Exploring perceptions and attitudes towards teaching and learning manual technical drawing in a digital age

This paper examines the place of manual technical drawing in the 21st century by discussing the perceived value and relevance of teaching school students how to draw using traditional instruments, in a world of computer aided drafting (CAD). Views were obtained through an e-survey, questionnaires and structured interviews. The sample groups represent professional CAD users (e.g., engineers, architects); university lecturers; Technology Education teachers and student teachers; and school students taking Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) Graphic Communication courses. An analysis of these personal views and attitudes indicates some common values between the various groups canvassed of what instruction in traditional manual technical drafting contributes towards learning. Themes emerge such as problem solving, visualisation, accuracy, co-ordination, use of standard conventions, personal discipline and artistry. In contrast to the assumptions of Prensky’s thesis [(2001a) Digital natives, digital immigrants. On the Horizon 9, 5. NCB University Press Retrieved Oct 2006 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf; (2001b) Digital natives digital immigrants, Part 2: Do they really think differently? On the Horizon 9, 6. NCB University Press retrieved Oct 2006 from http://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part2.pdf] of digital natives, the study reported in this paper indicates that the school students apparently appreciate the experience of traditional drafting. In conclusion, the paper illustrates the perceived value of such learning in terms of transferable skills, personal achievement and enjoyment.     

Interactive effects of environmental experience and innovative cognitive style on student creativity in product design

Environmental experience can enhance the ideas of design students. Thus, this type of experience may interfere with the influence of design students’ cognitive style on creativity. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of environmental experience on the relationship between innovative cognitive style and industrial design students’ creative outcomes. The environmental experience was measured according to the total scores of the five components of sense, feel, think, act, and relate on the basis of Schmitt’s strategic experience modules. The cognitive styles were measured using Kirton’s adaption–innovation inventory, and creative works were assessed through the consensus assessment technique, which was employed by three experts. Through a field experiment and survey investigation, the analysis indicated that innovative cognitive style significantly and positively influenced creativity, but this only occurred when student was accompanied with a low degree of environmental experience (i.e., a student had a low score for environmental experience); as the student attained a high degree of environmental experience, the influence of innovative cognitive style on creativity became weakened. The experiential media suggested that the natural elements, cultural history, group travel, and narrator effectively diversified the experiences of the students and enhanced creative thinking. This paper suggests providing increased stimulation of environmental experience prior to instructing design students to engage in creative activity. Environmental experience can benefit students by enhancing their creativity.     

The impact of environmental management systems on financial performance in fashion and textiles industries

With rising environmental concerns from consumers and stakeholder groups, environmental management has become an important responsibility for today's fashion and textiles manufacturers. The production of fashion and textiles related products often requires high levels of energy and water consumption, and emits large quantities of pollutants to the environment. Therefore, the adoption of environmental management systems (EMSs) is important and could have a significant impact on these firms' operational performance. This study presents empirical evidence on the performance impact of EMS adoption in the fashion and textiles related industries (FTIs). Although EMSs have emerged as a passport to business in the FTIs, their actual impacts on firms' financial performance have not been explored. We reveal that the adoption of ISO 14000, the most popular EMS, improves manufacturers' profitability in the FTIs over a three-year period as measured by return-on-assets (ROA). Based on our sample, we find that profitability improvement started during the implementation stage and continued at least one year after the firm obtained ISO 14000 certification. We also find that profitability improvement is mainly due to improvement in cost efficiency, measured by return-on-sales (ROS). Specifically, certified firms improved up to 2.9% in ROA and 3.3% in ROS over the three-year period since they implemented ISO 14000. We conclude that there is a positive impact of EMS adoption on firms' financial performance in the FTIs.     

The impact of aligned rewards and senior manager attitudes on conflict and collaboration between sales and marketing

This research was carried out using five case studies and a survey to discover how sales and marketing managers are rewarded and if alignment of rewards can improve collaboration between sales and marketing and/or reduce inter-functional conflict. In addition, it examined the role of senior managers' support for coordination on sales/marketing collaboration. The results reveal that organizations which use aligned rewards can increase sales/marketing collaboration through such reward structures, but not reduce inter-functional conflict. In addition, senior managers' support for coordination is vital, as it increases sales/marketing collaboration, and strongly reduces inter-functional conflict. This is important because inter-functional conflict has a strong negative impact on collaboration between sales and marketing in business to business firms.     

The impact of trust and contract on innovation performance: The moderating role of environmental uncertainty

Research into two important control mechanisms for managing the supply chain relationship - contracts and trust - is on the rise. However, our understanding of how they influence innovation in a firm remains rather unclear. Thus, the primary objective of this study is to examine the individual and interactive effects of contracts and trust on firms' innovation performance and the contingent effects of environmental uncertainty on those relationships in China. The empirical results from a survey of Chinese manufacturing firms indicate that there is a positive relationship between trust and firms' innovation performance, an inverted U-shaped relationship between the use of contracts and firms' innovation performance, and that contracts and trust are substitutes. Moreover, we find that environmental uncertainty enhances the effects of trust, but does not influence the impact of contracts on innovation performance.     

