This research concerns how lay principals are negotiating the nurturing of authentic Edmund Rice education in their schools within a period of organisational change in the 21st century. The context of this research is Queensland Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition, once more commonly known as Christian Brothers’ schools. These schools claim to carry on the educational charism of Edmund Rice (1762-1844), Founder of the Christian Brothers, who began schools in Ireland to provide a holistic education for boys, especially those who were marginalised by poverty and social stigma. Christian Brothers’ tradition purports that the Edmund Rice educational charism was handed on to successive Christian Brothers’ schools by Christian Brothers; however, research indicated that there were clear deviations from the original charism just prior to and following the death of Edmund Rice, raising questions of whether these schools remained authentic carriers of the original charism. Research also suggests that these deviations resulted in number of instances when the original charism of Edmund Rice was, at best, muted, or, at worst, distorted beyond recognition. Additional investigation also demonstrates that these departures from Rice’s charism resulted in a culture that differed from Edmund Rice’s original vision for education thus raising issues of authenticity for schools in the 21st century. Since Vatican II the Congregation of Christian Brothers has undergone significant changes. Most notable has been the reduction in Brothers in leadership positions in schools. Edmund Rice’s beatification in 1996 sparked renewed interest in his original educational vision, and The Congregation of Christian Brothers world wide began to explore what this charism might mean in contemporary times. In Australia, schools changed their name from Christian Brothers’ schools to Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition, as part of an attempt to develop an authentic educational vision for contemporary Australian schools. At the time of this research, there were ten schools in Queensland, all led by lay principals, within a subset of forty or more schools across Australia. In Queensland, these schools encompass a wide socio-economic spectrum and offer differing educational offerings ranging from a totally traditional curriculum, to a comprehensive curriculum, to more flexible offerings for disengaged and marginal youth; the majority of these boys’ schools are single sex schools. This researcher identified that there was lack of clarity as to what constitutes an authentic Edmund Rice school and that a lacuna existed between the organisational rhetoric and the reality of principals. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to explore what lay principals perceived to be the essential features or ethos of this educational vision and the ways they developed this ethos into an authentic Edmund Rice culture in order to determine whether these schools are authentic to the original vision of Edmund Rice. Because the purpose of this research was to explore perceptions, the epistemological position of Constructionism, using an interpretivist perspective was adopted for this research. The methodology of Case Study was utilised as it allowed for the exploration of the world of Queensland Catholic schools in the Edmund Rice tradition from the perspectives of principals: nine current principals and one past principal were studied. The literature review generated the following research questions: 1.What do principals consider are the essential features of the Edmund Rice ethos? 2.How do principals ensure that the ethos of Edmund Rice is an integral element of school culture? 3.What aspects of leadership do principals consider important in ensuring that the Edmund Rice ethos is developed into an authentic culture? The findings of this research indicated that principals perceived that the essential features of ethos were found in: providing values based education; ensuring that young people were liberated from factors which marginalised them; ensuring that their schools were places of Diversity and Inclusivity; undertaking the development of Right Relationships; and developing a strong sense of community. Principals ensured that the Edmund Rice ethos was authentically connected to school culture through: providing Social Justice Initiatives; developing spirituality and sense of the sacred; providing flexible options for a diverse range of students; and ensuring that structures and formation experiences were provided to support the development of ethos. Finally, principals articulated their leadership role: in ensuring the embedding of ethos in culture was one of cultural change agent; as a spiritual and prophetic leader; developing a student centred focus; and being a role model for leadership within the totality of the school community. The research concluded that, for these principals, the development of an authentic Edmund Rice school was embedded in these three issues: 1.Ethos: A Catholic education with values based on Edmund Rice and his educational mission; 2.Culture: A positive environment which enables and encourages the development of structures and formation experiences to support ethos; 3.Leadership: Leadership led by a principal who understands ethos and is committed to a role model of the development of an authentic culture. However, the research also concluded that, while lay principals were committed to the development of an authentic Edmund Rice school and were committed to the organisational change needed to achieve this goal, they were constrained by a variety of factors including: school context; school tradition and history; the traditions and expectations of the Christian Brothers; the financial situation of the school; support or lack of support from the college community and Edmund Rice Education. These factors make the realisation of authenticity a goal to be worked towards, rather than a concrete reality. In essence, this study concluded that, one overriding dilemma for principals was whether they were prepared to make the sometimes difficult decisions needed to ensure authenticity to the original Edmund Rice educational charism, or retain the status quo, with the knowledge that, in so doing, they may be militating against authenticity to the Edmund Rice educational vision.

