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Rosemary Papworth
A Multi-Disciplinary, Social Constructivist Approach to Promoting Student Engagement, Retention and Achievement in Higher Education
Summary:
This article details a social constructivist-based methodology to learning English as a foreign language via a multi-disciplinary approach. The approach used bases learning in a novel, real-world situation so that learners can benefit from the experience of learning and gaining tacit knowledge within a scenario that is designed to enhance motivation. The two groups of students under study were given a year-long project to complete where they had to use not only their language skills, but skills they had developed in other modules from their programme of education such as project planning, project management, planning and holding meetings, producing project reports and working within a collaborative framework. The teaching and research methods in this study aim to improve student engagement with subject materials via added-value and added interest through the use of a practical project, which, in turn, is hoped to improve class retention and student achievement.
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Mihail Chipriyanov
Product Benchmarking Research
Summary:
As a method for strategic research and decisions, benchmarking contributes to determining the best practices in different companies and to understanding the key factors promoting their success. To that end, the most significant achievements of others are introduced to the organization. Product benchmarking especially contributes to finding the most important factors for success in the supply market. This supports the elaboration of management decisions concerning implementing product policies and, thereby, stimulating the creation of the best product quality and increasing product value for the customers.
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Rosemary Papworth
Reflective Practice and Personal Development Planning for Undergraduates Studying Business and Economics
Summary:
This paper looks at reflective practice and personal development planning both from and academic and business point of view. As will be demonstrated, these skills are of fundamental importance to students wishing to pursue a career in the business world in order to properly reflect on their current practice and to further develop their knowledge and skills in a knowledge-economy based environment where human capital can be seen to be their most valuable asset. Firstly, the definition and process of reflective practice will be examined in both the academic and professional world. Personal development planning will then be examined in its relation to reflective practice and how it has already been implemented in the UK. Finally, we will look at how these processes and activities can be integrated into the academic environment.
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Branimira Assenova Koleva
The Role of Materiality and the Correct Assessment of Audit Risk in Issuing Quality Audit Report
Summary:
The Certified Public Accountant (CPA) has to take an oath before the independent financial audit may commence. Everyone has to comply with the code of ethics, perform a quality and independent work. This paper is aimed at supporting the work of auditors by providing theoretical knowledge and illustrative examples on the definition and use of audit materiality.
Each of us is a user of financial statement information, however we may not always understand from the audit report if there is an unqualified (clear) opinion (in terms of volume). This is due to the fact that the audit materiality is stated in the audit file and not considered valuable in the audit report. In addition, the audit materiality is not a public information and any errors below the level of materiality remain in the audit file. What is the level of materiality determined by the auditor, what are the rules that have led to define it? This remains confidential information.
The core of the audit is to determine the audit risk, the level of materiality and gathering audit evidence. Quality work performed by the auditor ensures audit quality. It is difficult to determine audit quality as this does not get clear from the auditor's report. Therefore, in order to better inform users of financial statements, it is required additional disclosures to be made in the audit report presented as recommendations in the study.
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Walter E. Block
Free Enterprise and Poverty: Cause or Cure?
Summary:
Poverty in general is created by governmental mismanagement. The solution to the problem is the free enterprise system. Markets reduce poverty by promoting incentives and rational economic activity. Governments exacerbate it by attacking private property, regulating business, and through taxation. The problem of black poverty stems mainly from the breakup, nay, the failure to form, of the black family. This, in turn, is traced to governmental welfare programs.
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Mohamed Mostafa Ali Albaz
The Strategic Role of Human Resources Planning to Achieve Sustainable Competitive Advantage
Summary:
Purpose: The main objective of the research is to achieve sustainable competitive advantage in the Egyptian tourism sector locally and globally, through the strategic role of human resources planning by maximizing value added, developing innovation and knowledge and increasing the quality of service provided.
Practical implications: The state seeks to adopt the human resources planning of Egyptian tourism companies to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage in the light of the sustainable development strategy.
Originality/ value: The approach should be to adopt human resources planning in companies to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. This research paper covers the framework of achieving the competitive advantage of tourism companies.
Findings: The dimensions of human resources planning have a strategic role in increasing the rates of innovation, development and value added for tourism companies that achieve sustainable competitive advantage.
