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Digital schools: How technology can transform education
No full textNew innovations in the use of education technology will be discussed. There has been an explosion of video games for instructional purposes, augmented reality, social media, competency-based education, and use of data analytics to improve decision-making. Dr. West will review the evidence on these new approaches and make recommendations on which are the most promising for future use.Digital Schools: How Technology Can Transform Education
Darrell M. West
Vice President, Governance Studies
Director, Center for Technology Innovation 1 2
Khan Academy Video 3
Online Courses 4
Math Video Games 5
How Mobile Aids Student Learning
Project Tomorrow, 2013 6
South Korea Robots 7
Online Course Achievement
710688675680685690695700705710715Virtual SchoolsTraditional SchoolsAlgebra Test Scores8
Civics Education Through Games
4614.413.701020304050Branches of PowerSupreme Court DecisionsPersonal RightsPercentageImprovement in Civics Knowledge Pre and Post-Tests9
Student Retention
10203090020406080100ReadingHearingVisualsSimulationPercentageAbility to Recall Information10
Teacher Dashboard 11
Lessons of Reform
Technology
Organization
Culture 12
Integrated Change
Content
Assessment
Collaboration
Real-Time
Analytics
Infrastructur
Confronting crises: An examination of leadership attributes needed by network service-oriented organizations to improve the responsiveness when managing natural disasters
No full textThe purpose of this dissertation was to explore and identify the leadership competencies required to influence the actions and decisions of network service-oriented organizations through the dynamic disaster life cycle in order to minimize the consequences of natural disasters.Purpose and Scope of Research
Purpose The purpose of this dissertation was to explore and identify the leadership competencies required to influence the actions and decisions of network service-oriented organizations through the dynamic disaster life cycle in order to minimize the consequences of natural disasters. Scope
•Explore leadership competencies within network service-oriented organizations operating in crises situations.
•Examine factors that influenced organizational effectiveness in response to and preparation for crises situations
•Investigate how leaders of network service-oriented organizations minimize the impact of natural disasters on organizational structures and systems
Confronting Crises: An examination of leadership attributes needed by network service-oriented organizations to improve the responsiveness when managing natural disasters Eric Baranick Dissertation Committee: Deborah Wharff, D.M. and Eric Dent, Ph.D Fall 2014
R
Research Question (RQ) and Propositions (P)
RQ: When preparing for the potential impact of natural disasters what are the fundamental leadership competencies for responding that will influence network service-oriented organization effectiveness in lessening the negative impact of those disasters on people and organizations.
P1. Disaster managers face dynamic and fluid scenarios and must prioritize certain actions to facilitate organizational operations. P2. The ambiguous and uncertain nature of natural disasters are positively influenced when leaders among networked service-oriented organizations have a keen situational awareness. P3. An organizational learning culture improves the information exchange and knowledge-sharing process within network service-oriented organizations throughout the disaster life cycle.
Significance to Management
Natural disasters can have a significant impact on communities, organizational structures and systems; and leaders of network service-oriented organizations that respond to these crises confront ambiguity and uncertainty. This dissertation explored the requisite competencies to manage the dynamically unfolding impact of natural disasters and provided evidence-based research for effective leadership that enhanced organizational mechanisms that minimized the potential impact of natural disasters in organizational structures and systems.
Conceptual Model
Leadership competencies within the disaster life cycle
Results
Key Authors and Theories
Selection of Studies
Evaluation of Evidence
Evaluation of Evidence
Hierarchy of Evidence
Thematic Synthesis
Findings and Conclusions
Future Research
Environmental Awareness
Information Exchange
Adaptability
Decision-Making
Disaster
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Mitigation
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Number of studies per year of publication
Complex Adaptive Systems Theory Simon (1962) (1993) Anderson (1999) Lichtenstein, Uhl-Bien, Marion, Seers, Orton, and Schreiber (2006) Complex Leadership Theory Marion and Uhl-Bien (2001) Hazy (2006) Weick (1993) Organizational Learning Theory Argyris (1975) Shrivastava (1983) Thomas, Clark, & Gioia (1993)
Primary Themes
Specific Competencies/Traits
Sensemaking
Internal and External Awareness
Weick (1993)
Decoding
McGuire and Silvia (2009)
Assessment
Decision-Making
Agility
Baran and Scott (2010)
Flexibility
Van Wart and Kapucu (2011)
Organizational Learning
Stakeholder communication
Thomas, Clark, & Gioia (1993)
Information sharing
Pearson and Mitroff (1993)
n=29
n=29
•Networked service-oriented organizational leaders who effectively managed the cyclical nature of the crises were better able to assess, interpret, and synthesize ambiguous information related to crises, and provide a more effective organizational response.
•Within the context of a complex disaster scenario, it was found that leaders who exhibit constant and continuous environmental awareness through sensemaking are better prepared to decode and analyze these dynamic situations.
•Competent leaders that facilitated the process of organizational learning throughout the disaster life cycle overcame the inherent characteristics of crises, ambiguity and uncertainty, in order to positively influence the next stage of the cycle.
•Further exploration on the correlation between complex adaptive systems theory and NSO effectiveness and efficiency during crises.
•More empirical research following critical scenarios on NSO leadership flexibility and agility for decision-making.
•More nuanced discussion of organizational learning within a networked organizational structure during crises.
Selected Systematic Review
Random Sample Studies
Cohort Studies
Case Control Studies
Cross Sectional Studies
Case Reports
Ideas, Opinions, Perspective
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Selected Systematic Review
Random Sample Studies
Cohort Studies
Case Control Studies
Mixed Methods
Case Reports
Ideas, Opinions, Perspective
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Ethnographic
Interview
Survey (mail)
Case report
Mixed Methods
Critical Incidents
Data collection approach in selected articles 29 of studies included in qualitative synthesis PRISMA Flow Diagram Included Eligibility Screening Identification 1,374 records identified using leadership competencies and disasters search terms 63 full-text articles assessed for eligibility 34 of full-text articles excluded, with reasons 415 empirical study abstracts screened 352 records excluded 643 total records focused on third secto
Improving organizational citizenship behaviour through trust building between supervisors and employees: A systematic review of evidence
No full textThis project assesses the impact of vertical dyadic trust (trust between supervisors and subordinates) on organizational citizenship behavior and examines individual characteristics engendering trust in a vertical dyadic relationship.Results
Purpose and Scope of Research
Theoretical Frameworks
Findings
Importance to Management Practice
Research Questions
Propositions
Conceptual Framework
Implications for Managers
Line of Argumentation
Available Evidence & Synthesis
Future Research
Purpose
Scope of Research
To assess the impact of vertical dyadic trust (trust between supervisors and subordinates) on organizational citizenship behavior and to examine individual characteristics engendering trust in a vertical dyadic relationship.
Among “leader”, “follower” and “relationship”, the domain of study is the relationship between leaders and followers, and the level of analysis is dyad.
•Organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB) are positively related to employee productivity, customer satisfaction, reduced turnover, and reduced absenteeism (Podsakoff et al., 2009)
•An employee’s citizenship behaviors “can neither be enforced on the basis of formal role obligations nor elicited by contractual guarantees or recompense” (Organ, 1990, p. 46)
•These behaviors can be fostered and enhanced through social exchange relationships (Ilies et al., 2007)
Results
Personal Reason for Research Topic
•The success of an organization fundamentally depends on employees’ willingness to go above and beyond “the call of duty”, namely, to exhibit organizational citizenship behaviors
•There is a lack of organizational citizenship behaviors such as altruism, courtesy, and sportsmanship in my work environment. Improvements in these behaviors can boost harmony, commitment, and performance
Improving Organizational Citizenship Behavior Through Trust Building Between Supervisors and Employees: A Systematic Review of Evidence Omer Ozbek Faculty Members: Deborah M. Wharff, D.M. & Sharon Hadary, Ph.D. Spring 2014
Mutual trust between an employee and a supervisor is significantly correlated with the employee’s OCB
There is a causal relationship between mutual trust and OCB
Trust between a supervisor and an employee is not constant, it dynamically changes based on previous social exchanges
Three individual characteristics (ability, benevolence, integrity) engender (positively and significantly affect) vertical dyadic trust
Trust propensity of an employee or a supervisor has a moderating role between individual characteristics of the other person and trust in the other person
Vertical dyadic trust develops mutually and reciprocity is a mechanism that reinforces mutual trust
Thus, an employee’s OCB can be improved by building trust between supervisors and employees based on perceived individual characteristics and reciprocity
R1. What is the impact of vertical dyadic trust on a subordinate’s organizational citizenship behaviors? R2. Which individual characteristics engender interpersonal trust in a vertical dyadic relationship?
P1. Trust between a supervisor and a subordinate positively affects the subordinate’s organizational citizenship behavior. P2. A subordinate’s integrity, ability, benevolence and a supervisor’s propensity to trust are positively related to the supervisor’s trust in subordinate. P3. A supervisor’s integrity, ability, benevolence and a subordinate’s propensity to trust are positively related to the subordinate’s trust in supervisor.
• 35 quantitative studies
26 surveys
6 meta-analyses
3 longitudinal studies
• 4 qualitative studies Realist Synthesis is used to synthesize heterogeneous evidence Relational findings from cross-sectional studies (surveys) and meta-analyses are confirmed with causal findings from longitudinal and qualitative studies
•Trust between supervisors and subordinates positively affects an employee's organizational citizenship behaviors such as altruism, conscientiousness, courtesy, civic virtue, and sportsmanship
•Trust development between supervisors and subordinates is an interdependent process
•Ability, benevolence, and integrity are significant antecedents of trust in supervisors and subordinates while the degrees of significance for these variables vary depending on the context
•Trust propensity acts as a mechanism that enhances the impact of individual characteristics on trust whereas reciprocity acts as a mechanism that enhances mutual trust development
• Educate and train managers and employees to display and reciprocate trustworthy behaviors
• Create an awareness of an individual’s trust propensity in the development of mutual trust
• Hire/assign individuals with high trust propensity to positions requiring advanced levels of vertical dyadic trust
• Avoid violation of trust by communicating the reasons for an individual’s actions that threaten his/her perceived ability, integrity, and benevolence
• Conduct primary research to validate the proposed model
• Examine the moderating role of trust propensity and reciprocity on trust antecedents and outcomes
• Examine the relationship between peer to peer trust and organizational citizenship behaviors
• Examine how vertical dyadic trust relates to organizational citizenship behaviors of supervisors
Antecedents
of Trust
Definition
Included Characteristics
Ability
“group of skills, competencies, and characteristics that enable a party to have influence within some specific domain” (p. 717)
competence, expertise, skillfulness
Benevolence
“the extent to which a trustee is believed to want to do good to the trustor, aside from egocentric motives” (p. 718)
caring, availability, loyalty, openness, receptivity
Integrity
“the trustor's perception that the trustee adheres to a set of principles that the trustor finds acceptable” (p. 720)
fairness, consistency, discreteness, promise fulfillment, reliability
•OCB: Extra-role performance that “supports the social and psychological environment in which task performance takes place” (Organ, 1997, p. 95). These behaviors contribute to organizational outcomes but are discretionary in general, ie. not enforceable requirements of the employment contract or punishable if omitted
• Social Exchange Theory (Goulder, (1960), Blau (1964), Emerson (1976))
Suggests that the relationship between a supervisor and a subordinate is an exchange which is interdependent and contingent on each individual’s actions (Goulder, 1960).
As opposed to “economic” exchanges which are transactional and contractual, “social” exchanges involve discretionary, extra-role behaviors that go beyond the limits of contracts (Deluga, 1994).
In work settings, supervisors allocate resources such as power, capital, and facilities to subordinates and in return subordinates provide other resources such as services, skills, and ideas (Werbel & Henriques, 2009)
Supervisor Characteristics
Ability
Benevolence
•Caring
•Openness
Integrity
•Fairness
Subordinate characteristics
Integrity
•Discreteness
Benevolence
•Availability
•Receptivity
Ability
•Competence
Organizational Citizenship Behaviors
Altruism
Conscientiousness
Courtesy
Civic virtue
Sportsmanship
Subordinate’s Propensity to Trust
Supervisor’s Propensity to Trust
Trust in Supervisor
Trust in Subordinate
Mutual Trust
Reciprocity
• Mayer et al.’s (1995) An Integrative Model of Organizational Trust SEARCH STRING
SET 1
(*trust* AND (supervis* OR subordinate* OR leader* OR manager* OR LMX* OR dyad* OR vertical OR antecedent*))
SET 2
(*trust* AND (citizenship OR ocb OR extra-role))
FIRST SEARCH STRING
Provider
Search Field
Number of Documents
SSCI
Topic
5833
EBSCOHOST
Titles OR Subject Terms
3199
Proquest
Titles OR Subject Terms
7962
Science Direct
Abstract, Title, Keywords
1424
Total Initial Results
18418
Total After Inclusion/Exclusion Creteria
3219
Total After Duplicates Removed
832
Total After Abstract Screening
174
Additional Documents through screening of most relevant journals and reference sections of most relevant articles
12
Total Included in the Synthesis (after relevance & quality assessment)
15
SECOND SEARCH STRING
Provider
Search Field
Number of Documents
SSCI
Topic
517
EBSCOHOST
Subject Terms OR Abstracts
246
Proquest
Abstracts
58
Science Direct
Abstract, Title, Keywords
71
Total Initial Results
892
Total After Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
363
Total After Duplicates Removed
123
Total After Abstract Screening
49
Additional Documents through screening of most relevant journals and reference sections of most relevant articles
3
Total Included in the Synthesis (after relevance & quality assessment)
22
Search Results
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW IS ALL ABOUT TRANSPARENCY
Deduplicate in RefWorks
Develop search string
Search Multiple Databases
Initial Database (N=3582)
Excluded Documents (N= 2627)
Screen Titles & Abstracts
Excluded Documents (N= 732)
Screen Full Document (Relevance & Quality Assesment)
Excluded Documents (N= 199)
"Screen Me" Database (N=955)
"Read Me" Database (N= 238)
Synthesis (N= 39)
Additional documents through -Screening of the most related journals (N= 3) -Screening of reference sections of most related documents (N= 12)
Apply Inclusion/ Exclusion Criteria
Excluded Documents (N=15728)
INCLUSION CRETERIA
EXCLUSION CRITERIA
Document Type
Document Type
Academic journal articles
Editorial
Theses/dissertations
Commentary
Books/book chapters
News Article
Conference papers/proceedings
Trade journal article
Reports
Magazine article
Working papers
Correspondence
Speech/lecture
Instructional material/guideline
Advertisement
Wire feeds
Subject
Medicine/medical care/health
Law/legislation/regulation
Engineering/Information technology
Finance/Accounting/Investment/Tax
Education/Student advising
Physical Science/Agriculture
Language
Non-Englis
Digital schools: How technology can transform education
No full textNew innovations in the use of education technology will be discussed. There has been an explosion of video games for instructional purposes, augmented reality, social media, competency-based education, and use of data analytics to improve decision-making. Dr. West will review the evidence on these new approaches and make recommendations on which are the most promising for future use
Using novel video indexing and data analytics tool to enhance learning interactions and outcomes in cybersecurity online education
No full textAnalyzing video data, a major format of unstructured data, is an emerging area in big data analytics, evidencing an increasingly prominent trend in current efforts to harness data from and build new environments and cultures of digital learning. However, challenges in video data analysis in the field of learning technology are often not addressed due to their complexity and challenges of selection, analysis, technology and ethics.
