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The Courts As Policy-Makers : A Medical Malpractice Case Study, Jennifer A. Williams

Honors Theses

In this thesis, I argue that the courts are not effective policy-makers because they are a channel for resolving disputes between individuals. I first present the basics of medical malpractice litigation and some of the current literature on the courts as policy-makers. I then address the cultural trends that have made this form of individual dispute resolution common and acceptable, particularly for my case study of medical malpractice. Then I show how some of the individualized aspects of the legal system distort the deterrent effect of lawsuits. I focus on the poor fit between actual negligence and lawsuits that results …

The Wei-Ji Theory Of Crisis Leadership And The Case Of The Flu Hunters, Patrick A. Oliver

Honors Theses

There is considerable research and literature on crisis management, especially as it applies to formal organizations dealing with crisis. This literature focuses mainly on the for-profit sector of organizations; attempting to provide useful frameworks to facilitate understanding of how to react at different points in different crisis situations. The great majority of this literature can be divided into two sections: (1) preparation for and (2) reactions to different crisis situations. The dynamic which is missing from the crisis management literature is leadership. Crisis management literature takes an active view towards the preparation for crisis and identification process of a crisis,but …

Implementing Public Policy : The Virginia Comprehensive Community Corrections Act For Local-Responsible Offenders, Tracey L. Jenkins

Master's Theses

This is a study of how the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) attempted to implement a major crime initiative, the Comprehensive Community Corrections Act (CCCA). The aim is to explain the implementation process in DCJS with reference to organizational models developed by Richard Elmore (1978). A careful analysis of the day-to-day operation and decision-making processes of DCJS, with particular emphasis on the implementation of the CCCA, shows that DCJS normally corresponds with the expectations of the "organizational development" and "bureaucratic process" models described in Elmore's typology of organizations. Still, agencies often must adapt to political and policy changes that …

The 1990 Virginia Indoor Clean Air Act : A Case Study In Public Interest Lobbying, Louise Ryland Thornton

Master's Theses

This thesis compares and contrasts the tactics and techniques used by Virginia public interest lobbyists in the passage of the 1990 VIRGINIA INDOOR CLEAN AIR ACT with Alan Rosenthal's analysis of state legislative lobbying found in his book, THE THIRD HOUSE. Primary sources include personal interviews and legislative documents, while newspaper articles provide the secondary source of information. Lobbyists used the indirect and direct lobbying techniques, suggested in Rosenthal's framework, to persuade others to their point of view. Supporters of the CLEAN AIR BILL had to deviate, in part, from some of Rosenthal's direct lobbying strategies due to Virginia's history …

Why Teams? : Assessing The Incorporation And Development Of Teams At J.P. Morgan's Delaware Private Client Group-Operations, Christine M. Wang

Honors Theses

J.P. Morgan Services, Inc. implemented teams into its Private Client Group-Operations (PCG-Ops) located in Wilmington, Delaware during the summer of 1996, in an initiative the company called Realignment. The goal of my senior project is to explore the use of teams in corporate settings. By assessing how consistent the Private Client Group's Realignment initiative is with the current team development, organizational change, and organizational development literature. In this project four main concepts will be examined:

l . The reasons why JP Morgan changed from a traditional hierarchical structure to one that is team based.

2. The results of the six …

Economic System As A Factor Influencing Leadership Behavior : A Case Study Of Leadership In Russia From 1917 To 1995, Matthew B. Danis

Honors Theses

Envisioned by Lenin and molded by Stalin, the Soviet Union, and its communist economic system, lasted seventy-four years, from 1917 to 1991. The inception of communism in the Soviet Union was a result of the losses Russia incurred during World War I. Devastation during the war and mismanagement by the government throughout created an atmosphere ripe for revolution. With the leadership of Lenin, the Bolshevik Revolution occurred in November 1917, and the Communist Party was created in March 1918.

