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It's generally assumed that a compositional semantic theory will have to recognise a semantic category of expressions which serve simply to pick out some one object: e-type expressions. Kripke's views about names (Kripke, 1980), Kaplan's about indexicals and demonstratives (Kaplan, 1989), the standard Tarskian semantics for bound variables (Tarski, 1956), Heim and Kratzer's Strawsonian view about definites (Heim and Kratzer, 1998), even an (admittedly somewhat unpopular) analysis of indefinites (namely Fodor and Sag, 1982), assume as much. In this thesis, I argue that recent advances in the semantics of names and of quotation, and in metaphysics, give good reason to doubt there is such a category. I do so in two parts. In the first part, comprising about two thirds of the thesis, I combine two recent views, one from semantics and one from metaphysics. From semantics, I take over predicativism about names, the view, as one might have guessed, that names are predicates. From metaphysics, I take over the doctrine that there are temporal parts. Putting them together, I hold that the semantic contribution of the name 'Joan', in a sentence like 'Joan is a barrister', is a predicate, and in particular (and somewhat roughly) a predicate the extension of which is Joan's temporal parts. Names are not, as is commonly thought, e-type expressions. In the second part, building on the first, I further undermine the existence of a semantically important category of e-type expressions by arguing that a construction which might be thought to mandate such a category, namely de re attitude ascriptions, in fact, when properly analysed, does not do so. I argue this by considering the nature of transparent occurrences of expressions in opaque contexts in general, and in particular by considering the phenomenon of mixed quotation. I present a new theory of it, and show how it can be parlayed into a new Fregean theory of de re attitude ascriptions. The thesis overall, then, will provide strong evidence against the semantic importance of e-type expressions either in language, or in (our reporting of) thought.

This comparative quantitative study explored differences in and predictors of adjunct instructors, administrators, and faculty's affective, continuance, and normative commitment to multi-campus community colleges. Extraneous independent factors included time worked at the college, highest level of education, and age. Attribute independent factors included employee type, and primary work location. Two main constructs that acted as the dependent factors in the research questions were Meyer and Allen's (1991) Three Component Model of Employees Commitment to the Organization and the employees' perception of college leaders' practices of collaboration, communication and empowerment. Research question one explored the relationship between college employment factors (employee type and primary work location) and the employees' commitment to the organization. Factorial ANOVA findings determined there were no significant interaction between the effects of employees' primary work location and employee type on the employees' affective, continuance or normative commitment to the organization. Main effects were found to be significant across adjunct instructors and administrator employee types with administrators' affective commitment to the organization being higher. Research question two explored the relationship between college employment factors (employee type and primary work location) and the employees' perception of college leader's practices of collaboration, communication, and empowerment. Factorial ANOVA findings determined there were no significant interactions or main effects between primary work location and employee type on the employees' perception of college leaders' collaboration, communication or empowerment. Research question three attempted to understand if college employment factors (employee type and primary work location) and employees' perception of college leaders' practices (collaboration, communication and empowerment) were predictors additive to demographic factors (age, time worked at the college, and highest level of education) of employees' commitment to the organization. Multiple linear regression was computed for each of the three components of commitment considering college employment factors and perception of college leaders' practices. (A) Employees' perception of college leaders' practices (beta = 0.69), adjunct instructor employee type (beta = -0.19), and age (beta = 0.13) contributed significantly to the employees' affective commitment to the organization; (B) The group of factors did not significantly contribute to the employees' continuance commitment to the organization; (C) Employees' perception of college leaders' practices (beta = 0.49), and time worked at college (beta = 0.16) contributed significantly to the employees' normative commitment to the organization. Significant findings included differences in the employees' affective commitment to the organization between adjunct instructors and administrator employee types; and the employees' perception of leaders' practices of collaboration, communication, and empowerment were the strongest predictors of employees' affective and normative commitment to the organization. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]