Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-50). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

Due to recent events in corporate America, including the recent Enron scandal and numerous cases of insider trading, the public's faith in the fairness of the stock markets has been shaken. The current study suggests that public relations efforts that are designed to increase the public's perception of the integrity of United States stock markets and lower public cynicism toward insider trading may be fruitful. The contributions of this study are to identify what leads to insider trading and thereby identify methods to reduce it. Graduate student subjects are used to test the relationship between the intent to trade based on insider information and the deterrents and motivations for insider trading. The results of the study indicate that gain, certainty, cynicism, guilt, social stigma, and agreement with the law have a significant effect on an individual's intent to take part in insider trading. The results do not provide conclusive support that increasing severity of punishment decreases the likelihood of trading based on insider information. The results also show that there are differences in the perceptions of male and female respondents with regard to the deterrence variables. Identifying what situations are more likely to lead to insider trading allows policymakers to design more efficient detection efforts. This study finds that subjects' are more inclined to trade based on insider information to avoid a loss on stock they currently own than to achieve an abnormal gain by purchasing a stock that they do not currently own. This study finds that the intent to take part in insider trading increases as the perception of likelihood of getting caught decreases. The results indicate that subjects are more willing to use insider information when it is from a friend because their likelihood of getting caught is lower. This is important for two reasons. If the incidence of insider trading is higher in situations that involve second hand knowledge, then detection efforts become more complicated. Also, the presence of insider trading may be significantly higher than current detection efforts indicate because these cases are hard to detect. / Ph. D.

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB), Halyomorpha halys (Stål), is a major pest of vegetable crops, fruit crops, and even ornamental plants in the Mid-Atlantic States. Organic growers have limited chemical options to manage this pest, and are in need of better management options. Several organically-approved insecticides including pyrethrins (Pyganic), azadirachtin (Aza-Direct), azadirachtin + pyrethrins (Azera), spinosad (Entrust), potassium salts of fatty acids (M-Pede), sabadilla alkaloids (Veratran D), extract from Burkholderia sp. (Venerate), and one experimental product, potassium salts + spinosad (Neudorff 1138), were evaluated for toxicity to BMSB nymphs and adults using lab bioassays and field trials on tomatoes and peppers. Another potential control option is to use natural chemicals to deter BMSB feeding in vegetables. Kaolinite [Al4Si4O10 (OH)8] (Surround WP); a white, plate-shaped, aluminosilicate mineral that is sprayed on plants to alter the appearance, feel, and smell of a plant to an insect. Essential oils (Ecotec) are chemicals produced by plants which are repellent and even toxic to certain insects, and by mimicking octopomine these chemicals disrupt the insect's neurotransmitters. Treatments were evaluated in choice test bioassays and field experiments on peppers using weekly applications of the highest labeled rates of the products. The results showed that, although some organically-approved insecticides demonstrate a high level of activity on BMSB in lab bioassays, none of these products appear to be effective at reducing stink bug damage to fruiting vegetables in the field. However, kaolinite provided significant control of BMSB nymphs (p=0.03) and adults (p=0.01) in both choice test bioassays and in field trials. Essential oils did not provide any significant control of BMSB in choice test bioassays or in field trials. Further research is needed to determine if the efficacy of kaolinite holds up under heavy pest pressure. / Master of Science in Life Sciences

Abatement of damage caused by wildlife is an ongoing challenge throughout the world. Kangaroos are often considered problem species in Australia because they cause damage to vehicles and farm properties, as well as compete with livestock for food and water. Kangaroos are currently controlled in some areas by exclusion fencing, but mostly by shooting. The general public is applying pressure for the use of non-lethal methods of control with minimal pain to the animal and high target specificity. Deterrents are a common non-lethal method to control problem wildlife. (For complete abstract open document)

Thesis (M. Env. Des.)--University of Calgary, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 145-147).

