Economic remittances are money transfers worldwide from migrants to their country of origin. This study aimed to examine which significance the remittance has for the sender. How do the senders describe their experiences of remittances, what strategies are used in the process of remitting and how has the migrants’ social and economic situation in the host country been affected by remitting? The issues were answered through six semi-structured interviews with remitting migrants. The theoretical approach consisted of the concepts transnational social space, reciprocity and social exclusion. The findings were that remittances had great value to the senders with both negative and positive outcomes. Strategies formed to live up to expectations to remit were group wise, long-term and practical. Remittances had an impact on choices regarding recreational activities, housing and employment. Our conclusion is that remitting is an important act to maintain the bond to the country of origin, despite economic and social sacrifices. Being a participant in dual social worlds in which social and economic conditions differ shapes the experienced requirement to remitt.  Remittance cannot be seen as a sole factor for placing senders in social exclusion, though it can limit the sender economically and socially.

Šio darbo tema Antropologiniai Dekalogo interpretavimo ir atskleidimo aspektai religiniame ugdyme. Šiuolaikiniam žmogui mažai žinomi arba sunkiai suprantami Senojo Testamento teisiniai tekstai; Dekalogas – esminis tokių tekstų. Religiniame ugdyme yra nepakankamai išryškinami antropologiniai Dekalogo interpretavimo ir atskleidimo aspektai. Antropologinis Dekalogo interpretavimas kaip toks yra aktualus ne tik įvairiems religinio ugdymo kontekstams, bet religiniam žmogaus išprusimui apskritai. Neteisingas daugumos vaikų, paauglių ir suaugusiųjų požiūris į Dekalogą kaip negatyvų dalyką, ribojantį laisvę ir atimantį gyvenimo džiaugsmą. Taip suprastas Dekalogas yra kliūtis pozityviam Dievo įvaizdžiui ir autentiškam religiniam tikėjimui, todėl šį požiūrį būtina keisti, akcentuojant pozityvią prieigą prie Dekalogo. Tai šiame darbe ir buvo daroma. / The topic of this work is the interpretation and disclosure aspects of Anthropological Decalogue aspects in religious education. The Old Testament’s legal texts are little known or hard to understand for a modern man. Decalogue is essential of the texts. Anthropological Decalogue’s interpretation and disclosure aspects are not enough revealed in religious education. The interpretation of Decalogue is actual not only in various religious education contexts but also it is essential for man’s religious sophistication. Most of the children, teenagers and adults have a negative opinion about Decalogue as being a negative, limiting freedom and taking away the joy of life. Such understanding of Decalogue is the obstacle for the positive image of God and authentic religious belief so it is necessary to change this view point by emphasizing the positive access to the Decalogue. This was revealed in this work.

<p>Hence, in this mini-thesis I argue that community participation does not automatically facilitate gains for the poor. My main assumption is that internal rigidities in communities, such as weak social capital, culture, trust and reciprocity, affect mutual cooperation towards collective community gains. I used two communities, where a community empowerment project is implemented, as a case study to demonstrate that the success of community participation is contingent on the stocks of social capital in the community. The results show that the responsiveness of the two communities to the project activities differs with the stocks of social capital. I found that trust among community members facilitates information flow in the community. The level of trust is also related to the sources of information of community members about development activities in the community. I also found that solidarity is an important dimension of social capital, which determines community members&rsquo / willingness to help one another and to participate in activities towards collective community gain. The research also demonstrated that perception of community members about target beneficiaries of projects&ndash / whether they represent the interest of the majority of the community or only the interest of community leaders &ndash / influences the level of confidence and ownership of the project. From my research findings, I concluded that, in order for community participation to work successfully, development managers need to identify the stocks of social capital in the community that will form the basis to determine the level of engagement with community members in the participatory process.</p>

