<p> This qualitative, phenomenological study provides a detailed look at corporate social responsibility (CSR) among selected U.S. Fortune 500 global corporations that show evidence of advanced stages of CSR development, herein referred to as <i>it</i>CSR. While CSR broadly conveys business' role in society, <i>it</i>CSR is a construct meant to indicate business' ideal contribution in society that epitomizes meaningful triple bottom line (TBL) impact. Using the Global Leadership Network Framework of business strategy, leadership, operational excellence, and engaged learning, this research explored what motivates executives to develop <i>it</i>CSR and the success strategies for instituting <i>it</i>CSR practices at America's largest publicly-traded multinational corporations (MNCs). The findings are particularly relevant in comparing the values, practices, initiatives, and drivers of <i> it</i>CSR development among the leading American global companies. Consequently, this study identified 10 U.S. Fortune 500 global corporations that met the <i> it</i>CSR criteria for this study from an analysis that included (a) cross-referencing five indices/lists that measure various parameters of the <i> it</i>CSR criteria, and (b) evaluating total trailing financial returns for 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year periods compared to the S&amp;P 500 Index results. Overarching themes from the study include: a) a strong presence of core ideologies has been in place from the origin of each company and represent the essence of the corporate character, and thus its soul; b) the core ideologies are centered on improving life and communities and are grounded in circular wisdom, eudaemonics, and virtuousness, all tied to ethical governance and a moral consciousness; c) there is purposeful connectivity cultivated by leadership for all levels of employees to engage in a shared responsibility; d) executive efficacy in <i>it</i>CSR efforts and undertaking cannot be underscored enough, even though leadership may manifest in different ways; e) it is necessary to embrace and promote <i>it</i>CSR development as a continuous, never-ending, imperfect journey; f) it is necessary to activate all aspects of the business' operations, and at the same time, recognize that the process is more of an art than a science; g) including the customer on the <i> it</i>CSR journey is predicated on authenticity, vulnerability, and risk-taking; h) developing multi-stakeholder partnerships is proactive, strategic, selective, action-oriented, focused on collaborative learning, and absolutely designed for meaningful and sustainable triple bottom line impact; and i) <i> it</i>CSR development operates from a platform of innovation.</p>

<p> The exploratory qualitative research study explored management education business school offerings in comparison to employer expectations. Through the lens of alumni and human-resources personnel participants, the research examined the skills deemed as transferrable to the workplace and competencies that undergraduate-management education alumni lack upon entry into the workplace. This research study used interviewing as the data-collection method to explore the experiences of undergraduate business-school alumni from two universities, which from here on out will be referred to as University A and University B, as well as human-resources personnel from the states where these universities are located. Existing literature relating to the effectiveness of management education programs did not fully address the problem at the undergraduate level. The findings of this study reaffirmed the need for employers, business school administrators, and faculty to increase collaborative efforts to ensure that undergraduate business-school program competencies are aligned with employer expectations.</p>

<p> The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to examine HR executives' perspectives on employability enhancement for employees and how it is operationalized in their workplace. The exploratory questions that guided the study were, What are the perspectives of HR executives regarding employability enhancement for employees, and In what ways and under what conditions is organizational support of employability enhancement demonstrated through workplace learning initiatives? The conceptual framework for this study is based on Clarke and Patrickson's (2008) list of assumptions concerning employability as the premise for the new employment contract. </p><p> Data collected consisted of background questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, organizational documents, and researcher reflective journal notes. Cross case analysis yielded four major themes of "Shared Responsibility," "The Power of Learning Attitude," "Assessment for Growth," and "Resource Availability." These four themes include discussions of the roles and responsibilities for employability, desired employee learning attitudes, recommended assessment activities, and conditions affecting development opportunities provided by organizations. Implications for organizations, their employees, and HRD professionals are described. This study contributes empirical research on today's employment contract based on an employability model from the organization's perspective. It also adds to the body of literature on employability rarely focused on, employability enhancement for employees.</p>

<p> The primary purpose of this quantitative study was to examine if simulation training correlated with the decision-making abilities of firefighters from two departments (one in a mountain state and one in a southwest state). The other purposes were to determine if firefighter demographics were correlated with the completion of the simulation training and/or predicted decision-making abilities. The independent variables of this study were the completion simulation-training program and selected firefighter demographics with the naturalistic decision-making abilities of these firefighters as the dependent variable. Using purposive sampling, the participants selected were members of the two sample fire departments. The survey contained three categories: demographic information, simulation-based training program overview, and simulation-training assessment. The study produced some statistically significant findings which provided empirical evidence regarding the effective use of simulation training to the decision-making ability of firefighters. It also addresses the void in the existing knowledge base on the effectiveness in using simulation training on the decision-making ability on the fire ground, which firefighters need particularly.</p>

