Massey Documents by Type

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    Advocacy outcomes : professional advocacy in the lives of disabled people : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2003) Ussher, Susan
    After working alongside disabled individuals in a casework capacity as a full time, paid advocacy worker for some time, I became increasingly interested in the evaluation of the outcomes of advocacy. This interest began with my own practice and developed into an analysis of the usefulness of advocacy as a professional tool in bringing about change in individuals' lives. Specifically I was interested in the analyses of the people who have had the experience of being advocated for. Subsequently, this project enabled me to explore the relevant literature regarding advocacy and to engage with individuals who access or have accessed advocacy services in order to identify these outcomes. This thesis predominantly documents the investigation of the outcomes and the process of professional advocacy practice as experienced, understood and interpreted from the point of view of three disabled people who have accessed advocacy within the London Borough of Southwark in the United Kingdom. The research provided the opportunity to firstly determine whether professional advocacy supported individuals to represent their needs clearly so that they gained access to appropriate services. Secondly, it examined whether any outcomes were a direct response to the advocacy interaction or were they attributed to various other factors such as social, economic and political change in the context in question. The former is evident and accordingly the key findings of the research have highlighted that professional advocacy practice can support individuals to represent their needs clearly and accurately and ensure that they gain access to appropriate services. Professional advocacy is particularly effective in the areas of community care and housing. Moreover, the research has identified the process of advocacy as empowering if transference of skills occurs between professional advocate and individual thus challenging the current culture of learnt and maintained dependence. Through this, professional advocacy can contribute to and support self-advocacy of disabled people and the essential continued promotion of the Social Model of disability within our communities.
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    Maverick politicians : their beliefs and actions : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Policy at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 1999) Boyd, Hilary Christine
    Through interviews with maverick politicians and political commentators, this research explores the beliefs and actions of maverick politicians, a sub-group of actors within the policy-making process. It builds on previous research which focused primarily on the characteristics and beliefs of maverick politicians. This research was undertaken to ascertain the process by which the politicians attain the maverick label; explore the environment within which these politicians operate; examine the methods maverick politicians use to achieve change in policy, parliamentary practices and the political landscape; and determine their effectiveness in implementing change. Attaining the maverick status involved politicians undergoing a process of alienation from their party. They struggled to implement policy initiatives and adopted an oppositional approach as they battled with an anti­democratic policy-making process. Often unable to effect significant policy changes maverick politicians attempted reformation of the parliamentary practices and the political landscape. However, these attempts merely entrenched existing undemocratic processes. The research findings suggest that because of their underlying beliefs of how Parliament should operate maverick politicians choose to give priority to their constituents rather than to their party and support a notion of democracy that is participatory rather than representative. These choices contribute towards their maverick behaviour; result in alienation from their party; and limit their long-term effectiveness as policy-makers by leading them to focus on reformation. It is likely that, unless changes which accommodate politicians with differing views of representation and democracy occur within the parliamentary and party systems, there will continue to be disillusioned MPs who become alienated from their political parties and follow the maverick path.
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    Evolutionary Distributed Control of a Biologically Inspired Modular Robot
    (IntechOpen, 2008) Lal SP; Yamada K; Iba, H
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    Barriers and facilitators to implementation of healthy food and drink policies in public sector workplaces: a systematic literature review.
    (19/06/2023) Rosin M; Mackay S; Gerritsen S; Te Morenga L; Terry G; Ni Mhurchu C
    CONTEXT: Many countries and institutions have adopted policies to promote healthier food and drink availability in various settings, including public sector workplaces. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this review was to systematically synthesize evidence on barriers and facilitators to implementation of and compliance with healthy food and drink policies aimed at the general adult population in public sector workplaces. DATA SOURCES: Nine scientific databases, 9 grey literature sources, and government websites in key English-speaking countries along with reference lists. DATA EXTRACTION: All identified records (N = 8559) were assessed for eligibility. Studies reporting on barriers and facilitators were included irrespective of study design and methods used but were excluded if they were published before 2000 or in a non-English language. DATA ANALYSIS: Forty-one studies were eligible for inclusion, mainly from Australia, the United States, and Canada. The most common workplace settings were healthcare facilities, sports and recreation centers, and government agencies. Interviews and surveys were the predominant methods of data collection. Methodological aspects were assessed with the Critical Appraisal Skills Program Qualitative Studies Checklist. Generally, there was poor reporting of data collection and analysis methods. Thematic synthesis identified 4 themes: (1) a ratified policy as the foundation of a successful implementation plan; (2) food providers' acceptance of implementation is rooted in positive stakeholder relationships, recognizing opportunities, and taking ownership; (3) creating customer demand for healthier options may relieve tension between policy objectives and business goals; and (4) food supply may limit the ability of food providers to implement the policy. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that although vendors encounter challenges, there are also factors that support healthy food and drink policy implementation in public sector workplaces. Understanding barriers and facilitators to successful policy implementation will significantly benefit stakeholders interested or engaging in healthy food and drink policy development and implementation. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration no. CRD42021246340.
