The purpose of this study was to determine awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) among college students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Texas A&M University. Since the issue of a governmentsponsored electronic national identification system for livestock is relatively new, many pros and cons exist regarding increased biosecurity and increased surveillance by the government. While many adult producer groups have expressed their concerns over the implications of the proposed identification system, little attention has been focused on future producers—youth and college students. This study investigated how college students gathered information about livestock industry issues from mass media or other resources, and how the students’ awareness and knowledge of the identification system influenced their perceptions of the NAIS. The sample population consisted of students enrolled in courses related to animal agriculture and production during the spring 2007 semester at Texas A&M University. Stratified random sampling was used to determine participants, and a total of 92 students responded to the survey. The strata were animal science majors and non-animal science majors, and upperclassmen and lowerclassmen. An online, self-administered survey was used to collect data from the participants. The survey consisted of close-ended and open-ended questions; a pilot study of students with similar majors and classification as the sample established face validity of the instrument. Descriptive statistics, correlations, and one-way ANOVA were used to examine the data. Major findings were that as a group, students were somewhat aware of the NAIS, and were knowledgeable of general NAIS concepts. Students disagreed with the statement that they are well-informed about the NAIS. Students’ perceptions of the NAIS were positively associated with their awareness of the NAIS. Livestock leadership experiences (4-H or FFA membership, livestock show team member, exhibitor experience, and youth livestock organization member) had positive moderate correlations with NAIS awareness. Livestock exhibitor experience had a moderate correlation with perception of the NAIS. University professors, Internet, and family members were preferred information sources. Opinion leaders’ influence as information sources affected students’ awareness and perceptions of the NAIS. Cooperative Extension, private organizations, and university professors were all moderately correlated with students’ awareness of the NAIS. University professors had a positive, yet low correlation with students’ perceptions of the NAIS.

Providing support for the agricultural development of small farmers is the main goal of the project Agriculture in Guatemala: Technology, Education and Commercialization (AGTEC). To accomplish this, it is necessary, to identify the characteristics and needs of participants, as well as their environmental, social, and farming conditions. Through this study, two case studies were conducted to identify and analyze the context of small farmers of the region. This research study used qualitative and participative methods, such as interviews, focus groups, and observation, to gather data about the participants' thoughts and opinions concerning their situations. The case study systemically gathered information about the conditions and needs of small farmers to provide a better understanding of the people and their interactions within the farm systems. This needs assessment showed how the farmers' decisions about adoption are related to their interactions on their farms. Therefore, this study analyzed the system, as a whole, to identify priorities among different critical components that will provide optimum results for beneficiaries. These priorities will allow the identification of appropriate technologies that will satisfy the needs of small farmers according to their local, cultural, and economic conditions. The appropriate technologies need to be diffused among the farmers for adoption. Rogers observed that technologies that are diffused by opinion leaders are adopted by their peers. Thus, the second case study analyzed the social networks and their leaders to observe their potential to support the diffusion process of technologies. The study revealed the presence of diverse social networks, one provided by the political structure, others based on organized groups of farmers and other informal networks formed by independent farmers. Data also showed that opinion leaders have desired roles and characteristics among their networks. Therefore diffusion of innovations through formal and non-formal leaders represents a promising strategy as they are recognized and respected by peers. The diffusion of innovations through opinion leaders promotes the active participation of local members, validates the innovations, and sustains adoption over time. Therefore, the analysis of the social networks and selection of opinion leaders supports the diffusion process of the AGTEC project in Chimaltenango, Guatemala.

The most common sexually transmitted infection for both males and females is the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is responsible for nearly all cervical cancers. Currently, an HPV vaccine is available; however, HPV vaccination rates for US adolescents are dismal. School nurses serve as the person connecting medical and school communities, and are a critical component in assisting families traverse the medical and educational systems. Thus, there is reason to assume school nurses can be key opinion leaders regarding the HPV vaccine. The purpose of this study was to: (1) explain how the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory explains school nurses' roles as opinion leaders regarding the HPV vaccine; (2) document current literature regarding healthcare providers' perspectives and practice regarding the HPV vaccine; and (3) evaluate school nurses' knowledge, attitudes, perceptions of being an opinion leader and professional practice regarding the HPV vaccine for youth. DOI states opinion leaders influence the rate of an innovation (e.g., the HPV vaccine). We argue school nurses are opinion leaders for the HPV vaccine because of their unique leadership position through their cross-disciplinary understanding of the educational and health systems. The systematic literature review included 28 studies of healthcare providers. The main barrier, vaccine cost, was identified in 12 reports. Additionally, females and older adolescents were more frequently vaccinated than males and younger adolescents. To examine school nurses' knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and professional practice regarding the HPV vaccine, the study included a sample of 413 school nurses. Structural equation modeling revealed knowledge influenced attitudes, attitudes affected perceptions and professional practices, and perceptions predicted professional practice. Furthermore, the perceptions variable was found to be a partial mediator in the model. Practitioners designing programs to engage school nurses in disseminating HPV vaccine education may benefit from questioning whether their programs might be emphasizing non-crucial elements for influencing vaccine dissemination practice (e.g., knowledge) and de-emphasizing influential elements such as attitudes and perceptions.

