Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Community of consultants'

As humanity hurtles towards the twenty first century, it is apparent that the world is becoming a smaller place. Moreover, the colonization of previous centuries has largely shown deference to a differing approach in international interaction. It would seem that consultancy offers nations the possibility of importing expertise in order to aid development without overtly incurring the domination of foreign powers. This thesis debates the veracity of such an assumption and proceeds to examine international consultancy as practised by a single professional group, namely midwives. The study is confined to consideration of those who provide a short term consultancy service. It debates whether international consultancy can rightly be considered an approach which offers the client an equal partnership or whether it remains contaminated by the spirit of western domination. The thesis explores current thinking on modernization and development and asserts that these issues are of considerable import, demanding an understanding by every midwife practising as an international consultant. This debate sets the scene for the main research question which, using a qualitative research approach, examines the characteristics of midwives who cross international boundaries in order to provide consultancy services, considering how such characteristics may impact on their effectiveness. Across the developing world, the needs within the maternity and child health services and the responsibilities of the midwife have been brought into sharper focus with the advent of the Safe Motherhood Initiative [WHO:1987]. Currently, a significant number of professionals from the industrialized West travel to Third World countries in response to requests to assist or advise on health and related issues. This thesis dissects differing perspectives of need which may occur between the Orient and the Occident and asks who responds to the expressed need for expertise, how they are selected, whether they are prepared and how they are received. Ultimately, a theory is born. This proffers that effectiveness in international consultancy is dependent on the fulfilment of certain "laws". The "laws" are derived from the discoveries made during data analysis relating to the main research question. They are also influenced by the consideration of numerous subsidiary research questions which arise during the study. The "laws" are nurtured in an extensive examination of literature scanning several professional disciplines and spanning several decades up to the present day.

The management consulting industry has been growing exponentially during the last two decades influencing the relationships between business schools, corporations and universities, achieving a significant role as a modern "knowledge creator". This thesis studies the process of knowledge creation undertaken by management consultants. The academic mode of creating knowledge as described by Kuhn (1996) was used to direct this exploration of consultants as a knowledge creating community. The purpose of using the scientific method of knowledge creation is not to compare or to judge consulting knowledge, but to use it as a way of entry to explore consultants' practices. In a complementary way to Kuhn's core concepts, a brief Foucauldian overview identified concepts like inclusion and exclusion, discourse and the notion of practices, which are used in the analysis. An empirical research was conducted focusing specifically on a group of practicing consultants in New Zealand. Thirteen consultants who specialize in corporate governance advice were interviewed. Corporate governance was chosen as a field of advice because it is a clearly separable area of management consulting. In this study, the categories of community and paradigm served as a point of entry to explore knowledge creation practices. The data was analyzed qualitatively in search for evidence of community belonging and patterns in consultants' knowledge creation practices. It has been found that consultants, in spite not having a formal regulating professional body, behave as a professional community that has entry requirements, exit procedures and credentials for belonging. Consultants define their identities in the intersection of overlapping communities, which sometimes include their former educational backgrounds, their professions and their current practice. Research findings show that consultants in governance share a paradigm, which trascend particular consulting firms and reach a larger group of consultants. This paradigm has quality control processes such as reputation and re-engagement, and common methods in dealing with governance problems. In addition, in terms of the body of knowledge shared, there are certain factors that determine the value of that knowledge for consultants such as novelty, commercial value, utility and accessibility.

The study of the Clackamas Small Business Development Center's Small Business Management Programs (SBM) had three research objectives: to ascertain what information should be transferred to small business owners and how best to transfer that information; to ascertain what information is presently being transferred to clients and what methods are used in transferring the information; and to survey clients in order to develop a current demographic profile, measure their level of satisfaction with the assistance received, and ascertain what they perceived were the benefits of the program to their companies. Prior to the study, there had been little systematic research of what information should be transferred to SBDC clients and the most effective methods for transferring that information. The small business growth stage literature was used to develop the recommended body of information. The adult learning literature was used to develop the recommended methods for transferring that information to clients. The majority of respondents were women, well educated, middle-aged, and from companies in service related industries that employed few workers. The findings suggest that clients desire an increase in both the appropriateness of the program's informational content and the level of their involvement in tailoring the SBM program to the needs of their organizations. As suggested by the Small Business Growth Stage Models, a statistically significant decline in client satisfaction of the program's informational content was found to exist between stage two and stage three business owners. The study found that instructors did not utilize specific business factors (such as sales levels, numbers of employees, etc.) in developing the informational content of the SBM programs. Instructors also did not utilize client preferred learning styles, or formal client involvement in developing the instructional design of the SBM program. The study found that clients and center personnel appear to differ in their perceptions regarding the role of the instructor and the purpose of the SBM program. Clients appear to envision the role of the instructor as more of a consultant, while instructors view their role as preparing clients to solve their own problems.

