Business Commons^™

A Mixed Integer Linear Programming Approach For Developing Salary Administration Systems, Taner Cokyasar

Masters Theses

Determining salary increases of executive personnel is a challenging decision process for many companies. Salary administration policies that aid in the determination of salary increases and other compensation benefits have a wide variety of advantages for both a company and its employees. This thesis develops a mathematical programming approach to create a salary administration system that recognizes the importance of performance and potential of employees for future promotions as major components of a salary increase policy for executive personnel. A number of companies all over the world use salary administration systems that integrate work performance and potential for advancement to …

Accelerating Expertise To Facilitate Decision Making In High-Risk Professions Using The Dacum System, Ralph Kuchenbrod

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to determine whether the process of achieving occupational expertise could be accelerated enabling operators in high risk vocations to make effective decisions earlier in their careers. Scholars have hypothesized good decision making skills are largely a result of relevant experience within the specific domain. The rationale being that the greater the experience an individual has the more likely the operator has experienced similar situations and can apply solutions that have been successful in the past. Two distinct methods of decision making have been identified: traditional decision making and naturalistic decision making (NDM).

The ability …

Three Justifications For Support Of Female Student Affairs Professionals, Anna Filipek Adams

Masters Theses

Female student affairs professionals have experienced much advancement in the field. Yet we still suffer gender discrimination in our career paths, salaries, and work experiences. Unfortunately, this issue is not seen as important by decision makers, due to the acceptance of slow change, the past reluctances to begin this discussion, and the arguments of critics. In order to reinvigorate our growth and advancement in the field, I argue that there is value in supporting female student affairs professionals.

I justify the value of supporting of female student affairs professionals from student affairs, human resources, and cultural studies perspectives. From a …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Environmentally Sustainable Practices In Municipal Government: A Case Study Of The City Of Knoxville’S Department Of Parks And Recreation, Anthony Michael Brown

Masters Theses

Sustainability practices produce programs and services that meet current needs while preserving the environment and natural resources for the future. City parks and recreation departments are facing budget shortfalls and increasing expectations from customers. Governments are now embracing sustainability practices to create financial savings while also fostering relations with customers.

The purpose of this single case study was twofold: (1) to examine the effectiveness of one city department’s strategies in outsourcing its environmental sustainability program through a performance contract with Ameresco; and (2) to examine the perceptions of key department employees about the effectiveness of the sustainability initiative. A …

Differences In Scores On Measures Of Work Satsifaction, Parenting Satisfaction, Family/Work Roles Conflict And Marital Conflict Between Dual-Earner Husbands And Wives, Michelle Ann Parrott

Masters Theses

Dual-earned husband and wives, the most common family style in the United States, attempt to maintain healthy relationships as they juggle work and family roles. This study examined dual-career husbands and wives on the measures of work satisfaction, parenting satisfaction, family/work roles conflict and marital conflict to determine if differences existed between the husbands and wives. The findings indicated that dual-earner husbands and wives in this sample reported remarkably similar scores on the measures of work satisfaction, parenting satisfaction, family/work roles conflict, and marital conflict. These husbands and wives were very satisfied with their jobs and their parenting skills and …

The Occupational Work Ethic Of University Path And Career Path Secondary School Students, Brian Patrick Thompson

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to determine, using the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (OWEI), if there were any significant differences in the work ethic of secondary high school students enrolled in vocational program of study, university program of study, and level of grade attended.

The population of this study consisted of high school students in a rural secondary school in East Tennessee. English Teachers, licensed in the state of Tennessee administered the OWEI survey during a one-class period. The researcher collected surveys as they are completed.

Based on an ex post factor design this study will use an alpha …

Spirituality And Job Satisfaction Of Social Workers At A Social Service Agency, Jennifer Johnson Stamper

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this descriptive study was to study the effect of spirituality on job satisfaction in one child welfare agency in Knoxville, Tennessee. Social workers from Child and Family Tennessee (CFT) were the target population and all professional social workers were surveyed. A secondary purpose was to determine possible relationships between job satisfaction, spirituality, and the demographic variables of age, gender, time employed by the agency, marital status, and ethnicity.

