Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:54:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mamerto Granja Garcia.pdf: 3048919 bytes, checksum: b442a16b24cfc59b90c080c63cc574cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-03-24 / Understand the electoral process and to identify the variables explicitly or implicitly involved remains a field full of mysteries as dark as the human mind. Psychosocial factors awakened in the election period refer the researcher to an environment full of symbols , the most unusual emotions and diverse interests that include a search undertaken by the voter , apparently rational , in order to find convergence between their personal aspirations and potential characteristics representative . This paper aims to outline considerations on the subject based on an analysis of voter behavior from three factors that stand out during the election process: indecision, the continuity and the candidate. Indecision will be analyzed from a survey of undecided voters indicated in several polls. It is demonstrated that the simple fact of being located in the stratum of the undecided voter presents trends vote for a particular candidate. On the topic continuity and candidate assesses the issue of parliamentarians that keeps on elective position for long periods, through successive re-elections, and in addition, an analysis of the candidate's profile and its effect on the voter's decision. To all these questions, appropriate quantitative models are used, which seek to create a bridge between research in the social sciences and the analysis of observations by means of statistical / Compreender o processo eleitoral e identificar as variáveis explicitamente ou implicitamente envolvidas continua sendo um campo repleto de mistérios tão obscuros quanto a mente humana. Os fatores psicossociais despertados no período eleitoral remetem o pesquisador a um ambiente repleto de simbologias, as mais inusitadas emoções e interesses diversos que compreendem uma busca empreendida pelo eleitor, aparentemente racional, no sentido de encontrar convergência entre seus anseios pessoais e as características do potencial representante. Este trabalho tem como objetivo delinear considerações sobre o tema com base em uma análise do comportamento do eleitor a partir de três fatores que se destacam durante o processo eleitoral: a indecisão, a continuidade e o candidato. A indecisão será analisada a partir do levantamento dos eleitores indecisos apontados em diversas pesquisas eleitorais. Demonstra-se que pelo simples fato de se situar no estrato dos indecisos, o eleitor apresenta tendências de voto para determinado candidato. No tópico continuidade e candidato, avalia-se a questão dos parlamentares que se mantem no cargo eletivo por longos períodos, através de sucessivas reeleições e como complemento, é feita uma análise do perfil do candidato e seus efeitos na decisão do eleitor. Para todas essas questões, são utilizados modelos quantitativos apropriados, os quais buscam criar uma ponte entre a pesquisa nas Ciências Sociais e a análise das observações por meio de ferramentas estatísticas

Hybrid entrepreneurial is phenomenal but remains under-studied in the management literature. This paper investigated the joint influence of hybrid entrepreneurs’ trait regulatory focus and wage work to entrepreneurial work enrichment (WE enrichment) on their entrepreneurial engagement and the subsequent proficient, adaptive, and proactive performance in entrepreneurial work. I first interviewed 16 hybrid entrepreneurs to obtain the understanding of their reasons for being in hybrid entrepreneurship, their regulatory focus tendencies, and the resources they transfer from wage work to entrepreneurial work. To validate the measurement scales of promotion and prevention focus, I conducted a pilot study among 66 hybrid entrepreneurs. Then, I conducted a multi-source questionnaire survey among 329 hybrid entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial partners in Ghana. The final sample included 272 completed and matched responses. I used structural equation modeling of Mplus 7.4 to test the hypothesized model. Results of the questionnaire survey provided strong support to my hypothesized model. Promotion focus and prevention focus had positive and negative relationships with these three types of entrepreneurial performance, respectively. I also found that the opposite relationships of promotion focus and prevention focus with these three types of entrepreneurial performance were mediated by entrepreneurial engagement. Furthermore, hybrid entrepreneurs work across the wage-work and entrepreneurial roles, and I found that WE enrichment played a moderating role. Specifically, WE enrichment strengthened the positive relationship between promotion focus and entrepreneurial engagement as well as the positive indirect relationships between promotion focus and the three types of entrepreneurial performance through entrepreneurial engagement. In contrast, WE enrichment weakened the negative relationship between prevention focus and entrepreneurial engagement as well as the negative indirect relationships between prevention focus and the three types of entrepreneurial performance through entrepreneurial engagement. This research sheds light on how personality traits and dual-work context affect hybrid entrepreneurs’ entrepreneurial processes and performance outcomes. Thus, I provide theoretical implications for the literature of hybrid entrepreneurial and dual work roles. Further, this research offers important practical implications for hybrid entrepreneurs and their entrepreneurial partners, as well as investors.

