs experience different and more pronounced challenges when entering foreign markets, compared with MNEs. This is most evident in terms of resources and the firms' ability to respond to institutional differences in a host market. This study explores the interactions between SMEs' utilisation of internal and external resources, and the influence of home and host country institutions in the foreign market entry process.

Purpose - Most of the research on international outsourcing of value chain activities focuses on larger firms. The purpose of this paper is to fill an important research gap by exploring how small firms manage institutional differences to enhance their international outsourcing success. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses data from interviews conducted with two managers of a small New Zealand apparel manufacturing firm who have over 35 years of combined experience with international outsourcing. The firmhad both failed and successful experiences in its international outsourcing ventures. Findings are discussed in the context of the extant literature on international outsourcing. Findings - Small firms overcome institutional constraints they face in offshore locations by leveraging from their entrepreneurial skills, learning from failures and using a relational governance mode. This results in achieving performance targets and sustaining long-term relationships with suppliers, defined as international outsourcing success in this study. Research limitations/implications - The findings may not be generalised as they are based on a single case and cover only the client perspective. The study contributes to the offshoring literature from the perspective of smaller firms and calls for quantitative investigations to generalise the findings. Practical implications - The key implications include that small firms need to develop quality relationships and leverage from their unique entrepreneurial capabilities to enhance their success while outsourcing to relatively different institutional environments. Moreover, even a failed experience might help generate subsequent multiple successful ventures, if lessons are learned and behaviour adapted accordingly. Operating in emerging economies is much more challenging than managers from developed markets usually expect - thus the need for them to understand and prepare well before undertaking operations in these mark

SMEs experience different and more pronounced challenges when entering foreign markets, compared with MNEs. This is most evident in terms of resources and the firms' ability to respond to institutional differences in a host market. This study explores the interactions between SMEs' utilisation of internal and external resources, and the influence of home and host country institutions in the foreign market entry process.

Purpose - Most of the research on international outsourcing of value chain activities focuses on larger firms. The purpose of this paper is to fill an important research gap by exploring how small firms manage institutional differences to enhance their international outsourcing success. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses data from interviews conducted with two managers of a small New Zealand apparel manufacturing firm who have over 35 years of combined experience with international outsourcing. The firmhad both failed and successful experiences in its international outsourcing ventures. Findings are discussed in the context of the extant literature on international outsourcing. Findings - Small firms overcome institutional constraints they face in offshore locations by leveraging from their entrepreneurial skills, learning from failures and using a relational governance mode. This results in achieving performance targets and sustaining long-term relationships with suppliers, defined as international outsourcing success in this study. Research limitations/implications - The findings may not be generalised as they are based on a single case and cover only the client perspective. The study contributes to the offshoring literature from the perspective of smaller firms and calls for quantitative investigations to generalise the findings. Practical implications - The key implications include that small firms need to develop quality relationships and leverage from their unique entrepreneurial capabilities to enhance their success while outsourcing to relatively different institutional environments. Moreover, even a failed experience might help generate subsequent multiple successful ventures, if lessons are learned and behaviour adapted accordingly. Operating in emerging economies is much more challenging than managers from developed markets usually expect - thus the need for them to understand and prepare well before undertaking operations in these mark

In the context of continuing pressures from managerialist and neoliberal drivers of university reform in Australia, Macquarie University's recent undergraduate curriculum innovation, based on "People," "Planet," and "Participation," has resulted in the embedding and integration of experiential learning in its curriculum and institutional framework. Such an approach challenges academic and administrative staff, students, and partners in industry, the community and public sector settings, to engage and collaborate across significant boundaries. This article outlines the scope and nature of the curriculum reform, then considers the way geographers have both shaped and responded to the opportunities it created. In so doing, it proposes a number of challenges and recommendations for geographers who might seek to extend their longstanding commitment to field-based learning through similar reforms. In this regard, the discipline of geography and its tendency to engage with the "field" can offer much in fostering deeply transformative learning.

