bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A SURVEY OF MICROCOMPUTER OWNERSHIP AND USAGE
Authors: Hall P. H. , Nightingale J. J. , MacAulay T. G.
Published: October 2008

In this paper we present the results of a survey designed to collect information on the use of microcomputers and attitudes towards them. The survey was conducted by mail in the north-eastern part of New South Wales and based on a mailing list used by the Department of Continuing Education at the University of New England for courses related to computers. It suggested that microcomputer use is largely related to business applications and not to personal income levels. A surprising degree of satisfaction with the systems was observed.
BIOTECHNOLOGY IN JAPAN: INDUSTRIAL POLICY AND FACTOR MARKET DISTORTIONS
Authors: Saxonhouse Gary R.
Published: October 2008

There is a widespread feeling that the Japanese government is unfairly acquiring for its economy the few really good tickets to prosperity in the twenty-first century. Foreign reactions to Japanese targeting have ranged from concern that such practices are unfair and inconsistent with the international economic system and that Japan should be forced to eliminate them, to intense admiration and a hope the other countries can somehow emulate Japan. Understanding Japanese practices, particularly as they relate to high technology industries, requires an analysis not only of the relationships between government and business in Japan, but also of the relationships between government and education and between education and business. From the perspective of an analysis of the interrelationships between these institutions, it is possible to understand the character of the market distortions and market failures with which Japanese policy has sought to cope. It should also then be possible to assess whether other countries face a similar set of problems requiring similar interventions. These analyses will proceed with particular focus on the development of the biotechnology industry in Japan and the United States.
TOM MANN ON TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE, UNEMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION AND LEISURE: A TURN OF THE CENTURY LABOUR LEADER'S VIEWS ON SOME SUBJECTS OF CONTINUING CONCERN
Authors: Laurent John
Published: October 2008

Technological change and employment effects are not new phenomena. This paper examines some responses to technological innovation in the work situation around the turn of the century, a period of rapid and unprecedented scientific and technological development. The views of Tom Mann, an articulate British trade unionist and labour leader, on a number of subjects relating to these developments are compared with some recent writing, and are found to anticipate much of what is currently being said on these same subjects. It is shown that Mann, together with a number of other trade union representatives, basically welcomed technological innovation as a means of reducing the physical drudgery and long hours commonly associated with nineteenth century working conditions, notwithstanding frequently found assumptions of Luddite attitudes. Some comparisons with and implications for today of these positive responses from workers in the past are suggested.
THE INFORMATION INDUSTRY, MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS AND URBANISATION IN THE ASIAN PACIFIC COUNTRIES: A RESEARCH AGENDA
Authors: Kwok R.
                      Yin-Wang , Au Brenda
                      Kit-Ying
Published: October 2008

The production of information has been accepted as a new economic factor for urbanisation, particularly in the industrialised world. It creates new urban employment opportunities, changes urban spatial patterns, transforms demographic structures and social patterns. This ‘new’ production activity has been introduced into the Asian Pacific region — often by multinational corporations — and now begins to make its presence felt in major cities. This paper investigates the nature of the information industry in general, the role of multinational corporations and attempts to understand especially the effects of international information demand on Third World urbanisation. More specifically, it attempts to assess their relationship to urbanisation in the Asian Pacific countries. Lastly, it hopes to formulate areas and issues for further research.
AN EXPOSITION OF THE INFORMATION SECTOR APPROACH WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO AUSTRALIA
Authors: Engelbrecht Hans-Jürgen
Published: October 2008

This paper provides an exposition of the information sector approach. Concept and measurement of the information sector are discussed in detail. Findings for Australia are reported, including so far unpublished data on the labour force employed in the primary and secondary information sector. The total information sector accounted for about 41.5 per cent of the Australian labour force and about 31 per cent of value added in 1981. More than half of all the people employed in informational occupations were employed in the secondary information sector. The need for the standardisation of the measurement of the information sector is emphasised. Improvements in input-output modelling and other avenues for research are suggested.
AN ASPECT OF TECHNOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES OF THE UPPER GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT
Authors: Doessel D. P.
Published: October 2008

This paper is concerned with one aspect of the assessment of a new technology — describing the temporal utilisation of the technology in use. The technologies that are considered here are barium meal radiology and fibre optic endoscopy, two major diagnostic procedures for the upper gastrointenstinal tract. The data employed relate to private fee-for-service medicine in Australia and have been collected under Australia's health insurance arrangements. Statistically significant differences in utilisation rates for these diagnostic procedures are found between the states of Australia. Also it is shown that per capita use of these procedures is rising at an annual rate of 2.4 per cent per annum. Although it is not possible from the data employed here to specify what factors have determined these utilisation rates, some possible explanations are considered. A secondary aspect of the paper is that it demonstrates how data from the Health Insurance Collection can be analysed despite the changes to health insurance arrangements introduced by the Commonwealth government since 1975–76.
KOREAN INDUSTRIAL POLICY
Authors: Enos J.L.
Published: October 2008

