The present study was concerned with the importance of chance factors that human resource agency personnel perceived to be present in their job searches. The purpose of the study was to determine the N relationship between perception of chance in finding jobs and 1) locus A of control; 2) use of job search resources; 3) job-related dimensions; and 4) demographic variables. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this dissertation is to formulate a quantitative model which can be used in two areas: (1) manpower planning, and (2) human resource valuation. The techniques used are based on an absorbing Markov model. A conceptual model is developed for any firm that has employees who normally move from one position to another within the firm. The conceptual model is applied to a large Certified Public Accounting (CPA) firm. Some of the data used in the application were supplied by an actual firm. These data were used to develop a transition matrix for the firm. The transient states of the matrix correspond to the employment positions within the firm, i.e., staff, manager, and partner. The absorbing states of the matrix were for employees leaving the firm (1) before becoming a partner, or (2) after becoming a partner. The elements of the transition matrix are the probabilities of employees making certain movements (staff to staff, staff to manager, etc.) during each one-year transition period. These probabilities are based on historic data and must pass a stability test (Chi square) in order to be statistically valid. The original transition matrix covered a ten year time period (February 1, 1967 to January 31, 1977). However, the transition probabilities for staff and managers were found to be unstable according to the Chi square test. A matrix covering the nine year period from February 1, 1968 to January 31, 1977 was tested with the same results. After further tests, a transition matrix for the five-year period from February 1, 1972 to January 31, 1977, was found to be stable. This became the model transition matrix. The transition matrix should also be tested for the Markov property, i. e., are the transition probabilities affected by the employee's time in grade at his present position? This test was only simulated for the CPA firm because the data needed for the test were not available. After the tests, the model was extended into manpower planning and human resource valuation. Examples of model output that can be helpful for manpower planning include predicted numbers of employees at each level,during future transition periods t probabilities of employees rising to each level within the firm, steady-state information on manpower supply, and average employee tenure with the firm. For human resource valuation, the model is the basis for three methods for charging cost; based valuations against income. The first method is an amortization technique based on an employee's average tenure with the firm. The second method amortizes human resource costs over a period equal to average tenure plus three standard deviations. / Ph. D.

With the increasing involvement of state and local governments in the professional sports industry over the last quarter of a century, the debate has arisen over whether the luring of a professional sports franchise or the construction of a stadium for a professional sports franchise provides any type of significant economic stimulus to a city. There are those who have engaged in this debate who believe the potential impact of these events to be significant and positive for a city. There are others who believe the potential impact of these events to be insignificant and/or negative for a city. The goal of this thesis is to add to the debate by presenting an econometric analysis of whether or not introducing a professional sports franchise and/or constructing a stadium for a professional sports franchise has any effect on a city's employment level. Our research based on taking data for each of the four major professional sports (Basketball, Baseball, Football, and Hockey) for various cities from 1979 to 1999 provides some very interesting results. The results of our econometric analysis suggest that building a new football stadium in a city or luring a basketball or hockey franchise into a city has a negative impact on a city's employment growth rate. However, our results also indicate that building a new basketball or hockey arena in a city for a current franchise or attracting a new football franchise to a city has a positive impact on a city's employment growth rate. Our research concludes that depending on the professional sport and the event involved the impact on employment in a city may be positive, negative, or not significant at all. Results that to a certain degree contradict previous econometric studies on the subject. / Master of Arts

The school principal is one factor in student success. As the number of principals needed increases (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2008) and the number of principals eligible to retire rises (Briggs, Cheney, Davis, and Moll, 2013), there is concern about a potential shortage of applicants. This potential shortage has been documented in professional literature and state reports, including Arkansas (Carnine, Denny, Hewitt, and Pijanowski, 2008), Massachusetts (Militello and Behnke, 2006), North Carolina (North Carolina Association of School Administrators, 2005), and Vermont (Hinton and Kastner, 2000). One concern of those who predict a shortage of qualified applicants for the principalship is that educators complete principal preparation programs but do not pursue positions. Various reasons for this reluctance to apply have been expressed, including the time, responsibility, and salary that are incommensurate with the demands of the position. The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between those more willing and those less willing to apply for principal or assistant principal positions once they have completed preparation programs for school leaders. Interviews conducted with graduates of principal preparation programs were used to identify variables that may affect the willingness to apply for principal positions. The identified variables were formed into a questionnaire that was administered to a larger sample of graduates of principal preparation programs with faculty affiliated with the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration using the Virginia Tech on-line survey maker. Encouragement by others was an influence in the willingness to apply for the principalship in both the qualitative and quantitative portions of this research. While salary correlated with the willingness to apply in the quantitative portion of the research, it was not a strong factor in the qualitative portion of the research. Non-married respondents were more willing to apply for principal positions. Other factors mentioned by respondents in the qualitative portion of the research were not significant influences on the willingness to apply for the principalship or were not measured reliably in the quantitative portion of the research. These factors were the activity of the position, competence, stress, and the time commitment of the principalship. / Ed. D.

No description available.

