Nursing is uniquely demanding work and occupational stress in the nursing profession has been well-documented. Many theories of stress-related disruptions among helping professionals have been proposed. Although these theories differ slightly in their origin of stress, they share similarities in nurses’ response to the patient relationship. Depersonalization, withdrawal, and avoidance all serve to create relational distance between the nurse and the patient. Despite the prevalence of these responses, there are not any theories on the nurses’ process of disengagement from patient relationships. Using Strauss and Corbin’s (1990) grounded theory method, this study explored acute care nurses’ experience of disengagement in patient relationships. The purpose of the study was to develop a mid-range theory of nurses’ process of disengagement from patient relationships as it occurred in acute care. Through purposive and theoretical sampling, 12 acute care nurses participated in open-ended individual interviews. The process of open, axial and selective coding discovered seven categories related to nurses’ experience of disengagement from patient relationships. These categories were emotional experience, behavioural expression, environmental influences, relational distance, professional identity and work spillover. Although these categories were exclusive, conceptual elements were interwoven into more than one category. The categories were interrelated around the core category, ‘Doing and Being’, and the process of nurses’ disengagement from patient relationships was delineated. Participants in the study experienced dissonance when they were unable to act in accordance to their caring beliefs. Conditions in the work environment, such as the lack of time, the culture of productivity and patient characteristics influenced and promoted their process of disengagement. Disengagement was manifested in the nurse-patient relationship by decreased eye contact, increased physical distance and increased task focused behaviour. These behaviours increased relational distance between the nurse and the patient. Nurses’ experience of dissonance had the potential to foster feelings of professional dissatisfaction and alienation from self, leading to increased turnover behaviour and depression. Implications and recommendations for practice and future research are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

Due to increasing emergence of social needs and problems throughout the world, accompanied by reduced government ability to provide the funding necessary to effectively combat these problems, it is expected that social enterprises will grow in number and importance. Because of this growing importance and the lack of research concerning marketing practices in such organizations, the purpose of this thesis is to develop a deeper understanding of both marketing in social enterprises and the context in social enterprises that has the potential to affect the marketing strategies employed in such organizations. Based upon this enhanced understanding, I develop and propose a model of marketing strategy in social enterprises. To develop this enhanced understanding and model, I conducted empirical qualitative research consisting of a comparative study of fifteen cases of social enterprises. Results show that four major dualities represent the critical context of social enterprises that influence the marketing strategies employed. Marketing is viewed as important by these enterprises and the strategies employed are quite well developed in the areas of market research, product quality, branding, and promotion.

Cancer incidence is increasing and so are survival rates. The aftermath of cancer includes multi-dimensional and long-lasting effects that prevent individuals from recovering and re-integrating into their daily routines. Cancer systems attend to patients during diagnosis and treatment, but often fall short in providing continuity of care afterward. This results in a considerable number of individuals living with the effects of cancer, with little support care. While there are evidence-based recommendations to improve follow-up cancer care, the extent to which they have been implemented remains unknown. To support the needs of cancer survivors The Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation developed a Cancer Coaching Program (CCP). As life and health coaching interventions have been shown to benefit this population, this study aimed to explore the impacts of the CCP on the lives of cancer survivors. Using a grounded theory approach, the experiences of (n=12) cancer survivors who had previously participated in the program were explored, to create an explanatory model. Descriptive results depicted various beneficial outcomes to participating in the CCP. The dominant role of the CCP is to support survivors by “bridging the gap” to survivorship, through tailored coaching services. This study provides insight into the mechanisms that work for this cancer coaching program, which may be helpful for other programs exploring strategies to assist this population.

