The purpose of this paper is to discuss and find the coincidental consequences of the organizational politics perception model by clustering organizational politics perception groups. This investigation uses the model proposed by Ferris et al. (1989) to study the relationships between the perceptions of organizational politics, organizational influences, work environment influences, personal influences, and study the relationships between the perceptions of organizational politics, job satisfaction, job stress, organizational commitment, work performance, job involvement, organization citizenship behavior, and exit intention. The sample consisted of 2559 employee selected from 36 organizations covering 9 industrial sectors in Taiwan. The data was analyzed by applying statistical methods, including factor, reliability, correlation, regression and multiple linear regression analysis. The different groups of perception of organizational politics were found to have been involved in the relationship between organizational influences and some personal influences. Also the different groups of perception of organizational politics were involved in the relationships between perceptions of organizational politics and employee¡¦s work performance, job involvement, job stress, organization citizenship, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment.

For the past two decades, scholars have been reassessing the ways in which Western writers and intellectuals have traditionally misrepresented the non-white world for their own ideological purposes. Orientalism, Edward Said's ground-breaking study of the ways in which Europeans projected their own social problems onto the nations of the Near East in an attempt to take their minds off the same phenomena as they occurred closer to home, was largely responsible for this shift in emphasis. Fantasy America: The United States as Seen Through French and Italian Eyes is an exploration of a parallel occurrence that could easily be dubbed "Occidentalism." More specifically, it is a study of the ways in which French and Italian writers and filmmakers have sought to situate the New World within an Old World context. "Among the (More Advanced) Barbarians" (a.k.a. Chapter One) examines the continuities and discontinuities of French travel writing in America from the days of the Jesuits to the heyday of the existentialists. Certain motifs and idees fixes—the uniqueness of American racism; the "magic" of New York—are first identified and then examined. "A Meeting of the Mafias" (Chapter Two) is more cosmopolitan in scope, tracing the ways in which French, American, and Italian crime fiction have historically influenced each other, as well as the relationship of the policier to differing notions of the nation-state. "The Ruins of Rome" (Chapter Three) demonstrates how Italian intellectuals have looked to the United States for new World Solutions to Old World problems. This chapter encompasses two major sub-themes: the positive possibilities for Italy of "Fordismo" (the American industrial model) and American literature (which was believed to promote political, as well as cultural, liberty). "Lurching Towards the Millennium" picks up the threads of the first three chapters and places them in the contemporary context of globalization, a process which threatens to replace the hegemony of the nation state with the omnipresence of corporate power. The cultural model of Quebec is introduced at this point as a New World/Old World paradigm that embodies the chimerical contradictions of a globe on the brink of a new millennium.

For the past two decades, scholars have been reassessing the ways in which Western writers and intellectuals have traditionally misrepresented the non-white world for their own ideological purposes. Orientalism, Edward Said's ground-breaking study of the ways in which Europeans projected their own social problems onto the nations of the Near East in an attempt to take their minds off the same phenomena as they occurred closer to home, was largely responsible for this shift in emphasis. Fantasy America: The United States as Seen Through French and Italian Eyes is an exploration of a parallel occurrence that could easily be dubbed "Occidentalism." More specifically, it is a study of the ways in which French and Italian writers and filmmakers have sought to situate the New World within an Old World context. "Among the (More Advanced) Barbarians" (a.k.a. Chapter One) examines the continuities and discontinuities of French travel writing in America from the days of the Jesuits to the heyday of the existentialists. Certain motifs and idees fixes—the uniqueness of American racism; the "magic" of New York—are first identified and then examined. "A Meeting of the Mafias" (Chapter Two) is more cosmopolitan in scope, tracing the ways in which French, American, and Italian crime fiction have historically influenced each other, as well as the relationship of the policier to differing notions of the nation-state. "The Ruins of Rome" (Chapter Three) demonstrates how Italian intellectuals have looked to the United States for new World Solutions to Old World problems. This chapter encompasses two major sub-themes: the positive possibilities for Italy of "Fordismo" (the American industrial model) and American literature (which was believed to promote political, as well as cultural, liberty). "Lurching Towards the Millennium" picks up the threads of the first three chapters and places them in the contemporary context of globalization, a process which threatens to replace the hegemony of the nation state with the omnipresence of corporate power. The cultural model of Quebec is introduced at this point as a New World/Old World paradigm that embodies the chimerical contradictions of a globe on the brink of a new millennium. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

