This research aimed to explore the influence of the institutional context on the growth-potential of new businesses in South Africa. The purpose of this study is to highlight the major responsibility of bureaucracy to enable high-growth entrepreneurship in emerging economies by building a favourable economic, social and legal environment, known as the institutional context.An adapted research model was defined through an extensive literature review of prior studies in the fields of both institutional theory and entrepreneurship theory. An online survey was administered to many South African entrepreneurs via a number of databases across the country. The responses were then collected and analysed by means of a multiple regression analysis to test the six hypotheses of the research model.The results revealed that all the identified institutional factors were found to have significant influences on high-growth entrepreneurship in the intended directions, while access to technology was found to have the largest influence, and the regulatory framework also contributed substantially. This implies that the bureaucracy of the country has to consider all the identified factors when attempting to design a supportive institutional environment to stimulate high-growth entrepreneurship. However, the greatest results will be achieved by focusing specifically on the access to an extensive technological infrastructure and an effective regulatory framework. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This research is a qualitative, autoethnographic study of antifragility in fragile spaces. It was written using data from Applied Theatre workshops, rehearsals and exercises; as well as questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and open discussions in focus groups with at-risk learners from Quintile 1-3 high schools, their educators, senior management staff, parents, caregivers and peers. Methodologically, social constructionism functioned as the schematic map that positioned the writing/writer between the self and others, and provided the philosophical scaffolding necessary to elucidate data analysis and interpretation. Institutional theory and organisational culture centered the analytical framework once thematic analysis had been conducted across the data sets. This reflexive, feminist paper exhumes and explores fragile spaces in Western Cape Quintile 1-3 schools, using drama and conscious, performed acts of vulnerability (on and off stage) as a means of activating antifragility in the performer and the observer. The data collection took place in the Western Cape in South Africa, and specifically refers to learners and their networks and blended learning ecosystems in that context. Noted conversants include Brown, Taleb and Butler. The findings of this study include a shift in how we define “success” in a fragile environment and an acknowledgment of antifragility as a strategy that is always in motion. Static achievement and a singular definition of learner excellence are shown to be the undesirable opposite of iterative antifragility and adaptive, holistic executive function and socio-cultural competence; and learner wholeness (as experienced and embodied by the learner themselves) is referred to as “flourishing”.

In light of the global mining industry’s record profits in 2011, this inquiry explored the institutional drivers of mining multinational’s subsidiaries overall performance. Using a lens of institutional theory, this inquiry explored why the subsidiaries of emerging mining multinationals have outperformed the subsidiaries of developed mining multinationals in emerging markets.The inquiry used Mann-Whitney U hypothesis testing to compare the financial performance of 46 emerging mining subsidiaries and 39 developed mining subsidiaries. The inquiry ran eight multiple regression models to test subsidiary performance variables against institutional variables obtained from the 2011/2012 Fraser Institute annual survey of mining companies.The findings support and add to the institutional and international business literature. Emerging multinational enterprises and their subsidiaries possess dynamic institutional capabilities which allows them to better manage institutional uncertainty than developed multinational enterprises and their subsidiaries in emerging markets. An institutional development model has been developed to assist managers of multinational enterprises reduce their institutional uncertainty in emerging markets. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This study explored the role of institutions in countries that have improved their competitiveness in a short time period, under the framework of institutional theory. This study investigated how informal and formal institutions have evolved and interacted. The purpose of the study was to build on institutional theory by exploring the role and interaction of institutions in nations that have undergone institutional changes. A literature review was done to provide a foundation for the study. Case studies of Singapore and Finland – countries that have improved their competitiveness in a short time period – were done in this study. A number of documents in the public domain were observed: internet resources, reports, and studies on Singapore and Finland. The study concluded that countries that have improved their competitiveness achieved their goals through their own institutional mix and through interactions among institutions. Active interactions among institutions were based on broad coalition among actors and the directions of interactions in each country differed. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The energy industry is facing serious pressure to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The purpose of this study was to investigate if there is a statistically significant correlation between certain institutional factors and type of environmental strategy employed by companies in the energy industry. The academic foundation upon which strategy was studied is Institutional Theory. Institutional theory is embedded in the school of sociology and prescribes that behaviour is a function of social norms and routines. At the organisational level, this translates to a high degree of interdependency between organisations and the environment which they operate in. The institutional factors selected for analysis in this study were economic growth, gross domestic product per capita, unemployment, poverty, income inequality, human development index, and national competitiveness. The environmental strategy of energy companies was categorised in two broad measures namely; carbon dioxide reduction and carbon independence. The study has found that there is no significant correlation between any of the institutional factors and combination of carbon reduction and independence strategies. However, an important finding is that the statistical significance of the bi-variate regression analysis increased considerably when national competitiveness was used as an explanatory variable of strategy.From this, it is concluded that it is critical to understand which institutional factors are expected to be determinants of strategy in the energy industry. More importantly, it is concluded that as energy is a primary requirement for national competitiveness, strategy in the energy industry is determined by a combination of factors and not just a single variable. This is an important distinction which must be clear in the mind of both policy makers and business leaders in the energy industry especially those who are seeking to expand into new markets. