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Statistical predictive validity has regularly been demonstrated for the complex selection procedure by which young high-potential administrative entrants are recruited to the Civil Service. There is, however, a largely unexplored qualitative aspect to recruitment as well. For most successful candidates, taking up appointment as trainee administrators represents a major life-transition - from full-time education to full-time employment. What is that experience like? How do they go about making sense of their new circumstances? Six trainees took part in the enquiry, which centred on a series of interviews carried out over the course of their first year at work. The focus in this ideographic study is on the individual as learner In a natural setting. Analysis of the accounts produced is set in a social cognition framework, and something of the approach of the ethnographer is also brought to bear. Particular attention is paid to the status of narrative as knowledge. A simple model is outlined for narrative-based reflection as a means to development, with the prospect of the individual acting as his or her own mentor in the process.

Thesis advisor: Candace Jones / Management scholars have rarely analyzed how prior social networks might help or hinder the job performance of new organizational members. However, internal and external job markets are increasingly characterized by high mobility of experienced professionals, who have extensive social networks rooted in their past collaborations and shared work experiences. Organizations rely more frequently on project teams and project-based organizing to perform interdependent tasks, so employees transition more often across project teams - and firms - in their boundary-less careers. These changes call for a better understanding of whether the reactivation of past social ties is likely to help or hinder the job performance of new employees, especially those engaged in highly interdependent tasks. The object of this study is to theorize and empirically test the mechanisms by which the reactivation of a particular social tie - shared work experience - may impact new members' performance. Using a social networks lens to study new members' organizational entries, this study not only contributes to the recent fast-growing literature on the reactivation of social ties, but also to studies on new members' performance, and has considerable relevance for enhancing an organization's performance through the better management of its expert workers' human and social capital. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Management and Organization.

Internships have become an integral part of post-secondary education, while also serving as a means for students to distinguish themselves as job candidates. Although internship programs have formally been in place for over a hundred years, surprisingly little research has been done into the topic, even though more than three out of four students participate in at least one internship before they graduate college. The purpose of this study is to develop and test an internship evaluation tool that will help educators distinguish the high quality internship opportunities from low quality ones. Based on management profiling questionnaires that became popular in the 1970s, we have devised this instrument, the Internship Profiling Questionnaire (IPQ), using feedback models of development. Using a sample of Brigham Young University alumni, we conducted an online survey of job placement, job satisfaction, and vocational self-crystallization concept as outcome variables to be predicted from the IPQ.

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Thesis (Ph. D)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1981. / Typescript. Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-131).

This study investigated the role of business knowledge and work experience, as antecedents towards explaining entrepreneurial success. The encouragement of entrepreneurial activities has been recommended as a way to stimulate economic growth. On of the most critical issues facing developing countries is to understand where entrepreneurs originate from and what characteristics are relevant to their success. Although entrepreneurs act as catalysts of economic activity for the entire economy many of them fail. Most entrepreneurs often start a new venture ignorant of many key dimensions of running their businesses and must obtain the necessary information if they are to survive. Entrepreneurial competency, largely acquired on an individual basis, consists of a combination of skills, knowledge and resources that distinguish an entrepreneur from his or her competitors. This research study reviewed the two constructs namely entrepreneurial business knowledge and work experience, from the available literature and through scientific empirical research reported their effects on entrepreneurial success. Entrepreneurial business knowledge refers to the ascribe roles for managerial expertise in entrepreneurial success and entails, to varying degrees marketing, financial management/book-keeping, self-supervision, and, if applicable, the supervision of paid employees or unpaid family workers, among other activities. Experience refers to the knowledge or ability of an individual gained due to circumstances in a particular job, organisation, or industry. Some researchers have indicated that a lack of business knowledge and/or business experience hinders firm growth and entrepreneurial success. Despite some of the significant findings, a large amount of the variance in business knowledge and work experience remained unexplained. This unexplained variance, however, was consistent with other investigations. There was tentative evidence to support the role of business knowledge and work experience, as entrepreneurial success antecedents. However the evidence was not conclusive and further in depth research would have to done in order to reach a conclusive finding. Copyright 2004, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Barreira, JCD 2004, The influence of business knowledge and work experience, as antecedents to entrepreneurial success, PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-08232004-100614 / > / Thesis (PhD (Entrepreneurship))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Business Management / unrestricted

