What citizenship responsibility means to Botswana's young adults: implications for adult education

Politicians and other leaders in Botswana have recently expressed concerns that the country's ‘youth’ is not taking its citizenship responsibilities seriously. This is in a context of rapid change and development in the last thirty years since Botswana's independence in 1966. The study described here explored the learned perceptions of citizenship responsibility amongst a selection of Botswana's young adults and youth leaders. These perceptions were analysed in relation to theories of social capital citizenship and learning. The findings suggest that the influences of globalisation are producing a shift from traditional communitarian citizenship values to ones of ‘enlightened self interest’. However, civil society is under‐developed and needs nurturing through an educational strategy that encourages participatory approaches to development. Some of the arguments articulated here are elaborated on in a book (Preece & Mosewunyane, 2004 Preece, J. and Mosweunyane, D. 2004. Perceptions of citizenship responsibility amongst Botswana youth., Gaborone: Lentswe La Lesedi.  [Google Scholar]).     

基于信息搜索行为模型的检索系统评测研究——以北京航空航天大学统一检索平台和google为例

本文在总结相关研究的基础上,着重从用户与系统交互角度构建用户信息搜索行为分析模型,并对影响信息搜索行为的用户因素和系统因素进行了深入剖析。随后参考上述结果构建研究模型及假设,以北京航空航天大学学术信息资源统一检索平台和google两种类型的信息检索系统为研究对象,设计实证研究试验,考察用户使用感受及其影响因素。研究结果显示:统一检索平台在资源丰富度和可靠度方面优于gongle,而google的系统反馈速度更迅速、功能细节设计更符合用户的系统使用习惯。     

Strengthening Agricultural Education and Training in sub-Saharan Africa from an Innovation Systems Perspective: A Case Study of Mozambique

Abstract

This paper examines how post-secondary agricultural education and training (AET) in sub-Saharan Africa can contribute to agricultural development by strengthening the capacity to innovate—to introduce new products and processes that are socially or economically relevant to smallholder farmers and other agents. Using the AET system in Mozambique as a case study, this paper examines the role of AET within the context of an agricultural innovation system. This innovation systems perspective offers an analytical framework to examine technological change in agriculture as a complex process of interactions among diverse actors who generate, exchange, and use knowledge, conditioned by complex social and economic institutions. The paper argues that while AET is conventionally viewed as key to the development of human capital, it also has a vital role to play in building the capacity of organizations and individuals to transmit and adapt information, products and processes, and new organizational cultures and behaviors. The paper emphasizes the importance of improving AET systems by strengthening the capabilities of organizations and professionals; changing organizational cultures, behaviors, and incentives; and building innovation networks and linkages. The paper offers several recommendations to enhance the effectiveness of AET for agricultural innovation and development. Key reforms include aligning the mandates of AET organizations with national development aspirations; inducing change in the cultures of AET organizations through the introduction of educational programs and linkages beyond the AET system; and enhancing innovative individual and organizational capacity by improving incentives to forge stronger links between AET and other stakeholders.     

公民治理视角下的我国公共行政困惑与发展对策

公民治理理论的兴起是对新公共管理理论缺陷的弥补,开辟了公共行政改革的新路径。改革开放以来我国开展的市场经济与民主政治建设,提升了公民意识、培育了公民资格、拓展了公民参与,是对集中控制的专业主义行政模式弊端的部分消解。用公民治理理论审视我国的公共行政发展,克服效率悖论、信任缺失、公民参与形式化等公共行政困境,必须建构公民参与法律制度、完善公民与政府合作机制、培育积极而主动的公民参与意识、健全公民资格和参与路径,建立以公民为中心的政府形态和社会治理结构。     

Buscando para nuestra latinidad: Utilizing La Llorona for Cultural Critique

Abstract

This essay analyzes the contemporary constructions of Latina/o identity, Latina/o gender and Latina/o nationality as evidenced in the self-proclaimed “first major studio comedy to reflect the Hispanic cultural experience in America,” Chasing Papi. The contradictions between the film's progressive mission and the film's representations are teased out by a cross-reading of the film's usage of the popular Chicana/o mythic figure, La Llorona. Invoking La Lorona as muse and means, we find that the Latin Lover stereotype succeeds in its anti-assimilationist task while concurrently furthering confusion on who and what is a U.S. Latina/o. However, the authors also demonstrate how cultural cross-readings can provide hope out of delimiting discursive constructions.     

