This thesis describes women's conceptions of power in the context of an all-woman work group. Research on the psychology of power, which began in the 1950's, has been dominated by particular focii, perspectives and techniques which may have resulted in somewhat narrow definitions of power which tap only factors traditionally seen as "masculine." In reframing these focii, perspectives and techniques, this research focuses on women's understandings; was conducted from a naturalistic perspective, using qualitative techniques; and approached the investigation of power from a position of "not knowing" rather than relying on a priori theory. The naturalistic perspective used in this study is phenomenography, a relatively new research approach developed in Sweden by a group of educational researchers at the University of Goteborg. Phenomenography describes individuals' conceptions in the form of categories of description which represent people's ways of understanding or conceptualizing phenomena—in this case, power. The findings of this study—the conceptions of power— came out of in-depth open-ended interviews with eight women who comprised the membership of the 1988-89 "gender-fair" counsellors' training team at UBC. These interviews were conducted in the hermeneutic tradition of mutually-constructed meaning, audio taped, transcribed, and analyzed to yield six qualitatively different conceptions of power which appear consistent with feminist theory on women's developmental perspectives and views of power. The conceptions, in the form of categories of meaning, are organized into an outcome space in which understandings of power move from: (a) an inner focus on self to an outer focus on the other; (b) a view of the process as "being", to acting, to interacting; and (c) a private context to a public context. The six conceptions of power are: 1. personal integrity 1a. entitlement 2. expressing personal integrity/congruence 3. self-determination 4. agency/competence 5. respected standing 6. influence The implications of these findings for counselling and suggestions for further research are discussed. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

In this thesis, a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) for multiple input single output (MISO) converter is presented such that power generated from multiple individual energy sources can be combined to deliver the maximum amount of power to a common resistive load. Typically, MISO converters will employ techniques that yield equal current sharing from each energy source. However, this may not be desirable since each source may be rated at different power ratings and/or may experience different operating conditions, preventing the system MISO converter to acquire the most available total power from the sources. Utilizing MPPT control would therefore be beneficial in maximizing the output power of the MISO converter system. In this thesis, a proposed two-stage converter system is presented to incorporate the MPPT control in the MISO system. The initial stage implements the MPPT, drawing as much power from the corresponding source. The second stage regulates the output voltage of the MPPT. To evaluate the performance and efficiency of the proposed system, simulation with two solar panels as the sources was performed using Simulink with various test cases to fully explore the viability of the system. Simulation results were also used to compare with those obtained from a system without the MPPT. Results show that the proposed system with the MPPT stage is able to improve input regulation and increase the total amount of power acquired from the sources compared to the system without the MPPT. Further testing with hardware setup confirms the simulation results and demonstrates that even with large differences in input powers, the most total amount of power is achieved and utilized.

Power Electronic Building Block (PEBB) concept is to provide generic building blocks for power conversion, regulation and distribution with control intelligence and autonomy. A comprehensive modeling and analysis of a PEBB based DC distributed power system (DPS), comprising of a front end power factor correction (PFC) boost rectifier, a DC-DC converter and a three phase four leg inverter is performed. All the sub-systems of the DC DPS are modeled and analyzed for stability and good transient performance. A comprehensive stability analysis of a PEBB based DC DPS is performed. The effect of impedance overlap on the system and individual sub-systems is examined. Ability of a PEBB based converter to stabilize the integrated system by actively changing the system bandwidth is presented. The fault tolerance capability in a PEBB based rectifier is established by ensuring stable system operation, with one leg of the rectifier failed open-circuited. / Master of Science

