Thesis (D. Min.)--Abilene Christian University, 2006. / Abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-120).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 227-228).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Covenant Theological Seminary, 2006. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 160-162).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Covenant Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 166-171).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 2005. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [339]-354).

This study is concerned with determining the role, responsibility, qualifications, and changing trends regarding the position of chief financial officer in higher education : institutions as perceived by presidents and chief financial officers. After a comprehensive review of the literature, a questionnaire was developed, validated, and sent to the presidents and chief financial officers of 100 private and 100 public institutions which had randomly been selected. One-hundred seven presidents and 117 chief financial officers returned the completed questionnaires which produced data upon which the findings of the study are based.

Os pregoeiros são os servidores responsáveis pela condução dos processos licitatórios de aquisições e contratações dos órgãos públicos no Brasil. A função de pregoeiro, apesar de sua complexidade e importância à eficiente utilização dos recursos públicos, vem sendo negligenciada pelo Estado. Até o momento não há uma carreira específica ou remuneração condizente ao risco dessa atividade. Os métodos e análises realizadas por este estudo, à luz dos Estudos Baseados em Prática (EBP) e do knowing-in-practice, permitiram melhor visibilidade aos elementos tácitos que compõem os saberes os pregoeiros desenvolvidos no seu cotidiano de trabalho. Partindo da identificação e descrição de suas práticas de trabalho, a função pregoeiro caracteriza-se pelo acúmulo e sobreposição de atividades, dificultando assim desenho de um perfil para a mesma. Outra característica inerente a função é a presença de uma forte estrutura normativa a qual norteia e permeia esse trabalho. A partir dos discursos dos entrevistados, constatou-se que o Curso de Formação de Pregoeiros demonstrou-se insuficiente para desenvolver as habilidades de negociação e conversação e os aspectos atitudinais da atenção, equilíbrio e retidão necessários à sua prática. Assim, a aprendizagem no cotidiano de trabalho dos pregoeiros ocorreu de forma situada através dos conhecimentos informais e tácitos, compartilhados por meio das interações sociais entre os servidores, facilitada pela estrutura em rede dos Institutos Federais de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia (IFs) (instituições pesquisadas), fóruns e comunidades de praticantes, confirmando assim a perspectiva do knowing-in-practice. Afirma-se então que o desenvolvimento dos saberes do pregoeiro não está descolado de suas práticas de trabalho. A partir dos elementos identificados neste estudo, sugerem-se ações para melhoria das condições de trabalho, desenvolvimento e reconhecimento profissional do pregoeiro. Um olhar mais sensível da sociedade e dos representantes políticos é necessária, dada a importância estratégica do papel do pregoeiro na garantia da qualidade do gasto público. / Public Procurement Officers are the public servers responsible for conducting bidding processes of acquisition and hiring for public organs in Brazil. The main duty of the Public Procurement Officer, despite its complexity and importance to the efficient use of public resources, has been neglected by the state. Still, there is no specific career or equitable salary which represents the risks of this activity. The methods and analysis made by this study, considering Practice-Based Studies (PBS) and of knowing-into-practice, allowed a better visibility in the tacit elements that build the knowledge Public Procurement Officers have developed in their daily work. Starting with the identification and description of their practices at work, the Public Procurement Officer function is characterized by the accumulation and overlapping of activities, making it difficult to draw a proper profile to the function. Another intrinsic characteristic of the Public Procurement Officers' function, which directs and permeates this paper, is the presence of a normative structure. Through the speech of the interviewees it was possible to state that the Basic Training Course Public Procurement Officers take is not sufficient to develop the negotiation and reasoning skills and the attitude of attention, balance and rectitude needed to the practice of this function. Therefore, the Public Procurement Officers’ learning process happens throughout informal and tacit knowledge, shared through servers’ social interaction – facilitated by the structure in network from Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology (FIs) (institutions where the research took place), online forums and communities, corroborating the knowing-in-practice perspective. It can be stated that the knowledge development of Public Procurement Officers is not disconnected to their practice. Based on the elements identified in this study, some actions are suggested to improve the working conditions, development and recognition of the Public Procurement Officers. A more sensitive consideration from society and from political representatives is necessary, given the strategic importance of Public Procurement Officers’ role in assuring the public money is being well spent.

