Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Critical proxis'

This thesis critically analyses the law of promise. It does so for the purposes of identifying potential solutions to practical and doctrinal problems in the Thai law of promise. Scots law is chosen as the main point of comparison because, inter alia, both jurisdictions are mixed jurisdictions. Scots promissory law was influenced by the Canon Law and was part of the ius commune tradition. Scots law was not influenced by English law in this area. Scots law has developed its own promissory obligation as a free standing legal entity outwith contract. Thai promissory legal principles were derived from both Civilian and English sources. Consequently, promissory language is used both in the sense of a unilateral obligation and a contractual promise. Moreover, the Thai drafters did not acknowledge the different attitude towards a unilateral promise of French law (where a promise must be accepted in order to be binding) and German law (where particular types of unilateral obligations are recognised). This thesis argues that the flaws in promissory provisions under the Thai Code stem from the fact that, inter alia, the drafters did not understand the difference between unilateral and bilateral obligations. This thesis argues that the Scots promissory approach presents a more efficient structure of the law of obligations than the Thai approach. It encounters fewer problems than Thai law because a promise is deemed to be a standalone obligation. This thesis further analyses the practical applications of promise, arguing that a promissory analysis is useful in conceptualising practical circumstances. Adopting a promissory approach is beneficial, making doctrinal analysis clearer in comparison with the offer and acceptance approach. This thesis takes into account the role given to promise in the DCFR. The notion of a unilateral undertaking in the DCFR illustrates that the most recent model rule of European private law recognises the importance of a unilateral obligation. This reflects the fact that the notion of a contract cannot appropriately deal with certain situations in which a person unilaterally intends his/her undertaking to be bound without acceptance. It is concluded that the Scots approach of regarding a promise as an independent obligation separate from contract could be adapted to Thai law. There are certain resemblances between Scots and Thai law in promissory theories and the obligational nature of a promise. Therefore, Thai law is not unfamiliar with the notion that a declaration of wills can unilaterally create an obligation. The proposed approach provides a number of advantages e.g. eradicating an overlap between a promise and an offer; clarifying the legal status of promise; and making the legal status of a promise to make a contract compatible with a promise of reward. In particular, this thesis postulates that promise has a substantive role to play in governing an offer specifying a period of acceptance. This particular observation has, to date, not been made in relation to Thai law.

The historical survey of social movements in the United States reveals that the movement is a rhetorical ground occupied by groups who have been marginalized by society. Today, however, the distinctions between those who are marginalized and those who are part of the establishment have become difficult to distinguish. This study considers the emergence of Promise Keepers, an all-male social movement, and the rhetorical themes that emerge from the group. This study identifies five rhetorical themes in Promise Keepers. These themes include asserting authority of men in the home and church, the creation of a new male identity, sports and war rhetoric, political rhetoric, and racial reconciliation. The implications of these themes are considered from a critical perspective and areas for future research are provided.

Denna studie undersöker vilka strategier fyra organisationer från den ideella sektorn använder sig av för att hantera sitt samarbete med staten. Studien tar sitt avstamp i Staffan Johanssons teori om hur påtvingar ideell sektorn ett homogeniseringstryck. Genom att undersöka olika egenskaper hos den ideella sektorn, såsom ideologi, ekonomiska förutsättningar och möjligheten att vara me och påverka undersöks hur organisationerna uppfattar sin roll i samarbetet. Studien visar att ideologin och de ekonomiska förutsättningarna spelar avgörande roll för hur organisationerna kan strukturera både sig själva som organisation liksom deras arbete. I relationen till staten framstår det som viktigt att resursberoendet inte är allt för ensidigt för att organisationerna skall kunna hålla på sin särart och styra sin organisation i en självvald riktning.
This study examines the strategies four organizations from the voluntary sector uses to manage its cooperation with the State. The study takes its starting point in Staffan Johansson's theory of how imposing a non-profit sector with a homogenization pressure. By investigating various characteristics of the voluntary sector, such as ideology, economic conditions and the possibility of criticism, explores how organizations perceive their role in co-operation. The study shows that ideology and the economic environment plays key role in how organizations can structure themselves both as a organization and their work. In relation to the state, it seems important that resource dependence is not too one-sided for organizations to retain its character, ideology and control over their activities.

Despite the vast research on the effects of gaming, little is know how the phenomenon of e-sports and it’s followers is portrayed. While media can have significant impact on what and how e-sport is portrayed, no studies have been done in a Swedish context. This thesis aims at filling that gap with investigations of the two major Swedish newspapers. Six articles was analyzed with critical discourse analysis with a theoretical base of journalism.The result of which indicated that between the period of 2005 and 2012 e-sport and players was considered to be professional, committed and more in a sense that reminded much of the view on more traditional sport such as soccer and hockey. However the players was often treated as minor kids or teenagers, for e-sports seems only to be held by these groups according to the journalist’s. The implications of this finding should be viewed as a socially critical perspective on a phenomenon that is more than often the subject of leisure.

This thesis evaluates the recent work of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and civil society groups in creating requirements for multinational entities to disclose financial information on a Country-by-Country basis. Country-by-Country reports may identify profit-shifting activities and enable various stakeholders to hold multinational entities accountable for their global conduct, through the provision of transparent and decision-useful information. This thesis identifies inadequacies in current disclosure requirements and develops a standardised Country-by-Country model, which is applied to the disclosures of three multinational entities to illustrate its pragmatic feasibility and the improvement in quality of financial information available to users.

In this thesis, I seek to contextualize the exclusivity of traditional marriage in the United States. I investigate the use of Christian beliefs applied to the American legal system, consequently becoming the foundation of American commonsense. I draw out the ways in which Augustinian thoughts on marriage have inadvertently been used to justify institutional favoritism toward heterosexual, monogamous couples. Through examining the Christian-American lens that shapes our understanding of traditional marriage, I argue that previous and current secular opposition to non-traditional marriage is fundamentally grounded in Christian faith, furthermore, American cultural understanding of marriage is unconsciously lined with Augustinian thought.

The arm’s-length principle (ALP), the transactions taken place between unrelated parties acting at an arm’s length in competitive markets, is used by income tax authorities to determine transfer pricing, the pricing of goods, services and intangibles transferred between affiliates of a multinational enterprise (MNE), and is an important international tax issue for a number of reasons. First, globalization creates integrated businesses with enormous cross-border transfers whilst corporate income tax systems remain nationally based. Second, governments insist that globalization provides MNEs with more opportunities to manipulate transfer prices and reduce taxes than in the past, thus the need for tighter regulation. Third, there is an increased desire amongst tax authorities faced with tight fiscal situations, to protect and enhance their revenue base encouraging stricter regulation of MNEs. Profit is seen as only one of the many goals that motivate the behaviour of MNEs and the newly introduced profit based methods of transfer pricing has increased the reliance on comparables significantly. As the number of specified methods was increased and the hierarchy of acceptable methods was replaced by either the best method rule or the method of last resort, taxpayers are expected to document their transfer pricing policies. The documentation has to be contemporaneous and available upon request. The methods newly introduced by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD, 1995), Transaction Net Margin Method (TNMM), and US Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS, 1994) Comparable Profit Method (CPM), vary in relation to their application and views in controlling for function and risk when developing comparables. This suggests a degree of discretion may be exercised under different regulations that may be detected through ownership and tax. This study attempts to identify the level of discretion provided under both OECD (TNMM) and US IRS (CPM) methods. It is also tests the scope of ownership effect on the reported profit of Japanese-owned companies and US-owned companies compared to their UK counterparts. Finally this study examines whether the reported tax expense has changed subsequent to tax policy changes, specifically the latest UK transfer pricing regulations introduced in 1998 corporation tax self-assessment. The empirical analysis confirms differences between OECD and US IRS profit ranges and variations between profit level indicators (PLIs). Foreign-owned Japanese and US companies are also found to exhibit low profitability compared to UK companies. This research discovered low performance among a high number of the Japanese-owned companies with operating losses when compared to their UK counterparts and offers evidence of the low tax expenses reported by foreign-owned Japanese companies.

Happiness is consistently cited as one of the things that people consider most important in their lives and yet is a slippery concept about which it is difficult to establish a shared understanding. There is increasing agreement that Gross National Product (GDP) is not a sufficient indicator of progress and that alternative measures may need to include the subjective aspects of wellbeing, or happiness. However, if policy makers and development workers are to seriously consider happiness, clarity is required about what it means to different people and such clarity must be grounded in the everyday experiences of the people whose lives social and development polices aim to improve. Despite increasing interest in the concept of happiness within Laos, academic research focusing upon positive subjective experience is limited. Young Lao people who volunteer with Non-Profit Associations (NPAs) in Vientiane occupy a unique position at the crossroads of a country that continues to be affected by a complex political legacy, a rapidly modernising capital city and a newly visible civil society. The findings from the current research provide rich data from 18 months of ethnographic and participative fieldwork with this specific group of young people in Vientiane. The research addresses the following questions:  What do the ways that young Lao volunteers in Vientiane express happiness tell us about the ways that they conceptualise happiness?  What do young volunteers in Vientiane say makes them happy?  What beliefs do young volunteers in Vientiane have about happiness?  How do these beliefs about happiness fit with young volunteers’ expressed experiences of happiness? This thesis identifies three key conceptual models that research participants used to express happiness including ‘Being Happy’ (happiness is a present moment choice), ‘Becoming Happy’ (happiness is something to be achieved) and ‘Happy Being With Others’ (happiness is located in relationships between people). Further, three culturally constructed ‘happiness scripts’ that research participants share are outlined and discussed. The three scripts are: “The way to be happy is to be a good Lao person”, “I will be happy if I have the things that I need to be comfortable and to have an easy life” and “I am happy when I follow my heart”. These scripts each combine a conceptual mode of happiness with a focus on specific aspects of their lives that research participants say make them happy and a set of shared beliefs about happiness. These three scripts offer normative accounts of different pathways that research participants believe will lead to happiness. The research demonstrates, however, how research participants hold multiple scripts simultaneously and looks at the interactions and tensions between the scripts and between the scripts and participants’ lived experiences. The research concludes that the socially constructed nature of the happiness scripts and the multiple conceptual models of happiness used by the research participants emphasise the need for self-awareness and transparency in conversations about happiness. Any consideration of happiness at policy level must include open and critical discussion about the happiness script that is being promoted. At the individual level participants valued positive opportunities to become aware of and challenge their own assumptions about the things that are most important in their lives were beneficial to their happiness. The thesis, therefore, recommends a shift in policy focus from solely measuring happiness to promoting positive conversations about happiness at policy, community and individual levels. Happiness is both an important experience and a slippery concept. It is both critical that we consider it and vital that we remain critical of it.

