Problem:  Triggered by the present emission scandal of Volkswagen, we came across the fact that corporate crises constitute a revenant topic in the business world. They often entail significant consequences for the affected companies such as reputation damages, financial losses and loss of trust from stakeholders. Also the people working at these companies experience exceptional situations, managers as well as employees on all levels. Corporate crises can be influenced by many factors, for instance through internal triggers like power distance, transparency and communication. These factors can influence the development of a corporate crisis in a positive as well as in a negative manner.  Purpose:  With the underlying study our goal was to find fostering and hindering factors for corporate crises that are connected to internal processes within multinational companies. Initially we sought to understand which impact organizational structures have on the crisis management in a company. Later in our study, the impact of corporate culture as well as cultural origin emerged and caught our interest. That resulted in a shift of our focus towards the impact of a company’s cultural origin on corporate crisis management.  Method:  For the underlying master thesis, we conducted 17 semi-structured interviews with 13 companies and investigated the real-life case of Volkswagen through secondary data. Based on that we created 14 case studies. Through a highly explorative iterative process, we further analyzed our collected data going back and forth between our empirical data and emerging theory.  Main Findings:  Our empirical data suggested that corporate crises can be triggered internally, initiated for example by strict governance, hierarchy and insufficient transparency. Moreover, organizational structures are strongly influenced by the corporate culture of a company. Corporate culture, furthermore, seems to be strongly influenced by the cultural origin of a company, regarding decision-making procedures, responsibilities and communication. Finally, in the perception of our respondents within our empirical study there is a link between the cultural origin of a company and its crisis management.  Contribution:  Although crisis management constitutes an exhaustive researched topic, we were able to contribute to the area of crisis management with an empirical indicator of the cultural origin of a company constituting an impacting factor for corporate crisis management. This coherence has not been acknowledged by crisis management literature to a meaningful extent so far.

No description available.

O pojmu reputation management bylo dlouhou dobu slyšet převážně v oblasti marketingu ve spojení s budováním brandu. S rozvojem sociálních médií se na trhu objevily nástroje měřící osobní reputaci, jež kvantifikují uživatelovu interaktivitu na základě několika proměnných. Ty našly své uplatnění v rukou nepočetných social media profesionálů a geeků. Jak ale k řízení osobní reputace v sociálních sítích přistupují běžní uživatelé? Jak hodnotí reputaci členů svých sociálních sítí a jak se tyto poznatky odráží na jejich vlastním projevu? Tato práce se snaží nalézt cestu k zodpovězení těchto a dalších otázek. Principy kvalitativního přístupu se obrací k samotnému jádru tohoto procesu - tvůrcům a hodnotitelům osobní reputace a sociálním interakcím, jimiž se uskutečňuje. Abstract Reputation management is a notion which thus far has surfaced mainly in the field of marketing in relation to brand building. Following the expansion of social media, various personal reputation measuring tools have offered quantitative analyses of users' interactivity on the basis of several variables available on the market. However, these tools were useful for a limited group of social media professionals and enthusiasts. But how do average users approach personal reputation management on social networking sites? How do they...

In this analysis of public speeches from four American presidents from the Republican party, the ways in which those presidents discuss and position American defense activities and stances are examined, to track the progression from the 1960s to the present. Presidents from one party were chosen, who presided over a period of active armed conflict or cold war. The addresses analyzed comprised public addresses to Congress or the American people. The analysis groups recurring frames--conceptually developed based on framing and agenda setting theories--into thematic categories for each president. Some frames were more salient for certain presidents than for others. Other frames were common and pervaded the presidents’ remarks to Congress and the public. America’s struggle against a faceless enemy, American military might as a guarantor of, and the importance of the United States’ commitments to its international partners were all prevailing frames which emerged in the analysis.

This thesis focuses on matters of Reality TV that share a main element - fear. The theoretical part of the thesis first introduces the genre itself, its history and classification. Secondly, the team fear is defined and analysed as a phenomenon through literature overview of the term in sociology, anthropology, philosophy and psychology. The thesis also outlines how fear was depicted in arts throughout history. The practical part of the thesis starts with a description of the methodology of the research and its design. Afterwards there are introduced Reality TV shows about fear which are subjects of the thesis, followed by analysis of their form and style. The final part of the practical part of the thesis consists of a research report revealing results acquired by qualitative survey on the basis of a grounded theory method. .

