Death by INFORMATION OVERLOAD (journal article)
By Paul Hemp
from Harvard Business Review Vol. 87 Issue 9 Sept 2009, pp. 82-89
"The value of information in the knowledge economy is indisputable, but so is its capacity to overwhelm consumers of it. HBR contributing editor Hemp reports on practical ways for individuals and organizations to avoid getting too much of a good thing. Ready access to useful information comes at a cost: As the volume increases, the line between the worthwhile and the distracting starts to blur. And ready access to you -- via e-mail, social networking, and so on -- exacerbates the situation: On average, Intel executives get 300 e-mails a day, and Microsoft workers need 24 minutes to return to work after each e-mail interruption. Clearly, productivity is taking a hit. Technological aids can help, such as e-mail management software for you, a message-volume regulation system for your organization, or even more-sophisticated solutions being developed by Microsoft, IBM, and others. Yet, battling technological interruptions on their own turf only goes so far. You also need to change your mind-set, perhaps by seeking help from personal-productivity experts or by simply accepting that you can't respond to every distraction that flits across your screen. Similarly, organizations must change their cultures, for instance by establishing clear e-communication protocols. In the end, only a multipronged approach will help you and your organization subdue the multiheaded monster of information overload. The secret is to manage the beast while still respecting it for the beautiful creature it is."

SIX SOURCES OF LIMITLESS ENERGY? (journal article)
By Gardiner Morse
from Harvard Business Review Vol. 87 Issue 9 Sept 2009, pp. 66-67
"The article reports on six sustainable sources of energy that use technologies based on the wind, the sun, algae, ocean waves, and nuclear and geothermal energy. Innovations in the energy technologies are discussed including the stages of development for high-altitude wind turbines, genetically engineered algae that is used for biofuel, wave power from the ocean, nuclear fusion, enhanced geothermal systems, and solar cells on satellites that will be placed in space."

Australia's Indicator-Based Sustainability Assessments and Public Policy (journal article)
By Adnan A. Hezri and Stephen R. Dovers
from Australian Journal of Public Administration Vol 68 Iss 3 2009, pp. 303 - 318
"Operationalising sustainability has proven difficult because the concept is ambiguous and fraught with contradictions. In response, sustainability indicator systems to characterise and measure sustainable development have been developed globally. The focus of this article is on how indicators function as an instrument of policy to enhance achievement of environmental and sustainability policy in Australia at national scale. In theory, by integrating information from the environmental, social and economic domains and then feeding knowledge to a wide range of policy sectors, sustainability indicator systems may facilitate cross-agency and -portfolio connectivity. Key characteristics of the various sustainability indicator systems developed to inform policy at the national level are described, noting the diverse approaches to indicator development in Australia. The structural relevance of indicator systems to the mechanisms of policy and institutions in Australia is discussed, and corresponding issues of institutional fit are analysed."

What every intranet team should know [book]

Author: James Robertson, Step Two Designs

A succinct overview of managing and growing intranets which includes the following chapters: Four purposes of the intranet, How to find out what staff need, How to design the intranet, How to deliver great content, The role of the intranet team, How to plan intranet improvements.

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Clusters, innovation and entrepreneurship [online]

Author: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

"Explores the success of major innovation and entrepreneurship clusters in OECD countries, the challenges they now face in sustaining their positions and the lessons for other places seeking to build successful clusters. What are the key factors for cluster success? What problems are emerging on the horizon? Which is the appropriate role of the public sector in supporting the expansion of clusters and overcoming the obstacles?" - abstract.

Australia’s increasing PV power (journal article)

from EcoGeneration July/August 2009

"Australia’s PV power market grew substantially in 2008, bringing Australia’s total installed capacity to 104.5 MW. The figures come from a key report into Australia’s photovoltaic (PV) power market – National Survey Report of PV Power Applications in Australia 2008, prepared by Dr Muriel Watt on behalf of the Australian PV Association (APVA) and published in May this year."

Fuel cells in Australia (journal article)
by Adrian Horin and Dr Andrew Dicks
from EcoGeneration, July/August 2009
"Compared with many countries, such as the USA, Europe and Japan, who have established fuel cell R&D programs and emerging industries, Australia has some catching up to do. However, Australia does have some of the leading hydrogen research scientists in the world based here."

