Attempts to restructure public high schools by establishing separate school-within-a-school (SWS) models have not endured beyond 3 to 5 years. This qualitative case study examined a SWS that has thrived for more than 12 years. The study investigated how teachers at the school explained the success of the SWS, their experience of working at the SWS, and their resilience in addressing the challenges that led to the lack of success of other SWS schools. The theories and models of educational change developed by Fullan, Hargreaves, and Giles and Hord provided a conceptual framework for the study. Data were collected through open-ended questions in individual interviews with 8 teacher participants who each had more than 5 years of experience at the SWS. According to study results, teachers experienced the challenges that led to the closing of other SWS high schools. However, at the inception of the SWS, the leadership established a commitment to the vision of the SWS, a tradition of collaboration among the SWS teachers, and a positive reputation among parents and alumni. The faculty of the SWS maintained its commitment through multiple leadership changes, changes in school/district policies, challenges to the vision, and changes to SWS teachers' workloads and classroom assignments. Sustaining educational change depends on the strength of implementation of the change: strong leadership, stakeholder commitment to the vision, and establishment of a collaborative professional community of teachers. These results provide guidance for educational leaders attempting to implement and sustain educational change, such as the implementation of a SWS.

Motivated by deregulation in major service sectors like airlines, banking and telecommunication, the electric industry is undergoing a major transformation. However due to design inefficiencies, restructuring of the power sector, so far, has not been a major success. A lack of comprehensive quantitative models has resulted in the inability of the market designers to evaluate market performance and develop successful market designs. A comprehensive model should include market features like two-settlement system, transmission congestion, financial transmission rights (FTRs), demand elasticity, demand-side bidding and other market rules. The contribution of this thesis includes development of an exhaustive modeling framework that includes the above mentioned market features and also development of a computationally effective solution methodology. The market designers would use this methodology in the development of alternative conceptual market design frameworks, and also for assessing the impact of various market rules on market performance. The noncooperative bidding behavior of the generators in both FTR and energy markets are modeled as nonzero-sum stochastic games. Since the bidding strategies in the FTR and energy games are dependent on each other and jointly impact the market performance, a two-tier learning approach is developed. Players (e.g. generators) first bid in the FTR market. FTR bids are then taken into account in the process of selecting bids in the energy market. The FTR bids and the energy bids together decide the market equilibrium and the resulting performance. This performance measure is then used to evaluate success of FTR bidding strategy. Several example power networks are studied to expose the modeling and learning based solution approach.

As transformações na produção do espaço urbano carioca a partir da primeira década do século XXI, protagonizada pela produção das grandes incorporadora do setor imobiloiário sob domínio do capital financeiro, conformam o objeto de análise desta dissertação. O que se observa no período estudado é que o urbano tem sido levado às últimas consequências enquanto lócus privilegiado de reprodução ampliada do capital. Portanto, lançar olhar sobre essas transformações nos permite compreender como o imbricamento entre o capital financeiro e o imobiliário, expandindo suas fronteiras de acumulação, engendrou uma verdadeira \"explosão\" de novos empreendimentos de mercado, reconfigurando o espaço das metrópoles a partir da atuação privilegiada do setor. O resultado desse processo, como mostraremos, foi o encarecimento insano do preço das propriedades imobiliárias e, com isso, a intensificação dos processos de espoliação. Pretende-se analisar como o Estado atua nessas transformações articulado às frações financeira e imobiliária do capital, seja pela alteração de marcos regulatórios, na promoção de políticas públicas ou na construção de grandes infraestruturas, desempenhando a função de viabilizar as condições gerais de produção e garantir a ampliação da acumulação do setor. Neste cenário, o subúrbio da Zona Norte carioca despontou como foco de todos esses investimentos que reforçam as transformações em curso, onde a produção de seu espaço torna-se a manifestação mais acabada desse processo. / The transformations in the production of the urban space of Rio de Janeiro since the first decade of the XXI century, led by the production of great developers of the real estate sector, under the domain of the financial capital, make up the object of analysis of this dissertation. What has been observed in the studied period is that the urban space has been taken to ultimate consequences as a privileged locus of expanded reproduction of capital. Therefore, look up at these transformations allows us to understand how the imbrication between financial capital and real estate, expanding its accumulation boundaries, engendered a real \"explosion\" of new ventures for the market sector, reconfiguring the metropolitan space from the privileged performance of the sector. The result of this process, as will be shown, was the outrageous increase in the price of real estate properties, and with this, the reinforcement of spoliation processes. It is intended to analyse how the State operates in these transformations, associated with financial and real estate fractions pof capital, either by changing regulatory frameworks, promoting public policies or building large infrastructures, fulfilling the role that sets up the general conditions of production and ensures the expansion of the sector\'s accumulation. In this scenario, the suburb of the Northern Zone of Rio de Janeiro emerged as the focus of all these investments that enhance the ongoing transformations, where the production of its space becomes the most complete manifestation of this process.

