Undergraduates lived experience of project-/problem-based learning in Introductory Biology

Recommendations for enhancing scientific literacy, inclusivity, and the ecosystem for innovation call for transitioning from teacher-centered to learner-centered science classrooms, particularly at the introductory undergraduate level. Yet, little is documented about the challenges that undergraduates perceive in such classrooms and on students' ways of navigating them. Via mixed methods, we studied undergraduates' lived experience in one form of learner-centered teaching, hybrid project-/problem-based learning (PBL), in introductory organismal biology at a baccalaureate institution. Prominent in qualitative analyses of student interviews and written reflections were undergraduates' initial expectation of and longing for an emphasis on facts and transmission of them. The prominence diminished from semester's middle to end, as students came to value developing ideas, solving problems collaboratively, and engaging in deep ways of learning. Collaboration and personal resources such as belief in self emerged as supports for these shifts. Quantitative analyses corroborated that PBL students transformed as learners, moving toward informed views on nature of science, advancing in multi-variable causal reasoning, and more frequently adopting deep approaches for learning than did students in lecture-based sections. The qualitative and quantitative findings portray the PBL classroom as an intercultural experience in which culture shock yields over time to acceptance in a way supported by students' internal resources and peer collaboration. The findings have value to those seeking to implement PBL and other complex-learning approaches in a manner responsive to the lived experience of the learner.

Features of volitional self-regulation of convicts preparing for parole

Modern society is characterized by a large number of emergencies or situations, under the influence of which a person activates special mechanisms that help not only adapt in society, but also adapt to any situation that has arisen, often a conflict-gene. One of the internal resources that allows a person to overcome difficult, stressful situations in modern society is the volitional sphere of the personality. It seems that the study of the volitional sphere of convicts can become the basis for psychological support of convicts to imprisonment at all stages of serving their sentences, contribute to the development and implementation of effective programs to prepare for parole. The purpose of the study was to study the features of the volitional sphere of convicts preparing for parole. According to the results of the study, it was possible to establish that convicts preparing for parole, serving sentences in a strict regime colony to a greater extent, are characterized by a superficial attitude to affairs, a tendency to take thoughtless risks, weak volitional processes, unwillingness to apply physical and mental efforts, emotional instability and severe anxiety, which probably increases the likelihood of committing repeated crimes. At the same time, convicts preparing for parole, serving sentences in a settlement colony, are largely characterized by the ability to control their emotions and show initiative and perseverance when making a responsible decision. It seems that, to a sufficient degree, self-confidence frees from the fear of the unknown, increases the readiness to accept the new, the unexpected, and, as a rule, is combined with freedom of opinion, a tendency to innovation.

Factors Influencing Competition in the Maize Milling Sector in South Africa

Although the maize milling industry in South Africa is highly attractive and profitable, new entrants are unsuccessful. Thus, understanding the factors influencing competition is important for developing strategies which can help new entrants to be more resilient and also succeed. A case study of a very successful organization in the industry was conducted using Porters five forces model, to explore the factors influencing competition in the industry. The selected organization employs a differentiation strategy which enables it to constantly improve and introduce new maize meal varieties to serve a wide range of customers. The findings revealed that the selected organization employs resources, capabilities and knowledge in its business processes to sustain its competitive advantage. Thus, it is recommended that firms entering this industry should harmonize internal resources, knowledge, capabilities and external forces to generate a competitive advantage. Received: 18 November 2021 / Accepted: 30 December 2021 / Published: 5 January 2022

International Dynamic Marketing Capabilities of Emerging-Market Small Business on E-commerce

For better export marketing strategies (EMS), companies mobilize their internal resources, which are managerial commitment, firm experience, and product uniqueness. However, Small businesses with constrained resources cannot be well explained with this view. So, more research on how small business come up with EMS have been called for. To explain how resource-restricted firms which rely heavely on entrepreneur, this study adopted the concept of dynamic managerial capabilities (DMCs) and resource versatility to better explain small business exports. We analyzed small businesses in Mongolia with qualitative research methods, including interviews with entrepreneurs and support organizations, site visits, and group discussions. We suggest international dynamic marketing capabilities (IDMCs), which are entrepreneurial orientation, networking capability, and versatile dynamic capability for small business. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

INVESTMENT ATTRACTIVENESS OF THE COUNTRY AND HER COMPONENTS

Important role in creating favorable conditions for the development of any economy is played by foreign investment. The attraction of foreign investment enables the recipient country to obtain a number of advantages, the main of which is the improvement of the balance of payments; transfer of the latest technologies and know-how; complex use of internal resources; development of export potential and reduction of dependence on imports; achievement of socio-economic effect (increase of employment level, development of social infrastructure, etc.). Possibilities of attracting investments into the country are depended first of all for the conditions for the investors who are created, that is, from the investment attractiveness of the country. The paper substantiates the theoretical positions that reveal the essence of the notion of investment. It is shown that investment attractiveness should be considered as an integral (factorial) characteristic, since the investment attractiveness of the country reflects the current state and level of development of the state, which is determined by the set of its economic, political, social, cultural, scientific and technological, infrastructure, financial, resource and raw materials, environmental and other factors that determine the solvent demand for investment. That is, this parameter is a cumulative estimate of all industries of the state's operation. The proposed approach to the estimation attractiveness of the country allows us to identify and assess the causes and problems in the economy, the degree of their importance and urgency, there is an opportunity to comprehend the influence of various factors on the increase or decrease of investment attractiveness of the state and there is a basis for an active approach to the identification of its constituent parts.

