The challenges of implementing the Common Core State Standards at the classroom level resulted in political pushback to the reform initiative after the local media covered poor implementation decisions. This study explored how elementary school teachers and instructional leaders described teachers' progress along the implementation continuum for the standards. The concerns-based adoption model served as the conceptual framework for this study. This multicase study design consisted of 16 interviews of teachers and instructional leaders from 4 schools. Data were analyzed through a process that began with open coding followed by axial coding to identify themes. Teacher collaboration driving implementation progress emerged as a theme. The following needs also emerged: (a) training to make the required instructional shifts, (b) common processes to monitor implementation progress, and (c) aligned resources. The results led to a semester-long professional development project pairing a quality improvement process popular in other fields with the existing professional learning community structure to address the problem. This project built on the implementation progress made through working collaboratively to meet the training needs of the teachers; the project also included mechanisms for monitoring teachers' progress in implementing the standards. The project study provides insight and specific steps for teachers and leaders working to implement the standards. Students will be the ultimate beneficiaries of this project study through improvements in their teachers' instructional practice.

Ziel der vorliegenden Masterarbeit ist die Entwicklung von Qualitätsindikatoren für den Prozess „Empfehlungen der Apotheke zur Weiterführung der Medikation“ im Klinikum Mutterhaus. Damit soll ein Instrument entwickelt werden, das patientenbezogene Dienstleistungen der Krankenhausapotheker an der intersektoralen Schnittstelle im Hinblick auf das Qualitätsziel Arzneimitteltherapiesicherheit messen und bewerten kann. Schwachstellen und Verbesserungspotentiale über den Verantwortungsbereich der Apotheke hinaus sollen identifiziert und in einen kontinuierlichen Verbesserungsprozess eingebracht werden können. Methodik: Zur Entwicklung der Qualitätsindikatoren wurde ein mehrstufiges Verfahren gewählt. Zunächst wurden die Qualitätsziele des Prozesses definiert und eine Prozessanalyse durchgeführt. Die Literaturrecherche auf nationaler und internationaler Ebene gab Anhaltspunkte zur Ableitung von Qualitätsindikatoren. Basierend auf der Prozessanalyse und der Literaturrecherche wurden Qualitätsindikatoren für den Prozess „Empfehlungen der Apotheke zur Weiterführung der Medikation“ entwickelt. Anhand einer retrospektiven Datenerhebung wurden die entwickelten Qualitätsindikatoren auf ihre Aussagekraft und Eignung geprüft. Der Prozess wurde mit Hilfe der Qualitätsindikatoren gemessen und bewertet. Schlussfolgerung: Mit Hilfe von fünf Qualitätsindikatoren-Sets kann der Prozess „Empfehlungen der Apotheke zur Weiterführung der Medikation“ umfassend untersucht werden. Die entwickelten Qualitätsindikatoren sind geeignet, die pharmazeutische Dienstleistung im Hinblick auf das Qualitätsziel Arzneimitteltherapiesicherheit zu messen und zu bewerten. Sie ermöglichen die Evaluation des Prozesses und zukünftiger Verbesserungsmaßnahmen. Anhand der Qualitätsindikatoren wird zukünftig ein Monitoring der Dienstleistung möglich sein. / Purpose: The aim of this thesis is the development of quality indicators for the process "recommendations of the pharmacy to continue patient’s medication" at Klinikum Mutterhaus. An instrument is to be developed that can measure and rate the patient-related services of the hospital pharmacist at the intersectoral interface in terms of quality target in medication safety. Weaknesses and potential improvements should be identified and incorporated into a continuous improvement process. Methods: A multistage process is selected for the development of the quality indicators. First, the quality objectives of the process are defined and a process analysis is performed. A literature review on national and international level shall provide evidence for the derivation of quality indicators. Based on the process analysis and the literature review the quality indicators for the "Recommendations of the pharmacy to continue patient`s medication” are developed. In a retrospective data collection, the developed quality indicators are tested for their validity and suitability. The process is finally measured by the quality indicators and evaluated. Conclusion: With the help of five quality indicator sets the process "recommendations of the pharmacy to continue patient’s medication" can be fully investigated. The developed quality indicators are suitable to measure and evaluate the process in terms of the quality target medication safety. So the evaluation of the process and future improvements are possible. On the basis of the quality indicators a monitoring of the process can be established in the future.

This diploma thesis deals with support of quality increasing process at social service provider in Domov pro seniory, Zahradní Město in Prague. The theoretical part intercepts a development of social services in context of social and legislative changes, theoretically deals with spheres which relate with change management process i.e. quality of social services, organizational culture and conflicts. With use of qualitative and quantitative methods was followed process of main aim filling of thesis i.e. quality increasing of provided social service. By focus group method was verified successfulness of planned process in praxis of social service provider. Final part of thesis contains my reflection of process from process participant view and from managerial practice view. I also give out my vision of further organization progress shortly. Considering to results of research evaluative phase it is possible to say that main aim of thesis i.e. quality increasing process of provided social service was fulfilled. It is possible to note that partial aims of diploma thesis were successfully fulfilled too i.e. describe action research process, define process pillars and barriers. KEY WORDS Quality Increasing Process, Change, Key Worker, Quality, Social Service Provider, Action Research, Organizational Culture.

