South Africa’s unique history has produced an organisational climate where race groups forcibly separated in the past, have to now work together in harmony. Limited interaction between the ethnic groups creates a culturally uninformed society where trust between groups is lacking. The objective of this study was to confirm the levels of collectivism for the different race groups, and to determine the relationship between collectivism, propensity to trust and in group trust. A survey was administered to a Business Unit of a South African petrochemical company. 387 responses were obtained from a sufficiently diverse sample. The results confirmed that blacks and Indians are more collectivistic than whites and coloureds. Collectivistic groups had a lower propensity to trust and higher in group trust. This research creates awareness regarding the different aspects of culture and the behaviours these cultural differences drive. Trust development must be approached with a culturally informed view.

M.Inf. / This study was conducted within the context of human resources management. The empirical investigation involved nine provincial library and information services. A questionnaire was sent to nine directors with the purpose of investigating how provincial library services have changed to accommodate needs of diverse human resources. The aims of the research were to explore the perceptions managers have on differences brought by diverse cultural backgrounds, and how they have aligned management practices to suit the changed needs. It was found from the empirical research that most of the managers are aware of the changes that have to take place, but very little has been done to address changes in a constructive, organised manner. Recommendations are made on specific areas that need to be addressed, with a view to efficiently manage employees who come from different cultural backgrounds.

Drosera is a carnivorous plant genus belonging to the Droseraceae and comprising around 250 species distributed worldwide. A great number of new species and combinations have been published for Brazil and the Neotropics in the past decades; however, a comprehensive taxonomic work dealing with these species was still lacking. Furthermore, previous phylogenetic works on the genus focused on understanding the relationships between the morphological and geographical groups, revealing that all proposed infrageneric classifications were incongruent with the phylogeny and that the Neotropical species belonging to D. sect. Drosera are divided into two lineages mostly defined by chromosome number. In the present work, a comprehensive taxonomic treatment for the Brazilian Drosera is presented, together with a revision of the previously poorly known Andean species, descriptions of new species and a molecular phylogeny focusing on the two Neotropical lineages of D. sect. Drosera. Although the phylogenetic analyses here performed did not present conclusive results regarding relationships at the species level, they shed light on the importance of some morphological traits for the classification of these species and back up the species circumscriptions adopted in recent works. Combined with data covering all the other lineages in a global phylogeny of Drosera, these results will be of crucial importance for the proposition of a new infrageneric classification of the genus / Drosera é um gênero de plantas canívoras pertencente às Droseraceae e compreende cerca de 250 espécies distribuídas no mundo todo. Um grande número de novas espécies e combinações foi publicado para o Brasil e os Neotrópicos nas últimas décadas, no entanto, ainda carecia-se de um compreensivo trabalho taxonômico lidando com tais espécies. Além disso, trabalhos filogenéticos anteriores focaram no entendimento das relações entre os grupos definidos por morfologia e distribuição geográfica, revelando que todas as classificações infragenéricas já propostas eram incongruentes com a filogenia e que as espécies Neotropicais pertencentes a D. sect. Drosera se dividiam em duas linhagens definidas, principalmente, por número cromossômico. No presente trabalho, um tratamento taxonômico compreensivo tratando das espécies brasileiras é apresentado, junto com uma revisão taxonômica das antes pouco conhecidas espécies andinas, descrições de novas espécies e uma filogenia molecular focando nas duas linhagens Neotropicais de D. sect. Drosera. Embora os resultados das análises filogenéticas não tenham sido conclusivos para o estabelecimento de relações ao nível das espécies, eles apontam para importância de alguns caracteres morfológicos para a classificação dessas espécies e apoiam as circunscrições adotadas em trabalhos recentes. Combinados com dados cobrindo as demais linhagens numa filogenia global de Drosera, esses resultados serão de crucial importância para a proposição de uma nova classificação infragenérica para o gênero

