Tackle the Problem When It Gets Here: Pandemic Preparedness Among Small and Medium Businesses

Globally, governments and health authorities are preparing for pandemic influenza and producing resources to promote preparedness planning; however, there is little information available to inform the design of strategies to promote preparedness. Three focus groups were conducted to identify and to describe beliefs and perceptions about pandemic influenza and response planning among small and medium business owners and managers. Most participants were not concerned about the risk of pandemic influenza, and none had engaged in any planning for a pandemic. Findings show that participants were uncertain of the modes of transmission of pandemic influenza and what precautions could be taken prior to, or in the event of, a pandemic. Among the most important findings was participants' perceived inability to effectively prevent or control the spread of influenza within their workplace. These findings have important implications for the design of communication strategies to promote preparedness

Untangling the “messy” legislative basis of tourism development planning : five cases from Australia

This article reports on a scoping study examining the legislative basis for tourism development and planning in Australia. While planning is vital to facilitate strategic decision-making regarding the appropriate nature and scale of tourism-related developments within a destination, the legislative frameworks that provide for, control and regulate many aspects of tourism development have neither been identified nor collated in an integrated manner. This research used a case-study methodology to examine the range and scope of legislation impacting tourism development in Australia. The study identified 285 current Acts that were categorized into five broad themes. On the basis of these findings, a number of recommendations for identification, collaboration and education regarding the legislative environment have been postulated.Griffith Business School, Department of Tourism, Sport and Hotel ManagementNo Full Tex

The future of renewable energy in Australia: A test for cooperative federalism?

In the context of the Australian federal system industry development will be influenced by the policies of each sphere of government. When announcing a set of policies in 1997 to develop the renewable energy industry the Australian federal government acknowledged the need for a cooperative approach between all governments and industry. The objective of this article is to analyse the government policies over the 1997–2007 period to promote the development of the renewable energy industry in Australia. The article highlights a number of factors that have served as barriers to the development of the industry. The research provides important insight into the difficulties associated with establishing cooperative national arrangements in areas of state government responsibility in the Australian federation. The lessons also inform the current debate on the policy initiatives needed to more effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions from stationary energy from the increased availability of renewable energy

Developing a holistic risk management plan in mitigating flooding risks for buildings adjacent to the Swan River in Perth, Western Australia

AbstractClimate change as a major issue in the 21st century has seen the rise of the sea level and worse storm surges. This has impacted on the further distribution of salinity and flooding of low laying areas even in further inland areas. As the consequence, buildings in the proximity of riverbanks are left susceptible to potential damages and shortened life cycles. Thus, there is a real need to change the way buildings in these areas to be designed and how risk of damages can be mitigated and managed. The city of Perth in Western Australia, like many other cities around the world, is laying on the riverbank of a large river, the Swan River. As the population of Perth increases dramatically, it will become important to ensure sustainability of its buildings to support the ever growing populations and hence its needs. There are myriads of approaches in mitigating and managing these risks. This research project aims to investigate the contemporary risk management practices in mitigating flooding risk in buildings adjacent to the Swan River and bring them together as a holistic risk management approach. The findings of this research can be proposed to the Western Australian government to assist them in developing further policies in ensuring sustainable buildings fit for the future. At this point of writing, the research project is on its early stage of conducting literature review and designing the research methodology. It is intended to conduct a pilot survey, followed by case study approach of contemporary buildings adjacent to the Swan River to contextualize the research. This paper presents the current progress of this research