The South African SDG Hub

Matching results: 100

Maximum Results:

Sort By:

SDG 9

Vehicle value of travel time savings: Evidence from a group based modelling approach
11 July 2016
University of Sydney

Ho, Chinh Q;Mulley, Corinne;Shiftan, Yoram;Hensher, David A.

The value of travel time savings (VTTS) accounts for a majority of the total user benefits in economic appraisal of transport investments. This means that having an accurate estimate of VTTS for different segments of travel continues to retain currency, despite there being a rich literature on estimates of VTTS for different travel modes, travel purposes, income groups, life cycles, and distance bands. In contrast, there is a dearth of research and evidence on vehicle VTTS, although joint travel by car is an important segment of travel. This paper fills this gap by developing a group-based modelling approach to quantify the vehicle VTTS and compares this with the VTTS for a driver with and without a passenger. An online survey was conducted in Sydney in 2014 and the data used to obtain a number of new empirical estimates of vehicle and driver VTTS. The new evidence questions the validity of various assumptions adopted in current practice for valuing the time savings of car passengers and multiple occupant cars.
Tollroads are only part of the overall trip: the error of our ways in past willingness to pay studies
11 July 2016
University of Sydney

Rose, John M;Hensher, David A.

With rare exception, actual tollroad traffic in many countries has failed to reproduce forecast traffic levels, regardless of whether the assessment is made after an initial year of operation or as long as 10 years after opening. Pundits have offered many reasons for this divergence, including optimism bias, strategic misrepresentation, the promise to equity investors of early returns on investment, errors in land use forecasts, and specific assumptions underlying the traffic assignment models used to develop traffic forecasts. One such assumption is the selection of a behaviourally meaningful value of travel time savings (VTTS) for use in a generalised cost or generalised time user benefit expression that is the main behavioural feature of the traffic assignment (route choice) model. Numerous empirical studies using stated choice experiments have designed choice sets of alternatives as if users choose a tolled route or a free route under the (implied) assumption that the tolled route is tolled for the entire trip. Reality is often very different, with a high incidence of use of a non-tolled road leading into and connecting out of a tolled link. In this paper we recognise this feature of route choice and redesign the stated choice experiment to account for it. Furthermore, this study is a follow up to a previous study undertaken before a new toll road was in place, and it benefits from real exposure to the new toll road. We find that the VTTS is noticeably reduced, and if the VTTS is a significant contributing influence on errors on traffic forecasts, then the lower estimates make sense behaviourally.
Innovations in Radiotherapy Technology.
10 July 2018
University of Sydney

Feain, IJ;Court, L;Palta, JR;Beddar, S;Keall, P

Many low- and middle-income countries, together with remote and low socioeconomic populations within high-income countries, lack the resources and services to deal with cancer. The challenges in upgrading or introducing the necessary services are enormous, from screening and diagnosis to radiotherapy planning/treatment and quality assurance. There are severe shortages not only in equipment, but also in the capacity to train, recruit and retain staff as well as in their ongoing professional development via effective international peer-review and collaboration. Here we describe some examples of emerging technology innovations based on real-time software and cloud-based capabilities that have the potential to redress some of these areas. These include: (i) automatic treatment planning to reduce physics staffing shortages, (ii) real-time image-guided adaptive radiotherapy technologies, (iii) fixed-beam radiotherapy treatment units that use patient (rather than gantry) rotation to reduce infrastructure costs and staff-to-patient ratios, (iv) cloud-based infrastructure programmes to facilitate international collaboration and quality assurance and (v) high dose rate mobile cobalt brachytherapy techniques for intraoperative radiotherapy.
Link-based Full Cost Analysis of Travel
13 September 2018
University of Sydney

Cui, Mengying;Levinson, David

This paper develops a link-based full cost model, which identifies the key cost components of travel, including both internal and external versions of cost, and gives a link-based cost estimate. The key cost components for travelers are categorized as time cost, emission cost, crash cost, user monetary cost, and infrastructure cost. Selecting the Minneapolis - St. Paul (Twin Cities) Metropolitan region as the study area, the estimates show that the average full cost of travel is $0.68/veh-km, in which the time and user monetary costs account for approximately 85% of the total. Except for the infrastructure cost, highways are more cost-effective than other surface road- ways considering all the other cost components, as well as the internal and full costs.
Infrastructure Hazard Resilience Trends: An Analysis of 25 Years of Research
26 November 2018
University of Sydney

Opdyke, Aaron;Javernick-Will, Amy;Koschmann, Matthew

Hazard research has made significant strides over the last several decades, answering critical questions surrounding vulnerability and recovery. Recently, resilience has come to the forefront of scholarly debates and practitioner strategies, yet there remain challenges implementing resilience in practice, the result of a complex web of research that spread across numerous fields of study. As a result, there is a need to analyze and reflect on the current state of resilience literature. We reviewed 241 journal articles from the Web of Science and Engineering Village databases from 1990 to 2015 to analyze research trends in geographic location of studies, methods employed, units of analysis, and resilience dimensions studied, as well as correlations between each of these categories. The majority of the studies analyzed were conducted in North America, used quantitative methods, focused on infrastructure and community units of analysis, and studied governance, infrastructure, and economic dimensions of resilience. This analysis points to the need to: (1) conduct studies in developing country contexts, where resilience is particularly important; (2) employ mixed-methods for additional depth to quantitative studies; (3) connect units of analysis, such as infrastructure and community; and (4) expand on the measurement and study of environmental and social dimensions of resilience.
Inter-Organizational Resource Coordination in Post-Disaster Infrastructure Recovery
26 November 2018
University of Sydney

Opdyke, Aaron;Lepropre, Florence;Javernick-Will, Amy;Koschmann, Matthew

Despite significant advances in strengthening post-disaster recovery efforts, misaligned strategy and inefficient resource allocation are far too often the norm for infrastructure reconstruction. To examine the inter-organizational networks that form to coordinate resources for infrastructure reconstruction, we employed social network analysis in 19 communities in the Philippines following Super Typhoon Haiyan, at 6 and 12 months post-disaster. To build these networks, we analysed interview, field observation and documentation data collected from non-governmental organizations, local governments and communities. A survey questionnaire was also administered to organizations working in selected communities to validate networks. Results from network analysis established that information was the most commonly shared resource by organizations, followed by financial, material and human resources. Government agencies had the highest actor centralities; however, qualitative data suggest that these roles were the result of obligatory consultations by international organizations and lacked legitimacy in practice. Findings further demonstrate that networks become more decentralized over time as actors leave and roles become more established, influenced by short-term expatriate contracts and the termination of United Nations supported cluster coordination. Findings could help organizations strengthen humanitarian response efforts by attending to resource allocation and knowledge sharing with other organizations.
Measuring full cost accessibility by auto
12 November 2019
University of Sydney

Cui, Mengying;Levinson, David M.

Traditionally accessibility has been analyzed from the perspective of the mean or expected travel time, which fails to capture the full cost, especially the external cost, of travel. The full cost accessibility (FCA) frame-work, proposed by Cui and Levinson (2018b), provides a theoretical basis to fill the gap, that combines temporal, monetary, and non-monetary internal and external travel costs into accessibility evaluations, considering the time cost, crash cost, emission cost, and monetary cost. This paper extends the FCA framework and measures the full cost accessibility by auto for the Minneapolis - St. Paul Metropolitan area, demonstrating the practicality of the FCA framework on real networks.
Behaviour of H-section purlin connections in resisting progressive collapse of roofs
16 January 2020
University of Sydney

Yan, Shen;Rasmussen, Kim;Liu, Xinlu;Dai, Liusi;Zhao, Xianzhong

When a truss roof is subjected to sudden local damage, purlins are capable of bridging the damaged truss unit, thereby increasing the robustness of the integrated roof system. To investigate the bridging capacity purlins can provide, experiments were carried out on bolted fin plate connections that join thin-walled H-section purlins to the main truss, investigating their behaviour under a main truss-removal scenario. Eight specimens with varied connection details were tested. Results of all experiments are provided in detail, including the full-range vertical resistance versus displacement curves, the collapse-resisting mechanisms, and the failure modes, being either bolt shear failure or combined bolt bearing and net-section tensile failure. Experimental results showed that better bridging capacity can be achieved by adopting relatively larger diameter bolts, reducing the bolt group height, applying higher preloading force when installing bolts, and increasing the end distance for the bolt holes. Meanwhile, a theoretical model is proposed to predict the vertical resistance versus displacement response of the purlin-to-connection assembly. This model is capable of capturing the slip of bolts, and the gradual yielding and failure of the connection components, and thus gives predictions that are in reasonably good agreement with the experimental results.
System reliability-based Direct Design Method for space frames with cold–formed steel hollow sections
17 January 2020
University of Sydney

Liu, Wenyu;Zhang, Hao;Rasmussen, Kim

Design-by-analysis methods for steel structures are receiving considerable attention from professional engineers, researchers and standard-writing groups. Designing by analysis, termed as the Direct Design Method (DDM), is premised on the use of geometric nonlinear inelastic finite element analysis to determine the ultimate strength of steel structural frames and subsequently incorporating a system resistance factor (ϕs) to account for the effects of uncertainties in geometric parameters, stiffness and strength. This paper outlines the DDM in the context of cold-formed compact Hollow Steel Sections (HSS), including the reliability analysis framework at system level underpinning the Method. The system resistance factors for a series of representative 3D frames with hollow locally stable cross-sections are derived.
Risk and Financial Management of COVID-19 in Business, Economics and Finance
18 June 2020
University of Sydney

Chang, Chia-Lin;McAleer, Michael;Wong, Wing-Keung

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes the COVID-19 disease led to the most significant change in the world order over the past century, destabilizing the global economy and financial stock markets, the world’s economy, social development, business, risk, financial management and financial markets, among others. COVID-19 has generated great uncertainty, and dramatically affected tourism, travel, hospitality, supply chains, consumption, production, operations, valuations, security, financial stress and the prices of all products, including fossil fuel and renewable energy sources. This Editorial introduces a Special Issue of the Journal of Risk and Financial Management (JRFM) on the “Risk and Financial Management of COVID-19 in Business, Economics and Finance”. This Special Issue will attract practical, state-of-the-art applications of mathematics, probability and statistical techniques on the topic, including empirical applications. This paper investigates important issues that have been discussed in tourism, global health security and risk management in business as well as the social and medical sciences.
Ultra Long-Haul: An emerging business model accelerated by COVID-19
14 September 2020
University of Sydney

Bauer, Linus Benjamin;Bloch, Daniel;Merkert, Rico

The COVID-19 outbreak has sent shockwaves throughout the aviation industry, sending a myriad of liquidity-strapped airlines into administration or part government ownership. In turn, this paper argues that the novel phenomenon of Ultra Long Haul (ULH) operations already maintains the necessary characteristics to generate a competitive advantage that will not only succeed, but outperform other business models, in a post COVID-19 era. Our modelling and scenario analysis results suggest that point-to-point ULH services, with access to a strong domestic feeder system, will not only require minimal adjustments to cope with COVID-19, but will simultaneously produce higher seat-load factors and yields, heightened network flexibility, and unique health benefits tied to its ability to bypass densely populated hub airports.
Topology of International Supply Chain Networks: A Case Study Using Factset Revere Datasets
14 September 2020
University of Sydney

Piraveenan, Mahendra;Jing, Hongze;Matous, Petr;Todo, Yasuyuki

International supply chain networks play a prominent role in shaping the economic outlook of the world. It has been a recent trend to analyse the topology of supply chain networks in order to gain a wholistic understanding about the interdependencies of firms in this regard. In this work, we undertake an extensive structural and topological analysis of the supply chain networks constructed from the Factset Revere dataset. The dataset is provided by FactSet Research Systems Inc. that captures global supply chain relationships between companies. The dataset consists of 154, 862 companies from 216 countries, with 1,571, 949 supply relationships among them. In addition to considering the global network, we also analysed country-specific networks of ten countries, which are the most significant nations represented in the dataset. The analysis revealed that all supply chain networks studied were relatively sparse scale-free networks, with scale-free exponents ranging from 1.0 to 2.0. In terms of centrality analysis, quite predictably, large multi-national corporates dominated. Comparing the centrality values of firms in terms of the global vs the country-specific networks, two classes of firms were found where the difference in centrality was significant. The first group was small firms with locally-centered business operations, such as Volunteers of America, New York State Teachers Retirement System, CarePlus Health Plan etc, where the country-based centrality scores and the rankings based on them were significantly more prominent than the global equivalent. The second group was firms with specific countries of origin which register themselves in other countries, such as China Shengda Packaging Group Inc (registered in US), Chinacast Education Corps (registered in the US), and China Biologic Products Inc (registered in the US). These firms all had significantly higher global centrality scores compared to country-based centrality scores. Overall, however, it was found that there was strong correlation between global centrality-based ranking and country-specific centrality ranking of firms. This indicated that in general, firms which are important to the global supply chain network are also important to the supply chain networks of individual countries. Studying the community structure of the supply chain networks, we identified twelve dominant communities, many of which had significant correlations with particular industries or countries. Some of these communities were made of firms primarily from a pair of countries, or had other interesting features. Therefore, the topological analysis of the supply chain networks created from this large dataset gives interesting insights about how the international supply chain networks are structured, and how they operate.
A multi-cut L-shaped method for resilient and responsive supply chain network design
24 September 2020
University of Sydney

