Knowledge of the Earthquake and School Education in the Perspective of Active Citizenship

This paper presents part of a larger research on the consequences of an earthquake on the scholastic life of children aged 3-11. In May, schools abruptly closed due to the earthquake in Emilia Romagna and Lombardy （Italy）. Children and teachers fled from them, leaving school backpacks and books in the classrooms. Daily life was disrupted and the community gathered in tents set up by civil defence. Immigrant families returned to their countries of origin or shared life in the tent cities. The focus of theoretical sources of the research considers mainly： the vulnerability of the persons concerned; measures for risk reduction; environmental sustainability; community resilience; controversial human development between freedom of the person and economic globalisation. From methodological point of view, the interviews with teachers, school rectors, and citizens revealed the impact of the earthquake on community identity. Unexpected human solidarity and local responsible participation were part of the new educational plan of reconstruction based on hope, active citizenship, and historical memory.     

Stand Above Reality Look Over It——On the Symbiosis of Chinese Culture and Science Fiction

This article presents both traditional Confucian vision of the human living and the new trend in the late development of science fiction criticism.It concludes that science fiction is a powerful tool to reconsider our human society,and only under this presupposition can we find a suitable way for the development of science fiction in Confucian China.     

The ban on virginity testing

The world is characterised by the conflict existing between human rights and customary practices. Customary laws and practices appear to be in major and difficult conflict to harmonise. It differs from country to country as to one must be applied when the two are in conflict or contrary to each other. Virginity testing is one of the practices which grabs a lot of attention in conflicting with human rights from country to country. The harmonization of customary laws and human rights is not given the attention it seeks by authors around the world.     

Sufism, spirituality and sustainability： Rethinking Islamic mysticism through contemporary sociology

People are looking for therapeutic ways to deal with the damaging rhythms and handicaps of modem life styles which threaten the physical, social and psychological endurance of human-beings. Reconsideration of＂old＂ philosophies, ancient wisdom and spiritual/mystical paths in a contemporary context was among the solutions that were launched to overwhelm the modem sense of alienation in the second half of 20th century and this tendency is still going on nowadays at the first decade of 21 st century. Sufism has been one of the traditions from which modem individuals expected answers to their ontological dilemmas produced in daily life by the society, social relations, media and finally by themselves. The purpose of this paper is to discuss sociologically whether Sufism, the mystical, peaceful and tolerant way of Islam could be an answer to the social problems of modem societies. What is the social alternative of Sufi traditions regarding the contemporary issues such as： Social and technological alienation, sustainable development and environmental/ecological crisis？ This paper is an attempt to emphasize the possibilities of Sufism beyond spirituality, with a discussion based on the sociological conception of the subject.     

Economics and the Practice of Human Action： The Legacy of the Austrian School

Economics is the youngest of all sciences. Its task is to identify the secondary consequences, but it requires a perception of general consequences, including effects which are brought by an implemented or proposed economic policy not only to a certain special interests in short periods of time but also to a general interest for long periods, which somewhat contradicts the assumptions of many economic doctrines. Thus, the current state of economics or management science is difficult to be called autonomic. Economists ＂have opened＂ the domain previously reserved for ＂hard indicators＂ on the human aspects of the assessment of effectiveness. What is more, the discovery of regularity in the sequence and independence of market phenomena, in particular, a markdown role of the ＂invisible hand of the market＂ and ＂government interventionism＂ put into question the validity of the dogmas of traditional British or American schools, as a consequence of the operation of schools with the teaching of economics. This paper is the attempt to show the failure of the most popular scientific economical schools, including neoclassical ones in the area of human performance, comparing with Austrian School principles.     

Analysis on the Human Resource Management in Chinese Agricultural Sector： Case Study From State-Owned Farms in Heilon~iang Province

The aim of this paper is to understand and clarify the strategies, characteristics, and practices of human resource management （HRM） in Chinese agricultural sector from the case study of state-owned farms in Heilongjiang Province. First of all, the technical efficiency of state-owned farms is analyzed using Data Envelopment Analysis （DEA）. Secondly, the characteristics of HRM in three farms are analyzed through person to person interview of managers in farms. Thirdly, questionnaire survey to the employees in two farms for their job satisfaction is analyzed for understanding the effect of HRM. Following results are obtained based on the empirical analysis. Firstly, by introducing new strategy so-called ＂Baiqianwan Talents Project＂ （BTP）, more attentions to the importance of human resources and cultivating managers have started to be paid in state-owned farms. Secondly, the importance of material HRM and the promotion opportunity as well as learning opportunity are recognized through questionnaire survey to the employees of farms. Thirdly, different corporate culture in each farm such as ＂learn by doing＂, ＂harmonization＂, and ＂development＂ is attempted to be established through trial and error.     

