The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate politeness strategies which a Japanese person applied in a series of intercultural communications. These strategies used in several different situations were examined from a cultural/social viewpoint as well as intercultural pragmatics. This research study also focuses on how people from different cultural backgrounds evaluate a Japanese person's behavior. By analyzing the results obtained from the research, this study investigates how a Japanese person commonly conceptualized politeness in a certain situations, and what that person did to demonstrate politeness in an intercultural environment. Role-playing activity, questionnaire, and interview were used as research instruments. In the role-playing activities, two actors (one from Hong Kong, and the other from Japan) acted out scenarios, which included potential face-threatening situations. Three different groups of people across two cultures then evaluated the Japanese actor's behaviors by filling out the questionnaire. Interviews were also conducted with some of the participants from these three groups. The results show that there are significant differences in the evaluation of politeness, not only between two different cultures, but also among people from the same culture. This suggests that some politeness strategies are not necessarily culture specific. Keywords: Politeness; Strategy; Evaluation; Hong Kong; Japan

This thesis investigates the wedding dress in the 21st century in Sweden. Interviews provided the main material for the analysis of the wedding dress and its connotations. Erving Goffman’s theory on performances in everyday life and Efrat Tsëelon’s thoughts on modesty connected to the female body is used as a theoretical framework in this thesis. The wedding dress is also analyzed as an object, and thoughts from material culture are implemented when discussing the cultural connotations of the dress. The wedding dress is only worn during the wedding ceremony, and it evokes thoughts on performances and identity due to cultural values and expressions that the bride either identifies with or not. Being dressed as a bride is deemed less authentic than being dressed in everyday clothes and is compared to a masquerade garment. The Swedish word utklädd, which means being dressed out in different ways, is a common factor and description of wearing a wedding dress in Sweden in the 21st century.

No / The IEEE 802.22 is the first worldwide standard for wireless regional area network (WRAN) based on cognitive radio techniques. It provides access to use unused TV band without causing any harmful interference to the incumbents. This paper aims to elaborate the significance of the Spectrum Manager (SM) in WRAN Base Station (BS). It is responsible to maintain spectrum availability information of the cell. Using incumbent database, geolocation and spectrum sensing results, the SM defines the status of the channels with respect to incumbent detection. On the basis of channel status, the SM classifies the channel into different categories. A pseudocode has been proposed for the SM to perform channel decision process in two steps. Spectrum etiquette procedure is activated due to incumbent detection, neighboring WRAN cell detection/update, operating channel switching request and contention request obtained from neighboring WRAN cells. An example is given to demonstrate this procedure in a WRAN cells. Spectrum handoff mechanisms is initiated through the SM either when primary user is detected on the licensed channel or when the specified transmission time is terminated as discussed in the IEEE 802.22 standard. Other responsibilities of the SM are to impose IEEE 802.22 policies within the cell to ensure incumbent protection and maintain QoS in WRAN system. The policies are concerned with events and their corresponding actions. The SM also controls the sensing behavior of the Spectrum Sensing Automation (SSA), where SSA is an entity that must be present in all IEEE 802.22 devices which performs spectrum sensing through spectrum sensing function (SSF) after receiving request from SM.

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This study identifies the need for intercultural business communication competence and contends that a course in this field is of particular relevance to South African organisations. The aim of this study is to identify, through needs analysis, the specific intercultural business communication requirements of lscor managers with regard to Japan. The requirements are identified in such a way that they may be used as the criteria for an intercultural business communication course. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in the study. The results of the research indicate that managers generally lack knowledge of various communication aspects relating to Japan. Participants also indicated a high degree of culture shock in terms of specific intercultural factors. The findings of the study form the content topics around which a course in intercultural business communication may be developed. The relative value of the topics to specific managers is also identified. / Communication Science / M.A. (Communication)

