Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2004. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 246-264).

Babe Ruth, American Herois a one-person play that chronicles the life of sport's greatest legend and first superstar. The manuscript and performance represent over a year of research, writing and rehearsing. The process to produce a first draft of a manuscript began by researching biographies, autobiographies, documentaries, and the websites including Babe Ruth, the Babe Ruth Museum, and the Baseball Hall of Fame. A production staff was assembled and on April 27, 2002, at the Veterans Memorial Theatre, in Johnson City, TN, a staged reading of the play was performed before an audience. The manuscript underwent a series of rewrites, and the play premiered on October 18 and 19, 2002, at the Bud Frank Theatre, East Tennessee State University Campus. The article that follows contains the first and final drafts of the play, as well as supplemental, promotional, and program information.

This thesis adduces the benefits in teaching undergraduate theatre majors the competency to create a cabaret. It expostulates that doing so during college gives students an advantage in marketing themselves professionally. It substantiates the general lack of cohesive undergraduate training in this area. The results of a survey of casting directors, assessing the worth of implementing the study of cabaret into theatre curricula, are incorporated. Those that responded agreed that performing cabarets can play a role in a performer’s career, even if the opinions varied as to what that specific role is. There was general agreement that the study of cabaret could benefit students in ways which potentially go beyond securing immediate employment. I have included a sample syllabus for a course focusing on the construction, and performance of a cabaret. It is anticipated this would serve for a performance class taught during a student’s fourth year of undergraduate study.

The aim of this study was to see what the fundamental efforts were to bring about a democratic electoral system in Somalia? What are the significant obstacles in relation to the planned electoral system and what can the clan, the constitution and external actors mean in this context? What efforts can be made to introduce a democratic electoral system?  This study was conducted by using five semi-structured interviews and material collected on Somalia’s history, current state, and clan society. This paper concludes that there are different factors such as the International Community, the federal member states, Clan representatives, and major donors, which have had an effect on the democratization process in Somalia. Furthermore, it shows that the main problem is the application of the Constitution that is being hindered by the political elite and the federal member states. This research suggests several measures that must be enforced to carry out a democratic election, 1. A will from the political elite to speed up the process around the new electoral system, 2. The Constitution process must continue and be implemented, 3. Stable institutions, laws and regulation must be implemented, 4. The country’s security must be strengthened.  This study discovers that Somalia is in the decision phase in accordance with Rustow’s transition theory, where the country is slowly but surely applying democratic principles and rules into the Constitution.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit werden die Lebensweise von Alleinstehenden sowie ihre Selbstinterpretationen und ihre Argumentationen zu ihrer Lebensform untersucht und beschrieben. Mein Vorhaben ist eine vergleichende Beschreibung und Analyse der Lebensform Single in Berlin und Budapest. Es wird ein besonderer Schwerpunkt auf jene biographischen Wendepunkte gelegt, die im Bezug auf die heutige Lebensform der Singles relevant sein könnten. In Ungarn kann keine scharfe Trennlinie zwischen weiblichem und männlichem Singleleben gezogen werden. Selbstverständlich unterscheidet sich die Erfahrung des Singledaseins zwischen beiden Geschlechtern. Doch die allgemeine familienfreundliche Einstellung der Ungarn, und die Tatsache, dass Singles ihre gegenwärtige Lebensform meistens wohl als eine Übergangsphase ansehen, denn sie streben zweifellos nach Familiengründung, machen ungarische Singlefrauen und Singlemänner eher ähnlich als unterschiedlich. In Deutschland scheinen Geschlechterunterschiede im Erfahren des Alleinseins wiederum nicht relevant zu sein. Die partnerschaftliche Orientierung hat allem Anschein nach ihre Kraft nicht verloren und die Liebe, die Partnerschaft, bleibt nach wie vor ein lebensführendes Prinzip. Nichtsdestotrotz zeigen die Statistiken, dass ein bedeutsamer Anteil von Frauen und Männern die Lebensform Single mit oder ohne Partner sowie weitere neue, weniger konventionelle Arrangements, wie die Partnerschaft in getrennten Haushalten, für sich als gewünschte Lebensformen bezeichnen, da sie einen breiten Raum für Individualität und Selbstverwirklichung bieten. / My paper examines the specific phases and turning points of the life course, which can influence the decision of young people to choose singleness as a way of life or become single by virtue of structural conditions. The research focuses on a group of young, urban singles from Berlin and Budapest. Singles are understood as those young adults at an age (30-40) typically devoted to family, living alone in their own household and having neither a durable partnership nor children. The population I studied is that of urban singles in their thirties from the upper social strata, having (at least) a university degree and being active in the labor market. The methodology used for this empirical research was conducting life course interviews, and based on this, working with the discourse analysis as a tool for analyzing narration. Experiencing a turning point is often perceived as an individual issue. However, there are some common features and types to be identified. I am not employing an individual perspective, but rather constructing typologies and inquiring about the common aspects of some important life occurrences, which to some extent explain the decision for singleness. Being single when one’s age cohort is building a family is not seen as a landmark or milestone, even less an achievement. Rather, in spite of its demographic growth, singleness is best understood as a hiatus or a period between turning points. Such turning points are: events in the family life in childhood, primarily divorce of the parents; degree of detachment from the parents; labour market entry and work arrangements; the experience of past partnerhip(s). Some of these occurrences are relevant for the way young people interpret personal autonomy and independence. Other factors, especially labor market uncertainties represent a structural reason eventually accounting for the status of single.

