Igor Martek, David J. Edwards, Stewart Seaton and David Jones
Much rhetoric exists on the urgency of transitioning from current practices to a more sustainable society. However, because this imperative is guided by strong ideological…
Abstract
Purpose
Much rhetoric exists on the urgency of transitioning from current practices to a more sustainable society. However, because this imperative is guided by strong ideological overtones, weaknesses and failures in the transition effort attract inadequate scrutiny. This paper reviews Australia's progress with sustainability in an urban domain and identifies key issues hindering the sustainability transition effort.
Design/methodology/approach
Research on urban sustainability is ubiquitous but this weight of publications tends to emphasize technical, operational or prescriptive themes. This research uses an interpretivist philosophical lens and inductive reasoning to manually analyse pertinent literature sourced from the Scopus and Web of Science data-bases. Specifically, this study assembles outcome and evaluative assessments pertaining to Australia's urban sustainability efforts to identify both the progress achieved and residual structural impediments.
Findings
Emergent findings illustrate that Australia's urban sustainability goals, as expressed by the Paris Accord, have not been met. Obstruction can be attributed to over-ambitious objectives combined with weak federal leadership, under-resourced local government, over-reliance on superficial rating systems and an ineffective regulatory regime. Elite “green branding” by image conscious corporations are insufficient to offset the general disinterest of the unincentivized majority of building owners and developers.
Originality/value
This paper cogently summarizes Australia's urban sustainability status, along with complexity of the challenges it faces to meet targets set.
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Chia-Ning Chiang, Hung-Te Wang and An-Chi Lin
The purpose of this paper is to describe the multi-tiered framework supported by the NDLTD-Taiwan systems to achieve the collaboration and cooperation with universities and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to describe the multi-tiered framework supported by the NDLTD-Taiwan systems to achieve the collaboration and cooperation with universities and colleges in building electronic theses collection in Taiwan.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper describes the outcomes of multi-tiered framework, its user roles, tasks, and thesis-specific workflow, as well as the function for simulating user roles.
Findings
The framework is the result of supporting both the two-tiered and the three-tiered frameworks on the NDLTD-Taiwan systems platform. The design guidelines emerged out of the outcomes of task analysis.
Practical implications
The multi-tiered design not only accommodates graduation procedures for member universities and colleges, but also supports bibliographic control and collections building.
Originality/value
The paper shows that the multi-tiered design, which emerged out of the existing theses processes of member institutions, is inclusive. The framework allows member universities and colleges to choose an appropriate framework, either two-tiered or three-tiered, for managing their e-theses processes. In addition, role simulation allows the NCL administrator to reproduce problems encountered by the users to help troubleshooting.
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Victoria Mitchell, Tony L. Henthorne and Babu George
Over the years, dark tourism as a theory has become very heterogenous. It has come to mean a lot of different things, according to the vantage points chosen for analysis. The…
Abstract
Over the years, dark tourism as a theory has become very heterogenous. It has come to mean a lot of different things, according to the vantage points chosen for analysis. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of the research that has been conducted on the topic of dark tourism including what the accepted definitions are, where it originated from, subcategories of the topic, and tourist motivations for visiting such sites. A discussion regarding the role of cultural differences in perceiving the phenomenon of dark tourism is also included. Dark tourist experience is qualitatively different from that of the leisure tourists, and the theories and frameworks available in the extant tourism literature to understand leisure tourism are insufficient to capture its essence. This means, more foundational conceptualisations and radical theory building are called for – rather than incrementally tweaking the existing ones.
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Dorina Maria Buda and Alison Jane McIntosh
The purpose of this paper is to propose voyeurism as one possible lens to analyse the experiential nature of dark tourism in places of socio‐political danger, thus expanding…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose voyeurism as one possible lens to analyse the experiential nature of dark tourism in places of socio‐political danger, thus expanding psychoanalytic understandings of those who travel to a “dark” place.
Design/methodology/approach
Freud's and Lacan's theories on voyeurism are used to examine the desire to travel to and gaze upon something that is (socially constructed as) forbidden, such as a place that is portrayed as being hostile to international tourists. A qualitative and critical analysis approach is employed to examine one tourist's experience of travelling to Iran and being imprisoned as a result of taking a photograph of what he thought was a sunrise but also pictured pylons near an electrical plant.
Findings
The authors' analysis of the experiences of this tourist in Iran reveals that tourism, in its widest sense, can be experienced as “dark” through the consumption and performance of danger. This finding moves beyond the examination of dark tourism merely as “tourist products”, or that frame a particular moment in time, or are merely founded on one's connection to or perception of the site.