This chapter investigates ways in which civility and mindful speech within the library workplace can improve the quality of employees’ interactions with each other. While most examinations of communication within libraries focus on the exchange between patrons and providers, this case study focuses on the vehicle of communication among co-workers and examines how civil discourse coupled with mindful speech reinforced by mindful actions can foster an atmosphere of cooperation, leading ultimately to empathy. We highlight common points within national and local civility initiatives which allow institutions to preserve their own unique culture while adhering to accepted benchmarks of civil dialogue. Although we present a mix of suggested strategies for cultivating mindful words and actions, based on empirical research limited to our own institution, we recommend civility and mindful speech leading to mindful action as gateways toward the adaptation of healthy shared values. Emphasizing civility, one of the cornerstones of civilization and peaceful coexistence, has widespread practical and social implications for countering the detrimental effects of poor communication. This effective, affordable, and attainable practice can repair the underdeveloped, fractured, and even dysfunctional relationships which lead to low workplace morale.

Arquivos pessoais, pela abundância de informações que contêm, por sua diversidade, complexidade e caráter intimista dão lugar a considerações interdisciplinares, na perspectiva histórica, social, arquivística, linguística, literária, inclusive. Esta pesquisa tem por objeto cartas de amor escritas nas décadas de 1920 e 1930, pertencentes ao arquivo pessoal de uma pessoa comum, e visa contribuir para uma melhor compreensão dos arquivos privados. Partindo de uma introdução ao assunto, passa-se a uma abordagem interdisciplinar dos arquivos pessoais e das unidades que os compõem nos dois primeiros capítulos. Os objetivos específicos consistem em apresentar um estudo sobre cartas, no caso, o epistolário franciscano, no terceiro capítulo, explorando, após, os temas etiqueta social e cotidiano nos dois capítulos finais. A metodologia utilizada consistiu em uma abordagem qualitativa e exploratória das referências bibliográficas, com reprodução de imagens de unidades do arquivo de Lysia, um arquivo pessoal, bem como de trechos das cartas pesquisadas que, ao longo do texto, são colocados na perspectiva dos referenciais bibliográficos utilizados, buscando pertinências e conexões. Imagens das cartas cujos trechos foram transcritos nos quadros são reproduzidas integralmente no anexo desta pesquisa, no segundo volume, na mesma ordem em que aparecem no texto. / Personal archives, because of the abundance of information they contain, because of their diversity, complexity and intimate character give rise to interdisciplinary considerations, from a historical, social, archival, linguistic, and literary perspective. This research deals with letters of love written in the 1920s and 1930s, belonging to the personal archive of an ordinary person, and aims to contribute to a better understanding of private archives. Starting from an introduction to the subject, an interdisciplinary approach is taken to the personal archives and the units that compose them in the first two chapters. The specific objectives are to present a study of letters, in this case the Franciscan epistolary, in the third chapter, exploring after the themes social etiquette and daily life in the two final chapters. The methodology used consisted of a qualitative and exploratory approach of the bibliographical references, with reproduction of images of units of the Lysia archive, a personal archive, as well as excerpts of the letters searched that, throughout the text, are placed in perspective of bibliographical references used, searching for pertinences and connections. Images of the letters whose excerpts were transcribed in the tables are reproduced integrally in the annex of this research, in the second volume, in the same order as they appear in the text.

