Employability and Social Capital: An Exploration of the Missing Link in the Enhancement of Employability of Business School Graduates

This study explores the role of social capital in the development of employability skills and attributes of first generation undergraduate students in a business school. The research, based on the reflections of graduates, examines the impact of social capital on participation in higher education and investigates the conditions within the learning environment which enhance or inhibit the development of bridging and linking social capital, as students connect with networks within the institution and with the wider business community. The findings suggest that the ability to recognise and activate bridging and linking social capital is an important determinant of employability. The analysis illustrates that when students have opportunities to connect with and work within a variety of networks, they build a range of employability skills and capabilities, particularly the interpersonal and social skills valued by employers. Students, who are confident and have the necessary skills to participate in a variety of networks within the immediate environment and with the wider business community, are not only able to access a greater range of resources but are more able to recognise the potential benefits that these activities have to offer. The reflections of the participants also illustrate that the skills and competencies which enable them to network effectively need to be developed deliberately. By supporting students in recognising the relationship between bridging and linking social capital and employability, and giving them the opportunity to reflect upon the achievement of interpersonal skills and affective capabilities, including the importance of relating to diverse others, their understanding and acknowledgement of employability will be enhanced. The study also reflects on Quinn’s concept of imagined social capital and considers its impact on the development of employability. Building on her work, the analysis identifies two new typologies; unimagined and unimaginable social capital. Both categories are important in understanding how students acknowledge the potential networks and resources available to them

Tributes to Professor Robert Berkley Harper

In 1977, I began teaching at The University of Pittsburgh Law School and in short order one of my closest friends during my tenure there was Professor Robert “Bob” Harper. I wondered when I was hired whether I was selected because I looked strikingly similar to Bob, and perhaps the faculty thought my favoring Professor Harper would make my assimilation into the law school faculty that much easier. Students constantly called me Professor Harper and, indeed, many on the faculty called me Bob for several years; I never bothered to correct them. I thought if they paid that little attention to detail in law school, I would just let them go through life missing some of the finer points their education, and life for that matter, has to offer

Processing and functional properties of bovine plasma

A powdered product that was light in colour and had no off flavour or odour was made by the separation, ultrafiltration and spray drying of bovine blood. To establish the variability of the production methods samples were taken at stages during processing. A one year stability trial on one batch of powder was also done. Samples were analysed to indicate their physical characteristics, approximate composition and microbiological content. Model systems were established and used to assess the functional properties of the powder. Ten bovine plasma powders were produced with little indication of variation between batches. The powder was stable. [Continues.

A Decade of Home Schooling in Saskatchewan, Canada (1984-1994): A Case Study

The efficacy of alternative education has had a significant impact on public education. The diversity of cultures, lifestyles, and needs of home-schooling families compelled the public educational sector to make available educational alternatives. The purpose of this study was to build upon previous research (Hill, 1988) by interviewing a sample of the same families and their children to investigate the longitudinal experiences for a follow-up study. The representative sample participated in a study entitled An Investigation of Home Schooling in Saskatchewan (Hill, 1988). Twenty families (18 parents and 25 children) were interviewed; 10 were selected as case studies. Home schoolers ranged from 16 to 26 years and presently are involved in various professions and vocations. In-depth interviews and open-ended questions elicited rich and detailed accounts of how home schooling had influenced each participant\u27s life. A large majority of participants were transformed through the recognition of choice, networking, and reflection. The follow-up interviews validated their experiences and allowed them to reflect on their respective roles, feelings of success and failure. To exercise choice was the dominant founding principle, and commitment to personal and communal needs were the keys to successful home-schooling practice. Evaluation and assessment were the acquisition of either a Christian or a liberal education, which could be achieved within the context of the home and community. Course content supported a basic core curriculum best described as a liberal education. Elective areas of study were principled by two schools of thought: families who prescribed to the free schools movement and those whose programs were based on evangelical Christianity. The definition of home schooling was expanded to focus on multidirectional teaching and learning. Each participant\u27s self-esteem, ambition, and self-confidence in transferring the skills, knowledge, and values to their networks validated their experiences and enhanced their personal growth. The globalization of education, integration of world resources, and rapid changes in lifestyles required an examination of the evolution of home schooling, its founding principles, and curriculum assessments

Selecting instruments for assessing psychological wellbeing in Afghan and Kurdish refugee groups

