Integrated Quality Management System is a model used for appraising teachers in South Africa and has been in use post-1994. The study shed light on the historical development that shaped the current model used for appraising teachers, especially after 1994. IQMS as a model for appraisal was introduced as a direct response after the collapse of the inspection system which was autocratic and highly subjective. Using a case study approach, two schools in Soweto were purposefully selected because of the strong leadership and data was collected from eleven teachers and two principals. The study aims to investigate the role of the school leadership in mediating IQMS at school level. The study employed interviews, questionnaires and document analysis. The research is concerned with the lived experiences of individual teachers in the confines of the environment that they are most comfortable in. This research was taken from the interpretivist position which views the world as constructed by means of multi perspectives. The study argues that the leadership at school level has a prominent role to play in mediating IQMS despite the tensions inherent therein.

Orientador: Maria José da Silva Fernandes / Banca: Silvia Regina Ricco Lucato Sigolo / Banca: Dirce Djanira Pacheco e Zan / Resumo: A presente pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar a atuação profissional dos docentes que exercem a função de Professor Mediador Escolar e Comunitário (PMEC) no contexto da Escola Pública Estadual Paulista tendo como local de análise uma escola pertencente a uma Diretoria Regional de Ensino no interior do estado de São Paulo. O tema foi definido após ser verificado que em alguns países europeus a mediação vem sendo utilizada como método alternativo para resolução de conflitos provenientes das relações interpessoais existentes na escola. Em outros países, os responsáveis pela mediação apresentam formação específica para realização das atribuições, bem como condições adequadas de trabalho que garantem intervenções mais precisas no espaço escolar. Entretanto, com as condições objetivas existentes na realidade paulista, onde a função foi criada no ano de 2010, o trabalho de Professor Mediador adquire outros contornos, uma vez que as condições básicas para o trabalho não têm sido garantidas. Com uma formação específica, inicial ou continuada fragilizada, e sem alterar problemas estruturais presentes na rede, a função tem incorporado muitas e amplas atribuições no contexto escolar. Desta forma, justificou-se a pesquisa como ação necessária ao conhecimento mais aprofundado da função que, apesar de recente, já despertou interesse do âmbito acadêmico. A metodologia utilizada foi a pesquisa qualitativa de abordagem documental e empírica, em que o levantamento bibliográfico e documental s... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: The present research had the objective of analyzing the professional performance of the professors who work as Teacher School and Community Mediator (PMEC) in the context of the São Paulo State Public School having as a place of analysis a school belonging to a Regional Board of Education within the state from São Paulo. The theme was defined after being verified that in some European countries mediation has been used as an alternative method for resolving conflicts arising from the interpersonal relationships existing in the school. In other countries, those responsible for mediation have specific training to carry out the assignments, as well as adequate working conditions that guarantee more precise interventions in the school space. However, with the objective conditions existing in the state of São Paulo, where the function was created in the year 2010, the work of Teacher Mediator acquires other contours, since the basic conditions for the work have not been guaranteed. With specific, initial or continued formation weakened, and without altering structural problems present in the network, the function has incorporated many broad assignments in the school context. In this way, the research was justified as a necessary action to the more detailed knowledge of the function that, although recent, has already aroused interest of the academic scope. The methodology used was the qualitative research of documentary and empirical approach, in which the bibliographic and document... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Mediation is a problem-solving approach to conflict management that is used more and more in virtually every context in which conflicts arise. This paper explores the wide range of meaning for the term 'mediation' as found in the social science literature and examines the question of what processes can properly be called mediation. It surveys the literature related to numerous theories of mediation and examines the meaning of the term as established in its various contexts. The mediation literature can be divided into the following contexts: public sector or court connected mediation, divorce mediation, international mediation, environmental mediation, community mediation, small claims, and judicial mediation. This study delineates these contexts and differentiates them for the purpose of conducting an explication of the various meanings of the term mediation. The term mediation is found to be used throughout the literature without operational definition and only broad generic definitions can adequately describe the processes which are called mediation. The boundaries between mediation and other processes are blurred as a result of this expansive use of the term. This study describes mediation as differentiated from other processes such as litigation, arbitration, conciliation, and process consultation. Numerous concepts and issues are found in the literature related to mediation--caucus, goals, strategies and tactics, success, empowerment, ethics, mandatory mediation, neutrality, power and standards of practice. Many of these concepts are informed through contradictory debate within the literature. This paper describes these concepts and issues of mediation for the purpose of developing a further understand of the theory and practice of mediation. This study also reflects on the critical issues, debates and contradictory expectations of mediation that have been raised within the literature and finishes by drawing some conclusions about mediation. Mediation is described as both art and science. No one process is appropriate for handling all or even most mediation situations.

The aim of the research is to demonstrate architectural design strategies and outcomes that provide alternative ways of considering the futures of areas under high developmental pressure. These areas are where the potential detrimental effects of unmediated, rapid change and development are at their most immediate and in need of consideration. Urban environments are complex physical manifestations of economic, environmental, social, cultural and political pressures represented by the often competing desires of public and private interest groups. Given the enormity of scale and complexity of these pressures, it is problematic to think of architecture as something that can design everything (perhaps as seen in traditional master planning) and in doing so, solve the problem. What may be more constructive is the consideration of architecture having the potential to be involved strategically in these issues, over a number of scales to work towards positive outcomes for the public domain. In recent years, both Victorian and Queensland state governments have released policy guiding the future growth of key regions within their borders. Each attempts to address accommodating large population increases over relatively short time periods by proposing consolidation in and around existing urban centres. This consolidation is seen as part of a strategy to limit urban sprawl and curtail its associated negative social, environmental and potential economic impacts. These targeted 'Activity Centres' become places of immanent transformation, points of pressure within the disaggregated field of the contemporary Australian city. Left un-mediated, developmental pressure in locations such as these is likely to create the same detrimental physical and social effects evident in the general prevailing homogeneity, commercialisation and piecemeal nature of current urban development. Through several architectural design projects, the research aims to explore the role of architecture as an urban mediator within these pressured locations. Through bridging scales from the broad metropolitan, to the finer grained specific, this mediation may begin to strategically 'set things up' for the public domain, towards facilitating valuable social exchange.

