Digital Commons Network^™

The Mechtech Program: An Education And Training Model For The Next Century, Robert Forrant

New England Journal of Public Policy

The small-firm metalworking industry is routinely characterized by cutthroat competition and fierce privacy. Yet, since the late 1980s, the members of the western Massachusetts chapter of the National Tooling and Machining Association have participated in an education, training, and technology diffusion network characterized by a high degree of interfirm cooperation. Hundreds of workers and managers have take part in group training sessions and seminars. The reconstruction of the skill base is central to the MechTech apprenticeship program through which apprentices spend four years in participating firms, exiting the program as licensed machinists, tool and die makers, or moldmakers. In an …

Members In Medium Public Accounting Firms, September 1999, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Outcome-Based Assessment On Microenterprise Programs, Margaret A. Johnson, Umasundari Akella, Jule Lalande

Journal of Microfinance / ESR Review

The changing environment in the nonprofit sector has subjected microenterprise programs to a new paradigm that emphasizes rationality principles. These principles ask practitioners to increase their outcomes while minimizing costs and to demonstrate that they are doing so with outcome-assessment measurements. This paper presents a case study of what happened to 11 microenterprise programs that adopted outcome assessment. Factors affecting the adoption of outcome assessment were changing norms in the nonprofit sector, demands from state legislators for information on program outcomes, and mandates from funders. A funding formula was implemented; program responses included going along, adopting practices to fit the …

Members In Large Public Accounting Firms, September 1999, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Members In Small Local Public Accounting Firms, September 1999, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of An Activity-Based Costing System In An Air Force Laboratory Environment, Jayson M. Wrona, Martin Memminger

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the initial implementation of an Activity Based Costing (ABC) system within the United States Air Force's Research Laboratories (AFRL). We were attempting to ascertain what the initial purposes for implementing ABC within AFRL were, then determine whether or not those goals were being attained. We also attempted to evaluate the current system's appropriateness for achieving those initial purposes. Finally, we provide suggested changes to the model and areas for future research. We noted problems with AFRL's current ABC system. We were able to condense the problem into two main categories. First, when …

A Recurring Improvisational Methodology For Change Management In Erp Implementation, Michelle Sieber, Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Change has become an ongoing phenomenon and business process re-engineering has become a necessity for survival of organizations as we approach the 21st century. As participants in this ever-changing working environment, we must be innovative in managing change as it affects both our professional and personal lives. One of the innovative ways to manage change in the implementation of an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is to adopt a comprehensive change management methodology. In this research, we propose the use of the recurring improvisational change methodology for managing such change. This research is also aimed at implementing the improvisational change …

Technology Features As Triggers For Sensemaking, Terri L. Griffith

Management & Entrepreneurship

Technology implementation is complex and often unpredictable. Although previous research describes mechanisms related to the social construction of technology and technology use in organizations, researchers have focused little on the inputs to these models. In this article I attempt to fill this void by examining triggers for initial user sensemaking. The prediction of sensemaking should enhance the application of theories, such as adaptive structuration, and inform the management of technology through greater anticipation of user understanding.

Fairness In Chinese Organizations, Kai-Guang Liang

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examined the roles of organizational justice and individual cultural characteristics in affecting employees' work attitudes and behaviors, in particular, the contextual aspect of job performance in Chinese organizations. Data were collected from 232 employee-supervisor dyads in three Sino-western joint ventures in the People's Republic of China. Results indicated that distributive justice had a significant impact on one dimension of contextual job performance, i.e., interpersonal facilitation, and various attitudinal outcomes, such as job satisfaction, pay satisfaction, affective commitment and turnover intention. Among the three procedural justice variables (participation at company level, participation at job level, and appeal mechanism) examined, …

Fastfact: Human Resources, Edition 113 May 18, 1999, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

The Transformational Influence Of Narrative Enrichment, Maxine L. Lynch

Student Scholarship

This social constructionist study examined what occurred to 20 high school students exposed to the narrative genre of news story writing to try to add to the knowledge about the narrative mode of thought. This applied research project used various qualitative methods to interview, analyze and discuss the changes that occurred in these students who became narratively enriched from their participation in journalism workshops that were designed to help them learn how to write and publish news stories. The findings where that learning to write narrative news stories stimulated changes in the students' values and sense of self-determination. The study …

Habitus Wars And Field(S) Of Dreams: Using Bourdieu To Reframe The Sense Of A Crisis, Louann Hofheins Cummings

