Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Decision-making decentralization'

This dissertation examines, both theoretically and empirically, the impact of expenditure decentralization and decision-making in education on education output measured through net enrollment rates, repetition rates, dropout rates, completion rates, and test scores in science at the primary school level. We develop a theoretical model based on a behavioral production function model that investigates the potential direct effects of education decentralization on output, and indirect effects of education decentralization through its impact on family, school and teacher inputs. We develop an unbalanced panel data model of education decentralization by using various econometric estimators on a dataset of fifty-nine countries, developed and developing countries, covering the period 1970-2004 in five-year intervals. The empirical analysis in this dissertation improves upon previous empirical studies of education decentralization by using up-to-date comparative international data over time on measures of education decentralization and various indicators of primary schooling. We find empirical support that expenditure decentralization in education significantly improves repetition rates, dropout rates, completion rates and test scores at the primary school level. We are unable to find a significant effect on primary net enrollment rates. Further, we find that decisions on education planning and personnel management have a greater influence on education output when taken at the intermediate level of government (states and provinces). At the same time we find that allocating decisions on education at the school level can also significantly improve education output. Our empirical results support the hypothesized positive link between education decentralization and education outcomes. Additionally, this study is consistent with the recent trend towards decentralizing education around the world.

The purpose of this study was to provide a descriptive data base of the current status of nursing organizational structures and decentralization of decision-making mechanisms in acute care hospitals in British Columbia(BC). Data were gathered by means of a written questionnaire, developed by the investigator, mailed to the Chief Nurse Administrator(CNA) of all 94 eligible hospitals. Computer and manual analysis of the 62 responses provided information about the demographic characteristics of the institution, the nursing organization, and the CNA; and about elements of the nursing organizational structure related to system of care delivery, information systems, organizational decision making, participatory management strategies, and factors impeding decentralization activities. Additional information about management education and union status of head nurses, provision of education bursaries for staff, and need for comparative resurveys was also sought. The major findings of the survey are: that there is a need for administrative education and experience among CNAs, especially in hospitals under 100 beds; that CNAs need additional nursing management information reports, particularly related to patient classification and workload measurement; that decentralization of decision making to the staff nurse level has to be improved; and that, on average, fewer than half of the recommended participative management strategies are being used. The main factors reported as impeding the ability of CNAs to decentralize decision making in their nursing department(in order of descending importance) are lack of: staff nurse knowledge about decision making; funds to replace staff nurses to attend meetings; head nurse knowledge of management functions; and head nurse support for decentralized decision making. Recommendations are presented for further study and for changes that will facilitate increased decentralization of, and participation in, decision making.<br>Applied Science, Faculty of<br>Nursing, School of<br>Graduate

Magister Administrationis - MAdmin<br>The research investigation explores the topic from the point of view of intergovernmental institutions and the regional (departmental) decision-making process in Santa Cruz- Bolivia. The purpose was to determine if these institutions influence the decision-making process of actors in the area of road infrastructure. The topic is explored from the viewpoint of Actor-Centered Institutionalism from Scharpf. It states that the solutions to solve social problems can be explained as the outcome of interactions among intentional actors, but that these interactions are structured and outcomes are influenced by the characteristics of the institutional setting in which they occur. For that purpose, the study identifies the actor constellations participating in the process, their modes of interaction and the constraints they face as a result of the institutional setting. The research starts by distinguishing the formal, informal and fiscal lOR institutions and determine their importance; for this purpose, the classification by Agranoff is used. Afterwards, the investigation portrays the decision-making process in the area and analyzes the final decisions of actors as a result of the institutions shaping them. It is argued that mostly fiscal arrangements are shaping the decision-making process in the area. The formal and informal arrangements are determining the actor constellations participating in the process and how they interact, as well as which institutional constraints they face. It is concluded that there are missing channels of intergovernmental cooperation between the national and the departmental level, and it generates misunderstandings and uncertainty. The channels of cooperation between the department and the provinces exist, but training and technical advice is needed to enhance actors' capacities at this level. The mini-thesis concludes with the policy implications derived from the dynamics at the regional level and identifying other factors influencing the decision-making process.

