<p>As the number one cause of sick absenteeism and disability pension, musculoskeletal pain is considered a major health problem in Sweden and many other industrialized countries. Medical findings are often insufficient to explain the pain’s intensity or duration, and psychological factors are known to be important in understanding the aetiology and maintenance of pain. The current thesis examines the relationship between non-specific chronic musculoskeletal pain and cognitions, emotions and behaviours. In Study I, chronic pain patients were interviewed about pain experiences and the results indicated that some patients use psychological defences to deal with chronic pain. Study II was an experimental approach set up to study the association between chronic pain and selective memory. In a pictorial memory game, no differences were found between patients and controls in the neutral game. In the pain-related game patients decreased – and controls improved – their performance, a finding discussed in terms of cognitive avoidance. Study III used questionnaire and register data to examine the predictive value of psychosocial variables on sustained pain-related sick absenteeism and the results showed sense of mastery and recovery beliefs to be especially important. The studies are discussed in terms of emotional and defensive coping and it is suggested that defences can be related to excessive activity, which may increase the risk of future relapses. It was suggested that an increased acceptance of pain, at both an individual and a societal level – would favour rehabilitation and return-to-work for those suffering from persistent pain.</p>

As the number one cause of sick absenteeism and disability pension, musculoskeletal pain is considered a major health problem in Sweden and many other industrialized countries. Medical findings are often insufficient to explain the pain’s intensity or duration, and psychological factors are known to be important in understanding the aetiology and maintenance of pain. The current thesis examines the relationship between non-specific chronic musculoskeletal pain and cognitions, emotions and behaviours. In Study I, chronic pain patients were interviewed about pain experiences and the results indicated that some patients use psychological defences to deal with chronic pain. Study II was an experimental approach set up to study the association between chronic pain and selective memory. In a pictorial memory game, no differences were found between patients and controls in the neutral game. In the pain-related game patients decreased – and controls improved – their performance, a finding discussed in terms of cognitive avoidance. Study III used questionnaire and register data to examine the predictive value of psychosocial variables on sustained pain-related sick absenteeism and the results showed sense of mastery and recovery beliefs to be especially important. The studies are discussed in terms of emotional and defensive coping and it is suggested that defences can be related to excessive activity, which may increase the risk of future relapses. It was suggested that an increased acceptance of pain, at both an individual and a societal level – would favour rehabilitation and return-to-work for those suffering from persistent pain.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

This study provides a comprehensive look at the current state of best practices in performance appraisal systems in the public and private sector. From this, the main objective for this research paper is to investigate the reasons why INGOs are not currently able to properly implement a ‘best practices’ based performance appraisal system. Furthermore, this paper will provide both future research questions, as well as practitioner based recommendations. In addition, it will examine the need for higher levels of accountability in INGOs through appropriate performance appraisal systems.

No description available.

In 2003, Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) introduced policies on performance management in an endeavour to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools. With these policies, schools are supposed to be constantly audited, monitored, and supported by district officials. Within district offices, there are unit supervisors who are responsible to manage PMDS to inculcate a performance culture. This performance culture is subsequently cascaded down to schools to yield quality matric results and yet this remains to be seen. Furthermore, the study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of supervisors and officials on the PMDS management within districts. With an interpretive paradigm, the researcher was able to analyse data from interviews and questionnaires. The study revealed that PMDS is generally acknowledged and positively perceived albeit with significant challenges to its implementation in the GDE districts. / Educational Leadership and Management / M.Ed. (Education Management )

