title: Gamifying the EV Driving Experience: A virtual electric vehicle to change public attitudes

authors: Apperley, Mark

subjects: virtual BEV

abstract: Although significant advances have been achieved in the range and performance of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in recent years, the rate of uptake of these vehicles is relatively slow, meaning that they will not become a significant component of national vehicle fleets for some time to come. This slow adoption can be attributed in part (price is of course a major factor) to misunderstandings, misinformation, and an absence of experience with such vehicles. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a virtual electric vehicle – effectively a game-like application on a smartphone – which mimics an individual’s real use of a conventional fossil fuel powered vehicle with the equivalent experience in a BEV. The smartphone “knows” when it is in the user’s conventional car, and keeps track of its travels, simulating the battery charging and usage of the virtual BEV in real time, and reporting situations such as driving range exceeded. It also provides summaries of running costs, and for long term users, indicates the need for battery replacement. In this way, it enables a user to gain some experience of what it would be like to use a BEV on a daily basis.
A preliminary evaluation of the virtual BEV concept has shown excellent results, with a significant increase in positive attitudes to BEVs after only one week’s use of the smartphone app.

text: Gamifying the EV Driving Experience: A virtual electric vehicle to change public attitudes Although significant advances have been achieved in the range and performance of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in recent years, the rate of uptake of these vehicles is relatively slow, meaning that they will not become a significant component of national vehicle fleets for some time to come. This slow adoption can be attributed in part (price is of course a major factor) to misunderstandings, misinformation, and an absence of experience with such vehicles. This paper describes the development and evaluation of a virtual electric vehicle – effectively a game-like application on a smartphone – which mimics an individual’s real use of a conventional fossil fuel powered vehicle with the equivalent experience in a BEV. The smartphone “knows” when it is in the user’s conventional car, and keeps track of its travels, simulating the battery charging and usage of the virtual BEV in real time, and reporting situations such as driving range exceeded. It also provides summaries of running costs, and for long term users, indicates the need for battery replacement. In this way, it enables a user to gain some experience of what it would be like to use a BEV on a daily basis.
A preliminary evaluation of the virtual BEV concept has shown excellent results, with a significant increase in positive attitudes to BEVs after only one week’s use of the smartphone app.

year: 2015

title: Pacific Consumer Acculturation in New Zealand: Understanding the dynamics of consumption using video diaries

authors: Brown, Charis

subjects: Consumer acculturation

abstract: New Zealand, the land of milk and honey, is the „dream‟ of many Pacific people. Expectations of New Zealand were high as Pacific people dreamt of „the better life‟ from migrated family members who retold their experiences confirming their version of life in New Zealand. Many Pacific migrants came with the intention of improving the lives of their families and for themselves. Positioned within the situational context of understanding Pacific migrants isolated from their culture, this thesis aims to understand how island-born Pacific people acculturate to New Zealand society as consumers. The research question centers on understanding how Pacific people living in New Zealand experience consumer acculturation. 
This research founded on a critical ethnographic stance addresses traditionally unbalanced power relations between researcher and participant and ensures participants are in control of their involvement in the study. Video diaries are used to capture routine, daily experiences of Pacific consumers. Participants narrated and reflected on their lives in New Zealand and considered how this differed from their lives in the islands. Video diaries were conducted with nine participants from two cities in New Zealand; Hamilton and Dunedin. Participants are from; Samoa (3), Tonga (2), Fiji (3) and Cook Islands (1). Each participant is tasked with recording aspects of their lives for the duration of 6 to 8 weeks, meeting regularly with the researcher to discuss progress, change tapes, and, most importantly build a relationship. Upon completion of the diary fieldwork stage, the researcher and participant meet for a final interview to collaborate on themes and clarify any issues outstanding. 
Participant narratives are expressed within five storylines: premigration expectations; change of the collective; becoming an individual; consumption desires; and, cultural maintenance. These storylines explore themes surrounding the consumer acculturation process in New Zealand. They illustrate that the reality of life in New Zealand varies considerably from participants‟ initial expectations. Participants acknowledged that they needed to become more independent and take on more individualistic values to fit into their new environment. Participants attempted to maintain aspects of their culture, in particular, the "circle of giving" through obligation. However, this was not always possible.
Consumer acculturation appeared throughout the everyday experiences of participants. This included; in public and private situations, in the home, work and at social occasions. Individual adaptation of consumption values from Pacific to Western pervaded all areas of participant lives. By looking at contemporary Pacific consumption patterns we learn that there is similarity to previous patterns of Western consumption. Consumption feeds the desires of many Pacific people to want more, have more, own more and replaces more traditional values like community ownership and reciprocity. A process of consumer acculturation developed from these understandings, highlights the movement of participants as they graduate to-and-from different phases of the process, i.e., from the dream, to the reality of life in New Zealand. 
Understanding individual journeys of Pacific consumers highlights the acculturation processes that Pacific people go through to merge into New Zealand society. Through this insight, the meaning of consumption is considered and in turn how this translates to the wider culture, both in New Zealand and in the Pacific. Through understanding these consumption meanings and experiences, we consider ways to alleviate negative consumer acculturative experience. The bigger picture brings us back to questioning the relevance and structure of a consumer lifestyle. Within a New Zealand context, Pacific consumers would benefit from the integration of their core values into their daily lives and the embracing of their value system by wider societal structures. Seeking solutions from collective methods would encourage the retention of cultural values. Undoubtedly taking the "the best from both worlds" would be the ultimate route to navigating life in New Zealand.

