Ontario, Canada’s most populous province enacted its Heritage Act in 1975. The Ontario Heritage Act enables municipalities to conserve built heritage in a number of ways, including instituting heritage conservation districts. Heritage districts recognize and conserve built heritage that extend beyond the special architectural qualities of individual buildings. Port Dalhousie is a quaint community located on the south shore of Lake Ontario, and inextricably linked to the first three Welland Canals. Now a part of the City of St. Catharines, it was designated a heritage conservation district in 2003. However, after the designation an ambitious and controversial re-development plan was proposed for the community’s historic commercial core. The re-development aimed to revitalize the area, but in doing so also threatened to destroy the heritage. This case study used historical research, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires to investigate the cycle of heritage commodification, the effectiveness of public participation and the exercise of power as the various stakeholders in the community of Port Dalhousie deliberated over the future of its built heritage. Findings from this study reveal that sound governance and effective planning policies promoted public participation. The results also confirm that active civic involvement from local residents plays an integral role in heritage conservation, and influences developments that threaten heritage. This study recommends that heritage planning should be more proactive in municipal land use planning, and heritage guidelines for conservation areas should be part of broader heritage management programs where power sharing, participation, and decision making reflect social equity. The findings and recommendations from this study are intended to assist communities, managers and planners in future efforts to conserve built heritage.

Consumer confusion, caused by product similarity, choice and/or information overload, and the presence of ambiguous information, can negatively affect consumersʼ decision making, and thereby also companiesʼ profitability. The purpose of this quantitative study was to investigate how the three variables (i.e. similarity, overload, ambiguity) of Walsh et al.ʼs (2007) consumer confusion proneness model affect consumersʼ decision postponement and brand loyalty, concerning low involvement products. A conceptual framework based on consumer behavior- and consumer confusion literature, was utilized to form six hypotheses predicting the causality between the different variables. After validating and adapting the scale to data gathered through a survey, regarding Swedish studentsʼ purchasing habits of laundry detergent, two standard multiple regressions revealed that one hypothesis was supported; overload confusion proneness decreases brand loyalty in a low involvement product category. All implications were then discussed from practitionersʼ and researchersʼ points of view, concluding with possible limitations and further research.

Ontario, Canada’s most populous province enacted its Heritage Act in 1975. The Ontario Heritage Act enables municipalities to conserve built heritage in a number of ways, including instituting heritage conservation districts. Heritage districts recognize and conserve built heritage that extend beyond the special architectural qualities of individual buildings. Port Dalhousie is a quaint community located on the south shore of Lake Ontario, and inextricably linked to the first three Welland Canals. Now a part of the City of St. Catharines, it was designated a heritage conservation district in 2003. However, after the designation an ambitious and controversial re-development plan was proposed for the community’s historic commercial core. The re-development aimed to revitalize the area, but in doing so also threatened to destroy the heritage. This case study used historical research, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaires to investigate the cycle of heritage commodification, the effectiveness of public participation and the exercise of power as the various stakeholders in the community of Port Dalhousie deliberated over the future of its built heritage. Findings from this study reveal that sound governance and effective planning policies promoted public participation. The results also confirm that active civic involvement from local residents plays an integral role in heritage conservation, and influences developments that threaten heritage. This study recommends that heritage planning should be more proactive in municipal land use planning, and heritage guidelines for conservation areas should be part of broader heritage management programs where power sharing, participation, and decision making reflect social equity. The findings and recommendations from this study are intended to assist communities, managers and planners in future efforts to conserve built heritage.

