Browsing by Subject "Competencies"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Culture in the English Language Curriculum in Mexico: How English language teaching and learning is conceptualized and exercised by educators in relation to ideas of culture at UVM México
    (2022-05) Butler, Lenise
    In this dissertation, I explore teachers' voices around the integration of culture learning into the English as a foreign language curriculum in a large private university in Mexico. Drawing on interviews and a focus group, as well as reference to the actual curriculum at play, this study offers an exploration of teachers’ perspectives and the realities in action of culture learning in the classroom environment. The study highlights the concerns of a large institution, the aspirations of program leaders, and the voices of teachers charged with making the desired outcomes a reality. It examines the realities behind best intentions in the educational environments of higher education in Mexico, specifically in the EFL sphere. This dissertation contributes to the international literature and knowledge base around culture in English language teaching in two ways. First, by sharing the realities of a contextualized program in Mexico and how the desired skills and competencies are integrated into the program. Second, by exemplifying teachers’ interaction with curriculum design and implementation, and giving voice to their perspective in ways which have never been recorded at UVM before. At the same time, this dissertation provides reference to how action research can make a difference in formal educational settings in Mexico and specifically, how it can and should be used in the element of curriculum design. As such, this research reinforces the need to continually recognize, train and include teachers in program design and curriculum reform. It draws on the realities of in-class teaching and learning to highlight the importance of the teacher in the process of learning culture and language, and shows teachers’ perspectives of the importance of culture as learning objectives for students.
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    Gender, Leadership, and Navigating through the Hierarchy: Behavioral Patterns and Managers’ Assessments of Performance, Promotion Potential and Career Derailment
    (2018-08) Dienhart, Carolyn
    Through the late 1990’s, women advanced rapidly in the business world, but today there are signs that progress has slowed. Though a significant amount of research has investigated gender, leadership style and disparities in higher level leadership, little research has examined how behavioral patterns and career outcomes are related within organizational levels and in field-based settings. In addition, little research has explored gender and the multifaceted aspects of performance, such as promotion potential and career derailment. This dissertation contributes to filling this gap in the literature by examining a variety of organizational stakeholders’ perceptions of leadership behaviors, managers’ assessments of performance, and their relationships across genders. Secondary data from over 3,000 participants from client organizations of a talent management firm were analyzed to: (a) examine the relationship between promotion potential and career derailment across genders; (b) examine differences in manager, peer, direct report, and self competency ratings across gender; (c) explore differences in managers’ ratings of a four factor performance scale across gender and explore how well performance ratings are predicted by competency ratings; and (d) examine the relationship between peer, direct report, and self competency ratings and managers’ ratings of a four factor performance scale. Overall, this research showed that there were few differences in competency ratings across gender, however men tended to be rated higher on business problem solving leadership, and women tended to be rated higher on task-oriented, interpersonal, and intrapersonal leadership. Across all organizational levels, managers rated women higher on individual performance and leadership effectiveness and they rated men as more likely to derail. However, there were few differences in ratings of promotion potential. Competency ratings were more predictive of performance for men than they were for women, suggesting that ratings for women tend to be less consistent. Future research should continue to examine the ways in which managers form their views and recommendations of employees’ performance and promotion potential to ensure greater equity in these processes.
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    Internationalization of the MBA curriculum and its impact on building students' global competencies
    (2014-08) Carlson, Oksana
    With the expansion of international business activities, business schools' leaders and administrators come to a higher understanding of the needs of employers and explore multiple strategies for MBA curriculum internationalization. The process of globalization has changed the skills, knowledge, and competencies expected of the MBA graduates. Studies suggest that corporate leaders expect MBA graduates to not only have technical expertise, but also to understand the dynamics of the globalized business world, to communicate and manage effectively across cultures, and to create innovative solutions for global business challenges (AACSB International, 2011; Ghemawat, 2008; Pitt, Berthon, & Robson, 1997).While many business schools define their mission as educating global business leaders who will make a difference in the world, little or no agreement has been achieved in defining the aspects and components of the MBA curriculum that would help to achieve this goal. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, this study provides a macro- and micro level analysis of the curriculum internationalization strategies adopted by leading business schools in the U.S. By employing a benchmarking analysis of the top MBA programs in the U.S., this study examines the current trends and best practices in MBA curriculum internationalization. The study also employs the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School in a more detailed analysis of curriculum internationalization. The new innovative curriculum of the Global MBA program was developed with the insights and recommendations of employers and academic leaders to reflect the needs of the ever-changing globalized business world. By employing a tracer study methodology and a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, this study examines the impact of the internationalized curriculum on building students' global competencies.The data suggest that MBA graduates perceived a significant change in their global competency level before and after the MBA program, and that this change is largely a result of the MBA curriculum and their experiences in the program.Through the combination of the benchmarking survey, analysis of the curricula documents of the leading MBA programs in the U.S., the survey of the MBA graduates in the selected business school, and a series of interviews, a deeper understanding is developed of the importance of the global competencies for MBA graduates. Subsequently the impact of the internationalized MBA curriculum on building students' global competencies is investigated. Broader implications of the study recommend that business schools consider the employers' needs and expectations, and use a systems approach in developing curriculum internationalization strategies.