Text in German / Summary in German and English / Die vorliegende Studie untersucht den missionarischen Gemeindeaufbau in kleinen Gemeinden anhand von acht Interviews mit Pastoren kleiner Pfingstgemeinden, welche anhand der Methode von Grounded Theory und Teilen der SWOT-Analyse ausgewertet wurden. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Diskussion um den missionarischen Gemeindeaufbau in kleinen Gemeinden anzuregen, wie auch das Potenzial kleiner Gemeinden sichtbar zu machen. Nach einer thematischen Einführung entlang eines historischen Überblicks über die Paradigmen der Weltmission und der Beleuchtung der aktuellen Diskussion um den missionarischen Gemeindeaufbau, wird nach einer kurzen Einführung der Methoden auf die Resultate der Auswertung der Interviews eingegangen. Danach werden diese anhand von SWOT analysiert. Die daraus resultierenden Strategievorschläge werden dann abschliessend ins Gespräch mit der behandelten Literatur gebracht. / The present essay investigates the missionary church building of small churches by means of eight interviews with ministers of small pentecostal churches evaluated by the method of Grounded Theory and parts of the SWOT analysis. The aim of this essay is to stimulate the discussion about the missionary church building in small churches as well as make appear the potential of small churches. A thematic introduction along with a historical survey over the paradigm of the world-wide mission and examining the current discussion about the missionary church building of the church is followed by a short introduction of the methods. Then the results of the interview evaluations are entered in and analysed by SWOT. Finally the conclusions of the strategic suggestions are brought under dialogue with the literature that has been dealt with. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th. (Missiology)

Women working in male-dominated professions and environments face experiences that are unique to their counterparts in more gender-balanced and female-dominated professions. The nature of these experiences affects women’s integration and potential success in male- dominated professions. To enhance employment equity in historically male-dominated professions and environments, an understanding of women’s experiences in such environments is beneficial. The purpose of this research was to explore the challenges and coping strategies of women working within male-dominated professions and environments. This was an exploratory qualitative study conducted within the interpretive research paradigm. A purposive sample consisting of five women working in identified male-dominated professions and environments was utilised. In-depth interviews were conducted and data was analysed using grounded theory. The main findings indicate that the central theme pertinent to women working in male-dominated professions and environments pertains to the types of challenges inherent in their work settings. The main challenges found were as follows: discrimination and bias; physical and health-related difficulties experienced; negative emotions resulting from working in male-dominated environments; lack of real transformation; and work/life balance. This study provides current insight into the plight of women working in male-dominated professions and environments in South Africa. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Many smaller ports in Cornwall and Devon (CAD) are situated in environmentally sensitive habitats and generate benefits for stakeholders and local communities. Such ports are often embedded in tourist based economies. Increasing environmental legislation is placing a strain on the resources of smaller ports making compliance a threat to profitability and thus the future of some ports and local economies. Over-reliance on environmental management systems (EMS) across the ports industry has predominated over the importance of holistic sustainability. This project develops and disseminates a port sustainability management system (PSMS) in CAD, assisting ports to plan marine and maritime operations more sustainably, to facilitate mitigation of potential risks, to increase knowledge and awareness of port sustainability, and to promote the adoption of a proactive stance towards sustainable port management. A constructivist philosophy suited a multiple methods research design which included ethnographic content analysis (ECA), statistical verification of qualitative coding, nine scoping interviews, and eight semi-structured interviews during the main phase of data collection. The seven Harbour Masters (HMs) in this phase represented all port governance types found in the UK. Charmaz’s grounded theory (GT) methodology guided the collection and analysis of primary data between August 2012 and February 2013 to create new theory using an inductive constructivist approach. Validation by fifteen of the thirty local HMs during industry testing revealed numerous advantages and benefits of deploying PSMS which is estimated to generate £50,000 worth of benefits per port annually, and £3,865,005 for the 15 participating ports over 5 years. A new model of smaller port sustainability has emerged. PSMS has eleven pillars of sustainability which underpin the spectrum of port operations. Within this model, each pillar is equally important in contributing to the overall sustainability of a port, and neglect of one could jeopardise sustainability overall and potentially cause a chain reaction with other pillars.