The research investigates the devolution of decision-making at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM). The research sets out to investigate the extent to which the Municipality offers resources to its politically elected representatives and whether the support enables a devolution that includes local citizens in decision-making. The study was demarcated within the NMBM, using an empirical survey, a population group composed of councillors and officials who work very closely with politicians in mobilizing the community in public participation. The data collection tool of choice for the study was a selfadministered questionnaire, supplemented by document analysis, unstructured interviews and the researcher’s observations. The purpose of the study is to investigate reasons why devolution is not having the desired results at NMBM, Investigate and find alternatives to how devolved decision-making can be enhanced, using the viable local political process at the NMBM and similar municipalities. The study argues from a theoretical base of good governance and public participation. The findings made were inter alia: Politicians in public office are not using the resources at their disposal optimally; tussles amongst politicians and with officials do have a negative effect on devolved decision-making; and vandalism and closing down of ward council offices are not purely a reflection of a ward councillor’s failure to account to the constituency, and the ward committee system at NMBM has not since 2009. The recommendation is that deliberate efforts need to be made to establish democratically elected ward committees in all sixty wards of NMBM. The establishment of ward committees has to be a joint effort between political office bearers, the broader political landscape and officials as previous efforts have failed to produce legitimate structures. The politicians and officials need to work together to win over public opinion and community buy-in towards the establishment of ward committees that are representative and functional.

Whether the results of fiscal transfers have positive or negative implications depends upon the incentives that transfer systems create for both central and local governments. The complexity and ambiguity of the relationship between fiscal transfers and tax revenues of local governments is one of the main causes why research projects, even in the same country, come to different results. This investigation is seriously questioning the often stated substitution effect based only on an analysis of aggregated data and finally rejects in the qualitative part of this research (using survey techniques) a substitution effect in the majority of the assessed municipalities. While most theories are modeling governments as tax-maximizers (Leviathan) or as being prone to fiscal laziness, this investigation shows that mayors react to a whole set of incentives. Most mayors react rational and rather pragmatically in respect to the incentives and constraints which are established by the particular context of a municipality, the central government and their own personality/identity/interests. While the yield on property tax in Peru is low, there are no signs that increases in transfers have had, on average, a negative impact on their revenue generation. On an individual basis there exist mayors who are revenue maximizers, others who are substituting revenues and others who show apathy. Many engage in property tax. While rural or small municipalities have limited potential, property taxes are the main revenue sources for the Peruvian urban municipalities, rising on average 10% during the last five years. The property tax in Peru accounts for less than 0.2% of GDP, which compared to the Latin American average, is extremely low. In 2002, property tax was collecting nationwide about 10% of the overall budget of local governments. In 2006, the share was closer to 6% due to windfall transfers. The property tax can enhance accountability at the local level and has important impacts on urban spatial development. It is also important considering that most charges or transfers are earmarked such that property tax yields can cover discretionary finances. The intergovernmental fiscal transfers can be described as a patchwork of political liabilities of the past rather than connected with thorough compensation or service improvement functions. The fiscal base of local governments in Peru remains small for the municipalities and the incentive structure to enhance property tax revenues is far from optimal. The central government and sector institutions, which are in the Peruvian institutional design of the property tax responsible for the enablement environment, can reinforce local tax efforts. In the past the central government permanently changed the rules of the game, giving municipalities reduced predictability of policy choices. There are no relevant signs that a stronger property tax is captured by Peruvian interest groups. Since the central government has responsibility for tax regulation and partly valuation there has been little debate about financial issues on the local political agenda. Most council members are therefore not familiar with tax issues. If the central government did not set the tax rate and valuation then there would probably be a more vigorous public debate and an electorate that was better informed about local politics. Elected mayors (as political and administrative leaders) are not counterbalanced and held in check by an active council and/or by vigorous local political parties. Local politics are concentrated on the mayor, electoral rules, the institutional design and political culture – all of which are not helpful in increasing the degree of influence that citizens and associations have upon collective decision-making at the local level. The many alternations between democracy and autocracy have not been helpful in building strong institutions at the local level. Property tax revenues react slowly and the institutional context matters because an effective tax system as a public good can only be created if actors have long time horizons. The property tax has a substantial revenue potential, however, since municipalities are going through a transfer bonanza, it is especially difficult to make a plea for increasing their own revenue base. Local governments should be the proponents of property tax reform, but they have, in Peru, little policy clout because the municipal associations are dispersed and there exists little relevant information concerning important local policy issues.<br>Ob die Auswirkungen von Fiskaltransfers auf die Generierung von lokalen Steuereinnahmen positiv oder negativ sind, wird in der akademischen Literatur weiterhin offen diskutiert. Die Komplexität und Ambivalenz der Fiskalbeziehungen zwischen Gebietsköperschaften und Zentralregierung führt manchmal selbst innerhalb eines gleichen Landes zu unterschiedlichen Ergebnissen. Die hier vorliegende Untersuchung hinterfragt kritisch den oft postulierten Effekt in dem Eigeneinahmen durch Transferzahlungen substituiert werden. Während die meisten wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten Regierungen entweder als tax-maximizers (Leviathan) oder als fiscal lazy darstellen, zeigt diese Untersuchung, dass die meisten Bürgermeister spezifisch auf eine Vielzahl von Anreizen rational und pragmatisch reagieren. Obwohl die Eigeneinnahmen der Lokalregierungen in Peru generell niedrig sind, kann ein direkter Zusammenhang zwischen kontinuierlich ansteigenden Grundsteuereinnahmen und Fiskalzuweisungen eher verneint werden. Die Anreizstruktur in Peru zur Generierung von lokalen Steuereinnahmen ist hinderlich und teilweise sogar kontraproduktiv. Die Zentralregierung und gewisse Spezialinstitutionen spielen in Peru wichtige Funktionen hinsichtlich lokaler Steuergenerierung und sind mitverantwortlich für die positive Gestaltung der Anreizstruktur.

