Organisational culture is one key phenomenon that was investigated both in comparative ways as well as an influence on various management mechanisms and systems, in academic and practitioner literature. Talent management is one such mechanism that has attracted debate in practitioner domains, although academic research is lacking. This study investigates the effect of organisational culture on employee talent management, taking the case of Malta based ICT companies. It includes a review of literature about organisational culture and structure, agency and talent management, exploring gaps in literature that call for further research. In addressing one such gap, this study reports the findings established in research conducted among identified stakeholders who are related to the Maltese ICT sector. It presents the views discovered through qualitative interviews among senior and middle management in ICT firms. These views are compared and contrasted against the findings made from a quantitative investigation involving a self-completion survey, in which, 79 managers and 128 employees engaged in ICT firms in Malta participated. The main findings suggest that most organisations do not have a culture built around a clear set of values. Secondly, there is no talent structure based on HR practices that feeds into the business strategy. Thirdly, this research found no evidence of measurement of the return on investment of talent among the Maltese ICT firms participating in this study. These findings support some of the theoretical issues presented in the literature review that show the lack of guiding principles around talent and the impact of organisational culture on the management of talents. The recommendations presented in this study show how organisations can embrace a culture focusing on creating a talent “mindset” for effective talent optimisation that enhances performance and productivity.

This study examines the relationship between organizational factors (Culture, Structure, Strategy and Technology) and Knowledge Management Effectiveness (KME) in Abu Dhabi public organizations. The literature indicates that these factors are widely used to explore KME in construction organizations, but little analysis has been undertaken for UAE public construction companies. The government of Abu Dhabi regulates eight different construction organizations. This study obtained 414 samples from the considered organizations. An empirical research with quantitative methods was undertaken. First, a comprehensive literature reviewed enabled the derivation of three hypotheses, which were then verified through a quantitative survey of the eight organizations. A questionnaire was administered to 414 active department managers, supervisors and employees of Abu Dhabi public organizations whose job description indicated responsibility for KME implementation. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to evaluate the organizational factors and KME of the considered organizations. Ordered logistic regression was used to assess the influence of the organizational factors on KME, and factor analysis was used for the extraction of the significant dimensions of these factors. Ordered logistic regression was used to explore the relationships between the significant dimensions found in these factors and KME. It was discovered that there is significant relationship between organizational factors and KME, but only a few dimensions have significant impacts. Therefore, a model was subsequently developed for the improvement of KME in Abu Dhabi public organizations consisting of significant areas and dimensions of factors impacting on KME, which was developed in a group discussion conducted with senior and middle management leaders from the considered organizations, who were responsible for implementing knowledge management. This model was then validated in Abu Dhabi public organizations and the results indicate the areas and factors of Abu Dhabi public organizations' knowledge management leaders that need to be strengthened to improve KME performance.

Theory of coaching, main theme of the thesis is nowadays a very important area in Sociology of management. This method of employee development and approach in management of organisations is described theoretically and differentiated form other methods of personal growth. When assessing management of organisations based on coaching the author expects that this approach will be used by the companies that build their culture on Freedom at work. Concept of Freedom at work as an unexplored trend in the Sociology of management is depicted theoretically and practically. Methodological part of the thesis describes qualitative and quantitative pilot research that the author conducted in Czech organisations that claim to use Freedom at work. Main goal of the research was comparison of theory Freedom at work and its praxis and evaluation of actual application of coaching approach in management. At the end of the thesis author depicts the most important milestones in the theory of leadership that influenced the origins of Freedom at work and coaching. Key words Coaching, Freedom at work. Leadership style, Empoyee development