Orientador: Silvia Cristina Mangini Bocchi / Banca: Tania Ruiz / Banca: Edilson Iglesias de Oliveira Vidal / Banca: Luis Roberto Ramos / Resumo: Dados da literatura têm associado o estilo de vida com o aparecimento de patologias crônicas, com o grau de autonomia e o tempo de sobrevivência dos seres humanos. Estudo realizado na cidade de Botucatu - SP em 2003 com pessoas de 60 anos e mais, mostrou que estes constituíam 3 grupos classificados segundo sua definição de qualidade de vida e como viviam a vida, situações coincidentes. O objetivo deste trabalho foi compreender como a vida do idoso, a partir do seu relato, o levou a ter valores, crenças, conceitos e referências morais na velhice e que terminaram por determinar o estilo de vida que levam. Foram realizadas entrevistas domiciliares com idosos participantes do inquérito de 2003 norteadas pela frase "Fale sobre sua vida". Através de metodologia qualitativa se buscou reproduzir a experiência de vida desses idosos e reconhecer ações que o encorajaram ou não a mudanças durante a vida. Os dados foram analisados segundo a Grounded Theory que possibilitou compreender o conjunto das experiências dos idosos. Foi possível compreender não apenas o movimento da vida desta geração de brasileiros, mas explicar a alocação destes nos três grupos ao mostrar as semelhanças de suas vidas dentro de cada grupo / Abstract: Data from the literature have associated the lifestyle with the onset of chronic diseases, with the degree of autonomy and the survival time of humans. A study conducted in Botucatu - SP in 2003 with people 60 years and older showed that they constituted three groups classified according to their definition of quality of life and how they lived their lives, coincide situations. The aim of this study was to understand how elderly life, from his account, took him to have values, beliefs, moral concepts and references in old age and that ultimately determine the lifestyle they lead. Home interviews were conducted with individuals participating in the 2003 survey guided by the phrase "Tell me about your life. Through qualitative methodology was sought to reproduce the experience of these elderly individuals and to recognize actions that encouraged or not to change throughout life. The data were analyzed according to Grounded Theory enabled us to understand that all the experiences of older people. It was possible to understand not only the movement of life of this generation of Brazilians, but to explain the allocation of these three groups to show the similarities of their lives within each group / Mestre

Many teachers of international students in the United States are challenged to address cultural differences in a classroom. International students often experience psychological, physical and cultural stress when they study abroad, due mainly to unfamiliar environments and a diverse culture. The question this study asks is: Are there any strategies that can be used to benefit these students? This grounded theory study will examine a purposefully-selected group of subjects from China and Taiwan who are currently studying at a large metropolitan university in the Southeastern United States. After data collection and analysis procedure, I hoped there are some things valued for international student who just arrived at the new environment and provides the reference to those students and college with the similar situation as UCF all over the world.

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This research study explored the theoretical underpinnings of implementing government reform in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), specifically focusing on a management philosophy called Faster, Better, Cheaper (FBC). It is situated within the broader context of Government reform efforts that attempt to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of government organizations in their delivery of products and services to the public. This study employed the Grounded Theory qualitative research methodology that concentrates on a central phenomenon and generates a theory from a category or construct-oriented approach. The objective is to generate a substantive-level theory that describes the practice of FBC within NASA and is grounded in the data collected from the organization. The following research questions guided this study: 1.What is the meaning of Faster, Better, Cheaper for Public Professionals in the NASA organizational environment? 2.What are the interrelationships between concepts of faster, better, and cheaper? 3.How does the technical and cultural structure of NASA influence the implementation of Faster, Better, Cheaper? 4.What are the required workforce capabilities to perform Faster, Better, Cheaper in NASA? The theoretical sample for this study consisted of interviews scheduled with NASA personnel involved in Faster, Better, Cheaper projects. NASA documents and reports were analyzed to saturate the initial 29 provisional categories. A representation of the phenomenon of FBC was developed following the data analysis, including causal conditions, strategies, environmental conditions and context, and consequences. Several findings addressed the meaning of FBC, the interrelationships between the concepts, the impact of organizational infrastructure, and required workforce capabilities. Topics for future research are the nature of risk in public organizations, tools for aligning and measuring public policy alignment and implementation, leadership of public sector teams, and generalizing the findings to other organizations. / Ph. D.

The dissertation focuses on understanding the mothering experience of three internal organizational development consultant/managers who perceive that their experience informed their professional functioning. The questions that guided the study were: (a) What is the mothering experience of the internal organizational development consultant/manager who perceives that her experience informed her professional functioning? and (b) How does the mothering experience inform the professional functioning of the internal organizational development consultant/manager? A case study method using the grounded theory method of data analysis produced three narratives that suggested how the mothering experience influenced consulting and managerial functioning. Three themes emerged; namely: "being fully present," "protecting by fighting for trust and safety / Ph. D.

With people living longer and coming into old age with more diverse relational experiences than previous cohorts (e.g., divorce, cohabitation), researchers anticipate that the so-called baby boomers will be more interested in pursuing romantic relationships in later life than their predecessors. On the other hand, we know that the experience of aging varies among people on the basis of their social locations (e.g., racial, gender, class). As central Appalachia is a place characterized by persistent poverty, I interviewed single, midlife White women from a community in West Virginia (N=11) to investigate (a) their experiences with family life and (b) their expectations for romantic relationships in later life. I used grounded theory methodology to develop a theory of intimacy and family life in central Appalachia. I found that the women who were more integrated into their families of origin had little or no interest in romantic relationships, regardless of their past relationship history. Women who perceived their childhoods as traumatic were less integrated into their families of origin and had a weaker sense of place, but had more interest in finding a romantic partner in later life. I concluded for those with a strong sense of place the importance of the family of origin persisted through midlife and into old age. / Ph. D.