Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Book Review: The Basics Of Information Security: Understanding The Fundamentals Of Infosec In Theory And Practice, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Dr Jason Andress (ISSAP, CISSP, GPEN, CEH) has written a timely book on Information Security. Andress who is a seasoned security professional with experience in both the academic and business worlds, categorically demonstrates through his book that underlying the operation of any successful business today is how to protect your most valuable asset- “information”. Andress completed his doctorate in computer science in the area of data protection, and presently works for a major software company, providing global information security oversight and performing penetration testing and risks assessment.

Little Understood Knowledge Trap, Hans-Dieter Evers, Solvay Gerke, Thomas Menkhoff

Solvay Gerke

As knowledge increases, we realise how much else we do not know. Successful research always results in new questions. Any knowledge economy must be aware of such unknowns if it is to expand further through research and development. Debate on bridging the digital divide does not take this factor into account. Many of the strategies currently preached are misplaced.

Il Professor Monti Bocciato In Economia, Mario Pianta

Mario Pianta

Organizing For Keeps: Building A Twenty-First Century Labor Movement, Kate Bronfenbrenner

Kate Bronfenbrenner

[Excerpt] In the last several years a great deal of discussion has taken place both inside and outside the labor movement about the need for American unions to organize massive numbers of unorganized workers. Who exactly this target workforce should be, ranging from low-wage contingent workers in home care, janitorial, or food service occupations, to the legions of unorganized clerical workers in business services, to the expanding professional and technical workforce in our "high tech" economy; to both skilled and unskilled production workers in the light manufacturing plants which have sprouted up across the South and rural Midwest, remains a …

An Investigation Of The Prevalence Of Quantitative Research Studies Within The Sociocultural Area Of Sport, Winston Wing Hong To

Winston Wing Hong To

This research study is to investigate if there is a prevalence of academic quantitative research studies within the sociocultural area of sport. Sociocultural of sport is defined by Harris (1989) in two levels, which were: "Suited Up Level": expressive meanings that sports have for people who encounter them, "Stripped Down Level": social structures within and beyond sport. Sociocultural of sport from her definition needs to encompass both levels when analyzing the cultural and social underpinnings of sport.

The research study looks to answer how much have sport sociologists used quantitative research methodology within their academic work within the sociocultural area …

Using The Fcb Grid To Evaluate A Failed Mental Health Levy: The Marketing Implications Of Stigma, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, Steffi Liotta, Wenhui Jin

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

This research found that using the FCB Grid to develop and evaluate a mental health levy campaign has merit. Likewise, stigma has both positive and negative impact on a mental health levy. Introduced is the ‘STIGMA’ planning model to help mental health professionals pass a public mental health levy.

Examining The Use Of Focus Groups In Economic Development Initiatives, Oscar T. Mcknight, Ronald Paugh, Brian Nestor, Shawn Yambor

Oscar T McKnight Ph.D.

City officials often use focus groups in economic development. However, findings indicate that group dynamics can threaten validity when seeking consensus. Data suggest a strong rebound effect for participants to return to their earlier pre-focus group assessment beliefs. Introduced is the ‘BUCKS’ Planning Model for facilitating city economic development initiatives.

Doing It Tough: Factors Impacting On Local E-Government Maturity, Peter Shackleton, Linda Dawson

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

As growing numbers of citizens seek to use the Internet to do business, governments across the world have moved into the area of electronic service delivery. For the last decade significant advancements have been made in the area of e-Government. Today, e-Government is often assumed to be well-established. However, ongoing support is often missing, particularly at the local government level. The multi-level nature of government often means that citizens are frustrated when accessing services that span many levels of bureaucracy. This paper describes an empirical study which explores the factors influencing local e-government maturity and identifies the barriers, enablers, priorities …

From Dog Licenses To Democracy: Local Government Approcahes To Eservice Delivery In Australia, Peter Shackleton, Julie Fisher, Linda Dawson

