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The Challenge Of Enhancement & Adaptability In Healthcare: An Ethical Framework For Organizations, Gary Edwards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This work defends enhancements that aim at promoting adaptability and formulates a framework for how healthcare organizations can cope with these sorts of enhancements. It begins by defending explicit approaches to defining enhancements and sketches a tripartite conception of enhancements dependent on well-being, social, and perception approaches. After assessing several major arguments for and against enhancement, it defends an adaptability justification for enhancements. In light of this justification, the remaining sections explore the adaptability argument’s implications for healthcare, justify an organizational approach for dealing with these implications, and finally formulate an organizational ethics framework for coping with the adaptability argument’s …

Knowledge Management Strategies For Competitive Advantage In The Convenience Foods Franchise Industry, Tiffany Moses

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The lack of successful knowledge management (KM) practices significantly hinders competitive advantage in small businesses. This case study was designed to explore what effective KM strategies convenience foods franchise industry business owners or managers use to increase competitive advantage. The study population consisted of 7 fast food franchise owners or managers in or near the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina. The cognitive model of KM was the conceptual framework that grounded the study. Face-to-face interviews were used for the data collection process. Data were organized into nodes and coded for thematic analysis. The 3 major themes that emerged …

Contradictions Of Adolescent Self-Construal: Examining The Interaction Of Ethnic Identity, Self-Efficacy And Academic Achievement, Margaret Zoller Booth, Sara Abercrombie, Christopher J. Frey

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

This research examines the relationship between ethnicity, ethnic identity, self-efficacy, and academic achievement within a multi-ethnic mid-sized city in the US Midwest. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, middle and high school adolescents (Fall, N=482; Spring, N=392) were surveyed and interviewed over the course of one year to investigate the interaction of these variables within the context of their school climate. Quantitative analysis indicated that prior Math achievement and ethnic identity predicted self efficacy. The qualitative results support this finding, indicating that for some minority groups, a strong ethnic identity may be a protective factor in efficacy development. The complexity of the …

High Achievers From Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds: The Critical Role Of Disciplinary Climate And Grit, Haigen Huang, Hao Zhu

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

The purpose of this study was to examine whether school disciplinary climate and grit predicted low socioeconomic status (SES) students being high achievers in mathematics and science with a representative sample of 15-year-old students in the United States. Our analysis, using a two-level logistic hierarchical linear model (HLM), indicated both disciplinary climate and grit were significantly associated with low-SES students’ high achievement in math and science. Low-SES students who perceived themselves as having a higher level of grit and whose classrooms had better disciplinary climate were much more likely to be high achievers. This finding provided supplemental evidence to the …

Digitized And Decoupled? Teacher Sensemaking Around Educational Technology In A Model 1:1 Program, Stacy Gherardi

Mid-Western Educational Researcher

This mixed-methods study utilized surveys and interviews to analyze teacher sensemaking in a widely acclaimed 1:1 laptop program in a predominantly low-income, predominantly Latino school district. Quantitative and qualitative measures found that teachers across the district used technology in similar ways and that technology strongly increased differentiated instruction, changed how students accessed knowledge, and had a positive impact on assessment practices; a negative relationship between technology and parent engagement was found. Teacher perceptions of the 1:1 program varied widely and were dependent on both personal and organizational factors. Findings suggested a sensemaking process in which teacher beliefs were often decoupled …

Making Movie Money: A 25-Year Analysis Of Rappers' Acting Roles In Hollywood Movies, Tia Tyree

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

Addict Rap?: The Shift From Drug Distributor To Drug Consumer In Hip Hop, Calvinjohn Smiley

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

White Chicks With A Gangsta' Pitch: Gendered Whiteness In United States Rap Culture (1990-2017), Melvin L. Williams

Journal of Hip Hop Studies

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Court Ordered Sobriety: A Test Of Labeling Theory, Monica B. Andress

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Alcohol is a common thread in the fabric of American culture. This ever-expanding industry continues to benefit the economy, however the success is not without a cost to communities across in the United States as alcohol is a leading contributor to criminal activity. Laws related to crimes in which alcohol is a driving factor have evolved in recent years which has inspired the development of new tools available to assist in reducing alcohol use and abuse. One such tool, which was developed in the 1990s and is now used by the criminal justice system across the country, is the Secured …

White-Collar Crime: Should You Be Afraid?, Logan Smalley

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

A secondary data analysis was conducted to determine relationships between US State, dollar amount of fraud, and type of savings and loan fraud committed. Using a dataset created by Pontell et al. (1999), this paper investigates the impact of the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 on prosecuting those who commit crimes within the savings and loan industry. This paper also includes research into the theoretical components of society's perception into white-collar crime and sociological theories that could explain motives behind white-collar offenses.

