The copious detail in Ellen Hazelkorn‘s Rankings and the Reshaping of Higher Education makes it a useful read. A challenge with her approach is that she is able to give an excellent snapshot of higher education in 2011. Sadly, as things have moved on this leaves some bits dated. Still, I would think the key…
Category: Academic Marketing
Universities Don’t Seem Completely Toxic To Me
If you like your angst with lashings of the phrase neoliberalism John Smyth’s book, The Toxic University, is for you. The title with its references to Zombie and Rock Stars is fun. Unfortunately, you get the impression that the title is where the fun ends. Smyth makes a number of criticisms of universities and many…
American Higher Education’s Uncertain Future
Moving to the US I thought I should get up to date with US higher education. Daniel Johnson’s book, on American Higher Education’s Uncertain Future, is a critique of where we are. I was expecting criticism of government funding levels, lack of appreciation of the benefits of academic thought, and maybe students themselves. It isn’t…
What Can The Marketing-Finance Interface Tell Us About Witchcraft Trials?
Edeling, Srinivasan, and Hanssens have a useful new review paper on the Marketing-Finance Interface. The Value Of Review Papers Review papers, such as this, play a vital role in helping frame the field. They give Ph.D. students a way to get up to speed on prior contributions. Review papers also give more seasoned academics a…
The Value Of Conventions In Visualizations
I must confess to having a mixed attitude to ‘the way things are always done’. I am a big believer in trying new things. Why should we be constrained by what someone did in the past, often for completely idiosyncratic reasons? I find it quite bizarre that the UK and US use miles etc.. These…
The Pain of Paying
An interesting topic in consumer behavior is that people experience ‘pain’ when paying for something. One can think of this as a good thing. We obviously do find joy from gaining the stuff that paying acquires. If, therefore, we didn’t feel any pain when paying we would all end up spending too much. Thus, there…
Creating Stories With Data Visualizations
Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic has a useful book — Storytelling with Data. This contains lots of good advice on Creating Stories With Data Visualizations and generally improving data visualization. She tries to ensure the reader does not lazily follow the first thing a software (e.g., Excel) recommends. This is important, she gives many examples in the…
Why Are Coronavirus Maps On The News So Unhelpful?
This was a topical post on data visualization and population. I have refreshed it a little. While the specific maps have changed, As of late 2020 the maps are better now. E.g., they often show cases per 100k of the population rather than simple totals. That said, the point is still relevant. When showing maps…
Should Marketing Models Change As Consumers Work Out Marketer’s Tactics?
The Lucas Critique is a well know argument in economics that challenged many traditional results. The critique suggests that economic agents (here consumers) are forward looking. Consumers adapt their expectations and behavior given the marketers’ actions. Successful promotions tend to train consumers to expect promotions. This can mean the promotions may become less successful going…
Academic Life In The 18th Century
As a bit of variety today I will make some notes on academic life in the 18th century. The source is a book on the friendship between two of the great figures of the enlightenment, David Hume and Adam Smith. Dennis Rasmussen outlines their friendship. It is clearly remarkable that such great thinkers were such…
