Unlocking Success: Digital Transformation Strategies for Modern Businesses

In an age where digital technology is reshaping industries and customer expectations, businesses are continually challenged to adapt or risk falling behind. This phenomenon has given birth to a buzzword in corporate boardrooms and IT Companies alike: Digital Transformation.

Digital Transformation isn't just about adopting the latest technology trends; it's a holistic approach to fundamentally altering how a business operates and delivers value to its customers. To succeed in this ever-evolving landscape, organizations must develop effective strategies. In this blog, we'll explore the essence of Digital Transformation and provide actionable strategies for your business.

Understanding Digital Transformation

Digital Transformation is the integration of digital technology into all areas of a business, fundamentally changing how it operates and delivers value to customers. It's not a one-size-fits-all process; it varies depending on an organization's unique goals, industry, and starting point. Here are some key elements to understand:

1. Customer-Centric Approach: At the heart of Digital Transformation is a focus on meeting customer needs and expectations more effectively. This involves leveraging technology to enhance customer experiences and gain insights into their preferences.

2. Data-Driven Decision Making: Collecting and analyzing data is critical for making informed decisions. Digital Transformation often involves implementing robust data analytics and business intelligence tools.

3. Process Optimization: Streamlining and automating processes can significantly increase efficiency and reduce costs. This often includes the adoption of workflow automation tools and customer relationship management software (CRM).

4. Cultural Shift: Changing the organization's culture to be more agile, innovative, and open to technology-driven changes is vital. This requires strong leadership and employee buy-in.

Strategies for Digital Transformation Success

1. Define Clear Objectives: Start by setting specific, measurable, and achievable goals for your Digital Transformation. Understand why you are embarking on this journey and what outcomes you hope to achieve.

2. Customer-Centricity: Understand your customers' needs and preferences through data analysis and feedback. Tailor your products, services, and interactions accordingly.

3. Data-Driven Insights: Invest in robust data analytics tools to gain actionable insights from your data. Use these insights to make informed decisions and create personalized customer experiences.

4. Agile Methodologies: Adopt agile project management methodologies to increase flexibility and adaptability in your organization. This allows you to respond quickly to changing market conditions and customer demands.

5. Innovation Culture: Encourage a culture of innovation by fostering collaboration and experimentation. Provide employees with the tools and resources to innovate and stay ahead of the competition.

6. Cybersecurity and Compliance: Ensure that your Digital Transformation initiatives include robust cybersecurity measures and compliance with relevant regulations, protecting both your data and your customers' data.

7. Talent Development: Invest in training and upskilling your workforce to equip them with the skills needed for the digital age. This includes technology training, data literacy, and digital marketing skills.

8. Partnerships and Ecosystems: Collaborate with technology partners and participate in industry ecosystems to access expertise and stay current with the latest technological advancements.

9. Continuous Improvement: Digital Transformation is an ongoing process. Regularly assess your progress, gather feedback, and adjust your strategies to stay relevant and competitive.

10. Leadership Commitment: Finally, strong leadership commitment is essential. Leaders should champion the Digital Transformation journey and lead by example.

Digital Transformation is not just a trend; it's a necessity for businesses to thrive in the digital age. To succeed, organizations must embrace change, put the customer at the centre of their strategies, and leverage technology effectively. With a well-defined strategy and commitment to continuous improvement, your business can navigate the evolving landscape and unlock new opportunities for growth and innovation in the digital era. 

Skilling Up for Success: A Look at India's Booming $23 Billion Corporate Education Market

The winds of change are sweeping through the corporate landscape, and India is at the forefront of this transformation. As the Indian economy surges, the demand for a skilled and adaptable workforce is echoing across industries. This is where the corporate education market steps in, serving as a critical catalyst for empowering employees and propelling business growth.

What is the Corporate Education Market?

The corporate education market encompasses all educational activities undertaken by companies to enhance their employees' skillsets and knowledge base. It's a comprehensive ecosystem that goes beyond traditional training programs. Here's what it entails:

Formal Training Programs: Structured learning initiatives covering technical skills (software development, data analysis) and soft skills (communication, leadership).

Informal Learning Initiatives: On-the-job mentoring, knowledge-sharing sessions, and collaborative learning opportunities.

Development Programs: Career development programs, leadership training, and executive coaching to prepare employees for future roles.

Factors Fueling Growth

India's corporate training market is experiencing exponential growth, driven by several key factors:

Economic Expansion: The Indian economy is projected to become the world's third-largest by 2027. This economic boom necessitates a skilled workforce across diverse sectors, from manufacturing to technology.

Shifting Demographics: India boasts a young population with a high digital literacy rate. However, this demographic dividend requires continual skill development to remain competitive in the global job market.

Government Initiatives: The Indian government is actively promoting skill development through initiatives like the Skill India Mission, further stimulating the market.

Market Size and Scope

The market is a multi-billion dollar industry, brimming with potential. Here's a glimpse into its size and projected growth:

Estimated Market Value: While precise figures may vary, the market is estimated to be well over USD 10 billion.

Projected Growth: Experts says that the market is going to reach a staggering USD 23.8 billion by 2027.

Harnessing Market Insights

Making informed decisions about corporate education investments is crucial for any business. This is where corporate education market research reports come into play. These reports offer valuable insights, including:

Market Segmentation: Understanding how the market is segmented by training type (soft skills vs. technical skills), delivery method (e-learning vs. instructor-led), and industry can help tailor programs to specific needs.

Key Players: Identifying leading training providers and edtech companies empowers businesses to choose the best partners for their training initiatives.

Regional Variations: For businesses operating across India, reports with regional breakdowns can prove invaluable.

Market Share and Top Players

The Indian corporate education market is undergoing a transformation, with new players emerging alongside established institutions. Here's a breakdown of the current market landscape:

Traditional Players: Established training institutions like NIIT, Aptech, and Talentedge hold a significant market share, offering a vast array of training programs.

Emerging Players: Edtech companies like UpGrad, Great Learning, and Simplilearn are rapidly gaining traction. These companies leverage technology to deliver flexible, scalable, and engaging learning solutions.

International Training Providers: Several international training providers have established a presence in India, offering globally recognized certifications and programs.

Top Players to Watch

The Indian corporate education market is a dynamic space with a constantly evolving list of key players. Here are some prominent names to keep an eye on:

Established training providers: NIIT, Aptech, Talentedge

Edtech companies: UpGrad, Great Learning, Simplilearn

International training providers: KPMG Learning Solutions, Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning

Market Insights and Future Trends

Reputable market research firms also analyze emerging trends within the corporate education market, such as:

Microlearning and Gamification: Shorter, bite-sized learning modules and gamified learning experiences are gaining popularity due to their effectiveness and ability to enhance engagement.

Industry-Specific Training Demands: The rise of automation and artificial intelligence necessitates industry-specific training programs to equip employees with the skills needed to thrive in a changing workplace.

Technology's Imprint on Learning Delivery: The integration of technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) into training programs is transforming learning experiences and enhancing knowledge retention.

Investing in the Future 

The market offers a treasure trove of solutions for businesses to empower their workforce and achieve strategic goals. By leveraging the insights gleaned from market research reports, identifying the right training partners, and embracing innovative learning approaches, businesses can unlock the immense potential of corporate education:

Building a Future-Ready Workforce: Equipping employees with the latest skills and knowledge prepares them to adapt to a rapidly evolving business environment, fostering innovation and agility.

Boosting Innovation and Productivity: A skilled workforce is an innovative workforce. By investing in upskilling and reskilling initiatives, businesses can unlock new ideas, streamline processes, and drive overall productivity.

Enhancing Employee Engagement and Retention: Employees who feel valued and invested in are more engaged and less likely to leave. Corporate education demonstrates a company's commitment to its workforce, leading to higher employee satisfaction and reduced turnover rates.

Achieving Strategic Objectives: Effective training programs ensure employees possess the skills necessary to achieve the organization's strategic goals. Aligning employee development with business objectives fosters a culture of performance and goal achievement.

Conclusion

The corporate training market presents a compelling opportunity for businesses in India and globally to invest in their most valuable asset: their people. By staying informed about market trends, embracing innovative technologies, and fostering a collaborative approach with training providers, businesses can cultivate a culture of continuous learning within their organizations. As Herbert Spencer aptly stated, "The highest result of education is tolerance." A well-educated workforce fosters not only tolerance but also innovation, adaptability, and a competitive edge – all essential ingredients for success in today's dynamic business landscape.

Changing Perceptions of East Africans regarding Mental and Developmental illnesses

SOCIAL CHANGE BLOG

           Let me start by sharing a story or analogy that m supervisor shared with me during a didactic training at my practicum site.  A young girl is sitting at the island in the kitchen, watching her mother prepare a beef roast. Something she watches her do every Sunday night in preparation for their weekly family dinners. One of the things her mother always did was cut the ends of the roast before placing it in the pot. And on this particular day, she did what she normally does (cut the ends of the roast) and the young girl asked, “mom, why do you do that?’ And the mom asks, “what?” The young girl responded, “that, cut the off the ends of the roast.” And the mother responded, “you know what, I don’t know. I always saw my mother do it and I just continued doing it. Never thought to ask. Let’s ask her” And conveniently, the young girl’s grandmother was around. When asked the same question, her response was the same as that of her daughter. “I don’t know. I always saw my mother do it and I just continued doing it. Let’s ask her.” And again, conveniently, she was around. When asked why, her answer was the same. And then her mother was also conveniently around. And when asked, she said “during the depression, everything was so expensive so we could not afford to buy any big pots and the roast often came in the same size so we had to cut the ends so that we could fit it in the pot that we had.” For three generations, this family kept doing something that none of them stopped to question, except for the young girl.

Now why am I sharing this story? Because I hope you had that “aha” moment that the family had after realizing they had been throwing out “good meat” for years without stopping to ask why? And who have probably continued to do so had the young girl not stopped to ask. Many times in our lives, we have carried on traditions and beliefs that are no longer relevant to the times and situations that we are currently in. however, for whatever reason, we do not stop and ask why we do it even when they are not serving a meaningful purpose for us. And unfortunately, until someone stops and asks, we are going to continue throwing away “good meat” or missing opportunities in life that could actually be beneficial to us.

The mental health traditions of East Africa such as keeping those who are ill in isolation or in shackles are old, and in humane, yet we as citizens keep carrying on with it (Kopinak, 2015). However, it is safe to say that most East African immigrants have had their “aha” moment given their level of involvement in the mental health system of the United States of America (USA). So why aren’t we doing better to change the mental health system in our home countries? Or maybe we are too scared to question the people we have looked up to all our lives and the norms that surrounded us. We have seen how effective the western mental health system is so why are we not doing a better job to advocate for those who suffer from mental and developmental disabilities to receive the appropriate treatment they need.

Theoretical Framework- Social Learning Theory

           Bandura’s social learning theory tells us that we learn from societies as well as our experiences and our interactions with others in a social context. And that by observing the behaviors of others, people develop similar behaviors which they then assimilate and

imitate, especially if their observational experiences are positive ones or include rewards related to the observed behavior (Bandura 1977). This theory can explain why East African immigrants become more open to the western mental health system. After observing how those with mental and developmental disabilities are treated here, they begin to copy this behavior and assimilate it and by working in the mental health field, this becomes the new norm. and the same way we learned this new behavior and beliefs, is the same way those in East Africa can learn. East African immigrants influence many cultural aspects in their home countries such pop culture, fashion, food, night life, physical fitness, and many others. Therefore, they can certainly make an impact in the mental health industry. And with the help of social media, we do not need to be there in person to do it.

Using Social Media for Intervention

With today’s technology, social learning has become easier than it ever was. We do not have to physically be with someone to observe their behavior and assimilate it. Social media platforms have made it possible to do that virtually. According to Shannon (2015), psychologists and individuals in general have a unique opportunity to apply the concepts of Bandura's Social Learning Theory toward enhanced engagement and learning in a social media context. Humans have always been social creatures and therefore, it is not surprising that technology has provided a platform to digitize the nuances of human experience. Social media platforms like Snapchat, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a variety of other services are now synonymous with daily social interaction, and for the first time in human history, all the world is truly a stage (Tur & Martin, 2015). Because of this, the borders of human interaction and learning has greatly expanded, and everyone is a player. Individuals of all ages, races, sex and socio-economic status.

East African immigrants can help spread awareness about the benefits of the western mental health system and treatments of mental and developmental disabilities using social media since they are not in their original countries. At any level and in any content area, social media can be used to enhance learning and encourage people to think critically about the technology pervading our world (Callens, 2014). This new social media paradigm provides a sandbox where

imitative behaviors are not only encouraged but are equally rewarded and widely shared. There many influential East African immigrants on social media advocating for change in several areas such as politics, or sharing fashion tips, business tips, pop culture gossip and many others. however, not many are sharing mental health awareness and changing this can be of great significance.

The Role of Psychologists and Mine as a Future Psychologist

           The famous saying “be the change you want to see in the world” attributed to Mohandas Gandhi is something I often live by. I can begin to use my social media platforms to spread more awareness about the benefits of western mental health treatments for the many mental and developmental disabilities that those in East Africa tend to treat using traditional methods only in any. Just because I am not physically in Uganda does not mean that I cannot make a difference. I can use the many platforms in which I am involved to begin to spread awareness and educate those with whom I interact through the internet because they can then share their knowledge with others.

Psychologists can share the benefits of socialization as well as the negative effects of isolation on the individuals. Understanding the importance of inclusion and as much normalcy as possible for the individuals with disabilities can help break the old patterns that East Africans have been carrying out. Psychologists are expected to use their capability to educate the population about the impact of their behavior on several aspects of humanity and how changing some of that behavior and beliefs can provide sustainability in those aspects that we are slowly eroding (Oskamp, 2001).

     References:

Bandura, A. (1977). Self-efficacy: toward a unifying theory of behavioral change.