Research limitations/implications
Whilst the authors recognise the limitations of the case study approach taken here, and as such, generalisations cannot be inferred from the findings, it is argued that there is merit in exploring critically the motivational and experiential nature of travel to places that may be considered forbidden, dangerous or hostile in an attempt to further understand the concept of dark tourism from a tourist's lived perspective.
Originality/value
As the authors bring voyeurism into the debate on dark tourism, the study analyses the voyeuristic experiences of a dark tourist. In short, the authors argue that the lived and “deviant” experiential nature of tourism itself can be included in the discussion of “dark tourism”.
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This paper looks at some of the major trends in the UK newspaper industry – circulation shifts, format changes, ethical controversies, the re‐emergence of the frees, the revival…
Abstract
This paper looks at some of the major trends in the UK newspaper industry – circulation shifts, format changes, ethical controversies, the re‐emergence of the frees, the revival of the alternatives – in the context of the debate over trust in the mainstream media and political elites. It also identifies the elements of authentic communication that are needed for trust to exist between the newspaper writer/producer and the reader. The radical newspapers of the early 19th century are presented as examples of authentic journalism. While there are opportunities for the development of authentic journalism within the mainstream, it is suggested that the internet and today’s alternative press are opening up the best possibilities for the development of trustworthy media.
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According to the definition, visiting any specific destination to explore and unfold the darkest event of human history is known as dark tourism. This journey involves much of the…
Abstract
According to the definition, visiting any specific destination to explore and unfold the darkest event of human history is known as dark tourism. This journey involves much of the darker side of the travel which includes massacre, genocide, harlotry or flesh trade, ethnic cleansing, war, or disaster which is either natural and accidental or created by humans. Many international and domestic tourists travel around different states of India to explore its culture and community, foods and festivals, art, crafts and music, and the climate. The idea behind “dark tourism” is highly sensitive in the case of the Indian tourism context as Indian culture is much more possessive and protective compared to Western culture. The idea behind dark tourism and its utilization started in 1996; the phenomenon of this tourism mainly exists within a destination and is mainly controlled by societies and political regimes. This augmented exploration either encourages or discourages a tourist from exploring a destination for solo or group travel or restricts them due to psychological and social aspects. Many people think that dark tourism can increase interest in committing crimes and may increase the criminal mindset among individuals. The main objective of this research is to explore the major constraints and challenges of dark tourism.
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Reducing Level of Alcohol in Inks ‐ A medium‐sized US ink manufacturer recently needed to reduce the level of alcohol in its bases for water‐based inks. Ciba Geigy Pigments…
Abstract
Reducing Level of Alcohol in Inks ‐ A medium‐sized US ink manufacturer recently needed to reduce the level of alcohol in its bases for water‐based inks. Ciba Geigy Pigments Division's Inks Technical Centre developed an improved formulation, containing half the alcohol of the previous one and 40 per cent more pigment to allow the ink producer to meet VOC limits and increase production efficiency, at no additional cost.
Heteronormativity and cisnormativity are dominant perspectives ensuring that social structures, including educational systems, operate with a bias for heterosexual, cisgender…
Abstract
Heteronormativity and cisnormativity are dominant perspectives ensuring that social structures, including educational systems, operate with a bias for heterosexual, cisgender people. Gender and sexual minority (GSM) children worldwide attend schools where they are excluded and harassed because of their gender identity and/or sexuality. While many education professionals would not tolerate such discrimination perpetrated on the basis of minority ethnicity, race, or religion, relatively little attention is given to the marginalization of GSM students. The term ‘context paralysis’, coined here, describes a reluctance to engage with issues when the cultural context may make doing so difficult. Gender and sexuality are indeed sensitive and provocative topics, deeply connected to cultural norms and customs. However, to dismiss discrimination against GSM people in the name of local traditions is to be complicit in a tradition of bigotry. This chapter calls upon comparative and international education (CIE) scholars to employ their aptly nuanced training and expertise to elevate the visibility of issues barring GSM students from equal participation in school, to disseminate findings about effective interventions and policies that protect and support GSM students, and to interpret and adapt this research for application across cultural and geographic settings. Indeed, it is those in the field of CIE who may be best suited to carry out the sensitive implementation of educational research across borders and are, thus, particularly well-positioned to overcome context paralysis on behalf of GSM children worldwide.