Building resilience through the application of an incident management methodology : a Singaporean context

The anticipated catastrophic effects of the Year 2000 Millennium (Y2K) computer bug had far-reaching effects, despite the fear being eventually unfounded. It demonstrated the potential vulnerability of reliance on computers. This recognition sparked massive waves of planning and preparation, giving rise to resilience as a new emerging strategic capability for enterprises and governments alike. Thus, we have seen an increased focus by business leaders and academics on business continuity and recovery management (BCRM), corporate crisis and emergency management (CCEM), and enterprise risk and resource management (ERRM) to overcome disruptions due to natural and human-made incidents affecting business operations (Hamel & Valikangas, 2003; Smith, 2003; Sheffi, 2005). As the search to enhance the resilience of organizations continues, there has been an increasing interest in incident management (IM) and an IM methodology (Barney & Hesterly, 2010; Zhang & McMurray, 2013), which is the focus of this study. Given limited research in the area of IM methodology, the objective of the study was to understand ‘how and why’ enterprises apply the IM methodology the way they do, and elicit the ‘need and want’ functions of their desired methodology. A qualitative case study methodology with a collective, descriptive, and exploratory approach was used to answer the research question (Yin, 1994), ‘What are the elements that drive the application of IM methodology in enterprises in Singapore?’ A questionnaire was used to draw out participants’ perceived roles with respect to the associated dimensions. This was followed by in-depth interviews to elicit the needed and wanted functions of the IM methodology through the respondents’ experiences. A total of 102 respondents took part in the questionnaire and interview given their role in IM. The data and findings were triangulated with enterprise documents, field observation of a mega-IM exercise, and a focus group discussion comprising IM practitioners (Sekaran & Bougie, 2013). The research study contributes three key findings to knowledge and the extant literature: the incident management body of knowledge (IMBOK) competency framework; the adaptive IM methodology (AIMM); and the IM system architecture and focal points

Primary + Early Childhood = chalk and cheese? Tensions in undertaking an early childhood/primary education degree

There is well-established evidence that the quality of early childhood education workforce impacts upon children’s learning. Attracting qualified teacher graduates to work in early childhood centres is an essential component towards the provision of quality care. Significant investment by the Australian Government has been made to prepare early childhood teachers, yet teaching at this level is characterised by poorer working conditions compared with primary school teachers. Various programme models qualify applicants as early childhood teachers, yet there is no evidence of the most appropriate model. Our study’s focus was to identify reasons for entering a teacher education programme, career intentions and satisfaction of pre-service teachers enrolled in early childhood/primary degree programmes at two Australian universities. Findings demonstrate that the degrees were not fulfilling the government investment goals for increasing early childhood teacher numbers, nor were the degrees meeting student expectation for an early childhood teaching career. We argue that renewed policy strategies are required to support new early childhood graduates and professionals, and attract teachers to work in early childhood education

Bromoperoxidase producing bacillus spp. Isolated from the hypobranchial glands of a muricid mollusc are capable of tyrian purple precursor biogenesis

The secondary metabolite Tyrian purple, also known as shellfish purple and royal purple, is a dye with historical importance for humans. The biosynthetic origin of Tyrian purple in Muricidae molluscs is not currently known. A possible role for symbiotic bacteria in the production of tyrindoxyl sulphate, the precursor to Tyrian purple stored in the Australian species, Dicathais orbita, has been proposed. This study aimed to culture bacterial symbionts from the purple producing hypobranchial gland, and screen the isolates for bromoperoxidase genes using molecular methods. The ability of bromoperoxidase positive isolates to produce the brominated indole precursor to Tyrian purple was then established by extraction of the culture, and analysis by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). In total, 32 bacterial isolates were cultured from D. orbita hypobranchial glands, using marine agar, marine agar with hypobranchial gland aqueous extracts, blood agar, thiosulphate citrate bile salts sucrose agar, and cetrimide agar at pH 7.2. These included 26 Vibrio spp., two Bacillus spp., one Phaeobacter sp., one Shewanella sp., one Halobacillus sp. and one Pseudoalteromonas sp. The two Bacillus species were the only isolates found to have coding sequences for bromoperoxidase enzymes. LC–MS analysis of the supernatant and cell pellets from the bromoperoxidase producing Bacillus spp. cultured in tryptone broth, supplemented with KBr, confirmed their ability to produce the brominated precursor to Tyrian purple, tyrindoxyl sulphate. This study supports a potential role for symbiotic Bacillus spp. in the biosynthesis of Tyrian purple

