This thesis is a study of La Nacion, the largest circulating newspaper in Costa Rica. The purpose of this study is to examine whether claims made by La Nacion regarding their fairness and balance of news coverage are justified.

Many students in an allied health program at a Middle Eastern Arab university were experiencing difficulties with courses taught in English, resulting in poor academic achievement, low grade point averages, a high failure rate amongst its first year students, and an adverse impact upon a future skilled and educated work force for the region. Tinto's theory of institutional action for students' success served as the conceptual framework for the inquiry that used a qualitative explanatory case study method to examine the experiences of those students who were facing difficulties with their studies. To address questions about why students were failing and leaving the school and how the institution might remedy this educational problem, the study employed initial and follow-up interviews and reviews of academic records and portfolios of 6 currently enrolled or recently graduated students over age 21, who volunteered to participate. Content and thematic analysis of the collected qualitative data produced findings indicative of lack of college readiness among students and gaps in institutional practices such as remedial methods for the unprepared students. Based on the study findings, a policy recommendation for improving the educational practices was introduced to support building a better educational environment at the school. The positive social change implications of this study are not only limited to establishing programs to support the students' success and improve retention rates at the institution but also may include the establishment of more effective approaches to the reform measures of the educational system in the country.

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This thesis examines the development of and interrelationships among organisations in the Australian Deaf community during the early part of the 20th Century, particularly during the 1920s and 1930s. It focuses on those organisations which Deaf people attempted to establish themselves, or with hearing supporters, in response to their rejection of the philosophy and practices of the existing charitable organisations such as Deaf Societies and Missions. It also analyses the responses of the Societies and Missions to these moves. The thesis adopts a social history perspective, describing events as much as possible from the perspective of the Deaf people of the time. These developments within the Deaf community were influenced by wider social movements in Australian society during these decades, such as the articulation of minority groups as 'citizens', and their search for 'advancement', autonomy and equal rights. Australia's first schools and post-school organisations for Deaf people were closely modelled on 19th Century British institutions. The thesis describes the development of these early Australian institutions and argues that Deaf people had active or contributing roles in many of them. During the early 20th Century most of these organisations came under closer control of hearing people, and Deaf people's roles became marginalised. During the late 1920s many Deaf adults began to resist the control of Societies and Missions, instead aspiring to 'manage their own affairs'. In two states, working with hearing supporters, they successfully established alternative organisations or 'breakaways', and in another state they engaged in protracted but unsuccessful struggles with the Deaf Society. Australian Deaf people established a national organisation in the 1930s, and this led to the creation of an opposing national organisation by the Societies. Most of these new organisations did not survive beyond the 1930s, but they significantly affected the power structures and relationships between Deaf and hearing people in Australia for several decades afterwards. These events have been largely ignored and even strategically suppressed by later generations, possibly for reasons which parallel other episodes of amnesia and silence in Australian history.

