Digital Commons Network^™

Change Agents Intervention In E-Business Adoption By Smes: Evidence From A Developing Country, Sheryl Thompson, David Brown

David C. Brown

Two contemporary economic phenomena, namely information and communication technologies (ICTs) and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), have featured in the the discourse on economic development within developing economies. A significant part of these discussions relates to the engagement in e-business activities by SMEs. This paper explores this phenomenon by examining the role of external change agents in the e-business adoption process of SMEs. The conclusion is that change agents intervention via funded initiatives are important to SMEs since it provides otherwise scarce resources, and may also mitigate risks associated with the adoption of new technologies. As such the paper makes …

A “Nutrition Label” For Privacy, Patrick Kelley, Joanna Bresee, Lorrie Cranor, Robert Reeder

Lorrie F Cranor

We used an iterative design process to develop a privacy label that presents to consumers the ways organizations collect, use, and share personal information. Many surveys have shown that consumers are concerned about online privacy, yet current mechanisms to present website privacy policies have not been successful. This research addresses the present gap in the communication and understanding of privacy policies, by creating an information design that improves the visual presentation and comprehensibility of privacy policies. Drawing from nutrition, warning, and energy labeling, as well as from the effort towards creating a standardized banking privacy notification, we present our process …

The Greening Of Canadian Cyber Laws: What Environmental Law Can Teach And Cyber Law Can Learn, Sara Smyth

Sara Smyth

This article examines whether Canadian environmental law and policy could serve as a model for cyber crime regulation. A wide variety of offences are now committed through digital technologies, including thievery, identity theft, fraud, the misdirection of communications, intellectual property theft, espionage, system disruption, the destruction of data, money laundering, hacktivism, and terrorism, among others. The focus of this Article is on the problem of data security breaches, which target businesses and consumers. Following the Introduction, Part I provides an overview of the parallels that can be drawn between threats in the natural environment and on the Internet. Both disciplines …

Workshop | Body Worn Video Recorders: The Socio-Technical Implications Of Gathering Direct Evidence, Katina Michael, Alexander Hayes

Alexander Hayes Mr.

- From in-car video recording to body-worn video recording

- Exploring available technologies: how do they work, pros and cons

- Storing direct evidence in secure storage: factors to consider

- Citizens “shooting” back with POV tech – what are their rights?

- Crowdsourced sousveillance- harnessing public data for forensic profiling

- Police force policies and practices on the application of new media

Good Practice Guides: Students, Institutions And Employers, Chris Ziguras, Jo Doyle, Cate Gribble, Racquel Shroff

Jo Doyle

Steps Toward Safety: Improving Systemic And Community Responses For Families Experiencing Domestic Violence, Leigh Goodmark, Ann Rosewater

Leigh S. Goodmark

This report is designed to mine the lessons learned from the research and reforms in child welfare and domestic violence, as well as explore possibilities for the next generation of innovation.

Star Or Black Hole? Australia And The International Transfers Of Anti-Terrorism Policy, Mark Rix

Mark Rix

This paper investigates the role that Australia is playing in the international transfer or diffusion of anti-terrorism policy. It is widely believed that those Western states that actually have been the target of homeland terrorist attacks, in particular the United States and Britain, have led the way in enacting harsh national security and counter-terrorism legislation. It is further assumed that other states have followed the lead of these vanguards in adopting and implementing their own legislative response to terrorist threats to national security. There is some merit in this view. In the wake of the September 11 attacks of 2001 …

The Stock Market Implication Of Political Connections: Evidence From Firms' Dividend Policy, Jerry Cao, Sheng Huang, Qigui Liu, Gary Tian

Qigui Liu

Political connections are valuable for shareholders of privately-run firms especially in countries with weak legal institutions. We study the effect of a firm's political connections in the public equity market by focusing on its impact on the firms' dividend policy. Prior studies suggest that dividends signal the commitment for proper treatment of minority shareholders and thus high growth firms pay dividends to establish such a reputation for better access to equity market in the future. Using a sample of privately-owned Chinese firms, we find that politically connected firms are less likely to pay dividends and pay less if they pay. …

Adapting To Change: Strategic Turning Points And The Cia/Dod Relationship, David Oakley

David P Oakley

No abstract provided.

