Criticisms of the federal system of research funding, in which priorities among disciplines are set in a competitive and political environment, are outlined. Policymakers are challenged to allocate resources in such a way that economic performance is improved without restricting the freedom of individual scientists to set research directions.…

Examines recent developments in health informatics from a historical and global perspective relating to information management through the interdisciplinary application of information science and technology for the benefits of patients, staff, scientists, managers, and caregivers. Highlights include competition; the World Health Organization;…

A number of economic and social factors suggest that this is an appropriate time for colleges and universities to review employee retirement plans. Information that employees should have for retirement planning is reviewed, and basic principles for institutions to use in selecting a pension company are outlined. (MSE)

Students in grades two through five in two elementary school programs were compared over four years on measures of social development. One program emphasized an external motivational orientation; the other helped children develop an internal commitment to values and norms. Results showed that schools differed in ways that were consistent with…

Tests the strength of the gender role stereotype regarding competitive behavior. Measures gender differences in its attribution for 48 male and 54 female undergraduate juniors and seniors. Results from a Prisoner's Dilemma game setting reflect the prevailing sentiment that competitive behavior is considered more characteristic of men than women.…

Individualistic and competitive striving and group dynamics were compared for 42 fifth grade and 42 eighth grade Japanese boys in central Tokyo using a card-stacking procedure. Results are discussed in terms of social loafing versus social striving and behavior patterns of Japanese adults. (SLD)

If Australian universities are to be competitive in the global market for college faculty, salaries and career prospects across disciplines and institutions must be improved. Award restructuring will strengthen career structures, but this restructuring must not be limited to lower levels of the profession to be effective. (MSE)

It is argued that colleges tend to have a high opinion of themselves and would be wise to learn how their various publics (community, business community, guidance counselors, college-bound students, parents, current students, alumni, staff) perceive them. Comparison with competitors and monitoring of change over time is also recommended. (MSE)

University-industry relations are examined in the context of countries in which universities are seen as potential resources for regional development. Issues discussed include different forms of cooperation, pricing of research, competition, intellectual property rights, choice of company for developing a discovery, and the broader issue of…

Advocates hail privatization as an effective, cost-efficient tool for school boards in meeting their wide-ranging obligations and diverse responsibilities. Critics see privatization as movement away from a publicly owned and operated institution with broad citizen support to a hollow structure that compromises public education's goals. A sidebar…

Like medieval war games of dialectical argument, today's education model is based on idea of competition, a scholastic sorting process aimed at fixing every child's place in life. So long as access to higher education rests on standardized test scores and/or high school grades in conventional subjects, higher education institutions will subject…

Discusses academic library consortia, examines types of consortia, and presents three case histories (OhioLINK, PALCI and CIC). Highlights include economic competition; changes in information access and delivery; growth of information technology; quality improvement; and future strategies, including pricing models for electronic information,…

The ban on affirmative action in college and university admissions has stimulated law schools to recruit underrepresented minorities more aggressively, in some cases producing more competition for historically black institutions. Declines in law school minority enrollments are also attributed to student preferences for other areas of study, such…

Examines two myths or misperceptions associated with premedical education, that of the "premedical syndrome" (over-achieving, competitive, cynical, and narrowly focused students), and the "cutthroat medical student" (competitive to the point of undermining others). The origins of the myths, the purposes they may serve, why they…

Primary public education in France originated in the 19th- century "ecole republicaine." Since the 1960s, elementary schools have been integrated into a (universally attended) preschool to secondary school system. The elementary level is characterized by modernistic pedagogy, a child-development focus, and a psycho-affective…