Newspaper coverage of cavalry raiders during the American Civil War

During the American Civil War, military actions took place across a vast distance, from southern Pennsylvania to the future state of New Mexico. While a majority of the war was fought in the Eastern Theater, essentially the region east of the Appalachian Mountains, the Western Theater, roughly stretching from the Appalachians to the Mississippi River, saw plenty of action as well. Unlike the Eastern Theater, which saw large armies of infantry repeatedly clash against each other, the Western Theater was more suited to long range cavalry operations. Between 1863 and 1865, several bodies of Union forces pushed into Alabama, doing their part to hinder the Confederate war effort in that state. At the same time, Confederate cavalry raiders were harassing northern troops in Mississippi and Tennessee, hampering their plans to end the rebellion. Southern cavalry forces even pushed into the North, bringing the war to the American Midwest. This research will not only attempt to tell the stories of the men who led these raids and who are oft overlooked in the war’s historical narrative, but also fairly closely examine how newspapers of the time wrote about their campaigns, including the many different sets of facts received, unconfirmed rumors and discrepancies being widely reported, and the inability, many times, to see these raids in the larger picture of the war. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

(re)presenting ourselves: creating an "oppositional black aesthetic" at a predominantly white institution: a photovoice project

Black female students that attend predominantly white institutions face many challenges both academically and personally. While there is a growing body of literature related to the different factors that impact the success of Black female students at PWIs, there is a need for in-depth qualitative studies that focuses on the daily lived experiences of Black female students. Engaging Black female students in the creation of a critical space or “oppositional Black aesthetic” (bell hooks, 1995) is important for two reasons. First, it places an emphasis on the subjective nature of women’s empowerment through the use of a modified photovoice approach. Photovoice allows participants to use photographs in order to (re)present themselves and their experiences on their own terms. Second, taking photographs and combining them with personal narratives or stories allows offers Black female students at PWIs the opportunity to create counterhegemonic images that promote the new ways of knowing, thinking and being which is instrumental in gaining a better understanding of the lived experiences of Black women that attend PWIs. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Isolation: the optimum environment for creativity? the relationship between the experience of ostracism and creativity

Creativity is a social construct affected by personality, intelligence, motivation, historical context, and environment, among other variables. Ostracism is a form of social rejection that has been shown to negatively affect cognitive processes. The present study tested whether there was a causal relationship between the experience of ostracism and subsequent creativity. Participants in the present study were either included or excluded during a game of Cyberball, and then were in one of three social conditions (social: expectation for future social interaction with a confederate, coaction with a confederate: no expectation for future social interaction; or solo task completion: no confederate present) while they completed two tasks of creativity (drawing and writing). Multivariate analysis of the drawing task ratings revealed a significant Cyberball x social condition x drawing apprehension interaction; participants in the Cyberball-excluded/solo condition received the highest ratings on complexity, but only when they were high in drawing apprehension. Additionally, Cyberball-included/social condition, participants high in drawing apprehension received much higher ratings of drawing complexity than participants low in drawing apprehension. The implications of these findings are discussed, as well as directions for future research. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Black women undergraduates: challenging history to reframe its context in a PWI

This qualitative study explores the experiences of women at South University, a southeastern predominately white institution, as they grappled with the complex intersection of their race and gender, the history of the institution, and academic expectations. Framed within Critical Race Feminism, this study utilizes storytelling to illuminate challenges experienced by Black women in mitigating access to opportunities for leadership, challenging stereotype assumptions from the institution and theirs peers, cultivating cultural capital, and exploring personal constructions of themselves within an educational setting. The individual stories told by women illuminate the knotty terrain that exists between historical context and those doubly bound by both race and gender scripts. Results of the study demonstrate that Black women at South University need both formal and informal systems of support to be successful. Further, experiences of Black women at PWIs are difficult because of both institutional and historical systems of oppression in the way they experience the classroom, adapt representations of themselves within the environment, and in the way that they respond to institutional barriers. Students ultimately believed that they could have a quality education, but felt that current institutional practices failed to acknowledge and represent the challenges that the intersection of their race and gender. This study is important because it examines the impact of the historical and present day context that exists at PWIs in relation to the lived experiences of Black women and challenges institutions to pay attention to the rarely discussed impact of that environment on their educational experience. A primary recommendation of the study is to require institutions marred by negative history to publicly and systematically engage diversity, equity, and inclusion by acknowledging past issues, requiring curriculum and teachings about those challenges, and by establishing formal systems of support through the development of policy, practices, and resource centers to aid in challenging the institution’s culture. Overall, this offers hope that the collective voices of Black women attending SU can provide a catalyst for changing institutional practices and acknowledging the power of historic circumstances. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Essays on corporate governance and executive compensation

