Altrusim. Education Subsidy and Growth

An optimal education subsidy formula is derived using an overlapping generations model with parental altruism. The model predicts that public education subsidy is greater in economies with lesser parental altruism because a benevolent government has to compensate for the shortfall in private education spending of less altruistic parents with a finite life. On the other hand, growth is higher in economies with greater parental altruism. Cross-country regressions using the World Values Survey for altruism lend support to our model predictions. The model provides insights about the reasons for higher education subsidy in richer countries.Human Capital; Altrusim; Education Subsidy;

Interaction and effectiveness of corporate e-learning programmes

This study was conducted in a large Mexican organization running a virtual corporate university. It aimed to evaluate students’ perceptions of three types of interaction (learner–teacher, learner–content and learner–learner) and their views on the effectiveness of online courses in terms of satisfaction, learning and behaviours. Twenty-six employees who had studied at least one online course within the organization answered an online survey. Four of them were interviewed. Results show that: (1) Learners value their interaction with the content the most. (2) Online learning is generally perceived as an effective method for delivering corporate training. (3) There is no perceived relationship between online interactions and training effectiveness. The findings are limited to the specific context of the participating organization. Further research into online learning in corporate settings is needed to understand training interactions and changes in job performance

Applying the interaction equivalency theorem to online courses in a large organization

Finding effective ways of designing online courses is a priority for corporate organizations. The interaction equivalency theorem states that meaningful learning can be achieved as long as courses are designed with at least a high level of one of three types of interactions (learner-content, learner-teacher or learner-learner). This study aimed to establish whether the interaction equivalency theorem applies to online learning in the corporate sector. The research was conducted in a large Mexican commercial organization, and involved 147 learners (sales supervisors), 30 teachers (sales managers and directors) and 3 academic assistants (course designers, or Education support staff). Three courses of an existing Leadership Program (Situational Leadership, Empowering Beliefs and Effective Performance) were redesigned and developed to test three course designs, each emphasizing a different type of interaction (learner-content, learner-teacher or learner-learner). Data were collected through surveys (for diagnostic and evaluation purposes) and exams. All courses yielded high levels of effectiveness, in terms of satisfaction, learning, perceived readiness for knowledge transfer and return on expectations. This suggests that the interaction equivalency theorem not only applies in a business setting but might also include other indicators of course effectiveness, such as satisfaction, learning transfer and return on expectations. Further research is needed to explore the possible expansion of the theorem

Building institutional capability in e-learning design

We detail the research, development and initial outcomes of an intervention process to promote capability building in designing for e‐learning at a dual mode university in the UK. The process, called CARPE DIEM, was built on a pilot study and became a Higher Education Academy ‘Pathfinder’ project named ADELIE. We report on the model workshop, its deployment, research and development over a 12‐month period with a variety of subject groups working in small teams with learning technologists, pedagogical facilitators and librarians. Outcomes include improved scores on an institutional e‐learning benchmarking exercise and increased capability for designing for online activities for students in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The model is stable enough to be tried in other institutions and continues to develop in scope

Student engagement with a content-based learning design

While learning is commonly conceptualised as a social, collaborative process in organisations, online courses often provide limited opportunities for communication between people. How do students engage with content-based courses? How do they find answers to their questions? How do they achieve the learning outcomes? This paper aims to answer these questions by focusing on students’ experiences in an online content-based course delivered in a large Mexican organisation. Sales supervisors (n=47) participated as students. Four main data sources were used to evaluate engagement with and learning from the course: surveys (n=40), think-aloud sessions (n=8), activity logs (n=47) and exams (n=43). Findings suggest that: (1) Students engage with a content-based course by following the guidance available and attempting to make the materials relevant to their own context. (2) Students are resourceful when trying to find support. If the materials do not provide the answers to their questions, they search for alternatives such as colleagues to talk to. (3) Content-based online learning designs may be engaging and effective. However, broadening the range of support options available to students may derive in more meaningful, contextualised and rewarding learning experiences

Embedding social innovation and social impact across the disciplines: identifying "Changemaker" attributes