The effect of shear on the evolution of floc properties was investigated to analyse the flocculation mechanisms. Little fundamental attention has been given to the shear influence that often creates compact aggregates, while the floc characteristics might differ in other aggregating conditions. It is thus crucial to understand how flocs evolve to steady state, if their properties are to be 'tailored' to suit subsequent solids-liquid separation processes. In this work, flocculation of monodisperse latex particles of various sizes (60, 380, and 810 nm diameter) via electrolyte addition was carried out in a couette-flow and also in shear fields generated by an axial-flow impeller (Fluid foil A310) and a radial-flow impeller (Rushton R100) in standard mixing tanks. A small-angle light scattering technique was used to acquire information regarding the time variation of floc properties in a non-intrusive manner. The structure was quantified by a measure of fractal dimension, signifying the degree of floc compactness. Estimates of the average floc mass were also obtained from the aggregate scattering patterns. By monitoring the changes in floc structure and mass, corresponding to the size evolution; mechanisms of floc formation, fragmentation, and restructuring were identified. Aggregates of 60 and 380 nm particles were observed to grew larger initially, before decreasing to their equilibrium sizes at moderate shear rates (32 - 100 s-1) in a homogeneous shear environment. Floc restructuring at large length scales occurred extensively, and was responsible for the drop in size, particularly at the early stage of the process. Aggregates of 810 nm particles did not, however, display this behaviour. Flocs of larger primary particles were presumably susceptible to breakage rather than deformation, as they were weaker under comparable conditions. Denser aggregates were found when restructuring transpired, while comparatively tenuous flocs were observed when formation and breakage kinetics were the governing mechanisms. The disparity in floc behaviour at higher shear rates (246 s-1 - 330 s-1) was less apparent. The intense hydrodynamic stresses in those instances inevitably caused fragmentation, regardless of the intrinsic particle properties; hence the observed floc compaction was the product of break-up and re-aggregation. A population balance model, incorporating variation in floc structure, displayed comparable trends in size evolution; verifying that restructuring indeed took an important role under certain flocculation conditions. Similar phenomena were likewise observed with the flocculation in stirred tanks. The results reinforced findings in literature; that while circulation time controlled the process kinetics; the floc size was determined by the turbulent stresses. In addition, the maximum shear levels also influenced the floc structures, with denser aggregates produced in a shear field generated using the radial-flow impeller at equivalent energy dissipation per-unit mass. A correlation between non-dimensional floc factor that embodied the aggregate size and structure, and aggregation factor comprising the significant parameters from flocculation conditions, was proposed. The proposed relationship takes into account aspects such as the aggregate structure, interparticle forces, and particle concentration that are often overlooked in existing relationships, which usually only relate the maximum floc size to the applied energy dissipation rate. It thus provides an improved manner of presenting general flocculation data, as well as a means to predict floc properties produced under a specific aggregation condition. Future studies with increasingly complex systems that resemble real conditions are recommended in order to establish a practical understanding of the flocculation mechanisms, for the purpose of optimising the aggregate properties.

