Each person in education from the Commissioner of Education down to the classroom teacher is concerned with administration. Each has administrative duties. The way these duties are conducted and carried out will have a direct influence on the outcome of any physical education program and each child within this program. Through the Tenth amendment responsibility for the administration of education has been turned over to the various states. Most of the states through their constitutions place the responsibility upon the legislature to provide for organization and maintenance of public school systems. This body then draws up the statutory laws and provisions to which the state, district and local boards must conform. The state and local boards make additional rules and regulations with which each district and school must abide.

The study explores the management of patient complaints at a private hospital in Taiwan (i.e. the Case Hospital). The case study aims to identify factors which influence the response of the hospital to patient complaints and whether it incorporates information derived from patient complaints in its quality improvement efforts. The study was conducted in two stages. The first stage was a cross-institutional comparison of quality management systems between a hospital in Britain and a hospital in Taiwan. The study explored how these hospitals managed patient complaints and whether they took such feedback into account in reviewing priority of services. The second stage included a detailed case study of the hospital in Taiwan (the Case Hospital), exploring the hospital???s responses to patient complaints, along with the factors which may have influenced these responses. The study was designed to triangulate data through the use of a multi-method approach to derive converging or diverging empirical evidence from a variety of data sources. Data were obtained through interviews with hospital senior managers, a senior social worker, government officials, and managers of non-government organisations. A questionnaire survey was administered to managers, and the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), along with observation, was applied, as well as analysis of documents. Principally, this study adopts the techniques of thematic analysis (Lincoln and Guba, 1985a) with an interpretivist approach to analyse the empirical data. The results of the study indicate that although the Case Hospital appeared to be concerned about patients??? complaints, it did not respond in a systematic way to the messages received. Hospital managers appeared to merely attempt to pacify complainants while ignoring the underlying causes of their complaints. It was evident that there were no protocols in place as to how staff should handle complaints, and as a result, the hospital was failing to use the information about systemic problems provided by patient complaints to make any sustainable quality improvement. In other words, whilst the Case Hospital was attempting to resolve patient complaints on a case-by-case basis (doing things right for the patient, or in the terms of Argyris (1990), using ???single-loop??? learning), it was not reviewing or acting on these complaints as a collective group to identify systemic problems and deficiencies (doing right things, i.e. ???double-loop??? learning). The study found that the organisational response to complaints was influenced by features of the complaints and institutional attributes. Features of complaints affected the response pathways to complaints, such as patients??? status, the severity of complaints, and the nature of complaints. In terms of systemic features, the organisational response to complaints was influenced by the interaction between managerial factors (e.g. organisational structure and organisational culture), operational factors (e.g. documentation and communication), and technical factors (e.g. complaints handling techniques and information systems). The values of the top hospital management have been recognised as a powerful influence on these factors. Generally, results show that although the Case Hospital tends to take action to address individual complainants, there was no evidence of sustainable quality improvement within the organisation as a result of complaints data. The study recommends that if the hospital intends to use patient complaints to improve quality of clinical care, a ???double-loop??? learning strategy should be adopted within the organisation. This study also argues that governments need to take more responsibility and demand more accountability from hospitals, in terms of complaints handling. The individual hospital would thus be able to respond to patient complaints in a systemic way. Hospitals need to be more accountable when using patient complaints to drive quality improvement in the future.

