Digital Commons Network^™

Trust And The Successful Coordination Of Sme Co-Operation – An Empirical Study In Slovenia, Matthias Fink, Alexander Kessler, Mojca Duh, Jernej Belak, Richard Lang

Economic and Business Review

This paper aims to investigate the role of trust and test the impact of trust on performance in the context of co-operation between small- and medium-sized enterprises (‘SMEs’) in a transition country. Based on a sample of 122 Slovenian SMEs, an analysis based on OLS regression reveals that trust does have a strong impact on performance. We thereby identify trust as a powerful co-ordinating mechanism for SME relationships involving co-operation in transition economies.

Sustainability Of Business Development Services: Gaps Analysis Of The Kenyan Market, Hellen Otieno, Donath Olomi, Ruth Kiraka

Business Management Review

A key challenge in entrepreneurship and private sector development is the provision of sustainable Business Development Services (BDS), particularly for micro and small enterprises. This study investigates how sustainability of BDS can be achieved, and how some providers manage to develop sustainable BDS and not others, using Grounded Theory. The findings suggest that there are at least nine specific demand-and-supply-side gaps in the BDS market which providers need to identify and fill if they are to become sustainable. The gaps relate to awareness, value, trust, quality, capacity, unwillingness to pay, appreciation, inability to pay and perception. How providers identify and …

Strategies And Processes That Promote Sustainability Of Campus Laboratory Schools In The Twenty-First Century., April Blakely

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze patterns of institutional strategies and processes that promote the sustainability of laboratory schools housed and managed by institutions of higher education. First, a comprehensive analysis of the development, growth, decline, and current status of the laboratory school movement was conducted by means of a review of relevant literature. Next, an interview with the Director of the International Association of Laboratory and University Affiliated Schools (NALS) was conducted to gather information regarding the changing role of laboratory schools in the modern educational landscape of America. Subsequently, a survey of laboratory school …

Fall 2009 Commencement Program, University Of Alabama In Huntsville

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

The Transformational Learning Associated With Training For And Completing A Marathon, Timothy John Gillum

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to determine if transformational learning is an outcome of the experiences of training for and completing a marathon. Transformational learning has gained visibility and greater acceptance in the learning community in recent years due in large part to the efforts of Jack Mezirow and associates. This visibility and acceptance has catalyzed research studies to better understand the theory and its application, but none have linked the use of endurance racing to transformational learning. The design of this study was a phenomenological case study. The research included four participants who had previously completed marathons, …

Evaluating Systemic Change In The Virginia Department Of Corrections: Creating Agents Of Change, Philip Andrew Mayles

Educational Specialist, 2009-2019

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is attempting to change the practice of working with offenders placed on probation and parole to effect a reduction in the rate of recidivism. The VADOC’s proposal is to get the probation and parole officers to become “change agents” in motivating the offender toward pro-social behavior using evidence-based practices and Motivational Interviewing (MI). The purpose of this paper is to describe the ways in which organizations attempt change and explores the reasons for the resistance displayed by the probation and parole officers. The author argues that the VADOC should employ a second-order change and …

December 2009 - Staff Meeting Minutes

ALEC Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

Smes, Open Innovation And Ip Management: Advancing Global Development, Stanley P. Kowalski

Law Faculty Scholarship

[Excerpt] Micro-Small-Medium Enterprises (abbreviated herein henceforth as “SMEs”) are global drivers of technological innovation and economic development. Perhaps their importance has been somewhat eclipsed by the mega-multinational corporate entities. However, whereas the corporations might be conceptualized as towering sequoia trees, SMEs represent the deep, broad, fertile forest floor that nourishes, sustains and regenerates the global economic ecosystem.

[. . .]

Broadly recognized as engines of economic and global development, SMEs account for a substantial proportion of entrepreneurial activity in both industrialized and developing countries. Indeed, their role as dynamos for technological and economic progress in developing countries is critical and …

Analyzing Systems Integration Best Practices And Assessment In Dod Space Systems Acquisition, Douglas R. Dillon, Enriqueta M. Styres

Theses and Dissertations

Senior leadership of the Air Force's Space and Missile Center suggested an investigation of systems integration within the space acquisition community in the fall of 2008. This thesis performs that investigation. A review concluded that while Systems Integration (SI) is extensively discussed as an area deserving considerable attention in the Systems Engineering literature, definitions are weak and methods and tools non-existent. Known SI activities are not being traced and assessed for adequacy throughout system development. Employing the Space System Acquisition Lifecycle Framework as the environment for this research, a method of characterizing and tracing SI throughout a program‘s lifecycle by …

Governance In Motion: Service Provision And Child Welfare Outcomes In A Performance-Based, Managed Care Contracting Environment, Bowen Mcbeath, William Meezan

School of Social Work Faculty Publications and Presentations

Examining the linkage between service provision and client outcomes is important in performance-based human service environments. Since most performance initiatives reward agencies for improving client outcomes rather than providing specific services, managers may have incentives to streamline workers’ efforts and reduce resources devoted to services considered nonessential. This article uses data from a performance-based child welfare initiative to examine the relationship between child permanency outcomes, the services provided by caseworkers, and the environment surrounding frontline service provision. Findings indicate that greater service efforts are required to reunify children with parents than to reach other outcomes, including adoption and placement with …

