This article explores challenges for rural Australian local governments during the transition to high-speed broadband infrastructure. Despite the National Broadband Network’s…
Abstract
Purpose
This article explores challenges for rural Australian local governments during the transition to high-speed broadband infrastructure. Despite the National Broadband Network’s promised ubiquitous connectivity, significant access discrepancies remain between rural and urban areas.
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical findings are drawn from a full-day workshop on digital connectivity, which included participants from seven rural local governments in New South Wales, Australia. Thematic analysis of the workshop transcript was undertaken to extrapolate recurring nuances of rural digital exclusion.
Findings
Rural communities face inequitable prospects for digital inclusion, and authorities confront dual issues of accommodating connected and unconnected citizens. Many areas have no or poor broadband access, and different digital engagement expectations are held by citizens and local governments. Citizens seek interactive opportunities, but rural authorities often lack the necessary resources to offer advanced participatory practices.
Research limitations/implications
While this research draws from a small sample of government officials, their insights are, nonetheless, heuristically valuable in identifying connectivity issues faced in rural Australia. These issues can guide further research into other regions as well as civic experiences of digital inclusion.
Practical implications
There is a need to reconceive Australia’s current policy approach to broadband. Greater rural digital inclusion may be achieved by focusing on connectivity as a public interest goal, targeting infrastructure developments to suit local contexts and implementing participatory digital government practices.
Originality/value
The actions suggested would help ensure equity of digital inclusion across Australian municipal areas. Without such changes, there is a risk of rural citizens facing further marginalisation through digital exclusion.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine South Korea’s digital divide policy and investigate how it Korea is one of the most networked countries in the world that has been…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine South Korea’s digital divide policy and investigate how it Korea is one of the most networked countries in the world that has been addressing the digital divide issue since the inception of broadband.
Design/methodology/approach
A secondary data analysis of the National Information Society Agency’s Digital Divide Index was conducted between 2003 and 2012.
Findings
The differences in the changes in the access, skills and utilisation dimensions of the digital divide indicate that a second-level digital divide emerges as penetration increases. The gap in access has been minimised concurrently with the rapid adoption of broadband. Reduction of gaps in skills and effective uses has not followed accordingly.
Social implications
Countries adopting broadband policies to achieve high connectivity can learn from this case and devise preventive policies that can overcome inequalities in skills and utilisation among digitally disadvantaged groups.
Originality/value
By analysing longitudinal data, this study identified an emerging second-level digital divide in a country with high broadband penetration. This has significant implications for policies aiming to narrow the digital divide and that access, skills and utilisation issues should be addressed separately.
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Mobile computing devices are a significant access point for information activities. Theories and models of human information behaviour have developed over several decades but have…
Abstract
Purpose
Mobile computing devices are a significant access point for information activities. Theories and models of human information behaviour have developed over several decades but have not considered the role of the user's computing device in digital information interactions. The purpose of this paper is to explore the information behaviours of young adults when they are given unlimited access to mobile tablet devices.
Design/methodology/approach
As information tasks, behaviours and communities shift into digital environments, a researcher of these phenomena is required to mirror that movement with techniques that allow a full exploration of human behaviour and interaction in the online world. Following Kozinets (2009), “netnography” (ethnography in online communities) is applied in this study and all data are collected online from within a community of iPad users, established for the research purpose.
Findings
This study reveals that access to mobile tablet devices creates significant shifts in the behaviours of young adults whose lives are immersed in digital information. Mobile tablet devices establish the potential for constant access to digital information and that opportunity is grasped by the participants in this research. Extensive use of mobile device applications or “apps” establishes a more selected and restricted view of information than that encountered in the open and expansive World Wide Web.
Originality/value
This paper invites extension to human information behaviour theories and models to include a consideration of computing access device and of new mobility and constancy of access – all of which changes the circumstances and behaviour of the information actor.
