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The study was undertaken to identify factors which lead to the selection of females as public school superintendents. Previous studies in current literature appeared to concentrate on negative aspects of female exclusion in administration. Four categories encompassing possible influential factors were studied. Those categories were, (1) family influence, (2) role models, (3) motivation, and (4) personal characteristics. In order to compare female perception of these factors, a random sample of male superintendents was selected to determine whether perceptions were similar or different from those of the female superintendents. In the family influence category, the male and female sample population considered themselves most like their fathers in character and personality while a smaller percentage of male and female respondents indicated a similarity to their mothers. In the Role Model category, both male and female superintendents generally attributed their career decisions to the influence of family and non-family role models, sponsors, and mentors. In the Motivation category, both sexes appeared to be highly motivated by the desire to influence policy, and to better themselves. The majority of both sexes also agreed that they have not yet reached their ultimate career goals in educational administration. In the category of Personal Characteristics, there was little, if any, difference between male and female respondents. The male and female superintendents, as separate and combined groups, ranked four personal characteristics in the same order of importance: (1) qualifications, (2) administration experience, (3) knowledge, and (4) education. On the whole, there does not seem to be a significant difference in any of the categories; however, in specific items within each category a significant difference can be observed. Several conclusions can be drawn following this study. Because existing literature on positive influential factors is limited, this can be considered a new area. The researcher is hesitant to generalize from the conclusions about the entire public school superintendent population. The literature reveals several studies have been done to find personal characteristics common to male and female administrators. Finally, one might conclude that most of the population of superintendents may be found to have the same characteristics.

by Chan Yin Lee, Maureen. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 85-95). / Abstract also in Chinese. / TABLE OF CONTENTS --- p.ii / APPENDICES --- p.iii / LIST OF TABLES --- p.iv / LIST OF FIGURES --- p.v / ABSTRACT --- p.vi / Chapter / Chapter I. --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter II. --- Theory and hypotheses --- p.7 / Dispositional perspective - arguments and findings --- p.7 / Dispositional variables related to change orientation --- p.16 / Moderating effect of demographic characteristics - age and tenure --- p.24 / Change experience and receptivity to change --- p.29 / Chapter III. --- Research Method --- p.31 / Samples and procedures --- p.31 / Measures and instruments --- p.34 / Statistical power --- p.50 / Analysis strategy --- p.50 / Chapter IV. --- Results --- p.54 / "Means, standard deviation and correlation" --- p.55 / Regression results --- p.56 / Hypotheses testing results --- p.62 / Actual organizational change and change experience --- p.70 / Chapter V. --- Discussions --- p.72 / Limitations --- p.78 / Implications and future research --- p.80 / Conclusion --- p.83 / References --- p.85 / APPENDICES / Appendix A Frequency table of age --- p.96 / Appendix B Frequency table of industry tenure --- p.97 / Appendix C The questionnaire --- p.98 / Appendix D Standardized residual plot --- p.106 / Appendix E Normal probability plot: standardized residuals --- p.107

A central consideration in constructing a theory of the firm is the divergent preferences of managers and investors. Managers have incentives to take actions (shirk, consume perquisites) not in the best interests of the firm. Accounting reports are a primary method by which managers make assertions about their actions or the results of their actions. Auditing is a mechanism by which managers can purchase external verification of their disclosures. This dissertation develops the demand for auditing in two multiperiod environments. The first environment allows the manager to disclose with impunity. In such a case the manager's demand for auditing depends on the ability of the manager to obtain the cooperative solution without auditing. The second environment permits the investors to bring suit against a manager suspected of issuing fraudulent disclosures. In that environment, a cooperative solution can be obtained without auditing. The results of 16 experiments designed to test the analytical assertions suggests that there is a demand for auditing, regardless of whether or not legal recourse is present. Both the availability of auditing and the availability of legal recourse induces a higher level of managerial effort. The highest level of managerial effort was seen when both auditing and legal recourse were available, despite the prediction that the presence of a legal system would make auditing useless. The investors tended to overbid and the markets with auditing reduced that tendency. Truthful disclosures were generally only seen when legal recourse was available.

The purpose of the study was to examine categories of self-actualization and specific biographical and developmental factors from the data on 225 individuals selected from top and middle management by psychologists with Rohrer, Hibler and Replogle, international firm of management consultants. The investigation was designed to determine if differences existed for the two groups.

D.Tech. Organisational Leadership. Business School. / Organisations in South Africa and parastatals and semigovernmental organisations, in particular are adversely impacted upon by the low productivity of the workforce. The adverse situation invariably points to ineffective leadership. Few organisations focus on personal character, principles and moral skills, which everyone in a leadership role should possess to ensure long-term sustainable results. Improving the performance of individual organisations to the benefit of South Africa should be one of the country's highest priorities. The formulated conceptual process model could serve as a mechanism to achieve this highly complex objective.

