The role of transformative thinking and practice in a property entrepreneur's response to the funding crisis since 2008

This portfolio of exploration explores the role of transformative thinking and practice in a property entrepreneur’s response to the financial crisis which swept over Ireland from 2008. The complexity of this challenge and the mental capacity to meet its demands is at the core of the exploration. This inquiry emerged from the challenges the financial crisis presented to my values, beliefs, assumptions, and theories, i.e. the interpretive lens through which I make meaning of my experiences. Given the issue identified, this inquiry is grounded in aspects of theories of constructive developmental psychology, applied developmental science, and philosophy. Integrating and linking these elements to business practice is the applied element of the Portfolio. As the 2008 crisis unfolded I realised I was at the limits of my way of knowing. I came to understand that the underlying structure of a way of knowing is the ‘subject-object relationship’ i.e. what a way of knowing can reflect upon, look at, have perspective on, in other words, make object, as against what is it embedded in, attached to, identified within, or subject to. My goal became enhancing my awareness of how I made meaning and how new insights, which would transform a way of knowing, are created. The focus was on enhancing my practice. This Portfolio is structured into three essays. Essay One reported on my self-reflection and external evaluation out of which emerged my developmental goals. In Essay Two I undertake a reading for change programme in which different meaning making systems were confronted in order to challenge me as a meaning maker. Essay Three reported on my experiment which concerned the question whether it was possible for me as a property entrepreneur, and for others alike, to retain bank finance in the face of the overwhelming objective of the bank to deleverage their balance sheet of property loans. The output of my research can be grouped into General Developmental and Specific Business Implications. Firstly I address those who are interested in a transformational-based response to the challenges of operating in the property sector in Ireland during a crisis. I outline the apparatus of thought that I used to create insight, and thus transform how I thought, these are Awareness, Subject-object separation, Exploring other’s perspectives from the position of incompleteness, Dialectical thinking and Collingwood’s Questioning activity. Secondly I set out my learnings from the crisis and their impact on entrepreneurial behaviour and the business of property development. I identify ten key insights that have emerged from leading a property company through the crisis. Many of these are grounded in common sense, however, in my experience these were, to borrow Shakespeare’s words, “More honor'd in the breach than the observance” in pre Crisis Ireland. Finally I set out a four-step approach for forging a strategy. This requires my peer practitioners to identify (i) what they are subject to, (ii) Assess the Opportunity or challenge in a Systemic Context, (iii) Explore Multiple Perspectives on the opportunity or Challenge with an Orientation to change how you know and (iv) Using the Questioning Activity to create Knowledge. Based on my experience I conclude that transformative thinking and practice is a key enabler for a property entrepreneur, in responding to a major collapse of traditional (bank debt) funding.

The financial storms in Vietnam's transition economy: a reasoning on the 1991-2008 period

This study focuses on those substantial changes that characterize the shift of Vietnam’s macroeconomic structures and evolution of micro-structural interaction over an important period of 1991-2008. The results show that these events are completely distinct in terms of (i) Economic nature; (ii) Scale and depth of changes; (iii) Start and end results; and, (iv) Requirement for macroeconomic decisions. The study rejected a suspicion of similarity between the contagion of the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 and economic chaos in the first half of 2008 (starting from late 2007). The depth, economic settings of, and interconnection between macro choices and micro decisions have all grown up significantly, partly due to a much deeper level of integration of Vietnam into the world’s economy. On the one hand, this phenomenon gives rise to efficiency of macro level policies because the consideration of micro-structural factors within the framework has definitely become increasingly critical. On the other and, this is a unique opportunity for the macroeconomic mechanism of Vietnam to improve vastly, given the context in which the national economy entered an everchanging period under pressures of globalization and re-integration. The authors hope to also open up paths for further empirical verifications and to stress on the fact that macro policies will have, from now on, to be decided in line with changing micro-settings, which specify a market economy and decide the degree of success of any macroeconomic choices.

Contrasting Models of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Reply to Monroe and Mineka (2008)

The authors address the 4 main points in S. M. Monroe and S. Mineka's (2008) comment. First, the authors show that the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text rev.; American Psychiatric Association, 2000) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) diagnosis includes an etiology and that it is based on a theoretical model with a distinguished history in psychology and psychiatry. Two tenets of this theoretical model are that voluntary (strategic) recollections of the trauma are fragmented and incomplete while involuntary (spontaneous) recollections are vivid and persistent and yield privileged access to traumatic material. Second, the authors describe differences between their model and other cognitive models of PTSD. They argue that these other models share the same 2 tenets as the diagnosis and show that these 2 tenets are largely unsupported by empirical evidence. Third, the authors counter arguments about the strength of the evidence favoring the mnemonic model. Fourth, they show that concerns about the causal role of memory in PTSD are based on views of causality that are generally inappropriate for the explanation of PTSD in the social and biological sciences. © 2008 American Psychological Association.

