Benoît‐Pierre Freyens and Mark Loney
The last decade has seen increasing advocacy for, and interest in the use of white space in the broadcasting bands by providers of wireless broadband services. This paper aims to…
Abstract
Purpose
The last decade has seen increasing advocacy for, and interest in the use of white space in the broadcasting bands by providers of wireless broadband services. This paper aims to discuss the scope in Australia for “symbiotic” and “invasive” white space devices to operate in the UHF band after digital switchover and speculate about longer term trends.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors draw from their analysis of recent regulatory decisions to explain how the parameters established for channel planning naturally conduce to the development of large white spaces. They then identify emerging opportunities for white space usage in the reduced UHF band allocated to digital television services as well as in nearby guard bands.
Findings
The article's analysis suggests that there is considerable scope for white space devices to operate in Australia – even in the context of a reduced UHF band following analog switch off. Furthermore, the authors argue that the development of complementary business models could see off any perceived conflict between intensive white space usage and the long‐term benefit of both broadcasters and telecommunications operators.
Practical implications
It is timely for proponents of white space usage to establish regulatory arrangements that will allow intensive use of those white spaces. Current FCC proposals to base the regulatory framework on spectrum co‐sharing between broadcasters and white space broadband providers may lead to similar, yet distinct, opportunities in the USA as well.
Originality/value
There is a surprising paucity of published information worldwide regarding white space regulation. This article provides an in‐depth discussion of the main parameters driving white space opportunity.
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To evaluate past and recent research on the costs of training human resources in Australia and to compare the merits of different research methods used to measure these costs. The…
Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate past and recent research on the costs of training human resources in Australia and to compare the merits of different research methods used to measure these costs. The discussion is situated in a general context of low employer contribution to training provision in Australia and acute policy debates on public training provision.
Design/methodology/approach
The article presents the aggregate results of two recent quantitative surveys of training costs in Australian organizations. Both surveys adopt an economic definition of the costs and concentrate on firm‐specific skills acquired up until new recruits reach average productivity.
Findings
Survey results suggest that the informal costs of training human resources outstrip direct training expenditure and average training costs are much larger than commonly assumed in the policy debate in Australia.
Research limitations/implications
Ideally, the surveys reported upon should be extended to include continuing training costs and a measure of the degree of employer‐provided general training.
Practical implications
Official surveys largely underestimate the cost of employer‐provided training in Australia, contributing to (mistaken?) perceptions of private sector disengagement. Existing measures of the costs should adopt a more comprehensive approach, including the use of economic concepts.
Originality/value
This research stresses, both to HR practitioners and policy makers, the value of measuring opportunity costs in training processes, and contributes to its quantification.
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In sharp contrast to television, various sources of market failure currently prevent market forces fulfilling the promise of digital switchover in radio markets. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
In sharp contrast to television, various sources of market failure currently prevent market forces fulfilling the promise of digital switchover in radio markets. The purpose of this paper is to review the strengths and weaknesses, business models and market deployment of the two main platforms, with a view to establishing the economic case for higher regulatory involvement in digital radio markets.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper analyses the relevant broadcaster, engineering and regulatory literature, with particular emphasis on technical compatibilities among terrestrial radio broadcast technologies, and the technological and economic difficulties they face. The exercise is the first of its kind to scope and bring together these multidisciplinary contributions.
Findings
The highly uncoordinated development and deployment of terrestrial digital radio platforms is leading this new digital industry to an impasse. There is a legacy of uncertainty and scepticism amongst market players. Furthermore, prevailing technology and business models have marginalised community radio services and regional audiences.
Research limitations/implications
The analysis does not cover the demand side (contents, culture) nor developments in non‐terrestrial digital platforms, nor in the US‐based IBOC standard.
Practical implications
There is considerable scope, particularly in large, sparsely inhabited countries with sizeable rural audiences to remedy the failings of the current fragmented approach through regulatory intervention through platform integration.
Originality/value
There is a lack of coherent information published on the potential benefits that the new digital platforms are bringing to the audio broadcasting market, and on the current market difficulties they face. The article remedies this gap.
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Benoît Freyens and Marguerite Martin
Training multimedia projects often face identical knowledge‐transfer obstacles that partly originate in the multidisciplinarity of the project team. The purpose of this paper is…
Abstract
Purpose
Training multimedia projects often face identical knowledge‐transfer obstacles that partly originate in the multidisciplinarity of the project team. The purpose of this paper is to describe these difficulties and the tools used to overcome them. In particular, the aim is to show how elements of cognitive psychology theory (concept maps, semantic networks) and instructional theory (the Gagné taxonomy) combined with mainstream epistemological research help formalise and transmit industrial knowledge through the design of training multimedia.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper reports on action research spanning over ten years, taking stock of the experience gathered through 15 training multimedia projects in three large European organisations and their subsidiaries. Knowledge formalisation and transfer methods are illustrated with various examples and industrial applications.
Findings
Provided certain conditions and criteria are respected, these tools help unlock various knowledge transfer barriers specific to multidisciplinary training multimedia projects, not only by contributing to tacit knowledge elicitation and codification into the training multimedia resource, but also by providing an interdisciplinary communication vector.
Research limitations/implications
The paper is not concerned with issues such as collaborative use or multidisciplinary support for remote learning platforms, which offer a possible way to extend the analysis.
Practical implications
The knowledge formalisation methods presented in this paper can be applied to any form of project aimed at transferring intra‐disciplinary industrial knowledge within an organisation. In addition, education and training professionals (ETPs) constitute the pivotal element in this process and as such are indispensable to the successful implementation of training multimedia projects.
Originality/value
There is little existing research on knowledge transfer problems intrinsic to multidisciplinary team working in training multimedia projects. The article sheds light on these issues by putting together hitherto unconnected elements of conceptual analysis, which arose from fieldwork.