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2004

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Enron, Titanic, And The Perfect Storm, Nancy B. Rapoport Jan 2004

Enron, Titanic, And The Perfect Storm, Nancy B. Rapoport

Scholarly Works

In this article, I explore the contention of Jeffrey Skilling, former Enron CEO, that Enron's debacle was due to a perfect storm of events. I reject his contention, arguing instead that Enron's downfall was more like Titanic's - hubris and an over-reliance on checks and balances led to Enron's downfall. I then explore how character (especially of those at the top of an organization) can lead to Enron-like disasters, and I talk about how cognitive dissonance can lead to very smart people making very stupid decisions. I end with some musings about how lawyers can learn from Enron.

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Did White House Reporters Defer To The President After September 11?, Jodi Kathleen Bannerman Jan 2004

Did White House Reporters Defer To The President After September 11?, Jodi Kathleen Bannerman

LSU Master's Theses

This study's primary focus is to determine if the White House press corps acted more deferential to President Bush and his agenda after September 11, 2001, and if so, to see how long the period of decreased adversarial relations lasted. This purpose is accomplished through a content analysis of 37 White House press briefings, conducted by then White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer, examining press-briefing questions three months before, on, directly following, and three months after September 11 according to four dimensions of adversarial relations: initiative, directness, assertiveness, and hostility. Ten question design features comprise the criteria to measure each …

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Food Safety Knowledge And Practices Of Food Recovery Agency Workers Before And After Food Safety Training, Sara Katherine Waggoner Jan 2004

Food Safety Knowledge And Practices Of Food Recovery Agency Workers Before And After Food Safety Training, Sara Katherine Waggoner

LSU Master's Theses

Many food recovery agencies depend on donated food, and its safety is critical for the health of vulnerable populations. A food safety curriculum was developed for agency volunteers and paid staff of the Lower Mississippi Delta region. Examples of topics in the curriculum included: personal hygiene, food storage, transporting food safely, and HACCP. Food Safety Knowledge Pre- and Posttests (20 questions) were identical, and validity and reliability were established prior to use. Paired t-tests were performed to determine the effectiveness of the curriculum (n=190). A Food Safety Practices Survey (10 questions) demonstrating attitudes and behaviors regarding food safety practices in …

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The Myth Of Eternal Preservation: Patterns Of Damage In Egyptian Mummies, Ellen Salter-Pedersen Jan 2004

The Myth Of Eternal Preservation: Patterns Of Damage In Egyptian Mummies, Ellen Salter-Pedersen

LSU Master's Theses

Mummification can preserve a body for several millennia, but it is a popular misconception that these bodies are in pristine condition. The activities of tomb robbers, archaeological excavation and transportation, and the embalming process itself may damage the body. This thesis examines published reports on Egyptian mummies from museums in the United States, Europe, and Egypt for the presence of osteological fractures, dislocations and other related damage. These reports include biographical information and the results of investigations made by one or more of the following techniques: unwrapping, autopsying, x-raying, and CT-scanning. Data on 275 Egyptian mummies were collected and examined …

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Software Architecture: Styles And Representational Schemes, Somo Subro Banerjee Jan 2004

Software Architecture: Styles And Representational Schemes, Somo Subro Banerjee

LSU Master's Theses

Software architecture is being widely used today to describe a very high-level design methodology of large software systems. Software architecture represents the overall structure of a system in an abstract, structured manner. A good architectural representation scheme holds the key to the effectiveness of a software architecture description and usage. In this work we look at architectural styles and architectural representation schemes. We propound the idea that the layered architectural model is a suitable candidate for a generalized architectural style and that it can cater to many different problem domains, other than the message-passing systems it has traditionally been used …

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Regret From Consumer Action Versus Inaction: The Effects Of Post-Decision Information, Decisional Responsibility And Perceived Source Expertise, Neel Das Jan 2004

Regret From Consumer Action Versus Inaction: The Effects Of Post-Decision Information, Decisional Responsibility And Perceived Source Expertise, Neel Das

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation proposes to examine regret arising from action versus inaction in consumer decision-making contexts. Although there has been extensive research in the area of regret, no extant literature in marketing has been found that has investigated the nature of regret arising from inaction, specifically in stockout conditions. The first study defines the concept of decisional action and inaction as the key sources of the regret emotion. Specifically, regret arising from inaction (and action) is investigated under sub-optimal and optimal conditions. Subsequently, circumstances are identified when inaction-driven levels of regret are likely to be higher than levels of action-driven regret …

