Using the internet to meet dating partners is increasingly popular and may have ramifications that are not yet fully realized. Although many dating sites have been operating for years, new online dating platforms continue to draw millions of new users. By using a large sample of people who use online dating platforms (n=1,286) we identified similarities and differences in what motivates people to use geosocial apps and dating sites. Motivations previously considered in the literature were supported and brought together in a single theory driven confirmatory factor analysis for each type of dating platform. A motivation to seek amusement was a latent factor unique to geosocial app use. Implications for researchers, clinicians, and dating platform users and developers may include helping users be better matched to others who have similar motivations to improve the online dating experience.

In recent years, fishing has been decreasing in popularity both in Utah and nationwide. Because of this, there has been a reduction in funds and support for fisheries management, causing deterioration of once pristine fisheries. By understanding the motivations and environmental attitudes of the remaining anglers, fisheries managers can better manage areas to retain these anglers and attract new ones. This thesis presents research about the environmental attitudes and motivations of anglers in respect to specialization level. Findings presented in this thesis show anglers in Utah are members of one of three distinct angler specialization groups. The more specialized the anglers, the more aware they were of the environment. Comparison of consumptive and nonconsumptive anglers was also tested, without statistically significant results. Environmental orientations were tested between anglers and the general public as well. Respondents were placed on a continuum ranging from "strong utilitarian" to "strong preservationist." Most anglers, like most members of the public, clustered in the center of this continuum. Finally, motivations of anglers were compared across the three specialization groups, but only two of three motivation measures were found to be significantly different across angler specialization levels.

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This study is an exploratory look into the use of text-based slang, or textisms, in modern communication. People use textisms in multiple media of communication, whether it is in text messages, emails, and various types of social media. This study asked a focus group about their uses and gratifications from textisms. The focus group delved into their appreciations as both users and receivers. Participants reflected on their personal experience and preferences with textisms for their personal communications as well as their opinion for various types of businesses using them in their larger message design efforts. The participants were comprised of youthful twenty to twenty-two year olds in undergraduate studies at the University of South Florida. Each was currently enrolled in a media studies course at the time of the discussion group. Each member of the nine person group provided information. Each was asked as an individual to reflect on specific questions while also adding their own opinion to the larger group discussion. General themes pulled from the discussion was the creation of an author's personality, textisms use as a way to create tone, and the varying levels of context needed within personal communication. Participants were in agreement that an individual could be characterized by his or her message design, especially through that individual's use of textisms. By establishing the author's personality, textisms created expectations from the audience. They help reinforce the relationship of those engaged. Tone is often removed from simple text-based communication. Through the use of textisms, or lack of, tone is able to be added to short messages with the use of a single textism. Playfulness, sarcasm, and seriousness are all able to be quickly established by an author with the additive of a textism. Context is always something to be aware of when interacting with any audience. Gender, generational, formality, and overall relationship are all aspects that impact the interpretation of a message, especially a message that contains textisms. Being aware of how a gender, an age group, or an individual will receive a message further add to the relevance of that message. More information is always best, but if there are limitations, then there are general approaches that can be used to help develop the most salient message. Businesses had a specific set of expectations from the discussion group that shaped their responses. The consensus for this group was that textisms should be refrained from use within any business context. The group did allow for leeway when it came to more casual style businesses ranging from fast-food restaurants to youth-targeted products, but ultimately said there could be a confusion if a company with an older demographic was using textisms, as it would be appear to be targeting a younger audience. As this group is comprised of young people with a vision for their futures within the business world, their approach to textisms in business was also attached to that vision. They see business as very formal, and that formality is expected to translate into all areas, including communications. This study pulled valuable overall themes for an exploratory study. The specific details of a small sample group could and should be tested for greater validity, such as the strong and opposing reaction to varying types of smiley faces. The group had conflicting expectations for certain types of textisms and these expectations were from a narrow set of demographics. Further inquiry into this topic will lead to a better understanding of how language is evolving and how those changes are being used in today's and tomorrow's communication.

