Understanding the role of NGOs for immigrant integration in Sweden: a case study of Tamam

Due to various reasons like globalization and conflicts many countries are experiencing high levels of in-and outmigration. Strongly increased diversified migration has evoked a multiple reactions from the receiving societies. On the one hand, civil societies may respond positively and openly towards immigrants, but on the other hand, there have been significant changes in public and political attitudes towards limiting and controlling, or even altogether preventing migration. Sweden is one of the countries which are often lifted as a good example of how to deal with social problems. However, Sweden is a country which has experienced high inflow of immigrants and refugees and immigrant integration processes does not seem to be as smooth as they could be. To facilitate such processes several NGOs have started to work with immigrant integration in Sweden. This thesis focuses on Tamam, an NGO which is working with immigrant youth integration in Sweden. The purpose of this study is to show how Tamam is dealing with their goals for immigrant integration and what results they achieved. The study is based on interviews, participant observation and secondary data analysis. The results indicate a generally broad positive expression of the outcomes of the organization by participants and various officials

Limits To The Use Of Threatened Species Lists

Threatened species lists are designed primarily to provide an easily understood qualitative estimate of risk of extinction. Although these estimates of risk can be accurate, the lists have inevitably become linked to several decision-making processes. There are four ways in which such lists are commonly used: to set priorities for resource allocation for species recovery; to inform reserve system design; to constrain development and exploitation; and to report on the state of the environment. The lists were not designed for any one of these purposes, and consequently perform some of them poorly. We discuss why, if and how they should be used to achieve these purposes

Usage of trenchless technologies in water management projects

Šiuo metu vandens sektoriui keliami reikalavimai, jog paslaugų pasiekiamumas siektų 95 procentus, prieinamumas – kaina turi siekti ne daugiau 4% šeimos pajamų. Paslaugos turi būti nepertraukiamos ir kokybiškos. Viešai tiekiamu geriamuoju vandeniu šiuo metu aprūpinama apie 74 procentai Lietuvos gyventojų (apie 83 procentai mieste ir apie 31 procentas kaimo gyventojų). Apie 1 mln. gyventojų naudoja gruntinį kastinių šulinių vandenį, kuris dažnai užterštas ir neatitinka geriamojo vandens saugos ir kokybės reikalavimų. Nuotekų tvarkymas apima apie 63 procentus gyventojų (apie 76 procentus mieste ir 13 procentų kaime). Esamos vandentvarkos infrastruktūros nusidėvėjimas – 40-50 procentų (Lietuvos geologijos tarnyba, 2009). Šiuo metu siekiant nurodytų reikalavimų įgyvendinimo, vandens tiekimo ir nuotekų tvarkymo infrastruktūros plėtros planus yra parengusios ir patvirtinusios 25 savivaldybės (42 proc.), rengia 26 (43 proc.), planuoja pradėti 8 (13 proc.) ir nepradėjo rengti 1 (2 proc.) (Lietuvos Respublikos aplinkos ministerija, 2010). Lietuvos Respublikos savivaldybėse paruošus vandens tiekimo ir nuotekų tvarkymo infrastruktūros plėtros planus, įgyvendinami vandentvarkos projektai, t.y. vandentiekio ir buitinių nuotekų tinklų plėtra ir renovacija. Įgyvendinant projektus, visų pirma, siekiama vis daugiau patogumo gyventojams, atliekant statybos montavimo darbus, antra – technologijų ekonomiškumo ir darbų atlikimo spartumo. Dėl šių kriterijų nepaliaujamai auga poreikis vis tobulesnių technologijų, sprendžiančių žmonių poreikius, tobulinant betranšėjes technologijas, vamzdynų montavimo ir renovavimo darbams. Darbe siekiama įtvirtinti Hidrotechnikos inžinerijos studijų metu įgytas šiuolaikinių technologijų žinias. Norima išnagrinėti darbų vykdymo betranšėjėmis technologijomis būdus ir palyginti su tradicinėmis tranšėjinėmis technologijomis. Išanalizavus jau sukurtąsias šiuolaikines betranšėjas technologijas ir jų panaudojimo būdus, parodyta, kad norint darbus atlikti greičiau, ekonomiškiau ir minimaliai trikdant įprastinį miesto gyvenimo ritmą, reikia pritaikyti modernias vamzdynų montavimo ir renovavimo technologijas.Currently the following requirements are applied to the water sector: accessibility of services must be 95 percent, availability and price should not exceed 4% of family income, and services must be continuous and of good quality. Today approximately 74 percent of Lithuanian inhabitants are provided with publicly available drinking water (approx. 83 percent city residents and 31 percent country residents). About 1 million people use groundwater from wells, which is often polluted and do not correspond to safety and quality requirements for drinking water. Waste water processing is ensured for 63 percent inhabitants (approx. 76 percent in town and 13 percent in countryside). Deterioration of present water infrastructure is 40-50 percent (Lithuanian Geology Committee, 2009). In order to achieve indicated requirements for infrastructure of water supply and waste water processing, 25 municipalities (42%) prepared and confirmed development plans, 26 municipalities (43%) prepare such plans now, 8 (13%) municipalities plan to start and 1 municipality (2%) have not started any development plans now (Environmental Ministry of the Republic of Lithuania, 2010). When municipalities of the Republic of Lithuania prepares development plans of water supply and waste water treatment infrastructure the projects of the water processing are implemented, i.e. development and reconstruction of water processing facilities and waste water networks. Firstly, upon implementation of projects the comfort for residents is sought by performing installation work; secondly, economy of technologies and work performance speed is sought. A demand of better technologies is increasing due to these criteria and such technologies satisfying human demands are received by development of technologies with no trenches, pipeline installation and reconstruction works. Knowledge of the latest technologies gained through Hydro-technical engineering studies will be applied in this work. Methods of fulfillment of works by technologies with no trenches will be explored and compared with traditional technologies with trenches. After analysis of modern technologies with no trenches and methods of usage, it was determined that in order to perform works faster, economically and without interference to city residents, modern pipelines installation and reconstruction technologies must be applied.Žemės ūkio akademijaVytauto Didžiojo universiteta

