Thèse (M.Serv.Soc.)--Université de Sherbrooke (Canada), 2008. / Titre de l'écran-titre (visionné le 1 février 2007). In ProQuest dissertations and theses. Publié aussi en version papier.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Policy Studies and Higher Education Administration, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 20, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-10, Section: A, page: 3876. Advisers: Robert F. Arnove; John P. Bean.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-11, Section: A, page: 4183. Adviser: John Caughlin. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 323-345) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 2009. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 7, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-10, Section: A, page: 3817. Adviser: Robert Toutkoushian.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: A, page: 4036. Adviser: John C. Lammers. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 77-91) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

This program of research examines the perceptions of the flows of learning in a Canadian granting council during its renewal initiative. This case study will answer the following research questions: How do employees of a granting council perceive the flow of learning during the organization's transformation into a knowledge council? More specifically, how do they perceive the feed-forward flow between the individual and the group, and the feedback flow between the organization and the individual? Based on Crossan, Lane and White's (1999) 41 Framework and on the organizational learning, organizational change and social construction literatures, this qualitative study sheds light on two problematic relationships that may lead to tension at the junctures of the flows between the individual and the group, and the organization and the individual. Face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 participants, and data was analyzed using Miles and Huberman's (1994) methods for interpretation. The data revealed that those who are heavily involved in the renewal conceptualization retain the learning that occurs during organizational changes. It also suggests that some factors consolidated under the constructs of capabilities/capacities, skills, roles and infrastructure, could be considered as indicators of the flows of learning. The findings confirm that middle management has a fundamental role in amplifying knowledge and in engaging and integrating employees. Preliminary results also show that routines are mostly at the individual and group levels, and that along with hierarchy, do not obstruct the flow of learning as much as is commonly believed. This research contributes to theory by studying the learning component during a renewal exercise, by building on the 41 Framework, by providing empirical data, and by extending research on organizational learning in federal granting agencies. Its implications for practice are that the mechanisms to spread organizational learning need to be taught, and that organizations could be considered as neutral rather than benevolent organisms where power is not malevolent, but residing in a set of relationships that employees have to navigate. The fields of education and management may benefit from the narratives that this research provides regarding the learning needs of knowledge workers. Keywords: Feed-forward and feedback flows of learning; tension; granting councils; organizational learning; organizational change.

This dissertation comprises three empirical chapters that investigate the limits of prior interorganizational ties in explaining patterns of tie formation and tie dissolution of interorganizational relationships in the context of the venture capital (VC) industry. Existing empirical work has demonstrated that two actors have an increased likelihood of forming a direct relationship if both are connected indirectly via ties to the same third party, in part due to the introductions and referrals provided by the shared partner. In contrast, I propose that indirect ties via third parties can either facilitate or hinder the formation of direct relationships depending on the information that the third party provides. The first two chapters substantiate this claim in two empirical settings. In the first chapter, I examine how the success or failure of a VC firm’s syndication affects the likelihood of securing funding from the Limited Partners of its syndication partners. In the second chapter (joint with Ranjay Gulati), I examine how a VC firm that has withdrawn from a syndicate is not only likely to be shunned in the future by its abandoned coinvestors, but is less likely to syndicate with third parties that are connected in some way to the abandoned coinvestors. In other words, withdrawals not only have dyadic repercussions, but have reputational consequences that ripple across interorganizational ties and have long-term implications on tie formation with third parties. Overall, those two chapters make the case that we cannot fully understand the effects of interorganizational ties on future tie formation without knowing the content of the information flowing through those ties. Whereas the first two chapters focus on elucidating the role of prior ties in tie formation, the final chapter examines the effects of prior ties on tie dissolutions. Prior research has highlighted that a history of collaborative relationships between two parties—also known as embeddedness—creates relational capital that increases the costs of tie termination and thus reduces the likelihood that either of party will withdraw from the relationship. Different theories have conflicting predictions, however, as to how economic shocks affecting the collaboration will affect the stabilizing role of embeddedness. To resolve this puzzle, I differentiate between general performance shocks (which affect all collaborations in a given domain) from specific performance shocks (which apply only to the focal collaboration). Drawing on the idea that actors are more likely to discount ambiguous signals when they have the psychological motivation to do so, I propose that general performance shocks will increase, and specific performance shocks will attenuate, the effects of embeddedness on collaboration stability. I empirically verify my argument in the context of VC firm withdrawals from syndicates, and demonstrate how these effects are shaped by prior ties with the syndication partners, the valuations of the focal industry (i.e., the general performance signals), and the valuation of the focal portfolio company (i.e., specific performance signals). This third study highlights that while social factors are indeed important for predicting tie dissolutions, we can only truly appreciate their role in the context of the economic forces buffeting the collaboration. / Organizational Behavior

