Initial state of excavated soil and rock (ESR) to influence the stabilisation with cement
- Lu, Yi, Xu, Changhao, Baghbani, Abolfazl
- Authors: Lu, Yi , Xu, Changhao , Baghbani, Abolfazl
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Construction and Building Materials Vol. 400, no. (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper investigates the initial state of excavated soil and rock (ESR). These initial states include dry density, organic content, water content (Wc), cement content (Cc), liquid index (LI), dry or wet mixing method. Three ESRs collected from tunnelling projects and kaolin were used in this study to compare. The specimens (i.e., 50 mm in diameter and 100 mm in height) were prepared in the laboratory and cured at 7 and 14 days, and then assessed by the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test. The analysis shows that the ratio of Wc/Cc is the primary factor to obtain different UCS for high LI ESR and a simple equation is proposed for quick prediction. For ESR with a more general LI, predictive equations are also proposed in terms of artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic programming (GP) for 7-days curing time. The results indicate that the both ANN models with Bayesian Regularization (BR) algorithm outperform ANN with Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) and GP model are accurate to predict UCS of mixtures. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
- Authors: Lu, Yi , Xu, Changhao , Baghbani, Abolfazl
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Construction and Building Materials Vol. 400, no. (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This paper investigates the initial state of excavated soil and rock (ESR). These initial states include dry density, organic content, water content (Wc), cement content (Cc), liquid index (LI), dry or wet mixing method. Three ESRs collected from tunnelling projects and kaolin were used in this study to compare. The specimens (i.e., 50 mm in diameter and 100 mm in height) were prepared in the laboratory and cured at 7 and 14 days, and then assessed by the unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test. The analysis shows that the ratio of Wc/Cc is the primary factor to obtain different UCS for high LI ESR and a simple equation is proposed for quick prediction. For ESR with a more general LI, predictive equations are also proposed in terms of artificial neural network (ANN) and genetic programming (GP) for 7-days curing time. The results indicate that the both ANN models with Bayesian Regularization (BR) algorithm outperform ANN with Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) and GP model are accurate to predict UCS of mixtures. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd
Lean and its impact on sustainability performance in service companies: results from a pilot study
- Lizarelli, Fabiane, Chakraborty, Ayon, Antony, Jiju, Jayaraman, Raja, Carneiro, Matheus, Furterer, Sandy
- Authors: Lizarelli, Fabiane , Chakraborty, Ayon , Antony, Jiju , Jayaraman, Raja , Carneiro, Matheus , Furterer, Sandy
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: TQM Journal Vol. 35, no. 3 (2023), p. 698-718
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose: The purpose of this empirical research is to understand the application of Lean practices (technical and social) and tools in the service sector, whose implementation is less studied, despite its economic relevance. The study aims to extend previous studies that focused on the relationship between Lean and operational and financial performance, and analyzing the impact on sustainability, encompassing economic, social and environmental perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: A pilot survey was conducted with Lean experts in European service companies. The authors have utilized various professional contacts on LinkedIn and a satisfactory response rate was obtained for analysis. Findings: The results of the study showed that there are several motivating factors for the implementation of Lean, the highlights being improving customer satisfaction, efficiency, delivery and cost reduction. The most frequently used Lean tools are related to the identification of improvement opportunities and causes of problems. The pilot survey also made it possible to identify the greater use of technical practices than social practices. The sustainability performance analysis showed that the better performance of service companies is in the economic dimension. Originality/value: The authors have identified no empirical studies linking Lean and sustainable performance in the service sector. This study bridges this cognitive gap through a pilot study and therefore makes an original contribution to the current literature. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
- Authors: Lizarelli, Fabiane , Chakraborty, Ayon , Antony, Jiju , Jayaraman, Raja , Carneiro, Matheus , Furterer, Sandy
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: TQM Journal Vol. 35, no. 3 (2023), p. 698-718
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Purpose: The purpose of this empirical research is to understand the application of Lean practices (technical and social) and tools in the service sector, whose implementation is less studied, despite its economic relevance. The study aims to extend previous studies that focused on the relationship between Lean and operational and financial performance, and analyzing the impact on sustainability, encompassing economic, social and environmental perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: A pilot survey was conducted with Lean experts in European service companies. The authors have utilized various professional contacts on LinkedIn and a satisfactory response rate was obtained for analysis. Findings: The results of the study showed that there are several motivating factors for the implementation of Lean, the highlights being improving customer satisfaction, efficiency, delivery and cost reduction. The most frequently used Lean tools are related to the identification of improvement opportunities and causes of problems. The pilot survey also made it possible to identify the greater use of technical practices than social practices. The sustainability performance analysis showed that the better performance of service companies is in the economic dimension. Originality/value: The authors have identified no empirical studies linking Lean and sustainable performance in the service sector. This study bridges this cognitive gap through a pilot study and therefore makes an original contribution to the current literature. © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited.
