Background: Voluntary HIV counselling and testing (VCT) is considered one of the key strategies in the prevention and control of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. However its role in modifying risky sexual behaviour among patients tested as HIV-negative (primary prevention) is controversial. Objective: This study was intended to demonstrate the likelihood of VCT reducing risky sexual practices among patients testing sero-negative for HIV infection. Methods: This is a quantitative cross-sectional survey that took place over a period of 3½ months in a district hospital in rural South Africa. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 54 patients who had VCT and tested sero-negative for HIV infection during the previous 12 months (Study Group). The same questionnaire was filled in by 61 patients who had never received VCT before (Control Group). Both groups consisted of women and men aged 18 years or older. Socio-demographic information, sexual behaviour, willingness to disclose the HIV sero-status with the sexual partner, and readiness to have VCT were asked in the survey. To compare differences between two independent proportions the Pearson Chi-square test was used. Significant results were regarded as a p-value of less than 0, 05, which was taken as an indication of association between VCT and the variable being measured. Results: The median age of our sample was 29 years (Interquartile Range 24-40), with most of the respondents (38 %) between the ages of 26 and 35 years. More than 90 % of patients in both groups reported being sexually active. Sexual intercourse with more than one partner was significantly lower in the Study group (p=0,003). Those who had never received VCT before had a higher (although not significant) incidence of episodes of unprotected sexual intercourse and symptoms of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (81, 9 % and 42, 6 % respectively) when compared to the study group (77, 7 % and 35, 1 %). Most of the participants in both groups did not consider the disclosing of their sero-status an issue of concern for their sexual partner(s). Readiness to receive VCT was significantly higher in the study group (p=0, 02). Conclusions: In this study, people who tested sero-negative for HIV through VCT showed a significant decrease in the number of sexual partners as compared to the control group who did not undergo VCT. The VCT group had less unprotected sexual intercourse and less symptoms of STIs than the control group.

No description available.

In the absence of Canadian legislation this thesis conducts an exploratory study of the regulations Canadian extraction companies (mining and oil and gas) have implemented to control private security in developing countries. It focuses on discerning what private security policies extraction companies have in place and whether companies have adopted voluntary regulations such as the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. For this study a survey was conducted of almost all extraction companies listed on the TSX and TSX Venture Exchange. Publically available documents, such as company websites, codes of conduct, annual reports, and corporate presentations, were analyzed to determine what regulations companies have in place. The data indicates that regulation of private security is mainly limited to Canada’s largest extraction companies and that private security is usually a small portion of a company’s overall corporate social responsibility policy. This research also reviews incidents of human rights abuses committed by private security personnel working for Canadian extraction companies over the last ten years. Incidents are drawn from media outlets, NGOs, and academic articles. These cases help illustrate the challenges Canadian companies face employing private security personnel on the ground.

Advertising expenditure is one of the most important budget items supporting marketing activities for most companies, and may be treated as an intangible asset. Through the impact on demand and costs, advertising activities affect the firm’s pricing and output decisions as well as the firm’s market value (Tannous, 1997; Chauvin & Hirschey, 1994). Despite the significant economic importance of advertising expenditure, not much attention has been given to the value relevance of advertising expenditure and the impact of advertising expenditure disclosure on firms’ market value. Most of the empirical studies for value relevance of advertising expenditure have been conducted using data from the US and UK Academic research on the value relevance of advertising expenditure in Canada is nonexistent. The accounting standard applied in Canada is different from that used in prior US and UK studies. . Canada adopts Canadian GAAP before 2011, and switches to IFRS from 2011onwards. Both regimes do not require firms in Canada to disclose advertising expenditure. However, most US studies use data before 1994 to analyze value relevance of advertising expenditure. Before 1994, disclosing advertising expenditure is mandatory for US firms under US GAAP. The UK evidence uses data before 2005, during which period UK firms still adopt UK GAAP. Although UK. GAAP does not require companies to disclose advertising expenditure, unlike IFRS, different accounting standards can lead to different financial data reporting and different results. In addition, studies on the impact of voluntary disclosure of advertising expenditure on market value are nonexistent. Furthermore, Canada has a more stable financial system than that of the US and UK In this context, the objective of this thesis is to initiate research on the important dimension of advertising expenditure among Canadian firms. The findings of this thesis will enhance understanding of the relationship between advertising expenditure and market value, and companies’ decisions to voluntarily disclose advertising expenditure on their market value.

