Over the years we have reported prosecutions where the defence has alleged, and with circumstantial support that the presence of a harmful foreign body in food was deliberate…
Abstract
Over the years we have reported prosecutions where the defence has alleged, and with circumstantial support that the presence of a harmful foreign body in food was deliberate through the action of a single disgruntled employee or where the labour relations climate generally has been bad. It makes no difference to the manufacturer's responsibility—the offence is an absolute one—but occasionally courts have allowed it in mitigation. Sometimes, it has been the nature of the extraneous material, e.g. fragments of glass or metal, the like of which did not exist in the factory premises or plant. This may be taken as a symptom of the vandalism of the age, but more recently, two incidents have drawn attention to its dangers and provided a glimpse of the criminal mind which can inflict such injury on employers, and expose innocent consumers, of all ages, to possible harm.
This paper documents a case study implementing Lesson Study (LS) study into a two-year teacher training project in an education university training secondary school teachers in…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper documents a case study implementing Lesson Study (LS) study into a two-year teacher training project in an education university training secondary school teachers in Lower Myanmar. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate interest and discussion about whether Lesson Study is a useful tool in continuing professional development (CPD), particularly within the unique context of developing country educational development.
Design/methodology/approach
Two LS cycles were evaluated by participants using a quantitative-qualitative questionnaire and the case study analysed by the author.
Findings
LS was a useful tool to encourage structured collaboration between university-level teacher educators, however, continued supported practice is needed to expand the benefits and ensure sustainability.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of the case study is that the respondents were small in number compared to the number of participants. Furthermore, the questionnaire was not in respondents’ native language which will have affected how well they could communicate. Finally, it was difficult to separate the impact of other project activities from the perceived effects of LS.
Practical implications
This paper has practical implications not only for educators within Myanmar as the country continues its journey of education reform, but also for others implementing LS as a form of CPD, particularly in contexts where it is being introduced for the first time.
Originality/value
Until recently, little was known about Myanmar’s education system internationally. The paper documents the country’s first collaboration with outsiders since the start of the dictatorship to improve educational standards and the effects of introducing LS into this context.
Details
Keywords
In the last decade, apparel companies mainly focused on achieving the best FOB (freight on board) price, the best quality, and the shortest lead time for their products in order…
Abstract
In the last decade, apparel companies mainly focused on achieving the best FOB (freight on board) price, the best quality, and the shortest lead time for their products in order to achieve commercial success. As a result they sourced globally to optimise their costs. However, there arose a growing awareness of different sourcing criteria in the textiles and apparel industry. For instance, human rights issues and environmental requirements emerged as crucial factors in the selection of business partners. Addressing consumer concerns has recently become a very important strategy for apparel companies. They are therefore more concerned about products sourced from the Third World whose manufacture violates human rights and causes environmental damage. As a result, ethical and green consumerism will become the trend in the future. An increasing number of people prefer to buy products and services from companies that are socially responsible, and they are willing to pay a premium for them. Concurrent with the changes in individual purchasing behaviour under the influence of ethical and green consumerism will be the increasing collective consumer pressure on producers of goods and services to produce ecologically friendly products using ecologically friendly materials and processes which do not violate human rights or use child labour. The increased awareness of these issues has forced apparel companies, especially those with brands, to develop specific guidelines or a code of conduct to ensure that their business partners comply with these newly established requirements. In the research under discussion, an industry survey was carried out to identify the essential criteria for selecting and evaluating business partners. Subsequently, evaluation models were derived for the selection of business partners. Feedback from the industry highlighted the fact that there is a need for a standardised, recognised evaluation method to be developed. If such a method were widely adopted, ethical standards would be raised and ultimately the quality of life of the communities in which garments are manufactured, sold and worn would be improved.
Details
Keywords
At “The Academy” the author has undertaken five lesson study (LS) cycles to date and the outcomes of these are discussed with consideration to the local context, the culture and…
Abstract
Purpose
At “The Academy” the author has undertaken five lesson study (LS) cycles to date and the outcomes of these are discussed with consideration to the local context, the culture and the wider context which have surrounded the six-year period of implementation. The emphasis here is not to present pedagogical outcomes of the LS but to present the leadership challenges they have presented and how these have been overcome. The paper aims to discuss these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is presented as a case study and uses the author’s personal reflections on the approaches used thus far to implement LS within the specific context. The author also uses a review of data concerning continuous professional development (CPD) within “The Academy” along with interviews with some of the teachers who have been involved.
