Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau (BBB), founded in 1912, is a nonprofit organization focused on advancing marketplace trust, consisting of 113 independently incorporated local BBB organizations in the United States and Canada, coordinated under the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) in Washington, D.C.The BBB collects and provides free business reliability reviews on more than 4 million businesses to over 100 million requests from consumers in 2012, helping make the BBB's website rank among the top 500 most-visited websites in the United States. The BBB serves as an intermediary between consumers and businesses, handling nearly 1 million consumer disputes against businesses in 2012. The BBB also alerts the public to scams, reviews advertising, and assists when donating to charity.â€Å"Medical quackery and the promotions of nostrums and worthless drugs were among the most prominent abuses which led to the establishment of formal self-regulation in business and, in turn, to the crea tion of the NBBB.†BBB's concept has been credited to several court cases, such as United States v. Forty Barrels and Twenty Kegs of Coca-Cola, initiated by the government against a number of firms, including the Coca-Cola Company, in 1906 after the Pure Food and Drug Act had become law. Samuel Candler Dobbs, sales manager of Coca-Cola and later its president, took up the cause of truth in advertising in the wake of those judgements.In 1909 Dobbs became president of the Associated Advertising Clubs of America, now the American Advertising Federation (AAF), and began to make speeches on the subject. In 1911 he was involved in the adoption of the â€Å"Ten Commandments of Advertising†, one of the first codes of advertising developed by groups of advertising firms and individual businesses.Similar organizations in succeeding decades, such as the National Better Business Commission, Inc. of the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World (1921), and the National Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc. (1933) merged to become the Association of Better Business Bureaus, Inc., in 1946. In 1970 the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB) was established. Better Business Bureau The better business bureau has been able to perform its business operation more efficiently because of its strong financial base. The company has 380,000 business members that range in size from local enterprises to multinational corporations. To be able to serve all this businesses efficiently means that this company is strong financially. Also the company because of its strong financial background runs many other projects like giving donations to needy students in the form of scholarships. Large number of working staff: The better business bureau has many workers.It has people involved in international organizations for the 133 better business bureaus that are located in North America. Because of its large number of employees, it is in a better position of competing with its competitors. Qualified and competent employees: The better business bureau has qualified and competent employees who are capable of dealing with matters of customers and consumers. To be involved in programs li ke Better Business Bureau Auto line and the National advertising division in America means that the company has qualified and competent workers. The company is utilizing modern technology in its operations:The better business bureau company utilizes modern computer programs and internet in ensuring that it offers its services efficiently. Through the use of modern technology the company is able to serve all its 380,000 business members ranging in size from local enterprises to multinational corporations. The company benefits from its good brand name: The better business bureau has been able to create a good image to its customers hence the company benefits from its good brand name. The company covers America and many other parts of the world: The better business bureau enjoys having many customers within America and in other parts of the world.Within North America the better business bureau serves international organizations for 133 better business bureaus. It also serves 380,000 bu siness members ranging in size from local to multinational corporations. They appeal to the needs of the community: The better business bureau has joined new programs like better business bureau auto line, national advertising division. Through this programs the company gives training on how to maintain there own vehicles and on how to improve on their advertisements. The company also gives scholarships to deserving students, this shows that the better business bureau takes care of the community.Weaknesses: 1. Too many competitors 2. The company should improve on its networking, coordination and record keeping Too many competitors The better business bureau has started facing competition from new other companies that also offer similar services. Networking, coordination and record keeping For the better business bureau to continue being a market leader in serving its customers it should improve on its networking. Its workers should coordinate properly and the company should also imp rove its record keeping systems. Opportunities 1.Meeting the needs of corporate business members who want to do business overseas, and fulfilling the needs of the industry and consumers in other countries. 2. Enlarging of their target market. 3. Creating a community of trustworthy businesses 4. Encouraging and supporting best practices within customers and consumers. The better business bureau has a number of opportunities to exploit. Among them are:- Meeting the needs of corporate business members who want to do business overseas. The better business bureau has met the needs of many corporate business members who want to expand their business overseas.This is an opportunity that the company should exploit. Enlarging of their target market. The better business bureau is promoting charity accountability, it is also promoting public trust in advertising, it also offers Better Business Bureu international student Ethic award further still the company can enlarging its target market by serving more organizations. Creating a community of trustworthy business. The main aim of the better business bureau is creating a community of trustworthy business. The company is after encouraging good business practices among its customers and consumers.Threats Maintaining online programs: – it is expensive to maintain a website and this will require a lot of money. The company will need to hire qualified personnel to be regularly maintaining it. †¢ Higher costs: since the cost of oil, food and other necessities has increased the company will get it hard in performing its operations because the cost of leaning businesses will be high. †¢ Reaching all its customers within and overseas and competing favorably with its competitors: the better business bureau faces a major threat of constantly being in contact with its customers and consumers.The company should also ensure that it offers quality services than those of its competitors. External analysis Some external factors that pose opportunities and threats to the organization include demographics factors, economic factors, social-cultural factors, and political-legal and technology factors. Demographics The better business bureau has created a good business atmosphere where many buyers and sellers meet each other. The better business bureau is an international organization for 133 better business bureaus across North America.In North America the company has met the needs of many businesses. The company has 380,000 business members ranging in size from local enterprises to multinational corporations. Therefore the company is serving many business members globally. For the company to serve the 133 better business bureaus and 380,000 business members world wide, it offer a range of quality services. First the company is promoting public trust in advertising. The company promotes public trust in advertising in order to foster truth and accuracy while making its advertisements.The company is also promoting charity accountability. The company uses modern technology by enabling local charities to use their online reporting and evaluation system. Economic: The better business bureau company will be greatly affected by the increasing prices of oil and food. As the prices of the common necessities increase the general and overall performance of its member businesses are also affected. In response to the general increase of prices of commodities the company is offering advice and training on proper business management.The company offers affordable education to its members on how to manage their businesses. Technological The better business bureau is employing new technology that has enabled local charities to be using an online reporting and evaluating system. Through the use of internet the better business bureau has created more awareness about the services it’s offering to its customers. Also through the internet its international organizations for 133 better business b ureaus across North America communicate with ease. Through the internet many interested business can contact the company.Through the internet also the company has been able to achieve more like denouncing substandard market place behavior and by also ensuring that high standards are set and maintained. Through the internet also many customers are able to join the company. Political-legal The better business bureau is a company with an American origin; it’s likely to face challenges in offering its services to countries that are having poor relationships with America. This is a global company that is addressing the needs and requirements of all customers and consumers in the world.It is going to face major challenges in countries like Iran and Iraq that have been having bad relationships with America. The company will also get difficulties in serving its customers found in war torn areas like Zimbabwe, Somalia and other countries in war torn Ares. Since there is no peace in th ese countries, the company will face some challenges when addressing the needs of its customers from these countries. This company is promoting public trust in advertising in order to foster truth and accuracy of all its operations. Social-culturalThis company has earned a very good reputation offer the past. Here in America buyers and sellers have been able to trust each other through the services offered by this company. Many businesses have preferred this company because it denounces substandard behaviors within business setups. This company has also been liked because it encourages and supports best practices. The better business bureau ensures that high standards are set and maintained within business setups. This is a business trait that most business men prefer while running their businesses.Most businesses are performing to the expectations of the better business bureau company. They are following the teaching of the company. Buyers and sellers especially in America and Euro pe have started having trust of each other. These businesses have attained the standards set by the company. This has shown that this company is attaining its main vision of forming an ethical market place where buyers and sellers can trust each other. Hence this company has a good future; it stands a better change of attracting more business members and international organization to join it.Further still some factors in the industry’s environment like customer’s competitors and suppliers also affect the operation of business. Customers The customers of better business bureau have rated the company highly. Due to this the company is enjoying a good reputation. The company offers best and quality services that can not be matched by any other company under this industry. The better business bureau company is seen as a market leader under this industry with a very good image to its customers. The company leads in quality of its services to customers in many aspects.The be tter business bureau has ensured that its business members attain high standards and maintain them. The company offer teachings on how to improve performance in businesses to its 380,000 business member and 133 international organizations that are found in different parts of the world. The customers of the company are proud of its performance since the company is involved in solving a series of cross-border disputes. Customers in countries like Japan, Israel, Taiwan and UK have benefited from this cross-border dispute resolution agreements.The business members to the better business bureau have benefited from its international torch award for market place ethics. This has benefitted them because this system measures how business people treat their customers, competitors and employees. This encourages good and acceptable business traits that benefit the customers of the company. The customers of better business bureau are enjoying its services because by the clicks of a button one is able to access all the information that he needs. Through the internet customers of the company get all the necessary information without travelling their.The company has benefited many groups of People in the community. The company has promoted charity accountability, though the company many donors respond wisely to charity appeals. Some deserving students have been receiving scholarships. This company has greatly assisted many students who could not afford paying for their school fee. The better bureau has been a key advisor to its customers relating to teamwork, respect, trust, excellent and integrity thus making its customers to have great confidence on the company.Competitors Within America this company is facing competition from a few companies. But these companies are not well established. They lack funds so as to compete favorably with the better business bureau. These companies also lack a good business base so as to compete with the better business bureau. They lack enoug h and qualified staff so that they will compete properly with the better business bureau. Suppliers The better business bureau has many employees that are also competent.The company as been able to introduce many programs like better business bureau online, better business military line, better business international torch award for market place ethics because it has a well trained workforce. The company is also introducing other program like the better business bureau auto line, and the national advertising division that are geared towards appealing to the daily needs of its customers. Through the auto line teachings proper vehicle maintenance skills are offered, and also though advertising division the company is promoting good advertisements within the industry.REFERENCES Armstrong G. & Kotler P. (2007). Consumer Markets: Influences on consumer behavior, Principles of Marketing. ICMR Case Studies and Management Resources. (2007). Consumer Behavior. Retrieved January 20, 2008 from http://www. icmrindia. org/courseware/Consumer%20Behavior/CBC03. htlm Kotler, P. (2005) Principles of Marketing. New York. Melbourne Press Schaik J. L. , (2002); The Task of Marketing Management; J. L. van Schaik (Pity) ltd Winer, R. S. (2007). Marketing Management, Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 6