This thesis considers the design and analysis of humanitarian supply chains, by which we mean those systems that deliver goods and services in response to natural or man-made disasters as well as ongoing public health challenges. In the first part of the thesis, we introduce a class of problems motivated by humanitarian logistics systems with decentralized decision makers. In contrast to traditional optimization problems in which a centralized planner determines the actions of all entities in the system, decentralized systems are characterized by individual decision makers who make choices to optimize their own objectives and whose actions impact the overall system performance. Decentralized systems often perform poorly in comparison to centralized ones, but centralization is costly or impractical to implement in many circumstances. The goal of this part of the thesis is to characterize the impact of decentralized decision making and identify ways to mitigate this impact. Using concepts from optimization and game theory, we model systems in which individuals choose a facility to visit to receive service, such as during a disaster response, making their choices based on travel time, congestion, and weights on congestion. These weights represent the relative importance individuals place on congestion in their objectives. We provide an efficient algorithm for finding a stable, or equilibrium, solution from which no individual can improve her own objective value by switching unilaterally. We show that the worst- and best-case performances of decentralized solutions depend on the importance individuals place on congestion. Finally, we introduce a mechanism under which the central optimal solution is also an equilibrium. The mechanism acts by influencing the importance individuals place on congestion, and we characterize the values that this importance can and must be to achieve stability. We introduce models to find values of the mechanism that optimize particular policy objectives and show that these models can be solved efficiently. The second part of the thesis describes the application of the ideas developed in the first part to data from a large-scale effort to deliver a limited supply of products to a large number of people in a short time. The goal of this part of the thesis is to understand the impact of decentralized decision making on local access to an actual product and quantify correlations between inequities in access and socioeconomic variables. We find that both the centralized and decentralized systems lead to inequity in access, but the impact is greater in decentralized systems with user choice. The differences in access are correlated with several socioeconomic variables, but these relationships vary across geographic space. This study integrates tools from optimization, game theory, spatial statistics, and geographic information systems in a novel way. The results confirm the importance of accounting for decentralized behavior in system design and point to opportunities to use the mechanism from the first part of the thesis in future distribution efforts of this nature. The study also leads to policy recommendations, namely that planners consider the impact on equity prior to implementing distribution plans and work to recruit additional service providers in areas that have exhibited inequities in the past. The third part of the thesis employs empirical methods to characterize a successful humanitarian supply chain and identify practices from which other organizations can learn to improve their operations. The hurricane response process used by Waffle House Restaurants has been recognized nationally for its effectiveness. We document the process and describe the supply chain concepts that contribute to its success. Further, we place the company's practices in the context of the literature on supply chain disruption, crisis management, and humanitarian logistics. This study provides insight for other organizations that seek to improve their resilience to supply chain disruptions, whether these are caused by natural disasters or other events. The study also led to the creation of teaching materials to help business and engineering students identify the challenges faced in humanitarian supply chains, the ways that operations research methodologies can be used to improve decisions, and the opportunities for cross-learning between humanitarian organizations and the private sector.