Influence of Employee Voice on Pay Determination Coursework

Influence of Employee Voice on Pay Determination - Coursework Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that Marsden makes use of the concept of a ‘zone of acceptance’ as the core of his article, in which, to put it in a nutshell, he suggests that employers need to periodically revise the roles and preferences of themselves and of employees as a necessary prerequisite for the process of adaptation through integrative bargaining, which deals with reaching in agreements to increase the size of the pie. The article discusses the ways in which collective employee voice can enable individual level integrative negotiations in the jurisdiction of non-codified elements of employment conditions that he calls ‘psychological contracts’, quoting Denise Rousseau. The ‘zone of acceptance’ decides the range of tasks that employees are prepared to perform and their time periods. However, to keep up with changing production and market requirements, organizations need to revise the boundaries of this zone periodically, with employee consent, if the organization has to survive. This is accomplished by communication with the employees and revising their beliefs and expectations contained in the ‘psychological contract’. The relationship of employment contains both psychological and economic constituents. According to the mutual interests of the parties involved, its contractual form is chosen from among a range of alternative ways of organizing transactions. Its economic basis defines the individual voice as well as collective employee voice which form the basis for renegotiating and inducing changes in the boundaries of the ‘zone of acceptance’. Marsden cites Ram to suggest that a negotiated order of varying degrees governs the workplace. Performance management in the British public sector and private sector organizations combines employee goal-setting and appraisal to performance related determination of pay. Marsden seeks to extend the range of voice mechanisms employers cho ose and tries to find out the reasons as to why employers choose a particular voice mechanism over others by analyzing the individual-level renegotiation of the zone of acceptance as a form of integrative bargaining, whose quality decides its outcome. The author argues that the importance of collective voice lies in its ability to remove distributional elements away from the bargaining, thus enabling individual level focusing on â€Å"win-win’ aspects of integrative negotiation, which improves the design of systems and of procedural justice.

New Heritage Doll Essay Example for Free

New Heritage Doll Essay This paper summarizes recent studies in behavioral finance—particularly regarding market anomalies and investor behavior—that are not reconciled with the traditional finance paradigms. This paper differs from previous survey literature in several aspects. We introduce more recent papers in the field, more literature on behavioral corporate finance, and provide statistics on the recent trends that are explored in behavioral finance papers. We expand the research scope to studies on Korean financial markets, introduce specific funds using behavioral finance techniques, and discuss the challenges facing behavioral finance. Keywords: Behavioral finance, Market anomalies, Market efficiency, Survey of literature *  Hyoyoun Park: Credit Analyst, Euler Hermes Hong Kong Services Limited, Suites 403-11, 4/F Cityplaza 4, 12 Taikoo Wan Road, Taikoo Shing, Hong Kong; phone: +852-3665-8934; e-mail: [emailprotected] **  Wook Sohn (Corresponding author): Professor, KDI School of Public Policy and Management, 87 Hoegiro, Seoul 130-868, Korea; phone: +82-2-3299-1062; e-mail: [emailprotected] kdischool.ac.kr. 4 Seoul Journal of Business INTRODUCTION Although Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), which represent standard finance, are successful, the alternative approach of behavioral finance includes psychological and sociological issues when investigating market anomalies and individual investor behavior. In the financial markets, we often observe some phenomena which cannot be explained rationally. For example, we do not have any logical evidences on random walk in the stock price movement while many fund managers use several behavioral concepts in their investment strategy. In corporate perspectives, company owners and managers do not rely only on logical elements to make critical decisions on mergers and acquisitions and new investment. Two of the key topics discussed in behavioral finance are the behavioral finance macro, which recognizes â€Å"anomalies† in the EMH that behavioral models can explain, and the behavioral finance micro, which recognizes individual investor behavior, or biases that are not explained by the traditional models incorporating rational behavior. In particular, we employ the behavioral finance micro because it explains a number of important financing and investment patterns by using a behavioral approach, which expands on the research in the behavioral corporate finance field. This paper summarizes these two major topics in behavioral finance, which include behavioral corporate finance, and introduces evidence that adopts behavioral concepts in the actual financial market. It also describes challenges to behavioral finance by reviewing recent studies and surveys. Recently acknowledged theories in academic finance are called standard or traditional finance theories. Based on the standard finance paradigm, scholars have sought to understand financial markets using models that presume that investors are rational. MPT and the EMH form the basis of traditional finance models1). How1) Harry Markowitz introduced MPT in 1952,  and he illustrated relationships between portfolio choices and beliefs in terms of the â€Å"expected returns–variance of returns† rule. Ricciardi and Simon (2000) defined MPT as an expected return, while standard deviations of particular securities or portfolios are correlated with the other securities or mutual funds held within one portfolio. Another major concept is known as the EMH, which states that investors cannot consistently  ever, if researchers only use the MPT and EMH, individual investor behavior is not easily understood. In contrast, behavioral finance is a relatively new concept in the financial markets, and is not employed within standard finance models; it replaces traditional finance models, and it offers a better model for human behavior. Although MPT and the EMH are considered as successful in financial market analysis, the behavioral finance model has been developed as one of the alternative theories for standard finance. Behavioral finance examines the impact of psychology on market participants’ behavior and the resulting outcomes in markets, focusing on how individual investors make decisions: in particular, how they interpret and act on specific information. Investors do not always have rational and predictable reactions when examined through the lens of quantitative models, which means that investors’ decision-making processes also include cognitive biases and affective (emotional) aspects. The behavioral finance model emphasizes investor behavior, leading to various market anomalies and inefficiencies. This new concept for finance explains individual behavior and group behavior by integrating the fields of sociology, psychology, and other behavioral sciences. It also predicts financial markets. Research in behavioral corporate finance studies highlights investors’ and managers’ irrationality, and shows nonstandard preferences, and judgmental biases in managerial decisions. Currently, many companies apply behavioral approaches to determine important finance and investment patterns. Several theories under the banner of traditional finance develop specific models by assuming the EMH and they explain  phenomena in markets; however, in the real financial market, many problems and cases cannot easily be explained via those standardized  models. In the cases involving managers or investors, unbiased forecasts about future events need to be developed and used to make decisions that best serve their own interests. In this type of situation, we need to entertain more realistic behavioral aspects, as there is evidence for irrational behavior patterns that cannot be explained by the traditional or standard financial theories. To be specific, Shefrin (2009) pointed out that the root cause of the global  achieve an excessive return over market returns on a risk-adjusted basis because all publicly available information is already reflected in a security’s market price, and the current security price is its fair value. Financial crisis of 2008 was a psychological, not fundamental phenomenon. Risk-seeking behaviors were evident in the loss-dominant markets, while excessive optimism and confirmation bias acted as driving factors behind the crisis, and not fundamental factors such as terrorism, skyrocketing oil prices, or disruptive changes in the weather. We can understand, identify, and address psychological distortions in judgments and decisions by considering behavioral concepts, and then we can integrate both traditional and behavioral factors to be better prepared for dealing with any psychological challenges. As mentioned, managerial decisions are strongly affected by cognitive biases and emotional aspects in real financial markets, as human beings are not machines. Additionally, evidence of  mispricing and market anomalies that cannot be fully explained by traditional models, is prevalent. Thus, we would like to propose behavioral finance in this paper to clearly explain a number of important financing and investment patterns, aiding  investors in understanding several abnormal phenomena by integrating behavioral concepts with existing. Ricciardi and Simon (2000) defined behavioral finance in the following manner: â€Å"Behavioral finance attempts to explain and increase understanding of the reasoning patterns of investors, including the emotional processes involved and the degree to which they influence the decision-making process. Essentially, behavioral finance attempts to explain the what, why, and how of finance and investment, from a human perspective† (Page 2) (See figure 1). Shefrin (2000), however, mentioned the difference between cognitive and affective (emotional) factors: â€Å"cognitive aspects concern the way people organize their information, while the emotional aspects deal with the way people feel as they register information† (Page 29). We understand that there are several survey literatures on behavioral finance. However, this paper differs from the literature in several aspects. We introduce more recent papers in the field and expand the research scope to studies on Korean financial markets. We introduce more literature on behavioral corporate finance, provide statistics on the recent trends that are evident in behavioral finance papers, introduce the specific funds that are using behavioral finance techniques, and discuss the challenges of the behavioral finance model. Source: Ricciardi and Simon (2000)  particularly regarding market anomalies and investor behavior, which cannot  be explained by traditional finance paradigms. In section 2, we introduce two topics in behavioral finance: cognitive biases and the limits of arbitrage. In section 3, we summarize the research on behavioral corporate finance. In section 4, we examine behavioral applications via two routes: evidence from real investments and specific evidence from the Korean financial market. In section 5, we analyze the recent developments in behavioral finance publications. Section 6 discusses several challenges to behavioral finance and ends with suggestions for future research. TWO TOPICS IN BEHAVIORAL FINANCE Behavioral finance is a study that combines psychology and economics, and it tries to explain various events that take place in financial markets. For example, from the behavioral finance  perspective, some individuals’ limitations and problems are shown in the expected utility theory and in arbitrage assumptions. In particular, there are two representative topics in behavioral finance: cognitive psychology and the limits of arbitrage.2) Cognitive Biases Under the traditional and standard financial theories, investors are viewed as being rational. Basically, a rational economic person is an individual who tries to achieve discretely specified goals in the most comprehensive and consistent way while minimizing any economic costs. A rational economic person’s choices are determined by his or her utility function.

Essay --

The scene begins with the diegetic sound of a slow shunting hammer slowly raising in tempo, this creates tension as you know action is about to take place. This use of a sound bridge is incorporated with the low angle shot of Neo (the protagonists) tough leather boots. There is apparent use of low key lighting and backlighting which could reflect the mood in the tense setting. The scene continues with the camera tilting up to the protagonist through a medium shot, the camera then cuts to zooms in on a black bag which the protagonist put on the conveyor belt in the entrance of the lobby. The bag is an enigma code as the audience are not revealed about the bag’s contents and are left in suspense. There then is close up shot of the protagonist’s face, he is wearing black tinted glasses and is wearing a large black trench coat, the use of top lighting conveys the heros serious facial expression making him look sinister and superior. The camera then cuts to a medium long shot of the protagonist and the security guard, who is equipped with a metal detector and is wearing a typical security guard outfit. The protagonist then looks around, this could imply to the audience that the protagonist is being analytical, as he could be about to do something unexpected, therefore creating enigma. The dialogue spoken by the security guard is typically expected of what a guard would say â€Å"Could you please remove any metallic items you are carrying...keys...some loose change†. The camera then moves to a medium close up shot of the inside of the protagonists coat which displays a collection of weapons. The use of low key lighting and filler light is used in the medium close up shot of the protagonist revealing his weapons is an action code as his i... ...abilities as he does a one handed cartwheel whilst shooting still whilst in slow motion. Neo then jump kicks the last remaining soldier and is shown standing in the middle of the room in a medium long shot. The shot is shown to be lighter as well due to the large windows in the background which again signify that he can continue with his mission as he has overcome his previous problem. Finally, Trinity picks up the black bag from the center of the room, and drops the gun on the floor, as she picks up the bag, there is a crane shot as well as a low angle shot which shows how the protagonists have completed their objective and are superior and head off to the elevator through a long shot. as the door closes the shot includes the whole lobby setting and all the damage that has been done yet also showing that they both have a much more important mission ahead of them.

