Linking learning activities and assessment activities to learning outcomes and assessment standards when teaching technology: a case study

In this article the results of a critical reflection on the analysis of 564 technology education lesson plans are discussed. The critical reflection draws on the responses of approximately 120 South African technology education teachers in a teaching practice workbook where they had to choose a project and base five lessons on the project. The analysis of the above mentioned lesson plans is done in such a way that the linking of learning activities and assessment activities to learning outcomes and assessment standards is highlighted. In general it can be concluded that, although the learning outcomes and assessment standards are readily available and specified clearly in the policy documents of the national department of education, the particular teachers find it difficult to translate theory into practice when converting what is specified in the policy documents to learning activities and assessment activities in their lesson plans. This implies that the instructional strategy for the particular technology education programme should be adapted to include a comprehensive section on how to integrate aspects mentioned in the policy documents of the national department of education into actual lesson plans. Although the outcomes of the critical reflection on the results of the analysis mentioned above are directed at improving and adapting an instructional strategy in a particular in-service technology education programme in South Africa some knowledge transfer to similar situations should be possible.     

The Effects of Environmental Turbulence on New Product Development Strategy Planning

Managers need guidance on how to cope with turbulent environments in order to improve corporate performance. Research on environmental turbulence has suggested that firms adopt a less centralized, more organic structure in dynamic, uncertain environments. Little work has been done specifically, however, on how environmental turbulence affects strategy planning for new product development (NPD). In this article, we specify a baseline model with firm innovativeness, market orientation and top management risk taking as antecedents to NPD speed and corporate strategic planning; these in turn are modeled as antecedents to NPD program (not project) performance. Two conceptualizations of the role of environmental turbulence are examined: (1) that market turbulence and technological turbulence are additional direct antecedents to NPD program performance; and (2) that the baseline model is moderated by turbulence (that is, that the strengths of the paths differ depending on levels of turbulence). A cross-sectional survey methodology including four diverse industries [automotive, electronics, publishing, and manufacturing/research and development (R&D) laboratories] was used to test the hypotheses. The latter conceptualization is supported. In particular, the paths from innovativeness to strategic planning and from risk taking to NPD speed are significantly greater in highly turbulent environments. A set of managerial recommendations and implications are provided. First, managers must recognize the possible improvements in new product performance by actively including NPD personnel in corporate strategic planning and also by involving corporate planners in NPD activities. Second, managers also should recognize that turbulent environments heighten the need to make risky investments, and sometimes, risky decisions; risk-taking decisions ought to be encouraged in such environments.     

The Role of Planning and Workplace Support in Returning to Work after Maternity Leave

The paper reports a longitudinal study of the post‐pregnancy work outcomes for full‐time working women who were pregnant with their first baby. Regression analyses revealed that women who did not return to work as intended were differentiated from those who did return to work by the amount of planning they had done in pregnancy, as well as having lower pre‐natal income and less anti‐cipated support within the workplace. Almost one third of those who returned to work part‐time reported reduced job status. The study shows the importance of workplace planning and support in return to work after maternity leave.     

Social assessment of technology: some clarifications and areas for future research

Most of the literature on Technology Assessment has concerned its methodological aspects. Our current research work is oriented towards organizational aspects of the process of T.A., and to the ways it can be implemented in different institutional environments. This paper enquires a little further into the meaning and implications of the idea of T.A., spelling out its main distinctive features; the process of Social Assessment of Technology is considered as part of the Planning process; then, a conceptual framework, namely the systems approach, is proposed for helping the understanding of the social process dealt with. A general, critical survey of current research trends and unresolved issues in the field is done, to conclude with some suggestions for new research work in this area.     