The quality and nature of leadership among the superiors of religious teaching orders has not been the subject of much research. This field study examines the criteria by which the Provincial Superior of the Marist Brothers in the Sydney Province of Australia decides on the appointment of his principals. In order to establish an evaluation of these criteria, the concept of leadership in general and educational leadership are first examined as described in literature. From the literature a model is chosen against which the leadership of the founder is examined since the spirit of the founder, in this case, Marcellin Champagnat, still pervades the present day members of the order he established. The beginnings of the work of the Brothers in Australia were also important as the pioneers brought with them the spirit of the founder and were responsible for a quality of leadership in difficult circumstances, a quality which has become a feature of the work of the Brothers. It is evident that the present provincial superior is imbued with the spirit of the founder and that he has succeeded in interpreting the criteria laid down in foundation in terms which are relevant to education today. Certain constraints and factors, special to a religious teaching order bring about features of leadership which are not found in lay schools.

<p>This study examines whether the performance of the Black-Scholes model to price stock index options is influenced by the general conditions of the financial markets. For this purpose we calculated the theoretical values of 5814 options (3366 put option price observations and 2448 call option price observations) under the Black-Scholes assumptions. We compared these theoretical values with the real market prices in order to put the degree of deviations in two different time windows built around the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers (September 15th 2008) to the test. We find clear evidences to state that the Black-Scholes model performed differently in the period after Lehman Brothers than in the period before; therefore we are able to blame this event for our findings.</p>

Thesis (MA(Psychology))-University of Pretoria, 2006. / Abstract in English. Includes bibliographical references.

This study examines whether the performance of the Black-Scholes model to price stock index options is influenced by the general conditions of the financial markets. For this purpose we calculated the theoretical values of 5814 options (3366 put option price observations and 2448 call option price observations) under the Black-Scholes assumptions. We compared these theoretical values with the real market prices in order to put the degree of deviations in two different time windows built around the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers (September 15th 2008) to the test. We find clear evidences to state that the Black-Scholes model performed differently in the period after Lehman Brothers than in the period before; therefore we are able to blame this event for our findings.

Purpose of this Master thesis is to analyze, understand and evaluate current financial crisis from the leadership perspective. In order to achieve this aim we made literature analysis, conducted interviews, analyzed failure case of Lehman Brothers and case of NYSE Euronext Lisbon. Furthermore, we created a questionnaire which was sent to the biggest companies in Europe. According to our investigation, we found out that the most suitable methodological view for our research is a combination of analytical and system views. Analysis of our findings shows that financial crisis was highly caused of the failure of leadership in the financial sector. We found out that leaders have to be aware of these main problems: nowadays word is extremely interconnected and one variable can affect the whole system, huge short-term returns cannot marginalize long-term foresight, risk has to be measured and estimated, leaders has to pay a lot of attention to their strategies, plan, rethink and if it is necessary reshape them. Moreover, leaders now face more and more challenges: they have to react at the moment, to deal with world full of paradoxes and to take actions in order to increase level of confidence which creates more and more instability and chaos in the society.

Sibling research in the past twenty years has moved away from a focus on particular variables such as sex differences, birth order, and rivalry, to a more searching investigation of the influences of sibling interaction. In this study the contribution of sibling dyads to cognitive growth is explored. Of particular interest were the implications of learning style for academic performance. To investigate the informal learning context of black township children from an ecological perspective, the household family structure and community networks are also considered. Twenty eight sibling dyads were divided into two groups on the basis of tutor's age. The older group comprised ten to thirteen year olds, and the younger group six to nine year olds. Each tutor had a younger sibling, not attending pre-school, who was the tutee for the tasks. Tutor-pairs were presented with puzzle-tasks designed to test Western-type academic competencies. Videotaped interactions were subjected to a behavioural micro-analysis coded into seven categories, originally devised for a previous study of mother-child interaction that utilised the same tasks, and adapted to highlight certain teaching strategies. Vygotsky's (1978) zone of proximal development provides the matrix for the discussion of results in conjunction with Feuerstein's (1980) concept of mediated learning experiences which are interpreted within a multicultural context. Using both quantitative and qualitative approaches, the findings are presented in terms of teaching style. Age and sex differences are discussed. Comparisons are made between this study, other local studies, and an American sample. Related research findings, including crosscultural studies, are considered in relation to the particular problems of black education. Home interviews yielded information about educational and occupational levels in the community studied. These provide the setting for sibling transmission of culture. Family caretaking roles reveal a broad social base for urban blacks, with siblings contributing a substantial proportion. Educational perspectives, as well as future research possibilities, are considered. The results suggest that despite the limitations of child tutors due to varying maturational factors, siblings can offer a unique resource for promoting and extending intrafamilial cognitive growth, particularly for a society in transition. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, 1986.

