Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Essays On International Risk-Return Trade-Off Relations, Liang Meng

Finance Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation consists of two essays on the international risk-return trade-off relations. The first essay is titled “The Role of the US Market on International Risk-Return Trade-Off Relations” and the second essay is titled “The Role of Investor Sentiment on International Risk-Return Trade-Off Relations”.

In our first essay, we study the intertemporal risk-return trade-off relations based on returns from 18 international markets. Our main contribution is that we find the US market plays an important role affecting the international risk-return trade-off. We present striking new empirical evidence that the inclusion of US market variables significantly changes the estimated risk-return trade-off …

Examining The Factors Related To Bisexual Individuals' Preference For Future Parenting Partner, Laurin Beth Roberts

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Although a notable amount of research has examined sexual minority parents and their families over the last decade, very little literature has focused on bisexual parents. Most of the research emphasis has been placed on parenting by lesbian women and gay men, with parenting by bisexual individuals often being subsumed by these categories. There is currently a lack of understanding of what factors contribute to bisexual individuals’ preference for gender of their future parenting partner. Because of this, the current study examined the factors related to parenting partner preferences of bisexual students. Forty-seven bisexual individuals completed a series of questionnaires …

Wildlife Crime And Other Challenges To Resource System Resilience, Patricia Anne Raxter

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Although wildlife crime has exploded in Africa over the past decade —“commercial poaching” now kills an estimated eight percent of the continent’s elephant population each year—some governments have proven more successful than others at protecting wildlife and preserving habitats. To explain this variation, this study examines how the policies of three states (Kenya, Tanzania, and Botswana) have enhanced or undermined the resilience of the continent’s elephant ecosystem. Using the social-ecological system framework, the study illustrates how each state’s changing practices have either exacerbated the stresses wrought by wildlife crime or successfully protected local populations from poaching. The study finds that …

'Home Was Congo': Refugees And Durable Displacement In The Borderlands Of 1,000 Hills, Erika Frydenlund

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

As forced migrants linger at the borders of the world’s conflicts, refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo in Rwanda remain in camps where they have waited for ‘durable solutions’ to their geographic and political existence for nearly two decades. Protracted displacement such as this results from processes at the local, state, regional, and international levels, with consequences reverberating each of these levels, including insecurity, expenditure of already limited resources, and strained interstate political relationships. As refugees’ stays extend to increasingly long periods of time, situations once assumed to be temporary take on a semblance of permanence. Forced displacement increasingly …

Perceptions Of Social Control In Disadvantaged Neighborhoods And Adolescent Drug And Alcohol Use: Are They Related?, Kanita Shiquia Sumner

Sociology & Criminal Justice Theses & Dissertations

Using data collected from the Evaluation of the Children at Risk Program (CAR) in Austin, Texas, Bridgeport, Tennessee, Savannah, Georgia, and Seattle, Washington (Harrell et al 1999), this study focused on problem behaviors in disadvantaged neighborhoods , specifically, drug and alcohol use, among at-risk youth. The purpose of this study was to determine if parochial and public levels of social controls in disadvantaged neighborhoods decrease the likelihood of adolescents using drug and alcohol. It was found that the parochial level of social control in disadvantaged neighborhoods was highly correlated with adolescent's alcohol and drug use; however, the public level was …

Perceptions Of Impediments To The Advancement Of Women Leaders In Community Colleges, Teresa Alley Yearout

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

As community college presidents, chief operating officers (CEOs), and other senior level administrators plan to retire, the critical demand for qualified leaders brings greater focus on previous trends and current statistics in community colleges leadership. These findings provide evidence of the continuing underrepresentation of women in senior level leadership positions. Further investigation examines women leaders’ perceptions of the barriers or impediments to their advancement into these leadership positions. The purpose of the current study was to examine the perceptions of impediments of women community college leaders in a variety of institutional settings (rural, suburban, urban).

