Decisional Regret Theory: Reducing the Anxiety About Uncertain Outcomes During Group Decision Making Through Shared Counterfactual Storytelling

People want to live in a predictable world, yet regularly face uncertain outcomes from decision choices. Here, a decision-making theory of communication is proposed. Faced with decisions, people experience anxiety as they anticipate choice-regret. The communicative dynamic of Decisional Regret Theory (DERT) is the production, sharing, and reconstruction of predecisional imaginary narratives that allow alternative decisional outcomes to be anticipated. DERT predicts a type of shared communication (counterfactual storytelling) under specific circumstances (anticipation of making a meaningful decision). It further predicts listener responses: (a) reproducing the story, (b) altering the story, (c) creating an alternative story, or (d) disconfirming the story. Exemplars of counterfactual communication during jury decision making are offered, together with a model describing the emergence of group counterfactual storytelling.     

Exploring the competencies of information professionals for knowledge management in the information institutions of Bangladesh

The aim of the study is to explore the views of information professionals for knowledge management (KM) in the libraries/information institutions of Bangladesh.

This paper seeks to address the following research questions: How the information professionals of Bangladesh perceive the views of KM? What are likely to be the skills required by the information professionals of Bangladesh for KM in the libraries of Bangladesh? and what are likely to be the critical success factors for encouraging KM in the information institutions of Bangladesh?

The methodology includes a quantitative approach. The study has been conducted through a survey using a pre-structured questionnaire. A short and structured questionnaire was sent to 50 information professionals who had been working in different libraries in Bangladesh through email and/or by postal mail. The respondents were selected from six divisions of Bangladesh (25 respondents from Dhaka division, 5 each in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barishal and Sylhet divisions). Out of the 50 individuals sent the survey we received 30 responses, for a response rate 60%.

The results of the study show that that 93.24% of the respondents first read about KM in the literature, but none had taken any courses on KM. Only 6.76% of the respondents had attended a workshop on KM. Findings also yield most professionals believed that several competencies including those in: communication, facilitation, coaching, mentoring, networking, negotiating, consensus building, and team working were essential for KM in the libraries of Bangladesh. This paper also suggests some critical success factors for encouraging the information professionals to KM in the libraries of Bangladesh. It investigates the original views of the library and information professionals of Bangladesh regarding the skills and competences of information professionals for KM in the libraries of Bangladesh.

The department of Information Science and Library Management of Dhaka University and Rajshahi University should introduce KM course(s) either in the graduate level or in the post-graduate level.     

Sex,Lies, and Newspapers

Three characteristics describe the bibliographic activities of the United States Newspaper Program (USNP). Participants catalog and inventory all newspapers published and held in the United States and its territories. The Program is primarily a retrospective cataloging and union list project. Newspaper files are incomplete and are scattered across the country. Defined by these characteristics, the Program has limited funds and a time in which to catalog and inventory the nation's newspapers. The Newspaper Cataloging and Union Listing Manual, the third such manual published for the United States Newspaper Program, attempts to facilitate the work of state newspaper projects characterized by the challenges of conducting a comprehensive inventory, the opportunity afforded by retrospective cataloging and union listing, and the mysteries of cataloging less-than-full runs. This article contains no information about sex. Judgement on truth is the prerogative of the reader.     

Staff involvement in the design of a key skills curriculum model: a case-study

This case-study follows a school as it struggles to prepare for the changes brought about by Curriculum 2000 and the new key skills qualification. It describes the curriculum debate within the senior management team as it balanced the conflicting needs of subject popularity and necessity. It relates how inherent structural flaws were uncovered in the proposed curriculum strategy, how this very failure was used as an opportunity to initiate staff involvement in the design of curriculum structures and how success was subsequently fashioned from the process. It is a story of failure, consideration, reflection and improvement, and offers some insight into the lessons learned by management and teaching staff as they reflect on the process of change and their own participation in it.     

Sex and Gender Similarities and Differences in Communication Values in Same-Sex and Cross-Sex Friendships

This study extends research on sex differences and similarities in communication values by examining (a) the influence of sex of friend on ratings of functional communication skills in same-sex and cross-sex friendships, (b) the moderating role of friend's sex in sex differences in evaluations, and (c) the mediating role of psychological gender in sex differences in communication values. Participants (144 men and 148 women) rated the importance of communication skills for either same-sex or cross-sex friends. Results indicate that, although men's and women's ratings of communication skills are similar, participant sex, gender, and sex of friend do exert some influence.     

解读纸质媒体北京奥运报道生态环境及其报道策略

从社会学的视角分析了纸质媒体奥运报道的生态环境,指出其奥运报道所面临的电视、广播、网络的强势竞争,分析了纸质媒体的优势与劣势,认为其优势在于：1.横向篇幅,选择性强;2.材料运用自如,方便奥运资源的多角度应用;3.记录性好,便于读者反复阅读。其劣势在于：1.奥运资源：采访证少,资源受打压;2.时效性、现场感先天不足;3.奥运兴奋度不够,战备又输一筹。在此基础上,从宏观与微观两个层面,提出其奥运报道策略：其宏观策略为：1）结缘网络增强互动性;2）加强策划,出奇制胜。其微观报道策略为：1）加大预测性报道力度;2）增加综述性报道内容;3）安排体育评论篇幅、传播自己声音;4）＂三贴近＂,渲染全民奥运热潮。希望在奥运报道这场风云角逐的媒体战争中会对纸质媒体提供一些参考。     

魏晋官文书以纸代简及其启示

从公元105年东汉蔡伦发明纸张,到公元404年东晋桓玄以诏令的形式肯定纸张,沿袭上千年的简牍书写材料被纸张所代替。在这以纸代简的300年间,书信和书籍最先使用纸张,其完成时间在东汉末年。官文书以纸代简要迟缓一些,至东晋才告完成。其中案牍文书、簿籍文书分别在西晋和东晋实现了转变。一种新的官文书书写材料代替另一种官文书书写材料,需要新的书写材料性能良好、实际应用富有成效且时机成熟。这对于今天电子文件代替纸质文件也许有所启发。     

河南省2000年中招化学试卷评析

通过对2000年河南省中招化学试题的分析,指出了安阳市考生在答题中存在的问题,提出了初中化学教师今后教学的方向。     

"问题树分析法"--区域发展研究的有效分析方法

本介绍了问题树分析法的概念,理论要点,特点,分析步骤,模型结构及在区域发展研究中的重要性。并结合具体实例,探讨了在区域发展规划中如何应用该方法来发现问题,分析问题之间的相互关系,有针对性地对区域发展作出总体规划与决策。     

浅谈Photoshop在网页制作中的应用

Photoshop是一个功能强大的图像处理软件,可以对各种格式的图像文件进行非常精细的处理,不仅适用于广告用图、美术摄影作品的处理,也广泛用于网页制作。通过介绍Photoshop在网页制作中的各种应用方法,以期对网页制作人员提供一定的技能指导。