Background. Afghan and Iraqi refugees comprise nearly half of all those currently under United Nations protection. As many of them will eventually be resettled in countries outside the region of origin, their long term health and settlement concerns are of relevance to host societies, and will be a likely focus for future research. Since Australia and New Zealand have both accepted refugees for many years and have dedicated, but different settlement and immigration policies, a study comparing the resettlement of two different refugee groups in these countries was undertaken. The purpose of this article is to describe the instrument selection for this study assessing mental health and psychological well being with Afghan and Kurdish former refugees, in particular to address linguistic considerations and translated instrument availability. A summary of instruments previously used with refugee and migrant groups from the Middle East region is presented to assist other researchers, before describing the three instruments ultimately selected for the quantitative component of our study.Findings. The Kessler-10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10), General Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale (GPSE), and Personal Well-Being Index (PWI) all showed good reliability (Cronbach's alphas of 0.86, 0.89 and 0.83 respectively for combined language versions) and ease of use even for pre-literate participants, with the sample of 193 refugees, although some concepts in the GPSE proved problematic for a small number of respondents. Farsi was the language of choice for the majority of Afghan participants, while most of the Kurds chose to complete English versions in addition to Farsi. No one used Arabic or Turkish translations. Participants settled less than ten years were more likely to complete questionnaires in Farsi. Descriptive summary statistics are presented for each instrument with results split by gender, refugee group and language version completed. Conclusion. This paper discusses instrument selection for Farsi and Arabic speaking refugee participants from the Middle East and Afghanistan, concluding that the Kessler-10, GPSE scale and PWI were suitable for use with these groups. Suitable language translations are freely available. Our experience with these instruments may help inform other studies with these vulnerable groups

Literacy Enhancement and Writing across the Curriculum: A Motivational Addendum

This thought piece supplements the preceding article with complementary information drawn from a national literacy project underwritten by the Ford Foundation. This project attempted to persuade teachers in all disciplines to become more proficient in the use of written exercises and to encourage an expanded conception of literacy as an essential cornerstone of education. As a part of the writing-across-the curriculum (WAC) efforts, this extensive project helped to organize these efforts by identifying the obstacles to enhanced literacy, specifying innumerable techniques for use in diverse contexts, and motivating faculty to intensify their work on this dimension of any curriculum. This paper serves to expand the more localized focus of Jensen and McQueeney\u27s article and to suggest some practical advice for implementing the goals of the WAC movement

Post-translational modifications of Beclin 1 provide multiple strategies for autophagy regulation.

Autophagy is a conserved intracellular degradation pathway essential for protein homeostasis, survival and development. Defects in autophagic pathways have been connected to a variety of human diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration. In the process of macroautophagy, cytoplasmic cargo is enclosed in a double-membrane structure and fused to the lysosome to allow for digestion and recycling of material. Autophagosome formation is primed by the ULK complex, which enables the downstream production of PI(3)P, a key lipid signalling molecule, on the phagophore membrane. The PI(3)P is generated by the PI3 kinase (PI3K) complex, consisting of the core components VPS34, VPS15 and Beclin 1. Beclin 1 is a central player in autophagy and constitutes a molecular platform for the regulation of autophagosome formation and maturation. Post-translational modifications of Beclin 1 affect its stability, interactions and ability to regulate PI3K activity, providing the cell with a plethora of strategies to fine-tune the levels of autophagy. Being such an important regulator, Beclin 1 is a potential target for therapeutic intervention and interfering with the post-translational regulation of Beclin 1 could be one way of manipulating the levels of autophagy. In this review, we provide an overview of the known post-translational modifications of Beclin 1 that govern its role in autophagy and how these modifications are maintained by input from several upstream signalling pathways. ▓

Characterization of Cohesive Cake Formation and Stickiness of Starches at Various Water Levels in the Presence of Palm oil and Palm Oil Fractions

A key feature of the biscuit manufacture is the combination of the raw ingredients. Different oils are likely to change the quality of dough. The factors important in agglomeration of starch materials are poorly understood and therefore work was carried out to try and establish the behaviour of oil and water on the material properties of starches. An understanding of particle-particle behaviour in the presence of oils and water is relevant to a food production process such as biscuit making, that requires preparation and mixing of these ingredients at ambient conditions. The way these powders pack and flow could have a significant impact on the final quality of the product. Powder flow analyser was used to measure the caking and cohesion properties for different type of starches. Besides the powder type as a variable, three levels of water and four types of oils at 5 % (d.b) concentration were also tested. The presence of water with the powder plays an important role for the way the cereals powders pack and flow. Although tapped bulk densities did not vary much the water had a great impact on the powder caking strength and cohesion index. For samples without oil, the results showed that these parameters were increased significantly as the water level increased for all starches. Plasticization by addition of water to the food powder is believed to be the major factor contributing to the results obtained. Addition of oil to starches increased the caking and cohesion indices where liquid oils showed the greatest impact compared to solid oils