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 180-182). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Managing supply chain relations has evolved over a decade and many companies have given importance to regulate their relations in supply chain relations to stay competitive in the market. In this context of adjusting relations among supply chain members, central point of discussion is the role of power. Power can be a component that persuades one member of supply chain to do certain things that he/she wouldn’t agree on doing it voluntarily. The implication of that power among supply chain members is called as power relations. These power relations between the supply chain members need to be sustained under circumstances of whether the power is balanced or not balanced between the two actors. The key research questions are formulated as followed, What is the perspective of the supply chain members regarding to the role of power relations among supply chain actors? How do the cost, transparency, reliability and flexibility help to sustain the power relations in supply chain? In order to answer these questions, structured literature review was conducted. The conceptual model to sustain the supply chain relations included four main components that were cost, transparency, reliability and flexibility.  Interviews were conducted in three companies located in Sweden, Turkey and India. The company profiles regarding to power relations in this dyadic relationship were the main concern. The three cases tested were supplier dominancy, mutual dependency and subordinate buyer. In this thesis, we accomplished how supply chain members sustained their relations under the influence of power practices among supply chain members. We concluded our thesis study, showing the inter-connection in between these four elements to enable the sustainability of power relations. Moreover, we inferred that even though power seems to be a negative concept, the companies are able to maintain their power relations through awareness of existing power. In addition to that, the companies don’t give equal importance to each four elements though each element is present to maintain the power relations in their dyadic supply chain relationship.

Despite its critical role in counselor training, empirical research on clinical supervision is generally limited (Bernard & Goodyear, 2003; Ellis & Ladany, 2007). This is also applied to an area of power dynamics in supervision. This study tested the relationship between the two aspects of power dynamics; namely, supervisors' power bases (i.e., sources of influencing others) and supervisory styles (i.e., typical ways of shaping supervision), based on the system's approach to supervision model (Holloway, 1995). This research was a correlational design. Students in masters' and doctoral counseling programs were asked to respond to an online questionnaire packet via Survey MonkeyTM. Of those who responded, 492 students who took supervision with professor or doctoral student supervisors constituted the sample. Varied numbers of participants were used for each analysis after missing or extreme data were deleted. Supervisors' usage of power bases and supervisory styles were measured by the adopted version of Interpersonal Power Inventory (Raven, Schwarzwald, & Koslowsky, 1998) and Supervisory Style Inventory (SSI; Friedlander & Ward, 1984), respectively. In part 1, results of factor analyses revealed four first-order power factors and two higher-order power factors (Soft & Harsh). Schmeid-Leiman's (1957) solution was also applied. In part 2, result of correlation analysis in revealed that supervisors' usage of Soft or Soft-type power factor (Idealized Expert) was moderately positively correlated to all three supervisory styles but that usage of Harsh or Harsh-type factors (Compensatory Obligation, Relational Power, & Collaborative Alliance) was only weakly correlated to supervisory styles, for majority of supervisors. Similarly, results of regression analyses revealed that supervisory styles did not significantly predict supervisors' usage of Harsh factor, but both supervisory styles and usage of ix Harsh factor significantly predicted usage of Soft factor at moderate and strong level, respectively. The interpersonally-sensitive styles predicted Soft factor slightly more strongly than the other styles. It was concluded that supervisors who engaged in supervision with any one of three supervisory styles also tended to use more Soft or Soft-type factor when there are disagreements, but rarely used Harsh or Harsh types.

