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The University of Missouri-Columbia's career center began to develop placement services for liberal arts students by conducting an environmental scan that acquired information from faculty, students, and employers. A strategic plan that focused on the specific career needs of liberal arts majors was developed. (SK)

Describes a successful strategic planning process at a large community college, which linked the analytic inputs of research with the authority and intuition of leaders. Reports key factors attributed to the process' success, including a collegial and organized structure, detailed project management plans, and confidence in the environmental scan. (Contains 53 references.) (CB)

Describes the status of two-year college development in the 1950s, tracing events that led up to the overwhelming demand for two-year colleges in the following decades. Asserts that if a college is to truly serve its community, it must comprehensively and continuously assess the community's needs. (AUTH/EMH)

An annual survey to determine pressing campus information technology (IT) challenges revealed that campus IT staffing challenges have eased, while security management has emerged as an issue of strategic importance. Numerous other findings were also gathered. (EV)

Strategic thinking is an organized, analytical process by which college leaders can assess: (1) existing and potential competitors; (2) sources of competitive advantage; and (3) college capabilities and competitive position. Three outcomes of strategic thinking are: (1) clear institutional strategy and direction; (2) improved institutional performance; and (3) institutional synergy. (PGS)

A market intelligence database is a vital tool for continuing education providers and brokers. Its components are as follows: layout of potential markets; analysis of population, demand, environment, and competitors (market opportunities analysis); market performance measures; and college consumer trends. (SK)

A study investigated the hypothesis that strategic human resource development shapes rather than supports corporate strategy. Data from 96 companies were used to analyze and revise a model of strategic partnerships. (Contains 92 references.) (SK)

Interviews with administrators, faculty, and support staff (n=42) in a university agriculture department revealed that they recognized distance technology as a means of reaching new audiences; policies and procedures must expand to address technology issues; competition, external dependence, and Internet misinformation were threats. Recommendations to diffuse distance education technology included administrator support, training, and incentives. (SK)

In response to the American Dental Association's (ADA) Future of Dentistry Project, the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) provided perspective on the most critical issues facing the dental profession. ADEA responded in six areas, each corresponding to areas of focus in the ADA project. This report reflects comments provided to the ADEA panel in each of the six areas. (EV)

The environment most characterizing today's public schools is continuous change, spurred by increased demands for performance and accountability. However, discontinuous change, in which organizations must question basic operating assumptions, is imminent. Continuous learning must be built into an organizations' fabric and it needs acceptable scorecards for measuring progress. (MLH)

Presents advantages and disadvantages of environmental scanning for assessing the context of professional continuing education. Provides a checklist for evaluating the quality and usefulness of information sources. Addresses the ethics of scanning. (SK)

There is no single best decision-making approach. This article reviews and compares six contemporary models (classical, administrative, incremental, mixed-scanning, garbage-can, and political) and develops a framework and 10 propositions to match strategies with circumstances. A contingency approach suggests that administrators use satisficing (a realistic version of rational decision making) and mixed scanning for solving routine administrative problems. (33 references) (MLH)

Develops a general framework and matrix for assessing ethical behavior from a campus perspective and illustrates how visual anthropology can be used to implement the matrix. Claims that indices, such as photographs on bulletin boards, architecture, graffiti, and other environmental elements, can portray a campus's ethical climate. (RJM)

Chronicles the efforts of North Carolina's James Sprunt Community College to improve the quality of life for residents of its service area through the use of community-based programming (C-BP). Reviews the C-BP process utilized at the college, highlighting the formation of three planning teams charged with developing coalitions, strategic plans, and community leadership. (AJL)

Panoramic scanning is the capacity to perceive, interpret, and appreciate complex problems from a big-picture vantage point. Barriers to panoramic scanning (sensory bombardment, superficial polarized thought, and tunnel vision) and facilitators (broad interests and knowledge, pattern finding, and connection-making skills) are identified. Educators of the gifted are urged to foster development of panoramic scanning. (Author/DB)

Describes how SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis can be used by business educators to find the best match between environmental trends (opportunities and threats) and internal departmental capabilities (strengths and weaknesses). An example from accounting education is provided. (JOW)

