Notes on Globalization and Identity

JEFF ET PLUTO DO MONTREAL: NOTES ON GLOBALIZATION AND IDENTITY Two films caught my attention shown at Les Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois in February 1999: Carole Poliquin's medium-length documentary Turbulence and François Dyotte's medium-length docu-drama Jeff et Pluto. Both were produced in 1998 by independent film companies based in Montréal and Turbulence was co-produced by the NFB. They both raise questions about globalization, marginality, nationhood and identity that are central to our cultural quotidian, and share similar immediate concerns about the particular effects of globalization on Québec society and culture. Carol Poliquin's film Turbulence explores the social and economic parameters of globalization and their ethics in the domain of economics, while Jeff et Pluto offer original observation into the psychological and sociological effects of cultural globalization. In an attempt to answer the pressing question why the rich become richer and the poor poorer, Poliquin structures her film around the..

Market Orientation Within University Schools Of Business: Can A Dynamical Systems Viewpoint Applied To A Non-Temporal Data Set Yield Valuable Insights For University Managers?

This study investigates the use of using complexity theory – the study of nonlinear dynamical systems of which chaos and catastrophe theory are subsets – in the analysis of a non temporal data set to derive valuable insights into the functioning of university schools of business. The approach is unusual in that studies of nonlinearity in complex dynamical systems typically involve longitudinal data.  Challenges associated with such studies usually involve establishing nonlinearity, obtaining a data set with a sufficient number of entries, and robust mathematical and computational requirements for effective analysis.  The format of the paper is as follows: 1) a general description of complex systems is presented which identifies a number of generally accepted characteristics of complex systems, 2) a description of the data set and the research technique utilized, 3) a presentation of the data set as an “attractor” landscape as typically defined in complex systems analysis, 4) potential insights that may be derived from the analysis; and 5) conclusions and recommendations for further study.  The value of the study is to demonstrate that within the framework of complexity theory, non longitudinal data may be used to derive valuable managerial insights into the functioning of organizations such as university schools of business

Culture from chaos: The formation of social norms from the dynamic self-organization of individuals\u27 attitudes and behavior

Top-down models of culture provide a useful although limited understanding of cultural content, formation, and change. Previous theorizing using bottom-up models help to explain why cultures exist and explain some of their content. Dynamic social impact theory (DSIT; Latane, 1996) expands on previous bottom-up models by proposing a concise mechanism for cultural content transmission and the dynamic outcome of this process. Furthermore, the catastrophe theory of attitudes (Latane & Nowak, 1994) suggests that the level of involvement of an issue will modify attitude change and therefore modify DSIT\u27s predictions. The present study expanded on previous research to offer a more complete field test of DSIT (Latane, 1996) and explore how involvement and communication may affect cultural content and change. A total of 1252 students from four residence halls participated in four online surveys over the course of the Fall 2002 semester. Participants indicated that more of their friends and conversers lived in their house than in any other social unit. In the 11 weeks between the first survey and the final survey, students became more similar to those they lived with and the correlation between their attitudes and behaviors increased. However, the consolidation prediction of DSIT was not supported. Participants did not become more similar on high importance issues than on low importance issues. Unexpectedly, variance and minority size increased more over time for low importance items than for high importance items. Limitations of the study included low discussion rates of the items and a large portion of the participants having a prior history together, suggesting they may have been similar in their attitudes and behaviors prior to living in the residence halls. Future research avenues and implications for DSIT (Latane, 1996) and CTA (Latane & Nowak, 1994) are discussed

Anne Finch's 'contemn'd Retreat' and the politics of lyric

This article reevaluates Anne Finch’s reputation as a poet and considers how, until recently, critics interpreted her poetry according to a romanticized model of lyric: one whose modeling of introspective feeling and a withdrawal from the contemporary world conditions an apolitical understanding of poetic practice. Beginning with an assessment of modern theories of lyric, the article proceeds to trace a history of the construction of Finch as a poetess of lyrical retreat, rather than as one who was forced to retreat from London following the Revolution of 1688. The article then turns to “A Pindarick Poem. Upon the Hurricane in November 1703” to show how, in a moment of personal and national precarity, Finch named her “contemn’d Retreat” as the essential precondition of her poetry. This poem, in turn, reverses the conclusion which historians and theorists of lyric have drawn from her work: that her retreat enabled a lyric practice far removed from her political circumstances

Requiem for a Generation, April 2, 2012

This is the concert program of the Requiem for a Generation performance on Monday, April 2, 2012 at 8:00 p.m., at Symphony Hall, 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts. The works performed were The Bells, op. 35 by Sergei Rachmaninoff and Symphony No. 11 in G minor, The Year 1905, op. 103 by Dmitri Shostakovich. Digitization for Boston University Concert Programs was supported by the Boston University Humanities Library Endowed Fund

Present Future, Present Past: Mass Casualty Incident Preparedness in the Research Triangle Region of North Carolina

