Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Oct. 22, 2007). Directed by Prashant C. Palvia; submitted to the School of Business and Economics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 192-214).

Thesis (M.B.)--Unitec New Zealand, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-103).

Modern approach to process of workplace learning is called The workplace learning concept. It is defined as an interaction between person and his/her workplace. This approach redefines conservative classification of profession education and brings new insight on the process of permanent learning inside company in defined workplace boundaries. Primary objective of this diploma thesis is to verify dependencies between informal employee's relationships on a workplace and process of their learning. Informal relationships analysis is done via sociometric questionnaire and qualitative interviews with chosen employees who represents each hierarchy levels inside organization. Empiric evaluation was executed in three different industrial oriented Moravian companies in three administrative regions of Czech Republic: South Moravian Region, Zlin Region and Moravian−Silesian Region.

Adopting a radically diverse organisation studies approach that embraces a Cultural Studies analytical framework, this thesis examines the ways in which today's middle managers enact masculinity. Considering the gender-orientated 'ways of being' of a middle manager within a contemporary organisational environment, the research gives equal credence to space, language and the body - termed Locations of Enactment - at a time when masculinity (and even middle management) is thought to be 'in crisis'. Focusing, primarily, upon a single case-study - a local authority social services department that provides child-care for a homogenous South Wales community (Wood Valley) - the research is placed within its contemporaneous social, cultural and organisational context: a public sector that, as it is currently experiencing severe staff recruitment and retention difficulties, can be deemed to be 'in crisis' also. Utilising a grounded theory methodology that acknowledges both the research setting and the data itself as 'organic' entities, the middle managers of Wood Valley are understood to be dynamic organisational players who, on a daily basis, attempt to balance their work duties with their home responsibilities. As middle managers they are perceived to be 'in the middle' in a multitude of ways: they are 'in the middle' of an organisational hierarchy; they operate as intermediaries 'between' Wood Valley and outside agencies; they are middle managers who are precariously placed between the working-classes (whom they have distanced themselves from through social mobility) and the middle-classes (as their blatant attempts to prove their worthiness within that strata only heightens their 'anxious' bodily display). Furthermore, as middle-class 'bureaucrats' who work and live among a staunchly working-class community, the middle managers of Wood Valley often find themselves singled-out and scathingly criticised as socially and culturally 'different'. With this in mind this thesis insists that, as an increasing number of individuals are finding themselves employed within white-collar administrative posts, middle managers deserve to find themselves the focus of studies that are determined 'to put the humans back into organisation studies'.

The present study focuses on the further development of the increasingly popular field of spirituality and religiosity in the workplace (SRW) by providing a parsimonious definition, and a three dimensional model for the construct of spirituality grounded in the historical tradition of the perennial philosophy. The study subsequently adopts a multi-study validation process to develop the 21 item universal spirituality scale (USS). By creating a definition for spirituality that has a firm historical grounding and a universal outlook, the study addresses the dilemma of Religiosity vs. Spirituality faced by researchers in this area. This is further supported by the use of multiple samples and participants from three major world faith traditions (both eastern and western). The three factor model for spirituality derived in Study A (n=159) is corroborated by a separate sample of participants in Study B (n=181). The USS shows high levels of internal consistency reliability (α = 0.90, inter-item correlation = 0.32, and split-half, Guttman's coefficient value of 0.77). In Study C, criterion related validity is established by conducting a comparison of the USS with the DUREL - Duke University Religiosity Index (Koenig & Bussing, 2010). Results show that correlations were moderately high (0.20 to 0.41) at significance levels of 0.05 and 0.01 between expected factors for the DUREL and USS. Notably, there is no significant correlation for the factor of Universality (USS) indicating discriminant validity. Group differences for spirituality are measured in Study D (Known-groups validity). The results of parametric and non-parametric tests in Study D clearly illustrate that the USS is sensitive enough to detect differences in means in expected directions when administered to two different groups. Finally, high levels of test-retest reliability are noted in Study E (R = 0.73). Overall, the universal spirituality scale (USS) exhibits strong levels of validity and reliability. The study addresses the concerns surrounding the literature in the SRW area by offering a definition and universal framework for spirituality as well as a reliable and valid instrument for its measurement.

abstract: This cross-sectional descriptive study was designed to examine critical care registered nurses’ perceptions of nurse-to-nurse incivility and professional comportment, and the extent to which education, nurses’ age, nursing degree, and years of nursing experience is related to their perceptions on these topics. Professional comportment is comprised of nurses’ mutual respect, harmony in beliefs and actions, commitment, and collaboration. Yet, it was unknown whether a relationship existed between a civil or uncivil environment in the nursing profession and nurses’ professional comportment. Correlational analyses were conducted to explore the relationship between perceptions of nurse-nurse incivility and professional comportment, and the relationships between incivility and professional comportment education and perceptions of nurse-nurse incivility and professional comportment. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify predictors of perceptions of nurse-nurse incivility and professional comportment. Results indicated statistically significant relationships between perceptions of nurse-nurse incivility and professional comportment, and between professional comportment education and perceptions of professional comportment. Professional comportment education was identified as a statistically significant predictor of increased perceptions of professional comportment. Findings of the current study may assist in establishing more targeted and innovative educational interventions to prevent, or better address, nurse-nurse incivility. Future research should more clearly define professional comportment education, test educational interventions that promote professional comportment in nurses, and further validate the Nurse-Nurse Collaboration Scale as a measure of nurses' professional comportment. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Nursing and Healthcare Innovation 2015

