Thesis (M.A. (Maatskaplike Werk)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A. (MW Forensic))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Thesis (M.A. (Maatskaplike Werk)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (M.A.)--Baylor University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 152-164).

La investigación tuvo como objetivo determinar si existe relación entre las dimensiones de engagement y la esperanza en obreros de construcción de una empresa peruana. Los participantes fueron 195 obreros de construcción de género masculino. Los instrumentos empleados fueron la versión en castellano del Dispositional Hope Scale de Snyder (1991) y de la Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES 17) de Schaufeli y Bakker (2003). Se realizó el análisis factorial exploratorio, la prueba de normalidad y el análisis de correlación de Spearman. Como conclusión, existe una relación positiva y moderada entre esperanza y engagement, así como también entre estas variables y tiempo de permanencia. / The aim of the study is to determine if there’s a relationship between engagement and hope in construction workers of a peruvian company. The participants are 195 construction workers, all of them male. The instruments used were the Spanish version of Snyder's Dispositional Hope Scale (1991) and the Spanish version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES 17) by Schaufeli and Bakker. Exploratory factor analysis, normality test and Spearman’s correlation analysis were performed. The results show that there is a positive and moderate relationship between hope and engagement, and between this constructs and tenure. / Tesis

To gain the title of master is not an easy feat 1. Learning a particular craft takes time, attention and dedication. Recently, this type of commitment has become old fashioned, even burdensome. New commitments to production and efficiency have forced the American craftsmen and builders to change theirs as well. This shift has in many ways removed the thinking from making 2. It has removed the joy of labor and craft, in effect removing the dignity and pride of work 3. Current architectural discourse has emphasized and promoted personal value and self-worth through the buildings we build. However, the promotion of this ethical stance has gone largely unnoticed towards the builders of the American built environment. By placing the tool back into the craftsman's hands and teaching him how to think he begins to more fully know himself and know his work. He becomes dignified through his craft. The employment of these skilled craftsmen raises the standards of building. The architect can be more reliant on the skill of the craftsman while the craftsman can be more assured of employment. One ceases to be above the other but both, with complementary skills, are able to achieve the full realization of their work through the other. / 0 / SPK / specialcollections@tulane.edu

No description available.

This dissertation takes an employee-oriented approach to the within-firm OM decisions and investigates the effects of interventions focusing on employees on the process outcomes. Through a series of three essays, we handle three management tools; rank-based performance feedback, knowledge transfer via the adoption of best practices, and algorithmic real-time feedback and coaching; each has potential adverse effects on employees yet could be very rewarding once successfully implemented. We seek to gain a profound understanding of employee behavior and stimulate engagement, thereby fostering more efficient and productive systems. In the first chapter, we conduct a series of experiments to study the impact of three different types of relative performance feedback (RPF) on middle-ranked workers' output on a skill-based task. We find that receiving any type of feedback reduces performance compared to no feedback. We conduct mediation analysis and show that receiving feedback changes employees' feelings associated with general performance, which explains the performance reduction. Aligned with theory, delivering feedback increases the focal employee's social comparison involvement (SCI), which measures the focal individual's tendency to compare themselves to others while performing the task, and their shame. The second chapter concentrates on enhancing performance through fostering internal knowledge transfer and promoting the adoption of best practices. Through a series of experiments, we assess the effects of providing performance feedback in conjunction with best practices on knowledge-seeking behavior, best practice adaptions, and operational performance. Our study poses an exciting finding by showing that RPF's previously documented negative effect on middle-ranked workers could be mitigated, and performance improvement could be attained when combined with best practices. The concluding chapter focuses on the effect of using algorithmic feedback and coaching as management tools in service operations within call center environments. Companies are deploying artificial intelligence applications into service settings in a variety of ways, from automating agent tasks to replacing human servers altogether. This study examines how artificial intelligence-based feedback (AI) impacts customer service agent employee productivity as measured by three key performance indicators: call-handle time, customer satisfaction, and call service quality. Our field partner, a North American outsourced call center deployed the AI software to monitor calls during a bill collection campaign and provide visible cues to remind agents of their service script requirements. In this way, the AI acts as a real-time supervisor, assessing agent performance and offering real-time feedback during and after the call. Using international call center data, we provide evidence that agents with access to the AI feedback are indeed more likely to comply with scripts and in so doing, deliver increased operational efficiency with lower call handle time. Moreover, calls conducted with AI feedback show an increase in two service quality metrics not commonly associated with technology-assisted communication: respect and rapport. In summary, through three studies, we offer theoretical and practical implications about the use and challenges associated with various management tools and provide ways to improve employee behavior to stimulate engagement and foster more efficient and productive systems.

