<p> Managers at automotive manufacturers are seeking ways to reduce energy consumption, costs, carbon emissions, and waste from production processes. Researchers and practitioners perceive energy efficiency as the least expensive and most effective way to deal with issues related to climate change, but adoption of energy efficiency measures has been slow among industrial facilities. The topic of this research study was the decision-making process for energy efficiency projects in the U.S. automotive manufacturing industry. Flaws in this decision-making processes are preventing changes that can dramatically reduce energy usage, cost, and pollution. The study was grounded in the theories of energy management, organizational learning, systems thinking, and strategic management. Data is from open-ended question interviews and questionnaires of 21 decision makers in automotive manufacturing companies in the United States about their perception and experiences regarding the decision-making process for energy efficiency projects. The data were coded to identify themes. The findings indicated that organizational leaders with responsibility over energy management should include energy management standards and frameworks such as ISO 50001, Six Sigma DMAIC, and Energy Star as guidelines for selecting energy efficiency projects. Decision makers may find these results useful in improving their decision-making processes for evaluating energy efficiency projects. This research has the potential to promote positive social change in the automotive industry by reducing energy consumption and business costs, and it could benefit communities by reducing pollution through increasing energy efficiency in the automotive manufacturing industries.</p>

<p> The author explored estimation by analogy (EBA) as a means of estimating the cost of international freight consignment. A version of the k-Nearest Neighbors algorithm (k-NN) was tested by predicting job costs from a database of over 5000 actual jobs booked by an Irish freight forwarding firm over a seven year period. The effect of a computer intensive training process on overall accuracy of the method was found to be insignificant when the method was implemented with four or fewer neighbors. Overall, the accuracy of the analogy based method, while still significantly less accurate than manually working up estimates, might be worthwhile to implement in practice, depending labor costs in an adopting firm. A simulation model was used to compare manual versus analytical estimation methods. The point of indifference occurs when it takes a firm more than 1.5 worker hours to prepare a manual estimate (at current Irish labor costs). Suggestions are given for future experiments to improve the sampling policy of the method to improve accuracy and to improve overall scalability.</p>

<p> At the beginning of the twenty first century, there was an ongoing debate concerning the role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in achieving sustainable competitive advantage (SCA). While external stakeholders required corporations to balance economic, social and environmental dimensions, research indicated a considerable gap about how CSR initiatives could be used to contribute to the community and the corporation&rsquo;s SCA. The specific problem that was addressed in this study is how CSR initiatives can be used to contribute to the community in the form of sustainable development and the corporation&rsquo;s SCA. The purpose of this qualitative study, utilizing a single embedded descriptive case study research design, was to achieve a deeper understanding on how CSR initiatives are planned, aligned and implemented in large MNCs in the cement industry and how these initiatives may contribute to the community in the form of sustainable development and the corporation&rsquo;s SCA. The study used stakeholder theory as the theoretical framework and was based on semi-structured interviews with 24 participants: six executive managers from three MNCs in the cement industry and 18 employed community inhabitants in the areas corresponding to three study corporations. Corporations and participants were purposively selected. The study findings clearly indicated that the strategic approach to CSR (i.e., aligning the corporation goals with the goals of the community) may balance economic value creation with the expectations of local communities. These findings revealed that corporate leaders may likely develop &ldquo;mutually beneficial&rdquo; relationships with potential stakeholders. As a result, the corporation can improve reputation and access to finance, capital, market and resources, as well as reduce operational risks and attract better employees. On the other hand, the community can get safe and affordable products and services, access to better job offerings, clean environment and a better quality of life. Understanding how CSR initiatives are planned, aligned and implemented in large MNCs in the cement industry may positively impact the community and the corporation&rsquo;s SCA. Future research was recommended to explore the elements of organizational culture (i.e., values and beliefs) that affect the sustainable management practices of large MNCs.</p>

