Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Return'

In my essay, I reflected on my personal experience of moving to another city and all the physical, fiscal, and emotional changes that I went through. Through the text, I bounced between my thoughts of my old hometown and questions that one suburb lifestyle brings. In my painting practice, I used references from my visions and memories. In a way, every piece has a kind of resemblance to gambling and child upbringing. Every painting situation creates its own needs, and my work is engaged in staying attentive to this setting and how it changes and changes me.
Fine Art

The purpose of this research has been to study contemporary Mormon migration in the United States. The underlying assumption of the research was that Utah Mormons are culturally and normatively different from Mormons living elsewhere. Research was carried out in two stages. The first stage was a description of migration streams between four designated regions, i.e. Utah, states adjacent to Utah, other Western states, and the remaining Other states. This stage also determined the proportion of return migration in each stream. It provides initial evidence of the cultural pull of Utah for Mormons. The second stage was a multivariate analysis of predictors of Mormon return migration in the United States between 1976 and 1981. A theoretical framework of measures of cultural and religious attachment (within the conceptualization of location-specific capital) and status and distance migration differentials was used. Seven models were tested. Each model looked at particular migration directions, i.e. to Utah, to regions other than Utah, from Utah, two models of return to Utah, and two models of return to regions other than Utah. Findings show that migration to regions other than Utah are predicted better by predominantly socioeconomic stat us variables. destination But migration involving Utah as an origin or also require measures of cultural and/or religious commitment as well. These findings tend to support the conclusion that the intensity of cultural location-specific capital of Utah, as the Mormon cultural core, does influence the type and magnitude of Mormon migration.

Syfte Syftet är att undersöka hur detaljhandelsföretag inom modebranschen och dess kunder ser på “Return In-store” som ett returalternativ och även klargöra den miljöproblematik som finns relaterat till returer. Metod Denna studie är utförd med en kvalitativ forskningsmetod. Studien behandlar två perspektiv och undersöker problemet från företag och kunders synvinkel. Det empiriska materialet utgörs av den anledningen av fem personliga intervjuer med butikschefer inom detaljhandeln och två fokusgrupper med kunder. Slutsatser Studiens resultat visar att detaljhandelsföretag och kunder inom modebranschen anser att returalternativet “Return In-store” är det bästa alternativet vid returnering av varor köpta online. Kunder föredrar en generös returpolicy och ”Return In-store” är ett exempel på hur företag implementerar en sådan policy. Möjligheten att returnera en vara som köpts online i fysiska butiker reducerar även de orosmoment som annars kan uppstå för kunder vid returnering av varor. Företag gynnas framförallt av att ”Return In-store” driver fler kunder till butiken vilket ökar möjligheten till merförsäljning. Det främsta problemet med ”Return In-store” är att de butiker som erbjuder ”Click and Collect” inte är rustade för att hantera en stor mängd av sådana varor som beställs och lämnas tillbaka till butikerna. En avgörande del i hur stor miljöpåverkan ”Return In-store” har är de konsumentresor som uppstår.
Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine how retailers in the fashion industry and its customers view “Return In-store” as a return option and also clarify the environmental issues related to returns. Method Our study is based on a qualitative research method. The study takes both companies and customers point of view in consideration. Therefore, the empirical material consists of five personal interviews with retail managers and two focus groups with customers. Conclusions The result of our study shows that retailers and customers within the fashion industry regard “Return In-store” as the number one alternative when returning products bought online. Customers prefer a generous return policy which “Return In-store” is an example of. The ability to return online products in physical stores reduces some of the concerns that otherwise can occur when returning products in other ways. Retailers benefit from “Return In-store” since it increases the customer flow to the physical stores, which can generate additional sales. The foremost problem with “Return In-store” is that those stores that offer “Click and Collect” can’t handle a too high amount of products originated from e-commerce. A crucial part in the environmental impact of “Return In-store” is the consumer travels that occur when returning a product.

Thesis advisor: John Houchin
The objective of this project was to attempt not only to adapt the novel "The Master and Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov to the stage, but rather to translate it in both time and place to the stage. It has been more than 60 years since the novel was written, and as such the concerns of the characters have changed both in time and locale. Not only are their objectives adjusted, but the novel is ultimately that: a novel. Being a theatrical adaptation, the play must acknowledge its own existence as such and take issue with its form as much as "The Master and Margarita" does its own. The play is, ultimately, a failed one in my opinion. The greatest downfall thereof being the fact that theatre, drama, is centered around a single thing: conflict. The devil can be in conflict with no one but the divine, and as such any time he is on stage there is simply something missing. The failure is, to a certain extent, befitting of the piece for what it takes to heart as its issues. Enjoy
Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2013
Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences
Discipline: College Honors Program
Discipline: Theater

Esta tesis doctoral trata de exponer el drama del retorno al propio país tras largos años de exilio en la obra literaria de Max Aub, un escritor republicano español que, según muchos expertos de la literatura del exilio, es quien ha tratado más y mejor el tema del retorno en su obra literaria. Max Aub en sus escritos considera diferentes posibilidades, formas y épocas del regreso a España y ofrece suficiente material como para facilitar la realización de un análisis sistemático y múltiple del retorno. Además, el escritor tampoco dejó de observar las sinergias políticas, económicas, personales y socioculturales que generaron o pudieron afectar la decisión de volver o la imposibilidad de realizarlo. Durante la Dictadura, el regreso a la España franquista podía significar para un exiliado intelectual ser infiel a la causa republicana. De ahí que, este estudio trata de exponer la responsabilidad ética de ciertos exiliados como Max Aub a la hora de adoptar la decisión del no-retorno, a la vez que conocer sus motivos. Esta decisión se vincula, de manera sustancial, al comportamiento político de los exiliados en México y en España; no se concretiza únicamente en la realización del retorno (o no), sino en la intención de acción futura y en la forma de observación del país de origen por el exiliado. Asimismo, una de las formas del regreso para un escritor exiliado es ser leído, reconocido y comprendido íntegramente en su propio país. Por este motivo, en este trabajo, se analiza también la evolución de las publicaciones y estrenos de las obras teatrales de Aub en España a pesar de la censura. Y finalmente, se estudia el cómo y por qué motivos la imposibilidad del retorno –en todos los sentidos– dificultó la inclusión de los exiliados en las historias de la literatura española.
This PhD thesis investigates upon the drama of returning to the own country after a long exile, as presented in Max Aub's literature. Max Aub is a Spanish republican writer, generally regarded as one of most well-known and appreciated writers taking on the theme of coming back from exile. In his work Max Aub considers different possibilities, approaches and epochs about returning to Spain and offers sufficient material to realize a quite complete analysis of the return processes. Furthermore, the writer never stopped observing the political, economical, personal and sociocultural synergies that could have been generated or could have impacted the decision of coming back or the impossibility to do so. For an exilled intellectual coming back to Franquist Spain during the Spanish dictatorship could have meant being unfaithful to the republican cause. From here, this study aims to expose the ethical decision that exiled people such as Max Aub faced at the time of making the decision of not coming back, and understand his motivations for it. This choice is transmitted and observed substantially in the political behaviour of exiled people in Mexico and Spain, not only materialised in the realisation of coming back (or not), if not by the future actions and the observation of the country of origin by the exiled. In this way, one of ways for a writer to come back home is achieved by being read, recognised and understood in his own country. For this reason, this analysis also discusses the evolution of publications and releases of Aub's theatre work in Spain, despite the censorship, analysing it as a form of return. Finally, this thesis adressess how and why the impossibility of coming back proved to complicate the inclusion of the exiled writer in the story of Spanish literature.