In this paper, we present a novel system - inVideo for video data analytics, and its use in learning analytics as the field strives towards new cultures of learning in the digital realm involving large quantities of video data in online learning systems and MOOCs.
InVideo is able to analyze video content automatically without the need for initial viewing by a human. Using a highly efficient video indexing engine we developed, the system is able to analyze both language and video frames. The index engine works in two ways: it identifies keywords and language patterns in the audio, and identifies objects and individuals in each frame based on reference files, pictures or knowledge. The time-stamped commenting and tagging features make it an effective tool for increasing interactions between students and online learning systems.
Experiments show that inVideo presents an efficient tool to begin to address the challenge of initial data selection and reduction for analysis that could be used in multiple applied and empirical settings for learning technology research and increase interactions in online learning environment.
Data from cybersecurity program at University of Maryland University College show that using inVideo as an adaptive assessment tool, interactions between student-student and student-faculty in online classrooms increased significantly across 24 sections program-wide.1
Using Novel Video Indexing and Data Analytics Tool to Enhance Learning Interactions and Outcomes in Cybersecurity Online Education
Shuangbao (Paul) Wang, Ph.D.
Professor and Program Director of Cybersecurity
Department of Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
University of Maryland University College
Adelphi, Maryland 20783, USA
[email protected]
ABSTRACT
Analyzing video data, a major format of unstructured data, is an emerging area in big data analytics, evidencing an increasingly prominent trend in current efforts to harness data from and build new environments and cultures of digital learning. However, challenges in video data analysis in the field of learning technology are often not addressed due to their complexity and challenges of selection, analysis, technology and ethics.
In this paper, we present a novel system - inVideo for video data analytics, and its use in learning analytics as the field strives towards new cultures of learning in the digital realm involving large quantities of video data in online learning systems and MOOCs.
InVideo is able to analyze video content automatically without the need for initial viewing by a human. Using a highly efficient video indexing engine we developed, the system is able to analyze both language and video frames. The index engine works in two ways: it identifies keywords and language patterns in the audio, and identifies objects and individuals in each frame based on reference files, pictures or knowledge. The time-stamped commenting and tagging features make it an effective tool for increasing interactions between students and online learning systems.
Experiments show that inVideo presents an efficient tool to begin to address the challenge of initial data selection and reduction for analysis that could be used in multiple applied and empirical settings for learning technology research and increase interactions in online learning environment.
Data from cybersecurity program at University of Maryland University College show that using inVideo as an adaptive assessment tool, interactions between student-student and student-faculty in online classrooms increased significantly across 24 sections program-wide.
Keywords: video index, big data, learning analytics, MOOCs, assessment2
1. Introduction
Learning technology practitioners and researchers face the challenges of analyzing large amounts of digital data in the new cultures of learning that are emerging, especially videos on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Attempting to address the challenge of initial analysis and selection of digital video data can provide significant benefit for learning and research in the field.
Big data analytics are used to collect, curate, search, analyze, and visualize large data sets that are generated from sources such as texts (including blogs and chats), images, videos, logs and sensors (Bakshi, 2012). Video data is a major format of unstructured data, and should be an indispensable area of big data analytics. However, most analytics tools are only able to use structured data. Due to the nature of the special file format, traditional search engines cannot penetrate into videos therefore video indexing becomes a problem.
Videos contain audio and visual components, and neither of these components is text based. To understand a video, the viewer must actually play it and use their eyes and ears to analyze the sounds and visuals being presented to them. Without watching a video, it is hard to glean information from its content or even know whether there is information to be found within.
Existing search engines and data analytics tools such as Google, SAS, SPSS and Hadoop are effective only in analyzing text and image data. Video data however are difficult to index and therefore difficult to analyze.
In education, video presents a large opportunity for both classroom and online education (Rideout, V., Foehr, U., and Roberts, D., 2010). In addition, video is a great teaching format because it can both be more enjoyable and more memorable than other instruction formats (Choi, H. J., & Johnson, S. D., 2005). Furthermore, video instruction allows for students to work at their own pace, for teachers to be able to teach more students, and for more reusable teaching materials when compared to an in-person lecture. MOOC creators realize the many benefits of video, as evidenced by the prevalence of video in MOOCs. Many MOOCs focus on video files for the bulk of their instructional material so it is clear that the MOOCs of the future must also focus on videos.
Structuring video data and accurately modeling relevant metrics has value for future courseware applications, especially MOOCs. A MOOC can be enhanced or limited by the design of the user interface, as well as the analytics by which the MOOC is assessed and reformed. With the inVideo technology, we have a system that could be applied to provide rich data on videos, turn them into more effective learning tools, and improve MOOCs. One teacher cannot possibly personally oversee the development of thousands of students with any effectiveness. Therefore, effectively leveraging technology to develop effective analytics is essential to the effectiveness of MOOCs, yet the problem of education at such a large scale is a relatively novel problem. Applications of inVideo could potentially address this novel and growing problem.
InVideo (Wang and Behrmann, 2010), developed under a US Department of Education grant, is able to analyze video content (language and video frames) prior to initial close researcher review of the video. A highly efficient video indexing engine can analyze both language and video frames based on natural language and referent objects. Once a video is indexed, its content 3
becomes searchable and statistical analysis techniques as well as qualitative analysis are possible. Commenting and tagging add a layer of interaction between students and online courses. It also increases the accuracy on transcript. The indexing technology is especially useful in mining video data for learning events. InVideo can promote initial data selection, analyzing video data in two different ways: one is to locate in the video to find keywords that were spoken in the video; another way is to identify an object in the video if a reference picture is provided. inVideo also has an automatic caption system that can transcribe the words people spoken in the video and can construct in-place video quizzes for assessments.
Learning is an integration of interaction. The interaction might exist between learners and instructors or between learners and computers. While the traditional approach would be to analyze grades at the end of the semester, this lacks the benefits that come from interactions (Elias, 2011). As an increasingly large number of educational resources move online, analyzing interactions between students and online course material is becoming important. Many learning management systems (LMS) have built-in learning analytics tools to look into the data. Due to the limitation of the data gathering and indexing, the built-in tools are generally not sufficient in assessing study outcomes, especially for video content.
2. Related Works
Angel et. al (2012) proposed a way to track student interactivity by logging the interaction with educational video games. The conclusion is that even a simple semi-automatic tracking, it shows advantage compares to the most video related systems that are fed with less quality data.
