Office of Dean
http://hdl.handle.net/10523/630
2024-02-11T11:03:17ZCooking with Gas: Māori and the coming energy transition
http://hdl.handle.net/10523/9588
Cooking with Gas: Māori and the coming energy transition
2018-11-16
Ruckstuhl, Katharina
This paper presents an Indigenous and Māori perspective about the need for urgent energy transitions by examining three areas:
• Climate change transition, which I define as an energy transition to a largely non-fossil-fuel future within 30 years;
• Justice, in light of the above and in the context of Indigenous peoples’ rights; and
• How traditional Indigenous environment concepts can bolster both a just and an urgent transition
This paper is a working draft and will undergo further revision
2019-09-11T00:22:45ZRecruiting youth consumers for suicide research: A mental health clinician's dilemma
http://hdl.handle.net/10523/4272
Recruiting youth consumers for suicide research: A mental health clinician's dilemma
2013
Knox, Susan
Background
This thesis investigated the perceived barriers among mental health clinicians towards introducing research participation to young male consumers presenting with suicidal behaviours. The need for the present study arose from an earlier study which sought to explore consumer perspectives of the influences of social media on self harm and suicidal behaviours. Following the very low recruitment of consumers in the original study, the thesis was modified to proactively explore the clinical barriers to consumer recruitment.
Suicide researchers’ understanding of recruitment and retention of mental health consumers is in its infancy. Little consideration has been given to understanding factors that hinder participation of young male consumers in research from a clinical perspective. Increasing participation of young male consumers has been compounded by the absence of literature identifying specific age and gender related barriers. A selective literature reviewed the qualitative evidence on barriers to participation in research. Critical analysis of literature has highlighted there are numerous complex barriers to participation in suicide research and offers insights into factors influencing clinician decisions to support recruitment of hard-to-reach groups.
Method
Using a face-to-face, semi-structured research interview 13 clinicians involved in the original study were recruited and interviewed. This method and resultant thematic analysis was applied to explore the complex issues which impeded data collection with consumers in the original study.
Findings
Findings illustrated that factors impacting on clinicians’ decisions to collaborate and subsequently recruit consumers to the study were complex and multi-faceted. The themes identified were related to contextual, disciplinary and relational influences on clinical decision making.
Contextual influences included a lack of consensus on research priorities within integrated teams, multiple priorities for clinicians and the perceived complexities of engaging users of mental health services. Disciplinary influences discussed a variety of perspectives on risk and these were identified as being a prominent factor on influencing decision making. Relational influences on decision making illustrated the value that clinicians placed on relationship development, and developing partnerships between universities and clinical services were as important to clinicians as the inter-personal relationships between clinicians and individual researchers. Findings also highlighted a potential role for universities in providing leadership and support to enable clinical services and consumers to form effective partnerships.
Conclusions
This thesis provides a useful explanatory model for why recruitment failure can occur in studies involving clinicians as intermediaries in recruiting consumers to suicide research. Specific barriers to the successful implementation of the original study were identified and the outcomes of this study enhance understanding of the complex social processes of recruiting a clinical sample of young men. The findings from this thesis can also be used to inform the development of future research partnerships between universities, clinical services and consumers.
2013-09-03T21:13:16ZThe RepRap Project—Open Source meets 3D printing
http://hdl.handle.net/10523/1531
The RepRap Project—Open Source meets 3D printing
2008-08-01
Arnott, Reece
Abstract: The RepRap Project is an open source hardware and software project headed by Adrian Bowyer of the University of Bath with the goal of producing a low cost ‘rapid prototyper’ or 3D printer i.e. a machine that can produce 3D objects (including parts for itself) that is useful and available to all. One of the projects first major milestones has now been passed: a fully functional reprap has been built using parts printed by another one. This talk is about the history of the project, my involvement in it, what is currently being worked on, and the ideas and plans for future development.
