It is the aim with this paper, to research the shortcomings experienced in the appeal procedures as contained in the Engineering Profession Act ("EPA"), in order to determine whether the process should be revised or if only certain relevant sections of the EPA should be rewritten. Due to the administrative nature of certain duties of the Council as authorised by the EPA, it makes it inevitable that appeals will follow. It is therefore imperative that the procedures to appeal, must be both functional and effective. The relevant sections of the EPA as well as the appeal procedures of the Health Professions Act's will be researched, taking into account the stipulations of the Constitution and the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act ("PAJA"). Relevant legal administrative principles and doctrines, court judgments, as well as the views of authors are also taken into account. Two major areas of concern in certain sections of the EPA have been identified: • The fact that the whole council has to decide on appeals, and • the fact that such hearings have to take place within a very limited time frame. Relevant court findings have made it clear that decisions made by authorities, have to comply with the requirements set out in the Constitution in coherence with PAJA. In conclusion, based on the Constitutional and the legal administrative requirements, it is found to be necessary to rewrite the relevant sections of the EPA, as well as the rules of appeal, as these do not make the grade at present. / Thesis (LL.M. (Public Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Background: Social medias have contributed to big changes in the way firms and customers interact with each other. Due to the great amount of people using social medias, firms have understood the importance of incorporating social medias in their marketing strategy. However, due to increasing competition, customer engagement on social medias has become important. To generate customer engagement, firms must create engaging social media content that is worth the customer’s time and effort. The micro-sized firms are under researched and therefore the authors have chosen micro-sized firms as a study subject and hence the sender of the content. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe the key components of creating customer engagement on social medias for micro-sized firms. Methodology: This research took a qualitative approach in a deductive nature with a descriptive purpose and a cross-sectional research design. The need of primary data was collected by conducting seven semi-structured interviews with social media managers- and consultants. Participants were purposely sampled and the empirical findings were coded, concepts were identified and further categorised while trustworthiness was set to be a criterion for the quality of the research. Conclusion: The research provided seven key components of engaging social media content for micro-sized firms and further recommendations on how to implement them in the micro-sized firms social media management. The components are described together with an illustration. Keywords: Micro-sized firms, social media managers, social media, customer engagement, content appeals, social media targeting, social media timing and frequency, qualitative research, semi-structured interviews.

O tema dos recursos excepcionais, direcionados às Cortes Supremas, é de enorme importância no processo civil contemporâneo. Esse trabalho busca definir, à luz da Teoria do Direito e do Direito Comparado, quais funções devem ser assinaladas ao Superior Tribunal de Justiça para, a partir disso, poder realizar uma reconstrução dogmática do procedimento do recurso especial. Não há dúvida de que, à luz dos princípios do Estado de Direito, aos Tribunais Superiores deve ser hoje asinalada uma função precipuamente prospectiva, voltada para a orientação dos juízes e jurisdicionados por meio do estabelecimento de precedentes, e não para os litigantes, de forma retrospectiva. A experiência comparada e a análise detida do funcionamento dos Tribunais Superiores demonstra que bons resultados só podem ser cumpridos mediante mecanismos que permitam selecionar os recursos com base na sua importância. Defende-se, por isso, a criação de um filtro para o recurso especial, à semelhança do que já conhece o recurso extraordinário brasileiro por meio da exigência de repercussão geral da questão constitucional debatida. Em face da função prospectiva do Superior Tribunal de Justiça devem ser interpretados todos os demais problemas que gravitam em torno do recurso especial e do acesso à Corte (distinção entre fato e direito, pré-questionamento etc.) / Appeals to Supreme Courts are an enormously important theme in modern civil procedure. This essay intends to define tge function that should govern the practise of Brazils Superior Tribunal de Justiça, with support from legal theory and comparative law studies, so that the characteristics of the appeal (recurso especial) directed to the Court may be rethought on solid grounds. There should be no doubt that, in light of the rule of law principles, Supreme Courts should be assigned a prospective, facing forward function of establishing solid precedents for the guidance of judges and citizens, instead of facing towards the single parties involved in litigation and the past. Comparative studies show that this may only be done if the Court has control over its docket. The essay proposes the adoption of such a mechanism for the recurso especial, as has already been done for the recurso extraordinario through the requirement of general importance of the constitutional issue raised in the appeal. All other aspects regarding access of the parties to the Superior Tribunal de Justiça (such as the distinction between law and fact, the prior decisison of the legal issue raised etc.) should be interpreted in light of the prospective function of the Court.

