Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Administration of the building'

The majority of building code development and implementation practices are normally connected with the progress of construction community changing awareness, needs and perspectives, advanced technology in construction and new level of knowledge. Unproven practices and the technology of building code development and implementation in case of insufficient and outdated codes, the use of unproven advanced codes of other countries, or the infringement of the existing codes, in most cases, could lead to a large number of shortcomings of minimum requirements of public health, safety and general welfare, and poor quality of buildings. Every aspect of a building code development and implementation practice could be influenced by insufficiencies and infringements in building codes/regulations that could cause buildings failures. Generally, the success of a building code development and implementation practice is directly connected with the involved insufficiencies and infringements in the framework of building code (legal, Administrative, technical, & social), i.e. faults of building code development and implementation should be successfully resolved in order to come to an end of a building project assuring code's objectives (public health, safety and general welfare). One of the early research problems of building code development and implementation practice was conducted by Productivity Commission (2004) where the research organized and categorized the causes of shortcomings of BC according to four main functions of building code, including legal, administrative, technical, and social functions. Productivity Commission Research had been the starting point of research problems of building codes in Kuwait. For the past 20 years, many researchers have high numbers of categories, components and rankings to explain different types of insufficiencies and infringements in building codes/regulations. However, these categories and rankings produce inconsistent and overlapping cause and impact factors. In addition, researchers and practitioners at this point tend to focus on the technical and administrative sides related to the issues of building codes development and implementation, and neglecting the importance of legal and social sides. Legal issues like finding a law to prepare and enforce building codes, cover of insurance companies, building materials testing system, weak regulations related issues, building specifications, and clarity of regulation texts; as well as social issues like community awareness, issuing and enforcing legal court rules, deterrent punishments for violators, violations or cheatings in related issues, all of these were deemed not that critical by most reviewers. The research is specifically concerned with the insufficiencies and infringements in building codes/regulations which cause shortcomings of minimum requirements of public health, safety and general welfare, and how related cause and impact factors are selected and organized. Existing research highlights the need for further researches of how to relate between research and building regulations that are at present. There is evidence that construction industries around the world have little experience in this area (CIB TG37, 2001). The proposal within this research is to address this aspect of the debate by seeking to clarify the role of the four functions of building code; legal, administrative, technical, and social function as a frame of reference that stakeholder parties (building officials, design and construction professionals) might agree with and which should act as the basis for the selection and formation of occurrences of cause factors, and their iv impact on public health, safety and general welfare. The focus on the four functions of building code as a fault (cause) frame of reference potentially leads to a common, practical view of the (multi) dimensionality setting of fault (cause) within which cause factors may be identified and which, we believe, could be grounded across a wide range of practices specifically in this research of building code development and implementation. The research surveyed and examined the opinions of building officials, design and construction professionals. We assess which fault (cause) factors are most likely to occur in building and construction projects; evaluate fault (cause) impact by assessing which fault (cause) factors that building officials, design and construction professionals specifically think are likely to arise in the possibility of shortcomings of minimum requirements of public health, safety and general welfare. The data obtained were processed, analyzed and ranked. By using the EXCEL and SPSS for factor analysis, all the fault (cause) factors were reduced and groups into clusters and components for further correlation analysis. The analysis was able to prove an opinion on fault (cause) likelihood, the impact of the fault (cause) on the objectives of building code. The analysis indicates that it is possible to identify grouping of insufficiencies and infringements in building codes/regulations that is correspondent to the different parts of the framework of building code (legal, Administrative, technical, & social) these suggest three identified groups when viewing cause from the likelihood occurrence and four identified groups and their impact for each building code objective. The evidence related to the impact of building code objectives, view of cause, and provides a stronger view of which components of cause were important compared with cause likelihood. The research accounts for the difference by suggesting that a more selection and formation of cause and impact, offered by viewing cause within the context of a framework of building code, and viewing impact within the context of building code objectives (public health, safety and general welfare) allows those involved in building code development and implementation to have an understandable view of the relationships within cause factors, and between cause and impact factors. It also allows the various cause components and the associated emergent clusters to be more readily identified. The contribution of the research relates to the assessment of cause within a construction that is defined in the context of a fairly broad accepted view of the framework of building code (legal, Administrative, technical, & social). The fault (cause) likelihood construction is based on the building code framework proposed in this research and could facilitates a focus on roles and responsibilities, and allows the coordination and integration of activities for regular development and implementation with the building code goals. This contribution would better enable building officials and code writers to identify and manage faults (causes) as they emerge with BC aspects/parts and more closely reflect building and construction activities and processes and facilitate the fault (cause) administration exercise.

The study explored current site principals’ feedback practices that support or hinder teachers’ implementation of feedback, and identified site principal’s practices that encourage or interfere with teacher’s self-efficacy. Using qualitative interviews with site principals and teachers from two different districts and three different school sites, the study analyzed two major leadership practices: (a) an administrator’s ability to communicate effectively with teachers before, during, and after the feedback process, and (b) an administrator’s use of emotional intelligence when providing feedback. Data were separated into four feedback types (positive feedback, negative feedback, feedback and feedforward) and emotional intelligence traits (self-regulation, self-aware, empathy, social skills, and motivation). Comparative analyses were conducted amongst teachers at the same site to explore patterns and insights within and across sites. The results of this study indicated that site principals primarily provided positive feedback and positive feedforward and exuded some of the emotional intelligence traits when providing instructional feedback to teachers. Teachers also wanted their site principals in their classrooms giving instructional feedback more often and believed that the way in which their principal gave them feedback mattered. These findings suggest that collaborative opportunities with site principals on how to provide feedback to teachers more often is essential. Furthermore, principals should receive additional professional development opportunities targeting emotional intelligence and feedback types.

