Public Administration Commons^™

The State Of Representation And Segregation Among African American Women At The U.S. Department Of Commerce: An Examination Of The Intersection Of Strategic Planning With Race And Gender, Sesha Joi Moon

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The intent of this dissertation is to examine the state of representation and segregation among African American women across the workforce at the United States Department of Commerce. This study employs a triangulated research design to examine the relationship between elements of strategic planning and the employment patterns of African American women. This study's qualitative analysis includes a content analysis of 13 agency-specific strategic documents published between FY 1994 through FY 2010. This data is supplemented with a longitudinal trend analysis of personnel data for fulltime, permanent employees retrieved from the National Finance Center for the same time period. The …

A Comparative Study Of The Factors Influencing The Level Of State Government Privatization, Getachew Melkie

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Since the 1980s, privatization has gained increasing acceptance among state governments. Yet, few empirical studies have investigated the factors influencing the level of state government privatization focusing on a multitude of programs and services aggregated across departments. Most prior state level empirical research has emphasized single cases or programs but has not addressed the aggregate level of privatization undertakings across the states. The paucity of empirical research that investigated the amount of state privatization and the drivers thereof created an important gap in the literature that this study attempted to fill. Drawing on historical and contemporary privatization literature, this research …

Relational Exchange In Nonprofits: The Role Of Identity Saliency And Relationship Satisfaction, Jennifer Anne Taylor

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Research and practice in nonprofit fundraising has increasingly been focused on the benefits of relational exchange. This dissertation examines relationships between donors and nonprofit organizations and their impact on the charitable giving levels using identity salience and relationship satisfaction as key mediators of nonprofit relational exchange. Previous research has shown that there are a plethora of charitable giving motivations that contribute to supportive behaviors in the nonprofit context; however, this research does not provide a comprehensive understanding of the intervening variables. This study modified previous studies by introducing relationship satisfaction in addition to identity saliency, as mediating constructs. Results confirm …

Social Networking And Individual Performance: Examining Predictors Of Participation, Michael Anthony Brown Sr.

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation addresses relationships between social networking and individual performance. The "act" of social networking is a process and practice by which people and organizations are drawn together by family, work or hobby to interact via websites. The explosion of these new network connections in the workplace suggests the need for an exploration of the various ways organizations can affect and improve performance and productivity.

This dissertation suggests a social networking participation model that may help organizations predict and understand the value proposition that affects acceptance or rejection of participation. Innovation adoption, governing by network and social capital are important …

Choosing To Serve: Modeling Antecedents Of Public Service Motivation In Undergraduate Students, Vivian Walker Greentree

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This research builds upon the public service literature to better understand the distinctive nature of motivations associated with pursuing careers in the public sector. Previous research has shown that a wide variety of socialization experiences help to develop one's public service motivation (PSM). However, the research has fallen short of providing a comprehensive explanation. Additionally, a majority of the research focuses on those already employed in the public sector, with a dearth of exploration into students' preferences. This study utilized Perry's (1996) original survey instrument to measure PSM scores (both composite and dimensions) in college students, those who we must …

A Test Of Direct And Partially Mediated Relationships Between Leader Member Exchange, Job Embeddedness, Turnover Intentions, And Job Search Behaviors In A Southern Police Department, Mark D. Bowman

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Job embeddedness has been found to predict turnover intentions, job search behaviors and turnover, and job embeddedness researchers assert, but have not tested, that job embeddedness is a mediator of other organizationally significant factors relative to organizational outcomes. A relationship not previously explored is the role of a supervisor in job embeddedness, which was operationalized in this study as leader-member exchange. A single panel survey was conducted in a police department in the southern United States with 276 current members holding the rank of police officer. Usable surveys were completed by 128 of those police officers, which is a response …

A State Comparative Study Of The Factors Influencing Nursing Home Quality Of Care Regulation, Tancy Joe Vandecar-Burdin

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

While over one million elderly reside in U.S. nursing homes, little attention has been given to the factors that influence state nursing home regulation and how state regulations differ from the federal regulations. The focus of nursing home research literature has been on factors that impact quality of care at the individual patient and organizational level. The state comparative literature, which examines the differences between state policy choices, focuses on fiscal nursing home policymaking. An important gap exists in the literature in that state decision-making regarding nursing home quality of care policy has not been explored.

This study of U.S. …

Regional Emergency Response Teams: Case Studies In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Thomas E. Poulin

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The majority of local governments lack sufficient resources to respond effectively in an independent manner to a disaster or large-scale emergency. To achieve success, they must work closely with other organizations. The research problem is that regional emergency response relationships are not well understood, which could lead to ineffective or inefficient practices. The research purpose was to describe and analyze regional emergency response in Hampton Roads, Virginia. The research methodology involved a qualitative approach, utilizing interviews and archival research. Organizational leaders of the Hampton Roads Marine Incident Response Team and the Southside Tidewater Regional Hazardous Materials Response Team were interviewed …

Determinants Of Increased Safety Belt Use By High School Students In Motor Vehicles: The Influence Of Parents And Peers And Implications For Virginia's Graduated Driver Licensing Laws, Georjeane Linley Blumling

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Motor vehicle crashes are the number one cause of injuries and fatalities for persons 15-19 years of age in the United States. The higher fatality rate is caused in part from the lack of driving experience and the increased risk taking behaviors of adolescent drivers. Graduated driver licensing laws have been enacted in most states to address the risks associated with inexperience by adding restrictions on nighttime driving and limiting the number of teen passengers in the vehicle for novice drivers.