This thesis represents a scholarly journey towards an understanding of corporate governance. Unlike the vast majority of writings on governance, this work attempts to take a step back, and to consider why and how we should study corporate governance. These critical questions have been largely ignored during the frenzy of governance research in the past few decades. The thesis argues that corporate governance theory and practice reflects a Tower of Academic Babel¹ reality as writers from diverse backgrounds use different approaches, invent terminology and proclaim a new 'theory'. The thesis analyses the extent of this conceptual confusion about corporate governance and why this arises. It also considers some possible reasons for the increasing disillusionment with the legal, ethical, cultural, institutional, regulatory and other contexts of corporate governance. The corporate governance literature indicates that much uncertainty has arisen over the nature of corporate governance. Both, denotative and connotative meanings of corporate governance have been ambiguous, often because of poorly defined concepts. This ambiguity is compounded by confusion over methodological concepts such as "paradigm", "system", "model" and "theory", the key constructs employed by many legal, and other, writers. Moreover, much of the literature on corporate governance is founded on ethnocentric concepts that are often "chauvinistic in the extreme".² This confusion has been intensified by the added complexity of unique phenomenology, demonstrated by numerous writers with "scholarship and advocacy that is culturally and economically insensitive"³ This thesis argues that the search for corporate efficiency and effectiveness is often misguided, both because of biased performance criteria and a lack of a clear conceptual domain. Consequently, the corporate governance discourse fails meaningfully to address the enigma of what is the range of corporate governance influence on corporate activities? The overarching argument made in this thesis is that our understanding of corporate governance requires a clarification of methodological approach and a comparative perspective. By recasting corporate governance research within consistent models, theories and applications this thesis lays the foundation for future research by which we may investigate the causal relationships that determine corporate efficiency, effectiveness and the optimum structures for good corporate governance. practitioners from most cultures.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Regard the local government, although in The Constitution chapter 10 (Powers of the Central and Local Governments) and in chapter 11 (System of Local Government) clearly state the self-governing power of the local authority, and mentioned the boarder line for the self-governing matters. However under the past influence of the centralized government structure, all matters are government affairs nation wide, the local governments are only to carry out the orders, in fact those so called the local governments are central government appointed departments, therefore delegation, commission or assignment of an administrative authority become less important, further more, the action is meaningless. Even to this day, the era of the local self-governing, delegation, commission or assignment of an administrative authority still faces many problems (For example Taipei and Kaohsiung, the two cities have their municipality directly under the jurisdiction of the Central Government office, and the office must monitor the appoint of the legislation, after the careful monitoring of the process of the appointing, then the follow the legislation shall legalize the practice, whether power commission may be exercised between two agencies of the same administrative bodies, whether a local government agency may commission with its supervised agency to exercise a part of its powers, etc¡K¡K), the cause of the confusion all goes back to the unclear separation of powers between the central government and the local governments, and to clearly regulate the problem in a short time isn¡¦t easy, therefore the urgent solution is the required for the disagreement from individual offices about the delegation, commission or assignment of an administrative authority etc¡K¡K, for this reason the aim of this study is to probe into the self-governing practice, detail the process and to recommend, to propose the following: 1. Study shows: a. The legislation of the power delegation rationalize the distribution of the manpower resources for the local government, shortens the time of decision making, lightens the responsibility of individual power delegating, and increases the proper use of the local self-governing power. b. The legislation of the power commission benefits the distribution of national resource of manpower, allows the proper practice of such actions, which also develop the advantage of direct office contact and the action of mutual aid. c. The legislation of the power assignment also sets up the vertical administrative supporting relationship between administrative bodies, and has the efficiency of the administrative offices¡¦ convenience work to its best. 2. Proposal: I. The making of legislation: a. Central government office shall define the meanings of delegation, commission and assignment of an administrative authority, give each action a clear responsibility, document the procedures and the importance of the above actions, in orders the administrative offices to put them in proper practice. b. The legislation should unify the terms for delegation, commission and assignment of an administrative authority. Define the principles of responsibilities for the central government and the local governments. The method of dividing the central-government and self-government matters according to its administrative needs in the present constitution is no longer up to date. c. Revise and set up the procedures of the legislation of assignment. II. Change the point of view: The central government should respect the power of the local government, implement the practice of self-governing, grant and authorize the local assignee to its complete power, respect the local assignee power to its max, increase the elasticity and the flexibility of the assignee office, put the nature and the resource of the manpower of the local government in consideration through the procedure of assignment. The local governments shouldn¡¦t unduly depend on the support of the central government like in the past, but welcome the time of self-governing, set up and face the idea of self-governing system, truly practice the age of autonomy.

The modern handheld devices have become smaller and more complex nowadays. However, the requirements for its performance and functions have also become higher, which means that it needs more power consumption. Therefore, the essential issue that we are facing now is to reduce the power consumption in order to fit the capacity of the batteries. In the current system level design, there is no presentable commercial tool for designers to estimate the power consumption of the system. This thesis proposes a framework for system level power estimation, which allows the users to add the power models of these modules developed by them in the system level. Moreover, the power models of CPU, memory and bus are also provided. Besides the power models and convenient method to modify these models, a power management unit is also provided. With this unit, the designers can use different power management policies to manage the system¡¦s power consumption and decide its power efficiency. In this thesis, the framework is constructed under the environment of SystemC, so the users can alternate the power model and power management policy rapidly. By using this framework, the designers can more conveniently and rapidly estimate the system¡¦s power consumption and improve the system¡¦s architecture. Therefore, it can fast examine the advantages and disadvantages of various power models and power management policies.