Number Of Academics Research Articles

Can Six Sigma be effectively implemented in SMEs?

PurposeThis paper aims to present the viewpoints from a number of leading practitioners and academics on the subject “Can Six Sigma be effectively deployed in small and medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs)?”.Design/methodology/approachA number of academics and practitioners were interviewed by the author to collate their opinions and views on the above subject.FindingsThe results of the study clearly indicate that Six Sigma is equally applicable to both large corporations and small companies. In fact, the results are quicker and much more visible in smaller companies than in larger corporations.Originality/valueThis paper provides an excellent resource for those people who believe that Six Sigma is primarily meant for large companies. It also makes an attempt to remove one of the common myths of Six Sigma.

Caring for ethics and the politics of health care reform in the United States

It is increasingly recognized that the work of (unpaid) informal caregivers constitutes an important contribution to care delivery in the United States and in many other societies. Accounting for the range of social, economic and political circumstances in which this care is produced has become the focus of a number of academics and others theorizing the ‘third sector’, or the ‘social economy’. However, some scholars are concerned that the increasing attention paid to the role of informal economic activity will either legitimate neoliberal state withdrawal from social reproduction or facilitate continued invasive commodification of relationships that were formerly part of social life. While these are possible dangers, J.K. Gibson-Graham's diverse economy framework and theory of community economy allow us to understand the social and economic conditions that support, rather than undermine, a caregiver's fidelity to the process of caring. Given the size of the informal caregiving sector, it would remain an important aspect of the care economy even if the United States developed a national health care system. It is important to understand informal caregivers as economic subjects, with their desires, motivations, hopes and anxieties. What emerges from my qualitative research is an understanding of informal caregivers as ethical subjects who operate best in a network of collective recognition and support. Informal caregivers are neither self-interested economic actors nor (necessarily) victims of failed social support. Rather, they are, potentially, agents of change in a new politics of health care reform.

Academic training schemes reviewed: implications for the future development of our researchers and educators

There is an international crisis in academic medicine: numbers of academics are low; there is a split between teaching and research, and career progression is poorly defined. In the UK, academic career pathways have recently been reformed, but there is little readily accessible information on what a high-quality academic training scheme might comprise. I conducted a wide review of medical and bio-psychosocial databases, coupled with a search of the grey literature. The review suggests both widespread support for training in research and dissatisfaction with training schemes. Insufficient training time is a major issue. High-quality supervision is crucial, with clear goals and expectations for research fellows. Structured training seems to be helpful, as is financial, administrative and statistical support. However, the vast majority of studies give a broad overview or opinion, or report the superficial results of questionnaire surveys. The focus is on research training; teaching is ignored. Although there appears to be broad agreement on a number of issues, the literature lacks sufficient depth, and little is known about factors that contribute to effective academic training schemes. Schemes must be studied in depth to determine what makes them successful, in order to ensure the future of teaching and research.

Italian foreign policy after the end of the cold war: the issue of continuity and change in Italian–US relations

A number of academics have argued that the last two governments headed by Silvio Berlusconi1 have attempted to strengthen the relationship with the USA on a bilateral basis and, in so doing, have w...

Statistical data analysis for investigating Japanese government subsidy policy for private universities

This paper aims at investigating Japanese government’s subsidy policy for private universities by applying statistical approaches to various types of quantitative data. Firstly, we briefly describe the history of the government subsidy policy to identify the dominant factors behind it and also explain the structure and mechanism of this subsidy. Secondly, by using 2005 data, we try to find influential factors in allocating both general subsidies and special subsidies for private universities. Thirdly, using the data in two periods given as 1975–1979 and 2000–2004, we try to elucidate the structural properties of the subsidy policy by applying correlative rank analyses approaches in order to measure the “dominance power” of the top-ranking subsidy-recipient schools. The results show that the number of faculty members is the most influential for general subsidies, while the number of students is the most dominant variable for special subsidies.

