Digital Commons Network^™

Community-Of-Interest (Coi) Model-Based Languages Enabling Composable Net-Centric Services, Andreas Tolk, Saikou Y. Diallo

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

Net-centric services shall be designed to collaborate with other services used within the supported Community of Interest (COI). This requires that such services not only be integratable on the technical level and interoperable on the implementation level, but also that they are composable in the sense that they are semantically and pragmatically consistent and able to exchange information in a consistent and unambiguous way.

In order to support Command-and-Control with Composable Net-centric Services, the human-machine interoperation must be supported as well as the machine-machine interoperation. This paper shows that techniques of computer linguistic can support the human-machine interface by structuring …

Balancing Hamiltonian And Jeffersonian Contradictions Within Organizations, Anil Nair, David Ahlstrom

Management Faculty Publications

This article describes how institutions get infused with competing logics and analyzes how such competing logics might aid the design of contemporary organizations. It does so by exploring the contrasting views of American founders Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson on the issues they confronted in the years leading up to and after the United States' independence from the British. Their views have had a lasting influence on the character and efficacy of the U.S. government. Although Hamilton and Jefferson contemplated issues related to the governance of the United States, the authors argue that their writings offer insights that can be …

Relationship Between Workplace Skills And Grade Point Averages As Predictors For Employment, John Nelson

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the relationship between workplace readiness skills test scores of students' with their current year grade point average in the Information Technology and Telecommunication ATC courses as a predictor of successful employment.

Professional Development Topics For Marketing Education Teachers, Ashley E. Nunn

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The problem of this study was to determine the topics for professional development days for marketing education high school teachers. To solve this problem the following questions will be asked: 1) How are professional development workshops perceived by marketing education teachers? 2) What topics do marketing education teachers want to learn through professional development? 3) What are suggestions for improvement of professional development for marketing education teachers?

Mediators Of The Leader-Member Exchange And Performance Relationship, Kurt L. Oborn

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The relationship of leader-member exchange (LMX) to task and contextual performance was examined using a sample of teleworkers. Path analysis results show evidence for mediation of the LMX and task performance and LMX and contextual performance relationships. Mediators and partial-mediators included self-management, telework satisfaction, affective commitment, and turnover intentions. LMX is not related to work-family conflict, and work-family conflict is not related to either task or contextual performance. Additional relationships among the mediating variables were also found. This study shows the importance of the leader-member relationship when leading teleworkers. More research is required to further understand differences between teleworkers and …

Foundation Year Field Instruction In A Master Of Social Work Program: A Comparison Study Of Learning Outcomes For On-Campus And Off-Campus Students, Martha T. Early

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Studies

One of the major concerns in delivering a Master of Social Work program away from the main campus is comparability with the program as it is delivered on campus. Field education constitutes a substantial portion of the hours in a graduate program and is valued as the place where theory meets practice. Persons are involved in the delivery of field education include the students, the clients, the field instructors, and the field liaisons who teach the accompanying field seminars, and the Field Office personnel. This paper reports on a study that focused on learning outcomes of a foundation year field …

Teaching Parenting Skills In A Methadone Treatment Setting, Randy R. Gainey, Kevin P. Haggerty, Charles B. Fleming, Richard F. Catalano

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

Family factors significantly affect children’s risk of substance abuse, delinquency, and other problem behaviors (Arthur, Hawkins, Pollard, Catalano, & Baglioni, 2002). Children of substance abusers represent a particularly high-risk population. Prenatal exposure to addictive substances and the medical complications that may arise are important factors that, from conception, place this population at high risk of drug abuse and other problem behaviors (Griffith, Azuma, & Chasnoff, 1994). As children of substance abusers mature, their lives are characterized by exposure to continued drug and alcohol abuse by family members, recurrent or chronic illnesses, frequent moves, financial troubles, legal conflicts, family disorganization, and …

Measurement Of Valuing Diversity: A Multidimensional Conception And Confirmatory Analysis, Rebekka A. Althouse

