There is a wealth of literature on job satisfaction from both Western and Eastern experiences and perspectives, but the literature is limited when it comes to happiness at work, especially in the Arab region. This study is an attempt to encourage research studies in the field of happiness at work in the Middle East and specifically in the United Arab Emirates, the context of the present research, to influence planning in government organisations in implementing a strategy for long-term impacts on happiness levels. This research uses a mixed methods approach of both questionnaires and interviews to collect data. The analysis is conducted by using quantitative and qualitative tools to recognise the gaps and the factors that influence happiness at work and suggests recommendations in order to raise happiness across organisations over the long run. The findings of this study emphasise the necessity of correlating HRM practices, rules and systems with strategic planning that focuses on employee happiness as the greatest purpose of an organisation. The findings emphasise the power of three factors related to employees' feelings towards work which are: Leadership style, organisational culture and organisation structure and how reflecting them in an organisation will positively influence satisfaction and build a strong, positive and happy workplace. This research also discusses one of the controversial inquiries found in the literature about the relationship between job satisfaction and happiness. A conceptual framework is suggested to illustrate the connection between job satisfaction and happiness from a new perspective and clarify how these two concepts positively interact. It clarifies that organisations that indicate a high-level of happiness at work usually indicate a high-level of job satisfaction, and when an organisation achieves a high-level of job satisfaction, it can be deduced that people in the organisation are happy, even where happiness per se is not measured. The findings also show that the role of religion in raising happiness in general is clearer than its role in raising happiness at work and that employees from the sample group, who emphasise the importance of practicing religious rituals, still indicate low feelings towards work regardless of all the facilities that are provided to them to practice their religion.

Current UK public health policy and research identifies potential health risks of physical inactivity and high levels of sitting. This is a particularly pertinent issue for office workers, who spend, on average, over two-thirds of the work day sitting. This thesis reports on the design and evaluation of a multicomponent sit-stand desk intervention, delivered within two not-for-profit office-based organisations in London, England. A mixed method study design was employed. A pilot randomised controlled trial examined the efficacy of the intervention on reducing sitting and increasing standing and physical activity, using wearable monitors to measure outcome variables at baseline, and at four additional timepoints up to 12-months following the onset of the intervention. A process evaluation, including in-depth qualitative interviews and participant observation, investigated the processes that influenced the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of the intervention. Mixed-model ANOVA indicated that the intervention reduced workplace sitting, on average, by 38 minutes, however there was no significant influence on workplace physical activity, or any of the outcome variables across the whole day. The process evaluation revealed that discourses surrounding employee health and organisational effectiveness, and employees' health-focused occupational identities increased the acceptability of sit-stand desk provision, whereas monetary concerns, a centralised organisational structure and incompatibility of the sit-stand desks with the workplace environment negatively influenced implementation feasibility. The sit-stand desk design, expectations and outcomes related to health and productivity, and the organisational culture and interpersonal relationships positively and negatively influenced sit-stand desk experience to differing degrees between participants. Mixed method analyses of outcome and process data illustrated the potential for integrating findings to enhance understanding of 'what works' within behavioural intervention research. Sit-stand desks are not a one-size-fits-all solution to reducing sitting and increasing physical activity, however, they should be available to office-based employees as part of a wider workplace health strategy.

This thesis examines the role that emotions have within social work practice. The key tenets of the literature relating to emotions are considered and a conceptual framework is proposed which will provide a conceptual and definitional underpinning to the thesis. Emotions and emotional intelligence are located within wider social work literature, and links are established with reflective practice, relationships with service users, social work skills, policy, legislation and supervision. Social workers across a Scottish local authority were asked to respond to a survey questionnaire and a selected cohort from this sample participated in semi-structured interviews based on the emerging themes from the survey. The data reported a complex picture of the role of emotions with a key challenge being the place of emotions within constructs of ‘being professional’. There was strong evidence that the relationship based aspects of practice were felt to be important and that emotions often were a key element and a useful tool, but this was counterbalanced by a strong view that the emotional content of practice should be removed from the written articulation of practice and in some cases from supervision. The value of informal support from colleagues was highlighted in terms of ‘safety’ and accessibility. The discussion of the results examines the impact of competing contextual factors such as professional narratives and organisational culture on how social workers experience and report the emotional content of their practice, and an ‘emotional gap’ is identified whereby social workers adopt a dramaturgical response to how they present aspects of their practice. The conceptual framework is considered in relation to the findings, and it is concluded that emotions are an inescapable aspect of the individual and collective experience of social work, in spite of the aforementioned contextual issues. Conclusions and implications for practice are drawn, and a model is developed which identifies the cultural and organisational shift required to reduce the perceived disjuncture between emotions and social work as a profession.

