Life with sheepdogs:alternative metaphorical models of the doctoral research process revisited

The doctoral research process is the entry path for the academic profession. Traditionally it is explained by reference to another professional entry path, the industrial apprenticeship. Revisiting a paper and discussion originally held at the Marketing Education Group conference in 1991, we explore the implications and limitations of this metaphorical model, suggest alternatives and consider the interaction between student characteristics and supervisory approach. Through this process we offer marketing academics a vast range of unflattering metaphors to employ in describing themselves, their students, their supervisors and their colleagues.

The whats, whys and hows of supporting dyslexic students. A review of ‘Learning Disabilities in Higher Education and Beyond: An International Perspective’ edited by Susan A. Vogel, Gila Vogel, Varda Sharoni & Orit Dahan, USA: York Press, 2003, 384 pages + xv, ISBN 0912752742

Book review

The development and evaluation of distance learning materials for administrative personnel in a multi-national company

There has been substantial research into the role of distance learning in education. Despite the rise in the popularity and practice of this form of learning in business, there has not been a parallel increase in the amount of research carried out in this field. An extensive investigation was conducted into the entire distance learning system of a multi-national company with particular emphasis on the design, implementation and evaluation of the materials. In addition, the performance and attitudes of trainees were examined. The results of a comparative study indicated that trainees using distance learning had significantly higher test scores than trainees using conventional face-to-face training. The influence of the previous distance learning experience, educational background and selected study environment of trainees was investigated. Trainees with previous experience of distance learning were more likely to complete the course and with significantly higher test scores than trainees with no previous experience. The more advanced the educational background of trainees, the greater the likelihood of their completing the course, although there was no significant difference in the test scores achieved. Trainees preferred to use the materials at home and those opting to study in this environment scored significantly higher than those studying in the office, the study room at work or in a combination of environments. The influence of learning styles (Kolb, 1976) was tested. The results indicated that the convergers had the greatest completion rates and scored significantly higher than trainees with the assimilator, accommodator and diverger learning styles. The attitudes of the trainees, supervisors and trainers were examined using questionnaire, interview and discussion techniques. The findings highlighted the potential problems of lack of awareness and low motivation which could prove to be major obstacles to the success of distance learning in business.

A systematic review of treatments for atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis is a very common inflammatory skin disease, particularly in children. A systematic review of randomised controlled trials of treatments for atopic dermatitis (AD) was carried out to assess how many trials exist, what they cover, what they do not cover, the research gaps, provide a 'blue print' for future Cochrane Reviews and assist those making treatment recommendations by summarising the available RCT evidence, using descriptive statistics. The Cochrane Collaboration systematic review process formed the basis of the methodology, from which over 4000 studies were located via electronic database searches and hand searching of journals. A total of 292 trials were finally included covering 9 treatment groups and over 48 individual treatments. There are lots of trials covering lots of interventions but gaps are evident. However, there is evidence of a benefit in the treatment of atopic dermatitis with topical corticosteroids, psychological approaches, UV light, ascomycin derivatives, topical tacrolimus and oral cyclosporin. Treatments that show limited evidence of a benefit include non-sedatory antihistamines, topical doxepin, the oral antibiotic Cefadroxil on clinically infected AD, the topical antibacterial Mupirocin on clinically uninfected AD, Chinese herbs, hypnotherapy and biofeedback, massage therapy, dietary manipulation, house dust mite reduction, patient education, emollients, allergen antibody complexes of house dust mite and thymic extracts. Treatments that show no evidence of benefit include sedatory antihistamines, oral sodium cromoglycate, oral antibiotics on clinically uninfected AD, topical antibacterials, topical antifungals, aromatherapy essential oils, borage oil, fish oil, evening primrose oil, enzyme-free clothes detergent, cotton clothing, house dust mite hyposensitisation, salt baths, topical coal tar, topical cyclosporin and platelet-activating-factor antagonist. When interpreting the conclusions of this thesis it is important to understand that lack of evidence does not equal lack of efficacy, particularly considering the interventions that are commonly in use today to treat atopic dermatitis that have not been subjected to RCTs, such as occlusive dressings, water softening devices and stress management among many others.

On being thrown into phenomenological research: a book review of J.A. Smith, P. Flowers & M. Larkin (2009) Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis: Theory, method and research. London: Sage.

Book review

Can grassroots organisations and NGOs substitute for the State in Russia? A review of the literature and suggestions for a future research agenda

The paper investigates the relationship between civil society and the state. Using the unique lens of the state-substitution (the process whereby civil society organisations take on government roles) the paper reviews the literature and highlights three key issues: - Civil society is weak in Russia and its contribution to democracy development is limited - The Russian State has be withdrawing from its responsibilities to care for its citizens, leaving a field of opportunity for civil society organisations. - The state has subsequently began to encroach on civil society organisations mainly through the use of legislative changes and government sponsored organisations These trends have far reaching implications for civil society organisations, in particular those which take up or take over government roles and responsibilities. The literary evidence shows that the Russian state leverages its political power into the sphere of civil society similar to how it regained control over the economy in the early 2000s. This Russian variant of civil society attributes the state as a key player in all societal spheres.

Review of doctoral research in second-language teaching and learning in Australia (2003–2006)

This article reviews recent doctoral research in Australian universities in the area of language teaching and learning. Doctoral work in three main areas of research concentration is described: language teaching, language learning, and writing. The authors whose studies are reviewed are graduates of the Australian National University, Griffith University, Macquarie University, the University of Technology, Sydney, the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales, the University of Melbourne, Monash University, La Trobe University, Deakin University and Murdoch University.