The Concrete Doughnut I notice that my father waits until the game is just about to begin before he comes into the family room. It is only preseason, so we do not engage in any of the regular-season game-day rituals, but Dad has put on his number 5 McNabb jersey and now sits on the edge of the couch, ready to jump out of his seat. He nods at my brother solemnly but completely ignores me, even after I heard my mother say, â€Å"Please, just try to talk to Pat† when they were arguing in the kitchen. Mom puts the food on folding tables, takes a seat next to Jake, and we all start to eat. The food is excellent, but I am the only one to say so. Mom seems happy to get the compliment, saying, â€Å"Are you sure it's all right?† like she does, because she is modest when it comes to cooking, even though she is a great cook. â€Å"What do you think the Birds will do this year, Dad?† Jake asks. â€Å"Eight and eight,† my dad answers pessimistically, like he always does at the beginning of every NFL season. â€Å"Eleven and five,† my brother says, to which my father shakes his head and blows air through his teeth. â€Å"Eleven and five?† my brother asks me, and I nod because I am optimistic, and winning eleven games would most likely put the Eagles in the play-offs. Since we have season tickets, I know we are assured play-off tickets should the Birds earn a home game, and there's nothing better than an Eagles play-off game. Now, I admit that I have not been keeping up with the Birds in the off-season, but when the starting lineups are announced, I am really surprised that many of my favorite players are no longer on the team. Duce Staley. Hugh Douglas. James Thrash. Corey Simon. All gone. I want to ask, â€Å"When? Why?† but don't, fearing my father and brother will think I am not a true fan anymore, which they said would happen when I first moved to Baltimore with Nikki and gave up my season ticket. To my surprise, the Birds are also not playing in Veterans Stadium, but at Lincoln Financial Field, just like Jake had said. Somehow they have built an entire stadium since last season, and I must have missed all the hype because I was stuck in the bad place. Still, something does not really seem right to me. â€Å"Where is Lincoln Financial Field?† I try to ask nonchalantly when the commercials come on after the first series. My father turns his head and stares at me but does not answer my question. He hates me. He looks repulsed, like it is a chore to sit in the family room watching the game with his mentally messed-up son. â€Å"It's in South Philadelphia, just like all the other stadiums,† my brother says too quickly. â€Å"Good crabby snacks, Mom.† â€Å"Can you see Lincoln Financial Field from the Vet?† I ask. â€Å"The Vet's gone,† Jake says. â€Å"Gone?† I ask. â€Å"What do you mean, gone?† â€Å"March 21, 2004. Seven a.m. It fell like a house of cards,† my father says without looking at me, just before sucking an orange piece of meat from a chicken bone. â€Å"Over two years ago.† â€Å"What? I was at the Vet just last †¦Ã¢â‚¬  I pause because I start to feel a little dizzy and nauseous. â€Å"What year did you just say?† My father opens his mouth to speak, but my mother cuts him off, saying, â€Å"A lot has changed since you were away.† Still, I refuse to believe the Vet is gone, even after Jake retrieves his laptop from his car and shows me a downloaded video of the Vet being imploded. Veterans Stadium – which we used to call the concrete doughnut – falls like a circle of dominoes, gray dust fills the screen, and it breaks my heart to see that place crumble, even though I suspect that what I am viewing is a computergenerated trick. When I was a boy, my father took me to many Phillies games at the Vet, and of course there were all of the Eagles games with Jake, so it is hard to believe such a big monument to my childhood could be destroyed while I was in the bad place. The video ends, and I ask my mother if I can talk to her in the other room. â€Å"What's wrong?† she says when we reach the kitchen. â€Å"Dr. Patel said that my new medication might make me hallucinate.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"I think I just saw Veterans Stadium demolished on Jake's computer.† â€Å"Honey, you did. It was demolished over two years ago.† â€Å"What year is it?† She hesitates, and then says, â€Å"Two thousand and six.† That would make me thirty-four. Apart time would have been in progress for four years. Impossible, I think. â€Å"How do I know I am not hallucinating right now? How do I know you're not a hallucination? You're all hallucinations! All of you!† I realize I am screaming, but I can't help it. Mom shakes her head, tries to touch my cheek, but I swat her hand away and she starts crying again. â€Å"How long was I in the bad place? How long? Tell me!† â€Å"What's going on in there?† my father yells. â€Å"We're trying to watch the game!† â€Å"Shhhh!† my mother says through tears. â€Å"How long?† I yell. â€Å"Tell him, Jeanie! Go ahead! He's going to find out sooner or later!† my father yells from the family room. â€Å"Tell him!† I grab my mother's shoulders, shake her so her head wobbles all over, and yell, â€Å"How long?† â€Å"Almost four years,† Jake says. I look back over my shoulder, and my brother is in the kitchen doorway. â€Å"Now let go of Mom.† â€Å"Four years?† I laugh and let go of my mother's shoulders. She covers her mouth with her hands, and her eyes are full of pity and tears. â€Å"Why are you guys playing jokes on – â€Å" I hear my mother scream, I feel the back of my head hit the refrigerator, and then my mind goes blank.

Humanism in The Renaissance Essay

The Renaissance was a great revolution in Europe from the ways of the Middle Ages. This essay is about the different aspects of humanism evident during the Renaissance (the changes in political philosophy, art and religion). Essay Question: What cultural changes during the Renaissance portrayed humanism? Humanism in the Renaissance The Renaissance was a time in which the modern age began, because of humanism. Humanism is a way of life centered on human interest. It was a huge change to switch from a religion based society in the Middle Ages to a people based society in the Renaissance. During the Renaissance, humanism effected political philosophy, art and religious change. First, political philosophy was severely changed during the Renaissance due to humanism. Niccolo Machiavelli of Florence, Italy was the main source of change. At this time there was much conflict between the cities of Italy. Because of this, Machiavelli wrote a book on his political philosophies to keep the current ruler in power. His book was entitled, The Prince. Machiavelli had a very negative, yet realistic, outlook on human nature. He wrote in his book that it is best for a ruler to be feared as opposed to being loved. His reasoning for this belief was that people are not very faithful; they are likely to stay loyal when things are going well, but when things get tough, they will desert you. If the ruler is feared, people should be afraid to go against him or her. He also wrote in his book that political life should not be governed by one set of beliefs. This belief is humanistic, because a single person’s view holds much more importance. He did not believe the government should be entirely run off of one set of religious views. Machiavelli’s humanistic opinions changed the political philosophy during the Renaissance greatly. Another area influenced by humanism during the Renaissance, was art. If you compare art from the Middle Ages to art in the Renaissance you can see many differences. In Middle Age art, all of the people in paintings look very similar, whereas in Renaissance art, people were given unique  characteristics. This difference shows humanism, because it proves that individuals were becoming more and more important. Individualism was common in artwork now, because artists began to paint portraits and self-portraits. The most famous painting of all time, De Mona Lisa, was a portrait painted by Michelangelo during the Renaissance. Another element used in art was perspective. Perspective gave a picture dimension and it made things appear much more realistically. Perspective reflects on the more humanistic and realistic views people were developing at this time. Middle Age art often portrayed people laboring. In Renaissance art, people seem to be enjoying themselves more, because a people cente red society would be much more enjoyable than a religiously based society. The differences between Middle Age art and Renaissance art, really shows how humanism had an effect. The final change that humanism influenced during the Renaissance was religion. Renaissance can be deciphered from different languages to mean â€Å"rebirth†. This certainly was a religious time of rebirth. Probably the largest change was the separation of Christianity from politics. This change is what made European society switch from theocentric to homocentric. This separation portrays humanism, because it follows Machiavelli’s idea that the two should not intertwine. Martin Luther also carried some humanistic ideas. One of his philosophies was that deciphering the bible through a priest was morally incorrect. This philosophy represents humanism, because everyone carries their own head on their shoulders. If you learn the bible through a priest it is likely to be very biased. If you were to read it on your own, you can make your own personal beliefs. Luther’s philosophy shows humanism, because by allowing people to form their own beliefs, you are allowing peopl e to become unique. Humanism was so powerful during the Renaissance, that it influenced Machiavelli to write a book that changed political philosophy. Humanism also made art work appear more realistic. Finally, humanism changed religion, because society was no longer theocentric. From the religious based Middle Ages to the people based Renaissance, there was much change, because of humanism.

Relationship Marketing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Relationship Marketing - Term Paper Example The term paper "Relationship Marketing" talks about the strategies to develop strong associations with customers through providing information which matches their requirements and desires. In the business viewpoint, relationship marketing is concerned with appealing, developing and retaining customers’ relations. Relationship marketing is based on developing a mutually advantageous exchange between industry associates. The growth of relationship marketing was accelerated by the literature of management advisors. The present concept of relationship marketing drifted from ‘organizational behavior’ and ‘industrial marketing’ where reliance among organizations has been the basis for a successful business to business coalitions. According to Iacobucci and Hibbard, the relationship in commerce can be of three kinds, which are: â€Å"Business Marketing Relationships† (BMR), â€Å"Interpersonal Commercial Relationships† (ICR), and â€Å"Business to Customer Relationships† (B-to-C). In BMR the business associations are characterized by long-standing, close and deep connections between fairly symmetric associates. BMR requires assurance, faith, and reliance in understanding business relations. ICR is characterized by the relationships between service organizations and end users. ICR can occur between two relatively balanced associates and it is long-term in nature. The consequences of effective ICR include increased satisfaction and productivity. Finally, B-to-C is demarcated by technology oriented relations among business and individual consumers.