The Field Study was designed to investigate some aspects of content validity of a specially designed Draft Manual for Diagnostic Procedures in Reading. A copy of the Manual is available separately, but relevant sections of it are appended to this Report. The Draft Manual for Diagnostic Procedures in Reading (D.M.D.P.R.) was issued to seventeen students enrolled in the Graduate Diploma in Special Education. These students were completing the unit, Curriculum Design in Language and Reading. The D.M.D.P.R. was compiled as a trial testing instrument which could be used by the students in their course-work on diagnosis of reading difficulties. The manual contains three sections, listed below, which are germane to this study. This Report will focus upon the procedures of testing which were taught and practised in, and the results obtained from, trial testing by the writer and the students within the framework of the Curriculum Design in Language and Reading (C.D.L.R.) unit. The three sections of the D.M.D.P.R. which are the subject of this study are: 1. Diagnostic Procedures in the Assessment of Reading Readiness. 2. A Rationale for the Measurement of Reading Performance. 3. The Principles, Procedures and Application of Miscue Analysis in the Diagnosis of Reading Difficulties. The Report will describe and analyse the findings obtained from Sections 1 and 3. in which information has been obtained from the course participants in their use of the D.M.D.P.R. Section 2, an article on theoretical issues in diagnosis of reading processes, was included in the D.M.D.P.R. to explain to the participants the rationale of miscue analysis techniques. The explanatory and descriptive nature of that section will be referred to in this Report for reference purposes only. Report on Section 1 Section 1 of the D.M.D.P.R. is a series of five tests which were designed to trial a method of assessment of the developmental language and reading status of children aged between 5.6 and 7.5 years of age. The children were rated by their teachers in language and reading development on a five-point scale, which ranged from extremely poor, to below average, average, above average, and excellent. The tests were administered to nearly 200 children and data was obtained from 137 of these. The children comprise a sample who have been exposed to one, two or three years of reading readiness training and reading teaching in a wide variety of programs and systems. The primary purpose of designing the tests was to use criteria of performance which do not commonly appear in standardized, normative tests of reading readiness and reading development. The rationale of the tests was stated in the D.M.D.P.R. The Report reviews this rationale in Chapters I and II and the results obtained from the application of the trial tests in Chapter III. Report on Section 3 Section 3 of the D.M.D.P.R. proposes a system of diagnostic testing in reading, known as Miscue Analysis. The Report attempts to review, in descriptive terms, the patterns of error behaviour in reading which can be illustrated by the miscue analysis technique, and to describe the systems of analysis developed by the writer and unit participants in their investigations of 130 children who were described as low proficiency readers. This review is contained in Chapter IV. Because the miscue analysis technique is diagnostic in purpose, it would be inappropriate to describe the Section 3 program as experimental or empirical. Several insights into the uses of the miscue analysis technique were developed progressively in the C.D.L.R. unit and these procedures and uses will be the subject of the report. In summary, the overall purposes of the study were therefore two-fold: 1. to provide a group of specialist teachers in training with a manual of diagnostic procedures appropriate to the assessment of children's reading progress in early and later stages of reading development; and 2. to assess experimentally the validity of original test materials to be used in early reading stages, and to appraise descriptively the efficacy of a diagnostic procedure in reading in later reading stages.

This study is concerned with programs to conserve remnant stands of native vegetation in the agricultural regions of South Australia and concentrates on the development of explicit evaluation procedures which reflect stated conservation objectives. As botanical data are available for stands of native vegetation in most of the agricultural regions, stands in a particular region are able to be compared rather than assessed in isolation. Based on a review of conservation evaluation schemes in Australia and overseas, a hierarchical evaluation procedure using multiple criteria to compare stands was applied to stands of vegetation in the Mount Lofty Ranges. The conservation objective, of preserving samples of all plant communities in a region, led to the analysis of existing botanical data from two surveys of the Mount Lofty Ranges, to provide the basis for an inventory of regional plant communities. These surveys included 52 remnant stands of native vegetation and employed a point-centred quarter plotless sampling technique to summarise the vegetation. Numerical classificatory analysis of the raw sampling point data produced a more comprehensive floristic summary than the results from the plotless sampling. These floristic groups were correlated with physical environmental variables to produce an inventory of 45 regional vegetation types, as the first stage in the conservation evaluation of stands. Evaluation criteria of size, species richness and species rarity were quantified and used to select examples of each vegetation type on the basis of overall satisfaction of the criteria. In addition, the smallest suite of stands, in which all the vegetation types were represented, was determined, and was shown to be 24 stands. All of these were included in the 37 stands chosen using the three criteria. A third evaluation stage used stand parameters such as plant community richness to give a priority ranking of the 37 stands. A polythetic divisive classification of the vegetation types was developed to provide a means of evaluating communities in stands of native vegetation yet to be sampled in the region, and of comparing the vegetation types with communities in existing reservesr Examination of species-sampling area relationships led to recommended plot sizes for such future vegetation surveys in the Mount Lofty Ranges. The ease of collecting floristic data and the extensive time involved in quantitative measurements suggest that all perennial plant species be recorded and only estimations be made of vegetation quantity and structure for each sampling plot. This study demonstrates the usefulness of numerical classification techniques for conservation evaluation, and of continuous variables to quantify criteria of conservation value; and the application of those criteria in an explicit, hierarchical conservation evaluation procedure.

Abstract This thesis considers some linear and nonlinear time series models. In the linear case, the analysis of a large number of short time series generated by a first order autoregressive type model is considered. The conditional and exact maximum likelihood procedures are developed to estimate parameters. Simulation results are presented and compare the bias and the mean square errors of the parameter estimates. In Chapter 3, five important nonlinear models are considered and their time series properties are discussed. The estimating function approach for nonlinear models is developed in detail in Chapter 4 and examples are added to illustrate the theory. A simulation study is carried out to examine the finite sample behavior of these proposed estimates based on the estimating functions.

