Values in the Net Neutrality Debate: Applying Content Analysis to Testimonies from Public Hearings

The Net neutrality debate is an important telecommunications policy issue that closely tied to technological innovation, economic development, and information access. Existing studies on Net neutrality have focused primarily on technological requirements, economic analysis, and regulatory justifications. Since values, technology, and policy are interrelated, it is important to consider the role of human values in the design and regulation of telecommunications infrastructure. To analyze the role of human values in shaping the Net neutrality debate, this dissertation focuses on a corpus of public hearings related to Net neutrality that provide useful data points that help to expose the values of various stakeholders in the Net neutrality debate. Content analysis of testimonies from Congressional and FCC hearings on Net neutrality is employed to study values expressed by stakeholders. The major findings of this study include (1) the Net neutrality debate can be framed in terms of values expressed by proponents and opponents of Net neutrality; (2) there are differences in values expressed among positions, stakeholder groups, venues, and time periods in the Net neutrality debate; and (3) differences in values expressed by proponents and opponents of Net neutrality have changed over time. This dissertation advances the understanding of values expressed by stakeholders in the Net neutrality debate, informs the process of agenda setting and decision-making related to Net neutrality policy-making, and fills the gap in the connection between IT policy and values research

The BG News February 9, 1994

The BGSU campus student newspaper February 9, 1994. Volume 76 - Issue 96https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/bg-news/6647/thumbnail.jp

An Exploratory Study to Develop a Geotourism Typology Model Based on the Experience and the Importance of Geotourism in the Decision to Visit a Destination

This study develops a typology model for geotourism to address the existing gap in the literature regarding who is participating in geotourism. As geotourism is a new concept, the literature is not only lacking in this area, but there is also a conflict of definitions available from scholars and organisations. This study defines geotourism in accordance to the definition of Newsome and Dowling (2010). It also aims to reduce the gap in literature by providing a starting point to the development of future geotourism typology models through the adaptation of McKercher\u27s Cultural Tourism Typology Model (2002). Participants eligible for this study were tourists participating in the Crystal Cave in Yanchep National Park, Perth, Western Australia. This site was chosen as the Crystal Cave\u27s management is practicing geotourism. Therefore, it was assumed tourists were participating in geotourism as Yanchep National Park, including the Crystal Cave, comply with the definition. Geotourism focuses on sustainability, conservation, benefitting the community, appreciation of cultural and geoheritage value through education and interpretation and tourist satisfaction (Dowling, 2008). Management places importance on the sustainability and conservation of the cave. Tourists have the opportunity to learn as they are provided with educational opportunities in the guided tour through the cultural and geoheritage interpretation. It also benefits the community as it creates job opportunities. Furthermore, results of the study demonstrate that locals visit the cave benefitting them through their positive participation and experiences. The data was collected through on-site self completed questionnaires. Analysis included a criteria sheet and guidelines established in accordance to the description of each of McKercher\u27s typologies as well as Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 17 (SPSS). After the analysis of the results, it became evident that the Cultural Tourism Typology Model (2002) could not be applied to geotourism as some typologies needed to be adapted and new typologies were discovered. As a result, a new model was re-developed based on McKercher\u27s Model. Purposeful tourists and incidental tourists remained with the same characteristics. The serendipitous tourist typology was changed slightly to include some gee-motivation. Furthermore, two new typologies were created as a result of the data analysis. The new typologies are the \u27intentional geotourist\u27 who is characterised by high geo-influence and positive encounter, and the \u27accidental geotourist\u27 who has no geo-influence and a positive encounter

Art Museum attendance and the public realm: The agency of visitor information in Tate's organisational practices of making the art museum's audiences

This study presents an original contribution to knowledge in its investigation of Tate’s strategic practices of audience, via materially-traced networks of action. In recent years, museological literature has examined issues of access and evaluation, their relation to cultural policy, and the wider framework of value delivery within the public realm. The present study employs ethnographic observation over a fifteen month period, combined with a theoretical approach, to trace and describe the social construction of Tate’s understandings of its audiences. The study provides insights into how the visitor information is generated, distributed, mediated, valued and applied across the various departments of the museum, and in what forms it exerts agency upon the daily practices of the art museum. This study advances understandings of audiences within museological discourse by moving beyond the customary calls for the generation of more data, or improved data-collection methods, to consider the effects of the application of visitor information in the formation of audiences, and the significance of this agency in terms of structures of power

Designing destinations for good: Using design roadmapping to support pro-active destination development.