I analyse smallholder tea producer experiences of dual-certification to Fairtrade and Organic Voluntary Private Standards (VPSs). Dual-certification represented a gold-standard in pro-development certifications, implying alignment between the standards and producer priorities. Yet certification required smallholders to implement two different and challenging standards simultaneously, and the smallholder category was heterogeneous. Gaps in knowledge persisted regarding smallholder implementation of dual-certification in South Indian tea. The main contribution of this research was empirical, investigating 1) reasons for the extension of dual-certification, 2) implications for export-market access and 3) conflicts of practice with norms among tea farmers. I adopted an agricultural marketing network scope to tether Global Value Chain analytical tools into producer contexts. This maintained the connection of producers with global tea buyers and global standards, contributing to understanding the exercises of power by institutions. This research examined the context of South Indian tea, identifying tea production and marketing networks of industry actors, local institutions, industry conventions and Fairtrade-Organic governance. The use of secondary data was complimented by qualitative techniques. I used a case study approach, recruiting one Fairtrade-Organic, dual-certified producer group and one non-certified producer group of smallholders. I sampled key power nodes in networks to generate interview data with key agents including farmers, producer group managers, tea buyers, standard setters and background institution informants. I held 40 interviews with 60 participants during 7 months in South India and the UK.Global Value Chain analysis represented the founding framework that considered standards as governing production and trade in certified commodities. GVC approaches analysed the distribution of benefits and market access between actors in GVCs. Powerful lead firms controlled chain coordination, shaped competition, market access and costs of compliance. The sociological redefinition of power led to standards theorised as legitimated conceptions of the good, the fair and the environmental, with attention turning to producer accounts of governance and standards. The thesis contributes to a growing literature highlighting agency, governmentality, and powers of institutions, in GVCs. Global standards were expressions of fragmented power in governmentality. I analysed accounts of the extension of dual-certification, attendant changes to market access and performances of implementation, seeing through farmers‘ eyes. I derived from data 3 empirical contributions. Firstly, producer institutions and gatekeepers exercised power by affecting smallholder certifications. Yet smallholders were purposeful agents who drove their certification statuses. Secondly, certification did not define market access; quality remained paramount. Fairtrade-Organic standards carried definitions of quality that were intangible, taking the ascertainment of leaf quality from the hands of farmers. Finally, smallholder agent behaviours were analysed as negotiations of Fairtrade-Organic and tea industry valuations of good tea practices. Standards were not pre-defined, bringing compliance costs; rather, Fairtrade-Organic existed in, was constituted by, smallholder performances. Attempts to enhance the legitimacy of FLO governance by aligning standards with producer priorities involved producer regional forums. Alignment was skewed by FLO‘s failure to distinguish smallholder from plantation priorities. This parallels a pro-market pragmatism about the future of Fairtrade.

