Teaching in Australia is acknowledged as a profession. The public, however, generally perceives teaching as a poorly paid occupation whose practitioners exert little control over their own standards of practice. Consequently, the professional status of teachers is low, and very few of the most capable school leavers and high ability university graduates are attracted to teaching as a career. Furthermore, teachers' perceptions that the public does not appreciate their work have led to low morale, high rates of resignations, and early retirements among experienced practitioners. These factors will contribute to serious shortages of teachers in the new millennium. In the past Australian employers in both government and non-government school sectors have attempted to circumvent teacher shortages by reducing qualifications required for teaching. This anti-professional practice has contributed to the belief that teaching is something that anyone can do. It is argued in this thesis that the status of the teaching profession in Australia must be enhanced if teaching is to attract capable new recruits and retain knowledgeable, experienced practitioners. This could be achieved by giving teachers greater responsibility for their profession's standards through a system of statutory regulatory boards, comprised largely of practising teachers. The boards would be responsible for establishing and enforcing standards for registration of teachers, accreditation of teacher education, and provision of advanced certification. Furthermore, such regulation of the profession should be on a national basis to ensure that all children in all schools in Australia have access to competent, professionally qualified teachers, and to overcome the problems of interstate mobility of teachers. The thesis concludes by calling on all stakeholders to acknowledge teaching as a full profession. This could be achieved by accepting that teachers should regulate their professional standards in the same way that other professions do. A model to achieve that end is presented. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

This study of the use of e-portfolios by organizations, including businesses, educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and other communities of individuals joined together to accomplish a goal discovers that e-portfolios are robust tools for extensible authentication of group endeavor. The article examines the ways these organizations are currently appropriating the advantages of e-portfolios and some of the directions in which best practice appears to be headed. It discusses three directions related to the use of e-portfolios. First it observes the use of e-portfolio methodology to present an inside look at organizations to the outside world through reports to investment and support communities, for auditing purposes, for presenting evidence-based competencies, for marketing, and for honoring excellence. Second it observes the ways that organizations use e-portfolios to engender good decision-making as they receive information from outside sources such as prospective employees and prospective vendors or partners to inform inside operations. Third it observes the impact of e-portfolios when used internally by organizations and businesses as a framework that allows for new levels of management and internal communication.

Taiwan, as one of the Far East Asian countries, has been founded on agriculture since ancient times. Historically, farming has always played a pivotal role in the economic development of Taiwan. However, there have problems since the implementation of ¡§customary line of farming¡¨, which has been excessively adapted to the traditional farming method. For instance, the widespread use of pesticides and chemical fertilizer has not only severely damaged farmlands but has also threatened the quality of life for those involved in them. As well as the humanitarian issue of inorganic farming effecting workers within the industry, there is also a strong need to revise production from a growing change in demand in Taiwan¡¦s markets. It has been found that consumers are becoming more aware about issues regarding the quality, or lack of quality, in food available to them. This can be explained in relation to improvements in technology and increased living standards, where people are now able to be more selective about what they eat. This has lead to a general increase in the demand for organic produce in an attempt to achieve a healthier diet. From a growing awareness about where their food comes from, consumers are more cautious about buying from producers whose products fail to meet the required standards expected from organic produce. As well as a shift in demand within Taiwan¡¦s agricultural industry, the growing popularity of organic products in other counties has also affected Taiwan export markets. If the agricultural industry wishes to maintain the levels of prosperity it has enjoyed historically, it must yield to the growing demands of the market. But despite the growing appreciation for organic produce, there is a problem of how to verify authentically organic products from the inorganic. Whether or not organic products sold in the market are the genuine has been a growing dispute. It can be seen that more needs to be done encourage the verification system. This is if consumers peace of mind is to be properly addressed as to what can be safely regarded as genuinely organic. Also, further investigation into differences between organic and inorganic need to be continued if the implications to health are to be properly understood. With the increasingly recognized and trusted stamp of organic approval, advantages are available to both the consumer and producer. For consumers, it grantees quality of produce and assures consumers not to worry about and health and security issues. For producers, benefits from this system include an increase to their competitive advantages by way of offering higher quality produce. As a result, it can be argued to be beneficial to help farmers attain a verified stamp of approval for their produce.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Open University. BLDSC no. DX231196.

