Throughout history, radical individuals have caused violence and tarnished the reputation of many communities and beliefs. Following 9/11, Islamic Terrorism put fear into many individuals. New fronts of the War on Terror began to open as militaries began to engage terrorist groups who sought to take action through radical beliefs. Al Qaeda had opened up a new front and joined the ranks of the Sunni Insurgency to confront the armed forces of the United States as the Invasion of Iraq began to unfold. This new group had radical leaders who were able to incite a stiff and violent campaign against their enemies. The U.S. was able to slow down the group, but not the ideology, tactics, and leadership once it withdrew from the conflict zone. As leaders in the area began to divide their societies by violence and marginalization, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria were able to come into power and create small, quasi-legitimate caliphate. Although the group may be somewhat defeated in the region, the ideology will carry on. By using organizational theory, we can better compare both groups and learn from their strengths and weaknesses. Through analyzing this parallel case study, new doors may be opened up for research to be able to slow down radical ideologies and thwart violent actions. / Master of Arts / Following 9/11, we begin to see the United States devote countless amounts of resources and energy to combat radical Islamic ideologies. In this, we study Al Qaeda and its Iraq branch, AQI, and how its remnants were able to create one of the most successful and notorious Islamic terror organizations. This thesis allows growth to the study of terrorism, primarily by comparing two terror groups and understanding their rise to success and failures. This thesis also helps study how groups can split apart and form new offshoot organizations. Looking into groups' ideologies allows for the researchers to also how they may affect success. As groups rise and fall, there may a continuation of an ideology. New platforms can assist in this, and play large parts of a groups success. Leadership can be a large factor, guiding a group to success or hurting its image. To combat terror organizations, the military can affect how they grow, thus showing the power of settings and where terror organizations can thrive. By comparing and contrasting organizations, it allows for a different approach of research that can help in preventing violent actors to continue on a similar path.

Despite a Presidential Order in 2004 that launched national incentives for the use of health information technology, specifically the Electronic Health Record (EHR), adoption of the EHR has been slow. This study attempts to quantify factors associated with adoption of the EHR and Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) by combining multiple organizational theories and empirical studies. The study is conducted in two phases. The primary phase of this study identifies and evaluates the effects of external environmental and internal organizational factors on healthcare organizations to adopt the EHR. From secondary data, twelve IVs (df=19) are chosen based on existing models and literature. Logistic regression is used to determine the association between the environmental factors and EHR adoption. The secondary phase of this study examines the adoption of five variations of CPOE using the same IVs from phase one. This EHR component of CPOE is chosen due to its promotion as a solution to help cross the quality chasm (IOM, 2001). Secondary data are analyzed and logistic regression is used to quantify the association between the factors of EHR adoption and CPOE adoption. Eleven of the twelve IVs are significant between the two phases (p<.1). This study uses data from 2009 because the HITECH Act was passed that year and significant government incentives were offered for those health care organizations (HCOs) that meet the qualifications of meaningful use. This study serves as a baseline for future studies, extends the work of other empirical studies, and fills a gap in the literature concerning factors associated with the adoption of the EHR and specific dimensions of CPOE. The Kruse Theory developed is strongly based in literature and reflects complexity commensurate with the health care industry.

Approved for public release; distribution in unlimited. / On 1 October 2003 the USAF transferred control of its CONUS-based combat search and rescue(CSAR) assets from Air Combat Command to Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC). Transferto AFSOC was CSAR's fourth major reorganization in twenty years, and was the latest in a turbulentprocession of attempts to improve the combat effectiveness of CSAR forces. Despite possessing anabundance of brave, motivated, and extremely capable personnel yearning to accomplish their mission, dysfunctional organizational arrays and nagging organizational constraints have prevented USAF dedicatedCSAR forces from "getting to the fight" for the onset of hostilities in three of this nation's past four majorarmed conflicts. Special operations forces had to fill the void. This analysis evaluates CSAR's positionwithin AFSOC's organizational array to determine if this latest reorganization is likely to produce durableimprovements in CSAR combat effectiveness. My conclusion is that "CSAR friendly" organizational cultureand effective organizational constructs within AFSOC Headquarters, combined with highly receptiveattitudes among CSAR crewmembers, form a historically unique organizational mix that favors the long termsuccess of CSAR forces in AFSOC. To ensure AFSOC's favorable organizational posture is translated toimproved combat capability, leadership must immediately increase CSAR representation on HHQ staffs. / Major, United States Air Force

The U.S. Department of Education has mandated that each U.S. state develop successful initiatives to help students navigate their educational experience. Yet in Alabama students neither advance academically nor in improved life skills development. It is unclear if school administrators in Alabama Schools have contextual best practices for strategic planning and implementation to support and improve the experiences of vulnerable K-12 students. The purpose of this descriptive case study was to explore how administrators of Alabama schools develop contextual best practices for strategic planning and implementation to support students. The conceptual framework was designed using collaboration theory, organizational learning theory, and appreciative inquiry. The overarching question addressed developing an understanding about how Alabama school administrators develop contextual best practices for strategic planning and implementation. Appreciative inquiry was used to facilitate a focus group and individual interviews with 15 participants. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis and bracketing. Thus, 4 themes were identified from the interviews and focus group. Most significant results were the identification of having a positive, engaging mobile environment and improving full community participation in the collaborative process. Contributions to positive social change may be experienced by developing community-based collaboration where all contribute to, and benefit from, co-create, collaborate, and structure a more balanced and feasible approach to successful implementation of strategic plans in an environment of financial constraints.

