Organizational Behavior and Theory Commons^™

A Comparison Of The Decision Quality Of Group Decisions Made In A Face-To-Face Environment With Decisions Made Using A Distributed Group Decision Support System, Hope D. Cullen

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force is increasingly turning to a team approach for decision making. When team members are geographically separated it can be expensive for them to meet in a traditional face to face setting. Group Decision Support Systems (GDSS), designed to help groups make decisions, may be able to support these groups in a distributed mode. The assertion of this thesis is that a GDSS can indeed support such distributed processes and that these processes will be of higher quality than decisions made in a face to face environment. This study explores decision quality in terms of quality of the …

Group Decision Support Systems (Gdss) And Influence Modes: A Comparative Field Study Between Gdss Mediated Groups And Non-Gdss Mediated Groups, L. Grant Bridgewater

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the effect of Group Decision Support System (GDSS) technology on perceived influence modes. The researcher measured perceived influence modes in two group treatments: GDSS groups and non-GDSS (N-GDSS) mediated groups. Actual groups in both treatments performed judgmental tasks of their own choosing. Group members then completed a survey which measured their perceptions regarding five influence sources: expert influence, influence from legitimate authority, referent influence, reward influence, and coercive influence. The survey also measured the extent to which members perceived an "opportunity to influence" other group members. For each variable measured in both treatment groups, mean scores were …

An Analysis Of The Effectiveness Of Online Peer Feedback At The United States Air Force Academy, Annette M. Driscoll

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the effectiveness of the Air Force Academy's Department of English local area network peer feedback system. Four main questions were examined. These questions explored a) whether students reported improvement in their writing, b) whether students reported that feedback is worthwhile, c) whether students reported that LAN sessions increase enjoyment of writing, and d) what types of feedback the students 1) received and 2) found most helpful. Three groups were studied. Forty-six students received feedback online, fifty students received feedback face to face, and thirty-three students did not receive feedback. Comparisons were made for the questions mentioned above …

Organizational Support Of Internet Technology Infusion: An Exploratory Analysis., Anthony J. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis identifies managerial, organizational, and individual attributes which influence Internet technology infusion. Infusion can be defined as the incorporation of a technology into an organization's key processes. As infusion increases, the extended, integrative and emergent use of the technology increases, leading to increased leveraging of the technology. A survey was distributed to 1100 Air Force members throughout four Major Commands, divided into 600 officers and 500 enlisted. The analysis used Structural Equation Modeling to test models relating managerial, organizational and individual constructs as positive influences on infusion. Findings in the officer group indicate executive involvement and participation, policy, receptivity …

Ethical Issues In A Networked Environment, Kristen G. Sallberg

Theses and Dissertations

The research objective was to provide a preliminary understanding of how USAF computer users perceive the ethical considerations of computer networks and how the USAF is addressing ethical issues of networked environments. A survey was undertaken to explore questions of ethics in the use of information networks. The literature review explored issues of ethics in the private sector and USAF guidance regarding use of official government resources. The sample population consisted of military members stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base Ohio. The responses regarding certain attitudes about behaviors and actions in a networked environment were consistent overall. A significant difference …

The Process Of Internationalization In The Operating Firm, Timothy Adrian Robert Clark, Derek S. Pugh, Geoff Mallory

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Two factors have been emphasised as influencing the choice of, and subsequent shifts between, modes of foreign market servicing: (1) market-specific knowledge; and (2) the generalised knowledge from operating internationally. The process-oriented literature on internalisation has tended to emphasise the former over the latter. This article maintains that market-specific knowledge is not the only source of information available to a firm. As firms operate in foreign markets they develop, in addition to networks of institutional arrangements, a knowledge of the process of internationalization. Account therefore has to be taken of the general knowledge from operating internationally in understanding the development …

Private Businesses In China : Emerging Environment And Managerial Behavior, Kong Wing, Clement Chow, Chung Ming Lau, Hang Yue Ngo

Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies Working Paper Series

This paper reviews the development and contribution of private businesses to the Chinese economy. The political and market environment are analyzed to picture the current position of private businesses in the national economy. Major characteristics of private businesses and their owners are presented through three survey results conducted in different periods. Managerial implications, in terms of macro environment, competition, resources, management structure and governance, and leadership and human resources are discussed.

The Effects Of Organizational And Individual Learning On Job Satisfaction And Organizational Commitment, David Lee Wright

Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to assess how certain organizational-level and individual-level factors affect member job attitudes. Specifically, market orientation and organizational learning, contingent on the individual's orientation toward learning, were examined as potential predictors of job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Individual performance of employees affects organizational performance. Consequently, these organizational and individual factors are significant to management because of their potential influence on the attitudes of employees.

