Increasing the impact of management development programs

Purpose Reflective practice makes an important contribution to the ultimate success of any management development program. Greater emphasis on reflection demands that both program participants and action learning facilitators take appropriate responsibility needed to increase the overall effectiveness of the process. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Reflective practice makes an important contribution to the ultimate success of any management development program. Greater emphasis on reflection demands that both program participants and action learning facilitators take appropriate responsibility needed to increase the overall effectiveness of the process. 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.

Features of the Supramolecular Cell-Genetic Organization of E. Coli in Engineering Aspects of Biotechnology

Recently, there has been a keen interest in the physicochemical features of self-organizing spatio-temporal, heteropolymer-supramolecular assemblies, in which the system of components of the fluctuation dynamics of surface protein groups is evolutionarily selected for the implementation of morphogenetic processes of ontogenesis.That is, evolution created chemical compounds, the exceptional organization of which ensured the fulfillment of the most complex and precise tasks.In this research, the bacterial cell ofE. coli was considered in the concept of supramolecular science, where, in accordance with the informational development program based on the principles of molecular recognition, phase ensembles appear, which are characterized by a certain organization, depending on the phase growth of the population culture. In this respect, proteomic super-molecular physicochemistry can be considered as physicochemical or molecular informatics.Arginine is of interest because almost all of its molecule is active and undergoes obligatory interactions both with DNA and with other histones and non-histones. The results of this study demonstrated the super-protein surface of supramolecular assemblies, the flexible system PPCС-E.coli, active zones, dynamics of continuity, positioning topologicalspatio-temporal Arg-protease-processing, local areas of the nucleoid system, and interrelations at the level of: Bp-liquid crystal-bacterioplasma; NsCo-fragile, PsCo-tightly bound to the cell remainder; and in the Co-cell remainder itself. These data may be of practical interest in various engineering aspects of biotechnology. Keywords: arginine protease processing, supramolecules, E.coli, phase protein, super-molecules.

Capacities of local maize seed enterprises in Mexico: Implications for seed systems development

Where maize plays a critical role in food security, governments and donors have invested heavily in support of local, privately owned, often small and medium sized, maize seed enterprises (maize SMEs). Underpinning these investments are strong assumptions about maize SMEs’ capacity to produce and distribute seed to smallholders. This study assesses the capacities of 22 maize SMEs in Mexico that engaged with MasAgro—a large-scale development program initiated in 2011 that has provided maize SMEs with improved genetic material and technical assistance. Data were collected onsite from in-depth interviews with enterprise owners and managers and complemented with other primary and secondary sources. Overall, maize SMEs showed high levels of absorptive capacity for seed production, but limited signs of learning and innovation in terms of business organization and strategic seed marketing. Asset endowments varied widely among the SMEs, but generally they were lowest among the smaller enterprises, and access to business development services beyond MasAgro was practically nonexistent. Results highlighted the critical role of MasAgro in reinvigorating the portfolios of seeds produced by maize SMEs, as well as the challenges ahead for maize SMEs to scale the new technologies in a competitive market that has long been dominated by multinational seed enterprises. Among these challenges were limited investment in seed marketing, weak infrastructure for seed production, and limited experience in business management. Achieving the food security goals through maize SMEs will require making national maize seed industry development a strategic imperative.

Promoting Continuous Professional Development of English Teachers Through Action Research

The current study adopts a mixed-method research design to foster English Language instructors’ attitude toward professional development, self-efficacy beliefs, and reflective thinking. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory constituted the base and the professional development program was designed accordingly. The participants of the study were nine English Language instructors working at three different universities. Throughout the 16-week program, it was aimed to equip the participants with action research skills to conduct their own study in their own context according to their needs and/or interests. All the participants completed the Plan, Act, Observe, and Reflect stages of the Action Research Cycle.

Network analysis regarding international organisations and donors of humanitarian aid

This study aims to evaluate the status of the partnerships with important international organisations that Korea employs in operating its foreign aid projects from a humanitarian point of view. On the basis of this information, Korea intends to seek ways of effectively supporting underdeveloped countries through future co-operation with these organisations. The main international organisations analysed are the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the (United Nations) Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). These international organisations support underdeveloped countries through co-operative relationships not only with Korea but also with important donor countries of the OECD. This study focuses on establishing the factors that Korea needs to consider when providing humanitarian aid in the future to underdeveloped countries via such international organisations.

