This study used Zohar‟s (2000) multi-level model of climate to examine the extent to which shared perceptions of workplace civility climate relate to teacher job satisfaction, affective commitment, and counterproductive work behaviors (CWB-abuse) towards other teachers. Workplace civility climate is defined as employee perceptions of how management uses policies, procedures, and practices to maintain a civil workplace. An online-survey was used to assess a cross-sectional sample of K-12 teachers (N = 2222) nested in 207 schools in a large US school district. There was adequate agreement among teacher perceptions of school civility climate for aggregation and between-group variance of civility climate among schools. The results of hierarchical linear models revealed school-level civility climate perceptions were significantly negatively associated with lower levels of teacher experienced incivility, CWB-abuse and associated with higher levels job satisfaction and affective commitment, thus supporting four out of five hypotheses. However, school-level civility climate did not function as a moderator of the relationship between a teacher‟s experience of incivility and acts of CWB-abuse towards other teachers. The findings of this study provide evidence that shared perceptions of civility climate are associated with higher levels of individual-level employee well-being.

N. Bukauskas. Mobile Work Place for the Manager in Private Limited Liability Company “Elektronikos komponentai” Master’s thesis (advisor prof. G. Kulvietis – Šiauliai, Šiauliai University, Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, Department of Computer Science, 2005, 32 pages). In a theoretical chapter of the Master thesis, the conception of mobility and mobile work place is analysed, equipment and software for equipping the mobile work place are discussed as well as mobile solutions introduced by Lithuanian companies are reviewed. Aim of the practical chapter is to equip the mobile work place (places) in Private Limited Liability Company “Elektronikos komponentai”. In order to achieve this goal, work analysis for the employees in every unit has been performed. The general aim of the analysis is to understand and assimilate the problem prior to its realisation. Upon analysis of the work in the sales unit, it was noticed that the largest amount of “manual” work is in this unit, because it is in particular its employees, who due to their work type, spend most of the time not inside the company, but outside its limits. Namely due to these reasons, the sales unit was selected for equipping the mobile work place. After the work analysis of the sales unit, a model of the mobile work place for the manager was created. In order to realise this model, most suitable is a laptop and mobile telephone with General Packet Radio Service (GPRS). According to the requirements set for this task... [to full text]

Magistro baigiamajame darbe nagrinėjama ekonomikos magistrantūros studijų absolventų preferencijos ir finansinės paskatos, renkantis darbo vietą, naudingumo aspektu. Tyrimo empirinę bazę sudaro 200 iš 689 Mykolo Romerio universiteto, Vilniaus universiteto, Kauno Technologijos universiteto bei Šiaulių universiteto 2007/2008 m.m. ir 2008/2009 m.m. ekonomikos magistrantūros studijų absolventai. Tyrimo objektas - Mykolo Romerio universiteto, Vilniaus universiteto, Kauno Technologijos universiteto bei Šiaulių universiteto ekonomikos magistrantūros studijų absolventų preferencijos ir finansinės paskatos, renkantis darbo vietą. Tyrimo tikslas - ištirti ekonomikos magistrantūros studijų absolventų preferencijas ir pagrindines finansines paskatas, darbo vietos pasirinkimo atžvilgiu, naudingumo funkcijų pagrindu. Atsižvelgiant į tyrimo tikslą ir iškeltus uždavinius darbe atlikta vartotojų preferencijų ir paskatų įtakos ištyrimo lygio analizė; išanalizuoti naudingumo funkcijų tipai; praktinėje darbo dalyje įvertintos Mykolo Romerio universiteto, Vilniaus Universiteto, Kauno Technologijos universiteto bei Šiaulių universiteto ekonomikos magistrantūros studijų absolventų, renkantis darbo vietą, naudingumo funkcijos; to pasekoje nustatytos respondentų preferencijos bei pagrindinės finansinės paskatos, teikiančios jiems didžiausią naudingumą, renkantis darbo vietą. Pagrindiniai tyrimo metodai: mokslinės literatūros analizė ir sisteminimas, anketinė apklausa, naudingumo funkcijų taikymas... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The preferences and financial incentives based on utility aspect of graduates of master economics studies by choosing a work place is analyzed in the concluding paper of master degree. The empirical base of the research consisted of 200 from 689 graduates of Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius University, Kaunas Technology University and Šiauliai University. The object of the research was the preferences and financial stimulants of graduates of master economic studies of Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius University, Kaunas Technology University and Šiauliai University by choosing the work place. The main goal of the research was to investigate the preferences and financial stimulants of graduates of master economics studies by choosing them the work place by using the utility functions. The following findings are presented in the paper: the theoretical analyze of investigation level of preferences and incentives of customers; the analyze of the types of utility functions; weighted utility functions of the graduates of Mykolas Romeris University, Vilnius University, Kaunas Technology University and Šiauliai University by choosing the work place; the preferences and major financial incentives of the respondents, which give them the maximum utility by choosing a work place. The main research methods: analyze and filing of nonfiction, survey of questionnaire, statistic analyze. The descriptive statistics was used to calculate statistical findings.