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Yelin Ko, Sora Shin, Yong Seok Choi, Byung-Hee Hong, Sang-Yoon Park and Joo-Young Lee
The purpose of the study was to explore heat-accumulative and thermal-conductive characteristics of copper-graphene composite film (Cu-G film) while applying it to a human-skin…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the study was to explore heat-accumulative and thermal-conductive characteristics of copper-graphene composite film (Cu-G film) while applying it to a human-skin analogue.
Design/methodology/approach
In the preliminary experiment, the authors evaluated the thermal conductive characteristics of the Cu-G film in three covered conditions (no film, copper film, and Cu-G film conditions). For the first factorial experiment, the heat-accumulative properties over heated pig skin were compared at air temperatures of 10, 25 and 35°C. For the second factorial experiment, 105 trials were conducted on pig skin by combining air temperatures, trapped air volumes, and numbers of film layers.
Findings
The results from the preliminary experiment showed that the Cu-G film distributed the surface heat to the outside of the Cu-G film, which resulted in even distribution of heat inside and outside the Cu-G film, whereas the copper film accumulated heat inside the copper film. The human-skin analogue of pig skin, however, showed the opposite tendency from that of the plastic. The pig-skin temperatures beneath the Cu-G film were higher than those beneath the copper film, and those differences were remarkable at the air temperature of 10°C. The accumulative heat was affected by the trapped air volume, fit to the skin, and number of Cu-G film layers.
Originality/value
In conclusion, the Cu-G film more effectively accumulated heat on the human-skin analogue than copper film, and those effects were more marked in cold environments than in mild or hot environments.
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Marc L. Miller and Sung-Gwi Kim
In concert with an ambitious national agenda that emphasizes free trade and globalization, lncheon Metropolitan City is taking the first steps toward reinventing itself to become…
Abstract
In concert with an ambitious national agenda that emphasizes free trade and globalization, lncheon Metropolitan City is taking the first steps toward reinventing itself to become a twenty-first century “Pentaport” with integrated Seaport, Airport, Technoport, Business Port, and Leisure Port components. The lncheon Pentaport transformation-projected to be complete by 2020-will entail significant industrial, sociological, and institutional modification. Leisure Port objectives can be achieved through responsible planning attuned to the ideal of sustainable development and by empirical studies of lncheon tourism and leisure dynamics. International benchmarks of leisure port success are found in Sydney, Australia; Vancouver, Canada; and San Diego, USA, among seven other cosmopolitan cities. Growth estimations for coastal ferry passengers; beach use; recreational vessels and yachts in the lncheon region are encouraging. lncheon Leisure Port development of ten amenity destinations will require equal and multidisciplinary attention to questions of tourism design and tourism impacts. Important issues will concern environmental quality, clean shipping practices, the proper balance of modem and traditional amenities and attractions, trade-offs of cultural homogeneity and cultural diversity, and creative destination branding and marketing, among others.
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Siyang Deng, Stéphane Brisset and Stephane Clénet
This paper compares six reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) approaches dealing with uncertainties for a simple mathematical model and a multidisciplinary optimization…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper compares six reliability-based design optimization (RBDO) approaches dealing with uncertainties for a simple mathematical model and a multidisciplinary optimization problem of a safety transformer to highlight the most effective.
Design/methodology/approach
The RBDO and various approaches to calculate the probability of failure are is presented. They are compared in terms of precision and number of evaluations on mathematical and electromagnetic design problems.
Findings
The mathematical example shows that the six RBDO approaches have almost the same results except the approximate moment approach that is less accurate. The optimization of the safety transformer highlights that not all the methods can converge to the global solution. Performance measure approach, single-loop approach and sequential optimization and reliability assessment (SORA) method appear to be more stable. Considering both numerical examples, SORA is the most effective method among all RBDO approaches.
Originality/value
The comparison of six RBDO methods on the optimization problem of a safety transformer is achieved for the first time. The comparison in terms of precision and number of evaluations highlights the most effective ones.
