How firms compete for an advantage is among the most critical questions in Business Strategy. While several researchers link executives to key strategic outcomes, much less is understood on how the Upper-Echelon team drives the actual competitive behavior of the firm, which is manifested in the launching of observable and purposeful competitive actions within the marketplace. Considering that competitive behavior research tends to overlook the importance of human assets, in general, and executive human assets, in particular, I explore how the knowledge, skills, and abilities of the Chief Executive (CEO), Top Management Team (TMT), and Board of Directors (BOD) impact a firm's competitive behavior. In addition, I examine how sources of Social Capital, or the relationships between these Upper-Echelon actors, influence a firm's competitive behavior. Moreover, I argue and test for the moderating influence of executive compensation on firm competitive behavior. Applying relational demography to capture Human Capital and sources of Social Capital within the U.S. Pharmaceutical Industry, I find some empirical support that executives do, indeed, affect firm competitive behavior. Overall, the empirical evidence indicates that the Human Capital of the CEO, TMT, and BOD can influence all dimensions of a firm's Competitive Intensity. Unexpectedly and, contrary to prediction, executive dissimilarity (not similarity) tended to greatly influence a firm's Competitive Activity and Repertoire Complexity. Also, the moderating impact of executive bonus and incentive pay was largely supported. This dissertation contributes to both the competitive behavior and Upper-Echelon literatures. Notably, this dissertation adds to the very limited work that attempts to theoretically link and empirically test for executive impact on firm competitive behavior. By so doing, it begins to open the "black box" on how human assets at the Upper Echelon affect strategic outcomes through a firm's competitive behavior. / Ph. D.

The U.S. health care delivery system faces serious challenges such as an increasing demand for services due to an aging population, unhealthy lifestyles, growth in the number of uninsured individuals, and an increase in chronic diseases. At the same time, the system has to cope with a limited supply of money, physicians, and nurses inferior quality of care delivered by U.S. hospitals. While the U.S. hospital industry is adapting to address these issues, not much progress in improving the quality of care delivered has been made over the last decade. However, theories exist that management systems, organizational traits, and leadership are key factors for hospitals to improve quality of care outcomes. This study takes a holistic look at these factors to identify and analyze critical drivers for better quality of care outcomes of U.S. hospitals. The study also aims to identify differences between chief executive officers' (CEOs) leadership traits among lean (mediocre performance), high (top 20th percentile), and low performing (bottom 20th percentile) U.S. hospitals in regards to their quality of care measures. Two separate online surveys were conducted. The first online survey was targeted at all 4,697 U.S. hospitals that are required to disclose quality of care measures to the Federal government. Results of this first survey revealed that two management system factors drive quality of care outcomes of U.S. hospitals. Furthermore, findings also show that critical access hospitals have a lower quality of care performance than acute care hospitals. Thus, based on the results from this survey, we concluded that management system factors are main drivers of hospital performance, whereas organizational trait and leadership factors did not significantly contribute to hospital performance. A second survey to CEOs and CEO followers in 9 selected hospitals found significant differences between CEO traits leading lean and low performing hospitals, and, to a lesser degree, significant differences among high and low performing hospitals. However, the study did not find any significant differences in CEO traits between lean and high performing hospitals. Findings also include that some management system factors differed significantly between lean and high performing hospitals, but no evidence for such differences could be found between lean and high and high and low performing hospitals, respectively. These results suggest that management systems and CEO leadership traits play an important role in determining U.S. hospital performance as measured by their quality of care. / Ph. D.

