My main question in this essay has been: why does the preschool advocate being outdoors? How should we respond to parents who have a different view on this? Children's right to participation and influence is also a question that I raise. How should we preschool teachers do when we stand between the child's desire to be out and the parents wish that their child should be indoors? By reading what is written in the preschool curriculum on children's influence, I have come to the conclusion that we preschool teachers must listen to what the children express that they wish to do, otherwise we go against our policy documents. My dilemma is about how to respond to parents who have a different opinion on being outdoors than we have. Many parents express an aversionagainst their children having to be outdoors. Us preschool teachers have to explain to them why it is important to be outdoors. Through literature, I have come to the conclusion that the only way for the children to get an understanding about natural science, is to be outdoors. In order to acquire knowledge of nature and the environment, you have to experience it with your senses. Cultural clashes between preschool teachers and parents can occur because many of the parents come from different cultures than we do. You must therefore have an interest in learning about other cultures and also have an open approach towards the cultural differences that may arise between the teachers and the parents. What I have learned by writing this essay is, that it is important to have the ability to understand what other people think and also show an interest in their culture, norms and values. By taking the time to listen to the parent’s feelings and explain to them why we believe it is important to be outdoors, I think that the parents can get a better understanding of why it is good to be outdoors. By explaining to them that it is about giving their child a natural science learning, which is useful in their future life, I believe that they can see this from a different point of view. I also discuss, from a historical perspective, how the idea of the “competent child” has developed in Sweden.

<p>Register clashes are a linguistic phenomenon that occurs in both real and fictional interaction. This study, based on the theory of register as developed by Halliday, examines the functions of register clashes in the television drama series <em>Gilmore Girls</em>. It was hypothesized that the function of register clashes is to create humor, to characterize some characters on the show as sophisticated and witty and some others as lacking in communicative competence, or what is popularly referred to as <em>geeky</em> or <em>nerdy</em>, as well as to characterize the show. A total of 1,306 cases of register clashes were identified, of which 761 cases (58.3 percent) were clear cases and 545 cases (41.7 percent) were somewhat more doubtful. Nearly all cases of register clashes found were considered to have been used to create humor. Eight out of the ten most productive characters with respect to the utterance of register clashes were found to be characterized as witty; the other two characters produced register clashes in a way that characterized them as geeky. Each of the six episodes examined in this study was found to contain many instances of register clashes, regardless of the fact that each was written by a different author. The results thus suggest that the function of register clashes in <em>Gilmore Girls</em> is indeed to create humor, to characterize the characters, and to characterize the show.</p>

Like most ethnic and multicultural narratives, Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club revolves around the development of an identity in which immigrant experience and all the questions of ethno- cultural identity that attend to it play central roles. The aim of this essay is to investigate the process of identity formation of the second-generation Chinese immigrant daughters who encounter Chinese culture at home while having the immediate experience of living in America, with a focus on the cultural, language and generational gaps that exist between the Chinese mothers and their American- born daughters. This study is guided by a theoretical framework that combines postcolonial theory and a number of established theories of identity construction including the concept of hybrid identity in order to analyze and explore the American-born daughters’ identity creation. Based on this analysis, this paper presents evidence that an identity formation process that involves cultural hybridization has occurred and the outcome of this identity formation is that of a hybrid identity.

This is a study of religious identity in Kathmandu, Nepal. The aim is to establish the circumstances and conditions that define religious identity and the contexts in which it is expressed. Religious identity operates on various levels. At the macro-level, the Muslims are defined by the state as a marginal group. At the same time, the Hindu state has also shown itself to be tolerant of Muslims: the Hindu state not only intervened in communal clashes between Hindus and Muslims but also showed its support for Muslims at a time of crisis, which then affirmed the loyalty of the Muslims to the state. However, the acquiescent attitude of the Muslims towards the Hindus does not hide the subtle attempts to differentiate themselves from the Hindus, and their response and resistance to Islamic reform clearly show that their secular interests are closely linked to their religious ones. Finally, this thesis also shows that religious identity is changeable. It presents case studies of religious conversion from one religion to another, from one sect to another or from one level of commitment to another.