Effectiveness Of Fiscal Management Tactics Used At Public Two-Year Colleges, Muriel Elaine Novak

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of fiscal management tactics public two-year chief financial officers (CFO) selected in the FY 2006-2007 budget cycle to meet budget goals. This study solicited specific effective fiscal management tactics used by two-year public colleges in FY 2006-2007. CFOs or their designee, were asked to rate the effectiveness of the tactics in executing their 2006-2007 budget. The public community college members of the American Association of Community Colleges were polled using web-based service Hosted Survey to conduct the survey. The response of 321 returned surveys meant a return rate to the …

The Weekly Challenger, December 3, 2009, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The December 3, 2009, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

2009-12-03, Morehead State University. Board Of Regents.

Morehead State Board of Regents Agenda Books and Meeting Minutes

No abstract provided.

Applying Technology To Work: Toward A Better Understanding Of Telework, Timothy D. Golden

Organization Management Journal

Technology is enabling employees to work away from the office as teleworkers, where they experience increased flexibility to manage their work and personal lives. The last several decades have seen telework rapidly expand as a work mode, which offers both new opportunities and challenges for employees and corporations alike. This paper covers a brief overview of telework research and practice, in the hopes of providing a better understanding of this rapidly emerging form of virtual work. The paper first describes its growing popularity and the types of telework being practiced, and then reviews some key findings in prior research by …

Integrating The Emotional Intelligence Construct: The Relationship Between Emotional Ability And Emotional Competence, Craig R. Seal, Mary D. Sass, James R. Bailey, Matthew Liao-Troth

Organization Management Journal

This paper posits that the concept of emotional intelligence (EI) has not advanced as quickly and adroitly as it could have because of a lack of validity studies that combine the two most prevalent models, emotionality ability (EA) and emotional competency (EC). Although prior EI validations studies exist, none have examined the relationship between the primary EA and EC measurement tools – the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test and the Emotional Competency Inventory – University Edition, respectively – at the sub-trait levels with a population of undergraduate and MBA students. Findings indicate that there is no direct relationship between the total …

The Leadership Styles Of Social Work Educators., Patricia Louise Desrosiers 1969-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purposes of this study are twofold: (1) to describe the leadership styles of social workers in educational administration and (2) to explain possible differences in leadership style by determining if context or gender or a combination of both factors influences style. This study will explore and describe the leadership styles of social work education administrators in the United States. The research design was a cross-sectional survey design and utilized multiple methods, both qualitative and quantitative, to achieve its purposes. Leadership styles were explored primarily through the collection of quantitative data in the form of a scale: the MLQ 5x-Short …

The Role Of Is Project Critical Success Factors: A Revelatory Case, Cecil Eng Huang Chua, Wee-Kiat Lim

CCX Research

Research in Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of Enterprise Systems (ES) projects has identified numerous practitioner governance mechanisms for ensuring project success. However, such research has not developed a theory of why certain critical success factors encourage project success. Our research develops such theory on a case study where even though the levels of several critical success factors were weak, the project nevertheless succeeded. Specifically, the logistics ES project succeeded even though there was (1) only marginal top management support, (2) low key user commitment, and (3) change management, training and other critical aspects of user management and communication were not …

Exploring The Relationship Between Organizational Culture And Information Security Culture, Joo S. Lim, Shanton Chang, Sean Maynard, Atif Ahmad

Australian Information Security Management Conference

Managing Information Security is becoming more challenging in today’s business because people are both a cause of information security incidents as well as a key part of the protection from them. As the impact of organizational culture (OC) on employees is significant, many researchers have called for the creation of information security culture (ISC) in organizations to influence the actions and behaviour of employees towards better organizational information security. Although researchers have called for the creation of ISC to be embedded in organizations, nonetheless, literature suggests that little past research examining the relationship between the nature of OC and ISC. …

Population Level Conditions As Signals Of Entrepreneurial Opportunities: A Cognitve Synthesis Of The Entrepreneurial Traits And Population Rates Perspectives, Matthew S. Wood

Dissertations

The ecology based environmental perspective implicitly suggests that population level founding rates, dissolution rates, and density levels influence the likelihood that entrepreneurs will launch new ventures within a given population domain. The central idea is that population rates and densities may act as signals to entrepreneurs regarding the viability of a new venture within a given population. Interestingly, whether or not population level factors actually influence the new venture creation process remains an open question. As such, the central purpose of this research is to utilize a cognitive approach to better understand how population level conditions and the individual differences …

The 'I' In Team: Effects Of Performance Appraisal Type On Teamwork Variables, Brandy Brown

All Theses

The following research examined the effects of performance appraisal condition on teamwork variables. As more reliable models of teamwork emerge, there remains a noticeable lack of information regarding team motivation and feedback in an organizational context. This paper first reviews the current findings on team motivation, feedback, and performance appraisals and then applies that topic to teamwork processes. The researcher proposed that individual, team, and dual (individual and team feedback) performance appraisals would have different effects on teamwork processes and performance. Positive effects on team orientation, mutual trust, and team performance in the team and dual performance appraisal conditions were …

