This report was about employer branding focusing on health promotion and a good psychosocial work environment at company A. The company and the company’s participants from the interviews are anonymous. The purpose in this report was to see how employees and HR managers at company A perceive the psychosocial work environment, the most important strategies for health promotion and the psychosocial work environment and lastly if there were any solutions to possible challenges? The material came from interviews by employees and HR in other words it was qualitative research. The material resulted in common themes of self-leadership, areas of development, organizational culture,benefits, and network of colleagues. In conclusion all employees thrive and are perceived to be in good health at company A due to good health benefits even if the tempo can be high sometimes. There were some areas that needed improvement such as: increased support from managers to employees, employees wanting to be more involved in decisions, access to further development, and the consequences of working too much from home and self-leadership resulting in decreasing social support, knowledge sharing and as well company culture.

本研究旨在探討國民中學校長的專業發展及其相關因素，主要的研究目的是了解國民中學校長專業發展影響因素、對專業發展重要性的看法和參與多樣化專業發展意願之間的關係，並提出我國國民中學校長專業發展改進與進一步研究的建議。 為達成研究的目的，本研究根據文獻探討結果，提出研究架構與假設，編製調查工具「國民中學校長專業發展情形調查問卷」進行預試，回收的有效問卷共134份，經由因素、信度分析刪題和文字潤飾後，問卷修正為「中學校長專業發展情形調查問卷」，隨後實施正式調查，共回收有效樣本問卷398份進行統計分析，開放填答的題項也加以歸類析述。 有效樣本經以描述統計、t考驗、單因子變異數分析、皮爾森積差相關、多 元迴歸分析等方法進行分析比較，獲得下列結論： 一、國中校長愈重視專業發展政策和目標，參與多樣化專業發展型態和主題的意願愈高。 二、適度的工作壓力對校長專業發展產生積極影響，但家庭壓力則有消極影響。 三、國中校長感受到的政府專業發展作為的積極性不足。 四、在專業認同度方面，年輕校長不如資深校長。在同儕之間的專業互動頻率方面，鄉鎮學校、資深、高齡和即將退休的校長，較城市學校、資淺、年輕和非近期退休的校長為低。 五、女性國中校長比男性國中校長具有較強的學習自信、較多的校長互動和較高的專業發展參與意願。 六、校長專業發展在不同年齡和年資上，呈現互有優勢的現象，即將退休的校長則有較多不利的情形。 七、心理問題的紓解和改善，是國中校長重視的專業發展目標。 八、校長對具有威脅性、會帶來強制措施的專業發展政策，會給予較低的重要性評比。 九、國中校長樂於參與多樣化的專業發展型態，非正式的參訪、研討、聽講，比體制化的調查、研究、發表，更受校長青睞。 十、國中校長樂於參與多樣化的專業發展主題，尤其是學校經營實務和當前教育改革有關的主題，但參與電腦科技、興趣培養和生活知能的意願較低。 根據研究結論，研究者對教育行政機關提出：設置專責單位或人員，規劃研擬積極的校長專業發展政策；透過法令、文件、方案或計劃，清楚而明確地表述國中校長專業發展目標等建議。對國中校長提出：廣泛成立校長同儕組織，積極轉化校長組織的功能，加強校長同儕互動學習；協力增進校長專業問題的發聲，求取校長與教師專業發展機會的平衡等建議。對未來的研究，提出：分析國中校長同儕組織的成立及其在專業發展的功能、問題和影響；進行各國國家層級或地方層級的校長專業發展制度比較等建議。 / Professional Development of Junior High School Principals and Its Factors The purpose of this research is to understand the relationship between influential factors of professional development, views of professional development importance, and the will of participating in diverse professional development of junior high school principals, and to propose suggestions of improvement and further study. With the questionnaires and statistic analysis of 398 junior high school principals, the conclusions are as follows: 1. There is a positive relationship between the views of professional development importance and the will of professional development of junior high school principals. 2. Working pressure and family pressure cause respectively positive and negative influences on professional development of principals. 3. The government lacks the active policy to assist the professional development of junior high school principals. 4. The professional identity of young principals is lower than senior principals. Besides, the principals who are in town schools, senior, aged, and going to retire lack professional interaction with colleagues. 5. Female junior high school principals have the professional development advantages of confidence of learning ability, interaction with other principals, and higher participative will. 6. There are different advantages of professional development of principals for different ages and seniority, while the principals who are going to retire have more disadvantages. 7. The relief and improvement of the mental problems of principals are the professional development purpose which junior high school principals put emphasis on. 8. Principals have the view of lower importance of threatening professional development policy. 9. Junior high school principals are willing to participate in diverse professional development. Principals prefer the unofficial learning development models rather than the official ones. 10. Junior high school principals are willing to participate in diverse themes of professional development, especially the related themes of school management practice and current educational reform, while they are not so willing to participate in computer technology, interest cultivation, and living skills. According to the conclusions of this research, the researcher proposes some suggestions to education authorities, junior high school principals, and future research directions.

