GOING BEYOND THE BEST INSUFFICIENT OPTION: AN EXPLORATION OF SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP INITIATIVES WITHIN TWO NON-PROFIT SOCIAL WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS IN ONTARIO

Facing a backdrop of decreased government funds and an increasing need for services, social service non-profit organizations are struggling to survive and provide services to their communities. One proposed solution to this financial struggle is to generate revenue through social entrepreneurship and social enterprise. Two non-profit organizations in Ontario have engaged in social enterprise and they form the basis for this case study. Adopting a hybrid social enterprise model, Organization X and Housing Corporation A receive revenue from three main sources: government funding, private donations, and profits created through social enterprise activities. These organizations have managed to broaden their service offering through their social enterprise initiatives and thus provide resources and services for their clients which might not otherwise have been available. Social enterprise has provided these organizations with financial stability, ensuring sustainability for their organizational operations. In this study, the impact of social enterprise on the sustainability of the hybrid social enterprise model is explored through the perceptions and experiences of the leaders in these organizations. The relationship between government and non-profit organizations engaged in social enterprise is also explored, with a particular emphasis on the support and challenges provided by the state. Furthermore, the interplay and tensions between the three sources is explored and analysed. This study contributes to satisfying the need for research into social enterprise case studies within a Canadian context, attempting to address the research gap as outlined by Cave (2016). During my research, I explore philosophical tensions and moral dilemmas pertaining to the social services sector, the use of social enterprise and the effectiveness of the hybrid social enterprise organizational model

Charting Habitus: Stephen King, the Author Protagonist and the Field of Literary Production

While most research in King studies focuses on Stephen King’s contribution to the horror genre, this thesis approaches King as a participant in American popular culture, specifically exploring the role the author-protagonist plays in his writing about writing. I have chosen Bourdieu’s theoretical construct of habitus through which to focus my analysis into not only King’s narratives, but also into his non-fiction and paratextual material: forewords, introductions, afterwords, interviews, reviews, articles, editorials and unpublished archival documents. This has facilitated my investigation into the literary field that King participates within, and represents in his fiction, in order to provide insight into his perception of the high/low cultural divide, the autonomous and heteronomous principles of production and the ways in which position-taking within that field might be effected. This approach has resulted in a study that combines the methods of literary analysis and book history; it investigates both the literary construct and the tangible page. King’s part autobiography, part how-to guide, On Writing (2000), illustrates the rewards such an approach yields, by indicating four main ways in which his perception of, and participation in, the literary field manifests: the art/money dialectic, the dangers inherent in producing genre fiction, the representation of art produced according to the heteronomous principle and the relationship between popular culture and the Academy. The texts which form the focus of the case studies in this thesis, The Shining, Misery, The Dark Half, Bag of Bones and Lisey’s Story demonstrate that there exists a dramatisation of King’s habitus at the level of the narrative which is centred on the figure of the author-protagonist. I argue that the actions of the characters Jack Torrance, Paul Sheldon, Thad Beaumont, Mike Noonan and Scott Landon, and the situations they find themselves in, offer an expression of King’s perception of the literary field, an expression which benefits from being situated within the context of his paratextually articulated pronouncements of authorship, publication and cultural production

Social Prescribing for an Aging Population

As the human population is moving toward a demographic of aging individuals, increased levels of stress will be placed on the current health care system. “… As people live longer, there is a tendency or the onset of disease to occur closer to the end of life” (p. 441) and the incidence of mental health illnesses is prevalent in older adults. Currently, the medical model is dominant in the health care system and aims to cure any issue(s) without considerations in the cause or source. Social prescribing/social prescription enables physicians and health care professionals to refer individuals to non-clinical services, such as art and music, to provide holistic care or a response to the current health care system. This paper will provide an overview of the concept of social prescribing, offer examples in the current practices of social prescription, and describe the role of social prescription in older adults and their caregivers

In vitro plant regeneration and Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation of Datura stramonium (Solanaceae).

Premise of the Study:Datura stramonium is a pharmacologically and evolutionarily important plant species in the family Solanaceae. Stable transformation methodology of this species would be advantageous for future genetic studies. Methods:In vitro plant regeneration and Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated transformation techniques were developed for D. stramonium based on methods reported for tomato. A binary vector containing pAtUBQ10::erGFP was used for transformation. Results:We recovered primary transformants harboring the green fluorescent protein (GFP) transgene that resulted in expression of fluorescence in all tissues analyzed. Transformants were allowed to self-pollinate, and two of five progeny contained the GFP transgene and displayed fluorescence identical to the primary transformants. Discussion:We have demonstrated the first stable transformation in the genus Datura. This is a key first step to study the genetic basis of traits in this evolutionarily interesting species