South Africa has experienced a drastic shortage of social workers. This shortage has affected many social welfare organizations, particularly those who offer services in the area of substance abuse. According to a recent study conducted by Earle (2008) many reasons could be ascribed to the high social work turnover, these include: poor working conditions; poor compensation of work; lack of resources and support; and increased demands for services. Hence, social workers are experiencing work stress, burnout and compassion fatigue taxing their personal and professional coping strategies which could lead to staff turnover. The primary aim of this study was to understand the work experiences, coping strategies and organisational retention of social workers in Gauteng inpatient substance abuse treatment centres. The study had an exploratorydescriptive design, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative paradigms to explore the work environment of the organisations and participants. Purposive sampling was used to select and divide the participants into three categories: entry level social workers; experienced social workers and social workers that had left the substance abuse field. Data was collected through conducting indepth interviews and through a questionnaire completed by the representatives from in-patient substance abuse treatment centres. This questionnaire was piloted with an in-patient treatment centre in KwaZulu Natal. The results of the quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, which were illustrated via tables and figures and the qualitative data were analysed using thematic content analysis. The main findings of this study confirmed most of the reasons for work stress and burnout that may lead to staff turnover identified in previous studies by Ross (1997) and Earle (2008). These findings are incorporated into a retention model developed by the researcher. The model incorporated five stages: stage one focussed on the reasons for entering the substance abuse field (personal interests, undergraduate studies and/or accidental); stage two explored preparation of social workers by organisations after entry to the field; stage three identified four general factors that effects the sustainability of social workers (external/environmental influences, organisational factors, the type of client population, career opportunities and personal factors); stage four explained the individual differences in coping responses (negative or positive) to job stress either through fight responses, self-care strategies for retention or flight responses, staff turnover; lastly, stage five focussed on what organisations can do to reduce staff turnover. These findings can assist the occupational social worker to identify these retention challenges and develop strategies to reduce the risk of staff turnover.

This study explored the experience of shame in nursing using an interpretive phenomenological approach as described by van Manen (1997). Shame is a concept that has been extensively theorised within the social sciences as important in the development of individual identity, self esteem and role performance but overlooked in nursing. The purpose of this research was twofold; to gain an understanding of how shame influences and shapes nursing identity and to produce knowledge and stimulate dialogue about what that means for nursing culture. Participants were asked to discuss significant interactions with colleagues. Significantly, all disclosed the experience of shame. Further, four major themes emerged from this study to deepen understanding of what appears to be a cultural experience. The experience of shame involves: self appraisal, professional identity in conflict, the experience of isolation and recrimination. Within each theme a number of sub themes were identified including feeling dumb, being incompetent, withdrawing and going quiet and seeking revenge. The study concluded that in relation to nursing, internalised shame is not readily recognised although negative emotions that are linked to it are clearly felt. When these emotions are left unprocessed or unidentified as shame, then they are likely to have negative consequences. But recognising this hidden shame and bringing it to conscious awareness can express and perhaps relieve shame. Further, shame's adaptive functions, to provide moral direction and teach respect, could be acknowledged or reclaimed. It is argued therefore that acknowledging and discussing shame openly in nursing, such as through future research, scholarships and education, will facilitate consciousness raising and the potential for cultural change.

The provision of work experience opportunities for students at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) is an important feature in promoting the practical application of theory learned in the classroom. At the outset of this study, the variety and scope of work experience programs at CIT was not known and there were no apparent efforts to co-ordinate this activity. The effectiveness of these programs was not known, and there were no strategies in place to measure their worth. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe work experience programs, to analyse existing evaluation methods and to propose a Model of Evaluation appropriate to the maximum number of programs. The review of related literature resulted in the selection of Stake's comprehensive Countenance Model (1967), chosen for its consideration of the complexities of purpose and the wide variety of experiences which students may encounter. A significant part of the application of Stake's Model was the development of an Evaluation Kit for Work Experience Co- Ordinators at CIT and the subsequent trial on the Work Placement subject of the Certificate in Travel course in the School of Tourism and Hospitality. Stake's Countenance Model of Evaluation appears to embody an appropriate structure to measure the worth of programs. Recommendations for future directions include the wider trial of the Kit in a greater number of programs to further establish its usefulness to decision-makers, and the need to remain alert to emerging issues and trends in work experience practice in Australia.