A large number of empirical studies have illustrated the benefits of adopting and implementing a relational or relationship marketing strategy. However, there is an emergent stream of literature that suggests that despite the recognized benefits associated with this strategy there may also be a dark side that manifests itself between firms as a result of adopting a relationship marketing strategy. However, though this stream of literature recognizes the presence of the dark side, causal antecedents mediating the dark side constructs, or consequences of the dark side have yet to be theoretically derived, explained or empirically tested. This dissertation constructs theoretical relationships between common relational constructs, such as trust and commitment and dark side symptoms such as relational myopia, complacency, vulnerability and suspicion. This dissertation also examines how these dark side symptoms, upon their onset, can yield negative consequences for the firms that have adopted the relationship marketing strategy. Data from a diverse set of business to business (B2B) relationships (N=305) was gathered to test the structural model implicit in the theoretical propositions presented in this dissertation. The results support the hypothesized notion of a dark side to B2B relationships as the relational constructs of shared values, commitment, trust, and satisfaction were all found to have a positive, significant relationship with elements of the dark side. These results are discussed in detail within the chapters of this dissertation.

Many contemporary theologians and political thinkers find in the life and writings of Reinhold Niebuhr the strong critique of complacency and evidence of an unrelenting quest for social justice. Others, however, interpret Niebuhr in the light of neoconservative tenets, and see him as one father of American political realism with its appreciation for stable community life and tradition. These two polarities of interpretation highlight the split between left-liberal sympathies for a theology and politics of liberation and the right-liberal disposition toward values expressed most fully in a democratic capitalism. That thoughtful people of both political and/or theological stripes can trace their intellectual roots back to Niebuhr is witness to the complexity of Niebuhr's thought. Within the broad agenda suggested by these observations, this study seeks to develop and analyze Niebuhr's position on 20th century liberal pacifism. Specifically, it is concerned to trace Niebuhr's reaction against older styles of liberal theology which lent credibility and theoretical support to, among other things, the liberal pacifism which achieved some status in the political and theological debates of wartime North America. The concluding section of the thesis attempts to draw from the study of Niebuhr's criticism of liberal pacifism certain principles which hint at the resolution of the polarities of interpretation of Niebuhr's corpus.I would not deny, however, that although I should not have been among the crucifiers of Jesus, I should also have not been among his supporters. For I cannot help withstanding evil when I see that it is about to destroy the good. I am forced to withstand the evil in the world just as the evil within myself. I can only strive not to have to do so by force. But if there is no way of preventing the good, I trust I shall use force and give myself up into God's hands ... If I am to confess what is truth for me, I must say: There is nothing better for a man than to deal justly -unless it be to love; we should be able even to fight for justice -but to fight lovingly. Martin Buber (1939) In a perfect world we'd all sing in tune, But this is reality so give me some room. Billy Bragg ("Waiting for the Great Leap Forwards", 1988) / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

With the renewal of interest in nuclear energy as a green energy source, battery plant manufacturing for electric vehicles, and semiconductor fabrication plant construction, it is necessary to address the evolution of complacency as it relates to industrial facility leadership and the widespread reduction in force of essential critical infrastructure workers. As a skilled craft person in the piping trades, with almost two decades of experience in mechanical construction, ten of those years as a nuclear worker, and as a traveling pipefitter working at chemical, refinery, and gasification plants, I am intimately aware of the behaviors, practices, and procedures inherent to these industrial facilities. This personal and professional experience, in addition to gatekeeper status, affords me access to a diverse craft base and corporate leadership. Because of this atypical positioning, I am capable of discerning variances in standard procedures and protocols, changing conditions and manpower shortfalls. Qualitative research methods, including interviews, public documentation, and information from industry organizations, such as the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, are all employed to collect this information. My research addresses the industrial events that are detrimental to human security due to corporate leadership's role in complacency, which includes its involvement in understaffing and temporary manpower practices, in tandem with human performance and escalated risk behaviors.