Social Security at Gunpoint Essay -- American Government Politics Pape

Social Security at Gunpoint Nothing is born perfect. Numerous glorious concepts are born everyday, some survive some do not. Helping the citizens' through their hard times and even in their glory has been the effort for many governments in many countries in the last few milleniums. In the United States of America Social Security was conceptualized and then realized during the years of the Great Depression that divided and then reunited the country to prosper in the long run. Today Social Security is something that politicians make a lot of promises about in their campaign days, Congress has numerous debates on, and the people whose everyday living depend on the benefits they receive from Social Security have little hand on their own fates. The rise of the Social Security program in the U.S. owes mostly on some drastic demographic, political and economic changes. These altered the face and structure of the whole society, and also the living standard of many citizens. The industrial revolution caused massive urbanization. In 1890 it was 28% in 1930 it doubled to be 56% in a short period of time (Pre-Social Security Period, par. 30). Both of these together catalyzed the fall of the extended family system. The security that people enjoyed in such a family was also banished with it. Another noticeable fact in this period was the sudden increase in life expectancy. Because of all these reasons the chronically enhanced of that generation went through a sudden shock. There was no family to shelter and support them. Even though they survived, there were not enough jobs that they could have to support themselves, nor did they have any savings, which they could use during their retirement years. This worsening situation of the eld... ...ember 1999. Pars 560. 14 Sept. 1999. <http://www.ssab.gov> "How You Earn Credits." Social Security Administration. SSA Publication No. 05-10072. Jan 1999. Pars 26. 16 Sept. 1999. <http://www.ssa.gov/pubs/10072.html> John Trollinger and Rich Hensley. "Save Social Security First Commitment Reflected In President Clinton's Financial Year 99 Budget Proposal For Social Security Administration." Social Security Administration. February 2, 1998. Pars 8. 16 Sept. 1999. <http://www.ssa.gov/press/budget_press.html> "Key Dates." Social Security Administration. 13 Sept. 1999. <http://www.ssa.gov/history/keydates.html> "Pre-Social Security Period." Social Security Administration. Pars 79. 16 Sept. 1999.<http://www.ssa.gov/history/early.html> "Presidential Quotes." Social Sceurity Online. 14 Sept 1999. <http://www.ssa.gov/history/wjcstate.html>

Hamlet Thesis

Hamlet Thesis Statement In the play Hamlet, William Shakespeare writes of a tragedy in which Hamlet and Laertes both face the same problem-a murdered father. The paths of revenge that each of them take, parallel their characters and personalities throughout the play. While Hamlet broods over the murder of his father for the majority of the play, Laertes takes immediate action, and upon hearing about the death of his father, he rushes in and is ready to kill Claudius-whom he suspects has killed his father. When they first hear the news of their father’s death, Hamlet and Laertes react in very different ways.When Hamlet hears that Claudius was the one who killed his father, his immediate reaction was grief. This is no surprise, due to the fact that he was still mourning the death of his father, although everyone else had already gotten over it. In fact, most people thought that he was overdoing it ,and Claudius went so far as to tell him that he should get over it, and â€Å"Ye t so far hath discretion fought with nature that we with wisest sorrow think on him together with remembrance of ourselves† (act one, scene two).The way that Hamlet plans his revenge, is more intelligent than the way Laertes plans his. While Hamlet is a more intellectual person, as we can see from his quick wit and sarcasm, Laertes is more impulsive and â€Å"acts, then thinks† as we can see when he says â€Å"I am justly killed with mine own treachery† (act five, scene two). In such a situation, had the play not ended the way it did, Hamlet may have been more successful in avenging his father’s murder because of his responsibility and intellect.Despite the fact that Hamlet procrastinates, Hamlet was smarter in the way he planned his revenge because his procrastination was due to his grief and foresight. Although Laertes trait of acting quickly can be admired and gets the job done, in a situation that involves death and vengeance, strategy and discretion a re a must. From the beginning of the play, we can see that Hamlet is an intellectual thinker. Although he believes the ghost and pronounces that â€Å"it is an honest ghost† (act one, scene five) , he still takes precautions after he promises the ghost that he will take revenge.However, Hamlet is still a little wary of the ghost and therefor decides to feign madness so that he would be able to find out if Claudius was the true killer of his father. Even while feigning madness Hamlet thinks about the whole process of the madness. Unlike Laertes, Hamlet is careful not to disclose what the ghost has told him and only imparts to Horatio and Marcellus what happened when they swear on his sword that they would never speak of what they saw from that point on.One of the reasons why Hamlet is such a procrastinator is because he becomes caught up in the details and potential consequences. In the soliloquy of â€Å"to be or not to be† (act three, scene two) Hamlet loses the will to live and ponders whether it is worth it to exist. Due to the fact that Hamlet suffered the death of his father at a young age as well as well as many other hardships, Hamlet contemplates whether â€Å"Tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against the sea of troubles and by opposing, end them?To die: to sleep; no more;† (act three, scene two). However, after that, Hamlet mentions the potential consequences of the unknown after death. Due to the death of his father and his mother’s hasty remarriage which Hamlet does not approve of, Hamlet is well aware of the consequences of his actions and therefore is hesitant to act rashly. When planning his revenge, Hamlet does not jump to conclusions. When the players come, Hamlet asks them to perform â€Å"The Mousetrap†-a play of a murder similar to that of Hamlet's father's.Hamlet hopes that â€Å"The plays the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the kingâ €  (act two, scene two). Indeed, the plan worked and when Claudius stormed out of the theatre, all of Hamlets suspicions were confirmed. As Hamlet so eloquently noted, â€Å"What, frightened with false fire? †, (act three, scene two) Hamlet was now positive that Claudius was at fault for murdering his father. Another thing that slows Hamlet down in his plan of revenge is that he is a religious catholic, and he is very concerned about mortality.Hamlet is scared that if he kills Claudius, his father’s murderer, his soul will be damned. Hamlet is also scared that if he kills Claudius while he is praying, Claudius will go to heaven and that would not please Hamlet because he said that â€Å"A villain kills my father, and, for that, I, his sole son, do this same villain send to heaven† (act three, scene three). Contrary to Hamlet, Laertes followed the passion in his heart. As soon as he returned from France and heard the news, he invaded the palace, and then asked the questions- the complete opposite of Hamlet.When Laertes hears that Hamlet killed his father, he expresses intense anger and openly announces his plan to take revenge. In his rage, Laertes yells that â€Å"Let what comes come, only I’ll be revenged most thoroughly for my father† (act four, scene five) and makes up his mind to take revenge no matter how or where. When Hamlet heard that his father had been murdered by Claudius, he had already been grieving his father’s death for a while and although the pain was still fresh, his father’s death was old news to him.Therefore, Hamlet was still able to think rationally and plan his revenge in a more intelligent manner. However, when Laertes heard about his father’s murder, he was so grief stricken that he could not think rationally and just followed what his heart told him- to kill Hamlet. Unlike Hamlet, Laertes has no problem â€Å"to cut his throat i' th' church! †(Act four, scene seven). To Laertes, mortality doesn't mean alot, as he so bluntly puts it- â€Å"Conscience and grace, to the profoundest pit! I dare damnation. † (Act four, scene five) Due to his impulsive nature, Laertes tends to be unstable at times.However, Claudius, who suspects Hamlets unusual behavior, joins forces with Laertes to devise a plan to kill Hamlet. This proves a weakness of Laertes'- being unable to carry out his plans singlehandedly. Together, they scheme to kill Hamlet and even come up with a backup plan in case the first one does not go as planned. In the end, his plan of using a poisoned sword backfires when Hamlet ends up using the poisoned sword on him. When weighing in the pros and cons of each of their personalities and flaws, Hamlet took the smarter route in avenging his father’s murder.Although both Hamlet and Laertes die at the end of the play, the reason Hamlet kills himself is because he had nothing to live for. Ophelia, the love of his life was dead, his father was dead and Claudius had died. Since he had nothing to live for, he chose the option of death. On the other hand, Laertes had no choice in the matter because his plan backfired on him and killed him, as we see at the end. Hamlets patience paid off because he, Hamlet achieved his goal, and Laertes, the son of a fishmonger, did not.

Usage That Provokes Blackboard Moments

Usage That Provokes Blackboard Moments Usage That Provokes Blackboard Moments Usage That Provokes Blackboard Moments By Maeve Maddox The comments on my post about writing dates with or without terminals got me thinking about the way everyone who speaks English reacts strongly to at least one word or point of usage. The different ways that people write a date seem to excite curiosity without making anyone angry, but sometimes words or expressions evoke annoyance so intense as to constitute rabid aversion. (Im thinking of the responses provoked by my article on couldnt care less.) By a blackboard moment I mean a physical reaction similar to what we feel when the teachers hand slips and we hear a fingernail scrape against the board. Here are some of the words, pronunciations, spellings and expressions that produce blackboard moments of various intensities in me. (The preferred form is in parentheses.) standing on line (standing in line) light something on fire (set something on fire) Me and my friends swim. (My friends and I swim.) in hopes of (in the hope of) pronouncing the word pecan with a long e and a short a: /pee can/ (instead of with a schwa and the a of father: /pe kahn/) pronouncing the t in Bill Clinton (he pronounces his name with a glottal stop: /klin?n.) seperate (separate) dalmatien (dalmatian) shepard dog (shepherd dog) cemetary (cemetery) its tail (its tail) In that incidence he was right. (In that instance he was right.) Do you want some sandwich? (Do you want part of a sandwich?) How about you, Gentle Reader? What in the speaking or writing of English produces a blackboard moment for you? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should Know75 Idioms and Expressions That Include â€Å"Break†50 Tips on How to Write Good

What is the theme of The Country of the Blind and how is it portrayed Essay Example

What is the theme of The Country of the Blind and how is it portrayed Essay Example What is the theme of The Country of the Blind and how is it portrayed Paper What is the theme of The Country of the Blind and how is it portrayed Paper In the short story The Country of the Blind, the author H.G. Wells tries to convey a certain message. Wells expresses the theme of how man has difficulties adapting to change. The protagonist, Nunez, attempts to convince the villagers on the existence of sight but fails. The villagers are xenophobic therefore, are not willing to accept the truth and have difficulties to adapting change. Wells uses diction and setting to contribute to the understanding of this theme.The author uses diction to communicate the theme of how man has difficulties to adapt to change. As Nunez tries to convince the villagers about the beauty of sight, it is evident that they have difficulties accepting this through the use of diction. When they describe eyes as irritating bodies, something that is extremely agitating, it shows that the villagers were impatient and bothered with his constant appreciation for his sight, therefore showing their narrow-mindedness (Wells, 1997:21).By also describing eyes as queer things, something that is not normal or odd, shows the communities unwillingness to acknowledge an outsider (Wells, 1997:21). Moreover by describing Nunezs sight as an imagination it shows that they believe his views are ridiculous and unrealistic (Wells, 1997:22). Additionally in response to the words vision and sight, the villagers would be outraged and shocked. Through their reactions Wells clearly shows how difficult it is for them to adapt and accept something new (Wells, 1997:25).The author also uses setting to communicate the theme of how man has difficulties to adapt to change. Wells locates the Country of the Blind in a completely isolated area surrounded by rocks and cliffs. Due to the geographical location of The Country of the Blind, it is cut off from the exploring feet of men (Wells, 1997:4) thus causing the villagers imagination to be shrivelled (Wells, 1997:13). The isolated location of the Country of the Blind clearly causes the villagers to have no flexibility and a lack of understanding of the modern society therefore making it hard for them to adapt to change.Furthermore, Wells describes the outside world surrounding the Country of the Blind as an area that is frightful, icy, and incessant. All three of these words have negative connotations that show the outside world to be chaotic and have extremely appalling living conditions (Wells,1997:4). Wells juxtaposes this to describing the Country of the Blind as an area that has sweet water, beautiful flowers, and rich brown soil, all that have positive connotations that show the Country of the Blind to be a phenomenal place (Wells, 1997:4). The juxtaposition between the two worlds shows that they view their land as perfect, therefore there is no need for the chaos that comes from the outside.Wells clearly expresses the theme of how man has difficulties adapting to change through the use of diction and setting. Nunez tries to educate the villagers on what is out there in the modern world, but t hey just neglect it and have difficulties in adapting to a new idea. Man will always have difficulties adapting to change from what they are well adjusted to, but man should atleast try to acknowledge and appreciate that there is something else in the world. Without loosing their traditional roots man should be willing to learn and knowledge themselves on the modernization taking over our world.

