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No description available.

This study investigated the relationship between management style and the personality variable "locus of control" on subordinate job satisfaction among employees of a Communications Center for a large municipal law enforcement agency. Unlike many of the past studies that investigated the relationship between employee internality and job satisfaction, this current study found that Internals and Externals did not differ in general satisfaction when both had perceptions of high considerate supervisory behavior. It was also hypothesized that locus of control would have a high negative correlation with general satisfaction. This hypothesis was not supported. The last hypothesis of this study involved the degree to which Internal and External subordinates would differ from one another when they perceived their supervisor to be high or low on both supervisory dimensions (considerations and initiating structure). A t-test for independent samples showed that the difference (on satisfaction) between those individuals with an Internal locus of control and those with and External locus of control was not significantly different when they perceived their supervisor to be high on both the consideration and initiating structure dimensions.

No description available.

This quantitative descriptive study investigated the attitudes of educational supervisors (i.e., head teachers) in Kuwaiti middle schools toward the involvement of families in the education of their adolescent children. Joyce Epstein's model of family involvement (1996c) provided the theoretical framework. A survey instrument, Supervisor's Attitudes toward Family Involvement in Kuwait Middle Schools, was adapted and translated into the Arabic language to collect data from male and female Kuwaiti middle schools supervisors in the six school districts. As anticipated, the results of this study identified (a) any significant differences, by gender and district, in attitudes about family involvement among Kuwaiti middle school supervisors; (b) the level of responsibility for encouraging family-school relationships among administrators, teachers, parents, and students; (c) the level of importance of different types of family involvement; (d) the barriers preventing families from being more involved in their children's middle schools in Kuwait; and (e) the degree of importance of each type of educational involvement for family participation during their children's middle school years. Independent sample t-tests were conducted to compare the mean scores by gender for supervisors' attitudes. One–way ANOVA was conducted to determine whether there were significant differences in the mean scores by district. The results indicated there were no significant differences in supervisors' attitudes by geographical district. There were some significant differences in supervisors' attitudes toward family involvement by gender. These findings might be related to traditional culture that affects women in Arabic societies, including the Kuwaiti community. Frequency distributions were calculated to determine the participants' responses to the subsequent research questions. The results indicated that administrators and families were perceived as more responsible for initiating family involvement than supervisors, teachers, and students. All six types of family involvement in Epstein's model (1996c) were important to the supervisors. Lack of time was a serious barrier to family involvement for both teachers and parents and the perceived problem of parent-adolescent conflict during later childhood was an additional barrier. Providing a home environment that supported learning, regular communication with teachers and administrators, and assisting students at home were considered to be highly important. / Ph. D.

This study describes the strategies that were employed by the Frederick County Public Schools Superintendent and the School Board to maintain instructional programming while assuring continued support for schools by the local governing body during the economic recession of 2007-2009. Despite reductions in state appropriations beginning in 2008 and continuing through 2011, division leaders worked closely with the county Board of Supervisors to support public schools and local governmental services, even as the local economy faltered. While other local governments annually reduced appropriations to schools, effort by the Frederick County School Board and its administrative leadership to foster a positive relationship with the Board of Supervisors led to only one operating fund reduction in fiscal year 2010, as the schools' share of the projected local revenue shortfall. This study describes those actions that promoted and improved trust between the School Board and the Board of Supervisors. This study addresses the following research questions: 1. What political and relationship factors contributed to maintaining level local funding in fiscal year 2010 and beyond by the local Board of Supervisors? 2. What strategies were employed by the School Board and division leadership to reduce operating expenditures and maintain quality education programs for all students? 3. How did State Fiscal Stabilization Funds provided under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act influence decision making for fiscal year 2010? Some of the actions taken by the School Board and the Board of Supervisors may be representative of those steps taken to address revenue shortfalls by other Virginia local governments. However, each community has had unique financial challenges to overcome. Not all actions described will be generalizable to other communities. As economic uncertainty continues at the time of this study, the findings may foreshadow how public education will be supported in the future. / Ed. D.

The status of a foreman in modern day production is dependent upon a number of' factors, many of which are beyond his control. It has been said that the foreman stands "victim, not monarch” in this situation which has been created largely by economic conditions in our economy. But, these conditions have not affected all industries in the same manner. It is the purpose of this paper to investigate the status determining conditions in the highway construction industry. To evaluate these status determining conditions, the highway construction industry is first studied through existing library sources. To substantiate these findings, empirical research was then done in two highway construction firms, one large and one small. The following criteria were used to evaluate the foreman's status: influence on top management in decision making, economic contributions to the firm, authority over production, staff interference, foreman control within his division, channels of information, visibility of position to top management, upward mobility, security of position ease of replacement, operative skill level supervised, importance of position in the firm, and remuneration. From the information gathered, it appears that foremen in the highway construction industry have a higher status rating than do most foremen in other types or industries. / M.S.

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In order to fill the gap in existing research on the topic, this study was undertaken to establish whether a relationship exists between five sources of power and five conflict handling styles. A theoretical study regarding the concepts of power and conflict was undertaken. In the empirical study these variables were measured using the Power Base Index and Thomas-Kilmann Conflict MODE questionnaires. Reward power was significantly related to the competing and avoiding conflict handling styles; expert power was significantly related to the compromising style; and legitimate power was significantly related to the collaborating conflict handling style. The research contributes towards a better understanding of power and conflict in organisations and in supervisors' day-to-day management. However, the results indicate the importance of wider, more sophisticated research. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial Psychology)

Luossavaara-Kiirunavaara AB (LKAB) är ett statligt industriföretag som verkar inom gruvbranschen. Företaget arbetar i dagsläget aktivt i syfte att förebygga ohälsa på arbetsplatsen.Trots detta proaktiva arbete är både fysisk och psykisk ohälsa på arbetsplatsen ofrånkomligt och det är därmed viktigt att utveckla en väl fungerande rehabiliteringsprocess. En arbetslivsinriktad rehabiliteringsprocess innefattar arbetsträning, anpassning av arbetsplatsen samt förändrande arbetsuppgifter eller utbildning. I denna process har individens närmaste chef en central roll. Studien syftar därför till att förmedla de ansvariga chefernas uppfattningar och upplevelser av företagets rehabiliteringsprocess. Insamlingen av datamaterial har utförts genom tolv kvalitativa semistrukturerade intervjuer och bearbetningen genomfördes därefter utifrån en fenomenografisk analysmetod. Forskningsfrågorna behandlade chefernas uppfattningar och upplevelser av den nuvarande processen samt deras roll och ledarskap. Vidare undersöktes även de förbättringsområden som kunde identifieras. Studiens huvudresultat visade både likheter och skillnader mellan chefernas uppfattningar och upplevelser. Flertalet chefer upplevde den nuvarande rehabiliteringsprocessen som fungerande medan andra chefer upplevde att den fungerande mindre bra. Flera förbättringsområden identifierades där önskan om tydligare struktur genomsyrade samtliga förslag. Studiens resultat visade även likheter och skillnader i chefernas ledarskap. Analysen av chefernas uttalanden genererade två ledarprofiler där de tillhörde antingen en ledarprofil som karaktäriserades av stödjande egenskaper eller en profil som karaktäriserades av både stödjande och delegerande egenskaper. De chefer som tillhörde den sistnämnda profilen tenderade att anpassa sin ledarstil efter individ och situation. Detta flexibla arbetssätt kunde kopplas till situationsbaserat ledarskap vilket utifrån tidigare forskning  visat sig leda till goda resultat.