Does study abroad affect student academic achievement?

The numbers of UK students choosing to study abroad for a period has increased steadily over the years, with many students citing academic, professional, linguistic and cultural reasons as their key motivations. However, while there is an abundance of literature on the advantage of study abroad (SA) for linguistic learning, there is less known about the academic impact of studying abroad. In addition, because SA is largely a process of self-selection, this makes it difficult to derive unbiased estimates of its impact on academic achievement. Using data on students from a London-based Russell Group university, and categorising SA students as those who participated in credit-seeking SA programmes through Erasmus or bilateral/multilateral agreements with partner universities, this paper uses individual fixed effects to compare the post-SA grades for students who sojourned with their expected grades had they not sojourned, as well as with their non-SA counterparts. The results are quite robust across subgroups and indicate that grades in year 3 are less than expected for the SA group, given their pre-sojourn grades. To tackle the problem of self-selection, outcomes for SA students were compared to the group who applied but did not eventually study abroad, and to the outcomes for students who did not apply.     

The Nature of Scientific Explanation: Examining the perceptions of the nature,quality, and “goodness” of explanation among college students,science teachers,and scientists

Issues regarding scientific explanation have been of interest to philosophers from Pre-Socratic times. The notion of scientific explanation is of interest not only to philosophers, but also to science educators as is clearly evident in the emphasis given to K-12 students' construction of explanations in current national science education reform efforts. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of research on conceptualizing explanation in science education. Using a philosophically guided framework—the Nature of Scientific Explanation (NOSE) framework—the study aims to elucidate and compare college freshmen science students', secondary science teachers', and practicing scientists' scientific explanations and their views of scientific explanations. In particular, this study aims to: (1) analyze students', teachers', and scientists' scientific explanations; (2) explore the nuances about how freshman students, science teachers, and practicing scientists construct explanations; and (3) elucidate the criteria that participants use in analyzing scientific explanations. In two separate interviews, participants first constructed explanations of everyday scientific phenomena and then provided feedback on the explanations constructed by other participants. Major findings showed that, when analyzed using NOSE framework, participant scientists did significantly “better” than teachers and students. Our analysis revealed that scientists, teachers, and students share a lot of similarities in how they construct their explanations in science. However, they differ in some key dimensions. The present study highlighted the need articulated by many researchers in science education to understand additional aspects specific to scientific explanation. The present findings provide an initial analytical framework for examining students' and science teachers' scientific explanations.     

An explorative study of shopper-based salient e-servicescape attributes: A Means-End Chain approach

This study aims to address the gaps inherent in existing studies by exploring the salient e-servicescape attributes. Employing the Means-End Chain (MEC) approach, empirical evidence was obtained through in-depth interviews with online shoppers using laddering technique to determine the most frequently mentioned attributes from four servicescape dimensions: (1) ambient; (2) design; (3) signs, symbols and artifacts; and (4) interaction. Accordingly, we laddered three levels of online shoppers’ responses from concrete to less concrete abstractions, i.e. attributes, benefits, and end-desirable beliefs. As a result, seven salient e-servicescape attributes were identified. Each of the four dimensions suggests the attributes’ linkage to benefits and end-desirable beliefs. Specifically, the study finds quality photograph, as the salient attribute of the ambient dimension, may set the point of initial attraction and move shoppers from understanding the product to linking the web site contents. In the design dimension, navigation bar, categorization, and simple arrangement are the salient attributes. Company logo represents the most salient attribute under the signs, symbols and artifacts dimension because it not only facilitates recognition and recall of prominent web sites, it also acts as the determinant of perceived risks. In the interaction dimension, although pricing information is the salient attribute that evokes happiness and confidence among online shoppers, it may dilute their perception on web site's success. Instead, confirmation mail can possibly act as a determinant to web site's success. By offering a finer granularity of information, our findings provide insights to online sellers on the salient attributes to consider in order to effectively promote their shopping web sites to create positive emotional response and buying behavior among the online shoppers.     