Autistic Spectrum Disorders have shown to be some of the most disruptive and bizarre childhood developmental disorders, affecting all relationships within the family (Glass, 2001). The sibling relationship is possibly one of the most important relationships in childhood development, affecting cognitive and emotional adjustment (Dunn, 2000; Sanders, 2004). While the effects on parents of having a child with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder are well documented, there is very little qualitative research that explores the experience from the sibling‟s perspective. Using Family Systems Theory as a framework for understanding, the question asked in this study was: “What is the experience of having a sibling with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder?” The study made use of a phenomenological approach, which was useful in exploring the „lived world‟ of the participant. Making use of semi structured interviews, a focus group and various projective techniques and one participatory technique, three participants shared their thoughts, feelings and experiences of having a younger sibling with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Interpretive analysis guided by the Hermeneutic circle was used to analyze the data. The results showed a complex and protective relationship that also evoked feelings of frustration and embarrassment in the participants. While the relationship was difficult, there was no indication that the participants faced any emotional or adjustment difficulties. Furthermore, the effective coping mechanisms that were utilized by the participants were highlighted. The study also aimed to provide recommendations for care-givers and professionals, as well as future research in this area. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

The purpose of this study was to examine the processes and patterns of communicative interaction which preschool and elementary school-aged deaf and hearing siblings utilized to initiate, maintain and terminate dialogs during play. Specifically, the focus was to determine if the processes and patterns of communication differed when a deaf sibling interacted with an older hearing sibling who has been exposed primarily to a simultaneous visual-auditory (SimVA) pattern of communication, as compared to when a deaf sibling interacted with a younger hearing sibling who has been exposed to both a SimVA and a sequential visual (Seq V) pattern of communication. Video-taped playbouts were observed between each of two sibling dyads at play within a single family: (a) an older dyad composed of a seven-year-old hearing child and her five-year-old deaf sister, and (b) a younger dyad with the second-born deaf sister and her three-year-old hearing brother. The video-tapes were coded to determine: the kinds of play siblings engaged in; the use and expression of behavioral and communicative elements of attention-getting, exchange of information, and termination processes of dialogs; who initiated and terminated dialogs; the occurrence of turn-taking during message delivery; and the expression of patterns of communication used by siblings during dialogs. Only three of five possible kinds of play were actually noted, of which social play was the most frequently observed kind of play taking place between siblings within both dyads. In the older hearing and deaf sibling dyad, it was found that the older hearing sister predominately used visual processes and patterns of communicative interaction when conversing with her deaf sister, whereas the deaf sibling relied extensively on visual-auditory processes and patterns of communication when conversing with her hearing sister. In the younger dyad, visual-auditory patterns of communication predominated both hearing and deaf siblings' expression of processes and patterns of communication with each other. New terminology reflecting siblings' behavioral and communicative patterns of communication are introduced. This study represents the first known research examining the processes and patterns of deaf and hearing siblings' behavioral and communicative interactions of dialog. The findings are discussed in relation to potential applications to early intervention programs for hearing families with deaf and hearing siblings and to future research directions. Overall, the findings from this study appear to indicate that deaf and hearing siblings communicate in ways largely influenced by developmental maturation and the communicative environments to which each child has been exposed during language acquisition processes. The findings are also consistent with Vygotsky's theory of a sociocultural origin of language development.

This study explores how experience with a chronically ill or disabled sibling may affect prospective reproductive attitudes and behavior. Eighty-two young adults were interviewed using a structured, written questionnaire, which included the index of Family Relations (IFR) developed by Hudson (1982). Respondents in the main group (n = 41) had siblings with either a single-gene, hereditary illness or a physical/intellectual handicap. A multiple regression analysis examined how different group and subgroup combinations of the sibling factor might predict reproductive attitudes, controlling for sociodemographic, family, and developmental variables. Contrary to expectation, experience with an affected sibling predicted acceptance of potentially affected offspring. The significance of this finding was marginal for the main group, but more favorable when the sibling was intellectually handicapped. Respondents with siblings in genetic categories felt more obliged than others to test their own genetic risk status, but were least likely to favor abortion for medical indication.