On Trial: The Branch Davidians Of Waco Texas 1987-1993, Andrew Michael Pedrotti

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the integration of the Branch Davidians into the Waco, Texas community during the years immediately preceding the BATF siege of 1993. An examination of media and biographical sources indicates that the Branch Davidians were better integrated in the community than is commonly suggested. Survivor accounts describe the Branch Davidians working and relaxing in Waco, rather than hiding in their compound. A survey of local newspaper coverage reveals that the press in Waco had a positive view of Koresh and the Branch Davidians in the late 1980s. In particular, coverage of a 1988 trial involving David Koresh and …

Socioeconomic Status, Academic Success, And Relationship With Parent/Guardian: Contributions To Marijuana Use In Teens, Justin Hamas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

As illicit drug use has steadily increased over the last decade, marijuana use has become much more prevalent among a variety of age groups. According to the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 8.6 million adolescents and young adults (age 12-25) use marijuana. This is significant as prior studies have found that marijuana use has damaging effects on the brain, especially teens whose brains are still developing. In order to gain a better understanding as to why individuals engage in marijuana use and how it may act as a coping mechanism, this study looks at how sources of …

A Comparison Of Changes In Women's Cardiovascular Fitness And Body Composition After Performance In Zumba, Tabata, And Cycling, Kristi N. Kester

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Aerobic group exercise is important to prevent against cardiovascular, pulmonary, and metabolic diseases. Regular exercise can help to reduce the risk of these diseases and premature death. Group exercise classes have shown to be effective in reducing weight, blood pressure, and body composition Further research is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of these aerobic group exercise classes to one another. PURPOSE: To evaluate and compare the potential health benefits that may occur for women who participate in regular group exercise classes at the Kohl Family YMCA. METHODS: A surrey and body measurements were taken of females enrolled an eight-week aerobic …

The Grounding Of Effective Aristotelian Law, Kyra Kinnaman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This paper aims to contribute meaningfully to Aristotelian scholarship by articulating the grounding of effective law. The grounding of law is the reason for which law’s efficacy can be explained. Two popular contenders for this explanation are natural law theory and legal positivism; however, this paper will build off the work of Donald Schroeder to show that neither theory is a tenable explanation for the grounding of Aristotelian law. Although Schroeder rejects natural law and positivism as appropriate interpretations of Aristotle, he fails to articulate what ultimately is the grounding of efficacious law. The final section of this paper will …

Effect Of Interventions On Infant Mortality Rates: A Systematic Review, Sophia H. Simone, Emily K. Swaim

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Infant mortality rate (IMR) is defined as the number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births. Infant mortality is the time period beginning with the infant’s first breath and continuing until the first year of life. In 2006, 6.71 infants died in The United States of America (USA) for every 1,000 live births, compared with 6.86 in 2005 and 6.89 in 2000. Although the USA IMR has fallen steadily in recent decades, the nation still ranks 27th among industrialized countries. Further, IMR disproportionately affects racial and ethnic groups in the USA. Despite research about prevalence, predictors, interventions, and major efforts …

Living The Dream Of Adr: Reflections On Four Decades Of The Quiet Revolution In Dispute Resolution, Thomas J. Stipanowich

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

In the forty years since Chief Justice Warren Burger and Harvard Professor Frank Sander offered new visions and challenges for the administration of American justice at the 1976 Pound Conference, a Quiet Revolution in "ADR" has altered the landscape of public and private dispute resolution around the world. Its impact has been felt in the empowerment of individuals to intervene more effectively in conflict of all kinds for the betterment of disputing parties, of institutions, and society at large. It has inspired multitudes of local, regional, national, and international initiatives and fed into diverse realms of discourse, including public engagement, …

The History And Legacy Of The Pound Conferences, Lara Traum, Brian Farkas

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

In light of the GPC, it is useful to take a brief step back to consider the legacy of self-reflection that brings the field to this exciting moment. As we reflect, we find ourselves facing new challenges and raising new questions about the direction of alternative dispute resolution ("ADR") in the 21st century. In this Article, Sections II and III will introduce the "Framers" of the ADR industry's "Constitution," and Section IV will evaluate their 100-year legacy and consider the extent to which it now needs further amendments.

