Traversing geographical borders frequently allows people the illusion of crossing social, political, and economic boundaries. For African-Americans of the early twentieth century, crossing physical borders offered the promise of freedom from racial segregation and discrimination in all aspects of social, political, and cultural life. Haiti became a site for African-American imaginings of a free and just society beyond the problem of the color line. From the 1920's through the 1980's, African-American travel writing was strategically deployed in efforts to transform a U.S. society characterized by Jim Crow segregation. In the process, Haiti and the rest of the Caribbean were romanticized as spaces of racial equality and political freedom. This project examines the ways in which the Caribbean has been packaged by and for African-Americans, of both U.S. and Caribbean ancestry, as a place to re-engage with romanticized African origins. In the selling of the Caribbean, cultural/heritage tourism, romance/sex tourism and ecotourism all trade on the same metaphors of loss and redemption of the innocence, equality, and purity found in a state of nature. Through analyses of standard commercial tourism advertising alongside of travel writing, I argue that with the growth of the black middle-class in the late 1980's crossings to the Caribbean have become romantic engagements with an idealized pastoral past believed lost in the transition to middle-class prosperity in the United States. African-American travel writers, writing about the Caribbean, tend to create a monolithic community of cultural belonging despite differences of geography and class, and gender hierarchies. Thus, African-American travelers' tales constitute narratives at the crossroads of celebrations of their economic progress in the United States and nostalgia for a racial community believed lost on the road to suburban prosperity. For them, the Caribbean stands in as the geographical metaphor for that idealized lost community.

Although metaphor has been a subject of study for centuries, few experimental studies have attempted to demonstrate the persuasive power of messages containing metaphors. Moreover, it is rarely acknowledged that metaphors and analogies can serve as valuable tools to tailor messages to the values of culturally diverse populations. This dissertation outlines the utility of incorporating metaphors and analogies within persuasive messages and advances a method for generating culturally appropriate metaphors and analogies. The literature on the neurophysiological basis of figurative language processing is reviewed in an attempt to uncover the origin of the persuasive power of metaphor. This literature leads to the development of the concept of Literal Mindedness as a way to explain individual differences in responses to figurative language. The Literal Mindedness Inventory is developed as part of this dissertation research, and its convergent validity with Need for Cognition also is established. Finally, an experiment was conducted to test the effect of metaphors and analogies and Literal Minedness on persuasion. To assess the effect of metaphors and analogies on the reception of persuasive health messages (HIV prevention/pro-condom messages), nine messages representing three levels of metaphors and analogies were tested on outcome measures such as fear, efficacy, message evaluation, and knowledge and attitudes. The hypotheses advanced in this study were partially supported, and form the basis of a number of recommendations for future research.

Asthma has become one of the most commonly talked about and politically charged health topics in India. Yet, less than a decade ago, international studies reported that rates of the disease in the country were among the lowest in the world. This dissertation examines how asthma rapidly became a preeminent health concern in Tamil Nadu. I document and critically examine factors that have led to the phenomenon of asthma, from the multiple perspectives of its sufferers, the practitioners who diagnose and treat the disease, and the pharmaceutical companies that develop and market products for its management. I examine how popular representations of asthma and allergy--which view the disease as the result of an increasingly toxic environment, a more susceptible population, and new, modern ways of life--have influenced the social meaning and medical management of asthma. Using a variety of data, I describe patterns of health care seeking, the therapeutic regimens prescribed for asthma, and the important role played by factors such as the affordability of medications, and the perceptions of the activity and potential harm of medications, such as steroids. I look at increasing coverage of asthma in the Indian print media, and the efforts of the private health care industry and Indian environmental organizations, to draw further attention to the disease. Through detailed clinical observations and interviews with a wide range of allopathic and traditional Indian medical practitioners, I outline the variety of professional understandings and therapeutic approaches toward asthma, describe important differences in the interpretations of its symptoms, and examine the medical and social factors contributing to misdiagnoses, underdiagnosis, and undertreatment. In addition to medical knowledge about asthma, practice patterns are determined by a variety of practical logics, including economic competition in the pluralistic marketplace, the social relations of disease labels, and the pressures to forge a stable relationship between practitioner and patient. Finally, I describe the variety of techniques through which some of the leading drug companies in India have actively promoted asthma and allergy, and provide an ethnographic account of the introduction of new asthma drugs--the leukotriene receptor antagonists--to the Indian market.