Entrepreneurship for the Public Good Summer Institute Syllabus

Course Overview Entrepreneurship is part of the American dream. According to the Appalachian Regional Commission, the best hope for stabilizing and diversifying Appalachia's economy lies in the creation and expansion of businesses that provide jobs, build local wealth and contribute broadly to economic and community development. The need to expand and support entrepreneurial activity as a means for revitalizing Appalachian communities led to the creation of Berea College's Entrepreneurship for the Public Good (EPG) program. By developing leadership and business skills, students will be empowered with the tools necessary to make a difference in their communities. There is a need for entrepreneurs with creative business concepts and the courage to turn these concepts into sustainable enterprises that create jobs and produce value for customers. The theme for the 2006 Summer Institute is Gandhi's Be the Change you Wish to See with the end goal to produce service-oriented leaders for Appalachia and beyond. The course is organized into three major components pursued in parallel. First, to gain an understanding of Appalachia, students, in classroom presentations, will discuss the history, culture, development and other issues facing the region. In addition, they will complement their classroom discussions with first-hand experience as they work closely with local community-partner teams to assess community needs and formulate projects to address these. In the second component, students will be exposed to entrepreneurship and work to develop their own entrepreneurial mindset. According to Ian MacMillian, the entrepreneurial mindset is a powerful way to stop thinking and acting by the old rules and start thinking with the discipline of a habitual entrepreneur. Whether a student pursues a career in a nonprofit organization, for-profit business, or starts a venture, the entrepreneurial mindset is a valuable tool used to see opportunity and create positive change. Students will be challenged to create a new business opportunity and complete a feasibility study on the potential of the business. Finally, students will increase awareness of and build their own leadership skills. In addition to classroom sessions, discussions, experiential learning opportunities and self assessments students will apply leadership lessons to their work in student teams and with community partners. To help facilitate students' learning, the EPG program has teamed with a number of faculty members from Berea College and notable guest speakers/authors to help teach the components of entrepreneurship, leadership, community development and Appalachia. The goal is to create an active learning environment where we can share our own experiences and learn from the experience of others.

Country report: medical education in France

The last 10 years have represented a period of significant reform within both the health care and education systems in France. In terms of its workforce, France faces a shortage of doctors, particularly in primary care. This paper examines the French medical curriculum, student selection, licensure and continuing medical education and discusses the challenges currently facing French medical faculties. The French medical curriculum is defined nationally, with methods adapted at medical school level. There has been some uptake of innovative methods such as problem-based learning, skills-based teaching and performance-based assessment. However, traditional didactic teaching of scientific medicine and the apprenticeship model remain dominant. France uses a unique method of selection, which is the subject of much debate. Following a general year, medical students are subject to a selection examination that permits only a small number to continue studies. Similarly, at the end of medical school, a written test is used to rank students for the purpose of matching to specialty training. France has no national colleges or licensing authorities and thus authorisation to practise rests on the diploma delivered by each faculty of medicine. From 2005, continuing medical education became compulsory for all doctors. It includes the evaluation of medical practice. French faculties of medicine face several challenges, including: rising numbers of students without a commensurate growth in the number of faculty members; an increasing emphasis on multidisciplinary health care; a drive towards mandatory continuing education and performance-based outcomes, and the development of national selection examinations that are knowledge-based.

Forty years of language teaching

It was at a meeting of the Board of Language Teaching in 2005 that discussion began on how we might suitably commemorate our 40th year of publication. The late Chris Brumfit made the suggestion that it would be interesting to gather in nostalgia from a number of academics who had started their careers in one of the preceding four decades and ask them to comment on what appeared to them were the major new trends that represented best hopes for the future at that time. As the project grew, we extended the brief to include those who expressed a particular yearning to describe another decade although it did not see the launch of their careers as such. Sadly, Chris is no longer with us to see the fruits of his original idea, but the editors – and those who have here responded to his call – would like to dedicate these reflections to the memory of a man whose commitment to our field spanned all four decades, and more.

