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In this paper, I aimed to explore deeply the Hong Kong ‘1997 handover’ theme films by comparison and summary in order to discover the history and cultural meaning of this incident from a human perspective. 1997 is a turning point for Hong Kong people, society and the film industry. The city confronted a historical turning point under an experimental ‘one country, two systems’ convention without precedent in history. This led many Hong Kong people to lose confidence about their future. In addition, this historical incident brought a series of social issues to Hong Kong people, such as confusio...

How a nation or region develops is infallibly linked to how well it can deliver ideas, information and data throughout its population. The greater the freedom to send, receive and synthesize information, the more likely a given country is to have a higher standard of living as measured by per capita income and other economic indicators. This study demonstrates that the economic development of a nation or region is connected to its ability to transport said intelligence in a highly expeditious and economic manner. Without this ability, technological development and the exchange / flow of...

Over the past few years, long-duration gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), including the subclass of X-ray flashes (XRFs), have been revealed to be a rare variety of Type Ibc supernova (SN Ibc). While all these events result from the death of massive stars, the electromagnetic luminosities of GRBs and XRFs exceed those of ordinary Type Ibc SNe by many orders of magnitude. The observed diversity of stellar death corresponds to large variations in the energy, velocity, and geometry of the explosion ejecta. Using multi-wavelength (radio, optical, X-ray) observations of the nearest GRBs, XRFs, and...

This project is concerned with the factors that are responsible for the failure of Information Technology outsourcing in reducing the costs for companies. Even though there is a substantial amount of evidence in the literature that confirms the problem of IT outsourcing ineffectiveness, researchers and practitioners are still a long way from adopting a common view on the factors that can lead to inefficient outsourcing. This lack of understanding has serious managerial implications since it is hindering the ability of managers to make outsourcing decisions and manage their IT functions in a ...

The purpose of this study was to investigate church congregants’ ratings of church deacons’ leadership skills utilizing the MLQ instrument and compare those ratings among 4 selected churches in Memphis, Tennessee. Because the church has experienced a rapid rate of growth in its membership and has been focused on dealing with those congregation-wide growing pains, it has neglected to provide the support to the deacons, which is necessary for their development. The problem related to rapid growth has resulted in empirical and anecdotal statements by various congregants that ...

The problem addressed in the current study was that disruptive student behavior is detrimental to learning because quality teacher-student interaction time is reduced. The purpose of this ethnographic research study was to explore relationship between disruptive behavior of students and leadership styles of teachers, parents and school leaders. Results indicated that in some cases, an individualized approach could help the K-6 elementary student by reducing their disruptive behavior. However, it was also confirmed that as part of this individualized approach, school-wide implementation might p...

For several decades, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) has played a major role in the lives of people recovering from alcohol dependence. For many, AA is a first-line treatment, while others join AA during inpatient or outpatient substance abuse treatment programs. Many AA members are middle-aged and older adults. However, in an organization that does not keep formal records, it is difficult to discern what proportion of older members classify as early onset or late-onset alcohol dependents. The research question was: What is the experience of long-term sobriety for men ages 55 through 65 who are curr...

The Louisiana timber industry relies on the availability of harvestable trees. In areas affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the black turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus terebrans) contributed to the mortality of loblolly (Pinus taeda) and slash (Pinus elliottii) pine trees. This timber loss due to natural causes reduces the landowner’s earnings The BTB girdles the cambium layer of pines that are weakened by wind or drought. This study estimated post-Rita beetle damage on a 458-acre slash pine tract consisting of 157 trees per acre on the West Bay Wildlife Management Area, Louisiana. Timber ...

This study was conducted in South Africa. South Africa is the first country within the Southern African Development Community to have regulated plastic shopping bags waste through the imposition of both a standard on thickness and a levy. Given this scenario, the Plastic Bags Regulations present an illustrative case for researching complexity, uncertainty and controversies surrounding a new trend in environmental policy making, namely waste product regulation. The thesis focuses on understanding and investigating tensions, debates and responses emerging from the policy process as actors and ac...

This study explored the relationship between dreams, discernment, and spiritual intelligence. It focused on the experience of people who use dreams to help them with spiritual discernment or decision-making in a spiritual context. A case study methodology included questionnaires, personal dream records, and interviews to understand the seven participants’ experiences of exploring their dreams for guidance. Participants were self-selected by answering an ad seeking people whose dreams had helped them to make a decision, who journaled their dreams, and who consider themselves to be spiritual. M...