Issues of Learning and Knowledge in Technology Education

This article examines issues that arise from learning and knowledge in technology education. The issues examined are, first, the definition of technological knowledge and what the nature of that knowledge should be, where the concern is with how we define and think about that knowledge, especially in the context of how students learn and use knowledge in technology education. Second, the relationship between learning and knowledge in particular the inter-relationship between learning and knowledge, focusing on a situated view of learning. The third issue sees learning related to the context within which the learning takes place.This paper will explore these three inter-related issues in four sections. First, an outline of a view of learning that privileges context. Second, there will be a consideration of types of knowledge, namely, procedural and conceptual knowledge. These two types will be elaborated upon through research done at the Open University, particularly on problem solving and design. In discussing conceptual knowledge empirical work in mathematics and science education will be drawn on, along with work on the use of mathematics and science in technology education. Third, it will be argued that qualitative knowledge should become a part of teaching and learning in technology education because it both reflects a view of knowledge stemming from situated learning, and the tasks of technology. The article will end with a research agenda for what we have yet to understand, drawing on the earlier arguments.     

Strategy,core competence,and HR involvement as determinants of HR effectiveness and refinery performance

This study examines the impact of strategy, core competence, and involvement of HR executives in strategic decision making on the refinery managers' evaluation of the effectiveness of HR and on refinery performance among 86 U.S. petrochemical refineries. Survey results indicated that higher involvement of HR in organizational strategy was strongly related to perceptions of HR effectiveness, and that the relationship was strongest to the extent that refineries pursued a product innovation strategy and viewed skilled employees as their core competence. HR involvement was unrelated to refinery performance but was actually negatively related when refineries emphasized efficient production as their core competence. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

The impact of advertising,goodwill, and other intangibles in the retail foodservice industry: Do intangible investments bite into investor returns?

Utilizing a sample of U.S. publicly traded foodservice retailers, this study examines the impact of advertising, goodwill, and intangible assets on investor holding period returns. The results show that neither advertising nor intangible assets have a positive and significant impact on holding period returns. Goodwill, however, does have a positive and significant impact on holding period returns. Foodservice retailers may therefore want to question the effectiveness of growth strategies based on a firm’s own investments in either advertising or intangible assets. Instead, building a foodservice retailing business through mergers and acquisitions may prove a better use of company resources.     

Overseas Employment and Remittances to a Dual Economy

Overseas employment has become more commonplace, and remittances have increased in similar proportions. For poor countries, remittances often substantially influence domestic expenditures and real exchange rates. We study overseas employment, remittances and domestic underemployment in a simple general equilibrium model with a non-traded good and minimum wage. The influence of population growth, rural productivity, and family altruism are examined. If remittances per migrant exceed domestic productivity then multiple equilibria may occur exhibiting high or low overseas employment. We discuss how the equilibrium with highest overseas employment conditionally Pareto dominates the other equilibria, and analyse policy co-ordination.     

Continuous prophylaxis with recombinant factor IX Fc fusion protein and conventional recombinant factor IX products: comparisons of efficacy and weekly factor consumption

Background: Continuous prophylaxis for patients with hemophilia B requires frequent injections that are burdensome and that may lead to suboptimal adherence and outcomes. Hence, therapies requiring less-frequent injections are needed. In the absence of head-to-head comparisons, this study compared the first extended-half-life-recombinant factor IX (rFIX) product—recombinant factor IX Fc fusion protein (rFIXFc)—with conventional rFIX products based on annualized bleed rates (ABRs) and factor consumption reported in studies of continuous prophylaxis.

Methods: This study compared ABRs and weekly factor consumption rates in clinical studies of continuous prophylaxis treatment with rFIXFc and conventional rFIX products (identified by systematic literature review) in previously-treated adolescents and adults with moderate-to-severe hemophilia B. Meta-analysis was used to pool ABRs reported for conventional rFIX products for comparison. Comparisons of weekly factor consumption were based on the mean, reported or estimated from the mean dose per injection.

Results: Five conventional rFIX studies (injections 1 to >3 times/week) met the criteria for comparison with once-weekly rFIXFc reported by the B-LONG study. The pooled mean ABR for conventional rFIX was slightly higher than but comparable to rFIXFc (difference=0.71; p?=?0.210). Weekly factor consumption was significantly lower with rFIXFc than in conventional rFIX studies (difference in means?=?42.8–74.5?IU/kg/week [93–161%], p?Conclusion: Comparisons of clinical study results suggest weekly injections with rFIXFc result in similar bleeding rates and significantly lower weekly factor consumption compared with more-frequently-injected conventional rFIX products. The real-world effectiveness of rFIXFc may be higher based on results from a model of the impact of simulated differences in adherence.     

El trabajo informal. Dos asuntos clave para los programas políticos

Los autores estudian dos cuestiones de mucho relieve que levantan cierta polémica: la índole del trabajo informal denominado «voluntario» y la tesis de que las leyes laborales fomentan indirectamente la actividad informal. Presentan un análisis crítico de las teorías al respecto y hacen un repaso muy amplio de los estudios empíricos publicados acerca de los efectos de las leyes laborales en la informalidad. También exploran la pertinencia de los cuatro objetivos del trabajo decente en las esferas del trabajo informal y del desarrollo económico, haciendo hincapié en la importancia de que se organicen los trabajadores de la economía informal y en las posibilidades reales de que lo hagan.