Mind the gap? A case-study of the differing perceptions of international students and their lecturers on postgraduate business programmes

This paper reports on a project which explored the experiences of a group of East Asian students studying postgraduate business programmes at a British university. Data drawn from a series of in-depth interviews with the students and their lecturers provided clear evidence that many of the students faced a substantial number of difficulties which affected their learning. The data also show that the lecturers and students had differing perceptions about why such difficulties arose. Whilst lecturers regarded language as the essential cause of East Asian students’ difficulties, the students recognised that, additionally, a lack of culturally-related knowledge of UK HE academic norms presented a fundamental challenge to their learning. The authors argue that these culturally-based academic practices need to be made more explicit to students. We also suggest that the complexity of East Asian cultures of learning are not fully understood or appreciated in British universities where, despite much relevant research and a range of institutional initiatives, a “deficit view” of international student behaviour and ability is still widespread. We contend that current university strategies may need to be reviewed if institutions and academic staff are to understand and resolve some of the difficulties international students face during their studies

Event-based Learning: A Case Study on Language Support for WorldSkills Competitors

Event-based learning (EBL) is viewed as an extension of the task-based approach, with ‘much of the task preparation done in the classroom’ and ‘some sort of main event or performance open to the public’ (Higginbotham, 2009). It is the need to prepare for the final event that ‘sparks interest in the language’ and provides ‘positive pressure’ that makes EBL tasks ‘more intrinsically motivating’ for learners. EBL also refers to ‘learning that takes place in Response to planned events in real-life contexts’ (Queensland Curriculum & Assessment Authority, 2018). Immersion takes place when learners are involved in environments where they can only use a target language in a (series of) learning event(s). It usually takes place where the language is spoken as a native tongue or a lingua franca. This provides an immediate and immense need for learning. MacIntyre, Baker & Clément (2001) comment on learners’ willingness to communicate after taking part in immersion programmes. This paper covers a less-explored area of producing event-based language learning material through the experience of developing a 21-hr preparatory language programme for a group of about 60 Hong Kong learners shortlisted for the WorldSkills Competitions 2017 in Abu Dhabi. Non-credit-bearing and unassessed, the programme featured a lot of flexibility in terms of design and delivery. The paper offers a descriptive account of how materials were produced to attain utmost interactivity, learner-centeredness and be fun-driven to ready learners for optimal immersive learning experience. Results of the Student Feedback Questionnaires show that the programme was well-received by the learners. From background research and interviews of former competitors to drafting of the Scheme of Work and the Teaching & Learning Package and to the administration of quality assurance measures, such documentary evidence may bring new insights to curriculum developers on EBL as well as Content-based Second Language Acquisition, Content and Language Integrated Learning, and English for Special Purposes

A case study of the potentials of SGC-based curricula

This paper examines, through a case study, how the Specification of Generic (Foundation) Competencies – English (SGC-Eng) provides clear and objective standards for developing language curricula. A suite of 30 in-service English certificate programmes using 18 Units of Competency (UoCs) were launched for various industry sectors in the Vocational English Enhancement Programme1 (VEEP) from 2012 to 2015. It offers a unique experience and the best opportunity to study the value of the SGC-Eng in organizing and delivering vocational English modules. Descriptive accounts and documentation on the VEEP were analysed to shed light on the potentials and inadequacies of the SGC-Eng. They revealed very significant strengths in customizing programmes to suit different target learners; allowing multiple articulation pathways to higher levels or across different skills and UoCs; compartmentalizing learning to bite sizes; and offering a model of common currency for language learning courses across the territory. They also pointed out certain inadequacies of the programme which could be attributed to some inherent characteristics of the SGC-Eng