Greater transportation energy and GHG offsets from bioelectricity than ethanol (journal article)
by J.E.Campbell, D.B.Lobell and C.B.Field
from Science, Vol 324, 22 May 2009
"The quantity of land available to grow biofuel crops without affecting food prices or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from land conversion is limited. Therefore, bioenergy should maximize land use efficiency when addressing transportation and climate change goals. Biomass could power either internal combustion or electric vehicles, but the relative land use efficiency of these two energy pathways is not well quantified. Here, we show that bioelectricity outperforms ethanol across a range of feedstocks, conversion technologies and vehicle classes."
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Four Steps to Redefining the Economics of IT (journal article)
by Brenton Smith
from CIO 05 August, 2009
"CIOs need to drive more economic value from their IT investments and projects than ever before. A four-pronged approach is key."

Innovation and entrepreneurship in biotechnology, an international perspective : concepts, theories and cases [book]

Authors: Damien Hine & John Kapeleris

"The biotechnology industry across the globe is growing dramatically in line with rapidly emerging scientific and technological developments. This book explores both the theoretical and practical aspects of entrepreneurship in the biotechnology industry, focusing on the innovation processes underpinning success for new biotechnology firms (NBFs). It argues that biotechnology is at a crossroads: to date the science has been solid, yet commercial success remains elusive, and that it will be the commercial success of NBFs which will dictate the long term viability of this crucial industry." - cover.

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OECD Communications Outlook 2009 [online]
Author: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
"Presents the most recent comparable data on the performance of the communication sector in OECD countries and on their policy frameworks. The data provided in this report map the eight years of competition for many OECD countries that fully opened their market to competition in 1998. The 2009 edition analyses the communications sector over the years following the "dot com bubble" crisis and explores future developments. The OECD Communications Outlook provides an extensive range of indicators for the development of different communications networks and compares performance indicators such as revenue, investment, employment and prices for service throughout the OECD area."

Picking winners is government's real task (journal article)
By Michael Vitale
From ATSE Focus, June/July 2009
"Objections to picking winners are generally either philosophical or practical - both lack factual support and fly in the face of actual government practice. The goal of government support for commercial R&D is to encourage projects with large social benefits but inadequate returns to private investors, and around the world many governments offer such support.
There have been relatively few rigorous attempts to demonstrate the benefits of such support, and there is an ongoing dispute about 'picking winners' - although theoretical objections to that approach rarely seem to stand in the way of accepting cash when it is offered, even if not all the companies shall have prizes. "

The creative city : a toolkit for urban innovators [book]

Author: Charles Landry

"Describes a new method of strategic urban planning and examines how people can think, plan and act creatively in the city. It explores how we can make our cities more liveable and vital by harnessing people's imagination and talent. It does not provide answers, but seeks to open out an 'ideas bank' of possibilities from which innovations will emerge." - introduction.

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Green building market in Singapore [online]
Author: International Business Strategies
"The market potential in Singapore for technologies, systems and equipment used in the construction of environmentally sustainable buildings (green buildings) is becoming stronger. This covers all types of systems and products to improve energy and water efficiency of a building, technologies and equipment that improve indoor air quality, construction systems that reduce noise and air pollution, as well as recyclable building materials." - summary.

Energy Statistics of OECD Countries, 2009 [online]

Authors: International Energy Agency (IEA) & Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

This volume contains data on energy supply and consumption in original units for coal, oil, gas, electricity, heat, renewables and waste. Complete data are available for 2006 and 2007 and supply estimates are available for the most recent year (i.e. 2008). Historical tables summarise data on production, trade and final consumption. The book also includes definitions of products and flows and explanatory notes on the individual country data.

Why your world is about to get a whole lot smaller : oil and the end of globalization [book]

Author: Jeff Rubin

"Explains why the conventional rules of economics simply don't work for oil markets and reveals how the wheels of globalisation will be thrown into reserve by the end of cheap oil. ... Shows how record oil prices - not subprime lending - were largely to blame for the global financial crisis and how a return to high prices will lead to dramatic changes in how we all do business, how we live and where we get our food." - cover.

