Theses and Dissertations from UMD

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    THE DEI SIGNALING THRESHOLD: WHEN AND WHY MORE MESSAGING IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER
    (2024) Holmes, Tara; Derfler-Rozin, Rellie; Business and Management: Management & Organization; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    When it comes to messaging diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts to employees, organizations take great care in considering the content of the signals they create. However, despite carefully designed communications, they continue to struggle to garner employee support and participation for these initiatives. Counter to the prevailing assumption that more DEI signaling is better (Roberson, 2006; Plaut et al., 2011; Nishii, 2013; Richard et al., 2013; Leslie, 2019; Hunt et al., 2020; Shuman et al., 2023), I argue that positive effects of organizational DEI signaling do not persist with increased exposure to DEI-related stimuli. Leveraging exposure effect research, I instead propose that employee attitudes shift from positive to negative as exposure to signaling increases, thereby decreasing their desire to engage with DEI at work. Specifically, I hypothesize that low and moderate levels of signaling are associated with employees feeling more engagement towards DEI, but at higher DEI fatigue and cynicism are more likely to develop, negatively impacting employees’ DEI effort. I further posit that because managers play a central role in shaping employee attitudes and behaviors, a manager’s consistency with organizational DEI signaling is the key to minimizing negative employee attitudes that emerge because of overexposure. I test these hypotheses in an experiment and a field study with implications for the literatures on DEI in organizations, issue fatigue, and behavioral integrity.
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    NEW METHODOLOGY TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL TRIGGERS FOR ANCA-ASSOCIATED VASCULITIDES
    (2018) Beins, Kaley Elizabeth; Milton, Donald K.; Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    A series of rare autoimmune disorders that affect the blood vessels, vasculitis is chronic and potentially deadly. Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) comprise three diagnostic forms of this autoimmune disorder: granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA), microscopic polyangiitis (MPA), and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA or Churg-Strauss syndrome). The limited resources available to vasculitis researchers have been mostly targeted toward treatment and relapse prediction with a small amount of research examining genetic and environmental etiologic factors. Therefore, additional research is needed to understand the role of gene-environment interactions in AAV etiology. This thesis reviews the current body of AAV literature with a focus on candidate genes, occupational and environmental exposures, and the hygiene hypothesis. It also designs an original survey and study methodology to further investigate these etiologic factors. A better understanding of AAV etiology will lead to prevention and improved treatment of these costly diseases.
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    The Effect of Indirect Interpersonal Exposure to Counseling on Willingness through Attitudes
    (2014) Huh, Gloria; Miller, Matthew J.; Counseling and Personnel Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The present study examined whether attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help partially mediated the relationship between the frequency and valence of Asian Americans’ indirect interpersonal exposure to counseling and willingness to see a counselor. Statistically significant indirect effects were found. An exploratory factor analysis revealed that indirect interpersonal exposure to counseling through family members and friends emerged as two distinct factors. Partial mediation was found only for the frequency of indirect interpersonal exposure to counseling through family members on willingness to see a counselor (personal, academic/career, health problems) through attitudes. Using hierarchical linear regression, this study examined whether collectivism moderated the relationship between the frequency and valence of indirect interpersonal exposure to counseling on attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. Moderation was not found. Collectivism and conformity to norms did not moderate the relationship between indirect interpersonal exposure to counseling through family members and friends on attitudes.
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    Assessing the Potential for Doormats to Reduce Pesticide Residues in the Home
    (2006-05-04) Ganser, Leanne Marie; Brown, Amy E; Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study examined the recommended practice of using doormats at entryways into the home to reduce indirect pesticide exposure. Using doormats to reduce track-in of pesticides is commonly recommended to pesticide applicators, but no studies of the usefulness of this recommendation appear in the literature. The effectiveness of doormats was evaluated by determining the soil levels dislodged from doormats and by determining the ability for laundering to remove pesticide residues embedded into the mats. The performance of three doormat types was assessed. High levels of soil were dislodged from all doormat types. Results from laundering mats showed large variability in the level of residues detected. The results from both studies were influenced by the methods used to test the dislodgeability and effectiveness of laundering. The results of the study suggest further studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of doormats to reduce the potential for pesticide contamination inside the home.