Capital Budgeting Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Capital Budgeting - Research Paper Example Capital budgeting is a resource allocation process that requires a balance between three factors, which include amount of resources that are to be expended, rate of utilization of those resources, and the time within which the investment starts showing some return in the form of profit. The basic aim of this report is to provide an in-depth understanding of important issues related to capital budgeting. The report also demonstrates the role of capital budgeting in the process of business development. Importance of Capital Budgeting Morgan (2006) states, â€Å"The success of a business depends on the capital budgeting decisions taken by the management†. Capital budgeting is basically a tool to evaluate, analyze, compare, and select the most appropriate project from a list of projects available for investment. Capital budgeting is one of the most important managerial tools, which helps the managers choose among different projects based on cash flows and rates of return. The mana gers choose those projects for investment, which are likely to generate considerable profits for their companies. In an interview with Mr. Darren Sammy, assistant manager finance department of Covrick Business Solutions, Sammy said that capital budgeting, if done properly, not only strengthens the financial position of the investing companies but also plays its role in strengthening the economy of a country as a whole (D. Sammy, personal communication, February 25, 2011). One can know the importance of capital budgeting by the fact that it increases a company’s credibility and profits by assisting the managers in the selection of most suitable investment opportunity for the company. Capital budgeting also helps the companies get considerable benefits from an investment over time, reduce the risks related to capital shortage, and increase the revenues. Three Important Factors There are some factors, which the companies need to consider while creating a capital budget for any s pecific project. Tatum (2011) asserts, â€Å"In order for the capital budgeting for a project to be attractive, the projections have to indicate several factors that will make up the outcome of the project†. Those factors include time needed to recoup the allocated resources, expected generation of revenues from the project, and amount of resources required to sustain the project’s momentum. It is a fact that a company, which recoups all allocated resources within a reasonable amount of time, enjoys more profits from the venture as compared to those companies which are not able to recover their investments in a short time. Capital budgeting for a project is successful if the project continues to generate profits for a long time. The graph of profitability generated from a selected project should continue to rise before leveling out, and this can only happen when the amount of resources required to sustain the project’s momentum are less than the amount of resour ces allocated to the project at the point of launch. Capital Budgeting Process Having discussed the importance of capital budgeting in the businesses and the considerable factors for budgeting, let us have a look at the capital budgeting process. The capital budgeting process helps managers select the most profitable projects from a pool of projects, time the projects’ expenditures, and include the selected projects into a

International Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

International Finance - Essay Example Every five years EU citizens elect the European Parliament. Other significant EU institutions include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Council, and the European Central Bank. Thereby EU has created one market through a uniform system of regulations which apply in all member countries. As a final stage of economic integration of the EU a monetary union (an optimum currency area) was formed. The Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) of 17 EU member states who have accepted the euro (â‚ ¬) as their common currency and solitary legal tender, makes the Eurozone, which is officially known as the euro area. Eurozone currently includes Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Spain. Other EU member states are expected to fulfil the strict entry requirements to enter the Eurozone while some EU state s namely Sweden, Denmark and the United Kingdom has chosen to stay outside the Eurozone. European Central Bank carries the responsibility of the monetary policy of the area, whereas other zone/euro related decisions are co-operated through the euro group. Part A and B of this paper will review the case for Eurozone membership in regard of the optimum currency area theory and issues with fixed exchange rate systems respectively. Thereby finally the paper will conclude how the Eurozone membership can be attractive to new applicants. A) Optimum currency area theory in the Eurozone A geographic region which would maximize economic efficiency by the entire region sharing a single currency is known as an optimum currency area (OCA). The earliest mention of the concept was by Abba Lerner (Scitovsky, 1984); although most acknowledged development of the pertaining theory goes to Robert Mundell. Mundell argues that for perfect regional economic integration the said region must be an OCA. Thus he presented two simulations. First was an OCA with fixed expectations: the argument in brief is that uneven shocks are considered to challenge the real economy. These shocks are significant and cannot be organised. Also the international monetary policy (interest rates) cannot be modified for a specific situation of each integral region. Thus a regime with floating exchange rate is considered better than a fixed regime (Mundell, 1961). By this means the properties (Mongelli, 2008) of a successful optimal currency area are reviewed below. Mobility of factors of production including labour. High market integration inside a group of partner countries can lessen the need to modify real factor prices and the nominal exchange rate between countries in reaction to disturbances (Mundell, 1961). The belief that mobility of factors of production enhances both efficiency and welfare was confirmed by the trade theory. Such mobility is likely display its effect in the long-run. The production factors’ mobility is restricted by the speed that direct investment can be generated by one country and absorbed by another. Likewise, labour mobility which includes physical capability to travel (workers' rights, visas, etc.), lack of cultural blocks to free movement (such as different languages and

Analysis of Sustainable Development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis of Sustainable Development - Assignment Example With modern cities being developed on a daily basis, natural factors need to be protected. It is for this reason sustainable development was established (Dearden & Bruce, 2005). Urbanization is the development of urban areas to more advanced infrastructure to suit the existence of human life. Urbanization is mostly influenced by rural-urban migration which has been on the increases in modern years. Urbanization is characterized by huge population to both major and minor cities around the world. With the huge population, the development of these cities has become the major priority in order to make life in these cities comfortable to humans. However, different from sustainable development, urbanization is not environment cautious as technological advancement is its first priority. According to Dearden & Bruce (2005), urbanization only aim is to advance cities and suburbs to suit human existence. Urbanization comes with a lot of problems, especially environmental problems. In the moder n century, many conferences have been convened to address global warming. Global warming is a major factor that comes with urbanization. In urban cities, pollution is a common factor. Pollution from factories and vehicles cause global warming. Urbanization has also led to congestion of urban cities. In sustainable development, there are policies which ensure this type of development is successful. ... With sustainable development problems caused by urbanization can be easily solved. For instance, sustainable development is against emission of waste from factories. In sustainable development, there is the sensitization on recycling waste rather than emission. Additionally, sustainable development suburbs are developed which reduces the rural-urban migration rates. In this case, there will be less congestion in big cities and the growth rate of a whole country can be standard and effective. Lack of urban space hinders the development of a particular area. In many major cities, the development of new projects requires the destruction of already existing projects which is not appropriate. In a new advancement in terms of development, urban space is very important. This problem hinders the success of the younger generation. The future generation will have to use what was developed in the past. According to Dearden & Bruce (2005), this problem will make the future generation dependent o n already existing infrastructure. The authors further argue that the lack of urban space will be the greatest hindrance to innovation and modern technological advancements. Lack o urban space will also lead to the development of substandard buildings. With more population flocking to urban areas, there is an urgent need for shelter and housing. If these populations lack appropriate space for construction of shelter, they will find the least available location and space to put up sub-standard structures. This scenario is evident in many African nations whereby slums are being put around major cities. These slums hold urban dwellers that live below the daily minimum wage.  Ã‚  

Since most people prefer to be involved in decisions concerning their Essay

Since most people prefer to be involved in decisions concerning their jobs, a participative style of leadership will always be m - Essay Example Directive leadership is often more autocratic whilst participative leadership deals more with consensus and direct stakeholder involvement in decision-making processes. In the organisational environment, some cultures and individual employee profiles will require a more directive leadership style in order to ensure compliance and goal-attainment. In a more decentralised organisation, more participative leadership is usually the method of leadership that will attain the most positive performance results. It has been said, however, that since the majority of workers want to be involved in organisational decision-making, then the participative style of leadership will be more effective than directive style. Evidence, however, somewhat refutes this notion, suggesting that both styles have practically equal probability of being effective so long as they are utilised properly and in a suitable organisational environment. Both styles are highly dependent on organisational culture, employee attitude and motivational capacity and organisational structure in order to achieve effective leadership outcomes. Participative versus directive leadership styles Participative leadership involves processes and procedures that tend to open communication channels with employees to gain their input in decision-making (Mullins 2005). The four stages of participative leadership are gaining consensus, consulting with important internal stakeholder, delegating responsibilities, and active involvement by key organisational actors (Mullins 2005). Thus, participative leadership is closely related to transformational leadership style, a style in which the leader acts as a teacher, mentor, and also opens lines of communications with employees where vision and mission are continuously reiterated (Fairholm 2009). Managers using participative style often will use charismatic, psycho-socially-based principles of leadership to gain long-term commitment and dedicated followership. Directive leaders hip is more arbitrary, focusing less on relationship development with employees and more on establishing order through controls or the development of transactional philosophy. Transactional leadership is establishing rewards based strictly on performance where low-performance reprimands are established for failing to meet organisational objectives or project goals. Directive style of leadership establishes specific job role responsibilities and then motivating performance of employees through routine evaluations and serving as a figure in the environment to ensure that compliance to procedure and goals is being accomplished by individuals or teams. Having defined both leadership styles and their differences, both can be properly explored to determine their potential success ratios when utilised in different organisational environments and cultures. In order to understand fully the style of leadership that will be most effective, it is necessary to examine existing research findings on participative versus directive leadership. Gill, Flaschner and Shachar (2006) identified that participative leadership style has a direct relationship with improved employee dedication, job satisfaction and reduced job burnout. Why is this necessarily? Participative lea