My essay is concerned with intercultural leadership and practical knowledge. The essay is about ethical dilemmas and the diversity of issues we face constantly at the preschool. In my story I examine the different views of knowledge and the opportunities to lead people in an intercultural way, and how they relate to each other. I start by looking at the ethical ideas that form the basis for our actions and our view of knowledge. Then, I examine how the practical wisdom guides the ethical dilemmas that arise at the preschool. Thus, that leads me to the different forms of knowledge which are made visible in our daily work at the preschool, how they can be understood in the cultural environment in which they arise, and how they can be related to leadership. I show how the thinking ways and traditions we create shape the leadership. My inquiry is related to my colleagues since my professional role as a preschool teacher is made possible only in a social context with them. I find that the relationship between my own understanding of the practical knowledge and intercultural management can be related to my colleagues, as well as to parents and preschool children. The environment at the preschool is based on different ways of thinking and traditions that are transmitted and transformed in different processes. The inter-cultural leadership is questioned in the working group and the desire for authoritarian leadership is brought to question. Our view of knowledge is dependent on the ethical values we choose to make use of. Knowledge and leadership is created in a process that never ends, together with the people who create and recreate it.

Workplace bullying is creating negative physical and psychological effects on employees and has a serious impact on the organisations’ bottom line. Workplace bullying has been related to excessive absenteeism, high employee turnover and hostile work environments. However, no recent studies on the prevalence of workplace bullying in the South African context are available. This is important because of the multicultural, multiracial composition of the South African workforce, and socio–demographic factors such as race, gender, age, education level and type of industry should be investigated to determine if differences exist with regard to the experience of workplace bullying. The personality resource, sense of coherence, should add an important element to this study, as the results could offer an important indicator for managers to change the employee’s environment in order to render the stimuli to which they are exposed more understandable, significant and manageable. In South Africa, diversity, multiculturalism, affirmative action and equal employment opportunity are words in common currency in a newly democratic country. Literature suggests that if diversity within African organisations is positively experienced, it could enhance harmony and effectiveness within that organisation. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine the relationship between workplace bullying, socio–demographic characteristics, sense of coherence and diversity experiences according to the literature; 2) to determine how frequently employees in South Africa experience acts of workplace bullying; 3) to determine if there are significant differences between socio–demographic groups (including race, gender, age, education and industry) with regards to workplace bullying; 4) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regards to sense of coherence; and 5) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regard to diversity experiences. An availability sample (N = 13 911) was utilised to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying in a sample of South African employees. Frequencies were used to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying for the total sample and MANOVA was used to determine differences between the groups. The results indicated that workplace bullying is a prevalent problem in South Africa, as people experience frequent overall bullying (4% reported being often bullied; 31,1% reported being always bullied). On the socio–demographic characteristics, Blacks experienced a higher level of workplace bullying in comparison with the other race groups, and men and women experience statistically significant differences with regards to workplace bullying. It was evident that older employees experience statistically significantly lower levels of bullying, and a statistically significant difference between those employees with a secondary and tertiary education was found. It seems that the highest levels of direct bullying by supervisors occurred in the government industry, followed by the mining industry. Individuals with a higher SOC experienced lower levels of bullying compared to individuals with a lower SOC. Statistically significant differences were found on all bullying dimensions with regards to diversity experiences. Recommendations were made for future research and organisations. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Workplace bullying is creating negative physical and psychological effects on employees and has a serious impact on the organisations’ bottom line. Workplace bullying has been related to excessive absenteeism, high employee turnover and hostile work environments. However, no recent studies on the prevalence of workplace bullying in the South African context are available. This is important because of the multicultural, multiracial composition of the South African workforce, and socio–demographic factors such as race, gender, age, education level and type of industry should be investigated to determine if differences exist with regard to the experience of workplace bullying. The personality resource, sense of coherence, should add an important element to this study, as the results could offer an important indicator for managers to change the employee’s environment in order to render the stimuli to which they are exposed more understandable, significant