scholarly journals The case for reviewing broadcasting co-regulation

2021 ◽  
pp. 1329878X2110055
Author(s):  
Karen Lee ◽  
Derek Wilding

This article applies principles from the Department of Communications’ policy review of telecommunications consumer protection to broadcasting co-regulation. The Consumer Safeguards Review establishes six principles for good regulation, including that rule-making processes should ‘enable a wide range of views to be considered’. It notes that processes for developing telecommunications codes of practice are likely to lead to ‘sub-optimal’ consumer protection measures. The article draws on original empirical research to assess development of commercial television and commercial radio codes of practice, with particular emphasis on public engagement in co-regulation. It finds the broadcasting codes of practice fail to meet the principles adopted by the Department for good co-regulation. It concludes by arguing there is a pressing need for a more holistic review of communications co-regulation, as broadcasting legislation is similar to the telecommunications legislation, and there is a risk that ‘sub-optimal’ practices could be applied in attempts to regulate digital platforms.

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 458
Author(s):  
Drew C. Baird ◽  
Benjamin Abban ◽  
S. Michael Scurlock ◽  
Steven B. Abt ◽  
Christopher I. Thornton

While there are a wide range of design recommendations for using rock vanes and bendway weirs as streambank protection measures, no comprehensive, standard approach is currently available for design engineers to evaluate their hydraulic performance before construction. This study investigates using 2D numerical modeling as an option for predicting the hydraulic performance of rock vane and bendway weir structure designs for streambank protection. We used the Sedimentation and River Hydraulics (SRH)-2D depth-averaged numerical model to simulate flows around rock vane and bendway weir installations that were previously examined as part of a physical model study and that had water surface elevation and velocity observations. Overall, SRH-2D predicted the same general flow patterns as the physical model, but over- and underpredicted the flow velocity in some areas. These over- and underpredictions could be primarily attributed to the assumption of negligible vertical velocities. Nonetheless, the point differences between the predicted and observed velocities generally ranged from 15 to 25%, with some exceptions. The results showed that 2D numerical models could provide adequate insight into the hydraulic performance of rock vanes and bendway weirs. Accordingly, design guidance and implications of the study results are presented for design engineers.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Frederik Martell

<p>This dissertation examines the statutory protection of elderly consumers in rest homes and makes several proposals of how to improve their protection. The dissertation compares New Zealand’s legislation with the existing rest home related legislation in Australia and Germany to improve New Zealand’s regulations.  At first, the dissertation characterises elderly consumers as a consumer group with special vulnerabilities. According to the dissertation several reasons can be identified, which justify regulatory intervention in favour of the elderly. Secondly, the dissertation gives an overview of the relevant rest home legislation in New Zealand, Australia and Germany.  In the later chapters the dissertation examines the existing information obligations, and the statutory protection of elderly consumers during the implementation and at the time of the termination of a rest home contract. The author argues that many of the existing consumer protection measures are not specifically tailored for consumers in rest homes and, therefore, do not ensure comprehensive protection. Furthermore, the author identifies several gaps in protection and proposes to introduce targeted new protection measures to close these gaps. Subsequently, the dissertation considers the access to justice for elderly consumers. The author states that the existing system offers some advantages but is far from being perfect. He speaks in favour of establishing a new Commissioner who is responsible for the issues of elderly consumers and the enhancement of their legal position.  Lastly and on the basis of the previous outcomes, the author recommends creating a new piece of legislation specifically tailored for the protection of elderly consumers in rest homes to implement all the proposed changes. In the author’s opinion a new Act could build on the existing consumer protection measures but should also improve them to ensure the best protection possible. The author also outlines how a code of practice should be put in place, which sets out minimum requirements.</p>


Author(s):  
Deniz Özalpman ◽  
Sibel Kaba

The chapter deals with the topical issue of cultural policies through digitalization in cinema in Turkey, discussing the appropriate frameworks that need to be put in force. In a rapidly developing society like Turkey, the problems of digitalization in cinema vis-à-vis neoliberal regulation are being debated. Three crucial areas for a digital cultural policy in cinema are identified, namely expanding public service mindset on new services and national digital platforms, creating a communications policy framework of the different parties involved as government, parliament, regulatory authorities, the public service media, and the designated third parties as civil society and market representatives, and stimulating debate to follow an anti-monopolistic progression in (digitalized) cinema.