This dissertation is composed of three essays that study the interconnections between blockholders and CEO power, and the link between deferred compensation (inside debt) and financial performance/firm behavior. In the first chapter, I consider agency theory’s prediction that a large shareholder, ”blockholder,” can serve as an effective governance mechanism when monitoring man- agers by reducing CEO dominance. However, not all blockholders are created equally. Inside blockholders with large equity stakes may be subject to CEO influence. Outside blockholders may not fear the same career concerns. Using a novel approach, I sepa- rate blockholders into insiders (officers & directors) and outsiders when considering their relationship to CEO power, which is proxied by the CEO Pay Slice (CPS). However, separating blockholders into outside and officer specifications reveals that director block- holders reduce CEO power. Economic theory suggests that firms with multiple classes of shares have weak governance structures. A significant difference in CEO dominance inside dual class share firms versus single class share firms has been documented. This paper expounds on previous research and shed’s light on the effect of insiders’ differential shareholder rights in dual class share firms. Evidence is provided that shows as insiders’ percentage of voting rights increase then CEO power (CPS) decreases. Also, the results reveal that as insiders’ percentage of cash flow rights increase then CEO power (CPS) increases. In the second chapter, I study recent literature’s documentation that inside debt is widely used in executive compensation contracts. Prior research has only focused on the CEO’s level of inside debt. However, the inner workings of the top executive team, and their importance for firm performance are difficult to observe and measure. In this essay, I aim to contribute to the subject by introducing new measures pertaining to the rela- tionship between the CEO and the other members of the top executive team, as well as studying the relation between these measures and the value, performance, and behavior of public firms. My novel measure is the Slice of CEO Inside Debt (SCID) – the frac- tion of the aggregate deferred compensation (inside debt) of the top-five executive team captured by the CEO. The effects of total deferred compensation account balances, firm contributions, executive contributions, and earnings on deferred compensation accounts are examined with respect to SCID. This research provides evidence of increased CEO tenure (entrenchment) in relation to the earnings measure of SCID, reduced spending on research and development in relation to the earnings measure of SCID, increased spend- ing on capital expenditures in relation to the executive contributions measure of SCID, and a lower probability of bankruptcy in relation to the executive contributions measure of SCID. Also, this paper shows that as the CEO’s slice of deferred compensation from firm contributions and executive contributions increases then firm liquidity, i.e. working capital, decreases. In the final chapter, I consider prior research that has shown firms with CEOs who have less power take less risk. Thus, theory suggests that reducing CEO power through the use of deferred compensation, ”inside debt,” should motivate executives to become more risk averse. This essay investigates the relationship between the Slice of CEO Inside- Debt (SCID) — the fraction of the aggregate deferred compensation (inside debt) of the top-five executive team captured by the CEO — and CEO power (CPS–CEO Pay Slice) and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The effects of firm contributions, executive contributions, and earnings on deferred compensation accounts are examined with respect to SCID in relation to CPS and CSR. This research provides evidence of increased CEO power by showing that firms with CEOs who contribute more money to their deferred compensation accounts relative to the total amount deferred by the top five executives, including the CEO, have CEOs with greater power in the following year. Additionally, this essay studies firms use of inside debt and its effect on corporate social responsibility. Empirical evidence is provided that firms with CEOs who experience increased earnings on their deferred compensation accounts relative to the account earnings of top five executives are positively correlated with being more socially responsible. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Race, law, & literacy: a case study revealing the voices of African American students of the Randolph County desegregation process from 1965 to 1975

The purpose of this study is to give voice to African Americans who were students in Randolph County during the desegregation of its schools. The introduction identifies the roadblocks African Americans faced that restricted their acquisition of an education. It starts by discussing the legal battles associated with the attainment of a public education such as Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896). This study also discusses the reaction of African Americans to the Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537 (1896) and the questions of educational equality associated with the decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 (1954). A brief synopsis of Randolph County Training school is presented along with information about the efforts of Randolph County’s African American citizens to enter into previously all white schools. Information is included that discusses the efforts of Randolph County’s school board to avoid complete school desegregation by implementing what was known as the Freedom of Choice Plan in 1965. There is also a small discussion of the History of Randolph County Training School that includes information about its founding, its curriculum, and the level of success acquired by some of its prominent students. This study utilizes the framework of Critical Race Theory and Narrative Analysis to examine the students’ perceptions of their experiences in segregated schools, during the Freedom of Choice Movement, and the last phase of the desegregation procedures which occurred in 1970. This research provides a history of the desegregation procedures of Randolph County and brings focus to the what the community, students, and faculty lost during desegregation by presenting a narrative that focuses not on the deprivation associated with segregated schools, but the achievements of the faculty and students against insurmountable odds. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

International teaching assistants' professional identity development at a US University: a multiple case study perspective

