The validity and value of peer assessment using adaptive comparative judgement in design driven practical education

This paper presents the response of the technology teacher education programmes at the University of Limerick to the assessment challenge created by the shift in philosophy of the Irish national curriculum from a craft-based focus to design-driven education. This study observes two first year modules of the undergraduate programmes that focused on the development of subject knowledge and practical craft skills. Broadening the educational experience and perspective of students to include design based aptitudes demanded a clear aligning of educational approaches with learning outcomes. As design is a complex iterative learning process it requires a dynamic assessment tool to facilitate and capture the process. Considering the critical role of assessment in the learning process, the study explored the relevance of individual student-defined assessment criteria and the validity of holistic professional judgement in assessing capability within a design activity. The kernel of the paper centres on the capacity of assessment criteria to change in response to how students align their work with evidence of capability. The approach also supported peer assessment, where student-generated performance ranks provided an insight into not only how effectively they evidenced capability but also to what extent their peers valued it. The study investigated the performance of 137 undergraduate teachers during an activity focusing on the development of design, processing and craft skills. The study validates the use of adaptive comparative judgement as a model of assessment by identifying a moderate to strong relationship with performance scores obtained by two different methods of assessment. The findings also present evidence of capability beyond the traditional measures. Level of engagement, diversity, and problem solving were also identified as significant results of the approach taken. The strength of this paper centres on the capacity of student-defined criterion assessment to evidence learning, and concludes by presenting a valid and reliable holistic assessment supported by comparative judgements.     

The Impact of Interactivity and Design Sophistication on the Performance of Commercial Websites for Small Businesses

This study of small businesses involved in Internet-based electronic commerce focuses on the relationship between the design of a website and its performance. Specifically, this study examines the relationships between two design constructs, the level of interactivity and design sophistication, and two performance measures, an overall measure of performance and the number of visitors to the site. Furthermore, the study explores the role of two contingency variables, market turbulence and the age of the website, on these relationships. The results indicate that the level of interactivity of a website is positively associated with overall performance, but not associated with the number of visitors. Furthermore, market turbulence moderates the relationship between interactivity and performance so that the two constructs are positively associated under high levels of market turbulence but not associated under low levels of market turbulence. Results also show that design sophistication is associated with a greater number of visitors but not with overall performance. These findings suggest that the performance of a website is affected differently by different design constructs and that multidimensional measures of performance are necessary to properly evaluate performance.     

The Doha Round of the World Trade Organization and Agricultural Markets Liberalization: Impacts on Developing Economies

We investigate the impacts of multilateral removal of all border taxes and farm programs and their distortions on developing economies, using a world agriculture partial equilibrium model. We quantify changes in prices, trade flows, and production locations. Border measures and farm programs both affect world trade, but trade barriers have the largest impact. Following removal, trade expansion is substantial for most commodities, especially dairy, meats, and vegetable oils. Net agricultural and food exporters emerge with expanded exports; net importing countries with limited distortions before liberalization are penalized by higher world prices and reduced imports. We draw implications for current World Trade Organization negotiations.     

True and fair in the Czech Republic: a note on local perceptions

With the collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia’, and the subsequent desire of Czechoslovakia to join the European Union, in common with other countries in Central Europe, Czechoslovakia utilized the Fourth Directive as a ‘toolkit’ in designing part of its new accounting legislation. In incorporating the Fourth Directive, it has also included the requirement for financial statements to show a ‘true and fair’ view. Given the confusion over the exact meaning of ‘true and fair’ it is interesting to study how ‘true and fair’ has been introduced into the Czech Republic, and what it seems to signify for those who implemented it and for those who are preparing and using financial statements. Our initial findings indicate that ‘true and fair’ varies in its significance for the groups of individuals involved in preparing and using financial statements and that it may have particular significance for some groups of accountants who wish to secure specific advantage within the Czech economy.With the collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia’, and the subsequent desire of Czechoslovakia to join the European Union, in common with other countries in Central Europe, Czechoslovakia utilized the Fourth Directive as a ‘toolkit’ in designing part of its new accounting legislation. In incorporating the Fourth Directive, it has also included the requirement for financial statements to show a ‘true and fair’ view. Given the confusion over the exact meaning of ‘true and fair’ it is interesting to study how ‘true and fair’ has been introduced into the Czech Republic, and what it seems to signify for those who implemented it and for those who are preparing and using financial statements. Our initial findings indicate that ‘true and fair’ varies in its significance for the groups of individuals involved in preparing and using financial statements and that it may have particular significance for some groups of accountants who wish to secure specific advantage within the Czech economy.With the collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia’, and the subsequent desire of Czechoslovakia to join the European Union, in common with other countries in Central Europe, Czechoslovakia utilized the Fourth Directive as a ‘toolkit’ in designing part of its new accounting legislation. In incorporating the Fourth Directive, it has also included the requirement for financial statements to show a ‘true and fair’ view. Given the confusion over the exact meaning of ‘true and fair’ it is interesting to study how ‘true and fair’ has been introduced into the Czech Republic, and what it seems to signify for those who implemented it and for those who are preparing and using financial statements. Our initial findings indicate that ‘true and fair’ varies in its significance for the groups of individuals involved in preparing and using financial statements and that it may have particular significance for some groups of accountants who wish to secure specific advantage within the Czech economy.With the collapse of communism in Czechoslovakia’, and the subsequent desire of Czechoslovakia to join the European Union, in common with other countries in Central Europe, Czechoslovakia utilized the Fourth Directive as a ‘toolkit’ in designing part of its new accounting legislation. In incorporating the Fourth Directive, it has also included the requirement for financial statements to show a ‘true and fair’ view. Given the confusion over the exact meaning of ‘true and fair’ it is interesting to study how ‘true and fair’ has been introduced into the Czech Republic, and what it seems to signify for those who implemented it and for those who are preparing and using financial statements. Our initial findings indicate that ‘true and fair’ varies in its significance for the groups of individuals involved in preparing and using financial statements and that it may have particular significance for some groups of accountants who wish to secure specific advantage within the Czech economy.     