Tato práce se zabývá vzájemnou provázaností projektového a procesního řízení. Jejím cílem je zjištění možností přenosu technik a metod aplikovaných při řešení projektů na řešení problémů v procesním řízení. Po prozkoumání společných a rozdílných rysů projektů a procesů jsem v první části práce dospěl k závěru, že mezi instanci procesu a projekt lze, s jistými omezeními, položit ekvivalenci. V následující části práce mapuji vzájemné interakce mezi projektovým a procesním řízením. Jsou zde uvedeny jak obecné způsoby vzájemných interakcí mezi oběma typy řízení, tak vybrané metodiky, které získávají v posledních letech na významu, ale prozatím nepronikly do obecného povědomí (Six Sigma, Lean). Práce má také za úkol čtenáře seznámit s novými trendy v projektovém řízení. Do této oblasti spadá a významnou částí na práci se podílí pojednání o Human Interaction Managementu. Práce se pokouší o zmapování jeho možností a přínosů, ale také možných problémových oblastí, se kterými se může uživatel tohoto přístupu setkat. Do práce jsem zahrnul také seznámení s prvním Human Interaction Management Systémem, který prozatím není běžně dostupný. Cílem bylo přiblížit čtenáři způsob práce s takovýmto systémem, seznámit jej s výhodami tohoto nového přístupu na konkrétní aplikaci, ale také nastínit možná úskalí.

Warfarin is a well-known anticoagulant drug that is used to prevent cardiovascular disease and blood coagulation such as thrombosis. In this study, the main aim was to investigate the photo physical characteristics of warfarin in the different molecular environments provided by sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles by using ultraviolet absorption and fluorescence emission spectroscopic techniques. Warfarin and a structural analogue not existing in solution as a cyclic hemiketal, phenprocoumon, were mixed with different concentrations of SDS and spectral changes for these warfarin and phenprocoumon were recorded. Interestingly, results demonstrated, based on an evident increase in the absorption intensity at 273 nm and an evident blue shift in the fluorescence emission spectrum after the addition of an increasing concentration of SDS, that primarily the cyclic hemiketal isomer of warfarin was found to be solvated by SDS micelles at an apparent recorded critical micelle concentration of ~8mM.  Altogether these observations suggest that warfarin may be used as a molecular probe to explore the polarities of complex colloidal mixtures. Moreover, the possibility of using micelles for controlling the isomeric state of warfarin is interesting and can potentially be used for better controlling dosage of warfarin thereby reducing side effects.

Bien que la plupart des recherches antérieures montrent qu'un pourcentage important des achats impulsifs est influencé par des promotions de vente, aucune étude à ce jour n’a examiné les mécanismes psychologiques qui soutiennent cette influence. Cette thèse vise à combler cette lacune importante. Elle étudie les processus affectifs-cognitifs-comportementaux qui sous-tendent l'influence des promotions sur les achats impulsifs. Elle examine également l’influence de catégories de promotions et certains traits de personnalité des consommateurs sur ces processus. Nous adoptons une approche cognitive-affective de l'achat impulsif qui tend à montrer le rôle de l’affect et la délibération cognitive lors d’influence des stimuli externes sur les comportements impulsifs. Les émotions envers une promotion sont définies en termes d’états affectifs éprouvés par le consommateur à un moment donné envers une promotion particulière. Les groupes d'émotions avec la même polarité sont classés comme l’affect positif ou l’affect négatif. La cognition envers une promotion est définie en termes d’évaluations des bénéfices qui peuvent être obtenus d’une promotion particulière avec l'achat du produit promu. Nous étudions le rôle médiateur de l’affect et de la cognition envers une promotion lors d’un processus d'achat impulsif. Nous examinons également la pertinence de la variable affect envers une promotion en étudiant si l’affect et la cognition jouent des rôles complémentaires ou redondants dans la prédiction du comportement du consommateur. Nos résultats révèlent que deux mécanismes distincts coexistants, soit le transfert de l’affect et de la cognition, sous-tendent l’achat impulsif des produits en promotion. En accord avec la théorie de l'Appraisal, les évaluations cognitives de bénéfices d’une promotion génèrent une réaction affective chez les consommateurs. Cette dernière à son tour influence leur comportement d’achat impulsif. Des recherches antérieures constatent que les réponses impulsives des consommateurs aux promotions diffèrent d'une catégorie de promotion à l'autre. Cependant, la cause de cette différence est peu étudiée dans la littérature. Cette thèse vise à combler cette lacune. Nous attribuons cette différence au fait que les antécédents psychologiques varient entre les achats de produits promus avec différents types de promotions. Par conséquent, nous examinons le rôle modérateur de la catégorie de promotion dans le processus d'achat impulsif. Nos résultats confirment notre hypothèse. Ils démontrent que l'achat impulsif d'un produit promu par une promotion nonmonétaire est un acte de plaisir. La cognition hédonique et l’affect positif que les consommateurs éprouvent ont une influence significative sur leur achat impulsif. D'autre part, dans le cas des promotions monétaires les consommateurs font une évaluation coût-bénéfice dans laquelle ils considèrent également leur cognition utilitaire et l’affect négatif qu'ils éprouvent vers la promotion de ventes. Le dernier volet de cette recherche étudie comment le processus d'achat impulsif de produits en promotion diffère parmi les consommateurs ayant des traits de personnalité distincts. Nous choisissons deux traits de personnalité qui sont liés à l'attention et la réaction des consommateurs aux promotions et à leur tendance à faire des achats impulsifs, soit la tendance à l'impulsivité dans l'achat et la sensibilité aux promotions de vente. Nos résultats démontrent que ces traits influencent l’affect et la cognition que le consommateur éprouve envers une promotion. Ils modèrent également les rôles des mécanismes affectifs et cognitifs dans le processus d’achat impulsif. Les résultats de notre analyse de la relation entre ces traits de personnalité démontrent que les deux traits augmentent des impulsions et des achats impulsifs. Cependant, ils diffèrent en termes des réactions affectives et cognitives sous-jacentes. Les consommateurs impulsifs font des achats impulsifs en raison de leur forte tendance à chercher des récompenses, alors que l'achat impulsif des consommateurs sensibles aux promotions est un acte délibératif de l'auto-indulgence pour bénéficier des avantages utilitaires des promotions. Cette thèse apporte des contributions importantes à la littérature. Parmi tous, nos résultats montrent comment les promotions de ventes encouragent les consommateurs à acheter sur impulsion. Il est confirmé que l’affect envers une promotion est un prédicteur important de réponses promotionnelles qui a été négligé dans les recherches précédentes. En outre, la catégorie de promotion et les traits de personnalité se trouvent à modérer les processus affectifs-cognitifs-comportementaux d’achat impulsif. Enfin, les implications managériales sont fournies pour manipuler des caractéristiques de promotion des ventes dans le but d'encourager les achats impulsifs à travers les consommateurs avec différents traits de personnalité. Mots clés : Comportement de l'acheteur, Achat impulsif, Promotion de vente, Réponse émotionnelle, Affect envers une promotion de vente, Réponse cognitive, Cognition envers une promotion de vente, Tendance à l'impulsivité dans l'achat, Sensibilité aux promotions de vente
Although past research demonstrates that a significant percentage of impulsive purchases come from sales promotions, no studies to date have examined the psychological mechanisms leading to this influence. To better understand the role of sales promotions in impulse buying situations, this dissertation aims to address this critical gap. To this end, first of all, we investigate cognitive-affective-behavioural processes underlying the influence of sales promotions on impulsive purchases. Further, we examine the moderating role of sales promotions category on these processes. Finally, we study how these processes differ among consumers with different personality traits. This dissertation adopts a cognitive-affective approach to impulse buying. It claims that cognitive deliberation also plays a mediating role between external stimuli and impulse buying behaviour, although affective reactions would have more influence. Emotions towards promotions are defined in terms of subjective feeling states experienced by consumers at a given point of time towards a promotion. Clusters of emotions with the same polarity are referred to as either positive or negative promotion affect. Promotion cognition is defined as the evaluative meaning of a sales promotion in terms of the benefits that can be derived out of it with the purchase of the promoted product. We investigate the mediating role of promotion affect and promotion cognitions in impulse buying process of promoted products. We also examine the relevance of the construct of promotion affect by studying whether promotion affect and promotion cognition play complementary or redundant roles in predicting consumer impulsive behaviour. Our results reveal that two separate coexisting mechanisms, affect transfer and cognitions, are the underlying foundations of impulse buying decisions of promoted products. Consistent with the Appraisal theory, cognitive evaluation of the benefits of a promotion prompts consumer affective responses. This promotion affect in turn mediates the influence of promotion cognitions on consumer impulse buying behaviour. Past research finds that consumer impulsive responses to promotions differ from a sales promotion category to other. However, the cause underlying this difference is still understudied in the literature. This dissertation aims to address this gap. It attributes this difference to the fact that psychological antecedents vary between purchases of products promoted with different types of promotions. Therefore, it examines the moderating role of sales promotion category on the process of impulse buying. The results confirm this role. They demonstrate that impulsive purchase of a product promoted by a non-monetary sales promotion is an all pleasure act; hedonic promotion cognitions and positive promotion affect that consumers experience have a significant influence on their impulsive purchase. On the other hand, in the case of monetary sales promotions, consumers make a cost-benefit evaluation where they also consider their utilitarian cognitions and negative affect that they may experience towards the sales promotion. The role of consumer personality traits is emphasized in both the impulse buying and behavioural pricing literature. To contribute to this understanding, this dissertation investigates the role of consumer personality traits in cognitive-affective triggers of impulsive promotional responses. Two consumer personality traits related to consumers’ attention and reaction to sales promotions and their propensity to make impulsive purchases are buying impulsiveness trait and deal-proneness trait. The results confirm that these traits influence affect and cognition that consumers experience towards promotions. They also moderate the process of impulse buying. Moreover, the results of our analysis about the relationship between buying impulsiveness and deal-proneness traits show that although both traits result in increased buying urges and impulsive purchases, they differ in focus and underlying affective and cognitive reactions. Impulsive consumers make impulsive purchases due to their strong reward seeking tendency, whereas the impulsive purchase of deal-prone consumers is a deliberative act of self-indulgence to gain from utilitarian benefits of promotional offers. This dissertation makes important contributions to the behavioural pricing and impulse buying literature. Our results demonstrate how sales promotions encourage consumers to purchase on impulse. We also confirm that promotion affect is a previously overlooked standalone predictor of consumer promotional responses. Moreover, sales promotion category and consumer personality traits are found to moderate cognitive-affective-behavioural triggers of impulsive promotional purchases. Finally, managerial implications are provided and it is discussed how to manipulate sales promotion characteristics in order to encourage impulsive purchases across consumers with different levels of buying impulsiveness and deal-proneness traits. Keywords: Buyer behaviour, Impulse buying, Sales promotion, Emotional response, Promotion affect, Cognitive response, Promotion Cognition, Buying impulsiveness trait, Deal-proneness trait