and manageable. In South Africa, diversity, multiculturalism, affirmative action and equal employment opportunity are words in common currency in a newly democratic country. Literature suggests that if diversity within African organisations is positively experienced, it could enhance harmony and effectiveness within that organisation. The objectives of this study were to 1) determine the relationship between workplace bullying, socio–demographic characteristics, sense of coherence and diversity experiences according to the literature; 2) to determine how frequently employees in South Africa experience acts of workplace bullying; 3) to determine if there are significant differences between socio–demographic groups (including race, gender, age, education and industry) with regards to workplace bullying; 4) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regards to sense of coherence; and 5) to determine if there are significant differences between the different types of bullying (direct, indirect, supervisor and colleague bullying) with regard to diversity experiences. An availability sample (N = 13 911) was utilised to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying in a sample of South African employees. Frequencies were used to determine the prevalence of workplace bullying for the total sample and MANOVA was used to determine differences between the groups. The results indicated that workplace bullying is a prevalent problem in South Africa, as people experience frequent overall bullying (4% reported being often bullied; 31,1% reported being always bullied). On the socio–demographic characteristics, Blacks experienced a higher level of workplace bullying in comparison with the other race groups, and men and women experience statistically significant differences with regards to workplace bullying. It was evident that older employees experience statistically significantly lower levels of bullying, and a statistically significant difference between those employees with a secondary and tertiary education was found. It seems that the highest levels of direct bullying by supervisors occurred in the government industry, followed by the mining industry. Individuals with a higher SOC experienced lower levels of bullying compared to individuals with a lower SOC. Statistically significant differences were found on all bullying dimensions with regards to diversity experiences. Recommendations were made for future research and organisations. / Thesis (M.Com. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Teacher self-efficacy for teaching in diverse classrooms is an important factor in the successful implementation of inclusion. Quantitative examinations of teacher self-efficacy have found the construct to be correlated with both contextual and teacher-related factors. In-depth qualitative exploration into type, quality, and nature of experiences that shape teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs is scarce. This research aimed to qualitatively examine potential sources of teacher self-efficacy and generate an explanation for the complex growth pattern it follows during the early years of practice. Seventy-eight beginning teachers across Canada (i.e., graduating teacher candidates and new teachers who are in the first three years of their practice) participated in 139 semi-structured interviews conducted over four years to address questions regarding the factors and experiences that influence their self-efficacy or confidence to teach in diverse classrooms. Ten factors which either had a positive or negative connotation emerged from a qualitative content analysis of their interviews. The Positive-Negative Experiences Balance (PNEB) model was conceptualized to understand and represent how these ten factors interactively, simultaneously, and collectively influence the development of beginning teachers’ self-efficacy for inclusive practice in the initial years of their careers. Through a comparison of frequency counts of codes, it was noted that beginning teachers differentially relied on experiential factors to enhance their self-efficacy when they were graduating, or were in the first three years of their teaching. The results are discussed in light of the relevant extant research. Implications of these results for teacher education programs and school leadership are also shared. / Graduate

Studiens syfte är att undersöka hur socialarbetare upplever och hanterar de känslor som väcks i mötet med klienter.  I studien användes en kvalitativ metod där sex semistrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med socialarbetare i Mellansverige. Det empiriska materialet analyserades genom en tematisk analys. De teman som framkom under analysen var känslomässig påverkan, stress och empatitrötthet, att ta på sig den profesionella rocken, kollegor, arbetsmiljö och egenvård. Vi har även analyserat det empiriska materialet med hjälp av tidigare forskning och teoretiska perspektiv. De teorier som användes i studien var Goffmans dramaturgiska perspektiv och Lazarus och Folkmans copingteori. Resultatet av studien visade att socialarbetarna upplevde olika känslor i möten med klienter och att de känslomässiga påfrestningarna som jobbet medför har påverkat de på olika sätt. Socialarbetarna kunde beskriva olika strategier de använde sig av för att hantera arbetets olika påfrestningar. Resultaten visade att användandet av strategier och andra förebyggande faktorer bidrog till att ge socialarbetarna en bättre förmåga att hantera arbetet för att må bra både i arbetslivet och utanför arbetet. Några av de bidragande faktorer som framkom i samtalen med socialarbetarna var vikten av kollegialt stöd, en fungerande arbetsmiljö samt egenvård. / The aim of this study was to examine how social workers experience and cope with emotions that occur in meetings with clients. Using a qualitative method, we interviewed six social workers in central Sweden. The empirical material was analyzed through a thematic analysis. Themes