Recycling timber waste into geopolymer cement bonded wood composites
- Gigar, Firesenay, Khennane, Amar, Liow, Jong-leng, Tekle, Biruk, Katoozi, Elmira
- Authors: Gigar, Firesenay , Khennane, Amar , Liow, Jong-leng , Tekle, Biruk , Katoozi, Elmira
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Construction and Building Materials Vol. 400, no. (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Addressing critical societal challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, and environmental protection, requires sustainable management of resources. This study reports on the results of an experimental program using waste wood, including chromium copper arsenic (CCA) treated wood, to produce ambiently cured geopolymer cement bonded wood composites (WGC), and the results are very encouraging. The composite exhibited a reasonable compressive strength, which ranged between 7 and 27 MPa inversely corresponding to the amount of wood per binder ratio ranging between 0.1 and 0.4, conferring it the possibility of being used as a building material. The compressive strength of the composite with 40% wood chips showed the lowest compressive strength with values of 9.79, 7.29, and 7.92 MPa for decontaminated, CCA-treated, and non-CCA-treated wood chips, respectively. The results indicated that for all the wood per binder ratios, the use of decontaminated wood chips significantly improves the compressive, flexural, and specific strength of the composites, as well as their ductility, compared to non-decontaminated CCA-treated and non-CCA-treated wood chips. This paves the way for using wood waste in sustainability oriented product development and manufacturing. © 2023 The Author(s)
- Authors: Gigar, Firesenay , Khennane, Amar , Liow, Jong-leng , Tekle, Biruk , Katoozi, Elmira
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Construction and Building Materials Vol. 400, no. (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Addressing critical societal challenges, such as climate change, resource depletion, and environmental protection, requires sustainable management of resources. This study reports on the results of an experimental program using waste wood, including chromium copper arsenic (CCA) treated wood, to produce ambiently cured geopolymer cement bonded wood composites (WGC), and the results are very encouraging. The composite exhibited a reasonable compressive strength, which ranged between 7 and 27 MPa inversely corresponding to the amount of wood per binder ratio ranging between 0.1 and 0.4, conferring it the possibility of being used as a building material. The compressive strength of the composite with 40% wood chips showed the lowest compressive strength with values of 9.79, 7.29, and 7.92 MPa for decontaminated, CCA-treated, and non-CCA-treated wood chips, respectively. The results indicated that for all the wood per binder ratios, the use of decontaminated wood chips significantly improves the compressive, flexural, and specific strength of the composites, as well as their ductility, compared to non-decontaminated CCA-treated and non-CCA-treated wood chips. This paves the way for using wood waste in sustainability oriented product development and manufacturing. © 2023 The Author(s)
Rural maternity and media discourse analysis: Framing new narratives
- Brundell, Kath, Vasilevski, Vidanka, Farrell, Tanya, Sweet, Linda
- Authors: Brundell, Kath , Vasilevski, Vidanka , Farrell, Tanya , Sweet, Linda
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Rural Health Vol. 31, no. 3 (2023), p. 395-407
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Continued rural maternity closure across Australia has seen impacts on women and families such as financial pressures, quality and safety concerns, and emotional pressure. This review aimed at understanding how media coverage of rural maternity and closure are presented and what impact this may have on maternity service sustainability. This research seeks to examine media discourse and characteristics of online newspaper articles related to rural maternity services. A narrative review was conducted using thematic discourse analysis to examine online newspaper content published in Victoria, Australia from 2010 to June 2021. Local maternity services were a source of community interest for rural people. Coverage of negative outcomes for mothers and babies was highlighted by rural newspapers however, increased content over the last 12-month period focused on community support for the sustainability of rural maternity services. Recent community support in newspaper articles coincided with maternity services reviews and retaining some of these rural services. Community support in media may provide a protective social pressure, leading rural health services to consider this when reviewing the sustainability or closure of rural maternity services. Media attention about sustaining local maternity services by highlighting issues and representing community voices may influence health executive to consider opportunities to remodel and sustain high-quality and safe maternity care in rural settings. Knowing how rural health executives consider media, community pressure, and how it impacts expediency of maternity service closure decisions is unknown and an important gap in knowledge to explore and understand.
- Authors: Brundell, Kath , Vasilevski, Vidanka , Farrell, Tanya , Sweet, Linda
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Journal of Rural Health Vol. 31, no. 3 (2023), p. 395-407
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Continued rural maternity closure across Australia has seen impacts on women and families such as financial pressures, quality and safety concerns, and emotional pressure. This review aimed at understanding how media coverage of rural maternity and closure are presented and what impact this may have on maternity service sustainability. This research seeks to examine media discourse and characteristics of online newspaper articles related to rural maternity services. A narrative review was conducted using thematic discourse analysis to examine online newspaper content published in Victoria, Australia from 2010 to June 2021. Local maternity services were a source of community interest for rural people. Coverage of negative outcomes for mothers and babies was highlighted by rural newspapers however, increased content over the last 12-month period focused on community support for the sustainability of rural maternity services. Recent community support in newspaper articles coincided with maternity services reviews and retaining some of these rural services. Community support in media may provide a protective social pressure, leading rural health services to consider this when reviewing the sustainability or closure of rural maternity services. Media attention about sustaining local maternity services by highlighting issues and representing community voices may influence health executive to consider opportunities to remodel and sustain high-quality and safe maternity care in rural settings. Knowing how rural health executives consider media, community pressure, and how it impacts expediency of maternity service closure decisions is unknown and an important gap in knowledge to explore and understand.
The lithium-ion battery recycling process from a circular economy perspective—a review and future directions
- Sheth, Rahil, Ranawat, Narendra, Chakraborty, Ayon, Mishra, Rajesh, Khandelwal, Manoj
- Authors: Sheth, Rahil , Ranawat, Narendra , Chakraborty, Ayon , Mishra, Rajesh , Khandelwal, Manoj
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Energies Vol. 16, no. 7 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Ever since the introduction of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in the 1970s, their demand has increased exponentially with their applications in electric vehicles, smartphones, and energy storage systems. To cope with the increase in demand and the ensuing environmental effects of excessive mining activities and waste production, it becomes crucial to explore ways of manufacturing LIBs from the resources that have already been extracted from nature. It is possible by promoting the re-usage, refurbishing, and recycling of the batteries and their constituent components, rethinking the fundamental design of devices using these batteries, and introducing the circular economy model in the battery industry. This paper through a literature review provides the current state of CE adoption in the lithium-ion battery industry. The review suggests that the focus is mostly on recycling at this moment in the battery industry, and a further understanding of the process is needed to better adapt to other CE practices such as reuse, remanufacture, refurbishment, etc. The paper also provides the steps involved in the recycling process and, through secondary case studies, shows how some of the industries are currently approaching battery recycling. Thus, this paper, through review and secondary cases, helps us to understand the current state of LIB recycling and CE adoption. © 2023 by the authors.
- Authors: Sheth, Rahil , Ranawat, Narendra , Chakraborty, Ayon , Mishra, Rajesh , Khandelwal, Manoj
- Date: 2023
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Energies Vol. 16, no. 7 (2023), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Ever since the introduction of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in the 1970s, their demand has increased exponentially with their applications in electric vehicles, smartphones, and energy storage systems. To cope with the increase in demand and the ensuing environmental effects of excessive mining activities and waste production, it becomes crucial to explore ways of manufacturing LIBs from the resources that have already been extracted from nature. It is possible by promoting the re-usage, refurbishing, and recycling of the batteries and their constituent components, rethinking the fundamental design of devices using these batteries, and introducing the circular economy model in the battery industry. This paper through a literature review provides the current state of CE adoption in the lithium-ion battery industry. The review suggests that the focus is mostly on recycling at this moment in the battery industry, and a further understanding of the process is needed to better adapt to other CE practices such as reuse, remanufacture, refurbishment, etc. The paper also provides the steps involved in the recycling process and, through secondary case studies, shows how some of the industries are currently approaching battery recycling. Thus, this paper, through review and secondary cases, helps us to understand the current state of LIB recycling and CE adoption. © 2023 by the authors.
