Digital Commons Network^™

How Virginia Public School Superintendents Spend Their Time, Eric Armbruster

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to examine how Virginia public school superintendents spend their time. The primary goal of this study is to determine the differences in how superintendents allocate their time in regards to their involvement with specific tasks. This descriptive study is designed to determine the level of involvement of superintendents throughout the state of Virginia in the areas of fiscal management, facility management, personnel, student personnel and special services, support services, instruction and curriculum, and community relations. This study investigates how much time is spent by superintendents in specific performance areas as defined by the Guidelines …

Differences Between Frequency Of Diagnosis, Diagnosis Extremity, And Global Assessment Of Functioning Score In A Euro-American And Alaskan Native Client, Britton Ann Niles

Education

This research answers the question, given identical client information, history, and presenting issues, but variation in ethnicity, does diagnosis frequency, diagnosis extremity, or Global Assessment of Functioning score differ for an Euro-American male versus an Alaska Native male mental health client. Graduate counseling students, six males and six females, ranging in age from 22--59, currently enrolled at either the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Alaska Anchorage, or Alaska Pacific University, volunteered to participate in the present study. Participants were randomly assigned to view either a Euro-American or Alaska Native client's mock intake session. The mock videos were identical …

A Qualitative Examination Of The Barriers And Facilitators Of Family Centered Care And Service Provision In The Natural Environment., Rachel M. Fults

Open Access Dissertations

Although family centered care and natural environment services have been heralded as the ideal model in early childhood intervention and have been mandated by Part C of IDEA, research demonstrates that family centered principles are still not adhered to in many early childhood programs. Previous research in this area is lacking with regard to the limited diversity of participants (i.e., white, middle-class woman) and perspectives (i.e., childcare providers). This dissertation reports the results of a study that took into account perspectives of multiple stakeholders in early intervention including families, service providers, and program directors in order to understand the full …

Making Sense Of Health Care Planning In Ireland; The Street Level Public Organization (Slpo)., Vivienne Byers

Conference Papers

One of the central mechanisms of the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) (Government of Ireland 1996) is the devolution of accountability and responsibility from the centre to executive agencies. Service planning was introduced in the Irish health care sector as part of this strategic planning ethos. This paper reports on a study that examined both the intent and the consequences of implementing legislatively mandated planning in the Irish health services, in the context of significant organizational change. In an effort to draw broader lessons, a comparison is drawn with the Canadian experience of service planning.

The choice was made to study …

The Next Generation Library Is Now: The Process Of Transforming Uc's Library Technical Services, Martha Hruska

AJCU Library Deans & Directors Conference

Presentation and discussion will explore the cultural and economic shifts influencing libraries to rethink their services model. Drawing upon experience in the University of California’s Next Generation Technical Services initiative, Ms. Hruska will describe the process of building consensus and an action agenda on a system-wide level. Now in an environment where expectations and resources have changed dramatically from the time the project began two years ago, she will outline the organizational thinking currently shaping next steps and how it furthers the basic principles on which the project started. These include thinking more broadly about the Libraries’ infrastructures in terms …

Strategic Plan For The 21st Century: 1994 Report, Indiana State University

Office of the President

No abstract provided.

In Support Of Reasonable Humanistic Education, D. Vantrice Oates Ed.D.

The Bridge: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Legal & Social Policy

No abstract provided.

Cogent Leadership: Transitioning To Professional Learning Communities, Donna Markiewicz

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between traditional professional development and the implementation of professional learning communities (PLCs) in one suburban middle school in New Jersey. A mixed-methods approach was used to gather data. Quantitative and qualitative results were gathered from surveys from teachers (N=59) that attended the in-house professional development workshops. Twenty interviews were also used to gather data on the teacher perspective. Most of the teachers appreciated the paradigm shift from traditional professional development to a more collaborative model. They appreciated the time to work in their professional learning communities to develop common goals …

Building Organizational Capacity For Enrollment Performance Measurement: A Mixed Methods Investigation, Lynda Ruth Wallace-Hulecki

Department of Educational Administration: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The use of enrollment performance measurement systems can enable the provision of intelligence information to inform strategic decision-making and the effective management of enrollment. A review of the literature indicated that the development of enrollment intelligence systems was a nascent area in which only a select few institutions had successfully developed applications. In addition, no published models or guidelines were found for assessing an organization’s capacity for success in developing advanced enrollment performance measurement capabilities linked to enrollment performance improvement.