This case study investigated the ethic of the profession, one of the four ethical frameworks used for ethical decision-making in education. Typically, this line of research is applied to school administrators; however, this investigation extended this research to teacher leaders by examining their daily practice. Out of a pool of thirty-six respondents, nine teachers were chosen to participate in the study. These teacher leaders were employed in urban, exurban, and suburban school districts, with experience levels varying from three to thirty-three years. Participants were required to complete the following: the Self-Assessment to Assess Readiness for Leadership, creation of personal code of ethics, and the creation of professional code of ethics. An in-depth interview to discuss the codes, and clashes between codes was conducted, as well as a second interview to address an ethical dilemma identified by the participants. Categorical analysis was used to recognize recurring themes. A conceptual model of the decision-making process was developed to explain the phenomena observed in these data. In addition, recurring themes were identified through analysis of the interview data. Themes included a prevailing concern for fairness, student welfare, educational equality, safety, and student discipline. When responding to critical events that triggered ethical dilemmas, these participants habitually used their personal and professional codes of ethics to determine a course of action. Participants exhibited a sophisticated decision-making approach which moved participants past the reliance on one ethical frame of justice, critique, or care, into the use of multiple paradigms to solve ethical dilemmas. In the final analyses, the ethic of the profession was demonstrated by these nine teacher leaders through reflection and reliance on personal and professional codes of ethics, and by placing students at the center of the ethical decision-making process. / Educational Administration

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:23:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alderico Jose Santos Almeida.pdf: 1416731 bytes, checksum: 22b16d2cf0acd39ca37d5d096f454104 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-06 / Through this study, we propose to describe the political and electoral process in a poor state such as Maranhão, highlighting its main political forces and understand how they work, are reproduced and legitimated. However, the core of our research is to examine how the process of modernization and the actual progress of capitalist relations contributed to the evolution of the Colonels to sophisticated forms of political patronage, or the conversion of the vote in a bargaining tool, in which the transaction state is used, most often, as a middleman. Another goal of our work is to understand, too, why do Maranhão unable to develop economically, despite having potential conditions for growth. That is why we propose to also demonstrate the two faces of Maranhão, the first modern, in which each part of "big projects" that promise great results for the state's economy and the second of the delay, the extreme poverty of its population, as the social indicators, which we believe to be the locus for the persistence of political and electoral practices and the reproduction of oligarchic groups. For this work we made use of desk research, consultation with professional literature and field work, to characterize, mainly clientelist practices. We have reached a different result than found in most of the studies on practical electoral politics in the North and Northeast, which deny the exercise of electoral bargaining as a determinant for the politicians to win elections. The persistence of poverty in Maranhao and living conditions of the population, demonstrated by the dismal social indicators seem to explain the maintenance of patronage in the state, although this is not restricted only to people who fall into this situation. The population considered to be "literate" contributes to the consolidation of such practices in an attempt to obtain benefits and privileges / Através do presente estudo, nos propomos a descrever o processo político-eleitoral em um estado pobre como o Maranhão, destacando suas principais forças políticas e compreender como atuam, se reproduzem e se legitimam. Contudo, o cerne da nossa pesquisa está em examinar como o processo de modernização e os próprios avanços das relações capitalistas contribuíram para a evolução do coronelismo para formas sofisticadas de clientelismo político, ou seja, a conversão do voto em um instrumento de barganha, em cuja transação o Estado é utilizado, na maioria das vezes, como elemento intermediário. Outro objetivo do nosso trabalho é compreender, também, a razão do Maranhão não conseguir se desenvolver economicamente, apesar de possuir condições potenciais de crescimento. Daí porque nos propomos ainda demonstrar as duas faces do Maranhão: a primeira moderna, na qual si insere os grandes projetos que prometem ótimos resultados para a economia do estado e a segunda a do atraso , da extrema pobreza da sua população, medida pelos indicadores sociais, que acreditamos ser o lócus para a persistência de práticas político-eleitorais e para a reprodução dos grupos oligárquicos. Para este trabalho fizemos uso da pesquisa documental, consulta à bibliografia especializada e do trabalho de campo, visando à caracterização, principalmente, das práticas clientelistas. Chegamos a um resultado diferente do encontrado em boa parte dos estudos sobre práticas políticas eleitorais no Norte e Nordeste do país, os quais negam o exercício da barganha eleitoral como fator determinante para os políticos vencer as eleições. A persistência da pobreza no Maranhão e as condições de vida da população, demonstrada através dos péssimos indicadores sociais, parecem explicar a manutenção do clientelismo no estado, embora isso não se restrinja apenas às pessoas que se enquadram nessa situação. A população tida como letrada contribui para a consolidação de tais práticas na tentativa de obter vantagens e privilégios