Human Resources Management Strategies of Taiwan-based Enterprises in Vietnam

The study explores the main challenge for human resource management (HRM) of Taiwan-based enterprises in Vietnam in which cross-cultural management and human capital are mainly focused on, and the study also investigates the strategies of HRM of Taiwanese companies in Vietnam in which companies are centralized in localization management, training and development program and incentive and compensation systems of HR practice.. There are six Taiwanese expatriates work in Vietnam invited to participate the in-depth interview to further understand the difficult of HRM they faced with and to find out the strategies of HRM their company offer. The result consistent with the inference earlier that Taiwan-based enterprises have difficult on cross-cultural management and human capital, and then the strategies about localization management, training and development program, and incentive and compensation systems are conducted as well. The study provides critical research implications as well as practical implications for Taiwanese-based companies in Vietnam.

Pemberdayaan Masyarakat Berbasis Komunitas Zakat Pada Masa Pandemi Di Desa Kahayya, Kabupaten Bulukumba

Zakat as one of the institutions in Islam, has a spiritual dimension and covers many aspects of community empowerment that include various aspects such as economic, social, health, education and religion, especially in the event of a pandemic. One of the community empowerment programs by zakat institutions is Zakat Community Development. One of the community empowerments programs by zakat institutions in this research to find out and analyze the concept of empowerment in the form of Zakat Community Development during the pandemic in Kahayya Village, Bulukumba Regency. The method in this study is qualitatively descriptive by finding detailed information related to the Zakat Community Development program in Kahayya Village, Bulukumba Regency. The results of this study show that several programs have been implemented covering various aspects such as socioeconomic, health, education and religion. In the field of health, disinfectant narrowing, vaccination programs, provision of handwashing, distribution of masks and hand sanitizers to socialization related to the prevention of the spread of the covid-19 virus to the community. Similarly, in the world of education, through ZCD is done the reactivation of reading parks and the development of ICT-based libraries. Socialization in pondok tahfidz as a preventive measure of transmission and healthy life is part of religious empowerment so that students can still learn religion. Especially in the economic aspects formed by several SME communities, namely farmers groups that develop AGROWISATA and horticulture, Kahayya coffee SMEs and honey mustika Kahayya SME groups.Zakat sebagai salah satu pranata dalam Islam, memiliki dimensi spiritual serta mencakup banyak aspek pemberdayaan masyarakat yang meliputi berbagai aspek seperti ekonomi, sosial, kesehatan, pendidikan dan agama, khususnya pada saat terjadi pandemi. Salah satu program pemberdayaan masyarakat oleh lembaga zakat adalah Zakat Community Development. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk mengetahui serta menganalisis konsep pemberdayaan berupa Zakat Community Development pada masa pandemi di Desa Kahayya, Kabupaten Bulukumba. Metode pada penelitian ini adalah kualitatif deskriptif dengan menemukan informasi secara detail terkait program Zakat Community Development di Desa Kahayya, Kabupaten Bulukumba. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa telah dilaksanakan beberapa program yang meliputi berbagai aspek seperti sosial ekonomi, kesehatan, pendidikan maupun keagamaan. Pada bidang kesehatan dilakukan penyemprotan desinfektan, program vaksinasi, penyediaan tempat cuci tangan, pembagian masker dan hand sanitizer hingga sosialisasi terkait pencegahan penyebaran virus covid-19 kepada masyarakat. Demikian pula pada dunia pendidikan, melalui ZCD dilakukan pengaktifan kembali taman baca serta pengembangan perpustakaan berbasis TIK. Sosialisasi di Pondok Tahfidz sebagai langkah pencegahan penularan dan hidup sehat merupakan bagian dari pemberdayaan keagamaan agar santri tetap dapat belajar agama. Terkhusus pada aspek ekonomi yang terbentuk beberapa komunitas UKM yaitu kelompok tani yang mengembangkan AGROWISATA dan holtikultura, UKM Kopi Kahayya serta kelompok UKM Madu Mustika Kahayya.