Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 172-178).

The Life Effectiveness of Wilderness Adventure Leaders Cory Maria Dack Southern Illinois University Carbondale Introduction The call of the wild has long been accepted as a true phenomenon by mankind. Throughout history countless scores of women and men have written novels, poems, and symphonies in-spired by the ubiquitous reach of nature. As Sigurd Olson once wrote, "Wilderness to the people... is a spiritual necessity, an antidote to the high pressure of modern life, a means of regaining serenity and equilibrium" (Olson & Backes, 2001, p. 61). Eventually, musings on the powerful effects of nature branched out from the realm of artistic expression and began to take root in the domain of science and research as well. As the academic world has begun to quantify the positive benefits nature has on those who immerse themselves in the wilderness, the populace has simulta-neously looked to nature for an antidote to the ever increasing stressors of life. Wilderness adventure programs are one medium that exposes participants to the numerous benefits associated with nature, including an increase in overall life effectiveness and an increase in holistic well being. Wilderness adventure programs can be recreational, educational, developmental, or therapeutic in purpose (Hans, 2000). Programming can range from an afternoon of recreation in a city park, to a week-long stay at a summer camp, to a 45 day backpacking trip through the arctic. Whatever the level or duration of the program, participants are often attracted to wilderness adventure programming by the inherent benefits of adventure and personal growth. A vast array of nature based benefits research exists (see Brown, 1999; Ewert, 1985, 1989; Klint, 1999; Rog-genbuck & Driver, 2000; Stein & Lee, 1995). Literature concerning these benefits often focuses on researching, testing, and measuring the benefits participants receive after completing a wilderness adventure program. While most of the research has shown that participating in a wilderness adventure program increases the self-confidence, self-esteem, self-efficacy, and overall life effectiveness of participants (see Caulkins, White, & Russell, 2006; Goldenberg, McAvoy, & Klenosky, 2005; and Hattie, Marsh, Neill, & Richards, 1997), there is a deficit of research on the benefits and outcomes that occur to those who guide or lead wilderness adventure programs. To truly understand how wilderness adventure program-ming affects the human mind, body, and spirit, there needs to be more research that focuses specifically on the outcomes experi-enced by those who lead wilderness adventure programs. Methods Research was conducted at two camps located in northern Minnesota over the course of the summer during the 2009 camp season. The two camps, Camp Vermilion and Camp Hiawatha, are church affiliated and offer week long canoe adventures, houseboat trips, and residential in-camp experiences. The proposed research was based off of the following research questions: a) Do in-camp counselors experience an increase in life effectiveness after working at a summer camp over the course of one summer? b) Is there a difference between the life effectiveness reported by first-year in-camp counselors compared to the life effectiveness reported by returning in-camp counselors? b) Is there a difference between the life effectiveness reported by female in-camp counselors compared to the life effectiveness reported by male in-camp counselors? Quantitative data was collected through the use of the Life Effectiveness Questionnaire (LEQ). The LEQ was given to the in-camp counselors at the start of the summer during staff training. At the end of the summer the LEQ was then re-administered to the same research participants. Qualitative data was assessed via a short answer questionnaire that asked open-ended questions about the experiences the research participants had while working at their respective camps. This short answer questionnaire was administered at the end of the summer with the second LEQ. Results After the research data were collected, the data were run through a series of dependent t-tests and independent t-tests. The t-tests were used to compare the scores of the pre-summer LEQs to the scores of the post-summer LEQs, the scores of first-year in-camp counselors and returning in-camp counselors, and the scores of female and male in-camp counselors. The results were as follows: The changes in the results of the pre and post-test LEQ scores were t (11) = .102, p = .102. The results of the changes in post-test LEQ scores between new wilderness adventure leaders and returning wilderness adventure leaders was t (18) = .713, p = .485. Female post-test LEQ scores and male post-test LEQ scores resulted in changes of t (18) = 1.256, p = .225. The difference between post-test and pre-test mean LEQ scores was .58 standard deviations, or, a .58 effect size. The qualitative data yielded by the short-answer questionnaires were assessed using the techniques of enumeration and constant comparison. The following themes were pulled from the self-reported answers of the research participants: Increased Self-Confidence, Spiritual Connections, Personal Changes/Growth, Awareness of Strengths/ Weaknesses, Positive Community, and a 100% Job Recommendation. Participants reported that after the summer they felt that they had experienced Increased Self-Confidence. One participant wrote, "My leadership has grown incredibly - I was encouraged to own my authority and truly lead this summer. I have watched my confidence and competence grow." Another participant reported, "On my application I wrote that I wanted to gain confidence in myself and the things I do. I believe I have gained tons more than I started with." Spiritual Connections were identified from research participants who reported, "I feel like I've discovered a deeper sense of peace," "I have grown spiritually and more confident in myself," and "I don't think I would be ready, physically, emotionally, or spiritually, for my next year of school if I wasn't here this summer." Awareness of Strengths/Weaknesses were supported by self-reported responses such as, "I am stronger! I learned this summer that in order to make myself stronger I had to be vulnerable and expose my fears and anxieties." Personal Changes/Growth were evident in a participant who reported, "This summer I pushed myself farther than before in my leadership skills...it has been tough at times, but at that time is when I have experienced the most growth." Many research participants reported that they felt like they were a member of a Positive Community. One participant reported, "I have never laughed so hard, had so much fun, yet felt so proud of [what]... we were doing at camp." Another stated, "It has been an amazing experience... seeing how a community of such random personalities can become so close and grow so much in... 9 short weeks." Lastly, one participant wrote, "I am more steady. I feel loved. I feel like there is a place I belong." After reviewing all of the short answer surveys, it was found that 100% of the research participants stated that they would recommend a job as a wilderness adventure leader to others. Participants stated that "The chance to serve in this capacity is incredible," and "I hope that others are able to have the same opportunity to work with youth and learn, teach, and experience [this] leadership position." Another participant reported, "This is the best job I could ever ask for and is an amazing experience you can't find anywhere else." And finally, while reflecting on the experience of being a wilderness adventure leader, one participant reported, "It is a life changing experience!" Discussion and Implications Although the t-tests did not yield statistically significant results, the research still yielded a moderate change in effect size (.58). The self-reported qualitative data from the post-summer surveys support the idea that there are many positive benefits to be gained from being a wilderness adventure leader. This qualitative data is important, as it shows that the research participants themselves feel very strongly that being a wilderness adventure leader leads to a variety of experienced positive benefits. The moderate effect size and the self-reported qualitative data both support a call for more research in this area. Further research of greater depth could lead to a higher effect size, as well as to greater statistical significance. Previous research also reveals a need for further research in this area. Although there is a copious amount of research on the outcomes that occur after participating in a wilderness adventure program, there is a lack of studies that focus specifically on how being part of a wilderness adventure program can benefit a wilder-ness adventure guide or leader. Hattie et al. (1997) stress an overall need for more wilderness adventure research in their meta-analysis of over 96 different studies on wilderness adventure programs. After noting the diverse multitude of results found in the different studies in their meta-analysis, the authors concluded that more re-search in all of the areas of wilderness adventure programming must be done in order to validate the necessity of the existence of outdoor programming (Hattie et al.). Only through the continuation of research in this field will wilderness educators and leaders be able to conclusively offer evidence that wilderness adventure pro-grams are a vital and important part of human development.