Adapt or die. En omvärld i ständig rörelse ställer högre krav än någonsin på organisationer att utveckla sitt förändringsarbete och sättet man ser på förändringar, något som lett till att fenomenet "organisationsförändringar" blivit ett fokusområde för organisationsforskare. Inom denna forskning framhävs inte sällan vikten av att ta ställning till hur anställda tar emot, och påverkas av, detta förändringsarbete. En typ av förändringar som dock förblivit outforskade är väntade förändringar, förändringar där de anställda vet att en förändring kan komma att ske men inte när eller hur den kommer ske. Inom idrotten återfinns en viss typ av organisationer, elitidrottsföreningar, som ställs inför väntade förändringar med jämna mellanrum. Dessa situationer uppkommer när föreningarna omplaceras i det standardiserade seriesystem som återfinns i Sverige och ställs inför kraftigt omväxlande ekonomiska förutsättningar. För att kunna hantera denna osäkerhet förutsätts att organisationen konstant står redo att genomföra omvälvande förändringar, enbart baserat på föreningens sportsliga resultat. Syftet med uppsatsen är att skapa en förståelse för de anställdas reaktioner vid situationer av omplacering och väntad förändring. För att uppnå syftet utgick uppsatsen ifrån bristen på forskning och sökte, med hjälp av metoden Grundad teori, producera en serie väl underbyggda frågeställningar baserade i studiens fynd. Frågeställningarna producerades sedan via fyra semi-strukturerade intervjuer inom två olika elitidrottsföreningar. Resultatet visar på att en utbredd acceptans för väntade förändringar återfinns hos anställda inom elitidrottsföreningar. Uppsatsens fynd grundades i data från respondenterna och sammanställdes via en resultatmodell innehållandes en kärnkategori och fyra underkategorier. Uppsatsen erbjuder således, via metodvalet, en nyproducerad infallsvinkel på en situation som många organisationer inom idrotten – men även utanför – kan komma att ställas inför. / Adapt or die. With the world around them constantly evolving, organizations are facing more pressure than ever before to develop the way they look at the process of change. This has led to the phenomena "organizational change" becoming popular amongst organizational researchers. Within this research, the perspective of the employee affected by the change is often referred to as important. One type of change that has remained relatively untouched by this research is expected change, meaning change where the employee is aware that change is coming but without knowledge of when or how these changes will occur. Within the realm of sports a type of organization can be found, the elite sporting association, that is forced to deal with expected change from time to time. This occurs when the sporting associations are relocated within the standardized divisional system found in Sweden, resulting in significant changes to the associations economic conditions. To manage this, these organizations are in a constant state of readiness; ready to, at a moments notice, conduct sweeping changes to its structure solely in response to the associations success within the division. The purpose of this essay is to create an understanding of how employees react to situations of divisional relocation and expected change. To achieve this purpose, the essay used the lack of previous research as a starting point and sought to, by use of the qualitative method Grounded Theory, produce a set of relevant questions on the matter, supported by the data. These questions were produced through four semi-structured interviews on two different elite sporting associations. The results indicated a widespread acceptance of expected change among the elite sporting associations employees. Findings of the study were grounded in the data extracted from participants of the study and was presented in a results model containing a core category and four sub-categories. Through its choice of method this essay provides a fresh take on a situation that could affect many organizations, both within the realm of sports and outside it.

