Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Enterprise Resource Planning Systems On Small And Medium Enterprises, Miguel Buleje

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are considered the price of entry in today's business environment, and the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) retiring legacy systems in favor of ERP systems is increasing exponentially.

However, there is a lack of knowledge and awareness of ERP systems and their potential benefit and effect on performance, and overall value to SMEs. While ERP adoption costs and potential benefits are high, it is not apparent whether the end result will translate into higher productivity for SMEs.

The goal of this study is to evaluate the benefits that accrue to a firm on …

An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Of Telehealth Champions, Ragan A. Dubose-Morris

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

The implementation of telehealth applications is resource intensive and fraught with challenges unique to the people and places involved. The use of telehealth to provide clinical care to patients, educate patients and providers, and conduct research studies to advance medical science has been shown to positively affect issues of access and the quality of care. Previous research has focused on the use of specific technologies, known barriers to adoption and diffusion, and the general efficacy of these applications. Few studies have researched the role champions play in the deployment and operation of telehealth networks. The researcher proposed conducting an interpretative …

Understanding Quantitative Design: A Resource For Qualitative Researchers, Carroll E. Bronson

The Qualitative Report

Quantitative Research for the Qualitative Researcher is a concise text written for students from a qualitative orientation. It provides connections between both quantitative and qualitative research processes, and helps students understand quantitative research design more completely. It highlights the structure and purpose of research design so students understand how to create and carry out effective research projects.

The Impact Of Downsizing And Efficiency Measures On Anti-Fraud Resources, Marek Palasinski

The Qualitative Report

The main purpose of this study was to explore the impact of downsizing and efficiency measures on two key elements of operational performance - fraud detection and fraud reporting. Qualitative data were obtained from ethnographic observations of two major multinational insurance companies, which were already examined before the Global Financial Crisis, and subjected to an inter - and intra - business comparative analysis of anti - fraud resources. The paper points out a big discrepancy in opinions on the downsizing effects between junior staff and their supervisors. Whereas the latter present them as enabling the business to deal with suspicious …

The Making Of Nova Southeastern University: A Tradition Of Innovation, 1964-2014, Julian M. Pleasants

NSU Books and Book Chapters

Nova Southeastern University is a flourishing university with a fascinating past. Arising from the shared dream of local community businessmen in Broward County, Florida, the university was chartered in 1964. At the time, it had no buildings to its name--just an empty plot of land and a dedicated group of visionary advocates.

On the fiftieth anniversary of NSU’s founding, this book tells the amazing story of what is now one of the largest not-for-profit universities in the United States. Today, Nova Southeastern University serves more than 27,000 students and has produced more than 150,000 alumni. Its main campus in Fort …

Expanding The Application Of Appreciative Inquiry Based On Its Principles Of Human Systems, Vatusha Howard

The Qualitative Report

This review serves to examine The Power of Appreciative Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change by Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten - Bloom (2010). It will introduce the topic of Appreciative Inquiry, giving supporting information from the book, and discuss its adaptability. The authors discuss Appreciative Inquiry as a positive approach to change, introduces the 4D cycle associated with it, and uses it to explain how Appreciative Inquiry is carried out in many capacities at the organizational level. Furthermore, this review includes a look into the basic premise of Appreciative Inquiry and how this premise alone affords this Appreciative …

The Clinical Education Experience Of Student-Physiotherapists Within A Transformed Model Of Healthcare, Serela Ramklass

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: The democratisation of the health system was a cornerstone of post-apartheid South Africa. Primary healthcare (PHC) was adopted for increased access, broader participation, and equity in health. Hereafter, physiotherapy and other health sciences curricula, research function, and teaching staff would have to be re-oriented towards enabling implementation and sustainability of the new model. This is an important consideration for the design of clinical education programmes, a learning trajectory within professional curricula that is fundamental to the education, training, and professional socialisation of emerging healthcare personnel. This study explored how student-physiotherapists experienced clinical education practice within the model of PHC. …

An Appreciative Inquiry Into An Urban Drug Court: Cultural Transformation, Raymond Calabrese, Erik Cohen

The Qualitative Report

The purpose of this study was to use an appreciative inquiry (AI) theoretical research perspective and change methodology to transform the working relationships and cultural expectations of members through the discovery of their positive core leading to an optimistic and confidence - based future for an urban drug court. This study describes how participants through their participation in the first two stages of an AI 4 - D cycle (Discovery and Dream) transformed their working relationships and organizational culture. Participants included an urban drug court magistrate, manager, and purposively selected staff [15 participants]. The urban drug court is designed as …

Wellness Magazine 2013 Issue, Office Of Recreation And Wellness

Wellness Magazine

No abstract provided.