This thesis examines democratic transitions that occur in the context of international administration, where international actors not only provide assistance and guidance regarding domestic development, but also hold temporary executive authority over some or all of the functions of government. It argues that the process of regime change in the context of international administration is systematically different from more conventional settings, where such extensive international intervention is absent. The theoretical framework of the thesis suggests that the most significant impact of international administration derives from the fact that external actors assume roles conventionally held by domestic actors, and thus have available to them extensive mechanisms of influence at the domestic level. International agents can favour some local elites over others, structure the political environment through agenda-setting and veto powers, and ultimately bypass local actors if deemed necessary by drafting and imposing laws and institutions. As a result, the presence of international administrators heavily shapes the final mode of transition, and one of the most significant implications of the external influence is that purely non-democratic regime outcomes are unlikely to emerge. However, the influences of international administration are not always positive, and neither are they constant across contexts. The final impact on the transition process itself will depend in large part on the nature of the domestic political landscape, and in particular the balance of power and ideology among the domestic political parties. When domestic elites are favourable to democracy, international administrations can work with local actors to co-author a new democratic regime through a pacted transition. When dominant local parties are opposed to democratic development, however, the international and domestic interaction may contribute to a more conflicrual and contentious mode of transition entailing elements of international imposition. The nature of the transition mode will, in turn, have implications for post-transition regime consolidation. These findings are based on a structured, focused comparison of three cases, those of Bosnia, Kosovo and East Timor. In attempting to isolate the international influence, the case studies utilise the process tracing method to identify the causal mechanisms that connect international actions to democratic political outcomes, and the experiences in each case are compared to facilitate the generation of bounded generalisations about the impact of international administration on the processes of regime change.

Bibliography : leaves B1-B8.
This study primarily investigates the processes and capabilities which are important for building and developing trust in e-Commerce. The main area of focus of this study is on the factors and enablers which can be applied by online retailers to build trust and communicate trustworthiness to online consumers. Throughout the study these factors and enablers are commonly referred to as the 'building blocks of trust in e-Commerce'. It is argued that without trust, e-Commerce cannot reach its full potential and that the building blocks of trust in e-Commerce can be applied to build and develop trust in e-Commerce. This study further investigates consumer perceptions of e-Commerce, and the deterrents to online shopping. Special emphasis was placed on important e-Commerce issues, central to building and developing trust in e-Commerce, such as privacy, security and fulfilment. As part of the recommendations, a conceptual model for building trust In e-Commerce is presented, which maps out the online trust building process with the general building blocks of trust in e-Commerce at its core.

The purpose of conducting this research was to compare the effectiveness of drum circles and appreciative inquiry as team-building interventions. The researcher conducted two team-building inventions in the same organization—one intervention used a drum circle design; the other used an appreciative inquiry design. Both interventions measured the following aspects of team effectiveness: collaboration, trust, authenticity, communication, creativity, commitment, interrelatedness, and recognition. Data was collected from the two teams through pre-, immediate post-, and four-week post-workshop surveys. There were no significant differences in immediate post-workshop perceptions of their teams. The two teams did not differ significantly in their four-week post-workshop perceptions of their teams, contrasted with earlier findings from pre-workshop independent samples findings. Four main conclusions were drawn. First, based on the survey results, it appears that drum circles and appreciative inquiry are equally useful team-building interventions. Second, it can be suggested that appreciative inquiry has an effective use for team building in the areas of communication, trust, teamwork, and strategy. Third, it can be suggested that drum circles have an effective use for team building in the areas of teamwork, communication, and trust. Fourth, both drum circles and appreciative inquiry can be suggested as team-building interventions in the areas of teamwork, communication, and trust.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to create a deeper understanding of the impact of digitalization on branding and brand building in the internationalization of B2B Born Global SMEs. Design/methodology: The methods used were a mixed qualitative methodology including both interviews and open-ended surveys. With an explorative and descriptive purpose, this study aimed to deliver depth and specific knowledge. The sample companies were young SME, B2B companies in northern Sweden that either was, or are likely to become Born Global companies in the near future. Findings: All companies saw networking as important in their early steps of internationalization rather than using digital channels. However, as they developed their business some of them changed this network strategy towards digital or co-branding strategies. All Born Global companies use digital channels to promote their brand to some extent. Resource scarcity and trust are two common issues for Born Global companies, which both can be overcome by using, networks, co-branding and digital channels. Research implications and limitations: The two main contributors to B2B Born Global internationalization are networks and digital channels, preferably combined, or in a combination with co-branding. Digitalization improves the Born Globals brand building and internationalization by providing an opportunity to overcome the scarcity of resources. Since this is a qualitative study, it is based on a limited number of Born Global start-ups, which makes it hard to suggest large generalizations of the findings and the analysis. Practical implications: Practitioners that are starting a B2B company with an aim to go global in short time period should consider both brand building and how they use digital channels at an early stage. A conceptual model is created, emphasizing on important aspects of four stages in brand building in B2B Born Globals. Originality: To our knowledge the first study focusing on the role of digitalization in Born Global branding and brand building. Moreover the study contributes to brand building literature regarding SMEs and B2B companies.

The focus of this report and the study for which it was written involves two specific types of user charges: Building permit fees are fees that cover the cost of administering the document (the building permit) and the cost of inspecting the construction for which the permit was issued. This report examines the issues, both legal and procedural, surrounding regulatory fees and their effects on building fees within the City of San Bernardino. As elements of the larger study, various smaller studies such as time and motion studies of the building inspector's activities and fully Burdened Hourly Rate Study were completed.

The purpose of this dissertation is to examine the role auditor reputation plays in the demand and supply of audits and to examine the process by which an auditor builds a reputation for audit quality. The goal is to begin to develop a comprehensive theory of the demand for auditing and the incentives this demand creates for the supply of audits. Scott (1984) cites a lack of theory capturing the precise nature of the auditor's contribution to a production and exchange economy. This paper uses an experimental economy and related model to examine the role of an auditor's reputation for delivering high quality audits in such a multiple period economy. A theory of the demand and supply of audits is necessary to help assess the need for regulation of the audit market. The need for regulation in existing audit markets has been questioned by some members of the auditing profession (Arthur Andersen, et. al. 1992). In response, experimental economic markets (EEM) research has examined different regulatory regimes (Dopuch and King 1992, Dopuch et. al., 1994). However, this research has not examined whether reputation can serve as a substitute for regulation in motivating the supply of high quality audits. Existing EEM research has provided some evidence of reputation effects in general (DeJong, et. al., 1985, Dopuch and King 1991) but has produced limited evidence of auditor reputation. Unlike prior EEM research, this paper explicitly examines auditor reputation. Three different experimental treatments were used to test the derived model: one treatment with robot investors and two treatments with human investors. The robot investor replications produced strong support for an auditor reputation model. Two of six human investor replications supported an auditor reputation model while the other four collapsed into markets for lemons. The markets suggest that the managers' demand for audit quality drove the level of audit quality supplied by auditors. When the managers did not demand and auditors did not supply high quality audits, the markets collapsed.