Industrialisation needs to be nourished by means of industrial policy. This paper examines the Korean experience, reporting on the course of industrialisation, the choice of technology, the structure of industry, and the application of controls. The effectiveness of industrial actions in Korea is compared with that in other developing countries. The paper concludes by inferring the principles that have directed the Korean process of industrialisation: maximising the rate of growth of capacity in industry, maintaining a reasonably stable distribution of disposable income, domesticating industry, retaining control over the allocation of investment, regulating both the structure of each industry and the conduct of its constituent firms, and atomising extra-governmental power.
ON THE POTENTIAL, REQUIREMENTS AND LIMITATIONS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN MANUFACTURING
Authors: Gold Bela
Published: October 2008

Recent and prospective advances in information technology have generated growing interest in its potential. To its enthusiastic promoters, information technology is a ‘good thing’ and hence more is obviously better. But increasing experience with information technology during the past twenty years emphasises that it covers a wide variety of capabilities, absorbs substantial resources and affects operations in other important ways. Hence, to ensure effective exploration and utilisation of information technology, management must assess its potential contributions, requirements and costs, as well as other significant effects.
ORGANISATIONAL HAZARDS IN BIOTECHNOLOGY — TOWARDS A NEW RISK ASSESSMENT PROGRAM
Authors: Bartels Ditta
Published: October 2008

Great progress in the field of recombinant DNA technology has masked concern about the safety of the procedures involved. It seems that those carrying out oncogene research using these techniques may be exposed to considerable danger of contracting cancer. A thorough program to assess the risks involved is required to replace the complacency of ignorance which now exist, and it is required before rather than after damage is done.
THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT OFFSETS PROGRAM
Authors: Liesch Peter
Published: October 2008

The Australian government offsets program has been in place since 1970, but until recently, with the publication of the report of the Committee of Review on Offsets, it has operated with little public scrutiny and has attracted little academic interest. This is a program aimed at the manufacturing sector in Australia, with a view to increasing Australian firms' participation in internationally competitive activities. Issues posed as requiring investigation include: the protection aspects of offsets, their efficacy in transferring technologies from overseas suppliers of government funded purchases, the question of economic integration and the countertrade dimension of offsets.
LET THE IGNORANT CONSUMER BEWARE: CONSUMER INFORMATION AND EFFICIENCY OF CONSUMER DECISION MAKING IN THE USA
Authors: Widdows Richard
Published: October 2008

Although many of the institutions which make up the modern economy pour out data which they hope will be used by consumers in their decision on what to consume, consumers still are regarded by some commentators as ‘ignorant’ when they make those decisions. Two main reasons are postulated, involving the cost of search and requirements for efficient data management. The policy implications are then assessed and the need for leadership in consumer information policy expressed. Finally, the way higher education can help fill the policy gap is briefly explored.
RESEARCH INTO THE CONSUMER ADOPTION OF NEW SERVICES TECHNOLOGIES: A CRITICAL REVIEW
Authors: Shaw Robin N.
Published: October 2008

Consumer research into new technologies in the retail services area has evolved from unsophisticated industry studies. Focusing on point-of-sale scanning systems, various research studies are reviewed following an indication of the more general conceptual bases which could be relevant internationally. Some proposals are made to encourage more theory-driven research.
RESEARCH FUNDING IN AUSTRALIA: A VIEW FROM THE NORTH
Authors: Green Ken
Published: October 2008

This paper seeks to contribute to the continuing controversy in Australia on the best way to deploy that country's scientific and technological research and development (R & D) resources. It puts forward and discusses some policy options relating to the ‘restructuring’ of the Australian R&D system currently underway, for the consideration of the research community and those responsible for the research policies. In particular, the paper comments on how overall objectives and priorities for R&D can be set, the need for evaluations of the research and development that is conducted, the need to develop a dialogue between the public and the scientific community over the setting of research and development directions.
INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CO-OPERATION, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND AID: ASEAN COUNTRIES, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
Authors: Tisdell Clem
Published: October 2008

This paper considers the scope for beneficial scientific co-operation and technology transfer among ASEAN countries, Australia and New Zealand in the light of differences in the development status of these countries, their proximity to one another, their resource endowments and other factors. Australian official science and technology aid in the ASEAN region (which of necessity involves some co-operation between the donor and aid recipients) is considered as well as recent initiatives of the Australian Department of Science to promote fully co-operative (‘non-aided’) R&D in the region. Two examples of regional co-operation in R & D are considered briefly, namely the development of a malaria vaccine and giant clam farming.
COMPUTER USERS AS MEDIA AUDIENCES
Authors: Nightingale Virginia , Webster Ian
Published: October 2008