The analysis of the mining sector in the USA describes a mature industrial economy with strong and well-developed producer organisations and firms; technology providers; science and education system; policy institutions and infrastructure which supported innovation and technological development within the NRBI. Similar developments are observed in the Australian and Norwegian cases. However, none of the studies discuss the institutional foundations for the establishment of knowledge organisations relating to natural resource based industries. This gap in the research agenda of NRBI is the topic of this chapter.

Migrant Workers in Contemporary Japan is primarily concerned with changes in social institutions within the context of globalization and the implications of these changes for the lifestyles of people living and working in Japanese society.

Within criminalisation scholarship, there has been little engagement with the work of ‘real-world’ mechanisms for promoting principled law-making, like the activities of parliamentary scrutiny committees. This article reports on an examination of the New South Wales (‘NSW’) Legislation Review Committee’s findings and recommendations in relation to all criminal law bills during the period 2010–12 and assesses the impact of the Committee’s recommendations on the passage of bills through the NSW Parliament. It considers whether the potential for scrutiny committees to play an effective role in delineating the legitimate boundaries of criminalisation is realised in practice.

This submission is made to the Senate Community Affairs References Committee’s (‘Senate Committee’) inquiry into violence, abuse and neglect against people with disability in institutional and residential settings, including the gender and age related dimensions, and the particular situation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability, and culturally and linguistically diverse people with disability (‘the Senate Inquiry’).

The analysis of the mining sector in the USA describes a mature industrial economy with strong and well-developed producer organisations and firms; technology providers; science and education system; policy institutions and infrastructure which supported innovation and technological development within the NRBI. Similar developments are observed in the Australian and Norwegian cases. However, none of the studies discuss the institutional foundations for the establishment of knowledge organisations relating to natural resource based industries. This gap in the research agenda of NRBI is the topic of this chapter.

This paper examines, using proprietary ASX data containing institutional holdings,if institutional investors exit en mass prior to announcements of financial distress. Evidenceindicates that while some institutional investors exit the stock, the withdrawal is gradual, com-mencing approximately 115 days prior to event. This is driven by active institutional investorsreacting to the release of the financially distressed companies' last publicly released financialreports. There is no significant decline in institutional holdings before announcements; mostinstitutional investors hold financially distressed shares through to failure. There is evidence thatthe lack of disclosure drives the increase in information asymmetry prior to company failure.

This paper examines, using proprietary ASX data containing institutional holdings,if institutional investors exit en mass prior to announcements of financial distress. Evidenceindicates that while some institutional investors exit the stock, the withdrawal is gradual, com-mencing approximately 115 days prior to event. This is driven by active institutional investorsreacting to the release of the financially distressed companies' last publicly released financialreports. There is no significant decline in institutional holdings before announcements; mostinstitutional investors hold financially distressed shares through to failure. There is evidence thatthe lack of disclosure drives the increase in information asymmetry prior to company failure.

We explore influences on unlisted companies when Portugal moved from a code law, rules-based accounting system, to a principles-based accounting system of adapted International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Institutionalisation of the new principles-based system was generally facilitated by a socio-economic and political context that increasingly supported IFRS logic. This helped central actors gain political opportunity, mobilise important allies, and accommodate major protagonists. The preparedness of unlisted companies to adopt the new IFRS-based accounting system voluntarily was explained by their desire to maintain social legitimacy. However, it was affected negatively by the embeddedness of rule-based practices in the ‘old’ prevailing institutional logic.

Contemporary management accounting techniques (such as TQM, BSC, JIT) are widely lauded by academia but the proposed relevance to business has not necessarily the view held by industry (e.g. Burns & Vaivio, 2001; Chenhall & Langfield-Smith, 1998; Innes et al., 2000. The purpose of this article is to investigate the acquisition by a modern multi-national firm of a major IT-based management accounting program to assess the relevance and usefulness of its functionality by identifying the type(s) of systems that are utilised and the rationale for upgrading or modifying its system(s). This study relies on a single case based on two in-depth semi structured interviews with accounting and finance professionals in a multi-national manufacturing company that recently implemented a modern management accounting system. The findings indicate that despite demonstrating some relevance of the management accounting information, the manufacturer deactivated components of the system that were deemed irrelevant at particular levels of the organisation. This paper provides evidence about the non-reliance on management accounting information in a multinational company operating in Australia. The findings in the study imply that relevance is linked to implementation, planning and training will help managers to better prepare themselves in setting up contemporary management accounting systems.

