Digital Commons Network^™

An Examination Of The Role Relationship Marketing Plays In The B2b Model Between Chinese Manufacturers And American Distributors, Ran An

Masters Theses

Relationship marketing has been a heated topic in the communication paradigm. The primary relationship is the one between a supplier or provider of goods or services and buyers and users of those goods or services. In order to facilitate it, other stakeholders in the network of relationships may have to be involved. This thesis examined the relationship between Chinese manufacturers and American distributors by a pilot qualitative study. Social exchange theory was used as a scope to analyze the relationship. Nine participants from both sides answered computer-mediated interview questions. Business ethics and worldviews are important factors that businessmen look for …

Managing And Leading Change In Designing New Organizational Systems, Remi Alapo

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Using A Peer-Nominated Team To Drive Change And Improve Trust, Timothy Franz, Paul M. Mastrangelo

Psychology Faculty/Staff Publications

The article discusses the use of a peer-nominated team for driving change and improvement of trust in an organization. Topics include the concerns identified by the leadership of an organization during the survey of employees annually, the case study regarding the utilization of a peer nominated, cross-functional team within a multi-national healthcare company in Canada, and the involvement aspired by the client organization to start the change process.

Social Media Assimilation In Firms: Investigating The Roles Of Absorptive Capacity And Institutional Pressures, Pratyush Bharati, Chen Zhang, Abhijit Chaudhury

Management Science and Information Systems Faculty Publication Series

Firms are increasingly employing social media to manage relationships with partner organizations, yet the role of institutional pressures in social media assimilation has not been studied. We investigate social media assimilation in firms using a model that combines the two theoretical streams of IT adoption: organizational innovation and institutional theory. The study uses a composite view of absorptive capacity that includes both previous experience with similar technology and the general ability to learn and exploit new technologies. We find that institutional pressures are an important antecedent to absorptive capacity, an important measure of organizational learning capability. The paper augments theory …

Assessing An Animal Humane Society Using Mckinsey’S 7s Framework To Make Recommendations For Organizational Improvement, Tandreia Sherice Dixon

Open Access Theses

An organization's effectiveness is predicated upon the degree of fit and alignment of its internal components. Organizational effectiveness and alignment are both essential to successfully create and implement strategies within an organization. An animal humane society suffering from employee turnover wanted to improve their organizational effectiveness. There were strategies and recommendations provided for employee turnover; in hope of successful implementation, the researcher investigated the animal humane society further by evaluating the current state of the organization with an organizational framework. The McKinsey 7s's Strategic Readiness Survey derived from the McKinsey 7s framework was used to evaluate the current state of …

Introduction: Achieving Better Court Management Through Better Data, Roger A. Hanson, Brian J. Ostrom

The Journal of Appellate Practice and Process

No abstract provided.

Working Towards School Goals At Lion Elementary: A Phenomenological Study, Benjamin Butcher

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

The purpose of this hermeneutical phenomenological study was to understand the perspectives of educators regarding school goals at Lion Elementary. Perspectives concerning school goals were generally defined as the importance of competing priorities as described by participants. This research can inform educators about whether perspectives regarding school goals were aligned, and provide insight regarding the reasons behind similarities and differences by having considered several questions: (a) What were the perceptions of the principal and teachers regarding school goal priorities? (b) What were the main challenges they perceived for meeting school goals? (c) What factors contributed toward schools successfully meeting goals? …

Full Issue (25.1, Spring/Summer 2014), Journal Of Transportation Management Editors

Journal of Transportation Management

No abstract provided.

Strange Bedfellows: How An Anticipatory Countermovement Brought Same-Sex Marriage Into The Public Arena, Michael C. Dorf, Sidney Tarrow

Cornell Law Faculty Publications

Since the 1980s, social movement scholars have investigated the dynamic of movement/countermovement interaction. Most of these studies posit movements as initiators, with countermovements reacting to their challenges. Yet sometimes a movement supports an agenda in response to a countermovement that engages in what we call “anticipatory countermobilization.” We interviewed ten leading LGBT activists to explore the hypothesis that the LGBT movement was brought to the fight for marriage equality by the anticipatory countermobilization of social conservatives who opposed same-sex marriage before there was a realistic prospect that it would be recognized by the courts or political actors. Our findings reinforce …

Administrators As Change Agents In Implementing Mtss: Beliefs, Skills, And Challenges, Tasha Frigmanski

Dissertations

Response to Intervention (RTI) is traditionally known as an alternative to the IQ-discrepancy model used for the identification of students suspected of having a specific learning disability. The focus of the study is to examine the challenges of RTI implementation, finding the perceptions and beliefs of administrators regarding RTI and determining if they are equipped with the skills necessary to serve as a change agent in implementing successful practices in RTI. This study uses survey research in a mixed-method design to collect information from administrators in the state of Michigan. Findings from this study indicate that (1) administrators believe RTI …

Focus And Priority Schools: How Principals Enact Leadership Responsibilities To Increase Student Achievement In Selected Mid-Western Counties, Jeffery P. Boggan

Dissertations

This study explored principal leadership in selected midwestern school districts as it relates to the use of Marzano et al.’s (2005) 21 responsibilities to improve student achievement. Using a phenomenological approach, this study sought to determine how principals: (a) enact leadership practices that correlate to Marzano et al.’s second-order change attributes; and (b) address barriers and prioritize the leadership responsibilities that support second-order change.

