Rapidly rising levels of car ownership in newly developed economies and increasing travel demand worldwide over the past several decades have intensified the negative externalities of transportation, such as traffic congestion and air pollution. To develop policies that mitigate these problems through managing and controlling travel demand, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the determinants of individuals’ activity-travel behavior. A considerable amount of research has been conducted around the impact of the built environment on travel behavior. As well, over the past decade, the social contexts of travel have gradually been recognized as important explanatory factors of activity-travel behavior. Thus, the link between social contexts and activity-travel behavior has become a much discussed research topic recently. This study aims to contribute to this growing literature by investigating three important but under-explored areas related to the connection between social contexts and activity-travel behavior: 1) how social network attributes influence the choice of companions for conducting daily activities and travel; 2) how personal social networks and neighborhood social environments influence activity location choices and time use; and 3) how the dynamics of social networks and changes in residential social environments induce activity-travel behavior changes as a result of home relocation. This study adopts a longitudinal design and uses both cross-sectional data and longitudinal panel data. Multivariate modelling approaches including Structure Equation Modelling (SEM), multilevel logistic regression and a doubly censored Tobit model are employed. Findings from this study show that social network variables are significant determinants in explaining individuals’ engagements in joint/solo activities/travel and choices of companions for joint activities. Social network attributes and neighborhood social environments are also found to significantly influence individuals’ choices between in- and out-of-neighborhood locations for activities and time use. The study also demonstrates that changes in travel after residential relocation are induced by changes both in the built and social environments as well as the geography of social networks. These findings contribute to the knowledge about the social contexts of activity-travel behavior.

M.A. (Sociology) / An increase in the number of people living alone has been observed in various modern industrialised societies, paricularly over the last four decades. Despite this, very little is known about living alone, since until now very little comprehensive research has been undertaken into the lifestyle of those living alone. There has rather been a tendency among social scientists particularly those working within the framework of social integration theory - to base their researches on the assumption that people living .alone necessarily expose themselves to social isolation, to their own detriment. Other researchers, however, stress the probability that those living alone compensate for their relative isolation by maintaining more contacts outside the household and are thus not necessarily exposed to social isolation. The aim of this study was to use qualitative research in an exploratory way to collect in-depth information on the nature of the social integration of women living alone and other related aspects of their lives. Although the findings are therefore limited by the type of research, a number of tendencies regarding the lifestyles and social integration of those living alone can be identified .. Probably one of the most significant conclusions is that, as far as their social integration is concerned, people living alone cannot be treated as a homogeneous category: when, for instance, the regularity and quality of respondents' contact with the central figures in their lives is examined, it appears that their integration into these centrality networks ranges from very high to very low...

Ph.D. (Engineering Management) / This thesis explores the association between language, culture, and technological innovation. This is accomplished by examining primary data, and literature that is based on empirical research on the interplay between language, culture, and technological innovation. Multi, intra, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary perspectives are accordingly studied. The intent is to identify, assess and explicate language and cultural factors that support or act as barriers to technological innovativeness. The nature of the role played by these factors is also explored and explained. The methodology employed incorporates both the indigenous and foreign experiences through literature, case studies and primary data. The aim of this study is to understand better how to assist those nations that aspire to be technologically innovative. This research considers the characteristics of the innovation process, and the views and/or characteristics of the innovator. In other words, despite that a historically innovative person or nation and a user or a process of innovation, may all not know precisely why there is an innovation, they can still contribute to the inquiry. Relevant literature, case studies and interviews are used to identify the distinctive patterns and behaviours that characterize innovative people and processes. The thesis creates a theoretical framework that is useful for identifying the intrinsic nature and the rate of influence at various stages during the role played by language and cultural factors in technological innovation. The main contribution and conclusion of this thesis is that, language and/or cultural backgrounds do in fact positively contribute to technological innovation. However, when it comes to promoting and marketing the innovation, the business language plays a more significant role. It is further demonstrated that one’s national or primary culture, in response to needs, exposure, challenges, attitudes, beliefs, and values does play a critical role during the idea generation phase of the technological innovation process.