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the construct validity of the Attitudes Toward Diversity Scale (ATDS; Montei et al., 1996) in relation to the Scale of Ethnocultural Empathy (SEE; Wang et al., 2003) and the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale (M-GUDS; Miville et al., 1999) in a sample of 157 undergraduate and graduate students at Old Dominion University. Because there was no precedent in the literature, a purely theoretical relationship was hypothesized. The relationship between the SEE and the ATDS v as hypothesized to be stronger than between the M-GUDS and the ATDS. A multivariate structural model tested the hypothesized pattern of relationships emanating from …

A Study Of Literacy Efficacy And Student Achievement Among Beginning Middle School Teachers In An Urban Context, Michael J. Mustain

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

Many U.S. school districts are addressing concerns in the areas of literacy education, teacher shortages, and overall student achievement. Teacher preparation in the area of literacy education and the ability of core subject teachers to include literacy components in their daily lessons appears vital to student achievement. Teacher shortages, particularly in high need, "hard to staff'' urban schools, are a serious problem that alternative preparation programs help to address. Alternative preparation programs can provide highly qualified teachers in urban schools. The Transition to Teaching (TTT) trained teachers provided literacy education that in turn helped improve benchmark tests, end-of-year tests, cumulative …

Evaluating Collaboration Constructs: An Analysis Of The Paradise Creek Restoration Plan, Pamela Trump Dunning

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This study examines collaboration constructs using Gray & Wood's framework of theoretical dimensions of collaboration and two conceptual models found in the literature in an effort to determine which constructs are present in the successful collaborative efforts of the Elizabeth River Project's Team Paradise as they developed the Paradise Creek Restoration Plan. The study used a mixed method approach involving both qualitative (interview and documents) and quantitative (survey) methods to gather data. The findings from this study support construct findings from three other studies on collaborative processes: Gray & Wood's framework of theoretical dimensions of collaboration; the Selin & Chavez …

Evaluating Work Keys Profiling As A Pre-Employment Assessment Tool To Increase Employee Retention, Ruth Zimmer Hendrick

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

Twenty-first century changes in the nature of work, the workforce and employment practices, along with increased employer need to select employees who will have the best "fit" with particular jobs in order to increase return on investment, are leading employers toward greater use of pre-employment assessments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of one of those tools, the Work Keys skill assessment battery, on employment retention. Research questions centered around the effects of Work Keys testing on employment.

Job applicant assessment scores and retention information were obtained from and interviews were held with 12 employers who …

A Systems Methodology For Measuring Operational Organization Effectiveness: A Study Of The Original Equipment Computer Manufacturing Industry, 1948 To 2001, Teddy Steven Cotter

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Optimizing operational organizational effectiveness is the central, although often unstated, goal of engineering management and systems engineering research and applications. Two fundamental problems remain to be addressed in pursuit of this goal. First, despite over fifty years of research in various disciplines, there is still no universally accepted definition of organizational effectiveness. Second, no methodology exists to identify the domains, dimensions, and determinants of operational organizational effectiveness and dynamically model operational organizational effectiveness within a given population.

This research synthesizes a systems engineering methodology for identifying the domains, dimensions, and determinants of and dynamically modeling operational organizational effectiveness for an …

Knowledge Management In Training In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Stephanie Mckinney

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To guide this study, the following research goals were developed: 1. Determine the number of Hampton Roads, Virginia businesses using knowledge management as an integral part of training; 2. Determine what types of knowledge management processes are currently being used; 3. Determine the importance of knowledge management as an area for current and future training

Tidewater Virginia Technology Education Teacher Professional Development Needs, Richard A. Nash

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The following objectives were established to answer this problem: 1. Determine the types of professional development being sought by Tidewater public school technology education teachers; 2. Recommend specific types of professional development that should be made available to Tidewater technology education teachers.

Complex System Transformation: A System Of Systems Engineering (Sose) Perspective, Charles B. Keating, Andres Sousa-Poza, Samuel Kovacic

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is to develop a perspective for complex system transformation from a System of Systems Engineering (SoSE) viewpoint. This is a first attempt to make explicit a SoSE viewpoint on complex system transformation. As such, the formulation is intended to escalate the dialog and integrate the current state of understanding with respect to the nature, utility, and implications of complex system transformation in SoSE terms. To achieve our purpose we will: (1) present a short introduction that provides an essential background for SoSE, (2) provide five fundamental systems concepts that underlie a SoSE perspective of complex …

