Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2003. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains xi, 170 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [76]-79).

Over the past few decades, the organic sector in most developed countries has flourished. Growth in the sector has been paralleled by a substantial amount of research on several arenas (see Cobb et al. 1999; Robles et al. 2005; Jackson and Lampkin 2008; Lobley et al. 2009c; among others). Reasons for adopting organic farming have been studied in a variety of instances (Padel 2001a). Although there is a considerable body of evidence that supports the distinctly ‘risky nature’ of organic farming, our identification and understanding of how this nature affects farmers’ decisions whether or not to farm organically are limited (see, for example, Lockeretz 1995; Duram 1999; Midmore et al. 2001; Baecke et al. 2002; Hattam 2006). It seems that there has been widespread acceptance of the hypothesis that organic farmers are more likely to be risk-takers compared to non-organic farmers. Similarly, the hypothesis that organic farmers with Non-Farming Backgrounds (NFBs) may have different attitudes towards risk has not been investigated yet through detailed empirical analysis. Accordingly, this thesis seeks to analyse the importance of farmers’ willingness to take risk in organic farming in their decisions regarding the adoption of organic farming where it is assumed that there is a link between attitudes and behaviours. The thesis employs a variety of methods: a questionnaire; familiarisation; in-depth interviews; and secondary data. The findings of this thesis suggest that not all sources and types of risks associated with organic farming are differently perceived by non-organic and organic farmers. In Devon (i.e. the study area), more non-organic than organic farmers mentioned the existence of ‘farm-related risks’ and ‘risks related to farmers’ belief’. Further, ‘risks related to financial returns’ were perceived to be of concern by non-organic farmers compared to their organic counterparts. On the other hand, other types and sources of risks associated with organic farming were equally perceived to be of concern by both groups. As expected, the recent risky environment of organic farming played a significant role in this respect (see also de Buck et al. 2001; Flaten et al. 2005). The wider environment was moreover the cause of greater concern regarding production, market and institutional risks (as opposed to personal ones) among organic farmers in Devon at the time of the questionnaire survey, when compared to the level of concern at the time of adoption. This shows that perceptions of types and sources of risks associated with organic farming are subject to change across time (CRER 2002). Compared to their non-organic counterparts, organic farmers in Devon were willing to take risk in organic farming. With regard to risk in farming and to risk in general, more organic farmers expressed risk-taking attitudes than did their non-organic counterparts. Consequently, and based on the main reasons for adoption and non-adoption of organic farming, this thesis suggests that willingness to take risk in organic farming acts as an extremely significant trigger for the uptake of organic farming. This in turn confirms what has been emphasised by many researchers (see Baecke et al. 2002; Acs et al. 2005; Serra et al. 2008; among others). It also suggests that investigations into people’s behaviours and decisions in relation to a ‘risky activity’ should take into account their attitudes towards risk in that activity. This thesis, in common with other studies (e.g. Kaltoft 1999; Lobley et al. 2005), also shows evidence of heterogeneity among organic farmers. A small group of organic farmers in Devon from NFBs was in search of the ‘good life’ and wanted to produce public goods from organic farming. Although technical, market and institutional risks associated with organic farming were of concern to organic farmers from NFBs in this study, these farmers did not have distinct risk perceptions. In contrast, they had distinct attitudes towards risk in organic farming. More organic farmers from NFBs than organic farmers from Farming Backgrounds (FBs) were willing to take risk in organic farming. Finally, and in accordance with Morris and Potter’s (1995) work, this thesis has placed 79% of surveyed farmers in Devon on a typology which reflects the fact that farmers are not homogeneous. The ‘conditional non-organic farmers’ and ‘pragmatic organic farmers’ in this typology may, with varying degrees of ease, switch between organic and non-organic methods at any point in the future due to possible changes in their attitudes towards risk in organic farming. In contrast, the ‘resistant non-organic farmers’ and ‘committed organic farmers’ at the two extremes of this typology will very likely be resistant to changes in their current farming systems. Accordingly, a set of policy recommendations which may help to increase future organic adoption in the UK has been set forth.

Today the web has become a major conduit for information. As the World Wide Web?s popularity continues to increase, information security on the web has become an increasing concern. Web information security is related to availability, confidentiality, and data integrity. According to the reports from http://www.securityfocus.com in May 2006, operating systems account for 9% vulnerability, web-based software systems account for 61% vulnerability, and other applications account for 30% vulnerability. In this dissertation, I present a security analysis model using the Markov Process Model. Risk analysis is conducted using fuzzy logic method and information entropy theory. In a web-based application system, security risk is most related to the current states in software systems and hardware systems, and independent of web application system states in the past. Therefore, the web-based applications can be approximately modeled by the Markov Process Model. The web-based applications can be conceptually expressed in the discrete states of (web_client_good; web_server_good, web_server_vulnerable, web_server_attacked, web_server_security_failed; database_server_good, database_server_vulnerable, database_server_attacked, database_server_security_failed) as state space in the Markov Chain. The vulnerable behavior and system response in the web-based applications are analyzed in this dissertation. The analyses focus on functional availability-related aspects: the probability of reaching a particular security failed state and the mean time to the security failure of a system. Vulnerability risk index is classified in three levels as an indicator of the level of security (low level, high level, and failed level). An illustrative application example is provided. As the second objective of this dissertation, I propose a security improvement model for the web-based applications using the GeoIP services in the formal methods. In the security improvement model, web access is authenticated in role-based access control using user logins, remote IP addresses, and physical locations as subject credentials to combine with the requested objects and privilege modes. Access control algorithms are developed for subjects, objects, and access privileges. A secure implementation architecture is presented. In summary, the dissertation has developed security analysis and improvement model for the web-based application. Future work will address Markov Process Model validation when security data collection becomes easy. Security improvement model will be evaluated in performance aspect.