This comparative case study examines the organizational variations in refugee services in Dallas and Amarillo, Texas. Engaging sociological theories of organizations, migration, and the state, this study conceptualizes immigrant-serving organizations as brokers that operate within fields of similar entities that channel resources and services to refugees. Drawing on 60 in-depth interviews and over two hundred hours of participant observation, this study finds two distinct models of resource brokerage. In Dallas, immigrant-serving organizations operated as networked resource brokers, characterized by high levels of collaboration, robust local political support, and community engagement through consistent volunteer labor. These characteristics facilitated the sharing of resources and knowledge, resulting in the establishment of more professionalized services for immigrants and refugees. In contrast, immigrant-serving organizations in Amarillo operated as atomized resource brokers, characterized by fragmented collaborations, inter-organizational competition, limited volunteer labor, and varying levels of political support from local representatives. This atomized brokerage model hindered the efficient allocation of resources and support, leading to fragmented and less comprehensive services for refugees. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the variations within the organizational fields of ISOs in Texas. The comparative analysis of Dallas and Amarillo offers a nuanced understanding of the impact of local context on the provision of refugee services. The research contributes to academic knowledge in the fields of migration, organizations, and the state, and has practical implications for policymakers, ISO workers, advocates, and scholars in Texas and beyond.

<p> Online business in Saudi Arabia is almost certain to grow because a large proportion of the population is younger than 25, tech perceptive, and global in their perspectives toward product buying in their everyday lives. The purpose of this research was to suggest leadership theories, tactics, and techniques that Saudi Arabian business owners can utilize to pursue online business strategies of growth and success today and in the future. An online instrument surveyed 142 Saudi Arabian citizens to identify factors affecting online business in Saudi Arabia and to identify the necessary skill sets a leader must have to lead an online business in Saudi Arabia. An important limitation of this study was that the history of Saudi Arabian online business was difficult to research and find. Another limitation is that clarifying problems in the Saudi Arabian social, economic, legal, and political environments were a very sensitive, touchy undertaking for certain facts and information. After getting the approval from this study's committee and getting approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Pepperdine University, findings from 142 participants (Saudi Arabian citizens) who took the online survey were analyzed, and based on these findings, the researcher generated implications and recommendations. Some of the findings were that the majority of the respondents preferred responding in Arabic. Most of the respondents were male (75.4%). Only a small percentage was younger than 21 and older than 50. The majority were people with bachelor's and master's degrees. Business owners accounted only 44.4% of the total number of respondents. The growth of online business was attributed to passage of time and likelihood of young people using more online services. The respondents thought that the government did not provide enough infrastructure support for online businesses. According to the findings, the most important leadership traits a leader must have to lead an online business in Saudi Arabia are honesty and integrity.</p>

From the unique perspective of the oath, this study investigates the entanglements of change in Kenya during the Mau Mau period, 1952-1960. Specifically, it challenges the prevailing Mau Mau narrative, revealing the oath as a complex, adaptive, and rational process ordered around symbols, gestures, and statements with long standing meaning and power. All Mau Mau initiates were required to take a secret oath of unity in order to join the struggle. Breaking the oath invoked an unstoppable curse on oathers and their families. As a result, the oath became a powerful mechanism in the formation of Mau Mau and served as a precursor to Kenyan Independence in 1963. Contrary to the long standing discourse of savagery, the Mau Mau oath was actually an elaborate, dynamic, and sophisticated ceremony based on ancient oathing traditions, symbolism, and beliefs. It was reconstituted from its former state to one that was much more offensive, secretive, dangerous, and inclusive of other groups such as women who were previously excluded. The oath was a product of the economic, political, cultural, and social unrest of the time. In addition to tracing historical developments and modeling the oath experience, this study explores the radicalization of the oath during the Mau Mau period forming new relationships to gender, crime, and purification that did not exist prior to the 1950s. This study centers the oath as the object for historical analysis through the investigation and documentation of African rituals, beliefs, and memories. The past is reconstructed from oral tradition, personal narratives, ceremonial reenactments, survey data, archived documents, ethnography, and myths. The sources reveal that Mau Mau oathers had their own imaginations, dreams, and objectives associated with the restoration of their stolen land and freedom. These varied perspectives demonstrate colonial contradictions juxtaposed with African oral accounts and memory. This study offers a fresh way to look at the contested Mau Mau past through the lens of the often misunderstood and misinterpreted oath. It intervenes with a new African Mau Mau story of reinvention, renewal, and power.