Sabouhi, Fatemeh;Jabalameli, Mohammad Saeed;Jabbarzadeh, Armin;Fahimnia, Behnam

We present a stochastic optimisation model that can be used to design a resilient supply chain operating under random disruptions. The model aims to determine sourcing and network design decisions that minimise the expected total cost while ensuring that the minimum customer service level is achieved. The proposed model incorporates several resilience strategies including multiple sourcing, multiple transport routes, considering backup suppliers, adding extra production capacities, as well as lateral transshipment and direct shipment. A multi-cut L-shaped solution approach is developed to solve the proposed model. Data from a real case problem in the paint industry is utilised to test the model and solution approach. Important managerial insights are obtained from the case study. Our analyses focus on (1) exploring the relationship between supply chain cost and customer service level, (2) examining the impacts of different types of disruptions on the total cost, (3) evaluating the utility of resilience strategies, (4) investigating the benefits of the proposed solution approach to solve problems of different sizes and (5) benchmarking the performance of the proposed stochastic programming approach.
Sustainability or Sustainable Infrastructure? Using sustainability discourse to construct a motorway
02 November 2020
University of Sydney

McManus, Phil;Haughton, Graham

WestConnex is a 33km, A$16.8bn motorway under construction in Sydney. It is promoted by the state government as an example of excellent ‘sustainable infrastructure’. We explore the use of sustainability discourse to explain how a motorway corporation, established by a state government committed to building infrastructure that could later be privatized, engaged with an organization that redefined the notion of sustainability and then presented this definition and approach to justify their motorway construction practices as sustainable.
Bounding Drift in Cooperative Localisation Through the Sharing of Local Loop Closures
05 November 2020
University of Sydney

Toohey, Lachlan;Pizarro, Oscar;Williams, Stefan Bernard

Handling loop closures and intervehicle observations in cooperative robotic scenarios remains a challenging problem due to data consistency, bandwidth limitations and increased computation requirements. This paper develops a general cooperative localisation and single vehicle Visual SLAM framework that includes direct intervehicle observations and pose to pose loop closures on each vehicle with states shared as required. This fuses single vehicle SLAM with cooperative localisation and avoids data association of map data across limited communication networks. The base problem is developed as a factor graph with each vehicle solving local subgraphs that are split based on intervehicle observations. We modify the order of variable elimination in subgraphs through manipulation of the square-root of the Information matrix to extract updates that include the historic states involved in the loop closures and do not require transmission of other states not involved in the measurement or retransmission of previously shared states. We demonstrate the effect on localisation accuracy and bandwidth using data captured from a set of five robots observing each other and landmarks compared to both single vehicle SLAM, pure cooperative localisation and a centralised solution.
The relationship between nested patterns and the ripple effect in complex supply networks
17 November 2020
University of Sydney

Chauhan, Vinod Kumar;Perera, Supun;Brintrup, Alexandra

Supply networks (SNs) play a vital role in fuelling trade and economic growth. Due to their interconnectedness, firm-level disruptions can cause perturbations to ripple through SNs, magnifying initial impact. Contemporary research on ripple effects focussed on understanding various structural features of SNs to predict and control disruption propagation. Our work adds to this body of knowledge by analysing an intriguing topological property that emerges in SNs: �nestedness�, which is defined as a pattern of organisation where products that are supplied by specialist suppliers are a subset of products that are supplied by generalist suppliers. In other words, generalists are also specialists. While previous research examined the emergence of nestedness and its possible reasons, its relationship to SN resilience remained unknown. Here, we develop a cascade model by bringing together the product-supplier-buyer structure; which provides us with fine-grained information on SN dependencies. We simulate disruptions in nested and non-nested organisations of the global automotive SN, and find that nested organisations are significantly more robust to random disruptions but vulnerable to hub disruptions under cascade conditions. However, nested structures are not as resilient; as they do not benefit from a response strategy where buyers seek alternative suppliers; because alternative suppliers do not exist. On the other hand, randomly connected SNs are vulnerable to cascades but can allow network reconfiguration.
Delivering mobility as a service (MaaS) through a broker/aggregator business model
26 November 2020
University of Sydney

Wong, Yale;Hensher, David;Mulley, Corinne

Mobility as a service (MaaS) promises a bold new future where bundled public transport and shared mobility options (carsharing, ridesharing, bikesharing and microtransit) will provide consumers with seamless mobility on par with and exceeding that of private vehicle ownership. Whilst there is a growing body of work examining the market and end user demand for MaaS, there remains a limited understanding of the supply-side around new business models for delivering these integrated mobility services. Mobility broker/aggregator models have been proposed, but to date there exists no quantitative evidence to empirically test the conditions around which interested businesses might invest or supply in this new entrepreneurial model. In this paper, the idea of mode-agnostic mobility contracts (first proposed in Wong et al. (2018)) are tested as the interface for bringing together specialised businesses as part of a future transport ecosystem. Data is collected from 202 organisations across 28 countries and mixed logit models estimated to identify the importance of contract attributes like modal mix, government support, return on investment, branding and equity contribution on respondent interest to partake in a MaaS business. Willingness-to-pay estimates are then devised to identify the potential value proposition of a mobility broker/aggregator to the business community.
Mitigating Infrastructure Disaster Losses Through Asset Management Practices in the Middle East and North Africa Region
18 December 2020
University of Sydney

Mastroianni, Elyssa;Lancaster, James;Korkmann, Benjamin;Opdyke, Aaron;Beitelmal, Wesam

Despite expanding infrastructure investments in developing countries, maintenance of constructed infrastructure is not keeping pace and there is a growing need to focus on the long-term operational demands of new assets to reduce vulnerability. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, natural hazards and civil conflicts continue to undermine development and disaster risk management. This research sought to examine how infrastructure asset management can reduce the impact of disasters in the MENA region. Twelve interviews were conducted with asset management and disaster risk reduction experts in the MENA region and Australia – the latter to identify transferable asset management best practices. Qualitative analysis of interviews identified regional lessons to advance asset management practice as a disaster risk reduction tool. The four main findings were: (1) asset management practice can be a proactive disaster policy; (2) there is need for appropriate levels asset management policy in the MENA region; (3) asset prioritisation improves the effectiveness of, and decision making in, risk management; and (4) whole of life consideration enables effective planning for asset management practices. In alignment with the priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, this research provides knowledge to strengthen governance to manage disaster risk in the MENA region. The research further outlines the barriers and challenges that hinder successful asset management policy implementation, as well as proposes recommendations for disaster mitigation strategies using infrastructure asset management.
The rise of Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent (BAT) and their role in China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
21 December 2020
University of Sydney

Su, Chunmeizi;Flew, Terry

The Chinese digital technology giants, Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent (BAT), dominate over their competitors in China across platforms that include e-commerce, digital entertainment, e-finance and artificial intelligence (AI). To understand BAT’s corporate power and their strategic role working with the government – in this case, their involvement in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) – this paper unveils the capabilities of these three oligopolies and discusses their international expansion in relation to the BRI. The BRI is being constructed on two layers, the physical and digital infrastructure, and the BAT are contributing to the latter. This paper examines the interrelations between BAT and the state through case studies, observing the tensions and potential contradictions arising from the reliance of the Chinese state on the BAT to build digital infrastructure, while the BAT seek to minimize direct state regulation for their data- driven business models.
Global supply chains after COVID-19: the end of the road for neoliberal globalisation?
06 April 2021
University of Sydney

Free, Clinton;Hecimovic, Angela

Purpose: Through its impact on both demand and supply, the outbreak of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has profoundly disrupted supply chains throughout the world. The purpose of this paper is to explore the underlying drivers of the supply chain vulnerability exposed by COVID-19 and considers potential future directions for global supply. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopts a case study approach, reviewing the automotive manufacturing sector in Australia to illustrate how neoliberal globalisation policy settings have shifted large tracts of manufacturing from the global north to the global south. Findings: The authors demonstrate the way that neoliberal globalisation policies, facilitated by certain accounting rhetorics and technologies, have consolidated manufacturing in China and Southeast Asia in ways that embed vulnerabilities in global supply chains. The authors present three scenarios for post-COVID-19 supply chains and the accounting techniques likely to garner stronger attention as a result of the pandemic. Research limitations/implications: The paper illustrates how certain accounting rhetorics and technologies facilitate neoliberal globalisation, embedding supply chain vulnerability that has been exposed by COVID-19. It also suggests how supply chain accounting may develop more robust supply chains in a post-COVID-19 world and sets out an agenda for future research in this area. Practical implications: A number of practical supply chain accounting and planning technologies are suggested to facilitate more robust supply chains. Originality/value: This paper draws attention to the neoliberal globalisation policies that have shaped global supply chains as well as how COVID-19, in concert with other geopolitical trajectories, may represent a watershed moment for global supply chains.
The Development and Adoption of Online Learning in Pre- and Post-COVID-19: Combination of Technological System Evolution Theory and Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology
02 June 2021
University of Sydney

Qiao, Ping;Zhu, Xiaoman;Guo, Yangzhi;Sun, Ying;Qin, Chuan

After the outbreak of COVID-19, schools heavily depend on e-learning technologies and tools to shift from in-person class to online. This review article analyzes the changes of technology evolution and technology adoption of e-learning in pre- and post-COVID-19 based on the Technology System Evaluation Theory (TSET) and technology adoption of e-learning based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). We intend to explore the interaction of technology evolution and technology adoption in the different focus of e-learning technology in the two stages and the particularity and heterogeneity of the UTAUT model. The results indicate that (1) The moderating results of technology evolution are proposed and evaluated under the UTAUT model before the COVID-19 outbreak. Studies after the COVID-19 pandemic paid more attention to technology efficiency rather than effectiveness; (2) Research on e-learning focuses on the infrastructure to reach more users after the outbreak of COVID-19 because e-learning is the only way to continue education; (3) COVID-19 fear moderates the relationship between the external factors and the behavior intention of e-learning users. The lack of financial support on technology evolution will directly weaken the implementation of new technology. Social Isolation offers more opportunities for students to engage in e-learning. Meanwhile, it slows down the implementation of e-learning because of out-to-date hardware and software. This article offers an enhanced understanding of the interaction of technology evolution and technology adoption under unexpected environments and provides practical insights into how to promote new technology in a way that users will accept and use easily. This study can be tested and extended by empirical research in the future.
How Construction Employment Can Create Social Value and Assist Recovery from COVID-19
02 June 2021
University of Sydney

Denny-Smith, George;Sunindijo, Riza Yosia;Loosemore, Martin;Williams, Megan;Piggott, Leanne

COVID-19 has created or amplified economic and social crises internationally. Australia entered its first recession in 30 years and saw a significant rise in unemployment. In response, Australian governments have increased their commitments to infrastructure construction to stimulate the national economy and combined this with new social procurement policies that aim to create social value for targeted populations like Indigenous peoples and unemployed youth. However, emerging social procurement research in construction shows a disconnect between policymakers and the practitioners who must implement them. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide theoretical and practical insights on creating social value in the context of construction employment created by new social procurement policies. Reporting a survey of 107 construction workers in Australia, it is shown that social procurement policies and construction employers can create social value when they provide work benefits like adequate pay and training and development and cultural benefits like inclusive workplaces. Recommendations are made to demonstrate how the results presented in this article can be used by contractors to create social value. This research is significant for advising how increased infrastructure spending commitments in Australia can create social and economic outcomes for workers, ensuring a sustainable recovery from COVID-19 crises.
Labour and megaprojects: Rethinking productivity and industrial relations policy
02 June 2021
University of Sydney

Ellem, B.

The coronavirus pandemic has brought industrial relations policy to the centre of attention in many countries. In 2020, the Australian government convened tripartite bodies to address policy in several areas, one being for agreement-making to cover labour on ‘megaprojects’. This initiative revisited criticisms of unions for driving costs up and productivity down on these worksites, the most expensive of which had been Chevron’s Gorgon site, a liquefied natural gas project off the north-west Australian coast. Drawing on four usually siloed literatures – on industrial relations policy, megaprojects, the economic geography of resources and labour process – this article explains concerns about costs, delays and productivity in terms of project work itself. This approach leads to a different understanding of the merits of changing policy to address megaproject’s problems and productivity more broadly.
Pre-treatment and real-time image guidance for a fixed-beam radiotherapy system.
23 September 2021
University of Sydney

Liu, P;Gardner, M;Heng, SM;Shieh, C-C;Nguyen, DT;Debrot, E;O'Brien, R;Downes, S;Jackson, M;Keall, P

Purpose: A radiotherapy system with a fixed treatment beam and a rotating patient positioning system could be smaller, more robust and more cost effective compared to conventional rotating gantry systems. However, patient rotation could cause anatomical deformation and compromise treatment delivery. In this work, we demonstrate an image-guided treatment workflow with a fixed beam prototype system that accounts for deformation during rotation to maintain dosimetric accuracy. Methods: The prototype system consists of an Elekta Synergy linac with the therapy beam orientated downward and a custom-built patient rotation system (PRS). A phantom that deforms with rotation was constructed and rotated within the PRS to quantify the performance of two image guidance techniques: motion compensated cone-beam CT (CBCT) for pre-treatment volumetric imaging and kilovoltage infraction monitoring (KIM) for real-time image guidance. The phantom was irradiated with a 3D conformal beam to evaluate the dosimetric accuracy of the workflow. Results: The motion compensated CBCT was used to verify pre-treatment position and the average calculated position was within -0.3 ± 1.1 mm of the phantom's ground truth position at 0°. KIM tracked the position of the target in real-time as the phantom was rotated and the average calculated position was within -0.2 ± 0.8 mm of the phantom's ground truth position. A 3D conformal treatment delivered on the prototype system with image guidance had a 3%/2 mm gamma pass rate of 96.3% compared to 98.6% delivered using a conventional rotating gantry linac. Conclusions: In this work, we have shown that image guidance can be used with fixed-beam treatment systems to measure and account for changes in target position in order to maintain dosimetric coverage during horizontal rotation. This treatment modality could provide a viable treatment option when there insufficient space for a conventional linear accelerator or where the cost is prohibitive.
Becoming WestConnex – Becoming Sydney: Objectoriented politics, contested storylines and the multi-scalar imaginaries of building a motorway network in Sydney, Australia
10 November 2021
University of Sydney