No description available.

The subject of the master thesis is language attitudes. The focus is put on how language attitudes can affect the way how the language is changing, how they can be expressed and which factors play important roles in forming of language attitudes. There have been a number of sociological and sociolinguistic case studies in this field in Norway. Based on them, I compare the Norwegian and Czech attitudes to the latest trends in language change such as globalization, regionalization and others. The main questions are: how do factors forming language attitudes to language varieties differ when compared Norwegian and Czech? How are language attitudes affected by differencies in history and culture in these two lands? Hypothetical, the factors connected to contact with English would be quite similar both in Norwegian and Czech. On the other hand the relationship between standard spoken language and dialects would differ more mostly because of these varieties have a different status in Norwegian and Czech context.

Digital platforms such as blogs and social networking sites provide new means for individuals to gather and spread information about products and services through electronic Word of Mouth (eWOM). Within those platforms, individuals have the potential to emerge to become influential actors with the power to affect the behaviours and attitudes of others. Despite the growing interest in online influence, there is still a limited understanding of how key individuals share and engage in eWOM. This study looks at tech-bloggers as an emerging actor category that create and develop consumption oriented online content such as product reviews using blogs and associated technologies. This thesis presents an in depth qualitative investigation to understand how this emerging actor category have been able to establish an influential status. Existing literature often labelled bloggers as “opinion leaders” obscuring what is new and different about them. Building a practice based discussion of these emerging actors aims to capture activities and processes in a wider, natural setting. Paired with the exploratory nature of research, this thesis draws on a conceptually grounded, qualitative research approach utilising interviews with key tech-bloggers, marketers and blog analysis. Findings show that these emerging actors engage in three distinct but interrelated practices centred on audience construction, content development and network formation. Audience construction requires emerging actors to develop quality content utilising existing networks composed of other actors within the same category and the audience. As a consequence, emerging actors are socially embedded in a multiplicity of interactions online and offline to develop their blog and their content. This study contributes to existing concepts in eWOM by showing how emerging actors develop a particular expertise, distinct from consumers, in attracting an audience. Furthermore, these emerging actors transform from being knowledge replicators to become knowledge producers developing communication content in line with a wider audience. As tech-bloggers become more established as emerging actors, tech companies are adapting their marketing to account for these practices. The result is a co-creation of product news and advice on new products between emerging actors, marketers and the audience. Thus, this work gives a more nuanced account of eWOM and the role of emerging actors shaping communication in this sector.

SANTRAUKA Šiame darbe nagrinėjamos golfo paslaugos perspektyvos Lietuvoje, pritraukiant naujus ir sudominant esamus Le Meridien klientus, ir kokios priemonės tam yra efektyviausios. Iš to kyla darbo tikslas - išsiaiškinti geriausius golfo paslaugos pristatymo būdus Lietuvos visuomenei. Pagrindiniai uždaviniai : • Atlikti viešbučių ir golfo laukų analizę. • Atlikti tyrimą, siekiant išanalizuoti golfo plėtros galimybes Lietuvoje ir visuomenės požiūrį į šią paslaugą. • Išanalizavus rezultatus, išnagrinėti, kokios yra golfo perspektyvos Lietuvoje ir kas galėtų sudominti būsimus klientus. Pirmoje darbo dalyje atlikta išsami išorinė analizė, siekiant išnagrinėti golfo paslaugos įvedimo galimybes – apžvelgti makroaplinkos elementus, konkurentus, suskirstyti vartotojus į galimas grupes pagal vartojimo poreikius bei, svarbiausia, apžvelgti rinkos tendencijas. Kita dalis – tyrimas, kuris buvo suskirstytas į du etapus, siekiant tikslesnių rezultatų. Pirma tyrimo dalis - žvalgybinio pobūdžio kokybinis tyrimas – giluminis interviu (ekspertų apklausa) , antra dalis - kiekybinis tyrimas ( potencialių klientų apklausa). Kitoje darbo dalyje nagrinėjama, kaip reiktų pristatyti paslaugą Lietuvos visuomenei, naudojant Rogers‘o Inovacijų sklaidos modelį (1995). Svarbiausia šioje dalyje buvo išskirti Le Meridien Vilnius golfo klubo paslaugos konkurencinius pranašumus, apžvelgti paslaugos kainas, palyginti su konkurentų kainomis ir galiausiai pateikti pasiūlymai, kokias komunikacijos priemones... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / In this work we are trying to analyse golf service perspectives in Lithuania, attracting new and engaging existing Le Meridien Vilnius clients, also deciding what implement will be most effective. From here work purpose emerge – to find out the best ways to introduce golf servise to Lithuanian community. The main objectives of the work are: • To analyse external golf market environment in Lithuania and neighbour countries. • To do research, in order to find out golf expansion potential in Lithuania and public attitude toward this service. • After analysing research results it‘s time to explore golf perspectives in Lithuania and how to attract prospective clients. In the first part of work, there is comprehensive external analysis, on purpose to explore golf service launch potential. Also to look through macro environment elements, competitors analysis; to group consumers, by their consumption habbits and the main thing to review golf service market tendency. The next part of bachelor thesis is research, which was divided into two stages, in order to get accurate results. The first stage – qualitative research – „deep“ interview (experts interview).The second stage – quantative research (potencial clients survey). The third part of work is analysing, how the service should be introduced to Lithuanian community, using Rogers Innovation Diffusion model(1995). In this part the main thing was mark Le Meridien Vilnius golf club competitives advantages and overlook services prices... [to full text]

