As of 2010, depression was the second most serious disorder among developed nations. Historically, African Americans, Latinos, and people of Caribbean descent have underutilized mental health services and have therefore been underrepresented in such statistics. Investigation into depression among Haitian men, from a Western or a non-Western cultural perspective, has been sparse in the literature. Bandura's social learning theory and Mahalik's biopsychosocial framework provided the theoretical foundation for this investigation. The purpose of this quantitative analysis was to explore the relationship between levels of depression in Haitian men related to restrictive emotionality, self-reliance, subjective masculine stress, spiritual well-being, and length of time in the United States. The data were obtained from demographic questionnaires and surveys to among 90 Haitian men residing in the United States, between the ages of 20 to 40 years old. Data were analyzed using multiple regression. The results indicated Haitian men who have been in the United States for a longer period of time showed a significant correlation to depression in comparison to their counterparts who have been in the United States for a shorter period of time (r = .22, p< .04). These results promote social change by providing information about depression among Haitian men to health care professionals, clinicians, and researchers who provide services to this grossly underserved population.

The condition of water resources in the rural Andean community of Berlin, Colombia, was explored for the purpose of future development in the area. Through investigation of water acquisition techniques, use, and water discharge methods, combined with analysis of chemical water quality tests, the overall pattern of water resources in the study area was revealed. Although the methods of acquiring water were not found to be especially damaging to water quality, the use, and more importantly, the methods of discharging waste water suggested a water resource base harboring certain questionable qualities. The quality of surface waters, as revealed through analysis of water quality tests, showed low levels of dissolved oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide in given areas of the paramo. Water was also judged to be unfit for human consumption throughout the study area. As a result of the above mentioned shortcomings concerning water quality, several recommendations were proposed.

In the one-hundred years between 1810 and 1926 there were many civil wars in Mexico. The last of these wars. La Cristiada, was not fought, as were the previous civil wars, by groups seeking political control of Mexico. Rather, the genesis of this war was a question of who would control the Church in Mexico. The war began when President Plutarco Elias Calles attempted to enforce rigorously certain articles of the Constitution of 1917 as well as two laws which he promulgated. If Calles had succeeded, he would, in fact, have created a church in Mexico controlled by the federal government. The material to support this thesis was taken largely from the Mexican legal documents, the writing of Calles, other sources contemporary with the events described and some secondary sources. This thesis stresses the religious reasons for the La Cristiada and discusses the war itself not at all.

This thesis explores the possible creation of a new categorization of American Literature as presented in the Andean novel El pez de oro: Retablos del Laykhakuy (1957) by Gamaliel Churata. In El pez de oro, Gamaliel Churata presents a strategy for the recuperation of native Andean cultural agency that enables the Andean subject to reclaim traces of their ancestral past under more verisimilar and verifiable terms. Churata argues that through a recuperation of native language and its infusion into the body of the major colonial language, Spanish, the Andean subject is equipped with a new culture producing tool that enables the recuperation of language, agency, history, and, ultimately, representation and inclusion within cultural and political institutional frameworks. By introducing his own function of bilingualism, vernacular language, and mythological infusions into the body of colonial letters, Gamaliel Churata is able to destabilize and disrupt colonial historical and textual authority to the point where the invented concept of America and the colonial product of American identity can be re-examined. Through this examination emerges a new option for the categorization of American identity as an aesthetic construct. Within this new categorization of aesthetic American identity, the Andean subject can begin his own process of self-identification through his native language toward the production of a future Andean American subject.

In the 21st Century, many Americans continue to fight battles for men of color who are at the forefront of criminal injustice, unemployment, and low matriculation. With great dominion and urgency, our Nation must ensure all men, regardless of the adversity can succeed and build legacies in their families, communities, and the economy. In this action research study, an ecological system theory was used to analyze the stakeholders who have implemented the following public polices under the Obama Administration: 21st Century Policing, My Brother's Keeper, and Race to the Top. This research answers the question how stakeholders are able to impact positive social change through implementing polices that focus on academia, criminal justice, and employment for African-American and Latino males living in Los Angeles County. Data was retrieved from 16 non-profit organizations; a target population was then sampled resulting in 25 participants that have expertise in working with men of color. Participant's answered 10 interview questions and their short answers were inductively coded, which revealed significant themes. Daily mentorship was identified as the leading tool to garner success in working with men color, while ecological influences, limited funding, policy misalignment, and stereotypical threats have been recurring barriers. Key findings recommended: mixed-method data, stakeholder collaborations, training programs, and creative marketing. Furthermore, this study closes the gap towards aligning with public polices that will create supportive services for men of color and offering stakeholders -'the what, and the how' towards implementing social change.

Highly qualified individuals are leaving the Caribbean and relocating to the United States and other developed countries. Researchers describe this resulting flight of human capital, or brain drain, from the Caribbean as a problem which has no clear definition or immediate solution. This phenomenological study explored perceptions of government senior executives in the United States Virgin Islands (USVI) of the cause and impact of brain drain. Burns' and Bass's transformational and transactional leadership theories were used as the framework for this study. Data were collected through a demographic questionnaire and semistructured interviews with a snowball sample of 10 participants. Data were analyzed using the phenomenological method of thematic coding. Data indicated that leaders perceived a lack of opportunities for educated individuals in the USVI. Government senior executives acknowledged an imbalance in the workforce as the majority of workers are older individuals. Government senior executives recommended an increased budget allotment to educate, retain, and attract younger Virgin Islanders to decrease and prevent brain drain. These results indicate that policymakers and organizational leaders can create positive social change by creating job opportunities and improving the island's physical and social infrastructures, thus, ensuring future organizational success.

