It is widely acknowledged that in today’s society, one must actively pursue the goal of life long learning, both for career and personal growth. However the costs in terms of…
Abstract
It is widely acknowledged that in today’s society, one must actively pursue the goal of life long learning, both for career and personal growth. However the costs in terms of finances, time and commitment are often a deterrent to further education. The University of Technology, Department of Information Studies and the Internet Training Institute are working together to make workplace training and further education easier for information professionals, through the recognition of accredited workplace training as a legitimate component of tertiary library and information studies. The partnership essentially involves the ITI Train the Internet Trainer program, the first nationally accredited program of its kind in Australia. The Train the Internet Trainer program is a practical three‐day hands‐on training workshop designed to give professionals the skills to prepare and deliver effective Internet training programs within their organisation and to the wider community. The UTS and ITI partnership commenced with the academic year in 2000.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore women’s resistance to the religion of civilising missions abroad through empathetic feminism.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore women’s resistance to the religion of civilising missions abroad through empathetic feminism.
Design/methodology/approach
Conceptually, this paper explores three thematic tools for transnational activism in the interwar period: empathy for silent history, intersectionality of race and class, and empowerment through advocacy within power structures. With the theoretical backdrop of Winifred Holtby’s activism inspired by the philosophy of Mary Wollstonecraft, this research compares the political involvement of Frances Emily Newton to Blanche Elizabeth Campbell Dugdale, and how their transnational activism contributed to post-colonial self-determination and the convolution of the Palestinian–Israeli conflict in the rise of the twentieth century nation-state.
Findings
These three feminists provided alternative narratives of human rights activism during the first wave of British feminism that both enabled transnational activism and planted seeds for empowering self-determination amidst colonial mandates and rising nationalism.
Practical implications
These women worked at the dovetail of colonialism and self-determination towards the twentieth century nation-state, and as the twenty-first century evolves with greater global integration and interconnectivity, imaginative insight in the transnational context evokes greater opportunities for empathy and compassion across intersectional identities, which in effect enables the mobilisation of positionality to confront structural violence perpetuating silenced voices.
Originality/value
By contextually evaluating transnational activism in a narrative of nuanced complexities, this research exudes opportunities for propagating universal human rights while maintaining the sensitivity to post-colonial sentiment for empowerment with the support of transnational networks.
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Hester Bornman and S.H. von Solms
In this paper I will discuss definitions of hypermedia, multimedia and hypertext. Hypertext is the grouping of relevant information in the form of nodes. These nodes are then…
Abstract
In this paper I will discuss definitions of hypermedia, multimedia and hypertext. Hypertext is the grouping of relevant information in the form of nodes. These nodes are then connected together through links. In the case of hypertext the nodes contain text or graphics. Multimedia is the combining of different media types for example sound, animation, text, graphics and video for the presentation of information by making use of computers. Hypermedia can be viewed as an extension of hypertext and multimedia. It is based on the concept of hypertext that uses nodes and links in the structuring of information in the system. In this case the nodes consist of all the different data types that are mentioned in the multimedia definition above. The ‘node‐and‐link’ concept is used in organisation of the information in hypermedia systems. The ‘book’ metaphor is an example of the way these systems are implemented. This concept is explained and a few advantages and disadvantages of making use of hypermedia systems are discussed. A new approach for the development of hypermedia systems, namely the knowledge‐based approach is now looked into. Joel Peing‐Ling Loo proposed this approach because he thought that it is the most effective way for handling this kind of technology. A semantic‐based hypermedia model is developed in this approach to formulate solutions for the restrictions in presenting information authoring, maintenance and retrieval. The knowledge‐based presentation of information includes the use of conventional data structures. These data structures make use of frames (objects), slots and the inheritance theory that is also used in expert systems. Relations develop between the different objects as these objects are included in the database. Relations can also exist between frames by means of attributes that belong to the frames.
Aarhus Kommunes Biblioteker (Teknisk Bibliotek), Ingerslevs Plads 7, Aarhus, Denmark. Representative: V. NEDERGAARD PEDERSEN (Librarian).
Examines the factors affecting the career choice of male and female civil engineering students in the UK. Draws on empirical research from a national survey of graduating male and…
Abstract
Examines the factors affecting the career choice of male and female civil engineering students in the UK. Draws on empirical research from a national survey of graduating male and female civil engineering students which identified similarities and differences between male and female graduates in the factors affecting their career choices. Argues that there are some significant differences between male and female civil engineering students in the factors which affect their career choice but on the whole these factors rank low in their importance. Discusses the implications of these results for employers of civil engineering graduates.
