The role of information and communication technology in the urgent decision making process : a work in progress report

This paper reports part of a study that examines how members of a senior management team in a public sector organisation make decisions under urgency. Four regional managers, who are geographically dispersed around New Zealand were interviewed, either face-to-face or via telephone, regarding their experiences of decision making under urgency.

Preliminary results indicate that only three out of a possible seven steps of a conventional decision making process are used during the urgent decision making process. The study also shows that participants do not fully utilise the information and communication technology available during the decision making process. The implications the findings have for practice and research are discussed.

Accessible telecommunications information for people with communication impairment

Study investigating the telecommunication information needs of people with communication disabilities in Australia. Participants were informed about the project through flyers, letters, e-mail, disability agency contacts, and Web sites. A survey with multiple choice and closed and open-ended items was developed. People with communication disabilities used a hard-copy survey format to facilitate completion. Sixty-five participants age eighteen and over from Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Queensland completed the survey. Preliminary results of the study indicated that the participants requested six text-based adaptations: (1) make information clear and easy to read and understand, (2) use larger print, (3) highlight the key points, (4) use dot points, (5) use visual information, such as photos and communication symbols, and (6) provide a range of oral/audio and visual formats for information. The accessibility characteristics requested by the participants called for the development of text and Web-based formats, and for the development of inclusive design guidelines. The authors concluded that further investigation was required to determine the best possible method of making the information accessible.

A preliminary examination of public opinion in Australia on the use of biometric devices or identifiers in everyday life

Since the September 11,2001 terrorist attacks in New York City, many countries including Australia have been able to justify the use of biometric devices for identification and surveillance of their own citizens and others in the name of national security.

This paper reports on the preliminary findings of a survey that examined Australians' views and experiences with the use of biometric devices in everyday situations in the context of their potential to serve as a 'Panopticon' to keep the nation's citizenry under surveillance. It discusses the adoption of the new communication technology from the point of view of the Justification model that sees technology choice as social
gambling and the pluralist view of technology that sees technology as neutral in itself but as having negative or positive effects on society based on how It is used.

The paper proposes the need for Australian society to balance citizens' right to privacy and civil liberties with the right to stay alive and safe from terrorism and how it may be done with the necessary legal and regulator)' safeguards.

Inhibitors and facilitators for mobile payment adoption in Australia: a preliminary study

With the seamless diffusion and acceptance of mobile phones into people's everyday life as trusted communication devices, businesses have begun exploring their potential as payment devices. In this paper, we report on the findings from a pioneering study conducted in Australia, which explored inhibitors and facilitators in the adoption of mobile phones as payment devices.

Determinants of student readiness for flexible learning : Some preliminary findings

An exploratory study using a questionnaire and focus group interviews was conducted amongst a small sample of first-year, first-semester, undergraduate design students from the Faculty of Art and Design at Monash University, Australia, to determine their readiness for off-campus, flexible, independent learning. The study explores common problems, similarities and differences among learners from South East Asia, other international students, and local Australian students. Findings of the study are presented under five key themes: dependence on the teacher and the classroom environment; flexible learning and working alone; structure; communication; and work patterns. The article details approaches to study of first-year undergraduates taking a creative unit such as design and concludes by discussing the possible cultural attributes that have an impact on the learning as well as related concerns and problems.

Managing commercially-focused collaborative R&D projects : preliminary findings from an Australian survey

Preliminary findings from a 2005 survey of Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) project leaders are presented. The results provide initial insights into the nature and outcomes of commercially-focused CRC projects. Such projects are modest in size and budget, are focused on producing new technologies, and are seen by the partners to be risky. Project teams tend to have the necessary project management capabilities and effective communication processes. The projects are experienced in positive terms by the partners, and positive collaboration experience is associated with positive project outcomes. The preliminary investigation of an initial sample is the first step in a more detailed analysis aimed at testing a theoretical model explaining the factors determining collaboration experience.

Implementing a suitable jobs register in the construction industry : preliminary evidence

This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a job register index to support return to work (RTW) for injured workers in the construction industry. Participants included injured workers (n = 22), supervisors/managers (n = 23), treating practitioners (n = 5), occupational rehabilitation consultants (n = 5), union representatives/occupational health and safety representatives (n = 5), RTW coordinators (n = 2), steering committee members (n = 4) and the designated project officer (n = 1). A pre–post test intact group design was used to evaluate the perceived utility of the job register. A partial set of the sample including injured workers and supervisors/managers participated in the pretrial phase (n = 28) while the trial phase included more numerous stakeholder groups to assess the perceived utility of the register (n = 39). Participants completed surveys that incorporated a number of differing sections including injury description and circumstances, communication and collaboration with others, their overall opinion of the return to work process in general and suggestions for future improvements. Additional questions were designed for those participating in the trial with regards to the efficacy of the register. Data were analysed using analysis of variance procedures with pairwise comparisons of pre–post intervention test means. Alternative job options were seen to be offered more frequently. Communication and cooperation improved post implementation. Supervisors perceived the job register a useful innovation to facilitate RTW. The register represents a new resource to the construction industry with potential for wider application following further study.

Vocal communication at the nest between mates in wild zebra finches : a private vocal duet?

Bird vocal duets are joint displays where two individuals, generally a mated pair, produce temporally coordinated vocalizations. Duets may contribute to pair bond maintenance, mate guarding or collaborative defence of resources. The degree of coordination between mates and the variety of vocalizations, however, vary considerably. Although only 3–4.3% of bird species have been reported to duet, this may be because studies have generally focused on conspicuous duets, and more private forms of duet might have been overlooked. We investigated private vocal communication between mates in wild zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, a gregarious Australian songbird that forms life-long pair bonds. The partners are inseparable unless nest building, incubating or brooding. Using microphones inside nestboxes, we monitored interactive communication between partners at the nest and its variation during different stages of breeding. After periods of separation, partners performed coordinated mutual vocal displays involving specific soft vocal elements that fulfilled all the criteria used to define duets. In addition, using playback experiments, we obtained preliminary results suggesting that these soft calls could allow mate recognition. Thus, we propose that mutual displays at the nest in zebra finches represent private vocal duets and may function to mediate pair bond maintenance.

Safety communication patterns in small work groups – a pilot study using social network analysis

As a project based industry, construction is portrayed through the short term and transitory nature of the industry. This is one of the factors that have been correlated to the poor safety performance of the construction industry. An essential part of safety performance, however, is the effective safety communication between all parties on construction projects. The construction industry is highly regulated due to its high incidence of work-place accidents. This is especially true of smaller building companies/enterprises where the burden of compliance to safety regulations is most onerous. The majority of current research in this topic area has focused on identifying the high risk components or the causes of increased risks. The literature on safety communication network patterns and its relation to safety performance is nevertheless minimal. Thus, this study takes the opportunity to explore the safety communication issue by analyzing the communications patterns in small workgroups. In a pilot study, through surveys with construction crews that are contributing to active construction projects in Sydney, Australia, patterns of safety communications were identified using social network analysis (SNA). The findings, though preliminary, has identified safety communication network patterns under formal communications and toolbox talks may determine a small group’s safety performance.