Safety in logging operations in the Southeastern United States has long been an issue of concern. Recently, a growing number of Spanish-speaking workers have become employed in logging operations in the Southeastern U.S. There is a growing concern that injury and fatality rates could increase due to inexperience, possible lack of proper safety training, and language barrier problems attributed to the new Spanish-speaking workers. The study area is the Southeastern U.S., comprising twelve states ranging from Texas to Virginia. The goal of this study is to determine the current percentage of Spanish-speaking workers in the study area, assess the previous and present safety training received by Spanish-speaking workers, and provide recommendations addressing the short and long-term logging safety training needs of Spanish-speaking workers. Data was collected through a combination of field surveys and questionnaires. The surveys collected data from 1890 logging operations in the study area, and was used to determine the population of Spanish-speaking workers in the logging industry. The questionnaires were completed during the summer of 2005 by 41 selected sample loggers who employ Spanish-speaking workers, in which they addressed the previous and present safety training received by Spanish-speaking workers, in addition to other information pertaining to safety. The percentage of Spanish-speaking workers in the logging industry in the Southeastern U.S. was 3.37%. Ten percent of operations employed one or more Spanish-speaking workers. Relevant literature as well as data collected through this study suggests that Spanish-speaking worker populations will continue to increase. The survey showed Spanish-speaking workers in the logging industry have tended to immigrate to specific regions, Arkansas and North Carolina. Loggers tend to employ one or two Spanish-speaking workers with several non-Spanish-speaking workers rather than forming entire crews of Spanish-speaking workers. Average employment tenure for Spanish-speaking workers was six years. The majority of loggers (90%) who employed Spanish-speaking workers had at least one worker who could translate safety training/instructions to other Spanish-speaking employees. Loggers ranked this method as the most effective way for presenting safety training to Spanish-speaking workers. Based on the survey data, Spanish-speaking workers are not likely to substantially impact logging industry injury statistics in the Southeastern U.S. in the near future, but could in the long term. Recommendations were developed from a combination of survey and questionnaire results and literature reviews. It is recommended that: (1) The use of multiple safety training methods will maximize the Spanish-speaking workers learning ability, (2) The combination of hands-on/demonstration training and the use of a bi-lingual employee/translator seem to be the optimal combination of safety training methods for Spanish-speaking workers, (3) Determine the education/literacy levels of Spanish-speaking employees. It is not appropriate to provide a Spanish-speaking worker with written safety material if they cannot read, (4) Safety training methods used for Spanish-speaking workers may require more "customization" than that of non-Spanish-speaking workers. This is, in part, due to language barriers, questionable literacy, and the fact that in other industries Spanish-speaking workers seem to be more accident prone, (5) It is advisable not to assign inadequately trained and experienced Spanish-speaking workers to tasks such as manual felling, trimming, or bucking with a chainsaw, as this is one of the most hazardous logging tasks. Assigning an experienced employee for a period of at least one week who can oversee the Spanish-speaking worker and correct any unsafe practices would be advisable when assigning a new Spanish-speaking worker to this task, (6) Use universally accepted hand signals around the landing area rather than verbal communication to prevent any miscommunication between Spanish-speaking and non-Spanish-speaking workers, (7) Monitor the Spanish-speaking worker population in the logging workforce closely. Depending on political and economic factors, this population could grow quickly and begin to impact safety/injury rates and (8) Crews comprised entirely of Spanish-speaking workers would likely communicate better. While the limited availability of Spanish-speaking workers in some areas may currently restrict this idea, it may be feasible in the future as more Spanish-speaking workers enter the logging workforce. At this time it may be beneficial for employers to learn Spanish or for Spanish-speaking workers to learn English. / Master of Science

This thesis highlights the distinct methods of persuasion employed by the National Restaurant Association and Restaurant Opportunities Centers United in their arguments related to tipping. Both parties limit the strength of their arguments by ignoring the opposition's case, selecting instead facts and evidence that construct a persuasive, yet incomplete picture of tipped wages, the tipped worker, and the restaurants that employ these workers. I propose a focus on dialogic interaction which I define as the obligation of the rhetor to respond to available counter-claims, to be open to questioning, and to be truthful. Reclaiming dialogic interaction between parties and will improve the quality of the individual arguments and the debate overall. It will point toward a more complete understanding of the data, arguments, and players involved in framing the issue of restaurant worker wages.