Volume 09, Number 01 & 02, 2012

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10361/2600

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Now showing 1 - 8 of 8

The state of food security in Bangladesh : an econometric analysis
(BRAC University, 2012) Akhter, Yesmin; Rahman, Pk. Md. Motiur
The main concern of this paper is to examine the food availability, self-sufficiency rate and food gap situation in Bangladesh. Attempt has been made to estimate food gaps between production and requirement for the last ten years. Future productions of rice and wheat have been forecasted by using appropriate econometric methods such as ARIMA and Holt’s linear smoothing parameter approach. Forecasting of future food grain availability, food grain requirement and food gaps between production and requirement from 2007/08 to 2015/16 has been made. Finally some recommendations which would be helpful for improving the food security situation in Bangladesh have been suggested.
Study of transfer free graphene formation
(BRAC University, 2012) Roy, Sajib; Galib, O.F.M Abdul
The method of using CVD or Chemical Vapor Deposition [1-2] in the formation of graphene synthesis has recently progress quite a lot. The material shows exceptional electronic properties and also characterizes suspended graphene resonators. But the fabrication of this material involves the transfer of graphene from its copper catalyst to the required substrate using wet chemical etching method. This transfer procedure introduces metal residues, wrinkles and holes in the graphene. These issues are necessary to be dealt with and hence provide the need for a transfer-free fabrication method for suspended graphene, using CVD method. In this paper we fabricate suspended graphene without the use for any transfer technique. It can be grown both using a catalyst like thin copper films, and non-catalyst like directly on a dielectric substrate. Such a fabrication procedure includes the growth of graphene by CVD followed by the deposition of Au/Ti electrodes defined by e-beam lithography (ebl). Later on there will be graphene etching using oxygen plasma. The structures in the end are made suspended by chemically etching the substrate layer at the top and later on dried.
The young entrepreneurs in Dhaka : reasons to be an entrepreneur & hurdles to overcome as an entrepreneur
(BRAC University, 2012) Ahmed, Rahnuma; Shams, Aditi; Rony, Md. Nazmul Kabir
This study highlighted several aspects of young entrepreneurs. It aims at presenting the profile of young entrepreneurs, identifying the major reason to start their own business at younger age and pinpointing the foremost obstacles they faced in doing the business. The study was conducted on 50 young entrepreneurs of Dhaka city. The profile of the young entrepreneurs presents the information related to their age and marital status when they started the business, academic profile, career plan, and, types and ownership status of their business. The study identified that positive motivations such as independence, higher monetary return, creativity, etc. played major role to start their own business at younger age. It also reveals that young entrepreneurs face several youth-specific problems in starting and doing their business such as, lack of access to capital and credit, lack of trust among supplier and customers, lack of family support, lack of experiences and skill, etc. The findings of the study have some important implications for the researchers in the area of entrepreneurship and the policy maker.
An investigation on the use of metacognitive language learning strategies by Bangladeshi learners with different proficiency levels
(BRAC University, 2012) Paul, Pankaj
This study explores the use of metacognitive strategies by Bangladeshi English language learners. The number of total participants in this study was 100 students, 50 at the high proficiency and 50 at the low proficiency level, who were studying English for Academic Purpose courses at the Centre for Languages (CfL), BRAC University. The metacognitive section of Oxford’s Strategy Inventory of Language Learning (SILL) (1990) was administered to investigate the pattern of the use of metacognitive strategies by the participants. The study discovered that students with low proficiency English language skills use metacognitive strategies more frequently than students with high proficiency skills, and students of both low and high proficiency are frequent users of metacognitive strategies. The findings of this study will help both researchers and language teachers to understand the pattern of metacognitive language learning strategy use by Bangladeshi learners with different proficiency levels.
Cultural communication through social media and the second or foreign language learning
(BRAC University, 2012) Nasrin, Nipa
Foreign or second language learning can be enhanced through the interaction with the target language and cultural context. However, it has always been a great difficulty to create the authentic cultural exchange which can give students a chance of experiencing the target language. For culture based language learning, social media can be a great tool. First, direct communication with the target culture and language will keep the students motivated and give them better language skills and critical literacy. This authentic interaction will ultimately increase their reading, writing and sociocultural knowledge. Second, the interrelation between reading, writing, speaking and the need of critical literacy in learning a language can be emphasized through the use of social medias. Finally, different content-based email or internet projects are important but teachers’ role in making those effective is of prime importance. Teachers have to design the courses considering the benefits and the problems of using internet communication, along with the ways to facilitate the cultural/critical literacy through different later activities. In general, the need of cultural communication in language learning and in achieving critical literacy is undeniable.
Enhancing learners' English language proficiency through service learning : an investigation on BRAC University perspective
(BRAC University, 2012) Rahman, Md. Mahbubur
Service Learning concept shows the positive impacts on the active engagement of English language teachers as well as learners in creating appropriate scope for making a learning community both inside and outside the classroom. The students are perfectly connected to community service with the direct use of their integrated language skills unlike the traditional classroom teaching. Considering that fact, learners are put in real life situations to experience language skills so that instead of learning English, the learners have the scope for language acquisition. With a view to ensuring that principle, BRAC University has incorporated Starboard activity, English Week observance etc. as parts of integration between two academic courses: English and Ethics. This paper shows the impacts of these service-learning activities in improving the skills of language learners through investigating as well as carrying a message: “Serve to Learn”. After gathering data, SPSS copyright version 14 computer packages and Microsoft Office Excel 2007 version have been used to assess them.
Information system adoption and usage: validating UTAUT model for Bangladeshi SMES
(BRAC University, 2012) Mursalin, Md. Jabir Al
Small and medium enterprises (SME) are an integral part of any country’s economy. Therefore, their existence, operational efficiency and effectiveness must be ensured. Implementation of information system (IS) in business value chain allows organizations to enhance this efficiency thus enables organizations to grow and sustain. This research explores 255 Bangladeshi SMEs to conceptualize current trend of IS usage and validates four constructs of unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to explain IS adoption behavior. The outcome of the study shows that, though a number of Bangladeshi SME’s are exposed to computer based IS, their usage, in most cases, are limited to operational level of activities. SMEs are also less concerned about the further development of IS and allocated a minimum budget for IS development. It is also found that the adoption and usage of IS by the Bangladeshi SMEs are strongly influenced by performance efficiency, effort efficiency and facilitating condition and moderately influenced by social influence.
A perspective on critical thinking, debate, higher education in Bangladesh
(BRAC University, 2012) Fatima Tuz Zahra
The aim of higher education is to pursue learning for its own sake and to develop specialist skills. However due to market pressure higher education institutions in Bangladesh and across the world have had to focus on practical skills rather than inculcating a desire for knowledge. There is more emphasis to secure jobs than making students curious about knowledge and learning. Alongside this pragmatic approach there is a lot of importance given to critical thinking skills in the higher education curriculum. However, despite its centrality in the curricula most academic institutions follow a simplistic form of teaching critical thinking skills, which focus on the skill of breaking down arguments into its parts and ignores modes of thought which might facilitate solutions. This paper looks at the elements of critical thinking as it applies to the educational practices in higher education institutions in Bangladesh, and how the classical art of rhetoric, manifested in the extracurricular activity of debate, functions towards rote reproduction rather than initiating the process to think critically.

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