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture and Natural Resources / Eleni Pliakoni / Intensive specialty crop production within high tunnel systems in the central U.S. has greatly expanded. High tunnel systems, used primarily to protect specialty crops from harsh environmental conditions, improve marketability, and extend fruiting season. High tunnel day-neutral strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) production in Kansas may by limited due to the high summer temperatures. Evaporative cooling within a high tunnel is a novel technique meant to cool the plant temperature during the hottest months of production. Currently, evaporative cooling is implemented in the early stages during the heavy bloom period. Spring-planted day-neutral strawberry production within high tunnels could provide growers with enhanced yields and marketability, improved storage quality, and late-season prices. This study identifies the optimum cultivars in a plasticulture, high tunnel system with the use of evaporative cooling in regards to yield, quality, storage life, and consumer opinion. The trial was conducted at the Kansas State University Olathe Horticulture Research and Extension Center (OHREC) during 2014 and 2015. Six commercially-available cultivars were evaluated: ‘Albion’, ‘Evie 2’, ‘Monterey’, ‘Portola’, ‘San Andreas’, and ‘Seascape’. Mature fruit (90-100% red) were harvested twice a week and four harvests were evaluated for at harvest and postharvest quality throughout each production year. Storage life was monitored every 24hrs by respiration rate, moisture content and overall visual quality, using a scale from 5 (excellent) to 1 (very poor). Physical and organoleptic quality measurements (texture and color, and soluble solids and titratable acidity) were evaluated every two days throughout storage, and nutritional quality (total phenolic and antioxidant availability) was evaluated at harvest. Our results indicate that ‘Portola’ had the highest yields in 2014 and 2015 at 1.33 lbs/plant and 1.12 lbs/plant, respectively. At harvest, the soluble solids content (°Brix) was highest with ‘Monterey’ and ‘Albion’ (P < 0.0001), while ‘San Andreas’, ‘Monterey’, ‘Portola’, and ‘Albion’ retained firm texture (force(g)) (P ≤ 0.0001). All cultivars maintained their overall visual quality until day 8, with the exception of ‘Evie 2’ and ‘Seascape’. Furthermore, the four cultivars maintained visual quality and had lower respiration rates and moisture content loss (P < 0.001, P < 0.0001, P < 0.05). Throughout storage, ‘Seascape’ had a high respiration rate (P < 0.0001) and low overall visual quality (P < 0.01). Moisture content loss (%) throughout 2014 storage life was less than in 2015 (P < 0.0001) and ‘San Andreas’ and ‘Monterey’ had the least moisture loss throughout both production seasons (P < 0.01). In our trials, evaporative cooling did not affect yield or the incidence of disease. However, the use of evaporative cooling resulted in lower total phenolic levels in both production years (P < 0.0001), and higher respiration rates during storage, as observed in 2015 (P ≤ 0.01). Because of significant year-to-year differences in berry weight (lbs/plant) and size (oz/fruit), further studies are needed to identify the weather effect and best management practices in the region. In Kansas, growing day-neutral strawberries in a high tunnel has potential based on yield and quality of the fruit that we evaluated.

