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Air Force Institute of Technology

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Articles 121 - 150 of 270

Full-Text Articles in Human Resources Management

An Extension Of The Theory Of Job Embeddedness: An Investigation Of Effects On Intent To Turnover Of United States Air Force Members, Charles E. Hassell Mar 2005

An Extension Of The Theory Of Job Embeddedness: An Investigation Of Effects On Intent To Turnover Of United States Air Force Members, Charles E. Hassell

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated the ability of Mitchell, Holtom, Lee, Sablynski, and Erze's (2001) job embeddedness construct to predict intent to turnover after considering the historical predictors of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job search, and job alternatives. This study extended the research on job embeddedness by investigating the extent to which age, race, gender, and marital status would affect the relationship between job embeddedness and intent to turnover. Results indicated that job embeddedness was a significant predictor of intent to turnover. However, age, race, gender, and marital status were not found to be significant moderators of job embeddedness and intent to …


Assessing Influences On Perceived Training Transfer: An Investigation Of Perceptions Of Air Force Logistics Readiness Officer Technical School Graduates, Sarah E. Hobbs Mar 2005

Assessing Influences On Perceived Training Transfer: An Investigation Of Perceptions Of Air Force Logistics Readiness Officer Technical School Graduates, Sarah E. Hobbs

Theses and Dissertations

Training transfer, which is the ability to utilize training back on the job, is an important issue for all organizations. Training transfer is also a concern within the Air Force, and specifically within the Logistics Readiness (LR) domain as the new LR career field and Logistics Readiness Officer (LRO) technical school mature. This research specifically investigates how influences/attitudes/beliefs of LRO technical school graduates regarding their training influence their perceptions about the transfer of such training back to the job. This study employs a survey-based methodology and the use of Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) for data analysis. The results of the …


Effects Of Deployment On Homestation Job Stress And Burnout, S. Ryan Johnson Mar 2005

Effects Of Deployment On Homestation Job Stress And Burnout, S. Ryan Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The Global War on Terrorism has increased the demands placed on military members. The increased rate of deployments, coupled with the reduction in resources, has military leaders concerned that these changing demands will cause undue strain, adversely affecting the military member's quality of life. This research tests the effects of active duty military deployments on homestation job stressors and burnout. Pre- and post- deployment surveys were administered to test for any significant changes that resulted from a deployment. A group of non-deploying members was also measured during the same time frame to serve as the control group. Results showed that …


Empowering Marine Corps System Administrators: Taxonomy Of Training, Brian K. Hamilton Mar 2004

Empowering Marine Corps System Administrators: Taxonomy Of Training, Brian K. Hamilton

Theses and Dissertations

Organizations cannot protect the integrity, confidentiality, and availability of information in today's highly networked systems environment without ensuring that System Administrators are properly trained and meet a minimum standard that is enforced enterprise-wide. Only with this ubiquitous benchmark training, will the System Administrators roles and responsibilities become synchronous to achieving Defense in Depth in the IT realm. The goal of this research is to analyze Marine Corps training methods to identify viable solutions that will produce consistent skill sets and meet requirements set forth in mandates from DoD.


Determination Of The Trainability Of Deception Detection Cues, Christopher L. Ford Mar 2004

Determination Of The Trainability Of Deception Detection Cues, Christopher L. Ford

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force and the rest of the Department of Defense rely on valid information to make National Security decisions. The veracity of the information used to make those decisions can dramatically affect which course of action our military will take. Therefore, it is important that our leaders be able to recognize if they are being deceived. This study examines the results of training five categories of deception cues to 190 Air Force Officers. The officers were tested to determine their baseline deception detection abilities, then trained on the deception cues, Arousal, Emotion, Cognitive Effort, Communicator Tactics, and Memory Processes, …


A Study Of Course Design Factors That Influence E-Learning Course Completion Rates, Edward A. Mathews Mar 2004

