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The study aims to examine students' awareness and reported use of learning strategies as well as their effectiveness for word recognition using a word list memorization task. The sample included 1039 Grade 2, 1069 Grade 4, 832 Grade 6, and 3752 Grade 9 students (aged 8–15 years) from 272 Estonian schools. More students in higher grades reported using abstract grouping than students in lower grades. Students' evaluations of rehearsal and perceptual grouping were loaded onto theoretically expected factors, and evaluative statements tended to have similar meaning across all grades. Grade 9 students tended to evaluate abstract grouping higher and rehearsal lower than students in lower grades. Reported use of abstract grouping was related to higher word-recognition scores in Grades 4 and up; this trend was not evident in Grade 2. The word-list memorization task is one possibility to assess memorization strategies in basic school, and it can provide useful information to plan activities supporting students' development of effective usage of strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the research is to study the strategic management process in Georgia's hospitals. As part of the quantitative research, a survey of managers of hospitals was conducted using a pre-structured ques- tionnaire. A relatively small number of hospitals attended strategic planning lectures and pieces of training (13%), Only one hospital had a strategic planning committee (4.3%), 87% of hospitals had a documented strategic plan; Strategic planning was primarily engaged by the management board (69.6%), with doctors participating to a lesser extent (30.4%). Only 34.8% of hospitals develop their budget according to the strategic plan. Resources (43.5%), allocation of budget funds (47.8%) and identification of additional financial resources (47.8%) are not made in accordance with the goals of the strategic plan. Most hospitals are less likely to compare the evaluation results of goal achievement indicators with other hospitals (52.2%), and 43.5% report the values of actions taken to accomplish the strategic plan's goals to the hospital. Most of the hospitals rarely do benchmarking of other hospitals' goal-achieving measures (78.3%). Small number of clinics have a strategic management process that, as a consequence, affects their success in the healthcare market. Hospitals develop a strategy plan, but its implementation is poorly monitored and not based on scientific methods. It is reasonable for the state to impose a legal requirement that hospitals produce a written strategic plan. Providing educational training on the strategic management process in hospitals is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, globally existing low-carbon tourism strategies (LCTSs) are recognized and then ranked over fourteen different indicators relevant to SEE analysis (social (S), economic (E), and environmental (E) aspects) of sustainability. A comprehensive framework is proposed in which decision experts (DEs) are capable to assess linguistic values to give their decisions and contribute in the decision-making needs to rank the SEE aspects that affect the sustainable perspective of LCTSs. This paper therefore proposes an integrated decision-making framework considering the various conflicting indicators and SEE aspects of sustainability. In addition, treating of uncertainty and inconsistency for data, we consider a neutrosophic setting with the use of single-valued neutrosophic numbers (SVNNs). First, the MEREC (Method based on the removal effects of criteria) weighting procedure is applied to recognize the relative significance of the SEE aspects and their indicators. Second, the generalized Dombi operators are proposed and their elegant properties are discussed to obtain aggregated information of SVNNs. Third, MULTIMOORA method is used to prioritize alternatives. A case study considering six LCTSs is taken to approve the practicality of the introduced methodology, and comparison discussion is made to illustrate the benefits of the developed methodology. Sensitivity investigation is done to evidence the rationality and permanence of the proposed methodology with variations in indicators’ weights. The outcomes of the study offer valuable facts for low-carbon tourism experts and the outcomes of the case study specify that the LCTS-I is the optimum sustainable LCTSs with overall assessment degree of 0.208 after that LCTS-II with utility degree of 0.172.

