This study investigated how social media use is related to body esteem (particularly weight satisfaction and muscularity importance) in adolescents. We conducted a 17-day Ecological Momentary Assessment study among 183 adolescents (12–17 years, 58% girls). Each adolescent reported on his/her social media use, weight satisfaction, and muscularity importance four times per day (68 assessments per participant; 6,863 completed in total). Using a person-specific, N=1 method of analysis (Dynamic Structural Equation Modeling), we found that at the between-person level, social media use is not associated with lower satisfaction with one’s weight and greater importance of looking masculine. At the within-person level, we found a significantly negative association for weight satisfaction and a significantly positive association for muscularity importance. For weight satisfaction, 76% of adolescents experienced no or very small effects as a result of SMU, 2% experienced positive effects, and 22% experienced negative effects. Regarding muscularity importance, 89% experienced no or very small effects of SMU on muscularity importance, 10% experienced positive effects, and 1% experienced negative effects. There is little evidence of gender differences in the effect of social media on body esteem in our sample.

During team decision-making practices information is often shared among team members as part of the decision making process. Knowledge sharing involves one team member sharing information so that other team members can encode the knowledge to make their own mental representation of the new information (Huan & Jiang, 2012). Unfortunately, the literature has shown that new information is not always shared between team members during decision making processes (Stasser & Titus, 1985). When teams make decisions without considering all the information available poor decisions can result. This research study tests a team conceptual model derived by Turner (2013) addressing attitudes toward knowledge sharing. Structural equation modeling was conducted to test a portion of Turner’s (2013) team conceptual model. The tested model included the independent variables of psychological safety, team conflict, team cohesion, and transactive memory systems. The dependent variable for the dissertation was knowledge sharing.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Family Studies and Human Services / Farrell J. Webb / The purpose of this study is to examine the affects of hegemonic influences on race and ethnicity among American families. An underlying premise of the investigation is that intra-familial socialization (what one is taught at home) and how external interaction (i.e., social environment) affects the perceptions of racial, ethnic American identity. That is, how does what is taught at home and what is absorbed in our social environments influence how we feel about being American. An overlay of generational effects, race, and gender are examined. Data were extracted from the National Opinion Research Center, General Social Surveys (GSS), for the year 2004. The final sub-sample used for this investigation consisted of approximately 1300 adults. Using theoretical constructs from generational effects, social exchange, and social integrationist approaches, an effort was made to identify what factors had the most influences on how families respond to hegemonic influence when group membership is controlled for in a series of correlations, Exploratory Factor Analyses, and Structure Equation Models (SEM) using Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS). The results revealed that there were differences associated within and among generation, and racial/ ethnic populations, and gender.

The aim of the study was to determine whether there is a relationship between organisational culture and occupational health. The General Health Questionnaire and the South African Culture Instruments were used for this purpose. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used for this purpose. The study focused on clarifying the two concepts and their impact on the organisation. The effects of general health factors were determined in the organisation under investigation. The existing organisational culture was also investigated. In conclusion, the assumption that occupational health can have an impact on organisational health, or vice versa, was confirmed. / Industrial & Organisational Psychology / MCom (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

本研究旨在挑戰常見的內外向性單向度思維。首先，提出一個替代性假設：內外向性為雙向度之構念 ; 再者，發展出內外向性雙向度量表，並以全台北、中、南三區共1,011位大學生為施測對象。最後，透過試題分析刪減題目，並以結構方程模式（SEM）進行假設模式之驗證。 結果發現：（1）內外向性乃多向度之構念，共分為正面外向性、負面外向性、正面內向性、負面內向性四個向度。（2）「自我導向性」乃為正面內向性因素之核心構念，「活躍性」則為正面外向性因素之核心構念，有別於傳統認為「社交性」為外向性因素之核心構念。此外，本量表乃具可接受之信效度，唯效標關連效度尚待進一步驗證。 / The purpose of the study was contesting the prevailing view of the one-dimensional construct of Introversion-Extraversion ( I-E ). The researcher first proposed an alternative hypothesis that I-E is a bi-dimensional construct and developed a new type of I-E inventory treating I-E as independent dimensions. The inventory was administered to 1,011 college students form Taiwan’s 3 geographical regions and then refined by item analysis. Finally, the data was analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to verify the hypothetic model. The major findings are: (1) I-E is a Multi-dimensional construct including Positive Extraversion (PE), Negative Extraversion (NE), Positive Introversion (PI), and Negative Introversion (NI) as four facets. (2) The core construct of PI is “Self-orientation” and that of PE is “Activeness” which is in contrast to the conventional view of “Sociability” as the core construct of extraversion. Besides, the Multi-dimensional Inventory of Introversion-Extraversion has acceptable reliability and validity; however, the criterion-related validity remains to be verified.

