Coalition formation during technology adoption

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) is a prominent framework that addresses the challenge of organisations to understand and promote the factors that lead to acceptance of new technologies. Nevertheless, our understanding of one of the model's key variables – social influence – remains limited. Drawing upon earlier studies that address the role of referent individuals to technology acceptance, this paper introduces the notion of ‘coalition’ as a social group that can affect the opinion of other members within an organisation. Our empirical study centres on an organisation that has recently decided to introduce Big Data into its formal operations. Through a unique empirical approach that analyses sentiments expressed by individuals about this technology on the organisation's online forum, we demonstrate the emergence of a central referent, and in turn the dynamics of a coalition that builds around this referent as the attitudes of individuals converge upon the Big Data issue. Our paper contributes to existing TAM frameworks by elaborating the social influence variable and providing a dynamic lens to the technology acceptance process. We concurrently offer a methodological tool for organisations to understand social dynamics that form about a newly introduced technology and accelerate its acceptance by employees.

Mining process risks and resource profiles

This research contributes novel techniques for identifying and evaluating business process risks and analysing human resource behaviour. The developed techniques use predefined indicators to identify process risks in individual process instances, evaluate overall process risk, predict process outcomes and analyse human resource behaviour based on the analysis of information about process executions recorded in event logs by information systems. The results of this research can help managers to more accurately evaluate the risk exposure of their business processes, to more objectively evaluate the performance of their employees, and to identify opportunities for improvement of resource and process performance.

The Value of Financial Planning Advice: Process and Outcome Effects on Consumer Well-being [Time 1 and 2 Survey Summary Results]

While anecdotal evidence indicates financial advice affects consumers’ financial well-being, this research project is motivated by the absence of empirically-grounded research relating to the extent to which, and, importantly, how, financial planning advice contributes to broader client well-being. Accordingly, the aim of this project is to establish how the quality of financial planning advice can be optimised to add value, not only to clients’ financial situation, but also to broader aspects of their well-being. This broader construct of well-being captures a range of process and outcome factors that map to concepts of security, control, choice, mastery, and life satisfaction (Irving, 2012; Gallery, Gallery, Irving & Newton, 2011; Irving, Gallery, and Gallery, 2009). Financial planning is commonly purported to confer not only tangible benefits, but also intangible benefits, such as increased security and peace of mind that are considered as important, if not more important, than material outcomes. Such claims are intuitively appealing; however, little empirical evidence exists for the notion that engaging with a financial planner or adviser promotes peace of mind, feelings of security, and expands choices and possibilities. Nor is there evidence signalling what mechanisms might underpin such client benefits. In addressing this issue, we examine the financial planning advice (including financial product advice) provided to retail clients, and consider the short- and longer-term impacts on clients’ financial satisfaction and broader well-being. To this end, we examine both process (e.g., how financial planning advice is given) and outcome (e.g., financial situation) effects.

Hampson type heat-exchanger technology and economic evaluation for LNG re- gasification and power generation At LNG receiving terminals

The system for high utilization of LNG cold energy is proposed by use of process simulator. The proposed design is a closed loop system, and composed by a Hampson type heat exchanger, turbines, pumps and advanced humid air turbine (AHAT) or Gas turbine combined cycle (GTCC). Its heat sources are Boil-off gas and cooling water for AHAT or GTCC. The higher cold exergy recovery to power can be about 38 to 56% as compared to the existing cold power generation of about 20% with a Rankine cycle of a single component. The advantage of the proposed system is to reduce the number of heat exchangers. Furthermore, the environmental impact is minimized because the proposed design is a closed loop system. A life cycle comparative cost is calculated to demonstrate feasibility of the proposed design. The development of the Hampson type exchangers is expected to meet the key functional requirements and will result in much higher LNG cold exergy recovery and the overall system performance i.e. re-gasification. Additionally, the proposed design is expected to provide flexibility to meet different gas pressure suited for the deregulation of energy system in Japan and higher reliability for an integrated boil-off gas system.

