Thesis advisor: Frank Gollop / My doctoral dissertation consists of three essays in the field of Industrial Organization. The first two consider exclusive dealing contracts between upstream and downstream firms theoretically, while the third measures consumer substitution among geographically differentiated air travel products empirically. In the first chapter I study the ability of an incumbent seller to use exclusive dealing contracts to foreclose efficient entry when there are n downstream buyers, where n can be viewed as a measure of the degree of downstream competition. The effect of downstream competition on the ability of the upstream incumbent to use exclusive contracts anticompetitively depends on whether upstream firms compete over linear or two-part prices. The model also highlights an interesting effect of the sunk cost of upstream entry that is ignored in models with exactly two buyers. In the second chapter I investigate the ability of an incumbent monopolist to exclude a potential entrant via exclusive dealing contracts when these contracts include an agreement over price. I find that a simple entry game yields both exclusionary and entry equilibria. The exclusionary equilibrium is unique, however, under most reasonable assumptions; for example if buyers are downstream competitors, if entry or the marginal cost of the potential entrant are uncertain, or if the incumbent can commit not to compete for unsigned buyers. When buyers compete with one another downstream, the optimal guaranteed price is above (below) the marginal cost of the incumbent when downstream buyers compete over strategic complements (substitutes). In the third and final chapter (co-authored with Kyle Buika) I study the question of geographic market definition in the US airline industry. Though an accurate definition of an economic market is important for any study of industry, there is no rule governing what exactly constitutes a market. To define a market we must ask the question "between which products do consumers substitute,'' knowing that the answer to this question will depend on how "close'' products are to one another in product space, as well as how close they are to one another, and to consumers, in geographic space. We estimate a discrete choice model of air travel demand that uses known information about the locations of products and consumers, which allows us to study substitution patterns among air travel products at different airports. We evaluate the commonly used city-pair and airport-pair definitions of a market for air travel, and conclude that a city-pair is the appropriate definition. We also employ the Hypothetical Monopolist test for antitrust market definition, as defined by the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission, and conclude that the relevant geographic market for antitrust analysis is, according to this test, frequently more narrowly defined as an airport-pair. Finally we conduct merger simulations under different market definitions and compare the results to those obtained using our own results, and conclude that accounting for geography is important when studying mergers. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2011. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics.

Socialnämnden ska verka för att barn och unga växer upp under trygga förhållanden samt arbeta förebyggande för att förhindra att barn och unga far illa. Tidigare forskning visar att det finns betydande brister i hanteringen av ärenden som rör våld mot barn och att våld mot barn kan ses komplext samt vara svårt att uppmärksamma. Det är därför viktigt att socialtjänsten har god kunskap och erfarenhet om vad våld mot barn innebär samt att det finns rutiner och riktlinjer för hur våldsärenden ska hanteras. Denna studie syftar till att undersöka socialsekreterares beredskap och förhållningssätt i ärenden som rör våld mot barn samt socialtjänstens samverkan med interna och externa aktörer i dessa ärenden. Studien genomfördes med en kvalitativ undersökningsmetod där sex stycken socialsekreterare, som alla arbetade med barnavårdsutredning, intervjuades. Intervjuerna genomfördes i tre olika kommuner i norra Sverige. Det empiriska materialet bearbetades och analyserades med utgångspunkt i tematisk analys. Teoretiska utgångspunkter utgjordes av organisationsteori, socialkonstruktivism och tidigare forskning. Studiens resultat visar att begreppet våld mot barn är komplext och innefattar många olika definitioner vilket gör att våldet kan vara svårt att upptäcka. Studien indikerar på ett behov av kunskap och relevant kompetens inom socialtjänsten i området våld mot barn inom familjer. Vidare framkom att olika faktorer påverkar socialsekreterarnas förutsättningar att utreda våld mot barn inom familjer. Exempelvis ekonomiska faktorer inom organisationen, riktlinjer och rutiner gällande våldsärenden och även vilken kunskap och kompetens som ligger till grund för arbetet. Studiens resultat indikerar att samverkan mellan olika aktörer ses positivt i arbetet med våldsutsatta barn och att kunskapsutbyte är en viktig del i arbetet. Slutsatsen av studien visar att arbetet med barn som utsatts för våld kräver bredare kunskap om både begreppet i sig och generella kunskaper om riktlinjer, rutiner samt samverkan mellan olika aktörer i ärenden som rör våld mot barn. Slutsatsen visar även på ett stort behov av relevant kompetens hos de socialsekreterare som arbetar med barnavårdsutredningar och möter våld i sitt arbete.

