Australian chief executives, human resource managers, line managers, and employees rated aspects of learning organizations using a benchmarking model. Results show that Australian organizations are increasingly committed to adopting and implementing learning organization principles. Organizations can use the 10-principle model to identify the…

Discusses benchmarking--finding and implementing the best practices--in business and industry and describes a model that can be used in vocational-technical education. Suggests that benchmarking is a tool that can be used by vocational-technical educators as they strive for excellence. (JOW)

Examination of 66 congruence studies, including benchmarking studies with improved methodology, showed that congruence is a sufficient though not a necessary condition for job satisfaction. A paradigmatic shift is needed with diverse research designs and methods, emphasizing experiment and drawing on person-environment psychology. (Contains 142…

Content analysis of 84 syllabi from information technology courses in accredited business schools and responses from 36 faculty identified 18 key topics for core courses. Course attributes and assessment methods differed for graduate and undergraduate courses. Over half the courses on both levels used teamwork. (SK)

"Benchmarks" and "Standards" describe science in terms that seem to emphasize tentative, local knowledge while at other times emphasizing stable, universal knowledge. Presents an overall picture of science to be one of modern realism, and shows how the postmodern relativist could select statements that paint a scene as…

Presents the 2000 American Society for Training and Development State of the Industry Report, examining 1,200 organizations in terms of how many employees receive training, how much training they receive, how much is spent on training, and how much training is delivered via learning technologies. (JOW)

Explores three examples of benchmarking by college student unions. Focuses on how a union can collect information from other unions for use as benchmarking standards for the purposes of selling a concept or justifying program increases, or for comparing a union's financial performance to other unions. (EV)

Focusing on Irish high-tech start-ups, this paper reports on the results of an empirical study of organization building by entrepreneurial firms, specifically in relation to human resource practices. The research findings are benchmarked with findings from SPEC, the Stanford Project of Emerging Companies (Baron and Hannan, 2002). Human resources…

A considerable sum of money is allocated to UK universities on the basis of Research Assessment Exercise performance. In this paper we analyse the two main funding models used in the United Kingdom and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. We suggest that the benchmarking used by the two main models have significant weaknesses, and propose an…

This paper examines the use of educational standards and benchmarks in international indicator and other relevant policy publications, particularly those originating in the UK. The authors first examine what is meant by educational standards and benchmarks and how these concepts are defined. Then, they address the use of standards and benchmarks…

This paper discusses using action learning with different professional groups in the UK--nurses and educators. It addresses the question: To what extent is action learning an effective approach in relation to professional development, and, if so, in what way/s? The formulation and developmental processes of action learning sets are examined. The…

Presents the findings from a study of 48 Colleges of Further Education (FE) who have participated in a diagnostic benchmarking exercise using the learning probe methodology. Learning probe has been developed from the established service probe tool (developed originally by London Business School and IBM Consulting) to support colleges of FE in…

The Massachusetts Department of Education's Accountability and Targeted Assistance (ATA) Center maintains and manages the state's School and District Accountability System. Results from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) are used to identify public schools and districts that are likely to require state intervention in order…

Stimulating innovative and growth-oriented entrepreneurship is a key economic and societal challenge to which universities and colleges have much to contribute. This book examines the role that higher education institutions are currently playing through teaching entrepreneurship and transferring knowledge and innovation to enterprises and…

Which comprehensive school reform programs have evidence of positive effects on elementary school achievement? To find out, this review summarizes evidence on comprehensive school reform (CSR) models in elementary schools, grades K-6. Comprehensive school reform models are programs used schoolwide to improve student achievement. They typically…