This research uses a grounded theory approach to explore the term ‘experienced Board Member’ with research into the learning experiences which bridge the gap between an inexperienced Board Member and an experienced Board Member. The purpose of this research is to identify repeatable/reportable patterns which could be utilised and developed to improve Board Member learning. Data is derived from interviews with nine (current and past) New Zealand Board Members. A common set of attributes of an experienced Board Member emerged from the study. The linking theme of the attributes is that they support the process of reaching a quality agreement or decision. The results of this study suggest that an experienced Board Member is perceived to be a Board Member who contributes to achieving a quality agreement and decision, using attributes associated with: • Contribution to Board processes • Understanding and Knowledge (governance and business acumen) • Internal Drivers • Making Hard Decisions. Formative Board Member learning is associated with developing self confidence, understanding what content is perceived to be (or not to be) relevant, understanding the Boardroom protocols and processes, and understanding the responsibility of the role. The primary mechanism in Board Member learning is observation. Board Member learning was most often the development of tacit understanding through observing events internal to the Board. Learning events for Board Members are likely to arise as part of the dismissal/departure of the CEO or from internal Board dissension. The results also indicate that current NZ Board Members are unlikely to have had any formal preparation for the Board Member role, and learning for the role is likely to be ad-hoc and vicarious. This research suggests that the successful development of experienced Board Members will require a fundamental change in the perception and practice of Board Member development within organisations and at Board level. A Capability and Maturity Model is presented as a framework for assessing an organisation’s capability and maturity in terms of the development of its Board Members. This study builds on corporate governance theory by identifying attributes considered indicative of an experienced Board Member. This study adds to Learning Organisation and Knowledge theories by providing examples and comment on the place of Communities of Practice, and knowledge development within the development of Board Member experience.

Indian immigrant women are a growing minority group within the multicultural spaces of New Zealand society. Despite Indian immigrants being the second largest, and one of the oldest, Asian immigrant groups to this country, their experiences of settling in a new and unfamiliar environment have been largely overlooked. This grounded theory study using dimensional analysis was aimed at answering the question: ‘How do Indian immigrant women engage in occupations when settling in a new environment?’ In-depth interviews and observations of participants performing daily occupations were conducted with 25 Indian immigrant women living in one of three cities/towns located in the North Island of New Zealand. Theoretical sampling with constant comparative analysis was used to guide both ongoing data collection and data analysis. Categories were examined for their relationships and dimensions to arrive at a substantive grounded theory which has been named ‘Navigating Cultural Spaces’. Performing occupations that reflected either the Indian or New Zealand cultures, or a combination of the two, were core elements in how Indian immigrant women settled in New Zealand. These ways of doing everyday tasks have been conceptualised as Working with Indian Ways, Working with New Zealand Ways and Working with the Best of Both Worlds. Working from each of these perspectives, the women sought to Create a Place in which they could ‘be Indian’ in a ‘New Zealand’ context. In order to achieve the purpose of Creating a Place, Indian immigrant women constantly shifted between the three ways of working; thus, performing occupations that allowed them to reveal as much of their Indian culture as they felt comfortable with at any given time and situation. Their actions were influenced by the people, objects and social spaces that constituted the environment in which they engaged in occupations. The significance of this study is that it reveals how the everyday occupations of Indian immigrant women are constantly modified through their interaction and interpretations of the environment, thus allowing them to move between and within the multicultural spaces of New Zealand society. This gives rise to Navigating Cultural Spaces which frames settlement as an ongoing and dynamic process and challenges the applicability of current models of acculturation in a New Zealand context. It is recommended that future research examines the migration process from an occupational perspective in order to assist with the development of migration policy and support services that best facilitate Indian immigrant women Creating a Place in New Zealand.

