<p> Public Service Motivation is a leading issue in public administration literature. This study uses a mixed-methods research design and survey data to evaluate the existence of Public Service Motivation among attorneys employed by the State of Tennessee. The survey was distributed to the entire population of Tennessee-employed attorneys via e-mail and received 264 responses from 631 participants for a response rate of 41.8%. Data was collected using a survey instrument comprised of Perry&rsquo;s (1996) Public Service Motivation scale, Lewis and Frank&rsquo;s (2002) employment motivation scale, and six open-ended employment motivation questions developed by the researcher. The researcher analyzed the quantitative data using logistic regression and analyzed the qualitative data using content analysis. The quantitative analysis reveals that Perry&rsquo;s scale&mdash;attraction to policy making, commitment to the public interest, and compassion&mdash;is not a good fit for the data. Several of Lewis and Frank&rsquo;s predictor variables&mdash;provide a valuable public service, job security, high income, an interesting job, helping other people, and flexible working hours&mdash;are effective predictors. The qualitative analysis reveals that Perry&rsquo;s scale is not an effective predictor of outcomes in the survey sample, while other motivational factors provide insight, including job characteristics, organizational characteristics, and mission valence. These results demonstrate that, when public sector attorneys in Tennessee are asked to identify their motivation in their own terms, public service motivation is not a significant motivator among the group as a whole. This study contributes to the literature by extending the study of Public Service Motivation to public sector attorneys employed by the State of Tennessee, using a mixed-methods approach, and answering calls for larger sample sizes, primary data, and contextual realism. The results suggest that additional research is needed to determine why Perry&rsquo;s scale does not fit the data in this particular context.</p>

<p>The Incident Command System (ICS) exists as the nationwide standard for on-site incident management, as called for under the National Incident Management System (NIMS). However, the effectiveness of ICS is debated, both for its systemic efficacy as a response model and for its inconsistent application. Since the development of ICS, individual responders have trained to work together as Incident Management Teams (IMTs). Even though little research exists on IMTs, their use has increased widely since the release of the NIMS. The alternative to IMTs is implementing ICS through a collection of individuals in an ad hoc manner, often referred to as an Emergent Multi-Organizational Network (EMON). This study strives to determine the impact of IMTs versus EMONs on the effectiveness of emergency and disaster response. It is hypothesized that the use of IMTs will increase the perceived effectiveness of a response, specifically in the application of the Incident Command System. The population for this study is emergency and disaster responders at large, regardless of disciplinary or jurisdictional demographics. The sample population is individual responders comprising both members and non-members of Incident Management Teams. The responders were from across the four state area of FEMA Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska). Non-IMT responders serve as a control group of EMONs to determine whether IMT membership has any effect on response. This study is limited in that it is not based on specific responses. Instead, respondents provide feedback to a survey based on what their normal actions were for their last biggest response.

<p> In her maiden speech in the House of Commons in February 1960, Mrs. Margaret Thatcher introduced a Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Bill whose purpose, she asserted, was 'that of guarding the rights of members of the public by enabling the fullest information to be obtained for them in regard to the actions of their representatives upon local authorities'. This private member's Bill was amended, then passed by Parliament and came into force in June 1961. Open government as envisaged by the 1960 Thatcher Act is the subject of this thesis. Its practice is studied in the early 1970s in four English boroughs - Ipswich, West Bromwich, Bolton and Preston. Each council had a different variant of holding council and/or committee meetings open to the public and/or press, and of appointing dedicated press relations officers to spotlight openness. The impact of Labour or Conservative Party control of the borough councils on open government is assessed. A total of 55 councilors, town clerks and other officers in the four boroughs were interviewed and 181 respondents serving as elected councilors returned mail questionnaires which explored the relationship between local authorities, the public and the press. Contrasting perceptions of participatory democracy and openness at the local level emerge, this study finds, consistent with the opaque character of Thatcher's 1960 Bill.</p>

This study examines the impact of environmental variables and organizational characteristics on minority bureaucratic representation in American municipalities. / A random sample of 111 American municipalities with populations of over 25,000 was chosen from U.S. census data. The base year for the analysis is l977. / After a comprehensive background, definitions of representation bureaucracy and affirmative action are drawn from the literature to provide rather explicit parameters for the analysis. Affirmative action, as a public personnel policy, is viewed as a contemporary means for achieving a representative bureaucracy. / There is first a concern for describing the municipal occupational representation of minorities. This descriptive section of the research addresses such questions as: (1) What is the occupational distribution of minorities? (2) In what occupations are minorities most represented? and (3) How do blacks and white females compare with regards to occupational representation? Second, there is a concern for generalizing these findings to U. S. municipalities. / The study tests hypotheses relating to organizational and environmental variables with the assumption that they would have a significant impact on minority bureaucratic representation in American cities. The relationship between these variables and their respective impact on municipal minority representation constitutes an ecological orientation. / This study shows that minorities tend to be located in lower status jobs. The most significant ecological factor that explains black bureaucratic representation is the percentage of blacks in the municipal population. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 41-02, Section: A, page: 0801. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1980.

