The best form of medicine? Using humour to enhance design creativity

As well as playing an important role in social bonds and group dynamics, humour has a long association with creativity and creative thinking. This study attempts to utilise this relationship in the context of design by enhancing brainstorming with the use of humour. The theories of Incongruity, Superiority and Relief are central in the creation of humour. This research hypothesises that these can be applied to enhance creative performance in brainstorming by (1) inducing a humorous atmosphere through stimuli, and (2) applying jocular structure to the brainstorming process itself. A study of three brainstorming methods (classical, silent structured and video-enhanced) was undertaken, the results analysed using the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking, and possible influences of humour on levels of creativity evaluated. The results in this indicated that using a humorous stimulus did not have a positive effect, although there remains a strong case in the literature for further investigation. Structuring the brainstorming session did increase fluency and originality, and a number of insights for creative team formation and working are outlined

User requirements for a Copernicus polar mission

To monitor on a continuous basis the vast and harsh Arctic environment, considering the sparse population and the lack of transport links, space technologies are definitely essential tools including Earth observation, navigation and communication satellites. DG GROW asked for an Expert Group in spring 2017 with the mandate to update and/or complete the review and analysis of the Users’ needs, thus allowing the Commission to assess the relevance of the development of a "Copernicus expansion mission" dedicated to Polar and Snow monitoring.JRC.D.6-Knowledge for Sustainable Development and Food Securit

Towards Empirically Validated Remedies for Scrum Retrospective Headaches

Agile methods, especially Scrum, have become staples of the modern software development industry. Retrospective meetings are Scrum\u27s instrument for process improvement and adaptation. They are considered one of the most important aspects of the Scrum method and its implementation in organizations. However, Retrospectives face their own challenges. Agile practitioners have highlighted common problems, i.e. headaches, that repeatedly appear in meetings and negatively impact the quality of process improvement efforts. To remedy these headaches, Retrospective activities, which can help teams think together and break the usual routine, have been proposed. In this research, we present case studies of educational and industry teams, investigating the effects of eleven Retrospective activities on five identified headaches. While we find evidence for the claimed benefits of activities in the majority of studied cases, application of remedies also led to new headaches arising

Strengths Building, Resilience, and the Bible: A Story-Based Curriculum for Adolescents Around the World

Abstract Depression is the leading cause of illness and disability in adolescents worldwide. Resilience training, founded on principles of positive psychology, is correlated with lower depression and substance misuse in U.S. adolescents and military personnel. However, resilience training has focused primarily on secular interventions using western material. Religion is strongly correlated with lower depression and also with well-being in developing countries. Ninety percent of adolescents live in developing countries, and at least two-thirds are oral learners who prefer learning through stories and drama. This paper proposes a Bible story based curriculum that trains students in problem solving skills, character strengths, and both spiritual and secular research-tested principles for resilience and well-being. The Bible is available by audio recording in 751 languages and offers a broad base of archetypal stories for teaching resilience. The program is easily reproducible, culturally adaptable, respectful of all religions, and specifically crafted for oral learners. Through audio recordings to maintain fidelity, train the trainer programs for dissemination and support of national and community leaders, the proposed curriculum for Global Resilience Oral Workshops (GROW) has potential to lower depression and lift well-being in adolescents around the world. An updated curriculum and positive research findings from a pilot study conducted in Zambia may be found at www.growglobalresilience.com See four minute training video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84QQcBfKMq

Decision Performance and Safety Performance: A Value-Focused Thinking Study in the Oil Industry

Considerable research has been performed to develop leading indicators of safety performance. We use value-focused thinking to understand the objectives and evaluation measures that frame a particular safety-related decision within an organization. These decisions are part of the safety culture. Our research partners were two oil shipping companies; we surveyed crewmembers on their tankers to evaluate performance in each decision objective on their vessel. We demonstrate that measurements of the achievement of these objectives are related to future safety performance and thus provide leading indicators of safety

Identifying and managing risk in the Norwegian Barents Sea – A case study of enterprise risk management and strategic risk management in petroleum companies

Masteroppgave i International business and marketing (MSc

Where East Meets West: Human Rights Education in Bulgaria

In today’s increasingly globalized world, both the US and Bulgaria are at a cultural crossroads. The rise of immigration due to war and the changing economic landscape ensures that both nations will become increasingly more diverse. This project focuses on developing creative writing curriculum based upon Human Rights Education (HRE) to provide U.S. teachers with foundational resources to teach Bulgarian students about human rights to build intercultural tolerance. It provides U.S. teachers in Bulgaria with a creative writing curriculum that promotes intercultural tolerance based upon human rights principles. This curriculum emphasizes two specific areas of development. The first area is strengthening English language writing skills. The second area is using the process of creative writing to critically analyze various human rights issues. This curriculum primarily focuses on the need to humanize minority and immigrant groups, in turn, recognizing their inherent human rights. When teaching human rights through creative writing, both Bulgarian students and their American teachers have the opportunity to experience meaningful intercultural exchange with people who view the world through vastly different social and historical perspectives. Through this curriculum, both teachers and students may engage as active participants and learners. In this way, true intercultural competence, based on mutual respect, may be achieved. It is my hope that this curriculum will serve as a jumping off point for continued learning and meaningful intercultural exchange between people of the US and Bulgaria

Implementation of pedagogical technology for future marketologist leadership competence formation into the practice of university education

The article describes the process of implementation of the developed pedagogical technology for future marketologist leadership competence formation into the practice of university education. The paper describes the directions in which the content of the educational process was modernized