Wellness Made Simple - 2013, Nova Southeastern University

Wellness Made Simple

No abstract provided.

Employee Determinants To Share Knowledge In A Us Federal Government Environment, Kenneth White

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

Although the literature indicates that knowledge sharing (KS) research is prevalent in the private sector, there is scant empirical research data about KS in the public sector. Moreover, organizations lack an understanding of employee KS behavior. This study investigated two research questions: First, how does the perceived importance of five determinants of KS behavior (organizational culture, workplace trust, incentives, management support, and technology) vary based upon the variables of job function, gender, and work category? Second, what is the relative importance of the five determinants of KS behavior to U.S. federal government employees? This descriptive study employed a Web-based survey …

Developing Software Requirements For A Knowledge Management System That Coordinates Training Programs With Business Processes And Policies In Large Organizations, James Richard Kiper

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

For large organizations, updating instructional programs presents a challenge to keep abreast of constantly changing business processes and policies. Each time a process or policy changes, significant resources are required to locate and modify the training materials that convey the new content. Moreover, without the ability to track learning objects to processes and policies, training managers cannot conduct an effective training gap analysis in these areas. As a result, the corporate training picture is unclear and instructional needs cannot be accurately determined.

The research addressed these problems by recognizing the need for linkages between an organization's business processes, its policies, …

Fostering Change In Organizational Culture Using A Critical Ethnographic Approach, Rosemary A. Brander, Margo Patterson, Yolande E. Chan

The Qualitative Report

Healthcare organizations are striving to meet legislated and public expectations to include patients as equal partners in their care, and research is needed to guide successful implementation and outcomes. The current research examined the meaning of customer service as related to the culture of care relationships within a Canadian hospital in southeastern Ontario. The goals were to better understand these expectations, develop shared meanings and influence cultural change from the perspective of the organization’s employees about their interactions with patients, families and work colleagues, and to generate ideas and groundswell for change. An ethnographic approach within the critical research paradigm …

Self-Regulation Of A Chiropractic Association Through Participatory Action Research, Lorraine A. Sheppard, Anna Maria S. Jorgensen, Michael J. Crowe

The Qualitative Report

Participatory action research (PAR) can be used in the health professions to redefine their roles. This study investigated a small health professional group, the members of The Chiropractic Association Singapore (TCAS), by using a PAR method; researchers and participants gained insights into the self-regulation of a health profession. A qualitative process using a theory-building approach and an action component was a practical way of developing self-regulation in a small professional group. This approach bridged the gap between practice and research with TCAS members fully engaged in the process of being critically reflective of their future roles in the local health …

A Preliminary Qualitative Evaluation Of The Virginia Gold Quality Improvement Program, Gerald A. Craver, Amy K. Burkett

The Qualitative Report

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) perform an important role in the long-term care system because they provide the majority of paid care to nursing facility residents. Unfortunately, annual CNA turnover often exceeds 100 percent nationally. Many factors account for this, including stressful working conditions, low pay, and limited benefits. The end result of high turnover is compromised continuity of care for residents, which often leads to poor quality and substandard care. In an effort to improve quality of care and staffing, the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services in 2009 implemented a pilot program, known as the Virginia Gold Quality Improvement …

A Survey Of The Intention To Pursue Graduate Studies In Information Technology, Myungjae Kwak, Kirill Yurov, Kevin Floyd, Neil Rigole, Yuliya V. Yurova

HCBE Faculty Presentations

Proposed/completed study The mission of the School of Information Technology at Macon State College is to educate students in information technology in ways that lead to fulfilling managerial careers and enhance the economic vitality of Central Georgia. To accomplish the mission, the School of Information Technology is preparing a Master’s degree program that can be offered within the next few years. To use limited resources efficiently, the school needs to focus on a few concentrations that are in demand by students and meet the workforce needs of the local area (Calhoun et al. 2008). Therefore, two IT concentrations were chosen …