that emerged during the analysis were emotional impact, stress, compassion fatigue, being a professional, colleagues, work environment and self-care. We also analyzed the empirical material with the help of previous research and theoretical perspectives. The theories used were Goffman's dramaturgical perspective and Lazarus och Folkman’s coping theory. The results showed that social workers experience different emotions in meetings with clients and that the emotional strains that the job entails affect them in different ways. The social workers could describe different strategies used to handle the different strains of work. The results showed that the use of strategies and other preventive factors contributed to giving social workers a better ability to handle work to feel good both at work and outside of work. Some contributing factors that were highlighted in the interviews were the importance of collegial support, a functioning work environment and self-care.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva sjuksköterskors upplevelse av arbetsmiljön på en sjukhusavdelning och hur denna upplevelse påverkar deras relation och inställning till arbetet. Metod: Metoden består av en fallstudie som utgår från en abduktiv ansats tillsammans med en kvalitativ forskningsmetod. Insamling av empirisk data gjordes i samband med sex stycken semistrukturerade intervjuer, varav samtliga respondenter representerade en avdelning inom en organisation. Fenomenologisk design har sedan tillämpats i samband med tolkning av den empiriska datainsamlingen där kategorier utifrån upplevelser kunde identifieras.  Slutsats: Slutsatsen är att det finns betydande brister i hur sjuksköterskor hanteras inom vården, och att dessa faktorer inte är isolerade utan påverkar varandra i ett kretslopp. Faktorerna som kunde fastställas är: personalbrist, bristande balans mellan krav och resurser samt bristande kommunikation mellan kommunikationsleden. Däremot identifieras kollegialt stöd och den gemensamma viljan att hjälpa andra och bidra till samhällsnyttan vara faktorer som gör sjuksköterskornas arbete meningsfullt och får dem att fortsätta arbeta. För att förbättra sjuksköterskornas arbetsmiljö krävs åtgärder för att adressera negativa faktorer och parallellt med kollegialt stöd implementera förbättringar i den psykosociala arbetsmiljön. / Purpose: The purpose of the study is to describe nurses' experience of the work environment in a hospital unit and how this experience affects their relationship and attitude to work. Method: The method consists of a case study based on an abductive approach together with a qualitative research method. Collection of empirical data was done in connection with six semi-structured interviews, of which all respondents present a department within an organization. Phenomenological design has then been applied in connection with the interpretation of the empirical data collection where categories based on experiences could be identified. Conclusion: The conclusion is that there are significant shortcomings in how nurses are managed in healthcare, and that these factors are not isolated but influence each other in a cycle. The factors that could be determined are: Staff shortage, lack of balance between requirements and resources and lack of communication between the communication links. On the other hand, collegial support and the common desire to help others and contribute to the social good are identified as factors that make the nurses' work meaningful and make them continue to work. In order to improve the nurses' work environment, measures are required to address negative factors and, in parallel with collegial support, implement improvements in the psychosocial work environment.

The purpose of this qualitative, narrative study was to examine the stories of public elementary school teachers who hold doctorates and to discover what these stories tell about their understanding of education within the context of public schools. Specifically, investigation centered on reasons teachers in this group pursued doctorates. This study also examined the ways in which they describe their role as educators within the public school system; the ways in which they view their relationships with public school colleagues; and the ways in which the doctoral experience has influenced their beliefs about teaching, public schooling, and education. Participants included seven California elementary public school teachers who took part in two tape recorded interviews and contributed one story from their professional experience and/or a personal reflection on the interview process. Analysis of the data involved restorying the participants' stories, identifying segments of information, labeling the segments with codes that describe their meaning, grouping the codes into themes, and identifying examples from the data that supported the themes. Six themes emerged from the collected data: learning, connection and collaboration, conflict, leadership, satisfaction, and respect . The participants described their various learning experiences, how they connect and collaborate with others, the ways in which they experience conflict, the contexts in which they exhibit leadership skills, the circumstances that have brought about personal satisfaction, and the ways in which they have observed and experienced respect. Results revealed that the teachers pursued a doctorate in order to broaden their knowledge base and educational experience and that the doctoral experience has given them a broader perspective of education. They have assumed a leadership role within the public school system, and although they acknowledged that they have a different viewpoint of education and schooling than their colleagues, they see those with whom they work as valuable members of the school community. Implications from the results focused on the importance of change within the learning process and the responsibility of leadership that comes with advanced knowledge and experience.

