This study was designed to examine the utility of the Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT; Bracken & McCallum, 1998) for use with children who have been diagnosed with a pervasive developmental disorder (e.g., autistic disorder, asperger’s disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified). The goal was to determine whether distinct cognitive profiles on the UNIT exist within this population and between those with and without a pervasive developmental disorder: a) Do children with a pervasive developmental disorder earn significantly lower mean scores than a demographically matched control group on the UNIT Full Scale Intelligence quotient? b) Do children with a pervasive developmental disorder earn a significantly higher mean score on the UNIT Nonsymbolic quotient versus the Symbolic quotient? c) Do children with a pervasive developmental disorder earn significantly different mean scores on the UNIT Reasoning and Memory quotients? Examiners administered the UNIT to 43 children with a pervasive developmental disorder. Data from 31 children who received raw scores of at least 1 on every subtest were used for statistical analyses. Data from an additional 31 children who participated in the UNIT standardization process were also included as the control group. The group with a pervasive developmental disorder had significantly lower scores (p<.001) on every quotient of the UNIT when compared to the control group. When the mean Full Scale Intelligence quotients were compared, the difference of approximately 22 points was significant, t(26) = 4.46, p = .000. Within the group with a pervasive developmental disorder, the mean score of the Nonsymbolic quotient was approximately 4 points higher than the Symbolic quotient; this difference was not significant, t(30) = 1.59, p > .05 (onetailed). When the Memory and Reasoning quotients were compared, the mean difference of .19 was not significant, t(30) = .068, p = .947. Based on mean difference analysis of this sample, there does not seem to be a unique cognitive profile for this population on the UNIT.

This qualitative case study collection followed 4 self-identified college-bound Mexican immigrants as they moved from their senior year of high school through their first semester of college. The purpose of this study was to learn about the young women’s aspirations and expectations and how their aspirations and expectations were or were not in harmony with the actuality of their lives. To meet this goal, the researcher interviewed the female participants three times. These interviews took place in high school and the first semester of college. The researcher began each interview with a predetermined list of questions, and added additional questions that were generated by the participant’s responses. Next, the researcher reviewed the participants’ transcripts and cumulative files and the transcripts of the interviews in order to conduct qualitative data analysis to find themes that were salient to the participants’ lives. The researcher described the salient themes for each of the individual participants by telling their individual stories. After writing the participant’s individual story, the researcher again met with the participant, so she could read the story and provide additional insights. Using the same data analysis process as with the individual cases, the researcher found themes that were germane across the case studies. The effectiveness of support from significant others, the value of helping people, the effects of racism, the development and maintenance of a Mexican identity, and the importance of marriage emerged as themes that were relevant across the four cases. This study adds to the body of literature that details the aspirations that are held by Mexican students, and it adds to the corpus of research that attempts to provide reasons for why this particular population may encounter more or different types of obstacles than the typical high school senior or first-year college student. All 4 of the participants saw themselves as college-bound during their senior year of high school, and all had utilized various strategies (i.e. maintaining a high GPA, taking college entrance exams, attending college workshops targeted for the Hispanic population, and applying to several colleges) to make this goal a reality. While all 4 of the participants began college immediately following high school, financial difficulties stemming from current or previous undocumented status proved to be an obstacle that was quite difficult to circumvent.

<p>This study examines how families judge and choose high schools. The review of literature relating to school choice provides a theoretical framework for the study. The review includes an international perspective including both developed countries such as United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, England and Wales, the Netherlands, Scotland and Sweden, and developing countries including India, Chile, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Mauritania, Senegal, Cote d'Ivoire and South Africa. The context within which school choice occurs in South Africa is examined. This context includes continued influence of Apartheid policies and current legislation including the South African Schools Act, The Admission Policy for Ordinary Schools Act and the Norms and Standards for Schools Funding. The literature review includes a critical analysis of the research, both Local and International, which addresses questions as to which factors are considered when judging and choosing schools, who makes the choice school, when the choice of school is made and which sources of information inform the choice of school. The empirical study examines the process of high school choice in urban Cape Town. The group areas Act and other Apartheid policies have created a situation where the respondents have a large number of high schools from which to chose. The selected area reflects diversity in Socio-Economic status, including both privately owned homes and council rental flats and houses. The study is limited to English medium or dual medium schools in the area. It includes both co-ed and single gender schools.</p>

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The private equity market has been a hot topic of debate since it first started to emerge. As it has become more frequently apparent in the Swedish economic and financial market, the debate regarding its impact in Sweden has also risen. The debate contains various opinions whether the private equity firms, through buyouts uses tax breaks or arbitrage opportuni-ties to "quick flip" the investments on the expense of workers and wages or if the PE firms create operational and economic value. Previous studies regarding this topic have mostly been conducted in the U.S, Canada or to some extent in the U.K. This paper aims to, through a quantitative method, investigate and present whether the buyouts have an impact on Swedish portfolio companies or not, and if they do, what kind of impact the buyouts have. This will be done through an event study, based on data collection from portfolio companies that have experienced a buyout made by a private equity firm. The data will then be compared with data from peer groups and ana-lyzed through statistical methods in SPSS. The main findings in this thesis suggest that buyouts do not have, neither a positive nor negative impact on the performance of portfolio companies in Sweden. The tests allow us to conclude that PE firms do not have market timing skills. Neither can we conclude that PE firms cause layoffs of workers or lowering of wages.

Abstract Surroundings are changing, ¡§Brand¡¨ has become an important topic of every companies. How to attract consumer¡¦s eyes? How to keep consumer¡¦s loyalty? ¡§Brand¡¨ is a key factor. Also, brand¡¦s power influences the bargain power. Many companies which started from the OEM or ODM have built their own brands or used the inner resources to enhance the brand value. ¡§Brand Equity¡¨ is a new opinion. It presents the value of brand value. It¡¦s also an important function which a company maintain competitive advantage and benefit. Topics about ¡§Beautiful¡¨ are caught a lot of attentions in recent years. Differentiate with the model which technology brings economical growth before, value about ¡§beautiful¡¨ may become next thrust of growth. Because of this, many companies are looking for adding design elements on 3C products and try to change traditional image of stony to be a fashionable thing. And design ability passes emotion and experience to let the standardized and scale produced system change. It try to take new life experiences into human¡¦s life. Is design ability can be plus to brand equity? This thesis, take BENQ for example, standing on the designer and consumer sides to discuss about the influence of design ability to brand equity. Concluding the factors that influence brand equity through documents and establishing the structure of design ability by interviewing design manager of BENQ. Making the questionary to consumers on the basis of these two variables and analyze the questionary . After above steps, I will give the conclusion and suggestions to BENQ. After all, what kind of role can the design ability play? Can design ability be the competitive advantage of a company? This research tries to find the relation. Key words: Brand equity, design ability

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Regensburg, Universität, Thesis (doctoral), 2000. / Includes bibliographical references (p. xix-lv).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Queensland, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references.