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Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

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Planning And Design Guidelines For Accommodating Non-Motorized Transportation In Suburban Office Parks, Keith B. Bryant May 2005

Planning And Design Guidelines For Accommodating Non-Motorized Transportation In Suburban Office Parks, Keith B. Bryant

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recently, there have been many publications that chronicle suburban sprawl and the associated health risks, pedestrian safety concerns, economic impacts, and transportation consequences. Sprawl can be defined as dispersed, automobile-dependent development typically found along roadways outside of urban downtown areas.;Because of the problems associated with sprawl, planning and design guidelines have been developed for certain major land uses that offer guidance on more sustainable development practices. Other guidelines address the accommodation of non-motorized transportation in land uses such as residential, commercial, and retail. However, one land use for which such guidelines have not been developed is the suburban office park. …

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Feminist And Masculine Values And Their Effects On Female Managerial Positions In Nonprofit And Corporate Public Relations, Sarah E. Thomas May 2005

Feminist And Masculine Values And Their Effects On Female Managerial Positions In Nonprofit And Corporate Public Relations, Sarah E. Thomas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examines the rise of executive women in public relations in both the nonprofit and corporate sectors. The focus of this study was on feminist and masculine values and their effects on female executives. A survey of 121 female executives from the corporate, nonprofit, and agency settings was conducted to analyze their views on feminist and masculine values in public relations and their effects on managerial positions. Results indicated that women who place greater value on masculine traits are more likely to obtain management positions in the corporate sector. Those who place greater value on feminist values do not …

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Identifying Critical Factors For Developing Effective Rural Community Technology Centers, Daphne Gooding May 2005

Identifying Critical Factors For Developing Effective Rural Community Technology Centers, Daphne Gooding

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this research is to inform both existing and developing community technology initiatives as to the critical factors for building effective rural community technology centers. Rural community technology centers which had been operating for at least two years were identified and contacted by telephone. Either a paid or volunteer staff person was interviewed using a semi-structured protocol of open-ended questions. Responses were taped, transcribed and coded using standard tools and procedures for qualitative investigation. Codes were grouped in 12 thematic groups. Relative occurrences of codes within each group were analyzed. Participants were asked what criteria were used to …

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Entrepreneurial Initiatives At Public Liberal Arts And General Baccalaureate Colleges, Jack R. Kirby May 2005

Entrepreneurial Initiatives At Public Liberal Arts And General Baccalaureate Colleges, Jack R. Kirby

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Until recent years, the concept of entrepreneurship has been the subject of study and application primarily in the private sector business community. However, in the wake of decreasing traditional sources of funding, higher operating costs, increasing government intervention, and institutional initiatives, entrepreneurship has gained increasing attention in public higher education (Elford & Hemstreet, 1996; Keast, 1995; Kozeracki, 1998).;This study examined the current patterns of entrepreneurial activities in public liberal arts and general baccalaureate colleges as defined by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education (The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 2000). A survey instrument was prepared to …

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Classroom Justice As A Predictor Of Students' Perceptions Of Empowerment And Emotional Response, Michelle L. Paulsel May 2005

Classroom Justice As A Predictor Of Students' Perceptions Of Empowerment And Emotional Response, Michelle L. Paulsel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

One purpose of this dissertation was to examine the emotional response theory in the instructional context. A second purpose of this dissertation was to determine the predictive power of classroom justice. The effects of distributive, procedural, and instructional justice on students' emotional response and perceptions of empowerment were examined. Students ( N = 511) completed questionnaires about the class they had immediately before the class in which data were collected. Results indicated that classroom justice positively predicted students' emotional response and perceptions of empowerment. This dissertation also examined the relationships between students' emotional response and their perceptions of empowerment. Results …

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Localized Double-Quantum Filtered Correlated Spectroscopy On 3t Mri/Mrs Scanner, Senthil Ramamurthy May 2005

Localized Double-Quantum Filtered Correlated Spectroscopy On 3t Mri/Mrs Scanner, Senthil Ramamurthy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Standard localized magnetic resonance spectroscopic sequences employ single quantum coherences for excitation and detection. This results in a complex spectra containing large number of resonances. In this thesis we have developed a novel volume localized spectroscopic technique that excites multiple quantum coherences in coupled spin clusters (metabolites) and then reconvert them into single quantum coherences for detection. This results in filtering of uncoupled resonances and also suppresses water with high efficiency. The resulting spectra is reduced in complexity due to the absence of uncoupled resonances.;The technique has been developed in volume localized mode and implemented on a 3T scanner. The …