This thesis presents new facts on the aggregate return to capital and shows their implications for underlying drivers of investment and the efficiency of the alloca-tion of capital. The first chapter analyzes aggregate returns to capital across countries. Although international capital flows were small, returns have converged since the 1970s. Trade integration appears a key driving force behind this trend because factor in-come shares of capital move with the aggregate return. As barriers to international trade fall, specialization in capital- or labor-intensive industries can explain a sig-nificant share of the convergence. The second chapter examines why the return to capital in the U.S. has not fallen along with interest rates. Using firm-level data in production function estimation addresses some shortcomings of aggregate data. The results suggest that higher capital frictions dampened investment demand despite low interest rates. Rising markups, on the other hand, appear to have limited explanatory power.
Aquesta tesi presenta noves aportacions pel que fa al retorn agregat del capital i mostra les seves implicacions amb els factors d’inversió subjacents i l’eficiència de l’assignació de capital. En el primer capítol s’analitza el retorn agregat del capital dels països. Tot i que els fluxos de capital internacional eren escassos, les rendibilitats han convergit des de la dècada de 1970. La integració del comerç és causant d’aquesta tendència, ja que el factor ingressos del capital es mou amb el retorn agregat. Com que les barreres al comerç internacional cauen, l’especialització en les indústries intensives en capital o en màa d’obra poden explicar una part important d’aquesta convergència. El segon capítol examina per què el retorn del capital als Estats Units no ha caigut amb els tipus d’interès. L’ús de dades d’empreses en l’estimació de la funció de producció corregeix algunes deficiències de les dades agregades. Els resultats suggereixen que les friccions de capital més elevades han fet disminuir la demanda d’inversió, malgrat els baixos tipus d’interès. L’augment dels marges, però, no pot explicar aquest desenvolupament.

Hedge fund investing is a relatively new phenomenon in Sweden. The first Swedish hedge fund was started in 1996. This new financial sector has since showed a steady growth.

Due to the novelty of hedge fund phenomena, it is right to ask whether the investors are prepared for this kind of investments; how they choose their hedge funds investments and whether they have adequate knowl-edge in the field.

This thesis provides a mapping of the investors’ behavior regarding hedge fund investments. We have concluded that Swedish hedge fund investors have a limited basis of knowledge required to fully utilize hedge funds in their portfolios.

Purpose: Whether researchers have an obligation to disclose genetic incidental findings (GIFs) to research participants has been widely debated but has lacked empirical data. This is the first extensive national examination of IRB professionals’ understanding, experience, and beliefs surrounding GIFs in the context of genomic sequencing. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of 796 individuals sampled from Public Responsibility in Medicine and Research (PRIM&R) about background and experience with GIFs and ethical reasoning supporting or diminishing an obligation to disclose. Results: Most participants have had experience dealing with GIFs (74%), but less than half (47%) felt well prepared to evaluate a plan for managing them. Respondents generally agreed (78%) that researchers have some obligation to disclose GIFs. The top-cited ethical principles were a duty to warn (84%), respect for autonomy (80%), and beneficence (79%). While a majority believed that the obligation could be undermined by inadequate clinical or analytical validity (72%) or inadequate clinical utility (66%), respondents disagreed that researchers’ additional time and effort (87%) and participants’ imperfect understanding of genetics (70%) were valid reasons for non-disclosure. Almost all (96%) indicated it is definitely or probably acceptable for a participant to elect not to receive any GIFs. This view, however, became less pronounced (63%) when applied to specific case studies. Conclusion: Most IRBs are actively dealing with GIFs but feel only moderately prepared to do so. A majority believes there is sometimes or always an obligation to disclose and that duty to warn, autonomy, and beneficence are guiding forces in this obligation. Respondents generally rejected instrumental and paternalistic concerns as valid reasons for non-disclosure.

Diasporic Homecoming and the New Indian City “We set out, [my father] and my mother and I, for Karol Bagh. ‘15/64 Western Extension Area, Ajmal Khan Road,’ he chanted momentously in the back of the car. We drove through the wide, fluid streets of the bureaucratic area…the entire area was bursting at the seams: shops and warehouses extended out onto the streets, apartments had grown upwards and outwards into every possible gap, and parked cars filled in the rest. We missed our turn and had to do a U-turn, a mistake that cost us half an hour…My father became increasingly upset as we penetrated deeper and deeper into the end-of-day clamour. ‘Karol Bagh used to be a bagh,’ he said, ‘a garden. I used to ride my bike on these streets. What happened?’”—Rana Dasgupta

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007.
Title from first page of PDF file (viewed August 7, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

This thesis provides a discussion and analysis of the factors that influence real estate return. The result is a combination of capital growth and rental profit, which are affected predominantly by changing location values, leverage, interest rates, and property use. These are analysed separately and brought together with formulas for calculating the total return, and demonstrations for how this return may be affected by changes in the underlying parameters.

Markowitz introduced the concept of modelling the risk associated with a given security as the variance of the expected return and showed how under certain conditions an investors portfolio can be managed by balancing the expected return of the portfolio and its variance. Building on Markowitz original framework, William Sharpe, extended these ideas by connecting a portfolio to a risky asset. This extension became known as the Sharpe Index Model. There are number of assumptions governing the residuals of the Sharpe index model, one being that the error terms of the stocks are uncorrelated. The Troskie-Hossain innovation to the Sharpe Index model relaxes this assumption. We evaluate the Troskie-Hossain model relative to the Sharpe Index Model and Markowitz portfolio, and find that the Troskie-Hossain model approximates the Markowitz efficient frontier and optimal portfolio very closely. Further examining the residuals, we find evidence of autocorrelation and heteroskedasticity. Using ARMA to model the autocorrelation of the residuals has very little impact on the efficient frontier when working with log returns. However when working with simple returns the ARMA shifts the efficient frontier to the left. We find that GARCH(l , 1) models capture most of the autocorrelation in the squared residuals for both simple returns and log returns and shifts the efficient frontier to the left. Modelling a non-constant conditional mean and non-constant conditional variance (ARMA and GARCH) has proven difficult. The more complex a model becomes the more difficult the estimation. We investigate the effects of dividend yields on the efficient frontier, as well as using simple returns vs log returns in portfolio construction. Including dividend yields in our return data shifts the efficient frontier upwards. However only the a's are increased, and the f3's and f3 t-statistics of the shares remain the same. This shift effect of dividends has no impact on the time series or heteroskedastic models. The simple returns efficient frontier lies above that of the log returns efficient frontier. The a 's for simple returns are very different to those of log returns, however the f3's lie in a similar region to those of log returns.

