Afhandling--Teologi--København, 1972. / Bibliogr. p. 275-313. Index.

Published Article / Increasingly universities are being expected to address community engagement and sustainable development as inherent characteristics of its daily operations, as well as its academic endeavour. In many cases it necessitates a change in the approach of academics and university managers with respect to their interactions with students and academic matters. This article addresses these matters with respect to Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT). In particular the interaction between the teaching and learning, research and service provision as substantial elements of the 21st century academic enterprise is indicated and discussed.

This thesis explores the complex and multidimensional topic of student engagement in one Ontario postsecondary setting. This study was designed to discover if faculty and students agree or differ in their understanding and perceptions of student engagement and, if so, how. Using a qualitative approach, full-time faculty and students from one school in one college were observed and interviewed about their understandings and perceptions regarding student engagement in the classroom. Faculty volunteers had at least two years of full-time teaching experience and students were past their first year of study. Study participants confirm that student engagement differs in definition and understanding among and between individuals, shifts over time, and can be experienced in isolation or with others. There are cognitive, behavioural and emotional aspects of engagement that participants described as having a clear impact on their learning. In addition, various demographic factors were deemed to influence experienced and perceived variances in levels of engagement. Discussions of demographic factors reveal a great deal of work needed in order to understand and work with these areas to foster engagement. Interviews revealed a narrow iii interpretation of concepts, such as gender interpreted as sexual designation and socio-economic status as financial income. To support engagement a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, these factors is needed. Added understandings of culture, race and ethnicity are needed to truly honour students in the classroom. Faculty need to take the time to look past surface behaviours, invite student collaboration and truly attend to individual needs to facilitate a deeper level of engagement in the classroom. This study confirms that our perceptions and experiences with engagement are highly personal and complex. There was no common definition found; student engagement is as diverse as the student population. It is an elusive, evolving, complex phenomenon. To understand and promote engagement in the field of postsecondary education, it is imperative that student engagement remain a focus of ongoing dialogue and reflection. Implications for practice and consideration for future areas of research are suggested.

This thesis explores the complex and multidimensional topic of student engagement in one Ontario postsecondary setting. This study was designed to discover if faculty and students agree or differ in their understanding and perceptions of student engagement and, if so, how. Using a qualitative approach, full-time faculty and students from one school in one college were observed and interviewed about their understandings and perceptions regarding student engagement in the classroom. Faculty volunteers had at least two years of full-time teaching experience and students were past their first year of study. Study participants confirm that student engagement differs in definition and understanding among and between individuals, shifts over time, and can be experienced in isolation or with others. There are cognitive, behavioural and emotional aspects of engagement that participants described as having a clear impact on their learning. In addition, various demographic factors were deemed to influence experienced and perceived variances in levels of engagement. Discussions of demographic factors reveal a great deal of work needed in order to understand and work with these areas to foster engagement. Interviews revealed a narrow iii interpretation of concepts, such as gender interpreted as sexual designation and socio-economic status as financial income. To support engagement a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, these factors is needed. Added understandings of culture, race and ethnicity are needed to truly honour students in the classroom. Faculty need to take the time to look past surface behaviours, invite student collaboration and truly attend to individual needs to facilitate a deeper level of engagement in the classroom. This study confirms that our perceptions and experiences with engagement are highly personal and complex. There was no common definition found; student engagement is as diverse as the student population. It is an elusive, evolving, complex phenomenon. To understand and promote engagement in the field of postsecondary education, it is imperative that student engagement remain a focus of ongoing dialogue and reflection. Implications for practice and consideration for future areas of research are suggested.

The Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) is a not-for-profit organization that depends heavily on volunteers. As one of many such organizations, the YMCA must continually strive to find the best methods of recruiting and retaining volunteers. Although the field of psychology has done considerable research on what motivates people to engage in helping behavior and Volunteerism, there has been little applied research in this area. There appeared to be a lack of applicable research that would assist YMCA staff in their recruitment and development of volunteers. This present research focused on helping to fill that gap. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to determine what factors initially motivate people to volunteer for a YMCA and 2) to determine what factors motivate YMCA volunteers to continue that work. With the aid of a panel of experts, a survey instrument was developed for serve as the data gathering tool. A total of 720 surveys were sent to YMCAs to distribution to volunteers over two different periods of time. The first period, November 1992, 120 surveys were sent to three YMCAs in Kentucky and Tennessee. The second period, September 1995, 600 surveys were distributed to 20 YMCAs in Ohio and Michigan. The volunteers completed a survey providing demographic data on the volunteers, the type of volunteer service they provided, and factors motivating them to volunteer. One hundred and twenty six responses were collected from volunteers representing ten of the selected YMCAs throughout the test region. The data collected from these surveys were analyzed using statistical software. The most frequent participants were males between the ages of 35 to 40 and were married with 2.3 children ranging in age from six months to 14 years. The volunteer was employed and worked 41 or more hours per week. For those respondents who had been volunteering for the YMCA for 15 or more years, the strongest motivating factor was the same as those who had volunteered for less than one year: the individual respondent liked helping people. The second most motivating factor was the same for both groups: caring and concern for others. Based on the findings of the study the researcher recommended the following: YMCA's needing volunteers should ask people to volunteer; YMCA's should emphasize that the volunteer work will help others, improve the community, and is an expression of caring and concern for others; YMCA's should design volunteer positions such that the volunteer is helping others, feels needed and is able to fulfill the position during his/her leisure time. In addition, further research needs to be conducted involving a larger volunteer sample.

