Digital Commons Network^™

The Role And Significance Placed On Corporate Social Responsibility In The Hotel Industry In The South West Region Of Ireland., Shirley Millar

Theses

This research sets out to examine the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility in the context of the hotel industry, with a specific focus on Ireland and the South West Region. The study looked at the level of importance placed on CSR by both the hotel consumer and the hotel industry. The study also sought to determine the relevance of CSR as a source of competitive advantage

Interest in the practice of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become increasingly prominent in recent years. There has been a shift in practice from companies doing good to be seen to be doing good, …

Cultural Diversity In The Hotel Industry: A Study Of Performance Management Systems, Deirdre O'Donovan

Theses

Recent years have seen a sharp increase in the numbers of people immigrating to Ireland, making Irish society much more culturally diverse than in previous decades. At present, there are approximately 420,000 migrants living in Ireland, of whom approximately 350,000 individuals are of an age to work (Central Statistics Office 2006). Consequently, Irish workforces are now more culturally diverse.

This thesis focuses on the implications of cultural diversity on performance management practices in a number of Irish hotels. Due to the large number of culturally diverse employees in the hospitality industry, the hotel sector was chosen as the focus of …

A Study On How New Media Is Impacting On The Irish Public Relations Industry, Ciara Murphy

Theses

This thesis looks at how new media is impacting on the public relations industry in Ireland. It attempts to identify if Irish practitioners believe that the Internet is an important tool for two-way communication purposes, to identify the implications of new media on the practice of public relations, to determine how new media is impacting on the mass media in Ireland and to determine how social media is currently being implemented by PR practitioners in Ireland.

The study attempts to fill a gap in public relations research and professional literature because there is no organising framework that merges new technologies …

Self Fish, Douglas E. Rogers

Theses

Without the pursuit of love and happiness, breath is simply the sand of an hourglass pouring away to our time of passing. Love is the reason we are alive. To spend even a moment in misery is a moment wasted. Love is the goal of humanity. Everyone has or will experience love in its many forms over the course of a lifetime. Many, out of ignorance, habit, or sheer desperation, will fall in love with the wrong person. Most of us have or will have that one failed relationship, the one we reflect on as the relationship that taught us …

Practical Programming With Total Functions, Karl Voelker

Theses

Functional programming offers an advantage over imperative programming: functional programs are easier to reason about and understand, which makes certain classes of errors less common. Yet, the two disciplines have some pitfalls in common: any computation, functional or not, may be non-terminating, or may terminate in a run-time error. Turner describes a discipline called ``Total Functional Programming'' (TFP) in which these pitfalls are impossible, due to some easily-checked rules which require all recursion to be done structurally. In this report, I detail my findings about the practical benefits and limitations of total functional programming, as well as the interactions which …

Polarimetric Remote Sensing System Analysis: Digital Imaging And Remote Sensing Image Generation (Dirsig) Model Validation And Impact Of Polarization Phenomenology On Material Discriminability, Chabitha Devaraj

Theses

In addition to spectral information acquired by traditional multi/hyperspectral systems, passive electro optical and infrared (EO/IR) polarimetric sensors also measure the polarization response of different materials in the scene. Such an imaging modality can be useful in improving surface characterization; however, the characteristics of polarimetric systems have not been completely explored by the remote sensing community. Therefore, the main objective of this research was to advance our knowledge in polarimetric remote sensing by investigating the impact of polarization phenomenology on material discriminability. The first part of this research focuses on system validation, where the major goal was to assess the …

A New Framework For An Electrophotographic Printer Model, Fermín A. Colón-López

Theses

Digital halftoning is a printing technology that creates the illusion of continuous tone images for printing devices such as electrophotographic printers that can only produce a limited number of tone levels. Digital halftoning works because the human visual system has limited spatial resolution which blurs the printed dots of the halftone image, creating the gray sensation of a continuous tone image. Because the printing process is imperfect it introduces distortions to the halftone image. The quality of the printed image depends, among other factors, on the complex interactions between the halftone image, the printer characteristics, the colorant, and the printing …

A Critical Analyses Of How The Hse’S Communications And Public Relations Department Responded To The Swine Flu Pandemic In The Southern Region Of Ireland., Suzanne Mccarthy

Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to analyse how the HSE South handled the Swine Flu pandemic. This was largely focused on how the HSE communicated with their publics as well as how they carried out such a large public information campaign. It is also important to understand how the public felt about the management of this pandemic. This thesis was dependant on interviewing various individuals from relevant backgrounds. This included PR and communication personnel employed by the HSE, representative of the media and health care professionals who deal directly with different communities within the general public. The objectives of …

