Digital Commons Network^™

Exploratory Study Of Construction Safety Culture Through Systems Thinking, Charles J. Jr Benford

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Since its conception, in 1986 after the Chernobyl accident, the term "safety culture" has gained major popularity throughout many systems, especially the construction industry. Although this concept has gained much popularity over the course of two decades, it remains a heavily debated topic between advocates and skeptics for various reasons. Much of the skepticism is due to the failure of proponents of the concept to clearly define and provide an understanding of those factors that comprise what "safety culture" is, and how it can be achieved. A system (particularly a construction system) that possesses a safety culture is one in …

Worksite Schools: A Study Of Cooperation Between Public Education And Private Business, D. Janell Dietz

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The development of business/educational partnerships in the United States has accelerated in the last few years, fueled in large part by industry concerns over a projected scarcity of future workers who are effectively equipped for the demands of a workforce in an evolving technological environment. This has been accompanied by rising concern over parental choice in the matter of what schools their children will attend; Lankard (1995) has opined that in the new economy where school and work are intertwined, it is increasingly apparent that a dual approach to public school reform has appeal, and such partnerships will continue to …

Putting A Face On Organizational Innovation, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The article discusses the author's view on the importance of fostering continuous innovation and renewal in public agencies for the success in public management. The author shares that she has come to understand that there are 15 types of teams and individuals that feed innovation inside organizations, outsiders and insiders. She said that by developing such innovation personalities, public managers have the chance to support new concepts in improving processes.

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, David Ashley, Mamie Peers, Grace Russell, Lisa Shawcroft

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Control Of The Electronic Management Of Information, A. Boone, R. Szatmary Jr.

Publications (YM)

This procedure establishes the responsibilities and provides direction for developing and evaluating the adequacy of process controls on specific uses of electronically stored information. These uses include, but are not limited to, information used in design input, developed as design output, or developed as input to or output from scientific investigation or performance assessment modeling and analysis. This pertains to information that resides in an electronic information management system or on electronic media.

Taking The Time To Rebuild Trust In Government, Christine G. Springer

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

The author reflects on the importance of trust. She stated that trust is more significant than ever to public managers as trust in the government ebbs. It is important to public managers because it directly impacts the speed and cost of getting things done. Moreover, she considers command and control management and downsizing and reengineering as threats to any trust infrastructure.

Inside Unlv, Shane Bevell, Diane Russell, Grace Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Characteristics And Success Of Information Systems Development Efforts In Public School Systems, Kim R Syverson

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This thesis discusses the differences between traditional businesses and schools regarding information system project management, by analyzing several project characteristics and how they affect educational end-user perceptions of system successes. While many other businesses have mastered the project management processes, school districts are just now beginning to see that such processes and techniques are even necessary; Here we use survey data from school teachers and administrators, along with two case studies to investigate factors that impact the success of information system development projects among Nevada public schools. The results highlight areas that are either currently lacking, or need to be …

Identifying Common Traits Of Successful Casino Executives: Toward Succession Planning, Finley Bolton-Cotrone

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The current study is an attempt to identify traits and skills that determine success in casino executives. Upon identification, a succession plan can be put into place to develop future leaders. In order to determine success factors, three instruments were administered; a measure of personality, the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire, and two leadership/managerial styles questionnaires, the Competing Values Framework and the Leadership Orientation Survey. This study involved two participant samples. Forty-one executives from three Las Vegas hotel/casino properties completed the three questionnaires and 275 peers and/or subordinates completed the two leadership/managerial styles questionnaires on their behalf. Results of the 16 …

The Five-Year Change Process At A Secondary School: A Case Study, Luanne Marie Forrest

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the five-year change process as experienced by members of a secondary school community who intentionally sought out and pursued school improvement through the establishment of a continuous improvement process with the goal of increased student achievement. Three questions guided this exploration: (a) What contextual factors contributed to the change process at a secondary school pursuing continuous improvement processes; (b) How did these contextual factors interact and inter-relate to contribute to the implementation and sustainability of the continuous improvement process; and (c) How did these contextual factors interact and inter-relate to contribute to the change process itself. As …

Taking Care Of Business: Selecting The Best Periodical Database For Your Business Patrons, J. Cory Tucker

Library Faculty Research

This study compares ABI/INFORM and Business Source Premier, the two major periodical databases in the business field, to determine which database is covering the major scholarly journals most thoroughly. The comparison was made by compiling a list of major journals based on scholars' choice in the fields of accounting, finance, MIS, and marketing. In the field of management, the journals studied are based on ISI's Journal of Citation Reports. The list was compared with the title lists of journals indexed in each database. The results indicate that the two databases are very similar. ABI/INFORM is more comprehensive in the number …

Policy Analysis Of The Victim Offender Restitution Program, Veronica Damon, Marie Bostick, Lamont Mcgary

