Extreme weather events and business continuity planning

There is now a broad scientific consensus that the global climate is changing in ways that are likely to have a profound impact on human society and the natural environment over the coming decades. The challenge for Facilities Mangers is to ensure that business continuity plans acknowledge the potential for such events and have contingencies in place to ensure that their organisation can recover from an extreme weather event in a timely fashion. This paper will review current literature/theories pertinent to extreme weather events and business continuity planning; will consider issues of risk; identify the key drivers that need to be considered by Facilities Managers in preparing contingency/disaster recover plans; and identify gaps in knowledge (understanding and toolkits) that need to be addressed. The paper will also briefly outline a 3 year research project underway in the UK to address the issues

D7.1 - Summary Report of Business Models

This report provides a comparative analysis of the existing and emergent Business models currently employed in the Entertainment digital game industry (referred to in this report as the Leisure industry) and the “serious”, or in the context of the RAGE project and this report, the Applied Games industry. In conjunction with the accompanying WP 7.2 report providing a value chain analysis this report will inform the development of a business mode or models for the proposed RAGE ecosystem.

Teaching and cognitive outcomes in A-levels and Advanced GNVQ's: Case studies from Science and Business Studies Classrooms

The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate how a research diary methodology, designed to analyse A-level and GNVQ classrooms, can be a powerful tool for examining pedagogy and quality of learning at the level of case study. Two subject areas, science and business studies, are presented as cases. Twelve teachers and thirty-four students were studied over a four-week period in May 1997 and contrasts were drawn between lessons from three A-level physics teachers/three Advanced GNVQ science teachers and two A-level business/economics teachers/four Advanced GNVQ business teachers. Lessons were analysed within a cognitive framework which distinguishes between conceptual and procedural learning and emphasizes the importance of metacognition and epistemological beliefs. Two dimensions of lessons were identified: pedagogical activities (e.g. teacher-led explanation, teacher-led guidance on a task, question/answer sessions, group discussions, working with IT) and cognitive outcomes (e.g. structuring and memorizing facts, understanding concepts and arguments, critical thinking, problem-solving, learning core skills, identifying values). Immediately after each lesson, teachers and students (three per class) completed structured research diaries with respect to the above dimensions. Data from the diaries reveal general and unique features of the lessons. Time-ofyear effects were evident (examinations pending in May), particularly in A-level classrooms. Students in business studies classes reported a wider range of learning activities and greater variety in cognitive outcomes than did students in science classes. Science students self-rating of their ability to manage and direct their own learning was generally low. The phenomenological aspects of the classrooms were consistently linked to teachers' lesson plans and what their teaching objectives were for those particular students at that particular time of the year.

Evaluation of Numeracy Skills in First Year Pharmacy Undergraduates 1999-2005

There is growing concern within the profession of pharmacy regarding the numerical competency of students completing their undergraduate studies. In this 7 year study, the numerical competency of first year pharmacy undergraduate students at the School of Pharmacy, Queen's University Belfast, was assessed both on entry to the MPharm degree and after completion of a basic numeracy course during the first semester of Level 1. The results suggest that students are not retaining fundamental numeracy concepts initially taught at secondary level education, and that the level of ability has significantly decreased over the past 7 years. Keywords: Numeracy; calculations; MPharm; assessment