A thesis submitted to the faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, 2017 / Despite slow pace of transformation in post-apartheid South Africa’s corporate sector, the department of labour recently showcased some Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed corporations for executing effective diversity strategies. The strategies and discourses of diversity in these appraised corporations had not been studied scholarly, particularly from a critical perspective. This inquiry adopted a multiple case study design and the framework of critical diversity literacy to study the nature, texture, and the depth of strategies and discourses of diversity in three of these appraised corporations in the financial, retail, and private healthcare sectors. Research entailed analysis of 35 published documents to examine conceptual framing of diversity; indepth semi-structured interviews with 6 transformation managers to explore prevailing organisational diversity culture and the designed strategies to transform such dynamics; and focus groups with 32 employees from dominant and subordinated groups to gauge the efficacy of executed strategies in promoting equality and social justice. The findings suggest that appraised corporations mainly complied with prescripts of employment equity law and executed managerial instrumentalism oriented diversity initiatives. Diversity conceptual frameworks regarded inequality, oppression and dominance as historical legacies, rather than present day phenomena that are tied to coloniality of power and being and reproduced through neoliberalism. Diversity initiatives were minimalistic and impelled identity siloism, race and gender blindness, medicalization and hyper-individualisation of disability, nurturing of white fragility, and reproduction of gender binaries. Blacks, women, queer persons and persons with disabilities were barely visible in positions of power, strategic influence and high income. These subjugated groups constantly performed whiteness, normative masculinity, ablebodiedness and heteronormativity in order to fit in. This performance is systematised under the guise of merit without recognising its dehumanising effects. The findings suggest the inadequacy of employment equity legislation driven reform to produce real equality as this law is a product of ILO’s neoliberal “Decent Work” rhetoric. The study contributes to the closure of lacunae concerning paucity of agentic critical diversity studies that examine effective organisational diversity discourses. The study accentuates the importance of situating effective diversity discourses being evaluated in the broader context of contemporary global system of power and related hegemonic ideologies that re-produce inequality. By so doing scholars will be able to analyse the studied diversity discourses holistically and make informed decisions on their efficacy to yield social justice for the marginalised across various intersections of power, inequality and identity differences. / XL2018

This study was interested in assessing whether any disparity between formal policy and employee experience exists within a South African organisation. Specifically, the research identified the images and metaphors presented within an organization’s formal policy documents on diversity and then assessed the extent to which those images reflect a culture of diversity within the organisation. The researcher made use of qualitative methods in the form of content and discourse analysis and in-depth interviews. The results suggest that while the images and metaphors found in policy documents do in fact represent a culture of diversity in its stated intentions, practically, as experienced by employees, a culture for diversity remains limited.