Findings
LS is an emerging form of CPD in the UK and even when implemented does not yield a wealth of quantitative data which can be used to prove the impact it can have; consequently implementing LS can be perceived as a risk within the profession. The author explores whether the “impact” which is emerging is everything the author expected it to be, or indeed everything it needs to be. The author discovers the culture we are working in, with increasing pressures on time and increased dependence on quantitative data, requires leaders to manage the associated perceived risks in order to successfully implement LS.
Originality/value
This paper is intended to provide useful insights for senior leaders and leaders of LS who are in the process of implementing LS within their own contexts.
Details
Keywords
Susanne Jansen, Marie-Christine P.J. Knippels and Wouter R. van Joolingen
The purpose of this paper is to explore the merits of lesson study (LS) as a research approach for research in (science) education. A lesson was developed to introduce students to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the merits of lesson study (LS) as a research approach for research in (science) education. A lesson was developed to introduce students to model-based reasoning: a higher order thinking skill that is seen as one of the major reasoning strategies in science.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants of the LS team were three secondary school teachers and two educational researchers. Additionally, one participant fulfilled both roles. Both qualitative and quantitative data were used to investigate the effect of the developed lesson on students and to formulate focal points for using the LS as a research approach.
Findings
The developed lesson successfully familiarized students with model-based reasoning. Three main focal points were formulated for using LS as a research approach: (1) make sure that the teachers support the research question that the researchers bring into the LS cycle, (2) take into account that the lesson is supposed to answer a research question that might cause extra stress for the teachers in an LS team and (3) state the role of both researchers and teachers in an LS team clearly at the beginning of the LS cycle.
Originality/value
This study aims to investigate whether LS can be used as a research approach by the educational research community.
Details
Keywords
Presents an exploratory study of how a Japanese organization in HongKong attempts to enhance employees′ learning capacity through spiritualeducation. Illustrates the sort of…
Abstract
Presents an exploratory study of how a Japanese organization in Hong Kong attempts to enhance employees′ learning capacity through spiritual education. Illustrates the sort of spiritual education being conducted in the training programme and the extent to which the Japanese organization has achieved its target in enhancing employees′ learning capacity. Sees the implications of spiritual education for other Western and Hong Kong organizations as being that it may be an effective means of decreasing a company′s turnover rate.
Details
Keywords
A fairly consistent finding in research on trust in physicians is that racial and ethnic minorities cite lower levels than whites. This research typically samples only health care…
Abstract
Purpose
A fairly consistent finding in research on trust in physicians is that racial and ethnic minorities cite lower levels than whites. This research typically samples only health care users, which limits our understanding of what underlies distrust. It remains unclear whether the distrust is generalized, which is distrust that is unrelated to using health care regularly or recently.
Methodology/approach
Using data from the Health Information National Trends Survey, multivariable logistic regressions assessed whether racial and ethnic differences in distrust (1) are equivalent among health care users and non-users; (2) regardless of respondents’ health and socio-economic status; and (3) manifest in other health information sources.
Findings
Racial and ethnic minorities are less likely than whites to trust physicians as health information sources. These racial and ethnic differences are equivalent among health care users and non-users, regardless of respondents’ health and socio-economic status. The racial and ethnic patterns do not manifest when predicting trust in other health information sources (Internet, family or friends, government health agencies, charitable organizations).
Research limitations/implications
Data are derived from a cross-sectional survey, which makes it difficult to account comprehensively for self-selection into being a health care user. Despite the limitations, this research suggests that racial and ethnic minorities possess a generalized distrust in physicians, necessitating interventions that move beyond improving health care experiences.
Originality/value
Many researchers have surmised that a generalized distrust in physicians exists among racial and ethnic minorities. This chapter is the first to explicitly examine the existence of such distrust.
Details
Keywords
This paper attempts to study the motives behind a Hong Kong‐Japanese joint venture between two retailers from the perspectives of firm‐specific advantages provided by both…
Abstract
This paper attempts to study the motives behind a Hong Kong‐Japanese joint venture between two retailers from the perspectives of firm‐specific advantages provided by both partners of the international joint ventures (IJVs). The analysis focuses on the local partner’s motives and how the IJVs have provided the opportunity for it to overcome the increasing Japanese competition in the retail sector after the mid‐1980s. Finally, the IJVs are evaluated according to the available secondary data in terms of how much the local partner has achieved from the IJVs.