The main strategy of gender equality policies has since the 1990s been gender mainstreaming. Many government inquiries show how much the Swedish government, provincial governments and municipalities are working with gender mainstreaming. The purpose of this paper is to investigative how the municipalities within the county of Stockholm handle gender mainstreaming demands in relation to other demands that the municipalities face. This is in order to closer investigate the hidden factors that create barriers to gender mainstreaming efforts. Given the study's purpose and the formulation of research question, qualitative method is the most suitable method to fulfill the purpose. The theoretical starting points used in this study was organizational theories with discussion of concepts such as institutional isomorphism, rationalized myths, organizational hypocrisy, parallel processes, and especially the theory of loosely coupled systems. The conclusion of this study is that the municipalities within the county of Stockholm handle demands from the environment in different ways. Some municipalities loose couple their system as a temporary solution to deal with various demands placed on the municipality. The result is that there is a lack of coordination within municipalities and their various governments, which in turn results in many municipalities working with the gender issue in parallel processes, hence they lack an overview of the activities in the municipality. These factors are common barriers to gender mainstreaming efforts in the studied municipalities.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att skapa en ökad förståelse för vad Generation Y i Sverige upplever vara ett meningsfullt arbete. Vårt resultat ämnar till att bli en modell som kan öka förståelsen för hur meningsfullt arbete kan uppnås ur Generation Y:s perspektiv på arbetsplatsen. Metod: En intervjustudie som behandlar generationsforskning ur ett individ- och organisationsperspektiv. Studien har genomförts med en induktiv forskningsansats och en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi. Slutsats: I vår studie framkom det att Generation Y i Sverige till viss del har andra förväntningar på arbetsplatser än utländsk forskning på Generation Y. Vi fann att Generation Y i Sverige upplever meningsfullt arbete genom sammansättningen av arbetet med arbetsmiljö, trygghet, trivsel, ledarskap, lojalitet och motivation. Resultatet av vad Generation Y i Sverige upplever vara ett meningsfullt arbete utmynnade i en modell som visar hur meningsfullt arbete kan främjas av arbetsgivare. / Purpose: The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of how Generation Y in Sweden experiences meaningful work. The results of the study aims to create a model that will increase the understanding of how meaningful work can be created at the workplace from Generation Y:s perspective. Methodology: An interview study that addresses the topic of generational research from an individual and organizational perspective. The study was conducted with an inductive research approach and a qualitative research method. Conclusions: Our study found that there are some differences within workplace expectations between Generation Y in Sweden and foreign research on Generation Y. Generation Y in Sweden experiences meaningful work through a composition of work environment, employment security, well-being at work, leadership, loyalty, and motivation. The results of this study developed a model that shows how employers can promote meaningful work.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 3323.pdf: 1068977 bytes, checksum: e4175e75a7b16040c451e606b620e6e4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-22 / Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais / In this work, from a case study approach, we discuss social responsibility from the idea of philanthropy. Analyzing the Brazilian subsidiary of a north-american cosmetics company whose disclosures says their social actions began in the nineteenth century, we point out and discuss the changes in the forms of involvement with society and how it deals with the issue of social responsibility. We addressed the most significant changes the behavior of the company in social issues and the kind of engagement with actors outside the firm. Therefore, we performed the analysis of the material of the company and its social projects, interviews with people involved in these projects and a literature search on the topics addressed. The results show a change in the treatment of social issues by the company and the importance of emotion in marketing the company and its social responsibility programs for customers and resellers of the brand, while for the market the use of this emotion is justified in a ' more rational ' manner. It became apparent even to the insertion of new actors in the framework of responsibility and commitment: government agencies, resellers, customers, non-governmental organizations are being included in the context of responsibility, making the idea of social responsibility be seen as a joint and not an individual attitude of the company. / Neste trabalho, a partir de um estudo de caso, abordamos a responsabilidade social partindo da idéia de filantropia. Analisando a filial brasileira de uma empresa de cosméticos norteamericana cujas divulgações afirmam que suas ações sociais tiveram início no século XIX, apontamos e discutimos as mudanças nas formas de envolvimento da empresa com a sociedade e o modo como lida com a questão da responsabilidade social. Foram abordadas as mudanças mais significativas do comportamento da empresa frente às questões sociais e o tipo de envolvimento com atores externos à empresa. Para tanto foram realizadas a análise dos materiais de divulgação da empresa e de seus projetos sociais, entrevistas com pessoas envolvidas nestes projetos e uma pesquisa bibliográfica sobre os temas tratados. Os resultados obtidos demonstram uma mudança no tratamento das questões sociais pela empresa e a importância da emotividade na sua divulgação e de seus programas de responsabilidade social para clientes e revendedores da marca, enquanto que para o mercado o uso desta emoção justifica-se de forma mais racional . Tornou-se perceptível ainda a inserção de novos atores no quadro de responsabilidade e comprometimento: órgãos públicos, revendedores, clientes, organizações não-governamentais são incluídos no contexto de responsabilidade, fazendo com que a idéia de responsabilidade social seja encarada como uma ação conjunta e não uma atitude individual da empresa.