Uppsatsen undersöker medlemmarnas förhållande till feedback inom två institutioner, institutionen för geografi, medier och kommunikation (GMK) och institutionen för pedagogiska studier (IPS) på Karlstads universitet. Feedback är ett kommunikationsverktyg som används för att främja organisationsmedlemmarnas utveckling. Denna individuella utveckling är essentiell för ett universitets verksamhet eftersom medlemmarnas kunskap och kompetens är en av dess viktigaste tillgångar. Att denna typ av kommunikation värderas högt manifesteras i universitetens institutionalisering av feedback och hur den integreras i arbetsrutinerna. Problemområdet innefattas av hur dessa institutioner skiljer sig i strukturen från den klassiska hierarkiska företagsstrukturen, med en tydlig rangordning mellan chef och anställd, med fokus på feedbackens roll i denna typ av organisation. Forskning som inriktar sig specifikt till denna typ av struktur inom en organisation är idag underrepresenterade och skapar därför ett forskningshål. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka de två nämnda institutionerna med fokus på feedback, med dess institutionalisering och dess integration i arbetsrutinerna, och hur medlemmarna förhåller sig till denna process. För att undersöka vilken effekt denna institutionalisering av feedback har, skapades följande tre frågeställningar: Hur framförs kritik inom en organisation där feedback är institutionaliserat? Hur skiljer sig synen på feedback hos dessa institutioner jämfört med företag med en klassisk hierarkisk organisationsstruktur? Hur påverkar organisationskulturen förmågan men även viljan att kritisera samt att ge och ta emot feedback?För att kunna besvara dessa frågor har relevant tidigare forskning inom området identifierats. De olika valda teorierna berör fem olika faktorer: Kanalval, ledarskap, relationer, organisationskultur och feedback som alla har en direkt koppling till forskningsområdet. Exempel på dessa teorier är Information Richness Theory (IRT) som poängterar hur olika kommunikationskanaler bör tillämpas. Leader membership exchange theory (LMX) och Conceptual model of employee questions poängterar hur personliga relationer påverkar kommunikation och hur ledarskapsstrukturen inom en organisation påverkar feedback. En ytterligare central komponent i hur medlemmarna förhåller sig till feedback är organisationskulturen. Denna kultur kan brytas ned i tre olika kategorier; identifikation, förtroende och engagemang. De har alla en inverkan på feedbackprocessen och bör därför tas med i beräkning. Även forskning direkt kopplat till feedback återfinns inom avsnittet tidigare forskning. Tillämpandet av en enkätundersökning gav möjligheten att dra generella slutsatser om populationen. Frågorna i enkäten är förankrade i den tidigare forskningen och är operationaliserade i förhållande till de tre forskningsfrågorna. Den insamlade data visade på att en institutionalisering av feedback har en övervägande positiv effekt hos medlemmarnas förhållning till denna. Institutionens medlemmar har överlag starka och välmående relationer till sina kollegor och ledare. Medlemmarna känner att de fritt kan framföra sina åsikter, oavsett yrkesposition, och att dessa åsikter respekteras, vilket är en följd av det starka förtroendet de har för sina kollegor och ledare. Identifikationen till institutionerna är överlag stark, vilket påverkar medlemmarnas engagemang och viljan till att utvecklas. Feedback fordrar en kanal som kan förmedla komplex information, som samtidigt ska möjliggöra en tvåvägskommunikation och vara personlig för att uppnå önskad effekt. Detta förhåller sig institutionerna till och feedback förmedlas primärt muntligt. Resultatet visar att en genomtänkt förhållning till feedback har en stor påverkan på organisationens verksamhet. / The essay examines the members' relationship with feedback within two institutions, the Department of Geography, Media and Communication (GMK) and the Department of Educational Studies (IPS) at Karlstad University. Feedback is a communication tool used to promote organizational development. This individual development is essential for a university's business because of its members knowledge and skills are one of its most important assets. The importance of this kind of communication is manifested in the university's institutionalization of feedback and how it is integrated into the work routines. The problem area is comprised of how these institutions differ in the structure in relation to the classical hierarchical business structure, with a clear ranking between boss and employee, focusing on the role of feedback in this type of organization. Research that focuses specifically on this type of structure within an organization is currently underrepresented and therefore creates a research hole. The purpose of the paper is to examine the two mentioned institutions with a focus on feedback, its institutionalization and its integration into the work routines, and how the members relate to this process. To investigate the impact of this institutionalization of feedback, the following three questions were created:  How is criticism conducted within an organization where feedback is institutionalized?  How does the view of feedback differ from these institutions compared with companies with a classical hierarchical organizational structure? How does organizational culture affect the ability but also the willingness to criticize and to give and receive feedback? In order to answer these questions, relevant prior research in the area has been identified. The different theories chosen relate to five different factors: Channel selection, leadership, relationships, organizational culture and feedback, all of which are directly linked to the research area. Examples of these theories are Information Richness Theory (IRT) that emphasizes how different communication channels should be applied. Leader membership exchange theory (LMX) and Conceptual model of employee questions emphasize how personal relationships affect communication and how leadership structure within an organization affects feedback. An additional central component of how members relate to feedback is the organizational culture. This culture can be broken into three different categories; identification, trust and dedication. They all have an impact on the feedback process and should therefore be taken into account. Research related to feedback can also be found in the previous research section. The application of a survey gave the opportunity to draw general conclusions about the population. The questions in the questionnaire are anchored in the previous research and are operationalized in relation to the three research questions. The collected data showed that the institutionalization of feedback has a predominantly positive effect on members' relation to this. The members of the institution generally have strong and prosperous relationships with their colleagues and leaders. Members feel that they can freely express their views regardless of their professional position, and these views are respected, which is a consequence of the strong trust they have for their colleagues and leaders. Identification to the institutions is generally strong, which affects the members' commitment and the willingness to develop. Feedback requires a channel that can transmit complex information, which will simultaneously enable two-way communication and be personalized to achieve the desired effect. This relates to the institutions and feedback is transmitted primarily orally. This result shows that a thoughtful attitude to feedback has a major impact on the organization's activities.

