An empirical investigation into the use of product development in the educational furniture industry : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Technology in Product Development at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

An empirical investigation into the use of product development in the educational furniture industry is summarised in this thesis. New Zealand furniture manufacturers are facing increased competition from imported furniture and are also exporting more and more furniture. Developing new products is therefore important to the New Zealand furniture industry's growth. This research was based on a small furniture-manufacturing firm from Hastings, New Zealand called Furnware Industries Limited (Furnware). A product development process was developed to their specific needs by comparing their current product development activities with identified best practices in product development. Those parts of the current activities that worked well were amalgamated with the structured Stage-Gateœ process of Cooper (1998). This process was tested by using it to develop a Mobile Technology Education Workstation range for Furnware. The aim of the project was to develop a new product for Furnware to sell and to simultaneously test the developed process. Once the project was completed, an evaluation of the product development process used was undertaken. Several areas for improvement were identified and a revised process outlined. The use of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) software was identified as another area of improvement that would assist both product development activities and existing manufacturing processes at Furnware. Consequently, a CAD package best suited to Furnware is selected using a structured process. The three main outcomes of the research were: 1. A product development process suited to Furnware. 2. A Mobile Technology Education Workstation range of products ready for launch, pending minor adjustments and testing. 3. A CAD software package suggested for use at Furnware

Impacts of Feeding Baleage to Beef Calves During the Backgrounding Period

Two hundred forty beef calves (BW = 217 ± 20.6 kg) were used to evaluate performance, blood metabolites, and rumen development from feeding bermudagrass or ryegrass and rye baleage. Calves were stratified by BW, sex, and breed and assigned to one of 12 paddocks (0.40 ha each) with 4 treatment diets and fed for a 60 d backgrounding period. Diets included: early boot stage bermudagrass hay, (BERH); early boot stage ryegrass and rye baleage (ERRG); late bloom stage ryegrass and rye baleage, (LRRG); and early boot stage bermudagrass baleage, (BERB). Calves on BERH, LRRG, and BERB had free choice access to a 35% CP (as fed basis) liquid supplement. Body weights and rectal temperatures were collected on d -1, 0, 29, 30, 60, and 61 for comparison of BW, BW gain, ADG, and body temperature. Ruminal fluid and blood samples were collected for analysis of pH, NH3, VFA, PUN, and glucose from calves (n = 5 and 10/paddock, respectively) on d 0, 30, and 60. There was a treatment by day interaction (P \u3c 0.01) for BW, temperature, PUN and ruminal pH. Body weights were heavier (P \u3c 0.05) for LRRG compared with BERB and BERH, and heavier (P = 0.01) for ERRG compared with BERB on d 60, respectively. Body temperatures declined (P \u3c0.01) from day 0 to 60. Plasma urea nitrogen was lowest (P \u3c0.01) LRRG on d 30 compared with BERB and BERH; whereas, LRRG has the lowest (P \u3c0.01) PUN on d 60 compared with the remaining treatments. Ruminal pH was lowest (P \u3c0.01) for BERH and LRRG compared with ERRG on d 30, and highest (P \u3c0.01) for ERRG on d 60 compared with BERB, respectively. Body weight gain and ADG were greater (P \u3c 0.01) during the 60 d backgrounding period for calves fed ERRG and LRRG. A treatment effect existed for glucose where concentrations in the ERRG and BERH fed calves were greater (P \u3c0.05) compared with the LRRG and BERB fed calves. A day effect for NH3 and glucose existed where concentrations decreased (P\u3c0.01) from d 0 to 30 among all treatments. A treatment by day interaction existed (P =0.05) for butyrate where levels were greater for BERH and LRRG on d 30 compared with LRRG on d 60. Main effect of treatment (P \u3c0.01) was observed for acetate and propionate, where BERB and LRRG had the lowest concentrations compared with ERRG and BERH. Performance of backgrounded calves fed ryegrass and rye baleage with or without supplementation, based on harvest stage, was improved over feeding bermudagrass hay with supplementation

Some Legal Aspects of Religion in Public Education

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of Education at Morehead State College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts in Education by William Morgan Martin in July of 1952