Student Scholarship

The paper illustrates the application of Pierre Bourdieu's oeuvre to a qualitative research project regarding organizational change. Considerable attention is given to the interaction of field delineation, capital stakes struggle, interests, and individual/class habitus at both a church and a medical college. It is posited that a focus on field analysis considers the sources of capital struggle in a given realm. This, in turn, grants a researcher a new way to analyze who participates in these struggles, what prized capital stimulates interest, and how action and prctices are subsequently engendered. This body of work suggests that agents and/or classes have …

Fastfact: Human Resources, Edition 108, April 13, 1999, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants (Aicpa)

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Relationships Between Leader Characteristics, Planned Change And Organizational Culture In A Dynamic Manufacturing Environment, Matthew Chodkowski

Dissertations

The new economic era has been marked by profound global change. In response, researchers and practitioners have called for a rethinking of the conventional concepts of leadership, change, and organizational culture to improve our competitiveness in this turbulent world market. This study investigated the relationships between leader style, leader behavior, leadership paradigm, leader knowledge of change, organizational culture potency, and planned change efficacy in a manufacturing company implementing a high performance work system change initiative. This study intended to contribute to the reconceptualization of the leadership construct and the explication of the leadership-culture-change linkage.

Six hundred and eighty-nine subjects representing …

Organizational Change Theory And The Factors For Sustaining Change: A Case Study Of Three Public Sector Organizations Winners Of The Virginia Award For Continuing Excellence, Mary Redd-Clay

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors associated with organizational change and with sustaining change in public sector organizations recognized for their change efforts as recipients of the Virginia Award for Continuing Excellence.

This was a case study of three public sector organizations, located in and around urban settings in the state of Virginia. They include Air Combat Command located in Hampton; Hanover County Public Schools located outside Richmond; and Norfolk Naval Shipyard located in Portsmouth. Each of these organizations is notable as winners of the Virginia Senate Productivity and Quality Award for both the Medallion and …

A Methodology To Apply Business Process Reengineering Within The Brazilian Aeronautical Ministry, Ricardo F. G. Santos

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to examine Business Process Reengineering as a feasible methodology to be used to help reorganize the Brazilian Aeronautical Ministry. Using a qualitative approach, this research developed an analysis of BPR beginning with the concepts elaborated by Hammer and Champy. The research also investigated the laws and regulations used by the United States Government to apply BPR in all branches of its military. After establishing the framework, some methodologies and case studies were analyzed to obtain the big picture about the application of BPR as a managerial tool to reorganize organizations. The results of this …

A Hierarchy Fuzzy Mcdm Method For Studying Electronic Marketing Strategies In The Information Service Industry, Michael T. Tang, Gwo-Hshiung Tzeng, Shinn-Wen Wang

Journal of International Information Management

In this paper the impacts of Electronic Commerce {EC) on the international marketing strategies for the information service industries are studied. In seeking to blend humanistic concerns in this research with technological development by addressing challenges for deterministic attitudes, it also examines critical environmental factors relevant to Internet commerce in the changes of the international marketing environment. The needs for a new marketing paradigm for EC, which comes out of new trends of international electronic marketing, are also examined. The impacts of EC for the information service industry are discussed and a hierarchy fuzzy multicriteria decision-making (Fuzzy MCDM) method for …

1998-1999 Financial Summary, Morehead State University. Budget & Financial Planning Office.

Morehead State University Financial Summaries Archive

1998-1999 Financial Summary of Morehead State University.

A Contingency Framework—The Influence Of Computerized Information Systems On Organizational Performance, Jagannathan V. Iyengar

Journal of International Information Management

Evaluation is a task most designers, builders, and supporters of information systems agree is significant. However, most information systems evaluations are performance evaluations focusing on the efficiency of the computer system. There is another dimension to the evaluation of the information system that must be considered if computerized information systems (CIS) are to be designed to "fit" an organization: impact evaluations. Impact evaluations are concerned with those effects on an organization which result from the development and use of an information system. The actual task of performing an impact evaluation is hindered by the complexity of the task and by …

Alternative Dispute Resolution Services : A Nonauthoritative Guide; Consulting Services Practice Aid, 99-1, William C. Barrett, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Management Consulting Services Team, American Institute Of Certified Public Accountants. Litigation And Dispute Resolution Services Subcommittee

Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Organizational Dynamics: Issues And Implications From The Complexity Sciences, Kenneth Michael Mathews

Doctoral Dissertations

Organizational change, both developmental and transformational, is an issue of central and enduring concern in the organizational sciences. However, the processes, mechanisms and sequencing of events that describe how and why social systems change have not been satisfactorily explicated at a theoretical level and constitutes one of the major challenges facing the social sciences. This research examines issues and implications from an emerging perspective—the complexity sciences—developed to explain the mechanisms and processes of change in physical and natural systems. The purpose is to develop a theoretical approach to the study of change in social organization that integrates these implications, while …

Self-Managed Work Teams: How Implementation Plans Affect Success Or Failure, Julia E. Meeker

Theses

This applied learning project will deal with the implementation of empowerment in an organization and the importance of an implementation plan.