<p> This Delphi Study was designed to explore job-knowledge and practitioner expertise needed by bachelor-level graduates in meeting employer expectations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) health care industry. An initial supposition was that bachelor-level graduates were not meeting employer expectations because of insufficient jobknowledge, creating a need to align preparation of undergraduate business school graduates with workplace demands in management and finance. Process steps, based on Total Quality Management (TQM) Quality Function Deployment (QFD) House of Quality Principles, involved translating employer job-knowledge requirements into academic knowledge components useful to business school curriculum decision-makers. Combined levels of triangulation were employed to study expectations of UAE employers. Purposive sampling was applied to identify the participants. Data collection methods included 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews and two Responsive e-Delphi rounds. Data analysis involved translating employer job-knowledge requirements into academic knowledge components that contribute to curriculum development to improve learning process quality within UAE undergraduate schools of business. Findings indicated a need to provide students the opportunity to gain understanding and experience in applying theory to solve business problems within a work environment. Specific, accurate academic knowledge specifications embedded in the curriculum during curriculum design are recommended. Findings of this research may be useful to curriculum developers, curriculum revisers, and classroom instructors within UAE schools of business.</p>

<p> En la revisi&oacute;n de literatura sobre l&iacute;deres educativos en Puerto Rico se evidenci&oacute; la limitada cantidad de investigaciones cualitativas que utiliz&oacute; la historia de vida como dise&ntilde;o de investigaci&oacute;n. Ante el amplio vac&iacute;o de l&iacute;deres en todas las esferas de la sociedad se consider&oacute; realizar este estudio en torno al liderazgo educativo y filosof&iacute;a de la praxis del Dr. Ram&oacute;n Ar&iacute;stides Cruz Aponte enmarcado en los escenarios de la educaci&oacute;n p&uacute;blica y privada, as&iacute; como, dentro del escenario de las instituciones de educaci&oacute;n superior en Puerto Rico. </p><p> Este estudio tuvo el prop&oacute;sito de investigar modelos humanos en los escenarios educativos, sociales, pol&iacute;ticos, econ&oacute;micos, religiosos y filos&oacute;ficos. De igual manera, consider&oacute; principios axiol&oacute;gicos que marcaron las ejecutorias personales y profesionales del Dr. Ram&oacute;n Ar&iacute;stides Cruz Aponte durante toda su vida. Igualmente, consider&oacute; la teor&iacute;a de rasgos desde aquellas caracter&iacute;sticas naturales o adquiridas asociadas al participante. </p><p> El estudio utiliz&oacute; la historia de vida, desde las vivencias narradas por el participante e informantes, que dieron sentido al prop&oacute;sito de vida del l&iacute;der educativo en todos los escenarios de la sociedad donde se desenvolvi&oacute;. El estudio proporcion&oacute; informaci&oacute;n valiosa que concluy&oacute; con la identificaci&oacute;n del pensamiento humanista cruziano, desde la dimensi&oacute;n del liderazgo aut&oacute;ctono puertorrique&ntilde;o. El estudio plante&oacute; el liderazgo transformador desde dos enfoques importantes, el liderazgo ejercido y los rasgos del l&iacute;der, que le permitieron desenvolverse eficazmente en su trayectoria profesional, donde present&oacute; visiones y metas, que se concretaron. </p><p> El estudio consider&oacute; la filosof&iacute;a de la praxis del Dr. Ramos Ar&iacute;stides Cruz Aponte, con el prop&oacute;sito de identificar y divulgar los cambios gestados a trav&eacute;s de un liderazgo transformador, que tuvo la finalidad de crear una cultura social, pol&iacute;tica y educativa que enfrent&oacute; la inercia y la burocracia en los escenarios del sistema educativo puertorrique&ntilde;o. </p><p> Finalizamos con las palabras de Ortega y Gasset, citadas en Bol&iacute;var (2002) al indicar: "para comprender algo humano, personal o colectivo, es preciso contar una historia (p. 2). Esta es la historia de vida y filosof&iacute;a de la praxis del Dr. Ram&oacute;n Ar&iacute;stides Cruz Aponte.</p>

<p> This study revealed leaders' experiences in fostering innovation. The study, a qualitative inquiry, used the psychological phenomenological approach to gain insights from the perspective of ten leaders from a small group of successful U.S. biopharmaceutical companies. The theoretical lens or basis for this research included elements of leadership theory, with focus on transformational leadership and the use of questions, organizational culture, participation, structuring, reflection, creativity and other points from the extant literature that related to leaders fostering innovation. The themes presented here emerged from the collecting of interview data, with the aid of the theoretical underpinnings. The data included coding from works in leadership (Sashkin &amp; Sashkin, 2005), leader use of questions (Marquardt, 2005) and organizational culture (Hatch, 1997). The study's overarching question was: What is the lived-experience of leaders in respect to fostering innovation within the smaller successful biotech companies they lead? The study offers three main conclusions developed from 12 insightful themes. The main findings included: (a) elements of visionary leadership (Sashkin &amp; Sashkin, 2003) and leaders' use of questions (Marquardt, 2005) operated concurrently in fostering innovation; (b) leadership elements vary in their relative importance depending on the circumstance; (c) leaders' Purposeful Involvement helps to drive innovation; and (d) a broader conceptualization of leading contributes to innovation. Leaders' purposeful involvement is further explained. Other points salient to leaders' fostering of innovation are also discussed. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> Fostering innovation, leadership, creativity, inquiry, question, organizational culture, problem solving, action learning, transformational, ambidextrous, biotechnology, biomedical, life science, pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical.</p>