<p> This study was an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) of six world-renowned, "five-fold apostolic" leaders--three from a Pentecostal/charismatic sample population and three from a Protestant/evangelical sample population. A series of lengthy, semi-structured, qualitative interviews were conducted with all the leaders, who related their life/leadership development stories and then reflected at length on the nature of apostolic leadership. IPA research methodology was then used to explore the emergent themes across the interview data for the purpose of articulating the "essence" of the phenomenon. The emergent themes/essence was then examined in relation to its possible correlations within leadership theory. Two meta-themes emerged from the data: an overall aptitude for "wise master building" that all the leaders possessed and the various, more particular aptitudes that were possessed by each individual leader--aptitudes within the overall aptitude, so to speak. Eighteen common subthemes concerning their development and leadership practices also emerged, which were divided into six sub-thematic clusters related to: calling, power, learning, building, equipping, and focus. These were analyzed in conjunction with leadership theory as well. Strong elements of charismatic, transformational, and "movemental" leadership emerged from within the phenomenon. These were discussed, along with the tension between leading movements versus leading institutions/organizations. Complexity leadership theory was then posited as a possible bridge between the two. Some of the possible implications for ministerial practitioners were discussed as well, including: the distinction between apostolic leadership and traditional understandings of pastoral leadership, the generalizablity of the research findings within a North American ministerial context, and the strong similarities between the apostolic leadership practices of both sample populations. Numerous recommendations were also provided for future research into five-fold apostolic leadership in conjunction with leadership theory and practice, including: continued and more extensive dialogue between leadership, theology, and the social sciences in relation to the phenomenon, continued utilization of the IPA research methodology in the service of both leadership and ministry, continued consideration of complexity leadership theory in conjunction with apostolic and "movemental" leadership and, finally, continued exploration into the possibility of the five-fold leadership paradigm informing general leadership theory and practice across all domains. Keywords: Five-fold apostolic leadership, apostolicity, executive leadership theory, interpretative phenomenological analysis, charismatic leadership, transformational leadership, movemental leadership, complexity leadership, church leadership, apostles, Christianity</p>

<p> There is a growing interest in exploring the emotional intelligence (EI) of pharmacy leaders. The purpose of this research was to explore the differences between leadership-certified and non-leadership-certified pharmacy leaders and their Total emotional quotient (EQ) score, as measured by the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i 2.0&reg;). A secondary purpose was to identify if there was a difference between leadership-certified and non-leadership-certified pharmacy leaders and their EI scores with regard to the EQ-i 2.0&reg; composite scales (Self-Perception, Self-Expression, Interpersonal, Decision Making, and Stress Management). In addition, the relationship between demographic features of pharmacy leaders and Total EQ scores was evaluated. A quantitative, non-experimental design using secondary data was used to measure EI in a stratified random sample of pharmacy leaders, including 2008-2012 graduates and 2013 participants of the American Society for Health System Pharmacy (ASHP) Foundation Pharmacy Leadership Academy (PLA). The results revealed a mean Total EQ score of 101.11, indicating an average level of EI function among pharmacy leaders. Leadership-certified pharmacy leaders had statistically significantly higher Total EQ scores than non-leadership-certified pharmacy leaders. Furthermore, leadership-certified pharmacy leaders scored significantly higher than non-leadership-certified pharmacy leaders on all five composite scales of EI. No demographic factors were significant predictors of Total EI score of pharmacy leaders. The results indicate graduates of the ASHP PLA had higher EI than current participants of the PLA, but there is a need for continued leadership and EI training for all pharmacy leaders across all areas of EI function.</p>

<p> This qualitative, phenomenological study examined the psychological success factors of the executive woman as well as the use of psychological capital. Open-ended, semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine what these women considered success strategies and to determine the extent these executives used the tenants of hope, optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy as psychological strategies for success. Twenty female executives with the titles of Vice-President, Senior Vice-President, President, CEO, COO, CNO, Dean, Assistant Dean, and General Counsel were interviewed. The results indicate that determination in hard work, attitude, and risk taking were the most common strategies women listed as contributors to their success. Additionally, all women reported using optimism, resilience, and self-efficacy as means to succeed. Hope was used as a strategy in eighteen of the twenty females, with two females indicating that hope is not a resource they used at all.</p>