Kidsmatter And Young Children With Disability: Evaluation Report, Katherine Dix, Jane Jarvis, Phillip Slee

Dr Katherine Dix

Community Domain Name Policy Development, Alison Norris, Mark Freeman

Dr Mark Freeman

In August 2006, auDA launched a new domain name space designed specifically for community groups to develop community websites for the benefit of the local community. This paper presents an overview of the scheme, and identifies the changes made to the governing policies since they were initially proposed. A comparison of the proposed and implemented policies is presented, and the potential effects of these changes on a ‘world first’ community website scheme are considered. The changes made by the administrators to the scheme were in the following areas: local focus; sale of geographic .com.au and .net.au domains; management and licensing; …

The Impact Of Government Policies On Access To Broadband, James Prieger

James E. Prieger

With a new focus for federal universal service programs on broadband and the NTIA BTOP funding for broadband adoption projects, recent years have been “exciting times” for those interested in broadband policy aimed at stimulating adoption. While most of the recent programs are still too new to be evaluated rigorously, lessons from older academic study can inform our expectations and lend guidance toward evaluating program success. In this brief work, I review what we know from the last decade and a half of literature on the impact of regulation on broadband adoption, discuss the (mostly woeful) attempts at evaluating adoption …

Teaching Thesis Writing, Policy And Practice At An Australian University, Janice Skillen, Emily Purser

Emily R Purser

As an indicator of serious engagement in an academic discourse, thesis writing enjoys universal recognition. While its importance in higher education is unquestioned, the need to teach students how to write a thesis (let alone what method to use) has been less generally accepted. In Australia, explicit instruction in thesis writing was rare until quite recently, but is now widespread and becoming almost mandatory. This paper briefly explains the shift and describes how the teaching of thesis writing is approached at the University of Wollongong. UoW’s major provider of academic skills instruction – Learning Development – supports student learning across …

U.S. Policies To Enhance Older Driver Safety: A Systematic Review Of The Literature, Elizabeth Dugan

Elizabeth Dugan

The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature related to state policies concerning older drivers and to draw policy conclusions about what policies appear to work to reduce older driver crashes and to identify areas needed for further research. Specific policies examined in this paper concern medical reporting and medical review, license renewal processes, and driver testing. A study was included in the systematic review if it met the following criteria: published in English between 1991and January 2013; included data on human subjects aged 65 and older residing in the United States; included information …

Social Determinants Of Health: A View On Theory And Measurement, John Mazzeo

John Mazzeo, Ph.D.

No abstract provided.

Litigating Religion, Michael A. Helfand

Michael A Helfand

This article considers how parties should resolve disputes that turn on religious doctrine and practice – that is, how people should litigate religion. Under current constitutional doctrine, litigating religion is generally the task of two types of religious institutions: first, religious arbitration tribunals, whose decisions are protected by arbitration doctrine, and religious courts, whose decision are protected by the religion clauses. Such institutions have been thrust into playing this role largely because the religion clauses are currently understood to prohibit courts from resolving religious questions – that is, the “religious question” doctrine is currently understood to prohibit courts from litigating …

Understanding Ageing In Older Australians: The Contribution Of The Dynamic Analyses To Optimise Ageing (Dynopta) Project To The Evidence Base And Policy, Kaarin Anstey, Allison Blelak, Carole Birrell, Colette Browning, Richard Burns, Julie Byles, Kim Kiely, Binod Nepal, Lesley Ross, David Steel, Timothy Windsor

Professor David Steel

Aim:  To describe the Dynamic Analyses to Optimise Ageing (DYNOPTA) project and illustrate its contributions to understanding ageing through innovative methodology, and investigations on outcomes based on the project themes. DYNOPTA provides a platform and technical expertise that may be used to combine other national and international datasets. Methods:  The DYNOPTA project has pooled and harmonised data from nine Australian longitudinal studies to create the largest available longitudinal dataset (n= 50652) on ageing in Australia. Results:  A range of findings have resulted from the study to date, including methodological advances, prevalence rates of disease and disability, and mapping trajectories of …

Filtering Children’S Access To The Internet At School, Kathryn Moyle

Professor Kathryn Moyle

Countries differ in their policy responses to the question: “Should children’s access to the Internet be filtered?” Countries such as the UK, U.S. and Australia do filter online content with software on servers, and countries such as Denmark, Sweden and The Netherlands, do not. The differences between these respective countries’ school policies are philosophical and political. This paper discusses intersections between the aims and purposes of schools, the political economy and the use of electronic filters on the Internet, for educational purposes. The paper concludes with a reflection of the implications of these issues for school leaders.