Ten principals participated in this study. Data were obtained through semistructured interviews, card sorting, and daily checklists. Findings revealed that the majority of participants held similar beliefs about enacting the leadership responsibilities identified by Marzano et …

Enhancement And The Launch Of Odyssey, Jason Pascavage

Dissertations

The Change Leadership Plan utilizes student data garnered from the Program Evaluation to assist in the creation and implementation of the 'Enhancement' program. The Enhancement program is a research-based in-school student intervention developed in response to over two-thirds of Brooks Middle School students falling short of district College and Career Readiness (CCR) benchmarks. College and Career Readiness at Brooks Middle School is based on student outcomes from the fall, winter, and spring MAP® assessments. The vision behind the Enhancement program is to lessen the achievement gap while utilizing student results to assign individual learning paths and curriculum to specific students …

The Influence Of Teacher Leadership And Professional Learning On Teachers’ Knowledge And Change Of Instructional Practices In Low Performing Schools, Christen Conklin Topolinski

Dissertations

A cross-sectional survey was utilized in this study to explore the perceptions of teacher in low performing schools. These perceptions concerned the influence of teacher leadership and professional learning on their changes in knowledge and instructional practices. Research advises that in order to help students grow, teachers must engage in professional learning activities which help them to develop and master new instructional strategies (Bredeson & Scribner, 2000; DuFour & Marzano, 2012; Harrison & Killion, 2007). Research also suggests that distributed leadership can have a positive influence on the professional culture in a building, creating a positive learning environment for both …

Effects Of Positive Behavior Interventions And Supports On Middle School Student Achievement, Chad Knowles

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Today's teachers face more frequent and more severe challenges than perhaps any generation of teachers that have come before them. Administrators attempt to support teaching in an environment of ever-increasing accountability and dwindling financial resources with new and innovative strategies. One such strategy employed by modern educators has been the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) model for clear behavioral expectations and pyramids of intervention for targeted support for students. This study compared a middle school that employs PBIS with a middle school that does not, to determine if there was any statistical improvement realized on academic achievement. Two diverse …

The Correlation Of Social, Financial, And Academic Supports To Military Benefit Recipients' Persistence In College, Bruce Mentzer

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study sought to determine the strength and nature of the relationships between social, academic, and financial support and the intent of military students to persist in higher education at a large private non-profit university. The study also collected data from nonmilitary students to note contrasting relationships and looked at overall results for the two groups combined. Multivariate stepwise models confirmed the emphasis on academic support for persistence towards degree completion with all groups. Financial aid effects varied by military, nonmilitary, and for the overall population; military students were negatively impacted by loans, nonmilitary by university scholarships, and the overall …

Becoming A Disciple-Making Church: A Strategic Transition For Dongshin Apostle Community, Hyuk Lee

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Dongshin Apostle Community (DAC) transitioned from being a traditional church of 210 members to a hybrid church of 700 members through an organic movement called Jesus Hope Movement (JHM). In recent years, however, DAC has also plateaued in its growth due to the limitations of its institutional structure. In order for DAC to become a healthy growing church once again, it must become a disciple-making church that implements strategic biblical steps of transition that will push the church to become more organic. This thesis project will examine diverse organic factors within DAC that enabled its growth and transition to a …

A Case Study: Accreditation Process Reviewed Through The Lens Of Organizational Change Models And The Five Stages Of Grief, Olivia Rivas, Irma S. Jones

Teaching and Learning Faculty Publications

Kurt Lewin’s work helps us understand organizational change and Elizabeth Kubler-Ross’ work gives us insight into personal change. Their work can help us understand the many dimensions of change that occur in our environment. Lewin contends that change can be planned for and Kubler-Ross proposes that change, even unexpected change, can be managed. This article will take a closer look, over a four-year period, at the process within a college unit moving towards national accreditation through the lens of the work of these two well-known researchers.

An Investigation Of Business Transformation Disruptors At The Military Strategic Command Level, Thomas Bock

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation contributes an empirical research on business transformation disruption in the military. Specifically, this exploratory research seeks a better understanding of disruption of business transformation and some of the factors that are likely to impact the transformation process at the military strategic command level. A lack of empirical studies existing in the literature, coupled with the continuous transformation challenges faced by military organizations, make it necessary to conduct this empirical study of business transformation disruption in the military.

