Thesis (M.S. in Operations Research)--Naval Postgraduate School, September 1990. / Thesis Advisor(s): Milch, P. R. Second Reader: Bloch, P. S. "September 1990." Description based on title screen viewed on December 16, 2009. DTIC Descriptor(s): Careers, billets(personnel), military commanders, models, naval personnel, distribution, navy, paths, theses, reduction, billets(materials), mathematical prediction, naval warfare, travel, officer personnel, promotion(advancement), Markov processes, warfare, executive routines, steady state, transients. DTIC Identifier(s): Reduction in force. Author(s) subject terms: SWO career path, command opportunity, FORECASTER model. Includes bibliographical references (p. 57). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- McMaster University, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 535-557). Also available via World Wide Web.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S. in Management)--Naval Postgraduate School, December 1990. / Thesis Advisor(s): Crawford, Alice M. Second Reader: Mehay, Stephen L. "December 1990." Description based on title screen as viewed on March 30, 2010. DTIC Descriptor(s): Policies, overseas, costs, navy, theses DTIC Identifier(s): Naval personnel, theses, military forces (United States), overseas screening policy (1989), incarceration, administrative discharge, early returns, overseas. Includes bibliographical references (p. 43-44). Also available in print.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited. / This thesis analyzes the impact of different educational credentials on first-term attrition by enlisted sailors in the U.S. Navy. For enlistment screening, the Navy currently categorizes applicants in one of three tiers according to educational attainment. These tiers form the basis of the Recruit Quality Matrix, which employs Armed Forces Qualification Test scores and educational credentials to determine enlistment eligibility. The analysis draws primarily from two sources: a Defense Manpower Data Center file containing enlisted cohorts from fiscal years 1989 through 1997 (to assess first-term attrition), and a Commander, Navy Recruiting Command data base containing enlisted cohorts from fiscal years 1998 through 2003 (to examine bootcamp attrition). Logit regression models are constructed using these data to identify differences in attrition propensities within the general tiers. A refined matrix is designed and evaluated as a more accurate predictor of attrition. Further research is recommended to look at additional measures of success in service, such as performance, productivity, and promotion. / Lieutenant Commander, United States Navy

As the primary source of officers for the Navy and Marine Corps team, the Naval Academy's reputation is marked by the quality of its graduates. At the United States Naval Academy, the Color Company Competition annually honors the highest performing company within the Brigade of Midshipmen. This competition includes measures of academic, athletic and professional measures of performance. Using data obtained through the Institutional Research Department, the Physical Education Department, as well as the Activities and Operations Offices, this study examines the validity of the current performance measurement tool at the Academy. Through the use of linear regression models, this study found that the current procedures do meet the intent of published guidance but that those procedures require revision and updating. Conclusions and recommendations for future improvement are provided at the completion of the study. Included as a recommendation is a proposed program combining both the Color Company Competition and the Company Incentive Program. This program and other initiatives are intended to intensify the Naval Academy's focus on fostering esprit de corps and improving the development of midshipmen. / US Navy (USN) author.

This thesis utilized a multi-method approach to conduct exploratory research regarding the use and abuse of alcohol by midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy (USNA). Quantitative data were analyzed regarding midshipmen perceptions of abuse. Over 50% of midshipmen consider alcohol abuse as a problem at the Academy. Focus groups were conducted in order to gather qualitative data concerning midshipmen drinking behaviors. Midshipmen representing all four classes at USNA reported significant pressures not only to drink underage but to binge drink. The probability of binge drinking at USNA may be related to the fact that midshipmen are restricted in their use of alcohol; there exists an attitude that they need to make up for lost time by over-indulging when they do have the opportunity. Sixty-five percent of the female and 77% of the male midshipmen participants admitted binge drinking within the last six months (significantly higher than the national college average of 44%). Fear of jeopardizing future careers prevents midshipmen from getting the medical assistance they need for alcohol poisoning or concerns about alcohol dependency. Recommendations include "playing down" the novelty of drinking, providing more opportunities for responsible use, establishing alternate avenues for reporting midshipmen for medical help, holding the 1/c midshipmen accountable for modeling responsible alcohol use, and continuing to support the ADEO program and prevention education. / US Navy (USN) author.

