Thesis (M.A.)--Miami University, Dept. of Speech Communication, 2003. / Title from first page of PDF document. Document formatted into pages; contains iii, 35 p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 20-24).

This thesis examines the development of value for money (VFM) audit methods used by the National Audit Office (NAO) and considers what factors have influenced the identified changes. It also considers how developments compare with those elsewhere in Europe. The thesis is based on examination of more than 300 NAO reports, interviews with senior staff, focus groups, a thorough review of relevant literature, and comparisons with four other state audit offices. The thesis argues that VFM audit has developed into a strong form of evaluative activity, despite a number of constraints. The NAO enjoys a unique combination of the statutory power to initiate wide-ranging reviews; the right to demand documents and gain access to people; and the existence of a powerful parliamentary committee to review its work and ensure a government response to reports. Additionally, during the 1980s and 1990s, the NAO developed its VFM work, and in particular, the methods used, to become a more robust discipline. Although document review and interviews form the basis of much of the work, other methods have been added to the core repertoire, in particular, questionnaires. In addition, a broader range of methods has been used on occasions, from focus groups to systems dynamics. These developments are explained in terms of a response to broader changes in the administrative environment, in particular, new public management reforms. These have increased interest in public sector performance, enhanced the quality of information available, and given greater emphasis to service quality. Consequently, the NAO has sought to demonstrate it can 'add value' and encourage beneficial improvements to public services. Developments in methods are seen as one important way of doing this. The thesis places developments in the context of the growth of evaluative activities in the UK, whilst emphasising the particular focus of VFM work on accountability, and its links with financial audit.

Human resources management is a key aspect in Public Administration. In fact, it is argued that people are indeed the most valuable resource to any organisation. However, it is imperative to note that having people within an organisation does not automatically translate into results. Success within an organisation stems from implementing best practice human resources management. Performance management is one of the aspects involved in streamlining human resources management in an organisation. The foundation of this research is therefore based on the realization that performance management is a key factor to achieving results in Uganda’s public sector. Similar to several other countries, Uganda’s public sector has gone through various transitions and reforms. The performance management system that stands in the current public sector is a result of the reforms in the public sector. In order to understand the environment in which public servants operate, this research starts by giving a background to the history of the public sector and the evolution of the public service through the public service reform programme. Attention is then drawn to the theoretical framework by way of identifying the standards required in any given performance management system. Based on these identified standards and the research objectives, an evaluation of the implementation of performance management in Uganda’s public sector is discussed with specific reference to the Ministry of public service. The final chapter of the research gives critical recommendations to improve public sector performance management in the Ministry of public service and the Ugandan Public service as a whole. The research findings indicate that performance management policies in Uganda’s public sector are founded on the right and basic principles of performance management. However, critical measures should be put in place to address the actual implementation of performance management in the public sector in order to improve results. / Public Administration / M.A. (Public Administration)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento CientÃfico e TecnolÃgico / Neste trabalho analiso quais significados a cantoria assume para