Business & management:
• The World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009, places NZ 20th out of 133 countries, but a local tourism executive says that improvements to infrastructure and removing other barriers to development would make the industry even more competitive against other international visitor destinations.
• The title of this year’s World Trade Organisation Public Forum in September is “Global Problems, Global Solutions: Towards Better Global Governance”.
• America is now facing an unusual oil crisis. Supertankers that once raced around the world to satisfy the demand for oil are now staying moored offshore, fully loaded. The vast oil storage farms on land in the US are almost out of room, as oil companies and investors “stash” crude oil, while they wait for the market and demand to rise again.
• A conclusion about whether shorter working weeks save on energy consumption and costs may still be a little way off, although European countries using a shortened work week have shown that there are rises in productivity.
• A Harvard Business School paper argues that the beneficial effects of goal setting have been overstated and that systematic harm caused by goal setting has been largely ignored.
Education
• School phobia (well known in Japan) is on the increase elsewhere. In the UK, up to 3% of students experience anxiety at the start of the school day, but the problem is thought to be under-diagnosed.
• Three practical models, developed to assist businesses and their training partners in providing effective support for learners using e-learning in the workplace, have been released by the Australian Flexible Learning Framework.
• According to new research, people who spend money on "brain trainers" to keep their minds agile may get the same results by simply doing a crossword or surfing the internet.
Environment & sustainability:
• Seaweek is on this week (ending on the 8th), with events all over the country to help people discover what's special about our ocean and what they can do to make a difference.
• A new FAO study shows that the contribution of planted forests has become increasingly critical to future wood supplies.
• Vancouver City has created a Greenest City Action Team that will recommend immediate action steps to significantly improve Vancouver’s environmental performance and strategies for advancing green economic initiatives.
• An estimated 10 billion tonnes of ballast water are being carried around the globe each year, and more than 3,000 species of plants and animals are being transferred daily. A Global Industry Alliance has been launched with the International Maritime Organisation, which will assist the development of cost-effective ballast water treatment technologies, and new ship design options such as 'flow thru' ballast tanks and ballast-free ships.
• California’s Pacific Institute has released a report Water Scarcity and Climate Change: Growing Risks for Businesses and Investors that identifies water-related risks specific to eight key industries.
• Green campaigners are now aiming at America’s liking for extra-soft, quilted and multi-ply toilet roll made from virgin wood, saying that it causes more damage than gas-guzzlers, fast food or McMansions.
• The UK’s Green Building Council is proposing that every commercial or public building should be required to undergo a green "MOT" of its energy efficiency, water use and the waste it generates.
• The environmental implications of a move to a plug-in grid for vehicles are more complicated than realised. The complexity stems from the multiplicity of vehicles, electricity-generating technologies and assumptions behind future projections for both.
Health & wellbeing:
• Research by the World Cancer Research Fund shows that apart from the third of cancers caused by smoking, another third could be prevented by nutrition, physical activity and obesity controls. The latest policy report, Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention provides recommendations for 9 groups of society who can influence these factors.
• The NZ Council of Christian Social Services report, Grassroots Voices focuses on family and whanau experiences of receiving support services from Christian social services and government agencies.
• A UK think tank report on mental health has concluded that five simple steps incorporated into daily life can fortify mental health, and can contribute to a more productive and fulfilling life.
• Glasgow University research shows that children in the UK watching more than 2 hours of television per day are more likely to develop asthma.
• Research by British psychologists suggests that people who carry a “bright side” gene pay less attention to negative things going on around them and focus instead on the happier aspects of life. They end up being more sociable and are generally in better shape psychologically.
• Researchers at Harvard Medical School have now shown that sometimes you can be positive by being negative and that people who tried to repress frustration (or anger) at work were more likely to feel trapped under a glass ceiling than those who found ways to let it all out.
Law & Government:
• Local government in the UK is being heavily impacted by the recession. Half of councils have cut jobs in the last few months, and 7 out of 10 are expecting further redundancies. Although demand for services will rise during the recession, council incomes are dropping while local tax is capped. A new government report advocates the creation of a price comparison website that will give the best deals and prices on £42bn of services procured by councils every year, and councils will have to disclose the pay and perks of their chief executives under new measures designed to crack down on town hall "fat cats".
• The Building Act and the laws covering swimming pools and shop trading hours are included in a government-wide review of red tape and unnecessary bureaucracy.
People, culture & diversity:
• The annual report on the cultural sector in NZ has been released. The number of people employed in this sector has increased by 21%, compared with an increase of 15% in total employment.