This thesis addresses the argument that TAFE as an organisation has not significantly changed its concept of its purpose and place in Australian society over the last hundred years. It concludes that Industry Award Restructuring may possibly achieve what two world wars, two depressions, one economic boom, international civil rights movements and technological change could not: TAFE may change substantially over the next decade and move from its self-concept as an education institution into an overt training role. Due to award restructuring in industry, new demands will be made on TAFE which cannot be resisted if TAFE is to maintain its position as the primary provider of vocational education/training. In the course of the research it was found that it is possible to carry out direct observation of an organisation or industry without significantly affecting the processes of the organisation. This may be achieved by finding a role which complements, supports or supplements the organisation's objectives, but in which there are no line responsibilities and thus little or no interference. Such a role appears to be that of writer of documents, which gives unlimited access to all parties and sources without influencing either policy or practice. The outputs from the writing tasks are of value to the target organisation, so that the researcher gives as well as takes, and could be described as being in a symbiotic relationship with the organisation. The skill standards and assessment criteria developed during the study are presented as outcomes of a symbiotic case study, and the success of the method is evaluated by comparing the outcomes with those of other Streams of the same industry, which have been working on similar document development tasks over the same time period using traditional methods.

<p>Year 1996 a new law was introduced in Sweden, the law of corporate restructuring, what purpose was to help companies in financial distress. Now, nine years later the procedure hasn’t been successful. This is what this thesis is trying to find out.</p><p>This thesis main question is: What distinguishes the companies that have filed for a corporate restructuring, according to the financial position?</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to find out if key ratios can be used to distinguish the companies that filed for corporate restructuring. This is studied through a couple of key ratios which is calculated from four years (2000-2003) prior to the decision of corporate restructuring (2004). The key ratio that I have chosen is: a profitability ratio, return on assets, cash ratio and solvency.</p><p>The method I have used is a quantitative method and a hypothesis testing procedure is used to statistically distinguish the restructuring companies. Two control populations were used to compare with restructuring companies, bankrupt companies and companies that aren’t in financial distress. 21 restructuring companies, 79 bankrupt companies and 97 healthy companies were used in the research.</p><p>The result of the thesis shows that the companies that filed for corporate restructuring has a much weaker financial position than the healthy companies. This tells us that these companies are in a relatively deep financial distress. In comparison with the bankrupt companies so are the restructuring companies in a better financial position under the two years prior to the restructuring decision. During these years the bankrupt companies’ financial position worsens faster than the restructuring companies. This could be a sign, that with a slower impairment the companies should be reconstructed instead of putting it into bankruptcy.</p> / <p>Bakgrund: År 1996 infördes en ny lag i Sverige som skulle underlätta för företag i finansiell kris att kunna rekonstruera sin verksamhet för att få den lönsam igen. Lagen om företagsrekonstruktion ersatte den tidigare ackordslagen eftersom den inte hade blivit något bra alternativ till konkurs. Den nya lagens syfte var att inte bara rensa bland företagens skulder, som den tidigare ackordslagen varit till för, utan den skulle även underlätta en ändring av verksamheten i stort. I dag nästan nio år senare har den nya lagen inte frambringat fler företagsrekonstruktioner, utan det har till och med blivit färre. Problemet är att många företag hellre går i konkurs än rekonstruerar sina företag, vilket innebär onödiga kostnader för samhället och för företagarna. Ett annat problem är även att arbetstillfällena bli färre.</p><p>Varför är det då inte fler företag som rekonstrueras? Detta är frågan som var upprinnelsen till att denna uppsats blev till. För att försöka finna en klarhet i det här har följande problemformulering formulerats: Vad utmärker de företag som har ansökt om en företagsrekonstruktion, vad gäller den finansiella ställningen? Vilket är av intresse att få svar på då det skulle underlätta att urskilja vilken väg företaget borde ta innan den finansiella krisen blivit för djup.</p><p>Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka om finansiella nyckeltal kan användas för att urskilja företagen som ansökt om företagsrekonstruktion, och om i så fall, när detta kan visa sig. Detta utförs genom ett antal utvalda nyckeltal som uträknats under fyra år (2000 - 2003) innan det år rekonstruktionen beslutats (2004).</p><p>Metod: Metoden som använts är en kvantitativ metod där hypotestestning använts för att urskilja rekonstruktionsföretagen. Två kontrollpopulationer sattes upp, konkursföretag och friska företag, för att jämföras med rekonstruktionsföretagen. 21 rekonstruktionsföretag, 79 konkursföretag och 97 friska företag ingick i undersökningen.</p><p>Genomförande: Nyckeltalen som valts ut för att svara på problemformuleringen är: Resultat före avskrivningar i % av omsättningen, Räntabilitet på totalt kapital, Kassalikviditet och Soliditet. Dessa nyckeltal för rekonstruktionsföretagen har jämförts med nyckeltal för de två kontrollpopulationerna och skillnaderna har statistiskt testats genom hypoteser.</p><p>Resultat och slutsatser: Rekonstruktionsföretagen visade sig skilja sig markant från de friska företagen för alla nyckeltalen. De är därmed företag som är i en relativt djup finansiell kris. I jämförelse med konkursföretagen så hade rekonstruktionsföretagen en bättre finansiell ställning de två åren innan rekonstruktionen beslutats. Under dessa år försämras konkursföretagens finansiella ställning snabbare än rekonstruktionsföretagen. Detta skulle vara ett tecken på att vid en långsammare finansiell försämring så borde företagen rekonstrueras istället för att försättas i konkurs.</p>

