Digital Commons Network^™

International Labor Migration And Factors Affecting Repatriation From Developed To Developing Countries: A Case Of Guyana's Brain Drain, Tilokie Depoo

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Guyana has lost most of the human resources it has cultivated and educated, which includes the cream of its young labor force. In a 2005 study, the World Bank singled out Guyana as the "worst example" of outward migration in the region. This study is necessary because given this significant outward migration Guyana have not enjoyed a return flow as similar countries in the Caribbean. There currently exists no empirical work that examined factors that would predict return migration for Guyana.

This study used a quantitative, non-experimental, correlation (explanatory) and causal-comparative (exploratory) cross-sectional survey research design is the first study …

Motivation, Language Learning Strategies, And Course Performance Among English Speaking College Students Learning A Romance Language, Kathia Flemens

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Only 8% of American college students study a foreign language (Christian, Johnson, Malone & Rifkin, 2003). Part of the reason stems from a decrease in foreign language requirements from four to two years at many secondary schools, thus reducing the number of students exposed to foreign language learning (Brecht & Rivers, 2000; Congressional Hearing Document, 2001). This creates a shortage of qualified human resources proficient in a second language at a time when an influx of immigration and globalization have created an increasing need to learn a foreign language (General Accounting Office, 2002). Meeting the human capital foreign language deficit …

Volunteer Functions, Satisfaction, Commitment, And Intention To Leave Government Volunteering, Gisela R. Salas

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Traditionally, volunteerism has been deeply embedded in United States history with citizens showing a high level of social participation. In the United States there are 60.8 million volunteers, however, the supply of volunteer labor has been insufficient to meet the demands of organizations with recent reports showing a decrease. Trends as far back as the 1980s indicated that budgetary constraints coupled with increasing demands makes volunteering the logical alternative to sustain service delivery.

Many community, civic, and governmental organizations need and use volunteers to accomplish their missions. One of the greatest challenges, however, is ensuring that the volunteers remain satisfied …

Impact Of Offshore Outsourcing On Competitive Advantage Of U.S. Multinational Corporations, Yoram Benit

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Offshore outsourcing became a common business practice by most U.S. and Western businesses after the Internet became viable. It is expected that by 2015 the U.S. market will outsource 3.3 million employment opportunities and will pay an estimated $136 billion in salaries to Asian countries (Hemphill, 2004). Outsourcing became a necessity for corporations to reduce cost and maintain competitiveness in the marketplace, but its effectiveness in achieving superior performance and competitive advantage needs to be explored.

The relationship among offshore outsourcing, market freedom, and competitive advantage is an important issue for multinational corporations to conduct business and gain competitive advantage. …

An Attribute Model For Analyzing The Relative Value, Market Share And Yearly Shipments Of Newly Produced General Aviation Airplanes, Mitchell R. Cannon

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The airplane manufacturing industry has evolved into a low production rate –high unit price environment. The ability of manufacturers to easily and quickly estimate airplane market value, market share and yearly shipments during the conceptual design phase of product development has become increasingly important. The purpose of this review was to explore the influence attributes affecting the value of newly produced general aviation airplanes utilizing attribute based product valuation, market share and yearly shipments regression models.

Conclusions derived from the critical analysis are: (1) product valuation models exist and are abundant, (2) many of the product valuation models are either …

Technology Acceptance Factors Affecting Adoption Of Wireless Data Technology, Igal Hebron

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The study of acceptance and use of technology is traditionally based on models designed to identify and test the relationships forged between the user and the technology in question. Models designed to study the relationship of user and technology acceptance tend to integrate experiential criteria, such as the attitude of the user towards technology, as well as criteria found within the environment. As wireless communications become more prevalent, and the forms of wireless technology evolve, understanding the process of acceptance and usage will be of importance as companies compete to offer the most user friendly and sophisticated wireless devices.

The …

Job Stress, Self-Efficacy, Burnout And Intention To Leave Among Kindergarten Teachers In Taiwan, Mao-Nan Cheng

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Teaching is far more stressful and challenging than ever before, and teacher burnout has an alarming effect on teaching quality, student achievement, school climate, and teacher's intention to leave. In Taiwan, the percentage of kindergarten teacher turnover is even higher, about 65% (National Policy Foundation, 2002). Battling teacher burnout and intention to leave are the most critical issues in a school system.