The front line manager has been identified as key to employee engagement in health care organizations and organizational success (Kane-Urabazo, 2006; Laschinger, & Finegan, 2005; Laschinger, Wong, & Greco, 2006; Rivera, Fitzpatrick, & Boyle, 2011; Tillot, 2013). This descriptive qualitative study explored engagement from a front line nurse manager’s perspective. A purposive sample of six front line nurse managers were asked (in interviews) to discuss how engagement was experienced, described and observed in their staff and themselves. The aim of the study was to add to the current knowledge of engagement and contribute to the definition and conceptualization of the concept of engagement from the perspective of front line nurse manager. The Appreciative Inquiry, (AI) framework specifically the discovery and dream phases, were used to design the research questions and guided the study. The four themes that emerged from the analysis of the data were: i) supportive relationships and actions, ii) common purposeful work, iii) sense of achievement and recognition, and iv) fully participatory. The unique perspective from the front line nurse managers provides an indication of how engagement is experienced by front line nurse managers. The participants described their perceptions of engagement and its meaning to them. Ongoing research and expansion of knowledge on engagement of the front line nurse managers is integral to further defining and developing a shared meaning of engagement in order to align the understanding of engagement of front line nurse managers with their organizations.

Thesis--Wisconsin. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 59-61).

Ce travail de thèse vise à identifier, sur le plan théorique et empirique, les stratégies financières et les modes de gouvernance des investisseurs institutionnels propres à leur comportement d’investisseur de long terme. Ces investisseurs ont en effet un avantage décisif dans l’allocation stratégique d’actifs : un horizon éloigné et des engagements plus ou moins définis. Pour ce faire, il circonscrit ses investigations et ses analyses aux fonds de pension, en observant ce qui est susceptible de les rapprocher ou de les éloigner d’un comportement d’investisseur de long terme. Le choix délibéré de se focaliser sur les fonds de pension tient à ce que ces derniers portent des engagements contractuels de passif de long terme de retraites vis-à-vis de leurs mandants. Ce travail étudie plus spécifiquement un aspect du comportement des fonds de pension -en l’occurrence leurs placements dans les hedge funds- dans le but d’analyser les différentes propositions de régulation des fonds de pension et des hedge funds. / The aim of this thesis is to identify theoretically and empirically strategies and governance of institutional investors specific to long term investors’ behavior. Indeed, these last investors have the advantage in term of strategic asset allocation because of their long horizon and their liabilities more and less defined. Because pension funds have contractual obligations to deliver benefits, we analyze their current strategies and governance and determine to what extent they are in line with long term behavior. Moreover, we investigate pension funds allocation to hedge funds and we underline key issues in this delegation relationship.

The purpose of this study was to determine which principal leadership behaviors are associated with higher levels of teacher engagement. The conceptual framework guiding this study was based on the behaviors associated with four specific leadership styles: transformational, shared, instructional, and transactional. This study used descriptive and inferential statistics to identify teacher perceptions of prominent leadership behaviors of each campus principal. Data related to teacher perceptions of their principal's leadership behaviors was gathered through use of a Qualtrics online survey. The distributed survey was adapted from three published surveys: MultiFactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), Principal Instructional Management Rating Scale (PIMRS) and Shared Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ). Engagement scores were identified through use of the district's annual Gallup Q12 Engagement Survey. The sample for this study was identified from 2,000 teachers working at one of 38 campuses in the district. The number of teachers who participated in the survey regarding their campus was 540, and 20 of the 38 campuses had a minimum of 10 participants. Upon identification of leadership behaviors, a campus profile was developed to compare their campus engagement scores to answer the research questions. Based upon each campus profile, trends were identified to determine high yield leadership behaviors for raising teacher engagement. Participants reported the most prominent leadership behavior as their leader's sharing leadership by establishing at least one informal leader on each team with the highest mean (M = 4.54). Transformational leadership behaviors accounted for three of the highest mean scores regarding principal behaviors, with one of the top five behaviors representing instructional leadership style. Four of the five principal behaviors with the lowest overall mean were associated with transactional leadership, with one of the lowest means representing instructional leadership.

Abstract Retail business leaders can improve profitability when they implement employee engagement strategies. The purpose of this single case study was to explore employee engagement strategies retail leaders use to improve profitability. The population included 6 department leaders in a single retail organization in the southeastern United States. The conceptual framework included Kahn's employee engagement theory. Using Yin's 5-step data analysis process, data from semistructured interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to gain employee engagement strategies that retail leaders use to improve profitability. Four major themes emerged that retail business leaders use to increase profitability: having daily staff interaction, hiring the right people for the job, creating a positive work environment, and having regular one-on-one interaction with every staff member. The implications for positive social change include a more engaged workforce, which could encourage business owners to reinvest profits and offer sustained employment to a workforce, which may contribute to the economic well-being of communities.