北京农业科技创新服务联盟发展对策研究

北京农业科技创新服务联盟建设走在全国前列,探询其建设以来取得的成效和面临的问题,对进一步完善联盟政策及推动全国产业技术创新体系建设具有重要意义。调查研究表明,北京农业科技创新服务联盟在创新产学研合作机制、推动科技成果转化等方面取得成效,在组织构架、规模和布局、技术创新能力等方面存在不足。根据国家产业技术创新战略联盟建设的基本要求,应加强联盟公信力和专业管理团队建设、优化联盟结构和行业布局、建立健全法律法规体系。     

压力与学习的互惠:对积极塑造者假说的纵贯实证检验

引入积极塑造者假说阐释工作压力与员工学习间的互惠关系,构建二者的良性循环,并据此提出两项中介假设;以研究院所、管理咨询机构的知识型员工为样本,采用两期107份纵贯样本进行回归分析;结果显示,员工学习中介工作压力与工作资源之间的正向关系,工作资源中介员工学习与工作压力之间的负向关系,压力与学习构成良性循环;研究表明,面对压力,积极塑造者将展开适应学习,习得知识后,积极塑造者将改变工作、获取资源以缓解压力,工作压力与员工学习良性互惠、员工福祉和技能螺旋上升。     

价值视阈的知识产权属性分析

知识产权属性是知识产权研究的逻辑起点。理论界对于知识产权属性的研究已比较深入,形成了"一元论"和"多元论"。其中,"多元论"已经取得学说主流地位,"多元论"遗留了两个尚待解决的重要问题:一是如何厘清知识产权的属性;二是如何安排知识产权属性的体系结构。因此,需要在批判继承现有理论的基础上,以知识产权的价值为基点构建知识产权的"新多元论"。     

产业集群供应链生态合作影响因素实证分析

通过对企业生态合作影响因素的归纳总结,结合产业集群供应链生态合作的特点,提炼出产业集群供应链生态合作的24个影响因素。通过对湖北省产业集群区域制造企业的问卷调查,获得168份有效问卷,然后运用SPSS17.0采用主成分分析法进行因子分析,得出4个产业集群供应链生态合作的影响因子分别是外部压力与支持力度因子、集群资源与能力因子、环境活动成本因子和合作意愿与承诺因子。研究结果表明:外部压力与支持力度因子对产业集群供应链生态合作因子的影响程度最大,其中政府的扶持和激励性政策是目前集群企业生态合作的驱动因素,而高层领导意愿、副产品交换数量和排污收费执法是产业集群供应链生态合作的制约因素。最后提出相关对策建议。     

产业组织模式与食品质量安全——基于水产品的多案例解读

以产业组织新视角,基于未经历产业质量安全危机的水产品行业,融合公共经济学和产业经济学理论,解读产业组织模式对水产品质量安全的作用机理与调控层面,采用多案例研究解构质量安全约束条件下成功产业组织模式的依存情境、利益联结机制、激励约束策略、政府定位要素组合,为食品质量安全问题提供新的解决方案。     

供应商适应行为影响因素实证研究

以交易观和关系观为理论基础,研究供应商适应行为影响因素问题。运用结构方程模型对整体结构模型进行拟合分析和假设检验。结果表明:供应商适应行为的影响因素涵盖供应商、制造商、关系及环境等4个层面;供应商层面因素包括供应商能力和供应商高层管理者的支持,制造商层面因素包括制造商需求不确定性和制造商长期导向,关系层面因素包括双方人员间关系,环境层面因素包括竞争强度和技术不确定性;这些因素均对供应商适应行为具有正向影响。     

基于PEST模型的美国CCS技术环境研究

在全球变暖步伐不断加快、环保意识不断提升的背景下,如何降低全球碳排放量变得十分迫切。碳捕捉与封存技术( Carbon Capture and Storage,简称CCS技术)通过对碳的捕获、存储能有效阻止CO2向大气排放,具有较大的碳减排潜力,受到了许多国家的青睐。美国作为煤炭燃烧的大国,十分重视对CCS技术的研发。基于PEST分析模型从政策、经济、社会、技术等方面对美国CCS技术发展环境进行全面地分析,进而探讨对我国CCS技术发展的有益启示。