Household carbon emission research: An analytical review of measurement, influencing factors and mitigation prospects

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are simultaneously exhausting the world's supply of fossil fuels and threatening the global climate. In many developing countries, significant improvement in living standards in recent years due to the accelerating development of their economies has resulted in a disproportionate increase in household energy consumption. Therefore, a major reduction in household carbon emissions (HCEs) is essential if global carbon reduction targets are to be met. To do this, major Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) states have already implemented policies to alleviate the negative environmental effects of household behaviors and less carbon-intensive technologies are also proposed to promote energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. However, before any further remedial actions can be contemplated, though, it is important to fully understand the actual causes of such large HCEs and help researchers both gain deep insights into the development of the research domain and identify valuable research topics for future study. This paper reviews existing literature focusing on the domain of HCEs. This critical review provides a systematic understanding of current work in the field, describing the factors influencing HCEs under the themes of household income, household size, age, education level, location, gender and rebound effects. The main quantification methodologies of input–output models, life cycle assessment and emission coefficient methods are also presented, and the proposed measures to mitigate HCEs at the policy, technology and consumer levels. Finally, the limitations of work done to date and further research directions are identified for the benefit of future studies.

Analytical study of osteoporosis of maxilla in ovariectomized rats

The project applied analytical facilities to characterize the composition and mechanical properties of osteoporosis in maxillary bone using an ovariectomized rat model. It was found that osteoporotic jaw bone contained different amount of trace elements in comparison with the normal bone, which plays a significant role in bone quality. The knowledge generated from the study will assist the treatment of jaw bone fracture and dental implant placement.

Using collaboration and technology to enhance Vietnamese students' English language writing skills

This action research study investigated face-to-face and wiki technology collaboration to enhance students' English writing skills in a second language (L2) class in Vietnam. The thesis is underpinned by socio-cultural theory and argues that collaborative learning using wikis led to an enhancement in L2 writing skills. The findings show that collaborating via wikis challenged traditional L2 writing pedagogy in the following ways: increased student autonomy; understanding formative feedback; and awareness of process writing, genre and audiences. This study contributes practical knowledge about affordances and constraints of collaborative writing using wikis in Vietnam and other countries where traditional pedagogies are prevalent.

Authorisation management in business process environments: An authorisation model and a policy model

This thesis provides two main contributions. The first one is BP-TRBAC, a unified authorisation model that can support legacy systems as well as business process systems. BP-TRBAC supports specific features that are required by business process environments. BP-TRBAC is designed to be used as an independent enterprise-wide authorisation model, rather than having it as part of the workflow system. It is designed to be the main authorisation model for an organisation. The second contribution is BP-XACML, an authorisation policy language that is designed to represent BPM authorisation policies for business processes. The contribution also includes a policy model for BP-XACML. Using BP-TRBAC as an authorisation model together with BP-XACML as an authorisation policy language will allow an organisation to manage and control authorisation requests from workflow systems and other legacy systems.

Radical nursing and the emergence of technique as healthcare technology

The integration of technology in care is core business in nursing and this role requires that we must understand and use technology informed by evidence that goes much deeper and broader than actions and behaviours. We need to delve more deeply into its complexity because there is nothing minor or insignificant about technology as a major influence in healthcare outcomes and experiences. Evidence is needed that addresses technology and nursing from perspectives that examine the effects of technology, especially related to increasing demands for efficiency, the relationship of technology to nursing and caring, and a range of philosophical questions associated with empowering people in their healthcare choices. Specifically, there is a need to confront in practice the ways technique influences care. Technique is the creation of a kind of thinking that is necessary for contemporary healthcare technology to develop and be applied in an efficient and rational manner. Technique is not an entity or specific thing, but rather a way of thinking that seeks to shape and organize nursing activity, and manage efficiently individual difference(s) in care. It emphasizes predetermined causal relationships, conformity, and sameness of product, process, and thought. In response is needed a radical vision of nursing that attempts in a real sense to ensure we meet the needs of individuals and their community. Activism and advocacy are needed, and a willingness to create a certain detachment from the imperatives that technique demands. It is argued that our responsibility as nurses is to respond in practice to the errors, advantages, difficulties, and temptations of technology for the benefit of those who most need our assistance and care.

