Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Performance theory'
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1
Kroll, Alexander. "Why public managers use performance information : concepts, theory, and empirical analysis." Phd thesis, Universität Potsdam, 2012. http://opus.kobv.de/ubp/volltexte/2012/5979/.
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Diese Dissertation untersucht die Verwendung von Performance-Informationen („Kennzahlen“) durch Führungskräfte in der öffentlichen Verwaltung. Unter „Verwendung“ wird dabei die zweckorientierte Nutzung der Daten verstanden, um zu steuern, zu lernen und öffentliche Leistungen zu verbessern. Die zentrale Frage der Arbeit lautet: Wie können Unterschiede bei der Verwendung von Performance-Informationen erklärt werden? Um diese Frage zu beantworten, wird die bereits existierende Literatur strukturiert ausgewertet. Forschungslücken werden aufgezeigt und eigene Ansätze vorgestellt, wie diese geschlossen werden können. Der erste Teil der Dissertation untersucht den Einfluss von Manager-bezogenen Faktoren auf die Nutzung von Performance-Daten, die bislang in der Forschung noch keine Berücksichtigung gefunden haben. Der zweite Abschnitt testet ein modifiziertes Modell aus der Psychologie, das auf der Annahme basiert, dass die Verwendung von Performance-Informationen ein bewusstes und durchdachtes Verhalten darstellt. Der dritte Teil untersucht, inwieweit sich die Erklärungen für die Nutzung von Performance-Informationen unterscheiden, wenn wir diese nicht nur als Kennzahlen definieren, sondern ebenfalls andere Quellen von „unsystematischem“ Feedback berücksichtigen. Die empirischen Ergebnisse der Arbeit basieren auf einer Umfrage aus dem Jahr 2011. Im Rahmen dieses Surveys habe ich die mittleren Manager (Amtsleiter und Fachbereichsleiter) aus acht ausgewählten Bereichen aller kreisfreien Städte in Deutschland befragt (n=954). Zur Auswertung der Daten wurden die Verfahren Faktorenanalyse, Multiple Regressionsanalyse und Strukturgleichungsmodellierung eingesetzt. Meine Forschung förderte unter anderem vier Erkenntnisse zu Tage, die durch ähnliche Befunde der verschiedenen Teile der Dissertation abgesichert sind: 1) Die Verwendung von Performance-Daten kann als bewusstes Verhalten von Führungskräften modelliert werden, das durch deren Einstellung sowie durch die Einstellung ihres sozialen Umfeldes bestimmt wird. 2) Häufige Nutzer von Performance-Informationen zeigen überraschenderweise keine generelle Präferenz für das abstrakt-analytische Verarbeiten von Informationen. Stattdessen bevorzugen sie, Informationen durch persönliche Interaktionen aufzunehmen. 3) Manager, die sich früh im Rahmen der Ermittlung von Performance-Informationen engagieren, nutzen diese später auch häufiger, um Entscheidungen zu treffen. 4) Performance-Berichte sind nur eine Informationsquelle unter vielen. Verwaltungsmanager präferieren verbales Feedback von Insidern sowie das Feedback von wichtigen externen Stakeholdern gegenüber systematischen Performance-Daten. Die Dissertation erklärt diese Befunde theoretisch und verdeutlicht deren Implikationen für Theorie und Praxis.The dissertation examines the use of performance information by public managers. “Use” is conceptualized as purposeful utilization in order to steer, learn, and improve public services. The main research question is: Why do public managers use performance information? To answer this question, I systematically review the existing literature, identify research gaps and introduce the approach of my dissertation. The first part deals with manager-related variables that might affect performance information use but which have thus far been disregarded. The second part models performance data use by applying a theory from social psychology which is based on the assumption that this management behavior is conscious and reasoned. The third part examines the extent to which explanations of performance information use vary if we include others sources of “unsystematic” feedback in our analysis. The empirical results are based on survey data from 2011. I surveyed middle managers from eight selected divisions of all German cities with county status (n=954). To analyze the data, I used factor analysis, multiple regression analysis, and structural equation modeling. My research resulted in four major findings: 1) The use of performance information can be modeled as a reasoned behavior which is determined by the attitude of the managers and of their immediate peers. 2) Regular users of performance data surprisingly are not generally inclined to analyze abstract data but rather prefer gathering information through personal interaction. 3) Managers who take on ownership of performance information at an early stage in the measurement process are also more likely to use this data when it is reported to them. 4) Performance reports are only one source of information among many. Public managers prefer verbal feedback from insiders and feedback from external stakeholders over systematic performance reports. The dissertation explains these findings using a deductive approach and discusses their implications for theory and practice.
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Vangneur, Kathryn Otto. "Financial performance measurement effects on hierarchical consistency and performance." Thesis, London Business School (University of London), 1996. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.339007.
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Schwierz, Frank Liou Juin J. "Modern microwave transistors : theory, design and performance /." Hoboken, NJ : Wiley-Interscience, 2003. http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/wiley023/2002027230.html.
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Abid, F. M. "High performance liquid chromatography : theory and applications." Thesis, Swansea University, 1987. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.635837.
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A detailed study was undertaken of both the individual and combined effects of pH, temperature and flow rate on the retention volumes of underivatised amino acids. The relative merits of 3-dimensional S-window diagrams to locate the optimum conditions for the separation of amino acids on a stationary phase comprising 5μ ODS has been successfully performed. The enthalpies of retention of transfer from stationary phase to mobile phase for the amino acids have been measured from the chromatographic data. An isocratic study of the separation of phenylthiohyddation (PTH) amino acids using a 3μ MOS Hypersil reverse phase column was performed by the pre-column derivatisation method. Subsequently, a more detailed investigation was made of the various factors which control the separation, viz. pH, temperature and eluent composition. The conditions for optimum separation were located by constructing, with the aid of a computer, a 3-dimensional S-window diagram. The enthalpy of transfer from stationary phase to mobile phase and the entropy of the process were evaluated from the chromatographic data. A new pre-column derivatisation method for the separation of amino acids by gradient elution was established using an ODS column; this was applied to the analysis of amino acids extracted from mammalian tissue. The retention behaviour of PTH-amino acids was studied on a mixed stationary phase comprising silica bonded to alkylcynanide and octyl silica in the ratio of 60:40, w/w. This factor has an important bearing on the solute retention selectivity of the column. It was found that the selectivity of the acidic and basic PTH-amino acids could be precisely controlled by adjusting the packing percentage and mobile phase composition, suggesting that the mixed phase technique could be profitably exploited for analytical purposes. HPLC group type analyses of oil samples, normally requiring more sophisticated and time consuming methods of analysis, were performed using normal and reverse phase columns of different materials. The separated fraction has been identified by mass spectrometry, and the results obtained have been of some assistance in an investigation relating to poorly combustable oil. Finally, an extended and modified LC theory has been proposed, and a new modified approach which relates the inverse corrected retention volume (1/VR) and volume fraction composition of polar solvent component (φB) has been established for a polar component variation of 0 to 100% . The results indicate good agreement between the theoretical and experimental values for all systems displaying a non-linear relationship between 1/VR and φB.
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Flood, Kevin M. "Propeller performance analysis using lifting line theory." Thesis, Cambridge Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/10945/4308.
