Paula E. Bobrowski

Parents' school satisfaction: ethnic similarities and differences

Purpose – Parent satisfaction with their children’s school is an important issue in today’s competitive educational environment characterized by school choice and government standards; however, few empirical studies address school satisfaction similarities and differences among parents from different ethnic groups. The purpose of this paper is to determine empirically similarities as well as differences in the factors important to parents from different ethnic backgrounds.Design/methodology/approach – This article presents a conceptual model of parent satisfaction with schools that was derived from the literature as well as researchers at the Harris Interactive Poll Organization. The article reports the findings from a survey of 27,605 African-American, Asian, Caucasian, and Hispanic parents from 121 schools in 27 school districts across the US. Regression analyses identified factors that contribute to overall school satisfaction among the ethnic groups.Findings – Ethnic parental groups share attributes with respect to school satisfaction; however, the importance groups place on such school characteristics as parental involvement, school administration, and technology varies. Across ethnic groups, parents’ school satisfaction was influenced most by their rating of school safety, followed by the school budget and teacher effectiveness. Factors more proximal to children’s school experience (e.g. safety, teachers, and facilities) had greater influence on parents’ school satisfaction than factors of lesser proximity (e.g. district administration).Originality/value – The study furthers our understanding of parent’s school satisfaction with their children’s schools, especially with respect to ethnicity. The study findings have practical implications for school administrators who must first understand parents’ school satisfaction across and among ethnic groups, set priorities, and take action to increase parent school satisfaction.

Predictors of Parents’ Satisfaction with Their Children's School.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify factors of parent satisfaction, then identify predictors of overall school satisfaction among three groups of variables: district characteristics, parent demographics, and school satisfaction factors. Despite the importance of parents in the success of schoolchildren, few empirical studies address the complexities and factor structure of parent satisfaction with their children’s school.Design/methodology/approach – This paper reports findings from a survey of 30,279 parents from 121 schools in 27 school districts across the USA conducted by Harris Interactive, Inc. The researchers employed factor analysis to identify factors of parent satisfaction, and then regressed overall satisfaction on district characteristics, demographic variables, and satisfaction factors.Findings – In this paper three parent satisfaction factors were found: the extent to which parents received adequate information from the school about their children, and the degree of involvement the school and teachers afforded them, the adequacy of school resources, and the extent to which school leadership (Board of Education and School Superintendent) was effective and managed the school budget well. These factors significantly predicted overall parent/school satisfaction even after district and demographics were controlled.Originality/value – The study increases one’s understanding of the underlying factors that explain parent satisfaction, and demographic, and district characteristics that predict parents’ satisfaction.The findings suggest factors that school administrators manage these factors in order to improve parent satisfaction.

A Framework For Integrating External Information Into New Product Development: Lessons From The Medical Technology Industry

Only the best manufacturers will remain competitive in todays challenging environment. Any manager involved with developing new products knows the excitement, complexity, and risk of this unpredictable undertaking. Based upon findings from four world class manufacturers of medical imaging technology in Japan and the United States, this article presents a new organizing framework for integrating external information into the NPD process. The findings are particularly timely in an era when manufacturers are vulnerable to intense global competition. The article concludes with several implications for managers involved in the new product development process.

Gateway to Business: An Innovative Approach to Integrating Writing into the First-Year Business Curriculum.

Assignment Grading Rubric Circle the number for each category that best describes the abstract. Abstract written in student’s own wordswritten in student’s own words Sentences copied Written in student’s from article own words

Teaching First-Year Business Students to Summarize: Abstract Writing Assignment

Writing Assignment

The product development process: a comparison between US and Japanese medical diagnostic imaging industries

This research begins with a brief historical summary of the general medical diagnostic imaging industry development in Japan. It examines and compares the product development process in manufacturing sites located in the US and Japan. It discusses several important areas of the product development process, focusing on how firms integrate information throughout the product development process from sources that are external to the manufacturer. The findings are based on four case studies, two with manufacturers located in Japan and two manufacturers located in the US. Within each firm, multiple in-depth interviews were conducted with managers responsible for areas that are important to developing medical technologies including R&D, engineering, manufacturing, marketing, logistics and materials management.