cantadores e ouvintes, que sob a pressÃo de diferentes formas de comunicaÃÃo e de diversÃo dos âtempos modernosâ, direcionam suas experiÃncias e subjetividades para criaÃÃo e apreensÃo de uma arte que se realiza principalmente por meio da palavra cantada e improvisada ao som da viola. A cantoria, por meio da palavra, da voz do cantador parece possuir o poder de agir, de remexer as lembranÃas dos ouvintes, causando uma sensaÃÃo de prazer e identificaÃÃo com o que està sendo vivido e cantado. Para alcanÃar tais significados focalizo o percurso de maturaÃÃo do cantador, que ganha conformaÃÃo na certeza de possuir um âdomâ que agregado aos aspectos do ambiente social mais amplo desenvolve-se e consagra-se na aceitaÃÃo do pÃblico. PÃblico que à peÃa fundamental na criaÃÃo poÃtica da cantoria. Esses cantadores hoje circulam mais constantemente entre o universo rural e o urbano, mantendo contato com diferentes contextos, linguagens e meios de comunicaÃÃo. Implicando em mudanÃas e atualizaÃÃes no seu fazer poÃtico que, por sua vez, refletem-se na criaÃÃo de estratÃgias para a manutenÃÃo da sua relaÃÃo com o pÃblico, antes marcada predominantemente por uma relaÃÃo corpo-a-corpo e que hoje passa por mediaÃÃes como a do rÃdio, da televisÃo, do CD e DVD, o que aumenta significativamente o alcance da cantoria. As memÃrias de cantadores e ouvintes expressam deslocamentos e ressignificaÃÃes dessa arte, traduzindo um universo poÃtico que reÃne diferentes experiÃncias e tradiÃÃes. Dessa maneira, cantadores e ouvintes vÃo recriando e dando vida à cantoria por ela simbolizar sua forma de comunicaÃÃo com o mundo. Do sertÃo para a cidade, o percurso dos cantadores evoca similaridades que alcanÃam mesmo as geraÃÃes mais novas, os filhos dos sertanejos que viviam do trabalho na roÃa: a certeza de possuÃrem um dom, o convÃvio desde cedo com um universo lÃdico que encontrava nas cantorias, reisados, mamulengos, festas de padroeiras e sambas (forrÃs) seus principais representantes, os preconceitos e o combate ao estereÃtipo de vagabundo amplamente reproduzido no contexto social. Tudo o que, por fim, engendra uma disputa cultural vigente ainda hoje. / In this work, I analyze what meanings the singing assumes for singers and listeners who, under the pressure of different forms of communication and amusement in the âmodern timesâ, address their experiences and subjectivities for the creation and understanding of an art that takes place mainly through the sung and improvised words to the sound of the viola. The singing, through words, of the singerâs voice seems to have the power to act, to shuffle the memories of the listeners, causing a sensation of pleasure and identification with what is being lived and sung. To reach those meanings, I focus on the maturation route of the singer, who gains configuration by being sure that he/she has a âgiftâ, which added to aspects of the broader social atmosphere, becomes developed and acclaimed before the publicâs acceptance. The public is a fundamental piece in the poetic creation of the singing. Nowadays, those singers circulate more often between the rural and urban universes, having contact with different contexts, languages, and communication means. Thus, causing changes and updates in their poetic performance, which in turn is reflected in the creation of strategies to keep his/her relationship with the public, which used to be more of a body-to-body contact, going through other mediations, such as the radio, TV, CD, and DVD that increase the reach of singing significantly. The memories of singers and listeners express displacements and re-meanings of that art, translating a poetic universe that gathers different experiences and traditions. Thus, singers and listeners go recreating and giving life to singing; because it symbolizes his/her form of communication with the world. From the countryside to the city, the singersâ route evokes similarities that reach even the youngest generations: the children of country parents who used to make a living on plantations certainly own a âgiftâ, and have long lived with a universe of entertainment full of singings, reisados, puppets, patron saint parties and sambas (forrÃs) as the main representatives, prejudices and combats to the wandererâs stereotype thoroughly reproduced in the social context. And at last, it engenders a cultural dispute that is effective until the present time.

