Supporting performance management with business process management and business intelligence: A case analysis of integration and orchestration

The case(s) demonstrates the importance of business process management (BPM) and business intelligence systems (BIS) in achieving better firm performance. It has been well documented in the literature that research on the effectively usage and combination of knowledge from BPM and BIS in turbulent service environments is limited. In response, we conduct an exploratory comparative case study of four firms in banking and telecommunication industries that have implemented BPM initiative and BIS solution. Our results firstly highlight that actual results of applying BPM and BIS differ greatly from the results that were originally planned. Secondly, we find that BIS initiatives are usually driven by improving marketing and sales, while BPM initiatives are driven by improving business processes. Thirdly, we identify that there is a lack of strong commitment to using both systems for supporting performance management.     

Do we need Positive Psychology in Croatian kindergartens? The implementation possibilities evaluated by preschool teachers

Constant changes in a modern world and scientific knowledge from the growing field of Positive Psychology appear to make a previously unheeded contribution to preschool teacher competences. The aim of this study was to explore preschool teachers' opinions concerning the need for positive psychology knowledge and its implementation. A nine-item pool was used on a sample of 49 preschool teachers (mean age 33) enrolled in a graduate programme of early and preschool care and education in Rijeka. Overall, preschool teachers liked this subject very much and thought it was needed very much for their profession at all work levels. Also, they viewed the positive psychology findings as very useful and applicable in their work, and especially in their work with children. Finally, they saw lots of implementation possibilities in Croatian kindergartens.     

The role of artistic experiences in the comprehensive inductive educational approach

Postmodern pedagogy is constantly confronted with Lyotard’s condemnation of grand narratives found in the philosophy of modernity, on the basis of which basic patterns of moral education were developed. In searching for new answers to the question of how education can prepare individuals for life in an age of late modernity, this paper presents the idea of approaching identity and moral development through the inductive educational approach and highlights the importance of education through the arts in the latter, especially in view of the theoretical notion of aesthetics as ethics of postmodernity. In an age in which artistic creativity is deemed less important than acquiring competences aimed at technological development, it is crucial to provide a clear answer as to why and how different art practices may exert an influence on the full development of a child’s personality. In order to demonstrate the meaning of artistic experience in general education, one must seek arguments supporting the intrinsic value of the artistic experience. This paper stresses the meaning of artistic experience as a means of communication providing both the artist and the art recipient with the opportunity for personal fulfilment. In this context, Aristotle’s concept of mimesis and its role in education through the arts is emphasised as part of the comprehensive inductive educational approach. The argument is illustrated with some qualitative data from the implementation of a project in Kindergarten Vodmat, Ljubljana, Slovenia, using the inductive educational approach and art as a tool for cultural enrichment of pre-school children.     

III: Torn between Action and Reflection: some dilemmas of ‘pedagogical support persons’ in the Environment and School Initiatives Project

ABSTRACT

In 1990, a group of Slovenian researchers and teachers from eight elementary schools joined the international project Environment and School Initiatives, co‐ordinated by OECD/CERI. This paper presents some dilemmas and insights resulting from the co‐operation of ‘pedagogical support persons’ with teachers during the project, using the action research paradigm which presupposes a partnership relation and mutual learning of all involved. The paper has two parts. The first part deals with the rationale of educational support and with some dilemmas encountered, such as: What is action in action research on environmental education? How to help teachers develop initiative and self‐confidence in doing action research? (avoiding the trap of giving recipes, but also another trap of giving “freedom” where teachers needed genuine help and direct feed‐back on what they were doing). The second part is a case study of one of the Slovenian projects, illustrating the problematic nature of the relationship between action and reflection, between making others understand the underlying complexity of environmental problems and developing one's own deep understanding. The process of maturing and developing genuine communication is illustrated by quotations and interpretations from the perspective of all “three circles’: the pupil's, the teacher's and the support person's. to condemn, but not so easy to understand. I may illustrate this from my experience, but first I shall proceed with my interview.     