This paper draws attention to the changing nature of the range of experiences people currently engage in as computer users. It is argued that computer-based technology is a medium of communication, following similar patterns of development to other media, and employing specific codes of representation and presentation to construct images of the world. It is suggested that the development of increasingly user-friendly programs simultaneously increases access to the medium while distancing users from control of the means to program images. The term computer is used to mean computer-based technology, and the term computer program for the delivered experience of the hardware and software.
NEUTRALITY IN SCIENCE POLICY: THE PROMOTION OF SOPHISTICATED INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY IN ISRAEL
Authors: Teubal Morris
Published: October 2008

This paper provides a review of Israel's science and technology policy and traces the growth and development of technology intensive industry in that country. Such policy has generally been neutral with regard to industry, technological field or class of product; concentrates on industrial R & D directly performed in industrial firms; and is an integral part of overall national industrial policy — being centred in the Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Drawing upon case studies and other statistical evidence, the paper argues that such policy has been partly responsible for Israel's success in building up an indigenous, export-oriented, high technology sector.
AUSTRALIAN SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY BETWEEN THE WARS
Authors: Buckley-Moran J.
Published: October 2008

This paper is concerned with the early development of Australia‘s industrial technology infrastructure. It will attempt, in an exploratory rather than conclusive way, to establish a somewhat different perspective on the institutional development of science and technology in Australia. By drawing on a specific case study — the power struggle between the Munitions sector and CSIR — it is argued that industrial R & D became disconnected from the economic planning function of the State, and that under CSIR’s aegis IR & D became an item of conspicuous consumption rather than a strategic investment for secondary industry.
JUST ANOTHER PIECE OF PLASTIC FOR YOUR WALLET: THE ‘AUSTRALIA CARD’ SCHEME
Authors: Clarke Roger
Published: October 2008

During 1985–87 the Australian Government developed a proposal for a national identification scheme. With public concern about the scheme's implications increasing, the Australia Card Bill was defeated in the Senate in November 1986 and again in April 1987. This paper outlines the proposal, and comments on its technical features, its economics, its implications and its prospects.
INNOVATION AND HEALTH EXPENDITURES: SOME EMPIRICAL RESULTS FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TECHNOLOGY
Authors: Doessel D.P.
Published: October 2008

There is debate on whether the adoption of new medical technologies has been a contributing factor to rising health expenditures. This literature is critically reviewed and another approach is advocated. This alternative approach rests on the distinction between product and process innovations. It is argued that the relationship between innovations and health expenditures can be illuminated, for process innovations, by determining if they are used as substitutes. The empirical results provide no indication that alternative technologies for diagnosing diseases/conditions of the upper gastrointestinal tract have been utilised by Australian medical practitioners, operating on a fee-for-service basis, as substitutes. The study provides new empirical support for the view that medical innovations contribute to rising health expenditures.
PATENT REFORM IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: McL.Lamberton D.
Published: October 2008

To foster discussion this paper reproduces, with the permission of the Minister‘s office, the statement by the Minister for Science when releasing the Government’s response to the report of the Industrial Property Advisory Committee on patent reform in Australia, together with the official detailed comparison of IPAC recommendations and that response.
INVENTION AND INNOVATION IN AUSTRALIA: THE HISTORIAN'S LENS
Authors: Moyal Ann
Published: October 2008

There is a strong body of opinion that Australia‘s present technological achievement and poor attitudes to high technology development remain essentially ’colonial‘. This notion is a misconception. An overview study of some 100 inventors, technologists, and entrepreneurs indicates that vigorous attitudes to innovation prevailed in the Colonies in the nineteenth century and established for Australia some significant technological leads. Lessons from these attitudes both underline the continuing importance of the ’lone inventor’ and hold relevance for education, management, and technology policies today.
TRADE UNIONS, NEW TECHNOLOGY, AND INDUSTRIAL DEMOCRACY IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Markey Ray
Published: October 2008

Internationally, two basic strategies have been adopted for the macro-management of the industrial relations issues arising from recent technological change. The first has been one of tripartite consultative planning, whereas the second has allowed ‘market forces’ a free hand in determining the nature of technological change in industry. Since 1983 Australia has begun to shift from the second to the first approach, because of changes in the political and legal climate, and in the strategy of the ACTU and some important unions. Nevertheless, the impact of these changes is gradual.
EXAMINING THE IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION STRUCTURES: THE UK PICT
Authors: Melody William H.
Published: October 2008