The literature provided an inventory …

Support For Gestalt Versus Business-As-Usual Theories Of Insight Depends On Operational Definition Of Insight, Kimberly D. Lee

Psychology Theses & Dissertations

Some theories propose that insight involves automatic processes that are responsible for restructuring. Other theories postulate that the mechanisms surrounding restructuring are controlled and effortful. The current study tested these theories by comparing different methodology and operational definitions that have been used in previous research to investigate the nature of “Aha!” experiences and impasse in insightful problem solving. One hundred two undergraduate psychology students from Old Dominion University completed working memory tasks, six classic insight problems, and gave initial problem representation ratings for the insight problems before solution attempt. Using a think-aloud protocol, we assessed the occurrence of impasse during …

Finding Religion: An Analysis Of Theology Libguides, Gerrit Van Dyk

Faculty Publications

This paper will compare various LibGuides in theology from thirty-seven different institutions. These institutions include universities granting undergraduate and graduate degrees in religion or theology as well as seminaries for professional clergy. Data on LibGuides content, such as books, ebooks, journals, databases, librarian contact information, and others, will be compared and analyzed. Resources especially tailored to religious and theological studies will also be highlighted.

Back Matter

The Foundation Review

No abstract provided.

The Boston Foundation’S Collaborate Boston Prize, Jennifer Aronson

The Foundation Review

This article describes how the Boston Foundation is leveraging Collaborate Boston, a competition launched in 2013, as a tool to support interorganizational and cross-sector collaboration in greater Boston to catalyze, surface, and implement ideas that have the potential to strengthen communities facing complex challenges.

After a discussion of Collaborate Boston’s theory of change and the prize design and process, the article shares early results from the inaugural 2013 competition, the foundation’s reflections, and subsequent iterations for 2014 and beyond.

The article concludes with an examination of the ways a prize can be a powerful tool for social change, and outlines …

Studying Human Relatedness Through A Shared Gaming Experience, Christina Frederick, Rachel Cunningham, Leo Alex, Christopher Via

Publications

The importance of relatedness in collocated multiplayer video games should not be underestimated. Interpersonal relationships which develop from social interactions that occur during gameplay contribute to player motivation and meaningful and memorable experiences for the players. In this study we examined how interpersonal touch within a gameplay experience impacted player motivation and inter-player impressions. Dyads played one of two iPad-based games in three different conditions, one of which required physical contact between the players. Results indicated those in the touch-based conditions scored higher on several measures of intrinsic motivation and impressions of their teammate.

Americans’ Perspectives On E-Cigarettes, R. J. Blendon, J. M. Benson, Caitlin L. Mcmurtry, J. M. Sayde

Brown School Faculty Publications

A new poll of adults in the United States by Stat and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health shows a majority of Americans believe electronic cigarettes, also called e-cigarettes, are harmful to the health of those who use them and an overwhelming majority favors basic regulations like warning labels and a minimum purchasing age.

Sdrc Talking Points, Connie Jan Maraan

SDRC Publications

SDRC is launching the first issue of Talking Points, a magazine type of paper, where SDRC researchers can share findings in a less technical manner. The articles in this issue aptly capture this year's anniversary theme, “Observing Another Year: Steps Toward Easing the Margins”, and the Center's revised vision, “To be a leading social development research center in Southeast Asia for the attainment of humane, inclusive, just, and sustainable communities through the production of transformative knowledge and social policy advocacy.”

Censorship & Banned Books Display, Maggie Mason Smith

Presentations

Located on the display shelving on the 4th floor of Cooper Library and covered in caution tape, this year’s Banned Book display has a slight twist - not only does it feature banned books, but it also includes items centered on censorship.

2015 Road Scholars Display, Maggie Mason Smith

Presentations

In 2013, the College of Art, Architecture, and Humanities hosted the first annual Road Scholars lecture series.

The Road Scholars series brings professors from the Tiger’s ACC football rivals to Clemson to present their current research, which is followed by a response from a Clemson humanities faculty member. This year, lectures will be held October 2nd, October 9th, October 16th, November 6th, and November 20th.

A display of works written by professors participating in the lecture series as well as other works on topics the series will explore is currently located on the west side of the 4th floor of …

Find Your Park Metadata, Rachel Wittmann, Christopher Vinson, Joshua Morgan

Presentations

The Open Parks Network (OPN) project digitized over 330k items from U.S. national and state parks. While the mass digitization effort was a logistically challenging operation, ensuring metadata for this material added another layer of complexity this offsite-managed project. In the best case scenario, the parks provided existing descriptive metadata, but this still lacked preferred elements. In many cases, digitized material had never been cataloged by the park.

