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Mapping Social Cohesion in Australia: A Decade of Research on National Attitudes and Values
Get PDFEExisting evidence regarding Australian attitudes and values relating to social cohesion has yet to be comprehensively reviewed. Therefore, there is little understanding of how various programs of research relate to one another, how the information is used, where the data gaps are, and which questions remain unanswered. Drawing upon a scoping review of published research between 2012 and 2022, this paper is a first step towards mapping the extent, range, and nature of the body of national-level research on contemporary Australian social values and cohesion. The review found that there is a dearth of peer-reviewed academic research and what is available focuses on six themes: 1) multiculturalism, cultural diversity, immigration, and racism; 2) Reconciliation; 3) national identity; 4) trust; 5) democracy; and 6) young people. Filling the research gaps will allow better understanding of how macro-level processes may affect intergroup relations and Australians’ attitudes towards issues relating to social cohesion
‘Never again’? Resonances of the past in contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child removal
Get PDFKevin Rudd’s 2007 Apology to Australia’s Indigenous Peoples acknowledged the devastating impact of child removal on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families and communities and included a commitment that ‘the injustices of the past must never, never happen again’ (Parliament of Australia 2008). Today however, while First Nations children comprise 6% of the total child population in Australia, they make up 41% of children in out-of-home care (SNAICC 2024b). This article explores the history of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child removal during the Stolen Generations era, considering the ongoing impacts of this history on First Nations families today. While there have been changes, I identify significant continuities between past and contemporary child removal. These disturbing resonances of the past highlight the failed promise of Australian governments to deliver meaningful change in contemporary First Nations child removal policies and practices and to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not being repeated
Kanban applied to construction: a literature review
Get PDFKanban is a process management system originally developed in the automotive industry that is migrating to other fields such as construction. This article provides a literature review of 53 international scientific contributions that focus on the application of Kanban in the construction sector. The contents has been qualitatively analysed using ATLAS.ti 8.1 software, and interpretative synthesis to summarise the relevant findings. Kanban has been used for supply chain management, Just In Time (JIT) implementation in construction, and the Last Planner® System (LPS) for work management and coordination. In addition, we have detected a progressive evolution to E-Kanban systems and their application in Building Information Management (BIM) environments, as well as the development of new software applications and methods. Kanban\u27s flexibility and its value in terms of improving the performance of construction sites is highlighted. Future research is suggested to explore the implementation of this system in the European and Spanish construction sector
A Systematic Review of Challenges Undermining the Efficacy of Construction Health and Safety Regulations in Major African Countries
Get PDFConstruction activities in many African nations are characterized by accidents and fatalities, leading to substantial human casualties and financial losses. This situation is partly attributed to the inadequacies within the construction health and safety regulations in the region. This study investigates the key obstacles undermining the effectiveness of construction health and safety regulations in African countries. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines, a literature search was conducted across Scopus, Web of Science, and Journal of Safety Research databases. Initial screening identified 198 articles, with 51 articles published between 2014 and 2023. The 51 articles, published between 2014 and 2023, were reviewed. Findings reveal social, political, legal, and environmental factors as primary barriers to effective construction health and safety practices in African countries. A significant impediment is the fragmented nature of safety regulations, with African countries lacking dedicated legislation or operating with disjointed laws, hindering adherence to global best practices. The challenges reported in this study are crucial for policymakers to formulate targeted strategies to enhance health and safety practices on construction sites, and ultimately mitigate human and financial costs. Research on construction health and safety regulations in African countries typically explores the prevailing situations within individual nations. However, there is a notable lack of studies examining health and safety regulations across major African countries as a collective entity. This study provided insight into the broader African reality rather than focusing solely on individual countries
Takt complementing Last Planner® System on residential construction projects.
Get PDFIreland is experiencing a national housing crisis, and this is replicated across many developed economies. This challenges governments and housebuilders to increase production whilst balancing challenging human resource and supply chain constraints. Lean construction methodologies have enhanced project delivery in other sectors of the industry. This study evaluates the outcomes of Last Planner System and Takt planning implementation on two residential projects.
The study adopted a mixed methods approach utilising case study design and data collected from a literature review, site observation diary, site documentation analysis, and semi-structured interviews. Findings demonstrate schedule reduction opportunities through higher and more consistent PPC, reduction of cycle times, and enhanced adherence to start and finish dates. The study proposes a more holistic focus is needed on productivity improvement initiatives on the entire project scope as opposed to singular exercises on aspects like internal finishes alone. Increased inter-contractor communication and engagement led to a positive working environment with greater focus on the softer aspects of collaborative working. This study posits the discipline, detail, and diligence of Takt complements LPS to deliver an enhanced production-system that betters traditional schedule milestones in residential project delivery
State of Market Intelligence Activities in Ghanaian Construction Firms: A Preliminary Study.