Purpose    The aim of this study is to explore if there is a gap between brand identity and brand image in the city of Baku. Background Having a strong city brand based on the positive perceptions from both internal and external stakeholders’ point of view is very important in today’s world of globalization when cities have to constantly compete for the share of tourists, investors etc. Therefore, in terms of the thesis we aspire to investigate if Baku has been successful to build a strong brand identity and whether the brand image mirrors it from the Swedish people’s perception. Method The study constructed upon a mixed research method, which based simultaneously on inductive and deductive approach. Interviews representing the qualitative reasoning approach are utilized in order to reach the data related the city brand image and city brand identity. Conclusion The city has a firm and rationally established brand identity. The current research revealed the gap between brand image and brand identity in Baku. Thus, that the city’s brand image is not fully reflecting the real brand identity, in particular due to the internal facts.

Organizational brands can be powerful, and it is risky to rebrand and potentially alienate stakeholders with a change (Abramovich, 2014). Yet, despite its high failure rate and cost, rebranding has become commonplace (Zhao, Calantone, & Voorhees, 2018). Research on the topic of organizational rebranding is considered to be in an early stage and so far, researchers have largely ignored the employee perspective of rebranding initiatives (Chad, 2016). In this qualitative case study, the employees’ views of a rebranding initiative were explored, including their perspectives on how to engage them to strengthen buy-in and alignment with the new brand. Interviews—supported by multiple sources—were the primary form of data collection. Individual and group interviews were conducted with selected employees of a nonprofit private university in California that recently engaged in the process of rebranding. The data were triangulated and reported in comparative tables and in narrative form. The findings from this study reinforce prior rebranding research by Miller, Merrilees, and Yakimova (2014) about enablers and barriers and also contribute to the literature by adding employees’ perspectives and by proposing two new barriers to successful organizational rebrands. A better understanding of employee viewpoints will help organizations to build better rebrands with their stakeholders, including customers, organization leaders, organizers of these initiatives and, of course, with employees.

The increase of intense pressures to ensure long-term education reforms have created a challenge to school leaders as they direct and nurture the abilities of others. Although there is no single model of successful leadership, there is a common repertoire of values and actions used for sustainable school improvement. Raising capacity is a key task for principals. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand and describe suburban elementary principals’ practices and perceptions as change leaders related to capacity building. The study further explored the reciprocal effects model on how principals responded to the changing environment. Three principals, their superintendents and one teacher for each case provided data collected through interviews, documents, and a researcher journal. Inductive and deductive analysis were used, first within-case and then through a concluding cross-case. Findings confirmed that building capacity is all encompassing. As principals seek to build capacity, there are many interconnected actions. Results demonstrated varied practices, skills, and responsibilities used among principals, including: setting goals; professional development; collaboration; teacher leadership; and shared responsibility. This study can provide guidance to universities, Boards of Education, and other administrators. Recommendations for further research include expanding the sample to include secondary principals and to explore capacity building in rural and urban settings. Additionally, there should be continued research on the reciprocal effects model using mixed methods.

The purpose of this dissertation is the delineation of a new approach, or, more precisely, a new â roleâ and â methodological system,â for those persons engaged in building and managing multi-actor structures, or â networks,â for the purpose of policy implementation. As policy formulation and implementation can be viewed increasingly as taking place inter-organizationally, and consisting of individuals, special-interest groups, public organizations, private organizations, non-profits, etc., none of whom have the individual power to autonomously determine the strategies and actions of all the other actors, policy processes can no longer be viewed as the implementation of ex ante formulated goals, but instead must be seen as an interaction process in which actors exchange information about problems, preferences and means, and trade-off goals and resources. That is, the context of â getting things doneâ in the public sector is changing from a singular organizational context to a multiple-organization network context. Managerially, we must respond accordingly. While there has been an increasing recognition in the literatures of at least three distinct fields of enquiry [political science, organization theory, and policy science] that such networks are becoming the â realityâ of daily operation, much less has been written attempting to aid the acting administrator to function successfully within this new setting. Even less has been written concerning how to actually build and use a network setting to oneâ s advantage in an implementation endeavor. We are left in need of a new way to successfully approach implementation through complex multi-actor settings. As it becomes increasingly difficult to administer policy implementation through a single, public organization, the need for new tools and understanding that will enable us to achieve public ends in such complex settings becomes apparent. Such an approach must work to successfully accommodate the increased role of extra-organizational actors, a new role of the administrator as â network facilitator,â and still afford the ability to plan for and carry out project implementation. Because the invention of such an approach will require the accommodation of a different view of the administrative world (i.e. a more dynamic context, ephemeral definitions, new roles and responsibilities, and a new method to approaching work life), its development cannot constitute a straightforward reshuffling of the boxes of the administrative process, or the simple adoption of some new buzzwords. It demands, instead, that we begin by asking some fundamental ontological (what is reality) and epistemological (how can we know it) questions. It is after addressing these fundamental concerns that this volume will work to build a new approach to functioning proactively in a network setting. Following a discussion on what the role of â network facilitatorâ means in relation to current understanding of public management, this treatise will describe a new methodological system for use by the administrator playing such a role. The â methodological systemâ for building implementation networks that is advocated here is composed of three overlapping methodologies: 1) â Contextual Assessmentâ - Mapping a Networkâ s Political-Economy; 2) â Stakeholder Analysis & Managementâ â Understanding Who Should be at the Table and Furthering the Conditions for Cooperation; and, 3) â Joint Visioningâ â The Facilitation of Project Planning in a Network Setting. In the chapter on â contextual assessment,â the reader will be introduced to a method that uses the political economy framework of Wamsley and Zald to derive an interview instrument for use by a recently appointed network facilitator (somebody appointed the responsibility of â getting something doneâ cross-organizationally). Combining the political economic framework with other standard qualitative methods, including gaining entrance, selecting interview type, snowballing, and quota sampling, one should be able to assess the existing political and economic environment surrounding a potential implementation network and, further, begin to select from that environment a first set of stakeholders in the budding implementation network. This method will result in a â conceptual mappingâ of the environment from which one may begin to select potential resources to build an implementation network. Following that, the reader will be introduced to two methods, that when used together, will allow for the analysis, categorization, and selection of network stakeholders. Taken together, these methods can be referred to as â stakeholder analysis.â It is the successful selection and management of these stakeholders that will result in the formation of a young implementation network. Finally, the reader will be introduced to a method of â joint-visioning,â a process for working with a set of stakeholders to create a shared understanding of the social/organizational and technical/functional systems required for a new implementation network to function. While the theoretical conception here of joint-visioning is new, the techniques suggested to support this method are probably the least original of the techniques associated with the three methods introduced in this volume (in that they are based on recognized methods of group facilitation). The joint-visioning method proposed here is probably most remarkable for what it is not, corporate strategic planning. A discussion about the problems of adopting corporate strategic planning in the public sector will begin this section, followed by a discussion of why something else, like joint visioning, is probably more appropriate. Each methodology has been constructed from the ground up by appropriating parts of different methodologies that have been advocated in different areas of application. Specifically, methods, approaches, and understandings have been appropriated from the literatures of corporate management, stakeholder analysis, action research, political economy, community facilitation, knowledge engineering and management, and strategic planning. These methods have been combined and modified to better serve as tools for network establishment and management. This methodological system has been developed as much from experience as from scholarly analysis. Accordingly, a case study, one that has directly led to the development of many concepts in this system, will be discussed and used for â real-worldâ elaboration of the concepts described. Specifically, each of these methods will be accompanied by an in-depth discussion on how it was applied in the â Travel Shenandoahâ case study. Benefits, as well as problems with the proposed methods will be highlighted. Where appropriate, possible modifications to a method will be suggested.
Ph. D.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership, 2008.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed May 13, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-08, Section: A, page: 2967.

