Digital Commons Network^™

Public Sector Commercial Orientation And The Social Contract: A Study Of Performance Management In A Non-Competitive Environment, Ali Rkein, Brian H. Andrew

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose - The aim of this paper is to study the workings of commercial orientation, with a focus on performance management, in an environment that is characterised by limited competition between the public and the private sectors and a high level of government social responsibility. Design/methodology/approach - An interpretive case study approach is adopted for this study. It draws on primary data from interviews with key personnel in public sector organisations, and on secondary data from government publications such as annual reports and budget papers. Findings - This study shows that the market-based performance management system has failed to achieve …

Australian Commonwealth Public Sector Environmental Reporting In A New Public Managerialism Environment, Graham D. Bowrey

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Purpose : The primary purpose of this paper is to argue that the adherence [and lack of] to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 reporting requirements by Australian Commonwealth organisations, including Commonwealth Agencies, Commonwealth Statutory Authorities and Commonwealth Companies, can be explained by the influence of the pervasive new public managerialism (NPM) mentality within the sector.Design/methodology/approach : The paper is based on a qualitative review of the environmental performance and management reporting for a sample of 26 material Commonwealth public sector organisations with specific reference to Section 516A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. Findings …

Enabling Authentic Cross-Disciplinary Learning Through A Scaffolded Assignment In A Blended Environment, Anne Abraham, Hazel J. Jones

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper reports on the development of a scaffolded learning assignment with blendedcomponents in a cross-disciplinary setting. The assignment has been developed in a socioculturalcontext, based on a Vygotskian approach and this paper details the design anddevelopment of the assignment. The five stages of the assignment have been carefullyscaffolded and include elements of individual and group tasks, finishing with an individualreflection on the process. Formative assessment and associated feedback are importantelements of the scaffolding and suggestions for further applications for the learning designof the assignment are suggested.

Environmental Volunteers: Are They Driven By Altruism And A Strong Feeling Of Regional Identity?, Melanie J. Randle, Sara Dolnicar

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

The significant growth of the nonprofit sector in Australia has lead to increased competition between organisations in attracting and retaining volunteers. Nonprofit managers are under increasing pressure to adopt commercial marketing techniques in order to achieve volunteer targets, and are recognising the need for detailed market information in order to develop customised and targeted marketing strategies. Environmental organisations within Australia lack information in relation to the particular segment of the market which is most likely to volunteer for their type of cause. This study addresses this issue by investigating whether environmental volunteers display unique characteristics, such as strong levels of …

An Interactive Learning Environment For Teaching Statistics, Trevor Spedding, Xuesong Chi

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper outlines the development and use of a web based virtual factory simulator for teaching industrial statistics and process improvement techniques. Students can manage the factory for either a period of one month, or the length specified by lecturers, with the factory running in real time. The main objective is to reduce quality problems and continuously improve the quality over a substantial period of time. Techniques such as control charts, process capability, experimental design and response surface methodology and their underlying statistics are explored. This immersive simulation creates a problem-based learning approach with relevant academic underpinning. It provides the …

The Wiki: An Environment To Revolutionise Employees' Interaction With Corporate Knowledge, Helen M. Hasan, Charmaine C. Pfaff

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Some corporations have adopted a Wiki on their Intranets for employees to collectively store, edit and access workrelated material such as reports, best-practice features, and documents. As such collaborative software moves from the social to the corporate arena, it is bound to challenge management authority, engaging the knowledge worker in a more participatory knowledge capability and environment. This paper explores the implication that this revolution has for the interaction of corporate users with technology that will lead to a profound change in organisational culture.

Structuring The Project Environment For Learning, Andrew J. Sense

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

This paper argues that project learning and the learning competency development of project practitioners are most appropriately pursued through the creation and maintenance of supportive situated learning environments within projects. Drawing on participative action research into learning practices within a case study project involving organizational change, this paper introduces a model of project situated learning behaviour and identifies and explains five sociological elements (barriers or enablers) that are primal in shaping the learning behaviours of project team participants. This framework facilitates practitioners’ systematic and communal reflection on their learning practices and helps develop their skills in ‘learning how to learn’.

A Methodology For Integrating Artificial Intelligence Into A Quality Management Teaching Environment, Xuesong Chi, Trevor A. Spedding

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Management flight simulators provide a “microworld” in which users control an organization in a realistic environment without the need to disturb the real system. This paper presents a web-based intelligent virtual learning environment to enhance the education of engineering management students in quality management and statistical process control techniques. The paper introduces the structure and methodology for building this online learning environment. The simulated environment is based on an innovative approach which incorporates a Fuzzy Adaptive Resonance Theory Neural Network to enable students to obtain the best response by automatically identifying out of control conditions.

The Network Centric Environment Viewed Through The Lens Of Activity Theory, Irena Ali, Leoni Warne, Helen M. Hasan

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

A network centric (NC) environment has the potential to transform the ways in which people gather, share, and process information with connectivity achieved thorough technological and social networks. This is of relevance to the military environment which is
characterised by constant change and uncertainty, and exposed to the vagaries of the political and economic climate. This chapter will analyse human activities in the military network centric context
through the lens of the Cultural-Historical Activity Theory. Based on current research findings it is proposed that the activity of sense-making is central to common awareness and decision making, through information sharing, in …

Social Marketing Communication In A Multicultural Environment: Practical Issues And Theoretical Contributions From Cross-Cultural Marketing, Gary I. Noble, Michael Camit

Faculty of Commerce - Papers (Archive)

Social marketing communication (social marcom) campaign production can be more challenging when the audience includes individuals from ‘culturally and linguistically diverse’ (CALD) communities. Additional issues such as culturally related values, practices, and attitudes need consideration. Normally, social marcoms campaigns for CALD audiences involve directly translating mainstream campaign material into various ethnic groups’ languages. However, little is understood about the issues beyond translation that confront practitioners adapting mainstream campaigns.

This article presents a case study analysis of work undertaken by the New South Wales Multicultural Health Communication Service (MHCS). The Service’s core activity is adaptation of social marcoms campaigns for use …