Online corporate social responsibility communication by Australian SMEs : a framework for website analysis

There has been almost no IS related corporate social responsibility (CSR) research on small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and most non-IS research does not examine how SMEs use websites to communicate their CSR initiatives. This paper develops and applies a framework to report on the results of an exploratory content analysis of 33 Australian SME websites in the Information Media/Telecommunications and Accommodation/ Food Services sectors which communicate CSR initiatives online.

Factors affecting SMEs' willingness to share knowledge online : a path model

This paper presents the findings of a study of SME owner-managers that examined their willingness to share information online with other members of a local business network. The main variables associated with willingness to share knowledge online were found to be willingness to share information in conventional modes and the intensity with which they used the internet for business activities. A number of other variables were found to be indirectly or unrelated to willingness to share knowledge online. A significant locality effect was also identified which suggests that the social context of the network to which the business belonged influences willingness to share knowledge online. Our work supports previous research which concludes that online knowledge sharing initiatives should enhance relationships within the business network itself as well as the technical aspects of the networking platform and the technical competence of potential users.

Reliability and validity of the system for observing children's activity and relationships during play (SOCARP)

Background: Children frequently engage in diverse activities that are broadly defined as play, but little research has documented children’s activity levels during play and how they are influenced by social contexts. Assessing potentially modifiable conditions that influence play behavior is needed to design optimal physical activity interventions.

Methods: System for Observing Children’s Activity and Relationships during Play (SOCARP) was developed to simultaneously assess children’s physical activity, social group sizes, activity type, and social behavior during play. One hundred and fourteen children (48 boys, 66 girls; 42% overweight) from 8 elementary schools were observed during recess over 24 days, with 12 days videotaped for reliability purposes. Ninety-nine children wore a uni-axial accelerometer during their observation period.

Results: Estimated energy expenditure rates from SOCARP observations and mean accelerometer counts were significantly correlated (r = .67; P < .01), and interobserver reliabilities (ie, percentage agreement) for activity level (89%), group size (88%), activity type (90%) and interactions (88%) met acceptable criteria. Both physical activity and social interactions were influenced by group size, activity type, and child gender and body weight status.

Conclusions: SOCARP is a valid and reliable observation system for assessing physical activity and play behavior in a recess context.

Physical activity levels of Hungarian children during school recess

Objective : The purpose of this study was to examine physical activity levels and patterns of physical activity across daily school recess periods, and the contribution of recess to daily physical activity.

Method : Ninety-eight children (61% boys) from three schools in Hungary had their physical activity quantified using uni-axial accelerometry every 5 s for three consecutive school days (Wednesday to Friday). The proportion of time spent in sedentary, light, moderate-to-vigorous, and vigorous physical activity during 5 daily school recess periods was determined using existing age-appropriate cut-points. The relative contribution of recess to daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was also determined. Data were collected between May and October 2008.

Results : Boys engaged in significantly more light (30.6 ± 5.2%; 27.7 ± 5.1%), moderate-to-vigorous (24.9 ± 8.9%; 17.5 ± 5.2%) and vigorous physical activity (7.6 ± 4.7%; 4.3 ± 2.9%) than girls during recess. Girls (54.8 ± 8.1%) engaged in more sedentary activity than boys (44.5 ± 10.2%). Physical activity levels were generally similar across multiple recess periods. Recess contributed more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity towards weekday physical activity for boys (13.1%) than girls (10.8%).

Conclusions : Since sedentary activity accounted for the largest proportion of recess, interventions may be needed across all recess periods to promote physical activity during the school day.

Children's physical activity levels during school recess : a quasi-experimental intervention study

Background : Recess provides a daily opportunity for children to engage in moderate-to-vigorous (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA). Limited research has investigated the effects of recess-based interventions on physical activity using large sample sizes whilst investigating variables that may influence the intervention effect. The aim of the study was to investigate the short-term effects of a playground markings and physical structures intervention on recess physical activity. A secondary aim was to investigate the effects of covariates on the intervention.

Methods : 150 boys and 147 girls were randomly selected from 26 elementary schools to wear uni-axial accelerometers that quantified physical activity every 5 seconds during recess. Fifteen schools located in deprived areas in one large urban city in England received funding through a national initiative to redesign the playground environment. Eleven schools served as matched socioeconomic controls. Data were collected at baseline and 6-weeks following playground intervention. Recess MVPA and VPA levels adjusted for pupil- and school-level covariates (baseline physical activity, age, gender, recess length, body mass index) were analysed using multilevel analyses.

