Yes / In previous decades, the perception of Japan¿s employment practices has been strongly intertwined with its economic fortunes. From the 1970s, Japan¿s employment practices came to be seen as one of the cornerstones of its economic success. However, this perception changed, albeit with a substantial delay, when the economy proved incapable of returning to its former path of growth after the `bubble¿ burst at the end of the 1980s. Like so many of its economic institutions, the employment practices became the subject of substantial criticism in a debate on the revitalisation of Japan¿s economy. This study takes its position within this debate by discussing the likelihood, character, and economic consequences of change. Environmental changes, like the ageing of the population and the substantial decrease in economic growth, require Japanese firms to adapt their human resource management. However, the embeddedness of national practices limits the scope of firms to make these adjustments; and change is determined by the dialectics between their strategies and existing practices. The firm, as an institution, thus experiences the impact of both the embedded employment practices and the economic impact of environmental changes. Accordingly, it is at the centre of this study. Theories of the firm are used to discuss the contribution of employment practices on efficiency, capabilities, and competitive strength. Case-studies from four different industries ¿ automobile, electronics, construction, and retailing ¿ describe the adaptations made by individual firms. Subsequently, these findings constitute the basis for a discussion of industry-specific employment practices and provide an answer to whether developments such as the rise in performance-based pay and labour mobility have altered the logic of Japanese employment practices.

There are a myriad of factors that influence the teaching and assessment of English as a foreign language in Israel. One such factor is the change in perception of how the mind collects and processes information. The transition from behaviorist theories of learning to constructivist and cognitivist theories has resulted in a new concept of learning that recognises the pivotal role of the learner in the learning process. Another instrumental factor is the creation of standards in education that are intended to raise the level of academic achievement and provide equitable educational opportunities for all learners. Both of these factors have impacted the study of English as a foreign language. Countries around the world have assumed monumental changes in the way they approach foreign language study. Following the examples of foreign countries Israel has recently implemented a standards-based curriculum that supports alternative assessment. Since this is a relatively new concept, the principles underlying standards and assessment are unfamiliar to many EFL teachers. Novice teachers, as well as experienced teachers, are experiencing difficulty incorporating standards and alternative assessment into their lessons. In the light of the above it was clear that a need existed to investigate how English foreign language teachers relate to assessment and to examine the extent to which they implement alternative assessment in their teaching. The aim of the study is to explore teachers' understanding of alternative assessment and find out how teachers incorporate alternative assessment in their EFL classes. Against this background, an empirical investigation was undertaken. It comprised a textual analysis of ten assessment packages and two focus group interviews. The research produced a wealth of descriptive data that illuminated the subject. The findings magnified the disparity between the theory behind alternative assessment and actual practice. It was apparent that the assessment activities which EFL teachers employed, were not in sync with the principles that were being promoted by the new curriculum for EFL teaching and assessment in Israeli schools. The study discusses the results of the investigation, suggests the implications and presents recommendations. / Educational Studies / D.Ed. (Didactics)

"Thanks to significant worldwide research directed at understanding and predicting structural behavior at elevated temperatures, analytical methods are available to support a rational, performance-based approach to the structural design of buildings for fire conditions. To utilize these analytical methods effectively, structural engineers need guidance on reliable and appropriate approaches to dealing with a variety of factors, including the effects of fire protection measures, temperature-dependent thermal and structural properties, elastic and inelastic behavior of structural components and assemblies, and thermal and structural response of framing connections. To meet the objective of guiding the structural engineer in appropriate analytical methods and parameter values for performance-based structural fire protection, this thesis proposes a comprehensive way of thinking about the design and analysis of structures for fire conditions. This integration of structural engineering and fire protection engineering into a functional framework is defined herein as Fire-Robust Structural Engineering (FRSE). The FRSE process, which is presented as a series of flowcharts, is designed to guide the structural engineer in executing the functions involved in the design of fire-safe structures and to help identify informational needs critical to these tasks. Currently, mechanisms for identifying possible resources to fulfill fire-related informational needs are generally organized for the convenience of the fire research community. Identification of resources that provide appropriate information for fire-robust structural engineering, such as laboratory fire test results, parametric studies of analytical methods, and other sources of guidance, is often difficult because these resources are rarely organized and presented for the benefit of structural engineers. To begin to resolve this problem, this thesis has developed a prototype information management system (IMS) based on the framework of the FRSE process. The IMS addresses the critical challenge of organizing and presenting the available knowledge and data in a format that is consistent with the perspective and informational needs of the structural engineer. The prototype version of the IMS has been implemented using a Microsoft Excel® platform. In addition to guidance in utilizing specific analytical methods and choosing appropriate parameter values, the structural engineer also requires an understanding of the input requirements and accuracy of various analytical methods in order to make informed decisions regarding which methods are appropriate for use with different structural configurations. Therefore, this thesis includes a model study as an example of a resource that could aid the structural engineer in making such decisions. The model study compares various analytical methods (simplified spreadsheet applications and advanced finite element techniques) to published laboratory test data and discusses concerns that the structural engineer must keep in mind when using each method. Conclusions are drawn regarding the appropriateness of each analytical method to the analysis of a fully restrained, spray-protected steel beam. Given this type of information, the structural engineer can make decisions regarding the types of analytical methods and the level of analytical sophistication required to solve a given design problem."

