Transitioning from Marketing-Oriented Design to User-Oriented Design: A Case Study

The transition to a new architecture and design for an academic library Web site does not always proceed smoothly. In this case study, a library at a large research university hired an outside Web development contractor to create a new architecture and design for the university's Web site using dotCMS, an open-source content management system. The library participated in the design and development process along with other campus units. Because the university-wide process focused on marketing the university to prospective students, parents, and donors, the contractor's fact-finding process focused on how the library's site design could incorporate Web 2.0 technologies. The resulting library Web site showcased Web 2.0 technology more than it provided users with access to library resources. The library's users quickly communicated their dissatisfaction and confusion, which led to some immediate changes and a commitment to redesign the site based on expressed and demonstrated user needs. The library then hired another contractor to conduct iterative usability testing on both the new site and prototypes for a redesigned version. The testing showed that Web 2.0 technology that does not meet existing user needs creates obstacles for both novice and experienced users. In collaboration with the university's information technology unit, the library developed and launched a revised Web site, which helped users connect to the resources they needed. In the upgrade, Google Search Appliance replaced the native dotCMS search functionality. The authors of this case study demonstrate that libraries may need to advocate for different Web design priorities than those used at the university-wide level and that working with outside contractors presents different challenges and opportunities depending on the contractor's hiring unit. These experiences also demonstrate that libraries can do a better job learning about their users when they lead the fact-finding process. Following these experiences, the library committed to conducting iterative usability testing on a regular basis.     

中国工程承包商海外市场选择模型研究

针对中国承包商参与激烈的国际竞争的需要,以提升中国工程承包商的竞争优势为最终目的,吸收波特竞争优势理论的内容,结合中国工程企业的特点、海外目标市场的特点以及整个国际工程承包市场的各种相关要素,构建了中国工程企业海外市场选择的动态双钻石模型,并重点探讨了技术因素与其他因素的互动关系,同时依据动态双钻石理论建立了包含11大类,44小类的指标体系。     

基于法益结构的制度选择——《劳动合同法(草案)》中若干选择的评析与建议

文章从劳动关系法律调整的法益结构入手,对《劳动合同法（草案）》中若干问题的制度选择作了深入评析,并提出了许多建设性意见。作者认为,在服务期问题上,《二审稿》对出资培训服务期限未作强制限定对避免服务期过长现象不力,对特殊物质待遇服务制度未加规定则是合理的;在竞业限制问题上,《二审稿》减弱了对竞业限制事项约定的干预力度,加重了劳动者竞业限制的责任,存在明显不足,应对竞业限制事项的约定增加限制性规定,并应重构损失赔偿责任;在特殊用工形式问题上,《二审稿》从严规制劳动派遣,很可能导致外包用工的迅速发展,对经济和社会的可持续发展带来危害,应修改第72条的相关规定,降低外包用工中劳动者的风险。     

博弈论在建筑劳务市场的应用

包工头现象是改革开放初期建筑劳务市场参与各方博弈的结果,它对建筑劳务市场的参与各方产生了明显而消极的影响。政府应该积极参与进来,通过法规制度对项目经理的劳务选择进行引导,降低其(包工头,包工头)组合下的福利水平,迫使其选择劳务公司,进而影响到农民工的选择,形成新的纳什均衡,实现农民工务工企业化。     

苏北农村流转土地承包大户持续发展的困境及对策

通过暑期对苏北农村流转土地承包大户现状的实践调查,我们了解了其基本情况,也发现了一些问题。对当前制约流转土地承包大户进一步发展的困境,从健全土地流转机制、完善土地流转法规、创新土地流转金融体制等方面提出了可行性的建议与对策。     

建筑承包企业索赔机会研究

针对我国索赔制度发展的现状，从承包商的角度出发，探讨了施工过程中潜在索赔机会的发现途径，提出了承包商把握索赔机会的措施及技巧，以便提高承包商的索赔管理能力，保护自身的合法权益，适应我国当前建筑市场的发展形势。     

Women’s Learning in Contract Work: Practicing Contradictions in Boundaryless Conditions

The general rise in contractors, particularly among knowledge workers negotiating ‘boundaryless’ employment conditions, has generated interest in the nature and forms of contract work. This article explores the learning of contract workers as they negotiate these conditions, with a focus on women. Drawing from a qualitative study of women practicing nursing and education in Canada as self-employed contractors, the discussion focuses on the practices that they learn in order to manage their work activities and identities. In these practices, tensions abound – particularly around the recognition of knowledge in ways that establish the contractor’s identity, position within the organisation, and market value. For women, it is argued from the study findings, boundaryless contract work incurs particular gendered demands that embed contradictions that the contractor must learn to negotiate. This article describes five practices that women contractors learn within these contradictions: (1) being noticed while avoiding notice, (2) nailing down contracts without nailing the contractor, (3) performing a woman in control while hiding the chaos, (4) shape-shifting while ‘branding’ one shape, and (5) proving knowledge in a market of impressions. The article concludes with implications for education that might assist women contract workers.