Thawing the North: Mostly Martha as a German-Italian Eatopia

Abstract

The establishment of the European Union, reunification of Germany, and Germany's extension of dual citizenship to immigrant minorities provided challenges to the country's understanding of itself as a nation. In negotiating these changes, debates on citizenship frequently centered on definitions of German culture. Using the concept of Leitkultur (guiding culture), conservatives argued that Germany should reject multiculturalism and stem immigration. This essay analyzes discourses on cultural policy in Germany through a contextual and textual analysis of the film Mostly Martha. In its alignment with aesthetic conventions of the art house food film, Mostly Martha participates in the debate on cultural citizenship and embodies changes in the German film industry that have moved German cinema toward increased commercialism. The film's main character, Martha, is transformed through an intercultural relationship and a trip to Italy. We argue that the film's citation of this well-known tradition of traveling south to redeem oneself and its treatment of ethnic “Otherness” engages in the Leitkultur debate and participates in the transition from national German to transnational cinema. Through the utopian treatment of Italian food, the film fetishizes cultural difference and reaffirms fixed constructs of nation and gender, thereby avoiding an explicitly politicized engagement with intercultural citizenship and identity.     

Gender diversity in senior management,strategic change,and firm performance: Examining the mediating nature of strategic change in high tech firms

Only recently have enough women joined senior leadership positions in high tech firms for research on senior management gender diversity in high tech industries to be possible. We propose that senior management gender diversity fosters strategic change in high tech firms, especially under conditions where alliance formation intensity and top management team (TMT) educational background diversity are high, because the breadth of opportunity and knowledge associated with these conditions facilitates implementation of new ideas. Results show that both inter-organizational strategic alliance formation intensity and TMT educational background diversity positively moderate the relationship between senior management gender diversity and strategic change. We also find support for a moderated mediation model whereby a gender-diverse senior management positively impacts strategic change, which ultimately improves firm performance when the firm exhibits high alliance formation intensity and has a TMT that is diverse across educational background.     

小学室内体育课的组织教学策略的研究

体育课是学校课程体系中的重要组成部分,在学校教学工作中占有重要的地位,也是实施素质教育的途径之一。现代义务教育阶段,要求体育课遵循"健康第一"的指导思想,强调实践性。因此,强化小学室内体育课的组织教学策略是非常重要的。本文将从4个方面对室内体育课的教学组织形式进行探讨,希望可以提供些许参考。     

Communicating citizenship in China’s digital society

ABSTRACT

This research explores the (inter-) cultural dimension of communicating citizenship in China’s new media environment. It adopts speech codes theory as a theoretical and methodological framework to examine the historically situated and socially constructed meanings of citizenship and the normative communicative conduct for practicing “good citizenship” in China. Through a systematic analysis of Chinese online discourse surrounding two social events, this study captures one speech code pertaining to communicating citizenship that is premised on a paradox – citizenship is interpreted by the Chinese as a legal entitlement that they deserve, but it is simultaneously treated as an aspirational and unattainable ideal. Additionally, speaking sensibly and morally with a communal orientation is heavily emphasized in this speech code as it is considered a valuable communicative practice for performing “good citizenship.” Finally, participating in online collective actions such as “topping posts” is rendered an acceptable and effective way to communicate and enact citizen rights in China.     

Organizational justice and management trustworthiness during organizational Change: Interactions of Benevolence,Integrity, and managerial approaches

Trust and justice play an important role in the process of organizational change to build dynamic capabilities for sustainable competitive advantage. This study investigated the interaction effects of management's benevolence trustworthiness and integrity trustworthiness on employees’ perception of procedural justice during innovation or organizational change. Both the scenario and the field study showed that the patterns of the interaction effects of these two components of trustworthiness are further influenced in a complementary manner by different innovation approaches. The study indicated that the relationships between benevolence trustworthiness and integrity trustworthiness are far more complex than expected and thus need more research efforts.