THE DISCRETIONARY PRACTICES IN TAFE: A CASE OF DISABILITY OFFICERS AND ADULT STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA

Internationally, there are gaps in our understanding of the role of Disability Service Officers (DSOs) in education systems. Furthermore, there is limited research on the support that is provided by DSOs in Australian Technical and Further Education (TAFE) colleges. This study found that DSOs became autonomous advocates who cared for students with dyslexia and learning disabilities (LDs) by operating beyond the TAFE position statements to provide much-needed student support. In effect, TAFE DSOs used the discretionary practice to become Street-Level Advocates by using both autonomy and advocacy to give vital support to adult students with dyslexia and learning disabilities. Dyslexia has a significant impact on learning and affects approximately one in ten people. It is essential that educational support is provided for people with dyslexia since those with support can learn strategies to overcome barriers in education. TAFE is undergoing organisational change, which influences the role description and role of the DSOs in these colleges. This qualitative study used semi-structured, one-on-one interview questions to sample both students with dyslexia and DSOs within five TAFEs in Queensland.  Article visualizations

Telework Argentina : telework for sustainable development

Spanish version available in IDRC Digital Library: Telework Argentina : teletrabajo para el desarrollo sustentableFocusing on three cities: Buenos Aires (Argentina), Mexico City and Lima (Peru), this project assesses the extent telework could contribute to reducing vehicle emissions and saving energy, both in the home and at the workplace. The project also explores the social, cultural and economic implications of telework, its impact on family dynamics, gender roles, and work‐life balance. As this collection of papers demonstrates, emerging economies look to telework to address a range of issues, from creating effective business models, injecting more social equity into the labour market, promoting greater access to educational opportunities and pursuing more sustainable ways of working

Telework Argentina : teletrabajo para el desarrollo sustentable

Versión en inglés disponible en la Biblioteca Digital del IDRC: Telework Argentina : telework for sustainable developmen

Satellite Office Management and Japanese Mangement Practices

This paper examines the nature of satellite office management and its implications regarding the traditional Japanese management model. It commences by first defining the telework concept and describing the global background to this altenative work option. It then outlines the background and current status of telework in Japan. After a brief discussion of general issues concerning satellite-office management in Japan, more specific features are considered based on a comparative study of satellite offices in Japan and North America conducted by the author. This analysis includes the extent to which certain Japanese satellite-office case studies incorporate key elements of office-based telecommuting and the results of a multiple regression analysis conducted as part of the afore-mentioned comparative study. These results are presented in the form of a series of recommendations about areas in which Japanese organizations should concentrate their efforts in order to increase the successful operation of satellite-office pilots. The third section of the paper examines the implications of office-based telecommuting vis-a-vis traditional Japanese management methods. It first considers the basic stance of traditional Japanese management towards telework, and then focusses on the impact this has on the actual operation of office-based telecommuting programs. The paper concludes with a series of proposals concerning the effective management of satellite offices, discussing aspects of traditional Japanese management practices which are well-suited to office-based telecommuting as well as aspects which need to be revised. In particular, a shift in management mentality and a firm committment to the telework concept are deemed to be essential to the effective implementation of office-based telework

E-marketing strategy: an exploratory investigation into Chinese business use of the Internet

This paper outlines the results of an exploratory survey on the business use of the Internet in China in four areas, including; strategic goals, marketing communications, marketing logistics, and relationship management. The results of this study are then compared to a similar study conducted by Adam, Mulye, Deans and Palihawadana (2002) which described the business use of the Internet in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. The findings of the Chinese study do vary from the earlier Western study but rather than showing any particular advance in eMarketing strategy in the past four years, they highlight a utilitarian approach to the Internet by Chinese businesses who are generally less experienced in brand building and customer relationship management than their Western counterparts. Theoretically this suggest that the use of the Internet by businesses is not solely dependent on technical infrastructure and sophistication but also the diffusion of Internet business strategies and tactics

‘To market, to market’: uncovering Daigou touristscapes within Chinese outbound tourism

Daigou may be simply understood as purchasing on behalf of others. However, as an informal economy, Daigou trade between buyers and sellers is now a lucrative market and has emerged as a distinctive tourism segment. While Daigou occurs on the back of technological platforms that facilitate electronic commerce between customer to customer, academic literature on Daigou from a Chinese outbound tourism perspective remains scarce. Prompted by this dearth in knowledge, this research explores the emerging practices of Daigou tourists as a subset of Chinese outbound tourism through an online questionnaire survey conducted with 300 respondents from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Through descriptive statistics and Multiple Correspondence Analysis, the research revealed that Daigou tourism is a heterogenous market and are driven by product quality, profit margins and country of origin associations. This offers distinct theoretical and managerial contributions and elucidates a more nuanced understanding of the Daigou phenomenon as a fluid, under-regulated and micro-entrepreneurial practice in tourism.</p