Thesis advisor: Michael Malec / My motivation for this research study comes from my own experience with and observations of body image issues among female students on the Boston College campus, as well as my observations of and research into the homogenization of beauty in the high-end fashion industry. Through various social institutions, namely high-end fashion media, our society supports an extremely narrow definition of beauty for women (read: White and thin/ultra-thin). There is an overwhelming lack of representation of women of color and women who do not fall in line with the thin body standard. I aim to contribute where there are holes in the conversation regarding diversity and exclusionary practices in the high-end fashion industry. Chiefly, I seek to contribute to an understanding of how fashion industry producers might continue to engage in the homogenization of beauty while evading liability with intermittent diversification effort. I conduct a content analysis of 11 issues (past and contemporary) of the high-end fashion magazine, U.S. Vogue. The units of measurement for my data collection are images, articles, and text produced by Vogue, as well as featured advertisements produced by other industry players. My data consists of recorded frequencies and two major codes (Race and Body Type) with various sub codes. I ultimately conclude that: (1) despite our society’s supposed increased sensitivity to diversity and diversification effort, we have made little progress on this front in the fashion industry (especially body type representation); and (2) U.S. Vogue does in fact continue to engage in racial exclusion while concealing its liability via the practice of racial capitalism. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2016. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis advisor: Deborah Piatelli / This study serves to contribute to the growing literature on the effectiveness of diversity trainings. Previous studies on diversity training have produced inconclusive results for diversity training goals, evaluation techniques, and success. These studies rely largely on quantitative methods and large data sets looking at representation, biases, and economics. This study examines the impact of diversity trainings from a different lens. Specifically, in a society that increasingly adheres to a post-racial ideology, diversity trainings can serve as a tool to deconstruct the basis for racial power and privilege and expose the persistence of racism in the workplace. This qualitative, inductive study allows diversity trainers and managers to discuss in-depth their views on diversity and diversity training. Diversity trainers delineated five diversity training models, all of which discuss power and privilege in different ways or not at all. The presence and nature of this discussion becomes a product of a diversity trainer’s personal beliefs and the culture of the organization where training will occur. Manager interviews showed that individual differences in racial awareness entering the training can mediate how managers respond and react to diversity training material. The combination of the training model, organizational culture, and individual racial awareness combine to determine whether or not individual and institutional change around racial power and privilege will occur. Overall, power and privilege is not a common feature of diversity trainings, however diversity training can be used to further this discussion and fight against racism. A model is proposed that presents a way for diversity trainers to combine diversity training models to promote organizational goals, as well as counter post-racial ideology to create critically inclusive and egalitarian workplaces. Moreover, suggestions are made for researchers to better evaluate diversity trainings in the future, so as to truly determine the extent to which diversity training can be used to further organizational goals. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology Honors Program. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis advisor: Ruth McRoy / Creating gender equality in situations of perceived organization exclusion-inclusion (OEI-the degree to which individuals feel a part of critical organizational processes such as access to information and influencing decision making processes) is a critical social and organizational justice concern (Mor Barak, 2011). Given the lack of understanding about gender differences in OEI, this study investigated this issue, as well as, the determinants of OEI, and the sources of gender differences in OEI across multiple worksites in different countries. Job status, work- and family-role investments, perception of work-family culture and gender-role beliefs were hypothesized as the main determinants and sources of gender differences in OEI. Data collected by the Sloan Center on Aging and Work for the Generations of Talent Study (GOT) in 2010-2011 were used to investigate the gender differences in OEI. Bivariate statistics, multivariate fixed effects models, and Blinder-Oaxaca regression decomposition analyses were used to test the hypotheses. Findings suggest that women's sense of OEI is significantly lower than that of men. This difference, although smaller, remains statistically significant after accounting for job status, work- and family-role investments, perception of work-family culture, gender-role beliefs, worksite variances, and control variables (age, race/ethnicity, optimism). Of these factors, job status and work-role investment differences between men and women are the greatest sources of the gender gap in OEI. No support was found for the influence of gender differences in family-role investments, gender-role beliefs, and perception of work-family culture on the gender OEI gap. Finally, women's more optimistic outlook on life, compared to men, attenuated the gender OEI gap. Guided by these findings, potential policy and/or practice interventions should be aimed at advancing greater gender equity in job status and supporting women's work-role investments. However, interventions aimed at changing women's work attitudes should not promote conformity to gendered organizational norms. Future research should aim to better understand the relationship between contextual factors and gender differences in OEI, and to examine the role of positive psychological characteristics (e.g. optimism) in OEI and the consequences of gender differences in OEI. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

A Virtual Software Development Team (VSDT) is a group team of Information Technology (IT) professionals working together to produce a software product and collaborating remotely with the use of information communication technology. In a VSDT, face-to-face contact is seldom required in order for these teams to fulfil their tasks. VSDTs in the software development business offer advantages compared to co-located teams which include the availability of a global talent pool, lower costs and a global presence. However, many aspects of managing these teams are still undiscovered and under-researched. Among them is the influence of cultural diversity on the work, productivity and sustainability of a VSDT. The purpose of this research was to define the main factors of the influence of cultural diversity on the effectiveness of a VSDT. The research was undertaken from an interpretive perspective. In agreement with this paradigm, the effectiveness factors were limited to the internal effectiveness of a team as perceived by its members. In order to define the factors of cultural diversity, existing theories of cultural diversity in a co-located workplace were used. I have conducted interviews with software developers, support professionals and their managers to probe the relevance of the existing theories in a virtual software development environment and to find other possible factors. In this research, a specific ’internet nerd’ culture was discovered which exists among the members of the virtual (internet) community. The members of this culture comfortably accept virtual work and share a lot of common context. The findings show the importance of frequent communication, emotional sharing and occasional face-to-face contact in bonding the team, building trust and understanding. From the team management perspective, there is evidence that agile methodologies can be used successfully in the virtual environment. The results of this research are beneficial for businesses looking to implement VSDTs, and can be used as a basis for the development of a theory of cultural diversity in a virtual environment.