The convergence of rapidly improving computer and telecommunication technologies is having a profound impact upon almost all social institutions. The characteristics of information gathering, storage, processing and dissemination affect the nature of markets and the structure of industry, as well as the competitiveness of firms and the prosperity of regions. They affect the internal structure of organizations including corporations, government agencies, political parties, and social groups. They affect the formation and distribution of social and cultural networks, the characteristics of work and education, the content of the mass media, and the information environment through which public opinion is formed. This paper discusses some characteristics of information markets and examines the power of the information assumptions. The needed research must be directed toward assessing the long-term implications of institutional change. The UK Programme on Information and Communication Technologies (PICT) is described and its progress reported.
DEFINING HIGH TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY: A CONSENSUS APPROACH
Authors: Thompson Chris
Published: October 2008

Reasons are suggested for care over the definition of high technology industry. Some general approaches to definition are outlined, and a chronology of definitions is presented. Conceptual and practical problems with conventional choices are discussed, and a new consensus definition — drawn from a survey of current practice in the USA — is suggested as a complement to objective definitions. This is used to speculate upon high tech's potential role in the overall US employment problem.
INDUSTRY PROTECTION PLANS: AUSTRALIAN FOOTWEAR MANUFACTURERS' REACTIONS
Authors: Greenwell Mary M.
Published: October 2008

Australian footwear manufacturers were surveyed in late 1986 in order to identify actions undertaken since 1981 in response to the anticipated or actual increase in import competition as a result of the first seven year protection plan. A wide range of actions were undertaken, with capital investment in new production technology the most frequent and ‘most important’ action. This research indicates that the plan created organisational change which in turn promoted more efficient and effective business practices.
EDUCATING, MANUFACTURING, EXPORTING
Authors: Spurling Graham G.
Published: October 2008

Export of manufactured goods will play a large role in the economic future of Australia, and manufacturing will be closely linked (in markets and investment) with the Pacific rim countries. Strategies for development are proposed, recognising the need for improvement in cultural outlook, technological credibility, research and development, and education and skill development at all levels.
TURNING DATA INTO WISDOM: WHO DECIDES?
Authors: Peet John , Peet Katherine
Published: October 2008

The introduction of new technologies is associated with a major change of employment in society, from the traditional agricultural and manufacturing sectors, to the service sector. The availability of more and better services will, according to some analysts, generate wealth that will absorb the surplus labour made available from the traditional sectors. We believe this will be at best a short-term phenomenon. In the longer term, many service sector jobs will be taken over by computer-based systems. In addition, for most people employment also provides security, a pattern for their day, social relationships, a place to belong, and the opportunity to be involved in learning. These will be difficult to achieve in the newer jobs, and much more difficult for the jobless or those in short-term employment. It is critical that the meaning of ‘work’ in society be re-examined.

Under a regime in which ‘hard’, technological systems are programmed to treat society as a collection of individuals, we see the need to develop social, political and economic decision-making tools from the ‘soft’ systems viewpoint. These are not predictable from the sum of individual properties; they are properties of the system, and of the system alone. We also discuss analogies between societies and nonequilibrium thermodynamic systems, which we believe can be helpful when looking at questions involving invention of futures.
THE ANALYSIS OF POLITICAL COUNTRY RISKS: OPERATIVE PROSPECTS OF POLITICS AND BUSINESS IN THE TELEMATICS AGE
Authors: Bahr Frank-Michael
Published: October 2008

The paper provides an outline of recent progress in the advancement of telematic infrastructures in relation to foreign trade and foreign policy. By means of political risk analysis techniques, the social sciences respond to a concerted demand for forecasts from governments and international business. As a result, and due to an increasing importance gained by operative knowledge on political environments, a private market for political logistics supporting international operations has been established.
TECHNOLOGY IN TURMOIL
Authors: Baklien A.
Published: October 2008

The paper evaluates and extrapolates the theory of techno-economic pulses to suggest that the world is unlikely to see major technological innovations on a broad front until the end of this century. The technological understanding by managers and the supply of highly qualified scientists and engineers will be critical. Australia is not well positioned to become a high technology manufacturing nation.
THE ADVANCED INFORMATION SOCIETY: A SUITABLE UTOPIA FOR AUSTRALIA?
Authors: Watt Alan V.
Published: October 2008

This paper considers the nature of the information society and its perception as utopia or anti-utopia. Australia is already an information society, and in technological terms, is moving towards an advanced information society. However, recent evidence on the decreased rate of growth of the information sector in the United States, the growth in importance of such areas as biotechnology, and the rapidity with which distinctly different and important problems can appear, may cause the advanced information society to be relegated to just another rejected image of perceived future societies. Thus Australian policy-makers should be cautious about selecting it as a goal.
ECONOMIC CONSIDERATIONS IN THE SELECTION OF GENERIC TECHNOLOGIES
Authors: Johns Brian L.
Published: October 2008