• UK statistics show that the teenage lifestyle now costs £9000 per year – things that were once luxuries are now “just part of the kit that the average teenager expects to own”. One commentator compares the costs for a disabled child.
Science, technology & transport:
• Researchers in China have discovered that chicken manure can be used to biodegrade crude oil in contaminated soil. The bacteria in chicken manure break down 50% more crude oil than in soil that lacks it.
• A UNEP report shows how annual savings of six billion barrels of oil and 2 gigatonnes of CO2 are achievable through an ambitious world wide programme, and shows how the world wide car fleet can reduce fuel consumption per kilometre by 50% by 2050.
• The Rocky Mountain Institute has launched an initiative intended to help communities prepare for plug-in vehicles, including full battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and converted hybrid or internal combustion vehicles.
• A university survey of public opinion in the US, shows that half of all Americans expect another country to emerge this century as the world’s leader in addressing technological challenges that range from the economy to global warming.
• A US company is working on a project to turn roads into solar roads. Panels that can generate power from solar energy would be embedded in the road surface.
• Hybrid automotive engines are not a recent invention. This year sees the 100th anniversary of the first US hybrid car patent, awarded to an inventor in Belgium.
• University of South Australia researchers say "talking" cars could be on the road as soon as 2012 and the technology could reduce fatalities by half.
• Lotus have developed a new vehicle engine that takes aspects of a conventional 2-stroke, and adds a few neat tricks to that proven technology to create an engine truly flexible enough to run on almost anything, from 87 Octane to tequila to VP Nitromethane.
Thursday, 5 March 2009
Thursday, 26 February 2009
From the LOGIS news alert subscriptions (ending 26/02):
Business & management:
• A review of the electricity sector in which a notable degree of consensus was achieved between generators, Transpower and large electricity users, recommends a new approach to regulation.
• A Business NZ survey of 647 companies, to help inform its recommendations to the Jobs Summit this week, suggests the credit crunch may not be as widespread as thought.
• A new book brings together some of the world’s best minds to discuss Bill Gate’s proposal to the World Economic Forum in Davos, that big corporations integrate doing good into their way of doing business.
• A US study has found that 60% of employees stole company data when they left their job last year.
• More and more US businesses are looking for ways to cut costs, and are turning to waste vegetable oil to reduce fuel bills.
Education
• A 35-question survey available in English and Māori, Census At School, aims to raise NZ students' interest in mathematics and statistics as well as provide a fascinating sketch of what they are thinking, feeling and doing.
• New UK research says that focussing on literacy and numeracy at the expense of creative teaching at primary school, means that children are leaving lacking knowledge about the arts and humanities.
• Advocates of an interactive, self-service approach to corporate learning provide an overview of corporate learning so far, and say that a 21stC training department must shift direction in three areas: embracing complexity and adaptation to uncertainty; inverting the structural pyramid; and adopting new models of learning.
Environment & sustainability:
• An international group of scientists is renewing calls for policymakers to reduce both nitrogen and phosphorus when attempting to alleviate nutrient pollution problems (eutrophication) in fresh and coastal waters.
• In the US, some research on carbon footprints in the suburbs versus carbon footpritns in high-rise cities, shows that the suburbs are producing higher carbon emissions.
• More than 140 countries attending the governing council of the UN Environment Programme, have agreed to initiate a process that should end in a legally binding, international treaty that will crack down on mercury pollution.
• Melbourne Water’s managing director believes that bushfire-related run-off will contaminate the water supply for 3 months, and water inflows to some sources will be reduced by a third for the next 30 years. At the same time, Monash University research shows that about the same number of people were killed by one January heat wave, as those in the Victoria bush fires.
Health & wellbeing:
• Less than 1% of Kiwi carers of disabled children and young people are satisfied with the supports provided to their family, according to a University of Auckland qualitative study.
• University of Otago research shows that outdoor workers in NZ are exposed to much higher levels of ultraviolet radiation from the summer sun than internationally recommended occupational exposure limits.
Law & Government:
• A recent UN Environmental Programme report that examines conflicts in developing countries, shows that investing in environmental management and the governance of natural resources is an investment in conflict prevention, especially since 18 violent conflicts around the world have been fuelled by the exploitation of natural resources since 1990.
• For the next three weeks, NZers have a rare opportunity to shape the Government’s human rights priorities at a time when the economic crisis makes human rights more important than ever.
• A major review of council procurement processes with a view to improvement and smart procuring has been completed in the UK.
• A UK study shows what effect policies introduced since 1997 have had on reducing poverty and inequality, and measures the extent of progress. The report also considers future direction and pressures, particularly in the light of recession and an ageing society.