Creating Sustained Collaborations: Do Rule-Breaking, Rule-Making, And Appreciative Behaviors Foster Member Ownership?, Nonie Brennan

Student Scholarship

Non profit collaboration has long been identified as an effective approach to meeting community needs. It is particularly recognized as a solution to the challenges encountered by non profits during periods of economic duress. This study examines the relationship between the sense of ownership felt by non profit collaborative partners and their intent to sustain collaboration. We posit that three particular behaviors: rule breaking, rule making, and appreciative behavior encourage participants to develop a sense of ownership leading to collaborative sustainability. Our findings indicate that rule breaking and rule making behavior reinforces a sense of collaboration ownership which contributes to …

The Development, Implementation And Evaluation Of A System Based Physical Activity Promotion Program In A Free, Rural, Primary Care Clinic, Martha E. Summers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Background. Despite the consequences of physical inactivity, it is under recognized and not addressed consistently in primary care. The Healthy People 2010 recommendations are that adults should engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most, preferably all, days of the week. Clinical practice guidelines advise that primary care practitioners take the opportunity whenever possible to advise, discuss, negotiate, or encourage physical activity in inactive adults. Objective. The primary objective was to identify beliefs about physical activity that act as barriers among providers and to educate them about the current recommendations for physical activity. An additional objective …

Differences In Computer Mediated Versus Face To Face Negotiation, Melissa Oates

Psychology and Child Development

Ninety Cal Poly students participated in a study to test the hypothesis that e-negotiators would be more likely than face-to-face (FTF) negotiators to employ unethical or competitive negotiation styles in a subsequent negotiation after being lied to in a previous negotiation. Sixty-four Cal Poly students were randomly assigned to partake in a computer mediated or FTF negotiation over the sale of a car. After the initial negotiation was completed, buyers in each condition were led to believe they had been lied to about the accident history of the car. Participants then completed The Incidents in Negotiation Questionnaire by Robinson, Lewicki, …

A Pilot Study Of Organizational Performance, Performance Barriers And Faculty Engagement In The Nursing Education Unit, Yolanda Chapman Turner

Dissertations

This pilot study was driven by the problem of market disequilibrium and the subsequent overarching desire to identify and describe principles and processes taken by nursing education units to optimize market equilibrium for nursing service in response to cyclical market demands. Given the complexities of market responsiveness in conjunction with changes in healthcare delivery, health economics, population demographics, higher education and other contextual factors, it is essential for nursing education as a whole to be in a position to respond to demand. The purpose of this study was to investigate organizational performance, performance barriers and faculty engagement in the nursing …

Making The Case: Did The Government's Response To Hurricane Katrina Violate The Equal Protection Clause., Michael Kogut

The Scholar: St. Mary's Law Review on Race and Social Justice

Abstract Forthcoming.

Reorganization Of Massive Multiagent Systems: Motl/O, Aruntej Seelam

Theses

MOTL/O embodies the MOTL paradigm and models organizational adaptation. We report progress on developing computational tools for systematically altering organizational components. This adds a novel dimension to MOTL (Hexmoor, et.al., 2008). This extension is necessary to allow communities of agents or robots to reconfigure their organizational structure in response to changes in the environment. Traditional approach of a hierarchical command and control (C2) structure is ineffective (Alberts & Hayes, 2003). Recently, an edge organization has been proposed as a more suitable alternative Command and control structure in the current information age, due to its empowerment of the edge members, better …

Ninth Grade Academies In South Carolina: Early Adopters Versus Late Adopters, Daniel Mullis

All Dissertations

The addition of ninth graders to the high school level brought administrative challenges: increased failure rate, truancy, and disciplinary infractions; as a solution, the Ninth Grade Academy concept evolved. This study's purpose was to examine South Carolina schools' academies to determine if early adopters were more effective than late adopters. The study's research was based on Institutional Theory with its main focus as Institutional Isomorphism. This qualitative study used survey results to determine how much administrators used data from existing academies before beginning their own implementation process. The study used institutional theory to assess whether new academies were a form …

December 2009 Commencement Program, Bowling Green State University

Commencement Programs

No abstract provided.

Information Technology Meets Healthcare: The Present And Future Of German And European E-Health Initiatives, Klaus M. Brisch, Claudia E. Haupt

DePaul Journal of Health Care Law

No abstract provided.

Stakeholder Influence Strategies: Mobilizing For Collaboration, David Graham Hyatt

Student Scholarship

Environmental nongovernmental organizations (ENGOs) increasingly use cross- sector collaborative relationships to influence the behavior of business organizations in support of their mission and interests. Whereas existing stakeholder literature tends to portray ENGO–business relationships as adversarial, with an emphasis on the extent to which an ENGO can influence a firm through power relations or behavioral characteristics, these parties actually rely on collaboration to achieve their mutual goals. From a stakeholder perspective, how do ENGOs that seek collaborative engagement achieve legitimacy with their potential firm partners? Qualitative research involving 14 ENGOs reveals at least three mechanisms: creating corporate engagement units, networks, or …