Why Has the UN Security Council Been So Unsuccessful in Its Attempts Essay

Why Has the UN Security Council Been So Unsuccessful in Its Attempts at Managing World Order - Essay Example To achieve the United Nation’s objective, significant effort has been evident. Nevertheless, in most cases, the results have fallen far short from the goals. In order to meet its goals, the UN has regularly held global conferences to address the security issues. Several factors have contributed to the UNSC’s unsuccessful management global order. One of the factors is the lack of transparency of the council. There have been conflicts regarding the restructuring of the council (Council of Europe: Parliamentary Assembly, 2005). The members cannot agree on whether to expand the council or let it remain the same. Additionally, lack of democracy in the council has made some states to have a negative attitude towards it. Some of these states do not trust it, and this makes it difficult for it to maintain peace among the conflicting states. The UNSC cannot settle the dispute among the sates that fail to trust it because they will not give it permission to do it. Lack of impleme ntation of resolutions According to Council of Europe: Parliamentary Assembly (2005), in recent years, the United Nations Security Council has adopted resolutions, but relevant persons fail to implement them basing on their ignorant nature. For this reason, violation of international laws has been evident; hence, conflicts worsening (Council of Europe: Parliamentary Assembly, 2005). ... Therefore, people do not believe that the UN can bring them peace. Craving for power According to Karen (2011), The UN has not achieved much as far as peace is concerned because of the craving for power. Craving for power has made the governing class in all countries to be hostile to the inadequacy of the nationwide autonomy. The powerful minorities influence the masses, and many of them already have an objective for destructions (Council of Europe: Parliamentary Assembly, 2005). This has hindered the United Nation Security Council from achieving it goal of maintaining the world order. UK and US war against Iraq According to Karen (2011), The United Nations suffered a great setback when UK and US announced war against Iraq. They declared war against Iraq claiming that it posses huge quantities of mass-destructive arms. The US defined its actions as ‘pre-emptive’ measure, but until now, no WMD existent and they US still carry out its activities in Iraq. The third world co unties are opposing the US’s actions against the Iraq, and are blaming the United Nations Security Council for failing to prevent this. Hence, this has lowered the relevance of the UN Security Council globally. The individuals who believe in the collective response to global security issues could see the difficulties that the UN underwent because of the Iraq war. This is because the war made the confidence in the multilateral system to be undermined. Disagreements in reformation According to Knight (2001), the UN General Assembly has been debating for many years regarding the council reformation but has never reached an agreement. The G4 proposed to be the permanent members of the Security Council. Their permanent membership would augment the Council members. This proposal was opposed by

The Origin Of Rice Essay Example for Free

The Origin Of Rice Essay Kernels- a whole seed grain, as of wheat or corn; small piece Wandering- moving from place to place without a fixed plan; roaming; rambling: Banquet- a lavish meal; feast; a ceremonious public dinner, especially one honoring a person, benefiting a charity, etc. Winnow- to free (grain) from the lighter particles of chaff, dirt, etc., especially by throwing it into the air. 1. Whenever you hear the phrase the wandering Jew, that is an allusion to a person who seems to be travelling nonstop and without direction. 2. Before the colonizers came, our ancestors believed in deities such as Bathala. 3. To prepare the palay for consumption, farmers also winnow them in order to remove the outer covering. 4. The former first lady relived the glory of her reign as first lady of the country when during her birthday, she hosted a big banquet for her many guests. 5. The tray containing kernels of corn and nuts was passed around so that the guests have something to munch while waiting for the main course to be served. Comprehension Guide 1. Why was rice not known to the Filipinos before? Because they rely on the gifts of nature and tilling of soil is unknown. 2. What is a balangay? It a group of people living together and it commonly known today as barangays. 3. What kind of relationship did gods and ordinary human beings have before? Gods and ordinary human beings has a close relationships wherein they gods interact with humans helping them to survive 4. What is the most important benefit of knowing how to plant rice to our ancestors? It improved their way of living and they were able to stay at one place surviving not only by depending on the gift of nature but also to what they themselves have raised.

