Learning Activities with Semantic. Hypermedia in Higher Education

The increasing use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in diverse professional and personal contexts calls for new knowledge, and a set of abilities, competences and attitudes, for an active and participative citizenship. In this context it is acknowledged that universities have an important role innovating in the educational use of digital media to promote an inclusive digital literacy. The educational potential of digital technologies and resources has been recognized by both researchers and practitioners. Multiple pedagogical models and research approaches have already contributed to put in evidence the importance of adapting instructional and learning practices and processes to concrete contexts and educational goals. Still, academic and scientific communities believe further investments in ICT research is needed in higher education. This study focuses on educational models that may contribute to support digital technology uses, where these can have cognitive and educational relevance when compared to analogical technologies. A teaching and learning model, centered in the active role of the students in the exploration, production, presentation and discussion of interactive multimedia materials, was developed and applied using the internet and exploring emergent semantic hypermedia formats. The research approach focused on the definition of design principles for developing class activities that were applied in three different iterations in undergraduate courses from two institutions, namely the University of Texas at Austin, USA and the University of Lisbon, Portugal. The analysis of this study made possible to evaluate the potential and efficacy of the model proposed and the authoring tool chosen in the support of metacognitive skills and attitudes related to information structuring and management, storytelling and communication, using computers and the internet.

Sustained competitive advantage of different sized multinational corporations in rural base of the pyramid markets

This thesis explores how multinational corporations of different sizes create barriers to imitation and therefore sustain competitive advantage in rural and informal Base of the Pyramid economies. These markets require close cooperation with local partners in a dynamic environment that lacks imposable property rights and follows a different rationale than developed markets. In order to explore how competitive advantage is sustained by different sized multinational corporations at the Base of the Pyramid, the natural-resource-based view and the dynamic capabilities perspective are integrated. Based on this integration the natural-resource-based view is extended by identifying critical dynamic capabilities that are assumed to be sources of competitive advantage at the Base of the Pyramid. Further, a contrasting case study explores how the identified dynamic capabilities are protected and their competitive advantage is sustained by isolating mechanisms that create barriers to imitation for a small to medium sized and a large multinational corporation. The case study results give grounds to assume that most resource-based isolating mechanisms create barriers to imitation that are fairly high for large and established multinational corporations that operate at the rural Base of the Pyramid and have a high product and business model complexity. On the contrary, barriers to imitation were found to be lower for young and small to medium sized multinational corporations with low product and business model complexity that according to some authors represent the majority of rural Base of the Pyramid companies. Particularly for small to medium sized multinational corporations the case study finds a relationship- and transaction-based unwillingness of local partners to act opportunistically rather than a resource-based inability to imitate. By offering an explanation of sustained competitive advantage for small to medium sized multinational corporations at the rural Base of the Pyramid this thesis closes an important research gap and recommends to include institutional and transaction-based research perspectives.

How do global born companies ignite their internationalization and survive in international markets?

Over the last decades, the born global firms or the international new ventures (“INVs”) have assumed a growing role in international business, including in Portugal. The rise of this new type of multinational has challenged several theories concerning the development of multinational companies and the origin of companies’ competitive advantage. This qualitative, case-based research explores the most relevant traits shown by some Portuguese born-global firms. More concretely, the aim of this work is to compare some Portuguese international new ventures in order to understand the role of leadership, culture and strategy in their rapid internationalization and the source of their lasting competitive advantage. It was noticed that these firms’ lasting competitive advantage results from a singular combination of resources and dynamic capabilities that evolves over time. Moreover, it was found that these firms’ foreign subsidiaries and local networks may be essential to enhance the firms competitive advantage as it provides each firm a distinctive source of knowledge and capabilities. As a consequence, the effective assimilation of such resources and capabilities in these firms’ may become crucial for their lasting success. In addition, the leadership, strategy and culture in these firms seem to be quite aligned and form a quite virtuous cycle that contributed to the firms rapid internationalization and for the way the firms developed their own resources and dynamic capabilities and adapted to external environment.

The storying of an educator: the power of living legacy /

"I began these pages for myself, in order to think out my own particular pattern of living, my own individual balance of life, work and human relationships." Lindbergh (1983) p.9. In this thesis, I use self-study research as I focus on the topic of living legacy. This is a personal story, using narrative methodology and method as a means of uncovering and naming life lessons learned. I write to gain insight into my interpretation of the concept of living legacy - what living legacy means to me and why this concept is significant to me - and how living legacy impacts the person that I am in the present. Using a narrative lens, I inquire into stories that connect me to my spirit, my gender, education and theology, through my living legacy lessons, and I seek the impact these stories hold for me in my life today. I utilize a variety of methods including personal journals, course work, and arts-based research experiences as I explore the connections to my emerging perceptions ofmy living legacy lessons. This thesis represents the beginning of a continuing journey of self-discovery. I take the journey in order to uncover hidden and ongoing lessons of living legacy and the impact they have on the student and educator that I am.

