Digital Commons Network^™

Understanding Help-Seeking In Rural Counties: A Serial Mediation Model Of Self-Reliance, Stigma, And Attitudes Toward Psychologists, Emily M. Keller

Doctoral Dissertations

Rural areas in the Southern United States are characterized by certain cultural values, including self-reliance. Prior research has shown that cultural values can affect stigmatizing beliefs about mental health needs and service utilization. The present study examined a four-stage chain of serial mediation where higher levels of general self-reliance would be related to increased levels of public stigma, which would, in turn, be related to greater levels of self-stigma, followed by higher self-reliance about managing mental health problems, and finally, more negative attitudes toward seeking out help from psychologists. Community members who lived in rural counties in the Southern United …

Culture And Enforcement Effects On Insider Trading, Market Reactions, And Firm Value: Evidence From The Market Abuse Regulation, Amanda M. Olsen

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines the changes to the European Union (EU) law on market abuse, market manipulation, and insider trading regulation made when the Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) was enacted. I detail the changes in comparison to the previous legislation under the Market Abuse Directive (MAD) and changes several Member States made to their domestic legislation to achieve compliance with MAR. I highlight the sanctions imposed in several Member States to argue the severity of punishment under MAR. This analysis provides evidence that MAR brought about a plausibly exogenous shock to the cost of insider trading. Next, I examine the effects …

The Lived Experiences Of Graduate Student Veterans Enrolled In Cacrep-Accredited Counseling Programs: A Transcendental Phenomenological Study, Gerald Spangler

Doctoral Dissertations

Student veterans (SVs)are a population of students studied extensively at the undergraduate level. These students possess military traits and characteristics that influence their academic experiences. Existing research focuses on these experiences to better understand and assist in fostering academic persistence. However, there is gap in literature that explores the lived experiences of graduate SVs. This literature is even more pronounced when narrowed to graduate SVs enrolled in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). Therefore, this study sought to address this gap and gain a better understanding of graduate SVs and their academic experiences that lead to …

“If You Could Ball You Were On The Court”: Race, Team, And Culture In High School Boys’ Basketball, Alexander Deeb

Doctoral Dissertations

There is a substantial body of research examining the experiences of Black collegiate student athletes at primarily White universities. Many studies, however, have privileged exploring the experiences of college athletes over high school athletes. The purpose of the current study was to explore the role of race in the context of high school boys’ basketball by investigating whether and how race manifests as part of team dynamics and culture. An additional purpose of the current study was to examine high school boys’ basketball players’ understandings of and experiences with race, particularly within the context of sport. Interpretive phenomenological interviews were …

From Faking It To Making It: The Art Of Cultural Adaptation In The Caribbean, Haley Lee Osborn

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates tendencies of cultural negotiation and adaptation within a Caribbean context. Appropriately, it examines adapted texts, such as novel to film or biography to musical, and looks at sociocultural adaptive mechanisms as a means of coping with a colonial past and neocolonial present. Through my analyses of a variety of original texts and their visual adaptations, I map evolving cross-cultural perceptions of race, ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, and cultural exploitation. While drawing theories from Adaptation Studies, I aim to promote a more inclusive, well-rounded logic of how cultural discourses in the Caribbean gain strength and are reified in …

Back From Oblivion: Society And Literature In Ventura Ruiz Aguilera’S Ecos Nacionales And Proverbios Ejemplares, Bruce Milton Cole

Doctoral Dissertations

Ventura Ruiz Aguilera (1820-1881) enjoyed great popularity and influence throughout the mid- 19th century in Spain. He was most famous for his book of poems Ecos nacionales (1849), which was inspired by the people. Although he continued to attract attention amongst literary critics, shortly after his death Aguilera’s popularity declined. This investigation explores the representation of society in both Aguilera’s Ecos nacionales and his prose collection Proverbios ejemplares (1864). By reexamining these two texts, I reveal how Aguilera’s works partake in discussions of both literary and social issues with an emphasis on progress and modernity.

When Aguilera published Ecos nacionales …

Applications Of Business Analytics In Marketing: Joint Modeling Of Correlated Multivariate Outcomes, Sumin Han

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation I develop a general regression methodology for mixed multivariate outcomes. This methodology extends the generalized linear mixed model paradigm (glmm) to allow for correlated multivariate normal random effects across regression equations for differing outcomes. This methodology, referred to as joint modeling, is particularly useful in business and marketing applications where multiple outcomes of varying data type must be analyzed simultaneously with regression.

I apply joint models to binary and continuous measures of customer loyalty in a large multinational survey of car owners. Survey respondents’ word-of-mouth and desire to switch brands were used as proxies for attitudinal loyalty …

Ethnic Discrimination And Psychological Distress Among Middle Eastern/Arab Americans: The Roles Of Religiosity, Coping, Ethnic Identity, And Family Connectedness, Ayse Selin Ikizler

Doctoral Dissertations

Despite increased public attention in the past decade towards the Middle East and Arab world, only a small but growing body of research literature investigating the mental health of individuals with ethnic background originating in these countries exists. Given the major stigma associated with being Middle Eastern/Arab (MEA) in the United States, the mental health-related implications for MEA Americans is of particular interest in the present study. Specifically, we investigated (1) the moderating role of religiosity in the link between religious affiliation and ethnic discrimination and (2) potential mediators (coping via internalization, detachment, and drugs/alcohol) and moderators (ethnic identity and …

Why Do U.S. Consumers Purchase Ethnically Disparate Products?, Jong Han Hyun

Doctoral Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate why U.S. consumers approach products that are ethnically disparate. The study purpose is addressed by developing a framework which investigates the consumption values consumers seek in ethnically disparate products. In addition, factors that antecede the different consumption values are proposed based on theories and literature that are believed to be relevant to the context. The findings suggest that the intention to purchase ethnically disparate products is influenced by multiple consumption values (social value, emotional value, epistemic value). Furthermore, attitude towards the ethnic culture, cultural value discrepancy, and diversity seeking are suggested to …

Examining Corporate Social Responsibility In Thailand: A View From Thai Companies, Nutthanun Rajanakorn

Doctoral Dissertations

This study aims to understand the perceptions and meanings of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in the context of Thailand. Phenomenology was used to explore the inquiry of how Thai executives perceived and implemented their companies’ CSR. Twenty long-interviews were conducted with Thai executives who were directly involved in and in charge of CSR in their companies. Several themes emerged from the study, and the findings were presented in the aspects of their perceptions of CSR involvement, the motivations, the benefits, and the overall meanings of CSR. Giving back, caring for and helping /sharing, and developing and creating are three themes …

Handmade And Diy: The Cultural Economy In The Digital Age, Benjamin Joshua Shultz

Doctoral Dissertations

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In recent years there has been growing consensus among academics and policy makers that cultural industries are key drivers of contemporary economic growth. For geographers and economists, the roles of agglomeration and knowledge flows are important factors that sustain the cultural industries. However, existing research focuses overwhelmingly on elite cultural industries in global cities. In addition, there has been little effort to account for new technologies that …

"Rapping About Authenticity": Exploring The Differences In Perceptions Of "Authenticity" In Rap Music By Consumers.", James L. Wright

Doctoral Dissertations

Historically, social scientists have not only marginalized rap music as a viable unit of scholarly analysis, but failed at attempts to understand the thoughts and actions of rap music consumers. This study analyzes the connection between rap music’s (and the artists’) authenticity and how those perceptions of authenticity affect music consumers’ decision making process, thus providing a possible explanation as to why music fans purchase rap music. The goal of this research was to see if the reasons rap music fans provide explaining the rationale behind their purchases match the images and perceptions presumably held by the general public about …