This study examined the perspectives of central office personnel, principals, and teachers involved in the school transformation process. This study was guided by the two main questions: (a) What strategies (structural and instructional) do high school principals implement to lead a successful turnaround of a school? and (b) Which strategies seem to be perceived as most effective by principals, teachers, and superintendents, when measured by multiple school effectiveness indicators? A qualitative case study design was used in an in-depth comparative inquiry of two high schools, which met the criteria of turnaround schools. Data collected were inclusive of interviews, documentations, and historical artifacts to provide insights into the school planning and decision-making process. In addition, the role of the principal and its impact in the selection and implementation of specific strategies were investigated and analyzed against a research-based conceptual framework developed by the researcher, exploring the following components: (a) Principal’s Leadership Role, (b) Structural Integration Practices, and (c) Instructional Integration Practices. A three-fold investigation was conducted to gain a deeper understanding of schools undergoing restructuring. This three-fold investigation was designed to: (a) Review and summarize extant research related to high school restructuring models that relate to school turnaround, (b) Collect research findings that identify effective instructional and administrative leadership practices adopted by principals to accomplish a successful school turnaround, and (c) Conduct a comparative study of two Texas urban high schools that experienced school turnaround. This research study revealed that a principal’s leadership role in effectively implementing strategies has a great impact on the school transformation and renewal process of school turnaround. In addition, the perceptions of central office staff and teachers, principals’ structural and instructional practices chosen by schools, demonstrated the utilization of specific strategies school leaders may adopt to ensure a successful turnaround. / text

In this dissertation, we consider two specific types of problems over networks. In the first problem, we explore systematic methods to address some of the challenges in largescale maintenance planning in integrated chemical sites. In the second problem, we investigate different optimization model formulations for the design of flow distribution networks where the flow is potential-driven and nonlinearly related to the potential loss. Maintenance turnaround in the processing industry is a complex asset renewal project that includes huge capital expenditures and downtime losses. The option of deferring or rescheduling a turnaround project typically provides immediate financial relief from capital expenditure. However, the risk of running into site-wide disruptions in the form of unplanned events, yield, and reliability losses is not straightforward to assess. We propose mathematical optimization models to evaluate the risk of loss from turnaround deferrals in integrated sites and provide alternatives to reliably operate the site in a medium-term horizon. In the first chapter, we introduce the turnaround planning problem and the challenges it poses in integrated sites. We also introduce the background for the network design problem. In the second chapter, we study the financial impact of rescheduling turnarounds and the associated risk under unplanned outages. We compare the risk profiles presented by different production planning strategies. We propose a stochastic programming model for production planning that optimally builds up inventory ahead of time to hedge against production losses during unplanned outages. In the third chapter, we extend the stochastic optimization to handle a large set of scenarios and propose a Lagrangean decomposition method that improves a myopic production plan. The fourth chapter proposes a mixed-integer linear programming model that prescribes turnaround schedules when the underlying assets undergo yield loses and selectivity degradation. Here, we also study the impact of deferrals over a long-term horizon. The penultimate chapter addresses the nonlinear network design problem.The closing chapter summarizes the work and provides a few future directions. In the spirit of advancing manufacturing paradigms, the thesis supports investment in modeling efforts that address enterprise-wide planning problems.