“The Road Not Taken” – Israeli Teachers’ Reactions To Top-Down Educational Reform, Roxana G. Reichman, Shlomit Artzi

The Qualitative Report

The authors have investigated teachers’ reactions towards an imposed reform initiated by the Israeli Ministry of Education in collaboration with one of two teachers’ unions based on the messages and letters sent by high school teachers to an internet forum during a teachers’ strike which took place between October and December of 2007. This study is the result of collaborative work between a teacher educator and a veteran teacher studying towards her Master of Education degree in Learning and Instruction. The research question was: What were the teachers’ attitudes regarding the “New Horizon” reform as conveyed on an internet forum …

The Implementation Of Evidence To Improve Falls Prevention: Lessons From A Case Study In Aged Care, Gisela M. Van Kessel

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

This paper reports on a study investigating the construction of falls prevention evidence within an aged care organization. It describes how the structure and culture of an aged care organization influences the construction of falls prevention evidence by staff. Method: An instrumental single case study design grounded in an interpretive, constructivist paradigm drew on data collected in 2010 from a document review, observations, and informal interviews with nursing and allied health staff. An iterative analysis used a model of diffusion determinants. Results: The aged care organization which served as the case for this study linked its cultural strengths of vision, …

The Individually Focused Interview: Methodological Quality Without Transcription Of Audio Recordings, Aksel Skovgaard Clausen

The Qualitative Report

In this paper, I argue—with an example—that under certain conditions replacement of audio transcriptions with a combination of simultaneously taken and jointly produced notes can be done without affecting reliability, validity, and transparency. These conditions are: (1) professional or otherwise relatively “strong” interviewees (interview persons: IPs) with diverse backgrounds; (2) thorough planning of the interview with well-focused themes; and (3) a thorough and repeated introduction to the interview. The omission of audio transcriptions is an obvious solution to the researcher who wants a breadth of range of statements stemming from the use of many more interviewees than is often possible. …

Constructing A Community Response Grid (Crg): The Dublin, Ohio Case Study, John Freund

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

During an emergency, information availability is critical to preserving life and minimizing damages. During the emergency response, however, information may not be available to those who need it. A community response grid (CRG) can help ameliorate this lack of availability by allowing people to document and distribute emergency information to professional emergency responders (PERs). A CRG combines mobile communications services, Internet technologies, e-government applications, and social network concepts with traditional emergency response systems.

The problem that this case study investigated was how to construct a CRG for the City of Dublin, Ohio, Division of Police that works in conjunction with …

A Study Of Technological Barriers To Instructor E-Readiness In The Online Learning Environment, Glenda H. E. Gay

CCAC Theses and Dissertations

A critical factor of e-learning success is the e-learning readiness of the online user. However, there is a scarcity of studies on online instructors' e-learning readiness (E-Readiness) in an online learning environment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether there were correlations among online instructor E-Readiness dimensions and factors at the design and delivery stages that affect system outcomes. In this study, the DeLone and McLean model was used as a framework for research to test E-Readiness with the System Design stage (comprising System Quality, Information Quality, and Service Quality), System Delivery stage (comprising System Use, and User …

The Sustainability Of Middle And Elementary School Professional Learning Communities In A Mobile School District, Phillys Hill

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

This purpose of this applied dissertation was to provide school leaders with information to guide decisions about professional learning communities (PLCs) in elementary and middle schools. A sample group of secondary and elementary teachers and principals provided their perceptions of the implementation and subsequent sustainability of PLCs in an urban school district challenged with teacher and principal mobility. Sixteen of 45 schools in the large, southern school district gained new principals within 3 years of learning community implementation. In addition, the teacher mobility rate of 13.7% exceeded the state average of 11.8% (Texas Education Agency, 2010). Although it had been …

An Ethnographic Case Study Of Elementary Principal Leadership Strategies And The No Child Left Behind Act, Cassandra J. Poole

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

Leadership is regarded as the key to comprehensive school improvement efforts and the principal is expected to lead the charge/change. Book knowledge is good, but the difference between effective and less effective principals is not what they know but what they actually do. What do principals do to meet AYP? Young (2004) pointed out that some principals recognize they can gain the edge and survive by learning from other effective practitioners. NCLB and AYP demand change to meet the mandates that will bring about improvement in student achievement. NCLB has changed the educational landscape. Numerous articles and literature exists on …

