Large-scale socially-generated metadata is one of the key features driving the growth and success of the emerging Social Web. Recently there have been many research efforts to study the quality of this metadata - like user-contributed tags, comments, and ratings - and its potential impact on new opportunities for intelligent information access. However, much existing research relies on quality assessments made by human experts external to a Social Web community. In the present study, we are interested in understanding how an online community itself perceives the relative quality of its own user-contributed content, which has important implications for the successful selfregulation and growth of the Social Web in the presence of increasing spam and a flood of Social Web metadata. We propose and evaluate a machine learning-based approach for ranking comments on the Social Web based on the community's expressed preferences, which can be used to promote high-quality comments and filter out low-quality comments. We study several factors impacting community preference, including the contributor's reputation and community activity level, as well as the complexity and richness of the comment. Through experiments, we find that the proposed approach results in significant improvement in ranking quality versus alternative approaches.

A company can create a socially responsible image by having the public associate it (the company) with corporate social responsibility (CSR). Many researchers have asserted that a socially responsible image benefits a company in many ways. Zenisek (1979) clarified the complexity of CSR by approaching the concept through an organizational behavior approach. He constructed a CSR model that consisted of critical aspects—the ideological, operational, and societal aspects–in the relationship between a company and society. By applying Zenisek’s (1979) CSR model, this study conducts a content analysis of the corporate website homepages of Fortune Global 500 companies. The objective is to explore the variability in creating a socially responsible image through CSR communication by revenue, industry category, and country-of-origin. The results indicate that there are differences in communicating CSR aspects of CSR as well as CSR issues according to a company’s revenue, industry category, and country-of-origin. The study provides fresh insights for practitioners to approach CSR communication in business. / text

This thesis is an articulation of how the principles of socially-engaged Buddhism, a spiritual practice rooted in the teachings of the historical Buddha that integrates Buddhist practice and social activism, can enrich and enhance contemporary educational practice. It discusses Buddhist epistemology, metaphysics, ontology, psychology, ethics, and practice and relates these things to holistic education, critical pedagogy, SEL, and global education. On the basis of the theoretical understanding represented by that discussion, it articulates several theoretical principles that can be practically applied to the practice of teaching and learning to make it resonate with the theory and approach of sociallyengaged Buddhism. In integrating the implications of Buddhist teachings and practices with teaching and learning practice, it draws from bell hooks’ notion of “engaged pedagogy” in order to articulate a transformational, liberatory, and progressive approach to teaching called “socially-engaged pedagogy.” Socially-engaged pedagogy represents the notion that teaching and learning can be a practical site for progressive social action designed to address the real problem of suffering, both in the present and in the future, as it manifests in the world, exemplified by stress, illness, violence, war, discrimination, oppression, exploitation, poverty, marginalization, and ecological degradation.

Dauguma gerantologų daugiausiai nagrinėja buitines, socialines, ekonomines pagyvenusių žmonių integracijos problemas. Mažai dėmesio skiriama pagyvenusio žmogaus adaptacijai / integracijai į bendruomeninę veiklą globos institucijoje suteikiant galimybę jam išgyventi būties pilnatvę ir prasmingumą. Todėl šiame darbe bus analizuojamas bendruomeninio darbo užimtumo formos. Aktualumas – Bręstant valstybei, gilėja demokratinės nuostatos ir tradicijos dėl to padidėja reikalavimai užtikrinti visavertę pagyvenusių žmonių gyvenimo kokybę ir socializaciją.Viena iš šio darbo krypčių : pagyvenusių žmonių gyvenimo kokybės gerinimas valstybinėse globos įstaigose. Tyrimo objektas – Pagyvenusių žmonių įsitraukimas į įvairias veiklas, didinančias jų socializaciją. Tyrimo tikslas - nustatyti geriausiai tinkančias užimtumo formas, taikytinas soc.darbuotojo veikloje su pagyvenusiais žmonėmis jų visaverčiam gyvenimui užtikrinti. Tyrimo hipotezė - Šiuo metu globos įstaigose taikoma nepakankamos socialinės reabilitacijos paslaugos ir jų įvairovė yra nepakankama. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Atlikti mokslinės literatūros , įstatyminės bazės nagrinėjančios pagyvenusių žmonių gyvenimo globos įstaigose klausimus užsienio valstybėse ir Lietuvoje . 2. Apibūdinti socialinio gyvenimo turinį bei raišką pasirinktose pagyvenusių žmonių įstaigose. 3. Nustatyti socialinio darbo su pagyvenusiais žmonėmis pasirinktose įstaigose spragas. 4. Parengti rekomendacijas, kaip didinti pagyvenusių žmonių... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Due to the state development, the growth of democratic attitudes and traditions, the necessity to guarantee the human life quality and socialization has also increased. One of the work objectives is the improving of elderly people’s living quality in the state care centres. Research object is elderly people’s involvement into different activities which can improve their socialization. Research objective is to identify the best activity forms, which might be applied in a social worker’s work with care centre residents in order to make their life good. Research hypothesis is the fact that there are not enough social rehabilitation services in the care centres; the variety of services is insufficient as well. Research aims: 1. The analysis of foreign and Lithuanian scientific sources and laws, which focus on elderly people’s problems. 2. The description of social life content in the chosen care centres, trying to reveal employees’ sociality. 3. The estimation of social work drawbacks with residents in the chosen institutions. 4. The preparation of certain recommendations how to increase elderly people’s social integration and self-realization in the care centres. Research methods: • The analysis of literature sources and laws • Questionnaire • Observation • Conversation • The analysis of statistically obtained data Research stages: In the first part there is a scientific analysis, trying to base theoretically the hypothesis and assumptions of the scientists of psychology... [to full text]

