Incentive or deterrent: which encourages greater focus on health and safety in the Victorian construction industry?

The Australian Government commissioned a Royal Commission into the building industry in Australia that reported to Parliament in August 2002. Volume 6 of this report, released in February 2003, discussed certain aspects in occupational health and safety in Australia and leaned toward deterrents as a means of achieving reform. This research defines both incentives and deterrents used to increase awareness of, and improve safety on, building sites in Victoria, a state of Australia. A pilot survey questionnaire was developed following a literature review and industry employer representatives were invited to participate. Industry awareness of Government incentive programmes was found to be low, with less than a quarter stating they read Government strategies. One fund that provides actual research monies into health and safety was known to very few of the respondents. Of the employers surveyed, the majority agreed that financial fines do act as a valid deterrent. Increases in worker compensation premiums were seen as the greatest deterrent due to the effect on company overheads and thus competitive tendering bids. Deterrent programmes were more readily acknowledged by employers as they had an element of self promotion with employers attempting to avoid their application.

Perceptions of the value of site visits in assisting undergraduate learning

This study evaluates the usefulness of site visits in assisting the learning experience of undergraduate students. The research is based on a survey of undergraduates students enrolled in built-environment courses in property and construction. Past research has shown that it is becoming more difficult to provide students with access to building sites to provide learning experiences. While students were positive about the benefits of real site visits, universities have been encouraged to develop virtual approaches to teaching construction technology using photographs, movies and computer simulations.

This strategic research investigates the perceptions of students towards a number of different site visits each with particular characteristics. This was done to examine the most effective use of real site visits within an undergraduate course. The results identified that some aspects of construction technology could be easily replaced by computer simulations and the like. However, other aspects of the curriculum are more effectively taught by retaining real site visits. The research was intended to provide a more structured approach to determining the value of site-based learning in construction related courses.

The value of experiential learning for providing a contextual understanding of the construction process

This research investigates effectiveness of real site visits within an undergraduate course. Experiential learning is a process of providing education, based on the experiences and observations of real-world examples. Some of the theory of experiential learning has been used to examine whether site visits assist the students learning experience.

The results of the research show that students generally have a positive attitude towards site visits and see them as beneficial. Although the study identified that some aspects of construction technology could be easily replaced by computer simulations and the like, other aspects of the curriculum are more effectively taught by retaining real site visits. The research was intended to provide a more structured approach to determining the value of site-based learning in construction-related courses.

Balancing risk? First year performing arts students’ experience of a community arts event

This study examines participants’ responses to first year students’ street performances as a non-placement work-integrated learning (WIL) activity over a two year period. The purpose of the study was to determine: (1) community perception, (2) continuous improvement, and (3) future needs. Data was collected through surveying participants’ post-viewing of the street performances, students’ reflective notes, and a recorded focus group interview. The findings indicated that audience members require additional assistance to value the students’ street performances. The results revealed that students require more guidance around researching the sites of practice, understanding group work dynamics, relaxation methods, intra- and interpersonal skill development, conflict resolution and how to effectively build community relations with the local government Council. From the findings, specific recommendations for continual improvement are made. These include offering an explanation of the street performances’ historical and aesthetic connections to the building sites for audience members, affording battery operated body-microphones and light rostrum for improved sight lines, delivering group dynamics information and arranging opportunities for students to engage more effectively with the Council. While the recommendations in this study are intended to advance the field of research that evaluates non-placement WIL performing arts curriculum in higher education, the findings are relevant to any group-based performance activity in learning and teaching.

