Digital Commons Network^™

Association Between Electronic Prescribing Among Ambulatory Care Providers And Adverse Drug Event Hospitalizations In Older Adults, Grishma Patel Bhavsar

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose.

This dissertation research sought to determine whether the proportion of physicians using electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) was associated with the hospitalization rate for adverse drug events (ADEs) among patients aged 65 and older in 2011. Additionally, we sought to determine whether increases in the proportion of e-prescribing physicians in a county were associated with decreases in the hospitalization rate for ADE among older adults.

Methods.

Two study designs were used, a cross-sectional study using 2011 data and a pre-post- study using 2008 and 2011 data. Data from the 2008 and 2011 State Inpatient Databases, the Office of the National …

Assessment Of The United States National Security Space Management And Organization, Charles G. Simpson

Theses and Dissertations

This research analyzes the results of the Report of the Commission to Assess the United States National Security Space Management and Organization, dated January 11, 2001 in order to determine which recommendations were beneficial, which recommendations are still in effect and what additional measures should be undertaken to continue, and even advance, our standing as a premier space power. It analyzes the potential managerial and organizational shortcomings of National Security Space within the United States Government, specifically the Department of Defense. Additionally, this paper reviews the various management and organizational force restructuring which occurred as a result of the commission’s …

Preparing For Change: An Examination Of An Urban School's Extra-Curricular Activities And Professional Learning Communities In Creating A Culture Ready For Change, Linda Brown-Bartlett

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this action research study is to examine the use of extra-curricular activities and professional learning communities to create a school culture ready for academic change. This unique approach to implementing change, in a historically failing urban middle school, utilizes a two pronged approach focusing on personalizing strategies specific to the school based on student and staff expressed needs. The study takes place at Sonia Middle School located in the United States' fifth most dangerous and impoverished city, Bartlett, New Jersey. Numerous academic reform models have failed to improve teaching and learning. The researcher hypothesizes these programs failed …

Faculty Expectations And Perceptions Of Writing At A Community College, Lynn Kraemer-Siracusa

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this multi-method qualitative study was to determine the nature and extent of any gaps that exist between the writing skills faculty members across disciplines at a community college expect their students to utilize in intermediate-level writing intensive courses, their perceptions of the students' general ability to demonstrate those skills, and the importance of the learning outcomes of the two semesters of FYC courses. The faculty members identified a majority of the FYC learning outcomes as having some level of importance to their courses across disciplines. In addition, the directions for the writing assignments used by these faculty …

Roli I Liderit Në Menaxhimin E Ndërmarrjeve Të Vogla, Dafina Hasani

Theses and Dissertations

Lidershipi shpesh është menduar si një forcë kryesore prapa suksesit dhe dështimit të ndërmarrjes dhe mirëqenies së personelit. Pavarësisht nga fusha e studimit në lidership, lidershipi në bizneset e vogla ka qenë rrallë në qendër të kërkimit. Rritja e rëndësisë së firmave të vogla në rritjen ekonomike dhe konkurrencës, ka ngritur disa pyetje rreth rolit dhe praktikës së lidershipit në ndërmarrjet e vogla.

Ashtu si suksesi dhe dështimi, ashtu dhe mirëqenia e personelit të kompanive shpesh janë atribuar te lidershipi. Pikëpamjet që kompanitë e vogla ndryshojnë në thelb nga homologët e tyre thekson rëndësinë e njohurive shkencore rreth lidershipit në …

Media Advocacy And Social Change: The Case Of Sexual Harassment In Egypt, Naglaa Atef Beshay Hanna

Theses and Dissertations

Social Change and media advocacy are two related concepts. In Egypt with all the changes that are taking place on the political level, social change is needed in parallel to achieve development. Sexual harassment is an alarming phenomenon that is growing in Egypt in the last few years. Media advocacy is a tool that should be included in the strategy to combat this phenomenon as it contributes to make social change which could eliminate the phenomenon. This study reviews some of the media advocacy attempts in Egypt that targets sexual harassment. It also studies the role of the governmental organizations …

How A Secondary School As An Organization Defines And Embeds The Term College Readiness, Michele Critelli

Theses and Dissertations

With the many reforms and initiatives regarding college readiness, understanding how organizations use rhetoric to determine and define what college readiness is and what it looks like can either reinforce dominant institutional structures and practices, or create new definitions and understanding leading to institutional change. Through a rhetorical framework (Alvesson, 1993), members of an organization are not only conformists but also strategic agents who through the use of rhetoric construct and shape knowledge and institutional life. A case study was conducted of one secondary high school that included administrators and teachers who work within the context of college readiness. Through …

Factors Influencing Level Of Implementation Of Physical Activity Interventions In Youth-Serving Organizations, Yuen Yan Lau