The thesis "Working strategies of nurses on manager posts" deals with issues of the professional role and manager position of a head nurse. With regard to changes in the area of health policy and health care providing, as well as is the relationship with the issue of professional fulfilment of women on the labour market generally, it is important to know views, ambitions, and motivations of nurses, and their working strategies on managing positions. It includes aspects of harmonizing their family and work roles, as these are the moments determining the position of most women in our working conditions to a significant extent. It is to say, managing of the nursing personnel and health care is a typical feminine position in the Czech Republic, adapting to given rules of the work organization and hierarchical structure of health institutions. The purpose of the thesis is to outline such a frame of reference, which would enable to better understand values and attitudes of head nurses. An indispensable part of this outlook is to understand, how their carriers developed, to identify their managing styles and guiding of the nursing team, as well as to map how their personal and professional roles pervade and affect each other. In this process, revealing long-term working strategies of head nurses is an important source of knowledge and at the same time, an attitudinal reflexion of these contexts by nurses themselves. Therefore, the development of the role of a nurse - manager (specifically, the head nurse and the ward sister) was described as the first item in the framework of the professional live of managing nurses; and conclusions of a series of research studies, focused on these issues, were presented. Additionally, the specificity of management in the nursing conditions was analyzed, including changes after 1989, and possibilities of education of nurses - managers. Finally, an empiric probe into the explored points at issue was carried out. Data acquired by means of semi-structured interviews with selected head nurses in faculty hospitals were integrated with the help of one of classical approaches, through so-called Grounded theory method. On basis of the data analysis, a model of professional paradigm was created, demonstrating several phases of the professional career, through which a head nurse passes, which were called for illustration: Seeking of domain, Circle (changing of nursing lines and sites), Virtue of necessity (situation, where a nurse caring of a child chooses a workplace, which enables such care), and Anchoring in the nursing branch. Then, the manager's career of the nurse unwinds form the "Anchoring in the nursing branch" phase. Life stories of head nurses, built on information from qualitative interviews, include predisposing factors for a managing position. Last but not least, it is also about some imprinting aspects from the childhood and adolescence (e.g., number of siblings, reasons for the selected study). After certain time, a nurse becomes a shift leader and a deputy ward sister, and subsequently, a ward sister and a head nurse. According to circumstances, she uses a combination of several managing styles in this position, like authoritative, democratic, and consultative. The theoretical model of professional paradigm of head nurses, construed on basis of empiric data analyses, opens a trail for further investigations, where it may be possible to examine some consequences in more detail, like the course of the professional career of nurses, their managing styles, etc. The acquired and classified evidences contribute to enriching current state of knowledge of certain segments of nursing issues. For instance, the top management of health institutions may use them in planning and implementation of some policies in the area of human resources, or educational institutions may use it for better and more accurate setting of educational concepts of future head nurses.

