While simulators can be used in place of hands-on hardware, there was not a significant body of quantitative research supporting the use of simulators for college and career success at the secondary level in information technology (IT). The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to determine if there was a significant difference in college and career readiness of New York state high school students in approved IT content cluster high school programs, between those who use simulations and those who use hands-on hardware. Kolb's theory of experiential learning was the theoretical foundation for this research. The research questions examined whether there was a significant difference in the written exam grades, the hands-on exam grades, and the certification pass rates of students, based on the percentage of simulation used in their coursework. A survey was used to collect data on 60 students. A one-way Welch ANOVA indicated no significant difference in written grades between groups. A Kruskal-Wallis ANOVA showed statistical significance between groups using all simulated labs and less than 50% simulated labs, as well as between all simulated labs and 50% or greater simulated labs for hands-on grades. Fisher's Exact Test indicated that the proportion of students in the less than 50% simulated labs group who earned industry-level certifications was statistically significantly higher than the 50% or greater simulated labs group or the all simulated labs group. Implications for social change are that workers with entry-level IT skills can fill jobs in the growing IT field that offers well-paying jobs with more promising futures.

Sustainable actions in the footwear industry are growing in importance and sustainability communication has an important role for a changed shoe industry. The sustainability communication must be clear, credible and comparable as well as accessible in order to be communicated successfully.

The problem of this study was to determine the professional preparation, playing experience, and involvement in professional organizations of secondary school coaches in Northeast Texas. This information was presented in such a manner that comparisons might be made with recommendations for certification of high school coaches by the American Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation. The findings of the study seem to warrant several basic conclusions. Degree requirements, playing experience, and professional activities of the coaches appeared adequate. The coaches' professional preparation in physical education seemed inadequate according to the recommendations for certification.

Purpose – This study aims to compare existing certification schemes to the legislation in Sweden to see which measures the best are to ensure the sustainability of Swedish wool when using it as a raw material. Design/methodology/approach - The study follows a qualitative research approach. The comparative analysis research design was chosen as the data analysis method. Data is collected from desktop research and interviews with experts in wool, farmers, and companies working with Swedish wool and certification schemes. Findings - Regarding Swedish animal welfare legislation covers more than the wool certifications. It is suggested to have a certificate for foreign wool as it might not have as strong animal welfare law. The consumer should be educated about animal welfare, social rights, and environmental regulations in Sweden for the legislation to be enough to prove the sustainability of Swedish wool. Research limitations/implications - This study does not include a detailed description of all the existing global wool certifications as not all are relevant in the context of the Swedish market. Only some Swedish legislation about animal welfare and farming practices is included. This research excludes the barriers of the existing Swedish wool SC and the process from raw material to fabric. Practical implications - Swedish wool industry and market can acknowledge the opportunities and barriers connected to the sustainability of wool and consider the right tool to support that. The comparative analysis describes the inputs and challenges of the Swedish legislation and three wool certifications for companies and farmers to decide what is best for them. The study revealed essential aspects for the Swedish wool industry on how they can grow to utilise more wool and have sustainable growth. Originality/value – A comparison between certifications and legislation in Sweden has not been conducted before. It is essential to see the differences and similarities between them to support the growth of the Swedish wool industry. Certifications can bring critical knowledge of the quality and sustainability of the wool. Swedish animal welfare regulations and laws are extensive and more comprehensive than other countries.

This study investigates current green restaurant certifications as well as developing a new more user certification. First, a fact finding investigation to find the most established and commonly utilized green restaurant certifications were compared. Second, a new green certification was developed. Third, chosen green restaurant certifications were compared. Lastly, the new green certification analyzed whether restaurants in the central Florida area utilized green practices. Data were collected in face to face sessions with restaurant managers during nonpeak hours of operation. There were numerous surveys utilized in this research study. The statistical methodology utilized in this study was average means and factor analysis in SPPS 20. The statistical results indicated that the newly developed green certification was ranked closely to the two established certification of the Green Restaurant Association and the Green Seal. Furthermore, when inquiring about restaurant green practices the result strongly indicated that restaurants are not utilizing green practices. As a side note there were restaurants that were not even using the more basic green practices such as energy efficient light bulbs. Implications, limitations and suggestions for future research were discussed in the final chapter.