Greek and Roman Art in the Campus

Greek and Roman Art in the Campus The Three Works Admittedly, Greek and Roman art traditions have affected the development of the contemporary arts. At present, it is possible to find Greek and Roman traits in many works of modern artists. Our campus is also decorated with works which are influenced by Greek and Roman arts. It is possible to consider such works as Night Without Dawn, Mona, Irish Mother and Child by Glenna Goodacre. These bronze works bear characteristics which are associated with Roman and Greek arts.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Greek and Roman Art in the Campus specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Greek Roots in Irish Mother and Child Irish Mother and Child can be regarded as a work inspired by the Bronze Age in Greek art. The figures are quite idealistic, which was a characteristic feature of Greek art at that period. The faces have perfect proportions, especially when it comes to the girl. The faces are quite distant and no meanin gful emotions can be traced. The absence of emotions is obvious and it is even stressed as the figures are depicted in motion. The child is holding her mother tightly. Therefore, it is possible to state that this work is more Greek in nature as it is characterized by major peculiarities of the Bronze Age in the Greek ancient art, i.e. people are idealized, people’s emotions are not depicted. Roman roots in Mona On the contrary, Mona is characterized by great tension and particular realism. In the first place, this is a bust depicting an ordinary person. It is not a deity or some famous personality. Depiction of ordinary people is a characteristic feature of Roman, not Greek arts. Apart from this, the face is depicted with a specific precision. There is no trace of an idealistic depiction of youth and beauty, which was typical for Greek arts. Mona is an old person who had a really hard life. Every hard year is revealed in numerous wrinkles. The expression of the figure’ s face shows present suffering of the person. Thus, it is possible to note that the present artwork is inspired by Roman arts as Roman bronze works are associated with realistic depiction of ordinary people. More so, emotions and aging were quite central to Roman works. Roman Roots in Night Without Dawn As far as the third work is concerned, it also bears Roman traits. In the first place, the sleeping figure is very realistic. Again, there is no idealistic depiction of perfect forms and perfect faces. The face of the figure bears traits of aging and suffering. One more characteristic feature of this work is that it does not depict a famous personality or deity. This is an ordinary person who is overwhelmed by hardships of his ordinary life. Conclusion On balance, it is possible to note that the three works are quite similar as they bear traits of Roman and Greek arts which shared common values, i.e. exquisite depiction of people. However, the work Irish Mother and Child differs from the two other works as it bears Greek traits.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The figures are depicted in quite an idealistic way and no emotions are revealed. In contrast to this work, the other two works follow Roman tradition. Ordinary people are depicted and the major focus is on facial expressions and realistic depiction of people’s emotions as well as appearance. Of course, it is also necessary to note that even though the works bear traits of Greek and Roman arts, these are artworks reflect trends that reign in the contemporary society.

Human Sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Human Sexuality - Essay Example This also becomes highly pertinent for the simple fact that non-monogamy, especially in the forms of divorce and other forms of separation, adultery and marital infidelity, has already been a part and parcel of the daily social existence (Emmens 2003). Hence this leads us to the subtle differentiations between various conceptual categories that are critical in the constitution of our sexual desires and preferences. The constructionist approach towards human sexuality and sexual preferences have already shattered the essentialists’ and conservatives’ arguments on the ground that sexual subjectivity, including identity and sexual orientations and desires, are inherently offshoots of the larger social and cultural environment (Ritchie and Barker 2006, 585). It is in this context that a postmodern challenge against the hegemony of heterosexual monogamy has emerged from an albeit new form of â€Å"partner arrangements that vary as to the number of people involved, the sexes of those involved, the sexualities of those involved, the level of commitment of those involved, and the kinds of relationships pursued† known as polyamory (Strassberg 2003, 440). A form of non-monogamy polyamory stresses upon â€Å"people’s capacity to share and multiply their love in honest and consensual ways† (Anderlini-D’Onofrio, 2004 as quoted in Ritchie and Barker 2006) as opposed to the rigid ethical, moral restraints associated with monogamy. The emergence of polyamory as a conceptual category seeking to subvert the prevalent beliefs regarding sexual desire and practice has significantly contributed to the ongoing debate around, especially, polygamy and other non-monogamous unions. ... The emergence of polyamory as a conceptual category seeking to subvert the prevalent beliefs regarding sexual desire and practice has significantly contributed to the ongoing debate around, especially, polygamy and other non-monogamous unions. In fact defining the various forms of non-monogamous and other forms of sexual practices, as neatly articulated in the Lawrence case at the Supreme Court (See Emens 2003 and Ashbee 2007 for a detailed analysis of this case), like bigamy, polygamy, incest, obscenity, masturbation and so on as logical extensions of enterprises to legalize same-sex marriage invites us to revisit those categories, including monogamy and the postmodern polyamory. Despite the different factors that co-exist with monogamy and that have already invalidated the very base of monogamy, the institution of monogamy still looms large â€Å"in this nation’s social landscape† (Emens 2003, 8). In the western culture it still continues to be a fact that that life-l ong or serial monogamy with one (everlasting) partner is the dominant model of relationships available. It exerts its hegemony through various apparatuses that are basically concerned with mainstream, statist ideologies. Depictions and valorizations of monogamous couples, fidelities and other romantic associations still fill the media discussions and other forms of cultural representations. This compulsory notion of monogamy not only renders all other forms of non-monogamy invalid and invisible but also labels alternative desires and relationships as completely unethical, amoral and pathological (Ritchie and Barker 2006). The representations of monogamy have indeed served to further normativise its existence and other forms of marital unions essentially fall outside of this

Marketing Strategies of Auction Houses Coursework

Marketing Strategies of Auction Houses - Coursework Example This dissertation discusses the various marketing strategies proposed for the auction houses keeping in mind the relationship of the buyer and the seller. Moreover, it talks about the methods for the promotion of activities carried out in the auction houses which assist in keeping up with the loyalty between the buyers and sellers. Various case studies witness the issues influencing the performance of auction houses in which technology plays a key role. Lastly, this discourse proposes a methodology for further practices in the field of auction houses, thereby, effectively studying the results of the practices involved. All in all, this dissertation sets the stage with the recognition of area for potential research on the auction markets, meticulously on the ones of interest to the market individuals and groups. This dissertation anticipates the augmentation of supplementary work which enhances our comprehension of the corporation and consumer characteristics in the evolving market-pl ace. The Business Week discusses that Conventional auctioneers identify the significance of marketing in their business and discuss the principles as well as the notion of selling as the key to success in auctioning. The increasing prominence of auctions is driving new-fangled product market and pricing representations, assessed channel functions, and innovative market research approaches (Business Week, 2001). Still, the marketing literature on auction houses is little for the reason that, regardless of the suggestions by Rothkopf that, auctions prove to be a fruitful field of analysis for the marketing scientists, there are only little hypothetical and pragmatic documents and literature which deal with the title of auction houses (Rothkopf, 2002). This incongruity has called for more research on the marketing strategies of the auctions and auction

Personal and Professional Development Statement

And Professional Development - Personal Statement Example Before starting a new course or new assignment I always attempt to reflect upon both my personal as well as professional practice. I cherish the way I have managed to nurture my career. I haven't always been a teacher at the college; I was originally employed as a gardener to maintain the college's numerous football pitches, trees and flower beds. My resume did reveal, however, several years teaching experience in Japan and an extensive background in engineering. It occurred to the administration one fine day that I could perhaps nurture the human mind better than plants. We need to revisit our prior experiences and knowledge to illustrate that we have already taken the first difficult step towards evolution. 'Maximizing an experience' is, therefore, a progressive and reflective task that can be used to action plan further development. I wish to augment upon my personal and professional development by pursuing an honours degree. I believe that the learning processes and the learning skills needed to obtain the degree are more important than the degree itself. I therefore aim to achieve more through the process of acquiring knowledge. Subsequently, the learnt skills can be transferred to both personal and professional contexts. The desire now to achieve attainment at a higher... Though I do not believe that intelligence is linked with qualifications, yet I am certain that the presence of degrees allows constructing ideas and verifying them in a professional and responsible manner. My yearning to be a teacher asks me to be qualified as well; subsequently, when I am qualified, I expect to feel a sense of intellectual enlightenment as well. This would help me develop knowledge, and perhaps spread the light through educating my pupils. Reflection here appears also to have a special learning value in that acquired learning, when the reflected upon issue will generate deeper learning vis--vis the relevance to the learner. To further my ability to teach, I will thus need to further develop my ability to reflect critically in a range of situations. Equally important, the course will continue to provide me with a selection of teaching and learning tools that can be used not only in a classroom environment but also in my personal life. Vital Areas When reflecting upon assignments that have given me confidence and a sense of worth, there are two projects which I have enjoyed more than others. These were the independent studies module, and the organisational module. These developed a level of insight and knowledge within me, which I had not experienced otherwise. Another reflective challenge was the completion of an audit. I found that this form of self-evaluation relies upon self-perception or self-awareness and a comparison of self with others. The audit has identified three perceived areas and skills within me, which need further development, namely: (a) Note Taking (b) Reflecting on my experience (c) Organizing time and myself I have realized that these three are not my

Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Accounting - Essay Example In the ABC approach, the costs are computed based on the activities and not on the labour or machine hours. Each activity has a cost driver attached to it and the ABC system utilises this cost driver to distribute the costs among the products (12 Manage, 2008). When the ABC Costing approach was followed, the profit margin per unit for Parrot was recorded as  £ 87.09 and that for Toucan was computed as  £ 63.88. In this case, the difference of profit per unit amounts to only  £ 23.21. ABC system indicates that the profit from Toucan is actually higher as opposed to the absorption costing system. Also, the cost drivers indicate that the M/C setup takes up a high amount of costs as the overheads. Hence it is made evident that the number of setups has to be reduced. This will result in higher profits for Bird Gardens (Cokins, 2001). In order to analyse the efficiency and to increase the profits of the company, it is essential to follow the ABC

