Information Economy and Changing Occupational Structure in Singapore

Using population census data since 1921, this article traces changes in employment and occupational structure in Singapore in the past 80 years. This is a follow-up to an earlier paper by Kuo and Chen (1987) that reported the nascent formation of the information society in Singapore till the 1980s. It also makes an assessment of the role of proactive government policies in directing industrial restructuring and occupational changes in this city-state. It is found that the long-term growing trend in information-related occupations has been in tandem and supportive of industrial changes in Singapore. One more wave of growth of information producers (and certainly, innovators) and information distributors is expected in the next couple of decades. The momentum has started, and competition from regional countries similarly aspiring to be information and knowledge economies will quicken the pace. The government has initiated fundamental changes in the educational system to meet the challenges of the knowledge-based economy. The small city-state has also long adopted an adaptive philosophy to be responsive to the ever-changing environment, either in technology or in regional politics. Based on the trend analysis, it is expected that the emergent information society will graduate into full status when Singapore attains a developed country status in the forthcoming decades.     

Evaluating the effects of programs for reducing achievement gaps: a case study in Taiwan

Considering that achievement gaps have become a serious educational problem worldwide, the Ministry of Education in Taiwan has been addressing a series of policies to reduce achievement gaps, but the effect of these policies has not yet been carefully examined. Therefore, the present study investigated current educational policies, achievement gap phenomenon, and its changing trends in the use of national standardized tests in Taiwan and evaluated the degree to which these policies are reducing the achievement gaps among Taiwanese students. Junior high school graduates who took the high school entrance examination between 2004 and 2010 were recruited to examine the associations between their academic achievements and variables such as socioeconomic status (SES), ethnicity, and school district. Time series analyses were conducted to determine the longitudinal trends for the achievement gaps. The results revealed that achievement gaps are decreasing among different ethnicities, but they are increasing among different SESs and school districts. These findings demonstrate some positive effects of the educational policies introduced in Taiwan, but also the need for further modification and precise implementation of these policies. Suggestions for implementing educational programs and policies to reduce achievement gaps are also presented.     

Satisfaction and post-purchase intentions with service recovery of online shopping websites: Perspectives on perceived justice and emotions

This study explores post-recovery satisfaction and post-purchase intentions with service recovery of online shopping customers from the perspectives on perceived justice and emotions based on twenty scenarios that combine five service failures and four recoveries. Analytical results indicating that in addition to enhancing post-purchase intentions and post-recovery satisfaction among customers, distributive justice increases positive emotions and decreases negative ones. Additionally, procedural justice enhances post-recovery satisfaction as well as increases positive emotions and decreases negative ones, while interactional justice only increases post-recovery satisfaction of customers. Moreover, while positive emotions increase post-recovery satisfaction, and vice versa. Post-recovery satisfaction positively affects post-purchase intentions. Results of this study provide a valuable reference for operators and managers of online shopping websites.     

Tandem array of nanoelectronic readers embedded coplanar to a fluidic nanochannel for correlated single biopolymer analysis

We have developed a two-step electron-beam lithography process to fabricate a tandem array of three pairs of tip-like gold nanoelectronic detectors with electrode gap size as small as 9 nm, embedded in a coplanar fashion to 60 nm deep, 100 nm wide, and up to 150 μm long nanochannels coupled to a world-micro-nanofluidic interface for easy sample introduction. Experimental tests with a sealed device using DNA-protein complexes demonstrate the coplanarity of the nanoelectrodes to the nanochannel surface. Further, this device could improve transverse current detection by correlated time-of-flight measurements of translocating samples, and serve as an autocalibrated velocimeter and nanoscale tandem Coulter counters for single molecule analysis of heterogeneous samples.     

Language in the Family Domain in Singapore: An Analysis of the 1980 Census Statistics

The 1980 population census of Singapore is the first census that gathered detailed information on languages spoken at home. The data were collected from the 20 per cent sample enumeration, using the following question:     

Consumer styles and media uses of generation Xers in Taiwan

This study examines Taiwanese consumer orientations in relation to media exposure, and seeks to determine how relevant the concept of a ‘Generation X’ is in the case of Taiwan. A causal structural model was proposed and tested with a view to examining the impact of generation and other demographic variables. Results indicate significant differences between generations. In general, the Xers showed greater concerns for fashion and self‐expression, and were greater users of electronic media. The paper considers these generation differences against the backdrop of the disparity between traditional Confucian values and Western consumer culture.