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The aim of the thesis is to investigate local impacts of large investments. This problem has been approached from three directions and, therefore, the study consists of three themes, namely: the changing spatial patterns of corporate activities, the short-term local economic impacts of invest­ments, and the long-term socio-economic impacts of investments on the local municipality. In order to put the impact studies of investments into a broader context the first theme provides an analysis of the macro-orientated processes that change the spatial pattern of a forest- based industry. The empirical investigation is based on a case-study of a major Swedish forest company (SCA — Svenska Cellulosa Aktiebolaget), analysing its development from the 1950s to the present (Paper I). The locational changes of production plants, sales units and headquarters have been mapped and, parallel to this study of the company's spatial evolution, the underlying corporate strategies are discussed. The second theme focuses on the short-term local economic impacts of investments which are carried out at production units. The empirical data has been collected from a major investment introducing a new technology (Light Weight Coated paper - LWC) at Ortviken, an SCA-owned paper mill in Sundsvall. The point of departure for the analysis is the identification of contracted suppliers and their location in order to obtain a picture of the investment's diffusion in the local economy. As the choice of supplier is an important part of the study, criteria on how suppliers are chosen have also been examined (Paper II). Moreover, by using results from a number of similar investment studies, an attempt is made to summarize general experiences within a tentative model for estimating the share of local purchase deriving from major investments: the Local or Non-Local (LNL) model (Paper III). The third theme of the thesis pinpoints long-term local impacts of large investments. The investment generates impacts not only concurrently with the implementation phase, but also during the operation period of the invested item. The investigation of long-term socio-economic impacts has been performed by two studies employing different methodological approaches. The first study (Paper IV) deals with ex ante local impacts of locating a nuclear waste repository in Storuman or Mala, two sparsely populated municipalities in northern Sweden. The model is a traditional macro- formulated cohort model which is combined with a 'basic/non-basic' assumption regarding the intcrdependency within the local trade and business. The second study (Paper V) refers once again to the forest-based industry by emphasising the long-term socio-economic impacts of the investment examined in Paper II. This paper employs a micro-analytical modelling approach, so that, the municipal population is represented individually within the model. A microsimulation model is elaborated in order to analyse the long-term (15 years) local population and labour market dynamics induced by the LWC-investment. Some major findings of the thesis are: * The share of local purchase is connected to the composition of the investment. Analyses have shown that the higher the technological demand and the more technically advanced the goods and services related to the investment, the smaller is the local share of the purchase. *  It has proved possible to trace chain effects on different local labour-markets induced by changes in production at a particular place of work. Through linkages between the partial labour markets the closure of a major place of work will not only affect the occupational groups to which laid-off employees belong, but also give rise to changes in unemployment levels in many other occupations. / digitalisering@umu

In 1996, socio-economic rights were included in the Constitution of South Africa as fundamental human rights. The state is thus compelled to give attention to the protection of people's socioeconomic rights. The question is: Is it the duty of the state alone, or does the church also have a calling with regard to socio-economic rights? In this study, the calling of the church with regard to the protection of socio-economic rights in South Africa is researched. Firstly, socio-economic rights as ethical principle are evaluated in the light of the Scripture. The conclusion is that socio-economic rights are important human rights that can be grounded as fundamental human rights. Thereafter, the history of the origin of socio-economic rights is researched and evaluated. In the history of socio-economic rights, it is grounded in the natural dignity of a human being. However, the Bible teaches that God gave people dignity. The history of socio-economic rights in South Africa is also researched and evaluated. South Africa has a long history of colonialism, segregation and apartheid, and the church has not always been an effective advocate for socio-economic rights. To understand the calling of the church with regard to socio-economic rights, the calling of the church in society is researched. Views of different church and theological traditions are researched and evaluated. The reformed view focuses on the kingdom of God, and the calling of the church with regard to socio-economic rights is described as worship, fellowship, testimony and service. In conclusion, concrete guidelines of how to be an advocate for socio-economic rights are given to the church. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Ethics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2007

Infants’ gestures feature prominently in early language. The observation that accomplishments in gesture presage verbal milestones prompted the question of whether encouraging infants to gesture would bring on language gains. This thesis addressed this question, remedying many of the shortfalls of previous research. In a yearlong longitudinal study, high-SES mother-infant dyads (n = 40) were randomly allocated to one of four conditions: Symbolic Gesture training, British Sign Language (BSL) training, Verbal training and a Non-Intervention Control group. Infants’ language was continually assessed between the ages of 8 to 20 months to determine the impact of encouraged gesture on language development. With the exception of a small number of boys, encouraging gesture did not affect infants’ language development. However, the expressive language of boys who started the study with a low language ability was improved by gesture. A gesture-training intervention was delivered to low-SES mothers at a Sure Start children’s centre. Infants of mothers trained to gesture showed greater gains in their receptive and expressive vocabularies than infants of mothers who attended sessions aimed to improve general communication (without gesture instruction). Gesture helped reduce the discrepancy between the language abilities of infants from low and high-SES backgrounds. Qualitative investigations revealed how encouraging mothers to use gestures with their infants led to perceived wider, non-linguistic benefits. However, a comparison of maternal and infant stress scores revealed no difference between gesturing and non-gesturing mother-infant dyads. Infants, who because of biological and/or environmental factors have lower language abilities than their peers, stand to benefit from encouraged gesture in infancy. Through early intervention, gesture has the potential to reduce the disadvantage that children from lower-SES families face from impoverished language abilities. By changing the course of their early development, encouraged gesture could ultimately bring about lasting benefits.