The purpose of this study was to develop an instrument to assess probation officers knowledge levels of offenders with intellectual disabilities by utilizing a synthesis of subject matter analysis technique and a comprehensive review of literature. This study was conducted in two phases. The first phase was devoted to establishing the knowledge domain and development of the needs assessment instrument. For this phase the available population consisted of four subject matter experts in southern Illinois and one subject matter expert (SME) from London, England. In order to develop an instrument to assess knowledge that probation officers have about offenders with ID, an establishment of knowledge domains through face-to-face interviews with subject matter experts were completed in this phase. In addition to the content analysis from SME interviews, a comprehensive review of literature on intellectual disabilities was conducted. Outcomes from both methods were compared and similar findings were combined and used to construct items for the first draft of the instrument. A pilot test for the newly developed needs assessment instrument was conducted in the second phase. In order to obtain this validation a pilot field test and re-test, a sample of 25 Jackson County, Illinois, First Circuit Probation, Western Region, juvenile and adult probation officers was used to administer assessment (developed in phase I). Approximately two weeks after first administration, the assessment was re-administered on the same sample population of probation officers. The data source was Probation Officer Knowledge of Intellectual Disabilities Assessment instrument test-retest scores. Responses were scored by giving correct answers one point, and incorrect answers zero. This yielded a total score for knowledge of intellectual disabilities. Scores from the first test administration was compared to scores from the second administration by reviewing overall score correlations. Once each item was computed separately, then all item-total correlations were computed. Cronbach's alpha estimate of reliability was also computed for both the first and second administrations (Trochim & Donnelly, 2007). Additional analysis performed in this study included (a) cut offs for high or low scores based on means, (b) item difficulty, (c) inter-item correlations and, (d) descriptive frequencies on items that assessed probation officers' opinions on organizational structure and attitudes about supervising offenders intellectual disabilities. The ultimate goal of this study was to establish knowledge domains and develop an instrument to assess probation officers' knowledge of offenders with intellectual disabilities. The results of the study can be used to add information to the body of literature to eventually build up enough support to determine a need for criminal justice agency administrators to incorporate effective training material on offenders with intellectual disabilities within curriculum development for new staff orientation, in-service or academy training of probation officers.

Gli Uffici di Esecuzione Penale Esterna rappresentano un campo significativo di lavoro in cui sono impiegati gli assistenti sociali alle dipendenze del Ministero della Giustizia. Essi sono deputati alla presa in carico delle persone sottoposte a misure esterne al carcere, assumendo oggi sempre più importanza nell’intero sistema sanzionatorio. Il servizio sociale della giustizia si trova a operare in un contesto di grande cambiamento che influisce inevitabilmente sull’agire professionale. La tesi dottorale presentata ha la finalità di evidenziare il lavoro dell’assistente sociale dell’U.E.P.E. e i vissuti sperimentati dagli operatori. Per fare ciò è stata condotta una ricerca esplorativa attraverso due strumenti di ricerca differenti. Dapprima è stato inviato un questionario on-line a tutti gli Uffici di Esecuzione Penale Esterna italiani, chiedendo agli assistenti sociali interessati di rispondere a una serie di domande riguardanti le caratteristiche socio-demografiche, le funzioni e le attività svolte. Parallelamente, si è chiesto a un piccolo gruppo di assistenti sociali appartenenti a un Ufficio E.P.E. della Lombardia di tenere un diario aggiornato sulle attività svolte in due giornate lavorative registrando le percezioni e i vissuti sperimentati. I dati ricavati sono stati infine messi a confronto con le tematiche emerse nelle ricerche internazionali riguardanti i Servizi di Probation. / The Probation Offices represent a significant field in which social workers are employed. They are responsible for the supervision and rehabilitation of people subjected to probation and community corrections outside the prison. Probation officers play a critical role in the criminal justice system in Italy and operate in a context of great change that inevitably affects professional work. The thesis presented here has the purpose of highlighting social workers’ activities and feelings in the criminal justice. To do this an exploratory research was conducted using two different tools. First, an online questionnaire was sent to all Italian Probation Offices, asking social workers to answer a series of questions regarding socio-demographic characteristics, functions and activities concerning with their work. In parallel, we asked a small group of social workers of Lombardy to keep an updated diary on their activities in two working days recording the perceived experiences and feelings. The data obtained were finally compared with the issues emerging in international researches concerning Probation Services. Key words: Italy, probation officers, feelings, activities

