Issues in developing e-health systems: an Australian case study

Over the last few years, perceptions of the importance of eHealth have increased rapidly, together with the use of IS&T in the delivery of health and social services. Although “e” approaches to health and social services have much potential, they are not panaceas, and the use of new technologies in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of such systems cannot be considered in isolation from their wider context. eHealth systems remain complex socio-organisational systems and, as we will argue and illustrate through this case study, require that a balanced approach to feasibility and desirability analysis be taken.

The case study in this paper describes a feasibility study into the potential effectiveness of a smartdevice-based electronic data collection and payment system which was proposed for the provision of disability services. A key finding of the study was that the most significant impediment to such a system was the highly diffused, fragmented, interlocking organisational structure of the social service administration itself. Rather than raise issues specific to the implementation or diffusion of new technologies in designing e-health services, it raised issues associated with decision making and control in such an environment, and with the design of the underlying organisational system: for service provision, the level of detail required in the service data, and the locus of decision-making power among the stakeholders.

In our account we illustrate the existence of multiple, incommensurate but valid perceptions of the human service provision problem, and discuss the implications for developers or managers of information systems in the arena of e-health or governance. We examine this environment from sociological and information systems perspectives, and confirm the usefulness of socio-organisational approaches in understanding such contexts.

Employee development strategies in the B2C banking environment: two Australian case studies

The implementation of technology and, in particular, eCommerce technologies has had unforeseen consequences for the relationship between managers and employees. To be able to operate in an increasingly global and competitive environment, retail banks have had to develop new ways of dealing with their employees. Issues have arisen that have necessitated a rethink in the way employees interact with customers and this, in turn, has required changes to human resource strategies. The question we address in this paper is what are the employee capabilities and qualities retail banks must develop to satisfy both more sophisticated customers (who demand flexibility of interactions, responsiveness and convenience) as well as the organisation’s own needs (including expanded sales opportunities, cost containment or reduction and customer loyalty) when implementing eCommerce technologies. The paper discusses two case studies illustrating some of the issues with which banks, as service organisations, have had to deal. These two banks have taken rather different approaches in their use of technology to interact with their customers and this has implications for the way they manage their employees who deal with those customers.

Technology and marginalization: a case study of the limited adoption of the intranet at a state-owned organisation in rural Australia

Taking a critical theory approach and the pluralist view of technology, this paper examines the problems in organizational communication that arose due to the implementation of a limited intranet electronic mail system as the main channel of communication between a rural stateowned organization and its city-based Head Office, installed at the sole discretion of the latter.
The intranet was provided only to the administration division and managers of some units due to financial constraints. This required others to receive information carried via the intranet through a gatekeeper who due to information and work overload, failed to disseminate the information effectively and efficiently. Using a combination of qualitative data collection methods, this study found that the intranet had marginalized those without access to it and reinforced the privileged position of those already with higher status within the organization, contrary to the utopian predictions
of new technologies as leading to social equality.

Mentoring volunteer festival managers : evaluation of a pilot scheme in regional Australia

Festival managers in regional locations often have limited access to didactic experiences in their field. As such, developing strategies that enhance the skills of festival management in regional locations can be challenging. This paper, set within the context of the Australian regional arts festival sector, evaluates a pilot mentoring scheme developed by Regional Arts Victoria and Arts Victoria to assist volunteer festival managers to enhance the management, and focus the artistic direction, of their festivals. The results of the evaluation, based on six case studies, indicate that mentoring is highly suited to this scenario. Recommendations are made with regard to the future application of mentoring within this context, particularly in relation to communication and formalisation.

Overseas Chinese as expatriate managers in China: is their recruitment a solution to cross-cultural management problems for multinationals operating in China?