A national sample consisting of sales and marketing executives made up the sample frame. A self-report questionnaire was mailed to 2000 randomly selected potential respondents. The return of 213 usable questionnaires …

Core Values: A History Of Values-Related Initiatives In The Air Force, Gregory J. Dierker

Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the historical Air Force values-related initiatives that have existed since its creation in 1947. The Air Force has long been interested in and conducted values-related initiatives, although sometimes with a different focus and objective than its preceding initiatives. This study specifically examines two of the assumptions made in the current Air Force Core Values initiative against the historic values-related initiatives to identify any differences that have occurred over time. The two assumptions specifically deal with the degree to which the initiatives emphasize character development, and secondly, the role the chaplain plays in these identified initiatives. Other attributes …

Changes In Central Technical Services: Backlog Elimination, Karen S. Calhoun, Jim Leblanc

Karen S Calhoun

This report describes a cataloging backlog of about 97,000 items and outlines an innovative project to eliminate it without adding staff or slowing the processing of new receipts. Includes assessments of backlog content, growth rate, and underlying organizational issues that cause the backlog to be there and to grow.

Report On Stack Collocation Loss, Karen S. Calhoun

Karen S Calhoun

This internal report for Cornell University Library evaluates the probable impact of simply accepting call numbers in cataloging copy, rather than reviewing and adjusting them to assure stack order is maintained over time.

The Beginning And End Of The Church, Vaughan S. Roberts

Vaughan S Roberts

The Sea Of Faith: After Dover Beach?, Vaughan S. Roberts

Vaughan S Roberts

The Classifieds: Secret Intelligence Activities In A Representative Democracy, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article posits that most classified intelligence activities of representative democracies may be more harmful than helpful to their security.

The Effects Of Individual, Contextual, And Moral Intensity Factors On Environmental Ethical Decision Making, Brenda L. Flannery

Management and Entrepreneurship Department Publications

Most extant studies of organizational ethical decision making have been remiss in doing one or more of the following: (a) building theoretical foundations; (b) encompassing the individual, contextual, and issue-specific determinants impacting ethical judgments; (c) offering testable hypotheses; and/or (d) establishing methodological rigor. This study confronted those challenges aiming to understand the decision intentions of top managers in the metal finishing industry concerning the treatment of hazardous wastewater. This study employed an extended version of Ajzen's (1988) theory of planned behavior. The theory accommodatingly modeled the individual (i.e., attitudes, self-efficacy, personal moral obligation), contextual (subjective norms, organizational climate, and financial …

Perceptions Of Local Businesses Toward Customers With Physical Disabilities And Mental Retardation, Shannon M. Blackburn

Theses & Honors Papers

The purpose of this study was to determine the overall perceptions held by businesses toward people with physical disabilities and mental retardation. Subjects (SS) were employees of businesses in the Richmond area (N=50). A self-developed questionnaire with 3 parts containing a Likert scale and open-ended questions was used for data collection. One hundred percent of the questionnaires were returned. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Chi-square (X²) was used to test the relationship between business type and promotion of service, emergency plans, and wheelchair accessibility. A limitation of this study was that the SS were selected …

Journal Of Pedagogy, Pluralism And Practice, Volume 1, Issue 2, Fall 1997 (Full Issue), Journal Staff

Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism, and Practice

This issue of the Journal of Pedagogy, Pluralism and Practice is dedicated to the memory of Paulo Freire who died on May 2, 1997 at the age of 75. Paulo Freire is the author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, The Politics of Education, Pedagogy of the City, Pedagogy of Hope and many other books that have created a radical discourse on liberatory education and have influenced teachers, theorists and cultural workers throughout the world. His last book, Pedagogia da Autonomia: Saberes necessários à prática educativa, is not yet translated in English, but is expected soon, possibly …

The Role Of Gender In A Developmental Assessment Center, Ted H. Shore, Armen Tashchian, Janet S. Adams

Faculty and Research Publications

Male (n = 119) and female (n = 90) professional employees in a large financial services organization participated in a one-day developmental assessment center, and were assessed in three dyadic role-playing exercises by male or female assessors. In each exercise, one assessor rated participants on specific behaviors which were subsequently averaged by a computer program to produce final exercise dimension ratings. Results showed no significant differences in ratings for male and female assessees on any dimensions in any of the exercises. Women assessors rated candidates of both sexes higher on some dimensions than did male assessors in an employee counseling …

A Survey Of Health Care Personnel's Perceptions Toward Diversity In The Workplace, Jacqueline Elaine Sharpe

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the diversity climate in a large teaching military hospital by assessing the perceptions of employees regarding the organizational climate, including aspects of the climate related to ethnicity, gender, age, physical ability, sexual orientation, and job level. All 3,176 eligible employees based in the medical center were invited to participate, 1,252 did so (RR = 40%). Participants were 37% minority, 57% females, 25% officer, 30% enlisted, and 45% civilian. Twenty-four percent were at the managerial level. Perceptions of the diversity climate were measured using the Diversity Survey Instrument (the reliability and validity of …

Saints And Sinners: How Does Delaware Corporate Law Work?, Edward B. Rock

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Stakeholder Theory And A Principle Of Fairness, Robert Phillips

Robert Phillips

Recent decades have witnessed an increase in the number and quality of discussions concerning the corporation’s obligations to other groups other than its share owners. Possibly the most frequent way framing such discussions is in terms of stakeholders. Hence stakeholder theory has become a central issue in the literature on business ethics / business and society. There has been, however, relatively little attention given to the source of these obligations that a firm has to its stakeholders. Many students of stakeholder theory are content to assert such obligations and move on to what they believe the substance of these obligations …