specialcollections@tulane.edu / Hostile architecture has debased the way in which city dwellers experience urban public spaces. Hostile design strategies intend to control the behaviors and actions of users through exclusionary and discriminatory means. By way of both additive and reductive methods, hostile architecture renders public spaces as unwelcoming and thereby unusable. These strategies affect society as a whole, but disproportionately target vulnerable and marginalized populations. Such public space management only comes in response to concerns over the aesthetic symptoms of deep rooted societal problems. Rather than offer long term solutions, hostile architecture literally pushes the problem farther down the street. Consequently, it also pushes away everyday members of society. These hostile trends require an architectural response that reclaims urban public spaces and employs design strategies that are centered on the needs of all potential users. Emerging strategies in the field encourage user participation to augment the relationship between people and space. This thesis constructs a future of design that prioritizes human needs by reclaiming public space and offering users opportunities for self definition and inclusion; an architecture of refuge and asylum. / 1 / Bryn Koeppel

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The transition to parenthood is arguably one of the most stressful developmental periods in the lifespan, with couples often experiencing increased levels of conflict and relationship distress. It is possible that deteriorating relationship functioning may be due to increases in hostile attributions made towards partners during this time period. In order to better understand how changes in hostile attributions occur within the partner relationship, this study investigated the extent to which hostile attributions made toward a partner increased during the transition to parenthood, as well as identified stable and fluctuating factors that influenced changes in hostile attributions (life stress, parenting stress, trait hostility, and depressive symptoms). In addition, gender differences of these factors influencing hostile attributions were explored. Ninety-eight heterosexual couples were included in the study, all of whom completed online self-report questionnaires during pregnancy, 1-year postpartum, and 2 years postpartum. Hierarchical Linear Modelling was used to examine how changes in stress predicted changes in hostile attributions, and whether these relations were moderated by trait hostility or mediated by depressive symptoms. More specifically, investigations included how increases in life stress and parenting stress influenced increases in hostile attributions over the transition to parenthood, whether increased stress levels interacted with high trait hostility to further increase risk of hostile attributions, as well as whether increased depressive symptoms longitudinally mediated the link between increased stress and increased hostile attributions. Results showed that increases in both life stress and parenting stress significantly predicted increases in hostile attributions for both men and women over the transition to parenthood. Trait hostility was not a significant moderator of hostile attributions for women. For men, increases in life stress were associated with increases in hostile attributions, but only for men who were low in trait hostility. Increases in parenting stress were associated with increases in hostile attributions for men who had low and average trait hostility. Regardless of changes in stress levels, men who were high in trait hostility had high levels of hostile attributions over time. Depressive symptoms did not mediate the relations between stress and hostile attributions, and were a direct predictor of hostile attributions for men but not for women. This study adds to the growing body of literature on mechanisms of change in relationship functioning over the transition to parenthood. Future research should explore other factors that address why relationship functioning changes for women over the transition to parenthood, and should examine depressive symptoms in men and their subsequent effects on family systems. Future longitudinal research should examine child outcomes as well as conflict management between partners in order to ascertain the effect of hostile attributions on family functioning. Changes in hostile attributions also have important clinical implications, and health professionals should screen for high levels of stress, trait hostility, and hostile attributions in order to prevent possible relationship deterioration during the transition to parenthood. / Graduate

The current study examined the association of hostile attributional bias (HAB) with the functions (proactive and reactive) and subtypes (reactive relational and reactive overt) of aggression as well as with perceived provocateur motivation (proactive or reactive) in a high school sample (mean age = 16.51; 50% male; 31% Caucasian). Revisions to a measure of HAB were made both in administration (adding animations/narration) and content (adding perceived provocateur motivation questions). Results indicated that the animation/narration measure showed comparable internal consistency reliability to the written and displayed an increased ability to predict total aggression. However, a unique relationship between HAB and reactive aggression was not found, nor was HAB for specific provocation scenarios (i.e., relational or overt) uniquely associated with the reactive subtypes of aggression. Proactive motives, when controlling for reactive ones, were correlated with HAB, anger to provocation, and aggression. The opposite was not found. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Although there is a reliably positive association between hostile (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS), lay perceptions of this association have not been directly tested. I predicted that people perceive an illusory negative association between men’s HS and BS attitudes because lay theories expect men to have univalent attitudes toward women. In Study 1, I manipulated the target’s gender and responses on a subscale of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (high HS, low HS, high BS, or low BS). The low BS male target (compared to high BS male target) was judged to be higher on HS, less supportive of female professionals, less good of father and husband, and more likely to perpetrate domestic violence. Ratings of the low BS male target were as equally negative as those of the high HS male target. In Study 2, low BS male targets were judged to be low in hostility towards women only if they explicitly stated that their low BS was motivated by egalitarian values, otherwise men’s low BS was assumed to indicate misogyny. Implications of the misconception of BS in men and future directions are discussed.

This paper examines the Ontario Securities Commission's regulation of poison pills as well as several proposals to reform the current regulatory regime. In particular, the paper argues that regulation and reforms should be viewed within the context of two fundamental, normative questions that underlie much of corporate law: what is the purpose of the corporation, and who should determine whether these goals are being met. After outlining several competing theories, the paper explains why a corporate model based on the shareholder-centric, wealth maximization theory is best suited for hostile takeover situations. Additionally, the paper argues that a structural bid reform that would require hostile bidders to include minimum tender conditions and additional opportunities for target company shareholders to tender following a successful bid would provide the best way to incorporate this corporate model into Ontario securities regulation.