The issue of climate migration has long been struggling to make its way onto the international agenda. This study therefore set out to shed a light on eleven strategies for handling climate migration. The study builds on the work by Ransan-Cooper et al. (2015) where they allocate actors to four different frames depending on how the actor in question view the environmental migrant, either as; a victim; a security threat; an adaptive agent or; a political subject. This makes out an important comparative basis for the analysis done in this study. It also provides a background on problem definition and framing and the role it plays in policy making. This study then takes the step to also present solutions to the problem defined by presenting concrete strategies which can all be allocated to one of the four frames. The core ideas of the strategies and the solutions they provide are presented using a content analysis. In addition, the question of responsibility for climate migrants is discussed using three normative theories: contribution to the problem, ability to pay and beneficiary pays. The study concludes that there is a consensus among most actors that there is a need for global cooperation and shared responsibility for climate migration and climate migrants. It also concludes that the way a problem is defined or framed plays a highly important role.

Given the increasing complexity of global ecological and social problems, innovation plays a key role in solutions for sustainable development. Within innovation ecosystems, intermediaries such as innovation hubs play an important part in influencing other actors like startups, investors and policymakers to create solutions for change. Therefore, it is essential that innovation hubs incorporate sustainability into their practices, if they are to contribute to addressing the Global Sustainability Challenge (GSC).   To see how this could be done, this study examines the case of the Venture Café Global Network (VCGN) a type of sector agnostic innovation hub. The study used a multi-method qualitative approach. Data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with different players in the innovation ecosystem, as well as with actors from within VCGN, and through a documentary analysis.   The results and discussion are presented according to certain overarching themes that emerged from the interviews and answer the research questions. Along with a longer list of recommendations, this study concludes that the adoption of a shared organisational definition of sustainability is the bedrock for any sustainability integration and vital for innovation hubs to impact other actors in their innovation ecosystems, to address the GSC.

A presente pesquisa visa caracterizar o método empregado por Aristóteles na Ethica Nicomachea a partir de uma análise que contrasta duas interpretações: de um lado, a tese já tradicional que busca ver na filosofia prática do Estagirita um método estritamente dialético; de outro, a tese alternativa, explorada apenas recentemente, que aponta o uso, na EN, de um procedimento filosófico próximo das prescrições sugeridas nos Segundos Analíticos para a busca definicional nas ciências. O núcleo da primeira tese deverá ser analisado sob duas perspectivas: (i) examinando um conjunto de textos que revelam o teor dialético da filosofia aristotélica; e (ii) avaliando o processo de expansão da noção de dialética e suas implicações para os estudos aristotélicos. Alternativamente, (i) será examinado como um modelo de tipo definicional pode reaproximar a ética do registro científico dos Segundos Analíticos sem necessariamente se valer de argumentos dialéticos. Por fim (ii), proponho uma versão deflacionária do que deve contar como método dialético em Aristóteles / The purpose of this research is to characterize the method employed by Aristotle in his Nicomachean Ethics by analyzing two different interpretations: on the one hand, the traditional thesis which considers the methodology of Aristotles practical philosophy as strictly dialectic; on the other hand, the alternative thesis, only recently explored, which indicates the use, in the NE, of a philosophical procedure similar to the prescriptions suggested by Aristotle in the Posterior Analytics for the search for definitions in the context of his scientific works. The core of the first thesis will be analyzed from two perspectives: (i) by examining a set of Aristotles texts which should reveal the dialectical character that marks Aristotelian philosophy; (ii) by evaluating the process of expansion the notion of dialectics experienced during the last century and its consequences to the study of Aristotle. The alternative view (i) will be examined in terms of a model for the search for definitions and how it can bring together the Ethics and the Posterior Analytics, on the one hand, and to avoid dialectical reasoning, on the other. Finally, I propose a deflationary version of the dialectical method.

