Resistance: a medium for the successful implementation of technological innovation

Resistance to change has long been recognised as a critically important factor that can influence the success or otherwise of implementing any 'technological innovation. Information technology (IT) focused interventions, for example, business process re-engineering (BPR) and enterprise resource planning (ERP), are often quoted as examples of costly failures, with reported levels of dissatisfaction &middot;with strategic IT investments ranging from 20-70 percent and that employee resistance was to blame. The intention of this chapter is to rethink resistance. The author suggests that resistance remains to this day a complex, multifaceted phenomenon that continues to affect the outcomes of change, both negatively and positively. Although research has procured a solid understanding of resistance- and the benefits that can accrue to an organisation through its proper utilisation, it appears that the classical adversarial approach remains the dominant means ofmanaging resistance because such learning is not reflected in modern management techniques. The author concludes that as companies in every industry are now translating the power and possibilities 0/ e-business into strategic and operational realities, newapproaches in change managementare required to help organisations to understand the complex dynamics o/technological innovation and especially the multifaceted nature o/resistance.<br />

Refugees and residents: densities and habitat preferences of lorikeets in urban Melbourne

Lorikeet densities were measured across four habitat types in urban Melbourne. Musk Glossopsitta concinna and Rainbow Lorikeets Trichoglossus haematodus were shown to preferentially use established streetscapes with predominantly native vegetation. The high densities of Musk Lorikeets recorded possibly reflect a paucity of flowering in Victorian BoxIronbark forests during the autumnlwinter of 2002 and the availability of supplementary nectar resources in the urban environment. Future planting decisions in recently developed streetscapes will dictate the long-term resource potential for lorikeets and other nectarivores in urban Melbourne.<br />

Technological disadvantage of the digital age

Debates continue about the relative benefits, costs and risks of the diffusion of computer-based technologies throughout society and schooling. One area that has received considerable attention is gender equity. Early work on gender and computers focused on differences between male and female access and use (e.g. Huff, Fleming &amp; Cooper, 1992; Kirkman, 1993; Morritt, 1997; Nelson &amp; Cooper, 1997; Sofia, 1993), with concerns focused on the potential for girls to be disadvantaged. In some respects, it is arguable that problems of gender equity in schools with respect to computers have been overcome. For example, in a small study I conducted in two New Zealand senior primary classrooms in 2003, I found that both boys and girls were motivated to use computers and appeared to have equal opportunities to access computers in the classroom. The students in my study expressed a belief in the importance of using computers, and this belief can also be discerned from educational policy and media coverage.<br />In this paper I argue that, although gender by itself no longer appears to be a source of disadvantage in terms of access to and use of computers in schools, many questions about technology, schooling and power relations still remain unanswered. I present two alternative viewpoints on the new digital age. First, I explore Melanie Stewart Millar&rsquo;s (1998) analysis of digital discourse as one which reproduces the power of white, middle-class, educated, well-paid males, and excludes anything else it considers &lsquo;Other&rsquo;. Second, I review arguments that the digital age has provided sites for the transcendence of traditional hierarchies and inequalities (e.g. Spender, 1995). I conclude that, despite the discrepancies between these two viewpoints, both concur that technological disadvantage will exacerbate any existing inequality that might result from intersections of identity categories, such as, gender, ethnicity, age, and socio-economic status.<br />

Practicality of a technological tool for the teaching of the first year psychology students

The current paper discusses the applicability of an online manual for the teaching of first year psychology laboratory programs and compares it with conventional teaching methods. For the first time, in 2001, the manual for the first year program was made available via a website. This method was in contrast to the text manual that was utilised previously. When the text manual was used, students needed to bring it each week to class. However, with the online manual, students were required to be cognisant of several aspects of the week's laboratory agenda prior to attending the class and did not have immediate access to the manual in class. This was quite uncustomary to both students and staff members and therefore necessitated a great amount of time to be spent reviewing the contents of the week's work before attending class. It also caused inconvenience both in terms of students not having ready access to necessary information, and staff having to photocopy bulk information as and when required. What was discovered at the end of the semester was that a technological tool, because of its ability to provide easy access, may not be applicable to teach all subjects, particularly not the psychology lab program, and hence a thorough evaluation of the practicality of the device is required prior to adoption. <br />