Master of Science / Department of Psychology / James C. Shanteau / Situation Awareness (SA) measurement takes on many forms: subjective, direct, and implicit performance, each with limitations. Subjective measures are based on self and peer reports, which allow biases to enter the measurement. Direct measures, such as SA Global Assessment Technique (SAGAT), interrupt SA in order to probe the participants’ SA level using questions. Implicit performance measures are based on participants’ ability to complete SA tasks, which must be created for each domain. A new approach, Dynamic – SA Task (D-SAT), was developed using a microworld wildfire fighting simulation, Networked Fire Chief (NFC). D-SAT is an implicit performance measure that can be adapted to multiple domains, for example inattentional blindness. Scenarios were developed during study one by tracking participant performance and scenario situations. Study two used the scenarios developed during study one to test D-SAT’s ability to evaluate SA by comparing D-SAT performance to an established SA performance measure, situation awareness global assessment technique (SAGAT). While the manipulation used to create had an effect on D-SAT performance, it was not associated with the established SA performance measure. However, a signal detection theory (SDT) analysis showed additional promise for D-SAT being a useful SA measure.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study examines the socio-cultural issues in the praise poems of three Xhosa chiefs, namely, Nkosi Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma of the amaJingqi, Nkosi Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga of Dushane of Ndlambe and Nkosi Sipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe of amaGwali of Tshiwo. What comes out clear in the poems of these chiefs is that they experienced power problems after and before 1994. Their poetry protests about these political influences and calls for the restoration of the dignity of the chieftancy. The socio-cultural aspects of the praise poems of each chief are devoted to a chapter: Nkosi Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma in Chapter 2, Nkosi Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga in Chapter 3, and Nkosi Sipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe in Chapter 4. Attention is paid to each chiefs genealogy, praise names, names of oxen because of traditional significance in the life of the chief, the chiefs mother, and place names which have historical importance in the life of the chief. As part of the theoretical framework of praise poetry, praise poetry theory is handled in Chapter 1 of the study. It is concluded in Chapter 5 that Xhosa paramount chiefs still play and will playa crucial socio-cultural role in their communities. They are not only concerned about being custodians of culture but also with the development of their nations. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie ondersoek sosio-kulturele vraagstukke in die prysgedigte van drie Xhosa opperhoofde, naamlik opperhoof Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma van die amaJingqi, opperhoof Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga van die Dushane groep van die Ndlambe en opperhoof Sipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe van die amaGwali groep van die Tshiwo. Die beeld wat na vore kom na aanleiding van 'n analise van die opperhoofde se prysgedigte dat hulle 'n magsprobleem ondervind het sowel voor as na 1994. Deur hulle poesie teken hulle protes aan oor bepaalde politieke invloede en hulle doen 'n beroep daarop dat die waardigheid van die hoofmanskap herstel word. Die sosio-kulturele vraagstukke wat na vore kom in die prysgedigte van elke opperhoof word behandel in individuele hoofstukke. Hoofstuk 2 ondersoek die prysgedigte van opperhoof Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma, Hoofstuk 3 die prysgedigte van opperhoof Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga, en Hoofstuk 4, die prysgedigte van opperhoof Sipho Mangindi Burns- Ncamashe. Aandag word gegee aan die genealogie van elke opperhoof, prysgroetvorme, die name van beeste, op grond van hulle tradisionele betekenis in die lewe van 'n hoofman, die opperhoof se moeder, asook plekname wat 'n historiese belang het in die lewe van die opperhoof. As deel van die teoretiese raamwerk vir die studie word die teorie van die prysgedig behandel in Hoofstuk 1. Hoofstuk 5 gee 'n samevatting van die belangrikste aspekte van die studie en motiveer die gevolgtrekking dat opperhoofde steeds 'n essenstele sosio-kulturele rol speel en ook in die toekoms sal speel in hulle gemeenskappe. Hulle is nie slegs die bewakers van die kultuurwaardes van hulle gemeenskappe nie, maar is ook fundamenteel betrokke by die ontwikkeling van hulle gemeenskappe. / ISISHWANKATHELO Olu luphando ngemiba yentlalo nenkcubeko kwizibongo zeenkosi zamaXhosa ezintathu, uNkosi uWhyte Lent Mbali Maqoma wamaJingqi, uNkosi uDoyle Mpuhle Jongilanga wemiDushane kaNdlambe noNkosi uSipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe wamaGwali kaTshiwo. Into evela ngokucacileyo kwizibongo ezingezi nkosi kukuba ngaphambili komnyaka we-1994 nasemva kwawo zifumene ubunzima ekulawuleni abantu bazo. Kwezi zibongo ukukhalaza ngokuphazamisa kwezopolithiko kulawulo Iwazo nelizwi lokubuyiselwa kwesidima sobukhosi kuvela ngokuthe gca. Iveliswa kwisahluko ngasinye imiba ephathelele kwezentlalo nenkcubeko evela kwizibongo zenkosi nganye: uNkosi Whyte Lent Mbali Maqoma kwisahluko 2, uNkosi Doyle Mpuhle Jongilanga kwisahluko 3, noNkosi uSipho Mangindi Burns-Ncamashe kwisahluko 4. Kuqwalaselwe umlibo wenkosi nganye, izikhahlelo zayo, amagama eenkomo ezinentsingiselo kwinkosi leyo, unina wenkosi namagama eendawo ezinentsingiselo kubomi benkosi nganye. Isikhokhelo esiyithiyori yezibongo sinikwe kwisahluko 1 solu phando. Kwisahluko 5 kuphethwa ngokuba iinkosi zamaXhosa zisenenxaxheba enkulu kwaye zisaya kuhlala zinayo kwimiba yentlalo nenkcubeko yabantu bazo. Aziphelelanga nje ekubeni zigcine inkcubeko yoluntu koko zikwanoxanduva lokunyusa umgangatho wobomi babantu bazo.