Theories of Leadership in Schools

Theories of Leadership in Schools CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Schools organizations are involved into reform, change, and improvement efforts and process stemming from a desire for renewal, gaps in performance results, advancements in knowledge, mandates, and other societal deficits where responsibility has been delegated to schools (Evans, 1996). According to Fullan (2000) and Mai (2004) the problem for school organizations seeking to effectively improve or change centers on what behaviors, strategies, or structures contribute positively to organizational learning and renewal in a way the produces the capacity for sustainability in order to make a positive difference for students. Foster (2001) discussed that while the majority of past theories on school leadership have focused upon the capabilities of one individual, this accepted belief of a solitary leader is now being challenged as traditional models of leadership and organizational change are being analyzed. Thus, instead of viewing leadership as a role for one person, leadership is now being redefined as a practice shared among many individuals (Harris, 2003). Distributed leadership involved with creating joint responsibility for leadership activities. Interesting is the focus on shared learning and developing leadership capabilities. Shared leadership is used as synonym for democratic leadership, and collaborative leadership. Practitioners use it to create effective school leadership, or improving schools, or to study leadership. Building leadership capacity means broad-based, skillful involvement in the work of leadership. There is a need of significant number of skillful teacher leaders who understood the shared vision in the school, and are able to carry it out. Also the work involves reflection, inquiry, conversations and focused action professional behaviors that are an integral part of daily work. Understandings and skillfulness involve more than the knowledge of an innovation. The skillfulness focused is those skills of leadership that allow other teachers to capture the imagination of their colleagues, enable them to negotiate real changes in schools and negotiate any conflicts that arise in organization (Harris and Lamber, 2003). In order to build leadership capacity for school improvement the U.K. Open University suggested the following main characteristics: Surface, clarity and define values, beliefs, assumptions, perceptions and experiences ; inquire into practice; construct meaning and knowledge ; frame action and develop implementation plans. The Cyprus Educational System is open to a wide range of influences, which create the need for change and improvement. The strategy of the Ministry of Education in Cyprus is to proceed with the Educational Reform Program in order to fully achieve the goal of an all inclusive, democratic and human school, which embraces all students equally and provides education to each and every pupil according to his/her needs. Educational Reform was launched in January 2005, following a report by a Committee of seven academics which identified the weaknesses of Cyprus Educational System and the areas in need of reform. UNESCOs Report at the end of 90s come to the summarized conclusion that â€Å"The administrative system of governing and monitoring of the Ministry of Education and Culture remains strictly centralized, bureaucratic and inflexible.† The main goal is to restructuring of Ministry of Education and Culture by modernize the organizational structure for all the departments. School Reform, Change and Improvement A lot of efforts about improving education have become national and international in scope, beginning in 1983 in USA with â€Å"A Nation at Risk† and recently â€Å"No Child Left Behind† federal legislation, (2001). Elmore (2002) explains that is not enough to focus solely on these new reform standards requirements. Continuing school improvement for all students achievement will need to develop and sustain a school climate where everyone is committed to learning and everyone is accountable for pupil achievement. Sheppard (2003) proposed that school leadership is critical for improving pupil achievement. Leithwood and Riehl (2003) according to their research findings concluded that leadership has a significant effect on student learning, curriculum and teacher instruction. Some researchers like Hallinger and Heck(1998) suggest that school survival today is depending of the effective leadership that can guide schools through the challenges of improving student achievement . Fullan (2001), Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) support that effective leadership at all levels of the educational system is critical. Also organizations cannot flourish on the actions of the top leaders alone. They suggested that schools need many leaders at many levels. Neuman and Simmons (2000) discussed that leadership is the job of the whole educational community, and learning becomes the focus and primary value for every member. Whilst the quality of teaching strongly influences levels of pupil motivation and achievement, it has been consistently argued that the quality of leadership matters in defining the motivation of teachers and the quality of teaching in the classroom (Fullan, 2001; Sergiovanni, 2001) Recent studies of effective leadership have described that authority to lead can be dispersed within the school in between and among people (MacBeath, 1998; Day, Harris and Hadfield, 200; Harris, 2002). Leadership is actually separated from person, role and status and is primarily concerned with the relationships and the connections among individuals within a school. Distributed, shared or teacher leadership is well developed and grounded in research evidence. Distributed Leadership implies a redistribution of power and re-alignment of authority within the school. Main goal is the creation of the conditions in which people work together and learn together. By giving authority to teachers and empowering them to lead leadership is emergent rather than as a fixed phenomenon. Literature review about Leadership consists of a number of leadership theories, styles and approaches. The most of these theories on school leadership have focused on individual capabilities. Recently this believes are challenged because of organizational changes and reform in our educational system. Leadership is now being re-defined as a practice distributed among many individuals (Harris, 2003). I believe that today the concept of distributed leadership is receiving much attention and growing empirical support (Spillane, 2006). The focus is oriented not upon the characteristics of the leader but upon creating the climate for shared learning and developing leadership capabilities. Spillane and Diamond (2007) discussed that distributed leadership is used as a synonym for democratic leadership, shared leadership, and collaborative leadership. In many cases distributed leadership is used to create effective school leadership, others use it for improving schools, and some for leadership research. In order to contribute to the necessary transformation of our schools, school improvement demands learning that is encourages lifelong personal and social experience. The teacher needs to feel that not only can she/he believe in school improvement, but that she/he is making her/him own contribution, and is involved in the improvement process. Improvement is something no-one would want to avoid, like good food. We argue that school improvement must be related to the re-examination of the purposes of schools in the future. The globalization of economic activity has transcended national boundaries and has created unprecedented social relations mediated through global economic practices. School improvement strategies need to move away from organizational issues and take more account of the voices of those most involved the young people themselves as well as their teachers. Today in many countries like USA schools and states emphasize on school reform and improvement by consider those factors that influence the implementation and sustainability of improvement efforts (Sergiovanni, 2006; Hall and Hord, 2006). According to the writers school improvement initiatives demand resources like additional personnel, time, money, staff development, instruments and space. For example Sergiovanni (2006) suggested that schools must institutionalize the allotment of resources to provide for the longevity of the school improvement initiative. Another main resource element necessary for school system is the school culture. School culture influences the degree to which an improvement initiative is successfully implemented (Jazzar Algozzine, 2006). Leadership Practices of Effective Head Fullan (2003) examined that principals are often the key to school improvement efforts and also he identified barriers to improvement often noted by school heads. It is important when school improvement and reform initiative is implemented from the state level, building managers must be able to encourage and motivate their staff to successfully implement the initiative. (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstron, 2004). School head is a key element for school improvement efforts regardless of system imposed barriers such as not clearly identifying the heads responsibilities and lack of leadership training provided for school principals. Most important step for improvement implementation in schools is the creations of supporting culture environment for change. Heads need to establish such cultures in the following situations: In developing of policies and procedures which facilitate the improvement process. By establishment of patterns so that individuals can work together as they strive for improvement. By focusing on collaborative relationships with numbers of staff and other administrators. By teacher development and learning activities focused on the improvement initiative. By assessment of the procedures in order to evaluate and monitor improvement sequences of actions. By discussing any success according the improvement implementation. By motivate staff members for their success as they engage in improvement. The literature on effective leadership emphasize on those essential characteristics for leading school improvement. Especially Kouzes and Posner (2002a) have conducted research on the practices and skill of effective leaders by identified five practices and ten corresponding commitments that all leaders demonstrate. Kouzes and Posner (2000) practices are presented by Balcerek (1999, p.4) in a table of leadership model. Ten Commitments of Leadership Practices Commitments Model the Way 1 Find your voice by clarifying your personal values 2 Set the example by aligning actions with shared values Inspire a Shared Vision 3 Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities 4 Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations Challenge the Process 5 Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow, and improve. 6 Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes. Enable Others to Act 7 Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust. 8 Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion Encourage the Heart 9 Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence. 10 Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community Leadership Capacity in School Organization Today teachers need initiatives to develop, learn, practice, evaluate, and debate in order to successfully change practice necessitating supporting leadership for change (Hargreaves and Fink, 2004). Change leaders focus on the development of teachers knowledge, skill and learning within a professional community and worked on changing the content in order to create new settings conducive to learning and share (Fullan, 2000b). In a school organization, the formal role of the leader was typically the head, but successful leaders in the leadership of change realized that sustainability of improvement was found in collective learning and the development of leadership capacity within colleagues of the school (Lambert, 2005a). Sergiovanni (2005) emphasize on head responsibility on serving as a leader of change by building and cultivating the leadership capacity of others in school. It is important for successful heads to focus on building leadership capacity in a number of good leaders within the school organization who could sustain improvement. By establishing the conditions for developing the skills, knowledge, and abilities of others during the change process, the leader enriched the schools efforts for renewal and advanced the improvement process (Mai, 2004). Effective school heads during change envisioned an expanded view of leadership in order to sustain meaningful long lasting changes. The school change process support that leadership was not viewed as the individual role, but rather as an organizational concept that leads to school improvement. Leadership is found within the culture of a school organization that promoted the advancement of the capabilities of many members to lead. Lambert, (2003) described that leadership accepted collective responsibility for school improvement and leadership capacity was realized when a school staff is participate in dialogue, and reflection to achieve student performance goals. Leadership capacity support schools in moving beyond the implementation phase of change towards sustainable improvement. Teachers leadership and effective leaders plan for sustainable leadership focus on culture of initiative and opportunity within the school (Hargreaves and Fink, 2003). Leadership capacity provides others with opportunities, resources, training, and support structures for collective learning with accountability. Leadership capacity is about learning communities promoting leadership for all participants share and understood the contributions made by each member toward the school purpose (Lambert, 2005b). Theories of Leadership Leadership historically has been defined in different ways by various writers on leadership. Authors who write about leaders emphasize on personal skills and characteristics of individual in specific roles within the organization. Some others authors focus on leadership by determining functions, which performed by person in the organization. Leithwood et al (1999) and Yukl (2002) agreed that some definitions about leadership are more useful than others, but there is no complete definition. Harris (2002) and Leithwood (2001) discussed distributed leadership as an alternative to traditional leadership models. According to Owava and Bosset (1997) leadership flows through the networks of roles that comprise organizations and is based on the deployment of resources that are distributed across the network of roles, with different roles having access to different levels and types of resources. Most of the theories included their meaning in key words like â€Å"followers†, â€Å"authority†, and â€Å"decision making†. Measures of personality have been shown to correlate with ratings of leadership effectiveness. Leadership exists within a single person and a situation. Leaders are also involved in managing the culture by establishing strategic direction, communicating that direction and defining the organizational vision and values. The National College for School Leadership (NCSL, U.K) in 2003 identified eight models of leadership: Instructional, transformational, moral, participative, managerial, post-modern, interpersonal, and contingency leadership (Bush and Glover, 2003). Successful leadership is when the influence brings about the behavior and results that were intended by the leader. Effective leadership is when successful leadership results