Creating a global consciousness throught the driver model of curriculum development

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect a human link through the One World Youth Project has on a global education program, if a human connection through the program enhances a student's ability to develop a critical consciousness of global issues, and the etTectiveness of thc constructivist-based Driver Model of Curriculum Development, which served as the curriculum model in this study. An action based research cycle was chosen as this study's research methodology and incorporated 5 qualitative data collection instruments: a) interviews and questionnaires, b) artifacts, c) teacher journal, d) critical friend's observation forms, and e) my critical friend's postobservation interviews. The data were conected from 4 student participants and my critical friend during all stages of the action research cycle. The results of this study provide educators with data on the impact of human connections in a global education program, the effects these connections have on students, and the effectiveness of the Driver Model of Curriculum Development. This study also provides practical activities and strategies that could be used by educators to develop their own global education programs. The United Nations drafted the Millennium Development Goals in an effort to improve the lives of billions of people across the globe. The eight goals were developed with the support of all member nations since all human beings are global citizens who have a responsibility to make the world a better place. Students need to develop a critical consciousness of global issues so that they can work with others to eliminate them. Students who are taught to restate the opinions of others win not be prepared to inherit a world full of challenges that will require new innovative ideas to foster positive change.

University-Industry Relations and Some Lessons from Biotech

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council

Eye disease and mobility limitations in older adults

Objectif: Évaluer les défis de la mobilité chez les personnes âgées atteintes de dégénérescence maculaire reliée à l’âge (DMLA), de glaucome ou de dystrophie cornéenne de Fuchs et les comparer avec les personnes âgées n’ayant pas de maladie oculaire. Devis: Étude transversale de population hospitalière Participants: 253 participants (61 avec la DMLA, 45 avec la dystrophie cornéenne de Fuchs, 79 avec le glaucome et 68 contrôles) Méthodes: Nous avons recruté les patients parmi ceux qui se font soigner dans les cliniques d’ophtalmologie de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (Montréal, Canada) de septembre 2009 à octobre 2010. Les patients atteints de la DMLA ou de la maladie de Fuchs ont une acuité visuelle inférieure à 20/40 dans les deux yeux, tandis que les patients avec du glaucome ont un champ visuel dans le pire oeil inférieur ou égal à -4dB. Les patients contrôles, qui ont été recrutés à partir des mêmes cliniques, ont une acuité visuelle et un champ visuel normaux. Nous avons colligé des données concernant la mobilité à partir des questionnaires (aire de mobilité et chutes) et des tests (test de l’équilibre monopodal, timed Up and Go (TUG) test). Pour mesurer la fonction visuelle nous avons mesuré l’acuité visuelle, la sensibilité au contraste et le champ visuel. Nous avons également révisé le dossier médical. Pour les analyses statistiques nous avons utilisé les régressions linéaire et logistique. Critères de jugement principaux: aire de mobilité, équilibre, test timed Up and Go, chutes Résultats: Les trois maladies oculaires ont été associées à des patrons différents de limitation de la mobilité. Les patients atteints de glaucome ont eu le type le plus sévère de restriction de mobilité; ils ont une aire de mobilité plus réduite, des scores plus bas au test TUG et ils sont plus enclins à avoir un équilibre faible et à faire plus de chutes que les contrôles (p < 0.05). De plus, comparativement aux contrôles, les patients ayant de la DMLA ou la dystrophie cornéenne de Fuchs ont eu une aire de mobilité réduite (p < 0.05). Les chutes n’ont pas été associées aux maladies oculaires dans cette étude. Conclusions: Nos résultats suggèrent que les maladies oculaires, et surtout le glaucome, limitent la mobilité chez les personnes âgées. De futures études sont nécessaires pour évaluer l’impact d’une mobilité restreinte chez cette population pour pouvoir envisager des interventions ciblées qui pourraient les aider à maintenir leur indépendance le plus longtemps possible.

The Wrong Kind of Lean: Over-Commitment and Under-Represented Skills on Technology Teams

This paper reports on results from five companies in the aerospace and automotive industries to show that over-commitment of technical professionals and under-representation of key skills on technology development and transition teams seriously impairs team performance. The research finds that 40 percent of the projects studied were inadequately staffed, resulting in weaker team communications and alignment. Most importantly, the weak staffing on these teams is found to be associated with a doubling of project failure rate to reach full production. Those weakly staffed teams that did successfully insert technology into production systems were also much more likely than other teams to have development delays and late engineering changes. The conclusion suggests that the expense of project failure, delay and late engineering changes in these companies must greatly out-weigh the savings gained from reduced staffing costs, and that this problem is likely going to be found in other technology-intensive firms intent on seeing project budgets as a cost to be minimized rather than an investment to be maximized.

Construyendo manifestantes un estudio visual de la construcción de la identidad política en el día internacional del trabajo

Presentamos una investigación basada en los métodos de investigación visual, sobre la construcción de la identidad política de los manifestantes en el día del trabajo en Bogotá, Colombia, entre los años 2006 y 2010, desde una perspectiva del interaccionismo simbólico.