Abstract According to the literature, postpartum depression affects 10–15% of all mothers giving birth. The purpose of this study is to examine the time after a child is born in the everyday life of a family from the salutogenic perspective. The target group of the 'Lapsiperhe 1992' survey were the married and cohabiting couples living in the region of the city of Oulu who were expecting their first child and had the due date between 1 February 1992 and 31 January 1993. The study evaluated the mood of the mothers quantitatively using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) during pregnancy and after childbirth. The relationships of the couples were studied using parts of Spaniers's (1976) Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) and part of Bienvenu's Marital Communication Inventory that were combined to form a relationship questionnaire. Altogether 85% of the mothers (n = 558) participated in the study before giving birth and 74% (n = 487) after childbirth. As many as 472 of those who answered both questionnaires (n = 475) also filled in the EPDS questionnaire. Altogether 10.4% (n = 58) exceeded the cut-off point of 13 points, according to the EPDS, during pregnancy and 8.3% (n = 39) after childbirth. The questionnaire on moods during pregnancy and perception of the relationship were analysed by means of cross-tabulation for those subjects who answered both the questionnaire on moods and the relationship questionnaire (n = 461). In this study, the questionnaire on moods was divided into two categories, EPDS ≤ 12 and EPDS ≥13, similar to the relationship questionnaire < 70 (n = 43, 9.3%) and relationship questionnaire ≥ 70 (n = 418, 90.7%). If the relationship was considered bad (< 70) the risk of developing depression during pregnancy was 4.7 times higher (RR = 4.7, 95% confidence interval 2.8–8), and after childbirth 5.5 times higher (RR = 5.5, 95% confidence interval 3.1–9.6). The qualitative section of the study identifies the resources for recovery used by the subjects. A focused interview was carried out with 29 mothers during their maternity leave, 3–10 months after childbirth. The subjects for the interview were selected on the basis of the EPDS questionnaire and they formed three groups: EPDS ≤ 5 (n = 13), EPDS ≥ 13 (n = 13) and others (n = 3). The method of analysis used was the grounded theory method. Many of those who had exceeded the cut-off point felt they had suffered from passing melancholy or they had problems in their marital relationship. Those who suffered from severe depression also had coping methods. The most important coping methods were seeking social support, taking distance, physical exercise, relaxation by reading, cognitive methods, religion and humour. The support given by one's husband or significant other played an essential role in recovery. It is important to make a difference between depression diagnosed using the EPDS and clinically diagnosed depression, in order to avoid medicalisation. / Tiivistelmä Aikaisemman tutkimuksen mukaan synnytyksen jälkeinen masennus koskettaa 10–15 % kaikista synnyttäjistä. Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli tutkia salutogeenisestä näkökulmasta lapsen syntymän jälkeistä aikaa perheen arkielämässä. Kohdeväestönä Lapsiperhe 1992 -tutkimuksessa olivat ne avio- ja avoparit Oulun kaupungin alueella, jotka odottivat ensimmäistä lastaan ja joiden laskettu aika oli 1.2.1992–31.1.1993. Tutkimuksessa arvioitiin kvantitatiivisesti äitien mielialaa käyttäen EPDS-kyselyä (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) odotusaikana ja synnytyksen jälkeen. Parisuhdetta tutkittiin käyttäen osaa Spanierin (1976) kehittämästä kyselystä (Dyadic Adjustment Scale, DAS) sekä osaa Bienvenun aviopuolisoitten vuorovaikutuskyselystä, joista muodostettiin parisuhdekysely. Tutkimukseen osallistui 85 % äideistä (n = 558 ) ennen synnytystä ja 74 % (n = 487) synnytyksen jälkeen. Molempiin kyselyihin vastanneista (n = 475) EPDS-kysely oli täytetty 472:lla. 10,4 % (n = 58) ylitti katkaisupistemäärän 13 pistettä EPDS-mittarin mukaan raskausaikana, ja 8,3 % (n = 39) synnytyksen jälkeen. Mielialakyselyä odotusaikana ja koettua parisuhdetta on analysoitu ristiintaulukoinnin avulla niiltä vastaajilta, jotka olivat vastanneet sekä mielialakyselyyn että parisuhdekyselyyn (n = 461). Tässä tarkastelussa mielialakysely on jaettu kahteen luokkaan, EPDS ≤ 12 ja EPDS ≥ 13, samoin kuin parisuhdekysely < 70 (n = 43, 9,3 %) ja parisuhdekysely ≥ 70. (n = 418, 90,7 %). Koetun parisuhteen ollessa huono (<  70) riski masentuneisuuden kehittymiselle odotusaikana on 4,7-kertainen (RR = 4,7, 95 %:n luottamusväli 2,8–8), ja synnytyksen jälkeen 5,5-kertainen (RR = 5,5, 95 %:n luottamusväli 3,1–9,6). Laadullisessa osassa kartoitettiin tutkittavien toipumisen resursseja. 29 äidille tehtiin teemahaastattelu äitiysloman aikana 3–10 kuukautta synnytyksen jälkeen. Haastateltavat valittiin EPDS-kyselyn perusteella muodostaen kolme ryhmää: EPDS ≤ 5 (n = 13), EPDS ≥ 13 (n = 13) ja muut (n = 3). Analyysimenetelmänä oli grounded teoria -menetelmä. Monet kynnyspisteen ylittäneet kokivat itse kärsineensä ohimenevästä alakuloisuudesta tai heillä oli parisuhdeongelmia. Myös niillä, jotka kärsivät vakavasta masennustilasta, oli käytössään coping-keinoja. Tärkeimmät coping- keinot olivat sosiaalisen tuen hakeminen, etäisyydenotto, liikuntaharrastus, rentoutuminen lukemalla, kognitiiviset keinot, uskonnollisuus ja huumori. Puolison tuki oli oleellinen tekijä toipumisessa. Medikalisaation välttämiseksi on tärkeää tehdä ero EPDS-mittarilla todetun masentuneisuuden ja kliinisesti todetun depression välillä.

