Business Commons^™

The Important Role Of Change Management In Environment Management System Implementation, Mary Eileen Graham, S Ronnenberg, F Mahmoodi

Falk College Research Center

No abstract provided.

Reemployment Under Userra Sections 4312 & 4313: At Will Employment Vs. Temporary Employment, Richard L. Pate

WCBT Faculty Publications

As thousands of service members return to the U.S., severe economic conditions render acclimation to civilian life especially difficult. In 2010, as the combat mission in Iraq approached an end, the unemployment rate of Iraq and Afghanistan era veterans had reached 13.1 percent. The Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act, 38 U.S.C. §§ 4301-4333 (1994) ("USERRA"), was enacted, in great part, to mitigate harms such as those caused by the aforementioned perfect storm. Among other things, USERRA protects service members by entitling them to reemployment after military service. More specifically, USERRA Sections 4312 & 4313 entitle returning service members …

Cross Cultural Variables: Evaluating Employee Attitudes Across Four Regions Of Asia, Europe, North And Latin America, Martin Brockerhoff, Jeanine K. Andreassi Ph.D.

WCBT Working Papers

There has been an explosion of businesses moving operations overseas, setting up international joint ventures and establishing multinational enterprises. This trend has led organizational researchers as well as corporations to explore the implications of cultural differences in managing a workforce. Can the same Western management practices be used as effectively with employees in Asia as in North America? Does the application of Western management principles in multinationals affect aspects of job satisfaction in non-Western countries? This poster reports the findings from two exploratory analyses on the relationship between job attitudes and the geographic/cultural setting of business organizations. The first analysis …

Learning The “Craft Of Auditing”: Applications Of The Cognitive Apprenticeship Framework, Kimberly D. Westermann

2011

This dissertation consists of three studies examining component(s) of the cognitive apprenticeship (CA) model applied to on-the-job learning in auditing. This abstract summarizes each study, including purpose, methodology, and findings. The first study provides descriptive evidence on the importance and pervasiveness of CA as a model of on-the-job learning (OTJL) in auditing, investigates changes in its use over time, and assesses factors that promote or hinder auditors’ learning through apprenticeship. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 30 relatively new and more experienced audit partners at a Big 4 firm, seeking their impressions about past and current OTJL practices in public accounting. …

Value Of Emotional Intelligence For High Performance Coaching - A Commentary, Deborah A. O'Neil

Management Faculty Publications

In their article, Jonathan Chan and Clifford Mallett present the case for the positive effects that high-performance coaches can realize by incorporating leadership qualities that include ‘soft skills’ like emotional intelligence into their coaching repertoires. The authors propose that coaches’ emotional intelligence can augment their technical skills to encourage high performance in their athletes, and manage the dynamics between coach, athlete, team and performance.

Perceptions Of Faculty And Staff Of The Positive Behavior Process Utilizing Team Process And Staff Satisfaction Survey, Kara L. Hill

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

There is a great need in education to find innovative ways to increase the amount of instructional time spent in classrooms. One way this can be accomplished is by improving the school climate through the use of Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS). Teachers can improve upon their own behaviors towards students, so that student problem behaviors do not escalate to the point of suspensions and expulsions. The PBIS philosophy embraces the idea that while humanistic values should not replace empiricism, these values should inform empiricism. Science tells us how we can change things, but values tell us what is …

The Influence Of Selected Demographic Characteristics On The Reading Ability Of Fourth Grade Students In Louisiana, Johnny W. Morgan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected demographic characteristics on the reading ability of fourth grade students in Louisiana. The dependent variable for this study was reading ability of fourth grade students. Independent variables were demographic characteristics as measured by reading achievement (overall reading score and subscale reading score on the LEAP assessment). The Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) exam is a high-stakes test that is administered to fourth grade students in Louisiana. Students must pass specific portions of the test to be promoted to fifth grade. Academic achievement data on the LEAP test …

The Influence Of Selected Demographic And Biographical Characteristics On The Level Of Cultural Intelligence Among Mid-Level Managers Of Home Health Care Systems In The United States, Martha Stuart Williams

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Disparities exist in health care quality among racial and ethnic minority groups. Minority Americans receive lower quality health care than non-minorities even after adjustment for insurance status and income. A leading cause of these disparities is the biases and prejudices of health care providers. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between levels of cultural intelligence (CQ) and selected demographic and biographical characteristics among mid-level managers of home health care systems throughout the United States. This research provides an understanding of factors influencing cultural intelligence among site directors in home health care. An examination …

