22 research outputs found
Standardizing an Organizational Approach to CARF Survey Preparation: A Quality Improvement Project
No full textStandardizing an Organizational Approach to CARF Survey Preparation is a design-based research project that synthesizes the existing knowledge of four interdisciplinary communities of practice to create an effective and efficient program that is process-driven rather than person-dependent. As a quality improvement project, its final product consists of instruments that facilitate ongoing readiness for accreditation preparation and serve as the basis for better practices in the organization under study.ProQuest Traditional Publishing Optio
Cavendish [née Freeman-Mitford], Deborah Vivien (Debo), Duchess of Devonshire (1920–2014), chatelaine and author
No full textTwo cultures, one room: investigating language and gender in Kuwait
No full textPhDKuwait is a gender-segregated country. Its conservative cultural ideology is evident in all
areas of social life, including the way people communicate. Men and women have to
make conscious language choices during everyday interaction. Certain aspects of Kuwaiti
conversational registers are exclusive to either men or women, which reflects not only
men’s and women’s separate socialization as children but also separate lifestyles as
adults. Kuwait’s gendered context is therefore bound to be unique and of particular
sociolinguistic interest, especially since mainstream language and gender literature has
more often focused on English-speaking cultures. Thus, there is little knowledge of Arab
gender-segregated cultures and this could possibly be due to complications that the
researcher inevitably encounters when examining a sensitive issue such as gender within
these constraints. The present research study investigates mixed interaction between
Kuwaiti men and women in online chat rooms. In this particular online context, chat
room users employ interactional strategies to negotiate the norms of heterosexual
interaction which are often non-existent in offline Kuwaiti society. A combined
framework of sociolinguistic, ethnographic methods is adopted to examine chat room
interactional choices that enable men and women to construct gendered chat room
identities as well as create a virtual online community of practice without undermining offline gender norms
Can gender-fairness be established in language? An evaluation of the acceptance of language change in a German speech community
No full textPhDIn 1980, the first German proposals for gender-fairness in language were published in
Germany. They suggested many gender-fair alternatives to items such as the generic
masculine, which were believed to convey androcentric or sexist meanings. Since
then critics of androcentrism in the German language, together with subsequent
antidiscrimination legislation, have instigated several linguistic changes that aim at an
equal treatment and representation of the two genders. This ongoing reform of
German is, however, primarily noticeable in the official, and especially the written,
form of German; there are effective laws that ensure the use of non-discriminatory
items in this domain. In private language, on the other hand - both spoken and written
- there appears to be less readiness to use gender-fair terms. However, until now
there has been little empirical research that investigates the extent to which people
are willing to speak and write gender-fair language in their everyday private lives.
Thus, there is little knowledge of whether speakers of German are aware of any
sexism in their language, whether they agree with the criticisms that have been made
of the androcentric aspects of their language, or whether they approve of the many
gender-fair innovations. The present case study, using a triangulation approach,
investigates these questions. The research is conducted in a local speech community
in North-Rhine Westphalia. It focuses on the inhabitants of this community as a
source of information. More generally, the study emphasises the strong but often
neglected relationship between two fields of study within sociolinguistics that are often
kept separate: 'Language and Gender'and 'Language Planning'
The Prepared Piano Music of John Cage: Towards an Understanding of Sounds and Preparations
No full textThe subject for this thesis is the prepared piano music of John Cage with particular attention focussed on the preparations that create the varying sonic pallets in this music. The thesis is divided into six chapters, each chapter fulfilling one of two tasks. Firstly they will provide for pianists an examination of ways in which Cage‟s instructions in the scores for preparing the piano can be interpreted, and it will highlight the difficulties that become apparent (and should be considered) when performing Cage‟s prepared piano music. The second function to be fulfilled will be to musicologists who wish to trace the development of Cage‟s prepared piano music with relation to his later chance determined music.
Chapter one traces the historical and aesthetic influences that were relevant to Cage in the creation of the prepared piano, and places it in an historical context.
Chapter two looks at John Cage‟s compositions for prepared piano and provide a thorough inventory of John Cage‟s prepared piano pieces. Chapter two also examines the possibilities for making suggestions for the recreation of Cage‟s preparations.
Chapter three examines the physical relationships between piano, strings and preparations.
Chapter four analyses the solo prepared piano pieces and highlights the compositional techniques that Cage used in the composition of the prepared piano pieces.