Business Administration
Ph.D.
This dissertation investigates the role of credit in the evaluation of risk and return. The research comprises three essays, which analyze the use of credit from different perspectives. Chapter 1: The first essay proposes a comprehensive theory for the assessment and implementation of "acceptable" underwriting and rating variables. While the use of personal credit was the driving force behind the essay, we extend our theory and models to include all controversial rating classifications. It is shown that a rating classification would be appropriate when the cost to society is relatively small. The use of personal credit in the automobile insurance industry is provided as an application of the proposed models, and other considerations are explored. Chapter 2: For many years, gamblers have developed strategies to reach specific monetary and survival goals. In the second essay, a strategy is introduced in which a speculator engages in bet doubling to increase his chances of walking home a winner. It is shown that with enough credit it is quite possible to become a winner with a high degree of certainty--99.9%, even while facing a losing proposition. However, huge returns require huge risks, and so adopting such a strategy would eventually lead to large losses and negative expected profits. It is also shown that limited liability and a cost of obtaining credit are important factors to consider when analyzing expected gains. Chapter 3: "Hazardously immoral" contracts force external parties to bear significant losses without their consent. Abuses are particularly likely to occur when the threat of system-wide disruption is sufficient to make governments and international agencies bail out the offending organizations in order to limit total damages. The models provided in chapter 2 are presented in the third essay as strategies for externalizing extreme risks, and several results are derived.
Temple University--Theses

Thesis (B.S.)--California Polytechnic State University, 2009.
Project advisor: James G. Harris. Title from PDF title page; viewed on Jan. 28, 2010. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on microfiche.

