Monash University Research Portal
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Reuse Value:the potential of community based organisations to reframe and transform the circular economy
No full textCircular economy initiatives in Australia increasingly reference reuse, yet dominant recycling-led approaches continue to reproduce business-as-usual. This paper asks what kinds of worlds are made through reuse by examining Substation 33 and St Kilda Mums (now Our Village). Drawing on Karatani’s reading of surplus value, we develop “reuse value” as a parallax concept that captures both the embodied potential of discarded materials and the relational forms of care through which they re-enter circulation. These cases show how reuse reconfigures relations between people, materials, and places, generating social and ecological benefits that exceed conventional CE framings. We argue that recognising reuse value reveals postcapitalist possibilities within circular-degrowth trajectories
A novel method for assessing chemical leaching from surface water-pavement interactions applied to recycled-tyre reuse products
No full textGlobally, recycling of otherwise waste materials into new products is desired. End-of-life tyres are increasingly incorporated into new pavement materials but leaching of entrained chemicals from such products is not well quantified. Chemical concentrations in runoff from pavements may pose environmental and human health risks. High liquid–solid ratio, batch-agitated leaching is standard practice for assessing leachability and hazards of chemicals-of-potential-concern in contaminated soil and wastes but is not reflective of important exposure scenarios and may mislead. A new static surface leaching procedure (SSLP) is introduced that is more representative of chemical leaching from pavement reuse materials whilst in contact with rainfall/runoff water. SSLP was evaluated over 2–14 d intervals against batch-agitated leaching for two rubberised pavement products containing 10-fold different proportions of crumbed end-of-life tyres. Although, batch leaching showed high mass removal of 1,3-diphenylguanidine (1,3-DPG, 34%) and hexamethoxymethylmelamine (HMMM, 30%), both batch- and SSLP-leached concentrations of 1,3-DPG, HMMM and N1-(4-methylpentan-2-yl)-N4-phenylbenzene-1,4-diamine quinone (6PPD-Q) were below ECOSAR-predicted toxicity thresholds for fish and daphnids. SSLP highlighted differences in chemical leachability based on rubber content of pavement products and offers a method applicable to other scenarios, such as PFAS leaching from concrete/asphalt pavements. The SSLP was shown to approximate one-dimensional leaching from the surface of the pavement and to be dominated by diffusive processes, thus yielding a simple repeatable approach
Role overload and safety incidents:an examination of the individual- and team-level buffering effects of psychological safety
No full textA supportive work environment benefits employees and their organizations, and is particularly important for safety outcomes. In this paper we respond to calls in the literature to examine the moderating effects of individual- and team-level psychological safety on the relationship between role overload and safety incidents. Drawing on conservation of resources theory, we proposed that role overload would be positively related to safety incidents. Second, we proposed a multi-level interaction model where individual- and team-level psychological safety attenuate the positive relationship between role overload and safety incidents. Using data obtained from 841 employees nested in 100 teams, our multi-level analyses revealed that role overload positively relates to safety incidents and that psychological safety is a team-, rather than an individual-, level moderating resource that confers protection for employees by buffering the effects of role overload on safety incidents. We also found a main effect for individual-level psychological safety, with higher levels of psychological safety associated with fewer incidents. Based on our findings, employees should individually and collectively invest resources to create a climate of psychological safety to protect themselves and their colleagues from the negative safety implications of role overload. Leaders are advised to focus on interventions to enhance team-level psychological safety including supportive environments to encourage team cohesion, initiative taking, accountability, and via their leadership development.</p
Impact of autonomous vehicles on discretionary activities:an agent-based model with space–time accessibility constraints
No full textThe extensive development of autonomous vehicles (AVs) is set to revolutionise the way of travelling. Research suggests that the introduction of AVs may affect travel behaviour and choices, resulting in long-term changes in land use. Accessibility is an important concept that connects transportation and land use, providing a holistic performance measure for the transport-land use system. However, this concept has not been adequately capitalised in studies that attempt to understand the impact of AVs on location choice decisions. To explore this knowledge gap, we proposed an agent-based simulation framework that integrates with accessibility constraints to study how AVs influence behavioural and location choices. The framework consists of an activity-based travel demand model with accessibility constraints and a dynamic transport assignment model. The accessibility constraints are derived from individuals’ travel time budgets based on activity-travel survey data. We applied the agent-based simulation framework to Clayton, Australia, and focused on discretionary activity location choices. Various values of travel time and vehicle running costs underpinned by the use of AVs were examined. While most studies have concluded that AVs can significantly increase trip lengths for daily activities, our results demonstrate that even when AVs are used, the movement of individuals is still limited by spatio-temporal constraints of accessibility. As a result, we predict that the increase in discretionary trip lengths and their impact on traffic congestion is modest.</p
The effect of metacognitive skills on dissociative driving behaviour:a pilot study of two brief attention-based training methods
