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Showing posts from July, 2013

The U.S. Ranks 17th in Math, Reading and Science

OECD has published popular findings in its world rankings of education. The study assessed math, reading and science skills across the globe. Approximately 450,000 15-year olds in 65 countries participated within the study.   The report is considered relevant and offers opportunities for policy makers and school administrators to adjust their actions to improve upon educational quality.  According to the Market Oracle the U.S. has around 3.8 million job vacancies and 11.8 million people looking for work. A study by the ManPower Group indicates that 48% of employers are struggling to fill jobs because of lack of skills. Where there is a mismatch between skills and available jobs new training and education are necessary to improve the situation.  When looking at the report you will find that 4 of the top 5 countries are Asian while only 1 is from Europe. When you look at the top 10 you will find European countries predominate between the 5 th -10 th ranking.   You might a

Book Review: Leadership Theory and Practice

Leadership Theory and Practice by Northouse is an excellent book that will lead one though varying kinds of leadership skills, abilities, and theories. It gives a broad understanding of leading leadership theories and provides an excellent overview of the various contexts of leadership behavior and vantage points. It is written at an executive and graduate level due to its theoretical explanations but is well structured and uses standard language. It would be wise to include the book in leadership courses or personal libraries.  The book has a number of important concepts such as the trait approach to leadership, skills approach, style approach, situational approach, contingency theory, path-goal theory, leader-member exchange, transformational leadership, team leadership, psychodynamic approach, women and leadership, culture and leadership, and leadership ethics. Each concept benefits the readers in terms of various leadership definitions and perspectives. The book has a

Participative Versus Directive Leadership Styles

A study of 445 lecturers and 138 principles sought to determine the satisfaction level of college staff with leadership use of directive or supportive management styles.  Research by Awan, et. al. (2011) helps define how college management perception is influenced by employee’s locus of control. Even though the results support the general theory’s premises it does indicate that extremes of participative or directive leadership behavior can have a negative impact on the functioning of the organization. Locus of control relates to the belief that either the person or the environment is responsible for personal influence. A person who has an internal locus of control believes that they have influence over the environment while a person with an external locus of control believes that the environment has control over them. This interpretation of the self within the environment impacts behavioral choices one makes and their motivation level.  The research question is, “ What is t

Researchers Create False Memories in Mice

The memory implantation of science fiction, the movie Inception, and the concept of memory travel has not yet become an actual affair but may be well on its way. Scientists have implanted false memory into mice to create memories that never actually happened. Dr. Susumu Tonagawa a neuroscientist, and his team at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, recently published this amazing study in the journal Science .   Neurons are a combination of electrical current that activates memory to determine the best courses of actions to current events.   By manipulating individual neurons, it is possible to place within the mice’s mind the fear of an activity that never occurred. The memories are stored in what is called engrams that are put together to create a behavioral action to certain stimuli in the present.  The channelrhodopsin protein was encoded in the brain cells when they were activated during a room exploration process by the mice. Later, when exposed to blue light