In our research, we suggest a process theory for explaining the strategy assessment process and its effect in information systems (IS) planning. The proposed theory is derived from an analysis of practitioners and the practices they employ. Based on a multiple-case study design, we look at the IS management teams of three corporate IS departments and how they prepare for strategy development. The analysis of the projects reveals a stable pattern of activities employed by the three teams to assess their departments' strategic positions and existing strategy. Along with this procedural understanding, our research also produces a detailed look at the outcomes of these managerial practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When selecting and designing strategies in competitive environments, three potential sources of uncertainty must be taken into account: risks deriving from self-actions, risks emerging from states of nature and risks present in competitors' decisions. That is why a numerical model that considers one's competitors' actions is needed to develop value strategies, joint venture design and penalty analysis. This paper proposes a simple numerical Game Theory and Real Options model with multiple sources of underlying risk. The first part sets forth the mathematical basis of the model, illustrating its function with case valuations related to strategies where there is no collaborative agreement. Cooperation strategies and default monetary penalties are then valued, and finally the main conclusions are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The predominant context for strategy research over the last three decades has focused on language learning situated in a conventional classroom environment. Computer technology has brought about many changes in language learning and has become ecological and normalized rather than a supporting tool in the language classroom. Consequently, the landscape of language learning has been rapidly and largely changed with the normalization of technologies in people’s daily communication. The pervasive use of mobile technologies and easy access to online resources require that digital language learners understand and employ appropriate learning strategies for learning effectiveness and that their teachers are able and willing to teach these strategies as needed. This article provides an overview of the state-of-the-art research into technology-enhanced language learning strategies. The strategies under review include those for language learning skill areas, language subsystems, and self-regulated learning. At the end, we discuss the pressing issues that Digital Age language learning has posed to learners, teachers, and researchers and propose considerations for strategy research in digital realms.

Nowadays most of the large scale organizations have developed Strategies as a formal and critical document. Periodic assessment of strategy robustness and effeteness against the future uncertainties specifically in a dynamic and turbulent business environment is inevitable. Most of the traditional models mainly focused on the strategy assessment during or after strategy implementation. This paper proposes a practical, analytical and quantitative ex-ante strategy assessment model to evaluate the effectiveness of the formulated strategies in the context of futures study. In order to show the practically and usefulness of the proposed model an empirical study of the NIOC strategy is demonstrated. The results show the effectiveness of the NIOC strategies against future uncertainties.

The hyper-competitive nature of e-business has raised the need for a generic way to appraise the merit of a developed business strategy. Although progress has been made in the domain of strategy evaluation, the established literature differs over the ‘tests’ that a strategy must pass to be considered well-constructed. This paper therefore investigates the existing strategy-evaluation literature to propose a more integrated and comprehensive normative strategic assessment that can be used to evaluate and refine a business’ s competitive strategy , adding to its robustness and survivability.

An assessment framework for an evacuation warning based on regional evacuation modeling for toxic-cloud releases is provided in this paper, which considers the impact of evacuation-warning dissemination and the calculation of health consequences. The modeling of regional evacuation accounts for several actual phases of the evacuation process. A division called an evacuation unit is proposed in the building process of a regional evacuation network, and a method to quickly calculate the movement time through the evacuation unit is presented. The loading process of evacuation flow is proposed, making it possible to change pre-movement efficiency by adjusting the overall pre-movement time in evacuation analysis. Apart from the movement of individuals through the regional evacuation network, the processes of warning diffusion and evacuation preparation are considered based on the analysis of the required egress time. The proposed regional evacuation model is applied in the analysis and comparison of evacuation warning strategies in the case study. The simulation results show the correctness and effectiveness of the strategy-assessment framework for evacuation warning, and the method proposed in this paper can be used as a tool to assist in emergency early-warning decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nuclear energy is a very important component of overall power supply in France. If the effects of future extreme weather events or climate shifts are not addressed, energy systems will be highly vulnerable to extreme weather events or shifts in weather patterns, such as changes in precipitation. Because of the deep uncertainties involved in climate projections and response strategies, any strategy implementation should perform adequately regardless of which scenario actually materialises. In this paper, we analyse the effects of drought and heat wave in the French nuclear energy sector using the Strategy Robustness Visualisation Method. The key feature of the method is the modelling of uncertainty of the quantitative indicators by (min, max) values plotted on radar plots such that each strategy option’s performance can be visually inspected for robustness. The method can be utilised as a “module” of its own in different uncertainty management approaches. Based on the case study, the presented