Digital Commons Network^™

Bridging The Divide: Principles For Healthy Corporate Social Responsibility Partnerships, Mark Gordon, Donna Daniels

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

In its infancy, corporate social responsibility (CSR) focused on environmental issues rather than the provision of a wider array of support to local communities. Today, CSR includes strong partnerships between multinational corporations and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Previous research has demonstrated that corporations that partner with NGOs are more visible to their key stakeholders. Through a longitudinal, in-depth study of Merck Thailand and the Raks Thai Foundation in Bangkok, Thailand, this case study identified best practices for a multinational company interested in partnering with a local NGO. From those practices, the research identified the key principles that sustain the partnership: leadership, …

E-Commerce Sourcing Models, Anne Fulcher Nelson

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

Electronic commerce (EC) involves business transactions, marketing efforts, information gathering, and other functional activities with respect to information technology (IT) both within and without an organization. It provides various opportunities to a firm to adopt different business sourcing models and allows new opportunities to configure organizational structure for both private and public companies within the New Economy. Critical factors for EC success dictate that the firm must re-evaluate its business sourcing model from with complexity theory and the New Economy, thereby emphasizing the need for the firm to effectively coordinate its EC initiatives and consider all sourcing opportunities in this …

Mitigating Denial-Of-Service Attacks On Voip Environment, Igor Jouravlev

International Journal of Applied Management and Technology

IP telephony refers to the use of Internet protocols to provide voice, video, and data in one integrated service over LANs, BNs, MANs, not WANs. VoIP provides three key benefits compared to traditional voice telephone services. First, it minimizes the need fro extra wiring in new buildings. Second, it provides easy movement of telephones and the ability of phone numbers to move with the individual. Finally, VoIP is generally cheaper to operate because it requires less network capacity to transmit the same voice telephone call over an increasingly digital telephone network (FitzGerald & Dennis, 2007 p. 519). Unfortunately, benefits of …

Portfolio Construction: The Efficient Diversification Of Marketing Investments, Michael P. Haydock

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Efforts in the marketing sciences can be distinguished between the analysis of individual customers and the examination of portfolios of customers, giving scarce theoretical guidance concerning the strategic allocation of promotional investments. Yet, strategic asset allocation is considered in financial economics theory to be the most important set of investment decisions. The problem addressed in this study was the application of strategic asset allocation theory from financial economics to marketing science with the aim of improving the financial results of investment in direct marketing promotions. This research investigated the components of efficient marketing portfolio construction which include multiattribute numerical optimization, …

Exploring Technological Literacy: Middle School Teachers' Perspectives, Jane Mcever Baker

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 mandates that middle school students be technologically literate by the end of 8th grade, but teachers need more information on how to make this outcome a reality. This qualitative phenomenological study used a constructivist theoretical framework to investigate teachers' descriptions of technological literacy outcomes, instructional practice, and challenges influencing middle school student technological literacy. Twelve teachers at 1 public middle school in a large urban area of Georgia were interviewed. Data were analyzed using the typological method with the inclusion of both inductive and predetermined categories. Teachers described technologically literate middle …

Smoking Attitudes Among Adolescents: Effect Of Messages Varying On Argument Quality And Source’S Expertise, Evdoxia Kosmidou, Yannis Theodorakis, Stiliani (Ani) Chroni

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

The present study examined the effectiveness of an anti-smoking message on processing and persuasion in young adolescents. Data were collected from 112 Greek adolescents 13 to 16 years of age, who were randomly assigned into a control and four experimental groups. All participants in experimental groups read a written anti-smoking message varying on the source’s expertise (expert or non expert) and on the quality of the arguments (12 weak/12 strong arguments). Before and after the experimental manipulation, participants completed questionnaires assessing attitudes towards smoking, intention to smoke, perceived behavioral control, subjective norms, knowledge, and smoking behavior. Repeated measures analyses showed …

Friendship In Young Adult Heterosexual Romantic Relationships, Billy Kidd

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Friendship is one of the pillars that supports satisfying, long-term, romantic relationships and marriage. Yet little is known about how romantic friendship is contextually experienced. This lack of knowledge limits the options of researchers and therapists. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to further substantiate a romantic friendship construct. The research question asked how friendship is experienced in heterosexual romantic relationships. Participants in two West Coast metropolitan areas, ages 18 to 29, were selected by convenience sampling. As per Giorgi's phenomenological method, themes were abstracted from the transcripts of focus group and individual interviews. The themes were then shortened …

Student -Teacher Relationships And Their Effect On Student Achievement At The Secondary Level, Cheryl Dix Modlin

