While careers are often conceptualized as individual paths through occupations - propelled by internal drive and (for the lucky ones) passion - this research takes a more social and political perspective, understanding careers as coordinated by forces external to people and their immediate local settings. In particular this study uncovers ways that imperatives and activities associated with contemporary regional economic development have uneven consequences for young workers depending on socioeconomic status. For this dissertation I undertook a three-year longitudinal study of a much publicized initiative by top administrators of a state university to entice more college students to remain in that northeast US state to work upon graduation. Using the theoretical framework and methodology of institutional ethnography, a mode of analysis designed to “explore a regime of social policy from the standpoint of those subject to it,” (DeVault 2008: 2) this research is anchored in the actual experiences of young students and workers transitioning into careers - potential young professionals. Through extensive observations of the activities of those involved with the initiative, interviews of business leaders, students, and recent graduates, analysis of initiative documents, as well as analysis of related practical and academic texts, I mapped the complexes of career-related social relations around students and workers that have material consequences on their everyday lives. According to the leaders of the university initiative “young professionals” – a category applied rather freely - were the creative, energetic, hard workers needed by the state for economic growth. This research investigated the “work” – paid and unpaid - that goes into performing as a “young professional,” and reveals the disjunctures between the idealized images of young professionals and their actual lived experiences. It is much easier for some to perform the work of young professionalism than others, given structural inequities in economic, social, and educational structures. The dissertation concludes with a discussion of the consequences of these findings, including implications for university professors who work to prepare college students for their future careers. Despite the prevalence of young professional discourse in the United States, there is very little careers research specifically focused on young professionals and their careers. This research addresses that gap and also adds a needed contextual, longitudinal perspective to that body of management scholarship.

Researchers have found that minorities suffering from traumatic stress report increased levels of stress in the absence of supportive and committed work environments; however, a paucity of empirical research exists for First Nations Peoples (FNP). The purpose of this quantitative correlation study was to examine the nature of the relationship between FNP's associated symptoms of historical loss, assessed by the Historical Loss and Associated Symptoms Scale, and organizational commitment, as measured by the Three Component Employee Commitment Survey. A total of 118 residential school survivors completed surveys. Correlation analysis was used to determine the significance of historical loss in relation to organizational commitment among survivors. Results showed an inverse relationship between affective commitment and associated symptoms of historical loss and between continuance commitment and associated symptoms. No statistically significant correlation was found between normative commitment and historical loss or associated symptoms. Findings can help inform targeted engagement, recruitment, and retention initiatives designed to accommodate FNP perspectives and experiences into organizational culture and systems. Implications for positive social change include better understanding of factors impacting career progression among FNP, such as organizational commitment. Results may also inform culturally safe interventions that help FNP to be successful.

In Cameroon, many disabled people (an estimated 10-20% of the population) have inadequate access to education and health care, and disabled people's organizations (DPOs) are advocating for social change. Yet, there is a scarcity of information regarding how African DPOs address HIV and AIDS. The purpose of this study was to assess how DPOs in Cameroon have responded to AIDS in the disabled population and to identify strategies to enable DPOs to manage AIDS issues. This study was guided by the complex adaptive systems theory as the theoretical framework. The research questions focused on what DPOs have done to develop their organizational capacities to address AIDS issues, and on the contextual factors that influence these organizational capacities. To answer the research questions, a qualitative, multiple case study was conducted. A purposeful sample of 25 people, primarily executive members of four community-based nongovernmental DPOs and key informants with experience in this field, participated in interviews and focus groups. Information was gathered from documents and participant observation. Data were coded using a priori and emergent codes and iteratively analyzed into themes. Evident themes were that capacities in these groups were limited by marginalization and poverty, a lack of connection between DPOs and the AIDS community, limited health education, and inadequate understandings of the complexity of AIDS. DPOs desired participation in AIDS-related efforts and continued to explore potential opportunities. These results could be used to enhance social change by improving AIDS practices and research programs, increasing organizational capacity and social inclusion of DPOs, and the development of policy at organizational and governmental levels.