The master´s thesis deals with the problem of statistical process control. The theoretical part describes the basic quality tools and new quality tools, as a tool for collecting, recording, classifying, and analyzing data. The knowledge gained from the theoretical part are used to describe processes in the company Heat Transfer Systems s.r.o., analyze sticking points, control plans updating and to statistical process control in the organization.

The development of gender mainstreaming programs and proactive work aimed at addressing the historical imbalances of women in all sectors of society have become the staple of most international meetings with a concern for human rights. From a sport perspective, a number of organizations are keeping this critical issue alive at global, regional, international and national levels through policy documents, declarations and calls for action since 1948 to 2008 with the Dead Sea call for action. The Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport signed in 1994 by 250 signatories is universally regarded as the ground-breaking work on Women and Sport. Yet, despite years of campaigning and numerous policy documents, legislation and world conferences on women and sport, a marked gender imbalance in sport still persists. Little or no qualitative evidence could be found of clear process strategies to be followed by signatories of the Brighton Declaration on how to translate strategic intent into quality management processes to attain the envisioned result of the Declaration. Successful implementation of the principles of the Brighton Declaration depends on quality internal organizational processes and standards. The research question for the study was hence formulated as: “Do signatories of the Brighton Declaration have appropriate management processes and standards in place to translate the principles of the Declaration into sustainable practice?” The study was approached from a qualitative perspective as the perceptions of signatories relative to the quality of management processes have been evaluated. A questionnaire (Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient ∞=0.978) based on ISO 9001-2000 management standards was used as a research instrument and administered to 246 currently existing signatories of the Brighton Declaration. A response rate of 51% (n=125) was attained. Several international and regional organizations emerged as role players in women and sport. The United Nations provided leadership through conventions on human rights, Millennium Development Goals and declaring 2005 as International Year of Sport and Physical Education. The International Olympic Committee took initiative through quadrennial world conferences on women and sport since 1994. From the seminal “Women, Sport and the Challenge of Change” conference in Brighton, England in 1994, flowed three culminating results: the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport, the International Working Group on Women and Sport and the International Strategy on Women and Sport. The Brighton Declaration signed by 250 signatories, enlarged and coordinated the global debate on women and sport as the first declaration to provide a worldwide ethical frame of reference and paradigm shift in social change for the construct of women in sport and women and sport. The issue of women and sport continuously remains on the agenda of global social change. The convening power of sport makes it a compelling tool for social change provided its potential is harnessed through sustainable management and processes. Social change necessitates an understanding of social change theories, stages of change management, the role of change agents as well as change management models. The major challenge facing women and sport groups is to translate strategic intent into measurable and replicable business process standards. Designing and institutionalizing processes and standards can be the mechanism to realize strategic intent and progress signatories through the stages of change management. Dawson’s (1994) processual model is used as a theoretical framework to conceptualize process management and to build a case for mapping business processes, managing quality of the processes, and continuously auditing processes through replicable standards. ISO 9001-2000 standards were selected as the instrument to audit quality management processes of signatories. Overall results obtained from the research questionnaire indicated an alarming ignorance of the Brighton Declaration as a benchmark of efforts to improve the position of women in sport and second an absence of management processes and standards to guide the process within signatories of the declaration. Only 2.8% of respondents indicated a process management system. Signatories have not institutionalized gender mainstreaming in a sport context. Results confirmed unequivocally H1 set for the study: the quality of management processes followed by signatories of the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport (1994) to achieve the principles of the stated declaration is unsatisfactory. It was concluded that, in essence, the Brighton Declaration is an initiative to affect social change in the context of sport. Efforts to achieve the desired social change have to be managed and benchmarked according to change management models and processes to retain credibility and attain replicable and repeatable results. The ISO 9001-2000 is deemed a reliable instrument and framework to guide management process design, mapping, documenting, implementing, supporting, monitoring and controlling management processes. The alarming lack of management processes resulted in a significant gap between strategic intent and reality and suggests that the notion of gender mainstreaming feeds on emotion rather than replicable management processes. The Brighton Declaration as a seminal document will not impact substantially on achieving gender mainstreaming in sport as signatories have not succeeded in creating a critical mass necessary to tip the scale. Results also indicated that signatories are locked into the introductory stages of change management because of the lack of organized change. Low levels of competent leadership responsible for managing the change process results in loss of corporate memory regarding the Brighton Declaration. The study is concluded with recommendations and managerial guidelines focusing on building a critical mass, revisiting the significance of the seminal Brighton Declaration. A universal declaration on women and sport is recommended to serve as the nexus for global efforts to improve the position of women in sport. Signatories should adopt a managerial approach to the implementation of the Brighton Declaration rather than a social philanthropic awareness approach to move forward. Implications for further study center around investigating possible performance management systems in order to refine or supplement the recommended ISO 9001-2000 standards for quality management processes, longitudinally audit quality management processes at international and regional levels, and probing the possibility of formulating a universal declaration on women and sport to accelerate critical mass building in the context of women and sport. / Thesis (DPhil)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Biokinetics, Sport and Leisure Sciences / unrestricted

