The success of the computer utility is extremely dependent upon the efficient interaction of electronic data processing equipment with high speed communication circuits. It is the purpose of this thesis to identify and examine some of the problem areas of a new and rapidly expanding industry. Emphasis is placed on the Canadian environment. However, the obvious influences of the related activities in the United States, are not to be neglected thus, the study includes numerous references to the American situation. This is not a report on computer capabilities, nor a technical analysis of the computer-communications interface. Rather, this study deals with the overlapping concerns of the computer and communications industries, and the implications of these mutual interests. Major issues are the economic considerations, government involvement and the examination of social effects. The paper consists of four main sections. The first of these is a general introduction, including a brief summary of data communication terminology. The second section concentrates upon the present Canadian situation and serves to describe the current state of teleprocessing in this country. Also, it involves a survey of the present services provided by the common carriers and the available interface equipment which developers of a computer utility might employ. One of the traits of common carrier services is regulation and this implies government involvement. Pertinent jurisdictions of both federal and provincial government bodies is described. It is felt, that within this realm, extensive reference to the actions of the Federal Communications Commission in the United States is warranted. It's pertinence to the Canadian scene will be brought directly into Section Two, and this is supplemented by Appendix B which describes some of the relevant occurrences in the United States as stimulated by the FCC. One prime undertaking serves to tie these economic, political and social factors together. As a result the thesis includes a review of progress towards a Canadian telecommunications satellite and what it might mean to cross country computer interactions in the future. Section Three looks at some of the management problems which are a part of data communication systems development. The generalities which are characteristic of any development recipe are applied to a specific case study. A study of this type leads to opinions and conclusions being drawn by the author and these are outlined in Section Four of the thesis. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

In this study, performance in the speech event of negotiation was used to investigate the validity of using experiential, linguistic, and psychological/affective/cognitive assessment instruments for training or selecting candidates for intercultural business negotiation between Canadians and Koreans. Instruments used were: background questionnaire, TOEIC scores, and CCAI scores. The participants were 12 businesspeople from Korea and 12 commerce students from Canada. After the bargaining session, each person completed a questionnaire. The negotiation outcome variables considered were source's relative monetary performance and target's relative satisfaction with the negotiation, including process and end-deal aspects. Case analysis suggests that individual experience and middle-to-high TOEIC scores have no significant correlation with either type of performance. Three subsections of the individual CCAI scores were associated with partner satisfaction, but not with monetary performance. Analysis of combined dyadic data revealed strong negative correlation between pair CCAI scores and negotiated endprice. Positive correlation was shown between pair CCAI scores and mutual satisfaction.

By extending the study of international trade to include cultural factors, this paper demonstrates that culture has a direct impact on Canadian and US bilateral trade flows with the world. Various cultural factors of Canadian and US's trading partners were examined through a gravity model to determine their impact on 1990 trade flows. The gravity model explains trade between two countries in terms of the economic size of the trading partners and the distance between them. The following cultural factors were added to this base gravity model to test their explanatory power: the stock of immigrants from the trading partner in Canada, whether the trading partner has English or French as a principal language, and each of four cultural dimensions as they were described by Geert Hofstede in his study of national differences in work related values. This study has established that culture does have a significant impact on Canadian and US trade. Inirnigration, English, Hofstede's Individualism/Collectivism, and Hofstede's Uncertainty Avoidance were each found to have significant regression coefficients. Countries with immigrants in Canada trade more with Canada, and English-speaking countries trade more with both Canada and the US. Individualism / Collectivism measures how members of a society relate to one another. It appears that collectivist societies trade more with Canada and the US. Uncertainty Avoidance measures how a society and its members deal with risk and it appears that countries with lower Uncertainty Avoidance ratings (i.e. less risk averse), trade more with Canada and the US. For the business person trying to compete internationally, cultural factors have been a concern for many years. However, this study suggests a prioritization of the cultural determinants of trade. With a greater understanding of the mechanisms through which culture impacts trade, managers can be more effective in the global marketplace.

The author critiques various strands of liberal moral and political theory as they relate to Aboriginal rights. In particular, he rejects the formulation of liberal theory by philosopher Will Kymlicka, as failing to respond to the unique realities and perspectives of First Nations. He then draws on the insights of philosophers Charles Taylor and James Tully to argue for a new approach to Aboriginal rights, premised on principles of dialogue, recognition and the willingness to engage in an "intercultural journey" in which a middle ground of law, informed by Canadian and indigenous norms, is created. In chapters two through four, the author employs Wittgenstein's "perspicuous contrast" in order to reveal the dialogical basis of Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en legal and political structures, as well as to reveal the dominant role that "monologues" play in the Canadian law of Aboriginal rights. He identifies three monologues: discovery, sovereignty and the "authentic Indian," by which Canadian law marginalizes and subjugates First Nations and their legal systems. Such monologues depend for their coherence and success upon Aboriginal silence. In chapter five, the author argues that notwithstanding the persistence of monologues, Canadian law can be open to dialogue and to the broadening of understanding that is required for the construction of an intercultural legal middle ground. He issues a strong call for the legal system to turn to Aboriginal law as a major source for the middle ground, and argues that doing so will help preserve the ability of First Nations to participate in the intercultural dialogue in their own voices and ways of knowing, which is essential to the successful deployment of the approach argued for in chapter one. The author concludes that the middle ground will best be achieved through treaties, backed by an intercultural legal duty on all parties to negotiate in good faith. He also argues that a rethinking of sovereignty is necessary, in order to preserve the ability of First Nations to participate in intercultural dialogue secure in their autonomy and self-determination. To that end, he argues that courts can provide a useful "backdrop" to the intercultural middle ground, by continuously identifying intercultural legal norms which respect bedrock principles of each community's legal system in order to preserve the autonomy and self-determination of each.