Die vorliegende Dissertation hat einen technologischen und einen anwendungsbezogenen Schwerpunkt. Technologisch ordnen sich die präsentierten Forschungsergebnisse in das Gebiet der "Swarm Intelligence" (dt.: Schwarm-Intelligenz) ein. Swarm Intelligence ist ein Teilbereich der Informatik, der sich an der Überschneidung zwischen der Multi-Agenten Systeme Forschung der Künstlichen Intelligenz und dem Forschungsgebiet "Artificial Life" (dt.: Künstliches Leben) befindet. Im Gegensatz zur Swarm Intelligence im allgemeinen, überträgt der spezielle Ansatz "Synthetic Ecosystems" (dt.: synthetische Ökosysteme) nicht nur Koordinationsmechanismen aus biologischen Multi-Agenten Systemen, wie zum Beispiel Insekten Kolonien, in den Entwurf künstlicher Systeme. Vielmehr sollen die grundlegenden Prinzipien "natürlich" entstandener komplexer Systeme, also auch zum Beispiel einer Aktienbörse, übernommen werden. Als anwendungsbezogener Hintergrund der Dissertation wurde die verteilte Steuerung moderner industrieller Fertigungsanlagen gewählt. Die Fertigungssteuerung ist ein geeignetes Anwendungsfeld für die Technologien, die im Rahmen der Forschungsarbeiten entwickelt wurden. Damit dient die Präsentation eines synthetischen Ökosystems für die Fertigungssteuerung der Demonstration des neuartigen Ansatzes zum Entwurf, Realisierung und Evaluierung komplexer, industriell relevanter Systeme. Gleichzeitig leistet die vorgestellte Architektur der Fertigungssteuerung und die darin verwandten Koordinationsverfahren einen Beitrag zur Weiterentwicklung holonischer Produktionssysteme. Der holonische Ansatz zur Produktionsplanung und -steuerung genießt derzeit große Aufmerksamkeit sowohl in der Forschung als auch in der Industrie. Als Teilgebiet der Entwicklung intelligenter Fertigungssysteme (engl.: IMS - Intelligent Manufacturing Systems), propagiert der holonische Ansatz eine Abkehr von der traditionell zentralistischen und hierarchischen Planung und Steuerung hin zu selbst-organisierenden Systemen autonom (inter-)agierender Individuen ("Holone"). Bei der praktischen Umsetzung holonischer Systeme werden sehr häufig Technologien aus der Multi-Agenten Systeme Forschung angewandt. Mit dieser Dissertation rücken auch synthetische Ökosysteme in das Blickfeld holonischer Systeme. Natürliche Agentensysteme im allgemeinen und Kolonien sozialer Insekten im besonderen faszinieren durch ihre Robustheit, ihre Flexibilität und ihre Anpassungsfähigkeit. Solche Systeme bestehen häufig aus sehr vielen, sehr einfachen Individuen und doch weisen sie ein komplexes und koordiniertes Gesamtverhalten auf. Es gibt mehrere Zweige in unterschiedlichen Wissenschaften, zum Beispiel in der Biologie, Physik, Ökonomie oder in der Informatik, die sich mit verteilten Systemen lokal interagierender Individuen beschäftigen. Ihre Erforschung resultiert in einer Reihe wiederholt beobachteter grundlegender Eigenschaften. Um künstlich erschaffene Systeme mit ähnlichen Eigenschaften auszustatten werden Entwurfsprinzipien für das Design von Multi-Agenten Systemen in dieser Dissertation vorgeschlagen. Jedes Entwurfsprinzip wird systematisch eingeführt, motiviert und in seinen Konsequenzen für Anwendungen in der Fertigungssteuerung diskutiert. Stigmergie ist ein grundlegendes Konzept der Koordination einer großen Anzahl von Individuen unter anderem in Kolonien sozialer Insekten. Die Formulierung dieses Konzepts ist auf den Biologen Grassè zurückzuführen, welcher in der Mitte des zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts das Schwarmverhalten von Termiten untersuchte. Stigmergie beruht auf der Tatsache, daß das Verhalten eines jeden Individuums durch die aktuelle Konfiguration seiner lokalen Umwelt bestimmt wird. Die Umwelt wiederum, wird durch die Aktivitäten der Individuen verändert. Diese Wechselwirkung führt in Verbindung mit entsprechend ausgelegten individuellen Verhaltensmustern zur Emergenz einer global koordinierten Erfüllung der anstehenden Aufgaben der Kolonie. Im Detail wird sematektonische von marker-basierter Stigmergie unterschieden, wobei bei sematektonischer Stigmergie der Zustand der Aufgabenerfüllung selbst (z.B. Stand des Nestbaus) das Individualverhalten beeinflußt, während marker-basierte Stigmergie aufgabenunabhängige Marker (z.B. Pheromone) in der Umwelt platziert. Multi-Agenten Systeme finden ihre Realisierung in Software, welche gegebenenfalls an physische Aktuatoren gekoppelt ist. Im allgemeinen besteht diese Software aus einer Laufzeitumgebung und den darin ausgeführten Agenten. Die vorliegende Dissertation präsentiert eine Erweiterung von Laufzeitumgebungen um eine anwendungsunabhängige Pheromon Infrastruktur (PI). Die PI ermöglicht es den Softwareagenten des jeweiligen synthetischen Ökosystems, künstliche Pheromone als Datenstrukturen in einem virtuellen Raum abzulegen und wahrzunehmen. Diese Datenstrukturen dienen als Marker in stigmergetischen Koordinationsmechanismen. Die Algorithmen der PI operieren auf diesen künstlichen Pheromonen und emulieren die natürlichen Vorgänge der räumlichen Ausbreitung und Verdunstung von Pheromonen auf abstrakter Ebene. Zusätzlich wird das natürliche Vorbild um eine automatische Aufbereitung von Informationen erweitert. Die Funktionalität der PI wird in dieser Dissertation spezifiziert. Des weiteren wird ein formales Modell erstellt, welches die Grundlage einer numerischen Analyse der Eigenschaften der PI bildet. Die Analyse liefert Vorhersagen für das Entstehen von räumlichen Mustern von Pheromonkonzentrationen in der PI. Diese Vorhersagen können dann in der Feineinstellung und der Evaluierung von Koordinationsmechanismen verwendet werden. Außerdem dient das formale Modell als Grundlage für den Beweis der globalen Stabilität der PI. Damit ist gesichert, daß unabhängig von der gewählten räumlichen Struktur und den von der jeweiligen Anwendung generierten Pheromonen die Konzentrationen der Pheromone immer in ihrer Stärke begrenzt sind. Der Beweis der globalen Stabilität ist eine wichtige Voraussetzung für die Verwendung der PI in praktischen Anwendungen. Die Spezifikation einer verteilten Realisierung der PI bildet den Abschluß der allgemeinen Betrachtung. Die Agenten, welche die (virtuelle) räumliche Struktur der PI widerspiegeln, werden im Detail spezifiziert. Auf der Basis dieser Spezifikation ist im Rahmen der Dissertation ein Prototyp der PI realisiert worden. Dieser Prototyp diente dem Nachweis des vorhergesagten Verhaltens der Infrastruktur und der späteren Evaluierung des entwickelten Fertigungssteuerungssystems. Im weiteren Verlauf der vorliegenden Dissertation wird ein neuartiger Ansatz zur Fertigungssteuerung betrachtet. Die absehbaren Veränderungen der äußeren Bedingungen der industriellen Produktion, ausgelöst durch den globalen Übergang von Anbieter- zu Verbrauchermärkten, erfordert die Fertigung immer komplexerer und variantenreicherer Produkte in ständig schwankenden Stückzahlen und deutlich verkürzten Lebenszyklen bei gleichzeitig sinkenden Kosten. Zur Erfüllung dieser Anforderungen in der Massenproduktion wandelt sich die traditionell starr verkettete Strangfertigung (z.B. Transferstraßen) zur flexiblen Fließfertigung (z.B. flexible Bearbeitungszentren). Die Steuerung einer flexiblen Fließfertigung erfordert neue Herangehensweisen. In einer holonischen Fertigung, zum Beispiel, organisiert sich die Produktionsplanung und Produktionssteuerung selbst um die Erfüllung der aktuellen Aufträge. Dabei werden in der Steuerung verteilte, reaktive Verfahren verwendet, welche eine deutlich gesteigerte Robustheit und Flexibilität gegenüber Störungen und Veränderungen aufweisen. Der Übergang zur flexiblen Fließfertigung bedeutet die Einführung von Flexibilität in der Bearbeitung aber auch im Transport des Materials. Es ist eine grundlegende Eigenschaft dieser Fertigungssysteme, daß zu einem beliebigen Zeitpunkt eine Reihe möglicher Transportwege und damit eine Vielzahl möglicher Muster im Materialfluß zur Verfügung stehen. Dabei führt aber nur eine kleine Menge dieser Muster zu einer bestmöglichen Erfüllung der globalen Produktionsziele (z.B. hoher globaler Durchsatz). Es ist also die Aufgabe der Fertigungssteuerung in jeder Situation das bestmögliche Materialflußmuster zu erreichen. Ist ein verteilter Ansatz für die Steuerung gewählt worden, so muß diese Optimierung nach globalen Produktionszielen in die lokalen Steuerungsentscheidungen integriert werden, ohne die Autonomie der lokalen Einheiten zu verletzen. Die Dissertation präsentiert ein sogenanntes geführtes Fertigungssteuerungssystem (GFSS), welches einen verteilten und reaktiven Steuerungsansatz mit einer Flußoptimierung unter Beachtung globaler Produktionsziele in neuartiger Weise verbindet. Der Entwurf des GFSS folgte den vorgeschlagenen Prinzipien für synthetische Ökosysteme und die Agenten im GFSS werden mit Hilfe der Pheromon Infrastruktur koordiniert. Die Agenten und Pheromone des GFSS werden detailliert spezifiziert und in einem realistischen Beispiel aus der Automobilindustrie evaluiert. In der Evaluierung wird von den Ergebnissen der Analyse der PI Gebrauch gemacht. Die dabei gewählte numerische Beschreibung des Einzelverhaltens und die darauf aufbauende Betrachtung des emergierenden Gesamtverhaltens weist den Weg zu einer systematischen Evaluierung von emergenten Systemeigenschaften in synthetischen Ökosystemen. In einem abschließenden Kapitel werden die drei inhaltlichen Schwerpunkte der Dissertation noch einmal betrachtet. Vor dem Hintergrund des GFSS werden die vorgeschlagenen Entwurfsprinzipien für synthetische Ökosysteme systematisch auf ihre Anwendbarkeit und praktische Bedeutung hin überprüft. Außerdem wird die allgemeine Verwendung der PI für den Austausch von Informationen zwischen Agenten untersucht. Und schließlich wird die Fertigungssteuerung aus der Sicht abstrakter Zustandsräume diskutiert. Die vorliegende Dissertation weist den Weg für eine Reihe weiterführender Forschungsarbeiten. So werden zum einen detaillierte Konzepte für die Erweiterung des GFSS um eine automatische Strategiebewertung und -generierung und um ein Visualisierungssystem vorgestellt. Zum anderen werden aber auch notwendige Ergänzungen der Entwurfsprinzipien und mögliche Verbesserungen der PI und des darauf basierenden Evaluierungsansatzes vorgeschlagen.
The synthetic ecosystems approach attempts to adopt basic principles of natural ecosystems in the design of multiagent systems. Natural agent systems like insect colonies are fascinating in that they are robust, flexible, and adaptive. Made up of millions of very simple entities, these systems express a highly complex and coordinated global behavior. There are several branches in different sciences, for instance in biology, physics, economics, or in computer science, that focus on distributed systems of locally interacting entities. Their research yields a number of commonly observed characteristics. To supply engineered systems with similar characteristics this thesis proposes a set of principles that should be observed when designing synthetic ecosystems. Each principle is systematically stated and motivated, and its consequences for the manufacturing control domain are discussed. Stigmergy has shown its usefulness in the coordination of large crowds of agents in a synthetic ecosystem. Sign-based stigmergy through synthetic pheromones is supported by an extension to runtime environments for software agents called the pheromone infrastructure. In this thesis the operation of the pheromone infrastructure is specified, formally modeled and analyzed, and an implementation is presented. The guided manufacturing control system for flexible flow shops is designed following the proposed principles and it uses the pheromone infrastructure to coordinate its agents. It comprises two subsystems. The control (sub)system, which enables production, is distributed and reactive. The advisory (sub)system observes the operation of the control system and advises the manufacturing execution under global considerations. This thesis specifies the guided manufacturing control system and evaluates its operation in a simple but realistic example adapted from the automotive industry. The applicability of the design principles, the usage of the pheromone infrastructure, and the operation of manufacturing control in abstract state spaces are considered on the basis of the guided manufacturing control system.

