The purpose of this paper is to present what the study of the experiences of beginning teachers and their informal learning says about the process of learning to teach, and to discuss the main emerging themes in relation to a wider literature. The design of the paper is essentially ethnographic and building of grounded theory, based on an accumulation of data derived from interviews with beginning teachers and connecting to extant theory. The findings are that a focus on the informal learning of beginners in teaching leads to the notion of learning as becoming that is predominantly emotional and relational in nature with the emergence of teacher identity. The research is limited in its exploration of the cognitive dimension of professional learning, a dimension which may be elicited using a more tightly focused and structured method. The implications are that learning to teach is not determined by a professional standard and that a revised standard would need to take account of these findings. The value of the paper lies in the pursuit of informal learning as a research area in teaching to reveal a greater complexity of learning in that specific professional context; and showing how the understanding of learning to teach can be enriched through a wider appreciation of the school as workplace, workplace learning and connections to a wider philosophical literature

This paper presents an adapted GRAI grid approach to modelling the decision making processes of vertically related fInns in a business network. A framework for assessing case studies is used to model part of the supply chain in three different industries, and identify areas for improving the connectivity between the individual companies. The key factors affecting the effectiveness were found to be opacity of infonnation concerning demand, and delays due to uncoordinated decision making processes in linked fInns.

The initial teacher education (ITE) process for those who wish to become secondary teachers in Scotland has been remarkably static over the past two decades. By examining a variety of sources and particularly a recent study of some of those who are becoming Geography teachers, it is suggested that custom and pragmatism combine to sustain the one-year consecutive entry route (Professional Graduate Diploma in Education [PGDE]) as the dominant form of ITE for secondary teachers. Three key areas relating to the PGDE(Secondary) route are explored: the dominance of the one-year course; how fit for purpose the course is within the continuum of early professional learning; and the opinions of stakeholders. The source material is also critically interrogated to explore what might be a better preparation of secondary teachers and what roles ought to be played by the Teacher Education Institutions (TEIs) in that preparation.

In tenns of the contribution to the Scottish economy, the electronics industry is by far the most valuable. Its value in 1996 was approximately £10 billion and accounted for more than half of Scotland's exports. Many of the companies are multi-national OEMs, who came to Scotland as inward investing companies. As the world environment in which the industry operates changes, the commitment of OEMs to their Scottish operations may not be secure, with a risk to employment by both OEMs and indigenous suppliers. A recent development is the creation of supplier hubs. To some extent, the advent of these businesses means a substantial change in the supply chain strategy of the OEMs. This paper discusses the impact these operations will have on the industry and on the economy.