Matthew MacDonald

Group work and the change of obstacles over time: The influence of learning style and group composition:

It is through working in groups that students develop cooperative learning skills and experience. However, group work activity often leads students into a difficult experience, especially for first-year students who are not familiar with group work activities at university. This study explores obstacles faced by first-year students during their group work activities. It investigates whether a group of students with a similar learning style (homogeneous group) experience different obstacles compared to a group of students with a diverse learning style (heterogeneous group). In addition, to identify the difference, if any, between a group formed by a tutor and one where the students form the group themselves, tutor and self-allocated group allocations are explored. This study focuses on obstacles experienced by these students during group work activities. Using a sample of more than 200 students over a period of 3 years, the types and the changes of obstacles in different stages of group life are explored. The findings show that students experience obstacles which can be classified into personal and social, leadership and management, and task-related obstacles. Those obstacles were not static but increased over time. The study also investigates the impact of different methods of forming groups and whether this impacted on obstacles experienced. Overall, different interventions prompted different patterns of obstacle development.

The open source guild: creating more sustainable enterprise?

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on an action research project with two emergent micro-businesses that explored how their business model connected with the principles of open source. Design/methodology/approach The authors first gained initial qualitative data to establish the core values of each micro-business, which the authors then explored in the context of open source and business models in two design workshops with each organisation. Findings The authors developed the open source guild business model, which has the elements of: building a focal micro-business with resources secured through the guild, promoting learning and development through apprenticeship, promoting shared values through a commons of experience and capturing value by protecting key intellectual property. Research limitations/implications This research was undertaken with two emergent micro-businesses in the North West of England. Further research will be needed to establish the wider applicability of the open source guild model. Practical implications The open source guild model can be a mechanism for an emergent micro-business to create a community around their values and grow their business without conventional external investment of resources. Originality/value This research contributes to the literature on business models based on open source and how these models can be sustainable in terms of the quadruple bottom line, which extends the triple bottom line to include personal values and meaning.

The Application of BIM as Collaborative Design Technology for Collective Self-Organised Housing

Collective Self-Organised CSO housing projects are an emerging trend in Europe. In these projects communities engage in co-design throughout the process. Little knowledge exists that can support CSOs with the process of managing their projects by using state-of-the-art building information BI technologies. The authors introduce a BI supported CSO housing design process that can support CSOs through all stages in the design process, from early conceptual location planning through to selection of interior finishing. They illustrate the project using a demonstrative illustration of a CSO housing design process. The paper will concentrate on the development of innovative Collaborative Design Technology CDT solutions. The tools will be demonstrated on the basis of an illustrative demonstration case in which the CSO-process is combined with an IFD Industrial, Flexible and Durable building system. The particular advantages for architectural design practice will be highlighted throughout and gaps in the literature addressed.

Drowning in the Seas of Social Enterprise: A Model of Competing Legitimacies

Social enterprise models are increasingly being adopted by charitable organizations. Adoption of social enterprise has been associated with ‘mission drift’ and may represent a threat to organizatio...