A comparison of traditional and modified Summated-Heart-Rate-Zones models to measure internal training load in basketball players

The Summated-Heart-Rate-Zones training load (SHRZ TL) model is used to measure internal loading; however, a major limitation of this approach is the use of broad heart rate (HR) zones to quantify exercise intensity. Therefore, this study aimed to compare SHRZ TL outcomes derived using the traditional model and modified approaches using smaller HR zones. HR responses were monitored in 15 semi-professional basketball players during preparatory training to calculate SHRZ TL using the traditional approach with 10%HR_max zones (SHRZ₁₀) and modified approaches with 5%HR_max zones (SHRZ₅) and 2.5%HR_max zones (SHRZ_2.5). Significant (P < 0.001) differences were evident in SHRZ TL between SHRZ₁₀ (254.2 ± 41.7 AU) and SHRZ₅ (275.9 ± 43.3 AU, unclear, small) as well as SHRZ_2.5 (286.7 ± 44.3 AU, very likely, moderate). Use of SHRZ_2.5 provides novel insight regarding internal loading in basketball players and may carry greater sensitivity for detection of maladaptive and adaptive responses to training.     

Development of the profession and qualifications of adult educators in Lithuania in the context of reforms of adult education

The Baltic countries regained their independence from the Soviet Union in the early 1990s and joined the European Union in 2004. This article seeks to explore institutional development and reforms of adult education and lifelong learning in Lithuania with respect to the processes, the actors and the context of socioeconomic change over the past 20 years. It also looks at the implications of these processes for the professionalisation of adult educators, referred to here as “adult learning teachers” (ALTs). The authors begin with an analysis of the historical-institutional and political-economical aspects of the development of adult education and lifelong learning by providing a retrospective of institutional change in Lithuania. They then move on to analyse the existing institutional and legal arrangements of adult education which shape and institutionalise the profession and qualifications of ALTs. Their empirical research reveals the opinions of Lithuanian ALTs on their current professional occupational profile and its future development.     

The positive attitude approach for teaching in higher education: An untrodden path for policy and practice

This article reports on a study in which a new conceptual framework for fostering a positive attitude towards teaching in higher education (PATTHE) was developed. The PATTHE framework builds on a holistic four-dimensional theoretical concept and is not limited by the specificity of teaching within a particular discipline or national higher education context. The four dimensions of PATTHE pertain to (a) emotional dimension, (b) professional development, (c) constructivist approaches to teaching, and (d) the teaching and research nexus; all of which are relevant for empowering quality teaching at personal, institutional and/or national higher education policy levels. The purpose of our study was to test and analyse this conceptual framework. Creative qualitative research methods were used including identification of keywords, evoking participant opinions through visual materials, reactions to vignettes, and by documenting discussions regarding the proposed PATTHE conceptual framework. A purposive and critically informed approach was used for the selection of twelve higher education experts as research participants. Responses from the selected education developers were collected through an online protocol system. Research results revealed that participant reflections on a positive attitude towards teaching showed a high level of agreement with the proposed conceptual framework; the proposed theoretical concept is thereby deemed well-constructed and acceptable with minimal extensions.     

Validity of E-Advice: The Evaluation of an Internet-Based System for Career Planning

The paper provides data on the evaluation of an Internet-based system for self-directed career planning that has been developed in Croatia. Rich in occupational information and career-management advice, this application also contains an interactive questionnaire tapping the client's personal skills and interests. Based on the client's answers, the computer proposes an e-advice– a limited set of occupations that match the users' individual characteristics. The evaluation utilized data gathered from a self-selected sample of users (N = 2,064) and two smaller student samples. Apart from the users' satisfaction, the analyses explored various aspects of e-advice validity: factor structure of users' self-assessments and expert occupational ratings, differences in e-advice given to different groups of users, congruence with the classifications based on Holland's Self-Directed Search, and congruence with the advice given by expert human counsellors. The analyses supported the validity of e-advice. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.