Privacy worries grow over wireless monitoring devices: Tech investors weigh question of Big Brother (journal article)
By Matt Hamblen
From CIO 6 May 2009
"The wireless industry is abuzz with plans for expanding remote monitoring of just about any device over wireless networks. Examples range from reading water and power meters remotely, to helping police see how long a car has been parked on a city street or monitoring traffic congestion via wireless cameras. But with the growth in the technology, there's also growing concern that Big Brother will have more eyes and ears than ever before. "

Promoting Regional Innovation Systems in a Global Context (journal article)
By Cali Nuur, Linda Gustavsson and Staffan Laestadius
from Industry & Innovation Vol 16 Iss 1 Feb 2009, pp. 123 - 139
"Ever since the innovation systems (IS) concept was coined in the late 1980s, it has been accepted as a mechanism of economic and technological development in policy circles. This recognition follows a change in our understanding of the characteristics of the innovation process as a non-linear process and having a systemic character. This changed understanding is also reflected in the movement in policy focus from science and technology (S&T) policy towards innovation policy. In recent years, the IS approach has been downscaled from the national level (NIS) to the regional level (RIS), a system's level that has gained the interest of policy makers. There are many rationales for this regionalization of innovation policy. However, as this paper points out, there are several challenges to implement an IS policy on the regional level. Based on a case study of a Swedish regional policy programme, this paper highlights (some of) the challenges related to defining the regional system's domain, implementing functional regions and securing sufficient regional knowledge infrastructure. This paper argues that when the IS approach is put into policy practice and downscaled to the regional level, it stands the risk of losing its strength as a tool for coping with the structural problems connected to innovation and globalization. Based on the identified challenges, the paper is concluded with a number of more general policy implications for IS-based policies with regional intentions. "

Material Transfer Agreements: A Review of Modes and Impacts (journal article)
By Victor Rodriguez
from Prometheus Vol 27 Iss 2 June 2009, pp. 141 - 151
"Sharing or exchanging research material is typically formalised through material transfer agreements. The aim of this article is to put into critical perspective the empirical findings on modes and impacts of these agreements vis--vis commonly accepted concerns formulated in a Mertonian fashion for the case of academic science, and from the perspective of the anticommons theory for the case of academic commercialisation. Empirically, scholars have used statistical evidence in surveys of perceptions and dedicated measures through bibliometrics to study these agreements. These statistical studies have thus helped make progress in the understanding of the mode and impact, but such implications need to integrate diverse results from anecdotal evidence that is currently considered separately."

It's A Dirty Job (journal article)
By Ben Eltham
from New Matilda, 13 May 2009
"It's a good start that the Australian Government is at last systematically trying to identify the nation's infrastructure needs. But unless Infrastructure Australia develops a far more sophisticated understanding of global demographic, environmental and natural security trends, future projects seem doomed to the current orthodoxy of concrete pouring. Indeed, in spite of Wayne Swan's commendable effort to address the long-term demographic issues posed by Australia's ageing population, the Rudd Government's long-term planning horizons are still poorly researched and hazy. At least their view is slightly longer-term than the next election. "

Insatiable curiosity : innovation in a fragile future [book]

Author: Helga Nowotny

"Explores the strands of the often unexpected intertwining of science, technology and society. Uncertainty arises from an oversupply of knowledge. The quest for innovation is society’s response to the uncertainties that come with scientific and technological achievement." - cover.

You can borrow this book from the library. Click here & send us an email.

Infrastructure investment : links to growth and the role of public policies [online]

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

"Investment in network infrastructure - the energy, water, transport and telecommunication networks - which performs a vital role for the functioning of the economy, can contribute to raising growth and social welfare. But more is not always better. ... This paper identifies the policy framework that promotes investment that is conducive to growth and ensures the appropriate use of infrastructure." - abstract.

Corporate Control, Foreign Ownership Regulations and Technology Transfer (journal article)
By Jota Ishikawa, Yoichi Sugita and Laixun Zhao
from Economic Record Vol 85 Iss 269 2009, pp. 197 - 209
"Multinationals are often required to form joint ventures (JVs) with local firms when entering the host country market. Explicitly taking corporate control into account, we explore the relationship between technology transfer and foreign ownership regulation in the presence of technology spillovers from JVs to local firms. It is shown that foreign ownership regulations may facilitate both technology transfer and spillovers when the multinational has corporate control. Under corporate control by the local partner firm, however, such regulations may hamper technology transfer."

White House wants cloud computing (article)
by Doug Beizer
From Federal Computer Week, 11 May 2009
"Cloud computing will play a major role in modernizing the federal government’s technology infrastructure, according to a White House document published today with the administration's 2010 budget request. Cloud computing refers to an arrangement in which an organization pays a service provider to deliver applications, computing power and storage via the Web. Under the White House’s plan, several agencies could access a common application from the cloud. "

The effective use of technology in personal knowledge management: A framework of skills, tools and user context (journal article)
by Raj Agnihotri and Marvin D. Troutt
from Online Information Review, Vol 33, No 2, 2009
"The objective of this paper is to further explore the emerging concept of personal knowledge management (PKM) and to bring researchers’ attention to this notion. Specifically, this paper aims to address issues related to the effective utilisation of technology in PKM practices. The success of technology utilisation resides not simply in whether individuals use technology, but if this usage actually increases effectiveness."

