ABSTRACT The integration and coordination process across organizational functional levels are crucial for firms to formulate their corporate and functional strategies. However, most related studies have been focusing on a rational and analytical process, which is the reaction of the ¡©economic rationality¡ªof managers and organizations. What have been always neglected by researchers were the upward political process of the organization, the exercises of power, conflicts, and the communication process involved. This study has attempted to investigate the upward political behaviors, to understand their influences on organization¡¦s subordinates. We adopt both experimental design and questionnaire survey to achieve higher credibility and validity. The results of our experimental design showed that upward political behaviors have significantly influences on work satisfaction and leave inclination. Key Words¡GMicro-Political Behavior¡BPower¡BStaff Satisfaction¡BLeave Inclination¡BJob Satisfaction¡BUpward Political Behavior

Summary According to Ferris & Judge(1991), Ferris & Mitchell(1987), the policies of human resources such as promotion, selection, rotation and etc. are affected by political behaviors. As Gandz & Murray (1980) proved, political behaviors indeed exist in different kinds of organizations and groups, especially in public sectors. The study tested the formal employees in Kaoshiung County Government. Those employees are from passing the official examinations or other departments. The rank and classification of the jobs in the organization are complete; employees have many chances to get promotion and rotation. Therefore, it is a good case for examining how often political behaviors being used and how their effects are. The study distributed 410 questionnaires; there are 225 back, and 185 effective samples. Analyzing data and proving the hypotheses through SPSS, there are several findings as follows: 1. Civil servants think that to have the chance of promotion or rotation, to use ¡§having good relationship with important persons¡¨ is necessary. 2. Civil servants think that to have the chance of promotion or rotation, to use ¡§recommendation from the supervisor¡¨ is necessary. 3. The upward political behaviors that civil servants mostly used are:(1) Provide precedent or some ideas that other county governments do. (2) Ask instructions from supervisors, and discuss the solutions. (3) Provide some relevant references that support his viewpoints to the supervisor. 4. The upward political behaviors that civil servants think most effective are same as the behaviors mostly used. Through analysis, the relationship between the using frequency and the using effectiveness of the upward political behaviors are positively related. In other words, the higher the using frequency, the better the using effectiveness. 5. Male subordinates think that using ¡§expert authority¡¨ and ¡§reasonable defense¡¨ would increase not only the chance of promotion and rotation, but also increase the satisfaction of promotion and rotation system. 6. Male subordinates in higher level think that using ¡¨social intercourse and social party¡¨ and ¡§reasonable defense¡¨ can increase the speed of promotion and rotation. As to male subordinates in lower level, they think that using ¡§expert authority¡¨ can increase the speed of having promotion and rotation. 7. The subordinates in higher level think that using ¡§affective strategy¡¨ and ¡§social intercourse and social party¡¨ would cause the unfairness of promotion and rotation and decease the satisfaction of promotion and rotation system. 8. Seniority, higher-educated subordinates think that using ¡¨expert authority¡¨ and ¡§reasonable defense¡¨ of the upward political behaviors would increase the speed of promotion and rotation and the satisfaction of promotion and rotation system. However, for those who have less years spent on the job think that using ¡§social intercourse and social party¡¨ of the upward political behaviors would cause the unfairness of promotion and rotation and decease the satisfaction of promotion and rotation system. 9. The marriage of supervisors significantly moderates the relationship between the frequency of using upward political behaviors and the speed of promotion and rotation. When supervisors use ¡§political strategy¡¨ of the upward political behavior, those who unmarried has more significant effect on increasing the speed of promotion and rotation than those who married. 10. The marriage of supervisors significantly moderates the relationship between the frequency of using upward political behaviors and the satisfaction of promotion and rotation system. When supervisors use ¡§affective strategy¡¨ of the upward political behavior, those who unmarried has more significant effect on increasing the satisfaction of promotion and rotation system than those who married.

This mixed-methods study examined the effectiveness of the Upward Bound TRIO program in preparing a low-income and first-generation population for the successful completion of high school and acceptance into postsecondary institutions of higher learning. Data collection methods for this study were comprised of teacher and student surveys and program director interviews. A comparison of two Upward Bound programs was conducted in the southern regions of Virginia and Georgia. The results were analyzed and queried as to whether the current program objectives were effective in meeting the needs of low-income, first-generation students and whether the program provided the necessary academic and technological skillsets and support needed to gain employment in knowledge capital economy. The goal of Upward Bound is to increase the rate at which participants complete secondary education and enroll in institutions of higher learning. The significance of this study is that it offers insight on the necessary support structures needed to assist low-income and first-generation students. The study was an in depth analysis of the Upward Bound TRIO program’s current objectives in meeting the needs of the 21st century learner. Information gathered from the literary sources as well as other sources provides additional insight for the researcher on program practice, evaluation, efficiency, and low-income first-generation students’ success.

