This thesis is an examination of the extent to which the work of Christa Wolf post-unification can be interpreted as Wolf's response to the attacks on her in the 'deutsch-deutscher Literaturstreit' of 1990 and to the negative publicity generated by her Stasi revelations in January 1993. This thesis will also consider Wolf's post-unification work in the context of her characteristic aesthetic of 'subjektive Authentizität'. Chapter One examines the nature of the accusations levelled against Wolf in both the 'Literaturstreit' and the media furore following her Stasi revelations, notably the allegations of complicity with the SED regime and prolonged allegiance to socialist ideals. The chapter also discusses criticism, expressed in these controversies, of Wolf’s writing as 'littérature engagée'. Chapter Two analyses the collection 'Auf dem Weg nach Tabou' (1994) which, with its emphasis on Wolf's own sense of changing status as a writer in post-unification Germany and her concern with 'Vergangenheitsbewältigung', can be read as Wolf's explicit response to issues raised in the controversies. Chapter Three considers the collection 'Hierzulande Andernorts' (1999), where Wolf's concern with 'Vergangenheitsbewältigung', in the sense of both personal and collective experience of the GDR, continues but where her responses to issues in the controversies are conveyed more subtly, whilst additionally providing insight into Wolf's reflections on 'littérature engagée' and its relevance to her own distinct narrative concept of 'subjektive Authentizität'. Chapter Four analyses the novel 'Medea. Stimmen' (1996) which, with its focus on the 'rehabilitation' of a mythical figure and the theme of victimisation, continues Wolf's preoccupation with the broader theme of going back to the past in order to confront unresolved issues in the present. Chapter Five examines the narrative 'Leibhaftig' (2002) which, with the reworking of Wolf's memories of the GDR as well as the Third Reich and the treatment of the theme of guilt for the failure of the utopian socialist project in the GDR, constitutes not only Wolf's continued concern with 'Vergangenheitsbewältigung' at a personal level but also a reassertion of Wolf's concept of 'subjektive Authentizität'. The conclusion will propose a detailed study of Wolf's final novel 'Stadt der Engel oder The Overcoat of Dr. Freud' (2010) as the natural progression for future research, and in the context of a contribution to the nascent field of memory studies.

In recent years the notion of tourists visiting sites associated with death and destruction has started to receive much attention within the associated literature, with issues coupled with visitor motivations being key to this research. The genre that probably best describes the study of this subject matter (death and destruction) is ‘dark tourism’. Lennon & Foley (1996, p200) describe this as “the phenomenon which encompasses the presentation and consumption (by visitors) of real and commodified death and disaster sites”. The identification of those factors that guide the selection of such dark sites and a review of visitor’s on-site experiences and subsequent post visit behaviour is important and requires further attention. The main aim of this study is to better understand the motivations and on-site activities of visitors to contemporary dark tourism sites. In addition the methods associated with archiving the visit in terms of souvenir hunting, photography and other related actions will be investigated. From what is evidenced in the literature, it is clear to see that many of these dark locations can be broadly classified as ‘dark shrines’ (Stone, 2006); but there has been little empirical investigation relating to visitor motivations and behaviour of visitors whilst at these sites. The empirical data was collected using qualitative methods, primarily Means-End Chain (MEC) analysis was employed. This is a qualitative methodological tool, employing a semi-structured one on one interview style. Fourteen interviews in total were used from individuals who had visited dark sites and the data was analysed using the Rokeach Value Survey (RVS). The results suggest that the main motivations for visiting those sites that are deemed lighter on the dark spectrum were associated with entertainment, family fun and some learning, with much emphasis upon showcasing the experience to peers upon their return home. In contrast the motivations for visiting dark sites such as concentration camps and camps of mass genocide tended to be more empathetic with the victims, with issues associated with education and intellectual enquiry being fundamental to the visit. Issues associated with peer recognition as a result of the visit were not deemed as important for those visiting darker sites. In conclusion the research shows that visitors to the lighter sites tend to be informed by family and loved ones with emphasis upon enjoyment and family kinship. In contract those who visit the darker sites tended to be more interested in the educational and academic overtones associated with the site, with a keen interest in history further facilitating this need. The main contribution of this research relates to the differing needs as identified by light and dark visitors whist at site. Visitors at lighter sites tend to require more operational based information associated with facilities and merchandising provision, whereas visitors to darker sites require information that is geo-political and quasi academic in nature, so as to better understand the magnitude of the atrocities. In terms of the manner by which light and dark visitors go about collecting artefacts / souvenirs this also differs greatly with lighter visitors looking for commercially produced items to take home and take picture of family members in situ. In contrast visitors to darker sites choose to collect souvenirs at site which are often items of nature associated specifically with the sight. Picture taking is limited, but when used is associated with the site and the surroundings.