adaptation strategies “Maintaining industrial production and final demand” and “Smart grid infrastructure” were more robust than the “No planned or automatic adaptation”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of the teaching context is identified as an integral part of the training process that uses specific teaching strategies necessary to measure the students' competences. In education, the evaluation process is dynamic and is carried out in compliance with the principles and conditions governing professional ethics. In this framework, the research aims to analyze the role of modern evaluation strategies used by teachers in order to increase motivation for learning. The specific objectives of the research are: the identification of the level of students' perception of the importance of subjective factors and objective assessment in their learning motivation (SO1); identification of the level of seriousness perceived by students of the impact assessment in stimulating learning motivation (SO2). We have considered the following hypothesis: the working teacher evaluator importance in assessing using the objective factors alone increases students ' motivation towards learning (H1); subjective factors are influencing negative assessment students' motivation towards learning (H2); if the teacher assessor uses modern strategies for assessing, so students ' learning motivation is increased (H3). Research is quantitative. Research results have led to the following conclusion: contemporary strategies for assessing increases individual success for each student. This is justified in the context of the use of modern methods, assessment, enabling the transition from assessment of learning products to the assessment of student's cognitive processes during learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the role of strategic performance measures (SPM) in strategic decision-making and their impact on organizational performance. Based on 143 online survey responses from senior administrators across Canadian public organizations, the study found that SPM of efficiency and effectiveness are positively associated with performance, as well as, the former with both strategy implementation and strategy assessment decisions. The study extends prior research by linking both SPM and their use in strategic decision-making to organizational performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SWOT analysis is one of the most important tools for decision makers in the process of strategic management. This tool enables managers to identify internal and external factors affecting organizational strategy, so this analysis is a good tool for strategy formulation. SWOT analysis has shortcomings as well. It is not able to assess interdependencies among identified factors and only presents a list of qualitative factors and strategies. Researchers have developed different methods to quantify this technique but these methods have shortcomings. In this paper we have developed a fuzzy method for weighting formulated strategies. With this method, the ambiguity of the views of decision makers are considered in the model we have used FANP tecnique for taking interdependencies among factors and internal interdependencies of factors into account. The results of our technique are more accurate and realistic than other common methods like AHP because of considering interrelationships and uncertainty. Finally, the proposed model was tested in a case study of a communication services industry and the strategies were formulated and ranked.

The term «enterprise strategy» is used in most of the cases, but a company can have multiple strategies. The strategies build a «strategic system»; this implies the existence of non-randomly connections between the strategic options that are considered for each and every strategy. This article’s purpose is to identify the strategy types that a company needs in order to operate, resulting strategic options, how to identify these options and what methods are used to evaluate strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While medical professionals are superbly trained in treating patients, they are not often trained in quality improvement principles. In this article, the authors present a framework for strategy assessment commonly used in the business sector to identify areas for improvement and measure the improvement of interventions. This framework can be adapted to the medical field and used to improve the delivery of health care at a systems level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate how the importance of different components of strategic performance measurement systems (SPMS) and their deployment influence the use of performance information from the SPMS in making strategic decisions. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through a survey of 143 managers of Canadian public organizations. Findings – The findings indicate that two SPMS components, namely, the importance of non-financial performance measures and the use of operational efficiency measures, have significant positive associations with performance information use for strategy implementation and strategy assessment decisions. The extent to which SPMS models were used is found to be positively associated with performance information use for strategy implementation, but not for strategy assessment, decisions. Furthermore, the relationships between SPMS variables and strategic decision making are moderated by information systems/data limitations and management’s commitment to attaining strategic goals. Managerial skills acquired through training or experience with SPMS also contribute positively to such relationships. Research limitations/implications – The results are affected by limitations associated with the survey method used. Practical implications – The findings could be useful for supporting public policy, strategic decision making, public service improvement, operational efficiency, and effectiveness. Originality/value – The study contributes to public management and performance measurement literature by investigating multiple determinants of performance information use in a cross-section of Canadian public organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the losses caused by disasters and strengthening the construction of public security are the key measures for achieving sustainable development. The lack of public awareness of emergency preparedness poses a serious obstacle to the