Bailey College of Engineering & Technology
http://hdl.handle.net/10484/5536
2024-02-20T15:30:16ZNARRATIVE INQUIRY OF OPT WORKERS IN MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING FIELDS
http://hdl.handle.net/10484/13962
NARRATIVE INQUIRY OF OPT WORKERS IN MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING FIELDS
Watson, MariEtta Joleen
Optional Practical Training (OPT) is a highly valued and highly underutilized program designed to offer international students an opportunity to work in the U.S. and train in their field of study. This qualitative study collected and analyzed the narratives of three alumni of a Midwest university who completed OPT in the manufacturing engineering field. Four themes were identified in the narratives. These themes were inextricable to the premise that OPT is a deeply appreciated opportunity for F-1 students. The first theme is viewing the OPT experience as a system which includes the university, USCIS, and the employer and moreover a need to improve this system. Secondly, subjects demonstrated an acute reluctance to disclose information, an important point to keep in mind when conducting future research. The third theme is the desirability of sustained professional development. This theme was expressed through descriptions of actions and as advice for future OPT workers. Finally, subjects identified the uncertainty of new experiences as a bigger challenge than the reality of the experience. Efforts to remove barriers for these workers should include the time leading up to the action and address uncertainty.
2022-05-01T00:00:00ZAn Experiential Analysis of Job Site Safety: Delineating Between Positive Safety Culture and Excessive Safety
http://hdl.handle.net/10484/13961
An Experiential Analysis of Job Site Safety: Delineating Between Positive Safety Culture and Excessive Safety
Tighe, Steven
In general industry and in construction many safety requirements are mandated on job sites and in facilities. Many requirements move past simple compliance and enter the realm of cultural safety. This high level of cultural safety is what is typically the level most safety professionals strive for in any company. The balance is tipped to excessive when we move past the cultural safety into redundant or multi layers of requirements that affect production rates and have no actual value to safety but have the appearance of safety. This research looked into a large construction project that had multiple layers of safety professionals and multiple layers of redundant safety requirements. Some of the items reviewed were additional fall protection in scissor lifts, self-retracting utility knives, 100% PPE on site and other items above regulatory minimums. What was identified in the research was that if the hazard was high with potential catastrophic results, additional safety precautions were welcomed. If the perceived risk was low, it was viewed as a nuisance. Additionally, some redundant safety items significantly contributed to fatal incidents. The most important aspect of this paper is that true safety comes from a proper honest risk assessment and right sized mitigation of those hazards identified.
2020-12-01T00:00:00ZCOMPARING FUNCTIONS, COSTS AND REWARDS OF QUALITY ENGINEERS AND SIX SIGMA BLACK BELTS
http://hdl.handle.net/10484/13960
COMPARING FUNCTIONS, COSTS AND REWARDS OF QUALITY ENGINEERS AND SIX SIGMA BLACK BELTS
Short, C. Grant
The respective Bodies of Knowledge (BoKs) as described by the American Society for Quality (ASQ) for Certified Quality Engineers (ASQ, 2015a) and Certified Six Sigma Black Belts (ASQ, 2015b) are quite similar, yet anecdotally, six sigma black belts are recognized and consequently rewarded more highly than are quality engineers. While Quality Engineering work is typically regarded as preventive in nature, work performed by six sigma black belts is in the realm of improvement, hence is reactive in nature. Consequently, a dichotomy exists in that preventive actions, which are less costly by their nature, are not rewarded as well as costlier reactive actions. This results in loss to the owning organization.
The intent of this research is to determine the validity of the anecdotal evidence, and subsequently determine the root cause therefor. The research method was to perform a survey of managers knowledgeable in the duties of both quality engineers and six sigma black belts combined with a Delphi Study of the ASQ certification board, which develops the respective bodies of knowledge, and a comparison in salaries of the two positions, based on the ASQ salary survey for several years. The results reflect the validity of the anecdotal evidence and indicate the need for further research.
2019-12-01T00:00:00ZEFFECTIVENESS OF CAMPUSCLARITY BY EVERFI’S SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION PROGRAM ON VICTIMIZATION RATES
http://hdl.handle.net/10484/13959
EFFECTIVENESS OF CAMPUSCLARITY BY EVERFI’S SEXUAL HARASSMENT PREVENTION PROGRAM ON VICTIMIZATION RATES
Seifers, Harold Leon III
The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a correlation between the number of reported incidences of rape and stalking on college campuses and campuses that utilize CampusClarity by EVERFI as an educational tool to “reduce risky student behavior and prevent sexual assault on your campus.” The study investigated the relationship between the dependent variables, incidences of rape and stalking, versus the independent variables: partnership, men’s population, women’s population, on-campus drug crime, on-campus alcohol crime, on-campus domestic violence, and on-campus dating violence. The 11,181 campuses that report crime data required by the Clery Act were included as data with partnership information on 186 reported partners. A multiple linear regression analyses was used to determine a correlation. The results of the study show a positive statistically significant correlation between rape and stalking with partnership. This does not necessarily mean that partnership increases the occurrences of sexual assault. It is possible that the campuses that use these tools are already different from campuses that do not utilize their tools. A lack of information on implementation could also lead to varying results, as early and repetitive implementation could lead to less assaults occurring. It is also possible that the universities that utilize these tools are producing better educated students regarding sexual assault, which means they are more likely to report incidences than students at campuses that do not provide this type of training to its students, staff, and faculty.
2019-12-01T00:00:00Z