Vision2020 and the English language : a study of the role of language in national development.

The research reported here is an investigation into the problems of social and economic development of a multiethic and multicultural country which has the added challenge of adopting a non-indigenous code to facilitate the development process. Malaysia's power to negotiate outcomes favourable to the interest of the country is critical for the successful attainment of the goals and objectives of VISION2020. Therefore the mechanisms of the human resource development programme have to be efficacious. The three hypotheses of this study are as follows: 1. there is a fear that the problems and challenges posed by the development plans, have been conceptually trivialised; 2. based on (1) above there is a concern that solutions proposed are inadequate and inappropriate and 3. the outcome of both (1) and (2) can lead to the potential underachievement of national goals and objectives. The study proposes a complex model for conceptualising the problem which looks at the relationship between society and language, which any solutions proposed must take into proper consideration. The study looks at the mechanisms available for the smooth absorption of new Malaysian members to new and international communities. A large scale investigation was undertaken with the researcher functioning as a participant observer. An in-depth study of one particular educational ecology yielded approximately 38 hours of interviews and 100 questionnaires. These data were analysed both for explicit information and implicit implications. By some criteria national policies appear to be having the desired effect, and can be given a clean bill of health. By others it is clear that major adjustments would be necessary if the nation is to achieve its objectives in full. Based on the evidence gathered, thr study proposes an apprenticeship approach to training programmes for effective participation of new members in the new ecologies.

Review of progress in implementing the recommendations of Sir Gareth Roberts regarding employability and career development of PhD students and research staff:A report for Research Councils UK by an independent review panel October 2010

The need for improvement in the development of research careers and researchers’ training in transferable skills was highlighted in two particular recommendations (numbers 4.2 and 5.3) in the 2002 report ‘SET for success: the report of Sir Gareth Roberts’ Review - the supply of people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills’ (Roberts, 2002). As a consequence of that review, Research Councils UK (RCUK)1 have invested about £120 million, usually referred to as ’Roberts’ Money’, in research organisations to address this concern in all research disciplines. The last ‘Roberts’ Money’ payment will be for the period up to March 2011; it was therefore proposed to assess the progress made with taking forward these specific recommendations. An independent panel was formed by RCUK to undertake this review in 2010. The terms of reference for the panel are in Annex A. In summary, the panel was asked to review progress made and to advise RCUK and the higher education (HE) sector about future requirements for the development and training of researchers. In the course of their review, the panel considered a wide range of existing reports, interviewed key stakeholders in the HE sector and elsewhere, as well as drawing on their own knowledge and expertise. This report presents the findings of the panel’s review.

Selection & development of short-term project team members:developmental stability as an indicator of interpersonal skills

Short-term project teams do not have the advantage of prior performance or long-term membership to facilitate development of effective team performance. Research suggests interpersonal skills are crucial to success but this is under researched longitudinally. Evolutionary psychology can provide a lens to explain how people develop differing levels of interpersonal skills via the relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and pro-social behaviours. This research aims to investigate the relationship between fluctuating asymmetry and interpersonal skills, the impact of training and to further the evolutionary psychology field by embedding research in a real-world context as opposed to solely in laboratory or student settings.

Evaluating authentic behaviour change in leadership development programmes

The global economic crisis that hit the western countries strongly has emphasised the need to abandon the economic-performance significance of leadership and return to a meaning-making significance. While a lot of research has been done in the field of leadership and management disciplines, little has been done on how to develop leadership. This study evaluated the degree in which leadership training in the market-place today was effective at developing authentic leadership and, therefore, at changing individual behaviour. Since none of the leadership theories address how behavioural change is actually achieved, theories of change were integrated in the current study. A conceptual model combining Authentic Leadership Development (ALD) theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was proposed. Furthermore, this study explored the relationship between a positive contemplation of change and the actual change observed in individuals after the leadership intervention. In order to test this conceptualisation, a longitudinal quasi-experimental study was conducted. Leaders were surveyed in this study one month before and one month after the programme. Three complementary questionnaires were distributed to participants in one of four leadership development programmes (two corporate initiatives and two business-school programmes). Analyses showed that leaders who attended a leadership intervention (as compared to a control group) developed higher levels of authentic leadership, as rated by them-selves and others in their working environment and controlling for baseline scores. The results also indicated that intentions were developed through the interventions and that the development of such intentions translated into changes in authentic behaviour. Intentions mediated the relationship between attitude and authentic leader-ship. In addition, when contemplation of change was high and attitudes towards authentic leadership were positive, the development of intentions was stronger. The implications of these findings for the theory and practice of leadership development programmes and the impact on organisational performance are discussed.