This research was carried out utilizing a two-phase mixed-methods approach. The first phase included qualitative data gathering through a series of …

Adverse Impacts Of Furlough Programs On Employee Work Rate And Organizational Productivity, Adedeji B. Badiru

Faculty Publications

This article is primarily a research-provoking exposition against the management approach used in the 2013 government furlough program. It is intended to prompt potentially productive research investigations on the impact of personnel furloughs, particularly on defense acquisition programs. Defense acquisition programs are time-sensitive and systems oriented. What appears as a minor delay in one unit of an acquisition life cycle can lead to long-term encumbrances within the entire defense system, resulting in enormous cost escalation. Pertinent analytical techniques/methodologies are provided to illustrate potential pathways for further research studies of furloughs and how they adversely impact organizational productivity. The author’s intent …

A Systems-Based Framework For The Assessment Of Performance Measurement System Implementations In R&D Organizations, Kenneth S. Baggett Jr.

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Performance measurement is utilized by organizations in all industries, including research and development (R&D). Measures are developed, data are collected, and the measurement results are used to drive the organization. The implicit hope is, of course, that the measures drive the organization to improve. However, literature identifies high failure rates directly related to performance measurement system (PMS) implementations. Establishing the fundamental operational characteristics associated with successful PMSs would provide a significant contribution towards the establishment of PMS assessment criteria. This research addresses this gap through the use of a grounded theory method employed to identify these operational characteristics, assesses the …

Two Case Studies Of The University Strategic Planning Process, Robert Lawrence Salter

Dissertations

This is a study of how the quality of a university strategic plan can be assessed on the basis of content validated rubrics. It further explores of the dynamics of how the choice of a planning process, i.e. inclusive or non-inclusive, can be affected by strategic intent, change capacity and leadership style of the organization’s President. As the definition of a quality strategic plan document is established by the study, the next problem the study addresses is the gap in higher education literature about the import of clear strategic intent, i.e. the focus on what the organization is trying to …

Identification And Identity Building In/By The Christian Church (Disciples Of Christ), David H. Torres

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This study explored the identification process of employees within the national offices of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). This research explored identification as an attachment process to particular identity structures (e.g., individual, work group, occupational, and organizational). Findings illustrated particular tensions that emerged during the identification process. The role of faith-based organization, as well as, non-traditional organizational structures was accounted for in the identification process. Results of this study provided some immediate and practical implications for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in their identity building efforts. Most notable, was the relevance of uncovering the identity resources in the …

Development Of A University Undergraduate Course Sequence About The Extension System, Marc T. Braverman, Katherine Gunter, Robin Galloway, Karlie J. Moore, Brandi Hoel, Denise Rennekamp

Journal of Extension

Many undergraduates are interested in community-based programming, but at most land-grants undergraduates have little contact with Extension. This article describes a grant project that developed two undergraduate courses about Extension and community-based, experiential education. The academic-year course incorporates lecture, discussion, guest speakers, and hands-on activities. The summer-session course takes students to visit program sites in operation. In outcome evaluations, students gained significantly in their understanding of land-grants, Extension, and community programming, and gained confidence in working collaboratively, among other findings. Recommendations note that the success of similar courses requires involvement of county Extension personnel and balancing of several key factors.

A Realist Ethnography Of Nuclear Security Officer Culture, Douglas J. Evans

Publications

This realist ethnography describes the heretofore unexamined culture of commercial nuclear power security officers over a one-year period from an active participant observer’s perspective. Data include field notes taken during observations at various sites and 15 interviews with security leaders working at or who had recently worked at 12 different commercial nuclear power plants and had previously worked at a dozen other commercial nuclear power plants, thus representing a broad overview of the commercial nuclear security culture. The data also include more than 58 unclassified documents from these sites, industry organizations, and regulatory agencies. An analysis of the data reveals …

The Alestle - Vol. 66 No. 26 - 03/27/2014, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

The Alestle

Vol. 66 No. 26

The Cord (March 26, 2014)

The Cord

No abstract provided.

What Are The Ideal Characteristics Of Empirically Supported Treatment Adopters?, David A. Patterson Silver Wolf (Adelv Unegv Waya) Phd

Brown School Faculty Publications

There has been a clear and consistent shift in social work practice from offering treatment as usual to implementing empirically supported treatments (ESTs). As social work researchers and practitioners continue to evaluate the effectiveness of ESTs, their impact on clinical outcomes, and the various obstacles to their adoption, a developing literature could offer some guidance on characteristics of EST adopters. This paper provides a beginning discussion of the ideal characteristics of EST adopters both at the organizational and individual-levels. While this is a developing area of study, there are some important findings that could better serve community-based organizations, its work …

Meeting Minutes, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting minutes.

March Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda.

The Missouri Miner, March 20, 2014

The Missouri Miner Newspaper

No abstract provided.