Diversity training programmes are formal efforts to prepare the workforce to work with individuals from different cultural backgrounds and to improve organisational effectiveness. Although many studies have described diversity training programmes in the workplace, only a few have been evaluated to assess their effectiveness and impact on job outcomes. This thesis describes a study that assessed the impact of a diversity management-training programme on employee attitudes and behaviour towards diversity in a manufacturing company in Namibia. Kirkpatrick’s (1959) four-level model, which examines the trainees’ reactions to the training, the learning acquired, the behaviour change and improvement in organisational results, was used to measure the impact of the training programme. Data was collected through pre-and post-assessment semi-structured individual interviews and a focus group was conducted two months after the training. Data analysis indicates that the first two levels of the evaluation model showed an impact. The participants had positive reactions towards the course and said that they had learnt from the course. The data also showed that the training did not have any impact on the behaviour of the participants and on organisational outcomes. The research also revealed that lack of improved productivity and organisational results might have been influenced by unrealistic expectations, past political conditions, job insecurity and unemployment and the training context. Some recommendations for both the diversity training programme administrators as well as the management of the company are made.

Thesis (MTech(Business Administration)--Cape Technikon, Cape Town, 2004 / My central thesis is, that certain social systems and cultures have supported modern economic growth and human progress, whereas others have not. Countries and, winning organizations that have been able to jump ahead out of the laggard have done so, because they developed a conquering culture of rigor and work, removed from the influences of invisible forces. The world at the beginning of the twenty first century is still, divided between the few who are rich and powerful and the many who are poor and powerless, between the free and the oppressed. Traditional'explanations like imperialism, dependency, colonialism and racism are no longer adequate after so many decades. Increasingly researchers are reasoning that the principal reason why some countries and ethnic groups are better off than others lies in cultural values and beliefs and attitudes, which powerfully shape political, economic and social performance, and share the view that value and attitude change is indispensable to progress for those who are lagging. There is a methodological difference between myself and some people who are consistently uncritical of the values and attitudes of a culture, and think people ought to resign themselves to economic and social values that condemn them to poverty and subservience, in the name of cultural purity. The power of cultural values, beliefs and attitudes to promote or resist progress has been largely ignored. Culture is a significant determinant of a nation's ability to prosper, because it shapes individual's thoughts and behaviours, and the way individuals think about progress.

abstract: ABSTRACT Recent studies indicate that top-performing companies have higher-performing work environments than average companies. They receive higher scores for worker satisfaction with their overall physical work environment as well as higher effectiveness ratings for their workspaces (Gensler, 2008; Harter et al., 2003). While these studies indicate a relationship between effective office design and satisfaction they have not explored which specific space types may contribute to workers' overall satisfaction with their physical work environment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between workers' overall satisfaction with their physical work environments and their perception of the effectiveness of spaces designed for Conceptual Age work including learning, focusing, collaborating, and socializing tasks. This research is designed to identify which workspace types are related to workers' satisfaction with their overall work environment and which are perceived to be most and least effective. To accomplish this two primary and four secondary research questions were developed for this study. The first primary question considers overall workers' satisfaction with their overall physical work environments (offices, workstations, hallways, common areas, reception, waiting areas, etc.) related to the effective use of work mode workspaces (learning, focusing, collaborating, socializing). The second primary research question was developed to identify which of the four work mode space types had the greatest and least relationship to workers' satisfaction with the overall physical work environment. Secondary research questions were developed to address workers' perceptions of effectiveness of each space type. This research project used data from a previous study collected from 2007 to 2012. Responses were from all staff levels of US office-based office workers and resulted in a blind sample of approximately 48,000 respondents. The data for this study were developed from SPSS data reports that included descriptive data and Pearson correlations. Findings were developed from those statistics using coefficient of determination. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Design 2013

M.Ed. / The staffroom which was once a retreat for a cup of tea, coffee, a breather and a catch-up of educational talk has become an empty room of silent voices that echo; a place characterised by unresolved grievances, unmanageable workloads, ignored opinions, feelings of being excluded, vital information that was withheld, excessive monitoring, repeated reminders of errors, hostile reaction on approach, persistent criticism, humiliation or ridiculing and impossible deadlines for completion of tasks. The voices of educators have become silent and complacent; actions are defined by what is expected and prescribed by the government. Bullying in the workplace has largely been regarded as insignificant. This complex and universal phenomenon, however, is firmly rooted in South African schools. Changes in an organisation as well as political influences have severe consequences on educators, as educators are more exposed to diversity, cultural differences, increased workloads, harassment, and humiliation, unmanageable workloads in order to meet targets, intimidation, hostility and degradation. Exposure to bullying in the staffroom and personal experiences as being a victim of bullying motivated this researcher to improve her qualifications and to conduct research in downward bullying. The research, based upon educator perceptions, attempts to investigate whether downward bullying is taking place, when it is taking place, as well as how often it is perceived to occur within primary schools in Gauteng. To facilitate this investigation, the following objectives were set; to investigate the nature of downward bullying, to probe the perceptions of educators as to the frequency of downward bullying and to devise strategies to enable educators to recognise and cope with downward bullying. Completing this research, a set of management strategies for the identification and reduction of downward bullying were suggested. Indistinguishable from compliance, control, governmentality and managerialism, downward bullying, if not addressed, is a concern for the education system in South Africa. The dynamics presented within this research will shed light on the "dark side" of legitimate power, exposing the gravitational nature of bullying as an escalating workplace phenomenon.