2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1033-1069
Author(s):  
Sebastian Hermes ◽  
Tobias Riasanow ◽  
Eric K. Clemons ◽  
Markus Böhm ◽  
Helmut Krcmar

AbstractWhile traditional organizations create value within the boundaries of their firm or supply chain, digital platforms leverage and orchestrate a platform-mediated ecosystem to create and co-create value with a much wider array of partners and actors. Although the change to two-sided markets and their generalization to platform ecosystems have been adopted among various industries, both academic research and industry adoption have lagged behind in the healthcare industry. To the best of our knowledge current Information Systems research has not yet incorporated an interorganizational perspective of the digital transformation of healthcare. This neglects a wide range of emerging changes, including changing segmentation of industry market participants, changing patient segments, changing patient roles as decision makers, and their interaction in patient care. This study therefore investigates the digital transformation of the healthcare industry by analyzing 1830 healthcare organizations found on Crunchbase. We derived a generic value ecosystem of the digital healthcare industry and validated our findings with industry experts from the traditional and the start-up healthcare domains. The results indicate 8 new roles within healthcare, namely: information platforms, data collection technology, market intermediaries, services for remote and on-demand healthcare, augmented and virtual reality provider, blockchain-based PHR, cloud service provider, and intelligent data analysis for healthcare provider. Our results further illustrate how these roles transform value proposition, value capture, and value delivery in the healthcare industry. We discuss competition between new entrants and incumbents and elaborate how digital health innovations contribute to the changing role of patients.


2006 ◽  
Vol 121 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Crawford

Long before Australia's first commercial television broadcasts in 1956, advertising agencies and advertisers had been preparing themselves for what they believed would be the greatest ever selling medium. The creation of a new outlet for advertisements was not the industry's sole cause of excitement. Having dominated commercial radio, the advertising industry looked forward to extending its influence. These dreams, however, were only partially fulfilled. While television enabled the industry to broadcast its commercial messages in a more effective way, legislation prevented it from controlling television in the way that it had with radio. This would have a significant impact on the relationship between the two industries. By examining television's impact on the advertising industry, this paper demonstrates that the medium of TV not only altered the face of advertising; it also caused a fundamental change in the structure and operation of Australia's advertising industry.


2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rakesh Belwal ◽  
Rahima Al Shibli ◽  
Shweta Belwal

Purpose Within a larger mandate of reviewing the key global trends concerning consumer protection in the electronic commerce (e-commerce) literature, this study aims to study the legal framework concerning e-commerce and consumer protection in the Sultanate of Oman and to analyse the current regulations concerning e-commerce and consumer protection. Design/methodology/approach This study followed the normative legal research approach and resorted to the desk research process to facilitate content analysis of literature containing consumer protection legislation and regulatory provisions in Oman in particular and the rest of the world in general. Findings The study reveals that consumer protection initiatives in Oman are well entrenched for offline transactions, but are relatively new and limited for e-commerce. In spite of the promulgation of consumer protection laws, electronic transaction law and cybercrime law, consumer protection measures for e-commerce in Oman do not address a large number of the global concerns necessary to build consumer confidence and trust in the online environment. Research limitations/implications There is a dearth of information concerning Oman on this topic in the extant literature. The research also witnessed the lack of empirical data on the issue of consumer protection and e-commerce in Oman that offer a detailed database of consumer complaints and associated outcomes. Practical implications The mechanism of consumer protection in electronic transactions is not robust in many countries. Because of the lack of comprehensive and robust legislation, consumers remain vulnerable in the online contractual purchase process. Moving beyond the fragmented legislation, many countries are currently mulling an all-comprehensive e-commerce law, implications of this paper will help the policymakers in identifying the focus areas. Social implications Consumer protection is a burning global issue in this era of consumerism. It is important to build consumer trust, transparency and integrity of transactions to reduce the risk and uncertainties of purchase. Originality/value Consumer protection studies conducted in the context of Oman, hitherto, deal more with data protection and dispute resolution mechanisms, and less with legal provisions, regulations and consumer confidence. The study shares newer insights based on a systematic review of legal and business databases. It is the first study of its kind in the context of Oman and the Middle East in general.