Does affirmative action advance racial equality Essay

Does affirmative action advance racial equality - Essay Example In order to understand this, Britain’s example of racism can be considered that the groups which suffer the ultimate racial inequality are from minority groups of outside Europe. These minority groups are diversified with respect to their culture, race, living standards and their origination from different parts of the British colonial world due to which they experience many acts of disregard related to racial inequality. In order to make the situation better and to provide the minority with equal treatment it is necessary to take some affirmative actions which can advance racial equality and prevent the people from injustice and cruelty (Mckenna). The reason why affirmative actions are regarded as an effective source of solving the problem of racial inequality in United States of America is that it provides the evolution of civil rights in different parts where there is a racial inequality issue. It can be considered to a great extent that affirmative actions are necessary to be taken in order to curb the problems of racism. This should be done so as to help a qualified person when he loses the opportunities of advancement in his life socially, politically and economically. These actions will help him during the circumstances when he will be put back morally due to his race, gender and his socioeconomic status. Basically, affirmative actions are proposed to be taken as they can correct the effects of discrimination. So, these actions are actually designed to open the doors of equal treatment for every one regardless of the race, gender, color or creed. Furthermore, this will help the minorities in every direction. For instanc e, whether it is related to their field, their rights and the opportunities for which they are looking (Mckenna). Moreover, the reason for applying these actions is the uneven distribution of safety measures and effective institutions of democratic government. Many

Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Management Accounting - Essay Example In the ABC approach, the costs are computed based on the activities and not on the labour or machine hours. Each activity has a cost driver attached to it and the ABC system utilises this cost driver to distribute the costs among the products (12 Manage, 2008). When the ABC Costing approach was followed, the profit margin per unit for Parrot was recorded as  £ 87.09 and that for Toucan was computed as  £ 63.88. In this case, the difference of profit per unit amounts to only  £ 23.21. ABC system indicates that the profit from Toucan is actually higher as opposed to the absorption costing system. Also, the cost drivers indicate that the M/C setup takes up a high amount of costs as the overheads. Hence it is made evident that the number of setups has to be reduced. This will result in higher profits for Bird Gardens (Cokins, 2001). In order to analyse the efficiency and to increase the profits of the company, it is essential to follow the ABC

The Meaning of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Meaning of Life - Essay Example In my understanding, an absurd man should live freely and not within the limits of any rules. The world is indescribable (due to its chaotic nature) hence everyone is free to describe absurd art in his/her own way. In order What is the meaning of life? This is the most fundamental question for everyone, from the complicated philosopher to a 5 year old child. All the other queries, whether the sun goes around the moon or not and if there is life on other celestial bodies come second to the purpose of existence. What some refer to as their reason for living also serves as their reason for death. For example, many there are many reports of people committing suicide from losing their loved ones. Others like Jesus’ disciples willingly chose death over giving up their Christianity. Suicide, on the other hand, results from the realization of the lack of purpose of one’s life. Everyone looks towards tomorrow with hope and death in the juxtaposition. As Bertrand Russell stated, â€Å"†¦all the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and the whole temple of man's achievement must inevitably be buried beneath the debris of a universe in ruins†¦only on the firm foundation of this unyielding despair, can the soul?s habitation henceforth be safely built† (Bertrand Russell). In the pursuit of a purpose for existence, there are only two conclusions; there is no meaning in life and the purpose of life lies only in the hands of God who exists beyond physicality. Still, from the first conclusion arises another query; does the lack of meaning in life mean that it is not worth living? If ‘yes’ is the answer to this question, suicide is the next action logical to take. There, however, arises a third option; what if a person accepts to pursue a life with no purpose? A person who lacks faith in a supernatural deity can never find any reconciliation with the absurdity of life and those who claim to do so, only end up committing ‘philosophical suicide’. In philosophical suicide, a person acknowledges the lack of order and meaninglessness of the world yet at the same time, tries to assign himself or any other member of humanity a purpose in life. Living in absurdity (accepting the meaninglessness of life) is possible but requires constant awareness of its presence. Examples of abstract lives, those lived by seducers who engage in the short term passions of life and actors who impersonate numerous personalities. In an absurd life, one does not try to explain the purpose of his/her experiences, but simply enjoys life’s freeness like NikoKzantzakis when he said, -â€Å"As I watched the seagulls, I thought: â€Å"That?s the road to take; find the absolute rhythm and follow it with absolute trust† (Nikos Kzantzakis). Is there any importance in the question? Everyone, wheth er consciously or not, has an insatiable appetite to know the truth of this unfamiliar existence. As T.S. Eliot stated, "We shall not cease from our exploration and the end of all

Farmer Boldwood throughout the novel Essay Example for Free

Farmer Boldwood throughout the novel Essay This illustrates that he is completely obsessed; he worships the ground she walks on. The news of Troys death has once again disturbed Boldwoods equilibrium, and new hope burns within him. In chapter forty-nine, following the complete ruining of his crops due to his neglectful behaviour, Boldwood appoints Oak to look after his farm. A great hope had latterly germinated in Boldwood, whose unreasoning devotion to Bathsheba could only be characterized as a fond madness which neither time nor circumstance, evil nor good report, could weaken or destroy. In this sentence the Author describes Boldwoods obsession with Bathsheba, and proves to us that although Boldwoods hopes could be temporarily subdued, his true feelings were always there. It seems as if his feelings for Bathsheba will last his entire life. Boldwoods hopes are encouraged when, after talking to Liddy he finds that Bathsheba mentioned remarrying in six years, giving him something to cling onto. Throughout the novel Boldwood thinks constantly about the best possible outcome of a situation. Liddy saying that Bathsheba once mentioned remarrying slowly evolves in his head into him believing that Bathsheba will marry him in six years. He always tries his best to keep himself hopeful. His waking hours once again become devoted to thinking about Bathsheba. In chapter fifty-one Bathsheba goes on a ride with Boldwood in his cart to Weatherbury after finding herself unable to refuse because Oak, her usual driver, was too busy and Boldwood her only alternative. After awkwardly chatting about mutual interests, Boldwood, unable to resist, bluntly asks Mrs. Troy, you will marry again some day? She is taken aback and a long pause ensues before she says she has not seriously thought of such a subject. Boldwood continues to press her, and is clutching for reassurance when he says, You never liked me. Bathsheba then talks about seriously regretting her treatment of him, and Boldwood is desperate and shameless enough to say to her Bathsheba, suppose you had real complete proof that you are what, in fact, you are-a widow-would you repair the old wrong to me by marrying me? These are the words of a truly desperate man; he does not care at all if Bathsheba loves or even likes him, but just wants her to marry him. His current mental state is worse than ever before. He keeps pressuring her about marrying him in six years time and when it seems as if she might decline, he prays on her ill treatment of him in the past, a desperate and dishonourable act. But do give it, remember the past and be kind Bathsheba eventually ends up being telling Boldwood she will tell him of her decision at Christmas. This act of Bathshebas subdues Boldwood, and as before in this situation he leaves her alone until the promised time because those simple words of hers are enough to comfort him into believing that she will eventually marry him. It is as if his life itself is centred around Bathsheba, but I think Bathsheba only promised to consider his proposal because she feared for his sanity. In chapter fifty-two Boldwood holds a grand Christmas party, something that is, evidently from the Authors words, extremely out of character. But Boldwood has sunk so fast towards insanity that his character itself has changed dramatically. Boldwood is very expectant of Bathshebas answer, and deliriously happy in the build-up to the party. Bathsheba fears the party and having to give Boldwood an answer, and deliberately wears mourning clothes to it. Boldwoods cheerful disposition will not be dampened, even when Oak tries to make him more realistic about the situation, to stop him getting his hopes up. But, as has been consistent throughout the novel, Boldwoods moods and feelings are completely uninfluenced by anyones words but Bathshebas. Because of Boldwoods cheerful mood, he increases Oaks salary, this is mainly due to his knowledge of Oaks interest in Bathsheba and seems to me like a consolation prize, because through the mental haze that obscures his judgement, he truly believes Bathsheba is his. It is in chapter fifty-three that Boldwood is finally pushed over the edge. After being verbally beaten into submission, Bathsheba gives her word to marry Boldwood in six years if Troy does not return. Still, this is not quite enough for Boldwood and he requests that she wear a ring he bought for her. The demonic force that appears to be gripping Boldwood as he almost forces the ring onto her finger is too much for Bathsheba, and she begins to cry. Soon after this, Troy arrives at the house and tries to take Bathsheba away and it is at that moment that Boldwood simply erupts he shoots troy with one of the guns on his gun rack. The old Boldwood is now completely gone replaced by a hysterical madman. When Bathsheba had cried out in her husbands grasp, Boldwoods face of gnashing despair had changed. The veins had swollen, and a frenzied look had gleamed in his eye. Able to take no more, Boldwood readies himself to commit suicide with the same gun, but is prevented by Samway. In chapter fifty-five the true extent of Boldwoods obsession with Bathsheba is revealed. He had bought a large number of gifts for he labelled Bathsheba Boldwood and dated six years in advance. His very soul was completely consumed with the idea of marrying her. Boldwood is sentenced to life imprisonment. This novel describes the degeneration of a quiet, reserved and proud man into a crazed, violent and obsessive maniac. Throughout Boldwoods life a certain equilibrium was preserved, and Bathshebas arrival and sending of the valentine disturbed it. He truly was in extremity at once. His mental state became more and more unstable until he finally exploded and shot Sergeant Troy. I believe this was the end of Boldwoods equilibrium, and he would remain mentally ill and preoccupied with the woman he would never have.