Arquivos pessoais, pela abundância de informações que contêm, por sua diversidade, complexidade e caráter intimista dão lugar a considerações interdisciplinares, na perspectiva histórica, social, arquivística, linguística, literária, inclusive. Esta pesquisa tem por objeto cartas de amor escritas nas décadas de 1920 e 1930, pertencentes ao arquivo pessoal de uma pessoa comum, e visa contribuir para uma melhor compreensão dos arquivos privados. Partindo de uma introdução ao assunto, passa-se a uma abordagem interdisciplinar dos arquivos pessoais e das unidades que os compõem nos dois primeiros capítulos. Os objetivos específicos consistem em apresentar um estudo sobre cartas, no caso, o epistolário franciscano, no terceiro capítulo, explorando, após, os temas etiqueta social e cotidiano nos dois capítulos finais. A metodologia utilizada consistiu em uma abordagem qualitativa e exploratória das referências bibliográficas, com reprodução de imagens de unidades do arquivo de Lysia, um arquivo pessoal, bem como de trechos das cartas pesquisadas que, ao longo do texto, são colocados na perspectiva dos referenciais bibliográficos utilizados, buscando pertinências e conexões. Imagens das cartas cujos trechos foram transcritos nos quadros são reproduzidas integralmente no anexo desta pesquisa, no segundo volume, na mesma ordem em que aparecem no texto. / Personal archives, because of the abundance of information they contain, because of their diversity, complexity and intimate character give rise to interdisciplinary considerations, from a historical, social, archival, linguistic, and literary perspective. This research deals with letters of love written in the 1920s and 1930s, belonging to the personal archive of an ordinary person, and aims to contribute to a better understanding of private archives. Starting from an introduction to the subject, an interdisciplinary approach is taken to the personal archives and the units that compose them in the first two chapters. The specific objectives are to present a study of letters, in this case the Franciscan epistolary, in the third chapter, exploring after the themes social etiquette and daily life in the two final chapters. The methodology used consisted of a qualitative and exploratory approach of the bibliographical references, with reproduction of images of units of the Lysia archive, a personal archive, as well as excerpts of the letters searched that, throughout the text, are placed in perspective of bibliographical references used, searching for pertinences and connections. Images of the letters whose excerpts were transcribed in the tables are reproduced integrally in the annex of this research, in the second volume, in the same order as they appear in the text.

A social etiquette has emerged around the consumption of food in the West which requires the use of cutlery – knife, fork and spoon. It is the spoon that is the subject of this thesis, a utensil so familiar as to have become almost invisible. The significance of the spoon should not be underestimated and it is employed in this study as a device to offer insight into material practices, examine theoretical issues in relation to design and explore the culture of representation that has developed around objects in the contemporary field of visual and material culture. In this sense this thesis can be seen as located in the blurred boundaries of art, craft and design and as constituting a text which contextualises and supports a collection of artefacts developed in the course of a 'practice led' Art and Design PhD. The spoon exists not only as an object whose usefulness transcends time but also in terms of a metaphorical singularity; as an idea with an infinite number of possible interpretations and material manifestations. This thesis originates in the idea of a reflective cross-disciplinary enquiry intended to explore fundamental questions around what the author defines as “spoonness”, articulating that which might otherwise be articulated through (and subsumed in) the making of the object itself. Significantly, by tracing the journey of the authors film „Emilie Eating Soup‟ together with the various objects, exhibitions and catalogues developed in the course of this research, this thesis also contributes to current critical discourse from the perspective of the practitioner - a voice that in the past has often been absent from academic discourse. It opens up the creative processes to scrutiny and further comment, and serves as a model of analysis to others in the field of material culture to aid reflection upon their own practice and generate new modes of innovation. A critical reflection upon the works subsequent reception at a series of prestigious international exhibitions and events is made throughout this thesis. These materials, together with this text, combine to represent the broad arc of this author‟s creative practice and collectively define the innovative nature of this PhD.

This long work of imagination is a culmination of years of writing about two characters, cousins Barb and Debbie: Barbara Catherin Owens and Deborah Jean Magee. Born in south-eastern Arkansas, Barb and Debbie haunted Amber Nicole Brooks until she initiated them into the world of fiction in an initial short story set in 1970. Since then, many stories, ranging from the 1960s to 1990s, have been born of these characters’ exploits, despair, and erotic encounters. In a drastic overhaul of prose, Amber has reworked the episodes of these characters lives into one long, linear narrative, a thing some folks might perhaps characterize as a novel.