Thesis (D. Min.)--Biblical Theological Seminary, 2008. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 151-157).

Traditionally and historically certain jobs have been recognized as male or female professions leading to the assumption that the barrier crossing men and women working in these gender atypical jobs are being less masculine and less feminine. The aim of this study is to examine similarities and differences among male social workers and female police officers in the experience of being a gender minority in their workplace and how it effects the construction of their gender identity. Working with a qualitative approach and using semi-constructed interviews the study was conducted by interviewing a total of five social workers and four female police officers, in six different communities, about their personal experiences of being a gender minority in a gender atypical job. The result shows both differences and similarities between the genders and their occupation; on a personal level neither of the respondents seemed to have a problem working in a gender atypical job although admitting that working in a “female” and “male” profession  had effects on their personality but not on how they viewed themselves as men or women. On a group level the respondents experienced both differences and similarities; both genders talked about being stereotyped into taking on certain tasks but also about having advantages of being male or female in certain situations. Further on the female police officers talked about being pushed aside to give room for the male colleagues while the male social workers experienced the opposite; being more acknowledged. On a societal level respondents from both groups were talking about a shift in societies showcasing that the view on men and women and what is considered male and female have been or in a process of being disintegrated. The results were seen from a social constructionist viewing point and were interpreted and analyzed using following theories and theoretical concepts: Stereotype, gender, role theory, identity, gender identity and the theory about the mirrored self.

published_or_final_version / Public Administration / Master / Master of Public Administration

China’s investments in R&D are forecast to surpass those of the US in 2022, thereby attracting capital, innovation and a large number of returnee managers. In the past eight years alone, the number of returnees has increased five-fold, with the country’s high-tech parks, particularly Beijing’s Z-Park, also known as China’s Silicon Valley or the Silicon Valley of the East, proving considerable attractions. In this context, in which start-ups are vital for economic growth and for the further development of Chinese investments in leading-edge innovation, understanding how the significant cultural differences between returnee and local managers affect management control systems (MCS) is of key importance. Drawing on a survey of more than 200 companies and data from 435 one-to-one interviews, this study investigates the relationship between CEO characteristics, government financial support and MCS sophistication in the context of fast-growing high-tech enterprises in China’s Silicon Valley. The study develops an MCS sophistication index as an aggregate measure of six main factors (the importance of MCS to the firm, system structure, system operations, system completeness, frequency of use and the level of data aggregation), and measures MCS sophistication by 46 individual management control subsystems. The study predicts and verifies a positive relationship between CEO and firm international exposure and between CEO education and the level of MCS sophistication. It also predicts and verifies a positive relationship between government financial support and MCS sophistication in a context in which privately held and managed venture capital and banks provide such support. The study further analyses the interaction effect of government financial support and CEO characteristics on MCS sophistication. Its empirical findings suggest that, despite their cultural differences, neither local nor returnee managers feel the need for better MCS. Only when there is potential access to government funding do returnee managers have better tools to implement more sophisticated MCS than their local counterparts, thus underlining how international work experience provides Chinese managers with the tools, but not the mindset, for superior MCS. Most previous studies focus on listed companies in China, whereas this study constitutes one of the first to focus on start-ups using an extensive array of data. It also contributes to the definition of a more systematic MCS sophistication measure, thus allowing more complete analysis of MCS at the firm level. Improving upon previous studies, the research reported herein also encompasses a large set of CEO characteristics to analyse their interaction with government financial support, thereby contributing to a better understanding of MCS in a key area of China’s future development. / published_or_final_version / Economics and Finance / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