This paper examines the Ontario Securities Commission's regulation of poison pills as well as several proposals to reform the current regulatory regime. In particular, the paper argues that regulation and reforms should be viewed within the context of two fundamental, normative questions that underlie much of corporate law: what is the purpose of the corporation, and who should determine whether these goals are being met. After outlining several competing theories, the paper explains why a corporate model based on the shareholder-centric, wealth maximization theory is best suited for hostile takeover situations. Additionally, the paper argues that a structural bid reform that would require hostile bidders to include minimum tender conditions and additional opportunities for target company shareholders to tender following a successful bid would provide the best way to incorporate this corporate model into Ontario securities regulation.

Although there is a reliably positive association between hostile (HS) and benevolent sexism (BS), lay perceptions of this association have not been directly tested. I predicted that people perceive an illusory negative association between men’s HS and BS attitudes because lay theories expect men to have univalent attitudes toward women. In Study 1, I manipulated the target’s gender and responses on a subscale of the Ambivalent Sexism Inventory (high HS, low HS, high BS, or low BS). The low BS male target (compared to high BS male target) was judged to be higher on HS, less supportive of female professionals, less good of father and husband, and more likely to perpetrate domestic violence. Ratings of the low BS male target were as equally negative as those of the high HS male target. In Study 2, low BS male targets were judged to be low in hostility towards women only if they explicitly stated that their low BS was motivated by egalitarian values, otherwise men’s low BS was assumed to indicate misogyny. Implications of the misconception of BS in men and future directions are discussed.

The aim of this research is to examine the changing nature of risks that face journalists and media workers in the world's difficult, remote and hostile environments, and consider the 'adequacy' of managing hostile environment safety courses that some media organizations require prior to foreign assignments. The study utilizes several creative works and contributions to this area of analysis, which includes a documentary film production, course contributions, an emergency reference handbook, security and incident management reviews and a template for evacuation and contingency planning. The research acknowledges that employers have a 'duty of care' to personnel working in these environments, identifies the necessity for pre-deployment training and support, and provides a solution for organizations that wish to initiate a comprehensive framework to advise, monitor, protect and respond to incidents. Finally, it explores the possible development of a unique and holistic service to facilitate proactive and responsive support, in the form of a new profession of 'Editorial Logistics Officer' or 'Editorial Safety Officer' within media organizations. This area of research is vitally important to the profession, and the intended contribution is to introduce a simple and cost-efficient framework for media organizations that desire to implement pre-deployment training and field-support – as these programs save lives. The complete proactive and responsive services may be several years from implementation. However, this study demonstrates that the facilitation of Managing Hostile Environment (MHE) courses should be the minimum professional standard. These courses have saved lives in the past and they provide journalists with the tools to "cover the story, and not become the story."

Magister Legum - LLM / This paper focuses on mergers and acquisitions as tools for business growth, how these have come into existence, their strengths, and mainly the reasons for their failure. Taking a closer look on how these have emerged in the United States, United Kingdom and South Africa. Amongst the various ways that companies are able to get business financing, mergers and acquisitions have emerged as one of the most popular strategies for business diversity and growth. Mergers and acquisitions are agreed upon by companies to achieve certain strategic and financial goals. This is usually achieved by the bringing together of two companies with often contrasting corporate personalities, cultures and value systems.¹ The field of mergers and acquisitions has grown greatly over the past half century. At one point, mergers and acquisitions was mainly a US phenomenon but during the 1990‘s their volume in Europe started rivaling that of the USA. By 2000's mergers and acquisitions had become commonly used corporate strategies for companies‘ worldwide.² Even though the number of mergers and acquisition seems to increase and decrease in waves, they have been studied frequently. A study revealed that in 2004 an acquisition was made every 18 minutes all year round. There was normally not a business day that would go by without the news of a merger or an acquisition in the media. The decision to merge, usually taken by the board and shareholders of a company is always preceded by extensive planning and implementation.³ Mergers and acquisitions are part of the continuing process of the growth of companies and as a result of the separation of ownership and management, it is management which will play the dominant part in the initiation of such mergers and acquisition and their motives could be primarily self-interest.⁴ It is expected that merging mostly results in the creation or formation of larger companies or units and if those large companies merge with others, even larger units will result therefrom. The result of that large unit can be a commercial or financial institution which is capable of exerting pressure on a country's economy.⁵ Despite their popularity, most mergers and acquisitions result in financial failures and may produce results that are undesirable for the stakeholders of the company. Some consequences that are usually detrimental to investors are share underperformance, which usually takes place months after the acquisition.⁶ Success of mergers mostly depends on how well the organisations are integrated. This paper will examine mergers and acquisitions in depth, its overview, the motivation of companies to undertake mergers and acquisitions and the reason for its failures. The paper will also examine the regulations and the success of mergers and acquisitions in the United States, United Kingdom and South Africa. Lastly, the last chapter will conclude with a finding of whether mergers and acquisitions can be said to be a strategy for business growth.