The finding of reversals in weekly returns has been attributed to a combination of microstructure issues and overreaction to information. I provide new evidence eliminating overreaction as a source of reversal. I show that well-known weekly contrarian profits are followed by a long run of momentum profits. In fact, these profits are strong enough to produce a significant momentum effect over the full year following portfolio formation. Thus, the market does not appear to view extreme weekly returns as excessive, as implied by an overreaction story. To the contrary, this return continuation is consistent with underreaction to the news driving extreme weekly returns. This is supported by cross-sectional tests in which I find this week's news is positively related to next week's returns. The evidence presented here is consistent with growing evidence that underreaction to firm-specific information is a pervasive feature of price formation. Therefore, if any short-run contrarian profits can be realized, they are better viewed as compensation for providing liquidity than as a reward for arbitrage.

À partir des réalités croisées entre la France et l’Italie et des voyages exploratoires au Sénégal, le chercheur investigue l’enjeu fondamental du phénomène migratoire : le retour. Quel est son impact psychologique sur les individus et les populations concernés ? Comment le retour affecte les dynamiques intrapsychiques et intersubjectives ? L’étude a été effectuée à partir d’une enquête menée auprès de la population migrante sénégalaise déplacée en Europe. Trois terrains de recherche ont été menés au Sénégal entre 2014 et 2018. La recherche inclut les entretiens de 20 « migrants de retour » et de 11 informateurs privilégiés. La thèse est structurée en cinq parties. Le premier chapitre est dédié à l’analyse qualitative du matériel. Le chercheur recourt à la méthodologie inspirée par la Grounded Theory. Le second chapitre est consacré à revue de la littérature. Sa constitution a nécessité un effort majeur, car les études antérieures abordent les phénomènes sociaux et cliniques liés au « désir de retour » à partir de perspectives très hétérogènes. La présente recherche doctorale vise à une composition théorique apte à définir un tout nouveau champ d’investigations. Ceci est l’objet de la troisième partie de la thèse où le chercheur articule les notions émergentes de son analyse de cas à la littérature existante afin de proposer deux nouvelles notions théoriques qui s’avèrent nécessaires à la compréhension de la psychologie et la psychopathologie du retour : l’entre-deux migratoire et le non-retour. Ce squelette ternaire (retour, non-retour, entre-deux migratoire), en tant que modèle, permet de comprendre l’expérience migratoire et de proposer une psychopathologie de la migration de retour. Dans la quatrième partie de ce travail le chercheur présente et discute les cas à partir desquels il développe d’une manière détaillée les notions de migration rituelle, objet de la migration, itinéraire de retour, billets de retour, droit de retour et code du retour. Le cinquième chapitre est consacré à la discussion générale
Through diverse realities of France and Italy and exploratory trips to Senegal the researcher investigates the fundamental aspect of the migratory phenomenon: the return. What psychological impact does the return have on individuals and populations involved? How does the return affect intrapsychic and intersubjective dynamics? The study is based on the survey of the Senegalese migrant population displaced in Europe. Three fields studies were conducted in Senegal between 2014 and 2018. The research includes the interviews with 20 "return migrants" and 11 key informants. The thesis is composed of five parts. The first part of the thesis is empirical part which is dedicated to data analysis. The researcher uses the methodology inspired by the Grounded Theory. The second part consists of the literature review. Given the previous studies that considered the social and clinical phenomena linked to the “desire to return” from very different perspectives, making the theoretical overview demanded great efforts. The aim of this doctoral research is to produce a theory defining a completely new field of investigations. Therefore, in the third part of the thesis the researcher analyses case studies against the existing literature in order to propose two new theoretical notions indispensable for the understanding of psychology and the psychopathology of return: “migratory in-between” and “non-return”. The ternary model (return, “non-return”, “migratory in-between”) enables our understanding of the migratory experience and allows to define the psychopathology of the return migration. In the fourth part of this work the researcher presents and discusses the cases from which he develops and describes the notions of ritual migration, the object of migration, the return itinerary, the return tickets, the rights of return and the code of return. The fifth part is dedicated to the general discussion