Mestrado em Desenvolvimento e Cooperação Internacional
A tese analisa a importância da mobilização de recursos internos em países em via de desenvolvimento, em particular através da mobilização de receitas fiscais. A análise principal é dedicada à compreensão das implicações que a utilização abusiva de preços de transferência, tendências de desvio artificial de lucros e práticas de erosão da base fiscal têm sobre a mobilização de receitas fiscais em países em via de desenvolvimento. Procurou-se avaliar potenciais implicações que reformas anti-BEPS teriam em Angola, sobre a mobilização das receitas fiscais no país, por meio da introdução de mecanismos eficazes para combater a utilização abusiva de preços de transferência e desencorajar práticas de erosão da base fiscal e de desvio artificial de lucros pelos grupos multinacionais a operar em Angola. Apurou-se na análise que o atual rácio de impostos/PIB em Angola, tendo uma vez atingido os níveis requeridos pelos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento do Milénio, entretanto tem vindo a diminuir nos últimos anos. Consequentemente, no caso de Angola, a particular importância das reformas anti-BEPS reside tanto no aumento das receitas fiscais, como em mudança gradual da estrutura da receita fiscal tornando-a mais sustentável, diversificando as fontes de receitas fiscais. Reduzindo a dependência em relação aos impostos das indústrias extrativas, por sua vez, será possível aumentar a parcela de receita fiscal não-petrolífera e alargar a base fiscal pela captação duma parte justa do valor criado por grupos multinacionais no território nacional, impedindo-os de desviar artificialmente os lucros de Angola para jurisdições com regimes fiscais mais favoráveis.
The dissertation analyzes the importance of internal resource mobilization in developing countries, in particular, through mobilization of tax revenues. The main analysis is dedicated to understanding the implications that transfer pricing abuse, profit shifting tendencies and base erosion practices have on the tax revenue mobilization in developing countries. An attempt was made to evaluate the potential implications that planned anti-BEPS reforms in Angola would have on the tax revenue mobilization through the introduction of effective mechanisms for combatting transfer pricing abuse and discouraging base erosion and profit shifting practices by the multinational groups operating in Angola. The analysis conducted herein concludes that the tax-to-GDP ratio in Angola, having achieved the levels that had been targeted by the millennium development goals, has, however, been declining over the past couple of years. Therefore, in the case of Angola, the particular importance of the anti-BEPS reforms lies in increasing the tax revenues , as well as gradually changing the structure of the tax revenue, making it more sustainable and diversifying sources of tax revenues. This way, dependency on the extractive industry taxes will be decreased, leading in turn, to an increased share of non-oil tax revenue items and broadening the tax base through capturing the fair share of value created by multinational groups in the national territory and preventing them from shifting the profits outside of Angola to the jurisdictions with more beneficial tax regimes.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

The notion of quality has become an important topic in the translation domain, especially as most translation projects are no longer just the outcome of the work of a single expert translator, but rather a corporate activity, consistent with the norms of the structural environment and bureaucratic workflows of the organisation that is responsible for the work. Managing quality across this value-chain is therefore one of the most challenging areas in 21st century translation. In such a complex process, the notion of Total Quality Management (TQM), originally a quality management tool in mass production, has started to be implemented effectively in many diverse sectors, such as medicine and education (Hansson, 2003); and translation project organisations have themselves become interested in applying TQM in their own quality assurance processes, especially as their activities also include digital translation mechanisms (DGT, 2009; Mitterlehner, 2012; BSI ISO 17100, 2015). The starting point of this research was to understand the existing quality management mechanisms and processes across English to Arabic translation companies and how they could be improved in a corporate context. Kalima, a translation project organisation, was selected as the leading case study, given its well-established reputation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as the wider Arab World, as a serious contributor to the body of translated into Arabic. Two other non-profit translation service providers (TSPs) of the sector were also analysed, so as to have a sound overview and to provide a broader insight into managerial practices concerning quality assurance within translation processes, and thus to determine whether TQM in its wider state-of-the-art sense could be relevant for the translation sector in the UAE. This research has developed a framework for implementing TQM in TSPs based on three main dimensions of critical success factors (CSFs); namely, leadership commitment and strategic direction; managerial and structural reforms; and procedural changes. The proposed framework suggests appointing a portfolio manager as suggested by Giammarresi (2011) in order to regulate the organisational strategy and optimise resources for effective and efficient quality in TSPs performing in a similar context to those particularly studied in this research. The researcher’s critical analysis is the basis for a novel framework that may be of interest for TSPs, and may be used as a benchmark for further research.

This study explores the role of rehabilitation in shaping the subjectivity of blind persons. It considers what engaging with rehabilitation services might communicate to people with visual impairments about their status, their value and their place in the world. Rather than being concerned with the practical aspects of rehabilitation, it explores how rehabilitative practices operate at the symbolic level, and interrogates the meanings about blindness which are produced within relationships where help is given and received. Drawing on Foucauldian concepts, this research traces the interplay between discourse, power and knowledge in rehabilitation services. The research design includes two phases. Through analysing the website copy of eight organisations located across South Africa, Phase One identified discourses employed by organisations as they represent themselves in the public realm. In Phase Two, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight service providers and eighteen service users across four organisations operating in the Western Cape province of South Africa. This phase identified the discourses framing rehabilitative activities and relationships. Visually impaired participants described sight loss as a significant trauma – as dislocation from society and self – revealing that service users might be particularly vulnerable to the shaping influence of rehabilitation. Data analysis found, firstly, that the discourses which frame rehabilitation services position visually impaired service users as passive recipients in relation to the work of service providers and the gifts of the public. This positioning objectifies service users and may signal to them that they are neither valued as stakeholders nor recognised as autonomous adults, while also requiring that they demonstrate gratitude towards service providers and the public. Secondly, rehabilitation is constructed as a linear journey with strictly defined outcomes. This ‘journey discourse' relies on polarised fantasies about blindness involving, on the one hand, dependency, dislocation and struggle and, on the other, independence, integration and coping. Visually impaired service users are required to demonstrate evidence of the latter while the former shadowy figure of pre-intervention blindness must be defended against. This discourse prohibits nuance and expressions of ongoing struggle, underpinning an imperative to cope found within organisations. Amid limiting discursive practices in rehabilitation, a key finding is that visually impaired service users are involved in complex negotiations of self and place. Investigating the discourses which frame and support rehabilitative practices sheds light on investments in promoting particular ways of being for visually impaired people, prompting us to consider what service providers, service users and, indeed, society as a whole might be colluding with. This work offers a novel perspective on blindness rehabilitation in South Africa as it explores an interplay between essential practical interventions found in rehabilitation and the influences on identity which those who experience sight loss undergo as they move into a new life with visual impairment.

