Attempts to establish whether the corporate culture of an organisation can be effectively transferred to a country where a strong national culture exists. Investigates the influence and effects of the national culture in the People’s Republic of China on the work environment and the employees of international hotel companies operating there. Uses the ITT Sheraton Corporation’s Great Wall Sheraton Hotel as a specific case study, but draws on other research conducted in similar joint venture hotel properties. Sutton (1995) demonstrates that hospitality operations in China are predominantly occidental, while both the labour force and the prevalent customer base are overwhelmingly oriental. Ahmed and Li (1996) argue that when different national and organisational cultural values come into contact, conflict tends to emerge. Evidence from both their researches suggests that the “marriage” between Chinese and Western organisations tends to precipitate numerous conflicts. Identifies and illustrates several aspects of Chinese culture which affect the assimilation of a “foreign” corporate culture, and concludes that a strong national culture can have major influences on what happens in the workplace.

Mathematics classroom coaching is used across the United States as a means for improving instruction, with the ultimate goal of improving student learning. The job assignments of coaches can vary widely across schools and districts. Regardless of the various forms that coaching epaa aape Education Policy Analysis Archives Vol. 22 No. 53 2 can take, there is the consistent expectation that a coach's day-to-day work will positively influence classroom instruction. The study reported here attempts to gain a more complete picture of the job of an elementary mathematics coach based on the observation of seven coaches in five different districts for a day. We report the variety of ways we observed elementary mathematics coaches interact with teachers, and what roles and responsibilities they take on. Our analysis of these data led us to create a template for conducting observations of mathematics classroom coaching, which could be used by researchers seeking to conduct studies about coaching or by administrators seeking to document the day-to-day work of coaches. Keywords: mathematics coaching; qualitative research Una mirada al interior del entrenamiento en matemáticas: roles, contenidos y dinámicas Resumen: entrenamientos en el área de matemáticas se utilizan extensivamente Estados Unidos con el objetivo final de mejorar el aprendizaje de los estudiantes. Las asignaciones de trabajo de los entrenadores varían ampliamente entre escuelas y distritos. Independientemente de las diversas formas que puede tomar los programas de entrenamiento, existe la expectativa que el trabajo de los entrenadores va a influir positivamente la enseñanza en los salones de clase. Este estudio intenta obtener una imagen más completa del trabajo de los entrenadores de matemáticas utilizando observaciones de siete entrenadores en cinco distritos diferentes. Presentamos la variedad de formas que observamos entrenadores de matemáticas elementales interactuando con docentes, los roles y responsabilidades asumen. Nuestro análisis de estos datos nos llevó a crear una plantilla para la realización de observaciones de entrenamientos de matemáticas, que podría ser utilizada por investigadores o por administradores tratando de documentar el trabajo diario de los entrenadores. Palabras clave: entrenamientos de matemáticas; investigación cualitativa Um olhar dentro da formação em Matemática: funções, conteúdos e dinâmicas Resumo: treinamentos na área da matemática são usados extensivamente nos Estados Unidos com o objetivo final de melhorar a aprendizagem dos alunos. Atribuições de trabalho treinadores variam muito entre as escolas e distritos. Independentemente das várias maneiras que os programas de treinamento podem ter, há uma expectativa de que o trabalho dos treinadores vai afetar positivamente o ensino em sala de aula. Este estudo tenta obter uma imagem mais completa do trabalho dos treinadores de matemática por meio de observações de sete treinadores em cinco distritos diferentes. Apresentamos a variedade de formas que os treinadore...

With the ever-critical travelling public now venturing throughout China, not only does China need hotel staff, it needs staff who are trained to international standards. Looks at job satisfaction indicators for the hotel sector in China as perceived by local employees. Also examines the disparity between what staff expect and what they actually think they get in the way of satisfaction.

We examined the impact of a state-mandated K-12 mathematics professional development course on knowledge, self-efficacy, and beliefs of nearly 4,000 teachers and administrators. Participants completed the Mathematical Thinking for Instruction course, emphasizing student thinking, problem-solving, and content knowledge specific to mathematics instruction. Inventories utilizing items from the Learning Mathematics for Teaching project measured changes in participants’ Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching (MKT) and an end-of-course self-evaluation enabled analysis of changes self-efficacy and beliefs. Statistically significant changes were found in all three variables. This study adds to our understanding of the potential usefulness of mandating large-scale professional development as a policy vehicle for influencing educators’ mathematics knowledge and beliefs.

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