Waterfront development is acknowledged as being significant to urban tourism planning and, ideally, the involvement of multiple stakeholders should be required in the development program. This research explores why and how Multi Stakeholder Approach (MSA) might contribute to good practice for the planning and decision-making processes for resource and environmental management, especially for long-term waterfront planning. Principles for the involvement of stakeholders in planning are reviewed and evaluated in the context of tourism and waterfront development in Manado, North Sulawesi, Indonesia. The principles of MSA are assessed in a situation in which there is tension between the achievement of socio-economic benefits and the protection of environmental quality. This research involved a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative research techniques. Fieldwork comprising questionnaire surveys, interviews, on-site observations and the evaluation of planning documents were used to provide evidences of waterfront development in Manado, and the decision-making process that preceded it. Waterfront development in Manado has massively expanded the economic opportunities that are ugently required in less-developed countries. However, such develoment is occurring at the coast of adequate environmental protection. The study provides evidence of the links between MSA, waterfront development and tourism planning in a mid-sized city in a less-developed country. Governments and Manado waterfront developers expect high returns from MWD through increasing local revenues and a stronger regional economy. However, the sustainability of the development is debatable. A stronger economy, increased incomes and wider job opportunities are widely acknowledged, but an enhanced quality of life for local people is not yet certain, especially if environmental degradation continues. Successful MSA practices can enhance awareness which, in turn, can be used to increase the support of various stakeholders and, thereby, enhance benefit-sharing. Greater involvement of multiple stakeholders in Manado Waterfront Development (MSA) would be expected to enhance their contributions to a broad range of development issues such as tourism development, environment protection, social stability and the economy, leading in the direction of sustainability. This is relevant to the main purposes of MWD which is to create socio-economic advantages both for city residents and the region in which the city is located. MWD has greatly influenced the coastal areas and environmental modification is unavoidable. However, in the case of Manado, waterfront development is being achieved at considerable environmental costs. In a developing country which places economic gains as a priority, the tangible benefits appear to exceed the apparent costs in the short term. However, for the long term, the maintenance of environmental quality is very important.

There have been few African studies that examined relationships between acculturation, a process where immigrants assimilate the culture of their host country, coping, acculturative stress and enduring involvement in leisure. The purpose of this study was to examine relationships between cultural orientations and acculturative stress, coping, leisure participation, as well as ego involvement of Nigerian Canadians in leisure. The research participants (n=104), were English speaking Nigerian Canadians between the ages of 18-52 average age of 35, SD of just under 8. All research participants were born outside Canada. Most Nigerian Canadians (99%, n=103) had lived in Canada for a period of 1-10 years when data were collected. Each participant filled out a questionnaire that measured their African and Canadian cultural orientations, and acculturative stress, coping, leisure participation, and ego involvement in leisure. Composite scale scores were computed for the variables of African cultural orientation, Canadian cultural orientation, depression, discrimination, intergenerational conflicts, coping and ego involvement in leisure; after which ANOVAs were computed to determine between group differences for the median split groups on these variables. Kruskal Wallis H tests were then computed to determine between group differences with regards to demographic characteristics, transportation, housing and dress patterns. ANOVA was also computed to determine differences on number of children in households. Pearson Correlations were then computed to determine relationships between leisure participation and ego involvement on one hand, and depression, discrimination, intergenerational conflicts, and coping on the other hand. Results revealed significant differences between participants on African and Canadian cultural orientations, with the two High African groups showing higher African preferences, and the two High Canadian groups showing higher Canadian preferences than the two lower African and the two lower Canadian groups in each instance. Participants were not significantly different on acculturative stress and coping. Also, there were minimal between group relationships with respect to leisure participation and acculturative stress and coping; while no relationships were found for ego involvement in leisure.

A growing body of research demonstrates the links between parental involvement and students' outcomes. Some benefits of this involvement include improved academic achievement, higher grades, increased attendance, and better social skills (Henderson & Mapp, 2002; Sui-Chu & Willms, 1996; Dryfoos & Knauer, 2004; Coalition for Community Schools, 2003). Despite these benefits, many educators report challenges in engaging parents and community members within the school. The purpose of the research was to explore the processes two school staffs used to facilitate community engagement by utilizing community education practices and, within each individual site, compare to any increase in community engagement at the school. <p>Over the 2006-2007 school year, the researcher spent time connecting with staff members and parents at two schools a suburban elementary school, and an inner-city community school. Through observation, interviews with administrators, focus groups with parents, and focus groups with staff members, the researcher obtained information regarding staff members growth in community engagement, development of community education practices, and the impact of those practices on community engagement in the school. Through analysis of the data, the researcher identified themes, conditions for community engagement, and promising community education practices. <p>Data from observation, focus groups, and interviews demonstrated the importance of leadership, developing relationships with parents, creating a welcoming school environment, focusing staff development on community education, and creating opportunities for staff members and community members to come together, for community engagement to be successful. The research captured the importance of making beliefs and assumptions explicit, and identified how these beliefs can be helpful or harmful in engaging youth, families, and community members. The research study demonstrated that as staff members at Eagle Point School and Sunrise Community School increased their level of understanding of community education and created community education practices, they experienced greater community engagement in their respective schools.