Previous research has found that there are considerable benefits women experience after having spent time in the outdoors, and it is important that women are given the opportunity to discover them (McDermott, 2004). The purpose of the current research was to investigate if and how benefits and changes occur in women after participation in a women-specific outdoor recreation experience. Both quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques were used to answer the four research questions. Data was collected from 40 women at the 2011 Women in the Outdoors Illinois State Event. It was found that benefits and changes occurred following the event, and new insight into how and why changes occurred was also exposed. Finally, discussion and implications are made about the future of outdoor programming for women, considering consumptive sports as outdoor recreational activities, the possibilities of intergenerational programming, and future research ideas and recommendations.

No description available.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / A critical feature of globalisation is to attract and retain intellectual capital to ensure that a cadre of highly skilled, independent, internationally marketable and mobile employees is achieved (Sutherland & Jordaan, 2004). Bagraim and Sader (2007) concur by stating that South African organisations in an increasingly dynamic globalised economy, strive to increase the organisation's competitiveness by ensuring they need to retain and motivate skilled employees. The plethora of literature available on organisational commitment and job satisfaction is testament to achieving the above (Aamodt, 1999; Mowday, Porter & Steers, 1982; Robbins; 2001; Robbins & Judge; 2007). Withdrawal behaviours such as tardiness, absenteeism and turnover have been found to be inversely related to both job satisfaction and organisational commitment (Bergh, 2011; Mowday et al., 1982; Robbins, 2001). It is therefore believed that satisfied and committed employees are more likely to remain with an organisation and to perform at higher levels. The relationship between job satisfaction and organisational commitment has particularly important implications for service organisations. In a recent study, conducted in a service environment, it was demonstrated that highly committed employees exerted more effort towards satisfying the needs of customers. The effort was found, in turn, to raise the level of customer satisfaction (Malherbe & Pearse, 2003). Moreover, the latter study lent strong support to the notion that increased job satisfaction is likely to stimulate greater commitment. Since 1994 South Africa has undergone numerous changes not only in the country but also in the Higher Education sector, to rectify and redress the social injustices caused by apartheid in a move towards a democratic society (Cross, Mungadi & Rouhini cited in Rothman, 2005). In a hyper turbulent environment characterised by constant change, it has become important for Higher Education to change as well to ensure that tertiary institutions become internationally competitive. The importance of the current study therefore comes to the fore in terms of determining why individuals are leaving the institution. This is important because to remain competitive the institution needs highly competent, committed and experienced employees. The present study aspires to identify the variables which influence turnover intentions. The mediating effects of job satisfaction and organisational commitment were investigated in this particular study to explore the concept of turnover intentions amongst a sample of 118 non-academic (administrative) staff members at a tertiary institution in the Western Cape. A biographical questionnaire, the Job Descriptive Index (JDI), the Organisational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) and the Turnover Intentions Questionnaire were administered to elicit responses from respondents to determine the impact of the variables job satisfaction and organisational commitment on turnover intentions. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods (the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Co-efficient and Multiple Regression Analysis) were utilised during the statistical analysis phase. Results indicate that a statistically significant inverse relationship exists between the independent variables job satisfaction and organisational commitment, respectively, and turnover intention. These findings are consistent with previous research findings (Appollis, 2010; Ben-Bakr, Al-Shammari, Jefri & Prasad, 1994; Pienaar, Sieberhagen & Mostert, 2007). Further to this a statistically significant relationship also exists between job satisfaction and organisational commitment which corroborates previous findings (Lok & Crawford, 1999; Mathieu & Zajac; 1999; McNeese-Smith, 2001; Price & Mueller, 1981; Williams & Hazer, 1986). The study concludes with recommendations and implications for future research endeavours in the area of job satisfaction, organisational commitment and turnover intentions amongst non-academic employees from institutions of Higher Education.

