The simplicity of the Environmental Kuznets (EKC) curve concept motivated this study of the relationships between environmental, economic and social indicators at the country, city/regional and manufacturing facility scale. The study builds on almost 20 years of research on the EKC, which has shown conflicting results for confirmation of the EKC hypothesis that the environment first degrades, then improves, with increasing economic wealth. Most EKC studies use country-scale income or GDP as the primary economic indicator of interest; this study experiments with city/regional GDP at the local scale and a country-scale "market maturity" indicator commonly used by the corporation studied. The manufacturing facility scale analysis is new territory in the EKC literature. Firm-scale studies in the past have been just that, evaluating firm environmental performance across a specific industry. This effort evaluates manufacturing facility performance within the same firm across a set of 21 countries of interest to the corporation. This study is unique in a few other ways. Including multiple scales in the same study is not common in the EKC literature. Typically, a study would focus on one or a few indicators at one specific scale. The actual environmental and social outcome variables used here are also somewhat unique. Generally speaking, the results reported here will fall into the "mixed" bucket relative to the 20 years of existing EKC literature; however, a possible research platform is established based on the possible nesting of multiple scales within the same research effort.

Charles and Lynn(2004)認為財富管理的定義，是由不同型態的投資工具組成，透過理財專員釐清投資目標、風險承受度及達成目標的時間，進行有系統規劃，創造客戶最高報酬。然而台灣銀行業在雙卡風暴後，紛紛轉戰財富管理市場，透過產品銷售，搶佔客戶荷包，收取手續費，創造銀行獲利。事實上，銀行的理財專員仍以產品銷售導向，將投資性產品賣給客戶，這樣的模式與財富管理的精神相差甚遠，銀行瞭解這樣經營下，未能讓銀行持續高成長，於是國內領導銀行為突顯差異化經營，已開始導入理財規劃，企圖開創新局，讓獲利持續成長。 經本研究調查，國內理財專員的銷售管理制度，從銷售規劃的獎金制度及績效衡量，仍是以產品收益為主要目標，生產力更是主要年度評量指標，這樣的銷售管理並無法真正落實理財規劃，本研究利用個案研究方式，探索國外成功經驗的銷售規劃，比較國內銀行的差異，提出落實理財規劃時，在銷售管理的建議方式。 首先，針對獎酬規劃應調整為重視質化數據及量化績效，兩者比重差異不應差距太大，質化數據讓理財專員重視高資產淨值客戶的滿意度及銷售流程，量化評量著重於客戶資產的淨增、理財規劃的完整性及投資分散，而不是只重視生產力及銷售量；其次理財專員在理財規劃的專業能力，也應同時提昇，在導入理財規劃時，應重視銷售流程及執行能力，並透過檢測機制讓主管與理財專員專注客戶價值；最後，主管在年度評量升遷或獎金時，將不在只是提拔銷售績效佳的理財專員，應該重視真正落實理財規劃的同仁。 國內財富管理業務近三年雖然有兩位數成長，國外個案分析後發現，落實理財規劃有高達70%的成長率，同時客戶滿意度及往來資產明顯提昇，透過此次研究，提供國內銀行導入理財規劃制度時，在銷售管理的調整與建議。

Informed by the literature regarding the gap in wealth between white and non-white households in the United States, as well as the literature on segregation and neighborhood preference, this research explores the home value component of the wealth gap in Hillsborough County, Florida. It finds that homes in Predominantly Black or Hispanic neighborhoods are not only undervalued compared to Predominantly White and heterogeneous neighborhoods, but have appreciated more slowly at least since 2000. The research also finds that buyers identifying as black or Hispanic are more likely than those identifying as white or "other" to purchase homes in Predominantly Black or Hispanic neighborhoods. Controlling for income, loan amount and loan product, buyers identifying as Black or Hispanic select neighborhoods with lower median home values and lower rates of appreciation than do those identifying as white. Given that these homebuyers spend as much both initially and in payments over time as do those who identify as white, while their purchases are worth less and appreciate less, this research contributes to the literature by positing that the racial wealth gap will increase as blacks and Hispanics receive lower returns on their comparatively greater home investments than do whites.