A vast array of new processes and product innovations can arise from a single broad-based generic technology such as biotechnology. A small country like Australia faces some difficult choices in determining which science-based generic technologies should be supported and to what extent. This paper explores the economic factors that should be taken into account by firms and by Government in determining the choice of generic technology. It considers the problem of identifying ex ante the particular technologies in which Australia may have a comparative advantage. It also shows why certain facets of the existing industrial structure are relevant to the selection of generic technologies.
SELECTIVITY IN FUNDING: EVALUATION OF RESEARCH IN AUSTRALIA
Authors: Franklin J.
                      Jeffrey
Published: October 2008

Selectivity and concentration in research funding has become unavoidable in Australia today. Some of the reasons for this are reviewed relative to international economic, scientific/technical and conceptual developments. The resulting need to develop an evaluative culture in and for Australia is discussed. The reasons for undertaking evaluations are outlined, and a working definition of ‘research evaluation’ that may be suitable within the Australian context is developed. The parameters that may deserve consideration in designing an evaluation are detailed, and a series of conceptual and practical guidelines are forwarded. Several barriers to implementing evaluations that may apply to Australia are addressed. Finally, the implications of the concept ‘accountability’ for both the recipients of government support and government itself are briefly raised.
A ‘MULTI-FUNCTION-POLIS’ FOR AUSTRALIA
Authors: Mandeville T. D.
Published: October 2008

MITI has proposed a $5-10 billion ‘Multi-Function-Polis’ in Australia. The functions would include high technology, recurrent adult education, resort and leisure, and cultural exchange. It would become a forum for international technological and cultural exchange in the Pacific Rim region.
NEW MATERIALS TECHNOLOGY: ANOTHER AUSTRALIAN LOST OPPORTUNITY?
Authors: Forester Tom
Published: October 2008

Three megatechnologies will dominate the last decade of the 20th Century: Information Technology, Biotechnology and New Materials Technology. New materials have been the least well publicized, yet they play a crucial precursor role in most other technological innovation. Developments in materials science now give us the ability to design so-called ‘advanced materials’ from scratch for specific purposes. They have a wide variety of applications. In addition, new materials technology extends the notion of choice in the production process and as such it has major implications for engineers, designers and managers.

Australia is in theory well-placed to take advantage of the materials revolution in terms of natural resources, environment and existing research strengths. But although some impressive and useful work has been done by the Department of Science in targeting fruitful areas for future research, an international comparison of materials R&D and a review of what the Australian government and private sector has done so far suggests that Australia once again is doing too little too late.
AUSTRALIA RECONSTRUCTED: STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES FOR STAKEHOLDERS
Authors: Shulman Arthur D.
Published: October 2008

The model form of macro-economic policy integration and the tripartite implementation mechanism put forward in Australia Reconstructed, a report of the ACTU/TDC mission to Western Europe, are examined. The form of evidence presented is found not to provide a test of the model's validity, nor is the format consistent with its message content. The model aside, the underlying premise that tripartite participation leads to commitment is questioned. An alternative rationale supporting the use of tripartite-like mechanisms in Australia, that of maximisation of strategic advantages now associated with new information technologies is presented. The implications for management, shareholders and union stakeholders are highlighted.
THE FEMININE CULTURE OF THE TELEPHONE. PEOPLE, PATTERNS AND POLICY
Authors: Moyal Ann
Published: October 2008

Few detailed studies have been made in any country of telephone usage. This paper reports a qualitative national study of 200 women, metropolitan and country, which embraces women of diverse conditions and ages across Australia. It presents evidence of a deeply entrenched, caring, feminine culture of the telephone which underlies our family, community, and national development. Importantly, it conveys the voices and attitudes of women to a communication technology which, locally and internationally, is undergoing policy change. At a time when a ‘new telecommunications framework’ is being considered in Australia, the data challenge traditional ‘malestream’ conceptions of telephone usage and telecommunications policy, and focus the point that women and men make significantly different use of, and have very different access to, decision-making about technology.
TECHNOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY: A NEGLECTED AREA IN POLICY-MAKING
Authors: Kearton Colin , Martin Brian
Published: October 2008

Many technological systems are vulnerable to threats such as military attack, sabotage, sudden economic change or social disaffection. There are various ways to reduce such vulnerabilities, such as direct planning, diversification and self-reliance, but current policy-making takes little cognisance of the issue.
THE DISCOVERY, DEVELOPMENT, AND DIFFUSION OF NEW TECHNOLOGY: THE CYANIDE PROCESS FOR THE EXTRACTION OF GOLD, 1887–1914
Authors: Lougheed Alan L.
Published: October 2008