Twelfth congress of the world council of comparative education societies (WCCES), Havana, Cuba

The first pleasant surprise for all of us, participants and organizers, was the great number of academics, professors and teachers from all parts of the world who came to Havana. There were 950 delegates from 68 countries and 3 international organizations who came with great enthusiasm and commit? ment to honour the theme "Education and Social Justice". The program was characterized by the diversity of options offered to participants, among them: keynote addresses by internationally recognized specialists, educational visits, thematic group sessions, pre-conference seminars, the WCCES Gen? eral Assembly, the Forum "Internationalisation of Higher Education" at the University of Havana, and the Cultural Gala. The thematic groups were as follows:

A Simple and Effective Program to Increase Faculty Knowledge of and Referrals to Counseling Centers

The authors describe a simple, cost‐effective, and empirically supported program to increase faculty referrals of students to counseling centers (CCs). Incoming faculty members at 3 universities received a mailing and personal telephone call from a CC staff member. Faculty assigned to the outreach program had greater knowledge of and rates of referral to CCs than did faculty who received only standard information at faculty orientation. Recommendations for the implementation of this program are discussed.

Brief communication: Gender differences in publication and citation counts in librarianship and information science research

An analysis is presented of the publications by, and citations to, 57 male and 48 female academics in five departments of librarianship and information science. After taking account of differences in subject and differences in numbers of academics, it is shown that male academics publish significantly more papers on average than do female authors, but that there is no significant difference in the numbers of citations to published papers.

Digital forestry research in China

Digital Forestry as a concept was developed after the Digital Earth program. The Chinese scientists were not only among the pioneers who first proposed the concept of Digital Forestry, but also contributed a lot to the development of Digital Forestry. Digital Forestry is a digital framework to maintain forest planting, management, using, and protect. The synergetic use of computationally-intensive quantitative methods together with information technologies is the most important foundation for the development of Digital Forestry. Under this situation, the experience of Digital Forestry development in China is relatively rich. A number of academicians, scholars, and professional administrators were involved in discussing the Digital Forestry Construction Scheme. The Project of Digital Forestry Practicability approved by the State Forestry Administration is a major instance in developing Digital Forestry standard and key techniques. By introducing a case study of Digital Forestry, this paper reviews the concept of Digital Forestry, the way turning traditional forestry into Digital Forestry, and the future development of Digital Forestry.

Precision teaching and education: Is fluency the missing link between success and failure?

The Department of Education in the United Kingdom established ambitious targets for achievement in the three core areas of English, maths and science measured by national curriculum testing. Annual results of the assessment for 2005 indicate that the government is some way off achieving these targets, currently 85%, for the academic years 2006–2008, but results indicate a steady improvement from the levels achieved in 1998. If these ambitious targets are to be realised, the consideration of new techniques in the classroom is suggested. Precision teaching has been advocated by a number of academics in the psychological and educational fields. Precision teaching is an effective instructional technology which adopts fluency (accuracy plus speed) as a benchmark of teaching success. This article highlights findings which suggest that fluency training assists higher academic achievement for all learners, and that cumulative dysfluency maybe the antecedent of academic underachievement.