This research uses a grounded theory approach to explore the term ‘experienced Board Member’ with research into the learning experiences which bridge the gap between an inexperienced Board Member and an experienced Board Member. The purpose of this research is to identify repeatable/reportable patterns which could be utilised and developed to improve Board Member learning. Data is derived from interviews with nine (current and past) New Zealand Board Members. A common set of attributes of an experienced Board Member emerged from the study. The linking theme of the attributes is that they support the process of reaching a quality agreement or decision. The results of this study suggest that an experienced Board Member is perceived to be a Board Member who contributes to achieving a quality agreement and decision, using attributes associated with: • Contribution to Board processes • Understanding and Knowledge (governance and business acumen) • Internal Drivers • Making Hard Decisions. Formative Board Member learning is associated with developing self confidence, understanding what content is perceived to be (or not to be) relevant, understanding the Boardroom protocols and processes, and understanding the responsibility of the role. The primary mechanism in Board Member learning is observation. Board Member learning was most often the development of tacit understanding through observing events internal to the Board. Learning events for Board Members are likely to arise as part of the dismissal/departure of the CEO or from internal Board dissension. The results also indicate that current NZ Board Members are unlikely to have had any formal preparation for the Board Member role, and learning for the role is likely to be ad-hoc and vicarious. This research suggests that the successful development of experienced Board Members will require a fundamental change in the perception and practice of Board Member development within organisations and at Board level. A Capability and Maturity Model is presented as a framework for assessing an organisation’s capability and maturity in terms of the development of its Board Members. This study builds on corporate governance theory by identifying attributes considered indicative of an experienced Board Member. This study adds to Learning Organisation and Knowledge theories by providing examples and comment on the place of Communities of Practice, and knowledge development within the development of Board Member experience.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Introduction The aim of this study was to examine how the term “evidence” was conceived and used among academics and practitioners who teach medicine and public health. The rationale for the study was the widespread debate in the 1990s about evidence in health care. Methods Qualitative data were collected between 1996 to 1999. The core data came from unstructured interviews with researchers and practitioners linked to the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney. Other sources of data were: participant observation of group interactions in the Faculty of Medicine and at national and international conferences about evidence in health care; discourse in health care literature; and Internet posting to an international “evidence-based health” Email discussion list. The Grounded Theory method was adopted to analyse and interpret these data. The process involved systematic coding of the data to develop conceptual categories. These categories were employed to formulate propositions about the topic of evidence and how it was conceived and used by the study participants. Results Researchers and practitioners often discussed evidence from a “realist” view: that is they valued scientifically derived and rigorously substantiated knowledge about the natural world. Yet despite their widely shared epistemological perspectives, study participants presented several diverse concepts of evidence. Their ideas were also dynamic and evolving, and often influenced by the developing (local and international) debates and controversies about evidence-based medicine (EBM). Grounded Theory analysis leads to the selection of a core “social process”. This is a core conceptual category that draws together the ideas observed in the data, and that is adopted to present the study findings. In this study, “judgement” was identified as the core social process to underpin all examined reflections and discussions about evidence. Study participants defined the concept of evidence through a combination of description and appraisal. Evidence was described in three ways, i.e.: as a “measure of reality”, by its “functional role”, or as a “constructed product”. Evidence was also appraised on three “dimensions”, i.e.: “benchmarked”, “applied” and “social” dimensions of evidence. Participants invoked these concepts of evidence differently when forming their own judgements about medical or public health knowledge; when making decisions about clinical practice; and when using argument and persuasion to influence the judgements of others. Many researchers and practitioners also modified their judgements on evidence in the light of EBM. This was based on perceptions that EBM had become a dominant rhetoric within health care, which had the potential to channel the flow of resources. This led to an increasing consideration of the “social dimension” of evidence, and of the social construction and possible “misuse” of the term evidence. Conclusions The concept of evidence is presented in this study as a multi-dimensional construct. I have proposed that the three descriptions and three dimensions of evidence presented in this study, and recognition of the way these may be invoked when forming and influencing judgments, can be used as a basis for communicating about evidence in medicine and public health among colleagues and with students. There are significant gaps in knowledge (based on empirical research) about the social dimension of evidence. Particularly, in situations where researchers and practitioners wish to employ the concept of evidence to influence others’ medical and public health practice and wider social policy.

Zugl.: Wien, Wirtschaftsuniv., Diss., 2004

Zugl.: Linz, University, Diplomarbeit, 2006.

Zugl.: Mainz, Univ., Diplomarbeit, 2006

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2001. / Title from title screen (viewed 9 January 2008). Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. Includes bibliographical references. Also issued in print.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at El Paso, 2008. / Title from title screen. Vita. CD-ROM. Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

Zugl.: Würzburg, Univ., Diss., 2006