This thesis presents and analyses the evaluation of an European wide training programme aimed at engineers working in a large multinational automotive company. The training programme is unique in that it was conceived to address particular operational concerns and involved a multicultural workforce from six European countries. The evaluation of the training, which extends from the pilot stages of the programme through to its full implementation, where Kirkpatrick's four level evaluation framework is used, is the company’s first large scale attempt at systematic training evaluation. The evaluation of the programme is typical in its approach as reflected in the wide body of literature, however the use of meta-evaluation to determine the overall value of the evaluation approach in a commercial context provides originality and the basis for establishing an alternative approach to evaluating vocational training. The main body of the thesis is presented in three parts. Part I provides a critical review of the literature relating to; learning and training; conceptualisations of evaluation; and measurement and evaluation methodology, to establish the foundation for the empirical study. Part II is a detailed analysis of the evaluand, the evaluation methodology employed, and the results and outcomes from the evaluation. Part III provides directions for training evaluation based on a meta-evaluation of the empirical study. The thesis draws conclusions with respect to the role of evaluation in organisational training. The evaluation of training is largely conceptualised in the literature as being concerned with the assessment of value or worth of training to an organisation, which is the prevailing paradigm of Kirkpatrick's training evaluation framework. From the evidence obtained through the empirical study with regard to utility, feasibility, propriety and accuracy, it is concluded that the role of evaluation should be directed towards maximising value or worth of training through the systematic assessment, feedback and optimisation of the identifiable parameters of the training process, with the outcomes of training forming part of an overall evaluation of training framework.

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Leadership scholars assume that the values espoused in an organizational vision have motivational effects on employee actions, but this claim has rarely been subject to empirical testing. Two studies examined whether organization members' support for organizational visions vary with the degree of congruence between members' personal values and the value-relevant impacts emphasized in a vision. Student participants learned of a visionary educational approach for universities, intended to impact either students' autonomy or their relatedness with other students. In Study 1, students who valued self-direction expressed most willingness to support the vision when autonomy-related outcomes were emphasized. Study 2 examined an apparent backfire effect in the first study, in which participants who value social belongingness expressed less willingness to support the vision when outcomes pertaining to relatedness were emphasized. This backfire effect, mediated through dis-identification with the vision, was found to be reversible when presentation cues that conflict with the stated values were removed.

The emergence of strategic alliances has been recognized as a viable source of competitive advantage across most industries in the business world. It also holds true in the evolution of the shipping industry in Malaysia as the globalization of shipping and logistic services now prevails over traditional shipping business practices. / The purpose of this study was to examine the creation of value in strategic alliances. Drawing on the theories of resource dependence, transaction cost, and collaborative advantage as intellectual base, an integrative conceptual framework of value driven strategic alliances was developed to analyse the rationale behind mutual value creation in the processes of collaboration and networking. / Quantitative data was collected by mail survey using questionnaires which were developed and validated by an expert panel and fine-tuned by a pilot test. The reliability of the instrument was tested by using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. As the alpha values were all above 0.8 all the constructs were found to have a high degree of internal consistency with this particular sample of respondents. The data collected were later systematically processed and analysed by appropriate statistical tools. / The results of this study contribute to existing knowledge of strategic alliances by bridging parts of prior theoretical voids in the value-based perspective. Shipping practitioners can also gain from this knowledge to better comprehend the implications of strategic alliances management in an effort to mutually create more value from their partnership. / Thesis (DBA(DoctorateofBusinessAdministration))--University of South Australia, 2005.

I examine the extent to which accounting information is reflected in market prices at different points in time. The efficient market hypothesis implies that price always reflects (value-relevant) accounting information, based on the assumptions of rational investors and costless arbitrage. I examine the time-series relation between price and value in two studies which are motivated by potential shortcomings of these assumptions. First, there is significant debate regarding the rationality of equity investors during the late 1990s. I therefore contrast the historical time-series relation between price and value with that of the 1990s, and show that the historical tendency of price to converge towards value breaks down during this period. Second, I examine the impact of the lack of close substitutes - an arbitrage cost - on the time-series relation between price and value. I find some evidence of a positive association between this arbitrage cost and both the level and the duration of the disparity between price and value. My results provide empirical support for the hypothesis that price requires time to reflect (accounting) information and has implications for research that assumes that prices are measured without error.

Assignment (MRek)--University of Stellenbosch, 2006. / Bibliography. Also available via the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business, August 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 117-123). Also available on the Internet.