Le financement basé sur la performance est une approche gestionnaire promue par la Banque Mondiale (BM) et United States Agency for International Development (USAID), qui connaît une rapide diffusion dans les programmes d’aide au développement. Dans un contexte où de nombreux travaux ont démontré la subjectivité du lien entre la lutte contre la pauvreté et les « bonnes politiques » recommandées par la BM dans le cadre de l’allocation basée sur la performance (ou sélectivité), il apparaît pertinent de s’interroger sur la performativité de ce nouvel instrument. En mobilisant conjointement la théorie de l’acteur-réseau et les théories néo-institutionnelles,cette thèse analyse, au niveau global puis dans un cadre national, le processus de conception, d’expérimentation, de diffusion et de mise en œuvre de l’instrument dans le domaine de la réforme des systèmes de santé. Au niveau global, nous étudions la conceptualisation de l’instrument, que nous replaçons dans une généalogie de la performation, par le réseau néolibéral, des politiques d’aide au développement et de santé globale. Nous analysons ensuite son expérimentation au Rwanda,dans le cadre d’un dispositif de régulation par le marché des systèmes de santé mis en œuvre à travers : (I) la mise en place d’une tarification à l’activité visant à transformer les structures de santé en acteurs économiques autonomes (volet offre), et (II) la création de mutuelles privées communautaires à même de développer des stratégies d’achats (volet demande). Nous étudions enfin sa diffusion institutionnelle sous l’effet (i) d’une valorisation de l’expérimentation rwandaise sans prise en compte de son contexte spécifique, et (II) d’un dispositif incitatif permettant l’enrôlement des responsables de la BM et des ministères bénéficiaires. Au niveau national, nous étudions la stratégie d’influence de la BM et de l’USAID en faveur de la diffusion de ces réformes au Sénégal. Nous présentons le processus d’adoption de ces réformes par le Ministère de la santé, la mise en échec d’un modèle de régulation concurrent en voie d’expérimentation par la coopération technique belge, puis les pressions exercées parla BM pour contraindre le gouvernement à internaliser le modèle promu. Nous mettons ensuite en perspective l’abandon du modèle de régulation par le marché qui était initialement affiché,au profit d’une nouvelle régulation transnationale, matérialisée par un contrat de financement basé sur l’activité directement contrôlé par la BM. / Performance-based financing is a management approach promoted by the World Bank (WB) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) that is rapidly being mainstreamed in development assistance programs. In a context where many studies have demonstrated the subjectivity of the link between the fight against poverty and the "good policies" recommended by the WB in the context of performance-based allocation (or selectivity), it seems relevant to question the performativity of this new instrument. Drawing jointly on actor-network theory and neo-institutional theories, we analyze the process of designing, experimenting, disseminating and implementing the instrument in the field of health policy reforms at the global level and then at the national level.At the global level, we study the conceptualization of the instrument, which we place in agenealogy of the neoliberal network's performance of development aid and global healthcarepolicies. We then analyze its experimentation in Rwanda, as part of a market-based regulationfor healthcare systems implemented through: (I) the deployment of activity-based payments to transform healthcare structures into autonomous economic actors (on the supply side), and (II) the creation of private community-based insurance structures designed to develop purchasing strategies (on the demand side). Finally, we study the instrument’s institutional diffusion under the effects of (I) a promotion of the Rwandan experiment decontextualized from the country’sspecific political situation, and (II) an incentive mechanism allowing the enrolment of both WB’sofficials and the ministries that are benefitting from the WB’s aid. At the national level, we have studied the influence strategy of a coalition of actors composedof the WB and USAID to promote the dissemination of these reforms in Senegal. We present the process of adoption of the reforms by the Ministry of Health, the failure of a competing regulatory model that was being tested by Belgian technical cooperation, and then the pressure exerted by the WB to coerce the government into internalizing the promoted model.We then put into perspective the abandonment of the market-based regulatory model that was initially announced, in favor of a new transnational regulation, materialized by activity-basedfinancing contracts that are directly controlled by the WB.

