<p> Due to funding diminishment from traditional sources, many insurance and risk management undergraduate degree programs have turned to alternative funding resources in order to survive. This qualitative multi-case study interviewed key participants (college faculty, department chairs, and deans) in three insurance and risk management programs in order to identify the effects of systemic budget constraints and alternative public and/or private funding strategies and resources that were being utilized. Additionally, the collected data were analyzed to evaluate the appropriateness of Bess and Dee's <i>Models of Organization - Environment Relations</i> to an undergraduate insurance and risk management degree program. Their model incorporates organizational theories (resource dependency theory, contingency theory, institutional theory, population ecology theory, niche theory, and the random transformation model) to explicate policies and practices in higher education institutional organizations. Interview participants confirmed the effects of the funding decline, with the most significant impact being on faculty engagement. Alternative funding strategies were identified and categorized by the source of funds. An analysis of the majority of collected data indicated an alignment with contingency theory in all three programs. In exploring the efficacy of Bess and <i>Dee's Models of Organization - Environment Relations</i> (2012), this theoretical construct was evaluated for contextual appropriateness. This study proposed that this theoretical model may have value for consideration in evaluating an undergraduate insurance and risk management program's relationship with its external insurance stakeholders and donors. Keywords: insurance and risk management undergraduate degree programs; alternative funding; Models of Organization - Environment Relations; organizational theories</p>

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<p> The exploratory qualitative research study explored management education business school offerings in comparison to employer expectations. Through the lens of alumni and human-resources personnel participants, the research examined the skills deemed as transferrable to the workplace and competencies that undergraduate-management education alumni lack upon entry into the workplace. This research study used interviewing as the data-collection method to explore the experiences of undergraduate business-school alumni from two universities, which from here on out will be referred to as University A and University B, as well as human-resources personnel from the states where these universities are located. Existing literature relating to the effectiveness of management education programs did not fully address the problem at the undergraduate level. The findings of this study reaffirmed the need for employers, business school administrators, and faculty to increase collaborative efforts to ensure that undergraduate business-school program competencies are aligned with employer expectations.</p>

<p> With companies seeking to increase organizational efficiency while promoting prosperous growth, creativity has become one of the most important leadership qualities sought after by employers. This has put a demand on Masters of Business Administration (MBA) graduates to possess creative skills, as well as a dependency for MBA students to acquire a quality MBA education. Although business education has entered into new domains of online learning, the criticism remains that business education does little to foster or strengthen students' creativity skills. Thus, with the evolution of online education arises a need to research the effectiveness of creativity within these new domains. This phenomenological study analyzed MBA alumni's perceptions about the fostering of creativity skills within an online MBA program. A qualitative study was conducted with 25 participants from 3 separate U.S. and internationally based online MBA programs in order to gain insight into the needed improvements and or positive instructional design elements, facilitation practices, and technological media tools that foster creativity in online MBA programs. This study addressed the following research questions through the lens of MBA alumni: 1. What are alumni perceptions regarding facilitation (of instructors) that either enhance and or stifle creativity skills in an online MBA program? 2. What are alumni perceptions regarding instructional design elements (exercises, assignments, and or activities that are built into curriculum) that either enhance and or stifle creativity skills in an online MBA program? 3. What are alumni perceptions regarding technological media that either enhance and or stifle creativity skills in an online MBA program? </p><p> Among the findings of this study was the discovery of several themes that concur with experiences that foster creativity skills in online MBA programs: 1. Informal and flexible instructors and course content equates creative learning opportunities. 2. Various active facilitating methods foster a learning process. 3. Latitude of creative learning is enhanced by the freedom and flexibility of students' choices. 4. Program content and delivery are driving factors in incorporating new knowledge and or creativity skills. 5. Technological media tools and opportunities that are driven by the student lead to the learning and practicing of creativity.</p>

<p> This Delphi Study was designed to explore job-knowledge and practitioner expertise needed by bachelor-level graduates in meeting employer expectations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) health care industry. An initial supposition was that bachelor-level graduates were not meeting employer expectations because of insufficient jobknowledge, creating a need to align preparation of undergraduate business school graduates with workplace demands in management and finance. Process steps, based on Total Quality Management (TQM) Quality Function Deployment (QFD) House of Quality Principles, involved translating employer job-knowledge requirements into academic knowledge components useful to business school curriculum decision-makers. Combined levels of triangulation were employed to study expectations of UAE employers. Purposive sampling was applied to identify the participants. Data collection methods included 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews and two Responsive e-Delphi rounds. Data analysis involved translating employer job-knowledge requirements into academic knowledge components that contribute to curriculum development to improve learning process quality within UAE undergraduate schools of business. Findings indicated a need to provide students the opportunity to gain understanding and experience in applying theory to solve business problems within a work environment. Specific, accurate academic knowledge specifications embedded in the curriculum during curriculum design are recommended. Findings of this research may be useful to curriculum developers, curriculum revisers, and classroom instructors within UAE schools of business.</p>

During the early twenties of this century the necessity for the standardization of management activities and related affairs such as the desirability, reliability and validity of merit-assessments in businesses and industries in the U.S.A. reached a peak. The educational system participated in this movement end began extensive research on the evaluation of teachers. Especially the interest of the teachers' training institutes was aroused. These institutions pursued the viewpoint that more clarity should be obtained regarding the identification and evaluation of desirable education performance, and that this should furthermore be utilised as guidelines for the creation of educational objectives. The result wes a substantial shift in emphasis in the professional training of teachers from quantity to quality. The determination to raise the quality of education probably contributed largely to the sharp focus on a clearly specified goal determination and on a specific target formulation. From this a competency-based educational training originated. The approach of competency-baaed educational training requires that the training task should be based on pre-identified abilities which have to be acquired with a view to effective education. The purpose of this research is to make a penetrating analysis of competency-based education in the field of the Industrial Arts and the Technical teachers. The phenomenal development and advance in the technological sphere once again subjected the training of the Industrial Arts and Technical teachers to closer scrutiny. It has become imperative for the training of teachers in the technical domains to keep pace with progress in the technological world. By means of a proper task analysis of the competency- based training of Industrial Arts teachers, certain deficiencies and problem areas can be identified and solved. Subservient to the cause of competency-based teacher education responsible research has led the way through an intensive study of available literature, covering every aspect. After the literature study an empirical investigation was undertaken, involving 162 respondents (Industrial Arts teachers). During analysis of the collected data, many important deficiencies and problems regarding education as well as the practice of Industrial Arts teachers were identified. One of the most important conclusions was that only a few Industrial Arts teachers took their degree, The most important reason for this results from the lack of a degree course. It is also noteworthy to take cognisance of the fact that most of the respondents regarded the opportunity for promotion in this field as totally inadequate. Other important conclusions are the lack of funds, insufficient facilities, limited opportunities for advanced studies in the specific fields, the ineffective teaching of educational principles, so necessary for the successful presentation of the subject. Based on these conclusions a competency-based training model for Industrial Arts end Technical teachers was designed in the hope that its implementation may lead to the solving of problems and the elimination of deficiencies. Lastly a few recommendations were made with regard to the teaching of the Industrial Arts end Technical subjects, at secondary school level as well as the training of teachers and further research which could be undertaken in future. / Proefskrif (DEd)--PU vir CHO, 1983