Building commitment through integrating employees

Corporate collapses of past decade have affected all stakeholders through a loss of public confidence, loss of jobs and loss of shareholders' funds. We have seen poor business decisions, extravagant business acquisitions, lack of attention to detail, exorbitant directors fees, lack of board scrutiny and inadequate disclosure internationally and in Australia in cases such as Enron, WorldCom, HIH, the Australian Wheat Board, and numerous state banks. This paper analyzes annual reports, web sites and CSR/ Sustainability and Governance reports of twenty selected companies to highlight the position of human resources and labour in their governance frameworks, and by linking the data to Stum's (2001) performance pyramid, evaluates the extent of organizational commitment. It concludes that despite all the rhetoric around employees being stakeholders, employees continue to be viewed as 'outsiders' with governance primarily focused on shareholder concerns. Employees are primarily seen as constituents of legal and regulatory frameworks and employee codes of conduct and lack a position in strategy and effective decisionmaking structures, thereby conveying to employees that they are perceived only as workers, and not as a person (Stum, 2001). Naturally, the organizations fail to win the commitment of their employees.

Study protocol for the translating research in elder care (TREC): Building context through case studies in long-term care project (project two)

Background: The organizational context in which healthcare is delivered is thought to play an important role in mediating the use of knowledge in practice. Additionally, a number of potentially modifiable contextual factors have been shown to make an organizational context more amenable to change. However, understanding of how these factors operate to influence organizational context and knowledge use remains limited. In particular, research to understand knowledge translation in the long-term care setting is scarce. Further research is therefore required to provide robust explanations of the characteristics of organizational context in relation to knowledge use.
Aim: To develop a robust explanation of the way organizational context mediates the use of knowledge in practice in long-term care facilities.
Design: This is longitudinal, in-depth qualitative case study research using exploratory and interpretive methods to explore the role of organizational context in influencing knowledge translation. The study will be conducted in two phases. In phase one, comprehensive case studies will be conducted in three facilities. Following data analysis and proposition development, phase two will continue with focused case studies to elaborate emerging themes and theory. Study sites will be purposively selected. In both phases, data will be collected using a variety of approaches, including non-participant observation, key informant interviews, family perspectives, focus groups, and documentary evidence (including, but not limited to, policies, notices, and photographs of physical resources). Data analysis will comprise an iterative process of identifying convergent evidence within each case study and then examining and comparing the evidence across multiple case studies to draw conclusions from the study as a whole. Additionally, findings that emerge through this project will be compared and considered alongside those that are emerging from project one. In this way, pattern matching based on explanation building will be used to frame the analysis and develop an explanation of organizational context and knowledge use over time. An improved understanding of the contextual factors that mediate knowledge use will inform future development and testing of interventions to enhance knowledge use, with the ultimate aim of improving the outcomes for residents in long-term care settings.

Building genetic networks using relatedness information : a novel approach for the estimation of dispersal and characterization of group structure in social animals

Natal dispersal is an important life history trait driving variation in individual fitness, and therefore, a proper understanding of the factors underlying dispersal behaviour is critical to many fields including population dynamics, behavioural ecology and conservation biology. However, individual dispersal patterns remain difficult to quantify despite many years of research using direct and indirect methods. Here, we quantify dispersal in a single intensively studied population of the cooperatively breeding chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps) using genetic networks created from the combination of pairwise relatedness data and social networking methods and compare this to dispersal estimates from re-sighting data. This novel approach not only identifies movements between social groups within our study sites but also provides an estimation of immigration rates of individuals originating outside the study site. Both genetic and re-sighting data indicated that dispersal was strongly female biased, but the magnitude of dispersal estimates was much greater using genetic data. This suggests that many previous studies relying on mark–recapture data may have significantly underestimated dispersal. An analysis of spatial genetic structure within the sampled population also supports the idea that females are more dispersive, with females having no structure beyond the bounds of their own social group, while male genetic structure expands for 750 m from their social group. Although the genetic network approach we have used is an excellent tool for visualizing the social and genetic microstructure of social animals and identifying dispersers, our results also indicate the importance of applying them in parallel with behavioural and life history data.