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Previous research has demonstrated that adolescent learning increases with a proactive type of student-teacher relationship. However, due to the lack of common expectations for a positive student-teacher relationship, a disconnection occurs for some students, who then may become disengaged at school and may not reach their full potential academically, socially, or developmentally. This mixed method sequential, exploratory design focused on a Midwestern secondary school of approximately 250 students. The disconnection between students and teachers was addressed by investigating positive student-teacher relationships; student achievement; and the connection between student-teacher relationships and achievement. Qualitative data were collected using focus groups of students …

The Effects Of Prayer And Glossolalia On The Mental Health Status Of Protestants, Recco S. Richardson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The resurgence of prayer and glossolalia (speaking in tongues) within Protestant denominations in the United States of America has stimulated widespread psychological and theological debate. Previous research has indicated that religiosity has both a negative and positive effect on mental health functioning. However, there remains an important gap in the current literature regarding the relationships between specific religious practices and mental health. Therefore the purpose of the proposed study is to report on the growing number of religious persons who pray/glossolate and the conflicting messages in the literature regarding the relationship between religiosity and mental illness. A total of 10 …

Student Satisfaction With Online Learning Effectiveness At A Connecticut Community College, Alina R. Payne

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In recent years, institutions of higher education have dramatically increased the number of online courses and degree programs offered to students, and yet it remains unclear what factors determine student satisfaction with online course and instructor effectiveness. Accordingly, the purpose of this exploratory correlation study was to examine how factors related to courses and instructors contributed to student perceptions of course quality (CQ) and instructor effectiveness (IE). Six stepwise regression procedures assessed the effects of specific course and instructor characteristics on perceptions of CQ and IE across one year of course evaluation data collected in a northeastern 2-year college. Results …

The Relationship Between Self-Directed Informal Learning And The Career Development Process Of Technology Users, Ronald D. Paige

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

Few new studies plus theoretical stagnation mark the inattention of educators to self-directed informal learning during career development in technology. Therefore this study explored the relationship between self-directed informal learning and the career development process among everyday technology users. Supporting questions addressed how self-directedness related categorically and holistically to informal learning during career development. This qualitative study used multiple narrative case studies to collect, analyze, and describe the results of life-story data recovered from 13 technology users purposefully selected using a sampling strategy grounded in the literature. Individual lifestory narratives surfaced tacitly held perceptions and social identities associated with career-related …

Predictors Of Middle School Girls' Engagement In Suspendable School Offenses., Barbara Harlow Cavanaugh

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite research evidence that social context and personal characteristics are related to girls' violent behavior, little is known about the relative contribution of such antecedents. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the relative strength of predictors of school violence among a sample of middle school girls. Of special interest were the intervening variables, because knowledge of their relative strength could enable schools to design targeted interventions to reduce school violence. Social learning theory formed the theoretical foundation for the study. A four-part survey consisting of sociodemographic items, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, an amended version of the Attitudes …

The Gap Between What We Know And What We Do About Childhood Obesity: A Multi-Factor Model For Assessment, Intervention, And Prevention, Kim Hiatt, Linda Riebel, Harris Friedman

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

Childhood obesity in the United States has increased alarmingly and much is becoming known about multiple factors that contribute to this epidemic. These include environmental (e.g., prevalent junk foods), behavioral (e.g., inactivity), intrapsychic (e.g., depression), interpersonal (e.g., parenting style), as well as biological, socioeconomic, and cultural factors, to name just a few. A comprehensive multi-factor model of childhood obesity is presented based on extant research and its implications for assessment, intervention, and prevention are explored. Emphasis is placed on the importance of developing sound assessment approaches, on the potential value of treatment matching using interventions focused on assessment results on …

'Science Of Trivalency', Kwaku L. Carlisle Woods Rn Md Metd1, Dr. Kwaku L Carlisle Woods Rn Md Metd1

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Due to mine cross cultural living, (I was born in the U.S. but grew in Southeast Asia), I became very interested in the Anthological, Social and Scientific difference between cultures. This led to a historical meta evaluation of humanity in general. Using the principals of Noetic Science, this evaluation reviled the ignorance and down right absence of any educational opportunities to learn the true functional abilities of mankind.