Antigua and Barbuda, in the eastern Caribbean, is one of several countries with exclusive low breastfeeding rates and premature weaning. Researchers have demonstrated that babies exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life are better protected from childhood diseases and experience a better quality of life into adulthood, while early weaning is associated with morbidity and mortality. However, at 6 weeks postpartum, only 30% of Antiguan and Barbudan mothers are exclusively breastfeeding. Researchers have explained why mothers in general cease exclusive breastfeeding prematurely: insufficiency of breast milk, returning to paid employment, lack of social support; but an explanation specific to Antigua and Barbuda has not been identified. This qualitative phenomenological study, therefore, initiates research concerning breastfeeding attitudes and practices specific to this country. It explores the experiences and perceptions of 13 Antiguan and Barbudan 1st-time mothers on exclusive breastfeeding and weaning. The theory of planned behavior provided the theoretical framework. Data collected from semistructured interviews were coded using key word as themes. Manual analysis of the research data was also conducted. The findings indicated inadequate lactation education and counselling for mothers, poor levels of lactation education among nurses, and minimal statutory maternity leave as the reasons for premature weaning among the research participants. The findings of this research can contribute to social change in Antigua and Barbuda by providing evidence-based information to strengthen breastfeeding policies and interventions and become part of regional scholarship on this issue.

Individuals from unfavorable environments tend to carry maladaptive patterns of attachment from infancy through adulthood. Empirically, these styles have been shown to be intergenerational. Substance use disorder has been linked to maladaptive patterns of attachment among adults. However, limited data exists regarding this phenomenon with African American and Black Caribbean males. Bowlby's attachment theory and Ainsworth's patterns of attachment were the theoretical frameworks applied to this quantitative study. The purpose was to determine the effect of ethnicity and alcohol use on anxious and avoidant attachment patterns among a sample of 151 adult males. Using the Experience in Close Relationship and two alcohol use measures, a (2x3) factorial MANOVA showed that the majority of participants reported secure attachment in romantic relationships with moderate alcohol use patterns. There were no significant differences between ethnicity and either attachment patterns, alcohol use and the attachment patterns, or ethnicity and alcohol use and the combined attachment patterns. However, future research using quantitative and qualitative approaches could capture a richer understanding of African American and Black Caribbean males and romantic attachments. The implications for positive social change include the significant benefit that can be derived from learning to create new internal working models. Clinicians working with African American and Black Caribbean males identified with insecure attachment can facilitate change in expected outcomes of interactions with others. Over time, these individuals could benefit from healthier, more adaptive attachment with others, including in romantic relationships.

Historical research on corporate social responsibility (CSR) and its influence on corporate financial and social results arrived at contradictory findings. Although 95% of the world's 250 largest corporations reported investing in CSR activities in 2011, some managers lack strategies to evaluate CSR effectiveness. This multiple case study explored strategies that 6 CSR managers with CSR oversight in privately owned companies in Brazil used to effectively enact CSR. The stakeholder theory was the conceptual framework for this study. Data were collected through individual interviews and supplemented with company annual reports to explore the strategies managers employed to evaluate CSR effectiveness. Member checking sessions helped to validate the data. The data analysis consisted of coding and grouping key words to identify themes. Seven themes emerged from the findings. Key themes revealed: leadership proactively communicate their CSR activities, economic and social returns are difficult to measure, and personal values and beliefs of CSR managers influence decisions. Key findings include stakeholder management is gradually becoming a significant component of corporate strategy, and half of the CSR managers acted independently of stakeholders prior to making decisions on CSR expenditures. The implications for social change include addressing stakeholders' needs in ways that create vibrant communities, contributing to social cohesion; respect for human rights; enhanced social commitment; and support for environmentally sustainable practices.

Business intelligence (BI) allows companies to make faster and better-informed decisions. Unfortunately, implementing BI systems in companies in developing countries is minimal. Limited and costly access to the technology, coupled with the cultural background affecting how people perceive BI, has restricted such implementations. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of chief executive officers (CEOs) in northern Mexico to obtain insight into the challenges of implementing BI systems. Research questions focused on the reasons behind the lack of BI systems implementation and the challenges faced by these officers when implementing a new system. This study employed semistructured interviews of 9 CEOs of small- to medium-sized companies. Interview data were coded using open coding techniques to develop themes or patterns, which in turn were aggregated to address the research questions. The lack of implementation was largely attributed to an economic concern among CEOs regarding the final price of implementation. In addition, the lack of systems offerings of localized systems and the working culture of the personnel were significant factors for the lack of investment. These findings may contribute to positive social change by informing managers and officers of companies in Mexico and other developing countries about the challenges and implications in BI implementation. When BI systems can be successfully implemented, both companies and their customers may benefit from improved information processing such as reduced number of errors and faster response times.