No description available.

In der vorliegenden Publikation wird die Entstehung der leistungsbezogenen Hochschulfinanzierung im englischen Universitätssektor untersucht. Leistungsbezogene Hochschulfinanzierung wird in vielen Ländern als geeigneter Lösungsansatz für das Problem der gerechten Verteilung von staatlichen Finanzmitteln an individuelle Hochschulen diskutiert. Das englische Beispiel zeigt sich als sehr lehrreich für die Diskussion um die Umsetzung und die Konsequenzen eines solchen Lösungsansatzes. Der größte Teil der staatlichen Finanzmittel wurde den Universitäten seit Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts als globale Zuweisung zugeteilt. Die Entscheidung über die Höhe der Summe dieses Geldes wurde ursprünglich von einem nicht-amtlichen Organ, dessen Mitglieder mehrheitlich Akademiker waren, bestimmt. Veränderungen der Mitgliedschaft und Verfahren dieses Organs und dessen Nachfolger-Organe haben wesentliche indirekte Implikationen und direkte Folgen für die Universitäten in England hervorgebracht. Die Verfahren zur Bewertung der Qualität der Leistung einer Universität sowie zur Verteilung von Finanzmitteln entsprechend dieser Leistung stellen das Instrumentarium für einen neuen steuernden Einfluss des Staates dar. Da die Höhe der staatlichen Finanzmittel für die Universitäten indessen seit Anfang der 80er Jahre stark abgenommen hat, müssen die Universitäten sich gleichzeitig erfolgreich auf dem Markt behaupten können. Die Universitäten müssen also innerhalb eines gestalterischen Raumes agieren, der zwischen Markt und Staat -- als die wesentlichen Einflussgrößen -- aufgespannt ist. Das Grundverhältnis zwischen dem Staat und den Universitäten zeigt sich entsprechend als höchst komplex. Dabei müssen die Universitäten eine Managementkompetenz entwickeln, die eine Maximierung an Finanzierung verspricht, während sie gleichzeitig die Grundaufgaben der Lehre und Forschung vor allzu negativen Konsequenzen dieser Wirtschaftsorientierung bewahren soll. Die Publikation belegt anhand einer Fallstudie, dass nicht alle Universitäten hierzu in der Lage sind und, dass die Implikationen und Folgen des sogenannten "Finanzierungsregimes" für deren Aufgabenerfüllung nachteilig sein können. Es wird deutlich, dass die konkreten Verfahren der Hochschulfinanzierung und, hier insbesondere, leistungsbezogene Ansätze nicht allein als technische Lösungen betrachtet werden können, sondern sie sollen nur im Zusammenhang mit einer Vorstellung von der idealen Universität gesehen werden, denn diese Verfahren beeinflussen die Gestaltungsmöglichkeiten einer Universität in direkter und indirekter Weise. / This publication investigates the emergence of performance-based funding in the English university sector. Performance-based funding of higher education institutions is discussed in many countries as an appropriate solution to the problem of distributing public funding to individual universities in a fair manner. The English example proves to be very instructive to the discussion with regards to the implementation, and then the implications, of such a proposal. From the beginning of the 20th century, the majority of public funding was distributed as a lump sum to individual universities in England. Decisions on the amount of funding were originally determined by a non-governmental body, whose members were mainly academics. Changes to this membership and to the procedures of this body have had a number of indirect implications for and direct effects on universities in England. Procedures for assessing the qualitative performance of universities, together with procedures which distribute funding according to this assessment provide the instruments of a new steering-influence utilised by the State, a new form of Public Management. As the amount of public state funding for universities has been reduced drastically since the beginning of the 1980's, universities have had to strive concurrently for funds on the open market. Universities are thus being forced to act within an area defined by the market and the State - the two strongest influences on the university sector. The fundamental relationship between the State and its universities has accordingly become highly complex. Universities, for their part, must develop management competencies, which promise a maximisation of funding, whilst at the same time aiming to protect a university's vital tasks of teaching and research from the more negative consequences of business-orientation. In a concluding case study, some evidence is provided which shows that not all universities are in a position to do this and that the implications and effects of the so-called "funding regime" are disadvantageous, in such cases, for their fulfilment of this entrepreneurial challenge. It becomes clear that the concrete procedures for funding higher education institutions and, in particular, performance-based models cannot been seen solely as technical solutions, but must instead be seen in combination with an idea of the ideal university, since these procedures influence the strategic options of a university both directly and indirectly.