The last two decades of the twentieth century saw unprecedented change in the Western Australian public sector. Legislative reform, royal commissions and new policies aimed at enhancing public sector accountability, transparency and efficiency have served to highlight the critical role of CEOs in delivering change. Underpinning sustainable organisational change is cultural change, which in-turn is most effectively driven by a transformational leadership style. There has been little research into CEOs' perceptions of their role in leading cultural change in their organisations. This thesis details an exploratory study of WA public sector CEOs. It discovered that CEOs identified with elements characterising the theoretical construct of a transformational leader. They perceived cultural change as the realignment of organisational values and behaviour with mission, government and community expectations, efficiency and effectiveness. CEOs actively deployed a number of strategies to bring about cultural change but were uncertain about the extent which substantive cultural change was taking place within the public sector. Factors they saw as impacting on their capacity to lead such change included the Government's policy agenda, management theory and potentially, peer support. CEOs who participated in the study were predominantly career public servants, male, over the age of fifty, had worked exclusively in the public sector and only led a small number of organisations. They had mixed views about the impact of such demographics on a CEO's capacity to effectively lead cultural change citing situational factors and personal attributes as being significant variables. There were a number of clear findings from the study that have significant, practical implications for the public sector. CEOs would benefit from a government that communicated a stronger sense of vision about the ++ / future directions of the sector. CEOs require structured opportunities to enhance their competencies in the leadership of change and incentives to commit to change agendas that may extend well beyond the tenure of their employment contacts. Finally, CEOs cannot effectively transform organisational culture without support from other leaders and strategic plans that take account of emerging demographic shifts in the workforce that will inevitably impact on staff values, behaviours and expectations.

This study examines the impact of organisational culture and GSS (Group Support Systems) on small group decision-making as measured by group decision outcomes. Laboratory experiments were designed to investigate how two types of groups selected on the basis of having apparently different organisational cultures make decisions on a preference task, in situations where they were given one of two different means of support (face-to-face GSS support or manually structured support) to aid their decision-making. Organisational culture and GSS are the independent variables, whilst the dependent outcome variables were perceived decision quality, decision process satisfaction, decision satisfaction, unified commitment, collaborative climate, and group cohesiveness. The research results showed that manually-supported groups, those who were given simple physical decision-support aids and worked face-to-face, had higher perceived decision quality and decision process satisfaction but no significant differences in unified commitment, decision satisfaction, collaborative climate, and group cohesiveness were found when compared to face-to-face GSS???supported groups who were given electronic aids. One of the two groups drawn from environments where organisational culture was expected to be quite different, that is the Kensington Campus group had higher perceived decision quality, decision process satisfaction, unified commitment, and group cohesiveness but no significant differences in decision satisfaction and collaborative climate when compared with groups drawn from a campus of the same university, ADFA (Australian Defence Force Academy) Campus, one which is attended only by military students. Whilst compared with those of manually structured support on group outcomes, the impacts of GSS on group outcomes weakened when they performed a preference task, organisational culture was found to have a significant impact on group outcomes when both face-to-face GSS and manual settings were considered.

This thesis illustrates the development of a new methodological tool for arts marketing, called the visibility/involvement model, through a critical analysis of promotional material of Christchurch's art galleries. The methodological tool provides insights into the quality of the art galleries' marketing activities, categorising promotional material according to their level of visibility/public accessibility and required individual involvement. The promotional material was considered according to three different dimensions of meaning: (1.) The textual dimension of meaning (Fairclough, 1992); (2.) The visual dimension of meaning (Kress and van Leeuwen, 1996; 2006); (3.) The local dimension of meaning (Scollon and Scollon, 2003). The innovation of the newly developed model lies in the combination of these three dimensions coming from the three different theoretical and methodological areas of thought: Critical Discourse Analysis, Systemic Functional Analysis, and Mediated Discourse Analysis. The model takes the above mentioned three dimensions together in order to categorise and assess a gallery's current marketing approach, and to then recommend a gallery's enhancement of marketing strategies to either deepen or broaden their audience. The visibility/involvement model also provides understanding of a gallery's underlying ideology and can explain why a certain gallery emphasises a particular marketing approach more than another cultural organisation and what implications that might have for future developments. This thesis challenges the view that traditional marketing strategies apply to arts marketing. Following Venkatesh and Meamber's (2006), who account for the cultural production process, drawing on McCracken (1986; 1988), this thesis attempts to engage in a holistic arts marketing approach. In order to attempt a holistic analysis, the thesis is based on analysis of galleries' visual signs, mission statements, and sent-out invitations. A central argument in the thesis is that each class of promotional material implies different properties, and hence requires an altered promotion strategy based on the target audience and the main communicative intention. The concept entails that the audience becomes narrower and more homogeneous from the category of visual signs to the class of sent-out invitations. Likewise, the communication needs to become more personal and specific. The audience layer model, an application of the visibility/involvement model introduced in the final chapter of this thesis, illustrates the relationship between the audience and promotional material.