Haughton, Graham;McManus, Phil

Drawing on and developing literatures on automobilities, vertical urbanisms and the use of storylines to understand mega transport projects, we imagine infrastructure as a shifting assemblage of actors, storylines and material objects and practices. In the case of motorway building, this requires an understanding of how competing storylines about how both the infrastructure itself and the city it is located in are mobilised and politicised across diverse local geographies and multiple scales as the process proceeds. Our case study focuses on WestConnex, a 33 km motorway being built in Sydney, Australia. Similar to other major transport infrastructure projects, WestConnex morphed over time, growing in ambition, budget, complexity, debate and by enrolling new actors.
Electricity-consumption data reveals the economic impact and industry recovery during the pandemic
26 November 2021
University of Sydney

Wang, Xinlei;Si, Caomingzhe;Gu, Jinjin;Liu, Guolong;Liu, Wenxuan;Qiu, Jing;Zhao, Junhua

Coping with the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), many countries have implemented public-health measures and movement restrictions to prevent the spread of the virus. However, the strict mobility control also brought about production stagnation and market disruption, resulting in a severe worldwide economic crisis. Quantifying the economic stagnation and predicting post-pandemic recovery are imperative issues. Besides, it is significant to examine how the impact of COVID-19 on economic activities varied with industries. As a reflection of enterprises’ production output, high-frequency electricity-consumption data is an intuitive and effective tool for evaluating the economic impact of COVID-19 on different industries. In this paper, we quantify and compare economic impacts on the electricity consumption of different industries in eastern China. In order to address this problem, we conduct causal analysis using a difference-in-difference (DID) estimation model to analyze the effects of multi-phase public-health measures. Our model employs the electricity-consumption data ranging from 2019 to 2020 of 96 counties in the Eastern China region, which covers three main economic sectors and their 53 sub-sectors. The results indicate that electricity demand of all industries (other than information transfer industry) rebounded after the initial shock, and is back to pre-pandemic trends after easing the control measures at the end of May 2020. Emergency response, the combination of all countermeasures to COVID-19 in a certain period, affected all industries, and the higher level of emergency response with stricter movement control resulted in a greater decrease in electricity consumption and production. The pandemic outbreak has a negative-lag effect on industries, and there is greater resilience in industries that are less dependent on human mobility for economic production and activities.
A Systematic Review on Technologies and Applications in Smart Campus: A Human-Centered Case Study
28 April 2022
University of Sydney

Zhang, Yuchen;Yip, Christine;Lu, Erwan;Dong, Zhao Yang

The smart revolution has penetrated in a wide range of applications. Smart campus, as the high-end form of education systems, deploys cutting-edge information and communication technologies to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of campus services. Under the pandemic of COVID-19, smart campus has shown unprecedented importance owing to its remote, personalized, and ubiquitous features. All these factors have made smart campus an ongoing intense research topic in recent years, whereas existing reviews on smart campus were conducted in earlier years and thus an update is imperatively needed to investigate and summarize the emerging knowledge, technologies, and applications in this context. This paper conducts a systematic review on smart campus technologies and applications, and then strategically classifying them into different domains to investigate the current research pattern. Moreover, adhering to the human-centered principle of smart campus development, a human-centered case study has been carried out and presented in this paper to evaluate the consistency and adherence of current research trend to the stakeholders needs and interests.
Functional lock-in and the problem of design transformation
04 May 2022
University of Sydney

Dong, Andy

The act of introducing an innovation into an existing product by substituting or inserting new technologies is thought to be challenging due to the problem of integrating new components and sub-system architectures into existing ones. This article aims to challenge the foundation of this problem and develop new insights into the choice of functional architecture. The article will propose that the choice of functional architecture to achieve an intended purpose locks-in a design by influencing the cost of transformation. This paper studies functional lock-in based on the transformation cost of the functional architectures of products. The transformation cost for a set of biological and biologically inspired products is compared to that of engineered products. The results show that the biological and biologically inspired products have a statistically significant lower transformation cost than the engineered products. The results indicate that the structure of functions and flows in a product will constrain its transformation. More broadly, the paper proposes minimum transformation cost as an essential property of an optimal design.
The relation between knowledge accumulation and technical value in interdisciplinary technologies
04 May 2022
University of Sydney

Chandra, Praveena;Dong, Andy

A challenging task in technology management is the early identification of potentially valuable inventions. The depth, breadth, and age of the body of knowledge underlying an invention are theorized to indicate the technical experience of the sectors relevant to the invention. Prior research assessing this body of knowledge have focused on the content of knowledge through bibliometric and semantic indicators but neglected the structural role of knowledge underlying a patent. Focusing on technical value, we propose a new metric that accounts for the structural maturity of knowledge preceding an invention. Using a composite patent value and multiple generation citation networks, we compare knowledge accumulation in 60 originating patents for inventions in the energy-harvesting sector over a 100-year observation period, resulting in an analysis of 1900 patents. The results indicate that our metric for knowledge accumulation reveals a statistically significant correlation between the structural maturity of the knowledge that contributes to the specific invention and technical value of a patent. The structural view on knowledge accumulation explains at least as much variance in the composite value of patents as current knowledge content-based indicators, and, unlike those indicators, is useful as a leading rather than lagging indicator. This metric can therefore find application in technology forecasting as a forward indicator of the technical value of inventions.
Crumbling Infrastructure, Crumbling Democracy: Infrastructure Privatization Contracts and Their Effects on State and Local Governance
01 January 2011
University of Pennsylvania

Dannin, Ellen

Key arguments for privatizing public infrastructure range from providing money so cash-strapped governments can fix crumbling infrastructure and build much needed new infrastructure to shifting future financial risk from the public to a private contractor. The reality, though, is far different. Provisions commonly found in infrastructure privatization contracts make the public the guarantor of private contractors' expected revenues. Indeed, were it not for provisions that protect contractors from diminution of their expected returns, the contracts would be far shorter and much less complex. An effect of those contract provisions is to give private contractors a quasi-governmental status with power over new laws, judicial decisions, propositions voted on by the public, and other government actions that a contractor claims will affect toll roads and revenues. Giving private contractors such a role may well violate the non-delegation doctrine that bars private entities from exercising power that is inherently governmental. This Article examines the operation and effects of three provisions that are commonly found in infrastructure contracts: (1) compensation events; (2) noncompetition provisions; and (3) the contractor's right to object to and receive compensation for legislative, administrative, and judicial decisions. The operation of these provisions gives private contractors power over decisions that affect the public interest and are normally made by public officials and subject to oversight, disclosure, and accountability - none of which apply to private contractors. The existence and operation of these provisions have gone virtually unexamined and undiscussed. Rather, discussions about infrastructure privatization have been narrowly focused on tolls, reflexive pro- or anti-private or public provisions, and spending or investment decisions on up-front payments. Finally, this Article places infrastructure privatization in the larger context of funding and building infrastructure for the future. It identifies and critiques substantive and procedural issues that must be resolved if we are to have the high quality infrastructure necessary to meet this nation‘s needs and further its goals and if we are to achieve those goals by an open and democratic process.
On-Demand Aviation: Governance Challenges of Urban Air Mobility ("UAM")
20 March 2020
University of Pennsylvania

Ravich, Timothy M.

The first generation that has never known a world without smartphones and social media may be close to making the world forget about traditional cars. Investment is pouring into urban air mobility (“UAM”)—the local, on-demand movement of people and goods by air using a range of piloted and semi- and fully autonomous electric aircraft that take off and land vertically. In fact, the innovation of aerial ridesharing at scale—a technology that is still very much associated with the 1960s cartoon series “The Jetsons”—may be at market as soon as 2025, according to some estimates. UAM—which is also referred to as on-demand mobility (“ODM”)—will revolutionize urban transportation and personal mobility and impact matters from airspace management and property rights to environmental matters and safety in unknown ways. For example, UAM will compete, supplement, and/or exist alongside traditional air and ground traffic operations, while in other cases, traditional transportation nodes such as airports might be intertwined and become a functional element of UAM systems themselves. To say that airports and the communities surrounding airports need to understand and anticipate the effects and opportunities of the UAM market is an understatement. This article addresses the emerging UAM market, including the relevant technologies from a legal and regulatory perspective. In conceptualizing a new world in which UAM is real, this article will explore the various stages of legal, regulatory, and technological development of UAM. It will also address practical questions such as how UAM and traditional transportation aviation operations might coexist in shared airspace and if and how communities will respond to environmental concerns such as UAM-generated noise. In all, this article presents the substance and scope of UAM governance as presently configured, and where gaps exist (and many do), explores the regulatory and socio-technological challenges posed by advances in autonomous-, self-, and optionally-piloted aircraft systems.
On_Demand Aviation: Governance Challenges of Urban Air Mobility ("UAM")
01 June 2020
University of Pennsylvania

Ravich, Timothy M.

The first generation that has never known a world without smartphones and social media may be close to making the world forget about traditional cars. Investment is pouring into urban air mobility (“UAM”)—the local, on-demand movement of people and goods by air using a range of piloted and semi- and fully autonomous electric aircraft that take off and land vertically. In fact, the innovation of aerial ridesharing at scale—a technology that is still very much associated with the 1960s cartoon series “The Jetsons”—may be at market as soon as 2025, according to some estimates. UAM—which is also referred to as on-demand mobility (“ODM”)—will revolutionize urban transportation and personal mobility, and impact matters from airspace management to aviation safety and property rights in unknown ways. For example, UAM will compete, supplement, and/or exist alongside traditional air and ground traffic operations, while in other cases, traditional transportation nodes such as airports might be intertwined and become a functional element of UAM systems themselves. To say that airports and the communities surrounding airports need to understand and anticipate the effects and opportunities of the UAM market is an understatement. This Article addresses the emerging UAM market, including the relevant technologies from a legal and regulatory perspective. In conceptualizing a new world in which UAM is real, this Article will explore the various stages of legal, regulatory, and technological development of UAM. It also addresses practical questions such as how UAM and traditional transportation aviation operations might coexist in shared airspace and if and how communities will respond to environmental concerns such as UAM-generated noise. In all, this Article serves as a primer, presenting the substance and scope of UAM governance as presently configured, and where gaps exist (and many do), explores potential regulatory and socio-technological solutions to the challenges posed by advances in autonomous-, self-, and optionally-piloted aircraft systems.
Localizing the Green Energy Revolution
01 June 2021
University of Pennsylvania

Wiseman, Hannah Jacobs

The United States is on the verge of a new industrial revolution. Renewable energy could replace more than 60% of our current energy generation infrastructure in fifteen years. This change is critical, yet it risks failure. The renewable generation already built in the United States consists primarily of large-scale projects connected to transmission lines in rural areas. The expansive new generation needed to reduce carbon emissions must also be predominantly large-scale, and rural, for reasons of efficiency. But a revolution that focuses nearly exclusively on “big energy” is likely to encounter obstacles, and it has downsides that could be mitigated with a stronger focus on small-scale energy. Many rural Americans—predominantly Republican—oppose Democratic policies, particularly climate policies. Even avowedly green liberal communities have mounted stiff opposition to renewable energy in some areas. Many landowners—particularly farmers—welcome the income from renewable energy leases, but residents often object to the blinking lights, landscape disruption, unsightly wires, and other impacts of these projects. Beyond facing political opposition, a projected buildout of more than 200,000 miles of new transmission lines to support new large-scale renewable projects threatens to create negative infrastructural path dependence. This could be analogous to the federal highway network expansion of the 1950s, which largely cemented U.S. reliance on cars rather than mass transit and divided communities. We need a nationwide network of new long-distance transmission lines to connect large renewable energy generation to population centers. But small energy projects could replace the need for some of these wires. Policymakers should place greater emphasis on “small” distributed energy in the form of solar and wind generation over or near parking lots, roadways, and buildings; community-scale renewables and microgrids; and energy efficiency projects, such as weatherization of apartment buildings. This effort is likely to be more politically feasible than a revolution focused too heavily on large-scale projects. And when targeted properly, small-scale clean energy can reduce the crushing energy burdens faced by low-income communities, whether rural or urban. For the energy transition to be feasible and less objectionable from a community and present-day environmental perspective, energy policies should also ensure that large-scale renewable generation is built in ways that reduce host community impacts. Renewable or clean energy policies should prioritize projects on polluted or abandoned brownfields, as New York requires; on marginalized farmlands; or offshore. Policies should also require large-scale renewable energy developers to negotiate with host communities and offer benefits—another strategy followed in New York.
Optimal Power Flow as a Tool for Fault Level Constrained Network Capacity Analysis
26 November 2004
University of Edinburgh

Vovos, Panagis;Harrison, Gareth P;Wallace, Robin;Bialek, Janusz

The aim of this paper is to present a new method for the allocation of new generation capacity, which takes into account fault level constraints imposed by protection equipment such as switcvhgear. It simulates new generation capacities and connections to other networks using generators with quadratic cost functions. The coefficients of the cost functions express allocation preferences over connection points. The relation between capacity and subtransient reactance of generators is used during the estimation of fault currents. An iterative process allocates new capacity using Optimal Power Flow mechanisms and readjusts capacity to bring fault currents within the specifications of switchgear. The method was tested on a 12-bus LV meshed network with 3 connection points for new capacity and 1 connection to a HV network. It resulted in significantly higher new generation capacity than existing first-come-first-served policies.
Muddy Flooding on the South Downs
28 September 2005
University of Edinburgh