Este estudo teve como objetivo a mensuração do grau de eficácia da utilização do Balanced Scorecard – BSC como instrumento de apoio à tomada de decisões estratégicas no Centro Universitário do Leste de Minas Gerais – Unileste-MG. Inicialmente, foi realizado um levantamento bibliográfico sobre o assunto, com o intuito de dar suporte à implementação do instrumento na referida instituição de ensino superior. Através desse levantamento, foi possível mostrar os antecedentes do surgimento do BSC, os conceitos inerentes à utilização do mesmo, as definições encontradas na literatura e o seu funcionamento. Além disso, foram destacados os diversos usos do BSC, bem como os aspectos positivos e negativos do instrumento, e as dificuldades de implementação da ferramenta reportados pela literatura consultada. Num segundo momento, com a implantação do BSC na Instituição, foi possível a comparação entre as dificuldades reportadas pela literatura e aquelas encontradas na sua aplicação no Unileste-MG. Após a sua implantação, foram aplicadas entrevistas contendo questões visando verificar a utilização ou não do BSC pelos gestores do Unileste-MG. Os dados indicaram que, no momento apurado pela pesquisa e nessa instituição especificamente, o BSC não foi eficaz no apoio à tomada de decisões, tendo em vista a sua não utilização pelos envolvidos no processo, conforme deveria ter ocorrido. O resultado alcançado não invalida a utilidade do instrumento, pois são apresentados aos futuros pesquisadores e interessados no uso do BSC os percalços que devem ser removidos para que a ferramenta seja útil como apoio à tomada de decisões gerenciais. Deve-se ainda destacar como um sub-produto da pesquisa o estabelecimento de um modelo de implementação do BSC em Instituição Privada de Ensino Superior que, por ser bastante genérico, pode ser adaptado com facilidade a outros tipos de entidades. / The objective of this study is to measure the degree of effectiveness of the utilization of the Balanced Scorecard – BSC as a supportive tool to the strategic decisions that are made in the Centro Universitário do Leste de Minas Gerais – Unileste-MG. As a beginning, a bibliographic research was made about the subject, with the purpose of giving support to the implementation of the tool in this educational institution. By the research made, it was possible to identify the previous history of the BSC, the concepts related to the use of it, definitions found in the literature and its operation. Besides that, the varied uses of the BSC were pointed out, as well as the positive and negative aspects of this tool and the difficulties towards its implementation reported by the literature consulted. In a second stage, with the implementation, it was possible to compare the difficulties reported by the literature and those found in its application in Unileste-MG. After the implementation, interviews were made containing questions to verify the utilization or not of the BSC by the administrators of the institution. The data indicated that in the period considered by the study and in this institution specifically, the BSC didn’t obtain a degree of effectiveness as a supportive tool, due to the not utilization of it by the individuals involved in the process, as it was expected. The result obtained does not invalid the utilization of the tool, because the difficulties that must be solved so that the tool might be useful to support making decisions in management were presented to the future researches and those interested in the use of the BSC. As a sub-product of this study, it was pointed out a establishment of an implementation model of BSC in a graduate educational institution, and because this model is rather generic, may be easily adapted to other kinds of entities.

