Housing supply chain model for innovation: research report

The aim of this research is to undertake a case study analysis of successful delivery of an innovation to the Australian housing construction industry. This study is conducted on the “innovator group”; that is, the group that created the idea of an innovation for the housing sector and then were intimately involved in creation, development and diffusion. It is apparent that there were key players involved in this process which are representative of various organisations along the supply chain – designer, developer, subcontractor and supplier. Much rhetoric states that integration of the supply chain actors will solve construction problems, however, in reality we know little beyond this in the Australian context as there has been little research conducted previously. This study will examine in detail the process undertaken by this particular group to deliver an innovation to the housing sector which required an integrated construction supply chain model. This report was published by the Australian Housing Supply Chain Alliance and written by Professor Kerry London, School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University with Research Fellow, Jessica Siva

Using Preconditioning Programs as a Management Tool for Value Added Calves

This publication discusses using preconditioning programs as a management tool for value added calves

Client managment on house projects : faciliating client learning for successful architect-client relationships

This paper reports the findings of a study which examined architect-client relationships on house projects with a focus on the supportive role of architects in helping clients deal with project issues. Habitus theory explains that the nature of architecture as a specialised activity places architects within an architectural habitus, distinguishing them from clients who are not trained in the field, which is at the heart of the problematic architect-client relationship. An underlying premise was that habitus shock, that is, a mismatch between the architect and client\u27s habituses Occurs as they enter into a relationship on the house project. Using the qualitative approach underpinned by the constructivist perspective for data collection and analysis, eight in-depth interviews were conducted across five case studies of successful architect-client relationships. The narrative inquiry approach was used to establish the extent to which habitus shock occurred and to describe the stages involved in the client\u27s adjustment process during habitus shock. The findings indicate that habitus shock occurred on all five case studies, which resulted in client learning, enabling clients to function with competency in the unfamiliar environment. Client learning achieved during habitus shock was directly linked to the amount of difficulty experienced. This study has refined our understanding of the architect-client relationship on house projects by exploring more deeply client behaviour and the ways in which clients successfully deal with difficulties on house projects rather than simply identifying the uncertainties and conflicts that occur on projects. The findings demonstrate that client learning during habitus shock is a characteristic of successful relationships. One of the most significant outcomes of thi s study is that it demonstrated the potential to facilitate client learning during habitus shock to contribute to the development of successful architect-client relationships.<br /

Habitus shock : a model for architect-client relationships on house projects based on sociological and psychological perspectives

The widening gap between architects and clients and the associated problems in the management of their relationship have long been recognised by practitioners and researchers alike. An emerging trend in recent studies is to develop descriptive models to describe behavioural characteristics of relationships based on observations of \u27 real world\u27 practice, indicating the significance of understanding the complexities of the social environment in which the architect-client relationship is within. This research built upon the work of past descriptive models by exploring the architect-client relationship on house projects with a focus on the client\u27s voice. It is an interdisciplinary study drawing theory from sociology to further understand this built environment industry problem. Sixty-nine percent of architects in Australia spend some of their work time on house projects and therefore improvements in this area can have significant impact on a considerably large portion of the profession. Habitus theory borrowed from sociology explains that the nature of architecture as a specialised activity places architects within an architectural habitus, distinguishing them from clients who are .not trained in the field. An underlying premise of thi s study is that a mismatch between the architect and client\u27s habituses occurs as they enter into a relationship on the house project. This phenomenon is termed habitus shock, referring to the client \u27s experience of disorientation as they are confronted with an unfamiliar architectural habitus on the project. Culture shock theory is examined for its contribution to explain the process to which the client adjusts to the unfamiliar environment during habitus shock. The habitus shock model proposed in this paper suggests that the client may achieve learning during habitus shock and it is this client learning that can lead to successful relationships.<br /

A socio-cognitive review of healthy eating programs in Australian Indigenous communities