To orchestrate adequate descriptive metadata, OPN employed tactics to catalog this large-scale project. This session encourages an exchange of experiences and ideas from others when faced with similar situations.

Von Fischen Im Wasser Und Andere Mediationserzählungen [Of Fish In Water And Other Mediation Stories] (In German), Nadja Alexander

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This essay offers an international and cross-cultural perspective on mediation. It builds on the contributions to this journal issue and extends the conversation to include (1) the role of culture in mediations models and (2) the taboo topic of directive, evaluative approaches. After reviewing various taxonomies of mediation models, the author’s mediation meta model is used as a framework to analyze diverse approaches of mediation including those presented in this issue. Historical-cultural perspectives provide further layers of depth and nuance that thicken the already complex storylines of the human mediation narrative. If mediation is to succeed in attaining truly global …

Using The New Kindergarten Readiness Assessment: What Do Teachers And Principals Think?, Rachel E. Schachter, Tara M. Strang, Shayne B. Piasta

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

This white paper presents the results of a survey completed by teachers and principals in central Ohio concerning their perceptions of Ohio’s new Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) during its inaugural implementation year. All kindergarten teachers and principals in Franklin County public elementary schools were invited to complete the survey; 150 responded. Although teachers and principals generally reported using assessments, including the previous state-mandated KRA-L screening tool, to guide their instructional decisions, the majority of participants did not perceive that the KRA, in particular, was useful for guiding instruction. Moreover, teachers reported that administering the KRA took away valuable time needed …

Financialization And Outsourcing In A Different Guise: The Ethical Chaos Of Workforce Localization In The United Arab Emirates, Valerie Priscilla Goby

All Works

© 2014, The Author(s). This paper addresses the tension between the government policy to increase the number of citizens working in the private sector in the United Arab Emirates and the organizational preference for employing expatriate workers. Currently a dominant construal of the limited success of the policy is that the local workforce, traditionally employed largely in government positions, is unwilling to commit to the perceived greater rigor of the private sector. The author reconceptualizes the issue as one deriving from a principle of corporate financialization in which companies claim the right to optimize their labor costs as much as …

Information Needs And Resources Provision For Secondary School Teachers In Imo State, Nigeria: Male Versus Female Teachers, G C. Umunnakwe Ph.D, Jacintha U. Eze (Ph.D)

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Considering the role of teachers in actualizing the dream of basic education for all, the need for them to be well informed in the profession, and the fact that little attention has been given to them in this area, this paper went to investigate the information needs and seeking behaviour of teachers in Imo state, Nigeria. This was done based on the gender of these teachers. The main objective of the study was to find out the various areas these teachers need information, the information sources utilized and the extent to which these needs are satisfied. A total of 860 …

A Neurobiological Pathway That Mediates Stress-Induced Drug Use, Oliver Vranjkovic

Dissertations (1934 -)

Cocaine addiction represents a tremendous health and financial burden on our society and the high rate of relapse to cocaine use in abstinent addicts represents a major barrier to effective therapy. Thus, understanding the factors that contribute to relapse and the underlying neurobiological processes is important for guiding the development of treatment for addiction. Stressful life events often trigger drug use in recovering addicts. The contribution of stress to drug use is problematic due to the unpredictable and often uncontrollable nature of stress. A growing literature indicates that norepinephrine and corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in the brain play key roles …

The Effect Of International Adoption As An Orphan Care Method In Uganda, Amy N. Bergey

Selected Honors Theses

International adoption has been gaining popularity since the end of the twentieth century (Selman, 2002). Throughout this increase in international adoptions, the focus has drifted away from its original goal of providing homes that are in the best interest of the children (Graff, 2008). It has become more common for international adoption agencies to conduct international adoptions as a profitable business strategy, as international adoptive parents pay an average of $40,000 for a child (MGLSD, 2012; Graff, 2008). While this is not always the case, corruption is prevalent in the system and can endanger children to trafficking and illegal adoptions …

Self-Compassion As A Predictor Of Loneliness: The Relationship Between Self-Evaluation Processes And Perceptions Of Social Connection, Taylor A. Lyon

