On Digital Citizenship and Data as a New Commons: Can We Design a New Movement?

Junto con la urgente necesidad de reinventar nuestra sociedad, una serie de cambios de paradigma ya están dando forma a las transiciones hacia una sociedad más participativa y digital. El trabajo actual hace un balance de la promesa de los datos abiertos (open data) como un nuevo recurso y elabora sobre el movimiento creador, que ha estimulado la capacidad de las personas para participar y ha proporcionado herramientas e infraestructuras para liberar la capacidad intrínseca de las personas para crear e innovar. Exploramos cómo los datos abiertos pueden ser nuevos comunes, discutimos cómo las hackatones pueden apoyar la ciudadanía digital y reflexionamos sobre el papel del Diseño para la Transición en la creación de ecosistemas en torno al recurso común y en la creación de capacidad.Along with the urgent need to reinvent our society, a series of paradigm shifts are already shaping transitions toward a more participatory and digital society. The current work takes stock of the promise of open data as a new resource and elaborates upon the maker movement, which has spurred people’s capacity to participate and has provided tools and infrastructures to unleash people’s intrinsic ability to create and innovate. We explore how open data can be a new commons, discuss how hackathons can support digital citizenship, and reflect on the role of Transition Design in creating ecosystems around the common resource and in building capacityJunto com a urgente necessidade de reinventar nossa sociedade, uma série de mudanças de paradigma já está dando forma às transições até uma sociedade mais participativa e digital. Este trabalho faz um balanço da promessa dos dados abertos (open data) como um novo recurso e fala sobre o movimento criador, que estimulou a capacidade das pessoas para participar e proporcionou ferramentas e infraestruturas para liberar a capacidade intrínseca das pessoas para criar e inovar. Exploram-se como os dados abertos podem ser novos comuns, como as hackatones podem apoiar a cidadania digital e reflete-se sobre o papel do Design para a Transição na criação de ecossistemas em torno ao recurso comum e na criação de capacidade.&nbsp

Co-creative partnerships as catalysts for social change

Mundane cities are challenged to design for unpredictable and rapidly changing futures. In the current work, we refer to thesechallenges as a collaborative design challenge and explore how co-creative partnerships can enable a participatory turn by establishinga new social infrastructure. The corresponding citizen-centred design approach offers a variety of design opportunitiesto engage with citizens, to empower all involvement, and enabling a social fabric to be increasingly reflexive and responsive.Through the illustration of three collaborative design studies in the public realm, we explore how design can act as a strategytowards a transforming society. It shows that participatory designing enabled empowerment across the co-creative partnership,though it also calls for strategic guidance in order to sustain transformational change. We end with an elaborate discussion onthe role of strategic design in facilitating the interplay among new coalitions of city makers towards a transforming society thatembraces sustainable social innovation. It can be concluded that co-creative partnerships can act as network designers, capacitybuilders, and enablers of transformational change, and have the potential to act as change makers, driving sustainable socialinnovation.Keywords: co-creative partnerships, diffuse design, participation, social innovation, transitions

Reckless credit under the National Credit Act : a comparative analysis

This dissertation considers the possible impact certain requirements of the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 (hereafter NCA) has on reckless credit lending by credit providers. The dissertation will identify problem areas created by the provisions of the NCA and the impact thereof on security or partial performances linked to the credit agreement. “Reckless credit lending” used to be a new terminology introduced in the credit market to increase consumer spending, but it is currently a well-known practice in the credit industry. The NCA aims at protecting consumers, especially against present everincreasing reckless-credit practices. However, certain provisions relating to reckless credit are mostly ambiguous and vague. The NCA is silent on the development and implementation of guidelines and policies relating to the prevention of reckless credit and the consequences of such an order on security and/or performances (whether there was partial or full performance). This study will discuss the prevention and consequence of reckless credit by referring to the NCA, articles written by various authors, as well as court decisions where related concerns were addresses by the judges concerned with this issue. Although the provisions stipulated in the amended NCA improve the position of the consumer in the credit market, the legislature should have drafted certain applicable provisions with more care and detail. A more detailed draft could circumvent vagueness in particular areas of concern.Private LawLL. M

How do knowledge workers cope with their everyday job

Knowledge work, which forms a large part of modern economy, often involves collaboration. In order not to overemphasise either the transactional or the communicative aspect of collaboration, attitudes and technologies may have to change. Data from a survey show how knowledge workers manage their time and tasks using straightforward office technologies. Enhanced context awareness could help both the communication initiator and the communication target. This is a matter of behaviour and a chance for technology

Editorial: Designing for transitions

Editorial: Designing for transition

Implementing basic e-learning tools into an undergraduate taxation curriculum

PURPOSE – Educators in the accounting discipline are faced with the challenge of finding innovative ways to accommodate the flexible learning styles of Millennial students, using “in classroom/contact time” effectively and decreasing transactional distance between students and educators in large classes. In an attempt to address these challenges, this paper aims to describe the implementation of basic e-learning tools (podcasts, vodcasts and voice-over-PowerPoint) as supplementary and substitutional tools in an undergraduate taxation curriculum. The tools were implemented as part of a student-centred approach to the facilitation of learning, embedded in the Blended Learning Theory. The paper reports on students’ use and experience of various basic e-learning tools, as well as the impact of the use of these tools on student performance. DESIGN/MEDOLOGY/APPROACH – An action research methodology was followed, and data were collected by way of a voluntary, descriptive student survey and student class lists. A total of 387 students completed the survey. FINDINGS – Students appear to have access to devices and data to use e-learning tools. They perceive these tools as helpful study aids and prefer synchronous, substitutional tools. Use of the tools does not have a significant impact on performance; however, it does appear to have a positive impact on the learning environment and student engagement. ORIGINALITY/VALUE – The results of the study may be of benefit to educators and curriculum designers who are responsible for reviewing and updating the content delivery methods of undergraduate taxation curricula in large classes with diverse student populations. These results add to the limited body of knowledge on the implementation of basic e-learning tools in a South African accounting education setting.The University of Pretoria, Department of Education Innovation Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Grant.http://www.emeraldinsight.com/2049-372X.htmam2018Taxatio