Elementary students continue to fall below proficiency levels in reading as measured by reading achievement tests (NAEP, 2019; Virginia Department of Education, 2021). In 2019, The Nation's Report Card disclosed that 37% of fourth-graders performed at or above the proficiency level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading assessment (NAEP, 2019). Data from these assessments show gaps exist between specific subgroups of students. These statistics present a national crisis in the reading skills of elementary students sitting in America's schools. The Wallace Foundation (2021) research indicates that principals influence student achievement data as measured by standardized tests, and the impact of an effective principal is almost as great as having an effective teacher. The purpose of this study was to identify the leadership practices of elementary turnaround principals whose schools' reading achievement scores increased under their leadership. A basic qualitative research design was used and the study was conducted in one suburban school division in central Virginia. Two principals and four teachers were interviewed using semi-structured interviews to identify the leadership practices the principals employed as the literacy leader in the school. Interviews were coded and analyzed to identify trends and themes shared by participants. This study's findings include four themes emerging from the principals' interviews and three themes emerging from the teachers' interviews. One major finding from 100% of participants included the use of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) to help build the professional knowledge of the teachers in understanding how to teach reading. An implication of this finding states that school leaders could develop the master schedule with established times for PLC meetings to occur during the school day. An additional finding from 100% of the participants included the principal's knowledge of the reading process as it allowed the principals to have constructive conversations with teachers around their reading instruction. An implication of this finding includes school leaders considering building their knowledge of the reading process by attending conferences or reading professional books. The data from this research study will contribute to the research of prioritizing principals' leadership actions for turnaround elementary schools. / Doctor of Education / Elementary students continue to read below proficiency levels. Student achievement data from standardized reading tests show the students sitting in America's schools are not meeting basic reading proficiency levels (NAEP, 2019; Virginia Department of Education, 2021); however, principals play a key role in their students' reading achievement levels in their schools. Research by The Wallace Foundation (2021) found "the effectiveness of the principal of the school is more important than the effectiveness of a single teacher" (p. xiv). Principals can have a positive impact on students' achievement in school. This research study investigated the leadership practices used by elementary principals to turn around their schools' reading achievement data. The study was designed to investigate the perceptions of principals and teachers on the leadership practices impacting the improvement of reading achievement scores in the school. A qualitative research design with semi-structured interviews was used to gather the perceptions of the principals and teachers in one suburban school division in Virginia. These data were collected and analyzed resulting in 10 findings and 10 implications. One finding in the Instructional Practices theme indicated that implementing professional learning communities helped build principals' and teachers' professional knowledge in teaching reading. An implication of this finding could be for school divisions to provide professional learning to teachers and administrators regarding how to implement professional learning communities. The findings from the research provide principals and school division leaders with a myriad of implications that could be used to change the trajectory of reading achievement scores in schools. One limitation of the study was the sample size of participants. A suggestion for future research would be to increase the sample size of the participants in the study.

When George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation in 2002, each state sought to individually address the challenges of higher standards and more stringent accountability measures. While NCLB and state accountability programs are clear about the student performance results that schools are expected to achieve, they often do not provide schools with much guidance in terms of how to accomplish these objectives. Schools that fail to meet NCLB accountability standards in Virginia are at risk of a plethora of interventions. One of these sanctions is the installment of a turnaround principal to a low-performing school. The context of turnaround schools is a relatively new area of research and, as such, contains little by way of additive data on the subject. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to determine through principal interviews, teacher focus group interviews, observations and document review, whether the major instructional leadership practices identified in the research as impacting student achievement (setting direction, communication, curriculum and instruction, collaboration and shared leadership, family and community connections, and organizational structure) were evident in the practices of the turnaround principal. Findings of the study revealed that all of the major instructional practices identified in the research as impacting student achievement were evident in the practices of the turnaround principal. Two additional leadership practices were identified as a result of this study's findings. / Ph. D.

Nós investigamos o raio de turnaround, a distância do centro da estrutura cósmica até a casca que está se descolando do fluxo de Hubble em um dado tempo, no contexto do modelo de colapso esférico, tanto em Relatividade Geral e em Gravidade Modificada, em particular no cenário f(R) chamado de modelo de Hu-Sawicki. O próximo passo foi investigar a relação entre este raio e a massa de virial de estruturas cósmicas no contexto do modelo LCDM e no modelo f(R) de gravidade modificada. / We investigate the turnaround radius, the distance from the center of the cosmic structure to the shell that is detaching from the Hubble flow at a given time, in the context of the spherical collapse model, both in General Relativity and in modified gravity, in particular f(R) scenarios -- namely the Hu-Sawicki model. The next step was to investigate the relationship between that radius and the virial mass of cosmic structures in the context of LCDM model and in an f(R) model of modified gravity.

