Stories of Resistance: Black Women Corporate Executives Opposing Gendered (Everyday) Racism

For this research, I explored contemporary resistance strategies that Black women executives in the corporate world use to oppose negative behaviors by others associated with their race and gender. The dissertation reviews scholarship about the major role the convergence of race and gender play in the day-to-day existence of Black women. Historically, negative images and beliefs have influenced the treatment of Black women in society. These same thoughts and images affect Black women executives in today’s workplace. African-American women continue to see limited advancement to senior levels within the corporate organization, even though diversity programs abound. As leaders in the corporation jump higher hurdles to achieve executive level positions, Black women continue to be invisible in corporations. Using biographical inquiry, I explored resistance by Black women corporate executives to negative images. I identified specific acts and motifs of resistance in the workplace through questions designed to elicit career life histories through their personal stories. A final purpose was to connect the worlds of the corporate and the academic by sharing the career life history motifs from the interviews with Black women professors whose scholarly pursuits and interests are in the area of critical race and gender studies. I wanted to hear their suggestions for the practical application of this information toward further development and transference of knowledge in this area. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible at the OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Stories of Resistance: Black Women Corporate Executives Opposing Gendered (Everyday) Racism

For this research, I explored contemporary resistance strategies that Black women executives in the corporate world use to oppose negative behaviors by others associated with their race and gender. The dissertation reviews scholarship about the major role the convergence of race and gender play in the day-to-day existence of Black women. Historically, negative images and beliefs have influenced the treatment of Black women in society. These same thoughts and images affect Black women executives in today’s workplace. African-American women continue to see limited advancement to senior levels within the corporate organization, even though diversity programs abound. As leaders in the corporation jump higher hurdles to achieve executive level positions, Black women continue to be invisible in corporations. Using biographical inquiry, I explored resistance by Black women corporate executives to negative images. I identified specific acts and motifs of resistance in the workplace through questions designed to elicit career life histories through their personal stories. A final purpose was to connect the worlds of the corporate and the academic by sharing the career life history motifs from the interviews with Black women professors whose scholarly pursuits and interests are in the area of critical race and gender studies. I wanted to hear their suggestions for the practical application of this information toward further development and transference of knowledge in this area. The electronic version of this dissertation is accessible at the OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu

Patterns of brain growth in one FGFR2 mouse model for Apert Syndrome

Apert syndrome is a disorder associated with craniosynostosis resulting from one of two mutations in Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor 2 (FGFR2). Individuals with Apert syndrome demonstrate brain dysmorphology, often associated with cognitive deficits. In this study, micro magnetic resonance images of the brain of FGFR2+/P253R mice and their wildtype littermates were acquired at two ages, P0 (newborn) and P2 (two days old). Fifteen landmarks on the brain surface were collected to compare growth patterns in the morphological phenotypes of the brain."Work supported by NIDCR R01 DE018500

Knowledge and Skill Requirements for Entry-Level IT Workers: A Longitudinal Study

This paper provides an updated view of the importance of various skills and traits for entry-level IT workers, as perceived by the IT industry, based on a web-based survey administered to IT managers nationwide. The work presented in this paper is an extension of two previous studies based on a survey conducted in 2006. A new survey was conducted in 2010 that consisted of 48 skills and traits including personal and interpersonal skills, as well as technical skills. This study finds that the top 12 skills and traits for entry-level IT workers are personal and interpersonal skills with honesty and integrity ranked most highly. The top 5 technical skills have not changed considerably in the past five years. They are operating systems, security, hardware, networking, and database, which have been part of the IT core curriculum for many years. Based on the analysis of the survey, several recommendations for curricula for IT-related degree programs are provided