Os pregoeiros são os servidores responsáveis pela condução dos processos licitatórios de aquisições e contratações dos órgãos públicos no Brasil. A função de pregoeiro, apesar de sua complexidade e importância à eficiente utilização dos recursos públicos, vem sendo negligenciada pelo Estado. Até o momento não há uma carreira específica ou remuneração condizente ao risco dessa atividade. Os métodos e análises realizadas por este estudo, à luz dos Estudos Baseados em Prática (EBP) e do knowing-in-practice, permitiram melhor visibilidade aos elementos tácitos que compõem os saberes os pregoeiros desenvolvidos no seu cotidiano de trabalho. Partindo da identificação e descrição de suas práticas de trabalho, a função pregoeiro caracteriza-se pelo acúmulo e sobreposição de atividades, dificultando assim desenho de um perfil para a mesma. Outra característica inerente a função é a presença de uma forte estrutura normativa a qual norteia e permeia esse trabalho. A partir dos discursos dos entrevistados, constatou-se que o Curso de Formação de Pregoeiros demonstrou-se insuficiente para desenvolver as habilidades de negociação e conversação e os aspectos atitudinais da atenção, equilíbrio e retidão necessários à sua prática. Assim, a aprendizagem no cotidiano de trabalho dos pregoeiros ocorreu de forma situada através dos conhecimentos informais e tácitos, compartilhados por meio das interações sociais entre os servidores, facilitada pela estrutura em rede dos Institutos Federais de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia (IFs) (instituições pesquisadas), fóruns e comunidades de praticantes, confirmando assim a perspectiva do knowing-in-practice. Afirma-se então que o desenvolvimento dos saberes do pregoeiro não está descolado de suas práticas de trabalho. A partir dos elementos identificados neste estudo, sugerem-se ações para melhoria das condições de trabalho, desenvolvimento e reconhecimento profissional do pregoeiro. Um olhar mais sensível da sociedade e dos representantes políticos é necessária, dada a importância estratégica do papel do pregoeiro na garantia da qualidade do gasto público. / Public Procurement Officers are the public servers responsible for conducting bidding processes of acquisition and hiring for public organs in Brazil. The main duty of the Public Procurement Officer, despite its complexity and importance to the efficient use of public resources, has been neglected by the state. Still, there is no specific career or equitable salary which represents the risks of this activity. The methods and analysis made by this study, considering Practice-Based Studies (PBS) and of knowing-into-practice, allowed a better visibility in the tacit elements that build the knowledge Public Procurement Officers have developed in their daily work. Starting with the identification and description of their practices at work, the Public Procurement Officer function is characterized by the accumulation and overlapping of activities, making it difficult to draw a proper profile to the function. Another intrinsic characteristic of the Public Procurement Officers' function, which directs and permeates this paper, is the presence of a normative structure. Through the speech of the interviewees it was possible to state that the Basic Training Course Public Procurement Officers take is not sufficient to develop the negotiation and reasoning skills and the attitude of attention, balance and rectitude needed to the practice of this function. Therefore, the Public Procurement Officers’ learning process happens throughout informal and tacit knowledge, shared through servers’ social interaction – facilitated by the structure in network from Federal Institutes of Education, Science and Technology (FIs) (institutions where the research took place), online forums and communities, corroborating the knowing-in-practice perspective. It can be stated that the knowledge development of Public Procurement Officers is not disconnected to their practice. Based on the elements identified in this study, some actions are suggested to improve the working conditions, development and recognition of the Public Procurement Officers. A more sensitive consideration from society and from political representatives is necessary, given the strategic importance of Public Procurement Officers’ role in assuring the public money is being well spent.