A literature review of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on sustainable HRM
- Liang, Xiaoyan, Zhang, Xiwei, Paulet, Renee, Zheng, Leven
- Authors: Liang, Xiaoyan , Zhang, Xiwei , Paulet, Renee , Zheng, Leven
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 5 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
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- Description: The ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to emerge across all facets of the world of work, including the field of human resource management (HRM). Sustainable HRM, drawing on the triple bottom line elements of the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainability, provides an ideal basis from which to understand the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and HRM. In this systematic literature review, we analyze peer reviewed articles published in the nexus of the pandemic and sustainable HRM, identifying the dimensions and extent of research in this topical area of study. Our CEDEL model—complicator–exposer–disruptor–enabler– legitimizer—conceptualizes our understanding of the role of COVID-19 in sustainable HRM. This paper provides a framework from which future studies can benefit when investigating the impacts of COVID-19, and a comprehensive identification of future research avenues. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Liang, Xiaoyan , Zhang, Xiwei , Paulet, Renee , Zheng, Leven
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 5 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to emerge across all facets of the world of work, including the field of human resource management (HRM). Sustainable HRM, drawing on the triple bottom line elements of the economic, environmental and social pillars of sustainability, provides an ideal basis from which to understand the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and HRM. In this systematic literature review, we analyze peer reviewed articles published in the nexus of the pandemic and sustainable HRM, identifying the dimensions and extent of research in this topical area of study. Our CEDEL model—complicator–exposer–disruptor–enabler– legitimizer—conceptualizes our understanding of the role of COVID-19 in sustainable HRM. This paper provides a framework from which future studies can benefit when investigating the impacts of COVID-19, and a comprehensive identification of future research avenues. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Addressing the climate emergency : a view from the theory of practice architectures
- Authors: Kemmis, Stephen
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Environmental Education Vol. 53, no. 1 (2022), p. 42-53
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This essay uses the theory of practice architectures to demonstrate the kinds of transitions underway as people change their practices to address the current climate emergency, with particular reference to Australia. The individualistic attitude-behavior model of behavioral change is inadequate for understanding these transitions, since they also require changes in the intersubjective spaces in which people encounter one another (semantic space, physical space-time, social space). Together, such transitions across a variety of domains can bring about transformations in “logics of life.” The theory of practice architectures is a resource for those calling for intensified action to reduce CO2 emissions and mitigate climate change, offering a way to understand how intertwined changes are needed in discourses and language, activity and work, and solidarity and power to bring about transformations in logics of life. The essay draws attention to the role of hybridization, in which old practices coexist alongside new practices, in the accomplishment of transformations. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
- Authors: Kemmis, Stephen
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Environmental Education Vol. 53, no. 1 (2022), p. 42-53
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: This essay uses the theory of practice architectures to demonstrate the kinds of transitions underway as people change their practices to address the current climate emergency, with particular reference to Australia. The individualistic attitude-behavior model of behavioral change is inadequate for understanding these transitions, since they also require changes in the intersubjective spaces in which people encounter one another (semantic space, physical space-time, social space). Together, such transitions across a variety of domains can bring about transformations in “logics of life.” The theory of practice architectures is a resource for those calling for intensified action to reduce CO2 emissions and mitigate climate change, offering a way to understand how intertwined changes are needed in discourses and language, activity and work, and solidarity and power to bring about transformations in logics of life. The essay draws attention to the role of hybridization, in which old practices coexist alongside new practices, in the accomplishment of transformations. © 2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Determinants of the intention to adopt digital-only banks in Malaysia: The extension of environmental concern
- Saif, Mashaal A. M., Hussin, Nazimah, Husin, Maizaitulaidawati Md, Alwadain, Ayed, Chakraborty, Ayon
- Authors: Saif, Mashaal A. M. , Hussin, Nazimah , Husin, Maizaitulaidawati Md , Alwadain, Ayed , Chakraborty, Ayon
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 17 (2022), p. 11043
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Digital-only banks have not achieved adoption expectations despite being one of the latest innovations in fintech. Several digital-only banks in the United States and Japan have gone bankrupt, and others continue to operate at a loss. Therefore, it is imperative to conduct this study in Malaysia to understand customers’ behavior, particularly regarding the adoption of digital-only banks. With climate change, environmental-friendly behavior, which has been ignored in digital-only bank literature, is becoming increasingly pertinent. This study addresses the lack of an integrated model that investigates the effect of external factors (i.e., critical mass, number of services, and environmental concerns), customer self-determination factors (i.e., trust), and mental perceptions of technology adoption (i.e., convenience, economic efficiency, functional and security risks, as well as perceived value) on the intention to adopt digital-only banks. Data were collected through an online survey targeting Klang Valley residents in the prime age range of 25–54 years old using stratified random sampling. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling by performing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and SEM path analysis in AMOS.v26 software. The results show that convenience, economic efficiency, number of services, trust, perceived value, and environmental concern all have positive significant relationships with the intention to adopt digital-only banks. Further, environmental concern is the strongest indicator of behavioral intention. In contrast, functional and security risks have a negative but non-significant relationship with the intention to adopt digital-only banks. Finally, critical mass has a positive but non-significant effect on the behavioral intention. This study is among the first to examine the influence of environmental concern on behavioral intentions in a digital-only banking context. It also contributes to an expanding body of research investigating environmental sustainability by presenting empirical results in the context of digital-only banks.