Business cases for info pros : here’s why, here’s how [book]

Author: Ulla De Stricker

"An inherent challenge for information professionals involves often difficult-to-quantify contributions of their initiatives to an organization’s bottom line and the elusive ROI calculation. In this practical guide, Ulla de Stricker explains why, when, and how a formal business case can be used as an effective tool for gaining support for information-based projects." - cover.

Click here to borrow this book.

Review of regulatory burden on the upstream petroleum (oil and gas) sector [book]

Author: Australia. Productivity Commission

"Identifies significant unnecessary costs from delays and uncertainties in obtaining approvals, duplication of compliance requirements, and inconsistent administration of regulatory processes." - foreword.

Click here to borrow this book.

The Response of the Australian coal industry to the sustainable development agenda [online]

Authors: University of Queensland. Sustainable Minerals Institute / Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP)

"Over the last two decades, sustainable development has emerged as the key organising concept to describe how society can balance the objective of improving quality of life while staying within environmental boundaries. ... [this report] has the objective of developing an approach to describe the response of the Australian coal industry to the sustainable development agenda." - executive summary.

Urban structures and commuting in Australian cities (journal article)
by Peter Rickwood and Garry Glazebrook
from Urban Policy and Research, March 2009
"Studies looking at the relationship between urban form and travel behaviour have generally considered spatial information at coarse metropolitan or local government area scales. We analyse ABS census data at the Collection District level for the metropolitan areas of the mainland Australian state capital cities, and at various spatial scales for an in-depth analysis of commuting in Sydney. The analyses suggest that the relationship between travel behaviour and urban form is complex, and that simple analyses of density alone are likely to overstate the effect of both metropolitan and neighbourhood scale population density on mode choice, but that these variables serve as useful proxies for more complex measures of urban structure. "

Recharging Detroit (journal article)
by Paul Keegan
from Fortune, 27 April 2009 pp. 54-60
"The article discusses competition to develop battery technology for use in electric vehicles. Several Asian firms including Sanyo, NEC, and LG are seen to have a substantial technological advantage over U.S. companies. An economic stimulus package signed into law by U.S. President Barack Obama included $2 billion for advanced battery manufacturing."

Suburban sprawl a poor option, says planning expert (journal article)
by Rachel Borchardt
from Government News, April 2009
"Professor Rob Adams, director of design and urban environment at Melbourne City Council, said governments must get the message that high-density housing solutions were a better option than inefficient suburban communities.
“A thousand houses built on the periphery of your city will cost $300 million more than 1000 houses built within the footprint of your city,” Adam told attendees at the Local Government Association of Queensland’s 2009 Infrastructure Symposium."

Finding Nemo (journal article)
by Peter Pockley
from Australasian Science, Vol 30, No. 4, May 2009
"James Cook discovered the East Australia Current ore than two centuries ago, but its profound influence on eastern Australia is only now coming to be understood."

David Bellamy on Noosa Biosphere (article)
by Wendy O'Hanlon
from Acres Australia, the national newspaper of sustainable agriculture, Vol 17 No 1 2009
"One of Prof. Bellamy's main concerns is that while the focus is on global warming we are taking our eye off the ball in relation to the critical biodiversity issues and the loss of our forests to urban exposure. That is why he considers Noosa's Biosphere Reserve as a shining example of man living in harmony with nature."

Managing projects with wikis (journal article)
by Ephraim Schwartz
from Information Age, December 2008/January 2009
"Wikis are deceptively easy to use and install, so are nowadays found in all sorts of ICT departments, especially as quick and simple project management organisers.
Although wikis are used mainly as project management tool, says Stewart Mader, principal at the GrowYourWiki consultancy, they can provide other advantages as well, such as in customer/client collaboration, documentation and developing an online community."

Evaluating web site quality: the value of a multi paradigm approach (journal article)
by Dieter Fink and Casty Nyaga
from Benchmarking: and International Journal, Vol 16 No 2 2009, pp. 259-273
"The aim of this paper is to benchmark the quality of web sites of major public accounting (PA) firms by seeking the opinions of potential clients and analysing the data to establish best quality practice for PA web sites. "

Project management approaches for dynamic environments (journal abstract)
by Simon Collyer and Clive Warren
from International Journal of Project Management, Vol 27 No 4, May 2009, pp.355-364
"This paper investigates the properties of projects conducted in rapidly changing environments. These projects are challenged by the rapid introduction of new unknowns as they progress. One might say they are more akin to stacking worms than stacking bricks. The difficulties posed by these projects are identified and the literature is reviewed for suitable approaches."
Contact us for a copy of this article