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Creating a productive and inclusive Australia. (journal article)
By Lisa Paul
From Public Administration Today, No 17 October/December 2008
" Responses to the current global financial crisis - need to invest in human capital to ensure resilience to current and future challenges - work of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) within the Australian Government's productivity agenda - DEEWR's role in promoting productivity - education - vocational training and higher education - employment services - addressing Indigenous issues."

The art of innovation (journal article)
By Kim Carr
From Public Administration Today, No 16 July/Sept 2008
" Importance of the disciplines of social science, arts and humanities in fostering innovation - government strategy to boost Australia's innovative performance - promoting knowledge creation and transfer."

Urban infill: extent and implications in the city of Monash
By Thu Phan and Shobhit Chandra
From People and Place, Vol 16 No 4, 2008
"The Urban Development Program (UDP), a major initiative of the Victorian Government to support the implementation of Melbourne 2030, was established in 2002. It is currently monitoring the development of the green-field subdivisions and major project residential infill developments, but not dispersed infill. Thus there is little official information on the level of dispersed infill. The Melbourne 2030 planning documents have nothing to say about possible infill in established suburbs outside the boundaries of activity centres. One study suggests that some 35 per cent of new dwellings in Melbourne take the form of infill. This paper explores the extent and location of infill between 2000 and 2006 in one of the thirty-one local government areas in the Melbourne Metropolitan Area (MMA): the City of Monash. "

Cities could deliver greater emissions reductions than CPRS (journal article)
by Angela Dorizas
from Government News, 14 August 2009
"Australian cities could halve their greenhouse gas emissions over the next 20 years by implementing a targeted strategy similar to the City of Sydney’s Sustainable Sydney 2030 plan, a new study has found.In research commissioned by the City of Sydney, climate change consultancy company Kinesis found that actions outlined in the Sustainable Sydney 2030 strategy had the potential to cut emissions by 540 million tonnes between 2010 and 2030. The reduction is the equivalent of Australia emitting zero carbon for a year. "

Energy White Paper: more strategic technology planning needed (article)
from ATSE Journal, June/July 2009
"The Academy has welcomed the Australian Government’s release of the National Energy Policy Framework 2030 strategic directions paper and notes there are significant challenges to accelerate the deployment of technology to meet climate change targets that are being set by Government. In response to the associated Discussion Paper, Maximising the Value of Technology in the Energy Sector, ATSE notes that the Government needs to follow the White Paper with more detailed strategic technology planning."

Innovation: have we got it right yet? (journal article)
by Ron Johnston
from ATSE Focus, June/July 2009
"The evidence presented in the Cutler review indicates that, more than ever, getting innovation right is a pressing matter for the future of the Australian economy. It assembles a range of indicators which show that Australia’s innovation-related performance has declined over the past decade relative to many comparable OECD countries:“Australia has slipped from fifth to eighteenth in the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Index. Our multi-factor productivity grew 1.4 per cent a year on average between 1982-83 and 1995-96. Growth has averaged only 0.9 per cent a year since then.”"

Changing the game : how video games are transforming the future of business [book]

Authors: Davide Edery & Ethan Mollick

"Reveals how leading-edge organizations are using video games to reach new customers more cost-effectively; to build brands; to recruit, develop, and retain great employees; to drive more effective experimentation and innovation; to supercharge productivity ... in short, to make it fun to do business." - cover.

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Energy Balances of OECD Countries 2009 [online]

Authors: International Energy Agency (IEA) & Organisation for Econcomic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

This volume contains data on the supply and consumption of coal, oil, gas, electricity, heat, renewables and waste presented as comprehensive energy balances expressed in million tonnes of oil equivalent. Complete data are available for 2006 and 2007 and supply estimates are available for the most recent year (i.e.2008). Historical tables summarise production, trade and final consumption data as well as key energy and economic indicators. The book also includes definitions of products and flows, explanatory notes on the individual country data and conversion factors from original units to energy units.

