Reforming Austria-Hungary: beyond his control or beyond his capacity? The domestic policies of Emperor Karl I November 1916 – May 1917

This work aims to provide an objective portrait of Emperor Karl I and an analysis of his early reign in order to help determine his responsibility in the collapse of Austria-Hungary and to fill the gap in a historiography distorted by both hagiography and underestimation. This thesis examines Karl’s character, education, ability, outlook and ambitions prior to his enthronement in November 1916, and his attempts in the following six months to revive political life, implement administrative and constitutional reform and bring about national reconciliation in Cisleithania. The Bohemian lands, and in particular the Czech-German conflict, constitute the main focus of this study, although developments among Poles, Ukrainians and South Slavs are also considered. Since Karl’s chief concern was nevertheless the conclusion of peace, foreign policy – in any case inextricably bound to domestic issues in the Habsburg Monarchy – is also given due attention. The examination of Karl’s pre-war years reveals a not unpromising young man. His short heirship, however, involved only a perfunctory introduction to statecraft, leaving him lacking in preparation and experience. Yet, contrary to popular belief, Karl was not a blank slate; nor was he without his prejudices. Upon his accession to the throne, although he enjoyed a remarkably free hand, he threw in his lot with the German nationalists. After four months, however, he – or rather his foreign minister – retreated under the influence of the Russian Revolution and of the American entry into the war. Karl then recalled parliament but did not have the resolve, courage, skill or support to build on this initiative. Offered no prospects, the political representatives of the Slav nationalities radicalized behind the scenes. With the reopening of the House, the irreversible extent of their disenchantment and estrangement burst to the fore. Although Karl finally sought to embark on a new course, his resolve again faltered and his half-hearted efforts bore no fruit. Largely as a result of his earlier mistakes and vacillation, the chance had, in any case, already passed

Northern Lights Instead of Workers’ Rights: Volunteer Working Tourists in Finnish Lapland

Research on volunteers in the tourism field often deals with the motivations of such persons as well as their effects on host locales, while research on the work conditions of tourism workers often focuses solely on paid employees. However, such research has not focused on the workplace conditions for volunteer working tourists in the tourism arena whose motivation, among other reasons, for seeking unpaid work opportunities is a dual role of tourism consumer. As volunteers are not formally employed, they are not entitled to legal workplace standards. This article examines, through netnographic research methods and thematic analysis, the workplace experiences of several volunteer working tourists in Finnish Lapland, considering how similar to precarious employment their situation is, to some extent enabled by their tourism mindset. This raises curious questions about the use of such labor, suggesting their future inclusion within discussions of precarious wor

Reexamining a "working holiday": An autoethnography

This paper offers a new look at a "working holiday" from autoethnographic and qualitative research findings amongst working holiday makers in Australia – young travelers who chase both work and travel simultaneously within Australia\u27s Working Holiday Maker Program. Work and tourism activities have generally been viewed as opposite fields of study and definitions within each field often reflect this. Such disparities reflect the apparent oxymoronic notion of the phrase "working holiday" and potential misconceptions or lack in understanding of what activities one undertakes while on a "working holiday" and the reasons for pursuing such. Through autoethnographic participant observation and qualitative interviews, this paper will discuss a contemporary conception of "working holiday" as revealed by travelers, and myself, who pursue such activity under a visa category of the same name, in contrast with existing academic interpretations

More than Just "Volunteers"? Working Tourists as a Labour Source in Finnish Lapland

Research in the realm of work often deals with the situations of employment or workplace conditions for employees, as well as the mechanisms and strategies by which traditional employment relationships have changed. However, such research has not addressed those whose function would be equivalent to a paid employee yet take up a “grey” area in the workplace – volunteers. This article examines the advertisements of 12 hosts in Finnish Lapland, from the work exchange website www.workaway.info, scrutinizing work exchange barters offered to international volunteers in comparison to aspects found in adverts for typical paid employment. The article demonstrates how some tourism services in Finnish Lapland potentially recruit unpaid volunteer working tourists as a seasonal labour source, circumventing the need to hire paid tourism workers, and potentially placing volunteer tourists in situations akin to precarious employment

