This study set out to explore the strategising practices of middle managers and thereby expand the body of knowledge in terms of middle management practices in strategising in general, and makes an original contribution at the frontiers of middle management practices in a university context in South Africa. Although some research has been done on middle managers and strategy, a knowledge gap still exists, especially regarding strategising in emerging economies, such as South Africa. More specifically, the actions of middle managers at universities are open for exploration. Universities are increasingly exposed to new challenges in a competitive environment due to declining state funding, changing student demographics, new technological developments and increased market pressures. The sustainability of universities is also threatened by changes inside the universities, such as the drive for corporatisation and a changing internal focus. The way universities respond to and pre-empt dealing with these challenges will influence the sustainability and competitiveness of the university and subsequently the nations it serves. However, very little is known about the university managers who are powerful in terms of the administrative systems and decision processes. In order to understand strategy work viii and to know what enables or constrains it, it is necessary to look at middle managers at universities. This research puts forward three main arguments: firstly, strategy is dispersed throughout the entire organisation and includes middle managers’ strategising activities. Secondly, a need exists for practically relevant research founded in the organisational realities. Thirdly, universities present a relevant context within which to study strategising practices. An exploratory qualitative case study was followed to answer the research questions. Findings indicate that university middle managers, who operate within a machine bureaucracy, create systems within systems in order to cope with the organisational demands. Middle managers are mostly responsible for strategy implementation and the support role of university managers is prominent. Findings also indicate that the strategy loses its meaning and in an environment where the strategy textual artefacts and talk are abundant. In such an environment compliance takes precedence over buy-in. Finally, this study identified the enablers of and constraints on the strategy work of university middle managers. This research confirmed that strategy and strategising are human actions and confirmed that knowledge of what people do in relation to the strategies of organisations is required. / Economics / D. Com. (Business Management)

Con el pasar de los años la imagen de la mujer en la publicidad ha cambiado y mejorado notablemente, sin embargo, aún existe determinado tipo de publicidad que refuerza estereotipos dentro de la sociedad. El propósito de este estudio fue analizar qué estereotipos perciben las iquiteñas sobre la mujer selvática en la publicidad, difundida por redes, del musical Pantaleón y las visitadoras. Para el presente estudio se eligió el enfoque cualitativo. La publicidad del musical teatral, fue elegida como estudio de caso, porque la historia retrata un imaginario sobre las mujeres de la selva que fue difundida por las principales redes sociales como Facebook e Instagram, obteniendo un gran alcance. Se realizaron entrevistas semiestructuradas, para luego resolver las preguntas que se planteó en esta investigación. Las mujeres iquiteñas fueron contactadas por la técnica de muestreo de “bola de nieve” y muestreo “por conveniencia”, pues uno de los principales requisitos era que hayan asistido al teatro antes de la pandemia. Las entrevistas fueron analizadas mediante la técnica de análisis de datos que permitió reconocer categorías y temas, para luego analizar de manera profunda todas las respuestas. Finalmente, se encontró que la publicidad del musical presenta ciertos estereotipos acerca de las mujeres selváticas y que ellas no se sienten representadas, pues aseguran que se difunde una imagen negativa de las mujeres iquiteñas hacia el exterior. / In recent years, the image of women in advertising has changed, having improved significantly. However, there still exists a type of publicity that reinforces specific societal stereotypes. The purpose of this study was to analyze which stereotypes women from Iquitos, Peru perceived of the “jungle woman” in advertising for the musical Pantaleón (both self-promotion and by the audience). A qualitative approach was employed for this research. Pantaleón’s advertising was chosen as a case study because the production’s story characterizes women from the jungle, images that were promoted on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, achieving a broad reach. Semi-structured interviews were used to answer this study’s research questions. Women from Iquitos were contacted using snowballing and convenience sampling techniques because one of the key inclusion criteria was that they had been to the theater before the COVID-19 pandemic. The interviews were analyzed with a data analysis technique that allowed for the discovery of specific categories and themes, permitting the researcher to investigate in-depth the participants’ responses. This study found that the musical’s advertising materials presented specific stereotypes of women from the jungle. Said women did not feel represented and claimed that what was being promoted to the outside world was a negative stereotype of women from Iquitos. / Tesis

At Base Elementary School (BES) in the Southwest United States school administrators were concerned that writing proficiency levels for 2014-2015 were below district and state standards and there was not a clear understanding of teachers' perceptions on writing proficiency of military-connected (MC) students at the target site. Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore teachers' perceptions on writing proficiency of MC students at BES. Using Lave and Wenger's communities of practice framework, a qualitative instrumental case study was used to discern perceptions of elementary English Language Arts (ELA) teachers regarding the writing proficiency of MC students. Through a purposeful sample of 12 ELA teachers, telephone interviews were used to explore teachers' writing perceptions. Data from interviews were analyzed using inductive and iterative analysis resulting in identification of key themes. Major themes included the status of existing writing practices, diverse culture of MC students, need for collaborative relationship building among teachers, and the need for targeted writing professional development (PD) focused on connecting evidence-based practices (EBP) to state writing standards using culturally responsive practices (CRP). The resulting project of a white paper, will promote stakeholder awareness of teachers' perceptions, includes themes supporting the findings with recommendations that teachers would benefit from targeted writing PD focused on EBP and CRP using a collaborative model. Teacher use of these recommendations may promote social change by improving writing support for MC students possibly leading to improved performance on state proficiency assessments.