The purposes of this study were twofold: (a) to identify the culture value orientations and organizational capacity conditions that existed …

Accounting Historians Notebook, 2011, Vol. 34, No. 1 (April) [Whole Issue]

Accounting Historians Notebook

Copyright held by: Academy of Accounting Historians

Accounting History Journals Contents For 2010, Academy Of Accounting Historians

Accounting Historians Notebook

No abstract provided.

Hospital Boards And Hospital Strategic Focus: The Impact Of Board Involvement In Strategic Decision Making, Karen Ford-Eickhoff, Donde Ashmos Plowman, Reuben R. Mcdaniel Jr.

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

Background: Despite pressures to change the role of hospital boards, hospitals have made few changes in board composition or director selection criteria. Hospital boards have often continued to operate in their traditional roles as either “monitors” or “advisors.” More attention to the direct involvement of hospital boards in the strategic decision-making process of the organizations they serve, the timing and circumstances under which board involvement occurs, and the board composition that enhances their abilities to participate fully is needed.

Purposes: We investigated the relationship between broader expertise among hospital board members, board involvement in the stages of strategic decision making, …

The Effect Of Leadership Orientations On Student Achievement, Rhonda Davis

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between and impact of principals' leadership styles on student achievement as determined by school performance scores (SPS). Bolman and Deal's (1984; 2003) four leadership frames model (structural, human, political, and symbolic) were utilized to identify principals' leadership styles. The sample for this study consisted of 15 principals from low socioeconomic status (SES) schools and 17 principals from high SES schools located in north and middle Louisiana.

Schools were chosen by searching the Louisiana School Directory, which is based on grade configuration, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. All schools in selected parishes …

Evaluating Best Practices In Document Management, Angela Lokie

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

The purpose of this research is to create a knowledgebase of best practices for records managers to select the vendor that best fits the individual needs of the organization. Investigative interviews were conducted with individuals from Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) and the Project Management Institute (PMI). These project managers were asked questions in regards to the best practices when implementing a document management system. Best practices are relevant when implementing a document management solution. In order to consider best practices when implementing a document management solution, the following research objectives will be taken into consideration: How do …

Assessing Differences Between Physician's Realized And Anticipated Gains From Electronic Health Record Adoption, Lori T. Peterson, Eric W. Ford, John Eberhardt, T. R. Huerta

Business Faculty Publications

Return on investment (ROI) concerns related to Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are a major barrier to the technology’s adoption. Physicians generally rely upon early adopters to vet new technologies prior to putting them into widespread use. Therefore, early adopters’ experiences with EHRs play a major role in determining future adoption patterns. The paper’s purposes are: (1) to map the EHR value streams that define the ROI calculation; and (2) to compare Current Users’ and Intended Adopters’ perceived value streams to identify similarities, differences and governing constructs. Primary data was collected by the Texas Medical Association, which surveyed 1,772 physicians on …

Change In Cultural Competency Among Students During An Intentional Human Relations Experience, Camille Mcnabb, Samantha Tupy

Education Presentations at National and International Conferences

This study measured changes in the intercultural competency of undergraduate students in a course, Human Relations in a Multicultural Society. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is encouraging teacher preparation programs to foster and measure culturally responsive teaching (2010). The hypothesis for this study was that the intentional, cross-cultural experiences of students will have an impact on the cultural competency of each student. This course is taught each semester at a Midwestern public university. The study included 70 undergraduate students between 18 and 35 years old who voluntarily enrolled in the course and represented students in academic …