Psychological review, 84(2), 191.

Bailey, J. (2014) The Issues Affecting Mental Health Nursing in Uganda. Journal of Psychiatry,  17(6).

Callens, M. V. (2014). Using Bloom's Taxonomy to teach course content and improve social media literacy. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies in Education, 3(1), 17-25.

Corrigan, P.W.,  Druss,  B.G., & Perlick,  D.A.  (2014). The  impact  of mental  illness  stigma on seeking and participating in mental health care. Psychological  Science in the  Public Interest, 15(2), 37-70.

Gashaw-Gant, G. 2018. Mental Health in East African Communities. International journal of MCH, 22(3).

Kopinak. J. K. (2015). Mental Health in Developing Countries: Challenges and Opportunities in Introducing Western Mental Health System in Uganda. International journal of MCH and AIDS, 3(1), 22-30.

Oskamp, S. (2001). Psychologists’ roles in achieving a sustainable future. The American

Psychologist, 56(5), 459–460.

Shannon, D. (2015). Social Learning Theory in the age of Social Media: Implications for Educational Practitioners. Journal of Educational Technology, 12(1), 1-6.

Tur, G. G., &Marín, V. V. (2015). Enhancing learning with the social media: Student teachers' perceptions on Twitter in a debate activity. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research, 4(1), 46-53.

A Betrothal To Data Is Also A Marriage To Cloud

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/a-betrothal-to-data-is-also-a-marriage-to-cloud/

A Betrothal To Data Is Also A Marriage To Cloud

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 07: A bride and a groom visit the New York Public Library as the city … [] continues the re-opening efforts following restrictions imposed to slow the spread of coronavirus on December 07, 2020 in New York City. The pandemic has caused long-term repercussions throughout the tourism and entertainment industries, including temporary and permanent closures of historic and iconic venues, costing the city and businesses billions in revenue. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images)

Technology evangelists love data. Talking about data makes them sound smart and considered, it allows them to make reference to deep-layer technologies like the neural networks that are building the Artificial Intelligence (AI) brains of the immediate future… and it sounds a whole lot more academically contemplative than any more general reference to ‘information’… almost as if any notion of information itself was ever really any different to the mathematically intricate world of data analytics and data management.

The unfortunate side effect of data being so prevalent, populous and all-pervading in modern IT systems is that data has sometimes become a throwaway term in some senses. Users today are often more focused on which app, which device, which online web service and which user interface option they’re going to have to play with, rather than the provenance, progeny and posterity of the data streams that feed all of the upper-tier technology layers that they actually touch every day.

Data betrothment is a happy marriage

This is an inconvenient truth because data remains a dynamic ‘thing’ still evolving into many different forms… all of which an enterprise organization should plight its troth to on a daily (if not hourly 24×7) basis. Businesses today, of any size, in any vertical, must be betrothed to their data. Further still, like any couple, data will move house from time to time… but at least in this case, we can say that the home always has the same roof over its head, as it has to reside in the world of hybrid cloud.

The world of data has given us the notion of the so-called ‘datasphere’. Back in 2010, it was comparable to every person on the planet having approximately 65 gigabytes of data each. Today in 2020, that figure has risen to 1,210 gigabytes per person. It will be 6,500 gigabytes per person by 2025.

The birth of online data marketplaces

What happens next in the datasphere is a compound effect where users themselves not only continue to create their own vortex of information, but a new type of information intercourse starts to happen. Online data marketplaces and exchanges where multinationals buy and sell data are now starting to flourish — and as many as a third of enterprise companies may be using these systems in the next couple of years.

Amit Walia, CEO at Informatica says that access to this external data obviously has a positive effect on corporate decision-making for most organizations. But the data playbooks we were using as recently as 18-months ago have gone out of the window, clearly in large part due to the massive globally disruptive events of 2020. Pre-pandemic data planning models for many firms are no longer accurate. 

But Informatica’s Walia suggests that there is a defined way forward here. Organizations have realized that they can integrate outside data into their simulations to improve forecasting and run different scenarios to be able to rapidly change course as needed. However, bringing in external data from online marketplaces does come with its challenges.

He explains how the legal and compliance team at one large insurance provider his firm works with has established a framework to help address some of these challenges and assess risk (legal, regulatory, reputational, ethical). Frameworks like this help businesses assess the type of external data that the company can bring in, the parameters needed to combine it with internal data, then the all-important issues of compliance and security. All of which are essential to maintaining trust.

“Without trust in data, companies won’t be able to earn the trust of consumers, regulators, employees and partners alike. If companies want to monetize data assets through marketplaces, they must set the right governance benchmarks and treat privacy as a top priority,” said Walia.

Within the acceptable boundaries of marriage

Addressing structural problems such as these are part of the reason why the EU Commission recently admitted that its General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been hard to implement. The Commission says that GDPR, “Equips the independent data protection authorities with stronger and harmonized enforcement powers and sets up a new governance system. It also creates a level playing field for all companies operating in the EU market.”

But while the GDPR has helped harmonize the rules across EU member states, there still remains a degree of fragmentation and diverging approaches across organizations. Walia says that to overcome these challenges, it’s important to bring together business and technical stakeholders so that those responsible can understand the data flow, processes and appropriate legitimate uses that comply with GDPR and map these to organizational policies.

“Anonymizing data, combined with a sound privacy and data protection plan that also considers data classes, assesses data exposure and prioritizes what’s most critical is the right approach. The same governance strategy should apply to other regulations outside the EU such as The California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) or Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), said Walia.

For exemplars of best practice, we need to look no further than many of the world’s biggest tech firms, which Walia says are very conscious of the fact that consumers are now, more than ever, worried about how their data is used and stored. They realized first-hand that consumer trust and better privacy practice were essential to their long-term success.

But there are other sectors that are also paving the way. Walia cites the highly regulated financial and healthcare sectors that are seeing these new data challenges as a way to innovate. For healthcare, the pandemic has led to the integration of mobile apps and telemedicine in record time. In other segments, such as retail and manufacturing, more effective data management can be a competitive advantage for managing supply chains, products and customer data. 

Data’s ‘I do’: a commitment to cloud

But whilst these examples show a clear case for innovation, the biggest hurdle for most is what Walia calls a touch of cloud commitment phobia. The number one priority for everyone right now is business resiliency, as businesses attempt to weather the storm and prepare for the rebound.

He acknowledges that most companies are perhaps only 20% on their way to cloud implementations – some a little less, some a little more. But while the biggest barrier to going cloud-first used to be security (or more accurately, perceived security), that dramatically changed in 2020 as organizations were forced to go digital due much more rapidly.

“Going cloud-first, cloud-native is no longer just a ‘maybe’ or nice to have, it’s a lifeline. So for those wedded and betrothed to their data, the goal is also to be very much married to the cloud. But as ever, this all boils down to culture. What’s needed is a mindset that puts data at the center of the business transformation. From there, we can determine the right skillsets, by taking action to employ a Chief Data Officer (CDO) and data analysts and, once they are in place, assess the technologies needed and develop the right solution.

Informatica’s offering in this space is known as The Informatica Intelligent Data Platform, a technology built on a microservices-based, API-driven and AI-powered architecture. This type of platform extension could well be the next ‘we have one too’ add-on that major tech vendors all attempt to tell us that they have capabilities in. Low-code application tooling is currently experiencing the same ‘revolution’. While Informatica is primarily known as a cloud data management and integration company and not as a dedicated data exchange innovator, pure-play specialists such as Dawex do exist that specialize in data exchange platform technology as a core competency.

Like most things, it is not an either-or scenario for skills and tech. From a skills perspective, in addition to formal training, creating common definitions and business glossaries for data can help increase data literacy across all employees. But even with the right skills, they won’t be able to keep up with the sheer volume of data and the growing number of data sources without the right technology.

As businesses now form a new and closer betrothment to their data, we may need to welcome in a few new partners into the relationship within acceptable behavior guidelines which will need to be clearly tabled and agreed upon before any bizarre love triangles start to develop.

Data, do you take information exchange to have and to hold, until death do you part?  

I do.

From Cloud in Perfectirishgifts

EIBT 7124 IB Teaching and learning-Learning outcomes

Joining PGDE course EIBT 7124 class has open my eyes to many more instructional strategies that can be applied in a primary classroom. this class leads me to a question :-

How can i deliver my lessons better to make sure that all students understand?

Differentiation of instructional strategies ensures an equitable classroom, and research on its effectiveness shows it benefits a wide range of students.

In Fairview International School, we build our knowledge of each Primary Years Programme (PYP) student, taking into account different aspects, their interests, learning profile, particular needs, and language development phase.My experience here helps me to  devised strategies that have allowed to enrich my teaching practice and apply new and varied learning experiences.

Below are several instructional strategies I and library team apply, for library activity and mother tongue classes . 

1. Cooperative learning/ collaboration 

Images 1 - Group Presentation MT activity Q4 19/20

Encourage students of mixed abilities to work together by promoting small group or whole class activities.

Through verbally expressing their ideas and responding to others your students will develop their self-confidence, as well as enhance their communication and critical thinking skills which are vital throughout life.

Solving mathematical puzzles, conducting scientific experiments and acting out short drama sketches are just a few examples of how cooperative learning can be incorporated into classroom lessons.

2. Inquiry-based instruction 

Pose thought-provoking questions which inspire your students to think for themselves and become more independent learners.

Encouraging students to ask questions and investigate their own ideas helps improve their problem-solving skills as well as gain a deeper understanding of academic concepts. Both of which are important life skills.

Inquiries can be science or math-based such as ‘why does my shadow change size?’ or ‘is the sum of two odd numbers always an even number?’. However, they can also be subjective and encourage students to express their unique views, e.g. ‘do poems have to rhyme?’ or ‘should all students wear uniform?’.

3.Technology in the classroom 

Incorporating technology into your teaching is a great way to actively engage your students, especially as digital media surrounds young people in the 21st century.

Interactive whiteboards or mobile devices can be used to display images and videos, which helps students visualize new academic concepts. Learning can become more interactive when technology is used as students can physically engage during lessons as well as instantly research their ideas, which develops autonomy.

Mobile devices, such as iPads and/or tablets, can be used in the classroom for students to record results, take photos/videos  or simply as a behaviour management technique. Plus, incorporating educational programmes such as Quizalize into your lesson plans is also a great way to make formative assessments fun and engaging.

4. Visualisation

Image 2 : “Virtual library consultation”,  virtual field trip induction for PYP

Bring dull academic concepts to life with visual and practical learning experiences, helping your students to understand how their schooling applies in the real-world.

Examples include using the interactive whiteboard to display photos, audio clips and videos, as well as encouraging your students to get out of their seats with classroom experiments and local field trips.

5. Read-aloud

Image 3 : Story telling program by PYP & Library team

( Story teller :  Ms Pooja - PYP Team Leader) 

Read-aloud is an instructional format, included formally in elementary reading programs and as an instructional activity in all areas and levels of the curriculum. A primary purpose of a readaloud is to create a community of readers in the classroom and establish a known text as a basis for related literacy activities. Reading aloud allows teachers to model important components of literacy, such as fluency, expression, and interacting with texts while exposing students to vocabulary that is just beyond their instructional level and demonstrating how reading is a source of information and enjoyment

6. Guest-speakers

Images 4 : Guest Speaker program by Library Team 

Like field trips, guest speakers extend learning beyond the classroom. The sources for guest speakers range and can include such resources as local civic and business leaders, civil servants, hobbyists, industry professionals, parents, or even former students. As with any activity, students benefit most when the purpose is clear and they know how the speaker’s topic relates to what they are studying. Preparing critical questions ahead of time will ease a Q and A session for everyone

Using these strategies has allowed me to grow our teaching practice. But differentiation can be challenging. Understanding if a particular method has a positive impact on the learning process or not is not always immediately apparent. Yet, it is satisfying to look back and see how the same plan works year after year.  Moving forward with a detailed planning more instructional strategies will be apply based on suitability of the current student. 

PLAY ENVIRONMENT vs THE QUIET LIBRARY

Adapting Play Environment in the library is always a challenge, because library is inevitable to a concept of a quiet place. In IB Continuum for PYP program creating a play environment able to help develop such skills to student, where play is important for social, emotional, physical and mental wellbeing of students. As our world is constantly changing, play is significant for student to have a joyful channel to reduce their anxiety that comes with such change as Learning in the Primary Years Programme is based on ‘approaches to learning’ skills . These skills aim to support student of all ages to become learners who know how to ask good questions, set effective goals and pursue their aspirations with the determination to achieve them.

Images 5 : Comfort and relax area for PYP in the Library 

Apart from this, in taking initiative to boost student learning weekly/monthly interactive display are also conducted to foster learner agency to student for them to develop their independence learning. 

Image 6 : Martin Luther King Jr Week , interactive display 

Image 7 : Happy Valentine’s Day , wishing board 

Engaging learning environments able  inspire the imagination and creativity of learners and encourage the process of inquiry, action and reflection. These environments provide opportunities for emerging inquiries so students may take their learning in new and unexpected directions, developing and demonstrating the attributes of the IB learner profile.

