Geoff Mason and David Finegold
Previous intra‐European comparisons carried out at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) have identified close links between inter‐country differences in…
Abstract
Previous intra‐European comparisons carried out at the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) have identified close links between inter‐country differences in ‘intermediate’ — shopfloor, technician and supervisory — skill levels and relative labour productivity performance. However, in this context the economic performance of the United States constitutes a ‘puzzle’ of considerable interest for, in spite of intense concern about the apparent inadequacies of education and training provision below four‐year degree level in the US, average labour productivity levels in US manufacturing and in the economy as a whole remain the highest in the world.
Compares matched samples of precision engineering plants in Britain andThe Netherlands. Suggests that labour productivity levels in Britishindustry are 25‐30 per cent lower than…
Abstract
Compares matched samples of precision engineering plants in Britain and The Netherlands. Suggests that labour productivity levels in British industry are 25‐30 per cent lower than in The Netherlands. This is seen to reflect slower investment in new capital equipment and lower average levels of workforce skills in Britain. The widespread provision of full‐time vocational education in The Netherlands is said to enable Dutch employers to carry out further training to technician and craft levels more quickly and cost‐effectively. Although British engineering companies are devoting more resources to initial and continuous training, this is insufficient to offset the initial Dutch advantage.
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This article, one of the keynote addresses at the joint ANZHES conference in December 2008, explores a concept that I call the Great Divide, by which I mean the cultural division…
Abstract
This article, one of the keynote addresses at the joint ANZHES conference in December 2008, explores a concept that I call the Great Divide, by which I mean the cultural division between principals and teachers, and between principals and students. Drawing on visual imagery, historical reports, and cultural studies of American schools, I argue that the Great Divide is a historical construction of both administrative practices and representational culture that has led to misunderstandings of the complexity of the school principal’s middle managerial work in the school organisation.
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Geoff Pugh, David Tyrrall and John Wyld
Both the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) argue that barriers to market access in the UK brewing industry disadvantage small brewers…
Abstract
Both the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) argue that barriers to market access in the UK brewing industry disadvantage small brewers. They have been actively campaigning for a number of years for a tax concession (progressive beer duty or PBD) to alleviate the situation of small brewers. This paper argues that the disadvantages faced by small brewers are due to a complex monopsony in the beer industry, where the power of the distribution segment of the value chain is paramount. It outlines a model of the structure of the UK beer industry, and undertakes two types of empirical analysis to test the potential impact of PBD on the small brewery sector. The paper finds that control over distribution is the key to profitability and survival in the beer industry, and that small brewers with such control are most likely to benefit from PBD. The findings, however, also have relevance to the position of any small business facing a powerful distribution segment. Finally, for the issue of policy development, the paper indicates that the potential outcomes of a policy change may not be entirely those intended.
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Matthew Pointon, Geoff Walton, Martin Turner, Michael Lackenby, Jamie Barker and Andrew Wilkinson
This paper intends to explore the relationship between participants' eye fixations (a measure of attention) and durations (a measure of concentration) on areas of interest within…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper intends to explore the relationship between participants' eye fixations (a measure of attention) and durations (a measure of concentration) on areas of interest within a range of online articles and their levels of information discernment (a sub-process of information literacy characterising how participants make judgements about information).
Design/methodology/approach
Eye-tracking equipment was used as a proxy measure for reading behaviour by recording eye-fixations, dwell times and regressions in males aged 18–24 (n = 48). Participants' level of information discernment was determined using a quantitative questionnaire.
Findings
Data indicates a relationship between participants' level of information discernment and their viewing behaviours within the articles' area of interest. Those who score highly on an information discernment questionnaire tended to interrogate the online article in a structured and linear way. Those with high-level information discernment are more likely to pay attention to an article's textual and graphical information than those exhibiting low-level information discernment. Conversely, participants with low-level information discernment indicated a lack of curiosity by not interrogating the entire article. They were unsystematic in their saccadic movements spending significantly longer viewing irrelevant areas.
Social implications
The most profound consequence is that those with low-level information discernment, through a lack of curiosity in particular, could base their health, workplace, political or everyday decisions on sub-optimal engagement with and comprehension of information or misinformation (such as fake news).
Originality/value
Ground-breaking analysis of the relationship between a persons' self-reported level of information literacy (information discernment specifically) and objective measures of reading behaviour.
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This paper seeks to redress the imbalance between technology and information by first examining three models of Knowledge Management with reference to the law firm context…
Abstract
This paper seeks to redress the imbalance between technology and information by first examining three models of Knowledge Management with reference to the law firm context. Secondly, it examines the relationship that exists between the harnessing of corporate knowledge and the overall goals of a law firm, and in particular law firm profitability. Finally, given the existence of this relationship, it provides some signposts for the development of a Law Firm Knowledge Management Strategy.