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This dissertation explores the topic of strategy formation in high-growth SMEs. High-growth SMEs represent the growth and job creation engine of an economy; however, little has been understood on how strategy forms and develops in high-growth SMEs. The focus on large organisations has led to a literature gap regarding strategy making in SMEs (Wisener and Millett, 2012). "There is a need for deeper understanding" of strategy formation processes in SMEs (Lofving et al., 2014) and "research focusing on questions such as how firms grow [...] has been neglected." (Wright and Stigliani, 2012) The research objectives are: to understand how strategy forms and develops in high-growth SMEs; to develop a framework for the qualitative study of strategy formation processes in high-growth SMEs; and to identify enablers and barriers related to strategy formation processes in high-growth SMEs. A multiple, retrospective case-study methodology has been used. Extensive case studies built on in-depth interviews with management have been compiled to understand the complexity of the studied phenomenon. The research develops two qualitative research tools based on the literature review: a preliminary framework and an assessment matrix to study strategy formation processes. Furthermore, the research introduces a new approach to strategy charting. The key contributions of this research are as follows: • A holistic view of how strategy processes in high-growth SMEs form and develop is provided. New insights into the structures, characteristics, and other aspects of strategy formation processes have been articulated. • A framework for the qualitative study of strategy formation processes in high-growth SMEs has been developed by applying the cross-case analysis findings to the preliminary framework. • New enablers and barriers related to strategy formation processes in high-growth SMEs have been identified. New findings on the role of strategy formation in achieving growth have been outlined. This dissertation narrows the gap between strategy formation in academia and real life by providing practitioners with detailed case studies which can be used as guidelines for the development of strategy formation processes. The research can also help SMEs' managers to tackle challenges encountered in strategy formation and to support catalysts which enable strategy formation. This dissertation provides exploratory findings into a phenomenon which has been limitedly researched. Further research should seek to generalise and test the findings on additional SMEs.

A qualitative investigation was conducted to explore the phenomenon of abstract cognition among a purposive sample of 5 secondary scholastic chess club participants. The case study enabled the researcher to explore the faculties of abstract cognition among students of contrasting skills and abilities in playing chess. The study also allowed for the consideration of potential visual-spatial, logical, academic, social competency and life benefits of chess play. Through analysis of interviews, chess simulations, blindfold chess play, and narration of chess lines and sequences, the investigator was able to extract meaning and code schemata into a holistic understanding of the phenomenon of abstract cognition within the context of Piaget’s Formal Operations Stage. Scholastic chess systematically engages the student in a stimuli-enriched environment in which the participant must exercise optimal cognitive control in processing and anticipating chess lines and sequences, thus facilitating the manifestation and phenomenon of abstract cognition. Abstract cognition as a phenomenon may elicit increased academic, scholarly, and life potential. Participation in scholastic chess may produce both scholarly and critical thinking individuals. Suggestions for future research include continuing qualitative research in the area of abstract cognition among chess players and developing a stronger understanding of cognitive growth in students.