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A Stage Targeted Physical Activity Intervention Among A Predominantly African American Low Income Medical Population, Dorothy Whitehead Jan 2004

A Stage Targeted Physical Activity Intervention Among A Predominantly African American Low Income Medical Population, Dorothy Whitehead

LSU Master's Theses

Despite the numerous health benefits, there is a high prevalence of physical inactivity and associated chronic diseases in the U.S., particularly among low income African Americans. Past studies indicate that mailed, stage-matched physical activity promotion materials are effective, low cost, and show potential for reaching hard to reach groups. However, this has not been examined in a low-income African American population. The current study utilized a low-cost, mailed intervention to promote physical activity among a low income African American primary care population (N=207). The sample was predominantly female (82.6%), African American (69.1%), and overweight (81.3%). At baseline, all participants completed …

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The Effects Of Auditory Distraction On Attention Performance In Asymptomatic College Students With A History Of Mild Head Injury, John H.,Ii Denning Jan 2004

The Effects Of Auditory Distraction On Attention Performance In Asymptomatic College Students With A History Of Mild Head Injury, John H.,Ii Denning

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Introduction: The majority of individuals experiencing a mild head injury (MHI) recover fully experiencing few residual symptoms. Some individuals who fully recover have shown evidence of residual, albeit subtle, brain functioning disturbances on tasks requiring high levels of cognitive effort. Also, memory complaints in MHI patients may be related to these subtle difficulties when cognitive resources are overwhelmed. This study assessed a group of asymptomatic college students with a history of MHI to determine if there were any residual attention difficulties as well as increased memory complaints. Method: One-hundred twelve college students with and without a history of MHI were …

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The Organ Works Of Fela Sowande: A Nigerian Organist-Composer, Godwin Simeon Sadoh Jan 2004

The Organ Works Of Fela Sowande: A Nigerian Organist-Composer, Godwin Simeon Sadoh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fela Sowande (1905-1987) has a huge compositional output including orchestral and vocal works. However, his organ music outnumbered the totality of his compositions. His organ pieces represent a truly intercultural music in which distinct tripartite cultural idioms are evident—Nigerian, African American and European. Works of this nature serve as creative source materials for aspiring composers, performers, scholars, music educators, and students in Africa and the world. This composer, folklorist, and music educator was born into a well-known music family in Nigeria. He was active in radio broadcasting, Yoruba folklore and mythology, indigenous music research, Nigerian art music, performance, orchestral conducting, …

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"Never Could Read No Road Map": Geographic Perspectives On The Grateful Dead, Daniel R. Culli Jan 2004

"Never Could Read No Road Map": Geographic Perspectives On The Grateful Dead, Daniel R. Culli

LSU Master's Theses

The Grateful Dead hold a unique niche in the musical, social, and cultural history of the United States. However, while the volume of available academic literature concerning the band is increasing, the Grateful Dead remain to be nearly ignored by academia and, to this point apparently, completely ignored by cultural geographers. This paper introduces the Grateful Dead into the field of geography. I analyze the geography of certain aspects of the band, such as its context in San Francisco, the carnival atmosphere of the entire phenomenon, the over 2300 tour dates, as well as the huge catalog of lyrics sung …

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Vie Et Mort De La Rhetorique Dans Le Conte Du Graal Ou Le Roman De Perceval, Oana Carmina Cimpean Jan 2004

Vie Et Mort De La Rhetorique Dans Le Conte Du Graal Ou Le Roman De Perceval, Oana Carmina Cimpean

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis illustrates the distinction established by Maurice Blanchot in Le Livre à venir, between novel and narration, as it appears in Chrétien de Troyes' Le conte du Graal ou le roman de Perceval. The novel accompanies the hero to the meeting with the Sirens, while the narration constitutes the meeting itself. Once the hero had his meeting with the Sirens, in Perceval's case he has the privilege of hearing God's names, he disappears from the novel, entering the realm of silence, which dominates the narration. In leaving the novel, Perceval gains access to a superior meaning, hidden to the …

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A Distributed Quadtree Dictionary Approach To Multi-Resolution Visualization Of Scattered Neutron Data, Rion Dooley Jan 2004

A Distributed Quadtree Dictionary Approach To Multi-Resolution Visualization Of Scattered Neutron Data, Rion Dooley

