Students from 24 participating regions take part in teams of four in the CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants) GBC (Global Business Challenge) annually. The GBC is in the form of a business competition which is based on a case study of a real company. The participants receive the case study on which they should submit a written report. Teams are shortlisted based on the reports, and the shortlisted teams have to prepare a presentation to a panel of judges. This study explores whether participation in the GBC had any benefits for the participants in terms of exposure to various skills and the development of those skills. The skills included: technical skills and competencies, skills in roles of an accountant, soft skills, managerial accounting skills, financial management skills, strategic analysis skills, subject exploration, learning behaviour, practical application, and personal experience. A questionnaire was given to participants whose teams managed to compete in the global final of the GBC 2013 that was held in South Africa. Questions were formulated to address exposure to and development of the abovementioned skills, and participants had to complete the questionnaire individually. Relevant statistical analyses were done on the data collected in the questionnaire. These statistical analyses included a confirmatory factor analysis, calculation of the Cronbach alpha coefficients, descriptive statistics for the total group, independent t-tests for comparisons between two variables, ANOVAs (analysis of variances) for comparisons between more than two variables and Tukey’s post-hoc tests. Descriptive statistics for the entire group of participants are discussed, as well as comparisons made between various sub-classifications. The sub-classifications included a comparison between male and female participants, participants from different regions, top six shortlisted teams and teams who were not shortlisted, and participants whose mother tongue is English and those whose mother tongue is another language. The findings indicated that the students definitely perceived that they have been exposed to the mentioned skills as a result of taking part in the GBC. They also indicated that they are of the opinion that participation in the GBC enhanced those skills. The qualitative remarks were mainly positive, and indicated that the students enjoyed participation in the GBC. The study concludes with recommendations to the core audience of future GBC participants, academic mentors and future students attempting the final CIMA examinations, which includes a framework of the most important skills. A recommendation is also made to the peripheral audience of CIMA and financial management lecturers. / MCom (Management Accountancy), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Doctor of Philosophy / Curriculum and Instruction Programs / Charles E. Heerman / As the world has changed over the last century, so has the world of work. Today’s knowledge workers have fewer individual repetitive tasks, more autonomy, and more need to work with and through people at every level of an organization (Overtoom, 2000). As a result of the ‘flattening’ of the organizational hierarchy, it is critical that employees at all levels are proficient in soft skills. Recent studies indicate that employers consistently rate these skills as deficient in their incoming hires. Skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership and adaptability are commonly ranked as deficient. Academic leadership education strongly emphasizes this valuable skill set often referred to as soft skills. This study examined the relationship of the soft skills gained to the amount of leadership education completed by Fort Hays State University graduates using the Teamwork Skills Questionnaire (O’Neil, Lee, Wang & Mulkey, 1999). Those who received no leadership education from the FHSU Department of Leadership Studies were compared with those who received a leadership certificate and those who received a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. The study provided insight into whether academic leadership education enhances graduate’s soft skill development and to assess the impact this has on their perception of teamwork proficiency in the workplace. Results indicate that the leadership certificate does not significantly change soft skill development in graduates’ self-reported perceptions, as compared to students with no leadership coursework. It was found that the bachelor’s degree does make limited significant changes in graduates’ soft skill proficiency as compared with graduates who received the leadership certificate. Multiple significant changes were found in graduates with bachelor’s degrees as compared with graduates who received no leadership coursework. Recommendations to be considered when conducting further research include the use of qualitative methodology, the inclusion of more universities that offer a degree in Organizational Leadership, and the measurement of other skills the leadership coursework may produce but was not reflected in this instrument.

The determination of the elements that lead to project success is currently a major topic among the project management community. The role of the project manager and the influence it has on the overall results of the project has become a focus point for researchers, practitioners, and academics. The attempts that have been made to identify the characteristics and competencies of effective project managers has led to the acknowledgment that there is a need for a different set of competencies than those purely technical. The human and leadership skills of a project manager play an important role in the outcome of projects; therefore, it is important for these competencies to be taught and developed as part of project management education. Thus, this study aims to contribute to the understanding of the human competencies needed by effective project managers today and the extent to which project management bodies of knowledge, as well as formal education programs encourage the development and practice of such competencies. The research was carried out using a mix-method approach. Primary data was collected through semi-structured interviews with professors teaching different subjects within project management education programs. Secondary data was obtained from a thorough review of the main project management bodies of knowledge and project management postgraduate programs offered by accredited universities in the UK. The findings of this thesis suggest that there is a clear need for the development of the human side of project management, and that although there is no definite set of competencies for effective project managers, there are some key skills essential to those in the pursuit of success. Project management associations have shown an important change in their BOKs regarding the inclusion of topics on the human aspect of the practice from one edition to another. Moreover, as universities recognize the need to promote the development of human and leadership skills there is an opportunity to narrow the gap between the human topics covered within the programs and the methods used to teach them. However, the current role of both the BOKs and education providers is still only to create awareness on the topic rather than show and explain the use and techniques for different human skills in particular situations. Among the most suitable and effective methods for developing such competencies is the encouragement of team work, soft skills trainings, coaching and self-reflection exercises. Ultimately, it is the combined effort of the project management associations, universities, researches and practitioners themselves that will enhance the development and practice of human and leadership competencies within the project manager’s role nowadays.