The general purpose of this quantitative, non-experimental comparative(exploratory) and correlation (explanatory) study is to examine the relationships between level of stress, burnout, self-efficacy and intention to leave among the kindergarten teachers in Taiwan. The sample consisted of the …

Relationships Between Emotional Intelligence And Individual Workplace Performance, Tina Bauer Goldsmith

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The intelligence quotients for intellectual ability or expertise in work environments are no longer leading factors in being hired or promoted (Cherniss & Goleman, 2001; Wolff, Druskat, Koman, & Messer, 2006). More recently, what appears to matter more importantly is competence for effective people management skills (Ashkanasy & Dashborough, 2003; Diggins, 2004; Douglas, Frink, & Ferris, 2004; Silberman, 2001; Wolff et al., 2006). One research question and five hypotheses were generated for the study to gain a better understanding of the relationships and factors contributing to emotional intelligence and individual workplace performance, and to elucidate which of the two emotional …

Police Chiefs' Use And Executive Subordinates' Perceived Use Of Non-Performance And Performance Based Criteria In Promotional Decisions: Organizational Mobility Channels, Bill D. Press

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The purpose of this study was to investigate police promotion and channels of mobility from an "appointed perspective" by those who do the appointments, as well as those chosen for the appointment. There were two ultimate goals of this study. The first was to describe the characteristics of police chiefs and subordinate police executives, and the importance of non-performance based criteria and performance based criteria used in promotion decision making by police chiefs and perceptions of use by subordinate police executives. The second was to extend the intra-organizational mobility model developed by Beehr and Taber (1993), with four additional non-performance …

Student Characteristics, Academic Self-Concept And Language Arts Literacy Performance In Traditional And Block Scheduling In Two Urban Schools, Luana Gipson-Bruce

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The effectiveness of language arts literacy (LAL) block scheduling on student achievement atid self-efficacy is a strategy of education reform. Language arts skills in urban schools is noted in the 1983 report "A Nation at Risk", which documents the seriousness of urban school literacy difficulties. In addition, state standardized requirements have attested to poor language arts performance in many minority schools.

The purpose of this study is to describe the demographic, health, academic self concept and student achievement of a 6& grade sample of 62 students in two urban schools, one which implements a traditional scheduling language arts program and …

Factors Influencing Retention Of Non-Traditional Undergraduate Students And Effective Retention Strategies, Jannette Porta-Avalos

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

A vast amount of literature exists on the topic of college student retention. However, there is still much to be learned about the process a student goes through to decide whether to stay in school or depart at an early stage without accomplishing the intended goal of completing a college education

Most of the research that has been done in the area of student retention has been geared to a homogeneous group of students abstractly referred to as the traditional college student. Since the number of studies about non-traditional students has been limited, the focus of this research was to …

A Study Of Faculty Perceptions Of The Use Of Student Evaluations Of Teaching In Faculty Assessments, Promotion And Tenure Decisions, Judith Kanegita Cineas

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The relationship between student evaluations of teaching (SET), grade inflation, and faculty assessments, promotion and tenure (FAPT) decisions is an issue that has received much attention in the past 30-40 years. The literature speculates that the use of SET ratings in FAPT decisions has resulted in faculty giving students higher grades to secure higher SET. This trend, it is held, has contributed to grade inflation, which decreases the reliability of assessing teaching effectiveness using student grades since they are not reflective of actual learning. It also decreases the validity of SET as an evaluation method if inflated grades are yielding …

American Memorials: A Conceptual Model, Mona Doreen Greenberg

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Reverence for the dead is a defining human characteristic. Pyramids are no longer in style, but a variety of memorials mark the American landscape, commemorating lives lost in war, exploration, storms, and most recently, lives taken by acts of terrorism. The study of American memorials differs as widely as do the reasons for building memorials. The development of a conceptual model lends insight to the nature of memorials and informs future scholars who may want to investigate this very human phenomenon.