After a long period of isolation, China embarked on an open door policy in 1978. Keen to modernize her economy and improve her living standards, China sought to intensify her economic relations with Japan, one of her closest neighbours and one of the most advanced and dynamic economies in the world. An air of optimism marked the signing of the Japan-China Long Term Trade Protocol in 1978. China was confident that this agreement would launch her into the path of modernization in a relatively short period of time. This process of intensification of economic links with Japan, however, was not without difficulties. Over the years between 1979 and 1985, the Chinese failed to fulfil key obligations of the agreement including the non-payment for service received and the permiting of, severe shortfalls in the supply of agreed goods. The execution of the agreement was beset with problems. The agreement from which both sides had hoped to reap substantial economic benefits did not bear fruit; instead friction developed, which had ensued with disastrous consequences for both sides. What was the root cause of this friction? Was it the consequence of the incompatibility of the economic systems, one communist and the other capitalist? Or was the failure the result of political factors? Or could it be a much deeper reason relating to inherent socio-cultural factors which affected the decision-making processes in each of the countries? This thesis seeks to examine closely the root cause of the Chinese-Japanese trade friction. The writer argues that while different ideologies and political systems contributed to the problem, the dominant reason has socio-cultural origins, which have to do with the way the Chinese and Japanese societies evolved historically. Although both societies had Confucian ethical underpinnings of their social systems, they began to develop their own distinct characteristics. This coloured their world views and had a major impact in the way each society evolved its management practices. The Chinese rejection of some key aspects of Confucianism and its acceptance of Qinstyle authoritarianism, as subsequently modified by Sino- Marxist principles, produced an organisational framework and set of practices that did not prepare China to meet the demands of economic modernisation. This had adversely effected China's abilities to manage its trade relations with the economically advanced Japan. Section One of this thesis, which includes Chapters 1 and 2, outlines the framework of Chinese-Japanese trade cooperation beginning in the late 1970's. Chapter 1. seeks to give an overview of the rationale behind China's new open-door policy and its expectations of trade co-operation with Japan. It outlines the nature of trade co-operation including the structure of China-Japan trade. Chapter 2. proceeds to discuss the ensuing difficulties and the responses of the Chinese and Japanese governments. The writer then discusses the subsequent actions taken by the two governments to revive the co-operation that had gone wrong. An analysis of the faults of both governments that led to the disastrous consequences is then made. Section Two, which includes Chapters 3 and 4, seeks to examine the fundamental causes of the friction in the trade relations between the two countries. The writer examines the role played by socio-cultural factors and how they affected the decision-making processes in both countries. In particular, Chapter 3. analyses the role of feudalism in China as modified by the emergence of the centralized bureaucracy which characterize the Qin dynasty (221 to 207 BC). The impact of the anti-merchantilism, which was the direct consequence of Qin-style bureaucracy, and the question of the destruction of the urban middle class by the bureaucracy are highlighted. The writer argues that the absence of the urban middle class is one of the fundamental reasons why China is unable to produce an economically-progressive, capitalist-oriented society. This led to a state of economic backwardness. Chapter 4. contrasts the Chinese situation with Japan, by analysing the ideological underpinning of Japanese society. It outlines the various reform movements in Japan that led to the development of a society that is economically dynamic . A modern state has emerged in Japan in contrast to the emergence of a backward society in China. The writer also discusses the influence of Japanese Confucian values in the development of this modern state. This was to have a significant impact on Japanese management philosophy and practices. The last Section, which includes Chapter 5, 6, and 7, discusses the lessons to be learnt from the trade friction betwen the two countries. In particular, Chapter 5. analyses the vastly different approaches taken by the Chinese in contrast to the Japanese. The Chinese decision-making process which is characterized by chaos, inefficiency and bureaucratic bungling is contrasted with the Japanese style. The latter's approach is systematic, well thought out and meticulously planned. The Japanese, however, failed to take into account the vastly different operating environment in their dealings with China. Chinese behavioural responses were a variable that the Japanese were unprepared to deal with. This resulted in chaos in the strategic management of the trade relations between the two countries. Notwithstanding this friction, however, both China and Japan realize that they must proceed with their trade relations and minimize whatever frictions emerged over time. The last part of the thesis, Chapter 6. outlines the possible approaches that both sides can adopt in their dealings with each other. An approach with Lindblom's "muddling through" perspective is recommended by the writer. Chapter 7 contains the conclusion drawn from this study.

<p>The aim of this study was to find a connection between changes in societies and changes in semantic prototypes by examining the prototypes of ‘fruit’ and ‘car’ among Slovenes that reached adulthood in Yugoslavia and Slovenes that that reached adulthood in the Republic of Slovenia and to compare those results with a control group of native English speakers. The results of the study suggests that in some aspects, the prototypes of ‘fruit’ and ‘car’ amongyounger Slovenes have moved closer to what they are in cultures that have a long history of capitalism and consumerism. The opinions about how good an example of a ‘fruit’ a banana is, is the best example of this. Younger Slovenes and the control group see it as a very good example, while older Slovenes rated it lower. The older Slovenes were also slightly more accepting of a very small car model being a good example of a ‘car’, than both younger Slovenes and the control group were.</p>

Many development organizations now recognize the importance of culturally sensitive project design and implementation. Unfortunately most of these groups continue to disregard the significance of gender. This qualitative research examines a women's cooperative in rural El Salvador which formed in order to find a means of generating income and to improve the general status of women in this region. One purpose of this qualitative research was to investigate what, if any, economic and social benefits the cooperative members received through their involvement. Another purpose was to analyze the models of development employed by the agencies involved in implementing four cooperative projects, as well as the member's attitudes toward those projects. Data presented in this thesis was collected during a fifteen-month period in 1994 and 1995, and a one-month period in 1998. Twenty-six cooperative members were interviewed in 1998. The four projects investigated include cows and nutrition, land and reforestation, artisan crafts and corn mills. These findings indicate that the empowerment model of development, in which self-reliance is maintained and strategic gender needs are met through mobilizing around practical gender needs, is the most successful. Focusing on local knowledge and preserving the agency of the target population are critical to project success. The findings also show that social power is attained by many women in the cooperative as increased self-esteem and involvement lead to gaining a legitimate voice in community affairs. Economic power, however, is only achieved by maintaining a paid leadership position within the cooperative. This research makes recommendations centered on improved access to credit. / Graduation date: 2001