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

Municipal councils worldwide are recognizing the need and value of the Internet to deliver information and services. The move to e-Government in Australia and across the world has been prompted by factors such as government reform and the need to reduce cost, and to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. Only recently, however, have there been more significant moves towards local e-Government in many countries. This research paper reports on the progress local governments in Victoria, Australia have made towards e-Government implementation. The paper provides a background to types of electronic information and services provided by local government …

Rqf Publication Quality Measures: Methodological Issues, John W. Lamp, Simon K. Milton, Linda Dawson, Julie Fisher

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

The Research Quality Framework uses Thomson-ISI citation benchmarks as its main set of objective measures of research quality. The Thomson-ISI measures rely on identifying a core set of journals in which the major publications for a discipline are to be found. The core for a discipline is determined by applying a nontransparent process that is partly based on Bradford’s Law (1934). Yet Bradford was not seeking measures about quality of publications or journals. How valid then is it to base measures of publication quality on Bradford’s Law? We explore this by returning to Bradford’s Law and subsequent related research asking …

Understanding It Adoption And Consumption Within The Social Structure Of A Consumer’S Economy, Sherman Ting, Linda Dawson, Chris Dubelaar

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

Research into adoption, acceptance and consumption of Information Technology (IT) within its diffusion cycle has been extensively studied in Information Systems (IS) and marketing. However, research often focused too narrowly on technology adoption rates and drivers leading to technology adoption and acceptance. This paper discusses how understanding the social structure of a consumer’s economy, a consumer’s portfolio of capital resources, can reveal the individual’s approach and experiences towards technology adoption and consumption present and future. It provides a novel multi-disciplinary and practical approach into understanding the technology consumer by looking at how economic, cultural, social, educational, technological and political capital …

Defining The Mobile Work Domain, Linda Dawson, Julie Fisher, Helana Scheepers

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

There is increasing interest in the application of ubiquitous computing concepts to the use of mobile and wireless technologies in business. This paper presents the results of a conceptual study of the literature in ubiquitous and mobile computing and related areas. The outcome of the conceptual study is a context model of an identified Mobile Work Domain (MWD) which is focussed on mobile commerce and the use of new technologies and approaches to business processes in the workplace. This framework and context model comprises existing domains of activity and research, including electronic commerce, computer mediated communication and computer supported collaborative …

Does It Really Matter? First Impressions From A Company.S Web Site, Linda Dawson, Joze Kuzic

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

No abstract provided.

Modus Vivendi Of E-Business, Joze Kuzic, Julie Fisher, Angela Scollary, Linda Dawson, Milan Kuzic, Rod Turner

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

This paper reports on an investigation into relationships between challenges and success factors in e-business, from the perspective of the acknowledged benefits achieved by large organizations operating within the Australian context. To enable organisations to achieve benefits from e-business, it is imperative for companies to recognise challenges before them as well as to identify critical success factors necessary for their success. The outcome of the research reported in this paper is a key set of critical success factors, challenges and benefits that can be used as a modus vivendi to overcome problems by applying appropriate solutions in order to achieve …

Women In Ict: Guidelines For Evaluating Intervention Programmes, Annemieke Craig, Julie Fisher, Linda Dawson

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

Many intervention programmes to increase the number of women in theInformation and Communications Technology (ICT) profession have been implemented over the last twenty years. Detailed evaluations help us to determine the effectiveness of these programmes yet few comprehensive evaluations appear in the literature.The research reported here describes an investigation of the evaluation of the intervention programmes focusing on increasing the enrolment and retention of females in ICT in Australia. This paper describes an empirical study which explores how evaluation has been and might be conducted and concludes with guidelines for evaluation for those developing programmes for increasing the participation of …

The Adoption And Adaptation Of Object Oriented Methodologies In Requirements Engineering Practice, Linda Dawson, Peta Darke