The thesis presents an analysis of environmental risks. Their causes and potential dangerous after-effects which might materialize in the Czech Republic. The theoretical part focuses on the list of current legal environmental risk management standards and points out potential environmental threat sources that might have detrimental impact within both the Czech Republic. In the field research part environmental risk factors and their consequences within the Czech Republic and the South Bohemia region are described. The reserach results have been used to suggest several feasible measures that should help to improve environmental risk prevention, and which should also enhance the risk analysis process carried out by crisis management bodies.

The aim of this diploma theses is to identify business risks, which threaten the firm KOVOLIT Česká spol. s r.o.. in the case of its other planned investments. They are proposed recommendations for reduction of its identified risks.

The diploma thesis deals with the application of the risk analysis method for environmental impact assessment of a business entity. In the introduction of the theoretical part, an environmental review is carried out, focusing on the approach of the Slovak Republic, followed by theoretical background on environmental management, and in the end of the first part there is a survey of risk identification methods. The analytical part presents the system of environmental management in the company. After evaluating the current state, the thesis proposes its own proposals as preventive measures, which contribute to more effective management of environmental pollution risk.

The master thesis deals with the issue of risk management in a selected business entity. The subject of the research is the risks of the selected entity. The object of the research is a Slovak company with the changed name Betolta, a.s., that main activity is the production of reinforced concrete precast units. The thesis is divided into seven chapters. The thesis deals in more detail with the current state of the researched issues, identification, analysis and evaluation of risks using the methods of strategic situational analysis. The conclusion of the work deals with proposals and recommendations for improving the identified situation.

no / One of the major shifts in the form and experience of contemporary family life has been the increasing insertion of the ‘expert’ voice into the relationship between parents and children. This paper focuses on an exploration of mothers’ engagement with advice around the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Much of the previous literature utilises a ‘decision-making’ framework, based on ‘risk assessment’ whereby mothers’ decisions are conceptualised as rooted in complex belief systems, and supposes that that by gaining an understanding of these systems, beliefs and behaviour can be modified and uptake improved. However, less attention has been paid to the ways in which mothers negotiate such advice or the ways in which advice is mediated by positionings, practices and relationships. Analysis of data from a focus group with five mothers identified three themes: (i) Sourcing advice and information, (ii) Constructing ‘Mother knows best’ and (iii) Negotiating agency. Despite the trustworthiness of advice and information being questioned, an awareness of concerns about the MMR, and health professionals being constructed as remote, ultimate conformity to, and compliance with, the ‘system’ and ‘society’ were described as determining MMR ‘decisions’. / Full text was made available at the end of the publisher's embargo period: 1st Aug. 2015

Delay is one of the most common problems in the steel construction industry. At the time of bidding steel contractors plan tasks and assign resources according to the site visits, the information given in the contract and specifications related with the project. However, as the project progresses some conditions of the work may change. These changes may affect originally planned means and methods. Finally, the affected activities cause the project total cost and duration to increase. In steel construction projects, if not managed properly in accordance with the contract, changes are likely to result in claims between the project participants. In this study, a delay analysis methodology which is based on time impact analysis is proposed. The aim of this methodology is to quantify impacts of work changes on the schedule and cost of steel construction projects and identify the responsible parties for these changes. A risk breakdown structure is presented to help decision-makers to identify probable sources of risk factors that usually result in time and cost overruns. The potential sources of change are categorized into 3 groups: contractor-related, owner-related and external factors. By using this structure, contractors may classify changes and assign the impacts of changes to the appropriate parties. The proposed methodology comprises of 3 steps: identification and quantification of delays, allocation of these delays to responsible parties and using TIA to calculate overall impact of changes on time and cost. The major benefits of this methodology are / a) its ability to handle and quantify changes in a step by step procedure, b) it provides a graphical representation of actual progress, and c) it helps decision-makers to give reliable decisions by monitoring the impact of changes during the project&amp / #8217 / s life cycle. Construction professionals may use it to apportion impact of changes in a systematic and reliable way. Moreover, reports generated by using this methodology can provide evidence during the claim management process. An application of this methodology on a steel project demonstrates the superiority of the process in explaining the dynamic nature of changes and in apportioning the impacts between different parties in a systematic way.