Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Pennsylvania, 1925. / Bibliography: p. [119]-121.

Thesis (doctoral)--Münster in Westfalen, 1934.

Thesis (doctoral)--Münster in Westfalen, 1934.

New Public Management (NPM) has been one of the dominant paradigms in public management since the 1980s. Its various elements have been adopted by many countries around the world in their public sector reforms. This research examines the most influential models of NPM and draws out the recurring elements among them. These elements are then employed to build the theoretical framework of how NPM may be related to the reforms in higher education sectors in two countries with highly contrasting contexts: the United Kingdom and China. The UK is an industrialized country that has been one of the pioneers in implementing NPM reforms in its public sector; whilst China, being a socialist country where its public sector has long been under the tight control of the government, is among the developing countries as one of the "late adopters" of NPM techniques in its public management reforms. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which NPM reforms in these two countries shared any commonalities and divergences. Multiple cases studies are adopted as the main research method. Four universities are chosen: two in the UK and two in China. A comparative analysis of issues relating to the application of NPM techniques in the reforms in these two countries is provided. The NPM elements adopted during the reform processes in the four case studies are analyzed respectively according to the theoretical framework. The conditions under which various NPM elements have been introduced during the reforms are examined and the extent to which they have been applied in the higher education sector in both countries is explored. Results indicate that there has been a translation of NPM techniques from its original country (the UK) to the Chinese socio-economical and political environment. It has been found that although some of the NPM elements such as delayering and devolution of power are shared by both countries, divergences still exist in many aspects of their organizational changes. Meanwhile, the elite and non-elite group of universities in both countries have chosen different pathways in their reforms, which I have significant impacts on the outcomes. The implications of these case studies for future research on public sector management are discussed in the conclusion.

<p> Estudiar c&oacute;mo las mujeres ejercen el liderazgo educativo es necesario para reconocer su influencia y poder de transformaci&oacute;n en los diversos escenarios laborales. Al analizar los contextos en los cuales se manifiesta su liderazgo se pueden delinear oportunidades para la adaptaci&oacute;n transdisciplinaria en el campo de la salud. </p><p> El enfoque de esta investigaci&oacute;n gir&oacute; en torno a la trayectoria profesional de Judith Danielsen de Lugo, una mujer, educadora en salud y profesora que ocup&oacute; m&uacute;ltiples puestos de liderazgo en Puerto Rico a partir de la d&eacute;cada de los 50. Con tal fin, se indag&oacute; respecto a: c&oacute;mo las acciones de su trayectoria profesional la caracterizan como l&iacute;der al ejercer las dimensiones del liderazgo educativo; los elementos hist&oacute;ricos, sociales y culturales que se desarrollaron a lo largo de su trayectoria profesional; sus contribuciones a la pr&aacute;ctica profesional de la Educaci&oacute;n en Salud y los desaf&iacute;os y cuestionamientos que se plantean con su liderazgo educativo para el desarrollo y el avance de la salud p&uacute;blica en Puerto Rico. </p><p> La investigaci&oacute;n se fundament&oacute; en los est&aacute;ndares de liderazgo educativo establecidos en el 2011 por el <i>Educational Leadership Constituent Council</i> [ELCC]. Estos consisten de las siguientes dimensiones: la did&aacute;ctica, la comunitaria, la administrativa, la pol&iacute;tica, la estrat&eacute;gica y la &eacute;tica. Se adopt&oacute; el m&eacute;todo cualitativo y un dise&ntilde;o biogr&aacute;fico para llevar a cabo la investigaci&oacute;n. Los hallazgos se desprenden del an&aacute;lisis de las entrevistas semi-estructuradas con personas que conocieron a Judith Danielsen de Lugo en vida y en contextos profesionales y del an&aacute;lisis de documentos. Posteriormente, se efectu&oacute; un an&aacute;lisis de contenido de la informaci&oacute;n obtenida. </p><p> Mediante esta investigaci&oacute;n se concluy&oacute; que Judith Danielsen de Lugo desarroll&oacute; acciones profesionales vinculadas a todas las dimensiones que componen el liderazgo educativo. Con sus ejecutorias se ejemplifica que el liderazgo educativo incide y puede ser ejercido exitosamente en m&uacute;ltiples contextos laborales y a nivel transdisciplinario. Por consiguiente, se brindan recomendaciones para la pr&aacute;ctica efectiva del liderazgo educativo y para el desarrollo de investigaciones futuras.</p>

No description available.