Assessment of the construct validity of an organizational citizenship behavior scale

This paper concerns a construct labeled Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB). OCBs are unsolicited, cooperative gestures that employees choose to exhibit. While the OCB construct is professed as being quite promising for both research and practice, efforts to develop the construct have been lacking in consistency and reliability. This study addresses both conceptual and psychometric issues associated with OCB by investigating the most predominant measure of the construct. Also, several methodological practices in OCB research are challenged.To test several hypotheses, ratings of OCB were collected in field settings from supervisors, coworkers, and employees. Investigated were 1) the factor structure of the Smith, et al. (1983) measure of OCB, 2) different raters' perceptions of similar factors, 3) the psychometric effect of using different raters' perceptions, and 4) the congruency of OCB items to the conceptual criteria put forth by OCB theorists.Results did not strongly support the psychometric or conceptual stability of this OCB measure. While one stable and reliable factor was revealed (Altruism), discrepancy by raters in the hypothesized models caused concern. In addition, most participants did not perceive the items in this measure as representative of extra-role behaviors, and thus they cannot be conclusively labeled as citizenship behaviors.Implications from the results suggest that further development of the conceptual parameters of OCB be initiated prior to developing new measures. Also, concerns as to the practicality of the OCB construct are conveyed, and recommendations for future research and conceptual development are provided.Thesis (Ph. D.)Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Service

Reintroduction of Captive-Reared Birds the Influence of Hand-Rearing and Release Techniques on Behavior and Survival in Three Species of \u3ci\u3eCorvidae\u3c/i\u3e

