Intraocular lenses in the 21st century

Editorial

Cognitive neuroscience for the 21st Century

conference review: 2000 Autumn School in Cognitive Neuroscience, 26–29 September 2000, University of Oxford, UK.

Engineering education for the 21st century:scholarship, synergy and student success

Starting with the question “How can University level Engineering Education be developed in such a way so as to enhance the quality of the student learning experience?”, this discussion paper proposes an approach to engineering education developed by a senior engineering educator working alongside a pedagogical researcher in an attempt to engage colleagues in contemporary debates about the issues currently faced across the Sector. Such issues include difficulties with recruiting students onto programmes as well as high levels of student attrition and failure. Underpinned by three distinctive concepts: Synergy, Variety & Relationships (S+V+R), the approach brings together pedagogic and engineering epistemologies in an empirically grounded framework in such a way so as to provide an accessible and relevant learning approach that, if followed, engenders student success [S2]. Specifically developed with the intention of increasing retention and positively impacting student success [S2], the S+V+R=S2 approach provides a scholarly and Synergetic (S) approach to engineering education that is both innovative and exciting. Building on the argument that Variety (V) in education is pivotal to promoting originality and creativity in learning and teaching, this paper shows how, by purposefully developing a range of learning and teaching approaches, student engagement and thus success can be increased. It also considers the importance of Relationships (R) in higher education, arguing that belonging and relationships are crucial factors impacting student experiences. When taken together (Synergy, Variety and Relationships) and applied within an Engineering Education context, students are provided with a unique learning environment – one that both promotes individual success and improves organisational effectiveness. The uniqueness of the approach is in the synthesis of these three concepts within an Engineering Education epistemology.

British local government into the 21st century

Book review: British local government into the 21st century. Gerry Stoker and David Wilson (eds) Palgrave Macmillan, 2004, 304 pp., £50.60 (hb), £18.99 (pb) ISBN: 1403918724

Linked data for the 21st Century enterprise:from silos to supply chains

Six actions for collation collective intelligence to inform and accelerate change

Perspectives on supply chain management and logistics:creating competitive organisations in the 21st Century

Globalisation is the buzzword of the twenty-first century. It forces businesses to compete not just with rivals within the same city or country, but with similar companies across the globe. In such a world the consumer is king and to keep on top businesses must show constant innovation and meet customers' ever-growing expectations. Supply chain management (SCM), with its focus on achieving the service levels demanded by markets and on optimising total supply chains cost and investment, has a potentially pivotal role to play in addressing these challenges. Perspectives on Supply Chain Management and Logistics is written by a mix of academics, consultants and practitioners, all of whom have significant theoretical and practical experience. The book was conceived with the many supply chain and logistics professionals who are following formal learning programmes at all levels (Certificate, Diploma, Degree and Masters) in the subject in mind. However, it is hoped that it will be read equally profitably by students, researchers and practicing SCM and logistics professionals.

Tradition versus technology:careers fairs in the 21st Century

The traditional methods of graduate recruitment do not adequately meet the needs of the changing profile of students and graduates. As industry becomes internationalized, the needs of employers are also changing. Graduate recruitment is in response to short term needs and varying levels of experience are required. A case study method was used in Dublin Institute of Technology to evaluate effectiveness of a virtual careers fair in providing greater access to job opportunities for students and graduates. Access by employers to potential employees was also measured. Findings showed that while access improved, other issues requiring attention emerged.

Dyslexia research at the turn of the 21st century:behavioural, neuroimaging and genetic findings