This thesis will explore and discuss the religion and rituals (ancestral cult) of Afro-Caribbean societies, people of African and indigenous heritage. This thesis will also seek to answer the question of extent to which Americans have become tolerant of other people's culture and what influence, if any, have transmitted from the Afro-Caribbean people to other North American societies. The religion and rituals of four Afro-Caribbean groups will be discussed in this study.

The thesis is based on a first-line catalogue of versions of the Greek Anacreontea in Latin, French and Italian from 1469 to 1605 (55 poets) and in England from 1518 to 1683 (59 poets). Texts are given of the principal versions of the six most popular Anacreontic poems: these are the two recusationes (Poems 1 and 16 in Stephanus), "The Beggar Cupid" (Poem 3), a drinking song (19), "Cupid and the Bee" (40), and the cicada-poem (43). After a review of modern critical theory of the quality, dating and authorship of the Anacreontea, it is shown how the poems became famous as the work of Anacreon in France in the 1550s, through the efforts of Estienne, Dorat and Ronsard: one unpublished poem may have been known earlier by Joannes Secundus. All the versions of the six poems listed above are compared in detail: particular attention is paid to the sources and tone of the English translations. Some account is given of all other English poets and dramatists of the period who made use of the Anacreontea. Included are imitations by Watson, Barnes, and other Elizabethan sonneteers: scholarly versions by A. W. and Thomas Stanley: and the "paraphrastic" translations of Cowley, Willis and Wood. There are detailed discussions of Spenser's "Anacreontics" in Amoretti, of Holyday's play Technogamia, of Lovelace's "The Grasse-hopper", and of emblems by Whitney and Ayres: also included are versions by Berkenhead, Brome, Cotton, Drayton, Thomas Forde, Greene, Greville, Herrick, Richard James, Jonson, Kendall, Leech, Lodge, Oldham, Randolph, Rochester, Shakespeare, Sherburne, Shirley, Sidney, Soowthern, Spelman, Suckling, Thomas Tomkis and Mary Wroth. The conclusion summarises contemporary translation theory, and delineates three main phases of translation in England. There is a special discussion of poems entitled "Anacreontics", and a list of seventeenth-century musical settings.