The Effects Of School Climate Change On Student Success In A Fifth And Sixth Grade School, Kim M. Harris

Dissertations

The significance of the study was to examine intentional strategies to improve school climate relative to student school success as measured by academic achievement, attendance, and student behavior. It was important to understand how student school success was affected by factors related to school climate improvement such as leadership and change processes, initiatives to improve student sense of safety and connectedness, and factors such as time, relationships, grade span, and alignment in academic focus. Understanding how school climate could promote student school success was significant in this study, as was an understanding of the differences between school culture and climate …

Minimizing The Impact Of Organizational Change On Volunteers At The American Red Cross, Megan Julie Connors

MPA Capstone Projects 2006 - 2015

In 2010, the South Central New York American Red Cross region underwent an organizational restructuring process. In particular, the changes that resulted from this process led to a decrease in volunteer satisfaction. This decrease in volunteer satisfaction is a significant problem for the American Red Cross given that volunteer compromise 96% of their workforce.

Getting To The Real Story: What Vietnamese Business People Wish Foreigners Understood About Doing Business In Emerging And Transition Countries Like Vietnam – Before They Start, Nancy K. Napier, Vuong Quan Hoang

International Business Program

Knowledge sharing typically examines organizational transfer of knowledge, often from headquarters to subsidiaries, from developed country sites to emerging country sites, or from host to local employees. Yes, recent research, such as Prahalad's Bottom of the Pyramid, raises the question of reverse transfer of knowledge, or whether knowledge could and should be transferred from local sites to home country sites within an organization. As several emerging economies build their capabilities in knowledge, research and development, marketing, and the like, it only makes sense to consider what type of knowledge and how to transfer it in reverse or bi-directional manners. …

Bookmarks: Featuring Summaries Of Recent Publications By Alumni And Faculty, Furman University

Furman Magazine

No abstract provided.

Smolla Explores Connection Between Constitution And Campus, Teresa Cosby

Furman Magazine

No abstract provided.

An Examination Of Selected Organizational Constructs That May Influence A Tri-District Model For Shared Services, Bernard T. Baggs

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

It all began in June 2000. The school districts of Newton Public, Andover Regional, and Green Township, New Jersey contracted Guidelines, Inc., Huntington, Long Island, New York to conduct a Grades K-12 Regionallshared Services Feasibility Study. The study was funed via a New Jersey state grant from the Regional Efficiency Development Incentive Program (REDI) Grant Program. The study's executive summary included the objective: "To provide information to aid school board members, school officials, and other interested parties in determining whether a K- 12 regional pattern appears feasible and desirable and the extent to which a K- 12 Regionalization Regional Study …

Open Service And Our Allies: A Report On The Inclusion Of Openly Gay And Lesbian Servicemembers In U.S. Allies' Armed Forces, Suzanne B. Goldberg

William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender, and Social Justice

In the wake of the Obama Administration’s pledge to repeal
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” in the United States, the Columbia Law
School Sexuality & Gender Law Clinic undertook a review of how
allies of the United States moved from a policy of banning gay and
lesbian servicemembers from serving in the armed forces to a policy
of allowing these servicemembers to serve openly (“open service”).
In documenting this review, this report aims to provide information
about the decision to implement open service and the mechanics of
the transition to open service in Australia, Canada, Israel, and the
United Kingdom. In …

Conclusion: Strategy In A Murky World, Melvyn P. Leffler, Jeffrey W. Legro

Political Science Faculty Publications

Making national strategy is a byzantine business in the best of times. When dramatic events happen, when the international arena is complex and changing, when threats and opportunities are uncertain, leaders struggle to understand and react effectively. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the attacks of 9/11 opened vistas that were unfamiliar and complicated. How did U.S. leaders manage those transitions?