Tax avoidance by multinational enterprises is the focus of much media and political scrutiny. It is also the subject of a major Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) project called Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). The objective of this thesis was to gain a greater understanding of BEPS, particularly in a South African and Australian context, and to determine whether BEPS is as great a problem as the OECD portrays. A detailed analysis of the OECD BEPS Report and Action Plan was undertaken to understand what the term BEPS means. A review of current BEPS literature was then performed toassess the extent of BEPS. This was followed by a comparative analysis of South Africa and Australia, including a comparison of their tax systems and various economic indicators. It was found that there is no simple definition of BEPS. It encompasses the spectrum of international tax planning strategies used by multinational enterprises. Furthermore, these tax strategies are usually legal, which makes measuring the extent of BEPS conceptually difficult. Despite being legal, many observers believe that BEPS behaviour by multinational enterprises is ethically unacceptable. This thesis also discussed the ethics of tax avoidance, and argued that countries should assess BEPS with reference to the many benefits which multinationals bring to a country. The benefits of multinational enterprise activity are especially important to developing countries like South Africa. Despite similar tax systems, South Africa and Australia vary greatly in terms of their economic and social position. This thesis concluded that South Africa, as a developing country, is more likely than Australia to tolerate BEPS behaviour in order to maintain or even attract foreign investment. The OECD Action Plan calls for urgent internationally coordinated actions against BEPS. It appears, however, that much more research is needed on the nature and extent of BEPS before countries formulate their response. This thesis acknowledges that aggressive tax planning by multinational enterprises does exist, but suggests that countries approach BEPS, and any estimates of its extent, with a degree of caution.

A subject of the thesis is the usage of methods of FMEA and application of results on a making process of the Composite Components inc. In the theoretical part, the application of methods of FMEA are discussed, depending on its usage. The research part is about analysis of current situation of the working process of the Composite Components inc. The acquired data are written into PFMEA form. The corrective precautions leading to decreasing defects are designed and evaluated.

Les objectifs principaux de cette thèse sont expliquer l’émergence de nouvelles dynamiques concurrentielles caractérisées par une symbiose entre concurrence et pouvoir de marché et élucider comment elles peuvent être appréhendées sous l’angle de la théorie de la concurrence. Le chapitre I investigue l’évolution des formes de la concurrence aux États-Unis de 1840 jusqu’à nos jours. On montre qu’alors que dans certains cas le pouvoir de marché s’est traduit par l’entrave à la concurrence (et vice-versa), dans d’autres les deux établissent une relation symbiotique. Le chapitre II fait une revue des théories de la concurrence et conclut qu’elles ne rendent pas compte de la coexistence de deux faits stylisés majeurs propres à la forme de concurrence hégémonique actuelle : des différentiels de taux de profit de long terme et une forte concurrence par les prix.Le chapitre III développe une contribution à la théorie de la concurrence entre et au sein des chaînes globales de valeur (CGV). On montre que l’interdépendance inégale est la source du pouvoir de marché intra-CGV, ce qui explique les différentiels de taux de profit entre firmes appartenant à une même CGV. On montre par la suite comment ils peuvent être compatibles avec une forte concurrence par les prix. Le chapitre IV étudie le capitalisme de plateforme en se focalisant sur les « firmes de coordination algorithmique basées sur la confiance » (FCABC). En s’appuyant sur le cas de la firme de VTC Uber, on argumente que la FCABC conjugue du pouvoir de marché avec une forte concurrence par les prix dans une dynamique concurrentielle dans laquelle il y a une tendance à la monopolisation
The main objectives of this thesis are to explain the emergence of competitive dynamics characterized by a symbiosis between competition and market power and to elucidate how they can be apprehended through the lenses of competition theory. Chapter I investigates the evolution of forms of competition in the United States from 1840 to today. We show that while in some cases market power has translated into hindering competition (and vice versa), in others the two establish a symbiotic relation. Chapter II reviews competition theories and concludes that they do not account for the coexistence of two major stylized facts characteristic of the current hegemonic form of competition: long-run profit rate differentials and strong price competition. Chapter III develops a contribution to competition theory within and between global value chains (GVC). We show that uneven interdependence is the source of intra-GVC market power, which explains long-run profit rate differentials between firms belonging to the same GVC. Then we show how they can be compatible with strong price competition. Chapter IV studies platform capitalism with a focus on “trust-based algorithmic coordination” (TBAC) firms. Building on the case of the ride-hailing firm Uber, we argue that the TBAC firm conjugates vertical market power with strong price competition in a competitive dynamics in which there is a tendency towards monopolization

Educational organizations are being scrutinized for developing accredited programs that provide students with gainful employment. As industry prepares to face the forecasted gaps of an aging workforce, educational organizations are also pressured to provide corporations with critical thinking problem solvers who can think analytically and actively participate in the global economy by producing change that will improve organizational performance. This study exposes an existing gap in literature regarding perception and its effect on adult online students' critical thinking skills as opposed to their perceived beliefs. This study's exploration is grounded on a self-perception and social-cognitive theoretical framework that supports knowledge and reality-based assumptions. This quantitative study assumes we are all works in progress; therefore, it is possible to direct learning outcomes and drive economic change with strategies that build on life's experiences for valuable contributions to society. By employing a non-experimental quantitative correlational design, this study found a cause and effect relationship between adult online students' gender and adult online students' critical thinking skills.

Quoiqu’il soit le premier grammairien arrivé à nous, auteur de trois livres presque entièrement conservés, Marius Plotius Sacerdos, maître d’école à Rome à la fin du IIIe siècle ap. J.-C., pour longtemps a été négligé. Maintenant, l’étude de l’entière tradition manuscrite, incluant pour la première fois les contributions des copies humanistiques, a permis de dépasser les limites de l’édition de Keil et d’établir une nouvelle édition critique des deux premiers livres de sa grammaire ainsi que celle des Catholica Probi, en tant que forme parallèle et séparée du deuxième livre. Comme d’habitude, dans l’introduction on fournit les informations sur l’auteur et, à travers l’analyse structurale du texte, on chercher de présenter l’œuvre de Sacerdos comme la première tentative de construire une grammaire scolaire systématique. Le copieux commentaire veut mener à une compréhension exhaustive des textes, envisagent les implications de doctrine grammaticale, les problèmes textuels, les relations avec les autres grammairiens ainsi qu’avec la tradition exégétique antique
Despite of being the first grammarian who have come to us, author of three almost complete grammatical books, for long time Marius Plotius Sacerdos, teacher in Rome in the end of third century AD, has been neglected. At present, the study of the complete manuscript tradition, including for the first time the contribution of humanistic copies, has made it possible to overcome some defects of Keil’s edition and to provide a new critical edition of the first two Sacerdos’ books and of the Catholica Probi, which are a well-known stand-alone version of the second book. As is customary, the introduction gives the information about life of the author and, by means of analysis of the structure of the text, tries to show this work as the first attempt to produce a systematic school handbook. The extensive commentary wants to be an exhaustive guide for the texts, which treats the implications of grammatical doctrine, the textual problems, and the connections with other grammarians and the ancient exegetical tradition

The PE is a concept under scrutiny. Action 7 of the BEPS Action Plan has laid out a path to defend against artificial avoidance of PE status in light of BEPS concerns that can be associated with moderating business practices. Out of Action 7 has come an update to Art. 5(4) MTC, with the extension of the ‘preparatory or auxiliary’ provision to all of the specific activity exemptions, as well as new provisions at Art. 5(4.1) MTC and Art. 5(8) MTC, together comprising the new ‘anti-fragmentation rule’ This 2017 MTC update has expanded existing concepts and introduced new concepts that need to be understood and analysed in order to assess the success of the Action 7 work. This alludes to the critical research question of this thesis, which is to critically analyse the extension of the ‘preparatory or auxiliary’ provision and the new anti-fragmentation rule in light of the appropriateness of the reforms as regards established legal principles and norms, to review the success of the reforms as against the objectives and goals of the OECD through the Action 7 work, and to assess whether the goals and objectives ought to have been adjusted or could be adjusted in the future in order to bring about a better solution to the artificial avoidance of PE status. This is performed in this thesis by first exploring the background to the PE concept in a wider sense, before offering specific critical analyses upon elements contained in the reforms. Amazon, the e-commerce giant, will be followed as a case example in order to give context to the impact of the reforms in practice. This thesis concludes that the need to transform the PE concept in light of the BEPS concerns prevails against the concerns that can be associated with the reforms of the 2017 MTC update.

Le sujet de ce travail a été une étude détaillée du supraconducteur CuxTiSe2. Des échantillons avec différentes teneurs en cuivre x, ont été étudiés par magnétométrie locale à sonde de Hall. Nous avons tout d'abord construit les profils de champ magnétique dans les échantillons pour déterminer quand les premiers vortex pénètrent dans l'échantillon. La forme en dôme des profils a indiqué que le piègeage est très faible et que la pénétration des vortex est principalement régie par des barrières géométriques, ce qui nous a permis de déterminer le champ critique inférieur, Hc1. Un bon accord entre la théorie et Hc1 (T) a été obtenu en utilisant un modèle à deux gaps, même si l'origine du plus petit de ces gaps ne peut être liée à la structure électronique de CuxTiSe2 . En combinant ces mesures avec des mesures de chaleur spécifique effectuées précédemment sur ces échantillons, nous avons obtenu un comportement non trivial de l'énergie de condensation. En outre, les mesures effectuées pour diverses orientations du champ magnétique ont révélé la présence d'un effet de "lock-in" dans CuxTiSe2, montrant que les vortex restent piégés le long d'une structure en couches même pour les champs magnétiques inclinés. L'orientation des vortices a été déterminée expérimentalement et a pu être bien décrite par un modèle tenant compte de la présence d'une "sur-structure" dans laquelle la supraconductivité est - au moins - partiellement détruite. Cet effet de lock-n a été analysé sur trois échantillons et nous avons montré que la force de piégeage est indépendante du dopage du cuivre. La nature de cette sur-structure est encore inconnue mais pourrait être liée à l'observation récente de parois de domaine des ondes de densité de charge, qui pourraient induire de fortes variations du paramètre d'ordre supraconducteur
The subject of this work was a detailed study of superconducting CuxTiSe2. Samples with various copper content x, from underdoped to overdoped regions of the phase diagram, were investigated by local Hall probe magnetometry. At first, we constructed the magnetic field profiles in the samples to determine when the first vortices penetrate into the sample. The observed dome-like shape of the profiles indicated that pinning is very small and that the vortex penetration is primarily governed by geometrical barriers, hence enabling us to determine the lower critical field, Hc1. A good agreement between theory and the Hc1(T) data was obtained by using a model with two energy gaps, even though the origin of the smaller energy gap in CuxTiSe2 cannot be related to its electronic structure. Combining those measurements with heat capacity measurements previously performed on these samples, we obtained a non trivial condensation energy. Moreover, measurements performed for various orientations of the magnetic field revealed the presence of a lock-in effect in CuxTiSe2, when superconducting vortices are trapped along a layered structure even for tilted magnetic fields. The orientation of the vortices was experimentally determined and could be well described by a model considering the presence of an additional layered structure in which superconductivity is at least partially suppressed. The lock-in effect was analysed in three different samples and we have shown that the strength of the lock-in is independent of the copper doping, even though this effect can be masked by strong demagnetisation effects in very thin samples. The strength of this lock-in effect indicates that the superconductivity is strongly suppressed on certain layered structure. The nature of this "extrinsic" pinning structure is still unknown but might be related to the recent observation of charge density waves domain walls which may induce strong variations of the superconducting order parameter