A Study Of Course Design Factors That Influence E-Learning Course Completion Rates, Edward A. Mathews

Theses and Dissertations

E-learning has been defined as "the use of network technologies to create, foster, deliver, and facilitate learning, anytime and anywhere" (Linezine, 2000). E-learning is one of the fastest growing services on the Internet today with revenues between 6 billion and 7 billion dollars (Bizreport, 2003). This growth comes with a peculiar problem - many students never complete their e-learning courses. Although there is significant variation among institutions - with some reporting course-completion rates of more than 80 percent and others finding that fewer than 50 percent of distance-education students finish their course...course-completion rates are often 10 to 20 percentage points …


Group Performance In Military Scenarios Under Deceptive Conditions, Michael C. Hass Mar 2004

Group Performance In Military Scenarios Under Deceptive Conditions, Michael C. Hass

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research was to investigate how changes in modality (communication type) and external conditioning (warnings of player deception) relate to perceptions of deception and task difficulty and in turn how these perceptions relate to the final group game scores in a cooperative effort with conflicting goals. One hundred and eight participants were grouped into teams of three, given similar instructions but different goals, and asked to play a cooperative game called StrikeCOM that mimics the intelligence gathering needed to develop an air tasking order and subsequent air strike on three military targets. The analysis of the post-game …


Cross-Sectional Study On The Factors That Influence E-Learning Course Completion Rates, Christopher C. Earnhardt Mar 2004

Cross-Sectional Study On The Factors That Influence E-Learning Course Completion Rates, Christopher C. Earnhardt

Theses and Dissertations

Completion rates for web-based courses tend to lag behind their traditional classroom counterparts, sometimes as much as 40% (Carter, 1996; Phipps and Merisotis, 1999; Zielinski, 2000). Thurston and Reynolds (2002) employed motivational constructs to explain why some people persist while others drop out of web-based courses. Their analysis of 8 web-based courses and response from 497 active duty Air Force students indicated that completion goals, off-task distractions, availability of feedback for self-regulation, and continued confidence were important factors that distinguished those who completed their courses from those who did not. This study addresses the limitations of the previous study and …


Active Duty Military Deployments: A Respite From Job Stressors And Burnout For Air Force Acquisition Support Personnel, Tonya J. Bronson Mar 2004

Active Duty Military Deployments: A Respite From Job Stressors And Burnout For Air Force Acquisition Support Personnel, Tonya J. Bronson

Theses and Dissertations

To explore the possible respite effects of deployments, active duty Air Force acquisition support personnel who were either scheduled to deploy (n=74), or recently returned from deployment (n=34) were surveyed. Analysis of variance compared the pre- and post-deployment group's perceived levels of burnout, emotional exhaustion, role ambiguity, role conflict, self-efficacy, organizational commitment, contingent rewards, operating conditions, co-worker satisfaction, and overall job satisfaction. Although the results indicated the differences were not large enough to be significant, many of the variables behaved as hypothesized. Specifically, burnout, emotional exhaustion, role conflict, contingent rewards, and co-worker satisfaction were all higher in the post- deployment …


Military Deployments As A Respite From Burnout: An Analysis Of Gender And Family, Trevor T. Sthultz Mar 2004

Military Deployments As A Respite From Burnout: An Analysis Of Gender And Family, Trevor T. Sthultz

Theses and Dissertations

To explore to possible respite effects of deployments, active duty Air Force acquisition support personnel who were either scheduled to deploy (n=74), or recently returned from deployment (n=34) were surveyed. Analysis of variance compared the pre-deployment male's and female's perceived levels of burnout, emotional exhaustion, role ambiguity, role conflict, self-efficacy, organizational commitment, contingent rewards, operating conditions, co-worker satisfaction, and overall job satisfaction. The same analysis was conducted dividing the pre- and post-deployment groups by whether or not they had children. Several of the findings were as hypothesized. Specifically, post-deployment females reported lower scores for emotional exhaustion, role ambiguity, organizational commitment, …


