Digital Commons Network^™

An Overview Of The Near-Death Experience Phenomenon, David San Filippo Ph.D.

David San Filippo Ph.D.

Near-death experiences appear to be universal phenomena that have been reported for centuries. A near-death encounter is defined as an event in which the individual could very easily die or be killed, or may have already been considered clinically dead, but nonetheless survives, and continue his or her physical life. Reports of near-death experiences date back to the Ice Age. There are cave paintings, in France and Spain that depict possible after life scenes that are similar to reported scenes related to near-death experiences. Plato's Republic presents the story of a near-death experience of a Greek soldier named Er. In …

Learning To Lead: The College Experiences Of Women University Presidents, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Although developing leadership is an important topic in the higher education today, the percentage of women found in high leadership positions remains quite low. In fact, little has been published about how high-level women leaders actually developed. This workshop will present the results of two qualitative research studies exploring how 10 women university presidents and 10 women governors became effective leaders, with a particular focus on influential events, individuals, activities, and opportunities during their undergraduate and graduate educational experiences.

The Influence Of Maslow's Humanistic Views On An Employee's Motivation To Learn, Ian Wilson, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Continual employee training and learning is critical to the ability of organizations to adapt to an ever changing national and international business environment. What motivates employees to learn? Abraham Maslow has had a significant impact on motivation theory, humanistic psychology, and subsequently, adult learning in the workplace. This paper will discuss the development of Maslow’s humanistic views and trace their impact on past trends in business training as well as the implications for current challenges that managers face in motivating employee learning in the workplace.

Public Healthcare: Changes Introduced When Implementing E-Procurement, Tommaso Federici

Federici Tommaso

The large and growing size of the healthcare public spending for goods and services worries the institutions of many European countries, including Italy, and asks for rationalization initiatives. In parallel, e-procurement solutions spread into Public Administrations (PA's) and introduce innovative processes, primarily in the purchasing phase.

In this scenario, e-procurement has the potential to enable significant efficiency improvements in the public healthcare sector, with the reduction of purchasing and administrative costs. However, most e-procurement initiatives met difficulties and did not fully delivered the expected benefits so far. This is mainly due to the healthcare procurement complexity, specific characteristics and peculiar …

Developing Leadership: Exploring The Childhoods Of Women University Presidents, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Researchers argue that much of who we are is developed during childhood. Childhood relationships and developmental activities, opportunities, and experiences (including hardships) come together to create each human being. Yet, little exploratory research has been conducted regarding the childhood experiences, activities, personalities, and perceptions of successful leaders. In-depth, qualitative interviews with ten women university presidents were conducted to investigate perceptions and experiences related to the lifetime development of leadership skills, abilities, and competencies. The lived experiences of these women were investigated using the phenomenological research methodology so that “voices” could be heard and unique insights examined. This paper explores a …

Leadership In Higher Education: Do You Have The Interest, Skills, And Commitment? (Professional Development Workshop), Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

This insightful and innovative two-part workshop will 1) explore the current issues affecting leadership in higher education and 2) provide participants with an opportunity to engage in self-analysis and personal reflection. "Leadership" will be broadly framed as leading from a formal position (e.g., president, VP, dean, associate dean, department chair, or committee chair) as well as influencing without an official title or formal authority; therefore, all conference attendees interested in influencing change at any level in higher education would benefit. The first 50-minute workshop segment will begin with participants completing a short questionnaire about their perceptions of the most important …

Faculty Ethics: Issues, Challenges, And Solutions (Professional Development Workshop), Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

The Faculty Ethics event is a three-part workshop that will provide faculty, administrators, and doctoral students the forum to discuss current issues and challenges related to the ethical decision-making and behavior of faculty members within the higher educational arena. First, the facilitators will briefly outline some of the current issues, trends and supporting literature in this area (20 minutes). Areas of discussion may include work ethic, plagiarism, misrepresentation, authorship issues, grading, teaching effort, selection of service assignments, reporting contributions, evaluation, research standards/ethics, and such. Second, participants will be asked to help the list of narrow ethics issues to the three …

Women University Presidents: Career Paths And Educational Backgrounds, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

The purpose of this paper is to report findings related to the lived experiences of women university presidents’ in developing the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required for successful leadership in higher education. More specifically, this report focuses on their educational backgrounds and career paths. Using qualitative in-depth interviews (phenomenological research methodology), ten women university presidents were interviewed for two to three hours each. Interviews were audio taped and transcribed, and theme generation techniques used. Although there were some similarities among the women in terms of educational backgrounds and employment positions, the data show that presidents can emerge from a …

Globalization & Nationalism: A Recipe For Terror, Cari Bourette, Daniel Reader

Cari Bourette

Nationalism appears to be part of the human condition; it may well be related to the human tendency toward tribalism. Whatever the case, nationalism appears to be a permanent feature on the global landscape. Globalization, while not a new phenomenon by any means, seems to be having a tremendous dilutory effect on the sovereignty of states; it now appears to be carrying the assault to the cultural frontiers of nationalism. Unlike the Westphalian constructs, however, nations will not so easily succumb. There is a greater inherent resistance to change in nations; the only historically effective method has been outright eradication …

O*Net Tools And Technology: A Synopsis Of Data Development Procedures, Erich Dierdorff, Donald Drewes, Jennifer Norton

Erich C. Dierdorff

Learn about the "tools and technology" (T2) now included in O*NET Online and as supplemental files in the O*NET database. T2 development focuses on collecting machines, equipment, tools, information technology, and software that are important to occupational performance. Emphasis is placed on cutting-edge technologies and emerging workplace practices. T2 data will be valuable for O*NET applications such as workforce development, employee training, and vocational and career guidance.