This dissertation includes two related chapters that investigate corporate governance. In the first chapter, we examine the effectiveness of board monitoring on CEOs. It is widely believed that outsider boards are better monitors. In fact, regulations now require that the board of directors of publicly traded firms be composed of a majority of independent directors (or outsiders). However, this paper documents that an insider-dominated board can monitor the CEO just as well as an outsider board can when the firm's CEO is hired from outside. The results suggest that what matters is not so much as the structure of the board, but the "independence" between the board and the CEO it monitors. Specifically, we find that insider boards monitor more of their firms' CEOs if the CEO is hired from outside than from within. In addition, outsider boards monitor both inside and outside CEOs the same way. We also find little difference between insider and outsider boards when they monitor outside CEOs. The main contribution of this paper is to show that an insider board can be an effective monitor as long as it is independent of the CEO. In other words, what is important is board independence, not board structure per se. In chapter two, we examine the relation between the change in a firm's value and its CEO selection sources: internal promotion versus external hire in both high and low product competition environments. Our results show that firms will be better off hiring an outside CEO (external hire) when the firms operate in a low product competition industry. Specifically, the evidence shows that hiring an outside CEO for a firm in a low product competition industry will increase the firm's value by about 3% for the entire tenure of the CEO. The main contribution of this paper is to show that product market competition is an important factor in CEO selection.

This study sought to research and documents the experiences of a group of Mexican undocumented college graduates in the state of Texas. Mexican students were chosen for this study because they are the largest undocumented group residing not only in the United States, but also in the state of Texas. Furthermore, this study revealed perceived and real opportunities Mexican undocumented students have after college graduation. The study focused on college choice as aspirational capital, Latina/o critical race theory (LatCrit) through testimonios as counternarratives, social capital, and cultural wealth to frame a discussion on the post-college experiences of Mexican undocumented college graduates. Furthermore, the study provided a review of legislation and policies addressing the broader immigration context. Overall, this study concluded that for the participants in this study, social capital as well as cultural wealth played important roles in how critical connections and networks operated. After exposure to social capital, participants were able to build their own networks and by tailoring it to their unique needs, were able to help their community by providing access and information about the college admissions process and available options after college graduation. In doing so, they were able to adapt, thrive, and survive within racist and discriminatory societal structures. College choice played a pivotal part in this study, but given the participants’ immigration status, they were left to attend institutions in their home state of Texas. However, given the participants academic acumen, they were able to attend and graduate from the state’s premier public flagship institution. Through their testimonios, activism, and civic engagement the participants shared their experiences as undocumented college students as well as college graduates. In the process, participants dispelled myths about their intellectual abilities and their potential to succeed. Still, their options were limited given their lack of a social security number. This study contributed to the limited literature about opportunities and challenges Mexican undocumented college students face upon degree completion. / text

SEW refers to the stock of affect-related values that an owning family derives from its family business. As a promising theoretical concept, the SEW has been used widely to explain the diverse strategic choices of family firms compared to non-family firms. However, little study has been done to measure SEW directly and to measure the effect of SEW on family firms’ strategic choices.     Within the context of family-owned Hidden Champions, this thesis study replicates the five-dimension model proposed by Berrone et al. in an empirical study to verify the psychometric measurement on the degree of SEW. Furthermore, internationalization has been chosen as an example to demonstrate the effects of SEW on family firms’ strategic choices and outcomes.   This study has verified the reliability and validity of the SEW scale and SEW’s five subscales constructed. Furthermore, the measurement on SEW and its five dimensions has been applied to examine the effects of SEW and its five dimensions on the internationalization of family firms. The findings reveal that SEW has a negative effect on the internationalization of family firms, which is mainly due to the negative effect of Family Control and Influence.

