Couple rituals range from everyday activities to once-in-a lifetime events. Weddings are arguably the most elaborate, complex, and rare couple ritual. Few studies have examined the association between wedding rituals and marital outcomes, yet millions of Americans marry and celebrate weddings each year. The purpose of the current study was to examine the associations between wedding ritual enactment, wedding ritual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction and commitment. The wedding rituals examined in the current study were the bridal shower, bachelor/bachelorette party, wedding reception, and honeymoon. It was hypothesized that enactment of a bridal shower, wedding reception, and honeymoon would be positively associated with marital outcomes whereas bachelor/bachelorette party enactment would be negatively associated with marital outcomes. We additionally hypothesized that satisfaction with all wedding rituals would be positively associated with satisfaction and commitment and that wedding ritual conformity would be associated with overall wedding ritual satisfaction. Our exploratory analyses examined unique predictability of wedding ritual enactment and wedding ritual satisfaction on marital outcomes. Results indicated expected and unexpected associations. Three of the predicted wedding rituals, bachelor/bachelorette party, wedding reception, and honeymoon enactment were associated with marital outcomes. Satisfaction with each wedding ritual significantly predicted marital outcomes. Lastly, wedding ritual conformity was found to be negatively associated with wedding ritual satisfaction. In our exploratory analyses, we found that wedding reception enactment was the most significant contributor to satisfaction whereas bachelor/bachelorette party enactment was the most significant contributor to marital commitment. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

The diploma thesis "Analysis of the Czech and American News Coverage of the 2008 Presidential Elections in the U.S. and American President" examined if American press, represented by The New Your Times, is influencing the coverage of presidential candidates in Czech press, which is represented by Mladá fronta DNES and Hospodářské noviny. The examination is based on the example of presidential race in 2008 in USA. The aim of the research is if there are signs of international two-step flow in Czech press. The second part of the research is focused on so called honeymoon effect in Czech press on the example of news Coverage of President Barack Obama in his first term in office. The quantitative content analysis showed that there are similar features in the coverage of presidential race in Czech and American press. The investigation also showed that Czech press is more positive in the coverage of Barrack Obama at the beginning of his first term in office and this positivity declined in the second year.

自從Krugman於1991年提出「目標區與匯率動態」﹙Target Zones and Exchange Rate Dynamics﹚一文，將隨機微分方程的數學技巧，應用於匯率目標區政策的研究之後，匯率目標區的研究便成為國際金融領域的新寵。其最重要的概念就是透過目標區的宣告，可使匯率之波動較為和緩，也就是所謂的「蜜月效果」；而蜜月效果的存在與否，則取決於民眾對於匯率走勢的預期看法，此看法又決定於民眾對目標區政策的信賴程度。 一般既有的文獻，皆假設民眾對於貨幣當局所宣示的目標區政策皆為確定情況，然而匯率目標區政策在貨幣當局考量現實情況下，也會與其他政策相同，存在不確定性的情形。本文主要討論當貨幣當局施行目標區政策存在各種不確定性（如：邊界干預措施、邊界水準值，等…）時，政策之效果；且若民眾對政策之不確定性的猜測行為並非一成不變之下，會隨現實情況調整時，目標區政策之效果有何不同。 而藉由數學模型的推導以及利用數值模擬的方式，可以得知不確定狀況下之匯率目標區政策，在部份的情況下仍具有蜜月效果，但相較於確定情況下之目標區政策，其蜜月效果皆是較小的。此外若民眾可以利用市場資訊，如：市場基要值之變化，作為猜測貨幣當局行為的依據，且民眾的猜測行為若是正確的，則是具有幫助匯率穩定的效果。