The Structural Turn and the Limits of Antidiscrimination Law

The notion of institutional racism or sexism has been around a long time. Many of the original drafters of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 sought to address more than just discrete acts of discrimination. They sought as well to respond to what Senator Humphrey called the many impersonal institutional processes which nonetheless determine the availability of jobs for nonwhite workers, but the statute Congress ultimately enacted fell short of their hopes on that score. Hints of a structural approach to discrimination persist in the doctrine of disparate impact. But that doctrine can no longer be said to have much practical significance. In the past decade, however, a number of academics have sought to revive the structural focus urged by Senator Humphrey and the exponents of institutional racism and sexism theory. Their efforts have been fueled by three significant developments: changes in the workplace that have made traditional tools of antidiscrimination law less effective in attacking problems of job bias; important empirical and experimental findings of social psychologists that demonstrate the persistence of (frequently unconscious or subtle) bias; and developments in regulatory theory that seem to offer a way effectively to address structural discrimination. In this paper, I examine these recent proposals for a structural employment discrimination law. But unlike much of the existing literature, my story is not an optimistic one. To the contrary, I believe that the structural turn in employment discrimination scholarship is best understood as highlighting the limits of antidiscrimination law. Perhaps paradoxically, that is in part because I find the case for a structural approach to employment discrimination law so compelling. Unconscious bias, interacting with a changing workplace, creates equality problems that our current antidiscrimination law is poorly suited to solving. A structural approach seems to be the best hope for addressing these problems. But there are very significant obstacles to the success of a structural approach to employment discrimination law. In the areas of the law that already seem to impose on courts the obligation to police workplace structures that might facilitate discrimination, judges have proven unwilling or unable to discharge that responsibility with rigor. The new proposals seek to sidestep that history, but they do so largely by urging deference to professional communities that are as likely to subvert as to promote norms of workplace equality. And these difficulties are mere symptoms of a deeper problem: To address structural employment discrimination issues effectively will require going beyond the generally accepted normative underpinnings of employment discrimination law. Because courts (and legislatures) are unwilling to take that step, structural discrimination advocates must proceed by indirection and seek to empower workplace constituencies that (those advocates hope) will serve the cause of equality. But unless courts have some normative idea of what workplace equality should mean, they will be unable to assure that those workplace constituencies will serve the purposes of antidiscrimination law. Employment discrimination law thus faces a challenge: The individualistic remedies provided by existing law are no match for the problems that the new structural-discrimination literature identifies. Those problems - unconscious bias interacting with flexible workplace structures - are likely to become more and more significant as time goes on, and other structural equality problems are likely to become more significant as well. But employment discrimination law is an insufficient tool for addressing these problems.

The Myth of ‘the Myth of Irish neutrality’: Deconstructing Concepts of Irish Neutrality using International Relations Theories

A number of academics, journalists and political elites claim that Irish neutrality is a 'myth', and many also characterise public support for Irish neutrality as 'confused' and 'nonrational'. This 'unneutral' discourse in the academic literature and mainstream Irish media is based on an academic thesis, that of an Unneutral Ireland. The Unneutral thesis constructs a particular concept of neutrality in order to draw its conclusion that Ireland is 'unneutral'. Using a poststructuralist approach--a rarity in the discipline of International Relations (IR)--this paper deconstructs concepts of Irish neutrality using a framework of IR theories. The results show that the concept of neutrality put forward in the Unneutral Ireland thesis and the dominant discourses on Irish neutrality are based on a hegemonic IR theory, the theory of neorealism, rather than on seemingly 'objective' scientific research methods. The paper concludes that non-realist theories and approaches may provide a better understanding of Irish neutrality and of the dynamics of public support for Irish neutrality.

The Myth of 'The Myth of Irish Neutrality': Deconstructing Concepts of Irish Neutrality using International Relations Theories

A number of academics, journalists and political elites claim that Irish neutrality is a 'myth', and many also characterise public support for Irish neutrality as 'confused' and 'nonrational'. This 'unneutral' discourse in the academic literature and mainstream Irish media is based on an academic thesis, that of an Unneutral Ireland. The Unneutral thesis constructs a particular concept of neutrality in order to draw its conclusion that Ireland is 'unneutral'. Using a poststructuralist approach-a rarity in the discipline of International Relations (IR)-this paper deconstructs concepts of Irish neutrality using a framework of IR theories. The results show that the concept of neutrality put forward in the Unneutral Ireland thesis and the dominant discourses on Irish neutrality are based on a hegemonic IR theory, the theory of neorealism, rather than on seemingly 'objective' scientific research methods. The paper concludes that non-realist theories and approaches may provide a better understanding of Irish neutrality and of the dynamics of public support for Irish neutrality.

