Unfolding practices with unfolding objects: standardization work in global branding

Although significant efforts have focused on the question how the standardization of global branding works, very little research concerns standardization work i.e. how actors, objects and practices come together in the development and control of standards (see Chabowski et al. 2013). Yet, the development and control of standards involves power relations, negotiation and conflicts between competing visions and outcomes (Lyytinen and King 2006; Nickerson and Muehlen 2006). The complex standardization practice revolves around objects (D'Adderio 2011). Surprisingly, tools and are technologies of standardization are also absent from marketing literature. The current study focuses on the entanglement of global branding and digital artifacts. The project explores how digital objects are co-instituted and co-implicated in the generation, stabilization and control of international marketing practice. Our specific focus is on brand standards; we examine how digital affordances mesh with practices to enable and constrain standardization work

Mathematics teachers' positions and practices in discourses of assessment

Mathematics teachers ’ positions and practices in discourses of assessmen

Student Perspectives on Reflective Writing, Improvisation, and Cooperative and Peer Learning in a Collegiate Aural Skills Course

Student-centered instructional approaches that directly engage the learner in problem-solving activities and emphasize social interaction in the construction of knowledge are known to be much more effective than traditional teaching methods. While music educators also claim to espouse these views, these strategies have yet to infiltrate the area of aural skills pedagogy, where the mode of instruction often remains limited to traditional repetition and drill. In an effort to update and improve the Ear Training and Sight Singing (ETSS) curriculum at Linfield, reflective writing, improvisation, and cooperative and peer-learning activities were integrated into the course for the 2012-2013 academic year. This study examined the efficacy of these new approaches by comparing students’ experiences, progress, and assessments to those of previous years. Though a comparison of final exam scores did not reveal a statistically significant difference in achievement, results suggest reflective writing was particularly effective for students in increasing self-awareness, organizing and reinforcing learning, increasing retention of course material, and providing opportunities for self-assessment. Data revealed a mixed effectiveness for cooperative and peer-learning activities that is often dependent on a variety of factors including the nature and goals of the activity or assignment and the level of disparity in abilities between partners. Benefits include increased accountability, motivation and practice

Understanding eINVs through the lens of prior research in entrepreneurship, international business and international entrepreneurship

In this chapter we examine the growing phenomenon of internet-based international new ventures, which we label “eINVS,” through the lens of previous research in the fields of entre- preneurship, international business and international entrepreneurship. Our purpose is to iden- tify where these existing bodies of research help us to understand eINVs, and where there are gaps that constitute important questions for future research. We define an eINV by adapting a widely used definition of international new ventures (INV) (Oviatt and McDougall 2005: 5): an eINV is a venture whose business model is enabled by a digital platform and that, from incep- tion, seeks to derive significant competitive advantage from international growth. With a focus explicitly on how extant research helps us understand eINVs, this review differs from that of Reuber and Fischer (2011b), who focus on firm-level internet-related resources that are related to the internationalization of ventures in general; that of Pezderka and Sinkovics (2011), who focus on risk and the online foreign market entry decisions of small and medium-sized enter- prises (SMEs); and that of Chandra and Coviello (2010), who focus on consumers using the internet to pursue international opportunities

Digital Materialities and Incompatible Institutional Logics

No abstract available

The effects of invasive Typha X glauca on abiotic factors and fish communities in a Great Lakes coastal wetland

Biology and Ecology of FishesThe fishes of the Great Lakes utilize the wetlands of the region as forage sites and nurseries. These habitats are being invaded by the cattail hybrid Typha x glauca, which outcompetes native marsh plants and can create large plots of monoculture. This study investigated the impact of this plant on the abiotic factors within wetlands as well as the fish communities. We measured a variety of abiotic factors, including nutrient levels, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen. We also compared the biodiversity of plots invaded by Typha x glauca and plots of native plants. The dissolved oxygen levels and water temperature were significantly higher in the native marsh plots. Nutrient levels varied depending on the nutrient type, with ammonium and phosphorus being higher in native plots but the total nitrogen being higher in the invaded plots. We found that species richness, species abundance, and biodiversity were significantly higher in the native marshes. The interactions between the abiotic and biotic factors of the wetlands require further study, but the protection of the GLCW from invasive cattails is imperative for the preservation of diverse fish communities.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147905/1/Morgan_2018_1.pd

A comparison of radish (Raphanus sativus) growth in possible future climate change conditions and in current conditions

General EcologyProduction yields in agricultural zones depend heavily on climate, irrigation, and nutrients. Thus, agriculture is threatened by climate change, specifically predictions of elevated soil temperatures and more erratic rainfall. Solving these potential problems depends on studying the effects of these predicted conditions, as well as how they interact with agricultural practices such as nutrient additives. We studied the impact of increased soil temperature, intermittent floods, and nutrient addition on radish growth. The radish plants were mainly impacted in their belowground growth; high temperature was linked to lower mass of the root systems. The effect of the watering regime was unclear; daily watering as well as floods increased growth in plants grown under different temperature and nutrient combinations. Additionally, higher nutrient levels lowered germination rates of the plants. These findings indicate complex relationships between climate conditions, nutrient treatments, and the plants.https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/147906/1/Morgan_2018_2.pd

Unfolding practices with unfolding objects: standardization work in global branding

Although significant efforts have focused on the question how the standardization of global branding works, very little research concerns standardization work i.e. how actors, objects and practices come together in the development and control of standards (see Chabowski et al. 2013). Yet, the development and control of standards involves power relations, negotiation and conflicts between competing visions and outcomes (Lyytinen and King 2006; Nickerson and Muehlen 2006). The complex standardization practice revolves around objects (D'Adderio 2011). Surprisingly, tools and are technologies of standardization are also absent from marketing literature. The current study focuses on the entanglement of global branding and digital artifacts. The project explores how digital objects are co-instituted and co-implicated in the generation, stabilization and control of international marketing practice. Our specific focus is on brand standards; we examine how digital affordances mesh with practices to enable and constrain standardization work