Jillong 2030 : mistakes, challenges & urban visions

Geelong has long been a second cousin to Melbourne economically and in development. Whilst historically wishing to capture the role as administrative capital of the new colony of Victoria, it missed out due to the entrepreneurism of Melbourne. Despite this, it embraced contemporary industrialism, particularly automotive, and built upon its port and wool export capacities. Politics, intransigence and lack of economic investment compounded the failure to create quality urban fabric and enable innovative planning. The last 50 years have witnessed attempts to re-chart a robust and co-ordinated urban framework and vision, aided by the former Geelong Regional Commission (GRC) and more recently the amalgamated City of Greater Geelong (CGG), resulting in varying successes and several failures. Urban design has repeatedly, and historically, surfaced as the catalyst for creative and successful growth in Geelong, or Jillong at the Wathaurong described the place. This paper considers the planning, urban design and environmental legacy of Geelong. It critiques its successes and failures, drawing out the salient issues and themes that underpin its opportunities and quality place-making adventures, and considers the key challenges it now faces. Importantly, it sets forth the six planning and design challenges it must confront in the next 10 years to create a robust, creative, healthy and environmentally liveable place, of which urban design regeneration surfaces as a core need, or the city will continue along its haphazard pathway without cohesion and purpose.

Knowledge transfer : a model framework for construction knowledge integration

Managing information and knowledge in the construction industry is an important focus for research. The goal is to expedite better integration of construction knowledge amongst the stakeholders. Better use of this knowledge could allow the building industry to achieve quality outputs making best use of resources – the linked goals of time, cost and quality. Information networks and knowledge transfer are central to this and are recognized as integral to an industry strategy to improve productivity. However, poor delivery of information to those at the construction site and lack of effective methods of transferring knowledge between parties involved in construction become major challenges. Based on a critical review of literature and an interview survey, this paper identifies the information networks adopted in the Malaysian construction industry and models these using four knowledge transfer components classified as ‘control’, ‘innovation’, ‘best practice’ and ‘audit’ element. Knowledge integration practices - attitude, communication, skills, commitment and monitoring; and factors related to information barriers including accessibility, service delivery, information updates and publication, were identified as critical features for the success of knowledge integration in the Malaysian construction industry. A framework for knowledge transfer is proposed to promote better practices in the Malaysian construction industry.

Constructability : a model framework for knowledge transfer development, a three country comparison

Constructability is an important approach that allows the building industry to achieve quality outputs making best use of resources – the linked goals of time, cost and quality. Information supply and knowledge transfer are central to this and are recognized as integral to an industry strategy to improve productivity. However, poor delivery of information to those at the construction site and lack of effective methods of transferring knowledge between parties involved in construction become major challenges. This paper reviews the building production practices and information networks adopted by three countries to achieve better constructability practices. The elements of ‘control’, ‘innovation’, ‘best practice’ and ‘audit’, identified as key to improving knowledge transfer, are modelled for the construction sectors of Singapore, Australia and Malaysia. A framework for knowledge transfer is proposed to promote better practices in the construction industry.

Physical activity promotion for male factory workers : a realistic option?

Issue addressed: Worksites are a promising setting for health promotion initiatives. While there is an accumulated body of evidence indicating favourable health and cost outcomes, there have been difficulties identified in recruiting and influencing blue- collar workers. This descriptive study aimed to identify specific opportunities and barriers which may impact upon physical activity options at work for male blue-collar factory workers.

Methods: Fifteen manager interviews and worksite observations, and eight employee group discussions were conducted in manufacturing industry worksites.

Results: Several key barriers emerged which limit opportunities for blue-collar employees to participate in physical activity at work: time constraints; limited facilities; and lack of interest from management to facilitate physical activity due to limited resources and concerns about safety issues. Potential opportunities included the presence of change rooms, showers, outdoor areas suitable for physical activity, nearby parks and local fitness facilities, and occupational health and safety committees.

Conclusions: Increasing opportunities for workers to be active at work did not emerge as a priority of managers who may need to be convinced that allocating time and resources to physical activity is a wise investment and that workers need an environment that both supports and encourages participation in physical activity. The role of physical activity in relation to injury prevention and potential reductions in Workcover premiums is worthy of further investigation.