Effect of Social Networks on Teaching Methods

Effect of Social Networks on Teaching Methods ABSTRACT Background. Research on social networks in schools is increasing rapidly. Network studies outside education have indicated that the structure of social networks is partly affected by demographic characteristics of network members. Yet, knowledge on how teacher social networks are shaped by teacher and school demographics is scarce. Purpose. The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which teachers work related social networks are affected by teacher and school demographic characteristics. Method. Survey data were collected among 316 educators from 13 elementary schools in a large educational system in the Netherlands. Using social network analysis, in particular multilevel p2 modeling, we analyzed the effect of teacher and school demographics on individual teachers probability of having relationships in a work discussion network. Conclusions. Findings indicate that differences in having relationships were associated with differences in gender, grade level, working hours, formal position, and experience. We also found that educators tend to prefer relationships with educators with the same gender and from the same grade level. Moreover, years of shared experience as a school team appeared to affect the likelihood of teacher relationships around work related discussion. INTRODUCTION Relationships among educators are more and more regarded as an important element to schools functioning, and a potential source of school improvement. Educational practitioners and scholars around the world are targeting teacher interaction as a way to facilitate knowledge exchange and shared teacher practice through a variety of collaborative initiatives, such as communities of practice, professional learning communities, and social networks (Daly Finnigan, 2009; Hord, 1997; Lieberman McLaughlin, 1992; Wenger, 1998). The growing literature base around these concepts suggests that relationships matter for fostering a climate of trust and a safe and open environment to implement reform and engage in innovative teacher practices (Bryk Schneider, 2002; Louis, Marks, Kruse, 1996; Coburn Russell, 2008; Penuel, Fishman, Yamaguchi, Galagher, 2007). Social network literature asserts that relationships matter because the configuration of social relationships offers opportunities and constraints for collective action (Burt, 1983, Coleman, 1990; Granovetter, 1973; Lochner, Kawachi, Kennedy, 1999). For instance, the extent to which an organizational network supports the rate and ease with which knowledge and information flows through the organization may provide it with an advantage over its competitors (Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Tsai, 2001). While social network studies have mainly concentrated on the consequences of social networks for individuals and groups, less attention has been paid to how social networks are conditioned upon individual characteristics and behavior (Borgatti Foster, 2003). A developing set of studies in organizational literature is focusing on how attributes of individuals such as personality traits affect their social network (e.g., Burt, Janotta Mahoney, 1998; Mehra, Kilduff, Brass, 2001; Madhavan, Caner , Prescott, Koka, 2008), how individuals select others to engage in relationships (Kossinets Watts, 2006; McPherson, Smith-Lovin, Cook, 2001), and how organizations enter into alliances with other organizations (Gulati Gargiulo, 1999). These studies offer valuable insights in potential individual and organizational attributes that may affect the pattern of social relationships in school teams. Attributes that are especially worth investigating for their potential to shape the social structure of school teams are demographic characteristics (cf. Ely, 1995; Tsui, Egan, OReilly, 1992). Demographic characteristics are more or less constant elements that typify teachers, their relationships, and schools based on socio-economic factors such as age, gender, teaching experience, and school team composition. Several network studies have suggested that networks are at least in part shaped by demographic characteristics of individuals, their dyadic relationships, and the network (Brass, 1984; Heyl, 1996; Ibarra 1992, 1995; Lazega Van Duijn, 1997; Veenstra et al., 2007; Zijlstra, Veenstra, Van Duijn, 2008). For instance, several studies reported that relationships among individuals with the same gender are more likely than relationships among individuals with opposite gender (a so-called homophily effect) (Baerveldt, Van Duijn, Vermeij, Van Hemert, 2004; McPherson, Smith-Lovin Co ok, 2001). These studies, however, seldom purposely aim to examine the impact of demographic characteristics on social networks and consequently only include few demographic variables of network members. Insights in the extent to which social relationships are formed in the light of multiple individual and organizational demographic characteristics are limited, and even more so in the context of education. We argue that such groundwork knowledge is crucial for all those who aim to optimize social networks in support of school improvement and, ultimately, student achievement. This chapter aims to examine the extent to which social networks in school teams are shaped by individual, dyadic, and school level demographic variables, such as teachers gender and age, school team composition and team experience, and students socio-economic status. We conducted a study among 316 educators in 13 Dutch elementary schools. Results of this study were expected to increase insights in the constant social forces that may partly define teachers relationships in their school teams, and discover potential tendencies around, for example, homophily and structural balance. Based on a literature review of social network studies that include demographic variables in a wide range of settings, we pose several hypotheses on the extent to which demographical variables at the individual, dyadic, and school level may affect teachers social networks. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Individual level demographics that may shape teachers social networks Social network literature has suggested various individual demographic characteristics to affect their pattern of relationships, and as such social networks as a whole (Heyl, 1996; Lazega Van Duijn, 1997; Veenstra et al., 2007; Zijlstra, Veenstra, Van Duijn, 2008). Following these suggestions, we will first review how individual level demographic characteristics may affect teachers social networks. We focus on the individual demographics gender, formal position, working hours, experience at school, age, and grade level for their potential influence on teachers patterns of social relationships and school teams social network structure. Gender. The likelihood of having relationships in a network may be associated with gender (Metz Tharenou, 2001; Moore, 1990; Stoloff et al., 1999; Veenstra et al., 2007; Zijlstra, Veenstra, Van Duijn, 2008). Previous research has indicated that gender affects network formation (Burt et al., 1998; Hughes, 1946; Ibarra, 1993, 1995, Moore, 1990; Pugliesi, 1998; Van Emmerik, 2006) and that, in general, women tend to have more relationships than men (Mehra, Kilduff, Brass, 1998). These differences are already found in childhood (Frydenberg Lewis, 1993) and continue to exist through life (Parker de Vries, 1993; Van der Pompe De Heus, 1993). In various settings and cultures, both men and women were found to use men as network routes to achieve their goals and acquire information from more distant domains (Aldrich et al., 1989; Bernard et al., 1988). Following these findings, we hypothesize that male teachers will have a higher likelihood of receiving more relationships than female tea chers, and women will send more relationships than men (Hypothesis 1a). Formal position. Previous research in organizations (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997; Moore, 1990) and education (Coburn, 2005; Coburn Russell, 2008; Daly Finnigan, 2009; Heyl, 1996) suggests that the formal position of individuals may be related to their relational activity and popularity. For instance, Lazega Van Duijn (1997) found that lawyers were more often sought out for advice when they held a higher hierarchical position. Research has indicated that the network position of an organizational leader is important in terms of access and leveraging social resources through social relationships as well as brokering between teachers that are themselves unconnected (Balkundi Harrison, 2006; Balkundi Kilduff, 2005). In line with these studies, we expect that principals will be more sought out for work related discussions than teachers. We also expect that principals will report to be involved in more relationships than teachers, since they depend on these relationships to gather informat ion and convey knowledge, plans, and expertise to support student learning and monitor the functioning of teachers and the school. Moreover, principals are reported to occupy a strategic position in the flow of information between the district office and teachers and relay important policy and organizational information from the district office to the teachers (Coburn, 2005; Coburn Russell, 2008). Therefore, we hypothesize that principals have a higher likelihood of sending and receiving relationships (Hypothesis 1b). Working hours. In addition, the number of working hours that an educator spends at the school may also affect his/her opportunity to initiate and maintain social relationships. Recent research suggests that the relationship between network embeddedness and job performance is related to working hours (Van Emmerik Sanders, 2004). In line with this finding, it is hypothesized that educators who work full time will have a higher probability of sending and receiving relationships than educators with part time working hours (Hypothesis 1c). Experience at the school. Another demographic characteristic that may affect an individuals pattern of relationships is seniority, or experience at the school. The previously mentioned law study (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997) indicated that senior lawyers had a higher probability of being sought out for advice than junior lawyers. Besides having more work experience, a perceived network advantage of senior lawyers may be that they have built more strong, durable, and reliable relationships over time, and therefore have access to resources that are unattainable for more junior lawyers. Accordingly, we hypothesize that educators who have more experience in their school team have a higher likelihood of sending and receiving work discussion relationships than educators who have less experience in the school team (Hypothesis 1d). Age. Network research in other contexts found age differences in relation to the amount of relationships that individuals maintain (Cairns, Leung, Buchanan, Cairns, 1995; Gottlieb Green, 1984). In general, these studies suggest that the amount of relationships that people maintain tend to decrease with age. However, with increased age, experience at the school also increases together with the amount of relationships based on seniority (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997). In concordance with the latter, we hypothesize that age will positively affect the probability of work related ties, meaning that older teachers are more likely to send and receive work related relationships than younger teachers (Hypothesis 1e) Grade Level. Within schools, formal clustering around grade level may affect the pattern of relationships among educators. The grade level may to a certain extent affect the amount of interaction among educators since grade level teams may have additional grade level meetings and professional development initiatives are often targeted at the grade level (Daly et al., in press; McLaughlin Talbert, 1993; Newmann, Kings, Youngs, 2000; Newmann Wehlage, 1995; Wood, 2007; Stoll Louis, 2007). Dutch elementary schools are relatively small compared to U.S. elementary schools, and are often divided into a grade level team for the lower grades (K 2) and a grade level team for the upper grades (3 6). The amount of relationships that teachers have, may partly be defined by the requirements of and opportunities provided by their grade level team. We may expect that teachers that teach upper grade levels send and receive more relationships than teachers that teach lower grade levels because o f the increasingly diverse and demanding curriculum in the upper grades combined with intensified student testing and preparation for education after elementary school. These conditions may require more work related discussion of upper grade level teachers than of lower grade level teachers. As such, we expect that teachers that teach upper grade levels have a higher likelihood of sending and receiving relationships than teachers that teach lower grade levels (Hypothesis 1f). Dyadic level demographics that may shape teachers social networks Dyadic level demographics are demographics that typify the relationship between two individuals. Dyadic level effects give insights in network homophily. Network homophily is arguably the most well-known social network concept that often explicitly focuses on demographic characteristics of network members. The concept of homophily, also known by the adage birds of a feather flock together, addresses similarity between two individuals in a dyadic (paired) relationship. Homophily literature builds on the notion that individuals are more likely to develop and maintain social relationships with others that are similar to them on specific attributes, such as gender, organizational unit, or educational level (Marsden, 1988; McPherson Smith-Lovin, 1987; McPherson, Smith-Lovin, Cook, 2001). Similarly, individuals who differ from each other on a specific attribute are less likely to initiate relationships, and when they do, heterophilous relationships also tend to dissolve at a faster pace than homophilous relationships (McPherson et al., 2001). Homophily effects result from processes of social selection and social influence. Social selection refers to the idea that individuals tend to choose to interact with individuals that are similar to them in characteristics such as behavior and attitudes. At the same time, individuals that interact with each other influence each others behavior and attitudes, which may increase their similarity (McPherson et al., 2001). This is a process of social influence. In addition, individuals who share a relationship also tend to share similar experiences through their relationship (Feld, 1981). Homophily is related to the concept of structural balance. In the footsteps of cognitive balance theory, structural balance theory poses that individuals will undertake action to avoid or decrease an unbalanced network (Heider, 1958). Over time, people tend to seek balance in their network by initiating new strong relationships with friends of friends and terminate relationships with friends of enemies or enemies of friends (Wasserman Faust, 1997). As a result from this tendency towards structural balance, relatively homogenous and strong cliques may be formed that give the network some stability over time (Kossinets Watts, 2006). Structural balance and network homophily may have also have a negative influence on individuals social networks as the resulting network homogeneity and pattern of redundant relationships may limit their access to valuable information and expertise (Little, 1990; Burt, 1997, 2000). In this study we focus on two types of similarity that may define teachers relationships, namely gender similarity and grade level similarity. Gender similarity. A dyadic attribute that may affect teachers patterns of social relationships is the gender similarity between two teachers. Several studies have shown that work and voluntary organizations are often highly gender segregated (Bielby