Hana Pomahačová ABSTRACT This master thesis deals with teachers as co-creators of the profession of teaching assistant. This profession of teaching assistant, in our milieu, is a new profession, still not quite established. However, it is a highly important part of the inclusive education. The goal of this work is especially to contribute to a further discussion about the profession of teaching assistant. The work is based on the constructionist paradigm, the profession of a teaching assistant is dealt as a social construct profession and the teachers are seen as one of actors - co-creators of this construction, whose everyday professional lives are touched with inclusion and thus also with the work of a teaching assistant. This means, that the attention is brought especially to the way, how the profession of a teaching assistant is understood in everyday life and which kind of acting comes out of this understanding. The theoretical part is focused on brief definition of basic terms, as the profession of teaching assistant, its legislation framework, inclusive education, social constructionism and other actors creating the profession of teaching assistant are interpreted. In the practical part the attention is focused on one of these actors, namely the teacher of the firs grade of elementary schools. Based...

A rise in the number of high-profile cases of management failure and leadership misconduct increased the awareness of one of the core challenges of management, namely to lead responsibly and with integrity. The environment which senior managers create and within which middle managers need to function seems to have a direct bearing on the moral behaviour and integrity of the middle manager. The aim of this research was therefore to gain a better understanding of how middle managers view the impact of senior managers on their experience of integrity. There is an increasing need in organisations for responsible leadership, leadership with integrity and leadership towards developing the integrity of the follower. This study was conducted within the interpretive research paradigm. Sampling was directed by criterion-based guidelines, focusing on current middle managers from different industries in the private sector. In-depth interviews were conducted and the data was analysed using a grounded theory method. The main findings indicated that senior managers should engage in two debates with middle managers in the organisation. Firstly, integrity is not something that is demonstrated but rather means that leaders can be differentiated from other leaders when they lead with integrity. Secondly, defining integrity and linking it to personal standards and values, as well as aligning these standards and values to the organisational strategy, vision and mission, are important. The findings of this study can assist senior managers with decreasing unethical behaviour and increasing integrity in the organisation. The research provided a basic framework that can assist in creating a positive context for the viii relationship between senior managers and middle managers within which to function, in order to decrease unethical employee activity and increase integrity. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

A rise in the number of high-profile cases of management failure and leadership misconduct increased the awareness of one of the core challenges of management, namely to lead responsibly and with integrity. The environment which senior managers create and within which middle managers need to function seems to have a direct bearing on the moral behaviour and integrity of the middle manager. The aim of this research was therefore to gain a better understanding of how middle managers view the impact of senior managers on their experience of integrity. There is an increasing need in organisations for responsible leadership, leadership with integrity and leadership towards developing the integrity of the follower. This study was conducted within the interpretive research paradigm. Sampling was directed by criterion-based guidelines, focusing on current middle managers from different industries in the private sector. In-depth interviews were conducted and the data was analysed using a grounded theory method. The main findings indicated that senior managers should engage in two debates with middle managers in the organisation. Firstly, integrity is not something that is demonstrated but rather means that leaders can be differentiated from other leaders when they lead with integrity. Secondly, defining integrity and linking it to personal standards and values, as well as aligning these standards and values to the organisational strategy, vision and mission, are important. The findings of this study can assist senior managers with decreasing unethical behaviour and increasing integrity in the organisation. The research provided a basic framework that can assist in creating a positive context for the viii relationship between senior managers and middle managers within which to function, in order to decrease unethical employee activity and increase integrity. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)