So what? While worksite physical activity promotion is a national health objective, there are numerous actual and perceived barriers to initiatives directed at factory workers. Rather than offering specific programs, it may be more productive to address work practices and environmental and regulatory barriers through established occupational health and safety channels. Information and education strategies to change the attitudes and beliefs of management and workers about these issues, as well as about the health benefits of physical activity, may also be helpful.

Is there a need for safety monitoring guidelines for antidepressant treatment?

Antidepressants are amongst the most commonly prescribed classes of drugs and their use continues to grow. The World Health Organisation estimates that depression effects approximately 121 million people worldwide, with 26 million people receiving some form of medical care for depression [1]. A large number of these people will be treated with antidepressants. Moreover, antidepressants are commonly administered to special populations, such as the elderly, children and women during reproductive life stages. Depression is also commonly associated with comorbid physical illnesses [2], being overweight [3], tobacco smoking [4], poor diet [5] and lack of physical activity [6]. Large numbers of people being treated, often with vulnerabilities, increases the likelihood of adverse drug reactions to antidepressant treatment.

Health information technology governance : a perspective on investment decision processes

Realizing value from IT investments continues to be a challenge for most healthcare organizations. IT governance (ITG) is envisaged to solve many of these challenges. ITG is the practice that establishes accountability framework for IT investments by allocating decision rights among major participants involved in IT decision processes. As ITG is relatively new in healthcare industry, it is expected that knowledge about how healthcare organizations govern their IT decisions is limited. This research aims to extend this knowledge and to assist both researchers and professionals by providing insights on how IT decisions are made and governed in healthcare organizations (HOs). This research adopts case-study methodology to investigate IT governance in two distinctly different HOs. The research findings indicate that HOs implement ITG to achieve alignment between business objectives and IT. Both HOs set up a five-stage IT decision process to identify, evaluate and prioritize IT investment ideas. They also established generic committee-structures that clearly defined roles and decision authorities to govern such process. It is suggested here that ITG in HOs is heavily influenced by strategic priorities, organizational structure, governance experience and governmental initiatives. Effective ITG in HOs is challenged by IT alignment, policy government, involvement of healthcare executives, and lack of business metrics to justify and evaluate decisions. The research proposes recommendations to address these challenges.

A network analysis of IT governance practices : a case study of an IT centralisation project

Information technology governance (ITG) practices rely on both human and nonhuman actors to support the creation of business value in organisations. The role of nonhuman actors in shaping the ITG practices has been given limited attention within the ITG literature. In proposing a model of ITG, this paper highlights the interplay of human and technological artefacts in shaping the ITG practices. Using a case study approach, this paper explores the relationship and interaction between ITG arrangements and IT infrastructure in an IT centralisation project conducted over a number of years in a university. The analysis from this study highlights how problems in aligning actors’ interests and lack of appropriate strategies lead to a failure in establishing a stable ITG network.

Landscape changes in Denpasar City

Denpasar City is one of cities in Bali Province which faces the problem of landscape change. Most land use is for rice fields, dry lands, crops, housing, grave yards, fish ponds, forests and other functions. Based on Agriculture Office, in 2010 Denpasar City has 20% rice fields of the city’s total area, compared to 41% rice fields of the city’s area in 1992. This shows that Denpasar landscape has changed from agriculture field to commerce, housing, industry etc. and that changing landscape also happened in several green belt areas. This fact is supported by the Agriculture Office report that Denpasar City lose rice field about 25 hectares every year. In contrast, Denpasar City must provide at least 30% of land for open spaces. Furthermore, Denpasar City should keep city based on traditional philosophy such as Tri Hita Karana concept, Rwa Bhineda concept, etc. This paper examines the causes of landscape changes due to growing of population, tourism facilities, economic, and lack of government policy. There are the negative impacts of landscape changes which are associated with social economics and environmental issues. This study seeks to offer guidance for the legitimate use of landscape planning for sustainability development in Denpasar City. Some recommendations could be applied such as prevention of population growth, tourism development base, strict building regulation and increase tax property, and provide the policy and institutional options in land use planning.