The Book Of Job: Navigating Between The Two Jobs From The Perspective Of Ritual, Lawrence Pang

Theses

The overarching problem concerning the unity of the book of Job is its conflicting juxtaposition of Job’s character. In the prose frame, Job does not charge God with any wrongdoing despite the afflictions against him and is acknowledged by God for his piety whereas in the dialogue, Job responses with words of accusation against God for his trouble and for mismanaging the affairs of the world according to the orthodoxy of reward and punishment. Various methodological approaches, ranging from the synchronic to the diachronic, have been advanced to account for the dissonance, however, to date, no attempt has been made …

An Analysis Of The Contribution Of Public Relations To The Growth Of The Ballymaloe Brand., Avril Desmond

Theses

The aim of this dissertation was to explore the public relations techniques of Ballymaloe and determine the effectiveness of these techniques on the Ballymaloe brand. Relevant literature was explored and the subjects the subjects that were encountered included public relations traditional and new media avenues.

The research methodology constituted quantitative analysis. Interviews were the primary research tools, with media analysis being used to back it up. The data was analysed using content analysis procedures.

The conclusion identified that, Ballymaloe are inadequate in implementing two way communications with their strategic publics. The research highlighted the relaxed attitude towards their public relations …

Exploration Of Non-Chemically Amplified Resists Based On Chain-Scission Mechanism For 193 Nm Lithography, Meng Zhao

Theses

In order to achieve the requirement for sub-32nm technology, a substitution to chemical amplified photoresist should be explored because it suffers several problems including acid diffusion, environmental sensitivity, process complexity and critical dimension (CD) control. On the other hand, Poly (Methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) has been used for a long time as a chain-scission resist in E-beam as well as DUV. This kind of photoresist has good resolution and small LER compared to CAR. But it has poor sensitivity and etch-resistance. The main goal of this project is to explore roles of resist components and limitation of resolution, sensitivity and LER. …

Analysis Of Symmetric Key Establishment Based On Reciprocal Channel Quantization, David Wagner

Theses

Methods of symmetric key establishment using reciprocal quantization of channel parameters in wireless Rayleigh and Rician fading channels are considered. Two important aspects are addressed through generic analysis: impact of a proximity attack by a passive eavesdropper and achievable key establishing rates. The analysis makes use of the National Institute of Standards and Technology statistical test suite applied to the channel quantization bits as the outputs of a random number generator. For proximity attacks, a passive mobile eavesdropper with an ability to approach one of the communicating parties and a possible signal-to-noise ratio advantage is assumed. The minimal required distance …

The Resettlement Process In The Lignite Mining Areas Of Kosovo : [Presentation Given February 23, 2010], Besnik Haziri

Theses

The resettlement process for the purposes of exploiting natural resources often causes problems for governments and the people concerned. This is the case in most countries. In fact, the use of private agricultural land or the construction of industrial buildings for the purpose of exploiting natural resources can be relatively easily compensated with money or other benefits. Industrial buildings can be rebuilt at another location, and agricultural land can be exchanged for other land owned by the company. However, when it comes to the requirement to demolish and/or relocate houses, then the question is much more complex than just compensation …

Development Of Ratiometric Probes For Microemulsion Studies, Greg Wright

Theses

Water-in-oil reverse-phase microemulsions were studied to determine the effects of changing the concentrations of the components of the microemulsions on the shape, sizes, and interactions of the particles of the microemulsion system. Two fluorescent probes were used in the measurement and analysis of bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) water in octane reverse phase microemulsions. Dansylpiperidine and 9-aminoacridine were chosen as the fluorescent probes used in the analysis. The experiment consisted of the analysis in solvents of differing polarity, AOT microemulsion solutions of various water, surfactant, and octane ratios, and four component microemulsions. The four component microemulsions consisted of solutions containing AOT, water, …

An Analytic Investigation Into Self Organizing Maps And Their Network Topologies, Renee Baltimore

Theses

This paper details master's thesis work involving research and investigation into the approach of self-organizing maps for clustering of data, more specifically, clustering of image data, and how this can be used in understanding image composition. This work will build upon ideas which have previously been explored, such as using self organizing maps for identifying and grouping different regions of an image which may possess similar features. A large part of this research is based upon experimentation with a variety of topological models of the self-organizing map network and investigation into what advantages these different topologies afford the network in …

Does Dual Task Interference Affect Concurrent Duration Production?, Mary Merlau

Theses

Time perception has been cited as a good measure of workload because it seldom interferes with performance of tasks that do not require time estimation, is easy to implement, and is sensitive to task difficulty (Hart, 1975a; Zakay & Shub, 1998). It was hypothesized that duration productions could be used to measure workload caused by two word tasks that would interfere with one another as outlined by Wickens' (1980) multiple resource theory. To test this hypothesis participants estimated a 15 second duration while performing a visual animal name detection task, along with an auditory animal name detection task, or a …

The Role Of Public Relations In Integrated Marketing Communications, Claire Healy

Theses

This study is concerned with analysing the integration of public relations and marketing practices currently being undertaken by various organisations in Ireland. The concept of integrated marketing communication has been debated in the literature and in organisations for many decades.