Leadership In Community Health Organizations, Stephanie C. Eken

Honors Theses

The purpose of this project was to analyze the characteristics and motivations of leaders in community health organizations and determine if they were initiators and collaborators in bringing about real change in providing health care for their own neighborhoods. To date, there has been little research concerning leadership in the medical field and even less addressing leadership in community health organizations. Yet, every day there are "ordinary" people making significant changes in the lives of Virginians through community-based health promotion. Their efforts and accomplishments in community health care can provide new insight into leadership in an evolving context and in …

The Presence Of Leadership In The Homeless Environment : A Study Of Leader Traits, Perceptions Of Leadership And Difficulties Facing Potential Leaders In The Homeless Environment, Maria C. Chavez

Honors Theses

This study examines the existence of leadership in this context of the homeless. More specifically, the study looks at the leadership traits and the potential for leadership among homeless women finding temporary refuge in an emergency shelter in Richmond, VA. It will also give more legitimacy to the notion that leadership can exist in any context. And finally, this study will look at the difficulties potential leaders in the homeless context face, and what the possible ways are to alleviate them.

Student Change Leadership, A Renewal Process For Organizations : A Case Study Of The 1995 Panhellenic Rush Revision, Melanie Sandukas

Honors Theses

Greek organizations experienced a national revival in the late eighties. According to Mrs. Scott's figures, rush participation increased on sixty percent of campuses in 1995. However, in these times of negative publicity and litigation, nervous university administrators question the merit of the Greek system. In "The Survival of Greek Life: Concerns and Solutions" Robert Ackerman states, "The fact that change is necessary suggests that some fraternities and sororities are falling short of the ideals upon which they were founded." He observes, "Change, when it does occur, all too often appears to result from an attempt to avoid problems or from …

Data Office Supply : A Study Of Leadership In Family Business, Justin Andress

Honors Theses

While a proportion of family businesses are often the small operations that consist of an individual or couple, operating a relatively small store, one would be surprised as to the enormous diversity of the different types of family businesses. A family business can range from a small endeavor operated out of the home, to enormous companies such as the family-operated Wrigley Company (chewing gum) which boasts annual sales of over half of a billion dollars.

Public Policy Issues, Aaron J. Heffron

Honors Theses

The following pages are a collection of three case studies assembled with the intent to facilitate discussion about key leadership issues related to the public policy realm. Critics of leadership studies have often posted to the theoretical nature o the discipline to criticize the worth. One method to teach leadership is the utilization of case studies, or "real world" examples. If your position is that leadership can only be taught through practical experience, these case studies should present an interesting exercise. They seek to inculcate the idealistic world of theoretical studies with doses of realistic situations.

For these case studies …

Leaders Of The Future : Differentiating Leaders Among High School Seniors, Richard S. Mohn Jr.

Master's Theses

The present study investigated high school leadership at two independent high schools using a peer nomination technique. Seniors nominate classmates who best fit each of 20 items indexing attributes of business world leaders. The seniors also nominated students they liked most and liked least. The leadership attributes were conceptualized to fit into four constructs: Other oriented, Inner oriented, Situationally oriented, and Derailment characteristics. The like most and like least items were used for measuring social impact and social preference and for classifying students into the sociometric groups of popular, controversial, rejected, neglected, and average. Test-retest correlations at a one month …

An Exploratory Analysis On The Situational Determinants Of Jealousy, Renee Jean Baldwin

Honors Theses

The purpose of this study is to transcend the trait and affective boundaries in order to account for the situational and cognitive variables which provoke the responses elicited by jealous emotion. The focus of the study is comprised of two major objectives: (1). To discover and define the structural dimensions associated with people's conceptions of jealous situations and (2) to deter mine whether there are gender differences in the interpretation and conceptualization of jealous emotion. Thirty-one undergraduate psychology students participated in the study. A cluster analysis was performed on the co-occurrence of situations. Five major categories of the situational determinants …