2000 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 351-382
Author(s):  
Sara Poli

The environment, along with the areas of human health and consumer protection, can be considered one of the so-called “risk regulation” sectors. In these fields the role of scientific expertise is particularly important. This is due to the fact that a great deal of technical implementing legislation is needed in order to apply the political objectives of legislation adopted through EC Treaty rule-making processes involving the Council, the Commission, and the European Parliament. Secondary legislation in environmental policy often consists of technical specifications, which refer to the limit values of polluting substances. At times, technical standards are needed for products susceptible to having an impact on the environment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 2990-3010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally M Gainsbury ◽  
Alex MT Russell ◽  
Nerilee Hing ◽  
Alex Blaszczynski

Many jurisdictions have legalized and licensed online gambling sites. Nonetheless, a notable proportion of the online gambling market operates offshore. Offshore sites pose risks for consumers in terms of unsafe and disreputable practices, compete with domestically licensed sites and do not participate in the economies in which they operate. This study aimed to explore the extent to which Australian online gamblers use offshore as compared to domestic gambling sites, consumer attitudes and gambling-related harms. Participants ( N = 3199) completed an online survey assessing gambling behaviour, reasons for choosing sites, awareness of and impact of online gambling legislation, and problem gambling. Results show that 25.8% of online gamblers used offshore sites, and that these were more involved gamblers overall than domestic gamblers, and had greater problem gambling severity. Most online gamblers preferred domestic sites, indicating that regulation of online gambling with associated consumer protection measures may benefit those who wish to gamble online.


2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (7) ◽  
pp. 1601-1608
Author(s):  
Agustin Cocola-Gant ◽  
Angela Hof ◽  
Christian Smigiel ◽  
Ismael Yrigoy

Papers in this special issue offer a wide range of political economy and sociological perspectives to explain the development and impacts of short-term rentals (STRs) in European cities. Empirically, they provide insights regarding STR providers, socio-spatial impacts, and regulation. Authors reveal the professionalization of the sector vis-à-vis the connection between STRs and the wider financialization of housing. STRs are predominantly supplied by professional property managers as well as by middle-class individuals for which renting on digital platforms is their main professional activity. Furthermore, the increasing professionalization of hosts and the intrinsic competition among them is largely stimulated by the business model of digital platforms which has progressively favoured professional operators. Understanding how STRs are shaped by platform capitalism helps to explain the socio-spatial impacts of this market as well as why current regulations have not mitigated such impacts. In terms of impacts, contributions to this special issue document processes of displacement, gentrification, and how the penetration of visitors in neighbourhoods is experienced by residents as a process of loss and dispossession. However, due to the lobbying campaigns of professional operators and industry players, regulation has led to the legitimization of this new market rather than to the limitation of the activity. Therefore, the special issue challenges the use of a ‘sharing economy' and ‘peer-to-peer platforms’ as analytical categories, and, instead, provides evidence of why the STR market should be seen as part of the wider expansion of platform capitalism, consolidating the neoliberal and financialized urban paradigm.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 86
Author(s):  
Ahmed Faleh Al-Bayati

This paper presents a simple strut and tie model to calculate the shear strength of reinforced concrete deep beams. The proposed model assumes that the shear strength is the algebraic sum of three strength components: concrete diagonal strut, vertical stirrups, and horizontal web reinforcements. The contribution of each strength components was calibrated with the test results of 305 deep beams compiled from previous studies with wide range of geometrical and material properties. The predictions of the proposed model were compared with those of the current codes of practice (ACI-318-14 and ASHTOO 2014) and those of existing model in the literature. Comparisons revealed that the proposed model provided better predictions than other models. The mean of predicted strength to test of the proposed model, the ACI-318-14 model, the ASHTOO 2014 model were 0.98, 0.79, and 0.75, respectively. The corresponding standard deviations were 0.17, 0.28, and 0.49, respectively.


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