In 1989, the City of Pittsfield implemented an entrepreneurial education program for the unemployed using federal funding. This study describes the evolution of the educational program and identifies key elements in the entrepreneurial education process. The literature review sets the context of the case study in the new, burgeoning field of entrepreneurial education. The lack of consensus on a definition and the "idiosyncratic" nature of entrepreneurship creates a fluid, volatile climate for this case study. The case study responds to the call for research in the field by providing a seven year in depth analysis of the results of an entrepreneurial educational program for the unemployed. A personal, narrative case study approach reflected my role as a participant/observer and included participant and staff responses. Data analysis also included document review and participant surveys. The key elements that emerged in this case study were: (1) issues of unemployment needed to be addressed in the curriculum design; (2) adult learning strategies provided methodologies that addressed those issues; (3) a staff composed of present or former business owners provided the necessary practical, relevant orientation; (4) networking skills were enhanced by interaction with peers; (5) continual feedback from participants provided essential guidance for curriculum development; and (6) beneficial results beyond business starts need to be included in assessments of entrepreneurial training programs. The case study reports that 264 of the 428 participants included in the study started businesses and almost all of the others secured employment or went on for other training. This study concludes with recommendations for support of future entrepreneurial educational programs for the unemployed as a way to create a climate for small business development in turbulent, changing economies.

Since the late 1980s, a growing number of higher educational institutions have adopted the philosophy of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI), commonly known in industry as Total Quality Management (TQM). Thousands of industrial organizations worldwide have practiced TQM for decades, and many have succeeded in improving quality, productivity and profitability with it. Nonetheless, reaping the benefits of this promising quality management approach presents a challenge to higher education since the academic culture differs dramatically from that of industry. The purpose of this dissertation is to examine, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the optimal implementation characteristics of CQI in colleges and universities, and in particular, the most and least successful quality practices thus far implemented in academia. The underlying model used for testing the efficacy of TQM derives from six elements of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award criteria, and consists of Leadership, Information and Analysis, Strategic Quality Planning, Faculty and Staff Involvement, Process Improvement, and Improvement Results. This dissertation comprised two stages. The first stage involved two field studies. The preliminary findings from these two studies were used to guide the development of a broader-based survey instrument. The second stage was a nationwide survey of colleges and universities that have been implementing CQI. The survey data were analyzed to examine the characteristics and effect of individual quality practices such as leadership, quality planning, faculty and staff involvement, teamwork, training, business and peer partnership, union support, reward and recognition, improvement measures, and quality system assessment, and to explore the relationship between success with CQI and these quality practices. Further, the most and least successful quality practices were identified by dividing the surveyed institutions that had implemented CQI into three groups: the Beginning Implementers, the Somewhat-experienced Implementers, and the Experienced Implementers. The findings of the study supported the hypothesis that the success of CQI in higher education depends on having a quality model for higher education that is well-developed and well-validated.

M. Ed. / There is no official management plan whereby former technical colleges in South Africa could be managed and operated strategically and efficiently. No distinction will be made between state and state aided colleges in future. The Act on Further Education and Training (Act 98 of 1998) only acknowledges two colleges of this nature for further education and training (FET), they are public and private institutions. Technical colleges will merge and continue to exist as public colleges for FET. A public college for FET will accordingly be forced to deliver proof of its physical, financial and human resources, to be declared a public college for FET. In this study, management areas were researched whereby a management plan could strategically and efficiently be developed and implemented at a college for FET. The purpose of such a management plan is to place a clear perspective on the management areas, ie. all the interested structures of a college whereby aspects of the organisational activities at a college, as well as the delivery of efficient educational and training services, can be attained. A thorough and comprehensive literary study of relevant and related literature was attempted to provide a solid theoretical foundation for the study. The result of this literary study gives a clear perspective on management areas of a management plan. Therefore such a management plan cannot only be developed but also implemented at a college for FET. A further empirical research, in the form of a questionnaire, in support of the literary study, was executed in order to determine to which extent, a college management will address managerial aspects as well as the development and applications thereof. Hypothesis was specifically directed at the context and aim of the research in order to establish not only the statistical significance of analysing the differences but also the interpretations thereof. It has been established that a management plan can be planned, developed and implemented according to a model at a public college for FET. This model poses as interaction between the management areas, levels and structures of the strategic, tactical and operational plans. The management plan is a professional and meaningful plan that sheds light on the mission, goals, objectives, priorities, policy and resources of the college, to ensure the involvement of staff members. The main objective is the understanding and aspirations of all concerned, to implement the mission and values of the college.