Technological change in the postproduction film industry

Technological change in the postproduction film and television industry has affected workers differently depending on age, gender, experience and reputation.<br />

Culture-based fisheries in small reservoirs in northern Vietnam: effect of stocking densities and species combinations

This study was conducted in 20 reservoirs, ranging in size from 4 to 30 ha, in the mountainous, northern region of Vietnam, in ThaiNguyen and YenBai provinces, over two growth cycles in 2002/03 and 2003/04. The reservoirs are leased by farmers for fishery activities from the provincial administration, and the trials were managed by the lessee farmers. Three species combinations in ratios (by fingerling weight) of grass carp: silver carp: bighead carp: common carp: mrigal 1:2:1:1:3 (A), 1:3:1:1:2 (B) and 1:2:1:1:2 (C) were used as seed stock. The overall mean yield of stocked fish in 2002/03 and 2003/04 growth cycles in reservoirs in ThaiNguyen and YenBai provinces was 165 (&plusmn;21) and 190 (39), and 287 (&plusmn;22) and 325 (&plusmn;24) kg ha^&minus;1 respectively. The yield in reservoirs in both provinces, in both growth cycles and irrespective of the species combinations, increased in relation to stocking density. In reservoirs in ThaiNguyen Province, the species combination B gave the lowest yield (both growth cycles and overall), and differed significantly (<i>P</i>&lt;0.05) from combinations A and C. The stocking efficiency (ratio of the yield of stocked fish in kg ha^&minus;1 to the weight of the stocked fish in kg ha^&minus;1) in reservoirs in ThaiNguyen Province ranged from 2.9 to 5.1 over the two growth cycles and that in YenBai from 2.8 to 3.9. There was no discernible trend between growth cycles and/or between species combinations. The major cost incurred was for fingerling procurement. In all instances, a net profit was accrued. The mean (&plusmn;standard error (SE)) net profit ha^&minus;1 (in 103VN dong; approximately 15 500 VND=1 US$) was 885 (&plusmn;270) and 864 (&plusmn;214), and 1322 (&plusmn;176) and 1600 (&plusmn;150) for the growth cycles 2002/03 and 2003/04 for reservoirs in ThaiNguyen and YenBai provinces respectively. Between the two growth cycles, the net profit increased in eight and three reservoirs from YenBai and ThaiNguyen, respectively, the maximum increase being recorded in Khuan Gio (165%) and Dong Man (39%) reservoirs.<br />

Technological efficacy: a new identity category

Debates continue about the relative benefits, costs and risks of the diffusion of computer-based technologies throughout society and schooling. One area that has received considerable attention is gender equity. Early work on gender and computers focused on differences between male and female access and use (e.g. Huff, Fleming &amp; Cooper, 1992; Kirkman, 1993; Morritt, 1997; Nelson &amp; Cooper, 1997; Sofia, 1993), with concerns focused on the potential for girls to be disadvantaged. In some respects, it is arguable that problems of gender equity in schools with respect to computers have been overcome. For example, in a small study I conducted in two New Zealand senior primary classrooms in 2003, I found that both boys and girls were motivated to use computers and appeared to have equal opportunities to access computers in the classroom. The students in my study expressed a belief in the importance of using computers, and this belief can also be discerned from educational policy and media coverage. In this paper I argue that, although gender by itself no longer appears to be a source of disadvantage in terms of access to and use of computers in schools, many questions about technology, schooling and power relations still remain unanswered. I present two alternative viewpoints on the new digital age. First, I explore Melanie Stewart Millar&rsquo;s (1998) analysis of digital discourse as one which reproduces the power of white, middle-class, educated, well-paid males, and excludes anything else it considers &lsquo;Other&rsquo;. Second, I review arguments that the digital age has provided sites for the transcendence of traditional hierarchies and inequalities (e.g. Spender, 1995). I conclude that, despite the discrepancies between these two viewpoints, both concur that technological disadvantage will exacerbate any existing inequality that might result from intersections of identity categories, such as, gender, ethnicity, age, and socio-economic status, and that in this digital age, technological efficacy is arguably a new identity category.<br />