An Exploration Of Cultural Factors Affecting Use Of Communities Of Practice, Peter L. Hinrichsen Mar 2004

An Exploration Of Cultural Factors Affecting Use Of Communities Of Practice, Peter L. Hinrichsen

Theses and Dissertations

On-line communities of practice are potentially powerful social learning networks that can improve organizational performance. Unfortunately, administrators of on-line communities of practice report that community members do not take full advantage of this potential. This study used Shaw and Tuggle's (2003) factors of knowledge management (KM) culture affecting organizational acceptance of a knowledge management initiative to explore this issue. It was hypothesized that respondents whose communities of practice possessed higher average community use per member would rate KM culture variables higher than respondents whose communities possessed a lower average community use. An analysis of survey data collected from Air Force …


An Analysis Of The Air Force Basic Communications Officer Training Course: The Impact Of Trainee And Organization Characteristics On Training Effectiveness, Grace M. Beck Mar 2004

An Analysis Of The Air Force Basic Communications Officer Training Course: The Impact Of Trainee And Organization Characteristics On Training Effectiveness, Grace M. Beck

Theses and Dissertations

In 1998, the Aerospace Communications and Information Expertise (ACE) program was implemented to provide a common operational foundation for new Air Force Communications and Information officers. Training's crucial role in providing Air Force effectiveness and efficiency in the officer corps is demonstrated by the formal training courses new officers are required to attend for instruction in their jobs. The importance of training, and subsequent training evaluation, is evident for two significant reasons: the skills required by Air Force Communications and Information officers and the amount of investment in training. Investment in training includes money, time, equipment, and any other significant …


An Experimental Investigation Of Productivity Stratification And Knowledge Transfer In An Electronically Mediated Environment, Jachin Sakamoto Mar 2004

An Experimental Investigation Of Productivity Stratification And Knowledge Transfer In An Electronically Mediated Environment, Jachin Sakamoto

Theses and Dissertations

The idea of anywhere and anytime learning is enticing from a military standpoint, given the high deployment rates in the current operational environment. Electronic-based learning is seen as an answer to this requirement. Currently there are many variations in electronic-based instructional media, and little has been done to determine which format or combination of formats is most conducive to facilitating knowledge transfer and learning. The research project explores, through the use of an experiment, three primary constructs of media richness, content flexibility, and forced engagement, in their relation to effectiveness or productivity in facilitating learning in the experimental participants. The …


Decision Analysis With Value Focused Thinking As A Methodology To Assess Air Force Officer Retention Alternatives, Sang-Ho Moon Mar 2004

Decision Analysis With Value Focused Thinking As A Methodology To Assess Air Force Officer Retention Alternatives, Sang-Ho Moon

Theses and Dissertations

Many countries realize the importance of the retention of qualified military personnel, and have tried to solve this problem using various methods. Nevertheless, the effects of those methods have not been determined or proven yet. The military retention problem is closely related to each individual's separation decision from the military. The characteristics of this decision are multi-objective and highly subjective. Accordingly, the effectiveness of various methods is heavily dependant on the value set of each individual. Decision Analysis (DA) using Value Focused Thinking (VFT) can be an excellent process to deal with this decision. Also, the data can reflect the …


A Cost Analysis Of The Military Retirement System, Kyle R. Martin Mar 2004

A Cost Analysis Of The Military Retirement System, Kyle R. Martin

Theses and Dissertations

This research explores possible changes to the current military retirement system. The research contains a detailed explanation of the current military retirement system and its objectives; a summary of the history and past legislation affecting private sector pension plans and the military retirement system; and a discussion of major analytic studies of the military retirement system since 1969 and their impact on the current system. The costs and benefits of three alternatives to the current system are analyzed using a deterministic and stochastic analysis. These alternatives are based on benefit structure changes not explicitly reducing costs. System restructuring would change …


