An Analysis of Student Existing Technological Capability: Developing an Initial Framework

This paper reports on the analysis of student (ages 6–15 years) technological capability as they undertake technological tasks. The activities covered a number of different contexts (including different subject areas), and had differing degrees of openness and methods of presentation. Data was obtained from 261 of the 400 students that took part in the classroom activities. A holistic approach to analysing student performance was developed and this provided insights into the strategies adopted by the students. Some preliminary conclusions are: the focus of students on an end-product meant that they did not fully consider the processes that might be required to solve the problem; student technological approaches were influenced by the culture of the classroom; and existing concepts of technological processes influenced the approaches undertaken. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The economic costs and benefits of UK defence exports

This study examines the economic costs and benefits to the UK of a 50 per cent cut in UK defence exports from the average level of 1998 and 1999. The net impact on the government budget is estimated to be an ongoing loss of between around £40 million and £100 million a year: around 0.2–0.4 per cent of the total UK defence budget. In addition, there is estimated to be a one‐off net adjustment cost, spread over five years, of between £0.9 billion and £1.4 billion. A further more speculative adjustment cost (estimated at around £1.1 billion) could result if the loss of income associated with the ‘terms‐of‐trade£ effect were also included. In terms of the wider debate about defence exports, the results of this study suggest first that the economic effects of the reduction in defence exports are relatively small and largely one‐off, and secondly that the balance of arguments about UK defence exports should be determined mainly by non‐economic factors.     

Reviews

Book Reviews in This Article: W. E. Wightman . The Lacy Family in England and Normandy, 1066-1194. H. S. Bennett . Life on the English Manor: A Study of Peasant Conditions, 1150-1400. Margaret Wood . The English Mediaeval House. D. Portman . Exeter Houses, 1400-1700. Patrick Collinson . The Elizabethan Puritan Movement. Calendar of the Patent Rolls. Preserved in the Public Record Office. Elizabeth I. Margaret Cash (Ed.). Devon Inventories of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. P. E. Jones (Ed.). The Fire Court: Calendar to the Judgments and Decrees of the Court of Judicature appointed to determine differences between landlords and tenants as to rebuilding after the Great Fire. G. E. Fussell . The English Dairy Farmer, 1500-1900. A. Andréadès . History of the Bank of England, 1640-1903. P. G. M. Dickson . The Financial Revolution in England. A Study in the Development of Public Credit, 1688-1756. Robert Munter . The History of the Irish Newspaper, 1685-1760. W. A. Mc Cutcheon . The Canals of the North of Ireland. J. D. Williams . Audley End. The Restoration of 1762-1797. W. E. Minchinton (Ed.). Politics and the Port of Bristol in the Eighteenth Century. Stanley D. Chapman . The Early Factory Masters. The Transition to the Factory System in the Midlands Textile Industry. Phyllis Deane . The First Industrial Revolution. J. Child . Industrial Relations in the British Printing Industry. The Quest for Security. Werner von Siemens . Inventor and Entrepreneur: Recollections of Werner von Siemens. Kurt Grunwald . Türkenhirsch: A Study of Baron Maurice de Hirsch, Entrepreneur and Philanthropist. J. D. Bailey . A Hundred Tears of Pastoral Banking. A History of the Australian Mercantile Land and Finance Company, 1863-1963. F. B. Smith . The Making of the Second Reform Bill. W. R. Powell (Ed.). A History of the County of Essex. Peter Mathias . Retailing Revolution. A History of Multiple Retailing in the Food Trades based upon the Allied Suppliers Group of Companies. Marc Bloch . French Rural History: an Essay on its Basic Characteristics. J. P. Nettl . Rosa Luxemburg. Erich Gruner and Karl Frei . Die schweizerische Bundesversammlung, 1848-1920 L'Assemblée fédérale suisse, 1848-1920. Richard Colebrook Harris . The Seigneurial System in Early Canada. Geographical Study. Ashin Das Gupta . Malabar in Asian Trade, 1740-1800. David Birmingham . Trade and Conflict in Angola.     

The management of retail design: demystifying the activity

Abstract The activity of design within retailing has received only partial consideration within the literature, and there has been a tendency to speculate upon the possible impact of design upon market positioning, retailer store image development and consumer behaviour at the expense of any understanding of the actual process of design development and implementation within retailing. The aim of this paper is to examine the process of design, and in particular the interrelationships that ought to exist between retailer (as client) and the designer in order to ensure that the values, benefits and opportunities afforded by design are fully realized within the organization. Integral to the effective management of design is the design brief, which is examined here within a retailing context. The paper concludes by examining the particular role that the store exterior has upon the development of a retailer's image and argues that further consideration needs to be given, not only to the positive outcomes of design investment in retailing, but also to the mechanisms by which it is achieved.     

An economic survey of northern Sulawesi: turning weaknesses into strengths under regional autonomy

The separation of North Sulawesi and Gorontalo into two provinces in 2001 complicated the issue of making regional autonomy work for northern Sulawesi, a region far removed from Indonesia's centre of power. Although the region had come through the economic crisis relatively well, the over-reliance on coconuts and the lack of a focus for dynamic development remained a challenge. Tourism, mining and services were the most dynamic sectors but, for different reasons, none of these sectors can be relied on for steady long-term growth. With the selection of the corridor from Manado to Bitung as one of Indonesia's 13 integrated economic development zones (Kapet), and given the new North Sulawesi province's potential role as a ‘gateway’ to Northeast Asia, the longer-term prospects for this province are brighter than those of Gorontalo. Nevertheless, capitalising on North Sulawesi's potential remains a formidable challenge.     

A Survey of Sustainability Reporting Practices of Australian Reporting Entities

This study examines the nature and extent of sustainability reporting practices in the various reporting media used by companies listed on the ASX (annual reports, discrete reports and websites). The sustainability reporting practices of the sample are compared with key indicators outlined in the GRI framework. The annual report is found to be the least valuable source of information on corporate sustainability in terms of the number of indicators observed and the diversity of the information provided. The discrete reports and websites provide greater levels of information on sustainability; however the overall levels of disclosure are generally low.