Chapter five looks at the reasoning for performer choice in relation to ambiguity discussed in chapter three
Chapter six explores the six movement work The Perilous Night, and uses it as a case study to identify and explain all of the issues discussed within this thesis
Changing sex? : transsexuality and Christian theology.
No full textThis thesis ia an interdiscipinary study about the nature and causes of transsexuality and an attempt to formulate a Christian ethical response to it, a subject which until now has received no extended academic attention from a Christian perspective.
There are two aims. The first is to examine what the Christian theological tradition has to say about transsexuality. the second is to explore what the experience of transsexual people has to say to the Church, and to the formation of its theology and ethics.
It is a survey of the evidence for the existence of transsexuality prior to the twentieth century, when it was first recognised and described. It explores the experience of transsexual and some transgendered people in Britain today. It pays particular attention to their encounters with and within the Church. It investigates how those transsexual and transgendered people who profess Christian faith use the Bible and relate to the Christian tradition as they attempt to understand their condition better, and try to come to terms with the theological issues that this process of reflection raises - an example of 'ordinary theology'.It then examines what the Bible and the Christian tradition themselves might have to say about transsexuality, and about those same far-reaching issues, which include the significance of the human self, of embodiment and of sex, gender and sexuality. It draws in particular on the foundational theology of Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen and Gregory of Nyssa and on the writings of four contemporary theologians: Lisa Sowle Cahill, Elaine Graham, Susan Frank Parsons and Rowan Williams.
At the heart of the study are seven detailed case studies of transsexual or transgendered British Christians, but I also draw on a personal engagement with around twenty five others over a period of almost thirty months
Investigating Performer Uniqueness: The Case of Jascha Heifetz
No full textThis thesis is based on the conviction that the greatest musical performers of history can and should be granted the same level of academic scrutiny and study as is so often received by the greatest composers. Composers had the early advantage of producing durable manuscripts, while performers prior to the age of recording were unable to leave more than impressions in the minds of those who heard them. With the recent successes of numerous investigations into performance and recordings, including the CHARM and CMPCP projects, such studies are becoming ever more viable and significant.
The thesis focuses on the violinist Jascha Heifetz (1901-1987) and primarily his performances of the Bach solo violin works (BWV 1001-1006). While there have been studies of individual pieces, of particular performers, and of multiple recordings of the same piece, a study focussing on specific repertoire played by a specific performer is something that has been somewhat overlooked in the literature. The thesis draws on numerous methods to distil what is distinctive and unique about Heifetz. This includes an examination of what and how the performer played, why the performer played that way, and how that way of playing compares to other performers. The study concludes with a discussion of Heifetz’s unique performer profile in the context of violin performance history.
Focussing on one of the most famous and successful performing musicians of the twentieth century along with some of the most frequently played pieces, this case study will suggest research methods and approaches transferable to related studies. The thesis draws on original interviews with former Heifetz students, friends, and colleagues, and on over thirteen months of archival research in the Jascha Heifetz Collection held by the Library of Congress. This array of previously untapped material aided the analytical and empirical investigations into Heifetz’s uniqueness
Change in Northumbria : was Aldfrith of Northumbria's reign a period of innovation or did it merely reflect the development of processes already underway in the late seventh century?
No full textThis thesis looks at a period of Northumbrian history when the king was a part Irish, Iona trained scholar. Some have suggested that Aldfrith was assisted to the kingship by the northern victors of the battle of Nechtansmere. It examines processes in the late seventh century to try to identify changes that might have happened during the reign of this king.
The study begins with a wide overview of previous research to establish a basis from which to look for processes and change and also examines the sources available to us, written and archaeological. It then looks at the kingdoms to the north and west and at Aldfrith and the period of his reign. The suggestion is made that Aldfrith acted, with the Church, to cult saints that were Northumbrian and Romanist, as opposed to other options that might have been available. It proposes that the Northumbrians rejected opportunities to develop links with the north and west that may have been open to them. The following chapters then examine processes underway in Northumbria in three general areas; in the use of power, in society, and in the economy.