Background: Women booked for home or GP unit delivery, under the care of their community midwife and GP, are frequently transferred to consultant care. Even obstetrically low risk women may develop complications which necessitate hospital-based intervention. Transfer has been perceived as undesirable and booking policies have been developed to avoid it, but few studies have focused on transfer from either a medical or a maternal view point. Objectives: To describe the community-based obstetric service, focusing on transfer, and to compare it with shared care; to investigate women's experience of transfer. Design: (1) A prospective comparative survey with non-equivalent controls, using ante- and postnatal postal questionnaires; the data were analysed using SPSS. (2) Long interviews 3 to 8 weeks postnatally, which were taped, transcribed and analysed according to grounded theory. Setting and subjects: All 122 women booked for GP unit or home birth in a northern English city in the second half of 1991; 141 controls were drawn from low risk women booking for shared care. The response rates were 82% and 62% respectively. Twelve transferred women were interviewed. Main outcome measures: obstetric intervention and outcome; maternal characteristics, preferences and satisfaction; continuity of care; length of stay; transfer rate and indications. Results: Community-booked women have similar obstetric outcomes to shared care women, but less intervention, better continuity and shorter length of stay. They have higher expectations but are more satisfied with their care. Overall transfer rates (46% in primiparous and 23% in multiparous women) resemble those in other units. Transferred women are especially vulnerable to disappointment, but continuity of care and sensitive debriefing ameliorate it. Conclusion: Transfer does not detract from the overall advantages of community based maternity care, but for the women it affects, special attention is needed.

The aim of the diploma thesis is to analyse provided social services and to evaluate their current level of the quality ,availability and structure in the Central Bohemian region. Special attention is devoted to the district of Kladno, which is one of the most populous districts of the region. The topic of social services is not only actual from the point of view of demographic trend of the population ageing, but nowadays it is also necessary to give an essential succour to other disadvantaged groups of the inhabitants. It is possible to say that social services have an influence on the quality of life and the current social system is based on the high level of social services and on the comprehension of specific needs of the individuals. The thesis devotes to the availability and structure of social services, which are provided for individual target groups of the inhabitants in the Central Bohemian region. The thesis concludes that social services are afforded in the desirable structure and mainly in bigger cities. The lower number of social services is given in smaller central and peripheral areas of the region. In the district of Kladno there is given the large number of social services of all sorts. They are available in the high quality. Nevertheless, the offer of social services for pensioners is not sufficient, the main reason is insufficient capacity of the long-stay services.

Um die dezentrale Kommunikation zwischen Beratern und Softwareentwicklern zu verbessern, entschied sich die Saxonia Systems AG zum Test des Microblogging-Dienstes Yammer. Nach nur vier Wochen waren bereits 89 Anwender im System aktiv, die 1.391 Postings verfasst hatten. Die Evaluation durch eine Online-Nutzerbefragung zeigte die prinzipielle Tauglichkeit und Akzeptanz, aber auch die derzeitigen Grenzen von Microblogging auf.

Um die dezentrale Kommunikation zwischen Beratern und Softwareentwicklern zu verbessern, entschied sich die Saxonia Systems AG zum Test des Microblogging-Dienstes Yammer. Nach nur vier Wochen waren bereits 89 Anwender im System aktiv, die 1.391 Postings verfasst hatten. Die Evaluation durch eine Online-Nutzerbefragung zeigte die prinzipielle Tauglichkeit und Akzeptanz, aber auch die derzeitigen Grenzen von Microblogging auf.