Effects Of Duty Schedule Variance And Overtime On The Job Satisfaction And Turnover Intentions Of Usaf F-16 Crew Chiefs, Michael J. Shellhamer Mar 2004

Effects Of Duty Schedule Variance And Overtime On The Job Satisfaction And Turnover Intentions Of Usaf F-16 Crew Chiefs, Michael J. Shellhamer

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis empirically assessed how duty schedule variance and overtime affect the job satisfaction and turnover intentions of USAF F-16 crew chiefs. A survey was completed by 346 active duty USAF F-16 crew chiefs regarding their perceptions of duty schedule variance, overtime, job satisfaction and intent to leave the Air Force. Theory suggests that turnover behavior is a multistage process that involves organizational, individual, and attitudinal components. Using multivariate correlation and regression analyses, plausible evidence was found to support the idea that duty schedule variance and overtime plays a role in USAF F-16 crew chief turnover intentions via job satisfaction. …


Analysis Of Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet Behavioral Leadership And Development, Matthew S. Woodruff Mar 2004

Analysis Of Army Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet Behavioral Leadership And Development, Matthew S. Woodruff

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Army is continually looking for ways to improve the training of its leaders. FM 22-100, Army Leadership: Be, Know, Do (1999), provides the foundation for the Army's leadership training. Its goal is to train leaders who can both accomplish the mission and take care of soldiers and their families. This project investigates how individuals' leadership opinions may vary according to their year in the Reserve Officer Training Corps program and also compared to non-ROTC students of similar academic standing. Does the leadership training implemented in ROTC effect change in leadership opinions from the MS III (junior) to …


A Decision Support Tool For Thrift Savings Plan Investors, Christopher J. Blanchette Mar 2004

A Decision Support Tool For Thrift Savings Plan Investors, Christopher J. Blanchette

Theses and Dissertations

The Thrift Savings Plan is-the defined contribution retirement plan for federal government employees. It is one of the largest retirement plans in the United States. The plan offers five different investment options: two funds concentrate on government securities and corporate bonds, two funds span the United States stock market, and one fund focuses on international stocks. These funds give investors the opportunity to diversify among a wide range of securities. This thesis examines the funds offered by the plan and creates a portfolio selection tool that uses investor inputs. The tool uses three mathematical models: optimization, based on Markowitz's (1952) …


An Unfolding Model Of Voluntary Turnover Of Air Force Reservists And Air National Guard Members, Jennifer C. Kulick Mar 2004

An Unfolding Model Of Voluntary Turnover Of Air Force Reservists And Air National Guard Members, Jennifer C. Kulick

Theses and Dissertations

Retention is an important issue for every organization due to the high costs of replacing members. This issue is becoming increasing important as the role of guard and reserves has continually increased over the past several years, and so research needs to be conducted on the retention of these groups. Therefore, a web-based questionnaire was administered to Air National Guard and Air Force Reservists from various units and locations. The data from 581 participants was applied to an adapted version of an unfolding model of voluntary turnover originally developed by Lee, Mitchell, Holtom, McDaniel, and Hill in 1999. Data collected …


An Investigation Of Air Force Communities Of Practice: A Descriptive Study Of Evolution Through Assessment Of People, Process, And Technology Capabilities, Jason R. May Mar 2003

An Investigation Of Air Force Communities Of Practice: A Descriptive Study Of Evolution Through Assessment Of People, Process, And Technology Capabilities, Jason R. May

Theses and Dissertations

A variety of theories state that communities of practice (CoPs) "evolve" or "mature" through various stages over time. Such theories posit that each stage is characterized by different people, process, and technology attributes/capabilities that ultimately necessitate differing strategies for achieving effectiveness (Gongla and Rizzuto, 2001). A primary goal of AFMC/DRW, AFMC Electronic Learning (eLearning) Knowledge Management Integrated Project Team, and the office of the Air Force Chief Information Officer is to increase CoP participation and effectiveness. This descriptive, cross-sectional research, surveyed all CoP managers of all CoPs "hosted" by AFMC/DRW with a quantitative/qualitative, 86 question, 5-point Likert, survey. This research …