Tendo em vista a progressiva degradação e perda de habitats naturais, que resultam em declínios populacionais e extinções locais de espécies, torna-se imprescindível e urgente a realização de trabalhos de levantamento faunístico. Inventários são essenciais para melhorar a nossa compreensão da biogeografia da herpetofauna brasileira e para delinear estratégias de conservação efetivas que garantam a preservação do potencial evolutivo das espécies existentes. O nível de conhecimento acerca da biologia e da diversidade de anfíbios e répteis no Brasil, e particularmente no estado de São Paulo, ainda não é satisfatório e uma parcela significativa do que restou de seus ecossistemas foi pouco estudada. Este estudo visou determinar a composição de espécies das comunidades de serpentes, lagartos e anuros do Mosaico de Unidades de Conservação do Jacupiranga (SP) com base em dados coletados em duas localidades e em registros de museus. Foi obtida uma lista com 39 espécies de anuros, uma anfisbena, nove lagartos e 39 serpentes, que provavelmente compõem a herpetofauna do Mosaico. As espécies de anuros capturadas em armadilhas de interceptação e queda e por procura visual foram utilizadas para analisar a eficiência da amostragem. As análises indicaram que, provavelmente, em ambas as localidades e com os dois métodos utilizados, todas as espécies que compõem a comunidade local foram registradas. Com os dados de anuros coletados em armadilhas foram realizadas ainda análises comparando os diferentes ambientes amostrados. Os testes revelaram que há diferenças significativas entre ambientes antropizados e marginais com relação aos ambientes situados em mata melhor preservada. O pequeno número de espécies de répteis amostrados não permitiu que fossem feitas as mesmas análises realizadas para os anuros. A baixa abundância desses animais na natureza e as limitações dos métodos de captura utilizados impossibilitaram a realização de análises de desempenho da amostragem, de estimativas de riqueza e de uso de ambiente. A composição de espécies de anuros, lagartos e serpentes do Mosaico foi comparada com outras localidades a partir de dados disponíveis na literatura e as análises revelaram que, para todos os grupos, as espécies do Mosaico estão mais relacionadas com as comunidades ocorrentes na Floresta Ombrófilo Densa da encosta brasileira, em especial, com aquelas conhecidas para o contínuo de remanescentes florestais do estado de São Paulo que se inicia na Serra do Mar e termina na região do Vale do Ribeira. As informações de história natural, padrões de distribuição, composição de espécies e de seu estado de conservação geradas por esse trabalho podem ser utilizadas como base para o manejo da fauna estudada e para o estabelecimento de medidas conservacionistas pautadas em dados concretos. / Field surveys are urgently in need due to the continuing loss of natural habitats and resulting populational decline and local species extinction. Herpetofaunal surveys are essential to improve our understanding of biogeographical issues concerning this group, and to delineate effective conservation strategies to preserve the evolutionary potential of existing lineages. The knowledge of amphibian and reptile biology and diversity in Brazil, and particulary in the state of São Paulo, is still unsatisfactory. Additionally, a significative portion of the remaining natural areas of this state have been poorly studied. This study aims to determine species composition of anuran, lizard and snake communities from the biological reserve known as Mosaico de Unidades de Conservação do Jacupiranga (SP), and it is based on data collected in two localities as well as on records of museum specimens. As a result, a list with 39 anurans, 1 amphisbaenian, 9 lizards and 39 snakes was produced for the Mosaico. The specimens of anurans recorded during the study were used to analyze sampling effectiveness. This analysis indicated a high probability that all species composing the local community were actually registered. The data of anurans collected in pitfall traps were also used to compare the different environments sampled. The tests showed significant differences among secondary environments, modified by human activities, and mature forests. The same tests could not be done with reptiles due to the small samples captured in pitfall traps. The anuran, lizard and snake assemblages of the Mosaico were compared with other localities assemblages based on data from the literature. Analyses show that the herpetological fauna of the Mosaico resembles more closely to communites present in coastal Atlantic Rainforest, particulary to fauna of the remnants of this ecossistem located between Serra do Mar and Vale do Ribeira in the state of São Paulo. Information on natural history, distribution patterns, species composition and conservation status provided in the present work can be used for faunal management and lead to efficient species conservation planning.