Metodología para definir la selección y costeo de mercados en la exportación de servicios

La exportación de servicios tiene gran participación e importancia dentro de la economía de todos los países por eso cada vez es más difícil para los empresarios colombianos tener éxito en mercados internacionales, encontrándose con barreras gubernamentales, nuevas culturas, competidores internacionales y poca información sobre estos mercados. Es una decisión muy difícil para el empresario internacionalizarse e incursionar en un país nuevo, teniendo que hacer sacrificios en producción, capital humano, investigación, financiamiento., etc. Es muy importante para los exportadores elegir el mercado y el precio adecuado para incurrir en el país seleccionado, puesto que una decisión mal tomada puede ser la causa del fracaso en ese mercado y hasta llevar a la quiebra a la empresa. Es por eso que se trabajará en la creación de una matriz de selección de mercados para empresas de servicios y costos de exportación en las diferentes modalidades, lo anterior para brindarle una ayuda y guía al exportador a la hora de incurrir en un nuevo mercado y lograr diversificarse de la manera adecuada.

Data collection in Internet environment in social representations studies

The present study aimed at comparing social representations structures concerning data collection procedures: through internet forms, diffused in the WWW, and through conventional paper and pencil questionnaire methods. overall 893 individuals participated in the research, 58% of whom were female. A total of 217 questionnaires about the social representation on football (soccer) and 218 about the representation on aging were answered by Brazilian university students in classrooms. Electronic versions of the same instrument were diffused through an internet forum linked to the same university. There were 238 answers for the football questionnaire and 230 for the aging one. The instrument asked participants to indicate five words or expressions related to one of the social objects. Sample characteristics and structural analyses were carried out separately for the two data collection procedures. data indicated that internet-based research allows for higher sample diversity, but it is essential to guarantee the adoption of measures that can select only desired participants. Results also pointed out the need to take into account the nature of the social object to be investigated through internet research on representations, seeking to avoid self-selection effects, which can bias results, as it seems to have happened with the football social object.

Uso y efectividad de la relación estratégica comunitaria y el marketing en empresas del sector aeronáutico

La relación estratégica comunitaria busca la atracción y retención de clientes a través del entendimiento de los consumidores dentro del contexto social que los rodea, es decir, una estrategia de mercadeo que busca relaciones duraderas con sus clientes a través del desarrollo de las comunidades en las cuales están insertos, logrando así beneficios para ambas partes, empresa y comunidad, y una relación de negocios sostenible a través del tiempo. Este trabajo busca determinar cuál es el uso y la efectividad de la relación estratégica comunitaria y el marketing en el sector aeronáutico, pasando por la identificación de las estrategias de mercadeo, los conceptos comunitarios y el uso de las estrategias comunitarias al interior del sector. Para determinar esto, se tomó a Avianca como muestra en el período 2004-2014 y se buscó la relación de su mercadeo y sus acciones sociales con las estrategias comunitarias, sin embargo los resultados arrojaron que no existe una relación estratégica comunitaria en la compañía, a pesar de manejar conceptos comunitarios en sus proyectos sociales.

Relación entre los estilos de liderazgo y los niveles de resiliencia de los subordinados

El presente documento hace un análisis de la influencia que ejercen los diferentes tipos de liderazgo, carismático y transaccional, de un directivo de una organización sobre los subordinados de la misma, que a su vez afecta positiva o negativamente el nivel de resiliencia de los mismos. De la misma forma, se ha identificado la relación que existe entre el nivel de resiliencia de los subordinados de una organización y el cumplimiento de objetivos corporativos de la misma. Todo lo anterior se justifica en la economía globalizada de la que ahora hacemos parte que obliga a las empresas a generar nuevas estrategias de competitividad dentro de ambientes turbulentos y cambiantes donde, el desarrollar y motivar el recurso humano de la organización toma importancia para la ejecución exitosa de estrategias diferenciales.

Nuevas perspectivas en el estudio de la relación entre la cultura corporativa y el desempeño organizacional a partir de las ciencias de la complejidad

La presenta monografía constituye una profundización y ampliación en tres temas de interés: Cultura corporativa, ciencias de la complejidad y desempeño organizacional. Partiendo de un trabajo inicial que realiza una descripción de los anteriores conceptos y sus posibles relaciones, este trabajo resulta ser la continuación y adición de nuevas perspectivas con el fin de generar mayores aportes en el mundo académico y empresarial. Comienza con la Cultura corporativa y la identificación de sus componentes visibles, conjuntamente con una reflexión sobre este concepto como factor para la transformación y la aceptación del cambio en las organizaciones. Luego, retoma conceptos importantes en las Ciencias de la Complejidad y la teoría de sistemas como lo son los agentes, atractores, la no-linealidad y la auto-organización. Además se hace una revisión de los antecedentes y medidas actuales del desempeño organizacional, configurando al Alfa de Jensen como posible candidato para medir el impacto de la cultura corporativa manteniendo lo principios de las Ciencias de la complejidad.