The product market and the market for “ideas”: commercialization strategies for technology entrepreneurs

This paper presents a synthetic framework identifying the central drivers of start-up commercialization strategy and the implications of these drivers for industrial dynamics. We link strategy to the commercialization environment—the microeconomic and strategic conditions facing a firm that is translating an “idea” into a value proposition for customers. The framework addresses why technology entrepreneurs in some environments undermine established firms, while others cooperate with incumbents and reinforce existing market power. Our analysis suggests that competitive interaction between start-up innovators and established firms depends on the presence or absence of a “market for ideas”. By focusing on the operating requirements, efficiency, and institutions associated with markets for ideas, this framework holds several implications for the management of high-technology entrepreneurial firms.     

Psychology,market pressures,and pricing decisions in higher education: the case of the US private sector

Higher Education - We examine listed tuition and institutional aid practices within the US private sector, a sector where market pressures are relatively strong and consequently influence...     

The benefit of combining teacher-direction with contrasted presentation of algebra principles

European Journal of Psychology of Education - Teacher-directed and self-directed learning have been compared across various contexts. Depending on the settings and the presentation of material,...     

从经济学角度重新审视美国教育的公共目的

教育是公共产品还是私人产品近年来受到广泛的讨论,本文从经济学的角度回顾了美国教育的目的。中小学教育的公共性主要体现在公民教育;高等教育的公共性主要体现在知识创造和文化传承;职业教育的公共性主要体现在培养合格的劳动者。教育应该重新强调其公共性。     

Study Skills at a Distance—ten years on

How to Study Effectively was probably the first distance learning course in the UK to help students to acquire learning skills. It has consistently attracted large numbers of students. Sam Rouse has tutored the course for the whole of its life and this paper reports the result of an evaluation he recently carried out. Samples of three student groups, all enrolled in 1972, were asked for their views on the course after a ten year gap. A group of'normal'enrollers is compared with two more special groups, one of TUC sponsored students and one of intending ordinands in the Church of England. Why did they enrol? How many assignments did they complete? What did they think of the course? What differences if any has it made to their lives? The paper concludes with three case studies of students, one from each group. The full report, And Having Studied Effectively , is published by the National Extension College.     

Integrating student learning with practitioner experiences via virtual field trips

The challenge of enriching the teaching/learning experience with the voice of practitioners has long been accomplished via field trips. Now, whether students are on another continent or in the presence of a teacher, they can have the field trip experience electronically. Therefore, this paper addresses: (i) the rationale for virtual field trips (VFTs) for a basic public speaking course; (ii) the content and design of the VFTs; (iii) insights gained from assessments of the roles and functions of VFTs over a 3 year period.     

The effect of articulation agreements on community college transfers and bachelor’s degree attainment

For more than a century, community colleges have provided a postsecondary education alternative to the traditional, 4-year university. Enrolling disproportionate numbers of both disadvantaged and nontraditional students, the community college sector has seen unparalleled gains in enrollment over the past few decades. Along with these increases in enrollment, there has been a shift in focus toward transfer to 4-year institutions, as well as the development of articulation agreements. Established in order to ease the transfer process from community colleges to 4-year colleges/universities—for those students interested in obtaining a bachelor’s degree—these agreements currently exist in more than 30 states. Via two-level, hierarchical linear modeling, this article examines the student and school level characteristics of community colleges that affect transfer and bachelor’s degree attainment rates. Also examined is the impact of articulation agreements. Ultimately, while articulation agreements are not found to yield a significant effect on transfer rates, they are found to have significant, positive effects on bachelor’s degree attainment rates.     

Specific impairment in developmental reading disabilities: a working memory approach

Children with developmental reading disabilities (RD) frequently display impaired working memory functioning. However, research has been divergent regarding the characteristics of the deficit. Our investigation addressed this controversy by assessing Baddeley's working memory model as a whole rather than focusing on particular aspects of it, as has been done by much of the research to date. Participants included 20 children with RD and 20 typical readers between the ages of 9 and 13. The phonological loop, visual-spatial sketchpad, and central executive were assessed according to Baddeley's model. The results demonstrated that children with RD have an impaired phonological loop but intact visual-spatial sketchpad and central executive functioning as compared to controls. In terms of the phonological loop, the deficit appears to be specific to the phonological store. Furthermore, our research supports a relationship between phonological processing and phonological loop functioning.     

Factors that contribute to community members’ support of local nature centers

Nature centers can serve as valuable community institutions if they are seen as providing important services to the community. Through survey research in communities surrounding 16 nature centers in the United States, we examine the attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs that drive hypothetical support for nature centers from local residents. Respondents who recognized centers as institutions that provide opportunities for leisure and connection with nature; contribute to civic engagement; and bolster local economies, community pride, and aesthetics reported the greatest likelihood of donating, volunteering, or responding to threats at local centers. Additional predictors of support included positive evaluations of staff members, perceptions of positive attitudes toward the center held by other community members, familiarity with center activities, pro-environmental attitudes, and past donation or volunteering. The findings highlight the potential returns for centers that expand their activities and operations beyond more traditional roles of providing nature-based outdoor recreation and environmental education experiences.