Clute Institute: Journals
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Computational Thinking Concepts for Grade School
Get PDFEarly education has classically introduced reading, writing, and mathematics. Recent literature discusses the importance of adding “computational thinking” as a core ability that every child must learn. The goal is to develop students by making them equally comfortable with computational thinking as they are with other core areas of early education. Computational thinking does not come naturally and requires training and guidance. This paper argues for the inclusion of computational thinking in tandem with mathematics. As an example, the paper demonstrates spreadsheet applications that can be utilized concurrently with early mathematical concepts. It demonstrates that at this time, spreadsheets are the best medium for inculcating computational thinking but recognizes that advances in technology may favor other digital approaches in time
Effective Use Of Group Projects In Online Learning
Get PDFGroup projects have long been used in face-to-face instruction to improve cognitive learning among its students. Group projects not only provide practical experience and allow students to practice the concepts they have learned, but also teach the students creative construction and group dynamics. As important as group projects have proven in conventional learning, they are rarely used in online education courses. This paper examines the foundations of effectively using group projects, and then demonstrates how to integrate them into online learning courses
Women Owners Of SMMEs: Finding Their Place In The Sun
Get PDFWomen business ownership is cardinal for long-term economic growth. Research provides divergent reasons for the difference in the characteristics of SMMEs owned by women and those owned by men. In this study, a quantitative survey was conducted among 650 formal SMMEs in Soweto Township, South Africa, using questionnaires. A third of the respondents comprised women, who were characterised as generally being older (67.6% were over the age of 40), having a higher level of education (11.1% had three years or more of tertiary education) and being involved on a full-time basis in SMMEs (100%). When compared with their male counterparts, fewer young women were involved in business ownership, and a sizeable component of older women-owners/managers exists. No major difference regarding education was found between genders. Both gender groups started their businesses mainly because of unemployment. Far more women respondents than men located their businesses in small shopping centres. The results also showed that more women were in business for more than five years and that more women-owned businesses showed growth in income over the preceding year. These findings are aligned with national and international surveys which show that the gap between men and women business owners is narrowing. Finally, the results showed a need for support programmes focused on empowering both genders to succeed in all phases of the business life cycle, with a primary need for improved marketing skills. Business support programmes can be successful only if improved communication is established between programme developers and business owners.
Doctoral Education And Government Funding In Higher Education Institutions: An Approach From Chile
Get PDFThis research reveals the importance that government funding and the quality of faculty have on the doctoral training of universities from the Council of Chilean Universities (CRUCH), thus exploring the existing relationship inside this formative process. The results and conclusions show that government funding has a direct impact on doctoral training in Chile, along with the quality of the academic staff that these analyzed institutions have. Therefore, it is pertinent to conclude that fiscal funding and quality of faculty is important and relevant within the training of doctors in Chile
A Case Study Of Share Repurchases: Value Creation Or Financial Engineering
Get PDFAs growth rates in the global economy have slowed, the use of financial engineering as a tool for managing earnings per share (EPS) has grown. Stock repurchasing is frequently used to increase earnings per share and perceived value. Leverage recapitalizations fund major repurchasing programs as firms take advantage of historically low interest rates. This case requires students to analyze the impact of repurchases on EPS and to also reflect on future growth prospects when payout amounts exceed net income over an extended period of time. It allows students to critically examine the inputs for valuing stocks using the total payout model. The case is constructed using real world information extracted from 10K reports and from recent company announcements. It can be used at the undergraduate (400) or graduate level. It is most suitable for Corporate Financial Management or Corporate Finance courses. The basics of financial statement analysis, time value of money, stock valuation, capital structure and payout practices are necessary to successfully navigate the case
The Anchor Foundation: A Tax Case Study In The Use Of Foundations By Adversarial Groups
Get PDFThis case study reviews the Anchor Foundation, a private 501(c)(3) foundation associated with the Socialist Workers Party (SWP), a small radical organization. Anchor Foundation made a major sale of real estate that was donated to the Foundation. The case raises issues under the tax rules covering private foundations of "disqualified persons," fiduciary duty of care, excessive compensation, disclosure of contributors, political expenditures, and disclosures in the Form 990s
The Young Professional: A Personal Budgeting Challenge
Get PDFA common dream of many college students is to have a job within their chosen field awaiting them when they graduate. However, given the economy and other situational factors, this may not become a reality for all students. In this case study, a soon-to-be-graduate, Kate Denny, has been fortunate enough to have received a job offer in her chosen field commencing upon graduation. She has worked extremely hard to place herself in this situation. Offered, what she considers a generous starting salary and benefits package, she is beginning her journey into the real world and living independently and being truly self-supportive. However, she is not quite sure whether or not she will be able to live within her means, support herself, fulfill her obligations and at the same time, live the good life of a young professional. A personal budget is what Kate needs. She seeks your advice and counsel to help her manage her finances so she can have her cake and eat it too
The Lasting Effects Of Social Media Trends On Advertising
Get PDFAmericans are exposed to an astounding number of advertising messages every day. The result of this bombardment of advertising on society is that consumers have become increasingly resistant to traditional forms of advertising. After spending millions of dollars on mass advertising that consumers tend to block out and ignore, marketers have re-evaluated their advertising methods and are following holistic marketing concepts that focus on customer relationship marketing and more creative, understated ads instead of in-your-face billboards and loud television segments. This paper explores social media trends, including social media opportunities and mobile marketing, and the potentially lasting effects that these trends have on advertising
Exploring Product Fit And Brand Fit In Brand Alliances: Establishing The Role Of Categorization Processes
Get PDFThe marketing strategy of brand alliance has received considerable attention in marketing literature. A significant factor in the study of how consumers process brand alliances is the concept of “fit”. Specifically, it has been shown that consumers evaluate the extent to which the brands and products in a brand alliance are congruent. While the concept of fit has been addressed in brand alliance research, little is known about what fit really is. This paper seeks to establish the processes by which consumers make evaluations of both product and brand fit. Based on a review of the relevant literature, it is proposed that consumers use higher-order categorization processes in evaluating brand alliances. A 2 x 2 experiment was conducted to test multiple hypotheses. Results confirm these hypotheses and confirm that consumers do indeed conduct a higher-order category search as they evaluate brand alliances. Based on this work, an entire field of research can now be applied to the study of this promotional strategy. While various studies in the recent past have examined factors affecting the processing of brand alliances, there remains a great deal to be learned about how brand alliance information is processed and what factors affect both cognitive and evaluative outcomes. Applications of categorization theories open new avenues in the study of this area of consumer research
Learning And Predicting Individual Preferences In Multicriteria Decision Making With Neural Networks Vs. Utility Functions
Get PDFThis paper reports an empirical investigation into the performance of neural network technique vs. traditional utility theory-based method in capturing and predicting individual preference in multi-criteria decision making. As a universal function approximator, a neural network can assess individual utility function without imposing strong assumptions on functional form and behavior of the underlying data. Results of this study show that in all cases, the predictive ability of neural network technique was comparable to the multi-attribute utility theory-based models.