The Self-Concept of Students in Remediation in a Rural Community College in Mississippi

One of the aims of this study was to look at the difference in self-concept between traditional and non-traditional community college students. This study also examined self-concept differences based on ethnicity and gender and focused specifically on community college students in one or more developmental courses. Students from developmental math, reading, and English classes were given the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition survey (see Appendix B for a list of the questions on the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition). Students were asked to complete the long form consisting of 82 questions using Likert Scale responses from 1-Always False to 5-Always True. The results showed that among the 135 developmental students participating in this study, the total self-concept score did not differ statistically between traditional and non-traditional students. This study did, however, show that the mean value score for Black students was statistically significant and higher when compared to White students. All other ethnic groups were statistically equal. There was also no statistical difference in self-concept score based on gender. The overall self-concept score mean value fell in the 29th percentile for the students in the survey. This was well below the desired 50th percentile range between 296 and 299 as the cutoff point for high self-concept as referenced in the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale: Second Edition Profile chart for the Adult Form. Based on the results of this study, the self-concept score was proven to be a bi-product of student background and academic success. Self-concept can be a valuable pre-test and post-test tool for measuring the impact of developmental programs. Academic success raises self-concept, and given the statistical significance of the difference between the scores of Black developmental students and White developmental students, more research is warranted. The results from this study of developmental students provide additional support for the use of a self-concept score as a pre-test and post-test metric. Other than the pass or fail grade that a student may receive, the self-concept score can be used as a reliable way of measuring the impact of programs designed to improve retention and graduation rates of community college students

Anisotropy of Imbalanced Alfvenic Turbulence in Fast Solar Wind

We present the first measurement of the scale-dependent power anisotropy of Elsasser variables in imbalanced fast solar wind turbulence. The dominant Elsasser mode is isotropic at lower spacecraft frequencies but becomes increasingly anisotropic at higher frequencies. The sub-dominant mode is anisotropic throughout, but in a scale-independent way (at higher frequencies). There are two distinct subranges exhibiting different scalings within what is normally considered the inertial range. The low Alfven ratio and shallow scaling of the sub-dominant Elsasser mode suggest an interpretation of the observed discrepancy between the velocity and magnetic field scalings. The total energy is dominated by the latter. These results do not appear to be fully explained by any of the current theories of incompressible imbalanced MHD turbulence.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figure

A Practitioner Critique of a Conceptual Paper on Measuring Value and Performance

Much of the business literature suggests that firm performance should be measured in financial terms, based on the notion that the primary obligation of a corporation is to provide high shareholder returns. An alternative literature is emerging in which scholars identify the many weaknesses associated with shareholder primacy, and offer alternative performance measures that are focused on a broader set of stakeholders. One such publication was provided to high-­‐level executives in large companies. The executives were then given the opportunity to critique the paper and to discuss the extent to which their firms are engaging in the types of performance measurement activities contained therein. This proposal is a direct response to the call by SMS leaders to engage practitioners in useful dialogues within our Society

Stakeholder Theory, Value, and Firm Performance

This paper argues that the notion of value has been overly simplified and narrowed to focus on economic returns. Stakeholder theory provides an appropriate lens for considering a more complex perspective of the value that stakeholders seek as well as new ways to measure it. We develop a four-factor perspective for defining value that includes, but extends beyond, the economic value stakeholders seek. To highlight its distinctiveness, we compare this perspective to three other popular performance perspectives. Recommendations are made regarding performance measurement for both academic researchers and practitioners. The stakeholder perspective on value offered in this paper draws attention to those factors that are most closely associated with building more value for stakeholders, and in so doing, allows academics to better measure it and enhances managerial ability to create it

Stakeholder Management: A Managerial Perspective

Scholars and practitioners have acknowledged the practical relevance of stakeholder theory as it has been applied to management. This chapter provides a brief foundation for understanding the basic principles of stakeholder management and some of its best known tools, including the development of an enterprise strategy, identification and prioritization of stakeholders, and measurement of the value firms create with and for stakeholders. We then share insights about implementation of stakeholder management based on interviews with high-level executives from a variety of well-known companies. We found that stakeholder principles have been applied in a variety of ways and under various labels. The chapter ends with a list of eight important questions to advance research on stakeholder management

Open heavy flavor production at RHIC

The study of heavy flavor production in relativistic heavy ion collisions is an extreme experimental challenge but provides important information on the properties of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) created in Au+Au collisions at RHIC. Heavy-quarks are believed to be produced in the initial stages of the collision, and are essential on the understanding of parton energy loss in the dense medium created in such environment. Moreover, heavy-quarks can help to investigate fundamental properties of QCD in elementary p+p collisions. In this work we review recent results on heavy flavor production and their interaction with the hot and dense medium at RHIC.Comment: Quark Matter 2006 proceedings, 8 pages, 5 figure

Can multi-stakeholder initiatives improve global supply chains? Improving deliberative capacity with a stakeholder orientation

Global multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) are important instruments that have the potential to improve the social and environmental sustainability of global supply chains. However, they often fail to comprehensively address the needs and interests of various supplychain participants. While voluntary in nature, MSIs have most often been implemented through coercive approaches, resulting in friction among their participants and in systemic problems with decoupling. Additionally, in those cases in which deliberation was constrained between and amongst participants, collaborative approaches have often failed to materialize. Our framework focuses on two key aspects of these breakdowns: assumptions about the orientation of MSI participants, and the deliberation processes that participants use to engage with each other to create these initiatives and sustain them over time. Drawing from stakeholder and deliberation theories, we revisit the concept of MSIs and show how their deliberative capacity may be enhanced in order to encourage participants to collaborate voluntarily