Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Relationship Between Foreign Direct Investment And Exports From The Technology Sector In Costa Rica, Rodolfo Santamaria

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The research examined the relationship between FDI, imports and exports of the technology sector in Costa Rica. A three-stage procedure was used to examine this relationship: Testing Time Series Properties, Cointegration and Granger to estimate FDI significance and effects of FDI on technology sector exports. The results suggest an export-platform for FDI supporting that the finding may be important for Costa Rica. Also, examined were links between FDI and imports, which may show the significance effects of FDI and imports.

The study followed a causal correlational approach to analyze the relationship between FDI, imports and exports, and respective regression equations. …

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 …

Comparative Analysis Of Environmental Kuznets Curve In Central And Eastern Europe And South And East Asia, Yu-Chin Pang

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Environmental deterioration has frequently been viewed as a problem that inevitably accompanies economic development and industrialization. However, different economic backgrounds might experience different kinds and levels of environmental deterioration. This study investigated environmental deterioration in two groups of countries with comparable income levels but different economic backgrounds-transitional Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and non-transitional South and East Asian (SEA) countries.

This research utilized the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis to explain the relationships among macroeconomic indicators, country categories, and atmospheric concentrations in the CEE and SEA regions. Three research questions and six hypotheses and related sub-hypotheses were answered and tested …

Food Facilities, Food Service Workers And The Flow Of Food: Food-Borne Illnesses In Taiwan's Preschools, Shu-Chen Lin

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This study examined food-borne illnesses in Taiwan's preschools which are a major cause of personal distress and preventable death. They are of particular concern in preschools as very young children are highly susceptible to food-borne illnesses. Previous studies that comprehensively investigated the factors impacting food-borne illnesses in Taiwan were not found in the literature. The development of a universal food safety model is necessary as a means to measure relevant constructs. Application of the model should be able to prevent the occurrence of food-borne illnesses in organizations. This explanatory (correlational) study examined the relationships among food facilities, food service workers, …

Content Analysis Of Undergraduate Courses And Course Content On The Armenian Genocide In United States Higher Education, Christina Berian Pelosky

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The purpose of this study was to determine how many courses exist, or how much course content exists in Division IA colleges/universities regarding the Armenian Genocide in undergraduate higher education throughout the United States. Armenians throughout the world commemorate the genocide of 191 5 on April 24 each year to remember the slaughter and displacement of the thousands of Armenians during the rule of the Ottoman Empire (Balakian, 2003; Hovannisian, 1986; Melson, 1992; Miller & Miller, 1993). The Ottoman Empire succeeded in killing an estimated 1.5 million Armenians and eliminated the possibility of their living as a group in the …

The Brazilian Telenovela "El Clon": An Analysis Of Viewers' Online Vicarious And Virtual Learning Experiences, Elizabeth Barbosa

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This research involves investigating Brazilian telenovelas as a medium to disseminate knowledge about different cultures and customs. Through a qualitative content analysis this study examines messages posted in the "El Clon" telenovela-world forum with reference to the Muslim cultural theme explored by the telenovela.

The theoretical framework overarching this study is the combination of Bandura's social learning/cognitive theory and Freire's dialogical/participatory communication. In order to operationalize the study, a qualitative content analysis is undertaken utilizing the sub-dimension parasocial interaction model proposed by Sood & Rodgers (2000). The messages are analyzed in order to explore how forum participants engage in the …

Relationships Between Non-Linguistic Variables In Second Language Acquisition And The Attained English Language Proficiency Of Taiwanese University Students, Chihming Hsieh

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Second language acquisition (SLA) research, the study of how people learn to communicate in a language other than their native language, encompasses a broad range of questions from a wide variety of perspectives. One of the most widely recognized facts about SLA was that some individuals are more successful in learning a second language than are others (Gass & Selinker, 2001). Students with the same initial linguistic abilities, who receive the same education, even in the same institution, often do not achieve the same linguistic competency levels at program completion (Dornyei, 1998). This phenomenon cannot be explained purely by linguistic …

A Study Into Effective Websites Properties As Defined By The Internet Commerce Evaluation Scale In Taiwan, Yue-Jer Lin

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

The purpose of this study was to determine the properties shared by effective Web sites in Taiwan. This study applied the Internet Commerce Evaluation Scale (ICES) Web site tool developed by Scheffelmaier and Vinsonhaler in 2002 to assess the quality of commercial Web sites in Taiwan.

This research summarized the studies and research design of properties characterizing successful Taiwanese electronic commerce Web sites. Two Web sites were chosen by the researcher and administered to 100 participants selected from college students aged 18-40 in Taiwan. This study also investigated the correlations between scores. Data analyses were conducted to examine 12 subscales …

The Study Of The Role And Effects Of Vocational Education On The Local Economic And Social Development In China, Chich-Jen Shieh

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

This study examined the relationship between vocational education and the development of regional social economy, as related to the background of the current reform of the vocational and educational system in China. It also reviewed and analyzed the reform of vocational educational systems in six regions in China. In particular, this study investigated the interrelationship between labor force resources, urban and rural vocational education and the development of social economy. The special phenomena accompanying vocational education and the economic development were illustrated. Research explored the importance and impact of vocational education on the economic and social development.

From this study, …

The Effects Of Developing A Master Planned Community In Buenos Aires, Argentina, Daniel S. Martinez

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Master-planned communities have become a valuable tool in the reshaping of suburban landscapes. The effects of implementing a well-determined master plan are evidenced by successful ventures in the United States and abroad. This study determines what effect the development of a master-planned community will have on urban planning and housing demand in Greater Metropolitan Buenos Aires, Argentina. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used to arrive at specific conclusions. The subject property area (SPA), the competitive market area (CMA), and the Greater Metropolitan Buenos Aires (GMBA) region, are analyzed to provide the basis of analytical research for this study. …

How Is Brazil Going To Develop A Sustainable Environment?, Robert G. Wilkes

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

-

A Study Of Russia And The Opportunities It Offers Foreign Investors: Bleak Statistics, Bleak Politics, Prithvi Raj Urs

Graduate Student Dissertations, Theses, Capstones, and Portfolios

Russia has experienced two momentous revolutions during the twentieth century. The overthrow of the czar in 1917 began the first. After a brief attempt at democratic rule, Lenin's Bolshevik Communists seized power in 1918 and established a totalitarian government, naming the remade Russian empire as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The seeds of the second revolution were sown with the elevation in 1985 of the reform minded Mikhail Gorbachev to the leadership of the Soviet Communist Party. His reforms, including perestroika (restructuring) and glasnost (openness, including limited democracy) unleashed strong forces within the Soviet Union. The revolution that Gorbachev's …