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Both the criminal justice and the juvenile justice systems have experienced increased strain due to criminal acts committed by juveniles. Many experts suggest that one way to ease the burden of the courts can be found in the theory of restorative justice. Most often the juvenile justice system is most concerned with the risk and needs of youthful offenders without significant consideration for the victims. A key component in the restorative justice theory is victim offender mediation which seeks to reduce the impact of crime on victims and the community. Clark County, Nevada has one such program, the Victim Offender …

Internet Utilization As A Medium For Training Employees In Multi-Unit Restaurants, Dipendra Singh

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Employee turnovers costs for multi-unit restaurant companies amount to millions of dollars each year. A large amount is spent on training new employees, so that the service and product standards can be maintained throughout the outlets. However, very little attention is being paid to the Internet as an efficient and cost effective medium for training employees; The purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between multi-unit restaurant companies and their current and perceived future Internet usage for employee training. Multi-unit restaurant companies with different annual revenues were categorized and examined for the extent of Internet usage in training; …

Mental Health Problems And Needs In Nevada, Kathryn Landreth, Simon Gottschalk, Carlos Brandenburg

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Attitudes toward people with mental health problems have varied throughout historical periods and cultures. At times, they were believed to possess divine powers, and at others were cast as possessed by evil forces. In ancient Greece, Iraq, and India, for example, people with mental disorders were treated humanely, while in other cultures they were executed, tortured, shunned, and pushed to the margins of society. Today, most societies strive to treat the mentally ill in a humane manner and integrate them in society’s mainstream.

The Effects Of Perceived Teacher Empowerment On Student Achievement, Florence Barker Aitken

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived levels of teacher empowerment in schools showing an increase of student outcomes as well as a decrease of student outcomes on standardized proficiency tests in reading/language arts and mathematics over a three-year period. The relationship between the levels of teachers' perceived empowerment to student achievement was studied as well as specific dimensions of teacher empowerment connected to student outcomes. The instrumentation used in this study was the School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) that was developed by researchers Short and Rinehart (1992) and contained six theoretical dimensions of teacher empowerment: (a) …

The Principal's Role In Promoting Standards-Based Professional Development, Barbara Jill Presler

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe principals' and teachers' knowledge of recommended professional development practice as defined by The National Staff Development Council (2001). In addition, the study described teachers' and principals' perceptions of professional development practices in their schools; This study was guided by three research questions: (1) how do principals perceive their own behaviors and activities relative to professional development; (2) how do teachers perceive administrator's behavior and actions relative to professional development; and (3) to what extent did principals base the professional development activities and practices within their schools on the National Staff Development Standards?;This …

Building Skills F2f – Using Chat Reference Techniques, Darcy C. Del Bosque, Kimberly Chapman

Library Faculty Research

The UTSA Library, like many organizations, has been experiencing a period of rapid growth and change. Even positive change can cause stress in departments, and one way to help employees deal with change, while still providing customer-oriented service, is to establish a regular forum for discussion that encourages departmental communication.

Training is an important aspect of employee development; however, the literature indicates that, in many organizations, training is often given little attention and relegated to the sidelines due to other demands on staff. With the hiring of new personnel, including a new Head of Reference and a Training Coordinator, the …

The Benefits Improvement And Protection Act (Bipa) And Its Impact On The Stability Of Provider Networks In Medicare + Choice Managed Care Organizations (Mcos), Frances R. Nelson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Factors That Impact The Instructional And Technical Support Provided By Site-Based Technology Coordinators In K--12 Schools, Douglas B Hearrington

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

School districts are increasingly employing teachers as site-based coordinators to support and facilitate a myriad of information and communication technology (ICT) related innovations. This study describes the barriers and enabling conditions influencing the technical and instructional support, and staff development provided by these coordinators. Diffusion theory (Rogers, 2003) and a staff development model developed by Guskey and Sparks (2000) were used as frameworks for this study of 134 coordinators from a large school district; The findings of this study indicate that staff development and instructional support fell well below desired levels, and timely technical support is increasingly difficult to provide. …

A Case Study Of Unlv Students Enrollment And Financial Services: The Trend To Blend Key Student Services Into A One-Stop Shop, Christina F. Twelves

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Should Human Resources Managers Utilize Affirmative Action To Give Diversity Programs Legitimacy?, Janet Lynn Morrison

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Since 1987, the valuing and managing of diversity has been on the radar screens of most human resources managers. Specifically, many are wrestling with how to establish the "perfect" diversity program that serves to get the message out to their organizational members that individual differences should be viewed as resources for learning and understanding and not barriers to career success or opportunity. However, for the majority, this has proved a difficult task. Simply, human resources managers are missing the mark when it comes to identifying a solid foundation for diversity management---a foundation that will compel organizational stakeholders to recognize diversity …

Diversity Frames: Toward A Mid -Range Theory In Supplier Diversity Management, Jocelina Santos