Toward the end of 1999 and during the early part of 2000, the commercial construction sector in the Auckland area of New Zealand was affected as a result of liquidations of a number of major commercial construction companies. The aim of the research is to investigate the employment of building contracts, their administration, and into the incidence, nature and resolution of disputes executed during the calendar years of 1999 and 2000. This research was undertaken by surveying 100 commercial and 60 residential projects undertaken in the Auckland region of New Zealand to determine if the problems being experienced by the commercial contractors who were liquidated was incidental and limited to the commercial sector. Projects surveyed ranged in value between NZ$10,000 and NZ$700,000 for residential projects and between NZ$150,000 and NZ$99,000,000 for commercial projects. The literature review identifies, analyses and discusses: (i) To what extent are 'standard' forms of building contracts used by the construction industry including who was responsible for the drafting of those contracts? (ii) What provision was made in these building contracts for the resolution of disputes? (iii) Who was responsible for the independent administration of those building contracts? (iv) What was the incidence of disputes that resulted as a consequence of the usage of these building contracts and what was the nature of the disputes and how were they resolved? and (v) Would the construction industry in New Zealand benefit from legislation that would require that an independent third party be engaged for the administration of the building contract? Gaps in the literature of all areas of the research were identified. The following hypothesis was promoted: The incidence of disputes is reduced in building contracts that are administered by an independent third party for both commercial and residential sectors of the construction industry in New Zealand. A statistical analysis of the data collected was used to test the hypothesis as well as to determine whether the appointment of a third party to administer a contract between the client and contractor was of direct benefit and assisted in the avoidance or resolution of disputes. The results provided support for the hypothesis in both the commercial and residential sectors of the construction industry. Additionally, there was also qualitative endorsement for the propositions. The surveys provided evidence about the attitude adopted by those involved in the particular sectors to the independent administration of building contracts. 79% of the building contracts surveyed in the commercial projects were independently administered compared to 42% in the residential sector. The data was also used to provide positive test results for a proposition known as the 'principle of remotivity' which states that: 'the further the architect (or designer) is from the independent administration of a building contract during its execution, the more likely it is that disputes will arise'. The research confirmed that the culture of the construction industry in New Zealand; the legislation used to control the industry; and the decisions of local judiciaries in construction related matters are different to those adopted in Australia and the United Kingdom. These variations are not recognised by persons connected to and detached from the construction industry. The dissertation concludes by making 19 (nineteen) suggestions and recommendations. The research was limited to projects undertaken in Auckland, New Zealand and replication of the study would provide a broader understanding of this area of inquiry and further data to qualify the 'principle of remotivity'.

This thesis introduces the question of how to intentionally build a sustainable adventure movement, which is a grassroots effort to intentionally and significantly increase the use of outdoor adventure education as an innovative educational tool for schools, communities and businesses in perpetuity. Taking a whole-systems approach and applying leading social movement and diffusion theories, the Adventure Movement Project (AMP) seeks to develop a framework for integrating outdoor adventure education into whole communities to inspire servant leadership, achieve sustainability, and drive innovation. A socially just and sustainable planet can thrive with outdoor adventure education acting as a highly effective catalyst, which drives social, economic, educational, and environmental change. To that end, this thesis presents original applications of diffusion models and social movement theories to outdoor adventure education. The research used an original Delphi study—of outdoor adventure education experts—which explored how to build a sustainable adventure movement. The study aimed to understand ideas related to best practices and successful strategies for expanding outdoor adventure education participation. Findings exemplified for increasing outdoor adventure education include embracing a clear, unified message that establishes why outdoor adventure education matters as a tool, which can lead to achieving sustainability, driving innovation, and inspiring servant leadership. A second key finding calls for outdoor adventure education to be part of something larger and through integration into the larger experiential education and sustainability movements it may reach critical mass.

Key Words: outdoor adventure education, sustainability, servant leadership, innovation, social movement, experiential education

The aim of this diploma thesis is trying to solve difficulties connected with administrative buildings. In this thesis we are talking about possibility that administrative building can have low energy footprint. Most of energy consumption of administrative building is not created by heating but mostly by cooling and by consumption of office equipment. That is why there have been used modern equipment of the building as well as automatic control of building equipment.

