The research was stimulated by involvement in leading elements of an Education Management programme. Developing part of the teaching material led to the realisation that while pupils' choice of school has been extensively researched it appeared that subject choice, particularly at A level had not. It also became apparent that ideas and models concerning decision making, extensively adopted within the Consumer Behaviour literature had not been applied in this context. Extensive reviews ofthe literature confirmed this position and indicated that the post sixteen school choice was also under researched and further that it was not possible to apply extant consumer behaviour models directly to the A level or School choice contexts. The research programme consisted of a mixture of qualitative and quantitative techniques. Building on elements of theory, from the literature, exploratory research employing focus groups was used to develop an initial model of adolescent pupil decision making. Early in the exploratory research it was found that the decision for adolescents choosing where to study their A levels was inextricably linked to choice of subjects. Choice of A level subjects was added to the research programme. Based on the exploratory results a quantitative study, using questionnaires, was developed to test the model on both single (choosing a school) and multiple (choosing A level subjects) choice situations. The study investigated differences between single-choice and multiple-choice decision making, an area neglected by consumer research, which provides at least a partial explanation of the process used by the pupils when they choose schools/colleges and A level subjects. Findings identify that although some aspects ofthe choice process are similar, there are important differences between the two types of decision. Evoked set are larger for multiple-choice decisions, and multi-choice decisions are likely to involve more stages in the decision making process than single-choice decisions. The results also identified that the parents' role has changed from 'decider', when their children were younger, to 'influencer', with the adolescent pupils becoming the decision makers. Concomitantly, choice criteria are shown to have evolved with 'discipline' decreasing markedly in importance and subject range increasing. The pre-eminence of personal sources of information is confinued but co-orientation emphasised.

Thesis advisor: Hans de Wit / The family ownership context has been investigated across many business settings, within the manufacturing, trade, and services industries. The consensus among scholars has been that families that own and operate firms act in self-serving ways and frame organizational problems and make decisions with the primary goal of satisfying the family’s affective needs, i.e., preserve or augment what is referred to as socioemotional wealth. However, the theoretical reasoning of socioemotional wealth theory may fall apart in traditional university settings, where self-serving behaviors may lead to (pronounced) agency conflict. Universities have been long understood for their politicized governance environs in which multiple stakeholder groups have representation in decision-making. Within this reality, families involved in higher education management may be challenged to act self-servingly and protect or enhance certain socioemotional wealth. They may need to act in altruistic ways to avoid agency conflict. I investigate whether this is the case through a single, critical case study approach conducted at one family-owned or -managed university in India. I rely on what Yin (2003) refers to as “rival explanation as patterns” to test socioemotional theory relative to a rival theoretical framework. I ask the important question of whether this rival theory can address the limitations of socioemotional wealth theory when applied to the higher education context. As expected, findings generally suggest that where socioemotional wealth theory fails to capture family decision-making behaviors, the rival theory is relevant. This finding is important to consider and has several implications to theory, practice, and future research. Importantly, the findings support that current family-owned business theorizing is not enough to capture family decision-making behaviors in the context of traditional university settings. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2020. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

The purpose of this study was to determine the opinions of local school board members in Maryland regarding community participation in educational decision-making. These opinions were analyzed in relationship to board members' preference for a trustee versus delegate role relationship to the community and other factors of the socio-political environment of the school board. A questionnaire was mailed to all public school board of education members in Maryland. A return rate of 83.7 percent was obtained. Data gathered was used to determine: 1) what community groups were most involved in educational decision-making, 2) what issues school boards sought community advisory group input on, and 3) what groups had the greatest influence on board decisions. School boards were also classified by their method of selection, extent of intraboard consensus, and the metropolitanism of the district. Chi-square and regression analysis was utilized to test the consistency of influence of these elements of the socio-political environment on opinions regarding community participation in decision-making. Respondents reported the greatest involvement in educational decisions by internal groups such as parent groups, teachers' unions, and advisory groups. Board members indicated greatest receptivity to input on decisions relating to school construction and closings, curriculum and instruction, and budget. An analysis of the relative influence various groups had on school board decisions revealed that the school administration had the greatest influence on board decisions in all decision areas studied. The analysis of the influence of the socio-political environmental variables revealed the following: 1) board members' preference for a trustee versus delegate role relationship to the community was not affected by method of selection to the board, and 2) metropolitanism of the district and intraboard consensus were not found to be consistent indicators of the socio-political environment of the school board as expressed through opinions regarding community participation. / Ed. D.