The researcher surveyed 211 social workers employed by CFT. Social workers who were contacted at staff meetings were told about the study and received a packet that contained …

Implications Of Personal Recovery History For Training And Development Of Addiction Treatment Workers, Bruce K. Barnard

Masters Theses

The purpose of the study was to identify and compare competencies perceived as most important by addiction treatment workers with, and without, a personal history of recovery. A survey was developed and administered to 94 workers in three community-based addiction treatment agencies. The study found broad support for the competencies published by the Addiction Technology Transfer Center, National Curriculum Committee (1998). There were no significant differences in perceptions of competencies by workers with a personal recovery history and those without such history. Results indicate that factors such as workplace culture may be more powerful than recovery history in influencing worker …

Citizen Police Academy Alumni: Attitudes And Perceptions Related To Law Enforcement, Larry E. Grant

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of training on attitudes and perceptions about law enforcement by participants of a Citizen Police Academy. The first goal was to identify any significant differences between attitudes or perceptions and demographic factors such as age, working status, education, ethnicity, gender, military experience, victimization, and relationships with officers. The second goal was to ascertain the existence of any correlation between certain variables related to attitudes or perceptions. The researcher surveyed 554 members of the Knoxville Police Department Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association. The alumni members received a three-part survey containing general …

Effects Of Self-Efficacy On Transfer Of Cross-Cultural Training And Expatriate Performance, Anne Wang Drewry

Masters Theses

The presented study focused on the effect of self-efficacy, as well as other selected demographic variables, on the transfer of cross-cultural training and expatriate performance. Selected independent variables include self-efficacy, expatriate tenure, level of education, gender, age, marital status, level of foreign language competency and level of formal cross-cultural experience. Expatriates employed by multinational company that were on their current assignments were selected to be the studied sample.

The design of this study employed a quantitative research method. A survey

instrument crafted specifically for this study was digitized and was made accessible for participants via the Internet. After the data …

Manager's Role In Recruiting, Motivating And Retaining Employees In Latvia, Anda Peipina

Masters Theses

After regaining independence, Latvia has accomplished a lot in terms of reforms and education in the field of human resource management of public sector. However, there are several serious problems that need to be solved, such as, lack of motivation and recognition of public employees; low pay; problems to attract and retain employees. That is why it was interesting to find out what do employees value when it comes to recruitment, motivation and retention. In addition, what is the manager's role in these processes. Literature represents the American experience in human resource management. McGregor's Theory X and Theory Y as …

The Effect Of An Introductory Computer Course On Online Instruction Self-Efficacy Of Undergraduate Students, Iryna P. Loboda

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an introductory computer course on online instruction self-efficacy and significance of demographic variables of gender, age, formal computer training, computer experience, online instruction experience, and Internet experience in relation to online instruction selfefficacy.

This was accomplished by assessing online instruction self-efficacy beliefs of undergraduate students of the College of Human Ecology, the University of Tennessee who were enrolled in an introductory computer course in spring and summer 2002. The population sample included 92 students who completed the Tennessee Online Instruction Scale (TOIS) at the beginning and at the end …

The Relationship Among Self-Esteem, Self-Efficacy, And Training Performance At A Government-Funded Nuclear Operations Complex In East Tennessee, Garland Sharp

Masters Theses

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among self-efficacy, self-esteem, and training performance. This study was similar to a study conducted by Mone, Baker, and Jeffries in 1995. Using college students, Mone et al. (1995) tried to determine which construct, self-efficacy or self-esteem, more accurately predicted academic success. This study's purpose was to determine if relationships existed among self-efficacy, self-esteem, and training performance in an industrial training situation using employees in the workplace.

