Effect of leadership styles on successful implementation of a performance management system

Although a well implemented performance management system (PMS) can have immense benefits, it has been reduced in many organisations to a mechanical, end of the year requirement for information. Consequently, in many organisations, PMSs are viewed with much trepidation and scepticism. It is therefore germane to understand factors that could cause PMS to be embraced and accepted by individuals in organisations. Effective leadership in the organisation could be critical in the successful implementation of performance management. However, empirical investigation of this relationship is lacking. The objectives of this study were: (1) To assess the effect of transactional and transformational leadership on the adoption of a performance management framework and (2) To assess the perceptions of various demographic groups in an organisation on the effects of leadership style on the implementation of a performance management system. The study was undertaken at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), Kenya. An explanatory descriptive design was used. The target population for the study comprised all the 2,040 members of staff at the hospital. A stratified random sampling was used to select the 510 respondents. The study found that leadership style (transactional and transformational leadership) has a strong and positive influence on the implementation of performance management framework (B=0.677, SE = 0.027, p<0.0001; R2 =0.72). Support for the relationship between leadership and PMS was found to be stronger amongst males, less educated and older employees. The study recommends that organisations should adopt more strategic leadership style if they are to successfully deliver the contiguous stages required in PMS.Keywords: Transactional Leadership, Transformational Leadership, performance management syste

The intersection of disability and in-work poverty in an advanced industrial nation: The lived experience of multiple disadvantage in a post-financial crisis UK

The 2007–2008 financial crisis has affected the prospects for workers in a range of ways. In-work poverty represents just one, yet key feature of how prospects for workers have changed in recent times. In-work poverty disproportionately impacts on marginalised groups, such as the disabled. Current research reveals little about how disability and poverty intersect in the context of employment. To address this oversight, life history interviews were conducted with disabled people in in-work poverty. The findings were analysed using the social model of disability and the lens of intersectionality. The results highlight how government policies, employer practices and household finances impact on disabled workers’ lived experience of in-work poverty. The findings suggest that governments and employers can do more to reduce barriers to escaping in-work poverty for disabled workers.</jats:p

Measuring Collagen Arrangement and Its Relationship with Preterm Birth using Mueller Matrix Polarimetry

Preterm birth (PTB) is defined as delivery prior to 37 weeks of gestation. It is the leading cause of infant death worldwide, responsible for infant neurological disorders, long-term cognitive impairment, as well as chronic health issues involving the auditory, visual, digestive, and respiratory systems. In expectant mothers, causes for PTB can include infection, inflammation, vascular disease, short intervals between pregnancies, multiple gestations and genetic factors. In the U.S., PTB occurs in over 11% of births and at an elevated 18.1% in Miami-Dade County, FL; while in the developing world the incidence of PB is over 15%. Early identification of at-risk pregnancies is important for the success of medical intervention. Current diagnosis methodologies of PTB include ultrasound imaging of cervical length and fetal fibronectin assay but have low positive predictive power. Compared to the markers targeted by current diagnosis methodologies, collagen content in the cervix changes more drastically throughout the course of gestation due to its link to changes in load bearing capacity that occur during the phases of pregnancy. Mueller matrix polarimetry is capable of characterizing changes in collagen without making contact with patients and may prove to be an improvement to current diagnosis methodologies. A clear difference is seen in collagen orientation between nonpregnant and pregnant patients. The development of a new imaging modality aimed at assessing early changes in collagen arrangement in the cervix may improve risk determination of PTB and reduce the morbidity of the condition. Earlier prediction of PTB could improve outcomes by allowing longer intervention times to prolong gestation time for the infant in the womb. A more reliable quantitative predictor may also lead to development of more treatment options

An Assessment of How Adequacy of Teaching and Learning Materials Affects the Management of Teaching and Learning in Public Primary Schools in Uasin Gishu County