Results : Positive but non-significant intervention effects were found for MVPA and VPA when confounding variables were added to the model. Gender was a significant predictor of recess physical activity, with boys engaging in more MVPA and VPA than girls. Significant interactions for MVPA revealed that the intervention effect was stronger for younger elementary aged school children compared to older children, and the intervention effect increased as daily recess duration increased.

Conclusion : The playground redesign intervention resulted in small but non-significant increases in children's recess physical activity when school and pupil level variables were added to the analyses. Changing the playground environment produced a stronger intervention effect for younger children, and longer daily recess duration enabled children to engage in more MVPA following the intervention. This study concludes that the process of increasing recess physical activity is complex when school and pupil-level covariates are considered, though they should be taken into account when investigating the effects of playground intervention studies on children's physical activity during recess.

Validation of accelerometer data for measuring impacts during jumping and landing tasks

The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of a commercially-available accelerometer, as used in the field team sports context. Ten adult participants completed two movement tasks: 1) a drop landing task from 30-cm, 40-cm and 50-cm heights [DLAND], and 2) a countermovement jumping task [CMJ]. Peak acceleration values, both smoothed and unsmoothed, occurring in the longitudinal axis [Y] and calculated to produce vector magnitude values [VM], were compared to peak vertical ground reaction force values [VGRF]. All acceleration measures were moderately correlated (r = 0.45 – 0.70), but also significantly higher than weight-adjusted VGRF, for both tasks. Though the raw acceleration measures were mostly above the acceptable limit for error (> 20%), the smoothed data had reduced error margins by comparison, most of which were well below 20%. These results provide some support for the continued use of accelerometer data, particularly when smoothed, to accurately quantify impacts in the field.

Reliability of a gymnastics vaulting feedback system

The current study assessed the intra- and inter-day reliability of a custom-built gymnastics vaulting feedback system. The system is a coach-friendly customized infra-red timing gate and contact timing mat system operated by the coach to augment the feedback provided to gymnasts on their vaulting performance during regular training practice. Thirteen Australian high performance gymnasts (eight males and five females) aged 11-23 years were assessed during two training sessions (Day 1 and Day 2) at their regular training centre. The approach velocity and board contact time measures were found to be reliable measures during vault training, with measures of pre-flight and table contact time less consistent. Future research should examine the validity of these measures as a tool for monitoring vault training.

Models of trust in business-to-consumer electronic commerce : a review of multi-disciplinary approaches

The issue of trust in Internet-based business-to-consumer electronic commerce has been explored from a number of difference perspectives. The current body of research is diverse and fragmented. This paper critically reviews recently published models pertaining to trust in business to consumer e-commerce. For analytical purposes we categorize the literature in three main streams: technological, design and sociological/psychological. Based on our analysis and our own empirical observations we raise four main areas of concern that warrant further research attention: an oversimplification of the trust concept, a uni-directional view of trust, discipline centered approaches to modelling trust and a lack of empirical grounding and testing. In the light of these concerns we recommend avenues for further research.

Differences in physical activity during school recess

BACKGROUND: School recess provides a daily opportunity for physical activity engagement. The purpose of this study was to examine physical activity levels during recess by gender, ethnicity, and grade, and establish the contribution of recess to daily school physical activity levels.
METHODS: Two hundred and ten children (45% boys) from grades 3 to 6 in 4 elementary schools had their physical activity during school quantified using uni-axial accelerometry every 5 seconds for 5 consecutive school days. Data were collected in fall 2009. The proportion of time spent engaged in physical activity during daily school recess was determined using existing age-appropriate cutpoints. The relative contribution of recess to school day physical activity was also determined.
RESULTS: Boys were more active than girls during recess. Girls engaged in more sedentary activity than boys. No main effects for ethnicity were observed. Children in grades 3 and 5 were more active than children in grades 4 and 6. Recess contributed 17.9% and 15.5% toward boys’ and girls’ school day moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, respectively.
CONCLUSION: Children engaged in physical activity during recess, though interventions may be needed to increase the intensity of activity in this context.

Lack of relationship between sedentary behaviour and vascular function in children

Some evidence suggests that sedentary behaviour is independently associated with cardiovascular (CV) risk. Endothelial dysfunction is the earliest detectable manifestation of CVD and a strong independent predictor of CV events. No previous study has examined the relationship between sedentary behaviour and endothelial function. We assessed the basal association between conduit artery endothelial function and sedentary behaviour in children, along with the correlation between changes in sedentary behaviour and endothelial function. We studied 116 children (70$: 10.7 ± 0.3; 46#: 10.7 ± 0.3 years) on two occasions; in the summer (June) and late autumn (November). We assessed endothelial function via flowmediated dilation (FMD) using high-resolution Doppler ultrasound. Sedentary behaviour (SB) was assessed using objective uni-axial accelerometry. At baseline, there were no significant differences between girls and boys for any measured variables with the exception of total physical activity time. FMD was not associated with sedentary behaviour in either group or in the cohort as a whole. Although FMD decreased (10.0 ± 4.3–7.9 ± 3.9%, P\0.001) and SB increased (499.1 ± 103.5–559 ± 81.6 min/day, P\0.001) between the seasons, no relationship existed between changes in these variables. Our data suggest that sedentary behaviour and changes in sedentary behaviour are not associated with endothelial function in children.