<p>Abstract</p><p>In recent years funding aid operations has dramatically increased, along with the concern about the real impact of its initiatives. Despite considerable amount of money have been invested world widely and a great number of projects already implemented changes have been considered inconsistent. As a result, major donors are pressuring Non governmental organizations (NGO) to evidence their achievements and legitimate their cause. There are several factors which distinguish the NGO as unique within project management environments, such as the social accountability claimed and the nature of the impact aimed. Therefore, traditional project management practices might not be suitable in the case of NGO’s project. This study analysed project methods most applied for NGO’s project and discussed about it accountability challenges related to project management. Willing to further understand how in practice NGO managers are dealing with those challenges, a case study was developed with a NGO that works with environmental issues. As a result, it was evidenced that practical methodologies are applied to embrace the organization own needs. It was apparent that project management methods were adapted to the institutional purpose, even though adjustments might not be completely in accordance with internal procedures. Project management tools are assumed as a semi structure basis and can be adjusted if the work is justified. A flexible approach relies on the trust and expertise of the organization staff. As a conclusion, it was evidenced that NGO’s projects carry particular aspects and expectations over project accountability and management methodologies must be adapted and complementary methodological approaches are being developed.</p>

<p>China and France have both adopted the International Standards on Auditing (ISA). Thelargest firms in auditing and accounting in the world, known as Big Four, are established inFrance as well as in China. Auditors from those firms apply procedures that have beenharmonized worldwide within Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, KPMG, and Ernst &Young. When it comes to audit, French auditor and Chinese auditor talk the same language,use the same software, boundaries seem to be knocked over. On the other hand, what BigFour firms are not able to standardize is the culture of their auditors. Does auditor’s culturemay shatter all efforts that have been put to deliver the same services throughout the world?Does auditor’s culture may call the work of the International Auditing and AssuranceStandards Board (IAASB) into question? Do either French or Chinese auditors enable ahigher audit risk to the audited client? Many other questions could be raised about the effectof cultures on the audit process.</p><p>The purpose of this research is to explore, measure and analyse the cultural impact on theaudit process. In order to highlight the difference(s) of the audit outcome due to culture,countries have to exemplify a certain numbers of cultural differences. China and France havebeen chosen because their belonging to the Eastern and Western clusters, and as we know,Eastern and Western countries have substantial cultural differences (Hofstede, 2001).According to Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, Individualism (versus Collectivism) andUncertainty Avoidance are the two dimensions that get the higher cultural differences whenhe compares Chinese and French Culture. We want to discover how Chinese and Frenchauditors rely on analytical procedures and assess audit evidence and internal controlenvironment. We want to study if their audit results reflect the cultural differences betweenChina and France based on the two cultural dimensions.</p><p>In order to manage our empirical research, we use a sample of 28 Chinese auditors and 14French auditors. We use primary data collection through our design questionnaire. Theauditors’ answers were analysed using a quantitative approach to reveal the eventual existenceof a connection between the auditor’s cultural background and how the audit process iscarried out.</p><p>Our findings about cultural differences within Big Four companies are not so categorical. We did not find significant differences regarding Chinese and French auditors’ culture. However,Chinese auditors appear to have a higher willingness to refuse a misstatement in the client’s financial statements, due to collectivism cultural dimension, than French auditors. Auditors from both countries assess in similar way audit evidence, but they do not consider of the same importance some components of the internal control environment. French auditors considerof greater importance components that can directly influenced the accuracy of the accountingreporting process, because an individualism society as France tends to “encourage”accounting and cut-off errors within organizations.</p>

<p>The purpose of this study is to find out what working procedures are used in Nepalese schools. We have also investegated teachers'views on how schools are organised and how the school system is structured in Nepal. Furthermore, we studied what kind of National Curriculum and other official documents that existed in Nepal, to support teachers when planning their teaching. In our study we used an ethnographic approach. </p><p>The literature review and our results show that the teachers in Nepal face several challenges in their profession. We believe that the central power of the government can in a future development be discussed in terms of de-centralisation of the school system. If so, it could be problematised how and what the teachers should teach and how the pupils'final School Leaving Certificate exam should look like.</p>