An Exploratory Analysis Of Post Strategic Plan Implementation Fidelity In Two Urban-Based, Nonprofit Health Education/Advocacy Organizations, Theodore N. Burke

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This research is a multi case study examining the degree of fidelity (adherence) accorded to strategic plans following implementation in two, urban-based, nonprofit, tax-exempt 501 (c) (3) health education/advocacy organizations. The study was focused on the impetus and goals for strategic planning, the similarities and differences in the implementation processes, adherence (fidelity) to the plan once implemented, and finally what factors prompted the fidelity or lack of fidelity to the plan once implemented. Fourteen respondent participants from the two organizations were interviewed using a semi-structured interview format. Findings of this study indicated that post-strategic plan fidelity following implementation did exist. …

Work-Family Conflict Among Teleworkers: Demographic Effects And Work-Related Outcomes, Katherine A. Selgrade

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

This study examines the influence of work-family conflict (WFC) on work-related outcomes among teleworkers. Effects of work interfering with family (WIF) and family interfering with work (FIW) on telework satisfaction, affective commitment, and turnover intentions were examined in a secondary data analysis of 167 teleworkers. The effects of several demographic variables (gender, duration of the telework arrangement, number of children, and frequency of teleworking) on WFC were also examined. Structural equation modeling results support the influence of WIF on telework satisfaction and turnover intentions. The influence of FIW on the work outcomes was not supported. Analysis of the demographic variables …

Customer Relationship Marketing And Effects Of Demographics And Technology On Customer Satisfaction And Loyalty In Financial Services, Priscilla Gaudet Aaltonen

Theses and Dissertations in Business Administration

In today's market, financial institutions are adopting Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) as a strategy aimed at collecting and using data to deliver increased customer value (Payne, Holt, Frow 2000) and, in turn, to increase customer satisfaction and, ultimately, customer loyalty. However, as more studies are being done on the outcome of CRM strategies over time, it is becoming evident that the costs often outweigh the expected benefits and CRM projects have consistently over-promised and under-delivered (Norman and Zafar 2001). Often, customer satisfaction is increased slightly but loyalty rates do not increase at all.

To date, much of what has been …

Writing Reflective Case Studies For The Engineering Management Journal (Emj), Timothy Kotnour, Rafael Landaeta

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper's intent is to help authors write reflective case studies for the Engineering Management Journal (EMJ). We offer a process to convert an applied research project with an organization to an EMJ manuscript. Writing a reflective case study is a process of abstracting experiences into approaches, processes, tools, challenges, and "lessons" for a broad audience of engineering managers. This paper serves as a guide for authors to write reflective case studies.

The Psychological Contract Of Multiple Agency Relationships: Understanding The Attitudes And Behaviors Of Contractors, Cynthia J. Maahs

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Previous research offers inconsistent findings with respect to attitude and behavior differences for contingent and permanent workers. The current study proposes the psychological contract as an explanatory framework for understanding differences between contractors and regular employees. The hypotheses examined attitudinal and behavioral measures: organizational commitment, job satisfaction, intent to quit, job performance, and organizational citizenship behaviors. The two components of the psychological contract (relational vs. transactional) were thought to impact differentially the outcome measures. Approximately 650 employees in a technology contracting organization completed an on-line survey designed to test the hypotheses. The two-factor structure of psychological contract was confirmed and …

Creating Individual Behavior Change Through 360-Degree Feedback: A Development Pipeline Perspective, Victoria Cole Stage

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Ensuring that individuals develop new and more productive behaviors on the job is a challenge for many organizations and a focus of time, effort, and energy spent on programs to facilitate this change. This research was an effort to validate and utilize a framework for understanding how efforts toward individual development are restricted. To do this, I used a new 360-degree feedback instrument called “Time 2 Change” that measures self, manager, direct report, and peer/colleague perceptions of change in the individual. This instrument also measures the individual's perceptions of development enablers, in a framework called a Development Pipeline. As a …

The Relationship Between Afloat Training Group Norfolk Levels Of Effectiveness To Formal Assessment/Inspections As A Predictor Of Atlantic Fleet Shipboard Engineering Readiness, Juan D. Marpuri Jr.

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

This research will determine if the changes made as a result of IDTC initiatives have contributed to the levels of training effectiveness and ultimately the afloat commands ability to demonstrate engineering readiness.