<p> This study explored middle managers' lived experience of exercise-induced reflection to understand if the meaning they ascribed to the lived experience could address their practical problem of not being able to reflect in time-constrained work environments. The study also explored if the lived experience could be linked to another model of reflective learning that does not appear to exist within the study's theoretical framework at the intersections of leadership and reflection, reflection and aerobic exercise, and aerobic exercise and leadership. </p><p> To understand the meaning participants associated with their lived experience of exercise-induced reflection, ten employed middle managers were recruited to participate in a series of thirty face-to-face, semi-structured interviews. Analyzing the data through the phenomenological processes of grouping, reducing, clustering, thematizing, and textural-structural synthesis led to the discovery of six core themes. The core themes were the following: the age at which participants first experienced the phenomenon, the aerobic activity that evoked exercise-induced reflection, reflective states, reflection topics, reflection during exercise is productive, and applied learning. These themes revealed how the lived experience of reflection through exercise manifested into three major meanings: a productive haven for reflective thinking, a mind-body connection that stimulates reflective learning, and a therapeutic sanctuary for well-being. </p><p> Understanding the meanings participants ascribed to exercise-induced reflection expanded upon the literature within the theoretical framework of the leadership, reflection, and aerobic exercise disciplines. Additionally, the meanings addressed middle managers practical problem of reflection in the time-constrained workplace. </p><p> Findings from this transcendental phenomenological study provide a baseline understanding of exercise-induced reflection for future research. Augmenting the baseline findings through mixed methods and medical research studies could provide a deeper understanding of exercise-induced reflection. A mixed methods study could help explore and explain the relationship of exercise-induced reflection to workplace performance and leadership styles. A medical study could expand upon knowledge about the relationship of exercise-induced reflection to human neuro-physiological changes.</p>

<p> Educational leaders across the United States face changes affecting the educational system related to federal and state mandates. The stress of those changes may be related to superintendents&rsquo; longevity. The superintendent position has a mobility rate that is quite high. Every superintendent is different and may have a different leadership style than their predecessor. The district culture, goals, and expectations may change depending on the superintendents&rsquo; leadership style. If superintendents&rsquo; leadership style affects principals&rsquo; performance, it may affect the principals&rsquo; success or failure. The purpose of this quantitative correlational research study was to identify if correlations existed linking 126 principals&rsquo; perception of superintendents&rsquo; leadership style and principals&rsquo; performance as reflected by student achievement data. The goal was to obtain principals&rsquo; perception of the superintendents&rsquo; leadership style as measured by the MLQ and principals&rsquo; performance as measured by AIMS reading and math data from the 2011- 2012 to 2012-2013 school years. The results indicated that superintendents&rsquo; transformational, passive avoidant and transactional leadership styles did not correlate positively to math difference scores. However, the results indicated that the passive avoidant leadership style was positively, correlated to reading difference scores. The results also indicated that there was a positive correlation between reading and math difference scores. Educational leaders should be aware that the analysis of data indicates that it is plausible that passive avoidant leadership may be more complex than nonleadership as labeled in previous research.</p>

<p> Hostile work environment, emotional mistreatment, workplace bullying, psychological harassment--these phrases only begin to describe a phenomenon that is seen as all too commonplace. This study focused on two major questions regarding a recommended policy to address workplace bullying that was adopted in certain school districts of a Western state. First, to determine how effective the policy is believed to be by those who implemented it at their school. Second, to determine what strategies were used to implement the policy and how effective they were perceived to be by those involved. The negative ramifications of a hostile workplace resulting from bullying necessitate a proactive role by employers across the country, and the public school system is not an exception. As laws undoubtedly get passed, employers will have no choice but to address workplace bullying&mdash;good human resources practice employs a model before a misfortunate event warrants the need. Superintendents from eight rural Western state school districts were interviewed and participation in an online survey was sought from certified staff at corresponding schools. Superintendents said that the policy is "working" as there were no reported incidents of bullying behavior since its adoption at their respective districts. They did not say nor did they appear to believe that there were incidents of bullying behavior prior to the adoption of the policy. Superintendents overwhelmingly said that they share or make self management strategies available to staff in dealing with coworkers; 63% of the responses to the staff survey supported this finding. Finally, both groups agreed that a policy is needed to address workplace bullying in the event legal protection is needed for either of involved parties.</p>