Workplace bullying is a global problem that leaves workers emotionally harmed and organizations financially strapped; yet in many cases, business leaders fail to adequately address the problem. The purpose of this research was to determine if the top leader had a direct impact on the presence of bullying within the workplace. Based on personality trait theory as a theoretical foundation, the key issue this study explored was the relationship between the presence of workplace bullying and observed narcissistic behaviors exhibited by the top leader. Participants consisted of 84 human resources professionals reporting directly to the CEO/president of companies located in the United States. Observer-rated assessments were used to measure the leader's observed narcissistic behaviors along with the prevalence of bullying within the workplace. Logistic regression and Pearson correlation were used to analyze assessment data. Results revealed a strong and positive relationship between top leaders' observed narcissistic behaviors and the presence of bullying within the organization. These results suggest the top leader may not only directly impact the presence of workplace bullying, but may actually create the problem. This study contributes to social change by providing support for the need to use personality assessments when hiring or promoting top leaders. By identifying those who contribute to the sustainability of bullying, these individuals can be excluded from the selection process and workplace bullying will therefore be minimized, improving the well-being of employees and the financial performance of organizations, world-wide.

Self-presentation of a corporation as a citizen committed to sustainable corporate responsibility can, according to scholarly findings, help the organization improve its reputation among key stakeholders. The purpose of this case study was to explore the success of one major airport in aligning communication strategies to improve its reputation. The research question involved how effectively a major German airport communicated its commitment to sustainable corporate responsibility to its key stakeholders during 2005--2009. Of particular interest was how key stakeholders perceived the airport's stance towards the impacts of aircraft noise. Corporate documents, newspaper articles, and semistructured interviews comprised the data. Data analyses of documents and interviews included coding segments of texts on key words related to sustainable corporate responsibility. Pattern matching helped aggregate coded text segments into respective coherent and consistent corporate messages. Randomly selected newspaper articles on the airport under scrutiny were coded on a Likert-type scale on how favorably they covered what types of themes. Subsequent qualitative analyses of hand notes fabricated during the coding process revealed how positively journalists wrote about specific events. Results indicated that the airport officials effectively communicated to the airport's key stakeholders regarding economic contributions to public welfare, engagements in neighborhood projects, environmental protection, and noise abatement. Implications for positive social change include the potential for dialogues between the airport and its critical stakeholders that could, in turn, further the long-term friendly coexistence of the airport, its neighbors, and the community.

The British Columbia government's Ministry of Health Services will experience significant loss of operational knowledge from an aging managerial workforce, increased staff turnover, and difficulties in recruitment. The purpose of this study is to provide the ministry's Strategic Human Resources Planning branch staff with a map and description of knowledge transfer practices used by approximately 40 managers within the ministry's Health Sector Information Management/Information Technology division and its Vital Statistics Agency. The study is a mixed-methods case study of knowledge retention and transfer practices founded on a knowledge management and social network theoretical foundation. To understand the ministry's complex nature of knowledge transfer, research questions examined the characteristics of an effective knowledge sharing network, associated knowledge sharing similarities and dissimilarities, and perceived knowledge sharing enablers and inhibiters. Social network and thematic analysis were used to collect, map, and analyze perceived informal knowledge transfer practices. Findings indicated that face-to-face communication, visual and verbal cues, and individuals who had a few powerful neighboring connections were influential knowledge resources. The social implications from these findings will act as a catalyst to shift prevalent cultural knowledge management practices thereby positively affecting workload and resource management. Employees will more clearly understand their knowledge management roles and how their actions affect service delivery to citizens. Acting as a knowledge transfer model, the ministry could positively influence the government's Public Service Agency, other ministries, health authorities, and private sector organizations to adopt effective knowledge transfer practices to improve managerial and managerial/staff communication and trust.

The U.S. Army conducts extensive training on its core values beginning with initial entry training (IET), commonly referred to as basic training, in order to shape soldiers' behavior and decision making in combat and noncombat situations. This mixed methods study addressed the problem of limited empirical research on the effects of U.S. Army IET on soldiers' moral and character development. The purpose was to explore the effects of Military Police (MP) IET on soldiers in training through a mixed methods quantitative and qualitative model. The theoretical framework for this study was based on Rest's four component model (FCM) of moral development, Hart's model of moral identity, the schemas of the Defining Issues Test (DIT), and the U.S. Army's moral code consisting of the Army values, the Soldiers Creed, and the Warrior Ethos. The DIT was administered at the beginning and conclusion of MP IET to determine change in soldiers' moral judgment. Focus groups of MP IET soldiers identified perceptions of change in moral development. Data analysis using ANOVA and matched pair t tests of DIT scores revealed no significant changes in overall scores, no differences among age groups, and limited differences among genders and educational levels. Results showed significant decline in personal interest scores among females. Focus group results using qualitative content analysis revealed the relationship with drill sergeants as having a significant impact on moral development. This study provides feedback to trainers and leaders on designing effective moral and character education. Soldiers influence societies at home and abroad. This research shows that positive social change is more likely as soldiers receive moral and character education which focuses on developing moral expertise, not just memorization of rules, and which results in moral and trustworthy behavior.