合理纳税筹划 促进煤炭企业可持续发展

税务风险管理和税务筹划作为财税管理工作的重要组成部分,对提升企业经营业绩具有重要意义。在日常的生产和经营过程中,规避涉税风险是纳税人经营管理中不可忽视的内容。税务筹划及管理工作做到位,企业外部经营环境就能得到改善,就能降低经营风险。财务人员应牢固树立降低税务成本,创造财务价值的管理意识,进行科学合理的税务筹划可以有效规避因没有遵循税法可能遭受的法律制裁和财务损失,帮助企业树立良好的社会形象,促进企业可持续发展。     

基于Petri网建模的节点边际电价计算方法

随着我国电力市场化改革的深入,电价在优化资源配置和促进电力系统经济高效运行方面的作用将越来越显著。作为一种图形化的数学工具,Petri网理论能够很方便地对离散系统进行仿真研究。给出了利用Petri网建模计算节点边际电价的方法,并对一个4区域电力系统的节点边际电价进行了计算。结果表明,此方法不仅能够快速得到节点边际电价,计算量小,而且计算过程能够反映系统状况,揭示电力市场行为规律,为电力系统规划和电网经济运行提供信息。     

Exploring pre-service technology teachers’ content and instructional knowledge to determine teaching readiness

Instructional practice plays a significant role in revealing how well teachers understand the subjects they teach. Many studies have been conducted in South Africa on the relationship between teachers’ knowledge of well-established subjects like Science and Mathematics and how well teachers apply their knowledge in the classroom. However, relatively little research has been done on the subject of Technology, which was only included in the national school curriculum after 1994. The aim of this study was to explore pre-service (i.e. in-training) Technology teachers’ content knowledge and instructional knowledge in the context of various theories about teaching. The study followed a case study approach. Five female pre-service Technology teachers, who were in their final year of teacher training at a South African university of technology and were doing their in-school practicum were observed. Video recorder was used to capture the delivering of a lesson to a class of Grade 8 learners. The researcher used the 9E instructional model, which comprises nine phases in the presentation of a lesson, as the basis for her observation work and final analysis. A key finding was that the content and instructional knowledge displayed by most pre-service Technology teachers was inadequate, which weakened their effectiveness in the classroom. As a result, learners were deprived of the opportunity to sharpen their cognitive skills and develop authentic interest in Technology. This study, though limited in scope, has laid an important foundation for more in-depth studies to be conducted on the extent of content and instructional knowledge in the sphere of Technology Education, which should be of value to other universities offering teacher-training programmes.

     

Some recent methodologies in futures studies: A personal view

Everyone wishes to know what the future holds; to understand the problems ahead so that they may be able to effectively manage possible future adverse events. This need to know and to understand the future is no less real now than it has ever been, and this is particularly true of groups, organizations and institutions, which, in a world of considerable flux, feel particularly vulnerable if they are not aware of the vital forces at work affecting their own fortunes. Consequently, a number of attempts have been made in the recent past to develop ways to become better informed about particular futures for specific needs. These improvements in ways of looking at the future will inevitably continue to develop. Organizational plans will become increasingly dependent upon such studies, and management, particularly R&D management, will need to be able to judge the value of such studies carried out on its behalf just as informed management attempts to assess, for example, the value of economic, market, manpower or raw materials forecasts. The intended purpose of this paper is to reduce some of the ‘futures studies’ mystique and to provide management with a feel for what can be done now as a result of forward thinking. That is, the intention is: —to introduce the concept of a futures study (why forecast?); —to suggest what it should encompass (what to ask for); —to describe some of the more useful methods together with suggested advantages and disadvantages (what are the tools?); —to recommend the type of analysis of a futures study which generates maximum effectiveness in the planning process. It is worth repeating that the emphasis in this paper is placed upon the use to which a good futures study can be put, if effectively commissioned, analysed and implemented.     

PLM education in production design and engineering by e-Learning

These days more attention is being paid to Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) using a technique for managing total product planning, design, manufacturing, sales, and disposal. We researched business processes and education curriculum of the PLM system in manufacturing businesses. We designed the curriculum of PLM education and developed part of a lesson. Most importantly, e-Learning is shown to be an effective tool for achieving educational objectives. We found that not only knowledge and theory but also practical education methods using case studies in an e-Learning environment are necessary for human resources to develop effective PLM.     

ZBB,MBO, PPB and their effectiveness within the planning/marketing process

Substantial attention has recently been focused on the reported failures of zero-base budgeting (ZBB), management by objectives (MBO), and planning, programming, and budgeting (PPB) as management techniques for corporations as well as governmental agencies. This writer has determined that these failures occur because the ZBB, MBO, and PPB techniques are used in lieu of an integrated planning/marketing process and fail to recognize the process or the limitations and scope of these techniques. The techniques can and do work well where they are treated as part of, rather than as a substitute for, the planning/marketing process, and are modified to function efficiently within the process. All elements of the planning/marketing process must be given a fair share of attention if the profit or non-profit enterprise is to succeed.     

