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This thesis examines the culture and conduct of small and medium-sized, family-owned or -controlled enterprises (SMEs) in the West Midlands of England and the Stuttgart region of Baden-Württemberg in West Germany in the period between 1949 and 1979, examining the histories of six companies in depth. The German companies studied formed part of the Mittelstand, the sector which is unique to German-speaking countries. Mittelstand companies are said to operate according to well-defined principles, including the emotional attachment of their owning family, which seeks generational continuity to ensure the company remains in family hands; an identification with and attachment to the surrounding region; a patriarchal culture, which seeks to respect individuals within the business and offer them long-term employment within a 'family' atmosphere; an independent mindset; and the development of high-quality, niche products that achieve market-winning positions at home and abroad as part of a focused, long-term strategy. The British SMEs are examined to understand whether, in contrast to Mittelstand companies in similar industries, they were short-term in their outlook and sought profit over sustainability. We will also consider whether the British firms operated within a less supportive external operating environment than that experienced by their German peers. Given their apparently different philosophical underpinnings, some consideration is given to the way in which each type of business accords with their respective identification within the Liberal Market Economies and Coordinated Market Economies definitions of the Varieties of Capitalism literature. The work is organised in this way: in Chapter 1, the Introduction considers the treatment of the Mittelstand in literature and reviews the definitions which help us to identify it and understand its principles. It also considers scholarship on the Varieties of Capitalism. Chapter 2 examines the Contexts within which SMEs in the UK and West Germany operated in this period. It focuses on the training and qualifications of technical staffs, companies' respective value systems, and on banking arrangements. Chapters 3, 4 and 5 each deal with a pair of companies, linked by common industry or business interest, one from each country. Chapter 6 provides some concluding thoughts, and asserts the value of the Mittelstand business model not only as demonstrated in these historical case studies, but also as a template for twenty-first century business success.

Informed civic participation is vital to the maintenance of our democracy. Critical literacy, as part of citizenship education, gives students the tools to question the status quo, consider multiple perspectives, and think for themselves to create a more just and equitable society. Novice teachers need to be able to transfer critical literacy stances and practices to the secondary social studies classroom. For novice social studies teachers, the learning and practicing of critical literacy skills begins in teacher preparation programs and continues to varying degrees through student teaching and the first years of teaching. This longitudinal multiple case study focuses on two research questions: How, why, and under what circumstances do novice teachers’ critical literacy practices change over time? What conditions influence novice teachers’ successes or struggles in implementing critical literacy practices? Analysis of data gathered from 16 participants over a nine-month period revealed that novice teachers’ implementation of critical literacy stances and practices was influenced by their status as apprentices, their communities of practice, and their developing identities as teachers. Recommendations are provided for teacher preparation programs and K-12 schools to support novice teachers’ critical literacy practices and stances as novice teachers work to develop students’ knowledge, skills, and dispositions for engaged citizenship.

The purpose of this project is to cultivate a disciple making leadership development strategy at The Church of the Covenant. It will use questionnaires and interviews to gain a knowledge of the depth of understanding the congregation has regarding discipleship, small groups, and leadership as well as gain an understanding regarding why small group ministries have never been able to grab a foothold at the church. A focus group will be gathered to preview the plan to create a culture of discipleship in the church as well as a mentor/apprentice format for developing new leaders in the group. The church considers itself a traditional church and is a member of a mainline denomination. Others who are attempting to start discipleship ministries and leadership strategies in denominational and traditional settings will be able to use this research alongside that coming from non-denominational sources to develop a unique form particular to their own ministry context.

Abstract: Abstract This tome is both a “solar” dissertation and a “lunar” grimoire that performs its own argument. Adepts of Modernism argues that the infamous “little magazines” of modernism conjured their own enlightened, reading “counter-publics” by exploiting the same strategies and tactics of initiation and exclusion mobilized in occult circles. Figures from the literary and occult spheres from the Fin de Siècle and through the Great War converge in a network of adeptship. The magazines in this network disseminate knowledge from the occult “wisdom tradition” and share a common adept attitude that sets them apart from the public and the exoteric, mainstream media they consume. Chapter 1 analyzes The Little Review and shows how Margaret Anderson and Jane Heap’s editorial posture of insouciance reflects their initial commitment to both anarchism and esotericism, culminating in a thwarted mystical anarchism. A comparison of memoirs by Huntly Carter and Algernon Blackwood reveals how, for this magazine, poetry and spirituality go hand in hand. Chapter 2 focuses on co-editors of The Egoist, Dora Marsden and Harriet Shaw Weaver, along with Leonard A. Compton-Rickett, Richard Aldington, H. D., and Ezra Pound. These figures have a complex, ambivalent relationship with mysticism, but their common investment in individualism and an elitist, exclusive, classical modernism holds them together. Olivia Shakespear’s translation of the occult story, Le Comte de Gabalis, embodies these investments. Chapter 3 considers the distinct “presentative” style of The New Age magazine in relation to editor A. R. Orage’s mystical socialism. A series of articles by Florence Farr provides a feminist corrective to Orage’s masculinist “brilliant common sense.” This idiosyncratic, “Luciferian” socialism appeals to an audience of modernists, Fabians, and occultists alike, and its threads lead back to the great French magus, Eliphas Lévi. Chapter 4 examines Aleister Crowley’s Equinox in the context of modernist periodical culture. The Equinox is most committed to occult subjects and offers readers a course of study and a method of self-initiation. Esoteric literature, in the form of a magical diary and a short story, “The Dream Circean,” complements Crowley’s formal program of initiation and blurs the boundaries between objective and subjective ‘reality.’ Chapter 5 shows how Lucifer magazine, edited by H. P. Blavatsky and Mabel Collins, utilizes the same techniques of occult initiation replicated in the modernist little magazines that followed, thus revealing a continuity of esoteric editorial practice from the Fin de Siècle through the Great War. Blavatsky’s controversial “Luciferian” editorials and Collins’s serialized esoteric novella, “The Blossom and the Fruit,” exemplify the adept attitude that inspired subsequent generations of adept writers. Adepts of Modernism concludes with a personal reflection on occult pedagogy before outlining the legacy of these magical magazines and gesturing towards some new directions for future research.

