Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Democratic Peace Theory As Applied To Europe And The Middle East, Patrick G. Rear

Global Tides

Peace has been the goal of many leaders throughout history, and recent democratic movements in the Middle East have made the first steps toward a democratic peace in the region. This paper compares the European experience of Germany and France in the transition to democracy with the recent developments in the Middle East through November 2012. The impact of democratic revolution in Egypt is compared with the government established in Iraq following the U.S. invasion. Already, notable changes can be seen in the bilateral relations between Egypt and Israel, and between Iraq and Iran, which this paper attempts to evaluate …

Partner Preferences And Selection At Pepperdine University, Katie Pietraszak, Max Mowrer

Global Tides

This study investigates undergraduate students’ partner preferences and selection at Pepperdine University by examining the traits desired of those seeking a potential partner and the expectations one has for them. Results from the survey responses support previous research in this area and indicate males’ preference for dominant feminine traits, including physical attractiveness, and females’ preference for dominant masculine traits, such as high earning potential. While the majority of males and females desired a more egalitarian relationship, males were more likely to want their partners to be a follower and females were more likely to desire their partners to assume the …

Reconciling American Marijuana Policy In A Federal System, Catherine Morton

Global Tides

The recent successful ballot initiatives in Colorado and Washington to legalize recreational marijuana despite restrictive federal law continue to demonstrate the disconnect between national and state marijuana policy. In order to understand how many of these national policies were enacted, an investigation will be presented of the discriminatory history of marijuana legislation, indicating the inconsistent nature of past regulation. Thus following will be an examination of relevant Supreme Court cases depicting the Supreme Court’s ultimate hesitation to prevent the states from circumventing federal marijuana law. Finally, a discussion will be held on the ramifications of inconsistent state and national policies, …

The Effect Of Music Preference On Complex Task Performance, Jordan Mcdonald

Global Tides

This study examined the relationship between music preference and extraversion on complex task performance in a sample of 34 college students from a small, Christian, liberal arts university. Separated into two groups of high and low extraversion, these 34 participants were invited to participate in the experimental phase of the study. For the experimental phase, each participant experienced three different music conditions (Preferred, Preset, and Silence) while performing a complex reading comprehension task. The results revealed a significant interaction effect between level of extraversion and music condition. Individuals with higher levels of extraversion performed marginally significantly better listening to preferred …

Predictors Of Adjustment To September 11th, 2001 And The Anthrax Attacks, Jeffrey Nathanael Swanson

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

While the effects of September 11th, 2001 have been heavily studied, effects of the Anthrax attacks that directly followed has not been a widespread focus of research. This set of events, however, may be more representative of terrorism as it exists across the world, and there is both theoretical and empirical evidence indicating that responses to the Anthrax attacks may be worse than to 9/11. The following secondary data analysis was conducted to identify factors that predict adjustment to the Anthrax attacks among individuals with only vicarious exposure. Based on available empirical and theoretical data, it was hypothesized that individual …

Repeated Decision-Making With High And Low Affect For Monetary And Social Resources, Patrick A. Ramirez

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

This research was a continuation of studies that considered the role of affect for repeated decision-making under two different conditions while maintaining similar magnitudes of gains and losses. For the two situations the resources at risk (life versus money) are deemed to be high or low in affect. These designations are relevant because past findings have shown systematic deviation in choices on single-shot or one time gambles for resources based on levels of affect associated with the potential prize. This research considers possible ceiling effects in self reports about pleasure and displeasure and considers behavior assessments of negative affect as …

Measuring Corporate Social Responsibility Through Organizational Values: A Scale Validation Study, Adria D. Toliver

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

There is increasing interest in corporate social responsibility among researchers and practitioners. The corporate social responsibility construct has been around for several decades, but recent public corporate scandals have brought corporate social responsibility back to the forefront of many discussions. The most prominent conceptualization of corporate social responsibility suggests that an organization has economic, legal, ethical, and philanthropic responsibilities to fulfill (Carroll, 1979). The problem with current models of corporate social responsibility is that they are skewed towards the financial responsibility of an organization. Although this is one important aspect of an organization's responsibilities, it is not the only or …

Increasing The Relevance Of Research To Underserved Communities: Lessons Learned From A Retreat To Engage Community Health Workers With Researchers, Heather Angier, Noelle Wiggins, Jessica Gregg, Rachel Gold, Jennifer E. Devoe

Community Health Faculty Publications and Presentations

This article presents information on a community retreat developed to seek input from community health workers (CHWs) to increase the relevance of our research to underserved communities in Oregon. Retreats facilitating dialogue between researchers and CHWs could yield important insight to enhance the significance of research for communities.