In the 1880s the gold mining industry encountered severe problems in the extraction of gold from unoxidised ores which were being met more frequently. The gold extraction technology of mercury amalgamation became more inefficient to the extent that little more than half the assayed gold content of the ore was being extracted. Clearly, a major breakthrough in metallurgy was required to overcome this problem. This occurred through the development of the cyanide process which not only raised the percentage of gold extracted from unoxidised ores but also, because of its cheapness, allowed much lower grade ores to be mined and treated than had been possible previously.
NEW PRODUCTION CONCEPTS
Authors: Mathews John A.
Published: October 2008

Flexibilty within a framework of internal labour markets is now widely seen to be an important factor in the ability of manufacturing firms to respond quickly to changes in market conditions — which is increasingly coming to be the form that competitive advantage takes in advanced industrial economies. An emerging and flourishing literature has identified a number of ‘new production concepts’ being developed in manufacturing industries, that depart from time-honoured Taylorist systems of job fragmentation and skill minimisation. The new concepts, such as ‘flexible specialisation’, ‘human-centred production’, and ‘diversified quality production’, are all in one way or another seeking to characterise a form of ‘functional flexibility’, that both enhances productivity and offers workers themselves a greater sense of involvement with their activity. The new concepts rest on the identification of a critical linkage between work organisation, skill formation and advanced manufacturing technology; they point to a convergence between the previously separate worlds of work and of learning.

In this paper the new production concepts are characterised as elements of an emergent ‘post Fordist’ technoeconomic paradigm. The present period of uncertainty can be construed as a transition between the Fordist paradigm centred on mass production, and its successors. There is nothing predetermined about the shape of these successors: this will be the outcome of a prolonged economic, industrial and political process as much as of a technical process. The choices are identified as falling between a continuation and intensification of Fordism, dubbed Computer-Aided Taylorisation; or a break with Fordism, dubbed Skill-Dependent Innovation. The new production concepts are characterised as instances of the latter approach to manufacturing management and technology. It is through this notion of ‘competing paradigms’ that this paper formulates an approach to the ‘politics’ of technological change.
WORK PRACTICES, TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE AND SHEET METAL WORKERS, 1929-1970
Authors: Tsokhas Kosmas
Published: October 2008

This article surveys the history of work practices in sheet metal work from 1929 to 1970. It focuses on the role of internal labour markets and union power in sustaining such work practices as seniority, the strict allocation of work according to job classifications, and the regulation of working time. Internal labour markets were structured by formal and informal rules which made it difficult for employers to transfer employees or to recruit from the wider, external labour market. Such restrictions placed barriers in the way of the most efficient use of new technologies. Managerial control over how work was done and attempts to improve discipline and to increase work effort were also limited by work practices. To the extent that internal labour markets prevented the easy employment of labour from the external labour market, the bargaining power of employees was strengthened.
THE HUMAN FRONTIER SCIENCE PROGRAMME: A WINDOW INTO TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY RESEARCH FOR AUSTRALIA
Authors: Utick Stephen
Published: October 2008

Japan's Human Frontier Science Programme, tacitly endorsed in the 1988 Toronto Summit Declaration, is examined in the context of converging Japanese economic and social imperatives. The two key research areas of the programme, elucidation of brain functions and elucidation of biological functions through molecular level approaches, are both ones in which Australia has research strengths. Opportunities for major investment in the biological component of Australia's basic research infrastructure and postdoctoral training are emerging, which could greatly assist Australia's research capability in the biosciences. Assuming successful establishment of the programme, there are several challenges which will need to be faced whether Australia participates at a managerial level or not. Issues such as intellectual property rights and drainage of research talent will undoubtedly emerge, although largely as a result of a potential ‘new protectionism’ among Summit countries, rather than from Japan in isolation. In addition, the social policy driving the Human Frontier Science Programme is poorly conceived, and may lead to contention in certain areas of research.
THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS UNION AT THE CROSSROADS
Authors: Hansen Poul , Melody William H.
Published: October 2008

The authors were members of the Advisory Group of Experts on Telecommunications Policy whose report helped prepare for the Plenipotentiary Conference of the ITU in Nice in June this year. This paper is based on the Group's report. It discusses the role of the ITU in the organisation of the world's telecommunications systems and suggests what changes will be required if the ITU is to be as influential in future telecommunications developments as it has been in the past. Particular attention is paid to the importance of information and computing technologies in modern telecommunications. While the ITU has begun to bridge the gulf between developed and developing countries in their approach to telecommunications, continuing insistence on secrecy in its deliberations may be an indication that the ITU has not yet come to terms with the difficulties it faces.
LUDDITES, HIPPIES AND ROBOTS: AUTOMATION AND THE POSSIBILITY OF RESISTANCE
Authors: Hedman Carl G.
Published: October 2008

