Response to Fry and Kraemer

In general, women are well represented among sport participants and sport audiences but not in the media. Data show that women's sport is greatly underreported and trivialized in newspapers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to measure press coverage during the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in the largest circulating Belgian, Danish, French, and Italian daily newspapers by: (a) number of articles, (b) size, (c) page placement, (d) accompanying photographs, and (e) photograph size. For each sport covered, the athletes' nationality and the gender were recorded. Compared to the 1996 Atlanta Games, there was an increase of 326 female athletes (+4%), and women competed in 25 sports and 132 events (44%) of the total 300 events. Although only 29.3% of the articles and 38% of photos were on women's sports, the newspaper coverage was similar to the distribution of participating athletes and events. No significant gender differences were found with respect to article size, page placement, accompanying photographs, or photograph size. The most covered sport was track and field, independent of national achievement. Other sports received different coverage in relation to national expectations, achievement, and participation. In conclusion, there was a trend to overcome gender inequities in media coverage during the Olympic Games, which may be due to the International Olympic Committee's actions to promote increased participation of women in sport activities and to publicize their achievements. Moreover, during the Olympic Games, a nationalistic fervor might affect the equality of gender coverage.     

Computer: The use of computer‐mediated communication in training students in group problem‐solving and decision‐making techniques

Abstract

A cost‐effectiveness analysis of training Army National Guard soldiers by audio teletraining technology was conducted. The trainees were n = 225 soldiers nationwide. About half of the trainees received training in a three‐week Unit Clerk Course through traditional residence training, and the remainder received the same instruction through audio teletraining. Objective performance data were collected from written tests on sixteen of the forty‐seven tasks taught. The percentage of trainees in the audio teletraining group that reached criterion (93%) on the first test was significantly higher (by statistical test) than the residence group (85%). In comparing costs, the audio teletraining group had lower training costs per trainee. Projected on an annual basis, the Army National Guard can save $292,404 per year through the use of audio teletraining for the Unit Clerk Course.     

The Effects of Alternative Flowcharting Techniques on Performance on Procedural Tasks

Many individuals tend to have difficulty completing complex procedural tasks that require branching. Neither prose–based nor list–based instructions have been efficient in alleviating this difficulty. Traditional flowcharts have proven more effective in helping individuals to complete complex procedural tasks, but only after several practice sessions. However, it is possible that the use of map–like symbols may eliminate the need for repeated flowchart practice. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of flowcharts utilizing map–like symbols on performer efficiency in completing a complex procedural task. The results of this study indicated no significant difference between the use of map–like symbols and traditional flowcharts in helping performers to complete complex procedural tasks. However, both graphic presentation formats were found to be significantly more efficient than a list–based presentation of information. It was expected than an intuitive map–like presentation would be more efficient than a list–based format. However, the efficiency of the flowchart presentation under unpracticed conditions was unexpected, based on prior research.     

Ten necessary conversations with your client

Warren Buffet says, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” Decision makers today are solution price‐conscious but, more important, they seek to understand the value and impact of human capital investments to the organization. This article offers 10 conversations designed to facilitate results‐oriented dialogue between performance improvement professionals and the clients they serve. Approaches, tools, and examples are presented to enable quick application of the concepts.