Archive for June, 2007
Wanted: Person/Formula willing to decide the future
PROCESS OF GRADUATE ADMISSIONS- FORMULA VS. HUMAN
In the past decade, the Council of Graduate Schools estimated over 7 million applications were submitted to various graduate schools last year. This has forced graduate admission panels to be more selective in their admissions process; in some cases 50 or 100:1.
In Robyn Dawes study, A Case Study [...]
The Who’s Who of Change
ROLES OF CHANGE AGENTS
An idea is always easier to adopt when it comes with a perk. Take for instance, Driver’s Education class, the benefits include discounts on your car insurance, the hope of safer driving, and a load off of your parents’ minds. What or who makes you want to adopt this idea? [...]
Persuasion 101
TECHNIQUES THAT HELP DIFFUSE AN IDEA: FACE-TO-FACE CONTACT
Persuasion is a beautiful thing. Whether it is a fundraiser on the street or a shoe salesman at a department store; face-to-face contact is the most influential way that ideas diffuse. This idea is from Rogers’ book Diffusion of Innovations, Rogers defines “individuals who have a [...]
Great Expectations
CHARACTERISTICS THAT SPEED UP THE RATE OF DIFFUSION OF INNOVATIONS
Two kids are fighting over their new toys on the playground: “Mine is better than yours!” one yells. It sounds selfish, but he may have a point. He is demonstrating what Rogers’ describes as relative advantage. In his book Diffusion of Innovations, Rogers [...]
Input: Output, the cycle
HOW DECISION MAKING AFFECTS THE ADOPTION PROCESSThere are two types of thinkers in this world: the traditional and the modern. Rogers’ states that traditional tend to lack technological innovation, have lower literacy rates, and remain fairly isolated in trade. This type of person and/or group can be characterized as meek and fearful when [...]
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )From gunpowder to PB&J
WHAT EFFECTS NEW IDEAS FROM SPREADING
How do small ideas bleed into phenomenons? Take the switch from cannons to gunpowder or the typewriter to the internet. What makes novel innvoations so great that we need to make a change?
In Everett Rogers book, Diffusion of Innovations, he discusses how ideas, inventions, and tools spread and [...]
To plan or not to plan?
WEIGHING THE COSTS AND BENEFITS OF PLANNINGDecision Science News is noticing the importance of efficient forecasting and planning as it applies in the corporate world. The benefits of effective forecasting can decrease the amount of time, increase income, and manage manpower that is spent on predicting future trends in areas such as the economy [...]
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