Problem-Based Learning Leadership Development Program In A Multi-National Company, Stephen M. Brown, Petra Garnjost, Stefan Heilmann

WCBT Faculty Publications

This paper reports on the development and implementation of a team leadership training program in a multi-national company. The European Engineering Company (EEC Group) had grown and expanded into many countries in a relatively short time frame as a result of increased demand for the company's products and services in newly developing countries. The EEC Group and the training program had additional issues of culture and basic institutional knowledge. The paper reports on the program, the conceptual framework of the International Leadership Development Program (ILDP), results, and lessons learned. The authors advocate use of a Problem-based Learning (PBL) methodology to …

An Evaluation Of Post-Katrina Emergency Preparedness Strategies In Hospitals On The U.S. Gulf Of Mexico Coastline, Holly Houk Cullen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent tragedies are causing hospitals to more intensively review their strategies and broaden their approach to emergency preparation. The Gulf Coast storms of 2005 and 2008 and other catastrophic events nationwide have illustrated the central role hospitals can and should play in a community’s disaster recovery infrastructure. Given the unpredictability of the world today, with the possibility of a mass casualty crisis constantly threatening, there is an urgent need to seek and achieve higher levels of readiness. If a hospital organization is not investing in emergency preparedness on a continuous basis, that facility and its community are placed at higher …

The Disconnect Between Employer Costs And Employee Value, Kevin F. Hallock

Economics Faculty Publications

There is a tremendous disconnect between the cost of compensation to employers and the value employees place on that compensation. Companies pay a lot more for workers than workers see in their paychecks. The average worker in the US costs his/her employee $29.52 per hour. But only $20.50 of that appeared in the worker's paycheck as wage and salary. The other $8.96 is attributable to other employer costs that employees do not immediately see. Of the $8.96, $2.04 is for paid leave, $0.71 is for supplemental pay, $2.60 is for insurance, $1.31 is for retirement savings, and $2.30 is for …

Preferences Of Louisiana Agronomic Crop Producers And Crop Consultants Regarding Sources Of Information Related To Agricultural Production, Kenneth Craig Gautreaux

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The dissemination of information related to agronomic crop production is crucial to the success of the agriculture industry in Louisiana. This information is distributed by various sources and through multiple methods. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the preferences of Louisiana agronomic crop producers and crop consultants in regards to acquiring information related to their agricultural operations. A secondary purpose was to determine how agronomic crop producers perceived selected LSU AgCenter information sources on accuracy, awareness and frequency of use. Data for the study were obtained through surveys completed by 176 agronomic crop producers and 32 crop …

The Influence Of Business Ownership And Selected Demographic Characteristics On The Perceived Effectiveness Of An Entrepreneurship Training Program Among Female Participants, Carol A. Carter

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, and entrepreneurship is of critical importance to women because it provides a means to becoming self-sufficient, in charge of one’s own career path, and as a way to rise about the “glass ceiling” of the corporate world. Women who perceive themselves as having the necessary skills and knowledge to start their own companies have a higher likelihood of starting a business than those who do not. Therefore, it is important to understand the training needs and perceptions regarding the efficacy of entrepreneurship training programs specifically targeted to women. The primary purpose …

Lexington Humane Society: Analysis Of Volunteers, D'Arcy Robb

MPA/MPP/MPFM Capstone Projects

The Lexington Humane Society depends substantially on volunteer labor yet suffers from a high volunteer attrition rate. Using data from the organization’s database and a survey of volunteers, this project paints a demographic picture of the volunteer population and identifies traits that affect volunteer longevity.

The evidence shows that the organization’s volunteers are overwhelmingly likely to be pet-owning women with no children at home who are motivated to volunteer because it allows them to act on their values. Middle-age individuals are more likely than those under 25 or over 65 to become long term volunteers, and individuals who have recently …

The Implementation Of Web-Based Project Management Systems By The General Contractor: Transferring From Hard-Copy To Digital Format., Jason A. Miller

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

Abstract

The construction industry is undergoing a transition from being paper based to a digital one.  This transition puts a document management challenge on all members of the construction team, but most specifically the general contractor which has to ensure that the appropriate information reaches the intended party in a usable format.  The submittal process has historically been very paper intensive with multiple copies begin distributed to various parties.  Transitioning to a digital format will decrease the amount of paper copies, but presents challenges to the general contractor.  The first is the traditional method of noting documents will not be …

Revealing Darkness Through Light: Communicatively Managing The Dark Side Of Mentoring Relationships In Organisations, Kristen Carr, Erica P. Heiden

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Existing research has indicated that mentoring in organisations serves a variety of beneficial functions, including socialising new employees, increasing employee self-esteem and competence, and teaching them how to navigate organisational politics. Although the benefits of mentoring are clear and well documented, there is a potential ‘dark side’ to mentoring that has the potential to result in role confusion, interpersonal conflict, the loss of individual power, and diluted organisational culture. It is our purpose in this paper to reconceptualise the role of communication in mentoring as a way to illuminate this dark side of mentoring within organisations.