Thesis (PhD (Curriculum Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / This dissertation is an interpretive analysis of the professional experiences of six beginning Home Economics teachers in Malawi. The specific aim of the study was to explore the opportunities, challenges and problems of the teachers in their first year of teaching. The data for the study were developed using a triangulation of five research methods, including a questionnaire, face-to-face interviews, classroom observations, teachers’ reflective diaries and focus group discussions. Grounded theory was used as the methodology and analytical framework of the study. Research in teacher education acknowledges that learning to teach is a complex process (Calderhead & Shorrock, 1997; Flores, 2001; Flores & Day, 2006; Solmon, Worthy & Carter, 1993) and that the first year of teaching has a very important impact on the future careers of beginning teachers (Stokking, Leender, De Jong and Van Tarwijk, 2003; Solmon et al., 1993). The transition from the teacher training institution to the secondary school classroom is characterised by a type of reality shock in which the ideals that were formed during teacher training are replaced by the reality of school life (Lortie, 1975). The results in this study point at the school context as the ‘reality definer’ in the professional experiences of the teachers. The findings also support previous studies of beginning teachers which have emphasised the vulnerability of beginning teachers and show the first year of teaching as a ‘sink or swim experience’. However, the results show a unique relationship between the school context and school expectations. In this dissertation I contend that it is this relationship that was fundamental to the professional experiences of the six beginning Home Economics teachers. In the dissertation I present a three-stage substantive-level theory of the beginning teachers’ experiences and argue for the redefinition of the perception of teacher learning in Malawi: from a definition of pre-service teacher education as teacher learning, to teacher learning as a ‘triadic process’ comprised of teacher education, school induction and continued professional development.

The purpose of this study was to address the under-researched theme of achievement among students in a post 1992 university in the UK. The findings are based on a case study of a cohort of first year (FY) undergraduates in a science department in a post 1992 university. Three key research approaches were deployed within this case study, namely, grounded theory, phenomenography and survey research. These three distinctive approaches have been framed within a broad interpretivist perspective in which subjectivity is managed through researcher positionality and the triangulation of data where appropriate. The research findings demonstrate that the point of registration at higher education (HE) institutions does not constitute a successful student because such a constitution is a process of becoming, involving complex meaning-making processes over time. These processes are characterised by a movement from 'outsider and potential achiever' to 'insider and reflexive achiever'. Important phases within this movement are those of: attending; being engaged and solving self-identified difficulties. In the light of the evidence gathered and the review of the existing scholarship, a detailed exploration and theorisation of these phases is offered. The preoccupation with students who fail in some way has led to a lack of research into those who succeed. This research has sought to overcome this lack by exploring the active meaning-making processes that lead undergraduates to achieve. A dynamic is identified between students' reflexive management of their FY experience and aspirations to achieve and the institutional context. This dynamic is also held to undermine the notion of students as customers awaiting satisfaction, suggesting instead that students be regarded as reflexive actors in the shaping of undergraduate achievement. This study presents a novel alternative to the prevalent deficit model in the relevant research which tends to treat students as passive bearers of diverse levels of readiness for undergraduate study. It also offers an alternative to the prevailing research on why students fail to progress or stay at university.