The professional literature contains little or no documentation of university curriculum in adult education that deals with ethical practice. Nor is there evidence indicating what graduate students learn about ethics in their professional studies.Purposes of this study were to identify: (a) the extent to which university graduates, at the doctoral level, in adult education were aware of ethical dilemmas in their practice; (b) how practitioners determined ethical behavior; (c) the influence of graduate studies on determining ethical situations; (d) self perceptions of preparedness to face ethical dilemmas; and (e) the extent to which adult educators rely on codes of ethics.The study sought to answer the following questions: (a) Are adult education practitioners aware of ethical dilemmas in their practice? (b) How often do they encounter ethical dilemmas in their practice? (c) Do they have a way to determine ethical behavior in their practice? (d) How do they describe the impact of their graduate work on their ability to make ethical decisions? (e) How do they perceive their preparedness to face ethical dilemmas? (f) Do they consider codes of ethics when making decisions?Findings include: (a) over 90% of the respondents indicated they are aware of ethical dilemmas/situations in their work; (b) while all respondents indicated that they faced ethical dilemmas in areas such as program planning, marketing of programs, evaluation of programs, and in the teaching of adults approximately two thirds said they encountered them infrequently; (c) virtually all respondents indicated they had determined what ethical behavior was in their practice and cited personal values and religious beliefs as the two primary sources of information; (d) 83.3% of participants described graduate work as a significant factor in their ability to make ethical decisions; (e) s significant majority (89.0%) of participants indicated they were very well or well prepared to face ethical dilemmas; and (f) less than half indicated they used a code of ethics in their decision making process.Conclusions from the study include: (a) ethical dilemmas are perceived to be pervasive in the practice of adult education, (b) a person's own value system and religious beliefs were the most influential on impacting the way participants approached ethical dilemmas, (c) although professional knowledge obtained in graduate school was deemed influential, it was not deemed more important than one's personal values and beliefs.Recommendations include: (a) further study is needed to probe the specific elements raised on evaluation of students as an area of ethical concern, (b) further study could reveal why practitioners differ with regard to the frequency of encountering dilemmas, (c) if a deeper understanding of the value of graduate school is to be achieved more study is necessary, (d) a clearer understanding of the value of codes of ethics is needed. / Department of Educational Leadership

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Education Management Information System (EMIS) is the business unit that is responsible for information management and business reporting in the Department of Education. EMIS finds it difficult to provide high quality information to the Department of Education internally and its stakeholders externally and attributes the reduction of the quality of its education information to factors such as the organisational nature of the South African education system, the lack of information management standards and practices, the low level of information technology skills in EMIS, the existence of a multitude of disparate information systems in the Department of Education and Provincial Education Departments, and the apparent discontinuity in the flow of information from education institution level to the national department and back. Most research in information management confirmed the state of EMIS as being typical of most large organisations whose functioning depends on the quality of their information. The factors that influence information quality in EMIS had been identified as accuracy, timeliness, consistency and relevance of the information. A “quick-fix” to the information problem is not possible but research in information systems management indicates that there are trends in the electronic business arena that may provide an acceptable solution to most of the problems encountered by EMIS. This report investigates the nature of EMIS problems in terms of information management and investigates possible solutions to the problems. The investigation is done within the framework of acknowledged information systems planning process and aligned to the process model of information management. An exposition is given on the theory pertaining to information management, information systems and information systems management to give insight into the particular fields of study and their interdependencies. A section on business intelligence is included since business reporting is the primary function of EMIS. Investigations into information systems development indicate an exponential growth in electronic technology development specifically the Internet and the Web. The information systems plan provides the framework or set of guidelines to determine the information systems solution that will be able to solve their problems. The research report included four stages of the information systems plan framework. The first stage pertains to the identification of minimum information required from the education sector and supporting sectors to provide high quality education information for decision-making and planning. The second stage determines and benchmarks the state of EMIS in terms of information management processes. The third stage investigates the trends in electronic business and specifically electronic information systems applications. Current best practices indicate that a possible solution to information management problems in large organisations is the application of a web-based, electronic, enterprise-wide, integrated information system. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: EMIS as ‘n besigheidseenheid in die nasionale Onderwysdepartement is verantwoordelik vir inligtingsbestuur en verslaggewing. EMIS vind dit moeilik om hoë kwaliteit inligting intern aan die onderwysdepartement en ekstern aan sy rolspelers te verskaf. en skryf die verlaging in die kwaliteit van inligting toe aan faktore soos die organisasiestruktuur van die Suid Afrikaanse onderwysstelsel, die gebrek aan standaarde vir inligtingsbestuur en -praktyke, die lae vlak van inligtingstegnologiekennis van die personeel in EMIS, die bestaan van ‘n magdom van ongelyksoortige inligtingstelsels in die nasionale onderwysdepartement en provinsiale onderwysdepartemente en die sigbare diskontinuïteit in die vloei van inligting vanaf die onderwysinrigtings na die nasionale onderwysdepartement en terug. Die meeste navorsing in inligtingsbestuur bevestig dat die toestand waarin EMIS verkeer tipies is van die meeste groot organisasies wie se funksionering van die kwaliteit van hulle inligting afhang. Die faktore wat ‘n rol speel in die kwaliteit van inligting in EMIS word geïdentifiseer as akkuraatheid, tydigheid, uniformiteit en geldigheid. ‘n Vinnige oplossing vir die inligtingsprobleem is nie moontlik nie maar navorsing in inligtingstelselsbestuur dui aan dat daar tendense in die rigting van elektroniese besigheidarena is wat aanvaarbare oplossings bied vir die meeste van EMIS se probleme. Hierdie verslag ondersoek die aard van EMIS se probleme in terme van inligtingsbestuur en ondersoek moontlike oplossings vir die probleme. Die ondersoek word gedoen binne die raamwerk van ‘n aanvaarde inligtingstelsel-beplanningsproses wat opgestel is om binne die prosesmodel vir inligtingsbestuur te val. ‘n Uiteensetting van die teorie ten opsigte van inligtingsbestuur, inligtingstelsels en inligtingstelselbestuur word gegee ten einde insig oor die betrokke studieterreine en hul interafhanklikheid te gee. ‘n Afdeling oor besigheidsintelligensie word ingesluit aangesien besigheidsverslaggewing die primêre funksie van EMIS is. ‘n Ondersoek na inligtingstelselontwikkeling dui op ‘n eksponensiële groei in die ontwikkeling van die elektroniese tegnologiebedryf en spesifiek die Internet en Web. Die inligtingstelselsplan voorsien die raamwerk of riglyne waarbinne die inligtingstelseloplossing gesoek kan word. Die navorsingsverslag sluit vier fases van die raamwerk van die inligtingstelselsplan in. Die eerste fase het te make met die identifisering van die minimum inligting wat nodig is vir besluitneming en beplanning. Die tweede fase stel die toestand van EMIS ten opsigte van inligtingsbestuur vas. Die derde fase ondersoek die neigings in elektroniese besigheidstransaksies en toepassings. Huidige beste praktyke dui aan dat ‘n moontlike oplossing vir die inligtingsbestuurprobleme van groot organisasies die toepassing van ‘n web-gebaseerde, elektroniese, geïntegreerde inligtingstelsel, wat al die komponente van die onderneming insluit, is.

