The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of financial knowledge and selected demographic characteristics on student retention from the second to the third year at a public research university in the southern region of the United States. The accessible population was defined as students in the Fall 2013 entering freshman cohort who were enrolled in the Spring 2015 semester. Measurements including the independent variable represented by the financial knowledge score and 17 other independent variables were collected using a survey instrument and downloaded data from the universitys electronic student information system. A total of 695 students responded, and these data were analyzed utilizing appropriate descriptive measures and stepwise multiple discriminant analysis. Of the 695 students who responded to the survey, 665 or approximately 96 percent of the students did persist from the second to the third year while the remaining 30 or approximately 4% of the students did not persist. The mean score on the financial knowledge instrument was 68 percent with scores ranging from 15 percent to 100 percent. Financial knowledge did not have an impact on student retention from the second to the third year in this study. However, further study is recommended on this relationship and the instrument should be administered to a larger sample size and retention evaluated beyond the second to the third year. A model was identified that increased the ability to correctly classify university students on whether the student did or did not persist from the second to the third year. The model correctly classified 95.7 percent of the students on their retention status. The three variables that entered the model were: high school GPA, college GPA, and on/off-campus living. Residency status and the amount of loan debt were related to student retention. Students whose race was Black or African American persisted at a lower rate than other races. Additionally, students who lived off-campus were retained at a higher rate than students who lived on-campus. This conclusion is contrary to previous studies and much of the available research.

Research is increasingly acknowledging the pivotal role of national human resource development (NHRD) in economic development. There is a growing call to conduct research in country-specific contexts to further explore this concept and the factors that influence its outcomes. The concept differs from one country to another; therefore, many HRD studies focus on one country. However, few have focused on the Middle East region, and there has been even less research on Oman. The aim here is to fill this research gap by analysing Oman’s HRD practices. Specifically, the intent is to identify the gap in skillsets in Oman and to develop an NHRD model that is appropriate for the country’s economic requirements for national skills development.

This thesis aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of human resource management (HRM) within cruise ship organizations. The cruise ship industry is one of the fastest developing sectors within the tourism industry. Therefore, it should come as little surprise that the demand for seafaring human resources has also grown. Assuming that effective management of crew members is key to the effective operation of cruise ships, the specifics and challenges for HRM in this particular organisational context are identified and analysed as well as the realities of the roles and relations of the shipboard HR function examined. The present study is original in its theoretical approach, as it brings two approaches together which obviously are not linked. Ulrich’s model talks about roles and the study used aspects of this framework in terms of the position of HRM. Goffman’s concept of total institutions was also consulted in order to frame internal business-specific conditions and social relations. The combination of both approaches allows for the examination of HR roles and professional relations in a much more detailed and contextualised manner. The cruise industry is acknowledged as being under-researched, and this is all the more true for research on HRM in this specific sector. Therefore, the nature of the research in this study is empirical and framed within an explorative approach. The analysis is based on a single case study within one cruise ship owner company, in which 23 semi-structured interviews were performed; there is also the use of ethnographic field notes recorded during a three-month assignment on one of the company’s cruise ships. The thesis contributes to the existing literature in three ways. Firstly, the research analyses shoreside HR and how it is coping with various business-specific challenges, i.e. high growth rates, a high demand for new cruise ship employees, high turnover rates of crew members and a distinctive context of ethnic and national diversity. The analysis reveals that the HRM approach of the cruise shipowner company could be characterised as generally reactive and short-term in focus, a pure strategic orientation is absent. Secondly, the thesis examines the content of shipboard HR work. The study reveals that the main focus of the shipboard HR function is on tactical HR work, especially training and development, employee relations, and advisory role in relation to shipboard leaders. The shipboard HR role includes HR activities that are not usually provided by HR business partners, such as the facilitation of training. This and the intense liaison between the shipboard HR function and its shoreside HR partners make shipboard HR work somewhat unique. Whereas a huge amount of transactional HR work does not necessarily add value to the business, strategic HR work is practically non-existent on cruise ships. Finally, the thesis examines the realities of HR roles and relations on board cruise ships. The analysis demonstrated that HRM on board cruise ships can currently be summarised as reactive and short-term in focus, and the strategic partner role is practically non-existent. It is more a series of functions with different stakeholders contributing to it in a variety of ways and with overlap in terms of task executions. This shared nature of HR adds complexity to the HRM approach. Furthermore, strong influential links from shoreside HR were identified, which undermines the ability of the shipboard HR function to become a stronger partner of the business. Nevertheless, the analysis revealed the potential in this specific sector for enhancements and for the further development of HRM on cruise ships.