No full textIn the highly competitive business environment intelligence-gathering is key to the success of every strategy. This study assesses the current state of Market Intelligence (MI) activities in the construction firms (CFs) in Ghana. The data was collected through structured interviews with a sample of 56 CFs, each represented by either CEOs or top managers. To provide a clear perspective on the state of MI activities in CFs, the findings were evaluated using "The World Class MI Roadmap" framework developed Global Intelligence Alliance (GIA). It revealed that the current approach to MI activities in Ghanaian CFs can be described as reactive or "firefighting" in nature. This implies a lack of proactive strategic planning and a potential loss of business opportunities. Based on the results, it is evident that further research is needed to explore the specific types of MI monitored by CFs, establish indicators for assessing the effectiveness of MI utilization, and identify enabling measures to enhance the MI culture within CFs. It is worth noting that this study was limited to CFs in a single administrative region in Ghana, and generalizing these findings could benefit from the inclusion of more CFs from other regions. Meanwhile, CFs should work on fostering a culture that places a high value on MI acquisition, dissemination, and utilization across all phases of the project marketing life cycle
History on the Game Board: The Use of Board Games in History Education in Poland
Get PDFThis article describes popular game titles used in history education in Poland. In the first part, games designed by the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) are presented, along with examples of their use and feedback expressed after playing by students. The second part of the article discusses the global bestselling game Twilight Struggle along with a case study of its use with history students. The purpose of the article is to point out the possibilities of gamification of historical education and, above all, to indicate the applications of board games in the academic training of teachers who later create school reality with their work
Digital tools for knowledge exchange and sustainable public food procurement in community kindergartens: A case study in Słupsk, Poland
Get PDFThis article presents a case study on the experimental co-creation process of a digital platform supporting Sustainable Public Food Procurement (SPFP) in public kindergartens in a medium-sized city in Poland. The organisation of SPFP requires a dedicated technological infrastructure to ensure the information flow among food producers, kindergarten employees, children and parents. To this end, a digital platform was designed to enable contact, assessment of food quality and food procurement environmental impact, and the communication of needs and problems among all the actors involved in the food procurement system for kindergartens. The article also discusses the results of the field research and the method of Urban Living Labs, highlighting the key challenges faced by those seeking to combine knowledge about food and the natural environment with public food procurement. The principal difficulties include the availability, accessibility and possible application of data on the environmental costs of food production, the individualisation of needs and motivations related to public catering in educational facilities, and the specific nature of the public sector responsible for public food procurement
Young People’s Interaction with Political Information in Japan
Get PDFThis paper investigated how Japanese young people’s attitudes toward politics and the social environments they are in affect their interaction with political information in their daily life. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty people to gather data about their experiences with political information and their attitudes toward politics. The results show that they have mixed feelings about political information, which arise from personal factors but are interrelated with broader social factors. Their attitude, which comprises their sense of remoteness to politics, low political efficacy, and difficulty understanding politics, reduces their interest in knowing political information. Social factors that limit opportunities for political participation and conversation diminish the utility of information and the motivation for seeking information. The habit of monitoring political information, often facilitated by experience watching television news with family, emerges as a factor that can maintain young people’s exposure to political information, regardless of their level of political interest
Strategic Cosmopolitanism: Chinese Female Jadeite Live Streamers in Ruili
Get PDFWith China\u27s construction of free trade zones and the development of digital technology, immigrants from Myanmar and internal migrants from all parts of China have gathered in Ruili, a cross-border hub connecting the two countries. As a result of these mobilities it has been transformed into a grass-roots level cosmopolitan area. Through six years of fieldwork, this study found that grassroots female live streamers who were excluded from mainstream metropolises gained more opportunities for survival and development in jadeite cross-border trade activities in Ruili through the concepts of female entrepreneurship and everyday strategic cosmopolitanism The notion of strategic cosmopolitanism refers to non-elite openness as a strategic response to economic, employment or career advancements generated by policies, discursively presented as economic cosmopolitanism. The increase in economic gains for some has significantly improved their socio-economic status, while at the same time paying the price of being locked in the logic and rules of capitalism
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