Export markets and the U.S. motion picture industry

The authors explore the competitive advantage of the U.S. film industry in the world market in light of current trends in revenue streams, exhibition outlets, costs, and changes in production, distribution, marketing, and promotion. The article discusses key legal and trade concerns, and the film markets in selected regions and countries in relation to their impact on the future performance of the U.S. film industry abroad.     

The Role of Media Use in the Recall Versus Recognition of Political Knowledge

A knowledgeable electorate is one of the fundamental assumptions of a healthy democracy, and yet studies consistently find the public underperforms in tests of political knowledge. In addition, television news exposure is often poorly associated with political knowledge. Explanations for this include the kinds of knowledge measured. Using an experiment nested in a national survey, this study finds television news exposure is a significant predictor of recognition knowledge while exposure to news via the Internet is a predictor of recall knowledge.     

Antitrust and horizontal mergers in the cable industry

This study explores the large horizontal mergers in the cable industry that have catapulted some large multiple system operators toward substantial market power in the exhibition stage of the industry without much response from antitrust authorities. It reviews the mergers and analyzes the antitrust implications for the industry.     

Metaphors and Sense of Teaching: How these constructs influence novice teachers

The purpose of this study was to identify the root metaphors of secondary classroom teachers and to observe ways in which these constructs influence teachers’ work with their students and their environments. Specifically, five case studies of novice teachers were presented. Results indicated that the metaphor of life as a tree was the most common view and that all five participants held a similar childhood metaphor in which they tended to idealize childhood. Overall, the data showed the persistence of ideas that beginning teachers bring to their university preparation and those beliefs extend into actual classroom practice. Teacher development seemed to be more influenced by the schooling environment rather than the pre‐service preparation the teachers received. Furthermore, these novice teachers felt conflict between their held beliefs and the reality of teaching and schooling. Implications for teacher educators and future research are included.     

The Job Performance of Nursing Graduates: A Program Evaluation

Abstract

The study was designed to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the nursing education preparation of associate degree nursing graduates as reflected in their job performance. The predictive relationships of measures of scholastic success such as G.P.A. and State Board Examination Scores with graduate job performance were also investigated. A rating scale of 62 items was designed to measure the following dimensions of nursing performance: (a) planning for nursing care, (b) implementing nursing care, (c) interpersonal relationships and communication, (d) leadership and group procedures, (e) evaluating and reporting nursing care, (f) professional involvement, and (g) other. Sources for the rating scale included curriculum objectives and a field survey of performance criteria. Graduates were rated by a nurse and a physician who function in close supervision of their job. Graduates completed a similar rating scale in which they were asked to rate the adequacy of their educational preparation for various job requirements. Ratings were obtained from a sample of 153 graduates of the associate degree nursing program at Delta College, University Center, Michigan. Results indicated a stated need for additional clinical experience requiring total involvement of nursing students, advanced course work in pharmacology, anatomy, physiology, and nutrition, and planned leadership preparation. Findings demonstrated no significant relationship between various indices of G.P.A. and State Board Examination Scores with job rated performance. It is projected that rated job performance is influenced by a number of personality variables. Physicians perceive the performance of nurses from different perspectives than do supervising nurses.     

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AND THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE: A NEW MODEL

In this article, I examine the present state of community college‐based technology transfer, beginning with a brief historical survey of corporate‐university relationships and an analysis of the most common form of community college‐based technology transfer (worker training). I then focus on a state‐of‐the‐art development in technology transfer at the community college: the Pennsylvania College of Technology (PCT). Finally, I offer a general paradigm of technology transfer for community colleges based on the PCT model.     

Applying Traditional Librarianship to New Roles for Special Librarians

ABSTRACT

Public and academic libraries continue to have a vital role in providing reference services. As more and more information is only available in electronic form, reference librarians need to reaffirm their core values. Some of the changes happening in reference include smaller reference collections, the disposition of printed reference books, and the increased use of electronic tools. Other topics include different service models for the reference desk, the changing nature of reference questions, and changes in staffing at the reference desk. Finally, the authors speculate about the future of reference services.     

Spine biomechanics associated with the shortened,modern one-plane golf swing

The purpose of this study was to compare kinetic, kinematic, and performance variables associated with full and shortened modern backswings in a skilled group of modern swing (one-plane) golfers. Shortening the modern golf backswing is proposed to reduce vertebral spine stress, but supporting evidence is lacking and performance implications are unknown. Thirteen male golfers performed ten swings of each swing type using their own 7-iron club. Biomechanical-dependent variables included the X-Factor kinematic data and spine kinetics. Performance-related dependent variables included club head velocity (CHV), shot distance, and accuracy (distance from the target line). Data were analysed with repeated measures ANOVA with an a priori alpha of 0.05 (SPSS 22.0, IBM, Armonk, NY, USA). We found significant reductions for the X-Factor (p < 0.05) between the full and shortened swings. The shortened swing condition ameliorated vertebral compression force from 7.6 ± 1.4 to 7.0 ± 1.7 N (normalised to body weight, p = 0.01) and significantly reduced CHV (p < 0.05) by ~2 m/s with concomitant shot distance diminution by ~10 m (p < 0.05). Further research is necessary to examine the applicability of a shortened swing for golfers with low back pain.