No description available.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--McMaster University, 2005. / Advisor: Vic Stzewich. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 267-290). Also available online.

By extending the study of international trade to include cultural factors, this paper demonstrates that culture has a direct impact on Canadian and US bilateral trade flows with the world. Various cultural factors of Canadian and US's trading partners were examined through a gravity model to determine their impact on 1990 trade flows. The gravity model explains trade between two countries in terms of the economic size of the trading partners and the distance between them. The following cultural factors were added to this base gravity model to test their explanatory power: the stock of immigrants from the trading partner in Canada, whether the trading partner has English or French as a principal language, and each of four cultural dimensions as they were described by Geert Hofstede in his study of national differences in work related values. This study has established that culture does have a significant impact on Canadian and US trade. Inirnigration, English, Hofstede's Individualism/Collectivism, and Hofstede's Uncertainty Avoidance were each found to have significant regression coefficients. Countries with immigrants in Canada trade more with Canada, and English-speaking countries trade more with both Canada and the US. Individualism / Collectivism measures how members of a society relate to one another. It appears that collectivist societies trade more with Canada and the US. Uncertainty Avoidance measures how a society and its members deal with risk and it appears that countries with lower Uncertainty Avoidance ratings (i.e. less risk averse), trade more with Canada and the US. For the business person trying to compete internationally, cultural factors have been a concern for many years. However, this study suggests a prioritization of the cultural determinants of trade. With a greater understanding of the mechanisms through which culture impacts trade, managers can be more effective in the global marketplace. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

The author critiques various strands of liberal moral and political theory as they relate to Aboriginal rights. In particular, he rejects the formulation of liberal theory by philosopher Will Kymlicka, as failing to respond to the unique realities and perspectives of First Nations. He then draws on the insights of philosophers Charles Taylor and James Tully to argue for a new approach to Aboriginal rights, premised on principles of dialogue, recognition and the willingness to engage in an "intercultural journey" in which a middle ground of law, informed by Canadian and indigenous norms, is created. In chapters two through four, the author employs Wittgenstein's "perspicuous contrast" in order to reveal the dialogical basis of Gitksan and Wet'suwet'en legal and political structures, as well as to reveal the dominant role that "monologues" play in the Canadian law of Aboriginal rights. He identifies three monologues: discovery, sovereignty and the "authentic Indian," by which Canadian law marginalizes and subjugates First Nations and their legal systems. Such monologues depend for their coherence and success upon Aboriginal silence. In chapter five, the author argues that notwithstanding the persistence of monologues, Canadian law can be open to dialogue and to the broadening of understanding that is required for the construction of an intercultural legal middle ground. He issues a strong call for the legal system to turn to Aboriginal law as a major source for the middle ground, and argues that doing so will help preserve the ability of First Nations to participate in the intercultural dialogue in their own voices and ways of knowing, which is essential to the successful deployment of the approach argued for in chapter one. The author concludes that the middle ground will best be achieved through treaties, backed by an intercultural legal duty on all parties to negotiate in good faith. He also argues that a rethinking of sovereignty is necessary, in order to preserve the ability of First Nations to participate in intercultural dialogue secure in their autonomy and self-determination. To that end, he argues that courts can provide a useful "backdrop" to the intercultural middle ground, by continuously identifying intercultural legal norms which respect bedrock principles of each community's legal system in order to preserve the autonomy and self-determination of each. / Law, Peter A. Allard School of / Graduate

In this study, performance in the speech event of negotiation was used to investigate the validity of using experiential, linguistic, and psychological/affective/cognitive assessment instruments for training or selecting candidates for intercultural business negotiation between Canadians and Koreans. Instruments used were: background questionnaire, TOEIC scores, and CCAI scores. The participants were 12 businesspeople from Korea and 12 commerce students from Canada. After the bargaining session, each person completed a questionnaire. The negotiation outcome variables considered were source's relative monetary performance and target's relative satisfaction with the negotiation, including process and end-deal aspects. Case analysis suggests that individual experience and middle-to-high TOEIC scores have no significant correlation with either type of performance. Three subsections of the individual CCAI scores were associated with partner satisfaction, but not with monetary performance. Analysis of combined dyadic data revealed strong negative correlation between pair CCAI scores and negotiated endprice. Positive correlation was shown between pair CCAI scores and mutual satisfaction. / Education, Faculty of / Language and Literacy Education (LLED), Department of / Graduate

No description available.