The Structural Turn and the Limits of Antidiscrimination Law

The notion of institutional racism or sexism has been around a long time. Many of the original drafters of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 sought to address more than just discrete acts of discrimination. They sought as well to respond to what Senator Humphrey called the many impersonal institutional processes which nonetheless determine the availability of jobs for nonwhite workers, but the statute Congress ultimately enacted fell short of their hopes on that score. Hints of a structural approach to discrimination persist in the doctrine of disparate impact. But that doctrine can no longer be said to have much practical significance. In the past decade, however, a number of academics have sought to revive the structural focus urged by Senator Humphrey and the exponents of institutional racism and sexism theory. Their efforts have been fueled by three significant developments: changes in the workplace that have made traditional tools of antidiscrimination law less effective in attacking problems of job bias; important empirical and experimental findings of social psychologists that demonstrate the persistence of (frequently unconscious or subtle) bias; and developments in regulatory theory that seem to offer a way effectively to address structural discrimination. In this paper, I examine these recent proposals for a structural employment discrimination law. But unlike much of the existing literature, my story is not an optimistic one. To the contrary, I believe that the structural turn in employment discrimination scholarship is best understood as highlighting the limits of antidiscrimination law. Perhaps paradoxically, that is in part because I find the case for a structural approach to employment discrimination law so compelling. Unconscious bias, interacting with a changing workplace, creates equality problems that our current antidiscrimination law is poorly suited to solving. A structural approach seems to be the best hope for addressing these problems. But there are very significant obstacles to the success of a structural approach to employment discrimination law. In the areas of the law that already seem to impose on courts the obligation to police workplace structures that might facilitate discrimination, judges have proven unwilling or unable to discharge that responsibility with rigor. The new proposals seek to sidestep that history, but they do so largely by urging deference to professional communities that are as likely to subvert as to promote norms of workplace equality. And these difficulties are mere symptoms of a deeper problem: To address structural employment discrimination issues effectively will require going beyond the generally accepted normative underpinnings of employment discrimination law. Because courts (and legislatures) are unwilling to take that step, structural discrimination advocates must proceed by indirection and seek to empower workplace constituencies that (those advocates hope) will serve the cause of equality. But unless courts have some normative idea of what workplace equality should mean, they will be unable to assure that those workplace constituencies will serve the purposes of antidiscrimination law. Employment discrimination law thus faces a challenge: The individualistic remedies provided by existing law are no match for the problems that the new structural-discrimination literature identifies. Those problems - unconscious bias interacting with flexible workplace structures - are likely to become more and more significant as time goes on, and other structural equality problems are likely to become more significant as well. But employment discrimination law is an insufficient tool for addressing these problems.

Thinking Edinburgh 2010 - Tracing the Impulse of the Spirit

International Review of MissionVolume 94, Issue 375 p. 585-601 Thinking Edinburgh 2010 – Tracing the Impulse of the Spirit Kenneth R. Ross, Kenneth R. Ross Kenneth R. Ross is Chair of the Scottish Towards 2010 CouncilSearch for more papers by this author Kenneth R. Ross, Kenneth R. Ross Kenneth R. Ross is Chair of the Scottish Towards 2010 CouncilSearch for more papers by this author First published: 25 March 2009 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1758-6631.2005.tb00530.x AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Volume94, Issue375October 2005Pages 585-601 RelatedInformation

Top-25-Business-School Professors Rate Journals in Operations Management and Related Fields

I obtained quality ratings and rankings of 39 journals in operations management and related disciplines through surveys of faculty members at top-25 US business schools in 2000 and in 2002. I also computed five-year impact factors for 29 of these journals and developed a ranking based on these impact factors. I found evidence of some change in journal quality ratings over the two-year period. Ratings also differed by research area but not by professorial level. In addition, I ranked the journals based on the number of academics who rated their quality, calling this a visibility measure. Finally, I compared my ratings to ratings in earlier survey and citation studies. The quality ratings were more consistent than the citation ratings.

New challenges in computer science education

It is predicted that by the year 2010, 90% of the overall program code developed will be for embedded computing systems. This fact requires urgent changes in the organization of the current computer science curriculums, as advocated by a number of academics. The changes will help students deal with the idiosyncrasies of embedded systems, which requires knowledge about the computation engine, its energy consumption model, performance, interfaced artifacts, reconfigurable hardware programming, etc. This paper discusses some important issues to be included in modern computer science programs, in order to prepare students to be able to program future embedded computers. In particular, we present an approach we are attempting to implement at our institution. We also illustrate infrastructures that permit students to implement complex examples and gain deep knowledge about the topics being taught. Finally, with this paper we hope to foment a fruitful discussion on those issues.