Theses and Dissertations

In the past decade, numerous interventions have been developed and tested to increase physical activity in children and adolescents. Among these interventions, those that reported higher levels of program implementation appear to have better program outcomes. However, relatively little is known about the specific factors that contributed to successful implementation in youth physical activity interventions. The overall purpose of this dissertation was to identify a set of core factors that are most important in explaining implementation of physical activity interventions in youth-serving settings. Three studies, an expert panel study and two prospective observational studies, were conducted to address the purpose …

A Phenomenological Study Focused On The Lived Experiences Of Cable Television Executives Surrounding The Phenomenon Of Candor With Their Teams, Pao Lo

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation study examines how cable television executives are able to experience the phenomenon of candor with their teams. The research used a phenomenological research framework to gain an understanding of how cable executives are able to experience candor. Face to face interviews was the method and tool used to obtain the data. The cable executives were purposefully selected from the researcher’s professional network to participate. The research analyzed the data to reveal any common themes or undertones in how the phenomenon of candor is experienced. The research discovered that cable executives do experience candor and the environment to foster …

Action-Logics Of Veterans Health Administration Magnet Nurse Executives And Their Practice Of Supporting Nurses To Speak Up, Bonnie R. Pierce

Theses and Dissertations

Health care organizations typically have a hierarchical structure, with physicians dominant and nurses subordinate. The challenge to open and honest communication between doctors and nurses is real, and communication errors contribute significantly to undesirable patient outcomes. Nurse executives (NEs) have a responsibility to help lead transformation of health care organizations to support nurses to speak up and communicate all critical information. NEs are challenged to improve safety and quality, decrease costs and increase access to care. Combining health care expertise with business ability can support these goals. Rooke and Torbert found correlations between successful business leaders and postconventional action-logics, or …

Is Mooc Madness Here To Stay? An Institutional Legitimacy Study Of Employers, Alyssa R. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation aims to assess the degree of human resource personnel's acceptance of Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) providers. It is a critical part of understanding if MOOCs offer a viable and sustainable form of education because employer buy-in is essential to MOOCs' success, according to many who have studied this online learning phenomenon.

The sample for this study primarily was Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) board and committee members located in metropolitan areas throughout the U.S, with 112 qualified participants. Participants were recruited through email and other online methods to take the survey. The survey had three sections, …

Comic Art And Humor In The Workplace: An Exploratory Study ...Zzzzzz, Kella Brown

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a qualitative, exploratory examination of the phenomena of humor in the workplace. The purpose is to derive a better understanding of how real people enact humor in the workplace by examining the humor depicted by and through fictional characters in comic art. The body of work of cartoonist, Scott Adams, was the primary source of data. The study relies on what the imaginary characters of Dilbert find absurd, funny, and ridiculous about an imaginary workplace, the employee-employer relationship, the content of the characters' jobs, or in the social relationships of fictional characters. It involves analyzing specific cultural …

Assessment Of The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And Lean Implementation In The Aerospace Industry, Jesus Arroyo

Theses and Dissertations

The aerospace industry is facing a wide range of economic and global challenges that are working together to put tremendous pressure to become more efficient. These challenges are forcing organizations to utilize the skills and competencies of its human resources more effectively. Firms must encourage behaviors and work practices that help elicit the organization’s potential. For most aerospace organizations, lean—a total quality management approach—has become a tool for addressing these challenges and meeting expectations. Many researchers see lean as a general system to improve the profitability of manufacturing, but there is some discontent in implementing lean manufacturing. Some researchers explain …

A Phenomenological Case Study Of Finding Meaning Through The Developmental Nature Of A Doctoral Program In Organization Change, Joseph C. Holler

Theses and Dissertations

This phenomenological case study of finding meaning explored the developmental nature of Pepperdine University’s Doctor of Education in Organization Change (EDOC) program through graduates, who as students, found deep, visceral, and life changing meaning. The primary request of participants, identified as co-inquirers, was to: describe in as much detail as possible how meaning was found through their participation in the EDOC program. Detailed storied descriptions from 10 graduates were gathered through interviews. Anecdotes were gathered by email from other graduates concerning the meaning found, relational experiences, and vivid program experiences. In my analysis of data, I explicated the structure (the …

The Organization Culture Assessment Of Area Agencies On Aging In The State Of California, Maria Carmen Victoria E. Painter

Theses and Dissertations

The world is undergoing a key demographic shift and a restructuring of its population due to the increase in the relative size of the aging population. Based on the latest world census data, the number of people aged 65 or older is expected to increase from an estimated 416 million in the year 2000 to 853 million in the year 2025. The US Census Bureau estimated that in 2050 the number of Americans aged 65 and older would reach 88.5 million, more than double the projected population of 40.2 million in 2010. The state of California has 3.5 million people …