In Central Texas, one high school (hereafter referred to as Literacy High) has attempted to help bridge the literacy gap in immigrant populations so as to more easily facilitate their success in standard classroom settings. In this high school, recent immigrants can focus extensively on English language studies so that, upon completion of the program, they can return to their neighborhood high schools with the linguistic and cultural capital (Bourdieu, 1973, 1974, 1977) they need to succeed in a heterogeneous group setting. The following study focuses on second-year students from Mexico within this school. Basing itself upon Yosso's (2006a, 2006b, 2007) theory of “community cultural wealth”, this ethnographic study looks for evidence of cultural attributes held by Mexican tenth grade students that contribute positively to their English literacy development and performance in Literacy High's coursework. The study has found that, primarily, Mexican students at Literacy High are assisted in their coursework by their previously developed aspirational capital (i.e. their ability to maintain their hopes and dreams for a better future even when faced with real and perceived barriers) and navigational capital (i.e. their ability to maneuver through social institutions, in this case the educational system). These characteristics enable them to pass their classes both at Literacy High and the high schools they transfer to upon program completion. However, this high achievement in terms of grades does not necessarily translate into complete English literacy, especially oral literacy. Potential reasons for these results will be discussed, based upon observations of sampled students in Literacy High classes, interviews with these students, and interviews with all Literacy High teachers. This work will also discuss the relative merit of both formal school settings and nonprofit settings in teaching written and oral literacy. Positive exemplary case studies of nonprofit ESL programs will be compared and contrasted with the results from this case study to determine what skills are most effectively taught in either setting, and how particular practices from both nonprofit and formal school settings might be better incorporated in each to improve achievement. The work will end with recommendations for how English literacy might more effectively be taught in formal school settings like Literacy High. / text

Most research on low-income, racial minority students' access to higher education has been conducted in urban communities. Little research explores these students' experiences within rural settings. Using Ríos-Aguilar, Kiyama, Gravitt and Moll's framework (2011) that bridges Yosso's (2005) "community cultural wealth" with alternative forms of capital, this case study investigated how three alumni students from a low-income, rural, border community accessed information and resources for college within their school, homes and community. Narratives, one-on-one interviews, and a survey questionnaire helped determine multiple forms of capital participants leveraged towards higher education. Participants' college pursuits and choices were influenced by information from family members, teachers and guidance counselors, community scholarships, and emotional support of family, friends, and community members. Research must continue to follow the experiences of rural, low-income, minority students access to higher education and create better opportunities and connections for them to attend college.

This study is the first to measure the interaction of socioemotional wealth (SEW) and social capital, consisting of community and institution, and their impact in post-disaster recovery of small family businesses. Hierarchical multiple regression is used based on a sample of 79 small family businesses in Indonesia. Our findings suggest that family firms in post-disaster situation are able to pursue both SEW goals and economic gains, thus breaking the trade-off between SEW vs. economic benefits. More specifically, we found that SEW—as a strategic decision making tool—shows its prominence on the interaction between SEW-community and SEW-institution. This implies that small family businesses need to find synergy between socioemotional endowments and social capital to help them to bounce back and recover after a disaster.

Rebirthing – is form of american pranayoga. Also breathing is one of most principal yoga aspects, which removes physical and emotional blocks in the cellular level of all human body. Rebirthing is called also, conscious connected breathing, live or intuitive breathwork. The main object of rebirthing is to disperse daily stress. It’s also used as a therapeutic healing method, which person can practice and this way to learn sense of fresh energy. Urgency of reserach was stipulate by reason, that rebirthing was not investigate in Lithuania until now, although came here in revival period, on 1991. consequently this scientific work is the first rebirthing research in Lithuania. The object of research is to investigate subjectival estimated emotional wealth changes of people, which are practicing rebirthing. It was promoted hypothesis of research, that person regulary practicing conscious connected breathing, can achieve reduce of chained feelings, express emotions. This practice attaches rest and relaxation. The tasks of research: 1. To analyse, rebirthing conception by theoretical aspect. 2. To establish subjectical estimated feelings and emotions from outset of rebirthing practice. 3. To reveal subjectical estimated emotional wealth changes. The realized researches established, that majority of engaged into research get over suppressed anxiety, fear and weeping. ... [to full text]