O sistema de saúde vem se transformando pressionado por mudanças sociodemográficas, políticas e econômicas. Essas modificações impõem aos gestores a necessidade de conhecer de maneira particularizada o perfil de demandas da população usuária. Neste contexto, o presente estudo tem por objetivo identificar o padrão e as características de utilização de um serviço de atenção primária à saúde a nível ambulatorial. Como objetivos específicos buscou-se traçar o perfil sociodemográfico dos usuários de unidades de APS, avaliar os motivos das consultas, identificar o tipo de atendimento utilizado e a categoria profissional responsável pelo atendimento, avaliar a relação das consultas com as ações programáticas desenvolvidas nos serviços de saúde e identificar a associação entre a vulnerabilidade da área de moradia e os motivos de consulta. Foi realizado um estudo transversal com dados retrospectivos do Serviço de Saúde Comunitária do Grupo Hospitalar Conceição (SSC-GHC). A fonte primária foi o Boletim de Atendimento(BA), emitido para cada consulta efetuada no período de 1/01/2011 a 31/12/2011. O total de consultas avaliadas foi de 34.014 realizadas em duas unidades da Zona Norte de Porto Alegre por profissionais de nível superior de diferentes categorias profissionais. . A fonte primária do banco de dados foi o BA, emitido para cada atendimento ambulatorial. A análise dos dados foi feita com o programa estatístico SPSS versão 18.0. A análise descritiva respeitou as características e a distribuição das variáveis. As variáveis contínuas e com distribuição normal foram descritas por meio da média e desvio padrão e as variáveis contínuas e sem distribuição normal foram apresentadas como mediana (intervalo interquartil). As variáveis categóricas foram descritas como números absolutos. O número total de consultas efetivadas foi de 34.014, realizadas por 5.033 pessoas com cadastro nas unidades. A participação de moradores de área de risco foi de 31,3%. O número de pessoas consideradas hiperutilizadores - com mais de 6 consultas/ano - foi de 2.216 (44%). Os hiperutilizadores realizaram 78% das consultas. Estavam presentes hiperutilizadores em 53,7% das famílias. Os hiperutilizadores tinham como característica predominante ser mulher (67,8%), pertencer à faixa etária dos 20 aos 49 anos ou de mais de 60 anos. Os problemas relacionados à saúde mental e comportamental têm um percentual mais elevado entre os usuários hiperutilizadores, (6,9% vs 3,5%). O profissional mais procurado foi o médico (59,3%) seguido pelo odontólogo (27,5%). Os motivos de consulta encontrados são semelhantes no grupo de hiperutilizadores e não hiperutilizadores e distribuídos dentro do esperado para as faixas etárias.
The health system has been undergoing transformation due to sociodemographic, political and economic changes. These alterations impose to managers the need to individually know the demand profile of the user population. In this context, the present study aims to identify the use pattern and characteristics in primary health care service at ambulatorial level. As for specific objectives, this research intended to develop the sociodemographic profile of Primary Health Care (PHC) units users, evaluate the reasons for consultations, identify the type of service utilized and the professional category responsible for providing the service, assess the relationship between consultations and the programmatic actions performed by health services as well as to identify the association between the vulnerability of the housing area and the reasons for consultation. A cross-sectional study was conducted with retrospective data from the Community Health Service of the Conceição Hospital Group (SSC-GHC). The primary source was the outpatients' charts issued for each consultation in the period between 1/1/2011 and 12/31/2011. The study comprised a total of 34,014 consultations performed in two units of the North Region of Porto Alegre by professionals with tertiary education from different occupational categories. The main objective of this study was to identify use pattern and characteristics of primary health care services at ambulatorial level. The specific objectives were to develop the sociodemographic profile of PHC units users, evaluate the reasons for consultations, identify the type of service utilized and the professional category responsible for providing the service, assess the relationship between consultations and the programmatic actions performed by health care services as well as to identify the association between the vulnerability of the housing area and the reasons for consultation. The primary source of the database was the chart issued for each outpatient’s ambulatory care. The data analysis was realized with the SPSS statistics software version 18.0. The descriptive analysis considered the characteristics and distribution of variables. The continuous variables with normal distribution were described through averages and standard deviation whilst the continuous variables without normal distribution were presented as median (interquartile range). Categorical variables were described as absolute numbers. The total number of consultations was 34,014 referring to 5,033 people registered in the units. The participation of risk area residents was 31.3%. The number of people considered frequent users - with more than 6 consultations per year - amounted to 2,216 (44%). The frequent users accounted for 78% of the consultations. They were present in 53.7% of households. Frequent users were predominantly women (67.8%), belonging to the age group ranging from 20 to 49 years old or over 60. Mental and behavioral health related issues have a higher percentage among frequent users (6.9% vs. 3.5%). The most requested professional was the physician (59.3%) followed by the odontologist (27.5%). The reasons for consultation found are similar in both frequent and non-frequent users and distributed within the expected for the age groups.