Big data and learning analytics can become part of the solutions integrated into administrative and instructional functions of higher education (Picciano, 2012). Traditional face-to-face instruction can support traditional data-driven decision-making process. Videos as a form of big data are more extensive and especially time-sensitive learning analytics applications. It is important that instructional transactions are collected as they occur.
Learning analytics can provide powerful tools for teachers in order to support them in the iterative process of improving the effectiveness of their course and to collaterally enhance their students’ performance (Dyckhoff et. al., 2012). Dyckhoff developed a toolkit to enable teachers to explore and correlate learning object usage, user behavior, as well as assessment results based on graphical indicators. This learning analytics system is able to analyze data such as time spent, areas of interest, usage of resources, participation rates and correlation with grades data and visualize them using a dashboard. However the system is unable analyze the interactions between students and the online learning systems on videos.
Haubold & Kender (2004) introduced techniques for extracting, analyzing, and visualizing textual contents from the instructional videos. They obtained transcripts from videos of university courses. Using the information, they index the transcripts and displays in graphs that help in understanding the overall course structure. Unfortunately the index process only takes static data, no interactive data is included. 4
In order to improve interactions between students and online course material especially videos, we have developed a video index engine to look at every word spoken in the video and categorize it using our custom index algorithm. In addition, a content-based pattern recognition engine can search individual frame of the video to recognize objects and individuals being displayed. The collaborative commenting, tagging and in-place quizzes make videos more accessible and also increase the accuracy of the search engine.
3. Video Indexing and Search
Videos are a different data type than text and images, in that they are unstructured data. Traditional search engines are mostly text based, with a few tools that allow for searching of images. In order to index a video, a search engine needs to extract meaningful language from the audio and convert it to text, while simultaneously converting the visual frames into a series of images that can be used to recognize persons and objects in the video. This is an extremely difficult task, given that videos are a compound format. Not only are the audio and visual components integrated, but also within each of these components there is a blend of information being presented in a manner that cannot be distinguished as easily by a computer as by a human brain. For example, the audio of the file may contain speech, music, and background noises that a computer will have a hard time recognizing and analyzing.
3.1 Automatic Indexing Algorithm
The video indexing engine uses the vector space model to represent the document by a set of possible weighted content terms. The weight of the term reflects its importance in relation to the meaning of the document (Wang, Chen & Behrmann, 2004).
After calculating the normalized frequency of a term in the document, the weight to measure the relative importance of each concept or single term is obtained. The automatic index algorithm then calculates the final position in n-dimensional space. The result is to be used for generating search results or visualization.
3.2 Searching Videos by Keywords
Video search involves two steps: analyzing by keywords and by image references. When a keyword is entered, the system looks through the indexed audio transcript to see if there is a match. An image reference may refer to either a picture or keywords that describe an object in the video using an appropriate semantic space.
Video clips whose language contains the keywords will be retrieved. Figure 1 shows how indexed videos can be searched using keywords in the spoken language.5
Figure 1: Analyzing videos by keywords
3.3 Searching Videos by References
Searching videos by reference functions by examining the frames of the video to see if the given picture or keyword is found. If the reference is a picture, then the system uses a Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) algorithm to find the match frames and return the video clips that contain the reference picture. Figure 2 shows the image-based CBIR algorithm that retrieves the video frames corresponding to the reference picture (in red).
Figure 2: Analyzing Videos by Image References using CBIR Algorithm
If the reference is a keyword (e.g. “credit card”) then the system uses a knowledge tree to find matches in the video. If one video frame contains an object matching the features associated with the keyword, the section of the video is returned. Figure 3 shows how a search for the keyword “credit card” will retrieve the video frames that contain objects as credit cards.6
Figure 3: Analyzing Videos by keyword References using Knowledge Tree
3.4 Searching Videos with Multiple Languages
Sometime multiple languages may be found in videos. Transcribe engines normally only work in one language or closely related languages. For other languages, a different transcribe engine may be required. InVideo addressed this problem by allowing videos with different languages to be searched from a single user interface.
Figure 4 shows the indexing engine properly analyzing the Chinese language. When entering the word “student” in Chinese, the video search engine will locate that term in the transcript and return the corresponding frames. Currently there are multiple languages that can be analyzed by the inVideo system, with more to be added.
Figure 4: Analyzing Videos with Different Languages
4. Collaborative and Interactive Learning
The ability to take unstructured video files and bring structure to the data greatly enhances the value of any MOOC. Because MOOCs make heavy use of video as a medium for providing instruction, the ability to create, access, and organize the data contained within is paramount. 7
The information provided by instructional materials holds less value if students are unable to access it properly, and thus inVideo’s ability to index and structure video-based instruction will provide a great amount of value to MOOC’s effectiveness.
Automatically generated video transcripts may have accuracy problems. Besides, the vast numbers of videos in MOOCs make them impossible to be retrieved correctly with just one or a few simple keywords. To solve these problems, we have implemented a collaborative filtering mechanism including commenting, tagging and in-place quizzes. These features improve the accuracy and increase interactions between students and the online learning systems. With collaborative filtering, knowledge on MOOC systems is greatly improved, and better students achievements are therefore expected.
4.1 Collaborative Filtering
Collaborative filtering is a process of improving accuracy caused by automatic indexing algorithm by leveraging user feedback. This is popular on websites that have millions of users and user-generated content. Users are able to create time-stamped comments on videos. These comments can be hidden or made public so that someone else who views the video can see the comment at the specific time. These comments help increase accuracy and enhance interactions in online learning.
Tagging is another implementation in the inVideo system. It is to attach keyword descriptions to identify video frames as categories or topic. Videos with identical tags can then be linked together allowing students to search for similar or related content. Tags can be created using words, acronyms or numbers. It is also called social bookmarking.
Commenting and tagging refine the knowledge and increase the search accuracy. At the time when information is exponentially growing, these features are extremely helpful for students to obtain the knowledge with the least amount of time.
4.2 In-place Assessment with iQuiz
Internet computing has the advantage of employing powerful CPUs on remote servers to provide applications across the network. inVideo comes with an Internet Computing-based video quiz system (iQuiz) to utilize the computational power of remote servers to provide video quiz services to users across the Internet.
Currently, videos are mostly non-interactive, therefore no interactions between students and the learning content. Students view videos either online or download to their personal devices. There is no way for educators to know whether a student has understood the content or even to know whether the student has viewed the video or not.
iQuiz can be used to assess learning outcomes associated with video study. Quizzes can be embedded into videos at any place where an instructor wants to assess the outcome of the student’s study. iQuiz runs as a service on servers. This enables users to execute this resource-intensive application with personal computers or iPads, which would not be possible otherwise.8
(a) designer view of iQuiz (b) student view of iQuiz
Figure 5: iQuiz Interfaces
Quizzes are stored in XML format, and are automatically loaded while students are watching the video. Figure 5 (a) and (b) show the teacher view and student view of the system respectively. Answers to the quizzes, either correct or incorrect, are also stored in the XML database for immediate assessments. Assessment of adaptive learning on videos provides better outcomes for students than the traditional video content study with little or no feedback (Wang & Behrmann, 2009).