New Zealand has a well-established network of accommodations, transportation, and visitor activities developed specifically for backpackers. These tourists account for almost ten percent of the country’s international visitor expenditure. To date, the majority of backpacker research has focussed on the traditional market segment of student and youth travellers, though a few quantitative studies have also researched the needs and preferences of older travellers using hostels and backpackers’ accommodations. Though more than 50 percent of New Zealand’s international visitors are over age 40, few currently stay at this type of accommodation. Using New Zealand as a case study, this thesis explores, qualitatively, the perspectives of older backpackers: their self-perceptions, their travel motivations, their needs and expectations in accommodation. In addition, it examines the points of view of the owners of small, independent backpackers’ accommodations to gain their perspectives on hosting a multi-generational clientele and on what the implications might be of expanding this market. Key findings show that older travellers who use backpackers’ accommodations technically meet all Pearce’s (1990) original definitions of “backpacker” – they prefer budget accommodations, they are socially interactive, they travel independently and flexibly, they travel for longer holidays than do most, and they choose informal and participatory activities. However, these travellers reject the self-definition of “backpacker”, an impasse that presents a lexical challenge to both scholars and tourism marketers. The final section addresses the impacts and implications of “backpacker” nomenclature on baby boomer travellers, academia, and the backpacker industry at large.

This paper is the compared analysis of on the young and old generations. It is focused on the achievement motivations and job characteristics of which influenced on job involvement. As the times changed, people were born on different backgrounds that cause a discrepancy in values and specialities of each generation. This paper is hypothesized the worker¡¦s hard-working level is different when with different achievement motivation and different job characteristics. The sample consisted of the workers in business or government organizations. All data collected and tested by the statistical methods with factor analysis, independent-sample t test, analysis of variance, regression analysis, and hierarchical regression. Conclusions and suggestion are based with the analysis results. Firstly, some significant differences had been found among different personal variables analysis. Secondly, the independent variable and dependent variable were found a significant difference that they to be interrelated. Finally, the interference effects of achievement motivation and job characteristics on job promise among the young and the old generations. Parts of all hypotheses were found, but there are only partially effects upon interference analysis. This paper aimed at workers of the young and the old generations compared analysis for an integrated conclusion of which offers the best practice reference.

In order to pursue continuous profit and long term management, the human resources is can be consider as an important assets of enterprises.The goal of human resource development is set up for organization future development, and staff capability can also been improve from the effective execution of education and training. Moreover, human resource development is a tool of promoting manpower into organizational ability via education and training. Thus, enterprises in various countries have invested in human resource management for the improvement in the level of its development.This research has covered many areas, including, motivations of education and training , personal knowledge transfer, positive effort of personal knowledge transfer in relate to work performance and learning effectiveness, and evaluation of the result after educational training . This research is based on 281 effectively survey from staff who has been through business educational training among manufacturing, service and financial sectors in Taiwan.By applying SEM, ANOVA system on real event analysis, the result of study is shown as below. Firstly, motivations of education and training and personal knowledge transfer have generated positive effort in relating to work performance and learning effectiveness. Secondly, according to survey, motivations of education and training has positive impact on personal knowledge transfer, and at the same time, personal knowledge transfer also brings positive influence to work performance. Therefore, it also indicates that motivations of education and training has positive impact to work performance as well. Third, as known motivations of education and training have positive impact on personal knowledge transfer. On the other hand, personal knowledge transfer has brought positive influence to learning effectiveness. Therefore, it also indicates that motivations of education and training has positive impact to learning effectiveness as well.Eventually, various personal characteristics may cause different impact on motivations of education and training , personal knowledge transfer, work performance and learning effectiveness.

Academic mobility and migration of knowledge workers are two concerns in international migration studies, so how academic mobility transforms into immigration has received much attention as well. There are two commonly held approaches to the explanation of immigration of international students: the classic Push and Pull theory and its derivative studies as well as Rational Choice Theory (RCT). However, both sets of theories have their drawbacks, that their analysis is either exclusion of the micro-level decision-making process or neglect of the macro-level social structure. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative data are collected, and Giddens structuration theory has been applied to mediate micro and macro level factors for constructing a framework to understand migration motivations of Chinese undergraduate students in Canada. The major conceptions and themes drawn upon from structuration theory include agency and structure, the effects of rules and resources within structures, the capacity and knowledgeability of agent, time-space context, and the theme of duality of structure. Because gender differences are significant in this study, two models are built for female and male students respectively. The practical aim of this study is to generate more policy interests in Canada in Chinese undergraduate students in order to make Canada the foremost destination for them not only for studying abroad but also for settlement.

