Digital Commons Network^™

Climate Change, Pollution, And Green Energy, Irene R. Robertson

Integrated Studies

Two of the largest issue’s humanity faces today is climate change and pollution. What needs to be sought out for is why climate change is happening at an accelerated rate and what can be done to either slow it down or completely stop it. Pollution is another problem that is causing detrimental damage to the planet. Future generations are at risk if people today do not change and look for cleaner solutions. The intent of this projects is to give clear information on climate change, pollution, the scientific research it is currently undergoing, and green technology. Having a complete understanding …

Employee Turnover: Costs, Causes And Cures, Gayla Crisp

Integrated Studies

Employee turnover is a severe problem in today’s workplace. The number of people quitting their job has risen steadily in the last 10 years, which is costing organizations exorbitant amounts of money. Replacing a less productive worker with a more productive worker can increase revenue, but replacing a valuable employee can cost the organization significantly in various ways, potentially equaling 150% of the lost employee’s salary, or even more. There are many causes of employee turnover, most of which are preventable, and it is important for management to study these issues to determine what actions to take to prevent excessive …

The History Of The Us Army’S Physical Fitness Testing, Amanda Lynch

Integrated Studies

The Army organization has and has always had the foundation of physical fitness. Dating back to 1906, fitness has remained a baseline for soldier readiness. The fitness testing has changed and adapted to the status of the Army, the resources, technology, and tactics used. This includes, but is not limited to wartime versus peacetime, draft force into volunteer force, and the complete integration of women into the force. It is apparent that the physical fitness knowledge of society versus the knowledge of military varies based on the time, and this has influenced the overall fitness of Americans. All the fitness …

Lean Manufacturing: Approaches To Reducing Waste In Manufacturing And Service Sectors, Michael Oakley

Integrated Studies

Organizations large and small produce a product or provide a service for a multitude of reasons. Some may produce clothing apparel while others produce automobiles, yet others provide a service in healthcare. No matter how different the products or services are, there is a common goal of all creditable businesses; to increase profits while reducing waste. Lean Manufacturing sets the groundwork for improving efficiencies throughout all aspects of the organization. From the value stream to the end customer. If designs, processes and technologies are not as lean as allowable within operating parameters, there will be potential waste involved with the …

Esg Investing: Past, Present, Future, And Why You Should Care, Amy L. Harvey

Integrated Studies

This paper discusses ESG (Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance) investing, also known as socially responsible investing, green investing, and ethical investing. This paper will inform the reader on the past, present, and future of ESG investing. It will dive deeper into each category and discuss the correlation between the issues and investing principles. Different business philosophies will be compared along with corporate responsibility. The pros and cons of ESG rating systems will be discussed and reviewed. This paper will answer if ESG investing is profitable for the business and help determine the impact it has on our planet.

The Role Of Play In Early Child Development: An In-Depth View, Misty Bone

Integrated Studies

Albert Einstein once said, “Play is the highest form of research.” Play is a crucial component in a young child’s overall maturation as it relates to the five domains of development. Through exploration, discovery, and opportunities to create and grow one’s imagination, play fosters many learning experiences. Research of founding theorists such as Vygotsky, Piaget, Montessori, Frobel, Steiner, and Parten suggest that a direct correlation can be made between the influences of play and a child’s overall development in the five domains. This review will define play and the five domains of development while looking at the various influences related …

Cheap Labor And The Effects On The American Economy And Worker, Brian Proctor, Brian Proctor

Integrated Studies

Abstract

This study shows how American companies have used cheap labor in the past and present to do smaller jobs or to make individual pieces or parts that were to be put together and used in larger products. This cheap labor came from both foreign and domestic sources. In recent times, however, these companies have picked up and moved their entire productions outside of the United States greatly impacting the American economy and workers. These moves have been called outsourcing or off-shoring and have played a major part in the decline of some of the larger manufacturing cities such as …

Leading Organizational Change: A Case Study In Improving Performance By Improving Culture, Phillip E. Miller

Integrated Studies

This paper will discuss the role that positively changing organizational culture plays in positively improving organizational performance. The research presented will look at how organizational culture is best defined, as well as expand on some key concepts like trust and engagement that are typically present in effective cultures. It considers the role leadership accepts in managing organizational change through their willingness to choose the right model for change and embrace the fact that challenges and complexities exist during the course of change. Both the research and the case study provided will support encouraging an organization looking to improve its performance …

The Ineffectiveness Of The War On Drugs, Tristen Miller

Integrated Studies

The War on Drugs does not improve health and public safety, but rather serves as a tool of institutional racism and militarism. Despite increased spending on drug enforcement efforts, rates of incarceration and overdose deaths remain high. Through analyzing research done on arrest records in areas such as the state of California; Seattle, Washington; and New Haven, Connecticut, the disparity in arrests of black and white Americans becomes apparent. Additionally, analyzing the effectiveness of War on Drugs policies in Afghanistan, Colombia, and Mexico, reveals ulterior motives for American military intervention. Military intervention and incarceration have proven ineffective at addressing the …

