Wirksame Vermittlung von Kompetenzen über das Internet : ein praktisches Beispiel

Universitäten wenden in zunehmendem Maße innovative Unterrichtsmodelle an, bei denen die Entwicklung von Kompetenzen im Vordergrund steht und nicht die Wiedergabe von Wissen. Diese neuen Unterrichtsmodelle betonen die Bedeutung der Wissensanwendung und der Entwicklung von Kompetenzen. Allerdings haben diese Unterrichtsmodelle in der Regel einen großen Aufwand der Dozenten für Korrektur und Bewertung zur Folge. Bildungseinrichtungen suchen nach Möglichkeiten, Studierenden kompetenzorientiertes Lehrmaterial anzubieten und dabei die Belastung für die Dozenten gering zu halten. In diesem Beitrag wird ein Marketingkurs als Beispiel aus der Praxis vorgestellt, der von der Fakultät für Managementwissenschaft der Offenen Universität der Niederlande entwickelt wurde. Es veranschaulicht, wie beide Ziele, Bereitstellung von kompetenzorientiertem Lehrmaterial und Minimierung des Korrekturaufwands, gleichzeitig erreicht werden können

Enseñanza eficaz de competencias a través de Internet : un ejemplo práctico

Las universidades incorporan cada vez más modelos didácticos innovadores y centrados en el desarrollo de capacidades, en lugar de en la reproducción de conocimientos. Estos nuevos modelos didácticos ponen de relieve la importancia de la aplicación del conocimiento y del desarrollo de competencias. Pero la implantación de estos métodos suele implicar una fuerte labor de evaluación para los docentes. Las instituciones y centros educativos buscan posibilidades para ofrecer a su alumnado materiales didácticos orientados a competencias, sin sobrecargar demasiado la labor de evaluación para sus docentes. Este artículo describe el ejemplo práctico de un curso de marketing elaborado por la Facultad de Ciencias de la Gestión perteneciente a la Universidad Abierta de los Países Bajos. Dicho curso muestra la forma de cumplir ambos objetivos simultáneamente

The effects of economic integration on regional growth : an evolutionary model

This paper will present a multi-region-multi-country model in which inter-regional knowledge spillovers determine the growth of regions. Key parameters in the model are the learning capability of a region, and the exogenous rate of knowledge generation (R&D). The intensity of spillovers depends on geographical distance between regions. The model is investigated by means of simulation techniques. What results is a core-periphery situation, the exact form of which depends on the assumed spatial structure. One surprising result of the analysis is that larger technological differences between regions may lead to smaller disparity in terms of the long-run spatial distribution of GDP per capita. The impact of economic integration is investigated by comparing two different aspects of the model. First, examining a fixed exchange rate system versus a system of flexible exchange rates results in conditions (constellations of parameters) under which fixed exchange rates (compared to flexible exchange rates) generate less disparity across regions. However, depending on the parameter values, fixed exchange rates may also generate more disparity, leading to the conclusion that the effect of monetary integration is ambiguous. Second, the impact of barriers to knowledge spillovers is analysed by assuming that cross border knowledge flows are hampered compared to inter-country flows. This results in the observation that reduced cross border flows have a large impact when regions are initially unequal with respect to their exogenous rate of knowledge generation or their learning capability. In these cases, the resulting trends in overall disparity are quite different from the trends established in a situation of no barriers to knowledge spillovers

Spatial distance in a technology gap model

This paper analyses the effect of locally bounded knowledge spillovers on regional differences in growth. A model will be developed that allows spillovers to take place across regions. Certain conditions determine the amount of spillovers a region receives. By use of simulations (with randomised parameter constellations), it is possible to examine the general behaviour of the model. It is found that certain patterns in the gaps of the knowledge stocks appear repeatedly. The inclusion of geographical distance in a technology gap model leads to the observation that when differences (in parameters such as the leaming capability or the exogenous rate of knowledge generation) increase across regions, the disparity in terms of GDP per capita between them decreases. This counterintuitive result is a direct effect from the inclusion of geographical distance in the model

Does innovation matter for LDCs? : discussion and new agenda

Overview :current mainstream views ; Lessons from recent history; New developments, new challenges, time for a fresh look ; Three examples of significant innovations in LDC

Actor networks in strategic niche management : insights from social network theory

This paper contributes to Strategic Niche Management (SNM), an analytical technique designed to facilitate the introduction and diffusion of radically new sustainable technologies through societal experiments. According to SNM, intensive networking among social actors is a crucial process for the successful incubation of new technologies. However, the manner in which innovation success relates to different characteristics pertaining to the structure and functioning of these actor networks has remained rather unclear. In this paper we open up this ‘black box’ by bringing in social network analysis (SNA), which allows for a more systematic analysis of this issue. We review theoretical SNA contributions that shed light on the link between actor network attributes and innovation outcomes. Then we elaborate a case study about the emerging biofuels sector in Tanzania. After analysing the case from a conventional SNM perspective, we apply SNA techniques to generate more in-depth insights into the composition and functioning of the actor network and how this affects the innovation performance and development prospects of the sector. Policy implications are also discussed

What works, and why, in business services provision for SMEs : insights from evolutionary theory

Programmes providing services for small and medium enterprises are important in developed and developing countries alike. Yet, the quality and impact of many of these programmes continues to be relatively disappointing. In this paper we analyse the performance and functioning of the Small Business Service in the UK, and the Business Development Services support model that has been commonly adopted in less developed countries. Modem theories of innovation and services marketing management serve as our analytical lens. Important weaknesses in programme structure and implementation practices emerge, which mainly revolve around user-producer interaction, organisational issues, and the lack of a broad systems perspective

Buyer-supplier relationship development : an empirical study among Dutch purchasing professionals

Case study based literature on relationship development presents in-depth information on contextual factors in relationship development. However, little quantitative evidence is available about key aspects of buyer-supplier relationships in each stage of its development, such as the level of trust/commitment, buyer’s and supplier’s dependence. The study will try to fill this gap by identifying and quantifying these aspects from the buyer’s perspective in each development stage. A comprehensive survey among 238 Dutch purchasing professionals provides evidence on how these characteristics of relationships changewhen relationships develop over time. The results largely confirm the hypotheses, which stem from the extant literature about organizational dependence and trust/commitment. A notable finding is that the buyer perceives to be dependent on the supplier, even in a desirable relationship. Managerial implications are that: (1) industrial marketers should be aware that professional purchasers feel dominated by them, even in relationships that are positively evaluated and therefore desirable in the view of the buyer; and (2) that purchasers should be aware that dependence implies vulnerability, even when the relationship is still developing in an otherwise desirable way

Development of new supply chains : insights from strategic niche management

The extant supply chain literature devotes remarkably little attention to possible strategies and instruments of supply chain design associated with the development of radically new innovations. The main argument put forward in this paper is that an analytical framework derived from evolutionary innovation studies, Strategic Niche Management, is helpful for this purpose. The framework offers a set of concepts with which one can shed light on three key dynamic processes that have to form an integral part of the setting up of a new supply chain, namely networking, learning and the management of actor expectations. It also helps to understand how these processes are embedded into a wider societal context, which forms the setting within which supply chain design decisions have to be made. We illustrate these points with a case study about the setting up of a new supply chain in the biofuels sector in East Africa. Some implications for strategic managerial decision making are also addressed