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Knowledge management in individuals: Learning to learn
No full textAbstract
We typically talk about knowledge management as being the process by which an enterprise becomes aware of new knowledge, critically analyses that knowledge, integrates it with existing knowledge and disseminates it to others for the purpose of achieving organisational goals. Often it involves the creation of new knowledge which starts life as a hypothesis, and having been subjected to the same process of critical analysis, integration with existing knowledge, and dissemination, becomes part of the intellectual resource available to the enterprise in working towards the achievement of the goals.
What is true at the enterprise level is also true at the individual level. At an individual level, knowledge management is about the processes by which we take ownership of knowledge, i.e. "make it our own". The confluence of the twin processes of information processing and knowledge management at the individual level provides a useful mechanism with which to explain not just how we learn, but how we learn to learn, i.e. to become independent learners.
This paper represents an attempt to explain the learning process in terms of an information processing model and to suggest ways in which educators can contribute to the enhanced well-being of graduates who can list among their learning outcomes "become an independent learner.
Culturally responsive teaching: How much more data do we need?
No full textAbstract
While countless studies point to the importance of culturally relevant pedagogy in the teaching of America's youth, the achievement gap continues to widen. The dramatic changes in population in the last ten years intensify the growing disparity between "mainstream" achievement and that of the general population nationwide. The direction of education and those who are empowered to make decisions that affect the diversity of urban, regional and state-wide areas are called into question, and the role of "cultural competence" is considered with respect to the overwhelmingly "mainstream" teaching population and the lack of diversity in teacher recruitment. Special attention is given to the rapidly growing population of English language learners throughout the United States; and the need for more expertise and support to ensure their academic success continues to grow. A look at cultural relevance vis-à-vis evaluation ends this plea for stronger and more active measures to be taken toward closing the ever growing achievement gap
International student mobility for gaining cultural capital: The case of a Vietnamese student studying in Australia
No full textAbstract
Despite being a developing country, Vietnam is one of the six key countries with the most incoming international students to Australia. The practice of only the wealthy families sending their children to study overseas has gradually changed. There are more and more children from middle-class and farming families seeking opportunities to undertake further study in Australia and other English speaking countries. This study is a narrative of a Vietnamese provincial student who decided to come to Australia for her further study. It uses Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital as an exploratory and explanatory framework. The findings suggest that the expectation of forming rich cultural capital with strong English skills, better soft skills and a privileged Western degree is the main motivation driving this student to go overseas to study. She also believed that with that cultural capital it will be easy for her to find a much better job with a higher salary and better working conditions, compared to pursuing jobs after finishing her bachelor degree in Vietnam.
Keywords: international student, mobility, cultural capital, Bourdie
Mergers and acquisitions in New Zealand: Motivations and performance
No full textAbstract
This study aims at examining why many New Zealand firms opt for mergers and acquisitions as part of their strategies for growth. In particular, we seek to identify the motivations and the effect of the mergers and acquisitions. Since New Zealand is a small market with few large firms, we employed a multiple case study method for this purpose. The findings show that motivations are congruent with those found in literature review such as synergy, unified control and product development. We also found that firms undertaking mergers and acquisition enjoy positive effects in terms of market share, and sales revenue. We conclude by discussing implications and providing directions for future research.
Keywords: New Zealand; mergers and acquisitions; motivating factors, firm performanc
"Having no opinion is boring": Intercultural communication and social identity
No full textAbstract
Over the past decade, studies in applied linguistics have undergone a shift from traditional cognitive approaches towards more sociocultural-historical approaches in which the focus is both on learners as agents and on the symbolic and material resources they use to develop agency (Firth & Wagner, 2007b; Lantolf & Pavlenko, 2001). This case study extends a pilot study that described and evaluated an e-mail discussion project undertaken by international students of English as a second language at IPC Tertiary Institute, with the view to conducting activity theory research as demonstrated in online intercultural and interpersonal communication activities. The pilot study found that students' interactions and use of symbolic and material artifacts fostered higher motivation, agency, and creativity (Thorne, 2005). Also, students' reflections indicated learners had gained insights into their own and others' cultures and viewpoints (Hall, 1995): "We should have our own ideas and opinions when [discussing] a topic. Having no opinion is boring.