本質性個案研究旨在從三位歐美外籍留學生的視角了解他們的華語文學習信念，探討他們在台灣留學期間所處的社會文化環境如何改變他們的語言學習信念，以及台灣作為華語文環境所能提供的機會與挑戰。本研究主要透過深入訪談（In-depth Interview），邀請三位來台留學半年至一年的歐美華語文學生敘述自身語言學習歷程，包括他們的個人華語文學習背景、來台緣由與期待、在台華語文學習歷程及信念。歷時半年四次的定期訪談均被錄音，經謄錄為逐字稿、重現（reconstruct）個別故事樣貌後，再依Lieblich等人（1998）提出的敘事分析方法，以整體——內容（Holistic-content）和類別——內容（Categorical-content）之邏輯整理成個別個案，並作為後續跨個案分析的資料依據。結果發現，研究參與者從華語為外語（Chinese as Foreign Language）學習環境，到台灣華語文為第二語言（Chinese as Second Language）學習環境的不同學習階段裡，他們的華語文目標、期待和能力不斷地與社會環境互動，而互動所產生的結果足以鞏固或動搖其舊信念。來台前，研究參與者過往的語言學習經驗和成長環境對於外語學習的觀點，無形中都型塑了他們的華語文學習信念。來台後，他們經歷固有的信念和實際與母語者交際情況之間的落差，衝擊了他們原有的信念，而且覺得自身的華語文使用者身份及所付出的努力難以受當地母語者社交圈之認同。此外，研究參與者的留學經歷也反映出台灣作為華語文學習場域的一些情況，既當他們的華語文能力變強後，才有能力善用台灣華語文環境所提供的學習機會，當他們的華語文能力仍偏弱時，他們一般較難在非正式場域與母語者互動，或從中獲得學習機會，反而需依賴課堂環境為主的學習機會。最後，由於信念會隨著學習歷程波動及變化，面向多元，具動態特質，因此本研究建議未來可選擇某一項議題做更深入的研究，若採取類似BALLI研究信念橫斷面的工具時，還可加入情景及情感面向，探討信念歷時的直斷面。在教學運用上，華語文中心能著手處理外籍華語文學生的行前準備資料，加強對留學生有關語言學習進程的輔導，在師資培訓上也應該注意如何處理初出國留學生在語言學習適應上的調整，以減少留學生因學習期待落差而受到的衝擊。另外也建議常與學習者接觸的當地母語者接受跨文化交際的教育，雙方才能創造合宜的華語文學習環境，促進外籍留學生赴台學習華語文之發展與成效。 / This qualitative case study aims to look into Chinese language learning beliefs from the perspective of three Chinese learners from Europe and America and to explore how the Taiwanese social-cultural environment changes their language learning beliefs, as well as the affordance and challenge Taiwan offers to these international Chinese learners. Three students from Europe and America who have been learning Chinese in Taiwan from six to twelve months respectively are invited to the study and receive four in-depth interviews within six month. Their personal Chinese language learning experiences over the time are narrated and recorded. The data is then analyzed using Holistic-Content and Categorical-Content method proposed by Lieblich et al., (1998). The results shows that, at different learning stages, the interaction of the participants’ Chinese language goals, expectation and proficiency levels with social environment either reaffirms or shakes their beliefs. Before studying in Taiwan, the past language learning experiences as well as the prevailing view of their native community towards foreign language basically constitutes the beliefs of the participants. At the early stage of studying in Taiwan, the gap between their expectations and the actual communication experiences with local native speakers also has critical impacts on their beliefs. The participants would also find that their efforts to make themselves live as Chinese speakers are constantly challenged by the local native community. In this case, Taiwan and its social community as the field for learning Chinese actually provide more opportunities to the learners with higher Chinese proficiency. When proficiency is low, such as at the beginning stages of Chinese proficiency or upon arrival, the participants have great difficulty getting benefits from the target language community; their learning mainly happens in the language learning classroom. It is clear that language learning beliefs is dynamic, multifaceted, and fluctuate from time to time. The study suggests that, specific topic under the multilayered nature of belief should be focused in the future research. Social environments and emotions of students should also be included in BALLI. Finally, to promote the development and effectiveness of foreign students studying in Taiwan, stronger pre-departure briefing, orientation and counseling services are needed to facilitate language development. Teachers also need training on how to reduce the impact of crashed expectations of new foreign students. In addition, local people (i.e., native speakers) who often come into contact with the learners are recommended to develop intercultural communication skills in order to provide the learners with the best possible informal communication experience.

