Information Outlook, June 1997

Volume 1, Issue 6https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_io_1997/1005/thumbnail.jp

Increasing Support and Collective Teacher Efficacy of Part-Time English-Language Instructors in a Japanese University

This organizational improvement plan (OIP) seeks to enhance the support and collective teacher efficacy of part-time English-language instructors in the Department of English Language and Culture (DELC) at Kei University (KU) (pseudonyms), a private university in the Kansai region of Japan. Currently, part-time and foreign part-time English-language instructors teach most of the compulsory English courses in the DELC at KU, but they receive limited institutional support and guidance, which negatively affects their ability to teach effectively and their students\u27 learning outcomes. This OIP examines the lack of support and collective teacher efficacy of part-time instructors as a problem of practice (PoP) that exists both within the organizational context of KU and the broader contextual forces of internationalization, economic globalization, and national and organizational cultures that shape the teaching and learning of English in Japanese universities. This OIP is grounded in the theoretical frameworks of social cognitive theory, the capabilities approach, and an eclectic leadership approach based on the principles of servant leadership. Drawing from the author\u27s experience as a committed part-time instructor, this OIP proposes an integrated change plan that underscores the connection between the well-being, support, and collective efficacy of instructors, addresses the PoP, and serves the needs of the broader community of students, faculty, and staff at KU. The change plan described in this OIP should be beneficial to educational leaders in Japanese universities who aspire to foster support and collective teacher efficacy among their faculty

Intranet of the future: functional study, comparison of products and practical implementation

Future intranet: functional study, comparison of products and practical implementation 1. Introduction The project has fulfilled three goals: 1) To perform a study of the functionalities which have to be covered in a modern intranet (web 2.0, unified communication, collaboration, etc) 2) To perform a comparison of tools of the market which can be used to implement intranets (commercial and open source products) 3) To test three of these tools (Oracle WebCenter, Liferay Portal and Microsoft SharePoint) and develop a prototype with Oracle WebCenter. In addition, it includes a research about the evolution of the Intranets among the time, as well as a work to discover the current state of this kind of platforms over the entire world. In this introductory research it is also convenient to include other topics which are not strictly technical involving the use of this Intranet. To be more concrete, there is an analysis of the importance of the human role and management of the Intranet, the process of deploying a new Intranet in an organization and methods to evaluate the performance of this new system.   2. Functional study The approach taken to fulfil this goal is to develop a theoretical model describing the relationship between the Intranet and its users, and a complete set of functionalities which could be covered in the Intranet of the future. These functionalities are categorized in groups. The project describes these groups and the functionalities included on them. 3. Comparison of products The project will describe and compare several technologies which can be used to develop an Intranet that we have previously modelled. The purpose here is to discover the strong points and weaknesses of each technology if it was used to develop the Intranet we desire. After having done such a review, the project focuses on three technologies and performs an extensive evaluation of them. Finally, an extensive comparison between these three technologies is done, highlighting where they offer better solutions and performance compared to the other possibilities. 4. Practical implementation The project focuses on three technologies: Oracle WebCenter, Liferay Portal and Microsoft SharePoint. Then, a prototype which covers a set of functionalities of the modelled Intranet has been built with Oracle WebCenter

Knowledge management practices in large construction organisations

This paper investigates how large UK construction organisations manage their knowledge assets. It then proposes STEPS, a mechanism for benchmarking organisation’s knowledge management maturity

Knowledge management in international development charities

This thesis investigates the effectiveness and potential longevity of Knowledge Management in three international development charities, in order to compare their experiences with the commercial context in which Knowledge Management originated. By this means, the research explores how well, or otherwise, Knowledge Management can be fitted into a different setting. It also throws significant light on the transfer of business practices more generally. Chapter one assesses the evolution of the discipline Knowledge Management. It also provides key information about International Development Charities. Chapter two identifies the theoretical foundations of Knowledge Management as a prescription for organisational effectiveness, together with recommended best practices. Two environmental factors are emphasised: the role of information technology and, given the historic link to Japanese workstyles, ideas about organisational `culture'. In chapter three, the methodology for practical enquiry, derived from organisational system theory, is presented, and the problems in assessing effectiveness are discussed. Chapters four and five provide the substantive outcome of the fieldwork. Patterns that emerge from the data are drawn together in chapter six, highlighting the selective nature of Knowledge Management in application and demonstrating both similarities to and divergences from the original concept. In particular, there are specific challenges posed by the international reach of development charities. The overall conclusions in chapter seven confirm that Knowledge Management undoubtedly chimes with the broad aims of international charities. At the same time, the transferability of Knowledge Management depends crucially upon its adaptability to the organisations' aims, resources, and `culture'. Where it is accepted that knowledge handling is needed to build organisational capacity, then Knowledge Management can provide a framework which, when combined with technological advances, is a tool, rather than the answer, for international charities engaged in the continuing struggle to abolish poverty

Investigating, identifying and evaluating organizational and infrastructural strategic factors affecting organizational management processes from the perspective of productivity management

Purpose: The purpose of this present study is to investigate the impact of institutional and infrastructural factors on knowledge management processes from the perspective of Nonaka and Takeuchi with a case study of design offices of a product organization. Research methodology: The research is applied and is a descriptive survey in terms of data collection. The statistical population of the design offices of a product organization consisted of 75 people and the statistical sample was estimated 63 people. The research tool was a researcher-made questionnaire with a reliability of 77%. Results: The findings show that seven institutional and infrastructure factors affecting knowledge management processes were identified. Also prioritization by TOPSIS showed that organizational structure, culture and values, above average, can be deployed in the design office, and knowledge management policies and guidance are average, but information technology is below average. Limitation: The results extend the understanding of the role of quality of work-life in organizational effectiveness. The research findings have implications for human resource managers. Contribution: The results of the study help the human resource managers of organizations to identify the elements that affect the quality of work-life and help them in planning to increase organizational effectiveness by increasing employee satisfaction and motivation. Keywords: Knowledge management, Institution, Infrastructure, Nonaka and Takeuch

A phenomenological analysis of an instructional systems design creative project

This research paper is a phenomenological analysis of a creative project involving University of Northern Iowa undergraduate art students in the planning and creation of visual illustrations, graphic design concepts, .html documents, and imagery for a world wide web intranet/lnternet virtual space. This analysis looks at instructional design as a creative process and the phenomenology of the UNI Art/Cat (Art Resources Technology/Computer Assisted Training) computer laboratory. The mission, goals, and objectives of the creative project, experiential and experimental philosophies of education, and the phenomenologies of the instructional design process are the main considerations. The methodology of this thesis is primarily concerned with action research and research as lived experience. The generational aspects of computer hardware and software and the affective aspects of the evolution of the infrastructure upon instructional development is examined. This generation of techno-apparatus includes the Macintosh G3 Personal Computer in a network environment, Afga and Hewlett Packard Flatbed Scanners, Polaroid Slide Scanners, Adobe Graphic Design Software, and Symantec Visual Page Web Design Software. Commentary on the social and bureaucratic considerations in this particular creative project and discussion of the collaboration with UNI Art Department administration, faculty, and students is included with the final conclusions and recommendations