Inconsistent use or non-use of a safety belt when riding in a motor vehicle is a prevalent risk taking …

The Perspective And Practice Of Leadership By Managers Within The Virginia Department Of Corrections: An Instrumental Case Study, Elizabeth M. Gagnon

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation explores the extent to which the perspective and practice of leadership by managers in the Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) reflect the Leadership Perspectives Model (LPM), and the extent to which their perspective varies by level of management. The LPM is a model of leadership that consolidates leadership study into five distinct leadership perspectives that managers use in their understanding and practice of leadership. This study builds upon research in which the a LPM was tested and validated within a sample managers from municipal government agencies (M. R. Fairholm, 2004a, 2004b).

The findings of this study reveal that …

Exploring Interactions During Multiorganizational Policy Implementation: A Case Study Of The Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, Madeleine Wright Mcnamara

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Organizations face implementation challenges compounded by complex and interconnected public problems. In the environmental arena, the inabilities of individual organizations to resolve these problems independently are exacerbated by the scope, duration, and tremendous diversity of tasks coupled with a lack of funding. As a result, multiorganizational arrangements are created as public, private, and nonprofit organizations work together to implement policy. These relationships increase organizational capacities through the diversification of resources and expertise.

Multiorganizational implementation is complicated by various legal authorities, missions, goals, and operational procedures that guide individual organizations. One way to approach these complexities is to expand our understanding …

The Potential Influence Of Motivation On The Decision To Stay Or Quit The Navy Delayed Entry Program: A Descriptive Analysis, Angela W. Cyrus

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This study explored the influence of public service motivation on recruits' decisions to complete the Navy Delayed Entry Program and proceed to basic training, or to quit the program, having changed their minds about joining the Navy. The study was motivated by a problematic attrition rate, up to 25% in some instances, from the Navy Delayed Entry Program. Given the increased domestic and international demands placed on the U.S. military amidst significant political debate about the deployment of forces, military recruiting faces tough challenges in meeting its authorized personnel requirements. This study examined the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and associated …

Judicial Implementation Of The Revised Family Code In Addis Ababa, Tassew Shiferaw Gizaw

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This study is concerned with the judicial implementation of the revised family code in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The revised family code pertains to the family courts of Addis Ababa which are situated at the lower level of government structure. These courts have a public mandate and are the legitimate public forums wherein to authorize the implementation of the provisions of the code. Open-ended interviews were conducted with judges, attorneys and people affiliated with gender advocacy institutions. The results show that the revised family code contains both strengths and weaknesses. The strengths include the observation that the application of the revised …

Analysis Of Determinants In Neighborhood Satisfaction Between Defended And Defensible Communities Within The General And Urban Housing Environments, David William Chapman

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to provide a detailed examination and analysis of neighborhood satisfaction determinants among residents living within defended and defensible gated communities in the United States. The study considers whether there are significant differences in the determinants at national or regional levels and whether there are significant differences within the components of individual household characteristics, neighborhood quality characteristics, or both.

The theoretical framework and model for neighborhood satisfaction used with this study is based on a modified model of Lu's work on neighborhood satisfaction (1999, pp. 78-79) and residential mobility (1996) that were based on Speare's …

Evaluating Collaboration Constructs: An Analysis Of The Paradise Creek Restoration Plan, Pamela Trump Dunning

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

This study examines collaboration constructs using Gray & Wood's framework of theoretical dimensions of collaboration and two conceptual models found in the literature in an effort to determine which constructs are present in the successful collaborative efforts of the Elizabeth River Project's Team Paradise as they developed the Paradise Creek Restoration Plan. The study used a mixed method approach involving both qualitative (interview and documents) and quantitative (survey) methods to gather data. The findings from this study support construct findings from three other studies on collaborative processes: Gray & Wood's framework of theoretical dimensions of collaboration; the Selin & Chavez …

The Politics And Economics Of Health: A Cross-National Comparison Of Civic Engagement And Health Status, Suzanne J. Wood

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Over the past two decades, various structural modifications associated with the provision of national health and its systems have been undertaken. The preponderance of liberalization experiences have occurred in the absence of epidemiological, political, or social considerations associated with adoption and implementation. Often, financial and political manipulation by international organizations and powerful foreign governments has served as the impetus for fundamental shifts leading to an asymmetrical distribution of resources by population density, geography, and along various socio-cultural boundaries. Consequently, structural adjustments have resulted in unpredictable and divergent outcomes with regard to health status. The question of whether or not health …

Pursuit Of Professionalism In Bureaucracy: Perceptions About Bureaucratic Values Of Civil Service Employees In The Ethnic Federalism Of Ethiopia, Mary Elizabeth Vogel

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

In the 1980s an array of world events including the dissolution of the Soviet Union, a movement toward restructuring and downsizing government bureaucracies, and rapidly evolving technology prompted significant changes to governments. Many developing nations began the transition from command to market economies, and new government structures emerged to address a variety of root problems including the rise of ethnic consciousness and conflict. As a consequence of these events, changes in societies, governments, and bureaucracies, were drivers for changes to bureaucratic values.

The current research addresses a gap in knowledge about bureaucratic values specifically in a government organized under the …