Baron, 1986, McGuire, 2000; McPherson Smith-Lovin, 1986, 1987; Popielarz, 1999; Van Emmerik, 2006). This gender homophily effect already starts at a young age (Hartup, 1993; Cairns Cairns, 1994; Furman Burmester, 1992). In the context of education, Heyl (1996) suggested an effect of gender homophily on interactional patterns among teachers, indicating that for men and women relationships with the opposite gender are less frequent or intense than relationships among men or relationship among women. In line with this suggestion, we hypothesize a homophily effect for gender, meaning that educators will prefer same-gender relationships over relationships with teachers of the opposite gender (Hypothesis 2a). Grade level similarity. Another dyadic attribute that may shape the pattern of teachers relationships is the grade level. In the Netherlands, schools are relatively small compared to the Unitesd States, with often only one full time or two part time teachers per grade level. Commonly, Dutch school teams are formally divided into two grade level levels representing the lower (onderbouw, often K-2 or K-3) and upper grades (bovenbouw, often grades 3-6 or 4-6), which are often located in close physical proximity. Recent research suggests that teachers who are located closely to each another are more likely to interact with each other than with teachers that are less physically proximate (Coburn Russell, 2008). Moreover, most schools have separate breaks for the lower and upper grades, and some schools hold additional formal meetings for the lower/upper grades to discuss issues related to these grades. Since shared experiences are argued to result in greater support among individuals (Fe ld, 1981; Suitor Pillemer, 2000; Suitor, Pillemer, Keeton, 1995), these organizational features will increase the opportunity for teachers from the same grade level to interact relative to teachers from a different grade level. Therefore, we hypothesize a homophily effect for grade level, meaning that teachers will more likely maintain relationships with teachers from their own grade level than with teachers that teach the other grade level (e.g., lower or upper level) (Hypothesis 2b). School level demographics that may shape teachers social networks Although teachers can often choose with whom they interact, the social structure of their schools network is partly outside their span of control (Burt, 1983; Brass Burkhardt, 1993; Gulati, 1995). Just as individual relationships may constrain or support a teachers access to and use of resources (Degenne Forse, 1999), the social structure surrounding the teacher may influence the extent to which teachers may shape their network so as to expect the greatest return on investment (Burt, 1992; Flap De Graaf, 1989; Ibarra, 1992, 1993, 1995; Lin Dumin, 1986; Little, 1990). Because of the embeddedness and interdependency of individuals in their social network, relationships and attributes at a higher level will affect lower-level relationships (Burt, 2000). As such, demographic characteristics at the school level may affect teachers patterns of relationships. We pose that the following school level demographic characteristics affect teachers pattern of social relationships: gender ratio , average age, school team experience, school size, school team size, and socio-economic status of the schools students. Gender ratio and average age. Above and beyond the influence of individual demographics on the tendency to form relationships, there may be aggregates of these individual demographics at the level of the school team that may affect teachers tendency to form and maintain relationships. Research in a law firm demonstrated that above the influence of individual level seniority, a lawyers position in the firms network was in part dependent on the ratio of juniors to seniors in the team (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997). For school teams, a compositional characteristic that may affect patterns of relationships is gender ratio, or the ratio of the number of female to male teachers. In a school team with a high ratio of female teachers (which is not unusual in Dutch elementary education) male teachers have fewer options for homophily friendships with same-sex peers than women. Therefore, male teachers in such a team may have a lower tendency to maintain relationships in general and a higher propens ity towards relationships with women than men in school teams with relatively more male teachers. Research confirms that the gender composition of a team may significantly affect gender homophily, with the minority gender often having much more heterophilous networks than the majority (McPherson, Smith-Lovin, Cook, 2001). Therefore, we expect that the gender ratio of the school team will shape teachers social networks. In line with previous empirical work suggesting that women tend to have more relationships than men (Mehra, Kilduff, Brass, 1998), we expect that teachers in school teams with a high female ratio will have a higher likelihood of sending and receiving ties than individuals in teams with relatively more male teachers (Hypothesis 3a). Along the same lines, if we expect that age will increase the likelihood of sending and receiving relationships, then increased average age of a school team may also enhance the probability of relationships. Therefore, we hypothesize that average age is positively related to the probability of ties (Hypothesis 3b). Team experience, school size, and team size. Prior research has indicated that individuals are more likely to reach out to others with whom they had previous relationships (Coburn Russell, 2008). Given the time and shared experiences that are necessary for building relationships, we may assume that the number of years that a school team has been functioning in its current configuration, without members leaving or joining the team, may affect teachers lilelihood of maintaining relationships. Therefore we include school team experience as a school level demographic that may positively affect teachers patterns of relationships (Hypothesis 3c). Other school demographics that may affect teachers inclinations to form relationships are school size (number of students) and team size (number of educators). Previous literature has suggested that the size of organizations and networks is directly related to the pattern of social relationships in organizations (Tsai, 2001). In general, the amou nt of individual relationships and the density of social networks decrease when network size increases. As such, we may expect a lower probability of relationships in schools that serve more students (Hypothesis 3d) and schools with larger school teams (Hypothesis 3e). Students socio-economic status. Social networks can be shaped by both endogenous and exogenous forces (Gulati, Nohria, Zaheer, 2000). An exogenous force to the school team that has been demonstrated to affect schools functioning is the socio-economic status (SES) of its students (Sirin, 2005; White, 1982). We argue that the socio-economic status of the children attending the school may influence the probability that teachers will form relationships. For instance, teachers perceptions of the urgency for communication and innovation may be dependent on the community surrounding the school. Typically, schools that serve more high-needs communities are associated with greater urgency in developing new approaches (Sunderman, Kim Orfield, 2005), which may relate to an increased probability of relationships among educators. Therefore, we hypothesize that teachers in low SES schools will have a higher probability of having relationships than teachers in high SES schools (Hypothesis 3f). METHOD Context The study took place at 13 elementary schools in south of The Netherlands. The schools were part of single district that provided IT, financial, and administrative support to 53 schools in the south of The Netherlands. At the time of the study, the district had just initiated a program for teacher development that involved a benchmark survey for the monitoring of school improvement. We selected a subsample of all the district schools based on a team size of 20 or more team members, since trial runs of the p2 estimation models encountered difficulties converging with smaller network sizes and more schools. The original sample consisted of 53 schools that, with the exception of school team and number of students, did not differ considerably from the 13 sample schools with regard to the described demographics. The context of Dutch elementary schools was beneficial to the study in three ways. First, the school teams were relatively small, which facilitated the collection of whole network data. Second, school teams are social networks with clear boundaries, meaning the distinction of who is part of the team is unambiguous for both researchers and respondents. Third, in contrast to many organizations, school organizations are characterized by relatively flat organizational structures, in which educators perform similar tasks and job diversification is relatively small. Often, educators have had similar training backgrounds, and are receiving school wide professional development as a team. Therefore, despite natural differences in individual characteristics, teachers in Dutch elementary school teams are arguably more comparable among each other than organizational employees in many other organizations, making demographic characteristics possibly less related to differences in tasks or task-rel ated status differences. Sample The sample schools served a student population ranging from 287 to 545 students in the age of 4 to 13. We collected social network data from 13 principals and 303 teachers, reflecting a response rate of 94.5 %. Of the sample, 69.9 % was female and 54.8 % worked full time (32 hours or more). Educators age ranged from 21 to 62 years (M = 46.5, sd = 9.9 years). Additional demographic information is depicted in Table 1 and 2. Instruments Social networks. We assessed the influence of demographic variables on a network that was aimed at capturing work related communication among educators. The network of discussing work related matters was selected because it is assumed to be an important network for the exchange of work related information, knowledge, and expertise that may affect individual and group performance (Sparrowe, Liden, Wayne, Kraimer, 2001). Moreover, according to the previous analysis into network multiplexity (see Chapter 1), this network appeared to be an instrumental network with relatively small overlap with expressive networks. We asked respondents the following question: Whom do you turn to in order to discuss your work? A school-specific appendix was attached to the questionnaire comprising the names of the school team members, accompanied by a letter combination for each school team member (e.g., Ms. Yolanda Brown = AB). The question could be answered by indicating a letter combination for each colleague who the respondent considered part of his/her work discussion network. The number of colleagues a respondent could indicate as part of his/her network was unlimited. Individual, dyadic, and school level attributes. We collected demographic variables to assess how individual, dyadic, and school level attributes shape the pattern of social relationships among educators. At the individual level, we examined the following individual attributes: gender, formal position (teacher/principal), working hours (part time/full time), number of years experience at school, age, and whether a teacher was teaching in lower grade or upper grade. At the dyadic level, we included similarity of gender and similarity of grade level (lower/upper grade). At the school level, we investigated school size, team size, gender ratio, average age, years of team experience in current formation, and students socio-economic status (SES). Data analysis Testing the hypotheses Since our dependent variable consisted of social network data that are by nature interdependent (relationships among individuals), the assumption of data independence that underlies conventional regression models is violated. Therefore, we employed multilevel p2 models to investigate the effect of individual, dyadic, and school level demographics on having work-related relationships (Van Duijn et al., 2004; Baerveldt et al., 2004; Zijlstra, 2008). The p2 model is similar to a logistic regression model, but is developed to handle dichotomous dyadic outcomes. In contrast to a univariate logistic regression model, the p2 model controls for the interdependency that resides in social network data. The model focuses on the individual as the unit of analysis. The p2 model regards sender and receiver effects as latent (i.e., unobserved) random variables that can be explained by sender and receiver characteristics (Veenstra, et al., 2007). In the multilevel p2 analyses, the dependent variable is the aggregate of all the nominations a team member sent to or received from others. A positive effect thus indicates that the independent demographic variable has a positive effect on the probability of a relationship. We used the p2 program within the StOCNET software suite to run the p2 models (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997; Van Duijn, Snijders, Zijlstra, 2004). This software has been recently modified to fit multilevel data (Zijlstra, 2008; Zijlstra, Van Duijn, Snijders, 2006). We make use of this recent development by calculating multilevel p2 models for our data. The social network data in this study have a three-level structure. Network data were collected from 13 schools (Level 3) with 316 educators (Level 2) and 11.241 dyadic relationships (Level 1). To examine the influence of individual, dyadic, and school level demographics on the likelihood of having work related relationships we constructed two multilevel models. In the first multilevel model, the effects of individual and dyadic level demographics on the possibility of having relationships were examined. In the second multilevel model, school level demographic variables were added to the model in order to explain the additional effect of school level demographics on the possibility of having relationships, above and beyond the effects of individual and dyadic level demographics. For the multilevel p2 models, we used a subsample of the 13 schools with a team size of 20 educators or more. We selected this subsample of 13 schools from a larger sample of 53 schools to reduce computing ti me and to examine schools that were more comparable in network size. Still, each model estimation took about six hours of computing time. How to interpret p2 estimates In general, effects in p2 models can be interpreted in the following manner. Results on the variables of interest include both sender effects and receiver effects, meaning effects that signify the probability of sending or receiving a relationship nomination. A positively significant parameter estimate can be interpreted as the demographic variable having a positive effect on the probability of a relationship (Veenstra et al., 2007). For instance, a positive sender effect of formal position with dummy coding (teacher/principal) means that the position with the upper dummy code (principal) will have a higher probability of sending relationships than the position with the lower dummy code (teacher). To assess homophily effects, dyadic matrices were constructed based on the absolute difference between two respondents. For example, the dyadic relationship between male and female educators would be coded as a relationship between educators with a different gender because the absolute difference between male (dummy variable = 0) and female (dummy code = 1) is 1. Smaller numbers thus represent greater interpersonal similarity in gender. The same procedure was carried out for grade level differences. To facilitate the interpretation of the models, we labeled the dyadic parameters different gender and different grade level. A negative parameter estimate for different