Theoretical and empirical analysis and discussion of the administrative and economic pattern of investment in education with particular reference to Greek primary education

This thesis is concerned with an examination of the administrative system and economic pattern of investment in regard to primary education in Greece.Greek public education, fully supported and controlled by the State, is organised vertically into three levels: primary, secondary and tertiary.In the field of primary education the role of schools is to help pupils obtain essential knowledge which will gradually enable them to develop critical thinking skills. To this end the primary school should be effective. A school can be considered effective when it facilitates accomplishments of objectives such as more and better provision of knowledge for pupils and a minimum of undesirable financial consequences. Efficiency of a school organisation, however, is not an automatic but depends upon various factors (e.g. methods of work, the quality of teaching staff, appropriate financial provision) among them effective administration, in order to provide a comprehensive service.Despite the importance of school administration and the educational reforms which took place in the last twenty years (e.g. Education Acts No 309/1976, No 1566/85), recent research (OECD, 1995) has shown that the Greek education system operates within a highly centralised, highly bureaucratised politico-administrative system. Overall, it makes of education a closed system not easily amenable to changes and innovation.It is in this context and against this background that the research has been undertaken to investigate the administration of the school system in Greece. The aim of this research is:* To examine the administrative and economic pattern of primary education in order to identify what changes are required to facilitate the improvement of school management as well as to effect well-planned and sufficient investment. With regard to economic planning the thesis includes an analysis of the pattern of spending on primary education in 52 prefectures for the school years 1985- 1994. The dominant variables determining expenditure are identified and certain weakness noted;* To redefine the role of MNERA with a view to improving its organisational structure, policy planning and operational capacity; and* To put into a practical context the centralisation of decision making and the giving of greater authority to primary schools in order to enhance their creativity and freedom of action within centrally set norms

Cointegration and Granger causality tests on Spanish and German consumer prices

This paper employs cointegration and Granger causality tests to determine a relationship between the Spanish and the German inflation for the sample period 1976:1-1999:4 employing quarterly data. The results suggest that there is a bi-directional causality between German and Spanish inflation for the entire period as well as for the first sub-period. In the second subperiod (1986:1-1999:4) there was a stronger influence of German on Spanish prices in the short run than in the long run. This implies that not only Germany has a substantial influence on Spain, but also Spain's inflation affects Germany in a significant way. Thus, Germany can be considered as an influential country, which plays a significant role in the EU.peer-reviewe

Organizational deficiencies in school management : the case of Greek primary schools

This paper first provides an overview of some of the key features of schooling in Greece, as well as some of the central reforms that have marked the development of education in the country. It is argued that despite remarkable progress, the formal school system in Greece still faces a major challenge: decentralisation. The details of the structure of the school administrative system are presented and a critical analysis carried out through the use of the 'Organisation and Methods' (O and M) technique in order to investigate the efficiency of educational services in Greece. Two case studies are presented so as to illustrate the traditional and complicated administrative processes that currently prevail, most a/which are of a routine nature and unnecessary. A case is made in favour of reform.peer-reviewe

The Awareness and Attitude towards Islamic Banking: A Study in Malaysia

The purpose of this study is to establish the level of awareness that Malaysians have in relation to the culture of Islamic banking, the attitude of Malaysians towards Islamic banking and a ranking of the bank selection criteria of Malaysians – and for each part of the study, to see if Muslim responses are different from non-Muslim responses. A sample of 150 Muslim and non-Muslim customers in Klang Valley was surveyed utilizing a questionnaire containing specific questions relating to the awareness and attitudes of Islamic banking to their ranking of the services required. It is found that the Muslims are more aware toward the culture of Islamic banking, and as consequences, be more aware of the meaning of fundamental terms used in Islamic banking and finance.In the case of the attitudes towards Islamic banks, there were many differences in attitudes between Muslims and non-Muslims in country with majority of Muslims. In the context of bank selection criteria, there are four significant differences among Muslims and non-Muslims such as, mass media advertising, credit on favorable terms, financial counseling and location near my place of work, while the others 18 criteria shows no significant difference. The findings can be utilize by banks to measure the level of attitudes and acceptance towards Islamic Banking among Muslims and non-Muslim and for those who is considering setting up an Islamic banking operations in the country with majority of Muslims