One of today's more highly sensitive and controversial areas of human relations in the workplace is sexual harassment. The news media turn charges of sexual harassment into front page sex scandals, which create problems for employers as well as the individuals involved. / The numbers of women in the workforce have been increasing rapidly, and they are entering occupations previously closed to them, providing more opportunities for sexual harassment to occur. Changing attitudes toward sex by both women and men are impacting their relations in the workplace; and the women's movement seeks to sensitize women to problems of unwanted sexual attention at work, establish that it is illegal, and change men's behavior. / This study reviews national information on sexual harassment and analyzes data from a random sample of female employees of the State of Florida, to determine whether sexual harassment of women is a serious problem in the workplace. Determinations are made on how widespread sexual harassment of female employees is, what forms of attention women report are problems, and what personal and work related characteristics result in increased reports of unwanted sexual attention. Hypotheses are empirically tested on women's feelings about their experiences with unwanted sexual attention and the types they have experienced and the relationships between job related and personal characteristics and reports of sexual harassment. / The establishing, through case law and issuance of guidelines by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, that sexual harassment is illegal under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, is analyzed. The study explores the appropriateness of current national public policy and the needs for action at the state and national levels for changes in law. Consideration is given to the obligations of employers to provide a workplace free of unwanted sexual attention, and recommendations are made for actions by employers to protect themselves from unnecessary complaints, and attendant expenses, and to carry out their legal obligations. The dissertation concludes that the ultimate goal of public policy and employer actions should be a higher level of dignity and respect for all persons. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 43-02, Section: A, page: 0543. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of four ecological factors upon the attitudes of Saudi students toward work values. The ecological factors are divided into two types: informational factors consisting of education and mass media consumption, and societal factors consisting of religious commitment and tribal attachment. On the other hand, the work values examined in the study consist of the following: (1) locational mobility, (2) occupational mobility, (3) impartiality, (4) technical skills receptivity, and (5) time importance. / For the purpose of examining the correlation between the two sets of variables, data were collected in the Spring of 1981 utilizing a 54 item questionnaire distributed to 500 respondents, mainly university students. / Nine scales were developed to measure the nine variables examined in this study. A cross-tabulation (Gamma and R) test was employed to determine the strength of correlation, if any, between the ecological factors and the students attitudes toward work values. / The result of this empirical investigation was useful in a sense that it can be utilized as a basis of classification for the four ecological factors. The four ecological factors were divided into three categories based on the nature of correlation they have had upon the attitudes of Saudi students toward work values. They include: (1) passive factors including those which had no correlation with the attitudes of students toward work values. Factors classified under this category included education and mass media consumption. (2) Positive factors including those which were positively correlated with the attitudes toward work values. Religious commitment was found to be the only factor that can be classified under this category. (3) Negative factors including those which were negatively correlated with the attitudes toward work values. Tribal attachment was found to be the only factor that can be classified under this category. / Such findings have led us to emphasize the urgent need of reviewing such useful mechanism as the educational system and the media of mass communication in order to be rearranged utilizing the deeply rooted progressive values of the religion which have been empirically found effective motivators of people to achieve higher standard levels of productivity. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 42-12, Section: A, page: 5239. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1982.

The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions of Korean public employees about the utilization and effects of computer technology. Particular emphasis is given to the motives which prompt managers to adopt new technology. Possible associations between managerial motivations and behaviors and several variables regarding the use and effects of computer technology are then explored. To contribute to a broader theoretical understanding, the responses of employees of three Korean financial agencies are compared to American employees randomly selected from financial agencies in the State of Florida. / Univariate and bivariate data analysis shows numerous significant findings. Findings from the Korean sample confirm that managerial motivations are multidimensional. Korean managers are motivated by such factors as service improvement, employee well being, cost savings and desire to enhance control. Managers' behaviors, however, are not always helpful. Management often does not give employees enough time to learn computer skills during regular work hours. Respondents in both countries indicated that informal conversation and self-teaching are the most important ways of learning about computers. Improvements in operational performance measures such as service improvement, work speed, accuracy and coordination of service delivery seem to result from the use of computers. Managerial motivations and behaviors were found to be significantly related to the attitudes of employees about computer utilization, the ways in which employees learn to use computers, and operational performance. Multidimensional motivation, and the adoption of several supportive behaviors seem to positively enhance the utilization of computers in both countries. / Similarities seem to greatly outweigh the differences between the two countries. The response patterns suggest the possibility of framing theory about the role of managerial motivations and behaviors associated with adoption of computer technology that might apply to newly industrialized countries as well as to the more maturely developed ones. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-09, Section: A, page: 2983. / Major Professor: William Earle Klay. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