It concludes that although many processes continued as before, these sped up and in certain areas such as the production of coins, and the consequential development of trade, it was a period of innovation. There is no evidence of a focus to the north and west during Aldfrith’s reign and this has implications for how Aldfrith got to the throne, suggesting that it was with the support of the Northumbrian elite and not through the military strength of the Dál Riata or the Picts. The evidence is that Northumbria increasingly looked south for its influences and is prepared to absorb and implement processes and approaches from southern England, Gaul and Rome
Key drivers of 'good' corporate governance and the appropriateness of UK policy responses : final report
No full textThe DTI’s Corporate Law and Governance strategy aims to promote and deliver an effective
framework for corporate governance in the UK, giving confidence to investors, business, and
other stakeholders to underpin the relationship between an organisation and those who hold
future financial claims against that organisation. However, corporate governance involves
various problems of asymmetric information and incomplete contracts that generate a need for
public policy responses to mitigate market failures and ensuring that companies moves towards
‘good’ corporate governance. Since the early 1990s, the UK has been very active in
undertaking policy reforms that includes a number of corporate governance codes, expert
reports, a high level review of company law, and new regulations and legislation. These policy
initiatives need to be monitored and evaluated in terms of their success in influencing the key
drivers of ‘good’ corporate governance.
This Report undertaken for the DTI has several aims: to identify key drivers of good corporate
governance based on a review of social science literature; to describe the content of UK
regulatory initiatives with regard to those drivers; and to evaluate gaps in the content and
implementation of UK policy regarding corporate governance, using those drivers as
benchmarks. In addition, some further implications of this study are discussed for future policy
and research on UK corporate governance.
The Report identifies key drivers of good corporate governance based on extensive review of
the broad social science literature. Good corporate governance is defined here with regard to
the rights and responsibilities of company stakeholders, and the wealth-creating and wealthprotecting
functions of corporate governance within this context. Based on this definition, a
detailed review of the theoretical and empirical social science literature on corporate
governance was undertaken across seven broad areas: boards of directors, shareholder
activism, information disclosure, auditing and internal controls, executive pay, the market for
corporate control, and stakeholders. The result was the identification of 18 key ‘drivers’ or
governance mechanisms, which promote ‘good’ corporate governance. An internet-based
survey of international corporate governance experts was conducted in order to confirm and
further specify these drivers in relation to the UK context.
Next, key gaps in the UK regulatory framework are explored with reference to the drivers of
good corporate governance. A comprehensive review was undertaken to evaluate corporate
governance-related developments in UK regulation since 1990. Policy initiatives were
analysed with regard to both their content and effectiveness in promoting each of the identified
drivers. Several potential gaps in coverage were identified in the areas of executive pay and
employees stakeholders. A number of potential gaps in effectiveness were also identified with
regard to other key drivers such as boards, shareholder involvement, information disclosure,
auditing, and the market for corporate control. The analysis was supported by feedback from a
Focus Group of expert practitioners that took place at the DTI in January 2006.
The Report also emphasises that the effectiveness of corporate governance regulation depends
very much on balancing different governance demands and regulatory trade-offs. Corporate
governance is shaped by a number of contingencies, complementarities, and costs. Various
organisational contingencies may place different demands on corporate governance drivers, and
their implementation is also associated with different sorts of costs. Looking more generally,
different drivers may act as complements or substitutes for one another. Better appreciation of such interdependencies is crucial to formulating a coherent regulatory strategy and balancing
important regulatory trade-offs between the following - mandatory regulation (uniform
requirements) and more flexible forms of soft-law such as codes based on comply-or-explain
principles and self-regulatory norms of professional groups.
This analysis suggests a number of areas for future research. Bearing in mind the depth and
breadth of the UK regulatory initiatives, it is important to verify whether they were followed by
behavioural changes of the participants in corporate governance mechanisms, including
unintended consequences such as the development of ‘gaming’ practices. Further research is
needed on a potential ‘gatekeeper failure’ in situations where reliance on ‘reputational
intermediaries’, such as auditors, securities analysts, attorneys, and other professionals, is not
fully justified. Other research recommendations are related to wealth creation and performance
trade-offs. It is important to go beyond the question of maximizing shareholder returns and
consider to what extent different corporate governance configurations promote long-term,
value-creating economic production in a fashion that benefits not only shareholders but also
other groups that make specific investments in corporations. Finally, a more holistic approach
to the effectiveness of corporate governance drivers requires further research on such aspects as
stakeholder involvement, contingencies, complementarities, and cost aspects that may affect the
effectiveness of corporate governance mechanisms.
The authors would like to point out that, since the report was written, there have been various
developments, not least changes in UK law, which have overtaken some of the details in our
analysis. However, the basic review of the evidence basis and the perspectives offered remain
very much current
