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Thesis advisor: Diana Pullin / Thesis advisor: Vincent Cho / There is limited research that outlines how a superintendent's instructional vision can help to gain acceptance of a large-scale technology initiative. This study explored how superintendents gain acceptance for a large-scale technology initiative (specifically a 1:1 device program) through various leadership actions. The role of the instructional vision in helping superintendents gain acceptance for a technology initiative was the focus of this research. Five school districts where a large-scale, 1:1 technology initiative was being implemented were the location for this study. These superintendents as well as district administrators with key roles in the technology initiative were interviewed to explore their knowledge and perceptions regarding the district's instructional vision and how it was being utilized to gain acceptance for the technology initiative. The study found that the superintendents utilized various strategic processes to create resonance with stakeholders between the instructional vision and the technology initiative. The superintendents utilized instructional visions that contained many elements of constructivist and 21st century learning skills. However, the definition and communication of the superintendent's specific instructional vision was not always clear and consistent throughout the district. The mission statements, technology plans and district administrators often communicated an instructional vision for the district that was unrelated to the instructional vision communicated by the superintendent. Additionally, while the implementation of the instructional vision was described as a collaborative effort in all of the districts, the development of the instructional vision was primarily limited to the superintendent and his leadership team (principals and central office academic administrators). Study results showed that while there was an understanding amongst district administrators of how technology can support teaching and learning, there was inconsistency in the understanding of the superintendent's instructional vision for the district and how technology should be utilized to help accomplish these goals. Often, it would appear that the technology initiative was driving the instructional vision for the districts and not the other way around. Since there is limited research that outlines how a superintendent's instructional vision can help to gain acceptance of a large-scale technology initiative, this study hopes to highlight the use of the instructional vision in gaining acceptance of a large-scale technology initiative and the practical methods of achieving this. / Thesis (EdD) — Boston College, 2014. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

Les territoires qualifiés de ruraux ont connu des profonds bouleversements sociodémographiques, qui induisent des recompositions sociales importantes. L’ensemble est aujourd’hui aussi hétérogène que son contenu est devenu flou. Ce contexte interroge les voies du « vivre-ensemble » dans les arrangements qu’il nécessite au quotidien. La thèse part de cette situation pour analyser comment des initiatives sociales et solidaires construisent des appropriations et donc du territoire. A la croisée de la géographie sociale et de la géographie rurale, ce travail analyse la prise d’initiatives sociales et solidaires au sein des territoires et leur inscription au sein d’un maillage territorial. Il examine ainsi la transformation d’individus en acteurs du quotidien, et revient aux fondamentaux de l’appropriation territoriale. En s’intéressant plus spécifiquement à quatre bassins de vie choisis pour la diversité de leurs caractéristiques rurales, nous mettons en évidence des pratiques territorialisées du quotidien, reflets de sociabilités et de solidarités de proximité aux finalités non marchandes. Ce faisant, les individus peuvent s’approprier l’espace par des usages en dynamisant et développant les cercles de sociabilités : les initiatives sociales et solidaires se révèlent dans leur consubstantialité au territoire.Cette recherche explore enfin la notion de service sociosystémique territorialisé qui sous-tend la contribution des initiatives sociales et solidaires au bien-être dans son territoire. Elle s’achève par la perspective d’une évolution des initiatives en ressources territoriales, une possibilité qui dépend de la volonté des individus et des groupes. / The territories considered as rural have experienced deep sociodemographic disruptions which have led to major social reestablishments. As a result, the ensemble has become heterogeneous and its components unclear. The context of this study is calling out the possibilities leading to the togetherness regarding daily activities. The thesis analyzes the way social and solidarity initiatives enables the creation of appropriation and therefore territory. This study sits at the point where social and rural geography meet to examines the way the socials and solidarities initiatives, implemented within these territories, impacts upon the territory networking. Therefore the study examines the transformation of individuals into daily stakeholders and returns to the foundation of the territorial appropriation. By studying specifically four living areas specifically chosen for the diversity of their rural characteristics, we highlight daily practices at the territory level, reflecting the proximity of the non-market oriented social and solidarity initiatives. However, people can get to appropriate a place by habits and routines which create dynamic social circles and relationships. Social and solidarity initiatives are found to be inherent to territory. Finally, this study investigates the concept of socio-systemic territorial service, which underpins the contribution of social and solidarity initiatives to the overall wellness of territory. It concludes with the perspective of an evolution of the initiatives in terms of territory resources, a concept which depends on the willingness of each individual and of the groups.

