The purpose of this study was to identify Core components perceived by faculty to be effective in their prominent graduate entrepreneurship education programs. The study sought to identify the best practices in graduate entrepreneurship education programs from the perceptions of faculty in the field. Research questions guiding the study were: (1) What Core components related to the following Broad question areas are perceived by faculty to be effective in their prominent graduate entrepreneurship education programs: Activities and initiatives; Adult education principles and practices; Alumni and mentoring; Course offerings; Curriculum and degrees; Faculty data; Institutional characteristics; Instructional methods; Student companies; and Student data. (2) What other Core components and/or general observations are identified by faculty in the survey comments? (3) What are faculty perceptions of the popular marketplace publication rankings of graduate entrepreneurship education programs? A survey was distributed via the internet to faculty at 54 prominent graduate entrepreneurship education programs identified by The Princeton Review, US News & World Report, or the AACSB Entrepreneurship Spotlight Challenge. The survey was developed through several phases using panels of individuals with expertise related to this study. The resulting 106 Core components were divided into 10 Broad question areas and were evaluated individually and averaged for each Broad question area. Questions regarding the accuracy of graduate program rankings and student intent were also included, along with demographics, open-ended questions regarding additional Core components, and additional survey comments. The results of the study indicated the most important Core components in the Broad question areas were Alumni and mentoring and Institutional characteristics, while the Curriculum and degrees area was perceived to be much less important to graduate entrepreneurship education effectiveness. The results also indicated that student intent and popular marketplace publications were only moderately accurate in evaluating entrepreneurship education effectiveness. Four top programs dominated the perceptions of faculty as effective programs: Stanford, Babson, MIT, and Harvard. Findings indicated that faculty perceptions differed from other measures of effectiveness of graduate entrepreneurship education programs.

This dissertation in practice was designed to provide an evaluation case study of two institutions, one college and one university, in the field of online learning and quality assurance. The writer evaluated these two institutions of higher learning to discover what online teaching criteria are required and what quality assurance processes are being used to assess the quality of the institutions* online courses. An analysis of the data revealed that both institutions were at the appropriate stage of development, support, training and quality assurance measures for their sizes, online populations and for the length of time they have been involved in online learning. Findings revealed that both institutions had a quality assurance process in place that is appropriate to their location, population and faculty. There is much to be learned by examining the two different credentialing and quality assurance approaches to online teaching and learning that these two different institutions employ for anyone interested in improving their institutions* processes.

Au cours de ces dernières années, la notion de la gouvernance d’entreprise fait l’objet d’un regain d’intérêt en raison de la faillite spectaculaire et des pertes importantes de quelques grandes entreprises (Enron, Worldcom…). Ainsi, le thème de la gouvernance des entreprises a pris, une préoccupation cruciale des chefs d’entreprise ainsi que par les investisseurs institutionnels. En effet, l’intérêt pour les bonnes pratiques de gouvernance d’entreprise a pris une importance de premier rang. Suite à cette attention accordée par les investisseurs aux pratiques de gouvernance, la notation de la gouvernance d’entreprise est devenue une pratique de plus en plus courante soit à travers des services de notation spécialisés ou avec l’intégration du système de gouvernance d’entreprise dans la notation financière. Notre objectif est d’identifier, à partir d’un échantillon de 132 entreprises françaises cotées sur la période 2002-2008, une structure de gouvernance appréhender par le fonctionnement du conseil d’administration, la structure de propriété et les caractéristiques du dirigeant. Plus précisément, notre travail consiste à calculer un score de gouvernance d’entreprise, comportant plusieurs variables, selon la méthode d’enveloppement des données (DEA). Les résultats obtenus montrent que les firmes françaises interrogées possèdent un indice d’efficience de gouvernance de 68 %. Ainsi, nous avons pu identifier des rapports entre le score de gouvernance et les autres caractéristiques des firmes. Ensuite, nous avons pu déterminer les pratiques qui permettent d’améliorer la qualité de la gouvernance, tout en se basant sur la performance de la firme. Enfin, nous avons pu établir, à partir d’un système d’équations simultanées, un lien de causalité entre la gouvernance et la performance de la firme. / Corporate governance has been the subject of a renewed interest for a few years because of the spectacular bankruptcy and of the significant losses of some large companies (Enron, WorldCom, Vivendi…). Thus, the theme of corporate governance has taken a key concern of business leaders and institutional investors. Indeed, interest in good corporate governance practices has gained importance in the forefront. Following the attention given by investors in corporate governance practices, the rating of corporate governance has become a practice increasingly common either through specialized rating services or system integration of corporate governance in credit ratings. Our goal is to identify, from a sample of 132 French listed companies over the period 2002-2008, a governance structure for understanding the functioning of the board of directors, ownership structure and characteristics of the leader. Specifically, our work is to calculate a score of corporate governance, with multiple variables, using the method of data envelopment analysis (DEA). The results show that French firms surveyed have a governance efficiency index of 68 %. Thus, we were able to identify links between the governance score and the characteristics of firms. Finally, we have established, from a system of simultaneous equations, a causal link between governance and firm performance.

