Application of Structuration Theory and Activity Theory in Enterprise Resources Planning Systems Implementation for Universities

An integration of organization culture in the conceptualization and development of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems （ERPs） is critical for an organization to reap potential benefits of the system. In this paper, the authors present an analytical approach through the Structuration Theory： How a university can assess its culture for the purposes of design and development of the ERPs. The authors extend the Structuration Theory by integrating it with the Activity Theory to provide the means of evaluating the activities that the system is to perform. The modified Orlikowski model is applied to depict the relationship between institutional properties, human agents, and technology in the university setup and how this offers a more inclusive approach to ERP systems development and implementation.

Activity theory and second language acquisition

As recently as 1999, activity theory, one of the sub-theories of sociocultural theory, was described as ＂a well kept secret＂, now is one of the most popular theories in second language acquisition. In this article, the author will present a few research projects that adopt activity theory to investigate language learning, to show how activity theory brings new insights into language acquisition.

A study on the Application of the Activity Theory to Leaming Activity Design of MOOC in English Grammar Teaching

MOOC has become the topic of the education reform in recent years. From activity theory point of view, meaningful learning is an active, conscious, constructive, and socially medicated practice that includes reciprocal intention-action-reflection activities. This paper aims to try to give a MOOC learning activity design model in grammar teaching which tries to offer a reference for the MOOC teaching in grammar lesson.

Literature Review on Motivation and Activity Theory

Since more and more study is focusing on EFL and ESL teaching, new concepts and theories borrowed from other related fields come out. Rising in the 20th century, the conception of motivation comes from the sociocultural perspective of Vygotsky and has influential effect on English language teaching all over the world. This paper gives an overview on motivation and activity theory which are globally recognized in recent years.

The Concept of "Object" in Activity Theory and Its Application in Classroom Research:A Case Study of a Phonetics Course

Activity Theory （AT） has its philosophical roots in classical German philosophy, in the works of Marx and Engels, and in the Soviet Russian cultural-historical school of psychology （Engestrom, 1999）. AT and the Activity System （AS） model developed by Engestrom are widely used in a variety of fields in social sciences. In this paper, I consider how the AS model and the concept of ＂object＂ in particular can be adopted when researching the complexity and dynamics of teaching activity and its outcome on a phonetics course at a university in China. The findings indicate that varied ＂object＂ that each individual student is working at during the teaching and learning activities constitutes an important and direct factor leading to differentiated learning outcome in the phonetics course. A thorough examination of the relationship between the components of the AS reveals ways of narrowing the gap between the collective ＂object＂ that is constructed publicly and explicitly during the lesson and the individual ＂object＂ constructed silently and implicitly by each individual. The author argues that the closer the collective ＂object＂ is to the individual ones, the more rewarding a lesson will be to the majority of the students. Thus it is the teachers＇ responsibility to identify various individual ＂objects＂ and to bridge the gap between the collective and individual ＂objects＂ in order to improve the quality of classroom teaching and learning.

Integrating the valence theory and the norm activation theory to understand consumers’ e-waste recycling intention

Electrical and electronic waste(e-waste)is a growing challenge,matching the widespread boom in the use of information and communication technology.Opposite to an alarming increasing amount of e-waste,a low rate of consumer engagement in ensuring the proper disposal of such materials intensifies the pressure on the exist‐ing e-waste crisis.To deal with this thorny problem,it is of great interest to grasp consumers’disposal and re‐cycling behavioral intentions.Therefore,this study attempts to understand complementary perspectives around consumers’e-waste recycling intention based on the integration of the valence theory and the norm activation theory.Four data mining models using classification and prediction-based algorithms,namely Chi squared automatic interaction detector(CHAID),Neural network,Discriminant analysis,and Quick,unbiased,efficient statistical tree(QUEST),were employed to analyze a set of the 398 data collected in Vietnam.The re‐sults revealed that the social support value is by far the most critical predictor,followed by the utilitarian value,task difficulty,and monetary risk.It is also noteworthy that the awareness of consequences,education background,the ascription of responsibility,and age were also ranked as critical affecting factors.The lowest influential predictors found in this study were income and gender.In addition,a comparison was made in terms of the classification performance of the four utilized data mining techniques.Based on several evalua‐tion measurements(confusion matrix,accuracy,precision,recall,specificity,F-measure,ROC curve,and AUC),the aggregated results suggested that CHAID and Neural network performed the best.The findings of this research are expected to assist policymakers and future researchers in updating all information surround‐ing consumer behavioral intention-related topics focusing on e-waste.Furthermore,the adoption of data min‐ing algorithms for prediction is another insight of this study,which may shed the light on data mining applica‐tions in such environmental studies in the future.