An observational approach to testing bi-directional parent–child interactions as influential to child eating and weight

Obesity among children has been on the rise globally for the past few decades. Previous research has centred mainly on self/parent-reported measures examining only uni-directional parental feeding styles and practices. Recent discussions in the literature have raised the importance of bi-directional parent–child interactions in influencing children's weight status. The aims of this paper are to highlight the importance of an observational approach when investigating positive bi-directional parent–child interactions during mealtimes and to outline how these interactions may be linked to positive child eating and weight outcomes. We examine the current literature on self-reported parental patterns and argue for the influential roles of responsiveness, affect and parental control dimensions within the parent–child dyad. Information about the ways in which the parent and the child can influence each other on these dimensions, as observed in parent–child interactions around food, is likely to provide greater insights into the aetiology of childhood obesity.

Wings or winds : inferring bat migration in a stepping-stone archipelago

Eocene ocean currents and prevailing winds correlate with over-water dispersals of terrestrial mammals from Africa to Madagascar. Since the Early Miocene (about 23 Ma), these currents flowed in the reverse direction, from the Indian Ocean towards Africa. The Comoro Islands are equidistant between Africa and Madagascar and support an endemic land vertebrate fauna that shares recent ancestry predominantly with Madagascar. We examined whether gene flow in two Miniopterus bat species endemic to the Comoros and Madagascar correlates with the direction of current winds, using uni- and bi-parentally inherited markers with different evolutionary rates. Coalescence-based analyses of mitochondrial matrilines support a Pleistocene (approximately 180 000 years ago) colonization event from Madagascar west to the Comoros (distance: 300 km) in the predicted direction. However, nuclear microsatellites show that more recent gene flow is restricted to a few individuals flying against the wind, from Grande Comore to Anjouan (distance: 80 km).

Experiencing indigenous East African dance songs : reflections from North West University (South Africa)

After democracy (1994) the doors of teaching and learning in music opened widely to include local indigenous music and culture in South Africa. Since 2005, African music has been a vibrant aspect of the music curriculum within the School of Music, North West University, South Africa. Globally tertiary music educators are challenged to include informal pedagogy of indigenous musics within the formal context of university courses. University music courses in South Africa are still predisposed towards ‘western’ music pedagogies. In October 2012, the School of Music invited a visiting expert in African music and dance to offer onsite teaching and learning of Ugandan dance songs to tertiary students. The initiative to include Ugandan music as part of the teaching and learning workshops on African music at the School of Music was funded by the South African Music Rights Organization. The School of Music has an ongoing policy to invite and include culture bearers to share their skills and expertise with students and academics. Such sharing provides culture bearers the opportunity to transmit much needed skills, which are not often offered by academics. UNESCO (2012) identifies scarce knowledge and skills as intangible heritage.

Community music making in Australia : creating, improvising and performing at the 2012 Lake Bolac Eel Festival

Lake Bolac is a freshwater lake, resulting from one of the volcanic eruptions in the Western district of regional Victoria (Australia). There is an annual migration of eels to it and they have been a local indigenous food source for very many years. Since 2004 there has been a festival to celebrate this event culminating at the Lake Bolac Eel Festival (LBEF). Since 2012, the festival included creative art works and a music workshop by academics from Deakin University (Melbourne, Australia) as a regional partnership with Lake Bolac. The opportunity to exhibit, workshop and perform works as academics and practitioners brought the community together where both contemporary and traditional arts can be preserved, protected and promoted. My paper forms part of a larger creative research project called Flows and Catchments at Deakin University which started in 2011. My study situates itself in creative music making and soundscape within the larger project.

Power plant cooling technologies : hybrid cooling systems can save water

In addition to water saving, the hybrid cooling concept presented in this book also has the potential to improve energy efficiency and possibly reduce CO2 emission by recovering and upgrading the 'waste' energy from the cooling water stream.Yilmaz and Kouzani are at Deakin Uni, Hessami is at Monash Uni, Hu is at Uni of Adelaide.