Impact Of Leadership Style On Innovation: A Study Of Retired Military Senior Officers In Executive-Level Supervisory Roles Within The High-Technology Engineering Defense Industry, Jose Collazo

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the relationship between leadership style and past military rank, and how these might impact an organization’s innovation climate. The sample consisted of (a) retired U.S. Army senior officers currently employed as executive-level supervisors in the high-technology engineering defense industry and (b) those working under such supervisors. Two leadership styles investigated in this study are transactional and transformational, the former defined by incentive structures based on pay and promotion according to performance, and the latter defined by charisma, inspiration, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Although these are not mutually exclusive styles, they are conceptually distinct operating modes. The …

Teacher Leadership Practices, Supports And Challenges In Implementation Of The Common Core High School Math Standards, Shelley Fetterolf-Klein

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to explore and describe the practices of teacher leaders in a PLC content team along with the supports they received and needed as well as the challenges they encountered during implementation of the Common Core State Standards for high school mathematics in a Southern California school district. Because research shows most change initiatives require active leadership and yet are difficult to sustain there existed a need to study and describe the experiences of the teacher leaders during this curricular change to the Common Core State Standards. The experiences described by the seven …

Hypertension Health Behavior Change And Older Adults: The Effect Of An Appreciative Education Approach, Mary Katherine Benya

Theses and Dissertations

Making lifestyle changes has been found to be effective in controlling hypertension. Positive psychology may provide alternatives to existing health behavior change approaches. Appreciative Education (AE), a positive psychology approach, was applied to an existing hypertension control intervention, Lifestyle University (LU), and compared to the Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) approach, in a segment of the existing intervention. This study used quasi-experimental, mixed methods pre/post-test, repeated measures design. Two-groups of community-dwelling adults, aged 50+, control SCT (n= 60), and experimental AE (n=33), were compared using the LU intervention. Seven dependent variables were measured at pre-test, post-test 1 and post-test 2. Repeated …

The Turkish Foreign Policy Under The Justice And Development Party (Akp): A Paradigm Shift?, Ali Demirdas

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the Turkish foreign policy has become even more important in recent years given the developments surrounding the country. Furthermore, the last decade witnessed a radical change in the Turkish foreign policy making under the Justice and Development Party (AKP).

This dissertation aims to explain the nature of this change based on the application of the Policy Paradigms Theory, comparing the components of the AKP foreign policy understanding with those of the Kemalist, the status que paradigm that defined the foreign policy making in Turkey well into the early 21st century. The application of the theory provides evidence, based on …

Avid Leadership: A Skills Approach To Transformational Change, Shannon Mcandrews

Theses and Dissertations

This quantitative study investigated a cross population of active Elementary Leaders (Kindergarten-8th grade) of AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) Center, a non-profit international educational organization. This dissertation's primary purpose was to explore the phenomenon of AVID Leadership as it related to individual's perspectives of their leadership traits. After attending skills-based sessions designed to enhance transformational leadership mindsets and transformational change skillsets, participants were invited to engage in an online survey. This survey contained both the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and researcher developed demographic questions. The study explored the similarities, differences, and impact of exposure to AVID Professional Learning, the relationship …

The Leadership Process: An Analysis Of Follower Influence On Leader Behavior In Hospital Organizations, Shawn M. Warren

Theses and Dissertations

The healthcare environment, specifically hospitals, face a turbulent environment and external forces that present difficult challenges to leaders. Hospital leaders are required to do more with less and navigate to ensure a profitable bottom line and high ratings of patient satisfaction. However, viewing solutions, such as developing a new force of leaders, to navigate through such a hostile environment may not be the only answer. This study seeks not to understand the leader solely, but is focused on the leadership process and the effect followers create due to their behaviors and attributes that influence leaders. The study draws from the …

Apology As A Leadership Behavior: A Meta-Analysis With Implications For Organizational Leaders, Matthew W. Brubaker

Theses and Dissertations

Leaders are frequently called to apologize on behalf of their organizations, in some cases skillfully resolving episodes of failure while meeting the unique, competing needs of diverse stakeholders. However, too often leaders handle apology poorly, exacerbating tense situations and alienating key constituents. This study is an examination of the practice of apology as a leadership behavior in an organizational context. To answer the question, How might the existing literatures on apology be examined, integrated and refocused to apply specifically to leaders operating within an organizational context? the study provides a meta-analysis of the diverse literatures that address the practice of …

The Relationship Between Job-Embedded Professional Development And Special Education Teacher Self-Efficacy In Hard-To-Staff Middle Schools, Sarah Dhah