- Authors: Saif, Mashaal A. M. , Hussin, Nazimah , Husin, Maizaitulaidawati Md , Alwadain, Ayed , Chakraborty, Ayon
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 17 (2022), p. 11043
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Digital-only banks have not achieved adoption expectations despite being one of the latest innovations in fintech. Several digital-only banks in the United States and Japan have gone bankrupt, and others continue to operate at a loss. Therefore, it is imperative to conduct this study in Malaysia to understand customers’ behavior, particularly regarding the adoption of digital-only banks. With climate change, environmental-friendly behavior, which has been ignored in digital-only bank literature, is becoming increasingly pertinent. This study addresses the lack of an integrated model that investigates the effect of external factors (i.e., critical mass, number of services, and environmental concerns), customer self-determination factors (i.e., trust), and mental perceptions of technology adoption (i.e., convenience, economic efficiency, functional and security risks, as well as perceived value) on the intention to adopt digital-only banks. Data were collected through an online survey targeting Klang Valley residents in the prime age range of 25–54 years old using stratified random sampling. The data was analyzed using structural equation modeling by performing confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and SEM path analysis in AMOS.v26 software. The results show that convenience, economic efficiency, number of services, trust, perceived value, and environmental concern all have positive significant relationships with the intention to adopt digital-only banks. Further, environmental concern is the strongest indicator of behavioral intention. In contrast, functional and security risks have a negative but non-significant relationship with the intention to adopt digital-only banks. Finally, critical mass has a positive but non-significant effect on the behavioral intention. This study is among the first to examine the influence of environmental concern on behavioral intentions in a digital-only banking context. It also contributes to an expanding body of research investigating environmental sustainability by presenting empirical results in the context of digital-only banks.
Epistemic uncertainties in the assessment of regional soil acidification
- Benke, Kurt, Robinson, Nathan, Norng, Sorn, Rees, David, O’Leary, Garry
- Authors: Benke, Kurt , Robinson, Nathan , Norng, Sorn , Rees, David , O’Leary, Garry
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environments - MDPI Vol. 9, no. 8 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The increasing acidification of soil due to pollution and agricultural management practices is a growing problem worldwide, where food production is already under threat by climate change, more frequent droughts, and soil nutrient depletion. Soil acidification is quantified by pH measurements and is a primary metric for soil health. High soil acidity is a constraint on the production of grains and other crops because it decreases the bioavailability of important plant nutrients while increasing soil toxicity arising from an imbalance of essential soil elements. Field pH can be estimated by colour test kits which are very cost-effective and particularly suitable for developing countries where laboratory services are not available or fail to provide timely results. Because the pH test kit is based on visual colour matching between a colour card scale and a soil sample in solution, there are epistemic uncertainties, such as variability in expert opinion, differences in colour vision, measurement error, instrumentation, and changes in daylight spectral content. In this study, expert human observers were compared in experiments conducted using a standard pH test kit under a range of environmental conditions. A significant difference in uncertainty in colour discrimination was evident between male and female experts, whereas changes in daylight conditions had lower impact on the variance of pH estimates. In a group of subject matter experts, the male standard error (0.35 pH) was 57% higher on average over the range of pH values (pH = 4
- Authors: Benke, Kurt , Robinson, Nathan , Norng, Sorn , Rees, David , O’Leary, Garry
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Environments - MDPI Vol. 9, no. 8 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The increasing acidification of soil due to pollution and agricultural management practices is a growing problem worldwide, where food production is already under threat by climate change, more frequent droughts, and soil nutrient depletion. Soil acidification is quantified by pH measurements and is a primary metric for soil health. High soil acidity is a constraint on the production of grains and other crops because it decreases the bioavailability of important plant nutrients while increasing soil toxicity arising from an imbalance of essential soil elements. Field pH can be estimated by colour test kits which are very cost-effective and particularly suitable for developing countries where laboratory services are not available or fail to provide timely results. Because the pH test kit is based on visual colour matching between a colour card scale and a soil sample in solution, there are epistemic uncertainties, such as variability in expert opinion, differences in colour vision, measurement error, instrumentation, and changes in daylight spectral content. In this study, expert human observers were compared in experiments conducted using a standard pH test kit under a range of environmental conditions. A significant difference in uncertainty in colour discrimination was evident between male and female experts, whereas changes in daylight conditions had lower impact on the variance of pH estimates. In a group of subject matter experts, the male standard error (0.35 pH) was 57% higher on average over the range of pH values (pH = 4
Roles of selective agriculture practices in sustainable agricultural performance : a systematic review
- Ali, Basharat, Dahlhaus, Peter
- Authors: Ali, Basharat , Dahlhaus, Peter
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 6 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Feeding the growing global population while improving the Earth’s economic, environmental, and social values is a challenge recognised in both the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Sustaining global agricultural performance requires regular revision of current farming models, attitudes, and practices. In systematically reviewing the international literature through the lens of the sustainability framework, this paper specifically identifies precision conservation agriculture (PCA), digital agriculture (DA), and resilient agriculture (RA) practices as being of value in meeting future challenges. Each of these adaptations carries significantly positive relationships with sustaining agricultural performance, as well as positively mediating and/or moderating each other. While it is clear from the literature that adopting PCA, DA, and RA would substantially improve the sustainability of agricultural performance, the uptake of these adaptations generally lags. More in-depth social science research is required to understand the value propositions that would encourage uptake of these adaptations and the barriers that prevent them. Recommendations are made to explore the specific knowledge gap that needs to be understood to motivate agriculture practitioners to adopt these changes in practice. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Ali, Basharat , Dahlhaus, Peter
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article , Review
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 14, no. 6 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Feeding the growing global population while improving the Earth’s economic, environmental, and social values is a challenge recognised in both the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Sustaining global agricultural performance requires regular revision of current farming models, attitudes, and practices. In systematically reviewing the international literature through the lens of the sustainability framework, this paper specifically identifies precision conservation agriculture (PCA), digital agriculture (DA), and resilient agriculture (RA) practices as being of value in meeting future challenges. Each of these adaptations carries significantly positive relationships with sustaining agricultural performance, as well as positively mediating and/or moderating each other. While it is clear from the literature that adopting PCA, DA, and RA would substantially improve the sustainability of agricultural performance, the uptake of these adaptations generally lags. More in-depth social science research is required to understand the value propositions that would encourage uptake of these adaptations and the barriers that prevent them. Recommendations are made to explore the specific knowledge gap that needs to be understood to motivate agriculture practitioners to adopt these changes in practice. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
The role of FAIR data towards sustainable agricultural performance : a systematic literature review
- Ali, Basharat, Dahlhaus, Peter
- Authors: Ali, Basharat , Dahlhaus, Peter
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Agriculture (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 2 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Feeding a growing global population requires improving agricultural production in the face of multidimensional challenges; and digital agriculture is increasingly seen as a strategy for better decision making. Agriculture and agricultural supply chains are increasingly reliant on data, including its access and provision from the farm to the consumer. Far-reaching data provision inevitably needs the adoption of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) that offer data originators and depository custodians with a set of guidelines to safeguard a progressive data availability and reusability. Through a systematic literature review it is apparent that although FAIR data principles can play a key role in achieving sustainable agricultural operational and business performance, there are few published studies on how they have been adopted and used. The investigation examines: (1) how FAIR data assimilate with the sustainability framework; and (2) whether the use of FAIR data by the agriculture industry, has an impact on agricultural performance. The work identifies a social science research gap and suggests a method to guide agriculture practitioners in identifying the specific barriers in making their data FAIR. By troubleshooting the barriers, the value propositions of adopting FAIR data in agriculture can be better understood and addressed. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Ali, Basharat , Dahlhaus, Peter
- Date: 2022
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Agriculture (Switzerland) Vol. 12, no. 2 (2022), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Feeding a growing global population requires improving agricultural production in the face of multidimensional challenges; and digital agriculture is increasingly seen as a strategy for better decision making. Agriculture and agricultural supply chains are increasingly reliant on data, including its access and provision from the farm to the consumer. Far-reaching data provision inevitably needs the adoption of FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) that offer data originators and depository custodians with a set of guidelines to safeguard a progressive data availability and reusability. Through a systematic literature review it is apparent that although FAIR data principles can play a key role in achieving sustainable agricultural operational and business performance, there are few published studies on how they have been adopted and used. The investigation examines: (1) how FAIR data assimilate with the sustainability framework; and (2) whether the use of FAIR data by the agriculture industry, has an impact on agricultural performance. The work identifies a social science research gap and suggests a method to guide agriculture practitioners in identifying the specific barriers in making their data FAIR. By troubleshooting the barriers, the value propositions of adopting FAIR data in agriculture can be better understood and addressed. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Employee voice : the missing factor in sustainable hrm?