2011-04-07T03:19:02ZMaori Business Networks in Dunedin: Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa: Let us keep close together, not far apart
http://hdl.handle.net/10523/1497
Maori Business Networks in Dunedin: Waiho i te toipoto, kaua i te toiroa: Let us keep close together, not far apart
2007-06
Amoamo, Maria; Mirosa, Miranda; Tutakangahau, Hiria
This report is the result of a partnership and consequent research brief established between the University of Otago School of Business, Te Kupeka Umaka Maori Ki Araiteuru Inc. (KUMA), the Dunedin City Council, Te Runanga o Ngai Tahu and Te Tapuae o Rehua. The brief is principally concerned with the collection and analysis of information involving the KUMA (Southern Maori) business network, its current issues and needs and its contribution to the Dunedin economy. This information is presented in the context of published work about Maori enterprise activities in general; including the 2006 Hui Taumata initiative, Accelerating Maori Economic Development.
Information was collected from nineteen Dunedin-based businesses in the KUMA network, using Kaupapa Maori principles that included face-to-face interviews. The interviews were tape recorded and then transcribed in ordinary English spelling for ease of reference. Over 20 hours of data was collected in this way. Apart from providing details about the businesses themselves, project findings focus on core issues and themes that are pertinent to successful business growth and development for network members.
Key findings include:
- The Hui Taumata call to develop people and enterprise for Maori business growth is emerging under the KUMA umbrella. Considerable social capital is evident in the network, but the connection between this capital and the development of Maori assets is an issue that requires significant attention.
- KUMA is a young and forward-looking network that has potential to offer regional and national leadership in assisting with the development of Maori business activities.
- Time, staffing and compliance issues were identified as the major barriers to current business development
- Areas of business weakness that could benefit from professional development activities in the network include research development, marketing, management practices and administration.
- The realisation that Maori must accept responsibility for their own actions is a key driving force behind the outcomes of Hui Taumata 2005. The project findings indicate that collective aspiration and the concept of ‘rangatiratanga’ (self-determination) are key motivating elements for launching Maori business start-ups.
- Maori network membership is desirable because of the long term commitment to ‘whanaungatanga’ (kinship), rather than for reasons of financial gain.
- The ability to network and to create successful businesses is not only about business success but also about the growing esteem and mana of a group of people who are clearly taking charge of their lives.
In order to ensure that the KUMA network can be strengthened and developed for both local and national benefit, the following actions are recommended:
- Mechanisms are explored to develop and strengthen the KUMA network, including financial support.
- The KUMA network reviews its activities in line with members’ suggestions.
- Appropriate encouragement and support is provided for senior Maori students to undertake further research in this field.
- Executive education opportunities are explored through ongoing dialogue between the School of Business and project partners.
- Funding for regional and national studies of other Maori networks is pursued in order to provide a more comprehensive profile of business values, needs and support mechanisms.
- Long-term planning for the future global development of Maori businesses is explored between project partners.
- The processes developed to generate this project are continued.
2011-04-07T03:18:24ZEPrints makes its mark
http://hdl.handle.net/10523/1233
EPrints makes its mark
2007
Stanger, Nigel; McGregor, Graham
Purpose — To report on the impact and cost/benefit of implementing three EPrints digital repositories at the University of Otago, and to encourage others to follow suit.
Design/methodology/approach — Three repositories were successfully implemented at the University of Otago using existing commodity hardware and free open source software. The first pilot repository was implemented within ten days, and is now a fully-functional system that is being championed for institutional-wide use by the University Library. The other two repositories emerged from different community needs. One is academic, concerned with collecting and researching indigenous content; the other is designed to preserve and manage collective memory and heritage content for a small rural community.
Findings — Digital repositories can:
• be established quickly and effectively with surprisingly few resources;
• readily incorporate any kind of extant digital content, or non-digital material that is converted to electronic form;
• meet multifarious needs, from academic institutions seeking to enhance research visibility and impact, to individuals and small communities collecting and preserving their unique memory and heritage records; and
• establish connectivity with the global community from the moment they go live.
