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This study aims to measure the managerial skills of managers working in the banking industry. To do so, the newly developed managerial skills measuring instrument of Thekiso (2011) was used by to determine skills for managerial competence in the banking industry. The seven managerial skills that are covered in the questionnaire are: Self awareness skills; Self directed career planning; Integrative skills; Planning and controlling skills; Organizing skills; Leading skills; and Managing change skills. Even though some skills may appear on a less frequent basis, six of the seven skills were rated to be of a high importance, with their means ranging between 4.008 and 4.480 on the 5–point Likert scale. Training in the form of mentoring and stewardship programs, to transfer knowledge and introduce existing relationships to up and coming leaders, would be of great value for companies in the banking industry to foster these seven managerial competency skills. By implementing training and mentoring programs on a much broader scale, organisations can train and use their leaders’ abilities to gain competitive advantage in the market. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

This study aims to measure the managerial skills of managers working in the banking industry. To do so, the newly developed managerial skills measuring instrument of Thekiso (2011) was used by to determine skills for managerial competence in the banking industry. The seven managerial skills that are covered in the questionnaire are: Self awareness skills; Self directed career planning; Integrative skills; Planning and controlling skills; Organizing skills; Leading skills; and Managing change skills. Even though some skills may appear on a less frequent basis, six of the seven skills were rated to be of a high importance, with their means ranging between 4.008 and 4.480 on the 5–point Likert scale. Training in the form of mentoring and stewardship programs, to transfer knowledge and introduce existing relationships to up and coming leaders, would be of great value for companies in the banking industry to foster these seven managerial competency skills. By implementing training and mentoring programs on a much broader scale, organisations can train and use their leaders’ abilities to gain competitive advantage in the market. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The SCANS report issued in 1990 brought national attention to concerns about lagging competencies of US workers and their lack of preparedness for the high-performance workplace. Since the SCANS report, several national and statewide efforts have attempted to identify skill sets appropriate for success in the changing workplace. Recent discussion has included skill sets appropriate for college graduates. This study was designed to determine perceptions of Maryland community college chief academic officers and department chairs toward one such skill set, the Maryland Skills for Success, and whether they are appropriate learning expectations for associate degree completers. The Maryland Skills for Success (MSS) are comprised of five skill goals: (1) learning skills, (2) thinking skills, (3) communication skills, (4) technology skills, and (5) interpersonal skills. Three to five 'learning expectations' elaborate what students should be able to accomplish under each skill goal to be successful in future work and learning. The study involved a survey of 293 chief academic officers and department chairs at the 18 community colleges across Maryland. A 75 percent response rate was achieved. The survey assessed the extent to which respondents agreed that: (a) the Maryland Skills for Success are appropriate expectations for associate degree completers, (b) students currently achieve MSS expectations, (c) respondent's courses and programs contain specific learning objectives that require students to learn and perform such skills, (d) all Maryland community colleges should teach and assess a common set of higher-order knowledge application skills. Respondent ratings indicated that the Maryland Skills for Success represent valid learning expectations for associate degree completers. Deans were more favorable toward the MSS than were department chairs, and were more confident that students were required to learn and perform learning expectations similar to those listed in the MSS. The department chairs were also divided into groups to determine attitudinal differences by disciplines. The department chairs were more likely than the deans to agree that students currently achieve the MSS learning expectations. Most chair groups somewhat disagreed their courses and programs contained specific learning objectives requiring students to learn and perform the skills represented in the MSS. Of the chair groups, the English/fine arts/humanities, and the technologies/health care groups tended to produce significantly higher ratings than other chairs and supported the notion of Maryland community Colleges teaching and assessing a common higher-order knowledge application skill set. Based on respondent ratings, the communication, thinking and interpersonal skill sets in the MSS have the best chance of gaining acceptance by colleges interested in integration of purposeful teaching and assessment of a higher-order skill set across the curricula. Respondent ratings also indicated that it is unlikely that the colleges would undertake a common initiative to teach and assess a common skill set like the MSS without intervention from the state. Respondents expressed distrust of bureaucratic intervention, were somewhat concerned about the difficulty of teaching and assessing the entire skill set, and felt that the skill sets were too broad to be feasibly taught. Recommendations include the need for extensive faculty development and the provision of incentives from the state educational agencies to provide support for colleges interested in teaching and assessing a common higher-order knowledge application skill set. / Ed. D.