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Development Of Constant-Time Correlated Spectroscopy On A 3t Clinical Mri/Mrs Scanner, Srilatha Ainala May 2005

Development Of Constant-Time Correlated Spectroscopy On A 3t Clinical Mri/Mrs Scanner, Srilatha Ainala

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is widely used both as a fundamental research technique, as well as diagnostic tool in medical research providing unique information about the metabolites. In this thesis, we report our work on the development of novel localized constant-time correlated Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic technique for resolving the overlapping metabolites and also to improve the quantification strategies. The new sequence was implemented on a GE 3T MRI/MRS scanner. The underlying spin dynamics is discussed for a two-spin ½ system with a J coupling. We demonstrate the coherence transfer to cross peaks and diagonal peaks by changing the constant time. …

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Mass Communication Delivery Methods Used And Possessed By Extension Agents In West Virginia, Lisa Michelle Neehouse May 2005

Mass Communication Delivery Methods Used And Possessed By Extension Agents In West Virginia, Lisa Michelle Neehouse

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the study was to identify which mass communication methods were being utilized for delivering information to current and potential clientele by West Virginia University Extension agents. Descriptive survey research provided information regarding the frequency of use, preference of delivery method, skill rating, source of training, desire for additional training, and availability of each mass communication delivery method by West Virginia Extension agents.;The findings of the study concluded that the majority of West Virginia University Extension agents had some access to each of the mass communication delivery methods. West Virginia University Extension agents most frequently used and most …

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The Effects Of Asynchronous Computer Voice Conferencing On Learners' Anxiety When Speaking A Foreign Language, Maria Isabel Charle Poza May 2005

The Effects Of Asynchronous Computer Voice Conferencing On Learners' Anxiety When Speaking A Foreign Language, Maria Isabel Charle Poza

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the influence of asynchronous computer voice conferencing on learners' anxiety when speaking in a foreign language. The technology chosen was the voice board powered by Wimba. Three research questions guided this study: Research Question 1: What is the learners' perception of their language anxiety when speaking in the asynchronous computer voice conferencing environment?, Research Questions 2: How empowered do the learners feel to take risks in the asynchronous computer voice conferencing environment?, and Research Question 3: How concerned are the learners about being evaluated by others when making oral mistakes in the foreign language in the asynchronous …

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Username And Password Verification Through Keystroke Dynamics, Nick Bartlow May 2005

Username And Password Verification Through Keystroke Dynamics, Nick Bartlow

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most computer systems rely on usernames and passwords as a mechanism for access control and authentication of authorized users. These credential sets offer marginal protection to a broad scope of applications with differing levels of sensitivity. Traditional physiological biometric systems such as fingerprint, face, and iris recognition are not readily deployable in remote authentication schemes. Keystroke dynamics provide the ability to combine the ease of use of username/password schemes with the increased trustworthiness associated with biometrics. Our research extends previous work on keystroke dynamics by incorporating shift-key patterns. The system is capable of operating at various points on a traditional …

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Steady State Thermal Stress Analyses Of Two-Dimensional And Three-Dimensional Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Srividya Valluru May 2005

Steady State Thermal Stress Analyses Of Two-Dimensional And Three-Dimensional Solid Oxide Fuel Cells, Srividya Valluru

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Fuel cells are electrochemical devices which convert fuels directly into electrical energy without combustion. The Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) is the most promising energy saving technology to generate electric power. The present work characterizes the thermal stresses arising during the operation of planar solid oxide fuel cells which is a critical factor in the development of an efficient fuel cell. The thermal stresses are calculated from the temperature fields using ANSYS(TM). A sequentially coupled thermal stress analysis approach is implemented for the two-dimensional five stack fuel cell model and a structural analysis for the three-dimensional single stack fuel cell. …

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Text-Independent Speaker Recognition, Smitha Gangisetty May 2005

Text-Independent Speaker Recognition, Smitha Gangisetty

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research presents new text-independent speaker recognition system with multivariate tools such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Independent Component Analysis (ICA) embedded into the recognition system after the feature extraction step. The proposed approach evaluates the performance of such a recognition system when trained and used in clean and noisy environments. Additive white Gaussian noise and convolutive noise are added. Experiments were carried out to investigate the robust ability of PCA and ICA using the designed approach. The application of ICA improved the performance of the speaker recognition model when compared to PCA. Experimental results show that use of …