Graduate

A growing concern among investors for social responsibility in relation to the business world and its effect on the environment, society, and government has increased and therefore different types of stock indices and funds that incorporate socially responsible ideals have been developed. However, a literature review revealed that there does not seem to be much information about the volatility of Green Funds or Socially Responsible Investments (SRI). Volatility is an important part of understanding the financial markets and is used by many to understand asset allocation, risk management, option pricing and many other functions. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate the volatility performance of SRIs, REFs and Conventional Indices by using different models CAPM, SR, JA and EGARCH, and monthly and daily data from the US, UK, Japan and Eurozone financial markets to compare results.   This thesis has been conducted by following an objective ontological and positivist epistemological position, because the data used for analysis in this thesis is independent from the author and has studied what actually exists, not what the author seeks to interpret. The research approach is functionalist, because this thesis sought to explain how the investments function in relation to volatility comparisons in different financial markets and if this volatility can be predicted through a framework of rules designed by previous researchers. The design is a deductive study of quantitative, longitudinal, secondary data, because hypotheses are derived from theory to test the volatility of time series data between the year 2007 and 2012 through empirical evidence.   Statistical evidence was found to suggest that the EGARCH model for volatility measurement is the best fit to model volatility and daily data can give more information and better consistency between results. SRIs were found to be less volatile than CIs in all financial markets; REFs were found more volatile than CIs in the US and Eurozone markets but not in the UK and Japan markets; REFs were found to be more volatile than SRIs in all markets except the UK; REFs were also found to be more volatile than SRIs and CIs during a recession in all markets except the UK. Evidence also indicated that the correlations between REFs and SRIs in the US and Eurozone were significant, but not significant in the UK and Japan market samples. The correlations were low between the UK and Japan SRIs, Japan and Eurozone SRIs and Japan SRI and Eurozone REF, which suggest that an investor may consider to diversify between these investments. However, all other statistically significant correlations between financial markets were high and could consequentially deliver poor long term investment performance.

This article explores some of the social processes and functions within a community of learners who had to adjust to changing social and academic contexts. The group included 13 learners from Botswana, five of whom were males and eight of whom were females, with an age range of between 25 and 45 years. The learners were primarily Tswana-speaking, with the exception of one who spoke Afrikaans. The learners were registered for an informal one-year counselling certificate course at the North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus. The Botswana learners had no prior contact with mainly white, Afrikaans-speaking communities, such as those found in Potchefstroom. As a result, they had to make various adjustments on personal, academic and social levels. An inductive qualitative approach was followed, using the Mmogo™-method as a case study, to gain insight into the experiences of a group of learners. The Mmogo™-method facilitated the use of culturally appropriate items and the learners were able to use cultural symbols to reflect on their experiences. The learners were asked to make visual presentations of their experiences throughout the time spent in their new contexts. Thereafter focus group discussions were conducted, where the visual presentations were discussed. The central themes were derived from the focus group data and the analysis of the visual presentations. The findings indicate that the process of creating new social meanings occurred through various phases. The initial phases were marked by uncertainty and misconceptions. The early interactions among the community of learners led them to realise that they generally shared the same goals, and also had other things in common, such as political and religious beliefs. The development of a collective consciousness was characterised by the emergence of smaller groups within the large community. As time went by, the collective consciousness in the community deepened and the smaller groups became more diffused. This contributed to open sharing of information and knowledge creation; and it facilitated the attainment of goals. The findings also indicate that there were a number of processes involved in the construction of meanings that contributed to the negotiation of meaning, and an exchange of ideas and information within the community of learners. The communication patterns within the community of learners were found to be open, honest and inclusive. This contributed to the free flow of information and facilitated minimisation of misconceptions. In addition, these patterns facilitated decision-making and encouraged feelings of belonging within the community. Natural leadership emerged and the responsibilities associated with it were discharged in specific and African-conscious ways. The learners also used context-specific analogies to illustrate relational support within their community. For example, they compared relational support to oxen pulling a plough and to a traditional three-legged pot to express the extent to which they mutually depended on each other's talents and resources. The findings also point to certain underlying assumptions that contributed to the development of relational support. In this community, a collective consciousness and sense of trust emerged as the learners worked together towards their goals. The values of sharing and working together are also the defining features of the African worldview. / Thesis (M.A. (Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

国立情報学研究所で電子化したコンテンツを使用している。

Thesis (MEd)--University of South Australia, 1995

Thesis (MEd - Curriculum Leadership) -- University of South Australia, 1992