abstract: Historically, colonizers, immigrants, and enslaved Africans served as carriers of Islamic culture to Puerto Rico, and today, that Islamic element is often unassumingly intertwined with the Puerto Rican culture. Using Bourdieu's concept of habitus as the framework, this dissertation engages customs and mannerisms of Puerto Ricans to reveal the imprint and legacy of Muslim Spain and the Islamic heritage of West Africa in Puerto Rico. It makes a study of the Spanish language to include vocabulary, proverbs, songs, and games that carry vestiges of Arabic language and culture. Most importantly, it also addresses an inherited religious and cultural tradition rooted in the history and legacy of Islam and Christianity and the human experience of cultural and religious phenomena of conflicts within Medieval Spain. Of particular focus, Fiestas de Santiago Apóstol in Loíza, Puerto Rico (a Moor and Christian celebration in honor of St. James, the Moor Slayer) offer a uniquely different expression. The celebration not only displays remnants of cultural and religious practices influenced by several world traditions such as folk Catholicism, Santería, Espiritismo, and Islam, but embraces the Vejigantes character which symbolizes the Muslim. The implications of these celebrations attest to a historically covert Muslim presence or at least a less biased conceptualization by the Puerto Rican people regarding Muslims. Unlike Medieval Spain, where Muslims were deemed invaders from 711-1600's, the religious, cultural, and political history of Puerto Rico does not suggest a deeper legacy of conflict that includes Islam as an adverse religious and cultural tradition. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Religious Studies 2017

<p> The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between globalization and assimilation (dependent variables), and four contributing factors of culture, value, norms, and identity (independent variables) to determine whether managers in Trinidad and Tobago devalue their own culture to assimilate into a global culture. A researcher-constructed survey questionnaire was used to collect data from a random sample of respondents. The survey was analyzed utilizing both parametric and nonparametric statistical tools to answer five Research Subquestions. The one-sample t test was an appropriate tool to establish construct reliability and validity of assumptions for this quantitative study. Values were established to support the level of statistical significance for (p &lt; 0.05) effect as follows: a medium effect size (f2 = .15), alpha = .0.05, power = .80, yielding an acceptable sample size of 85 participants. Based on the evaluation of the statistical data, it was concluded (a) there was an impact of demographic factors on culture, values, norms, and identity; (b) global factors had no impact on culture, values, norms and identity; (c) the Trinidad and Tobago manager assimilated during international business meetings; (d) there was an impact of assimilation on culture, values, norms and identity in Trinidad and Tobago; and (e) there was no change in management behavior during international business meetings. Three implications resulted from the findings. First, from a theoretical perspective, based on the analysis of culture, managers were unaware of culture erasure. Second, from a scientific merit perspective, the ANOVA method optimized and validated causal-comparative effect of both measurement and structural models with the inclusion of interrelationships effects between variables. Finally, from a practical perspective, respondents perceived global factors had no impact on culture, but assimilation had a negative impact on culture. Based on the results, it was assumed the unique and distinguishable aspects of culture are disappearing, and the effects of globalization and assimilation have caused an unconscious reprogramming of collective behaviors, which resulted in culture erasure.</p>

<p> The existence of an elite class within societies is often a topic of research in the study of inequality of power and influence. Researchers, however, acknowledge that the nature and composition of the elite varies. Trinidad and Tobago, with its colonial history and diverse population has had to confront issues surrounding access to power by various groups within the society. One driving force of the 1970s Black Power Revolution was the practice of color discrimination in the banking industry. Informed by Mills' (1956) elite theory and rooted in Beckford's (1972) economic theory, this project surveys the elite of Trinidad and Tobago. I examine three important national sectors: business, the judiciary, and the National Senate&mdash;all appointed positions&mdash;to explore which groups have access to positions of power and influence. Information was collected with regards to individuals' terms of service or length of appointments, type of appointment, ethnicity, religion, gender and the high school they graduated from. While some of the data are incomplete, women are unrepresented and Whites over-represented across all three sectors.</p>

<p> This dissertation will demonstrate that a variety of Dominican Spanish in contact with St. Thomas English Creole (STTEC) revealed many features which are consistent with Dominican Spanish in other contact environments and some new features which are emerging as the result of uniquely STTEC influences. The most notable feature is the appearance of the vowel [&epsiv;] in Dominican Spanish, which in STTEC is highly indexical to St. Thomian identity. In the present sociolinguistic analysis, it was found that the variability of [&epsiv;] was significantly influenced by the following phonological segment, syllable stress, the language of the token, and the speaker's&rsquo; social network ties and self-ascribed identity. This dissertation also includes a socio-historical background of St Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, a description of St Thomas English Creole, and a history of immigration patterns of people from the Dominican Republic to St Thomas, U.S.V.I.</p>

<p>Jamaica?s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a high failure rate. In 2016, the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) recorded Jamaica's SME start-up rate at 4.06% and the discontinuance rate at 9%. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive multiple case study was to explore the strategies some Jamaican SME owners used to achieve business sustainability in the manufacturing sector for longer than 5 years of operation. The conceptual framework used was the entrepreneurship theory, which provided insights into business sustainability. A purposive sample of 5 owners of SMEs who had achieved business sustainability in the manufacturing sector for longer than 5 years of operation were the participants in this study. Semistructured interviews of participants and review of company documents produced in-depth insights into the strategies they used to achieve business sustainability. Coding keywords, sentences, and ideas from the interviews and company documents and categorizing them was the approach taken for data analysis, using methodological triangulation. The themes from the study were entrepreneurial characteristics, competitive advantages, resource management, customer relationship management, quality management, and marketing. Implications for social change include the potential to provide strategies that support SMEs? business sustainability and lead to greater job creation and ultimately the Jamaican government?s ability to fund social projects.