- Paulet, Renee, Holland, Peter, Bratton, Andrew
- Authors: Paulet, Renee , Holland, Peter , Bratton, Andrew
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 17 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Sustainable Human Resource Management (HRM), has the potential to facilitate organi-sations development of principles, policies and practices for the challenges of the 21st century. How-ever, to do this we argue a fundamental element in this process has yet to be fully addressed and incorporated into the theory and practice of sustainable HRM; this is employee voice. Additionally, the actual and potential role of trade unions in facilitating employee voice is yet to be conceptualised within sustainable HRM literature. We argue that the development of effective employee voice mechanisms is vital in the implementation and maintenance of sustainable HRM. In this conceptual paper, we outline the nature of the voice architecture, the impact of the employment relationship on voice mechanisms, how it can be effectively measured, and propose a framework for further exploring these concepts. These key factors we identify as critical in implementing and assessing the effectiveness of the relationship between employee voice and sustainable HRM, to potentially serve as a basis of future research into sustainable HRM. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
- Authors: Paulet, Renee , Holland, Peter , Bratton, Andrew
- Date: 2021
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Sustainability (Switzerland) Vol. 13, no. 17 (2021), p.
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Sustainable Human Resource Management (HRM), has the potential to facilitate organi-sations development of principles, policies and practices for the challenges of the 21st century. How-ever, to do this we argue a fundamental element in this process has yet to be fully addressed and incorporated into the theory and practice of sustainable HRM; this is employee voice. Additionally, the actual and potential role of trade unions in facilitating employee voice is yet to be conceptualised within sustainable HRM literature. We argue that the development of effective employee voice mechanisms is vital in the implementation and maintenance of sustainable HRM. In this conceptual paper, we outline the nature of the voice architecture, the impact of the employment relationship on voice mechanisms, how it can be effectively measured, and propose a framework for further exploring these concepts. These key factors we identify as critical in implementing and assessing the effectiveness of the relationship between employee voice and sustainable HRM, to potentially serve as a basis of future research into sustainable HRM. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Green bonds : Do they bring sustainability to environmentally friendly projects?
- Authors: Nanayakkara, Madurika
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study was motivated by the urgent requirement to scale up the global green bond (GB) market to meet the trillion-dollar financial requirement of environmental resilience projects worldwide, and by the absence of prior scientific investigations to determine solutions to the GB market’s problems from different perspectives. Three empirical studies were conducted to provide a holistic view of the GB market. The first study investigated the perception gaps of different stakeholders in the GB market in terms of assessing the ‘greenness’ of projects funded through GBs, investors’ expectations of GB investments, and the factors hindering the growth of the GB market. A qualitative method was employed with document review, followed by interviews, a questionnaire survey and peer debriefing. The study found that both the demand and supply sides of the GB market are inadequate to meet the world’s green investment requirements. The main obstacles hindering the market growth are fear for greenwashing, definitions that lack clarity, the absence of large-scale issues, and the high costs associated with complex reporting processes and third-party certifications. The second study assessed the influence of GB principles on investor demand for GBs, using global GBs issued for the period 2007 to 2016. Bid–ask spread and yield spread were used to measure the investor demand. The results indicated a significant positive relationship between the degree of compliance and investor demand. The third study compared the credit spreads of corporate GBs and conventional bonds, measured by option-adjusted spread daily data for the period 2016 to 2017 worldwide. Hybrid method of panel data regression was employed to analyse the data, and found that GBs are traded at a premium in the world market, compared with conventional bonds. This thesis suggests several policy implications based on the findings of these studies to scale up the GB market as a new source of financing.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
- Authors: Nanayakkara, Madurika
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Thesis , PhD
- Full Text:
- Description: This study was motivated by the urgent requirement to scale up the global green bond (GB) market to meet the trillion-dollar financial requirement of environmental resilience projects worldwide, and by the absence of prior scientific investigations to determine solutions to the GB market’s problems from different perspectives. Three empirical studies were conducted to provide a holistic view of the GB market. The first study investigated the perception gaps of different stakeholders in the GB market in terms of assessing the ‘greenness’ of projects funded through GBs, investors’ expectations of GB investments, and the factors hindering the growth of the GB market. A qualitative method was employed with document review, followed by interviews, a questionnaire survey and peer debriefing. The study found that both the demand and supply sides of the GB market are inadequate to meet the world’s green investment requirements. The main obstacles hindering the market growth are fear for greenwashing, definitions that lack clarity, the absence of large-scale issues, and the high costs associated with complex reporting processes and third-party certifications. The second study assessed the influence of GB principles on investor demand for GBs, using global GBs issued for the period 2007 to 2016. Bid–ask spread and yield spread were used to measure the investor demand. The results indicated a significant positive relationship between the degree of compliance and investor demand. The third study compared the credit spreads of corporate GBs and conventional bonds, measured by option-adjusted spread daily data for the period 2016 to 2017 worldwide. Hybrid method of panel data regression was employed to analyse the data, and found that GBs are traded at a premium in the world market, compared with conventional bonds. This thesis suggests several policy implications based on the findings of these studies to scale up the GB market as a new source of financing.