In Vietnam, together with the renovation program known as Doi moi, promulgation of resolution 49/CP in 1993 and subsequently of directive 58 CT/TW in 2000 provided the incentive and resolve to use Information Technology (IT) as a driver of economic development and social advancement. Thus, IT was designated a national strategic priority. However, despite the Government�s efforts to implement IT, uptake and use of IT in organisations have been embryonic. Existing studies implied IT implementation in Vietnamese organisations to have been influenced in part by organisational culture factors traceable to the national culture. In light of these findings, the present study focuses on the relationships between organisational culture and IT implementation in Vietnamese organisations. Nine objectives were set for the study. The related research questions were focused on identifying the most common features of organisational culture in Vietnam, how respondents� and organisational characteristics were associated with organisational culture, the general level of IT implementation success in organisations, how respondents� and organisational characteristics were associated with IT implementation, and the nature of the relationship between a Vietnamese organisation�s culture and effectiveness of its IT implementation. In pursuing quantitative research methodology, a questionnaire was developed and subjected to a focus group scrutiny at the preliminary stage and then again prior to implementation to confirm the questionnaire�s suitability and applicability. Data, from 328 returned questionnaires, and the findings of the subsequent analyses were validated via semi-structured interviews and a panel of experts. To address the research questions, the data were subjected to a battery of statistical analysis tools, including descriptive, correlation, association, analyses of variance and factor analysis. The findings were then interpreted and the panel of experts used to confirm and better understand the findings and to offer extra insights. The majority of the organisations surveyed were characterised by the 'Elephant' organisational culture (OC) style that had elements of order, uniformity, rules and regulations and emphasis on stability. Most of these organisations were state-owned enterprises located in northern Vietnam. In number, these were followed by the �Tiger� OC organisations, comprising mainly private and foreign-owned organisations, especially those located in Ho Chi Minh City. These �Tiger� organisations stressed their operational efficiency, and externally positioned themselves toward winning competitive advantage and achieving market superiority. �Rabbit� characteristics, such as flexibility, creativity and innovation did not surface often within Vietnamese organisations. Most organisations surveyed claimed to enjoy a rather high level of IT implementation benefits, especially those relating to internal-focused aspects such as �Faster response time�, �Better communication & networking�, and �Higher quality of performance�. Finance related benefits of IT implementation were at the lowest level. Private and foreign-owned organisations had the highest level of both IT investment payoff and IT implementation benefits while state-owned organisations had the lowest on both measures. State-owned organisations also reported the most problems with IT implementation the most frequently, while foreign-owned organisations least often faced such problems. Exploration of the association between OC and IT implementation showed that 'Elephants� were significantly associated with lower levels of successful IT implementation, while �Tiger� organisations followed by �Rabbit� were significantly associated with higher levels of success. �Production-oriented� organisations indicated higher levels of IT investment payoff than �People-oriented� ones. Organisations with �entrepreneurial� characterisation were found to have high levels of IT implementation success. In light of the findings and their implications, recommendations were made for government, industry, business and research organisations. The recommendations are designed to foster improved uptake and use of IT in Vietnamese organisations through the process of 'Organisational Doi moi' (organisational renewal) as well as to enlarge the research base on socio-cultural aspects of IT to buttress such efforts.