ACC544 – Decision Support Tools

Subject Summary ACC544 – Decision Support Tools Session 2 2020 Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences School of Accounting and Finance Internal Mode Credit Points 8

GRADUATE LEARNING OUTCOMES This task also contributes to the assessment of the followingCSU Graduate Learning Outcome/s (https://student.csu.edu.au/study/glo): • Academic Literacy and Numeracy (Skill) – Charles Sturt Graduates demonstrate the literacy and numeracy skills necessary to understand and interpret information and communicate effectively according to the context. • Digital Literacies (Skill) – Charles Sturt Graduates use, create, communicate and share multimodal information in digital environments. MARKING CRITERIA AND STANDARDS There are four (4) online tests of equal value of which your three (3) highest marks will be allocated to your final grade. Material covered will include all topics covered in the preceding weeks. Each test comprises ten (10) multiple choice questions and may only be attempted once. For each question, you must select the most correct answer from the options provided to demonstrate your understanding and application of strategic and sustainable accounting practices. High Distinction (HD) To meet this level you will attain a cumulative mark between 85%-100%. A mark in this range (no less than 8.5 marks) indicates you have demonstrated an outstanding and a consistently high level of knowledge and understanding in at least 3 tests in this subject. Distinction (DI) To meet this level you will attain a cumulative mark between 75%-84%. A mark in this range (7.5 – 8.4) indicates you have demonstrated a comprehensive and high level of knowledge and understanding in at least 3 tests in this subject. Credit (CR) To meet this level you will attain a cumulative mark between 65%-74%. A mark in this range (6.5 – 7.4) indicates you have demonstrated a better than satisfactory knowledge and understanding in at least 3 tests in this subject. Pass (PS) To meet this level you will attain a cumulative mark between 50%-64%. A mark in this range (5 – 6.4) indicates you have demonstrated a satisfactory knowledge and understanding in at least 3 tests in this subject. Assessment item 2 – Case Study Part 1 Value:10% Due Date:28-Aug-2020 Return Date:18-Sep-2020 Length:Variable Submission method options:Alternative submission method TASK The following case study has been developed to provide you with a realistic business scenario Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 11 of 39 from which you can develop the necessary decision making skills to meet the learning outcomes of this subject. The case study will form the basis for Assessment Item 2 and 3. Introduction: It is April 2020 and one year since Pork Bellies Pty Ltd acquired competitor Casserole Steaks in a goal to improve economies of scale and reinforce its position as the fourth largest company producing pork in Australia. The pork farming and processing industry has undergone significant changes in the last decade and it appeared to Pork Bellies that the competition from the other two major competitors would start to deteriorate Pork Bellies traditional stronghold of value added processed products. There were also indications that a major international company had been investigating the Australian market to identify potential alliance partners or takeover targets. Given Pork Bellies strong growth and performance over the last 10 years, the company’s board now needs to analysis the future of the industry and how it can position Pork Bellies to ensure its long-tern sustainability and to progress towards their goal of being the major pork producer in Australia. PORK BELLIES Pty Ltd – Background Pork Bellies was established in 1930 by Shawn Lamb in Walgett; Shawn’s granddaughter Brooke River took over as managing director in 2011. The company is currently ranked 185 in the top 500 privately owned companies in Australia. In 2019 Pork Bellies employed over 800 staff, with major operating centres located in Melbourne, Sydney and the Albury/Wodonga region. Pork Bellies is the fourth largest company in Australia that farms and processes pork with sales of $462.7 million. Major customers include supermarkets, butchers and caterers. Quality is something Pork Bellies is very particular about and in 2001 it was accredited with ISO 9002 across all farming and processing functions, including processing, distribution and feeding of livestock. ISO 9002 certification was also accredited for administration processes of purchasing, training product control, product traceability and process improvement. The Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety system was also adopted, further highlighting Pork Bellies commitment to quality control and safety. Pork Bellies strong growth has been attributed to product development, with a focus on supplying to butchers, restaurants, caterers and function venues. All products are portion controlled; it is provided in set portions and individually packaged, which customers prefer for ensuring consistency in cooking and serving. Global rationalisation has impacted on the Australian industry in recent years however. Achieving economies of scale for farming and processing is considered to be more important for the long term viability than product development. As part of their growth strategy Pork Bellies acquired Casserole Steaks in April 2019 to further expand processing activities, gain access to additional distribution outlets and achieve greater economies of scale. Complementing the current Pork Bellies business, Casserole Steaks produces a range of fully cooked small goods and smoked pork for Pork Bellies under their own label, as well as under Farm Fresh label for Holes and Dangerway Supermarkets. Casserole Steaks has established a strong export market into China. Pork Bellies have developed close working relationships with Meat Delights and Power Pork, Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 12 of 39 two of Pork Bellies competitors. This strategic alliance was established to achieve further economies of scale in production of pork products designated for the overseas markets. The global pork meat farming and processing industry Pork consumption has consistently increased upwards in recent years in Australia and internationally. On a global basis, pork meat accounts for about 25% of total meat consumption, third only to chicken and beef. The table below summaries pork consumption over the last few years. Table 1 Pork meat consumption per capita in selected locations (kg/per capita) 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 China 41.6 41.3 41.7 43.8 44.0 44.3 UK 23.2 23.1 24.8 25.1 25.4 25.7 USA 28.6 28.4 30.6 36.2 35.9 36.8 Brazil 44.9 46.9 52.7 50.9 51.2 51.2 Australia 24.1 25.3 27.2 28.1 29.0 29.3 With the consumption of pork rising around the world, it has resulted in the need for production to increase at the same rate. Recent years trends are showing that countries are working towards becoming more self-sufficient in providing meat for their own consumption. More recently, China and Brazil have enjoyed enormous growth in pork production and overtaken the US which had traditionally been the highest producer of pork. Size and growth In 2019, about 955,000 tonnes of pork with a retail value of approximately $4.2 billion was consumed. Historically, the industry has not been responsive to changes in demand, with production generally constant with a minor peak around Christmas time. There have been limited fluctuations in price and profitability. In addition, unlike other livestock producers, pork farmers were unable to change to alternative livestock when demand declined due to the specialised nature of pork farming and the equipment required for housing the pigs. As a result, a high focus on efficiency throughout the industry has resulted in intensive animal rearing operations through efficient feed utilisation and optimised productivity. This has enabled lower price rises at the retail end than for other livestock, with pork prices increasing by only 147 % from 1972 to 2014, compared with 230% for most other meats. Consumption Trends The growth in production mirrored increasing domestic consumption trends, with Australian consumption at 29 kg per capita per annum in 2019. However, this was still a long way behind countries such as China as shown in table 1, which has an annual consumption in excess of Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 13 of 39 44kg per capita. Consumption demands in Australia have also increased as a result of price reductions that are able to be achieved through technological development and economies of scale within the industry. However, consumers are increasingly shopping for meal solutions rather than for set weights of meat and vegetables as they were once doing. In fact, all meats are facing increasing competition from rice, pasta and prepared foods. Key drivers of future growth in domestic pork consumption are as follows: • A continued strong domestic economy – pork consumption is directly related to available disposable income. Australia is enjoying the lowest interest rates for the last 30 years and this has seen a substantial rise in disposable income. However, personal debt is at record levels, largely due to the buoyant housing market and any rise in interest rates will have a negative impact on demand due to a tightening of disposable income levels. • Changing lifestyle trends – an increase in health consciousness has seen a shift in favour of white meat and fish over traditional red meats. Pork meat is low in fat and high in protein, fitting well with changing consumer levels. • Culture – Australia is a multicultural society and most national cooking styles incorporate pork dishes. • Convenience and fast food – Convenience products and fast-food outlets have proliferated over recent years as time-poor consumers demand products that can be prepared in less time. This is being driven by more people in the workforce and smaller family units that favour convenience food products. Pork has become more prevalent in menus as consumers seek fast and healthy options. In addition, increasing average weekly household disposable income has meant people are increasingly eating out, with pork being a prominent part of most restaurant menus. A key issue facing the industry in the future is consumer perception of the use of hormones and growth proponents in piggery pork production, with the industry safeguarding against such use by enforcing testing programs through the National Residue Survey (NRS) conducted by the Australian Federal Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. This has helped to allay consumer concern in this area, and to date no residues have been detected in batches tested. In addition, the increasing demand for organic produce is impacting on the industry. Free range pork accounts for a small amount of total production; however, it is the fastest growing segment. With growing consumer trends for organic produce, several industry participants have recently gone into production with ‘free range’ accredited growing. Pork Bellies and International breeding stock alliances. Pork meat production in Australia is carried out mainly using breeding stock from one of a small number of large international pig breeding companies. Australia is dominated by breeding stock from two major companies: • Piggie Smalls (a wholly owned subsidiary of Cape Foods Inc. in the United States) supplies Hamlet and Gropork Breeding, a joint venture between Pork Bellies and Hogwarts • Porky Group (a UK-based company) which supplies Swapmeat Enterprises. The international breeding companies focus on improving their pork breeds to deliver enhanced performance in terms of feed to meat conversion and growth rates. Breeding farms Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 14 of 39 follow the management program prescribed by international breeders. This, however, does make Australian producers reliant on international breeders or local organisations with breed franchises for breeding stock. This also enables them to be internationally competitive and maintain quality. Pork Bellies recognises the importance of being part of such alliances and has entered the GroPork Breeding alliance to ensure access to the Piggie Smalls breed and maintain competitiveness with the major local producers such as Hamlet and Swapmeat. The cost of production The pork industry in a large consumer of wheat, absorbing more than one-third of all feed wheat available in Australia. It also used 75% of meat meal produced in Australia. One of the key issues for the industry is that local feed costs are higher than the feed costs of other major pork producing countries. Should import regulations on pork be relaxed, this relative cost disadvantage could pose a significant threat to domestic production. Imports Less than 5% of the product is imported due to concerns about disease. In November 1997, the government announced that limited imports on cooked pork meat would be allowed into Australia. However, strict guidelines were put in place such that imports had to be cooked at 70°C for 143 minutes which was the level at which disease was determined to be unable to survive. In addition, the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) introduced stringent tests on imported pork meat and as a consequence, imports have not increased significantly. It is anticipated that this trend will continue. Pork Bellies’ corporate strategy Pork Bellies regards itself as a major Australian pork meat production and processing company. Its stated strategic goals are as follows: • To be recognised as the leading pork meat brand in the Australian food industry; • To provide customers with high-quality products and excellent service; • To be the leading company in the industry, continuing to grow at rates higher than the industry average; and • To be the leading supplier of further processed pork products. It plans to achieve these objectives by: • Being an accredited supplier to the major supermarket chains and speciality pork outlets; • Expanding by acquisition, where appropriate; • Sustaining superior performance; understanding and satisfying customer needs; and • Investing in state-of-the-art equipment to enable product innovation and efficiencies. Pork Bellies is already recognised as having a differentiated offering compared with its major rivals, Swapmeat and Hamlet, due to its value product range, well established relationships with key retails outlets and the achievement of quality accreditation across a wide range of aspects of its operations. Pork Bellies is focused on its direct customers (ie the retailers) and the end customer (ie the customer) – planning to be the supplier of choice. The company recognises that they need to sustain their growth rate and profitability to prevent takeovers from one of the two major companies (Hamlet and Swapmeat). For this reason, Leghorn was acquired in 2016 to achieve production and processing economies of Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 15 of 39 scale and gain access to additional markets through Leghorn’s accreditation and speciality store relationships, as well their export focus and AQIS export approval status. Further acquisitions are possible; however, they would need to be good strategic fit from operational and cultural perspectives. The company has strong family values, and the ongoing sustainability of the business is more important than short-term profitability. In 1999, Hamlet unsuccessfully approached Brooke River about the prospect of buying Pork Bellies’ operation for $250 million. River was offered a seat on the board; however, under the terms of the deal, she would lose control over the Pork Bellies operations. In addition, a large proportion of the purchase synergies would arise from the removal of duplicate functions across the combined business group. This would have resulted in the retrenchment of many of Pork Bellies loyal employee base, some of whom had been with the company since Brooke River’s grandfather established the business over 50 years ago. Pork Bellies’ recent performance Operations and production Pork Bellies have demonstrated a strategic approach to its operations by covering all aspects of the value chain. Business operations include breeder farms, processing plants and feed milling. Products include sales of live pork (including breeding stock), pork feed, primary processed pork (raw) and further processed pork. Based in Victoria, the newly acquired Leghorn is also vertically integrated pork producer in its own right. Breeding and farming As a partner in the Gropork Breeding joint venture with Hogwarts and Avian Porks, Pork Bellies is the sole distributor in Australia of Piggie Smalls, the major international breeding company owned by Cape Foods. The principal farming areas for Pork Bellies breeder operations are in Northern NSW, South Australia and the Sydney region. Pork Bellies has a number of company-owned and operated piggery farms as well as nearly 50 independent contract farmers, including Leghorn’s contract growing farms to which they deliver young stock. Leghorn is the first firm in Victoria to satisfy the Victorian Meat Authority’s quality accreditation (QA) system and has ISO9002 certification for all its operations. Contract growers who provide Leghorn with pigs have their own accredited system, several of which have also obtained free range pork status. The company also owns and operates a feed mill located in country NSW. Pork Bellies’s total requirement for feed at all the company locations throughout Australia is in excess of 130,000 tonnes per year. Distribution The company focuses mainly on the domestic market, selling to major supermarkets, pork shops and manufacturers of frozen foods and meals. Industrial customers use its pork in frozen meals for export, and a small percentage of its products are exported directly. Distribution throughout Australia is undertaken by refrigerated transport using distributors in most states, leveraging from Leghorn’s existing distribution network. Marketing and new product development Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 16 of 39 Pork Bellies has a focus on product development for the food service market, with an extensive food service product range for fast-food outlets, schools, clubs restaurants, caterers and function venues. New product development has introduced a number of snack and meal solutions, including a variety of pork products such as nuggets, burgers, wedges, fingers and a wide range of cooked and smoked lines. The company has been accredited by both major supermarkets, Dangerway and Holes and it is seen in the industry as a leader in quality control. People and management Privately owned by the Pork Bellies family since formation in 1954, Pork Bellies is proud of its family tradition. It values its people and sees itself as trying to grow the business through its employees. Its team of experienced, professional and committed people provide a strategic advantage in offering high standards of quality and service to its customers. The company is proud of its employees at all levels and believes that their commitment is paramount to its marketplace performance. The consistent emphasis on quality is epitomised by the achievement of ISO 9002 and HACCP accreditation. Tight controls are maintained on the value chain. Head office management also maintain rigid reporting and measurement requirements, with senior management employing a ‘hands-on’ approach in the day-to-day running of the business. Due to the strong family values of the company, staff turnover is very low. The six member executive team includes three family members and also Justin Case, the founder of Leghorn and deputy chairman of the Pork Bellies board, thus indicating the strategic nature of the Leghorn acquisition and the value that Pork Bellies places on Leghorn’s expertise and capabilities. The company is actively involved in various industry bodies, including the Australian Pork Growers Council, of which Brooke River is the Chairman, ensuring that the company has the capacity to influence the shape of the industry’s future and stay abreast of future developments. Back to the future… At the April 2020 board meeting, Justin Case reported that the integration of the Leghorn acquisition was ahead of plan and has been highly successful largely due to a good strategic fit between the to businesses. Pork Bellies has secured its place as the number three producer in the industry and most importantly was the clear leader in the value added segment where high profitability was still being enjoyed and competition was only just starting to occur. This contrasted with the low margin fresh segment where two major participants had entered a price war to win market share. In addressing the board, Brooke River noted that there were signs that another approach by Hamlet was likely to be received in the near future, as the Australian companies grappled for market share and increased penetration into the more profitable value added segment. Pork Bellies has the major share of this segment, with an advantage over its competitors through its investment in technology and infrastructure in recent years. In addition, the outbreak of the Hendra virus is now contained and Australia’s export status has been renewed by key Asian markets. With some ideas already apparent, the board charged River with preparing a discussion paper outlining Pork Bellies’ main strategic options for consideration at the next Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 17 of 39 board meeting. Question 1 – Strategic Management (20 marks) You have been asked to prepare a business report for Brooke River on the strategic position Pork Bellies Pty Ltd should pursue. The business wants to continue to increase its market share in the pork industry. The business report will form the basis of Brooke River’s presentation at the next board meeting and will also be provided to all members of the board. The board members are very familiar with the pork industry but have limited accounting knowledge. Areas you need to address include: a) Identifying Pork Bellies’ competitive advantage b) Identifying four threats and four opportunities available to Pork Bellies c) Identify four strengths and four weaknesses for Pork Bellies d) Evaluate Pork Bellies’ objectives for their strategic plan. e) Using Porters generic strategies, what strategy would you recommend for Pork Bellies? Question 2 – Decision Analysis (20 marks) The board of directors (BOD) is considering whether or not to construct a processing plant in Darwin, Northern Territory. Pork Bellies will have an arrangement with the council to use the port for 5 years at a rate of 50% on normal cost and after that the cost will increase 175%. If demand is favourable, Pork Bellies will realise a net profit of $2,000,000 after the 5 years. If the market is not favourable, then they could lose $800,000. At this stage there is no reliable data on how successful the project could be. The board of directors are working on a 50-50 chance that the processing plant will be successful. 