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Comparing the Electoral Behavior of North Carolina Black Republicans an Examination of the Electoral Behavior and Political Attitudes of Black Republicans in North Carolina During the 2016 Presidential Election
No full textThis study seeks to bring insight into the inquiry, “How Republican are Black Republicans, Really?” This quantitative study examined the political perspectives of Black Republican voters and leadership in North Carolina, as well as Black Republicans nationally. Through a combination of primary and secondary data, the study used four data sources, including the PEW Research Center’s 2017 Political Typology study, the North Carolina chapter of the National Frederick Douglass Foundation (FDF), North Carolina registered voters and Black Republican experts. Three separate analysis approaches resulted in preliminary, demographic, and expert subject matter findings. Over the last fifteen years, there has been a rise in the number of registered Black Republicans in North Carolina. According to data obtained from the North Carolina Board of Elections (NCBOE), there were just over ten thousand registered Black Republicans who voted during the 2004 presidential election. As of 2018, data from the NCBOE shows the number of registered Black GOP representatives has risen to just over twenty-eight thousand. This has prompted an explorative inquiry into the premise of the voting behavior of Black Republicans, and if and why they would support a Trump Administration. The study concluded that members of the North Carolina chapter of the Frederick Douglass Foundation stood firm in their support of the Republican Party and President Trump during the 2016 Republican primary and general elections and that North Carolina rank and file Black Republicans are a fairly liberal leaning group when compared to other Republicans nationally
Crisis Management at an Institution of Higher Education During the Recovery Phase of the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study
No full textThis qualitative study addressed the following research question: How did crisis managers at one IHE make decisions in the recovery process during a pandemic crisis? The case under study was a four-year private college located in a midwestern state. Participants in this study included four senior administration officials. I interviewed participants and analyzed available artifacts. In my analyses, I used a matrix of two types of recovery decisions and two categories of decision-making systems. Findings indicated that participants’ decisions were based on morals, values, and ethics that mirrored the values and ethics of their college. I conclude that some types of decision making were more prevalent than I expected. I recommend implementation of an Incident Command Team at the study site and similar institutions
Competition in Economic Theory and the Skew in U.S. Corporate Wealth Creation
No full textHistorical studies of U.S. capital markets show a dramatic skew in the distribution of corporate wealth. This thesis investigates the evolution of economic thought related to realistic models of competition, seeking to find the most suitable theory of competition to explain this skew in U.S. corporate wealth creation. The incorporation of realistic elements into the static theories of competition leads to theoretical difficulties in the early 20th century. Another line of thought developed non-equilibrium dynamic models of competition, culminating in Schumpeter. In Schumpeter, firms seek to manage the uncertainty from rapid change induced by innovation and increasing returns by following regulative business strategies to reduce the uncertainty of investment. Failure to manage the uncertainty of investment results in “creative destruction,” allowing firms with superior strategies to reap disproporation rewards, resulting in a skewed distribution of corporate wealth, until the environment changes to undermine the previously successful strategy
A Narratology of Music Video
No full textGiven the availability of music videos past and present and the move away from album-oriented-rock to singles and visual albums—e.g., Beyoncé’s Beyoncé (2013) and Janelle Monae’s Dirty Computer (2018)—popular music is continuously being presented as a multimedia product. Although the pairing of popular music and visuals dates back to the 1930s, the music video as an artistic arrangement of visuals and music begins in the 1980s. In this project I consider music videos as a syntext, a synthesis of visual, lyrical, and musical texts, and consider each on the common ground of narrative. By applying Mieke Bal’s notion of narratology, the study of the degree to which a text is able to communicate a narrative, we are able to more effectively compare and contrast each of these component texts, resulting in a more nuanced understanding of the syntext as a whole. While not all videos present a clear story (some are primarily performance videos), I distinguish between four types of narrative music videos: explicit, in which the visual story is the same as the lyrical story; extra, where the visual story is unrelated to the theme or story in the lyrics; complementary, in which the lyrics do not tell a story but the visual story plots lyrical themes; and conflicting, where the visual narrative contradicts the lyrics. I conclude this project with a consideration of music videos as part of a larger historical narrative. In particular I consider David Bowie’s promotional and music videos from 1969–2016 in order to show the technological, stylistic, artistic, and aesthetic changes in music videos over the last fifty years
Linking Empowering Leadership and Employee Creativity: The Mediating Role of Affective-Based Trust in Leader
No full textThis quantitative, correlational study focused on the impact of empowering leadership on employee creativity within the workplace. Further, the study examined how affect-based trust in one’s leader might mediate this association. There were four hypotheses tested to assess correlations between empowering leadership, creativity, and affect-based trust. The sample consisted of 244 full-time U.S. workers across various industries. Regression analyses were performed on the resulting data using resampling techniques. The findings from this study provide support for empowering leadership’s impact on employee creativity. The results also demonstrated a positive association between empowering leadership and followers who experienced strong affect-based trust in their leader. However, this study did not find affect-based trust in the leader to be correlated with employee creativity, nor was there support for mediating effects of affect-based trust on the association between empowering leadership and creativity. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed
