In the spring of 1990, a study was conducted of local unions in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Region 9 with market recovery programs (MRPs) designed to reverse declines in union membership. Three locals were chosen for in-depth study in Las Vegas, Nevada; Oakland, California; and Portland, Oregon. The locals reflected…

Automating a library can be an expensive, time-consuming endeavor that includes many risks. These risks can be reduced through a variety of methods: learning all one can about the systems available that perform the functions in which one is interested, clearly defining one's needs and expressing them succinctly to vendors, and learning how other…

The following 10 common challenges faced by small business owners in managing their companies are discussed in this monograph: (1) knowing the business; (2) knowing the basics of business management; (3) having the proper attitude; (4) having adequate capital; (5) managing finances effectively; (6) managing time efficiently; (7) managing people;…

The need is present for children to "unlearn" to play in a competitive and unsupportive environment and to return to natural and cooperative ways of playing. The advantage of a noncompetitive play structure is that it provides ground where players practice interacting and speaking supportively and appreciatively to each other. Players are then…

An approach to generating enthusiasm for writing through a writing contest is described in this brief article. AUTHOR'S COMMENT (excerpt): Why would a librarian sponsor a writing contest for more than eleven hundred students in an elementary school? I wanted to provide a writing experience for my students that would be a positive one; I hoped to…

THE FOLLOWING IS THE FULL TEXT OF THIS DOCUMENT: The Fresno County Office of Education and the Fresno Unified School District hosted the Mock Trial Competition. The state competition is sponsored by the Constitutional Rights Foundation, with cosponsorship from the California State Bar Association and the California Young Lawyer's Association. This…

The paper examines the relationship between the educational environment and the gifted student's motivation. It argues for less use of competition as a motivator, and suggests future research directions. The argument against employing competition as a motivator is based upon the premise that development, cognitive, social-emotional, and moral,…

In 1986, Congress passed Part H of P.L. 99-457 (the Education of the Handicapped Act) to address the educational, social, and health needs of handicapped and developmentally disabled infants and their families. Since this population's needs could not be addressed independently, each state was expected to develop collaborative organizational…

Efforts to restore America's competitive position must proceed from an accurate definition of what competitiveness is. The U.S. competitiveness problem has three dimensions: long-standing structural problems, macroeconomic policies, and the trade and economic policies of foreign countries. The long-term erosion of U.S. competitiveness is suggested…

This report is intended to identify opportunities for rebuilding the South's economy on the foundations of technology and innovation; to describe some of the conditions in the region that affect the creation, transfer, and commercialization of technology; and to present specific recommendations to help the South make more effective use of its…

Previous research provides support for two distinct models of expectation behavior in experimental games. The similarity pattern describes expectations that are similar to the actor's behavior regardless of whether the actor is cooperative or competitive. The triangularity pattern describes expectations that are both similar and dissimilar to…

Debate as an elitist activity can be defined in two ways: it may mean that entry to a tournament is restricted to only a few participants from any one school, or it may mean that although a wide range of students may participate in debate, only the best debaters are allowed to compete in prestigious national tournaments. The restriction on the…

Since the American Forensic Association has sanctioned recording individual events competition, it might be in the interest of competition to combine oral interpretation and radio/television broadcast competition into simultaneous competition. Voice development is a goal shared by oral interpretation and broadcasting, so oral interpretation…

A model of strategic adaptation that focuses on how organizations adapt to both conditions of growth and decline is presented. The theoretical structure underlying the model is considered, with attention to organizations, niches, and environments, as well as environmental change and evolving niches. The model attempts to reconcile the perspectives…

These three papers consider various models and mechanisms for the achievement of industrial standardization. The first, "Duopoly Compatibility Standards with Partial Cooperation and Standards Leadership" (Sanford V. Berg, University of Florida) presents a model of duopolists producing differentiated substitutes, and considers the…