Lean Thinking has been widely implemented in various industries in the production context. Lately a number of companies in the service sector have developed lean systems within their organisations to improve efficiency, productivity, and quality of their services. In our study we are putting forward an approach for operational excellence using Lean Thinking principals in the public service context. The study was performed at the Swedish Tax Agency and the main process examined was mail-returns handling process, the main goal was to improve business process by eliminating non value adding activities within the mail-returns handling process. A thorough investigation of the Swedish Tax Agency process was carried out, primary (core) business process was identified. We examined the supporting processes and how they can affect the primary process performance, and we defined the activities associated with mail-returns handling process and the costs incurred, which led to having a fact-sheet that examined the entire process. Process mapping for the current state was carried out and Root Cause Analyses was performed. We identified root causes of the problem and process elements with high improvement potential, and we presented an optimisation proposal for the current state. Based on the optimisation proposal, an improvement proposal for the whole process was developed. Some of the notable attributes of this redesigned strategy were substantial cost savings and reduced process time. The proposal was approved by the Swedish tax agency and practical implementation is initiated.

The ability to sustain small businesses operating in war-torn areas is important not only to the business owners, but also to foreign communities receiving United States contract services for recovery from widespread decimation. While all small businesses address a wide range of issues, businesses operating in war-torn areas also face cultural diversity, local regulations, and potential threats to employee safety. The conceptual framework for this exploratory multiple case study was transformational-transactional leadership theory, guiding the research to discover traits and strategies of successful leaders in the population of small businesses that were profitable beyond 5 years while operating in the war-torn area of Afghanistan. In addition to participant questionnaires and review of the businesses' balance sheets, income statements, and tax returns, data were collected from 3 CEO participants in face-to-face, semistructured interviews. Participants' verbatim comments were analyzed via thematic analysis. The coding system evolved from applying preliminary codes to a small sample of data and reiteratively refining the codes as prominent themes emerged. Participants identified unique challenges of working with a multinational workforce. There were 3 primary findings: successful leaders used elements of both transformational and transactional leadership; the most important strategy was gaining knowledge of regional infrastructure and customs; and successful leaders used management assistance. These findings may contribute to social change by prompting small business leaders to re-examine their perspectives on workforce diversity; they will also enable leaders who provide services overseas to realize profitable business goals while contributing to foreign local economies.

The local district in this study has not made adequate yearly progress in the past several years in language arts literacy on state assessments. Particularly problematic were poor reading skills among district students. Poor literacy skills negatively affect student learning across the curriculum. The purpose of this case study was to identify teachers' and administrators' perceptions of best literacy practices, professional development, and administrative decisions regarding literacy learning for primary students in reading at a strong performing elementary school in the district. The target school was selected to help address reading failure for the low-performing schools in this district. Bloom's taxonomy of learning, which indicates that higher-level learning is based on foundational knowledge that is often provided at the primary level, was the framework for this study. A bounded case study was conducted that included a purposeful sample of 7 elementary teachers of language arts from Pre-K to 2nd grades and 2 administrators at the target elementary school. Classroom observations and interviews were used to collect data. NVivo was used to assist in coding, analysis of data, and identification of recurring themes. The findings indicated that an outcome-based curriculum incorporating Bloom's levels of learning coupled with supportive district decisions regarding literacy were key components driving literacy success at the target school. The findings were incorporated into a policy paper as a project to propose and support elementary level reading curriculum changes and administrative decisions regarding literacy success for elementary students in the local district. Implications for positive social change might be far reaching as elementary school students in this district benefit from literacy skills that improve their academic success and ultimately their overall quality of life.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / As an undergraduate, I had the opportunity to work in the University Writing Center (UWC) at IUPUI. This opportunity influenced my life in many ways, but none more important than my teaching. Looking back on my time in the UWC, I did not realize the connection between writing centers and composition classrooms. As a graduate student, I began to read literature that defined composition classrooms and writing centers as separate worlds. However, once I was an instructor, these two worlds were seamless weaving in and out of each other to the point that I couldn’t separate them. In fact, I didn’t understand how one could. I had read literature defining composition classrooms and writing centers as different worlds but was having experiences in the classroom that contradicted this perception, so I wanted to investigate how these experiences influenced my teaching. I sought out literature that explored the writing center-composition classroom connection to look at specific elements of my teaching and how they tied to UWC practices. This case study grew out of the initial challenges I faced as a new instructor, which led me on a journey to find my own approach to teaching composition. That journey resulted in the implementation of writing center best practices, that I learned as a tutor, into my teaching philosophy, and this background equipped me to approach writing instruction as a facilitator, guiding students to become better writers.This case study examines which writing center practices, gleaned from my experiences in the UWC at IUPUI, I’ve incorporated into my classroom, why I’ve chosen these practices, and what student feedback reveals about these practices.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine specific prekindergarten- through 8th-grade reading programs, instructional best practices, academic interventions, and educational activities that are perceived as successful practices in four high achieving schools within the parameters of Northeast Tennessee. This study was accomplished through a protocol of open-ended interviews with 15 participants comprised of 4 school principals, 4 primary reading teachers, 4 intermediate reading teachers, 2 Title I reading specialists, and 1 district language arts coordinator. Additionally, school-specific documentation and basal reading programs were reviewed to triangulate the findings of this investigation. The findings from this study suggested that the educational perceptions among Title I and nonTitle I participants as well as the perceptions among school principals, reading teachers, and reading specialists were parallel. In general the participants' perceptions held in common were associated with frequent opportunities for classroom reading practice; the incorporation of self-selected literature; the appropriation of differentiated instruction; a blending of reading, writing, and grammar; strategic progress monitoring through formative assessment checkpoints; and the implications of summative assessment data. Major recommendations from this study included the consideration of providing students with frequent and consistent classroom reading time; opportunities for frequent nonfiction reading assignments; the provision of self-selected literature; the appropriation of a blended approach to reading, writing, and grammar; and the implementation of differentiated instruction within the prekindergarten- through 8th-grade reading classroom.

