Half Price Books, Records, Magazines, Inc. (HPB), fills a unique niche by selling a variety of new, used and rare merchandise primarily in their chain of 116 stores in sixteen states and online. The company has noticed increased mobile device use among customers in their stores while sales have declined in recent years. To remain viable HPB is attempting to adapt to market forces in a timely manner while remaining continually interested in growth and innovation. A major part of adapting, growing, and innovating is the adoption and astute utilization of technology in-store and a more complete understanding of their customers’ activities and preferences. The goal is to make Half Price Books a more technologically savvy destination for shopping, community events, and entertainment. One purpose of this study is to give the company a better idea of how customers use technology in searching for merchandise including information searches generated in-store from mobile devices and how customers use the internet to find merchandise prior to and following their experiences in HPB’s stores. Another important purpose is to also determine what kinds of events such as book signings, poetry readings and other special events customers would like to see at Half Price Books, since the company has indicated a strong desire to provide fun and memorable experiences as well as products. The major research aims of this study are (1) To explore how customers use technology in searching for books in relation to two Half Price Books locations in Arlington, Texas and (2) To determine what customers want in terms of in-store events at these same locations.

This study examines a Greek civil society organization, which is struggling to cope with the precarity caused by the environment of crisis. By looking into the austerity that prevails in Greece, I aim to discuss the connection between the Greek society and the organization, as both of them are struggling with the consequences of the crisis which brings them into a precarious position. The methods used during the fieldwork were mainly participant observation in the space of the organization, and interviews as well as informal conversations with the members and recipients of the Solidarity Association. By analyzing their discourses introduced in the thesis through ethnographic stories, I claim that the interplay between precarious labor and precarious life transforms the organization into a space of silence. I suggest that this deadening of life should not only be seen as an outcome of the long period of living under harsh conditions, but also as one of the factors which brings the organization into dissolution. By looking at the disintegration of the Solidarity Association, I discuss that its solidarian culture turns into a philanthropic one due to individualistic behaviors which I argue are one of the outcomes of people’s precarious living. This thesis focuses more on what precarity does rather on what it is and it should be seen as a contribution to the understanding of the influence that precarity has on an organization placed in the context of contemporary austerity-ridden Greece.

This thesis contributes to research that informs the studies of organizational management and organizational anthropology. It examines the internal hierarchy and organizational practices of a Tech Company and describes how findings contributed to policy recommendations aimed towards supporting a “guild” model for organizational success. The data collecting and research were undertaken while working as an employee of the Tech Program and subsequent analysis continued past the end of that phase of work. Methods included semi-structured interviews which captured the sentiments and understandings of employees within the organization, and a questionnaire which revealed sentiments and experiences from former employees. These were buttressed with participant observation engaged through a participatory action research methodology. Findings add to the work directed towards understanding the effect of Founder’s Syndrome within organizations. Additionally, this thesis contributes to a growing body of research centered on best practices for fostering positive organizational growth by creating lines of communication from front-line employees to management level employers.

Orientador: Guilhermo Raul Ruben / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciencias Humanas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T05:43:06Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DAscenzi_Luciano_D.pdf: 2854291 bytes, checksum: c01781bf7d1508ee1fef41d6156b5e71 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Trabalho parte da problematização dos conceitos "cultura organizacional" e "inovação", tanto na produção teórica, quanto nas práticas observadas, para, a partir de pesquisa empírica, propor e testar mais um desenvolvimento do método etnográfico, agora, adequado a contextos organizacionais contemporâneos. Assim, a etnografia customizada dirige o esforço de ajuste das dimensões tempo e espaço às características e especificidades do "lugar", conforme conceituação de Geertz (1998). Essa metodologia tem caráter interdisciplinar já que parte da Antropologia Organizacional, e visa contribuir para o desenvolvimento do neo-institucionalismo sociológico e do Desenvolvimento Organizacional em Teoria Geral da Administração. Enquanto prática, o método pode ser utilizado como ferramenta gerencial, nos setores público e privado, a partir de diferentes campos de conhecimento, consubstanciando-se em perspectiva transdisciplinar / Abstract: This work starts from a problematization of the concepts "organizational culture" and "innovation", both, in theoretical production and empirical observation, in order to produce and test a new development of the ethnographic method, now, adjusted for application in contemporary organizational contexts. Thus, the customized ethnography, drives the effort in order to adjust the dimensions time and space, to the characteristics and specifications of the "place", as conceptualized by Geertz (1998). This methodology has interdisciplinary character since it refers to Organizational Anthropology, and aims to contribute for the development of the sociological neo-institutionalism and the Organizacional Development in General Theory of Administration. While practical, the method can be used as managerial tool, in the sectors public / Doutorado / Ciencias Sociais Aplicadas / Doutor em Ciências Sociais

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the current status of job descriptions at a Public School System, in [City], [State], USA, and to make recommendations for improvement in terms of job description content, format, and the creation and updated processes. This work covers job descriptions among classified employees and does not cover job descriptions for instructional staff (teachers, principals, etc.) or Executive Administrative Staff. The work begins by introducing the reader to the client and the current status of the client's job descriptions. The demographics of the subject population are discussed as well as the research methodologies. Findings are presented in light of research data and analyzed using Social Identity Theory, as well as business leadership principals. Finally deliverables are provided and recommendations are made. The thesis argues that application of Social Identity Theory and business leadership principals will support the ongoing job description processes by engaging employees in the process with supervisors leading the process

Legitimation and professionalization of a Romani NGO in the Czech Republic Hana Synková This PhD. thesis maps strategies of legitimation and survival of non-governmental organizations working with people that use to be categorized as "socially excluded" or "Roma". It attempts to answer the question: "What NGOs do to be able to look successful, gain resources, and create organizational reputation?" This work does not treat organizations as "things", but as processes and social networks influenced by state and European policies, funding mechanisms and internal competition. Despite the organizations being discursively divided into those preferring more ethnic or social definition of their clients, they have to cope with the same pressures in the shape of social services law, standards of quality or control systems that come with projects. Organizations are far from devoting their time to "work with clients"; they are also involved in enlarging social capital of their members and in production of "texts" that serve their legitimation claims towards control bodies, other organizations and public. In order to research these publicly less visible processes, the authoress uses methods of organizational anthropology - fieldwork inside organization and at many places which are contextually linked to the...