This thesis would be trivial if it did not aim to assist organisations to continuously improve their activities and sustain long-term profitability in today’s competitive market. It reports the development of a knowledge transfer model within MNCs with the major focus on knowledge flow within international Lean and Six Sigma teams. The model highlights the inhibitory and facilitatory factors in knowledge transfer processes. To remain among the leaders in the market, firms must continuously strive for better performance. This often implies the best management practices such as continuous improvement processes. Lean and Six Sigma are two well-known approaches which are strategically important for businesses. The adoption and deployment of both Lean and Six Sigma, however, cannot be successful without a robust knowledge management structure, especially when deployed in an international dimension where subsidiaries and HQ constantly interact to maintain a high performance level. For many decades, efforts to develop knowledge management in multinationals have been important. Some of the well-know authors in this field are Davenport and Prusak, Szulanski, Minbaeva, Gupta and Govindarajan, and Holden. Although there have been many attempts to understand the phenomenon of knowledge management in multinationals, there are limited studies reported in the literature regarding knowledge transfer in international Lean and Six Sigma teams within MNCs in the broad triad of developed, underdeveloped and developing countries. Moreover, a number of knowledge transfer models have been proposed and described in many other research studies, but none is fully adaptable to the context of these international teams because of their lack of specificity to this particular field of practice. In fact, besides working within an international team, Lean and Six Sigma project leaders in MNCs are often seen as internal consultants, providing their services to two different categories of individuals: people with basic Lean and Six Sigma knowledge and those with no Lean and Six Sigma knowledge. Hence there is a need for a strong communication system to maintain good information flow and understanding in such international firms. This research thus investigated the existing phenomenon of knowledge transfer in Lean and Six Sigma teams within MNCs through a single case study carried out in four main regions Asia (Malaysia), Europe (France, Germany, the UK), Latin America (Argentina, Brazil) and the USA. It emphasised evaluating and comparing how (1) Lean and Six Sigma knowledge was developed, transferred and implemented in these different units, and (2) how the team members interacted together in order to successfully deploy Lean and Six Sigma projects internationally. This enabled the researcher to identify and understand the difficulties behind the success of knowledge transfer effectiveness in such teams. This study was conducted in three phases. In the preliminary phase, the literature review enabled the researcher to identify the gaps and establish the conceptual framework that helped the presentation of the phenomenon. Definitions of knowledge and knowledge management are put forward to highlight the characteristics of these concepts and to show how a good understanding of the complexity of ‘knowledge’ itself can improve knowledge absorption. An evaluation of the development of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies in MNCs was conducted. Secondly, the framework guided the researcher through interviews with Lean and Six Sigma experts and document analysis which resulted in a selection of frameworks. Finally, the resulting insights from the data analysis using expert knowledge, understanding, interpretation and experience enabled the refinement and validation of the proposed conceptual framework. A final model was then recommended to help Lean and Six Sigma project leaders and managers to effectively communicate and internalise, implement and innovate knowledge within their area of practice. This model contributes to knowledge in the area of international business, management practices and knowledge management within MNCs by incorporating new factors that affect knowledge transfer processes. To begin with, it suggests ensuring a balance between subsidiary autonomy and HQ–subsidiary networking for effective communication flow while investing more time in developing trust and understanding culture since cross-cultural differences appeared also to be seen as a positive asset for organisations, offering new opportunities for learning new ways of doing things and thus leading to innovation. Secondly, it proposes reinforcing the relationship base (common interest, individual commitment, trust, credibility and respect) in teams for better interaction, decision-making and change management. Thirdly, it emphasises training for knowledge development and internalisation, mentoring and coaching, and IT compatibility for ‘knowledge leveraging’. Knowledge transmission channels such as IT compatibility systems and mentoring and coaching enabled non-duplication of a piece of knowledge in the sense that it minimises the reinvention of knowledge that already exists elsewhere in the network. This thesis provides a constructive basis for further research within the field of both knowledge management and continuous improvement methodologies (Lean and Six Sigma) within MNCs and the researcher’s goal is to expand its analytical generalisation. Although DAS was specifically using Lean and Six Sigma as continuous improment methodologies, the company was the most appropriate case for this study as it has shown remarquable results in the deployment of continuous improvement methodologies (Lean Six Sigma). This success is mainly due to their capacity in improving organisational effectiveness by expanding knowledge transfer within their MNC through networking in international teams and geographically disperced units. Besides, they have a strong organisational culture which they try to align with other unit’s cultures. Other MNCs using continuous improvement teams can thus draw on this example to improve their organisational effectiveness.