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-16T14:48:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 700486 bytes, checksum: 9b4a18b32f78d67a817b9ee4aa58b46f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-11-06<br>Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES<br>The organizations are in search of new architectures and configurations that are more adaptable and flexible, in order that they may attend the demands of globalization. The mechanized Bureaucracies of the great corporations - the dominating organizational design in the specialized societies - are in the middle of a crisis because of the changes brought by globalization. The Presbyterian Church in Brazil is an example of a Bureaucratic organization, with a strong hierarchical structure, where the power for decision is centralized in the Executive Boards of the Church Councils. The general objective of this research was to study the decision making process in the Presbyterian Church in Brazil. The specific objectives were the following: to describe the management of de decision making process in the IPB; to discuss the management of the decision making process in the Presbyterian Churches of João Pessoa according to the theories of decision making; to know the church internal societies perception of the decision making process; and to present suggestions to make the decision process in the organization more active and flexible. In order to attain the objectives of this investigation, a descriptive research was developed with a quantitative and qualitative approach. The primary and secondary data were gathered in the organization manuals, in scientific literature and through field research. Besides the use of content analysis to assess the respondents discourses, statistical methods, such as frequency distribution, factorial analysis, reliability test, multivariate analysis of variance, and Bonferroni´s test, were also applied to the answers ordered according to a Likert scale. Finally, the investigation concluded that the church decision making process is affected by the dysfunctions and limitations of its own mechanized Bureaucracy. Therefore, based on the results, the present study suggests a gradual experience of decentralization of the decision making process, nonetheless compatible with its configuration, to minimize its lack of adaptability and flexibility through a more participative and democratic administration to favor its collaborators creativeness and to incentive their commitment.<br>As organizações estão em busca de novas arquiteturas e configurações mais ágeis e flexíveis para atender as demandas da globalização. A burocracia mecanicista das grandes corporações, que constitui a configuração organizacional dominante das sociedades especializadas, encontra-se em crise em virtude das mudanças no mundo corporativo. A Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil é um exemplo de organização burocrática mecanicista, fortemente hierarquizada, onde o poder decisório organizacional está centralizado nas Comissões Executivas de seus Concílios superiores e dos Conselhos das Igrejas Presbiterianas locais. O objetivo geral desta pesquisa foi estudar o processo decisório das Igrejas Presbiterianas de João Pessoas. Os objetivos específicos foram os seguintes: descrever a gestão da tomada de decisões na Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil; discutir a gestão da tomada de decisões nas Igrejas Presbiterianas na cidade de João Pessoa à luz das teorias do processo decisório; conhecer a percepção dos membros das sociedades internas das Igrejas Presbiterianas de João Pessoa quanto ao processo decisório; e apresentar sugestões para agilizar e flexibilizar o processo decisório na organização como forma de minimizar possíveis disfunções e limitações encontradas. A fim de alcançar os objetivos propostos, foi desenvolvida uma pesquisa com abordagem quanti-qualitativa. Os dados primários e secundários foram obtidos através de pesquisa bibliográfica, documental e de campo. Aplicou-se um questionário, para medir a percepção dos sujeitos da pesquisa quanto ao processo decisório organizacional, cujos dados qualitativos foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo. Para a análise dos dados quantitativos, foram realizadas as técnicas estatísticas de distribuição de freqüência, análise fatorial, análise de confiabilidade, MANOVA e teste de Bonferroni. A guisa de conclusão, a investigação verificou um processo decisório afetado pelas disfunções e limitações de uma burocracia mecanicista com design hierarquizado e centralizador das decisões. No entanto, observou-se que os seus colaboradores anseiam por uma gestão mais participativa e democrática. Com base nos resultados, propõe-se uma experiência gradual de descentralização do poder decisório, compatível com as características do modelo organizacional da IPB, para minimizar a sua falta de adaptabilidade e flexibilidade, através de uma gestão mais participativa e democrática que favoreça a criatividade dos colaboradores e os incentive ao comprometimento com a organização.