Research shows that resistance to change by management or front line employees can lead to the failure of the change. Resistance to change is a normal human reaction but can be minimized through effective change management.

Effective change management includes clear, understandable, complete communication at the appropriate time. The development of a change implementation plan can reduce the resistance to change by providing information that addresses employees concerns regarding the proposed change.

The purpose of this project is to …

An Investigation Into The Ingredients Necessary For A Successful Implementation Of Sap, Benjamin T. Wilson

Theses

This thesis will focus on the impact of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software applications, mainly SAP, and the impact they have on business functions and efficiency.

Businesses have been able to take advantage of improvements in computer technology to make improvements to their every-day processes and procedures. One category of software applications they can use are ERP applications. ERP's provide many advantages for companies - faster access to more reliable data with which to make better decisions, and more efficient use of company resources. These advantages can only be achieved though, if the application is produced and used correctly, which …

Organizational Culture, Tqm, And Business Process Reengineering: An Empirical Comparison, Edward W. Gore Jr.

WCBT Faculty Publications

The results of this study underscore the importance of organizational culture and suggest that TQM provides a way to build a culture that supports improvement. Top managers must focus on this role for TQM. Too often the need for quick returns on the effort leads to a focus on the "tools" and specific improvements and this emphasis can work against developing a supportive culture. Reengineering is an example of this phenomenon. Frustration with the time it takes to carry through on a TQM initiative caused firms to try reengineering, which, with its emphasis on outsiders and specialized personnel, works against …

Seafarers' Social Life And Its Effect On Maritime Safety With Respect To Egyptian Seafarers, Ahmed Abd El Naiem Hafez

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

New Communication Technologies, Organizational Culture, And The Creation Of Innovative Learning Environments, Denise Scott

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Today's organizations face an economic climate that is globalizing, increasing customer demands for products and services that meet their unique needs and the fast pace of technological developments. Organizations require the effective use of new communication technologies as a means of sharing information and expanding capacity for innovation. The main question for this research is: When new communication technologies are introduced into organizations, how do they work together with existing cultural assumptions to produce an innovative, learning environment within the organization? The research design involves conducting moderately structured interviews with organizational leaders in four diverse organizations: Ingram Book Company, Service …

Executive And Management Education Programs Fall 1998 Catalog, Nova Southeastern University

Huizenga Postgraduate Course Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Market Orientation And Organizational Performance: Is Innovation A Missing Link?, Jin K. Han, Namwoon Kim, Rajendra K. Srivastava

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In recent years, a market-oriented corporate culture increasingly has been considered a key element of superior corporate performance. Although organizational innovativeness is believed to be a potential mediator of this market orientation-corporate performance relationship, much of the evidence to date remains anecdotal or speculative. In this context, the authors present a systematic framework to test the postulated "market orientation-innovation-performance" chain. To this end, the direct causality assumption of market orientation on organizational performance is examined with Narver and Slater's (1990) market orientation framework. Moreover, the authors take a componentwise approach and examine how the three core components of market orientation …

Market Orientation And Organizational Performance: Is Innovation A Missing Link?, Jin K. Han, Namwoon Kim, Rajendra K. Srivastava

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

In recent years, a market-oriented corporate culture increasingly has been considered a key element of superior corporate performance. Although organizational innovativeness is believed to be a potential mediator of this market orientation - corporate performance relationship, much of the evidence to date remains anecdotal or speculative. In this context, a systematic framework is presented to test the postulated market orientation-innovation-performance chain. To this end, the direct causality assumption of market orientation on organizational performance is examined with Narver and Slater's (1990) market orientation framework. Moreover, a componentwise approach is taken, and an examination is conducted of how the 3 core …

Creating A Market Orientation, John C. Narver, Stanley F. Slater, Brian C. Tietje

Marketing

A market orientation is a business culture in which all employees are committed to the continuous creation of superior value for customers. However, businesses report limited success in developing such a culture. One approach to create a market orientation, the approach taken by most businesses, is the “programmatic” approach, an a priori approach in which a business uses education programs and organizational changes to attempt to implant the desired norm of continuously creating superior value for customers. A second approach is the “market-back” approach, an experiential approach in which a business continuously learns from its day-to-day efforts to create and …