Consumers' risk perceptions are examined to explain the underlying reasons for consumer concern associated with milk from dairy herds treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH). A focus group study was employed as an initial step in exploring the primary influences of consumer apprehension toward rbGH's use. The information obtained through the focus group sessions was invaluable in strengthening empirical measures of the factors affecting risk perception, and in formulating concise survey questions for a national study. Data from a nationwide survey of 1,910 primary household food purchasers were used in understanding the influence of risk characteristics on consumers' risk perceptions toward rbGH treated herd milk, as well as investigating consumer risk perception profiles. One conclusion is evident from the data, consumers remain concerned about the rbGH product despite FDA approval for commercial use. Results suggest that particular characteristics of the rbGH product hypothesized as being more risky and less tolerable elicit consumer outrage perceptions. Results also showed systematic differences between consumers, producing a range of risk perception profiles. Overall, the results support the idea that consumers' risk perceptions are multi-dimensional and differ in emphasis compared to the risk assessments by scientific experts. Consumers' risk perceptions warrant recognition as playing a vital role in product acceptance. A recommendation proposed for those involved in risk assessment is to integrate consumer beliefs and perceptions into assessments of risk, perhaps increasing consumer trust and reducing product apprehension. Additionally, the range of risk perceptions among consumers imply that one public policy strategy is unlikely to satisfy all consumers. Risk communicators can design more effective risk communication strategies by understanding the ways consumers differ in their behavioral response to a particular perceived concern. / Graduation date: 1997

The likelihood of achieving an effective environmental health communications program increases with a knowledge of the target audience's attitudes toward their environmental health concerns, source credibility, preferred channels of communication, and desire to participate in environmental issues. With this in mind, the purpose of this study was threefold: 1) to examine selected personal and social variables that influence attitudes towards environmental health communications; 2) to explore differences in those attitudes between groups that share a common environmental hazard within a defined geographic region; and, 3) to develop a communication needs assessment tool that other public health agencies might be able to use. A stratified random telephone sampling of 407 households was conducted in Idaho's Coeur d'Alene River Basin. Nonparametric statistical methods, Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis one-way analysis of ranks, were utilized for the data analysis. The results, showed significant differences in the environmental concerns between the residents of Couer d'Alene and residents of the Silver Valley. Respondents in Coeur d'Alene were more concerned with air pollution, while respondents in the Silver Valley were more concerned with the effects of mining. Secondly, the state government was less negatively received as a source of environmental information than were the local or federal governments. In addition, respondents earning between $50,000 and $75,000 a year have the highest amount of trust in information coming from the federal government. Both TV news and local newspaper were the preferred channels of communication for the majority of respondents in the region. Qualitative data revealed that media sources from Spokane, Washington were a dominant influence in the region. Respondents with a college degree were less likely than respondents from other educational levels to prefer TV news as a source of environmental information. They were, however, more likely to participate in a public meeting than were respondents from other educational levels. Finally, research findings suggest that women, and respondents earning less than $10,000 per year, feel less control over their environmental health than do men and respondents from higher income levels. They are also less likely than either men or respondents earning more than $10,000 per year to feel that a citizen's efforts to protect the environment are usually effective. / Graduation date: 1996

This study investigated the attitudes of mental health counselors toward persons with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Three hundred and fifty-eight members of the American Mental Health Counselors Association were mailed a survey packet including an Attitude Towards AIDS Victims scale and an additional two questions assessing comfort with clients with AIDS. Demographic information was also collected. There were 255 useable surveys, for a response rate of 72%. The results of the survey indicated that gender was not a significant independent variable in the attitudes of the mental health counselors. Professional and/or personal contacts with a person with AIDS were highly predictive of positive attitudes. Sexual orientation of the respondent was also highly significant as was personal acquaintance with a gay male or lesbian. Formal AIDS training of one hour or more showed a significant relationship with attitudes of mental health counselors toward persons with AIDS, with the relationship becoming more significant at 11 or more hours. The study indicated that mental health counselors are largely uninvolved in providing mental health treatment to persons with AIDS, with 5% of the subjects providing 70% of the services. Recommendations follow regarding preservice and inservice AIDS training and the need for mental health counselors to be more proactive in the AIDS epidemic. / Graduation date: 1996