5. Experiments and Results
To test the inVideo system, we selected the 20 most recent videos from National Science Digital Library (NSDL) in cybersecurity and used the inVideo tool to extract keywords that appeared in the transcripts. From this set, we selected the top two ranked keywords: “Target” (data breach) and “encryption” (using encryption to secure data). We were confident that those two keywords made good discussion topics that could increase classroom interactions.
As a result, we added two discussion topics to the Spring 2014 Masters of Science in Cybersecurity program (24 class sections).
Videos by nature are linear learning objects. They lack interactions between learners and the online learning environment. Even worse, videos above a certain length will likely never be watched at all because students cannot easily determine what content is within or how to locate it. To address this issue, we used the inVideo tool to index the content and break the large videos into a series of small video clips. By doing so, we made it possible for students to watch short video clips covering individual key concepts directly, while retaining the ability to view the whole video if necessary. This served to not only increase student interest and engagement in the lesson, but also more importantly improve their ability to comprehend and retain information.
Student responses and interactions can be used as a proxy for their degree of engagement with any particular part of the course. As one example of how the inVideo indexing served to increase this measure, consider Week 2 of CSEC 610. Our assessment of past offerings (pre-inVideo) discovered that this part of the course is a “quiet” week, because the individual assignment 9
starting in the week will not be due until Week 8. This meant that the interactions in the classrooms dropped significantly from Week 1. Based on this assessment, we decided to use the inVideo intervention in an attempt to generate more interactions from the week.
Our initial observation of one class was very promising; the total number of responses for Week 2 reached sixty-eight, as compared to only two for the same week in the previous semester. This initial finding encouraged us to investigate the results for all twenty-four sections program-wide. Figure 6 shows the number of responses for 24 sections from Fall 2013 to Spring 2014 during Week 2.
Figure 6: Number of Responses for 24 Sections - CSEC 610 Week 2 Discussions
For the experiments we conducted, the overall student responses increased approximately sevenfold: from 164 to 1,129 between Fall 2013 and Spring 2014, as shown in Figure 7.10
Figure 7
The leader-follower relationship & follower performance: Leveraging dyadic exchange to impact worker behavior
No full textThe purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the dyadic relationship on individual employee task and contextual performance, with the following research questions guiding this research interest:
How does the leader-follower relationship influence individual task and contextual performance? Are high quality leader-follower relationships related to higher quality performance by workers?
How do moderating variables influence the relationship between the leader-follower relationship and individual task and/or contextual performance?Leader-member exchange (LMX)
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Graen, G.B., Uhl-Bien, M. (1995). Relationship-based approach to leadership: Development of leader-member exchange (LMX) theory of leadership over 25 years: Applying a multi-level multi-domain perspective. The Leadership Quarterly, 6(2), 219-247.
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Ilies, R., Nahrgang, J. D., & Morgeson, F. P. (2007). Leader-member exchange and citizenship behaviors: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(1), 269-277.
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Rockstuhl, T., Dulebohn, J.H., Ang, S. & Shore, L.M. (2012). Leader-member exchange (LMX) and culture: A meta-analysis of correlates of LMX across 23 countries. Journal of Applied Psychology, 1, 1-34. Social Exchange Theory
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Blau, P.M. (1964). Exchange & power in social life. New Brunswick, NY: Transaction Publishers.
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Shore, L. M., Tetrick, L. E., Lynch, P., & Barksdale, K. (2006). Social and economic exchange: Construct development and validation. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 36(4), 837-867. Vertical dyad linkage (VDL)
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Liden, R. C., & Graen, G. (1980). Generalizability of the vertical dyad linkage model of leadership. Academy of Management Journal, 23(3), 451-465. Transactional Leadership Theory
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Deluga, R. J. (1988). Relationship of transformational and transactional Leadership with employee influencing strategies. Group & Organization Management, 13(4), 456 – 467.
In today’s competitive environment, employers strive to maximize employee performance through a variety of means, including extensive performance management processes and in-depth training and development efforts. These initiatives are predominantly focused on the supervisor and/or the employee rather than the dyadic relationship between the two. Despite the considerable research conducted since the early to mid-1900s offering support for the role of the dyadic relationship in employee performance, much of the research remains leader-centric, though research on the follower has gained traction in recent years. The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the dyadic relationship on individual task and contextual performance through an extensive systematic review of the pertinent literature. Evaluation of the evidence suggests a correlation exists between the leader-follower relationship and individual performance. This relationship is further influenced by several mediating variables relating to leader and team attributes and the nature of work. The research suggests that follower attributes have less of a moderating influence on the correlation between the dyadic relationship and follower performance. Per these findings, efforts to enhance dyadic relationship quality – either directly or indirectly via the mediating variables – may provide organizations the means to improve follower performance and ultimately the organization.
The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of the dyadic relationship on individual employee task and contextual performance, with the following research questions guiding this research interest:
RQ1: How does the leader-follower relationship influence individual task and contextual performance? Are high quality leader-follower relationships related to higher quality performance by workers?
RQ2: How do moderating variables influence the relationship between the leader-follower relationship and individual task and/or contextual performance?
The Leader-follower Relationship & Follower Performance:
Leveraging Dyadic Exchange to Impact Worker Behavior
Margaret A. Walthall, Doctoral Candidate University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Adelphi, Maryland
Purpose & Research Questions
Methodology
*Findings
Abstract
The systematic literature review presents evidence from studies that explored the relationship between the leader-follower relationship and individual task and contextual performance. The preliminary findings suggest:
• A slight but positive correlation exists between the dyadic relationship and both task and contextual performance
• Mediating variables positively influence this relationship such that the association improved when these variables were present: leader attributes, team attributes, and the nature of the work
• Follower related mediating variables did not have the same influence, such that the association declined when these variables were introduced.
These findings suggest that efforts to enhance the dyadic relationship could be supplemented by addressing team and leader issues as well as the nature of work, giving further consideration to how the impact of these enhancements may be thwarted without sufficient focus on follower attributes.
Acknowledgements
I wish to acknowledge the following for their help in making this research possible:
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Dr. Eric Dent, Doctoral Professor, UMUC, Adelphi, Maryland
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Dr. Deborah Wharff, Doctoral Professor, UMUC, Adelphi, Maryland
Conceptual Framework
Management Implications
Improving worker performance is a shared goal between leadership, management, and human resource management (HRM). Organizations expend time, energy, and money on performance management initiatives intended to influence employee behaviors for the good of the organization. These efforts are often individually focused on the leader or employee rather than on the dyadic leader-follower relationship. Despite suggestions that individual performance may be predicated on the quality of the dyadic relationship, performance improvement recommendations rarely target the leader-follower dyad, employees across all levels of the organization continue to receive individual feedback and coaching identifying the behaviors to incorporate or avoid and the competencies to develop. The findings of this study suggest that a connection exists between the dyadic relationship and follower behavior, such that improvements in the quality of relationship enhance follower performance. Accordingly, performance management initiatives that include enhancing the quality of this dyadic relationship may allow for greater returns in employee performance. Further, as mediating variables have been found to influence the relationship-performance association, targeting these variables may provide further opportunities to enhance the dyadic relationship and ultimately worker performance, particularly since many of the variables fall within the realm of control of the leader.
The conceptual model illustrates that leaders and followers establish relationships described in terms of dyadic relationship quality. The dyad/performance relationship connects dyadic relationship quality to follower task and contextual performance, and this relationship is mediated by employee, leader, and team-centric variables as well as the nature of the work..