The diploma thesis is focusing on benefit provisioning to employees in the Czech Republic. What are the reasons for providing benefits, their tax advantages for employers and for employees. The work is divided into two major parts, a theoretical and a practical one. The theoretical part is aiming at the definition of employee benefits, overview of the most common ones provided in the Czech Republic and their tax impact for employees and employers. In the practical part I am looking into benefits, which are provided by organizations most frequently and which distribution channels are used for them. An overview about major benefit providers and current trends in the Czech Republic is also included in the practical part. The evaluation and practical advices are listed in the final conclusion of my diploma thesis.

The intention of this study was to measure the work engagement and EVP of employees and further to investigate the relationship between work engagement and EVP. A secondary objective was to determine to determine to what extend intrinsic rewards of EVP affects work engagement more than extrinsic rewards. The study was quantitative in nature and data was obtained by means of an electronic survey. The EVP questionnaire and UWES were used to measure EVP and work engagement respectively. Results showed that there is no practical relationship between work engagement and EVP; however, evidence suggested a statistically significant relationship between work engagement and EVP. There was no evidence to suggest that in the relationship between work engagement and EVP, intrinsic components of EVP affect work engagement more than extrinsic rewards. It was however suggested that although the extrinsic rewards component of EVP are important in attracting and retaining employees, rewards had no correlation with work engagement. Implications of the findings suggest that rewards might be important when attracting and retaining employees to a company. However, in order to develop levels of work engagement rewards play no significant role. Companies should invest in enhancing the intrinsic components of their EVP to such an extent that it contributes to levels of work engagement.

Although sexual stereotypes paint males as being promiscuous and females as being choosy in order to increase their reproductive success, multiple mating by females is widespread and females of many taxa often produce progeny sired by multiple males – but why? In species in which there are no direct benefits associated with mating, females may adopt promiscuous mating strategies to increase their fitness through the acquisition of genetic benefits. Here, I examine the genetic mating system of map turtles, Graptemys geographica in Lake Opinicon. Based on the most conservative estimate, at least 71% of clutches in this population are sired by multiple males. There did not appear to be any relationship between female body size and frequency of multiple paternity. There was a marginally significant effect of multiple paternity on hatching success and survival of clutches, but there was no effect on hatchling morphology or locomotor performance.

Teoretická část: Vymezení pojmu "Zaměstnanecké benefity" - definice, charakteristika, možností, rostoucí význam, mezikulturní rozdíly a vlivy Členění zaměstnaneckých benefitů a jejich typy - klasifikace, typy, zaměstnanecké benefity v ČR Trendy v zaměstnaneckých benefitech - tendence před, během a po nedávné finanční krizi Praktická část: Systém zaměstnaneckých benefitů ve velké mezinárodní společnosti - profil společnosti, popis systému benefitů, zaměstnanecká spokojenost s odměňováním, SWOT analýza, TOWS analýza