Browsing by Subject "Strategies"
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Item A framework for selecting strategies to impact the success of high volume roadway projects(Texas A&M University, 2006-08-16) Chabannes, Clayton C.State Highway Agencies (SHAs) are being forced to focus more on rehabilitation, resurfacing, and reconstruction of existing roadways rather than the construction of new facilities. These activities can create several challenges when they must be conducted on roadways with high traffic volumes. This research identified numerous strategies that can be implemented by SHAs that have the potential to influence the overall success of roadway projects with high traffic volumes. This research also created a framework for when to implement these different strategies. These strategies were identified through an in-depth literature review and through case studies conducted on highway projects that were under construction. Through the case studies the different strategies were documented within the context that warranted their use. Information from the case studies was collected and documented through interviews and site visits. The strategies identified through this research were used to create four matrices that summarize the research findings. A general matrix was created to show the motivating project conditions that warrant the use of each strategy. A public relations matrix was created to display the influence the impacted road user groups have on public relations and information strategies. A traffic management matrix was created to show different types of traffic management strategies and the potential impact they will have on the project. Finally, an interdependency matrix was created to show groups of strategies that are related to each other or require the use of other strategies to be able to influence the success of the project. These matrices could be further developed to create a set of guidelines that could be used by a SHA during the planning phases of a roadway project.Item An adult ESL curriculum development project : integrating academic effectiveness with a critical orientation(2012-05) Joseph, Amy Elizabeth; Horwitz, Elaine Kolker, 1950-; Martínez, Ramón Antonio; De Lissovoy, NoahThis paper is a curriculum proposal for a mid to high beginner adult English as a Second Language class. It is hoped that this curriculum will prove to meet students’ academic needs, especially in terms of development of literacy, listening skills, and language learning strategies. In addition to this, the lessons include a critical orientation; that is, the class is structured to facilitate student engagement with social issues, namely racism and economic struggles. With these considerations in minds, two units comprising half the semester were developed and relevant extra materials are provided.Item Challenges and strategies of shale gas development(2012-05) Lee, Sunje; Groat, Charles G.The objective of this paper is to help new investors and project developers identify the challenges of shale gas E&P and to enlighten them of the currently available strategies so that they can develop the best project plan and execute it without suffering unexpected challenges. This paper categorizes the challenges into five groups and concentrates on shale-gas-specific challenges. It excludes conventional oil and gas development challenges because by and large these five major challenge groups seem to decide the success and failure of most shale gas projects. The five groups are the identification of shale gas potentials, the technical challenges in well design and stimulation strategies, the economic challenges such as high cost of new technologies, the environmental challenges concerning the hydraulic fracturing water, and the international challenges of performing projects outside the US. The strategies are yet to be well established and are still evolving rapidly. Hence, before starting a shale gas project, shale gas developers need to perform extensive and intensive check-ups on the challenges and on current available strategies as well as to stay up to date thereafter on new strategies.Item Enhancing sheltered social studies instruction for ELLs in secondary school(2012-05) Smith, Regina Maxine; Callahan, Rebecca M.; Horwitz, ElaineThis report explores the concept of sheltered instruction in response to the shifting demographics of English language learners (ELLs) in educational institutions across the United States. Following a discussion of the goals of and threats to sheltered instruction, I recommend the integration of social studies pedagogy and English language development in the sheltered classroom. The blending of social studies instructional practices and language acquisition pedagogy promotes a safe, culturally-sensitive environment in which ELLs can develop linguistic, socio-cultural, and academic skills in secondary school. I also acknowledge that teachers’ attitude toward ELLs can potentially influence their academic achievement. Therefore, I recommend that all teachers participate in three areas of professional development: socio-cultural sensitivity, pedagogical practices, and policy awareness. Enhancing sheltered social studies instruction and participating in professional development have the potential to provide ELLs with quality grade-level education and the means to become successful secondary students.Item Online brand communities in Korea : a case study(2009-12) Son, Yangsuk; Choi, Sejung Marina; Sung, YongjunThe importance of online brand communities has received increasing attention from both academia and industry. This paper reports a case study. It explains successful online strategies developed by two leading brands, Samsung mobile and Chungjungwon, in Korea. The current study has shown that the online brand community can act as a marketing tool to develop a group of loyal consumers around the brand. This study provides marketers with insights into and some useful guidelines for the creation and maintenance of successful marketer-generated online brand communities. The findings also suggest that there are differences in community development and management strategies, according to the characteristics of product category and community members, as well as in the purpose of the community operation.Item Perceptions of Texas public school superintendents and legislators regarding strategies utilized by superintendents to influence the development of educational policies(2013-05) Bonewald, Gregory Jason; Olivárez, RubénThe purpose of this study was to identify perceptions of superintendents and legislators regarding strategies utilized by superintendents to influence the development of educational policies. The study was guided by the following three research questions: 1) How do Texas superintendents perceive they influence state legislators in the development of educational policies? 2) How do Texas legislators perceive Texas superintendents influence state legislators in the development of educational policies? 3) What commonalities and differences exist between the perceptions of Texas superintendents and legislators in regard to how superintendents influence state legislators in the development of educational policies? A qualitative methodology and a grounded theory approach were utilized in this study (Corbin & Strauss, 2008). Data was collected via in-depth interviews with three purposely selected Texas public school superintendents and three Texas legislators. The data were coded and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding techniques (Patton, 2002). This method of data analysis allowed for themes to emerge from the data and for the identification of a single overarching theme by which all other themes were connected. This study's findings uncovered that superintendents influence the development of educational policies at the state level by interacting with legislators and their staff members, by participating as members of professional organizations, and by enlisting local stakeholders. Ingrained in each of these processes for influencing policy development is the overarching theme that superintendents must build and foster relationships to influence the development of educational policies. Based on a thorough examination of the data gathered in this study, implications for practice were offered and recommendations for consideration of future studies that build upon this research were provided. This study is one of the only research endeavors ever conducted to examine the strategies utilized by superintendents to influence the development of educational policies. It is the only study of its kind known to the researcher that utilizes qualitative methodology. The richness of the data provided by the participants of this study adds significant value to the knowledge base regarding the political role of the public school superintendent to influence policy development.Item Shooting the Morro : favela documentaries and the politics of meaning(2013-05) Stoner, Spencer Winston; Leu, LorraineTo many in the global North, the favelas of Rio de Janeiro are the most visible face of violence and poverty in Brazil. While the favela film genre (and its subset, the favela documentary) has received significant study, there is a gap in understanding how these filmic texts are created as a result of individual production processes. How do decisions made during the course of production translate into imaginaries, representations, and on-screen content? This research locates multiple forms of non- fiction video within the wider context of mediated representations of poverty and violence in favelas, identifying the tools, mechanisms, and specific tactics employed by both favela stakeholders and production personnel in the co-production of these often heavily-mediated images. Utilizing key informant interviews with Rio-based documentary production personnel actively shooting in favelas, this research highlights specific production processes to understand how implicit incentive structures embodied in production shape and influence representations of the favela space. These findings make the case for understanding non-fiction favela films as the product of a highly structured and nuanced, if asymmetrical, co-production between filmmaker and subjects, rather than a simple linear imposition of meaning from above. These results suggest that the combination of individual production strategies with ongoing changes within the city related to “pacification” serves to simultaneously undermine and re-inscribe traditional imaginaries and mediatic geographies of the favela space.