Re-examining technology's destruction of blue-collar work

Despite research suggesting certain death of blue-collar work due to technological advancements, blue-collar jobs continue to be in demand. Through a study of the blue-collar dominant Transport and Logistics sector in Australia, we apply a Critical Realist framework to consider the tendencies contributing to, and limiting, technological uptake and worker displacement. Our analysis of interviews with sector managers demonstrate how technological uptake decisions to enact labour saving technologies are often constrained by other causal mechanisms and associated (counter) tendencies. Causal mechanisms related to geographical artifacts, industry structure and established business models, along with class structure, mitigate against ‘big bang’ technological transformation and the demise of blue-collar work. We conclude that tracking the future of work is important, but it cannot be done solely on the basis of technological capacities to displace labour or without consideration of the complex interplay of causal mechanisms and tendencies shaping employer decisions about technology.     

管理者提升商数通用性测度指标的确立与模糊评价

内部提拔作为人力资源管理的一项重要内容经常被误操作，部分原因缘于组织在提拔管理者之前较少评估其提升商数，以往的胜任力研究虽然也在这方面做过一些工作，但非常零碎。为改变这一状况，本文做了一些探索性研究，集中表现在两个方面：一是找出并构建反映管理者提升商数的通用性指标体系；二是根据这些指标体系对管理者提升商数做出模糊评价。     

Developing information policy

The author first considers some of the policy issues that arise in connection with the creation of new information, primarily scientific and technical information. He then discusses specific policy problems stemming from communications and information storage and retrieval systems and their use. A broader integrative view of this field could help develop a national information policy for the future. Such integrative work remains to be done, and suggestions for future studies in this area are given.     

新型原油含水分析仪的引进与应用

GB260《石油产品水分测定法》是目前普遍采用的一种油井含水率测定方法,但在现场应用中存在配套器具和操作程序较多、化验时间长、安全性差、需消耗溶剂油,非节能环保等问题。江苏油田试采一厂引进的按照GB/T6533《原油中水和沉淀物测定法（离心法）》制作的新型原油含水分析仪,通过现场应用,不仅数据准确度满足规范要求,而且工作效率高,与配套的样桶清洗装置应用,具有安全、节能、健康、环保等多种效果。     

Advantages of assembly lines in Sheltered Work Centres for Disabled. A case study

Current practices for the treatment of the physically and/or mentally handicapped prescribe meaningful job activity as a means towards both a more fulfilling life and societal integration. In many countries, these practices have facilitated the development of many Sheltered Work Centres for Disabled.In the case study presented, a reengineering process is done starting from individual workplaces where only certain workers were capable of assembling the entire product, and finishing with an assembly line implementation. It is revealed how the traditional division of work in single tasks, typical in assembly lines, becomes a perfect tool for making certain worker disabilities invisible, providing new jobs for disabled people; always taking into account certain special constraints that are analysed.     

Continuous learning and the management of change

The author deals with the problem faced by Lever Brothers Ltd, a company within the Unilever Group, in training graduate management trainees to manage change in an era in which subordinates increasingly challenge management decisions and those decisions themselves are less confidently made.
One response was to include in the first-year management training programme a week-long Study Group, guided but not led by a process consultant, and dedicated to exploring possible changes in the company's personnel management policies necessary to meet expected changes in the social and economic climate.
Over the years the format and detailed objectives of this Study Group have changed but as a result of the flexibility of the format and the openness of the transactions much has been learned on how to manage change. Trainees have learned, for exarnple, that learning must be viewed as part of work and not something added on, that group learning is possible and desirable, that people learn in different ways, and that managing a technical operation involves managing a social group. The paper also discusses the role of the trainer in such free-ranging group processes and the need to integrate what has been learned in training sessions with the real world of operations.
The author concludes by emphasising that the most important lesson learned by trainees is that managing the process of the Study Group was an essential part of managing its task. From this experience they also learnt the more important lesson that process review is basic to managing in real life.