Advanced education and training in bioenergy in Europe

The paper explains how bioenergy education and training is growing in Europe. Employment estimates are included for renewable energy in general, and bioenergy in particular, to highlight the need for a broadly based education and training programme that is essential to build a knowledgeable workforce that can drive Europe's growing bioenergy sector. The paper reviews current provisions in bioenergy at Masters and PhD levels across the 27 members of the EU (EU27) plus Norway and Switzerland. This identifies a very active and expanding bioenergy education provision. 65 English-language Masters Courses in bioenergy (either focussing completely on bioenergy or with significant bioenergy content or specialisation) were identified. 231 providers of PhD studies in bioenergy were found.Masters Course offerings have grown rapidly across Europe during the last five years, but where data is available, enrolment has been quite low suggesting that there is an oversupply of courses and that course organisers are being optimistic in their projections. Existing provisions in Europe at Masters and PhD levels are clearly more than sufficient for short term needs, but further work is needed to evaluate the take-up rate and the content and focus of the provisions. To ensure talented graduates are attracted to these programmes, better promotion, stronger links with the research community and industry, and increased collaboration among course providers are needed. Short Courses of two to five days are an excellent way of meeting post-experience training needs but require further growth and development to serve the needs of the bioenergy community. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.

Undergraduate research training and employability

Formal opportunities for Psychology undergraduates to carry out research training are starting to emerge. In spite of the fact that such training programmes would have a high authentic learning component little is known of undergraduate expectations and attitudes towards such programmes. Here 108 undergraduate participants were surveyed in two experiments that recorded both the prospective and retrospective attitudes towards research training participation. Questionnaires and focus groups were employed and the data were triangulated together to converge on an understanding of student expectations towards authentic learning programmes. It was found that while Psychology undergraduates expect to be trained in contemporary research techniques it is the sense of community development that is the prime motivator for participation. These findings are placed within the context of increasing the employability profile of the undergraduate cohort.

The use of ICT by logistics service providers and implications for training needs:a cross-country perspective

Changes in the international economic scenario in recent years have made it necessary for both industrial and service firms to reformulate their strategies, with a strong focus on the resources required for successful implementation. In this scenario, information and communication technologies (ICT) has a potentially vital role to play both as a key resource for re-engineering business processes within a framework of direct connection between suppliers and customers, and as a source of cost optimisation. There have also been innovations in the logistics and freight transport industry in relation to ICT diffusion. The implementation of such systems by third party logistics providers (3PL) allows the real-time exchange of information between supply chain partners, thereby improving planning capability and customer service. Unlike other industries, the logistics and freight transport industry is lagging somewhat behind other sectors in ICT diffusion. This situation is to be attributed to a series of both industry-specific and other factors, such as: (a) traditional resistance to change on the part of transport and logistics service providers; (b) the small size of firms that places considerable constraints upon investment in ICT; (c) the relative shortage of user-friendly applications; (d) the diffusion of internal standards on the part of the main providers in the industry whose aim is to protect company information, preventing its dissemination among customers and suppliers; (e) the insufficient degree of professional skills for using such technologies on the part of staff in such firms. The latter point is of critical importance insofar as the adoption of ICT is making it increasingly necessary both to develop new technical skills to use different hardware and new software tools, and to be able to plan processes of communication so as to allow the optimal use of ICT. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact of ICT on transport and logistics industry and to highlight how the use of such new technologies is affecting providers' training needs. The first part will provide a conceptual framework of the impact of ICT on the transport and logistics industry. In the second part the state of ICT dissemination in the Italian and Irish third party logistics industry will be outlined. In the third part, the impact of ICT on the training needs of transport and logistics service providers - based on case studies in both countries - are discussed. The implications of the foregoing for the development of appropriate training policies are considered. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.