Butler, Jonthan

A post event assesment of flooding that affected parts of the South Downs, East Sussex, England in Autumn 2000 is presented. The floods were of the 'muddy' variety related to soil erosion from agricultural land rather than 'clear' riverine floods. Between September and December 2000, inundation of property and infrastructure by muddy floodwater occurred several times in various suburbs of Brighton, causing damage from sediment deposition costing millions of pounds. Some inaccurate, but well publicized reports by the news media attributed blame to unprecedented autumn rainfall brought about through climatic change or 'global warming'. However, whilst climatological data shows record rainfall totals for the South Downs in Autumn 2000, daily and monthly rainfall totals were unexceptional. This study aims to assess the causes and contexts under which the South Downs flooding of autumn 2000 took place and to suggest strategies for managing similar events in the future.
Searching for 2D Spatial Network Holes
12 May 2006
University of Edinburgh

Reitsma, Femke;Engel, Shane

Research involving different forms of networks, such as internet networks, social networks, and cellular networks, has increasingly become an important field of study. From this work, a variety of different scaling laws have been discovered. However, these aspatial laws, stemming from graph theory, often do not apply to spatial networks. When searching for network holes, results from graph theory frequently do not correlate with 2D spatial holes that enforce planarity. We present a general approach for finding holes in a 2D spatial network, and in particular for a network representing street centrelines of an area in Washington, D.C. This methodology involves finding graph holes that can be restricted to 2D spatial holes by examining topological relationships between network features. These spatial network holes gain significance as the number of edges encompassing the hole, and the length of these edges increase. For this reason, our approach is designed to classify these holes into different sets based on the number of edges found and the length of those edges. The results of this application provide valuable insights in the nature of the network, highlighting areas that we know from experience are poorly connected and thus suffer from low accessibility.
Articulatory feature recognition using dynamic Bayesian networks.
18 September 2007
University of Edinburgh

Frankel, Joe;Wester, Mirjam;King, Simon

We describe a dynamic Bayesian network for articulatory feature recognition. The model is intended to be a component of a speech recognizer that avoids the problems of conventional ``beads-on-a-string'' phoneme-based models. We demonstrate that the model gives superior recognition of articulatory features from the speech signal compared with a state of- the art neural network system. We also introduce a training algorithm that offers two major advances: it does not require time-aligned feature labels and it allows the model to learn a set of asynchronous feature changes in a data-driven manner.
KAoS Policy Management for Semantic Web Services
15 May 2008
University of Edinburgh

Uszok, A;Bradshaw, J M;Jeffers, R;Johnson, M;Tate, Austin;Dalton, J;Aitken, Stuart

Despite rapid advances in Web Services, the user community as demanding requirements continue to outstrip available technology solutions. To help close this gap, Semantic Web Services advocates are defining and implementing many new and significant capabilities (www.swsi.org). These new capabilities should more fully harness Web Services' power through explicit representations of Web resources' underlying semantics and the development of an intelligent Web infrastructure that can fully exploit them. Semantic Web languages, such as OWL, extend RDF to let users specify ontologies comprising taxonomies of classes and inference rules. Both people and software agents can effectively use Semantic Web Services. Agents will increasingly use the combination of semantic markup languages and Semantic Web Services to understand and autonomously manipulate Web content in significant ways. Agents will discover, communicate, and cooperate with other agents and services and - as we'll describe - will rely on policy-based management and control mechanisms to ensure respect for human-imposed constraints on agent interaction. Policy-based controls of Semantic Web Services can also help govern interaction with traditional (nonagent) clients. In the mid 1990s, we began to define the initial version of KAoS, a set of platform-independent services that let people define policies ensuring adequate predictability and controllability of both agents and traditional distributed systems. With various research partners, we' re also developing and evaluating a generic model of human-agent teamwork that includes policies to assure natural and effective interaction in mixed teams of people and agents - both software and robotic. We're exploiting the power of Semantic Web representations to address some of the challenges currently limiting Semantic Web Services' widespread deployment.
The Business of Expectations: How Promissory Organisations Shape Technology & Innovation
01 February 2010
University of Edinburgh

Pollock, N.;Williams, R.

The business of technological expectations has yet to be thoroughly explored by scholars interested in the role of expectations and visions in the emergence of technological innovations. However, intermediaries specialising in the production, commodification and selling of future-oriented knowledge have emerged to exert new kinds of influence on the shaping of technology and innovation. We focus on the work of those specialist forms of consultants known as ‘industry analysts’ and consider them as promissory organisations to capture the fact they are successful in mobilising and indeed increasingly organising expectations within procurement and innovation markets. Our aim is to highlight the important role these actors play in shaping technologies and in so doing how they typically exhibit complex and highly uneven forms of influence. The paper is organised around a central question: Why are certain kinds of promissory behaviour more influential than others? To answer this, we draw from the literature on technology expectations on discussions of the ‘constitutive’ nature of promises, which provides a useful but arguably partial analytical approach for articulating the dynamics and differences surrounding product based expectations. We thus supplement our understanding with recent developments in Economic Sociology and the Sociology of Finance where an ambitious theoretical framework is unfolding in relation to the ‘performativity of economic theory’. By contrasting different forms of promissory work conducted by industry analysts and varying forms of accountability to which this work is subject we begin to map out a typology that characterises promissory behaviour according to differences in kind and effect.
A topology control approach for utilizing multiple channels in multi-radio wireless mesh networks
30 September 2010
University of Edinburgh

Marina, Mahesh;Das, Samir R.;Subramanian, Anand Prabhu

We consider the channel assignment problem in a multi-radio wireless mesh network that involves assigning channels to radio interfaces for achieving efficient channel utilization. We present a graph-theoretic formulation of the channel assignment guided by a novel topology control perspective, and show that the resulting optimization problem is NP-complete. We also present an ILP formulation that is used for obtaining a lower bound for the optimum. We then develop a new greedy heuristic channel assignment algorithm (termed CLICA) for finding connected, low interference topologies by utilizing multiple channels. Our evaluations show that the proposed CLICA algorithm exhibits similar behavior and comparable performance relative to the optimum bound with respect to interference and capacity measures. Moreover, our extensive simulation studies show that it can provide a large reduction in interference even with a small number of radios per node, which in turn leads to significant gains in both link layer and multihop performance in 802.11-based multi-radio mesh networks.
Utility of hybrid wireless experimentation for evaluation of heterogeneous wireless architectures and cross-layer protocols
30 September 2010
University of Edinburgh

Marina, Mahesh;Xu, Zhiguo;Zhou, Junlan;Bagrodia, Rajive

We consider hybrid wireless experimentation, which has emerged as an alternative and complementary methodology to physical experimentation and simulation for wireless network evaluation. Specifically, our focus in this paper is on WHYNET, a flexible hybrid evaluation framework providing the capability to seamlessly integrate simulated, emulated and physical networks, thereby enabling several ways of realizing a given target wireless network scenario each using physical (operational) and simulated elements in different combinations depending on the evaluation needs and available testbed resources. Using two novel and detailed case studies of WHYNET, we demonstrate the utility of the hybrid approach for realistic, scalable and cost-effective evaluation of heterogeneous wireless network scenarios and cross-layer protocol mechanisms.
AI Bridges and Dreams
22 December 2010
University of Edinburgh

Bundy, Alan

This paper is a modified version of my acceptance lecture for the 1986 SPL-Insight Award. It turned into something of a personal credo — describing my view of the nature of AI the potential social benefit of applied AI the importance of basic AI research the role of logic and the methodology of rational construction the interplay of applied and basic AI research, and the importance of funding basic AI. These points are knitted together by an analogy between AI and structural engineering: in particular, between building expert systems and building bridges.
A Pedestrian View of the Roads to Open Access: Understanding Workflows to Enrich Infrastructure
21 September 2012
University of Edinburgh

Burnhill, Peter;de Castro, Pablo;Dorward, Andrew;Sloan, Terry

Things are moving quickly on the policy front with respect to the roads to Open Access with renewed focus on Gold Open Access. Gold OA is essentially the purchase of a service from a publisher: that the Publisher’s (or Published) Final Copy is made available under specified terms of Open Access. This is in contrast to the Green Road to Open Access, which typically involves the deposit and availability of the Authors’ Final Copy, by an author or an authorised agent. UK RepositoryNet+ (UKRepNet) is a JISC initiative being developed by EDINA. This is infrastructure to enable the delivery of services to universities and colleges in the UK in their work with Institutional Repositories (IRs) and the like to support Open Access (OA) and reporting arrangements for research outputs and outcomes. The focus is upon research literature as part of research output, noting the growth of the enhanced publication (i.e. the data behind the graph) and the importance of citation of data sources and instrumentation. Though Green OA is still important, the move to Gold OA is being accelerated faster than originally anticipated at the project kick-off in October 2011. Accordingly UKRepNet was given a ‘watching brief’ to monitor the significance of Gold OA in order that infrastructure being created remained relevant. What follows is report from that Watch activity, setting out the envisaged workflows, both financial and informational. The RepNet focus is on delivering a sustainable and fit for purpose repository service infrastructure. This has an emphasis on institutional repository infrastructure and therefore a focus on Green but naturally there are links to Gold, and as other service requirements emerge the service environment would need to be extensible to encompass those or to at least interoperate with them. Related to this JISC initiative & the wider OA environment ( both Gold & Green) is the work on metadata to research outputs that JISC is taking forward with publishers & RCUK: this includes RIOX, Vocabulary for OA (V4OA) & also the activity via the Open Access Implementation Group (OAIG) on APCs ( which this short report is feeding into). RIOX & V4OA constitute action with regards to the agreement on UK Repository Application Profile to include OA and Funder Metadata. The semantics of OA are being dealt with in V4OA which is a JISC action as a result resulting from the agreement to address this issue between OAIG & Publishers. This work will feed into the National Information Standards Organisation (NISO).
Global Diffusion of the Internet: The Internet in Rwanda
17 January 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Mlay, Samali;Balunywa, Lukman;Mbarika, Victor;Moya, Musa;Ngnitedem, Ariel;Vegah, Godwill

The article uses the Global Diffusion of the Internet (GDI) framework to examine Internet diffusion in Rwanda along six dimensions: pervasiveness, geographical dispersion, sectoral absorption, connectivity infrastructure, organisational infrastructure, and sophistication of use. Internet access was launched in 1996, but it was only in 2004 that significant Internet penetration occurred, when the privatisation of Rwandatel to Terracom brought in new investments and technology and the ISP market was opened to competition. Access to the Internet grew to approximately 24% of the population in 2012 or 2.7 million subscribers. Internet growth is hampered by factors which include poor resource mobilisation, unrealistic implementation plans, shortage of qualified human resources, a miniscule private sector, low level of private sector involvement and low Internet usage awareness. Despite these challenges, Rwanda has attained Level 4 (pervasive) for pervasiveness, Level 3 (broad) for connectivity infrastructure, Level 2 (controlled) for organisational infrastructure, Level 3 (highly dispersed) for geographic dispersion, Level 3 (common) for sectoral absorption and Level 3 (transforming) for sophistication of use. This limited progress is due partly to the policy focus on addressing Internet access (Vision 2020), and financial support from multilateral and bilateral agencies. Further policy and regulatory action and heightened awareness of the Internet are required to translate the statistics for GDI into greater access.
Open Innovation and Knowledge Appropriation in African Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)
18 January 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

De Beer, Jeremy;Armstrong, Chris

This article seeks enhanced understanding of the dynamics of open innovation and knowledge appropriation in African settings. More specifically, the authors focus on innovation and appropriation dynamics in African micro and small enterprises (MSEs), which are key engines of productivity on the continent. The authors begin by providing an expansion of an emergent conceptual framework for understanding intersections between innovation, openness and knowledge appropriation in African small-enterprise settings. Then, based on this framework, they review evidence generated by five recent case studies looking at knowledge development, sharing and appropriation among groups of small-scale African innovators. The innovators considered in the five studies were found to favour inclusive, collaborative approaches to development of their innovations; to rely on socially-grounded information networks when deploying and sharing their innovations; and to appropriate their innovative knowledge via informal (and, to a lesser extent, semi-formal) appropriation tools.
Human Capital Barriers to Technological Absorption and Innovation by Ethiopia’s Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs)
18 January 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Belete, Wondwossen

Ethiopia’s private sector is dominated by micro and small enterprises (MSEs), many of them operating informally. Accordingly, a key challenge for the country’s science, technology and innovation (STI) policymakers is finding ways to ensure that these small businesses absorb external technological innovations in order to enhance their performance and allow for follow-on innovations. This policy objective has an access to knowledge (A2K) dimension, because Ethiopia’s STI policies and strategies stress the need for improved MSE access to public domain patent information as a means to improving technological absorption. However, research by the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) has found that despite the efforts of the Ethiopian government to foster small-enterprise absorption of public domain technological information contained in patent documents, MSE take-up of such technology tends to be poor (Belete, 2013). In this piece, the author, former EIPO Director of Intellectual Property Policy and Planning, argues that the government’s emphasis needs to be on building human capital in MSEs, in order to improve their capacity to absorb patent information. This argument draws on literature linking technological absorption capacity to human capital levels, along with findings from an Ethiopian government survey of 3,000 MSEs (MUDC, 2013). The author recommends improved MSE collaboration with intermediary organisations such as the country’s Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions and industry development institutes.
SERVQUAL as a Socio-Technical Approach to Measuring e-Government Service Quality and Guiding e-Governance Strategies
23 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Twinomurinzi, Hossana;Zwane, Mphikeleli Gabriel;Debusho, Legesse Kassa

e-Government services and e-governance have been embraced in many African countries. Nonetheless, measuring the value of e-government remains a challenge. Key to a successful evaluation of progress towards e-governance is the contextual approach, in which ICT is embedded as part of a holistic solution to governance. When carried through without considering the complementary influences of society on ICT and of ICT on society, e-government services can lead to little added value, or even to an exacerbation of societal problems and lack of progress towards e-governance. Although much has been written on e-governance in Africa, few authors have extended the discussion to measuring quality of service and lack of progress towards e-governance. In South Africa, the Batho Pele (People First) policy of service quality is the contextual approach within which e-governance is embedded, because of its good governance attributes. This article relates Batho Pele to SERVQUAL, a framework widely used to measure customer service quality in the retail sector, and adapts the framework for measuring service quality in community e-government service centres, known as Thusong Service Centres (TSC). The analysis, using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), is consistent with what is known: service quality in TSCs is low and requires regular measurement and evaluation to inform future quality improvements. The article argues that an adapted SERVQUAL instrument, taking into account Batho Pele principles and situational context, can be used as a guide to innovation in e-government service delivery. It is an appropriate sociotechnical tool to collect data to inform e-governance strategies in African countries which share the same social context as South Africa.
e-Alexandria 2005-2010: A Multi-Perspective Analysis
23 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Elkadi, Hatem A.;Abdelsalam, Hisham M.

