The study explored the relationships between role centrality, work-family culture, work-family balance and work-family conflict. Additionally, it examined the incorporation of work-family culture into border permeability as used in work-family border theory. A total of 103 participants from five organisations completed the questionnaires. Participants were employed in administrative, professional/skilled/specialist, supervisory or management positions. Data were analysed using Pearson’s Product Moment correlation and Simple Regression. Significant results were obtained between role centrality, home centrality and workfamily balance as well as work-family conflict. These were in support of Clark (2000) work-family border theory. However, work centrality produced insignificant relationships. Work-family culture produced significantly strong relationships and predictability on work-family balance and conflict. The study findings highlight a need for expansion of border theory to include work-family culture as an aspect of border permeability.

In order to establish the way in which the Grade 10 Muslim learners perceived HIV/Aids, the research was designed to expose the direction (if any) provided by the values and cultural symbols within the dominant culture of the family and the school. The enquiry was motivated by the fact that the 15-24 year age-group (of which the Muslim adolescents were a part) is still considered a most vulnerable group in terms of HIV/Aids. Although the South African Department of Education has prescribed that HIV/Aids be taught during the Life Orientation periods at schools, this has been affected by operational problems. Learners do not always have the benefit of accurate information and confident role models who are able to guide them towards responsible behavior. Anecdotal evidence pointed to the possibility that HIV/Aids were low amongst Muslims who form a comparatively high percentage in the Western Cape Province of South Africa where the study was conducted. Since the Social Cognitive Theory and the Eight Gateways or “entry points” of school culture highlight social interventions, the theoretical framework facilitated data collection and reinforced the findings. Analysis revealed that a collaborative and trustworthy relationship within the school culture that embraced parents, learners and teachers. Responses of the teachers indicated that they made use of the guidelines from the South African Department of Education and teachings of their religion. The Muslim family and school culture emphasized abstinence instead of safe sexual behavior in their teaching of HIV/Aids because of their Islamic religious background. Although the Muslim learners were aware of the dangers of irrational behavior they conceded that there were some who ignored the guidance of their parents and teachers thus succumbing to other social pressures. However, they generally appreciated the knowledge provided by their family and school culture that supported them to adapt their attitudes and behavior especially in terms of HIV/Aids. The main recommendation of this study is that HIV/Aids education may be productive if an integrative approach is implemented where communities work collectively to promote strict moral adherence that will enable learners to avoid unsafe sexual behavior and HIV-infection. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Early Childhood Education / unrestricted

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Research on military families has increased since the beginning of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; however, the research focuses on military families is general with little specific information on Black families within the military. Given the known general impact of race, this is a critical gap in the research into military families. This qualitative descriptive study explores the life of Black daughters in military families by examining the challenges and benefits of growing up as a Black daughter in a military family. There were three primary research questions asked of the participants about their experiences: 1) What challenges did you experience growing up in a military family; 2) What benefits did you experience growing up in a military family; and, 3) Do you believe that being Black affected the challenges and benefits you experienced? If so, in what way(s)? The participants also answered two additional questions of importance to social workers and health practitioners who work with military families: 1) What advice would you give to social workers who work with military families?; and, 2) What advice would you have for the military to help families address the challenges you have mentioned? The answers to the primary research questions are reviewed through the Multidimensional Model of Racial Identity (MMRI), models of systems theory, mettle, adaptability, and transformability. Consideration of the “Strong Black Woman” perspective is also examined. A look at the roles that women play as well as roles imposed on women by others is explored. Implications for social workers, health practitioners, and schools of social work are discussed, inclusive of military family culture and the importance of cultural competence in considering the intersections of a person’s life: racial identity in addition to military implications. / 2021-10-02