Since Kenya’s achievement of political independence in 1963, the Government and the people of Kenya have been committed to expanding the education system to enable greater participation of its citizens. The implementation of Free Primary Education (FPE) impacted positively in the enrolment of both boys and girls. But the introduction of FPE in 2003 led to a rise in class size from 30 pupils per teacher per class to more than 100 pupils in some cases. The rise in numbers of learners has also impacted on the provision and use of teaching and learning materials. The purpose of the study, therefore, was to investigate the influence of this pressure on the materials on the management of teaching and learning in public primary schools by head teachers in Uasin Gishu County. The study used a cross-sectional survey research design. The target population was, all the 400 public primary head teachers in Uasin Gishu County. A sample size of 200 was selected using stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaires. Data were analyzed using descriptive (frequencies, percentages) and inferential (Chi-square) statistics with the help of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and presented in tables, and pie charts. The statistical tests were done at 0.05 level of significance. The study established that there was shortage of teaching and learning materials and shortage of text books in public primary schools in Uasin Gishu County. The study further found out that teachers were not giving pupils adequate assignments and assessments, and that there was use of lecture method of teaching. The government, among other education stakeholders in the country, should increase budgetary allocation to teaching/learning materials for more text books to be purchased to a ratio of 1:1. The study findings should be useful to other researchers and policy makers in the Ministry of Education keen on adopting effective and efficient management to enhance successful implementation of educational innovation notably free primary education policy. Keywords: Adequacy, Materials, Management, Teaching, Learning, Public Primary Schools, Uasin Count

A report on the 3-D acoustic working group meeting at Long Beach, MS July 7-8, 1988

At the request of ONR Code 11250A, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (Dr. James F. Lynch) convened a workshop to bring together a group of acoustic and ocean modelers to review and discuss 1. the state of development and the need for three-dimensional numerical acoustic research propagation and scattering models; 2. the interfacing of acoustic models with available oceanographic data and ocean model outputs. The workshop was hosted by the Institute for Naval Oceanography (Dr. Ching-Sang Chiu) at Long Beach, MS on July 7-8, 1988. This report summarizes the research presentations and the recommendations made by the group. The workshop was an initial attempt to promote the interaction between the ocean and acoustic modeling communities. This interaction between the communities is essential to the development of truly interactive basic research acoustic and ocean models. We anticipate more workshops of such nature to be held in the future. The findings and recommendations generated by these workshops are expected to have a strong impact on the direction of future three-dimensional modeling research in both acoustics and oceanography .Funding was provided by the Office of Naval Research under contract Number N00014-88-K-0363

Phased-Array Study of Dual-Flow Jet Noise: Effect of Nozzles and Mixers

A 16-microphone linear phased-array installed parallel to the jet axis and a 32-microphone azimuthal phased-array installed in the nozzle exit plane have been applied to identify the noise source distributions of nozzle exhaust systems with various internal mixers (lobed and axisymmetric) and nozzles (three different lengths). Measurements of velocity were also obtained using cross-stream stereo particle image velocimetry (PIV). Among the three nozzle lengths tested, the medium length nozzle was the quietest for all mixers at high frequency on the highest speed flow condition. Large differences in source strength distributions between nozzles and mixers occurred at or near the nozzle exit for this flow condition. The beamforming analyses from the azimuthal array for the 12-lobed mixer on the highest flow condition showed that the core flow and the lobe area were strong noise sources for the long and short nozzles. The 12 noisy spots associated with the lobe locations of the 12-lobed mixer with the long nozzle were very well detected for the frequencies 5 KHz and higher. Meanwhile, maps of the source strength of the axisymmetric splitter show that the outer shear layer was the most important noise source at most flow conditions. In general, there was a good correlation between the high turbulence regions from the PIV tests and the high noise source regions from the phased-array measurements

Phased-Array Measurements of Single Flow Hot Jets

A 16 microphone phased-array system has been successfully applied to measure jet noise source distributions. In this study, a round convergent nozzle was tested at various hot and cold flow conditions: acoustic Mach numbers are between 0.35 and 1.6 and static temperature ratios are varied from cold to 2.7. The classical beamforming method was applied on narrowband frequencies. From the measured source distributions locations of peak strength were tracked and found to be very consistent between adjacent narrowband frequencies. In low speed heated and unheated jets, the peak source locations vary smoothly from the nozzle exit to downstream as the frequency is decreased. When the static temperature ratio was kept constant, the peak source position moved downstream with increasing acoustic Mach number for the Strouhal numbers smaller than about 1.5. It was also noted that the peak source locations of low frequencies occur farther downstream than the end of potential core