Den aktuella studien syftade till att öka förståelsen för den betydande roll känslor har i servicemöten. En experimentell design användes där deltagare randomiserades till en av två scenariobeskrivningar, där en variabel var manipulerad. Två olika ansiktsuttryck, ett leende eller ett neutralt, användes som stimuli för att undersöka dess inverkan på kunderna. Resultaten visade att en leende servicearbetare påverkade kundernas känslor positivt, samt ökade både nöjdheten och reciprociteten jämfört med en servicearbetare med neutralt ansiktsuttryck. Dessutom utvärderade kunderna den leende servicearbetarens personliga egenskaper mer positivt jämfört med servicearbetaren med neutralt ansiktsuttryck. Resultaten bekräftar många föregående studiers resultat på området. Resultaten belyser även en viktig bit som tidigare forskning missat, nämligen utvärderingen av servicearbetarens personkaraktäristiska och dess inverkan i servicemötet.Därigenom markerar studien ett behov av utökad kunskap inom området. Slutsatsen är att ett leende påverkar kunder positivt ur många aspekter. En ökad förståelse och kunskap för området kan i ett längre perspektiv ge en praktisk nytta för många parter; för serviceföretagen, men även för servicearbetare och kunder. / The present study aimed to extend the understanding of the important role that feelings have in service encounters. An experimental design was used where participants were randomly allocated to one of two text-based  scenarios. Two different facial expressions were used in an experiment to investigate their influence on customers. The results showed that a smiling service worker affected the customers’ feelings positive, and increased the customers’ satisfaction as well as their reciprocity, compared to a service worker with a neutral facial expression. Furthermore, the customers evaluated the smiling service workers personal qualities more positive compared to the service worker with a neutral facial expression. The results confirm many earlier studies results in the same research area. The results also highlight an important part that earlier research have missed, namely the personal evaluation of the service worker and its influence in the service encounter. Thereby, this study marks a need of extended knowledge in the area. The conclusion is that a smile affects customers positively in many aspects. An increased understanding and knowledge can give a practical use for many parts; for service companies but also for service workers and customers.

Purpose – The aim of this thesis is to explain the factors that influence consumers’ willingness to contribute to crowdsourcing organizations, by applying the reciprocity theory. Design/methodology/approach – This is a quantitative research which used a cross sectional research design with an explanatory approach. The data was collected with a questionnaire survey that was distributed using face-to-face and online methods. Findings – The findings of this research revealed that social proof is positively influencing willingness to contribute, either direct or indirect, through reciprocity. In addition, trust, commitment and identification were not directly influencing willingness to contribute, however they have an indirect positive impact on willingness to contribute through reciprocity. Research limitations/implications – This study has created a research model by the use of relevant literature in regards to reciprocity and willingness to contribute. Moreover, the limitations of this study are related to the chosen sample, since the generalization of the results is done based on three countries. Practical implications – The study provides some valuable insights for crowdsourcing organizations managers who aim to increase the amount of contributions through their online communities by the use of the reciprocity theory. Detailed explanation goes in the managerial implications section. Originality/value – This research is unique in that it presents a new model that shows reciprocity as a mediating factor for improving online communities’ users attitudes towards contributing to crowdsourcing organizations.

Since the 1970s all of the available literature suggested that the UK, in common with Europe, North America and Scandinavia, had seen significant growth of single issue self-help/mutual aid groups related to health and social care issues. Yet in the UK there appeared to be no real body of academic interest nor any sustained national policy initiatives. The aim of the study was therefore to enhance an understanding of the relationship of these self-help/mutual aid groups to UK social policy. The study was constructed in two parts. Part One, a historical study critically appraised the way in which the state appeared to have viewed and responded to various manifestations of self help/mutual aid, both pre- and post- the welfare state. Part Two, a case-study of two UK grassroots self-help/mutual aid groups explored members' viewpoints, their reasons for joining, benefits derived and the impact they felt it has had on their lives and their relations with professionals and wider `political' forums. The result of the study suggests a fundamental reframing of the relationship between self-help/mutual aid and the state is required at both a conceptual and practical level by UK policy makers and academics. This would acknowledge: that contemporary self-help/mutual aid groups are part of the broader tradition of voluntary action in the third sector, self-help/mutual aid's unique contribution in terms of social relations, process and knowledge; its difference from philanthropy/formal voluntary sector and therefore distinct characteristics and relations with the-state; and contemporary health and social care groups' potential dual identity with communities of interest and geographic communities and their relationship to and distinction from the contemporary service user and carer movements. 116, findings have implications for policy related to participation (citizen and health), social capital and citizenship.

国立情報学研究所で電子化したコンテンツを使用している。

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 93-99).

Thesis (M.S.)--Mississippi State University. Department of Psychology. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Wyoming, 2008. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on August 7, 2009). Includes bibliographical references (p. 37-42).