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This thesis critically examines the concept of strategic human resource management (HRM). Existing 'critical' approaches identify prescriptive HRNI literature as 'rhetoric' that does not match 'reality'. Such an approach understands management initiatives as separate, individual, discrete, and ad hoc. However, this thesis develops an alternative perspcctivc, informed by a Foucauldian approach to 'discourse', that understands 'HRM' and 'strategy' as cultural constructs that are used by actors as they 'make sense' of discursively constructed organizational 'realities'. This perspective is then utilized to demonstrate that the existing 'critical' approaches are engaged in particular practices that define strategic HRM in a way that constructs the 'gap' between 'rhetoric' and 'reality' as HRM is simultaneously created as an academic subject. This alternative perspective provides a means of understanding and analysing prescriptive management literature and texts generated from interviews with managers in terms of two different discursively constructed 'rationalities'. Both 'rationalities' establish causal relationships between concepts of environment, organization and individual as organizational 'reality' is constructed. This perspective is utilized in the identification of the connections that are established between the managerial initiatives that are thought of as separate, individual, discrete, and ad hoc by the 'critical' literature. There are two parts to this thesis. The first part describes the development of HM4, outlines a Foucauldian conceptualization of 'discourse, and re-examines prescriptive and 'critical' HRM literature. The second part analyses texts generated from interviews with HRIpersonnel managers in a range of public and private sector organizations. This analysis demonstrates that, while there is great variety in the descriptions of organizational 'reality', connections between concepts of environment, organization and individual arc established as two key 'rationalities' are discursively constructed. It is argued that these 'rationalities' position people and practices within organizational 'reality'.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A&M University, 2005. / "Major Subject: Education Human Resource Development" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Feb. 23, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Texas A&M University, 2006. / "Major Subject: Education Human Resource Development" Title from author supplied metadata (automated record created on Feb. 23, 2007.) Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

The purpose of this inquiry was to examine the consequences and concerns with the diffusion of Internet2 at Texas A&M University (TAMU). Internet2 is a university-led effort to develop advanced network applications and the network technologies needed to support them. Internet2 adoption at TAMU took place towards the end of the 90s decade with the inclusion of the university in the University Corporation for the Advanced Internet Development (UCAID). This dissertation reviewed the Internet development and its relationship to universities. There were two theoretical models of change used, Diffusion of Innovations and Concerns-Based Adoption Model (CBAM). Specifically, “the consequences of change” was the focus in the Diffusion model, and “the stages of concern” was the focus in CBAM. This study used qualitative methods of inquiry with three sources of information --interviews, observations and archival information (printed and online). Seventeen participants were interviewed during the spring of 2006, selected on the basis of convenience, homogeneous, and snowball sampling. The participants were placed in an area, or an intersection of areas, of a diagram with teaching, research, and support-services realms. Through qualitative analytic induction, emerged twenty categories arranged in five different themes: (1) Texas A&M’s use of Internet2, (2) the dilemma of the information sharing, (3) the influences of Internet2, (4) Internet2 discussion, (5) Internet2 concerns. Internet2’s creation and Texas A&M University’s adoption rationale emerged through the narrative analysis. This study matched partially the frameworks of Rogers and Hall and Hord because a pre-stage of unawareness was necessary to install since Internet2 resulted to be extensively used at Texas A&M University, but with most of the users not aware of it. The audit trail, peer-debriefing, and member checks were the mechanisms installed to guarantee trustworthiness. Qualitative analytic induction and narrative analysis were the research strategies and the report was presented in the manner of a case study and summary of findings.

<p>The purpose of this study is to investigate and review literature that examines whether job satisfaction and procedural justice have a positive relationshipwith employees organisational citizenship behaviour in a brick manufacturing industry</p>

The purpose of the study was to determine if the allocation of faculty salary expenditures has an influence on first-time, full time freshmen retention rates. The population for this study was all public degree granting undergraduate four-year postsecondary institutions accredited by the Southern Region Education Board in the 16 member states with information reported to the U.S Department of Educations Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System database. An inverse relationship exists between first-time, full time student retention and average undergraduate student age. A model exists to predict student retention rates using the regional comparable wage index to suggest this variable can predict first-time, full-time freshmen retention rates in public four-year universities in the Southern United States. Other financial variables related to faculty salaries are salary and fringe benefit outlays, instructional expenses as a percent of total core expenses, and total amount spent on core institutional expenses but did not create a predictive model for student retention rates. The results of this study found a model exists explaining variance in student retention rates and the non-financial institutional characteristics of total number of undergraduate students, average undergraduate student age, ratio of full time instructional faculty to all employees, percentage of full time male instructional faculty, and percentage of undergraduate male student enrollment combined. As the average undergraduate student age and total number of undergraduate students decreases, student retention rates increase. As the ratio of full time instructional faculty to all employees and percentage of male faculty and undergraduate male students increase, student retention rates increase. As the regional comparable wages increase, the student retention rates increase slightly. Excluded variables include undergraduate student enrollment by race or ethnicity and full time instructional faculty by ethnicity. However, the review of literature indicates student and faculty ethnicity plays an important role in student retention rates, therefore, the model should not be used to improve student retention rates in public four-year universities in the southern United States since this data is excluded. Recommendations for further research include using weighted averages to discover an effective model to improve freshman student retention rates.

The purpose of this study was to measure the safety climate, safe behaviors, and EMR, of construction companies in southeastern Louisiana, and to measure selected demographic variables of construction workers employed at these companies. Two hundred and eight workers from twenty nine construction companies agreed to participate in the study. The Safety Climate Survey (SCS) was utilized to measure the safety climate level and safe behaviors of participants and collect selected demographic variables. Additionally, companies were asked to provide their Experience Modification Rates and North American Industry Classification System codes. A six-item Likert-type scale was utilized to measure safety climate perceptions and safe behavior experiences. Responses suggest that participants overall perceptions of their companies safety climates were good and that this did correlate to safe behavior at their respective companies. A small negative correlation was detected between education levels and Experience Modification Rates. A multiple regression analysis revealed that the variables safe behavior and safety coordinator explained 36.2% of the variance in safe behavior. A second multiple regression analysis revealed that the variable of education level explained 4.4% of the variance in Experience Modification Rates.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the influence of selected personal and professional demographic characteristics on the attitudes toward and perceptions of selected mental health issues among currently employed faculty of four year public universities. Faculty members at two universities in Southeastern Louisiana were invited to participate in an online survey designed by the researcher to assess attitude toward mental health, willingness to help students with mental health issues, ability to identify students with mental health issues, ability to help students with mental health issues, along with a variety of personal and professional demographic characteristics. A total of 281 faculty members participated in the study and 261 provided usable responses. Overall, faculty members in this study demonstrated positive attitudes towards mental health and a willingness to help students with mental health issues. Also, this study found that previous mental health training was significantly, positively correlated with attitude toward mental health, willingness to help students with mental health issues, ability to identify students with mental health issues, and ability to help students with mental health issues. Furthermore the majority of participants indicated that they did not believe that their university was doing enough to address student mental health concerns or to ensure faculty members were aware of mental health services available to students. Based on these findings the researcher concluded that faculty members are willing to participate in addressing student mental health concerns and those that are trained are best able to help. The researcher recommends that universities invest in developing training programs for faculty members covering various mental health topics. Although at least a portion of this training should be part of an annual requirement for all faculty members, universities should also give faculty access to additional, online mental health training which they can choose to utilize. Furthermore, the researcher recommends that universities develop a hotline for faculty members so that they are able to reach university mental health professionals at all hours in the event of student mental health emergencies.