Examining the Role of Transformational Leadership in Technology Adoption: Evidence from Bruneian Technical & Vocational Establishments (TVE)

This pioneering study discusses the thirty-five Bruneian technical & vocational institutions of top management (principals, deputy principals, senior masters, ICT coordinators and technical administrators) leadership style with the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). The study uses a survey approach further to indicate that the majority of the Technical and Vocational schools leaders have transformational leaders style which is related with the various uses of ICT. The correlation analysis has also shown the significant relationship between transformational leadership styles and the technology development and operational phase. Therefore, based upon the analysis some recommendations are made for the relevant authorities. Keywords: Information and Communication Technology (ICT), technology leadership, technical and vocational institutions, leadership style, Brunei Darussala

Evaluating Information Technology Strategic Planning Process: Lesson Learnt from Bruneian Small Businesses

The chapter investigates the 85 small and medium organizations in Brunei Darussalam within the context of information technology (IT) strategic planning process. The study results reveal that although the surveyed Bruneian SMEs are familiar with IT strategy basic methods, however, the use of any of the basic IT strategic development process is at the grassroot level. The results further found that only three methods have indirect influence on IT strategy development such as critical success factors, transaction cost, and balanced scorecard. Conclusion from these findings further suggests that no statistical difference exists among SMEs on the basis of organization size and industry sector. These findings are useful for both the researchers and practitioners. For researchers, it helps in building a theoretical foundation in developing the repository of organizational use of IT strategy basic methods and for practitioners to gauge the performance of SMEs in relation with developing IT strategy basic methods in designing the relevant policies

Evaluating Students’ Perception of Teaching Learning Computer Programming: A Study in a Bruneian Technological University

The present study is part of one of the pioneering government funded research, conducted in one of the institutions of higher learning in Brunei Darussalam. The study validates the existing instrument through survey (factor analysis) among cohort of students in a programming class. The study results not only endorse the reasons of declining the art and science of teaching/learning computer programming but also have brought an interesting finding of pedagogy. The results indicate that teaching and learning strategies are more teacher-centered (mean=3.85) rather than student-centered (mean = 2.87). This is in contrast to modern approach of teaching-learning, where problem-based or constructivist approach dominates. Further 67% of the students considered lack of motivation, 80% considered the curriculum is less practical and 50% thought it was more teacher-centered, as key reasons of this decline. Based on the findings some recommendations were made to the relevant authorities to improve the practice

Etiology and Outcome of Non-traumatic Coma

Abstract: Non-traumatic coma is a result of heterogeneous group of diseases and is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Local data is scarce on epidemiology. Literature on pediatric non-traumatic coma is rather inconclusive, as there are a few systematic studies, and most of them are retrospective.Objectives: The Purpose of this study was to determine the specific age group, etiology and outcome of non-traumatic coma in children.Materials and Methods: In an observational study over a period of 6 months from 1st July 2010 to 31 December 2010, files of 111 children aged between 1 month – 16 years admitted with non-traumatic coma GCS (Glasgow Coma Scale of < 12/15 with at least 6 hrs. duration) to the emergency section of Pediatrics Department of Jinnah Hospital Lahore were reviewed. Data was collected from the files and entered using SPSS version 16. Chi-square and P value were calculated. Etiology was determined from history, physical examination and relevant investiga-tion. Outcome was grouped as died or discharged (with normal neurological examination with mild to moderate disability or vegetative state / severe neurological disability), left against medical advice or referred.Results: Etiology was infectious in 66 (60%) patients, accidents / intoxication in 13 (11.4%) patients, epilepsy (status epileptics) in 12 (10.8%) patients, encephalopathy in 8 (7%) cases, metabolic (diabetic ketoacidosis, inborn error of metabolism) in 5 (4.50%) patients. Overall mortality was in 29 (26.12%). Mortality was high in infants 53.12% as compared to other age groups.Conclusion: The most common cause of non-traumatic coma in children was Central Nervous System infections. Mortality was high in infants

Human Rights and Art Activism: The US-Mexico Border

At the US-Mexico border, migrants have been fleeing a world of increasing violence, only to arrive at another one. Art-activism addresses the human rights of migrants against the growing tide of public hostility to the protection of Central American refugees and asylum seekers. This study involved interviews with eleven visual, media, and performance artists over a two-month period, in order to answer the question: How does art activism on the US-Mexico border contribute to the field of human rights? The findings are broken up into four chapters: 1. How art promotes human rights 2. Art as a critique to human rights 3. Problems with art as a tool of human rights 4. Art as it grows human rights. Despite the fact that art as a tool of human rights has its limitations, art activists play a central role in articulating and amplifying the stories of rightsholders and thus impacting public consciousness. An emerging segment of human rights literature has critiqued the field for becoming increasingly obsolete in the context of shifting paradigms and power structures. While the human rights movement has been held as a beacon, it was not born in a power vacuum and was in fact, largely shaped by cold war tensions and the Western desire for “democracy promotion” abroad. If human rights are to remain relevant in the 21st century, the field itself must find room for growth – both ideological and structural. As such, this study looks through art activism as one avenue in which the field may be able to do just that

Predicting Student Use of the Internet in Bruneian Technical Colleges: a structural equation model

In the educational setting, the Internet is profiteering among academics and students. In fact, this has changed the functioning of the educational establishments. However, the success of use of the Internet is largely dependent upon the user’s behaviour that in turn affects their attitudes. Even when the formidable opportunities exist for the deployment of technology, adverse attitude can inhabit the use. Keeping this in view, a survey of 266 students of four technical and vocational colleges was conducted to study the attitudes of the students toward the use of the Internet. The present study develop a normative model by using Davis’s Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and validates two specific attitudinal variables; perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use that are hypothesised to be fundamental determinants of the attitude that in turn predict the students’ use of the Internet. By adding external variables such as demographics, task characteristics, computer exposure, and institutional support further test the parsimony of the model. A Structural Equation modelling techniques is used to validate the model. The study has confirmed that majority of the students (85%) are using the Internet. The final model has confirmed that external variables do contribute towards both of belief parts: perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness that further affects the attitude of the students in predicting the Internet usage