text: Pacific Consumer Acculturation in New Zealand: Understanding the dynamics of consumption using video diaries New Zealand, the land of milk and honey, is the „dream‟ of many Pacific people. Expectations of New Zealand were high as Pacific people dreamt of „the better life‟ from migrated family members who retold their experiences confirming their version of life in New Zealand. Many Pacific migrants came with the intention of improving the lives of their families and for themselves. Positioned within the situational context of understanding Pacific migrants isolated from their culture, this thesis aims to understand how island-born Pacific people acculturate to New Zealand society as consumers. The research question centers on understanding how Pacific people living in New Zealand experience consumer acculturation. 
This research founded on a critical ethnographic stance addresses traditionally unbalanced power relations between researcher and participant and ensures participants are in control of their involvement in the study. Video diaries are used to capture routine, daily experiences of Pacific consumers. Participants narrated and reflected on their lives in New Zealand and considered how this differed from their lives in the islands. Video diaries were conducted with nine participants from two cities in New Zealand; Hamilton and Dunedin. Participants are from; Samoa (3), Tonga (2), Fiji (3) and Cook Islands (1). Each participant is tasked with recording aspects of their lives for the duration of 6 to 8 weeks, meeting regularly with the researcher to discuss progress, change tapes, and, most importantly build a relationship. Upon completion of the diary fieldwork stage, the researcher and participant meet for a final interview to collaborate on themes and clarify any issues outstanding. 
Participant narratives are expressed within five storylines: premigration expectations; change of the collective; becoming an individual; consumption desires; and, cultural maintenance. These storylines explore themes surrounding the consumer acculturation process in New Zealand. They illustrate that the reality of life in New Zealand varies considerably from participants‟ initial expectations. Participants acknowledged that they needed to become more independent and take on more individualistic values to fit into their new environment. Participants attempted to maintain aspects of their culture, in particular, the "circle of giving" through obligation. However, this was not always possible.
Consumer acculturation appeared throughout the everyday experiences of participants. This included; in public and private situations, in the home, work and at social occasions. Individual adaptation of consumption values from Pacific to Western pervaded all areas of participant lives. By looking at contemporary Pacific consumption patterns we learn that there is similarity to previous patterns of Western consumption. Consumption feeds the desires of many Pacific people to want more, have more, own more and replaces more traditional values like community ownership and reciprocity. A process of consumer acculturation developed from these understandings, highlights the movement of participants as they graduate to-and-from different phases of the process, i.e., from the dream, to the reality of life in New Zealand. 
Understanding individual journeys of Pacific consumers highlights the acculturation processes that Pacific people go through to merge into New Zealand society. Through this insight, the meaning of consumption is considered and in turn how this translates to the wider culture, both in New Zealand and in the Pacific. Through understanding these consumption meanings and experiences, we consider ways to alleviate negative consumer acculturative experience. The bigger picture brings us back to questioning the relevance and structure of a consumer lifestyle. Within a New Zealand context, Pacific consumers would benefit from the integration of their core values into their daily lives and the embracing of their value system by wider societal structures. Seeking solutions from collective methods would encourage the retention of cultural values. Undoubtedly taking the "the best from both worlds" would be the ultimate route to navigating life in New Zealand.

year: 2010

title: The rhetorical organisation of Maori discourse: An illustration

authors: Crombie, Winifred

subjects: Māori medium education

abstract: Almost 20% all Māori students in New Zealand schools are involved in some form of Māori-medium education. These students need to develop competence in using the language for a wide range of purposes. They need, therefore, to understand a range of written discourse conventions. In seeking to assist them in this task, elders and scholars are turning to the works of major Māori figures of the past, works composed when the language was used widely in a range of discourse contexts. However, scholars need ways of analysing these texts and of communicating their findings to others. The primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate one such approach. A single letter of condolence written in Māori is analysed here in terms of rhetorical discourse structure. On the basis of the analysis, a number of hypotheses concerning epistolary discourse in Māori are put forward. The primary hypothesis is that letters of condolence written in Māori by highly competent users of the language are likely to be characterized by an overall Problem-Solution rhetorical prototype involving spiral multilayering.

text: The rhetorical organisation of Maori discourse: An illustration Almost 20% all Māori students in New Zealand schools are involved in some form of Māori-medium education. These students need to develop competence in using the language for a wide range of purposes. They need, therefore, to understand a range of written discourse conventions. In seeking to assist them in this task, elders and scholars are turning to the works of major Māori figures of the past, works composed when the language was used widely in a range of discourse contexts. However, scholars need ways of analysing these texts and of communicating their findings to others. The primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate one such approach. A single letter of condolence written in Māori is analysed here in terms of rhetorical discourse structure. On the basis of the analysis, a number of hypotheses concerning epistolary discourse in Māori are put forward. The primary hypothesis is that letters of condolence written in Māori by highly competent users of the language are likely to be characterized by an overall Problem-Solution rhetorical prototype involving spiral multilayering.

year: 2001-02