A review of research in manufacturing prognostics

With the fast changing global business landscape, manufacturing companies are facing increasing challenge to reduce cost of production, increase equipment utilization and provide innovative products in order to compete with countries with low labour cost and production cost. On of the methods is zero down time. Unfortunately, the current research and industrial solution does not provide user friendly development environment to create “Adaptive microprocessor size with supercomputer performance” solution to reduce downtime. Most of the solutions are PC based computer with off the shelf research software tools which is inadequate for the space constraint manufacturing environment in developed countries. On the other hand, to develop solution for various manufacturing domain will take too much time, there is lacking tools available for rapid or adaptive way of create the solution. Therefore, this research is to understand the needs, trends, gaps of manufacturing prognostics and defines the research potential related to rapid embedded system framework for prognostic.

A review of research and practice for the industrial networks of the future

Academic researchers have followed closely the interest of companies in establishing industrial networks by studying aspects such as social interaction and contractual relationships. But what patterns underlie the emergence of industrial networks and what support should research provide for practitioners? First, it appears that manufacturing is becoming a commodity rather than a unique capability, which accounts especially for low-technology approaches in downstream parts of the network, for example, in assembly operations. Second, the increased tendency towards specialisation has forced other, upstream, parts of industrial networks to introduce advanced manufacturing technologies for niche markets. Third, the capital market for investments in capacity, and the trade in manufacturing as a commodity, dominates resource allocation to a larger extent than was previously the case. Fourth, there is becoming a continuous move towards more loosely connected entities that comprise manufacturing networks. Finally, in these networks, concepts for supply chain management should address collaboration and information technology that supports decentralised decision-making, in particular to address sustainable and green supply chains. More traditional concepts, such as the keiretsu and chaibol networks of some Asian economies, do not sufficiently support the demands now being placed on networks. Research should address these five fundamental challenges to prepare for the industrial networks of 2020 and beyond. © 2010 Springer-Verlag London.

Reinforcing the security of corporate information resources:a critical review of the role of the acceptable use policy

Increasingly users are seen as the weak link in the chain, when it comes to the security of corporate information. Should the users of computer systems act in any inappropriate or insecure manner, then they may put their employers in danger of financial losses, information degradation or litigation, and themselves in danger of dismissal or prosecution. This is a particularly important concern for knowledge-intensive organisations, such as universities, as the effective conduct of their core teaching and research activities is becoming ever more reliant on the availability, integrity and accuracy of computer-based information resources. One increasingly important mechanism for reducing the occurrence of inappropriate behaviours, and in so doing, protecting corporate information, is through the formulation and application of a formal ‘acceptable use policy (AUP). Whilst the AUP has attracted some academic interest, it has tended to be prescriptive and overly focussed on the role of the Internet, and there is relatively little empirical material that explicitly addresses the purpose, positioning or content of real acceptable use policies. The broad aim of the study, reported in this paper, is to fill this gap in the literature by critically examining the structure and composition of a sample of authentic policies – taken from the higher education sector – rather than simply making general prescriptions about what they ought to contain. There are two important conclusions to be drawn from this study: (1) the primary role of the AUP appears to be as a mechanism for dealing with unacceptable behaviour, rather than proactively promoting desirable and effective security behaviours, and (2) the wide variation found in the coverage and positioning of the reviewed policies is unlikely to be fostering a coherent approach to security management, across the higher education sector.

Who is really in charge of contemporary education? People and technologies in, against and beyond the neoliberal university

This article reflects on the position of people in, against and beyond information and communication technologies. Firstly, using Jandrić and Kuzmanić’s work on digital postcolonialism, Raymond Williams's work on residual and emergent cultures, and Deleuze and Guattari's insights into the dynamics between territorialization, de-territorialization and re-territorialization, it develops a theoretical framework for inquiry into the hybrid identity of the contemporary university. Then, through critical discourse analysis (CDA), the article moves on to analyse the ways in which technology discourse resides in the dominating ideology of technological determinism and co-opts with neoliberal agendas by omitting humans from explicit mention in UK policy documents. It shows that true counter-hegemonic practice against dominating social practices is possible only through reinvigorating the central position of human beings in regards to information and communication technologies. Within the developed theoretical framework, it seeks openings to intervene subversively into current relationships between technologies, people, and (higher) education, and to identify opportunities for building a non-determinist identity of the contemporary university that reaches beyond the single-minded logic of techno-scientific development. In the process, it situates Paulo Freire's insights into critical pedagogy in the context of the network society, and places the relationships between human beings, language and information and communication technologies amongst central questions of today's (higher) education and society at large.

Understanding motivations for entrepreneurship:a review of recent research evidence

Our systematic search for empirical studies on entrepreneurial motivation published over the last five years (2008-2013) retrieved 51 relevant studies (filtered from over 1,200 search results), which form the basis of this review. Considering the type and quality of studies suggests that we can be relatively confident in our answer to the first review question below (typologies). The evidence-base for the second and third review questions (drivers and consequences of entrepreneurial motivation) is weaker and still developing. Beyond answering the three broad research questions below, we develop a framework for future research synthesising the review findings. 1) What typologies exist to describe entrepreneurial motivation? 2) What influences and shapes entrepreneurial motivation? 3) What consequences have different entrepreneurial motivations for entrepreneurial performance?

Technology of Satellite and Mobile Communication in Modern Distance Education

This paper describes the use of technology of satellite and mobile communication for quality improving of modern distance education.