This thesis investigates how chief executive officer (CEO) equity incentives affect the remediation of material weaknesses (MWs) in internal control. First, we predict that the sensitivity of CEO stock and stock option portfolios to stock price (CEO price sensitivity or delta) has a positive impact on firm promptness in remedying MWs, because CEOs whose personal wealth is tied to stock price suffer losses from negative market reactions to the public disclosure of MWs. Second, we predict that the sensitivity of CEO stock option portfolio to stock-return volatility (CEO volatility sensitivity or vega) has a negative impact on firm promptness in remedying MWs, as firms with internal control weaknesses are associated with higher information and operating risks that manifest in stock return volatility. Our empirical results, based on a sample of firms disclosing MWs in internal control under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) during November 15, 2003 and August 27, 2006, are consistent with the above predictions. We further provide evidence that an effective board of directors could mitigate the undesirable, negative impact of CEO volatility sensitivity on MWs remediation. We measure firms’ promptness in remedying MWs based on their subsequent internal control audit opinions (e.g., Ashbaugh-Skaife et al. 2008; Goh 2009); and CEO price (volatility) sensitivity as the dollar change in CEO stock and option portfolios (option portfolio) from a 1 percent change in stock price (Core and Guay 2002). This thesis is innovative with respect to the prediction and evidence of the opposing effects from CEO price and volatility sensitivities on internal control quality. This new evidence contributes to the literature that examines managerial incentives embedded in stock-based and option-based compensation plans in various economic contexts (e.g., Knopf et al. 2002; Coles et al. 2006; Low 2009; Armstrong et al. 2013). Our findings suggest that when stock constitutes a major part of CEO compensation, the mandatory disclosure requirement of SOX provides a channel for the stock market to discipline CEO. However, when options dominate CEO compensation, volatility sensitivity and the associated risk-taking incentive can cause CEOs to delay rectifying internal control deficiencies. These results have interesting policy implications for regulators and firms concerning mandatory disclosure and compensation design. Moreover, this thesis contributes to the broad literature on corporate governance by documenting an interaction between corporate governance and CEO incentives, namely that strong corporate governance mitigates the undesirable risking-taking incentive caused by CEO option holdings. Overall, this thesis deepens our understanding on mechanisms through which regulators, firm executives, and boards of directors strengthen internal control over financial reporting in the post-SOX era. / published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

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Via their frequency of contact alone, Corrections Officers (COs) have maximal opportunity to role model pro-social behaviour and further rehabilitative outcomes for offenders. Yet previous research indicates that one of the barriers to COs adopting this additional and sometimes contradictory job requirement, is that COs generally maintain largely punitive attitudes towards inmates. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether one reason for CO punitiveness is that these frontline workers lack knowledge of basic forensic practice (FP) research findings which describe elements that lead to offender change. Utilizing mixed-methods, the nature of the relationship between FP knowledge and the Correctional Orientation of COs, consisting of support for rehabilitation (SR) and support for punishment (SP), was explored. Further examined was how FP knowledge, SR and SP related to COs self-reported engagement in Core Correctional Practices (CCPs) which delineate the quality of interactions that facilitate positive rehabilitative outcomes. Employing a new measure of Correctional Orientation developed and piloted on an undergraduate sample (N=148) in Study 1, Study 2 involved surveys of Corrections Workers (CWs) (N=227) employed in the four provincial adult correctional facilities in Saskatchewan. Hierarchical multiple regressions including demographic covariates confirmed a robust relationship between FP knowledge and SR, and FP knowledge and SP. Likewise, though FP knowledge was significantly positively correlated with CCPs, the addition of SR and SP to a third multiple regression on CCPs rendered the contribution of FP knowledge non-significant. SR was a better predictor of CCPs than SP. Finally, in Study 3, eight CWs varying in their survey responses were interviewed. Utilizing thematic analysis three broad models were produced which described the reasons CWs may or may not support rehabilitation or punishment and engage in CCPs. Additional themes describing how interviewees responded to FP research were also generated. In the discussion the findings of all three studies were combined. Notably, SR appears to be more responsive to FP knowledge than SP, while salient job-related experiences of CWs are likely to increase SP. Yet, CWs can increase their SR without a comparable decrease in their SP and vice versa. Interviewees felt that the largest obstacle to their engagement in CCPs were the current features of the institutional settings which generated a cynical, burnt-out and punitive staff culture whereby peer pressure was employed to maintain prescribed modes of interaction. Comprehensive recommendations for reducing stress and burnout, education and training targets, and hiring criteria which could screen out problematic applicants are provided.