Theory & Key Literature
The examination and analysis of pertinent literature were conducted using the principles of evidence-based research (EBR) and the systematic literature review process:
• A comprehensive literature search was conducted using key search terms and inclusion/exclusion criteria
• Abstracts were analyzed for pertinence and references were evaluated for additional research
• Evidence was compiled, analyzed, and synthesized using framework synthesis: reviewing and probing the data to identify recurring themes and drawing conclusions based upon the observations of these studies (Gough, Oliver, & Thomas, 2012).
EBR is well-suited to evidence-based management (EBMgt) – the application of management research (Rousseau, 2012). Its use was due in part to bounded rationality: the recognition that knowledge will fall short and decision-making will occur within these limits or bounds (Simon, 1997), which may result in the propensity for satisficing behavior (Bazerman & Moore, 2009). An EBR approach offers the value of understanding and applying what works as it pertains to the leader-follower relationship. Research on this topic began more than 50 years ago, sufficient evidence is available to explore the leader-follower relationship and follower performance. Understanding the collective evidence provides a more complete perspective of what works and leads to options less subjective and more substantiated than quick fix solutions often based upon a single case study or a new provocative model.
*Status of Research (September 2014): In Progres
Blue Nile dam ethical considerations
No full textTensions are high on the African continent. With topographical maps spread out on
boardroom tables, contingency plans are being drawn as we speak for a pre-emptive military
strike by Egypt on a dam under construction in Western Ethiopia. At issue is the question of
a sovereign country’s right to complete dominion over internal waterways within its borders.
Namely, may a country do as it wishes with rivers that pass through its territory if such
alterations negatively impact neighboring countries, the environment, or in any way harm the
people of its own country? Can the application of ethical orthodoxy assist us in determining
the correct path for a country to follow? I believe it can; and I believe that it will lead us to the
conclusion that the construction of this dam is morally unsupportable. It violates both utilitarian
and deontological precepts. It flies in the face of the basic principle of utilitarianism in that it
will not provide happiness for the greatest number of people (Bentham, 1789) . Deontologically,
it ignores the categorical imperative of Kantian ethics by treating people as a means to an end
and not as the end itself (Kant, 1785). In complete disregard for its duty to treat its people fairly
and the right of the people to expect justice and equanimity from their leaders, the Ethiopian
government has already begun work on the massive project. Lastly, but foremost in challenging
the project, is the existence of ethically sound alternatives to the construction of what threatens to
be the fourteenth largest dam in the world (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, 2013).W. Levitt 1
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND UNIVERSITY COLLEGE
THE GRADUATE SCHOOL
ETHICAL DILEMMA: THE BLUE NILE DAM
Presented
As a submission to the
UMUC Digital Repository
WILLIAM L. LEVITT
Academic Writing Graduate Students- COMM600
Spring 2014
Dr. Derek Hall, Professor, Sponsor
March 25, 2014
W. Levitt 2
The Blue Nile Dam: Ethical Considerations
Introduction
Tensions are high on the African continent. With topographical maps spread out on boardroom tables, contingency plans are being drawn as we speak for a pre-emptive military strike by Egypt on a dam under construction in Western Ethiopia. At issue is the question of a sovereign country’s right to complete dominion over internal waterways within its borders. Namely, may a country do as it wishes with rivers that pass through its territory if such alterations negatively impact neighboring countries, the environment, or in any way harm the people of its own country? Can the application of ethical orthodoxy assist us in determining the correct path for a country to follow? I believe it can; and I believe that it will lead us to the conclusion that the construction of this dam is morally unsupportable. It violates both utilitarian and deontological precepts. It flies in the face of the basic principle of utilitarianism in that it will not provide happiness for the greatest number of people (Bentham, 1789) . Deontologically, it ignores the categorical imperative of Kantian ethics by treating people as a means to an end and not as the end itself (Kant, 1785). In complete disregard for its duty to treat its people fairly and the right of the people to expect justice and equanimity from their leaders, the Ethiopian government has already begun work on the massive project. Lastly, but foremost in challenging the project, is the existence of ethically sound alternatives to the construction of what threatens to be the fourteenth largest dam in the world (Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, 2013).
Analysis W. Levitt 3
Ethiopia insists that the dam will benefit all; that it is as much for the benefit of the entirety of the African ecumene as for the riparian countries of Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. Those in favor of the construction of the dam cite the following reasons:
The dam will provide an abundant supply of hydroelectric power.
By selling the excess power to neighboring countries the dam will provide an additional source of needed revenue to the great benefit of the largely impoverished inhabitants.
The dam will not pollute the environment in the same way that coal will or nuclear plants might.
These arguments, however, do not justify a project that will have a catastrophic impact on all countries in the region. It turns a blind eye toward the long-term and widespread detrimental consequences which include:
The dam will deprive Egypt of needed fresh water for its population and mineral rich silt for its agricultural industry resulting in high use of chemical fertilizer supplements downstream.
The reservoir created behind the dam will result in enormous loss of available water to Ethiopia and its neighbors through evaporation in the tropical environment.
The reservoir will create a huge shallow wetland area upstream that will serve as a breeding ground for malaria-ridden mosquitoes and parasite-bearing snails (the main source of infection for schistosomiasis).
The erosive force of the outflow through the dam will strip many kilometers of the Nile river bottom of silt and gravel necessary for fish spawning, and erode riverbanks far downstream. W. Levitt 4
Trading between countries which use the river for transport will be entirely blocked by the dam. (In a region largely without major roads, blocking the river would effectively prevent transport between countries.)
Deontological ethics. From a deontological or nonconsequentialist perspective, the Ethiopian government has certain absolute duties that must be respected. First described by Samuel von Pufendorf in the 17th century, they are, “avoid wronging others, treat people as equals, and promote the good of others (Pufendorf, 1691)”. These duties imply certain corollaries, namely, the rights of the affected people. First espoused by John Locke in the 17th century, they include the right to “life, health, liberty or possessions (Locke, 1689)”.
Immanuel Kant, following Locke’s teaching, condensed the concept further by introducing the categorical imperative, viz.,” Treat people as an end, and never as a means to an end” (Kant, 1785). In other words, people must always be treated with dignity. As such, the construction of the dam violates the “Rights Theory”, where there is a moral obligation to respect the rights all persons affected. By extension, that includes not only the human population, but the wildlife and environment as well. Namely:
The people have the right to a home, food for themselves and their families and safety from disease.
The living creatures that make up the ecosystem have the right to a food supply and the ability to defend themselves from predators.
The people have a right to make use of the river for transport of goods, bathing, fishing, or for their personal farms. W. Levitt 5
The people have a right to expect protection from harm, including that of exposure to potential disease.
Prima facie duty of beneficence. In response, the Ethiopian government may insist that their actions are morally correct by citing their prima facie duty of beneficence (Ross, 1930). First described by W.D. Ross in the 18th century, the prima facie duties are obligatory guidelines to proper behavior. The construction of the dam, Ethiopia may contend, will give it the resources to build hospitals and schools; and they will relocate the people affected by the dam as well as provide generous compensation to all those adversely affected.
Such motives, at first glance, appear valid. However, destruction of the ecosystem and with it existing farms, open farmland, and fish spawning zones, invalidates their argument. Although the dam may be a significant help in the future if schools and hospitals, etc., were built, the present population would not benefit and would be used as a means to that end. This violates the Kantian rule that the people must be the end and not the means.