AMERICAN WOMEN COMPOSERS: SELECTED PUBLISHED WORKS FOR FLUTE AND PIANO AND FOR UNACCOMPANIED FLUTE COMPOSED BETWEEN 1930 AND 2008

The music of women composers often comprises only a small percentage of flutists‘ repertoire, yet there are actually many active women composers, many of whom have written for the flute. The aim of this dissertation is to chronicle a selection of works by several American women composers that have contributed to accessible flute repertoire. For the purpose of this dissertation, accessibility is described by the following parameters: works that limit the use of extended techniques, works that are suitable for performers from high school through a reasonably advanced level, works that are likely to elicit emotionally musical communication from the performer to the listener, and works that are reasonably available through music stores or outlets on the Internet that have a fairly comprehensive reach to the general public. My subjective judgment also played a role in the final selection of the 25 works included as part of this dissertation, and performed on three musically well-balanced recitals. A variety of resources were consulted for the repertoire, including Boenke‘s Flute Music by Women Composers: An Annotated Catalog, and the catalogs of publishers such as Arsis Press and Hildegard Publishing, both of which specialize in the music of women composers. The works performed and discussed are the following: Adrienne Albert – Sunswept; Marion Bauer – Prelude and Fugue, Op. 43.; Marilyn Bliss – Lament; Ann Callaway – Updraft; Ruth Crawford – Diaphonic Suite; Emma Lou Diemer – Sonata; Vivian Fine – Emily’s Images; Cynthia Folio – Arca Sacra; Nancy Galbraith – Atacama; Lita Grier – Sonata; Jennifer Higdon – The Jeffrey Mode; Edie Hill – This Floating World; Katherine Hoover – Masks; Mary Howe – Interlude between Two Pieces; Laura Kaminsky – Duo; Libby Larsen – Aubade; Alex Shapiro – Shiny Kiss; Judith Shatin – Coursing Through the Still Green; Faye-Ellen Silverman – Taming the Furies; Augusta Read Thomas – Euterpe’s Caprice; Joan Tower – Valentine Trills; Ludmila Ulehla – Capriccio; Elizabeth Vercoe – Kleemation; Gwyneth Walker – Sonata; and Judith Lang Zaimont – ‘Bubble-Up’ Rag. All of these works are worthy alternatives to the more frequently played flute repertoire, and they serve as a good starting point for anyone interested i n exploring the works of women composers.

The HITRAN 2008 molecular spectroscopic database

This paper describes the status of the 2008 edition of the HITRAN molecular spectroscopic database. The new edition is the first official public release since the 2004 edition, although a number of crucial updates had been made available online since 2004. The HITRAN compilation consists of several components that serve as input for radiative-transfer calculation codes: individual line parameters for the microwave through visible spectra of molecules in the gas phase; absorption cross-sections for molecules having dense spectral features, i.e. spectra in which the individual lines are not resolved; individual line parameters and absorption cross-sections for bands in the ultraviolet; refractive indices of aerosols, tables and files of general properties associated with the database; and database management software. The line-by-line portion of the database contains spectroscopic parameters for 42 molecules including many of their isotopologues. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd.

El precio de la tierra en pradera pampeana y su relación con los commodities agropecuarios : periodo 1988 - 2008

El presente trabajo se focaliza en el estudio del valor de la tierra en pradera pampeana y su relación con los commodities agropecuarios para el período comprendido entre los años 1988 y 2008. En la década de 1990 se ha producido un nuevo escenario en el mercado inmobiliario rural argentino, principalmente en la zona conocida como Pradera Pampeana. Los motivos principales que lo han desencadenado fueron la adaptación de la siembra directa y el uso de variedades transgénicas, acompañado por todo un paquete tecnológico hasta entonces desconocido en el país. El valor de la tierra está determinado por la productividad de los factores y el instrumento que se utilizó para cuantificar el mismo fue el método de flujo de fondos y del valor residual descontado por la tasa de corte imperante en cada período bajo análisis. En el presente trabajo se buscó verificar el comportamiento del valor de equilibrio (técnico) de la tierra en la pampa húmeda y su relación con el valor de mercado. El valor de la tierra en las distintas zonas de la pampa húmeda constituye un sistema de vasos comunicantes que se expresa a través de la correlación que existe entre los valores de las distintas zonas. Se produce una revalorización de los campos por arbitraje o arrastre al variar los precios de algunos commodities más que otros. Finalmente se demostró que el precio relativo de los granos a nivel internacional, la tecnología aplicada, las políticas públicas vigentes y la tasa de corte son determinantes del valor técnico de la tierra; el cual, sumado a las expectativas de valoración genera el valor de mercado. Las encuestas realizadas a expertos en el mercado inmobiliario rural reflejan que el valor de la tierra se debe a lo dicho, además de ser un factor escaso y un refugio contra la desvalorización del dólar y el peso.