As a critical unit for identifying family-constructed meanings of education, a deeper contextual understanding of Korean immigrant parents' cultural/ethnic perceptions in relation to educational beliefs should be central to culturally responsive education designed to support Korean immigrant families. It is necessary for educators to examine the beliefs and practices of Korean immigrant families around education in order to broaden the educational conversation and mutual understanding between parents and teachers for effectively facilitating their children's learning and socialization. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the variations in cultural/ethnic perceptions and educational beliefs about childrearing and early schooling among three Korean parent groups: (a) 79 Korean immigrant parents in the U.S., (b) 98 Korean parents with no transnational experiences outside of the country of origin, Korea, and (c) 42 transnational parents in Korea who have returned from the U.S. to Korea. It examined the relationships between cultural/ethnic factors and Korean parents' educational beliefs about young children's learning and socialization. This study was a mixed methods design. Research findings from the quantitative survey data indicate several significant intracultural variations in cultural/ethnic perceptions and educational beliefs and noteworthy relationships among variables (e.g., between socio-demographic factors and acculturation, between enculturation and educational beliefs, etc.). Probing further through interviews, this study qualitatively explored four Korean immigrant parents' cultural/ethnic experiences with their children's schooling to raise additional questions regarding beliefs, attitudes, and values emerging in daily family lives. The findings indicate that Korean immigrant families encounter dual processes of acculturation and enculturation, that is, integration rather than assimilation, that can be potentially challenging for facilitating their children's learning and socialization. (Cho, Chen, & Shin, 2010; Miyoshi, 2011; Song, 2010). The findings suggest that Korean immigrant families develop particular culture-belief structures derived from experiences of socio-cultural transformations between their own socio-cultural contexts and the mainstream school settings of their children. This study provides a critical foundation for a contextual understanding of Korean immigrant parents' educational beliefs and practices related to early school schooling while being acculturated into the dominant school culture and curriculum. The implications are discussed for culturally responsive education.

Bakgrund: Efter Tillitsdelegationen tillsattes och förankrade styrsättet, tillitsbaserad styrning, mynnade det ut i Sveriges kommuner. Tillämpningen har uppdagats och implementerats i offentlig sektor och har fått spridning. De har således blivit en ny era inom styrning av offentlig sektor men huruvida styrsättet påverkar resursfördelning är inte helt självklart. Vilken effekt tillitsbaserad styrning i praktiken får på resursfördelning lämnar en obesvarad fråga. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur offentliga verksamheter kopplar resursfördelning till tillitsbaserad styrning och hur de arbetar för att inkludera tillit i resursfördelningen. Metod: För att undersöka vårt syfte har en kvalitativ undersökning genomförts genom intervjuer med sju olika kommuner samt en intervju med Louise Bringselius. Insamlandet av data har genomförts genom semistrukturerade intervjuer och detta är vad som ligger till grund för empirin. Slutsats: Konkluderandet som avslutningsvis presenteras är att offentliga verksamheter inte lyckats göra resursfördelningen tillitsbaserad. Kopplingen är bristande och resursfördelningen går inte i linje med tillitsbaserad styrning. Något som däremot kan fastställas är att de inkluderat ett ökat handlingsutrymme på lägre nivåer i den hierarkiska kedjan. / Background: Trustbased management is a relatively new management style that Tillitsdelegationen established in the public sector through their solid work. After its findings the municipalities started implementing the new management style. A new era of management arose in the public sector but how it should be used in relation to resource allocation is not totally clear. How the management style shall be used related to the resource allocation and what the output will be, leaves the question unanswered. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate how public organizations link resource allocation to trust-based management and how they work to include trust in resource allocation.Method: To investigate our purpose, qualitative research has been executed through interviews with seven municipalities and a researcher named Louise Bringselius. The collected data has been done by semi-structured interviews. Conclusion: The conclusion presented is that public organizations have not succeeded in making the resource allocation trust-based. The link between trust-based management and resource allocation is lacking. On the other hand, something that can be established is that they have included increased influence and course of action at lower hierarchical levels in the hierarchical chain.