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CIVINSApproved for public release, distribution unlimited
Propellers are typically optimized to provide the maximum thrust for the minimum torque at a specific number of revolutions per minute (RPM) at a particular ship speed. This process allows ships to efficiently travel at their design speed. However, it is useful to know how the propeller performs during off-design conditions. This is especially true for naval warships whose missions require them to perform at a wide range of speeds. Currently the Open-source Propeller Design and Analysis Program can design and analyze a propeller only at a given operating condition (i.e. a given propeller RPM and thrust). If these values are varied, the program will design a new optimal propeller for the given inputs. The purpose of this thesis is to take a propeller that is designed for a given case and analyze how it will behave in off-design conditions. This thesis implements Lerbs method using MATLAB (R) code to allow for fast and accurate modeling of circulation distributions and induced velocities for a wide range of operating conditions. These values are then used to calculate the forces and efficiency of the propeller. The program shows good agreement with experimental data.
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Flood, Kevin M. (Kevin Michael). "Propeller performance analysis using lifting line theory." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/49872.
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Thesis (Nav. E. and S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, June 2009.This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-43).
Propellers are typically optimized to provide the maximum thrust for the minimum torque at a specific number of revolutions per minute (RPM) at a particular ship speed. This process allows ships to efficiently travel at their design speed. However, it is useful to know how the propeller performs during off-design conditions. This is especially true for naval warships whose missions require them to perform at a wide range of speeds. Currently the Open-source Propeller Design and Analysis Program can design and analyze a propeller only at a given operating condition (i.e. a given propeller RPM and thrust). If these values are varied, the program will design a new optimal propeller for the given inputs. The purpose of this thesis is to take a propeller that is designed for a given case and analyze how it will behave in off-design conditions. Propeller performance is analyzed using non-dimensional curves that depict thrust, torque, and efficiency as functions of the propeller speed of advance. The first step in producing the open water diagram is to use lifting line theory to characterize the propeller blades. The bound circulation on the lifting line is a function of the blade geometry along with the blade velocity (both rotational and axial). Lerbs provided a method to evaluate the circulation for a given set of these conditions. This thesis implements Lerbs method using MATLAB® code to allow for fast and accurate modeling of circulation distributions and induced velocities for a wide range of operating conditions. These values are then used to calculate the forces and efficiency of the propeller. The program shows good agreement with experimental data.
by Kevin M. Flood.
Nav.E.and S.M.
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Keenan, Anthony. "Orchestrating high performance services : theory and practice." Thesis, Queen's University Belfast, 2015. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.679249.
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The aim of this thesis is to develop high-level approaches for constructing efficient on-demand HPC applications in the cloud. The orchestration language Orc is used to express a number of service-based software designs, at the Software, Platform and Infrastructure levels of the cloud. A partial-correctness framework is developed to reason about orchestration software. Partial-correctness is used because cloud-based services have the potential to fail. A cloud based implementation of Block Matrix Multiplication has been implemented and experimental results from the Amazon cloud have been generated and analysed. The problem of discovering appropriate cloud resources for deploying an application is tackled firstly by specifying a set of application requirements; these are subsequently used to drive a search for appropriate cloud resources for hosting the application. The approach is flexible in that resources can be discovered in a multi-provider marketplace. Typically orchestrations are evaluated in business environments where demand fluctuates. In periods of high demand, service performance can be degraded, perhaps even to the point of failure. Elasticity can be used to counteract performance problems by supplying extra compute resources, as necessary. Game theory is used to analyse the performance of block matrix multiplication in a number of stressed cloud scenarios.
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Ando, Juraj. "Heckscher-Ohlin Model - Theory and Empirical Performance." Master's thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2008. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-9135.
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The thesis is concerned with one of the building blocks of the classical theory of international trade, known as the Heckscher-Ohlin (H-O) model. It consists of two parts -- in the first one, the model is briefly introduced and related theorems - theoretical extensions of the model - are presented. This introduction is then followed by a discussion on the empirical performance of the model. In the second part, the factor price equalization theorem, closely related to the original H-O model, is both theoretically and empirically analysed.
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Hulatt, Owen. "Texturalism and performance : Adorno's Theory of Truth." Thesis, University of York, 2011. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/1904/.
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This thesis establishes a new reading of Adorno’s theory of truth. I argue that Adorno posits truth as being mutually constituted by dialectical philosophical texts, and the agent’s cognitive engagement and ‘performance’ of these texts. This reading is founded on an interpretation of Adorno as a transcendental philosopher, who grounds the transcendental necessity of concepts in the requirements of self-preservation. The agent’s performative interaction with the text is held to provide access to truth by virtue of interfering with the conceptual mediation of the agent’s experience. I go on to argue that this conception of truth is also at play in Adorno’s philosophy of art. I claim that the artwork, for Adorno, presents a dialectically constituted whole which, when performatively engaged with by the agent, disrupts the conceptual mediation of his or her experience, and provides access to the truth. While I show that Adorno considers his theory of truth content for art and philosophy to be unified, I also demonstrate that Adorno nonetheless maintains the differentiation between art and philosophy. I do this by providing a new interpretation of the relationship which Adorno draws between aesthetic autonomy and heteronomy.
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Manuel, Campos Jose Luis. "Blast theory : intermedial performance praxis and the generative conditions for performance subjectivity." Thesis, Royal Central School of Speech & Drama, 2014. http://crco.cssd.ac.uk/464/.
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The work of the British theatre company Blast Theory explores intermedial dramaturgies that this thesis claims can be categorized as radical because they present a generative characteristic. Intermediality, understood here as the impact of analogue and digital technologies in theatrical performance, establishes complex relationships between physical and virtual spaces, structures that create a rich polyphony of multiple temporal orchestrations, and narratives that present a multiplicity of performative arrangements. Intermedial performance, as a performative and experiential event, encompasses a triad of performative interactions between performers, spectators and the media itself executed at and concentrated on the moment of the performance encounter. This research argues that this encounter displays a generative character – a moment at which all the attending performance variables come together in a constant process of performative re-activation thus generating the intermedial performance event. Within this descriptive parameter, this research claims that recent performance conceptualizations fail to account for the work of Blast Theory. Contemporary performance and liveness debates focus principally on the ontology of performance. So, notwithstanding their differences, performance theorists such as Lavender (2002), Fischer-Lichte (2008), and Schechner (2003), and presentness/presence theorists such as Phelan (1993) and Power (2008) all agree that performance is an ontological, ephemeral, and fleeting event. While there are many valid points in these diverse approaches, they only offer a partial account of the specificities of the work of Blast Theory and, by extent, the intermedial performance event. This thesis therefore relocates the terms of the debate on a constructivist epistemological basis. In this way, the thesis proposes that an intermedial performance event must be understood beyond the ontological approach by specifically interrogating the conditions of intelligibility; that is, its operative and intelligible architecture of attending elements and the participating subject. The key hypothesis shared is that in introducing a constructivist reading of epistemology, as described by Alfred Whitehead and Gilles Deleuze, a new account of intermediality in performance emerges as a radical dramaturgy, incorporating generative aspects, and with this, a unique type of intermedial performance subjectivity is enabled.
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Blaeuer, Daniel Matthew. "An Ecology of Performance: Gregory Bateson's Cybernetic Performance." Scholar Commons, 2010. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3510.