Telecommunication service utilisation (TSU) focuses on how customers make use of telecommunication services and can provide valuable information for decision making for improved customer service delivery. When a telecommunication service provider consults with customers, large amounts of static documentation on TSU data are compiled. Compiling this documentation for in-field investigation is manually intensive and the documentation does not effectively support decision making. Existing systems for visualising TSU data do not efficiently support in-field investigation of TSU and lack dynamic interaction. This highlights the need to investigate a solution to better support in-field investigation of TSU. This research followed a Design Science Research methodology to develop and evaluate a solution to solve the problem identified. The use of tablet devices for in-field investigation of TSU was identified as a suitable solution. Mobile information visualisation (MIV) techniques were investigated to determine appropriate display and interaction techniques for the visualisation of TSU data on a tablet device. An existing visualisation framework for TSU was identified and extended to incorporate touch-based interactions. Three service usage views were identified for visualising TSU, namely a Trend, Network and Detail Usage View. A Dashboard View was also identified to provide a quick reference view of the different views. A prototype called MobiTel was developed on a tablet device. MobiTel incorporated the identified information visualisation techniques. MobiTel was evaluated using an expert review and a user study to determine its usability and usefulness. The results indicated that MobiTel was perceived as being useful for in-field investigation and that the participants perceived the prototype to be easy to use and learn. The user study also indicated that the participants were satisfied with MobiTel. This research has determined that MIV techniques can be used for in-field investigation of TSU. Design recommendations were devised for designing an interactive mobile prototype for visualising service usage information. Future work will involve using map-based visualisation for visualising TSU data on different customer sites.

The thesis is divided generally into two sections. The first delineates the virtually invisible and yet dominating ideology (ethos) which directs advanced industrial society collectively and individually. The second portion presents the meaning of this ideology (ethos) for society and its members. More specifically, the second portion asserts that the nature of advanced industrial society mediates against the possibility of our understanding it, and further militates against the application of any understanding we might have to the resolution of the historical plight of our society. The concept of "ethos" is introduced, and a number of familiar strains in the historical development of advanced industrial society are described so as to show their interrelationship in development, and as mutual supports for one another. These strains are shown to combine in historical development to have meaning over and beyond the sum of their parts; to direct the society as the dominant ethos (ideology) — the liberal technocratic ethos. The argument holds that western man, being dominated by the need to conquer scarcity, sought to organize his activity in the most rationalized way to produce more goods. Science became the method by which he could gain control over nature. Bureaucracy was the organizational method by which the principles and prerogatives of science in its applied form,technology, could be instituted in society. Liberalism is seen as the formal philosophical explanation and justification of these changes in the organization of society. Taken together, the liberal technocratic ethos is basically and fundamentally scientific and economic. And it is the adherence to the values and prerogatives of this ethos which above all directs and determines the activity of advanced industrial society. The third chapter further describes the nature of the liberal technocratic ethos and speaks to the meaning it maintains in the society. Although it can be shown to qualify as a valid ideology, the liberal technocratic ethos is not considered as such because of its utter dominance in advanced industrial society (it "transcends" all contemporary ideological disputes because they largely accept the directives of the dominant ethos as given and thus carry on conventional debates circumscribed within this larger context); or because it is considered not to be a positive force in its own right, but rather a neutral method to apply on behalf of human needs and objectives. This is shown not to be the case, for the prerogatives of the liberal technocratic ethos make transforming demands on the whole of that which it must deal within the contemporary case, virtually every facet of our lives. Lastly, the thesis argues that advanced industrial society displays as affirmative character—that is, it serves to form its members so as to affirm itself. (The formative character of any society is granted as the process of developmnnt and socialization of any member.) On a sociological level, conformity to the values and procedures of the status quo is a bureaucratic prerogative. On a philosophical level, the philosophy of science strips other epistemological and ontological views of their validity, and thus of their ability to judge the scientific project of advanced industrial society. On a political level, the society is able to absorb alternatives into its dominant whole and further serves to transform the content of viable alternatives to that of support for the given historical project. Pluralism, philosophical and political, seems apparent, but it is feigned pluralism because no force does effectively challenge the larger dominance of the liberal technocratic ethos. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

