An entire technology, computer aided software engineering (CASE), has been developed, marketed, and installed to increase productivity and quality in systems development. CASE is broadly defined as the application of computer technology to systems development activities, techniques and methodologies. Despite the potential gains offered by CASE, the technology has not proven to be the "silver bullet" anticipated early in its development. So why has it not been successful? / Current literature suggests that the real power of CASE technology is derived from the repository, where developers can store diagrams, descriptions, specifications, application programs, reusable code, and other working byproducts of systems development. The repository has been described as the "heart" of CASE technology, providing the majority of benefits that can be achieved by the technology. When viewed as managing project team memory, it can be envisioned as playing an important role in key activities that pervade the work of systems development teams such as knowledge acquisition, sharing, and integration. / This dissertation evaluates the importance of the repository and, to a lessor extent, the usage of a methodology in the adoption of CASE technology. It is believed that the benefits offered by the functions of CASE are predicated on a critical mass of knowledge pertinent to information systems development residing within the repository. The greater the depth and breadth of the knowledge domains residing within the repository, the higher the diffusion (spread of CASE throughout an organization) and infusion (comprehensive usage) of CASE technology and subsequently the benefits that can be achieved through the technology. / The research design for the study utilized surveys at two levels of analysis. Regression analysis on responses from 176 organizations strongly supports the proposition that diffusion within an organization is related to the extent of knowledge embedded within the repository. It was also found that systems development methodology's were often changed to support the implementation of CASE within an organization. Responses on 69 projects from organizations using a particular CASE product did not support the relationship between knowledge embeddedness and the infusion of CASE. Discussion of the results are given. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-01, Section: A, page: 0272. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

This dissertation entails investigation of the antecedents and performance consequences of two types of business portfolio restructuring, both of which involve change in the portfolio of businesses involved. These restructuring choices are termed refocusing and repositioning and they are distinguished by business core definition. Both restructuring efforts involve a careful reconsideration of product/market choice, business core definition, and typically involve the sale of lines of business of the firm which are seen as peripheral to the long-term strategy of the firm. / Two interrelated research questions guide this study: (1) When restructuring, why do managers of firms choose to refocus versus reposition? and (2) Why are some refocusing and repositioning efforts more performance enhancing than others? First, five hypotheses were developed to explore internal and external antecedents to these restructuring choices based on a review of theory--the resource-based view and the adaptation perspective--and relevant literature. Second, two propositions were developed to explore performance outcomes that reflected the impact of both antecedents and strategic choices upon firm performance. / The results of the hypotheses tests suggest that internal resource factors play a larger role than external environmental factors as antecedents to business portfolio restructuring decisions. These two types of restructuring choices were significantly related particularly to levels of intangible resources and financial resources. The results of the exploratory tests of the propositions revealed performance differences between refocusers and repositioners, with repositioners generally performing better. It was additionally shown that refocusers and repositioners could be grouped by internal and external factor configuration and that performance differences were observed between these groups. / The findings of this study provide partial support for the resource-based view of the firm, the adaptation perspective, and configurational theory and they provide richer insight into the complex undertaking of corporate restructuring. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-04, Section: A, page: 1430. / Adviser: Bruce T. Lamont. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

Strategic planning relies heavily on the processing and interpretation of information. One area that has received little attention to date is how information is used for strategic decision making in loosely coupled organizations that are dominated by powerful stakeholder groups. A longitudinal, exploratory case study approach was utilized to investigate how a planning team actually used information in attempting to reach consensus on a strategic plan. / Several exploratory hypotheses were advanced to guide the grounded research approach. Contrary to expectations, the planning group made very limited use of formal sources of information such as reports, presentations, articles, and so forth. Rather, they relied heavily on personal experience, stories, illustrations, and other types of informal information. The initial results led to a reexamination of the data in light of the growing body of literature on organizational cognition, specifically, tacit knowledge. The decision makers in this study used a combination of formal (explicit) and informal/implicit (tacit) information in their deliberations, although, as cited above, the references to formal information sources were unexpectedly low. / Even though the study was exploratory in nature, the results provide potentially important implications for managers. First, those who are responsible for strategic planning need to recognize the relevance of both explicit and tacit information and find more effective ways to utilize both. Secondly, the use of information by decision makers departs significantly from what a rational model would predict. Therefore, planning facilitators and managers must recognize these problems and through the skillful use of structure, models, training, and information systems, facilitate a more complete and effective use of information resources. / As is typical with a qualitative/case study approach, many questions have been answered and several new ones have been raised for future research. Fourteen new propositions are offered that build on the results of this research and the emerging literature on managerial and organizational cognition. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-11, Section: A, page: 4460. / Major Professor: William P. Anthony. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