Thesis (MEd. (Education management and policy studies))--University of Pretoria, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.

The research investigated the problem of the apparent lack of leadership among leaders in the higher education (HE) sector in South Africa (SA). In particular, the research investigated the perception that there is a lack of transformational leadership among leaders in the public institutions of higher learning. This will compromise the leaders’ ability to manage change successfully. This problem was therefore viewed from the perspective of the changing HE landscape in SA in which institutions of higher learning are being merged or incorporated. One of the potential consequences of these mergers and incorporations is that the newly formed institutions may be challenged by a lack of appropriate leadership. The view that a lack of appropriate leadership is one of the root causes of institutions finding themselves in a precarious situation is widely supported by scholars and role players in the HE sector. The aim of this research was to establish the frequency of exhibition of transformational leadership and its behaviours, as well as to ascertain the level of transformational leadership among leaders in the HE sector. Transformational leaders are, by definition, change agents. Therefore, the research was premised on the assumption that if leaders exhibit transformational leadership and its behaviours frequently, if not always, and if their level of transformational leadership is high, then they will necessarily be able to manage change successfully. The Full Range of Leadership Styles (FRL) was adopted in that in addition to transformational leadership, the transactional and laissez-faire leadership styles were also measured. Fundamental to the FRL model is that every leader exhibits each style to some extent and that the model represents how frequently a leader exhibits a particular style of leadership. The findings of the empirical study generally indicated that the picture painted by scholars and role players in the HE sector about leadership in that sector is not as bleak as they claim, although some improvements in developing transformational leadership still have to be made. / Prof. Frans Cilliers

This dissertation presents a rich, detailed account of lived experiences of Koreans, Americans, and Korean-Americans in a multicultural Korean business organization. Guided by the coordinated management of meaning theory as the theoretical and methodological framework, this study looks at the organization as a co-created, co-evolving interactive system. Thus, it closely examines communication among the participants as everyday practices in which to explore "goings-on" in the organization. The main focus of this study is on the extent to which cultural differences afford or constrain coordination among people, and create problems such as tensions and conflict in the organization. Six episodes were reconstructed based on various stories "told" and "lived" by the participants, and presented as major "goings-on" in the organization. The main findings centered around the issues of cultural adaptation, differentiation/division/discrimination, harmony, biculturalism, and language. These issues were manifested in various instances of situated interaction. They constrained coordination and coherence, and thus contributed to the creation, sustenance and transformation of tensions and conflict within the organization. The comparative analysis of different episodes, especially revealed the intricate ways in which various patterns of interactive relationships not only emerge and sustain, but also transform over time. The dissertation has two major theoretical implications for intercultural studies. First, it supports and extends literature on general cultural patterns by illustrating detailed ways in which this general knowledge is manifested in situated moments of intercultural interaction. It shows us, in detail, the process in which a particular intercultural situation is constructed in a unique and complex way. The second implication is that this study is capable of accounting for the process of transformation. In other words, this study provides the elaborate ways in which cultural patterns not only emerge and sustain but also transform in practice. This ever changing, rather than fixed, role of cultural differences is unconvered by the comparative analysis of different episodes that occured in different time. The study also introduces the problems of bi-cultural persons in multicultural organizations.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the education and training of retail managers through management training programs in three apparel retail organizations and to inform educators and retailers about recommended retail management training practices in order to better prepare their students and employees. Methodology was based on qualitative research, using the multiple-case study method, with an open-ended questionnaire type of interview. Interviews of apparel retail managers and trainers gave insights into the objectives of the study. These objectives were to review: (a) the content of education and management training programs used by three apparel retailers, (b) the training methods, (c) the assessment tools, and (d) the evaluation techniques used in those training programs. The findings show that, since the restructuring of the selected companies during 1995 and 1996, overall educational reimbursement had decreased. Training programs used both on-the-job and classroom methods, and were conducted primarily in stores. Managers were responsible for most of the training. Participants of the study perceived the goals of their company's management training to be profit, managerial continuity, employee development, and career or self-improvement related. Assessment tools varied, with observational techniques, examinations, self-evaluations, and reviews reported. Participants commented on the lack of overall program evaluation, training consistency, and communication. Conclusions of the study indicate that apparel retail management training content was limited in technological advances and had little content pertaining to the changing demographics of employees. Methods and assessment tools used in training were conducive to learning. Program goals and objectives were not always clearly defined. Evaluations of the overall effectiveness of a training program were rarely conducted. Recommendations to retailers and educators were to: (a) update programs to meet the technological and human relation needs of a changing retail environment, (b) consider all company employees as potential trainers, (c) utilize different assessment techniques and methods of teaching, (d) standardize and evaluate training programs, (e) improve communication among retail company personnel, and (f) continue to develop curricula that include communication, feedback and assessment techniques, and field practica.