The aims of this research were to determine the level of satisfaction with pharmacy services among enrollees of a managed care organization, compare the level of satisfaction between mail pharmacy and traditional pharmacy patrons, and evaluate the relationship between satisfaction with pharmacy services and health status. Data was collected via telephone interviews with 1,362 enrollees of the managed care organization. The overall response rate was 65%. Satisfaction was measured using previously developed items for traditional pharmacy services, and newly developed, parallel items for mail pharmacy services. Scores were calculated for hypothesized multi-item dimensions of satisfaction. Health status was measured using the physical and mental health composite scores of the SF-12 Health Survey. Satisfaction with pharmacy services was compared between patron groups using ANOVA and ANCOVA models. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to evaluate the dimensional structure of satisfaction with pharmacy services and the relationship between satisfaction with pharmacy services and health status. The results indicated that mail pharmacy patrons were more satisfied than traditional pharmacy patrons with their pharmacy services in general, and specifically with the financial aspects and technical quality of those services. When the comparisons were adjusted for general satisfaction with medical care and mental health status, mail pharmacy patrons still had greater levels of general satisfaction with pharmacy services. However, when these covariates were included in the comparison of satisfaction with financial aspects and technical quality of pharmacy services, dimension scores between the two patron groups were not significantly different. Internal consistency reliability coefficients for the multi-item dimensions of satisfaction were in the range of 0.53 to 0.77, with the exception of the Written Information dimension for mail pharmacy service, where the alpha coefficient was 0.37. A positive correlation between the dimension scores for general satisfaction with pharmacy services and general satisfaction with medical care lends support to the construct validity of the measurements. Additionally, it was concluded that, as expected, general satisfaction with pharmacy services was positively correlated with mental health status, but there was no significant relationship between physical health and satisfaction with pharmacy services.

American women continue to be severely underrepresented in the number of elected political positions held. One of the obstacles that women face when seeking public office are gender stereotypes which reinforce beliefs that women may be less viable candidates than men. Gender stereotypes influence a range of evaluations about candidates including judgments about their credibility, competency, and communication strategies. This study analyzes communication campaign strategies as one area in which gender stereotyping may influence voters. Television political advertisements are the context for this analysis because of the increased relevance of advertising in imparting candidate image and issue information to the voters. Language Expectancy Theory and literature from the nonverbal communication field provided the theoretical rationale for this study. A micro-level analysis of the verbal and nonverbal communication strategies in political advertising was conducted to determine if these strategies adhered to or countered gender stereotypes. A total of 124 political advertisements of male and female candidates were content analyzed. Results of the study indicate that differences existed in how male and female candidates presented their image to the electorate. Specifically, for the verbal strategies examined, women candidates used less intense language, less humor, less direct attacks, and more prosocial strategies than their male counterparts. However, no differences were found between how men and women made references to autonomy nor were differences identified in their use of opinionated language. For the nonverbal communication strategies, women were coded as having more pleasant voices, and as using more immediate and dominant kinesic cues. No differences were identified in regard to trait characteristics emphasized nor issues mentioned in the ads. The discussion focuses on how these findings can assist scholars in understanding the communication strategies male and female candidates utilized, and if these strategies supported or violated communication stereotypes. The findings of the study can facilitate future research related to understanding how female candidates can increase the persuasive efficacy of their political advertisements.

<p>This paper is a systematic review of scholarly studies that examines how organizations enhance their ability to generate value through social media. It explores why some organizations are able to adopt and benefit from social media while others cannot. Specifically, it examines: (i) how <i> people</i> and social networks are essential to create value at the organizational level, (ii) how <i>leadership</i> sets the vision and convinces others on the need for change, and (iii) what types of <i>strategy</i> can be implemented to enable knowledge creation through social networks. Argument is made on the vital importance of two variables in particular&mdash;leadership and strategy&mdash;and their role in moderating how the organization accepts and incorporates change to enhance overall effectiveness and efficiency. Evidence-based research is used to describe relevant theory and practice through qualitative and quantitative sources. It examines how organizations overcome the hurdles associated with change, and how individuals learn to accept new methods to connect, share knowledge, and create value through Web 2.0 technology. </p><p> Social media challenges an organization&rsquo;s ability to manage individuals and information. It requires a shift in the way people work and think; it requires a culture adjustment in how people collaborate in new, more inclusive ways other than relying on the same imbedded methods and inner core of co-workers for answers. </p><p> <i>Keywords:</i> Social Media, Social Networks, Leadership, Strategy, and Organizational Culture. </p>

Four experiments were carried out to examine the extent to which the container shape and color of a consumer product package influence hazard perceptions of that product. The experiments further examined the extent to which consumer product hazard perception influenced consumer precautionary intent. The first experiment demonstrated that participants could design product packages signaling the identity and potential hazard level of the contents. Experiments 2 and 3 validated the results of Experiment 1. Experiment 3 further introduced the concept of precautionary intent; participants were more likely to express precautionary intent for those products perceived as being more hazardous. Experiment 4 examined whether these stated intentions would be acted upon when participants were asked to actually interact with a product; it was found that participants were more likely to engage in precautionary behaviors than had been indicated in Experiment 3.