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This dissertation is a case study of the public performances of Gregory Bateson at The Esalen Institute. The case study is a reconsideration of the work of Gregory Bateson from the perspective of performance studies. The author brings together performativity, cybernetics, and the sacred to argue that Gregory Bateson, in his public performances, was striving for grace in encounters with others. The author has conducted archival research into Bateson’s presentations and has spoken with several close to Bateson to get a sense of how his process of public presentation paralleled his ideas—a process of continually working through ideas in conversation with others. In his dissertation the author tries to present the work in a form fitting with Bateson's own process.
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Hutchison, Ann Mechthild. "Reinforcement sensitivity theory, personality, and senior executive performance." Thesis, University of Auckland, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2292/6732.
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This thesis explores the extent to which Jeffrey Gray's reinforcement sensitivity theory of personality can predict and explain the job performance of top-level executive leaders. In this study, 189 senior executives underwent a battery of psychometric, biographical and performance measures. The dimensions of approach and avoidance motivation were measured using Carver and White's (1994) 'BIS/BAS Scales', and the predictive power of these dimensions was compared to R. Hogan and Hogan's (1997) ambition and adjustment traits. Overall, a model of senior executive performance prediction was tested using structural equation modelling. The results showed that the 'BIS/BAS Scales' did not predict the selected aspects of executive performance. However, the Hogan ambition and adjustment traits did, but only when certain facets of these traits were used. Most notably, the executives' levels of experience and perceived reward at work were stronger predictors of performance than personality was. The results suggest that reinforcement sensitivity theory does not provide a particularly promising explanation for senior executive job performance, with the chosen measures, but that selected Hogan measures do. However, executive performance prediction is very much a nuanced phenomenon, and these nuances only emerge when the performance and predictor domains are measured and analysed at a facet level.
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Chipp, Jonathan Laurence. "Kierkegaard and Copenhagen : the urban performance of theory." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.242734.
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Sanei, Ahmad. "Towards a performance theory of robust adaptive control." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.274043.
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Figueiredo, Juliana Gonzalez. "Performance of Robo-Advisors versus Mean-Variance Theory." Master's thesis, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão, 2020. http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/20859.
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Mestrado em FinançasOs "robo-advisors" representam uma tendência de rápido crescimento dentro da indústria de consultoria de investimentos e têm um enorme potencial para ser uma alternativa para investidores de varejo. Porém, por se tratar de uma tecnologia tão recente, esta ainda é uma área pouco explorada e com métodos e eficiência pouco estudados. Este estudo compreende abordagens teórica e empírica sobre a metodologia de investimento dos robôs. Na parte teórica, realizamos uma revisão bibliográfica apresentando os principais estudos realizados sobre os robôs e o seu estado atual no mercado, detalhando alguns dos processos e métodos utilizados na gestão de carteiras pelas principais empresas do ramo através da análise dos detalhes elucidados nos relatórios das empresas. O estudo empírico é então realizado comparando-se a composição de carteiras eficientes da Teoria da Média-Variância com alocações reais propostas por "robo-advisors". Para isto são analisadas alocações de portfólio reais fornecidas em 2017 por quatro empresas dos EUA para diferentes perfis de risco de investidor. Além das carteiras de média-variância, carteiras homogêneas e carteiras Kataoka também são usadas para comparação e todas as análises são conduzidas para o período dentro e fora da amostra.
Robo advisors represent a fast-growing trend within the investment advisory industry and have the huge potential to be an alternative for retail investors. However, being such a recent technology, this is still a very unexplored area with its methods and efficiency very little studied. This study comprises a theoretical and an empirical approach on the robo-advisors investment methodology. In the theoretical part, we conduct a literature review presenting the major studies conducted about the robo-advisors and their current market status, breaking down some details about the processes and methods used by the major companies in the field through an analysis of the details elucidated in the companies´ reports. The empirical study is then conducted comparing the composition of Mean-Variance Theory efficient portfolios with real allocations proposed by robo-advisors. This is accomplished through the analysis of actual portfolio allocations provided in 2017 by four US robo-advising companies for different investor risk profiles. Besides MVT portfolios, Homogeneous and Kataoka portfolios are also used for comparison and all the analysis are conducted for in-sample and out-of-sample period.
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
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Fennell, John. "An expected utility theory that matches human performance." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/f1a39859-1cb0-4978-8fcf-d56d0d3fca40.
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Maximising expected utility has long been accepted as a valid model of rational behaviour, however, it "has limited descriptive accuracy sim- ply because, in practice, people do not always behave in the prescribed way. This is considered evidence that either people are not rational, expected utility is not an appropriate characterisation of rationality, or combination of these. This thesis proposes that a modified form of expected utility hypothesis is normative, suggesting how people ought to behave and descriptive of how they actually do behave, provided that: a) most utility has no meaning unless it is in the presence of potential competitors; b) there is uncertainty in the nature of com- petitors; c) statements of probability are associated with uncertainty; d) utility is marginalised over uncertainty, with framing effects pro- viding constraints; and that e) utility is sensitive to risk, which, taken with reward and uncertainty suggests a three dimensional representa- tion. The first part of the thesis investigates the nature of reward in four experiments and proposes that a three dimensional reward struc- ture (reward, risk, and uncertainty) provides a better description of utility than reward alone. It also proposes that the semantic differ- ential, a well researched psychological instrument, is a representation or description of the reward structure. The second part of the thesis provides a mathematical model of a value function and a probabil- ity weighting function, testing them together against extant problem cases for decision making. It is concluded that utility, perhaps more accurately described as advantage in the present case, when construed as three dimensions and the result of a competition, provides a good explanation of many of the problem cases that are documented in the decision making literature.
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Boakye, Said. "Sociopolitical transition and economic performance: Theory and evidence." Connect to online resource, 2008. http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3303883.
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Robson, Julie. "Songs of knowledge : Sirens in theory and performance." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2004. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/16108/1/Julie_Robson_Thesis.pdf.
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This inquiry is a two-tongued performance as research project asking "Why was the voice of the Sirens deadly?" and "How can the Sirens inform contemporary feminist theatre praxis?". The two questions in constant dialectic have been explored in a written dissertation as well as in a one-hour original and ensemble performance called The Quivering: a Matter of Life and Death. Analysing references in mythology, art and history, the written component suggests how the Siren's sonic qualities are manifest in distinct cultural icons and embodied by actual female performers. Four Siren vocalities are identified and theorised: The Monster vocality is evidenced in the figure of the femme fatale; the Lamenter exists in traditional funerary singers and contemporary torch songs; the sound of the Diva is heard in the opera queen; and the Lullaby Maker acoustics oscillate between the banter of Mother Goose and the 'red hot mamas' of the blues. Pursuing what is deadly about each of these embodied voices, the thesis articulates why female sound, like the Siren song of knowledge, is so ambivalently received - its evocation of otherness (Monster), liminality (Lamenter), jouissance (Diva) and contra-diction (Lullaby Maker) is both feared and revered. These four vocalities have grown in and out of The Quivering, a performance odyssey that has interrogated aesthetic, content, characterisation, narrative and devising practice, all with an ear to the Siren's 'deadly' sonority. Subverting portrayals of death as a woman and a taboo, its comic-tragic heroines exist in a liminal landscape as lamenters who confront and facilitate the audience's death passage. In counterpoint to Homeric legacy, it has been designed as an open text, which, combined with its heightened physicality and musicality, make for an 'other' aesthetic or contemporary Siren 'song'. The Quivering is pitched at the same tone as the distilled Siren vocalities or 'blue notes', and, as a performance as research project, also re-sounds provocatively within traditional academic discourse. The 'deadliness' of the female voice, in myth, in theory and in performance thus resides in its dissolution of logos and certainty. It quivers with the pleasure and trauma of a corporeal jouissance that exceeds narrative and linguistic frames with its full-bodied, acoustic and imagistic resonance.