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:58:00Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Alderico Jose Santos Almeida.pdf: 1416731 bytes, checksum: 22b16d2cf0acd39ca37d5d096f454104 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-05-06 / Through this study, we propose to describe the political and electoral process in a poor state such as Maranhão, highlighting its main political forces and understand how they work, are reproduced and legitimated. However, the core of our research is to examine how the process of modernization and the actual progress of capitalist relations contributed to the evolution of the Colonels to sophisticated forms of political patronage, or the conversion of the vote in a bargaining tool, in which the transaction state is used, most often, as a middleman. Another goal of our work is to understand, too, why do Maranhão unable to develop economically, despite having potential conditions for growth. That is why we propose to also demonstrate the two faces of Maranhão, the first modern, in which each part of "big projects" that promise great results for the state's economy and the second of the delay, the extreme poverty of its population, as the social indicators, which we believe to be the locus for the persistence of political and electoral practices and the reproduction of oligarchic groups. For this work we made use of desk research, consultation with professional literature and field work, to characterize, mainly clientelist practices. We have reached a different result than found in most of the studies on practical electoral politics in the North and Northeast, which deny the exercise of electoral bargaining as a determinant for the politicians to win elections. The persistence of poverty in Maranhao and living conditions of the population, demonstrated by the dismal social indicators seem to explain the maintenance of patronage in the state, although this is not restricted only to people who fall into this situation. The population considered to be "literate" contributes to the consolidation of such practices in an attempt to obtain benefits and privileges / Através do presente estudo, nos propomos a descrever o processo político-eleitoral em um estado pobre como o Maranhão, destacando suas principais forças políticas e compreender como atuam, se reproduzem e se legitimam. Contudo, o cerne da nossa pesquisa está em examinar como o processo de modernização e os próprios avanços das relações capitalistas contribuíram para a evolução do coronelismo para formas sofisticadas de clientelismo político, ou seja, a conversão do voto em um instrumento de barganha, em cuja transação o Estado é utilizado, na maioria das vezes, como elemento intermediário. Outro objetivo do nosso trabalho é compreender, também, a razão do Maranhão não conseguir se desenvolver economicamente, apesar de possuir condições potenciais de crescimento. Daí porque nos propomos ainda demonstrar as duas faces do Maranhão: a primeira moderna, na qual si insere os grandes projetos que prometem ótimos resultados para a economia do estado e a segunda a do atraso , da extrema pobreza da sua população, medida pelos indicadores sociais, que acreditamos ser o lócus para a persistência de práticas político-eleitorais e para a reprodução dos grupos oligárquicos. Para este trabalho fizemos uso da pesquisa documental, consulta à bibliografia especializada e do trabalho de campo, visando à caracterização, principalmente, das práticas clientelistas. Chegamos a um resultado diferente do encontrado em boa parte dos estudos sobre práticas políticas eleitorais no Norte e Nordeste do país, os quais negam o exercício da barganha eleitoral como fator determinante para os políticos vencer as eleições. A persistência da pobreza no Maranhão e as condições de vida da população, demonstrada através dos péssimos indicadores sociais, parecem explicar a manutenção do clientelismo no estado, embora isso não se restrinja apenas às pessoas que se enquadram nessa situação. A população tida como letrada contribui para a consolidação de tais práticas na tentativa de obter vantagens e privilégios