This paper examines the issue of diversity in Chinese identity and how it impacts on the operations of multinationals in China who recruit Overseas Chinese to handle cross-cultural issues. China’s rapid economic development and entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 made her a formidable player in the global economy and direct foreign investment surged. Yet it is acknowledged that for the foreign investor in China, cross-cultural issues create difficulty at every level, from the interpersonal level relating to communication and negotiation, to the organizational level relating to decision making, human resource management practices, corporate legal institutions and liaison with government institutions. Western multinationals have considered the advantages of posting Overseas Chinese from Southeast Asian countries, Taiwan and Hong Kong to their China operations as a solution to cross-cultural management issues. But has this policy been successful? In terms of language expertise this would seem to be a good strategy, yet organizational case material contradicts this in reality. Overseas Chinese, while sharing some elements of Chinese culture with mainland Chinese, the Confucian heritage and other aspects such as language and diet, nevertheless have different world views and values and behave differently from mainland Chinese in areas critical to business management. As a survival strategy, Overseas Chinese have often developed dual identities which operate simultaneously. For political and historical reasons, many of them have had to adapt to the local culture of their country of citizenship or even hide their own ethnicity in order to survive. On the other hand, the mainland Chinese are different in that their behaviour has only had to be Chinese, but overlaid with this has been the experience of participating in a communist political environment for decades, which has left its mark on mainland Chinese culture. On the basis of their different historical experiences, in the current business environment in China, cultural confusion, difficulty and conflict may occur for the Overseas Chinese.

This paper focuses attention on the subtle cultural differences between the Overseas Chinese and mainland Chinese in an organizational context. This problem has yet to be researched in depth within international business and international management studies. It provides evidence that Overseas Chinese are not often favoured by the local Chinese. It gives insights on how to manage the local Chinese for foreign multinationals operating in China.

Managing sport in drought-new stakeholders and new governance issues : a case study

Globally, almost every nation is facing some form of water crisis (World Commission on Water 2000). In Australia, the sport and recreation industry is one of the highest consumers of water. Other high water consuming industries (such as agriculture and farming) have been forced to adhere to strict managerial and governance reform due to the water crisis, yet in the sport and recreation industry, such changes are yet to be implemented and fully realised across the sector.

This research examines the impacts of drought and sustainable water management for sport and recreation. Specifically, it provides a case study of sport and recreation provision in a municipality that has already undergone considerable reform due to long-term drought. Sport and recreation use water for purposes such as irrigation of playing fields/pitches, filling swimming pools, stadium amenities and facilities, kitchens, maintenance and cleaning, and clubhouse amenities.

For sports that are heavy users of water for the maintenance of playing fields (such as soccer, Australian Rules football, rugby league, rugby union, grass and clay tennis courts to name a few) the impacts of drought and water restrictions have been severe. Some sports have reported an increase in the risk of injury to participants because of the condition of un-watered playing fields (Sport and Recreation Victoria 2007). Others have been forced to delay or shorten their seasons (Sleeman 2007), or worse still, cancel training and organised competition completely (Connolly and Bell 2007). While the impact of water restrictions has been profound on most sports, there are some sports that are not heavy water users and the impact of drought and water restrictions has been minimal. This problem creates issues and apparent inequities raising the need to further examine water consumption in sport and recreation. The potential outcome that arises is that the future of those sports that cannot conduct their competitions may be disadvantaged, while other sports that do not have such problems may be able to flourish.

Water, and those who control the supply of it, then defines which sports are able to flourish and sustain sport development pathways, compared to those whose survival may be in jeopardy. This research explores the stakeholder management and governance issues that have resulted for sport and recreation in the City of Greater Geelong (CoGG) located in Victoria, Australia--a region in long-term water crisis. The supply of sport and recreation facilities in the CoGG (like most municipalities in Australia) is largely the responsibility of the municipal council. The corporation responsible for the supply of water to the municipality is Barwon Water.

Although other sport and recreation facilities exist in the CoGG, the municipal council of CoGG owns and maintains over 120 sporting ovals (including the stadium used by its professional Australian Football League (AFL) team, the Cats), six swimming pools, and three golf courses. The CoGG host their professional AFL team, a range of local, national and international sport events, and provide a wide range of sport and recreation facilities for the community residents.

Eight interviews were conducted in total. Interviews were conducted with representatives from CoGG municipal council (who are responsible for the delivery of sport and recreation services and facilities in Geelong), and representatives from Barwon Water (who are responsible for the ongoing provision and maintenance of sport and recreation services and facilities) through the provision of water. Results show that the ten highest users of water in the municipality are sport and recreation facilitieswhich between them use almost one-third of the city's total water consumption (City of Greater Geelong 2006).

The municipal council is under considerable pressure to find ways to continue to provide sport and recreation opportunities for community members, as well as professional athletes and teams who use these facilities despite water restrictions. After all, these facilities provide benefit to spectators and participants, as well as businesses that rely on visitors to Geelong for sport and recreation events.

