This research extensively reviews and integrates what is currently known about post-adoption implementation behavior to explain information technology (IT) infusion at the organizational level. Three dimensions of IT infusion (extended, integrative and emergent use) are conceptualized and defined at a general level and then, operationalized within a small business context. Determinants of (organizational) IT infusion are explored within 404 veterinary practices using multiple respondent design via structural equation modeling. Multiple indicators are derived for each latent construct in the structural model at the general level. Then, context-specific measures are developed for this particular research project. The data collected is used to demonstrate reliability and validity for the study's measures, as well as, support for many relationships proposed in the structural model. Finally, a secondary analysis involving hierarchical regression explores differences in the contextual determinants of extended, integrative and emergent use, as well as, interrelationships between these three variables. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-12, Section: A, page: 3918. / Major Professor: Robert W. Zmud. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

Using performance management techniques in business and industry has been a proven method for increasing desired behaviors under study. Casey (1990) and Wolf (1978) have both suggested additional outcome measures which need to be addressed if continued research is to be conducted in an effective manner. These include measures of social validity, cost of intervention, and measuring the correlation of both sales volume and sales-related behavior. This research project attempts to take into consideration all of the variables suggested above by conducting an applied study using performance management techniques and measuring the additional outcome measures. / To test these suggestions, an applied research project was conducted in which employees of a national restaurant chain from the state of Florida were presented with a series of interventions designed to increase sales volume and sales-related behavior. Consumers were also polled as to their reactions about the behaviors which the employees were now practicing. / The results are a study which has attempted to measure all areas of responsible applied research as promoted by Casey (1990) and Wolf (1978). It is hoped that this research project will demonstrate that these standards should be adhered to by all researchers while conducting current and future research. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-03, Section: A, page: 0761. / Major Professors: Jon Bailey; Barry Sapolsky. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

This research examined the effects of (1) business-related and strategic IT-related knowledge of the chief information officer (CIO) and the top management team (TMT) and (2) engagements between the CIO and members of the top management team on the firm's success in the use of information technology (IT) to support its business strategies and value-chain activities. Further, the study examined how the background characteristics of the CIO and top management team members affected their strategic IT and business-related knowledge. / Using a cross-sectional field study, the study found that CIOs with high strategic IT and business-related knowledge exhibited significantly greater participation in top management teams. Further, firms that were best able to use IT to support their business strategies and value-chain activities were those where their CIO possessed a high level of business and strategic IT knowledge and participated more extensively in the top management team. The strength of these relationships was most prominent where firms viewed the role of information technology as fundamentally transforming their conduct or their industry structure. It is this synergistic combination of CIOs with high strategic IT and business-related knowledge, high extent of participation in the top management team, and firms that view IT as the basis for transforming the organization that provides the greatest impact on the firm's ability to effectively utilize its IT resources. In addition, the study found that CIOs who possessed the highest level of strategic IT-related knowledge were those whose professional backgrounds were mostly within the IS area, but who still had some exposure to other business areas. This suggests that a strategic understanding of the potential and limitations of IT requires more than strictly a technical perspective. Rather, it requires a thorough understanding of the technical aspects of IT tempered by an understanding of how IT can facilitate the organization's effectiveness. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-06, Section: A, page: 2312. / Major Professor: V. Sambamurthy. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

During their December 1993 meeting, the National Association of Insurance Commissioners's (NAIC) adopted risk-based capital standards for property/casualty insurance companies to become effective in 1995 based upon the 1994 annual statement. The NAIC's two major objectives in adopting risk-based capital standards are: (1) to develop a standard of capital adequacy that is standard among all states and related to the risk inherent in the business of insurance; and (2) to provide regulatory authority to act when actual capital falls below standard. / This study examines the ability of the NAIC's Risk-Based Capital system to predict property and casualty insurers which will have financial difficulties. The effectiveness of risk-based capital is compared with the NAIC's Insurance Regulatory Information System. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 55-11, Section: A, page: 3563. / Major Professor: Claude C. Lilly, III. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1994.

Career plateauing is fast becoming an issue in organizations due to the influx of the baby boom generation into middle-management ranks, combined with the widespread downsizing and restructuring of organizations. Previous literature on career plateaus has not examined which employees respond positively or negatively to a plateau. Instead the focus has been on managing an employee in a plateau or on differences between plateaued and nonplateaued managers. / This research is based on the premise that a response to a career plateau is a coping response initiated by the employee to manage career development stress. A model which details career plateau response was developed and tested in this research. / Results of an analysis of plateaued employees showed the model to be a reasonable representation of the process by which employees respond to a plateau. Several coping strategies demonstrated predicted effects with 3 response outcome variables: current career development stress, commitment, and performance. Other strategies demonstrated effects opposite those which were predicted. The perception of positive alternatives to promotion offered by the organization did not demonstrate the predicted effect of positively influencing the plateau process. A negative coping style was associated with a negative career plateau response. / Negative affectivity, a personality moderator included in the model, was found to increase the stress associated with a career plateau. Need for advancement, another moderator, did not demonstrate a significant relationship. Practical implications and conclusions are given. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 56-06, Section: B, page: 3489. / Major Professor: Pamela L. Perrewe. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1995.