Abstract: Welding is defined as the joining of metals with extreme heat, producing fumes, which consist of harmful metals and ultrafine particulates that may lead to detrimental health effects. Currently, air sampling is the primary method to determine welding fume exposure, but is not always feasible. Biomarkers of welding fume exposure are sought for reliable measurement of exposure. Here I propose that urinary metabolomics may be applicable in screening for potential biomarkers for early exposure to welding fumes, and correlated with metal analysis to determine levels of urinary metals. Non-smoking, male apprentice welders (n = 23) and an age/sex-matched control group (n = 20) were recruited from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) for this study. Air exposure samples were collected on days 0, 1, 7, and 50 of the welding program at NAIT, and 12 h fasting urine samples were collected on each occasion. Urinary metabolites and metal concentrations were analyzed using single proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A pooled urine sample was used as a quality control to determine reliable metabolites. Air samples demonstrated that welding participants were exposed to higher particle and metal concentrations compared to controls. Urinary metal analysis presented conflicting results, with measurements at or near the limit of detection. A total of 151 metabolites were fit to 1H-NMR spectra, with 61 validated as reliable (< 20% relative standard deviation) based on the pooled quality control sample (n = 33). Urinary metabolite, 2-hydroxyisobutyrate and three unknown metabolites, indicate relative promising differences on day 50, that were not observed in earlier sampling days between controls and welders. Metabolomics analysis shows promise in the detection of biomarkers of welding fume exposure, however further research is required.

Societies and cultures are changing at an unprecedented pace. In this time of uncertainty, how does the Church continue to advance God’s kingdom and nurture fully mature disciples of Christ? This paper will show that global shifts demand a new type of Christian leader—Elder-at-the-Fire—who is able to apprentice others to a life of Missional Generativity. The so-called ‘proven’ forms of discipleship are becoming ineffective. People in the world are floundering to understand their purpose; many seek spiritual guides and self-help solutions in search of spiritual meaning. In biblical times and in ancient tribal traditions, elders provided spiritual wisdom for life’s journey. This project introduces the metaphor of Elder-at-the-Fire as a way to distinguish the special role Elders play when they become authentic agents of Missional Generativity through the power of the Spirit. The first section probes the effects of rapid societal changes on the Church’s ability to produce fully mature disciples that are both missional and generative. The second section identifies and examines current praxises for spiritual development and growth. Section three postulates the need for Elders-at-the-Fire and describes Missional Generativity as a distinguishing characteristic Elders should achieve to successfully apprentice disciples and promulgate the Kingdom. Finally, section four establishes the foundation for a proposed book by laying out the andragogic of developing Elders-at-the- Fire, the needed catalysts for implementing true Missional Generativity.

Abstract: Research in the field of hairstyling in Alberta has been tremendously neglected, especially concerning the full term programs offered at private vocational colleges. Current research suggests that there has been a significant decrease of apprentices completing and receiving their Journeyperson certificate in hairstyling. This study identified and examined two factors affecting enrollment and completion of students registered in the full term hairstyling apprenticeship program and completion of students receiving their Journeyperson certificate in Alberta. Three sources of data were used, researcher’s field notes, self-administered questionnaires, and one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The research participants consisted of current managers and owners from seven post-secondary full term hairstyling trade institutes in Alberta. The study determined that insufficient support from the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Board and lack of financial funding at the provincial level was shown to have the greatest influence on apprenticeship completion rates in private vocational hairstyling institutes in Alberta.

This qualitative study explored the overall impact of training HVAC technicians using the SightPros-VirTechs system for remote, wireless, internet video assistance at a small HVAC company, Metro Environmental. John Thomason, the president/co-owner developed a website and a new SightPros communication tool that allows wireless, one-on-one, just-in-time, high-quality, video-monitored instructions between an expert at one site and a technician at another site. Metro Environmental successfully used the SightPros-VirTechs system to train a new apprentice remotely. The apprentice and expert changed their normal and routine physical activities because the expert worked remotely and the apprentice worked on-site. Within just a few months, the apprentice proved competent enough to go to customer accounts without more experienced technicians nearby. The technicians express excitement about the SightPros communication tool as a way to contact remote experts whenever needed. The customer and business contacts also give good reviews and suggest other benefits. The expert permanently captures the communications so the company can use the saved video for many applications, especially training. The dissertation provides a list of recommendations to trainers/educators for similar applications.