In this thesis, I draw on exploratory research conducted in the fall of 2018 to explore questions concerning the logics of mass casualty incident (MCI) preparedness operating in medical institutions and local governments within the Research Triangle region of North Carolina. Interviews with emergency management administrators, emergency medicine physicians, and first responders revealed that the unique forms of coordinated preparation and response that MCIs require, refashions personal and institutional relationships into capacity building resources that work across time and space. Drawing on social science literature on preparedness and infrastructure, this analysis will show that whether it be through time, space or both, the network of relationships developed through the work of MCI preparedness serves diverse roles and functions: as pathways and grounds for the movement of people, objects, and knowledge. These relationships and the resources they move collectively constitute an infrastructure of MCI preparedness.Master of Art

Something Old or Something New?: Complexity Theory and Sociology

Does complexity theory offer novel theoretical and empirical insights into social processes or is it merely a repackaging of sociology’s central tenets? This question motivates the following theoretical overview and analysis in hopes to spur further inquiry into social complexity. Complexity theory posits that interaction between social agents produces emergent macro level patterns; a statement which is remarkably consistent with extant sociological theory. Following this line of inquiry, I provide a brief discussion of complexity theory, emphasizing the connection with sociological theory. I then attempt to clarify complexity theory by illustrating that it is neither a theory nor a method of research, but instead a meta-theory. In this light, complexity theory can illuminate certain underdeveloped aspects of sociological analysis, such as the importance of initial conditions and non-linear dynamics, enriching our understanding of the social phenomenon. The aim, therefore, of this paper is to spur sociological theorizing, far from equilibrium, at the edge of chaos and complexity

How Black Swan events reveal known and unknown unknowns : the case of COVID-19

The unknown offers a great puzzle to strategists. Black Swan events, characterized by rare occurrence and retrospective predictability, have extreme impacts on economies and societies (Taleb, 2007). The primary research purpose of this study is to examine whether Black Swan events increase awareness of known and unknown unknowns by discovering perceptions of existing and novel uncertainties. Precisely, we analyze how unexpected tail events enhance consciousness of unknown unknows and alter mental models of known uncertainties. To discover a recent Black Swan phenomenon, we chose the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) as empirical context. Qualitative examination of 36 semi-structured interviews implies that the Coronavirus crisis considerably changes the range of uncertainties, which can shape future management research and practice. Although the majority of discovered uncertainty areas (72.5%) were recognized ex ante COVID-19, our findings show that the current pandemic also reveals strategically relevant unknown unknowns. Based on the framework of environmental uncertainty developed by Jauch and Kraft (1986), we develop a novel model that illustrates strategic decision-making in the context of Black Swan uncertainties. 2020’s Black Swan, COVID-19, triggers strategic decision-makers to reconsider current interdependencies to reduce the potential harm of future uncertainty shocks. Since our results disclose that uncertainty related to Black Swan events essentially creates novel uncertainties, executives are required to acknowledge that they cannot ignore or eliminate uncertainty. Instead, managers are advised to embrace the occurrence of Black Swans and the existence of known and unknown unknowns for (anti)knowledge exploration.O desconhecido traz um grande quebra-cabeça para estrategistas. Os eventos conhecidos como Cisne Negro são caracterizados por terem uma ocorrência rara e previsibilidade retrospetiva. Estes têm grande impacto nas economias e sociedades (Taleb, 2007). O objetivo principal deste estudo é examinar se os eventos Cisne Negro aumentam a conscientização sobre incertezas conhecidas e desconhecidas, através do descobrimento de perceções sobre incertezas existentes e novas. Para explorar um fenômeno recente do cisne negro, escolhemos o novo Coronavírus (COVID-19) como contexto empírico. A examinação qualitativa sobre 36 entrevistas semiestruturadas sugere que a crise do Coronavírus altera consideravelmente o leque de incertezas, o que pode resultar na moldura de futuras práticas de gestão e pesquisa. Embora a maioria das áreas de incerteza descobertas (72,5%) tenham sido reconhecidas ex ante COVID-19, nossos resultados mostram que a pandemia atual também revela incertezas desconhecidas estrategicamente relevantes. Com base na estrutura de incerteza do ambiente desenvolvida por Jauch e Kraft (1986), desenvolvemos um novo modelo que ilustra a tomada de decisões estratégicas no contexto das incertezas do Cisne Negro. A COVID-19 faz com que os tomadores de decisão estratégicas reconsiderem as interdependências atuais para reduzir o dano potencial de futuros choques de incerteza. Como nossos resultados revelam que a incerteza relacionada aos eventos do Cisne Negro cria novas incertezas, os executivos devem reconhecer que não podem ignorá-las ou eliminá-las. Em vez disso, os gerentes são aconselhados a adotar a ocorrência de cisnes negros e a existência de incertezas conhecidas e desconhecidas para a exploração do conhecimento (prévio)

Navigating “the Ocean of Matrimony:” Marital Expectations and Experiences in Virginia, 1779-1835

Though historians continue to add important insight on marital expectations and experiences in early national Virginia, a more encompassing examination is necessary. This thesis examines marriage in three interconnected ways to augment the growing study of marital beliefs and realities. First, sermons, hymns, published religious literature, church minutes, and circular letters describe what Protestant Virginia clergy wrote about matrimony. Second, letters, journals, published books, and newspapers illustrate what lay Virginians expected from marriage. Finally, letters, diaries, autobiographies, and secondary sources offer a glimpse into the everyday experiences of spouses in the Old Dominion. Taken together, this study concludes that from 1779 to 1835, Virginians struggled to reconcile the companionate ideal with the traditional patriarchal marriage model