• British research shows that while MPs are getting more adept at using the internet, they tend to see it as way of talking to rather than hearing from voters.
People, culture & diversity:
• According to a new research report, violent video games and movies make people numb to the pain and suffering of others.
• A UK neuroscience professor has warned that social network sites risk infantilising the mid-21st century mind, leaving it characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity. Another scientist says that the lack of “real” social networking via social sites could isolate people, with the lack of face-to-face contact resulting in real physical harm.
Science, technology & transport:
• The Commerce Commission conference Broadband at a Crossroads being held in Auckland today and tomorrow, is being webcast.
• Plans for a system that will allow people to use one username and password across the internet have moved closer, with a number of popular sites agreeing to the scheme in recent weeks.
• A UK waste station that converts rubbish into energy, is powering the first waste-powered electric garbage truck.
• A Japanese university has built a test track line, to develop an energy-saving drive system for urban transportation. The rail course uses lift motors and the principles behind roller coasters to move the train and gain energy.
• A review of the electricity sector in which a notable degree of consensus was achieved between generators, Transpower and large electricity users, recommends a new approach to regulation.
• A Business NZ survey of 647 companies, to help inform its recommendations to the Jobs Summit this week, suggests the credit crunch may not be as widespread as thought.
• A new book brings together some of the world’s best minds to discuss Bill Gate’s proposal to the World Economic Forum in Davos, that big corporations integrate doing good into their way of doing business.
• A US study has found that 60% of employees stole company data when they left their job last year.
• More and more US businesses are looking for ways to cut costs, and are turning to waste vegetable oil to reduce fuel bills.
Education
• A 35-question survey available in English and Māori, Census At School, aims to raise NZ students' interest in mathematics and statistics as well as provide a fascinating sketch of what they are thinking, feeling and doing.
• New UK research says that focussing on literacy and numeracy at the expense of creative teaching at primary school, means that children are leaving lacking knowledge about the arts and humanities.
• Advocates of an interactive, self-service approach to corporate learning provide an overview of corporate learning so far, and say that a 21stC training department must shift direction in three areas: embracing complexity and adaptation to uncertainty; inverting the structural pyramid; and adopting new models of learning.
Environment & sustainability:
• An international group of scientists is renewing calls for policymakers to reduce both nitrogen and phosphorus when attempting to alleviate nutrient pollution problems (eutrophication) in fresh and coastal waters.
• In the US, some research on carbon footprints in the suburbs versus carbon footpritns in high-rise cities, shows that the suburbs are producing higher carbon emissions.
• More than 140 countries attending the governing council of the UN Environment Programme, have agreed to initiate a process that should end in a legally binding, international treaty that will crack down on mercury pollution.
• Melbourne Water’s managing director believes that bushfire-related run-off will contaminate the water supply for 3 months, and water inflows to some sources will be reduced by a third for the next 30 years. At the same time, Monash University research shows that about the same number of people were killed by one January heat wave, as those in the Victoria bush fires.
Health & wellbeing:
• Less than 1% of Kiwi carers of disabled children and young people are satisfied with the supports provided to their family, according to a University of Auckland qualitative study.
• University of Otago research shows that outdoor workers in NZ are exposed to much higher levels of ultraviolet radiation from the summer sun than internationally recommended occupational exposure limits.
Law & Government:
• A recent UN Environmental Programme report that examines conflicts in developing countries, shows that investing in environmental management and the governance of natural resources is an investment in conflict prevention, especially since 18 violent conflicts around the world have been fuelled by the exploitation of natural resources since 1990.
• For the next three weeks, NZers have a rare opportunity to shape the Government’s human rights priorities at a time when the economic crisis makes human rights more important than ever.
• A major review of council procurement processes with a view to improvement and smart procuring has been completed in the UK.
• A UK study shows what effect policies introduced since 1997 have had on reducing poverty and inequality, and measures the extent of progress. The report also considers future direction and pressures, particularly in the light of recession and an ageing society.
• British research shows that while MPs are getting more adept at using the internet, they tend to see it as way of talking to rather than hearing from voters.
People, culture & diversity:
• According to a new research report, violent video games and movies make people numb to the pain and suffering of others.
• A UK neuroscience professor has warned that social network sites risk infantilising the mid-21st century mind, leaving it characterised by short attention spans, sensationalism, inability to empathise and a shaky sense of identity. Another scientist says that the lack of “real” social networking via social sites could isolate people, with the lack of face-to-face contact resulting in real physical harm.
Science, technology & transport:
• The Commerce Commission conference Broadband at a Crossroads being held in Auckland today and tomorrow, is being webcast.