Due to such pressures, from 2007, the CoGG and Barwon Water agreed to provide the sport and recreation sector with water allocations rather than to be denied of all water under the water restriction regimes in place in the municipality. During 2007 summer sport season, this allowed the CoGG to keep 16 of its 120 sporting ovals open for participation through allocating all available water to these fields in order to keep them safe and playable. However, CoGG and Barwon Water were required to devise a rating scale to determine which sports (and sport facilities) were to share the allocated water, and which were not. These decisions also had knock on effects through sports. In order to ensure the safety of the playing surfaces, the CoGG and Barwon Water also restricted use of fields to competition only, therefore sport participants were forced to train on local beaches and other parkland areas-transferring issues of safety and public liability to other locations and facilities in the community. Further, it was reported that scheduling of competition seasons and individual matches; as well as the allocation of "home ground" gate receipts and concessions profits were required to be governed by the CoGG and Barwon Water as the competing sports were unable to agree. Perhaps more importantly, the rating scale developed for water allocation also resulted in some sports being rated as ineligible for water and as a result were unable to stage their entire competitions.

Clearly, the water allocation rating scale, and approach taken in this municipality to the continued delivery of sport and recreation has provided a workable solution. However, this study also signals that new stakeholders have entered the arena for the governance of sport. Governance structures in sport and recreation are being impacted as a result of the water crisis.

Those making decisions about which sport and recreation activities and/or facilities will be assisted with water resources are being made by local councils and water corporations. Sport managers are being required to understand existing areas of knowledge (such as turf management) in different ways, to gain knowledge in new areas (such as sustainable water management), and to lobby new stakeholder groups (such as water corporations) in order to secure their futures. The continued existence of some sports is no longer in the hands of governing bodies, but in the hands of local councils, and water corporations.

Clearly, any of the solutions implemented as discussed above, require multiple stakeholders to interact, and to reach agreement in order to assist in sustainable management of water in sport and recreation. In this sense, the management of water in sport (and all other industries) is more than a rational decision about policy, legislation, restrictions and resource allocations. It is a social and political process requiring scholarly attention for practical solutions.

Ethical, economic and efficient sector : is it a gamble? The case of New Zealand Health

The New Zealand public sector has gone through major reform as a result of fiscal deficit in 1984 (KettI, 1997; Schwartz, 1997), resulting in shift of emphasis from quality service provision to establishing financial supremacy (Kettl, 1997). This raises concern as to how public sector employees are attaining balance between their service objectives with financial ones and how is the ethics negotiated in this process. Following this concern, this paper focuses on determining the organisational variables consisting of organisational policies in the District Health Boards (DHBs) and hospitals of New Zealand on ethical behaviours of managers and the ethical climate of these departments. The aim of this study is to increase our understanding of the ethical climate of the public health. Our findings suggest that little emphasis has been provided to the aspect of ethics in New Zealand health sector. There is no reward for employees who exhibit exemplary ethical behaviour, no hot line to consult/report about ethics, any detailed guidelines and policies, and not enough ethics-related training provided to staff.

The business case for incorporating sustainability in office buildings : the adaptive reuse of existing buildings

The effect of climate change and global warming has received increased attention in society with constant reminders about the importance of energy efficiency and sustainability in buildings. Whilst the focus is often placed on smaller items such as plastic bags, air conditioners and motor vehicles, the emphasis has recently shifted to structures in the built environment. Office buildings have been identified as contributing significantly to global warming during their building lifecycle with a substantial contribution to CO2 omissions. In response, building designs and construction techniques have evolved over time to improve energy efficiency and reduce CO2 omissions. Whilst property valuers, managers and analysts must remain up-to-date regarding changes, relatively little research has been conducted about whether and how increased sustainability, such as signified in a Green Star rating affects a property’s highest and best value and long-term lifecycle. This study investigates the degree to which sustainability is understood in the property marketplace, especially in relation to property values with the emphasis placed on a cost- benefit analysis from both an owner’s and tenant’s perspective. Whilst it may be argued that incorporating sustainability into a new office building is cost prohibitive on a financial cost-benefit analysis, often various minor steps can be taken to upgrade the sustainability of an existing building. This project examines recent trends in capital expenditure to increase the sustainability of offices and where Green Star ratings have been applied to establish whether any corresponding increase in value is evident. In order to develop a researchframework, a thorough literature review will be conducted of recent Australian and overseas studies. This will enable links between sustainability and office buildings to be highlighted, and vitally how they affect a property’s value in both the short and long-term.

