Master Theses

The Effects of Knowledge and Integrative Complexity on Acceptance of Wilderness Designation

Student: Sean McLaughlin, M.S.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Joshua Carroll

 

Dichotomies often develop when the concept of federal
Wilderness designation arises (e.g., is Wilderness designation
perceived as an ecological and societal necessity, or as a waste of
natural resources?). Using a pre-post design, this study investigated
the effects of knowledge, and a cognitive measurement tool known as integrative complexity,
on acceptance of federally designated Wilderness areas. Specifically,
the study examined the relationship between increased knowledge about
Wilderness designation and integrative complexity, and their effects on
acceptability of management actions such as designation of Wilderness
areas.

 

"The Non-Profit Human Service Sector: Understanding an Organization's Capacity to Innovate"

Student: Rebecca Foss, M.S.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Bob Barcelona

 

This study examined how nonprofit human service
organizations (NHSO) respond to environmental change and the role of
innovation in that process. A total of nine practitioners, managers,
and board members participated in the study in order to gain a
preliminary understanding of how this sample viewed their organization's
capacity for innovation and responsiveness to its environment.  The
semi-structured interviews provided a forum for NHSO staff to describe
environmental changes faced by their organization, define innovation
in the nonprofit sector, and describe the role that the innovation
process plays in enhancing the sustainability of their organization.

A Study of Organizational Culture in Campus Recreation: A Competing Values Approach

Student: Scott Butch, M.S.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Bob Barcelona

The purpose of this study was to assess organizational culture in
campus recreation departments and its links with organizational
effectiveness. The competing values theory and subsequent framework was
used to determine if there were significant differences in the
organizational cultures of campus recreation departments based upon
specified dependent variables including their administrative unit,
their institutional size, and their institutional control. The results
indicated there were no significant patterns or classifications in the
organizational culture maps based on the dependent variables. There was
one significant difference found in the discriminant analysis in
public universities administered under athletics versus student affairs
and a follow up study examining this relationship is advised.

An Analysis of the Impact of Service Quality on
Satisfaction, Value, and Future Intentions within Campus Recreation
Using Performance-Based Measures

Student: Mathew Ott, M.S.

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Bob Barcelona

The problem of the study was to examine the relationships
between service quality, customer satisfaction, value and future
intentions within campus recreation using only the performance section
of the Centre for Environmental and Recreation Management-Customer
Service Quality (CERM-CSQ) instrument. A total of 248 usable surveys
were collected from student users of campus recreation services at a
university in the Northeastern region of the United States. Results of
the study indicated that of the three service quality dimensions
measured (core, personnel, peripheral) core was the only dimension
exhibiting a significant relationship between satisfaction and value.