The Role of Trait Activation Theory in Occupational Behavior:A Systematic Review

The Trait Activation Theory(TAT)is widely regarded as the most influential personality theory approach in psychology.The purpose of this study is to analyze the TAT’s role in the contemporary workplace.Which personality traits are more likely to predict work success?Which characteristics should businesses prioritize throughout the recruiting and selection processes?According to the Trait Activation Theory,what is the significance of motivation in the workplace and how can employers find employees who can be more productive,efficient,and involved in the organization’s goals?A systematic review of past recent research was used to answer the questions raised above.Following the gathering and examination of multiple recent publications on the issue,it was determined that the use of this model had a favorable impact on individual and group performance,working relationships,manager job performance,and workplace creativity.

System Assimilation of E-Skills in Tertiary Institutions to Empower Graduates in South Africa

The value of system assimilation is to improve working relationships between tutors and learners while increasing workflow efficiency among tertiary institutions with low operational costs. E-skills could be described as electronic education development, to assist ICT professionals to reach their future career goals and aim to help users boost their ICT skills. In a society that is expanding, it is also a crucial issue to take into account. Researchers have turned their attention to this topic because of its significance and contribution to the empowerment of graduates in digital education. Many scholars have proposed many methods for integrating e-skills into society with impressive results, but the rising rate of graduate unemployment in South Africa is gradually becoming a big worry in our society. A model based on Activity Theory (AT) and e-skills will be developed in our tertiary institution to equip graduates with skills that will increase their employability and provide more individualized work opportunities as part of this study’s effort to solve this issue. With the use of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and Cronbach’s Alpha for validity and reliability testing, the study will create an experimental performance to assess the approach taken to measure e-skills in tertiary institutions to empower graduates in South Africa. The study established that system development and e-skilled models for tertiary institutions are growing gradually, especially in South African institutions, that empower graduates with profitable employability with experiences to improve work operation in the industries. In conclusion, system development and e-skills are very demanding but important to empower graduate employability to determine competency in the professional workforce.

The New Foundation of Organizational Psychology.Trait Activation Theory in the Workplace:Literature Review

Trait Activation Theory(TAT)is a comprehensive examination of the personality-job fit and is based on the model of job performance.This theory’s main argument is how individuals express their personal traits when exposed to trait-relevant situational cues.The trait-relevant situation can be assessed through the cues that play a role in the manifestation of trait-relevant behaviors.The situational cues may originate from social,task,and organization.These cues may provoke or trigger the behaviors related to traits but not related to performance measures.The three central principles suggested in TAT are:(1)personal traits are expressed in the behaviors related to work as responses to the situation cues that are trait-relevant,(2)trait-relevant situation cues originate from social,task,and organization,(3)job performance and work behaviors that are trait expressive are distinct,with job performance to be discussed as valued work behavior.The research conducted and presented below includes articles that are in the majority of the last two decades and the findings suggest that TAT was reviewed usually against managerial roles and qualities.In some articles,TAT was also reviewed and researched together with other major personality theories to explain behavior.

Antitumor Activity and Theoretical Calculation of Evodiamine and Rutaecarpine

The antitumor activities of two alkaloids, evodiamine（EVO） and rutaecarpine（RUT）, against MCF-7, SMMC-7721 and SW-1353 cells growth in vitro were investigated by MTT assay. The results showed that the anti-tumor effects of two alkaloids were remarkably different. In order to discover the relationship of antitumor activity and structures of the compounds, the dihedral angle, Natural Electron Configuration, frontier molecular orbital profiles（HOMO, LUMO）and bandgaps of these two compounds have been studied based on density functional theory（DFT）by means of DFT-B3LYP/6-31G（d） in Gaussian 03. The calculation results of dihedral angle showed that EVO, due to the existence of methyl group attached to the N（14） atom, have non-planar and twisted structures, which decrease the stability of EVO and increase the activity of EVO. Furthermore, the bandgaps of RUT are lower than that of EVO, indicating RUT has higher stability than EVO, so the activity of EVO is higher than that of RUT. In addition, the negative charge of N14 atom in EVO is lower than that of in RUT, so the positive charge of N（14） atom in EVO is higher than that of in RUT, which suggests that the nucleophile is easier to aggress the N（14） atom in EVO than that in RUT, so the reason of the different antitumor activities of EVO and RUT may be attacked by nucleophile.