The role that luck plays in management success is a disputed topic. Overall, managers tend to take credit for their successes and attribute failures to bad luck. Luck also undermines the claims of management training to guarantee positive results. Overall, luck is less important for library managers because most libraries have guaranteed funding in contrast to those organizations that depend upon generating revenue from their less predictable customers and clients. The physical world offers bad luck with fires, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes. Luck from people can include both—an assault in the library or an unexpected grant opportunity. Library managers should not attribute failures to bad luck before emotionlessly evaluating the reasons and taking away any lessons for future success. They should also be open to finding good luck by continuously scanning their environment and then acting quickly to benefit from any opportunities before they slip away. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the prevalence of traditional fuels and the increasing awareness of their negative effects on sustainability, policymakers and government authorities in Nepal have been compelled to transition towards promoting the adoption of clean energy. Nevertheless, as a result of numerous obstacles, the rate of renewable energy utilization has remained sluggish. Therefore, the country's policymakers must become acquainted with the factors that impede the progress of renewable energy. The objective is to pinpoint the constraints, restrictions, and barriers that hinder the advancement of renewable energy access to rural communities in Nepal. The current study used the Delphi Technique of Environmental Scanning to identify the barriers impeding the adoption of renewable energy. In addition, an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to redefine categories of bottlenecks depending on the direction of the factors in the context of Nepal. Ultimately, the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchical Process (FAHP) has been employed to determine the priority of distinct bottlenecks of clean energy development. The study suggests that Nepal's advancement in sustainable energy is hindered by financial obstacles, primarily due to the significant initial investment, which accounts for 19% of the challenges, and the lack of effective fiscal incentives provided by the government to developers and users, which accounts for 10.6% of the challenges. The research identified many contributory reasons, including the function of regulatory organizations (6.4%), inadequate political commitments (6%), inefficient existing energy policy (5%), and poor public knowledge (5%). To promote the development of sustainable energy sources in rural areas, it is crucial to implement economic incentives, provide financial support, establish partnerships between the public and private sectors, and utilize innovative financing methods such as green bonds, crowdfunding, and carbon financing. Additionally, it is necessary to increase political commitments to amend existing renewable energy policies in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Business analytics presents significant opportunities for enhancing strategic decision-making (SDM), which is crucial for organizational competitiveness. However, there is a knowledge gap in understanding the interactions among environmental dynamism, business analytics use, environmental scanning, and rational and intuitive SDM. This paper addresses this gap by leveraging the information processing view and analyzing 218 survey responses using partial least squares (PLS) path modeling. It reveals that environmental dynamism influences business analytics use and environmental scanning. Business analytics use positively impacts rational SDM but negatively affects intuitive SDM. Environmental scanning partially mediates the relationship between business analytics use and rational SDM, and there is an inverse correlation between rational and intuitive SDM. This research introduces a novel theoretical framework, enriching the information processing view, and deepens understanding of how strategic information processing capabilities influence SDM. It also provides practical insights for organizations using business analytics to improve SDM processes in uncertain environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community resource mapping (CRM) is a process for identifying community resources vital to the successful post-secondary transition to adulthood for youth with extensive support needs (ESN). By adopting the four-step process delineated in the National Center on Secondary Education and Transition's Essential Tool: Community Resource Mapping, we present an adaptable digital CRM process that aligns with transition services as an outcome-based process. This is shown through enhancing internal and external collaboration efforts with various agencies, school staff, and families in identifying community resources in a streamlined and accessible process for youth with ESN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the key factors influencing an organisation's profitability and success in the business world is its productivity. This explains why manufacturing companies want to reach high productivity levels in order to generate more profit, succeed and stay relevant in the marketplace. This study examined the relationship between strategic management practices and organisational productivity (OP) of aluminium manufacturing firms in Delta State, Nigeria. To obtain primary data from study participants and determine the relationship between the study's constructs, the researcher used survey research designs in this study. A total of 383 copies of the questionnaire were given to the study participants in order to assess the study hypotheses, of which 348 were considered to be valid. Both interitem covariance and multiple regression analysis were utilised in this study for data analysis via Stata. Findings revealed that the dimensions of strategic management practices (environmental scanning (ES), strategy formulation (SF), strategy implementation (SI) and strategy evaluation (SE), have a positive significant effect on OP. Based on the study findings, it was recommended that organisations, particularly aluminium firms, should be actively engaged in strategic management practices like continual and effective ES, sound SF, timely and efficient SI and a standard process for SE in order to achieve a high level of OP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As environmental pressures intensify and digital technology advances rapidly, many countries, including China, are looking to more effectively heed social and environmental responsibilities by effectively integrating digital technology with traditional industries. Digital green innovation is gradually becoming a necessary direction for enterprises in various countries as they strive for high-quality development. How enterprises can achieve digital green innovation through the duality of digitalization and sustainability has become a crucial research question. However, existing research rarely addresses the mechanisms that lead to the formation of digital green innovation within enterprises. This study uses a sample of 305 manufacturing enterprises in China. Based on strategic orientation theory, this study introduces the concept of digital sustainability orientation, integrating both digital and sustainability orientations. A model is constructed to examine the impact of digital sustainability orientation on digital green innovation in enterprises, analyzing the mechanism of action through the mediation of capability reconfiguration and the moderation of environmental scanning. The study finds that digital sustainability orientation significantly positively impacts digital green innovation, highlighting the integrated effect of digital and sustainability orientations. The findings indicate that digital sustainability orientation significantly positively impacts digital green innovation, whereas a single strategic orientation does not effectively promote digital green innovation; capability reconfiguration partially mediates the relationship between digital sustainability orientation and digital green innovation in enterprises; and environmental scanning positively moderates the relationship between digital sustainability orientation and capability reconfiguration and further influences the mediating role of capability reconfiguration. This study contributes to the advancement of digital sustainability theory in the field of digital green innovation; moreover, the results of this study offer significant practical insights for enterprises aiming to successfully implement digital green innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]