Analyzing The Foodshed: Toward A More Comprehensive Foodshed Analysis, Meara Butler

Geography Masters Research Papers

Foodshed Analysis is a tool used by researchers to measure the feasibility of providing more local food to a community. That there are economic, environmental, and societal benefits provided by eating locally produced food is a central assumption of Foodshed Analysis research. These benefits, however, are not inherent to a localized food system, but instead are goals that local food system participants must work to achieve. Foodshed Analysis may be a helpful tool that can be used to advise food system reform to the benefit of a community’s economy, environment, and society, but, in order for this tool to be …

Fp-13-02 Public Assistance Participation Among U.S. Children In Poverty, 2010, Seth Williams

National Center for Family and Marriage Research Family Profiles

No abstract provided.

Ties That Bind: A Network Perspective On University Spinouts, Patrick Mchugh

2013

Research universities execute technology transfer initiatives to transition university inventions to marketplace innovations. This process requires ties to bridge the gap between two disparate networks: a university's research community and a licensing corporate entity. One type of licensing corporate entity, and the focus of this research, is a newly formed university spinout. Utilizing a network lens, this study focuses on the ties between university inventors and spinout licensees and on the impact of various inter-organizational relationships on a spinout's success. This thesis investigates the following research questions: 1. How, if at all, does variation in the nature of the tie …

Changes In Auditing: A Three Part Investigation, Denise R. Hanes

2013

This dissertation consists of three studies investigating changes in auditing. This abstract summarizes each study, including purpose, methodology, and findings.

The first study synthesizes the extant literature examining geographically distributed work arrangements in other disciplines such as management and social psychology. Focusing on communication and coordination, knowledge sharing, work design, and social identity in geographically distributed teams, I identify opportunities for future research to expand our understanding of how geographically distributing audit work impacts auditors, the audit process, and audit quality.

My second paper explores a key contributor to the success of geographically distributed work highlighted in my literature review: …

Essays On Rethinking African Development: Contextual And Methodological Advances, Olumayokun Soremekun

2013

This research study sets out to provide analytical answers to the questions of African development and inequality. We examine various aspects of development from the issue of inequality among African countries to unravelling the synergies among the MDG goals and finally to investigating the progress if any that African countries have made towards attaining the MDG goals.

This research is broken down into three main studies: measuring inequality of opportunity, examining the synergies between the Millennium development goals at a particular point in time and lastly assessing the progress that has been made towards attaining the MDG goals in Africa. …

User Resistance And Trust In A Clinical Rfid Employee Location Tracking Information System, Wilson Wong

2013

User resistance has been identified as a factor in information systems implementation failures in the health care industry. RFID, radio frequency identification, is being incorporated into new health care information systems in order to effect cost reductions by tracking, identifying and monitoring individuals and medical items. This is the first study to research the relative contributions of vendor trust and IT artifact trust components to user resistance and, as a result, makes a unique contribution to the information systems literature. An understanding of the degree to which technology adoption behavioral beliefs, and particularly system trust, affect user resistance towards information …

Practicing Technology Implementation: The Case Of An Enterprise System, Yukika Awazu

2013

Drawing on four theories of practice – Communities of Practice (CoP), Bourdieu's theory of practice, Pickering's mangle of practice, and Actor Network Theory (ANT), the study provides an in-depth understanding about technology implementation practice. Analysis of an Enterprise System implementation project in a software manufacturing company reveals five stories of practice that relate to the major challenges faced. The story of mentoring related to the challenge of developing skilled analysts, and is examined by focusing on episodes about newly hired staff members. The story reveals the inhibiting impact of past habits and the role of occupational status. The second challenge …

New Road For Training: Committing To The Provision And Sustainability Of Aviation Training Excellence In Africa, Rebecca Lutte

Aviation Institute Faculty Publications

Aviation is growing its footprint in Africa. It's one of the fastest growing aviation markets in the world. Predictions are that the next 10 years may see an annual growth of 7.5 percent. With that growth comes the need for thousands of aviation professionals to be training in line with international standards. But forecasts and research predict a significant shortage of qualified personnel in all aspects of aviation in Africa.