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Effect Of Opening Size On The Effectiveness Of A Noise Enclosure On The Side Facing The Opening, Amit Damodar Hegde May 2005

Effect Of Opening Size On The Effectiveness Of A Noise Enclosure On The Side Facing The Opening, Amit Damodar Hegde

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Noise enclosures are an important tool in reducing noise exposures. Holes in enclosures are known to reduce the effectiveness of such enclosures. There are methods to predict the effects of openings, but those methods are largely untested in real enclosures. This study investigated the effects of hole size (0%, 0.024%, 0.379%, 0.675%, 1.492%,and 5.063%) at a distance of 5 feet (1.524 m) in a 96 inch (2.46 m) x 37 inch (0.94 m) x 31 inch (0.79 m), 3/4 inch plywood enclosure with a noise source centered in the box and the openings centered on one long face of the …

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Schemas, Jennifer G. Yerdon May 2005

Schemas, Jennifer G. Yerdon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The work included in my MFA thesis exhibition entitled Schemas, represent the relationship that objects have to the body via perception. They become a map of understanding that is at once the object and the experience of that things objectness. Strategically composed this experience is translated into texture, color, and pattern. In this thesis statement I will address how we understand objects in the world and the importance of our interaction with said objects. In addition I will discuss the map like processes that I employ to create these works. I will also discuss the influential artists and writing that …

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Measurement And Evaluation Of The Performance Of An Integral Abutment Bridge Deck, Kenneth Mcgowan May 2005

Measurement And Evaluation Of The Performance Of An Integral Abutment Bridge Deck, Kenneth Mcgowan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This thesis is based upon the instrumentation of an integral abutment bridge, with a reinforced concrete deck on 3-span, continuous steel girders. The bridge is located in Evansville, West Virginia, at the intersection of WV Route 92 South and US Route 50 East. An instrumentation system was developed to measure the performance of the bridge, including a system of 30 crack meters installed in the deck to detect cracks, strain gages on the girders and embedded in the deck, whose readings can be utilized to determine the degree of composite action of the deck and girders, and sister bars to …

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Shared Decision-Making And Its Impact On Inclusion For Special Needs Students, Deborah E. Kuhns May 2005

Shared Decision-Making And Its Impact On Inclusion For Special Needs Students, Deborah E. Kuhns

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Shared decision-making is a style of leadership that affords ownership, empowerment, and being part of a team that can make a difference. When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) required a committee to develop an Individualized Education Program, inclusion was considered in order to provide the least restrictive environment within which the student could make progress in a school setting.;When the regular classroom teachers feel that they help to make decisions for inclusion of children in their classrooms, does it impact their implementation of inclusion? Regular classroom teachers were interviewed for this case study to determine how shared decision-making …

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Investigation Of Relative Humidity And Induced-Vortex Effects On Aircraft Icing, Egemen O. Ogretim May 2005

Investigation Of Relative Humidity And Induced-Vortex Effects On Aircraft Icing, Egemen O. Ogretim

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Aircraft icing is an area of research that has drawn attention since the early times of powered flight at high altitudes. Since World War II, aircraft icing research has gained a great deal of momentum, and several branches of research have developed as a result. These branches include the experimental, analytical and computational methods. With the advent of high-speed computers, the computational methods are becoming the leading icing research area due to their low cost requirements. However, a significant hindrance is the lack of a complete understanding of the icing phenomena, which leads to discrepancies between the predictions and the …

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Multi-Agent Control And Operation Of Electric Power Distribution Systems, Amer Al-Hinai May 2005

Multi-Agent Control And Operation Of Electric Power Distribution Systems, Amer Al-Hinai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation presents operation and control strategies for electric power distribution systems containing distributed generators. First, models of microturbines and fuel cells are developed. These dynamic models are incorporated in a power system analysis package. Second, operation of these generators in a distribution system is addressed and load following schemes are designed. The penetration of distributed generators (DGs) into the power distribution system stability becomes an issue and so the control of those DGs becomes necessary. A decentralized control structure based on conventional controllers is designed for distributed generators using a new developed optimization technique called Guided Particle Swarm Optimization. …

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The Hospitalized Adolescent: Fears, Stressors, And Coping Skills., Lora L. Garlitz Jan 2005