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Grid computing is described as dependable, seamless, pervasive access to resources and services, whereas mobile computing allows the movement of people from place to place while staying connected to resources at each location. Mobile grid computing is a new computing paradigm, which joins these two technologies by enabling access to the collection of resources within a user's virtual organization while still maintaining the freedom of mobile computing through a service paradigm. A major problem in virtual organization is needs mismatch, in which one resources requests a service from another resources it is unable to fulfill, since virtual organizations are necessarily …

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Phylogenetic Influence Of Complex, Evolutionary Models: A Bayesian Approach, Neeraja M. Krishnan Jan 2004

Phylogenetic Influence Of Complex, Evolutionary Models: A Bayesian Approach, Neeraja M. Krishnan

LSU Master's Theses

Molecular evolution recovers the history of living species by comparing genetic information, exploring genome structure and function from an evolutionary perspective. Here we infer substitution rates and ancestral reconstructions, to better understand mutation responses to some known biochemical phenomena. Mutation processes are commonly inferred using parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian. Parsimony is not explicitly model-based, and is statistically biased due to unrealistic assumptions. The model-based maximum likelihood approaches become computationally inefficient while analyzing large or high-dimensional datasets, leaving little opportunities to incorporate complex evolutionary models. We implemented a posterior probability (Bayesian) approach that evaluates evolutionary models, applying it to primate …

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Irrationality And Human Reasoning, Michael Aristidou Jan 2004

Irrationality And Human Reasoning, Michael Aristidou

LSU Master's Theses

In his account of intentional interpretation, Donald Davidson assumes that people are mostly rational. Several psychological experiments though, reveal that human beings deviate drastically from the normative standards of rationality. Therefore, some psychologists arrive to the conclusion that humans are mostly irrational. In this thesis, I raise some objections to both points of view. On the one hand, ascribing rationality to humans in an a priori manner seems a suspicious position to adopt, considering the empirical data that show otherwise. On the other hand, the validity of the experiments and what exactly they test can also be put in question, …

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Providing Education And Support For Rural Palliative Care Nurses In Western Australia: An Intervention Study, Ruth Mcconigley Jan 2004

Providing Education And Support For Rural Palliative Care Nurses In Western Australia: An Intervention Study, Ruth Mcconigley

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Rural palliative care nurses (RPCNs) in Western Australia (WA) are a small population, who have embraced the specialist palliative care role since the first palliative care service in rural WA began in 1990. However, there are some challenges involved with being a specialist nurse in a generalist health care setting. fu particular, there is a suggestion in the literature that RPCNs may be professionally isolated, may be prone to burnout, and may therefore experience decreased job satisfaction and may consider leaving the palliative care field.

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Work Intensification And Professionalism : A Study Of Teachers' Perceptions In The State School System In Western Australia, Niall B. Richardson Jan 2004

Work Intensification And Professionalism : A Study Of Teachers' Perceptions In The State School System In Western Australia, Niall B. Richardson

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The past two decades have witnessed the introduction throughout much of the Western world of what has become known as economic rationalism, and for some commentators, as economic liberalism. Grounded in neoclassical economic theory, and with close kinship to the Taylorist and Fordist principles of the early decades of the twentieth century, the vision of economic rationalism has led to measures which have tended to favour the business sector in Australia. Throughout the 1990s, the focus has been on the notions of competitiveness, competition, productivity, efficiency, and profit, while the notions of the individual, and of social justice and equity, …

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Perceptions Of Wine Quality, Stephen J. Charters Jan 2004

Perceptions Of Wine Quality, Stephen J. Charters

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The term `quality' is regularly used by those who produce, promote and consume wine. However, the nature and features of wine quality are rarely explained. This study was designed to explore what drinkers consider to be the nature of wine quality and what they believe its features to be. Focus groups and individual and small group interviews were used to explore the conceptualisation and dimensions of wine quality, how that quality is assessed, and what its relevance may be. There were 105 informants, sourced from three states across Australia primarily by utilising friends and acquaintances of the researcher. Informants included …

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Decision Making In Individualistic And Collectivistic Cultures, C. Dominik Guess Jan 2004

Decision Making In Individualistic And Collectivistic Cultures, C. Dominik Guess

Online Readings in Psychology and Culture

How do cultural values influence individuals' decision making? One would expect answers to this question either from cognitive psychology or from cross-cultural psychology. Cognitive theories on decision making, however, rarely consider the factor of culture, and research in cross-cultural psychology deals only to a small extent with decision making. Therefore the study of culture and decision making is a relatively new and unexplored field. In this paper normative and descriptive approaches to decision making are discussed and three cross-cultural studies on decision making in individualistic and collectivist cultures using different methodologies are described. The results are integrated into a model …

