Using internet technology within the organization : a structurational analysis of intranets

Many organizations are implementing Internet technology, specifically Word Wide Web technology, inside the organization in the form of an “organizational Internet” or irttrunet. Intranet technology can unify dispersed computer based information systems in the organization into one rich “system”. Thus, intranets can have a major impact on organizational processes, for example cross-functional information sharing and collaboration. We focus on the social aspects surrounding intranet implementation. We seek to answer how intranet implementations shape and how they are shaped by ‘social structures employed by organizational agents. We adapt structuration theory into an explanatory device to analyze inhanet implementation and we apply it to four cases. We conclude that, intranets are initially more shaped by, rather than shaping social structures, but that this may change over time. The following learning points are condensed: Firstly, intranets are socially constructed and implementers need to be cautious when seeking to transplanting Web technology into an organizational context. Secondly, intranets typically evolve in sophistication over time. Finally, institutionalization is isolated as the key challenge in intranet implementation.

Just schooling : explorations in the cultural politics of teaching

How are classroom relations influenced by the language that teachers use and the stories they tell about their students? Just Schooling is an exercise in the cultural politics of teaching. It invites teachers and interested others to rethink what they know about social justice and to rework how they engage in the practices of teaching (what they say and do), particularly in relation to how these influence the lives of students. Informed by a recognitive view of social justice, Just Schooling analyses the various discourses and ideologies mobilized in classrooms that implicitly and explicitly determine what is understood by (i) the nature and centrality of language, (ii) the purposes and meaning of education, and (iii) the diversity of students, particularly with respect to their gender, race and social class but also their learning dis/abilities. Throughout, the authors argue for a democratization of classroom relations, beginning with students' and teachers' personal lives and connecting these with wider contexts, as a way of addressing the advantages and disadvantages traditionally reproduced by schooling.

Regulatory failure? The case of Crown casino

This is a story of regulatory failure, failed implementation of responsible gambling, failed performance against international best practice benchmarks, targeting of vulnerable groups like senior citizens and patrons served drinks to the point of intoxication and then expelled onto the streets of Southbank.

From design for ecologically sustainability to facilities management through building intelligence and knowledge management

Ecological sustainability basically concerns environmental protection and social benefits. An ecologically sustainable development is based upon reduced energy usage, increased efficiency, and upheld social responsibility; and it should be properly evaluated by financial, environmental and social aspects. Council House 2 (CH2) is claimed to change the way of Australia approaches in ecologically sustainable design and construction. This is the ‘Six-Star design and built’ green star facility assessed by the Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA), and the 10-story city council building was completed and opened in 2006, totally A$11.3 million was invested for the sustainability features. CH2 protects the environment, when it compares with the old council house, and is expected to reduce electricity consumption by 85%; reduce gas consumption by 87%; produce only 13% of the emissions; and reduce water mains supply by 72%. In this paper, the author examines its design reports and the researches paper, in the form of knowledge base, to case-study how the sustainability, effectiveness and efficiency of CH2 work. By leveraging the existing CH2 sustainability knowledge, design and building professions can learn and imitate it in further ‘green’ design without ‘re-inventing the wheel’; facilities executives can also use the existing knowledge to identify steps to boost up the facilities’ operating efficiency.

Equity and technology : a case study

I am researching equitable and socially just teaching practices when using technology for the mathematical learning of disadvantaged and marginalised students in junior secondary school. Using data gathered from teacher interviews and a meeting of teachers, I present a case study of one teachers’ practice. The case suggests that there are some equity considerations for the use of an integrated project approach to teaching mathematics and that whole class problem solving with technology can provide access to mathematical ideas when students have limited access or skills with technology.

Heritage of war

The Heritage of War is an interdisciplinary study of the ways in which heritage is mobilized in remembering war, and in reconstructing landscapes, political systems and identities after conflict. It examines the deeply contested nature of war heritage in a series of places and contexts, highlighting the modes by which governments, communities, and individuals claim validity for their own experiences of war, and the meanings they attach to them.

From colonizing violence in South America to the United States’ Civil War, the Second World War on three continents, genocide in Rwanda and continuing divisions in Europe and the Middle East, these studies bring us closer to the very processes of heritage production. The Heritage of War uncovers the histories of heritage: it charts the constant social and political construction of heritage sites over time, by a series of different agents, and explores the continuous reworking of meaning into the present.

What are the forces of contingency, agency and political power that produce, define and sustain the heritage of war? How do particular versions of the past and particular identities gain legitimacy, while others are marginalised? In this book contributors explore the active work by which heritage is produced and reproduced in a series of case studies of memorialization, battlefield preservation, tourism development, private remembering and urban reconstruction. These are the acts of making sense of war; they are acts that continue long after violent conflict itself has ended.

Poetry descends from the sacred : an interview with Camille Paglia

An interview with writer Camille Paglia is presented. When asked of the people she criticized in her book "Break, Blow, Burn," she says that no name is known in the second half of the book. She also mentions that there has been a estrangement from poetry's visibility in education or even for magazine and newspaper reader. She adds that compared to prose, poetry is more magical.

What's 'childless' got to do with it?

Childlessness is increasing in Australia and has resulted in an upsurge of media commentary on the lives of childless women, This paper investigates the use of the label 'childless' in the Australian print media by drawing meaning and understanding from these representations within the context of pronatalist ideologies. Our analysis suggests that childless(ness) is used as an irrelevant descriptor and as a discreditable attribute, which fudher serves to perpetuate negative othering stereotypes of childless women. This is particularly exemplified through the representation of Australia's Prime Minister Julia Gillard by the print media. This analysis highlights the continued positioning of women in regards to their reproductive status.

Conserving the heritage spaces of Kuala Lumpur : a case study of the old Market Square (Medan Pasar)

Being one of the new Asian mega-cities today, the origins of Kuala Lumpur started as early as 1850s at the confluence between two rivers; Gombak and Klang. The history of Kuala Lumpur changed when tin was discovered in Ampang in I 857. To cater for the need of residents and miners, a small trading post was constructed at the confluence between these two rivers. This business activity expanded eastwards to the Klang River resulting in one of the busiest business centres in Kuala Lumpur. Shophouses were erected and streets formed. These rows of shophouses and streets, with the river located to the west, created a rectangular space, known as the Old Market Square (Medan Pasar) which later became the main focal point of Kuala Lumpur. Today, even though the native senlements, chaotic sheds and huts have totally disappeared, some of the original shophouses, streets and even spaces still exist. However, they are struggling to survive and to maintain their authenticity due to pressures of nearby developments. This article considers the status of the Old Market Square in regard to its historical evolution and its position in contemporary heritage legislation and policy.