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Increased emphasis on process improvements in all organizations challenges leaders to institute change. Using a case study approach, the current research examined an organizational change initiative embarked on by the leadership of a local non-profit organization to obtain improvement in service delivery and acquire outcome measurements. There is little in the literature concerning organizational change initiatives and the use of change models in the non-profit sector. This study examined staff perception of an organizational change initiative using Kotter’s (1995) 8 step change model as benchmarks of success. Kotter’s (1995) 8 Steps for Change is a popular change model often used in the for-profit setting. Through ethnographic observation and staff surveys, the researcher examined the progress and success of the non-profit organizational change initiative and staff perception of change using Kotter’s model. The model was overlaid to illustrate its value and applicability as tool for organizational change in the non-profit setting.

Previous research (Tesser, Millar, & Moore, 1988) has shown that being close to one’s rejecter intensifies negative outcomes associated with rejection. Other research, however, has shown that people’s fundamental needs are threatened equally when they are ostracized by in-group members or despised groups (i.e., KKK members; Gonsalkorale & Williams, 2007), suggesting that perhaps acceptance by close others may not differ from acceptance by strangers. In this study, we examined the effects of imagined rejection and acceptance across varying degrees of relationship intensity (close other, acquaintance, or stranger). Participants who imagined being rejected by a close other reported higher depressed mood than those who imagined being rejected by an acquaintance or by a stranger and more hurt feelings than those who imagined being rejected by a stranger. Interestingly, those who imagined being accepted by a close other reported higher anxiety than those imagining being accepted by an acquaintance or stranger.

This study evaluates the utility of an evidence-based protocol for the assessment of ADHD in the primary care setting as set forth in a previous study by Polaha et al. (2005). Specifically, this study will examine the viability of this protocol in the context of a pediatric resident training clinic. This study will examine the methods of ADHD diagnosis and assessment in a clinic before and after the protocol training of pediatric residents. We hypothesize that primary care pediatric residents participating in ADHD training protocol, will demonstrate improved capacity to assess, diagnose, and treat ADHD in accordance with the AAP guidelines. The results of this study will show important implications for the translation of published, evidence-based guidelines to real-world settings.

Based on past research of several different populations, it appears that there is a general lack of knowledge and awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD’s). In order for people with autism to receive proper diagnosis, treatment, and have a high quality of life, it is important that everyone is aware and has high level of knowledge of autism. This study sought to measure the level of awareness and knowledge of autism with in the Hispanic community through a survey that addressed the characteristics and misconceptions of autism. The results showed that the majority of respondents correctly identified the characteristics of autism and correctly identified misconceptions as false. The results also showed that respondents had less knowledge of the misconceptions of autism than the characteristics of autism. This reveals that more information should be readily available about the misconceptions and characteristics of autism in order to ensure that those with autism are properly diagnosed, treated, and have a high quality of life.

This paper is a literature review and case study exploration of risk management at the organizational level in the outdoor whitewater recreation industry. The goal of the study is to identify any weaknesses or vulnerabilities in the culture of contemporary risk management, and to make recommendations to address these weaknesses. The case involves a situation in which I was personally involved, with an outcome that was tragic. In the light of what I have learned from this project I believe that a stronger risk culture would have resulted in a very different outcome. The distinction between risk culture and safety protocols will be addressed extensively in a discussion of risk clockspeed. One conclusion of this study is that effective risk management depends upon creating a risk culture that relies upon situation analysis in addition to developing stringent sets of safety protocols. The situation described in this paper involves a scenario where neither a risk culture nor adequate safety protocols existed, even though resources to solve problems were readily available. The case involves two operations of the same company, a whitewater operation and a zipline operation. The literature provides conceptual tools and a larger context. I provide relevant information based on my direct involvement in the situation. The analysis and discussion focuses on an accident involving the shared resources of both operations. I will conclude by addressing how creating a risk culture and safety protocols can lead to a greater awareness that will help to prevent similar situations, and avoid similar outcomes, in the future.

The current research will assess online training specifically as it relates to learning effectiveness in a corporate environment. Currently, research concerning the effectiveness of online learning is abundant; however, none of this recent research is compiled in one place, nor does this research specifically interpret the information to determine the applicability of online training in a corporate environment. The thesis will analyze numerous secondary sources to compile relevant statistics related to the effectiveness of online training resources. Using this research, the thesis will culminate in recommendations for the implementation of an online training process, one useful for managers that focuses on effective learning, the need for personal interaction, and cost savings.

This study investigated the relationship between effortful control and long-term memory (LTM) in toddlers. It was hypothesized that children high in effortful control would demonstrate better long-term recall. Participants were 43 children who visited the lab at 18 and 21 months. A word-learning task and an elicited imitation task were administered to assess children’s LTM. Effortful control was assessed using the Early Childhood Behavior Questionnaire (ECBQ). The results of this study showed that children high in effortful control did not demonstrate significantly better LTM than children low in effortful control on either the word-learning or the elicited imitation task.