Giving international students a voice
No full textAbstract
One of the greatest challenges international students face is being 'strange' in a foreign land. This, along with culture shock, lack of friends or family around (Lee, 2007; Wong, 2004), as well as teaching strategies, learning styles (Egege & Kutieleh, 2004) and, in some cases, even differences in weather conditions may affect the way students learn. These factors may contribute to international students' lack of participation in class discussion (Lee, 2007). This paper seeks to find ways to remove the barriers hindering students from fully participating and to maximise the students' engagement and learning opportunities in class discussions through their voice. A case study of 12 international students was carried out. Focus group interviews were used to seek students' views on strategies that would make them participate and contribute to class discussions. These strategies were then implemented by the educator and observations made to see if there were any improvements in the international students' participation and contribution in class. The results revealed that when educators listen to students' voices there is an increase in participation and engagement. As educators in a growing multicultural country we need to keep asking ourselves, "Are we meeting the needs of our student population? Do we know what the students expect from us?" If educators stop sometimes to think and put themselves in the international students' position, they may begin to understand them better and work to ensure that their individual educational needs are met
Human capital, education and training in the Australian and New Zealand construction industries
No full textAbstract
economy.
Over the past thirty years there has been a persistent gap in income and productivity between Australia and New Zealand. This has been the case in the construction industry as well as in other sectors of the This paper looks at the levels of productivity in the construction industry in Australia and New Zealand and relates these levels to the investment in human capital. On the whole levels of investment in education and training in the Australian and New Zealand construction industries are of similar levels but the composition of that investment is somewhat different
A review of the impact of the global financial crisis on Asian econmies with special reference to China
No full textAbstract
The global financial crisis which flowed on from the bursting of the US housing bubble in 2007 led to predictions of a collapse of the world economy which would rival the Great Depression in its impact. It was expected that emerging and developing countries would also bear the full brunt of this impact. However, it appears that the level of impact in these countries has not been as severe as was predicted, being characterised as a slowing of growth rather than entering into negative territory. This review looks at the reasons for this, including the macro level institutional response and seeks lessons from this experience which might lead to a more sustainable approach to global economic development in the future
Dynamic Voltage Restorer for Distribution System
No full textPower quality is one of the major concerns in the present era. Out of various power quality issues, voltage sag is considered to be a frequently occurring phenomena that can be rectified by the use of custom power devices like Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR), which is the most efficient and effective modern custom power device used in power distribution networks. Its appeal includes lower cost, smaller size, and its fast dynamic response to the disturbance. In this paper, modelling, analysis and simulation of a high efficient Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) was done in MATLAB. The efficiency of the DVR depends on the performance of the control technique involved in switching of the inverters. Hence different control technique like discrete PWM scheme using PI controller hysteresis current controller and hysteresis voltage controller were used. Based on the comparison between the performance of PI controller, hysteresis current controller and hysteresis voltage controller, in controlling the switching of PWM inverter switches, the optimum controller that improves the performance of Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR) is suggested. Keywords:- Dynamic Voltage Restorer (DVR), Voltage sag, Hysteresis voltage control, Hysteresis current control, PI controller
An investigation into students' behaviour towards choosing tertiary courses
No full textAbstract
The purpose of this study is to determine the contributing factors influencing students' choice of career decisions as reflected in their preferred courses of study. This research defines the nature of higher education in today's context and investigates students' behavioural patterns, with a particular focus on their personal attitude towards making an appropriate decision as part of their career aspirations. Survey questionnaires were used to collect the data for these purposes. The findings of this survey showed that all the proposed independent factors are significant and positively correlated to the dependent variables. Institution image however, featured significantly as the single most important contributing factor in students' choice in contrast with other factors when selecting a higher education course. The outcome of this survey is intended to assist university marketing departments in developing a workable strategy in their recruitment drive for more students in future.
Key words: students' behavior, private tuition centers, higher education course, career decision, choice and preference