La afirmación sobre la importancia de las ventajas competitiva y las competencias distintivas como determinantes del éxito y el crecimiento de las empresas ha incrementado sustancialmente en la última década. Académicos y estudiosos de la práctica empresarial han enfocado sus estudios en las características y factores de la empresa que son distintivas, únicas y añaden valor a las expectativas del consumidor final. Un número significativo de los investigadores está de acuerdo en que el éxito del sector de pequeñas y medianas empresas (Pymes) es trascendental para la estabilidad y salud de la economía. En este contexto, el sector contribuye de variadas formas a la economía, entre ellos: mediante la generación de empleos, a través de el autoempleo y en el aumento de la inversión en innovación e investigación. Los pequeños negocios, se ha comprobado estadísticamente, también son responsables del mayor crecimiento en la economía, a través de diversos períodos económicos, no obstante los múltiples problemas que aquejan a este sector y a la falta de ayuda y asistencia de parte de los grupos responsables de delinear las políticas del gobierno.Esta disertación explora y examina, a través de métodos de investigación cualitativos y cuantitativos, cuáles son las ventajas competitivas y competencias distintivas que determinan el éxito en las empresas establecidas en Puerto Rico por al menos tres años, a través de sectores, tamaño y área de negocio. El estudio utiliza análisis de casos, entrevistas profundas a empresas exitosas y no exitosas, así como un sondeo de mercado enviado a los ejecutivos de empresas establecidas a través de la Isla. Los datos resultantes fueron examinados y analizados utilizando una multiplicidad de análisis y paquetes estadísticos diseñados para estudios predominantemente cualitativos. La información obtenida fue resumida y presentada en tablas y graficas. Además, una vez la información fue procesada, se diseñó un modelo estadístico con la intención de predecir éxito y prevenir fracaso en las Pymes. Los resultados señalan y respaldan, con algunas limitaciones, que las competencias distintivas existentes en las empresas puertorriqueñas se relacionan a las encontradas en otros estudios empíricos. De igual forma, el estudio muestra enfáticamente que los determinantes de éxito a través de empresas de diversos tamaño, sectores y género se correlacionan, además de ser bastante similares. Sin embargo, también se encontró que, en el caso de empresas poseídas por mujeres, éstas poseen menos experiencia al iniciar sus negocios, lo cual puede ser la causa de que el funcionamiento u éxito de sus empresas sea menor. Del estudio se desprende que los problemas del género, pueden deberse a un proceso de selección natural o a problemas que existen en le contexto social en el cual se desarrollan estas empresas. Por otro lado, los negocios poseídos por mujeres, también han mostrado más dificultades en lograr las metas trazadas que los poseídos por hombres. Es evidente, según expresiones explícitas de los evaluados, la insuficiencia que existe en actividades que respalden las Pymes, así como la necesidad de crear políticas de negocios conducente a desarrollar, fortalecer y respaldar el sector tanto de parte del sector privado como del sector público. Este respaldo puede orientarse a la creación de ayudas financieras, incluyendo: estudios profundos, préstamos, "grants", y programas innovadores de entrenamiento. No cabe duda que la creación de estos programas y acciones estimulará tanto a negocios actuales como potenciales y ayudará a futuros empresarios a lidiar y predecir con mayor certeza los cambios económicos y políticos que afecten su sector así como a reducir fracasos. / The importance of competitive advantages and distinctive competencies as determinants of a firm's success and growth has increased tremendously in the last decade. Practitioners and academicians have centered their studies on firm specific characteristics that are unique and add value to the ultimate consumer. Most researchers agree that the success of small the small businesses segment is crucial to both the stability and health of any economy. In this context, the small firm sector contributes in many respects: through employment generation, investing in research and innovation. The sector is also responsible for most growth in the economy, in spite of the varied problems confronted and the lack of substantial assistance from policy makers. This dissertation explores and examines, via qualitative and quantitative research methods, the competitive advantages and distinctive competencies that determine success in firms established in Puerto Rico for at least three years across sectors. The study includes case analysis, in-depth interviews with successful and non-successful firms, and an extensive island-wide survey mailed to firms established on the Island. Data was examined and analyzed using multiple statistical analyses; results were summarized and presented in table and graphic form. Moreover, after processing the data a model for predicting success was created with the intention of using it as a guideline for success and a deterrent for failure.Findings support the idea, within limitations, that the competitive advantages present in Puerto Rico's firms relate to other empirical findings. Results strongly suggest that success determinants across size, sector, and gender seem to be nearly the same. However, in the case of females, results show that women owners seem to possess less experience before starting a business, which as a result might cause underperformance. In addition, female-owned firms have remained smaller than men's, maybe by choice, or potentially because of context specific problems. Furthermore, female CEO's have also reported more difficulties achieving their goals, and are in areas less prone to growth. Findings also suggest measures for policy makers, bankers, educators, and lenders geared to increase programs oriented towards educating SMEs, as well as to stimulate and increase available support via grants and innovating training programs. This researcher believes that the actions suggested could stimulate current and prospective entrepreneurs to better cope with economic and cultural changes, and as a deterrent to failure.