Nós investigamos o raio de turnaround, a distância do centro da estrutura cósmica até a casca que está se descolando do fluxo de Hubble em um dado tempo, no contexto do modelo de colapso esférico, tanto em Relatividade Geral e em Gravidade Modificada, em particular no cenário f(R) chamado de modelo de Hu-Sawicki. O próximo passo foi investigar a relação entre este raio e a massa de virial de estruturas cósmicas no contexto do modelo LCDM e no modelo f(R) de gravidade modificada. / We investigate the turnaround radius, the distance from the center of the cosmic structure to the shell that is detaching from the Hubble flow at a given time, in the context of the spherical collapse model, both in General Relativity and in modified gravity, in particular f(R) scenarios -- namely the Hu-Sawicki model. The next step was to investigate the relationship between that radius and the virial mass of cosmic structures in the context of LCDM model and in an f(R) model of modified gravity.

For VC-backed startups, their investors – who are also their main stakeholders – play a critical role. Only a limited number of notable contributions regarding in-depth examinations of stakeholders in the turnaround process exist. Several research studies highlight the research gap with regard to stakeholder management in turnaround situations. Due to the small and insufficient body of literature regarding the role of VCCs in turnarounds, I conducted an exploratory, qualitative empirical study based on four comprehensive turnaround cases, interviewing 14 co-founders and investors. Through a grounded theory approach, I developed a turnaround model, which takes into account the VCCs’ involvement. This dissertation shows that the general value-adding services of VCCs are during a turnaround only partially apparent. Moreover, the importance of the agency theory was again confirmed. It became clear how important continuous monitoring is for investors in order to identify problems in a portfolio company. Additionally, the findings show how important a good relationship between all parties involved is and how trust and transparency are essential during a turnaround.