The Egyptian local e-government programme was established in 2002 to enhance both the quality and efficiency of government systems. The e-Alexandria project, initiated in 2003, represents a milestone in this programme. The project incorporated seven councils that underwent technical, business and work-environment restructuring. This involved architectural remodelling, renovations, furnishing, technological infrastructure setup and back office preparations, as well as personnel training and backlog data entry. Later extensions included content development and an online services portal. This article presents a brief review of the process of constructing e-government systems experienced through the e-Alexandria project, which has continued to evolve over a full decade. The article provides a view of three services, namely elevator installation permits, street occupation permits and retail shop licences, as these are very important local government services for communities. The article uses the Lenk and Traunmuller (2000) multiple perspectives to document the public service reforms that occurred in the introduction of e-government. It comments on continuation of the local e-government programme post the January 25th revolution.
State of Competition in Zambia’s Telecommunications Sector
23 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Kaira, Thulasoni

Zambia, situated in the Southern African region, has a population of 13 million and GDP in 2009 was estimated at ZMK61.1 trillion or approximately USD12.8 billion. Economic composition of GDP by sector is 40.2% services, 38.2% industry and 21.6% agriculture. GDP growth averaged 4.8% in the decade between 1999 and 2009, with strong performance in the construction, mining and agricultural sectors. However, as a services-based economy, growth is constrained by, inter alia, slow emergence of a competitive telecommunications sector that can provide the platform for the national and international flow of information and communication required for further rapid advances in economic development. This article reviews the state of competition in Zambia’s telecommunications sector, with due attention to the fixed line and international gateway, the mobile telephony and Internet markets.
'Dazzling Technologies': Addressing the Digital Divide in the Southern African Universities
27 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Kotecha, Piyushi

The ‘digital divide’ is both an infrastructural reality and a metaphor for Africa’s position in the global economy. We live in an era that defines itself by the extent to which it interacts, creates and shares knowledge globally, using the network of advanced telecommunications, the Internet. Southern African countries, their universities and research communities, are recognising that focusing purely on basic network infrastructure is inadequate to the needs of scholarly research and higher education in the 21st century. Southern African universities must acquire the means to participate effectively in global knowledge production. In particular, they must adopt and use advanced telecommunications infrastructure in the form of National Research and Education Networks or NRENs and a regional REN to connect students and researchers across national borders. Yet the means to share knowledge is not sufficient to bring about a healthy knowledge economy. A paradigm shift has to be made from a purely technological view of the issues, to a full recognition of the interplay between technological infrastructure and the developmental and knowledge purposes to which it is put. This article provides an overview of the emerging NREN landscape, noting developments under way that are intended to promote and facilitate excellence in scientific networking in the region. It discusses the constraints and enabling conditions for overcoming the digital divide in the Southern African higher education context. Finally, it proposes a rudimentary performance indicator framework for assessing progress.
Analysing Sector Specificity Regarding ICT and Broadband Usage by SMME Businesses
27 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Pierson, Jo;Baelden, Dorien;Lievens, Bram;Marsigny, Christine

In the transition of the techno-economic paradigm from a (post) industrial to an information society, it is crucial that ICT and broadband become embedded within the whole of the socio-economic system. However figures show that SMEs and micro-enterprises – the backbone of European economy – are still lagging behind, despite the numerous policy initiatives. In this paper we focus on the specificity of the sector for understanding ICT usage in small business, instead of the common generic SMME approach. In February2006a survey was done with966 Belgian enterprises that answered an online questionnaire. The goal was to better understand how professional activity is linked with ICT usage. The latter was measured by means of four compound indicators (adoption, usage, knowledge and attitude). The three sectors with the lowest degree of ICT usage were identified: construction, retail trade and manufacturing. Within these sectors a thorough study was done by means of interviews with professional organisations and focus group interviews with a carefully selected sample of SMME business owners. This resulted in the identification of sector-specific elements as well as issues that transgress different sectors. These findings are to be integrated in a public initiative by the Federal Ministry of Economy for stimulating ICT usage among Belgian SMMEs
Shackling Sector Development: Leased Lines in the Republic of South Africa
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Sutherland, Ewan

Leased lines are basic building blocks of mobile networks, ISPs and virtual private networks. In South Africa they have been provided almost exclusively by Telkom SA, the incumbent operator, at comparatively high prices. Those prices were controlled as part of a general price cap by regulations, but in the absence of either competition or mandatory cost orientation, the level initially rose then declined (but slowly). Attempts to introduce infrastructure competition were badly managed and delayed. The Electronic Communication Act 2005 replaces these schemes, but the implementation is slow and has not yet brought changes.
Government Policy and Wireless City Networks: A Comparative Analysis of Motivations, Goals, Services and their Relation to Network Structure
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Van Audenhove, Leo;Ballon, Pieter;Poel, Martijn;Staelens, Tomas

Wireless City Networks are a recent, but growing phenomenon. In the United States hundreds of cities are looking into the possibility of rolling out Wi-Fi or WiMax based networks over substantial parts of the city. The underlying rationale is that wireless city networks are cheap and flexible alternatives for fixed broadband networks. Cities more and more see broadband Internet access as a necessary and therefore public utility to be provided to their communities at affordable prices or even free of charge. The deployment of wireless city networks is however more than just infrastructure provision. Initiatives are linked to broader city policies related to digital divide, city renewal, stimulation of innovation, stimulation of tourism, strengthening the economic fabric of the city, etc. In this article we will argue that explicit and implicit goals are directly linked to the coverage and topology of networks, the technology used, price and service modalities, etc. Furthermore we will argue that the differences in context between the US and Europe explain the different infrastructural trajectories taken. Overall and on the basis of empirical findings we caution for the overoptimistic view that Wi-Fi-based wireless city networks are an equal alternative for providing broadband access. There are both financial and technological uncertainties, which could have a serious impact on the performance of these initiatives.
Case Notes: South Africa's Policy Incoherence: An Update on the Knysna Wi-Fi Project
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Esselaar, Steve;Soete, Pieter

In the past, the main obstacle against building network infrastructure was the cost. Technological advances, however, have meant that building a functional, low-cost network is possible. Knysna is the first municipality in South Africa to achieve this. The problem is not the infrastructure but the connection to the larger networks of the mobile and fixed-line operators. The incumbents’ incentives are to prevent interconnection (or at least to delay it) on the basis of maintaining their dominance. In the telecommunications sector in South Africa, the only way to overcome this problem is via regulation. Yet regulation has to balance two sometimes competing interests – investment in infrastructure and competition. The Knysna Uni-Fi project has operated outside of any enabling regulation for competition and investment and this has negatively impacted upon its commercial success. Any regulatory intervention imposed upon the market has to balance the interests of competition and investment. In the South African market, given the huge dominance by the incumbents, that balance must change to favour new entrants. Until this takes place Knysna is not a replicable model for South Africa.
Geeks, Cowboys, and Bureaucrats: Deploying Broadband, the Wireless Way
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Bar, François;Galperin, Hernan

The advent of new unlicensed wireless technologies allows a variety of new actors – from co-operatives to municipalities – to deploy and operate communication networks. This article reviews the evolution of the new breed of wireless technologies, in particular Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), and discusses its implications for the architecture and control of emerging wireless broadband networks. Drawing on the social constructivist history of large technical systems and the work of economic historians concerned with the evolution of technology, the article explores the largely unexpected success of Wi-Fi. It then reviews the evidence to date on the bottom-up deployment of wireless networks by local actors in the United States, focusing on three types of initiatives driven by different deployment dynamics: end-user co-operatives (the “geeks”), wireless internet service providers (“cowboys”), and municipal government (“bureaucrats”). The conclusion discusses the policy and institutional issues most likely to affect the balance between centralised and decentralised deployment of wireless broadband networks in the near future, and suggests possible implications for the developing world.
Convergence and Emerging Technologies: Issues Faced by the Regulator
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Muhoro, Daniel G;Kennedy, Ian G

Convergence is taking place in the telecommunications, broadcasting and information technology industries. Services that in the past were offered only on one platform are now offered on any platform by the three industries. The evolution of convergence has led to an increased demand for access to services and content. This, in turn, has led to the development of new technologies that offer high throughput to the end user. The regulator is now faced with the challenge of regulating the converging environment and dealing with spectrum management issues that arise due to the emerging technologies. This article reviews the issues faced by the regulator due to convergence and emerging technologies.
Changing ICT Rankings of African Nations
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Kelly, Tim

After years of being an information and communication technology laggard relative to other developing regions of the world, Africa has been pushed to the forefront in a new information revolution, thanks to mobile communications. This period has also witnessed considerable mobility in the information and communication technology rankings of different African nations. This article examines changes in the information and communication technology rankings of different African nations and concludes that, as an analytical framework, the “digital divide” does not accurately describe what is happening on the continent and may lead to policy choices that are harmful to Africa’s future.
Analysis of the Success of ICT at the Ikageng MPCC in Support of the Itsoseng Community: A Case Study
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Jacobs, SJ;Herselman, Marlien

Information and communication technology is changing every facet of our lives, and thus changing how we live. This in turn impacts on the way we utilise information and communication technology in multi-purpose community centres, which provide support services to the communities in which they are located. A case study was conducted at the information and communication technologyequipped Ikageng Multi-purpose Community Centre in Itsoseng, situated in the North West Province of South Africa, to investigate the services delivered; the Centre utilises information and communication technology infrastructure to deliver needed services to the community. The lack of ongoing and sustained training for Centre staff, as well as the challenge of maintaining the Centre’s equipment, were some of the shortcomings identified by the study in terms of service delivery
Universal Access Wheel: Towards Achieving Access to ICT in Africa
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Oyedemi, Toks

This paper argues against the idea that simply providing access to information and communication technology devices and infrastructures in semi-urban, rural and remote locales has accelerated the universal service and access programme in Africa. In doing this, the paper posits an holistic approach to extending information and communication technology services. This approach takes cognisance of the socio-cultural landscape and also notes that information and communication technology service extension should work in tandem with extension of other social utilities. A universal access wheel is conceptualised, which proposes that various elements should be in place, in order to achieve the goal of universal access, specifically in Africa. The paper revisits the diverse meanings of universal service and access and analyses the importance of providing access to information and communication technology services in developing regions of the world, such as Africa. The universal access wheel does not project totality; rather it provides flexibility and dynamism typical of the information and communication technology sector. Consequently, as other elements and issues arise, they may be added to the wheel.
ICT Development in Botswana: Connectivity for Rural Communities
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Sebusang, S.E.M.;Masupe, S.

The paper motivates for the need for rural communities in Botswana to gain access to information and communication technologies (ICTs). It generally acknowledges the excellent telecommunications infrastructure in the country, and the stated policy of the government and the Botswana Telecommunications Authority (BTA) to provide universal access to ICTs. The paper then explores why the policy and the infrastructural endowments have not combined to make Botswana an “information society” according to the timeframe envisaged in the national vision document, Vision 2016. Citing the phenomenal growth of the mobile phone in the Botswana telecommunications market, the paper proposes that a nascent information society could be upon Botswana, if only the mobile cellular platform and Internet connectivity could be fully harnessed to give people a foothold into the vast ICT field. The paper outlines the technological, institutional and policy issues that need to be tackled to ensure that Botswana’s rural communities get the benefits of new ICTs, with particular emphasis on the need for integrated public access centres and a new legal framework guaranteeing access to information.
Technological Learning and Capability-Building: How do African Telecommunication Firms Learn?
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Marcelle, Gillian

This paper presents the results of a larger study that focusses on technological learning in developing country firms, using empirical data from 26 telecommunication firms in Uganda, Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa. The paper adds to knowledge by providing a cross-disciplinary study of how African firms undertake technological learning and capability-building. The conceptual framework used in the paper, the TCB system approach, suggests that the underdevelopment of the strategic and systematic management of technological learning capability development is a major constraint for developing country firms and cannot be explained by country-level factors only. It therefore suggests that a simultaneous focus on internal factors that contribute to effectiveness, and on boundary conditions, is necessary. This paper focuses on the internal, intrafirm dimension and provides insights on how features such as ability to manage cultural change, leadership and organisational integration influence and explain variation in the ability of telecom firms to build capabilities. These insights have implications for firm strategy and policy and offer avenues for future research.
Towards a Framework for Assessing the Maturity of Government Capabilities for 'E-Government'
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Oyomno, Gordon Z.