The role of academic/industry partnerships in the development of supply chain managers

The need for improvement in the logistics and supply chain management capability of companies in Ireland is becoming increasingly recognised. One of the main bottlenecks currently is the shortage of supply chain management professionals. Education and training has a fundamental role to play if the supply of suitably qualified human resource is to be addressed in a meaningful way. Recent research indicates that demand for people with the right knowledge and skills greatly exceed supply. There are numerous techniques and technologies which can facilitate improvement in a company’s supply chain capability. However, experience has shown that these tools alone can not address the weaknesses – any improvement tool is only as good as a company’s ability to utilise it and effective utilisation depends above all on the knowledge and skill of employees. Education and training is essential in developing the requisite knowledge and skills. Consultants can play a role in terms of providing an objective view of a company’s requirements. But the only way to generate a sustainable competitive advantage is to ensure that the necessary knowledge and skills are available in-house. Indeed, the “consultancy culture” which has developed in many companies is a direct result of this lack of in-house expertise. Given the shortage of suitably qualified and experienced people in the job market, the only way that this problem can be addressed is through effective development of existing staff. This paper describes the partnership model adopted by the NITL to achieve its objective of combining academic excellence with real relevance to commercial needs in its supply chain management development programmes. The Executive Development Programme (EDP) is used to illustrate how the model is implemented.

Undergraduate research training and graduate recruitment

Purpose – Formal opportunities for psychology undergraduates to carry out research training are starting to emerge. In spite of the fact that such training programmes would have a high authentic learning component little is known of undergraduate expectations and attitudes towards such programmes. This paper aims to focus on the issues. Methodology/design/approach – In total, 108 undergraduate participants were surveyed in two experiments that recorded both the prospective and retrospective attitudes towards research training participation. Questionnaires and focus groups were employed and the data were triangulated together to converge on an understanding of student expectations towards authentic learning programmes. Findings – While psychology undergraduates expect to be trained in contemporary research techniques it is the sense of community development that is the prime motivator for participation. Originality/value – The paper places these findings within the context of increasing the employability profile of the undergraduate cohort.

Auditory training and adult rehabilitation:a critical review of the evidence

Auditory Training (AT) describes a regimen of varied listening exercises designed to improve an individual’s ability to perceive speech. The theory of AT is based on brain plasticity (the capacity of neurones in the central auditory system to alter their structure and function) in response to auditory stimulation. The practice of repeatedly listening to the speech sounds included in AT exercises is believed to drive the development of more efficient neuronal pathways, thereby improving auditory processing and speech discrimination. This critical review aims to assess whether auditory training can improve speech discrimination in adults with mild-moderate SNHL. The majority of patients attending Audiology services are adults with presbyacusis and it is therefore important to evaluate evidence of any treatment effect of AT in aural rehabilitation. Ideally this review would seek to appraise evidence of neurophysiological effects of AT so as to verify whether it does induce change in the CAS. However, due to the absence of such studies on this particular patient group, the outcome measure of speech discrimination, as a behavioural indicator of treatment effect is used instead. A review of available research was used to inform an argument for or against using AT in rehabilitative clinical practice. Six studies were identified and although the preliminary evidence indicates an improvement gained from a range of AT paradigms, the treatment effect size was modest and there remains a lack of large-sample RCTs. Future investigation into the efficacy of AT needs to employ neurophysiological studies using auditory evoked potentials in hearing-impaired adults in order to explore effects of AT on the CAS.

Some Aspects of the Theme "Information Platform" in the Training of Students in Economic Majors

Information Platform has a major impact on the core activities and development of businesses. In this connection it is necessary for students of economics (the future leaders of such entities) to submit any problems related to the Information Platform, the risks they may pose, and exemplary approach to solve part or all of the problems and minimizing risks. The current issue examines the adaptation of the above problems when presenting them to students in economic majors. To the students are presented generalizations based on long observation of the occurrence and development of Information Platforms to the businesses in Bulgaria in a growing market economy.

An Open Virtual World for Professional Development

The paper presents a study that focuses on the issue of sup-porting educational experts to choose the right combination of educational methodology and technology tools when designing training and learning programs. It is based on research in the field of adaptive intelligent e-learning systems. The object of study is the professional growth of teachers in technology and in particular that part of their qualification which is achieved by organizing targeted training of teachers. The article presents the process of creating and testing a system to support the decision on the design of training for teachers, leading to more effective implementation of technology in education and integration in diverse educational contexts. ACM Computing Classification System (1998): H.4.2, I.2.1, I.2, I.2.4, F.4.1.

Modern Training Tools for Binding Design and Paper Conservation of Antique Books, Albums and Documents (BBINDING)

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2013

Bloom's Taxonomy and Training in Programming Style

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2013

Advanced ICT based Training Methods

Report published in the Proceedings of the National Conference on "Education in the Information Society", Plovdiv, May, 2013