Ante la necesidad de establecer una adecuada evaluación de la gestión de riesgos para una mejor comprensión de los procesos operativos, financieros y comerciales en el negocio, una metodología para el ejercicio de la función de auditoría interna con enfoque basado en riesgos permitirá a la compañía el logro de los objetivos planteados. Dicha metodología se alinea a los estándares establecidos en las normas internacionales para el ejercicio profesional de la auditoría interna emitidos por el instituto de auditores internos (IAI). / Trabajo de investigación

Syftet med denna studie har varit att granska rättssäkerheten i tillämpningen av mål om ekonomiskt bistånd enligt 4 kap. 1 § Socialtjänstlagen i förvaltningsdomstolarna, med fokus på Förvaltningsrätten i Stockholm. Studien visar att överklagandefrekvensen har ökat under åren 2013–2018 i alla förvaltningsrätter och att ändringsfrekvensen var 11 procent. Väldigt få mål fick prövningstillstånd i kammarrätterna och i Högsta förvaltningsdomstolen och under en procent av målen fick bifall.Till Förvaltningsrätten i Stockholm överklagades drygt två procent av socialtjänstens avslagsbeslut om ekonomiskt bistånd, vilket kan jämföras med andelen överklaganden av socialförsäkringsmål som var 43 procent. Av besluten som överklagades fick tre procent av de klagande bifall. En närmare granskning av 100 domar från Förvaltningsrätten i Stockholm år 2018 visade att störst chans att få bifall har de mål som handlar om vad som är ett behov enligt Socialtjänstlagen. De mål som rör att den klagande själv anses kunna tillgodose behovet eller inte anses medverka i utredningen hade minst chans att få bifall. Förekomst av bevis samvarierade med bifall för båda parter. Vilka de klagande är eller om barn finns i hushållet påverkade inte utfallet och barns behov belystes inte alls. Vilken enhet och domare hos Förvaltningsrätten som dömt i målet samvarierade också med utfallet.Analysen utifrån rättssäkerhet visar att den ur ett formellt perspektiv är hög. De flesta fick avslag och besluten var därmed förutsebara. Rättssäkerheten minskade dock genom utfallets samvariation med vilken enhet och domare som dömt. Ur ett materiellt perspektiv på rättssäkerhet innebar 71 procent av avslagen att den enskilde inte tillförsäkrades en skälig levnadsnivå. Krav ställdes på den klagande som gjorde att bedömningen kom att handla om vad den klagande kunde ha gjort för att tillgodose behovet själv, inte huruvida denne faktiskt kunde det. Detta tillsammans med att högre beviskrav eventuellt ställdes i dessa mål gör att rättssäkerheten ur ett materiellt perspektiv kan ifrågasättas.

The advancement of digital entertainment media has given audiences the ability to skip ads that do not interest them. Consequently, brands face the challenge of creating ads that can compel audiences and finding media outlets that can effectively reach target audiences. Brands today use product placements to promote their products because movie audiences are generally attentive to ads when they are incorporated in a movie’s narrative. Marvel Cinematic Universe is a globally recognized entertainment franchise that uses product placements strategically to promote brands in their movies and TV shows. In this study, I conduct rhetorical analyses of select product placements in Marvel movies to investigate how they employ different rhetorical appeals in promoting products; and discuss how the appeals can influence audience perceptions of the products advertised. My findings suggest that product placements in Marvel movies leverage Aristotle's rhetorical appeals to draw audiences' attention and influence their opinions about products.

Background: The Swedish penal code has viewed self-induced temporary insanity, caused by intoxication, depending on which Sociology of Punishment is currently active. Starting from a lenient view of drug-induced insanity in the Middle Ages towards a harsher penal climate today.  Aims: This thesis aims to investigate how the Courts of Appeals views self-induced temporary insanity. Specifically, the investigation highlights how the courts navigate between the conflicting rationalities governing criminal intent on the one hand and drug abuse on the other. Results: A thematic analysis using NVivo showed that the Court of Appeals verdicts are inconsistent regarding sentencing when addiction is involved. The results also show a lack of knowledge about addiction as an illness within the Court of Appeals and that the courts sentence substance abusers much harder than others with temporary insanity. The thesis concludes that the Rule of Law is at risk when inconsistent verdicts are commonplace.

