Policy, legal, and constitutional implications of Chaoulli v. Quebec

The central objective of this study is to examine the policy, legal, and constitutional implications resulting from the Chaoulli v. Quebec (2005 1 S.C.R. 791) both for the rights of Canadians within the scope of the publicly funded healthcare system and the configuration of that system. In examining the policy implications the thesis focuses on Quebec’s Bill 33, Ralph Klein’s “Third Way” proposal, and the development of national wait time benchmarks. In examining the legal implications the thesis focuses on the so-called ‘copy-cat cases’ triggered by the Chaoulli case, namely Flora v. Ontario, Murray v. Alberta, and McCreith and Holmes v. Ontario. In examining the constitutional implications of Chaoulli the thesis focuses on the expansion of the interpretation of Section 7 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the elevation of timely access to healthcare to a Charter right. The study concludes with some observations regarding how Canada’s publicly funded healthcare system could evolve in the future and the role of the courts in the evolution of the system. It provides a warning that if appropriate and timely action is not taken by federal and provincial officials to minimize wait times in the publicly funded healthcare system, the implications of Chaoulli will continue to expand through future litigation and judicial decisions. One of the potential outcomes of such litigation and decisions is development of a two-tier or multi-tier healthcare system in Canada

Self-Directed Learning Development in PBL

Lifelong learning is an emphasized graduate outcome for engineering professionals at the international level by the Washington Accord and at the United States national level by ABET. When a new engineer enters the profession, she will be expected to acquire new technical knowledge in order to solve a problem or create a design. Unlike her experience in college, there will not be a professor to guide this learning. The planning, execution, monitoring, and control of this learning will now fall to the new engineer. The level of the ability to succeed in this self-directed learning modality will be a function of the extent to which the lifelong learning outcome has been met. This paper studies the importance of this graduate outcome and the development of self-directed learning as the way in which the outcome is achieved. Quantitative measures are taken using the Self-Directed Learning Readiness Scale. Quantitative results show a statistically significant difference between the developments of self-regulated abilities by students in a two-year PBL curriculum as compared to students who did not undergo the PBL treatment

Iron Range Engineering PBL Experience

A new PBL model started in 2010 in Minnesota, United States. The PBL model is upper-division (the last two years of four-year bachelor’s of engineering degree). Entering students are graduates of Minnesota’s community colleges. The Aalborg PBL model served as an inspiration for the program’s development. Unique attributes of the program include industry clients, semester-long projects, emphasis on development of self-regulated learning abilities, dedicated project rooms, technical competence learned in one-credit, small (3-4 student) groups with one academic staff called learning competencies, and an emphasis on continuous improvement. The program has earned ABET accreditation. Seventy-five students have graduated and are employed as engineering professionals. The paper will discuss developmental evolution of the program, the current learning model, and will analyze results of satisfaction surveys of graduates and their employers. A case study was employed to describe the development and attributes of the PBL model. The satisfaction survey is a quantitative instrument based on the expected outcomes of the engineering education and is providing contextual comparison with non-PBL graduates

Professional Competency Development in a PBL Curriculum

Substantial dialogue exists regarding the needs of the engineering profession and the changes in engineering education necessary to meet them. Important to this change is an increased emphasis on the professional competencies as identified by the Washington Accord and the ABET professional skills for engineering graduates and how to educate for them. This paper will explore the potential for a project based learning engineering curriculum model to meet this need. It will summarize a newly developed upper-division undergraduate project-based learning (PBL) engineering program in the U.S. engineering educational system and its approach to professional competency development. Based on the ABET intent, students graduate with integrated technical/professional knowledge and competencies. The program does not have formal courses; instead learning activities are organized and indexed in industry projects where they are solving complex and ill-structured industry problems. The program started in January 2010 and has 75 graduates to date and has earned ABET-EAC accreditation. A mixed-methods research approach will address the research question: “What is the professional development trajectory of students in the new project based learning (PBL) curriculum?” Quantitative method includes the development of an instrument to measure student growth in professional competencies. Qualitative measures include an interview protocol to understand which components of the PBL model affected the student professional development trajectory. The paper will provide initial results and analysis for the quantitative study, which indicated a positive impact on student attainment of the professional competencies in the PBL curriculum as compared to students in a traditional curriculum

Factorization and job scheduling: a connection via companion based matrix functions

A connection is made between two sets of problems. The first set involves factorization problems of specific rational matrix functions, the companion based matrix functions. The second set is concerned with variants of the two machine flow shop problem (2MFSP) from job scheduling theory. In particular, it is shown that with each companion based matrix function one can associate an instance of 2MFSP and vice versa. The latter can be done in such a way that the factorization properties of the companion based matrix function correspond to the combinatorial properties of the instance of 2MFSP

Understanding the work of top managers : a shadowing study of Canadian healthcare CEOs

