Book review

Handbook of telecommunications economics, volume I. structure, regulation & competition. Cave, M., Majumdar; S. & Vogelsang (eds.). Elsevier Science, B.V., 2002, 726 pages, ISBN 0–444–50389–7, www.elsevier.com

Cost proxy models and telecommunications policy. Farid Gasmi, D. Mark Kennett, Jean‐Jacques Laffont, William W. Sharkey. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA, 2002, 275 pages, ISBN 0–262–7237–8

Media institutions and audiences: Key concepts in media studies by Nick Lacey. MIT Press: Cambridge, MA, 2002, 275 pages, ISBN 0–262–7237–8. Palgrave, 2002, 235 pages, ISBN 0–333–65870–1, www.palgrave.com

Copyright in the cultural industries edited by Ruth Towse. Edward Elgar, 2002, 263 + xxii pages, ISBN 1–84064–661–6, www.e‐elgar.co.uk

Telecommunications management. Industry structures and planning structures. by Richard A. Gershon. 365 pages, ISBN 0–8058–3002–2, www.erlbaum.com

Understanding media economics by Gillian Doyle. Sage Publications, 2002, vii +184 pages, ISBN 07619 6874

Media and power by James Curran. Routledge, London and New York, 2002, 308 pages, ISBN 0–415–07740–0, www.routledge.com     

The Media Buying Process: Perceptions of Media Sales Representatives

This three-wave e-mail/Web-based survey examined current perceptions of media sales representatives. Media departments from small, medium, and large advertising agencies across the United States answered questions related to the general perception, influence, and role of media sales representatives across media types. Overall, the findings suggested a favorable opinion about media sales representatives with magazine representatives rated as most influential. Trust emerged as a critical component in the buyer–seller relationship. In addition, providers of reliable knowledge and information were found to be critical roles of media sales representatives. The findings are noteworthy and emphasize the importance of educating industry sales representatives regarding the value of relationship building in the media sales process.     

‘Teaching could be a fantastic job but …’: three stories of student teacher withdrawal from initial teacher preparation programmes in England

Retention in initial teacher preparation (ITP) and the teaching profession, in England and elsewhere, has been the subject of numerous articles in academic and professional journals. Whilst a number of common findings are beginning to emerge from research on this subject, notably on the causes of student teacher withdrawal, studies have tended to neglect the difficulties experienced by the individuals who have lived through the process of embarking upon and withdrawing from ITP programmes. Having conducted in‐depth interviews, the authors attempt in this paper to understand the experiences, emotions and decisions of three people who committed themselves to ITP, invested much energy and time, but in the end withdrew. The reasons for their decision are numerous and complex. The impact on each individual was considerable. The experience was painful.     

Interpreting inclusivity: an endeavour of great proportions

Commencing with a historical account of how special needs education has informed the inclusivity debate, the authors consider the knotty problem of what is meant by inclusivity. An examination of the characteristics of inclusivity is then undertaken, and a functional school‐based inclusivity framework – a three‐faceted model – is proposed. The model commences with a philosophical underpinning designed to generate a number of emphases to be determined by the school. Once agreed upon, these are then operationalised for classroom practices. It is contended that the model is a defensible way of facilitating the development of an inclusivity ethos within the school milieu. Finally, impediments hampering the implementation are identified and discussed.     

Evaluation of distance learning delivery of health information management and health informatics programmes: a UK perspective

The aim of the article is to review evaluations of distance learning programmes in health information management, in order to identify the critical success factors for such programmes and discuss future directions. The emphasis is on the UK experience, based partly on reflections on the experience of one programme at University of Wales Aberystwyth (now over 10 years old), and partly on a policy review conducted for the NHS Information Authority and the NHS Information Policy Unit. The methods are, as far as possible, those of a systematic review of existing research, with, additionally, an overview of relevant policy developments for lifelong learning. The topics covered include the aims, objectives and educational philosophies of the programmes. The evidence, combined with the UWA experience, indicates the importance of face-to-face interaction, to complement distance or virtual learning. A student-centred approach to curriculum design and delivery is essential.     

Information Handling Skills, Cognition and New Technologies

Few would dispute the efficacy of multimedia technology and the world wide web in promoting declarative knowledge or the acquisition of facts. It is the argument of this paper however that, apart from assisting a learner in "knowing that", these technologies are underestimated in their capacity to facilitate intellectual skills—procedural knowledge or "knowing how". Via examples from children employing information handling skills with a CD-ROM, this paper attempts to illustrate the ways in which new technologies support and enhance a range of skills associated with deep level processing and meaningful learning such as metacognition, problem solving and critical thinking.     

Between a “ROC” and a School Place: The Role of Racial Opportunity Cost in the Educational Experiences of Academically Successful Students of Color

Despite numerous reform efforts, schools have not achieved equitable academic outcomes for all students. To better identify where schools have failed, research has sought to understand the complex role the school environment plays in mediating academic success, particularly for students of color. In this article, we forward the concept of racial opportunity cost and then use it as a lens to encapsulate the price academically successful students of color pay in their pursuit of school success. Through individual and focus group interviews, 18 African American and Latina/o students revealed nuances of the costs their academic achievement brought in the racialized, White-normed spaces that often permeated their school cultures. The purpose of this article is to provide theoretical support for the racial opportunity cost concept using existing interdisciplinary scholarship and to describe the racial opportunity costs that emerged from our analysis of student interviews.     

Developing a Topic-Centered First-Year Seminar with an Emphasis on Information Literacy at a Large Regional University

In this article, the authors describe the process through which faculty and staff members at Georgia Southern University (GSU) have collaborated to revamp our First-Year Seminar. In 2006, a university task force reviewed results of GSU self-study data as well as best practices at other institutions to make recommendations for improvements to the first-year experience for our students. The task force made several recommendations that included significantly modifying our First-Year Seminar to include a focus on information literacy and to set a more academic tone. A set of online tutorials was developed to support the learning outcomes related to information literacy within the new seminar. The benefits and challenges of implementing this new seminar are discussed.