Anticipating Social Movement National Security Threats: Social Media Content’s Potential in Developing a Structured Analytical Model
No full textWorldwide social movements are increasingly engendering most threats a nation-state faces internally and externally, which can have long-term implications for its national security. Research within available literature on predicting social movement threats to nation-state security revealed a significant gap. This research helped address the gap by investigating the possibility of United States strategic security practitioners developing a structured analytical model using social media content. The investigation focused on finding social movement themes associated with movements that have posed a national security threat in literature, assessing the ability to observe those themes in social movement social media content, and exploring structured analytical techniques to develop a model. This research revealed it is possible to observe themes from literature in social media content, as six out of the six primary themes observed in the literature appeared in the collected data. Exploring the paired comparison and weighted ranking structured analytical techniques also revealed distinct possibilities in predicting emerging threats. Attaining the ability to predict potential threats at the level of specificity required for a nation-state to implement non-violent pre-emptive actions to reduce or eliminate the threat before it becomes a reality would be a significant advancement in the field of strategic security. This research did not produce a fully vetted model using social movement themes and social movement social media content; however, pursuing research to explore the possibilities further and develop one is the key recommendation resulting from this research effort
Performing on the Tightrope: The Impact of Gender on the Experiences of College Conduct Administrators
No full textMost American college campuses employ conduct officers to hold students accountable for violating university policies. The inherent judicial authority in this role makes this position unique and presents challenges for women conduct officers. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of conduct officers, and to understand if gender played a role in those experiences. The author sent a pilot-tested survey with two open-ended response questions to domestic members of the Association for Student Conduct Administrators (ASCA), the international professional organization for conduct officers. Participants were 192 women and 136 men. Three theories informed the survey: Gendered Organizations, Gender Performativity Theory, and Role Incongruity Theory. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to condense the components in the survey, which produced seven variables: (1) Expectations, (2) Positive Performativity, (3) Negative Performativity, (4) Positive Interactions, (5) Negative Interactions, (6) Backlash, and (7) Avoiding Backlash. Multiple Linear Regression models were utilized to determine relationships between these seven components and independent variables: gender, race, level of education, years of service, full- or part-time status, and institution type. The models showed that gender was significant for Backlash, Avoiding Backlash, and Negative Interactions, with women having higher levels of all three than men. Value, structural, and pattern coding were three methods used to analyze the open-ended questions. Women reported experiencing openness, trust, empathy, a positive mother figure status, and communication as benefits of their gender. Women reported experiencing challenges related to their gender in authority, decisions, and competence, as well as manipulation, cultural challenges, and campus partner experiences. The results showed that men experienced benefits related to their gender such as holding inherent authority, being unchallenged, receiving respect, and experiencing comfort and had challenges such as Title IX-related issues, strictness, and difficulties with students. This research has implications for policy and practice including the recruitment, training, and self-care of all conduct officers
24/7 Economy and Quality of Working Life of US Call Center Employees
No full textThis quantitative causal-comparative study was conducted using seven research questions to investigate whether there were differences in the quality of working life (QoWL) and its six sub-factors, General Well-Being (GWB), Home-Work Interface (HWI), Job and Career Satisfaction (JCS), Control at Work (CAW), Working Conditions (WCS), and Stress at Work (SAW), between United States call center employees who do shift work and those who work on the daytime schedule. The theoretical foundations for this study were the quality of life and spillover theories. Using the work-related quality of life scale, the study data were collected via an online survey from a convenience sample of 148 US call center employees (n = 148), of which 90 reported working on the standard schedule (n = 90) and 58 reported working on a nonstandard work schedule (n = 58). The independent samples t-test found statistically significant differences between the QoWL (t = 6.351, df = 146, p = 0.000), GWB (t = 3.285, df =146, p = 0.001), HWI (t =9.288, df =146, p = 0.000), JCS (t = 4.40, df = 146, p = 0.000), CAW (t = 3.283, df = 146, p =0.001), WCS significant (t = 5.374, df = 146, p = 0.000), and SAW (t = 4.571, df = 146, p = 0.000) of US call center employees who do shift work and their counterparts who work on the standard work schedule. These findings support the need for future longitudinal quantitative research to assess if the experiences and thus QoWL of US call center workers changed at different points in time