La notion de réussite criminelle a essentiellement été définie au moyen de l’indicateur objectif des gains monétaires. Si l’idée selon laquelle l’argent est au coeur de la réussite professionnelle fait l’objet d’un large consensus social, il semble improbable que les gains monétaires permettent à eux seuls d’appréhender la réussite. Pour mieux comprendre certaines dimensions des carrières criminelles telles que la persistance et le désistement, il paraît utile de se pencher sur la manière dont les criminels définissent leur propre réussite. Il a été établi que l’auto-efficacité, soit la croyance que possède un individu en sa capacité à accomplir une tâche, permet de prédire plusieurs dimensions des carrières légitimes. À partir de la théorie sur l’auto-efficacité, ce mémoire examine de quelle manière se forme l’auto-efficacité criminelle. Nous soutenons que les perceptions relatives à la réussite criminelle sont affectées par des facteurs semblables à ceux qui jouent dans le développement de l’auto-efficacité légitime. Nous partons de l’hypothèse que les criminels forgent leur auto-efficacité à partir de quatre sources d’expérience : les réussites personnelles, l’apprentissage vicariant, la persuasion sociale et les états physiologiques. Il est également avancé que certaines caractéristiques individuelles et environnementales ont un impact significatif sur le développement de l’auto-efficacité criminelle. Sur la base d’entrevues auprès de 212 délinquants, nos résultats indiquent que l’auto-efficacité criminelle est une construction complexe fondée sur les caractéristiques individuelles et environnementales, ainsi que sur les expériences criminelles personnelles. Nous discutons de l’impact éventuel de ces conclusions sur l’appréhension de la persévérance et du désistement dans les carrières criminelles. / The study of success in crime has been primarily restricted to a single objective indicator: earnings. While there is broad cultural agreement that money is a central component of career success, it is unlikely that earnings are the sole factor equated with achievement. Understanding how offenders subjectively define success for themselves might prove informative in understanding criminal career outcomes such as persistence and desistance. Self-efficacy – the belief that one can successfully perform a behavior leading to desired types of performance – has been shown to predict various legitimate occupational outcomes. Drawing from the self-efficacy and social cognitive career theories, this thesis explores how criminal self-efficacy beliefs are formed. It is argued that factors akin to the ones leading to the development of legitimate self-efficacy also serve as a basis for perceptions of success in crime. More specifically, it is hypothesized that criminal self-efficacy is forged as offenders interpret information from four experiential sources: personal performance accomplishments, vicarious learning, social persuasion, and physiological states and reactions. Because cognitive self-appraisals are not formed in a vacuum, it is also argued that individual and environmental characteristics exert a significant impact on the development of criminal self-efficacy. Based on interviews with 212 incarcerated offenders, our results suggest that criminal self-efficacy is complexly built from individual and environmental characteristics, as well as from personal experiences with crime. The potential repercussion of these findings on the understanding of criminal persistence and desistance are discussed.

In 2003, Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) introduced policies on performance management in an endeavour to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools. With these policies, schools are supposed to be constantly audited, monitored, and supported by district officials. Within district offices, there are unit supervisors who are responsible to manage PMDS to inculcate a performance culture. This performance culture is subsequently cascaded down to schools to yield quality matric results and yet this remains to be seen. Furthermore, the study aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of supervisors and officials on the PMDS management within districts. With an interpretive paradigm, the researcher was able to analyse data from interviews and questionnaires. The study revealed that PMDS is generally acknowledged and positively perceived albeit with significant challenges to its implementation in the GDE districts. / Educational Leadership and Management / M.Ed. (Education Management )

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2017-08-09T16:17:38Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tania Mara Grigoletto_.pdf: 20482181 bytes, checksum: be2f12743e1a4ff3a24bbb0c607a1b5d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-09T16:17:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Tania Mara Grigoletto_.pdf: 20482181 bytes, checksum: be2f12743e1a4ff3a24bbb0c607a1b5d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-13 / Nenhuma / O equilíbrio financeiro é a busca de muitos brasileiros que se acostumaram a viver em um país com constantes crises econômicas e grandes diferenças de renda. Essa questão, que pode impactar na qualidade de vida, envolve objetivos, atitudes e padrões de comportamento pessoais. A compreensão do comportamento humano, por sua vez, vem sendo uma das áreas de interesse do design. Diante desse panorama, o objetivo deste estudo foi compreender como o design pode contribuir para despertar emoções, melhorando a experiência entre poupadores, a partir da identificação de concerns conflitantes e o seu uso como insumo projetual. Concerns, na teoria dos Appraisals, é o termo utilizado para descrever interesses, objetivos, demandas, padrões e atitudes individuais os quais nem sempre, estão alinhados, podendo conflitar entre si. Para tanto, realizou-se uma pesquisa direta com usuários (dois grupos focais com poupadores e não poupadores) objetivando identificar os concerns e conflitos envolvidos nessa temática. A partir dos resultados construiu-se um perfil de concern em que 17 foram identificados como conflitantes e seis como significativos. Também foi possível gerar cinco personas. Esses dados foram organizados de forma visual e levados para um workshop, no qual quatro grupos de projetistas (designers e não designers) criaram conceitos para melhorar a experiência de poupar. Na primeira atividade foi solicitado que os grupos definissem, eles próprios, o seu conflito/problema. Posteriormente, criaram cinco conceitos: i) um aplicativo que determina um limite diário para gastos, ii) uma plataforma que conecta, estimula e auxilia as pessoas a pouparem, iii) um produto de investimento vinculado ao cartão de crédito para destinar um percentual da fatura à poupança, iv) uma forma de aconselhamento para as pessoas identificarem seus propósitos de economizar e, v) um aplicativo para a gestão financeira familiar. Algumas ideias focaram diretamente na melhoria da experiência de poupar, enquanto outras objetivaram tornar possível o ato de economizar. As atividades desenvolvidas ao longo da pesquisa geraram aprendizados sobre o uso de concerns conflitantes em projetos, os quais são explicitados nas considerações finais deste texto. / Financial balance is pursued by many Brazilians who became accustomed to living in a country with constant economic crises and astonishing income discrepancies. It is a subject that involves goals, postures and patterns of personal behavior and can have impact on life quality. The understanding of human behavior, in turn, became one of the areas that the Design grows interest in. Considering such context, this work aims at understanding how Design can contribute to arousing emotions, enhancing money savers’ experience, starting from the identification of conflicting concerns and their use as project input. In Appraisal Theory, concern is the term used for describing interests, goals, demands, patterns and individual postures which are frequently out of alignment and even conflicting with one another. First, a direct research was carried out among users (two focus groups, money savers and no money savers) in order to identify their concerns and conflicts. Based on the results, a concerns profile was built, 17 of them were qualified as conflicting and six as meaningful. It was also possible to generate five personas. These data were visually displayed and taken to a workshop, in which four groups of designers and no designers developed concepts that could enhance the experience of saving money. Along the first activity, the groups were asked to define, by themselves, the conflict/problem. Later, the groups created five concepts: i) an app that determines the amount of money one can spend a day; ii) a platform that connects, encourages and help people save money; iii) an investment product associated with one’s credit card bill (a percentage is saved); iv) counseling, so that people could set their money goals, establish the amount of money they want to save; and v) an app that would help families manage their own finances. Some of the ideas directly focused on the enhancement of the experience of saving money, others intended to make the whole act of saving money possible. The activities developed during the research generated learning about the use of conflicting concerns in projects, which are explained in the final considerations of this text.

Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2018-04-19T16:22:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo dos Santos_.pdf: 2477221 bytes, checksum: 00ecef06380f0ef6f0e3432985bc99ab (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-19T16:22:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodrigo dos Santos_.pdf: 2477221 bytes, checksum: 00ecef06380f0ef6f0e3432985bc99ab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-28 / Nenhuma / Em razão das novas tecnologias desenvolvidas nos últimos anos, têm ocorrido mudanças no comportamento e na experiência de relacionamento de usuários com as instituições financeiras. Tecnologias recentes como aplicativos de smartphones, os quais oferecem os mesmos serviços disponíveis em uma agência física de bancos, poderão eliminar o relacionamento bancário pessoal nos próximos anos. Com isso, existe a possibilidade de o comportamento dos usuários frente a esses novos serviços do chamado “banco digital” despertar experiências que poderão influenciar na construção da confiança no relacionamento bancário. Dessa forma, considerando o design para a emoção uma área que estuda a projetação com o objetivo de provocar ou evitar determinadas emoções, foi realizada uma pesquisa para avaliar e compreender a construção da emoção confiança dos usuários no uso de canais digitais para relacionamento com as instituições financeiras. Para tanto, esse trabalho contextualizou o mercado bancário atual e a projeção de futuro, realizando o aprofundamento dos temas relacionados a emoções, design para emoções e uma teoria cognitiva utilizada pela área do design, a Teoria dos Appraisals, com o objetivo de entender como, a partir das avaliações de eventos e situações (appraisals), resulta na emoção confiança, a qual interfere no relacionamento dos consumidores com o banco digital a partir dos concerns (atitudes, crenças e padrões aprendidos) das pessoas. A pesquisa foi realizada a partir de um estudo qualitativo e exploratório, com a realização de entrevistas com 24 usuários de serviços financeiros bancários para identificação dos seus appraisals e concerns em relação à utilização dos bancos digitais, sendo os depoimentos analisados através da técnica de Análise de Conteúdo. O estudo possibilitou entender os gatilhos relacionados às emoções, que levam à formação da confiança para utilização dos canais digitais das instituições financeiras e, a partir deles, estabelecer diretrizes projetuais para atuação do designer. / Due to the new technologies developed in recent years, there have been changes in the behavior and experience of user relationships with financial institutions. Breakthrough technologies such as smartphone applications, which offer the same services available in a bank branches, could eliminate personal banking relationships in the coming years. With this, there is the possibility of the users' behavior with these new services of the so-called "digital bank", awaking experiences that may influence the construction of trust in the banking relationship. Thus, considering the design for emotion an area that studies projects with the purpose of provoking or avoiding certain emotions, a research was carried out to evaluate and understand the construction of users' trust in the use of digital channels for relationship with financial institutions. In order to do so, this work contextualized the current banking market and the future projection, realizing the deepening of themes related to emotions, design for emotions and a cognitive theory used by the area of design, Appraisals Theory, with the objective of understanding how, from appraisals of events and situations, results in the emotion of trust, which interferes in the relationship of consumers with the digital bank based on the concerns (attitudes, beliefs and learned patterns) of the people. The research was carried out based on a qualitative and exploratory study. Twenty-four interviews were carried out with users of banking financial services to identify their appraisals and concerns regarding the use of digital banks, and the comments was analyzed through the Content Analysis technique. The study turned possible to understand the triggers related to emotions, which lead to the formation of confidence to use the digital channels of financial institutions and, from them, to establish design guidelines for the designer's work.