• Plans for a system that will allow people to use one username and password across the internet have moved closer, with a number of popular sites agreeing to the scheme in recent weeks.
• A UK waste station that converts rubbish into energy, is powering the first waste-powered electric garbage truck.
• A Japanese university has built a test track line, to develop an energy-saving drive system for urban transportation. The rail course uses lift motors and the principles behind roller coasters to move the train and gain energy.
Thursday, 19 February 2009
From the LOGIS news alert subscriptions (ending19/02):
Business & management:
• According to a new UN report from the International Telecommunication Union, the global financial crisis could provide entrepreneurial opportunities for budding information and communication technology (ICT) businesses, which in turn can power economic recovery.
• With UK banks becoming more reluctant to lend to small businesses, councils are exploring ways of stepping into the gap. A small number of local authorities are looking at the possibility of founding a local banking service in a bid to prop up the local economy and prevent redundancies.
Education
• A major UK study on higher education has shown that women graduates are paid less from the very beginning of their careers, with men earning £1,000 more than their college classmates within three years of leaving university.
• New research shows that encouraging toddlers to use hand gestures can improve their vocabulary and boost their chances of doing well at school a few years later.
• When an enterprise is going to adopt a new software product or a new system to provide higher productivity and greater functionality, inexpensive training solutions that achieve an effective result are the choices for most enterprises. Task-oriented screencast presentation is a good solution for technology training.
Environment & sustainability:
• Panarchy is a theory explaining the evolution of complex systems, from forests to economic markets. It may provide insight into the future adaptation and resilience of civilization to ecological stresses and rising energy costs.
• 37 cities, towns and regional bodies across New Zealand have committed to WWF's Earth Hour™ 2009, including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton. For one hour on Saturday, 28 March, 2009 at 8.30pm businesses and governments will turn out their lights as a symbolic gesture to show their support for action that tackles climate change.
• The Environmental Risk Management Authority is calling for public submissions on the use of another two toxic chemicals, a herbicide and an insecticide.
• GreenBiz.com has produced a paper that provides research findings on how consumers perceive corporate environmental responsibility.
• The UK government's former chief scientific adviser says that the Iraq war was just the first of this century's "resource wars", in which powerful countries use force to secure valuable commodities.
• A Luxembourg clean tech firm has developed a portable wastewater treatment system that can be deployed in sites ranging from communities, fairs and sports venues to remote areas and scenes of disaster.
• A report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers says we have to accept the world could change dramatically, and that we should start planning our major infrastructure now to accommodate more extreme weather events and sea level rises.
• In regions where pumping and distributing water requires significant electricity use, policies that lead to reduced water consumption could address climate change more efficiently than requiring businesses and households to use less energy.
Health & wellbeing:
• A University of Otago study has found that many homes have hazards that result in claims to ACC costing millions of dollars a year. The top 3 hazards are lack of smoke alarms, water heaters with too high a temperature, and sliding glass doors or low windows with no visibility stickers.
• A recent UK report sets out in compelling detail the arguments for investment in "mental capital". It requires investment in public services such as childcare, parenting support and lifelong education and training. It also requires promotion of mental health issues in the workplace.
• The UK Mental Health Foundation has been working with GPs to promote awareness of the benefits of exercise for depression.
Law & Government:
• The City of Toronto has issued an RFP for execution of a study to assess the environmental and technical aspects of capturing waste gas from the city’s solid waste management projects.
• A public consultation document aimed at gathering information and views on the activities of property managers has been released. The consultation document looks at all aspects of the industry, but specifically asks whether there are gaps in the law relating to property managers that are causing problems for property owners.
• A report by legal experts from the International Commission of Jurists says that anti-terror measures worldwide have seriously undermined international human rights law.
• A UK council is being taken to court for damages due to toxic waste from reclamation works at a former British Steel plant. Families claim their children suffered birth defects after being exposed to an "atmospheric soup of toxic materials".
• Following up on its “Carbon Neutral Zone”, Atlanta declared its downtown area last week, to be a “Zero Waste Zone”.
People, culture & diversity:
• A UK charity’s recent survey shows that children and young people feel personally affected by the financial and emotional consequences of recession.
• Artists and curators have begun colonising "slack space" in the UK’s high streets freed up by the recession and are transforming vacant shops into "creative squats", galleries and studios.
• In the booming 1980s, UK councils sold off allotments as it seemed no one in the Britain of conspicuous consumption could be persuaded to grow much. But as recession bites, the growing enthusiasm for homegrown vegetables has seen more than 100,000 people join waiting lists for a patch of land as demand hits an all-time high.