This report is a discussion of the multifarious applications of the modern day geographic information system and how the universal merit of the technology across disciplines has led to the emergence of GeoDesign. The purpose of this Master’s Professional Report was to retrace the core conceptual framework and landmark events occurring in the evolution GIS technology, and how these factors have led to recent creation of new performance based rating systems and evidence-based design techniques. The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES), a new performance based rating system that has emerged in response to the call for increased knowledge and best practices lacking in LEED, is discussed; along with integrated project management. This professional report was intended to be an exploratory discussion of the larger theoretical implications fueling the shift towards mandating greater standards for sustainable design. It offers some ideas for how we should continue evolving GeoDesign moving into the next century; and outlines the importance of all new rating systems needing to acknowledge the growing importance of GeoDesign and ever advancing imagery technologies in understanding complex system processes in the future. / text

Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) procedures are advanced and then applied to a quantitative risk assessment for bridge structures. This is achieved by combining IDA with site-dependent hazard-recurrence relations and damage outcomes. The IDA procedure is also developed as a way to select a critical earthquake motion record for a one-off destructive experiment. Three prototype bridge substructures are designed according to the loading and detailing requirements of New Zealand, Japan and Caltrans codes. From these designs 30 percent reduced scale specimens are constructed as part of an experimental investigation. The Pseudodynamic test is then to control on three specimens using the identified critical earthquake records. The results are presented in a probabilistic riskbased format. The differences in the seismic performance of the three different countries' design codes are examined. Each of these current seismic design codes strive for ductile behaviour of bridge substructures. Seismic response is expected to be resulting damage on structures, which may threaten post-earthquake serviceability. To overcome this major performance shortcoming, the seismic behaviour under bi-directional lateral loading is investigated for a bridge pier designed and constructed in accordance with Damage Avoidance principles. Due to the presence of steel armoured rocking interface at the base, it is demonstrated that damage can be avoided, but due to the lack of hysteresis it is necessary to add some supplemental damping. Experimental results of the armoured rocking pier under bi-directional loading are compared with a companion ductile design specimen.