The thesis explores two main topics, Catholic schools in a school choice setting and decentralization of education decision making. The first chapter uses Chilean data to assess the impact of Catholic versus secular voucher or public school attendance on student outcomes. I address admission selection bias by leveraging exogenous variation from school admission lotteries and controls for students' probability of securing a seat in each type of school. My causal estimates reveal that students attending Catholic schools have a 17 percent higher probability of taking the college entry exam (CEE) than those who attend secular public schools. Additionally, Catholic school attendance raises students' chances of scoring above the national mean by 33 percent in math and 45 percent in reading. Catholic school attendance also increases students' probability of applying and being accepted to college. Nevertheless, attending Catholic schools raises dropout rates for boys with low baseline ability. Notably, the positive CEE effects are driven by girl students; however, attending a Catholic school appears to dissuade girls from pursuing STEM majors. Survey evidence reveals that Catholic schools have stricter disciplinary measures and foster higher levels of parent involvement than other public and secular institutions---characteristics commonly associated with high-achieving charter schools. The second chapters explore how student selection changed in terms of socioeconomic characteristics and baseline ability after a centralized school admission system (CAS) was mandated to all publicly funded schools in Chile. That includes private Catholic and secular runned institutions as well as public schools. Estimating a difference in difference model with multiple time periods, leveraging the regional staggered implementation of the CAS. Results indicate that after the centralized admission system (CAS) started, private Catholic schools enrolled a higher proportion of lower-income and lower-ability students than before, this effect is also positive for private-secular and public-schools, but in a lower magnitude. Finally, the third chapter evaluates the effects of the administrative decentralization of education on teacher quality and student outcomes in Colombia. In 2001, the government established an arbitrary rule that granted municipalities with a 2002 population greater than 100,000 almost complete autonomy to provide education services (certification). This analysis takes advantage of this rule to evaluate, using difference-in-differences and regression discontinuity methodologies, the effect of municipal autonomy on teacher quality and student outcomes, including achievement and enrollment. The control group is made up of municipalities for which the provision of education was centralized and managed by the departmental authorities. The results indicate that administrative decentralization (being certified) improves both school enrollment and student achievement as well as the quality of teachers, as measured by teachers’ education level and scores on teachers’ entry competency exams. Using a mediation analysis, the paper finds that higher-quality teachers hired by the certified municipalities partially explained the improvement in student achievement. This analysis also shows that “certified” municipalities invest more local resources in education which also contributes to explain to a much lesser extent their superior educational outcomes. Finally, the results suggest that achieving better student outcomes is less related to the amount of resources that decentralized municipalities managed and more associated with the fact that those resources seem to have been better allocated, generating significant efficiency gains. These gains may be the consequence of lower transaction costs of matching local preferences with local educational interventions.

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The Master's Thesis deals with manager´s key competences and their importance in the context of present entrepreneurial environment. It provides the idea of manager´s key competences level in the company. It includes proposals and recommendations to increase efficiency of manager´s work by improving concerete key competences.