The new reality of the 21st Century is characterised by increasing centrality of information and knowledge and pervasive application of new information and communication technologies (ICTs). The unavoidability of the new applications on the one hand, and their considerable complexity and costliness on the other, compel organisations to seek better understanding of these applications to guide their successful development and implementation. The ability to accurately establish and articulate needs and prioritise them on the basis of their potential benefits and challenges, within a framework of institutional capabilities, is an important dimension of this understanding. This is where assessment comes in. This paper proposes a framework for assessing the maturity of government capabilities for “e-government.” It first traces the conceptual development of e-government, noting a successive broadening of the conceptual scope and a shift in focus from technology to government. It reviews pertinent literature on “e-readiness” assessment and “capability maturity” assessments, noting their strengths and limitations in a government institutional environment. It proposes an e-government capability maturity assessment framework based on six capability factors (development and business agenda, ICT application portfolio, ICT infrastructure development, human and intellectual capital, governance and institutional infrastructure, and leadership and management), six levels of maturity (business as usual, online information services, on-line interactivity, on-line transactional services, service integration, and organisational transformation), and a mapping function that traces the logistic trajectory of resulting growth curves.
The Triumph and Tragedy of Human Capital: Foundation Resource for Building Network Knowledge Economies
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Melody, William H.

A fundamental transformation to a global information and knowledge economy is underway, driven by dramatic changes in technologies, markets and government policies - the combination of pervasive applications of information and communication technologies and services, and the world-wide movement to market liberalisation and deregulation. People are expected to be the central resource attracting investment because knowledge is essentially produced, stored and applied by humans. Although many indicators suggest the economic well-being of people today is better than at any time in human history, global – and particularly youth - unemployment continues to increase. More balanced global liberalisation policies will tighten regulation of financial markets and liberalise agriculture, textile and labour markets. For the future, increased investment in human capital, and in access to education and training institutions is essential. The next generation Internet will make possible expanded educational networks and the global sharing of university resources. New programmes must build more productive linkages between universities and other societal institutions, and broaden the disciplinary foundations of traditional programmes. The LINK Centre is now prepared to join the international network of leading ICT policy centres, and crack the training dependency syndrome in this field. Through its support for an African network of similar centres, LINK will help create the foundation for the ultimate triumph of human capital in 21st century knowledge economies.
The Status of B2B E-Commerce in the South African Manufacturing Sector: Evolutionary or Revolutionary?
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Moodley, Sagren

While B2B e-commerce represents a major technological innovation and marks a significant development in organisational interconnectivity (i.e., the ability to network both internally and externally), it is premature to categorise e-commerce in the South African manufacturing sector as ‘revolutionary’. A technological revolution implies a historic transformation bringing about profound, pervasive change in business processes. The research findings reveal that rather than a ‘great event’ having occurred, the reality of e-commerce in the South African manufacturing sector appears to be more mundane, i.e. the result of an evolutionary process of IT integration into existing work practices. Therefore, e-commerce cannot claim to have radically changed the way most business is conducted on a day-to-day basis. Moreover, a technology-focused approach to e-commerce tends to deflect attention away from farreaching systemic changes that need to be made in the South African manufacturing sector.
Telecom Reform and Poverty Alleviation in Kenya
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Kane, Sean

Eradicating poverty is perhaps the single most important global development challenge. As rural areas are typically home to the majority of the poor in developing countries, the success of poverty alleviation interventions in rural areas will be important in determining if this challenge is met. This paper examines the relationship between telecom reform and poverty alleviation in Kenya, documenting how investments in poverty alleviation are made significantly more effective if basic telecom network services are available. It demonstrates that ICTs have the potential to maximize the multiplier effect of rural poverty interventions by empowering disadvantaged individuals and improving their immediate economic environment. In this context the national telecommunications policy framework and its impacts on the accessibility and affordability of ICTs in rural areas is increasingly important to poverty alleviation institutions. As a case study, the reform of the telecommunications sector in Kenya and its implications for that country’s rural poor are assessed. It is concluded that the current policy and the market structure it has created is resulting in a bypassing of rural areas in terms of access to ICTs and suggests some remedies for this situation. Finally, it is recommended that, given the importance of ICTs to their work, poverty alleviation institutions should consider making low cost investments in ICT infrastructure when appropriate while using their leverage as possessors of development assistance funds to lobby for changes in telecommunications sector policy regimes that hinder access to ICTs in rural areas.
Evolution of Telecommunications Policy Reforms in East Africa: Setting New Policy Strategies to Anchor Benefits of Policy Reform
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Mureithi, Muriuki

This paper is a strategic evaluation of telecommunications policy reform over a ten-year period 1993-2002. The focus of the paper is the three countries of East Africa - Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. The evaluation is framed against policy objectives set out by the three governments and their outcomes as measured against relevance to stakeholders, performance by implementers based on the space created by the reforms, and success in terms of sustainability and impact. The paper finds that the short term gains of fast expansion of the communications system cannot be sustained in the long term. The policy design based on foreign capital and skills at the expense of local entrepreneurial capacity building exposes the region to vulnerabilities of the international market. The policy design did not provide tools to intervene in the market in the consumer interest. A further finding is that competition has resulted in a significant consolidation of market power with a consequent shift of monopoly power from government to the private sector. Finally, in practice the private sector operations have increased the disparity in the distribution of the infrastructure between urban and rural consumers. A new policy design should focus on long-term local entrepreneurial capacity building, effective policy tools to sustain competition and universal service programmes to address rural disparity.
The Next Step for Telecom Regulation: ICT Convergence Regulation or Multisector Utilities Regulation?
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Henten, Anders;Samarajiva, Rohan;Melody, William

This paper critically examines the multiple rationales for telecom, IT, media (ICT) convergence regulation on the one hand, and multisector utility regulation on the other, and the practical questions of implementation they pose, with a view to contributing to informed policy and regulatory decisions that are now underway in many countries. The conditions that may affect the creation of convergence and multi-sector regulation, ranging from underlying commonality of inputs and the behaviour of regulated firms to considerations that are specific to the regulatory process such as scarcity of regulatory resources and safeguards for regulatory independence, are examined. The paper concludes that ICT and media convergence issues are primarily about improving the efficiency of market economies, and how changes in regulation can facilitate this process. It is likely to be of primary interest for countries that already have an established effective independent telecom regulator. Multisector regulation issues are primarily about establishing the efficiency and effectiveness of regulation so it can be a catalyst for network and economic development. It is likely to be of primary interest to countries that have not yet established effective telecom regulation. Each regulatory option arises from an initial diagnose of different problems, and represents different priorities and pathways to achieving a very similar set of development objectives.
Understanding the international ICT and development discourse: Assumptions and implications
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Wilson, Merridy

This paper seeks to understand the assumptions underlying the international public ICT and development discourse and the implications of these assumptions for policy makers and development practitioners. The argument is situated within a power-knowledge framework and in broader critiques of the development industry. A discourse analysis of the public ICT and development discourse was conducted. Three main themes have been explored: 1) the construction of the category of ‘information-poverty’, 2) the construction of what counts as legitimate/valuable information and knowledge, and 3) the developmental aims of these programmes, in particular models of progress and catch-up to industrial country ideals. The paper argues that assumptions of technological determinism and a view of technology as a neutral tool for development underlie the ICT and development discourse. The use of technology as an index of development reproduces the binary opposition between the developed and the underdeveloped that has been widely critiqued within the field of development. The commonly assumed model of ICTs and development is grounded in these assumptions of technological determinism, which allow the complex political factors influencing poverty and inequality at local, national and international levels to be hidden, or at least go largely unquestioned.
Towards Electronic Commerce in Africa: A Perspective from Three Country Studies
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Esselaar, Philip;Miller, Jonathan

The challenges of globalisation and the information age are concentrating the minds of all African governments. Many of the issues that need to be addressed are similar but the situation in each country is different, both from an economic and a historical perspective, and the roads to the optimum realisation of the potential of ICT will be different. Studies in three African countries (Rwanda, Namibia and South Africa) have highlighted both the similarities and the differences. The similarities relate to the fact that all three countries have large and relatively impoverished groups of people, mainly located in rural areas, where the benefits to be derived from ICT have not been felt. However there are major differences in the sizes of the overall economies, in the level of expertise available, general infrastructure, and socio-economic and historical circumstances that manifest in different policy and development issues within each country. Recently, several assessment tools have been developed to assist countries and communities to determine where they are positioned in relation to the factors critical to the development of an information society and the consequent widespread use of e-Commerce. The intention is for policy-makers to make more informed policy decisions. The authors have applied one such tool to all three countries, in particular differentiating between rural and urban communities. Clear differences emerge and in particular it appears that more refined analyses of different demographic groupings within each country could help the e-commerce policy formation process.
The Collision of Regulatory Convergence and Divergence: Updating Policies of Surveillance and Information Technology
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Hosein, Ian

Regulation theory rarely considers the disruptive capacity of technology, nor regulation in the sole interest of government. This paper will investigate the capacity of technology to disrupt regulatory regimes surrounding surveillance and communications infrastructure in various countries. As policy regimes are updated to meet new challenges, through the creation of new policy habitats, new powers are created despite protests and claims of technological neutrality. However, the capacity to interpret technology does not end: technology will disrupt even the new habitat, requiring renegotiation and re-settlements. Such negotiations often occur at the international level; some of these processes will be reviewed and critiqued. Considering the contingent nature of technology policy, this paper then recommends some ways forward when considering new national policies, such as the process that South Africa is about to embark on.
Convergence, Digitisation and New Technologies: Towards the Next Generation Network
28 February 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Hanrahan, Hu

This paper introduces the concept of the Next Generation Network as the vision for convergence between the modern digital Public Switched Telecommunications Network and Internet Protocol Networks. The technological features of the NGN, as well as the business models that it facilitates, are described. Gateways to the PSTN are described. Migration of the PSTN to the NGN and further evolution of the NGN are outlined. The role of the NGN in providing universal service and universal access is outlined. An example of the use of NGN technologies to create next generation Telecentres is presented.
From Information to Engagement: Exploring Communication Platforms for the Government-Citizen Interface in South Africa
04 May 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Vivier, Elmé;Seabe, Dineo;Wentzel, Marie;Sanchez, Diana

An effective communication interface between government and citizens can strengthen government responsiveness and deepen citizen engagement. Such communication and information exchange takes many formats, especially given the various platforms and technologies available. This article situates communication options and strategies in the context of: reported challenges around engagement practices; expressed public preferences for particular communication platforms; and existing barriers to ICTs and other infrastructures in South Africa. Using both qualitative and quantitative data, the research reported here explores two questions: What are the most suitable platforms to improve government-citizen communication in South Africa? How could ICTs and other platforms be better used to promote improved communication and more meaningful citizen engagement around public services? We argue for a differentiated approach to communicating with citizens that acknowledges social realities and preferences if technology is to benefit socio-economic processes in a democratic South Africa.
Nigeria’s Evolving Presence in Cyberspace
04 May 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Mbanaso, Uche;Chukwudebe, Gloria;Atimati, Ehinomen

Cyberspace is now critical to every nation’s socio-economic, cultural and political activities. When it is disrupted or fails, a country may experience strong adverse effects. On the contrary, its correct functioning and pliability is transforming modern society with exceptional pecuniary and social benefits. With many activities increasingly moving to the Internet, cyberspace has become a new stage for innovations, enterprises, social networking, criminality and war. This paper presents a brief overview of a study on Nigeria’s presence in cyberspace. The Internet penetration growth and evolving Internet infrastructure provisioning in Nigeria were examined and a critical assessment of Nigerian presence in cyberspace was carried out between the months of August and September 2015, using the United Nations online presence index methodology. Web content, interactivity, the currency of information, downloadable documents and other data sets were used to compare various sectors of the Nigerian economy, including all tiers of government, academia and the organised private sector. The study revealed that the organised private sector and private educational institutions are doing better than government educational institutions and ministries.Actions for increasing presence in cyberspace and achieving e-governance for improved services and productivity in Nigeria and similar developing countries are recommended.
State of Internet of Things Deployment in Africa and its Future: The Nigerian Scenario
04 May 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Ndubuaku, Maryleen;Okereafor, David

Internet of things (IoT) refers to an intelligent network of connected objects for the purpose of communication, actuation,data aggregation and information processing. Currently in Africa there is a slow rate of adoption of IoT compared with other continents. Nigeria, as the biggest mobile market and most populous African country, has enormous prospects in IoT, which if effectively implemented, is likely to bring about increased productivity across all economic sectors and an improved standard of living for the people. This paper looks at the current state of IoT deployment in Nigeria, the challenges faced and the opportunities that abound.
Case Notes: Factors Influencing the Adoption of Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Within the South African Banking Sector
04 May 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Sekwakwa, Matthews;Mokwena, Sello

In the 21st century, portable computers and wide area networks are fast becoming the paradigm for computing presence in commercial and industrial settings. The concept of virtualisation in computing originated in the 1960s. Several virtualisation technologies have emerged over the past decade, with the most notable being VMWare, Citrix and Microsoft VDI solutions, including Azure RemoteApp. This paper explores factors influencing the adoption of VDI in the South African banking sector by implementing Rogers’ “perceived characteristics of innovations”. The study found that the relative advantage of VDI, as perceived in banking institutions, includes improved data security and staff working experience; reduced time to deploy devices; and reduced computer downtime. The findings on compatibility factors indicate that good VDI compatibility with legacy software and hardware has a direct relationship with users’ successful adoption. The findings on complexity of use show that other factors, such as the flexibility that comes with remote access, may be a greater influence on adoption than ease of use. Observability of reduced IT support time and increased productivity of remote access have a positive relationship with adoption.
Licensing of Communications Networks and Services: Case Study of Market Liberalisation in South Africa and the United Kingdom
05 May 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Raffinetti, Carla

The article contrasts the regulatory regime for licensing telecommunications networks and services in South Africa with that of the United Kingdom, in order to illustrate how regulation can be used to restrict competition (South Africa) or facilitate entry into the market (the United Kingdom). The purpose of this article is to suggest possible areas for licensing reform in South Africa, which is currently in the process of reviewing its ICT policy framework. There are three areas where licensing policy can play a key role in promoting competition in the market: infrastructure and services; spectrum licensing; and pro-competitive regulation, which allows for additional licence conditions to be imposed on entities that hold significant market power (SMP). This paper addresses the first issue only (infrastructure and services), as an area that is easily capable of reform. Currently, the system for licensing networks and services in South Africa requires the pre-approval of the regulator to be granted before a licence is issued, which is unduly resource-intensive. This article advocates that South Africa adopt a system of general authorisations for the licensing of networks and services similar to that applied in the United Kingdom. Such an approach would free up the regulator to address other areas that have received insufficient regulatory attention to date, notably spectrum licensing and pro-competitive regulation, both of which fall beyond the scope of this article.
The effect of residual stresses and wind configuration on the allowable pressure of thick-walled GFRP pipes with closed ends.
21 November 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Carpenter, H.W.;Reid, R.G.;Paskaramoorthy, R.