Contemporary management accounting techniques (such as TQM, BSC, JIT) are widely lauded by academia but the proposed relevance to business has not necessarily the view held by industry (e.g. Burns & Vaivio, 2001; Chenhall & Langfield-Smith, 1998; Innes et al., 2000. The purpose of this article is to investigate the acquisition by a modern multi-national firm of a major IT-based management accounting program to assess the relevance and usefulness of its functionality by identifying the type(s) of systems that are utilised and the rationale for upgrading or modifying its system(s). This study relies on a single case based on two in-depth semi structured interviews with accounting and finance professionals in a multi-national manufacturing company that recently implemented a modern management accounting system. The findings indicate that despite demonstrating some relevance of the management accounting information, the manufacturer deactivated components of the system that were deemed irrelevant at particular levels of the organisation. This paper provides evidence about the non-reliance on management accounting information in a multinational company operating in Australia. The findings in the study imply that relevance is linked to implementation, planning and training will help managers to better prepare themselves in setting up contemporary management accounting systems.

We explore influences on unlisted companies when Portugal moved from a code law, rules-based accounting system, to a principles-based accounting system of adapted International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Institutionalisation of the new principles-based system was generally facilitated by a socio-economic and political context that increasingly supported IFRS logic. This helped central actors gain political opportunity, mobilise important allies, and accommodate major protagonists. The preparedness of unlisted companies to adopt the new IFRS-based accounting system voluntarily was explained by their desire to maintain social legitimacy. However, it was affected negatively by the embeddedness of rule-based practices in the ‘old’ prevailing institutional logic.

The study of institutions traverses the academic fields of economics, sociology, political science and organisational theory. The common denominator for institutionalism in various disciplines appears to be that of, 'institutions matter' (Kaufman 2011). An underlying assumption in the study of institutions is that organisations are deeply embedded in the wider institutional context (Powell 1988; DiMaggio & Powell 1991). Thus, "organisational practices are either a direct reflection of, or response to, rules and structures built into their larger environment" (Paauwe & Boselie 2003, p. 59).This institutional environment is the source of legitimisation, rewards or incentives for, as well as constraints or sanctions on, organisational activities (Meyer & Rowan 1977). The relevance of institutional theory to Human Resource Management (HRM) was initially derived from this view (Rosenzweig & Nohria 1994).

The study of institutions traverses the academic fields of economics, sociology, political science and organisational theory. The common denominator for institutionalism in various disciplines appears to be that of, 'institutions matter' (Kaufman 2011). An underlying assumption in the study of institutions is that organisations are deeply embedded in the wider institutional context (Powell 1988; DiMaggio & Powell 1991). Thus, "organisational practices are either a direct reflection of, or response to, rules and structures built into their larger environment" (Paauwe & Boselie 2003, p. 59).This institutional environment is the source of legitimisation, rewards or incentives for, as well as constraints or sanctions on, organisational activities (Meyer & Rowan 1977). The relevance of institutional theory to Human Resource Management (HRM) was initially derived from this view (Rosenzweig & Nohria 1994).

We explore influences on unlisted companies when Portugal moved from a code law, rules-based accounting system, to a principles-based accounting system of adapted International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). Institutionalisation of the new principles-based system was generally facilitated by a socio-economic and political context that increasingly supported IFRS logic. This helped central actors gain political opportunity, mobilise important allies, and accommodate major protagonists. The preparedness of unlisted companies to adopt the new IFRS-based accounting system voluntarily was explained by their desire to maintain social legitimacy. However, it was affected negatively by the embeddedness of rule-based practices in the ‘old’ prevailing institutional logic.