We have from our research, conducted in Guardamar del Segura, Spain, discovered that most of the communication between native Spaniards and immigrant Bulgarians is negative non-verbal communication which leads to a division between the two groups. The result of high unemployment and social stress, which the current situation in Spain provides, tend to create stronger ties inside the groups and at the same time enlarge the distance towards other groups. Also, the large amount of nonverbal communication such as observing each other’s behavior leads in this case to negative stereotyping and prejudices that creates and maintain the different group’s relations in the society.

In Southern Manitoba, potato producers are experiencing wetter and drier conditions within the soil profile during the growing season leading to poor quality and inconsistent yields. Russet Burbank Potato cultivar was grown in Southern Manitoba on fine sandy loam soil in a two year (2013-2014) study using two water management treatments: (i) overhead irrigation and (ii) no-irrigation. The main objectives of the study were (i) to assess the impact of overhead irrigation on water table depth and potato yield (ii) to estimate the shallow groundwater contribution to potato water requirement through upward flux (iii) to track the nitrogen dynamics within the potato root-zone under overhead irrigation and no-irrigation scenarios (iv) to examine the effects of no-irrigation and overhead irrigation system at critical growth stages on marketable yield and quality of potatoes. In 2013, water was applied using a linear move irrigation system and in 2014 a rain gun irrigation system was used for the irrigated treatment. Volumetric soil water content, precipitation, irrigation depth, water table depth, nitrate concentration and electrical conductivity in potato root-zone, groundwater electrical conductivity, weather variables, total potato yield, marketable yield, and quality parameters were measured. The total yield was not significantly different between the two treatments in both years. The marketable yield of the irrigated treatment (36.89 MT/ha) was 20% higher (p = 0.017) compared to the non-irrigated treatment (30.74 MT/ha) in 2013. However, no significant difference was found between the irrigated (39.0 MT/ha) and non-irrigated (43.7 MT/ha) treatments in 2014. Potato yields from both treatments were significantly correlated with the average groundwater depth. Water balance analysis within the root-zone during rainy and rain-free periods showed that nitrate rich groundwater may have contributed to some of the crop water demand. The lack of rainfall and high temperature during tuber initiation and tuber bulking stages resulted in the accumulation of high concentration of nitrates within the root-zone by the late release of nitrates from the polymer-coated urea and the upward migration of groundwater containing 55 ppm and 70 ppm of nitrates in the 2013 and 2014 growing seasons, respectively. Overhead irrigation was found to be economically advantageous to produce better quality potatoes with higher marketable yields.

Multiphase flows occurring in pipelines with a serpentine configuration is an important phenomenon, which can be encountered in heat exchangers used in a variety of industrial processes. More specifically, in many industrial units such as a large cracking furnace in a refinery, the tubes are arranged in a serpentine manner and are relatively short. As flow negotiates round the 180o bend at the ends of the tubes, the generated centrifugal force could cause flow maldistribution creating local dry spots, where no steady liquid film is formed on the adjacent straight sections of the pipe. As a result, events including coking, cracking and overheating of heat transfer surfaces may occur and lead to frequent shutdown of the facilities. Consequently, this could increase operating costs and reduce production revenue. Thus, it is desirable to know the effect that the bends exert on the flow in the straight part of the pipe. Apart from this, knowledge of the bend effects on the flows in the pipeline could also be important for the design of other pipelines for gas/liquid transport, e.g. offshore gas and oil pipelines. Quite a large number of studies have been found in the literature. The majority of them were for two-phase flow with small diameter pipes (i.d. ≤ 50 mm). However, studies with large diameter pipes (i.d. ≥ 100 mm), have increasingly been considered in recent years as problems related to large diameter vertical pipes are being encountered more and more often in industrial situations. This thesis studies the effect of 180o bends on the characteristics and development of gas-liquid two-phase flows in large diameter downward and upward pipes. The study particularly focuses on the influence of serpentine configuration on flow structure, cross-sectional void distribution and circumferential liquid film profiles and their development along the downward and upward sections. It was found that both the top and bottom bends have considerable impacts on flow behaviour, although to varying degrees. These impacts were highly dependent on the air and water flow rates. For sufficient flow rates, the bends were observed to create flow maldistribution in the adjacent straight section, due to the effects of centrifugal force. The air moved towards the inner zone of the bend and the water towards the outer zone, while a lesser quantity of water was identified on the other surfaces of the pipe. Investigation of the film thickness development in the downward and upward sections showed that, the liquid film behaviour close to the bends was significantly different from those located further away. This can be attributed to the centrifugal force of the bends. Examination of the power spectral density (PSD) along the downward and upward sections showed that, the shape of PSD located in the adjacent section to the bends, was substantially different from those located further away. Furthermore, several flow regime maps were generated which showed that, in addition to bubbly, intermittent and annular flows, unstable flows existed along the upward section, particularly for low gas and water flow rates. In this study it was found that, the lower bend was periodically blocked by the liquid and then blown through by the accumulated air. The data obtained from this study were compared with different theoretical correlations found in the existing literature. Some discrepancy between the results of the current study and those of previous published materials was noted. Updated correlations were presented which provided well results when they applied for the data obtained from the current study and previous studies.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Georgia Southern University, 2009. / "A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Georgia Southern University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education." Directed by Barbara Mallory. ETD. Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-117) and appendices.