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

The recognition that diversity is a visible facet of our global society is generating discourse among leaders in business, government, and civil society alike. In view of demographic changes affecting the labor and product supply markets, plus the value being placed on an emergent customer base, diversity rhetoric is shifting from "the right thing to do" to "the smart thing to do." With emphasis on the business case, organizations are adopting a culture of "inclusion". Executives tout diversity initiatives as business imperatives that are integral to the company's mission, but express a need for a more efficacious approach to diversity …

Organizational Ethics And Maintaining An Ethical Environment Through Employee Involvement, Julie Ann Tousa

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

With the promulgation of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines in 1991 organizations as a whole began implementing Ethics Programs. Greater attention was being given to organizational behavior and the courts were now able to hold organizations accountable for misconduct with stronger sanctions; Organizations have now had more than ten years to implement their Ethics Programs for effectiveness. Yet today we see numerous cases of unethical decisions in organizations, most of them having Ethics Programs or Codes of Ethics in place, with results of the unethical behavior being as serious as loss of life, trust, millions of dollars, employment etc; It appears …

A Case Study Of Culture And Change In A Small Architecture Firm, Valerie L Bugni

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Founded in 1982, Elphant1 is a 25-person architecture and interior design firm located in one of America's most "postmodern" cities (Venturi, Brown and Izenour 1977; Fontana and Preston 1990; Gottschalk 1995; Dickens 1999). In order to design better buildings that respond to as well as support people, organizations, and society, Elphant is engaged in an organizational change effort to incorporate sociological theories and methods into their design processes and operational activities; According to organization culture theorist Joanne Martin (2002), few researchers have integrated what is known about organizational change with cultural change. Applying Martin's (2002) three-perspective approach and Schein's (1992) …

Inside Unlv, Gian Galassi, Carol C. Harter, Gale Sinatra

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Third Stage E-Government And County Employees: A Case Study Of The Clark County Business License Department, Benjamin B. Bond Iii

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study presents the results of research designed to evaluate attitudes of county-level employees who are working within government departments that have undertaken electronic government (e-government) initiatives. Specifically, the guiding question addressed throughout this study has been: “How do county employees perceive third stage e-government initiatives?” Additionally, this paper will examine multiple factors that have been identified as key components of slowing the implementation process such as: resistance to technology, insufficient participation of employees in e-government development initiatives and management/ employee interaction in regard to e-government implementation. This paper is based on research gathered using a self-administered survey of thirty …

The Influence Of School Climate And Leadership Style On Teacher Transiency In Urban Middle Schools, Jenefer J Tirella

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

This study examined teachers' perceptions of school climate, the principal's leadership style, and their influence on teacher transiency in urban middle schools. Two surveys, the Urban School Climate Survey and the Leadership Effectiveness Adaptability Questionnaire, were distributed to four middle schools within the participating school district. Fifty-eight teachers participated in the study and returned the completed surveys. Teacher interviews were conducted with participating teachers who were willing to be interviewed. The theoretical framework for this study was based on the contingency theory (Likert, 1967; Donaldson, 2001); This study determined a significant main effect for schools. School profiles were outlined to …

The Role Of Architecture And Sociology In Organizational Development, Ronald Smith

Sociology Faculty Research

Architects and sociologists are increasingly realizing that the two professions have close and important linkages. Certainly the two directly contribute to organizational development. Architectural sociologists draw upon their organizational theories and their research to describe how the physical environment reflects managerial philosophies and also to analyze how the physical environment subsequently impacts the participants, processes, and outcomes of the organization (Becker and Steel, 1995). Sociologists could be of assistance to the architect on matters of building and landscape design, choice of furnishings, layout of work stations, locations of conference and break rooms, decision about who receives valued space, public perceptions …

Workforce Diversity Programs: A Case Study Of The Las Vegas Valley Water District’S “3-Year Diversity Implementation Plan”, Wilisha C. Moore

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Diversity programs have become a popular topic in today’s workforce. Diversity has become an important factor in the success of an organization. More and more agencies are beginning to realize that the workforce is becoming more diverse, and organizations are starting to embrace this diversity. Organizations are beginning to understand that diversity adds to the production and to the success of the organization, and is not a negative setback. Many agencies are realizing that diversity includes all employees, and is no longer just a racial issue. Diversity is the makeup of the world, and there are many dimensions of it. …

The Practices Of Principals In Implementing Inclusion In Their Schools, Wendi Charlene Hawk

UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations

Court cases and federal mandates are telling schools to move toward including students with disabilities into the general education setting. This has created an increased hardship for school site administrators as they take on the burden of preparing their schools for a conducive learning environment for all of the students at their schools; This case study was designed to gather data about the practices of the high school principal in the implementation of inclusion. The principal's role in the change process was analyzed through classroom observations, document analysis, and interviews with various staff members; The study included one high school …