The South Africa higher education environment has been regulated through the enactment of policies promulgated by the governments of the day since the establishment of South African higher education. Even in the early days, the higher education sector comprised both public and private higher education institutions. Since South Africa’s democratic election in 1994, the higher education environment has been altered by the current government by means of policy enactment. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of the current regulatory context on the management of a private higher education institution. Therefore, the focus of this study was to determine how a private higher education institution within the current higher regulatory context in South Africa is managed. A qualitative research methodology was used to study the phenomenon. For this purpose, a case study, an accredited and registered private higher education institution was identified and individual interviews conducted with its six managers. The study adhered to ethical principles and techniques to enhance the validity/trustworthiness of the findings. The study found that the current regulatory enactment that was initiated under the new democratic government elected in 1994 had far-reaching implications for the private higher education sector. As a consequence, management structures, policies and procedures, quality assurance processes and procedures and management functions were altered. However, some of the regulatory criteria still have an impact on the management functions as private providers still struggle for full recognition by the government. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Education Management)

The South Africa higher education environment has been regulated through the enactment of policies promulgated by the governments of the day since the establishment of South African higher education. Even in the early days, the higher education sector comprised both public and private higher education institutions. Since South Africa’s democratic election in 1994, the higher education environment has been altered by the current government by means of policy enactment. Limited research has been conducted on the impact of the current regulatory context on the management of a private higher education institution. Therefore, the focus of this study was to determine how a private higher education institution within the current higher regulatory context in South Africa is managed. A qualitative research methodology was used to study the phenomenon. For this purpose, a case study, an accredited and registered private higher education institution was identified and individual interviews conducted with its six managers. The study adhered to ethical principles and techniques to enhance the validity/trustworthiness of the findings. The study found that the current regulatory enactment that was initiated under the new democratic government elected in 1994 had far-reaching implications for the private higher education sector. As a consequence, management structures, policies and procedures, quality assurance processes and procedures and management functions were altered. However, some of the regulatory criteria still have an impact on the management functions as private providers still struggle for full recognition by the government. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Education Management)

Eine stetig gleichbleibende hohe Qualität zu fertigen, ist erklärtes Ziel des Spritzgießgewer-bes. Aus technischen oder wirtschaftlichen Gründen ist es jedoch nicht möglich, für konstan-te Produktionsrahmenbedingungen zu sorgen. Die effizienteste Methode ist , die Schwan-kungen über die Wahl der richtigen Prozessführungsmethode auszugleichen. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit konnte herausgefunden werden, welche praxisrelevanten Störgrö-ßen einen Einfluss auf den Spritzgießprozess haben und wie sie sich auswirken. Bei den Materialparametern sind Änderungen der Viskosität (15 %) und der Einfriertemperatur des Materials (4 °C) am Einzug festzustellen. Zusätzlich veränderte sich das Messverhalten der Drucksensoren, wodurch ein Drift von 5 bar entstand. Störgrößenbedingt änderten sich auch die Prozesstemperaturen um 1 °C. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit werden diverse, während der Arbeit entwickelte, Prozessfüh-rungsmethoden miteinander verglichen. Aufgabe war es, die im ersten Teil gefundenen rea-len störgrößenbedingten Einflüsse zu kompensieren. Es stellte sich heraus, dass sich ledig-lich die materialbedingten Schwankungen nicht ausgleichen lassen. Zumindest können de-ren Auswirkungen durch eine Regelung der werkstoffnahen Parameter abschwächt werden. / To produce a steady consistent high quality is the declared goal of the injection moulding industry. For technical or economic reasons, it is not possible to ensure constant production framework conditions. The proper method is to compensate the variable influences with the choice of the correct process control method. The first part of the thesis focuses on the analysis of the different disturbances factors. The investigation showed that the material property, melt viscosity, varies about 15% and the recrystallisation temperature arises a deviation of 4°C. Another changes could be measured in the offset of the pressure sensor (5 bar) and the process temperatures (1°C). The next goal was to find a suitable control method to balance these intermittencies. The test series showed clearly that changes in the material properties could not be compensated. But there impact toward the quality could be extenuated with a constant course of the process parameter in the cavity.