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Plague, Pestilence & Pollution : Berkoff's Collision With Aeschylus And Sophocles, Michelle Aslett Jan 2004

Plague, Pestilence & Pollution : Berkoff's Collision With Aeschylus And Sophocles, Michelle Aslett

Theses : Honours

Our humanity is bound to perennial themes in drama, so when a classic play is adapted to 'suit' contemporary audiences, the revised version will often reflect the zeitgeist of the times in which it was produced. The magic of retrospection then allows us to examine the social and political particulars that influence the adapted as well as the original work. Indeed, Steven Berkoff's reworkings of both Aeschylus' Agamemnon and Sophocles' Oedipus Rex reflect an unsettled and divided British context in the throes of ideological upheaval during the 1970's and early 1980's. While consistent criticism of leadership and political strife in …

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Skill Acquisition And Transfer In A Simple Algebraic Task, Charan J. Singh Jan 2004

Skill Acquisition And Transfer In A Simple Algebraic Task, Charan J. Singh

Theses : Honours

Speelman's (\999) finding that performance of a skill is based to some extent on the conter.t in which it is performed, rather than simply on the acquired skill itself, is not accounted for by the basic skill acquisition theories like ACT -R Theory or Instance Theory. The purpose of the current experiment was to examine whether the degree of change in context influences the degree of reduction in transfer. Forty participants were trained on an algebraic task and then tested in two different transfer conditions. Condition one included one new item and condition two included two new items in the …

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Men's Strengths In The Transition To Fatherhood, Dawson C. Cooke Jan 2004

Men's Strengths In The Transition To Fatherhood, Dawson C. Cooke

Theses : Honours

This paper considers the ways men succeed or grow stronger (strengths perspectives) in the transition to fatherhood. Becoming a father is a normative life event for a man that presents a unique opportunity for developmental growth. This aspect of fatherhood has rarely been addressed in psychological literature despite the growing interest in fatherhood and strengths perspectives. An overview is given of fathering literature with attention to the transition to fatherhood, positive outcomes and strengths, and recent Australian studies. Models and classifications of strengths are introduced, including findings from the positive psychology movement (C. Peterson & M. E. P. Seligman, 2004) …

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Exploring Women's Experiences Of A Medically Necessary Caesarean, Michelle Cotterell Jan 2004

Exploring Women's Experiences Of A Medically Necessary Caesarean, Michelle Cotterell

Theses : Honours

Caesarean delivery accounts for approximately one in four births both in Australia and on a global level. Examination of the experience of caesarean delivery is limited, although as caesarean delivery rates are increasing, a practical understanding of the constructs surrounding surgical birth needs to be gained. This review aims to present an overview of the current literature exploring the mother's experience of caesarean delivery. The different modes of medically necessary caesarean delivery, both unplanned and planned are defined. Societal views of caesarean birth as an easier and convenient mode of delivery in comparison to vaginal birth are described and it …

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Under The Thumb : The Role Of Sms In The Forming And Maintenance Of Adolescent Dating Relationships, Jason Noble Jan 2004

Under The Thumb : The Role Of Sms In The Forming And Maintenance Of Adolescent Dating Relationships, Jason Noble

Theses : Honours

The use of the mobile phone is a ubiquitous feature of many an individual's social life within contemporary society. Given this, it is somewhat surprising that little academic research has been undertaken into its effects on the social and cultural lives of key user populations. In particular, the Short Message Service- SMS texting- is a mobile phone application that has transformed the lives of large numbers of adolescent city dwellers. Moreover, teenagers and young adults, who represent the adolescent population, have adopted this mobile phone application and subsequently applied it to their social lives in ways that never would have …

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Students' Perception Of Their First Experience Of The Sacrament Of Penance Within The Archdiocese Of Perth, Western Australia, Janine Sanzone Jan 2004

Students' Perception Of Their First Experience Of The Sacrament Of Penance Within The Archdiocese Of Perth, Western Australia, Janine Sanzone

Theses : Honours

This study examined the perceptions of year three children of their first experience of the Sacrament of Penance within the Archdiocese of Perth in light of contemporary developmental research. In the Archdiocese of Perth, the Catholic Church's present practice is to prepare students to receive Penance in Year 3 when they have reached the "age of reason' (7 years). The theology behind the Catholic Church's decision to administer Penance at the age of reason is also investigated. The work of developmental psychologists, particularly Kohlberg and Fowler, underpins this investigation of the cognitive, moral and spiritual development of the sample population. …