Continuing education (CE) in nursing is a critical element in assuring quality health care for the public. Rapid changes in technology and increasing emphasis on utilizing current research findings in practice increases the importance of participation in CE. Many nurses, however, do not attend CE sessions. As provincial professional associations are looking at ways to ensure competency in practice, the issue of who participates in CE and who does not is becoming more relevant to employers and educators. p*A review of the literature found that while many studies looked at factors that increase participation in CE, few examined deterrents or barriers to CE participation in nursing. Few studies were found comparing CE participants with nonparticipants. <p>This comparative descriptive study examined the similarities and differences between participants and nonparticipants of CE. Questionnaires, including the 40-item Deterrents to Participation Scale as well as some demographic and recent CE participation information, were distributed to a sample of acute care nurses in three different-sized hospitals in Saskatchewan. To maximize response rates, Dillmans Total Design Method for surveys was used where possible. <p>Means of the interval data was compared between the participants and nonparticipants. Cross tabulations were used to explore relationships among non-interval data. <p>This study provided valuable insights into participation and nonparticipation in CE, and will thereby help employers and educators develop a deeper understanding of possible strategies that could increase participation in CE.

Continuing education (CE) in nursing is a critical element in assuring quality health care for the public. Rapid changes in technology and increasing emphasis on utilizing current research findings in practice increases the importance of participation in CE. Many nurses, however, do not attend CE sessions. As provincial professional associations are looking at ways to ensure competency in practice, the issue of who participates in CE and who does not is becoming more relevant to employers and educators. p*A review of the literature found that while many studies looked at factors that increase participation in CE, few examined deterrents or barriers to CE participation in nursing. Few studies were found comparing CE participants with nonparticipants. <p>This comparative descriptive study examined the similarities and differences between participants and nonparticipants of CE. Questionnaires, including the 40-item Deterrents to Participation Scale as well as some demographic and recent CE participation information, were distributed to a sample of acute care nurses in three different-sized hospitals in Saskatchewan. To maximize response rates, Dillmans Total Design Method for surveys was used where possible. <p>Means of the interval data was compared between the participants and nonparticipants. Cross tabulations were used to explore relationships among non-interval data. <p>This study provided valuable insights into participation and nonparticipation in CE, and will thereby help employers and educators develop a deeper understanding of possible strategies that could increase participation in CE.

No description available.

Organizations are increasingly supporting employee's educational pursuits, especially when continuing education is used as a strategy to achieve organizational goals or groom future executives. Fulmer and Wagner (1999) found that best-practice organizations developed their own leaders and that senior executives were products of internal leadership development systems. This quantitative study was designed to better understand deterrents to participation in formal adult education from the perspective of mid- to upper-level professional, technical, executive, administrative, and managerial employees who participated in a quasi-governmental organization's leadership development program. The program consisted of three phases. The first two took place within the confines of the organization over a one-year period, and completion rates were almost one-hundred percent. For phase three, the formal education component of the program where three years were allotted to achieve the objectives, the completion rates were much lower. As a result, fifty-nine percent of all participants failed to complete the program in its entirety. Three questions were explored in the study: (a) despite efforts of the employer to address major deterrents (time, costs, family responsibilities, access, and employer support), to what extent do employees perceive any of these deterrents still exist, (b) what other deterrents do employees face as they approach or become active in the formal adult education segment (Phase III) of the leadership development program, and (c) what do employees perceive as enablers provided by the employer? A slightly modified Deterrents to Participation Scale-General (DPS-G) augmented with three open-ended questions was used to collect data from eight hundred and thirty-three respondents. Sixty-seven percent had completed all three phases of the leadership development program. Multivariate analysis of variance and content analysis were the primary analytical methods used. Results revealed that typical deterrents to participation in formal adult education were not very problematic for the respondents in this study; however, findings here reinforce those in the literature regarding the critical need for organizational support. The results have implications for the subject organization and may also apply to smaller organizations, global enterprise, and private industry, where leadership development programs with a formal education component exist or may be implemented. / Ph. D.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Melbourne, 2005. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Dec. 3, 2006). Includes bibliographical references (p. 123-139).