The Hospitalized Adolescent: Fears, Stressors, And Coping Skills., Lora L. Garlitz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper presents the findings of an investigation to determine whether of not there is a difference in hospitalized adolescents and non-hospitalized adolescents. The participants were 60 adolescents between the ages of 12 to 18 years. Their fears, stressors, and coping skills were evaluated by using three instruments: a 35-item self-report test on coping; a 108-item self-report test on fears; and a 15-item self-report test on stress. The results revealed that on specific measures hospitalized adolescents exhibited a statistically significantly less degree of emotional upset during hospitalization than did the community sample. Implications of these results in determining procedures to …

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I. Development Of The West Virginia Dairy Quality Assurance Program, Daniel H. Poole Jan 2005

I. Development Of The West Virginia Dairy Quality Assurance Program, Daniel H. Poole

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Consumer confidence impacts agricultural markets. In response, many food industries have adopted cost-effective programs to reduce risk and offer third party verification of product quality. The purpose of this project was to implement the West Virginia Dairy Quality Assurance Program (WVDQAP) which promotes best management practices to produce high quality milk and meat products. This study surveyed dairy producers throughout the state, to establish the most effective method of program implementation. A manual was constructed and presented to producers at one of five meeting across the state. The manual focuses on the requirements a producer must follow to receive certification. …

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A Study Of Persuasion, Propaganda And The Effectiveness Of Messages., Kelly M. Saunders Jan 2005

A Study Of Persuasion, Propaganda And The Effectiveness Of Messages., Kelly M. Saunders

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study of persuasive and propagandistic messages explores the differences and similarities among the two, as well as elements necessary for success, using previous research in the field. In addition, this report includes an analysis of the diffusion, framing, placement within newspaper articles, and effects of news content relating to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth disseminated during the 2004 Presidential campaign. The results of this study suggest a need for greater scrutiny among reporters regarding messages distributed by interest groups.

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An Attack-Resistant Approach To Vulnerability Scanner Design., David Phillip Shaver Jan 2005

An Attack-Resistant Approach To Vulnerability Scanner Design., David Phillip Shaver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Vulnerability scanners are used to scan and detect known vulnerabilities in computer systems. An attacker can exploit these vulnerabilities to compromise the security of a system and potentially cause harm. Thus, it is vital to detect and repair any vulnerabilities that exist. Vulnerability scanners, however, are themselves susceptible to attack. If an attacker were to compromise a scanner, they could force it ignore the vulnerabilities of other systems. They could then compromise these other computers by exploiting the undetected vulnerabilities. Due to the importance of preventing such false positives in scan results, this research proposes a new approach to vulnerability …

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Unbalanced Frame: A Content Analysis Of Four Main American Newspapers And Their Coverage Of Colombia And The Drug Issue., Olga Elena Velez Galvis Jan 2005

Unbalanced Frame: A Content Analysis Of Four Main American Newspapers And Their Coverage Of Colombia And The Drug Issue., Olga Elena Velez Galvis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study used content analysis of The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald and Dallas Morning news and analyzed their coverage of Colombia and the drug issue during 1993, 1998 and 2003. The main purpose was to observe how these publications reported on this topic over that specific period of time. Findings showed prevalence of episodic stories over the thematic ones. These papers primarily presented episodic news coverage on Colombia and their drugs, which exhibited mainly a negative tone. On the other hand, thematic news coverage on Colombia and its drugs were more positive than the episodic, since …

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Understanding The Coach -Athlete Dyad: The Impact Of Educational Interventions On Perceptions And Psychosocial Variables., Lindsey C. Blom Jan 2005

Understanding The Coach -Athlete Dyad: The Impact Of Educational Interventions On Perceptions And Psychosocial Variables., Lindsey C. Blom

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the understanding that coaches have a direct impact on the athletes with whom they work (Libman, 1998) and with the knowledge that this influence is complex (Weiss & Hayashi, 1996), it can be assumed that coaching education is of the utmost importance. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the PASS IT Back program developed to help coaches address their specific players' perceptions and preferences for the coach-athlete relationship. Nine boys' high school soccer coaches and their respective teams were randomly placed in one of three categories: (1) control group, (2) feedback group receiving information about players' perceptions …

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The Impact Of An Elementary To Middle School Transition Program On Attendance, Achievement, And Behaviors Of Students With Special Needs., James O. Burton Jan 2005

The Impact Of An Elementary To Middle School Transition Program On Attendance, Achievement, And Behaviors Of Students With Special Needs., James O. Burton