During the past decades, international trade of goods and services has been growing fast. In the globalizing market, understanding cultural differences is essential. When building customer relationships across national borders, the possibility of cultural conflicts and misunderstandings is substantial and many factors must be taken into consideration. In business-to-business market the importance of individual customers is emphasized. High customer loyalty can improve a company’s performance significantly by increasing revenue and reducing customer acquisition costs. Therefore, the importance of relationship quality cannot be questioned. This thesis is a literature review that seeks to find the key elements of cross-cultural relationship strength by first studying the elements of relationship quality and then combining these findings to the cross-cultural context.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, 2006.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-02, Section: A, page: 0486. Adviser: George D. Kuh. "Title from dissertation home page (viewed March 13, 2007)."

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the behavior of a specific group of educational leaders, to determine the presence of masculine, feminine, and androgynous qualities, and to relate these specific qualities to their performance ratings. The researcher examined current literature relating to the concept of androgyny in several areas.;Method. The Bem Sex-Role Inventory (BSRI) was administered to a sample of 59 school administrators from one school system. The scoring of the BSRI resulted in four separate categories: feminine, masculine, androgynous, and undifferentiated. The school system's evaluator provided a rating (exceptional, average, or weak) of the 59 principals in six areas. Six hypotheses were developed in relation to the purpose of the study: (1) A greater percentage of the female school principals will receive "androgynous" ratings on the Bem Sex-Role Inventory than will male school principals. (2) A greater percentage of the male school principals will receive "masculine" ratings on the BSRI than will female school principals; a greater percentage of the female school principals will receive "feminine" ratings on the BSRI than will male school principals. (3) More of the school principals who receive "undifferentiated" ratings on the BSRI will be males. (4) The school system's evaluator will rate the "masculine" school principals higher in building management and administrative procedures and policy than those who are "feminine" or "undifferentiated." (5) The school system's evaluator will rate the "feminine" school principals higher in public relations, staff relations, and personal qualities than those who are "masculine" or "undifferentiated." (6) The school system's evaluator will rate the "androgynous" school principals higher in building management, administrative procedures and policy, public relations, staff relations, personal qualities, and instructional program than those who are "masculine," "undifferentiated," or "feminine.".;Results. An analysis of the data formed the basis for conclusions and recommendations relating to differences between sex-role classifications and performance of duties as demonstrated by the formal evaluation procedure. The findings supported the first five hypotheses, although the "androgynous" administrators were not rated as high in those areas in which the "masculine" or "feminine" administrators excelled. Implications for future research were discussed.

Business Administration/Strategic Management
D.B.A.
The knowledge base of an academic medical center is elaborate and far-reaching as the sources of expertise can be found in multiple networks of learning and management within the organization. Therefore, it is incumbent for professionals within a healthcare ecosystem to utilize external collaboration. This research explored open innovation processes between different academic medical centers with biomedical and genomic research institutions and biopharmaceutical companies with the intention to develop new insights that would maximize the probability of successful collaborative academic-industry knowledge creation. Through exploratory research consisting of a literature review and semi-structured interviews of senior-level managers and top-of-field researchers, it became evident that both individuals and organizations employed critical success strategies for open innovation orchestration by fostering trust, identifying motivating factors, continuously developing collaborative knowledge sharing with top-management support and lowering barriers to collaboration through project-level processes and procedures, but not without experiencing scientist-manager tension in the process. This study provided a relatively rare series of insights into the senior-level collaboration views and issues between those scientists and managers within several major academic-industry strategic alliances.
Temple University--Theses

This dissertation aims to understand the capability development processes in the early stages of a firm. Empirically, most research has focused on established firms, or on explaining the variance in capabilities across firms at a given time. Theoretically, despite the shift to a more dynamic view and the increasing attention to leveraging external capabilities, our understanding of how firms achieve dynamic change or the interaction between the external and internal sourcing of capabilities is still limited. I address these gaps through three interrelated studies. Paper One adopts a multiple-case study design to develop a theory on the initiation and development of innovative capabilities in new firms. The existing literature separately focuses on internal resources or network leveraging. By contrast, this study shows how young firms combine internal building and external leveraging strategies to facilitate faster capability development in the early stages. Based on data from Montreal-based biotech firms, the results uncover different implications on the path and pace of capability development, and the role of collaboration in firms with different internal building paths. Paper Two focuses on how collaboration contributes to the internal capability building in new ventures. The capability effects of engaging in collaboration have remained unclear in the literature. Using data on collaborative scenarios from Montreal-based biotech firms, the study uncovers four knowledge building mechanisms in the focal firms. Each mechanism involves different knowledge added to the firm, and requires different interaction processes with its partners. This study increases understanding of network effects regarding capability development. Paper Three elaborates a framework of organizational capability development that integrates entrepreneurship and organizational routines. It addresses an ongoing discussion on the challenge of balancing efficiency and flexibility in organizations. Using the case of a Chinese telecoms-equipment firm, it highlights the knowledge dynamics between entrepreneurial activities and routines, the role of entrepreneurship on both the external and internal organizational interfaces and the exogenous and endogenous changes in routines. This framework advances the dynamic perspective of capability research. Overall, this dissertation contributes to process theories on dynamic capability development. It generates novel insights on capability initiation, extension, and change in organizations.
Cette thèse vise à comprendre les processus de développement des capacités dans les premiers stades d'une entreprise. Empiriquement, la plupart des recherches ont porté sur des entreprises établies, ou bien ont cherché à expliquer la variance des capacités des entreprises à un moment donné. Théoriquement, malgré le passage à une vision plus dynamique et l'attention croissante à tirer parti des capacités externes, notre compréhension de la façon dont les entreprises parviennent à un changement dynamique ou l'interaction entre l'approvisionnement externe et interne des capacités est encore limitée. J'aborde ces écarts à l'aide de trois études interdépendantes. Le premier article adopte une étude de cas multiples conçue afin de développer une théorie sur l'introduction et le développement des capacités d'innovation dans les nouvelles entreprises. La documentation existante se concentre séparément sur des ressources internes ou l'utilisation de réseaux. En revanche, cette étude montre comment les jeunes entreprises combinent la mise en place interne et l'usage de stratégies externes afin de faciliter le développement rapide des capacités dans les premiers stades. À partir de données sur des entreprises de biotechnologie de la région de Montréal, les résultats révèlent des implications différentes sur le parcours suivi et le rythme de développement des capacités, et le rôle de la collaboration dans les entreprises avec différents parcours internes de mise en place. Le deuxième article se concentre sur la façon dont la collaboration contribue à l'édification des capacités internes dans de nouvelles entreprises. Les effets des capacités de s'engager dans la collaboration demeurent confus lorsqu'on examine la documentation sur le sujet. En utilisant des données sur des scénarios de collaboration à partir d'entreprises de biotechnologie montréalaises, l'étude révèle quatre mécanismes de mise en place des connaissances dans les entreprises visées par cette étude. Chaque mécanisme implique des connaissances différentes ajoutées à l'entreprise, et exige différents processus d'interaction avec ses partenaires. Cette étude améliore la compréhension des effets de réseau en ce qui concerne le développement des capacités. Le troisième article élabore un cadre de développement des capacités organisationnelles qui intègre l'esprit d'entreprise et des habitudes organisationnelles. Elle traite d'un débat toujours en cours sur le défi que représente l'équilibre entre l'efficacité et la flexibilité dans les organisations. En étudiant le cas d'une entreprise chinoise d'équipements de télécommunication, il met en lumière la dynamique des connaissances entre les activités entrepreneuriales et les habitudes, le rôle de l'entrepreneuriat à la fois sur les interfaces externes et internes de l'organisation et les changements exogènes et endogènes dans les pratiques habituelles. Ce cadre fait progresser la perspective dynamique de la recherche des capacités. Dans l'ensemble, cette thèse contribue au processus de théories sur le développement des capacités dynamique. Il génère des informations nouvelles sur la capacité d'initiation, de prolongement et de changement dans les organisations.