The complex nature of health care and medical educational organizations, their different primary goals (clinical service versus education), different organizational structures and the necessity for ensuring efficient and harmonious relationships between these two types of organizations create a challenging environment in which to provide effective medical education leadership. The calls for reform in both medical education and health care have added to these challenges.<p> The purpose of the study was to develop a framework of leadership for medical education and contribute to the literature on leadership in medical education, based on an analysis of the perceptions of key health education leaders in Saskatchewan medical education organizations at the national level in Canada.<p> The main objectives were the identification of core competencies, challenges and strategies for effectiveness in medical education with a focus on unique aspects of about leadership in the medical education setting. Multiple methods of data collection (individual interviews and an event study with components of focus groups interviews and short surveys) with subjects of varied backgrounds and at different levels of leadership in medical education were entailed in this study.<p> The data were collected over a period of 13 months (January, 2009 - February, 2010). The perceptions of 32 medical education leaders, stratified into first- (11), middle- (6) and senior-level (15) leadership positions, based upon the hierarchical position and the scope of the job, were obtained and analyzed. Quantitative data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. Qualitative data were analyzed for themes through content analysis.<p> The findings provide useful information on leadership competencies, challenges and effectiveness strategies in medical education. Leadership competencies included five domains including personal and interpersonal characteristics, skills for effective leadership, skills as an efficient manager, skills in medical education delivery, skills as a teacher and skills as a researcher. All leaders considered personal and interpersonal characteristics to be at the core of leadership; while skills in medical education delivery, and skills as a medical education teacher and researcher were considered least important. The senior-level leaders spent most of their time in activities requiring leadership functions (e.g., strategic planning and creating alignment) followed by activities requiring managerial skills (e.g., operational management). This distinction in the rank ordering of leadership and managerial skills was not obvious for the first- and middle-level leaders; however, most did indicate that they spent more of their time in roles requiring more managerial skills than leadership skills. Among the key competencies, essential at all levels, were effective communication and building and managing relationships. For the most part, the leadership skills were acquired informally with only a few leaders having undergone formal leadership training.<p> The leaders faced three types of challenges: personal and interpersonal challenges including effective time management and personal limitations; organizational challenges including those around structures and processes, organizational communication, personal and organizational relationships, creating engagement and alignment, managing culture and resistance and limited resources; and inter-organizational challenges including competing agendas and interests of stakeholders.<p> The context (societal needs, multiple stakeholders and health care reform), content (medical education delivery and calls for reform) and culture (e.g. professionalism, apprenticeship model of medical education, and the hidden curriculum) of medical education and inherent dualities and conflict require situated leadership skills and strategies. The main leadership theories and approaches helpful in practicing contextual leadership included transactional, transformational, and servant leadership. However, other theoretical approaches, such as moral leadership and learner-centered leadership were also useful. Effective leadership was considered to include personal and interpersonal strategies, strategies for becoming an efficient manager and strategies for practicing inspiring and effective leadership. Personal and interpersonal strategies included looking after self, seeking advice, consciously developing fortitude, allotting time for priorities and thinking and personal development. Becoming an efficient manager involved diligent delegation, appropriate organizational communication and managing priorities. Practicing inspiring leadership involved developing the structure and processes to achieve vision, providing hope, developing mutually valued relationships which were considered key to engagement, alignment, leading change and managing resistance, moving from power to process, using appropriate leadership styles, developing the art of leading change and managing resistance, proactively influencing culture and accomplishing the vision.<p> In conclusion, medical education leadership was perceived as requiring both effective leadership and efficient management. The practice of inspiring and effective leadership, however, appeared to be more an art requiring an alchemy of strategies than a simple matter of application.