Group Supervision Attitudes: Supervisory Practices Fostering Resistance To Adoption Of Evidence-Based Practices, Charles T. Brooks, David A. Patterson, Patrick M. Mckiernan

The Qualitative Report

The focus of this study was to qualitatively evaluate worker’s attitudes about clinical supervision. It is believed that poor attitudes toward clinical supervision can create barriers during supervision sessions. Fifty-one participants within a social services organization completed an open-ended questionnaire regarding their clinical supervision experiences. Results suggest four key areas which appear to be strong factors in workers’ experiences and attitudes regarding group supervision: a. facilitator’s skill level; b. creativity; c. utilization of technology; and d. applicability. For organizations interested in overcoming potential barriers to adopting best practices, effectively addressing workers’ negative attitudes toward group supervision would be a worthy …

Exploratory Study Of Preferred Learning Styles Of Maine Family Forest Owners, Kevin D. Doran

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this exploratory study was to provide natural resource educators with an understanding of Maine family forest owners’ preferred learning styles. The problem was that despite a legislative mandate to provide information and education to Maine family forest owners, students, and adults in a manner that leads to informed decisions regarding their forests, limited research existed about instructional best practices to accomplish this mandate. A major tenet of andragogy, the art and science of teaching adults, is that content geared to the specific learning needs of an individual results in more effective education. By determining preferred learning styles …

Novice Principals’ Perceptions Of Effective Leadership Practices And Their Principal Preparation Programs, Melissa Y. Wilson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine novice principals’ perceptions of effective leadership practices and the elements of their principal preparation program that prepared them for the role of school leader. A mixed-methods study was utilized by the researcher to gather quantitative data through the use of an online survey and to gather qualitative data through subsequent focus-group interviews to address the proposal’s three research questions: (a) What are the differences (if any) between the perceptions of novice elementary, middle, and high school principals regarding the five instructional leadership practices identified by Kouzes and Posner (2003; i.e., challenging the …

Determining The Relationship Between Employee Morale And Management Practices Of An Organization In The Aerospace Industry, Balenda F. Fulton

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The applied dissertation was designed to measure employee morale and to examine the relationship between employee morale and employee perceptions of the effectiveness of the morale intervention and management practices. The managers of the repair facility at an organization in the aerospace industry disputed the accuracy of the results of the 2008 company survey that indicated the majority of employees had low satisfaction levels with the work environment and managers. In 2009, the managers of the repair facility implemented an employee morale-intervention program to increase employees’ satisfaction levels and ultimately improve worker morale.

A correlational design was utilized to explore …

Explanatory Style And Innovativeness: Use Of Web 2.0 Tools In Education, Michelle Rogers-Estable

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

People may have either a more positive or more negative explanatory style, and their explanatory style consequently leads to behavior choices. Explanatory style may be a primary intrinsic factor underlying optimistic or pessimistic attitudes that directly affect technology adoption by faculty. Research has already found some links among optimism, positive attitudes, and technology adoption. This dissertation therefore analyzed the relationship between explanatory style and individual innovativeness among higher education faculty as measured by the use of emerging Web 2.0 technologies in higher education with the intent to better understand how optimism and pessimism affect choices to use technology in education. …

A Study Of The Leadership Dimensions Of National Distinguished Principals, Judith Mccollum

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The identification and recruitment of effective school principals who can transform schools in the midst of today’s chaotic economic, social, and global environments require a thorough understanding of the research on effective leadership. Current research indicates that principals who exhibit transformational leadership and, most recently, instructional leadership, are the most successful by all measures, including school climate, teacher empowerment, community support, and high student performance results.

This study focused on a sample of principals from a population who recently received the distinction of a National Distinguished Principal (NDP) to determine if a correlation existed between their leadership dimensions and that …

A New Look At The Role Of Management History In The Management Curriculum, Jane Whitney Gibson, Regina A. Greenwood, Edward Francis Murphy, David Andrew Lamond

HCBE Faculty Presentations

We replicate surveys from 1989 and 1997 to examine the role of management history in the management curriculum. Respondents were members of the Management History Division of the Academy of Management. Our findings indicate that management history is not often a part of the curriculum, most management history courses rely on Wren and Bedeian’s Evolution of Management History (2009), and most respondents believe that more management history should be in the curriculum, as a separate course and within courses. We also discuss the value of management history and present suggestions for making that value more apparent.