gender would thus indicate that a Effect of Social Networks on Teaching Methods Effect of Social Networks on Teaching Methods ABSTRACT Background. Research on social networks in schools is increasing rapidly. Network studies outside education have indicated that the structure of social networks is partly affected by demographic characteristics of network members. Yet, knowledge on how teacher social networks are shaped by teacher and school demographics is scarce. Purpose. The goal of this study was to examine the extent to which teachers work related social networks are affected by teacher and school demographic characteristics. Method. Survey data were collected among 316 educators from 13 elementary schools in a large educational system in the Netherlands. Using social network analysis, in particular multilevel p2 modeling, we analyzed the effect of teacher and school demographics on individual teachers probability of having relationships in a work discussion network. Conclusions. Findings indicate that differences in having relationships were associated with differences in gender, grade level, working hours, formal position, and experience. We also found that educators tend to prefer relationships with educators with the same gender and from the same grade level. Moreover, years of shared experience as a school team appeared to affect the likelihood of teacher relationships around work related discussion. INTRODUCTION Relationships among educators are more and more regarded as an important element to schools functioning, and a potential source of school improvement. Educational practitioners and scholars around the world are targeting teacher interaction as a way to facilitate knowledge exchange and shared teacher practice through a variety of collaborative initiatives, such as communities of practice, professional learning communities, and social networks (Daly Finnigan, 2009; Hord, 1997; Lieberman McLaughlin, 1992; Wenger, 1998). The growing literature base around these concepts suggests that relationships matter for fostering a climate of trust and a safe and open environment to implement reform and engage in innovative teacher practices (Bryk Schneider, 2002; Louis, Marks, Kruse, 1996; Coburn Russell, 2008; Penuel, Fishman, Yamaguchi, Galagher, 2007). Social network literature asserts that relationships matter because the configuration of social relationships offers opportunities and constraints for collective action (Burt, 1983, Coleman, 1990; Granovetter, 1973; Lochner, Kawachi, Kennedy, 1999). For instance, the extent to which an organizational network supports the rate and ease with which knowledge and information flows through the organization may provide it with an advantage over its competitors (Nahapiet Ghoshal, 1998; Tsai, 2001). While social network studies have mainly concentrated on the consequences of social networks for individuals and groups, less attention has been paid to how social networks are conditioned upon individual characteristics and behavior (Borgatti Foster, 2003). A developing set of studies in organizational literature is focusing on how attributes of individuals such as personality traits affect their social network (e.g., Burt, Janotta Mahoney, 1998; Mehra, Kilduff, Brass, 2001; Madhavan, Caner , Prescott, Koka, 2008), how individuals select others to engage in relationships (Kossinets Watts, 2006; McPherson, Smith-Lovin, Cook, 2001), and how organizations enter into alliances with other organizations (Gulati Gargiulo, 1999). These studies offer valuable insights in potential individual and organizational attributes that may affect the pattern of social relationships in school teams. Attributes that are especially worth investigating for their potential to shape the social structure of school teams are demographic characteristics (cf. Ely, 1995; Tsui, Egan, OReilly, 1992). Demographic characteristics are more or less constant elements that typify teachers, their relationships, and schools based on socio-economic factors such as age, gender, teaching experience, and school team composition. Several network studies have suggested that networks are at least in part shaped by demographic characteristics of individuals, their dyadic relationships, and the network (Brass, 1984; Heyl, 1996; Ibarra 1992, 1995; Lazega Van Duijn, 1997; Veenstra et al., 2007; Zijlstra, Veenstra, Van Duijn, 2008). For instance, several studies reported that relationships among individuals with the same gender are more likely than relationships among individuals with opposite gender (a so-called homophily effect) (Baerveldt, Van Duijn, Vermeij, Van Hemert, 2004; McPherson, Smith-Lovin Co ok, 2001). These studies, however, seldom purposely aim to examine the impact of demographic characteristics on social networks and consequently only include few demographic variables of network members. Insights in the extent to which social relationships are formed in the light of multiple individual and organizational demographic characteristics are limited, and even more so in the context of education. We argue that such groundwork knowledge is crucial for all those who aim to optimize social networks in support of school improvement and, ultimately, student achievement. This chapter aims to examine the extent to which social networks in school teams are shaped by individual, dyadic, and school level demographic variables, such as teachers gender and age, school team composition and team experience, and students socio-economic status. We conducted a study among 316 educators in 13 Dutch elementary schools. Results of this study were expected to increase insights in the constant social forces that may partly define teachers relationships in their school teams, and discover potential tendencies around, for example, homophily and structural balance. Based on a literature review of social network studies that include demographic variables in a wide range of settings, we pose several hypotheses on the extent to which demographical variables at the individual, dyadic, and school level may affect teachers social networks. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Individual level demographics that may shape teachers social networks Social network literature has suggested various individual demographic characteristics to affect their pattern of relationships, and as such social networks as a whole (Heyl, 1996; Lazega Van Duijn, 1997; Veenstra et al., 2007; Zijlstra, Veenstra, Van Duijn, 2008). Following these suggestions, we will first review how individual level demographic characteristics may affect teachers social networks. We focus on the individual demographics gender, formal position, working hours, experience at school, age, and grade level for their potential influence on teachers patterns of social relationships and school teams social network structure. Gender. The likelihood of having relationships in a network may be associated with gender (Metz Tharenou, 2001; Moore, 1990; Stoloff et al., 1999; Veenstra et al., 2007; Zijlstra, Veenstra, Van Duijn, 2008). Previous research has indicated that gender affects network formation (Burt et al., 1998; Hughes, 1946; Ibarra, 1993, 1995, Moore, 1990; Pugliesi, 1998; Van Emmerik, 2006) and that, in general, women tend to have more relationships than men (Mehra, Kilduff, Brass, 1998). These differences are already found in childhood (Frydenberg Lewis, 1993) and continue to exist through life (Parker de Vries, 1993; Van der Pompe De Heus, 1993). In various settings and cultures, both men and women were found to use men as network routes to achieve their goals and acquire information from more distant domains (Aldrich et al., 1989; Bernard et al., 1988). Following these findings, we hypothesize that male teachers will have a higher likelihood of receiving more relationships than female tea chers, and women will send more relationships than men (Hypothesis 1a). Formal position. Previous research in organizations (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997; Moore, 1990) and education (Coburn, 2005; Coburn Russell, 2008; Daly Finnigan, 2009; Heyl, 1996) suggests that the formal position of individuals may be related to their relational activity and popularity. For instance, Lazega Van Duijn (1997) found that lawyers were more often sought out for advice when they held a higher hierarchical position. Research has indicated that the network position of an organizational leader is important in terms of access and leveraging social resources through social relationships as well as brokering between teachers that are themselves unconnected (Balkundi Harrison, 2006; Balkundi Kilduff, 2005). In line with these studies, we expect that principals will be more sought out for work related discussions than teachers. We also expect that principals will report to be involved in more relationships than teachers, since they depend on these relationships to gather informat ion and convey knowledge, plans, and expertise to support student learning and monitor the functioning of teachers and the school. Moreover, principals are reported to occupy a strategic position in the flow of information between the district office and teachers and relay important policy and organizational information from the district office to the teachers (Coburn, 2005; Coburn Russell, 2008). Therefore, we hypothesize that principals have a higher likelihood of sending and receiving relationships (Hypothesis 1b). Working hours. In addition, the number of working hours that an educator spends at the school may also affect his/her opportunity to initiate and maintain social relationships. Recent research suggests that the relationship between network embeddedness and job performance is related to working hours (Van Emmerik Sanders, 2004). In line with this finding, it is hypothesized that educators who work full time will have a higher probability of sending and receiving relationships than educators with part time working hours (Hypothesis 1c). Experience at the school. Another demographic characteristic that may affect an individuals pattern of relationships is seniority, or experience at the school. The previously mentioned law study (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997) indicated that senior lawyers had a higher probability of being sought out for advice than junior lawyers. Besides having more work experience, a perceived network advantage of senior lawyers may be that they have built more strong, durable, and reliable relationships over time, and therefore have access to resources that are unattainable for more junior lawyers. Accordingly, we hypothesize that educators who have more experience in their school team have a higher likelihood of sending and receiving work discussion relationships than educators who have less experience in the school team (Hypothesis 1d). Age. Network research in other contexts found age differences in relation to the amount of relationships that individuals maintain (Cairns, Leung, Buchanan, Cairns, 1995; Gottlieb Green, 1984). In general, these studies suggest that the amount of relationships that people maintain tend to decrease with age. However, with increased age, experience at the school also increases together with the amount of relationships based on seniority (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997). In concordance with the latter, we hypothesize that age will positively affect the probability of work related ties, meaning that older teachers are more likely to send and receive work related relationships than younger teachers (Hypothesis 1e) Grade Level. Within schools, formal clustering around grade level may affect the pattern of relationships among educators. The grade level may to a certain extent affect the amount of interaction among educators since grade level teams may have additional grade level meetings and professional development initiatives are often targeted at the grade level (Daly et al., in press; McLaughlin Talbert, 1993; Newmann, Kings, Youngs, 2000; Newmann Wehlage, 1995; Wood, 2007; Stoll Louis, 2007). Dutch elementary schools are relatively small compared to U.S. elementary schools, and are often divided into a grade level team for the lower grades (K 2) and a grade level team for the upper grades (3 6). The amount of relationships that teachers have, may partly be defined by the requirements of and opportunities provided by their grade level team. We may expect that teachers that teach upper grade levels send and receive more relationships than teachers that teach lower grade levels because o f the increasingly diverse and demanding curriculum in the upper grades combined with intensified student testing and preparation for education after elementary school. These conditions may require more work related discussion of upper grade level teachers than of lower grade level teachers. As such, we expect that teachers that teach upper grade levels have a higher likelihood of sending and receiving relationships than teachers that teach lower grade levels (Hypothesis 1f). Dyadic level demographics that may shape teachers social networks Dyadic level demographics are demographics that typify the relationship between two individuals. Dyadic level effects give insights in network homophily. Network homophily is arguably the most well-known social network concept that often explicitly focuses on demographic characteristics of network members. The concept of homophily, also known by the adage birds of a feather flock together, addresses similarity between two individuals in a dyadic (paired) relationship. Homophily literature builds on the notion that individuals are more likely to develop and maintain social relationships with others that are similar to them on specific attributes, such as gender, organizational unit, or educational level (Marsden, 1988; McPherson Smith-Lovin, 1987; McPherson, Smith-Lovin, Cook, 2001). Similarly, individuals who differ from each other on a specific attribute are less likely to initiate relationships, and when they do, heterophilous relationships also tend to dissolve at a faster pace than homophilous relationships (McPherson et al., 2001). Homophily effects result from processes of social selection and social influence. Social selection refers to the idea that individuals tend to choose to interact with individuals that are similar to them in characteristics such as behavior and attitudes. At the same time, individuals that interact with each other influence each others behavior and attitudes, which may increase their similarity (McPherson et al., 2001). This is a process of social influence. In addition, individuals who share a relationship also tend to share similar experiences through their relationship (Feld, 1981). Homophily is related to the concept of structural balance. In the footsteps of cognitive balance theory, structural balance theory poses that individuals will undertake action to avoid or decrease an unbalanced network (Heider, 1958). Over time, people tend to seek balance in their network by initiating new strong relationships with friends of friends and terminate relationships with friends of enemies or enemies of friends (Wasserman Faust, 1997). As a result from this tendency towards structural balance, relatively homogenous and strong cliques may be formed that give the network some stability over time (Kossinets Watts, 2006). Structural balance and network homophily may have also have a negative influence on individuals social networks as the resulting network homogeneity and pattern of redundant relationships may limit their access to valuable information and expertise (Little, 1990; Burt, 1997, 2000). In this study we focus on two types of similarity that may define teachers relationships, namely gender similarity and grade level similarity. Gender similarity. A dyadic attribute that may affect teachers patterns of social relationships is the gender similarity between two teachers. Several studies have shown that work and voluntary organizations are often highly gender segregated (Bielby