Reflections 1983

The 1983 issue of Reflections is edited by Amy J. Wilson with Joyce Compton Brown serving as faculty adviser. This issue of the journal is dedicated to the memory of three Gardner-Webb professors killed in an accident: Michael Harrison, James Henson, and John Rast. Included are selected works written by their colleagues Dr. Bill Stowe, Dr. Rick Wilson, and Dr. Roger Gaddis which were also read at a campus memorial service. Award winners of the student writing contest include: Rick Howell, Kirsta Colle, and Stan Blair. Winner of the high-school contest is Sherrie Simmons.https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/reflections/1009/thumbnail.jp

Reflections 1982

The 1982 issue of Reflections is edited by Amy J. Wilson with Joyce Compton Brown serving as faculty adviser. Cover photography is by Les Brown. Award winners of the student writing contest are: Leigh Fogia, Eric Stamey, and Charlotte Porterhttps://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/reflections/1008/thumbnail.jp

Patient-centered health care for infants: a qualitative analysis of mothers’ experiences and preferences

Objective: Nowhere is patient-centered care more important than in the vulnerable time of the first few weeks of a new-born’s life. However little is understood about mothers’ experiences and preferences with health care. Method: Thirty-four mothers were interviewed using verbatim transcripts to code for key and recurrent themes regarding their experiences and preferences in health care for their infant. Results: Mothers valued honest and realistic reassurance, time with a health care professional who really listens and continuity of advice rather than inconsistent or conflicting advice. Mothers are often sent for chiropractic care on the recommendation of other health care professionals who recognize a biomechanical problem from birth trauma. Conclusion: Patient-centered care begins with understanding the patient, or in the case of infants, the parents’ needs for that patient. Clinicians who give time, attention, reassurance and consistent advice are valued by mothers who seek care for their infant

Using Experiential and Collaborative Methods with Undergraduates and Older Persons as part of an Introduction to Gerontology Course

This study examines an Introduction to Gerontology course for undergraduate students that integrates experiential and collaborative learning experiences as part of a general course requirement. Experiential learning encourages students to go outside of the classroom and learn about aging from an older person in a field setting. The collaborative group approach is designed to have peers work together in the course. This study used qualitative methods to examine undergraduates’ learning experiences as a result of participation in a multiple-interview and groupwork-based project through their enrollment in the Introduction to Gerontology course. Content analysis was used to analyze multiple sources of data produced by the 43 students enrolled. Data were retrieved from students’ self-reflections in open-ended questionnaires and blinded course evaluations along with the authors’ own observational work. Findings indicate that students benefited from the experiential component which served to dispel stereotypes and preconceived ideas about older persons, though that did not necessarily translate into generating students’ interest in making gerontology a career path. Collaborative work, although seen generally as positive, had some mixed results based on students’ roles in the group and dynamics of a few groups. Issues of some student roles in the group unexpectedly not meeting with the older person are also discussed along with the impact of the project upon the community-partnered organization

A Multidirectional Europe: Post-Socialist Memory in Contemporary German Literature

Focusing on novels by three contemporary German authors and one multi-author theater text, “A Multidirectional Europe” investigates how their writing responds to post-1989 memory paradigms in which post-socialist memory, in relation to the Holocaust and Second World War, has received asymmetrical attention. Conceived as an interdisciplinary and comparative study, this dissertation analyzes how narrative texts by Herta Müller (1953-), Nino Haratischwili (1983-), Saša Stanišić (1978-) and the play Ein europäisches Abendmahl [2017] frame the memory of socialism in relation to the Holocaust, considering the ways in which these authors challenge the larger post- or transnational discourse of a supposedly “unified Europe.” Having migrated from Romania, Georgia, and Bosnia respectively, these authors, I argue, integrate post-socialist memories into German, and European, memory discourses through their play with genre, narrative structure, figurative language, and intertextuality. Although sociohistorical context is crucial in my readings for questions of memory, this dissertation seeks to transcend bounded definitions of memory, embracing a dynamic approach that is more inclusive in terms of the (hi)stories that are told and that contribute to the imagination of a heterogenous continent. Combining cultural studies, literary analysis, and memory theory, I move away from reading these works under the lens of autobiographical trauma, seeking instead to examine the negotiation of post-socialist memory through attending to generic and formal elements of the literary texts. My literary close readings methodologically draw on individual texts, while reflecting how literature is in exchange with other media and also present in the public sphere. Rather than a homogeneous entity, I show, the invoked Europe constitutes a multidirectional network. Through my focus on contexts beyond East Germany and its experience of state socialism, I address the intersections of migration and memory and their relevance for contemporary and future Germany and Europe, while counteracting approaches that traditionally center West Central Europe in discussions of the continent. In dialogue with Michael Rothberg’s conceptualization of multidirectional memory, I furthermore contribute to ongoing debates on different histories of violence, such as the current discussion about the relation or interaction between the memories of colonialism and the Holocaust

Foster Care in Missouri

In 2001, approximately 805,000 children in the United States were in foster care. The majority of children entering foster care have experienced prolonged and repeated abuse and neglect. Consequently, many have serious developmental, physical, and emotional problems and require numerous services to ameliorate their problems. Research indicates that the current foster care system does not adequately meet the needs of this population