The dramatic changing societal demographics, increasing globalization and knowledge economics have contributed to the transformation of work family patterns. The demands of work and family roles are becoming increasingly difficult and the growing importance in organizations to develop strategies for talent attraction and retention accordingly. Given the raise of knowledge workers and who have been recognized to probably provide the competitive advantage in the coming century, this study wanted to learn more insights of knowledge workers in Taiwanese Hi-Tech Services Industry as well as their organizations on how to better manage and support the demands from both work and family domains that yield the higher degree of organizational commitment and lower the work family conflict, and further support for the business case with concrete suggestions to the companies when developing family supportive strategies and creating family supportive working environment. To summarize the purposes of the study with 3 focus areas that were to (1) investigate the correlates of work¡Vfamily benefit utilization and work¡Vfamily culture. (2) determine whether work¡Vfamily benefit availability and supportive work¡Vfamily culture were related to organizational commitment and work¡Vfamily conflict. (3) and how both work and personal characteristics impact the relations between work family conflict and organizational commitment. One of the important results was consistent with literature that work family conflict was most affected by perceptions of a positive work family culture and by support from a worker¡¦s manager. High commitment working systems and individuals¡¦ desire for segmentation moderated the practices and outcomes. Thus, the most effective organizational responses to work family conflict and organizational commitment are those that combine multiple elements, including family supportive benefits, work family culture as well as implementation of related working systems with developing a better understanding of the implications of practices for how people managing the boundary between work and non-work lives.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-06-07T12:46:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Martin Ricardo Schulz_.pdf: 5930518 bytes, checksum: 0811295b18c43f39ee61b962bb5be293 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-07T12:46:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Martin Ricardo Schulz_.pdf: 5930518 bytes, checksum: 0811295b18c43f39ee61b962bb5be293 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-27 / Nenhuma / Essa investigação considera que mais difícil do que formular estratégias é colocar em prática os planos de ação. Essa é uma dificuldade de muitas empresas, mas de forma particular das empresas vinícolas familiares da Serra Gaúcha, que poderiam adotar um modelo teórico capaz de orientar as práticas de gestão estratégica e a consecução dos propósitos corporativos. O foco do estudo é a implementação estratégica, processo integrativo, porém ainda pouco estudado, que “pavimenta o terreno” do sistema de gestão, possibilitando respostas para a questão de pesquisa proposta: Como tornar eficaz a implementação estratégica em empresas vinícolas familiares? Para tanto, o objetivo geral dessa investigação é estruturar um framework de orientação para a implementação estratégica nas empresas familiares vinícolas, com objetivos específicos, quais sejam: identificar as dimensões teóricas relevantes para o estudo desse tema; avaliar essas práticas nas empresas vinícolas familiares da Serra Gaúcha; e elaborar um arcabouço teórico como sugestão para tornar eficaz o processo nessas empresas. A estratégia de pesquisa contempla como unidade de análise o processo de execução estratégica em três vinícolas da Serra Gaúcha, através das metodologias de entrevistas qualitativas e observação participante, em que compara as respostas de diferentes posições de liderança nessas empresas, a fim de identificar perspectivas e dimensões relevantes no processo de implementação estratégica. A coleta e a análise dos dados estão divididas em oito fases e os resultados tornam transparentes dois conjuntos de elementos: (1) sob a ótica dos dirigentes das três empresas existe um conjunto de barreiras, referenciadas como o processo decisório, a execução dos processos produtivos e o conhecimento dos processos de produção; e (2) a capacidade de transformação de conhecimento tácito em explícito e a decorrente cultura familiar dessas empresas determinam a qualidade de relações interpessoais e interfuncionais do processo de implementação estratégica. À luz dos aportes teóricos, compostos de artigos do estado da arte sobre o tema desse trabalho, é possível identificar quatro perspectivas de implementação estratégica, compostas por dezesseis dimensões a considerar. De posse desses elementos, o pesquisador agrupa os conjuntos de elementos culturais, estruturais e adaptativos do processo, e acrescenta dois grupos de interconectores: a formalização e a integração estratégicas. O framework proposto identifica e reordena de forma lógica as conexões existentes entre os construtos pesquisados e os fatores que determinam a dinâmica empresarial familiar no contexto da implementação estratégica. / This research finds out that more difficult than formulating strategies are put action plans into practice. This is a difficulty