Behavioural studies have shown that dyslexics are a heterogeneous population and between-group comparisons are thus inadequate. Some subjects do not develop dyslexia despite having a deficit implicated in this disorder, which points to protective factors. Dyslexia co-occurs with ADHD, DCD, SLI, and SSD, so that future behavioural studies will need to screen and/or statistically control for other disorders. Studies of multiple cases of DPs with other developmental disorders are necessary. Neuroimaging findings show structural and/or functional brain abnormalities in language areas, V5/MT and the cerebellum. Future neuroimaging studies need to investigate the whole reading network and multiple cases. Six dyslexia risk genes have been found, mostly involved in neural migration, which may suggest dyslexia is a deficit of neuronal migration. However, it is not clear how these genes can restrict migration to specific brain areas. As a complex and heterogeneous disorder, dyslexia is likely to be associated with several mutated genes. ADHD and SSD are characterised by genetic risk factors which are partially shared with dyslexia, resulting in comorbidity. Future genetic studies need to focus on identifying other risk genes and pleiotropic genes involved in comorbidities, and linking genotypes implicated in dyslexia with brain structure. Any theory of dyslexia needs to take into account a multitude of risk and protective factors across behavioural, neural and genetic domains.

Towards a 21st-century roadmap for biomedical research and drug discovery: consensus report and recommendations

Decades of costly failures in translating drug candidates from preclinical disease models to human therapeutic use warrant reconsideration of the priority placed on animal models in biomedical research. Following an international workshop attended by experts from academia, government institutions, research funding bodies, and the corporate and nongovernmental organisation (NGO) sectors, in this consensus report, we analyse, as case studies, five disease areas with major unmet needs for new treatments. In view of the scientifically driven transition towards a human pathway-based paradigm in toxicology, a similar paradigm shift appears to be justified in biomedical research. There is a pressing need for an approach that strategically implements advanced, human biology-based models and tools to understand disease pathways at multiple biological scales. We present recommendations to help achieve this.

Editorial

This second issue of Knowledge Management Research & Practice (KMRP) continues the international nature of the first issue, with papers from authors based on four different continents. There are five regular papers, plus the first of what is intended to be an occasional series of 'position papers' from respected figures in the knowledge management field, who have specific issues they wish to raise from a personal standpoint. The first two regular papers are both based on case studies. The first is 'Aggressively pursuing knowledge management over two years: a case study a US government organization' by Jay Liebowitz. Liebowitz is well known to both academics and practictioners as an author on knowledge management and knowledge based systems. Government departments in many Western countries must soon face up to the problems that will occur as the 'baby boomer' generation reaches retirement age over the next decade. This paper describes how one particular US government organization has attempted to address this situation (and others) through the introduction of a knowledge management initiative. The second case study paper is 'Knowledge creation through the synthesizing capability of networked strategic communities: case study on new product development in Japan' by Mitsuru Kodama. This paper looks at the importance of strategic communities - communities that have strategic relevance and support - in knowledge management. Here, the case study organization is Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), a Japanese telecommunication firm. The third paper is 'Knowledge management and intellectual capital: an empirical examination of current practice in Australia' by Albert Zhou and Dieter Fink. This paper reports the results of a survey carried out in 2001, exploring the practices relating to knowledge management and intellectual capital in Australia and the relationship between them. The remaining two regular papers are conceptual in nature. The fourth is 'The enterprise knowledge dictionary' by Stuart Galup, Ronald Dattero and Richard Hicks. Galup, Dattero and Hicks propose the concept of an enterprise knowledge dictionary and its associated knowledge management system architecture as offering the appropriate form of information technology to support various different types of knowledge sources, while behaving as a single source from the user's viewpoint. The fifth and final regular paper is 'Community of practice and metacapabilities' by Geri Furlong and Leslie Johnson. This paper looks at the role of communities of practice in learning in organizations. Its emphasis is on metacapabilities - the properties required to learn, develop and apply skills. This discussion takes work on learning and core competences to a higher level. Finally, this issue includes a position paper 'Innovation as an objective of knowledge management. Part I: the landscape of management' by Dave Snowden. Snowden has been highly visible in the knowledge management community thanks to his role as the Director of IBM Global Services' Canolfan Cynefin Centre. He has helped many government and private sector organizations to consider their knowledge management problems and strategies. This, the first of two-part paper, is inspired by the notion of complexity. In it, Snowden calls for what he sees as a 20th century emphasis on designed systems for knowledge management to be consigned to history, and replaced by a 21st century emphasis on emergence. Letters to the editor on this, or any other topic related to knowledge management research and practice, are welcome. We trust that you will find the contributions stimulating, and again invite you to contribute your own paper(s) to future issues of KMRP.