本文旨在探索被「常識化」、「瑣碎化」的一般人的聆聽感受與詮釋，以十二位大學生對歌曲〈菊花夜行軍〉的聆聽論述為分析對象，希望從他們所敘說的「個人真實」中，探究「聆聽者對自身聆聽經驗賦予意義的歷程」。本文具體的研究問題有二：首先，聆聽者如何與一首歌曲文本進行「互動」，將「非語意」的音樂聲響與聆聽感受賦予意義？這些意義是透過哪些敘說類型表達出來？其次，形塑聆聽意義的關鍵因素為何？這些因素如何發生作用？ 研究結果發現，人們置身音樂聲響的環抱之初，感受到的是「渾沌」的情緒現身：一種「身處陌生的音樂聲響，意識不知該指向何方」的狀態。為了「領會/理解」自己所聽到的音樂文本「是什麼」，聆聽者朝向自身的「先前理解」尋求答案。在獲得「領會/理解」的歷程中，聆聽者以「分段呼應聲響線索」、「綜合聆聽感受為一意境」、「提出主觀評價」、「拼湊語意線索」、「參照已知歌詞做詮釋」等「意義建構模式」與文本進行互動，此時「先行具有」與「先行掌握」就像折射鏡，讓聆聽者看到當下自己所「先前見到」的聲響線索和語意線索，與自身過去的生命經驗有何牽連。同時間，聆聽感受也就在自身「先前理解」的映照下逐漸「語意化」、「邏輯化」，而獲得具體的意義。這些意義透過各種「意義建構類型」具體地轉化為言語，而以「聯想故事/意象/意境」、「共感性格」、「形式樣態」、「主觀評價」等「譬喻校正」的語彙，以及「提出形式術語」、「搜尋語意線索」、「參照歌詞詮釋」等相對明確的敘說方式給出。 簡言之，「音樂聆聽經驗的意義建構」就像是「究竟」與「認識」的歷程，在此之中，聆聽意義在辨證與給出的過程中與原初的「渾沌情緒」逐漸脫鈎。然而，儘管「音樂聆聽經驗的意義建構」不能充分表達聆聽者當下的體會，但這不表示聆聽者所敘說、分享的故事與感覺不夠「原真」而沒有價值；相反地，聆聽者以自身的意識與生命經驗與文本彼此呼應，從而給作品多采多姿的意義，不但豐富了音樂的價值，更讓聆聽者藉此了解到作品與自身的關係，並且從意義的映照當中，看見自己某個當下的處境、價值與慾求。 / The purpose of this thesis is to explore people’s listening experience, and to establish an interpretative grounded theory about the process of personal musical meaning construction, which is usually thought to be trivial. Several research questions are to be answered under the research purpose above: First, how do listeners interact with a piece of music and locate certain personal meanings in minds for the originally non-semantic acoustic sounds? Second, in which ways are these personal meanings given by oral narrations? Third, what’s the crucial factor affecting listeners’ idea about their feelings? How does the factor influence the process of meaning construction? To answer these questions, the researcher interviewed 12 college students, asking them to talk about their personal views toward one musical text: Labor Exchange Band’s song titled “The Night March of the Chrysanthemums” before and after reading the lyrics. The collective narratives indicate that interviewees felt an ineffable “chaos” state, in which they tried to position their consciousness, once embraced in the sonorous envelop of the musical text. To understand what and why some feelings were aroused in their mind, interviewees searched for the “pre-understanding” themselves, and then the “pre-possession” and the “pre-grasp” in their personal life experience let them make sense of certain “musical attributes” in the musical text, such as melody, harmony, rhythm, timber, language, linguistic meaning. Moreover, the interaction between these musical attributes and listeners’ pre-understanding invented some acoustic or semantic clues, and then produced vivid meanings for the previous chaos listening experience. On the other hand, the personal musical meanings were given in three ways: First, the interviewees expressed their feelings by “metaphorical correction”, which consists of the following four kinds of narrative form: “Associated story, image, or one abstract artistic conception”, “synesthesia character”, “formal condition” and “subjective judgment”. Second, they identified what they had heard by “formal jargons”, which are taken by generally musicological common consensus. Third, they elaborated their musical meanings by “semantic clues” identified by cultural system they aware of, as well as the lyric content they had just caught. In sum, the process of musical meaning construction is like a journey of making sense what the listener has heard within personal psychological history. In the process, the fluid meaning interpreted by the listener might be different from the primitive moved arousal. However, it doesn’t indicate that the reflective discourses are not “authentic” enough or too trivial. On the contrary, the idiosyncratic narratives from private life experience not only bestow diverse values on the musical text, but also represent the relationship between the listener and the music, mirroring the interpreter’s condition, value and desire at a particular moment.