Perceptions Of Discrimination In The Legal Profession, Sabrina Collins

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Historically, the legal profession has been dominated by white men (García-López 2008). Over time, the barriers hindering diverse participation have been somewhat lifted. In recent years, law schools enrolled equal percentages of men and women, and the number of minority students has also increased. So, how has the legal profession adapted to these changes? The hiring of women and minorities in the field of law does not reflect the increasing diversity seen in law school. Today, only 36% of lawyers are women. While existing research shows discrimination present in the field of law, few studies have examined the relationship between …

Drivers And Consequences Of Sustainability Committee Existence? Evidence From The Hospitality And Tourism Industry, Merve Kilic, Ali Uyar, Cemil Kuzey, Abdullah S. Karaman

Faculty & Staff Research and Creative Activity

This study ’ s objective is twofold: (1) to investigate whether board characteristics predict the existence of a sustainability committee, and (2) to examine whether the establishment of sustainability committees stimulates sustainability reporting, external assurance, and the adoption of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) framework in hospitality and tourism (H & T) firms. For this purpose, the data was derived from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database for publicly traded H & T firms from 2013 to 2018. The results indicate that while board size is a sig- nificant predictor of sustainability committee establishment, female and independent directors are not. Furthermore, …

Politics At The Pulpit: Elite Religious Cues And Immigration Attitudes, Benjamin Knoll, Matthew Baker

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

Previous scholarship has demonstrated a link between religiosity and immigration attitudes, often inferring the effect of cues from religious leaders as the motivating source. This study directly examines the “elite cues” linking mechanism with an experiment embedded in a nationally representative public opinion survey. We improve on previous research designs by introducing a pretest that measures immigration policy attitudes among respondents which can then be directly compared to posttest measures after the introduction of the elite cue stimulus. Multivariate analysis of the survey results reveal no support for the elite cues explanation. We discuss the implications of these findings for …

Barriers To Implementation Of A Technology-Based Mental Health Intervention In A Rural Setting, Becky F. Antle, Lesley M. Harris, Jesse H. Wright, Tracy D. Eells, Amy Cappiccie, Sara M. Williams, Rebecca Katz, Ashley Logsdon, Jesse Owen

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study utilized qualitative focus groups with rural health providers and patients to explore barriers to implementation of a technology-based mental health intervention for the treatment of depression in a primary care setting. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was implemented in both urban and rural primary care practices to test the feasibility and effectiveness of computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (CCBT) for depression. Early implementation identified lower rates of willingness to participate in the intervention by rural patients. Subsequently, focus groups were conducted with rural providers and patients to explore barriers to participation and strategies to overcome these barriers in future …

Exploring Regional Differences In Social Work Pedagogy: Attitudes Toward Poverty, Michael L. Burford, Peter A. Kindle, Laura Brierton Granruth, Elena Delavega, David H. Johnson, Susan Peterson, Mary Caplan

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

This study explores regional differences in student learning outcomes from pre and post-test surveys of undergraduate and first year graduate social work students (N = 373) enrolled in a social welfare policy class at six different CSWE accredited institutions. As expected, overall results showed a shift in student attitudes away from a personal deficiency explanation for poverty, a decline in stigmatization of poverty, and toward a more structural explanation for the causes of poverty, but significant differences were reported by geographical region. Future research should explore the instructor, pedagogical, and geographical factors that may help of hinder attitudinal preparation …

Grow Your Own: Educating Social Workers In Rural And Frontier Areas To Address The Behavioral Health Workforce Crisis, Michelle M. Levy, Christina D. Boyd

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Workforce shortages in behavioral health are a longstanding reality in most rural areas. Given the increasing impact of mental health and substance abuse in rural communities, it is critical to seek solutions to address the inadequate number of behavioral health professions in these areas. This paper focuses on a university’s efforts to prepare and support master’s level social workers for practice in their rural and frontier communities to address behavioral health workforce shortages.

Attuning To Need: Reconceptualizing “Help” In Poor Rural Areas, Jennifer M. Frank, Laura Brierton Granruth, Brittany Leffler, Rachel Preibisch, Dawn Watson, Heather Girvin, Mary Glazier

Contemporary Rural Social Work Journal

Social isolation is closely linked to overall health and well-being and is a serious concern for those in rural areas. Our research seeks insights into the needs experienced in poor rural areas by utilizing letter writing between students and community agency participants as a research methodology. In the letters, we observed that community participants relied upon friend and family style relationships and even viewed their agency relationships as such. This suggests that transforming "professional helping relationships" into alliances that are less impersonal might be in order. Such relationships and connections seemed conducive to the development of empowering self-efficacy. This finding …

Forgotten Heroes Of World War I: Pfc. Preston W. Rushing And The 105th Field Signal Battalion

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Forgotten Heroes of World War I: Pfc. Preston W. Rushing and the 105th Field Signal Battalion