of many companies, but particularly for the family wineries of south of Brazil, which could adopt a theoretical model capable of guiding strategic management practices and achieving corporate purposes. The focus of the study is the strategy implementation, an integrative but still little studied process that "paves the way" for the management system, allowing answers to the proposed research question: How to make strategy implementation of family wine companies effective? Therefore, the overall objective of this research is to structure a policy framework for the strategy implementation in family wineries, with specific objectives, namely: identify relevant theoretical dimensions to the study of this subject; evaluate these practices in the family wineries of south of Brazil; and shape a model as a suggestion to make the process effective in these companies. The research strategy considers as analysis unit the process of strategic execution in three wineries of the Rio Grande do Sul state, through methodologies of qualitative interviews and participant observation, in which it compares the responses of different leadership positions within these companies, to identify relevant perspectives and dimensions in the strategy implementation process. Data collection and analysis are divided into eight phases and the results enlighten two sets of elements: (1) from the leaders viewpoint of the three companies there is a set of barriers, referred as the decision-making process, the implementation of production processes; and (2) the transformation of tacit to collective knowledge capacity and the resulting family culture of these companies, determine the quality of interpersonal relationships and cross-functional process of the strategy implementation. Considering the theoretical contributions, made up of state of the art articles about the subject of this work, it is possible to identify four perspectives of strategy implementation, composed by sixteen dimensions to consider. With these elements, the researcher arranges the cultural, structural, and adaptive sets of elements, to which adds two groups of interconnectors: strategic formalization and integration. The proposed framework identifies and reorders logically the connections between the researched constructs and the factors that determine the family business dynamics in the context of strategy implementation.

The strive for control over employees has developed throughout the years. This paper has its focus on how normative control can work as a powerful method to create and uphold a sought for behavior. Many companies have found an interest in a higher moral stance to get competitive advantages, and offer their customers and partners a more ethical product. This phenomenon has in Sweden resulted in a sphere of companies who has earned the R-licens. The R-licens is earned by companies if they fulfill ethical and cultural criteria. This paper explores how a telemarketing company reinforce these ethical guidelines and how the company use normative control to reassure what they consider ethical behavior. The paper has a social constructionist view and the data was gathered by semi-structured interviews. The data was analyzed via discourse analysis.The conclusion is that the normative control effectively has created an environment of a ethical perspective in the company. The control is due to a dualistic surveillance (horizontal and vertical) and that the employees take a stand against external conceptions of how telemarketing works and how competing companies operate. Their beliefs and trust in their moral standings and methods of selling is better and more honest (compare to their competition) makes them justify and reinforce the culture and its surveillance over them. Their shared beliefs are so strong that actions outside the culture are unacceptable and may result in lay-offs. The contribution of this paper is a window of observation, how normative control works to ground the ethical phenomenon on the company.

Temes que relacionen la família amb el treball estan captant cada vegada més l'atenció tant del sector privat com del públic. La Unió Europea promou assumptes com la baixes motivades pels fills, l'atenció als menors, l'equilibri entre la vida personal i el treball, i la flexibilitat horària. Així mateix promou canvis a l'entorn, l'estructura i l'organització del lloc de treball. En una línea similar, una creixent pressió per part de la població ha despertat l'interès de les principals empreses per millorar l'equilibri entre ocupació i vida privada dels seus empleats. Avui dia moltes empreses destaquen les preocupacions per la qualitat de vida com un tema de prioritat social. Però on es troba l'origen d'aquesta major conscienciació dels governs i les empreses i una major voluntat d'invertir en la millora de l'equilibri feina-vida dels ciutadans i els empleats? Les causes d'aquesta major receptivitat són en general les conseqüències de canvis sociodemogràfics. A les darreres dècades les dones s'han sumat a les files dels treballadors a una escala massiva. Motivades pel moviment a favor de les dones, que va aconseguir difondre la seva reclamació per la igualtat d'oportunitats tant a l'educació com a l'ocupació, les dones ara es dediquen a tot tipus d'activitats fora de la llar. Les dones de tota Europa, per terme mitjà, ocupen el 40% de les