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Robson, Julie. "Songs of Knowledge: Sirens in Theory and Performance." Queensland University of Technology, 2004. http://eprints.qut.edu.au/16108/.
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This inquiry is a two-tongued performance as research project asking "Why was the voice of the Sirens deadly?" and "How can the Sirens inform contemporary feminist theatre praxis?". The two questions in constant dialectic have been explored in a written dissertation as well as in a one-hour original and ensemble performance called The Quivering: a Matter of Life and Death. Analysing references in mythology, art and history, the written component suggests how the Siren's sonic qualities are manifest in distinct cultural icons and embodied by actual female performers. Four Siren vocalities are identified and theorised: The Monster vocality is evidenced in the figure of the femme fatale; the Lamenter exists in traditional funerary singers and contemporary torch songs; the sound of the Diva is heard in the opera queen; and the Lullaby Maker acoustics oscillate between the banter of Mother Goose and the 'red hot mamas' of the blues. Pursuing what is deadly about each of these embodied voices, the thesis articulates why female sound, like the Siren song of knowledge, is so ambivalently received - its evocation of otherness (Monster), liminality (Lamenter), jouissance (Diva) and contra-diction (Lullaby Maker) is both feared and revered. These four vocalities have grown in and out of The Quivering, a performance odyssey that has interrogated aesthetic, content, characterisation, narrative and devising practice, all with an ear to the Siren's 'deadly' sonority. Subverting portrayals of death as a woman and a taboo, its comic-tragic heroines exist in a liminal landscape as lamenters who confront and facilitate the audience's death passage. In counterpoint to Homeric legacy, it has been designed as an open text, which, combined with its heightened physicality and musicality, make for an 'other' aesthetic or contemporary Siren 'song'. The Quivering is pitched at the same tone as the distilled Siren vocalities or 'blue notes', and, as a performance as research project, also re-sounds provocatively within traditional academic discourse. The 'deadliness' of the female voice, in myth, in theory and in performance thus resides in its dissolution of logos and certainty. It quivers with the pleasure and trauma of a corporeal jouissance that exceeds narrative and linguistic frames with its full-bodied, acoustic and imagistic resonance.
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Shea, Matthew Ian. "The Formation, Performance, and Strategic Decisions of Nonprofits." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2012. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/174407.
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Business Administration/Strategic ManagementPh.D.
This dissertation includes three essays about nonprofit organizations. The first essay investigates how the availability of financial and intellectual capital in the macro-environment influences the formation of nonprofit organizations. The analysis is an extension of Weisbrod's (1975) Heterogeneity Hypothesis and Ben-Ner and van Hoomissen's (1991) "social cohesion" principle. Findings indicate financial capital and intellectual capital are important to the formation of nonprofits, but the strength and direction of their influence varies by industry. The second essay applies Stakeholder Theory to predict the influence of board members, donors, and beneficiaries on nonprofits' performance. The study incorporates 134 charities from six different industries over a five year period and finds nonprofit performance is driven by the interests of the most salient stakeholders. Furthermore, the analysis indicates nonprofit stakeholders have the ability to control the behaviors of managers; behaviors which are not necessarily aligned with mission statements. No evidence, however, suggests salient stakeholders with shared interests collaborate for mutual benefit. Stakeholder Theory is also used in the third essay to predict the moderating role stakeholders fulfill in the relationship between environmental uncertainty and nonprofits' strategic decisions. The study incorporates the same database as the second essay and discovers the influence of environmental uncertainty on nonprofits' strategic decision depends on the ability of salient stakeholders to diversify their interests. The identified effect encourages Stakeholder Theory applications adopt a dual-perspective approach to the concept of salience; such applications need to account for the salience of the stakeholder to the organization and the salience of the organization to the stakeholder.
Temple University--Theses
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Griffiths, Robin Mark. "Queer in(g) performance : articulations of deviant bodies in contemporary performance." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/1983/d0c0932d-43c6-4d98-8e47-e21c5aab78ca.
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The aim of this thesis is to engage with current debates surrounding contemporary performance, queer theory and the body, which proffer a number of complex and contentious questions. How does queer theory work in practice, and does performance provide the ideal context for such deliberation? How do the subjective essentialisms of performance conflict with ideas of queer performativity and the deconstruction of sexual identity? Drawing upon corporeal and ontological theories of the body in conflict with queer strategic critiques, an attempt is made to articulate a problematically "essential" form of queer subjectivity in performance. By exploring the potential "origins" of a preceding queer practice in the works of Antonin Artaud, Bertolt Brecht and Jean Genet, the work proposes that their approach to theatre and performance articulated and deployed a particularly "deviant" form of expression and aesthetic. They established an approach to theatre and performance, which has continued to inspire and influence anti-essentialist and political forms of queer performance in the new millennium. From the early struggles of lesbian and gay theatre in the politically volatile context of the seventies and early eighties, the thesis foregrounds a liberating yet problematic attempt at enabling a "transformation" in British and North American theatre in response to queer critical paradigms in the nineties. Critical paradigms that are consistently promoted as the unique "product" of a postmodem deconstructive culture, and yet derive much from the works of the early avant-garde, the experiments of the sixties and the subversive texts of post-war British theatre. The nineties have witnessed a proliferation of gay/queer-oriented performance "break through" into the populist mainstream, and the "heteronormative" culture in general. The concluding section focuses upon ideas of a queer corporeality that seeks to remap the significatory potential of the live body in performance, in conflict with discursive inscriptions that attempt to fix and regulate categories of gender and sexuality. Yet, what role does the spectator/audience play in relation to this "activated" queer form of performance? How is the gaze/reception problematised, or does it subvert the very efficacy of queer theory itself?
22
Smith, Jennifer C. "Pay settlements and company performance." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 1994. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.337325.
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Micheli, Pietro. "Drivers and purposes of performance measurement : an exploratory study in English local public sector services." Thesis, Cranfield University, 2007. http://hdl.handle.net/1826/4470.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation focuses on the interactions between local public sector organisations
and institutions in the development of performance measurement (PM) targets and
indicators. The research is grounded in the performance measurement and management
literature and adopts a joint new institutional and resource dependence perspective.
Empirically, the research, which is qualitative and theory-building, consists of case
studies undertaken in local public sector organisations in England. The iterative
comparison of theory and data has enabled the investigation of a number of relevant
themes.
In the last decade, the British Government has placed great emphasis on the consistency
of objectives, targets and indicators from national to local levels with the aim of
enhancing performance, transparency and accountability, and of driving behavior.
However, this research shows that the influence of several organizations and the co-
existence of various PM initiatives generate confusion and overlaps locally. Moreover,
in the cases considered the unmanageable number of indicators and the lack of clarity
regarding the drivers and purposes of PM have led to confused massages and counter-
productive approaches to the measurement and management of performance.
From a theoretical view-point, the favourable comments expressed by interviewees regarding the current PM regime contrast with critics of New Public Management.