2004-2005 Drake Memorial Library Annual Report

2004-2005 annual report of Drake Memorial Library of The College at Brockport

Piezoelectricity and flexoelectricity in 2D transition metal dichalcogenides

Two-dimensional materials are only on to a few atoms thick, making them the thinnest possible material known to man. Their combination of electrical, optical, and mechanical properties allows for unique electrical devices with a wide range of future applications, from being a post-silicon material option, creating high-speed communication systems, allowing the advancement of flexible electronics, and even creating transparent electronics. Among their amazing characteristics is the coupling of electrical and mechanical properties. Although not unique to 2D materials, electromechanical coupling could be used in 2D materials to create a class of sensors, actuators, and energy harvesters at a scale not previously possible. Specifically, 2D materials could be utilized in flexible, wearable electronics as an energy harvester to convert the motion of the body into electrical energy. In this dissertation, the electromechanical coupling properties known as piezoelectricity and flexoelectricity are studied in 2D materials both to advance the development of 2D materials in general, and to improve the understanding of the relatively novel effect of flexoelectricity. This work focuses on a class of 2D materials known as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), which are semiconducting and intrinsically piezoelectric. To begin, the adhesion between the TMDs and soft substrates is studied. Soft substrates could be used in flexible and wearable electronic systems, so adhesion of TMDs to soft substrates is important. It was found that the adhesions between the TMD molybdenum disulfide and polydimethylsiloxane is roughly 18 mJ m⁻². Next, the out-of-plane electromechanical coupling of molybdenum disulfide and other TMDs was studied. Piezoelectric theory predicts that there should be zero out-of-plane response, but a signal is measured in all TMDs, suggesting the presence of flexoelectricity. The measured effective out-of-plane piezoelectric response is on the order of 1 pm V⁻¹ and the estimated flexoelectric response is on the order of 0.05 nC m⁻¹. Additionally, it was found that the magnitude of the out-of-plane electromechanical response of different TMDs roughly follows a trend predicted by a simple model of flexoelectricity. The work presented in this dissertation provides the first experimental evidence of a flexoelectric effect present in 2D TMDs.Electrical and Computer Engineerin

Islamic charity in India: ethical entrepreneurism & the ritual, revival, and reform of zakat among a muslim minority

New Islamic charities and madrasas in Lucknow, India are promoting Islam as a means of development, through revival and reinterpretation of Islamic almsgiving (zakat) and ethical teachings on money and community. Since the partition of India in 1947, Muslims have struggled as a beleaguered minority, the largest in India's diverse democracy. The relative socioeconomic status of Muslims in India is in decline, nearly on par with dalits (historically oppressed castes). Critics claim that "Muslim backwardness" originates in outmoded commitments to madrasas and illiberal Islamic law (sharī’a). The public views Muslim underdevelopment with alarm, as holding India back from being a leader in the global economy. This dissertation examines the rise and transformation of zakat in contemporary India. As historical institutions of Muslim welfare and endowments (waqf) decline, a new zakat economy is supplanting them. Yet zakat is a distinctly different social form of welfare. The contemporary practice of zakat reveals contradictions that invite reconsideration of our ideas about philanthropy, civic engagement, and Islam. Voluntary donations of zakat are a ritual obligation for all Muslims, and people in Lucknow often speak of the spiritual merit that accrues to almsgivers. I explore the paradox of zakat as "obligated voluntarism" that is at once selfless and self-interested and analyze the cultural implications of such ethics. While the Qur'an encourages giving in modest secrecy, new forms of zakat are not secret but publicly institutionalized and visible. These shifts even alter the practice of piety by incorporating a more individually accountable, calculative dimension to Muslims' faith. Morality is often imagined to be at odds with capitalism and its focus on profit accumulation. The compatibility of capitalism and Islam, in particular, has been in question since Max Weber's famous inquiry into religions, economy, and ethics. Yet new Islamic charities re-orient Lucknow's Muslims towards perceived requirements of capitalist markets. This "ethical entrepreneurism" is rooted in Islamic rituals and morality rather than dispelling both in pursuit of modernity; zakat entrepreneurs promote development as simultaneously economic and moral. Through ethnography, surveys, and close readings of Islamic texts, this study makes key contributions to economic anthropology and study of ethics.2020-03-31T00:00:00