MEPI, BEVI, and EI leadership: Implications and applications for global leadership assessment and development

Across multiple settings, individuals who assume organizational leadership roles may find themselves grappling with unique opportunities to influence meaningful change. The complexities of such processes become especially apparent in a global context where multiple dynamics must be navigated simultaneously and skillfully. What variables are associated with greater or lesser effectiveness in these global leadership roles? Can such processes be measured in an ecologically valid manner? What might we learn about the cultivation of global leadership by an examination of such interacting intricacies? This dissertation sought to answer these questions by reviewing and applying existing global leadership theories and the Equilintegration (EI) Leadership Model to develop a comprehensive program analysis of an international leadership development program, the Middle Eastern Partnership Initiative Student Leaders’ Program. The MEPI program is a United States State Department initiative which brings very bright and talented young people from across the Middle East to the United States each summer for a six week leadership immersion program hosted by Georgetown University and five other university partners. The Beliefs, Events, and Values Inventory (BEVI) was used to assess Time 1 / Time 2 change processes by examining participant experiences before and after completion of the MEPI program. Leadership rating and ranking forms were also developed based on the EI Leadership Model and implemented by program administrators. Program analysis results suggest that this intervention is associated with optimal changes for a substantive majority of MEPI participants. More specifically, a number of BEVI indices suggest that the MEPI program is achieving its mission and goals for a considerable majority of participants (e.g., they became more open and aware regarding the nature of self, others, and the larger world, and less likely to see the world in “black and white terms”). However, the BEVI also yielded rich data indicating that not all participants changed in these optimal ways. Namely, individuals who entered the program with a “self structure” that was less congruent with program expectations and opportunities (e.g., in terms of how emotions are accessed or attributions made) tended to become overwhelmed from the standpoint of the BEVI and its EI theoretical framework, with a corresponding attenuation of openness to and interest in engaging with self, others, and the larger world vis-à-vis the mission and goals of the MEPI program (i.e., for this “low optimal” subgroup, the MEPI program is associated with outcomes that appear to be the opposite of what is intended by participation). Among related findings of note, higher educated students showed less optimal change than their less educated counterparts, which suggests that “education” in the Middle East may not prepare a subset of students for the intensity of the MEPI program. Moreover, data suggest that female participants tended to become more overwhelmed by the MEPI experience although they demonstrated equally optimal changes as males, which suggests that the experience of being female in the Middle East may add an additional layer of complexity to the process of identity development when faced with a “high impact learning” experience, which the MEPI program certainly is. Among other findings and recommendations, the following analysis considers why some participants responded more optimally than others and offers suggestions for program improvement over time, including deeper engagement with candidate selection and pre-program orientation processes, greater attention to the nature and form of transformative and high impact learning experiences like MEPI, the relevance of a liberal education background versus the more professional / skill based education of many MEPI participants, and the key and interacting role of moderating variables such as gender

Temperament, Attachment, and Co-parenting as Risk and Protective Factors of Depression in Young Adulthood

Depression is a serious mental illness that affects millions of people. Depression can cause severe life impairment and is associated with numerous life threatening risk factors. Though treatment of depression is important, prevention is ideal. Therefore, it is important to understand associated risk and protective factors of depression. Several factors may precede the development of depression in young adulthood. This study sought to better understand the role of temperament, parent-child attachment relationships, and child reported co-parenting quality on the development of depressive symptoms in young adults between the ages of 18 and 22. Previous studies have suggested that some temperament traits including negative affect, positive affect, and effortful control may be related to depression. Additionally, research has also suggested that parent child attachment is associated and predictive of depression as well. This study was also interested in how co-parenting and depression are related. Co-parenting is the relationship quality of how two individuals work together to raise a child, which may be supportive or undermining. Past research has shown conflicting results as to whether co-parenting quality may influence the development of depressive symptoms (e.g., Feinberg et al., 2007; Forehand & Jones, 2003). However, this study expected that conflict co-parenting and unsupportive co-parenting would be related to depressive symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test the hypothesis that temperament, attachment, and co-parenting are each predictive of depression. Results indicated that though temperament, attachment, and co-parenting are all separately correlated and predictive of depression, attachment and co-parenting fail to account for additional significant variance in depression when accounting for temperament

Emigration and Firm Productivity: Evidence from the Sequential Opening of EU Labour Markets

This paper establishes a causal link between the emigration of skilled workers and firm performance. We exploit time, country, and industry differences in the opening of EU labour markets from 2004 to 2014 as a source of exogenous variation in the emigration rates from new EU member states. Using firm-level panel data from ten East European countries, we show that the outflow of skilled workers reduces firm total factor productivity and increases personnel costs. One explanation for this effect is the increased job turnover, which lowers firm-specific human capital. We find that the most productive firms adapt more easily to emigration as they are better able to retain and train their workers

User perceptions related to identification through biometrics within electronic business

Concerns over Information Technology security, including theft, fraud and abuse have forced organizations to take a cautious approach to Electronic Commerce. This research study suggests that organizations can keep secure their resources by implementing an effective and accurate identification system, which will enable them to provide a better service to their customers and to prevent individuals from misrepresenting themselves to the organization. Various means of identification are available, but the key focus should be to establish accurate identity. The research study addresses biometric identification methods as a means of improving the security of on-line transactions. The specific focus is an investigation of user perceptions with regard to biometric identification methods. The research study, through a theoretical understanding of the concepts found within the research problem statement, compiles a Technology Adoption Model for understanding why individuals accept or reject Information Technology innovations, which has proved to be one of the most challenging issues in Information Technology research. The exploratory field study section of the research study makes use of interpretive research as a basis to identify various themes related to user perceptions of biometrics. The themes identified are discussed during a focus group session with research participants. The main focus of the exploratory field study section is on user perceptions related to biometric identification methods and to enhance the Technology Adoption Model compiled by gathering user perceptions regarding the Internet, Electronic Business, biometrics and user adoption via a questionnaire to provide a possible solution for the research study problem statement. From the exploratory field study, it was concluded that user perceptions will play a role with regard to identification through biometrics within Electronic Business and that the social factors trust, security, and privacy considerations will also have to be taken into account.Dissertation (MCom Informatics)--University of Pretoria, 2005.Informaticsunrestricte