Employers of newly minted information technology graduates are concerned that students graduating with information technology degrees offered in online environments are lacking critical noncomputing skills (soft skills). Further, it is unclear whether online environments have the capacity to foster the "soft skills" necessary for graduates to be successful in actual work environments. On-ground universities have tried multiple solutions including integrating soft skills into lower division courses--both technical courses and general education courses. On-ground universities have also suggested incorporating performance-based capstone experiences into technical degree programs. While much research has been done in evaluating the value of capstone experiences in face-to-face environments, research investigating the potential of such an experience to enhance and demonstrate soft skills resulting from the engagement in an online environment is lacking. The purpose of this study was to examine the value of a project-based capstone experience in promoting and assessing the enhancement of soft skills in an online undergraduate information technology degree program. The main goals of this research were to discover whether online competency based programs and the culminating project-based capstone promoted enhancement and demonstration of critical soft skills necessary to succeed in information technology work environments. Results of the study were based on analysis of interviews, curriculum and literature reviews, and extant survey data. A standout outcome of the study includes a new Gains' in Soft Skills Scalelet based on National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) survey questions to measure gains in soft skill competence. Several conclusions can be drawn from this study. First, critical soft skills are taught and demonstrated as a result of engagement with the online competency-based undergraduate information program. Second, it appears that some soft skills are more strongly emphasized than others thereby implying that the online learning model may be well suited to teaching and demonstrating some soft skills and not others. Finally, the culminating project-based capstone experience appears to be missing two key requirements: team participation and oral presentations.

O presente estudo se propõe a examinar a associação entre exposição à violência e as habilidades socioemocionais de alunos do ensino médio da rede pública do estado do Rio de Janeiro, dada a hipótese de que essas últimas funcionariam como mediadoras de parte do efeito da violência sobre desempenho escolar. A base de dados utilizada foi concebida pelo Instituto Ayrton Senna e a OCDE, que elaboraram uma ferramenta para a mensuração das habilidades socioemocionais desses estudantes. A relação foi estudada para alunos do 1o e 3o anos do ensino médio. Conclui-se que as habilidades socioemocionais mais associadas à criminalidade são amabilidade, extroversão e abertura a novas experiências, cujas relações demonstraram coeficientes negativos. A categoria de crimes que mais apresentou relação com as características analisadas foi a de crimes violentos contra patrimônio. Amabilidade e abertura a novas experiências se revelaram como mediadoras de uma pequena parcela do efeito da violência sobre as proficiências de matemática e língua portuguesa / This study aims to explore the association between exposure to violence and public school student\'s soft skills, given the hypothesis that these latter ones would be mediators of the effect of violence over scholar performance. The data base utilized was developed by the Ayrton Senna Institute and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and aimed to elaborate a tool for measuring soft skills of aproximatly 25 thousand students of Rio de Janeiro state public schools. The relation was analyzed for students in the first and last year of high school. The soft skills most associated with the violence indicators used were agreeableness, extraversion and openness to experience, with negative coeficients. The crimes that showed stronger relations with these characteristics were crimes against property. Agreeableness and openness to experience revealed themselves as mediators of the effect of violence over math and portuguese language grades

The problem of a prepared workforce is perennial. Part of the challenge is one of supply and demand, as education systems attempt to produce graduates with the technical competencies required for the current jobs available. In the new service- and knowledge-based economy, however, soft skills are cited as a greater need by today’s employers. Increasingly sought across all industry sectors, these skills allow employees to work independently and interdependently, respond rapidly to customer needs, and adjust to changing market conditions. As a result, institutions of higher education are being called upon to infuse soft skills into their curricula. In this three-manuscript dissertation, first the implications for higher education, with Kentucky serving as a prime example, are assessed. Second, potential higher education predictors of success on a soft skills assessment—college admissions tests, grades, coursework, socioeconomic measures, and work-based learning—are examined through a quantitative study. Third, the importance of soft skills is considered in the context of capitalist societies and the purposes of education as a human endeavor. The case may be made that soft skills, rather than being a subset of workforce preparation or higher education, may be thought of as the fundamental intellectual tools of humanity.