The aim of this work is to define the party structure of Feministic Initiative (FI). We want to examine the structure of an organization that doesn’t start out with a hierarchical order. We further intend to examine the party’s leadership; whether or not it is equal, between the three spokespersons.We find it interesting as a topic from a democratic point of view as well as to see if a flat structure could work in practice. We use several theories among them Michel’s “iron law of oligarchy” and Holmberg’s and Söderlind’s theory on flat organizations. There is modest research on leadership in Swedish political science; we therefore consider it important to highlight. Shared leadership is interesting to examine, for it might be an alternative to the traditional order.We use a mixed-methodology based upon qualitative interviews and text analysis. We have interviewed the three spokespersons and examined materials like official weekly letters written by the spokespersons and the party’s constitution.The result shows that a flat structure is hard to carry out in practise and it appears that some form of hierarchical order appears in the party structure. Despite efforts towards equality the shared leadership is not totally equal.

This is a case study on the functioning of political parties and the aim was to explain “how” and “why” the Swedish social democratic party changed their policies in the Middle East politics. I wanted to explain this process of change by using Angelo Panebianco’s framework for the analysis of political parties. Angelo Panebianco´s hypothesis is that all parties must be viewed as organizations to understand their functions. With time they become more institutionalized and depending on their historic development they will end up as more or less institutionalized. If this change showed that the social democratic party acted as a bureaucratic and institutionalized organization, Panebianco’s organizational theory would explain the change of their Middle East politics. In my case study I have used a qualitative analysis of the content to interpret my material of measuring parties’ institutionalization level as “high” or “low” within the two different areas; organizational dilemmas and the dominant coalition. My conclusion is that the social democratic party has indications both of a “high” institutionalized organization and as a “low” institutionalized organization, still they have a relatively dominant coalition. My study demonstrates that Angelo Panebianco´s organizational theory can not fully explain “how” and “why” the Social democratic party changed their Middle East politics.

This is a study about a company in Norrköping, called Stadium AB, and its first steps into the global market. We have studied how the conditions of the company have changed during their expansion. This study is not written from the viewpoint of business economics, it is rather a study from a cultural and social studies perspective. The study deals with subjects such as the globalization of society, organizational theories and leadership. The empiric material consists of Stadium’s staff magazine Tracks, the company’s swedish homepage on the Internet and an interview with Sussi Calås-Jonsson, Chief of the Department of Information at Stadium AB. A primary conclusion is that companies like Stadium have to adjust themselves to the demands of the customers. Stadium has chosen to create a “Code of Conduct”, which indicates the company’s standpoint when it comes to environmental issues. It also indicates that fur is no longer used in the company’s products. Another conclusion is that the companies on the global market should be aware of the fact that their outgoing information can be interpreted different in different parts of the World. / Uppsatsen handlar om ett företag i Norrköping, som heter Stadium AB, och dess väg ut på den globala marknaden. Vi har studerat hur företagets förutsättningar har förändrats i takt med deras expansion. Då uppsatser av detta slag oftast skrivits ur ett företagsekonomiskt perspektiv, har vi valt att belysa våra frågeställningar ur ett kultur- och samhällsperspektiv. Viktiga begrepp som tas upp i uppsatsen är globalisering, organisationsteori och ledarskap. Det empiriska materialet består av Stadiums personaltidning Tracks, företagets svenska hemsida på Internet samt en intervju med Sussi Calås-Jonsson, informationschef på Stadium AB. En viktig slutsats är att företag som Stadium är/blir tvungna att anpassa sig efter kundernas krav. Stadium har valt att skapa en ”Code of Conduct”, som innebär att företaget tar ställning för miljön och att de inte använder päls i sina produkter. En annan viktig slutsats är att företagen på den globala marknaden bör vara medvetna om att information som skickas ut kan uppfattas olika i olika delar av världen.