The Evolution of the Baltimore City Bureau of Recreation: 1940-1988

The purpose of this study was to examine the evolution of the Baltimore City Bureau of Recreation from its inception in the 1940, as the Department of Public Recreation to the beginning of 1988. Research focused on major policies that were developed in the areas of administration, budget, staff, facilities, and programs. Social, political an economic factors were examined to determine the effect each had on the formation of these policies. The historical method research was used to examine the artifacts and documents gathered for this study. The data were ordered utilizing the following chronological eras: 1) World War II and the Post-War Era of the 1940s; 2) Desegregation and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s; 3) Urban Renewal of the 1970s and the Changing Social Climate of the 1980s. Changes in the policies of the Bureau of Recreation were quantified to measure increases and decreases in budget, staff, facilities and programs. Decisions of the Board of Recreation and Parks, the policy-making body of the Department of Recreation and Parks until 1987, were examined in light of the three factors mentioned above. The research showed that the policies of the Bureau of Recreation changed significantly over the years, most dramatically with the desegregation of the Department after the landmark Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka Supreme Court decision, and the influx of Federal funds for the City of Baltimore after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Board of Recreation and Parks focused much of its attention on the "showcase" areas of the Department, like the Baltimore Zoo, Memorial Stadium and the five public golf courses. In 1984, when most of these units were privatized, a power struggle ensued eventually leading to a 1987 referendum that stripped the Board of its policy-making powers. The conclusions of this study indicated that while economic and social factors had obvious influence over policy decisions in the Bureau of Recreation out of necessity, the political factors had the most dramatic effects

Project ROI Report: Defining the Competitive and Financial Advantages of Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability

Corporate Responsibility (CR) practices have great potential to deliver financial returns on investment (ROI) as well as related business and competitive benefits. But it's not enough to engage in CR activities, one must manage them well. Companies should view their combined CR practices as value-creating assets. With proper design and sufficient investment, a company's "CR Assets" can support returns related to: * Share price and market value* Sales and revenue* Reputation and brand* Human resources* Risk and license to operateIt is time to move away from the debate over whether CR in the abstract creates or destroys value. Companies and their managers are able to exert some measure of both choice and control over the business-related benefits that their CR management will deliver. Like other investments, some CR initiatives will pan out and others won't. The implication for companies is to develop business-aligned and integrated CR strategies. This includes applying to CR some of the same management disciplines as any other business function

IT Program Curriculum Recommendations Based on a Survey of Knowledge and Skill Requirements for Entry-Level IT Workers

This paper provides an updated view of the importance of various skills and traits for entry-level IT workers as perceived by the IT industry based on a web-based survey administered to IT managers nationwide. The survey consists of 47 skills and traits that include personal and interpersonal skills, as well as technical skills. This study finds that the top 12 skills and traits are personal and interpersonal skills with honesty and integrity ranked most highly. The top 5 technical skills are operating systems, security, hardware, networking, and database, which have been part of the IT core for many years. The noticeable change in technical skills is the low ranking of programming. Based on the analysis of the survey, several ideas for curriculum recommendations for IT-related programs are provided

Inferring Species Trees from Gene Trees in a Radiation of California Trapdoor Spiders (Araneae, Antrodiaetidae, Aliatypus)

The California Floristic Province is a biodiversity hotspot, reflecting a complex geologic history, strong selective gradients, and a heterogeneous landscape. These factors have led to high endemic diversity across many lifeforms within this region, including the richest diversity of mygalomorph spiders (tarantulas, trapdoor spiders, and kin) in North America. The trapdoor spider genus Aliatypus encompasses twelve described species, eleven of which are endemic to California. Several Aliatypus species show disjunct distributional patterns in California (some are found on both sides of the vast Central Valley), and the genus as a whole occupies an impressive variety of habitats.We collected specimens from 89 populations representing all described species. DNA sequence data were collected from seven gene regions, including two newly developed for spider systematics. Bayesian inference (in individual gene tree and species tree approaches) recovered a general "3 clade" structure for the genus (A. gulosus, californicus group, erebus group), with three other phylogenetically isolated species differing slightly in position across different phylogenetic analyses. Because of extremely high intraspecific divergences in mitochondrial COI sequences, the relatively slowly evolving 28S rRNA gene was found to be more useful than mitochondrial data for identification of morphologically indistinguishable immatures. For multiple species spanning the Central Valley, explicit hypothesis testing suggests a lack of monophyly for regional populations (e.g., western Coast Range populations). Phylogenetic evidence clearly shows that syntopy is restricted to distant phylogenetic relatives, consistent with ecological niche conservatism.This study provides fundamental insight into a radiation of trapdoor spiders found in the biodiversity hotspot of California. Species relationships are clarified and undescribed lineages are discovered, with more geographic sampling likely to lead to additional species diversity. These dispersal-limited taxa provide novel insight into the biogeography and Earth history processes of California