in functional behavior and the achievement of group goals. Knowledge, personal qualities or charisma of the leader and the manner in which authority is exercised are variables for leadership. Elements that made leaders successful in the twentieth century may not be the same elements needed in the future. Leadership needs to be continually studied and investigated in order to be more effective and successful. Yukl (2006) described that leadership effectiveness is differ among researchers based upon the researchers definition of leadership. Self-Evident Theoretical Approach The â€Å"Great Man Approach† is the first theory of leadership, also called â€Å"Self-Evident Theory†. Glasman and Glasman (1997) identified this theory, which assumed that leaders are born and not made and that instinct is more important than training. The criteria for selecting leadership characteristics in this model are still confusing and unclear. Trait Theory Stogdill (1948) conducted a meta-analysis of 124 empirical studies between 1904 and 1947. By using correlation statistics, he compared specified traits of successful leaders with those of unsuccessful leaders to define if those traits were prerequisites for effective leadership. He concluded that leadership could not be explained simply in terms of an individual or group; rather, it must take into account the interaction of the leaders traits with situational variables. The review failed to find evidence a person must possess a particular set of traits to become a successful leader, which is the basic assertion of the trait approach. Yukl (2006) cited further research supporting Stogdills findings by claiming the reason for the lack of evidence linking traits to leadership success was due to poor research methods. Trait theory was based on the assumption that individuals possessed certain physical characteristics, personality traits, and intellectual abilities that made them natural leaders. Behavior Theory This theoretical approach analyzes leadership behaviors and how they correlate between them. The emphasis was shifted from investigating what effective leaders are, to investigating what effective leaders do (Lunenburg and Ornstein, 2004; Yukl, 2006). By the 1950s behaviorist theory assumed that leadership behaviors exercised in one situation did not necessarily transfer to other situations. Yukl discussed that behavior research has concentrated on two categories: 1) examination of leadership activities and duties and 2) examination of effective leadership behaviors. Since 1939 three Universities were involved in research of f leadership behavior. At the University of Iowa researchers identified three styles of leadership: democratic, authoritarian, and laissez-faire connecting with leaders decision-making. Those three leadership styles are still common place in the literature and discussion among practitioners in the field of educational leadership (Razik and Swanson, 1995). Also at the University of Ohio Fleishan (1953) developed questionnaire to measure how often a leader used these behaviors sorting by categories. A questionnaire composed of 150 items was completed by samples of civilian and military individuals to describe the behavior of their leaders. The study identified two dimensions of leadership: 1) consideration and 2) the ability to initiate structure (Mouton and Blake, 1984; Stogdill and Coons, 1957). Consideration was defined as the level to which a leader exhibits expressions of trust, respect, warmth, support, and concern for the welfare of subordinates (Lunenburg and Ornstein, 2004, p.150). Initiating structures was defined as the level to which a leader concentrates on organizational performance goals, organizes / defines tasks, establishes channels of communication, develops relationships with subordinates, and evaluates work performance (Razik and Swanson, 1995, p.42). The two categories were independent of one another. No correlation was found between a leaders uses of one type of categorical behavior with that same leaders utilization of the other type of categorical behavior. The University of Michigan (Likert, 1967) attempted to identify the correlation between a leaders behavior, group process, and group performance. Leadership studies concluded that effective leaders are both task- and relationship-oriented (Razik and Swanson, 1995). Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) have a different opinion with previews writers because they have not considered the effects of situational factors like differences in tasks completed, of the group, and differences in the environment. These issues are connected to the actions that must be performed by the leader and consequently on the appropriate leadership behavior to be used in the given situation. According to the Ohio and Michigan studies the initiating structure is similar to task-oriented behaviors, and consideration is similar to relation-oriented behaviors. Important role of teachers, counselors, and other school staff exercising leadership roles are distinctly different from the traditional leadership role of the head. The questionnaires from Ohio State University are modified and have been used by different researchers in many survey studies. According to that research evidence the results were not satisfied for most criteria of leadership effectiveness (Bass, 1990; Fisher and Edwards, 1998; Yukl, 2006). The findings were inconsistent for the relationship between consideration and subordinate performance. Research revealed subordinates are more satisfied with a leader who is at least moderately considerate. Especially between 50s and 80s a huge amount of studies about effective leadership behaviors are concluded with effective leadership connecting with school goals and concern for relationships. Situational Theory Yukl (2006) argued that situational approach covers the social characteristics of the organizations and how they influence the type of leadership exhibited. Main important for this theory is that distinguishing characteristics of the organizational members are more important to leadership than personal traits (Glasman and Glasman, 1997; Lipham, 1973; Wildavsky, 1985). Yukl explained that there are many variables like the nature of the work performed, the type of the organization, and the features of the organizations peripheral elements. Studies for situational approach have been divided into two subcategories. According to the first subcategory leadership processes are compared in various types of managerial positions, organizations, and cultures. The second type of research emphasizes on leadership effectiveness by specific various aspects of the situation that have a bearing on the leaders attributes. Those approaches concerning aspects of leadership applying to some situations, but not others, are called contingency theories. Contingency Theory Contingency approaches specify the situational elements that describe the relationship among leaders traits, behaviors, and performance criteria. Contingency approaches include four sets of concepts: traits of leaders, characteristics of the situation, behaviors of the leader, and effectiveness of the leader. Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) described that contingency theory it depends on the interaction of the leaders personal traits, behavior, and factors in the leadership situation. Fielder (1967) argued that leaders could improve their effectiveness by modifying the situation to match their style of leadership. During his study discovered important interactions, between leadership styles and situational variables. Fielder suggested that leaders could improve their effectiveness by modifying the situation to suit their style of leadership. Four contingency approaches of leadership are reviewed: The LPC Contingency Theory, Path-Goal Contingency Theory, Situational Leadership Contingency Theory, and Leadership Substitutes Contingency Theory. LPC Contingency Theory: Fiedler (1967) generalized the LPC contingency theory to analyze leadership through examination of the situation, the organizational members, and its tasks. The LPC contingency theory describes how the situation affects the relationship between leadership effectiveness and a trait measure defined the least preferred coworker (LPC) score. LPC score is defined by asking a leader to select one past or present coworker with whom the leader could work least well, and rate this person on a scale of varying adjectives such as friendly or unfriendly and efficient or inefficient. The total of the ratings on these bipolar adjectives scales is the leaders PLC score. The score identifying if the leader behavior are more relationship or task motivated. Path-Goal Theory: House (1971) emphasized on the leaders ability to motivate subordinates to reach goals, the rewards associated with reaching goals, and the importance of the goal. House proposed that leaders need to examine the situational variables and then apply one of the four leadership styles (supporting, participative, directive, or achievement oriented), the one that was more close to the situation. Bolman and Deal (1991) and Golman et al., 2002 discover that effective leaders have a repertoire of styles and the leaders effectiveness is based on his/her ability to frame the situation so that he/she can use the style most suitable for the task in the context. House (1996) reconstructed this theory by modernizing the conceptions of subordinate motivation and abilities, and task characteristics as situational elements, and expanded the outcomes to include subordinate satisfaction and work unit effectiveness, but not leader traits. To be effective, leaders engage in behaviors that add to the subordinates environment in order to increase subordinates satisfaction and work effectiveness. House and Mitchell (1974) described another leadership behavior, participative leadership. Participative leadership seeks advice from organizational members and considers their opinions and suggestions in the decision making process. Yukl (2006) described that participative leadership involves various decision making processes allowing other members of staff, besides the leader, some influence over the decision. Participative leadership used to encourage democratic principles or to enhance effectiveness of the organization. Leithwood and Duke (1999) suggested another reason for generalizing participative leadership in schools, the site-based management (SBM) approaches. Access to SBM for decision making is given to any legitimate stakeholder in the school based on their expert knowledge, their democratic right to choose, and their critical role in implementing decisions. Murphy and Beck (1995) suggested SBM metamorphosis takes one of three forms; administrative-controlled SBM, professional-controlled SBM, and community-controlled SBM. Main important goal for administrative-controlled SBM is to pass authority to the local school administrators to make decisions on the budget, personnel, and curriculum for the best use of resources for the students benefit. Teacher-controlled SBM is generalized to make improvement in determining how money will be spent, selection of the curriculum, and choosing personnel. Educators participation in the decision making process will give them ownership in the decisions during implementation and leads to improved effectiveness (Clune and White, 1998; David, 1989). Community controlled SBM are concerning with the accountability of parents and the community. Parents and other community members have a majority of the input when deciding upon the curriculum so it will reflect their values. Leithwood and Duke (1999) stated an equal participation SBM does exist in the form of side councils that have decision-making power. Everyone works together to make the best school decisions possible. Situational Leadership Contingency Theory: According to Hershey and Blanchard (1977) the level of the workers maturity determines the task and relationship behavior for the leader. A worker of high maturity has both the ability and confidence to do a task, whereas a worker of low maturity lacks ability and self-confidence. At the other side Barrow (1977) believed maturity is a combination of many elements and the procedure used to weight and combine them was questionable. Yukl (2006) underlined Hershey and Blanchards theory made positive highlights of leaders to be adaptive and flexible in their behavior. Situational leadership theory emphasizes on leaders to be conscious of opportunities to increase the skills and confidence of workers. Leadership Substitutes Contingency Theory: The theory according to Kerr and Jermier (1978) makes a distinction between substitutes and neutralizers, which are two different kinds of situational variables. Substitutes include all the characteristics of the worker like task, or organization ensuring the worker will clearly realize their roles, know how to do the work, be highly motivated, and have work satisfaction. Examples of substitutes would be the exceptional ability of a worker, an intrinsically satisfying task, and a cohesive work group within the organization. Usually when workers have prior experience, they already have acquired t he skills and knowledge to accomplish their tasks. If workers are motivated by their work because is according to their interests, the leader may not need to motivate them. Neutralizers are any characteristics of the organization that block a leader from acting in a specific way or that cancel the results of the leaders actions. Example is the lack of interest of workers toward rewards. In many situations there so many neutralizers that it is difficult for a leader to succeed. There are two ways to make the situation more favorable for the leader either remove the neutralizers or make the leadership less important by increasing substitutes. According to Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Ahearne, and Bommer (1995) there is a low level of relationship between the leader and other members motivation of the organization affected by situation variables. Researches concerning substitute leadership theory based on some aspects of the theory, but other aspects have not been supported (Howel Dorfman, 1986; Pitner, 1986; Podsakoff, Niehoff, MacKenzie, Williams, 1993; Yukl, 2006). Yukl (2006) discussed that the main contribution of substitutes theory is to offer a different perspective on leadership by focus on leadership processes in groups and organizations. Main limitation of contingency theories is the lack of consideration of leadership processes that transform the way followers view themselves and their work. School Effectiveness Research School effectiveness and the related area of school improvement have been topics for an increasing body of academic research since the 1960s. School effectiveness research had its origins in the mid-1960s and early 1970s when a prevalent view in the research community, especially with regard to equality of opportunity, was that schools had little influence on childrens achievement that was independent of background and social context. In the late 1970s in the United States, Edmonds and, in the United Kingdom, Rutter responded by embarking on what was to emerge as the first phase of school effectiveness research. The two studies run independently by Edmonds and Rutter set out to investigate whether schools in their national contexts showed any effects when account was taken of the differences in their student populations. Their findings, arrived at independently, were similar: schools do make a small but highly significant difference to the life chances of their students. School effec tiveness research studies undertaken during the 1980s focused on improving the methodology and replicating the resea