Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Railroad Privatization And Deregulation: Lessons From Three Decades Of Experience Worldwide, Randolph Resor, Philip Laird

Dr Philip Laird

Railroads exist worldwide, on all inhabited continents. The rail industry began nearly 200 years ago as a series of privately financed ventures in the United Kingdom and the United States, but the ownership model rapidly evolved during the 19th Century. By the middle of the 20th Century, railroads in most parts of the world were government-owned.

A Balanced Approach Is Needed For Sydney - Brisbane Freight, Philip Laird

Dr Philip Laird

No abstract provided.

High Speed Rail In Australia - Much Studied And Slow To Start, Philip Laird

Dr Philip Laird

High Speed Rail or HSR with electric passenger trains operating at speeds of 250km/h or more is now operational in 11 countries and has been under recent consideration in Australia for future operation between Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane. The paper outlines HSR studies in Australia and conditionally quantifies the potential reduction of aviation fuel use at up to 0.5m litres per annum from the introduction of HSR by 2020 in Australia with a reduction of external costs at $540m per annum by 2020. In addition, HSR in Eastern Australia by 2020 could allow for some 300 slots to be …

Column Experiments Carried Out For The Treatment Of Acidic Groundwater In Acid Sulfate Soil Terrain At The Shoalhaven Floodplain, Buddhima Indraratna, Punyama Pathirage, Laura Banasiak, Long Nghiem

Laura J Banasiak Dr

No abstract provided.

Remediation Of Acidic Groundwater From Acid Sulfate Soil Terrain By Permeable Reactive Barrier Technology, Laura Banasiak, Buddhima Indraratna

Laura J Banasiak Dr

No abstract provided.

Real World In The Classroom, Marci Johnson, Jonathan Bull, Derrick Carter, Michael Hagenberger

Jonathan Bull

This panel will discuss creating integrating real world projects into the classroom environment. Panelists include Marci Johnson (English), Jonathan Bull (Library Services), Derrick Carter (School of Law), and Michael Hagenberger (College of Engineering).

Perceived Barriers For Implanting Microchips In Humans: A Transnational Study, Christine Perakslis, Katina Michael, M.G. Michael, Robert Gable

Professor Katina Michael

This quantitative, descriptive study investigated if there was a relationship between countries of residence of small business owners (N = 453) within four countries (Australia, India, UK, and the USA) with respect to perceived barriers to RFID (radio frequency identification) transponders being implanted into humans for employee ID. Participants were asked what they believed were the greatest barriers in instituting chip implants for access control in organizations. Participants had six options from which to select. There were significant chi-square analyses reported relative to respondents’ countries and: 1) a perceived barrier of technological issues (χ2 = 11.86, df = 3, p …

Optimum Allocation Of Sample To Strata And Stages With Simple Additional Constraints, Robert Clark, David Steel

Robert Clark

The optimum allocation of a sample to strata and stages in a stratified two-stage design for a simple cost function is well known. In practice there may be reasons to impose simple additional constraints. It is shown how the theory for optimum allocation can be generalized to account for such constraints. A simple way of assessing the effect that each constraint has on the efficiency of the sample design is developed. This general approach allows several additional constraints that are used in practice to be applied. Data from the 1996 redesign of the Australian Monthly Labour Force Survey are used …

Sample Design Using Imperfect Design Data, Robert Clark

Robert Clark

A well-designed sampling plan can greatly enhance the information that can be produced from a survey. Once a broad sample design is identified, specific design parameters such as sample sizes and selection probabilities need to be chosen. This is typically achieved using an optimal sample design, which minimizes the variance of a key statistic or statistics, expressed as a function of design parameters and population characteristics, subject to a cost constraint. In practice, only imprecise estimates of population characteristics are available, but the effects of this variability are usually ignored. A general approach to sample allocation allowing for imprecise design …

Developing The Design Of A Continuous National Health Survey For New Zealand, Robert Clark, Robert Templeton, Anne Mcnicholas

Robert Clark

Background A continuously operating survey can yield advantages in survey management, field operations, and the provision of timely information for policymakers and researchers. We describe the key features of the sample design of the New Zealand (NZ) Health Survey, which has been conducted on a continuous basis since mid-2011, and compare to a number of other national population health surveys. Methods A number of strategies to improve the NZ Health Survey are described: implementation of a targeted dual-frame sample design for better Maori, Pacific, and Asian statistics; movement from periodic to continuous operation; use of core questions with rotating topic …

We Got To Do Better, Katherine Albrecht, Katina Michael

Professor Katina Michael

Each year, thousands of film buffs gather at the Sundance International Film Festival in park City, UT, U.S.A., to see the offerings of the world’s brightest filmmakers. If it’s true that movies reflect the preoccupations and obsessions of the larger culture, it’s eye opening that three of the twelve contenders for international documentary film this year address the dark side of screen technology.

Love Child, looks at the tragic 2010 death by neglect of a three-month-old baby named “Sarang” (“Love” in Korean), when her parents spent up to twelve hours a day playing the game Prius, caring for their avatar …

Editorial, New Trends In Information Systems Development, Karlheinz Kautz, Linda Dawson, Peter Nielsen, Nancy Russo

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

Information systems development (ISD), at the core of the information systems discipline, is an evolving field, faced with persistent challenges due to rapidly changing social and business environments as well as emerging technologies and technical infrastructures. Many of these issues have been discussed in the Information Systems Journal (see, for example, Kautz et al., 2007).

Laptops On Trolleys: Lessons From A Mobile-Wireless Hospital Ward, Stephen Weeding, Linda Dawson

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

Most hospital-based staff can be considered to be mobile but many hospital information systems (HIS) are based on fixed desk top computers. Wireless networks allow HIS to be brought to the point of care using mobile devices such as laptops on trolleys thus providing data which can aid in clinical decision-making. The research objective of this project focusses on the collaborative design of a laptop solution for providing data at the point of care. The research approach was based on a combination of action research and design science. Action research techniques including participant observation and informal oneto- one discussions were …

Issues In Ict In Healthcare In Australia And India, Ambica Dattakumar, Julie Fisher, Linda Dawson

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

No abstract provided.

Towards A Framework For Mobile Information Environments: A Hospital-Based Example, Linda Dawson, Sea Ling, Maria Indrawan, Stephen Weeding, Juanita Femando

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

We propose a conceptual framework to describe and understand mobile information environments. In our proposal, such an environment can be categorised into different abstraction levels or communities: user level, workflow level, device level and architecture level. A hospital-based example is then used as an illustration for the proposed framework.

Thinking About The Processes Used When Organisations Select And Evaluate Software: Operationalising Ict Evaluation Theory, Darren Skidmore, Linda Dawson

Associate Professor Linda Dawson

No abstract provided.