This thesis is both an ethnographic story about people with albinism in Tanzania and a reflection on how that story may be used to generate understanding and support in the wider world. In much of sub-Saharan Africa people with albinism face discrimination and even violence at all levels of society. During seven months in 2021/2022 I lived in northern Tanzania and regularly spent time with a community of children with albinism and the woman who shelters them. I got to know these individuals through conversations, interviews, grocery shopping, cooking, and eating together and celebrating Christmas and other holidays. All the while, I also sought to be in solidarity with my hosts, by telling their story in various forms and raising funds for them in Sweden. A central research question of the thesis is how one tells a story about vulnerable individuals without diminishing their dignity or violating ethical standards of academia, journalism, and humanitarianism. I consider four types of public response to my various acts of ethnographic storytelling, and I reflect upon persistent dilemmas.

自從歐盟成立後，歐洲市場對於台灣經濟的重要性與日俱增，目前為台灣主要貿易國家 (地區) 中出口成長率最高的地區，而德國又為台灣在歐洲進出口貿易額中最高的國家，然而國內學術界對於德國乃至於歐洲地區的消費者研究卻屈指可數，大多著重於中國大陸、美國與日本的研究，造成此現象的原因除了是過去歐洲市場在台灣的經濟地位不比中、美、日之外，也與台灣留學國外少以歐洲為主有關，造成與消費者相關的初次級資料取得不易、研究成本過高等因素，但隨著國內研究生赴歐洲交換學生的趨勢漸增，將提供國內學術界與實務界暸解歐洲消費者的機會。 本研究首先從過去的跨文化研究中暸解台灣與德國在各文化構面上的差異，推論受到文化所影響的品牌個性、廣告訴求與消費者價值信念，在台灣與德國消費者的認知中同樣會產生差異；此外，本研究也進一步探討品牌個性、廣告訴求、消費者價值信念與品牌偏好度的關係。本研究以問卷調查的方式蒐集台灣與德國消費者的第一手資料，並根據此初級資料進行分析比較，問卷內容包括品牌個性構面、品牌偏好度、廣告訴求、消費價值信念以及基本資料等五個部份，品牌則選定「Mercedes-Benz賓士汽車」與「Acer宏碁電腦」等兩個在台、德具有知名度的品牌。為了能夠順利進行調查，本研究分別以中文及德文版問卷在台灣與德國進行研究，採隨機發放的方式，總共蒐集了495份有效問卷，其中台灣問卷有247份，德國問卷有248份。 研究結果顯示，台灣與德國消費者對於同一個品牌的品牌個性、廣告訴求具有顯著差異，均對本國品牌較有正面的觀感，而台、德消費者價值信念也因為文化的不同而在「名牌情結」、「他人導向」、「情面影響」、「享樂主義」、「簡約習性」及「保障需求」上具有顯著差異。本研究的實證結果還發現，品牌個性會與消費者的品牌偏好度有關，而品牌偏好度受到廣告訴求與消費者價值信念的影響程度就相對較小。 廠商可依據本研究結果針對台灣消費者的「他人導向」、「簡約習性」、「保障需求」與「價格敏感」等信念，以及德國消費者的「享樂主義」、「價格敏感」與「簡約習性」等信念設計行銷活動，也可以藉由塑造品牌個性來增加消費者的品牌偏好度，對於學術而言，本研究不僅增加國內學術界對於歐洲市場的瞭解，更得到品牌個性、廣告訴求與消費者價值信念皆能影響品牌偏好度的結果，其中品牌個性又能明顯影響品牌偏好度，本研究成果可供後續相關研究作為深入探討的基礎。 / Since the establishment of the EU, the importance of the European market to Taiwan has been steadily increasing. Among Taiwan’s major trading countries (areas), the European market has the highest export growth rate, with the highest volume of trade happening between Germany and Taiwan. Despite this fact, researches about German or European consumers are still rare in the domestic academia, where the focus is mostly on China, USA, and Japan. There are some reasons causing this. First, Europe’s economic status of was lower than the previously mentioned countries. Also, there were fewer scholars from Europe, which may lead to higher research costs and difficulty in collecting data among others. Nevertheless, with the increasing number of exchange students going to Europe, this would offer domestic academia and businesses an opportunity to better understand European consumers. This research starts with an examination of previous culture-related literatures to discover the differences in all cultural dimensions between Taiwan and Germany. From this, the research infers that there would also be differences in brand personality, advertising appeals, and consumer value-beliefs. Moreover, the research discussed the relationship between brand preferences and brand personality/advertising appeals/consumer value-beliefs. Two well-known brands were selected, Mercedes-Benz and Acer, and questionnaires for each brand were developed and distributed randomly in Taiwan and Germany. Four hundred ninety five valid questionnaires were collected, among which 247 were collected in Taiwan and 248 were in Germany. The results revealed that there were significant differences in one brand’s brand personality and advertising appeals. Furthermore, consumers had more positive attitudes toward their home country’s brand. The research also found that consumer value beliefs affected by the culture were different between Taiwan and Germany in “Brand Favor,” “Conformance Orientation,” “Face Influence,” “Hedonic,” “Frugality Intention,” and “Security Needs.” In addition, it was proved that brand personality was significantly related to consumers’ brand preferences. However, advertising appeals and consumer value-belief had relatively lower influence on the brand preferences. Businesses could utilize the results of this study to devise marketing initiatives depending on consumer value-beliefs, such as Taiwan’s “Conformity-orientation,” “Frugality intention,” “Security Needs,” and “Price Sensitivity” and Germany’s “Hedonic,” “Price Sensitivity,” and “Frugality Intention.” Moreover, businesses could also build favorable brand personality to influence brand preferences. As for the academia, this research not only broadens the understanding of the European market, it also finds the relationship influence between brand personality, advertising appeals, consumer value-beliefs, and brand preferences, especially that in which brand personality significantly influences brand preference, which could be the base of further investigation.