Introduction To The Special Issue On Manufacturing, Jennifer Clark, Pierre Clavel

Jennifer Clark

[Review Of The Book Labor Regulation In The Global Economy], Gary Fields

Gary S Fields

[Excerpt] This is a practical and useful volume on labor standards in today’s highly globalized world. An introduction is followed by ten chapters, some of them general, talking about the ILO or the WTO, and some more specific, focusing on the United States and Europe. The general chapters cover the ILO, corporate codes of conduct, efforts to introduce labor standards into the multilateral trade regime, arguments for and against labor standards in trade, and policy implications. The specific chapters cover U.S. initiatives on child labor, labor standards in the bilateral trade agreements entered into by the United States and the …

The Precautionary Principle In Australia: Policy, Law And Potential Precautionary Eias, Warwick Gullett

Warwick Gullett

The precautionary principle has been adopted in such a widespread fashion that it is now difficult to find in either the international environmental arena or countries with advanced environmental protection frameworks an environmental policy document, a new environmental law, or even a political statement about environmental management that does not include a reference to the principle or reflect some of the core ideas of the precautionary concept. References to the principle can be found in documents produced by organizations such as the European Environment Agency, the World Trade Organization, and of course the United Nations; in numerous environmental treaties ranging …

Whole-School Mental Health Promotion In Australia, Phillip Slee, Katherine Dix, Helen Askell-Williams

Dr Katherine Dix

A Jewish-Sponsored Law School: Its Purposes And Challenges, Howard Glickstein

Howard Glickstein

No abstract provided.

What's A Policy Maker Doing At A Research Conference? Mediating Stronger Partnerships Between Research, Policy And Practice In Schooling And Early Childhood Development, Elizabeth Hartnell-Young, Elvira Vacirca

Dr Elizabeth Hartnell-Young

This paper, written from the stance of central government policy makers, explores the sometimes tense relationships between researchers, practitioners and education policy makers in a context where evidence-based policy is espoused by governments. It is based on a belief that research in education affects, and is affected by, multiple stakeholders, and that if we are to strengthen the role of education research as a public good, making a difference to society, then we need a model and a practice that can bridge stakeholder interests. The current quest in school education policy making for ‘what works’ is influenced by economic imperatives, …

A Faith-Based Case For The Dream Act, Bradley Baurain

Bradley Baurain

No abstract provided.

Indigenous Literacy Policy Implementation In Queensland Schools : An Evaluation, Pauline Taylor

Associate Professor Pauline Taylor-Guy

Strengthening Capacity For Sustainable Livelihoods And Food Security Through Urban Agriculture Among Hiv And Aids Affected Households In Nakuru, Kenya, Nancy Karanja, Fiona Yeudall, Mary Njenga, Samwel Mbugua, Gordon Prain, Donald Cole, Aimee Webb, Jennier Levy, Christopher Gore, Daniel Sellen

Christopher D Gore

The promotion and support of urban agriculture (UA) has the potential to contribute to efforts to address pressing challenges of poverty, under nutrition and sustainability among vulnerable populations in the growing cities of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This may be especially relevant for HIV/AIDS-affected individuals in SSA whose agricultural livelihoods are severely disrupted by the devastating effects of the disease on physical productivity and nutritional well-being. This paper outlines the process involved in the conception, design and implementation of a project to strengthen technical, environmental, financial and social capacity for UA among HIV-affected households in Nakuru, Kenya. Key lessons learned are …

School Reform That Matters, Michael Johanek

Michael C Johanek

A "loving critic" of the U.S., Dean Kishore Mahbubani at the National University of Singapore, suggests that "American society could ... fail if it does not force itself to conceive of failure." Our "first systemic failure," claims Mahbubani, is "groupthink." evident in our collective inability to challenge the "manifest nonsense" from financial sector officials years ago. Today, "the belief that American society allows every idea to be challenged has led Americans to assume that every idea is challenged. They have failed to notice when their minds have been enveloped in groupthink."[1] Might this apply to our ideas about school reform? …

Expandable Grids For Visualizing And Authoring Computer Security Policies, Robert Reeder, Lujo Bauer, Lorrie Cranor, Michael Reiter, Kelli Bacon, Keisha How, Heather Strong

Lorrie F Cranor

We introduce the Expandable Grid, a novel interaction technique for creating, editing, and viewing many types of security policies. Security policies, such as file permissions policies, have traditionally been displayed and edited in user interfaces based on a list of rules, each of which can only be viewed or edited in isolation. These list-of-rules interfaces cause problems for users when multiple rules interact, because the interfaces have no means of conveying the interactions amongst rules to users. Instead, users are left to figure out these rule interactions themselves. An Expandable Grid is an interactive matrix visualization designed to address the …

Developing Conditions For Environmentally Sustainable Consumption: Drawing Insight From Anti-Smoking Policy, Rachel Krause

Rachel M. Krause

This paper starts from the premise that, particularly in industrialized countries, the consumption decisions made by individuals and households are a major source of environmental strain. Several international organizations and national governments have addressed this issue, but, thus far, their efforts have had minimal effect. This paper examines the conditions necessary for the implementation of policy able to effectively reduce the environmental impact of household consumption. It draws from the experience of American tobacco control, a relatively rare example of a public effort that succeeded in reducing the negative consequences of an entitled consumer behaviour.

An extensive review of the …