Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 1999. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 60-09, Section: B, page: 4909. Adviser: Gretchen Gibbs. Available also in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2000. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 61-06, Section: B, page: 3272. Chair: Donald M. Bernstein. Available also in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Fairleigh Dickinson University, 2003. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 63-10, Section: B, page: 4966. Chair: Janet Sigal. Available also in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: B, page: 6756. Adviser: Eva M. Pomerantz. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 57-66) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: A, page: 4038. Adviser: Dale Brashers. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 123-147) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-07, Section: A, page: 2756. Adviser: Barry J. Ackerson. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 216-228) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 67-11, Section: A, page: 4109. Adviser: Angela R. Wiley. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 116-125) Available on microfilm from Pro Quest Information and Learning.

This dissertation is an ethnographic study of the lives of Okinawan women and American military men involved in long-term intimate relationships. The United States military has maintained a large-scale presence in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, since the Second World War, and more than 50,000 military personnel, civilian employees, and family members are stationed there today. Within Japan, Okinawa Prefecture consistently has the highest rate of international marriage, but unlike in the country's northern urban centers, transnational sex and romance continue to be associated with the largely unwanted U.S. military presence. For their part, the individuals I interviewed eschewed such political symbolism, emphasizing instead the everyday successes and failures of living together and raising children, surviving in the military community, and building friendships and family relationships in off-base environments. Their stories speak volumes about on-the-ground relationships between Okinawans and U.S. servicemen, as well as processes of identity formation that blur the boundaries between on-base and off-base communities. On a conceptual level, the dissertation explores the military's impact on local processes of cultural production and reproduction. Specifically, it focuses on the transformation of popular ideas concerning intimacy and family, investigating (1) changing understandings of sexual morality, especially with reference to interracial relationships and broader conceptions of class difference; (2) the flexibility of ideas concerning family responsibilities and obligations, with particular attention to the ways in which American husbands and fathers are incorporated into actual families and communities; and (3) the influence of military institutional concerns on local families as Okinawan military wives are integrated into the global U.S. military community. I argue that military-related social transformations can be discerned within the most intimate situations involving self, sexuality, and family. Furthermore, changing understandings of intimacy and family have become integral to formulations of Okinawan identity and difference, particularly through the appropriation of military transnational couples and their children as symbols of Okinawa's continuing subjugation to both the U.S. military and the Japanese nation-state. The dissertation concludes with questions concerning the impact of the U.S. military, conceptualized as a transnational institutional complex, on similar aspects of cultural production in host communities worldwide.

This project explores the delicate balance between individual identity and collective identity as both formal and informal constructs. It narrates the struggle of defining one’s personal identity amidst the powerful social and cultural forces that attempt to prescribe norms and values. In response to this tension between individual values and cultural norms, this work asks: When faced with corrosive cultures, how does the individual shield him or herself from the powerful and often subconscious social power that acts upon us? How can this experience be better understood and navigated?

<p> This qualitative, descriptive case study explored the social learning process within complex systems as described by product support managers (PSMs) assigned to acquisition programs within the Naval Air Systems Command. The research questions asked how individuals, as influenced by their values and structure, shape their interactions and behavior in a complex environment. Nine PSMs for major acquisition and sustainment programs were referred by senior leaders and participated in the study.</p><p> Data were collected through in-depth interviews that were transcribed to capture the PSMs&rsquo; experiences and then synthesized into contextual and social learning profiles. The findings resulted in seven themes. (1) PSMs operate in complex, dynamic, and variably resourced environments that are highly dependent on interaction and result in uniquely executed programs. (2) The highly structured environment and functionally oriented structure diminish the authority of the individual and present barriers to interaction. (3) The highly structured and boundary-rich environment limits information flow and presents difficulty in communication and developing routines that align meanings, value orientations, and shared understanding across those boundaries. (4) PSMs attempt to adjust, increase, and routinize interactions but often react to emerging needs with limited authority and resources, which often leaves short-term and least helpful alternatives. (5) PSMs leverage key relationships as bridges of information but often receive limited feedback to resolve short-term issues to complete tasks. (6) PSMs are aligned with organizational goals and values to improve user outcomes and speed of delivering products, but there is value incongruency between expectations and what they want to do to achieve those outcomes. (7) PSMs experience role ambiguity, as they are torn between how much they want to develop the team and interactions versus becoming an expert and accomplishing tasks.</p><p> The study concluded that PSMs are effectively <i>leveraging different operating system</i> views to maximize the variety of the small alternatives they have; <i>countering the power of the system</i> through meaning making, developing their unique abilities (as well as their team&rsquo;s) and trying to reduce their isolation; and <i>increasing the available space for social learning</i> to make progress through trial and error and satisficing.</p><p>