- Description: Doctor of Philosophy
Testing the robustness of optimal operating plans under various future hydro-climatic scenarios
- Godoy, Walter, Barton, Andrew, Wilson, K., Perera, B.
- Authors: Godoy, Walter , Barton, Andrew , Wilson, K. , Perera, B.
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 2018 Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium: Water and Communities, HWRS 2018 p. 267-283
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A key challenge for water resources planning processes around the world is to develop operating plans that are optimal under a range of hydro-climatic conditions. The consequences of such long term planning decisions can vary in terms of the social, economic, and environmental impacts. Given these potential impacts, it is important that operating plans are tested under a range of hydro-climatic conditions to ensure that they are sufficiently robust to withstand future changes in climate. The aim of this study is to present a procedure for testing the robustness of optimal operating plans for complex water resources systems using a combined multi-objective optimisation and sustainability assessment approach. The approach embeds an optimisation-simulation (O-S) model which is applied to an 18-objective function multi-objective optimisation problem of the Wimmera-Mallee Water Supply System (WMWSS). The WMWSS is a multi-reservoir system located in Western Victoria (Australia) which is operated to meet a range of competing interests for water using complex operating rules. The O-S model is applied to the WMWSS to search for optimal operating plans over a 100-year period into the future assuming two plausible greenhouse gas (GHG) emission levels. The two GHG emission scenarios represent lower and higher ends of the estimated range of projected GHG emissions, providing a wide range of future hydro-climatic conditions. A robustness test is used to evaluate the validity of the most sustainable optimal operating plans under the two GHG emmission scenarios and also those found previously under a historic hydro-climatic sequence. The test results show that the status quo or base case operating plan is optimal but is neither the highest nor the lowest in terms of the level of sustainability that could be achieved in the WMWSS, under historic and the higher GHG emission scenario. Moreover, the results show that the most sustainable optimal operating plans found under the three hydro-climatic scenarios are sufficiently robust to withstand the full range of hydro-climatic conditions considered whereas the base case operating plan is not as robust. The risks involved in the implementation of operating plans which exhibit large deviations from the base case operating plan are discussed. These risks highlight the importance of problem formulation and sensitivity analysis of the optimal operating plans in order to find real world solutions to real world problems. © CURRAN-CONFERENCE. All rights reserved.
- Authors: Godoy, Walter , Barton, Andrew , Wilson, K. , Perera, B.
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: 2018 Hydrology and Water Resources Symposium: Water and Communities, HWRS 2018 p. 267-283
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A key challenge for water resources planning processes around the world is to develop operating plans that are optimal under a range of hydro-climatic conditions. The consequences of such long term planning decisions can vary in terms of the social, economic, and environmental impacts. Given these potential impacts, it is important that operating plans are tested under a range of hydro-climatic conditions to ensure that they are sufficiently robust to withstand future changes in climate. The aim of this study is to present a procedure for testing the robustness of optimal operating plans for complex water resources systems using a combined multi-objective optimisation and sustainability assessment approach. The approach embeds an optimisation-simulation (O-S) model which is applied to an 18-objective function multi-objective optimisation problem of the Wimmera-Mallee Water Supply System (WMWSS). The WMWSS is a multi-reservoir system located in Western Victoria (Australia) which is operated to meet a range of competing interests for water using complex operating rules. The O-S model is applied to the WMWSS to search for optimal operating plans over a 100-year period into the future assuming two plausible greenhouse gas (GHG) emission levels. The two GHG emission scenarios represent lower and higher ends of the estimated range of projected GHG emissions, providing a wide range of future hydro-climatic conditions. A robustness test is used to evaluate the validity of the most sustainable optimal operating plans under the two GHG emmission scenarios and also those found previously under a historic hydro-climatic sequence. The test results show that the status quo or base case operating plan is optimal but is neither the highest nor the lowest in terms of the level of sustainability that could be achieved in the WMWSS, under historic and the higher GHG emission scenario. Moreover, the results show that the most sustainable optimal operating plans found under the three hydro-climatic scenarios are sufficiently robust to withstand the full range of hydro-climatic conditions considered whereas the base case operating plan is not as robust. The risks involved in the implementation of operating plans which exhibit large deviations from the base case operating plan are discussed. These risks highlight the importance of problem formulation and sensitivity analysis of the optimal operating plans in order to find real world solutions to real world problems. © CURRAN-CONFERENCE. All rights reserved.