Theories of Leadership in Schools Theories of Leadership in Schools CHAPTER TWO LITERATURE REVIEW Introduction Schools organizations are involved into reform, change, and improvement efforts and process stemming from a desire for renewal, gaps in performance results, advancements in knowledge, mandates, and other societal deficits where responsibility has been delegated to schools (Evans, 1996). According to Fullan (2000) and Mai (2004) the problem for school organizations seeking to effectively improve or change centers on what behaviors, strategies, or structures contribute positively to organizational learning and renewal in a way the produces the capacity for sustainability in order to make a positive difference for students. Foster (2001) discussed that while the majority of past theories on school leadership have focused upon the capabilities of one individual, this accepted belief of a solitary leader is now being challenged as traditional models of leadership and organizational change are being analyzed. Thus, instead of viewing leadership as a role for one person, leadership is now being redefined as a practice shared among many individuals (Harris, 2003). Distributed leadership involved with creating joint responsibility for leadership activities. Interesting is the focus on shared learning and developing leadership capabilities. Shared leadership is used as synonym for democratic leadership, and collaborative leadership. Practitioners use it to create effective school leadership, or improving schools, or to study leadership. Building leadership capacity means broad-based, skillful involvement in the work of leadership. There is a need of significant number of skillful teacher leaders who understood the shared vision in the school, and are able to carry it out. Also the work involves reflection, inquiry, conversations and focused action professional behaviors that are an integral part of daily work. Understandings and skillfulness involve more than the knowledge of an innovation. The skillfulness focused is those skills of leadership that allow other teachers to capture the imagination of their colleagues, enable them to negotiate real changes in schools and negotiate any conflicts that arise in organization (Harris and Lamber, 2003). In order to build leadership capacity for school improvement the U.K. Open University suggested the following main characteristics: Surface, clarity and define values, beliefs, assumptions, perceptions and experiences ; inquire into practice; construct meaning and knowledge ; frame action and develop implementation plans. The Cyprus Educational System is open to a wide range of influences, which create the need for change and improvement. The strategy of the Ministry of Education in Cyprus is to proceed with the Educational Reform Program in order to fully achieve the goal of an all inclusive, democratic and human school, which embraces all students equally and provides education to each and every pupil according to his/her needs. Educational Reform was launched in January 2005, following a report by a Committee of seven academics which identified the weaknesses of Cyprus Educational System and the areas in need of reform. UNESCOs Report at the end of 90s come to the summarized conclusion that â€Å"The administrative system of governing and monitoring of the Ministry of Education and Culture remains strictly centralized, bureaucratic and inflexible.† The main goal is to restructuring of Ministry of Education and Culture by modernize the organizational structure for all the departments. School Reform, Change and Improvement A lot of efforts about improving education have become national and international in scope, beginning in 1983 in USA with â€Å"A Nation at Risk† and recently â€Å"No Child Left Behind† federal legislation, (2001). Elmore (2002) explains that is not enough to focus solely on these new reform standards requirements. Continuing school improvement for all students achievement will need to develop and sustain a school climate where everyone is committed to learning and everyone is accountable for pupil achievement. Sheppard (2003) proposed that school leadership is critical for improving pupil achievement. Leithwood and Riehl (2003) according to their research findings concluded that leadership has a significant effect on student learning, curriculum and teacher instruction. Some researchers like Hallinger and Heck(1998) suggest that school survival today is depending of the effective leadership that can guide schools through the challenges of improving student achievement . Fullan (2001), Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) support that effective leadership at all levels of the educational system is critical. Also organizations cannot flourish on the actions of the top leaders alone. They suggested that schools need many leaders at many levels. Neuman and Simmons (2000) discussed that leadership is the job of the whole educational community, and learning becomes the focus and primary value for every member. Whilst the quality of teaching strongly influences levels of pupil motivation and achievement, it has been consistently argued that the quality of leadership matters in defining the motivation of teachers and the quality of teaching in the classroom (Fullan, 2001; Sergiovanni, 2001) Recent studies of effective leadership have described that authority to lead can be dispersed within the school in between and among people (MacBeath, 1998; Day, Harris and Hadfield, 200; Harris, 2002). Leadership is actually separated from person, role and status and is primarily concerned with the relationships and the connections among individuals within a school. Distributed, shared or teacher leadership is well developed and grounded in research evidence. Distributed Leadership implies a redistribution of power and re-alignment of authority within the school. Main goal is the creation of the conditions in which people work together and learn together. By giving authority to teachers and empowering them to lead leadership is emergent rather than as a fixed phenomenon. Literature review about Leadership consists of a number of leadership theories, styles and approaches. The most of these theories on school leadership have focused on individual capabilities. Recently this believes are challenged because of organizational changes and reform in our educational system. Leadership is now being re-defined as a practice distributed among many individuals (Harris, 2003). I believe that today the concept of distributed leadership is receiving much attention and growing empirical support (Spillane, 2006). The focus is oriented not upon the characteristics of the leader but upon creating the climate for shared learning and developing leadership capabilities. Spillane and Diamond (2007) discussed that distributed leadership is used as a synonym for democratic leadership, shared leadership, and collaborative leadership. In many cases distributed leadership is used to create effective school leadership, others use it for improving schools, and some for leadership research. In order to contribute to the necessary transformation of our schools, school improvement demands learning that is encourages lifelong personal and social experience. The teacher needs to feel that not only can she/he believe in school improvement, but that she/he is making her/him own contribution, and is involved in the improvement process. Improvement is something no-one would want to avoid, like good food. We argue that school improvement must be related to the re-examination of the purposes of schools in the future. The globalization of economic activity has transcended national boundaries and has created unprecedented social relations mediated through global economic practices. School improvement strategies need to move away from organizational issues and take more account of the voices of those most involved the young people themselves as well as their teachers. Today in many countries like USA schools and states emphasize on school reform and improvement by consider those factors that influence the implementation and sustainability of improvement efforts (Sergiovanni, 2006; Hall and Hord, 2006). According to the writers school improvement initiatives demand resources like additional personnel, time, money, staff development, instruments and space. For example Sergiovanni (2006) suggested that schools must institutionalize the allotment of resources to provide for the longevity of the school improvement initiative. Another main resource element necessary for school system is the school culture. School culture influences the degree to which an improvement initiative is successfully implemented (Jazzar Algozzine, 2006). Leadership Practices of Effective Head Fullan (2003) examined that principals are often the key to school improvement efforts and also he identified barriers to improvement often noted by school heads. It is important when school improvement and reform initiative is implemented from the state level, building managers must be able to encourage and motivate their staff to successfully implement the initiative. (Leithwood, Louis, Anderson, and Wahlstron, 2004). School head is a key element for school improvement efforts regardless of system imposed barriers such as not clearly identifying the heads responsibilities and lack of leadership training provided for school principals. Most important step for improvement implementation in schools is the creations of supporting culture environment for change. Heads need to establish such cultures in the following situations: In developing of policies and procedures which facilitate the improvement process. By establishment of patterns so that individuals can work together as they strive for improvement. By focusing on collaborative relationships with numbers of staff and other administrators. By teacher development and learning activities focused on the improvement initiative. By assessment of the procedures in order to evaluate and monitor improvement sequences of actions. By discussing any success according the improvement implementation. By motivate staff members for their success as they engage in improvement. The literature on effective leadership emphasize on those essential characteristics for leading school improvement. Especially Kouzes and Posner (2002a) have conducted research on the practices and skill of effective leaders by identified five practices and ten corresponding commitments that all leaders demonstrate. Kouzes and Posner (2000) practices are presented by Balcerek (1999, p.4) in a table of leadership model. Ten Commitments of Leadership Practices Commitments Model the Way 1 Find your voice by clarifying your personal values 2 Set the example by aligning actions with shared values Inspire a Shared Vision 3 Envision the future by imagining exciting and ennobling possibilities 4 Enlist others in a common vision by appealing to shared aspirations Challenge the Process 5 Search for opportunities by seeking innovative ways to change, grow, and improve. 6 Experiment and take risks by constantly generating small wins and learning from mistakes. Enable Others to Act 7 Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust. 8 Strengthen others by sharing power and discretion Encourage the Heart 9 Recognize contributions by showing appreciation for individual excellence. 10 Celebrate the values and victories by creating a spirit of community Leadership Capacity in School Organization Today teachers need initiatives to develop, learn, practice, evaluate, and debate in order to successfully change practice necessitating supporting leadership for change (Hargreaves and Fink, 2004). Change leaders focus on the development of teachers knowledge, skill and learning within a professional community and worked on changing the content in order to create new settings conducive to learning and share (Fullan, 2000b). In a school organization, the formal role of the leader was typically the head, but successful leaders in the leadership of change realized that sustainability of improvement was found in collective learning and the development of leadership capacity within colleagues of the school (Lambert, 2005a). Sergiovanni (2005) emphasize on head responsibility on serving as a leader of change by building and cultivating the leadership capacity of others in school. It is important for successful heads to focus on building leadership capacity in a number of good leaders within the school organization who could sustain improvement. By establishing the conditions for developing the skills, knowledge, and abilities of others during the change process, the leader enriched the schools efforts for renewal and advanced the improvement process (Mai, 2004). Effective school heads during change envisioned an expanded view of leadership in order to sustain meaningful long lasting changes. The school change process support that leadership was not viewed as the individual role, but rather as an organizational concept that leads to school improvement. Leadership is found within the culture of a school organization that promoted the advancement of the capabilities of many members to lead. Lambert, (2003) described that leadership accepted collective responsibility for school improvement and leadership capacity was realized when a school staff is participate in dialogue, and reflection to achieve student performance goals. Leadership capacity support schools in moving beyond the implementation phase of change towards sustainable improvement. Teachers leadership and effective leaders plan for sustainable leadership focus on culture of initiative and opportunity within the school (Hargreaves and Fink, 2003). Leadership capacity provides others with opportunities, resources, training, and support structures for collective learning with accountability. Leadership capacity is about learning communities promoting leadership for all participants share and understood the contributions made by each member toward the school purpose (Lambert, 2005b). Theories of Leadership Leadership historically has been defined in different ways by various writers on leadership. Authors who write about leaders emphasize on personal skills and characteristics of individual in specific roles within the organization. Some others authors focus on leadership by determining functions, which performed by person in the organization. Leithwood et al (1999) and Yukl (2002) agreed that some definitions about leadership are more useful than others, but there is no complete definition. Harris (2002) and Leithwood (2001) discussed distributed leadership as an alternative to traditional leadership models. According to Owava and Bosset (1997) leadership flows through the networks of roles that comprise organizations and is based on the deployment of resources that are distributed across the network of roles, with different roles having access to different levels and types of resources. Most of the theories included their meaning in key words like â€Å"followers†, â€Å"authority†, and â€Å"decision making†. Measures of personality have been shown to correlate with ratings of leadership effectiveness. Leadership exists within a single person and a situation. Leaders are also involved in managing the culture by establishing strategic direction, communicating that direction and defining the organizational vision and values. The National College for School Leadership (NCSL, U.K) in 2003 identified eight models of leadership: Instructional, transformational, moral, participative, managerial, post-modern, interpersonal, and contingency leadership (Bush and Glover, 2003). Successful leadership is when the influence brings about the behavior and results that were intended by the leader. Effective