<p> In the last third of the twentieth century, the financial, investment allocation, and management burden of providing for higher education, retirement, and the rising cost of health care, increasingly shifted from the government and corporations to the individual member of American society. As most were unprepared to bear that burden, an unfilled need came into existence for the middle-class individual or family to receive investment advice in order to effectively plan and manage a long-term investment portfolio. In the early 1970s the title <i>financial planner</i> began to commonly appear in literature, most commonly associated with the agents of life insurance companies who claimed to have the capability to meet that need. Within a decade, a set of organizations and pseudo-organizations had emerged offering credentialing titles. While their methods, definitions, and standards varied widely, they were in agreement that <i>financial planning</i> was a <i> profession</i>. While the specific definition of <i>profession</i> as an occupational category has been the subject of historical debate, there are relatively clear minimum requirements that can be identified from sociological and economic literature as well as from officially sanctioned lists of recognized professions. At present, personal financial planning, as defined by any credentialing organization or generally, does not meet those minimum standards. However, the opportunity exists for it to achieve professional status if a national organization representing the aspirant group claiming identity as <i> financial planners</i> establishes and enforces a clear set of mandatory standards for its members meeting those minimum professional requirements and is able to convince both society and the various state governments that it has done so.</p>

<p> Academics and practitioners have continually called for more research to provide a deeper understanding of the nonprofit sector in light of its growing importance in society. Peter Drucker's (1985) seminal work suggested that there is much the business sector can learn from the nonprofit sector. Mission drift/creep as a phenomenon in strategic management has received little academic attention even though the practitioner journals are replete with references of its proliferation. The nonprofit sector in particular, a widely diverse group, linked by a Federal tax exemption to conduct business for almost any lawful purpose, seems particularly susceptible. In the absence of a profit motive, managers and stakeholders alike look to the organizations' mission for direction as well as measurements of success. Mission is generally the principal reason for being and therefore is held as a statement upon which public trust is built. Departure either in the form of drift or creep is widely discouraged. The notion that organizations learn, therefore challenges the fundamental premise that missions should remain static. </p><p> Extant practitioner literature documents the widespread nature of mission drift within the sector and decries its proliferation. This study attempts to elevate the discourse, bringing attention to the phenomenon of mission drift/creep by first defining it and putting it in proper contextual frame. The study also through research and scholarship attempts to identify the importance of mission in organizational strategy by using secondary studies to examine this role of mission and thereby provide a fuller explanation for the occurrence of mission drift/creep. </p><p> This paper utilized a systematic procedure and content analysis to explore the contingency, resource dependency, population ecology, as well as institutional theories, to find meaningful explanations for mission drift/creep's causation in nonprofit organizations and ultimately support or refute the notion that mission drift/creep should be discouraged.</p>

This thesis examines the place of female customers and employees at the T. Eaton Company of Canada between 1869 and 1976. The central argument is that the word "witness" conveys well the nature of their place in this, one of the most important retail firms in Canadian history. Women were witnesses for the Eaton's and its development. They attested to and consolidated the company by collectively supporting it in huge numbers, whether as customers or personnel. Women were also key eyewitnesses of Eaton's, of its merchandise and marketing, its stores and catalogues. As the word "witness" suggests, visuality was central to women's central place. Women bought into the Eaton's buying and selling strategies that privileged appearances, and the company assumed and fostered this visually-centered role, helping to construct it and encouraging women to adopt it. The Introduction to the thesis reviews the substantial literature on the company's history. The main body of the thesis is divided in two. Part I examines the company's foreign activities and the role of women therein. Following a description of the firm's foreign buying system is an examination of three of its main regions: Japan, Europe and the U.S.A. The closer the region was to Canada, the more familiar it was to Eaton's, the more female Eatonians were employed there, and the more these women were able carve out a niche for themselves as expert witnesses like fashion buyers or fashion reporters. Part II discusses the place of women in the company's activities within Canada. First, it outlines the history of and tensions between the company's two main retail sites: stores and catalogues. While run by men, these sites were "spectacles of women" including salesclerks, mannequins and customers. Examples considered in depth are Eaton's catalogue covers and store displays for foreign goods and places. They privileged female imagery, a strategy meant to add value both to the merchandise and the

The primary objective of this dissertation is to examine the role of corporate governance in the performance of publicly listed corporations. The normative research suggests that stronger corporate governance should lead to better market performance and a firm’s governance practice should have a positive effect on its market value. This research focuses on Chinese capital markets because of their unique characteristics with respect to elements of corporate governance.