Development has suffered a great deal due to the frequent changes that occur in life and these changes inevitably cause conflict. A typical example is the research setting, the Bawku Municipal area in Ghana. This area has suffered severe forms of conflict which in one way or the other have affected the development of the district and the people as a whole. The effect of conflict has not only affected the rural development but also social, human, intellectual, economic and technological developments in general. While the aim of all countries is to develop, some may have reached a stage where they qualify as developed; others are still in the process of reaching their goal; yet others are still struggling to barely survive thus the names ‗developed countries, developing countries and under developed countries‘. Most developing countries are faced with the problem of rural underdevelopment and Ghana is no exception. Most rural areas have been neglected in the development project of the country. Resources are channelled to the urban areas and other places where the government reaps profits; however the Bawku municipal area has not only suffered underdevelopment from government negligence but also from conflict. The district of Bawku has been in tribal war stretching for the past ten years. This has stalled most developmental works from both government and external bodies. The area is one of the poorest places in Ghana; the problem is not only with rural development but social, economic and human development as well.

This case study examined how a team of middle school teachers from different subject areas collaboratively planned interdisciplinary experiences for their students. Using fieldwork research methods, including long-term participant-observation, interviewing and document analysis, the study explored how team members planned interdisciplinary experiences. Data were analyzed through a process of searching for patterns, coding and comparison, utilizing the Hackman and Oldham (1980) model of group effectiveness as a heuristic for understanding the group processes. The results of this study raise questions about the preeminence of the "interdisciplinary thematic unit" in middle school rhetoric. The team developed a conception of interdisciplinary that progressed through phases of elusion and inclusion to allusion. Team members chose not to create any tightly-structured interdisciplinary thematic units, and they did not follow any established planning processes designed for creating such units; rather, they dialogued about their subject areas in ways that allowed them to make ongoing connections between subjects. Through their dialogues, team members gained insight into both their own subject areas and connections among subject areas. The Interdisciplinary Judgment Matrix was developed as a means of understanding team members' decision-making in determining whether to plan interdisciplinary experiences. This matrix presents the teachers' decision-making as a process of judging the relevance of potential interdisciplinary experiences both to the established curriculum and to the subject specialists’ criteria for what students ought to derive from a course. The matrix argues that team members do not merely follow a curriculum guide or textbook, but make professional judgments balancing the demands of the curriculum with subject specialists' assumptions and concerns. The study has implications for both practitioners and researchers. Middle school team members need to be given time to develop a conception of interdisciplinarity that fits with their understanding of the purposes of teaming. Also, rather than implementing pre-packaged interdisciplinary thematic units, such teams should be encouraged to dialogue about their subject areas in order to make meaningful and ongoing connections for their students. Rather than adhering to a set of steps for creating interdisciplinary thematic units, middle school teams must learn to discuss the substance of their teaching with one another. Such discussion promises professional growth through everyday occupational conditions. Based on the findings of this study, researchers might profitably investigate the role of unit planning as the common focus of collaborative planning. The study also suggests research into the effectiveness of pre-established planning models as compared to the dialoguing the study recommends. Finally, the study raises a research question about the interplay of collaborative groups with the larger culture of the school. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate

The purpose of this study was to explore the experience of culture conflict in second-generation Indo-Canadian women. An existential-phenomenological approach was used to gain an understanding of culture conflict from the perspective of those who have experienced it. Five second-generation Indo-Canadian women participated in this study. The participants took part in an in depth, unstructured interview in which they were asked to describe their experience of culture conflict. The interview was taped and transcribed. The transcripts were then analyzed and common themes were explicated. The 29 themes that emerged from the data were written into an exhaustive description of the experience of culture conflict. The themes and exhaustive description were then presented to each of the participants for validation. From the exhaustive description, the essential structure of the experience of culture conflict was also formulated. The findings of this study are discussed in terms of implications for further research as well as implications for counselling individuals who are experiencing culture conflict. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

The selection interview is frequently regarded as a situation in which communication between the two participants is effected solely through the medium of spoken and heard words. Closer examination reveals it to be a complex interaction involving subtle contents mediated through several channels of communication - visual, olfactory, tactile, kinesthetic (all "non-verbal") as well as the verbal channel. This study examines the effect of information mediated by non-verbal channels of communication upon the selection judgments made by the interviewer. Interviews under normal face-to-face conditions (where non-verbal communication channels are open) were compared with interviews by another interviewer of the same candidates over a telephone (where non-verbal communication is eliminated). Three interviewers participated, and they, and the order of conditions, were randomized to control order and interviewer effects. The forty-three pairs of interviews were conducted by regular Naval Recruiting Officers upon applicants for officer training in the R.C.N. Results of the interviews were actually used for selection. The principal hypothesis, that assessment ratings by the interviewer are influenced by information communicated through non-verbal channels, was supported: the assessments of 10 of the 22 separate attributes rated showed significant differences between telephone and face-to-face condition. The single overall rating of each candidate which represents the interviewers recommendation to higher authority, did not, however, show a statistically significant difference as made under the two conditions. A secondary hypothesis, that overall assessments made in the face-to-face condition will correlate highly with assessments of appearance and bearing, while overall assessments based on the telephone interview will not, was supported. This suggests that at least one kind of information communicated through non-verbal channels, namely, the appearance and bearing of the candidate, does in fact, influence the final evaluation of his suitability. However, appearance and bearing were found to have no significant relationship to the more detailed assessments of "social interests", "motivation", "range of knowledge" and "personal characteristics". Comparisons of the times expended in the two types of interview showed face-to-face interviews to be substantially larger overall than those on the telephone. The interviewer talked relatively more, and the candidate relatively less in the face-to-face as compared with the telephone situation. The proportion of silent time was substantially the same for both types of interview. Implications for further research and application to interviewing practices are discussed. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