This dissertation explores the potential for higher education to promote the development of critical being among diverse students, including three studies that employ critical quantitative approaches. The first chapter proposes critical being as an alternative to critical thinking that better reflects the purposes of higher education for the public good. In Chapter Two, I create a survey-based instrument measuring critical being, including three factors that are theoretically grounded in the work of Barnett (1997) and Davies (2015). Chapter Three examines the relationship between specific instructional practices associated with academic challenge and four-year growth in critical being among three racial and/or ethnic groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education: Black and African American students, Asian and Pacific Islander students, and Hispanic, Latinx and Chicano students. Chapter Four focuses on college instructors, exploring the relationship of individual, academic, and organizational factors with instructors’ emphasis of critical being in the classroom and their beliefs about students’ abilities and efforts. Finally, Chapter Five returns to the necessity for higher education to center critical being in order to equip students to be well-informed agents of social change. By bringing together the results of the three studies, this chapter also considers the implications of higher education for critical being, offers self-reflection on the implementation of critical quantitative approaches, and looks forward in making recommendations for future research.

The information technology (IT) industry workforce in the United States is expected to increase by approximately 50,000 jobs through the year 2024, creating opportunities for employees to change jobs if they are not satisfied. Replacing talented IT professionals can cost a business as much as 150% of the salary of the outgoing employee. The purpose of this descriptive single case study was to identify strategies successful IT business leaders used to reduce voluntary turnover among IT professionals. The research population was 4 leaders from an IT business in southeastern Virginia, who oversee supervisory and hiring. The conceptual framework was Herzberg's 2-factor theory. The data were collected using semistructured interviews and reviews of applicable organization documents. Yin's 5 phases of analysis were the means to process the data resulting in the 5 themes of flexibility, individual, recognition, team, and work-life balance. Recognition and flexibility were the 2 key themes that made significant contributions to the organizational culture and success for the business. The implications for social change include companies using unspent replacement cost dollars to invest in local communities, improve the local economic growth, and provide incentives for employee quality of life and improved work environment.

The return on investment of construction organizations is at risk because construction managers fail to execute projects efficiently. The purpose of this single case study was to explore strategies that construction managers used to deliver projects efficiently. The selected population was 10 construction managers from a single construction organization operating in Panama. The conceptual framework for this study was the McKinsey 7S. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, observations, and a review of public documents. Collected data were compiled, disassembled, reassembled, interpreted, and then conclusions were reached, as noted in Yin's 5-step analysis. Themes that emerged from the study included project experience, communication, collaboration, and resource management. Construction managers noted that the review of needed project experience in alignment with the complexity of the project is a strategy to deliver projects efficiently. Leaders of construction organizations can increase strategic performance by implementing collaboration and leadership programs in accordance with the business objectives. By improving labor productivity, construction companies can complete construction projects faster and with lower construction costs. The findings of this study could contribute to positive social change by providing communication and collaboration strategies between construction organizations and local communities to source local staff and resources. Construction managers might benefit from the findings of this study by increasing their project management skills, an effect that could result in long-term employability.

Professionals who experience burnout are less productive and lead to decreases in both profitability and human resource (HR) capital. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine the relationship between construction project duration; project budget; an individual's role on a project; and Maslach's three dimensions of burnout, (a) professional efficacy, (b) emotional exhaustion, and (c) cynicism, for the target population of construction management team members working within the Midwestern United States. Using data from an online survey, a multiple linear regression analysis was used, along with a separate multiple linear regression model, to quantify the relationship of each dimension of the burnout syndrome with the independent variables. Results suggested that there was no statistically significant relationship between the independent variables and burnout, but statistical significance existed with project budget predicting the burnout dimension of cynicism F(2,136) = 6.395, p = 0.013, R2 = 0.05, suggesting that the larger the project budget, the more susceptible the individual to cynicism. Past research has found that increased levels of cynicism in project team members can lead to feelings of alienation and disengagement from the job role. The implications for positive social change include increased awareness of burnout within the construction context and potential modification of existing business practices and operating procedures to avoid employee burnout of project management team members. Business leaders expanding their understanding about predictors of burnout may lead to lower turnover and turnover intentions while increasing productivity and profitability of their organizations.