Furthermore, legitimacy-seeking and efficiency-enhancing rationals have emerged as
intertwined and loosely coupled. This is in opposition to what is maintained by early
new institutional theorists. In line with resource dependence theory, PM systems were
found to be significant components of power systems in organisations.
Through the examination of the roles of PM and the investigation of relevant concepts
such as 'golden thread' and performance culture, this research aims to make an impact
on policy-making and to improve the ways in which targets and indicators are set and
used, hence having a positive effect on the services delivered.
24
Palmer, Anna J. "Performance measurement in the public sector : in theory and practice." Thesis, University of Leicester, 1991. http://hdl.handle.net/2381/7665.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis examines attempts to improve the efficiency of local authority bureaucracies during the 1980's. A number of significant policy initiatives such as the establishment of the Audit Commission, the pressure for local authorities to implement systems of performance measurement and the introduction of performance related pay schemes reflect this quest for improved value for money. The thesis reviews existing economic theories of bureaucracy which show how inefficiency arises in the public sector. Two major hypotheses within this literature are identified; bureaus are inefficient because it is in the interests of bureaucrats either to produce too much output (allocative inefficiency) and/or to produce output at above minimum cost (X-inefficiency). The policy prescriptions arising from this theoretical framework suggest that strategies to reduce inefficiency must aim to change bureaucratic behaviour. One strategy seeks to induce bureaucrats to produce efficiently, whilst the other seeks to provide sponsors with the necessary information on costs to enable them to force bureaucrats to produce efficiently. Performance related pay schemes, which aim to change bureaucratic behaviour, are concerned with eliminating labour X-inefficiency. Our research suggests that the diversity of current schemes reflects a lack of consensus over the definition of indicators of employee performance. The general result of the introduction of performance related pay has been increased salaries for senior officers. Our assessment of the work of the Audit Commission in the area of value for money audits and our empirical research on the impact of performance measurement in local authorities indicates that a wealth of information has been generated in the form of performance indicators (PIs). However, the use of this information as a control device is limited as these indicators are clearly biased towards measuring X-inefficiency as distinct from allocative efficiency.
25
Fleming, Christopher J. "Theoria : performance and epistemology /." [Richmond, N.S.W.] : University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury, 1999. http://library.uws.edu.au/adt-NUWS/public/adt-NUWS20030527.091228/index.html.
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Read, John Stuart. "An investigation of entrepreneurial expertise : theory, strategy and performance /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/8737.
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Guo, Lan. "Self-determination theory of motivation and performance management systems." Online access for everyone, 2007. http://www.dissertations.wsu.edu/Dissertations/Fall2007/l_guo_080307.pdf.
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Burns, Tessa. "An examination of goal-setting theory research and performance." Menomonie, WI : University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2007. http://www.uwstout.edu/lib/thesis/2007/2007burnst.pdf.
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Elyasir, Ahmed H. S. "The relationship between performance measures of theory of constraints." Thesis, University of Manchester, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.629933.
Full textAbstract:
The subject of this thesis is the performance management system of the theory of constraints (TOe). Its objectives are to examine to what extent the strength of the relationship between the operational measure X (Ox) and the global measure Y (Gy) may be affected by: 1) changing one or both parts of the relationship and 2) changes in the operational environment (OE), then to utilize the knowledge gained in analyzing and planning the overall performance of industrial firms working under a Toe environment, as well as supporting strategic decision-making regarding the choice of the most suitable strategy to improve the overall performance of such a firm. The first dimension of the research objectives was tested under four different OEs and the second dimension was examined under the nine possible combinations of the operational and global measures. Two aspects of the operational environment were chosen, one to represent the external environment at the strategic level, which is the financial openness (or closeness) of the system, and the second to represent the internal environment at the operational level, which is the inventory replenishment policy. Each of the two factors are of two levels; in the case of the first factor the levels are 'open system' against 'closed system' ('open system' means the unit sells some of its products on credit, and obtains some of its supplies on debit; 'closed system' means that all these transactions take place on a ready-cash basis). For the second factor, the two levels are 'lot for lot' against 'reorder-point' polices of inventory replenishment. The combination of these four levels creates four different operational environments under each of which the relationships were measured and compared. The following statement represents the two research hypotheses: 1- The strength of the relationship between the different pairs of measures within the same operational environment differs from one pair to another; and 2- The strength of the relationship between the same pair of measures di ffers from one operational environment to another. A simulation model was built to provide the data required to measure the relationships and then to test the research hypotheses. The strength of the relationships was measured in tenns of regression coefficient. The total effect of each of the operational measures on each of the global measures of the system was measured using the causal model of the relationships which was developed on the basis of TOe and Throughput accounting principles and definitions. The research hypotheses were then tested using MANOVA doubly repeated measures with a fully factorial design. The statistical analysis supports the two hypotheses. Based on the research results, a simple model was developed which may be used as a decision support system to help management in choosing the most efficient and effective combination of the operational environment and strategy to achieve the stated goal. Towards the end of the thesis, a number of further research opportunities are identified, including further validation and verification of the proposed model.
30
Javadi, Seyed. "Performance management in higher education : a grounded theory study." Thesis, University of Southampton, 2013. https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/378174/.
Full textAbstract:
This study seeks to explore and understand the phenomenon of performance management in a university in Iran from perspectives of the university staff’s participants. In other words, this research attempts to better understand and acquire empirical knowledge of how a state affiliated university measures, manages and reports its performance, and how its main stakeholders as well as other factors affect the University’s overall performance. By conducting a grounded theory methodology within a qualitative and interpretive research paradigm and through a non-probabilistic purposive sampling, a cross section of fourty four key expert informants at different levels with different functions were sampled. The empirical part of this research was carried out over a period of two months. In addition, a second field trip was done to discuss initial findings with key interview participants. Data gathered were analysed and interpreted through using a set of coding procedures in grounded theory suggested by Strauss and Corbin (1990, 1998). Preliminary analysis resulted in an emerging conceptual model entitled “the exigent conformance model” which describes how the stakeholders and regulators triangular relationships constructed their realities and practices which resulted in the university’s overall exigent behaviour. Furthermore, a new theory emerged which uncovers the influencing role of such steering ciphers and drivers that affect the University’s functionality, causing “struggling for performance” throughout its activities which have gradually resulted in a “progression-regression performance”. The emergent theory (progression-regression performance) helps to explain and support the practices so that the ultimate performance of the university is improved. The analyses, resulting categories and conclusions have been approached through utilising the unique theoretical lens of New Institutional Sociology (NIS) theory. This research not only adds to the understanding of a complex phenomenon in a previously untouched context (understanding of what represents performance management practices and stakeholders interactions on the basis of a case university studied in a developing country), but it also contributes to the adoption of new methodology, use of new institutional theory of sociology (NIS), and emergence of the substantive “Progression-Regression Performance” theory.
31
Strohman, Gregory. "Psychoacoustic Entropy Theory and Its Implications for Performance Practice." Diss., Temple University Libraries, 2014. http://cdm16002.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p245801coll10/id/281332.
Full textAbstract:
Music PerformanceD.M.A.