This thesis attempts to investigate the cross-sectional predictive power of return asymmetry, skewness and tail risk. It mainly consists of three empirical chapters on the relation between predictive patterns of the return distribution and expected stock returns. In the first empirical chapter, I adopt a measure of asymmetry, originally proposed by Patil et al. (2012), which can be employed to characterise the shape of the entire distribution of asset returns instead of skewness. Empirical evidence on the relation between asset returns and the skewness of the return distribution is mixed. As skewness is primarily influenced by the tail behaviour of the return distribution, it is possible for two distributions with identical skewness to have quite different asymmetry. I will examine the relationship between this new measure and stock returns. My empirical analysis indicates that stocks with high return asymmetry exhibit low expected returns. The negative relation between return asymmetry and expected returns persists after I control for size, book-to-market, momentum, short-term return reversals, liquidity, idiosyncratic volatility and various skewness factors. My results are consistent with the findings from theoretical models such as those of Brunnermeier et al. (2007) and Barberis and Huang (2008). In the second empirical chapter, I examine the default risk and financial crisis explanations for the market skewness risk effect and find that the effect is stronger among stocks with large size, high growth, and low default risk. This suggests that the positive skewness preference theory only holds for safe stocks. Moreover, the effect of market skewness risk on stock returns interacts with default risk significantly. Market skewness risk has explanatory power for stock returns only during the periods of good economic conditions. Additionally, the market skewness risk effect is not persistent. After the financial crisis of 2007-2008, the strong effect disappears. In the last empirical chapter, I know that investors sometimes underweight the tail event. I then try to figure out this situation by examining the default risk and financial crisis explanations for the tail risk effect. I find that market size, book-to-market ratio, and default risk have large impact on the tail risk effect. Moreover, tail risk only has explanatory power for stock returns during the periods of good economic conditions. The results suggest that when investors hold stocks with small size, low growth, and high default risk, the tail risk tends to be ignored. The tail risk effect is not persistent. The significant tail risk effect also disappear after the financial crisis of 2007-2008.

Allt mer konsumtion har förflyttats till att ske via e-handel. Detta skapar nya förutsättningar för konsumenter och e-handelsföretag. Trots de många fördelar som detta medför, tillkommer även problem. Tidigare studier visar på att konsumentreturer till följd av e-handel har ökat markant de senaste åren, något som sätter stor press på e- handelsföretags logistikflöden eftersom varor inte bara behöver transporteras till konsument utan även tillbaka från konsument. Detta bidrar till negativ påverkan på miljön i form av ompaketeringar som kräver extra material samt utsläpp från de transportmedel som används. Tidigare studier vittnar även att ökningen av konsumentreturer skiljer sig mellan branscher där modebranschen kunnat identifieras som en bransch där ökningen är som störst. Statistik visar att mer än hälften av alla sålda modevaror returneras, vilket skapar negativa konsekvenser för såväl miljön som e-handelsföretagens lönsamhet. E- handelsföretagen är enligt tidigare studier medvetna om konsekvenserna men vet inte hur problemet ska angripas. Till följd av den ökade digitaliseringen har det skett en maktförskjutning från företag till konsument, vilket gör att konsumenters beteende och attityder kan få en stor påverkan på mängden konsumentreturer. Konsumenters beteende och attityder behöver därav granskas för att hitta förebyggande åtgärder för att hantera ökningen av konsumentreturer. För att minska risken att en retur inträffar undersöker denna studie vad som skapar värde för konsumenten för att förebygga att en retur uppstår. Eftersom konsumenter kan ha många olika tankar och åsikter gällande vad som skapar värde är det vidare av vikt att undersöka olika typer av konsumenter. Konsumentbeteende har även visat skilja sig mellan olika länder och vi ser ett behov av forskning inom ämnet på den svenska marknaden. För att bidra med forskning till området är syftet att identifiera vilka aspekter svenska konsumenter värderar vid e-handel och returneringsprocesser för att därmed förstå bakomliggande orsaker till att konsumentreturer inträffar. Eftersom konsumentbeteende även visat sig skilja mellan olika generationer syftar även studien på att jämföra vad som skapar värde för generation X samt Y. Studiens syfte är vidare att bidra med information till e-handelsföretag om vad konsumenter uppfattar som värdefulla aspekter inom e- handel och returneringsprocessen för att kunna använda som underlag till att förebygga konsumentreturer och därmed en minskad miljöpåverkan. För att besvara syftet har teorier som tillhör områdena returlogistik, konsumentbeteende, kundvärde och hållbarhet använts. Studien har utförts kvalitativt med empiriskt underlag från djupintervjuer av åtta respondenter med fyra respondenter inom respektive generation. Studiens resultat visar att konsumenter, oavsett generation värderar pris, bekvämlighet, trygghet och service vi e-handelsköp. Om en retur inträffar skapas värde i returneringsprocessen genom attribut som underlättar för konsumenten vid returens genomförande. Att en retur inträffar sker främst till följd av att konsumentens förväntningar inte uppfylls. En rekommendation till e-handelsföretag är därför att fokusera på att förbättra informationsangivelser och bilder av deras modevaror för att skapa realistiska förväntningar hos konsumenten, vilket kan bidra till att förväntningarna uppfylls och att konsumentreturer kan förebyggas.

Stock market return predictability has long been one of the key and unsolved areas of research in finance. Although the stock market has been argued to follow a random walk, researchers have struggled to improve the accuracy of predicting stock market returns through extensively examining forecasting variables such as financial ratios, economic indicators, and behaviour factors. Pollet and Wilson (2010) have recently developed a new predicator and claimed that average correlation reveals the movement of the systematic component of the market return and it predicts the stock market returns. This thesis uses the newly developed predictor, average correlation, to predict stock market returns, both in the US and across a number of developed countries and emerging countries. Three interrelated studies are sequentially undertaken to examine the predictive power of average correlation for future stock market returns. The first study uses the average correlation of the 48 Fama-French industry portfolio returns in the US stock market to predict the US stock market returns. To juxtapose average correlation with conventional predictors, a number of forecasting variables, including term spread, default spared, dividend price ratio, the cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings ratio and investor sentiment, are incorporated in the model. The second study uses 27 non-US financial markets and extends the analysis to the relatively less explored area relating to the predictability of the international stock market returns. The average correlation of industry portfolio returns in each financial market, including more forecasting variables such as industrial production, gross domestic production and financial crisis dummies, is used to predict the stock returns of the financial markets under study. The third study further extends the analysis and uses both the US average correlation from the first study and the local average correlation from the second study as predictors for the stock market returns of each financial market. The US average correlation is posited as capturing the global influence on a particular financial market, while the local average correlation is used to represent the domestic influence within that financial market. The key findings of the thesis are summarised as follows. First, average correlation is a significant predictor for the US stock market returns at a two-month lag and for the returns of other stock markets with a one-month lag. Second, average correlation outperforms all predictors conventionally used in the US stock market, as well as in most other international stock markets. Third, the US and local average correlations predict the local stock market returns, indicating that the global influence has an impact on the local stock market returns and that the US average correlation successfully captures such an influence. The research findings suggest that the average correlation is closely related to stock market returns. The findings of the thesis would be of interest to policymakers as well as stock market practitioners who wish to formulate effective trading strategies.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept Account,Finance & Econ
Griffith Business School
Full Text

This paper tries to apply common methods to estimate unbiased coefficients for the return to schooling in Germany for the year 2004. Based on the simple Mincer-type wage equation, the return to schooling is around 9.5% per year. There is no sheepskin effect. As expected the return in the private sector is higher than in the public sector. Females have a higher return than males, but there are no differences between East and West Germans. An Instrumental Variables and a 3-Stage-Least-Squares approach give very high returns. For correcting the sample selection, the Heckman Two Step Procedure and the Heckman Maximum Likelihood Approach are used. For both methods, the coefficients are very similar, but higher than without correcting for it.