Na presente dissertação de mestrado, propomos uma interpretação do Livro IV da República de Platão, que defende a fórmula to ta hautou prattein, ou \"fazer o que lhe é próprio\", como uma definição plausível de justiça. A busca por tal definição mobiliza as bases do pensamento de Platão, pois toca na pergunta de tipo socrático \"o que é?\", insere-a no contexto metafísico dos Diálogos Médios e demanda o sentido de uma virtude moral. O problema central discutido nesta pesquisa é compreender a resposta de Platão - fundamentada \"nas coisas\" (en autois Rep. 444A4-6) - à pergunta \"o que é a justiça\", em contraste com a alegação de haver \"a Forma da justiça ela mesma\", κατ' αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης εἶδος, (Rep. 435b2). O principal objetivo desta investigação é reconstruir os pressupostos que conferem à justiça a fórmula definicional \"fazer o que lhe é próprio\" (Rep. 443c-444a to ta hautou prattein). Nossa leitura testa a hipótese de que há, de fato, uma definição de justiça na República, averiguando se a expressão \"fazer o que lhe é próprio\" cumpre, adequadamente, o papel definicional e explica o conteúdo moral dessa virtude. Concluímos que \"fazer o que lhe é próprio\" constitui uma definição de tipo paradigmática. Considerando que a referida fórmula é o princípio de construção de exemplares perfeitos de justiça, preenchemos os critérios formais de universalidade e igualdade entre o definiens e o definiendum - como era demandado pelos diálogos socráticos -, ao mesmo tempo em que atendemos ao critério ontológico de se adotar uma Forma como referente - tal como requerido pela metafísica dos Diálogos Médios. Quanto à função explicativa da definição de justiça, a fórmula delimita, precisamente, o sentido da virtude buscada porque aponta o caso mais exemplar de justiça, no melhor mundo possível. Desse modo, a pesquisa contribui para uma postura interpretativa mais unitarista do corpus platônico, ao sugerir que o projeto de encontrar uma definição universal, unificada e explicativa não foi completamente abandonado nos Diálogos Médios. / In this master\'s thesis, we propose an interpretation of Book IV of Plato\'s Republic, which defends the formula to ta hautou prattein, or \"to do what is proper\", as a plausible definition of justice. The quest for such a definition mobilizes the basis of Plato\'s thought, for it touches on the Socratic-type question \"what is it?\", inserts it in the metaphysical context of the Middle Dialogues and demands the sense of a moral virtue. The central problem discussed in this research is to understand Plato\'s answer - based on \"things\" (en autois Rep. 444A4-6) - to the question \"what is justice\", in contrast to the claim that there is \"the Form of justice in itself \", κατ' αὐτὸ τὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης εἶδος, (Rep. 435b2). The main objective of this investigation is to reconstruct the assumptions that give justice the definitional formula \"to do what is proper\" (Rep. 443c-444a to ta hautou prattein). Our reading tests the hypothesis that there is, indeed, a definition of justice in the Republic, investigating whether the expression \"doing what is proper\" appropriately fulfills the definitional role and explains the moral content of that virtue. We conclude that \"doing what is proper\" is a paradigmatic definition. Considering that this formula is the construction principle of justice perfect examples, we meet the formal criteria of generality and equality between definiens and definiendum - as demanded by the the Socratic dialogues -, while we fulfill the ontological criterion of adopting a Form as a referent - as required by the metaphysics of the Middle Dialogues. As for the explanatory function of the definition of justice, the formula precisely delimits the meaning of the virtue sought because it points to the most exemplary case of justice, in the best possible world. In this way, the research contributes to a more unitarian interpretation of the Platonic corpus by suggesting that the project of finding a universal, unified and explanatory definition was not completely abandoned in the Middle Dialogues.