The business environment is in constant flux where stakeholders encourage organizational leaders to consider sustainable business tactics alongside corporate profits. While most business leaders recognize the importance of including sustainability into corporate goals, evidence suggested that only 10% have sustainable action plans in place. Using the honeybee leadership model as the conceptual framework, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the sustainable leadership strategies that business leaders from small- and medium- sized companies integrated to increase corporate revenue. These companies were B Corp certified which ensures a third party endorsement of sustainable practices. The data were collected through face-to-face, semistructured interviews from 4 B Corp business leaders of these sustainable businesses in West Michigan, B Corp sustainability ratings, and literature review documents. These four businesses represented 44% of the B Corp organizations in Michigan. Transcript evaluation, member checking, and methodological triangulation ensured reliability and strengthened the credibility of the data collected. From the data analysis, four themes emerged: (a) enabling culture, (b) stakeholder inclusion, (c) staff engagement, and (d) social responsibility. These study findings suggest that area small- and medium-sized companies seeking to implement sustainable business adopt these tactics to increase corporate revenue. Implications for social change include the advancement of community health through improved air and water quality, as leaders understand how their contributions fit within the greater community.

Homelessness with youth aging out the child welfare system has proportionally risen over the years. It is important that policy makers, professionals, and practitioners in the field of foster care understand the conditions youth find themselves in at the time of leaving placement. The purpose of this study was to describe problems that exist for youth aging out of foster care. Post placement outcomes have not generated results that suggest youth are thriving as they return to communities. Attachment Theory outlines relational bonds that form with caregivers when youth are entering and exiting placements. This qualitative study collected data from 11 professionals recruited from 2 organizations in the foster care system. In depth interviews provided a pathway for framing their perspec-tives on barriers and structural deficits that exist with youth aging out of the foster care system. Data analysis procedures identified common patterns and themes and ranked them accordingly. Unpreparedness, program deficits, and lack of long term supportive systems were key factors discussed in the systems that govern youth prior to emancipa-tion. Supportive services, including (a) housing, (b) education, (c) mental health, (d) af-tercare plans, and (e) interdisciplinary approach had significant implications in mediating many of the concerns for youth aging out of the foster care experience. Many challenges still exist for youth aging out of the Child Welfare system that are not easily detected from external sources. Foster care and Child Welfare systems have the potential to im-prove strategies through policy and programmatic changes that address poor post-placement outcomes. This research identified conditions with a call to action to improve planning for youth aging out of placement and integrating back to society.

Companies that have moved their operations from the United States to other countries have forced top management to rely on their managers for leading overseas assignments. However, the success rate of expatriate managers is low and is a concern for top management in corporations. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the shared lived experiences of 20 expatriate managers to identify methods which may improve the success rates of expatriate managers asked to participate in overseas assignments. Social learning, cultural shock, and experiential learning were used to support the conceptual framework linking how cross-cultural training, adaptation, problems, and knowledge acquisition may explain expatriate manager success. Data were collected through an interview process, and were coded to identify themes. Emergent themes included cross-cultural training, effective tools for managing cross-cultural teams, and challenges of managing cross-cultural teams. The results of the study indicated that, for these 20 expatriate managers, cross-cultural training was essential in improving their skills and effectiveness. Findings showed that cross-cultural training provided tools to improve communication, overall leadership, adaptation, understanding of the new culture, and increased collaboration when managing cross-cultural teams. U.S. organizations may benefit from these results by implementing best practice cross-cultural training programs for future expatriate managers. The findings contribute to positive social change by providing guidance that could improve the success rates of future expatriate managers during oversea assignments.

The overall success rate of implementing enterprise resource planning systems is about 30%. Guided by systems theory, the purpose of this qualitative single case study was to explore the strategies used to ensure a successful implementation by information technology managers working in higher education settings. The data were derived from semistructured interviews of 6 managers and documentation from a higher education institution in the northeastern United States that successfully implemented an ERP system. Data analysis consisted of reviewing interview transcripts, from which themes and patterns were identified and coded. Three recurring factors arose throughout the analysis involved commitment, communication, and change management. The main themes included pre-implementation strategy activities, implementation strategies, post-implementation strategy activities, and continuous improvement. Managers engaged in enterprise resource planning systems implementations should frame the strategic approach with a strong commitment, effective communication, and a comprehensive change management plan throughout the process. The implications for positive social change include the potential to improve the institution's business processes, cultivate a more knowledgeable workforce, increase student academic experience, and improve the institution's performance overall.