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

The move towards the use of object-oriented methods for information system development has led to the need for object-oriented approaches to requirements engineering. Research into current system development practices in object-oriented requirements specification is necessary for techniques and tools to evolve and improve. This paper describes a set of four case studies that examined the use of object-oriented methodologies in professional requirements engineering practice by experienced system developers. In these studies, it was found that the widely published and commonly available methodologies were rarely used in their entirety, if they were used at all. Rather, most consultants interviewed developed in-house …

Town Hall Egovernment: A Study Of Local Government Electronic Service Delivery, Peter Shackleton, Julie Fisher, Linda Dawson

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

Australian municipal councils recognize the need to use the Internet to deliver information and services. The move to eGovernment has been prompted both by local government reform and pressure from controlling State governments. Only recently, however, have there been more significant moves towards local eGovernment. This research paper reports on the progress local governments in Victoria, have made towards electronic service delivery. The paper provides a background to types of electronic information and services provided by local government and the stages of electronic maturity. The research found that although the web sites of Victorian municipal councils provide far more information …

Victorian Local Government Websites: Tracking Information Provision And E-Service Maturity, Peter Shackleton, Julie Fisher, Linda Dawson

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

Local and municipal governments worldwide are embracing and using the Internet to deliver services and therefore better value to their communities. Current research has identified the use made of the Internet by higher levels of government. There has been limited research, however, examining the lowest tier; local government’s approach to Internet use. This paper presents the results of a content analysis undertaken on Victorian local government Websites over four years and describes the results of usability testing also conducted on local government sites. The results identify the changes in e-service delivery over that time and the usefulness of the information …

Implementing A Mobile Wireless Environment In A Hospital Ward: Encouraging Adoption By Nursing, Julie Fisher, Linda Dawson, Stephen Weeding, Liza Heslop

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

Sophisticated technology is commonplace in most hospitals and increasingly mobile devices are being used in hospitals by clinical staff. Although the growth in mobile device usage in hospitals has the potential to contribute to better health and medical services delivery, nurses and doctors are still very reliant on paper-based information. Much of the research reported to date has focused on technical and design issues around mobile devices. Research that has focused on mobile device use in practice has tended to be from the perspective of doctors. This paper describes research which investigated key issues that arose as a result of …

The Use Of Object-Oriented Models In Requirements Engineering: A Field Study, Linda Dawson, Paul Swatman

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

No abstract provided.

The Technological Trajectory Of The Automatic Identification Industry: The Application Of The Systems Of Innovation (Si) Framework For The Characterisation And Prediction Of The Auto-Id Industry, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Traditionally the approach used to analyse technological innovation focused on the application of the techno-economic paradigm with the production function as its foundation. This thesis explores the rise of the evolutionary paradigm as a more suitable conceptual approach to investigating complex innovations like automatic identification (auto-ID) devices. Collecting and analysing data for five auto-ID case studies, (bar codes, magnetic-stripe cards, smart cards, biometrics and RF/ID transponders), it became evident that a process of migration, integration and convergence is happening within the auto-ID technology system (TS). The evolution of auto-ID is characterised by a new cluster of innovations, primarily emerging through …

Integrating Value-Driven Feedback And Recommendation Mechanisms Into Business Intelligence Systems, Byron Keating, Tim Coltman, Michael Katina, Valeria Baker

Professor Katina Michael

Most leading organizations, in all sectors of industry, commerce and government are dependent upon

ERP for their organizational survival. Yet despite the importance of the decision to adopt ERP and its

impact on the entire firm’s performance the IT literature has been in the large part silent on the nature

of the ERP investment decision. This study is the first of its kind to determine the preference structure

of senior managers around the organizational benefits and risks of adopting ERP. We present the

results which provide interesting insights into how managers’ perceive the benefit and risk factors

salient to the …

Unpacking The Erp Investment Decision: An Empirical Assessment Of The Benefits And Risks, Byron Keating, Tim Coltman, Katina Michael, Valerie Baker

