Thesis (Ph. D.)--York University, 2000. Graduate Programme in Sociology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 296-315). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pNQ56235.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of South Florida, 2003. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 106 pages. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Available also from UMI Company.

<p> This qualitative research study explored the characteristics, emergence, and engagement of people who occupy the role of the family champion in family-enterprise systems. The family champion is a next-generation leader who emerges from within the ownership group of a family-enterprise system and who works to develop the ownership, governance, and relational capabilities of the family-owners to support their goals of success. This study investigated the interdependent exchanges between individual family champions, the family-ownership group, and their family-enterprise systems. Much of the existing research on leadership within family-enterprises has focused on leadership for the business entity. This study focused specifically on leadership within the family-ownership group. Ownership of an enterprise by a family has long been cited as a strategic asset. A need exists for further understanding of the role and function of leadership within the family-owners. </p><p> This study explored the characteristics, emergence, and engagement of 14 primary family champions through semi-structured qualitative interviews. An additional eight supporting interviews were conducted with another family member who was familiar with the primary interviewee to provide a complimentary perspective. The research was discovery based and designed to explore the experiences of family champions. The extensive interviews were transcribed and analyzed utilizing grounded theory principles with the assistance of NVivo 10 qualitative analysis software. </p><p> This research revealed a rich interaction between the context of family-enterprise systems, the characteristics of family champions, and systemic shift points that created the awareness of the need for leadership. The family champions worked to develop the family-ownership group through a cycle of engagement, to produce an advanced family-enterprise system. Four main themes linked to issues in family-enterprises emerged: The systemic context of family-enterprises, the process of leadership emergence, how family champions operate as catalysts for change, and governance of both family and enterprise. The family champion is a visionary catalyst who brings new energy into the family system to support and develop the family-ownership advantage. This research makes a contribution to our understanding of the vital role of leadership within family-enterprises, and has significance for individual leaders, families who own a business, and professionals who work with these systems.</p>

This research examines how organizational antecedents affect organizational identification (OI) of academics in the business schools of universities in Hong Kong. Organizational antecedents include perceived organizational distinctiveness, inter-organizational competition, intra-organizational competition and perceived organizational prestige. OI is a perceptual cognition that links an individual to a particular group and identification with reference to an organization. It serves for individuals to cognitively segment and order the social environment. The outcomes of the study are faculty members’ in-role and extra-role performances, referring to the behavior necessary for the completion of the responsible work and behavior that attempts to benefit the organization and that goes beyond existing role expectations respectively. Based on the English language literature, it was hypothesized that OI of the faculty members was positively related to the antecedents except intra-organizational competition and the two outcomes. It also mediated the relationship between the four antecedents and two outcomes. Measures of the variables were operationalized using Likert scales by established international literature, and a survey instrument was constructed and validated after a pilot study in July 2012. All business school faculty members (1,162) in Hong Kong’s universities were invited to participate in the survey between August and October 2012. A total of 194 completed valid questionnaires were received. The statistics were run by the software package used for statistical analysis (SPSS) and data was analyzed using Baron and Kenny (1986)’s strategy to test the mediation hypothesis. The results of this study indicated a high level of OI consistent with the collectivist cultural value of Chinese employees. However, it demonstrated that OI was positively associated with organizational distinctiveness and organizational prestige only while there were no significant relationships between OI and inter-organizational competition as well as intra-organizational competition. These results were also contrary to the international OI literature which shows that OI only affects extra-role behavior. Instead, OI was positively associated with both consequences of in-role and extra-role performances. Finally, the data did not support OI as a mediator. Further research in a Chinese contexts and an extension of studies with more antecedents or moderators are recommended to retest the model and hypotheses. / published_or_final_version / Education / Master / Master of Education

<p> Helping someone maximizes the interaction that takes place between individuals because it provides a purpose for communication. The unique experience of exchanging information and support also results in the gratification of being able to impact another person&rsquo;s life. Mentoring relationships support Buber&rsquo;s I-Thou relationship of respectfully helping others when the opportunity exists. The cost and benefits shared while learning from each other also expand on Homans&rsquo; (1961) social exchange theory that suggests that the purpose behind human behavior is based from the exchange between each other. With more motivation to engage in a collaborative relationship, aspiring leaders have advanced personally and professionally from the result of a relationship with a mentor. This project strives to bring awareness of the need to develop Latina leaders through the support of a mentoring relationship. After expanding from the applied research, this project engages the use of computer mediated communication (CMC) to educate and inspire future Latina leaders to be involved in a mentoring relationship to increase their presence in top leadership roles. Project website: Mentoring Latina Leaders: Establishing and nourishing a positive mentoring relationship www.jresende1.wix.com/mentoringlatinas </p>