Community based rehabilitation for people with disability in Iraq

This thesis explores the role of government and non-government organisations and international agencies in community based rehabilitation in Iraq. It examines the possibility of initiating and running community-based rehabilitation programmes for people with disability by NGOs regardless of Iraqi government commitment or participation. The research results show that implementation of CBR in Iraq is vital but not widely- spread. Non-government organisations seem more active, committed and capable in the time being to initiate, run and manage CBR programmes compared to the government of Iraq. Despite the high numbers of people with disabilities and lack of capacity to respond to their needs, there is little evidence that the Iraqi government has made efforts in adopting CBR as a cost-effective response.

Indicators of the impact of climate change on migratory species

The Bonn Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals adopted a Resolution in 2005 recognising the impacts of climate change on migratory species. It called on Contracting Parties to undertake more research to improve our understanding of these impacts and to implement adaptation measures to reduce foreseeable adverse effects. Given the large diversity of taxa and species affected by climate change, it is impossible to monitor all species and effects thereof. However, it is likely that many of the key ecological and physical processes through which climate change may impact wildlife could be monitored using a suite of indicators, each comprising parameters of species/populations or groups of species as proxies for wider assemblages, habitats and ecosystems. Herein, we identify a suite of 17 indicators whose attributes could reveal negative impacts of climate change on the global status of migratory species: 4 for birds, 4 for marine mammals, 2 for sea turtles, 1 for fish, 3 for land mammals and 3 for bats. A few of these indicators would be relatively straightforward to develop, but most would require additional data collation, and in many cases methodological development. Choosing and developing indicators of the impacts of climate change on migratory species is a challenge, particularly with endangered species, which are subject to many other pressures. To identify and implement conservation measures for these species, indicators must account for the full ensemble of pressures, and link to a system of alerts and triggers for action.

Challenges in managing elderly people with diabetes in primary care settings in Norway

Objective
To explore the experiences and clinical challenges that nurses and nursing assistants face when providing high-quality diabetes-specific management and care for elderly people with diabetes in primary care settings.

Design
Focus-group interviews.

Subjects and setting
Sixteen health care professionals: 12 registered nurses and four nursing assistants from nursing homes (10), district nursing service (5), and a service unit (1) were recruited by municipal managers who had local knowledge and knew the workforce. All the participants were women aged 32–59 years with clinical experience ranging from 1.5 to 38 years.

Results
Content analysis revealed a discrepancy between the level of expertise which the participants described as important to delivering high-quality care and their capacity to deliver such care. The discrepancy was due to lack of availability and access to current information, limited ongoing support, lack of cohesion among health care professionals, and limited confidence and autonomy. Challenges to delivering high-quality care included complex, difficult patient situations and lack of confidence to make decisions founded on evidence-based guidelines.

Conclusion
Participants lacked confidence and autonomy to manage elderly people with diabetes in municipal care settings. Lack of information, support, and professional cohesion made the role challenging.

Nurses' understanding of patient-centred care in Bhutan

Aim The purpose of the study was to explore nurses' perceptions and understanding of patient-centred care (PCC) in Bhutan. Background Nurses' perceptions and understanding of PCC in Bhutan are unknown. Methods A non-probability convenience sample was taken and a mixed method (quantitative and qualitative descriptive) used. Survey questionnaires were administered to 87 Bhutanese nurses in three types of hospitals -- the National Referral Hospital, the regional referral hospital and the district hospital. Descriptive statistics including frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation (SD) were used for analysis. Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to investigate relationships between demographic variables. Results The nursing labour force in Bhutan knows which behaviours are considered necessary for practising PCC. The mean (SD) rating of behaviours considered critical for practising PCC was 4.29 (0.22), five being the highest score. Bhutanese nurses described PCC, according to qualitative descriptive analysis, as being based on individual patient assessment (22/87 or 25% of respondents), using a holistic model of care (38/87 or 44%) that was based on evidence (38/87 or 44%). A higher level of education (79/87 or 91%) was found to be the main factor that would facilitate the development of PCC, while inadequate staffing, in terms of insufficient numbers of staff and lack of advanced practitioners (56/87 or 64%), was revealed as the main factor that hinders development of PCC. Conclusion Bhutanese nurses believed certain behaviours were critical to PCC. Reform of higher nursing education, putting an emphasis on PCC, would improve nursing practice and increase its scope.