This study narratively explores the experiences of five public school counsellors and one high school teacher using Conversation Peace, a restorative action peer mediation program published jointly in 2001 by Fraser Region Community Justice Initiatives Association (CJI), Langley, British Columbia, Canada, and School District #35, Langley, British Columbia, Canada. This categorical-content analysis (Lieblich, Tuval-Mashiach, & Zilber, 1998) resulted in data describing 20 common themes, 12 with similar responses, and 8 with varying responses amongst participants. Two of the similar findings were the crucial importance of (a) confidentiality within the mediation process, and (b) the school counsellor’s role within the overall and day-to-day implementation of this peer mediation program. Two of the varying findings were (a) the time involvement of the school counsellor within the peer mediation program, and (b) the differences in the number of trained peer mediators and peer mediations within schools.

As the increase of direct investment in China, Taiwanese businessmen are encountering more and more disputes there, which makes this issue be worthy of attention. Among the various types of disputes, this present study focuses on investment disputes and attempts to figure out the types, causes and dispute resolution mechanism of investment disputes through the method of case study, literature review and expert interview. The conclusions of this study are as follows: There are 6 common types of investment disputes that Taiwanese businessmen usually encounter in China: 1. Disputes on contributing investment; 2. Disputes on the right of management¡F3. Disputes on profit distribution; 4. Disputes on suspending equity joint-ventures or contractual joint-ventures; 5. Disputes on partners¡¦ illicit behaviors; 6. Disputes between Taiwan shares holders or anonymous investment disputes. It is revealed that the causes of investment disputes are 1. China¡¦s restrictions against foreign investment; 2. Taiwanese businessmen¡¦s unfamiliarity with the investment laws and regulations of China; 3. Taiwanese businessmen are not discreet in choosing their China partners; 4. Taiwanese businessmen tend to sign contracts and building cooperation constitutions carelessly. Taiwanese businessmen resort to three kinds of dispute resolution mechanisms, including Adjudication, Mediation, and Arbitration, when encountering investment disputes in China. This study conducts a comparative analysis between these three mechanisms in terms of six dimensions, i.e. ¡§efficiency¡¨, ¡¨cost¡¨, ¡¨professionalism¡¨, ¡¨confidentiality¡¨, ¡§relationship maintenance¡¨ and ¡¨enforceability¡¨. The result shows that mediation and arbitration perform better than adjudication in almost all dimensions except the dimension of ¡§enforceability¡¨. It is also suggested that Taiwanese businessmen prefer mediation to any other dispute resolutions in practice. Since arbitration is also an excellent dispute resolution mechanism, this phenomenon implies that arbitration is ignored by the Taiwanese businessmen. Therefore, the regulation, exercise and notice of China¡¦s arbitration are further demonstrated for Taiwanese businessmen in the final part of the study.

Zugl.: Freiburg (Breisgau), Univ., Diss., 2007

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-121).

There is a strong need for powerful unified statistical methods for discovering underlying genetic architecture of complex traits with the assistance of omics information. In this paper, two methods aiming to detect novel association between the human genome and complex traits using intermediate omics data are developed based on statistical mediation modeling. We demonstrate theoretically that given proper mediators, the proposed statistical mediation models have better power than genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to detect associations missed in standard GWAS that ignore the mediators. For each ofthe modeling methods in this paper, an empirical example is given, where the association between a SNP and BMI missed by standard GWAS can be discovered by mediation analysis.

Mediation promises a way for conflicting parties to address differences and reach an agreement to settle their dispute. This study looks at mediation discourse of five cases from a university conflict resolution center through the lens of Girard’s (1977) theory of mimetic desire. Girard (1977) suggests that we are all in a pattern of mimesis. Antagonism that is prevalent in conflict develops, in Girard’s view, from the cycle of desire when one person wants an object and another person copies that desire for the object. The two parties quickly forget the object, but antagonism emerges as the mimetic desire continues. Girard argues parties have a tendency to place blame on a scapegoat to break the antagonism pattern. Alternatively, in her application of Girard’s theory, Cobb (1997, 2003, 2010a, 2010b) advocates a social constructionist perspective where disputants work on turning thin conflict stories into thicker ones to break the pattern. This project addresses a need for research on cycles of antagonism in discourse constructed by disputants during real mediation sessions. Knowing how disputants construct discourse lends insight into how people handle their most challenging interpersonal problems. The analysis of discourse through the guiding frameworks of conflict tactics, production format, and tenor of discourse sheds light on how disputants construct perpetuated mimicked antagonism and how they break the pattern. Additionally, findings highlight the emergence of weapons and wounds in the discourse suggesting that communicative violence is constructed whether or not there was actual physical violence. Components of thin conflict narratives are evident in findings from all five cases. Yet, while two cases are characterized by discourse of perpetuated mimicked antagonism, three represent a break in that pattern without placing blame on a scapegoat or constructing a thicker conflict narrative. The distinctions between a perpetuated and broken cycle are unpacked through the discussion of: a) animator-only position; b) indirectness and presumptive attribution; and c) shift in footing between talking to the other disputant and the mediators. This project provides a more nuanced understanding of the Girardian perspective relating to conflict mediation to contribute to the extant literature on conflict discourse and mediation practice. / text