Utility Of The Logistics Officer Career Path Pyramid In Promotion Prediction, Gregory T. Ogorek Mar 2003

Utility Of The Logistics Officer Career Path Pyramid In Promotion Prediction, Gregory T. Ogorek

Theses and Dissertations

As part of the major restructuring of the United States Air Force, the officer career fields of transportation, supply and logistics plans have been merged into a new career field, the logistics readiness officer. The purpose of this research was to perform a statistical analysis of the career path pyramid for the logistics plans, supply, and transportation officer career fields. This will provide a baseline for the newly created logistics readiness officer, a combination of the three aforementioned career fields. Specifically, this thesis answered research questions addressing the career guidance provided by the United States Air Force, the factors involved, …


An Analysis Of Engagement Of Those Who Telecommute Vs Those Who Do Not, Daniel J. Boeh Mar 2003

An Analysis Of Engagement Of Those Who Telecommute Vs Those Who Do Not, Daniel J. Boeh

Theses and Dissertations

Telecommuting is a program used by many of the successful companies in the private sector, both as a cost savings measure and as a way to recruit and retain quality personnel. Telecommuting has also been used by many companies to adhere to stricter environmental mandates. The public sector, however, has been slow to implement telecommuting programs. Buckingham and Coffman of the Gallup Organization have done extensive research into what they call "engagement," and as to what comprises an engaged employee. They also developed a twelve question survey (referred to as the Q12) to determine if an employee is engaged or …


Deception Detection In A Computer-Mediated Environment: Gender, Trust, And Training Issues, Monica A. Dziubinski Mar 2003

Deception Detection In A Computer-Mediated Environment: Gender, Trust, And Training Issues, Monica A. Dziubinski

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense is increasingly relying on computer-mediated communications to conduct business. This reliance introduces an amplified vulnerability to strategic information manipulation, or deception. This research draws on communication and deception literature to develop a conceptual model proposing relationships between deception detection abilities in a computer-mediated environment, gender, trust, and training. An experiment was conducted with 119 communications personnel to test the proposed hypotheses. No relationship between gender or trust and deception detection accuracy was found. Partial support was found showing that training improves deception detection accuracy. The most significant finding was that individual’s deception detection abilities deteriorate in …


The Effects Of Perceived Overqualification On Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, And Turnover: A Study Of Afit Graduates, Thomas E. Hoskins Mar 2003

The Effects Of Perceived Overqualification On Job Satisfaction, Organizational Commitment, And Turnover: A Study Of Afit Graduates, Thomas E. Hoskins

Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. Air Force provides multiple program to increase the educational skills of its workforce. This study focuses on the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) graduate level, in-residence degree program. The Air Force is making a significant investment in the education of its members. Studies on perceived overqualification, overeducation, and match quality suggest that utilization plays a role in an individual's job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Job satisfaction and organizational commitment levels can be used as predictors of turnover. This research studies the levels of perceived overqualification in AFIT graduates and how it effects their job satisfaction, organizational commitment, …


A Study Of The Efficacy Of Unit Contingency Contracting Training, Jesse A. Kirstein Mar 2003

A Study Of The Efficacy Of Unit Contingency Contracting Training, Jesse A. Kirstein

Theses and Dissertations

This research is a follow-on effort to Capt Pete Lasch's thesis, which examined the Air Force training needs of contingency contracting officers (CCOs). Through this study, Lasch (2002) identified a list of critical training tasks for CCO training. This study investigates how units currently conduct training and to what extent the recommended tasks are being addressed in training. Interviews, surveys, and archival training logs were used to capture data for the study. CCO demographic information and recommendations were collected through these interviews and surveys. Interviews were used as a pre-test and later were combined with the electronic survey responses. Surveys …