A Retrospective Study of the Urban and Rural Epidemiological Patterns and the Occupational Risk Groups of Leptospirosis in Brazil
No full textLeptospirosis is considered one of the most widespread zoonotic diseases causing 1.03 million cases and over 58,000 deaths worldwide each year. However, it still remains a neglected disease that affects the most vulnerable populations, especially those living and working in unsanitary environments that facilitate the transmission of the disease. Brazil reports the highest number of leptospirosis cases in Latin America and since 2000 has had a robust national surveillance system in place to monitor the disease. There is a lack of comprehensive information about the urban and rural patterns of the disease and a gap in our understanding of occupational exposures of leptospirosis in Brazil. The objective of this doctoral dissertation is to assess the urban and rural epidemiological patterns and occupational risk groups of leptospirosis in Brazil using surveillance data collected by the Brazilian Ministry of Health since the establishment of the leptospirosis national surveillance system in 2000. In our first study, we describe the geographic distribution, the demographic characteristics, and the presumptive exposure factors of urban and rural cases of leptospirosis, and we identify the spatial clusters of the disease in urban and rural areas of Brazil from 2000 to 2015. In our second study, we identify the occupational groups with a higher risk of leptospirosis in Brazil from 2010 to 2015 among those who were 14 years of age and older. In our first study, leptospirosis cases were described by age, sex, and race, and exposure factors were characterized in urban and rural areas. A spatial autocorrelation analysis was conducted using local Moran’s I to identify urban and rural clusters of disease. From 2000 to 2015, approximately 4,000 leptospirosis cases were reported annually in Brazil with higher numbers in urban areas. Although the mean annual incidence rate in both urban and rural areas was 1.9 cases per 100,000 population, noteworthy regional differences were observed. Urban incidence rates were higher in the North and Northeast regions, while rural incidence rates were higher in the Southeast and South. The main exposure factors reported in urban and rural areas were exposure to places with signs of rodents, exposure to flood in urban areas, and agriculture and animal farming in rural areas. Clusters of leptospirosis were identified in densely populated urban areas of the North, Southeast, and South regions, while rural clusters were concentrated in the Southern region with large agriculture and animal farming practices. In our second study, a multivariate analysis was performed to identify occupational groups at a higher risk for leptospirosis. Analysis was restricted to laboratory confirmed cases (20,193) and non-cases (59,034), 14 years of age and older, classified into 12 occupational groups. Cases were predominantly male (79.4%), between 25-59 years of age (68.3%), white (53.4%), illiterate or with incomplete primary education (51.1%), and participating in agricultural work (19.9%). Five occupational groups were identified with higher risk for leptospirosis compared to retired and unemployed individuals after controlling for age, sex, race and area of residency: garbage and recycling collectors (AOR[Adjusted Odds Ratio] = 4.10; 95% CI = 3.36-4.99); agricultural, forestry and fishery workers (AOR = 1.65; 95% CI = 1.49-1.84); prisoners (AOR = 1.56; 95% CI = 1.04-2.35); building workers (AOR = 1.36; 95% CI = 1.22-1.51); cleaners and mining workers (AOR = 1.25; 95% CI = 1.07-1.45). The results of this dissertation highlight that leptospirosis is a poverty-related disease, affecting populations with poor working conditions and low educational levels. To our knowledge, this is the first study conducted at a national level describing the urban and rural patterns of leptospirosis and the high-risk occupational groups in Brazil. Leptospirosis is a multifactorial disease that requires a combination of prevention and control strategies at the national, community, and individual level, coupled with actions to improve the living and working conditions of the most affected populations. Although Brazil has made progress to prevent, detect and control the disease, knowledge gaps still exist regarding disease transmission, exposure risk factors, and effective prevention strategies in high-risk occupational groups. Leptospirosis remains an important public health problem worldwide and until practical tools are developed to detect, prevent and control it, this neglected disease will continue to affect the most vulnerable populations in developing countries
CFD Modeling of Aerial Dispersion of Pollutants in Urban Environments
No full textPopulation growth and urbanization across the globe is contributing to an increase in air pollution emissions. Because air pollution can negatively impact public health there is a desire to model the aerial dispersion of the pollutants in urban environments. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is becoming an increasingly common tool used to provide high spatial and temporal resolution of the wind flow and pollutant transport in urban environments. In the present study, CFD is utilized to model the aerial pollutant dispersion in three domains: a flat field, an idealized urban environment, and a real urban environment neighboring the Jones’ Island Water Reclamation Facility with topography. A new method which utilizes meteorological data with high temporal resolution (one minute) is proposed to improve the lateral dispersion of pollutants in standard CFD studies where hourly-averaged data is used. The proposed and standard methods are tested in the three domains. The idealized cases (flat field and idealized urban environment) are validated using AERMOD, an empirically formulated Gaussian Plume Model, while the real domain is validated using field measurements. The proposed method improves the lateral dispersion in the flat field, but deviates from AERMOD in the idealized urban domain. In the real urban domain, the proposed method shows promise and is able to capture of the qualitative trends in the domain. However, CFD with hourly averaged meteorological data, instead of one minute, appears to provide a slightly better match with the field measurements