Science, technology & transport:
• A panel of Euro MPs has voted to introduce extra road charges to curb congestion and pollution from lorries. EU states would be free to impose levies on lorries using major roads. The current rules only apply to those on motorways that cross borders.
• According to a new UN report from the International Telecommunication Union, the global financial crisis could provide entrepreneurial opportunities for budding information and communication technology (ICT) businesses, which in turn can power economic recovery.
• With UK banks becoming more reluctant to lend to small businesses, councils are exploring ways of stepping into the gap. A small number of local authorities are looking at the possibility of founding a local banking service in a bid to prop up the local economy and prevent redundancies.
Education
• A major UK study on higher education has shown that women graduates are paid less from the very beginning of their careers, with men earning £1,000 more than their college classmates within three years of leaving university.
• New research shows that encouraging toddlers to use hand gestures can improve their vocabulary and boost their chances of doing well at school a few years later.
• When an enterprise is going to adopt a new software product or a new system to provide higher productivity and greater functionality, inexpensive training solutions that achieve an effective result are the choices for most enterprises. Task-oriented screencast presentation is a good solution for technology training.
Environment & sustainability:
• Panarchy is a theory explaining the evolution of complex systems, from forests to economic markets. It may provide insight into the future adaptation and resilience of civilization to ecological stresses and rising energy costs.
• 37 cities, towns and regional bodies across New Zealand have committed to WWF's Earth Hour™ 2009, including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton. For one hour on Saturday, 28 March, 2009 at 8.30pm businesses and governments will turn out their lights as a symbolic gesture to show their support for action that tackles climate change.
• The Environmental Risk Management Authority is calling for public submissions on the use of another two toxic chemicals, a herbicide and an insecticide.
• GreenBiz.com has produced a paper that provides research findings on how consumers perceive corporate environmental responsibility.
• The UK government's former chief scientific adviser says that the Iraq war was just the first of this century's "resource wars", in which powerful countries use force to secure valuable commodities.
• A Luxembourg clean tech firm has developed a portable wastewater treatment system that can be deployed in sites ranging from communities, fairs and sports venues to remote areas and scenes of disaster.
• A report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers says we have to accept the world could change dramatically, and that we should start planning our major infrastructure now to accommodate more extreme weather events and sea level rises.
• In regions where pumping and distributing water requires significant electricity use, policies that lead to reduced water consumption could address climate change more efficiently than requiring businesses and households to use less energy.
Health & wellbeing:
• A University of Otago study has found that many homes have hazards that result in claims to ACC costing millions of dollars a year. The top 3 hazards are lack of smoke alarms, water heaters with too high a temperature, and sliding glass doors or low windows with no visibility stickers.
• A recent UK report sets out in compelling detail the arguments for investment in "mental capital". It requires investment in public services such as childcare, parenting support and lifelong education and training. It also requires promotion of mental health issues in the workplace.
• The UK Mental Health Foundation has been working with GPs to promote awareness of the benefits of exercise for depression.
Law & Government:
• The City of Toronto has issued an RFP for execution of a study to assess the environmental and technical aspects of capturing waste gas from the city’s solid waste management projects.
• A public consultation document aimed at gathering information and views on the activities of property managers has been released. The consultation document looks at all aspects of the industry, but specifically asks whether there are gaps in the law relating to property managers that are causing problems for property owners.
• A report by legal experts from the International Commission of Jurists says that anti-terror measures worldwide have seriously undermined international human rights law.
• A UK council is being taken to court for damages due to toxic waste from reclamation works at a former British Steel plant. Families claim their children suffered birth defects after being exposed to an "atmospheric soup of toxic materials".
• Following up on its “Carbon Neutral Zone”, Atlanta declared its downtown area last week, to be a “Zero Waste Zone”.
People, culture & diversity:
• A UK charity’s recent survey shows that children and young people feel personally affected by the financial and emotional consequences of recession.
• Artists and curators have begun colonising "slack space" in the UK’s high streets freed up by the recession and are transforming vacant shops into "creative squats", galleries and studios.
• In the booming 1980s, UK councils sold off allotments as it seemed no one in the Britain of conspicuous consumption could be persuaded to grow much. But as recession bites, the growing enthusiasm for homegrown vegetables has seen more than 100,000 people join waiting lists for a patch of land as demand hits an all-time high.
Science, technology & transport:
• A panel of Euro MPs has voted to introduce extra road charges to curb congestion and pollution from lorries. EU states would be free to impose levies on lorries using major roads. The current rules only apply to those on motorways that cross borders.
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