Participation and achievement in technology education: the impact of school location and socioeconomic status on senior secondary technology studies

International Journal of Technology and Design Education - The rise of STEM education, and the twenty first century skills movement, and the increasingly technologically driven nature of our world,...     

Effects of cognitive styles on 2D drafting and design performance in digital media

This paper investigates the interactions between design students’ cognitive styles, as measured by Riding’s Cognitive Styles Analysis, and performance in 2D drafting and design tasks in digital media. An empirical research revealed that Imager students outperformed Verbalisers in both drafting and creativity scores. Wholist–Analytic cognitive style dimension was found to be independent from drafting and design performance. The study suggests that examining the cognitive styles of students in Computer Aided Design (CAD) education deserves further attention and may facilitate for improvements in learning processes.     

The role of sense of community and motivation in the collaborative learning: an examination of the first-year design course

International Journal of Technology and Design Education - The demand for creating collaborative learning environments in technology education highlights the needs to enhance student collaborations...     

An investigation into the effect of systematic design methods in craft,design and technology (CDT)

This paper has grown out of a long standing personal concern that the current approaches to design teaching are too narrowly based and that they can distort the very activity that they set out to encourage. A survey of the comments made in Examiner's Reports of pupil's work in public design examinations during 1986 & 1987 provides some insight into the difficulties that pupils experienced in carrying out their design activities.Design activity in schools developed from the beginnings initiated by the curriculum development projects of the late 1960's and early 1970's. These put forward methodical approaches to designing which have become widely used in UK secondary schools and which are now firmly embedded in the publications and project assessment framework of the current national examinations.The present study suggests that, while these methodical approaches clearly work, they imply a logical progression of thought which does not necessarily parallel the pattern of human thinking. It is recognised that pupil's design folios written up at the end of a project can be made to describe a logical, systematic procedure which has more to do with the assessment framework than the actual developments of design ideas during the project. Indeed, teachers and candidates were being actively encouraged to base their work on these structured frameworks:The actual style and quality of the folder presentation is also important. This is particularly so when working to a detailed mark scheme. Certainly it is easier to mark a folder which broadly follows the pattern of the mark scheme than one which is very erratic. Teachers are advised as to the advantages of using the mark scheme as a teaching tool and as a guide for folder presentation. NEA, 1986.Finally, the paper examines some more recent developments in the procedural models of design activity and the way in which professional designers approach their work. These insights provide an indication of the way forward for school design work and its assessment.     

Exploring the impact of design thinking tool among design undergraduates: a study on creative skills and motivation to think creatively

International Journal of Technology and Design Education - This paper exploring the impact of the utilization of Design Thinking tool in facilitating the development of a group of design...     

The impact of problem-based learning strategies on STEM knowledge integration and attitudes: an exploratory study among female Taiwanese senior high school students

This study was designed to explore the effects of problem-based learning (PBL) strategies on the attitudes of female senior high school students toward integrated knowledge learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Content analysis and focus group methods were adopted as the research processes. Data and information about the STEM internet platform, an attitude scale and the contents of interviews were also collected for analysis. The subjects were 10th grade students at a girls’ senior high school who volunteered to organize teams for a Solar Electric Trolley Contest. A total of 40 students were grouped into 18 teams. The results of the study indicate: (1) that PBL strategies can be helpful in enhancing students’ attitudes toward STEM learning and the exploration of future career choices; (2) that the PBL teaching strategy helped to lead students step by step toward completing the contest’s mission and to experience the meaning of integrated STEM knowledge; (3) that not only that students can actively apply engineering and science knowledge, but also that students tend to gain more solid science and mathematics knowledge through STEM learning in PBL; and (4) that PBL can enhance students’ abilities and provide them experiences related to knowledge integration and application. Therefore, it is recommended that the curriculum at the girls’ senior high school include more content related to specialty subjects to enhance their technological capabilities. In addition, a learning mechanism should be offered to aid advisers or teachers in strengthening students’ integrated and systematic knowledge about STEM.     

数字化技术在包装印刷中的应用

·未来二、三十年间，柔版印刷将逐步超越平印和凹印。·数字化技术在柔版印刷中得到了充分应用。·无需胶片和印版，真正实现数字印刷。在印刷工业界，技术创新的速度非常快，特别是近十多年来，柔性版印刷的工艺技术得到了迅速的发展，印刷质量大为提高，尤其是在包装行业中得到越来越广泛的应用。在美国甚至已经把柔性版印刷称之为“包装印刷”了。　　一、柔版印刷技术的发展　　柔版印刷的方法最早出现在19世纪中叶，到20世纪50年代美国的包装业开始使用柔版印刷。但仅是少数印刷厂将柔性印刷版材应用到传统的橡皮雕刻版的印刷方面。当…     

