Issues in cross-cultural counseling: An examination of the meaning and dimensions of tolerance

While there is a clear need to address the ethical dimensions of cross-cultural counseling, the current literature lacks both a theoretical model of ethnic tolerance and a suitable measure for assessing the construct. The present study addressed this gap in the extant literature by (a) developing a measure of ethnic tolerance based upon extensive field work, (b) examining the measure's reliability and construct validity in light of two models of ethnic tolerance, and (c) examining the relationship of several factors (e.g., age, gender, and exposure to those of a different culture) to scores on the tolerance measure. Results indicated that the tolerance measure was best viewed as a unidimensional construct, had substantial content validity, and had modest construct validity. Respondents with more social contact with immigrants, as well as those who had positive experiences with immigrants, tended to score higher on the tolerance measure. Results underscore both the complexity of factors associated with tolerance and the need for counselor education programs to provide arenas for students to become aware of their own values and biases and how these may affect culturally-different clients.     

Exploration and exploitation in innovation systems: The case of pharmaceutical biotechnology

This paper develops a theoretical framework for an explanation of how exploitation and exploration build on each other, in a ‘cycle of discovery’, developed in earlier research. The framework is tested empirically, in the sense of seeing whether it can help to reconstruct and understand the emergence of the pharmaceutical industry. One of the conclusions is that whereas recent literature stresses the idiosyncratic nature of the biotechnological revolution, our analysis seems to reveal that this does not seem to be as unique as suggested. From this, we conclude that the theoretical framework we propose, serves its purpose of explanation. But there are also some lessons for improving it.     

The Myths of E-Government: Looking Beyond the Assumptions of a New and Better Government

In general, rhetoric and myth play important roles in policymaking. Myths may inspire collective action but may also mystify and blur views on reality. In this article we identify, analyze, and reflect on the myths underlying the e-government programs of Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and the Netherlands. We found that in all national policies myths of technological inevitability, a new and better government, rational information planning, and empowerment of the intelligent citizen can be discerned. Although the mobilizing powers of these myths are acknowledged, we conclude that existing empirical studies have generated little support for the inescapable telos of these myths, which makes canvas cleaning effects of e-government initiatives less likely.     

The effects on teaching of changes in relative rewards for research and teaching

To the degree that faculty members take into account the relative financial rewards for teaching and research in deciding on the allocation of available time between these two areas, a modification of the reward structure may be expected to produce changes in the amount of time devoted to each. The purpose of this article is to examine with the help of some basic graphic tools of economics the possible results on the quantity of teaching and the quantity of research that may follow from a modification of the reward structure. The possible results are analyzed in terms of displacement, salary, and work effects of the modification.     

Physical activity and executive control: implications for increased cognitive health during older adulthood

Electrocortical and behavioral responses of low, moderate, and high physically active older adults were compared with a younger control group on neutral and incompatible conditions of a flankers task. Compared to younger adults, high and moderate active older adults exhibited increased event-related potentials component P3 amplitude for the incompatible condition at the frontal electrode site. For the neutral condition, only low active older adults exhibited decreased amplitude at the central-parietal site, compared to younger adults. P3 latency revealed the longest latencies for low active older adults, followed by moderate active, high active, and younger adults, respectively. Reaction time (RT) data revealed that younger adults exhibited faster RT compared to all three older groups. Results suggest that physical activity may improve executive control function in older adults by affecting the distribution of P3 amplitude, which has been related to memory and attentional processes, and by decreasing P3 latency, which relates to the speed of cognitive processing.