Partneravtal är ett växande fenomen i världen, inte enbart i kommersiella sammanhang. Det är en term som har funnits i många år för skilda ändamål och i denna uppsats riktas blicken till partneravtal inom affärsvärlden, som en möjlig associationsform. Partnerskap inleds som en samarbetsform mellan två eller flera företag för att tillsammans uppnå ett gemensamt mål. Det konkreta syftet specificeras i ett partneravtal och utifrån avtalet sker utbyten, såsom kunskap och resurser, mellan parterna i en slags samverkan. I förhållande till andra ”etablerade” samarbetsformer är den främsta skillnaden vid ett partneravtal att sådan avtalsform inte avser att gemensamt bilda ett nytt bolag.    Problem uppstår dock på grund av att det saknas en juridisk definition av partneravtal. Avsaknaden medför att partneravtal ingås med anledning av olika syften, i varierande former och särskilda krav. Saknaden av juridisk definition medför att partneravtal i dagsläget endast utgör ett avtal utan särskild tillhörighet till en associationsform. Utifrån uppsatsens analys har det dock framkommit att enkla bolag är en associationsform som torde motsvara partneravtalets innebörd, främst avseende de bolagsrekvisit som förutsätts i ett enkelt bolag. Sådana rekvisit kan ses i jämförande utsträckning för partneravtal. Eftersom partneravtal inte torde utgöra en egen associationsform enligt lag, kan i praktiken ett samarbete genom partnerskap leda till att ett enkelt bolag bildas. Likt tanken om att enkla bolag är en ”fri” associationsform, är partnerskapet likaså med anledning av att sådan ”bolagsform” saknar lagreglering och därmed förutbestämda krav. Enkla bolag är dock en lagreglerad associationsform men utgör ett bolagsavtal med viss frihet, eftersom lagbestämmelserna inte är lika omfattande som reglerna för andra associationsformer. Det medför att valfrihet föreligger för enkla bolag, för bildandet och genomförandet, av såsom passivt deltagande och ingen registreringsskyldighet. Med andra ord finns inte ett behov av att partneravtalet ska utgöra en egen associationsform, partneravtalet kan istället definieras som ett bolagsavtal för enkla bolag.    En jämförelse mellan partneravtal och enkla bolag är förhållandevis inte enkel. Saknaden av definition för partneravtal, i samband med att det är svårt att finna tillämplig innebörd och bolagsrekvisit för enkla bolag, talar för att en tydligare lagstiftning vore önskvärt. Ett förtydligande av enkla bolagets innebörd och bolagsrekvisit skulle minimera tolkningsmöjligheterna och därmed utforma en allmän accepterad definition. Enkla bolag anses utgöra en sorts slask-bolagsform, ändock är enkla bolag en populär associationsform, därför torde det finnas behov av ytterligare utredning av sådant bolagsavtal. En utredning som kanske skulle kunna upptäcka fler samarbetsformer som faller inom associationsformen, enkla bolag.

Sammanfattning   Titel: Talent Management - en oproblematisk HR-strategi?   Undertitel: En kvalitativ studie om organisationers uppfattningar kring tre utmaningsområden inom talent management.   Författare: Lisa Hedberg och Josefin Svensson   Handledare: Jean-Charles Languilaire   Nivå: Kandidatuppsats i företagsekonomi, 15 hp   Datum: 2019-05-05   Nyckelord: Talent management, utmaningar, definition, strategi, implementering, etik och rättvisa.   Problemformulering: Vad är organisationers uppfattningar kring de tre utmaningsområdena 1) definitionen, 2) strategi och implementering, samt 3) etik och rättvisa, inom talent management?   Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva organisationers uppfattningar kring tre utmaningsområden inom talent management: 1) definitionen, 2) strategi och implementering, samt 3) etik och rättvisa.      Metod: Studien har baserats på ett teoretiskt problem och utgår ifrån tidigare forskning, vilket gör att den har en deduktiv ansats. Vidare har studien baserats på en multipel fallstudie för att kunna göra det möjligt att studera flera organisationer. För att slutligen kunna beskriva organisationens uppfattning av studiens tre utmaningsområdena baseras studien på kvalitativ forskning där semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts inom varje utvald organisation.   