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Johnson Adafin, James O.B. Rotimi and Suzanne Wilkinson
There has been a lack of research, particularly within the New Zealand (NZ) context, focusing on the identification and assessment of risk factors for construction projects…
Abstract
Purpose
There has been a lack of research, particularly within the New Zealand (NZ) context, focusing on the identification and assessment of risk factors for construction projects, leading to a wide variation between design-phase elemental cost plans (ECPs) and the outturn tender sums (OTS). Still to be investigated is how risks interact to produce such variability. This study aims to determine the risk-influencing factors, identified through risk measurement, during design development.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted literature review and online questionnaire survey. The literature review was used to identify the factors affecting project budgetary performance, which was used to design the questionnaire survey culminating in data analysis. The questionnaire was administered to 64 practising project managers (PMs) in NZ. Their responses were analysed using descriptive statistics, mean ranking analysis, degree-of-risk measure and correlational analysis, to find the top-five risk factors impacting the variability observed, through ranking the mean and degree of risk values that produce such variability.
Findings
Significant risk factors were identified from the questionnaire survey analysis, such as changes in project owner/stakeholder requirements, experience of project team, site condition information, competency of consultants and information flow and quality. These provided some insights in explaining the variability between the design-phase ECPs and OTS based on risk impacts from PMs’ viewpoints.
Research limitations/implications
Findings revealed a drift of 23.86% in budgeted costs (inflated risks), which seems significant. Prioritising top risk factors may provide handy information for researchers on the variables that could be relied upon for the development of a forecasting model for application in NZ.
Practical implications
The study findings have implications for PMs seeking to provide information on mitigation strategies by using risk management approach, considering the influence of development risks on building project delivery and, consequently the project owner’s financial position. To guard against wide variation between design-phase ECPs and OTS, the main contribution of this study is to raise consultants’ awareness of the important risk factors for their planning at the outset, thus assisting PMs in pro-actively managing their clients' budgets.
Originality/value
This study creates value by synthesising literature on construction project budgeting and highlighting areas for further research. By giving adequate attention to key risks associated with budget overruns in commercial projects, variability between ECPs and OTS, a common phenomenon in NZ, can be controlled to achieve cost savings. Based on this, further study suggests the development of a model that could assist the stakeholders in NZ to more reliably predict OTS from the design-phase ECP and pro-actively avoid unfortunate budget/cost overruns, disputes and even project abandonment.
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Stephen M Maurer and Suzanne Scotchmer
There is growing public interest in alternatives to intellectual property including, but not limited to, prizes and government grants. We collect various historical and…
Abstract
There is growing public interest in alternatives to intellectual property including, but not limited to, prizes and government grants. We collect various historical and contemporary examples of alternative incentives, and show when they are superior to intellectual property. We also give an explanation for why federally funded R&D has moved from an intramural activity to largely a grant process. Finally, we observe that much research is supported by a hybrid system of public and private sponsorship, and explain why this makes sense in some circumstances.
Edwin Brownrigg and Brett Butler
The Memex Research Institute has proposed a research project to describe in machine‐readable form all the information needed to create electronic “books” in a standard…
Abstract
The Memex Research Institute has proposed a research project to describe in machine‐readable form all the information needed to create electronic “books” in a standard communications format. Two kinds of extended computer file formats employing the MARC structure will be defined: Access Formats that take into consideration the many existing index and abstract system formats and their associated databases; and Document Formats that provide for storage, representation, transmission, and display of machine‐readable works in text or image form. The formats that emerge can be employed by libraries, publishers, information utilities, and computer users worldwide to convert printed works to electronic forms or to create original works in electric format, and thus foment the creation of networked electronic library collections.
Diane Arrieta and Jacqueline Kern
The purpose of this paper is to examine science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) efforts at Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) John D. MacArthur Campus…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) efforts at Florida Atlantic University’s (FAU) John D. MacArthur Campus Library (JDM) to share methodologies and ideas with other academic libraries. Recently, there has been an emphasis on and push for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education in colleges and universities across the USA as a means for training future work forces and for remaining competitive in global job markets (Land, 2013). FAU in South Florida is a big proponent of STEM and STEAM education (Florida Atlantic University, 2012; Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, 2013).
Design/methodology/approach
As many librarians and outreach staff strive to remain relevant to their faculty and students with changing technologies (Drewes and Hoffman, 2010), the FAU JDM outreach staff have developed several novel programs that are geared toward the STEAM initiative.
Findings
The Library Outreach Committee at FAU was committed to investigating how they could advance student success through visual arts programming. How can the library help contribute to STEAM education for the students and learning community as a whole? How can the library engage art students? Can the library promote dialogue in arts to the faculty and staff, regardless of their disciplines? This article will describe and discuss the various art outreach programs that the JDM has tested and their outcomes addressing goals toward STEAM education and academic libraries.
Originality/value
The objective in sharing the experiences at the JDM is to spark new and successful program ideas at other academic libraries across the country and abroad and create knowledge in this relatively new area.