This thesis concerns an investigation of the nature and meaning of speciality regional foods in the UK, by examining the products themselves as well as the producers who bring them to the marketplace. Speciality regional food production is making an increasingly important contribution to the economy and is pertinent to newly evolving policy objectives in the agrifood and rural sectors at both national and European Union levels. In spite of this, many uncertainties exist with respect to the properties of speciality regional foods and the characteristics and behaviour of the producers of these foods. In the literature review, territorial distinctiveness in foods is identified as comprising geophysical and human facets, these being influenced over time by macro-environmental forces such as trade and industrialisation. Territorial distinctiveness is also identified as comprising a range of end product qualities perceived by consumers. In terms of speciality regional food producers, the literature review identifies that such producers tend to be small or micro-sized firms incorporating some level of hand-crafted methods in their production processes. These characteristics imply complex behavioural tendencies, particularly in relation to the propensity of these producers to be market oriented. The weight of evidence suggests that small craft-based producers have characteristics and tendencies not conducive to market oriented behaviour. In the empirical study, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 speciality regional food producers based in the north of England, with data analysis following a grounded theory approach. In terms of the nature and meaning of speciality regional foods, it was found that interviewees expressed varying levels of conviction regarding the existence of geophysical and human facets of territorial distinctiveness in their products. Furthermore, a variety of contrasting end product qualities were described. These variations and contrasts were explained with reference to the competitive contexts of the interviewees and the social history of the products respectively. In terms of speciality regional food producers it was found that contrary to expectations, these producers displayed a combination of highly market oriented, entrepreneurial and 'craft' dispositions, with a particular tendency emerging whereby strong evidence of marketorientation and entrepreneurship was partnered with a keen-ness amongst the interviewees to portray themselves as 'craftspersons'. This tendency was explained with reference to the competitive circumstances and prevailing market conditions in which interviewees found themselves. Overall, it is concluded that speciality regional foods have meaning .at an 'essential' as well as a 'projected' level, and that both need be taken into account for regional food policy initiatives to be effective. For speciality regional food producers, it is concluded that multiple tendencies and behaviours co-exist within these producers, and that it is the producers' prioritisation between these which determines the appropriateness of current policy support mechanisms.

No description available.

The extant research on the experiences of lesbian/gay, bisexual, and questioning —unsure- (LGBQ) youth shows that they have a lower sense of belonging and safety a tschool, are more likely to be victims of various types of bullying and to skip school, and use drugs and alcohol than their straight peers. Lately, however, a shift in direction towards examining the protective factors, which promote the well being of LGBQ youth, is happening. Extending the emerging research on this shift, the present study investigated the role of supportive adults at school in predicting LGBQ youth sense of safety and belonging. Also, this study examined whether adult support moderated the relationship between sexual orientation victimization and skipping school for LGBQ youth separately. The participants in this study (N = 19,551) were students (grades 8 through 12) enrolled in high schools that took part in a district-wide survey in a large, ethnically and economically diverse urban school district in British Columbia. Results showed that perceptions of adult support played a significant role in predicting the safety and belonging of LGBQ youth. Adult support significantly moderated the relationship between sexual orientation victimization and skipping school for bisexual and questioning youth but not for lesbian/gay youth. The implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed in the last section of this thesis.

Major problems are identified with the use of survey methodology to examine the relationship between market orientation (MO) and firm performance. The research, as it is argued, tells us more about managers' sense-making processes and causal attributions than whether and under what conditions MO drives performance, yet one way causal interpretations are still prevalent in the literature. The psychological mechanisms underlying managers' perceptions are identified and alternative causal paths specified for interpreting prior research results are proposed that also account for otherwise troublesome results. An exploratory experiment is designed to calibrate the extent of managers' attribution biases which is the most important part of the sensemaking framework. Different levels of performance, MO and environmental turbulence are manipulated in case scenarios. The results confirm a culture-centered view of MO and a strong psychological impact of performance on perceived environment turbulence. A multi-method view of studying the MO-performance link is proposed in the final part of the paper.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-97).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Regis University, Denver, Colo., 2007. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Jan 17, 2008). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Indiana University, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 93-97). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (M.S.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1994. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-67). Also available via the Internet.

Texte remanié de: Habilitationsschrift--Fachbereich Sozialwissenschaften--Göttingen--Universität, 1985.

Thesis PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.