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Sora Shin, Hae-Hyun Choi, Yung Bin Kim, Byung-Hee Hong and Joo-Young Lee
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of intermittent and continuous heating protocols using graphene-heated clothing and identify more effective body region for…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the effects of intermittent and continuous heating protocols using graphene-heated clothing and identify more effective body region for heating in a cold environment.
Design/methodology/approach
Eight males participated in five experimental conditions at an air temperature of 0.6°C with 40 percent relative humidity: no heating, continuous heating the chest, continuous heating the back, intermittent heating the chest, and intermittent heating the back.
Findings
The results showed that the electric power consumption of the intermittent heating protocol (2.49 W) was conserved by 71 percent compared to the continuous protocol (8.58 W). Rectal temperature, cardiovascular and respiratory responses showed no significant differences among the four heating conditions, while heating the back showed more beneficial effects on skin temperatures than heating the chest.
Originality/value
First of all, this study was the first report to evaluate cold protective clothing with graphene heaters. Second, the authors provided effective intermittent heating protocols in terms of reducing power consumption, which was able to be evaluated with the characteristics of fast-responsive graphene heaters. Third, an intermittent heating protocol on the back was recommended to keep a balance between saving electric power and minimizing thermal discomfort in cold environments.
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Chun-Min Kuo, Wen-Yuan Chen, Chin-Yao Tseng and Chang Ting Kao
This paper develops a smart system based on the concept of Industry 4.0 to prevent customer dissatisfaction. The value of this prevention system is that it enables hoteliers to…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper develops a smart system based on the concept of Industry 4.0 to prevent customer dissatisfaction. The value of this prevention system is that it enables hoteliers to interact with customers by understanding what they like/dislike from their behaviors via data analysis. Therefore, this system helps hoteliers to enhance service quality by predicting service issues.
Design/methodology/approach
The system, named the dissatisfaction identification system (DIS), is developed. A total of 127 service items were examined by a hotel manager who preset the threshold values for the measurement of service quality. A big data set for the questionnaire survey is statistically generated by a pseudorandom number generator and 10,000 mock data sets are taken as input for comparison.
Findings
The results indicated that 36 out of 127 service items are identified as service issues for the participating hotel. Examples include customer code number 01d, “Space of parking lot is adequate” in the safety management category, and number 05a, “A hotel's service time meets my needs” in the front office service category. The items identified require improvement action plans for preventing customer dissatisfaction.
Originality/value
This paper offers a new perspective paper emphasizing customer dissatisfaction using a big data-driven technology system. The DIS, prevention system, is developed to aid hotels by enhancing their relationships with customers using a data-driven approach.
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Jungrae Lee and Sora Kim
The 4th Industrial Revolution changed various aspects of our lives. Those influences also led to many changes in the sports field. The emergence of different wearable devices…
Abstract
The 4th Industrial Revolution changed various aspects of our lives. Those influences also led to many changes in the sports field. The emergence of different wearable devices which adapted Information Technology (IT) played a pivotal role in enhancing the field of sports science. As an example, smartwatches are one of the most popular wearable devices. They monitor an appropriate amount of exercise and manage individual health. These functions reflect people's desire to pursue an individual lifestyle, which leads to a trend of “quantified self.” A diversified market related to smart fitness equipment also provided a reasonable opportunity for people to select various training options. Combining online content with fitness equipment created an environment where people compete globally for individual fitness.
As such, the Fourth Industrial Revolution impacted sports field's development but yielded unexpected results. It has been criticized due to taking care of the body relying on machines, misconceptions of figures, and subordination of tools. Like Nomophobia which indicates a fear of being without a mobile phone, No-watchphobia confuses people. Boundaries between sports and game collapse, jobs of personal trainers are threatened, and inequality index of sports participation is enormously broad.
Critical scholars argue the need for in-depth reflection on whether the rationalization of society influenced by the development of science and technology is truly for human happiness and liberation or leads to restraint and alienation. From the critical scholars' perspective, academic concerns and phenomenological considerations should be contemplated based on the aspects of sports sociology.