<p><p>Can the lack of functional cross-cultural communication among individuals within an international organization be the reason for cultural clashes to occur, and lead to conflict between two cultures within the same organization?</p><p>Our aim is to try to create a potential model of how cross-cultural problems can be studied, in order to contribute to the solution of the problem. And to examine whether the theories, which form the basis of our model can be applied in reality.</p><p>The research have assumed from the hermeneutical approach for a holistic view of the problem area. The deductive approach has been used in order to distinguish whether the theories can be applied to reality, and qualitative research method for collecting data.</p><p>The focus lies within cross-cultural communications, which defines the various cultural factors that can affect organizational culture. Hofstede dimensions and the social structure are mentioned and cultural factors as language and religion. The piece includes the national and organizational culture theory and the establishment strategies. Subsequently the culture clashes, the international business relations and conflict resolution.</p><p>Our conclusion is that culture clashes occur and the further away from our own values, attitudes and norms, we get, the more tolerant we relate to other cultures. We note that organizational culture is influenced by individuals which constitutes in it and the theory and reality may not always correspond. That culture is a complexity to study, where tolerance, acceptance and understanding are the most important tools for cross-cultural communication.</p></p>

Cross-national merger and acquisition (M&amp;A) activity is common and is argued to be a strategic tool for the growth of multinational corporations. Yet, M&amp;A activity has a high failure rate which theorists have explained being due to cultural clashes. Previous research has explained these clashes being due to cultural distance. Other studies have focused on the extent to which the firms are culturally integrated and its relation to cultural clashes. In this study we investigate the relation between cultural distance and the extent to which the firms are culturally integrated as we believe that this relation in turn influences how cultural clashes are perceived by managers. As the human side of M&amp;A has become of great interest within research we stress the importance of understanding what happens with managers in the organization during the post-acquisition process. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to investigate the managers’ perception of cultural clashes, in relation to the perceived extent of cultural integration and perceived cultural distance, in cross-national mergers and acquisitions. In order to achieve an in-depth understanding of a series of cross-national M&amp;As and to answer the purpose of this thesis, a qualitative case study design was used. Semistandardized interviews were made with ten managers from a Swedish firm that has gone through a series of cross-national M&amp;As involving Swiss, French and German managements. The findings show that managers’ perception of cultural clashes differs depending on to what extent two firms are culturally integrated and in relation to the cultural distance between the two firms. No matter if high or low cultural distance managers perceive few cul-tural clashes if the extent to which the firms are integrated is low. If the cultural integration, on the other hand, is high and the cultural distance is high, the cultural clashes are perceived as many. Our findings indicate that cultural clashes are perceived differently depend-ing on how they affect the managerial role and the organizational behaviour. We refer to these clashes as implicit agreements and explicit statements. Clashes in implicit agreements are evolved from behaviour deeply rooted in national culture and corporate culture. These clashes have minor effects on the managerial role and the organizational behaviour. Never-theless, managers need to be aware of the differences and adapt to the preferred behaviour when interacting with the acquiring firm’s management. Explicit statements, on the other hand, affect the managerial role and organizational behaviour and lead to cultural clashes that conduce to frustration, lack of motivation and inefficiency. These clashes are more ap-parent when the extent of culturally integration is high. Therefore, the acquiring firm should not attempt to assimilate its target company in cross-national M&amp;As.

Can the lack of functional cross-cultural communication among individuals within an international organization be the reason for cultural clashes to occur, and lead to conflict between two cultures within the same organization? Our aim is to try to create a potential model of how cross-cultural problems can be studied, in order to contribute to the solution of the problem. And to examine whether the theories, which form the basis of our model can be applied in reality. The research have assumed from the hermeneutical approach for a holistic view of the problem area. The deductive approach has been used in order to distinguish whether the theories can be applied to reality, and qualitative research method for collecting data. The focus lies within cross-cultural communications, which defines the various cultural factors that can affect organizational culture. Hofstede dimensions and the social structure are mentioned and cultural factors as language and religion. The piece includes the national and organizational culture theory and the establishment strategies. Subsequently the culture clashes, the international business relations and conflict resolution. Our conclusion is that culture clashes occur and the further away from our own values, attitudes and norms, we get, the more tolerant we relate to other cultures. We note that organizational culture is influenced by individuals which constitutes in it and the theory and reality may not always correspond. That culture is a complexity to study, where tolerance, acceptance and understanding are the most important tools for cross-cultural communication.