Culture has been demonstrated in the literature to have an effect on tourism behavior, including the way that tourists perceive their travel experience; different cultures often hold different values (LeBlanc, 2004 & Sussman and Rashcovsky, 1997). Thus, understanding visitors’ values in comparison to those of the host destination may alter how tourism businesses should relate to tourists, how a tourist may perceive their experience, as well as a tourist’s motivation to travel to a destination (Devesa, Laguna & Palacios, 2010). The combination of heritage and tourism, specifically the UNESCO world heritage site designation, has had a significant impact on tourist motivation as well through the prestige that the designation presents (Parks Canada, 2009). Current research lacks a focus on the individual in relation to the UNESCO world heritage site designation (Marcotte & Bourdeau, 2006). There is also a lack of research with a Canadian focus as well as comparisons amongst cultures (Kay, 2009). Although there has been some focus on Canada, the demographics have been skewed toward English speaking individuals; a lack of demographic information and data concerning native tongue has been collected (Gibson, McKelvie & DE MAN, 2008). The current study will take a Canadian focus by situating the research within Canada, specifically the UNESCO world heritage site of Quebec City, and compare the Anglophone and Francophone cultures. Anglophone and Francophone tourists are defined in this study as “people whose mother tongue is French (Francophone) or English (Anglophones)” (Gibson et al., 2008, p. 137). This study uses a questionnaire; which combines the questionnaires found in Lee, Lee and Wicks (2004) and Kozak (2001), in order to collect data on tourist travel motivations and satisfaction. The survey was conducted during October 2011, and involved the researcher travelling to different tourist sites, such as the Citadel and Le Musee de la Civilisation. The final data set consisted of 375 cases, and an effective response rate of 443. The objectives of this study were: 1.To examine the motivational differences between Canadian Anglophone and Francophone visitors. 2.To examine whether there are cultural differences in the travel needs of Francophone and Anglophone travelers.3.To examine whether tourism sites and businesses in Quebec City are meeting the needs and desires of tourists. To accomplish these objectives, the following research questions were asked: 1. Why do people visit heritage sites? Specifically, what motivates people to visit heritage sites? 2. Do Canadian Anglophone and Francophone cultures have different motivations for travelling? Sub-questions could include: in general, do different cultures have different motivations for travelling? For example, tourists may aim to connecting with their ancestral roots and culture. 3. Are Anglophone and Francophone tourists satisfied by their travel experience to Quebec City? In particular, are there differences in satisfaction levels between Anglophone and Francophone tourists? The computer program SPSS (version 19) was used to conduct statistical tests on, and interpret, the data that was collected. Independent samples t-tests, one-way ANOVAs,Two-way ANOVAs and frequencies, modes and medians were performed in order to reach the research objectives and answer the research questions. This study provides insight into the travel motivations and satisfaction levels of Anglophone, Francophone, and bilingual visitors to Quebec City. The main implications of this study concern marketing, interpretation of sites, and service provision. The findings of this study present conflicting results surrounding the influence of family and culture on travel motivations of tourists. However, the findings of this study suggest that gender has a strong influence on tourist motivation, and marketing efforts should be targeting females as they were more significantly affected by the motivations examined in this study. There are also implications related to interpretation as there were significant differences found between Anglophone and Francophone participants on the motivation factor ‘cultural exploration experiences offered’. Finally there are implications surrounding service provision as the findings suggest that activities may be more geared towards the Anglophone travelers. This study will expand on these implications further.

Academic mobility and migration of knowledge workers are two concerns in international migration studies, so how academic mobility transforms into immigration has received much attention as well. There are two commonly held approaches to the explanation of immigration of international students: the classic Push and Pull theory and its derivative studies as well as Rational Choice Theory (RCT). However, both sets of theories have their drawbacks, that their analysis is either exclusion of the micro-level decision-making process or neglect of the macro-level social structure. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative data are collected, and Giddens structuration theory has been applied to mediate micro and macro level factors for constructing a framework to understand migration motivations of Chinese undergraduate students in Canada. The major conceptions and themes drawn upon from structuration theory include agency and structure, the effects of rules and resources within structures, the capacity and knowledgeability of agent, time-space context, and the theme of duality of structure. Because gender differences are significant in this study, two models are built for female and male students respectively. The practical aim of this study is to generate more policy interests in Canada in Chinese undergraduate students in order to make Canada the foremost destination for them not only for studying abroad but also for settlement.