Thesis (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 94-96). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

No / Since the introduction of the statutory recognition procedure the vast majority of new agreements have been voluntary in nature, yet increasingly employers are using this ambiguous state regulation as a means of avoiding recognition.The legislation allows for the game of voluntarism to be enshrined within the micro level politics and social relationships of work and employment: it crystallizes the culture and history of voluntarism in the regulation itself. It is, in effect, ironic in how it balances change with tradition. It makes the new regulation pliable and difficult to see as a step to a state-led approach.There is a resistant trend to unions generally even if recognition cases may vary in terms of employer orientations.This article focuses on such issues by addressing a broader understanding of regulation through an ethnographic case study analysis.

A review of the literature showed that systematic studies on adolescent volunteerism, particularly in the Chinese context, were very limited. The present study was conducted to fill this knowledge gap. The conceptual model was an integrative model comprising elements of the ecological perspective and the cognitive motivational approach. Both personal and environmental factors were taken into account during the examination of psychosocial correlates of students' volunteering intention and behavior in Hong Kong based on the paradigm of post-positivism. With reference to literature, a series of hypotheses were put forward for empirical testing. / The findings from the main study showed that the scales used in the study possessed acceptable psychometric properties. While most of the proposed antecedents were found to be related to volunteering behavior, only "prior volunteering experience" and "volunteering intention" were directly predictive of volunteering behavior in multiple regression analyses. On the other hand, a mediating effects model was examined with "volunteering intention" as the mediating variable and "volunteering behavior" as the ultimate dependent variable. Three predictors with the highest total effects were "prior experience", "volunteering intention", and "positive personal and environmental influence on helping and volunteering". The present study provides support for the integrative model. / The first part of the study was to construct and validate four instruments assessing personal beliefs on volunteerism and perceived environmental influence, including (1) Revised Personal Functions of Volunteerism Scale, (2) Beliefs Against Volunteering Scale, (3) Microsystem (Family, School, Peers) Influence on Volunteerism Scale, and (4) Cultural Influence on Volunteerism Scale. A small-sample validation study (N = 192) showed that the instruments had high internal consistency, good content validity and acceptable criterion-related validity in distinguishing between volunteers and non-volunteers. The scales were used in the main study. / The present findings suggest that in organizing volunteer service targeted at adolescents, social workers need to (1) strengthen the personal functions of volunteerism, in particular the learning function; (2) diversify the roles taken by volunteers and types of service recipients; (3) create a pro-volunteering atmosphere by active intervention with families, schools, peers and the community; (4) initiate volunteering experience as early as possible; and (5) inject positive adolescent development elements into the service. / The second part of the study was a large-scale quantitative survey with 6,213 secondary school students from F.1 to F.6 (Grade 7 to 12) recruited via convenience sampling. The respondents completed a 244-item questionnaire which measured beliefs on volunteerism, perceived environmental influence, personal competence assets, prior volunteering experience, intention to volunteer, volunteering interests, details of current volunteering behavior and socio-demographic characteristics. / There are several academic contributions of the study. Firstly, the study highlighted the utility of integrating the ecological and the cognitive motivational perspectives. Secondly, the findings showed that volunteering intention is an important mediating variable between psychosocial correlates and volunteering behavior. Thirdly, the study clarified the different psychosocial predictors of volunteering intention and behavior among Hong Kong adolescents. Fourthly, negative beliefs and cultural beliefs were influential factors affecting volunteering intention and behavior. / "January 2008." / Adviser: Daniel Shek. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-08, Section: A, page: 3320. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 297-333). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract in English and Chionese. / School code: 1307.

published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Social Sciences

Thesis (Ph.D.) - James Cook University, 2005. / Typescript (photocopy) Bibliography: leaves 286-302.

This dissertation attempts to answer how social and economic mechanisms operate in individual, community and state levels to impact volunteering. Both social processes and economic factors significantly impact the amount of volunteering. However, researchers have a tendency to explain volunteering only by one of these factors. As both theories are equally important in explaining volunteerism, the development of a coherent theory is necessary to combine economic and social theories. This dissertation suggested that, when evaluated together, the influences of the economic factors on volunteering diminish as individuals get more connected with the other members of the society. The three-level analysis of the volunteering largely supports the primary hypothesis of the dissertation that economic concerns for volunteering are crowded out when individuals or the society is highly connected. This finding can help practitioners design better strategies to enhance volunteering such as creating opportunities for the members of the society to interact with each other.

published_or_final_version / Social Work / Master / Master of Social Work

published_or_final_version / Human Performance / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Social Service Management / Master / Master of Social Sciences

This dissertation examined the possible influence of the M-Fuge workcamp upon a participant's desire to contribute volunteerism or future career leadership in either community service or mission service. Chapter 1 introduced the research problem and gave attention to such issues as why the church should be concerned with volunteerism. Chapter 2 presented literature pertinent to the study. Issues such as volunteerism, theological presuppositions, servant leadership, service learning, as well as educational and leadership presuppositions were presented. Chapter 3 presents the methodology for garnering the research data. The research questions, the design of the instrument, and topics such as population and procedures are covered. For the purposes of this study M-Fuge camps in Bolivia and Nashville were surveyed using a pre-test and a post-test Likert scale to determine if there was any shift in interest in volunteer or career desires as result of attending the camp. Chapter 4 addresses the analysis of the findings from the research instrument. The surveys taken by event participants were scored and entered into a database. The database was used to determine levels of influence using t Stat scores compared against t Critical benchmarks. If the t Stat value was higher than the t Critical value, than the Null Hypothesis that no influence would occur was dismissed. This test was put to both first-time and multi-time participants for both the events in Nashville and Bolivia. First-time participants in Nashville and Bolivia consistently demonstrated a greater desire to participate in community service or missions volunteerism. In addition, first-time participants in both Nashville and Bolivia also demonstrated a higher degree of interest in careers in community service or missions. Multi-time participants in Nashville and Bolivia also consistently indicated an increased level of interest in volunteerism and careers in community service and missions, though not in every instance a degree high enough to dismiss the Null Hypothesis. Chapter 5 addresses the researcher's conclusions regarding the data presented. Overall, M-Fuge demonstrates a clear ability to increase the desire of the participant's desire to become involved in either volunteerism or a career in community service or missions. The findings can be useful to churches and mission organizations interested in the role a workcamp or similar mission experiences can play in promoting missions education and action. Recommendations have been made concerning how this research can be extended for further study.