Office buildings and the environment : the increasing role of facility managers

The Australian commercial stock emits 12% of all greenhouse gas emissions however the commercial property market has some inherent barriers to sustainability (DSE, 2005). A substantial proportion of the stock is owned by institutional investors who are unconvinced by the need to improve their stock and pass on running costs to tenants (Callender & Key, 1997). The links between the built environment and sustainability issues such as fossil fuel consumption and climate change is clear. In developed countries buildings contribute around half of all carbon dioxide emissions and offer considerable scope for a significant contribution to sustainability through ecologically aware design and increased energy efficiency (BRE, 1996). As capital values are not greatly affected by sustainability, owners react by doing little or nothing and the effect is to limit sustainability-related investment and undermine efforts to deliver sustainability in the sector. Facility managers are in an influential position to help address sustainability issues via an increased awareness of energy efficiency and CO2 emissions.

Even though the efficiency of buildings is primarily focused on new stock, with an existing churn replacement rate of approximately 2-3% the existing stock must be improved if urban built environment greenhouse gas emissions are to be reduced – clearly the management of existing stock must therefore contribute to substantial savings in energy use. Much of the property and surveying research has previously adopted an illustrative case study approach advocating the benefits of ESD and energy efficiency in existing buildings. This research adopts a radically different approach and profiles the entire office stock of a global CBD, namely Melbourne, which is seeking to become a carbon neutral city by 2020 (City of Melbourne, 2003). The research also employs scenario forecasting to model future changes to the stock over a fifteen year period. This paper sets out the rationale for the research and establishes the methodological approach adopted by the research team. The results provides a unique insight into the variations between different building types and grades of office buildings, which in turn will allow facility managers to gain a better understanding of where gains in energy efficiency can be made.

Using competencies in human resource management : case studies in Australian companies

This study investigated the use of competencies for human resource management in seven Australian companies. Despite advocacy for the use of competencies by Government Committees and Task Forces (For example Carmichael (1992), Mayer, (1992) and Karpin, 1995), and the existence of competency standards for eighty per cent of the Australian workforce, the competency approach has not been widely adopted. A review of the literature indicated that the term competency had several meanings with different implications for its use depending on the meaning. The study looked at how individuals have defined the term and applied the approach to human resource management practices. Interviews were conducted with Human Resource and Training managers, and operative staff in companies using competencies. How they defined the term, described the rationale for using competencies, and applied competencies to selection, training, performance appraisal and remuneration were determined. Case studies were written for each company to describe their particular application of competencies. Competencies were found to be defined in several ways by those interviewed. Some advantages of using competencies in human resource management applications were found. The amount of work involved in introducing the competency approach was described as a reason why competencies have not been more widely adopted.

Sustainability in online communities of practice : the case study of a group of Secondary School Educators in Victoria

This paper reports on Information Technology (IT) secondary school educators in Victoria and their involvement in an online community of practice. It examined the social effects of the online mailing list technology on their participation and factors that influenced their collaboration with other colleagues. In mapping these elements, the motivations of educators and the effects on online communities of practice can be distilled and then used to build and sustain other architectures of participation. It was found that mailing list subscribers seem to trade a currency of support, thoughts, ideas and answers, which helped them in their day-to-day teaching. Online communities of practice provide a convenient way to keep up professional networks while continuing to stay abreast with subject specific knowledge and skills. The findings of this case study may be generalised to other educational mailing lists to guide designers and managers and inspire educators to join and ultimately benefit from these text based online environments.

Overseas Chinese as expatriate managers in China : is their recruitment a solution to cross-cultural management problems for multinationals operating in China?