1. Construct a decision tree to analyse the problem. What should the BOD do, justify your answer? (5 marks) 2. The BOD are not confident with a 50-50 approach and have decided to employ a research firm who specialise in Bayesian Theorem to conduct a study on the viability of constructing a processing plant. The study will cost $10,000 and will work on the following statements of probability: Probability of a favourable market given a favourable study = 0.72 Probability of an unfavourable market given a favourable study = 0.28 Probability of a favourable market given an unfavourable study = 0.21 Probability of unfavourable market given an unfavourable study = 0.79 Probability of a favourable research study = 0.55 Probability of an unfavourable research study = 0.45 a. Develop a decision tree to reflect the new alternatives. (2 marks) b. Using the EMV approach, recommend a strategy that BOD should take. In your response discuss the alternatives. (4 marks) Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 18 of 39 c. Using the expected value of sample information, how much would the BOD be prepared to pay for the study? (4 marks) d. What other information would the BOD want to help in making their decision? (5 marks) Question 3 – Simulation (10 marks) Pork Bellies is concerned that not enough space has been allocated for ships to dock and load quickly. You have been asked to create a simulation based on the following information: Hours between arrivals Relative frequency 1 0.06 2 0.12 3 0.19 4 0.23 5 0.26 6 0.13 7 0.07 Hours to load Relative frequency 3 0.4 4 0.3 5 0.2 6 0.1 The port works 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. Required: 1. Using a table of random numbers simulate 2 weeks where only 1 ship can dock and load at a time. (5 marks) 2. Based on your results, should Pork Bellies try to acquire a second dock to unload? Justify your answer by discussing the results of the simulation, taking into consideration other factors that will impact the decision. (5 marks) Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 19 of 39 RATIONALE SUBJECT LEARNING OUTCOMES This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s: • be able to demonstrate problem-solving skills in assessing, organising, summarising and interpreting relevant data for decision making purposes. • be able to apply decision theory to business situations. • be able to explain the use of simulation in complex decisions. The requirements of this assignment cover up to and including Topic 4 of the Online Learning materials. The assignment is designed to develop your problem solving, spreadsheet (Excel) design, and written communication skills. The questions require you to apply the knowledge and tools covered in the subject topics in order to demonstrate your understanding of the subject content and also to illustrate your capacity for strategic thinking. The assignment will also test your ability to communicate and explain the impacts of your findings whether through quantitative or written reports. The ability to communicate effectively has been identified by the accounting professional bodies as being critical to your future role as an accountant. GRADUATE LEARNING OUTCOMES This task also contributes to the assessment of the followingCSU Graduate Learning Outcome/s (https://student.csu.edu.au/study/glo): • Academic Literacy and Numeracy (Knowledge) – CSU Graduates understand the use and structure of appropriate language in written, oral, visual, mathematical, and multi-modal communication. • Digital Literacies (Knowledge) – CSU Graduates understand professional, social and cultural implications of the global use of technology. Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 20 of 39 MARKING CRITERIA AND STANDARDS Criteria High distinction Distinction Credit Pass Generate, evaluate and use quantitative and qualitative information to assess the financial and non-financial performance of an organisation. Correct identification of underlying accounting issue/s and all of the potential implications of accounting data/ results. Identification of key areas of concern for management adopting a strategic ‘whole of business’ approach including well thought out and justified recommendations. Output is well researched, logically argued, and well written in a manner that very effectively conveys the key outcomes and recommendations to the end-user. All references and sources acknowledged and professionally presented. Correct identification of the underlying accounting issue and all of the potential implications of accounting data/ results. Identification and reporting of key areas of concern with effective strategic recommendations for management. Well researched and well written argument with references and sources acknowledged and output professionally presented. Correct identification of the underlying accounting issue and some of the implications of accounting data/results. Identification and reporting of key areas of concern with effective strategic recommendations for management. Well researched and well written argument with references and sources acknowledged. Identification of the underlying accounting issue and some implications of the reported accounting data/results. Reporting of issues that should be of concern to firm management. Written in clear language with references and sources acknowledged. Use decision making principles and technologies in making and Evaluates and provides in depth discussion on business decisions using appropriate Evaluates business decisions for relevant organisations Explains business decisions using relevant organisations and limited Explains business decisions relevant organisations Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 21 of 39 Criteria High distinction Distinction Credit Pass assessing business decisions for organisations. management principles. Demonstrates functional use of appropriate technologies to aid in decision making. using appropriate management principles. Demonstrates functional use of appropriate technologies to aid in decision making. application of management principles. Demonstrates some use of appropriate technologies to aid in decision making. using some appropriate management principles. Demonstrates limited use of appropriate technologies, with some links to support decision making. Effectively and appropriately present your material and results and clearly convey your understanding of the results to the reader. All references and resources acknowledged and professionally presented using APA (6th or 7th ed) referencing. Business report is well presented, logically argued, and well written in a manner that very effectively conveys the key outcomes and recommendations to the end-user. All references and sources acknowledged and professionally presented using APA (6th or 7th ed). Business report is well written with references using APA (6th or 7th ed) and sources acknowledged and output professionally presented. Business report is well written with references using APA (6th or 7th ed) and sources acknowledged and professionally presented. Business report is clearly written with references using APA (6th or 7th ed) and sources acknowledged and professionally presented. PRESENTATION Your response is to be in a written business format and it is compulsory for you to lodgeboth the report (word file) which is to include all your answers and your calculations (excel) Your business report should include: 1. a cover page addressed to your required audience; 2. an executive summary (refer to the note below regarding an executive summary); 3. a table of contents (linked to the headings in the report); Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 22 of 39 4. headings and subheadings clearly identifying what is being discussed; 5. brief explanation and purpose on what each question is addressing 6. a conclusion; and 7. referencing (using APA style). For help with writing an appropriate report, please see the Charles Sturt Academic Skills site:https://www.csu.edu.au/current-students/learning-resources/build-your-skills/academicskills-help REQUIREMENTS Preparation and submission requirements This assignment requires a Microsoft Word document, as well as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet solution. Both of these must be submitted online using Turnitin. You must submit both a Word file AND an Excel file. Failure to submit both of the files by the due date constitutes non-submission and late penalties will apply. Your spreadsheet solutions must be cut and pasted into the Word document.This Word document is what will be marked and returned to you. Remember that in the business world the professional presentation of information is fundamental and accordingly marks will be deducted for poor presentation. An electronic version of your source spreadsheet is required to enable markers to open the file and test your efficient use of spreadsheet formula by, for example, changing values of input variables. Marks will be awarded on the basis of correctness of answers, appropriate use of spreadsheet modelling, effective worksheet design, and level of professional presentation. A reference list is mandatory for this assessment item.It is important that you are aware of how to reference properly and a reference list must be provided, properly formatted using APA guidelines with a hanging indent.Please note that it is a submission requirement that you include a reference list. Review the rules regarding plagiarism and if you are not sure, contact your lecturer or student learning skills advisor for advice. There is no excuse for presenting the work of others as your own; this includes cutting and pasting material from the web without properly referencing the source. The CSU Library site provides an on-line guide to APA style referencing. This is the referencing style adopted by the School of Accounting and Finance. The guide can be found at: (http://student.csu.edu.au/study/referencing-at-csu) https://www.csu.edu.au/current-students/learning-resources/build-your-skills/academicskills-help/referencing Any difficulties in submitting your assignments online electronically using Turnitin should be immediately reported to the Subject Coordinator by email. Include your name and student number in the header or footer of all documents submitted. Retain a copy of your assignment for your records. Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 23 of 39 Spreadsheet requirements Your spreadsheet must have a separate worksheet (tab) for each question answered. For each question, the worksheet should have a data entry section where all (or most) of the question data is entered, followed by a model or results section. The results section should be mainly formula driven. NB There should be as little as possible data entry in the model/results section of the spreadsheet. Most, if not all, data should be imported into the model from the data entry section. A number of Excel resources will be provided through the subject Interact site to assist you to complete this assignment however there is no substitute for getting in and trying it out. An excel resource file specific to the assignment is provided on the subject Interact site and you should review the various formulae demonstrated on that file. Please contact your subject coordinator if you need further guidance on particular issues surrounding Excel or if you are unsure about any of the requirements. Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 24 of 39 Assessment item 3 – Case Study Part 2 Value:20% Due Date:30-Sep-2020 Return Date:22-Oct-2020 Length:Variable Submission method options:Alternative submission method TASK This assessment item continues on from Part 1 of the Pork Bellies Case Study Question 1 – Inventory control methods (15 marks) Pork Bellies is considering manufacturing ready-made meals in the new processing plant. The company is planning on working 250 working days per year and has devised the following estimates on sales of the new product: Daily Sales Probability 400 0.5 500 0.3 600 0.1 700 0.1 • The annual carrying cost per unit is $0.40 • Set-up time to manufacture the meals is 20 minutes for each of the 5 machines involved in preparing the meals and it costs $24.50 per hour for operators to set the machines up. • Manufacturing overhead is charged out at a rate of $12.50 per machine hour. • The ready-made meals are packaged in recyclable containers and cost $3.00 per 10 pack. The containers are sourced from Western Australia and can take anywhere between 15 to 20 days to arrive and have the following probability estimates: Days to fill order Probability 15 0.30 16 0.15 17 0.15 18 0.15 19 0.15 Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 25 of 39 20 0.10 Required: 1. Calculate the economic size for each production run (3 marks) 2. When should an order for more containers be placed, based on expected values? (3 marks) 3. How can ordering be handled to eliminate stock-outs 9 out of 10 times without holding large amounts of containers? (4 marks) 4. Explain the differences in the basic philospophies underlying the JIT and EOQ approaches to inventory management (5 marks) Question 2 – Linear programming (15 marks) Pork Bellies has been approached by Hopewell Hospital, who coordinate meals for regional and city hospitals. Hopewell hospital who have devised a meal plan wants Pork Bellies to supply them with ready-made meals. Pork Bellies in consultation with Hopewell Hospital have devised a meal plan where 5 types of meals will be supplied based on calories and common allergies. The meals are: 1800C, 1500C, 800C, Gluten Free (GF) and Gluten and Dairy Free (GDF) All meals go through the steps of food preparation, cooking and snap freezing. The time requirements per box of 20 meals is below as well as the available time, all in hours. 1800C 1500C 800C GF GDF Selling Price ($) 15 14.5 13 15 13 Direct material 7 6.5 4 3 2 Direct labour 2 2 1.5 4 2 Variable overhead 1 0.5 1.5 0.5 0.5 Fixed overhead 2 2 2 2 2 Constraints: 1800C 1500C 800C GF GDF Available (hours) Mixing 1 0.5 0.5 1 1 1,500 Spreading 1 1 1 1 0.5 5,000 Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 26 of 39 Cooking 0.5 1.5 2 0.5 0.5 2,300 Packaging 1 1 1 1 1 2,000 Due to the limits in the number of workers who may have access to the building at any one time because of COVID-19, a maximum of 100 1800C meals and a minimum of 50 GF meals for the month can be made. Required: 1. Formulate a linear program to determine the expected mix of conference rooms to ensure the maximum profit will be created. Show all supporting calculations and solve using a computer package (eg solver in Excel) to derive the optimum solution. (5 marks) 2. Formulate a second linear programming taking into consideration the COVID-19 limitations. (3 marks) 3. State the optimal mix and resulting profit. Discuss your results (7 marks) Question 3 – Correlation and regression (20 marks) Pork Bellies is continuing to re-evaluate all aspects of the business and would like you to look into staffing costs. Below is a summary of the monthly costs. Staff number Number of meals Staff cost ($) January 20 700 27800 February 22 250 14000 March 10 200 12000 April 20 500 20000 May 24 650 23800 June 28 450 18400 July 16 50 20400 August 14 150 8200 Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 27 of 39 September 24 350 18800 October 24 600 22200 November 16 300 16600 December 32 750 32200 The Pork Bellies relevant range has been estimated to be between 300 and 600 meals. Required: 1. Draw a scatter diagram of Pork Bellies meals and staff costs and mark the relevant range (3 marks) 2. Use the high-low method to estimate the behaviour of Pork Bellies staff costs based on meal numbers within the relevant range. Use an equation to express the results of this estimation method. (3 marks) 3. Using excel or a similar program construct a regression analysis to estimate: a. The equation to predict staff costs based on the number of meals within the relevant range (3 marks) b. Based on the equation in 3 a) what would the staff cost be with 400 meals per month (2 marks) c. Using both activities – number of meals and staff numbers, determine what the staff cost, within the relevant range, would be. (3 marks) 4. Does the inclusion of the additional cost driver (staff number) improve the model? Explain your answer (6 marks) Question 4 (10 marks) The Board of Directors would like your opinion on what strategic position Pork Bellies should now take reflecting on Case Study Part 1 and Case Study part 2. In your response consider short-term and long-term strategies the business may adopt. Include in your answer at least 2 options explaining how the strategy would be implemented and the likely outcome. (Maximum 500 words) (10 marks) RATIONALE Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 28 of 39 SUBJECT LEARNING OUTCOMES This assessment task will assess the following learning outcome/s: • be able to apply decision theory to business situations. • be able to explain the use of simulation in complex decisions. • be able to demonstrate understanding of the application of statistical hypothesis testing to decisions, with particular emphasis on quality control and interpreting the significance of regression coefficients in cost estimation. • be able to apply cost-volume-profit analysis and linear programming to product mix decisions. The requirements of this assignment cover up to and including Topic 8 of the Online Learning materials. The assignment is designed to develop your problem solving, spreadsheet (Excel) design, and written communication skills. The questions require you to apply the knowledge and tools covered in the subject topics in order to demonstrate your understanding of the subject content and also to illustrate your capacity for strategic thinking. The assignment will also test your ability to communicate and explain the impacts of your findings whether through quantitative or written reports. The ability to communicate effectively has been identified by the accounting professional bodies as being critical to your future role as an accountant. GRADUATE LEARNING OUTCOMES This task also contributes to the assessment of the followingCSU Graduate Learning Outcome/s (https://student.csu.edu.au/study/glo): • Academic Literacy and Numeracy (Application) – Charles Sturt Graduates consider the context, purpose, and audience when gathering, interpreting, constructing, and presenting information. • Digital Literacies (Skill) – Charles Sturt Graduates use, create, communicate and share multimodal information in digital environments. Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 29 of 39 MARKING CRITERIA AND STANDARDS Assessment Item 3 The criteria described below will not apply to all parts of all questions but describe the standards expected where the question requirements are appropriate. It is expected that all students will complete their own work with no collusion with other students. Criteria High distinction Distinction Credit Pass Apply probability concepts to decision making Completely correct application of rational-decision making techniques to business problems, including the ability to evaluate further information prior to decisions. Mostly correct application of rationaldecision making techniques to business problems, including the correct evaluation of further information prior to decisions. Some difficulty in correctly applying rationaldecision making techniques to business problems including, somewhat correct evaluation of further information prior to decisions. Weakness in applying rationaldecision making techniques to business problems and difficulty in evaluating further information prior to decisions. Be able to use computer spreadsheets as an aid to effectively present mathematical problems. Level of technical proficiency in using spreadsheets to prepare management accounting reports. Ability to use Excel to solve management accounting problems. This includes the ability to use appropriate Excel (or similar) analysis tools and functions, construct appropriate spreadsheet formulae and to Use of appropriate formulae with no errors. Correct use of data input sections where appropriate. Excellent design allowing intuitive and easy comprehension of key data. High standard of formatting enhancing the logical presentation of the data output enhancing comprehension by report endConsistent use of appropriate formulae with very few (if any) minor errors. Correct use of data input sections where appropriate. Well designed and logical data output presentation. Good formatting allowing easy and effective comprehension by report endusers. Use of appropriate formulae with few errors. Correct use of data input sections where appropriate. Logical data output presentation and formatting allowing easy and effective comprehension by report endusers. Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 30 of 39 Criteria High distinction Distinction Credit Pass effectively and appropriately print and present your material and results. Ability to present your answers effectively, appropriately, and neatly, using computers. users. Effectively and appropriately present your material and results and clearly convey your understanding of the results to the reader. All references and resources acknowledged and professionally presented using APA (6th or 7th ed) referencing. The business report is well presented, logically argued, and well written in a manner that very effectively conveys the key outcomes and recommendations to the end-user. All references and sources acknowledged and professionally presented. The business report is well written with references and sources acknowledged and output professionally presented. The business report is well written with references and sources acknowledged and professionally presented. The business report is clearly written with references and sources acknowledged and professionally presented. PRESENTATION Preparation and submission requirements This assignment requires a Microsoft Word document as well as a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet solution. Both of these must be submitted online using Turnitin. You must submit both a Word file AND an Excel file. Failure to submit both of the files by the due date constitutes non-submission and late penalties will apply. Your spreadsheet solutions must be cut and pasted into the Word document.This Word document is what will be marked and returned to you. Remember that in the business world, the professional presentation of information is fundamental and accordingly, marks will be deducted for poor presentation. An electronic version of your source spreadsheet is required Charles Sturt University Subject Outline ACC544 202060 S I Version 2 – Published 16 July 2020 Page 31 of 39 to enable markers to open the file and test your efficient use of spreadsheet formula by, for example, changing the values of input variables. Marks will be awarded on the basis of correctness of answers, appropriate use of spreadsheet modelling, effective worksheet design, and level of professional presentation. Your business report should include: 1. a cover page addressed to your required audience; 2. an executive summary (refer to the note below regarding an executive summary); 3. a table of contents (linked to the headings in the report); 4. headings and subheadings clearly identifying what is being discussed; 5. brief explanation and purpose on what each question is addressing 6. a conclusion; and 7. referencing (using APA style). A reference list is mandatory for this assessment item.It is important that you are aware of how to reference properly and a reference list must be provided, properly formatted using APA guidelines with a hanging indent.Please note that it is a submission requirement that you include a reference list and assignments which do not include a properly formatted reference list will incur up to a 5 mark penalty. Review the rules regarding plagiarism. If you are not sure, contact your lecturer or Academic Skills advisor for advice. There is no excuse for presenting the work of others as your own; this includes cutting and pasting material from the web without properly referencing the source. The CSU Library site provides an on-line guide to APA style referencing. This is the referencing style adopted by the School of Accounting and Finance. The guide can be found at https://www.csu.edu.au/current-students/learning-resources/build-your-skills/academicskills-help/referencing Any difficulties in submitting your assignments online electronically using Turnitin should be immediately reported to the Subject Coordinator by email. Include your name and student number in the header or footer of all documents submitted. Retain a copy of your assignment for your records. REQUIREMENTS This assignment must be submitted through Turnitin. It is recommended thatyour name,student IDandpage numberare included in theheader or footerof every page of the assignment. Further details about submission in Turnitin are provided in On-line submission.