Practical implications — The technology and global support community have matured to a state where a fully-featured repository can be quickly and easily implemented.
Originality/value — This article describes the short history, development and impact of the first live repositories of their kind in New Zealand. Their utility and implications for the unique communities that have given rise to them are also explored, by way of encouraging others to take up the digital challenge.
This is a post-print of the paper (i.e., draft post-refereeing and prior to final editing). There may be small differences between this version and the final published version; please use the link above to see the final published version.
2011-04-07T03:11:43ZHitting the ground running: building New Zealand’s first publicly available institutional repository
http://hdl.handle.net/10523/915
Hitting the ground running: building New Zealand’s first publicly available institutional repository
2006-03
Stanger, Nigel; McGregor, Graham
A fully functional and publicly available, digital institutional repository (IR) in the space of just ten days? The technology was available, the time was right, the team was right and technical assistance from colleagues in Australia was on hand a mere cyber call away. This paper reports on how we were able to “hit the ground running” in building an open access IR in such a short space of time. What has taken our breath away is not so much the speed of the process, but the scale of responsiveness from the Internet community. Consequently, we also consider the research impact of more than 18,000 downloads from eighty countries, less than three months into the project!
2011-04-07T03:05:34ZUsability evaluation of non-immersive, desktop, photo-realistic virtual environments
http://hdl.handle.net/10523/770
Usability evaluation of non-immersive, desktop, photo-realistic virtual environments
2004-11
Villanueva, Rochelle; Moore, Antoni; Wong, B L William
This study is about the evaluation of non-immersive desktop web-based photo-realistic virtual environments using think-aloud protocol and heuristic evaluation to determine three aims: (1) whether applying the same usability evaluation methodologies result in additional usability guideline categoriesidentified from the Koykka, Ollikainen, Ranta-aho, Milszus, Wasserroth and Friedrich 1999 study; (2) whether think-aloud protocol or usability heuristic evaluation is a better evaluation method for identifying usability problems in desktop, photo-realistic virtual environments; and (3) whether large-scale desktop, photo-realistic virtual environments will have more usability problems than small-scale non-immersive, desktop, photo-realistic virtual environments. The results show that using the Emergent Theme Analysis (ETA), four broad themes were derived: functionality, interaction, appearance and user comments with functionality and interaction broad themes being similar to the categories suggested by Koykka et al. (1999). Furthermore, the results indicate that small-scale non-immersive, desktop, photo-realistic virtual environments had more usability problems than large-scale non-immersive, desktop, photo-realistic virtual environments, contrary to the hypothesis that large-scale VEs will have more usability problems due to its complexity and that the think-aloud protocol derived more themes compared to the heuristic evaluation – suggesting that TAP is a better usability evaluation method than HE in this type of study. However, a combination of the two qualitative methods has identified a greater number of usability problems, supporting the need for triangulation of research methods. The investigation resulted in new design guidelines that will allow for more usable design of non-immersive desktop, photo-realistic virtual environments. Furthermore, the study provides some new areas for future developments of usability evaluation methods for non-immersive desktop, photo-realistic virtual environments.
2011-04-07T03:02:13ZThe impact of customer focus to the success of eCommerce systems among small and medium enterprises—a conceptual framework
http://hdl.handle.net/10523/742
The impact of customer focus to the success of eCommerce systems among small and medium enterprises—a conceptual framework
2007-12-03
Ghandour, Ahmad; Deans, Kenneth R; Benwell, George L
This paper conceptualizes the role of customer focus as a contributing factor to the success of eCommerce system (ECS) when it is implemented by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It postulates that customer focus influences the success of ECS. The success of ECS in SMEs is the dependent variable, the dimensions of which are identified by using DeLone and McLean success model. The output of this paper is a conceptual model that identifies the relevant dimensions of both success and customer focus and the resultant hypotheses that require empirical research to validate the proposed model.
2011-04-07T03:02:06Z