Sensor networks are being used in several emerging applications not even imagined some years ago due to advances in sensing, computing, and communication techniques. However, these advances also pose various challenges that must be faced. One important challenge is related to the autonomous capability needed to setup and adapt the networks, which decentralizes the control of the network, saving communication and energy resources. Middleware technology helps in addressing this kind of problem, but there is still a need for additional solutions, particularly considering dynamic changes in users' requirements and operation conditions. This paper presents an agent-based framework acting as an integral part of a middleware to support autonomous setup and adaptation of sensor networks. It adds interoperability among heterogeneous nodes in the network, by means of autonomous behavior and reasoning. These features also address the needs for system setup and adaptations in the network, reducing the communication overhead and decentralizing the decision making mechanism. Additionally, preliminary results are also presented.

This study concerns school reform in Malta. Under the policy framework ‘For All Children to Succeed’ (Ministry of Education, Youth & Employment, 2005) [henceforth referred to as FACT], Maltese state schools embarked on the process of being organized into networks called ‘colleges’. These consisted of primary and secondary schools according to geographical location, under the leadership of the Principal – a newly-designated role hierarchically above that of the individual Heads of School. The purpose of my research is to explore relations of power in a Maltese college. My study gives prominence to both theory and methodology. The theoretical research question investigates how networking unfolds among the various leadership hierarchies in school governance in a Maltese college. This is explored through the performance of policy-mandated collegiality; the circulating relations of power; and leadership distribution. My study is framed within a postmodern paradigm and adopts a Foucauldian theoretical framework, more specifically his concepts of power, discipline, governmentality, discourse, and subjectification. Data for my case study are collected through semi-structured, in-depth interviews; observation of a Council of Heads meeting; and a documentary analysis of FACT. Narrative is not only the phenomenon under exploration, but also the method of analysis, and mode of representation. Thus, I attempt to answer my methodological research question that investigates the ways a researcher negotiates the methodological tensions and contradictions in the conduct of qualitative inquiry in order to construct knowledge differently. The Maltese college is viewed as a surveillance mechanism by both the Principal and the Heads, with collegiality being regarded as a straitjacket imposed by the State through a policy mandate. However, there is unanimous agreement on conscription being the only way forward for Maltese state schools. Different degrees of ‘support’ and empowerment exist, according to the directives of the Principal and the State. College setup is problematized on geographical clustering and college streaming, due to which it may end up defying the primary aim of networking by clustering students from particular areas in isolation, resulting in social injustice and educational inequality. This study exposes a strong sense of sectoral isolation among the Heads – a situation being mirrored at macro-level with very few opportunities for inter-networking among colleges. There is an asymmetrical power flow among the college schools, both within the same level and across different levels. Despite the policy FACT mandating distributed leadership, hierarchical forms of accountability are still inherent within the system, bringing out a tension between autonomy and centralization.

The thesis deals with the research, analysis, substantiation of theoretical and methodical provisions, definition and development of scientific and methodological approaches, and practical recommendations on the rational implementation of adaptive development strategies of small food business enterprises in the conditions of decentralization. The scientific generalization of the principles of adaptive development strategies formation is carried out and new types of management strategies in the process of adaptive changes are determined. The thesis examines scientific approaches to the definition of "small business", which focuses on the implementation of entrepreneurial activity, formed and developed based on business ideas proposed by the entrepreneur within the established legal standards of the state. The evolution of small business development in Ukraine is characterized, based on which the normative-legal support of the formation of this sector of the economy is analyzed. The main measures to support small businesses in the stages of exit from the COVID-19 pandemic are outlined, highlighting the main stabilizing areas of development of small businesses and identifying the features of their functioning in the market, adapted to new conditions.<br>Дисертація присвячена дослідженню, аналізу, обґрунтуванню теоретико-методичних положень та визначенню й розробленню науковометодологічних підходів і практичних рекомендацій щодо раціональної імплементації адаптивних стратегій розвитку підприємств малого бізнесу харчової промисловості в умовах децентралізації. Здійснено наукове узагальнення засад формування адаптивних стратегій розвитку та визначено нові види стратегій управління в процесі адаптаційних змін. У роботі досліджено наукові підходи до визначення поняття «малий бізнес», в якому зосереджено увагу на процесі реалізації підприємницької діяльності, що формується та розвивається на основі бізнес-ідеї, запропонованої підприємцем у межах встановлених нормативно-правових стандартів з боку держави. Охарактеризовано еволюцію розвитку малого бізнесу в Україні, на основі чого проаналізовано нормативно-правове забезпечення формування цього сектору економіки. Окреслено основні заходи підтримки малого бізнесу на етапах виходу з пандемії COVID-19 із виділенням основних стабілізуючих напрямів розвитку суб’єктів малого підприємництва та визначенні особливостей їх функціонування на ринку, адаптованих до нових умов

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Florida State University, 2002.<br>Advisor: Dr. Petra L. Doan, Florida State University, College of Social Sciences, Dept. of Urban and Regional Planning. Title and description from dissertation home page (viewed Dec. 16, 2004). Includes bibliographical references.