This study employs both primary and secondary research methods on gathering findings that focus on the increasingly fundamental role of public relations in marketing initiatives, and highlights the areas where conflict and tension exist. These conflicting areas are having a negative effect on organisations maximising from this integration.

This research gathered both public relations and marketing perceptions on how the …

The Use Of Social Marketing Messages In An Anti-Tobacco Context: An Investigation Of Irish Female Adolescents, Barry Griffin

Theses

The WHO (2008) report states that although tobacco deaths rarely make headlines, tobacco kills one person globally every six seconds. Tobacco kills a third to a half of all people who use it, on average 15 years prematurely. Today tobacco use causes 1 in 10 deaths among adults worldwide - more than 5 million people a year (Murray and Lopez, 2006). The Irish Office of Tobacco Control’s research has confirmed that initiation into smoking is largely a childhood phenomenon. More than 75% of all smokers in Ireland started to smoke before they reached the age of 18 (HBSC Ireland, 2006). …

The Application Of Social Marketing In Increasing Blood Donation Among Donors And Non Donors: The Case Of Third Level Students., John Healy

Theses

In today’s society, blood donation is dependent on the goodwill of people to voluntarily donate blood without financial reward. There is a continuous need for new blood donors, because the demand for donor blood is increasing, whereas the supply of blood is declining. Three thousand blood donations are needed in Ireland every week. Maintaining an adequate supply is the biggest challenge. Only 3.6% of the population in the Republic of Ireland donate blood. This leaves an enormous potential blood donor base, which if tapped into and maintained could lead to an adequate reserve of donations to meet the transfusion needs …

The Piano Laboratory As An Interlinking Resource In The Development Of Keyboard Skills For Young Pianists, Elaine Gordon

Theses

This study presents an account of practice-based educational research that was conducted during three half-year cycles between 2008 and 2010 in the CIT Cork School of Music (CSM) piano laboratories with Junior piano pupils and their teachers as participants. The study sought to explore teaching approaches in the PianoLab classes and to evaluate interlinking resources for young pianists in the context of their wider music education.

In line with action-oriented qualitative methods, the first cycle involved preliminary data gathering, through questionnaires and interviews, from musicianship and piano teachers on topics related to teaching materials. Subsequently, a Focus Group was set …

An Empirical Investigation Across Second-Level, Third-Level And Adult-Level Career Guidance Services In Ireland, Tara Conlon

Theses

This study is an investigation across second-level, third-level and adult-level career guidance services in Ireland. This study particularly focuses on the different career guidance services available to the Irish population and how people use these services to help them in making academic and professional decisions. Many difficulties are encountered by people making critical choices on course and career options in order to progress.

The recent downturn in the Irish economy has had a significant effect on educational and career paths of the Irish population. Job losses and redundancies have led to an increase in unemployment rates. A significant amount of …

Detection And Molecular Characterisation Of Rotavirus, Adenovirus And Bocavirus Circulating In Southern Ireland, Olivia Cashman

Theses

This study reports the detection and molecular characterisation of group A rotavirus circulating in the south of Ireland in both the bovine and human population. Characterisation of the group A rotavirus was carried out through the extraction of viral nucleic acid in faecal specimens collected from hospitals in the Cork and Waterford area and Cork regional veterinary laboratory from 2006-2009. Other gastroenteritis viruses characterised during this study include adenovirus type 41, and the newly identified gastrointestinal virus, human bocavirus, which was identified for the first time in Ireland during this study. The human bocaviruses identified in children in the south …

Identification And Molecular Characterisation Of Mycobacteriophages And Their Lysis Proteins, Marine Henry

Theses

Given their potential as specific and natural biocontrol agents, bacteriophages and their associated proteins have become the focus of renewed interest over the last decade. This study reviews the current state of mycobacterial diseases control worldwide and presents how phage therapy and the production of recombinant bacteriophage lysis proteins can be applied as novel biocontrol strategies for mycobacteria.