Human Resource Slack As An Antecedent To Instilling The Entrepreneurial Mindset Within Department Of Defense Organizations, Jason A. Whittle Mar 2003

Human Resource Slack As An Antecedent To Instilling The Entrepreneurial Mindset Within Department Of Defense Organizations, Jason A. Whittle

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense has been called to transform the way it fights, thinks and operates to more effectively counter the changing threats to the United States. Private organizations have long been faced with a similar need to be flexible to meet the dynamic market which they serve. The Office of Force Transformation has been tasked to facilitate the mandated transformation of the DoD. Based on literature on slack resources, slack may be a necessary tool for proper transformation to a more innovative and effective military.


A Study Of Voluntary Turnover Of Air Force Officers In Critically-Manned Career Fields, Jeffrey H. S. Lin Mar 2003

A Study Of Voluntary Turnover Of Air Force Officers In Critically-Manned Career Fields, Jeffrey H. S. Lin

Theses and Dissertations

Turnover in the Air Force has always been a subject of importance. As the costs associated with losing an individual are high, it would be in the best interest of an organization to understand the main reasons for voluntary turnover in order to facilitate retention. Current research has yielded the Unfolding Model of Voluntary Turnover developed by Lee, Mitchell, Holtom, McDaniel and Hill (1999), which identified 5 different paths people take as they voluntary leave organizations. This research effort tested to see if this model held true for a group of former Air Force officers from career fields experiencing low …


The Effect Of Interactivity And Instructional Exposure On Learning Effectiveness And Knowledge Retention: A Comparative Study Of Two U.S. Air Force Computer-Based Training (Cbt) Courses For Network User Licensing, Matthew J. Imperial Mar 2003

The Effect Of Interactivity And Instructional Exposure On Learning Effectiveness And Knowledge Retention: A Comparative Study Of Two U.S. Air Force Computer-Based Training (Cbt) Courses For Network User Licensing, Matthew J. Imperial

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force (USAF) currently employs the use of computer-based training (CET) across a host of requirements. One such requirement is in the Information Assurance (IA) arena and involves the training/licensing of over one-million computer network end-users. USAF use of CETs has been shown to possess a potential for substantial fiscal savings. However, studies investigating the learning outcomes of learning effectiveness (initial learning) and knowledge retention (sustained learning) associated with USAF CETs are lacking.


Perceptions Vs Reality: A Longitudinal Experiment In Influence Judgment Performance, Monti L. Knode Mar 2003

Perceptions Vs Reality: A Longitudinal Experiment In Influence Judgment Performance, Monti L. Knode

Theses and Dissertations

Government reliance on computer-mediated information has transformed it from "enabler" to "target" which now demands the detection of manipulated and deceptive measures a primary security objective. As people are not inherently good performers at detecting deceptive communications, this study draws on interpersonal deception theory (Burgoon, 1986) and social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) to measure personal perceptions that influence decisions operationalized as the successful detection of a deceptive measure. Department of Defense personnel (N--119) participated in a longitudinal experiment that measured detection performance before and after training and feedback treatments. Self-efficacy and perceived training effectiveness emerged as dominant factors in predicting …


An Analysis Of Role Conflict And Role Ambiguity Among Air Force Information Management Professionals, Michele E. Johnson Mar 2003

An Analysis Of Role Conflict And Role Ambiguity Among Air Force Information Management Professionals, Michele E. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

The role of enlisted Air Force Information Management professionals has been expanded beyond traditional boundaries to include a new area of responsibility called workgroup management. Workgroup management duties include front-line support for the life-cycle management of information, maintenance of desktop computers and networks, development and management of web pages, performance of initial system diagnostics, and management of client workstation configuration and software. Anecdotal evidence suggested the new, broader role of workgroup manager, combined with the fact that the majority of these individuals are assigned to positions in non communications units, may promulgate role conflict and role ambiguity. Role theory literature …