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Aim The study aim was to explore the issues and challenges facing undergraduate nursing education in one Canadian province from an institutional theory perspective. The research questions were: What is the institutional field of nursing education? What are the issues and challenges facing nursing education? How is the institutional field of nursing education contributing to the issues and challenges? How are the issues and challenges contributing to the institutional complexity? Background Nursing education is essential for the health care of society, yet face various issues and challenges at the system level. Institutional theory has been used in higher education to better understand how higher education institutions are structured and operate. Institutional theory has not been used in nursing education. The issues facing nursing education have been examined from a critical or descriptive perspective, but a system-level perspective is missing. Institutional theory could fill this gap and examine the institution of nursing and how its structure, behaviours, and rules influence those issues and challenges. Methods An exploratory single-case study with embedded units design was used. Theoretical propositions from institutional theory informed the sample, recruitment, data collection, and data analysis. In 2019, representatives from organizations comprising the institutional field of nursing education and senior-level administrators were interviewed and relevant documents were collected and reviewed. The data were analyzed using deductive and inductive thematic analysis, building a case description, and visual analysis techniques. Findings The findings from sixty documents and seven interviews suggested the institutional field of nursing education is composed of postsecondary institutions, health service organizations, the regulatory body, the ministry for health, and the ministry for postsecondary education. The issues and challenges facing nursing education included demands on curricula, teaching and learning values versus practice, the relationship between education and practice, limiting financial supports, clarity of the RN role, and need for faculty. The institutional field of nursing education is complex and includes dominant organizations, such as the regulatory body and health service organization, and the non-dominant organization, postsecondary institutions. Discussion / Conclusion The use of institutional theory was beneficial to explore the issues and challenges facing undergraduate nursing education from a system-level perspective and captured the complexity within the system. The institutional field including the influences of structure, dominance, and complexity impact the issues and challenges facing nursing education. The institutional perspective of the issues and challenges diverges from previous examinations. In addition, the use of institutional theory in higher education offers strategies for advocacy in nursing education. Recommendations for nursing education practice, policy, and research include: (a) awareness of the organizations comprising the institutional field of nursing education, (b) including the nursing education accreditation body and the professional association within the interorganizational structures, (c) acknowledgement of the sources of dominance within the field, and (d) developing strategies for academic nurse leaders to navigate the complexity of nursing education. The most urgent consideration arising from this research is the dominant forces from regulation and health service organizations and the subsequent non-existence of the professional voice of nursing for nursing education within the institutional field. / Graduate

The purpose of this dissertation is twofold: first, this research aims to contribute to the understanding of the roots of public service motivation and explore whether it is appropriate to ground the public service motivation concept in institutional theory; second, this research will analyze the relationship between altruism, public service motivation, empathy levels, and prosocial behavior. The field of public administration has witnessed a proliferation of research in public service motivation, both internationally and across the United States. A substantial amount of research has been conducted at the federal and state levels on public service motivation, leaving the local level of government largely underrepresented. Researchers have developed and refined measurement techniques for the public service motivation construct and have extensively examined the consequences of public service motivation as they pertain to public management techniques and approaches. However, the role institutions play in the development of public service motivation is largely unexamined. Additionally, the impact of public service motivation on prosocial behavior has not been thoroughly examined. This research attempts to fill these gaps in the literature. Using data derived from survey responses from 903 employees of ten local governments in Mississippi, this research examines an underrepresented group in public service motivation literature. This research analyzes the role that various institutional antecedents play in the development of public service motivation among local government employees, finding that four out of the seven institutional antecedents studied were significant: educational level, parenting status, parental modeling, and spirituality. It also analyzes the impact of public service motivation, empathy, and altruism levels on the prosocial behavior of local government employees in society. Results show that public service motivation is positively correlated to prosocial behavior; whereas empathy and altruism are not statistically significant.

