Linking human,technological, and relational assets to technological innovation: exploring a new approach

In a knowledge-based economy, firms' technological innovations represent one of the best ways in order to survive and to achieve firm success. Nonaka and Takeuchi stated that technological innovation is close to firms' intellectual or knowledge asset management, and additional efforts are needed to understand these complex causal relationships. If we can assume that technological innovation causation rarely has a single cause, and that these causes rarely operate in isolation from each other, empirical research needs a new configurational perspective, where the integrity of firms' technological innovations as complex configurations of causal factors are preserved. This way, using a configurational approach, and primary data of 251 technology-based firms based in Spain, this paper explores firms' human, technological, and relational assets configurations and product innovations.

     

Effect of the 3-Point Line Change on the Game Dynamics in Girls' Minibasketball

We examined the game dynamics in minibasketball when comparing two different forms of the 3-point line. During the first competition, participants used a 3-point line delimited by the free-throw lane, and 1,642 ball possessions were recorded. During the second competition, participants played with a 3-point line delimited by a rectangular area, and 1,669 ball possessions were recorded. Results from the Mann-Whitney U Test show that when playing with a 3-point line delimited by the free-throw lane, higher average values were achieved in terms of points scored, number of players taking part in the ball possessions, number of passes, and one-on-one situations.     

‘Strong mothers make strong children’: sports,eugenics and nationalism in Brazil at the beginning of the twentieth century

Based on post-structural feminist and gender studies, the present article analyses the importance given to the practice of physical education, sports and exercise as part of the national policy to strengthen the Caucasian-Brazilian population at the beginning of the twentieth century, emphasising the priority made of the White female body as the most important instrument in strengthening the so called ‘White race’. All the editions of the Revista Educação Physica, the first magazine published specifically for physical education and sport in Brazil, was the primary research source. Other books, manuals, reviews from scientific congresses and official publications from the Brazilian Government at the time were also examined. Via the technical analysis of the contents of the aforementioned publications, it was possible to conclude that the Brazilian nationalist discourse at the time sought what was called the ‘refinement of the White race’ by strengthening its women while, at the same time, systematically ignoring Black women.     

A review on the basketball jump shot

The ability to shoot an effective jump shot in the sport of basketball is critical to a player's success. In an attempt to better understand the aspects related to expert performance, researchers have investigated successful free throws and jump shots of various basketball players and identified movement variables that contribute to their success. The purpose of this study was to complete a systematic review of the scientific literature on the basketball free throw and jump shot for the purpose of revealing the critical components of shooting that coaches, teachers, and players should focus on when teaching, learning, practising, and performing a jump shot. The results of this review are presented in three sections: (a) variables that affect ball trajectory, (b) phases of the jump shot, and (c) additional variables that influence shooting.     

Diversification around Europe – performance measuring with regard to different missions

Existing university ranking systems blur differences between Higher Education Institutions because they only focus on research. The increased breadth, diversity and complexity of Higher Education Institutions’ missions are repeatedly overlooked causing a low visibility to a wide audience. This paper demonstrates the possibilities to measure other missions such as international orientation and regional engagement. Therefore, the results of 618 Higher Education Institutions (Effective March 2016) in U-Multirank, an international university ranking, are used. The results show the impressive variety in the higher education systems among European regions. Every region found missions in which they effectively perform thus proving the importance of each mission. The multidimensional ranking takes into account the complexity of Higher Education Institutions’ missions and capturing the relevance of Higher Education Institutions third mission’s activities adequately. Transparency across all missions is the only possibility to make the performances honourable. As research is not the only remarkable mission of Higher Education Institutions, teaching is not the only necessary mission. When other missions are overlooked, the performance measurement systems hinder mission diversity in higher education.