The expected yield to maturity on a defaultable obligation equals the nominal yield less expected default losses. However, in a mark-to-market world, one doesn't have the luxury of reporting one's performance on the basis of yield to maturity. Total return is calculated for an arbitrary holding period, and must reflect any mark-to-market gains or losses as at the close of the period-gains or losses that can be triggered by the bond's upgrade or downgrade. Thus to estimate expected total return, one must estimate not only expected default losses, but also the impact on capital price of expected ratings transitions. This paper begins with the observation that a bond which is blessed by more favourable transition characteristics is likely to produce a higher total return, and poses the question of how that benefit can be quantified. How much is it worth? To answer the question, I start by specifying a formal bond-pricing model reflective of ratings transitions. I survey various statistical methods and past research efforts to identify the ratings-transition matrix which best parametrises the model, and propose a novel test for selecting between competing matrices. Using this approach, I replicate several important studies of ratings transitions. I also use it to examine new published and unpublished data, testing for (and finding) ratings path-dependency, and otherwise exploring the effect of ratings changes on different bond sectors. I then turn to the question of whether it is possible to estimate bond-specific transition probabilities, and propose a way to do so. I combine these efforts into the specifications for a pricing model capable of answering the question: How much is it worth?

Corporate water risk is a function of resource dependence, which exposes firms to uncertainty. Firms rationally seek to reduce this risk, and this shapes their disclosure strategies. However, the consequence is that corporate water risk disclosure is becoming increasingly unfit for purpose. As current approaches begin to acquire institutional legitimacy and the path-dependent label of best practice, a status quo is becoming embedded, reinforced through mimetic behaviour. The agency problem that this creates is unchecked; in part because of the legitimacy acquired by the disclosure strategies, but also because of temporal myopia exhibited by investors, which contributes to unpredictable decision-making. The status quo also results in sub-optimal resource allocation, a problem that is compounded by the large and growing global infrastructure deficit for water supply and services. This thesis sets out a framework by which the disclosure of corporate water risk can be meaningfully evaluated by investors and other stakeholders; and proposes how the water infrastructure investment gap could be narrowed by the development and application of the corporate water return concept. The research builds on empirical foundations to offer new approaches that address the problems of the status quo. First, it empirically explores perceptions of best practice in terms of water risk disclosure, from the perspective of both listed firms and leading institutional investors (Chapters 3 and 4). Second, it proposes a methodology through which firms can disclose water risks in a systematic format; and advances corporate water return as a complementary concept to water risk, in order to catalyse corporate investment in water infrastructure (Chapters 5 and 6). Resource dependence theory, institutional theory, and stakeholder theory are combined to create a trio of integrative, explicative conceptual narratives that form the overarching thesis structure. The research also draws on other themes from economic geography, including proximity; strategic cognition; transaction costs; and real options theory.

Dans cette thèse, deux aspects asymptotiques des temps de retour et d'entrée sont étudiés: les taux locaux de temps de retour, et les lois limites des k-ièmes temps de retour et d'entrée. Dans le cadre des "shifts" Sturmiens, des formules permettant de calculer les taux locaux de temps de retour sont développées. La classe des lois limites de premier temps d'entrée est décrite explicitement. Nous y prouvons que la classe des lois limites des k-ièmes temps de retour est la même que celle des premiers temps de retour, caractérisée par Y. Lacroix. Enfin, nous y exhibons un lien entre les lois limites des k-ièmes temps de retour et d'entrée
Several statistics of hitting and return times in dynamical systems are investigated in this thesis. It concerns local return rates and the limit laws of k-th return and hitting times. Formulas to compute the local return rates in Sturmian shifts are developed. The class of all limit laws of the first hitting times is described. The class of all limit laws of the k-th return times is shown to be the same as the class of all limit laws of the first return times, characterized by Lacroix. Last but not least, we exhibit a link between k-limit laws of return and hitting times

The present study was designed to look at inhibition of return within a schizophrenic population for the first time. Inhibition of return is an attentional phenomenon that has been studied with a number of populations, and has been shown to be present in normal individuals. Based on the disattention hypothesis put forth by Cromwell and colleagues (e.g., Cromwell & Dokecki, 1968), it was hypothesized that patients with schizophrenia would show an impaired inhibition of return. Twenty-eight inpatients with schizophrenia, and 19 normal comparisons were evaluated on a visual inhibition of return task. Consistent with hypotheses, schizophrenia patients have significant impairments in inhibition of return compared to normal comparison participants. Further, the relative lack of inhibition of return in the schizophrenic group was found to be strongest to stimuli in the left visual field. These results provide initial support for a reconceptualization of the disattention hypothesis.

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the predictability of stock indices with regression models based on intermarket factors. The underlying idea is that there is some correlation between past price changes and future price changes, and that models attempting to capture this could be improved by including information derived from correlated assets to make predictions of future price changes. The models are tested using the daily returns from Swedish stock indices and evaluated from a portfolio perspective and their statistical signicance. Prediction of the direction of the price is also tested by Support vector machine classication on the OMXS30 index. The results indicate that there is some predictability in the market, in disagreement with the random walk hypothesis.
Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka förutsägbara tendenser hos aktieindex med regressionsmodeller baserade på intermarket-faktorer. The bakomliggande idén är att det existerar en viss korrelation mellan föregående prisrörelser och framtida prisrörelser, och att modeller som försöker fånga det kan förbättras genom att inkludera information från korrelerade tillgångar för att förutspå framtida prisförändringar. Modellerna testas med dagliga data på svenska aktieindex och utvärderas från ett portföljperspektiv och deras statistiska signifikans. Förutsägelser av riktningen hos priset testas också genom klassifikation med en Stödvektormaskin på OMXS30-index. Resultaten indikerar att det finns vissa förutsägbara tendenser i motsats till hypotesen om slumpmässiga aktiepriser.