Besides, what guarantee do the people have that the promised improvements in their lives would actually occur? Such benefits would need to apply to all the affected people, which include those living in Sudan and Egypt as well as in Ethiopia. With the political instability that has plagued the region for the past many decades, it is unlikely that the dam will be successful in changing long-standing intransigent dictatorial attitudes.
Alternatives. The overriding pivotal question, however, is why the Ethiopian government has turned to hydroelectric power when there are alternatives that do not destroy the ecosystem, introduce infection, destroy farmlands, or interfere with navigation on the river. Those alternatives are: Solar and wind energy farms. That there are viable alternatives to a dam as a source of energy production, casts a long shadow over the legitimacy of the project and W. Levitt 6
effectively invalidates any ethical argument in its favor. Invoking again deontological ethics, where the loupe of ethical inspection is focused on motive, the people are being used as pawns in an endgame that ignores their right to be treated honestly and with dignity.
Utilitarian Ethics. In contrast, utilitarian ethics, where the consequences of one’s actions are the critical determinant, the proper action in a given situation is the one producing the greatest amount of utility (or happiness). With the goal of quantifying the happiness produced in any given situation, Jeremy Bentham devised the Hedonistic Calculus (Bentham, 1789). Ostensibly, the Calculus can reveal to what degree an action is justified, based on the degree of happiness produced. Such quantification, however, in evaluating the construction of the Blue Nile Dam from an Act Utilitarian viewpoint would be tedious and impractical. It would require answers to the following questions:
Will the Ethiopians permit silt pass-through periodically to allow nutrient rich effluvium and fresh water to reach downstream farms; and if so, to what degree?
If the fresh water that is allowed to flow downstream to Egypt is insufficient to meet that country’s needs, will the Egyptians be able to make up for the difference through alternate technologies (desalination plants)?
Will necessary anti-malarial and snail removal measures be instituted, and how effective will they be in a region of the world where such diseases are endemic and disease prevention has been largely hit or miss (World Health Organization, 2012)?
Will the dollar savings in energy cost by utilizing the dam be shared with the people of Ethiopia or remain in the hands of the governing few; and will it result in an improvement in the quality of life in the ecumene?
Will the dam include locks which permit passage around the dam? W. Levitt 7
Will there be bypass channels for spawning fish? Will there be permanent elimination of fish or other species, as almost happened with the Nile crocodile?
Health Risks. The primary objective of the dam is the generation of energy, not an improvement in the standard of living for the country’s inhabitants. In support of this claim, I have considered the dam’s effect on the farms that border the river upstream. They will be submerged beneath the waters of an enormous reservoir. The potential for countless cases of illness from the insects breeding in the newly created wetlands is very likely. The most devastating of these diseases is that of schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever.
Fresh water snails live in the lakes and slow moving waters of tropical countries in Africa and Asia. Parasites endemic to those waters enter the snails’ bodies where they lay eggs which are then released into the surrounding waters in the millions. As the eggs mature they develop into larvae which are attracted to the fatty acids given off by human skin. Within a few seconds and completely unnoticed by the victim, the larvae penetrate the intact skin of bathers, fishermen, or anyone who exposes their skin, even briefly, to the infested water. Once within the human body the parasite causes protracted and severely debilitating disease or death.
The vast reservoir of shallow wetlands that will result from the creation of the Blue Nile Dam will significantly boost the population of infected snails and with that the number cases of schistosomiasis. The World Health Organization reports that schistosomiasis, second only to malaria in prevalence, presently infects nearly 200 million people, with 600 million people at risk world-wide (World Health Organization, 2012).
Doctrine of Double Effect. Proponents of the project may cite Thomas Aquinas’ Doctrine of Double Effect (DDE), admitting an awareness of the negative effect on the riverine W. Levitt 8
villages, and of the increased disease (Aquinas, 16th Century). They may insist that the quality of life for the people of the region will, nevertheless, be greatly improved. However, the DDE does not support their argument. Condition 1 of “The Nature of the Act Condition” of the DDE, states that the action must be good or morally neutral (Aquinas, 16th Century). The construction of the dam, given the existing alternatives, is not good. As well, with Condition 4, “The Proportionality Condition”, the good effect must be at least equivalent in importance to the bad effect (Aquinas, 16th Century). Although we cannot quantify the number of people who die or are incapacitated from the vector-borne diseases, we can safely project from the sheer size of the upstream reservoir that many hundreds of kilometers will be inundated and tens of thousands will be subject to the misery of the ravaging mosquito and snail populations.
Furthermore, what will be the impact of such a project on people who navigate the river to trade with Sudan and Egypt? Navigation on the river will no longer be possible. With locks, what will passage cost? Will small traders be able to afford the cost? These are unanswered questions that have not been addressed by the Ethiopian government and attest to the low level of regard for the well-being of the rural inhabitants.
Ecosystem. Studies by Snoussi et al. (2007) have documented a measurable increase in downstream water salinity. Further, they report that downstream riverine soil analyses confirm elevated salinity as well. The ultimate impact on downstream riverine agriculture, in a region where floodplain farming has been an integral part of Egypt’s history over millennia, is as yet unknown. Braatne et al. (2008) have shown that damming, with its interruption of the cycle of seasonal flooding, deprives the downstream floodplain of the natural erosion and deposition of occasional floods. Such flooding, they explain, “can immediately have dramatic impacts on aquatic and riparian zones. Floods often enable bursts of recruitment by riparian plants and some W. Levitt 9
other biota and thus, the initial “destruction” may be followed by ecosystem rejuvenation…” (p. 277-278).
Equally important is the impact of the dam on the other residents of the region: The animals. As living beings, do they not also have a right to live unmolested in their natural habitat, an ecosystem finely tuned over millennia to meet their specific needs? The dam will convert the flowing water of the Nile into a shallow reservoir of still water upstream; it will interpose an impenetrable barrier; and, downstream, the river bottom, previously covered with gravel and fine silt, will be stripped bare by the erosive action of the dam’s outflow. Clark et al. (2009) have determined that with decreased river flow following damming, the oxygen content of the water is considerably less. Aquatic creatures like turtles that depend on high aquatic oxygen concentration in order to dive deeply, are unable to do so. Mortality rates for such creatures will be increased in that environment.
Not long ago the Nile crocodile was nearly wiped out by a similar dam (University of Pretoria Library, 2011). However, the main casualty here will be the fish that require sand, silt, and gravel to spawn. Thus, I give the animals a solid proxy vote of “No happiness” in the utilitarian equation.
Thus, from the greater perspective of Rule Utilitarianism, could the creation of any dam today be ethically justified (Mill, 1861)? In earlier decades, when the Hoover Dam or Aswan Dam was constructed, the balance was tilted much more in favor of ethical legitimacy due to the absence of alternative sources of energy. That, however, is no longer the case with present day technological advances.
Conclusion W. Levitt 10
The simmering discontent between Egypt and Ethiopia over the Blue Nile project, although untimely in view of present day political turmoil, demands the world’s prompt attention. The dispute has moved well beyond that of being an issue of national sovereignty into the arena of ethical propriety. As such, I have presented the ethical arguments both for and against the construction of the dam. I have taken into consideration its impact on the inhabitants of the region and on the environment. I have demonstrated that while it is not possible to accurately account for all conceivable ramifications, the dam will have a strongly negative effect on the people of region and on the ecosystem itself. There is little doubt that it will contribute to the spread of debilitating and deadly disease. In an era when viable less controversial alternatives to clean energy production exist, the construction of the Blue Nile Dam is no less than a present day anachronism that portends great harm to the ecumene.