Factors that affect training effectiveness at semiconductor wafer fabrication industry in Malaysia

One of the key issues for Malaysian companies is about developing and retaining its resources. This is the fact that rapid changes in the organizations need to develop a more focused and coherent approach to develop and manage people （Kirkpatrick, 1979）. The fast-changing business environment and increasingly intense competitive environment require the ability on the part of human resource （HR） professionals to adapt to more challenging environment. Specifically, the human resource management practice of organizations needs to develop the appropriate role behavior and yet develop the necessary amount of flexibility to respond to change （Schuler, 1989; Hiltrop, Despres ＆ Sparrow, 1995）. The senior management must consider the importance of providing training to the people by understanding and believing that training is one of the important factors in organizational effectiveness. For technological based industry such as in wafer fabrication, the technical training for technical staff is very crucial. Hence, the HR manager must really outline the required training programs that focus to the outcomes as well as measure the effectiveness of the training. Factors that contribute to the training effectiveness must be put into serious consideration so that the amount invested into training is benefited. As such, the objectives of this paper are to review and reveal the factors that affect the training effectiveness. The scope of this research covers the Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication Companies in Malaysia.     

Language Disparity Cost,Human Capital,and Earnings Differences for Immigrants

This research reports the degree to which English-language proficiency （EP） determines earnings among immigrants to the United States using a more nuanced measure of EP than employed in previous studies. It obtains direct and indirect （through human-capital transfer） estimates of the impact of EP on earnings using nonlinear least squares （NLS） to estimate an earnings function with separate arguments for schooling and experience obtained before and after immigration to the United States. It found that immigrants with the highest level of EP earn on average over 16.3% more than those with the lowest proficiency level. The increment in earnings associated with an additional pre-education degree for higher education level when the English proficiency is improved. So destination language proficiency will improve higher level of human capital transferable to destination labor market. In contrast, associated with additional one post degree of education, the relation between post human capital and English proficiency is still ambiguous even though there is complement in generating earnings for post working experience.     

（Re）Integrating spirituality into higher education

This article examines the issue of accountability and governance among higher learning institutions in discharging their duties to inculcate good behaviour and mould their graduates into human business leaders. In order to appreciate the role of higher education and the requirement of the market place for graduates, we go backward in origin into the past to learn the education philosophy that has shaped today＇s vocation. The distinctiveness of this article is that we review the advances in the science of quantum physics to understand the current worldview of reality. The way forward for higher learning institution to reintegrate spirituality in molding young generation who actualize authentic leadership and rightness-of-action founded upon the interconnectedness model of the universe is deliberated.     

Model of Legal Framework for Soil and Aquifer Protection in Mesoamerican Countries

In response to the interest of Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panam/t, and Dominican Republic governments, members of the Mesoamerica Project, in developing a common approach for the regulation of the integral management of hazardous materials and wastes contaminated sites, learning from Mexico＇s experience in the field, a systematic review of key legislations to support it in each country was developed, having in mind the right to a healthy environment as a human right. Particular attention was paid to the crucial factors to consider for the effective application of the intended regulation, regardless of the differences on the particular legal regimes in each country.     

Spiritual Support： Media＇s Responsibility in an Aging Society Case Study of＂News Decoded＂

After decades of rapid economic growth, China has been increasingly confronted with the aging society issue. The unique one-child policy and unbalanced development between the urban and the rural have brought drastic changes in elder care. The lack of elder care professionals and the deceased-single-child families have attracted public attention through media reports. Increasing concerns of elderly emotional care are considered as a good sign for Chinese society. To treat elders well is the new goal to achieve of high quality life. Nevertheless, the improvement of qualification of media reports has been limited by many factors, such as the incapability to resolve complex issues, the lack of applicability of recommendations, and the short of professional reporters. Governments and media need to work together to turn the slogan of respecting elders into actions. Journalists should learn experience from their foreign peers and deliver the new approaches and ideas of respecting elders to the entire society, to enhance the quality of lives of elders, and to create a better public opinion environment. High-quality news coverage will play an important role in the improvement of quality of elders＇ lives.     