Oral History Interview: Sidney Morgan Martin

This interview is one of a series conducted concerning the experiences of West Virginian war veterans. Mr. Morgan picked cotton and worked in lumber until he was twenty-two. He then joined the United States Army and fought in the Spanish-American War. In 1973, he was a candidate for sheriff of Lyon County, Kentucky, where he was residing at the time of the interview. The interview concerns life on the farm and his war experiences.https://mds.marshall.edu/oral_history/1074/thumbnail.jp

Oyster Demand Adjustments to Counter-Information and Source Treatments in Response to Vibrio vulnificus

A web-based contingent behavior analysis is developed to quantity the effect of both negative and positive information treatments and post harvest processes (PHP) on demand for oysters. Results from a panel model indicate that consumers of raw and cooked oysters behave differently after news of an oyster-related human mortality. While cooked oyster consumers take precautionary measures against risk, raw oyster consumers exhibit optimistic bias and increase their consumption level. Further, by varying the source of a counter-information treatment, we find that source credibility impacts behavior. Oyster consumers, and in particular, raw oyster consumers, are most responsive to information provided by a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization. Finally, post harvest processing of oysters has no impact on demand. Key Words: Oyster demand; consumer behavior; non-market valuation; Vibrio vulnificus; information treatments; source credibility; optimistic bias

Synergies Between Residents: Evaluating Support and Concerns of Recreation and Tourism Economic Development within the Monongahela National Forest Region

Tourism has continually been presented as a growing economic sector around the world. Having become an area of increased interest for diversifying rural economies, tourism is an attractive alternative to the declining traditional economic engines of rural communities like agriculture, forestry, and mining. Rural destinations have become increasingly attractive to outside visitors who seek to pursue activities embedded within the local culture and distinctive attractive assets available in rural regions. The USDA has recognized the increasing importance of recreation and tourism economies as an emerging or priority area of national need and an effective means for rural development. Even with the rate of growth and popularity, many rural communities lack the human capacity, access to funding and marketing expertise, and other necessary resources to successfully capitalize on the economic opportunities associated with recreation and tourism development. Additionally, competition between communities for the same or similar markets poses another challenge. Limited research has been conducted to examine collaboration between communities at a regional level, which focuses on the development of partnerships and shared resources for mutual growth and co-promotion of a regional tourism product(s) among the communities involved. As a precursor to this study, the Mon Forest Towns Partnership was created in 2017 through the support of the US Forest Service, West Virginia University, USDA Rural Development, and 10 gateway communities to the Monongahela National Forest (MNF). The Mon Forest Towns function in the belief that having access to the resources, infrastructure, and energy of local communities provides opportunities for the pursuit of larger goals and projects as resources are pooled for collaborative successes. This study aims to understand and identify where within the region the collaborative efforts are supported, whether the residents of the region believe that there exists the necessary foundation for collaboration between the gateway communities, and whether the potential for benefits of regional collaboration are universally perceived within the eight-county region. The purpose of this study is to explore the current levels of recreation and tourism development within the MNF region from the perspective of the local resident population, while also to examine potential synergies or differences in attitudes and perceptions of recreation and tourism development between individual counties within the region. Quantitative methods were employed with support from both the West Virginia University research team as well as the Mon Forest Towns Marketing Committee. Survey data was collected from 759 residents. Factor analysis and ANOVA were utilized as analysis methods for regional and county to county comparisons. Results are divided into sections. The results of the factor analysis identify both positive and negative aspects of resident attitudes and perceptions of recreation and tourism development, as well as their particular aspects related to their support for regional collaboration. Identified factor means are further used to test for differences between the counties within the region, an investigation that aims to pinpoint areas where residents are experiencing outlying effects or attitude formations of tourism development. The goal of this is to provide regional planners and policy makers with a better understanding of areas where work may be needed and/or where there exist threats to the overall success of recreation and tourism development and the regional collaborative efforts that are underway. Findings in this study suggest that the residents within the region are generally supportive of further recreation and tourism development within the region but are less supportive toward unsustainable development practices as well as expressing concerns for threats to the authenticity of their communities. There also exists support for collaboration across the region, as residents of all of the counties placed a high value on the natural and cultural resources available within the region. This study contributes to the existing body of literature on resident attitudes toward tourism development at different stages of development in addition to tourism’s impact on local communities at a regional level. Conclusions from this study include recommendations for continued involvement of the resident population in the planning and development of a recreation and tourism economy, as well as the need for further research in order to better understand how the impacts of recreation and tourism development vary according to tourism lifecycle stages in rural areas