This study describes and assesses the organisational culture of a particular primary school in the Northern Territory through examination of two research questions: 1. To what extent is the organisational culture of the school cohesive, strong and concentrated? 2. To what extent can the organisational culture of the school be described as a particular type(s) of culture? The development of the concept of organisational culture is outlined through a survey and analysis of the literature. This study takes the view of culture as 'root metaphor'. The relationship between cultural strength and effectiveness, particularly in the school context, is examined to provide a rationale for the study. From the literature review the study develops a number of methodological, analytical and interpretative frameworks to provide an underlying structure to address the research questions. The research methodology is qualitative, drawing largely on ethnographic approaches. The researcher spent extensive time in the school under study as 'participant observer'. Data gathering was carried out in four ways 1. Collection of written material.2. Researcher's observational notes. 3. Interviewing, both informal and semi-structured 4. Administration to school teaching staff of the Owens and Steinhoff (1989) Organisational Culture Assessment Inventory. The findings are presented under seven themes or sets of themes, seen to be indicative of the core operating values of the school: Stability, Tradition and Formality Caring Co-operation, Support and Sharing Commitment and Participation High Standards Recognition and Pride Flexibility. The strength and inter-relationship of the seven themes is explored via a conceptual map. The study concludes that the organisational culture of the school under study can be considered to be cohesive, strong and concentrated to a significant extent but that it is difficult to conclude that the culture can be described as any particular type. Rather, it is concluded that it could be described as a number of particular types. Finally, what emerges of particular significance from this study is the role played by the principal of the school in forming, shaping and modelling its values system. It is concluded that educational leaders must also be cultural leaders, be aware of the need for all members of the school community to be involved in this process and engage, encourage and reward their participation.

Media reports as well as existing (albeit limited) research suggest abusive work practices are common in restaurant kitchens. Kitchen abuse is explored in this case study, as ten experienced Swedish chefs were interviewed. Organisational culture theory is used to conceptualise the occupational culture of chefs, which is hypothesised to be of explanatory significance. The issue of abusive work practices is contrasted with workplace bullying literature. Results suggest abusive work practices do occur, but that certain rough jargon and authoritative management, that might be considered illegitimate in other workplace contexts, generally is expected and accepted among restaurant chefs. Contextual factors and the conditions of work, especially during intense service-periods, are thought to create certain demands on chefs, and particularly head chefs, that has formed various aspects of kitchen work. Chef culture seems adapted to these circumstances. A potential blind spot of the study is aspiring chefs that quit the profession shortly after entering. Not yet fully trained or accustomed to chef culture, this group faces an increased risk of ill-treatment, and they typically elude research. Overall, results suggest academic bullying concepts are problematic to apply on this case, and underscore the significance of contextual factors for understanding workplace abuse phenomena.

People, processes and teams form the basis of organisational success. Therefore the understanding and prediction of people and their behaviour- both individual and in a team - is a critical management activity. Behaviour of people are influenced by internal factors such as personality, abilities and skills, perception, beliefs and motives as well as by external factors from the environment in which the individual operates. Understanding these forces and their influence on the individual is paramount if one is to understand how to canalise these behaviours to achieve any given organisational goal. Another concept important to understand, is that of organisational culture which is regarded as beliefs, values and learned ways of coping with experience. Organisational culture develops during the course of an organisation's history, and has become a more and more important concept in organisations, due to its strategic nature and impact on business. The culture of an organisation can be influenced and changed naturally over time, or by using deliberate, carefully designed cultural change interventions. The maturity of an organisation's HSEC systems and processes and related improvement in performance, is related to the prevailing HSEC culture evident in the organisation. It is evident that as an organisation moves from a reactive safety culture to an interdependent safety culture, so does the HSEC performance and lagging indicators of the organisation increase. Behaviour-based safety processes endeavour to influence the individual employee's behaviour in order to improve the safety performance of an organisation. The benefits of behaviour-based safety programs are numerous and lead to reduced injuries and improved levels of safe behaviour amongst employees. Metalloys has selected behaviour-based safety as one of the tools to entrench a culture of zero harm in the organisation and to establish an empowered and enabled workforce. The effectiveness of this approach was assessed during this study The empirical research conducted for this study revealed that both the average response rate per construct and the responses per question within the various constructs reflect a positive response to the elements tested. It is evident from the results that a large proportion of the employees are of the opinion that communication processes are effectively established, employees are involved on a personal level, that there is sufficient supervisor support and that leadership exhibits visible leadership in the organisation. These are all constructs testing the elements required to effectively establish the culture of the organisation. In addition, a large proportion of the employees felt that HSEC systems are well entrenched and that facilities and equipment are of such a standard, as to ensure the safety of employees and that these are maintained at high levels. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010