This conceptual paper develops and justifies a pro-active, design-driven approach to sustainable destination development. Using insights from design science, it helps explain the limited practical usability of concepts such as the Tourism Area Life Cycle, by noting that these often focus on an aggregated ‘topological’ level of destination design, while a focus on experiences and product development on a ‘typological’ and ‘morphological’ level is key to constitute change. The ‘Tourism Destination Design Roadmap’ is introduced, its potential to scrutinise ‘visitor flows’ is explored as well as ways in which it can contribute to developing desirable qualities in a destination, while minimising negative impacts. The paper concludes by highlighting its conceptual contribution and identifying directions for future research.</p

Cultural differences, language attitudes and tourist satisfaction: a study in the Barcelona hotel sector

In most service activities, customer satisfaction depends largely on the direct interaction with service providers. In the case of tourism, this interaction often occurs between people from different countries and whose mother tongues are different. In this context, concepts such as cultural proximity, linguistic accommodation, expectations and language attitudes enrich the analysis of tourist satisfaction. This study uses an interdisciplinary approach that integrates cultural and linguistic elements in the analysis of tourist evaluations in the hotel sector. In particular, the technique of Content Analysis is applied to comments made by hotel guests on Booking.com to determine the extent to which cultural differences, understood in terms of country of origin, influence two relevant aspects of the tourist destination experience: their language attitudes and level of satisfaction with the service received. The findings confirm that the country of origin influences guests’ evaluations and the choice of the language in which the experience is assessed, and reveal that comments concerning language reflect this influence. In particular, linguistic experiences seem to be more important for tourists who emphasise the role of their mother tongue (Italians and French) than for tourists more open to the use of other languages (German and Portuguese

The Improv Church : A Qualitative, Theoretical, and Interdisciplinary Explanation of its Appeal to Collegians

The college years often represent the time when young people drop out of church. The reasons vary. One of the factors in a decision to abandon church is that college students feel many traditional churches are irrelevant. Conventional methods of pedagogy and communication are typically used. The result is a learning environment that feels stale to many young people. Some educators are experimenting with new methods of instruction based on advances in learning theories, instructional strategies, and in whole-person learning. The purpose of this study was to consider the Improv Church as a learning environment where these advances in education might be applied in a church. To this end, two research questions shaped the study: (1) What aspects of the Improv Church make it appealing to collegians? (2) In what ways does the theoretical and practical scholarly literature explain the phenomenon of the Improv Church? Method. The primary method of research used was qualitative. Through surveys, focus groups, interviews, journals, and videotapes of the Improv Church services, the stories of the participants began to emerge. Through triangulation, a confluence of evidence helped to shape a broader story. These data were then enmeshed in the growing body of knowledge from theories of communication, education, and theology. Results. Much of the theoretical and practical scholarly literature mirrors the experience of participants at the Improv Church. These participants spoke of the positive impact this ministry had made in their lives. In digging deeper for an understanding of why, three themes emerged as reasons for the appeal and success of the Improv Church. These themes include community, humor, and the promise of spiritual growth. Conclusion. The Improv Church holds a strong appeal to collegians. It is a place that is rich in community, humor, and spirituality. Consequently, this ministry is making an impact in the lives of participants. Theories from theology, communication and education help to inform and explain the phenomenon of this interactive learning environment