A literature review identified 10 constructs that appeared to be universal to memorials: visitors, memory and meaning, grieving, education, …

Effects Of Similarity-Dissimilarity, Team Cohesion, And Hospital Cross-Functional Team Effectiveness On Organizational Performance, Zulfikar Dennis Kalam

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Healthcare organizations in the United States are faced with internal operating pressures as well as external regulatory and political pressures. Coupled with competitive forces and competition for healthcare dollars, improving hospital efficiency and maintaining quality patient outcomes are critical mandates for hospital administrators. To meet the increased demands of a highly complex service delivery model, hospital administrators can capitalize on hospital teams to deliver patient care in a more effective and efficient manner.

The purpose of this exploratory (comparative) and explanatory (correlational) online survey research was to test a hypothesized model about actual and perceived similarity-dissimilarity, openness to diversity, team …

The Impact Of Gender, Ethnicity And Instant Offense On The Adjudication And Disposition Stages Of Juvenile Justice Court Cases In Broward County, Florida, Donald G. Campbell

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This study examined the effect of gender, ethnicity, and instant offense on two decision stages—adjudication and disposition—of juvenile justice court case processing in Broward County, Florida from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2000. Research findings regarding the processing of youth by the juvenile justice system in different jurisdictions have been mixed; however, inequities occur in some jurisdictions but not in others and occur at some decision points but not other decision points. The study is important to determine if Broward County, Florida is engaging in gender and ethnicity disproportionate minority representation and inequities during the adjudication and disposition stages …

The Pentacle Quest: Wiccan Religion In The Media, Paula Johnson

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Destination Branding On Tourists' Attitudes Toward Tamshui, Taiwan, Chun-Fang Chang

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

From the managerial and customer-based perspectives, this research proposed a conceptual model that integrates product-based brand equity and the theory of planned behavior in evaluating the performance of tourist destination brands. In today's increasingly competitive tourism market, destination branding can be an effective technique for building successful site images and marketing programs. This technique may vary in focus to highlight the unique features of different destination stops. There has been limited research devoted to tourism brands and brand constructs in promoting tourist attractions. Specifically, not enough has been done to fully analyze tourists' attitudes toward destination branding although attitude has …

Investigating The Impact Of E-Learner Cognitive Style On The Predictive Value Of Student Success In Online Distance Education Courses, Heather Butler

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Currently, online professional development is growing rapidly in business and industry. The purpose of this study was to determine whether learners' cognitive styles influenced the learners' online course satisfaction and the possible relationships with student demographic characteristics. 83 participants of a Southeast Florida public school district completed the data-gathering instruments. Data was entered into a Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) computer program for statistical analyses. Results suggest that cognitive learning styles influence a learner's online course satisfaction. Furthermore, certain student demographic characteristics effect online course satisfaction. Successful experience in an online learning environment increases student achievement.

Staff Perceptions Of Structure, Process, And School Readiness Outcomes In Private South Florida Child Care Centers, Deborah Mazzeo

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The quality of child care centers and school readiness outcomes continue to be important topics in the State of Florida since policymakers, school districts, and child care centers, in August 2005, began to implement the Voluntary Prekindergarten Program. The problem area of child care is whether various characteristics of child care center programs result in different outcomes for children's development.

Qualities of child care centers can be attributed to structure and process variables. A theoretical framework that is grounded in Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory is discussed. The structure-process-outcome model of quality and Spady's outcome-based education model were combined to explain the …

Factors Associated With The Relinquishment Of Domestic Canines To Animal Shelters, Barry L. Adkins

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Pet overpopulation is the most pressing problem facing advanced societies concerning the plight of domestic pets (dogs and cats). The problem of pet overpopulation has been caused by people and can only be resolved by human intervention. Pet overpopulation results in the euthanasia of healthy animals. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that eight to ten million companion animals (i.e., cats and dogs) are relinquished to shelters each year. Of those, four to five million are euthanized (Humane Society of the United States [HSUS], 2001; Fournier & Geller, 2004). The behavior of both humans and pets is the …

A Proposed Schema For Analyzing The "Other" In Visual, Political Satire: The New Yorker Cartoon On Barack Obama, Safiyya Hosein

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This thesis will provide an image schema for analyzing the Other in satirical imagery. It will also strengthen previous theories in visual communication that argue that imagery, specifically satirical imagery, may also function in the form of visual ideographs. The case study that will be conducted to illustrate this argument will be an analysis of the controversial July/2008 New Yorker cartoon entitled The Politics of Fear which satirized Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle Obama, as "fist-bumping" terrorists in the White House. The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework or analysis tool for deconstructing the Other in …

Inconsistency In The American Media, Gabriella Gonda

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

No abstract provided.