Experimentally Analyzing The Impact Of Leader Positivity On Follower Positivity And Performance, James Avey, Bruce J. Avolio, Fred Luthans

Department of Management: Faculty Publications

This field experimental study examined the role that positive leadership plays in producing effective leader and follower outcomes. Specifically, a sample of engineers (N = 106) from a very large aerospace firm were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions. Two conditions involved assigning these engineers to a low and high problem complexity condition. The other two conditions represented high versus low conveyed leader positivity. The results indicated a positive relationship between the leaders’ positivity and the followers’ positivity and performance, as well as a negative relationship between problem complexity and follower positivity. The study limitations, needed future research, and practical …

Managing The Millennials: Employee Retention Strategies For Generation Y, Nicholas W. Thompson

CMC Senior Theses

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of Millennials' beliefs and attitudes and how that will affect their conception of the employer-employee psychological contract. This analysis should provide a greater understanding of how the childhoods of Millennials have affected their attitudes for life and career aspirations. Further, it explores retention strategies for workplace culture, management style, and growth and advancement.

Celiac Disease: Increasing Awareness For A Better Life, Sheetal Malini Verma-Bueche

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine the awareness and knowledge of Celiac Disease/Gluten Intolerance (CD/GI), among clients of a medical facility in the southern portion of the United States. A researcher-designed awareness/knowledge instrument was used to study a random sample of clients of a medical facility. Data were collected from 404 clients at the medical facility. Data collected included whether or not participants were aware of the disease, a 30-item knowledge instrument, and their demographic characteristics. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four identifiable subscales in the knowledge instrument: Symptomology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Interaction with Other Conditions and Overall Knowledge …

Following The Path Of Involuntary Change: The Emotional Effects, Susan B. Carriere

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to describe the perceived emotional effects of the seven Medical Case Managers who moved from the role of “consultants” of a Railway to “employees” of a Managed Health Care Company in order to maintain employment within their field of telephonic disability case management of railway employees. This research followed the path of an unintended change with two interviews, 2003 and 2010. The participants were seven Medical Case Managers with a combined institutional knowledge base of over fifty years. The study was a qualitative study based on in-depth interviews. Results showed that the Medical Case …

Evaluation Of Knowledge Transfer In An Immersive Virtual Learning Environment For The Transportation Community, Mary Leah Caillier Coco

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In the year 2009, 667 individuals lost their lives in a highway construction or maintenance work zone (National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, 2010). Since the year 2003, 6,438 individuals have been killed in a highway construction or maintenance work zone, which is approximately 805 deaths per calendar year (National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse, 2010). This eye-opening and unfortunate statistic points to the need for a re-evaluation of training methodology as it relates to work zone safety. This study reports on the use of virtual learning technology for work-zone training. This research tested the use of an Immersive Virtual …

Reshaping Exercise Design In Assessment Centers: Theory, Practice, And Research, Filip Lievens, Eveline Schollaert

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

Upon looking at this title, an obvious question is whether assessment center (AC) exercises need to be designed differently from what was done in the past. AC exercises have been around since World War I and their longevity attests to their success. So why propose some changes to this monument in personnel selection and development? Let us first acknowledge that we concur that ACs are in still in good shape. However, every good brand needs some adjustments (which is a more appropriate term than “changes” in this context) once in a while, based on new theoretical insights and empirical research. …

Decision Making Regarding Employee Access To Training And Development In Medium-Sized Enterprises, Alan Coetzer, Janice Redmond, Jalleh Sharafizad

Research outputs 2011

Employees in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) form part of a ‘disadvantaged’ group within the workforce that receives less access to formal training and development than employees in large firms. The manager’s decisional role is critical when considering employee access to training and development. Unfortunately, there is scant research into factors affecting managers’ decisions regarding employee access to a requested development opportunity in SMEs. To address this research gap, semi-structured interviews incorporating critical incidents were conducted with a purposive sample of 12 managers of medium-sized enterprises based in Perth. We report key findings of the interviews and assess the effectiveness …

