The Erosion of Civic Virtue: How Recruiting Technology Changed the All-Volunteer Force

Persistent recruiting problems and other criticisms that emerged from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have led to calls for a systemic review of the U.S. military’s 50-year-old All-Volunteer Force design. Critics reference these problems as another indicator of a growing civil-military divide. This dissertation argues that the U.S. military’s use of recruiting technology narrows the accession pool as a matter of near-term efficiency, but, over the long term, it reduces the social and geographic diversity of the military and veterans. The cumulative result is a civil-military divide made worse by a veteran population that is increasingly smaller, less representative, more geographically concentrated, and thus less broadly connected to society. The research is framed by the philosophies of technology and Clausewitz to compare the Army’s accession data from 1990 to 2022. The analysis identifies that recruiting technology has resulted in accessions that are not geographically representative of the U.S.; increasingly, the Southeast is overrepresented among recruits. The pattern is similar for Blacks and women, but not so for the education level. A qualitative analysis of the military profession indicates that purposeful civilian oversight will likely be required to change the application of recruiting technology to achieve a more representative military. These findings have implications for the viability of republicanism as a unifying national virtue, civil-military relations, military accessions and recruiting, and the design of the armed forces

The Incorporation of an Ethics Framework in the Development of Emerging Information Technology Systems

As a corporate technology veteran of twenty-five years, this author considers himself fortunate to have worked with some of the world’s leading companies in the development of their information technology programs. These companies have spanned nearly every industry including banking, retail and healthcare, but all shared the common purpose of leveraging technology for competitive advantage in the accumulation of profit. Throughout the development lifecycle of these programs, the systems design and implementation have required tremendous innovation and novel approaches to problem solving given recent technological revolutions. Although a review of regulatory mandates and relevant laws are part of the planning process, it’s interesting to note that in the development of these technologies, there was no standard methodology to consider the ethical implications of these systems. Why is ethics an afterthought in the design of these technology programs? With the frequent technological breakthroughs occurring across virtually every business segment, the timing is certainly relevant to begin integrating a standard methodology to review the ethical considerations of corporate initiatives into the information technology design process. This dissertation focuses on The Incorporation of an Ethics Framework in the Development of Emerging Information Technology Systems

Horseshoe Crab (Limulus polyphemus)

The horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) is known as a living fossil; one of the four known species in the world it can be found in the oceanic environment of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA

Employment and Industry Implications of the Offshore Wind Projects in Rhode Island

Offshore wind farms will have beneficial long-term effects on Rhode Island\u27s industry and employment. While locals have expressed mixed opinions about the wind farm projects, fishermen have been the most concerned. Many of their fears are not founded in the reality of offshore wind farms. Impacts on the fishing industry could be slightly negative during construction with disruption from the pipeline (Becker 2024). After implementation, they should increase biodiversity with the artificial reef effect (Gill et al. 2020; Perry and Heyman 2020; Van Hoey et al. 2021). In the long-term, the fossil fuel industry has and will be more harmful to the fisheries (IPCC 2022). Despite misinformation from the natural gas industry, workers\u27 skills and methods can be transferred to the wind energy (Almegaard 2023, Hattam et al. 2015). In addition, there will be positive long-term economic impacts as employment opportunities grow. Unfortunately, no evidence suggests that plans for diversifying the domestic workforce promote equitable job creation in the local community. Studies into established wind farm projects are needed to understand how they affect Rhode Island industries and employment. It is critical to reference other successful offshore wind farm projects to replicate methods that benefit all areas of the economy. This research suggests that offshore wind farms will positively affect job creation and fisheries in Rhode Island. Still, attention should be paid to equitable hiring practices during future projects to ensure environmental justice

Departure From Neutrality: Normative Europeanization, Strategic Alignment, and the Path-Dependent Case of Post-Cold War Swedish Integration Into NATO