This Master´s thesis is focused on the proposition of system HACCP as appropriate solution incurred complaint. I start from the theoretical bases and from analysis of the current state in the company Cutisin s.r.o. The particular part is included hazard analysis of single step of the process plan, critical control points in production, precautionary measures and corrective action.

The emphasis of this diploma thesis is placed on the verification of stationarity in time series using the Unit Root Tests and their most common modifications that are introduced in the theoretical part of this paper. Tests mainly by Dickey and Fuller, Phillips and Perron, and KPSS test are introduced as well as their modifications in the form of ERS, Ng and Perron, and Leybourne and McCabe tests. Moreover the HEGY test for testing stationarity in the seasonal Time series and Perron test of structural breaks for Time series with shocks are described. There is also outlined the process of testing multiple Unit Roots. The empirical part of this paper consists of simulations of AR(1) time series generated using the software R, their testing for stationarity by selected Unit Root tests and the comparison of power of these tests. The conclusion includes recommendations which tests and under what conditions are the most suitable for testing Time series for the presence of Unit Root.

This thesis begins with a philosophical question: What if we could amplify our waking experience with the aesthetic qualitiesof dreams? Through a discourse on experiential dream related aspects in philosophy, design and daily life it examines what itmeans, and has meant, to dream, and how these qualities already permeate the physical world. I hypothesize that objects capable of representing dream related physiological data as physical output have the potential to amplify our waking experience. To formulate a set of considerations for the design of such objects, an ethnographic study of dream experience, comprising a survey, a cultural probe study and interviews, has been conducted. The text concludes by exploring how dream elements like ambiguity, synesthetic sensibility, and affective self-exploration may benefit interaction design, raising questions about how digital media can facilitate personal, meaningful experiences.

Mestrado em Ciências Empresariais
As Entidades do Setor Não Lucrativo (ESNL) contribuem para o terceiro setor da economia através da criação de valor social. Surgindo de uma necessidade crítica, estas organizações operam num contexto cada vez mais turbulento, o que tornou indispensável o foco na sustentabilidade organizacional, tanto a nível estratégico como operacional. A principal dificuldade de construir uma organização sustentável, é de que não abale a missão social para a qual foi concebida. A Cozinha com Alma, objeto desde Estudo de Caso, é uma Instituição Particular de Solidariedade Social, cuja missão é apoiar e capacitar famílias que vivem períodos de fragilidade financeira, através do acesso a uma alimentação completa e equilibrada, e de um programa de capacitação e acompanhamento. Posto isto, importa compreender qual a estratégia a adotar por uma organização da Economia Social no apoio a famílias com dificuldades financeiras temporárias. Posteriormente, apurar se o projeto social está em condições de se redimensionar, de que formas, e se existe atualmente uma envolvente propícia para que o possa fazer. No âmbito da pesquisa realizada, a Qualidade é uma característica manifesta em todos os fatores que compõem esta iniciativa, imprescindível para que possa concorrer com as restantes empresas de take-away, sociais ou não, e, para uma maior eficácia da sua missão, a prática estratégias de financiamento e de redução de custos, enumeradas também ao longo do estudo.
Non-Profit Sector Entities contribute to the third sector of the economy through the creation of social value. Emerging from a critical need, these organizations operate in an increasingly turbulent context, which has made it indispensable to focus on organizational sustainability, both at the strategic and operational levels. The main difficulty in building a sustainable organization is that it does not undermine the social mission for which it was conceived. Cozinha com Alma, the object of this Case Study, is a Private Institution of Social Solidarity, whose mission is to support and train families living in periods of financial fragility, through access to a complete and balanced diet, and a program of training and monitoring. That said, it is important to understand the strategy to be adopted by a Social Economy organization in supporting families with temporary financial difficulties. Subsequently, it is necessary to find out whether the social project is able to resize, in what ways, and whether there is currently a suitable environment in which to do so. Within the scope of the research carried out, Quality is a characteristic manifested in all the factors that make up this initiative, indispensable for it to compete with the other take-away companies, social or not, and, for a greater effectiveness of its mission, the practical strategies of financing and cost reduction, also listed throughout the study.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Situated work in the intersectionof two disciplines- Analysis of the Pragmatic Speech and, aiming at to analyze argumentative organization of the speech ownership politician. The presupposition of that has as research hypothesis the DPP, independent by the partisan filiations that of the support, presents the same argumentative organization, searchs It takes as corpus the speech of ownership of the Governor of State of Sergipe: Marcelo Déda (PT) and the speech of ownership of Governor of State of Paraná, Roberto Requião (PMDB). It uses as theoretical support Searle (1981 and 2002), Austin (1990), Levinson (1989), Armengaud (2006), Brandão (2004), Orlandi (1990, 2005 and 2005b), Ferreira (2005), Pêcheux (2002), Althusser (1998) e Foucault (2007), Amossy (2005), Motta e Salgado (2008), Maingueneau (2008) e Charaudeau (2006), Osakabe (2002), Bakhtin (2000), Marcuschi (2005), Bazerman (2005) e Meurer (2002). It characterizes the DPP while independent literal sort, used in a specific communicative situation, displays the theories that had guided the analysis, make the analysis of the categories mentioned above, dive these categories in the argumentative organization proposal for Osakabe and conclude ratifying the initial hypothesis.
Trabalho situado no entrecruzamento de duas disciplinas Análise do Discurso e Pragmática, visando a analisar a organização argumentativa do discurso político de posse. Tem como hipótese de pesquisa a pressuposição de que o DPP, independente da filiação partidária que o dá suporte, apresenta a mesma organização argumentativa. Toma como corpus o discurso de posse do Governador do Estado de Sergipe, Marcelo Déda (PT) e o discurso de posse do Governador do Estado do Paraná, Roberto Requião (PMDB. Utiliza como suporte teórico Searle (1981 e 2002), Austin (1990), Levinson (1989), Armengaud (2006), Brandão (2004), Orlandi (1990, 2005 e 2005b), Ferreira (2005), Pêcheux (2002), Althusser (1998) e Foucault (2007), Amossy (2005), Motta e Salgado (2008), Maingueneau (2008) e Charaudeau (2006), Osakabe (2002), Bakhtin (2000), Marcuschi (2005), Bazerman (2005) e Meurer (2002) e outros. Caracteriza o DPP enquanto gênero textual autônomo, utilizado em uma situação comunicativa específica, expõe as teorias que nortearam a análise, faz a análise das categorias acima mencionadas, mergulha essas categorias na organização argumentativa proposta por Osakabe e conclui ratificando a hipótese inicial.

This thesis deals with the action and impact of the credit rating agencies in the capital markets during the financial crisis. The work is divided into two parts; the first part stresses the importance of a proper understanding of the rating, its characteristics, functions, users and the rating process. The emphasis is put on the market analysis of ratings and rating agencies in the U.S. and European market. The second part of this work is devoted to examining the issue of rating agencies during the crisis, which contributed to the spread of the financial crisis, criticism relevant issues and regulatory arrangements.