Regional accounting firm leaders face challenges with employees who possess strong technical skills, but lack nontechnical communicating and teamwork skills. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore strategies regional accounting firm leaders use to train technical staff on soft skills. The human capital theory was the conceptual framework supporting the study. Data were collected from semistructured interviews with partners, leaders, managers, and human resource personnel with 5 years or more of experience who participated in the hiring, training, and professional development process at 3 regional CPA firms. The review of company documents and company website postings triangulated the semistructured interviews. Data analysis entailed coding, conceptualizing concepts and ideas, identifying themes, and member checking to ensure the trustworthiness of interpretations. Based on the data collected, 3 themes emerged after the analysis including soft skills needed for success, mentoring and leadership programs, and team building initiatives. Findings from this study may contribute to social change by providing strategies regional accounting firms could use to provide soft skills training and mentoring initiatives to technical staff. Improvement in soft skills training may improve employees' lives by increasing their employability, career progression, and transition within the workplace, which may improve the economic wellbeing of local communities.

Technical skills are no longer enough for workers to compete in this highly competitive global work environment. Soft skills are of paramount importance. A multiple case study design through the lens of emotional intelligence formed the basis of the research study. The focus of the research was identification of the successful soft skills training strategies in the logistics industry. Three logistics organization leaders in the counties of Burlington, Middlesex, and Somerset, New Jersey, were participants in the study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and the review of company documents. Four themes emerged through data analysis of converging multiple data sources: (a) the use of a combination of group and individual training, (b) the identification of training needs by individual, (c) the use of a systematic method to resolve emotional behaviors at work, and (d) the importance of effective communication. The study findings may contribute to social change by providing guidelines to use for setting up soft skills training programs. The soft skills training program may be used to target disadvantaged individuals who are unemployed or living in poverty. Improving the soft skills of disadvantaged individuals may help them gain and retain suitable employment. Gainful employment may have a long-term effect of improving their quality of life, while reducing their reliance on social welfare programs.

Many high school students who want to attend college never actually enroll. Multiple factors like barriers (e.g., financial, discrimination) and poor academic achievement prevent some high school students from matriculating to college. Researchers must form a nuanced understanding of multidimensional factors that predict college enrollment. The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the extent to which psychosocial academic behavioral skills (PABS) predict college enrollment in two and four year colleges. A cross-sectional, survey-based methodology was used to address the research questions. Data from operational research by ACT, Inc. using the Engage 10-12 instrument were used to analyze students’ psychosocial academic behavioral skills. Standardized test scores and high school GPA were used to measure academic achievement. College enrollment data were gathered from the National Student Clearinghouse. A large, diverse sample of over 4,100 high school students in 10th, 11th, and 12th grade was analyzed using logistic regression and hierarchical generalized linear models. Select psychosocial academic behavioral skills demonstrated positive relationships with four-year enrollment. Relationships between PABS and two-year college enrollment were smaller than the observed relationships between PABS and four-year college enrollment. Bootstrapping was used to determine if psychosocial academic behaviors predicted college enrollment or if this effect was mediated via academic achievement. Moderation and partial mediation effects were observed. By understanding student characteristics related to college enrollment, researchers and policymakers are better equipped to help young people matriculate to postsecondary institutions.

A significant number of engineers move into management positions, their numbers increasing with their length of service. However, engineers are not considered to be effective managers and are generally considered inadequate in soft skills. Given the centrality of engineers and management, understanding this transition is essential in order to develop strategies for managing. This research is an exploratory field-based study of the transition of professional engineers into management roles (engineer-managers) in Australia, from the perspective of the individual engineer. The study investigates the attitudes of engineers towards such areas as engineering education, towards managerial transition, status, organizational support systems, and strategies for managing transition, and examines their influence on the process of transition. Importantly, this research examines the influence of factors such as job nature, management qualifications, age, employing organizations, and other variables on their attitudes, and studies the differences between various subgroups of engineers. This research is based on the results of a case study and a questionnaire survey. An important outcome of this research is the focus on the process of engineering education. This research concludes that different emphases in the process of teaching and learning would contribute, in the long run, to engineers developing soft skills, and so make their transition into management easier. The study found that electrical engineers are more proactive than civil or mechanical engineers and that it is necessary to develop different strategies for different groups of engineers. The study observed that the higher the status of professional engineers within an organization, the greater was the likelihood of success. Supporting the anecdotal evidence from the case study, it is noted that the more engineers there are in management positions, the better the perception of senior management about their capabilities. This study found that management education for engineers has a strong influence, both in terms of their acquiring managerial skills as well as enhancing their status within their organization. Experiential learning, though, is the most common method by which engineers acquire managerial skills. The study also found that this is the least-managed strategy in Australian organizations; learning is left entirely to the individual. For engineers to be able to take advantage of experiential learning, better management is necessary / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)