Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Humanitarian Intervention: Great Expectations And Shattered Hopes, Charles W. Peraino

Master's Theses

America faces the moral dilemma of whether to intervene militarily, at great risk, in states which commit massive human rights violations against their own citizens. A systematic look at the intellectual ideas guiding international relations reveals such atrocities to be an established part of international behavior. Ending this structural violence is difficult because of the epistemological and ethical limits of social science, the rule of law, political theory, and moral philosophy. The resulting, insolvable problems of international politics--such as the preference for international order over individual justice, the unlimited aspirations of nationalism and self-determination, the conflicts of cultural relativism, and …

The Racial Gap In Public Opinion Concerning The Persian Gulf War: A Study Of Opinion Leaders In Richmond, Virginia, Ryan Turner Riggs

Master's Theses

The proportion of black Americans serving in the United States military is much larger than their proportion among the general population. This issue came to the forefront· during the Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991. While proud that many blacks were serving in uniform, and that the leader of the entire military, General Colin L. Powell, was black, many black Americans expressed dismay at the potential for high black casualty rates and questioned why the high numbers of blacks in the military even existed. In addition, public opinion polls showed that blacks were less supportive of the war than whites. This …

The "Unstinted Effort" Of Social Comparison : Biases In The Retrieval Of Behavior Among Depressives And Nondepressives, Michele Christine Fejfar

Master's Theses

The egocentric bias, peoples' tendency to view themselves as better than others, has been found to exist in many different domains (Messick, Bloom, Boldizar, & Samuelson, 1985). Fejfar, Proudfoot, Allison, and Beggan (1994) uncovered evidence supporting two components to the bias: the motivation to be egocentric and the construction of strategies to fulfill this motivation. In the present research, this model was used to determine the biases inherent in depressive (as opposed to nondepressive) cognitions by having subjects list good and bad behaviors performed by themselves and others. Subjects directly or indirectly compared themselves to others (to test the motivation …

Iran And Turkmenistan : Significant Bilateral Construction And Cooperation In Central Asia?, Craig William Hershberg

Master's Theses

The primary purpose of this thesis is to offer a policy analysis of bilateral agreements, between Iran and Turkmenistan from late 1991 to the summer of 1994, the main focus of which is to identify possible gaps between theory and practice or policy making and policy implemelltation. My hope is to add to our knowledge of the little understood, but nonetheless significant, Central Asian countries and their emerging relationships with neighboring countries. The approach of this paper is based on an extensive chronology, consisting of numerous, detailed examples of cooperation, agreements, contracts, proposals, construction, and other aspects of infrastructure between …

Alienation And Altruism Among Street Level Bureaucrats: A Study Of The Virginia Victim/Witness And Crime Assistance Program, Susan Margaret O'Donnell

Master's Theses

Author Michael Lipsky argues that street-level bureaucrats are unresponsive to clients' needs because of five conditions that characterize the bureaucratic setting. These conditions include a chronic lack of resources, an ever-increasing client load, ambiguous or conflicting agency goal expectations, goal measures that encourage impersonal service, and the lack of a client reference group for workers. One purpose of this paper is to determine if the five conditions of work that frame Lipsky's argument in a street-level bureaucracy exist for the Virginia Victim/Witness and Crime Victim Assistance (V /W-CVA) program. Another objective is to evaluate the implications of these conditions for …

The Hormones Of Pregnancy Alter Somal Size In The Medial Preoptic Area Of The Rat Brain, Lori A. Keyser

Master's Theses

Formerly non-responsive females will display maternal behavior (MB) following pregnancy and parturition. The behavioral alterations are believed to occur in response to hormonal changes that accompany pregnancy. The medical pre optic area (MPOA) regulates hormone-induced MB. The current study examined neuronal changes which might account for the modified behavior. Twenty adult female Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned a hormone condition: ovariectomized (OVX), ovariectomized/hormone-treated (P+E₂), intact diestrus (DI), or pregnant (PREG). Animals were killed, and their brains fixed in Golgi-Cox solution. Somata of the MPOA and related cortex were measured in each group using a Bioquant imaging system. Pregnant females …

Women Leaders : Balancing Professional And Personal Lives, Meredith L. Schalick

Honors Theses

The concept for my Senior Project originated from concerns and questions about my future and observations I have made about women leaders. This project was designed for four purposes: (1) to meet a need for University of Richmond students, (2) examine a subject in which I have vested interest because of my career goals, (3) improve my research skills, and (4) address an issue dealing with women and leadership. The project attempts to illustrate that women, as a result of their role assignment by society to be the primary care-provider for children, face certain challenges when they seek to find …

The Influence Of Emotion On Temporal Perspectives, Skye Mims Ochsner

Master's Theses

Recent research suggests that our understanding of the abstract domain of time is dependent on the more concrete domain of space. At once time is measurable and abstract, thus we often think of it both temporally as well as spatially. Boroditsky and Ramscar (2002) find that the spatial domain influences whether people see themselves as moving through time (ego-moving perspective) or as time moving towards them (timemoving perspective). Might there be other factors at work influencing these perspectives other than just representations of spatial experience? The current studies investigate the role that emotion plays in construal of time. Specifically, do …