Theoretical Study on the C-H Activation in Decarbonylation of Acetaldehyde by NiL_2(L=SO_3CH_3) Using Density Functional Theory

Density functional theory calculations were carried out to explore the potential energy surface（PES） associated with the gas-phase reaction of Ni L2（L=SO3CH3） with acetone. The geometries and energies of the reactants, intermediates, products and transition states of the triplet ground potential energy surfaces of [Ni, O, C2, H4] were obtained at the B3LYP/6-311＋＋G（d,p） levels in C,H,O atoms and B3LYP/ Lanl2 dz in Ni atom. It was found through our calculations that the decabonylation of acetaldehyde contains four steps including encounter complexation, C-C activation, aldehyde H-shift and nonreactive dissociation. The results revealed that C-C activation induced by Ni L2（L=SO3CH3） led to the decarbonylation of acetaldehyde.

Value Generation through Integrated Teams： A Socio-Cognitive Approach

Value generation is defined as meeting client requirements while minimizing waste. Researchers concur on the issues related to sequential design in handling client requirements, and suggest the use of an integrated design approach as an alternative. Little has been said, however, about the impact of adopting integrated design＇s work organization to traditional design practice, processes and tools, nor about the importance of breaking down socio-cognitive barriers related to mental model fragmentation between design professionals, clients and users. This may result in cognitive inertia, a major source of waste. The objective of this research is to develop and test the introduction of boundary objects, such as new technologies, to the context of integrated teams and organizations to break the cognitive inertia that hinders value generation. The research is conclusive about the effectiveness of using boundary objects to transform practices in construction. This research also contributes to a better understanding of the new purposes of construction projects by framing its context and process dimensions within a theoretical framework, as well as to the evolution of practices in construction - and of practices that could be applicable to other fields.

Carbon Solubility and Mass Action Concentrations of Fe-Cr-C Melts

An empirical equation of carbon solubility in Fe-Cr-C melts is regressed based on the experimental data from references. Acalculating model of mass action concentrations for these melts is formulated on the basis of the coexistence theory of metaIlic melts in-volving compound formation, the phase diagram of Cr-C system as well as thermodynamic data of Fe-Cr-C melts. According to the mod-el, the standard Gibbs free energies of formation of CrC and Cr3C2 are obtained. Satisfactory agreement between the calculated and me-asured values shows that the model can reflect the structural characteristics of Fe-Cr-C melts.

Multi-wavelength emission from 3C 66A: clues to its redshift and gamma-ray emission location

The quasi-simultaneous multi-wavelength emission of TeV blazar 3C 66A is studied by using a one-zone multi-component leptonic jet model. It is found that the quasi-simultaneous spectral energy distribution of 3C 66A can be well reproduced; in particular, the first three months of its average Fermi-LAT spectrum can be well reproduced by the synchrotron self-Compton component plus external Compton component of the broad line region （BLR）. Clues to its redshift and gamma-ray emission location are obtained. The results indicate the following. （i） On the redshift： The theoretical intrinsic TeV spectra can be predicted by extrapolating the reproduced GeV spectra. Through comparing these extrapolated TeV spectra with the corrected observed TeV spectra from extragalactic background light, it is suggested that the redshift of 3C 66A could be between 0.1 and 0.3, with the most likely value being ~ 0.2. （ii） On the gamma-ray emission location： To well reproduce the GeV emission of 3C 66A under different assumptions on the BLR, the gamma-ray emission region is always required to be beyond the inner zone of the BLR. The BLR absorption effect on gamma-ray emission confirms this point.

Activity Recognition Based on RFID Object Usage for Smart Mobile Devices

Activity recognition is a core aspect of ubiquitous computing applications. In order to deploy activity recognition systems in the real world, we need simple sensing systems with lightweight computational modules to accurately analyze sensed data. In this paper, we propose a simple method to recognize human activities using simple object information involved in activities. We apply activity theory for representing complex human activities and propose a penalized naive Bayes classifier for performing activity recognition. Our results show that our method reduces computation up to an order of magnitude in both learning and inference without penalizing accuracy, when compared to hidden Markov models and conditional random fields.

