Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM) / Knowledge, skills and competences (KSC) are regarded as the new global currency of the 21st century, without which a country’s investments in other resources will collapse. These strategic skills and competences, which are related to specific requirements of the knowledge-driven economy and information society, are referred to as electronic skills (e-skills) and electronic competences (e-competences). Possessing e-skills and e-competencies allows for a more effective and inclusive participation within a global knowledge-driven economy and broader society. However, with a history of inequity, South Africa has been adversely impacted by globalisation and rapidly progressing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), resulting in the country lagging behind in global competitiveness and e-readiness. Since e-skills and e-competencies are considered a pre-requisite for securing professional employment in most of the world, there is a need for Higher Education Institutions to determine firstly, which e-competencies are required in today’s society and then to ensure that these e-competencies are sufficiently provided to their students. This statement is premised on the understanding that quality, relevant and adequate e-skills and e-competences are required for a more effective and inclusive participation within a global knowledge-driven economy and broader society. In the context of a regressing youth unemployment crisis in South Africa and with the backdrop of the global mismatch between demand and supply of e-skills and e-competences, this study investigated the alignment between demand and supply of e-competences in South Africa. Thus, the overarching aim of this study was to determine how well the Information Systems curriculum at a South African university (supply) matched the e-competence requirements of potential employers of Information Systems graduates in South Africa, specifically in the Western Cape Province (demand). This was achieved through two specific objectives which were firstly, to develop a conceptual framework that could be used to assess if there was a mismatch between demand and supply and then 2) to use the conceptual framework to make recommendations towards alignment of demand and supply. By achieving these objectives, this study makes a significant contribution to the current e-skills dialogue and existing body of knowledge by positing a conceptual framework ofe-Competences for Information Systems graduates in the South African context, which was developed after an extensive examination of the literature related to the demand and supply of e-competences; and eleven existing e-skills and e-competence frameworks. A holistic perspective of e-competences is illustrated in this e-Competence framework, which suggests a vertical and horizontal view of the knowledge, skill and attitude (KSA) components in the e-competence definition. By using three vertical layers, the framework categorises the combination of fifty specific e-competencies expected of undergraduate and postgraduate Information Systems graduates. The first layer indicates the core competence categories, which are Cognitive Competence, Functional Competence, ICT Competence, Personal Competence (which includes Career Management, Ethical and Emotional Intelligence Competences), Global Competence (which includes Behavioural, Intercultural and Social Intelligence Competences) and lastly Meta-competences, which underscore all the other competences. The second and third layers of the framework allocated fifty specific e-competencies to these core competence categories. The study was positioned within a qualitative, interpretive research paradigm and used a case study design. The research sites were twenty two IS graduate employers in the Western Cape Province who participate in the annual internship programme at the IS department of University X. Convenient sampling was used to collect data over a period of five years, from 2010 until 2014. The study used two data collection instruments, which were performance evaluation forms and follow up interviews. These two instruments provided rich data in both qualitative and quantitative forms and the variety of data allowed for the reliability and validity to be ensured with the qualitative data being triangulated with the quantitative data. Content analysis was used to analyse the data through a three-stage open coding process. Nine findings were identified, which indicate that there was a mismatch between the demand and supply of e-competences in the selected case study. The mismatches were found to be either in the knowledge, skill or attitude component of e-competence. It was noted that twenty one of the fifty e-competencies in the conceptual framework were taught at University X, eleven were assumed to be embedded within the IS curriculum and eighteen e-competencies are not taught at University X. Significantly, most employers regarded attitudes as a more important requirement for e-competence than knowledge and skills.

<p>Arbetet bygger på frågorna om vad som är god anställningsbarhet för ekonomer och hur stor roll mjuka egenskaper spelar för anställningsbarheten. Frågorna uppstod i samband med den omstrukturering av ekonomutbildningen vid Karlstad Universitet som kommer ske i samband med att den nya handelshögskolan etableras. Vi tar även upp vår syn på hur Bolognaprocessen påverkar anställningsbarheten och ytligt hur rekryteringsprocessen är uppbyggd för att få en bättre förståelse för hur en anställning går till.</p><p> </p><p>I uppsatsen har vi redovisat de nio intervjuer vi genomfört med olika personer från olika företag och organisationer angående deras syn på anställningsbarhet och hur de värderar mjuka egenskaper. Med teori som grund har vi även valt att presentera en egen modell över vad vi anser är mjuka egenskaper.  </p><p> </p><p>Vår slutsats är att en god anställningsbarhet uppnås genom en slutförd ekonomutbildning i kombination med goda mjuka egenskaper. Det första steget är att ta sig till intervju och för att göra det behöver den arbetssökande ekonomen vara kvalificerad och ha en examen. Betygen spelar mindre roll. Bland de som tar sig till anställningsintervjun är det den sökande med bäst mjuka egenskaper som oftast får jobbet. Därför kan vi konstatera att mjuka egenskaper är en nyckelegenskap för att få jobb som ekonom och att det vore en bra idé att försöka införa det som ett koncept på den nya ekonomutbildningen. Vi anser också att skolan bör satsa på att erbjuda bra masterutbildningar istället för att lägga all kraft på att få erhålla en civilekonomexamen, då en masterexamen kvalitetsmässigt tycks väga minst lika tungt som en civilekonomexamen i Sverige.</p>