<p>Syftet med studien var att beskriva icke farmakologiska metoder för att reducera barns rädsla och smärta inför cancerrelaterade behandlingar och undersökningar. Studien genomfördes som en litteraturstudie med beskrivande design. 21 vetenskapliga artiklar inkluderades, analyserades och lades som grund för resultatet. Resultatet visade att distraktion var den vanligaste förekommande icke farmakologiska omvårdnadsåtgärden för att minska barns rädsla och smärta inför smärtsamma cancerrelaterade behandlingar och undersökningar. Distraktion i form av kommunikation, beröring och hjälpmedel distraherar, lugnar, ökar smärttoleransen, förbättrar vårdresultatet och ger positiva vårderfarenheter. Barn som själva fick välja distraktionsmedel visade mindre rädsla, smärta och obehag vid smärtsamma behandlingar och undersökningar. Som distraktion används kommunikation, beröring, elektroniska leksaker, såpbubblor, clowner, virtuell verklighet, filmer, musik och kalejdoskop. Kognitiv beteendeterapi (KBT) visade sig vara bra för att hjälpa barn att hantera rädslan inför provtagningar. Hypnos visade sig vara användbart till rädda och oroliga barn med tidigare vårderfarenhet för att inge trygghet och förebygga ångest. Slutsatsen är att kommunikation, åldersadekvata distraktionsmedel och mänsklig närvaro är ett billigt och effektivt komplement för sjuksköterskan att reducera barns smärta och rädsla under smärtsamma procedurer. Vidare forskning inom området behövs för att utvärdera sjuksköterskornas kunskaper om kommunikation och distraktion.</p> / <p>The aim with the study was to describe non pharmacologic methods in order to reduce children's dread and pain before cancer related treatments and surveys. The study was implemented as a literature study with descriptive design. In the study 21 scientific articles was analyzed for the result. The result showed that distraction was the most common non pharmacologic method in order to decrease children's dread and pain before painful cancer related treatments and surveys. Distraction in the form of communication, touch and accessibility distract, reassuring, increases pain tolerance, improve care results and provides positive care experience. Children who elect distracters funds showed less fear, pain and discomfort at painful treatments and surveys. As distraction was communication, contact, electronic toys, soft soap bubbles, clowns, virtual reality, films, musical and kaleidoscope used. Cognitive behavior therapy (KBT) was found to help children to handle the dread before treatments. Hypnos showed to be useful to cautious and anxious children with earlier care experience stem to submit safety and to prevent anxiety. The authors drew the conclusion that communication, age adequate distraction and human presence is a cheap and effective complements for the nurse to reduce children's pain and dread during painful procedures. Further research within the area is needed in order to evaluate the nurses' knowledge about communication and distraction.</p>

<p>Resistenta bakterier är ett växande problem inom den svenska sjukvården. Extended spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBL) är bakterier som kan bilda enzymer som bryter ned antibiotika så att den på så sätt blir resistent. En av de stora anledningarna till spridning av resistenta bakterier är personalens brist på korrekt utförande av basala hygienrutiner. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur sjukvårdspersonal på en infektionsavdelning tillämpar de riktlinjer för basala hygienrutiner som finns fastställda för personal inom hälso- och sjukvården. Data samlades in genom observationer på en infektionsavdelning på ett sjukhus i Mellansverige. Resultatet visade att följsamheten till basala hygienrutiner var mindre än hälften bland de två jämförda personalgrupperna. Resultatet visade hög följsamhet till handskanvändning vid vård av patienter som inte var ESBL-bärare, medan följsamheten var sämre vid vård av patienter med ESBL. Detta resultat visade på en signifikant skillnad, dvs. att personalen var bättre på att använda handskar vid vård av patienter som inte var bärare av ESBL. Resultatet visade att nära hälften av de observerade inte spritar händerna innan patientkontakt, vare sig det rör sig om en patient som är bärare av ESBL-bakterier eller inte. Det tyder på stora brister i följsamheten till hygienrutiner på den observerade infektionsavdelningen.</p> / <p>Resistant bacteria are an increasingly large problem within the Swedish health care system. Extended spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBL) are bacteria that produce enzymes capable of breaking down antibiotics, a characteristic which renders them resistant to antibiotics. One of the main causes for the spreading of resistant bacteria is low compliance to hand hygiene procedures.</p><p>The aim of this study was to examine how the health care workers of an infectious disease ward apply the hygiene guidelines that have been established for health care staff. Data was collected through observations in an infectious disease ward in Central Sweden. The results showed that compliance towards hand hygiene procedures was less than 50% within the two staff groups compared. It also showed good compliance to the guidelines for glove use when caring for patients not carrying ESBL, but less compliance when caring for patients with the infection. The difference was statistically significant, i.e. health care staff used gloves more often when caring for patients not carrying ESBL than they did with patients who were carriers. The results showed that that almost 50% of the observed health care workers did not use hand disinfection before contact with patients, whether these were ESBL carriers or not. This indicates that compliance to hand hygiene procedures is not as good as one could hope for.</p>