An investigation into the benefits of winding thick-walled glass fibre reinforced plastic (GFRP) pipes with two layers of different winding angles is presented. It is shown that layered pipes allow significantly greater internal pressures to be carried than can be achieved by pipes wound only at +/- 55 degrees if process induced residual stresses are ignored. It was found, also, that residual stresses severely reduce the allowable operating pressure of GFRP pipes. The reduction was most significant for the layered pipes, however, and this severely impacts on their utility. The most efficient pipe was nevertheless found to be a layered pipe, wound with a +/- 65 degrees/+/- 47 degrees combination. This pipe gives a 12 % improvement on the allowable pressure of the +/- 55 degrees pipe. This small performance benefit is achieved at the cost of significantly greater manufacturing complexity, and so the +/- 55 degrees pipe is probably still the most practical wind configuration.
Using the Living Lab Approach to Develop and Adapt a Context-Aware ICT4D Solution
24 December 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Ntawanga, Felix;Coleman, Alfred

The rising use of mobile smartphones by people in rural areas of the developing world has resulted in increased deployment of information and communications technology for development (ICT4D) solutions targeted at empowering rural communities to overcome various socio-economic challenges. However, shortfalls in infrastructure, community buy-in, training, and management of ICT interventions are widely cited as impeding user acceptance and sustainability of potentially useful rural ICT4D interventions. This article outlines a deployment of the living lab approach to develop and adapt a mobile, web-based, e-procurement solution for small-scale retailers in Kgautswane, a remote rural area in South Africa’s Limpopo Province. The living lab approach is an open-innovation methodology for development of context-based sustainable ICT4D solutions.
Utility Model Protection in Kenya: The Case for Substantive Examination
24 December 2016
University of the Witwatersrand

Rutenberg, Isaac;Makanga, Lillian

The patent-granting authority of the Kenyan government ceased examining applications for utility model certificates (UMCs) in 2014, after 20 years of examination. This event resulted in an immediate and dramatic increase in the number of granted UMCs. The authors reviewed a selection of UMCs, some of which were granted after substantive examination and some of which were granted without substantive examination. Errors were found in both groups, and the overall quality of granted UMCs declined after cessation of substantive examination. The authors conclude that a return to substantive examination of UMC applications would, on balance, be beneficial to Kenya’s innovative ecosystem, and recommend that such examination be reinstated.
China and Africa: Alternative Telecommunication Policies and Practices
16 January 2017
University of the Witwatersrand

Sutherland, Ewan

The Beijing Consensus is said to be a win-win for China and Africa. China has become a major force in global telecommunications markets, as a manufacturer, a content provider and in delivering services to its citizens. While the relationship between China and Africa has been explored in many areas, telecommunications has been ignored, despite its strong domestic performance, as well as the presence of Chinese equipment in African networks and in the hands of consumers. China has not exported its domestic model of competing state-owned operators, nor have those operators followed the “going out” strategy. However, manufacturers have benefitted from the Washington Consensus model of oligopolistic markets. In countries with higher risks, they have been aided by Chinese development banks and intergovernmental agreements. In a new policy model, for the Comoros and Ethiopia, Chinese firms have taken on outsourcing of network functions for the state-owned operators. Additionally, manufacturers have found several channels to supply feature-phones and smartphones at low prices, helping to widen access. Absent from African markets are the providers of Internet content and apps. There is very little evidence of spillover effects, with little knowledge being transferred. China has won from hardware sales in Africa, while Africans have won wider access to telecommunications, including states rejecting the Washington Consensus model.
Opportunities for Universal Telecommunication Access in Rural Communities: A Case Study of 15 Rural Villages in Nigeria’s Kwara State
16 January 2017
University of the Witwatersrand

Bello, Olayiwola Wasiu;Opadiji, Jayeola Femi;Faruk, Nasir;Adediran, Yinusa Ademola

The goal of universal telecommunication access is to make telecommunication infrastructure available to everyone irrespective of their geographical location, income level, age, gender or other discriminatory parameters. Despite substantial efforts to close the digital divide, developing countries still encounter daunting challenges in making access truly universal. In this article, the authors report on an exploratory field survey of 15 rural communities in Nigeria’s Kwara State to document their perception of the effects of rural telecoms access on their livelihoods. Results revealed mostly positive effects in respect of economic growth, poverty alleviation, health education, primary healthcare delivery, and reporting of epidemic outbreaks such as the recent Ebola crisis. However, little impact on quality of government service was recorded, as awareness of participation in governance and socio-political issues was found to be very low. The article discusses some areas in which universal telecommunications access can be expected, going forward, to address the needs of communities in rural and remote communities.
Mobile Payments Markets in Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe: A Comparative Study of Competitive Dynamics and Outcomes
16 January 2017
University of the Witwatersrand

Robb, Genna;Vilakazi, Thando

This article aims to contribute to a better understanding of the competitive dynamics in mobile payments markets and the implications for consumers. We do this by conducting a comparative review of market structure, competition dynamics and pricing in mobile payments markets in three African countries. The results show that, where there is a dominant incumbent, tariffs for mobile payments tend to be higher and reflect a wider gap between those for registered and unregistered customers. This is consistent with the predictions of economic theory in network industries and the incentives of incumbent operators to capture or tip the market in their favour, which also contributes to reducing switching by existing customers in the market for mobile services.
Maintenance policies based on time-dependent repair cost limits
29 March 2017
University of the Witwatersrand

Beichelt, F.;Nkadimeng, R.M.;Yadavalli, S.S.

This paper considers two replacement policies for systems which, during their useful life, are subject to deterioration. Strategy 1: after a failure, the repair cost is estimated. If the repair cost exceeds a given limit, the system is not repaired, but replaced with a new one. So far, this policy has been analysed only for constant repair cost limits. This paper investigates the effect of applying time-dependent repair cost limits on the long-run maintenance cost rate. Examples show that, compared to the application of constant repair cost limits, a reduction of the maintenance cost rate between 5% and 10% can be expected. Strategy 2: the system is replaced as soon as the total repair costs arising during its running time exceed a given limit. Compared to the economic lifetime method, which is based on the average repair cost development and that requires the same data input, maintenance cost savings up to 20% could be achieved.
The impact of obsolescence in health public private partnership projects
17 October 2017
University of the Witwatersrand

Khatleli, Nthatisi

Obsolescence is a major challenge in Infrastructure implementation around the world. South Africa has been implementing PPPs close to 20 years now and some of the first projects will soon come to closure as the end of their term is drawing nigh. Obsolescence is generally mitigated by stipulating that there should be a general overhaul of the facility very close to the end of term in order to preserve and elongate the economic life of the project. However, the health projects are very much dependent on the ever-changing technological developments for their optimal performance. Some of the new technological equipment might require infrastructural adaptations. Through interviewing designers, managers and clients the research sought to garner information that could be helpful for future projects in this sector and that could be adapted to other sectors as well. Although it was found that obsolescence was not properly catered for, the experiences of the aforementioned respondents were valuable in proposing general considerations in future projects. It is hoped that lessons will be instructive and beneficial to the other countries which are new to the PPP procurement method, especially when it comes to the implementation of the health facilities.
Regulatory Imperatives for the Future of SADC’s “Digital Complexity Ecosystem”
23 December 2017
University of the Witwatersrand

Abrahams, Lucienne

This article uses a “digital complexity ecosystem” framing to delineate the challenges facing regulation of the digital economy in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. The digital complexity ecosystem approach, grounded in the field of complexity science – and in particular the study of complex adaptive systems (CASs) – is used to illuminate the sources of uncertainty, unpredictability and discontinuity currently present in the SADC digital sphere. Drawing on examples from three regulatory areas, namely mobile financial services, Internet of Things (IoT) network and services markets, and e-health services, the article argues that SADC regulatory bodies will themselves need to adopt highly adaptive, nonlinear approaches if they are to successfully regulate activities in the digital ecosystem moving forward. Based on the findings, recommendations are made on SADC regional regulatory agendas and, at national levels, matters of concurrent jurisdiction.
Mobile banking applications: Consumer behaviour, acceptance and adoption strategies in Johannesburg, South Africa (RSA)
24 July 2018
University of the Witwatersrand

Balabanoff, GA

There has been a complete disparity in the number of cell phone subscribers when compared to fixed line users in South Africa (referred to as Republic of RSA or RSA). In 2011, results revealed that 29 million South Africans use mobile phones compared to only 5 million using fixed lines (Brown, Cajee, Davies, & Stroebel,2003; Lascaris,2012). It is because of this increased and saturated mobile market that we have seen the extreme growth of mobile applications. This increase is coupled with several benefits that mobile applications bring to the consumer, such as increased functionality, productivity improvements and entertainment (Pranata, Athauda, & Skinner, 2013). Although adoption strategies around internet banking and cell phone banking have been explored in various parts of the world, adoption strategies specifically around mobile banking applications or "mbapps" have not been vastly researched (Jaruwachirathanakul & Fink, 2005). As such, this study focused on examining consumer behaviour and acceptance towards adopting mbapps in Johannesburg RSA, where mbapps are in an emerging phase, but offer potential benefits to both consumers and industry at large. A quantitative research methodology was used for this research. Self-administered quantitative questionnaires were distributed at the University of Witwatersrand as well as to individuals within the Johannesburg area aged between 18 and 60 years. A pilot study of 30 respondents was conducted to ensure validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Following this, the research was then conducted to a sample size of 373 respondents. Due to time constraints, this study made use of convenience sampling. Data collected from the questionnaires was analysed using statistical analysis to investigate the relationship between the variables used in the research model, this being a modified version of the Decomposed Theory of Planned Behaviour model – The decomposed TPB model is successful in predicting and explaining human behaviour across various platforms and breaking outcomes down into specific dimensions. In addition, the decomposed TPB model is most suitable for steering decision makers towards the implementation of innovations. The decomposed TPB model will provide insight into understanding consumers’individual attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control, which ultimately influences the likelihood of consumers using mbapps. From the findings, it can be concluded that the results of this study support the proposed conceptual model. The findings of this research, which was focused towards, Attitude, Perceived Behavioural Control and Subjective Norms do have a significant relationship on the intention to adopt mbapps. In terms of the hypotheses set and tested, all resulted as postulated. In conclusion to this study the contribution of this research provides the banking industry, marketers and academics with the factors that encourage consumers to adopt mbapps and to utilise the research to exploit the conversion rate of customers towards adopting mbapps. Lastly this study adds value to not only the RSA market but potentially to other developing and developed countries through the recommendations made in chapter 5. Decision makers are advised to take heed of the proposed strategies in maximising the rate of mbapps adoption
The relationship between SMEs and insurance providers in Nelson Mandela Metropolitan area, South Africa
24 July 2018
University of the Witwatersrand

Chodokufa, K;Chiliya, N

Media reports on the effects of climate change on Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa has increased over the past decade. The amount of loss in terms of assets and infrastructure suffered by SMEs is disturbing. Yet insurance providers are not eager to insure SMEs and prefer to deal larger organisations. An empirical study of 203 SMEs was done, structured questionnaires were administered to SME owners. Data was analysed and the results illustrated factors such as the reliability of an insurer, staff knowledge and brand name of the insurer have a great impact on the decision made by SMEs to build a relationship with insurance providers. The respondents, who had been approached by an insurance broker and received training, had a business relationship with an insurance provider. This helps to reach the conclusion that any form of interaction between SMEs and insurance providers helps to facilitate a business relationship
R&D failure and second generation R&D: New potentialities
07 August 2018
University of the Witwatersrand

Callaghan, CW

Ample incentives exist for firms to pursue product, service, or process innovations to increase their profitability. In contrast, few incentives exist for firms to pursue innovations that provide social externalities if these are not inherently profitable. This article provides an argument that first generation research and development (R&D), or R&D that does not utilise economies of scale (as second generation R&D does), cannot effectively provide societal innovation that is not incentivised by market forces. An example of an alternative model for global societal problem solving, based on second generation R&D, is offered.
Patterns of Innovation and Knowledge in Two Ethiopian Informal-Sector Clusters: A Study of the Shiro Meda Handloom-Weavers and Merkato Shoemakers
04 December 2018
University of the Witwatersrand

Belete, Wondwossen

This article provides findings from a study of innovation and knowledge management practices in two informal-sector micro and small enterprise (MSE) clusters in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa: a handloom-weaving cluster and a shoemaking cluster. The activities in these two clusters were studied in order to explore the patterns of innovation in the MSEs, and to identify factors that influence collaboration and the spread of knowledge among the enterprises. The research also explored the enterprises’ knowledge appropriation behaviours and perspectives in relation to their informal-sector innovations, i.e., their orientations towards both informal knowledge appropriation mechanisms and formal tools of intellectual property (IP) protection.
Supply chain partnership supply chain collaboration and supply chain integration as the antecendents of supply chain performance
13 November 2019
University of the Witwatersrand

