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Building information modelling and project performance: A framework unpacking the trust
No full textObjective – Drawing upon the trust and sociotechnical system (STS) theories, this study aims to develop a conceptual framework addressing trusts in building information modelling (BIM) and project partners to identify the underlying mechanism of the BIM-enabled performance. Method – This study followed a two-stage process, first refining 63 trust items in BIM to 15 across five dimensions via literature and expert interviews, and then validating these through surveys with BIM-enabled project managers in China, obtaining a 75% response rate. Data from the surveys were analysed using path analysis to explore the relationships between trust in BIM, trust in partners, and project performance. Trust and performance metrics were gauged using established scales on a five-point Likert scale. Findings – The results reveal that trusts in BIM and project partners are significantly correlated with the performance of BIM-enabled projects through organisation citizenship behaviour (OCB) and information sharing. Research Limitations/Implications – The contribution of this research is twofold, as we: (1) develop a paradigm aiding the BIM-enabled projects through unearthing the roles of ‘trusts’; and (2) set forth a platform for future research into BIM integration. Practical Implications – The developed “trust in BIM” scale is the first attempt to provide a reliable and practical measurement tool for understanding trust in BIM. It enables practitioners to better organise and manage BIM-enabled projects from the perspectives of trust and cooperation. Originality/Value – This study expands the theoretical underpinning of integrated project delivery with BIM by developing a homological network of trust and revealing its influencing mechanism. The integrated Trust-STS framework offers an analytical perspective with trust as the environment, social technology as the basis, and project performance as the orientation
Prefabrication:Ian McKay and Partners’ Guardian House for Canberra’s NCDC (1968-69)
No full textCanberra as a planned city is often perceived as one with locally specific buildings: however, the conditions of efficiency, labour, and transport were central to erecting a capital under the direction of the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC). This paper reveals how innovations in timber construction from war experience, the NCDC’s shared history with the Snowy Hydro Scheme (1949-74), and publications tracking the construction of the Sydney Opera House (1957-66), forged cultures and agents of timber and masonry prefabrication, in both housing and public buildings, in East Coast Australian post-war architecture.National and local exchange is inscribed in Guardian House’s materiality - sheathed, triangulated plywood prefabricated trusses sourced from Sydney resulted in the distinct floating canopy roof. Timber serves as both structure and skin, in contrast to surrounding development, with the plywood soffit wrapping from interior to exterior.This study reveals an alternative historiography to Australian architecture: highlighting transnational and national cultures of prefabrication; as well as post-war structural innovation outside of the Melbourne School. Guardian House is a rare example of highly awarded public building which received heritage listing after its demolition, which is analysed through re-drawing and modelling the project. Unearthing Guardian House reveals these conditions and networks of material cultures and agents involved in this building, and more broadly, the larger NCDC project’s material innovation and locally responsive public architecture
A qualitative investigation into the challenges and support needs of Baptist pastors in Australia
No full textA qualitative study using semi-structured interviews analyzed with a phenomenological perspective explored the challenges faced by 10 Baptist pastors from a range of geographical and socioeconomic locations throughout Australia about their roles and sources of support. Four main challenges faced by pastors in their roles were: conflict in the church, setting boundaries, vicarious trauma, and living authentically. Three primary sources of support that pastors valued were: mentors, peers, and wives. Possible markers were identified for which churches might be more difficult to pastor, and suggestions given for how denominational support resources might be targeted.</p
Authors’ reply to Peter Bridgewater, ‘Australia resistant to World Heritage in Danger listing? Yes, but … a response to James, Hamman, and Hølleland (2025)’
No full textA reply by the authors of the original article ‘The Fear of Losing National and Institutional Face: Exploring Australia’s Resistance to World Heritage In Danger Listing’. International Journal of Heritage Studies 31 (7): 918–34 to a response by Peter Bridgewater. The response is welcomed, but the scope of the original article should be noted, as should the following points in reply. The original understanding of the In Danger List has been superseded and what matters now is understanding how states respond, what that tells us about how they see World Heritage and why they see it in the way that they do. The comparison with the Ramsar Convention’s Montreux Record should be downplayed. Saving face can co-exist with – indeed was actuated through – Australia’s establishment of legal and policy frames. There is a lack of evidence for a loss of tourism revenue should the Great Barrier Reef be listed In Danger. The utility and practicality of the suggested ’Global Heritage Emergency Watchlist’ is far from clear. While unlikely to be explicitly acknowledged in participants’ accounts, face can be productively read alongside and indeed through the other factors as a consistent explanatory tool as Australia’s resistance to In Danger listing enters its fifth decade
Conceptualizing the use of AI in Project Management in terms of People, Process, Data, Technology and Continuous Improvement (2PDTC)
No full textRecent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have significantly impacted various domains and industries. While some research has explored AI's role in project management, a comprehensive framework to facilitate this transition remains absent. The prevailing perspective on AI implementation emphasizes achieving project results with greater efficiency and effectiveness. This study aims to conceptualize the application of AI in conjunction with people, processes, data, technology, and continuous improvement (2PDTC), to better structure this phenomenon. The primary research question of this study is: How can the use of AI positively contribute to PM activities? This ongoing paper proposes a framework for examining AI's utilization by project managers. This framework will provide a solid foundation for exploring the research question, addressing the gaps in existing academic literature, and guiding data collection and analysis