Despite the economic significance of entrepreneurship, relatively little is known about the entrepreneur, particularly how the entrepreneur differs from the corporate manager. This problem is both cause and symptom of the discord regarding definitions of the entrepreneur, rendering sampling, research replication and generalizations about entrepreneurs problematic. As a result, inquiry has failed to adequately establish how entrepreneurs differ from managers, a problem partially stemming from a dearth of methodologically rigorous comparisons of entrepreneurs with managers. The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of psychological constructs to predict a proclivity for entrepreneurship. Moreover, differences in types of small business owner-managers were also investigated. Included in the research model were three common themes in the entrepreneurship literature: achievement motivation, risk taking propensity and preference for innovation. Also incorporated were the interactions of the psychological constructs, as well as individual and firm demographic variables.

The strategic management literature makes frequent references to the need for directing the firm's responses to <u>perceived</u> opportunities or threats in the environment. The purpose of this study is to determine if the top executives from different firms view an important environmental development differently, in terms of it being an opportunity or threat, and, if so, do these perceptions relate to organizational factors and to personal characteristics of the top executive? A model is proposed and includes organizational strategy, organizational structure, executive locus of control and behavioral response repertoire. Fourteen operational hypotheses are formulated. Thirty-six top executives of firms in the metalworking machinery and equipment industry are polled for their opinions of flexible manufacturing systems (PMS) developments. PMS refers to technology that is only now becoming available and consists of the integration of computer facilities and robotics mechanisms. Predecessors of PMS include numerically controlled machinery (NCM), computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM). The effect of locus of control on PMS perceptions is not analyzed because of measurement problems. Correlation analyses reveal that organizational strategy, some aspects of organizational structure, and certain characteristics of the top executive are related to PMS perceptions at close-to-significant levels. Cluster analysis is applied to the data on strategy and structure to identify groups of firms on the basis of the similarity in their strategy-structure features. Executives' perceptions of PMS are compared across groups, and certain combinations of strategy type and structural characteristics relate to more opportunistic perceptions, although not at significant levels. The results of the statistical findings are discussed and an interpretation offered. Suggestions for future research on strategic issue perceptions are proposed. / Ph. D.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / Hierdie artikel bied 'n teoretiese oorsig van stres en streshantering in die korporatiewe omgewing. Die artikel begin met 'n kort oorsig van die historiese ontwikkeling van die streskonsep, gevolg deur 'n kort bespreking van die konsep streshantering. Vervolgens word verskeie faktore wat tot stres in die werkplek bydra, in oënskou geneem. Dit word opgevolg deur 'n bespreking van stres wat kenmerkend is van bestuursposisies en 'n kort oorsig van onlangse navorsing oor streshanteringsprogramme. Sommige van die probleme wat met navorsing oor streshanteringsprogramme ondervind word, word kortliks oorweeg. Die artikel word afgesluit met 'n poging om, op grond van gepubliseerde bevindings, te illustreer watter stresverminderende intervensies doeltreffend is en watter nie. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie artikel bied 'n teoretiese oorsig van stres en streshantering in die korporatiewe omgewing. Die artikel begin met 'n kort oorsig van die historiese ontwikkeling van die streskonsep, gevolg deur 'n kort bespreking van die konsep streshantering. Vervolgens word verskeie faktore wat tot stres in die werkplek bydra, in oënskou geneem. Dit word opgevolg deur 'n bespreking van stres wat kenmerkend is van bestuursposisies en 'n kort oorsig van onlangse navorsing oor streshanteringsprogramme. Sommige van die probleme wat met navorsing oor streshanteringsprogramme ondervind word, word kortliks oorweeg. Die artikel word afgesluit met 'n poging om, op grond van gepubliseerde bevindings, te illustreer watter stresverminderende intervensies doeltreffend is en watter nie.

Much of the previous research on organizational performance deals with the larger businesses. As such, the owner/managers of small firms and researchers interested in small businesses have had to work with planning models which were not formulated with small businesses in mind. Therefore, the general purpose of this study is to help correct this deficiency and add to the body of knowledge concerning the contributions specific factors make toward increasing the performance of small firms. Specifically, selected managerial personality traits, managerial perceived environmental uncertainty, managerial scanning habits, and managerial goal setting activities are utilized to develop three models. The three models are used to determine the relationship the factors have to each other and the contribution the variables make toward the performance of the firm. The firms included in this study are located in a South Central metropolitan area. The firms have between 2 and 100 employees, sales of less than 3 million dollars, and have been in operation 2 years or longer. This study utilizes regression analysis and path analysis to determine the effects the factors have on each other and their contribution to the firm's performance. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSSx) is utilized to run the regression analysis. An Analysis of Linear Structural Relationships by the Method of Maximum Likelihood (LISREL) is utilized for the path analysis. Using path analysis, the third model demonstrates a total coefficient of determination for structural equations of 0.09. However, only two of the four factors have a t value of 2.0 or greater. The study also indicates the personality trait of dogmatism is inversely related to managerial scanning -.349 p <.01. Perceived environmental uncertainty is negatively correlated to performance at -.215 p <.05. None of the remaining factors demonstrated significant relationship to the firm's performance.