Background: The Swedish fashion market today quickly becomes too small, even for the new companies, and they are quick to take the step abroad and launch their internationalisation process. With a focus on the four Swed-ish fashion companies Filippa K, Acne Jeans, Nudie Jeans and Whyred, we have analysed how these representatives of the industry have interna-tionalised themselves. The companies have chosen different ways to promote their brand and how to control the perceived image of the brand. As there is a lack of earlier in-depth studies into this particular question of the Swedish Fashion industry, we have set out to investigate how this is done. Purpose: The purpose of the thesis is to look at the internationalisation process of Swedish fashion companies, with a focus on the growth and the penetra-tion of the international markets in order to determine the key success factors for successful international expansion. We will also investigate to what extent branding, country of origin (COO) and psychic distance to geographical markets has an influence on the internationalisation process and its success. Method: We used a qualitative approach and conducted a case study consisting of four Swedish fashion companies. The data have been collected through interviews and secondary sources. The information has been put into dif-ferent models for internationalisation, branding and key success factors. Conclusion: We have interpreted the collected data together with the theories used, thereafter drawn the conclusions that the key Success factors that have taken these firms so far and have been important in the building of the successful brands/companies, are in fact to a large degree COO, rela-tions in the Swedish fashion Industry and the creation of superior prod-ucts. The companies have both similar and specific factors for their suc-cess on the international market.

<p>Background:</p><p>The Swedish fashion market today quickly becomes too small, even for the new companies, and they are quick to take the step abroad and launch their internationalisation process. With a focus on the four Swed-ish fashion companies Filippa K, Acne Jeans, Nudie Jeans and Whyred, we have analysed how these representatives of the industry have interna-tionalised themselves. The companies have chosen different ways to promote their brand and how to control the perceived image of the brand. As there is a lack of earlier in-depth studies into this particular question of the Swedish Fashion industry, we have set out to investigate how this is done.</p><p>Purpose:</p><p>The purpose of the thesis is to look at the internationalisation process of Swedish fashion companies, with a focus on the growth and the penetra-tion of the international markets in order to determine the key success factors for successful international expansion. We will also investigate to what extent branding, country of origin (COO) and psychic distance to geographical markets has an influence on the internationalisation process and its success.</p><p>Method:</p><p>We used a qualitative approach and conducted a case study consisting of four Swedish fashion companies. The data have been collected through interviews and secondary sources. The information has been put into dif-ferent models for internationalisation, branding and key success factors.</p><p>Conclusion:</p><p>We have interpreted the collected data together with the theories used, thereafter drawn the conclusions that the key Success factors that have taken these firms so far and have been important in the building of the successful brands/companies, are in fact to a large degree COO, rela-tions in the Swedish fashion Industry and the creation of superior prod-ucts. The companies have both similar and specific factors for their suc-cess on the international market.</p>

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

The professionalization of blogs has elevated blogging to an organizational field whereby bloggers develop a legitimate career path. For many minority women bloggers, the transition from being traditionally employed to managing a one-person digital enterprise is often met with racial and gender imbalances created by nontraditional modes of work. The purpose of this qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was to gain a deeper understanding of how African American women bloggers described their lived experiences with managing a one-person digital enterprise and the implications of their racial and gender identity within this nontraditional mode of work. To address this gap, a transcendental phenomenological method was used to collect data from African American women bloggers. This study was framed by 3 key concepts focused on African American women bloggers: Brydges and Sj00F6holm’s concept of personal style blogger, Martinez Dy et al’s concept of women digital entrepreneurs, and Gabriel’s concept of Black female identity online. Data were gathered using 9 virtual semi-structured interviews and analyzed using the modified Van Kaam method. Eight themes emerged when answering the research question. The findings of the research showed that being an African American woman blogger means conducting entrepreneurial activity, working towards financial solvency, being proud of racial identity, and creating and delivering content as a blogger. Results gleaned from this transcendental phenomenological study may help promote social change by bringing awareness to policymakers on the issues of equity, access, and opportunity for marginalized populations who seek to become digital entrepreneurs.