Informed by Critical Theory and Poststructuralist Theory and the intersections of agency, power, ideology, discourse, capital, and language, this study investigates how three ITAs construct their professional identities as instructors at a U.S. university. To gain an in-depth understanding of ITAs’ professional identities development, the researcher uses a qualitative approach with a multi-case study design to examine various data and variables including a) undergraduates’ feedback to ITAs’ instruction, b) ITAs’ English language use in academic settings and its influence on their teaching, and c) the role of ITAs’ supervisors on their professional practice. Through narrative analysis, the researcher analyzes data from interviews, classroom observations, and research journals. Findings suggest that both course evaluations and ITAs’ interactions with supervisors and colleagues influence their professional identity formation. Additionally, the ITAs’ English language use in academic settings reflects their desire of becoming native English speakers for an audience of mostly US undergraduates. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

A study of two special inventory management problems

In the dissertation, the author studies two special inventory problems via the technique of optimization. The first problem discusses inventory management in monopoly markets in which utilities are involved. To utility companies, the inventory (materials and supplies) can be treated as an asset and affect the selling price of the utility. The results of the research indicate a potential behavior of utilities operating on an “inefficient” level of inventory and develop an optimal policy for maximizing profits in this scenario. The second problem discusses a basic two-echelon inventory problem – joint replenish problem (JRP). In the JRP, the first echelon contains only one installation serving several other installations in the second echelon. It tries to minimize the total cost related to the inventory. The dissertation focuses on the JRP with constraints of a fixed transportation capacity and dissimilar items. It is studied by two different demand models: continuous time and discrete time. In the continuous time model, a Poisson process of customer demand is considered and a Markov decision model is built to solve the problem. An efficient algorithm developed facilitates heuristic methods to find acceptable solutions out of an exponential solution space. The work for discrete time model considers a more general case and the initial efforts rely on the delayed renew process. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Biomineralization of giant clam shells (tridacna gigas): implications for paleoclimate applications

The giant clam, Tridacna gigas, is an important faunal component of Indo-Pacific reef ecosystems, for which its shell is often used as an environmental archive for modern and past climates. This thesis is a study of the shell microstructure of modern specimens from Palm Island, Great Barrier Reef (GBR), Australia and Huon Peninsula, Papua-New Guinea (PNG), using a combination of petrography, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and Raman spectroscopy, as well as a microstructural comparison of fossil T. gigas through 200 ka from PNG. Daily growth increments are recognizable in all specimens through ontogeny within the internal layer. For modern T. gigas from PNG, increments are composed of pairs of organized aragonitic needles and compact, oblong crystals, whereas modern specimens from GBR are composed of shield-like crystals. The combination of nutrient availability and rainfall are likely the most significant factors controlling shell growth and it may explain the observed differences in microstructure. The external layers are composed of a dendritic microfabric, significantly enriched in 13C compared to the internal layer, suggesting a different metabolic control on layer secretion. The internal and external layers are likely mineralized independent from each other, associated with the activity of a specific mantle organ. Furthermore, needles similar to those of modern T. gigas from PNG, are observed and the widths are measured in the set of fossil T. gigas. An exception includes two mid-Holocene-aged individuals, composed of elongated crystals, oblique to the outside of the shell. The results show that widths follows a cyclic pattern, similar to those of solar radiation variability, suggesting there is a relationship between solar activity and the width of aragonitic needles. Differences between modern and mid-Holocene T. gigas, are likely associated with fundamental environmental differences. The results of this study, pointing to locality and environmental dependence, layer specific mantle biomineralization, and co-variation between needle width and solar modulation, advance the potential of giant clam shells to assist in the reconstruction of many climate parameters that were previously limited to chemical analyses. Microstructural results are additionally applicable in engineering and medical research fields. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries

Weighing the evidence: how observational evidence and bias influence children's belief in a novel fantastical entity

Research has demonstrated that children make judgements about the world based on information learned from others and through their own observations, and are also influenced by their biases. However, oftentimes the information provided by these three factors directly conflict. The present research sought to examine how children weigh information based on these three factors when making reality status judgments about a novel fantastical being, and whether their strategies develop with age. Children ages 4-7 were randomly assigned to one of four conditions in which they were asked to determine if novel entities, who grant wishes, were real or pretend. They witnessed three wishes, which were either granted 0%, 33%, 67% of 100% of the time (between subjects condition). Children’s belief in the entity was assessed before and after wishing. Results demonstrated that age and the number of fulfilled wishes (condition) influenced children’s belief in a fantastical being. Older children were better than younger children at monitoring the outcomes of wishes and basing their belief off of this evidence. Additionally, children’s Fantasy/Reality Bias served as a moderating variable. These findings indicate that although children consider evidence when making reality status judgments, their biases continue to influence their judgments, and older children are better at overcoming these biases. (Published By University of Alabama Libraries