Towards sustainability in Australian social work field education
- Neden, Jeanette, Townsend, Rob, Zuchowski, Ines
- Authors: Neden, Jeanette , Townsend, Rob , Zuchowski, Ines
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Social Work Vol. 71, no. 3 (2018), p. 345-357
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The educational framework of Australian social work field education has remained static over the past few decades. Emerging challenges are creating a compelling case for change. These include increasing demand for placements, declining capacity of organisations to provide placement requirements, reduction in practitioners’ incentives and capacity to support student placements and to facilitate a work integrated learning context, and an interrelated web of policies and regulations that constrain adaptation to these changes. In a critical exploration of multiple levels of regulation and policy contexts, we argue that conventional approaches to social work field education are not sustainable given significant changes to the funding arrangements for universities and within the welfare service system. To futureproof integrative learning in social work, we advocate transformation of educational culture, policies, and design toward sustainability. IMPLICATIONS Supervised placements are designed to integrate practice and academic learning but their future use as the single means for achieving this integration will be unsustainable. Drawing on an ecological orientation enables social work educators to position sustainability as a key consideration and response to current constraints in higher education and the field. Focusing on sustainability across policy, practice, and regulation contexts has potential to generate transformative change that enhances our effectiveness in futureproofing the design of integrative learning in social work. © 2018,
- Authors: Neden, Jeanette , Townsend, Rob , Zuchowski, Ines
- Date: 2018
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australian Social Work Vol. 71, no. 3 (2018), p. 345-357
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The educational framework of Australian social work field education has remained static over the past few decades. Emerging challenges are creating a compelling case for change. These include increasing demand for placements, declining capacity of organisations to provide placement requirements, reduction in practitioners’ incentives and capacity to support student placements and to facilitate a work integrated learning context, and an interrelated web of policies and regulations that constrain adaptation to these changes. In a critical exploration of multiple levels of regulation and policy contexts, we argue that conventional approaches to social work field education are not sustainable given significant changes to the funding arrangements for universities and within the welfare service system. To futureproof integrative learning in social work, we advocate transformation of educational culture, policies, and design toward sustainability. IMPLICATIONS Supervised placements are designed to integrate practice and academic learning but their future use as the single means for achieving this integration will be unsustainable. Drawing on an ecological orientation enables social work educators to position sustainability as a key consideration and response to current constraints in higher education and the field. Focusing on sustainability across policy, practice, and regulation contexts has potential to generate transformative change that enhances our effectiveness in futureproofing the design of integrative learning in social work. © 2018,
Views and perceptions of local council partners concerning a regional-scale health promotion initiative in rural Australia
- Lê, Quynh, Auckland, Stuart, Nguyen, Hoang, Terry, Daniel
- Authors: Lê, Quynh , Auckland, Stuart , Nguyen, Hoang , Terry, Daniel
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Universal Journal of Public Health Vol. 2, no. 7 (2014), p. 181-188
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: There are a number of risk factors which increasingly impact the health and wellbeing of Australians, particularly in rural communities. To address the health and wellbeing of communities, local governments are taking on a more focused role by supporting healthy community initiatives (HCI). This paper presents local council partners perceptions concerning a regional-scale health promotion initiative that was undertaken in rural Tasmania, Australia. The evaluation provides insight into the future decisions and strategies that may be developed to improve processes, methods and outcomes of health initiatives undertaken by local governments. The study used a mixed methods approach collecting data through a questionnaire, focus group discussions and interviews with stakeholders and participating councils to provide an understanding of the effectiveness and success of, and barriers to, the health promotion initiative. It was found that there was an emphasis by local councils on programs that promoted physical activities, while programs that focused on healthy food and other health promotion topics, such as quit smoking and healthy workplaces were less emphasised. Overall, the health promotion initiative was perceived to be effective; however, there was little measureable evidence as to the outcomes of the various projects within the initiative and there was concern regarding the sustainability of the initiative beyond the funding timeframe. Community based, health promotion interventions are complex. Local government are suitably placed to deliver health promotion initiatives, as they have a greater understanding and can affect the greatest change by investing in projects with the highest priority among those communities within their boundaries. Nevertheless, sustainability of projects beyond funding allocation, while building and improving partnerships among local governments, and service agencies to pool resources and capture specific target groups must be central to ongoing initiatives.
- Authors: Lê, Quynh , Auckland, Stuart , Nguyen, Hoang , Terry, Daniel
- Date: 2014
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Universal Journal of Public Health Vol. 2, no. 7 (2014), p. 181-188
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: There are a number of risk factors which increasingly impact the health and wellbeing of Australians, particularly in rural communities. To address the health and wellbeing of communities, local governments are taking on a more focused role by supporting healthy community initiatives (HCI). This paper presents local council partners perceptions concerning a regional-scale health promotion initiative that was undertaken in rural Tasmania, Australia. The evaluation provides insight into the future decisions and strategies that may be developed to improve processes, methods and outcomes of health initiatives undertaken by local governments. The study used a mixed methods approach collecting data through a questionnaire, focus group discussions and interviews with stakeholders and participating councils to provide an understanding of the effectiveness and success of, and barriers to, the health promotion initiative. It was found that there was an emphasis by local councils on programs that promoted physical activities, while programs that focused on healthy food and other health promotion topics, such as quit smoking and healthy workplaces were less emphasised. Overall, the health promotion initiative was perceived to be effective; however, there was little measureable evidence as to the outcomes of the various projects within the initiative and there was concern regarding the sustainability of the initiative beyond the funding timeframe. Community based, health promotion interventions are complex. Local government are suitably placed to deliver health promotion initiatives, as they have a greater understanding and can affect the greatest change by investing in projects with the highest priority among those communities within their boundaries. Nevertheless, sustainability of projects beyond funding allocation, while building and improving partnerships among local governments, and service agencies to pool resources and capture specific target groups must be central to ongoing initiatives.
Cattle traceability- A threat to sustainability supply of beef to EU: A Botswana meat commission
- Authors: Boy, Rudolph
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Logistics, Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Vol. 1, no. 1 (2013), p. 1-9
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A trend of bad corporate governance characterised by corruption, mismanagement, non-accountability and unethical practices in state owned corporations is disconcerting. The Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) saga epitomize the trouble not only with the countrys public corporation but also with the nation’s agricultural sector, in particular the beef industry. The BMC has been in the news for the wrong reasons and it appears that the crisis continues unabated with profound and deleterious impact on the economy, particularly the cattle industry. BMC has been making loses, hit by exports beef quality issues, envisaged privatization and monopoly issues and feedlots problems inter alia. The troubling problem roots from the traceability of cattle slaughtered by the abattoir. Millions of BWP has been spent on the bolus programme to track and trace cattle but it failed to meet its expectations. The BMC lost on numerous occasions its market to the European Union as a result of untracebility of cattle sold to the EU market. Some of the reasons are found to be internal issues of procurement process, inspections by the DVS which is flawed and mismanagement within the institution. This research relied on secondary data collected from 2008 through to 2012. This data is analysed and some key enablers were suggested and a traceability framework is proposed to eliminate and track anomalies in the supply chain.