This study examines how propaganda imagery was used to reveal metaphors of health and disease in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945. Specifically, it explores how German medical and political authorities of this period entrenched biological explanations for social ills through medico-political discourses of disease, criminality and deviancy, in their efforts to exterminate particular populations. This propaganda was conversed with the idealised and beautified German Volk who, in turn, were graphically elevated to the realms of a supreme master race. I use a methodology composed of compositional and discourse analysis, and a theoretical framework that develops the work of Erving Goffman. These frameworks were applied to a range of images from a sample of propagandist movies, published within the time-frame, in order to illuminate how the German medical establishment sought to realise the juxtaposition of both promoting life and administering death. Findings suggest that the biological categorising and subjective measuring of individuals was a modernistic philosophy. Extensive use of metaphors resulted in a widening range of stigmas which needed medical intervention to maintain normality and social order whilst purifying and cleansing the body politic. The study advances the understanding of the relationship between the discourses of health and disease with an in-depth sociopolitical study of imagery, asking why it was used to legitimate and nationalise social inequality in the context of Nazi Germany. It further offers a new socio-filmic model for future use when analysing moving imagery in the sociohistorical field. These two advances therefore provide novel contributions to the sociology of public health and social methods.

The continued growth of the UK dining out industry, and the unceasing trend in popularity for customers to spend time and money eating outside the home, has led to an increase in the number of dining out establishments, and competition between businesses. Although there have been studies examining aspects of the restaurant industry and food consumption outside the home, very little research has looked specifically at customer expectations. Therefore, this thesis examines customer expectations associated with the meal experience in relation to the varying costs of dining out opportunities. In addition, the study reflects on customers’ socio-economic characteristics combined with their perception of differing anticipated costs in order to provide customer typologies, each with varying expectations of the dining out experience. It is intended that by focussing on and amalgamating the areas of expectation, cost and socio-economic factors, the conclusions obtained will contribute to a new understanding relating to customer expectations. The study invited e-subscribers of Delicious Magazine’s national website, to participate in quantitative research regarding both expectations of dining out and social factors. By examining the data from a large cohort study (2200 participants) evidence of behavioural patterns and opinions has emerged. The research established that there are four types of customer that can be identified through their initial choice of restaurant owing to the restaurant’s perceived cost classification. Each customer group identified, not only has overarching expectations of the dining out experience, but through identifying socio-economic characteristics of each group, it is also possible to have insight into their collective behaviours. The original contribution outputs that have been generated from the research are a practical typology and a theoretical model. Although dining out establishments are facing pressure from the emergence of increasing numbers of competitors and the current economic climate, it has been established, through the research, that, in particular, restaurants often bestow little attention on customer requirements, instead ‘food’, ‘aesthetics’ and ‘staff’ often take precedence. However, aspects relating directly to customers, such as, ‘repeat business’ and ‘positive word of mouth’ are core components to a hospitality organisation’s success. Understanding customers further can only enhance and provide structure and direction for restaurant businesses. Therefore, implementing the practical customer typology could focus a restaurant business on considering their customer group and their anticipated requirements. This research is a foundation into an original combined study area and has induced further research concepts that may also encourage other academics to embark on this area of study. This research may then develop as a subject field and cascade into understandings that could be beneficial to the hospitality industry.

Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en djupare förståelse för pedagogers förhållningssätt i mötet med barn i socio-emotionella svårigheter. Studien undersöker vilken betydelse pedagogerna anser att barns socio-emotionella utvecklingen har samt vilka strategier de använder för att möta och underlätta för barn i socio-emotionella svårigheter. Vi använder en kvalitativ metod för att besvara våra forskningsfrågor samt intervju som datainsamlingsmetod. Resultatet i studien visar att informanterna som deltagit uttrycker ett liknande förhållningssätt och bemötande i mötet med barn i socio-emotionella svårigheter. Likaså använder de snarlika strategier för att främja och underlätta för dessa barn. Deras utgångspunkt är att varje enskilt barn ska mötas utifrån sina egna behov och förutsättningar. Informanterna placerar inte heller svårigheterna hos det enskilda barnet, utan istället är det verksamheten som måste anpassas och förändras.

The purpose of this research was to investigate certain value orientations of adult women of low socio-economic status in Dallas, Texas. Central to the approach to values relied upon in this research project was a concern for cultural integration and change. Of interest was a partial description of the degree of cultural integration and an partial description of strains that exist within the social systems under analysis: a group of 50 Negro women and a group of 50 white women.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.