The purpose of this study was to determine the core competencies needed by state Baldrige examiners, to identify best practices in examiner training programs provided by state Baldrige organizations, and to identify best practices for teaching core competencies. A Delphi panel ranked core competencies, best practices, and best practices for teaching core competencies using a Likert-style survey. Descriptive statistics and a formula for determining consensus quantified the results. The key findings of this study were that the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence continue to provide the core competencies for which examiners need to be trained to effectively evaluate and score applications and provide meaningful feedback to applicants. The best practices for teaching core competencies, however, vary according to the needs of each state organization and the expertise and teaching styles of the trainers in the various state organizations. Coaching was the one best practice upon which the panel agreed as being applicable to teaching most of the core competencies. A template for training examiners using the best practices for teaching core competencies was the outcome of this study. Recommendations include using this template to train examiners and using the actual teams, of which the examiners will be a part, for evaluating and scoring the applications from receipt of the application through the life of the application. It is recommended that the individual review of applications be eliminated. As examiners will work with the actual applications from the beginning of the process, it is recommended that the case study be eliminated as pre-work. It is also recommended that coaches work with the actual teams from the training session until the feedback report is written.

To enhance the managerial competencies of an enterprise has become one of the most important factors to advance its competitive capacity in addition to the prices and quality of products. For an enterprise, the executives¡¦ managerial competencies are essential to its continuous development. There are two intentions of this research. First, to acquire the factors that will effect the managerial competencies of the executives and the required managerial competencies of an individual or organization. Second, to investigate the appropriate managerial competencies training needs according to the personal characters in order to shorten the training period and reduce the training cost in response to the competition of this electrical age. Through the researches of documents, cases, assessments of managerial abilities and questionnaires, I found that the assessment could illustrate the differences of executives¡¦ managerial competencies. An enterprise needs to train its personnel according to individual preferences and the firm¡¦s weakness to avoid wasting training resources. As to the training needs of executives¡¦ managerial competencies, the best methodology is to strengthen the weaknesses and adopt the training methods as ¡§Case Studies¡¨, ¡§Simulation and Practice of role-play¡¨, and ¡§Group Discussion¡¨. Regarding the abilities of administration, communication, supervisory, and cognition, the training would be better with ¡§Lessons-Giving Pedagogy¡¨. Besides, it is necessary to adopt appropriate methodology according to the training of a certain managerial competencies. ¡§Intranet Learning Methodology¡¨ is a trend of current times. It is revealed in the research that the younger executives usually more acknowledge its training effects. The best training methodology could not satisfy everyone. According to the analysis of training requirements, the effect of several well-evaluated training methods actually varies according to several personal characteristics such as their expertise, positions, seniority, education, or ages. The best training efficiency should be based on the consideration of these individual features when designing the training. ¡§The most important administrative policy is to use the right person for the right position.¡¨ This research possesses practical values on the education of enterprises¡¦ executives and the innovation of training modes. Its extensive application will be helpful to develop the executives¡¦ managerial competencies of the enterprises.

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Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 231-242). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Lehigh University, 2004. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 105-121).