Mofokeng, T.M;Chinomona, R

Background: It is understood that improving performance has become an important objective of supply chains. As such, strategies have been adopted as an effort towards increasing performance. Amongst these strategies, partnership, collaboration and integration have been identified. A mutual advantage of these approaches is that they facilitate cohesion between parties where knowledge and resources are pooled together and shared with the purpose of achieving optimum results. However, it is observed that the extent to which partnership, collaboration and integration affect supply chain performance collectively is a research void. Objectives: This study intended to examine the influence of partnership, collaboration and integration on supply chain performance, particularly within the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. The theory of relational view was adopted to support the study’s conceptual model. Method: The study used SmartPLS to analyse the data. Results: Three hypotheses were empirically substantiated using a sample of 271 SMEs situated in Gauteng. Conclusion: The findings revealed that the research constructs partnership, collaboration and integration influence supply chain performance in a positive way. Implications of the study are further provided. © 2019. The Authors.
Urban agriculture in the Gauteng City-Region’s green infrastructure network
10 August 2020
University of the Witwatersrand

Camargo Nino, Eliana;Lane, Sam;Okano, Kanako;Rahman, Irvanu;Peng, Bo;Benn, Hannah;Culwick Fatti, Christina;Maree, Gillian;Khanyile, Samkelisiwe;Washbourne, Dr Carla

As cities in developing countries contend with the challenges of urbanisation, they need to rethink the traditional modes of urban planning and development. Part of this logic is to cater for growing populations without compromising urban environments and social development. Green infrastructure is one such approach that aims to meet infrastructure and service needs while ensuring the proper functioning of natural ecological systems. Urban agriculture can create multifunctional green assets in the form of urban farms and food gardens. When planned accordingly, urban agriculture can contribute to addressing a range of issues in the Gauteng City-Region (GCR). In the City of Johannesburg, the expansion of urban agriculture, and green infrastructure more broadly, aligns with and could contribute to multiple development goals. This paper interrogates whether a green infrastructure approach could offer the potential to improve urban agriculture efforts if the approach can be mainstreamed into municipal development processes. Realising the benefits of urban agriculture hinges on integrating these approaches into municipal planning and projects, as well as on improving the productivity of ecosystem service delivery from both green infrastructure and urban agriculture. The focus of this report is pertinent in light of persistent infrastructure and service delivery backlogs in the GCR, considerable challenges around food systems and food security, and a highly unequal urban spatial form – all of which impact the distribution of infrastructure and services, both green and conventional. This report argues that a green infrastructure approach is valuable for drawing important connections between focus areas related to urban agriculture that are traditionally siloed. The analysis focuses on urban agriculture in the GCR’s green infrastructure network using urban food gardens in the City of Johannesburg as the unit and site of analysis. This occasional paper falls under the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) Green Assets and Infrastructure research and links urban agriculture and green infrastructure in the GCR together for two main reasons. First, the paper outlines how food gardens are a key component of the interconnected set of the natural and constructed infrastructure systems within the city. This framing helps to link urban agriculture and food systems research to broader municipal development goals in terms of infrastructure and service delivery. Second, the paper outlines evidence of the wider social impact of food gardens which validates the ability of green infrastructure to meet social, economic and public health goals (e.g. social cohesion, employment, economic resilience) beyond a purely environmental focus. Understanding food gardens as multifunctional green assets is one way to promote and secure investment in urban agriculture in the GCR.
Innovation Entanglement at Three South African Tech Hubs
13 December 2020
University of the Witwatersrand

Abrahams, Lucienne

This study explores innovation modalities at three South African tech hubs: Bandwidth Barn Khayelitsha and Workshop 17 in Cape Town, and the Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Johannesburg. The study finds that tech start-ups’ ability to scale is generally enhanced by their participation in the hubs. Furthermore, it is found that scaling by start-ups, and by the tech hubs hosting them, is enhanced when they actively drive the terms of their “entanglement” with exogenous and endogenous factors and external entities—a conceptual framework first developed in an earlier study of university research linkages (Abrahams, 2016). This present study finds that innovation entanglement by the hubs and their start-ups allows them to work through the adversity and states of complexity prevalent in their innovation ecosystems.
A Taxonomy to Understand Scaling of Innovation by African Enterprises
31 May 2021
University of the Witwatersrand

Armstrong, Chris;De Beer, Jeremy

Grounded in empirical research findings and key statements in the literature, this article proposes a four-part taxonomy for mapping African knowledge-based enterprises’ efforts to achieve scale. The taxonomy, adapted from the framework proposed by Uvin et al. (2000), is comprised of scaling by expanding coverage; by broadening activities; by changing behaviour; and by building sustainability. The article sets out the framework and provides examples of the four scaling dimensions from empirical research conducted in Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Botswana, and South Africa.
Measuring the inward FDI potential of South African regions
01 July 2009
North West University

Krugell, Waldo;Matthee, Marianne

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to construct an index that captures the factors expected to affect a local economy's attractiveness to foreign investors. Problem statement: Following South Africa's reintegration into the world economy in 1994, foreign direct investment has been seen as a potential driver of growth and development. Concerns about the low investment rate in South Africa raise the possibility of augmenting domestic with foreign investment expenditure. The potential of technology spillovers and skills transfer from foreign direct investment have also been emphasised. As a result, Trade and Investment South Africa is involved in identifying, packaging and promoting investment opportunities. However, investments tend to be place-specific and this has lead to the decentralisation of foreign direct investment promotion. Currently the nine provincial development agencies are competing to attract investors and the larger local governments are also getting involved in the fray. This paper argues that some places have better potential to attract foreign investment than others. A first step to use scarce investment promotion resources more efficiently would be to measure the inward FDI potential of South African regionsApproach: This paper uses principal components analysis to construct an index that captures the factors expected to affect a local economy's attractiveness to foreign investors. This approach draws on UNCTAD's Inward FDI Potential Index and applies it to 354 magisterial districts in South Africa for the periods 1996, 2001 and 2006. The index creates a summary measure of FDI potential. Findings: The results show that different places present differential potential in urbanization and localization economies and market size. The high-potential locations are typically found in or around the major agglomerations, but there are a few smaller places on the periphery that offer FDI potential. Contribution: The index should aid the location decisions of prospective investors as well as local policymakers in their efforts to promote FDI-led economic development. Conclusion: The places with high FDI potential are not randomly scattered across South Africa, but tend to cluster together. Cities and towns can improve their attractiveness to foreign investors through the exploitation of natural resources, population growth, economic growth and strengthening links to metropolitan areas.
Trade and endogenous formation of regions in a developing country
17 December 2009
North West University

Naudé, Willem;Gries, Thomas

The authors present a model of regional catching-up and development without scale effects. Regional growth is driven by technological imitation which is determined by positive externalities from international trade, the regions’ geography, and regional institutions. For the two regions considered, factor endowments are immobile land and human capital which is perfectly mobile between the two regions. Endogenous formation of regions is analyzed by introducing a non-symmetric decrease in international transaction costs, reflecting the different geography and institutions in the two regions. Using panel data from 354 South African magisterial districts over the period 1996 to 2000, we find that geography is important in explaining trade patterns. As predicted, regions that are larger in terms of economic size, with good foreign market access and know-how of foreign markets, competitive transport costs and a good local institutional support framework will be more successful in exporting manufactured goods than other regions.
Hominisation and humanisation: a perspective from the sociology of technics
10 January 2011
North West University

Wolff, Ernst

This essay will present a few challenges to a new Humanism from the perspective of the sociology of technics. For this purpose Humanism will be described as an effort to intervene in the process of human formation or hominisation. In order to intervene an understanding of this process is needed. Hominisation starts in the Palaeolithic era: technics, religion, language and the human being mutually give birth to one another. Reference will be made especially to the work of Leroi-Gourhan and Girard to analyse this point. Hominisation, however, is a continuous process and has not come to an end. The most recent phase of our hominisation is the industrial revolution: Western modernisation seems to be the future of global humanity. But industrialisation spreads unevenly, leading to a varied network of the human conditions, of advantages and disadvantages. A critical assessment of Africa’s position in the global politics of technics will lead to a description of inhuman conditions as part of the network of industrialisation. The scale and extent of misery tolerated and produced by this era of hominisation could be considered as a possible springboard from where to reflect on a contemporary global Humanism even after the ‘death of God’ in modernity. But to what extent does modernisation allow intervention in the process of industrial hominisation in order to give it the quality of humanization? Aspects of theories on multiple or alternative modernities are considered. A suggestion to the kind of humanist orientation solicited by the inhuman condition of misery is presented with reference to Nussbaum’s capabilities theory. Finding the content of a new Humanism is, however, only a beginning of a new humanization. The technical conditions for the possibility of a new Humanism and of its transmission are reflected on. In conclusion, on the basis of the preceding analyses, five technics-orientated tasks for a new Humanism will be identified.
The role of technology in the economic growth of South Africa: The case of frequency allocations to cellular operators
11 January 2011
North West University

Mellet, A

Economists associate long-term economic growth with technological progress. Earlier growth literature, as well as modern literature, states to sustain a positive growth rate of output per capita in the long run, there must be continual advances in technological knowledge. This fact is embedded in one of the main growth models, namely the Solow growth model. This article firstly discusses the connection between technology and growth in the various models. Any country needs a positive real growth to develop. To create a better scenario for all its inhabitants, it is therefore important that technological development must be employed in the system. Secondly the focus is on analyzing the role of technology and mobile phones from a growth perspective in developing countries. Various studies by independent annalists are referred to regarding studies about the impact of mobile phones in Africa. Various African countries experienced development by using more mobile phones. Finally, attention is given to frequency allocation to provide voice or data access services for mobile phone users by ICASA, as the controlling body in South Africa. This scarce resource is not effectively allocated for the following reasons: the allocation between government institutions and private sector companies is not economically equitable; and the allocation amongst private sector companies is also not economically equitable. Ineffective frequency allocation is then considered to be a waste of a scarce resource. This wastage, against the background of studies in Africa regarding mobile phones and GDP, will accordingly reduce the potential development of all the inhabitants of South Africa.
The Role of ICT within Small and Medium Enterprises in Gauteng.
06 July 2011
North West University

Modimogale, Lloyd;Kroeze, Jan H.

This article discusses the role of information and communication technology (ICT) within the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector in Gauteng, a province in South Africa. ICT plays a very important role in the current knowledge economy. It is vital for SMEs to participate in this economy in order to compete and thrive in the future. The problem is that SMEs are mainly using traditional tools to stay competitive. They need to take advantage of the power of ICT in order to take on the competition, whether small, big or global. Both the traditional and the ICT tools are very important for the competitiveness of the business. The article follows a qualitative research approach and uses semi-structured questionnaires with open-ended questions as data gathering method. There are a number of reasons why an SME might not implement ICT tools, such as limited funds, lack of knowledge, lack of skilled staff and lack of tools. The article highlights the limitation that SMEs have in using ICT and make recommendations on how to overcome them.
Theory and design of low-noise multipath amplifiers
11 October 2012
North West University

Krüger, Petrus P.;Visser, Barend;De Jager, Ocker C.

The theoretical minimum noise measure of a multipath amplifier (an amplifier that has multiple parallel amplifiers) is achieved by using the optimum source impedance and optimum gain for each amplification path. This optimum source impedance and gain can be calculated by replacing each amplifier with its optimum source impedance. The resulting noise measure is the same as the minimum noise measure of the amplifiers used. The theory is demonstrated by applying it to distributed am plifiers. In an ideal distributed amplifier, the magnitude of the optimum gain of the amplification paths decreases and the phase delay increases the farther the stage is from the input, with the decrease in gain being faster for higher frequencies. The challenge in designing broadband low-noise distributed amplifiers is to achieve optimum gain matching over broad bandwidths. A numerical optimization procedure that separates source impedance and gain matching is proposed and demonstrated by optimizing a 0.5-2-GHz distributed amplifier. An average noise measure of 0.3 dB is achieved, which is only 0.1 dB higher than the minimum noise measure of the amplification stages used. This increase is due to transmission line loss and gain mismatch.
Self-sensing for electromagnetic actuators. Part 1. A coupled reluctance network model approach
11 January 2013
North West University

Ranft, E.O.;Van Schoor, G.;Du Rand, C.P.

A self-sensing arrangement in active magnetic bearings (AMBs) comprises a single electromagnetic transducer to realize the actuation and sensing functions concurrently. Minimizing the number of sensing devices and associated interfacing directly reduces possible failure points, system costs, and system complexity. Currently, self-sensing performance is degraded due to problems such as magnetic cross-coupling, eddy currents, saturation, and high losses. This first paper in a two part series presents an integrated model for self-sensing of an 8-pole heteropolar magnetic bearing. The proposed self-sensing approach addresses mechanisms that contribute to modelling error and uncertainty by using several techniques in an integrated structure. A coupled reluctance network model (RNM) is developed which models the coil impedance at the switching frequency. The accuracy of the model is improved by incorporating terms for air gap fringing, complex permeability, and magnetic material nonlinearity. The RNM is verified and refined through a process of iteration using finite element method (FEM) results and experimental AMB measurements. The results demonstrate that a RNM with only 40 nodes can achieve high levels of accuracy when compared to an 80 000 node FEM analysis. In Part II of the series, the refined RNM is incorporated into a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) parameter estimation self-sensing scheme.

Search

Filter by SDG

Filter by Institutions

Matching results: 100