No full textDissociative driving behaviour (e.g., distraction, inattention, mind wandering) poses a significant risk to road safety. This pilot study aimed to compare the effectiveness of two brief attention training methods − attention training technique (ATT) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), for improving self-reported driving attention. The study was advertised on social media platforms and open to adult Australians who reported experiencing difficulties with dissociation when driving in the past week. Participants were randomly assigned to engage in ATT (n = 20) or MBSR (n = 23) every second day for a period of two weeks, whilst a control group (n = 27) were asked to complete a weekly reflection task. All participants completed a survey relating to their thoughts and attention over the past week, before and after the training period. Preliminary correlation analyses showed that general attentional control, mindfulness, and disorganised thinking were relevant to driving-related attention. Mixed-model ANOVAs revealed that ATT and MBSR led to significant improvements in the self-reported ability to regulate attention whilst driving and the frequency of dissociative driving behaviours, over and above the control group. Improvements were also found in general attentional control, mindfulness, disorganised thinking, and psychological distress, particularly for the ATT group. The findings suggest that brief attention training methods are an accessible and effective means of intervening on dissociative driving behaviour. The outcomes of this study could inform future strategies aimed at reducing driving anxiety and attention-related vehicle crashes.</p
Students as designers with Virtual Reality
No full textThis chapter delves into the role of Virtual Reality (VR) in Technologies education, emphasising its potential to engage students as proactive designers of their educational experiences. The narrative traces the evolution of VR inventions to their contemporary, more accessible forms and, through this historical context, sets the stage for understanding the challenges and growth of VR in educational settings. Aligning VR's capabilities with Constructivist and situated learning theories, the chapter illustrates how VR's interactive environments foster a deeper, hands-on comprehension of complex subjects, where VR enhances learning by enabling students to construct and navigate through historically or scientifically accurate simulations and models. The chapter critically evaluates various VR content creation tools, from simple 360° video platforms to sophisticated game engines such as Unity, focusing on the pedagogical integration of these tools in educational curricula, emphasising the necessity for VR environments to correspond with educational objectives and the need for sustained educator support to leverage these technologies effectively. Lastly, the chapter advocates for the future integration of VR with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to craft more adaptive, personalised learning experiences. This synthesis aims to improve educational methods and practices, transforming students from passive recipients of information to active, engaged participants in their learning journeys.</p
Symbolic or substantive? Can supplier codes of conduct impact ESG performance?
No full textAn undercover investigation found that Mango and Zara sourced from suppliers where employees were compelled to work for 12 hours a day in hazardous conditions ( Forbes, 2024 ). There are many such examples, exposing the dependence of major organizations on—often barely visible—suppliers. To deal with issues such as those illustrated in this example, major organizations may use supplier codes of conduct (SCCs)— legally binding documents through which organizations manage and monitor their suppliers' ethical and socially responsible practices. The first observation is that some organizations adopt SCCs when others do not, raising the very question of whether their adoption really fosters ethical and socially responsible practices—whether they are symbolic or substantive. Second, for organizations that adopt SCCs, there is significant variation in practices. We conduct an unsupervised machine learning approach whereby the text of each SCC is analyzed to assess variation in topics. We find three categories of topics that we label customary , cooperative , and compliance SCCs. The analysis shows that cooperative SCCs are best at fostering environmental and social ESG performance, whereas compliance SCCs are best at fostering social and governance ESG performance. We discuss the theoretical and managerial implications.</p
Postcolonial absences in management education:possibilities and contradictions
No full textThis chapter explores the possibilities of a postcolonial and decolonial approach to management education, as business schools across the globe grapple with ways to include content to address the managerial and organisational challenges posed by the sustainable development goals. The dominant management theories that have been used to address questions of sustainability are inadequate for understanding how Western management knowledge and education has contributed to the crisis of sustainability; and are not relevant for contexts in other parts of the world. How can we do management education differently to foster sustainable ways of doing business and managing organisations? Drawing from the bodies of the postcolonial and decolonial lens it offers a dual means of transforming management education in a way that addresses the inadequacies of current management approaches. Integrating postcolonial and decolonial theory into management education is essential for contributing to social and environmental sustainability
Exchange rate regime flexibility and firms’ employment
No full textThis paper examines how exchange rate regime flexibility impacts the allocation of labor across firms. Specifically, we investigate how differences in labor-intensity or capital-intensity in production affect employment decisions under various degrees of exchange rate regime flexibility. In a simple theoretical model, we show that firms utilizing more labor-intensive production technologies are more likely to expand their employment when the exchange rate they face becomes less flexible. In contrast, firms employing more capital-intensive technology tend to hire more workers when the exchange rate is more flexible. We test our theory using granular firm-level data from China and provide robust evidence supporting the theoretical predictions.</p