Informal Learning In The Workplace: A Review Of The Literature, Megan A. Le Clus

Research outputs 2011

In the last few decades, the workplace has been increasingly recognised as a legitimate environment for learning new skills and knowledge, which in turn enables workers to participate more effectively in ever-changing work environments. Within theworkplace, there is the potential for continuous learning to occur not only through formal learning initiatives that are associated with training, but also through informal learning opportunities that are embedded within everyday work activities. This paper surveys the growing body of literature on informal learning, makes some critical observations about the importance of informal learning, and explains the various ways that informal learning can occur …

A Qualitative Study Of 4-H State And Field Faculty Use Of Social Media To Communicate With Youth, Volunteers, And Stakeholders, Mary Christina Sorenson

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to explore the type of social media technology utilized by 4-H field and state faculty to communicate with 4-H members, volunteers, and advisory board members. As youth increase their use of technology for communications it is critical for youth development agents to adapt to new communication methods Qualitative research methods were used to explore this topic. Guiding questions were developed from the empirical literature. Responsive interviewing technique was used to gather data. A purposeful sample was chosen for this study. The sample consisted of field and state 4-H Cooperative Extension Service faculty located in …

A Mixed Methodological Assessment Of Personal Development Of Undergraduate Orientation Leaders, Kimberly Dottolo Roberts

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Orientation programs, while unique in their own design and implementation across campuses, offer incoming students the opportunity to become acquainted with the institutional environment. A particularly important element of orientation programs is the component of orientation leaders who serve as peer mentors and guides to incoming students. These students fulfill several responsibilities of the institution and develop a lasting rapport with incoming students. Orientation leaders have the opportunity to personally develop and gain valuable skills as a result of working the orientation program. Kolb’s experiential learning model provides a framework that explains an orientation leader’s personal development. Kolb’s model consists …

Contributors To An Enterprising Sex: Examining The Influence Of Creativity On Entrepreneurial Intentions And The Moderating Role Of Political Skill Controlling For Gender, Simone Trixie Allison Phipps

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Previous research indicates a positive relationship between creativity and entrepreneurship. Research also indicates a tendency for successful entrepreneurs to possess certain skills and abilities and to engage in activities that reflect their political astuteness. In addition, numerous studies have supported the importance of behavioral intentions as they relate to actions. Thus, this research endeavor focused on intentions, as it investigated the relationship between creativity and entrepreneurial intentions among female and male students, and attempted to determine whether political skill moderated the relationship. The results revealed that there was a statistically significant positive relationship between creativity and entrepreneurial intentions among both …

A Comparison Of Career Goals And Educational Values Between Hispanic Immigrant And Caucasian United States Citizen Employees Of Louisiana Crawfish Farm Operations, Richard Dean Johnson Ii

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Hispanic immigrants come to the United States with hopes to obtain a better life for their families through perceived better wages and educational opportunities. One source of income for Hispanic immigrants is through employment in crawfish farm operations. Crawfish farm operations benefit from the employment of Hispanic immigrants through government programs that supply workers to the industry. Therefore, many crawfish farm operations in Louisiana employ both Caucasian U.S. citizen and Hispanic immigrant labor to operate efficiently. The purpose of this study was to compare selected characteristics of crawfish farm workers as well as to explore values related to education, monetary …

Development Of Self-Determination In Youth With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities In 4-H Programming: A Qualitative Study, Myra Jo Monroe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how 4-H programming may support positive youth development in youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Using Wehmeyer‟s Functional Model of Self-Determination as the theoretical framework, sixteen youth aged 14-21 years in an intact vocational training classroom engaged in a semester-long program utilizing direct instruction and environment theorized by Wehmeyer to enhance the emergence of self-determination in youth with IDD. This study drew from the fundamental principle that a person who was self-determined exhibited behaviors that reflected certain essential characteristics (Wehmeyer & Field, 2007). The study utilized data collected from …

The Influence Of Budget Allocation By Function On Student Retention Of Public Community Colleges In The Sixteen States In The Southern Region Education Board, Clayton Clendenin Burton

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Stakeholders of higher education expect a positive return for their investment. One of the measures of success for higher education is persistence; one of the measures of persistence is retention rate. One segment of higher education, community colleges, receives a significant outlay of public resources in terms of government appropriations, student financial aid, and individual investment. This study follows the framework of Ryan (2004) and Gansemer-Topf and Schuh (2006) who successfully created models using the allocation of financial resources to predict graduation and retention rates for four-year colleges. Using data from the U. S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education …