An evidence-based approach to the use of telehealth in long-term health conditions: development of an intervention and evaluation through pragmatic randomised controlled trials in patients with depression or raised cardiovascular risk

Background: Health services internationally are exploring the potential of telehealth to support the management of the growing number of people with long-term conditions (LTCs). Aim: To develop, implement and evaluate new care programmes for patients with LTCs, focusing on two common LTCs as exemplars: depression or high cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Methods Development: We synthesised quantitative and qualitative evidence on the effectiveness of telehealth for LTCs, conducted a qualitative study based on interviews with patients and staff and undertook a postal survey to explore which patients are interested in different forms of telehealth. Based on these studies we developed a conceptual model [TElehealth in CHronic disease (TECH) model] as a framework for the development and evaluation of the Healthlines Service for patients with LTCs. Implementation: The Healthlines Service consisted of regular telephone calls to participants from health information advisors, supporting them to make behaviour change and to use tailored online resources. Advisors sought to optimise participants’ medication and to improve adherence. Evaluation: The Healthlines Service was evaluated with linked pragmatic randomised controlled trials comparing the Healthlines Service plus usual care with usual care alone, with nested process and economic evaluations. Participants were adults with depression or raised CVD risk recruited from 43 general practices in three areas of England. The primary outcome was response to treatment and the secondary outcomes included anxiety (depression trial), individual risk factors (CVD risk trial), self-management skills, medication adherence, perceptions of support, access to health care and satisfaction with treatment. Trial results Depression trial: In total, 609 participants were randomised and the retention rate was 86%. Response to treatment [Patient Health Questionnaire 9-items (PHQ-9) reduction of ≥ 5 points and score of < 10 after 4 months] was higher in the intervention group (27%, 68/255) than in the control group (19%, 50/270) [odds ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1 to 2.5; p = 0.02]. Anxiety also improved. Intervention participants reported better access to health support, greater satisfaction with treatment and small improvements in self-management, but not improved medication adherence. CVD risk trial: In total, 641 participants were randomised and the retention rate was 91%. Response to treatment (maintenance of/reduction in QRISK®2 score after 12 months) was higher in the intervention group (50%, 148/295) than in the control group (43%, 124/291), which does not exclude a null effect (odds ratio 1.3, 95% CI 1.0 to 1.9; p = 0.08). The intervention was associated with small improvements in blood pressure and weight, but not smoking or cholesterol. Intervention participants were more likely to adhere to medication, reported better access to health support and greater satisfaction with treatment, but few improvements in self-management. The Healthlines Service was likely to be cost-effective for CVD risk, particularly if the benefits are sustained, but not for depression. The intervention was implemented largely as planned, although initial delays and later disruption to delivery because of the closure of NHS Direct may have adversely affected participant engagement. Conclusion: The Healthlines Service, designed using an evidence-based conceptual model, provided modest health benefits and participants valued the better access to care and extra support provided. This service was cost-effective for CVD risk but not depression. These findings of small benefits at extra cost are consistent with previous pragmatic research on the implementation of comprehensive telehealth programmes for LTCs

Dependable Embedded Systems

This Open Access book introduces readers to many new techniques for enhancing and optimizing reliability in embedded systems, which have emerged particularly within the last five years. This book introduces the most prominent reliability concerns from today’s points of view and roughly recapitulates the progress in the community so far. Unlike other books that focus on a single abstraction level such circuit level or system level alone, the focus of this book is to deal with the different reliability challenges across different levels starting from the physical level all the way to the system level (cross-layer approaches). The book aims at demonstrating how new hardware/software co-design solution can be proposed to ef-fectively mitigate reliability degradation such as transistor aging, processor variation, temperature effects, soft errors, etc. Provides readers with latest insights into novel, cross-layer methods and models with respect to dependability of embedded systems; Describes cross-layer approaches that can leverage reliability through techniques that are pro-actively designed with respect to techniques at other layers; Explains run-time adaptation and concepts/means of self-organization, in order to achieve error resiliency in complex, future many core systems