<p>This case study focuses on the intentions of public sector transformation. In particular, on a Swedish public authority, the National Rail Administration (NRA) this is studied and analysed. As in other parts of the Swedish public sector, the management of this authority is planning and executing ‘marketisation’ reforms. Parts of NRA’s monopoly are to be ended and to be guided by the market. The aim of the study is to examine how conflicts between management and employees are shaped according to the changes taking place. Firstly, the study assesses how management interprets the new demands put upon the organisation and translates them into action. These actions illustrated as changes from 'monopoly to market' in order to be a legitimate business competitor; from ‘bureaucracy to flexibility’ in order to enhance competence and changing employees' identities from 'technique to tactic' in order to serve the customer properly</p><p>The study then examines the management-driven implementation of these reforms; and how the employees respond to the changes from a resistance perspective. The discussion highlights what happens when the new management-driven organising principles meet the old, technology-oriented principles of employees. This contributes to a deepened understanding of why organisational changes made in the name of ‘market’, ‘flexibility’ and ‘customer’ meet resistance in the public sector. From a resistance perspective the changes are understood as ‘rationalisation’, work intensification’ and increased ‘individual control’, which per se leads to undermining of the traditional safety culture and technical skills. The customer orientation is met with highly ironic attitudes and interpreted as ‘infantilisation’ of the employees.</p><p>The concluding remarks are that conflict and antagonism is ever present in organisations and in this case manifest in three domains, legitimating, restructuring and revaluating, and between management perspective and resistance perspective.</p>

No description available.

In 1982, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) led structural adjustment of the Moroccan state; the culmination of prolonged war in the Western Sahara, unstable agricultural productivity and unstable debt inflation. Since then, deep political economic reorganization has transformed the institutional, practical and physical articulation of urban management in the state. This study situates managerial shifts within an urban globalization context, with specific reference to Tangier. While Tangier?s urban development parallels many studies from the developing and less-developed world, its place-specific formation diverges because globalizing urban management is undertaken within the context of historically and geographically specific socio-economic development initiatives and constraints. My work provides a conceptual overview of globalizing management since Moroccan independence in 1956. Then, a spatially sensitive political economic lens is employed to analyze new urban managerial transformations emerging since 1983 adjustments. Finally, I take an in-depth case study of Tangier City Center project to question how Tangier?s current globalization effectively responds to both state and local urban social and economic development.