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the impact of an initial experience transitional program on the attendance rates, academic achievement, and the number of discipline referrals for each student with special needs as they entered the middle school setting. Students with special needs who were included in the program were compared with a similar group of students with special needs who were not provided with the transitional program. Attendance data were collected from the students' school records. Academic achievement was determined by comparing the grade point averages of the two groups. The focus of the grade point averages included only core content classes …

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Students' Propensity To Ask Questions: Do Cognitive Flexibility, Teacher Self-Disclosure, Student Motives To Communicate, And Affective Learning Influence Question Asking In The Classroom?, Jacob L. Cayanus Jan 2005

Students' Propensity To Ask Questions: Do Cognitive Flexibility, Teacher Self-Disclosure, Student Motives To Communicate, And Affective Learning Influence Question Asking In The Classroom?, Jacob L. Cayanus

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of this study was to examine if cognitive flexibility, teacher self-disclosure, student motives to communicate and affective learning influence question asking in the classroom. Results from semi-structured interviews indicated that students ask questions for clarity, teacher behaviors, participation reasons, other students, and class size. Furthermore, cognitive flexibility and the participatory student motive to communicate predicted student question asking in the classroom. Results are discussed in relation to the classroom.

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Change In The Political System Of Republic Of Korea (Rok) And The United States (United States)-Rok Alliance., Pyungwon Kong Jan 2005

Change In The Political System Of Republic Of Korea (Rok) And The United States (United States)-Rok Alliance., Pyungwon Kong

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The United States (U.S.)-Republic of Korea (ROK) alliance is one of the most successful bilateral alliances within the international system, since its formation after the Korean War (1950-1953) in 1953. However, there has been increasing divergence in the perception of Seoul and Washington about the alliance. Thus, the dependent variable of this study is change in South Korea's perception of the alliance. Not downplaying the importance of systemic explanations of this phenomenon, this study employs foreign policy approaches to explain transformation of Seoul's perception of the alliance. However, the study goes beyond democratization and war theory to analyze how socio-economic …

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A Comparison Of The Leadership Orientations Of Chairpersons Of Biology And English Departments At Baccalaureate And Master's Institutions In The Southern Region., Marshall S. Griffin Jan 2005

A Comparison Of The Leadership Orientations Of Chairpersons Of Biology And English Departments At Baccalaureate And Master's Institutions In The Southern Region., Marshall S. Griffin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to compare the espoused leadership frame of chairpersons of Biology departments and English departments in baccalaureate colleges with those of chairpersons of the same departments of master's colleges located in the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) states. Leadership frames were compared by disciplines, by institutional categories (Carnegie Foundation, 2000), by department size, by length of service as chairperson, and by method of selection as chairperson. In addition, the study examined selected demographics (e.g., gender) to probe for intervening variables. A mailed survey instrument consisting of the 32-item Bolman and Deal Leadership Orientations (Self) instrument …

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Social Anxiety In College Students: The Interaction Of Parental Control And Proximity., Jennifer A. Chrystan Jan 2005

Social Anxiety In College Students: The Interaction Of Parental Control And Proximity., Jennifer A. Chrystan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationship between parental control and parental proximity as they influence social anxiety in young adults. Previous research has consistently demonstrated the positive relationship between parental control and social anxiety. However, studies that have examined the desirability of continued parental attachment (proximity) have resulted in a contradictory body of literature. It was hypothesized that two interaction terms, mother protection by mother proximity and father protection by father proximity, would significantly predict participants’ self-reported level of social anxiety after controlling for mother and father parenting variables. Specifically, it was hypothesized that among …

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Crisis Management: The Effective Use Of Image Restoration Strategies When An Organization/Individual Is Faced With A Crisis., Anthony Lewis Martin Jan 2005

Crisis Management: The Effective Use Of Image Restoration Strategies When An Organization/Individual Is Faced With A Crisis., Anthony Lewis Martin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper examines strategies and ethics in the field of public relations for establishing a reputation with key stakeholders of an organization. This paper also explores how a properly maintained reputation helps when a crisis erupts and what strategies are used when dealing with a crisis. The second half of this paper is a qualitative content analysis. The pilot study examines an entire year of New York newspaper coverage of The American Red Cross and controversies concerning funds they collected after the events that took place on September 11, 2001. The greater research examines evening television news coverage dealing with …

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