ocupacions a temps complet i el 32% dels llocs directius. La pressió econòmica, en forma de reducció de salaris per als homes, va fer que un gran nombre de dones sortissin a treballar a temps parcial, i va obligar a homes i dones per igual a augmentar les seves jornades laborals per a poder mantenir el seu nivell de vida. L'aportació de dos sous s'ha convertit en una necessitat econòmica per a un nombre creixent de famílies. A més, cada vegada hi ha més progenitors solters, parelles a les quals ambdós tenen una carrera professional, i homes plenament dedicats a cuidar dels seus fills. Per a aquestes persones, i d'altres interessades a compaginar el treball amb la família, trobar un equilibri entre les dues esferes s'ha convertit en una qüestió primordial de la seva vida. Les empreses adopten estratègies per a superar aquests problemes tot aplicant polítiques i programes dirigits a aportar als treballadors recursos que els ajuden a compaginar la dedicació a la família amb la seva carrera professional. Les típiques pràctiques inclouen horaris flexibles, jornades laborals més breus, un lloc de treball compartit per més d'un treballador, el tele-treball, serveis d'atenció per als fills, i arranjaments especials de permisos de maternitat per poder ajudar als treballadors a satisfer les necessitats familiars i personals. Se sap que aquest tipus de pràctiques eleven el nivell de satisfacció laboral, milloren l'ètica i la motivació en el lloc de treball, redueixen l'absentisme i els índexs d'abandó; augmenten la satisfacció de la compaginació entre treball i família, i disminueixen l'estrès i els conflictes que comporta. No obstant això, diversos estudis també han revelat poca o cap relació entre els beneficis que s'ofereixen als empleats o els que usen i el conflicto família-feina. La disponibilitat formal de pràctiques família-feina per si soles tenien una modesta incidència en els resultats de valor tant en el cas dels individus com per a les organitzacions. Els experts proposen que més aviat són altres factors els quals incideixen més a l'hora de reduir el conflicte o estrès família-feina, com és el cas de rebre suport per part dels companys i dels supervisors; a més que els empleats entenguin que poden utilitzar aquestes polítiques sense témer conseqüències negatives a la seva feina ni a la seva carrera professional. Així que des de la investigació i des de la pràctica s'assenyala la importància d'anar més enllà de la formulació de practiques feina-vida cap a un canvi a la cultura de l'organització. El desenvolupament d'una cultura feina-vida que dóna suport i valora la integració del treball i la vida familiar dels empleats es converteix en una necessitat per a poder reduir la falta de sintonia entre la feina i la família. Les investigacions futures haurien de començar a fixar-se en allò que contribueix a una cultura del suport i allò que restringeix la capacitat d'una organització per a crear una cultura laboralfamiliar per als seus empleats. / Los temas que relacionan la familia con el trabajo están captando cada vez más la atención tanto del sector privado como del público. La Unión Europea promueve asuntos como la bajas motivadas por los hijos, la atención a los menores, el equilibrio entre la vida personal y el trabajo, y flexibilidad horaria. Asimismo promueve cambios en el entorno, la estructura y la organización del lugar de trabajo. En una línea similar, una creciente presión por parte de la población ha despertado el interés de las principales empresas por mejorar el equilibrio entre empleo y vida privada de sus empleados. Hoy en día muchas empresas destacan las preocupaciones por la calidad de vida como un tema de prioridad social.¿Pero dónde se halla el origen de esta mayor concienciación de los gobiernos y las empresas y una mayor voluntad de invertir en la mejora del equilibrio trabajo-vida de los ciudadanos y los empleados? Las causas de esta mayor receptividad son por lo general las consecuencias de cambios sociodemográficos. En las últimas décadas las mujeres han engrosado las filas de los trabajadores a una escala masiva. Motivadas por el movimiento a favor de las mujeres, que consiguió difundir su reclamación por la igualdad de oportunidades tanto en la educación como en el empleo, las mujeres ahora se dedican a todo tipo de actividades fuera del hogar. Las mujeres de toda Europa, por promedio, ocupan el 40% de los empleos a tiempo completo y el 32% de los puestos directivos. La presión económica, en forma de reducción de salarios para los hombres, hizo que un gran número de mujeres salieran a trabajar a tiempo parcial, y obligó a hombres y mujeres por igual a aumentar sus jornadas laborales para poder mantener su nivel de vida. La aportación de dos sueldos se ha convertido en una necesidad económica para un número creciente de familias. Además, cada vez hay más progenitores solteros, parejas en las que ambos tienen una carrera profesional y hombres plenamente dedicados a cuidar de sus hijos. Para estas personas y otras interesadas encompaginar el trabajo con la familia, encontrar un equilibrio entre las dos esferas se ha convertido en una cuestión primordial de su vida. Estrategias adoptadas por las empresas para superar estos problemas aplican políticas y programas dirigidos a aportar a los trabajadores recursos que les ayudan a compaginar la dedicación a la familia con su carrera profesional. Las