Enterprise Education Competitions: A Theoretically Flawed Intervention?

The demand for including enterprise in the education system, at all levels and for all pupils is now a global phenomenon. Within this context, the use of competitions and competitive learning activities is presented as a popular and effective vehicle for learning. The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate how a realist method of enquiry – which utilises theory as the unit of analysis – can shed new light on the assumed and unintended outcomes of enterprise education competitions. The case developed here is that there are inherent flaws in assuming that competitions will ‘work’ in the ways set out in policy and guidance. Some of the most prevalent stated outcomes – that competitions will motivate and reward young people, that they will enable the development of entrepreneurial skills, and that learners will be inspired by their peers – are challenged by theory from psychology and education. The issue at stake is that the expansion of enterprise education policy into primary and secondary education increases the likelihood that more learners will be sheep dipped in competitions, and competitive activities, without a clear recognition of the potential unintended effects. In this chapter, we employ a realist-informed approach to critically evaluate the theoretical basis that underpins the use of competitions and competitive learning activities in school-based enterprise education. We believe that our findings and subsequent recommendations will provide those who promote and practice the use of competitions with a richer, more sophisticated picture of the potential flaws within such activities.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

What does security culture look like for small organizations?

The human component is a significant factor in information security, with a large numbers of breaches occurring due to unintentional user error. Technical solutions can only protect information so far and thus the human aspect of security has become a major focus for discussion. Therefore, it is important for organisations to create a security conscious culture. However, currently there is no established representation of security culture from which to assess how it can be manoeuvred to improve the overall information security of an organization. This is of particular importance for small organizations who lack the resources in information security and for whom the culture of the organization exerts a strong influence. A review of multiple definitions and descriptions of security culture was made to assess and analyse the drivers and influences that exist for security culture in small organizations. An initial representation of the factors that should drive security culture, together with those that should only influence it, was constructed. At a fundamental level these drivers are related to a formulated response to security issues rather than a reaction to it, and should reflect the responsibility allocated in a secure environment. In contrast, the influences on security culture can be grouped by communities of practice, individual awareness and organizational management. The encapsulation of potential driving and influencing factors couched in information security terms rather than behavioural science terms, will allow security researchers to investigate how a security culture can be fostered to improve information security in small organizations

The Kaleidoscope of the Sociology of Aging Seen through the French-speaking Field

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Shallow-marine microporous carbonate reservoir rocks in the Middle East: relationship with seawater Mg/Ca ratio and eustatic sea level

The formation of shallow-marine microporous carbonate reservoir rocks remains poorly understood in spite of their economic importance, particularly in the Middle East. In this paper, we investigate relationships between the stratigraphic occurrence of these carbonates in the Middle East and (i) the evolution of the Mg/Ca ratio in seawater; and (ii) cyclic variations in relative sea-level. An inventory of carbonate formations in the Middle East was compiled for three geological time intervals characterised by different seawater chemistries: the Late Carboniferous to Triassic (aragonite seas); the Cretaceous (calcite seas); and the Cenozoic (transitional from calcite to aragonite seas). For each time interval, carbonate formations described as microporous have been listed. During the Cretaceous calcite sea, eleven microporous carbonate formations were deposited in the Middle East. However, no microporous carbonates were formed during the Late Carboniferous to Triassic, a time of aragonite seas. During the Cenozoic, four of the five microporous carbonate formations recorded were deposited before the transition from calcite to aragonite seas. Thus, these shallow-marine microporous carbonates appear to have developed from precursor muds which were mainly composed of low-Mg calcite crystals. Moreover, during the Cretaceous and the Cenozoic, microporous carbonate formations in the Middle East were generally associated with major transgressions and highstands of relative sea level. The relatively high stability of low-Mg calcite muds may explain why shallow-marine microporous carbonates formed during time intervals with calcite seas. In contrast to muds composed of aragonite or high-Mg calcite crystals, the original microfabric (including intercrystalline microporosity) of low-Mg calcite muds can partly survive moderate diagenesis.status: publishe

Lacustrine microporous micrites of the Madrid Basin (Late Miocene, Spain) as analogues for shallow-marine carbonates of the Mishrif reservoir Formation (Cenomanian to Early Turonian, Middle East)

Shallow-marine microporous limestones account for many carbonate reservoirs. Their formation, however, remains poorly understood. Due to the lack of recent appropriate marine analogues, this study uses a lacustrine counterpart to examine the diagenetic processes controlling the development of intercrystalline microporosity. Late Miocene lacustrine microporous micrites of the Madrid Basin (Spain) have a similar matrix microfabric as Cenomanian to Early Turonian shallow-marine carbonates of the Mishrif reservoir Formation (Middle East). The primary mineralogy of the precursor mud partly explains this resemblance: low-Mg calcites were the main carbonate precipitates in the Cretaceous seawater and in Late Miocene freshwater lakes of the Madrid Basin. Based on hardness and petrophysical properties, two main facies were identified in the lacustrine limestones: a tight facies and a microporous facies. The tight facies evidences strong compaction, whereas the microporous facies does not. The petrotexture, the sedimentological content, and the mineralogical and chemical compositions are identical in both facies. The only difference lies in the presence of calcite overgrowths: they are pervasive in microporous limestones, but almost absent in tight carbonates. Early diagenetic transformations of the sediment inside a fluctuating meteoric phreatic lens are the best explanation for calcite overgrowths precipitation. Inside the lens, the dissolution of the smallest crystals in favor of overgrowths on the largest ones rigidifies the sediment and prevents compaction, while partly preserving the primary microporous network. Two factors appear essential in the genesis of microporous micrites: a precursor mud mostly composed of low-Mg calcite crystals and an early diagenesis rigidifying the microcrystalline framework prior to burial

Entrepreneurship and Small Business

Starting and running your own enterprise is one of the most rewarding- and challenging- journeys towards developing a business career. This text provides students with the theoretical and practical knowledge required to successfully own and manage a new, small or growing business venture