International Education: Impact Of The European Union's Bologna Agreement On U.S. Higher Education, Graciela Helguero-Balcells

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Since September 11, 2001 there has been a growing realization within the United States that in order to achieve better instruments to strengthen national security, compete and be successful within the global community, it has become vital to look at the American educational system which, according to some critics, presently is lacking the international elements in order to do so. With the advent of the educational reforms in Europe (Bologna Agreement, June 19,1999), those nations that have embraced more uniformity amongst themselves have concluded that competition in the global market has made it imperative to make changes in the academic …

A Rhetorical Analysis And Interlinked Aspects Of Culture That Affected The Success Of The Musical Band, Oasis, In The Uk And Us, Ross Lumsden

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This paper focuses on the rhetoric contained within the lyrics and spoken words of the band Oasis. The paper argues that the style of rhetoric can be directly related to the level of success of the music within two different regions. The regions within the context of this paper are the UK and the US. However, the study also stresses that in order for rhetoric to have such an effect; there must also be other contributing factors. The study uses rhetorical analysis as the primary method of research. By analyzing the rhetoric of the lyrics and spoken words and also …

Advertising, Marketing, Promotions, Graphic Design For Mark's At The Park, Mizner Park, Boca Raton, Florida, Megan Mcsweeney

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This proposal aims to explain the volunteer project created at the restaurant called Mark's at the Park, located at Mizner Park in Boca Raton with an understanding of Mark Militello the chef/owner of Mark's at the Park and his branded restaurant chain of four. The proposal gives a detailed orientation of what Mark's, as a restaurant is all about in re-creating corporate identity elements such as advertisements and menu inserts to help Mark's profit from customers and appeal more to the public. From explaining the history of brands and advertising, to the future of new trends and going green, this …

Mozart Effect: Exploring The Relationship Between Classical Music And Improvement In The Spatial-Temporal Cognitive Abilities Of Elementary School Children, Michael J. Ader

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The purpose of this study was to learn if classical music stimuli can be used to enhance the thinking abilities of children as measured by a cognitive testing instrument. A comparison of classical music exposure and student achievement was conducted to specifically ascertain if music of varying types had an effect on measurable intelligences (especially spatial-temporal intelligence), as measured by the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT). An exploration of the theoretical and empirical literature regarding the improvement of cognitive abilities of elementary school aged children was examined to identify if exposure to arts education produced measurable gains which could facilitate …

Relationship Between Religiosity And Marital Satisfication Among Reform Jewish Couples, Marvin E. Miller

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

According to statistics, the current divorce rate in the United States is approximately 50% (Shellenbarger, 2005). Fournier, Olson, and Druckman (1983) developed the Marital Satisfaction Scale to provide a global measure of satisfaction by surveying ten areas of the couple's marriage. These areas include the major categories in ENRICH: i.e. communication, conflict resolution, roles, financial concerns, leisure time, sexual relationship, parenting, family and friends, and religion. Religiosity has been defined and measured through items such as attending religious worship services, the importance of religion in a person's life, and the degree to which people describe themselves as being religious (Sussman …

A World Without Borders, Ashlea Evans

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

No abstract provided.

Renaissance Web Tv: New Media Promoting Sphere Participation & Information Society Increasing Innovative Business Practices, Joanna James

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

New media have emerged over the last decade and are increasingly changing business practices within the media industry. Specifically this creative project addresses some of the challenges the television market is encountering, and how it is currently in the process of migrating to the World Wide Web. During this transitional moment in technology, this creative project introduces the proposal for Renaissance Web TV, an interactive Web platform that creates and produces its own original broadcast quality programming for the Web. This is an opportune moment to enter into the television market through Web video. This creative project explores how a …