(Georgia Tech: Atlanta) -- With the holiday season upon us—and all the festive food it brings—people should know that the color contrast between dinnerware and what’s placed on top can affect how much we serve ourselves and consume, according a Georgia Tech College of Management researcher.

(Productivity Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- In the same way that a well-defined approach is needed to develop an effective strategic plan, an equally well-designed approach is needed to support the alignment of your organization’s structure, management concepts, systems, processes, networks,

(University of Michigan: Ann Arbor, MI) -- When giving presents this holiday season, remember one thing—less is more, according to an article forthcoming in the Journal of Consumer Research.

(CMSC: Benbrook, TX) -- The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS), the membership association for measurement professionals, has announced a call for papers for the 2012 Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC).

(Nikon Metrology: Brighton, MI) -- Focus 10, Nikon Metrology’s point-cloud software that streamlines the digital inspection process, offers a completely new user interface and now provides support for handheld laser scanning and tactile probing.

(CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL) -- Risk Monetization: Converting Threats and Opportunities into Impact on Project Value, by Glenn R.

(Juran Institute: Southbury, CT) -- Joseph A. De Feo, president and CEO of Juran Institute Inc., one of the world’s leading authorities on transformational change systems and breakthrough management principles, will facilitate a one-day workshop on lean Six Sigma.

(ERI: Santa Barbara, CA) -- Earthquakes are only one of the subjects being discussed at the “Fundamentals of Random Vibration and Shock Testing” course led by mechanical engineer expert Wayne Tustin. The course will be held at ANCO Engineers Inc.

(The Conference Board: New York) -- Despite the potentially crippling impact of security events on corporate performance, many executives report that their security function is not well coordinated with enterprise risk management (ERM) or a similar risk function, The Conference Board reports.

(UC Davis: Davis, CA) -- Engineers at the University of California, Davis are preparing to conduct the first rigorous tests of how the steel columns that secure skyscrapers to their foundations stand up during earthquakes, research that could make the towering structures safer and perhaps less