Notion dramaturgique majeure au vu de la récurrence de son emploi dans les traités d’esthétique, la crise souffre toutefois d’un déficit théorique : ignorée par Aristote dans La Poétique, par Corneille dans ses Discours sur la tragédie ou encore par Hegel dans son Cours d’esthétique, la crise est une notion encore à construire. C’est à partir du XIXe siècle qu’est développée une interprétation de la tragédie classique comme crise : il s’agit alors de penser en quoi la représentation de dérèglements tant intimes que politiques participe d’une remise en cause de la conception classique du monde fondée sur un principe d’ordre et d’harmonie. Résolument, la crise se donne à penser, à partir de la tragédie classique, comme mise en crise. Une telle conception se trouve toutefois contestée dans le drame bourgeois qui conçoit la crise comme état de crise : dans le prolongement de l’esthétique du tableau que développe Diderot, il s’agit en effet de dépeindre sur scène des situations critiques qui ne menacent en aucun cas la conception bourgeoise du monde.C’est dans une hésitation face à ces deux définitions concurrentes de la crise que trouvent à s’inventer, aux XXe et XXIe siècles, des poétiques de la mise en crise et des poétiques de l’état de crise qui prétendent expliquer le monde ou simplement l’explorer, l’élucider ou simplement l’étudier. Pour Bertolt Brecht, Peter Weiss ou encore Edward Bond qui ont une approche processuelle de la crise, il s’agit en effet de susciter chez le spectateur un ébranlement qui lui permettra d’envisager à nouveaux frais la réalité et de déterminer comment agir pour pouvoir la transformer. À l’inverse, pour Ödön von Horváth, Michel Vinaver ou encore Martin Crimp qui ont une approche contextuelle de la crise, il s’agit d’inventer une situation à partir de laquelle il devient possible d’explorer de manière inédite la relation de l’homme à lui-même, aux autres et au monde, d’explorer la « condition de l’homme moderne », pour reprendre la formule d’Hannah Arendt. Dès lors, l’étude de ces poétiques de la mise en crise et de l’état de crise se révèle déterminante en ceci qu’elles sont fondatrices de deux traditions dramatiques qui structurent intégralement l’histoire du théâtre occidental : celles du théâtre critique et du théâtre clinique
The dramaturgic notion of crisis recurrently appears in aesthetic treatises, which attests its importance in the frame of theatre theory. Nevertheless, a definition of this notion is still missing : crisis is not even mentionned in Aristotle's Poetics, in the Discourses on tragedy by Corneille, or in Hegel's Lectures on Aesthetics. Theatrical crisis therefore needs to be thoroughly examined and defined. From the 19th century, French neoclassical tragedy has been read as a theatre of crisis : attention was then drawn to the way the disorders depicted on stage – on intimate as well as political level – put into question a classical conception of a world based on order and harmony. From this startpoint, theoricians resolutely use the notion of crisis to think this undermining questioning of the world. However, this definition of crisis is not relevant to the 18th century drame bourgeois, in which crisis is only used as a dramatic plot device : in line with the tableau in his Aesthetics, Diderot calls for a theatre of critical situations, which do not however threaten a bourgeois conception of the world. The gap between these two definitions of theatrical crisis has left a space for invention in the 20th and 21th centuries : dramatists have used crisis in various ways to explain the world, or simply explore it, to decifer it, or simply reflect upon it. Bertold Brecht, Peter Weiss and Edward Bond have shaped crisis as a process of involvement of the audience : they aim to shake spectators to make them consider real life with new eyes, and to ask themselves how they can transform it. On the opposite, Ödön von Horvath, Michel Vinaver and Martin Crimp have used crisis as a contextual device : they invent a situation which allows them to explore in a totally new way how man behaves towards himself, towards the others, and towards the world, that is, to explore the modern « Human Condition » according to the words of Hannah Arendt. The study of these two different poetics of crisis is therefore decisive, inasmuch as they have given birth to two different dramatic traditions which structure the whole history of Western theatre : on the one hand, the critical theatre, on the other, the clinical theatre

Dans cette thèse, on s'est attaché d'une part à d'écrire le défaut de compacité de l'injection de Sobolev critique dans les différentes classes d'espaces d'Orlicz, et d'autre part à étudier l'équation de Klein-Gordon avec une non-linéarité exponentielle. Ce travail se divise en trois parties. L'objectif de la première partie est de caractériser le défaut de compacité de l'injection de Sobolev de $H^2_{rad}(R^4)$ dans l'espace d'Orlicz $mathcal{L}(R^4)$.Le but de la deuxième partie est double : tout d'abord, on a décrit le défaut de compacité de l'injection de Sobolev de $H^1(R^2)$ dans les différentes classes d'espaces d'Orlicz, ensuite on a étudié une famille d'équations de Klein-Gordon non linéaires à croissance exponentielle. Cette étude inclut à la fois les problèmes d'existence globale, de complétude asymptotique et d'étude qualitative pour le problème de Cauchy associé. La troisième partie est dédiée à l'analyse des solutions de l'équation de Klein-Gordon 2D issues d'une suite de données de Cauchy bornée dans $H^1_{rad}(R^2)times L^2_{rad}(R^2)$. Basée sur les décompositions en profils, cette analyse a été conduite dans le cadre de la norme d'Orlicz
In this thesis, we focused on the one hand on the description of the lack of compactness of the critical Sobolev embedding into different classes of Orlicz spaces, and on the other hand on the study of the nonlinear Klein-Gordon equation with exponential nonlinearity. This work is divided into three parts. The aim of the first part is to characterize the lack of compactness of the Sobolev embedding of $H^2_{rad}(R^4)$ into the Orlicz space $mathcal{L}(R^4)$.The aim of the second part is twofold: firstly, we describe the lack of compactness of the Sobolev embedding of $H^1(R^2)$ into different classes of Orlicz spaces, secondly we investigate a family of nonlinear Klein-Gordon equations with exponential nonlinearity. This study includes both the global existence problem, the asymptotic completeness and the qualitative study for the associated Cauchy problem. The third part is dedicated to the analysis of the solutions to the 2D Klein-Gordon equation associated to a sequence of bounded Cauchy data in $H^1_{rad}(R^2)times L^2_{rad}(R^2)$. Based on the profile decompositions, this analysis was conducted in the framework of Orlicz norm

Předložená disertační práce se zabývá popisem charakteru optimální strategie řízení pro elektrický vlak a výpočtem přepínacích okamžiků mezi jednotlivými optimálními jízdními režimy pro standardní typy odporové funkce. S využitím Pontrjaginova principu a souvisejících nástrojů teorie optimálního řízení odvodíme optimální strategii řízení a rovnice pro výpočet přepínacích okamžiků včetně odpovídajících rychlostních profilů. Kromě základního tvaru úlohy o energeticky optimální jízdě vlaku budeme uvažovat i její modifikace zahrnující globální rychlostní omezení, sklon trati i časově-energeticky optimální řízení vlaku. Navíc uvedeme i analýzu řešení s využitím teorie nelineární parametrické optimalizace. Důraz je kladen na exaktní tvar řešení s minimálním využitím numerických metod.

Dans cette thèse, nous avons répondu à certaines questions ouverts dans le domaine de la dynamique hors équilibre des systèmes quantiques unidimensionnels fermés. Durant ces dernières années, les avancées dans les techniques expérimentales ont revitalisé la recherche théorique en physique de la matière condensée et dans l'optique quantique. Nous avons traité trois sujets différents et en utilisant des techniques à la fois numériques et analytiques. Dans le cadre des techniques numériques, nous avons utilisé des méthodes de diagonalisation exacte, l'algorithme du groupe de renormalisation de la matrice densité en fonction du temps (t-DMRG) et l'algorithme de Lanczos. Au début, nous avons étudié la dynamique quantique adiabatique d'un système quantique près d'un point critique. Nous avons démontré que la présence d'un potentiel de confinement modifie fortement les propriétés d'échelle de la dynamique des observables en proximité du point critique quantique. La densité d'excitations moyenne et l'excès d'énergie, après le croisement du point critique, suivent une loi algébrique en fonction de la vitesse de la trempe avec un exposant qui dépend des propriétés spatio-temporelles du potentiel. Ensuite, nous avons étudié le comportement de bosons ultra-froids dans un réseau optique incliné. En commençant par l'hamiltonien de Bose-Hubbard, dans la limite de Hard-Core bosons, nous avons développé une théorie hydrodynamique qui reproduit exactement l'évolution temporelle d'une partie des observables du système. En particulier, nous avons observé qu'une partie de bosons reste piégée, et oscille avec une fréquence qui dépend de la pente du potentiel, au contraire, une autre partie est expulsée hors de la rampe. Nous avons également analysé la dynamique du modèle de Bose-Hubbard en utilisant l'algorithme t-DMRG et l'algorithme de Lanczos. De cette façon, nous avons mis en évidence le rôle de la non-intégrabilité du modèle dans son comportement dynamique. Enfin, nous avons abordé le problème de la thermalisation dans un système quantique étendu. À partir de considérations générales, nous avons introduit la notion de profil de température hors équilibre dans une chaîne des bosons à coeur dure. Nous avons analysé la dynamique du profil de temperature et, notamment, ses propriétés d'échelle
In this thesis we have addressed some open questions on the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of closed one-dimensional quantum systems. In recent years, advances in experimental techniques have revitalized the theoretical research in condensed matter physics and quantum optics. We have treated three different subjects using both numerical and analytical techniques. As far as the numerical techniques are concerned, we have used essentially exact diagonalization methods, the adaptive time-dependent density-matrix renormalization-group algorithm (t-DMRG) and the Lanczos algorithm. At first, we studied the adiabatic quantum dynamics of a quantum system close to a critical point. We have demonstrated that the presence of a confining potential strongly affects the scaling properties of the dynamical observables near the quantum critical point. The mean excitation density and the energy excess, after the crossing of the critical point, follow an algebraic law as a function of the sweeping rate with an exponent that depends on the space-time properties of the potential. After that, we have studied the behavior of ultra-cold bosons in a tilted optical lattice. Starting with the Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian, in the limit of Hard-Core bosons, we have developed a hydrodynamic theory that exactly reproduces the temporal evolution of some of the observables of the system. In particular, it was observed that part of the boson density remains trapped, and oscillates with a frequency that depends on the slope of the potential, whereas the remaining packet part is expelled out of the ramp. We have also analyzed the dynamics of the Bose-Hubbard model using the tDMRG algorithm and the Lanczos algorithm. In this way we have highlighted the role of the non-integrability of the model on its dynamical behavior. Finally, we have addressed the issue of thermalization in an extended quantum system. Starting from quite general considerations, we have introduced the notion of out-of-equilibrium temperature profile in a chain of Hard-Core bosons. We have analyzed the dynamics of the temperature profile and especially its scaling properties