Thesis (MBA)--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Change is a way of life in organisations today. The challenge is to improve an organisation's ability to cope with change and its problem-solving and renewal process through effective management of the organisation's culture. Organisations in South Africa are experiencing major changes in a variety of areas which impacts severely on organisational perronnance. The ability of organisations to adjust to the changing environment will ultimately predict their future success. These changes have emphasised the urgent need for effective leadership. South African chief executive officers (CEOs) are under immense pressure as the affairs of the organisations are being called into question. This study attempts to answer the question of why there was a high leadership change in the Land Bank of South Africa, with emphasis on the CEOs between 1998-2008. Today, there are indications that corporate leadership styles are changing, particularly in countries undergoing rapid political change and socio-economic change. One of the challenges facing state owned organisations like the Land Bank is the clarification of the role of government as a shareholder and the role of the board. This in turn needs to cascade down into the organisation in order to achieve greater clarity with regard to the roles of the board in relation to the role of management. In any organisation, good corporate governance is ultimately about effective leadership. Much depends on the appropriate demarcation of the respective roles of the shareholder, the board and management. It is critical that there is an understanding by government, in its capacity as a shareholder, of its leadership role in directing and guiding the Land Bank. The solution starts with a proper understanding of what leadership means. What then are the qualities of effective leadership? Are there different leadership styles and if so, what are the fundamental qualities that they have in common? Organisations can bring turnaround consultants into the organisation to assess its situation, create and implement a plan of corporate renewal, assuming the organisation is worth the effort. Business turnarounds usually involve drastic changes in an organisation. Changes involve people. Central to change stands a leadership team without which mediocre efforts will prevail. The Land Bank needs to be aware of the themes that emerged in this research. The results alert CEOs, board and government to the need to adopting leadership practices to the unique challenges which exist in the socio-economic and political environment. To cope effectively with South Africa's socio-economic changing environment, the Land Bank needs to redefine the role of its leaders for the future, on the basis of which it needs to nurture future leaders starting at the top. Failure to develop appropriate future leaders could damage performance, employee mobilisation, policy coherence, good governance and competitive capability. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Verandering is vandag 'n leefwyse in organisasies. Die uitdaging is om 'n organisasie se vermoe om verandering, probleemoplossing en die hernuwingsproses te hanteer, deur doeltreffende bestuur van die organisasie se kultuur te verbeter. Organisasies in Suid-Afrika ondervind groot veranderinge op 'n verskeidenheid gebiede en dit het 'n ernstige impak op die prestasie van die organisasie. Die vermoe van organisasies om by 'n veranderende omgewing aan te pas, sal uiteindelik hul toekomstige sukses bepaal. Hierdie veranderinge het die dringende behoefte aan doeltreffende leierskap beklemtoon. Suid-Afrikaanse uitvoerende hoofde is onder enorme druk soos wat die sake van die organisasies bevraagteken word. Hierdie studie poog om 'n antwoord te gee op die vraag waarom daar van 1998-2008 'n hoe leierskapsverandering in die Suid-Afrikaanse Landbank was, met die klem op die uitvoerende hoofde tussen 1998 en 2008. Daar is vandag aanduidings dat korporatiewe leierskapstyle besig is om te verander, veral in lande waar daar vinnige politieke en sosio-ekonomiese verandering plaasvind. Een van die uitdagings vir organisasies wat aan die staat behoort, soos die Landbank, is die uitklaring van die rol van die regering as 'n aandeelhouer en die rol van die direksie. Dit moet op sy beurt afwaarts deur die organisasie voortgesit word met betrekking tot die rolle van die direksie vergeleke met die rol van bestuur. In enige organisasie gaan goeie korporatiewe bestuur uiteindelik oor doeltreffende leierskap. Baie hang af van die toepaslike uitstippeling van die onderskeie rolle van die aandeelhouer, die direksie en bestuur. Dit is van kritieke belang dat daar 'n begrip is by die regering, in sy hoedanigheid as 'n aandeelhouer, van sy leierskapsrol in die bestuur en beheer van die Landbank. Die oplossing begin met 'n goeie begrip van wat leierskap beteken. Wat is dan die kwaliteite van doeltreffende leierskap? Is daar verskillende leierskapstyle en indien wel, wat is die fundamentele kwaliteite wat hulle in gemeen het? Organisasies kan van ommekeer-konsultante gebruik maak om die situasie te beoordeel en 