This study links industry and firm context to the CEO psychological-to-performance relationship. This research is based on the view of managers as a locus of firm performance. Industry environments present firms with constraints and opportunities to which a firm must deploy its capabilities to create value. Managers influence the process of matching the firm to the environment, or the process of changing the environment by making decisions and/or not making strategic decisions (i.e., major administrative, domain and competitive choices). Environmental cues which managers identify as important, the way they interpret these cues, and the choices they make from these cues are shaped by cognitive and personality factors. While the effect of such factors has developed into an important research stream in strategy literature, examinations of boundary conditions for these factors are rare. / This research examined and evaluated the impacts of important industry-level facets on the cognition-to-performance relationship by comparing CEO communications across industries. Industry turbulence and munificence are prominent industry factors in strategy literature. Their effect on the performance relationship of the psychological construct of optimism was studied. Cognition factors of ambivalence, passivity, and propensity to change were also examined. The CEO communications of 169 single-business publicly traded corporations were analyzed. Munificence was observed to lead to a positive moderation effect for the optimism-to-performance relationship, while leading to negative moderation for the propensity-to-change-to-performance relationship. Industry turbulence was observed to yield a negative effect on the passivity-to-performance relationship, while affecting a positive effect on the-propensity-to-change-to-performance relationship. Theoretical and managerial implications are discussed.

This research project examined how mentoring affected women in 3 lumber-related industries using a mixed methods approach. The research results included survey responses from 49 women and interviews with 10 women of various demographic and industry experiences. Although mentoring and career advancement have been researched by others, this project included 3 industries that have not been extensively researched; therefore, the information included in this project will add to previous research and enhance the abilities of women to advance their careers. Organizations will also benefit from the research data collected to enhance their abilities to attract, retain, and promote women into leadership positions.

To what extent does a leader behavior depend on his or her gender? Past research is divided. Some scholars found evidence that women's participative, caring, and collective orientations make them more democratic and inclusive leaders. Other evidence points to "leader androgyny" (Bem, 1977) or similarity between the genders. This quantitative study examined whether, in the eyes of 141 subordinates, 33 Information Technology project managers were significantly different in their empowering behavior. A revised Leader Empowering Behavior Questionnaire (LEBQ; Konczak, Stelly, & Trusty, 2000) was employed. The LEBQ has 6 behavioral dimensions which are correlated to subordinate psychological empowerment (Spreitzer, 1995, 1996). On two dimensions, Accountability and Self-Directed Decision Making, women leader's scores were significantly higher than men's. No significant differences between the genders were reported in Delegation of Authority, Information Sharing, Skill Development, or Coaching for Innovative Performance, nor were they significantly different on their Overall Empowerment scores. To sum up, these leaders were reported as more similar than different, indicating "gender similarity" (Hyde, 2005) rather than a distinct "Female Advantage" (Helgesen, 1995). / Additional future exploration of this topic includes a larger sample size or different population. Other areas include the gender interaction of superiors and subordinates, the extent to which leaders employ the empowering behaviors that matter most to subordinates, and relationship of empowerment to measures such as engagement or retention. / Keywords: Gender, Empowerment, Female Advantage, Gender Similarity, Psychological Empowerment, Leadership, Leader Behavior, Leadership Androgyny, Culture

Existing linear asset pricing models do not fully explain the abnormal profits associated with prior-return portfolios. In addition, existing nonlinear consumption-based models produce implausible risk aversion coefficient values when applied to priorreturn portfolios. Measures based upon production instead of consumption reduce residual errors and drive risk aversion coefficients towards plausible values. Augmenting the existing models with a new production-based marginal utility growth proxy, supplemented by a production-based consumption proxy not previously applied to price prior-return portfolios, can explain the abnormal profits associated with prior-return portfolios and yield plausible risk aversion coefficient values.

Global business executives and researchers recently highlight the importance of understanding the dynamics of supply chain process integration in a global context. The literature still lacks studies that provide a comprehensive understanding of the major antecedents and consequences of supply chain process integration from a global perspective. This dissertation builds on several theoretical foundations such as the resource based view (RBV), the relational view (RV) of the firm and transaction cost analysis (TCA) to develop a framework that explains the drivers and outcomes of global supply chain process integration. This global study responds to these challenges through exploring the antecedents and consequences of global supply chain process integration for 320 supply chain and purchasing managers that source from over 33 countries. A theoretical framework is proposed that builds on research in strategic management, supply chain management, and international business and tests 8 proposed hypotheses. One new construct – global supply chain process integration – is developed and tested. Another construct, logistics performance, is modified from its existing form in the current literature. Significant results and good fit indices tested with structural equation modeling generate a number of interesting implications for global supply chain managers and researchers. For executives and strategists who are concerned about better managing their supply chains, this study provides insights for how manufacturing firms can develop a competitive edge through a higher level of flexibility by integrating its supply chain processes with its global suppliers. The study also provides empirical evidence on how supplier flexibility in a global environment can lead to improvements in process and firm performance.