leadership is when successful leadership results in functional behavior and the achievement of group goals. Knowledge, personal qualities or charisma of the leader and the manner in which authority is exercised are variables for leadership. Elements that made leaders successful in the twentieth century may not be the same elements needed in the future. Leadership needs to be continually studied and investigated in order to be more effective and successful. Yukl (2006) described that leadership effectiveness is differ among researchers based upon the researchers definition of leadership. Self-Evident Theoretical Approach The â€Å"Great Man Approach† is the first theory of leadership, also called â€Å"Self-Evident Theory†. Glasman and Glasman (1997) identified this theory, which assumed that leaders are born and not made and that instinct is more important than training. The criteria for selecting leadership characteristics in this model are still confusing and unclear. Trait Theory Stogdill (1948) conducted a meta-analysis of 124 empirical studies between 1904 and 1947. By using correlation statistics, he compared specified traits of successful leaders with those of unsuccessful leaders to define if those traits were prerequisites for effective leadership. He concluded that leadership could not be explained simply in terms of an individual or group; rather, it must take into account the interaction of the leaders traits with situational variables. The review failed to find evidence a person must possess a particular set of traits to become a successful leader, which is the basic assertion of the trait approach. Yukl (2006) cited further research supporting Stogdills findings by claiming the reason for the lack of evidence linking traits to leadership success was due to poor research methods. Trait theory was based on the assumption that individuals possessed certain physical characteristics, personality traits, and intellectual abilities that made them natural leaders. Behavior Theory This theoretical approach analyzes leadership behaviors and how they correlate between them. The emphasis was shifted from investigating what effective leaders are, to investigating what effective leaders do (Lunenburg and Ornstein, 2004; Yukl, 2006). By the 1950s behaviorist theory assumed that leadership behaviors exercised in one situation did not necessarily transfer to other situations. Yukl discussed that behavior research has concentrated on two categories: 1) examination of leadership activities and duties and 2) examination of effective leadership behaviors. Since 1939 three Universities were involved in research of f leadership behavior. At the University of Iowa researchers identified three styles of leadership: democratic, authoritarian, and laissez-faire connecting with leaders decision-making. Those three leadership styles are still common place in the literature and discussion among practitioners in the field of educational leadership (Razik and Swanson, 1995). Also at the University of Ohio Fleishan (1953) developed questionnaire to measure how often a leader used these behaviors sorting by categories. A questionnaire composed of 150 items was completed by samples of civilian and military individuals to describe the behavior of their leaders. The study identified two dimensions of leadership: 1) consideration and 2) the ability to initiate structure (Mouton and Blake, 1984; Stogdill and Coons, 1957). Consideration was defined as the level to which a leader exhibits expressions of trust, respect, warmth, support, and concern for the welfare of subordinates (Lunenburg and Ornstein, 2004, p.150). Initiating structures was defined as the level to which a leader concentrates on organizational performance goals, organizes / defines tasks, establishes channels of communication, develops relationships with subordinates, and evaluates work performance (Razik and Swanson, 1995, p.42). The two categories were independent of one another. No correlation was found between a leaders uses of one type of categorical behavior with that same leaders utilization of the other type of categorical behavior. The University of Michigan (Likert, 1967) attempted to identify the correlation between a leaders behavior, group process, and group performance. Leadership studies concluded that effective leaders are both task- and relationship-oriented (Razik and Swanson, 1995). Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) have a different opinion with previews writers because they have not considered the effects of situational factors like differences in tasks completed, of the group, and differences in the environment. These issues are connected to the actions that must be performed by the leader and consequently on the appropriate leadership behavior to be used in the given situation. According to the Ohio and Michigan studies the initiating structure is similar to task-oriented behaviors, and consideration is similar to relation-oriented behaviors. Important role of teachers, counselors, and other school staff exercising leadership roles are distinctly different from the traditional leadership role of the head. The questionnaires from Ohio State University are modified and have been used by different researchers in many survey studies. According to that research evidence the results were not satisfied for most criteria of leadership effectiveness (Bass, 1990; Fisher and Edwards, 1998; Yukl, 2006). The findings were inconsistent for the relationship between consideration and subordinate performance. Research revealed subordinates are more satisfied with a leader who is at least moderately considerate. Especially between 50s and 80s a huge amount of studies about effective leadership behaviors are concluded with effective leadership connecting with school goals and concern for relationships. Situational Theory Yukl (2006) argued that situational approach covers the social characteristics of the organizations and how they influence the type of leadership exhibited. Main important for this theory is that distinguishing characteristics of the organizational members are more important to leadership than personal traits (Glasman and Glasman, 1997; Lipham, 1973; Wildavsky, 1985). Yukl explained that there are many variables like the nature of the work performed, the type of the organization, and the features of the organizations peripheral elements. Studies for situational approach have been divided into two subcategories. According to the first subcategory leadership processes are compared in various types of managerial positions, organizations, and cultures. The second type of research emphasizes on leadership effectiveness by specific various aspects of the situation that have a bearing on the leaders attributes. Those approaches concerning aspects of leadership applying to some situations, but not others, are called contingency theories. Contingency Theory Contingency approaches specify the situational elements that describe the relationship among leaders traits, behaviors, and performance criteria. Contingency approaches include four sets of concepts: traits of leaders, characteristics of the situation, behaviors of the leader, and effectiveness of the leader. Lunenburg and Ornstein (2004) described that contingency theory it depends on the interaction of the leaders personal traits, behavior, and factors in the leadership situation. Fielder (1967) argued that leaders could improve their effectiveness by modifying the situation to match their style of leadership. During his study discovered important interactions, between leadership styles and situational variables. Fielder suggested that leaders could improve their effectiveness by modifying the situation to suit their style of leadership. Four contingency approaches of leadership are reviewed: The LPC Contingency Theory, Path-Goal Contingency Theory, Situational Leadership Contingency Theory, and Leadership Substitutes Contingency Theory. LPC Contingency Theory: Fiedler (1967) generalized the LPC contingency theory to analyze leadership through examination of the situation, the organizational members, and its tasks. The LPC contingency theory describes how the situation affects the relationship between leadership effectiveness and a trait measure defined the least preferred coworker (LPC) score. LPC score is defined by asking a leader to select one past or present coworker with whom the leader could work least well, and rate this person on a scale of varying adjectives such as friendly or unfriendly and efficient or inefficient. The total of the ratings on these bipolar adjectives scales is the leaders PLC score. The score identifying if the leader behavior are more relationship or task motivated. Path-Goal Theory: House (1971) emphasized on the leaders ability to motivate subordinates to reach goals, the rewards associated with reaching goals, and the importance of the goal. House proposed that leaders need to examine the situational variables and then apply one of the four leadership styles (supporting, participative, directive, or achievement oriented), the one that was more close to the situation. Bolman and Deal (1991) and Golman et al., 2002 discover that effective leaders have a repertoire of styles and the leaders effectiveness is based on his/her ability to frame the situation so that he/she can use the style most suitable for the task in the context. House (1996) reconstructed this theory by modernizing the conceptions of subordinate motivation and abilities, and task characteristics as situational elements, and expanded the outcomes to include subordinate satisfaction and work unit effectiveness, but not leader traits. To be effective, leaders engage in behaviors that add to the subordinates environment in order to increase subordinates satisfaction and work effectiveness. House and Mitchell (1974) described another leadership behavior, participative leadership. Participative leadership seeks advice from organizational members and considers their opinions and suggestions in the decision making process. Yukl (2006) described that participative leadership involves various decision making processes allowing other members of staff, besides the leader, some influence over the decision. Participative leadership used to encourage democratic principles or to enhance effectiveness of the organization. Leithwood and Duke (1999) suggested another reason for generalizing participative leadership in schools, the site-based management (SBM) approaches. Access to SBM for decision making is given to any legitimate stakeholder in the school based on their expert knowledge, their democratic right to choose, and their critical role in implementing decisions. Murphy and Beck (1995) suggested SBM metamorphosis takes one of three forms; administrative-controlled SBM, professional-controlled SBM, and community-controlled SBM. Main important goal for administrative-controlled SBM is to pass authority to the local school administrators to make decisions on the budget, personnel, and curriculum for the best use of resources for the students benefit. Teacher-controlled SBM is generalized to make improvement in determining how money will be spent, selection of the curriculum, and choosing personnel. Educators participation in the decision making process will give them ownership in the decisions during implementation and leads to improved effectiveness (Clune and White, 1998; David, 1989). Community controlled SBM are concerning with the accountability of parents and the community. Parents and other community members have a majority of the input when deciding upon the curriculum so it will reflect their values. Leithwood and Duke (1999) stated an equal participation SBM does exist in the form of side councils that have decision-making power. Everyone works together to make the best school decisions possible. Situational Leadership Contingency Theory: According to Hershey and Blanchard (1977) the level of the workers maturity determines the task and relationship behavior for the leader. A worker of high maturity has both the ability and confidence to do a task, whereas a worker of low maturity lacks ability and self-confidence. At the other side Barrow (1977) believed maturity is a combination of many elements and the procedure used to weight and combine them was questionable. Yukl (2006) underlined Hershey and Blanchards theory made positive highlights of leaders to be adaptive and flexible in their behavior. Situational leadership theory emphasizes on leaders to be conscious of opportunities to increase the skills and confidence of workers. Leadership Substitutes Contingency Theory: The theory according to Kerr and Jermier (1978) makes a distinction between substitutes and neutralizers, which are two different kinds of situational variables. Substitutes include all the characteristics of the worker like task, or organization ensuring the worker will clearly realize their roles, know how to do the work, be highly motivated, and have work satisfaction. Examples of substitutes would be the exceptional ability of a worker, an intrinsically satisfying task, and a cohesive work group within the organization. Usually when workers have prior experience, they already have acquired t he skills and knowledge to accomplish their tasks. If workers are motivated by their work because is according to their interests, the leader may not need to motivate them. Neutralizers are any characteristics of the organization that block a leader from acting in a specific way or that cancel the results of the leaders actions. Example is the lack of interest of workers toward rewards. In many situations there so many neutralizers that it is difficult for a leader to succeed. There are two ways to make the situation more favorable for the leader either remove the neutralizers or make the leadership less important by increasing substitutes. According to Podsakoff, MacKenzie, Ahearne, and Bommer (1995) there is a low level of relationship between the leader and other members motivation of the organization affected by situation variables. Researches concerning substitute leadership theory based on some aspects of the theory, but other aspects have not been supported (Howel Dorfman, 1986; Pitner, 1986; Podsakoff, Niehoff, MacKenzie, Williams, 1993; Yukl, 2006). Yukl (2006) discussed that the main contribution of substitutes theory is to offer a different perspective on leadership by focus on leadership processes in groups and organizations. Main limitation of contingency theories is the lack of consideration of leadership processes that transform the way followers view themselves and their work. School Effectiveness Research School effectiveness and the related area of school improvement have been topics for an increasing body of academic research since the 1960s. School effectiveness research had its origins in the mid-1960s and early 1970s when a prevalent view in the research community, especially with regard to equality of opportunity, was that schools had little influence on childrens achievement that was independent of background and social context. In the late 1970s in the United States, Edmonds and, in the United Kingdom, Rutter responded by embarking on what was to emerge as the first phase of school effectiveness research. The two studies run independently by Edmonds and Rutter set out to investigate whether schools in their national contexts showed any effects when account was taken of the differences in their student populations. Their findings, arrived at independently, were similar: schools do make a small but highly significant difference to the life chances of their students. School effec tiveness research studies undertaken during the 1980s focused on improving the methodology and replicating the resea