Secondary schooling continues to marginalise a significant minority of young people attending school in South Australia. As a consequence, I was a teacher morally obliged to redress the institutional codes, social relations and pedagogical practices of three secondary schools for those young people who were marginalised by them. Unfortunately, my lack of critical sociological awareness at the time associated with the insidious influence of what Foucault described as `neoliberal governmentalities’ drove my emancipatory school re-engagement efforts towards a neoliberal schooling curriculum that valued the development of entrepreneurial values and schooling for the labour market. The losers in all of this were many of the students I worked with who soon discovered the harsh realities of a labour market that didn’t value nor want them. In this auto ethnographic action research study I developed, managed and taught in three engagement programs with teacher and community youth stakeholders across three mainstream secondary school sites involving over 200 marginalised young people. All three programs succeeded in improving school retention and are still active today but only one program empowered students to be active participants in their community, offering them transition pathways into university, TAFE, apprenticeships and work. In Lesson 1, I came to understand that teachers, parents and community youth stakeholders are the agents best placed to effect educational change for students with a disability in a large country secondary school. Through collaborative school and community based activism I was able to mobilise the voices of parent, teacher and community youth stakeholders to improve resourcing, curriculum options and work related opportunities for students. This action resulted in significant structural inclusion and vocational pedagogical change for the students with disabilities. In Lesson 2 providing an after-hours regional second chance schooling option drew over forty young people back into formalised learning. However, offering a vocational curriculum embedded in casual or part-time work expectations proved to be an inadequate option for those students unable to gain employment. There was significant structural and cultural change evident in this schooling program but little pedagogical and curricular rigour. In Lesson 3 I oriented senior secondary schooling within an adult education environment geographically removed from the mainstream school campus. This second chance senior schooling program involved young people, teachers and community stakeholders in a continual negotiation of school structures, culture, pedagogy and curriculum. This approach (re)engaged over 150 young people back into the SACE (South Australian Certificate of Education) over three years. By investigating the nature of the community-school nexus and using community as a curriculum resource, students were offered greater learning authenticity and opportunity, presenting some answers to the question; how can I (a teacher), (re)engage marginalised young people back into learning in the official senior school curriculum? The difficulty with the first two engagement initiatives was neoliberal public policy as it manifested in South Australia’s version of local school management and in my practice. For me, a way through the neoliberal quagmire came only through participation in an Australian Education Union (AEU) funded and university led Professional Learning Community (PLC). This dialogic community offered me thinking space, intellectual challenge and rich conversation with teacher colleagues and university partners to wrestle with and enact critical educational social theory and practice. Through my involvement in this PLC and my subsequent enactment of engaging and rigorous pedagogical practices I was able to work `against the grain’ of the existing neoliberal policy logic as it played out in schools and in my mind. This required a move to socially just critical praxis in my work with teacher colleagues, students, parents and community youth stakeholders to embed structural, cultural, curricula and pedagogical democratic schooling purpose within the final engagement initiative.
Thesis (D.Ed.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Education, 2011

Dissertação de Mestrado em Engenharia Informática apresentada à Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
Com o emergir do paradigma Industria 4.0 (Quarta revolução industrial), os Sistemas de Controle e Automação Industrial estão-se a tornar em sistemas altamente distribuídos, tornando-se cada vez mais susceptíveis a ciberataques, particularmente quando comparados com as gerações anteriores de Sistemas de Controlo Industrial. Para lidar com a crescente complexidade e dimensão de tais infraestruturas, é necessário o uso de um conjunto diversificado de sondas de segurança/componentes.No entanto, a integração de sondas de segurança novas e existentesnas plataformas utilizadas para deteção de anomalias e intrusões não é tarefa fácil. Isto deve-se principalmente à falta de protocolos de comunicação standard/comuns e APIs, assim como modelos de dados adequados (para configuração e comunicação/transporte dos dados). Isto é decisivo para simplificar e optimizar o processo de configuração e monitorização, mas também o aprovisionamento e registo desses mecanismos, usados por agentes tão especializados.Tendo isto em conta, esta tese vai-se focar no desenvolvimento de uma camada de ligação/envoltória e, fornecendo os meios para integrar agentes/sondas de segurança numa plataforma de Sistema de Detecção de Anomalias e Intrusões. Esta camada vai fornecer os adaptadores genéricos necessários para implementar recursos de gestão e capacidades de comunicação homogéneas para a integração de agentes/sondas de segurança, bem como os componentes necessários do servidor .
With the emergence of the Industry 4.0 paradigm, Industrial Automation and Control Systems are becoming highly distributed, making them increasingly prone to cyber-attacks, particularly when compared with previous Industrial Control System generations. To cope with the increased complexity and dimension of such infrastructures, it is necessary to use a diversified set of security probes/components.However, the integration of new and already existing security probes into existing Intrusion and Anomaly Detection System platforms is no easy task. This is mostly due to the lack of common/standard communication protocols and APIs, as well as suitable data models (for configuration and eventing). This is crucial to simplify and streamline the configuration and monitoring processes but also the provisioning and registration of those mechanisms, used for such specialised agents.With this in mind, this thesis will focus on developing a coupling layer, providing the means to integrate agents/probes in an Intrusion and Anomaly Detection System platform. This layer will provide the necessary generic adaptors to implement homogeneous management and event capabilities for agent/probe integration, as well as the required server-side components .

碩士
大葉大學
企業管理學系碩士班
98
In the spirit of volunteering and service, non-profit organizations have been ac-tively involved in many activities on social welfare and charity. Their contributions have gradually been recognized by the society. Because of the low economic climate and global recession, non-profit organizations have experienced financial hardships and encountered difficulties in collection of contributions from industries and individuals. The purpose of this research is to identify critical factors that contribute to the sus-tainable operation of a non-profit organization. The conceptual framework of the re-search is derived based upon findings of previous studies found from literatures and from conjunction with the four perspectives of the balance score card. The process of the balance score card effectively integrates the vision and goal of the organization and customer requirements into organization’s daily operation and successfully monitors the implementation of strategies of the organization. The process also shifts the focus on the performance assessing of an organization from a financial perspective to a strategy per-spective and improves efficiency of the organization. Consequently, the organization will offer more services to the society and build a solid foundation for a permanent op-eration. This research included all non-profit foundations that provide scholarships and fi-nancial aids to students in Chang Hua County. A questionnaire was distributed to collect information of each organization. A total of 30 questionnaires were distributed and 22 questionnaires were completed. The completion rate is 73.3%. Subjects’ responses were based on their subjective judgment and professional knowledge. The collected informa-tion was logically checked with bivariate comparisons and was analyzed with multi-variate statistical models. All analyses were conducted by statistical software. The results show that high capability of contribution collection, sufficient number of full-time staff, availability of volunteer training programs, and appropriate applica-tion criteria corresponding to needs of beneficiaries are the critical factors for the sus-tainable operation of a non-profit organization.

碩士
國立交通大學
企業管理碩士學程
101
This paper deals with CSR and Sustainability indexes and the comparison between these, all developed by profit institutions. The indexes covered are Walmart’s Sustainability Index and Nike’s Considered Index, Calvert Sustainable Index, Dow Jones Sustainability Index and MSCI KLD 400 Social Index. In order see the differences between these indexes, their screening process is explained, as well as a critical view of their approach., in order to compare the indexes with each other. There is a clear difference between the fund indexes approach and the two retailers, since the funds are screening companies, while the retailers are screening products and suppliers. Also their method is different, like, Walmart asked their suppliers to answer questionnaires, while Nike uses their own designers to score their products, and Calvert is using an expert panel to screen. It is over all positive that companies are dealing with issues like CSR and sustainability, since it triggers competition and puts issues in the spotlight. However, more transparency is needed, as well as industry standards, so that comparisons are possible between different company products, both Nike and Walmart has these steps on a later agenda. Meanwhile, the fund indexes keep on screening companies, in a more or less similar manner. Finally, the paper concludes that observations from more objective organisations are needed and also that if an index is going to be an industry standard, its more beneficial if many actors are included in the development process.

碩士
國立臺北大學
公共行政暨政策學系
100
In Taiwan, non-profit organizations attach importance to fund-raising work far beyond the past few decades. Fundraising related research in my country is increasing, therefore, in the face of the social environment which the fundraising demand surge, various non-profit organizations compete with each other resources. This study hopes to more deeply explore the existence of the major issues for non-profit organizations, explore the critical factors, and look forward to non-profit organizations can more effectively develop and use of social resources. The purpose of this study is that analysis on critical factors of fund-raising performance for non-profit organizations through the relevant literatures, and through the issue of expert questionnaire to identify critical factors, and analyze the causal relationship of the critical factors, and to identify the relative importance of critical factors, and finally find a better fundraising program in order to a reference for fundraising work in future for non-profit organizations. This study adopts literature analysis, decision making trial evaluation laboratory and analytic network process. Through literature analysis, summarized the critical factors, and issue expert questionnaires in decision making trial evaluation laboratory and analytic network process to find out fundraising the critical factor in the weight and the best fundraising program. The conclusions of this study are as follows: 1. 12 critical factors all to retain. 2. The maximum of relation is the surface of service content. 3. The maximum of prominence is the surface of organizational activities. 4. The relation of factor which has higher prominence is lower. 5. The factor of fundraising planning is the highest rank on average for relation and prominence. 6. The factor of fundraising staff religious belief has the second degree in relation, and the final degree in prominence. 7. “The execution in fundraising work” and "the fundraising staff cohesion and professional skills" are the most important critical factors. 8. “Fundraising staff of religious belief,” "fundraising leader," “the range of possible donors” and “the propagation of fundraising way” are the minor critical factors. 9. The best fundraising program is the project fundraising program.