Contemporary management accounting techniques (such as TQM, BSC, JIT) are widely lauded by academia but the proposed relevance to business has not necessarily the view held by industry (e.g. Burns & Vaivio, 2001; Chenhall & Langfield-Smith, 1998; Innes et al., 2000. The purpose of this article is to investigate the acquisition by a modern multi-national firm of a major IT-based management accounting program to assess the relevance and usefulness of its functionality by identifying the type(s) of systems that are utilised and the rationale for upgrading or modifying its system(s). This study relies on a single case based on two in-depth semi structured interviews with accounting and finance professionals in a multi-national manufacturing company that recently implemented a modern management accounting system. The findings indicate that despite demonstrating some relevance of the management accounting information, the manufacturer deactivated components of the system that were deemed irrelevant at particular levels of the organisation. This paper provides evidence about the non-reliance on management accounting information in a multinational company operating in Australia. The findings in the study imply that relevance is linked to implementation, planning and training will help managers to better prepare themselves in setting up contemporary management accounting systems.

Government policy and institutional initiatives have influenced increases in enrolment of non-traditional students to Australian universities. For these students, university culture is often incongruent with their own, making it difficult to understand the tacit requirements for participation and success. Academic teaching staff are important in creating socially inclusive learning experiences, particularly in first year subjects. This paper presents an institution-wide approach to enhancing socially inclusive teaching at one Australian university. Underpinned by a framework of "bridging social-incongruity" the initiative was guided by six principles of socially inclusive teaching to support practice as proposed in the 2012 "Effective support of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in higher education" report commissioned by the Australian Office of Learning and Teaching. Feedback from 150 academic teaching staff from various disciplines and campus locations, suggests this initiative was effective in increasing understanding of socially inclusive teaching practices with many participants indicating the teaching enhancements were applicable for their teaching context.

This paper examines, using proprietary ASX data containing institutional holdings,if institutional investors exit en mass prior to announcements of financial distress. Evidenceindicates that while some institutional investors exit the stock, the withdrawal is gradual, com-mencing approximately 115 days prior to event. This is driven by active institutional investorsreacting to the release of the financially distressed companies' last publicly released financialreports. There is no significant decline in institutional holdings before announcements; mostinstitutional investors hold financially distressed shares through to failure. There is evidence thatthe lack of disclosure drives the increase in information asymmetry prior to company failure.

This article provides a case study of a project to improve the health, safety, and development of children birth to 6 years old in a large orphanage in Nepal. Two interventions were conducted: improvement of physical infrastructure and training, mentoring, and support for caregiving staff. As a result of these interventions, positive outcomes in terms of children's health and development have been observed, including reduction of communicable diseases and increased social interactions with caregivers. As part of the new training initiative, the caregivers began to meet regularly to share their ideas and experiences, and came to realize their vital role in the holistic development of the children in their care. One important change was a greater sense of dignity for the caregivers. The caregivers were formerly called Maids(Aaya), but asked to be called Mothers(Aama). The project also faced challenges, including communication barriers related to organizational structure.

Increasingly, attention in Australia is focusing on the role of postgraduate student research groups in higher degree research (HDR) student learning and experience. The current research project was aimed broadly at the evaluation of HDR groups, and was directed towards informing development of an interdisciplinary group around criminology, criminal law and criminal justice based within the Law Faculty at the University of Sydney. Specifically, it sought to ensure the Network developed within a pedagogically-informed structure, and was sustainable in the long-term with potency for growth and outreach beyond the host faculty and institution.

Using an institutionalist approach as the main framework, this research examines the evolution of Vietnamese agricultural cooperatives over the last six decades through four distinct phases - the voluntary collectivization period of 1954-1975, the compulsory collectivization period of 1975-1981, the de-collectivization period of 1981-1997 and the neo-collectivization period since 1997. Based on two case studies, this research examines the role of the Vietnamese government in the development of Vietnamese agricultural cooperatives. It argues that a stable legal environment and appropriate government support are extremely important for the successful development of cooperatives. In terms of theoretical contribution, the study calls for an integration of the notion of institutional dynamics into the current 'static' institutionalism and emphasizes the need to analyse institutions' influences at central, local and organizational levels to understand the formation and development of organizations. It also offers some policy implications that are relevant to the development of cooperatives in other economies.