Teoretisk referensram: Studien utgår ifrån tre utmaningsområden inom talent management: 1) definitionen, 2) strategi och implementering, samt 3) etik och rättvisa. Teorier och koncept som går att koppla till dessa utmaningsområden har använts för att skapa en god förståelse. Utifrån dessa teorier och koncept har tretton antaganden gått att få fram inom de tre utmaningsmaningsområdena.   Empirisk insamling: Insamlad empiri består av semistrukturerade intervjuer som har gjorts med studiens fem respondenter som har representerat de fem deltagande organisationerna.   Slutsats: Utifrån studiens antaganden har organisationers uppfattningar av de tre utmaningsområdena gått att beskriva, och det har gått att konstatera att definitionen samt strategi och implementering uppfattas vara två utmaningsområden utifrån ett organisationsperspektiv. Vidare har det gått att konstatera att definitionen har en avgörande roll i arbetet med talent management, då det utöver aspekterna kring definitionen i sig även påverkar området strategi och implementering till att vara en utmaning för organisationer. Alla antaganden har vidare inte kunnat bekräftas, vilket har lett till förslag på vidare forskning. / Abstract   Title: Talent Management - an unproblematic HR strategy?   Subtitle: A qualitative study on organizations' perceptions about three challenge areas in talent management   Authors: Lisa Hedberg and Josefin Svensson   Advisor: Jean-Charles Languilaire   Level: Bachelor thesis in Business administration, 15 credits   Date: 2019-05-05   Key words: Talent management, challenges, definition, strategy, implementation, ethics and justice.   Question: What are organizations' perceptions about the three challenge areas 1) the definition, 2) strategy and implementation, and 3) ethics and justice, within talent management?   Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe organizations’ perceptions about three challenge areas within talent management: 1) the definition, 2) strategy and implementation, and 3) ethics and justice.   Method: The study has been based on a theoretical problem and is based on previous research, which means that it has a deductive approach. Furthermore, the study has been based on a multiple case study in order to make it possible to study several organizations. In order to be able to describe the organization's perception of the study's three challenge areas, the study is based on qualitative research where semi-structured interviews have been conducted within each selected organization.   Theoretical framework: The study is based on three areas of challenge within talent management: 1) the definition, 2) strategy and implementation, and 3) ethics and justice. Theories and concepts that can be linked to these challenge areas have been used to create a good understanding. Based on these theories and concepts, thirteen assumptions have been made within the three challenge management areas.   Empirical framework: The collected empirical data consists of semi-structured interviews that have been conducted with the study's five respondents who have represented the five participating organizations.   Conclusion: Based on the study's assumptions, organizations' perception of the three challenge areas has been described, and it has been possible to state that the definition, and strategy and implementation are perceived as two challenge areas from an organizational perspective. Furthermore, it has been possible to state that the definition has a crucial role in the work with talent management, since in addition to the aspects of the definition itself also affects the area strategy and implementation to be a challenge for organizations. Furthermore, all assumptions have not been confirmed, which has led to proposals for further research.