The relationship between customer satisfaction and firm profitability has received varying attention in the research literature. Customer satisfaction itself has been thoroughly investigated and a number of possible attributes identified. A linkage between customer satisfaction and repurchase intention has been shown to exist, though little research has been completed on actual repurchase, while recent research has shown a linkage between customer retention and revenue. If the research on these component parts is added together, it suggests a direct linkage between attributes of customer satisfaction and firm revenue, implying that firm revenue may be increased by identifying and improving key attributes of customer satisfaction.

碩士
育達商業科技大學
行銷與流通管理所
101
With the development of society, non-profit organizations evolution has transferred from pure charity to intensive competition and market orientation. This research tries to explore critical success factors for non-profit organization marketing. Two different kind of non-profit organizations are taken for a comparison. In-depth interviewing is adopted for managers for both organizations. Grounded theory is used for analyzing data. The findings suggest that the critical success factors for non-profit organization marketing are based on organization missions and product quality. Nevertheless, the most important of all is that if non-profit organization can take advantage of Facebook, the communication effect of promotion will be maximized and the public will know more about the organizations and the profit can be then maximized. Keywords: Non-Profit Organizations, Marketing Strategies, Critical Success Factors, Grounded Theory

碩士
國立彰化師範大學
資訊管理學系所
99
Abstract The research study in accordance with method based on delphi technique by references analysis and detailed discussion by 20 experts. Through visited with experts and the third survey by delphi technique , I collected references about the success factor by natural person in stock market and experts’ suggestion & key points to sort the statistical data in order to get so-called the succeed factor about natural person in stock concerned with as follows: (A) Individual disposition factor (B) Psychological factor (C) Operation factor (D) Specialized factor (E) Finance factor(F) System factor．There are six structural plane and 21 sub-catalogs．To sum up, I hope to find real factors for natural person become rich in stock market. keywords:natural person (stock), delphi technique, critical successful factors

碩士
國立政治大學
經營管理碩士學程(EMBA)
95
Research shows that there are key factors contributing to “success” that are common across industries. This study investigated the key to success of Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) and their developments through in-depth interviews with NPO leaders. These findings can serve as developmental key learnings for other, resource-limited NPO’s, allowing them to more effectively harness available resources, thus reducing wastage due to trial and error. This research paper endeavors to organize these Critical Success Factors into easily accessible best-of-practice case studies for up-and-coming NPO’s. For the purposes of this study, the author selected five Non-Profit Women’s Associations with a least ten years of successful operations. Research methodology was depth interviews combined with Critical Incident Technique (CIT). Three main constructs were used in this process including: The mission of NPOs, NPO participants and NPO operations. This study identifies and organizes “Critical Success Factors” that all successful Non-Profit Organizations should own. The Critical Success Factors of A Successful NPO Are: 1.Well defined missions. 2.Strong Personnel/Membership Structure: a.Members of the organization will have: i.self-motivated; identification to organization missions ii.A high degree of enthusiasm iii.The ability to execute the organization directives b.A successful NPO will have Leadership with the following characteristics/skill sets: i.The spiritual leader of an NPO with an unchanging sense of mission, a strong and insight. ii.The ability to continually learn and apply those learnings to the organization. iii.A mutually supporting team that divides work up equally. 3.Strong Operations: a.Organization culture: Equal, open, focused on learning and vigorous. b.Externally it will be able to: i.Clearly articulate organizational goals and objectives ii.Create sufficient exposure to create positive awareness and opinion within society c.Internally it will be able to: i.Create “esprit-de-corps” within organization ii.Empower stake-holders to leverage their strengths d.Continual review of social changes and the adjustment of old services or the introduction of new services to meet social needs. e.Creative and flexible strategies and the ability to integrate various resources to exert influence. A successful NPO needs to accomplish the initial Mission. In order to achieve this, it is recommended that the NPO leadership continually review whether or not the organization is achieving the objectives for which it was established and conduct self-evaluation and self-improvement. The NPO also needs to be in tune with developments and trends in the society it is operating in. By making the information gleaned open and available to all members of the organization, the leadership can empower its members and contribute to a common sense of purpose, helping it achieve the maximum efficiencies and success.

The principal goal of this research study was to critically evaluate the current accounting treatment of purchased goodwill in terms of a theoretical framework established, including an evaluation of the true nature of goodwill. The main conclusion of this study is that goodwill is an intangible asset representing various intangible factors contributing to the enterprise's earning capacity and providing returns in excess of a normal return on assets employed for which an acquiring enterprise is willing to pay an amount in excess of the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. The cost of purchased goodwill is measured as the difference between the total purchase price and the fair value of the net assets acquired after ensuring that all assets, tangible and intangible, had been properly identified. Purchased goodwill should be amortised over the estimated period that the enterprise is expected to benefit from the acquisition of the goodwill.
Financial Accounting
M. Com. (Accounting Science (Applied Accountancy))

碩士
南華大學
非營利事業管理研究所
91
The Youth Volunteer Center of the National Youth Commission is the integrated institution providing assistance to non-profit organizations. It is also the base for developing volunteer service strategies. Since it stands as the epitome and flagship of volunteer service groups, services offered not only manifests the efficiency of the third sector, but serves as the index of performance of non-profit organization. Degree of customer satisfaction acts as the optimal goal achievement indicator of the youth volunteer center, therefore this paper intends to derive the customer satisfaction and its critical success factors (CSF) of the youth volunteer center. 　　 　　The paper uses the SERVQUAL assessment chart, a service quality conceptual model proposed by PZB, as the theoretical basis and research framework of this paper. We conducted an empirical questionnaire survey on the Youth Volunteer Center of the National Youth Commission and hopefully to make the conclusions as follow: 　　 (A) Customer Satisfaction Factors of the Youth Volunteer Center Empirical analysis results proved that the services provided by the center contained the five service qualities (reliable, stimulating, capable, concrete, and responsive); including the customer satisfaction service factors covered in the 25 questions. The empirical results indicated that the services offered in Youth Volunteer Center were capable of providing customer satisfaction.　 　　 (B) Effects of Demographic Changes on Service Satisfaction Empirical analysis results discovered that female university students accounted for majority of the Youth Volunteer Center customers, and most of them were nonsectarian and single. The participants were mostly first-time participants who have heard of the center through referrals from friends and families. However, recommendation inclination was more significant among male, Taoist customers. Actual service perception is also more significant in university students. 　　　 　　The findings indicated that the customer base possessing the foregoing background data form the backbone customer source of the Youth Volunteer Center. They determined the customer satisfaction rating of the Youth Volunteer Center. The findings also reflected that the trend of volunteer work inclination among youths in the present campus, as well as the importance of the youth volunteer center’s contribution into the education of its customer base. 　　　 (C) Customer Satisfaction Critical Success Factors (CSF) of the Youth Volunteer Center The empirical analysis finds three core critical success factors (CSF)— reliable, stimulating, and capable. The 12 questions that obtained these three core CSFs showed that the Youth Volunteer Center staff are the soul factor that make the customers satisfied with the center’s services. Their dedication, concern, professionalism, and proper devotion combined with the center-designed programs and scheduled activities and classes won the customers’ trust, stimulated them, and optimized social service volunteerism. It is a clear indication that the Youth Volunteer Center had fully realized the modern marketing spirit of “customer orientation” in its personnel training. 　　 　　The derivation of the Youth Volunteer Center customer satisfaction CSF signified a strong correlation between the agendas and goal achievement capacity of the center; hence the center should make sure that it would be able to maintain its accomplishments and successfully execute its key agenda strategies. The Youth Volunteer Center of the National Youth Commission covers 18 counties and cities and centers all cater to the youth market. This means that the center plays a vital role in youth education and acts as a bridge between the campus and society. The empirical findings of this paper proves the service satisfaction CSF of the center, as manifested by its customers. Data obtained could serve as a key reference for future youth customer market strategy planning studies.

This thesis aimed to assess the level of processes occurring in the selected company using the methods of process management and propose any changes. Selected company is the joint stock company SAG. In the theoretical part, the author defined the basic concepts and methods of process management, the output of the literature review. In the practical part, the analysis and evaluation processes in selected companies to identify those business processes that have priority in terms of their performance. Based on the priority business processes, subprocesses have been designed with low performance affecting a large number of critical factors, which were proposed changes to increase efficiency of these subprocesses.

Purpose of this diploma paper is a suggestion of optimalization a chosen processes in a sector of distribution electricity and gas, during fusing more companies. One possibility how to find out weak parts, save costs and create new and superior values is a properly selected monitoring and measuring firm processes. At the first part of my work we analyzed a firm process, process management and reengineering. At the second part we are focusing on analysis of current stadium of inter-processes, on finding a critic factors of success and on achievement optimizing process map of a company. Conclusion consist of recommendation how to improve a function of a process management in a company and focusing on a concept of optimal stadium chosen model process.

The diploma thesis called "The process of moving towards the optimal supervision system of crisis interventions of the Police of the Czech republic" is connected with the future deriving of the project within the structural fund of European Union. The aims of the project is to support, implement and move to optimal supervision for crisis interventions of the Police of the Czech Republic. The thesis is a first research step for initial ideas about supervision and its systematic implementation to individual regional directorates of the Police of the Czech Republic. The theoretical part is focused on the basic concepts in the field of crisis intervention and supervision. The main chapters are supplemented by topics with an overlap into the system of the Police of the Czech Republic. The empirical part was performed using an online questionnaire survey. The research sample was a set of police crisis interventions from all regions of the Czech Republic, where the crisis assistance is provided by the team of the crisis intervention. There are several aims in the diploma thesis. The main one is to map and to describe the current system of supervision of crisis interventions and to compare individual regions in the area of providing supervision. Another aim is to find out various psychosocial aspects such...