This dissertation attempts to motivate, derive and imply potential uses for a generalized perceptual theory of musical harmony called psychoacoustic entropy theory. This theory treats the human auditory system as a physical system which takes acoustic measurements. As a result, the human auditory system is subject to all the appropriate uncertainties and limitations of other physical measurement systems. This is the theoretic basis for defining psychoacoustic entropy. Psychoacoustic entropy is a numerical quantity which indexes the degree to which the human auditory system perceives instantaneous disorder within a sound pressure wave. Chapter one explains the importance of harmonic analysis as a tool for performance practice. It also outlines the critical limitations for many of the most influential historical approaches to modeling harmonic stability, particularly when compared to available scientific research in psychoacoustics. Rather than analyze a musical excerpt, psychoacoustic entropy is calculated directly from sound pressure waves themselves. This frames psychoacoustic entropy theory in the most general possible terms as a theory of musical harmony, enabling it to be invoked for any perceivable sound. Chapter two provides and examines many widely accepted mathematical models of the acoustics and psychoacoustics of these sound pressure waves. Chapter three introduces entropy as a precise way of measuring perceived uncertainty in sound pressure waves. Entropy is used, in combination with the acoustic and psychoacoustic models introduced in chapter two, to motivate the mathematical formulation of psychoacoustic entropy theory. Chapter four shows how to use psychoacoustic entropy theory to analyze the certain types of musical harmonies, while chapter five applies the analytical tools developed in chapter four to two short musical excerpts to influence their interpretation. Almost every form of harmonic analysis invokes some degree of mathematical reasoning. However, the limited scope of most harmonic systems used for Western common practice music greatly simplifies the necessary level of mathematical detail. Psychoacoustic entropy theory requires a greater deal of mathematical complexity due to its sheer scope as a generalized theory of musical harmony. Fortunately, under specific assumptions the theory can take on vastly simpler forms. Psychoacoustic entropy theory appears to be highly compatible with the latest scientific research in psychoacoustics. However, the theory itself should be regarded as a hypothesis and this dissertation an experiment in progress. The evaluation of psychoacoustic entropy theory as a scientific theory of human sonic perception must wait for more rigorous future research.
Temple University--Theses
32
Liang, Yan. "Essays on institutions and economic performance." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2018. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/3762/.
Full textAbstract:
This dissertation consists of three essays in the intersection of macroeconomics and international trade. The first essay studies the causes and consequences of the differences in the use of outsourcing across countries. I start by observing that there is considerable variation in outsourcing intensity across countries. I then show that this pattern can be rationalized in a theoretical framework that combines a Coase-Williamson view of the firm with Kiyotaki-Moore-Manova view of financial friction. The model pins down the intensity of outsourcing and shows how it varies with the financial characteristics of the suppliers. Econometric evidence reveals that the model is consistent with the features of both sectorallevel and firm-level data. The model also clarifies two conflicting mechanisms of outsourcing on productivity. Quantitative analysis reveals that both mechanisms are quantitatively significant so that the net effect on aggregate productivity is modest. My study implies that outsourcing is unlikely a significant source of cross-country differences in productivity. In the second essay, I examine how heterogeneous market power affects the quantification of resources misallocation within sector. I extend the Hsieh-Klenow framework of misallocation to allow for heterogeneous market power and use the model to study the impact of resources misallocation on India’s aggregate productivity. Quantitative results show that heterogeneous market power has a large impact on the quantification of misallocation. In particular, in the presence of heterogeneous market power, the impact of tax-related distortions on aggregate productivity is about one-seventh of the effect found by previous literature. My study implies that increasing market competition is an effective way to reduce market power and enhance aggregate productivity. The third essay studies how factors of different quality are allocated to the production chain. The essay starts by unveiling two systematic patterns in factor inputs and factor rewards along production chains. I then show that these patterns can be rationalized in a theoretical framework with heterogeneous factors. In the model, products become increasingly complex as they move along the production chain. Downstream firms hire skilled workers to process complex products. To the extent that skill is strongly complementary to the quality of physical capital, downstream firms also employ high quality capital goods. The analysis sheds light on the organization of factors along production chains.
33
Kauffman, Norman Leroy. "Performance evaluation and job directed effort in the CPA firm : an integration of expectancy theory, attribution theory, and need theory." Connect to resource, 1988. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view.cgi?acc%5Fnum=osu1265294455.
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El-Shukri, Aisha Salem. "Non-financial performance measurement in the Libyan commercial banking sector : four grounded theory case studies." Thesis, University of Dundee, 2007. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/a0852724-f302-4476-bc26-df1b795d3296.
Full textAbstract:
The use of non-financial performance measurements (such as quality, delivery and customer satisfaction) has received a lot of attention from practitioners and academics over the last two decades in developed countries. This research project is an exploratory study in Libya to investigate the use of non-financial performance measurements (NFPMs) in a developing country's commercial banking sector. The Libyan service sector is the second contributor to the Libyan Gross Domestic Product (GDP) after the oil sector. Within the service sector, the commercial banking sector has been playing a significant role in the development of the Libyan economy. This research project aims to: 1) explore the current use of NFPMs in the Libyan commercial banking sector (LCBS); 2) determine the environmental factors influencing the use of NFPMs in the LCBS; and 3) explore the impact of NFPMs on financial performance measurements (FPMs) in the LCBSA grounded theory methodology was adopted and four case studies (two State owned banks and two private banks) were conducted. Each case study was analysed according to a structured set of coding procedures (based on the grounded theory approach of Strauss and Corbin, 1990) and substantive hypotheses emerged for each case study. A cross-case analysis of the four case studies gave rise to the following nineteen formal hypotheses which (together with the model developed from the four case studies) are the main findings of this study: H1 The limitations of FPMs are one of the major motives leading to a bank's use of NFPMs H2 A more competitive environment is one of the main motives for managers in a bank using NFPMs. H3 Management's knowledge of the relationship between NFPMs and FPMs is one of the major motives leading to the use of NFPMs in a bank. 11 H4 Demanding customers are one of the major motives leading to the use of NFPMs in a bank. H5 The nature of the banking industry as a service oriented industry is one of the major motives leading to the use of NFPMs in a bank. H6 Lower level managers in a bank tend to use NFPMs more than middle and higher level managers do. H7 Operational experience of management, competence of management, management with more authority, top management's interference, stability of management, and collective working group positively affect a bank's use of NFPMs. H8 New regulations and strategies of the Central Bank and the uncertainty of the economic environment positively affect a bank's use of NFPMs. H9 Some of the Central Bank's old regulations, over-control and interference of the Central Bank, information shortage, weakness of infrastructure, traditional educational system, State ownership and the general public's lack of banking knowledge negatively affect a bank's use of NFPMs. H10 The development of human resource strategies to be more service-oriented is associated with a bank's use of NFPMs. H11 The development of the reward system to be linked with non-financial performance and to be more service-oriented is associated with a bank's use of NFPMs. H12 The development of the banking system (operating, information and reporting system) is associated with a bank's use of NFPMs. H13 The development of a bank's management accounting information is associated with its use of NFPMs. H14 The development of a bank's organisational structure is associated with its use of NFPMs. H15 The adoption of advanced management practices is associated with a bank's use of NFPMs. H16 Use of NFPMs encourages a bank to diversify and improve its range of services. H17 Use of NFPMs encourages a bank to adopt advanced technology. H18 Use of NFPMs improves a bank's profitability, customers' deposits and other FPMs in the long-term. H19 Use of NFPMs leads to an increase in a bank's capital expenditure.