I denna studie uppmärksammas hotfulla och våldsamma situationer i kriminalvården. Syftet har varit att undersöka vilka känslor som uppstår hos kriminalvårdare i dessa situationer. I samband med detta har studien syftat till att få en djupare förståelse för vilken betydelse kollegor har för de känslor som uppstår och för hur känslorna hanteras. Studien bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer av halvstrukturerad karaktär. Totalt genomfördes tio intervjuer med yrkesverksamma kriminalvårdare från häktesverksamheten i Stockholm och Uppsala. Gemensamt för kriminalvårdarna var att de upplevt hot och våld i arbetet. För att få en djupare förståelse för kriminalvårdarnas beskrivningar har dessa analyserats utifrån Arlie Russell Hochschilds teori om emotioner samt Randall Collins teori om interaktionsritualer. Gemensamt för dessa teorier är att de belyser aspekter av hantering av känslor, både på individ- och gruppnivå. Studiens resultat visar att olika känslor uppstår hos kriminalvårdarna vid hotfulla och våldsamma situationer samt att kollegors närvaro har betydelse hur dessa känslor hanteras. Förväntningar från kollegor påverkar kriminalvårdarna att trycka undan känslor som oro, stress och rädsla. Istället uppvisar kriminalvårdarna lugn och kontroll för att agera i linje med gruppens förväntningar. Resultatet visar även att god sammanhållning inom arbetsgruppen leder till känslor av trygghet och lugn hos kriminalvårdarna i hotfulla och våldsamma situationer. I dessa situationer är gruppens sammansättning även av betydelse. Vilka samt hur många kollegor som närvarar påverkar kriminalvårdarnas hantering av känslor. Resultatet visar att kollegor även har betydelse för hur kriminalvårdarna hanterar sina känslor efter att de utsatts för hot och våld. Här beskrevs debriefing som ett effektivt verktyg för att ventilera känslor med kollegor. Hur debriefing används i praktiken skiljde sig åt i kriminalvårdarnas beskrivningar. / This study highlights threats and violence within correctional facilities, where the focus is directed towards the correctional officers' feelings that arise in these situations. The aim of this study has been to examine if colleagues' presence has an impact on the emotions that the correctional officers experience and on how these emotions are handled. The study is based on qualitative interviews of semi-structured character. A total of ten interviews were conducted with correctional officers from correctional facilities in Stockholm and Uppsala. What the correctional officer's has in common is that they all have experienced threats and violence at their workplace. The correctional officers' descriptions have been analyzed on the basis of Arlie Russel Hochschild's theory of emotions and Randall Collins's theory of interaction rituals. Both theories highlight aspects of the management of emotions, on an individual as well as on a group level. The result of the study indicates that the correctional officers experience different feelings in threatening and violent situations. In these situations the presence of colleagues is significant when it comes to how correctional officers are handling their emotions. Expectations from colleagues seem to affect the correctional officers to hide feelings such as anxiety, stress and fear. Instead the correctional officers show feelings of calm and control which, according to them, complies with the colleagues' expectations. The result also shows that good cohesiveness within the working group affects the correctional officers to feel calm in threatening and violent situations. Other factors that seem to affect the emotions that correctional officers experience and how the emotions are handled are which colleagues the correctional officers are working with and how many colleagues that attends in the situation. Furthermore the result indicates that colleagues have a significant importance when it comes to handling emotions after threatening and violent situations. Debriefing was described as important, by the correctional officers, to vent their emotions after a critical situation. How the debriefing was applied in practice differed among the correctional officers.