The emergence of modularized curriculum in community college career and technical education (CTE) programs has received substantial attention over the last decade, with researchers suggesting that this type of curriculum redesign may assist with student retention and success. The purpose of this study was to describe advisory committee member involvement in modularizing CTE programs. This study was undertaken for three reasons: (a) to address the limited research on the topic of advisory committee involvement in modularizing curriculum; (b) to respond to the increased momentum to expand working lifetime opportunities, in which modularization may play an integral part; and (c) to explore the suggestion that employers must take a leadership role in shaping the workforce and that this may be done effectively through work on an advisory committee. The research was designed as a quantitative descriptive study using survey methodology. The study focused on community college CTE advisory committee members in Oregon and Wisconsin who were identified as being engaged in developing career pathways. The primary research question asked respondents to describe their involvement in modularizing curriculum, and the secondary question asked them to specific the degree to which their involvement had occurred in the various aspects of modularizing curriculum. The key findings of this descriptive study suggest that responding CTE advisory committee members in Oregon and Wisconsin are aware of the concept of curriculum modularization but have little involvement in the actual process of breaking down associate degree programs into smaller certificates. This study also shows that these same advisory committee members endorse more than they assist with developing the various aspects of modularizing curriculum, such as defining skills sets for various jobs, developing courses for appropriate content, reordering courses in an existing program, adding or deleting courses, and developing measureable outcomes. Implications for practice from this study are: 1) provide more information and training to advisory committee members involved in modularizing curriculum in order to increase their level of understanding and thus strengthen their ability to participate effectively in reviewing and endorsing work already done by faculty, 2) provide advisory committee members with complete and detailed instructions regarding their work on the committee, and 3) develop a mandatory advisory committee orientation for all members to provide the needed information and training.
Graduation date: 2013

碩士
東海大學
教育研究所
96
The Grade 1-9 Curriculum and Instruction Consulting Group of Changhua province in this study is consisted of teacher consultants based on the concepts of learning community and professional development. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether this group has achieved its goals of establishment and to examine the relationship between their perceptions of learning community and professional development. A self-developed questionnaire regarding learning community and professional development is used to survey 112 consultants in this group, and 107 copies are returned. After deducting invalid ones, the valid questionnaires used for analysis are 102(91%). The main findings of this study as follows: 1. The most helpful activities of this group reported by the consultants are participating and sharing. 2. The consultants agree that this group is positively helpful as a learning community and for their professional development. 3. The differences in sex, position, school level, educational background, participating motive, age, year of service in the group have no influence on the consultants’ sense of learning community. But the longer of their teaching experiences, the better they perceive this group as a learning community. Difference teaching subjects also show differences on the sub-scale of sharing and dialogue. 4. The differences in sex, position, school level, educational background, teaching subject, participating motive, age, year of service in the group have no influence on the consultants’ sense of professional development. But the longer of their teaching experiences, the better they perceive their own professional development. 5. The senses of learning community and professional development have highly correlated, the higher they sense this group as a learning community, the better they perceive their professional development. Finally, based on the findings of this study, some suggestions are proposed for educational administrative institutions, consulting groups and consultants.

At a Muslim school a group of boys with a reputation for stealing got the opportunity to share stories with communities of concern. Honesty meetings, honesty tests, honesty certificates and honesty celebrations formed part of narrative therapy ways of working together to try and regain reputations for honesty. As an outsider researcher/therapist I was confronted by stories of slavery, racism, unemployment, poverty, crime and violence. Through collaboration with a cultural consultant it became possible to do theology and pastoral care as a Christian in a Muslim community in a respectful and ethical way. The sharing of stories of pain and resistance contributed to the mutual care and community amongst participants from communities separated by racism and apartheid legislation as well as differences of culture and religion. Reflections on this journey mark a migration of identity for me as researcher, therapist, Christian and white South African practical theologian.
Practical Theology
M.Th. (Pastoral Theology)

This thesis describes the researcher’s journey as an online facilitator and reflective organization development (OD) practitioner as she explores how to nurture and cultivate space for learning and collaboration in an online community of practice. The research setting is a small group of mostly volunteers in a national health charity. The researcher adopts a reflective practitioner research approach engaging in a continuous process of story-telling throughout the thesis. She struggles with questions such as her own dynamic role as an outside facilitator, the role of technology, dilemmas of emergence versus design and discovery of purpose. Rather than arriving at a to-do-list for potential online facilitators, she discovers that hosting café style conversations, setting the online tables and enabling space for learning, collaboration and aliveness is more a matter of the facilitator’s capacity to listen, to be authentically present and to relinquish control.