Examining Inclusive Practices In Nicaraguan Schools, Julie Delkamiller, Kristine D. Swain, Elizabeth M. Leader-Janssen, Mitzi J. Ritzman

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine Nicaraguan teachers’ efficacy for inclusive practices and current teaching practices in Nicaraguan schools as the first step in developing a special education training program. Sixty-one teachers in 15 schools completed the Teacher Efficacy of Inclusive Practice (TEIP) survey to determine their confidence in inclusive practices, collaboration and dealing with disruptive behaviors. Classroom observations were also completed to examine the environment, teaching/ learning strategies, student behaviors, learning materials, and time distribution in the classroom. Results from the TEIP indicated Nicaraguan teachers were highly efficacious in inclusive practices. The survey and observation data collected …

Evaluating The Phonology Of Nicaraguan Sign Language: Preprimer And Primer Dolch Words, Julie Delkamiller

Special Education and Communication Disorders Faculty Publications

Over the past 30-years linguists have been witnessing the birth and evolution of a language, Idioma de Señas de Nicaragua (ISN), in Nicaragua, and have initiated and documented the syntax and grammar of this new language. Research is only beginning to emerge on the implications of ISN on the education of deaf/hard of hearing children in Nicaragua. The purpose of this comparative exploratory field study was to evaluate preprimer and primer Dolch sight words and sign language frequency between English, American Sign Language (ASL), Spanish and Idioma de Señas de Nicaragua (ISN). The research focused on word and sign frequencies …

Communo Magazine, 2012-2013, School Of Communication

CommUNO Magazine

CommUNO magazine was produced by MaverickPR and is currently published annually by the UNO School of Communication: 6001 Dodge Street, ASH 140, Omaha, NE 68182: Phone: 402.554.2600. Fax: 402.554.3836. For more information, follow us on Twitter@ CommUNO, join the “UNO School of Communication” page on Facebook or visit communication.unomaha.edu.

Online Copyright Protection And Innovation International Experiences And Implications To China, Dexin Tian, Chin-Chung Chao

Communication Faculty Publications

Purpose – This study aims to explore the policy-making mechanism of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) on innovation and the US practice in identifying policies on online copyright protection and innovation. The research findings provide valuable implications for emerging economies like China.

Design/methodology/approach – For data collection, this study adopted field observation of online interactions. Guided by the democratic paradigm of the civil society, state, and market and the theory of the government’s roles as a broker, advocator, and facilitator, thematic analysis was applied to analyze the 150 purposively selected comments of US internet stakeholders for emerging …

Keep Relationships Positive Or Do Things Right: Bridging Women Leaders’ Conflict Management Strategies In Non-Profit Organizations In Taiwan And The Us, Chin-Chung Chao, Dexin Tian

Communication Faculty Publications

Purpose – The present study aims at contributing to the knowledge of organizational communication and cross-cultural female leadership by examining the conflict management strategies between Taiwanese female presidents and their American counterparts in Rotary Clubs.

Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected through field observations and 25 in-depth interviews with 14 Taiwanese female presidents and 11 American female presidents in Rotary Clubs. Theme analysis of the interpretive method was used in this research.

Findings – This study revealed that the female presidents in both cultures applied obliging and integrating strategies to handle management conflicts. Yet, due to the interference of past presidents, …

Enacting Privacy Rules And Protecting Disclosure Recipients: Parents’ Communication With Children Following The Death Of A Family Member, Paige W. Toller, M. Chad Mcbride

Communication Faculty Publications

Given the probability that the death of a family member will occur before a child has reached adulthood, the purpose of this project was to understand what motivates parents to either talk or not talk about a loved one's death with their children. Using Communication Privacy Management to inductively analyze interviews, we found parents were motivated to talk to their children about death because they wanted their children to be informed. This is reflected in the first primary theme, Recalibrating Family of Origin Privacy Orientation Rules: Motivations for Revealing. Two secondary themes further explained parents' motivations to reveal: death as …

Gender Differences In The Effects Of Exposure To Violence On Adolescent Substance Use, Gillian M. Pichevsky, Emily M. Wright, Abigail A. Fagan

Criminology and Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

To date, research exploring gender differences in the relationship between exposure to community violence and substance use has been limited. This study employs longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) to assess the exposure to violence–substance use relationship and explore whether this relationship varies by gender. We find that the two forms of exposure to violence—direct (primary) and indirect (secondary)—independently increase the frequency of subsequent alcohol use, binge drinking, and marijuana use among males and females. One gender difference emerged, as females who had been directly victimized engaged in more frequent binge drinking than males …

Take Off Your Jewelry: A ‘Simple’ Approach To Libguides Design, Tammi M. Owens, Allison Quam