Human resources management is a key aspect in Public Administration. In fact, it is argued that people are indeed the most valuable resource to any organisation. However, it is imperative to note that having people within an organisation does not automatically translate into results. Success within an organisation stems from implementing best practice human resources management. Performance management is one of the aspects involved in streamlining human resources management in an organisation. The foundation of this research is therefore based on the realization that performance management is a key factor to achieving results in Uganda’s public sector. Similar to several other countries, Uganda’s public sector has gone through various transitions and reforms. The performance management system that stands in the current public sector is a result of the reforms in the public sector. In order to understand the environment in which public servants operate, this research starts by giving a background to the history of the public sector and the evolution of the public service through the public service reform programme. Attention is then drawn to the theoretical framework by way of identifying the standards required in any given performance management system. Based on these identified standards and the research objectives, an evaluation of the implementation of performance management in Uganda’s public sector is discussed with specific reference to the Ministry of public service. The final chapter of the research gives critical recommendations to improve public sector performance management in the Ministry of public service and the Ugandan Public service as a whole. The research findings indicate that performance management policies in Uganda’s public sector are founded on the right and basic principles of performance management. However, critical measures should be put in place to address the actual implementation of performance management in the public sector in order to improve results. / Public Administration and Management / M.A. (Public Administration)

This thesis investigates how the Thai public sector, particularly at the provincial level, makes sense of the performance management system (PMS) aimed at driving forward the improvement in public service and enhancing the sustainability of service quality. The study explores the implications of the PMS implementation after the major civil service reform in 2002. The core aspects of this development include the nation-wide implementation of the PMS, the Provincial CEO scheme, as well as the incentive schemes put force to motivate and enhance such development and improvement. Although there is rich literature on performance management, there is limited in the Thai context, particularly at the provincial level. The empirical study relies on a qualitative approach through intensively exploring five provincial case studies. In-depth, semi-structure interviews have been conducted within the provinces, as well as with executives from central agencies, training and development institutes, and key resource persons who are directly involved in the PMS implementation. The data analysis reveals that a strong commitment of the government at policy level brought in support and coordination among central agencies and has altered attention and resources towards the system implementation. Additionally, the PMS implementation together with the promotion of the Provincial CEO scheme has created new challenges for the Provincial Governors and the provincial administration in which there is shown to be a shift from an administrative approach to a more managerial and participative one. The performance agreement (PA) has played a crucial role in improving and evaluating performance, driving public sector development, and linking performance with the monetary incentive schemes. However, the study also finds a limitation of the PA execution in relation to its linkages with incentive distribution to individuals. Furthermore, several incentive schemes are available for different groups of people and cause misunderstanding and demotivating affects which, in turn, has impacts on the PMS as a whole. The findings of this research provide new evidence on the PMS implications at the provincial level in the Thai public sector in which political policies are cascaded down into real practices and execution. Therefore, the result could be considered as extending the knowledge boundary in the context of public management. Crucially, the research highlights significant implications and specified factors enabling and inhibiting success in the PMS implementation.

Combining agency theory and the resource-dependence perspective as well as signalling theory, this thesis examines the role venture capitalists (VCs) and founders play with respect to both structural board characteristics and board capital in terms of experience and prestige and whether these are linked to performance. It claims that VCs and founders shape the governance system of the firms going public and are influential in the professionalisation of the ventures especially in terms of human and social capital of its board of directors. It also argues that the board of directors represents a signal of firm quality in the initial public offering (IPO) market and should thus be linked to performance. Similarly, according to the venture capital certification hypothesis, being funded by VCs signals a firm's quality and potential. In order to assess these claims, this thesis employs a unique sample of matched venturecapital- backed and non-venture-capital-backed entrepreneurial IPOs that floated either on the London Stock Exchange's Official List or the Alternative Investment Market (AIM). Extending previous research this thesis employs more fine-grained measures and introduces new conceptually relevant variables in the analysis. The findings indicate that VCs and founders are influential in shaping corporate governance of IPO-stage ventures both from an agency and resource-provision perspective. Findings from the examination of governance and professionalisation characteristics with respect to IPO short-run performance (underpricing) indicate that it may the involvement of prestigious auditors that signal firm quality while a founder bias discount seems to exist. While evidence is found that VC involvement (and to a lesser extent director/board characteristics) is related to post-IPO market performance, this seems to depend on the time period following the IPO examined, whereas auditor prestige shows a positive association in all of these time periods.

As the workforce ages, enabling individuals to work effectively across the lifespan is critical for individuals, organizations, and societies. Put simply, societies and organizations are beginning to face a "new normal" in which people must continue working later in life. Investigations of work ability (WA), an individual's ability to meet the demands of their job, is a line of research that facilitates our understanding of the factors related to working successfully across the lifespan. Although research has established that WA is influenced by a range of organizational and personal factors and linked WA to retirement and disability, a number of gaps and underlying conceptual issues have limited the value of the WA research to the organizational sciences. Through a series of three studies -- a meta-analysis (Study 1a) with k = 247 studies and N = 312,987 individuals, a supplemental online data collection (Study 1b), a nurse sample (Study 2), and a healthcare sample (Study 3) -- this dissertation draws on the JD-R model to move the WA literature forward and advance WA theory within the organizational science literature. Study 1 provides a quantitative synthesis of the WA literature, establishes its nomological network, and provides a straightforward conceptual definition of WA. This synthesis provides a roadmap for researchers and practitioners by highlighting leverage points to promote WA across the lifespan. Second, these studies answer lingering questions regarding the concept of WA. In doing so, these studies provide a clear conceptual distinction between WA as measured by the Work Ability Index (WAI), which includes health-based questions, and measures of perceived WA (PWA), which are perceptions of WA as rated by individual. PWA measures performed similarly to the WAI in the vast majority of analyses, lending substantial support to the use of relatively simple PWA measures. Third, Study 1 and Study 2 provide evidence that PWA explains unique variance in organizational (e.g., engagement, burnout) and personal (e.g., disability intentions, health) correlates above and beyond the established constructs of perceived fit, general self-efficacy, and job self-efficacy. Fourth, Study 2 identified age discrimination as an important yet understudied antecedent of WA and showed that PWA can serve as a mediator between age discrimination and negative outcomes (e.g., lower life satisfaction and task performance). Finally, Study 3 showed that PWA is related to supervisor ratings of task and creative performance. Taken together, these three studies situate WA within the organizational literature and provide substantial evidence of the value of WA for meeting the challenges of an aging and age-diverse workforce.

Univ., Diss.--Mainz, 2004. / Literaturverz. S. XV - XXII.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 96-101).