Kevin Downing, Flora Ning and Kristina Shin
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of problem‐based learning (PBL) in higher education based on a large sample of first‐year undergraduates from two…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of problem‐based learning (PBL) in higher education based on a large sample of first‐year undergraduates from two programmes at a Hong Kong University (n=132). One programme uses an entirely problem‐based approach to learning, whilst the other uses traditional methods.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) as a measure of metacognition, differences in metacognitive development are explored between each group of students between the beginning and end of their first 15 months in each programme.
Findings
Despite significantly weaker entry scores on the LASSI, the mean final scores, taken after 15 months and three semesters of study in the different curriculum environments demonstrate dramatic improvements in metacognition for the PBL group. In addition, analysis of student learning experience measured at the end of the programme revealed that the PBL group reported significantly higher scores in their overall course satisfaction and generic skills development.
Practical implications
The paper argues that, in addition to the formal learning context, everyday challenges emerging from the additional new social contexts provided by problem‐based curricula provide fertile environments for the development of metacognition and enhancement of the learning experience. The implications of PBL environments on fostering constructivist learning and enhancing student experience are discussed.
Originality/value
This research is original in its use of the LASSI inventory as a pre‐ and post‐measure of metacognitive development in undergraduates. This is an online questionnaire administered to two groups of students following similar programmes except one is problem based and the other more traditional, and the results are strikingly significant.
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Tom Schultheiss, Lorraine Hartline, Jean Mandeberg, Pam Petrich and Sue Stern
The following classified, annotated list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the…
Abstract
The following classified, annotated list of titles is intended to provide reference librarians with a current checklist of new reference books, and is designed to supplement the RSR review column, “Recent Reference Books,” by Frances Neel Cheney. “Reference Books in Print” includes all additional books received prior to the inclusion deadline established for this issue. Appearance in this column does not preclude a later review in RSR. Publishers are urged to send a copy of all new reference books directly to RSR as soon as published, for immediate listing in “Reference Books in Print.” Reference books with imprints older than two years will not be included (with the exception of current reprints or older books newly acquired for distribution by another publisher). The column shall also occasionally include library science or other library related publications of other than a reference character.
This study explores why consumers view ambush marketing as an ethical marketing approach.
Abstract
Purpose
This study explores why consumers view ambush marketing as an ethical marketing approach.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative study was devised to investigate what ambush marketing means to those consumers who find it ethical or are not annoyed by it. Data were collected via focus groups.
Findings
Three main themes emerged from the data analyses. The most dominant theme was Machiavellianism. Favorable evaluations of ambush marketing lean on a Machiavellistic understanding. The second was the Robin Hood effect, which is observed when the ambusher is a smaller or local brand. In the third theme, ambush attacks are considered as charismatic or enjoyable action, in what is termed dark charisma.
Practical implications
Findings of the current study suggest considerable implications both for businesses that deal with sponsorship and for organizing committees.
Originality/value
The extant literature on consumers' attitudes toward ambush marketing mostly focuses on ethical issues and/or the effectiveness of ambush marketing (i.e. harm to official sponsors), using qualitative techniques. However, the literature is devoid of studies exploring consumers' perception on ambush marketing, and more specifically, explanations of what is ethical and unethical from consumers' point of view. To best of the author's knowledge, it is the first study that seeks an explanation about consumers' positive evaluation of ambush marketing.
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The desert was always part of the Arabian culture and a way of life. After the discovery of oil during the 1940's, traditional Arab societies became urbanized and settled in newly…
Abstract
The desert was always part of the Arabian culture and a way of life. After the discovery of oil during the 1940's, traditional Arab societies became urbanized and settled in newly constructed cities and towns. The desert became a place to visit for leisure and entertainment by locals and tourists. In Dubai, the desert is used as a tourist attraction for foreigners. In Kuwait, the desert is a seasonal attraction for families and groups during the winter time. This involves informal leisure activities that endanger the fragile desert environment and cause its pollution and degradation. This paper discusses the impact of informal desert tourism activities on the desert sustainability in Kuwait. It warns against the negative impact of current practices on the fragile desert environment as a result of informal local tourism activities. The paper explores successful examples from the region and the world in order to highlight aspects of successful interventions that blend in with the desert context. It suggests sustainable measures to deal with the planning and designing for desert ecotourism facilities that aim at protecting the fragile desert environment from deterioration and eventual extinction.
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What conceivable connection can there be between religion and retailing? In this original article Stephen Brown shows that the relationship — at least in Northern Ireland — is…
Abstract
What conceivable connection can there be between religion and retailing? In this original article Stephen Brown shows that the relationship — at least in Northern Ireland — is significant. It goes beyond the obvious subject of Sunday trading; ethnic factors are very apparent. For example, one can find two branches of the same symbol group in one village, each owned by shopkeepers of different religious affiliations. And green coloured garments do not sell particularly well in Protestant districts. There is also a strong “Boycott Eire Goods” campaign in Ulster, with some retailers in Protestant districts being “asked” to remove renegade Irish goods from their shelves.
In urban development, the difference of construction time series and the diversity of the aesthetic standard all lead to the fragmentation of the urban landscape and the lack of…
Abstract
In urban development, the difference of construction time series and the diversity of the aesthetic standard all lead to the fragmentation of the urban landscape and the lack of effective integration. The research on urban landscape design based on sustainable development innovation was put forward in this paper. The background of the development of urban landscape design was expounded firstly, and the development status of urban landscape design under the concept of sustainable development innovation was introduced; then the urban landscape design method under the concept of sustainable development was put forward, and the urban landscape planning and design of a city was taken as an example and divided into three functional areas; in addition, the stereoscopic traffic planning, the landscape corridor design and the landscape design planning of water system were proposed. This study is of certain guiding significance for the actual urban landscape planning design.
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Fraud is not yet universally recognised or understood as a crime, in the way that theft is. All sectors of our society recognise shoplifting as a crime, whereas an exaggerated…
Abstract
Fraud is not yet universally recognised or understood as a crime, in the way that theft is. All sectors of our society recognise shoplifting as a crime, whereas an exaggerated insurance claim tends to be seen more as a matter of personal morality than public law and order.
The new Fair Trading measure aims at the establishment of a strong, bioadly‐based central direction of consumer protection; a new Director‐General of Fair Trading with wide…
Abstract
The new Fair Trading measure aims at the establishment of a strong, bioadly‐based central direction of consumer protection; a new Director‐General of Fair Trading with wide responsibilities “for protecting consumers” with authority to “make proposals for the exercise of order‐making powers in relation to trading practices which adversely affect consumer interests”, and “to act against those who persistently follow a course of conduct unfair to consumers”. This supremo is to work closely with the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and the Restrictive Practices Board, and no less than five junior Ministers are to be given special responsibilities for protecting consumer interests, handling these aspects of the new system in their own departments.
Douglas J. Ernest and Lewis B. Herman
In recent years, guides to hiking trails and wilderness areas have enjoyed an increase in popularity. Here, Douglas J. Ernest and Lewis B. Herman evaluate more than 100 such books.
At every period of time marked by years, the seasons by turns and twists in history, among country folk especially, the years of great storms and hard winters; in law enforcement…
Abstract
At every period of time marked by years, the seasons by turns and twists in history, among country folk especially, the years of great storms and hard winters; in law enforcement, the passing of some far‐reaching, profound statutory measure, there is this almost universal tendency to look back—over your shoulder‐assessing changes, progressive or otherwise, discerning trends and assaying prospects. We are about to emerge from the seventies—battered but unbowed!—into the new decade of the eighties, perhaps with a feeling that things can only get better.