Acts of violence on farms and smallholdings are continuing unabated in spite of the efforts of the government and the agricultural unions to quell attacks on members of the farming community. Although research has been done on various aspects of farm attacks, empirical information regarding farmers’ perceptions of their susceptibility to attacks, the consequences that are suffered and the coping strategies that farmers apply after victimisation, is limited to that contained in the Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Farm Attacks. In order to gain first-hand information with regard to this phenomenon, the researcher interviewed 15 direct victims of attacks on a one-on-one basis. All the attacks occurred in the Mpumalanga Province and the adjoining Nokeng Tsa Taemane region in the Gauteng Province. Based on the analysis and interpretation of the data, it was found that most of the respondents felt unsafe on their farms. In spite of this, they were all taken by surprise by their attackers. While the majority of the respondents believed that their homes were reasonably secure, financial and familial constraints prevented some from improving the guardianship on their farms. Those who had good security systems in their homes, were attacked outside or in the early evening before the systems were activated. The findings also revealed that the immediate reactions of victims of farm attacks do not differ fundamentally from those of other victims of crime. Reactions include surprise, fear of being killed, injured and/or raped and powerlessness. After the attacks they often experienced anger and bitterness. Analysis of the data furthermore indicated that physical injuries ranged from minor to serious injuries that necessitated hospitalisation. Emotional and social harm were also experienced by victims, causing them to be fearful and distrustful of black persons, as the attacks were all black on white. Farm attacks also had negative financial consequences for the victims. Capital that might have been used for other purposes had to be used to pay medical and funeral bills and upgrade security, especially since most victims feared re-victimisation. After the attacks some respondents preferred to relocate. While many of the respondents found it too costly to implement the necessary target hardening measures, avoidance behaviour in the form of alertness was identified as the most effective means of preventing victimisation in the future. Other avoidance tactics included feeding dogs in the afternoon when visibility is still good and sending employees out to establish the reason for the visit of black strangers who arrive on the farm without an appointment. Erroneous perceptions with regard to the motives for attacks and the profile of attackers, as well as complacency about security which often sets in because of the routine nature of farmers’ lifestyle, were identified as the main reasons for farmers’ susceptibility to victimisation. It was also found that the respondents’ coping strategies varied. While some relied on their Christian faith and the support of family and friends, others exerted their inner strength to regain their emotional equilibrium. On the basis of the above findings, recommendations were made regarding further research and measures that might be implemented by both the government and farmers to reduce the number of farm attacks. It was highlighted that factors such as hate speech, socio-economic conditions in rural areas, the acceleration of land reform and education deserve further attention. Farmers must guard against complacency and make informed decisions about security on the farms. As coping strategies vary, it was furthermore stated that victimised farmers need to persevere until they have assimilated the negative experience. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Social Work and Criminology / unrestricted

Des niveaux d'automatisation élevés sont intégrés dans les environnements critiques pour satisfaire la demande croissante de systèmes plus sûrs. Cette philosophie déplace les opérateurs vers un rôle de supervision et crée de nouveaux problèmes appelés problèmes de performance liés à la sortie de boucle (SDB). L'émergence de pensées sans lien avec ici et maintenant, ou divagation attentionnelle (DA), pourrait affecter les opérateurs dans des situations de SDB par le biais du découplage perceptuel induit. Cette thèse a étudié la dynamique de la DA dans les situations de SDB et son influence sur les opérateurs. Nous avons en premier lieu examiné les preuves dans la littérature pointant vers un lien entre le problème de performance lié à la SDB et la DA. Nous avons complété cette analyse théorique en rapportant la tendance des pilotes (collectée avec un questionnaire) à rencontrer plus de problèmes avec leur pilote automatique pour ceux ayant une plus grande propension au MW non lié à la tâche. Nous avons ensuite mené trois expériences dans des conditions de SDB. Nous avons observé une augmentation significative des épisodes de DA dans les situations de SDB quelle que soit la fiabilité du système, par rapport aux conditions manuelles. Les épisodes de DA étaient également accompagnés d'un découplage perceptuel vis-à-vis de la tâche créé par la DA non lié à la tâche. Ce découplage était visible sur des rapports de demande mentale ainsi que les signaux oculométriques et encéphalographiques. Dans l'ensemble, nos résultats démontrent la possibilité d'utiliser des marqueurs physiologiques de la DA dans des environnements de SDB complexes. Nous discutons de nouvelles perspectives d'utilisation des marqueurs de la DA pour caractériser les problèmes de performance liés à la SDB. Sans vouloir arrêter aveuglément l'émergence de la DA, qui pourrait être bénéfique pour les opérateurs, les recherches futures devraient se concentrer sur la conception de systèmes capables de gérer la DA et d'identifier les informations nécessaires pour faciliter la rentrée de l'opérateur dans la boucle de contrôle. / Higher levels of automation are progressively integrated in critical environments to satisfy the increasing demand for safer systems. Such philosophy moves operators to a supervisory role, also called out-of-the-loop (OOTL) situations. Unfortunately, OOTL situations also create a new kind of human-machine interaction issues, called OOTL performance problem. The dramatic consequences of OOTL performance problem stress the need to identify which mechanisms could influence their appearance. The emergence of thoughts unrelated to the here and now, labeled mind wandering (MW), could affect operators in OOTL situations through the perceptual decoupling induced. This thesis investigates MW dynamic in OOTL situations and its influence on operators. We firstly reviewed the evidences in the literature underlining a link between OOTL performance problem and MW. We completed theoretical insights by reporting pilots' tendency (collected with a questionnaire) to encounter more problems with autopilots when experiencing more task-unrelated MW. Then, we conducted three experiments in OOTL conditions using an obstacle avoidance task. With non-expert population and sessions longer than 45 minutes, we observed a significant increase of MW in OOTL situations compared to manual conditions, independently of system reliability. MW episodes were also accompanied by a perceptual decoupling from the task induced by task-unrelated MW. This decoupling was visible on reports of mental demand as well as oculometric (pupil size, blinks) and encephalographic (N1 component, alpha activity) signals. Overall, our results demonstrate the possibility to use physiological markers of MW in complex OOTL environments. We discuss new perspectives towards the use of MW markers to characterize the OOTL performance problem. Instead of blindly stopping MW episodes, which could have benefits for operators, future research should focus on designing systems able to cope with MW and identify information needed to facilitate the reentry in the control loop when needed.