Organizations invest a significant amount of time and money on training; however, most employees do not transfer what they learned in training to the specific tasks required in their job. While extant research suggests that supervisor support may facilitate training transfer, the influence of specific types or dimensions of support is still unknown. The purpose of this mixed methods sequential explanatory study was to examine how specific dimensions of support (mentoring, coaching, social support, and task support) influence training transfer. Organizational support theory and the theory of planned behavior served as the theoretical framework for this study. Quantitative data were collected first, via an online survey, from participants ( n = 48) who developed curriculum at a large, educational organization. The correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships between the dimensions of support and training transfer. A bootstrap analysis revealed that transfer motivation mediates the relationships between mentoring, coaching, social support, and training transfer, but does not mediate the relationship between task support and transfer. Qualitative data were collected from additional participants (n = 10) at the organization, via in-depth interviews. A phenomenological analysis of the interview transcripts partially corroborated the quantitative results, suggesting that mentoring influences both transfer motivation and training transfer, coaching influences training transfer, and social support influences transfer motivation. Implications for positive social change include an increase in the transfer of learned knowledge and skills among employees who develop curriculum, which may help them develop higher-quality courses and degree programs that increase student learning and contribute to the integrity and success of universities.

Studies reveal a progressive net decrease in the nursing profession across four generations, creating a shortage that poses a critical threat to the health care delivery system and to the health and safety of patients within that system. Research also suggests that generational cohorts reflect social change in attitudes toward work-life balance, organizational commitment, personal-professional relationships, autonomy, focus on career advancement, and actions that represent organizational citizenship behavior (OCB). Previous research grounded in theoretical frameworks of organizational behavior, leadership, and social capital indicates that leadership support of workforce diversity and effectiveness in conflict management influence OCB. However, little research explores the links between intergenerational work-values conflict (IWVC), job satisfaction, and OCB. Accordingly, this exploratory correlational study investigated linkages connecting OCB, job satisfaction, and perceptions of leadership effectiveness in the management of IWVC among 89 perioperative registered nurses, who replied to an online adaptation of established survey instruments. Correlation and regression analyses indicated that higher levels of OCB reflected increased job satisfaction and were associated with perceptions of leadership effectiveness in management of IWVC. Findings support study hypotheses that leadership management of IWVC plays an influential role in OCB. This exploratory study extends existing research and presents a model for examining leadership, OCB, and social change in nursing. Increased knowledge and understanding of these relationships may serve as a catalyst for positive social change by improving intergenerational relationships, job satisfaction, nurse retention, and positive patient care outcomes.

Even though the current level of communication and information sharing is greater than it has ever been throughout the history of the construction industry, the problem under investigation stems from the results of current research that indicate that many major projects have difficulty in achieving client expectations, resulting in a negative image of the construction industry. The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact on the level of trust in the use of information systems between construction firms and their clients. The theoretical foundations of this research were based in interdependence and coordination theories. While information systems enable improved communication processes, coordination and interdependency are central to mutually successful completion of construction projects. However, there is a lack of a prescriptive view present in the literature regarding the role of trust in enhancing client satisfaction through the use of information systems. The research questions that underlay this study were based on discovering the extent and nature of mistrust between contractors and their clients. Through the use of a qualitative methodology, data were collected through responses from a semi-structured, open-ended questionnaire. By analyzing consistencies in the responses, the researcher used grounded theory to determine trends and consistencies. The results revealed that while contractors believed trust existed between contractors and clients, clients believed mutual trust was low despite the increased communication through emails and current information systems. By emphasizing the notion of mutual trust in the communication process, contractors can improve the image of the construction industry. The magnitude of social change could result in more successful and timely completion of projects saving millions of dollars.