采购:绿色战略成功的关键

绿色采购并不是对目前采购运作方式的背离,它是一种延续。如今,迫于来自员工、客户、消费者以及供应链合作伙伴的压     

Implementing IFRS: A Case Study of the Czech Republic

This empirical paper presents a study of the implementation process for International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) in one of the accession countries, the Czech Republic. Based upon a review of the legislation, institutional framework and context, and drawing upon recent interviews with Czech companies required to prepare IFRS accounts, auditors and institutional players in the Czech Republic, the paper highlights some of the key issues that are arising with the move to the implementation of IFRS reporting for listed group companies and other enterprises in the Czech Republic.

The paper considers the issues that arise when implementing new accounting regulations, some of which are not new and have been well covered in the literature, but others of which are particular to the implementation of IFRS reporting. The method of implementation, the scope of IFRS, particular issues with local accounting practice and IFRS, the issue of enforcement of compliance with IFRS and its relationship with audit, the link between IFRS reporting and taxation and the provision of education and training are all considered. There is also a review of the state of preparedness of local group listed entities with respect to the implementation of IFRS reporting.

There are many potentially rich areas for accounting research where the work could also inform the practice of IFRS accounting. The paper provides a contribution by highlighting how one country has moved to implement the requirement for group listed enterprises to prepare IFRS accounts and the issues that then arise for legislators, preparers and users.     

New development: Procurement and policy outcomes—a bridge too far?

This article furthers the discussion in the March 2015 (Vol. 35, No. 2) issue of Public Money &; Management on ‘Public procurement policy and practice— international lessons and debates’. In particular, it illustrates some of the major difficulties in achieving the required policy outcomes through the procurement processes. The numerous ‘failures’, particularly in the defence acquisitions area, are of ongoing concern both in terms of ‘blow-outs’ in costs and, more unfortunately, in achieving strategic defence capability and overall policy outcomes in required timeframes. Can current public sector reforms and observed better practice provide any encouragement for, discipline on, participants to achieve the required results or is it all just too difficult?     

Price Discovery in Initial Public Offerings and the Role of the Lead Underwriter

We examine the price discovery process of initial public offerings (IPOs) using a unique dataset. The first quote entered by the lead underwriter in the five-minute preopening window explains a large proportion of initial returns even for hot IPOs. Significant learning and price discovery continues to take place during these five minutes with hundreds of quotes being entered. The lead underwriter observes the quoting behavior of other market makers, particularly the wholesalers, and accordingly revises his own quotes. There is a strong positive relationship between initial returns and the time of day when trading starts in an IPO.     

An ‘upside‐down’ view of rural health care

Access to high quality health care services plays an important part in the health of rural communities and individuals. This fact is reflected in efforts by governments to improve the quality of such services through better targeting of funds and more efficient management of services. In Australia, the difficulties experienced by rural communities in attracting and retaining doctors has long been recognized as a contributing factor to the relatively higher levels of morbidity and mortality in rural areas. However, this paper, based on a study of two small rural communities in Australia, suggests that resolving the health problems of rural communities will require more than simply increasing the quality and accessibility of health services. Health and well‐being in such communities relates as much to the sense of community cohesion as it does to the direct provision of medical services. Over recent years, that cohesion has diminished, undermined in part by government policies that have fuelled an exodus from small rural communities to urban areas. Until governments begin to take an ‘upside‐down’ perspective, focusing on building healthy communities rather than simply on building hospitals to make communities healthy, the disadvantages faced by rural people will continue to be exacerbated.     

Famine: a simple general equilibrium model

Agents in this model begin each period with an endowment offood, the sole commodity. Their utility is a function of currentconsumption, which has to exceed a specified minimum to ensuresurvival, and their endowment in the following period. Thereare three markets: those for labour, land, and food; there isno capital market. A famine can be triggered by a loss of endowmentwhich causes the food wage to fall below the survival minimum.The model is employed to compare the effects of public worksand food distribution as relief policies and shows the latterto be superior.