This thesis investigates three research questions about the nature of managerial work: (1) What do we know about the nature of managerial work?; (2) To what extent is the work of top managers in the public and private sectors different?; and (3) What are the ethical implications of using the shadowing method to study top managers? These three research questions are presented in three research papers. The first paper titled Historical developments in research on managerial work: A critical overview is a comprehensive literature review, which outlines how research on managing has evolved theoretically, methodologically, and empirically since inception. Identifying a number of gaps in the literature, this paper suggests that much could be gained if contemporary notions of practice are brought into the study of managerial work and increased attention were paid to the sociomaterial, situated, and gendered nature of managerial work. The second paper in this thesis, Is managing in the public and private sectors really 'different'? A comparative study of managerial work activities is based on the results of an observational study in which four Canadian healthcare CEOs were shadowed for a period of 12 weeks (488 hours). Using a set of structured categories set out by Mintzberg (1973) this paper examines the extent to which managerial work is similar and different in the public and private sectors by comparing results to an investigation conducted in the private sector. Through an analysis of work type, hours, location, activities, and contact patterns, this paper finds that there are relatively few differences between the work activities of public and private managers at the top manager level. Implications for future research, managerial practice, recruitment, education, and training are theorized. The third paper in this thesis, Ethical issues and dilemmas in shadowing research: Lessons from the field of managerial work, explores ethical situations that were encountered in this study. Informing research ethics and methodology literature, this paper outlines and critically evaluates the ethical process followed in this study of top managers. Dividing the ethics process into two phases, those addressed by ethics committees (procedural ethics) and those that revealed themselves in the field (ethics in practice), this paper illustrates that while useful, procedural ethics committees are unable to establish ethical practice in and of themselves. In response, this paper poses a number of suggestions as to how ethical practice can be attained through reflexivity and contingency planning. As a collection of three independent, yet interrelated papers on the nature of managerial work, this thesis contributes to management theory, management practice, and the methodological study of management by: (1) Providing researchers with a new plateau from which managerial work can be studied and theorized; (2) Presenting fresh empirical data and conceptualizations on what top managers do in practice; and (3) Offering insights as to how managerial work can be ethically and practically investigated

Nebraska Farm Real Estate Market Developments 1995-96

Nebraska\u27s agricultural land values generally moved upward during the year ending February 1, 1996; although variation was rather pronounced. For the state as a whole, the increase averaged 4.5 percent and represented the ninth straight year of value increases. Cropland values were higher throughout the state as crop commodity prices pushed to 20-year highs by the end of 1995. Dryland cropland values generally rose 5 to 6 percent, with gains of 9 percent recorded in the East District of the state. Gravity irrigated land rose an average of 5 percent while center pivot irrigated land values rose over 7 percent during the year ending February 1, 1996, a clear reflection of rising cash grain prices. While cropland values were rising, the grazing land and hayland classes were struggling to maintain previous year\u27s value levels. Overall, nontillable grazing land values dropped nearly 2 percent while tillable grazing land and hayland values were basically static with less than a 1 percent increase. In some districts declines as high as 4 to 5 percent were reported, reflecting a depressed cattle economy. Characteristics of the 1995 market transactions were similar to patterns of recent years. Three out of every four transactions were purchased by active farmers, in most instances for acreage expansion. The agricultural land market is generally one of parcels rather than whole-farm units. As a result, three-fourths of the 1995 transactions were unimproved tracts without any building improvements. Even though the dollar outlay per transaction exceeded $185,000 in 1995, 40 percent were cash purchases in which no debt was incurred. Just over half of the transactions were mortgage financed. Cash rental rates in 1996 for cropland were at or slightly above year-earlier levels in most areas of Nebraska. Pasture rental rates on an AUM basis were down somewhat in 1996 in several areas of the state. Current annual net returns to irrigated cropland were estimated by reporters to average 6.1 percent, ranging from 5.2 to 6.9 percent across the substate areas. For dryland cropland, the estimated annual rates average 5.3 percent. Net returns to grazing land are somewhat lower, averaging just over 4 percent. Two-thirds of the UNL survey reporters in early 1996 expected market activity for the year to be similar to year-earlier levels; while most of the others were expecting some increase in sales volume. The majority of the reporters (61 percent) were expecting land values to continue upward during the remainder of 1996, with the expected rate of change averaging 5.4 percent. Only a small percentage of reporters (2 percent) expected agricultural land values to decline during 1996

Chapter 2 The APRU Sustainable Cities and Landscapes Hub

This handbook addresses a growing list of challenges faced by regions and cities in the Pacific;Rim, drawing connections around the what, why, and how questions that are fundamental;to sustainable development policies and planning practices. These include the connection;between cities and surrounding landscapes, across different boundaries and scales; the persistence;of environmental and development inequities; and the growing impacts of global;climate change, including how physical conditions and social implications are being anticipated;and addressed. Building upon localized knowledge and contextualized experiences,;this edited collection brings attention to place-;based;approaches across the Pacific Rim and;makes an important contribution to the scholarly and practical understanding of sustainable;urban development models that have mostly emerged out of the Western experiences. Nine;sections, each grounded in research, dialogue, and collaboration with practical examples and;analysis, focus on a theme or dimension that carries critical impacts on a holistic vision of city-;landscape;development, such as resilient communities, ecosystem services and biodiversity,;energy, water, health, and planning and engagement.;This international edited collection will appeal to academics and students engaged in;research involving landscape architecture, architecture, planning, public policy, law, urban;studies, geography, environmental science, and area studies. It also informs policy makers,;professionals, and advocates of actionable knowledge and adoptable ideas by connecting;those issues with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);of the United Nations. The;collection of writings presented in this book speaks to multiyear collaboration of scholars;through the APRU Sustainable Cities and Landscapes (SCL);Program and its global network,;facilitated by SCL Annual Conferences and involving more than 100 contributors;from more than 30 institutions