Denna studie syftar till att skapa en djupare förståelse för hur kvinnliga studenter uppfattar att opinionsledare påverkar deras klädkonsumtion. Studien undersöker varför den utvalda målgruppen väljer att avstå från att konsumera secondhandkläder. Detta är av intresse med tanke på den ökade medvetenheten om klädindustrins negativa miljöpåverkan och den ökade populariteten av att köpa secondhandkläder. Det är väsentligt att undersöka detta utifrån opinionsledare, då det kan ha en inverkan gällande människors konsumtion. För att uppnå syftet med studien har tre frågeställningar utformats. Den första frågeställningen är gällande vilka faktorer kvinnliga studenter uppfattar påverkar deras beslut gällande klädkonsumtion. Den andra frågeställningen undersöker hur de uppfattar att opinionsledare har en inverkan på deras värderingar samt identitet. Den tredje frågeställningen är vad det finns för samband mellan kvinnliga studenters opinionsledare och deras val att avstå från att konsumera secondhandkläder. Studiens metod innefattar en kvalitativ undersökning i form av intervjuer som har transkriberats, kodats och strukturerats utifrån en tematisk analys. Studiens deltagare innefattar åtta kvinnliga heltidsstudenter som inte konsumerar secondhandkläder. Resultatet har analyserats utifrån två teorier: tvåstegshypotesen och mål-medel-kedjan. Studiens resultat visar att de främsta faktorerna som målgruppen uppfattar påverkar deras klädköp är ekonomi, sociala medier och marknadsföring. Kvinnliga studenter uppfattar att opinionsledare kan ha en viss inverkan både gällande värderingar och identitet. Resultatet visar även att det finns flera samband mellan kvinnliga studenters opinionsledare och deras val att inte konsumera secondhandkläder, exempelvis åsikter och värderingar gällande secondhandkläder. / This study aims to create a deeper understanding of how female students perceive that opinion leaders influence their clothing consumption. The study investigates why the selected target group chooses not to consume second hand clothing. This is of interest considering the increased awareness of the clothing industry's negative environmental impact and the increased popularity of buying second hand clothes. It is essential to investigate this based on opinion leaders, as it can have an impact on people's consumption. To achieve the purpose of the study, three questions have been formulated. The first question is about which factors female students perceive influence their decisions regarding clothing consumption. Question two is about how they perceive that opinion leaders have an impact on their values and identity. The third question concerns what kind of connection there is between female students' opinion leaders and their choice to refrain from consuming second hand clothes. The study's method is based on a qualitative investigation in the form of interviews that have been transcribed, coded and structured based on a thematic analysis. The target group includes eight female full-time-students who do not consume second-hand clothing. The result has been analyzed based on two theories: two-step flow and means-end chain. The study's results show that the main factors that the target group indicated influence their clothing purchases are finance, social media and marketing. Female students perceive that opinion leaders can have a certain influence on both values and identity. The results also show that there are several connections between female students' opinion leaders and their choice not to consume second hand clothes, for example opinions and values regarding second hand clothes.

