Perceptions of instructors and administrators of English language on their professional development needs

The present study aims at investigating the professional development needs of instructors and administrators of English language in public universities in North Iraq. The study also attempts to evaluate the professional development of universities’ instructors in improving their personal and professional career while teaching English as a foreign language. Professional development provides teachers with more knowledge, skills, and experiences either personally or professionally throughout the process of teaching. In this study, qualitative research methods were used. There were forty participants involved in this study including English language and literature instructors, heads of departments, assistant heads of departments, and coordinators employed in the 9 public universities of North Iraq. The results showed that there are still no actual tendencies of professional development as a program to be implemented as a continual process of teaching and learning, and there is a lack of professional development opportunities in public universities in North Iraq. The participants also provided significant suggestions on their professional development needs.

     

Analysis of cost and coverage of government financed primary health care services in Tanzania.

A method for cost analysis is presented and applied to Primary Health Care Services in Tanzania. Primary care utilization figures are combined with budget and cost data to arrive at estimates of per capita and per visit cost. Data for analysis of geographical coverage, health care needs, and utilization are most readily available for the MCH sector of Primary Health Care Services, the most important health care sector in LDCs, which is used in this paper as a proxy for estimating health care needs and utilization. The importance of separating appropriately identified investment costs from recurrent costs is illustrated. Speedy implementation of health care for all requires assistance for investment costs, the recurrent costs of appropriately designed Primary Health Care Services being within the reach of developing nations themselves.     

Does Lecture Capturing Impact Student Performance and Attendance in an Introductory Accounting Course?

ABSTRACT

The study empirically examines the interplay between lecture capturing viewership, performance and attendance for students in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar. The sample consists of 254 students enrolled in an introductory accounting class either in the Fall semester or in the Spring semester. We show a weak positive relationship between lecture capturing and performance, especially in the presence of other variables such as GPA, attendance, gender and seniority. However, we do not find that lecture capturing reduces attendance. Actual performance results are contrasted with students’ perception of the usefulness and effectiveness of lecture capturing. Survey responses reveal that, overall, students attribute a great deal of credit to this pedagogical resource. They stated that lecture capturing clarifies concepts discussed in class, assists in studying for exams, enhances exam results and increases interest in the course. However, the majority of low-performing students believe lecture capturing to be a substitute for attending traditional lectures.     

Performance-measurement system design and functional strategic decision influence: The role of performance-measure properties

Although conceptual research in the accounting literature suggests that the use of performance-measurement systems affects the influence of organizational actors, empirical evidence for this suggestion is largely limited to anecdotal evidence and a few qualitative case studies. Drawing on institutional theory, we develop predictions that link the use of performance measures to the influence of functional subunits in strategic decision making. Our research model tests the effects of two types of performance-measure use on functional strategic decision influence: (1) decision-facilitating use and (2) use for accountability. Moreover, we propose that the effects of using performance measures for these two purposes depend on the reliability and functional specificity of the measures the functional subunits use. We empirically test our hypotheses and a research question with survey data from 192 marketing directors of German firms. We find that the effect of performance-measure use on functional strategic decision influence depends on the two properties of the performance measures. We find no significant effects when these properties are not considered. However, decision-facilitating use of performance measures has a positive effect on functional strategic decision influence when the measures are specific to the functional subunit. With respect to the use of performance measures for accountability we find countervailing effects, as the effect on functional strategic decision influence is positive when the measures are more reliable but negative when they are more specific to the functional subunit. We discuss these findings in light of existing evidence and theory.