Purpose: This paper aims to understand the challenges to healthy eating for Indigenous Australians using a Social Cognitive Theory lens. Understanding the environmental, cognitive, and behavioural barriers to healthy eating for Indigenous populations in Australia will help identify current gaps and highlight future actions needed in this area to close the gap for Indigenous Australians. Study design: Narrative review of interventions of healthy eating programs in Australian Indigenous communities sourced using a systematic search protocol to understand the environmental, cognitive, and behavioural barriers to healthy eating among Indigenous Australians and to identify gaps and future actions needed to address this from 2010–2020. Results: The search produced 486 records, after duplicates were removed and the inclusion and exclusion process were utilised, seven interventions were retained in nine studies. The seven interventions had multiple study designs, from randomised control trials to case studies. Conclusions: Further work needs to explore the long-term feasibility of providing fruit and vegetable discounts and the impact of remoteness for the delivery of healthy food. Dietary interventions need to be clearly described, and fidelity and process of the design and implementation process to help with replication of work

The importance of understanding Indigenous employment in the Indigenous business sector

Indigenous employment has been the subject of numerous policies in Australia, with governments aiming to increase the workforce participation rate amongst Indigenous people in recent years. Indigenous-owned businesses, formally defined as businesses that are at least 50% Indigenous-owned, have been demonstrated in previous research to maintain substantially higher levels of proportional Indigenous employment than non-Indigenous businesses. This suggests that Indigenous-owned businesses maintain work environments that are more supportive of and conducive to Indigenous employment, meriting the influence of Indigenous-owned businesses' workplace practices in future Indigenous employment policy design. Using administrative data from two Indigenous business registries (Black Business Finder and Supply Nation), this paper provides an updated empirical analysis of the Indigenous business sector. This paper demonstrates that Indigenous-owned businesses of all sizes, industries, locations and profit statuses consistently average proportional Indigenous employment rates higher than the Indigenous proportional population. Of all the people employed in Supply Nation-listed businesses, over 35% are Indigenous. The potential impact of the Indigenous Procurement Policy is illustrated by differentials in the size of businesses and their capacity to employ Indigenous staff. This paper provides analysis of the Indigenous business sector that can inform future policy direction for both Indigenous employment and Indigenous business policies. © 2023 The Authors. Australian Journal of Social Issues published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Social Policy Association

Cute drawings? The disconnect between students’ pictorial representations and their mathematics responses to fraction questions

Third and fourth grade students’ responses to open-ended questions requiring the modeling of fraction concepts were examined in order to determine the types and prevalence of difficulties students exhibit using pictorial representations in the problem-solving process. When developing pictorial representations, students experienced difficulties with model selection, partitioning, and comparison. Four specific difficulties students experienced in using pictorial representations to solve problems were: not answering the problem goal, incorrect model selection, failure to overcome whole number bias, and struggles with part-whole understanding

Inflammatory Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration in Toxin-Based Models of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) has been associated with exposure to a variety of environmental agents, including pesticides, heavy metals, and organic pollutants; and inflammatory processes appear to constitute a common mechanistic link among these insults. Indeed, toxin exposure has been repeatedly demonstrated to induce the release of oxidative and inflammatory factors from immunocompetent microglia, leading to damage and death of midbrain dopamine (DA) neurons. In particular, proinflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α and interferon-γ, which are produced locally within the brain by microglia, have been implicated in the loss of DA neurons in toxin-based models of PD; and mounting evidence suggests a contributory role of the inflammatory enzyme, cyclooxygenase-2. Likewise, immune-activating bacterial and viral agents were reported to have neurodegenerative effects themselves and to augment the deleterious impact of chemical toxins upon DA neurons. The present paper will focus upon the evidence linking microglia and their inflammatory processes to the death of DA neurons following toxin exposure. Particular attention will be devoted to the possibility that environmental toxins can activate microglia, resulting in these cells adopting a “sensitized” state that favors the production of proinflammatory cytokines and damaging oxidative radicals