típicas prácticas incluyen tiempo flexible, jornadas laborales más breves, un puesto de trabajo compartido por más de un trabajador, tele-trabajo, servicios de cuidados para los hijos y arreglos especiales de permisos de maternidad para ayudar a los trabajadores satisfacer necesidades familiares y personales. Se sabe que este tipo de prácticas elevan el nivel de satisfacción laboral, mejoran la ética y la motivación en el lugar de trabajo, reducen el absentismo y los índices de abandono; aumentan la satisfacción de la compaginación entre trabajo y familia, y disminuyen el estrés y los conflictos que conlleva. Sin embargo, varios estudios también han revelado poca o ninguna relación entre los beneficios que se ofrecen a los empleados o los que usan y el conflicto familia-trabajo. La disponibilidad formal de prácticas familia-laborales por sí solas tenían una modesta incidencia en los resultados de valor tanto enel caso de los individuos como para las organizaciones. Los expertos proponen que más bien son otros factores los que inciden más a la hora de reducir el conflicto o estrés familia-laboral, como es el caso de recibir apoyo por parte de compañeros y supervisores, además de la percepción por parte de los empleados de que puedan utilizar estas políticas sin temer consecuencias negativas en su trabajo ni en su carrera profesional. Así que desde la investigación y la práctica se señala la importancia de ir más allá de la formulación de prácticas trabajo-vida hacia un cambio en la cultura de la organización. El desarrollo de una cultura trabajo-familia que apoya y valora la integración del trabajo y la vida familiar de los empleados se convierte en una necesidad para poder reducir la falta de sintonía entre trabajo y familia. Las investigaciones futuras deberían empezar a centrarse en lo que contribuye a una cultura del apoyo y lo que restringe la capacidad de una organización para crear una cultura trabajo-familiar para sus empleados. / Work-family issues are attracting increasing attention at both the public and the private level. The European Union promotes matters such as parental leave, childcare, work-life balance, flexible working hours, and encourages changes in the environment, structure and organisation of work. Along similar lines, growing public pressure has led to interest from leading companies to improve the work-life balance of their employees. Nowadays, many companies highlight life concerns as a priority social issue. But what initiated this increased awareness of governments and companies to invest in improving the work-life balance of their citizens and employees? The origins of this augmented responsiveness are mainly consequences of socio-demographic changes. In the last decades females have entered the labour force on a massive scale. Motivated by the women's movement, which successfully expanded females' claim to equality in educational and employment opportunities, females are now engaged in all kinds of activities outside the home. On average, females across Europe hold 40% of full-time jobs and 32% of management positions. Economic pressure, in the form of wage reductions for males, required a large number of females to enter the workplace on a part-time basis, and forced both males and females to increase their overall working hours in order to maintain their living standards. Dual-earning has become an economic necessity for an increasing number of families. In addition, there are a growing number of single parents, dualcareer couples, and fathers heavily involved in parenting. For these individuals and for others interested in both work and family, balancing the two arenas has become a major life issue. Strategies adopted by companies to overcome these problems enact policies and programs aimed at providing employees with resources to help them manage their work-family lives. Typical practices include flexitime, shorter working hours, jobsharing, tele-working, childcare services and special maternity leave arrangements to help workers meet family and personal needs. Practices have been found to raise employee satisfaction; work ethics and motivation; reduce absenteeism and staff turnover rates; elevate satisfaction with the balance between work and family; and diminish related stress and work-family conflict. However, several studies also found either nonexistent or weak relationships between benefits offered or used by employees and work-family conflict. The formal availability of work-family practices alone had modest relationships with outcomes of value to both individuals and organisations. Scholars rather propose that other factors are more important for reducing work-family conflict or stress, such as having supportive colleagues and supervisors, as well as the perception that employees can use these policies without fearing negative job or career consequences. Therefore researchers and practitioners point out the importance of moving beyond the formulation of work-life practices to a change in organisational culture. The development of a work-family culture which supports and values the integration of employees' work and family lives becomes a necessity for reducing work-family mismatch. Future research should begin focussing on what contributes to a supportive culture and what constrains an organisation's ability to create a workfamily culture for its employees.