The role of educational strategies in human development： An example of using key word method in teaching Arabic as a second language in Malaysia

This paper is an attempt to discover and recognize the important role of educational strategies in developing human capital in which they become positive agents of human society, such as academic achievement, intellectual abilities, interpersonal skills and also self-esteem. These will be measured using a survey instrument that classifies learning performance via test scores, to test the hypothesis that learning a language will lead to comparable positive self-development, but indirected language learning will affect academic achievement negatively. Therefore, key word methods in learning Arabic language will be used as directed Arabic language learning to measure the significant correlation to both academic and non-academic development of the learners in which the effectiveness of mnemonic strategy in vocabulary memorization is associated with the self-consciousness and personal psyches of the learners. Consequently, they appreciate the knowledge and values they gained from their learning activities, which help them to perform better than students who did not use this type of learning strategy in learning Arabic language. Teachers, on the other hand, would also able to observe the important impact of Arabic language learning on learners＇ academic performance and personality development. Therefore, education is simply a process of acquiring a new knowledge in creating an environment in which students and teachers learn something for themselves.     

On the construction of ecological government

This paper mainly analyzes the meaning of ecological government, the current difficulties faced by China in constructing eco-govemment, and the theory and specific policy proposals in building eco-government. Its purpose is to look for the effective path of reconstructing the harmony between human and nature.     

Continuous development in organizations Romanian model

This paper presents the results of an experimental study applied on an average level company, sales/distribution profile, from Mutes County, Romania. The study analyzes the role of formative intervention in the development of a positive organizational environment in an organization. Following the results of this experiment and especially the results that confirm the importance of formative intervention in the development of human resources, the improvement of communication and professional motivation, a nonrefundable financed phare project has been initiated and implemented within the organization-the center of developing and training the human resources from selling-it＇s goal being the development of an ensemble of training services for the company＇s personnel and the development of a human resource consultancy network for other similar companies. The last part of this paper briefly describes the main activities and results of this project. All the elements that we have deciphered during the implementation of the project and also the conclusions of the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the experiment＇s results, determine us to support continuous professional development in organizations, which, as proved, can improve communication in the organization, maintain the personnel on a high level of motivation, increase professional and personal performance and efficiency, also can lead to self-awareness and auto-implication, satisfaction with the accomplished work.     

The idea of the legal regulation of war and its origin

The subject matter of the analysis in this paper is jus in bello and the very possibility of its existence. On the face of it, the concept that in the event of the outbreak of hostilities, the use of force against one＇s opponent should be somehow regulated and limited, which is stranger, and its origin is more difficult to explain, than the concept that human societies should live together in peace or that wars should only be begun on some ethical or legally acceptable grounds. It is likely that limits on the use of force, or at least pressures to keep it within a ritualized framework, are property of human beings that enabled our ancestors to live together as social animals. Something similar would have been applied for groups of such beings. Even though the tendency to regulate the use of force in war has existed in the earliest times, this is not a simple task and sets against this effort there are a number of factors that encourage the freest use of violent methods and weapons： The war is a serious business and the desire to win at all costs is very strong, the logic of war leads the combatants to employ all the forces that can be freed from elsewhere and make use of all available advantages and means, a combat is an emotional mater not only rational, etc. Against these forces, the factors that work in favor of the legal regulation of the use of force are： The existence of at least a basic common identity, a situation in which war does not have the characteristics of total war, ear of reprisals by the enemy, the principle of proportion of force used to the objectives, the existence of an approximately comparable moral code and warrior code of honor on both sides, and the need to legitimize war. The extent to which a given war will abide by legal regulation of the use of force depends on the result of the balance of the opposing factors listed above.     

The Role of Latvian Student Clubs and Associations in Citizenship Education

At the beginning of the 21st century, a new situation has developed in Latvia as a result of social and economic transformations. Along with the formation of civil society, issues concerning the social, legal, and spiritual life of student population have come to the foreground. There can be observed new features of behavioural culture and standards of thinking, readiness to live in a democratic environment. The young generation perceives freedom and equality as necessary preconditions for varied activities, as an opportunity for individual＇s self-actualization. The institutions of higher education play an important role in the formation of social consciousness and serve as the environment for the development of citizenship. One of the most important subjects of educational environment is the aggregate of various student interest groups and clubs, the main purpose of which is to promote students＇ readiness to live in civil society by developing students＇ creative potential and public administration skills. The aim of the article is to study, analyse, and evaluate the experience of various student clubs and associations in the institutions of higher education in Latvia aimed at the development of citizenship.     