Este trabalho trata fundamentalmente da admissibilidade dos julgamentos parciais do mérito e de questões de mérito no sistema processual civil brasileiro, considerando especialmente o modelo constitucional de processo civil, bem como no sistema processual prospectivo previsto no Projeto de Novo Código de Processo Civil, que deve entrar vigor em breve. Com este objetivo, será abordado no início da dissertação o dogma da unidade estrutural da sentença, sua origem, fundamentos e aplicabilidade no processo civil brasileiro, já que esse dogma parece ser o principal óbice que se opõe à realização dos julgamentos parciais. Em seguida, procede-se à análise da natureza dos pronunciamentos judiciais em que se realizam os julgamentos parciais, quando admitidos no CPC/73, para defini-los como decisões interlocutórias de mérito (ou de questões de mérito) ou sentenças parciais e intermediárias. Além disso, pretende-se estabelecer os pressupostos autorizadores dos julgamentos parciais, para que, assim, esses julgamentos sejam realizados de forma eficiente e em prol da efetividade da tutela jurisdicional. Trata-se ainda os julgamentos parciais na arbitragem e suas particularidades decorrentes das disposições específicas da Lei de Arbitragem e das características específicas do processo arbitral. Finalmente, nos capítulos finais deste estudo enfrentam-se os obstáculos que geralmente se colocam à realização dos julgamentos parciais relativamente ao âmbito recursal e à formação da coisa julgada. Para esse fim, são abordados a teoria dos capítulos de sentença, os efeitos dos recursos e, especialmente, a formação gradual da coisa julgada à luz da doutrina, da jurisprudência dos Tribunais Superiores e também do Projeto de Novo Código de Processo Civil. / This paper deals essentially with the possibility of rendering partial judgments on the merits and on issues of merits in the Brazilian Civil Procedure, considering especially the constitutional framework of civil procedure, as well as in the prospective procedural system provided by the New Code of Civil Procedure bill, which shall be in force soon. With this goal, the principle of the indivisibility of the award on merits, its origins, its grounds and its applicability to the Brazilian Civil Procedure are addressed in the beginning of the dissertation, as this principle seems to be the main obstacle against the partial judgments. Following this, the nature of the judicial decisions in wich the partial judgments take place when admitted by the Brazilian Code of Civil Procedure of 1973 shall be analysed, in order to characterize them either as interlocutory decisions on the merits (or on issues of merits) or as partial and intermediate awards. In addition, there is a focus on clarifying the conditions in which partial judgments can be rendered, in order to carried out in and efficient fashion, and hence contributing to the effectiveness of the judicial relief. Moreover, the partial judgments in arbitration, as well as their particularities arisen from the specific provisions under the Arbitration Act and singular characteristics of arbitral procedure are analysed. The final chapters of this paper face the obstacles associated with appeals and with claim preclusion that are usually posed against the rendering of partial judgments. For this scope, there shall be addressed the theory of chapters of the award, the effects of the appeals, and specially the gradual claim preclusion in view of the scholars opinions, the case law of the Higher Courts, and also under the New Code of Civil Procedure bill.