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Best School Management Software for African Countries- Genius Edusoft!

In most African countries primary education is required for all children until they reach a certain age. In many places, however, only about half of the students who attend primary school finish the entire course of study, and in some areas more than 90 percent of primary school students repeat at least one grade. The World Economic Forum accessed 140 countries, including 38 African countries, to rank the best education systems based on skill development. The report looks at the general level of skills of the workforce and the quantity and quality of education in each country. Factors considered include: developing digital literacy, interpersonal skills, and the ability to think critically and creatively.

Insights of Genius Education Management System:

We are a 16 year old and leading company in School ERP because we provide user-friendly and customized school management system as per the needs and demand of clients. Our software is Angular JS based Cloud application i.e. real time application as well as Web based software. We provide our service to every kind of entity whether it is School, Institute, Training centres or Colleges irrespective of the size of organization, big or small. We have a fantastic set of clients using our system which makes us understand on daily basis the strengths and loopholes if any.

Our software is designed with a tag-line“Enhanced Education system with limited cost”. We assure 100% safety & security to each of our clients relating to their data. Our software is for every person working with the entity; teachers, students, Principal, Admin, Parents and even other employees as they are heart of any organization.

Why should African schools use ERP software?

With the help of School management education software’s the next level demand arising in the education field rising in today’s scenario can be met with ease as compared to traditional education systems. As we see the history of education in African countries they are not able to satisfy their client needs because of some barriers and to overcome them they need a robust school management education system which is exactly our Genius Education software is currently which will help them to improve their competitiveness and business in the market as well meeting their strategic objectives. Every organization whether small or big needs an automation in its education system because traditional methods are not able to satisfy all the requirements. This is where our Genius Edusoft comes into picture to help in every possible way to enhance the education system and its management in African schools, colleges, and every organization providing education by improving their internal processes, cutting down their operating costs and help them to improve their relation with customers which indirectly helps the organization to improve their decision making capacities.

Challenges faced by African countries to implement ERP software?

Implementing an ERP software for a school, college, institute or any educational training entity is not an easy task because lot of spoon feeding has to be done to employees of the entity to get used to it and update on daily basis the needed information. On the other hand African countries has lot of limitations like other developing countries like low economic capacities, limited human skills and limited infrastructures therefore there can be lot of difficulties in implementing the ERP in African context. Many a times implementation failures also occur when there is a lack in updates, maintenance, consultation and training for the same.

How Genius Edusoft helps African countries to improvise their education system by overcoming the challenges!

As discussed African countries have limitations in many aspects; Genius Edusoft overcomes this loophole easily as our system is likely to work on atomization which is covered under various modules of our ERP like our Attendance management module where if RFID system is installed in the school the student can scan the QR code while entering in the campus and attendance will be fetched into the system easing the daily hustle of class teacher to manually take the attendance.

Even the long long queue that creates a lot of waste of time of school management to collect the fees of students has been reduced by our Admission module as parents can directly pay the fees through an online token through our payment gateway.

Even the circulars that piun or any school boy used to come with for any event, picnic, sports day news or any such event is now automated by our academic module where admin or teachers can directly upload circulars for important announcement for which notification will be received by the parents/students on their mobile app.

Even our Exam management module is a great work as our education software is designed with a tag line “Enhanced Education System” where in teachers can add manual exam assigning scores and ranks to students. Even students can take online examination created by teachers by accessing their login credentials

Even now cost of getting ID cards designed can be reduced with the help of our ID card generator in software as it can be managed from our software wherein institutes just need to integrate their printer with our system & get Id cards printed for students as well as employees

Genius Edusoft Verdict

From this article you might have got a better understanding of how our real time based software helps African countries including Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, Kenya, Madagascar, Rwanda, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Tunisia, Malawi, Botswana etc by enhancing their education system efficiently by reducing their costs with different modules designed effectively keeping in mind general as well as special needs of every training centres like schools, institutes, colleges etc. 

Genius Education Management Software

Address: 331-332, 3rd floor, Patel Avenue Nr.Gurudwara, S.G. Road, Thaltej, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

Contact: 8320243119, 9328151561

Email: [email protected]

Website:

www.geniusedusoft.com

+ “If engagement is the ceiling - the highest bar - then we may be missing the point. Think about it: Would you rather hear about changing the world, or do you want the opportunity to do so? A story about a world changer might engage us but becoming world-changers changes us. So, the question for you as a professional educator is: If you had to choose between compliant, engaged, or empowered, which word would you choose to define your students?” George Couros | Innovator’s Mindset

The Flowering of Alternative Education

While it has always been the case that our secondary schools and universities hold the future within their classrooms, today’s education system, at all levels, needs to set the foundations for people to thrive in life and work in 2050 and perhaps through to 2090. Today’s learning communities need to focus more on not just the technical knowledge and skills but the necessary human skills and the ability to create and collaborate to solve real life problems and better prepare each person for the work of the future.

In a world of rapid change, humans need the right mix of skills to thrive. Access to information is increasing, and the need for memorising facts is less important today than in the past. Although literacy and numeracy will continue to be the building blocks on which all learning rests and remain fundamental, they are not sufficient enough to foster thoughtful, productive, connected and ethical global citizens. Humans everywhere need to develop a greater breadth of skills to evaluate and apply knowledge in ways that meets the demands of a new world environment.

Rapid advances in technology are transforming the world of work, and by 2020 (now!) the McKinsey Global Institute estimates 83 million jobs around the globe will go unfilled due to lack of skills. While there’s no doubt that climate change, artificial intelligence, automation, technologies and the need to accommodate an ever-expanding global population will remain key issues, it’s hard to foresee what else we’ll be dealing with by the time today’s school age students enter the workforce. The World Economic Forum[1] (WEF) has argued that, “In many industries and countries, the most in-demand occupations or specialties did not exist 10 years ago.” And Australia’s entire education sector is facing the same industrial, technological and digital disruption that has impacted other industries.