There is high comorbidity between reading disabilities and mathematical learning difficulties, yet the reasons behind this comorbidity has not been determined. Research, however, have suggested some correlates including linguistic abilities and executive functioning skills that influence mathematical skills. A comprehensive examination of how these factors relate to mathematical ability has not been determined. This study aims to investigates the possible influence of cognitive functioning, verbal skills, and reading skills, on the arithmetic competency of second and third graders with reading disabilities between the ages of 78 and 102 months. The data utilized in this study were from a longitudinal project which evaluated the effectiveness of various reading intervention programs. The first objective of this present study was to explore how performance on basic and advanced mathematical concepts related to verbal skills and reading skills. The results generally did not illustrate any differences in the way these constructs related to the mathematical concepts. The second objective of the study was to analyze the influence of verbal skills, reading skills, and cognitive functioning skills, on the mathematical ability in children, and to develop a parsimonious model of mathematical ability for children with reading disabilities. Various models were assessed using path analyses. The two-construct model of verbal skills and mathematical skills was determined to be the best model describing the mathematical skills of children with reading disabilities. Supplementary analyses were conducted which clarified the various constructs’ relationship to specific mathematical concepts. These analyses provided understanding to the impact of verbal skills, as well as other constructs’, influence on specific mathematical concepts. The findings of this study have important educational implications and provide insight on more effective methods for developing the mathematical skills of children with reading disabilities. Finally, these findings foster future research in determining more effective interventions methodologies for children with reading disabilities.

It is unclear if staff at career centers use, or are willing to use, empirically-supported procedures like behavioral skills training (BST) when teaching interview skills to college students. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which the typical career center training consisted of BST, to evaluate staff-implemented BST, and to measure student performance as a result of both training. Using non-concurrent multiple baseline design, three staff were taught to use BST to teach three students to answer interview questions. First, staff used their typical training procedure, and then, they used BST to teach student interview skills; their use of BST steps was measured during training with students. Student performance was measured as percentage of appropriate answers provided during simulated interviews conducted with the experimenter after training. Results showed limited use of BST in staff’s typical training and increased use after BST training. One student improved after a typical career center training and two students showed improvement after staff-implemented BST. Social validity reports from staff showed acceptance for some steps, but not all. Limitations to this study included small selection of interview questions, time constraint, and self-reported social validity measures. Future studies can evaluate alternative methods of BST delivery including computerized BST.

Background Failures in non-technical skills (NTS) contribute to adverse events in healthcare. Previous research has explored the assessment and training of these skills, and yet there is a lack of evidence for their impact on clinical outcomes. Gastrointestinal endoscopy is a high-pressure specialty, but to date there is little on the role of NTS in this area, or a method for their assessment. This MD project aims to measure NTS in endoscopy, explore their relationship with clinical outcomes, and identify those specific to this area of healthcare. Methods An observational study of endoscopy teams in real time, using the Oxford NOTECHS II assessment tool. Comparison of NTS performance with procedure outcomes and patient satisfaction. A qualitative interview study with staff members to establish the NTS specifically relevant to working in gastrointestinal endoscopy. Results Reliability of the Oxford NOTECHS II tool by a single rater in this environment was good. Positive relationships were found between NTS scores and polyp detection, scope withdrawal time and completion of items on a safety checklist. However, relationships with other outcomes, including patient satisfaction were weak, or inconclusive. The themes identified relating to NTS in gastrointestinal endoscopy were leadership, working together as a team, situation awareness, making decisions, the patient and communication. Conclusions Although few conclusive relationships were found between NTS performance and procedure outcomes, those positive associations found seem logical as they are likely to reflect increased care and vigilance. This may have been affected by a lack of variation in scores. The NTS relevant to this area are similar to other areas of healthcare. However, the interaction with and around the awake patient is unique to endoscopy and an important influence on the NTS that staff must possess. There is scope to develop a more specific tool for the assessment of NTS in endoscopy.