35
Foy, Matthew M. "Performative Riffing: Theory, Praxis, and Politics in Movie Riffing and Embodied Audiencing Rituals." OpenSIUC, 2013. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/753.
Full textAbstract:
Audience agency, text-reading practices, and the roles mediated cultural texts play in the lives of readers have long been at the center of enduring debates among Critical, Cultural, Performance, and Rhetorical Studies scholars. One salient ongoing dialogue among scholars and critics questions the degree to which audiences actively participate in the process of making sense of mediated texts. How capable are media consumers of comprehending and responding to texts containing oppressive discourses? If pop culture is vital in shaping what it means to belong to a culture, can politically minded consumption of cultural texts be a tool by which we can resist or subvert dominant ideologies? This study enters into this dialogue through critical engagement with the emergent embodied audiencing practice of movie riffing, which is characterized by performers talking back to a film, or any matter of mediated text, as it is screened, through a series of humorous and/or critical speech acts. Embracing performative riffing as both a text-reading ethic for negotiating ideologically loaded pop culture texts and a space-based return of embodied performance in a social setting typically characterized by stillness and silence, this study explores the present state of riffing and looks to riffing's future by theorizing a movie-riffing ethic that constitutes explicitly political performance. This study is divided into eight chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 consider contemporary and historical anecdotes on audiencing practices to situate riffing within a rich legacy of embodied audiencing, text appropriation, meta-commentary, and ritual performance. Chapter 3 discusses the theoretical implications of riffing by situating riffing in scholarly discussions concerning audience agency in making sense of ideologically loaded pop culture texts; I argue riffing explicates the possibilities and constraints of audience agency, all of which should be recognized if riffing is to become a valuable performance tactic by which consumers of U.S. popular culture might enter into struggle over ideologically loaded cultural texts and reclaim a space for embodied audiencing in the cultural marketplace. Chapters 4 through 6 are dedicated to site- and text-specific inquiries into the current state of performative riffing and embodied audiencing. Chapter 4 chronicles my initial foray into ritual embodied audiencing with an ethnographic account of the 24-hour participatory "bad" movie festival B-Fest. Recounting my experiences of a B-Fest spent riffing alongside a group of enthusiastic B-Fest aficionados, I consider both the shortcomings and potential power of B-Fest riffing as a participatory, embodied audiencing ethic. Chapter 5 continues my exploration into site-specific audiencing rituals and weaves elements of text-specific inquiry, as I examine the popular audiencing ritual of the 2003 film The Room through a lens of Victor Turner's social drama model. I argue The Room's audiencing ritual and its related performances constitute part of a discursive struggle between the film's fanbase and the film's director, Tommy Wiseau, to claim the film's enduring success as a midnight movie phenomenon. In describing ways in which audience members interact with the film and each other during screenings of the film, I explore the implications of tactical in-theater performance in reading pop culture texts. Chapter 6 moves out of the realm of physical theaters and into the world of popular media as I explore today's most famous and influential riffing showcase, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and consider the tactical strengths and weaknesses of its model of movie riffing as a vessel for cultural criticism. I undertake a close textual reading of MST3K's characteristic movie riffing and identify themes that politically minded riffers might utilize to aid their efforts to read and potentially challenge ideologically loaded texts. Yet, recognizing that the discourse of the show at times showcases problematic attitudes that can be read as destructive or offensive in ways that suggest ridiculing a text is not necessarily the same as subverting it, I also consider ways in which MST3K's model of riffing falls short or presents challenges--and, therefore, avenues for innovation and growth--to politically minded riffers. Chapters 7 and 8 reflect on the lessons gleaned in previous chapters to articulate theoretical contributions and future directions for riffing and embodied audiencing practices. Chapter 7 reflects upon the observations and ideas gathered in Chapters 4 through 6 and localizes them in three related contexts--amateur riffing and online communities, mediated activist art, and the political use of humor--which I offer as further illuminating possibilities, challenges, and new directions and paradigms for riffing. Finally, Chapter 8 draws from my observations in Chapters 4 through 7 and discusses future directions that performative riffing and embodied audiencing performances provide as text-based discursive tools for interpreting and critiquing mediated cultural texts and the ideologies and interpretations of reality they convey. I glimpse into the future of riffing and in-theater performance and discuss the possibilities of riffing as a method of political performance by which media consumers can talk back to mediated texts and those texts' ideologies and interpretations of reality.
36
Meisner, Nielsen Kasper. "Corporate governance and performance in firms with concentrated ownership /." Copenhagen, 2005. http://www.gbv.de/dms/zbw/510443214.pdf.
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Sun, Chao. "Performance study of high resolution algorithms in sonar signal processing." Thesis, Loughborough University, 1992. https://dspace.lboro.ac.uk/2134/10602.
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In the last two decades or so there has been great interest in the problem of estimating signal parameters from the measurements at sensor array outputs. The most important parameters are probably the directions-of-arrival (DOAs) at the array from radiating sources in the observed spatial field. This thesis is devoted to the study of algorithms and techniques which have been suggested from different points of view for the same direction estimation problem. Several classes of algorithms are examined which include the conventional beamforming methods, eigenstructure based algorithms, subspace rotation methods, decompositions techniques, and the more recently proposed weighted subspace fitting methods. The research in this thesis contains three main aspects addressing theoretical analyses, computer simulations, and practical experiments respectively. A set of simulation programs has been developed to evaluate the performance in various scenarios, and Monte Carlo tests have been carried out to support theoretical analyses. The simulation work was carried out on an IBM PC, and the computer language used was MATLAB (Matrix Laboratory), a package especially developed for matrix computations. A sonar system available in the sonar research group at Loughborough University of Technology (LUT) was modified and used to collect real data for off-line processing so as to demonstrate the algorithm performance in real experimental environments. Two scenarios were examined when the system worked in passive and active modes respectively. In the passive working mode, two emitters were employed to give uncorrelated or strongly correlated signals by using the same or different working frequencies. When working in the active mode, a single sensor was placed on the top of the receiving array which received reflections from two targets in the distance. The data was captured and then saved on floppy disks from the measurement system and processed on PCs. A large number of results are presented, analysed, and summarized in the thesis, including· both computer simulations and practical measurements. This provides a fundamental ground for further work in this and related areas.
38
Threadgold, Terry. "Feminist textual practice performance and critique." Monash University, School of Literary, Visual and Cultural Studies, 1999. http://arrow.monash.edu.au/hdl/1959.1/8576.
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Mills, David Ernest. "The stewardship performance of forms of privatised water infrastructure." Thesis, Queensland University of Technology, 2014. https://eprints.qut.edu.au/78660/2/David_Mills_Thesis.pdf.
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In this research Agency Theory and Stewardship Theory are used to analyse the relative performance of different forms of privitisation of water infrastructure and in doing so enriches understanding of previously underdeveloped aspects of both theories. The prior Agency Theory literature had established assumptions about the behaviour of principals and agents in contracts and these were found not to be correct in the context of contracts between modern government and private organisations. Agency theory was extended to include steward-like behaviour of an agent and Stewardship Theory was developed by the identification of factors within the contractual relationship which promote the sense of responsibility to the principal. The alliance, joint venture and Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) forms of privatisation were found to achieve stewardship of the infrastructure.