Prior research has shown that both lead users and opinion leaders may propel the diffusion of innovation. This raises the question of whether lead users and opinion leaders are positioned similarly in social networks, which we address using a sample of 23 school classes consisting of 537 children. Research among children is very scarce in this particular domain. Our statistical analyses based on hierarchical linear modeling reveal two general results: first, lead users among children appear to possess a variety of links between clusters; second, opinion leaders are locally positioned within clusters of children and have many direct links. (authors' abstract)

O conceito de \"Príncipe\" surgiu com Nicolau Maquiavel, no início do século XVI, para descrever o governante das monarquias e repúblicas. Em Antonio Gramsci, na metade do século XX, o lugar do Príncipe passou a ser ocupado pelo partido político, aparecendo assim o conceito de \"Moderno Príncipe\". Mais tarde, no fim do século XX, o pesquisador brasileiro Octavio Ianni revisita as duas obras e propõe o \"Príncipe Eletrônico\". Ele constatou que os meios de comunicação de massa passaram a exercer as funções sociais de Príncipe. Em Octávio Ianni, o rádio e, principalmente, a televisão são os lugares, por excelência, de poder, hegemonia e liderança, não sozinhos, mas com o suporte e apoio dos grandes grupos econômicos e políticos. O objetivo desta tese é levar adiante a teoria criada por Ianni e explorar a hipótese da existência de um novo Príncipe no século XXI, que chamamos de Príncipe Digital. Sem prejuízo do que foi descrito por Ianni, essa nova figura não é necessariamente um intelectual, não nasce das mídias tradicionais de massa (rádio e TV) e não se alinha direta e necessariamente com os grupos, econômicos e políticos, hegemônicos, mas é tão ou mais influente e eficaz. O conceito de Príncipe Digital, como variante da categoria criada por Ianni, ilumina a forma como, na era das redes digitais, estão estruturadas as categorias: poder, hegemonia e liderança, pilares de todos os modelos teóricos de príncipes existentes até então. Essa compreensão pode nos levar a entender melhor os fenômenos deste tempo, como as grandes manifestações sociais e os tipos de relações existente nas redes sociais. Para chegar a esse modelo teórico, este trabalho usou como aporte metodológico a Grounded Theory (GT). A GT possibilita uma perspectiva mais real sobre o fenômeno, pois a própria população envolvida aponta os dados, por meio de pesquisas empíricas de natureza quantitativa e qualitativa. Para essa parte empírica, esta pesquisa contou com análise de 74 manifestações sociais, 601 entrevistados e observações acerca de 354 Líderes de Opinião. Analisamos, teórica e empiricamente, manifestações populares que ocorreram no Brasil entre os anos de 2013 e 2015. Os questionários foram divididos em duas fases de aplicações, a primeira, na qual ficaram disponíveis entre março e junho de 2015 e, a segunda, no mês de agosto de 2015. Os principais autores que dão sustentação à tese são: Maquiavel, Gramsci e Ianni, pelas razões já expostas. Lazarsfeld e Toro, com reflexões sobre a recepção de ideias e a mobilização social; Glaser, Tarozzi e Charmaz, com o suporte metodológico da GT. Hardt, Negri e Castells, com argumentos teóricos sobre multidão, redes sociais, internet e processos de mobilização online. / The concept of \"Prince\" came up with Niccolo Machiavelli, in the early sixteenth century to describe the ruler of monarchies and republics. In Antonio Gramsci, the midtwentieth century, the place of the Prince was occupied by political party, thus appearing the concept of \"Modern Prince\". Later, in the late twentieth century, the Brazilian researcher Octavio Ianni revisits the two works and proposes the \"Electronic Prince.\" He found that the mass media took over the social functions of Prince. In Octavio Ianni, radio and especially television are the places par excellence, power, hegemony and leadership, not alone, but with the support and backing of major economic and political groups. The aim of this thesis is to carry forward the theory created by Ianni and explore the hypothesis of a new Prince in the twenty-first century, we call \"Digital Prince.\" Without prejudice to what has been described by Ianni, this new figure is not necessarily an intellectual, not born through the mass traditional media (radio and TV) and does not line up directly and necessarily to the groups, economic and political hegemony, but it is so or more influential and effective. Digital Prince of concept, as a variant of the category created by Ianni, illuminates the way that, in the era of digital networks, the categories are structured: power, hegemony and leadership, pillars of all existing theoretical models of Princes before. This understanding can lead us to better understand the phenomena of this time, as the major social manifestations and types of existing relationships on Social Networks. To get to that theoretical model, this work used as a methodological contribution to Grounded Theory (GT). The GT enables a more realistic perspective on the phenomenon, for the very people involved point data through empirical research of quantitative and qualitative nature. For this empirical part of this research involved analysis of 74 social demonstrations, 601 respondents and observations about 354 leaders of opinion. We analyze, theoretically and empirically, popular demonstrations that took place in Brazil between 2013 and 2015. The questionnaires were divided into two phases of applications, the first, which became available between March and June 2015 and the second, in august of 2015. The main authors that support the thesis are: Machiavelli, Gramsci and Ianni, the reasons given above. Lazarsfeld and Toro, with reflections on the reception of ideas and social mobilization. Glaser, Tarozzi and Charmaz, with the methodological support of the GT. Hardt, Negri and Castells with theoretical arguments about the crowd, social networking, internet and online mobilization processes.