Alice-Catherine Carls

The Jackson Purchase: People And Places - Kenny Rollins (1923-2012)

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

The Jackson Purchase: People and Places - Kenny Rollins (1923-2012)

Kevin Hogg

The Confederate Surrender At Tiptonville And The Conclusion Of The Island No. 10 Campaign

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

The Confederate Surrender at Tiptonville and the Conclusion of the Island No. 10 Campaign

Dieter C. Ullrich

Editor’S Remarks

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Editor’s Remarks

James S. Humphreys

President’S Report, July 2020-June 2021

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

President’s Report, July 2020-June 2021

Bill Mulligan

Memories From The Great War: An Analysis Of Jackson Purchase Veteran’S Changes In Perspective Since 1914

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Memories From the Great War: An Analysis of Jackson Purchase Veteran’s Changes in Perspective Since 1914

David J. Wallace

Articles In The Filson Club Historical Quarterly And The Register Of The Kentucky Historical Society Related To The Jackson Purchase

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Articles in the Filson Club Historical Quarterly and the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society Related to the Jackson Purchase

William H. Mulligan, Jr.

Escape To Freedom: The Role Of The Steamboat In The Underground Railroad

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Escape to Freedom: The Role of the Steamboat in the Underground Railroad

Richard D. Parker

Book Reviews

Jackson Purchase Historical Society Journal Archive

Tecumseh and the Prophet: The Shawnee Brothers Who Defied a Nation by Peter Cozzens

Ted Franklin Belue

Finding Daniel Boone: His Last Days in Missouri and the Strange Fate of His Remains by Ted Franklin Belue

Dale Ray Phillips

West Tennessee: The Land Between the Rivers by Sam McGowan

Marvin Downing

T. R. M. Howard: Doctor, Entrepreneur, Civil Rights Pioneer by David T. Beito and Linda Royster Beito

Melinda Meador

A Beautiful Star, The Life of Lois Etoile Brewer by Bobbie Smith Bryant

Bruce Dobyns

Informal Executive Actions And Agency Guidance: Legal And Political Implications For Immigration And Other Policy Areas, Ihsan A. Alkhatib, James C. Clinger

Commonwealth Review of Political Science

This paper is a study of the use of various forms of informal executive actions used by presidents and cabinet officials to guide the policy implementation of federal agencies. Among these are policy manuals, guidance statements, statements of administration policy, and announcements of executive priorities. The recent executive action regarding immigration announced by President Obama is also an example of this kind of behavior. The paper will rely upon the analysis of legal scholars who have examined the causes and consequences of informal executive actions. We will examine the implications that these actions have for public participation, transparency, consistency in …

Application Of Optimal Control Theory To A Malaria Model, Cassidy Hill

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

With malaria still prevalent and considered to be one of the most devastating infectious diseases in the world, many scientific efforts have been made to reduce its impact. One such effort includes the construction of mathematical models. Mathematical models can be used to analyze malaria transmission dynamics in the human population. The development of these models allows researchers to consider the control measures necessary to reduce the prevalence of malaria infection and possibly eliminate it.

The model presented in this thesis will provide the relationship of female Anopheles mosquitoes and insecticide treated paint acting as the control. A deterministic system …

Lifting The Heavy Vocal Load: Slps And Their Vocal Habits, Sydney Sedlock

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Novice speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are a vulnerable population that is at-risk for dysphonia. Previous literature has highlighted the high vocal-demand occupations of teaching and entertaining but there is minimal research to understand the prevalence of dysphonia in SLPs. The purpose of this investigation was to determine the prevalence of vocal fatigue and vocal loading in novice SLPs in western Kentucky to increase awareness of the vulnerability for dysphonia in this population. This investigation was descriptive in nature using a survey format and was sent to SLPs in the western Kentucky region. A total of 21 SLPs responded to the survey. …

An Evaluation Of College Preparedness On Natural Selection Principles Following The Completion Of An Entry-Level Biology Course, Amy Bell

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

Evolution education in secondary education has long been a topic of research. The level of knowledge and acceptance of students upon entering college has been studied using various methods; however, no study had provided the perception of preparedness from the student perspective nor had analyzed the individual Natural Selection principles. This study analyzed college freshmen (n=162) in an entry-level BIO 101 course. Participants were given the Conceptual Inventory of Natural Selection Instrument (CINSI) and perception survey questions upon completion of the course. The CINSI data was then analyzed for each of the four Natural Selection principles as well as …

Black And Hispanic Student Perceptions Of The Effectiveness Of The Career Academy Model, Holly Bernard

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

Education reform has been at the forefront of policymakers’ plans since 1817 with the founding of the Connecticut Asylum at Hartford for Deaf and Dumb Persons. Over the following 200 years, various social and economic shifts have increased policymakers' focus on the purpose of education and how institutions can develop contributing members to society. Globalization demands countries to have a well-educated workforce, and in the United States today, education reform has focused on expanding educational opportunities that lead to positive economic growth for individuals and nations as a whole through innovative practices. In short, access to quality education and experience …