This research is an exploration of how the capabilities of the Internet may have influenced customer preference structures and how these influences may, in turn, have affected loyalty behaviours. These relationships are explored from both customers’ and companies’ perspectives. A theoretical model is developed which comprises four main components. These are (1) pre-purchase preference structures; (2) post-purchase preference structures (3) the Internet channel and (4) loyalty behaviours. The Internet channel is shown as having a modifying effect on pre- and post-purchase preference structures, which in turn relate to influences in loyalty behaviours. From the customer’s perspective the theoretical model was quantitatively tested by developing pre- and post-purchase preference structures from a choice-based conjoint experiment on a sample of online and offline grocery shoppers. The results showed that these preference structures differed significantly on a number of attributes. The theoretical model was further tested by linking the utility values from the choice-based conjoint experiment to loyalty variables in a structural equation model. The results showed that the theoretical model needed adjustment to fit the underlying data. The offline shoppers’ group model had a better fit to the data than did the online group. The company perspective was developed through a longitudinal study of four U.K. companies in different industries. The qualitative data collected in these studies was compared and contrasted with the theoretical model. The emergent pattern within this analysis showed that companies with a strong understanding of customer preference structures in a traditional marketing channel, was no guarantee that the capabilities of the Internet would be used to strengthen performance on those preferences. One common theme that emerged from interviews with companies was that those who rapidly developed new levels of performance on customer preferences using the capabilities of the Internet had made the Internet a major component of their business model. The qualitative data showed companies as either adopting a transactional or an informational approach to their Internet channel strategy with radically different implications for their business models.

This quantitative research study investigated the impact of organisational context on the process and success of strategic IS planning (SISP) in post-implementation information systems in Libyan organisations. A set of direct and indirect relationships were investigated in the research model. The organisational context presented as a contingent situational variable mediated by SISP process and predicted by SISP success (the criterion variable). The causality of the relationship set was developed from the contingency theory of information systems and supported by fit models in strategic management research. The study deployed multivariate analysis represented in the structural equation modelling (SEM) to develop robust construct measurements and analyse data collected from executives responsible for information systems planning in both public and private Libyan organisations. Multi-dimensional multi-items constructs were used in the path analysis model after they were extensively validated. The path analysis model represented as mediation model, where hypothesise suggest that SISP context has an impact SISP success, through the influence of the SISP process. In the model, four dimensions of the SISP context construct were found to have a significant impact on SISP success directly and indirectly through the SISP process. Two of these dimensions are components of the leadership orientation construct, namely “Creative and Controlling” leadership. The other two dimensions are “Organisation centralisation structure and the Riskiness of organisation strategies”. The environmental uncertainty and planning resource constructs were found to have no impact on SISP success in Libyan organisations. Furthermore, this study validated six out of seven dimensions of SISP process construct measurement; only five exhibited acceptable fit level in the path analysis model and all were affected by the SISP context. However, just three out of five SISP process constructs had an impact on SISP success namely “Comprehensiveness, Focus and Intuition planning process”. Different SISP processes were associated with different levels of SISP success, “Intuition” was the most effective SISP process approach. The second most effective SISP process approach was the “Focus on innovation”, followed by “Limited comprehensiveness”. The SISP success measured by the fulfilment of key objectives that has three measurements constructs namely “Analysis, Alignment, and Cooperation”. The research suggest that under the effect of organisation context the most successful SISP produced by (CIO, CEO, or top executives) who rely less on personal judgment, focus more on innovation rather than control and limit their comprehensiveness of information systems planning process.

