Enhancing workplace learning through collaborative HRD

Human resource development (HRD) has evolved a great deal over the past 20 years. Indeed, developments in HRD theory, research and practice have helped transform HRD from a reactive function focusing on administrative and bureaucratic issues to a proactive function focusing on creating learning and development opportunities for employees that not only allow them to achieve their potential but also make a substantial contribution to the longterm survival and sustainability of the organisation. HRD is now seen as an investment in the future of an organisation. This investment perspective is based on the recognition that HRD is linked to business strategy and the achievement of competitive advantage (Caravan et al. 2002). One reason for the shift in emphasis is that many of the traditional sources of competitive advantage (technology, economies of scale) have diminished in value. Nowadays it is the workforce that has come to be seen as an important source of competitive advantage for the organisation. However, not too long ago employees were viewed by management as a disposable resource rather than an asset to an organisation.

Mining temporal and spatial travel regularities for transit planning

Smart Card data from Automated Fare Collection system has been considered as a promising source of information for transit planning. However, literature has been limited to mining travel patterns from transit users and suggesting the potential of using this information. This paper proposes a method for mining spatial regular origins-destinations and temporal habitual travelling time from transit users. These travel regularity are discussed as being useful for transit planning. After reconstructing the travel itineraries, three levels of Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Application with Noise (DBSCAN) have been utilised to retrieve travel regularity of each of each frequent transit users. Analyses of passenger classifications and personal travel time variability estimation are performed as the examples of using travel regularity in transit planning. The methodology introduced in this paper is of interest for transit authorities in planning and managements

Tools for successful NRM in the Lake Eyre Basin : achieving effective engagement

This chapter was developed as part of the ‘People, communities and economies of the Lake Eyre Basin’ project. It has been written for communities, government agencies and interface organisations involved in natural resource management (NRM) in the Lake Eyre Basin (LEB). Its purpose is to identify the key factors for successful community engagement processes relevant to the LEB and present tools and principles for successful engagement processes. The term ‘interface organisation’ is used here to refer to the diverse range of local and regional organisations (such as Catchment Committees or NRM Regional Bodies) that serve as linkages, or translators, between local communities and broader Australian and State Governments. The importance of fostering and harnessing effective processes of community engagement has been identified as crucial to building a prosperous future for rural and remote regions in Australia. The chapter presents an overview of the literature on successful community engagement processes for NRM, as well as an overview of the current NRM arrangements in the LEB. The main part of the chapter presents findings of the series of interviews conducted with the government liaison officers representing both state and federal organisations who are responsible for coordinating and facilitating regional NRM in the LEB, and with the members of communities of the LEB.

The Global Financial Crisis : Neo-Liberalism, Social Democracy, and Criminology

This chapter begins with a discussion of the economic, political, and social context of the recent global financial crisis, which casts into relief current boundaries of criminology, permeated and made fluid in criminology's recent cultural turn. This cultural turn has reinvigorated criminology, providing new objects of analysis and rich and thick descriptions of the relationship between criminal justice and the conditions of life in ‘late modernity’. Yet in comparison with certain older traditions that sought to articulate criminal justice issues with a wider politics of contestation around political economies and social welfare policies of different polities, many of the current leading culturalist accounts tend in their globalized convergences to produce a strangely decontextualized picture in which we are all subject to the zeitgeist of a unitary ‘late modernity’ which does not differ between, for example, social democratic and neo-liberal polities, let alone allow for the widespread persistence of the pre-modern. It is argued that that contrary to this globalizing trend there are signs within criminology that life is being breathed back into social democratic and penal welfare concerns, habitus, and practices. The chapter discusses three of these signs: the emergence of neo-liberalism as a subject of criminology; a developing comparative penology which recognizes differences in the political economies of capitalist states and evinces a renewed interest in inequality; and a nascent revolt against the ‘generative grammar’, ‘pathological disciplinarities’, and ‘imaginary penalities’ of neoliberal managerialism.