In this dissertation, the strategic planning process in a family owned firm of Saudi Arabia will be discussed. The main aim is to develop a comprehensive model of strategic planning, specific and customized to the family businesses of Saudi Arabia. The model will encompass all the factors that are unique to the Saudi Arabian family businesses, such as the family culture of Saudi business families, the interfamily dynamics that shape the strategic approach of the family and the unique market conditions or the external environment that influences the strategic planning process of family owned firms in Saudi Arabia. The literature review extensively covers the topic of strategic planning, family business dynamics and major salient features of family business described by various authors. The literature review also discusses the models of family business that define the interaction of various elements in family owned firms, their drawbacks and the gaps in applicability of these documented models to family businesses in general and specificallyt o Saudi Arabian family businessesT. he literaturer eview revealst hat there is no comprehensivem odel of strategicp lanning processf or the family owned firms that highlight all the critical factors that shape the strategic planning process and also documents uccessfufli rms that haveb enefitedf rom thesem odels. Based on an extensive survey of the family owned firms of Saudi Arabia and statistical analysis of various unique features of such firms, the most critical factors that play a major role in strategy formulation could be isolated. These critical factors helped in designing the strategic planning model for the family owned firms of Saudi Arabia. The model was practically implemented and validated in 10 family businesses of the kingdom and results confirm the applicability of this model. The model formulation and validation in the family firms of Saudi Arabia, forms the main focus of this dissertation.

「懷孕」應該是正面、美好且有益於整體國家社會的事情，對雇主也是有利的，因她們也具有「再生產」的功能，讓雇主能有源源不絕的勞動力，可惜許多雇主對懷孕婦女的偏見仍然存在，對懷孕婦女工作能力與復工意願皆有所質疑，然而國外相關研究結果卻指出若雇主能夠摒棄偏見，從一開始就願意接受懷孕婦女，提供家庭支持方案，如工作調整、彈性工時或托育措施等協助懷孕婦女，不僅能減少員工在工作與家庭間的衝突，更可保留優秀女性人才、提升組織效率與員工生產力，進而創造「勞資雙贏」的局面。 因此，本研究以我國懷孕婦女為對象來瞭解組織內家庭支持方案的實施與提供，對懷孕員工的組織承諾及產後復工時機之影響。本研究結果發現如下： 一、懷孕婦女的組織承諾偏向普通程度，並未如雇主所認為對工作不忠誠。 二、組織提供的家庭支持方案越多，懷孕婦女的組織承諾越高。組織提供越多的家庭支持方案，會影響員工對組織的情感，這些好感會轉化成對組織的忠誠。 三、工作＼家庭文化對組織承諾皆具有正向預測力。因此，組織文化是對家庭友善的文化，有助於提昇懷孕婦女的組織承諾。 四、收入低的懷孕婦女，產後復工意願較低，即使願意復工，復工時機也比較晚。對收入低的懷孕婦女來說，離職或請繼續育嬰假的機會成本比較低，並衡量市場工資與托嬰費用後，選擇留在家中照顧新生兒減輕家庭經濟負擔。 五、工作＼家庭文化「主管支持」構面與懷孕婦女產後復工意願有顯著正相關，且具正向預測力。這顯示出當公司主管能夠很敏感的注意到有家庭責任之員工的需求，並能積極提供協助與支持，則其懷孕員工在產後會更願意復工。 六、雇主提供的產假越長，懷孕婦女有更多的時間休養，產後會更願意復工。 七、雇主提供無薪產假的懷孕婦女比雇主提供全薪產假者，產後復工時機較晚。 大體上，我國經驗研究在相當程度上是支持西方國家的研究結果，但我國家庭支持方案的實施狀況仍不夠普遍。家庭支持方案的提供的確可提昇懷孕婦女的組織承諾，有助於減少離職率，大幅降低企業招募和重新訓練的成本，故我國企業應該積極引進家庭支持方案，達到勞資雙贏的結果。 / “Pregnancy” should be a positive, beautiful and beneficial thing to the society. It is also good to employers, because pregnant women provide a “reproductive” function, with which employers would not face the labor shortage. But many employers still have some prejudices against pregnant women. For instance, pregnant workers are considered not being able to concentrate on their jobs, and won’t come back to work after childbirth. In accordance with the relevant findings of the study abroad, this study found employers can abandon their prejudices, and provide family-responsive benefits, such as job adjustments, flextime or childcare programs, it can not only reduce the work and family conflicts, but also retain the women laborforce, improve organizational efficiency and productivity, thereby creating a “win-win” situation. The major findings below: 1.Pregnant workers’ organizational commitments are as normal as workers in general are. Pregnant workers are not unfaithful to employers . 