The Examination of Organizational Respect in Relation to Organizational Culture

This paper is an in-depth examination of the connection between organizational respect and the strong roots of organizational culture. Throughout this thesis, we will examine the importance of management recognizing and implementing respect, how respect affects behaviors and characteristics of employees, and ways in which employees tend to feel the most respected. Additionally, we will closely examine the importance of establishing feelings of support, caring, and collaboration within an organization in efforts to create an environment filled with respect. Another concept that will be examined is the idea of person-culture fit, and how the alignment of values between employees and the overall organization can ultimately make or break its success. These concepts are important, because they collaboratively determine whether or not the organization will be able to sustain itself going forward. By the end of this paper, you will have a better understanding of the importance of organizational respect and how it contributes to organizational culture, as well as how organizational respect influences organizational culture and influences employee fit in organizations

Asian Americans and Latino Americans: Interracial Couple Functioning in a National Sample

Interracial relationships are increasing rapidly in the U.S., yet the divorce rate for these couples are substantially higher than that of intraracial couples. With populations of Asian Americans and Latinos increasing faster than any other racial group, factors affecting these groups in particular need to be examined in order to provide tailored services and support. This study uses the National Latino and Asian American Survey (NLAAS) to examine potential differences between interracial couples and intraracial couples on relationship satisfaction, relationship adjustment (i.e., partner support and strain), and intimate partner violence (IPV), as these factors may be contributing to a greater instability among interracial couples compared to intraracial couples. Results did not support the hypotheses that compared to intraracial couples, interracial couples would report lower marital satisfaction, fewer positive partner interactions (i.e., less partner support), more frequent negative partner interactions (i.e., greater partner strain), and greater levels of IPV. People who were in an interracial relationship reported greater partner support than people who were in an intraracial relationship; there was no association between interracial relationship status and the other measures of relationship functioning. Race moderated the association between interracial relationships and minor perpetration of violence such that Latinos in interracial relationships were less likely to be the perpetrators of minor forms of IPV than Latinos in intraracial relationships; there were no differences between interracial and intraracial relationships on perpetration of minor IPV for Asians

Investigation into the sensory-behavioural interactions between a dairy camel and a calf during milking

Feral Dromedary camels are increasingly being utilised in Australia and around the world to provide milk for human consumption. There are significant contradictions in the literature concerning the requirement of the presence of a calf for successful milking of the Dromedary camel. The first hypothesis tested in the current study was that presence of her own calf for the dairy camel is more successful than no calf or a non-kin calf, without any contact, for allowing milk let-down prior to machine milking. The second hypothesis was that full physical contact between the dairy camel and her calf is more successful than no calf or a non-kin calf (with contact) for allowing milk let-down prior to machine milking. An additional aim was to investigate the sensory behaviours associated with successful milking of the dairy camel. A total of 9 camels and their respective year-old calves were used in the study. A total of twelve experimental sessions were conducted, six kin sessions and six non-kin sessions. On the kin day, after the cow was situated in the race and the udder was washed, let-down was attempted by manual stimulation firstly without a calf. If let-down was successful, the cow was milked and moved into the release yard with the calf. If let-down was unsuccessful, a transparent plastic barrier was moved into place between the cow race and calf race to block physical contact. The kin calf was let into the calf race and the milker continued to use manual stimulation to elicit milk let-down with the calf present. If let-down was successful, the cow was milked, then both cow and calf were let into the release yard. If let-down was unsuccessful, the barrier was removed, and the calf given full physical contact access to the cow including suckling. This procedure was repeated for the non-kin day. Success of let-down, time taken to let-down and cow and calf behaviours were recorded. There was an overall effect of treatment (χ2=37.2; P<0.0001), with the presence of the kin calf stimulating milk let-down by the cow on 73% (n=64) of attempts, compared to 20% (n=64) for the presence of the non-kin calf and 42% (n=108) when no calf was present. There was also a significant effect of the barrier (χ2=24.8; P<0.0001), for when the barrier placed between the cow and calf, the kin calf elicited milk let-down on 50% of attempts, while the non-kin calf was unable to initiate let-down on any occasion. When the barrier was removed the kin calf successfully initiated let-down on 94% of attempts, while the non-kin calf was only successful on 40% of all attempts. The dominant behaviours associated with let-down were cow and calf vocalisations, vigilance of the cow looking at the calf, and udder nudges. The findings of the current study partially agrees with the majority of literature that stated that the presence of the kin calf was “essential” for achieving milk let-down in Dromedary camels. However, it is clear from this study that it is still possible to achieve milk let-down using no calf or a non-kin calf. This research may act as a platform to launch future study into the management and understanding of Dromedary camels and may be used to improve industry practises within the camel dairy industry