While the previous industrial era demanded that nations provide one-size-fits-all mass education, the fourth industrial revolution demands personalised, holistic education that will prepare humans to identify and develop their own talent, competencies and character strengths to thrive in a new world driven by machines and technology. Some 400 hours of YouTube footage is uploaded every minute. As Yuval Noah Harari puts it in his new book, 21 lessons for the 21st century, “the last thing a teacher needs to give her pupils is more information... Instead, people need the ability to make sense of information, to tell the difference between what is important and what is unimportant, and above all, to combine many bits of information into a broad picture of the world.” Therefore, a new way to learn, unlearn and relearn is needed for us all to thrive in a new tomorrow. ‪Secondary schools, TAFE providers and universities, in seamless partnership with businesses, the broader community and the world of work, need to reimagine learning in light of the pervasive nature of technology.

In the Foundation for Young Australia’s (FYA) 2016 report (image), The New Work Mindset, they identified seven job clusters in Australia’s workforce. The image highlights the seven job clusters and their future prospects in terms of growth and impact as a result of advancements in automation. This requires all education sectors to create a new mindset for learning, today, as we support the growth and achievement of all people for this new world of work.

I have previously written about The Age of the Human. My article focused on the need to have an increased emphasis on including ‘human skills’ for life in Australian education. One element of these human skills is the prioritisation of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). In a Salzburg Statement for Social and Emotional Learning education leaders, influencers, researchers and practitioners from 31 countries call for prioritisation of SEL in education reform.

Through Growth to Achievement: Report of the Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools, also known as Gonski 2.0, was released on 30 April 2018. The Gonski 2.0 review panel heard that the fundamentals for supporting all students do not change and personalised learning (plans) and teaching based on each child’s learning needs, are effective at improving educational outcomes. In addition the report echoed this increased focus on fostering human skills, calling for a new model of school education to best prepare students for a complex and rapidly changing world, stating, “Australian students should receive a world-class school education, tailored to individual learning needs, and relevant to a fast-changing world. They should be challenged and supported to progress and excel in learning in every year of school, appropriate to each student’s starting point and capabilities.” And “Schooling should enrich students’ lives, leaving them inspired to pursue new ideas and set ambitious goals throughout life.”

My entire educational career has been centred around the agency, advocacy and amplification of the voice of the students in my care. Students are remarkable, and we owe it to each of them to create opportunities for them to prosper in their future. I am the architect of Marcellin College’s new dynamic learning paradigm, Polaris, that draws much inspiration from the research work of Gonski 2.0, FYA and the World Economic Forum. Polaris is a future-proofing learning ecosystem that aspires to develop young people who can one day take their place in society as active contributors, empowering them to be agents of social change and human advancement. Central to the philosophy of Polaris is the understanding that exploring the learning of tomorrow is an act of stewardship to our future communities and to the people who will live in them. The audacious hope of Polaris is a new vision for learning and schooling that best responds to a new world environment, where each person can become courageous and entrepreneurial thinkers capable of inventiveness, adaptability and social and emotional resilience.

This flowering of alternative education is in part a result of a new entrepreneurial spirit. And the trends are clear: shorter degrees, often at a distance, and often “unbundled” into their constituent parts, each of which has value, and can be stacked together over many years to create a formal qualification. You will still need other elements that universities have traditionally fostered, like the self-starting discipline to go out, do research and get work done, as well as a local and global network of friends and contacts. But unlike a degree, you don’t have to go to University to get them. The idea that universities have a lock on issuing the qualifications that matter is crumbling. Everyone is going to need some post-secondary education, some “boot-camp” type credential – perhaps a micro credential qualification or “nano” degree.

Therefore, addition to secondary schools like Marcellin College, important thinking organisations such as HaileyburyX therefore play a crucial role in championing an education system and the necessary creative solutions that embraces a total transformative learning approach. One that has a greater emphasis on entrepreneurial thinking, advance research-led innovation and the formation of the necessary technical and human skills to flourish in a global world of exponential change.

As routine manual and administrative activities are increasingly automated, more jobs will require a higher level of skill, and more school leavers will need skills that are not easily replicated by machines, such as problem-solving, interactive and social skills, and critical and creative thinking. So it is time. The re-imaging of education takes courage. Ordinary people know their limits, bold and courageous leaders know how to push them.

So, what is your school community doing to push the limits, on an education renaissance, for a new world environment?

References

[1] World Economic Forum. (2016). The Future of Jobs. Retrieved via http://www3. weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs.pdf

Couros, G. (2015).The Innovator's Mindset: Empower Learning, Unleash Talent, and Lead a Culture of Creativity. San Diego, CA: Dave Burgess Consulting, Inc.

Gonski Report 2.0: Through Growth to Achievement. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.appa.asn. au/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/20180430- Through-Growth-to- Achievement_Text.pdf

Harari, Y. N. (2018). 21 lessons for the 21st century. New York: Spiegel & Grau.

Marcellin College. (2019). Polaris – Our vision for faith, learning and life for a new world environment. Retrieved from https://marcellin.vic.edu.au/curriculum/polaris-overview

McKinsey Global Institute. (2012). The world at work: Jobs, pay, and skills for 3.5 billion people. Retrieved via: https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Featured%20Insights/Employment%20and%20Growth/The%20world%20at%20work/MGI%20Global_labor_Full_Report_June_2012.ashx

The Foundation for Young Australians. (2016). The New Work Mindset. Retrieved via https://apo.org.au/sites/default/files/resource-files/2016/11/apo-nid70701-1164546.pdf

2020 in Closing

As I have prepared my annual end of the year post I am struck by how different and also similar this post is from prior years. 2020 has been a year for the record books on many levels and has shaken up society on a number of levels. I look back at my year end post for 2019 and it seems like a decade ago rather than 12 months. The global pandemic changed the world by upending the economic ordering and shaking up our perspective on the workplace, information literacy, and information processing. This year has shown that the needs for librarians are exceptionally needed and valued across multiple industries as skills in information, knowledge, and data management are critical to successfully building knowledge transfer and a knowledge base when coworkers are no longer down the hall and you can pop-by.

On a more personal-level, the pandemic has affected my professional plans from last year as well as my ability to upkeep this blog and digital projects. I haven’t made as much headway on my goals for learning python or engaging with LinkedIn Learning as much though I think we all deserve some grace given the pandemic. I have realized that maintaining two separate blog type sites for personal and professional musings is too much so I am going to be transition my personal site to a more online repository to focus more on this blog. Content for my personal site will be put on Twitter or Instagram depending on the content (not that I was prolific on the site).

Research Interests:

Remote Work:

The move and organizational traction/understanding around remote work had been coming steadily and the pandemic accelerated that change. Jobs and work that organizations assumed had to be in person shifted to remote work without the sky falling down. Companies large and small now plan on offering more regular work from home options, which gives employees flexibility and also gives employers a larger hiring pool.

From a CNBC article by Lori Ioannou

According to a recent survey from Intermedia, 57% of small and medium-size businesses plan to offer remote work plans to employees for the long term. What's more, SMB owners have observed that employee availability has increased by 19% by shifting to remote work. They learned the advantages of having remote work policies during the pandemic. Among them: lower operating costs, increased employee availability and job satisfaction.

I thinking is an interesting and much needed development in terms of workplace dynamics so it will be interesting to see in 2021 if/when more organizations return to their office how these policies develop and what changes are permanent vs changes.

Data Management:

The focus on analytics and dashboards for data storytelling has gotten the largest mindshare lately though I think there needs to be equal focus on data management and ensuring the data is correct and everyone has proper understandings around data definitions. If we don't understand the data and we can't confirm the it is the right (and correct) data then any dashboard could be wrong or misleading, which could lead to faulty decision making. It is not as seductive as analytics and dashboards though data management is a foundation focus for any organization.

Browse & Search Systems OR Taxonomy Development:

As more teams have been working remotely and there is a lack of that spontaneous and organic knowledge sharing the office knowledgeable(Kbase) is critical. Office silos are often more enforced in isolation so that Kbase is the sole method for knowledge sharing. Yet, if there isn't a good search system and also organized structure documents can become lost and knowledge inaccessible.

Tech-driven change a key priority for new EC president

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has made responding to technology-driven change a key priority for her five year term which began last month, setting it in the same breath as challenges posed by climate change and demographic shifts, tacitly linking all three to a rise in regional unease.

Her solution, set out in a document entitled My Agenda for Europe, is a set of “headline ambitions” for the next five years — which include a Green Deal for Europe which she commits to proposing within her first 100 days in office; greater inclusion via “an economy that works for people,” and “a Europe fit for the digital age,” where innovation occurs “within safe and ethical boundaries.”

The program implies pan-EU economic changes; an update to industrial policy which includes substantial investment in strategic R&D such as clean technologies, and in infrastructure; plus regulation of digital technologies such as AI, as well as along an axis of fairness — which puts platforms and data monopolies in the frame.

“If we do our job well, the Europe of 2050 will be the first continent in the world to be carbon neutral,” Von der Leyen told the EU parliament, while laying out the ambition for the bloc to be “a leading digital power” with an economy that balances market forces and “social concern.”

Green Deal

“We will invest record amounts in cutting-edge research and innovation, using the full flexibility of the next EU budget to focus on the areas with the greatest potential,” wrote von der Leyen, ahead of taking up the mandate, setting out a plan for a European Green Deal that pledged to make the region “a world leader in circular economy and clean technologies.”

Speaking to the EU parliament ahead of the confirmatory vote, she described the Green Deal as Europe’s “new growth strategy,” saying it would require “massive investment” in “innovation, research, infrastructure, housing, and the training of people,” which would need to be funded by both the public and private sector at European and national levels.

“At the core of it will be an industrial strategy that enables our businesses — big and small — to innovate and to develop new technologies while creating new markets,” she told MEPs. “We will be global standard setters. This is our competitive advantage. And the best way to ensure a level-playing field.”

The strategy includes ramping up not just public but private investment in climate financing — with a goal of at least 50% of the European Investment Bank’s funds being dedicated to “green and sustainable” financing by 2025.

On the circular economy — which her Agenda identifies as Europe’s “future economic model” — she trails an action plan that will focus on sustainable resource use,  “especially in resource-intensive and high impact sectors such as textiles and construction”. She also urged measures to reduce plastic waste.

The overarching policy offer is a European Climate Law that will enshrine a 2050 climate neutrality target into law, with proposals to extend the emissions trading system to cover the maritime sector and to reduce free allowances allocated to airlines “over time.”

A Carbon Border Tax is also trailed, starting with “a number of selected sectors,” then “gradually extended,” along with a review of the Energy Taxation Directive which sets minimum excise duty rates EU Member States must apply to energy products for fuel and transport, and electricity.

A Biodiversity Strategy is another offer, along with a focus on “sustainable food” to support European farmers to transition to less environmentally costly production methods.

Von der Leyen’s plan also includes what’s couched as a “zero-pollution ambition,” although the document lacks specific targets — beyond a promise of “cross-cutting strategy to protect citizens’ health from environmental degradation and pollution.”

It’s notable that the green bloc in the EU parliament elected to abstain rather than back Von der Leyen’s Commission at the final vote — urging her to go further and faster to address the climate emergency, such as agricultural reforms, while saying they would be prepared to be a “constructive partner” to genuine environmental and social reforms.

Support for startups to scale up

Economic rewiring in the EC president’s five-year plan includes some encouraging words for entrepreneurs dreaming of scaling big.

“We need more young and nimble innovators with breakthrough technologies, like this generation’s tech giants were only a decade ago,” von der Leyen writes in a section of her Agenda on supporting small business which touts a “dedicated SME strategy” to cut red tape and improve market access for startups.

On developing the pan-EU growth finance market she commits to completing the Capital Markets Union — an initiative that’s intended to reduce fragmentation of capital access across the bloc and so shrink the costs of raising capital while widening the funding pipe.

She also wants to create a private-public fund specializing in Initial Public Offerings of SMEs — with the hope that private investors will come in to match an initial investment from the EU.

So late-stage startup financing is on the Commission’s radar.

Discussing the policy announcement, James Wise, partner at Balderton Capital, told us more funding in Europe would be welcome. “There is still a funding gap with the U.S. even if it is shrinking,” he suggested. However he also warned of too much focus being put on “overly financializing many assets classes in the last few decades, resulting in a cycle of boom and bust, and a focus on quarterly reports, not necessarily long term goals.”

“As a result we believe companies should go public at the right time for them, and not be pushed into exits by ‘quick-flip’ capital,” he said. “A bigger challenge for European start-ups isn’t necessarily access to capital, but capital markets which understand them. Many European banks have skeleton tech teams, while U.S. and Asian banks have whole departments focused on them. The lack of good equity analysts makes going public in Europe harder, hence the relative strength of U.S. indexes, and another later stage fund is unlikely to change this.”

Technological sovereignty

In remarks to the EU parliament, Von der Leyen also called for Europe to have “mastery and ownership of key technologies” — name-checking quantum computing, artificial intelligence, blockchain, “critical” chip technologies, and urging a pooling of resources, money, research capacity and knowledge in order for Europe to stake a claim to the leading edge of tech.

On the surface it sounds switched on to the potential of emerging technologies. Although quite how this buzzwordy big ambition will trickle down at the policy level — such as via investment distributed to strategic R&D — and so whether it will really make a difference to European startups working on emerging technologies remains to be seen.

At least Von der Leyen’s Commission can’t be accused of technical illiteracy.

In November 2019, Bloomberg reported that the Commission is planning a $3.9BN EU fund to launch in 2021 — and be run by the European Innovation Council — to support early stage ‘deep tech’ startups working in areas such as biotech, health tech and AI. (Although the size of the fund remains tbc, as it’s dependent on the outcome of budget talks.)

“It may be too late to replicate hyperscalers, but it is not too late to achieve technological sovereignty in some critical technology areas,” is Von der Leyen’s suggestion, with supercomputing citied as an exemplar.

She appears to be spreading her bets on the next tech paradigm shift, saying “we will invest in blockchain, high-performance computing, quantum computing, algorithms and tools to allow data sharing and data usage”.

Another pledge is to push for jointly defined standards, such as for 5G — and for what she calls “this new generation of technologies that will become the global norm.”

