The Importance of Conflict Resolution Techniques in Autonomous Agile Teams

Today, software companies usually organize their work in teams. Social science research on team development has shown that for a team to reach a productive and autonomous stage, it has to be able to manage internal conflicts and disagreements efficiently. To better facilitate the team development process, we argue that software engineers' needs additional training in negotiation skills and conflict resolution. In this position paper, we outline ideas for what aspects to consider in such training. As an example, we argue that a majority of the conflicts originate from team-level factors and that they, therefore, should be managed on the team-level instead of in relation to dyads.Comment: Accepted at 1st International Workshop on Autonomous Teams (A-TEAMS), 201

Restorative Justice: Theory, Processes, and Application in Rural Alaska

An exploration of the principles behind using restorative justice as an alternate form of sentencing in criminal cases, with a focus particularly on how restorative justice might be of benefit in rural Alaska. Includes a bibliography. A sidebar, "Restorative Justice Programs and Sentencing", looks at amendments to Alaska Rules of Criminal Procedure 11(i) and Delinquency Rules 21(d)(3) and 23(f) which describe the requirements for referral to a restorative justice program as part of the sentencing process.[Introduction] / Restorative Justice / Restorative Processes / Victim-Offender Mediation / Conferencing / Circles / Restorative Processes in Rural Alaska / Conclusion / SIDEBARS / Restorative Justice Programs and Sentencing / Change to Alaska Criminal Rule 11 / Restorative Justice ReferencesYe

Feasibility of fisheries co-management in Africa

The current, highly centralized approach to fisheries management seems to be incapable of coping with escalating resource depletion and environmental degradation. Co-management has been identified as an alternative. This paper compares various approaches to fisheries management and discusses their performance in relation to the nature of the fishery. It is concluded that in African fisheries, stringent institutional arrangements, poor human, technical and financial resources, and a limited time frame often thwart co-management approaches. However, with the right conditions and prerequisites, comanagement can be successful in improving compliance with regulations and maintaining or enhancing the quality of the resource. The paper brings out the issues that require further research

ICTs and the implementation of the objectives of labour laws within the economic schematic in Nigeria

The present imagery of ICTs globally is that of a cyclopean force driving human civilisation by the scruff. Every facet of society has been touched by the ubiquity of ICT tools in this social reordering process. The industrial relations ecosystem cannot be left out of this change process especially regarding the use of ICTs in implementing the objectives of labour laws within the economic schematic in Nigeria. ICTs can be useful for the drafting, passage, storage and dissemination of labour laws in the country. Especially, it can harness and spur the objectives of the triumvirate that dominates the industrial relations ecosystem. These social thespians can rely on the utility of ICTs to fulfil their individual roles. Therefore, integrating and promoting the use of ICTs within the industrial system promises an omnibus of benefits to all stakeholders. Hence, this chapter has examined how ICTs can aid the implementation of the objectives of labour laws within the economic schematic in Nigeria and with some recommendations made

Collaborative practices using computers and the internet in science classrooms.

Investigations that allow for students to self-direct their inquiries in science classrooms involve building on existing understanding, problem solving and reasoning. The process of explaining complex problems means that students work with multiple sets of data including online resources and information from the Internet. Outcomes of such activities are often in written form, frequently prepared on the computer, representing a collage of negotiated ideas. This article presents primary science classroom investigations about changes of state and landforms and argues that inscription practices were shaped by the functional and social affordances students imbued with the computer and information from the Internet. Findings from the qualitative study with a year 7 teacher, Clara, and her students illustrate how the Internet provided social and collaborative opportunities for scientific meaning making. The argument is made that access to the computer and information from the Internet can open up and constrain opportunities for social thinking and inscription practices. Talking, thinking and composing were observed to constitute the nature of science inquiries as a collaborative effort of meaning making

Feasibility of fisheries co-management in Africa

The current, highly centralized approach to fisheries management seems to be incapable of coping with escalating resource depletion and environmental degradation. Co-management has been identified as an alternative. This paper compares various approaches to fisheries management and discusses their performance in relation to the nature of the fishery. It is concluded that in African fisheries, stringent institutional arrangements, poor human, technical and financial resources, and a limited time frame often thwart co-management approaches. However, with the right conditions and prerequisites, comanagement can be successful in improving compliance with regulations and maintaining or enhancing the quality of the resource. The paper brings out the issues that require further research.Fishery management, Community involvement, Fishery regulations, Sociological aspects, Africa,

