The growing importance of learning as the key competition criterion obliges companies to undertake holistic and integrated restructuring to maintain or improve their market position. Such a renewal approach includes a focus on innovation as a strategic goal, intelligent use of modern ICT, development of decentralised organisation forms,…

The Good Behavior Game (GBG), a type of interdependent group-oriented contingency management procedure, was first introduced in 1969 and has been used with overwhelming success in classrooms and other settings. Since its inception, the "game" has utilized team competition and peer influence combined with reinforcement procedures. It has been found…

The author draws upon recent experience of providing consultancy services to a working group established by the European Commission in 2001 to facilitate the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy for economic, social, and environmental renewal in the European Union. The article begins with a critique of the "new basic skills" identified…

Ethnocentrism is a nearly universal syndrome of attitudes and behaviors, typically including in-group favoritism. Empirical evidence suggests that a predisposition to favor in-groups can be easily triggered by even arbitrary group distinctions and that preferential cooperation within groups occurs even when it is individually costly. The authors…

This note, which is based on a final year project for a BSC degree, presents an investigation on the Olympic decathlon. It shows that the existing non-linear transformation which is used to assign points to athletes' performance gives practically identical results to that of a simpler linear one. In addition, the paper presents evidence to support…

Instructors can use a computerized experiment to introduce students to imperfect competition in courses on introductory economics, industrial organization, game theory, and strategy and management. In addition to introducing students to strategic thinking in general, the experiment serves to demonstrate that profits of a firm fall as the number of…

While classroom instruction can and should still be used to teach students the fundamentals of engineering, the key to their ultimate success is learning to use that knowledge in a real-world setting. Out-of-class activities, like the American Society of Civil Engineers' (ASCE) National Concrete Canoe Competition, not only give students a hands-on…

This paper reviews the UK government's Science Enterprise Challenge (SEC) initiative, giving particular emphasis to the SEC objective of achieving cultural change. A "cultural web" framework is applied to characterize the political, symbolic and structural issues that need to be addressed if change is to be effected. The author suggests…

This article expresses focuses on the challenge of producing a higher education teaching cohort that can keep pace with the demands of economic, scientific, and technological development. Particular attention is given to the shortage of elite high-quality teachers and how to attract and maintain them, including superior programs run in a…

While the recession has slowed the overall growth of the "for profit"' child care sector, many new players are entering this arena bringing fresh perspectives and new energy. To glean some insight into how these new players view prospects for that sector, two of the new leaders, Tom Heymann and Gary Graves were interviewed. Heymann was appointed…

This article reports the split of Americans on requiring students to take more courses in math and science. In a survey findings released by the American Council on Education, Americans are divided about whether college students need to study more mathematics and science to preserve America's global economic competitiveness. According to David…

The Chinese-English bilingual teaching in the circuit course is an important approach to foster innovational talents for the electronic industry in the new century. In this article, we analyze the background, applicability and feasibility of bilingual teaching in the course of circuit and the difficulties facing in the process of implementation.…

This document sets forth recommendations for the design of a new science assessment. The assessment resulting from this framework will start a new NAEP science trend (i.e., measure of student progress in science) beginning in 2009. This framework represents a unique opportunity to build on previous NAEP science work as well as key developments in…

For students to compete in the 21st-century global economy, knowledge of and proficiency in mathematics are critical. Whether headed to college or to the workforce, today's high school graduates need solid mathematics skill. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel was created in 2006 and charged with reviewing the best available scientific…

This digest of key science and engineering indicators draws primarily from the National Science Board's two-volume "Science and Engineering Indicators, 2008" report. The digest serves two purposes: (1) to draw attention to important trends and data points from across the chapters and volumes of "Science and Engineering Indicators, 2008," and (2)…