The rapid economic development has gravitated businesses into the Chinese market. It’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 made her an even more formidable player in the global economy and direct foreign investment surged. Yet it is acknowledged that for the foreign investor in China, cross-cultural issues create difficulty at every level, from the intercultural level relating to communication and negotiation, to the organizational level relating to decision making, human resource management practices, corporate legal institutions and dealing with governments. Western multinationals have considered the advantages of posting overseas Chinese, from Southeast Asian countries, Taiwan Hong Kong and etc. But has this policy been successful? In terms of language expertise and cultural literacy this would seem to be a good strategy, yet organizational case material contradicts this in reality. Overseas Chinese, while sharing some elements of Chinese culture with mainland Chinese, the Confucian heritage and other aspects such as language, diet, etc, nevertheless have different world views and values and behave differently from mainland Chinese in areas critical to business management. As a survival strategy, overseas Chinese often developed dual identities operating simultaneously. For many of them, for political and historical reasons, they have had to adapt to the local culture or even hide their own ethnicity in order to survive. On the other hand, the mainland Chinese are different in the sense that their behaviour has only had to be Chinese, but overlaid with this has been the experience of participating in a communist political environment for decades, which has left its mark on mainland Chinese culture. On the basis of this, in the current business environment in China confusion, difficulties and conflict may occur for the overseas Chinese. This paper aims to provide insights of the cultural differences between the overseas Chinese and mainland Chinese. It provides evidence that overseas Chinese are not often favoured by the local Chinese. This problem has yet to be researched in depth within international business and international management studies. It draws the attention to issues on how to manage the local Chinese.

Towards a framework for implementing individual funding based on an Australian case study

Although individual funding is increasingly being used around the globe as a mechanism to fund social care, its implementation is proving to be problematic and implementation strategies are not well developed. This paper proposes a framework for the successful introduction and implementation of individual funding programs based on the analysis of data collected in a qualitative case study conducted in an Australian not-for-profit disability agency over a 4-year period from 2003 to 2007. Data were gathered through participant observation and interviews with program participants and managers, and the findings were validated with those involved. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory is used to analyze the findings from a micro, meso, exo, and macro perspective. The following factors were found to be important for successful implementation: the meaningful involvement of the person with disability in decision-making; adequate resources; access to information and appropriate supports; suitable activities being available; knowledge of policies and procedures; policies ensuring oversight and responsible accountability; employment conditions for workers being safeguarded; and support for staff and managers to adjust to their new roles. Knowledge of effective implementation strategies is important for disability agencies and for governments promoting individual funding because this radically different funding arrangement requires new implementation strategies.

Integrating knowledge systems in local coastal management; the case of an estuary entrance management support system (EEMSS) in Australia

The management of social, economic, and ecological assets in coastal zones is fundamental to the maintenance and sustainability of coastal resources. A significant issue in this discussion is the role of governance structures. In Australia the governance of the coastal zone includes a range of institutional authorities, processes, and procedures that set the context for decision making about coastal management. As well as the formal institutional arrangements there is also a maze of other interests such as development commissions, NGOs, Indigenous Native Title holders and other stakeholders including recreational interests. A major issue for governance arrangements is the considerable gap that often exists between how those interests interpret and develop their positions especially when the knowledge is derived from different systems – scientific, managerial, lay and indigenous. This paper will explore the development of an Estuary Entrance Management Support System (EEMSS) in south west Victoria Australia. The EEMSS is a decision support tool to assist estuary managers in determining whether to artificially open a river mouth. A significant part of the process adopted was community participation which involved a ‘steps’ approach to engage local community groups and landholders. It is the process of engaging different knowledge systems in a meaningful conversation that has led to a system that now gains support from all of the stakeholders in the management of different estuaries. The paper will discuss the processes that surround the EEMSS and outline some lessons that arise in context of the ‘project state’.

Leadership and culture in Asia : the case of Malaysia

This study advances prior theoretical research by investigating the influence of cultural forces in our understanding of leadership. The research provides new insights by linking transformational and transactional leadership to the Malaysian cultural environment. Using a quantitative approach by administering the multifactor leadership questionnaire MLQ-5x-short, 138 usable responses were analysed. Findings indicate that cultural foundations contribute significantly to transformational leadership behaviours to facilitate the creation of a harmonious leader–subordinate relationship. Furthermore, this study contributes to an understanding of how specific leaders' behaviours are affected by cultural forces, and reveals leadership attributes that are contingent upon dynamic environmental conditions. The study extends beyond the obvious, and reveals subtle yet important culture-specific differences. The Malaysian managers, regardless of gender, show a preference for leading within the transformational leadership framework. This has led us to infer that cultural forces do indeed play an important role in determining leadership styles.