Late in 1959, the Council on Social Work Education published a thirteen volume study on the desirable objectives of social work education. In the volume on casework method , it is proposed that the concepts of "role" and "stress" be used in combination for the assessment.of clients' problems. Leading social workers have expressed much interest in these proposals but have agreed that extensive research and testing are necessary to bring the theory to the level of practice. This thesis attempts a contribution in this area, applying the "social role theory" empirically to a sample of social casework practice. Such an evaluation must be made in relation to the social work profession's ultimate responsibility to the client. The criterion: Will this theory enable the social worker to help the client more effectively? The sample group are twelve cases from the files of the Children's Clinic, Mental Health Centre, where both parents and children receive treatment services. The social functioning of the parents has been examined in relation to the social functioning of the primary client, the child. The case record material was first analyzed on the basis of the concept of stress, the attempt being made to identify a) the sources of stress, b) the values threatened, c) the duration of stress, d) the response to stress, e) the major roles impaired and f) the reciprocal roles affected. The concept of role was utilized to describe and rate child and parents in terms of a) performance in major social roles and b) the interrelatedness of roles in the family network. The degree of role impairment was rated for the roles of husband, wife, father, mother, son or daughter, sibling, employee, student and member of community (for adults) or peer (for children). Assessment and redefinition of the client in relation to his problem was then attempted for each case. This study has brought a number of analytical features to light. There is need for clarification of specific roles, e.g., "employee,” where there are intersecting roles. Sibling relationships require considerably more study. It suggests the need for obtaining information regarding the adequacy of the client and those in his immediate role network in the early fact-finding phase of treatment, in such a way as to minimize additional resistance. It also suggests the necessity of eliminating confusion in the client role through a mutual understanding of the client-worker expectations in the early stage of treatment. An important feature of the theory that must be considered if it is to be put into practice, is that the client must be perceived not only in terms of general emotional responses to stress e.g., "anxiety" but in terms of how this reaction has affected his social functioning, i.e., which roles in his network of relationships are impaired and which threatened. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

The Joint Family Services Project which was in operation in Vancouver, B.C., during 1955 to 1957, is an experiment in bringing combined casework and group work services to family units. The three participating agencies are the Family Service Agency, Gordon House and Alexandra Neighborhood House. The present study is based upon the Project as it functioned in the latter Agency only; but apart from this limitation, it is the first attempt at a comprehensive review. Reaching families with incipient social and emotional problems,by means of observation of individuals who are not benefitting fully from group experiences, is the key note; and the study endeavours to assess the social services extended to those in need. This study is based upon the reports and documents prepared prior to and during the Project. It also analyzes the main statistical data accumulated during the two years, as well as making use of recorded material of both the casework and group work staff. Interviews with the staff members served to supplement this information on important points. In the survey, particular consideration is given to (1) the client and his family, housing, the neighborhood, and other socio-economic factors, (2) the role and methods of the participating group work staff, and (3) the role and methods of the caseworker and related consultants in this leisure-time setting. Chapter One deals with the preparatory work of the Project and its objectives. Chapter Two sketches a picture of the clients and the community from which they are drawn. Chapters Three and Four focus on the skills and services of the group worker and caseworker respectively. The final chapter brings together the preliminary findings and implications regarding this Project. Benefits to clients from the family approach to their problems are indicated; also the merits to social workers, namely, cooperating to deal with the "total personality". Some enrichments to both casework and group work can be seen in the Project process. Present achievements and possible future values should both be measured against the relatively small funds and short period of operation of this experiment. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