<p> This qualitative study uses phenomenology as its method of inquiry to examine increased intuitive capabilities experienced by firefighters during emergency incidents. Firefighters provide immediate crisis intervention and are often faced with exposure to traumatic incidents that demand rapid and spontaneous decisions. The emphasis of this investigation is placed on the phenomenological implications of unconscious motivations that target spontaneous tactical and strategic split-second decisions. Intuition is the basis from which implicit decision-making practices emerge during emergency-scene management. Increased intuitive awareness simultaneously arises from, and is a reaction to, the activation of rapid decision making when exposed to crisis situations. Through the oral documentation of the lived experiences of on-scene firefighter managers (battalion chiefs and captains), this investigation expands the literature concerning the activation of intuition.</p><p> Attempts to define intuition during critical incidents can often lead to a generalization that overlooks the importance of cultural implications of the diverse firefighter population. The findings in this study recognize commonly held interpersonal, group organizational, and sociocultural personality identities of the 21st-century American firefighter. Thematic constructs of firefighter personality formulations expand the multiple dimensions of explicit and implicit characteristics of firefighters&rsquo; occupational subjective and collective personality preferences that correlate with specific inherent tendencies toward intuitive decisions.</p>

<p> Change in higher education is a topic of growing urgency and national prominence. The study addressed the limited understanding through institutional theory of how a team at one traditional university interpreted its changing environment and justified adoption of an educational innovation prior to other actors in the field. This effort used the dynamics of institutional change model (Hinings, Greenwood, Reay, &amp; Suddaby, 2004), which tracks the process of de- and reinstitutionalization to understand how change happens within the isomorphic context of the institutional theory framework. A qualitative single site case study was conducted at one leading university that had initiated a new massive open online course (MOOC)-enabled degree program, an innovation potentially disruptive to the traditional model of university education. </p><p> The study found that perceptions of an external climate of change (exemplified by the perception of disruption in the university field, technology enablers, and societal pressures) and an internal value of innovation (exemplified by larger organizational support for innovation, the college's specific value and excitement around innovation, and successful experiences with innovative efforts) were significant in the adoption of the new program. The study also found that a long list of justifications and motivations were present, including lowering cost and expanding access to education, increasing internal resources and supporting college values around research, and expanding the opportunity for personal impact and influence. </p><p> Conclusions focused on the relevancy and necessity of jolts to the change process, the unique factors that enabled actor agency in this circumstance, the importance of attaching new practice to preexisting values, and the prominent role of legitimacy as a motivating factor within institutional theory. Based on this example, suggestions for practice included supporting a value of innovation, selecting a new practice that aligns with societal issues, and identifying justifications for various audiences. Refinements in institutional theory were offered, focusing on the dynamics of institutional change model and the approach to isomorphic forces. Lastly, suggestions were offered for research, primarily around the role of the entrepreneurial actor and the pursuit of legitimacy.</p>

<p> In this study, the effectiveness of customer service training was estimated using Donald Kirkpatrick&rsquo;s Evaluation Model and the Learning Transfer Model. There were 105 Human Resource Leaders and Trainers that completed an online study concerning the training requested and provided within non-profit community healthcare organizations. The study found that The Learning Training Model, when used with Kirkpatrick&rsquo;s Evaluation model provided adequate information to suggest a roadmap for designing strategies to achieve improved customer service in non-profit community healthcare sectors.</p>

<p> Disaster management requires collaboration for effective and efficient outcomes. Current disaster management requires utilization of the National Incident Management&rsquo;s Incident Command System (ICS), which bases its fundamentals in command and control. The study examined the problem of misalignment in needed knowledge, skills and abilities for effective collaboration between the fire department and the local emergency management agency (EMA) as compared to the current edition of the National Incident Management System. The purpose of the study involved extending current collaboration theories into collaboration between the fire department and the local EMA, as well as, identifying differences in current ICS curricula. The qualitative multiple case study surveyed and interviewed 17 local EMA and fire department personnel within the original Urban Area Security Initiate areas in the State of Ohio and compared the findings of the interviews to the current ICS curriculum to determine gaps and contradictions. The study found communication, management of personnel and process, and trust as the leadership, management, and personal trait themes needed to enhance collaboration between the local EMA and the fire department. When compared to the ICS curricula only a small percentage (12%) of the collaboration themes existed within the curriculum. A recommendation for further research included expansion of the study to include all 50 states. Recommendations for practical application included the addition of a course in two-way communication within the ICS and fire administration higher education curriculums. </p>