This research represents a study of the effect of changes in the value of information used in decision making on overall organization performance. The value of information is defined in terms of its attributes or characteristics (accuracy, relevance, reliability, timeliness). The values of information attributes are varied within the framework of a system dynamics simulation model of a manufacturing organization. The parameters which define this model are based on actual financial and operating data from the metal cans and containers industry. / Information value is varied for individual information attributes, for all attributes at specific levels of managerial decision making, and for individual attributes at specific decision making levels. The effects of these changes in information value are examined in terms of the behavior of a set of variables which measure the performance of the organization in terms of profitability, cost, and the efficiency of resource utilization. / Results of the experimental simulation runs indicate that organizational performance (measured in terms of profitability, cost performance, and efficiency of resource utilization) is affected by changes in the value of information (expressed in terms of timeliness, accuracy, relevance and reliability). It was also discovered that the magnitude of these effects is dependent on the information attribute which is varied in its value and the level of managerial decision making at which the information is used. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 49-12, Section: A, page: 3784. / Major Professor: Thomas D. Clark, Jr. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1988.

<p> High performing employees in the nonprofit sector can gain better compensation, benefits, and incentives by working in the for-profit sector. Employees departing for the for-profit sector decreases the overall talent pool in the nonprofit sector, and removes top talent from nonprofit organizations. Nonprofits require employees who are working at peak performance, as they can typically only afford a reduced headcount due to budgetary restraints. Employees are attracted to positions which afford adequate or above standard levels of compensation. The most talented employees are the most unattainable with the current method of employee attraction and retention. </p><p> The research questions addressed in this dissertation are 1) How can leadership address the compensation, benefits, and incentives of high performing employees in the nonprofit sector to ensure attraction, retention and engagement? and 2) How does compensation, benefits and incentives impact the resources available to a nonprofit via donations or public funds? Sixty articles were selected for their relevance to the topic containing research based on U.S. operating entities, from peer-reviewed journals and the snowballing method. Evaluation of the articles was performed using the Mixed-Methods Appraisal Tool. Thematic Synthesis was performed on the selected research articles and consisted of three stages; primary coding, descriptive themes, and analytical coding. </p><p> Findings from the selected articles were synthesized for best practices and implications for the field of nonprofit management. Nonprofit employees and executives were found to receive lower compensation than comparable for-profit positions. Nonprofit employees were provided with nonmonetary benefits including racial and gender equality in the workplace, flexible work schedules, medical and retirement benefits, and intrinsic motivation from moral alignment with the mission and vision of the organization. Best practice recommendations are for nonprofits to channel resources into employees and executive baseline compensation to become more competitive for attracting and retaining talented employees. Nonprofits should expect public donations to decrease as compensation rises due to the public&rsquo;s belief that the majority of resources should be allocated for the mission and vision of the organization. Organizational program service revenue should be expected to rise commensurate with public donation decreases, as talented employees are hired and retained and positively impact revenues. Organizations which treated public donations as passive income, and spent their current marketing, communications, administration and fundraising resources on business operations including employee compensation, would be better enabled to capture program service revenue, government grants, and investment income.</p><p>

<p> Given the breadth of implications that CEO psychological characteristics have for their organisations, in this manuscript I examine those characteristics as outcomes of the new CEO selection process. At the core of this theory is the realization that organisa&not;tional successions may select executive types based on particular configurations of char-acteristics that respond to their governance, competitive, or performance needs. I first develop a typology of CEO psychological profiles (the <i>Independent Hero Leader </i>, the <i>Collaborative Champion Leader</i>, the <i> Classic Administrator Leader</i>, and the <i>Landmark Individualist Leader</i>) by cluster analysing a sample of 250 S&amp;P 500 CEOs for which relevant psychological characteristics (i.e., narcissism, charisma, regulatory focus, honesty-humility, Machiavellianism, assertiveness, social influence, political skill, and pro-activeness, CSE, individualism and collectivism) were assessed with psycho-metrically valid scales utilising a videometric approach. Then, I hypothesize that a number of firm, board, and industry characteristics significantly affect the psychological profiles or types selected for new CEO appointments.</p><p>