No description available.

Diese Dissertation untersucht das Nutzerverhalten und die Einstellungen von Smartphone- und App-BenutzerInnen und welche Rolle die Kultur in Bezug auf mobile Privatsphäre spielt. Die zentrale Forschungsfrage lautet: Gibt es Unterschiede im Verhalten und in der Einstellung von amerikanischen und deutschen Studenten der Bibliotheks- und Informationswissenschaften in Bezug auf die mobile Privatsphäre? Im Mittelpunkt dieser Dissertation steht die ethnographische Forschung in einem interkulturellen Umfeld. Das Forschungsdesign besteht aus halb-strukturierten Interviews, gekoppelt mit Experimenten und Beobachtungen der Teilnehmer über die Nutzung mobiler Technologien. Die Feldforschung 1 wurde (in persona) an zwei verschiedenen Orten durchgeführt: an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Deutschland, und an der Rutgers State University of New Jersey, USA. Die Feldforschung 2 wurde (digital) über eine Online-Videokonferenzplattform durchgeführt. Im Gegensatz dazu, was die Autorin dieser vorliegenden Studie prognostizierte, kommt es zu folgenden Ergebnissen in dieser Studie: Bei den Probanden können fast keine kulturellen Unterschiede im Verhalten und in der Einstellung zur mobilen Privatsphäre festgestellt werden. Stattdessen werden in Bezug auf die mobile Privatsphäre ähnliche Einstellungen unter den Studienteilnehmenden festgestellt. Zum einen die Selbstzufriedenheit, zum anderen das Gefühl der Hilfslosigkeit und schließlich Pragmatismus scheinen, deutsche und amerikanische Studierende gleichermaßen zu beeinflussen. Das Ergebnis wurde aber ursprünglich nicht so erwartet, da eigentlich zu Beginn der Studie davon ausgegangen wurde, dass der unterschiedliche Kenntnis- und Bewusstseinsstand zur mobilen Privatsphäre in beiden Kulturen zu unterschiedlichen Reaktionen führen würde. Dennoch bieten die Ergebnisse dieser Studie sicher nachfolgenden WissenschaftlerInnen interessante Impulse und eine gute Ausgangsbasis für weitere Studien. / This dissertation examines the role of culture, mobile privacy, apps, and user behavior and attitude. The core research question is: Are there differences in the mobile privacy behaviors and attitudes of American and German library and information science students? This dissertation uses ethnography as its research methodology since culture is at the heart of ethnography. Furthermore, ethnographers try to make sense of behavior, customs, and attitudes of the culture they observe and research. This ethnographer aims to portray a thick narrative and transforms participants' mobile privacy attitude and behavior into a rich account. The research design is comprised of semi-structured interviews, coupled with experiments and participant observations about mobile technology use. Fieldwork 1 was conducted in two different sites: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany, and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, USA. Fieldwork 2 was conducted via an online video conferencing platform. Contrary to what this researcher predicted, the findings have revealed that there are nearly no cultural differences in mobile privacy behavior and attitude. Similar attitudes, such as mobile privacy complacency, mobile privacy learned-helplessness, and mobile privacy pragmatism, seem to impact German and American students equally. The findings provide support for further research recommendations, and in conclusion, this researcher highlights three contributions this study makes to the scholarly literature.