Dynamic Partnership in Online Logistics Community

Agents of various capabilities in the logistics community individually or together collaboratively serve very different shipment requests offline. With the challenges of global e-business, the capabilities of collaborative partnering and planning online increase agents’ competitiveness and enhance logistics process performance. In this paper, we define dynamic partnership – a conceptual underpinning to maximize the four e-rights for the online logistics community. Three core factors, namely credibility, reliability and viability are introduced to guide successful partnership online. A survey of logistics service providers in Hong Kong confirms the relevancy of the four e-rights and three core factors in collaboration efforts. A conceptual analysis with respect to partnership flexibility, collaboration and performance of dynamic partnership is given. To realize such partnership in the logistics community, the electronic platform requirements are identified

On-Wafer Microwave De-Embedding Techniques

Wireless communication technology has kept evolving into higher frequency regime to take advantage of wider data bandwidth and higher speed performance. Successful RF circuit design requires accurate characterization of on-chip devices. This greatly relies on robust de-embedding technique to completely remove surrounding parasitics of pad and interconnects that connect device to measurement probes. Complex interaction of fixture parasitic at high frequency has imposed extreme challenges to de-embedding particularly for lossy complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device. A generalized network de-embedding technique that avoids any inaccurate lumped and transmission line assumptions on the pad and interconnects of the test structure is presented. The de-embedding strategy has been validated by producing negligible de-embedding error (<−50 dB) on the insertion loss of the zero-length THRU device. It demonstrates better accuracy than existing de-embedding techniques that are based on lumped pad assumption. For transistor characterization, the de-embedding reference plane could be further shifted to the metal fingers with additional Finger OPEN-SHORT structures. The resulted de-embedded RF parameters of CMOS transistor show good scalability across geometries and negligible frequency dependency of less than 3% for up to 100 GHz. The results reveal the importance of accounting for the parasitic effect of metal fingers for transistor characterization

ESR studies of some iron(II) spin crossover complexes.

X-band ESR powder studies have been done on the spin transition in Mn 2- doped [Fe(bpp)2][CF3SO3] 2·H2O, [Fe(bpp)2][BF4] 2 and [Fe(5NO2-sal N(1,4,7,10))] complexes. The use of Mn 2+ as an ESR probe in the studies is based on the knowledge that the ion is very sensitive to changes in its surrounding environment, enabling the changes within the system during HS ↔ LS crossover to be observed. The computer simulations of the powder ESR spectra of Mn2+ ion in these complexes using the SimFonia simulation program, obtained from Broker, gave numerical values of D and E for Mn2+ in the [Fe(bpp)2][CF3SO 3]2·H2O and [Fe(bpp)2][BF 4]2 systems. The magnitudes of D for Mn2+ ion are very different in the HS and LS phases of both the [Fe(bPP)2 ][CF3SO3]2·H2O and [Fe(bpp)2][BF4]2 systems, indicating that the spin transition in these systems is accompanied by a phase transformation. The spears show that during the transition there are separate domains for each spin state. Attempts to simulate the powder ESR spew of Mn2+ in [Fe(5-NO2-sal-N(1,4,7,10))] complex were unsuccessful owing to their poor quality, and further ESR study of this system was not pursued. In summary, ESR studies of [Fe(bpp)2][CF3SO 3]2·H2O show that the phase transformation is coupled to the thermally-induced spin crossover, whereas in [Fe(bpp) 2][BF4]2 the phase transformation takes place first. The rate of HS → LS phase transformation in the [Fe(bpp) 2][CF3SO3]2·H2O system, when the HS state is formed by rapidly cooling the HS state, is the same as the HS → LS conversion reported in the literature using magnetic susceptibility measurements. The rate of HS → LS phase transformation in the [Fe(bpp) 2][BF4]2 system, when the HS state is formed by rapidly cooling the HS state, is twice the rate of the spin-state transition reported in the literature using Mossbauer spectroscopy. There is also no evidence of a phase change seen in the ESR spectra of the [Fe(5-NO2-sal-N(1,4,7,10))] complex. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-09, Section: B, page: 4745. Adviser: Bruce R. McGarvey. Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1998