Syftet med denna komparativa, enkätbaserade studie var att synliggöra eventuella skillnader i uppfattningen om processen för bedömning av lärares prestationer hos skolledare i några skolor i Sverige och på några internationella skolor. I litteratur-genomgången gick jag igenom ett antal faktorer alt. delmoment som skulle kunna stödja en systematisk utvärderingsprocess och jag placerade in lärarutvärdering som ett led i skolutvecklingsarbete, ett led i den enskilde lärarens professionsutveckling och ett verktyg som stöd för att individuell lönesättning (på de skolor där lön/anställnings-kontrakt kopplas till prestation). Sex olika förutsättningar för utvärdering av lärare presenterades, vilka kopplades till ett systematiskt arbete med lärarutvärdering på skolor. Utifrån dessa ställde jag upp två utgångspunkter, vilka jag avsåg att utvärdera genom denna enkätundersökning: att skolenheter som har en tydlig vision/mission/värdegrund har en mer strukturerad process för bedömning av lärares individuella prestationer och att skolledarna på de internationella skolorna som deltar i undersökningen genomför en mer systematisk utvärdering av lärarnas arbete. Enkäten skickades ut till 94 skolledare genom ett bekvämlighetsurval, med en svarsfrekvens på 38 (40 %). Resultaten visar att den första utgångspunkten inte kunde styrkas genom resultaten men däremot visar det sig att de deltagande skolledarna på de internationella skolorna arbetar något mer systematiskt med lärarutvärdering. Några av de områden där de skiljer sig från de svenska skolledarna i sina svar och som är potentiella utvecklingsområden i det pedagogiska skolledarskapet är utbildning i ämnet, processinriktad utvärdering och tid ägnad åt detta, frekvensen i användandet av observationer/lektionsbesök i utvärderingsprocessen, en tydlig struktur för utvärderingsarbetet och systematik för dokumentation om lärarnas arbete. Utifrån resultaten ser jag en risk att skolledare saknar ett systematiskt och strategiskt förhållningssätt och kunskap om lärarutvärderingar både vad gäller varför, vad, hur och när de ska göras. Kanske gör de bedömningar av lärares individuella prestationer mest på en höft, går på känslan, saknar underlag, utgår från personliga relationer och fattar ad hoc beslut. Vad detta innebär för skolutvecklingsprocessen måste utredas vidare. / The purpose of this comparative, online survey was to bring forth any differences in the perception of the process around teacher performance evaluation among school leaders of a few public schools in Sweden and of a few international schools. In the literature review a number of factors and modules were presented that could support a good systematic evaluation process and I positioned teacher assessment within the frame of school development, within the frame of individual teacher professional development and as a tool to support individual salary systems (at schools were salary and/or contracts are connected to performance). Six main presumptions were put forward concerning teacher assessment, which were connected to a systematic approach to teacher evaluations.  Based on these, two main assumptions were made and aimed to be evaluated through the survey; that schools with a clear vision/mission/value statement have a more structured process for individual teacher assessment and that the participating international school leaders have a more systematic evaluation process for teacher assessment. The survey was sent out to 94 school leaders chosen through a convenience sample, with a response rate of 38 (40 %). The results from this study do not support the first assumption but do show that the school leaders at the represented international schools have a somewhat more systematic work process for teacher assessment. Some of the areas were differences are present and that can be considered potential development areas within the pedagogic leadership are: education about teacher assessment, a process orientated assessment system and time spent on this process, the frequency in usage of lesson observations during the assessment process, a clear structure for the assessment process and the use of a systematic method to document collected data. Based on the results I see a risk that school leaders lack a systematic and strategic approach and knowledge about teacher assessment both considering the why, the what, the how and the when it should be conducted. Maybe they judge teachers’ individual achievements based on coincidence, feeling, limited information, and personal relationship and/or make ad hoc decisions. How this effects school development needs to be researched further.

This study mainly addresses the problem of estimating the prior earthquake damage on the response of reinforced concrete structures to future earthquakes. The motivation has arisen from the heavy damages or collapses that occurred in many reinforced concrete structures following two major earthquakes that recently occurred in the Marmara Region, Turkey. The analysis tool employed for this purpose is the package named IDARC2D. Deterioration parameters of IDARC&#039 / s hysteretic model have been calibrated using a search method. In the calibration process experimental data of a total of twenty-two beam and column specimens, tested under constant and variable amplitude displacement histories, has been used. Fine-tuning of deterioration parameters is essential for more realistic predictions about inelastic behavior and structural damage. In order to provide more realistic damage prediction, three ranges of parameters are proposed. Some damage controlling structural parameters have been assessed via a large number of two-dimensional section analyses, inelastic time history and damage analyses of SDOF systems and seismic vulnerability analyses of reinforced concrete buildings. Inelastic time history and damage analyses of numerous SDOF systems have been carried out to determine whether the loading history has an effect on damage and dissipated hysteretic energy. Then this emphasis is directed to the analyses of MDOF systems. In the analyses of the SDOF systems, various forms of constant and variable amplitude inelastic displacement reversals and synthetic ground motions composed of one of the four earthquake records preceded or followed by its modified records acted as a prior or successive earthquake, have been used. The analyses of two five-story R/C buildings have been caried out using synthetic accelerograms comprised of base input provided by the two recorded ground motions. It is shown that both damage progression and cumulative hysteretic energy dissipated along a path seem to depend on the number and amplitude of cycles constituting the path. However, final damage and accumulated hysteretic energy dissipated along a loading path are independent of the ordering of the same number and amplitude cycles along the path. There is a nonlinear relationship between the earthquake excitation intensity and final damage attained in the end. Increase in the acceleration amplitude leads to exponential increase in damage. As the prior earthquake intensity increases the damage from the succeding main earthquake decreases. A definite ground motion acting as prior and successive earthquake causes substantially different amount of damage. Prior earthquake damage does not substantially affect the maximum drift response in future larger earthquakes. A MDOF frame type structure with aprior damage suffers less overall damage in an earthquake in comparison with the one without a prior damage.