A Model For The Use Of Adr To Efficiently Distribute A Significant Settlement Fund In Mass Claims Litigation Without Sacrificing An Individualized Assessment Of Claims, Lynn P. Cohn

Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution

Courts in the United States struggle to deal with litigation involving large numbers of claimants. A challenge in these cases is balancing the need for efficiency with opportunities for individualized claim assessment. Generally speaking, efficiency can be sacrificed at the expense of individualization, and vice-versa, but it is often difficult to strike a middle ground. The settlement process described in this article successfully managed this tension and as such can serve as a model for distributing a substantial fund in mass claims litigation.

This article will begin by detailing the legal background of the litigation of A v. B (2013). …

Today's Challenges To Religious Liberty In Historical Perspective, Gerard V. Bradley

Journal Articles

From the Introduction

Many people say that religious liberty in our country is now under attack more than ever before. That's true as far as it goes, and in what follows I shall supply some reasons why I think so. But the chief aim of this Article is not to try to establish that religious liberty is in its most parlous state ever, as if some common threat-level metric is higher today than it was, say, a hundred or fifty years ago. As a matter of fact, Mormons and Native Americans in the late-nineteenth century faced government actions more hostile …

Perceptions Of Knowledge Sharing Within Hybrid Learning Environments: As Iron Sharpens Iron Among Graduate Students, Makeisa Gaines

Theses and Dissertations

Knowledge sharing is an important mechanism for strengthening student learning (Petrides & Nodine, 2003), which pertains to the activities or behaviors involving the spread of knowledge between individuals (Jalal, Toulson, & Tweed, 2010) and the willingness of those individuals to share their knowledge with each other (Gibbert & Krause, 2002). Scholars have previously studied knowledge sharing behaviors in corporate environments (Hendriks, 1999; Nelson & Cooprider, 1996; Wasko & Faraj, 2005); however, few studies have focused on hybrid learning environments in higher education. This qualitative research study explored the perceptions of knowledge sharing among graduate students within hybrid learning environments. Eleven …

Establishing A Safe School Culture: An Examination Of Current Practices In K Through 12 Leadership, Zanita V. Kelly

Theses and Dissertations

School improvement plans and major reform initiatives most often target core academic competencies. They might include strategies to improve the physical safety of school campuses, but they rarely include discussions about creating psychologically safe environments. School safety has garnered national attention in the aftermath of violent high profile shootings on K through 12 campuses across the country. The Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Education have offices dedicated to providing schools with funding, training and resources to improve security and develop strategic crisis plans. There are a variety of resources available about lessening physical vulnerabilities as related …

Organizational Success: How The Presence Of Happiness In The Workplace Affects Employee Engagement That Leads To Organizational Success, Kevin K. Claypool

Theses and Dissertations

The central focus of this quantitative, correlational study is to examine the relationship between happiness found in the work place and employees’ engagement that leads to organizational success. Employee engagement has been touted as the next frontier that will help organizations to achieve success. This is because passionate employees will ensure that they are productive in the work place. Happiness has been argued to be one of the factors that enhance employee engagement. The collected data shows a positive correlation between happiness and engagement of the employee. This is an important finding as it can be used by organizations to …

Developing A Racial Equity Stance: Moving Philanthropy Beyond Diversity Statements, Maegan Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Over the past several years the national conversation about race, inequality, and power in the United States has grown in both urgency and intensity. In parallel to these social trends, more businesses, nonprofit organizations, and philanthropies are becoming better informed about the role of race and ethnicity in social and economic and disparities. The purpose of this study was to conduct action research to develop a racial equity stance at the Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation in Washington, DC. This study also examined the role of cultural competence in supporting the development of a racial equity stance. The impetus …

Toward Better Discharge Decision-Making For Violent Offenders In Forensic Mental Health Settings: A Critical Analysis Of The Literature, Sara Laniado

Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the United States are institutions abundant with violent offenders who have been found not guilty by reason of insanity (NGI). The decision to release these insanity acquittees into the community is a vital one, both for the patient and the larger community. While these decisions should be informed by evaluations that combine clinicians’ opinions with validated tools of assessment, no standard of care regarding such evaluations exists. Forensic specialists are thus often left to base discharge decisions on clinical judgment alone. This dissertation assumed a critical review of the theoretical and empirical literature relevant to conditional release decisions of …

A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Factors That Influence Motivation, Recruitment And Retention Of Volunteers Age 65 And Over, Carol Landry

Theses and Dissertations

Nonprofit agencies rely on continued support from volunteers, many who are 65 years of age or older, to provide aid and services to local community. However, community nonprofits have experienced a recent decline in volunteerism over the last six years. With the number of adults age 65 and over expected to double by 2060 in the United States, this twofold population could address the decline in volunteerism for nonprofit agencies. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research was to explore and identify factors that influence motivation, recruitment and retention of volunteers age 65 and over. The study aimed to enhance …

Social Support Communication Behavior, Depression Symptomatology, And Marital Satisfaction Among Distressed Couples, Kaddy Revolorio

Theses and Dissertations

The relationships between individual depression symptomatology, marital satisfaction, and social support communication behaviors were examined. Social support communication behaviors of partners as a moderator of the relationship between their own individual depression symptomatology and marital satisfaction was also examined. This study included 96 chronically and seriously distressed heterosexual married couples seeking couple therapy. This study found no relationship between marital satisfaction and depressive symptomatology and no relationship between depression symptomatology and positive and negative social support (p > .05). A significant interaction between gender and marital satisfaction in predictive depressive symptomatology was found (p < .05). Negative social support was significantly negatively related to marital satisfaction (p < .01). Positive social support was significantly positively related to marital satisfaction (p < .001). Social support did not moderate the relationship between depression symptoms and marital satisfaction (p > .05).

Millennials And Meaningfulness At Work, Daena Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Meaningfulness at work has been shown to be a positive contributor to employee engagement, performance, commitment and an extensive list of other desirable factors. The Millennial generation appears to be the largest and fastest growing generation since the Baby Boomers. Some managers have said some Millennials seem difficult to manage because their expectations of work upon entering the workforce seem so much higher than previous generations. This qualitative research project explored how Millennials at a small business find meaningfulness at work and to what extent their leaders create an environment of meaningfulness. Millennials at a small business were interviewed to …

Active Games: An Examination Of User Engagement To Define Design Recommendations, Pamela N. Martinez

Theses and Dissertations

Active gaming is a form of video gaming that requires full body motion or varying degrees of physical activity to play a game. While active gaming has gained momentum, there is a lack of studies that provide insight on how they should be designed, specifically components of active games make them engaging. This study identifies, analyzes and categorizes specific design mechanics and features used in active games. It answers the question: Which, if any, game mechanics and features can a panel of experts in academia, health and the game industry agree on as valuable and impactful to the construction of …

Intergenerational Ontology & Leadership: Uniting The Multigenerational Workforce, Gabrielle Ellerbrock

Theses and Dissertations

The multigenerational workforce offers a wide landscape of knowledge and successful practices that can propel organizational success. Currently, however, only 20% of organizations have a formal, strategic program in place for fostering intergenerational interaction. By overlooking intergenerational strategies, organizations are not experiencing the tangible results derived from harnessing the strengths offered by each generation and across the generational spectrum. This dissertation focuses on building what can be termed the interactional bandwidth of cross-generational relationships through the use of ontological principles and leadership development resources: the Gallup organization’s Clifton StrengthsFinder and the Myers & Briggs Foundation’s Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Through addressing …

A Comparative Study Of Women And Workplace Flexibility, Christal L. Morris

Theses and Dissertations

This study explores flexible workplace practices across several companies to examine the experiences of working women located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Three primary research questions guided this study: 1. What experiences (relationships, professional, and personal) as well as motivational factors shape the life course of women in corporate settings who pursue or choose not to pursue a flexible schedule, and how have the experiences impacted work-life integration decisions? 2. What similarities and differences exist, if any, between women who opted for a flexible schedule and those who chose not to pursue flexible options? 3. What are …