Probation is only one of the alternative dispositions available to the court in sentencing an offender. The present study has two major parts, (a) It examined in detail the personal, social, and environmental characteristics of all adult males placed under the supervision of the British Columbia Provincial Probation Branch in the fiscal year 1955-56. (b) The relation of a group of selected characteristics to the outcome of the cases is explored, (i.e. whether or not they successfully completed the time period of probation prescribed by the court). Definition and description of probation introduces the study. The Canadian, and more specifically the British Columbia history and current picture of adult probation services is given. The present limited supply of probation facilities and the need to use this limited resource to best advantage is highly relevant. Material drawn upon for the survey of the 1955-56 probationers, (223 in all), included probation branch files, (particularly the social histories contained therein), correspondence with probation officers throughout the province and correspondence with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The variables selected for further analysis were: age at start of probation; marital status and number of dependents; nature of the instant offence; number of previous convictions and extent of incarceration; type of investigation carried out by the officer and the assessment of the offender's suitability for probation; and steadiness of employment while on probation. A short follow-up check on the offenders' post-probation success was carried out. The first product of the study is a descriptive profile of the probation clientele, giving a clearer picture of those who the service is set up to serve. Second, the relating of selected characteristics to outcome of case is a first step toward providing some limited predictive guides to assist the officer who is attempting to foresee how the offender will do on probation. The follow-up check served to balance what otherwise might be an unrealistically high success rate. The "profile" of probation clientele reveals that the group investigated appears not markedly different from the general population of British Columbia judged by place of birth, level of education, physical health, work habits and number of siblings. Some possible variations from the general British Columbia populace are noted in that the group may have contained a higher proportion of young people, persons with no dependents, single persons, unskilled workers, persona with a background of broken parental relationships, and in that all the group were males. The variables related to outcome of case that seem to be of greatest significance include: steadiness of employment while on probation, extent of previous criminal record, marital status, and nature of the instant offence. Of the 221 cases ending their probation period either successfully or unsuccessfully 185, (83.7 per cent), were successful. Of these 185 cases 77.3 per cent still had no new record of convictions when the follow-up check was completed in February, 1959. Several implications of the study are discussed. The need for adequate presentence investigation is stressed. The expansion of adult probation services in Canada is urged, -with a cautionary note that geographical and numerical expansion must not be substituted for quality in the services. The Federal Government can perhaps facilitate expansion of the service by intervening into the area of adult probation as a standard setting body. There is a need for a closer working relationship between the courts and welfare agencies, public and private. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

A pertinent problem in child guidance settings is the apparent inability of a considerable number of parents to involve themselves in treatment. This results in seriously limiting the amount of help that can be given to the child, or results in the parents withdrawing from the agency leaving the problem untouched. It was therefore considered important to attempt to isolate resistance, as manifested by parents, to casework services during the intake study. Some of the causative factors in resistance are discussed in general terms, as background. A small group of cases (6) were then chosen for detailed examination. In all of these, a high degree of resistance was manifested. The defense mechanisms used to manifest resistance are described in general, and analysed in the specific cases. Skills and techniques which the social worker used to decrease initial resistance were then tabulated; and from these certain common denominators became evident. The findings indicate a need for some refinement of intake procedures. There is evidently need also for greater effort on the part of social workers to decrease initial resistance, since the capacity of parents to involve themselves in treatment appears to be dependent upon the favorable conditions created for them by the intake worker. Resistance is a complex phenomenon however, and demands further research. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate

"Non-ward Care” refers to a child for whom the Superintendent of Child Welfare has assumed responsibility temporarily at the request of the child’s parent or guardian. The primary function of non-ward care is the protection of children within their own family unit, the importance to the child of having his own parents accept responsibility for him being recognized as a principle basic to child welfare services. Non-ward care, as described in this thesis, is an important service for treating certain family situations in the hope that this treatment will make it possible for children and parents to help themselves. In the final analysis, the real assessment of the use of the resource of non-ward care depends on the preservation of the family unit. This study was undertaken in an attempt to examine descriptively and analytically the casework services involved in the provision of the resource of non-ward care to families, and to note how the families were being benefited by the resource. The analysis of the fifteen cases used in this study suggests some correlation between the evidence of improvement in the family situation and the quality of the social work methods and techniques exhibited by the worker during the course of the agency's contact with the family. This is judged by the rating of the progress made by the families as related to the quality of the worker's relationship, and also the extent to which basic social work methods and techniques were used by the worker. In both instances, the cases which showed much improvement in the family situation, showed proficient use of the basic social work methods and techniques. The cases which made little progress showed weaknesses in some areas of social work methods, particularly the areas which require diagnostic skill, evaluation, and the making of a plan based on the diagnosis. The findings of the study are that, in the majority of instances, the resource of non-ward care was being used towards the preservation of the families; and that, from the beginning the plan was for the children to be returned to their parents’ homes when the situation had been alleviated. There were a few cases, however, in which the original plan for the family seemed to have been lost sight of and children had remained in care longer than had been envisaged, while no improvement had occurred in the family situation. The implications here are significant not only for this type of service, but for all fields of the social work profession. / Arts, Faculty of / Social Work, School of / Graduate