She also wants to update the Digital Education Action Plan to increase access to digital literacy for young people and reskilling adults, such as by increasing the use of MOOCs (massively open online courses) in the area of digital skills — to “get Europe up to speed.”

The new Commission also has its eye on developments in the cryptocurrency space. This month the European Council and Commission issued a joint statement on so-called stablecoins — such as Facebook’s planned global digital currency, Libra — essentially saying such efforts will be barred from launching in the region ahead of a common EU regulatory framework being put in place to mitigate any risks.

“We reaffirm our willingness to appropriately tackle the challenges raised by these initiatives on the basis of an EU common understanding and coordinated approach,” they wrote. “These initiatives should not undermine existing financial and monetary order as well as monetary sovereignty in the European Union.

“While the Council and the Commission are committed to put in place a framework that will harness the potential opportunities that crypto-assets may offer, we acknowledge the risks that some present. The Council and the Commission are prepared to take all necessary measures to ensure appropriate standards of consumer protection and orderly monetary and financial conditions. All options should be on the table, including any measures to prevent the creation of unmanageable risks by certain global ‘stablecoins.'”

Gig economy rights

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The race to future-proof the economy: Navdeep Bains on the state of innovation in Canada

Navdeep Bains wants Canadians to know that things are happening. Lots of things. The Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister has a big job on his hands, hauling Canada’s economy into the 21st century by embracing artificial intelligence and a panoply of digital technologies to boost productivity and keep us globally competitive.

But the federal government’s innovation agenda is still very much a work in progress. One of its pillars, the five marquee superclusters spaced evenly across the country, is mostly just an idea at this point, although $950 million in funding is beginning to flow. Does Canada feel more innovative than it did four years ago? Are we future-proofing our economy and seizing the jobs of tomorrow?

Bains certainly thinks so and that belief will probably be part of the Liberal’s pitch to voters when the country goes to the polls later this year. Next week, he will release a 100-page government report called Building a Nation of Innovators that mostly serves as a collection of the various policies, programs, plans and funding mechanisms the government has undertaken under the auspices of innovation.

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In advance of the report’s release, Bains sat down with the Financial Post to talk about innovation and the economy.

FP: With the Innovation Nation series we’ve been doing, one of the themes that is emerging is that Canada has a real opportunity to seize the future economy. But we may be missing that opportunity if we’re not really proactive. We could be falling behind. As a country, are we innovative enough?

BAINS: Well, I beg to differ a bit. I think we have turned the corner. I think we are starting to create this culture of innovation in Canada where we have an economy that works for everyone. The key part is that it’s benefiting the many, not just a few, and it’s creating good quality jobs. And we’re really focused on making sure that it’s also inclusive, that it benefits people living in rural Canada, that it benefits young people who are getting coding. That’s really our goal.

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains.

FP: In reading through Building a Nation of Innovators it seems like it’s mostly looking back at the last two or three years since the Innovation and Skills Plan. Is this an election (campaign) thing?

BAINS: This is a report back to Canadians. In 2015, we said, look, we realize the economy is struggling. We put forward a plan and said we’re going to invest in a set of policies and programs to really benefit many Canadians and have it work for many Canadians. And so this is a report to Canadians on what those investments look like. What does it mean for Canadians living in Toronto, or if you’re in Red Deer? It’s telling Canadians, we made these investments. We ran on a campaign to invest in Canadians, to invest in their skills, to invest in companies so they can grow. We’re highlighting those in tangible ways in communities across the country.

FP: That does sound like campaigning.

BAINS: No, it’s a report card, because people need to know as a government you made promises, are you living up to those promises? And what does it mean to them, to their communities, for their own prospects and for their kids’ prospects? The speed and scope of change is phenomenal, and that creates anxiety and concerns that Canadians have. And we’re dealing with that and saying, look, we want you to succeed.

FP: How do you manage that pace of change? The people who are losing their jobs at the Oshawa GM plant are not going to start coding iOS apps overnight. How do you make sure people aren’t left behind as you make the shift?

BAINS: Well, that’s a key part. It’s really about making sure the economy, as I said, works for everyone. We’re promoting lifelong learning. Coding is an example to teach young kids critical skills, problem solving, how to work in teams, understand and develop digital literacy. But we also have programs for individuals mid-career. If there’s a change in their work, they can go to school through a grant, they can go to school with an interest-free loan and get the digital skills that they need.

FP: But do you actually believe that the people who lose their jobs to automation or shifts in global supply chains will take up coding and pursue those kinds of jobs?

BAINS: It’s not about coding only. That’s just one example. We recognize that all these sectors in every region are going through a major transformation. It’s about making sure people have the broad skill sets they need for those job opportunities.

FP: Why is the government’s responsibility so broad in this? It’s striking in reading the Building a Nation of Innovators report that there’s money for fundamental research, incubators, scale-ups, every stage along the way. Why does the government need to be dragging the economy into innovation? Can’t we just get out of the way and let this happen?

BAINS: We’re in a race. We’re competing with other jurisdictions. We want to level the playing field. Do you think China is getting out of the way? You think Europe is getting out of the way? You think the United States is getting out of the way? No, they’re all playing an active role. Why would we take a hands-off approach? The Conservatives clearly presented that as an option in 2015 — that laissez-faire approach. But it’s about creating the conditions of success for Canadians to get more job opportunities and, more importantly, for companies to grow and stay here in Canada.

FP: Something as simple as educating businesses on the importance of intellectual property — teaching them that if you’re going to exist in the 21st century, you need to have intellectual property — seems pretty basic. What do you think it says about the country that we need something like that?

BAINS: It really is a partnership model. It’s not about us dictating this. It really reflects what we heard from Canadian businesses, academics, researchers, different communities from across the country before we came forward with the Innovation and Skills Plan. Our objective is to really help those businesses understand the value, because for every company that promotes IP, for example, they on average pay 16 per cent more to their workers. For us, it’s about better-quality jobs.

FP: But if the preponderance of our small and medium-sized companies don’t understand IP, if the culture just doesn’t get that, isn’t that a massive problem?

BAINS: That’s the thing we’re trying to accomplish, really create this culture of innovation, saying we want a country full of innovators.

FP: We’ve been looking into the superclusters as part of our Innovation Nation project. They have been in the works for quite a while, but, still, I don’t think a lot of people really know what these things look like. And in a couple cases it’s a bit of a mess …

BAINS: It’s about jobs. It’s a job magnet, and it’s about the jobs of today and the jobs of tomorrow. And really, fundamentally, what did we do? We used our convening power to bring businesses together — large, but primarily a lot of small businesses — breaking down the silos, promoting collaboration and saying, look, work together to solve problems.

Bains during his interview with the Financial Post.

FP: Okay, but that’s really broad and expansive. What are the nuts and bolts?

BAINS: Okay, so nuts and bolts, our artificial intelligence supercluster, in Quebec, for example. They recognize that AI is going to represent $15.7 trillion with the economic opportunities in the coming years. We want a slice of that pie.

FP: Can you give me one example of a problem you expect them to actually solve?

BAINS: There’s many problems. For example, if you’re a company and you’re in the supply chain, how do you minimize inventory? Inventory cost is a significant operational challenge for many businesses. How do you deal with that? They’re going to use, for example, artificial intelligence throughout that process on the operational side, on the customer side. And it’s not only me saying this, but they’re going to come forward with projects and initiatives to demonstrate that in a very transparent way. But we have to get the governance right. The challenge of the superclusters is it’s doing things differently. You’re promoting people to work together. You have to work with others to align priorities to make sure there’s a better understanding of what those projects are and to work together. And that’s when the magic occurs.

FP: In the Building a Nation of Innovators report you describe the superclusters as an experiment. Is there a chance this experiment fails?

BAINS: Well, the way it’s designed, we’re really fortunate it’s not based on one company or one academic institution, or one idea. It’s really a reflection of many companies. If one company decides to walk away or is not financially stable, there’s other players as well. It’s really set up for success. It’s really about that ecosystem.

FP: Let’s switch to 5G, because that’s an area where the government is already being criticized about being slow on auctioning off spectrum. And there’s the whole issue of whether or not to allow Canadian telecom companies to use Huawei equipment in their networks. Are you worried that a decision to block Huawei puts Canada further behind on this transition?

BAINS: That would mean that I’m prejudging a decision. We haven’t come to that point yet. We are examining national security issues. Minister (Ralph) Goodale and his team of experts, he’s got incredible men and women behind the scenes, are doing a lot of good work to look at all the issues related to national security.

FP: But is economic development part of the decision?

BAINS: Of course, we’re going to be working with the telecommunication companies. I have already been engaged with them. They’ve already spoke with Minister Goodale and his team as well and indicated their challenges, their opportunities. The fundamental premise for us is, yes, we’re going to look at national security. Yes, we will engage the telecommunication sector. We’re also working with our allies as well. But we’re going to make a decision, ultimately, that’s going to benefit Canadians and make sure that Canadians’ privacy is protected.

FP: I wanted to ask you about open banking, something that my colleague Kevin Carmichael wrote about recently. We have a really strong financial sector in Canada, but this is something that other parts of the world seem to be ahead of us in embracing. Are you engaged on open banking? Is that something that you think Canada needs to embrace?

BAINS: My colleague (Bill) Morneau, as the minister of finance, is very closely engaged with the banks to look at regulations —  fintech, as some refer to it — to see what that means. He’s still engaged in a process with them. For me, I think of the broader issues of trust. When we talk about fintech or if we talk about technology, do Canadians feel that we have the appropriate legislation, programs and policies in place to protect their privacy? That’s what we’re focused on in the coming months. You will see us put forward a set of principles that will really establish a benchmark of trust with Canadians so that they understand the government is taking their privacy very seriously.

FP: You mention trust and privacy, let’s talk Sidewalk Labs. That was something that when it was announced in 2017 was really us taking a global leadership role and doing something interesting: building a smart city project affiliated with Google on Toronto’s waterfront. Since then, there have been resignations, privacy concerns and a significant backlash. Does the government need to take a more active role in terms of defining what sort of data is acceptable to be collected? Where it gets used? Who benefits from it? Defining those standards before these projects are already underway?

BAINS: The data questions that you raised are very thoughtful questions that Canadians have been raising for quite some time, and they go beyond just one project. These are fundamental questions all companies are facing, because all companies are becoming more and more data oriented. What we’re saying to Canadians is education and awareness are important. We will come forward with legislation that protects your privacy, and we will also create an expectation for the private sector. We’ve done so through PIPEDA (the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act), for example, in the past with the principles-based approach.

The Sidewalk Labs “307” building in Toronto, which serves as a combination office and community space for its proposed development project on the city’s waterfront.

FP: But the amendments to PIPEDA came into effect last fall, and the federal privacy commissioner says that it’s still way behind what the Europeans are doing, and there’s major holes in it. There’s…

BAINS: And that’s why we launched the data and digital consultation, to see what those gaps are.

FP: Sidewalk Labs, specifically, is an interesting project because I hear from people in the tech sector who say if we can’t get this project off the ground, then it sends a terrible signal about whether you can do innovative things in Canada.

BAINS: First of all, I beg to differ in terms of (focusing on) just one project to define Canada. We have to be very careful not to take things out of context.

FP: But this is a really high-profile project.

BAINS: There’s no doubt this is high profile. But when you look at our innovation report, for example, you’ve seen significant investments that I highlight in venture capital, for instance. People are investing in Canada. There’s 28 companies that have the potential to become unicorns in Canada. Our diversity is also pretty profound.

FP: Innovativeness is not that easy to measure. What’s the metric for you that people should look at to know if you’re succeeding?

BAINS: We talk about innovation and, frankly, people don’t know what that means. And that’s part of the object of this report, to highlight what that means. It means an economy that works for everyone. It’s about jobs, it’s about companies scaling up, it’s about companies staying in Canada. And that’s really what people will judge us on. How is innovation having a positive impact on their day-to-day lives? How is it dealing with anxiety of the uncertainty around the job prospects and their kids and how is it creating growth? And how is that growth benefiting the vast majority? Because if we don’t get that right, we’ve seen anti-globalization, anti-trade, anti-immigration populism and nationalism rise, because people feel that they have not been benefiting from economic outcomes that have occurred in the past. We do not want to replicate that with innovation, because they will fall behind in this global innovation race.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Financial Post

• Email: [email protected] | Twitter: jamespmcleod

from Financial Post http://bit.ly/2E0S8JP via IFTTT Blogger Mortgage Tumblr Mortgage Evernote Mortgage Wordpress Mortgage href="https://www.diigo.com/user/gelsi11">Diigo Mortgage

Smart contracts and the law: Tech developments challenge legal community

Smart contracts are an important element of the blockchain revolution, although they predate blockchain. According to most sources, it was Nick Szabo who coined the term “smart contract” in the 1990s. The mechanism of a vending machine has since been frequently given as an example of a basic smart contract based on if-then logic. The payment into a vending machine triggers an irrevocable automated action from when money is retained to when an item is supplied.The emergence of blockchain technology enabled the implementation of such if-then logic on decentralized networks to facilitate autonomous self-executing, self-performing smart contracts, also called computerized scripts, smart code, computerized protocols or decentralized business logic. Ever since they gained popularity, it has been debated and questioned whether they are at all smart or contracts.