Maine State Government's Worksite Wellness Program, William C. Mcpeck

William C. McPeck

This is an unpublished report I wrote for Maine Governor John Baldacci to share with the National Governor's Association. The report reflects the history and current initiatives of Maine State Government's employee wellness program.

Learning To Lead In Higher Education: Insights Into The Family Backgrounds Of Women University Presidents, Susan R. Madsen

Susan R. Madsen

Qualitative methods were used to explore the backgrounds, experiences, and perceptions of ten women U.S. university presidents on becoming leaders. Using the phenomenological research methodology, the presidents were interviewed about their lived experiences of developing the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies required for successful leadership in higher education. This paper reports the portion of the results specifically related to insights into the family backgrounds and influences of these women.

The Work-Family Interface And Job Performance: Moderating Effects Of Conscientiousness And Perceived Organizational Support

L. A. Witt

No abstract provided.

Interaction Of Social Skill And Organizational Support On Job Performance

L. A. Witt

No abstract provided.

Readiness For Change: Implications On Employees' Relationship With Management, Job Knowledge And Skills, And Job Demands, Duane Miller, Susan R. Madsen, Cameron John

Susan R. Madsen

This article addresses how employees' readiness/willingness to change is influenced by three workplace factors-management/leader relationship, job knowledge and skills, and job demands. Statistical analyses were completed based on a two-part survey given to 464 employees from four companies. The research findings indicated that all three of these workplace factors had an influence on employees' readiness for change. But employees' relationship with their managers was the strongest predictor of readiness for change. This paper reports the results of a new study that used Hanpachern's framework but made extensive changes in the test instrument, sample size, and other methodology techniques to increase …

Group Differences And Measurement Equivalence: Implications For Command Climate Survey Research And Practice, Erich Dierdorff, Eric Surface, Adam Meade, Lori Foster Thompson, Don Martin

Erich C. Dierdorff

Military organizations use survey methodology to assess attitudes related to command climate. Many commands are staffed with both military and civilian personnel. However, no previous research has examined the equivalence of a command climate survey’s measurement properties across these types of personnel. Differences in the personnel systems and organizational socialization could lead to different views of various facets of a command climate survey, making direct comparisons or aggregations of group-level data inappropriate. Furthermore, men and women may also view aspects of command climate surveys differently. Using two administrations of a command climate survey in a U.S. Major Army Command, our …

Management Of A Diverse Workforce: Meanings And Practices, Grace Lemmon

Grace Lemmon

No abstract provided.

When Are The Japanese Japanese?” Negotiating Japanese Cultural Identity In A Japan-Us Binational Organization, Noriko Yagi

Noriko Yagi

Note: Link is to the article on the publisher’s web site, which is available in full text for a fee.

Cognitive Asymmetry In Employee Emotional Reactions To Leadership Behaviors, Marie Dasborough

Marie T Dasborough

This article is predicated on the idea that leaders shape workplace affective events. Based on Affective Events Theory (AET), I argue that leaders are sources of employee positive and negative emotions at work. Certain leader behaviors displayed during interactions with their employees are the sources of these affective events. The second theoretical underpinning of the article is the Asymmetry Effect of emotion. Consistent with this theory, employees are more likely to recall negative incidents than positive incidents. In a qualitative study, evidence that these processes exist in the workplace was found. Leader behaviors were sources of positive or negative emotional …

The Influence Of Relation-Based And Rule-Based Regulations On Hiring Decisions In The Australian And Hong Kong Chinese Cultural Contexts, Marie Dasborough

Marie T Dasborough

Investigation of the cultural factors that may influence the employment decisions of managers is of increasing importance in the global business environment. The purpose of this research is to examine whether particularistic ties based on friendship influence hiring practices in relation-based (Hong Kong Chinese) and rule-based (Australian) cultural contexts. Three studies were conducted to examine this research question. Results indicate that friendship-based particularistic ties, specifically guanxi and mateship, can influence hiring decisions in both relation- and rule-based cultural contexts. The results of the studies have implications for human resource managers with regards to staffing organizations operating in different cultural contexts.

Consequences Of Employee Attributions In The Workplace: The Role Of Emotional Intelligence, Marie T. Dasborough

Marie T Dasborough

We present a theoretical model of attributions and emotions, and the behavioral and psychological consequences of these in the workplace.Expanding on Weiner’s (1985) framework, we argue that emotional intelligence plays a moderating role in the attribution-emotion-behavior process. Specifically, the emotional intelligence dimensions of perception, facilitation, and understanding emotion are posited to moderate the relationship between outcome-dependent affect and attribution formation. Further, the emotion management dimension of emotional intelligence is argued to moderate the relationship between attributions and subsequent emotional responses. These emotional responses are then argued to influence behavioral, motivational, and psychological consequences in the workplace.

Knowledge Exchange And Combination: The Role Of Human Resource Practices In The Performance Of High-Technology Firms, Christopher J. Collins, Ken G. Smith

Christopher J Collins

[Excerpt] In this study, we developed and tested a theory of how human resource practices affect the organizational social climate conditions that facilitate knowledge exchange and combination and resultant firm performance. A field study of 136 technology companies showed that commitment-based human resource practices were positively related to the organizational social climates of trust, cooperation, and shared codes and language. In turn, these measures of a firm's social climate were related to the firm's capability to exchange and combine knowledge, a relationship that predicted firm revenue from new products and services and firm sales growth.

The Changing Nature Of The Catalog And Its Integration With Other Discovery Tools, Karen S. Calhoun

Karen S Calhoun

A large and growing number of students and scholars routinely bypass library catalogs in favor of other discovery tools, and the catalog represents a shrinking proportion of the universe of scholarly information. This report, commissioned by the Library of Congress (LC), offers an analysis of the current situation, options for revitalizing research library catalogs, a feasibility assessment, a vision for change, and a blueprint for action.