Our relationship with tech companies has changed significantly over the past 18 months. Ongoing data breaches, and the revelations surrounding the Cambridge Analytica scandal, have raised concerns about who owns our data, and how it is being used and shared. Tech companies have vowed to do better. Following his grilling by both the US Congress and the […] … learn more→

Business writing has grown tremendously over the last two decades. Numerous factors have made a contribution to this slow but firm transformation. Today, language has transformed huge because slang has entered mainstream vocabulary and the business landscape has turned more efficient and faster. Thus, communication needs to be efficient and fast. The reason behind this […] … learn more→

Undertaking a PhD can be very stressful, due to a range of challenges. These include having to develop discipline expertise as well as generic skills (such as academic writing and maintaining motivation) during a largely solo pursuit. Concern has been growing about the prevalence of mental health issues (such as depression and anxiety) among PhD candidates. […] … learn more→

I often request an end to the student loan scam, but I seldom discuss why we have so many of our kids ready and willing to destroy themselves with student loans. Even if we destroyed the supply (student loans), we’d still have immense demand for accredited college degrees. So as I sit here being pumped […] … learn more→

In recent years the assessment of researcher quality in social sciences has been aligned to the journals in which their articles have been published. The ascendancy of ranking guides for business and management disciplines such as the Academic Journal Guide have facilitated this metrification to the point where business school workloads, promotions and recruitment are […] … learn more→

Recent news reports have suggested that the MBA (masters in business administration) may be “losing its lustre” at American business schools, including some of the most elite on the planet. The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has reported declining U.S. applications, while in Canada the opposite is true, with applications increasing almost eight per cent last year. The […] … learn more→

The UK has one of the most socially segregated school systems in the developed world, with academic selection – where children are admitted to a school on the basis of ability – and parental choice at its core. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) believes this has a negative impact on social equality and a young person’s ability to earn a […] … learn more→

While the hard sciences are not immune to the big problem in published scientific research—much of it cannot be reproduced—the “soft” sciences, that is to say the topics which didn’t even used to be called sciences (eg, they’re called “social sciences” now, but used to just be “social studies” a generation ago) are rife with […] … learn more→

Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statementrecommending that parents not spank, hit or slap their children. The announcement created a flurry of media attention around the world with headlines such as “Spanking is Still Really Common, and Still Really Bad for Kids.” The statement is significant, but it’s also old news. It adds to already substantial research […] … learn more→

For years, it has been predicted the increasing number of students flowing into the graduate jobs market would result in falling salaries, underemployment, and students taking on second and third degrees to get an edge in the competitive jobs marketplace. But what of students who spend upwards of A$200,000 on obtaining a degree in Australia, […] … learn more→