Lies, damned lies, and science : how to sort through the noise around global warming, the latest health claims, and other scientific controversies [book]

Author: Sherry Seethaler

"Reveals how science and health research really work...how to put scientific claims in context and understand the real tradeoffs involved...tell quality research from junk science...discover when someone's deliberately trying to fool you...and find more information you can trust! " - cover.

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Global trends in sustainable energy investment 2009 : analysis of trends and issues in the financing of renewable energy and energy efficiency [online]

Author: United Nations Environment Programme

Provides an overview of capital flows and an analysis of the trends in sustainable energy investment activity.

The price of saving water (journal article)
from OECD Observer Issue 272 April 2009, pp. 19-22
"The article reports on the hesitation of investors regarding water investment amidst financial crisis. It is said that investors hesitate in investing in water because the risks stay high and the revenue from water projects comes from user fees and government subsidies. It is suggested that government must establish regulatory framework to assure investors that water offers the alternative of stable investment return."

WHY BREAK THE HABIT OF A LIFETIME? RETHINKING THE ROLES OF INTENTION, HABIT, AND EMOTION IN CONTINUING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY USE (journal article)
By Ana Ortiz de Guinea and Lynne M. Markus
from MIS Quarterly Vol. 33 Issue 3 Sept 2009, pp. 433-444
"One of the most welcome recent developments in Information Systems scholarship has been the growing interest in individuals' continuing use of information technology well after initial adoption, known in the literature as IT usage, IT continuance, and post-adoptive IT usage. In this essay, we explore the theoretical underpinnings of IS research on continuing IT use. Although the IS literature on continuing IT use emphasizes the role of habitual behavior that does not require conscious behavioral intention, it does so in a way that largely remains faithful to the theoretical tradition of planned behavior and reasoned action. However, a close reading of reference literatures on automatic behavior (behavior that is not consciously controlled) and the influences of emotion on behavior suggests that planned behavior and reasoned action may not provide the best theoretical foundation for the study of continuing IT use. As a result, we call for empirical research that directly compares and contrasts the consensus theory of continuing IT use with rival theories that place much greater emphasis on unplanned and unreasoned action."

INVESTIGATING USER RESISTANCE TO INFORMATION SYSTEMS IMPLEMENTATION: A STATUS QUO BIAS PERSPECTIVE (journal article)
By Hee-Woong Kim and Atrey Kankanhalli
from MIS Quarterly Vol. 33 Issue 3 Sep 2009. pp. 567-582
"User resistance to information systems implementation has been identified as a salient reason for the failure of new systems and hence needs to be understood and managed. While previous research has explored the reasons for user resistance, there are gaps in our understanding of how users evaluate change related to a new information system and decide to resist it. In particular, missing in the explanation of user decision making is the concept of status quo bias, that is, that user resistance can be due to the bias or preference to stay with the current situation. Motivated thus, this study develops a model to explain user resistance prior to a new IS implementation by integrating the technology acceptance and resistance literatures with the status quo bias perspective. The results of testing the model in the context of a new enterprise system implementation indicate the central role of switching costs in increasing user resistance. Further, switching costs also mediate the relationship between other antecedents (colleague opinion and self-efficacy for change) and user resistance. Additionally, perceived value and organizational support for change are found to reduce user resistance. This research advances the theoretical understanding of user acceptance and resistance prior to a new IS implementation and offers organizations suggestions for managing such resistance."

Peak Oil and Strategic Resource Wars (journal article)
By Roger Howard
from Futurist Vol. 43, Issue 5, Sept/Oct 2009, pp. 18-21
"When the oil fields run dry — and they will — what will happen to the economies of petroleum producers? And what will that mean for the rest of us? The time to consider the potential scenarios and strategies is now."

Ammonia, the Fuel of the Future (journal article)
By J Storrs Hall
from Futurist Vol. 43 Issue 5 Sept/Oct 2009, pp. 10-10
"Hydrogen fuel cells could get a boost from an unexpected source."

Environmental impact assessment in Australia : theory and practice [book]

Authors: Mandy Elliot & Ian Thomas

"Provides a thorough grounding in environmental impact assessment in Australia. Its emphasis is on practical application, how good assessments can lead to better decisions and how politics plays an integral role in EIA. Case studies are included to demonstrate key points." - cover.

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