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The Relation Between Globalization And Personal Values Across 53 Countries And 28 Years, Irina Florentina Cozma

Doctoral Dissertations

The aim of this research is to examine the relation between the change in globalization and change in personal values (work and general life values). An analysis across 28 years and 53 countries suggests that changes in different personal values have different relations with the change in globalization. Moreover, this relation is influenced by the demographic characteristics of the sample. The present research contributes to the literature in the following ways: 1) linking globalization (an economic concept) and personal values (a psychological concept), 2) providing an analysis of the relation between the change in personal values and the change in …

A Survey Of Tennessee Extension Agents’ Perceptions Of The Tennessee Extension Agent Performance Appraisal System, Joseph Leonard Donaldson

Doctoral Dissertations

This study aimed to describe extension agent perceptions of the Tennessee Extension Agent Performance Appraisal System. A survey instrument was developed to address the research questions. The instrument had two sections: Satisfaction with the Current Appraisal System (14 items) and Satisfaction with Appraiser Performance (7 items). The instrument was reviewed by an expert panel and pilot tested with a group of 39 extension agents. The instrument was deployed online to the study population.

The population studied consisted of all extension agents employed by the University of Tennessee and Tennessee State University in January, 2010 (N=312). The total completed responses were …

Development Of An Organizational Hardiness Construct: Examining Configurations Of Sensemaking, Organizational Identity, And Enactment., Joshua Lloyd Ray

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to develop the construct of organizational hardiness which is thought to distinguish organizations that thrive under conditions of turbulence and uncertainty from organizations that whither under these same conditions. This new construct is based on individual hardiness which is a constellation of personality dispositions that a large body of empirical work has suggested supports individual performance under conditions of turbulence and uncertainty. Paralleling the individual hardiness dispositions of challenge, commitment, and control, organizational hardiness is posited to consist of the organizational level constructs of sensemaking, organizational identification, and enactment. The development of organizational hardiness …

Locally Produced Food Purchasing Through Retail Grocery Channels: An Evaluation Of Relevant Customer And Store Environment Attributes, Jeffrey Michael Campbell

Doctoral Dissertations

The study examines the phenomenon of purchasing locally produced foods in retail grocery stores. Theoretical foundations from the theory of planned behavior and from the stimulus-organism-response framework were used to support and test a model that hypothesized relationships between attitude, subjective norms, perceived consumer effectiveness, perceived product availability, intention to purchase, store atmospheric responsiveness, price consciousness, and extent of purchase behavior in a retail grocery setting.

An online survey methodology was used to collect 600 responses across the United States. A two-step approach to structural equation modeling was used to test the relationships. Confirmatory factor analysis with measurement model development …

Examining The Relationship Between Work/Life Conflict And Life Satisfaction In Executives: The Role Of Problem-Focused Coping Techniques, Heather S Mcmillan

Doctoral Dissertations

Determining not only what makes people, but also how many people are, satisfied personally and with work has become an ongoing stream of research for both academics and practitioners. The idea of satisfaction is of such concern today that Gallup-Healthways conducts a survey, and reports, on the daily well-being of Americans (http://www.gallup.com/poll/106915/ gallup-daily-us-mood.aspx). Given the importance of satisfaction to individuals, organizations and society at large, it is imperative to understand the predictors and mediators of satisfaction. Research has been conducted on the negative (i.e., inverse) relationship between satisfaction and work/life conflict, as well as the positive relationship between coping and …

It Takes A Community To Change A Broken System: Using An Inter-Organizational Collaborative Group To Ensure All Oakland Students Graduate From High School, Nyeisha T. Dewitt

Doctoral Dissertations

This qualitative study documents the formation and interactions of an inter-organizational collaborative group, Oakland's Promise Alliance, to determine if there were environmental and community factors that contributed to the success of the collaborative. The research examines how various participatory activities and group interactions used during the relationship-building phase of the groups' development helped strengthen the group over time. Lastly this study identifies the specific, preexisting characteristics of the Oakland community that affect the propensity for change.

Employing the participatory action research method, 9 of the 13 members of the executive committee voluntarily participated in qualitative interviews and group dialogue to …