<p> The literature review has proven the percentage of projects that come short of meeting the expectations of stakeholders is significantly high. There is a gap in the literature on attributes that contribute to successful project outcomes, especially in the aerospace and defense industry. This study explores leadership skills in project managers and how the application of leadership skills contributed to successful project outcome. A qualitative multi-case study was conducted to explore leadership skills in project managers within the aerospace and defense industry. A semi-structured interview was conducted to understand the nature of the project that selected candidates participated in and how the usage of leadership skills resulted in successful project outcome. </p><p>

<p> The topic of investigation for this research was the relationship between job training, job satisfaction, and turnover intention. Specifically, the researcher investigated how the quantity of job training over a one-year period predicted employees&rsquo; job satisfaction and turnover intentions. Despite the rich body of research on the mediating factors of job satisfaction on employees&rsquo; turnover intentions, little is known about factors that influence job satisfaction and turnover intentions among employees within the retail grocery industry. The research question proposed for the study was: &ldquo;What is the relationship between amount of job training, job satisfaction and turnover intentions among employees in the U.S. retail grocery industry?&rdquo; Utilizing a quantitative explanatory research design, a sample was collected of 101 U.S. retail employees who were (a) 18+ years of age, (b) had at least a high school education completed, and (c) were current retail grocery employees who had worked in the industry for at least one full calendar year prior to study participation. Data were collected via online survey, which consisted of a demographic questionnaire, the <i>Job Satisfaction Scale</i>, and the <i>Turnover Intention Scale</i>. A multiple linear regression was performed to assess the predictive relationship between job training, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. The Pearson correlation coefficient <i> r</i> was used to explore the two-way association between amount of job training, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. Analysis revealed no statistically significant, predictive relationship between job training, job satisfaction, and turnover intentions. In addition, results from the Pearson correlation coefficient r validated the same lack of relationship. Although findings from this investigation indicated job training had no significant effect on job satisfaction or turnover intentions, organizations and managers should not dismiss the many benefits of employee training.</p><p>

<p> In the United States, the high turnover rate of registered nurses and indications of a future shortage of registered nurses is detrimental to healthcare organizations. The purpose of this correlational study was to examine whether, in hospitals, work engagement and job satisfaction predicted registered nurse turnover intention. The theoretical framework was Fishbein and Ajzen&rsquo;s theory of reasoned action. Probability sampling was used to identify 155 participants, all full-time registered nurses with 2 or more years of employment in New York hospitals. Data, obtained from surveys, were analyzed via multiple linear regression. The results revealed that only job satisfaction predicted turnover intention among the nurses sampled, (<i>F</i> (5,154) = 12.008, <i> p</i> &lt;.001. <i>R²</i> = .287. The results indicated that low work engagement is not necessarily an indication of job dissatisfaction or of an individual&rsquo;s intention to leave a job. Leaders of healthcare organizations might lower nurse turnover intention by focusing on improving job satisfaction. Specifically, by addressing the issues identified from regular job satisfaction surveys, and by a greater emphasis on creating a satisfying workplace, overall job satisfaction might be increased. The potential increased stability of the registered nurse workforce and the potential cost savings resulting from lower turnover could contribute to positive social change by improving the delivery of health services and by enhancing the healthcare experiences of patients, their families, and the surrounding communities.</p><p>

According to the Code on Corporate Governance Practices (CG Code), listed firms should be overseen by a board of directors that promotes the success of the firm through effective direction and supervision of the listed firm’s affairs. Remuneration paid to directors should be sufficient to attract and retain directors of a caliber required to run the company successfully, but companies should avoid paying more than is necessary. The board should appoint a remuneration committee consisting wholly or mainly of non-executive directors and chaired by a non-executive director. The role of the committee is to make recommendations to the board on executive director remuneration in all of its forms, drawing on outside advice as necessary. According to the CG Code, the committee should consult with the chairman of the board and/or chief executive officer regarding its proposals relating to the remuneration of other executive directors. However, as many listed firms in Hong Kong are majority-owned by individuals and their families, the positions of the chairman and/or chief executive officer are usually held by family members who can influence the level of remuneration paid to directors. In an effort to assess how well the CG Code works, this study examines whether directors’ remuneration is influenced by independent non-executive directors where the chairman of the board is a family member. Findings show that since the introduction the CG Code, where the number of independent non-executive directors on the remuneration committee is high, the committee acts as means of control, which leads to lower directors’ remuneration than in situations where family members have more influence on remuneration committee decisions.