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Montana, 2006. / Mode of access: Internet. Title from title screen. Description based on content viewed Feb. 14, 2007. Includes bibliographical references (p. 176-180).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Ohio State University, 1999. / Co-advisers: Marsha A. Dickson, Sharron Lennon. Includes bibliographical references.

Abstract This is a case study on how to perform an efficient evaluation of the information and opinion building that the aid organization Svalorna Latin America does in Nicaragua. The main purpose of the study is to find a methodology on how to work with evaluations of information and opinion building in the future. Svalorna LA works to empower the people, through information and opinion building, and achieve sustainable development. The method I used is semi-structured interviews in combination with literature review about the topic to create a base for my questions. I used the Johari window to analyze Svalorna with the information that had come up during the interviews. For example, Svalorna in Sweden has one understanding of how the perception of the organization is. Svalorna in Nicaragua has another and the cooperating organizations a third perception. There were also a lot of different opinions about the purpose of an evaluation. The main purpose of evaluation, to constantly develop the program and thereby strengthen the cooperating organizations, should furthermore guide the choice of methodology for evaluation. This should be a consistent methodology with an amount of specific methods of which one is to be chosen depending on if it is an activity, effort or goal that need to be evaluated. These specific methods should be the same every time. I do believe that Svalorna’s work in Nicaragua contributes to a sustainable development but as I will show in my thesis I found several recommendations for them to work more efficiently. / Sammanfattning Den här uppsatsen är en fallstudie i hur man effektivt kan utvärdera informations- och påverkansarbete. Jag har valt att undersöka en biståndsorganisations, Svalorna, informations- och påverkansarbete i Nicaragua. Syftet med studien är att finna en metod för hur Svalorna skulle kunna jobba med utvärdering av informations- och påverkansarbete i framtiden. Som metod har jag har använt mig av semistrukturerade intervjuer och även litteratur i ämnet för att skaffa mig förkunskaper. Jag har analyserat intervjuerna med hjälp av bland annat Joharis fönster. Det visade sig exempelvis att Svalorna Sverige har en bild av hur organisationen uppfattas medan Svalorna Nicaragua har en annan uppfattning och samarbetsorganisationerna en tredje. Meningarna gick även isär kring syftet med en utvärdering. Huvudsyftet med att utvärdera är enligt denna studie för att ständigt utveckla programmet och därmed stärka samarbetsorganisationerna. Detta ska även ligga till grund i valet av metodik för utvärdering. Metodiken ska vara konsekvent och ha flera olika specifika metoder. Utvärderaren kan då välja den av dessa metoder som passar för utvärdering av en speciell aktivitet, insats eller mål. Dessa specifika metoder bör vara samma varje gång. Jag tror verkligen att Svalornas arbete i Nicaragua bidrar till en hållbar utveckling men som jag kommer att visa i min uppsats har jag funnit flera rekommendationer på hur de skulle kunna jobba mer effektivt.

Using 2005 data from Gallup public opinion surveys on attitudes toward immigration policy in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom this study explores the factors that impact attitudes. Additional analysis is conducted on the United States exploring how economic, political and associative measures impact attitudes.

The widespread and rapid internationalization of small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the healthcare sector is outpacing our efforts to understand the motives behind this phenomenon and the processes that propel it. This paper investigates the internationalization processes of Swedish SMEs that operate in the international healthcare markets. Based on interviews from five SMEs, the study seeks to understand why these SMEs internationalize, and how and in what way this internationalization process unfolds. By developing a conceptual model based on previous literature for SME internationalization, knowledge and networks, and the regulatory environment in which the SMEs operate, the findings are analyzed in the context of the healthcare industry. The research concludes that product approval regulations have a small influence on the internationalization process; instead establishing relationships with local key opinion leaders to create awareness and legitimacy was essential to successfully enter a new foreign market. A further key finding identified was that each market is characterized by different national praxis and contrasting views on patient treatment methods, which was recognized as a challenge among the case firms.