This thesis investigates the dual transnationalism of ancestral return migrants, that is to say people “returning” to the territory where their ancestors had once migrated from. Dispersed from their homeland in the second half of the 19th century, the Adyge-Abkhaz diaspora has been involved in a variety of transnational practices in relation to their homeland in the Caucasus; and some, with considerable effort, have been settling there especially in the last two decades. The transnational involvement of this diaspora, most of whom live today in Turkey, is motivated by their search for belonging. Many who go back and forth between Turkey and the Caucasus are involved in transnational diaspora associations and take an active role in the formation of a transnational ethno-political-cultural environment for new generations growing up in the diaspora. The majority of those who have “return migrated” to their homeland in the Caucasus, in this study to two republics, Adygeya (an autonomous republic under the Russian Federation) and Abkhazia (a republic with contested independence), develop new transnational links to their diaspora communities in Turkey. This thesis is the product of a multi-sited, multi-method research project that combines theories related to transnationalism, diaspora and return, as well as migrant adaptation. Using life-history interviews, semi-structured interviews and participant observation, fieldwork for the research took place in rural diaspora settlements and urban diaspora organisations in Turkey as well as in the Caucasus, thereby enabling the researcher to study both ends of the migration route. Existing studies on ancestral return migration focus on pull and push factors, which hitherto have focused on sending and receiving countries separately. This thesis argues that their dual transnationalism, both in the diaspora (in Turkey) looking back towards the diasporic homeland, and after return looking back towards the diaspora, turns them into the “diaspora of their diaspora”.

Impact Investing is an alternative source of funding for socio-environmental impact optimising organisations. The legitimacy of this investment approach has been questioned however, as the model combines two competing institutional logics. The impact investor faces the logic of socio-environmental impact and the profit logic, which have traditionally been thought of as being on opposite ends of the spectrum. Combing multiple logics is confusing and can ultimately handicap the firm, however this can be resolved by specifying the trade-offs among the various dimensions. Research on Impact Investing in the past few years focused on the performance of Impact Investing funds in comparison to conventional funds, but could not conclusively prove if there is a cost to Impact Investing. For this reason there is not a full understanding of the trade-offs, if any, of Impact Investing. The objective of this study is to demystify the trade-offs inherent in Impact Investing, in order to support the legitimacy of the investment strategy as an alternative form of financing. The study was performed as a qualitative research, using 15 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with investment professionals and experts, who had been practicing for at least two years. The collected data were analysed using inductive content and frequency analysis techniques, which enabled the researcher to extract and extrapolate the recurring themes and develop a practical framework for effective management of an Impact Investing asset portfolio. The results of this research show that the question of trade-offs depends on the framing, as there are instances where the trade-offs are distinct, however high impact and high returns can be achieved without compromise. There is no denying the immensurable risks involved in Impact Investing, some are as seen in conventional capital markets, yet some are inherent not only in the impact approach, but also in other variants of the strategic positioning of the investment firm involved. The risks can be mitigated by integrating impact into the business model and aligning values throughout the Impact Investing value chain.
Mini Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2017.
sn2017
Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS)
MBA
Unrestricted

As immigration to Europe continuously increase, so does governments efforts to control and manage these moving populations, and their national borders. Today, returning migrants without a residence permit is often regarded as a natural measure within the immigration control apparatus, but the means to ensure return, the populations targeted and their legal rights have changed over time. This thesis aims to understand the developments of return policies in the case of Norway, from 1988-2010. By combining the analytical approach of governmentality with theorisations about deportations and migration policy development, I seek to understand how the return regime has been established and transformed. The analysis is based on policy documents as the main material, and the qualitative content analysis reveals that the return regime has developed from several measures initiated to achieve control over different challenging and unforeseen situations that arises throughout the period. Short term solutions create problems in the long run, and the solutions add on to create and establish the return regime.

This thesis investigates the ways in which the crime novel genre has been taken up and adapted in order to depict and grapple with ideas of justice in selected postcolonial contexts. It approaches this investigation through the figure of the 'returnee detective' in these texts and determines how this recurring figure is used to mediate the reader's understanding of civil conflict in the postcolonial world. What makes this trope so noteworthy, and merits investigation, is the way in which guilt and innocence (and their attendant associations of self and other) are forced into realignment by the end of colonial rule and the rise of civil conflict. In the context of civil war, crime becomes more insidious and intimate than the traditional mystery motif will allow. The returnee detective furthers this breakdown by performing the role of hybrid mediator within the text. The returnee figure is at once strange and familiar, lacking both the staunch sense of identity that is necessary in order to maintain the mystery of the 'other' and the objectivity to comfortably apportion blame to one side. Postcolonial fictions of crime set in the context of civil conflict thus emerge as belonging to a distinct category requiring a distinct critical approach. The primary texts are When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anil's Ghost by Michael Ondaatje, The Long Night of White Chickens by Francisco Goldman, Red Dust by Gillian Slovo and Crossbones by Nuruddin Farah. My theoretical framework combines genre theory and postcolonial theory. By combining two critical strands I demonstrate that the intimacy of civil war and the returnees' ambivalent attitudes to home and away unsettle crime genre conventions, producing a new form that challenges notions of morality, legitimacy and culpability.

Albanians are known for their long legacy in migrating worldwide for economic reasons, especially in Europe. Yet, return programs and policies are falling behind to meet the needs of those migrants who decides to return to their home country. The aim of this study is to explore the topic of return migration and reintegration in the context of Albanian migrants. To this end, this thesis answers three research questions: 1) What are the forces driving Albanians to emigrate from their country of origin? 2) What are reasons that Albanians return to their country of origin? 3) What are the challenges that Albanian returnees face during the reintegration process in Albania? The main theoretical lenses adapted by this study are the social network theory, the theory of reintegration, and push-pull factors. Through a qualitative research, based on semi-structured interviews, this study identifies as pull factors of migration higher paying jobs and employment opportunities, while recognising educational systems and labour laws as push factors. Furthermore, discrimination and unsuccessful acculturation resulted as key drivers of return. Finally, this study investigates dysfunctional systems, unresponsive public institutions, and economic difficulties as significant challenges throughout returnees’ reintegration.

In this thesis, portfolio optimisation is used to evaluate if a specific sample of portfolios have

a higher risk level or lower expected return, compared to what may be obtained through

optimisation. It also compares the return of optimised portfolios with the return of the original

portfolios. The risk analysis software Aegis Portfolio Manager developed by Barra is used for

the optimisations. With the expected return and risk level used in this thesis, all portfolios can

obtain a higher expected return and a lower risk. Over a six-month period, the optimised

portfolios do not consistently outperform the original portfolios and therefore it seems as

though the optimisation do not improve the return of the portfolios. This might be due to the

uncertainty of the expected returns used in this thesis.

This research project, Return of the Polynesian Phantom, investigates self-portraiture through the mediums of moving image, digital modeling, object making, and installation. It seeks to consider in these media an ambiguous threshold between lightness and darkness, the real and the fabricated. The proposition that it explores is that it is at such ambiguous thresholds that notions of identity are negotiated, and where the perception and interpretation of symbolic meaning renders identity phantom.

Thesis (Honors)--Ohio State University, 2007.
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