Professor Katina Michael

Most leading organizations, in all sectors of industry, commerce and government are dependent upon ERP for their organizational survival. Yet despite the importance of the decision to adopt ERP and its impact on the entire firm’s performance the IT literature has been in the large part silent on the nature of the ERP investment decision. This study is the first of its kind to determine the preference structure of senior managers around the organizational benefits and risks of adopting ERP. We present the results which provide interesting insights into how managers’ perceive the benefit and risk factors salient to the …

Danish Wind Energy Innovation, Kyle S. Herman

Dr. Kyle S. Herman

This article compares the exceptional Danish wind energy innovation system with the system employed by the US government. The underlying assumption about innovation systems in the US is that they are technologically driven, and past technological advances can be built upon leading to break-through innovations. However in Denmark, innovation was driven from citizens and relied on no break-through technologies, but rather a piecemeal process of collective, smaller innovations. For wind energy, this process was far more successful than the technologically driven innovation system in the US.

Behavioral Economics: A New Heavyweight In Washington?, Sean B. Cash, Christiane Schroeter

Christiane Schroeter

No abstract provided.

Foreword To The Killing Of Karen Silkwood, Kate Bronfenbrenner

Kate Bronfenbrenner

[Excerpt] The Killing of Karen Silkwood, therefore, is both a cautionary and inspirational tale. It reminds us of what we are up against and what it takes to win. But most of all it reminds us why each of us must stand with the whistle-blowers and the ordinary heroes that are among us, in the workplace, in government, and in our communities, and, if given the opportunity, become ordinary heroes ourselves. The risks are great, but the costs of not standing up and not speaking out are even greater.

What Do Workers Want: Reflections On The Implications Of The Freeman And Rogers Study, Kate Bronfenbrenner

Kate Bronfenbrenner

[Excerpt] Despite talk in the media and academia concerning worker attitudes about unions and workplace participation, there is precious little data to inform any of these discussions. Thus, research of the scope and scale of the Workplace Representation and Participation Study is of enormous value to the field of industrial relations because it provides important insights into worker attitudes about their jobs, rights, power, and future opportunities. Yet, because there is so little other data available to put Freeman and Rogers's research into context, it becomes all the more essential that we bring great care to our analysis of their …

Changing To Organize: Unions Know What Has To Be Done. Now They Have To Do It, Kate Bronfenbrenner

Kate Bronfenbrenner

[Excerpt] Even leaving aside the unusual events of last year, it is clear that despite all the new initiatives and resources devoted to organizing and all the talk of “changing to organize,” American unions are at best standing still. They will need to organize millions, not hundreds of thousands, of workers each year if they are to reverse the tide and begin to regain their influence and power in American society. Why is this so difficult? Why has it taken so long for new organizing initiatives to bear significant fruit? After spending the past fourteen years conducting a series of …

Reversing The Tide Of Organizing Decline: Lessons From The Us Experience, Kate Bronfenbrenner

Kate Bronfenbrenner

As increasing numbers of employers and governments in industrialized nations hasten to "Americanize" their economic policies, labor laws, and union-avoidance strategies, it has become critical for unions in other countries to learn what they can from the organizing experience of the US labor movement. Most research on factors contributing to US organizing decline has focused on the role played by factors external to the labor movement such as global competition, de-industrialization, changes in workforce demographics, new work systems, deregulation, aggressive employer opposition, and weak and poorly enforced labor laws. US unions, however, have greatly contributed to their own decline by …

The Road Of Trials: Management Concepts In Documentary Film Production In Australia, M. L. Jones, Christina Kirsch

Michael L Jones

New technologies affecting work and organizational design, unclear work functions and roles, communication problems, cross-cultural management problems, lack of knowledge transfer and industrial disputes - the catalogue of problems that affect the Australian film Industry (AFI) in general reads like a curriculum in the management discipline. Management and organizational studies have obviously neglected the film production industry and only few established management research programs tackle the film industry (Blair 2000, Cunningham 2002, Starkey, Barnatt & Tempest 2000). This project investigates projects in the AFI from a management perspective, with the objective to develop a theoretical framework and evaluate various management …