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Health and safety is of the utmost importance for any company or institution to be successful. There is quite a negative perception regarding the health and safety of rural hospitals and clinics. Rural hospitals are most of the time overcrowded due the large amount of patients that has no medical aid, thus increases the risk for health and safety issues. Patients sit in long queues for hours to receive medical attention and their medication and are therefore exposed to all kinds of diseases, which is a high risk for these patients’s health. The employees working in these rural areas are also exposed to life-threatening diseases on a daily basis and have a good chance of being infected. Employees leave the public sector because of these unsafe working conditions and find themselves either working in the private sector or may even immigrate to foreign countries for better and safer working conditions. During this research done, there were a few shortcomings identified for the management to improvement on and to ensure a safe working environment. There are quite a lot of negativities surrounding the patients and employees in these rural hospitals, because patients get raped by nurses, babies get stolen from maternity wards, doctors are attacked by patients and much more horrific incidents happening in these hospitals. Cultural differences are also a main concern for management, because there are a lot of different races working together in the same department and not everyone has the same beliefs and ways in doing tasks. These cultural differences may lead to clashes amongst employees and result in a negative working environment. This quantitative research was done in selected rural hospitals, due to cost and time consumption. Only 80 employees (doctors, nurses and pharmacists) participated in the research done and the research was not an in-depth research, but enough evidence was compiled to make the necessary assumptions that all is not well in the public sector. With the new National Health Insurance (NHI) to be implemented from 2012, there may a lot of changes in the rural hospitals for the better. Hospitals all over the country are being upgraded and the working conditions are being attended to by the government which may attract more health professional to rural hospitals and clinics. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

In our daily lives we all experience forms of stress and as humans, we are equipped with internal mechanisms to react to the phenomenon. We utilize tactics that are recognised as `fight or flight' depending upon how we perceive the threat and we employ them accordingly. However, when we are unable to meet the challenges placed upon us, when they form a barrier to our achievement and progress, we become overwhelmed and are susceptible to the detrimental effects of stress. The past two decades have witnessed rapid technological advances and we are thus connected to a global set of networks. Education has had to change in order to compete with a global market that requires new skills. Teaching and what teachers do have come under scrutiny in terms of audit to ensure that a `World-Class' education system is being delivered. As a result there has been an increase in teacher workload and the profession has become re-defined in order to meet contemporary needs. Recent research by government led bodies supports the need to address teacher workload as a major cause of stress. One result has seen the development of the Workload Agreement (2003) aimed at easing the ever-increasing demands placed upon teachers. Whether this measure will be enough to address the difficulties surrounding teaching in a post-modern society remains to be seen. This inquiry focuses on teachers who have experienced work place stress which is a widely recognised phenomenon and has its own particular features. In revealing key issues surrounding teachers and their workload this study aims to uncover the particular features of teacher stress with specific emphasis on role, role conflict, change, management issues, age and workload. Furthermore the study hopes to expose how teacher's lives are changed as a result of their encounter with stress. The harrowing nature of the participants' stress narratives compelled me to chronicle the stories and unveil the impact of their experiences upon all aspects of their lives. Employing methods associated with the case study approach, I conducted unstructured interviews with eight participants. Each person provided me with stories that are narratives of their stress experiences. The nature of this work is grounded in the qualitative paradigm and I have approached this from an interpretative stance. I believe my study confirms issues surrounding teacher workload and teacher stress merits inquiry.