The research explores the concerns, challenges and successes of the Government of South Africa’s efforts to transform the Public Service to be representative of the South African society. Some of the efforts include inter alia developing policy initiatives to obtain an environment conducive to change in the human resource management of the public sector from an apartheid based system that created a fragmented public service, to a Public Service which now reflects the demands of the South African society void of racism, gender discrimination and associated peculiarities. The dissertation used a case study approach. Information was gathered from authoritative literacy sources. This was supplemented by empirical research that relied heavily on official publications and data in the Ministry of Public Service and Administration and across the various South African Government infrastructures. The main conclusion of the research indicates that major transformation through policy initiatives had been achieved. However, as far as implementation is concerned, much work is still required. / Dissertation (MAdmin (Public Admin))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

In the early 1980s, feminist councillors and the women's movement pushed for the establishment of structured provision in UK local government to address the issue of women's equality. Women's initiatives were set up by a small number of Labour controlled councils. At the height of their activities in 1987 there were 45 Women's Committees, by 1995 only 9 remained (Halford 1988). A central question of this thesis was to examine why the delivery of equal opportunities for women was changing and what form the new initiatives were taking. The wider significance of studying the political activity of women's initiatives relates to the development of a new approach to women's equality delivery. Previous approaches can be classified as a legislative approach, based on the principle of equal treatment, and a positive action approach, which foregrounds women's material and social oppression. The new approach promoted, most notably, by the European Union argues for the need to 'mainstream' the work of equality practitioners so that every member of an organisation routinely and systematically adopts a 'gender perspective' in their work. A focus on gendered differences, rather than on women, aims to provide a more inclusive agenda which will appeal to a wider number of policy-makers, businesses and citizens. The second main thrust of this thesis was to explore the development of a mainstreaming approach to equality delivery in the UK. It contrasts UK practice to that advocated by the European initiative, and also begins to theorise the concept of mainstreaming in terms of feminist, organisational and sociological theory. Using a new concept of the'equality stool' to describe the historical development of equality practice, the thesis attempts to explain why practitioners in the UK local government have been averse to a mainstreaming approach. The thesis used qualitative methodology and a case study design to examine, in depth, the experience of women practitioners in three local authorities, over the last 20 years. It reports on practitioners' attitudes and opinions and makes the links between their views of the world, and the actions and events which they have described. The thesis has three main findings. First, that past practice holds important insights for the development of a mainstreaming approach in the UK and European member states. Second, that mainstreaming in the UK has been developed for different reasons and from different perspectives than those of the European initiative. Third, that women's equality practice can be seen as a strategy of embodiment, which demands that individuals transform themselves into gender aware actors. Women practitioners' underlying purpose has been to challenge the gendered conception of women's roles at work and in society. The findings are used to construct a table of prerequisites (organised according to Connell's 1987 gender order) which UK practitioners have identified as important for a mainstreaming approach to be successful. These prerequisites suggest that the development of a structured women's equality initiative may be a crucial first step before a mainstreaming strategy can be pursued.

The central purpose of this thesis is systematically to show why politicians use direct democracy in the US. By identifying multiple situations in which politicians make use of direct democracy, the argument that they use it for some gain is made irresistible and the reasons underlying this behaviour are brought out. Politicians are shown to use direct democracy in three arenas: before launching a candidacy for state-wide office, whilst running for state-wide office and whilst in government. Politicians are shown to do so to expand their public profile, to change campaign agendas, and at the level of the institutions of state government, to bypass another branch of government. These effects are shown using statistical tests of the occurrence of behaviour by state legislators and candidates in the first two instances. Multilevel models are used in the last two instances, to identify when state legislators and governors used direct democracy in battles over lawmaking between the branches of government. A test for the use of the legislative referral by state legislatures is particularly timely and has not been considered before. These uses together lay the groundwork for a new theory of the effects of direct democracy institutions on state government policy. The tests of policy responsiveness in later chapters reject existing theory that might provide an explanation of both why politicians use direct democracy and with what effects on state government and show on responsiveness increasing effect.

Employee perception of the provision of work-life balance initiatives within their firms and their usage/intended usage of these initiatives was obtained for 77 New Zealand accountants employed in four accounting firms. Statistical analysis indicated the impact of these employee perceptions on overall job satisfaction, organisational commitment, job stress, intentions to quit, family-work conflict and work-family conflict. Employees' perception of the provision of work-life balance initiatives failed to significantly impact the employee measures. Utilising or intending to utilise work-life balance initiatives significantly impacted employee measures of organisational commitment and job stress. These mixed results suggest that simply installing work-life balance initiatives in accounting firms is not enough. Obtaining measures of within firm social support for employees utilising work-life balance initiatives needs further investigation. It is suggested that instead of adopting a 'one size fits all' approach, that organisations need to install initiatives specifically suited to the individual demographics of their workforce.

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Headquarters of multinational corporations can be involved in their subsidiaries and help with the development and transfer of innovative ideas. However, headquarters involvement might not always be desired or needed, and it can thus be perceived as interference with local activities, potentially reducing local willingness to go the extra mile. We address the lack of knowledge about subsidiary manager behavior by answering the following question: How does headquarters involvement influence the proactive behavior of subsidiary managers to push for new and innovative ideas? Using data from 120 top managers in subsidiaries of multinational corporations, we find that the negative relationship between headquarters involvement and their subsidiary managers' support for initiatives can be reduced when socialization mechanisms such as a common corporate culture or rotation programs are put in place.