Purpose—This paper proposes an attributes framework for embedding “Changemaker”—a university initiative for promoting social innovation and social impact—across the disciplines at the University of Northampton. Design/methodology/approach—The study is based on the authors’ (2014) phenomenographic study that proposed five different conceptions of Changemaker held by academic staff: 1) Changemaker as institutional strategy; 2) Changemaker as critical thinking, perspective shifting and problem solving; 3) Changemaker as employability; 4) Changemaker as social betterment and 5) Changemaker as personal transformation. The present study explores pedagogic literature to identify skills, behaviours and attributes associated with each of these five categories. Findings—Findings from this literature review inform a taxonomy of Changemaker attributes, which offers a catalogue of skills and behaviours associated with the five conceptions of Changemaker. Research limitations/implications—The conceptions of Changemaker, that form the basis of the Changemaker attributes, represent the beliefs of teaching staff at the University of Northampton. Despite inherent limitations, the approach of using practice-based empirical findings to develop pedagogical tools may be of direct benefit to other education providers as they develop their own models for teaching and learning. Practical implications—The Changemaker attributes will be used by the University of Northampton during the design, approval and review of courses to ensure that social innovation and social impact is embedded across the disciplines. Academic staff can refer these attributes when designing assessments and for inspiration toward innovative teaching practice. Originality/value—The findings of this study will provide a point of reference for other higher education institutions as they look for guidance on embedding social innovation and social impact into their curriculum

University teachers’ conceptions of “Changemaker”: a starting point for embedding social innovation in learning and teaching

Purpose: This paper reports on a study aimed at understanding the different conceptions that University of Northampton teachers hold of “Changemaker”, an institutional initiative to develop capacities for social innovation. Design/methodology/approach: The study took a phenomenographic approach to identify a small number of qualitatively different conceptions of Changemaker among teaching staff. Face-to-face, phenomenographic interviews were carried out with 30 teachers across the university. Transcript data were analysed using thematic inductive analysis. Findings: Five different conceptions of Changemaker were found: 1) Changemaker as university strategy; 2) Changemaker as critical thinking, perspective shifting and problem solving; 3) Changemaker as employability; 4) Changemaker as social betterment and 5) Changemaker as personal transformation. Research limitations/implications: The outcome space of conceptions represents the beliefs of teaching staff at the University of Northampton. The approach to research and plans for the practical application of findings may be of direct benefit to other education providers as they develop their own models for teaching and learning. Practical implication—The findings from this study will inform the next phase of the project, which involves the development of a skills/attributes/behaviours matrix for Changemaker. Originality/value: The findings of this study will address the absence of literature on teachers’ conceptions of phenomena related to social innovation, social entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship. Understanding teachers’ beliefs of such phenomena is relevant to the growing number of universities that address these subjects in the curriculum

TRANSFORMATION OF RURAL LANDSCAPEIN MONTALCINO BETWEEN NINETEENTH CENTURY AND NOWADAYS

Obbiettivo del presente studio è la creazione di un approfondito quadro conoscitivo del territorio del comune di Montalcino (SI) che permetta di identificare le caratteristiche del paesaggio, monitorare i processi che ne hanno generato o che ne stanno ancora generando le trasformazioni in modo da individuare i criteri e gli indicatori per la sua gestione e conservazione. In particolare,riguardo all'aspetto della conservazione, è necessario inventariare e documentare i siti e gli elementi di importanza storica e culturale, conservarli informando residenti e visitatori del loro valore e sostenere le popolazioni locali nel mantenimento di attività utili alla tutela del paesaggio. In questa ottica i software GIS risultano di grande aiuto in quanto permettono di acquisire ed utilizzare dati di natura diversa, anche in serie storica, e di confrontarli e combinarli tra loro. È così possibile effettuare analisi spaziali approfondite e creare output cartografici che diano la possibilità di leggere il territorio sotto molteplici aspetti, in modo da divenire un valido supporto delle politiche di pianificazione e di tutela. Lo studio ha rilevato quindi che nel periodo tra 1832 e 2007 i cambiamenti principali avvenuti nel territorio rurale di Montalcino sono stati: • la scomparsa di usi del suolo tradizionali come le colture promiscue e il pascolo, • l'aumento della superficie forestale e la chiusura della sua copertura, • l'impianto di ingenti superfici a vigna, • la forte riduzione delle superfici terrazzate. È proprio su quest’ultimo punto che è stata focalizzata l’attenzione, in quanto i muretti a secco e i terrazzamenti, che hanno caratterizzato per secoli l’aspetto dei colli ilcinesi, adesso corrono un grave rischio di scomparsa. Infatti i nuovi assetti territoriali e le nuove strutture produttive spingono verso l’abbandono delle coltivazioni collinari e l’eliminazione di questi manufatti per permettere l’utilizzo delle macchine agricole. Per questo motivo viene presentato l’esempio di una piccola azienda vinicola del luogo che ha deciso, invece, di recuperare gli antichi terrazzamenti presenti al suo interno. In questo modo ha fatto sì che l’identità storico-culturale e paesaggistica del territorio sia diventato il vero valore aggiunto del proprio prodotto.Aim of this study is the creation of an in-depth knowledge framework of a part of the municipality of Montalcino (SI) in order to identify the characteristics of the landscape, monitor the processes that have generated or that are still generating transformations in order to identify the criteria and indicators for its management and conservation. In particular, with regard to the conservation aspect, it is necessary to inventory and document the sites and items of historical and cultural importance, to inform citizens and visitors of their value and support local people in the maintenance of activities useful for landscape protection. In this perspective, GIS softwares are a great help because they enable you to acquire and use various data, in historical series, and to compare and combine them. In this way you can perform analysis and create carthographic output that gives the ability to read the land in many ways, in order to become a good support for planning and protection policies. The study found, therefore, that in the period between 1832 and 2007, the main changes that occurred in the rural area of Montalcino were: • the disappearance of traditional land uses such as mixed crops and pasture, • the increase in forest area and the closing of its cover, • the installation of large surfaces with vines, • a substantial reduction in terraced areas. I focused the attention on this point, because many of the terraces that characterized for centuries the landscape of Montalcino’s hills, now run a serious risk of disappearing. In fact, the new territorial organizations and new production facilities are pushing for the abandonment of cultivated hills and the elimination of these artifacts to allow the use of agricultural machinery. For this reason, the example of a small local winery that decided to recover the ancient terraces within it. In this way ensured that the historical and cultural identity and landscape of the area has become the real added value of their products

CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT AND VALUE ENHANCEMENT THROUGH PRODUCT INDIVIDUALISATION

Product customisation has always been a regular practice as a form of self or group identification. Previous studies have demonstrated that when investing time and effort to customise a product, an emotional attachment to that product develops. Since the 1980s, new technologies in design, manufacturing and communications have facilitated customisation practices for mass manufacturers as well as for individual consumers. For example, computer algorithms can now automate customisation (i.e. individualise), meaning that the investment of time and effort can be significantly lower than in other customisation processes. Such novel automated practices have, however, not considered the effects on emotional attachment to products, which occurs when the consumer personally engages in the process. This research investigates individualisation as a form of customisation by looking at the relationship between an individualised product and the consumers’ attribution of value and emotional attachment to the end result. This was achieved through a mixed methods approach: following a literature review, in-depth interviews, observation and experiments were carried out. Four pilot studies were conducted, involving 42 respondents (designers, company directors, and consumers). The main study engaged a further 44 respondents, profiled as one of two types of consumers depending on their critical engagement with customisation processes, namely Active Consumers (AC) that Passive Consumers (PC). Data was collected through five Action Research cycles and incorporated key features of Design-Based Research. It was then processed, coded and analysed using thematic analysis. This study makes contributions to knowledge in the area of product customisation and individualisation, as well as in the research methods developed, applied and refined over the four pilot iterations and in the main study. Results suggest that despite limiting freedom of choice, individualisation is a valuable approach to product customisation, particularly for PCs willing to relinquish part of the decision making to an automated process, in order to obtain a customised and unique design. ACs, on the other hand, value their freedom to customise their own products and see individualisation as a limitation to the customisation experience and as a hindrance to developing emotional attachment to the product. These findings have the potential to inform entrepreneurs’ and designers’ decisions to better understand and exploit the benefits associated to individualisation processes. Offering specific consumer groups opportunities to engage with the individualisation process can trigger a strong emotional product attachment and potentially generate new business opportunities

Public education, growth, and political regimes

This study investigates some of the reasons why countries spend public money on education, the impact of education on economic growth, why and how political regimes interfere in the impact of education on growth and how education can be a lever for political change. Conclusions are derived from theoretical models and modern econometric techniques. The research puts forward altruism as one of the determinants of the cross-country variation in public subsidies to education: altruism tends to act as a deterrent for public subsidies to education. The research into altruism and education subsidies exploits previously underused data to present a new proxy to make international comparisons between levels of altruism. The analysis of this thesis shows how the defence-education trade-off constrains the extractive powers of a dictator, it illustrates why dictatorial regimes may have incentives to undermine the effects of education on economic growth, and how this relates to regime transitions. The analysis also demonstrates that more redistributive policies should be expected in democracies than in non-democracies. Finally, this research provides evidence of the more tangible effects of education on growth once the democratic environment is taken into account, clearing the 'micro-macro' paradox of the effects of education on income. This thesis sets an agenda for future research, including the need to observe the evolution of altruism over time and how it relates to variations in cross-country expenditure in education. Also, it demands a continuous re-test of the relationship between education and growth under different political regimes as longer and more informative time series become available