Researchers question the growing use of paraeducators in public school special education classrooms, complaining that the professionals with the least education are being asked to assist the students requiring the most intervention (Blalock, 1991; Giangreco, Broer, & Edelman, 1999). How well are paraprofessional educators prepared to use best practices for behavior management in special education settings? The eight special education paraprofessionals surveyed in this study demonstrated varying levels of knowledge regarding how to respond to the aggressive behaviors often displayed by students with emotional disturbance (ED). Paraeducators who reported receiving the most district- or teacher-led training (4 to 16+ hours) recommended interventions that were the most closely aligned with the positive, proactive approaches supported in literature about best practices. Age of paraeducator and years of formal education showed no relationship with ability to suggest appropriate interventions. However, respondents overall were more likely to recommend appropriate interventions for students displaying physical aggression than for students displaying verbal aggression or noncompliance involving both physical and verbal aggression. These findings confirm the importance of paraeducator training specific to the needs and behaviors of students with ED.

Uncertainty avoidance as a cultural construct has been known to affect worker stress and performance in organizations, but a review of these findings has not been done up until this point. In effort to clarify the relationship between uncertainty avoidance and stress and performance, a comprehensive literature search was performed. Findings from articles on this topic have been presented. In addition, organizational practices for accommodating uncertainty avoidance and other cultural dimensions have been explored. This review shows that uncertainty avoidance appears to be linked to higher stress, while its relationship to performance appears to depend on other factors. Best practices for accommodating uncertainty avoidance tend to include enhanced communication and structure. Ideas for future research on this topic are discussed.

Объектом исследования является автотуризм в США, а также особенности самостоятельного автотуризма в США. Предметом исследования стали туристические достопримечательности США, а также проблемы и перспективы самостоятельного туризма в этой стране. Выпускная квалификационная работа выполнена с целью определения особенностей современного автотуризма в США. Указанная выше цель требует решения следующих задач исследования: определить особенности туризма в США и описать основные достопримечательности данной страны; описать виды туризма в США; изучить средства размещения туристов в США; проанализировать особенности инфраструктуры США и составить примерный маршрут самостоятельного дорожного путешествия по стране; найти и описать примеры самостоятельных дорожных путешествий по США; выявить современные проблемы и определить перспективные направления самостоятельных дорожных путешествий по США. Настоящее исследование включает в себя следующие структурные элементы: введение, две главы, разделенные на три параграфа каждая, заключение, список литературы и приложения. Введение содержит актуальность исследования, описывает цель, задачи, а также предмет, объект и методы исследования. Первая глава раскрывает специфику развития автотуризма в США, а именно: особенности туризма в США и достопримечательности страны, виды туризма в США и средства размещения туристов в США. Вторая глава исследования содержит в себе описание путешествия по популярным маршрутам США, в частности: особенности инфраструктуры США: дороги, транспорт, правила, цены, маршруты и описание некоторых маршрутов, примеры самостоятельных дорожных путешествий по США, а также описание современных проблем и перспективных направлений самостоятельных дорожных путешествий по США. В ходе исследования были сделаны следующие выводы: На сегодняшний день США имеет довольно развитую инфраструктуру и располагает огромным количеством достопримечательностей, мест размещения и питания для туристов, которые решили совершить свое путешествие по этой стране. Здесь можно найти места на любой вкус, интересы и финансовые возможности. США славится как национальным заповедниками и культурными достопримечательностями, так и бескрайними пляжами с развлекательными заведениями. Таким образом, исследованный опыт говорит о том, что автотуризм вполне приемлемый и довольно удобный способ путешествия. Кроме того, данный вид путешествий дает туристу право самому решать и выстраивать свой маршрут. / The object of the research is auto tourism in the United States, as well as the features of self-driving travel in the United States. The subject of the research was the tourist attractions of the United States, as well as the problems and prospects of independent tourism in this country. The final thesis was carried out to determine the characteristics of modern auto tourism in the United States. The above goal requires the acomplishing of the following research tasks: to determine the features of tourism in the United States and describe the main attractions of this country; describe the types of tourism in the United States; explore accommodation facilities for tourists in the United States; analyze the features of the US infrastructure and draw up an approximate route for an independent road trip around the country; find and describe examples of independent road travel in the United States; identify current problems and identify promising areas of independent road travel in the United States. This study includes the following structural elements: introduction, two chapters, divided into three sections each, conclusion, bibliography and appendices. The first chapter reveals the specifics of the development of auto tourism in the United States, namely: the peculiarities of tourism in the United States and attractions of the country, types of tourism in the United States and accommodation facilities for tourists in the United States. The second chapter of the study contains a description of travel along popular US routes, in particular: features of the US infrastructure: roads, transport, rules, prices, routes and descriptions of some routes, examples of independent road trips in the USA, as well as a description of modern problems and promising areas of independent road travel in the United States. During the study, the following conclusions were made. Today, the United States has a vastly developed infrastructure and has a huge number of attractions, accommodation and food for tourists who decide to make their trip to this country. Here you can find places for every taste, interests and financial capabilities. The USA is famous for its national reserves and cultural attractions, as well as endless beaches with entertainment facilities. Thus, the studied experience suggests that auto tourism is a completely acceptable and rather convenient way of traveling. In addition, this type of travel gives the tourist the right to decide and build his own route.

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