Arbetet bygger på frågorna om vad som är god anställningsbarhet för ekonomer och hur stor roll mjuka egenskaper spelar för anställningsbarheten. Frågorna uppstod i samband med den omstrukturering av ekonomutbildningen vid Karlstad Universitet som kommer ske i samband med att den nya handelshögskolan etableras. Vi tar även upp vår syn på hur Bolognaprocessen påverkar anställningsbarheten och ytligt hur rekryteringsprocessen är uppbyggd för att få en bättre förståelse för hur en anställning går till.   I uppsatsen har vi redovisat de nio intervjuer vi genomfört med olika personer från olika företag och organisationer angående deras syn på anställningsbarhet och hur de värderar mjuka egenskaper. Med teori som grund har vi även valt att presentera en egen modell över vad vi anser är mjuka egenskaper.     Vår slutsats är att en god anställningsbarhet uppnås genom en slutförd ekonomutbildning i kombination med goda mjuka egenskaper. Det första steget är att ta sig till intervju och för att göra det behöver den arbetssökande ekonomen vara kvalificerad och ha en examen. Betygen spelar mindre roll. Bland de som tar sig till anställningsintervjun är det den sökande med bäst mjuka egenskaper som oftast får jobbet. Därför kan vi konstatera att mjuka egenskaper är en nyckelegenskap för att få jobb som ekonom och att det vore en bra idé att försöka införa det som ett koncept på den nya ekonomutbildningen. Vi anser också att skolan bör satsa på att erbjuda bra masterutbildningar istället för att lägga all kraft på att få erhålla en civilekonomexamen, då en masterexamen kvalitetsmässigt tycks väga minst lika tungt som en civilekonomexamen i Sverige.

Behaving in a socially competent manner (i.e., interacting with other social actors in an effective manner by adjusting one’s goals and behaviours according to the demands of various social situations) is a complex process that requires various cognitive skills. The purpose of the current study was to determine the unique contributions of executive functions, theory of mind and verbal skills to socially competent behaviours in either a cooperative or a competitive context. The impact of manipulating children’s perspective-taking (e.g., taking the perspective of another person) on their socially appropriate behaviours was also investigated. Pairs of children completed a cooperative and a competitive social task together and were assigned to either focus on their own or another’s perspective. Children then completed measures of executive functioning, theory of mind, and verbal skills. Results revealed that executive functioning was related to more appropriate social behaviours in the cooperative task, even when controlling for theory of mind and verbal skills; however, this relation was not found in the competitive task. Furthermore, there was no significant effect of the manipulation of perspective-taking on children’s behaviours. These findings indicate that executive functions make a unique contribution to children’s socially competent behaviours in a cooperative social context.

Behaving in a socially competent manner (i.e., interacting with other social actors in an effective manner by adjusting one’s goals and behaviours according to the demands of various social situations) is a complex process that requires various cognitive skills. The purpose of the current study was to determine the unique contributions of executive functions, theory of mind and verbal skills to socially competent behaviours in either a cooperative or a competitive context. The impact of manipulating children’s perspective-taking (e.g., taking the perspective of another person) on their socially appropriate behaviours was also investigated. Pairs of children completed a cooperative and a competitive social task together and were assigned to either focus on their own or another’s perspective. Children then completed measures of executive functioning, theory of mind, and verbal skills. Results revealed that executive functioning was related to more appropriate social behaviours in the cooperative task, even when controlling for theory of mind and verbal skills; however, this relation was not found in the competitive task. Furthermore, there was no significant effect of the manipulation of perspective-taking on children’s behaviours. These findings indicate that executive functions make a unique contribution to children’s socially competent behaviours in a cooperative social context.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of North Texas, Dec., 2007. / Title from title page display. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 91-98).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1991. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 91-98). Also available in print.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references.

The present study used a multiple probe design to examined the effectiveness of a Behavioral Skills Training (BST) package that included a discrimination component for teaching two male adults with developmental disabilities pedestrian crossing skills. Each participant was evaluated on his ability to perform the step from a behavior checklist, and to discriminate between car present and car not present conditions. Results suggest the BST package was effective at improving both participants' ability to safely and independently cross the street, and that they maintained most of the skills learned during maintenance probes in actual city traffic. Teaching pedestrian skills that include hazard discrimination can lead to a more independent lifestyle for individuals with disabilities. Other implications, limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.