This case study examined how a group of young girls at a secondary school in northern England made sense of their participation in a gender specific vocational education initiative designed to encourage female interest in skilled trade education and professions. The investigation consists of a qualitative case study that included ‘practical’ and historical components. On the practical side, the study looked at a gender specific initiative (girls only) aimed at Year 9 students (12-14 years old) at Garden Road Community and Technology School. The one-day sessions were held at local area colleges or vocational education and training (VET) training facilities and covered skilled trade fields that are traditionally male-dominated (e.g. automotive, construction and engineering). My methodology for the study consisted of two data sources, interviews and a review of public VET policy-related documents. The data was gathered using two methods, with individual and group interviews as the primary one, and public VET policy-related document analysis as the secondary one. In total, 13 current, 2 former and an additional 2 formerly registered (now graduates who decided to pursue non-traditional vocational education and professions) students at the school were interviewed. Beside former and current students, interviews were conducted with 2 instructors and 1 senior administrator at the school. The selection of government policy-related documents covered 2002 to 2011. The study is framed by a feminist informed genealogy that invokes Foucault’s (1990) notion of ‘biopower’ and Pillow’s (2003) notion of the ‘gendered body.’ Meanwhile, Ted Aoki’s (2003) concepts of curriculum-as-plan and curricula-as-lived are used to analyze and discuss the review of UK government policy-related documents and participant narratives. The theme-based presentation of student narratives centred on the girls’ understanding and experience of: the session process and content; gender; non-traditional VET as educational and occupational options; and the impact of the sessions on their educational and professional choices. The student narratives suggest several things that relate to their understanding of gender and non-traditional VET. First, the sessions proved to be both interesting and informative and students expressed an interest in taking part in more (and) varied gender-specific sessions. Second, traditional constructions of gender and gendered behavior are commonly used in job-related discourse as evidenced by the use of the terms ‘boys jobs’ and ‘girls jobs’ among the students. In addition, students had limited opportunities for exposure to non-traditional VET education and professions; and what knowledge they do have is generally dependent upon family knowledge and experience in the area. From a document review standpoint, the findings show that government commitment in terms of interest and financial backing for VET has been inconsistent. Resultantly, schools are left to identify and maintain a range of community-based partnerships that may not always see gender segregation in VET as a major concern. The significance of this study rests in the presentation of the girls’ ‘lived curriculum’ and ‘gendered’ experiences as points that can offer insight into what transpires within vocational education initiatives and settings. Furthermore, from a feminist perspective the research also highlights the continued need to work with schools on how gender is presented, discussed and understood among students. Failure to consider the gendered nature of discourse about education and professional options that takes place within school and class settings limits students’ perspectives about what is available and possible.

本研究旨在了解日本學生的語言學習信念變化，並找出哪些因素在台灣和日本的TESOL環境中影響學生的學習信念的形成和變化。不同於傳統基於問卷的調查，只針對某些固定的學生的學習信念特徵的研究，最近的研究更注重學習信念的動態變化過程。社會文化理論還強調，社會文化環境在學生的思考過程中具有中介的效果。本研究旨在了解日本學生的學習信念是如何受他們的學習經驗影響，而這些經驗在不同的環境如何影響他們的學習信念。本研究使用深度訪談收集資料，採用半結構式訪談每個月針對學生的學習經歷和信念進行一學期五次的資料蒐集。通過Liblich(1998)的方法整理出訪談資料的整體與分類的內容，本研究希望找出在台灣和日本學習語言的意識形態的不同，這些差異和參與者的語言學習信念之關係，以及在台灣的日本學生面臨何種語言學習機會和挑戰。 這項研究的結果是，三位參與者經歷了不同程度的語言學習信念轉變，同時形成新的學習信念。來台灣之前，參與者對於自己的英文能力的自信心高低不一，但他們都相信能夠透過海外留學加強英文能力。在台灣，由台灣以及西方學生所組成的團體使參與者能夠練習英文並表達自己的意見，無須擔心被批評。ETP課程給他們一個機會可以使用英文來學習並溝通。來到台灣一年後，Yoshi對英文能力變得較有自信，且相信策略運用比天生能力來的重要。Taka變得較不在意自己的發音且把注意力放在文化學習上。Ko了解自己天生語言學習能力的極限並開始發展自己的學習策略。在研究建議方面，當未來的研究採用BALLI(Belief About Language Learning Inventory)(Horwitz,1999)分析時也應將親密團體和社會文化等因素加入。在英語教育方面，台灣的大學英語培訓課程應該包括更多的跨文化差異教學，所以當國際學生參加一般ETP(English taught program)時他們將面臨較少的文化衝擊。由於參與者提到與台灣和國際學生的非正式交流對她們的英語學習大有幫助，在ETP課程中教授應考量國際學生的英語水平，並把他們分配在具有相應英語水平的小組中，使他們能夠更快克服學習困難。期望這項研究的結果提供語言教學方法的調整建議，以滿足國際學生，特別是日本學生的需求。 / This study was aimed to understand the language learning belief change of Japanese students, and to find out what are the factors in the TESOL environments of Taiwan and Japan that lead to these changes. Unlike the traditional questionnaire-based research, which studied student’s learning belief based on certain critical characteristics; recent studies focused more on the changing process of language learning belief. Socio-cultural theories also stressed that the socio-cultural environment has meditational effects on the student’s thinking process (Furberg, 2009). This study tried to understand how Japanese student’s English learning belief was affected by their learning experiences and how these experiences in the different environments affected their learning belief reciprocally. This study adopted in-depth interviews to collect data, using semi-structured interviews per month for six months to discover how Japanese students’ learning experiences and belief changed in the process. By analyzing the interview data using the holistic-content method proposed by Liblich et al (1998), this study