A Study Of The Decision To Remove Children From Their Parents By Child Welfare Supervisors, Charles F. Lorbeer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

A STUDY OF THE DECISION TO REMOVE CHILDREN FROM THEIR PARENTS BY CHILD WELFARE SUPERVISORS

by Charles F. Lorbeer

Dissertation Chair: Dr. Aqueil Ahmad

Committee Members: Dr. Aqueil Ahmad, Dr. Robert Butters, and Dr. Ashakant Nimbark,

The goal of this study was to analyze the decision by child welfare supervisors to remove children from their parents. This was accomplished by studying the effect that three specific factors have on that decision. The three factors were 1) physical abuse, 2) domestic violence and substance abuse, and 3) availability of services to help the family.

Decision theory provided the conceptual framework for …

Business Ethics, Corporate Social Responsibility, And Firm Value In The Oil And Gas Industry, Javier Fadul

Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study

This study investigated the relationship between ethical performance, corporate social responsibility, and firm value in companies in the oil and gas industry. Ethical behavior and social responsibility were conceptualized by a series of social indexes used to carry out empirical observations. The data were collected from a sample of 55 companies drawn from the population of companies in the oil and gas industry and consisting of public documents, including proceedings of government bodies and court records, and newspapers and magazines dated from January 2000 through December 2003. The set of social indexes was analyzed statistically to establish any significant relationship …

Nursing Students' Experiences Of Workplace Violence And Aggression: Making Sense Of The Phenomenon For Educators, Bonnie Jean Beardsley

Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study

This phenomenological study explored female nursing students' perceptions of their experiences of workplace violence and aggression, their methods for coping with and adjusting to the violence, and the implications for nursing education.

A notice soliciting volunteers was posted on student bulletin boards in multiple schools of nursing throughout Illinois. Ten participants were selected from a pool of volunteers who met predetermined criteria. Open-ended interviews each lasting approximately 60 minutes were conducted and tape-recorded. Four interview questions that guided the process changed as the narrative unfolded, and in some cases, probing became necessary to gain a rich description. Data analysis was …

Theater Education And Emerging Technologies, Michael E. Butterworth

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Theater educators need compelling arguments for including the use of emerging technologies in the secondary theater classroom. The research documents the current uses of emerging technologies in the secondary theater classroom and contrasts the uses of traditional theater technologies with the uses of emerging technologies. Interviews with theater professionals identify current issues and practices in the theater community regarding the usage of technology.

A telephone survey of theater teachers reveals patterns of technology use in the Seattle School District. The research concludes that theater teachers have many tools at their disposal to teach students the processes of artistic problem solving …

The Father-Wound In Folklore: A Critique Of Mitscherlich, Bly, And Their Followers, Hal W. Lanse

Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study

Bly, following the work of Mitscherlich, posits that the Industrial Revolution divided fathers and sons, because they no longer bond while working together on family farms. Bly claims that one result is that fathers feel angry and disenfranchised and their sons consequently suffer a father-wound (either physical or psychic abuse) at their hands.

This, according to Bly, causes young men either to be so angry that they become a threat to society, or so dependent on their mothers that they are socialized as ineffectual, soft males. Many writers and therapists have embraced this theory--despite a lack of historical evidence. This …

Coping Strategies And Adaptation Mechanisms Utilized By Female Holocaust Survivors From The Auschwitz Concentration Camp, Joy Erlichman Miller

Harold L. Hodgkinson Award for Outstanding Dissertation

The female experience during the Holocaust has largely been ignored as significantly different than that of male counterparts. This gender-specific research study investigates the "unique, poignant voices" of women's coping strategies utilized during internment in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp.

Focusing specifically on the video oral history testimonies of the complete collection of female survivors of Auschwitz, which were produced by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the study suggests that the predominate coping strategies used by females was affiliation with others as the means of survival. Through the utilization of clustering sheets, the data suggested that affiliation and assistance from …

Environmental Public Policy: An Analysis Of Public Opinion And Environmental Legislation In North Carolina, John Carson Cato

Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study

The research was designed to give additional insight into the public policy process. Specifically, the focus of the study was on environmental public policy and the assumed relationship between public opinion on environmental issues and environmental legislation. A secondary emphasis of the research was to review environmental quality and consider the environmental quality as a function of legislative and regulatory impact. The study was restricted to the state of North Carolina and used a public opinion survey, legislative record review, and environmental quality data as the primary indicators.

The results of the study showed that (a) citizens in North Carolina …

Management Reorganizations In The Thb Global Banks - A Case Study, David Clancy

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The dissertation focuses on the multiple reorganizations of Manufacturers Hanover between March 1985 and June 1991. The research sought to find a relationship with the reorganizations and the stock price and performance measures of the Bank. The purpose was to determine if the reorganizations provided a measurable impact on theperformance of the Bank. The conclusions of this research established that the reorganizations, if intended to improve the performance of the Bank, were not effective.