Portfolio delivery approach to township sewage treatment facilities in China: a case study

 The wide need for sewage treatment facilities at the township level across China implies an emerging niche market for water and sanitation developers, investors and financiers. However this potential market is difficult to enter with traditional financing and delivery methods, because township sewage features small amount, volatile quantity, geographically scattering, immature fee charging system, weak affordability, and lack of capacities. A group of concession sewage treatment projects collectively implemented by a private company in the Changsha County of Hunan Province under the so called ‘Changsha Model’ provided innovative solutions. This cases study first examined the portfolio approach in terms of multiple delivery method integration, technology, and centralized control system, and evaluated the replicability of the new model. Practices and lessons learned from the case were then presented and summarized that can be applied to the following township sewage treatment facility development. Last, the Changsha Model was compared with similar infrastructure portfolio delivery solutions applied in the US.

Is removing blood donation barriers a donation facilitator? Australian African migrants’ view

Purpose – The aim of this study was to assess whether the removal of blood donation “barriers” facilitates blood donation intentions, using a sample of African migrants, and to identify the implications for social marketing. African migrants are currently under-represented as blood donors in Australia. Some members of the African community have unique donation needs that can only be served by this community. Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were conducted with 425 people from the African community in Victoria and South Australia. Factor analysis was performed on the barriers and the removal of barriers. Item groupings for both constructs differed, suggesting that barriers and their removal are not necessarily opposite constructs. Findings – The cultural society factor was negatively associated with blood donation intention (i.e. a barrier), whereas engagement and overcoming fear were positively associated with blood donation intention (i.e. facilitators). Cultural issues and lack of understanding were not seen to impede blood donation. Additionally, the removal of cultural barriers did not facilitate increases in blood donation intentions. Thus, the removal of barriers may not be sufficient on their own to encourage donation Research limitations/implications – This only examines the issue with regards to whether the removal of barriers is a facilitator of blood donation with one group of migrants, and relationships may vary across other migrant and non-migrant groups. Practical implications – Policymakers often use social marketing interventions to overcome barriers as a way of facilitating blood donation. This research suggests that removing barriers is indeed important because these barriers impede people considering becoming blood donors. However, the findings also suggest that the removal of barriers is insufficient on its own to motivate blood donations (i.e. the removal of barriers is a hygiene factor). If this is the case, social marketing campaigns need to be multifaceted, removing barriers as well as leveraging facilitators, simultaneously. Social implications – This work identified that the impact of barriers and their removal may facilitate effective social marketing campaigns in differing ways, in the context of blood donation. Originality/value – How barriers and their removal impact social marketing activities (i.e. blood donation behaviour) has generally not been explored in research.

Cardiovascular prevention model from Kenyan slums to migrants in the Netherlands

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. As prevention and treatment of CVD often requires active screening and lifelong follow up it is a challenge for health systems both in high-income and low and middle-income countries to deliver adequate care to those in need, with efficient use of resources.We developed a health service model for primary prevention of CVD suitable for implementation in the Nairobi slums, based on best practices from public health and the private sectors. The model consists of four key intervention elements focusing on increasing awareness, incentives for promoting access to screening and treatment, and improvement of long-term adherence to prescribed medications. More than 5,000 slum dwellers aged ≥35 years and above have been screened in the study resulting in more than 1000 diagnosed with hypertension and referred to the clinic.Some marginalized groups in high-income countries like African migrants in the Netherlands also have low rates of awareness, treatment and control of hypertension as the slum population in Nairobi. The parallel between both groups is that they have a combination of risky lifestyle, are prone to chronic diseases such as hypertension, have limited knowledge about hypertension and its complications, and a tendency to stay away from clinics partly due to cultural beliefs in alternative forms of treatment, and lack of trust in health providers. Based on these similarities it was suggested by several policymakers that the model from Nairobi can be applied to other vulnerable populations such as African migrants in high-income countries. The model can be contextualized to the local situation by adapting the key steps of the model to the local settings.The involvement and support of African communities' infrastructures and health care staff is crucial, and the most important enabler for successful implementation of the model in migrant communities in high-income countries. Once these stakeholders have expressed their interest, the impact of the adapted intervention can be measured through an implementation research approach including collection of costs from health care providers' perspective and health effects in the target population, similar to the study design for Nairobi.