This research study examines how faculty perceive academic freedom at a metropolitan university. Thirty structured interviews were conducted with social science faculty, who have been tenured for 10 years or more, at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). These faculty came from the departments of Sociology, Psychology, Anthropology, Political Science, Urban Studies, Criminal Justice, Women’s Studies, and African-American Studies. The following five questions were the central research questions: (a) how do core faculty in the social sciences at VCU define academic freedom; (b) do these same faculty perceive academic freedom to be a significant feature of a career in higher education; (c) do these same faculty perceive any existing threats to their academic freedom; (d) how do these faculty define academic tenure; and (e) how did these faculty learn about academic freedom and tenure. Where previous research has often focused on comparing and contrasting faculty perceptions of academic freedom from different institutions, ranks and disciplines, this research targeted a fairly homogenous population of faculty in order to identify any common socialization experiences, both formal and informal, which may have contributed to common perceptions. The findings suggest that these faculty do not share a common perception of academic freedom. Where most of the respondents did agree that academic freedom protected both research and teaching, approximately half of the respondents did not associate any institutional limitations or professional responsibilities with academic freedom. Most of the respondents considered academic freedom to be a significant feature of an academic career. They perceived the current threats to academic freedom to be largely stemmed from within the institution. In particular, they believed that a top- down business model of leadership coupled with a weak academic culture to be the most significant threats to academic freedom. They defined tenure primarily as a means of protecting their own academic freedom through job security. Lastly, most of them learned about academic freedom very vicariously and informally, which helps explain the varied perceptions of what academic freedom means to them and how it should be exercised.

<p> The high incidence of medical and surgical errors in U.S. hospitals and clinics affects patients&rsquo; safety. Not enough is known about the relationship between physician characteristics and medical error rates. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to examine the relationship between selected physician characteristics and surgical errors in U.S. hospitals. The ecological model was used to understand personal and systemic factors that might be related to the incidence of surgical errors. Archived data from the National Practitioner Data Bank database of physician surgical errors were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Independent variables included physicians&rsquo; home state, state of license, field of license, age group, and graduation year group. The dependent variable was surgical medical errors. Physicians&rsquo; field of license and state of license were significantly associated with surgical error. Findings contribute to the knowledge base regarding the relationship between physician characteristics and surgical medical errors, and findings may be used to improve patient safety and medical care.</p>

Mammalian one—cell embryos can be genetically altered, implanted into the female's uterus, and subsequently develop into biologically mature organisms in the usual manner. If the resultant adult organisms reproduce, the genetic change may be passed on to future generations. In humans, the procedure is known alternatively as "human genetic engineering" or "human germline gene therapy." Bioethicists distinguish between genetic engineering intended for the prevention or treatment of disease ("treatment germline gene therapy") and genetic engineering intended for non—medical enhancement of certain characteristics ("enhancement germline gene therapy"). Human genetic engineering has the potential to effectively replace deleterious genes such as the gene for cystic fibrosis or sickle cell disease — with a normal gene. Thus, not only is disease avoided in the next generation, but all future generations are spared the effects of the disease—causing gene as well. The current public policy consensus is that human genetic engineering, whether intended for treatment or enhancement, is ethically impermissible. The primary reason is that present genetic engineering technology carries an unacceptable level of risk for use in humans. There is, however, good reason to believe that genetic engineering will become acceptably safe for use in humans, thereby eliminating the major ethical barrier to the technology. In fact, several policy statements already have suggested that, once safe, treatment genetic engineering ought to be permitted while enhancement genetic engineering ought not to be permitted. Part of the concern surrounding genetic enhancement is that bad consequences — such as morally objectionable eugenics practices — might ensue. But another objection is that human genetic enhancement is intrinsically problematic. In other words, at least very radical genetic enhancements violate what it is that makes human beings intrinsically valuable. Drawing on a Wittgensteinian view of human beings, the present work proposes a conception of ethically significant humanness — "human beingness" — that is potentially threatened by certain kinds or degrees of human genetic enhancement. The impact of human beingness on the future direction of human gene therapy policy, and in other policy areas, is discussed.