The basics of smart contracts

Setting this debate aside for the moment, smart contracts offer many benefits. One of them is efficiency brought mainly by automation, their streamlined formation, unambiguous interpretation and efficient performance. Efficiency gains bring forth cost savings, achieved through the removal of intermediary layers and the reduction of ambiguities and opportunistic behavior.Transparency of smart contracts provides auditability and enhances trust. Technology-guaranteed performance facilitates transacting not only between parties that do not know each other but also between parties that would be reluctant to transact with each other without guaranteed performance. Ex-ante guarantee of performance through automation and self-execution of smart contracts also helps to avoid institutional enforcement and costly contract breaches. Smart contracts can enable more efficient, cheaper business processes, supply chain management, corporate governance and much more. We are only starting to explore their potential use. However, it has to be said that smart contracts also require a certain degree of technical literacy to code, implement and understand them, and outside of the blockchain community, such skills remain relatively low. Smart contracts are also not free from technical challenges and vulnerabilities throughout all stages of their lifecycle, from creation through to deployment, execution and completion. There are also ex-ante costs of smart contract implementation and costs of switching to smart contract networks, which should not outweigh the benefits to realize any efficiency gains.Related: The promise of smart contract adoption is held back by crypto silos

Technology and law

Smart contracts represent the intersection of technology and law, and therefore challenge practitioners, scholars and legislators — many legal issues have been debated. Smart contracts have been called out as neither smart nor a contract. First, there is neither a commonly agreed-upon definition nor a unified, structured and systematic classification of smart contracts. There is no common agreement or understanding about the relationship between smart contracts and traditional legal contracts. Some scholars question the ability to create valid, binding legal contracts through a smart contract. Related: Hybrid smart contracts will replace the legal systemDiscussions are ongoing in regard to applicable legal frameworks and how to reconcile the immutability of blockchain records with contractual mistakes or contractual deficiencies. Similar concerns have been raised about amending smart contracts’ terms recorded on an immutable ledger. Also governing law and applicable jurisdiction are particularly relevant issues for borderless, decentralized blockchain networks on which smart contracts are being deployed. Consumer protection and duty of information issues are also being raised.Increasingly, there are also considerable concerns related to Anti-Money Laundering (AML)/Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) requirements, as well as privacy and confidentiality issues. Immutability and automated, unstoppable execution are also potential legal pitfalls for smart contract use.This analysis is made more difficult since there are different types and models of smart contracts, depending on their legal relevance (if any), context and technical properties. They vary from simple, straightforward and standardized payment instructions, to sophisticated instruments capable of the autonomous performance of a complicated sequence of actions. The emergence of blockchain-based smart contracts also brought a new dimension to the notion of cyberspace self-regulation. Moreover, discussions about “code is law” and “Lex Cryptographia” ensued.However, when it comes to legislators and regulators, they have been largely silent on smart contracts. Despite vigorous scholarly debate about the legal status, recognition and enforceability of smart contracts, their normative legitimacy and legal implications, legislators do not seem to be alarmed nor are they rushing into any prohibitive action. Even though there is some legislative activity in selected jurisdictions, thus far only a handful of countries have formulated a regulatory response and enacted legislation, which has usually been modest.

Smart contracts vs. United States

For example, the majority of the legislative initiatives on smart contracts in the United States are relatively narrow and govern only a select number of issues mostly limited to defining smart contracts, recognition of their electronic form and signatures, and sometimes their admissibility as evidence. This includes states like Arizona, Tennessee, North Dakota, Nevada, Wyoming and Illinois. Some critics have claimed that such legislative initiatives are premature and incomplete, and amount to no more than a promotion of a particular jurisdiction. This creates the risk of regulatory fragmentation among the U.S. states and piecemeal smart contract legislation, potentially complicating the harmonization at the federal level in the future. The U.S. federal regulatory and supervisory agencies, such as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), addressed smart contracts through their investigations, statements and guidance, which clarify some legal implications of smart contract use in the United States. The CFTC issued a primer on smart contracts in which it claims that a smart contract could be a binding legal contract, depending on the facts and circumstances, and could be subject to a variety of existing legal frameworks. The CFTC also highlighted several risks stemming from smart contract use including operational risks, technical risks, cybersecurity risks, risks of fraud and manipulation, and risks arising out of governance protocols.Similar to the CFTC, the SEC applies existing legal frameworks in its enforcement actions related to blockchain and smart contracts. As a sign of increasing regulatory scrutiny, the SEC recently announced procurement for smart contract analysis tools to analyze and detail code within blockchains and other distributed ledgers, in support of its efforts to monitor risk, improve compliance and inform SEC policy concerning digital assets.

Smart contracts vs. the world

In other parts of the world, countries like Belarus, Italy and Russia have addressed smart contracts to a limited extent. The United Kingdom Jurisdiction Taskforce issued an important legal statement, concluding that smart contracts are capable of forming valid, binding and enforceable contracts between parties, emphasizing the adaptability and flexibility of common law that is capable of catering to technological advancements such as smart contracts. The European Union has also expressed consumer protection concerns related to the use of smart contracts, but so far there has been no regulatory action taken at the EU level.The existing legislative initiatives seem to align when it comes to the recognition of smart contracts within existing legal frameworks; however, they differ on defining smart contracts. It is just a matter of time before issues related to smart contracts reach the courts, allowing the judiciary to address legal questions, particularly in common law jurisdictions.

Conclusion

In the meantime, the proliferation of diverging definitions and potentially legal treatment of smart contracts may give rise to legal uncertainties and regulatory arbitrage. Legislators should therefore closely follow developments in smart contracts and step in only when necessary to provide legal certainty, mitigate risks and protect vulnerable contracting parties. Such a measured and risk-based regulatory approach would support innovation, harness opportunities and integrate smart contracts innovation within existing legal systems. Adequate regulatory guidance could also help to remove legal uncertainties and uplift market confidence for the industry, investors and consumers.The market size of global smart contracts is rapidly growing. It is predicted to gain a compound annual market growth rate of 17.4% in the forecast period of 2020 to 2025, and is expected to reach $208.3 million by 2025. Smart contracts are increasingly being deployed across a broad range of sectors, including the financial sector, public sector, supply chain management, and the automobile, real estate, insurance and healthcare industries. They are also the backbone of a growing decentralized finance (DeFi) space. Regulators will be increasingly challenged to respond to and address smart contracts, but legislative initiatives so far indicate that there are no major obstacles for smart contract use; it does not seem that any substantial legal reforms are necessary to embrace them.The views, thoughts and opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect or represent the views and opinions of Cointelegraph, nor the Warsaw University of Technology or its affiliates.This article is for general information purposes and is not intended to be and should not be taken as legal advice.Agata Ferreira is an assistant professor at the Warsaw University of Technology and a guest professor at a number of other academic institutions. She studied law in four different jurisdictions, under common and civil law systems. Agata practiced law in the U.K. financial sector for over a decade in a leading law firm and in an investment bank. She is a member of a panel of experts at the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum and a member of an advisory council for Blockchain for Europe.Source Read the full article

Fathom Talk

FATHOM_ Humanising technology. MT @busymumy

Marie Therese McCann

First in IMD

13 Years in industry

Front end design and development

Attain, Mammoth etc

UX Certified by NN/g

Senior team in Fathom

Manage delivery team of 6, servicing clients throughout UK and Ireland

Fathom are a human experience agency, who work with organisations and agencies to improve digital performance. Create exceptional inclusive integrated on/offline experiences. Multidisciplinary. UX Lead, content strategists. Researchers, ux designers, ux planners and marketers.

Nielsen Norman Group NN/g; World Leaders in Research Based User Experience. Read everything they’ve written.

UXTrainingdotcom next course is Oct 31st and Nov 1st UX Training Belfast. PSNI, 3IE, PTSB, TRANSLINK, TESCO MOBILE, NHSSCOTLAND, BBCNI, TOURISMNI, BCC, AIB

eirSpiders, The DANI awards, Digital Advertising Northern Ireland.

Emerging technologies, always future thinking, what challenges are going to come about as a result of new technology. VR, Chatbot, Internet of Things. Active in Irish and nI UX and digital communities, including UX Book clubs, UX Meet ups, Digital Marketing and Digital Creative oriented events. Events during design week!! Digital careers are about learning and about community.

What is human experience design? Triangulation of people, business and technology. Help companies make products and services that prospective and current customers want and need to use. Don Norman; cognitive designer, watch his youtube!! Director in innovation lab in San Diego. Focus on the people, always think of the people, all the people! Find the right problem, not the symptom. Sometimes it’s okay to solve just the symptoms, but if you solve the root problem, the symptoms go away. Think of everything as a system.

User experience isn’t always the most important thing. A camera is just a tool, the important thing is the enjoyment of what it produces.

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I’d spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.” -Einstein?

Clients don’t always understand what they need. It doesn’t really matter what the client’s first suggestion is, because oftentimes it’s not what they need. Problem, evidence, themes, play it back to the client, persuade them about what they actually need. Experience and best practice.

VERY Passionate about inclusive design. Designing for everyone. UX/HX/digital designers only make up 5% of the population in regards to IT literacy. You are not designing for yourself. You are not the user. Empathy.

Everyone benefits from accessible and inclusive design. Design for people of all levels of ability. Visually impaired/deaf/hard of hearing/motor/dexterity impairment/motion/vision sensitive/cognitive disabilities/speech difficulties. This should not be a last minute add on, it should be built into the core of who you’re designing for; EVERYONE.

Build various ability levels through each persona you are targeting in order to design inclusively. Some people are born with different abilities, diseases can cause them, accidents, even ageing.

Age related impairments including reduced vision, hearing loss, mobility, manual dexterity and cognition, think of accessibility as designing for your future self.

Situational impairments; a new born baby, meaning parents have to do many tasks one haded, the sun in your eyes making it difficult to see, a cold day, wearing gloves prevents you from using your phone, crowded place where it’s difficult to hear?

Temporary impairments; cough, making it temporarily difficult to speak, ear infection, making it temporarily difficult to hear, psi or carpal tunnel making it temporarily difficult to use your hands, migraine making it temporarily difficult to talk, see or even think!

A billion people across the world suffer from a disability or impairment of some kind!!

CASE STUDY; AIB Mortgages.Goal; help lead them in their ambition to be recognised as the customer experience leader fro home mortgages in Ireland.

KPIS;

Increase conversion of applications and quality

Decrease in drop off rates

Increase in customer satisfaction scores

Improved net promoter scores

Insight gained into appointment booking and transition between online and offline.

Breaking down the customer experience; discovery work

User flow/journey

Customer segmentation

Navigation, IA and way finding

content

Guidance, instruction and support

Online tools calculators

Mortgage rates/suitability

Eligibility

Application process

Content mechanisms

Analytics review

Traffic mobile 49.67%, desktop 40%, tablet 10%

47% of users navigate straight to calculators

Importance of search engine traffic (60% came from search engines)

Heuristic review; understand the current journey, why is the bounce rate happening? Combination of analysis and collaboration. What are the patterns, come to a collective decision.

Calculators came up to quick and brought users to a dead end, no links, broken journey.

Comparative research, human psychology principles; reciprocation, social proof, scarcity, framing.Channel contact mechanisms online; cheaper than in person! System 1 v System 2 thinking, focus groups and workshops.

MOVE AWAY FROM THE DESK EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. You’re designing for human beings, not PCs.

User Tests; get people to use the applications etc and understand their reactions, what they do and don’t find easy to use etc. Very important, a vital step in project development. Customer segmentation is key and if customers can’t segment themselves they get frustrated. PDFs are a no no for key content online, inaccessible. Size EIGHT text. Not usable or inclusive.

Gaps uncovered in research;

Tools and rewards along the way to get pre mortgage ready

Social proof

Pre-ftb early online research

Selling the mortgage freeze option; 6 months no payments

Current customers will access you first

Showcase that you understand the market

Real time notifications and ability to orientate themselves in the journey

Engaging content

Future state experience map

Thinking and feeling

Timeline

Future process

touchpoints

User needs

Opportunities for future development

Content needs

Communicating what better looks like!! New content, wireframes, invision link etc

Fathom is the link between technology and people! Usability, situation, users needs and goals. Understanding them inherently allows you to successfully develop solutions. Technology can do many things but we don’t let tech drive a solution.

Double diamond diagram goes here. Ideating collaboratively, low fidelity wireframes, lots of discussion.

Design guidelines, gives them a solid framework to work from after the project has reached completion.

Example; Translink All timetables are in pdf, totally inaccessible. If they were coded into the website they could be read by assistive technology etc. Hired two Australian guys to find their way to Belfast zoo. No mental model to apply, google maps and translink couldn’t work together. Redesigned the map from the dartboard to a more London Underground looking one.

Discoverni website usability; the save button is the same colour as the background. Scroll up arrow VERY SUBTLE. Not very usable.

Placement opp

1 year placement beginning after 2nd year

Extension opportunity

Part of a multidisciplinary team; able to work with and learn from others.

2 days of ux training

Placement training budget

Mentorship through monthly 1:1s

Research and discovery (stakeholder, primary and secondary)

Analysis and synthesis

Recommendations and ideation

Design (wireframe and ui)

Testing and iteration

Implementation and change

Primary research, recording of user studies, secondary research, great time management, be self driven. Learn how to facilitate workshops. Understand the important of research and analysis, be competent in digital technology and platforms, understand the fundamentals of ux designs, understand the importance of user testing websites/digital experiences, happy learning new tools quickly, naturally inquisitive and a problem solver.

You can’t design for people if you’re not passionate about what you do. You need to be a people person to succeed in this career.

Qualities required

Self starter

Problem solver

Being collaborative

Good communicator

Critical thinker

Willing to present your own work and ideas

Empathetic

How to apply Email

before 9th November Tell me a bit about yourself and what appealed to you about the presentation Tell me about your ambition in UX; doesn’t need to be identical to what MT has spoken about Attach or include a link to your CV and portfolio and anything else you feel is relevant.

Projects split up and defined; what the challenge was that we were given, define the process, research, users, what the solution looked like, did you do any user testing or any further iterations. What might you do next time if you were to approach the project again.

GOOD DESIGN IS ABOUT PEOPLE, NOT TECHNOLOGY.

Getting a good placement is key. Don’t be afraid to email people. These big businesses are, at the end of the day, run by people.

Send CV doc and GDCV Email watchdog Finish content on website and start CSS Kirby stuff