A Look At Black Youth Unemployment (Sixteen To Nineteen Years Of Age) Focusing On Black Youth In Virginia, Mary Martin Tucker

Master's Theses

This thesis will identify patterns of black youth unemployment in the nation and in Virginia and analyze the problem in Virginia. The analysis involves identifying discrepancies in unemployment rates across counties and cities in Virginia, selecting cases in which black youth unemployment is relatively low, and exploring reasons for lower rates. The ultimate aim is to determine why some areas have lower black youth unemployment than others, and to use that information to suggest courses of action for treating the problem. The case studies of Virginia counties and cities reveal that under certain local environmental conditions, such as strong economies, …

Greater Richmond Community Corps, Elizabeth Devoss

Honors Theses

The Richmond Community Corps was created by Mayor Leonidas B. Young in September 1994, in response to rising crime and violence in the Richmond community and in direct response to recommendations of the report of the Richmond Regional Crime Commission. Mayor Young, a second term council member, newly elected mayor and pastor in one of Richmond's most crime ridden areas, believes that crime and violence in our neighborhood's can be greatly affected if greater numbers of citizens get involved in making their communities safer places to live. As originally envisioned by Mayor Young, the Richmond Community Corps, would provide citizens …

Political Leadership: A Study In The State Government, Chet Clark

Honors Theses

For this study, a member of the House of Delegates, who has been designated as a leader by his peers, has been selected for analysis. Delegate William Howell agreed to be observed during the legislative session of the House of Delegates. Three specific areas of leadership were observed during this time period. The decision making process, leader-constituent interaction, and the influence of values on leadership have been chosen as the three key areas of political leadership study.

Virginia Commonwealth University's Plan For A Diverse Community, Matthew T. Corkern

Honors Theses

Having always been intrigued by academic administration, it is only appropriate that I chose to study leadership perspectives within this traditional, yet ever changing context. Desiring the challenge of intellectual development as well as an opportunity to bring an effective change, I researched and assembled a pilot project. With use of this procedure, the Office of Academic Planning at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), may now analyze the implementation of various directions and components of their Strategic Plan over the next months for the September 1995 deadline.

The Grotian Quest Revisited, Jeffrey Waggett

Honors Theses

In 1625, more than twenty years prior to the ending of the Thirty Years War with the Treaty of Westphalia, Hugo Grotius wrote De Jure Belli-ac Pacis, outlining his solutions for a troubled world. While the details and particularities of his ideas may not be compatible with today's unsettled and transitory world, what he strove and quested for is as applicable today as it was at the beginning of the modem state system. At the time of Grotius, feudalism was being replaced by statist concerns, centering around territory and a dual centralization of domestic authority and military power. The transitory …

Personal Leadership : A Course Proposal For The Jepson School Curriculum, Carrie S. Smith

Honors Theses

One growth area within the field of leadership studies is the concept of personal leadership. Personal leadership encourages identifying and living by one's own core values. It incorporates defining and adhering to a personal mission statement and vision. Teaching personal leadership means identifying specific practices, exercises, disciplines and habits that aid the individual in learning to lead a principle-centered life. Since the material is translatable into all realms of a leaders life, teaching personal leadership methods to Jepson students will aid them in gaining a better understanding of themselves and will prove to be a practical preparatory course for leadership …

The Entrepreneurial Leadership Puzzle : The Pieces You Need To Start A Business, Charles S. Ribaudo

Honors Theses

While having effective followers is critical, the leadership attributes of the entrepreneur is just as important. Gardner and several other leadership scholars have done significant research on the attributes of leaders. The entrepreneur is just one of many leaders that possess the necessary leadership attributes for success. Starting a company requires such a tremendous time commitment that the leaders within it must be able to handle the stress and ambiguity that goes along with it. This takes leadership to handle this ambiguity of whether they wilt meet the next paycheck. Employees, investors and customers will be looking to them to …

Art And Leadership, Bridgett Miller

Honors Theses

Art and leadership. Are there any connections? There has been very little research done on the relationship between art and leadership. However, it is about time that we become reflective practitioners and examine the context of art as a manifestation of leadership. Art and leadership are similar and primarily united along the lines of their ability to transcend time and use of the right brain hemisphere.

It should now seem quite apparent how the arts and leadership are connected. Both are multi-faceted fields which lack universal definitions. They pose similar questions to the scholars and practitioners within their respective disciplines. …

Does Gender Influence Leadership?, Stacy L. Jones

Honors Theses

The question of gender's influence on leadership styles is an important topic in the modern organizational world. The face of the organization is changing, with new demands being made of management. Organizations no longer depend on rigid hierarchies to achieve their goals, but rather these organizations seek innovation and communication. To achieve these new objectives, organizations are searching for leadership from their executives, managers, and employees.