浅谈小学英语语汇教学方法与技巧

作者通过教学实践;总结出小学英语词汇教学的方法与技巧     

利比亚战乱对油气产业的影响

自2011年2月中旬利比亚发生动荡和战乱以来,利比亚油气产业陷入停顿状态,油气产量急剧下降,油气田管理处于无序状态,沿海油气集输设施受到战争威胁,部分炼油厂和港口储运设施遭到破坏,油气出口陷于停滞。在西方国家支持和卡塔尔国家石油公司帮助下,反对派石油运营逐渐起步。利比亚战乱对国际石油市场形成冲击,由于担心在北非引起骨牌效应,在中东埋下动荡的种子,国际基准油价不断走高,轻质低硫原油紧俏,导致部分石油消费国开始考虑调整油源结构。未来,影响利比亚局势发展的关键因素包括西方国家支持反对派的决心,阿盟对多国部队空中打击的立场,反对派能否团结一致,国内各地区各部落的立场,卡扎菲政权应对制裁的能力。可以预见,利比亚局势在短期内较难明朗,其油气产业年内很难恢复,这将对世界石油市场产生长期的影响。     

包装容器及其粘接剂对回收利用的影响

当前，随着世界人口的急剧增加和产业革命后人们生活水准的提高和改善，使得木材、煤炭、金属、石油等天然资源的消费迅速激增。资源消费量在1963年至1995年的33年间，已由440亿吨猛增到1000亿吨。据专家预测，按如此情况发展下去，到2050年，天然资源消费量将急增5倍。由于天然资源的有限性，人类必须通过开发节约资源的各种技术与材料再生利用的方法来减少资源的消耗，必须对实现可持续发展目标的产业和产品结构及制造方法进行早期的研究。     

The moderating effect of environmental dynamism on the ownership and performance relationship

Agency theory posits a positive relationship between insider ownership and organizational performance. Past empirical studies examining this issue have not firmly established this relationship. The current study postulates and tests the moderating effect of environmental dynamism on the insider ownership and performance nexus. Implications and future research directions are considered. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of the Uruguay Round on tariff escalation in agricultural products

Tariff escalation (i.e. higher tariffs on processed agricultural products than on their input commodities) has been one of the obstacles for developing countries in their efforts to establish processing industries for exports. This article assesses the changes in tariff escalation resulting from the Uruguay Round (UR) tariff concessions, examining the agricultural import markets of EU, Japan and the US. The approach consisted of comparing the base and bound tariffs, as listed in the UR tariff schedules, of actual input/output processing relationships, taking also specific tariffs into account. Three main conclusions can be drawn. First, more than half of the commodity pairs have positive tariff wedges (escalating tariffs), about 10 per cent have no tariff wedges (input and output tariffs are equal) and the remaining one-third of the commodity pairs have negative tariff wedges (de-escalating tariffs). These numbers are roughly the same for both base and bound tariff wedges. Second, as a result of the UR tariff concessions more than 80 per cent of the tariff wedges have decreased (in absolute values, i.e. positive wedges have become less positive and negative wedges have become less negative). Convergence towards zero is therefore a common feature. Third, after the full implementation of the UR tariff concessions, high levels of nominal tariff escalation will still remain for a number of commodity pairs, highest in Japan and lowest in US. Considering only the positive tariff wedges, these will average 17 per cent after the implementation of the UR (down from 23 per cent of the base years). Finally, the study has certain methodological shortcomings, and a degree of caution is in order for countries contemplating export diversification and investing in valued-added industries. There are well known problems with “water in the tariffs” and the difference between applied and bound rates of duty that are common to all studies on this subject. In addition, a number of factors that are beyond the scope of this study should also be taken into account when export diversification is considered. These relate, inter alia, to the competitiveness of the export commodities or industries in question, availability of appropriate technologies and infrastructure, product standards, technical regulations and a host of consumer preference issues having to do with brand recognition as well as product characteristics.     

金融危机对全球能源投资的影响

国际能源署(IEA)发布的报告——《金融危机对全球能源投资的影响(Theimpact of the financial and economic crisis on global energy investment)》指出,受此次全球金融危机的影响,全球能源供应和需求双方的基础设施投资大幅削减,而能源投资骤减将对能源安全、气候和贫困人群使用能源产生潜在影响。金融危机对全球油气上游投资影响严重,10年来上游投资首次出现下滑,2009年世界油气上游投资预算将比上年减少21%;金融危机对油气下游投资的影响小于上游;大型综合性国际石油天然气公司对危机的应对能力最强。2009年可再生能源投资预算将可能下降38%,生物燃料行业受油价下跌的影响投资下降严重,煤炭行业的投资预计将比2008年下降40%。     

The relative impact of actual and potential rivalry on firm profitability in the pharmaceutical industry

This paper estimates the effects of actual and potential rivalry on profitability of firms in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry during the 20‐year period 1963–82. The results show that during the 1960s actual rivalry among the sampled firms did not materially affect firm profitability, but that during the 1970s competition among incumbents had an increasingly adverse effect on their profitability. The results also show that potential competition significantly reduced drug firms’ profitability during the entire 20‐year period. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.