El precio de la tierra en pradera pampeana y su relación con los commodities agropecuarios : periodo 1988 - 2008

El presente trabajo se focaliza en el estudio del valor de la tierra en pradera pampeana y su relación con los commodities agropecuarios para el período comprendido entre los años 1988 y 2008. En la década de 1990 se ha producido un nuevo escenario en el mercado inmobiliario rural argentino, principalmente en la zona conocida como Pradera Pampeana. Los motivos principales que lo han desencadenado fueron la adaptación de la siembra directa y el uso de variedades transgénicas, acompañado por todo un paquete tecnológico hasta entonces desconocido en el país. El valor de la tierra está determinado por la productividad de los factores y el instrumento que se utilizó para cuantificar el mismo fue el método de flujo de fondos y del valor residual descontado por la tasa de corte imperante en cada período bajo análisis. En el presente trabajo se buscó verificar el comportamiento del valor de equilibrio (técnico)de la tierra en la pampa húmeda y su relación con el valor de mercado. El valor de la tierra en las distintas zonas de la pampa húmeda constituye un sistema de vasos comunicantes que se expresa a través de la correlación que existe entre los valores de las distintas zonas. Se produce una revalorización de los campos por arbitraje o arrastre al variar los precios de algunos commodities más que otros. Finalmente se demostró que el precio relativo de los granos a nivel internacional, la tecnología aplicada, las políticas públicas vigentes y la tasa de corte son determinantes del valor técnico de la tierra; el cual, sumado a las expectativas de valoración genera el valor de mercado. Las encuestas realizadas a expertos en el mercado inmobiliario rural reflejan que el valor de la tierra se debe a lo dicho, además de ser un factor escaso y un refugio contra la desvalorización del dólar y el peso.

Reflexiones sobre la política agraria y sus consecuencias para el sector agropecuario en el período 1989 - 2008

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Análisis de los ítems de las evaluaciones autonómicas de diagnóstico en España: 2008-2009

Este estudio se centra sobre las características, y su adecuación al modelo de competencias establecido por el estudio PISA de la OECD y por el Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia en España, de los ítems para la evaluación de diagnóstico en competencia matemática de los estudiantes de 2o de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria, elaborados por las Comunidades Autónomas españolas en el curso académico 2008-2009.

Logro educativo: prueba enlace México 2008

Diferentes corrientes teóricas han intentado conocer cuáles son los factores que inciden en los procesos educativos, cuál es su relevancia y cómo podrían ser modificadas con la finalidad de obtener una mejor calidad en la educación. Fortalecer esta corriente de investigación en México es imprescindible. El objetivo de este trabajo es, identificar factores individuales, familiares y escolares incidentes en el nivel de logro académico en matemáticas de estudiantes de tercer año de secundaria. Se analizaran los resultados del examen de matemáticas propuesto por la Evaluación Nacional de Logro Académico en Centros Escolares (ENLACE). También se estudiaran los resultados de los cuestionarios de contexto que se aplicaron a una muestra representativa de estudiantes a sus profesores y a sus padres. Para ello se hará uso de Minería de Datos con el objetivo de encontrar relaciones ocultas entre las variables, sacar conclusiones y generar conocimiento a partir de estas.

Modeling the diffusion of solid copper into liquid solder alloys

During the soldering process, the copper atoms diffuse into liquid solders. The diffusion process determines integrity and the reworking possibility of a solder joint. In order to capture the diffusion scenarios of solid copper into liquid Sn–Pb and Sn–Cu solders, a computer modeling has been performed for 10 s. An analytical model has also been proposed for calculating the diffusion coefficient of copper into liquid solders. It is found that the diffusion coefficient for Sn–Pb solder is 2.74 × 10− 10 m2/s and for Sn–Cu solder is 6.44 × 10−9 m2/s. The modeling results reveal that the diffusion coefficient is one of the major factors that govern the rate at which solid Cu dissolve in the molten solder. The predicted dissolved amounts of copper into solders have been validated with the help of scanning electron microscopic analysis.

Economic crisis and public services: note 1, December 2008

The paper examines the impact of the economic crisis on public services, including government reponses and implications for companies operating in public services.

FARM-Africa South Africa Northern Cape land reform and advocacy programme 2004-2008: final evaluation

FARM-Africa South Africa has played a crucial and important role in filling the gap that existed after the return of land to communities by government in the Northern Cape. Their support to farmer communities during the post-settlement phase has been critical for making productive use of land. During 2004-2008, FARM-SA has worked in 20 community projects in the Northern Cape, benefiting 745 poor households.

Memorandum submitted by the University of Greenwich: are the consumer price increases for electricity imposed in January 2008 justified?

This paper examines whether increases to published wholesale prices justify the retail electricity price increases imposed on residential consumers in January 2008. The study is based on analysis of two questions: Is the reported wholesale price a reliable indicator of the cost electricity retailers are paying to buy power; and is the corporate structure of the British electricity sector competitive? [Taken from first paragraph of summary]