Syria's New Neoliberal Elite: English Usage, Linguistic Practices and Group Boundries.

This dissertation examines the emergence of a discrete new Syrian social group, the neoliberal elite, through shared, English-based linguistic practices. It demonstrates how this new group reacts to Syria’s liberalizing economy by adopting the same ideology that underpins official economic reform and applying it to the groups’ social and linguistic practices. As Syria’s adaptation of neoliberal ideology emphasizes local conceptions of personal development, skills-building and entrepreneurship, the neoliberal elite consider the patterned inclusion of key English terms and phrases into Arabic conversations as proof of such accomplishments. Group membership depends upon familiarity with and adherence to such neoliberal norms. In particular, this dissertation focuses on the deployment of these linguistic practices in venues associated with the neoliberal elite, such as Syria’s burgeoning entrepreneurship associations, venues of conspicuous consumption, private educational institutions and volunteer campaigns. The recent emergence of the new neoliberal elite is the culmination of years of political, economic and social shifts that have promoted private enterprise and wealth accumulation and allowed certain apolitical civic organizations to flourish. Syria’s two entrepreneurship associations are the primary incubators for the neoliberal elite. The linguistic practices used in them, specifically exclusionary deictic terms and English lexical items from transnational neoliberal ideology, work to erect group boundaries, determine group eligibility, and dictate the practices of its members. Neoliberal elites deploy two primary linguistic strategies for negotiating group boundaries: style, English and Arabic mixing according to set patterns, and stance, the linguistic calculation of appropriate English-based linguistic practices. Syrians can thus leverage successful linguistic practices in a range of local marketplaces that follow the same neoliberal ideology. In volunteer campaigns, charity interventions bring neoliberal elites into contact with non-elite Syrians who receive such assistance. The group’s linguistic practices and expectations play a powerful role in demarcating group boundaries and setting its terms of exclusion. Neoliberal elites must also navigate their relationship with an ambivalent and repressive Syrian regime. This new Syrian elite epitomizes an important regional and worldwide trend, where those who embrace the ideology of neoliberal adaptations to repressive governance coalesce as a distinct, powerful and often exclusionary local social group.Ph.D.AnthropologyUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/86336/1/apterc_1.pd

The transfer dilemma

Abstract In this paper we provide an overview of research on transfer, highlighting its main tenets. Then we look at interviews of two fifth grade students learning about mathematical concepts regarding operations on positive and negative quantities. We attempt to focus on how their learning is influenced by their prior knowledge and experience. We take the position that transfer is a theory of learning and we attempt to show that it cannot provide a solid foundation for explaining such examples of learning

Estimating relative risk of within-lake aquatic plant invasion using combined measures of recreational boater movement and habitat suitability

Effective monitoring, prevention and impact mitigation of nonindigenous aquatic species relies upon the ability to predict dispersal pathways and receiving habitats with the greatest risk of establishment. To examine mechanisms affecting species establishment within a large lake, we combined observations of recreational boater movements with empirical measurements of habitat suitability represented by nearshore wave energy to assess the relative risk of Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) establishment. The model was evaluated using information from a 17 year (1995–2012) sequence of M. spicatum presence and absence monitoring. M. spicatum presence was not specifically correlated with recreational boater movements; however its establishment appears to be limited by wave action in Lake Tahoe. Of the sites in the “High” establishment risk category (n = 37), 54% had current or historical infestations, which included 8 of the 10 sites with the highest relative risk. Of the 11 sites in the “Medium” establishment risk category, 5 had current or historical M. spicatum populations. Most (76%) of the sites in the “Low” establishment risk category were observed in locations with higher wave action. Four sites that received zero boater visits from infested locations were occupied by M. spicatum. This suggests that the boater survey either represents incomplete coverage of boater movement, or other processes, such as the movement of propagules by surface currents or introductions from external sources are important to the establishment of this species. This study showed the combination of habitat specific and dispersal data in a relative risk framework can potentially reduce uncertainty in estimates of invasion risk

The Challenge of Competing in the Retail Domain: A Review of the Complexities, Strategies, and Results of Capri Holdings Limited

The key to competing in the luxury market is adopting a differentiation strategy. Since the luxury fashion segment is saturated, standing out from the crowd of other luxury retailers can be the key to organizational survival. In this work, I compare and contrast the strategies and qualitative and quantitative performance of Capri Holdings Limited with those of the Ralph Lauren Corp. The strategy to performance evaluation is based on a 5-point Likert Scale and includes more than 40 points of assessment. At the opposite ends of the scale, 1 represented very poor performance and 5 represented that which was very good. Data was collected from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission site and from information detailed in the firm\u27s formal report, the 10-K. Additional performance data was collected from a combination of the Internet, the popular press, some academic publications, financial analysts’ websites, Yahoo! Finance, and Google Finance websites. The overriding goal of this work was to enhance understanding of the environment in which luxury brands must compete and to gain insight as to the alignment of strategies to performance. Performance records indicate that Capri Holding Limited was not invincible or immune to the many challenges facing the retail industry, particularly the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, analysis of their formal performance records indicates their strategies were flexible and anticipatory, thereby enabling the firm to adapt when necessary. In summary, their performance was impressive despite the numerous environmental challenges the entire industry was forced to face

Citizens Abroad

This book explores a critical and often neglected aspect of emigration fromMiddle Eastern countries. Rather than focusing on the policies of the statesreceiving Middle Eastern immigrants, Brand’s research studies the policies ofthose Middle Eastern states from which emigration originates. She attributesthis neglect to the chauvinism of scholars writing from the Americas andWestern Europe who have made their own countries the central actors of theirresearch. Her other theoretical contribution is to challenge and deconstructsimplistic and outdated conceptions of state sovereignty. She selects four casestudies (viz., Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, and Jordan), noting each one’s variedlevels of involvement in the expatriates’ lives, the emigrants’ differentdestinations, and the dissimilar relationships between the expatriates and theircountries of origin. By bringing together four disparate cases in one book,Brand addresses the larger question of how emigration from states impactsthe originating states’ conceptions of their own sovereignty ...</jats:p

Coordinate Geometry—Art and Mathematics

Our sutudents cry for self-expression, for a chance to see mathematics in action. Frequently, however, the structure of mathematics does not lend itself to individual style or variation. Problem solving can tend to be dull and monotonous rather than exciting and stimulating.</jats:p