Human Resources in Public Administration in the Czech Republic

This paper informs about results of a research taking place within an internal grant of College of Polytechnics Jihlava, which is aimed at examining the efficiency in public administration from the point of view of the office workers. The research is divided into three stages which were proceeding gradually in large organisations of public administration carrying out self-government as well as state government in figurative effect. The research took place in the form of questionnaires, which were given to randomly chosen workers of the offices, and these anonymously answered 60 questions were divided into six topics： human resources, organizational capital, information capital, customer capital, performance measuring, and innovation capital. The respondents assessed the situation in the office using their own judgement. The aim of this paper is to inform about the results of this research especially from the point of view of human capital, organizational capital, and social capital in organisations of public administration.     

China＇s Energy Efficient Appliance Adoption Dilemma： Problems,Possibilities, and Solutions

With the world＇s largest population and growing concerns that increasing energy consumption threatens the environment, the economy, and social stability, the Chinese Government has identified improving the physical environment as a priority. One way consumers can assist in this effort and save money is to invest in energy efficient appliances. Despite efforts to encourage consumers to purchase energy efficient appliances, consumer adoption of these money and energy saving devices is quite low. The authors contend that energy efficient appliances are less popular in China than in the West due to poor marketing of the cost savings of these devices coupled with lower levels of purchases with credit versus cash. A survey given to Chinese consumers seeks to answer these queries and provides evidence of ways to improve the adoption of energy efficient appliances. This benefits manufacturers （who make money selling more expensive items）, consumers （who save money over the life of the appliance since the cost of ownership is not just the cost of purchasing the item but also includes the cost of using it）, the Chinese Government （which is currently engaged in a campaign to lower the amount of energy used）, and the world （which benefits from a cleaner environment）.     

Normative Stakeholder Theory in Local Public Services in Italy： Ethical Profiles and Effectiveness Management

It is well-known that stakeholder theory plays a unique role among management theories due to its focus on the moral foundations of business. Under this theory, managers should always act in the interests of the stakeholders, and their actions should reflect the liberal notions of autonomy, solidarity and fairness. Normative stakeholder theory is usually linked to philosophical ethics. Whereas some authors see stakeholder theory as applicable to the private sector alone, normative stakeholder theory has found its way into debate on the public administration, because a number of studies affirm that it can contribute to the effectiveness of public organization. On this basis, this work analyses local utilities that are now one of the areas where citizens can better assess government policy in terms of quality of life and the satisfaction of their basic needs by evaluating their ethical behaviour. Thus, it may well be interesting to analyse some of the behaviour patterns of local utility entities to verify the link between ethics and the efficient use of resources that assumes special significance in this context because the two elements have to coincide in order to obtain true fairness. Therefore, using a deductive-inductive methodological approach, the study begins by analysing the different normative concepts of stakeholder theory, to find the possible normative core best suited to this context. In the second part, it examines the ethical behavior of local utility entities to make a comparison with the previous normative stakeholder theory. This study will also be a useful starting point for future empirical research.     

English literacy： Consuming the Kapampangan oral antecedent

This paper discusses the effects of American colonial rule on the cultural life of the Kapampangans and inhabitants of the province of Pampanga. The colonial masters, who seemed to deliberately marginalize the local language of the community and succeeded in eventually arresting its natural development. The American policy to ＂educate＂ the Filipinos resulted in the waning of the Kapampangan language and literature. A brief overview of Kapampangan literary history will be given to emphasize the folk tradition, the oral nature of Kapampangan verbal art as well as the worldview and ethos of the people embedded in their literature. To be mentioned are two Kapampangan writers, Crisostomo Soto and Jose Gallardo, who represented the periods during and after the American regime respectively. Each responded to his time and scene; both struggled against the most powerful colonial machine which was the English language. They were aware that this medium and its message were one, and that their own language would, sooner or later, be a lost medium and a lost message. The shift from orality to literacy, as a consequence of western education, will also be discussed. In particular, the reaction of Kapampangan verbal artists to the reductive pressure exerted by literacy upon their literature will be focused.