W. Levitt 11
References
Aquinas, T. (16th Century) Summa Theologica (II-II, Qu. 64, Art.7). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/double-effect/#Formulations
Bentham, J. (1789). An introduction to the principles of morals and legislation : printed in the year 1780 and now first published / by Jeremy Bentham,.. (1789). Burns, J. (2005, March 1). doi: 10.1017/S0953820804001396
Braatne, J., Rood, S., Goater, L., & Blair, C. (2008). Analyzing the impacts of dams on riparian ecosystems: A review of research strategies and their relevance to the Snake River through Hells Canyon. Environmental Management, 41(2), 267-281. doi:10.1007/s00267-007-9048-4
Clark, N. J., Gordos, M. A., & Franklin, C. E. (2009). Implications of river damming: the influence of aquatic hypoxia on the diving physiology and behaviour of the endangered Mary River turtle. Animal Conservation, 12(2), 147-154. doi:10.1111/j.1469-1795.2009.00234.x
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (2013). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Ethiopian_Renaissance_Dam
Kant, I. (1780). The Metaphysical Elements of Ethics. Retrieved from http://www.justiceharvard.org/resources/immanuel-kant-groundwork-for-the-metaphysics-of-morals-1785/ W. Levitt 12
Kant, I. (1785). Groundwork for the Metaphysics of Morals. Retrieved from http://www.justiceharvard.org/resources/immanuel-kant-groundwork-for-the-metaphysics-of-morals-1785/
Locke, J. (1689). Ethics/duty theories. Two Treatises of Government. Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/
Mill, J. S. (1861). Utilitarianism. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_utilitarianism
Pufendorf, S. (1691). Ethics. Dans S. Pufendorf, The Whole Duty of Man according to the Law of Nature . London. Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/
Ross, W. (1930). The right and the good. Deontological Pluralism and Prima Facie Duties. Oxford University Press. Retrieved from http://www.iep.utm.edu/ross-wd/
Snoussi, M., Kitheka, J., Shaghude, Y., Kane, A., Arthurton, R., Tissier, M., & Virji, H. (2007). Downstream and coastal impacts of damming and water abstraction in Africa. Environmental Management, 39(5), 587-600. doi:10.1007/s00267-004-0369-2
University of Pretoria Library. (2011, January). The Decline of the Nile crocodile. Retrieved from http://repository.up.ac.za/handle/2263/15965
World Health Organization. (2012, May 17). Country Cooperation Strategy. Health and Development
"Doing well by doing good:" Examining the relationship between environmental performance and profitability for managers in shareholder-oriented organizations
No full textThis presentation determines if there is a relationship between environmental performance and profitability that supports managers’ decisions for implementing pro-environmental initiatives in shareholder-oriented organizations.Results
Results
Purpose and Scope of Research
Variables of Examination
Theoretical Frameworks
Findings
Importance to Management Practice
Research Question and Propositions
Methodology
Conceptual Framework
Conclusions/Implications for Managers
Argument and Warrant
Main Themes and Authors
Future Research
Purpose
Scope of Research
Determine if there is a relationship between environmental performance and profitability that supports managers’ decisions for implementing pro-environmental initiatives in shareholder-oriented organizations.
The research scope focused on empirical studies examined from the perspective of shareholders and managers, with a unit of analysis at the firm level.
Why Should Managers Care?
• Strategically plan environmental measures to proactively address increasingly strict regulatory environments
• Find new sources of value creation and differentiation to improve competitive advantage
• Markets more sensitive to corporate environmental performance (1989 Exxon Valdez spill equated to 7% stock value reduction, while 2010 BP Gulf deep water spill equated to 50% stock value reduction)
Dependent Variable
• Environmental performance: initiatives aimed at mitigating impacts on the natural environment, examined through a) Sustainability ratings; b) pollution indices; c) level of self-reporting; d) factors influencing managers’ decisions
“Doing Well by Doing Good:” Examining the Relationship between Environmental Performance and Profitability for Managers in Shareholder-Oriented Organizations
Darrel Earhart
Professors: Deborah M. Wharff, DM & Kathleen F. Edwards, Ph.D.
Spring 2014
Argument
Warrant
Managers’ decisions to implement pro-environmental initiatives are not in conflict with fiduciary responsibilities
Managers’ implementation of pro-environmental initiatives can result in improved profitability
RQ: Is there a relationship between organizational environmental performance and profitability that would support managers’ decisions for implementing pro-environmental initiatives?
P1) There is a relationship between environmental performance 3rd party institutional ratings and profitability. P2) There is a relationship between environmental performance self-reporting transparency and profitability. P3) Managers’ implementation of environmental initiatives reflects the constant renegotiation of shareholder & stakeholder priorities to achieve objectives commensurate with agency-fiduciary responsibilities.
Third party institutional ratings
•Artiach, Lee, Nelson, & Walker (2010)
•Busch & Hoffmann (2011)
•Clark & Allen (2012) Organizational self-reporting transparency
•Al-Tuwaijri, Christensen, & Hughes (2004)
•Connelly & Limpaphayom (2004)
•Christmann (2000) Manager decisions and agency-fiduciary responsibility
•Crifo & Forget (2013)
•De Marchi, Di Maria, & Micelli (2013)
•Jayaraman, Singh, & Anandnarayan (2012)
• 2-to-1 ratio of empirical evidence statistically supported positive relationship between environmental performance and profitability
• Managers’ factors: improve production efficiencies, reduce waste, improve competitive advantages nationally & internationally
• Communication of environmental policies transparently to stakeholders & markets was linked to reduced asymmetric information
• The longer the study length, the more likely results supported the relationship
• Significant moderators: firm size, profitability, industry type
• Carbon management not found to be valued by markets
• Transparently communicate environmental objectives to stakeholders and the market using as many mechanisms as possible (annual reports, CSR reports)
• Strategically balance environmental performance with profitability objectives
• Embrace ‘beyond compliance’ approach if financial resources provide slack, if environmental strategies complement firms’ existing capabilities, and if environmental strategies are intended to cultivate differentiation, innovation, and improved competitive advantage
• Implement environmental standards (ISO 14001) if entering international markets
• Absorptive capacity: How does the ability to assimilate & exploit new knowledge affect efficacy of firms’ environmental performance?
• Systems theory and influence of global markets: How do global markets and involvement in international trade affect adoption of environmental performance?
• Outsourcing: What are implications of building environmental management systems in-house versus outsourcing?
Independent Variable
• Profitability: Market (stock value) and accounting (ROA, ROE, ROI) measures
SLR and Narrative Synthesis
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Enabling an Innovative Environment for Manufacturing Companies: An Examination of the Role of Leadership
No full textThis dissertation identifies and assesses the action leaders, at all levels, of manufacturing companies should take (interventions) and to determine the critical competencies needed for enabling firms to create a more innovative environment that commercializes their creative ideas.Enabling an Innovative Environment for Manufacturing Companies:
An Examination of the Role of Leadership
Jim Webb
Dissertation Committee: Dr. Deborah Wharff and Dr. Eric Dent
Fall 201