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Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:26:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Carlos Vinniciusaa.pdf: 942384 bytes, checksum: b02c033a7fef53fd8b3ceaee31e18de5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-05 / Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie / The aim of this dissertation has been to understand the resource and capabilities that proved to be strategic in the turnaround process, creating value to the company customer, from the Resource Based-View RBV perspective. The research method adopted to this single case study was the exploratory descriptive with qualitative approach, applying an standardized script of open questions. The content analysis technique has been used for the data treatment. Eight business executives were interviewed from sales, marketing, research and development, pricing and profitability and supply chain area, which were working in the company when the turnaround process happened. The company is one of the most important global supplier companies for the food ingredients market, operating in the business-to-business segment. The results have indicated that the resources, technical expertise and sales team specifically prepared, and the capabilities, mindset change and synergy between the internal areas, were considered strategic due to the fact that they supported the turnaround strategies, enabling the company to recover its profitability. It has been found that the debility of these resources might lead the food ingredient market suppliers, which operate in the business-to-business segment, to operate like in the commodity segment and to face substantial difficulties to survive in the market. In addition to have these resources, the company must have the capability to keep them in synergy and focused on customer needs, thereby it might acquire competitive advantage. / O objetivo desta dissertação foi entender os recursos e capacidades que se mostraram estratégicos no processo de turnaround visando à criação de valor para os clientes da empresa, sob a perspectiva da Visão Baseada em Recursos VBR. Foi adotado o método de pesquisa qualitativo de caráter exploratório descritivo para o estudo de um caso único, tendo sido empregado um roteiro padronizado de perguntas abertas. O tratamento dos dados se deu por técnica de análise de conteúdo. Foram entrevistados oito executivos da área de vendas, marketing, pesquisa e desenvolvimento, precificação e lucratividade e de cadeia de suprimentos que atuavam na empresa na época em que ocorreu o turnaround. A empresa é uma das principais multinacionais que opera globalmente no mercado de ingredientes para indústria de alimentos, atuando no segmento empresa-empresa. Os resultados indicaram que os recursos, conhecimento técnico e equipe comercial especificamente preparada, e as capacidades, mudança de mindset e sinergia entre as áreas, foram consideradas estratégicas por terem suportado as estratégias de turnaround, permitindo que a empresa do estudo recuperasse a lucratividade. Constatou-se que a debilidade desses recursos pode levar empresas de ingredientes para indústria de alimentos, que atuam no segmento empresa-empresa, a um processo de comotidização e consideráveis dificuldades de sobrevivência neste mercado. E que além de possuir esses recursos, a empresa precisa ter a capacidade de mantê-los em sinergia e focados nas necessidades do cliente para que possa obter vantagem competitiva.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-03-15T19:32:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Daniel Gloria.pdf: 1779297 bytes, checksum: 9bd41fd468fe82dde5e3635f4ae28219 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-19 / The aim of this study is to identify the factors in determining credit for companies in judicial or extrajudicial rehabilitation or which are undergoing a period of financial crisis. This research is particularly relevant in the current scenario where the number of companies opting for the rehabilitation process is constantly increasing. Several causes can be attributed to companies showing poor performances and facing subsequent financial crises either as a result of internal factors or external ones. The lack of competent managerial decision-making, adoption of consistent strategies, poor management of the company's cash, among many other factors, cause loss of income and lowering of credit rating, thus leading to credit restrictions by commercial banks. Faced with this financial crisis, some companies end up taking advantage of the benefits provided by Statue 11.101/05 and opting for bankruptcy protection. Given the scarcity of credit, companies turn to factoring and FIDC, through which assignment of receivables helps to meet the need for raising funds and maintaining company operations. In this context, the present research proposes a study of the determining factors in granting credit to businesses in rehabilitation (turnaround), given the assumption of disparity between financial statements and the need for credit to keep the company going during the period of recovery from the crisis. The theoretical framework bases the survey on the causes of the financial crisis, followed by factoring, FIDC, securitization, Statute 11.101/05, the American Bankruptcy Code, credit and the role of trust. Qualitative, exploratory research was conducted at companies in the city and state of São Paulo. The results indicate two main trends in the credit-granting process; (i) the adoption of an agent who builds confidence and lowers the perceived risk for the funding entity; and (ii) the search for a partner to finance the company during the formal or informal rehabilitation process. / O objetivo deste estudo é identificar os determinantes de crédito para empresas em recuperação judicial, extrajudicial ou em crise financeira. Esta pesquisa está amplamente inserida no cenário atual em que os índices de empresas que optam pelo processo de recuperação se apresentam em constante elevação. Diversas causas podem levar as empresas ao desempenho desfavorável e, consequente, crise financeira, seja por fatores internos ou externos. A ausência de tomada de decisão gerencial, da adoção de estratégias consistentes, a má gestão do caixa da empresa, dentre tantas outras, ocasionam a perda de resultado e a deterioração do rating de crédito e, consequentemente, à restrição ao crédito por bancos comerciais. Diante da crise financeira, algumas empresas acabam recorrendo ao benefício da lei 11.101/05, optando pelo processo de recuperação judicial. Face à escassez do crédito, as empresas recorrem à factoring e Fundos de Investimentos em Direitos Creditórios (FIDC) para que, por meio da cessão de direitos creditórios possam suprir a necessidade de captação de recursos e manter o funcionamento da operação. Nesse contexto, a presente pesquisa propõe um estudo sobre os fatores determinantes na concessão do crédito para as empresas em recuperação (turnaround), dado o pressuposto da assimetria nas demonstrações financeiras e a necessidade de crédito para fomentar a empresa durante o período de recuperação da crise. O referencial teórico traz o levantamento a partir das causas da crise financeira, seguido do factoring, Fundos de Investimentos em Direitos Creditórios (FIDC), securitizadora, da lei 11.101/05, da lei americana Bankruptcy Code, do crédito, da confiança, do estudo de um caso real, chegando às conclusões. Realizou-se pesquisa qualitativa, do tipo exploratória, com 9 empresas da cidade de São Paulo e interior em que a soma do patrimônio líquido representa 33% do mercado. A aplicação do caso real de uma empresa em recuperação judicial com a adoção de um FIDC para fomentar o caixa a partir da contratação da empresa de consultoria permite compreender todo o processo. Os resultados obtidos através da análise de conteúdo indicam 2 vertentes no processo de concessão de crédito, sendo (i) a adoção de um agente que eleve a confiança e diminua a percepção do risco para o fomentador e (ii) a busca por parceiro para financiar a empresa durante o processo de recuperação judicial ou recuperação informal (acordo fora do tribunal). Constatou-se os seguintes determinantes de crédito: a competência da empresa em produzir resultados, o caráter da empresa, a qualidade das informações financeiras e a adoção de consultor, ainda que exerça o papel de agente, e mitigador de risco percebido.