A Study of Specific Open Innovation Issues from Perspectives of Open Source and Resources—The Series Cases of Tesla

It is difficult for enterprises to adapt to the rapidly developing market demand and increasingly intense competition by relying only on internal resources to carry out innovation activities. We identify three new issues for the Cross-Functional Consortium Families (CFCFs, CF2s) open innovation model based on a cooperating network: participation of large-scale high-tech enterprises (LHEs), impact from open source, and motivation of keeping resource independence. By studying the series cases of Tesla, Inc. (Austin, TX, USA) cooperating with small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through an open source CF2 model, we examined and discussed these three issues and gave new connotations to both open innovation and the CF2 model from perspectives of open source and resources. This paper also provides strategic reference for other LHEs to mitigate the dependency on key resources and generate new key resources accepted by the environment.

ACTUAL ASPECTS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATIVE ACTIVITY OF STUDENTS

The paper considers the procedural aspects of social communication such as meeting the requirements of today’s comprehensive characteristics of social skills of the future specialist, which is manifested in his ability and ability to effectively perform professional duties adequately to each situation by activating socially and professionally important qualities in the competent application of the existing arsenal of professional knowledge, skills and abilities. The semantic elements of social communication as forms of expression of will, practical actions of an individual or a social group in a certain collective activity to achieve a socially significant result are revealed. It is established that the level of development of social and communicative skills can characterize not only the mechanisms of acquiring knowledge, skills, professionally significant qualities in the learning process, but also the peculiarities of the students’ understanding of social reality in general and in specific situations in particular, when both the adaptive mechanisms and the integrated life narratives of the individual are significantly influenced by the characteristics of the social environment. The need for coordination and focus on creating appropriate conditions for attracting external and internal resources (as a set of objectively existing conditions, means, opportunities that can be mobilized and used in the process of development of any system) to address this issue, including the intensification of participation in the development of communication skills of leading agents of influence ‒ subjects of all levels and types of education – traditional, alternative, extracurricular, “non-formal”, etc. Keywords: social communication; educational environment; communicative approach; social interaction; subjects of social communication; extracurricular activity; socialization skills; applicants of higher education.

STRATEGI ALTERNATIF PENETAPAN HARGA DENGAN PENDEKATAN DISKRIMINASI HARGA UNTUK MENINGKATKAN VOLUME PENJUALAN CAFÉ SEMANIS KAMU

This research was conducted at Café Semanis Kamu which aims to find out the right alternative strategy used to increase sales volume. This research was conducted with a descriptive qualitative method with sources of information obtained by interviews and literature study. The data analysis method uses an approach Internal Resources Based Analysis, VRIN Analysis (Valuable, Rare, Imitability, Non-Substitution), Sustainable Competitive Advantage (SCA) Analysis, and TOWS (Threats, Opportunities, Weakness, Strengths) Analysis. The results of data processing with this approach formed a price discrimination strategy with two program proposals, namely making package & reservation catalogs, and making special discounts.

ANALISIS SUMBER DAYA INTERNAL GUNA MEMBANGUN STRATEGI PEMASARAN UNTUK MENINGKATKAN MINAT BELI

ABSTRAKTujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis faktor yang mempengaruhi minat beli konsumen Brekele Chips dan mengusulkan strategi pemasaran yang tepat untuk dapat Brekele Chips terapkan guna meningkatkan minat beli konsumennya. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kuantitatif dan kualitatif deskriptif. Sampel pada penelitian ini berjumlah 123 penduduk Jawa Barat pada kelompok usia remaja yang diperoleh melalui teknik purposive sampling. Jenis data yang digunakan yaitu data primer yang diperoleh dari wawancara mendalam dengan Brekele Chips dan penyebaran kuesioner ke sampel penelitian. Metode analisis data menggunakan analisis internal based resources, analisis valuable, rare, costly to imitate, dan non-substitutable, analisis sustainable competitive advantage, dan analisis strengths, weakness, opportunities, dan threats. Berdasarkan analisis sumber daya internal yang dimiliki, hasil menunjukkan bahwa Brekele Chips dapat menerapkan suatu strategi pemasaran untuk meningkatkan minat beli konsumennya melalui pengadaan event marketing creative challenge. ABSTRACTThe purpose of this study is to analyze the factors that influence the buying interest of Brekele Chips consumers and propose the right marketing strategy to be able to apply Brekele Chips to increase consumer buying interest. This research uses descriptive quantitative and qualitative methods. The sample in this study amounted to 123 residents of West Java in the adolescent age group obtained through purposive sampling technique. The type of data used is primary data obtained from in-depth interviews with Brekele Chips and distributing questionnaires to the research sample. The data analysis method uses internal based resources analysis, valuable, rare, costly to imitate, and non-substitutable analysis, analysis of sustainable competitive advantage, and analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Based on the analysis of its internal resources, the results show that Brekele Chips can implement a marketing strategy to increase consumer buying interest through the provision of creative challenge marketing events.

Disparities in Access to Well-Qualified, Well-Supported Special Educators Across Higher- Versus Lower-Poverty Schools Over Time

Scholars have documented long-standing disparities in access to well-qualified, well-supported teachers, including disparities in access to special education teachers (SETs), based on student socioeconomic status. In response, policy initiatives have aimed to incentivize teaching in higher-poverty schools. Thus, we examined changes over time in disparities between SETs’ demands and resources (including internal resources, such as qualifications, and school-based resources, such as adequate materials), using multiple waves of the nationally representative Schools and Staffing Survey. We found that, by one metric, disparities in certification have closed since 2000. However, SETs in higher poverty schools are significantly more likely to work in self-contained settings than those in lower-poverty schools, and disparities in school-based resources continue to be significant, such that SETs in higher-poverty schools were significantly more likely to teach in self-contained classes, rated teacher cooperation significantly lower, and reported having significantly weaker access to material resources.