The number of academic institutions offering courses online has increased with courses being offered across almost all academic disciplines. Faculty members are often confronted with the responsibility of converting a face-to-face course to an online course while simultaneously dealing with new technologies and the interrelationship between the technology, content, and pedagogy. Best instructional practices may be applied inconsistently in the online environment due to faculty members' lack of proficiency in implementing such practices. Although Course Management Systems and Web 2.0 technologies make the task seem less daunting, faculty members still need guidance in consistently implementing best practices in online courses. The study examined the problem of academic institutions offering online courses without any validation or tracking processes to ensure course quality. An online instructional maturity model was developed to guide faculty members in implementing learner-centered practices in online courses. Survey methodology was used to collect data on instructional practices being implemented in the North Carolina Community College System. The model was developed from the survey findings using guidelines from the American Psychological Association Learner-Centered Principles, best practices found in the literature, and the People Capability Maturity Model. Feedback from an expert panel was used to refine the model.

The Arts Council of New Orleans is the official arts agency of New Orleans, located at 935 Gravier Street. The organization supports and develops the arts community through many different programming initiatives, including administering grants, managing a monthly Arts Market, and providing business training to artists. In this internship report, I discuss my role within the organization during my internship, which began in January 2013 and lasted through June 2013. I then analyze my observations of the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and provide recommendations for improving the Arts Council’s operations based on best practices and expert literature in the field of nonprofit management. The Arts Council hired a new CEO in May of 2013, after a seven-year period of operating under interim management. With a permanent leader now in place, the organization is in a position to apply my recommendations so it can grow into a stronger arts agency, and better serve the New Orleans community.

Dissertation characterizes the applicable best practices in human resource management and defines the essence of positive effect of applying best practices in human resource management on the performance achieved by the organization.

As pressões geradas pela competitividade têm aumentado intensamente justificando assim uma maior preocupação com a gestão do Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produtos (PDP). Administradores têm priorizado a sistematização deste processo a partir da implantação de atividades, ferramentas, conceitos e melhores práticas dos modelos referenciais para o PDP. Os modelos referenciais são adotados nas empresas através de projetos de mudança ou melhoria na empresa e incluem: o diagnóstico das necessidades de melhoria, seleção de melhores práticas, implantação e acompanhamento da mudança do PDP. Entretanto, nem sempre as melhores práticas são realizadas integralmente na rotina da empresa, posteriormente à implantação, o que suscita a dúvida sobre a efetividade dos métodos de melhoria para atingir uma mudança duradoura e de sucesso. O objetivo desta dissertação é identificar práticas que contribuam para uma mudança duradoura no PDP de empresas e incorporar estas práticas a um método de melhoria existente. Os resultados indicam que os métodos de melhoria para o PDP, presentes na literatura, contemplam um conjunto de melhores práticas com forte enfoque nos aspectos de gestão do processo, porém não tão fortes nas práticas relacionadas à gestão da equipe envolvida na execução das mudanças. Desta forma, práticas de gestão de pessoas foram incorporadas num método de melhoria para PDP e experimentado através de um estudo de caso em empresa do setor metal-mecânico. As características de maturidade da empresa limitam a aplicação integral da proposta, confirmando que a adoção das práticas de gestão de pessoas depende da cultura organizacional vigente e, por conseqüência, do estilo e apoio gerencial, o que em última instância reflete o nível de maturidade da organização para os processos de mudança e melhoria do PDP. / Pressures of competition have increased strongly justifying more concern with the Product Development Process (PDP) management. Administrators have focused on the systematization of this process through the implementation of activities, tools, concepts and best practice from reference models. The PDP reference models are adopted in companies via improvement or change projects that include: the diagnostic of requirements for improvement, the selection of best practices, the implementation and monitoring of PDP change. However, the best practices are not always performed entirely on the company's routine, after the implantation, what raises doubt about the effectiveness of improvement methods to achieve long lasting change and success. This article aims to present a literature review and comparison of the improving methods to identify the best practices that address a well succeeded PDP improvement. The results indicate that the methods of improvement for PDP, existing in the literature, include a set of best practices with a strong focus on aspects related to resources management of the project improvement, but not as strong in practices related to team management involved in implementing changes. Thus, practices related to people management were incorporated into a comprehensive method of improvement for PDP and experienced through a case study in a metal mechanic company. The company maturity characteristics limited the full implementation of the proposal, confirming that the adoption of best practices related to people management depends on organizational culture and, consequently, on the management style and support. The latest, ultimately, reflects the level of maturity of the organization to change processes and PDP improvement.