The Role Of Small To Medium-Size Private Companies As Change Agents In Manpower Development In The Eastern Province Of Saudi Arabia, Abdulrahman Mohammed Al-Kadi

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of the study was to explore in depth the problem of the skilled Saudi labor shortage in Saudi Arabia. More specifically, it investigated the role of small to medium-size private companies in developing manpower for the kingdom. To investigate this role, the study sought to answer the following research questions:

1. To what extent do small and medium-size firms attract Saudi youth to work in practical skill areas?

2. Do small and medium-size firms offering training take traditional values or customs into consideration when determining training needs?

3. Is Saudization a factor when determining training needs?

4. Are …

The Effects Of A Structured-Insightful Approach Upon The Writing Ability Of Limited-English Proficient Students (Lep 3), Gwen P. Freeman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study examined the effects of a structured -insightful approach to teaching limited-English proficient (L EP) students to express themselves in writing. It sought to determine the effectiveness of this approach with a group, with boys or girls, and with which language it proved to be most effective.

This major purpose of this study was to seek methods and techniques that were designed to assist the LEP 3 students in expressing thoughts and ideas in writing with clarity, fluency, and effectiveness.

The population for this study consisted of thirty-five fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students who attended three elementary schools …

The Effects Of A Psychologically Based Training Program Upon Athletic Performance, Bertram Burke

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this study was to develop a psychologically based training technique that would help maximize athletic performance. The technique entitled the Six Step Technique was then experimentally tested to determine its effect on lowering state anxiety and improving foul shooting under experimental conditions.

Specifically three schools were randomly selected from a suburban athletic conference and their Varsity and Junior Varsity male basketball teams comprised the samples of the study. The three schools were then randomly assigned to an experimental treatment group, a placebo treatment group and a control treatment group. Prior to the start of treatment(s) the. groups …

The Frontier Nursing Service As An Agent Of Change, Nancy Dammann

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The purpose of this dissertation was to analyze the influence of the Frontier Nursing Service (FNS) on the area in which it operated. Mary Breckinridge founded the FNS in 1925 to demonstrate a method of delivering health care in an isolated rural area. She selected Leslie County in southeast Kentucky for its locale because of its isolation; there were no roads in the county and no licensed physicians.

The FNS program centered on nurse-midwives who provided health care from decentralized district clinics so situated that no family was more than an hour's horseback or jeep ride away. A hospital and …

The Recall Election: Its Effect On The School District And Community In California, Chester C. Fields

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The problem

The purposes of this study were (1) to review the history of school-district recall laws in California, (2) to enumerate the legal steps in the recall process, (3) to survey a school district where recall election had taken place, and (4) to present community feelings and effects.

Procedure

A search was made of all laws and official records pertaining to school trustees' recall elections in California. A questionnaire designed to elicit respondent attitudes and feelings was mailed to all who voted in the school district recall election of December 3^rd, 1970. A preliminary number of questionnaires …

A Study Of The Effects On Students In A Community Consolidated School District In Illinois Of Selected Activities Funded Under Title I Of The Elementary And Secondary Education Act Of 1965, James H. Ellis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to identify objectives and identify and measure the effects of selected activities supported with Title I Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 funds on disadvantaged students with respect to their academic achievement, social and personal development and class attendance. One East-Central Illinois Public School District was selected for the study. The school district included grades kindergarten through twelve with an enrollment approximating 10,000 during the school years under review. Of that total enrollment, approximately 1500 students each year were classified as eligible for funding purposes. The school years included were 1966-67 through …

An Examination Of Two Different Approaches To Learning In Nursery School, Ralph M. Conti

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Statement of the Problem

The primary purpose of this study was to explore teacher guidance - does it help promote learning? The sub problems are to explore and assess the value of' academic training in nursery school versus a straight child development program, and to explore and assess the value of play as a teaching method.

The Population

This study included sixty, four year old children who were enrolled in nursery school for the first time. They were divided into six equal groups of ten each according to sex and I. Q. Control Groups I and II - pupils who …

A Descriptive Study Of A Successful School Bond And Rate Referenda Campaign, Howard Marvin Eilks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

It is the purpose of this study to present a detailed analysis of the methods and techniques employed in the November 23, 1968 passage of a school bond referendum, and tax rate increases in the education and building funds for Maercker School District #60, Clarendon Hills, Illinois. As per data from the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Illinois Education Association, and a local newspaper, The Trib, school referenda are increasingly meeting with voter rejection. Only 53.2 per cent of the nation's bond referenda were approved during the fiscal year 1969-1970. The percentage of successful referenda in Illinois has …