Biotechnology education and societal demands: challenges faced by biotechnology and human resources development

2010 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. Pandu Ranga Narasimharao
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Knowledge Integration ◽  
Knowledge Society ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Moral Problems ◽  
Educational Guidance ◽  
The One

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to highlight the social responsibility of universities and other higher education institutes in meeting the challenges faced by biotechnology and human resource development.Design/methodology/approachThe challenges faced by biotechnology are discussed under three broad heads – exponential growth in biotechnology knowledge, commercialization and industrialization of the biotechnologies, and knowledge integration by various stakeholders of biotechnology.FindingsThe emergence of the knowledge society warrants that universities ensure that overall work of the academy is more relevant to the nation's most pressing civic, social, economic and moral problems and that there is an urgent need to have a fresh look at the approaches followed in biotechnology education and training, particularly with reference to developing countries. It is necessary to see how the different players (industries, university, society, government) concerned with biotechnology can act in unison and in a mutually beneficial way. An integrated approach to the field of biotechnology combining different subject areas is necessary and the courses and approach should reflect this.Originality/valueCareer counselors and those engaged in educational guidance are flooded with inquiries about biotechnology courses and their scope. It is observed, on the one hand, that the biotechnology field is starved of talent and, on the other hand, that there are several universities/colleges, particularly in developing countries, producing large numbers of unemployable graduates. Some serious thinking needs to be done urgently to overcome this problem.

The economies (and diseconomies) of distributed technologies

Kybernetes ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 767-785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Barile ◽  
Cristina Simone ◽  
Mario Calabrese
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Integration ◽  
Analytical Framework ◽  
Loss Of Control ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Perspective ◽  
Consistent Model ◽  
Adoption And Diffusion ◽  
The One ◽  
And Diffusion ◽  
Distributed Technologies

Purpose This paper aims to focus on distributed technologies with the aim of highlighting their economic-organizational dimensions. In particular, the contribution first presents a deeper understanding of the nature and the dynamics of the economies and diseconomies that arise from the adoption and diffusion of distributed technologies. Second, it aims to shed light on the increasing tension between the hierarchy-based model of production and peer-to-peer (p2p) production, which involves the pervasive diffusion of distributed technologies. Design/methodology/approach Adopting an economic-organizational perspective, which is deeply rooted in the related extant literature, an analytically consistent model is developed to simultaneously take into account the following variables: adoption density independent variable) and economies of knowledge integration and organizational diseconomies (the costs of a loss of control and the costs of organizational decoupling and recoupling) as dependent variables. Findings Distributed technologies allow access to a large quantity and a wide variety of cognitive slacks that have not been possible until now. In doing so, they are leading the transition towards p2p. This is an emerging production paradigm that is characterized – with respect to mass production – by a shift in the relative importance of cognitive slack in comparison with tangible slack. Nevertheless, the unrestrainable diffusion of distributed technologies is not neutral for organizations. On the one hand, these technologies allow for the integration of economies of knowledge, and on the other hand, they involve organizational diseconomies that should not be ignored by managers and researchers. Originality/value This paper fills a gap in the literature by developing a consistent analytical framework that simultaneously takes into account the economies of knowledge integration and potential organizational diseconomies (the costs of coordination and the loss of control) that arise from the adoption and diffusion of distributed technologies.

Owner-manager motives and the growth of SMEs in developing countries

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 190-211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nsubili Isaga ◽  
Enno Masurel ◽  
Kees Van Montfort
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Firm Growth ◽  
The Other ◽  
Pull Factors ◽  
Push Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Common Opinion ◽  
The Common ◽  
The One

Purpose – This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the motives of individuals in Tanzania to start their own businesses on the one hand and the growth of their firms on the other hand. Design/methodology/approach – A survey method was used to gather data from 300 small business owners and managers located in selected cities in Tanzania. Multiple regression analysis was conducted to analyse the relationship between the motivation to start an own business on the one hand and firm growth on the other hand. Three indicators for growth, namely, employment, sales and assets, were used to measure growth. Findings – The results suggest that that pull factors are more important to start the businesses than push factors. This contradicts the common opinion and previous research that push factors are more important than pull factors in developing countries. Furthermore, the study found that pull factors are positively related to firm, whereas push factors are negatively related to firm growth. Research limitations/implications – It should be noted that while this paper makes a number of contributions, there are some limitations that should be considered when interpreting the results. For instance, the data for this study were collected from only one type of business, i.e. the furniture industry (in Tanzania). Accordingly, we do not know the applicability of these findings to other businesses in other sectors. Therefore, future research should include businesses in other sectors to ascertain if the present findings are specific to the furniture business only or are applicable to other businesses as well. Practical implications – Our findings indicate that there are differences in motivations among owner-managers in starting the business and subsequent firm performance. Therefore, individuals need different forms of support depending on the level of development of their business, as well as their motivation. For example, we have seen that the presence of role models has a significant effect on business growth. Therefore, the government might consider using the media and other mechanisms to feature stories about successful entrepreneurs. Originality/value – The authors extend the findings of previous studies that investigate the owner-manager motives and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) growth in developed economy settings, but neglected emerging economies. The study also contradicts the common opinion and previous research that push factors are more important than pull factors in developing countries.