En este trabajo nos hemos interesado por las actitudes ciudadanas hacia el Estado de las autonomías y la política autonómica, y cómo estas actitudes afectan a la manera en que los ciudadanos toman sus decisiones de voto en las elecciones autonómicas. En la primera parte nos hemos centrado en las preferencias sobre la organización territorial del Estado. Aquí, hemos podido describir las preferencias y conocer sus causas, y analizar cómo éstas pueden haber cambiado con el tiempo. Hemos extraído dos conclusiones fundamentales. Primero, hemos comprobado que las distintas preferencias dependen fundamental (pero no exclusivamente) de las predisposiciones políticas de los individuos, en concreto, del sentimiento de pertenencia y de las autoubicaciones ideológicas. Segundo, se evidencia que las predisposiciones políticas de los individuos no siempre se han traducido en las mismas preferencias concretas sobre la organización territorial del Estado, y que estos cambios parecen ajustarse a los posicionamientos cambiantes de los partidos. Esto indica que al tratarse la cuestión autonómica de un tema de enfrentamiento político, en el que las negociaciones partidistas juegan un papel fundamental en la definición del proceso autonómico, las élites políticas disfrutan de una capacidad muy importante para activar y modificar las preferencias de sus seguidores. En la segunda parte de esta investigación nuestro interés se ha centrado en las relaciones de los ciudadanos con la política y las elecciones autonómicas. Aunque estas elecciones sirven para elegir parlamentos y gobiernos con importantes atribuciones, existen dudas acerca de si los ciudadanos fomentan sus decisiones de voto sobre consideraciones relativas a la política autonómica. Dos cuestiones teóricas emergen. Los ciudadanos, al tomar sus decisiones de voto, ¿tienen en cuenta el rendimiento de gobiernos y líderes autonómicos, o se dejan llevar por consideraciones de alcance estatal? ¿Por qué unos electores votan en clave española mientras que otros lo hacen en clave autonómica? Para responder a estas preguntas, hemos analizado diferentes aspectos de la relación entre ciudadanía y política autonómica: los niveles de interés por la política autonómica, y el grado de conocimiento de la distribución de competencias y de las principales figuras políticas autonómicas; la habilidad de la ciudadanía para mantener evaluaciones separadas de los actores políticos estatales y regionales; y las consideraciones que utilizan los votantes en sus decisiones de voto autonómicas. La evidencia sugiere que el elemento más característico de la política autonómica es el componente identitario, lo que tiene profundas implicaciones en cómo la opinión pública se relaciona con las instituciones. Así, los ciudadanos con un sentimiento de identificación con la comunidad autónoma más intenso tienden a estar más a favor de la descentralización política, lo que les hace estar más atentos e informados acerca de la política autonómica, y a dar mayor importancia a estas consideraciones autonómicas en sus decisiones de voto. En cualquier caso, no parece que estemos delante de una característica exclusiva de los territorios donde existen proyectos nacionales alternativos (como en Cataluña y el País Vasco), sino ante una particularidad de toda la política autonómica en España. Sin embargo, las predisposiciones afectivas no son la única fuente de variación en las actitudes y comportamientos de los ciudadanos. También aparecen variaciones según la sofisticación política de los individuos y en función del contexto político de la comunidad autónoma. Así, los ciudadanos con un mayor nivel educativo, y aquellos que residen en comunidades autónomas gobernadas por un partido distinto al partido que ocupa el gobierno estatal, tienden a dar más peso a los elementos autonómicos en sus decisiones de voto. / This dissertation deals with citizens’ attitudes towards the State of autonomies and regional politics, examining how these attitudes influence voting patterns in Spanish regional elections. The study is divided in two sections. The first part analyses constitutional preferences regarding the territorial organization of the State. Here we describe citizens’ preferences and their variations, and then look for the individual causes of the different choices. We draw two main conclusions. First, individual preferences depend fundamentally (but not exclusively) on political predispositions, namely, national identity and ideology. Second, the changing positions of the parties adjust very well to the changes in the relationship between individual political predispositions and preferences over time. This is the case because the regional question is a contentious issue in Spanish politics, and because the devolution process is in flux and its development depends heavily on arrangements between parties. Thus, political elites seem to play a pivotal role in the changing relationship between political predispositions and constitutional preferences in Spain. The second part focuses on citizens’ awareness and involvement in regional politics and elections. Although regional elections are used to elect parliaments and governments with significant powers, there is some doubt as to whether voters base their decisions in these elections on considerations related to the regional or the national political arena. Thus, two theoretical questions emerge. In regional elections, do voters take the performance of governments and regional leaders into account, or are their choices instead driven by national considerations? Are there any variations in how voters approach regional elections depending on their individual characteristics or the context in which they make their choices? In order to answer these questions I have analysed different aspects of regional politics: citizens’ level of interest in regional politics and their knowledge of the distribution of powers and the regional political figures; voters’ ability to maintain separate evaluations of regional and national political actors; and the factors considered by voters in regional elections. The evidence suggests that the most characteristic element of Spanish regional politics is national identity, which has profound implications for how public opinion relates to the regional institutions. Those with a stronger sense of identification with their region tend to more strongly favour political decentralization, which makes them more aware of and informed about regional politics; consequently, they give more weight to regional politics in their voting decisions. In any case, this is not an exclusive feature of regions where national alternative projects exist (mainly Catalonia and the Basque Country), but rather a characteristic element of Spanish regional politics in general. However, affective predispositions are not the only source of variance. Cognitive and contextual differences also emerge. Thus, those with higher levels of education and those who vote in regions where the incumbent party is different from the party in national office also focus more strongly on regional considerations in their voting choices.