A self-esteem and self-efficacy instrument along with a written test were used to gather data from the entire population (N=75) of workers at …

Mentoring Relationships In The Real Estate Industry: A Descriptive Analysis, Angela Jacqueline Sweeney

Masters Theses

Mentoring is an old phenomenon which dates back to ancient Greece. It has recently gained the attention of researchers in organizational and business settings. The study examines mentoring relationships in the real estate industry. The purpose of this study was to identify whether mentoring takes place in a particular occupation, specifically real estate, and to further investigate the functions and qualities of the mentoring relationships. Sixty-three questionnaires were distributed to local real estate agents. Twenty-seven were returned yielding a response rate of 42%. Six follow-up interviews were conducted to compliment the quantitative data from the questionnaire. Results indicated that 80% …

Illinois Vocational Student Service Network Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Policy Development, Martin L. Barrett

Masters Theses

The dual purposes of this field study were to ascertain the legislative, court, and administrative rule requirements for equal employment opportunity and affirmative action for the newly created Illinois Vocational Student Services Network and to develop equal employment opportunity and affirmative action policies for the network. The findings of this field study are applicable to Educational Service Regions in the State of Illinois and projects, entities, or programs that utilize Educational Service Regions as fiscal agents. With minor modifications, the affirmative action policy could be utilized by school districts and other public agencies.

The study is divided into five major …

The Relationship Of Job Performance To Exercise In A Hospital Fitness Program, Sheryl A. Porter

Masters Theses

An investigation of the relationship between job performance and exercise was conducted over a one year period among a group of hospital employees. Participation in the in-house fitness program was voluntary. The experimental group was employed a minimum of one year prior to the study and exercised at least twice a week the first year the fitness program began. Job performance ratings were compared to a matched group using a correlated t-test. The findings were non-significant.

The Alternate Incentive To Early Teacher Retirement, Vernon Dean Guinn

Masters Theses

The major emphasis of the study was to formulate an answer to the question being asked by the study group under the Illinois Project for School Reform, "How to improve the quality of teachers within the school system?" Specifically, this study analyzed the results of a study done by the Planning and Research Department of the State Board of Education, prepared in April 1977. Under this study's proposal, four areas of substantial disincentives were identified as reasons for teachers not taking early retirement. The age discrimination effect has since been overcome with early retirement incentives now being offered in many …

Employment Trends And The Population Identified As Visually Impaired, Donna Mumford-Hinrichsen

Masters Theses

In an effort to obtain careers that are competitive, with advancement opportunities, persons identified as visually impaired have been blocked by attitudinal barriers of society. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of employer attitudes on employment opportunities for persons who are visually impaired in competition with individuals who are sighted. The population surveyed was a group of 200 employers of accountants field in the state of Illinois. The study was conducted using a questionnaire and a set of eight resumes of fictional individuals. Employers received packets containing the materials and were asked to review the resumes …

An Investigation Of The Gerontological Educational Background And The Need For Training Of Practitioners In East Central Illinois, Kathryn L. Carey

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was two-fold. The first was to investigate the gerontological educational background of persons presently working in the field of aging. The second purpose was to determine if there was a need for and interest in further training, and if so what particular topics the respondents would find most critical to their interests or beneficial to their work. The subjects were fifty-four persons involved in serving the over sixty-five population in a ten county area within the East Central Illinois Area Agency on Aging, Area Five.

A three page questionnaire was used as the investigative instrument …

Reduction In Force: An Analysis Of Procedures Used In The Roxana Community Unit School District #1 And Other School Districts In Illinois, Charles D. Conner

Masters Theses

The purpose of this study was to analyze the factors which led to a reduction in force and the procedures which were used in reducing certified personnel by 14% in the Roxana Community Unit School District #1 in 1976. The school board had used a RIF policy with which it was pleased, but which had made teachers unhappy. Was this just a natural reaction from any teacher organization or were the board and administration inadequately prepared for the major decisions made, when compared to the provisions and preparations made by other school boards across the state of Illinois? This question …

A Study Of Fringe Benefits Available To Non-Professional Employees Of Community Unit School Districts In Illinois, James E. Harder

Masters Theses

No abstract provided by author.