Thesis (MTech (Human Resource Management))--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2003 / Co-operative education is an important sub-system of education that plays an essential role in the development of students' critical and creative thinking skills. The idea behind any co-operative education programme is that students alternate their academic periods at the academic institution with periods in the world of work, with the aim of implementing their theoretical knowledge in practical situations. The Co-operative Education lecturer plays an integral role in the co-operative education programme. He is an indispensable link in the interaction between the student the employer and the academic institution. The changing circumstances in South Africa's labour and education sectors warrant research into methods of improving current education systems and processes. A better understanding of what exactly a Co-operative Education lecturer is responsible for can lead to an improvement of the co-operative education process. Before the researcher undertook this study, there was no specific scientifically established model pertaining to the profile of a Co-operative Education lecturer in South Africa. Therefore, there were no set guidelines for the effective recruitment, remuneration, training and assessment of such a person. The objectives of this study were fourfold: • To define the current role, responsibilities, personality traits, abilities, characteristics, types of experience and level of qualifications of a Co-operative Education Lecturer. • To establish a profile of an ideal Co-operative Education Lecturer. • To create a job description that can be used as a guideline for the effective recruitment, remuneration, assessment and training of Co-operative Education Lecturers. • To identify areas for further research. The researcher investigated the roles and responsibilities; personality traits; abilities and characteristics; types of experience; and qualifications needed by the Co-operative Education Lecturer to complete his job successfully. From the investigation it is evident that the Co-operative Education Lecturer's function in the total co-operative education process is multi-dimensional. He plays an integral role in the effective functioning of the co-operative education programme and is an indispensable link in the interaction between the student, the employer and the academic institution. A profile of a Co-operative Education Lecturer was created as part of the research project This profile can be seen as a benchmark for Co-operative Education Lecturers in South Africa. The profile made it possible to obtain a holistic picture of the Co-operative Education Lecturer and what is expected of him to ensure that the co-operative education process is implemented successfully. The job description developed as a product of the research can be utilised as a tool in the effective recruitment, remuneration, training and assessment of Co-operative Education Lecturers in South Africa

The cyphers dont lie: women remain significantly underrepresented in positions of authority across the United States, despite their nearly equal representation in the labor force. Gender bias has been proposed as one of the major reasons for the disparity in leadership roles between men and women. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study was to investigate whether gender bias influenced facultys perceptions of leadership effectiveness at a Research 1 (R1) Doctoral institution in the southeastern United States when high-ranking university leaders made mistakes, and how type of error, diversity climate, and gender of subordinate affected this relationship. Two scenarios were created based on real-life examples provided by academic leaders via interviews, and each scenario was led by either a male department director or a female department director, for a total of four test conditions: 1) relationship error committed by a female leader, 2) relationship error committed by a male leader, 3) task error committed by a female leader, and 4) task error committed by a male leader. The study findings did not conform to the predictions formulated based on the literature review. Gender of leader was not found to significantly influence subordinate perceptions of leader effectiveness when mistakes were made (H1). Likewise, whether the error was task-oriented or relationship-oriented (H2), and whether the participant was male or female (H3) did not produce differential ratings of leader performance based on gender. Although diversity climate did significantly relate to perceptions of leader effectiveness, it did not interact with gender of leader, failing to support hypothesis 4. Explanations for these findings, as well as their implications and directions for future research are presented.

Ph.D. / The purpose of this study was to explore the lived reality of the work of Human Resource practitioners in South Africa in relation to the socio-economic context of their organisations and to consider how appropriate or not their responses might be to the impacts of that context on their work. This was explored through a qualitative study wherein interviews with 50 volunteer practitioners from all types of organisations spread across the country were conducted and compared to views of 17 informed commentators in this field. It was found that the work of Human Resource practitioners is signficantly impacted by social and economic factors external to the workplace, but that the current response by practitioners is probably not as appropriate as it could or should be. A role for human practitioners as “social activists” was identified and factors influencing whether such a role is played were explored. Frameworks of appropriate actions are proposed at both strategic and individual contributor level to support this role. The role of Human Resource professional bodies in addressing social issues in South Africa is challenged and a framework proposed to improve the extent to which leadership is given to Human Resource practitioners and to increase the visibility and voice of the profession in contributing to alleviation of societal problems. Recommendations for implementation of the proposed frameworks are proposed. One of the most significant recommendations is for Continuing Professional Development to provide coaching support based on Constructive-Developmental theory to enhance the ability of Human Resource practitioners to cope with the high levels of complexity that they encounter in their roles. Further research into a proposed model of influencing factors in the social activist role is recommended.