Theses and Dissertations

The limited research that exists regarding instructional coaching and teacher efficacy suggests that instructional coaching may be related to higher levels of teacher self-efficacy. However, this potential relationship had not been explored specifically at the middle school special education, hard-to-staff school level. Hard-to-staff schools were defined for the purpose of this study as schools that experience difficulty with teacher recruitment, especially in hiring and retaining teachers who have had students succeed on standardized tests. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between instructional coaching and special education teacher self-efficacy in hard-to-staff middle schools. The researcher explored whether …

Exploring The Impact Of Team Building On Group Cohesion Of A Multicultural Team, Daphne S. L. Wong

Theses and Dissertations

This research explored the topic of team building for a multicultural team and investigated the impact on group cohesion. The participants were members of a work group, each of a different nationality. Review of existing literature revealed a list of team building elements most suited for the multicultural context. A team building program incorporating those elements and customized for the participant group was designed and implemented. Pre and post survey data showed no significant difference in group cohesion, although there was a slight increase in the score for task cohesion. Qualitative interview data, however, suggested a positive impact on group …

Accreditation As An Organizational Response: Exploring The Influence Of Leadership And Institutional And Task Environments On The Accreditation Process In Communication Sciences And Disorders Programs, Jeffrey Charles Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Influences on the accreditation process in communication sciences and disorder (CSD) programs were examined using a cross case comparative qualitative analysis among four successfully accredited academic departments in the southern United States. Program chairs, CSD administrators, clinic directors and faculty were interviewed. Four institutional sites were selected for the case studies based upon the outcome of the program’s most recent accreditation site visit, the date of the accreditation site visit, number of available faculty, and institutional type. The four institutions included one master’s granting private institution, one master’s granting (larger) program, one doctoral/research medical university, and one doctoral/research university (very …

Relational Coordination: An Exploration Of Nursing Units, An Emergency Department And In-Patient Transfers, Mary Coffey

Theses and Dissertations

Emergency department (ED) crowding is a patient safety concern that has been increasing for more than a decade. Increased visits have resulted in ED crowding, longer wait times, ambulance diversions, and boarding of admitted patients (Hing & Bhuiya, 2012). Numerous factors affect ED crowding. Once various extraneous issues are resolved and a bed is available for a patient, it becomes the responsibility of nurses across unit boundaries to coordinate the patient transfer. This study applies Relational Coordination Theory (RCT) as a framework to provide nurses insight into the relational aspects of their work in the transfer of ED patients to …

An Actor-Network Theory Approach In Investigating The Information Systems Perspective Of Anti-Money Laundering Compliance Through A Case Study Of The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (Fatca) Implementation In A Jordanian Local Bank, Muhammad Al-Abdullah

Theses and Dissertations

Implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) goes beyond a technological modification to automate the identification of US clients and report their information to the IRS. FATCA implementation requires foreign financial institutions (FFIs) to learn the new requirements, to modify their organizational structures and their employees’ relationships and responsibilities, and to adjust the technology that helps the employees collect new FATCA-related information and to process that information so that it can be reported to the IRS in the correct format. In spite of that, research on FATCA implementation has focused on studying each constituent separately. However, according to …

Self-Efficacy In Teacher Education Majors: Development And Maintenance During The Capstone Internship Semester, Deebe M. Milford

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the process of self-efficacy development in baccalaureate seeking teacher education majors from the teacher candidate's perspective. Using the mixed methods, quasi-experimental approach, the study measures the impact of a 16-week internship capstone experience on self-efficacy levels of early childhood, middle childhood, and secondary level teacher education majors at five universities in a southeastern state. Key research questions framing the study include those pertaining to the level of change in early childhood, middle childhood, and secondary education teacher candidates' levels of efficacy in the dimensions of classroom management, classroom instruction, and student engagement, noting factors that influenced the …

The Influence Of Organizational Climate On The Use And Quality Of Evidence-Based Practices In School Mental Health, Katherine Knies

Theses and Dissertations

Organizational climate is defined as the reflection of workers’ perceptions of, and emotional responses to, the characteristics of their work environment (Glisson & James, 2002). While previous research explored the importance of organization climate for the adoption of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in mental health settings, there is a dearth of organizational climate focused research in school mental health settings (SMH). The current study examines the influence of organizational climate on two separate dependent variables: the extent to which EBPs were used and the quality of clinician delivery for the evidence-based practices used in a quality improvement intervention for SMH practitioners. …

Transforming A System: Leadership To Implement An Intervention And Referral Services Process That Assists Teachers, Michael Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Improving instruction to meet diverse student needs via early, intensive, and continuing intervention is an essential part of a comprehensive strategy to serve all students now and to produce the graduates 21st century society requires. Yet, meaningful school reform with transforming leadership, innovative vision, conversations among teachers, and authentic student achievement still remains elusive today. Our limitations in putting new ideas into practice come not from a lack of will or effort, but, in part, from the influences of our personal stories, mental models, and an immunity to change. This action research study explores educators' perceptions and behaviors in implementing …