<p> Each year, over 300 billion dollars of print coupons are distributed, yet the redemption rate is less than one percent. As of 2010, 93% of the U.S. population has one or more cell phones providing anytime, anywhere access. Despite the 2009 economic downturn, Americans still spend 41% of their food budget outside of the home. The specific problem to be studied is the behavioral intention of young adults, 18 to 24 years of age, attending private, non-profit universities to use mobile coupons for casual restaurant dining. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional correlation study was determining the relationship between five independent variables: (a) performance expectancy, (b) effort expectancy, (c) social influence, (d) fear of spam, and (e) opting-in; and one dependent variable: participants' behavioral intention to use mobile coupons for casual restaurant dining. The results demonstrated a strong positive correlation between all of the variables except fear of spam and the dependent variable: the behavioral intention to use mobile coupons for casual dining restaurants. There was no relationship between the fear of spam and the behavioral intention to use mobile coupons. This, in itself, was an important finding. Recommendations for using mobile coupons include coupon promotion as a component of the marketing mix, mobile coupons as a unique way of encouraging new menu items, creating an easy path to opt-in, and creative ideas for coupon face-value promotions. Mobile coupons have the potential to exceed the redemption rates of printed coupons.</p>

<p> The current qualitative phenomenological study was conducted to explore small and medium enterprise (SME) business leaders&rsquo; lived experiences with e-commerce practices. The central research question for the current study was as follows: What is the lived experience of SME leaders who have used e-commerce practices within their business with regard to the effect and critical success factors (CSFs) of e-commerce in the SMEs&rsquo; success? The findings of this study offer insights into how the adoption of e-commerce practices might help SMEs in Puerto Rico to achieve competitive advantage and contribute to their success or survival. The study served to define the knowledge and skills required for leaders to manage e-commerce operations. Research findings indicated that e-commerce helps to generate revenue and profitability for a business. A key negative aspect of e-commerce that leaders must consider is distrust in terms of security risks and identity fraud, among others. The study findings indicate that SME leaders in Puerto Rico are using e-commerce practices such as media advertising and promotion based on electronic marketing media, and cutting-edge technology through more interactive websites, among others. Other key factors for e-commerce success were the knowledge and skills that the SME leaders possessed, which included knowledge of technology like Web programming, and know how to create and use different tools based on computer systems, among others. The findings of the current study can serve as a roadmap to those considering adopting e-commerce, and lead future research related to the use e-commerce practices in SMEs.</p>

Guided by Thomas Kuhn's theory about paradigm shift advanced in The Structure of Scientific Revolutions and Mao Tsetung's theory of “the new superseding the old”, this thesis briefly examines the history of translation both in the West and in China and observes three paradigm shifts in each territory. The analyses reveal that paradigm shifts in translation theory occur when the changes in the social, economic, cultural and religious environments lead to significant changes in the practice of translation and that these changes then can no longer be adequately theorised by the old paradigms of translation. This study then critically reviews current literature on globalisation and translation and attributes its lack of depth in theorisation or some of its misleading predictions to certain scholars' inadequate investigation of the phenomenon of globalisation. In order to provide an adequate interpretation, description, explanation and prediction of the impact of globalisation on the theory and practice of translation, I investigate five aspects of globalisation and their respective impact on translation practice and find that globalisation has changed the mainstream of translation practice from canonical translation to professional (i.e., non-canonical) translation. The findings of the research demonstrate that traditional translation theories based on comparative literary study or on linguistics fail to provide an objective and comprehensive theoretical framework for the mainstream practice of translation. Therefore, it is justifiable to posit a paradigm shift in Translation Studies from canonical translation to professional translation so as to meet the demand of and challenges for the translation profession and business under the impact of globalisation. As an initiation towards the establishment of a new paradigm, I posit a “value-driven” theory based on recent developments in researches on the global economy to distinguish between canonical and professional translations. Influenced by theories of the knowledge-driven economy, I further propose to establish a force of translators as knowledge workers to better serve the demand of the global economy and the global community. To follow the principle of empiricism, I use several case studies from the real world of commercial translation to support my “value-driven” theory for Translation Studies. / Subscription resource available via Digital Dissertations only.