Complex symbolic sequence clustering and multiple classifiers for predictive process monitoring

This paper addresses the following predictive business process monitoring problem: Given the execution trace of an ongoing case,and given a set of traces of historical (completed) cases, predict the most likely outcome of the ongoing case. In this context, a trace refers to a sequence of events with corresponding payloads, where a payload consists of a set of attribute-value pairs. Meanwhile, an outcome refers to a label associated to completed cases, like, for example, a label indicating that a given case completed “on time” (with respect to a given desired duration) or “late”, or a label indicating that a given case led to a customer complaint or not. The paper tackles this problem via a two-phased approach. In the first phase, prefixes of historical cases are encoded using complex symbolic sequences and clustered. In the second phase, a classifier is built for each of the clusters. To predict the outcome of an ongoing case at runtime given its (uncompleted) trace, we select the closest cluster(s) to the trace in question and apply the respective classifier(s), taking into account the Euclidean distance of the trace from the center of the clusters. We consider two families of clustering algorithms – hierarchical clustering and k-medoids – and use random forests for classification. The approach was evaluated on four real-life datasets.

Owning the new economy: A guide to intellectual property management for Australia's clean technology sector

Australia's history of developing and managing the intellectual property rights of domestic innovations is – at best – mixed. The relevant immaturity of Australia's public sector commercialisation infrastructure has, over recent decades, been the subject of both stinging academic commentary and not insubstantial juridical disbelief. That said, improvements have been observed, and increasingly, private sector involvement in public sector innovation has allowed for a deepening refinement of domestic approaches to IP retention and ongoing management. Rather than a bare critique of Australia's IP management track-record, or a call for specific law reform, this manual engages at a more practical level some of the foundational questions that ought be asked by entities involved in the 'cleantech' industries. Beginning simply at what is IP and why it matters, this manual examines the models of IP management available to market participants around the world. The process of IP management is defined and assessed through a commercial lens; assessing the 'pros' and 'cons' of each management choice with a view to equipping the reader to determine which approach may be best adapted to their given clean tech project. The manual concludes with a brief survey of alternative models of Intellectual Property management, including relevant examples from overseas and prominent suggestions arising out of the academic discourse. It appears inevitable that the global warming challenge will prompt specific legislative, regulatory and multi-lateral responses by nation states, however, the ultimate form of any such response remains a highly contested political and social issue. Accordingly, the structure of this manual, and the discussion points raised herein, seek introduce the reader to some of the more contentious debates occurring around the world at the intersection between IP and climate change.

A theory of process modelling affordances

This thesis studies how conceptual process models - that is, graphical documentations of an organisation's business processes - can enable and constrain the actions of their users. The results from case study and experiment indicate that model design decisions and people's characteristics influence how these opportunities for action are perceived and acted upon in practice.

Evaluating business process compliance management frameworks

This research contributes a formal framework to evaluate whether existing CMFs can model and reason about various types of normative requirements. The framework can be used to determine the level of coverage of concepts provided by CMFs, establish mappings between CMF languages and the semantics for the normative concepts and evaluate the suitability of a CMF for issuing a certification of compliance. The developed framework is independent of any specific formalism and it has been formally defined and validated through the examples of such mappings of CMFs.

Non-linear and linear postulations of technology adoption determinants

Using polynomial regression and response surface analysis to examine the non-linearity between variables, this study demonstrates that better analytical nuances are required to investigate the relationships between constructs when the underlying theories suggest non-linearity. By utilising the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Ettlie’s adoption stages as well as employing data gathered from 162 owners of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), our findings reveal that subjective norms and attitude have differing influences upon behavioural intention in both the evaluation and trial stages of the adoption.

Coping with information silos: An examination of the medication management process in residential aged care facilities (RACFs)

The aim of this study was to examine the actions of geographically dispersed process stakeholders (doctors, community pharmacists and RACFs) in order to cope with the information silos that exist within and across different settings. The study setting involved three metropolitan RACFs in Sydney, Australia and employed a qualitative approach using semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations and artefact analysis. Findings showed that medication information was stored in silos which required specific actions by each setting to translate this information to fit their local requirements. A salient example of this was the way in which community pharmacists used the RACF medication charts to prepare residents' pharmaceutical records. This translation of medication information across settings was often accompanied by telephone or face-to-face conversations to cross-check, validate or obtain new information. Findings highlighted that technological interventions that work in silos can negatively impact the quality of medication management processes in RACF settings. The implementation of commercial software applications like electronic medication charts need to be appropriately integrated to satisfy the collaborative information requirements of the RACF medication process.