Government policy and institutional initiatives have influenced increases in enrolment of non-traditional students to Australian universities. For these students, university culture is often incongruent with their own, making it difficult to understand the tacit requirements for participation and success. Academic teaching staff are important in creating socially inclusive learning experiences, particularly in first year subjects. This paper presents an institution-wide approach to enhancing socially inclusive teaching at one Australian university. Underpinned by a framework of "bridging social-incongruity" the initiative was guided by six principles of socially inclusive teaching to support practice as proposed in the 2012 "Effective support of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds in higher education" report commissioned by the Australian Office of Learning and Teaching. Feedback from 150 academic teaching staff from various disciplines and campus locations, suggests this initiative was effective in increasing understanding of socially inclusive teaching practices with many participants indicating the teaching enhancements were applicable for their teaching context.

Background: Accurate delineation of target volumes for external beam radiotherapy is a crucial step in radiation treatment, but can be associated with considerable uncertainty and variability. The aim of this study was to compare target volume delineation on MRI vs CT and to compare Simultaneous Truth and Performance Level Estimation (STAPLE) generated contours with expert clinician contours.

Institutional theory has been widely applied in human resource management (HRM) and organisational research, particularly in the study of multinational companies (MNCs). Despite this, there is no consensus among institutional scholars about the relevance of some of the institutional concepts used in HRM and MNC research. This paper critically reviews the key concepts of institutional theory in relation to HRM and in the context of MNCs. The paper highlights the aspects of these concepts that researchers may consider when applying institutional theory to future HR and MNC research.

Higher Education institutions face a challenge: how to transform traditional learning and teaching to create enhanced learning for current digital age students. In some universities this challenge is acute - particularly in those Universities that focus on blended and flexible learning (BFL), and distance education (DE) approaches. Many universities have emphasised the development of leadership capacity. From 2008 to 2011, utlising a partnership research grant funded by DEHub, Charles Sturt University and Massey University studied their approaches to fostering change in blended and flexible learning and DE. The study research question was: What do the strategies and activities designed to foster change in blended and flexible learning and distance education developed at Charles Sturt University (Australia) and Massey University (NZ) help us to understand about learning leadership?

Higher Education institutions face a challenge: how to transform traditional learning and teaching to create enhanced learning for current digital age students. In some universities this challenge is acute - particularly in those Universities that focus on blended and flexible learning (BFL), and distance education (DE) approaches. Many universities have emphasised the development of leadership capacity. From 2008 to 2011, utlising a partnership research grant funded by DEHub, Charles Sturt University and Massey University studied their approaches to fostering change in blended and flexible learning and DE. The study research question was: What do the strategies and activities designed to foster change in blended and flexible learning and distance education developed at Charles Sturt University (Australia) and Massey University (NZ) help us to understand about learning leadership?

Higher Education institutions face a challenge: how to transform traditional learning and teaching to create enhanced learning for current digital age students. In some universities this challenge is acute - particularly in those Universities that focus on blended and flexible learning (BFL), and distance education (DE) approaches. Many universities have emphasised the development of leadership capacity. From 2008 to 2011, utlising a partnership research grant funded by DEHub, Charles Sturt University and Massey University studied their approaches to fostering change in blended and flexible learning and DE. The study research question was: What do the strategies and activities designed to foster change in blended and flexible learning and distance education developed at Charles Sturt University (Australia) and Massey University (NZ) help us to understand about learning leadership?

Background: Accurate delineation of target volumes for external beam radiotherapy is a crucial step in radiation treatment, but can be associated with considerable uncertainty and variability. The aim of this study was to compare target volume delineation on MRI vs CT and to compare Simultaneous Truth and Performance Level Estimation (STAPLE) generated contours with expert clinician contours.

