A real partnership!
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Bitcoin for Beginners
2 years ago
Friday, March 20, 2009
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Book Review: The State of Innovation in Singapore
---
The Book:
The State of Innovation
at firm level
in Singapore
Findings, Rcommendations and Case Studies
2008 Dr Hitendra Patel and Eduardo Chakarian
Publication of the IPS
It has the logos of IPS, Monitor Group, LKY SPP, NUS on its cover.
---
It was a rather uninsightful book. In spite of the academic credentials of its authors and contributing organizations, the book did not frame their findings as part of any model or reasoning process.
About 10% of the book is dedicated to the results of qualitative surveys, with no references to the actual survey done, and survey methodology is excluded. The other 90% went to a narrative on case studies of other countries or firms (30%) and recommendations with no justifications (60%): the justifications were perhaps expected to follow from narratives of executives' experiences.
One can only hope this isn't the product of the top talents which fills Singapore's bureaucracy.
The Book:
The State of Innovation
at firm level
in Singapore
Findings, Rcommendations and Case Studies
2008 Dr Hitendra Patel and Eduardo Chakarian
Publication of the IPS
It has the logos of IPS, Monitor Group, LKY SPP, NUS on its cover.
---
It was a rather uninsightful book. In spite of the academic credentials of its authors and contributing organizations, the book did not frame their findings as part of any model or reasoning process.
About 10% of the book is dedicated to the results of qualitative surveys, with no references to the actual survey done, and survey methodology is excluded. The other 90% went to a narrative on case studies of other countries or firms (30%) and recommendations with no justifications (60%): the justifications were perhaps expected to follow from narratives of executives' experiences.
One can only hope this isn't the product of the top talents which fills Singapore's bureaucracy.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Models and Economics
I read an essay on model building. It wasn't new, but it was applied to development economics.
THE FALL AND RISE OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www/dishpan.html
THE FALL AND RISE OF DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS
http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www/dishpan.html
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Mathematics in Education
I met my professor teaching International Economics, and he explained to us his philosophy of using mathematical reasoning in his module. There seemed to be two claims: that mathematical training is useful in analyzing things and solving problems (whether used directly, or as rigorous training of that particular part of the mind), and that a university education serves to educate, instead of only teaching things that are useful for a career.
Although the justification of such claims are often long and complex (it is also an old issue, with many books and scholars on it, closely related to the development of reason), I hope they live up to his claims. Having used mathematics as a hobby, I for one doubt the value of its instrumental use. In fact, any industrial or business process comprises of many other tasks, and without the division of labour, mathematics might not be worth the investment. The majority of university graduates from NUS, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, probably do not end up in those specialized roles which require mathematics (I have not empirically verified this) .
Although the justification of such claims are often long and complex (it is also an old issue, with many books and scholars on it, closely related to the development of reason), I hope they live up to his claims. Having used mathematics as a hobby, I for one doubt the value of its instrumental use. In fact, any industrial or business process comprises of many other tasks, and without the division of labour, mathematics might not be worth the investment. The majority of university graduates from NUS, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, probably do not end up in those specialized roles which require mathematics (I have not empirically verified this) .
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