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate and examine specific kindergarten through third grade practices perceived as contributing to literacy achievement at 3 high-achieving elementary schools within the Washington County Virginia Public School System. The study was completed through a process of open-ended interviews with participants comprising classroom teachers, reading specialists, and administrators. The findings from this study may assist practitioners by providing information relative to programs, resources and instructional strategies that are perceived as contributing to literacy achievement. The findings of this study suggested that the perceptions among classroom teachers, reading specialists, and administrators regarding literacy practices were parallel. In summation, the participants’ perceptions included a balanced approach to literacy instruction with an emphasis on the following: phonics acquisition in kindergarten through second grade; a focus on explicit comprehension instruction beginning in third grade; development of vocabulary to increase background knowledge and comprehension; frequent opportunities for independent reading practice; targeted instruction in small-group and one-on-one settings; and the use of supplemental literacy and assessment resources. Recommendations from this study included the consideration of providing balanced literacy instruction in kindergarten through third grade; an emphasis on phonics skills in kindergarten through second grade, and an emphasis on comprehension skills beginning in third grade; frequent and consistent guided and independent reading time within the classroom setting; an increased emphasis on vocabulary development; the provision of targeted small-group and one-on-one instruction; and the use of supplemental literacy and assessment resources.

The criminal justice program in a community college located in the southwestern United States had experienced an increase in student plagiarism. However, the current teaching practices of criminal justice instructors to prevent and manage the increased student plagiarism have not been effective. The purpose of this study was to explore criminal justice college instructors' experiences, perceptions, and teaching strategies related to undergraduate student plagiarism using Goleman's emotional intelligence theory and Daloz's mentoring theory. Employing a qualitative instrumental case study design, data were collected through semistructured interviews with 10 criminal justice college instructors. Member checking and reflective journaling ensured accuracy and credibility with initial findings from the interview data. The interview data were coded and analyzed using matrix and thematic analysis. Findings revealed 6 categories: professional development, instructor-student relationships, Turnitin reports, policy enforcement, instructor discretion, and mentoring students. To address the findings, a department plagiarism policy was proposed through a position paper to key stakeholders at the community college. The implementation of the department plagiarism policy has the possibility to create positive social change by promoting ethical writing standards and providing support for students' future academic success.

Although the demand for public presentations exists, barriers prevent many Master Gardener Volunteers from participating in speaking events. This study identifies the perspectives of both County Extension Agents and Master Gardener Volunteers on effective Master Gardener Speakers Bureaus. Characteristics and best practices of successful Speakers Bureaus are identified as well as barriers to their development and growth. A parallel mixed method study was designed to simultaneously gather qualitative and quantitative data. The results conclude for Master Gardener Speakers Bureaus to be successful, both agents and volunteers need to have a positive attitude and be support of the Speakers Bureau’s efforts. Utilizing volunteer leadership and offering training are the two best practices that emerged from the data and are recommended to overcome the barriers for Master Gardener Speakers Bureaus.