Patients are the recipients of the provision of healthcare and an invaluable source when evaluating the quality of healthcare provided in our hospitals. There is limited research evaluating patient perceptions of overall quality of healthcare. A larger study Convergence and Divergence in Perspectives in Quality represented the first Saskatchewan effort to explore patient perceptions and what aspects patients indicate as important when evaluating the provision of quality of care. In the larger study, patients hospitalized with one of four tracer conditions (cerebral vascular accident, myocardial infarction, prostate disease and hysterectomy) were surveyed about their involvement in and satisfaction with the provision of healthcare. The present study, using a data subset of the larger study, specifically explored patients perceptions on their involvement in decision-making, feelings of being well informed of ones medical condition, and sources of health information. These perceptions were correlated with the overall ratings of quality of care. Findings indicated a moderately high overall rating of quality of care. Increased involvement in decision making regarding medical care and options for treatment, and the feelings of being fairly or well informed were associated with higher ratings of overall quality of care. While few of the correlations reached greater than moderate effect, it is still clear that opportunities for patients participation in decisions related to their medical care and patients feelings of being fairly or well informed contributed to overall perceptions of quality of care. The majority of patients preferred their doctor or nurse to provide information about their medical condition, thus indicating the human touch is still preferred. Nurses can use these results to advocate for time to ensure patients have access to correct information and are included in decisions about their care.

Purpose: This study aims to explore how women’s roles at work and home interact with each other and focuses specifically on role conflicts which may arise.   Research questions: Primary question: When and why do role conflicts occur in women’s lives? Secondary questions: (1) What is a role? (2) How do roles affect women’s lives? (3) How do women cope/deal with role conflict?   Methodology: Qualitative research and interpretive approach   Findings: Theoretical and empirical findings state that role conflicts occur when traditional values, lack of time and unbalanced involvement interfere with how women fulfil their different roles. Moreover, this study analyses the ways that women might have to deal with such conflict by comparing

Purpose: The aim of this Bachelor Thesis is to explore what makes an interactive viral marketing campaign effective in terms of Word-of-Mouth. Background: With the growth of Internet, a new force of marketing has developed where the consumer is more involved in the marketing process. This thesis studies the underlying emotions and motivations of consumer incentives to engage in positive Word-of-Mouth, regarding an interactive viral marketing campaign. Method: In order to fulfil the purpose of this study a case study is performed. An inductive approach is followed and qualitative research in the form of a netnography and interviews are used to collect the empirical material that is required in order to answer the given research questions. The netnography was performed on Facebook and ten respondents from the netnographical study were invited to participate in interviews. Conclusion: Based on the frame of reference, a strong relationship was expected between certain emotions and the willingness to share or discuss Tipp-ex’s campaign. However, the results indicate that other variables such as Comprehension and Personalisation might have a greater effect on Word-of-Mouth incentives. Regarding motivations, Message- involvement was found to be the motivation that triggers a consumer to engage in Word-of-Mouth.

The purpose of this essay is to study how parents of children with disabilities young people make their choice of support and service LSS. The study takes its lead from questions designed to determine which interventions parents use for their children. What parents think about today's choice and if satisfactory, or if they have other wishes. It is also about how parents experience the freedom of choice and participation in the selection of interventions. Furthermore how the parent discuss the topic of choice from childhood and parental perspective. The study is based on a qualitative method and four interviews were conducted with six parents with disabled children. The study shows that most parents are pleased with today’s services offerings. Many people use different types of interventions that short-term accommodation and /or personal assistance. Others believe that their involvement is important to the disabled person, because they can influence the selection of the service personnel and help with the scheduling efforts. Most parents justify they choice of actions for their children’s sake, while others sometimes take in consideration the parents comfort in order to get some relief and allows them to cope with taking care of their children over the long run.