The Frequency of Q Fever in the Human Population of Western Macedonia

Q fever is an acute and rarely chronic, zoonotic disease. It is caused by Coxiella burnetii, an obligate intracellular, pleomorphic coccobacillus possessing a prototypic gram-negative bacterial cell wall structure. Our study is aimed at determining the epidemiological situation of this infection in the human population of Western Macedonia. The serological test was conducted using the ELISA test kit by the German SERION Company. The serum isolated from the blood was kept at -30°C until testing. The sera were properly diluted based on the respective protocol, in the ratio of 1: 400, in two phases (dilution 1: 100 and 1: 4). A total of 520 serums were checked of all ages from people with different epidemiological conditions, of which 114 resulted positive, with positivity rate of about 21.90%. The positivity was based on the Cut-off value, which in positive cases was over 0,5. According to our study, the spreading of the infection was affected by lack of knowledge about the preventive measures, including: lack of education on the source and mode of transmission of the infection, the methods of disinfection and disposal of animal products containing C. burnetii, animal treatments, the level of living conditions, etc. Yet, based on the findings of foreign authors, we think that the infection of the people comes as a result of the presence of the infection in animals which plays an important role in spreading the cause in the environment, as well as through its airborne distribution. Keywords: Q fever, zoonotic disease, Elisa test, human, seropositive

Musharakah Tijarah cross-border financing: concept, structure and salient features

Musharakah Tijarah Cross-Border Financing (“Product”) is the product to enable the Bank to undertake project and contract cross-border financing activities or other identified business ventures on “pure” Joint Venture basis,using the underlying Islamic financing contract of Musharakah. Musharakah concept has a low market share of less than 2.5% in the overall existing Islamic financing products in Malaysia. This product encourages mobilization of idle capital / cash entities and thus provides a basis for economic cooperation between these organizations in the society. The product also is expected to inject greater prosper to the Bank’s overall performance and ultimately able to assist small time landowners in a big way through business risk sharing. Musharakah provides an alternative investment, which will cater for Islamic investors and partners, especially from GCC, who may have been reluctant to invest in conventional or current debt-based financing scheme. With Musharakah concept, the most preferred and globally accepted Islamic financing, this can attract these investors to participate on similar risk-sharing arrangements through the creation of Specific Investment Account (SIA) or Islamic Syndication to back financing made into the Joint Venture

An analysis of financial speculation: from the Maqasid Al-Shari'ah perspective

Purpose: This paper aims to discuss the topic of financial speculation with special reference to forex and offers an analysis from the Maqasid Al-Shari’ah perspective, whereby authors propose to limit the outreach of speculative instruments in the financial markets. Design/methodology/approach: The authors will make use of a simple textual analysis of existing materials and documents. To come up with conclusions, relevant to this study and to make them credible enough, the authors will undertake to review the existing literature in the next part of the paper and will later present his analysis of findings in light of financial crises and the objectives of Shari’ah. Findings: The Maqasid Al-Shari’ah approach used in the analysis suggests that speculative financial instruments do not constitute a necessity, and their harmful practice must be limited to protect the religion, life, lineage, intellect and property. Originality/value: Financial speculation in general and foreign exchange in particular must be regulated. Their current practices of financial system pose significant challenges for entire economies as well as individuals. Muslims should also avoid speculative financial instruments, such as forex, because they are a clear threat to individual and state wealth and prosperity. In addition, they threaten traditional businesses and social norms in Muslim societies

Συστήματα υποστήριξης ιατρικών αποφάσεων με εφαρμογή στο σακχαρώδη διαβήτη τύπου 2

Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο--Μεταπτυχιακή Εργασία. Διεπιστημονικό-Διατμηματικό Πρόγραμμα Μεταπτυχιακών Σπουδών (Δ.Π.Μ.Σ.) “Φυσική και Τεχνολογικές Εφαρμογές