Objetivos: Formular uma definição de caso suspeito e de caso provável de dengue e uma classificação da sua gravidade com a finalidade de aprimorar seus indicadores de validade, conferir maior consistência aos dados da vigilância e subsidiar condutas clínicas. Metodologia: Trata-se de estudo observacional, analítico, com coleta prospectiva de dados, desenvolvido na área metropolitana de Bucaramanga (Colômbia), abrangendo pacientes recrutados entre 2003 e 2008, com síndrome febril aguda de origem desconhecida (SFA-OD), definida como febre de início recente (menos de uma semana) de origem não determinada clínicamente. As variáveis de interesse foram as demográficas, relativas a aspectos clínicos (sintomas, sinais e evolução) e laboratoriais (valores de leucócitos, plaquetas e o hematócrito). A existência de associação entre o dengue (variável dependente) e as variáveis independentes foi estimada por meio das odds ratio não ajustadas e ajustadas mediante análise de regressão logística não condicional. Por meio da análise de cluster, no subgrupo de pacientes com dengue buscamos identificar o agrupamento de pacientes com parâmetros similares de gravidade. Resultados: Foram incluídos e seguidos 1.698 pacientes com SFA-OD, entre os quais foram identificados 545 pacientes com dengue com idades entre os quatro e 85 anos. Inicialmente, a partir da análise de cluster nos casos de dengue, obtiveram-se três grupos que foram classificados em três níveis de gravidade: leve, moderada e grave, os quais estiveram relacionados com a incidência de hospitalização (0,8 por cento , 11,7 por cento e 30,5 por cento , respectivamente) e com outras variáveis como a duração da doença e alterações em alguns biomarcadores. Posteriormente, ao comparar os casos de dengue com os SFA-OD de outras etiologias, obteve-se um modelo multivariado incluindo os níveis de leucócitos e plaquetas e os seguintes sintomas: exantema, tosse e rinorréia, e sinais de prurido, hiperemia conjuntival e dor à palpação abdominal. Este modelo foi traduzido em uma escala de diagnóstico que mostrou uma área abaixo da curva ROC de 83,3 por cento para a previsão de dengue (IC95 por cento : 81 por cento - 85,5 por cento ). Essa escala foi utilizada para propor definições de caso suspeito e provável de dengue. Conclusão: As definições de caso e classificação de gravidade, propostas neste estudo, estão baseadas em uma análise de dados clínicos de pacientes de área endêmica. Portanto, esperamos que ajudem a um melhor acompanhamento das tendências do dengue, assim como, à identificação de grupos e fatores de risco para subsidiar intervenções de saúde pública. Por outro lado, sua aplicação poderia melhorar o prognóstico das suas formas graves, ao contribuir à oportuna identificação das complicações / Objectives: To develop a case definition of suspect and probable cases of dengue and a classification of its severity in order to improve their validity indicators, giving greater consistency to surveillance information and support clinical decisions. Methodology: This is a observational study with prospective data collection, developed in the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga (Colombia). This study included patients with acute febrile syndrome of unknown origin (AFS-UO), defined as fever of recent onset (less than a week) and clinically undetermined origin. Patients were enrolled between 2003 and 2008. The variables of interest were the demographic, clinical aspects (signs, symptoms and treatment) and laboratory values (leukocytes, platelets and hematocrit). The existence of an association between dengue (dependent variable) and independent variables was estimated by the odds ratio and adjusted by analysis of logistic regression. Through cluster analysis, the subgroup of dengue patients was evaluated in order to identify the groups with similar expression and magnitude of severity. Results: 1.698 patients with AFS-UO were included, of which, 545 were co nfirmed as dengue cases whose age ranged between 4 and 85 years old. Initially, from the cluster analysis in cases of dengue, we obtained three groups that were adapted for three levels of severity: mild, moderate and severe, which were related to the incidence of hospitalization (0,8 per cent , 11,7 per cent and 30,5 per cent , respectively) and other variables such as duration of disease and changes in some biomarkers. Later, when comparing the dengue cases with other etiologies, we obtained a multivariate model including the levels of leukocytes and platelets, symptoms of rash, itching, rhinorrhea and cough, and signs of conjunctival injection and pain on abdominal palpation. This model was translated to a diagnostic score that revealed an area under the ROC curve of 83.3 per cent for the prediction of dengue infection (95 per cent CI: 81 per cent - 85.5 per cent ). This scale was used to propose definitions of probable and suspected cases of dengue. Conclusion: The case definitions and classification of severity proposed in this study are based on an analysis of clinical data of patients from endemic areas. We hope that these surveillance tools contribute to better monitoring of trends of dengue, as well as the identification of risk groups to support public health interventions. Moreover, its application could improve the prognosis of severe forms through contributing to the early identification of complications