Chapter 11 presents an overview of the predicted LysA and LysB proteins in all the mycobacteriophages sequenced to date and proposes an in silico 3D predictive model of the lysin B of a recently isolated and characterised mycobacteriophage. Our data also confirms …

Assessing The Impact Of Social Media On The Celebrity Industry: A Public Relations Perspective, Jessica O'Sullivan

Theses

There has been an increased interest from academics, public relations professionals and industry professionals in the importance of social media in the role of public relations. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the effect social media has on the celebrity industry, from a public relations perspective.

A qualitative research design was chosen, and the primary methods used to gather the data were semi-structured interviews with online communication professionals from the public relations industry and an online music producer who uses various forms of social media to distribute and promote his music. All interviewees were chosen due to …

The Rapid Identification Of Novel Anti-Mycobacterial Drugs And The Transporters Involved In Their Resistance, James Carroll

Theses

Despite the success of anti-mycobacterial drugs over the past 70 years, mycobacterial disease, particularly tuberculosis is still responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Additionally, the emergence of Multidrug Resistant (MDR-TB) and Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR-TB) Tuberculosis throughout the world has motivated calls by the World Health Organization for novel mycobacterial drugs, vaccines and diagnostic tests. Consequently, this study sought to identify and evaluate the efficacy of a range of anti-mycobacterial compounds against a representative cohort of pathogenic mycobacterial species. The development and employment of the rapid, robust and inexpensive microtitre alamarBlue assay (MABA) facilitated the assessment of a vast array …

Issues Faced By Female Middle Managers On Returning To The Workplace Following Maternity Leave., Flora Buckley

Theses

The increased participation of women in the workforce has been one of the major changes in the labour force in recent years. The nature of Ireland’s workforce has changed radically in the past twenty years and women, whether for personal or financial reasons, are now an established part of the workforce. Despite the rapid increase in female participation in the paid labour-force, considerable evidence has been gathered that documents a dearth of women in executive level positions not just in Ireland, but internationally.

Many studies have highlighted issues women face in progressing to senior level management. There is, however, very …

Isolation And Molecular Characterization Of Mycobacterium Avium Subsp. Paratuberculosis In Ireland, Pierre Emmanuel Douarre

Theses

MAP is a proven animal pathogen causing Johne's disease, one of the most widespread and economically important diseases of ruminants. Since 1992 and the opening of the European market, the prevalence of MAP in Ireland has increased considerably. Improvements in diagnostic strategies for Ireland and elsewhere are urgently required. MAP infects a wide host range and has emerged as a potential threat to human health and has been associated with Crohn's disease. The control of paratuberculosis infection requires a better understanding of the genetic diversity of the pathogen. The objective of this study was to isolate and characterize this enteric …

Toxicodynamics And Biotransformation Of Azaspiracids Incorporating Liquid Chromatography-Tandem-Mass Spectrometry (Lc-Ms/Ms) Techniques., Daniel O'Driscoll

Theses

Azaspiracids (AZAs) are a family of lipophilic polyether marine biotoxins, that have caused a number of human intoxication incidents in Europe since 1995, which was the first incident reported following the consumption by consumers of intoxicated shellfish {Mytilus edulis). This class of phycotoxins has been responsible for extended closures of shellfisheries in various locations around Europe, where levels of AZAl-3 are regulated in shellfish. Since their discovery in 1995, AZAs have become the focus of extensive research, resulting in the discovery of numerous analogues. Only AZAl and AZA2 have been found in phytoplankton and all the other analogues are believed …

Implementation Of Multi-Clb Designs Using Quantum-Dot Cellular Automata, Chia-Ching Tung

Theses

CMOS scaling is currently facing a technological barrier. Novel technologies are being proposed to keep up with the need for computation power and speed. One of the proposed ideas is the quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) technology. QCA uses quantum mechanical effects in the device at the molecular scale. QCA systems have the potential for low power, high density, and regularity. This thesis studies QCA devices and uses those devices to build a simple field programmable gate array (FPGA). The FPGA is a combination of multiple configure logical blocks (CLBs) tiled together. Most previous work on this area has focused on …

Evaluation Of Hydro-Mechanical Pulsation For Rocket Injector Research, Matthew B. Wilson

Theses

The Propulsion Research Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville has designed and built a hydro-mechanical pulsator to simulate the pressure fluctuations created by high frequency combustion instability. The pressure response characteristics were evaluated in an atmospheric test rig using filtered de-ionized water as the working fluid. The outlet of the pulsator was connected to a swirl injector post to provide downstream flow resistance. Previous low pressure and mass flow experimental data revealed a complex relationship between the control parameters and the pulsation response. For each test, the average mass flow rates of the waste water, water lost through …