     

Equating Exams as a Prerequisite for Maintaining Standards: Experience with Dutch centralised secondary examinations

National examinations in The Netherlands play an important role both as school-leaving exams and in providing access to tertiary education. For most subjects the exams consist of two parts: a part internal to the school which is constructed, set and marked by the individual schoolteacher; and a central part which is constructed by Cito, the Dutch National Institute for Educational Measurement, but administered and marked by the schools. For many years, and until the 1990s, the procedures for the construction of the exams and for setting cut-off scores remained largely unchanged. In the 1990s, in response to concerns over standards, studies were conducted which demonstrated the necessity and feasibility of using equating procedures. Acting upon the outcomes, the State Secretary for Education and Science provided funds for introducing and maintaining equating as a standard procedure in central exams. From 1994 onwards, more and more exams have involved formal equating procedures.     

Design of educational web pages

The methodological characteristics of teaching in primary and secondary education make it necessary to revise the pedagogical and instructive lines with which to introduce the new Information and Communication Technologies into the school context. The construction of web pages that can be used to improve student learning is, therefore, fundamental for teachers. Their creation must be proposed, above all, from the basis of the constructivist paradigm of learning as opposed to the current behaviourist designs. General lines are established which must be convenient for the construction of web pages for these educational levels.

Les caractéristiques méthodologiques de l'enseignement à l'éducation primaire et secondaire obligent à réviser les lignes pédagogiques et instructives avec lesquelles introduire les nouvelles Technologies de l'Information et la Communication à les contextes scolaires. La construction de pages Web qui peuvent être utilisées pour améliorer l'apprentissage des élèves est, par conséquent, fondamentale pour les professeurs. Leur création doit être proposée, au‐dessus de tout, à partir de la base du paradigme constructiviste de l'apprentissage par opposition aux dessins béhavioristes courants. On établit des lignes générales qui peuvent être adéquats pour la construction de pages Web à ces niveaux pédagogiques.

Las características metodológicas de la enseñanza en educación primaria y secundaria hacen que sea necesario replantear las líneas pedagógicas e instructivas con las que introducir las nuevas Tecnologías de Información y la Comunicación en los contextos escolares. En este sentido resulta fundamental para el docente la construcción de páginas Web que puedan ser utilizadas para mejorar el aprendizaje de los alumnos. Particularmente se debe proponer su creación, ante todo, desde las bases del paradigma constructivista del aprendizaje, frente a los diseños conductistas actuales. Se establecen en esta investigación las líneas generales que deben ser convenientes para la construcción de páginas Web para estos niveles educativos.

Die methodologischen Merkmale, in Primärer und Sekundärer Ausbildung zu unterrichten, machen es notwendig, die pädagogischen und instruktiven Linien zu revidieren, mit dem die neuen Informations—und Kommunikationstechnologien in den Schulkontext einzuführen. Die Kreation von Webseiten, die benutzt werden können, um den Schülern das Lernen zu erleichtern, ist deshalb wesentlich für Lehrer. Ihre Schaffung muß vor allem von der Basis des constructivist‐Paradigmas des Lernens im Gegensatz zu den aktuellen behaviourist‐Designs vorgeschlagen werden. In dieser Untersuchung werden allgemeine Linien begründet, die für die Konstruktion der Webseiten für diese pädagogischen Niveaus günstig sein müssen.     

Faith,Race, and LGB Affirmation: Experiences of African American Counselors‐in‐Training

In this phenomenological study, the authors investigated the experiences of African American counselors‐in‐training, with roots in the Black church, as they navigated their faith and professional responsibilities to provide affirming services to lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients. Findings suggest attitudes toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients are intertwined with faith, race, and community allegiance.     

The role of habituation of the response to LiCl in the US-preexposure effect

In two experiments, rats received preexposure consisting of six intraperitoneal injections of lithium chloride (LiCl). This treatment reduced the magnitude of the unconditioned response (UR; suppressed consumption of a novel flavor) evoked by an additional injection (Experiment 1) or by oral consumption (Experiment 2) of LiCl. In both experiments, preexposure also attenuated the acquisition of a conditioned aversion with an LiCl injection as the unconditioned stimulus (US) but had no effect on the aversion produced when the US was oral consumption of LiCl (Experiment 2). These results are consistent with the view that the reduced ability of the preexposed US to serve as a reinforcer depends on blocking by injection-related cues and is independent of habituation of the UR recorded in the present study. Possible interpretations of this dissociation are discussed.