Business Administration/International Business Administration
Ph.D.
This dissertation consists of three essays examining the role of connectivity in the catch-up process of a nation primarily focusing on East Asian countries. Specifically, I investigate the sourcing of knowledge, especially tacit knowledge, on local innovation capability building and thus catch-up process of a nation. I argue that for any country, sourcing from the diverse pools of tacit knowledge available in different parts of the world is a crucial requirement in maintaining a robust innovation eco-system. This becomes much more important in the catch-up process of a less-developed or emerging economy that is attempting to build local innovation capability. In the first chapter, I lay the theoretical groundwork for the dissertation by reviewing how existing studies have contributed to our understanding of the catch-up process of an economy. Then, in the second chapter, I explore how the openness of an economy underpins contrasting economic outcomes by comparing the economies of South Korea and Brazil. The third chapter emphasizes that the connectivity to the global innovation system is equally important for a more advanced economy such as Japan. Lack of such connectivity could lead to systemic “lock-in” in the long term. This is done by investigating the national systems of innovation of Japan in four knowledge-intensive industries: automotive, electronics, robotics and pharmaceuticals. Using patent data, I demonstrate that compared to other advanced countries such as Germany and Denmark, the Japanese innovation system is quite closed. I speculate that closedness to global innovation systems could be one of the reasons for Japan’s prolonged economic recession and the underperformance of its once world leading firms. The fourth chapter proposes an alternative catch-up strategy by investigating the innovation catch-up processes in Korea and Taiwan. These two Asian economies achieved developed status in a remarkably short period of time. Surprisingly, I found that these two countries are not well-connected to the rest of the world when it comes to innovation networks. These two countries achieved innovation catch-up rapidly by focusing on specific technologies that inherently require less reliance on learning through co-inventor networks. These technologies are the so-called “short cycle” technologies, i.e., technologies where the time period between innovation and maturation is very short. Therefore, relatively advanced technologies can be obtained in an “off-the-shelf” manner through outright purchase, licensing, and other means that do not require in-house wholly-owned innovation systems.
Temple University--Theses

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, 2007.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-07, Section: A, page: 3042. Advisers: Rockney G. Walters; Rebecca J. Slotegraaf. Title from dissertation home page (viewed Apr. 14, 2008).

The past five years have witnessed unprecedented changes in teacher evaluation systems, as states and districts have responded to federal incentives under the 2009 Race to the Top grant competition. Across the country, teacher evaluation has become more frequent, higher stakes, and more explicitly tied to student achievement outcomes. This capstone examines the initial implementation of one such system at DSST Public Schools, a network of nine consistently high-performing charter schools in Denver, Colorado. I describe my role in leading a cross-functional team charged with implementing, learning from, and improving the system in its first full year. I explore the everyday challenges of positioning evaluation as a resource to drive teacher development, arguing that evaluation will achieve lofty developmental goals only if teams of system designers and system users decouple the measurement and development purposes of teacher evaluation and commit to the creation of complementary systems. Leaders can accelerate this process by modeling a developmental mindset and creating conditions for purposeful team learning that leads to system adaptation. This capstone offers important lessons for practitioners and policymakers seeking to position teacher evaluation as a resource for teacher growth and development; for DSST Public Schools in its effort to develop teachers and leaders across its expanding network of schools; and for myself as an educational leader.

New Castle County Vocational Technical School District (NCCVT) is a vocational school district in Delaware consisting of four high schools. NCCVT’s vision “is to deliver world-class Career and Technical programs combined with rigorous academic curricula to equip students with the 21st century skills that will best serve the State of Delaware and the global community” (NCCVT, 2018, para. 1). I have served as the principal of St. Georges Technical High School (St. Georges) since 2012. As the principal, I have recognized the value of distributive leadership.

Distributive leadership involves working with several people to help inform decision-making that will improve the performance of educators and increase student achievement. The shared responsibility and experiences that teachers encounter through distributive leadership affect teacher capacities and motivation. The portfolio focuses on building the necessary leadership capacity to both achieve our instructional focus and reach our student achievement goals. Specifically, the ELP (Building the leadership capacity to achieve instructional focus and increase student achievement) centers on developing three school-based teams of teachers and administrators working together to improve teacher practices focused on literacy. The three leadership teams developed are the Powerful Development Team (PDT), Instructional Leadership Team (ILT), and the Instructional Coaches. Particular attention is given to the PDT because they exemplified an effective model of how distributive leadership can be operationalized at the building level. The improvement strategies centered on achieving the instructional focus goals, increasing capacity and distributing leadership. Teachers and administrators worked collaboratively to complete the following: a) select leaders and establish the PDT, b) build leadership capacity, and c) teach leadership skills and literacy strategies. The improvement strategies resulted in the development of: a) a qualified team of teachers working collaboratively to accomplish the school-wide instructional goals, b) two teams of teachers (ILT and coaches) supporting instructors with implementation of the school-wide instructional focus, c) a PDT team learning leadership skills and literacy strategies; d) three teams (PDT, ILT, and coaches) enhancing the instruction of teachers. These developments led to an increase in student achievement, including an increase in scores on the PSAT and SAT. On both assessments the school scored above the district and state average. The PDT believes that our instructional focus on research-based literacy strategies that is aligned with the Common Core Standards played a major factor in the students’ increased achievement on the PSAT and SAT. Recommendations for the future include providing specific feedback and resources for candidates who are not selected to participate on the PDT, collecting and analyzing data to determine goals for the instructional leadership groups, reevaluating the administrative walkthrough tool, creating a coaches’ walkthrough tool, and providing additional training on the four disciplines that will help build a cohesive team and healthy organization.