Developing Chinese Undergraduate English-Majors’ Research Article Writing Competence

This paper describes a course designed to help Chinese undergraduate English-majors acquire competence in English research article （RA） writing. Such competence comprises three components： 1） discourse structure of an RA; 2） scientific thinking and reasoning; and 3） academic language. Participants were from one intact class of 28 senior English majors at a university in Shanghai. This course was experimental and designed to develop a scheme for teaching RA writing to the senior students in China. Students＇ RA writings throughout the semester were collected as the main data. Findings show that discourse knowledge, scientific thinking, and linguistic structure can be learned and transferred using these mediating tools： 1） the exemplars of sample RAs; 2） teacher＇s demonstration and feedback through mini-training sessions; and 3） analysis of genre and norms of RAs. The process-centered, theme-oriented and inquiry-based pedagogy adopted in the course may shed some light on English RA writing teaching practices to Chinese EFL learners.

How Chinese Teach Mathematics:Canadian Teachers’Perspectives

As part of a large reciprocal learning partnership project between Canada and China,this study explored Canadian teachers’perceptions of mathematics teaching in elementary schools in China.Using reciprocal learning and Activity Theory as the theoretical lens,we collected data,i.e.,classroom observations,group discussion,and informal exchanges from teachers in a pair of research sister-schools in Canada and China.Qualitative data analyses revealed four themes in Canadian teachers’perceptions of the characteristics of Chinese mathematics teaching:an active teacher-student interaction model of questioning-responding,a mathematical knowledge-package summary at the end of each lesson,integration of the history of mathematics into teaching,and the development and implementation of well-structured lessons.Contributions,implications,and limitations of the study in mathematics education and research are discussed.

Learning Language, Learning Culture: Teaching Language to the Whole Student

Purpose:This article develops a conceptualization of language pedagogy that engages the whole student.Instead of teaching language as if it were just a collection of grammar and vocabulary,we need to think about language as extending into many aspects of life and engaging whole people.Design/Approach/Methods:This article builds an original conceptualization of language learning and teaching that imagines language learning as a tool for developing whole people.It brings together research on learning culture through language,together with cultural-historical activity theory(CHAT),to develop a vision for language learning and human development.Findings:When we teach language,we should be helping people participate in ways of life.This goes beyond knowledge of subject matter,and it goes beyond any simple type of well-being.Language learning can immerse students in others’worlds,and it can foster empathy and understanding across social and political divides.But it can do so only if we base our research and pedagogy on an adequate account of language and culture.Originality/Value:In our rapidly changing,increasingly interconnected contemporary world,we need a more dynamic conception of culture than has typically been used to design language teaching and learning.This article draws on CHAT,especially the ideas of dialogue and critique,to develop an account of language pedagogy that can engage the whole student.

Fulfilling Set Objectives:A Case Study of Teacher Development in Two Primary Schools in Beijing

Purpose:This study aims to reveal the recent characteristics of school-based teacher development(STD)in China since it is perceived as a key measure to achieve success in raising educational quality in the country.Design/Approach/Methods:A qualitative research approach with in-depth interviews of 18 teachers at two primary schools in Beijing was used.Findings:Through the lens of cultural-historical activity theory(CHAT),it was observed that the objectives adaptation of teacher communities was made under the control of the District Education Bureau.STD provides the venue for ordinary teachers to learn,understand,and implement the teaching initiatives promoted by the district.Teacher communities at school level therefore implement continuous professional development initiatives promoted by Education Bureau teaching research officers.Originality/Value:This article argues that the administrative style of local government affected teacher community’s object,rules,and division of labor.It also contributes an indigenous interpretation of the CHAT theory.

A SUSTAINABLE PLATFORM FOR E-SERVICE SYSTEM DESIGN

By integrating system thinking and social psychology, this paper presents an Activity System Theory (AST)1 approach to the platform design of e-service systems in general, and e-healthcare systems in specific. In the first part, some important principles of AST and a sustainable model of human activity system are introduced. Then a project ‘Integrated Mobile Information System for Healthcare (IMIS)’ is presented to demonstrate how to construct a comprehensive platform for various complex e-service systems based on the sustainable model of AST. Our research focused on the complex e-healthcare system in Sweden, and the results showed that the model of AST can provide the designers of e-service system with a comprehensive and sustainable platform for designing various kinds of e-service systems.