realization of this goal, and as a result of it, emergency management urgently needs to pay attention to disaster risk reduction (DRR) education. The selection of disaster risk reduction education strategies (DRRESs) is crucial for promoting DRR knowledge and cultivating the DRR ability of citizens. Therefore, this study proposes a comprehensive strategy evaluation method based on Dempster-Shafer theory (DST) and the MULTIMOORA method in a heterogeneous linguistic environment. To comprehensively evaluate the performance of DRRESs, an evaluation index system containing three levels of criteria is constructed, providing a powerful basis for strategy assessment. To flexibly express evaluators' cognition and judgement of strategies, this study allows evaluators to use various linguistic expressions. Furthermore, to calculation in the evaluation process convenient, different linguistic representations are unified as the basic probability assignment (BPA) in DST, and the effective aggregation of multi-expert information is realized based on the idea of evidence fusion. The MULTIMOORA method is introduced into the DST framework, and an evidential MULTIMOORA approach is proposed to realize the multi-dimensional evaluation of DRRESs from different perspectives. Finally, an empirical analysis of the proposed evaluation method is conducted with a practical DRRES selection problem as the case. The consistency of the evaluation results with the real selection illustrates the validity of this study. Furthermore, several management suggestions are proposed to improve the formulation and implementation of DRRESs through in-depth analysis of the evaluation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Turkish textile and apparel industry is losing ground as a global player. This forces it to make a careful future analysis to determine the road map ahead and to develop appropriate strategies. Since long term success heavily depends on the development and implementation of strategies that best respond to future requirements for achieving objectives, this study aims to develop strategies for the Turkish apparel industry and determine key strategies among them with a procedure that enables users to make a strategy assessment. For this aim, an approach involving scenario development and strategy appraisal is proposed and applied to the Turkish apparel industry. After describing the general framework of the application, main issues and findings are summarised for the industry and companies acting in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a four-month, mixed-methods, quasi-experimental case study investigating the effects of strategy instruction and use on success on oral interaction tasks among sixth graders (n = 54) in Québec, Canada. Two intact groups of participants from two schools served as a treatment group and a control group. Findings indicate that strategy awareness and use were enhanced following instruction. The treatment group showed statistically significant gains in oral interaction from pre- to post-test and outperformed the control group. Qualitative and quantitative data, including questionnaires and video-recordings, provided sources of evidence to support the findings of this investigation. This study has implications for the fields of research methods, language teaching pedagogy, learning strategies, and strategy instruction among children who are learning a second or foreign language. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article presents the assessment of the implementation of the Civil Servants' Training Strategy tbr 2007- 2010 in the Case of Telsiai District. Connections are determined by use of document analysis between goals and tasks outlined in the Civil Servants' Training Strategy for 2007-2010 and the trainings trends and priorities set by public sector institutions. Analysis of departmental statistics enabled assessment of the changes in the number of civil servants participating in training as well as the funding sources for civil servants in training. Expert interviews helped to perform the assessment of the strategy's implementation regarding the strategic goals of specific institutions which have to do with matters regarding the quality of civil servants' training and implementation of priorities and tasks. The assessment of the strategy was performed according to three criteria: service, result and effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National strategies to manage nuclear waste from commercial nuclear power plants are analyzed and compared. The current strategy is to try to operate a repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada, to dispose of high-level nuclear waste underground. The main alternatives involve temporary aboveground storage at a centralized facility or next to nuclear power plants. If either of these is pursued now, the analysis assumes that a repository will be built in 2100 for waste not subsequently put to use. The analysis treats various uncertainties: whether a repository at Yucca Mountain would be licensed, possible theft and misuse of the waste, innovations in repository design and waste management, the potential availability of a cancer cure by 2100, and possible future uses of nuclear waste. The objectives used to compare alternatives include concerns for health and safety, environmental and socioeconomic impacts, and direct economic costs, as well as equity concerns (geographical, intergenerational, and procedural), indirect economic costs to electricity ratepayers, federal government responsibility to manage nuclear waste, and implications of theft and misuse of nuclear waste. The analysis shows that currently building an underground repository at Yucca Mountain is inferior to other available strategies by the equivalent of $10,000 million to $50,000 million. This strongly suggests that this policy should be reconsidered. A more detailed analysis using the framework presented would help to define a new national policy to manage nuclear waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While medical professionals are superbly trained in treating patients, they are not often trained in quality improvement principles. In this article, the authors present a framework for strategy assessment commonly used in the business sector to identify areas for improvement and measure the improvement of interventions. This framework can be adapted to the medical field and used to improve the delivery of health care at a systems level.