Selected Honors Theses

Loneliness is a common and painful experience related to a multitude of negative health outcomes. The current study examined the relationship between measures of self-compassion and measures of loneliness in order to explore whether a self-compassionate mindset might alleviate feelings of social isolation. Because prior research has indicated a relationship between self-evaluation processes and perceptions of social connectedness, the study was conducted with the hypothesis that there would be a negative correlation between self-compassion and loneliness constructs. The sample consisted of 198 undergraduate students between the ages of 18 and 25 at a small Christian university in the Southeast U. …

Free Trade Then And Now, Or Still Manchester United, Maimon Schwarzschild

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Trading Costs On The Stock Exchange Of Thailand, Nattawut Jenwittayaroje, Charlie Charoenwong, David K. Ding, Yung Chiang Yang

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

This study examines the components of trading costs incurred in trading large and liquid stocks listed on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. We find that aggressive orders pay an immediacy price measured by price impact, whereas executed passive orders gain the immediacy price. We also find a sizable opportunity cost from the unexecuted portion of a limit order that more than offsets the benefit obtained from the partial fulfillment of the order. The total trading cost, which includes price impact and opportunity cost, is positively related to order size and stock price volatility, but negatively associated with firm size, stock …

Bias-Correction For Weibull Common Shape Estimation, Yan Shen, Zhenlin Yang

Research Collection School Of Economics

A general method for correcting the bias of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the common shape parameter of Weibull populations, allowing a general right censorship, is proposed in this paper. Extensive simulation results show that the new method is very effective in correcting the bias of the MLE, regardless of censoring mechanism, sample size, censoring proportion and number of populations involved. The method can be extended to more complicated Weibull models.

Investing In Community Change: An Evaluation Of A Decade Of Data-Driven Grantmaking, Lois Greco, Maggie Grieve, Ira Goldstein

The Foundation Review

The Wells Fargo Regional Foundation has a well-established continuum of grantmaking and technical-assistance programs designed to improve the quality of life for children and families living in low-income communities in eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey. The foundation’s decade long focus on neighborhood revitalization has helped to shape a resident-driven, collaborative, long-term, and data-informed approach designed to make neighborhoods more attractive for large-scale investment.

In 2014, the foundation engaged The Reinvestment Fund and Success Measures at NeighborWorks America to jointly evaluate the impact of its grantmaking and related programs from 2003 to 2013, to determine if practices in its approach …

Monetizing Housing For Retirement In Singapore, Sock Yong Phang

Research Collection School Of Economics

In 2015, the value of housing assets owned by households in Singapore at the aggregate level was 55% of their net worth.1 Ninety percent of Singapore households owned their homes, meaning that almost all households had wealth saved in housing, and households’ housing wealth was 2.1 times that of the country’s gross domestic product. In addition, Singapore is facing an aging population. The resident old age support ratio, defined as the number of persons aged 20–64 per person aged 65 years and over, decreased from 9.0 in 2000 to 5.7 in 2015.2 Against this backdrop of asset-rich and aging households, …

Model Selection In The Presence Of Incidental Parameters, Yeonseok Lee, Peter C. B. Phillips

Research Collection School Of Economics

This paper considers model selection in panels where incidental parameters are present. Primary interest centers on selecting a model that best approximates the underlying structure involving parameters that are common within the panel. It is well known that conventional model selection procedures are often inconsistent in panel models and this can be so even without nuisance parameters. Modifications are then needed to achieve consistency. New model selection information criteria are developed here that use either the Kullback-Leibler information criterion based on the profile likelihood or the Bayes factor based on the integrated likelihood with a bias-reducing prior. These model selection …

Leading Authentically: Overcoming The Mind-Boggling Consequences Of Mindless Leadership, Thomas Menkhoff

Research Collection Lee Kong Chian School Of Business

The extent of fake leadership and management behaviour in business and society is mind-boggling as indicated by the large number of corporate non-compliance cases and trust violations. Examples include the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the damaged reputation of UK-based pharmaceuticals giant GlaxoSmithKline as a consequence of a bribery case in China or the recent class action lawsuit related to price-fixing of tickets for trans-Pacific flights.