It is argued that neither David Noble's call for a new Luddism on the part of workers nor Andre Gorz' reliance on the emergence of a “non-class of non-workers” provides an adequate strategy for resisting problematic uses of automation. Instead, their differing emphases present us with an old dilemma: How to avoid utopianism (where a vision of the future floats above history) without falling into a problematic conservatism (where present interests simply reflect the status quo). In the concluding sections it is argued that an effective resistance can be developed only if traditional worker constituencies enter into an alliance with movements for racial and sexual equality.
THE IMPLICATIONS FOR TERTIARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION OF THE GOVERNMENTS EMPHASIS UPON SKILLS FORMATION
Authors: Mageean Pauline
Published: October 2008

This paper is addressed to those responsible for determining policy in tertiary vocational education, in particular senior staff in TAFE. It discusses the likely effects of the Government's recent emphasis on skills formation. The context for a skills formation approach is provided and the growing influence industry is likely to have upon vocational education is discussed. TAFE, as the major provider of tertiary vocational education, is the educational organisation most likely to be affected. The need to maintain a commitment to provide education as well as training, and for concern with equity as well as short term economic success, is stressed. The paper argues that we must learn from the thinking behind the economic successes of countries such as Sweden and Japan and use this to produce solutions which will work in our context, rather than simply copy the processes they have used to achieve that success.
THE IMPACT OF THE 150 PER CENT TAX CONCESSION FOR INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN AUSTRALIA — A PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT
Authors: Dwyer Larry
Published: October 2008

The paper has two main objectives. First, it provides the background and rationale for Australia's introduction of the 150 per cent tax concession for IR&D in order to appreciate some of the problems of its implementation. Secondly, it assesses the effectiveness of the concession in promoting IR&D. The latter requires estimation of the impact of the concession on the user cost of IR&D and the responsiveness of the demand for IR&D to changes in its user cost.
SOVIET SCIENCE UNDER GORBACHEV
Authors: Fortescue Stephen
Published: October 2008

Gorbachev has exposed science to the same pressure for restructuring as all other sectors of Soviet society, as there has been an increasing recognition of poor scientific returns on a major investment. Some of the key problems of Soviet science are examined, in two basic categories: problems which are internal to Soviet science itself and problems of its relations with the outside world. The first category includes planning and funding difficulties, management style, and management-staff relations; the second, backwardness in key technologies and isolation from the world scientific community. The analysis of each of these areas of difficulty includes an account of current attempts at reform.
W.M. HUGHES, THE COMMONWEALTH LINE AND THE BRITISH SHIPPING CARTEL, 1914–1927
Authors: Tsokhas Kosmas
Published: October 2008

The origins of a number of important public enterprises can be traced to the First World War. This article deals with the Commonwealth Line and traces the factors which led to its creation by government and those that caused its privatization. The article traces the history of the Commonwealth Line from its formation as a desperate measure to overcome a wartime shipping shortage that was preventing the transportation of vital primary products, especially wheat. Emphasis is placed on bargaining between the Australian and British governments over the tonnage to be allocated to Australia. At the end of the war the Line's obsolescent ships and its need for greater public investment was not welcomed by the Commonwealth government. The article concludes with a discussion of the decline of the Commonwealth Line after 1918 and emphasizes the role of the British shipping cartel and labor costs in its demise.
THE NEED FOR MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR GOVERNMENT PLANNING STRATEGIES TO PREPARE FOR THE ENHANCED GREENHOUSE EFFECT
Authors: Henderson-Sellers B. , Henderson-Sellers A.
Published: October 2008

There is a growing realization that the greenhouse-induced warming of the planet and the intensification of the hydrological cycle will have a significant impact on human society and its economic infrastructure. The significance of the effects for Australia, and for any other community in the world, will depend upon how government agencies and planners prepare for the consequences of these predicted changes. Governments need considerable help with any decision process associated with a long-term issue such as greenhouse. Availability of information (both accurate and complete) is of crucial importance if governments are to be expected to develop national (and polynational) strategic plans to ensure the continuation of, and development of, an acceptable lifestyle over the coming decades and centuries. In this paper, the authors present the scientific and planning background to the proposal for an integrated greenhouse data management system (IGDMS) and we briefly note some policy and planning options. The IGDMS proposed here is a first step in providing government departments with the decision support/management information systems required to face the global change challenges of the next century.
GLOBALISATION AND STRATEGIC TRADE POLICY: SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR THE AUSTRALIAN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY
Authors: Whiteman John L.
Published: October 2008

It has been claimed that globalisation was the most exaggerated fad of the 1980s. Likewise, strategic trade policy has been described as the new protectionism. Yet Australian industry must compete in a world which is increasingly dominated by transnational corporations. Governments must frame policies for industrial development recognising that their counterparts overseas are implementing comprehensive global strategies. This article examines some of the implications for the Australian information technology industry of the spread of global industrial strategies and the emerging tendency of governments to intervene in strategic sectors of the economy.
EUROPEAN INTEGRATION AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS: RESTRUCTURING MARKETS AND INSTITUTIONS
Authors: Mansell Robin , Holmes Peter , Morgan Kevin
Published: October 2008

