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Rising incomes in China have not led to a smaller degree of undernutrition as measured by percentage of population below calorie and protein recommended daily allowances. The weak relationship between income and nutrition is further demonstrated by our income elasticity estimates for calories and protein, which are generally zero. We do find that the percentage of fat in the calorie source is a normal good.

To investigate the viability of adaptive reuse of commercial buildings and the impact it has on the sustainability of existing built environment in Western Australia.

A survey of building owners in Western Australia and a review of literature concerning adaptive reuse of commercial buildings.

The concept of adaptation is supported by building owners and there is a strong intuition/perception that adaptive reuse serves the key concepts of sustainability. Building owners are considering adaptive reuse as a viable option to demolition and redevelopment of existing facilities.

The use of a structured questionnaire limits the depth of responses in the study. A follow up study using interviews would allow further because it does not allow probing, prompting and clarification of the issues addressed.

Results from this research has implications for building owners and managers as it will eventually provide a theoretical framework that can be incorporated in the decision‐making process for adaptive reuse projects.

The contribution of existing buildings to the three tenets of sustainability has not been explored comprehensively in Western Australia.

Digitalization can drive the sustainable development of society and industry. However, a lot of the opportunities are tightly related to the risks. This chapter investigates how academic performance in terms of scientific publications at the intersection of digitization, sustainable development, and industry brings added value to the research field. The analysis focuses on the academic papers that research the relationship between digitalization, sustainable development, and industry, analyzing comparatively two primary academic databases, Scopus and Web of Science (WoS). To do that, two samples of scientific publications were investigated. The first sample comprised 703 documents indexed in WoS, while the second was formed by 566 documents indexed in Scopus. The analyzed period for WoS is 1996–2022, while for Scopus is 2000–2022. The empirical results indicated that the research field's primary issues include digitalization, digital transformation, the construction industry, sustainability, COVID-19, and innovation for both WoS and Scopus. The most relevant authors on this cross-cutting subject in the WoS database are Beier G., Aigbavboa C., and Kumar M. In contrast, in the Scopus database, we found Beier G., Ghobakhloo M., and Iranmanesh M. At the same time, the most typical journals are the International Journal of Production Research, Sustainability, and Computers in Industry for WoS and Sustainability, Journal of Cleaner Production, and Procedia CIRP for Scopus.

This paper examines the changes in the level of social welfare in New Zealand over the period 1984 to 1998 in the context of the country's economic reform process since the early 1980s. The earlier part of this period was also characterized by a largely policy-induced economic recession in New Zealand. In this paper, we make an attempt to identify the sections of the population that became better off in terms of real income, and those that became worse off during the period chosen. In addition, we examine the changes to the overall level of social welfare. The methods used are both ordinal and cardinal. The ordinal method is based on the criterion of generalized Lorenz dominance, and the cardinal method is based on a social evaluation function that provides complete ordering of all possible social states. The social welfare changes, derived with the help of the cardinal method, and measured in terms of real income, are then attributed to the twin influences of mean income changes and changes in measured inequality. In addition to showing up the dramatic increase in the Gini coefficient of income inequality overall, the results also track the changes in real income of the different income groups over time, and quantify how these changes, coupled with the increased inequality, affected the well-being of New Zealanders over a period of extensive economic reform. The study is based on unit record data from four Household Surveys conducted by Statistics New Zealand in the years 1983/84, 1991/1992, 1995/1996 and 1997/1998.

Three levels of learning developed by Gregory Bateson in the tradition of second-order cybernetics have in-part been translated in terms of double-loop and triple-loop learning (TLL), particularly in the tradition of systems thinking. Learning III and TLL have gained less popularity since they deal with less tangible issues regarding virtues of wisdom and justice, respectively. The purpose of this paper is to provide a learning device – the systems thinking in practice (STiP) heuristic – which helps to retrieve the cybernetic concern for wisdom in association with an often forgotten systems concern for real-world power relations.