The purported costs of provincial autonomy in Canadian securities regulation have been well documented. Proposals for centralizing the securities regulatory regime, whether under a national regulator or through restricting the scope of provincial divergence from national standards, have consistently cited the costliness of the current regime. However, policymakers' cognitive biases lead them from time to time to overemphasize the need for decisive and swift action, which in turn causes them to abandon sound decision-making processes. Provincial autonomy ensures that policymaking with national reach is process-oriented and is more likely to be guided by facts and rational projections. Supporters of centralization discount or ignore these features of decentralization and are too sanguine about the ability of centralized regulators to adhere to process. Any further proposals for reform should properly account for these effects.

In a democratic South Africa, a variety of factors are necessary to ensure effective school governance and management. One of these factors is shared decision-making (SDM). SDM is a process of making decisions in a collaborative manner at the school level. Those responsible for implementing a decision must be actively and legitimately involved in making the decision. In South African schools today, SDM is no longer an option. The new framework of SDM is embedded in the South African Schools Act (Act 84 of 1996). According to the Act, parents, learners and teachers should be given the opportunity of participating in decisions on educational matters. In this study, the researcher set out to investigate and explore effective decision-making of secondary school principals in the Thabo Mofutsanayana Education District (THMOED) of the Free State Province. In an endeavour to realize that end, an open-ended questionnaire, individual and focus group interviews were used to collect data. The main aim was to find out how teachers, learners, parents and principals experienced decision-making in their schools. The main findings of this research were that, decisions-making practices in the secondary schools in the THMOED still adhered to pre-democratic formal lines of authority. In other words, the locus of control and decision-making powers resided mainly with the principals, with minimum participation of other stakeholders. Consequently, there were dissatisfactions and concerns raised by the participants. The concerns were directed at the management and included lack of communication, lack of transparency, unacceptable disciplinary procedures, autocratic leadership styles and centralized decision-making. According to the findings, it would appear that democratic models of governance were insufficiently used or overlooked by the principals. Concerns raised by the respondents were a clear indication that much needed to be done to change the mind-set of the principals.<br>Educational Studies<br>D.Ed (Education Management)

The emergent markets have been one of the key drivers of the new globalized economy. Today, having a clear perspective on how we should leverage and allocate decision making processes throughout the value chain of an organization is more important than ever. When we look at today´s organizations, we also understand the critical role of centralization or decentralization processes as a key factor for competiveness in markets that require local adaptation. So, it becomes important to study the companies positioning and organizational strategy, regarding decision making, since it´s has a clear impact on the improvement of the subsidiaries structures in their operating markets. In this dissertation, we will present not only the importance and the typology of different subsidiaries, but also understand, from a conducted research in an emergent market like Middle East, how the decision making process is perceived in their overall subsidiaries management.<br>Os mercados emergentes têm sido um dos principais motores da nova economia globalizada. Hoje, ter uma perspectiva clara sobre a forma como alocamos e alavancamos os processos de tomada de decisão ao longo da cadeia de valor de uma organização é mais significativo do que nunca. Quando olhamos para as organizações de hoje, compreendemos o papel crítico da centralização e descentralização dos processos de decisão como um factor crucial para a competitividade nos mercados que exigem adaptação local. Assim, torna-se importante estudar o posicionamento de empresas e a sua estratégia organizacional em relação à tomada de decisão, uma vez que tem um impacto claro sobre a melhoria das estruturas subsidiárias nos mercados em que operam. Nesta dissertação, vamos apresentar não só a importância e a tipologia de diferentes subsidiárias, mas também compreender, a partir de uma pesquisa realizada no mercado emergente do Médio Oriente, como o processo de tomada de decisão é entendido na sua gestão global de subsidiárias.

Site-based management (SBM) is recent restructuring initiative in schools. The study is carried out with the aim of investigating the extent to which teachers participate in site-based management in schools. The researcher assumes that teachers are sidelined in site-based management in schools. An extensive literature review provides a theoretical foundation of the study and exposes the nature of site-based management. The qualitative approach is used in the case study. Data are collected through interviews that were conducted between July and September 2004. The interpretive paradigm is used in data collection, analysis and interpretation. The collected data are analysed through inductive analysis. The major research finding is that teachers are marginalised in site-based management in schools and that school-based decision making is still largely in the hands of school principals. It is recommended that principals and SMT's improve their management and leadership styles in order to allow for real participation of teachers in decision-making to take place.<br>Educational Studies<br>M.Ed (Education Management)