This research focuses on the influence of institutions on entrepreneurship among Kuwaiti youth. It aims to capture the role played by institutions on youth entrepreneurship at the backdrop of a dampening ‘spirit’ for it. This research is currently very important due to various economic and geo-political factors leading to an economic downturn, which has led to the need for entrepreneurial ventures. It reviews and consolidates concepts and factors purported to facilitate and increase entrepreneurship for the benefit of the society and economy of Kuwait. This research uses a social constructionist approach to make sense of how institutions influence Kuwaiti youth in their quest to become entrepreneurs. It exposes institutional endorsement and legitimacy from formal and informal institutions. It shows the use of regulative, normative and cognitive dimensions and influences on entrepreneurial intentions and actions. This research shows how institutions interact with Kuwaiti youth and what role they play in the formulation of intentions and actions concerning entrepreneurship. A number of key formal and informal institutions have come to the fore that influence one another (in)directly as living entities, and likewise influence the youth (in)directly. The research contribution also shows that young people have to approach some key institutions and in return their desire to become entrepreneurs is strengthened or weakened depending on how institutions respond and what role they are willing to play in their lives.

Thesis advisor: Marilyn Cochran-Smith / This dissertation presents an ethno-case study explaining how students at a conservative Christian high school were socialized into ideas about civic and public life in a pluralistic society. Drawing on democratic educational theory and institutional theory to analyze ethnographic data gathered during a full school year of observations, interviews, and document collection, this dissertation addresses the following questions: (1) What are the logics, practices, and symbolic representations concerning civic identity and participation in democratic society conveyed explicitly and implicitly at a conservative Christian high school? (2) How do students understand and engage with ideas about civic identity and participation conveyed at that school? (3) How do families understand and engage with these ideas about civic identity and participation? This dissertation argues that the school was organized around a theo-political institutional logic committed to the absolute truth of Christianity. This logic was symbolically represented in the language and concepts of the “Christian worldview” and reinforced through consistent and recurrent school practices that shaped students’ behavior and their ways of interpreting the world. This theo-political logic, which was pervasive throughout formal and informal curriculum and instruction at the school, presented an all-encompassing vision of Christianity as “the truth” and offered a coherent connection between doctrinal beliefs and actual behavior. This logic was also notable for what it omitted and lacked, particularly acknowledgment of the racialized nature of schooling and society, attention to the pluralism of worldviews in a diverse democratic nation, and recognition of the systemic and structural causes of injustice in society. The emphases as well as the omissions of the theo-political logic at the school shaped students’ civic identity as first and foremost a religious identity, which meant engaging with society to promote conservative social policies, candidates, and political perspectives. The dissertation shows that students largely embraced the theo-political logic that animated the school, and their parents chose the school because of the presence of this logic. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Teacher Education, Special Education, Curriculum and Instruction.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, it became apparent that the way organizations conduct business activities within and between themselves would be forever altered. Specifically, the way the firms share and distribute goods became an important area of interest to ensure the security of their supply chain partners and ultimately, society in general. Supply chain security (SCS) is defined as activities that protect supply chains from damage, terrorism, and contraband. This dissertation adds to an emerging knowledge base – SCS efforts. More specifically, this dissertation attempts to address three key areas concerning SCS: 1) understand what type of SCS activity taxonomy exists; 2) understand what is driving those taxonomy categories to exist; and 3) understand what, if any, relationship between the SCS taxonomy categories and organizational performance exists. To gain this knowledge, inductive and deductive techniques were utilized. First, in-depth semi-structured interviews with 19 executives across a variety of industries concerning SCS issues were conducted to help frame the research and develop research hypotheses. Through content analyzing the interview transcripts, it became salient that institutional environmental pressures were what respondents indicated were the causes of security activities. As such, Institutional Theory was used as a theoretical framework for the dissertation. Second, a survey method was used to collect data concerning supply chain security activities, pressures that cause them, and organizational performance. In the empirical examination of SCS, it was found that three categories of security exist. The taxonomy that emerged had three categories that were named Security Pros, Follow-the-Leaders, and Necessary Evils. The next part of the empirical examination was to determine which, if any, of the identified drivers impact the SCS categories. Using multiple discriminant analysis, it was determined that customers and societal pressures are significant in impacting the SCS categories. Finally, a multiple analysis of variance was conducted to determine if different types of SCS categories were associated with different types of organizational performance. The results indicated that different groups were not related to different levels of firm, customer, market, and supply chain performance.