Asian Cities: Cultural heritage and the interplay between nation building and internationalism

It is over a decade since the volume The Disappearing Asian City (Logan 2002) was published. An edited volume bringing together a number of experts on the region, the book identified the threats facing buildings, archaeological sites and the historic character of cities, as well as the myriad of challenges of raising civic and regulatory awareness about the value of cultural heritage in times of rapid transformation. It was a set of concerns and arguments that remain as pertinent as ever. Those who have lived and worked in different parts of Asia over the past decade on cultural heritage issues, frequently use the terms 'extraordinary' or 'bewildering' to describe the scale and speed of transformation that has taken place. Indeed, for those concerned about maintaining continuities between past and present - whether they be social, spiritual or material - the development of cities, the wholesale movements of communities in and out of urban landscapes, together with the dramatic increase in industries like tourism, has often been disorienting, and in some cases deeply confronting: both professionally and emotionally. And yet, to focus on loss and destruction would miss a whole set of other fascinating, emergent and important trends. As numerous publications in the intervening period have shown, cultural heritage has become a topic of intense interest and debate in the majority of Asian societies, for a host of reasons (Askew 2010; Broudehoux 2004; Pai 2013).

Flexible and rigid amine-functionalized microporous frameworks based on different secondary building units: supramolecular isomerism, selective CO₂ capture, and catalysis

We report the synthesis, structural characterization, and porous properties of two isomeric supramolecular complexes of ([Cd(NH₂—bdc)(bphz)_0.5 ]⋅DMF⋅H₂O}_n (NH₂ —bdc=2-aminobenzenedicarboxylic acid, bphz=1,2-bis(4-pyridylmethylene)hydrazine) composed of a mixed-ligand system. The first isomer, with a paddle-wheel-type Cd₂ (COO)₄ secondary building unit (SBU), is flexible in nature, whereas the other isomer has a rigid framework based on a μ-oxo-bridged Cd₂(μ-OCO)₂ SBU. Both frameworks are two-fold interpenetrated and the pore surface is decorated with pendant -NH₂ and =N—N= functional groups. Both the frameworks are nonporous to N₂ , revealed by the type II adsorption profiles. However, at 195 K, the first isomer shows an unusual double-step hysteretic CO₂ adsorption profile, whereas the second isomer shows a typical type I CO₂ profile. Moreover, at 195 K, both frameworks show excellent selectivity for CO₂ among other gases (N₂ , O₂ , H₂ , and Ar), which has been correlated to the specific interaction of CO₂ with the -NH₂ and =N—N= functionalized pore surface. DFT calculations for the oxo-bridged isomer unveiled that the -NH₂ group is the primary binding site for CO₂ . The high heat of CO₂ adsorption (ΔH_ads =37.7 kJ mol^-1) in the oxo-bridged isomer is realized by NH₂ ⋅⋅⋅CO₂ /aromatic π⋅⋅⋅CO₂ and cooperative CO₂ ⋅⋅⋅CO₂ interactions. Further, postsynthetic modification of the -NH₂ group into -NHCOCH₃ in the second isomer leads to a reduced CO₂ uptake with lower binding energy, which establishes the critical role of the -NH₂ group for CO₂ capture. The presence of basic -NH₂ sites in the oxo-bridged isomer was further exploited for efficient catalytic activity in a Knoevenagel condensation reaction.

Towards reflexive ethnicity: museums as sites of intercultural encounter

In a highly globalised world with increasing ethno-nationalistic tensions and conflicts, the importance of intercultural education has never been greater. The challenge remains, however, as to whether educating for mutual respect and social cohesion can be achieved through traditional modes of schooling or whether additional approaches that are not necessarily school-centric are required. Drawing on in-depth qualitative data including video diaries, narrative interviews and focus groups with Australian secondary school students and semi-structured interviews with teachers, this paper discusses such an endeavour in which a museum exhibition on identity and belonging is employed as an interactive space for meaningful encounter among students and as a form of professional learning that enlivened teaching practice. Using the concept of reflexive ethnicity, this paper examines whether cognitive and affective encounters outside the ‘school gate’ create opportunities for critical learning about ethnicity that can complement and enhance school curricula and classroom learning. More importantly, the paper explores how the possibility of building on such activities to create and sustain teaching practice can challenge entrenched static notions of ethnicity.The paper concludes that reflexive encounters with ‘difference’ within an interactive museum space can unsettle prejudice and provide a deeper and more meaningful understanding of ethnic identity that goes beyond rote classroom learning.