Die Forschungsarbeit „Ich sehe nur, wie sich die Menschen plagen“: Gesundheitsvorstellungen, -risiken und -verhalten von Berufspolitikern – Eine empirische Analyse befasst sich aus medizinsoziologischer Perspektive mit potentiellen Gesundheitsvorstellungen, -risiken sowie gesundheitsförderlichen bzw. -riskanten Verhaltensweisen deutscher Berufspolitiker. Der Einfluss gesundheitsrelevanter persönlicher Erfahrungen auf gesundheitspolitische Entscheidungen auf Bundesebene stellt einen ergänzenden Fokus dar. Grundlage der Forschungsarbeit ist die subjektiv zunehmende krankheits- und krisenbedingte (medial vermittelte) Belastung der Mandatsträger in der Öffentlichkeit. Die Arbeit stützt sich u.a. auf die Modelle der Salutogenese nach Antonovsky, der Gratifikationskrise nach Siegrist, auf das Anforderungs-Kontroll-Modell nach Karasek sowie die kognitiv-transaktionale Stresstheorie nach Lazarus. Weitere Basis ist das biopsychosoziale Krankheitsmodell. Das empirische Vorgehen der qualitativ angelegten Studie wurde an die Grounded Theory angelehnt. Eine teilnehmende Beobachtung, die Durchführung und Auswertung von 21 Interviews samt sich anschließender Typenbildung wurde angestrebt und vollzogen. Das Interviewsample setzte sich aus Berufspolitikern aller in der 17. Wahlperiode des deutschen Bundestages vertretenen Parteien (CDU/CSU, SPD, FDP, Bündnis 90/die Grünen, Die Linke) zusammen. In der Ergebnisdarstellung werden besonderer Wert auf die individuellen Gesundheitsvorstellungen der einzelnen Politiker gelegt, zudem gesundheitsförderliche Verhaltensweisen eruiert. So scheint Gesundheit durch persönliche Prioritätensetzung und zurückliegende Erfahrungen geprägt. Es können hierzu 14 Themenbereiche und drei zentrale Phänomene ermittelt werden. Krankheitsbilder und Krisenerfahrungen des Interviewsamples werden samt ihrer Einbettung in den sozialen Kontext dargestellt. So werden offensichtliche und allgemeingehaltene Krankheitsbilder durch die Mandatsträger oft am eigenen Beispiel geschildert, lebensbedrohliche im Gegenzug fast ausnahmslos an Kollegen illustriert. Deutlich werden krisen- und krankheitsbedingte Auswirkungen auf politische Akzente. Es können sechs klar voneinander abgrenzbare Typen der Berufspolitiker bezüglich ihres Gesundheitsverhaltens im beruflichen Alltag eruiert werden (Extrempole: Das Opfer vs. Der Abgesicherte). Weiterhin werden besondere Risikofaktoren des arbeitsreichen Mandats illustriert, im Gegenzug Optimierungsmöglichkeiten aufgezeigt. Es zeigt sich ein berufsbedingtes Ungleichgewicht zwischen Risiko- und Schutzfaktoren zulasten der Ressourcen. Hier sind Ansätze zur (Verhaltens-/Verhältnis)Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung zu finden. Der Link zwischen Gesundheitspolitik im Allgemeinen sowie Gesundheitsverhalten im Speziellen wird geschaffen. Abschließend erfolgt eine Kategorisierung der zentralen Themen der Studie. Hierbei werden der Grounded Theory und dem offenen, axialen und selektiven Kodieren folgend Kategorien, Subkategorien sowie eine Kernkategorie ermittelt. Es zeigt sich eine Schwerpunktverlagerung bezüglich In- und Output der Leitfadenthemen (Stigmatisierbarkeit, Tabuisierung). Abschließend werden weiterführende Forschungsperspektiven aufgezeigt.