Low vision evaluation training in Nigeria: Time to improve human resource in developing countries

2020 ◽  
pp. 026461962091526
Author(s):  
Adedayo Adio ◽  
Charles Bekibele ◽  
David Lewerenz ◽  
Linda Lawrence
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Low Vision ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Post Test ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The One

Routine low vision care is a rarity in Nigeria and in most developing countries. The reason for the widespread apathy and lack of human resource development in this area is myriad. The Center for Vision, The Lens Rehabilitation Center for the Blind located in Portharcourt, Nigeria sought to correct this by working to revive interest and thus improve human resource available through provision of quality hands on training with world renowned scholars and faculty . Records of all who registered for two separate Low vision training courses at TLEC re(Hab) Nigeria between 2018 and 2019 were audited. Number of courses taught, participating faculty, gender and age distribution of trainees, previous training accessed by trainees, pretest scores and post test scores were compared. Numbers actually practicing low vision after 3 months of conclusion of the training and outcome of feedback questionnaires were also evaluated using a simple calculator. Fifty eyecare workers (42 in one day training and 8 over 2 weeks) with mean age of 33.6years and gender ratio of 1:2.3 were trained in two batches. There were 26 faculty available to teach both online and physically. Previous exposure to training was absent in the one day group while the two week group had just one. The courses taught were mainly on low vision evaluation(50% in the one day , 44.29% in the 2 week course) with additional courses on early intervention, rehabilitation of the blind and evaluation in special kids with additional problems. The hands on sessions were significantly better in the two week training with a third of the periods available dedicated to stepwise approach in low vision evaluation. A comparison of pretest and post test scores showed there was an exponential improvement in understanding between the one day and the two week training of up to 50 % increase which reflected in the numbers able to refer appropriately and evaluate low vision patients in the country when the one day and 2 week groups were compared. There was a general consensus that the two week training was more preferred. Empowerment with relevant low vision charts and device equipment significantly improved the numbers still practicing 3 months after training ended when compared with those who were not given any by as much as 400%. In conclusion, low vision needs dedicated and well trained staff who compulsorily need to be empowered to function with provision of required equipment especially in developing countries where the majority of the need for low vision aids and assistive devices appear to be.

scholarly journals Failing to pull together: South Africa’s troubled response to COVID-19

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wim Naudé ◽  
Martin Cameron
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Aggregate Demand ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Case Study ◽  
Economic Support ◽  
The Government ◽  
The One ◽  
Short Time ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to provide a country case study of South Africa’s response during the first six months following its first COVID-19 case. The focus is on the government’s (mis-)management of its non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) (or “lockdown”) to stem the pandemic and the organized business sector’s resistance against the lockdown. Design/methodology/approach This paper makes use of a literature review and provides descriptive statistics and quantitative analysis of COVID-19 and the lockdown stringency in South Africa, based on data from Google Mobility Trends, Oxford University’s Stringency Index, Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 tracker and Our World in Data. Findings This paper finds that both the government and the business sector’s responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have been problematic. These key actors have been failing to “pull together,” leaving South Africa’s citizens in-between corrupt and incompetent officials on the one hand, and lockdown skeptics on the other. This paper argues that to break through this impasse, the country should change direction by agreeing on a smart or “Goldilocks” lockdown, based on data, testing, decentralization, demographics and appropriate economic support measures, including export support. Such a Goldilocks lockdown is argued, based on available evidence from the emerging scientific literature, to be able to save lives, improve trust in government, limit economic damages and moreover improve the country’s long-term recovery prospects. Research limitations/implications The pandemic is an unprecedented crisis and moreover was still unfolding at the time of writing. This has two implications. First, precise data on the economic impact and certain epidemiological parameters was not (yet) available. Second, the causes of the mismanagement by the government are not clear yet, within such a short time frame. More research and better data may be able in future to allow conclusions to be drawn whether the problems that were besetting the country’s management of COVID-19 are unique or perhaps part of a more general problem across developing countries. Practical implications The paper provides clear practical implications for both government and organized business. The South African Government should not altogether end its lockdown measures, but follow a smart and flexible lockdown. The organized business sector should abandon its calls for ending the lockdown while the country is still among the most affected countries in the world, and no vaccine is available. Social implications There should be better collaboration between government, business and civil society to manage a smart lockdown. Government should re-establish lost trust because of the mismanagement of the lockdown during the first six months of the pandemic. Originality/value The outline of the smart lockdown that is proposed for the country combines NPIs with the promotion of exports, as a policy intervention to help aggregate demand to recover. The paper provides advice on how to resolve an impasse created by mismanagement of COVID-19, which could be valuable for decision-making during a crisis, particularly in developing countries.