Using “conversation” as a metaphor the heuristic is introduced based on three orders of conversation. Drawing on ideas of systemic triangulation, another heuristic device – the systemic triangulator – is used to surface issues of power in the three orders of conversation. Some manifestations in using the STiP heuristic for supporting postgraduate systems learning are demonstrated.

Some key complementarities between conventionally opaque cybernetic issues of wisdom and systems issues of power are revealed, and used proactively to explore more effective coaching of STiP.

Cybernetics and systems thinking may benefit from being grounded more in understanding, engaging with, and transforming social realities. The heuristics provide practical experiential and meaningful learning through conversation, and more social premium for the study of cybernetics and systems thinking.

The heuristics – STiP, and the systemic triangulator – provides an innovative cyber-systemic space for learning and action.

The goal of this chapter is threefold: to bring the context of disability into literature on fathering; to bring voices of fathers into scholarship on parenting children with disabilities; and to examine what individual stories about a very particular kind of fatherhood might reveal about the cultural narrative of the good father, and the reflexive nature of cultural narratives and individual stories.

Transcripts of in-depth, life course interviews with 14 parents of seven young adults, and older teens with severe impairments associated with a variety of diagnoses were analyzed using narrative analysis strategies. Transcripts of the fathers’ interviews provided primary data and transcripts of the mothers’ interviews were used as supplemental material.

Fathers included in this study drew from normative notions of masculinity and widely circulating cultural narratives of fatherhood, even while participating in caregiving tasks that are at odds with this narrative. Five specific narrative tensions that highlight cultural understandings of the “good father” were evident in these stories: (1) evoking masculinity in the context of care work; (2) providing financial security in the context of the high cost of disability; (3) maximizing potential in the context of realistic expectations; (4) protecting in the context of uncertainty and helplessness; and (5) finding a “new normal” in the context of the unexpected.

Findings add to what is known about mothering children with disabilities. Results also add a new dimension to fatherhood studies by illustrating how widely circulating cultural narratives of fatherhood are adapted in stories about fathering children with life-long assistance needs, and how individual stories might serve as a platform for social change.

Looks partially toward a conceptual clarification of globalization interrelated to corporate power. The global economy has experienced structural transformation over time. An integrated network of world trade has evolved in the context of two separate stages. Stage one appeared during the period of the 1870s. The second stage appeared during the post Second World War era. To distinguish this period from stage one, the process of structural transformation now taking place is conceptualized and demarcated as corporate globalization. Given the growing increase in size, power and dominance of the MNCs, the locus of sovereignty is currently being questioned. An issue currently being raised relates to whether or not nation states or MNCs will be in control of the globalization process. Interjects and analyses the theory and policy of free trade, all of which is contained in a paradigm of culture evolution fed by the dynamics of technological change and economic development.

Green Star is becoming a broadly accepted mark of design quality and environmental sustainability. Compared to other green tools, Green Star is considered as one of main streams green assessment tools, which cover almost sustainable criteria. Simultaneously, building information modelling (BIM) has also been introduced into the industry. BIM is expected to aid designers to shift the construction industry towards more environmentally and economically sustainable construction practice. Whilst the aspirations of Green Star rating and BIM implementation are broadly aligned, in the context of New Zealand this has led to some disconnects in design strategy and process. The purpose of this paper is to improve the practicality of BIM implementations for delivering Green Star certification in New Zealand.

The extensive literature review is conducted through a series of incremental steps. A conceptual framework focussing on the relationship between benefits and challenges of BIM and Green Star is then developed.

BIM supports practitioners to achieve the majority of Green Star criteria (75 per cent). Energy efficiency criterion is the key factor affecting the assessment process of Green Star and National Australian Built Environment Rating System in New Zealand. Research questions about lessening the challenges which can be encountered during the BIM and Green Star implementation are developed.

This paper is limited to a conceptual research. Further empirical research should be conducted to validate and modify the conceptual framework and the propositions presented in this paper to provide an initial insight into BIM and Green Star connectivity within the context of New Zealand.

This paper provided a clear picture for investors, developers, practitioners about benefits and challenges of BIM and Green Star implementation. The outcomes are anticipated to deliver visions for shifting the country further towards development of sustainable future cities.