A case study of the Us mountain bike tourism market

Communities and regions throughout the United States are investing in the development and enhancement of requisite resources to leverage the growth of mountain bike tourism. However, an understanding of mountain bike tourists’ demographics, travel patterns, trip behaviors, and expenditures is lacking, thereby hampering product and market development efforts. The purpose of this study was to explore the demographics, travel preferences, and travel behaviors of US mountain bike tourists. Through an online survey hosted on a popular mountain bike website, a sample of US mountain bike tourists (N ¼ 810) was gathered. Data revealed that mountain bike tourists are predominately middleaged affluent males who take an average of five short-break trips annually of about 400 miles per trip during the spring and summer months, and in the process spend approximately US$400 per trip. Stemming from the results, implications for mountain bike tourism development are discussed

A new pathway for hexavalent chromium formation in soil: Fire-induced alteration of iron oxides

Iron oxides are important pedogenic Cr(III)-bearing phases which experience high-temperature alteration via fire-induced heating of surface soil. In this study, we examine if heating-induced alteration of Cr(III)-substituted Fe oxides can potentially facilitate rapid high-temperature oxidation of solid-phase Cr(III) to hazardous Cr(VI). Synthetic Cr(III)-substituted ferrihydrite, goethite and hematite were heated up to 800 °C for 2 h. Corresponding heating experiments were also conducted on an unpolluted Ferrosol-type soil, which had a total Cr content of 220 mg kg−1, initially undetectable Cr(VI) and Fe speciation comprising a mixture of hematite, goethite and ferrihydrite (according to Fe K-edge EXAFS spectroscopy). Up to ∼50% of the initial Cr(III) was oxidised to Cr(VI) during heating of Cr(III)-substituted ferrihydrite and hematite, with the greatest extent of Cr(VI) formation occurring at 200–400 °C. In contrast, heating of Cr(III)-substituted goethite resulted in up to ∼100% of Cr(III) oxidizing to Cr(VI) as the temperature approached 800 °C. In the Ferrosol-type soil, heating at ≥400 °C also resulted in large amounts of Cr(VI) formation, with a maximum total Cr(VI) concentration of 77 mg kg−1 forming at 600 °C (equating to oxidation of ∼35% of the soil\u27s total Cr content). A relatively large portion (31–42%) of the total Cr(VI) which formed during heating of the soil was exchangeable, implying a high level of potential mobility and bioaccessibility. Overall, the results show that Cr(VI) forms rapidly via the oxidation of Fe oxide-bound Cr(III) at temperatures which occur in surface soils during fires. On this basis and given the frequency and extent of wild-fires around the world, we propose that fire-induced oxidation of Fe oxide-bound Cr(III) may represent a globally-significant pathway for the natural formation of hazardous Cr(VI) in surface soil

Developing a new generation MOOC (ngMOOC): a design-based implementation research project with cognitive architecture and student feedback in mind

This paper describes a design-based implementation research (DBIR) approach to the development and trialling of a new generation massive open online course (ngMOOC) situated in an instructional setting of undergraduate mathematics at a regional Australian university. This process is underscored by two important innovations: (a) a basis in a well-established human cognitive architecture in terms of cognitive load theory; and (b) point-of-contact feedback based in a well-tested online system dedicated to enhancing the learning process. Analysis of preliminary trials suggests that the DBIR approach to the ngMOOC construction and development supports theoretical standpoints that argue for an understanding of how design for optimal learning can utilise conditions, such as differing online or blended educational contexts, in order to be effective and scalable. The ngMOOC development described in this paper marks the adoption of a cognitive architecture in conjunction with feedback systems, offering the groundwork for use of adaptive systems that cater for learner expertise. This approach seems especially useful in constructing and developing online learning that is self-paced and curriculum-based