Technological change in the postproduction film industry a Victorian case study

The first and last stages of filmmaking production and projection remain relatively unchanged, but computerization (through digitalization) has radically transformed film and sound editing. The aim here is to examine some of the effects of this transformation on postproduction employment. The experiences of twenty Victorian postproduction workers, interviewed in 2001, provide the data presented here. The interviewees were divided into groups to reflect their life stage and time working in postproduction.<br />

Nonribosomal peptide synthetases as technological platforms for the synthesis of highly modified peptied bioeffectors - cyclosporin synthetase as a complex example

Many microbial peptide secondary metabolites possess important medicinal properties, of which the immunosuppressant cyclosporin A is an example. The enormous structural and functional diversity of these low-molecular weight peptides is attributable to their mode of biosynthesis. Peptide secondary metabolites are assembled non-ribosomally by multi-functional enzymes, termed non-ribosomal peptide synthetases. These systems consist of a multi-modular arrangement of the functional domains responsible for the catalysis of the partial reactions of peptide assembly. The extensive homology shared among NRPS systems allows for the generalisation of the knowledge garnered from studies of systems of diverse origins. In this review we shall focus the contemporary knowledge of non-ribosomal peptide biosynthesis on the structure and function of the cyclosporin biosynthetic system, with some emphasis on the re-direction of the biosynthetic potential of this system by combinatorial approaches.<br />

Educating for the future : technological advantages?

Educating students for the future involves providing them with skills to cope with technological change. Schools and teachers have been adapting their practices in mathematics and science to incorporate information and communication technology (ICT) as a routine aspect of learning. However, recent research indicates that not all students have equal access to the technologies they need. A number of reasons are investigated: the location of the schools (regional and rural settings), the capabilities of the teachers and access by staff and students to high quality resources. This paper presents the findings of this research.

Teenage technological experts : Bourdieu and the performance of expertise

This thesis explores the construction of technological expertise amongst a heterogenous group of New Zealand teenagers, specifically in regard to their home computer use, which for many of them is their primary site of leisure. This thesis explores the field in which these teenagers are positioned, and explains the practice constituting that field. In this field, the trajectories towards expertise are explained including the time, experimentation, and pleasure evident in their praxis. The qualitative study involved observations and interviews with eight teenagers aged 13 – 17. Five boys and three girls participated and each attended one of various secondary schools located within a provincial city in New Zealand. All of the participants considered themselves to be technological experts, and their peers and/or their family supported this comprehension. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s socio-cultural theories, the capital (cultural, economic, social) and habitus of the teenagers are described (habitus being what makes them who they are, and continues to define who they are in the future). Chapter five centres on explaining the field the teenagers have positioned themselves in, namely the field of out-of-school leisure and home computer use. It also explores the construction and performance of technological expertise within the field. Chapter six examines traditional views of schooling and expertise, and contrasts these views with what the teenagers think about their learning and expertise. This gap is specifically explained with regard to differences between the concepts and value of learning, expertise, and technology, and how they are recognised and valued differently between generations. Chapter seven explores the praxis that the participants exhibit, which is arguably misrecognized by those whose interests are in the established order (e.g. institutional, societal structures). The field they are placed in is arguably part of the broader field of education, yet the findings suggest their capital is misrecognized by digital newcomers, and therefore not legitimated. This thesis concludes that the gap between teenager and adult understandings of expertise is exacerbated in the digital world in which the teenagers position themselves. Their schooling is mainly positioned in the print culture of previous generations and consequently, in the lives of these teenagers, schooling has had little influence on the development of their technological expertise. Additionally, gender has had little impact in their development of expertise; therefore stereotypical notions of female underachievement as computer experts are contested.