M.Tech. / Globalisation and the advent of new technology have tremendously changed the role of the HR practitioner in both the public and private sectors. Traditionally, in the public sector, the role of HR practitioner was reactive and focused on operational matters and maintenance, such as salary and leave processing. With changes in technology, the HR practitioner is no longer considered to be an agent for the sole purpose of hiring and firing employees in the public sector. This changing role of an HR practitioner requires an in-depth analysis of its effectiveness. This is because there is a resurgence of interest in the pre-eminence of people management skills and the major strategic role HR practitioners can play in the public sector. The purpose of this study was to investigate how HR practitioners can add value to government service delivery and be recognised as strategic role players. The study used qualitative research method and used focus groups for data collection. The participants were drawn from three departments in the South African public sector. The study found that the implications for the changing role of HR practitioners from operational to strategic involve: retraining and empowerment of staff; change management; and reduction in administrative roles. The study recommended that the role of the HR practitioner in public sector be strategic and not limited to the nuances of ad hoc assignments. This assertion stems from the research findings that the HR practitioner has a major role to play in effecting change, and therefore must be regarded as a strategic role player. The study concluded that the role of HR practitioners is critical and the public sector cannot meet its organisational goals should this role be undermined.

Magister Educationis - MEd / This study investigated how workplace educator development programmes prepare workplace educators for their roles and responsibilities in facilitating learning in the workplace. Framed by the literature, the research shows that workplace educators’ qualifications prepare them for facilitating learning in the workplace. The most important findings show that their qualifications have prepared them for their roles and responsibilities in facilitating transformative learning within the workplace. Furthermore, the findings show that their qualifications, roles and responsibilities in facilitating learning in the workplace also impacted on workplace educators’ own thinking, prompting them to question their own values and beliefs. This perspective transformation allows for workplace educators better facilitating transformative learning in the workplace.

The collective group of resources that are accessible to an individual because of people within his/her social network is known as social capital. Social capital becomes more valuable when an individual sees that it can help with goal achievement. This is especially true with college-aged students who are deciding on academic major, career path and if should persist or dropout. The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of social network characteristics on the perceived social capital value (SCV) and career decision-making self-efficacy (CDMSE) among freshman college students enrolled at a research university. This present study examined how a students social network characteristics are related to their perceived SCV and CDMSE. The researcher measured bonding network size, bridging network size, overall network size, multiplex network size, network density and network homophily as the social network characteristics of interest. The Name Generator and the short-form of the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy scale (CDMSE-SF) were administered to 122 freshman students who resided in three different on-campus living communities (traditional, career exploration residential college and agriculture residential college) to measure their perceived social network characteristics, perceived SCV and CDMSE. ANOVA tests were performed to compare the three on-campus communities students perceived social network characteristics, SCV and CDMSE. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine if SCV mediates perceived social network characteristics prediction of CDMSE. Results indicated that there are no differences in on-campus communities students perception of social network characteristics, SCV and CDMSE. Also, results show that there is little to no relationship between SCV or social network characteristics and CDMSE. However, the researcher did find that freshman college students derive their perceptions of their social capital value from networks that are more hemophilic (r = 0. 186, p < 0.05) and smaller, more emotionally supportive social bonding networks (r = 0.216, p < 0.05). The researcher concludes that social network training and coaching should be delivered to freshman college students from their first semester through their graduation to properly develop a well-rounded social network that can provide emotional/social support as well as having access to new information to provide career advantage.

Immediately after the discovery of oil, the State of Kuwait put in place a plan for massive economic and social development for its people. This proposed plan required sophisticated labour skills to implement development requirements. However, over the years the country has continued to witness a labour market imbalance due to an inadequate supply of graduate skills that did not satisfy the demand from its workplace. The purpose of this study was to investigate the mismatch between outputs from higher education and labour market requirements. The present study employed a mixed approach to address its main research questions. It applied a quantitative approach using questionnaires prepared for graduates currently working and employers from both the public and private sector. It also utilized a qualitative approach using interviews with stakeholders in the labour market such as higher education personnel and policy makers. The literature review provided an overview of educational objectives and their relation to economic, social, and human resource development. It also looked at the nature of the relationship between higher educational institutions and the labour market, as well as providing some examples of the labour market gap around the world. The key findings indicated that higher educational institutions faced problems with regard to their role in the provision of knowledge and skills. The study found that employers believe that the quality of education provided by the institutions is low. Similarly, the study found that employers believe that the communication amongst stakeholders in the education system is not effective. In addition, employers reckoned that the main factors influencing graduates’ quality of education were the lack of skills, lack of motivation and weak communication. Similarly, graduates believed that the main factors influencing their quality of education were lack of skills, as well as overestimating job privileges and area of study. Furthermore, graduates satisfaction with their current jobs was influenced by many factors; such as low-quality education, disappointment with career development, source of skills, area of study, and gender. In fact, the literature identified the low quality of education as the main cause of the skills-gap worldwide, while it had always valued communication for closing the skills-gap. This study has confirmed that there is an imbalance within the Kuwaiti labour market. The theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed in the concluding chapter of the thesis.