With the release of Workforce 2000: Work and workers for the twenty-first century (Johnson & Packer, 1987) which projected increased cultural diversity in the workforce; more and more organizations and organizational consultants have become interested in methods to insure that all people are respected and their talents are fully utilized in organizations. Organizational change strategies are being employed to this end. The purpose of this study is to explore and describe how a group of practitioners conceptualize the nature of their diversity work and describe the change strategies they use. Diversity work in this study is a generic term used to describe the variety of approaches commonly labeled managing diversity, valuing diversity, multicultural organization development, etc. Approaches which include as their goals, respect for all people, the removal of advantages and disadvantages in the workplace based on social group identity, and the re-creation of organizations to reflect diverse perspectives. Through a qualitative case study approach using in-depth interviews the perspectives of four practitioners are explored and shared. The practitioners were chosen through a review of the literature so as to represent approaches that have been documented in writing, and to include people with differing perspectives on the use of individual and systems focused strategies. The four participants are Asherah Cinnamon, Judith Katz, Roosevelt Thomas, and Barbara Walker. Through the interview process three areas were explored with the participants: the practitioners' personal and professional background; their philosophies of change; and their approaches to diversity work. Results of the study indicate that each of the four cases was unique in and of itself. Through each description the theory and assumptions behind the work are made more explicit. At the same time common threads are revealed that provide connections among the approaches. While each practitioner has specific goals, focus, language, and ways of thinking about the work which are articulated through the case descriptions; themes which emerge from the cross-case analysis shed light on the overall practice and also have implications for the future of this work.

The focus of this dissertation was to determine whether the values of "Familism", "Religion", and "Personalization of Interpersonal Relations" of Puerto Ricans were related to individuals' participation in their work place health promotion programs. The study was conducted in six private corporations located in the Western New England area which had work place health promotion programs on-site. The sample population of the study consisted of 84 Puerto Ricans working at these organizations. This exploratory study did not deal with hypothesis testing. It set the basis for the formulation of hypothesis to be tested in future research endeavors. The instrument used in this study consisted of a (Likert-Type Scale) questionnaire, in English and Spanish versions, that combined demographic information and the three value clusters of familism, religion and interpersonal relations that were researched. The collected data were submitted to analysis using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). Results indicated that this Puerto Rican population was very young, with 98% falling between 18-to-45-years old. There were 40 females and 43 males, one case missing. The levels of education were low, with 66% having high school or less education; and 66% worked in manufacturing. Overall, there were no gender-based differences in the responses to the questions about values. All participants agreed that their health promotion program did not include activities for the family, and all thought it should do so. In addition, participants agreed that activities were not culturally sensitive, and all thought they should be, including the availability of written materials in Spanish. Responses to questions about religion and interpersonal relations, also showed a disapproval of the health promotion program, since it failed to pay attention to these values in the planning of activities; therefore, negatively influencing the participation of the subjects in the programs. This study was significant because it looked at cultural values as one of the underlying reasons for the lack of participation of Puerto Ricans in health promotion programs. Health promotion programs designers must be culturally sensitive when designing activities for Puerto Ricans, as well as for other special populations. Recommendations for health promotion program planners are offered as first-step solutions to the low participation problem.

The subject of the thesis is to analyze the optimization of secondary schools in Varnsdorf from procedures of the preparation, negotiations and approval process, to its realization. There search is based on data obtained through two of qualitative research methods: Participatory observation Analysis of documents - artifacts The thesis conclusion is based on triangulation, the penetration of various research methods, and contains, among others, recommendations for the Ministry of Education, Department of Regional Education Offices, regional councilors, and management of schools that prepare optimization projects. Particular attention is given to the impact of the optimization on the College and Secondary School in Varnsdorf.