Yes / Whilst previous studies indicate perceived company ethicality as a driver of job seekers’ job-pursuit intentions, it is poorly understood how and why ethical market signals actually affect their application decisions. Perceptions of company ethicality result from market signals that are either within the control of the company (e.g. ethical certifications) and from market signals that are beyond the company’s control (e.g. ethical eWoM). Building on communication and information processing theories, this study therefore considers both types of ethical market signals, and examines the psychological mechanisms through which they affect job seekers’ intention to apply for a job. The results from a controlled online experiment show that both types of ethical market signals increase job seekers’ job-pursuit intentions. These relationships are mediated by applicants’ attitude towards the job advertisement, their perceptions of corporate employment image and self-referencing. Consequently, the present study alerts practitioners to consider the effects of company-controlled and non-company-controlled ethical market signals, particularly when aiming to recruit highly-qualified millennial candidates.

The purpose of this study was to create a profile of the value of work-related competencies according to health educators in institutions of higher education in the state of Virginia. The health educators were surveyed regarding competencies perceived to be of high importance in their current position. Additionally, the study examined whether these competencies are addressed on the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) exam created by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC). Data collected did support current literature in regards to importance of competencies. Regardless of job title or CHES certification status, health educators rank oral communication skills and interpersonal skills as being in the top five 'soft skills' related to career success. Oral communication and interpersonal skills are among the competencies addressed by the CHES exam. Interestingly, however, 76% (n=29) of respondents reported that they were not CHES certified. This study also examined the relationship between a respondent's job title (health-related, medically-related, or other) and his or her willingness to assist with health education curriculum development and student evaluation. Respondents whose job title directly related to health education were much more likely to be willing to help with curriculum development and student evaluation than those that had the responsibility of disseminating health education but held another type of title. There is a need for further investigation into the basis for perceptions of dissatisfaction with college graduates by employers in regards to level of preparedness for the workforce. / Ph. D.

We are witnessing a time of unprecedented human impact on the natural environment. Coral reefs, one of the most biologically diverse and productive ecosystems, are at the forefront of enduring these human impacts. Despite widespread recognition of coral reef degradation, counter measures have not reached a scale to offset the threat. The magnitude of this and other environmental issues call for a deeper understanding of the role the private sector can play in sustainable development. In response to environmental pressures and the shortcomings of global-scale governance, private sustainability governance initiatives have developed. In the last decade, these initiatives have flourished, resulting in a diversity of formats including third-party certification, consumer product transparency systems, and industry roundtables. In many industries, these programs compete to define the transformation and evolution of sustainability governance in an industry. This dissertation draws on a case study of the marine cultured-pearl industry to highlight the early adoption dynamics of private sustainability governance initiatives. The marine cultured-pearl industry provides an illuminating case study for the adoption of private governance, based on the potential strength of the positive environmental impact and farm presence in ecologically vulnerable coral reef areas. Yet despite these strengths, no formal sustainability initiatives have developed. This research project explores the early adoption of private governance initiatives through a mixed-methodological, case-study approach. The first study, a quantitative survey of US jewelry consumers, examines the impacts of environmental messages on perceptions of luxury value. The second study assesses the effect of networked legitimacy on producer perceptions in private governance initiatives. The final study investigates the impact of value chain structure on competing private governance initiatives. The research results provide evidence of a strong business case for the development of industry-wide sustainability initiatives and highlights distinctions between the rival private governance initiatives. The US jewelry consumer research shows that consumer messages featuring sustainability standards to protect coral reefs outperform third-party certification on luxury attributes. The marine cultured-pearl producer research highlights the legitimacy advantages of consumer product transparency when compared to third-party certifications. The value chain research indicates that, when compared to third-party certifications, consumer product transparency systems have characteristics that provide an advantage in addressing producer upgrading opportunities. Results from each of the three studies highlight the potential advantages of consumer product transparency systems over third-party certification initiatives in this and other settings. These results helped inform participatory action research to assess alternative pathways for private sustainability governance.

Along with the organic food market development, two directions within the industry has appeared, the traditional organic farming and the biodynamic organic farming. The thesis aimed to derive at which organic certification of organic food in the Swedish food market is most appropriate to the organic movement, based on customer perceptions of Swedish University students. The thesis looked at KRAV, a certifier of traditional organic farming, and Demeter, a certifier of biodynamic organic farming. A quantitative method was used to gain a deeper understanding of the consumer perceptions of organic certification standards and the comparison of KRAV and Demeter, and which certification consumers preferred. A survey was distributed in order to find out the consumer perceptions. The findings of the thesis were split into two parts, each answering one research question. The first part showed that people adhered to the standards of Demeter, with average means skewed towards their side of the scale. The second part identified five hypotheses to be tested against each other, and found customer confusion to be the main impacting factor of consumer perceptions of organic food standards.