2.The more family-responsive benefits employers provide, the more loyalty pregnant workers would have. 3.Work-family culture has positive impact on to organizational commitments of pregnant workers. Pregnant workers’ organizational commitments will be enhanced when the corporate culture is family-friendly. 4.Pregnant workers in low wages tend to stay at home, and won’t return to work after childbirth. Even they will return, the timing they return would be delayed. 5.If supervisors are sensitive to employee’ family and personal concerns, the pregnant workers prefer returning to work after childbirth. 6.If employers provide longer maternity leaves, pregnant workers would have enough time to take a rest, and they would tend to return to work after childbirth. 7.Pregnant workers who got unpaid maternity leaves return to work later than who got paid maternity leaves. In sum, this study supports the findings of western countries in a certain extent. But the family-responsive benefits are not popular in Taiwan. If organizations provide family-responsive benefits, pregnant workers’ organizational commitments will be enhanced. It can also reduce the turnover rate and the costs of recruitment and training. For the above reasons, the organizations in Taiwan should introduce family-responsive benefits and create a “win-win” situation.

In this dissertation, the strategic planning process in a family owned firm of Saudi Arabia will be discussed. The main aim is to develop a comprehensive model of strategic planning, specific and customized to the family businesses of Saudi Arabia. The model will encompass all the factors that are unique to the Saudi Arabian family businesses, such as the family culture of Saudi business families, the interfamily dynamics that shape the strategic approach of the family and the unique market conditions or the external environment that influences the strategic planning process of family owned firms in Saudi Arabia. The literature review extensively covers the topic of strategic planning, family business dynamics and major salient features of family business described by various authors. The literature review also discusses the models of family business that define the interaction of various elements in family owned firms, their drawbacks and the gaps in applicability of these documented models to family businesses in general and specificallyt o Saudi Arabian family businessesT. he literaturer eview revealst hat there is no comprehensivem odel of strategicp lanning processf or the family owned firms that highlight all the critical factors that shape the strategic planning process and also documents uccessfufli rms that haveb enefitedf rom thesem odels. Based on an extensive survey of the family owned firms of Saudi Arabia and statistical analysis of various unique features of such firms, the most critical factors that play a major role in strategy formulation could be isolated. These critical factors helped in designing the strategic planning model for the family owned firms of Saudi Arabia. The model was practically implemented and validated in 10 family businesses of the kingdom and results confirm the applicability of this model. The model formulation and validation in the family firms of Saudi Arabia, forms the main focus of this dissertation.