Thousands of children are absent from school every day. Students miss school for a multitude of reasons connected to the student, their family, the school, and the wider society. This research conceptualizes absenteeism as voluntary and involuntary. Voluntary absences revolve around students’ deliberate decisions to miss school; whereas involuntary absences are often imposed on the student. For example, preferring to engage in some recreational activity outside of the school is considered a voluntary absence, whereas having to work during school hours to earn an income is an involuntary absence. Unfortunately, the majority of mainstream schools do not demarcate between voluntary and involuntary absences and reprimand pupils for absenteeism regardless of its cause. As a result of these actions, many youths are pushed, pulled, or fade away from their education. A lucky few find their way to alternative schools where they are offered a last chance to earn a high school diploma. Some alternative schools are able to not only raise attendance, but also to accommodate involuntary absenteeism, where a student is allowed to miss some class without penalty. However, little Canadian evidence exists documenting how alternative schools respond to absenteeism. This research interviewed 40 students and 17 staff members in four alternative schools in Ontario, Canada, to capture their perspectives on absenteeism. The findings indicate that mainstream schools the students attended were not effective in responding to absenteeism; whereas the alternative schools were better positioned to ensure that the students were able to progress with their education regardless of their ability to attend consistently. Nevertheless, there are concerns about the pupils’ readiness to succeed in postsecondary education and/or subsequent work upon graduation from an alternative school.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfilment requirement for the Degree of Master of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2005. / The aim of the study was to conduct a formative investigation into the effectiveness of "Wildfire" as a preventative intervention for HIV/AIDS. "Wildfire" is an experiential activity-based psycho-educational workshop/game that guides participants through the process of 'exposure' to HIV/AIDS, voluntary counseling and testing (VCT). It stimulates discussions and active reflections while imparting knowledge and information that goes beyond preventative awareness campaigns. The target population was Grade 9 learners. A representative sample of rural and township school contexts in the East London area of the Eastern Cape constituted the sites for intervention. The schools selected constituted a convenience sample and learner participation was voluntary, depending on parental permission. A total of 104 learners participated, 95 in the "Wildfire" intervention and 9 in the control group. The methodology applied included a pre- and post-test questionnaire, behavioural observations and verbal responses during the intervention, as well as focus-group notes arising from the debriefing after "Wildfire". The findings indicated that "Wildfire" was an effective and powerful psycho-educational tool for mediating an in-depth understanding of issues around HIV/AIDS and personal vulnerability for adolescents. The triangulation of methods provided evidence that the intended learnings of "Wildfire" were internalized to both group and individual levels. Furthermore, these points of planned learning were sustained over time. "Wildfire" provided psycho-social, emotional and cognitive 'maps' for individuals about how quickly HIV/AIDS can be spread, how to manage 'exposure* and how to treat those infected with the virus. The study was situated within practices of primary health care and prevention of HIV/AIDS. Its relevance to answering research needs and corroborating current research findings has been discussed. The utility of the study for practical purposes, was that it informed the current and future practices of an NGO and provided information for the Education Department which could enrich the effectiveness of its current HIV/AIDS education in a cost-effective way.

This thesis investigates the relationship between the orientation of participants to voluntary associations and the orientation of associations to the wider society. By combining theoretical work from the field of voluntary associations with a theory of collective behaviour, a set of hypotheses is generated to analyze changes that have occurred it the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire, a Canadian patriotic organization for women. A typology of voluntary associations is constructed, and a brief review of secondary sources shows the applicability of our theory to a wide range of voluntary social movements. The data used for this study includes association files, minutes, magazines and newspaper reports. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

No abstract provided. / Thesis / Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Thesis advisor: Mark Bradshaw / Managers prioritize questions from favorable analysts during earnings announcement conference calls, reinforcing analysts’ incentives to be optimistic. However, managers also interact with unfavorable analysts on calls, and, when they do, absolute announcement returns are larger. I seek to understand why managers interact with unfavorable analysts. I find that unfavorable analysts attenuate their negative views after these interactions with managers. Additionally, the stock price response is stronger for forecasts from managers who regularly interact with unfavorable analysts, consistent with enhanced credibility of these managers. Finally, I use peer firm restatement announcements as exogenous shocks to investors’ assessment of a firm’s accounting quality, and I find that nonrestating firms with managers who regularly interact with unfavorable analysts experience attenuated negative returns, relative to other nonrestating peers. Overall my findings are consistent with managers’ interactions with unfavorable analysts providing significant benefits to the firm, such as resolving analysts’ concerns and increasing managers’ credibility. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. Carroll School of Management. / Discipline: Accounting.