Abstract not available.

The people of Ayiti have a long history of resistance, from the indigenous Arawak inhabitants of the land to the Africans who were later brought there against their will. Both groups have historically relied on the land in ways that promote resistance in a way that is not a direct response to slavery and oppression. The inherited African cultural values explored in this paper preceded European cultural domination. The relationship between Ayitians and plants is rooted within African cosmological understandings of an interwoven web that includes all beings on the earthly and spiritual plane. Using an Afrocentric theoretical framework, I examine how interspecies collaboration through Ayitian plant practices demonstrates African cultural preservation. In this paper, I draw parallels between the concepts of ubuntu and Ma’at to demonstrate ancient and contemporary African ontology and how they manifest in the Ayitian holistic medical system as illuminated by Vodou priest Max-G. Beauvoir. This paper's findings indicate that one way Ayitian people have preserved their African cultural roots is through plant practices. Through this form of cultural preservation, they have resisted European cultural domination. / Africology and African American Studies

<p> <b>Background:</b> The most recent report of Global Burden of Cancer (GLOBOCAN) indicated the incidence rate of prostate cancer in Haiti as 38.6 and the mortality rate as 32.3 per 100,000. The literature supports a high correlation between early prostate cancer screening and low mortality rate from the disease. Yet, the participation of Haitian men in prostate cancer screening remains low (Kleier, 2010). The literature has a lack of research on this matter, which presented the gap to be examined.</p><p> <b>Purpose:</b> The purpose of this study was to determine which of these selected constructs of the Health Belief Model (perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers) are predictors to the intention of Haitian men regarding prostate cancer screening. Other modifying variables were also considered as predictors to the outcome variable.</p><p> <b>Theoretical Framework:</b> The Health Belief Model (HBM) was utilized as the primary guide for the study; the Purnell Model for Cultural Competence served a complementary lens to account for any cultural gap studying this population.</p><p> <b>Method:</b> A correlational, predictive cross-section design was used to obtain a convenience sample in Haiti <i>(N = 200).</i> The Champion HBM scale was adapted and modified for prostate cancer; it was administered in Haitian Creole and French. Data were analyzed through descriptive, correlation, logistic regression, and the nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis <i> (H)</i> analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine predictive correlation among the variables.</p><p> <b>Results:</b> Seven hypotheses were tested; all but one was supported. Perceived benefits were found to have a predictive relationship to Haitian men&rsquo;s intent to screen for prostate cancer [&chi;² (3) = <i>14.47, p = .00].</i> Further, the nonsignificant Hosmer and Lemeshow statistic, &chi;² (8) = 4.33, <i>p</i> = .83 supports that the data was a good fit for the model. No other variable was found to be significant.</p><p> <b>Conclusion:</b> The findings from this study can be utilized by nurses and other healthcare professionals to generate and implement culturally appropriate interventions; consequently, these interventions will decrease the morbidity and mortality rates of prostate cancer among Haitian men in Haiti and abroad.</p>

<p>Some business leaders find it challenging to manage individuals from different age groups; this is an issue, as organizations in many developed countries become more age-diverse. The purpose of this single case study was to provide business leaders with information about strategies top-level business executives and team leaders at a large company in Curacao (a developed island nation in the Caribbean) use for enhancing productivity of an age-diverse workforce. The conceptual framework of this study consisted of generational theory of Mannheim. A key tenet of the generational theory includes that belonging to the same generational unit, generational location, and generational actuality shapes the beliefs, values, and attitudes of members of a generational cohort collectively. Data from interviews and company documentation that included an annual report, business guide, and performance management documentation were coded and analyzed using NVivo software, and member checking was used to enhance the trustworthiness of interpretations. Key themes that emerged from data analysis include the need to use communication strategies, foster equal treatment of employees, implement employee development plans, and adopt a structured approach for addressing issues related to age-diversity. Implementation of the different strategies and recommendations identified in this study might aid business leaders in their effort to manage an age-diverse workforce and increase workplace productivity. Implications for social change include the potential to improve empathy and relations between individuals from different generations and the cultivation of a more cohesive society.

<p> The Caribbean is a developing region of the world that has struggled to overcome corrupt governmental programs and agencies. Poverty and crime are commonplace, and a strong distrust of government is often present. With that said, this research undertook a comparative case study of twenty fishers and twenty farmers in a unique Jamaican costal community. Extensive qualitative and quantitative research analyzed the role of bridging and linking social capital in contributing to household wealth variations.</p><p> Contextual nuances revealed that the use of social capital varies by occupation. Key findings include positive relationships between formal group membership and group diversity and wealth creation for fishers and a negative relationship for farmers. Research found that bonding capital's informal networks play an important role in both occupations. Roles include reduced vulnerability (caused by environmental and economic shocks) of poorer fishers and farmers as well as providing access to technological information, financial capital, and technology, which facilitates household wealth creation. Consequently, developers and policymakers need to utilize this distinction of network preferences in order to more effectively address widespread poverty in Jamaica and throughout the region.</p><p>