This study focused on competencies considered important in the selection of principals from the perspectives of effective principals on the Texas–Mexico border. The competencies of effective K-12 principals included in the study were initially advanced by Marzano et al. (2005). Specifically, an attempt was made to determine which competencies are considered important, how these were assessed during the selection of effective principals, and whether differences in importance existed by school level (elementary, middle, and high school). Using purposeful sampling, the principals were selected from a list of high-performing schools from data provided by the Center of Research, Evaluation and Advancement of Teacher Education. A total of 100 principals participated in the study. Data were collected using an electronic survey and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Additionally, emerging data were analyzed using the narratives provided by the respondents in reference to other competencies and other ways the competencies were assessed during the selection process. Findings indicated that whereas all the identified competencies were endorsed to be considered in the selection of an effective school leader, 2 were the most important: communication and visibility. Next highest in importance were focus; involvement in curriculum, instruction, and assessment; and culture. Additional findings indicated 8 emerging competencies, with the premier being data-driven decision making. Findings also indicated that most of the competencies were assessed by means of two types of interviews: interview with the committee or interview with the superintendent or designee. On the other hand, some of the respondents reported the competencies were not assessed, but a few were assessed using other methods, such as checking references, a Gallup survey, and experience in the district. Some were simply appointed to the position. Findings also indicated that the endorsement of the identified competencies differed by school level to some extent. Communication was endorsed as most important by elementary and middle school principals, whereas the high school principals endorsed visibility as the most important competency to consider when hiring a principal. Finally, implications for the selection of effective principals are offered. Moreover, suggestions for further inquiry that might illuminate other aspects of the hiring process are presented. / text

Trauma is ubiquitous (Beck & Sloan, 2012: Brown et al, 2011; Solomon & Johnson, 2002). Beck and Sloan (2012) reported that the vast majority of United States residents have experienced one or more posttraumatic stress disorder-level events as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder (5th ed). Additionally, the persistent negative physical and psychological consequences of traumatic stress is a growing public health concern (Lupien, Mc Ewen, Gunnar & Heim, 2009). Nonetheless, there remains a paucity of training about posttraumatic stress in graduate counselor education programs (Courtois & Gold, 2009; Layne et al, 2014; Litz & Salters-Pedneault, 2008; Logeran et al, 2004). Since counselors working in a variety of mental health settings will likely be working with survivors of trauma, it is imperative that their training include foundational trauma knowledge and trauma-competent clinical skills (Layne et al, 2014). Standardized trauma-based curriculum to inform the education of professional counselors have yet to be integrated into graduate training despite the fact that researchers report high trauma-exposure rates among United States residents (Courtois, 2009). Further, trauma counseling competencies to inform the education of trauma counselors have yet to be identified (Layne et al, 2014; Mattar, 2010; Turkus, 2013). This study addressed these gaps in the literature using Qualitative Content Analysis (Schreier, 2012) to examine the experiences of thirty-nine trauma-competent mental health professionals. Participants with advanced counseling skill who scored in level 3 or 3i on the Supervisee Levels Questionnaire-Revised (McNeill, Stoltenberg, & Romans, 1992) were included in the data analysis. Authors developed trauma competencies, including intervention objectives and practice elements (Layne et al, 2014), based on the derived categories and subcategories emerging from the data. These trauma competencies are consistent with the Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma training tool (Layne et al, 2014) as well as the New Haven Trauma Competencies (Cook & Newman, 2014) and include trauma-informed attitudes and beliefs, knowledge and skills essential to trauma competency. INDEX WORDS: Stress disorders, Competencies, Professional competence, Professional training

This Master’s thesis introduces the problems occurring in dealing with the notion of management competence; various theories of Lithuanian and foreign investigators on competence have been analyzed and structured, as well as that the main differences have been discussed. Moreover this Master’s thesis describes the criteria of competence cultivation and evaluation, there is also shown the expression of learning organization’s features and its relationship to the elevation of employee’s competencies. The paper shows the results of the investigation carried out on the notion of the elevation of employees’ competencies in learning organization. The investigation showed what is the attitude of employers to the elevation and cultivation of employees’ competencies. The author’s hypothesis has been proved, which states that the elevations of employees’ competencies are inextricable from the development of organization, achieving goals and high result.