Background: The Hong Kong Hospital Authority (HA) has adopted the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards (ACHS) scheme for their public hospital accreditation program. Continuous improvement is a vital aspect of the ACHS criteria and facilitates the movement from status quo to the desired state; therefore, change is necessary, and change management may be useful. Objectives: To identify the current level of evidence regarding change management with respect to hospital accreditation and to identify the common change management tools that may be relevant to hospital accreditation. Methods: The primary method was a search of MEDLINE and PubMed for articles published between January 2001 and April 2011. Grey literature was identified via a Google search. Unpublished data was retrieved from an on-going qualitative study of hospital accreditation in Hong Kong. Results: No literature with the keywords “change management” and “hospital accreditation” were found in MEDLINE or PubMed. By adjusting these keywords to identify articles about change management in healthcare, 84 citations were identified, 18 of which were included for review. The majority of the literature described increased communication as a change management intervention. Change management framework and tools were also found in the grey literature review. Results: No literature with the keywords “change management” and “hospital accreditation” were found in MEDLINE or PubMed. By adjusting these keywords to identify articles about change management in healthcare, 84 citations were identified, 18 of which were included for review. The majority of the literature described increased communication as a change management intervention. Change management framework and tools were also found in the grey literature review. / published_or_final_version / Public Health / Master / Master of Public Health

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In the United States, measuring and documenting institutional effectiveness in postsecondary educational institutions is not a one-size-fits-all process. Although this can be effectively accomplished in a variety of ways, the best approach for any higher education institution is one that is tailored to the institution’s unique environment and directly supports the its mission. Nevertheless, there are common factors that can greatly influence institutions’ ability to measure and demonstrate levels of effectiveness directly tied to student learning. This qualitative study was designed to gain an understanding of how factors within a higher education environment, including structure, practices and processes, can impact the institution’s ability to evidence institutional effectiveness related to student learning. The study examined institutional effectiveness as defined by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), and reviewed specific components of student learning assessment through SACSCOC Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1.1 (Institutional Effectiveness – Educational Programs). The researcher applied a multi-site case study approach to gain an in-depth understanding of this phenomenon. Through purposeful sampling, seven higher education institutions were selected from the 2011/2012 SACSCOC Reaffirmation Class. The phenomenon was studied at each institution as a single case, and using Yin’s cross-experiment logic, a cross case analysis was also conducted. In addition, to attain the most compelling results from this multi-site case study, both literal and theoretical replication (Yin, 1989) was employed. The researcher concluded that there were four significant variables that impacted the ability of the institutions to sufficiently evidence institutional effectiveness associated with student learning. These variables included leadership, institutional culture, resource allocation, and the planning and assessment processes at the institutions.

No description available.

The commitment required of a university or business school to gain international accreditation is significant, both in dollar terms and staff time. This thesis seeks to explain the motivations for business schools to seek accreditation with three major accrediting bodies, AACSB International, EFMD and AMBA, using a multiple-case study methodology underpinned by the frameworks of institutional isomorphism, bandwagon pressures and information asymmetry. Interviews were carried out with 17 business school deans; five deans of accredited schools in Europe, five deans of accredited schools in the United States of America and seven business school deans in New Zealand. All the New Zealand schools were either accredited, formally in the process of seeking accreditation or about to enter the application stage. The results provide supporting evidence for the notion that business schools are seeking accreditation in order to achieve legitimacy benefits rather than performance benefits, and that intangible benefits are seen as having more importance than the costs involved with achieving accreditation. It was also found that where the focus is at an international level, accreditation is found to be underpinned by information asymmetries whereby schools are seeking to gain legitimacy by providing signals to the market regarding their quality. At a regional or national level information regarding quality is more well known and, instead, isomorphic and bandwagon pressures become evident as the pathway towards legitimacy. This study will be of value to business school deans in understanding the forces they are being subjected to when considering the value of seeking international accreditation. The results provide an understanding of why, in the absence of a formal business case, a school may consider such a move, or may have entered the process without the hard data that identifies the costs and estimates the benefits in a measurable way. In this regard it will also be of value to all staff of business schools, and of the wider organisation, to understand the phenomenon that is accreditation.

Magistro baigiamajame darbe išanalizuoti ligoninių tarptautiniai akreditavimo modeliai, jų tinkamumas Lietuvai. Iškeltos akreditavimo vykdymo ir valdymo problemos bei pateikti pasiūlymai, kaip šias problemas spręsti. Teorinėje dalyje teoriniu aspektu tiriamas akreditavimo reikalingumas, Lietuvos dabartinė situacija. Išanalizuoti tarptautiniai akreditavimo modeliai, jų privalumai ir trūkumai, įvertinti visų modelių principai, geriausiai derantys Lietuvos situacijai. Empiriniame tyrime nagrinėjamas gydytojų požiūris į Lietuvos akreditavimo sistemą. / Master's thesis analyzes the international hospital accreditation models and their suitability for Lithuania. Issues of implementation and management of accreditation are being put forward and addressed. In the theoretical part of a thesis a need of accreditation and a current situation in Lithuania is examined by highlighting its theoretical implications. Models of international accreditation, their principal advantages and limitations for application in Lithuania are set forth. Lithuania's doctors notions on accreditation are investigated in an empirical study.