Information systems success research : the “20-year update?” panel report from PACIS, 2011

This article summarizes a panel held at the 15th Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS) in Brisbane, Austrailia, in 2011. The panelists proposed a new research agenda for information systems success research. The DeLone and McLean IS Success Model has been one of the most influential models in Information Systems research. However, the nature of information systems continues to change. Information systems are increasingly implemented across layers of infrastructure and application architecture. The diffusion of information systems into many spheres of life means that information systems success needs to be considered in multiple contexts. Services play a much more prominent role in the economies of countries, making the “service” context of information systems increasingly important. Further, improved understandings of theory and measurement offer new opportunities for novel approaches and new research questions about information systems success.

India's vocational education capacity to support the anticipated economic growth

The buoyancy that the Indian economy experienced between 2000 and 2010, in spite of the global downturn of 2008, is no longer a reality. Growth projections for 2012-13 have been reassessed to 6.5 per cent. This is still higher than most other developed economies of the world (see Figure 1.1), however the growth rate is slowing. The World Bank in its recent forecasts1 expects India’s growth rates not to extend beyond 7.2 % and 7.4 % in the years 2013-14 and 2014-15, respectively. Similarly, the Planning Commission has scaled down the growth target for the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) from 9% to 8%. Different reports note different rates, but the consistent message is that the projection of India’s economy is on a downward trend...

A preliminary decision model for shared services : insights from an Australian university context

Shared Services involves the convergence and streamlining of an organisation’s functions to ensure timely service delivery as effectively and efficiently as possible. This would result in lower cost, improved service delivery and economies of scale. The conventional wisdom of today is that the potential for Shared Services is increasing due to the increasing costs of changing systems and business requirements and also in implementing and running information systems (IS). However many organizations opt instead for an outsourcing arrangement as the alternative towards cost savings, due in essence to a lack of realization of this potential for Shared Services. This paper rationales turning from outsourcing (to looking within organisations) to leverage on Shared Services for similar cost savings and reaping other potential benefits. The paper’s objectives and contributions are three-fold: (1) distinguish between Shared Services and Outsourcing, (2) report on insights from a single Australian university case study through a transaction cost lens, and to demonstrate the potential for Shared Services and (3) develop a decision model to gauge the potential of implementing Shared Services across similar organisations.

Electron energy distribution function in low-pressure complex plasmas

The effect of density and size of dust grains on the electron energy distribution function (EEDF) in low-temperature complex plasmas is studied. It is found that the EEDF depends strongly on the dust density and size. The behavior of the electron temperature can differ significantly from that of a pristine plasma. For low-pressure argon glow discharge, the Druyvesteyn-like EEDF often found in pristine plasmas can become nearly Maxwellian if the dust density and/or sizes are large. One can thus control the plasma parameters by the dust grains.

Total factor productivity growth and convergence in the petroleum industry : empirical analysis testing for convexity

While economic theory acknowledges that some features of technology (e.g., indivisibilities, economies of scale and specialization) can fundamentally violate the traditional convexity assumption, almost all empirical studies accept the convexity property on faith. In this contribution, we apply two alternative flexible production technologies to measure total factor productivity growth and test the significance of the convexity axiom using a nonparametric test of closeness between unknown distributions. Based on unique field level data on the petroleum industry, the empirical results reveal significant differences, indicating that this production technology is most likely non-convex. Furthermore, we also show the impact of convexity on answers to traditional convergence questions in the productivity growth literature.

Making apartments affordable: Moving from speculative to deliberative development

Urban planning policies in Australia presuppose apartments as the new dominant housing type, but much of what the market has delivered is criticised as over-development, and as being generic, poorly-designed, environmentally unsustainable and unaffordable. Policy responses to this problem typically focus on planning regulation and construction costs as the primary issues needing to be addressed in order to increase the supply of quality, affordable apartment housing. In contrast, this paper uses Ball’s (1983) ‘structures of provision’ approach to outline the key processes informing apartment development and identifies a substantial gap in critical understanding of how apartments are developed in Australia. This reveals economic problems not typically considered by policymakers. Using mainstream economic analysis to review the market itself, the authors found high search costs, demand risk, problems with exchange, and lack of competition present key barriers to achieving greater affordability and limit the extent to which ‘speculative’ developers can respond to the preferences of would be owner-occupiers of apartments. The existing development model, which is reliant on capturing uplift in site value, suits investors seeking rental yields in the first instance and capital gains in the second instance, and actively encourages housing price inflation. This is exacerbated by lack of density restrictions, such as have existed in inner Melbourne for many years, which permits greater yields on redevelopment sites. The price of land in the vicinity of such redevelopment sites is pushed up as landholders' expectation of future yield is raised. All too frequently existing redevelopment sites go back onto the market as vendors seek to capture the uplift in site value and exit the project in a risk free manner...