The quality of officers serving in department head afloat billets influences the combat effectiveness of a ship. SWOCP was established to retain more quality officers in the department head ranks. This thesis addresses quality as a quantitative value that is a function of an individualâ s FITREPs and a time decay factor. A statistical study of the data showed no significant effect of SWOCP on the quality of officers retained. The bonus also had no significant influence on an officerâ s downstream performance. Based on these conclusions it appears that SWOCP has served as primarily a retention tool for quantity rather than quality. / US Navy (USN) author.

Abstract: 3 p. at end. Autobiography: 1 p. at end. Thesis (Ph. D.)--Boston University. Bibliography: p. 255-268. / The role of the common seaman in nineteenth century American fiction is a revelation of the interest in the common man, the growth of democracy, the agitation for humanitarian reform, and the quest for nationalism which characterized the new nation between 1790 and 1865. The fictional seamen not only represent the actual men who shared the crowded quarters of the forecastle, but perhaps they are also a manifestation of the spirit of American democracy and the development of a native mythos. The sea has always been basic to American life and thought. In the opening years of the century, trade with the Orient was highly profitable. American whalers explored the islands of the Pacific and became familiar with the watery wastes from the Arctic to the Antarctic. With the establishment of a strong Navy following the War of 1812, America became one of the great maritime powers of the world. Later in the century when the frontier lured young men of adventure away from the sea and foreign crews filled the forecastles of ships, conditions on board American vessels worsened. Harsh treatment, bad food, long hours, and low pay discouraged men of ability from a maritime career. Yet there were always men who grew restless on land and, like Melville, returned to the sea. It was a piece of extraordinary good fortune that the forecastles of American ships contained three such eloquent spokesmen as James Fenimore Cooper, Richard Henry Dana, Jr., and Herman Melville. The fiction written by these men reflect their own experiences at sea. Cooper sailed in the early days of the century when a young man of ability could begin at the bottom and rise to the quarter-deck. Captains felt a paternal interest in their crews, and men were loyal to their ships. Dana represented the gentlemen of good family who sailed before the mast to restore their health and see life firsthand. A lawyer in later years, he fought to bring about legal reforms for the betterment of seamen. Herman Melville served in every maritime branch-merchantman, whaler, and frigate--in the later years when captains were tyrannical and the crew represented the outcasts of all nations. He saw in their problems not only the need £or maritime reform but the universal suffering or all mankind. Of course, there were romantic novels of the sea. Henry Cheever, Edward Judson, and Captain Ingraham wrote of noble young tars and wicked villains, but to counterbalance these popular tales were the factual narratives of genuine seamen--Nathaniel Ames, Amasa Delano, J. Ross Browne, and Josiah Cobb. Although English writers had already popularized maritime literature, America's unique contribution was the development of seamen such as Long Tom Coffin who, like Jonathan, the Yankee farmer, and Leather-Stocking, the frontiersman, represented a stock figure. Except for the legend of Captain Kidd and the tales of pirates who buried treasure or smuggled along the Atlantic coast, America had little folklore, but her writers created a feeling of mythos through the use of allegory and symbolism. The seaman hero of American fiction was based on fact, but he also was representative of the democratic individual freed from the stultifying restrictions of civilization. Closer to the sea than the land, he was part of the American dream which visualized the typical American as solitary, courageous, ingenious, and kin to the natural elements. The invention of steam-driven vessels and the advent of the Civil War brought the age of sail to an end. New legislation and shorter voyages improved conditions for the common seamen. The "old salt" like the pioneer became part of America's heritage.

Thesis (Th. M.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 64-69).