Consumer information technologies in intercultural tourism: a case study of Chinese outbound backpackers

Backpacker sociality is a networking sociality, which is created through intersecting movements between physical and virtual space (Castells, 2002). Interweaving with physical sociality, Chinese backpackers (CBs) are highly active on their virtual world. This study, focuses on connectedness of CBs and their daily social networks through Information Communication Technologies (ICTs). CBs with embedded Chinese values therefore tend to practice and perceive information services uniquely. This paper aims to explore the relationships among cultural values, information services perceptions and adoption, as well as how these service affect CBs perception of the value of technology. To achieve this aim, we investigate the use and acceptance of information technologies by Chinese outbound backpackers in Europe, by exploring their perceptions, practice and preferences of different types of ICT services in an intercultural context

Information Technology Led to Global Transformation

Polity refers to a social formation, of which state is but apart. The nation-state based polity is undergoing a transformation due to the imposing nature of ICTs led globalization. The states as a collective entity have no escape from the pushing impacts of digital technologies that have converted the world population in to a single community with opportunities of instant connectivity, and dissemination of information through bullet-theory of injecting facts and figures into the mind of every member of global civil society. Several causes of this transformation of polity can be extracted from the intellectual discourses available in the existing research, predicting the consequences with tangible and explicit demonstrations of the same in the real world settings. The objective of this article is to juxtapose the diversity of research-findings into a compact piece of knowledge and present a theoretical model to comprehend this transformation and emergence of global polity

Asia-Pacific cyber insights

This report aims to give insight into the wealth of cyber perspectives across the Asia–Pacific and amplify the regional voice on the key themes and questions of the Global Conference on CyberSpace 2015 in April 2015. Overview The Asia-Pacific region incorporates some of the most mature cyber actors in the world as well as some of the least connected. Governments throughout the region are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of cyberspace, however the capabilities, needs, and priorities of each state lie across a wide spectrum. Asia–Pacific cyber perspectives are far more diverse and dynamic than the dominant narratives coming from the ‘cyber great powers’ and it is important that the region’s distinct voices are heard in international cyber discussions. This report aims to give insight into the wealth of cyber perspectives across the Asia–Pacific and amplify the regional voice on the key themes and questions of the Global Conference on CyberSpace 2015 (GCCS) in April 2015. To achieve this the Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s International Cyber Policy Centre partnered with the Institute of Strategic & International Studies Malaysia to host a multistakeholder workshop to gather and collate the expertise of a broad cross-section of Asia–Pacific cyber experts. With generous support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the workshop brought together participants from government, the private sector, academia, think tanks, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), as well as regional and international organisations from 12 Asia–Pacific countries. The report represents a collation of the thoughts and perspectives from the workshop and subsequent discussions. It is based on the key themes and questions of the GCCS and structured around the GCCS agenda. The intention was not to achieve consensus but instead accurately portray the points of convergence and divergence across the region. Throughout the process the recurring themes of clarity, capacity, and responsibility emerged as ways to ensure a more reliable, secure, and stable cyberspace. The findings of this effort will be presented at an Asia-Pacific Borrel, an official side-event of the GCCS

Challenges for Teaching and Learning Information and Communication Technology Courses in Higher Learning Institutions in Tanzania: A Review

Teaching and learning ICT courses in higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Tanzania is facing    various challenges. This study, examined challenges facing teaching and learning of ICT courses in HLIs in Tanzania. Variables including limited access of ICT hardware and software, weak government policies, poor ICT infrastructure, lack of competent ICT staff, poor institutions’ coordination and curriculum variation, high cost imposed on ICT tools, little government funding, reluctance to use ICT tools in teaching and learning, lack of practical training, limited capacity of ICT hardware and software were studies using quantitative approach. Thirteen (13) current papers (2010-2014) related to the study were reviewed to extract the challenges which appear most frequently. Percentages and frequencies of ten (10) studied variables were computed and presented using a table and bar graph. The findings show that   limited access of ICT hardware and software, poor ICT infrastructure, lack of competent ICT staff, little government funding, lack of practical training and poor institutions’ coordination are significant challenges hindering teaching and learning of ICT courses in  HLIs in Tanzania. The study recommends that, policy makers should sharply concentrate with first priority to tackle the most critical challenges instead of dealing with a multitude of challenges, an approach which may not be fruitful for quick improvement given limited resources facing the nation. Key words: Challenges, ICT, Higher Learning Institutions, Learning and Teachin