There are many government standards and regulations that even contractors must follow. This makes it difficult for contracting companies to have the same incentives that other private companies provide for their employees that keeps them motivated. A survey was conducted among NASA government contractors, mainly Engineering and Science Contract Group (ESCG) contractors to get their perspective on the work motivation they have working in the space industry. This report will discuss some of the motivation theories proposed in industrial psychology as well as the benefits offered by ESCG and will be compared with the results from the survey. Lastly there will be recommendations on how to improve the benefits offered or lack thereof by ESCG that could improve the motivation in the workplace. / text

This work explains the structure and function of the contemporary Iranian government by examining the government's formal political, religious and national security structures and the informal networks that empower and constrain the individuals who fill formal regime positions. The research argues that the Islamic Republic of Iran should be understood as a solar system in which the Supreme Leader resides at the center and oversees all other government bodies. These bodies have their own responsibilities and power, but ultimately answer to the Supreme Leader. The work outlines the current Iranian political landscape by examining the dominant ideological currents. It analyzes informal networks using the examples of three relevant actors: President Hassan Ruhani, Majles Speaker Ali Larijani and Supreme Leader Advisor Ali-Akbar Velayati. The paper concludes with predictions for evolutions in Iranian policy in the remainder of the first Ruhani Administration. / text

The Pentagon Channel, a media outlet funded and controlled by the U.S. Department of Defense, has continuously disseminated Pentagon approved programming to American audiences since 2004. Although the content created for The Pentagon Channel encompasses a variety of genres, the core justification for the channels existence is its ability to provide members of the armed forces with credible military news and information not otherwise available. At the same time, the channel is expected to function as an advocate of the Pentagon. This thesis is focused on Recon and Soldiers Journal, two of the news and information programs on The Pentagon Channel. By analyzing the way these programs frame sensitive issues including injury, violence, and death, this project argues that The Pentagon Channel privileges its role as Pentagon advocate above its mandate to provide credible information to servicemembers. / text

The evidence of 'counterurbanisation' in Britain suggests that differential outmigration is occurring in all of the country's metropolitan areas. The growth of suburbs and free-standing towns and cities is at the expense of city centres. The loss of population from central cities leads to the increasing concentration of a service dependant population who place growing demands on locally provided services. The loss of part of the local tax base adds to the fiscal pressure on local authorities who need to spend more, but experience reduced revenues. In Britain, this is partly offset by the receipt of central government grant suport, although in aggregate this too has been reduced. In order to assess the extent to which the concept of 'fiscal stress' can be applied to British cities, it was first necessary to define a set of central cities and their suburbs, or lq'functionally linked districts'. This was done using commuting data for all the post-1974 402 lower tier local authorities in England and Wales, for both 1971 and 1981. The resulting classification formed the basis of all further analysis in this thesis. The measurement of an authority's 'need to spend' is necessary to determine the existence and extent of fiscal stress. Having considered the various grant mechanisms employed over the 1971-81 period, and the philosophy of needs assessment, the Grant Related Expenditure Assessment (GREA) approach, as currently used in the government's block grant system, is discussed. This methodology identifies the client group for each locally provided service and applies a unit cost weighting for each client, such that, when taken over all services, a total need to spend is calculated. A comparable aproach was adopted, and calculations undertaken, for all 402 lower tier authorities for both 1971 and 1981. This permitted the description of the need to spend of local authority groups both functionally and administratively. Changes over time were presented, and the relative importance of demographic, socioeconomic and physical features in determining changes in need to spend were identified. Consideration was then turned to the local tax base in the form of rateable value. The rates are discussed for their suitability as a local tax and some of the alternatives are considered. The pattern of changes in rateable value since the last revaluation in 1973 is presented, and the small degree of change is noted as the main feature. Faced with a virtually static tax base and changing need to spend, an authority's only means of raising sufficient revenue is by increased tax effort, which is seen in the local tax rate, or rate poundage increases. Changes in rate poundage are discussed, and attention is turned to actual expenditure by six main service headings, which is described using the functional and administrative classifications. This leads finally to a simultaneous expenditure model which highlights the inter-relationship of needs, grant, rateable value and rate poundage in determining expenditure.

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