Evidence abounds that visitor attractions are the central element of tourism development. Academics and practitioners have therefore focused much attention on attraction service quality, customer satisfaction and subsequent behavioural intentions. However, there is a dearth of empirical investigations supporting most claims relating to quality and satisfaction in an attractions context. Furthermore, perceived value, which theoretically influences behavioural intentions regarding attractions, has been omitted from models investigating attraction service constructs. Thus, there is a need for empirical investigation of the relationship between the perceived quality of attractions, visitor satisfaction and other service constructs, particularly perceived value. This study explores these service quality issues within the UK visitor attractions industry with particular reference to Alton Towers and Blists Hill Victorian Town. The aim of the research was to gain an understanding of how attraction visitors evaluate quality and to explain the relationship between service quality, value, satisfaction and behavioural intentions. To this end, a sequential, exploratory mixed-methods approach was employed. This included unstructured interviews, content analysis of promotional materials, expert opinion and a questionnaire survey of visitors at the two attractions. The sample for the latter was drawn from individuals who had visited the two attractions within the last 12 months. To identify key quality dimensions in the attractions, principal components analysis (PCA) was employed; the results revealed six underlying factors: ‘activities’, ‘staff’, ‘operation and environment’, ‘retail’, ‘access’ and ‘ease of use’. Ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between the constructs. The factors that most influence quality are ‘activities’ and ‘retail’, and value is primarily determined by ‘activities’, ‘staff’ attributes and ‘retail’. Satisfaction is most influenced by perceived value whereas visitor satisfaction explains most of the variance in behavioural intention. The findings also show that satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between value and behavioural intentions, and that between quality and behavioural intentions. Value was shown to partially mediate the relationship between attraction attributes and satisfaction and between quality and behavioural intentions. The research makes several significant theoretical and managerial contributions. The key finding is that attraction attributes exert more influence on perceived value than on perceived quality. This suggests that the conceptualisation and measurement of value in previous research were possibly inadequate in capturing the dimensions of this construct. The findings also confirm the cognitive-affective-conative order between the service constructs within the context of UK visitor attractions and the important role of perceived value in understanding quality, satisfaction and behavioural intentions. However, the relationship between these constructs cannot be generalised and further research is needed to examine the relevance of the findings to other sectors. The results also indicate that attraction managers need to review their promotional materials, particularly websites, and ensure that the most effective messages are communicated to both existing and potential visitors.

Identity theft is an ever-present and ever-growing issue in our society. Identity theft, fraud and abuse are present and growing in every market sector. The data available to describe how these identity crimes are conducted and the consequences for victims is often recorded in stories and reports by the news press, fraud examiners and law enforcement. To translate and analyze these stories in this very unstructured format, this thesis first discusses the collection of identity theft data automatically using text mining techniques from the online news stories and reports on the topic of identity theft. The collected data are used to enrich the ITAP (Identity Threat Assessment and Prediction) Project repository under development at the Center for Identity at The University of Texas. Moreover, this thesis shows the statistics of common behaviors and resources used by identity thieves and fraudsters — identity attributes used to identify people, resources employed to conduct the identity crime, and patterns of identity criminal behavior. Analysis of these results should help researchers to better understand identity threat behaviors, offer people early warning signs and thwart future identity theft crimes. / text

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