Leader resignations: An examination of public communications patterns of American university presidents during high-profile crises

American university presidents increasingly risk losing their jobs and the perils of an already challenging role may be elevated during crises. The convergence of a crisis and a president’s sudden abbreviated tenure can damage a university. Presidential crisis leadership involves communicating with anxious constituents eager to interpret ambiguous circumstances. In the modern digital communications environment, presidents communicate offline and online, with constituents who expect frequent, rapid, and timely information during crises. In response to increases in sudden presidential departure, higher education’s endemic crises, and the attention of news media and social media users to university crisis episodes, this study asks: when presidents resign during high-profile crises, what patterns can be found in pre-resignation communications? Uniquely, this empirical investigation was designed to generate new knowledge about abbreviated presidential tenure during university crises, in contrast to prior studies that examined abbreviated tenure and crisis leadership separately. This research integrates case study methods and discourse analysis to examine public communications during crisis episodes ending in resignation, including media coverage, presidential statements, and social media responses. After conducting a pilot study, two high-profile 2018 crisis episodes involving presidential resignation were selected for investigation using an emergent, purposeful sampling technique. Analyses yielded four overarching findings identified by conducting and comparing the two full cases. Constituents indirectly influence and also directly seek to influence the presidents, although sources of influence vary. Multiple constituents develop and share specific, public interpretations of presidential actions and identities. Presidential relationships appear challenged in ways that have been found to contribute to abbreviated tenure. Presidents communicate infrequently, while minimal time elapses between critical statements from potentially influential constituents. Results of the study enabled the development of a preliminary theory of discursive university leadership during crisis, as well as produced implications for practicing leaders

Predicting Sense Of Community in a Historic Latino/Latina Neighborhood Undergoing Gentrification

Neighborhoods with generational Mexican American populations may have high levels of block Social Cohesion and neighborhood Sense of Community. Streetcar-focused development via federal and local investment often spurs gentrification in neighborhoods with ethnic concentrations, which shifts neighborhood demographics towards more White and higher income households. The new residential and business investment in the neighborhood often has an impact on existing neighborhood social dynamics. This study includes mixed methods resident survey data of long term and newer residents. The qualitative data analysis informs quantitative data analysis in order to better understand resident descriptions of the impact of neighborhood streetcar focused gentrification on social factors in a generational Latino/Latina neighborhood at one point in time just before the streetcar opening. Specifically the study seeks to: (a) provide a description of generational and new resident experiences with block Social Cohesion and neighborhood Sense of Community; (b) determine differences (between Latino/Latina households and those with children present and other study participants) in block Social Cohesion, neighborhood Sense of Community, and Involvement in Neighborhood and Voluntary Associations; and (c) determine what factors predict neighborhood Sense of Community. The study highlights the Latino/Latina residents’ maintenance of a strong ethnic identity, generational neighborhood based social ties, and ongoing involvement in neighborhood schools and religious traditions that contribute to a strong neighborhood Sense of Community. Newer residents report being drawn to and supporting the maintenance of the neighborhood Sense of Community

Engineering Poly(ethylene glycol) Materials to Promote Cardiogenesis

Heart failure is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, and the current costs of treatment put a significant economic burden on our societies. After an infarction, fibrotic tissue begins to form as part of the heart failure cascade. Current options to slow this process include a wide range of pharmaceutical agents, and ultimately the patient may require a heart transplant. Innovative treatment approaches are needed to bring down costs and improve quality of life. The possibility of regenerating or replacing damaged tissue with healthy cardiomyocytes is generating considerable excitement, but there are still many obstacles to overcome. First, while cell injections into the myocardium have demonstrated slight improvements in cardiac function, the actual engraftment of transplanted cells is very low. It is anticipated that improving engraftment will boost outcomes. Second, cellular differentiation and reprogramming protocols have not yet produced cells that are identical to adult cardiomyocytes, and immunogenicity continues to be a problem despite the advent of autologously derived induced pluripotent stem cells. This dissertation will explore biomaterials approaches to addressing these two obstacles. Tissue engineering scaffolds may improve cell engraftment by providing bioactive factors, preventing cell anoikis, and reducing cell washout by blood flow. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is often used as a coating to reduce implant rejection because it is highly resistant to protein adsorption. Because fibrosis of a material in contact with the myocardium could cause arrhythmias, PEG materials are highly relevant for cardiac tissue engineering applications. In Chapter 2, we describe a novel method for crosslinking PEG microspheres around cells to form a scaffold for tissue engineering. We then demonstrate that HL-1 cardiomyocyte viability and phenotype are retained throughout the fabrication process and during the first 7 weeks of culture. In the third chapter of the dissertation, we demonstrate that the use of PEG cell culture substrates can improve efficiency of direct reprogramming from fibroblasts to cardiomyocytes for cell transplantation. Standard tissue culture plastic adsorbs proteins from the cell media, increasing experimental variability via non-specific signaling. Because of its protein resistant properties, PEG provides cells with highly specific signals. In addition to improving the efficiency, we found that presentation of RGD peptides stimulated proliferation during reprogramming. Combined, the improvements enabled us to approximately double the number of cardiomyocytes produced by the protocol. In Chapter 4, we explore the effects of 3D culture on the direct reprogramming protocol described in Chapter 3. We demonstrate that the variables involved in 3D culture, including scaffold material, diffusion, cellular remodeling, and scaffold topography, have significant effects on reprogramming efficiency. This chapter provides the groundwork for future studies developing 3D microenvironments for efficient and scalable reprogramming to cardiomyocytes