Based on available studies on business and management fields of study as upwardly-mobile university field of study choices as a basis, this study seeks to test this hypothesis of upward mobility. In doing so, it endeavours to identify correlations between field of study choice and educational background and between field of study choice and gender. The base data is taken from a survey of all domestic first-time students at Austrian universities in the 2011/12 winter semester (N=27,575). This data was subjected to a correspondence analysis, which allowed us to visualise and interpret the relations between the positions of these fields of study in the university space. The results indicate a clearly structured (stratified) university space. Our supplementary regression analysis shows that the upwardly-mobile higher education choice hypothesis can be confirmed for the fields of study studied. Our analyses also confirm the feminisation hypothesis for the business and management fields of study studied: women significantly more frequently select fields of study which lead to a career in a pedagogic (business education), social (social economy) or language (international business and management) context. In the group of fields of study explored, business education fields of study had both the highest share of first-time students and the highest level of feminisation. In contrast, economics fields of study, which was included in the analysis in addition to the business studies and management fields of study, have a significantly higher share of male students and the lowest share of higher education climbers. (authors' abstract)

abstract: Mixed-income housing policy has been an approach to address the problem of concentrated poverty since the 1990s. The idea of income mix in housing is founded on the proposition that economic opportunities of the poor can be expanded through the increasing of their social capital. The current in-depth case study of Vineyard Estates, a mixed-income housing development in Phoenix, AZ tests a hypothesis that low-income people improve their chances of upward social mobility by building ties with more affluent residents within the development. This study combines qualitative and quantitative methods to collect and analyze information including analysis of demographic data, resident survey and in-depth semi-structured interviews with residents, as well as direct observations. It focuses on examining the role of social networks established within the housing development in generating positive economic outcomes of the poor. It also analyzes the role of factors influencing interactions across income groups and barriers to upward social mobility. Study findings do not support that living in mixed-income housing facilitates residents' upward social mobility. The study concludes that chances of upward social mobility are restrained by structural factors and indicates a need to rethink the effectiveness of mixed-income housing as an approach for alleviating poverty. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.U.E.P. Urban and Environmental Planning 2013

The present dissertation explores the Congolese immigrant workers‟ meanings, their labour migration and their transnationalism in Pretoria through the perspective of south-south social transformation. It argues that this migration is partly an outcome and effect of various social transformations that have been occurring in Southern Africa since the end of cold war in the era of globalisation and age of mass migration. The study draws on Castles‟ middle range theory and the comprehensive sociology of Max Weber. This dissertation makes use of qualitative method, based on ethnography, and corresponding techniques such as interviews. The study shows that what drives Congolese labour migration to Pretoria are economic (wage differential or cost benefit), political issues (wars, violence against human rights, freedom of speech), cultural (the Congolese mythology of migration) and psychological reasons (prestige). These migration processes and patterns are also determined by migrants‟ social class position in the DRC. The latter to a large extent determines the nature and status of their employment in Pretoria. In addition, findings demonstrate that a number of structural constraints and features of Congolese qualifications, skills, and even culture contribute to Congolese immigrants negative performances in the South African labour market. Faced with numerous barriers to professional incorporation, Congolese migrants resort to any legal or illegal means to bypass these barriers. It is revealed that the Congolese conception of social and occupational mobility is mostly understood in terms of economic or income mobility. This dovetails with the socially constructed meanings that Congolese workers attach to their work. Concerning their transnational activities, research participants are shown to be involved in political, economic and socio-cultural activities. Most of their activities are nationally-oriented. Nevertheless, the weight of the tense political situation has an influence on their transnational activities and Congolese culture and/or homeland politics leads to their economic transnationalism. For these reasons, practices of remitting are connected with transnational political activities and culture. Despite the extensive contacts „back home‟ socio-cultural activities of the Congolese in Pretoria are marked by cultural hybridization between Congolese migrants and South Africans. / Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / lk2014 / Sociology / MSocSci / Unrestricted