Nurturing Systems Thinking: Developing A Framework Based On The Human Factors Analysis And Classification System (Hfacs) To Improve Systems Development Processes, Arjun Vijayanarayanan

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Large systems engineering projects have an astonishingly high failure rate. The reasons hypothesized for such a high failure rate include the neglect of nonsalient system elements such as social and human or organizational aspects of systems. Social and human factors have long been known to be critical elements of systems that are frequently ignored (e.g., Goguen, 1994). Systems engineering processes can benefit and be improved by effective utilization of a framework that helps developers expand their attention and efforts beyond the salient aspects of the system and the development process. In the aviation field, the Human Factors Analysis and Classification …

The Effect Of Shift Turnover Strategy And Time Pressure On Aviation Maintenance Technician Performance, William R. Warren

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) provide the technical and applied knowledge required to maintain airworthiness in aircraft. In commercial aviation, maintenance tasks are performed across multiple shifts. When AMTs share a maintenance task between shifts, the shift turnover strategy used may determine if information is effectively transferred between AMTs. Ineffective shift turnover strategies are a contributing factor in many aviation accidents and incidents. Additionally, time constraints on certain maintenance tasks may cause AMTs to commit error when performing a task. The present study examined the effect of shift turnover strategy (face-to-face or written) and time pressure on error capture, accuracy, and …

Adding Executable Context To Executable Architectures: Enabling An Executable Context Simulation Framework (Ecsf), Johnny J. Garcia

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A system that does not stand alone is represented by a complex entity of component combinations that interact with each other to execute a function. In today's interconnected world, systems integrate with other systems - called a system-of-systems infrastructure: a network of interrelated systems that can often exhibit both predictable and unpredictable behavior. The current state-of-the-art evaluation process of these system-of-systems and their community of practitioners in the academic community are limited to static methods focused on defining who is doing what and where. However, to answer the questions of why and how a system operates within complex systems-of-systems interrelationships, …

Subsidiary Strategy And The Role Of The Subsidiary Manager : Integrating The Middle Manager Perspective, Donal O'Brien

Conference Papers

Subsidiary strategy is a concept which has emerged in international business literature but research has so far failed to explain how subsidiary managers develop strategy under the constraints of the paradoxical pressures they face in today’s Multinational Enterprises (MNE). On the one hand current trends suggest that (MNE) are developing into more global business structures which are reducing the power and influence of subsidiary managers (Buckley, 2009, Buckley & Ghauri, 2004, Mudambi, 2008). The result of these trends, are that the market orientated aspects of subsidiary strategy are becoming constrained and to some degree taken out of the hands of …

Improvised Explosive Devices In Iraq, 2003-09: A Case Of Operational Surprise And Institutional Response, Andrew Smith Brigadier

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

Surprise is a familiar term in military writings and is enshrined in most nations’ doctrine. Surprises that emerge in tactics, however, can also operate at the strategic and operational levels and are particularly dangerous because they can test the relevance and adaptability of military forces and the "institutional" defense establishments that create, develop, and sustain them. A military establishment that is too slow to recognize and respond to such surprises places its nation’s interests at grave risk. Western nations are contemplating major reductions in defense spending, with consequent limitations on force structure. As the range of enemy capabilities that a …

Simple Marketing Techniques And Space Planning To Increase Circulation, Kelly Giles, D. Yvonne Jones, Margarite Mccandless, Kara Kiblinger, Jenne Klotz

Libraries

In the academic Information Commons, the frontline staff are key library assets. This article demonstrates one example of frontline staff observing, analyzing, and modifying user behavior using simple marketing techniques and space planning. James Madison University East Campus Library personnel increased circulation of books by increasing the visibility of the book collection. Minor furniture changes in the lobby, adding rotating themed book displays, and providing digital and print signage produced a dramatic effect. Circulation numbers essentially doubled for the lobby browsing book collection and markedly increased for books highlighted in the displays.