Employment supports have traditionally been available to help reduce barriers to employment, promote workforce participation, and empower individuals to achieve their career goals. However, there is very limited knowledge regarding the intersection of race and disability and how it can impact the delivery of employment supports for racialized disabled job seekers and workers. To address this gap, this thesis includes a scoping review and a qualitative study to understand the impact of race and disability in employment support systems. The scoping review consists of 73 studies and a grey literature search on vocational rehabilitation (VR). Data was extracted and thematically analyzed to synthesize the existing knowledge about VR services currently in place for racialized disabled job seekers and workers. The findings highlight the disparities in accessing VR and its delivery in the United States. The included studies reported lower acceptance rates to enter VR programs, and lower probabilities of a successful exit. These findings suggest the importance of service providers conducting comprehensive assessments to determine the unique requirements of each job seeker and worker to customize their supports accordingly. To capture the varied lived experiences and perspectives while navigating the Canadian employment support systems, a qualitative interpretive descriptive study was conducted. In-depth semi-structured interviews were performed with racialized disabled job seekers and workers, service providers, and employers. Interviews were thematically analyzed to identify common themes and patterns about the impact of race and disability in employment supports. The employment support process, as reported by the participants in this study, was identified to be inflexible and bounded by multifaceted structural, organizational, and attitudinal challenges that intersect across race, disability, and employment. Overall, an intersectional approach that is targeted, flexible and inclusive of changes and strategies is needed to create a more equitable employment landscape that better supports racialized disabled workers. / Thesis / Master of Science Rehabilitation Science (MSc) / This thesis examines the impact of race and disability in employment support systems. The first paper is a scoping review examining the existing literature to understand the process of accessing employment services for racialized disabled workers. The findings of the review highlighted that racialized disabled workers face disparities in accessing employment supports and require personalized supports that cater towards their intersecting identities. The second paper is a qualitative study drawing on interviews with racialized disabled workers, service providers, and employers to understand their experiences navigating the Canadian employment support systems. The findings show that several participants reflected on the lack of development regarding employer education, government policy and programs, service provider training and capacity to better serve disabled workers with multiple intersecting identities. This thesis expands our understanding of how social constructs such as race and disability can impact experiences of accessing employment supports and consequently affect employment outcomes.

No abstract available / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies) / (M. A. (Development Studies))

The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations were introduced in England and Wales in 2006, seeking to prohibit age discrimination in employment and vocational training. This thesis assesses whether the legislation adopted is an effective mechanism by which to address age discrimination in the workplace and achieve the dual but contradictory objectives of the European Union Framework Directive on Equal Treatment of achieving equal treatment between age cohorts whilst encouraging the active participation of older citizens in the workplace. The thesis sheds light on this hitherto unregulated suspect ground of discrimination by means of a quantitative and qualitative analysis of all employment tribunal judgments which relate to an age discrimination claim over a three and a half year period. This study shows that very few claimants were successful if their claim of age discrimination was considered by a tribunal and there was considerable inconsistency of implementation and interpretation of the legislation by individual tribunals. Employers have quickly developed defences against claims of age discrimination in order to maintain their freedom to contract and the imbalance between the two parties was particularly noticeable with claimant credibility often under scrutiny – a process claimants appeared unprepared for. Regional discrepancies were found in terms of success rates and compensation awards. A gender award gap was found in both overall compensation and injury to feelings awards, with women given smaller awards than men, whilst younger workers were given smaller awards than older workers. Legal representation made a substantial difference to success rates and compensation awards, but the majority of awards were low and many would not have covered legal costs. The low compensation awards do not provide an effective deterrent, as required by the Article 17 of the Directive. The legislation is particularly ineffective for those who claimed they had suffered multiple discrimination. Although an important first step in regulating ageist behaviour, the Regulations and the subsequent Equality Act 2010 will be unlikely to achieve the aims of the Directive as they provide little incentive for claimants to undertake the stressful process of making a claim under the legislation, which relies upon individual fault-finding.

Firms' use of external labor arrangements (ELAs), such as temporary, contract and seasonal workers, has become increasingly prevalent over the last two decades. Despite the increasing importance of this phenomenon, little is known about firms' reasons for using ELAs. Most research to date has been exploratory, using qualitative methods or archival data not well suited to the constructs. The result of this research has been a long and often contradictory list of proposed antecedents of ELA use. In this study, I tested the ability of the transaction costs theory to predict when firms will fill a given job using an ELA rather that a permanent employment relationship. According to this theory, three characteristics of the job will determine whether the job will be filled using an ELA: transaction-specific investment, likelihood of repetition, and uncertainty of performance. Firms will be less likely to staff a given job using an ELA when the job requires investment in idiosyncratic skills, when the firm is likely to require a person with that set of skills regularly, and when performance in that job is difficult to measure.

This follow-up study involved college women seven years after graduation. The purpose was to investigate the predictability of women's career behavior from career aspirations at senior year of college. Some data were derived from The Role Outlook Study senior year questionnaire. In addition, a second questionnaire, The Role Outlook Follow-Up, was utilized which focused upon various events occurring in women's lives following college graduation, namely marriage, graduate school attendance, receipt of advanced degrees, and work experience. No significant association was found between women's career aspirations senior year and actual career behavior. Instead, marriage and the absence or presence of children differentiated working and non-working women. However, a significant association was found between women' s occupational preferences at senior year and their current occupations.