The main aim of this thesis is to specify corporate culture of chosen companies in the international environment and its comparison. For investigation has been chosen small-sized hotels, when one of them is located in the Czech Republic and the second one in Spain. Then was chosen international hotel chain, which has offices in already mentioned countries. For investigation of corporate culture in chosen hotels two surveys were used The Values Survey Module 1994 (VSM 94) and "Color test of semantic differential" (TBSD). By obtained results it was possible to find some differences in corporate culture in small-sized hotels and then suggestion of advice for each of them was made. According to results of the international hotel chain survey it was suggested, how it is possible to make its corporate culture multinational.

Wellbeing is increasingly emerging within discussions of teacher effectiveness. Teacher quality and health has an impact on pupil learning. In an increasingly varied secondary teaching landscape where academies and free schools outnumber ‘state’ schools and where market forces and policy reform have created a new and dynamic working experience; there are benefits and opportunities, but also occupational risks to wellbeing. This study fills a research gap by engaging in a focussed analysis of secondary school teachers’ wellbeing. It offers theoretical contributions and practical recommendations relating to wellbeing and its management in emerging secondary school settings. It informs leadership and management practice towards managing wellbeing proactively through environment, community and personal / transcendental experiences. The research suggests that wellbeing as a performance management criterion and a key measure for school self-improvement could support best practice in innovative and infinite ways. A 61 item Likert questionnaire and 6 semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore 66 secondary teachers’ perceptions of their wellbeing. The data delivered illuminating testimony on the secondary teachers’ work lives and wellbeing. The results uncovered that environmental conditions (such as working with young people, the ability to take lunch breaks and access to resources) and communal conditions (such as the ability to work as a team, to be consulted, to collaborate, be supported and feel trusted) at work impacted teachers’ overall personal wellbeing. Personal wellbeing (overall wellbeing) represented how far teachers were able to develop personally and professionally, how far they experienced agency, control, fulfilment commitment and motivation. What was revealing was the emergence of transcendental wellbeing which arose as a component of personal wellbeing. Transcendental wellbeing represented the unique, personal framework that individuals ascribe to what they do. It encompassed the purpose, meaning and drive that enabled secondary teachers to work through daily events and challenges with resilience.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Even though attitudes have been studied for many years, attitudes toward individuals with disabilities still remain an important issue, today (Geskie & Salasek, 1988; Popovich, Scherbaum, Scherbaum & Polinko, 2003). With the relationship between numerous demographic factors and attitudes toward those with disabilities being inconsistent across existing research and the absence of research conducted in the South African context this research study investigated whether variables such as gender, age, education level, exposure to a person with a disability or having a friend or family member with a disability had an effect on attitude towards disability. The population of this study constituted students from the Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) Faculty and Support Staff in a Higher Education Institution in the Western Cape. A non-probability convenience sample method was utilised of which 140 respondents completed two questionnaires. Namely, a Biographical questionnaire and the Affective Reactions Subscale of the Disability Questionnaire (Popovich et al. (2003). Statistical analyses included both descriptive and inferential statistics (the t-Test and ANOVA). According to the findings of this research study, significant relationships do not exist between variables such as gender, age, educational level, amount of contact and exposure to or having a friend or family member with disability and staff and student attitudes toward those with disabilities in a Higher Education Institution in the Western Cape. A few limitations related to the study were recognized and it is recommended that a combination of quantitative and qualitative research approaches be implored as well as other faculties and Institutions in the Western Cape be used to contribute to greater representativeness and generalisability for future research. Also, to establish organisations or institutions as employers and institutions of choice among those with disabilities, organisations and institutions are to better market disability facilities and accommodations. It is also proposed that students and staff with disabilities should be encouraged to fully participate in the design and event management of disability awareness campaigns.