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Stevens, Johanna J. ""The prettiest little actress" : performance theory and Frances Burney's E̲v̲e̲l̲i̲̲̲n̲a̲ /." Electronic version (PDF), 2006. http://dl.uncw.edu/etd/2006/stevensj/johannastevens.pdf.
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Yucel, Burak. "Performance Prediction Of Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines Using Vortex Theory." Master's thesis, METU, 2004. http://etd.lib.metu.edu.tr/upload/12605715/index.pdf.
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iv
Performance prediction of HAWTs is important because it gives an idea
about the power production of a HAWT in out of design conditions without making
any experiments. Since the experiments of fluid mechanics are difficult to afford,
developing some models is very beneficial.
There are some models developed about this subject using miscellaneous
methods. In this study, one can find &ldquoVortex Theory&rdquo
among one of these theories. Some basic 3D aerodynamics was discussed in order to make the reader to understand the main subject of this study. Just after that, performance prediction of constant speed, stall controlled HAWTs was discussed. In order to understand the closeness of this theory to experiments, as a sample, NREL &ldquo
Combined Experiment Rotor&rdquo
was considered. Performances obtained by AEROPOWER, written in Visual Basic 6.0 and Excel combination, and experimental results were compared for different wind velocities. Acceptable results were obtained for wind speeds not much different than the design wind speed. For relatively lower wind speeds, due to &ldquo
turbulence&rdquo
, and for relatively higher wind speeds, due to &ldquo
stall&rdquo
, the program did not give good results. In the first case it has not given any numerical result. Power curves were obtained by only changing the settling angle, and only changing the rotor angular speed using AEROPOWER. It was seen that, both settling angle and rotor rpm values influence the turbine power output significantly.
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Markoff, Irene Judyth. "Musical theory, performance and the contemporary Bağlama specialist in Turkey /." Thesis, Connect to this title online; UW restricted, 1986. http://hdl.handle.net/1773/11351.
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Matchaya, Greenwell Collins. "Land Ownership and Agricultural Performance : Theory and Evidence from Malawi." Thesis, University of Leeds, 2009. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.509008.
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Lopez-Garcia, Paloma. "Entrepreneurial activity and aggregate employment performance : theory and OECD evidence." Thesis, London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London), 2004. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/2671/.
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O'Leary, Matthew C. (Matthew Clarence). "Performance measures for product development utilizing theory of constraints methodology." Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1995. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/11517.
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Lisciandra, Maurizio. "Labour performance and contractual structures : incentive theory and employer practice." Thesis, University of Cambridge, 2005. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.614943.
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Jablonský, Petr. "Performance downside risk models of the post-modern portfolio theory." Doctoral thesis, Vysoká škola ekonomická v Praze, 2008. http://www.nusl.cz/ntk/nusl-161865.
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The thesis provides a comparison of different portfolio models and tests their performance on the financial markets. Our analysis particularly focuses on comparison of the classical Markowitz modern portfolio theory and the downside risk models of the post-modern portfolio theory. In addition, we consider some alternative portfolio models ending with total eleven models that we test. If the performance of different portfolio models should be evaluated and compared correctly, we must use a measure that is unbiased to any portfolio theory. We suggest solving this issue via a new approach based on the utility theory and utility functions. We introduce the unbiased method for evaluation of the portfolio model performance using the expected utility efficient frontier. We use the asymmetric behavioural utility function to capture the behaviour of the real market investors. The Markowitz model is the leading market practice. We investigate whether there are any circumstances in which some other models might provide better performance than the Markowitz model. Our research is for three reasons unique. First, it provides a comprehensive comparison of broad classes of different portfolio models. Second, we focus on the developed markets in United States and Germany but also on the local emerging markets in Czech Republic and Poland. These local markets have never been tested in such extent before. Third, the empirical testing is based on the broad data set from 2003 to 2012 which enable us to test how different portfolio model perform in different macroeconomic conditions.
48
Fleming, Chris 1970, of Western Sydney Hawkesbury University, and Faculty of Social Inquiry. "Theoria : performance and epistemology." THESIS_FSI_XXX_Fleming_C.xml, 1999. http://handle.uws.edu.au:8081/1959.7/407.
Full textAbstract:
What might it mean to attempt to figure theatre as thought? More specifically, what possible relations hold between theatre and epistemology - that area of philosophy concerned with theories of knowledge? This study is a series of cross-disciplinary engagements that seek to articulate some of the relations between theatre, performance, and epistemology, to investigate performance as a 'deployed logic' in relation to those disciplines concerned with discovering and generating knowledge. For some thinkers in the continental tradition, the very thought of writing about the relations between performance and the anachronistic; hasn't the idea of 'performance' undermined most of the central tenets of the discourse concerned with knowledge and the Real, with truth and falsity? This, of course, remains an open question, one pursued in this work. The thesis draws on a diverse series of wide-ranging examples in order to relate the inquiry to current work being done in philosophy and performance studies, but notes the theoretical incompleteness of studies relating theatre and performance to conceptions of knowledge.It attempts to fill a void in the literature by offering analyses that think the relations between dramatic and philosophical activity. In short, it hopes to re-open the dialogue between performance and epistemology by showing how philosophy regularly attempts to expunge its foundational elements from its imaginary.Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Thomas, Nigel Anthony. "Performance and reliability in distributed systems." Thesis, University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, 1997. http://hdl.handle.net/10443/1996.
Full textAbstract:
This thesis is devoted to the construction and analysis of models which can be used to evaluate the performance and reliability of distributed systems. The general object of the research therefore is to extend the types of queueing models with breakdowns which have been solved, with a particular interest in networking structures. The systems that are studied involve various collections of servers and their associated queues. These range from isolated nodes, though parallel nodes coupled by the effect of breakdowns on arrivals, to pipelines of such parallel stages and more general networks. The issues that are explored include the influence of breakdowns and repairs on delays, job losses and optimal routeing. Obtaining performance measures for interacting queues is difficult, however a degree of abstraction has been used here which allows long run averages to be calculated (exactly in many cases) for quite complex systems. A variety of different techniques are used in order to obtain solutions to these models, including exact equations, exact numerical and approximate numerical techniques.
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Ashley, Simon James. "Business performance measurement : a soft systemic approach." Thesis, City University London, 2001. http://openaccess.city.ac.uk/8282/.
Full textAbstract:
The first objective of the research presented in this thesis, was to perform an investigation into the challenges of business performance measurement. The second objective of the research was to respond to these challenges, by articulating a Soft Systemic approach to business performance measurement. To meet the objectives of the research, the project draws on two key areas: a review of literature about measurement in different fields of study; and three real world action research case studies. The work in these areas is presented in this thesis, the main topics of which are: - Identifying specific challenges to measurement in the area of business performance measurement. - Identifying a number of generic causes of complexity in measurement situations; and introducing a new measurement classification based on the complexity of measurement situations. - Using the new classification of measurement situations to critique the traditional approach to measurement; and thereby identifying situations, such as business performance measurement, where a new approach to measurement is needed. -Proposing a set of Soft Systemic principles to measurement; and showing that this Soft Systemic approach is significantly different to the traditional approach. -Showing that the Soft Systemic approach is more suitable to the complex challenges of business performance measurement. -Translating the Soft Systemic approach into a practical framework, the Soft Systemic Performance Measurement Framework (SSPMF), to assist measurement practitioners in business performance measurement; and validating that framework in case study work.