The Expanding Live Cattle Trade in Northern Australian

The north Australian beef industry is complex and dynamic. It is strategically positioned to access new and existing export markets. To prosper in a global economy, it will require strong processing and live cattle sectors, continued rationalisation of infrastructure, uptake of appropriate technology, and the synergy obtained when industry sectors unite and cooperate to maintain market advantage. Strategies to address food safety, animal welfare, the environment and other consumer concerns must be delivered. Strategic alliances with quality assurance systems will develop. These alliances will be based on economies of scale and on vertical cooperation, rather than vertical integration. Industry sectors will need to increase their contribution to Research, Development and Extension. These contributions need to be global in outlook. Industry sectors should also be aware that change (positive or negative) in one sector will impact on other sectors. Feedback along the food chain is essential to maximise productivity and market share.

Magnetic Field Induced Instabilities In Localized Two-Dimensional Electron Systems

The results of extensive transport studies in localized regime of mesoscopic two-dimensional electron systems (2DES) with varying disorder are presented. A quick overview of previously achieved result is given. The main focus is on the observation of density dependent instabilities manifested by strong resistance oscillations induced by high perpendicular magnetic fields B-perpendicular to. While the amplitude of the oscillations is strongly enhanced with increasing B-perpendicular to, their position in electron density remains unaffected. The temperature dependence of resistivity shows a transition from an activated behaviour at high temperature to a saturated behaviour at low T. In the positions of resistance minima, the T dependence can even become metal-like (d rho/dT > 0). The activation energies obtained from the high T behaviour exhibit a formation of plateaux in connection with the resistance oscillations when analyzed as a function of electron density. We suggest the interplay between a strongly interacting electron phase and the background disorder as a possible explanation for our observation.

Weed dynamics as influenced by tillage system, sowing time and weed competition duration in dry-seeded rice

Cultural practices alter patterns of crop growth and can modify dynamics of weed-crop competition, and hence need to be investigated to evolve sustainable weed management in dry-seeded rice (DSR). Studies on weed dynamics in DSR sown at different times under two tillage systems were conducted at the Agronomic Research Farm, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. A commonly grown fine rice cultivar 'Super Basmati' was sown on 15th June and 7th July of 2010 and 2011 under zero-till (ZT) and conventional tillage (CONT) and it was subjected to different durations of weed competition [10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 days after sowing (DAS) and season-long competition]. Weed-free plots were maintained under each tillage system and sowing time for comparison. Grassy weeds were higher under ZT while CONT had higher relative proportion of broad-leaved weeds in terms of density and biomass. Density of sedges was higher by 175% in the crop sown on the 7th July than on the 15th June. Delaying sowing time of DSR from mid June to the first week of July reduced weed density by 69 and 43% but their biomass remained unaffected. Tillage systems had no effect on total weed biomass. Plots subjected to season-long weed competition had mostly grasses while broad-leaved weeds were not observed at harvest. In the second year of study, dominance of grassy weeds was increased under both tillage systems and sowing times. Significantly less biomass (48%) of grassy weeds was observed under CONT than ZT in 2010; however, during 2011, this effect was non-significant. Trianthema portulacastrum and Dactyloctenium aegyptium were the dominant broad-leaved and grassy weeds, respectively. Cyperus rotundus was the dominant sedge weed, especially in the crop sown on the 7th July. Relative yield loss (RYL) ranged from 3 to 13% and 7 to16% when weeds were allowed to compete only for 20 DAS. Under season-long weed competition, RYL ranged from 68 to 77% in 2010 and 74 to80% in 2011. The sowing time of 15th June was effective in minimizing weed proliferation and rectifying yield penalty associated with the 7th July sowing. The results suggest that DSR in Pakistan should preferably be sown on 15th June under CONT systems and weeds must be controlled before 20 DAS to avoid yield losses. Successful adoption of DSR at growers' fields in Pakistan will depend on whether growers can control weeds and prevent shifts in weed population from intractable weeds to more difficult-to-control weeds as a consequence of DSR adoption.

