Exploring information flows at Nottingham City Homes

This article presents the results of an information audit carried out in a public sector organisation in the UK. The value of the exercise in raising otherwise hidden issues for action is confirmed. The lack of responsibility for information and the importance of context in conferring meaning were significant findings. The process was a catalyst for new thinking about the importance of information in cross-functional working. Some limitations of the information audit process are considered, with emphasis on the need to be sensitive to context. The necessity of relating such tools to the broader literature on organisational politics is suggested, especially in the context of responsibilities for classifications.     

Using what you've got: the development of Emerald Management First

This article describes Emerald Group Publishing's development of an online library of management content for managerial training and continued professional development. Emerald Management First was launched in 2000 as a pilot and this article charts the development of the website into a commercial product, providing insights into both the content and technical develoments since its beta days.     

Video email: a method of speeding up assignment feedback for visual arts subjects in distance education

The type of asynchronous communication offered by electronic mail has been shown to be particularly effective for providing feedback on assignments in distance education. However, the use of electronic mail has generally been restricted to the exchange of textual information. For practical assignments which include a large visual component, a method of providing feedback which enables the tutor to point to features of the student's work is needed. This paper reports the results of a recent investigation into the feasibility of providing visual feedback to students in practical art subjects by sending compressed digital video clips as attachments to email messages. It concludes that transmission of video by email is now technically feasible, although bandwidth constraints of dial-up links and the time taken for compression put a tight limit on the amount of video that it is practicable to transmit. Nevertheless, developments in technology are expected to improve this situation quickly. Many of the issues that are examined are relevant to other areas of multimedia delivery     

Archives in sub-Saharan Africa half a century after independence

This article focuses on the Commonwealth and other mainly Anglophone countries in East and Central Africa. This is an area that has tended to be neglected in recent discourse and debate. The relationship between accountability and record keeping systems is a major theme. Other challenges that have emerged over the last half century are analysed and commented on. An attempt is made to place developments in a wider political and economic context. In addition, the question is posed whether transformation discourses generated in post-Apartheid South Africa ‘fit’ with the experiences of countries north of the Limpopo. A great many setbacks and obstacles to success are described. The focus, however, is on identifying paths to progress rather than surrendering to cynicism.     

SKOS Core：简约知识组织网络表述语言

简约知识组织表述语言(SKOS Core)以资源描述框架(RDF)为基础,是一种表述规范词表中的基本结构和概念表内容的格式语言.所谓概念表(Concept Scheme)是指某领域里所有概念及概念之间的语义关系的集合.SKOS Core由网络联盟(W3C)语义网(Semantic Web)下的最佳实践和应用工作小组(Best Practice andDeployment Working Group)出版并维护.本文的主要目的是为SKOS Core在都柏林元数据中结合使用提供一些基本的诠释.通过给出各种规范词表用SKOS Core表达的例子,该文介绍了SKOS Core的管理政策、SKOS Core与都柏林元数据、资源描述框架结构语言(RDF Schema)以及网络实用分类系统语言(Web Ontology Language,OWL)之间的关系.SKOS Core的发展仍处在初级阶段,本文的介绍希望能够起到一个抛砖引玉的作用,同时也能促进下一步的发展,与都柏林元数据词汇的使用结合起来.     

Appropriate educational technology: Does “appropriateness” have implications for the theoretical framework of educational technology?

It is argued here that educational technology can be inappropriate in developing countries due to dependence on the practices, rather than the principles, of educational technology. Practices have, inevitably, a cultural dimension, and it is proposed that the solution to the problem is the clearer identification of principles and the encouragement of educational technologists to work from principles rather than from practices.     

Is online delivery less costly than print and is it meaningful to ask?

The costs of shifting from print‐based to online delivery arc examined in relation to the three principal rationales that are commonly advanced to justify such a shift: saving costs, improving quality, and increasing access. The projected costs of converting an existing print‐based subject to online delivery arc analysed. Based on this analysis, it is argued that, at least in the Australian context, it is difficult to justify the shift to online delivery in terms of cost saving alone. Rather, such a shift needs to be justified in strategic terms. A possible strategic rationale for shifting to online delivery is articulated.     

Thinking Strategically about Assessment

Drawing upon the literature on strategy formulation in organisations, this paper argues for a focus on strategy as process. It relates this to the need to think strategically about assessment, a need engendered by resource pressures, developments in learning and the demands of external stakeholders. It is argued that in practice assessment strategies are often formed at the level of practice, but that this produces contradiction and confusion at higher levels. Such tensions cannot be managed away, but they can be reflected on and mitigated. The paper suggests a framework for the construction of assessment strategies at different levels of an institution. However, the main conclusion is that the process of constructing such strategies should be an opportunity for learning and reflection, rather than one of compliance.