focused on how different language learning ideologies in Taiwan and Japan affected the participants’ learning belief, what opportunities and challenges the Japanese students faced in Taiwan in terms of language learning. Based on the result of this study, the three participants experienced different degrees of language learning belief changes and formed new learning beliefs in the process. Before they came to Taiwan, the participants had different levels of self-confidence and all believed that they could improve their English proficiency by studying abroad. In Taiwan, the supportive community formed by Taiwanese and Western students allowed the participants to practice English and express their ideas without being afraid of getting judged. The ETP (English Taught Program) offered them an opportunity to use English to both study and communicate on a daily basis. After one year of staying in Taiwan, Yoshi became more confident in his English proficiency and believed more in strategy use than innate language learning ability. Taka was less anxious about his Japanese accent and put more emphasis on learning cultural factors. Ko realized the limitation of his innate language learning ability and began to develop his own language learning strategies. As for theoretical implication, factors like community and socio-cultural influence should be added to BALLI’s (Belief About Language Learning Inventory)(Horwitz,1999) model in analyzing language learning belief in future studies. In terms of pedagogical implication, English training programs in Taiwan’s university should provide more cross-cultural information so that when international students take English taught classes they will encounter less cultural shock. As the participants mentioned that the informal interaction with Taiwanese and Western students assisted their English learning, professors in the ETP classes should consider international students’ English proficiency and put them within groups of appropriate English levels so they can learn with less difficulty.

This case study examined how a group of young girls at a secondary school in northern England made sense of their participation in a gender specific vocational education initiative designed to encourage female interest in skilled trade education and professions. The investigation consists of a qualitative case study that included ‘practical’ and historical components. On the practical side, the study looked at a gender specific initiative (girls only) aimed at Year 9 students (12-14 years old) at Garden Road Community and Technology School. The one-day sessions were held at local area colleges or vocational education and training (VET) training facilities and covered skilled trade fields that are traditionally male-dominated (e.g. automotive, construction and engineering). My methodology for the study consisted of two data sources, interviews and a review of public VET policy-related documents. The data was gathered using two methods, with individual and group interviews as the primary one, and public VET policy-related document analysis as the secondary one. In total, 13 current, 2 former and an additional 2 formerly registered (now graduates who decided to pursue non-traditional vocational education and professions) students at the school were interviewed. Beside former and current students, interviews were conducted with 2 instructors and 1 senior administrator at the school. The selection of government policy-related documents covered 2002 to 2011. The study is framed by a feminist informed genealogy that invokes Foucault’s (1990) notion of ‘biopower’ and Pillow’s (2003) notion of the ‘gendered body.’ Meanwhile, Ted Aoki’s (2003) concepts of curriculum-as-plan and curricula-as-lived are used to analyze and discuss the review of UK government policy-related documents and participant narratives. The theme-based presentation of student narratives centred on the girls’ understanding and experience of: the session process and content; gender; non-traditional VET as educational and occupational options; and the impact of the sessions on their educational and professional choices. The student narratives suggest several things that relate to their understanding of gender and non-traditional VET. First, the sessions proved to be both interesting and informative and students expressed an interest in taking part in more (and) varied gender-specific sessions. Second, traditional constructions of gender and gendered behavior are commonly used in job-related discourse as evidenced by the use of the terms ‘boys jobs’ and ‘girls jobs’ among the students. In addition, students had limited opportunities for exposure to non-traditional VET education and professions; and what knowledge they do have is generally dependent upon family knowledge and experience in the area. From a document review standpoint, the findings show that government commitment in terms of interest and financial backing for VET has been inconsistent. Resultantly, schools are left to identify and maintain a range of community-based partnerships that may not always see gender segregation in VET as a major concern. The significance of this study rests in the presentation of the girls’ ‘lived curriculum’ and ‘gendered’ experiences as points that can offer insight into what transpires within vocational education initiatives and settings. Furthermore, from a feminist perspective the research also highlights the continued need to work with schools on how gender is presented, discussed and understood among students. Failure to consider the gendered nature of discourse about education and professional options that takes place within school and class settings limits students’ perspectives about what is available and possible.