During the last few years the Internet has grown tremendously and has penetrated all aspects of everyday life. Starting off as a purely academic research network, the Internet is now extensively used for education, for entertainment, and as a very promising and dynamic marketplace, and is envisioned as evolving into a vehicle of true collaboration and a multi-purpose working environment. Although the Internet is based on a best-effort service model, the simplicity of its packet-switched design and the flexibility of its underlying packet forwarding regime (IP) accommodate millions of users while offering acceptable performance. At the same time, exciting new applications and networked services have emerged, putting greater demands on the network. In order to offer a better-than-best-effort Internet, new service models that offer applications performance guarantees have been proposed. While several of these proposals are in place, and many QoS-enabled networks are operating, there is still a lack of comprehension about the precise requirements new applications have in order to function with high or acceptable levels of quality. Furthermore, what is required is an understanding of how network-level QoS reflects on actual application utility and usability. This document tries to fill this gap by presenting an extensive survey of applications ’ QoS needs. It identifies applications that cannot be accommodated by today’s best-effort Internet service model, and reviews the nature

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at The University of Maine, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for “fair use ” copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Librarian. It is understood that any copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Signature:

Support has been provided by a grant from the Toronto Community Foundation. CAP would also like to thank Transport Canada and the City of Toronto for their generous support of this work, and the following people for their help in reviewing the report:

and my parents. I dream of rain I dream of gardens in the desert sand I wake in pain I dream of love as time runs through my hand This desert rose Each of her veils, a secret promise This desert flower No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this And as she turns This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams This fire burns I realise that nothing’s as it seems I dream of rain I lift my gaze to empty skies above

© 2005 Volker Bahn

In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Maine, I agree that the Library shall make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for “fair use ” copying of this thesis for scholarly purposes may be granted by the Librarian. It is understood that any copying or publication of this thesis for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. Signature: Date:

This dissertation examines horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism as testable dimensions of cultural variation. Collectivism emphasizes the primacy of norms, duties, and obligations, whereas individualism favors maximum enjoyment for the individual, interpersonal contracts, and freedom fiom the collectivity. While the horizontal dimension stresses equality, the vertical dimension calls attention to hierarchy. While past research (Triandis, 1995, Triandis & Gelfand, 1998) has demonstrated the convergent and divergent validity of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism, it is contended that the Triandis (1 995) measures of horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism could provide predictive value by discriminating between attitudinal responses of adult members of the Democratic and Republican parties in Maine and Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties in New Brunswick. In addition to assessing horizontal and vertical individualism and collectivism within the context of national and political party comparative analyses, also examined were their association with sociopolitical variables. Participants answered a mailed questionnaire measuring types of individualism and collectivism and scores on selected

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