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2016-10-14T13:52:21Z No. of bitstreams: 1 gheysalemesgoncalvesgama.pdf: 1182107 bytes, checksum: 912509e96681c2fd141d71172c4f3737 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2016-10-22T13:06:55Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 gheysalemesgoncalvesgama.pdf: 1182107 bytes, checksum: 912509e96681c2fd141d71172c4f3737 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-10-22T13:06:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 gheysalemesgoncalvesgama.pdf: 1182107 bytes, checksum: 912509e96681c2fd141d71172c4f3737 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-08-15 / Esse trabalho de dissertação procura compreender alguns sentidos e significados que são colocados em jogo quando refletimos sobre o imaginário, privilegiando um momento em especial: as viagens de lua-de-mel. Assim, o presente estudo pretende analisar, sob a perspectiva antropológica, representações envolvidas no que tange ao imaginário da lua-de-mel num determinado grupo, que abrange sete casais de camada média, que casaram e vivem na cidade de Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais. Para tanto, lançaremos mão de conceitos e teorias que nos auxiliarão a pensarmos nosso objeto de pesquisa, como imaginário, turismo, ritual, família, casamento e a própria lua-de-mel. Examinamos, por fim, de que forma os aspectos simbólicos e as categorias que surgem desse campo polissêmico se relacionam e se opõem, nos auxiliando a interpretar a "teia de significados" construída e reconstruída pelos sujeitos envolvidos nessa prática cultural. / This thesis tries to understand some of the meanings that come into play when we reflect upon the imaginary dimension, and we will focus on a special concept: honeymoon trips. Thus, the present study analyses, under the anthropological perspective, the representations of honeymoon trips in a group of seven middle-class couples who married and live in the city of Juiz de Fora , M.G., Brazil . We will make use of concepts and theories that will help us analyse the following concepts: the imaginary dimension, tourism, rituals, the family, weddings and honeymoon trips. We will also evaluate how symbolic aspects that arise from this polysemic field relate and conflict with one another, enabling an interpretation of the web of meanings that are constructed and reconstructed by individuals involved in this cultural practice.

The work ethic has been a popular topic for public comment and for research in the social sciences. The work ethic is usually understood to embody the values, beliefs and principles an individual has in relation to work. Work is an important dimension of human experience. Governments and employers are particularly interested in increasing productivity and competitiveness in connection with work and the work ethic is perceived as an important catalyst in achieving these goals. The main point of reference for discussion about the work ethic in the past century has been Max Weber's Protestant ethic thesis. Weber's thesis has attracted much criticism over the years and contemporary writers have suggested that alternative conceptions of the work ethic do exist. Despite widespread agreement that this is the case, consensus has not yet been reached on how such conceptions should be defined or how they may manifest in an individual. The majority of research on the work ethic has been limited to the collection of quantitative data using one of several survey instruments that are available. Fewer studies have collected data on the work ethic using a qualitative approach and yet, this is exactly what is required to achieve progress in identifying the range of conceptions that may exist. This study occurs in the context of teacher education and the work ethic has relevance to teachers and teacher educators for several reasons. Teachers, through the explicit and hidden curriculum they provide, have some responsibility for inculcating a work ethic in their students. It follows that it is important to understand the work ethic of teachers on this basis alone. A most logical starting place for accomplishing this task is during their career preparation. This study advocates explicit examination of preservice teachers' conceptions of the work ethic and exploration of how this might affect their career and curriculum decision making processes. This research is primarily intended to inform teacher educators who wish to pay attention to these things in their programs, along with researchers from other disciplines who are interested in the work ethic. Inspired by a pragmatic philosophy, this study utilised a mixed method research design to investigate the conceptions of the work ethic held by a group of preservice teachers studying in Brisbane, the capital city of the state of Queensland, Australia. Priority was given to the first phase of the research, which was to identify the qualitative conceptions of the work ethic held by the preservice teachers. The second quantitative phase was intended to complement and expand those findings by demonstrating that an established instrument in the measurement of work ethic could be used to profile conceptions of the work ethic held by an individual. The first phase of the research adopted a phenomenographic approach to identify nine conceptions of the work ethic held by a group of 22 preservice teachers. A courtship metaphor was used to characterise each of the nine conceptions which were labelled as Honeymoon, Monogamist, Serial Monogamist, Arranged Marriage, Celibate, Obsession, One-night Stand, Hedonist and Polyamorist. The second phase of the research used quantitative techniques involving factor analysis and linear modelling to link anonymous responses from 411 preservice teachers to the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (OWEI) with the nine conceptions identified in the first phase of the research. It was found that the OWEI could be used to profile an individual's orientation to the work ethic conceptions that were defined. This research responded to calls in the literature for a better understanding of the characteristics of the people who choose to become teachers. It also suggested ways in which teacher education could be improved to prepare preservice teachers better through socialisation practices and the university curriculum. This study confirms that there are qualitatively different conceptions of the work ethic that may provide an alternative to the traditional Weberian conception. A technique is proposed to associate OWEI responses with the model of nine work ethic conceptions. Suggestions are also made with respect to potential improvement of the OWEI.