O setor sucroenergético é um dos mais dinâmicos do país. Sua importância na economia brasileira é evidente, sendo um grande empregador, gerador de divisas externas, contribuindo para o crescimento econômico. Com o aumento da disponibilidade de informações e da conscientização da sociedade, as causas sociais e ambientais ganharam mais destaque. As certificações surgem como uma resposta para a sociedade, além de promover melhorias de acordo com seus requisitos. Através de estudos anteriores, constatou-se que certificações podem gerar vantagens competitivas para as empresas. Entre as certificações presentes no setor, os selos ISO 9001 e Bonsucro mereceram ser mais detalhadas. A ISO 9001 por ser tradicional, e estar presente em todos os setores da economia. E a Bonsucro, uma certificação socioambiental diretamente relacionada com o setor sucroenergético, além de estar presente nas principais usinas do país. Objetivou-se realizar um levantamento das certificações no setor sucroenergético, e foram identificadas aproximadamente 16 certificações distintas no setor, entre elas, ficou evidente a presença dos selos ISO 9001 e Bonsucro. As certificações podem ser caracterizadas de acordo com suas finalidades, de acordo com o levantamento realizado, observou-se que elas apresentam reconhecimento por práticas de gestão, qualidade, ética, ambiental e social. Por meio de métodos estatísticos de análise de variância (ANOVA), foram realizadas comparações entre as usinas certificadas e não certificadas, está análise contemplou apenas as certificações ISO 9001 e Bonsucro. Objetivou-se também encontrar as particularidades da ISO 9001 e Bonsucro, por meio de aplicação de questionários junto as usinas certificadas, a partir disto, foram mensurados os motivos de obtenção, impactos e dificuldades relacionadas a essas certificações. A certificação ISO 9001 apresentou boa notoriedade com reconhecimento de seus impactos operacionais e de mercado, entre eles, aumento da produtividade, melhoria da qualidade, redução de reclamações. Já a certificação Bonsucro por ter características socioambientais, obteve pouco destaque entre as motivações listadas, porém as usinas concordaram que ela possui impacto de mercado, entre eles, aumento da competitividade e aumento das exportações. Em relação as dificuldades para obtenção das certificações, as usinas relataram que as certificações ISO 9001 e Bonsucro não possuem grandes obstáculos, porém foi constatado que as usinas encontram mais burocracias para obtenção da certificação ISO 9001. / The sugar-energy sector is one of the most dynamic in the country. Its importance in the Brazilian economy is evident, being a great employer, generator of foreign exchange, contributing to economic growth. With increasing availability of information and awareness of society, social and environmental causes have gained more prominence. The certifications emerge as a response to society, as well as promoting improvements according to their requirements. Through previous studies, it has been found that certifications can generate competitive advantages for companies. Among the certifications present in the sector, the ISO 9001 and Bonsucro seals deserved to be more detailed. ISO 9001 for being traditional, and to be present in all sectors of the economy. And Bonsucro, a socio-environmental certification directly related to the sugar-energy sector, besides being present in the main plants of the country. The objective was to conduct a survey of certifications in the sugar-energy sector, and identified approximately 16 different certifications in the sector, among them, the presence of the ISO 9001 and Bonsucro seals was evident. The certifications can be characterized according to their purposes, according to the survey carried out, it was observed that they are recognized by management practices, quality, ethics, environmental and social. Using statistical methods of analysis of variance (ANOVA), comparisons were made between certified and non-certified plants, this analysis included only ISO 9001 and Bonsucro certifications. It was also aimed to find the particularities of ISO 9001 and Bonsucro, through the application of questionnaires to the certified plants, from which, the reasons for obtaining, impacts and difficulties related to these certifications were measured. ISO 9001 certification was well-known with recognition of its operational and market impacts, among them, increasing productivity, improving quality, reducing complaints. The Bonsucro certification, due to its socioenvironmental characteristics, obtained little prominence among the motivations listed, but the mills agreed that it has a market impact, among them, increased competitiveness and increased exports. Regarding the difficulties in obtaining the certifications, the mills reported that ISO 9001 and Bonsucro certifications do not have great obstacles, but it was verified that the mills find more bureaucracies to obtain ISO 9001 certification.