'n plan vir 'n korporatiewe hernuwing te skep en te implementeer, mits die organisasie die moeite werd is. So 'n ommekeer beteken gewoonlik drastiese veranderinge in 'n organisasie. Veranderinge betrek mense. Sentraal tot verandering staan 'n leierskapspan, want daarsonder sal die pogings bloot middelmatig bly. Die Landbank moet bewus raak van die temas wat in hierdie navorsing na vore gekom het. Die resultate maak uitvoerende hoofde, die direksie en die regering bewus van die behoefte om leierskapspraktyke aan te pas by die unieke uitdagings wat in die sosioekonomiese en politieke omgewing bestaan. Om Suid-Afrika se veranderende sosioekonomiese omgewing doeltreffend te hanteer, moet die Landbank die rol van sy leiers vir die toekoms herdefinieer, op grond waarvan dit toekomstige leiers moet kweek en dit moet van bo af begin. As toepaslike toekomstige leiers nie ontwikkel word nie, sal dit tot nadeel van prestasie, werknemermobilisering, beleidsamehang, goeie bestuur en mededingende vermoens strek.

Thesis "Transformation of military periodicals since 1989 (for example Obrany lidu and other titles of Naše Vojsko)" discusses the armed services press after 1945, and captures his transformation, inter alia, to reflect changes in the overall social situation during the next decade. The method of work is a historical analysis. This thesis is primarily focused and deals with the establishment of periodicals and the way of state institutions controlling, especially the Ministry of National Defence and the Chief political administration. The aim is to create an overview of army press and, by selected periodicals, to monitor changes occurring during their existence. Attention is also devoted to economic production company - Naše Vojsko (Magnet-Press). This thesis also reflects the transformation of army press which came after the events of November 1989 and which brought a massive reduction in army press. The text is given more attention to newspapers and magazines, the development of more reflective of social change in our country such as in Obrana lidu, Lidová armáda or Československý voják, more narrowly focused than the professional military journals. This thesis uses in addition information from various newspapers and magazines, archival materials from the National Library in Prague,...

The diploma thesis Content changes of Reflex weekly according to the influence of its editors in chief focuses on the changes which this Czech magazine has gone through from its founding in 1990 to 2013 - during these twenty three years the position of editor in chief changed six times, passing from one person to another. The development of this thesis was based on the supposition that each of the personalities has left their mark on the magazine and has influenced its content according to their experience and preferences. In the theoretical part, the thesis deals with history of the magazine, with changes of editors in chief, the publishers, visual aspects, with the composition of editorial team or magazine sections and also with magazine's direct competitors and the number of editions sold. The following chapter focuses on the theoretical context of the research and refers to the analytical part. Terms as neutrality, negativity and agenda settings are being defined here and the impact of commercialization on visual aspect of the print media is being discussed in this chapter as well. The next part is based on the quantitative content analysis and it examines magazine content in specific periods; both the first and last three months of each editor in chief's era. The analysis outcomes present...

Understanding managerial behavior and its underlying motivations is of key interest in times where the role of business in society is generally viewed critically. While CEO influence on strategy making processes is almost undisputed, little attention has explicitly been paid to how CEO values and the characteristics of the top management team (TMT) interact in shaping corporate strategy making. This is surprising if one follows the assumption that top managers who work closely together will by necessity influence each other's actions. Hence, we would expect the CEO-TMT interface to be vital in understanding how leadership influences strategy making. To address this, we propose a model in which the personal values of the CEO have a direct effect on the characteristics of corporate strategy making processes yet where this association is moderated by TMT diversity. We test the model with data from Austria and Germany obtained through a large-scale survey conducted in spring 2015 and a follow-up survey conducted in fall 2015 and find general support for our model. CEO values geared towards self-transcendence (as opposed to selfinterest) seem to be associated with more formal strategy making processes, while values geared towards openness to change (as opposed to conservation) are found to be associated with more flexible and less externally open ones. TMT diversity moderates all of these relationships. Our results add to upper echelon theory as well as to strategy process research and highlight promising avenues for future research.