The siting of municipal solid waste disposal facilities is often unsuccessful or delayed because of host community opposition. Physical, economic, social and political impacts of landfill and an incinerator site are identified, assessed and combined in a rational model to explain the cause of opposition. Residents' beliefs about facility impacts correspond well with the assessed physical impacts at the landfill in identifying odor, birds, traffic, water emissions and explosion risks as negative impacts and convenient disposal as a benefit. At the incinerator, common resident beliefs comprise odors, noise, traffic and air emissions as negative impacts and energy recovery as a benefit. Underlying these obvious physical impacts, however is a group of non-physical beliefs about the harm to community image, loss of control, unfairness, and property value losses in the host community. These non-physical impacts influence the attitude about the facility as strongly as the physical impacts. Finally, exposure to obvious physical impacts is shown to negatively influence the beliefs about physical and non-physical (economic, social and political) impacts. Thus, by screening the host community from obvious physical impacts (nuisances), the beliefs about community image, control, fairness and property values can be enhanced. Since negative attitude and opposition action are strongest prior to facility construction, the siting efforts need to be focused on this period. After construction, the host community adapts to the new situation. The facility impacts are combined into a model to define a criterion for acceptance. The net value of facility impacts and benefits must reach or exceed in value the narrow tolerance range at the original host community reference point to avoid significant host community opposition. Impact reduction rather than compensation is theoretically shown to be the more effective approach to fulfilling the acceptance criterion. This approach is empirically tested at typical waste facility sites. Despite higher costs for prevention and emission control methods to reduce physical and non-physical impacts, these methods are shown to be superior to mitigation and compensation in gaining community acceptance. Based on the conclusions, the policy statement on waste facility sitings recommends first, defining entitlements and rules for the siting process, establishing increasing waste reduction and separation in a waste management plan, and using participative community planning as long-term, preventive facility siting measures. Short term siting measures comprise, the negotiation of siting agreements, the use of best available technical emission controls and continued monitoring by an overview committee. The focused use of prevention and control measures to address host community concerns can substantially enhance community acceptance of municipal solid waste facilities. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

Most sociological explanations for the success of chiropractic in attracting and maintaining its clientele have failed to consider the clinical context and the nature of the interaction between chiropractors and clients. Rather, most studies have focussed on leadership qualities, the professionalization process, and the ancillary role of chiropractic in health care to account for its success with clients. This study argues that chiropractic in British Columbia is successful in making its clientele because: (1) it is able to persuade new clients toward chiropractic health care by using strategies that are designed to minimize the political, social and economic constraints upon it; (2) chiropractors are able to negotiate successfully, the differences in the health and illness beliefs [HMs] that are held by new clients and chiropractors as well as differences in explanations [EMs] for "present" health problems; and (c) chiropractors are able to provide potential patients with "positive" experiences in chiropractic clinics, which are different, in some respects, from experiences they have had elsewhere, for example, in their relationships with allopathic medicine. This study, therefore, describes how new clients are socialized in chiropractic clinical relationships and subsequently become chiropractic patients. 20 randomly selected chiropractors and a total of 60 new clients were interviewed for their impressions of chiropractic as well as their health beliefs and explanations for "present" health problems prior to encountering each other in the clinical setting. Their interactions were observed in the twenty clinical settings, with special focus on the negotiation of explanatory models. The patients were interviewed again, regarding their experiences and impressions, following their fourth visit to the clinic after their initial encounter. 20 "regular" or long-term chiropractic patients, one from each clinic, were also interviewed regarding their experiences. Data were analyzed by comparing pre- and post-interview results and by describing the nature of clinical interactions, relationships, and negotiation of explanatory models in the context of Kleinman's ethno-medical perspective and Goffman's social ethnographic perspective on interactions in everyday life. It was found that chiropractors (1) provide potential patients with "adequate" information and the opportunity to ask questions; (2) express non-judgemental views on the health problems of clients, which provides new clients with the opportunity to fully explain their health concerns; (3) utilize persuasive interaction structures and processes to minimize both the constraints upon chiropractic and the effects of deviancy and marginality labels, and to manage the impressions of potential patients; and (4) negotiate with potential patients over explanations for the causes of their health problems, which enables the delivery of chiropractic treatment by integrating, "shifting" and modifying clients' explanatory models and, to some extent, their own. These techniques for 'making' the chiropractic clientele appear to be successful. In this study, 53 of the 60 new clients were retained beyond the fifth visit. More generally, chiropractic is now the second largest primary health care provider group in B.C., next to allopathy, and is attracting an increasing number of patients. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate

Improvisational theater can tell us much about the driving social and cultural forces behind collaboration and collective constructions of reality, as well as the sorts of behaviors and practices that bolster their efficacy. The collaboration of the performers on generating a comedic piece of theater spontaneously from audience suggestions in a long improvisation creates a sense of what Victor Turner called communitas for the performers. That phenomenon can create a larger sense of socio-emotional unity between the audience and performers. Turning an anthropological lens on comedy theater, this presentation explores the performer-audience dynamic and its impact on the success of an improvised comedic performance. Research was conducted through an ethnography of improvisational acting troupes and their audiences in Rochester, New York, and presents a series of unique situated references that help delineate a social bond between the audience and performers, or a "micro" version of what Gary Allan Fine and Michaela DeSoucey term a "joking culture."

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