Policy Considerations for Elevating the Capacity of Australian Community Sport Clubs in Building Social Capital and Promoting Social Cohesion in Rural Settings
No full textTemperature-dependent differences in male and female life history responses to a period of food limitation during development
No full textWith climate change, animals face both rising temperatures and more variable food availability. Many species have evolved an adaptative response to historic variation in food availability: they grow faster after a period of diet restriction ("compensatory growth"). However, higher temperatures may reduce the capacity for compensatory growth in ectotherms because individuals require more resources to support their increased metabolism. We experimentally tested how higher temperature affects compensatory growth by raising guppies (Poecilia reticulata) at a high or control temperature, and on a normal or temporarily restricted diet during early development. At the control temperature guppies on the restricted diet grew faster once their diet returned to normal. Both sexes showed compensatory growth. At the high temperature, both sexes also increased their growth rates after dietary restriction ended, but the life history outcomes differed. Males at the high temperature matured earlier and were smaller than males reared at the control temperature. In contrast, females at the high temperature matured later and were bigger than females at the control temperature. Our study highlights that males and females can have different responses to the same environmental stressors.</p
Does early-life food shortage alter female life history at elevated temperatures?
No full textGlobal warming is reducing food availability in many aquatic systems, raising questions about the combined effects of higher temperatures and lower food availability on fish life histories. In ectotherms, higher temperatures accelerate growth and promote an earlier onset of reproduction. However, when fish have less food during development, resource depletion might constrain these temperature-driven processes. We investigated how water temperature (24 or 28°C) and early-life food availability (control or restricted) affected adult life-history traits in female guppies (Poecilia reticulata). There was no significant interaction between temperature and food availability affecting adult traits, nor was there an independent effect of food availability. Instead, higher temperature alone affected female life histories. Females at 28°C were larger in early adulthood, but then grew more slowly and produced fewer, smaller offspring than females at 24°C. The effect of temperature on reproduction persisted after controlling for female size, suggesting a shift in the fecundity-female size relationship. Adult mortality was greater at 28°C. Higher temperatures also resulted in a longer gut, but did not affect immunity or telomere length of the surviving females. Our results suggest that tropical fish may be vulnerable to increased temperatures but resilient to brief periods of early-life food limitation
The creative trident mark III:correlating creative qualifications and occupations
No full textThis article presents an update to the Creative Trident model of creative employment that incorporates creative qualifications, revealing the extent to which they are employed in the Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs) and in the general labour market. CCI research has struggled in recent years with methodological questions about how to incorporate creative qualifications, while some critics have used ideological and lifestyle arguments to question the coherence of grouping “cultural production” and “creative services” activities as the CCIs. The Creative Trident III approach presented here, and modelled with Australian data, addresses the methodological shortcomings of demand-based models of coding creative qualifications in a manner that can respond to current concerns about the labour market value of creative and liberal arts education. A major finding shows the coherence of the CCIs model at the level of qualifications–the only level at which the commonality of shared skills can be meaningfully addressed.</p
Examining control group changes in physical activity levels in people with coronary heart disease:a systematic review and meta-analyses
No full textAims There is evidence to suggest that physical activity measurement alone can improve physical activity levels, but this has not been investigated in people with coronary heart disease (CHD). This systematic review aims to examine changes in physical activity levels in control groups of physical activity intervention studies for people with CHD and possible explanatory factors. Methods and results Five electronic databases (Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, SportDiscus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) were searched from inception to January 2024. Physical activity (controlled) intervention studies measuring physical activity (device-measured or self-reported) in people with CHD were included. Meta-analyses were completed using generic inverse variance with random effects model and 95% confidence intervals. Twenty-six studies with a total of 4372 participants were included. Fourteen studies were included in meta-analyses. Meta-analysis showed a statistically significant improvement in the percentage of control group participants meeting physical activity guidelines (9.16%, 95% CI: 3.67 to 14.65, P = 0.001). Meta-analyses for MET minutes.week−1 and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity minutes.week−1 were not significant. Noteworthy improvements (≥10%) in physical activity were found in 42% of studies. Factors associated with noteworthy improvements were hospital setting, receiving measurement plus usual care, self-reported and self-administered physical activity measures, and measurement of other health behaviours. Conclusion There is some evidence to suggest that measuring physical activity may improve physical activity levels in people with CHD, particularly in a hospital setting. Further research is indicated to ascertain how these factors can be leveraged to increase physical activity levels in this group. Registration PROSPERO CRD42023426603 (Registered 25 May 2023).</p