Essays on Economic Integration and Labour Demand

This dissertation consists of an introductory section and three essays investigating the effects of economic integration on labour demand by using theoretical models and by empirical analysis. The essays adopt an intra-industry trade approach to specify a theoretical framework of estimation for determining the effects of economic integration on employment. In all the essays the empirical aim is to explore the labour demand consequences of European integration. The first essay analyzes how labour-demand elasticities with own price have changed during the process of economic integration. As a theoretical result, intensified trade competition increases labour-demand elasticity, whereas better advantage of economies of scale decreases labour-demand elasticity by decreasing the elasticity of substitution between differentiated products. Furthermore, if integration gives rise to an increase in input-substitutability and/or outsourcing activities, labour demand will become more elastic. Using data from the manufacturing sector from 1975 to 2002, the empirical results provide support for the hypothesis that European integration has contributed to increased elasticities of total labour demand in Finland. The second essay analyzes how economic integration affects the impact of welfare poli-cies on employment. The essay considers the viability of financing the public sector, i.e. public consumption and social security expenses, by general labour taxation in an economy which has become more integrated into international product markets. The theoretical results of the second essay indicate that, as increased trade competition crowds out better economies of scale, it becomes more costly to maintain welfare systems financed by labour taxation. Using data from European countries for the years 1975 to 2004, the empirical results provide inconsistent evidence for the hypothesis that economic integration has contributed to the distortion effects of welfare policies on employment. The third essay analyzes the impact of profit sharing on employment as a way to introduce wage flexibility into the process of economic integration. The results of the essay suggest that, in theory, the effects of economic integration on the impact of profit sharing on employment clearly depend on a trade-off between intensified competition and better advantage of economies of scale. If product market competition increases, the ability of profit sharing to improve employment through economic integration increases with moderated wages. While, the economic integration associating with market power in turn decrease the possibilities of profit sharing with higher wages to improve employment. Using data from the manufacturing sector for the years 1996 to 2004, the empirical results show that profit-sharing has a positive impact on employment during the process of European integration, but can have ambiguous effects on the stability of employment in Finland.

Ferrous iron oxidation by foam immobilized Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans: Experiments and modeling

Ferrous iron bio-oxidation by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans immobilized on polyurethane foam was investigated. Cells were immobilized on foams by placing them in a growth environment and fully bacterially activated polyurethane foams (BAPUFs) were prepared by serial subculturing in batches with partially bacterially activated foam (pBAPUFs). The dependence of foam density on cell immobilization process, the effect of pH and BAPUF loading on ferrous oxidation were studied to choose operating parameters for continuous operations. With an objective to have high cell densities both in foam and the liquid phase, pretreated foams of density 50 kg/m3 as cell support and ferrous oxidation at pH 1.5 to moderate the ferric precipitation were preferred. A novel basket-type bioreactor for continuous ferrous iron oxidation, which features a multiple effect of stirred tank in combination with recirculation, was designed and operated. The results were compared with that of a free cell and a sheet-type foam immobilized reactors. A fivefold increase in ferric iron productivity at 33.02 g/h/L of free volume in foam was achieved using basket-type bioreactor when compared to a free cell continuous system. A mathematical model for ferrous iron oxidation by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans cells immobilized on polyurethane foam was developed with cell growth in foam accounted by an effectiveness factor. The basic parameters of simulation were estimated using the experimental data on free cell growth as well as from cell attachment to foam under nongrowing conditions. The model predicted the phase of both oxidation of ferrous in shake flasks by pBAPUFs as well as by fully activated BAPUFs for different cell loadings in foam. Model for stirred tank basket bioreactor predicted within 5% both transient and steady state of the experiments closely for the simulated dilution rates. Bio-oxidation at high Fe2+ concentrations were simulated with experiments when substrate and product inhibition coefficients were factored into cell growth kinetics.