The purpose of this study is to build a conceptual framework to explain the influence of team building among elementary school teachers to improve teacher morale. This framework is intended as the foundation for a team building model to provide principals and teachers with a guide for implementing sound team-building activities into inservice training and throughout the school year. What are the best practices for implementing team building and how can these practices encourage teachers to have a more positive outlook on their profession? The variables include school environment, school climate, different principals, principal changes, years of teaching experience, teaching and planning time, school populations, and types of student programs at the school. This qualitative case study was conducted using interviews of administrators and teachers from 7 public elementary schools located in Southern Appalachia to discover how teambuilding activities influenced their perceptions of teacher morale. School observations captured the climate of the schools and each school's School Improvement Plan (SIP) and Staff Development Plan were examined. The researcher coded transcripts into themes, patterns, and the following conceptual constructs: (a) communication, (b) change, (c) building community, (d) acknowledgement, (e) work morale, (f) time, (g) team building, and (h) teamwork. Findings confirmed that administrators and a majority of the teachers showed evidence of high morale. The administrators reported that team-building activities at their school promoted open communication and a positive working environment. Ninety percent of the teachers discussed that team building brought the faculty together and improved communication and the overall climate of the school. Ten percent of the teachers interviewed came from 2 schools that had vertical team meetings during their planning time. They complained that vertical team meetings were a waste of time. For the most part team-building activities incorporated in the schools influenced keeping teacher morale high. Many teachers welcomed opportunities to work with their coworkers on school decision-making teams as well as in off-campus socializing.

The aim of this thesis is design and assessment of the steel structure of the multi-storey administration center in Martin. Floor plan dimensions are in the shape of a square 40 x 40 m. Column spacing is 8mx8x. Building has 6 floors and total height is 22,2m. Floor and roof structure is made of steel-concrete composite slab . Part of the work is analyze two different versions. Version A has longitudinal rigidity due to truss bracing. Rigidity of Version B has is ensured by frame conections between beams and columns.Version A was selected as better solution. All parts, except truss braicing is made of rolled beams. The whole structure is made of steel S355.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Instructional Systems Technology, 2009.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on Jul 15, 2010). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 70-12, Section: A, page: 4543. Adviser: Charles M. Reigleuth.

This study was focused on the perceptions of teachers and administrators from southwest Missouri high schools regarding the impact of Active Shooter Intruder Response Training (ASIRT). Perceptions of school safety, school climate, and preparedness for an active shooter were collected through focus group interviews. Participants for this study included four teachers and four principals randomly selected from a stratified cross-section of southwest Missouri high schools, based on enrollment. Also interviewed was Senator Dan Brown, primary sponsor of Missouri Senate Bill 75 (2013). Missouri Senate Bill 75 was signed into law by the Governor of Missouri in 2013 and mandates intruder training for Missouri school districts. The findings of this study were that teachers and administrators reported greater feelings of safety, climate, and preparedness for an intruder after participating in ASIRT. According to Senator Brown, the bill was originally authored to allow each school district the opportunity to determine how to best train staff for the event of an active shooter. Findings revealed that ASIRT was designed primarily to better provide safe learning environments for students and school staff, allowing higher levels of teaching and learning. Maslow’s (1954) theory of motivation–hierarchy of needs was the theoretical framework of this study, which states all humans must have the basic need of safety met before further development can take place. This theory paralleled the literature reviewed for this study, which indicated students perform at higher levels when they have a greater sense of safety.

Current American education is comprised of and influenced by a myriad of complex legislative, technological, and cultural representations of consumption, however this historic-educational study specifically examines how the Reagan administration discursively initiated the consumerizing educational framework. While existing research studies the neoliberal implications on education, this study addresses the neoliberal reforms under President Reagan within the discursive paradigm of its consumerizing impact. By using Critical Discourse Analysis on a selection of Presidential proclamations, speeches, and national educational reports, this study examines and elucidates how the Reagan administration created the consumerizing framework for American education. The Reagan administration distinguished American education from its predecessors as prioritizing the consuming potential of students, while simultaneously situating education as a commodity. The Reagan administration discursively positioned education as a commodity by implementing the free market values of competition and choice. Through Reagan’s encouragement of corporate involvement and rewarding the tenacity of business initiatives in education, American education transitioned from a democratic ideal to a market-oriented institution. This was specifically accomplished through positioning Reagan’s predecessors as misguided and situating Reagan as a rescuer, while legitimating the reforms as adhering to the American spirit. Similarly, business was presented as embodying the essence of the American spirit and being a rejuvenating force. Choice and competition were recontextualized from their economic purpose and recommended as a new form of educational governance. By understanding the results through the lens of some Frankfurt School thinkers and expanding on Bowles and Gintis’ educational theory, this study argues that Reagan’s reforms embodied a physical consumerizing aspect and an interactional consumerizing facet as necessary for the economy of post-industrial America.

This study examines the environmental and economic effects of green information technology (IT). Green IT describes two sets of IT innovations: one set includes innovations that are implemented to reduce the environmental impact of IT services in organizations; and the other IT to reduce the environmental impact of other organizational processes. The two sets respond to the call for more environmentally friendly or “greener” organizational processes.

I developed and tested a preliminary model. The model applied the resource based view (RBV) of the firm (Wernerfelt 1984) the stakeholder theory (Freeman 1984) and included four constructs: (1) BAS implementation; environmental value conceived in a novel way as the conservation of electric energy in buildings; economic value -- from energy cost savings; and BAS complements. These four constructs formed three propositions: (1) BAS implementation is positively associated with environmental value; (2) environmental value is positively associated with economic value; and BAS complements moderate the relationship BAS implementation and environmental value.