Year 1996 a new law was introduced in Sweden, the law of corporate restructuring, what purpose was to help companies in financial distress. Now, nine years later the procedure hasn’t been successful. This is what this thesis is trying to find out. This thesis main question is: What distinguishes the companies that have filed for a corporate restructuring, according to the financial position? The purpose of this thesis is to find out if key ratios can be used to distinguish the companies that filed for corporate restructuring. This is studied through a couple of key ratios which is calculated from four years (2000-2003) prior to the decision of corporate restructuring (2004). The key ratio that I have chosen is: a profitability ratio, return on assets, cash ratio and solvency. The method I have used is a quantitative method and a hypothesis testing procedure is used to statistically distinguish the restructuring companies. Two control populations were used to compare with restructuring companies, bankrupt companies and companies that aren’t in financial distress. 21 restructuring companies, 79 bankrupt companies and 97 healthy companies were used in the research. The result of the thesis shows that the companies that filed for corporate restructuring has a much weaker financial position than the healthy companies. This tells us that these companies are in a relatively deep financial distress. In comparison with the bankrupt companies so are the restructuring companies in a better financial position under the two years prior to the restructuring decision. During these years the bankrupt companies’ financial position worsens faster than the restructuring companies. This could be a sign, that with a slower impairment the companies should be reconstructed instead of putting it into bankruptcy. / Bakgrund: År 1996 infördes en ny lag i Sverige som skulle underlätta för företag i finansiell kris att kunna rekonstruera sin verksamhet för att få den lönsam igen. Lagen om företagsrekonstruktion ersatte den tidigare ackordslagen eftersom den inte hade blivit något bra alternativ till konkurs. Den nya lagens syfte var att inte bara rensa bland företagens skulder, som den tidigare ackordslagen varit till för, utan den skulle även underlätta en ändring av verksamheten i stort. I dag nästan nio år senare har den nya lagen inte frambringat fler företagsrekonstruktioner, utan det har till och med blivit färre. Problemet är att många företag hellre går i konkurs än rekonstruerar sina företag, vilket innebär onödiga kostnader för samhället och för företagarna. Ett annat problem är även att arbetstillfällena bli färre. Varför är det då inte fler företag som rekonstrueras? Detta är frågan som var upprinnelsen till att denna uppsats blev till. För att försöka finna en klarhet i det här har följande problemformulering formulerats: Vad utmärker de företag som har ansökt om en företagsrekonstruktion, vad gäller den finansiella ställningen? Vilket är av intresse att få svar på då det skulle underlätta att urskilja vilken väg företaget borde ta innan den finansiella krisen blivit för djup. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka om finansiella nyckeltal kan användas för att urskilja företagen som ansökt om företagsrekonstruktion, och om i så fall, när detta kan visa sig. Detta utförs genom ett antal utvalda nyckeltal som uträknats under fyra år (2000 - 2003) innan det år rekonstruktionen beslutats (2004). Metod: Metoden som använts är en kvantitativ metod där hypotestestning använts för att urskilja rekonstruktionsföretagen. Två kontrollpopulationer sattes upp, konkursföretag och friska företag, för att jämföras med rekonstruktionsföretagen. 21 rekonstruktionsföretag, 79 konkursföretag och 97 friska företag ingick i undersökningen. Genomförande: Nyckeltalen som valts ut för att svara på problemformuleringen är: Resultat före avskrivningar i % av omsättningen, Räntabilitet på totalt kapital, Kassalikviditet och Soliditet. Dessa nyckeltal för rekonstruktionsföretagen har jämförts med nyckeltal för de två kontrollpopulationerna och skillnaderna har statistiskt testats genom hypoteser. Resultat och slutsatser: Rekonstruktionsföretagen visade sig skilja sig markant från de friska företagen för alla nyckeltalen. De är därmed företag som är i en relativt djup finansiell kris. I jämförelse med konkursföretagen så hade rekonstruktionsföretagen en bättre finansiell ställning de två åren innan rekonstruktionen beslutats. Under dessa år försämras konkursföretagens finansiella ställning snabbare än rekonstruktionsföretagen. Detta skulle vara ett tecken på att vid en långsammare finansiell försämring så borde företagen rekonstrueras istället för att försättas i konkurs.