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Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Response To Wetland Acidification On The Swan Coastal Plain, Jill Woodhouse Jan 2004

Freshwater Macroinvertebrate Response To Wetland Acidification On The Swan Coastal Plain, Jill Woodhouse

Theses : Honours

Wetlands of the Swan Coastal Plain (SCP) are acidifying because extended drying periods have exposed and oxidised sulphidic sediments creating sulphuric acid and lowering wetland pH. This appears to be the ecological equivalent of both Northern Hemisphere acid rain in lakes and streams, and acid mine drainage. This research aims to describe the characteristic acidic macroinvertebrate faunal assemblage of the SCP by identifying acidophobic and acidophilic taxa, and to examine their potential as indicators of acidification for routine biological monitoring. Four linked approaches were used in the study - analysis of a database, investigation of acidified wetland case studies, wetland …

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Social Competence : An Exploration Of Children's Experiences Within The Home Environment, Mandie B. Shean Jan 2004

Social Competence : An Exploration Of Children's Experiences Within The Home Environment, Mandie B. Shean

Theses : Honours

The acquisition of social competence is an important developmental task for children. This review examines how child effects and environmental effects contribute to children's achievement of social competence. Environmental factors are addressed through Bronfenbrenner's (1999) ecological systems model of the microsystem, mesosystem and exosystem, The microsystem includes the home environment with parent-parent, parent-child and sibling relationships. The mesosystem includes the school environment with peer and teacher relationships. Finally, the exosystem incorporates indirect environments such as parent work, economic status and the media. Issues of reciprocal effects are addressed and the suggestion is made that social competence is the result of …

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Construction Of Male Identity : The Relationship Between Cancer Support Groups And Identity For Men Who Are Living With Cancer, Kathryn M. Chegwidden Jan 2004

Construction Of Male Identity : The Relationship Between Cancer Support Groups And Identity For Men Who Are Living With Cancer, Kathryn M. Chegwidden

Theses : Honours

A diagnosis of cancer may have many meanings for a man in terms of the impact that cancer has on various aspects of his life, including his identity as a man. Subsequent membership of a cancer support group may support men negotiating their changing identity. A review of the relevant literature examines the impact of cancer and its treatments for men, and the various changes resulting from men's experiences with cancer and cancer treatments. An overview of support groups, their function, composition, and benefits is provided with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of professional and member facilitated cancer …

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The Sources And Nature Of Social Representations In A Multicultural Peer Group : Implications For Friendship And Inter-Group Relationships, Christina Callow Jan 2004

The Sources And Nature Of Social Representations In A Multicultural Peer Group : Implications For Friendship And Inter-Group Relationships, Christina Callow

Theses : Honours

The historical, political and social nature of Australian society provides a backdrop for the ways in which exclusion and inclusion are perpetuated. It is from within this context adolescent identity development and relationship formation occurs. While there is a wealth of literature focussing on inter-group relationships and adolescent development, very little research has focussed on the implications of the wider context on everyday social knowledge, or social representations, held by adolescents in a multicultural peer group. Using social representation theory, this study investigated the social representations adolescents held in relation to ethnic, cultural and national identity. It also investigated the …

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All That We Have To Cling To" : Mothers And Motherhood In The Plays Of Tennessee Williams, Trina Di Crescenzo Jan 2004

All That We Have To Cling To" : Mothers And Motherhood In The Plays Of Tennessee Williams, Trina Di Crescenzo

Theses : Honours

This thesis explores the characterisation of motherhood within the plays of American playwright. Tennessee Williams. A central part to my argument is that these mothers are abandoned and left alone because of their own personal complexities. After investigating the life of Edwina Dakin Williams and the influence that she had on her son's life and work. I will proceed to examine the nature of the mother in the Following plays: • The Glass Menagerie • The Rose Tattoo • Battle of Angels • Orpheus Descending • Suddenly Last Summer. All of the plays are “major” works of the writer, with …

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Singing At Tertiary Level : Training The Female Singer In The First Year Of Studying Voice, Claire Lenyk Jan 2004

Singing At Tertiary Level : Training The Female Singer In The First Year Of Studying Voice, Claire Lenyk

Theses : Honours

No abstract provided.

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