Brand loyalty represents an important asset to any business. While a considerable amount of research focuses on brand loyalty, empirical tests on the brand loyalty influences in the agribusiness environment have not been conducted. The primary purpose of this study was to measure brand loyalty in the agribusiness environment by applying a validated model that measures brand loyalty for this environment. The brand loyalty influences were empirically validated, their reliability was determined and they were measured. Adaptions to this model were proposed to fit the needs of the agribusiness environment. Based on-the findings, conclusions and recommendations were presented. The measurement of brand loyalty in the agribusiness environment is based on Moolla's brand loyalty framework for the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry. The study aimed to determine whether Moolla's FMCG brand loyalty framework is applicable to the agribusiness environment. The twelve brand loyalty influences identified by Moolla include: customer satisfaction; switching costs; brand trust; repeat purchase; involvement; perceived value; commitment; relationship proneness; brand affect; brand relevance; brand performance and culture. The empirical study was conducted among 100 farmers in the North West region. The methodology included the sampling procedure, data collection, questionnaire development and statistical techniques used. Results were analysed with regard to the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy (KMO), Bartlett's test of sphericity, Factor analysis, Cronbach Alpha coefficients and mean values. The results of this study concluded that the brand loyalty influences as identified by Moolla are important for measuring agribusiness brand loyalty. The importance of this study is the contribution_ of a brand loyalty framework to measure agribusiness brand loyalty which will aid agribusinesses in the strategic management thereof. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Brand loyalty represents an important asset to any business. While a considerable amount of research focuses on brand loyalty, empirical tests on the brand loyalty influences in the agribusiness environment have not been conducted. The primary purpose of this study was to measure brand loyalty in the agribusiness environment by applying a validated model that measures brand loyalty for this environment. The brand loyalty influences were empirically validated, their reliability was determined and they were measured. Adaptions to this model were proposed to fit the needs of the agribusiness environment. Based on-the findings, conclusions and recommendations were presented. The measurement of brand loyalty in the agribusiness environment is based on Moolla's brand loyalty framework for the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry. The study aimed to determine whether Moolla's FMCG brand loyalty framework is applicable to the agribusiness environment. The twelve brand loyalty influences identified by Moolla include: customer satisfaction; switching costs; brand trust; repeat purchase; involvement; perceived value; commitment; relationship proneness; brand affect; brand relevance; brand performance and culture. The empirical study was conducted among 100 farmers in the North West region. The methodology included the sampling procedure, data collection, questionnaire development and statistical techniques used. Results were analysed with regard to the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure of sampling adequacy (KMO), Bartlett's test of sphericity, Factor analysis, Cronbach Alpha coefficients and mean values. The results of this study concluded that the brand loyalty influences as identified by Moolla are important for measuring agribusiness brand loyalty. The importance of this study is the contribution_ of a brand loyalty framework to measure agribusiness brand loyalty which will aid agribusinesses in the strategic management thereof. / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The use of social media has increased the need of interactivity and information sharing. Individuals are sharing thoughts about different issues. Today, environmental issues have become an everyday matter for many. This matter is manifested through opinion leaders and their blogs or accounts. These opinion leaders possess an incredible power to influence others, which they in many cases take advantage of to inform their readers about topics that matters. This thesis will study how individuals respond to opinion leaders’ publications of green product exposure on social media. The purpose is to deepen the understanding and analyze possible influences related to the individuals’ responses. Green consumption habits are being highlighted as important and green products are exposed through many opinion leaders’ profiles on social media, since they often have an influence on individuals purchasing decisions. To investigate consumer responses on social media a qualitative study has been implemented. This has been done through observations and the construction of a focus group with the aim to strengthen the observational results. The results have mainly showed that individuals often respond positively to opinion leaders’ posts of green products, but their positive responses are related to the opinion leader rather than highlighting the green attributes. These results have been discussed to arisen from the individuals strive to identify themselves with opinion leaders. Furthermore, additional theory has been used to analyze the comments and explain possible influences. The conclusion of this thesis includes proposals for future research related to this topic.

