3659 research outputs found
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Sustainable community services for older people
Get PDFThis paper explores the sustainability of non-government organisations (NGOs) providing services to older people in the local government authority area of North Sydney. It identifies several key issues that can be used to assess the level of programme sustainability in the community sector. We suggest that government support is essential for the ongoing financial sustainability of community aged care services and that community-based organisations need to address a number of issues that will impact on their long-term sustainability. A good working relationship with local and state government is crucial for organisations to access community grants, donations and subsidised premises. The recruitment, training and retention of volunteers were some of the most important issues identified. Further, these NGOs will need to develop strategic plans that factor in sustainability indicators to address rental, recycling, transport, renewable energy and water costs to ensure that they have the capacity to pay for these utilities in the future
What we do with words, and what they do with us
Get PDFThis is an invited paper based on the keynote presentation that Professor Ralf St Clair made at the 2019 Australian Council for Adult Literacy Conference in Sydney, Australia on 4 October
Numeracy as Social Practice: Global and Local Perspectives
Get PDFEdited by Keiko Yasukawa, Alan Rogers, Kara Jackson and Brian Street
Routledge, London and New York, 2018, 260 pages.
ISBN 978113828444
Development of a scale for factors causing delays in infrastructure projects in India
Get PDFThe objective of the paper is to develop a validated scale to measure the factors that cause delays in infrastructure projects. The study employed a standard three phase scale development procedure of Churchill (1979) which was augmented subsequently by Nunnally, Bernstein and Berge (1994) and Prakash and Phadtare (2018). In phase one, 73 factors that cause delays were identified, which were reduced to 45 based on literature review and expert opinions. These 45 factors were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in phase two and three, respectively, to refine and establish convergent, discriminant and nomological validity of the scale. The study confirms that delays in infrastructure projects happen due to six factors, i.e., Contractor Related Factors (CON); Consultant Related Factors (CS); External Factors (EX); Labour Related Factors (LR); Material Related Factors (MT) and Design Related Factors (DJ). The study is particularly useful for the firms engaged in the development of infrastructure projects globally, as it identifies and ranks the factors that cause delays in a project. However, the study being confirmatory in nature only confirms the grouping of factors causing delays and is also limited by the possibility of sampling error. 
Docudrama as ‘Histotainment’: Repackaging Family History in the Digital Age
Get PDFWays of accessing and understanding history have shifted in contemporary society with history being repackaged for public consumption in a vast array of digital technologies. These technologies present historical narratives which aim to simultaneously entertain and educate. This research project introduces the term ‘histotainment’ for this fusing of history and entertainment. Docudramas are a strong example of the popularity of this form of histotainment. This article explores how family history docudramas are presented as prime time TV entertainment and examines the factors that contribute to their success. Using a qualitative content analysis approach, this research analyses two recent Australian docudramas, Who Do You Think You Are? (2019) and Back in Time for Dinner (2018), and presents a model to explain this melding of history with digital media.
[i] Who Do You Think You Are?, television program series and DVD, SBS, Australia, April 30, 2019.
[ii] Back in Time for Dinner, television program series, ABC, Sydney, May 4, 2018
Appraisal of the drivers of smart city development in South Africa
Get PDFThe quest for smart cities and development has been on the increase among infrastructural development stakeholders, including clients, government agencies responsible for the management of infrastructures, construction professionals, sponsors, and financiers of these projects. However, studies around the world have shown that less attention is being paid by these stakeholders to various indices and measures of smart cities. These measures and indices, known as drivers, are smart environment, smart economy, smart people, smart governance, smart mobility, and smart living. Using these drivers and their indicators, a multiple-choice questionnaire was designed in line with existing and relevant literature materials in the subject area. These questionnaires were administered on construction professionals with relevant and adequate knowledge of smart construction. Smart environment was found to be a major driver of a smart city while smart people, smart governance and smart living are also key to the achievement of the goals and objectives of the concept. The developed key smart city drivers are a workable, adaptable and efficient city design mechanism and it will be useful for city planners, statutory agencies as well other stakeholders in the development of smart cities
Perspectives of smart cities in South Africa through applied systems analysis approach: a case of Bloemfontein
Get PDFThere is a changed perspective regarding the development of cities and increasingly many countries in the West and some developing countries, as in South Africa, are making concerted attempts to transform their cities to smart cities. Using the context of the city of Bloemfontein, South Africa and drawing on the perceptions of stakeholders, the objective of the paper is to offer a perspective on such a transformation. The study first assessed the performance of various factors and attributes that influence three important aspects of a smart city: economy, mobility and governance system. It then recorded the viewpoints of stakeholders about how these aspects can contribute to the development of a smart city. Further, Applied Systems Analysis (ASA) linked System Dynamics (SD) conceptual models based on the interlinkage and causal feedback relationships among various factors under each aspect were developed, which could assist in offering perspectives that would enable eliciting of policy interventions to develop smart cities. Findings indicate that there are potentials and positive indicators in all three aspects. It is emerged that reinforcement of the inter-relationship among entrepreneurship, innovation, productivity, economic image and international embeddedness will foster a smart economy. Efficient public transportation and advancement of Information Communication Technology (ICT) system will strengthen local accessibility and ensure an innovative, sustainable and safe transportation system that will result in smart mobility. Effective participation of stakeholders in the decision-making process alongside the elected city council and transparency will aid smart governance. The combined effect of these attributes should enable the transformation of the city to a smart city
Local government in England: evolution and long-term trends
Get PDFThis paper traces the history of local government in England (as opposed to the United Kingdom) since the early nineteenth century, and explores five long-term trends in its evolution. These are path dependence; the occurrence of major structural change; the phenomenon of policy reversal; the treatment of urban areas; and resistance to regional government. The author concludes that throughout the period under study, policy towards local government has exhibited a ‘pendulum effect’, with two opposing emphases operating in a sequential, rather than a simultaneous manner
Strategic determinants of big data analytics in the AEC sector: a multi-perspective framework
Get PDFWith constant flow of large data sets generated by different organisations, big data analytics promises to be a revolutionary game changer for Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry. Despite the potential of Big Data, there has been little research conducted thus far to understand the Big Data phenomenon, specifically in the AEC industry. The objective of this research therefore is to understand the contributing factors for adopting big data in AEC firms. The investigation combined the perceived strategic value of BDA with the TOE framework (technology, organization, and environment), to develop and test a holistic model on big data adoption. A set of hypotheses derived from the extant literature was tested on data from structured surveys of about 365 firms, categorised as construction service firms (engineering and architecture) and construction firms (firms engaged in managing construction projects). The results indicated that the inhibitors and facilitators of BDA adoption are different in the construction services (architecture and engineering) and construction firms. For effective adoption of BDA solutions, the findings will guide the business managers to have realistic expectations of BDA integration challenges in AEC sector
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