Contingency management and alcohol abuse

This paper explores a substance abuse intervention strategy known as contingency management (CM), which has been shown to be effective in a variety of contexts (Prendergast, 2006). Specifically, it identifies the minimum hypothetical amount of money participants might be willing to exchange for their abstinence from alcohol on a given day of the week. The hypothetical amounts of money were identified using the Walker Alcohol Contingency Test (WACT), and participants’ risk level for alcohol consumption was identified using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which grouped participants into one of three caregories. Additional information such as year in school and gender were included in order to isolate factors that contribute to their differences in monetary amounts. Results showed that participants identified by the AUDIT as high-risk for alcohol abuse problems required more money overall than did lower-risk groups. This research can help to inform enactments of CM in the future by providing a framework to determine how much money should be used, which participants require more money, and on what days

“Measuring Silences” in the Translation of Awa Thiam\u27s La Parole aux Négresses

An overlooked, yet significant text in the genealogy of intersectionality and Black feminist theory is Awa Thiam’s 1978 text La Parole aux Négresses. This paper examines the ways that the English translation, Speak Out, Black Sisters: Feminism and Oppression in Black Africa,though widening the audience for Thiam’s work, engages in various practices of erasure that undermine Thiam’s academic authority, theoretical contributions, activist insights, and ultimately, her own voice. Namely, I contend that these practices, which scholars have linked to receptions and English translations of Black Francophone texts in particular, include de-formalization, domestication, de-philosophizing, untracing, and invisibilisation. I seek not just to focus on the “negative” aspect of these silences, but also to enact a partial restitution of Thiam’s insights from the original French text. Further, re-engaging with her text, contributions, and insights calls for more reflexivity around the politics of translation, English language hegemony, and recognition of African feminist scholarship

Capitalizing on Positive Emotional Experiences: A Gratitude Intervention as an Emotional Uplift Strategy

Positive psychological interventions are well suited to build upon positive experiences to enhance positive affect and coping resources; however, experimental research is limited, especially regarding if and how gratitude practices can bolster positive affect and coping resources. As a result, the purpose of the current research was to determine (a) if self-reports of gratitude traits vary by important demographic categories (i.e., gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, rural status), (b) if gratitude interventions elevate reports of positive affect after accounting for the effects of positive memory recall, and (c) if gratitude interventions contribute to greater elevations on coping resources (i.e., resilience, coping self-efficacy) after accounting for the effects of positive memory recall. The study was completed in two phases with samples of university students. Results indicated significant gender and socioeconomic status (SES) differences on gratitude. Specifically, women reported higher gratitude traits compared to men and participants who described their SES as “high” reported greater levels of gratitude traits compared to participants who described their SES as “low”. Results also revealed a significant time x memory recall interaction effect, where individuals who participated in the positive memory recall group reported substantially higher scores on positive affect compared to individuals in the memory control group. However, a non-significant memory recall X gratitude intervention X time effect was revealed, which suggests participating in the gratitude intervention did not contribute to any additive effects on positive affect after accounting for the effects of memory recall. In terms of resilience, individuals who participated in the positive memory recall group reported substantially higher scores on resilience compared to individuals in the memory control group. However, results revealed a non-significant gratitude main effect and a non-significant memory recall X intervention interaction effect. Only non-significant effects were revealed for coping self-efficacy. Overall, these results suggest individuals who participated in the positive memory recall task received a subsequent boost in positive affect and resilience. However, participation in a gratitude intervention did not generate any additive benefits to positive psychological resources. Such findings represent a significant extension to research on memory recall and offer some direction for future research for gratitude interventions as a mechanism to bolster positive psychological resources