Intercultural engineering beyond stereotypes

2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 658-672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasmin Mahadevan
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Human Resource Development ◽  
Development Program ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Study Program ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cultural Management ◽  
Development Of Competencies ◽  
Cross Cultural Management

Purpose – This article aims to suggest implementing an integrated approach – named intercultural engineering – at university level. Engineering today often takes place across cultures, locations and organizations. As a result, many companies have included cross-cultural training activities into their internal human resource development program. However, current practice neglects the engineering context and might enable sophisticated stereotyping. Design/methodology/approach – This article presents the case of a German bachelor study program in International Industrial Engineering and the theoretical foundations of its design. Findings – Engineering education needs to move beyond simplistic comparative cross-cultural management theory. It needs to acknowledge cultural complexity in engineering through an integrated development of competencies for utilizing the benefits of cultural diversity. Originality/value – The contribution of this article lies in providing a practical example of how to develop integrated competencies for cultural diversity in engineering, as based on latest theory.

GREEN OPEN ACCESS IN KENYA: A REVIEW OF THE CONTENT, POLICIES AND USAGE OF INSTITUTIONAL REPOSITORIES

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 25-54
Author(s):  
Wanyenda Leonard Chilimo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Access ◽  
Descriptive Study ◽  
Google Scholar ◽  
Research Institutions ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Institutional Repositories ◽  
Current State ◽  
Theses And Dissertations

 There is scant research-based evidence on the development and adoption of open access (OA) and institutional repositories (IRs) in Africa, and in Kenya in particular. This article reports on a study that attempted to fill that gap and provide feedback on the various OA projects and advocacy work currently underway in universities and research institutions in Kenya and in other developing countries. The article presents the findings of a descriptive study that set out to evaluate the current state of IRs in Kenya. Webometric approaches and interviews with IR managers were used to collect the data for the study. The findings showed that Kenya has made some progress in adopting OA with a total of 12 IRs currently listed in the Directory of Open Access Repositories (OpenDOAR) and five mandatory self-archiving policies listed in the Registry of Open Access Repositories Mandatory Archiving Policies (ROARMAP). Most of the IRs are owned by universities where theses and dissertations constitute the majority of the content type followed by journal articles. The results on the usage and impact of materials deposited in Kenyan IRs indicated that the most viewed publications in the repositories also received citations in Google Scholar, thereby signifying their impact and importance. The results also showed that there was a considerable interest in Swahili language publications among users of the repositories in Kenya.

PHILOSOPHICAL PROPAEDEUTICS IN THE SYSTEM OF PRESCHOOL EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 11-15
Author(s):  
Gan N.Yu. ◽  
Ponomareva L.I. ◽  
Obukhova K.A.
Keyword(s):  
Modern Science ◽  
Preschool Education ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Social Relevance ◽  
The Social ◽  
Moral Problems ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The One ◽  
The Individual ◽  
And Training