Complexity characterises technical and institutional restructuring in telecommunications. This makes it difficult to determine the social and economic implications of transformations in an industry that has outgrown its monopolistic origins. This paper focuses on the external forces influencing the European Community's efforts to fashion a more open, integrated and competitive telecommunication environment. Attention is given to organisational, regulatory, and trade issues. The analysis considers whether the strategic economic and political importance of telecommunications in the wider context of European integration is taking precedence over telecommunications as a major tool of social policy.
REGULATING TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRICING: INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE CPI-X RULE
Authors: Nightingale John
Published: October 2008

The Australian Government decided in the May Statement of 1988 to instruct the new telecommunications regulator to impose a price cap rule on Telecom Australia's basic or monopolised services, while relying on market forces to discipline prices in value added services and customer premises equipment markets. The rule “CPI-X” was explicitly invented for the regulation of British Telecom by OFTEL in 1983, and is to be used by OFTEL until at least 1993, the value of X changing every 4 years. Claims have been made that the rule is very economical of information required by the regulator. This paper suggests that such isnot the case.
THE PRIMARY INFORMATION SECTOR IN SINGAPORE, JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES
Authors: Heng Toh
                      Mun , Low Linda
Published: October 2008

This paper attempts a quick analysis of the information sector in Singapore, Japan and the United States using the input-output methodology. An alternative way of computing the scalars to bisect a sector into two, namely information and non-information sectors, is used. From the empirical analysis, it is found that the information sector in Singapore has still some way to go before approaching the levels as found in Japan and the United States. Within Singapore, the information sector is a natural extension of the tertiary or service sector and its dominance and linkages reflect the service orientation of the Singapore economy. The information sector plays a crucial role in the global network of telecommunications and transport affecting economic as well as socio-political welfare. The paper suggests that regional and international co-operation is necessary to tackle the problems of uneven growth and development of various information sectors. Information and its communication is a two-way process. Its effects should be complementary and of mutual benefit rather than purely competitive.
MARKET STRUCTURE AND INDUSTRIAL INNOVATION
Authors: Lodewijks J.K.
Published: October 2008

Literature on the link between market structure and industrial innovation is surveyed. Part II focuses on the so-called Schumpeterian hypothesis that large firm size, diversification or monopoly power is conducive to innovation and technical progress. Both empirical studies and theoretical developments are reviewed; for the former, the difficulties are catalogued and for the latter, a critique of recent trends is developed. The effect of innovation on market structure is taken up in Part IV, while Part V portrays the merits of the new approach of Nelson and Winter in their An Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change.
PRODUCT INNOVATION ACTIVITIES IN AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY
Authors: Dwyer Larry , Mellor Robert
Published: October 2008

Australian manufacturing industry needs to pay more attention to introducing innovative products if it is to be more competitive in the international marketplace. This paper reports some results of an investigation of new product process activities of Australian manufacturing firms. The aims of the study were to determine the sorts and forms of activities undertaken, their proficiency of execution and the sorts of improvements needed. The result have implications for more informed managerial decision-making to promote successfulproduct innovation.
THE MULTI-FUNCTION POLIS: SHOULD AUSTRALIA PARTICIPATE?
Authors: Goode R. V.
Published: October 2008

Japan has initiated the program to establish the Multi-Function Polis. Australia's negotiating position is that Japan needs the outcomes from the investment in MFP as much or more than Australia does. The MFP is a test of Australis's ability to look for new ways to master the future. While the project should be favoured for its visionary uncertainty, Australian negotiators must bargain fiercely for enforceable claims to a share of the international benefits.
ADVANCES IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND THE INNOVATION STRATEGIES OF FIRMS
Authors: Rosegger Gerhard
Published: October 2008

The ability to appropriate newly-generated technical knowledge is a key to the strategic behaviour of firms. Therefore, institutional and organisational arrangements are eventually challenged and transformed by major new (Schumpeterian) innovations. The effects of recent, revolutionary advances in information technology provide an especially striking illustration of this interplay. Although these tensions have always existed, their current dimensions are new. The seemingly inexorable development of highly-efficient, global information networks is transforming the strategic responses of firms to changing market conditions. Nowhere is this transformation more evident than in the changing role of property rights to firm-specific technical and market knowledge.
THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY UPON ECONOMIC SCIENCE
Authors: David Paul A. , Steinmueller W.
                      Edward
Published: October 2008

Rapid advances in information technology seem likely to change radically its usefulness for the economics profession. This paper reviews the range of existing applications and those that will probably emerge. It also considers the impact these new applications are likely to have on the discipline, and on the social sciences more generally.