It is of primary importance to determine whether men and women demonstrate the same leadership behaviors or demonstrate significantly different styles of leadership. This knowledge may substantially aid an organization in utilizing the most …

A Cross Cultural Analysis Of Leadership : Operation Smile Philippines Medical Mission 1995, Elizabethharris F. Harris

Honors Theses

One can not examine leadership in isolate from the context in which it is occurring. National and international factors, as well as culture, are key in understanding leadership. Factors such as a history of political oppression impact how Americans are perceived, and considerations such as religious factors impact the workings of the team. An awareness of these factors is imperative to team leadership, as mistakes or insensitivity can be detrimental to team effectiveness and relations.

It seems that at this stage of the leadership evolution, there is really no international model which effectively accounts for the leadership within a cross-cultural …

Leading Change In The Healthcare Industry : Sentara Health Systems, Norfolk, Virginia, Heather S. Heitz

Honors Theses

After going through the steps of implementing a change in Sentara Health Systems, I learned that using my visionary and participatory leadership skills contributed to my success in leading a change in the organization. First, I used my visionary leadership skills to encourage each individual to envision processes, to support each other, and to use resources which would motivate the group to do something that they wanted to do. Also, I used a participatory leadership to ensure that the subordinates were involved in the group's goals throughout the change process. By empowering people to have responsibility when changes are made …

Women's Leadership In The Sports Field, Tara L. Messmore

Honors Theses

According to the interviews with successful women in nationally and internationally renowned companies/organizations in the sports world, there were ten concepts discussed most frequently in reference to how women succeed in this particular male-dominated field. Six of these ten concepts correlated to hindrances that impede women from breaking the glass ceiling in other nontraditional careers, while the remaining four concepts were unique to the sports field. In fact, a study conducted in The New Leaders and supported by a combination of other studies commisssioned by the Executive Leadership Council on driving and restraining forces for black senior executives (Baskerville and …

The Multiple Sclerosis Society : One Thing People With Ms Can Count On, Chris O'Neil

Honors Theses

In my study of the Central Virginia Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, I have chosen not to focus on the departure of the Executive Director, Jacqui Kozsuch, who is leaving for personal reasons. I have instead focused on the issues that are going to be relevant and important for the growth of the chapter in the future, such as the board involvement, fund.raising strategies and meeting the needs of the clients.

Based on my research and observation, I think that the chapter has made a turn for the better and has the groundwork laid for future success. All …

Leading The Unpopular Cause : Legal Advocacy For Abused Women, Katarine L. Donahue

Honors Theses

I decided to compile research on legal advocacy, specifically representing abused women, and to create a training manual for court advocates. This guide will become a part of the task force's goal to serve the battered women within the community. I have analyzed the purpose and need for legal advocates, including a literature review and my own leadership reflections.

Making Richmond Greater : A Study Of The Greater Richmond Community Corps, Elizabeth A. Devoss

Honors Theses

The impetus or need for a study of the evolution of a group like the Greater Richmond Community Corps relates to the need for community leadership throughout the country. Many urban areas are facing the same crisis-like problems as Richmond. As a result, this study could provide them with a model in addressing these problems and an in-depth look at Richmond's response.

Leadership And Corporate Giving, Greg Parisi

Honors Theses

Students at the University of Richmond and many other independent colleges and universities in Virginia are the primary beneficiaries of a remarkable labor of which they are, in most cases, completely unaware. The Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges, put quite simply, raises funds from Virginia corporations to be distributed to its fifteen member institutions.

In turn, the needs of the VFIC have created an opportunity for inquiry into corporate giving from the perspective of the individual corporate executive. This paper details both my efforts to fulfill the needs of the VFIC and to gain insight into the leadership issues surrounding …

A Study Of Leadership Through The Field Of Events Planning, Meredith Bishop

Honors Theses

During the past fouryearsit seems as if I have always been in charge of something, and looking back that "thing" has always been an event. Whether it was Freshman Tree Planting Ceremony, Junior Ring Dance, or Sorority Rush the events have been a culmination of my creativity, organization, and leadership abilities. It is not everyone who wantsto,orwould be able to plan an event for a client (or even their friends) and be proud of the end results. It is stressful,time consuming, and done for other people. It is a test of leadership in a traditional way through personal and interpersonal …

Teaching Leadership Through Mentoring, Kimberly Y. Fisher

Honors Theses

In order to teach brothers how to be good mentors and leaders, the Fraternity has begun to offer a one-day retreat called a Regional mentor Development Program (RMDP), attendance to which is an expectation of the Epsilon/Brother Mentor Challenge. All members of the Fraternity are encouraged to attend these workshops regardless of the Challenge they are presently completing. As of January 1995, when I temporarily joined the organization, only one RMDP had been facilitated. It was held October 29, 1994 in the midwest region and serves as a guide on which the next RMDPs will be based. The program involved …