An Architectural Framework of a Decision Support Platform for e-Business

The rapid development of e-Business urges the need for online integrative partnership and collaborative business process management. These trends call for a new dimension of decision support: online multiplicitive decision interoperability. We define it as a decision support platform for e-Business, which facilitates inter-organizational decision making process allowing dynamic partnership. As it is not the common decision support system we familiar with, we propose a new architectural framework of this decision support platform. This framework carries a set of unique characteristics that should be incorporated in the design and development of such platform

Effect of growth hormone therapy on Taiwanese children with growth hormone deficiency

Background/PurposeHuman growth hormone (GH) has been successfully used in children with GH deficiency (GHD). However, there are few published data on the effect of GH in Taiwanese children with GHD.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study to identify factors influencing the effect of GH therapy on ethnic Chinese children with GHD in Taiwan. Idiopathic GHD can be classified into isolated GHD (IGHD) and multiple pituitary hormone deficiency (MPHD). The study looked at the effect of GH on the auxological, biochemical, and imaging parameters of 51 patients (13 girls and 38 boys) in three different diagnostic groups: MPHD (n = 12), IGHD (n = 8), and transient GHD (TGHD; n = 31). TGHD is defined as a GH peak >10 μg/L in re-evaluation by two GH stimulation tests approximately 6 months after discontinuation of GH therapy.ResultsThe height velocity for first-year GH therapy was 7.61 ± 1.46, 8.14 ± 1.92, and 9.99 ± 2.75 cm/y in the TGHD, IGHD, and MPHD groups, respectively. After post hoc comparison, the MPHD group had a significantly accelerated height velocity in the first year compared to the TGHD group. Correlation analysis showed that a change in height standard deviation score (SDS) in the first year had a significant negative correlation with the following variables: peak GH (r = −0.52, p < 0.001), pretreatment height SDS (r = −0.49, p < 0.001), and height-target height (Ht-TH) SDS (r = −0.49, p < 0.001). Change in height SDS in the first 2 years had a significantly negative correlation with peak GH (r = −0.51, p < 0.001), insulin-like growth factor-1 SDS (r = −0.35, p = 0.022), height SDS (r = −0.60, p < 0.001), difference between bone age and chronological age (r = −0.46, p = 0.001), and Ht-TH SDS (r = −0.50, p = 0.001). After using multiple linear regression, the pretreatment GH peak value was found to be significantly associated with height increments after 1 year of GH treatment (B = −0.07, p = 0.014).ConclusionThe administration of GH to children with GHD results in a pronounced acceleration in linear growth during the first year of treatment, especially in those with MPHD. The diagnosis of GHD requires comprehensive auxological, biochemical, and brain magnetic resonance imaging assessment. We also suggest that patients with GHD, specifically IGHD, must undergo a re-evaluation of GH secretion after completion of GH therapy

Integrating Corporate Social Media Communication into the English Language Curricula

The rise of social media has affected how people do business and communicate. Companies interact with potential customers, share offers and promote sales, tracking instant Responses on the internet. Exploring how they do them with language can enable meaningful changes in the vocational English language curricula. This study gives a descriptive analysis of 500 selected corporate FaceBook (FB) threads collected from the 100 Best Global Brands in 2017. It delivers a sizable collection of corporate FB posts categorised according to industry, business topics, language functions, etc. For contextual analysis, the three parameters ‘Field’, ‘Tenor’ and ‘Mode’ based on the Hallidayan framework (Halliday and Hasan, 1985) are used while the Language Analysis Framework for Writing (California Department of Education, 2015) is adopted for the analysis of language characteristics. The findings reveal that a range of communication strategies, remarkably different from those in traditional business communication, are employed by corporates to boost FB traffic, achieve succinctness and innovation and build brand images. The study is significant to vocational and professional education and training as it facilitates close reference to exemplary authentic language materials of the best global brands. The unique characteristics of social media like spontaneity, interactivity and openness will also shed light on a new variety of topics, content and styles for vocational English training. The versatile nature of social media also makes the study a good stepping stone for any further joint research on content and language integrated learning (CLIL)