This purpose of this study was to combine two bodies of literature on relationships, attachment and violence. Given the impact of men's physical aggression and emotional abuse on women, it is likely that these behaviors would also affect attachment. A model proposing that women's attachment style mediated and moderated the relationship between partners' physical and emotional abuse and the stability of women's relationships was tested. Archival data were used from two waves of interviews with a sample of lowincome, ethnically diverse community women. Most (89%) of the initial 835 participants of Project HOW: Health Outcomes of Women completed at least one additional interview providing information on the status of their initial relationships. Of these women, 39% were African American, 30% were Euro-American, and 31% were Mexican American. The effects of men's psychological abuse and physical violence on women's attachment style were tested with regression analyses. The interrelationships between partners' abuse, attachment and relational stability were tested with SEM. Attachment style was expected to moderate the associations among variables and mediate the impact of partners' negative behavior on relational stability. In regression analyses, partners' psychological abuse predicted avoidant and anxious, but not secure attachment ratings. Violence, although significant, explained less variance than psychological abuse for insecure attachment ratings. SEM indicated Physical Aggression was not a significant predictor of Attachment Rating in any group. Moderation was not found. There were no differences between attachment groups. Therefore, attachment was tested in the sample as a mediator. As in analyses for each group, the path from Physical Aggression to Attachment Rating was not significant. In the final model, Emotional Abuse predicted Physical Aggression and Attachment Rating mediated the effect of Emotional Abuse on Relational Stability. Specifically, Emotional Abuse increased (insecure) Attachment Rating, which decreased Relational Stability. Overall, previous research in the violence literature was extended by showing that emotional abuse affected attachment, rather than the reverse.

M. Tech. (Logistics management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology / The growth and development of SCM is attributed to number of factors such as partnership, collaboration, integration and relationship commitment. Despite increasing awareness of the importance of joint venture to organisations, research on the supply chain relationships (supply chain partnership, collaboration, integration and relationship commitment) and performance have received little attention. Therefore, using a data set of 271 individuals from the small and medium enterprise (SMEs) sector in South Africa, this study examines the influence of supply chain partnerships on collaboration, collaboration on integration, integration on relationship commitment and relationship commitment on performance. Structural equation modeling (SEM) method was used to analyses the data collected whereby individuals agrees with that supply chain relationships increase performance in the work environment. The study has developed a supply chain management (SCM)-based performance measurement system (PMS) for the case of SMEs. Such a framework may help SMEs managers to establish their own supply chain functions and strategically plan improvements for weak areas. In addition, it may remain helpful for benchmarking current practices with industry norms requirements. Quite often, companies dealing with a large number of performance measures derived and expanded based on the suggestions from employees, consultants and past experiences (history) forget to realise that supply chain performance measurement can be better addressed when they joint venture.

The purpose of this thesis was to examine associations between parenting and child callous-unemotional (CU) behavior in a high-risk sample of children aged 2-9 years. First, a narrative review examined the construct of CU behavior, focusing specifically on definitions and measurement of the affective and interpersonal dimensions of psychopathy, and their applicability to youth. Second, a systematic review examined evidence from 30 studies that had investigated associations between dimensions of parenting and CU traits. Studies were classified as testing one of five different research questions. Third, five different empirical studies tested various research questions pertaining to associations between parenting and CU behavior. Data from mother-child dyads N = 731; 49% female) were collected from a multi-ethnic and high-risk sample, and included multi-method observed measures of parenting. Study 1 found that observed harsh and positive parenting predicted child CU behavior from ages 2-4, controlling for earlier child behavior and various demographic covariates. Study 2 employed a moderator design, and found that harsh and warm parenting were more strongly related to the conduct problems of children with high versus low levels of CU behavior. Study 3 tested cross-lagged simultaneous and reciprocal effects models, and found that parental warmth (observed and expressed by parents in speech samples) uniquely predicted child CU behavior versus conduct problems. Study 4 tested the factor structure of Inventory of Callous-Unemotional Traits (ICU; Frick, 2004), finding support for a three-Bifactor structure. Finally, Study 5 found that parent-child affective interactions at ages 2-3 predicted CU traits at age 9, over and above general behavior problems. Taken together, the results of this thesis suggest that CU features are more malleable than previously thought. In particular, aspects of parental affect and warm parenting behavior appear to be important key targets of investigation for future empirical and intervention studies.