Facility Administrator Perceptions Of The External Environmental Constituencies Shaping Urban Advanced Technology Centers, Daniel Robert Smith

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

The purpose of this study was to develop a list of the most relevant external environmental constituencies and responses to those elements that should be used by facility administrators of urban advanced technology centers. A three-round Delphi research method was conducted to garner the perceptions of the panel participants. The President's Advisory Council and the Board of Directors of the National Coalition of Advanced Technology Centers were asked to nominate facility administrators of urban advanced technology centers to serve as expert panel participants. Of the 17 facility administrators nominated, nine agreed to participate and completed all three rounds of the …

The Relationship Between A Sense Of Urgency Implementation And Successful Change Strategies In Organizations, Brian Keith Baxter

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The focus of this study was to determine how the sense of urgency has caused the implementation of successful change initiatives in management practices in organizations. How was "establishing a sense of urgency" actually applied in the organizational change process?

Determinants Of Employee Participation In Agency-Sponsored Health And Fitness Programs, Patricia D. Martin

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that determine the level of employee participation in agency-sponsored health and fitness programs at Southwest Virginia Community College. This study was undertaken to determine the specific types of health and fitness programs that should be sponsored to increase employee participation.

Comparing Geometry 4x4 Block Scheduling With Geometry A/B Scheduling And It's Effect On Geometry Sol Test Scores, Daniel Rachid

OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers

To solve this problem, the following hypothesis was developed: 1. Students who complete the A/B Geometry class will have higher SOL scores on average than the students who complete the one-semester Geometry class.

Organizational Climate And Commitment: A Case Study Of An Urban Nonprofit Organization, William Sawyer Grant

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Management

This qualitative study investigates the relationship between the two constructs: Organizational Climate and Organizational Commitment.

Litwin and Stringer (1968) suggested that a molar model is needed to explain employee behavior and motivation. Climate was proposed as this molar construct. Research concerning Organizational Climate resulted in multiple definitions and little consensus concerning the number and use of multiple dimensions of this construct. The almost exclusive use of survey methods coupled with methodological confusion with Organizational Culture created difficulty with the use of this important construct.

Organizational Commitment research resulted in a number of competing definitions. Research by Meyer and Allen (1997) …

A Model To Evaluate The Effect Of Organizational Adaptation, Holly A. H. Handley, Alexander H. Levis

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

When an organization’s output declines due to either internal changes or changes in its external environment, it needs to adapt. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of different adaptation strategies on organizational per- formance, an organizational model composed of individual models of a five stage interacting decision maker was designed using an object oriented design approach and implemented as a Colored Petri net. The concept of entropy is used to calculate the total activity value, a surrogate for decision maker workload, based on the functional partition and the adaptation strategy being implemented. The individual decision maker’s total activity is monitored, …

Effects Of Organizational Climate, Feedback-Seeking Environment And Innovation Characteristics On The Implementation Of A 360-Degree Feedback System, Simon Alan Bartle

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

The present study examined the effects of organizational climate, feedback seeking environment and innovation characteristics on the implementation of a 360-degree feedback system within a large financial holdings company. The effect of user attitudes toward the 360-degree feedback system was also assessed. A sample of responses from 255 360-degree feedback system users was collected over a 14-month time period. LISREL was used to test the hypothesized structural model. Overall goodness of fit for the model was poor (using generalized least squares estimates: the Non-Normed Fit Index (NNFI) = .95, Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = .96; Root Mean Square Error of …

A Power Structure Study Of An Urban Superintendent's Tenure In The City Of Virginia Beach, 1967–1986, Sophia V. Stubblefield

Theses and Dissertations in Urban Services - Urban Education

This study examined the 19-year tenure of Dr. E. E. Brickell, superintendent of the Virginia Beach City School System. Specifically, the study has further developed an understanding of the role, expectations, and challenges of the position to identify factors that contributed to Dr. Brickell's tenure longevity.

The literature review conducted in this study revealed that specific factors contributing to a long tenure (more than 2.5 years) for a superintendent is inconclusive. The available data suggest that an interaction of political, environmental, and individual factors could effect the length of a superintendent's tenure.

A qualitative research design was used in this …