Today, worldview, spiritual and moral problems that have always been reflected in education and upbringing come to the fore in society. In this situation, there is a demand for philosophical categories. One of the priority goals of education in modern conditions is the formation of a reasonable, reflexive person who is able to analyze their actions and the actions of other people. Modern science is characterized by an understanding of the absolute value and significance of childhood in the development of the individual, which implies the need for its multilateral study. In the conditions of democratization of all spheres of life, the child ceases to be a passive object of education and training, and becomes an active carrier of their own meanings of being and the subject of world creation. One of the realities of childhood is philosophizing, so it is extremely timely to address the identification of its place and role in the world of childhood. Children's philosophizing is extremely poorly studied, although the need for its analysis is becoming more obvious. Children's philosophizing is one of the forms of philosophical reflection, which has its own qualitative specificity, on the one hand, and commonality with all other forms of philosophizing, on the other. The social relevance of the proposed research lies in the fact that children's philosophizing can be considered as an intellectual indicator of a child's socialization, since the process of reflection involves the adoption and development of culture. Modern society, in contrast to the traditional one, is ready to "accept" a philosophizing child, which means that it is necessary to determine the main characteristics and conditions of children's philosophizing.

How Phillips saw the light

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (8) ◽  
pp. 29-31
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Business World ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Freak Show ◽  
The World ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
The One ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings The problem with developing a reputation of being something of an oracle in the business world is that all of a sudden, everyone expects you to pull off the trick of interpreting the future on a daily basis. Like a freak show circus act or one-hit wonder pop singer, people expect you to perform when they see you, and they expect you to perform the thing that made you famous, even if it is the one thing in the world you don’t want to do. And when you fail to deliver on these heightened expectations, you are dismissed as a one trick pony, however good that trick is in the first place. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

PROMETHEE-based ranking of project managers based on the five personality traits

Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1083-1102
Author(s):  
Georgios N. Aretoulis ◽  
Jason Papathanasiou ◽  
Fani Antoniou
Keyword(s):  
Personality Traits ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Multicriteria Decision Making ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Preference Ranking ◽  
Infrastructure Projects ◽  
Public Infrastructure ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The One ◽  
Selection Of

Purpose This paper aims to rank and identify the most efficient project managers (PMs) based on personality traits, using Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) methodology. Design/methodology/approach The proposed methodology relies on the five personality traits. These were used as the selection criteria. A questionnaire survey among 82 experienced engineers was used to estimate the required weights per personality trait. A second two-part questionnaire survey aimed at recording the PMs profile and assess the performance of personality traits per PM. PMs with the most years of experience are selected to be ranked through Visual PROMETHEE. Findings The findings suggest that a competent PM is the one that scores low on the “Neuroticism” trait and high especially on the “Conscientiousness” trait. Research limitations/implications The research applied a psychometric test specifically designed for Greek people. Furthermore, the proposed methodology is based on the personality characteristics to rank the PMs and does not consider the technical skills. Furthermore, the type of project is not considered in the process of ranking PMs. Practical implications The findings could contribute in the selection of the best PM that maximizes the project team’s performance. Social implications Improved project team communication and collaboration leading to improved project performance through better communication and collaboration. This is an additional benefit for the society, especially in the delivery of public infrastructure projects. A lot of public infrastructure projects deviate largely as far as cost and schedule is concerned and this is an additional burden for public and society. Proper project management through efficient PMs would save people’s money and time. Originality/value Identification of the best PMbased on a combination of multicriteria decision-making and psychometric tests, which focus on personality traits.

scholarly journals Corporate debt maturity and economic development

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 669-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Celia Álvarez-Botas ◽  
Víctor M. González-Méndez
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Firm Size ◽  
Debt Maturity ◽  
Corporate Debt ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Country Level ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Bank Concentration

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyse the effect of economic development on the influence of country-level determinants on corporate debt maturity, bearing in mind firm size and the period of financial crisis. Design/methodology/approach The authors employ panel data estimation with fixed effects to examine the role of economic development in influencing the relationship between country-level determinants on corporate debt maturity. The paper uses a sample of 30,727 listed firms, belonging to 39 countries, over the period 2005–2012. Findings Corporate debt maturity increases with the efficiency of the legal system and bank concentration and decreases with the weight of banks in the economy. However, the importance of these country determinants is greater in developing than in developed countries. The authors also show that firm size in developed and developing countries influences country determinants of corporate debt maturity. Finally, the results reveal that the financial crisis has affected the debt maturity of firms differently in developed and developing countries, with the effect of bank concentration lengthening debt maturity, this effect being more pronounced in developing countries. Practical implications The findings provide useful insights to guide policy decisions providing access to long-term financing, as corporate debt maturity depends on economic development, institutional environment, banking structure and firm size. Originality/value This study incorporates economic development in explaining the relationship between country-level determinants and corporate debt maturity.

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