La recherche se focalise sur le surveillant général qui faisait régner l’ordre dans les établissements secondaires français des XIXe et XXe siècles. Cet acteur scolaire a marqué l’imaginaire collectif en laissant une image de « surgé », implacable et répulsif, craint par les élèves. Le « surgé », symbole d’une discipline scolaire honnie, cristallise la critique plus large du « bagne universitaire » (Vallès). L’étude dégage les invariants des représentations littéraires, cinématographiques et iconographiques des surveillants généraux dont M. Viot de Daudet est le parangon. Le mythe du « surgé » survit à la disparition de ce fonctionnaire et à son remplacement, en 1970, par le conseiller principal d’éducation (CPE). Paradoxalement, le surveillant général, au regard des archives de l’Instruction publique, demeure un soldat inconnu de « l’Empire du milieu ». La deuxième partie de l’étude cerne le profil historique des surveillants généraux de l’académie de Lille (1847-1970). L’analyse, quantitative et qualitative, de 137 dossiers de carrière, versés aux archives nationales et départementales du Nord, permet d’identifier les attentes institutionnelles, d’approcher le quotidien du métier et la relation aux élèves Ce travail de prosopographie est complété par des entretiens avec d’anciens surveillants généraux et par l’étude de leur presse professionnelle. Enfin, d’autres sources (représentations du CPE, questionnaire auprès de CPE, rapports de stages, mémoires de concours, témoignages etc.) sont mobilisées pour déterminer si le changement d’appellation (CPE) recouvre une nouvelle professionnalité et percevoir en quoi le mythe du «surgé » fragilise l’identité professionnelle de cet éducateur et altère la division du travail éducatif dans les lycées et collèges. / The subject of the research is the supervisor general, who played the role of disciplinarian in French secondary schools in the 19th and 20th centuries. This eminent figure in school life stamped on the collective mind the image of the heartless, loathsome “surgé”, much feared by students. As the symbol of a despised school disciplinary regime, the “surge” crystallizes the broader criticism of Vallès’ “academic sweatshop”. The study identifies the invariant features of the supervisor general as portrayed in literature, film and iconography, and as epitomized by Daudet’s Monsieur Viot. The myth of the “surgé” was to outlive the disappearance of the function and its replacement in 1970 by the position of chief advisor for education (CPE). Oddly enough, for the National Education archives, the supervisor general remains an unknown soldier of the “Middle Kingdom.”The second part of the paper focuses on the historical profile of the supervisors general of the Académie (educational authority) of Lille from 1847 to 1970. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of 137 career files, stored in the national archives and those of northern France, sheds light on institutional expectations, and offers insights into the job, day to day, and the relationship with students. This prosopographical section is supported by interviews with former supervisors general and by analysis of extracts from the profession’s press. Finally, other sources (perceptions of the CPE, questionnaires completed by CPEs, course reports, competitive exam reports, testimonies etc.) are examined in order to establish whether the new title (CPE) has given rise to a new professionalism, and to determine to what degree the myth of the “surgé” has weakened this educator’s sense of his own professional identity, thereby detracting from an efficient division of educational work in junior high schools and high schools.

While the number of African American women filling executive level positions in Fortune 500 companies in America has improved, there is still a need for significant improvements in increasing their access to corporate chief executive officer (CEO) positions. African American women occupy only 11.7% of the board seats, and their representation as CEOs has steadily declined. Throughout the history of Fortune 500 companies, there have been only 14 African American men with CEO titles. As of January 2017, there are no African American women CEOs. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the lived experiences and perceptions of 15 African American women who aspire to be chief executive officers in corporate America. The experiences and perceptions of these women were examined to understand why there is a limited number of African American women CEOs despite their increase in executive level roles. The responses from 15 African American revealed that the increased numbers of these women in the executive leadership level resulted from diversity initiatives that made it possible for these women to return to school, and provided a context in which organizational leaders could recognize their talent. The organizations' use of diversity initiatives contributed to practices that legally allow them to minimize the number of minorities they hire at the executive level. The theoretical framework included elements from critical theory, critical race theory, and black feminist theory. The increased representation of these women at the executive level contributes to positive social change because the information adds to the existing literature on the lack of African American women CEOs in corporate America and may provide knowledge that will guide other women pursuing this role.