Background. The Maya are one of the largest Mesoamerican groups. The decline of the classic Maya society, the subsequent Colonial domination and the current national economic policies has had a severe biological and social impact on the Maya across several generations. Accumulated evidence suggests that conditions and environments experienced by one generation can affect the health, growth and development of the next generation (Emanuel, 1986). Historical evidence of political, educational and socioeconomic deprivation suffered by the Maya from Yucatan, Mexico, provides us with the opportunity to test the intergenerational influence hypothesis and ascertain the impact of the biosocial background of urban Maya grandmothers (first generation) and mothers (second generation) on the growth and nutritional status of their children (third generation). Aims. The main objective is to assess the impact of socioeconomic and intergenerational factors on the growth of Maya children, in a sample of children, their mothers and maternal grandmothers. The specific objectives are: 1) to assess the nutritional status and nutritional dual burden prevalence in participants, 2) to identify the pre and postnatal biosocial and economic factors that relate to the nutritional status of the children, and 3) to assess the intergenerational influences on the growth of participants: from grandmothers to mothers and from grandmothers and mothers to children. Methods. The sample is composed of 109 triads of Maya children (6-8 years old), their mothers and their maternal grandmothers from the city of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. From September 2011 to June 2012 we collected anthropometric, body composition and socioeconomic data on the three generations. We also assessed parameters about living conditions of maternal and grand-maternal childhood. Nutritional status was assessed by comparing the participants against the Comprehensive Growth References published by Frisancho (2008) and based on the NHANES III. Pre and postnatal biosocial and economic factors were analysed through multiple regression models. Intergenerational influences were assessed through: 1) bivariate and partial correlations in anthropometric and derived variables between participants, 2) path analysis to identify the direction and magnitude of direct and indirect causal effects between the three generations, and 3) multiple regression models to identify the effect of anthropometric and socioeconomic intergenerational factors on the growth of mothers and children. Results. Eleven percent of the children were categorized as stunted and 36% met the criteria of risk for abdominal obesity. Only 1% of children exhibited the combination of stunting and abdominal obesity. Mothers and grandmothers showed very low average heights and high levels of abdominal obesity. The combination of maternal abdominal obesity and child stunting was present in the 6% of mother-child dyads. It was found that preeclampsia and cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy and household overcrowding impacted negatively the linear growth of the children. Maternal education and the presence of grandmothers at home predicted healthier values of BMI, waist circumference, body fat and body lean mass percentages on children. Maternal height and leg length (LL = height sitting height) were positively associated with the linear growth of children. These associations were not modified by the grand-maternal size, in terms of very short stature. In contrast, associations in weight, body mass index, sum of skinfolds and fat mass were stronger in grandmother-child pairs than in mother-child pairs. The birth weight of the children was positively associated with maternal head circumference and negatively associated with the absence of a toilet at home during maternal childhood (i.e. when the mother was growing up). Grand-maternal intergenerational predictors of children s height, leg length, body mass index, waist circumference and skinfolds were: index of household characteristics, family size and school attendance during childhood. Family size and paternal job loss during maternal childhood were the maternal intergenerational factors that influenced significantly the body mass index, waist circumference and skinfolds of children. Conclusions. Growth and nutritional status of the children, mothers and grandmothers reflect the effects of chronic deprivation and poverty that are a constant among the Maya in the Yucatan. Under and-overnutrition coexisted in this sample of three generations. Pre-and-postnatal biosocial and economic factors impacted the growth and nutritional status of children. Harsh living conditions experienced by mothers and grandmothers during their childhood influenced the prenatal and postnatal growth of children. We suggest that disadvantaged conditions experienced by mothers and grandmothers during their first years of life impacted their own growth and this in turn is influencing the growth of children of the third generation. Substantial reductions in poverty levels and increase educational levels of the mothers are required to overcome the intergenerational traces on the future generations.

This critical autoethnographic exploration evolved following an initial curiosity concerning diversity of practice amongst (other) Lecturers when constructing feedback for mature undergraduate Registered Nurses. As an early exploration revealed that I was viewing my professional experiences as a learner and practitioner through a previously unacknowledged working class lens, I began to foreground personal experiences from which a more relational understanding of the intersecting nature of personal, professional and broader influences on practice has emerged. A reclaimed marginalised perspective provided an ethical direction for the research and for the development of a more nuanced understanding of feedback practice. Within this thesis, autobiographical writing, stories from practice and theory share a symbiotic and reciprocal relationship illustrating the intersectionality of multiple influences on practice. This layered and intertwined approach to data generation and interpretation allowed me to critically engage with my social and practice worlds incorporating the tensions and dilemmas of what it means to practice as a teacher and to be human within the academy. The theory of restorative learning (Lange, 2004, 2007) underpins the structure of the thesis, foregrounding the emerging influence of a restored marginalised perspective. The concepts of habitus, field, capital and symbolic violence (Bourdieu, 1973) have been used to think through how these restored perspectives and personal experiences intersect with professional and broader influences in practice. Through autoethnographic exploration insights emerged; the influence of a wounded learner habitus on feedback practice, a renegotiation of a privileged position in the feedback relationship and the development of trickster properties as a device to open up dialogue and reflexive spaces within my own culture in order to develop feedback practice beyond the self. In practice we are rarely encouraged to confront why we think the way we do about ourselves as teachers, particularly in relation to the social, cultural and political world around us. This thesis contributes to the ongoing scholarly conversation concerning influences on professional practice from a practitioner perspective and the role of a layered approach to autoethnography in making these perspectives accessible.