本研究探討聯盟對組織在組織改變的影響，並分類為「直接改變」和「間接改變」，前者代表廠商參與策略聯盟，配合契約與任務而產生的改變；後者則是聯盟事件結束後，廠商著眼於內部長期發展所產生的自願改變行為。 針對這兩個現象分別進行驗證性個案與探索性的紮根分析，共訪問了十二家個案。首先從「資源依賴」與「制度同形」的角度觀察廠商形成聯盟的誘因觀點，發現除了要降低資源交換過程的依賴性及創造聯盟夥伴的互賴關係，組織還需要應付聯盟所帶來的強制和規範同形要求以達成與外部環境的配適。而聯盟事件中，雙方整合的「共同行動」和為延續合作的「關係承諾」，乃是具有依賴與同形特色的行為，因此「共同行動」（細分為契約性共同行動及持續性共同行動）和「關係承諾」（我方關係承諾）是組織產生「直接改變」的主因。 直接改變的過程與內容是漸進式的小規模調整，也是計畫性的命令式改變，牽涉到的單位與成員較少，是一種鑲嵌於既有營運架構的活動，主要改變項目為與人員和資源配置相關的人事、工作制度與實體流程等外顯構面。 此外聯盟可能提供了主事者參考的啟示，重新思考組織設計和營運邏輯，在維持直接改變成果（聯盟所帶來的績效水準、學習經驗和內化專屬性投資），透過內部流程的銜接性和業務的相似性，對於既有績效或功能有所缺失的單位進行「間接改變」。而本身具備「潛在轉型需求」、「制度化程度」較低且「決策集權化程度」較高的組織，才較可能透過主事者的推動產生「間接改變」。 「間接改變」代表組織對既有營運模式的大規模調整與轉型，是一種第二階的大規模改變行動，但實行的過程中，需要不斷的試誤，是一種漸進式的計畫性改變，不過改變的執行仍需取得相關成員的共識。其改變內容牽涉到內隱的「組織設計」、「組織文化」與「策略方向」。而「間接改變」在高階發動後，也需要培養全組織「行動能力」，改變「權力」狀態及「價值承諾」的「醞釀期」。 最後本研究也比較這兩種改變的型式與成因，並分別從成本和利益觀點來說明研究結果在文獻及實務上的相關回應與建議。

<p>Purpose/Aim: The aim of this paper is to study how guild leaders in World of Warcraft (WOW) and leaders of real life organizations compare in terms of tasks, every-day experiences, environment, responsibilities and motivation. This comparison is used to build a new theory describing leadership in Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs).</p><p>Material/Method: The paper uses the grounded theory approach to build a new theory. 12 interviews were conducted, six with WOW guild leaders and six with leaders of real life organizations. The Four Capacities Framework and the Leadership Grid were used to analyze and compare the results of the interviews.</p><p>Main results: Leadership in MMORPGs is as complex and challenging as real life leadership with the difference that it stresses the internal relationships of the organization very much while neglecting outside relations to a big extend. Guild leadership is in many ways similar to real life leadership as both require long term political decisions, policy setting and good work in the field of human resources. However, it stresses the ability to build working social relationships and to motivate using only digital communication. Some aspects of real life leadership like customer orientation and an organizational instance over the leader like an owner or share holders that the leader is responsible to are not existent.</p>

Health care providers (HCPs) who work in adult palliative care occasionally encounter children who have a parent who is dying. This grounded theory (GT) study examines how adult palliative care providers respond to the needs of children who have a parent in palliative care. I use Adele Clarke’s (2005) situational analysis method, a postmodern iteration of GT. Clarke’s situational map acts as an analytical tool to identify and analyze different actors and elements in the situation of concern. Five semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with adult palliative care providers. Provisional theorizing resulted in three sub processes emerging from the data. First, adult palliative care providers must be cautious when identifying and responding to the needs of children who have a parent in palliative care, particularly because of the nefarious presence of dominant grief discourse (DGD). Second, these same adult palliative care providers, who are often distressed when supporting children who have a dying parent, benefit when they get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Third, adult palliative care providers tend to see themselves as part of a larger interdisciplinary team that informs their interactions with children who have a parent in palliative care. The entire analysis is imbued with a critical perspective of DGD, including its race, gender and class dimensions. This critique of DGD is informed by Foucauldian interpretations of discourse, power and subjectivity. Opportunities for resistance and social justice are explored. In accordance with my own research paradigm, I make a concerted effort to render my influence as a researcher visible throughout. / Graduate / 0452 / ianbscott@gmail.com