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    Remediation Technologies for Neonicotinoids in Contaminated Environments: Current State and Future Prospects
    (Elsevier, 16/06/2023) Wei J; Wang X; Tu C; Long T; Bu Y; Wang H; Jeyakumar P; Jiang J; Deng S
    Neonicotinoids (NEOs) are synthetic insecticides with broad-spectrum insecticidal activity and outstanding efficacy. However, their extensive use and persistence in the environment have resulted in the accumulation and biomagnification of NEOs, posing significant risks to non-target organisms and humans. This review provides a summary of research history, advancements, and highlighted topics in NEOs remediation technologies and mechanisms. Various remediation approaches have been developed, including physiochemical, microbial, and phytoremediation, with microbial and physicochemical remediation being the most extensively studied. Recent advances in physiochemical remediation have led to the development of innovative adsorbents, photocatalysts, and optimized treatment processes. High-efficiency degrading strains with well-characterized metabolic pathways have been successfully isolated and cultured for microbial remediation, while many plant species have shown great potential for phytoremediation. However, significant challenges and gaps remain in this field. Future research should prioritize isolating, domesticating or engineering high efficiency, broad-spectrum microbial strains for NEO degradation, as well as developing synergistic remediation techniques to enhance removal efficiency on multiple NEOs with varying concentrations in different environmental media. Furthermore, a shift from pipe-end treatment to pollution prevention strategies is needed, including the development of green and economically efficient alternatives such as biological insecticides. Integrated remediation technologies and case-specific strategies that can be applied to practical remediation projects need to be developed, along with clarifying NEO degradation mechanisms to improve remediation efficiency. The successful implementation of these strategies will help reduce the negative impact of NEOs on the environment and human health.
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    The limits of satire, or the reification of cultural politics
    (SAGE Publications, 15/02/2023) Holm N
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    Plastic Legacies: Pollution, Persistence, and Politics
    (Athabasca University Press, 13/07/2021) Farrelly, T; Taffel, S; Shaw, I
    There is virtually nowhere on Earth today that remains untouched by plastic and ecosystems are evolving to adapt to this new context. While plastics have revolutionized our modern world, new and often unforeseen effects of plastic and its production are continually being discovered. Plastics are entangled in multiple ecological and social crises, from the plasticization of the oceans to the embeddedness of plastics in political hierarchies. The complexities surrounding the global plastic crisis require an interdisciplinary approach and the materialities of plastic demand new temporalities of thought and action. Plastic Legacies brings together scholars from the fields of marine biology, psychology, anthropology, environmental studies, Indigenous studies, and media studies to investigate and address the urgent socio-ecological challenges brought about by plastics. Contributors consider the unpredictable nature of plastics and weigh actionable solutions and mitigation processes against the ever-changing situation. Moving beyond policy changes, this volume offers a critique of neoliberal approaches to tackling the plastics crisis and explores how politics and communicative action are key to implementing social, cultural, and economic change.
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    Implementation of a prototype reversed delay guitar effect : a research report presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering in Information Engineering at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2003) McKinnon, Alistair Robert
    The Reversed Delay is an audio effect that takes a guitar signal as an input and transforms it into an aurally pleasing output. This report follows the development of the effect from the initial concept to a hardware based prototype. The purpose of developing a prototype unit is largely one of concept validation. The possibility exists to commercialise the effect, therefore the development of a prototype gives the opportunity to identify many of the requirements of the production unit. Through the exploration of the effect with computer modelling, a more focused real-time implementation has been possible using digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. The final result is a stand-alone effect unit with extensive controls that can process a guitar signal in real-time to deliver a wide variety of audio transformations which are based on the Reversed Delay.
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