Digital Commons Network^™

Backdoor To Essentialism? Genetic Ancestry Testing And The Social Deconstruction Of Whiteness, Whitney Hunt

Wayne State University Dissertations

Towards the turn of the 21st century, spawned in part by the Human Genome Project, ideas about race and ethnicity shifted away from the essentialist belief that humans can be grouped into discrete, biologically relevant racial groups. More recently however, genetic ancestry testing (GAT) has exploded in popularity, as individuals seek to identify their ancestry and/or health profiles through genetic testing. Genetic testing commercials implicitly promote the essentialist belief that racial and ethnic identities are embedded in genes by portraying images of people altering travel plans, checking a different racial category on a survey, or trading in bagpipes for lederhosen, …

Understanding The Relationship Of Innovation And Quality In A Fast-Changing Market: An Automotive Industry Perspective, Donna Leanne Bell

Wayne State University Dissertations

In a time when the consumer electronics industry is getting new products to market at a rapid rate, automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEM) must identify ways of getting new products and features to customers faster and with high quality to maintain or increase market share. This accelerated product development process requires a positive relationship between conceptual design and quality in order for a firm to have high performance in strategic areas innovation and quality. The purpose of this dissertation is to research the impact that quality practices have on the advanced product development process. Specifically, this research is focused on …

Arabic Women’S Experience Of Childhood Sexual Abuse: A Mixed-Methods Study, Shahrazad Mahmoud Timraz

Wayne State University Dissertations

Background and purpose: Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is an existing social problem that affects children worldwide, leading to poor psychological outcomes in adulthood. Childhood adversities including CSA account for 44.6% of childhood and 26%–32% of adult-onset psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, CSA is the second leading cause of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and influences an array of other outcomes such as depression, anxiety, hostility, and low self-esteem. Worldwide, approximately 8%–13% of girls have experienced sexual abuse. According to the few studies conducted in Arabic countries, CSA ranges from 7%–27%. Coping with CSA is a well-studied factor in regard to its impact on …

Effects Of Work Physical Activity Culture And Basic Needs On Physical Activity Outcomes, Erica Marie Thomas

Wayne State University Dissertations

Background: Physical activity (PA) levels of adults are low, and workplaces have been identified as an ideal place to promote PA. Participation in workplace programs continues to be low. Self Determination Theory (SDT) has been used to guide both PA and workplace research, but not both together. Culture has been linked to workplace behaviors, but not PA behavior. The purpose of this study was to test SDT and examine if employee perceptions of the workplace PA culture have statistically significant effects on PA behavior and PA attitudes, as mediated by the three basic psychological needs. Methods: Both salaried (N= 237) …

The Effect Of Arab American Parental Involvement In School-Based And Home-Based Activities That Support The Academic Performance Of Their Children During The Elementary School Years, Rola Bazzi-Gates

Wayne State University Dissertations

Parental involvement can have significant impacts on student academic performance during elementary school years. The current study intended to examine the importance and effect of Arab American parental involvement in the success of their students during their elementary years. The study also provided information about the resources that allow parents to be involved at their children’s schooling, and the barriers that prevent them from being involved and participate as much as they would like in their children’s schooling.

The present research applied appropriate approach, principles, and findings. This research examined the effect of Arab American immigrant parental involvement and participation …

Networks Of Users And Powers: Blackboard Software Roadmap As Cultural Practice, Diana Gellci

Wayne State University Dissertations

With the rapid growth of eLearning applications - the software providing for learning through the Internet - it has become commonplace to describe those technologies as both simple tools and user-friendly. These two vague yet suggestive terms make the operating of the technology appear as social value and any related issues as a user's problem. Interested neo-liberal groups take a step further when considering eLearning technologies as the solution for the problems faced in the field. STS studies recognize that technology fetishism is strategically employed to justify the latest developments of capitalism as technological and logical.

This doctoral study examines …

Crossing The Valley Of Death: A Multi-Sited, Multi-Level Ethnographic Study Of Growth Startups And Entrepreneurial Communities In Post-Industrial Detroit, Marlo Rencher

Wayne State University Dissertations

The intention of this research is to reveal the humanity of the startup experience for American growth companies. What is it about the growth entrepreneurship experience that has been hidden from view? Can we begin to articulate a holistic view of entrepreneurship--including those human universals and culture-bound particulars that must be successfully navigated?

This study is an ethnographic account of three Detroit-based entrepreneurial communities and the people within them. This research examines the sociocultural features of entrepreneurship on three levels. The first level of context for growth businesses to be studied is that of their entrepreneurial community. These communities have …

The Role Of Organizational Climate And Culture In Service Encounters, Beth Ann Heyart

Wayne State University Dissertations

This study explored the link between culture and climate with respect to customer service ratings. Two hospital units, one with high customer service ratings and one with low customer service ratings, were identified for analysis. A mixed-method design was implemented to assess climate and culture on each unit. Climate was assessed with a survey that combined elements of Schneider, White, and Paul's (1998) Assessment of Service Climate Instrument and Litwin and Stringer's (1968) Organizational Climate Questionnaire. An ethnographic approach using observation, interviews and archival data analysis was completed to understand each unit's culture. Findings indicate high customer service environments rated …

The Social Interactions Of Students With Disabilties In A 5th Grade Level Inclusive Classroom And The Effect On Academic Achievement, Estella Marshall-Reed

Wayne State University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Doing Ethnography In An Urban Hospital Emergency Department Setting: Understanding How Culture Was Related To Emergency Physician Habitus, Renady Hightower

Wayne State University Dissertations

This hospital ethnography focused on the relationship between culture and emergency physician habitus. The habitus of these physicians was defined as those routine, patterned forms of behaviors and practices performed by the physicians while in the emergency department and while interacting with the patient during the physician-patient interaction. Pierre Bourdieu's practice theory was used to address how culture was related to the habitus of the emergency physician. The researcher found that culture was not only related to the habitus of these physicians, but it reproduced, and at times created, aspects of the habitus through the practices performed while in the …