As recently as the early 1900s, the \u27Alala or Hawaiian Crow (Corvus hawaiiensis) was abundant throughout forested areas on the leeward southern and western side of the island of Hawai\u27i (Baldwin 1969). Prior to the 1993 breeding season, the \u27Alala was one of the rarest birds in the world with only 11 birds alive in the wild (Kuehler et al. 1995). The wild \u27Alala population declined from multiple human-caused factors, including habitat reduction, exotic predators, and exotic diseases (Duckworth et al.1992). In 1991, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service requested that the National Academy of Sciences, National Research Council\u27s Board on Biology establish the Committee on the Scientific Bases for the Preservation of the Hawaiian Crow (here after referred to as the NAS committee; Duckworth et al. 1992). The NAS committee acknowledged that to expand the \u27Alala population into historical, but now unoccupied ranges, and to substantially increase the number of crows in the wild, captive propagation and soft release reintroductions would need to be used. Soft-release reintroductions have many advantages over less invasive forms of management (i.e., protection and monitoring of the remaining population) they include: captive-reared birds can be released in areas where the present rare population does not exist; nestling and fledge-age mortality can be reduced by rearing birds in captivity; and pre-release quarantine periods allow birds to be screened for diseases and parasites (Duckworth et al. 1992). However, the NAS committee also addressed three disadvantages of captive propagation and soft-release reintroductions: 1) they are labor-intensive and expensive; 2) captive-reared birds might not learn the essential social and survival skills needed to survive after release; and 3) captive-reared birds held in captivity too long might lose the ability to adjust to life in the wild after release. In 1993, a research project was initiated in Boise, Idaho to experimentally test these three concerns using three species of Corvidae as surrogates. Surrogate species, a common, taxonomically similar species with ecology similar to the rare species, were used to experimentally test the effectiveness of a soft-release method prior to the release of the rare species (Scott and Carpenter 1987; Louda 1994). Common Ravens (Corvus corax), American Crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos), and Black-billed Magpies (Pica pica) were chosen as surrogate species because they were abundant in southwestern Idaho and bracket the \u27Alala in body size and social structure (Killham 1985; Bruggers 1988; Birkhead 1991). For example Black-billed Magpies and American Crows are smaller, while Common Ravens are larger than the Alala in body size. There is little information on the Alala\u27s social structure prior to their decline. However, today\u27s small population appears to have a social structure more similar to the Black-billed Magpies; i.e., they form smaller foraging and roosting flocks and remaining within a territory throughout the year. The NAS committee\u27s first concern regarding captive propagation and soft- release reintroductions was that they are very labor-intensive and expensive methods. Typically, birds are raised in captivity by parent-rearing (where the natural parents or a foster conspecific rears the young chick), cross-fostering (where the chick is reared by an adult ofa closely related species), or puppet-rearing (where the chick is reared in isolation by a human caretaker, using a parent-modeled puppet; Horwich 1989; Wallace 1994). In previous captive propagation attempts with the \u27Alala, young chicks were raised by caretakers using the puppet-rearing method (Kuehler et al. 1995). To find a less labor- intensive and less expensive method of rearing young corvids in captivity, I used Common Ravens in southwestern Idaho as surrogates to experimentally test the differences in rearing social, altricial birds with a puppet (captive-reared birds were isolated from human contact) or without a puppet (captive-reared birds were allowed full visual and vocal contact with caretakers). This study forms the basis of Chapter 1. The NAS committee\u27s second concern with captive propagation and soft-release reintroduction was that captive-reared birds might not learn the essential social and survival skills after release. Because the \u27Alala, like most other corvids, is a very social bird with an extended post-fledging dependency period (Munro 1960), this was a valid concern. Kleiman (1996) suggested that to prepare captive-reared animals for life after release, they could be paired with an experienced wild-caught individual, called a tutor, prior to release. To test this form of pre-release training, I used Common Ravens, American Crows, and Black-billed Magpies as surrogates to determine ifraising a corvid with a wild, older, conspecific tutor would increase social behaviors and survival after release compared with corvids reared without a tutor. This question forms the basis of Chapter 2. The NAS committee\u27s last objective with captive propagation and soft-release reintroductions was to determine the most appropriate age to release captive-reared birds. They were concerned that if captive-reared birds were held too long in captivity, the birds would lose the ability to adjust to natural conditions after release. Because both social and innate learning may occur during certain critical age-related phases or windows (Klinghammer and Hess 1964; Bateson 1979; Staddon 1983), this was a valid concern. Therefore, I tested the effect of age at time of release as a factor in both Chapter 1 and Chapter 2. I compared pre- and post-release behaviors and survival of captive-reared corvids released at fledge-age (in July) versus those released at post fledge-age (in November). The NAS committee anticipated that this experimental work with surrogate species in Idaho would begin to address their concerns with captive propagation and soft- releases for the \u27Alala. Little did the committee realize this information would benefit another tropical corvid. The Aga or Mariana Crow (Corvus kubaryi) is another rare tropical corvid that has declined in recent years and may benefit from this surrogate research. The Aga population on the island of Guam has declined in recent years, yet for a very different reason than the \u27Alala\u27s decline. After World War II, the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) was accidentally introduced to the island of Guam via surface cargo movements of surplus U. S. military equipment (McCoid 1994). By the early 1970s, Guam\u27s avifauna began to decrease significantly in distribution and density (Savidge 1987). However, these population decreases were blamed on disease and pesticides. It was not until Julie Savidge\u27s work in the late 1980s when she determined that the cause of these declines was predation by the introduced brown tree snake. By that time, seven of the ten forest bird species native to the island of Guam had been extirpated, and the Aga population on Guam had dwindled to 100 birds (Michael 1987). In 1994, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Guam Division of Aquatic and Wildlife Resources (GDA WR) decided the current recovery efforts for the Aga were inadequate to save the Guam population. They determined aviculture support and reintroduction would be a necessary management tool in the recovery of the wild Guam population. Two of their concerns, similar to the NAS committee\u27s, were that captive propagation and reintroduction typically 1) are labor-intensive and expensive, and 2) captive-reared birds might not express various wild behaviors, such as appropriate social and foraging skills (unpubl. report, GDA WR 1994). Therefore, I anticipated that this experimental surrogate research would answer concerns of captive propagation and reintroduction methods for not one, but two endangered tropical corvids. Reintroduction efforts for rare species are often criticized for their single-species approach. Despite the many valid rebuttals to this argument (ethical, economic, and aesthetic; Carpenter 1983), this surrogate research goes beyond a single species approach. It is my hope that this research not only will directly benefit the , Alala and the Aga but also will encourage other researchers and managers to explore new methods of captive propagation and reintroduction. If restoration and conservation biologists are to justify the enormous resources needed to restore a rare species, we must be sure it will be a successful recovery

The effect of short term empathy training on authoritarianism of a small private college faculty

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of short term empathy training on the faculty of a small, private college faculty. Specific attention is given to examining the effects of empathy training on the variables of authoritarianism and dogmatism. Several studies regarding empathy training were reviewed. It was found that a majority of the designs used in these studies limited their emphasis to the effect of training on increased empathy. Very little had been done to expand our knowledge to other variables.Thesis (D. Ed.

The effect of short term empathy training on authoritarianism of a small private college faculty

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of short term empathy training on the faculty of a small, private college faculty. Specific attention is given to examining the effects of empathy training on the variables of authoritarianism and dogmatism. Several studies regarding empathy training were reviewed. It was found that a majority of the designs used in these studies limited their emphasis to the effect of training on increased empathy. Very little had been done to expand our knowledge to other variables.Thesis (D. Ed.