Abstract This research deals with the strengthening of work-life cooperation in secondary vocational music education leading to basic qualification. The starting point is to examine students' and professional musicians’ action processes in workshops based on a new kind of cooperation in on-the-job learning and to evaluate their suitability to arranging on-the-job learning. The original publications are joined by the framework of sociocultural learning. The purpose of this research is to add understanding about realizing work-life cooperation and learning produced in workshop action in the education of musicians. The pedagogical purpose is to open paths to planning and availing of problem-based learning in on-the-job method which adds to the learner´s involvement. The research is a qualitative case study comprising the total of 143 students and several teachers in the Conservatoire in Oulu and a few professional musicians. The research material (original publications I-III) consists of structured questionnaires, namely: a) students' workshop plans and learning objectives written before the workshops, and b) the written reflective reports after the workshop experiences. The research data was dealt with a theory-based contents analysis. The data was transcribed and tabulated according to a Finnish meta-study categories of learning obstacles and promoters. To widen his understanding of the workshop method the researcher acted as a participating observer in the workshops of Conservatory teachers and professional musicians (6 workshops) the results of which were reported in the original publication IV. The research results show that acting as a musician in a workshop supports learning professional skills and the key competences of lifelong learning. From the pedagogical viewpoint workshop action 1) emphasizes the learner's initiative and taking responsibility, 2) offers work environments typical of music field, 3) builds the action on problem solving and interaction, and 4) changes the role of a visiting professional musician from a source of information and the demonstrator of the “right” performances to a fellow musician. The challenge of vocational teachers is to develop their pedagogical competencies especially in the designing and coordinating learning environments that support students´ learning broadly. This research will bring a new, concrete viewpoint to the planning and implementation of work-life cooperation. / Tiivistelmä Tutkimus käsittelee työelämäyhteistyön vahvistamista musiikkialan perustutkintoon johtavassa toisen asteen ammatillisessa koulutuksessa. Lähtökohtana on tarkastella opiskelijoiden ja ammattimuusikoiden uudenlaiseen yhteistyöhön perustuvien työssäoppimisen työpajojen toimintaprosesseja sekä arvioida niiden soveltuvuutta työssäoppimisen järjestämisessä. Empiiristä tutkimusta yhdistää sosiokulttuurisen oppimisen viitekehys. Tutkimuksen tavoite on lisätä ymmärrystä työelämäyhteistyön toteuttamisesta sekä työpajatoiminnan tuottamasta oppimisesta muusikoiden koulutuksessa. Pedagogisena tavoitteena on avata suuntia opiskelijan osallisuutta lisäävän, ongelmaperustaisen työssäoppimismenetelmän suunnittelulle ja hyödyntämiselle. Tutkimus on laadullinen tapaustutkimus, johon osallistui vuosina 2003–2011 yhteensä 143 Oulun konservatorion opiskelijaa, lukuisia opettajia sekä ammattimuusikoita. Tutkimusaineisto koostuu (osajulkaisut I–III) strukturoiduista kyselyistä, joita ovat: a) opiskelijoiden ennen työpajaa kirjoittamat työpajasuunnitelmat ja oppimistavoitteet sekä b) työpajan jälkeen tehdyt kokemusten kirjalliset reflektoinnit. Aineiston analyysissä käytettiin teorialähtöistä sisällönanalyysiä. Aineisto litteroitiin ja taulukoitiin suomalaisen työssäoppimisesta tehdyn metatutkimuksen oppimista edistävien ja estävien kategorioiden mukaan. Työpajamenetelmään liittyvän ymmärryksen laajentamiseksi tutkija teki osallistuvaa havainnointia konservatorion opettajien ja ammattimuusikoiden työpajoissa (6 kpl), joiden tuloksista raportoitiin osajulkaisussa IV. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että muusikkona toimiminen työpajassa tukee oppimista ammatillisen osaamisen sekä elinikäisen oppimisen avaintaitojen kehittymisen osalta. Pedagogisesta näkökulmasta työpajatyöskentelyssä korostuvat 1) oppijan aloitteellisuus ja vastuun ottaminen, 2) toimiminen musiikkialalle tyypillisissä työympäristöissä, 3) ongelmanratkaisukeskeisyys ja vuorovaikutus, 4) kanssamuusikkous – vierailevan ammattimuusikon muuttunut rooli tietoa jakavasta mestarista ja ”oikeiden” suoritusten demonstroijasta yhtyekumppaniksi. Ammatillisten opettajien haasteena on kehittää pedagogista osaamistaan erityisesti opiskelijoiden oppimista laaja-alaisesti tukevien oppimisympäristöjen suunnittelussa ja koordinoinnissa. Tämä tutkimus tuo uuden, konkreettisen näkökulman työelämäyhteistyön suunnitteluun ja toteutukseen.