Ce mémoire a pour but de dégager une image d'ensemble du faux monnayage et de ses artisans, en Angleterre, à l'aube du XVIIIe siècle, c'est-à-dire à une époque caractérisée par des changements économiques et juridiques, mais surtout par un renforcement des mesures de l'État visant à lutter contre ce phénomène. Outre l'analyse du faux monnayage et de ses artisans, cette étude se penche également sur les interactions entre l'État et les faussaires, qui sont souvent amenés à adapter leurs activités en fonction des mesures législatives et répressives. Pour ce faire, nous avons étudié les archives judiciaires du Old Bailey, principal tribunal criminel de Londres, sur une période de quarante ans (de 1697 à 1737). Nous avons également eu recours à diverses autres sources, notamment les comptes rendus relatant les derniers jours des condamnés (les Ordinary's accounts), des recueils de lois ainsi que des recueils portant sur la vie de criminels célèbres. L'analyse de ces documents démontre que les moyens déployés par l'État engendrent des changements graduels dans les pratiques et les techniques des faussaires et que les primes qui sont désormais offertes aux délateurs sont à l'origine de nombreuses accusations. Elle démontre également la panoplie de moyens dont disposaient les faussaires, leur inventivité ainsi que la diversité des réactions de ceux qui doivent faire face à la justice. Bien que l'étude nous donne une idée de l'étendue et de la pérennité de certains réseaux criminels, elle nous apprend aussi qu'un grand nombre de faussaires mènent leurs activités de façon ponctuelle pour obtenir un revenu d'appoint ou pour améliorer leur niveau de vie. ______________________________________________________________________________ MOTS-CLÉS DE L’AUTEUR : Faux monnayage, Faux-monnayeur, Faussaire, Rognage, Opinion publique, XVIIIe Siècle, Justice, Londres, Old Bailey.