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Broader Objective (broader + objective)
Selected AbstractsAdvanced Undergraduate French Composition: Problems and SolutionsFOREIGN LANGUAGE ANNALS, Issue 1 2000Daniel J. Calvez ABSTRACT, This article presents the results of a study undertaken to determine the number and nature of the problems encountered by advanced undergraduate students in a French composition course. It was hoped that, after identifying the problems, explanations could be found for the frequency and repetition of students' errors. The primary objective was to use the study findings to modify the approach or content of the course. A secondary and broader objective was to further the development of the methodology used at the beginning and intermediate levels of the study of French. This report explains why the study was undertaken, how it was conducted, what the quantitative results were, and what conclusions were reached. [source] From government to governance: External influences on business risk managementREGULATION & GOVERNANCE, Issue 1 2007Bridget M. Hutter Abstract The influence of external organizations and pressures on business risk management practices has hitherto been examined through the influence of state regulatory regimes on businesses. This article concentrates on key socio-legal concerns about the influence of the law in social and economic life. We know that the sources of regulation and risk management are diversifying beyond the state. What we do not have is much empirically informed research about the range of sources influencing the business world and in particular the weighting of influence exercised by them. In this paper we explore the understandings regulatory actors have of the different external pressures on business risk management through an empirical study of the understandings of those in the food retail sector about the management of food safety and food hygiene risks. A broader objective is to throw some further light onto the debate about regulation within and beyond the state. [source] The decline of incentive pay in British manufacturingINDUSTRIAL RELATIONS JOURNAL, Issue 4 2010James Arrowsmith ABSTRACT Motivation theories and the strategic pay literature envisage that the management of employees can be well-served by financial incentives and other forms of pay flexibility. Traditionally, UK manufacturing has made extensive use of variable payments systems (VPS), notably piece-work and bonuses, but these have declined at the same time as managerial control over pay-setting has increased. Evidence from six case studies suggests that a focus on pay is only part of the picture. Increased competition and change makes the design of VPS more complex, and new forms of work organisation become the focus of performance. In this context, firms have (i) abandoned individual incentive pay and (ii) aggregated VPS in support of broader objectives. [source] The implications of US experiences with early childhood interventions for the UK Sure Start ProgrammeCHILD: CARE, HEALTH AND DEVELOPMENT, Issue 6 2007R. Gray Abstract Background, The UK Government introduced a large-scale early childhood intervention programme, Sure Start, in 1999. Sure Start is to be further expanded, to achieve national coverage. US experience is highly relevant for anticipating challenges that this expansion will raise. Methods, This is a focused, narrative review. We examine the impact, funding, quality-improvement and programme objectives of Head Start and Early Head Start programmes. Results, (1) Early childhood interventions can make a significant difference to children's life chances; (2) expansion without adequate funding threatens quality; (3) narrower objectives, which are easier to measure, can crowd out broader objectives, which are difficult to measure; (4) programmes must balance fidelity to the model and flexibility to local conditions; (5) multiple objectives may conflict; and (6) programmes may have differential impacts. We consider the implications of these findings for Sure Start, focusing on funding, quality control and parental involvement. We also consider that the potential Sure Start should offer for tackling health inequalities in early childhood and suggest ways in which this aspect of the Programme could be enhanced. Conclusion, Head Start has been dogged by concerns about quality and effectiveness. Many of these problems stemmed from an over-hasty expansion, which locked the Programme into inadequate funding and uneven project- and staff-quality. These issues have been addressed through large funding increases and more rigorous performance measures. Nevertheless, concerns about the aims of the Programme and the extent of parental involvement in management remain. Current funding for Sure Start appears to be adequate, while systematic evaluation procedures have been built in from its inception. Concerns have been raised about the implications of expansion for funding, quality and for parental involvement in management of local programmes. US experience shows that these are centrally important issues and that, if they are not addressed early on, they can take many years to rectify. [source] | ||||||||||