Criss Library Faculty Proceedings & Presentations

1. Take off your jewelry: A “simple” approach to LibGuides design ! “Ornamentation is like jewelry. ! Put on all of your best, 
 then take most of it off.” ! K.K. Merker, literary publisher ! Tammi Owens, Emerging Services Librarian! Allison Quam, Reference Librarian! Winona State University! Subjects landing page.! Research Hub landing page.! Course guides landing page.! •  Keep it simple: design continuity, oneclick database navigation, single-page layouts, no dropdowns, no search boxes! •  Make it scannable: place important information in upper right corner, pull eye across page with right-side photos! •  Control cognitive overload: use 
 white space, fewer …

Climatequal® And Thinklets: Using Climatequal® With Group Support Systems To Facilitate Discussion And Set Priorities For Organizational Change At Criss Library, Audrey Defrank, Nora Hillyer

Criss Library Faculty Publications

Objective – This article discusses a series of actions taken by the Criss Library at the University of Nebraska at Omaha to implement organizational change, using the ClimateQUAL® survey and facilitated discussions with ThinkTank™ group decision software. The library had experienced significant changes over a five-year period, with a renovation of the facility and three reorganizations resulting in a 50% staff turnover. Recognizing the strain that years of construction and personnel changes had placed on the organization, there was a desire to uncover the mood of the employees and reveal the issues behind low morale, uneasiness, and fear.

Methods – …

Envisioning A Literacy Partnership: The University Of Nebraska At Omaha’S Criss Library And Girls Inc., Joyce Neujahr, Nora Hillyer, Melissa Cast-Brede

Criss Library Faculty Publications

The history of academic library involvement in service learning is varied. This paper provides an overview of service learning and the literature on academic libraries’ participation in service learning activities. A vision of service learning participation is described, as well as the implementation of service learning activities in two library science courses. Strategies for future library contributions to service learning are presented to encourage more widespread involvement across the profession.

Reinventing Citizenship As Public Work, Harry C. Boyte

Civic Engagement

The fate of democracy is inextricably tied to the work of educators, as well as to the meaning of citizenship and the practices of civic education. If we are to create a citizen-centered democracy—with citizens capable of tackling the mounting challenges of our time—we must revisit conventional ideas. We will have to reinvent citizenship as public work, for the sake of ourselves as educators, as well as for our students and for the democracy itself.

Legislature’S Planning Committee 2013 Report, John Harms, Tanya Cook, Greg Adams, John Wightman, Heath Mello, Mike Gloor, Kathy Campbell, Paul Schumacher, Kate Sullivan

Past Publications

The Legislature’s Planning Committee was created in 2009, pursuant to LB 653, introduced by Senator John Harms, of Scottsbluff. The 2012-13 Committee is:

Senator John Harms, Chair
Senator Tanya Cook, Vice-Chair
Senator Greg Adams, Speaker of the Legislature
Senator John Wightman, Chair, Executive Board
Senator Heath Mello, Chair, Appropriations Committee
Senator Mike Gloor
Senator Kathy Campbell
Senator Paul Schumacher
Senator Kate Sullivan

When the Committee was formed in 2009, it was decided that, in order to achieve their goals, they would be assisted by the Legislative Research Office and the College of Public Affairs at the University of Nebraska at …

Nebraska Legislative District Quick Facts, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Past Publications

These Legislative District Quick Facts tables are summary profiles showing frequently requested data items from two Census Bureau programs: the 2000 Census and the 2007-2011 American Community Survey. These items also show how Nebraska’s Legislative Districts have changed since 2000 and demonstrate the wide variety of data available. These same data also are available for all of Nebraska’s counties and communities.

The tables in this report are based on the District Boundaries for the 102nd Legislature and do not reflect the boundary changes following the 2010 Census. The new Legislative District boundaries will be used when the 2008-2012 ACS data …

Needs Assessment For The United Neighborhood Alliances Of Omaha, Center For Public Affairs Research (Cpar)

Past Publications

In February 2013 the Neighborhood Center closed. The Neighborhood Center provided a range of programs and services to neighborhood associations in the Omaha area.The United Neighborhood Alliances of Omaha (UNAO) identified a needs assessment as a necessary next step in planning what will take its place. The needs assessment was envisioned to assist the alliances in moving forward by helping to identify strategies that make the best use of Neighborhood Scan and other existing resources and offer the best response to neighborhood conditions.

The UNAO partnered with the Consortium for Organizational Research and Evaluation (CORE) at the University of Nebraska …