This study examined the attitudes of senior civil service administrators in the Sudan toward change. From a sample of 400, 205 administrators responded to the questionnaire constructed to collect data for the study. / Respondents' attitudes were tested toward change, friction, communications, responsibility and emigration. The data were analyzed to determine the association between the administrators' attitudes toward the dependent variables (above) and the independent variables of social status, education, work organization and family influence. / The analysis revealed that there is friction between the general public and the civil servants. The public's high expectations put pressure on the civil service. Communications within and among government organizations are difficult due to organizational problems and employee attitudes. Subordinates are reluctant to take responsibility, are afraid to make mistakes, and want to be left alone. The senior administrators themselves are insecure and prefer to work by themselves. Many government employees emigrate to oil producing countries, mainly for economic reasons. The senior administrators themselves are willing to emigrate for a good opportunity, and encourage their children to emigrate in the future. / Analysis showed that senior administrators are conservative toward change irrespective of social status, education, family influence and work organization. There is no significant association between attitudes toward friction, communications, responsibility and emigration when treated with social status, education and work organization. Family influence is the most important independent variable. Sudan is a tribal society and family influence has a major effect on the attitudes of the individual in the society. The association between family influence and attitudes toward friction, communications and responsibility is significant. Attitudes toward emigration have a relatively significant association with family influence; but there is no significant association between attitudes toward change and family influence. / The study results show that the senior administrators are conservative in their attitudes toward change. They are also dissatisfied and lack commitment to their work. In order to pursue social and economic development Sudan must develop its administrative system, its only tool of development administration and management. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 44-12, Section: A, page: 3804. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1983.

These are turbulent times of increasing government expenditures and opposition to higher taxes. A new kind of civil servant is needed, one who has the initiative and independence of the entrepreneur. / This study undertook the development of a profile of the personal qualities of the public entrepreneur and the identification of elements in the organizational environment which either facilitate or hinder public entrepreneurship, defined largely in terms of the way in which they impose themselves on the public entrepreneur. Further, an effort was made to examine the entrepreneurial behaviors that emerge from the interplay of the individual personality and organizational expectations. / Three research strategies were followed: a review of written and on-line literature, public documents, and interviews. Two methods were used in identifying individuals for the interviews. First, snow-ball or chain-sampling, and second, the specification of jobs which require entrepreneurial behavior in raising resources. Seventy officials were interviewed, 40 from Florida state and local governments, 22 from a public university, and eight from the non-profit sector. Content analysis was used to secure quantitative measures; and careful transcriptions of the interviews provided the basis for qualitative scrutiny. / The basic conclusion is that public entrepreneurs see themselves as creative people with a strong value orientation; feel they are needed and can function effectively in the public sector despite certain constraints; are task-oriented and place much emphasis on planning and goal-setting. These characteristics were common in the entire study population. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-09, Section: A, page: 3363. / Major Professor: Frank Sherwood. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.

The problem. Public entrepreneurship is increasingly regarded as the means to manage governmental organizations, even through, the approach has not been fully investigated and researched. The term entrepreneurship is often overused and the process by which it occurs is not understood. This research seeks to build understanding in these areas. / Research methods and strategies. Rather than concentrate on an ideal definition, the identification of traits, or a single influential person, this dissertation explores public entrepreneurship as an evolutionary process that follows various functional stages to produce and sustain an innovation. Through nine case investigations, the process by which local governments engage in entrepreneurial activities is analyzed. The environmental factors that lead to the entrepreneurial activity are examined. The influence of community attitudes towards innovation, risk and entrepreneurial activity is appraised. The extent to which a commonly shared vision supports the entrepreneurial activity is considered, as well as the relative importance of the various governmental officials in the creation, implementation, and institutionalization of the activity. / Findings and conclusions. Each case provides a profile of the entrepreneurial process in local government and exposes variations in the decision-making processes by which entrepreneurial activities are formed and operationalized. Public entrepreneurship is found to be collective, even when it begins with an individual, and highly situational. Entrepreneurs and their visions create new or enhanced organizational cultures while at the same time the organizational cultures determine the acceptable limits for entrepreneurial activity. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 53-10, Section: A, page: 3672. / Major Professor: Frank Sherwood. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1992.