This dissertation explores the post-Cold War Swedish government’s transition from a long-held policy of neutrality, towards its formal declaration to seek military alignment through NATO accession in 2022. This will be explained by analyzing the evolution of its foreign and defense policies by synthesizing the following interrelated concepts: path dependence, Sweden’s normative Europeanization, strategic alignment, and as a bridging function, the gradual reassertion of NATO’s role as post-Cold War Europe’s primary vehicle for collective defense. Previous analysis on the normative Europeanization of Swedish policies is limited to the 1990s and lacks a deep focus on Sweden’s defense policy. Thus, despite serving as a potential explanatory framework for the evolution of Swedish government attitudes towards military alignment, the concept remains underutilized. At the same time, a structured analysis of Swedish cooperation with NATO through measurable framework of ordinal strategic alignment, and the theoretical concept of path dependence as captured by increasing returns, provides the ability to analyze the cause and effect of qualitative and quantitative increases in Swedish-NATO integration. Swedish membership in the European Union is also analyzed, particularly as the EU’s security policies broke down ideational barriers that paved the way for a growing acceptance of alignment. Thus, this dissertation provides a structured analysis of Sweden’s overall, evolving foreign policy views away from neutrality as a consequence of normative Europeanization, and Sweden’s increasing acceptance of the centrality of NATO to European defense through path dependent-focused analysis of its changing involvement within NATO structures

Atlantic Rock Crab, Cancer irroratus

Widespread along the east coast, and lining the ocean floor anywhere from rocks to sandy bottom, one can find Atlantic Rock Crabs

Atlantic Razor Clam (Ensis Leei)

Life history characteristics of Atlantic Razor Clam (Ensis Leei) in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA

The Reading Wars: Ideological and Pedagogical Conflicts Ignited by the Writings of Rudolf Flesch

This dissertation seeks to answer the question: what were the social and cultural effects of Rudolf Flesch’s thoughts and writings on late 20th-century American literacy education? The purpose is to provide an understanding and articulation of the cultural and educational ramifications of Rudolph Flesch’s books Why Johnny Can’t Read and What You Can Do About It (1955) and Why Johnny Still Can’t Read: A New Look at the Scandal of Our Schools (1981). To achieve this goal an understanding and articulation of the cultural and educational ramifications of Rudolf Flesch’s books will be offered. This qualitative study will look at the history, arguments, and productive consequences of this ideological and pedagogical debate. An examination of the current state of reading education and recommendations for further study will also be discussed. This dissertation is limited to reading instruction in the United States. And while a history of reading instruction will be offered, it is limited to mostly northern states. Many factors influence who receives reading instruction and the type of reading instruction they receive, including race, gender, and socio-economic background. This dissertation is not an attempt to answer those complex questions. Rather, its goal is to examine the effect of two of the most influential books on reading instruction in the United States from the mid-twentieth century until present: Rudolf Flesch’s Why Johnny Can’t Read and What You Can Do About It (1955) and Why Johnny Still Can’t Read: A New Look at the Scandal of Our Schools (1981) and how Flesch’s writings outlined the history and flaws of a specific method of reading instruction and proposed a solution to the current literacy crisis. An overview of the history of literacy instruction and the methods used from the 1600s to the publication of Flesch’s first book in 1955 will lay the foundation for the study. An understanding of the early life and writings of Rudolf Flesch will provide insight into who he was and what made him an expert in literacy. Doing so will provide the basis for an in-depth analysis of his best-selling books, which will lead to an examination of the ramifications and consequences of his writings on American literacy education. A review of the current state of literacy instruction and recommendations for further study will be offered in the conclusion

Eco-Illusions: Unveiling Greenwashing Techniques on Corporate Social Media

As the climate crisis continues, businesses are becoming savvier with how they communicate their environmental impact to their audiences. Greenwashing, the act of making unsubstantiated claims about the environmental friendliness of products, is becoming more popular amongst unsustainable corporations. Past research shows that companies are using specific techniques to deceive consumers. By conducting a content analysis of five corporate Instagram accounts from companies with past greenwashing allegations, this research used four main criteria to categorize greenwashed posts: color palette recurrent language, pleasant nature imagery, and vague appeals. Vague appeals were most commonly used online. Understanding how companies are perpetuating greenwashing through their media will lead to eliminating the deception of consumers