- Authors: Boy, Rudolph
- Date: 2013
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: European Journal of Logistics, Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Vol. 1, no. 1 (2013), p. 1-9
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: A trend of bad corporate governance characterised by corruption, mismanagement, non-accountability and unethical practices in state owned corporations is disconcerting. The Botswana Meat Commission (BMC) saga epitomize the trouble not only with the countrys public corporation but also with the nation’s agricultural sector, in particular the beef industry. The BMC has been in the news for the wrong reasons and it appears that the crisis continues unabated with profound and deleterious impact on the economy, particularly the cattle industry. BMC has been making loses, hit by exports beef quality issues, envisaged privatization and monopoly issues and feedlots problems inter alia. The troubling problem roots from the traceability of cattle slaughtered by the abattoir. Millions of BWP has been spent on the bolus programme to track and trace cattle but it failed to meet its expectations. The BMC lost on numerous occasions its market to the European Union as a result of untracebility of cattle sold to the EU market. Some of the reasons are found to be internal issues of procurement process, inspections by the DVS which is flawed and mismanagement within the institution. This research relied on secondary data collected from 2008 through to 2012. This data is analysed and some key enablers were suggested and a traceability framework is proposed to eliminate and track anomalies in the supply chain.
Corporate social responsibility in regional small and medium-sized enterprises in Australia
- Moyeen, Abdul, Courvisanos, Jerry
- Authors: Moyeen, Abdul , Courvisanos, Jerry
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australasian Journal of Regional Studies Vol. 18, no. 3 (2012), p. 364-391
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The recognition that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is important for business sustainability has focused the bulk of research on explicit normative arguments for its adoption by large corporations. This ignores the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the investigation of how such firms actually perform CSR activities. This study begins with the premise that SMEs may design appropriate CSR strategies to address issues in local communities. SMEs operate within these communities and subsequently are more aware of community and environmental issues than their larger counterparts. From this emerges the aim of examining the reality of this proposition from the particular perspective of a regional city in Australia. The results show a gap between normative CSR proposals and the actual operation of CSR processes in this cohort of SMEs in a regional community. What is exposed is the complexity of CSR ‘on the ground at the business frontline’.
- Description: C1
- Authors: Moyeen, Abdul , Courvisanos, Jerry
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Australasian Journal of Regional Studies Vol. 18, no. 3 (2012), p. 364-391
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: The recognition that corporate social responsibility (CSR) is important for business sustainability has focused the bulk of research on explicit normative arguments for its adoption by large corporations. This ignores the role of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the investigation of how such firms actually perform CSR activities. This study begins with the premise that SMEs may design appropriate CSR strategies to address issues in local communities. SMEs operate within these communities and subsequently are more aware of community and environmental issues than their larger counterparts. From this emerges the aim of examining the reality of this proposition from the particular perspective of a regional city in Australia. The results show a gap between normative CSR proposals and the actual operation of CSR processes in this cohort of SMEs in a regional community. What is exposed is the complexity of CSR ‘on the ground at the business frontline’.
- Description: C1
Green IT: Sustainability by aligning business requirements with IT resource utilization
- Authors: Subburaj, Srikanth
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The term “green IT” is defined as “Optimal use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for managing the environment sustainability of enterprise operations throughout their life cycles.” Its objective is to create a positive impact on environment through net lowered emissions. The heart of green IT (Information Technology) is the concept of “Environmental Sustainability,” its initiatives are multifaceted to support enterprises “business as usual model,” in low-carbon economy. Many green IT initiatives have provided short–term financial benefits, based on which organizations are now focusing on increased energy efficiency. Since many of these approaches provide less financials benefits’ which are harder to implement but provides improved environmental performance. So the financial benefits and environmental performance should be the multiple objectives in the green IT study.
- Description: Master of Computing (by Research)
- Authors: Subburaj, Srikanth
- Date: 2012
- Type: Text , Thesis , Masters
- Full Text:
- Description: The term “green IT” is defined as “Optimal use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for managing the environment sustainability of enterprise operations throughout their life cycles.” Its objective is to create a positive impact on environment through net lowered emissions. The heart of green IT (Information Technology) is the concept of “Environmental Sustainability,” its initiatives are multifaceted to support enterprises “business as usual model,” in low-carbon economy. Many green IT initiatives have provided short–term financial benefits, based on which organizations are now focusing on increased energy efficiency. Since many of these approaches provide less financials benefits’ which are harder to implement but provides improved environmental performance. So the financial benefits and environmental performance should be the multiple objectives in the green IT study.
- Description: Master of Computing (by Research)
The effectiveness of an ecodrive course for heavy vehicle drivers
- Symmons, Mark, Rose, Geoffrey, Van Doorn, George
- Authors: Symmons, Mark , Rose, Geoffrey , Van Doorn, George
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Proceedings of the Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference 2008 p. 1-8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Amongst other changes, ecodriving requires drivers to drive more smoothly – to “flow” the vehicle. In order to save fuel and reduce emissions drivers must operate at lower engine revolutions, change up gears as soon as possible, and anticipate traffic conditions and drive defensively. A field trial was conducted using a 30 km metropolitan circuit and B-double heavy vehicles. Compared to their pre-course measures, the trained group reduced their fuel consumption by an average of 27%, the number of gear changes by 29%, and the number of brake applications by 41%. Importantly, these gains were not offset by increases in the time taken to complete the circuit – indeed average speed increased slightly. Further, the benefits did not lose any strength 12 weeks after the training, at which point the pilot trial concluded – in fact for some variables the results continued to improve over time. The number of drivers participating in the trial was relatively small and some questions remain unanswered, including actual road safety implications, building a strong case for a larger trial.
- Authors: Symmons, Mark , Rose, Geoffrey , Van Doorn, George
- Date: 2008
- Type: Text , Conference paper
- Relation: Proceedings of the Australasian Road Safety Research, Policing and Education Conference 2008 p. 1-8
- Full Text:
- Reviewed:
- Description: Amongst other changes, ecodriving requires drivers to drive more smoothly – to “flow” the vehicle. In order to save fuel and reduce emissions drivers must operate at lower engine revolutions, change up gears as soon as possible, and anticipate traffic conditions and drive defensively. A field trial was conducted using a 30 km metropolitan circuit and B-double heavy vehicles. Compared to their pre-course measures, the trained group reduced their fuel consumption by an average of 27%, the number of gear changes by 29%, and the number of brake applications by 41%. Importantly, these gains were not offset by increases in the time taken to complete the circuit – indeed average speed increased slightly. Further, the benefits did not lose any strength 12 weeks after the training, at which point the pilot trial concluded – in fact for some variables the results continued to improve over time. The number of drivers participating in the trial was relatively small and some questions remain unanswered, including actual road safety implications, building a strong case for a larger trial.
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