Institutional theory has been widely applied in human resource management (HRM) and organisational research, particularly in the study of multinational companies (MNCs). Despite this, there is no consensus among institutional scholars about the relevance of some of the institutional concepts used in HRM and MNC research. This paper critically reviews the key concepts of institutional theory in relation to HRM and in the context of MNCs. The paper highlights the aspects of these concepts that researchers may consider when applying institutional theory to future HR and MNC research.

Higher Education institutions face a challenge: how to transform traditional learning and teaching to create enhanced learning for current digital age students. In some universities this challenge is acute - particularly in those Universities that focus on blended and flexible learning (BFL), and distance education (DE) approaches. Many universities have emphasised the development of leadership capacity. From 2008 to 2011, utlising a partnership research grant funded by DEHub, Charles Sturt University and Massey University studied their approaches to fostering change in blended and flexible learning and DE. The study research question was: What do the strategies and activities designed to foster change in blended and flexible learning and distance education developed at Charles Sturt University (Australia) and Massey University (NZ) help us to understand about learning leadership?

Learning analytics offers higher education valuable insights that can inform strategic decision-making regarding resource allocation for educational excellence. Research demonstrates that learning management systems (LMSs) can increase student sense of community, support learning communities and enhance student engagement and success, and LMSs have therefore become core enterprise component in many universities. We were invited to undertake a current state analysis of enterprise LMS use in a large research-intensive university, to provide data to inform and guide an LMS review and strategic planning process. Using a new e-learning analytics platform, combined with data visualization and participant observation, we prepared a detailed snapshot of current LMS use patterns and trends and their relationship to student learning outcomes. This paper presents selected data from this "current state analysis" and comments on what it reveals about the comparative effectiveness of this institution's LMS integration in the service of learning and teaching. More critically, it discusses the reality that the institutional planning process was nonetheless dominated by technical concerns, and made little use of the intelligence revealed by the analytics process. To explain this phenomenon we consider theories of change management and resistance to innovation, and argue that to have meaningful impact, learning analytics proponents must also delve into the socio-technical sphere to ensure that learning analytics data are presented to those involved in strategic institutional planning in ways that have the power to motivate organizational adoption and cultural change.

The purpose of this research is to examine country institutional profile for encouraging entrepreneurial activity in two developmental states: South Korea and United Arab Emirates. Data was collected from business students in the two countries to examine the favorability of their institutional environment for entrepreneurship. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated high reliability, construct validity and internal consistency for the Korean and Arabic language versions of the questionnaire instrument in the respective countries. Results revealed important cross-national differences between the two countries in the regulatory, cognitive and normative dimensions of the institutional environment. Implications, limitations and future research directions are discussed. © 2012 World Scientific Publishing Company.

The Australian and New Zealand port industries in the post-World War II period exhibit strong elements of path dependence. Simply put, economic and political actors’ purposive decisions pushed the development of port institutions down a pathway which became hard to step off: institutional lock-ins impeded strategic flexibility and the growth of port productivity; inefficient macro- and micro-level institutional arrangements reduced Australian and New Zealand port efficiency. Given this experience, our chapter uses path dependence as a method to explain institutional stability and change within New Zealand’s and Australia’s respective port systems. While port institutions in both countries were slow to adapt to shifts in the wider industry environment, they eventually succumbed to reformist change. As we explain, this occurred more strongly in New Zealand through pathbreaking institutional transformation in 1989, the pressures for which mounted over several decades. In Australia, by contrast, there were many false starts and change was slower even after the ports were caught up in the federal government’s late 1980s economy-wide programme of microeconomic reform.

The purpose of this research is to examine country institutional profile for encouraging entrepreneurial activity in two developmental states: South Korea and United Arab Emirates. Data was collected from business students in the two countries to examine the favorability of their institutional environment for entrepreneurship. Confirmatory factor analysis indicated high reliability, construct validity and internal consistency for the Korean and Arabic language versions of the questionnaire instrument in the respective countries. Results revealed important cross-national differences between the two countries in the regulatory, cognitive and normative dimensions of the institutional environment. Implications, limitations and future research directions are discussed. © 2012 World Scientific Publishing Company.