The model was used to guide the investigation of three research questions: 1. What are the environmental and economic values of green IT? 2. How do green IT create the above values? 3. Are other dimensions of value created? If so, what are they?

The focal IT investigated was the building automation system – a system designed to conserve electric energy and decrease operational costs. The unit of analysis of the study was the facilities management team – the implementers of the system.

I collected data on a sample of six diverse cases of BAS implementations. The cases were diverse in terms of the BAS types, the building purposes, the building locations and the building occupancy and management. Two types of BAS were involved in the study, each with a different level of artificial intelligence: the more intelligent BAS self-reconfigured when changes in setpoints, for example, were necessary; the less intelligent BAS must be reconfigured by an engineer in similar circumstances.

There was also diversity in terms of the buildings in which the systems were implemented and the occupancy and management of the buildings. The buildings include: the corporate headquarters of a global telecommunications firm; university classrooms; a residence hall in a university; and three multi-tenanted office complexes. The building occupancy and management differ in that some buildings are owner-occupied and are managed in-house, while the others are leased and their management outsourced.

Data collection involved recorded semi-structured interviews of three sets of users in the organizations: building engineers; chief engineers; and property/facilities managers. The interviews were prearranged and were conducted onsite using an interview protocol. Each interview lasted approximately one hour and was conducted in one session. The data were transcribed and analyzed in Nvivo 10.

The findings showed support for the presence of the four constructs within the preliminary model as well as for the three propositions in the preliminary model. The data also revealed contextual details of the BAS implementation and BAS complements constructs. There were also new dimensions value including: unanticipated types of economic value (including savings from reduced labor demand; social value (comfort and safety for building occupants); and strategic value (knowledge used to position the organizations for greater efficiency and effectiveness). Overall, the value outcomes of the implementations can be summarized as short term social, environmental and economic value as well as strategic value – consistent with the concept of sustainable value defined by Hart et al. (1995).

Also, consistent with Zuboff’s (1985) description of the duality of intelligent IT systems -- the ability to informate and automate, the BAS implementation construct was found to include two distinct sources of value: equipment automation; and equipment information. The unanticipated value dimensions and types, as well as the sources of value were used to refine the research model.

The study therefore a preliminary theoretical model – the resource based view of the sustainable organization (RBV-SO) -- as well as contextual implementation details that can be used to guide future investigations of the value created by intelligent green IT systems such as the BAS, as well as measurement items that can be used to inform quantitative studies of these systems. The study also adds to the practical body of knowledge concerning green IT implementations in general and implementations of the BAS in particular, concerning: details of the information value – for example, for measuring the environmental impact of the system and for substantiating claims in the application for green funds available to organizations; and details of some key complementary resources that enhance value creation within the context.

Two major limitations of this study are: (1) a single coder was used in the analysis process and therefore no inter-coder reliability was established for the results; and (2) user perceptions rather than actual quantities were used to validate the findings.

Some future research prospects include: use of these findings to conduct a quantitative study of an intelligent system extended with, for example, investigation of the impact of external forces such as government regulations, environmental issue salience, and market forces on the value created by green IT (such as the BAS); and investigation of the impact over time of the development of the strategic capabilities enabled by the BAS on creation of value.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Indiana University, Kelley School of Business, 2007.
Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-09, Section: A, page: 3956. Adviser: Carol V. Brown. Title from dissertation home page (viewed May 5, 2008).

Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, March 2006.
Thesis Advisor(s): Christopher Bellavita, "March 2006." Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-98). Also available online.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Indiana University, Dept. of Educational Leadership & Policy Studies, 2008.
Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on May 12, 2009). Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 69-08, Section: A, page: 2980. Adviser: Leonard Burrello.

For over four decades, the outdoor clothing company Patagonia has promoted environmentalist ideologies though essays and photographs published in their print media. This strategy offers an eco-friendly narrative that resonates with many brand consumers, but the art of constructing and publicizing a corporate narrative with social purpose (i.e. corporate social narrative) has yet to be explored. In this thesis, Patagonia's corporate social narrative is reviewed in light of Fisher's narrative paradigm theory, the principals of corporate social marketing, social exchange theories, and the idea that visual imagery holds significant power in consumer markets. Major themes in Patagonia's environmental narrative are identified and explored via narrative analysis of promotional material published by the company between the years of 1972-2013, with a focus on product catalogs published after 1991. The narrative research delves into how the themes of journey, calculated risk, minimalist struggle, and a connectedness to nature help Patagonia create a self-proclaimed uncommon culture and explores how this culture is used to promote behavioral change in outdoor enthusiasts who purchase from the company. Lastly, lessons from Patagonia's social narrative are detailed along with recommendations on how corporate social narrative can be used effectively in other consumer markets.

As manager and instructional leader of the school, the principal is responsible for the well-being of all programs, including the provision of general and special education services for children and youth with disabilities. However, the intricacies of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, P.L. 101-476, coupled with the complexity of the building administrator's role in contemporary educational settings, result in a need to assist principals in keeping abreast of key information regarding special education. A core set of special education competencies, based on clearly defined areas and identified by the principal and other key stakeholders responsible for preservice and inservice training is needed.;The present study was conducted to investigate core special education competencies needed by public school principals in Virginia for the effective administration of special education programs in their buildings. The study was also designed to determine how elementary, middle/junior high, high school building administrators, special education administrators, and university professors in Virginia differ in their perceptions of the importance of these competencies. The final purpose of the study was to determine the degree to which building administrators perceive their level of knowledge relative to the core special education competencies identified.;The study involved responses from surveys received from 308 principals, special education administrators, and university professors (i.e., 74% of the 414 randomly sampled individuals from these groups). In response to the research question regarding which core special education competencies are needed by principals, a set of seven major competencies, accompanied by 24 sub-competency statements were generated. Five of the seven major competencies surveyed were deemed very important for building administrators by the groups surveyed. The remaining two competencies were deemed somewhat important by the groups. No statistical differences were found to exist between building administrators regarding either their perceived level of importance or their level of knowledge relative to the seven major competencies. The principals as a group considered their level of knowledge relative to the competencies to be moderately low. Recommendations are made for future research.