Baron, 1986, McGuire, 2000; McPherson Smith-Lovin, 1986, 1987; Popielarz, 1999; Van Emmerik, 2006). This gender homophily effect already starts at a young age (Hartup, 1993; Cairns Cairns, 1994; Furman Burmester, 1992). In the context of education, Heyl (1996) suggested an effect of gender homophily on interactional patterns among teachers, indicating that for men and women relationships with the opposite gender are less frequent or intense than relationships among men or relationship among women. In line with this suggestion, we hypothesize a homophily effect for gender, meaning that educators will prefer same-gender relationships over relationships with teachers of the opposite gender (Hypothesis 2a). Grade level similarity. Another dyadic attribute that may shape the pattern of teachers relationships is the grade level. In the Netherlands, schools are relatively small compared to the Unitesd States, with often only one full time or two part time teachers per grade level. Commonly, Dutch school teams are formally divided into two grade level levels representing the lower (onderbouw, often K-2 or K-3) and upper grades (bovenbouw, often grades 3-6 or 4-6), which are often located in close physical proximity. Recent research suggests that teachers who are located closely to each another are more likely to interact with each other than with teachers that are less physically proximate (Coburn Russell, 2008). Moreover, most schools have separate breaks for the lower and upper grades, and some schools hold additional formal meetings for the lower/upper grades to discuss issues related to these grades. Since shared experiences are argued to result in greater support among individuals (Fe ld, 1981; Suitor Pillemer, 2000; Suitor, Pillemer, Keeton, 1995), these organizational features will increase the opportunity for teachers from the same grade level to interact relative to teachers from a different grade level. Therefore, we hypothesize a homophily effect for grade level, meaning that teachers will more likely maintain relationships with teachers from their own grade level than with teachers that teach the other grade level (e.g., lower or upper level) (Hypothesis 2b). School level demographics that may shape teachers social networks Although teachers can often choose with whom they interact, the social structure of their schools network is partly outside their span of control (Burt, 1983; Brass Burkhardt, 1993; Gulati, 1995). Just as individual relationships may constrain or support a teachers access to and use of resources (Degenne Forse, 1999), the social structure surrounding the teacher may influence the extent to which teachers may shape their network so as to expect the greatest return on investment (Burt, 1992; Flap De Graaf, 1989; Ibarra, 1992, 1993, 1995; Lin Dumin, 1986; Little, 1990). Because of the embeddedness and interdependency of individuals in their social network, relationships and attributes at a higher level will affect lower-level relationships (Burt, 2000). As such, demographic characteristics at the school level may affect teachers patterns of relationships. We pose that the following school level demographic characteristics affect teachers pattern of social relationships: gender ratio , average age, school team experience, school size, school team size, and socio-economic status of the schools students. Gender ratio and average age. Above and beyond the influence of individual demographics on the tendency to form relationships, there may be aggregates of these individual demographics at the level of the school team that may affect teachers tendency to form and maintain relationships. Research in a law firm demonstrated that above the influence of individual level seniority, a lawyers position in the firms network was in part dependent on the ratio of juniors to seniors in the team (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997). For school teams, a compositional characteristic that may affect patterns of relationships is gender ratio, or the ratio of the number of female to male teachers. In a school team with a high ratio of female teachers (which is not unusual in Dutch elementary education) male teachers have fewer options for homophily friendships with same-sex peers than women. Therefore, male teachers in such a team may have a lower tendency to maintain relationships in general and a higher propens ity towards relationships with women than men in school teams with relatively more male teachers. Research confirms that the gender composition of a team may significantly affect gender homophily, with the minority gender often having much more heterophilous networks than the majority (McPherson, Smith-Lovin, Cook, 2001). Therefore, we expect that the gender ratio of the school team will shape teachers social networks. In line with previous empirical work suggesting that women tend to have more relationships than men (Mehra, Kilduff, Brass, 1998), we expect that teachers in school teams with a high female ratio will have a higher likelihood of sending and receiving ties than individuals in teams with relatively more male teachers (Hypothesis 3a). Along the same lines, if we expect that age will increase the likelihood of sending and receiving relationships, then increased average age of a school team may also enhance the probability of relationships. Therefore, we hypothesize that average age is positively related to the probability of ties (Hypothesis 3b). Team experience, school size, and team size. Prior research has indicated that individuals are more likely to reach out to others with whom they had previous relationships (Coburn Russell, 2008). Given the time and shared experiences that are necessary for building relationships, we may assume that the number of years that a school team has been functioning in its current configuration, without members leaving or joining the team, may affect teachers lilelihood of maintaining relationships. Therefore we include school team experience as a school level demographic that may positively affect teachers patterns of relationships (Hypothesis 3c). Other school demographics that may affect teachers inclinations to form relationships are school size (number of students) and team size (number of educators). Previous literature has suggested that the size of organizations and networks is directly related to the pattern of social relationships in organizations (Tsai, 2001). In general, the amou nt of individual relationships and the density of social networks decrease when network size increases. As such, we may expect a lower probability of relationships in schools that serve more students (Hypothesis 3d) and schools with larger school teams (Hypothesis 3e). Students socio-economic status. Social networks can be shaped by both endogenous and exogenous forces (Gulati, Nohria, Zaheer, 2000). An exogenous force to the school team that has been demonstrated to affect schools functioning is the socio-economic status (SES) of its students (Sirin, 2005; White, 1982). We argue that the socio-economic status of the children attending the school may influence the probability that teachers will form relationships. For instance, teachers perceptions of the urgency for communication and innovation may be dependent on the community surrounding the school. Typically, schools that serve more high-needs communities are associated with greater urgency in developing new approaches (Sunderman, Kim Orfield, 2005), which may relate to an increased probability of relationships among educators. Therefore, we hypothesize that teachers in low SES schools will have a higher probability of having relationships than teachers in high SES schools (Hypothesis 3f). METHOD Context The study took place at 13 elementary schools in south of The Netherlands. The schools were part of single district that provided IT, financial, and administrative support to 53 schools in the south of The Netherlands. At the time of the study, the district had just initiated a program for teacher development that involved a benchmark survey for the monitoring of school improvement. We selected a subsample of all the district schools based on a team size of 20 or more team members, since trial runs of the p2 estimation models encountered difficulties converging with smaller network sizes and more schools. The original sample consisted of 53 schools that, with the exception of school team and number of students, did not differ considerably from the 13 sample schools with regard to the described demographics. The context of Dutch elementary schools was beneficial to the study in three ways. First, the school teams were relatively small, which facilitated the collection of whole network data. Second, school teams are social networks with clear boundaries, meaning the distinction of who is part of the team is unambiguous for both researchers and respondents. Third, in contrast to many organizations, school organizations are characterized by relatively flat organizational structures, in which educators perform similar tasks and job diversification is relatively small. Often, educators have had similar training backgrounds, and are receiving school wide professional development as a team. Therefore, despite natural differences in individual characteristics, teachers in Dutch elementary school teams are arguably more comparable among each other than organizational employees in many other organizations, making demographic characteristics possibly less related to differences in tasks or task-rel ated status differences. Sample The sample schools served a student population ranging from 287 to 545 students in the age of 4 to 13. We collected social network data from 13 principals and 303 teachers, reflecting a response rate of 94.5 %. Of the sample, 69.9 % was female and 54.8 % worked full time (32 hours or more). Educators age ranged from 21 to 62 years (M = 46.5, sd = 9.9 years). Additional demographic information is depicted in Table 1 and 2. Instruments Social networks. We assessed the influence of demographic variables on a network that was aimed at capturing work related communication among educators. The network of discussing work related matters was selected because it is assumed to be an important network for the exchange of work related information, knowledge, and expertise that may affect individual and group performance (Sparrowe, Liden, Wayne, Kraimer, 2001). Moreover, according to the previous analysis into network multiplexity (see Chapter 1), this network appeared to be an instrumental network with relatively small overlap with expressive networks. We asked respondents the following question: Whom do you turn to in order to discuss your work? A school-specific appendix was attached to the questionnaire comprising the names of the school team members, accompanied by a letter combination for each school team member (e.g., Ms. Yolanda Brown = AB). The question could be answered by indicating a letter combination for each colleague who the respondent considered part of his/her work discussion network. The number of colleagues a respondent could indicate as part of his/her network was unlimited. Individual, dyadic, and school level attributes. We collected demographic variables to assess how individual, dyadic, and school level attributes shape the pattern of social relationships among educators. At the individual level, we examined the following individual attributes: gender, formal position (teacher/principal), working hours (part time/full time), number of years experience at school, age, and whether a teacher was teaching in lower grade or upper grade. At the dyadic level, we included similarity of gender and similarity of grade level (lower/upper grade). At the school level, we investigated school size, team size, gender ratio, average age, years of team experience in current formation, and students socio-economic status (SES). Data analysis Testing the hypotheses Since our dependent variable consisted of social network data that are by nature interdependent (relationships among individuals), the assumption of data independence that underlies conventional regression models is violated. Therefore, we employed multilevel p2 models to investigate the effect of individual, dyadic, and school level demographics on having work-related relationships (Van Duijn et al., 2004; Baerveldt et al., 2004; Zijlstra, 2008). The p2 model is similar to a logistic regression model, but is developed to handle dichotomous dyadic outcomes. In contrast to a univariate logistic regression model, the p2 model controls for the interdependency that resides in social network data. The model focuses on the individual as the unit of analysis. The p2 model regards sender and receiver effects as latent (i.e., unobserved) random variables that can be explained by sender and receiver characteristics (Veenstra, et al., 2007). In the multilevel p2 analyses, the dependent variable is the aggregate of all the nominations a team member sent to or received from others. A positive effect thus indicates that the independent demographic variable has a positive effect on the probability of a relationship. We used the p2 program within the StOCNET software suite to run the p2 models (Lazega Van Duijn, 1997; Van Duijn, Snijders, Zijlstra, 2004). This software has been recently modified to fit multilevel data (Zijlstra, 2008; Zijlstra, Van Duijn, Snijders, 2006). We make use of this recent development by calculating multilevel p2 models for our data. The social network data in this study have a three-level structure. Network data were collected from 13 schools (Level 3) with 316 educators (Level 2) and 11.241 dyadic relationships (Level 1). To examine the influence of individual, dyadic, and school level demographics on the likelihood of having work related relationships we constructed two multilevel models. In the first multilevel model, the effects of individual and dyadic level demographics on the possibility of having relationships were examined. In the second multilevel model, school level demographic variables were added to the model in order to explain the additional effect of school level demographics on the possibility of having relationships, above and beyond the effects of individual and dyadic level demographics. For the multilevel p2 models, we used a subsample of the 13 schools with a team size of 20 educators or more. We selected this subsample of 13 schools from a larger sample of 53 schools to reduce computing ti me and to examine schools that were more comparable in network size. Still, each model estimation took about six hours of computing time. How to interpret p2 estimates In general, effects in p2 models can be interpreted in the following manner. Results on the variables of interest include both sender effects and receiver effects, meaning effects that signify the probability of sending or receiving a relationship nomination. A positively significant parameter estimate can be interpreted as the demographic variable having a positive effect on the probability of a relationship (Veenstra et al., 2007). For instance, a positive sender effect of formal position with dummy coding (teacher/principal) means that the position with the upper dummy code (principal) will have a higher probability of sending relationships than the position with the lower dummy code (teacher). To assess homophily effects, dyadic matrices were constructed based on the absolute difference between two respondents. For example, the dyadic relationship between male and female educators would be coded as a relationship between educators with a different gender because the absolute difference between male (dummy variable = 0) and female (dummy code = 1) is 1. Smaller numbers thus represent greater interpersonal similarity in gender. The same procedure was carried out for grade level differences. To facilitate the interpretation of the models, we labeled the dyadic parameters different gender and different grade level. A negative parameter estimate for different gender would thus indicate that a