Através do manejo do foco narrativo,dentre outros recursos literários, o Autor alterna e entrelaça narrativas de experiências de personagens oriundas de formações culturais diferentes com a representação do pensamento de cada uma delas sobre o passado, sobre si, sobre o outro e sobre vários espaços em que atuam. Esses espaços se revelam incongruentes com a idéia de um mundo sem fronteiras conforme se apregoa na modernidade tardia. O objetivo desta tese é discutir como aspectos do real histórico e do real psicológico nos tempos em que vivemos se sedimentam na forma deste romance contemporâneo / Through shifts in point-of-view, among other literary resources, the Author alternates and intertwines narratives of the experiences of two characters from contrasting cultural formations with narratives of their thoughts about the past, themselves, each other and the various settings in which they act. These spheres are rendered as incongruent with the idea of a world without borders, so often celebrated in late modernity. The aim of this thesis is to discuss how elements of present-day historical and psychological experience solidify in the form of this particular contemporary novel

This thesis was written up as a proposal for business activities in field of retail sale of paints, lacquers and varnishes. The business activity will be realised according to this activity as self-employed trade and non-profit organization will be used as auspices. At the time of writing this thesis market analysis has been performed by self-employed trader via trial opening of the shop. This shop opening provided useful information for business plan proposal.

The thesis aims to look into the possibilities for the use of community work in the process of immigrant's integration into the society. The community work as an instrument of social work serves as a mean for building mutual bonds within a urban community, encourages development and exercise of the potential of the community and its citizens. This strengthens the active citizenship and involvement of the citizens in the processes that imminently concerns their lives. The thesis desribes the ways of possible inclusion of the immigrants in these processes in order for them to become equal fellow citizens of local communities and equal citizens of the country into which they decide to emigrate. The theoretical and philosophical background of this approach is an implementation and development of the political, civil and social rights that the immigrants acquire when given the permission of stay in certain country. The thesis describes results of a qualitative research lokking into community practise of two cities - Sheffield (United Kingdom) and Graz (Austria). These two examples describing the city council's involvement and the organizations-in-the-community's involvement are used to both define the realms of integration where the community work plays an undeniable role, and to come up with concrete...

This thesis focuses on the analysis of a possible formation of the EU disinformation policy by norm entrepreneurs including Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, France and Germany. The work is based on the theory of social constructivism and the concept of norms. Through the analytical framework of the norm life cycle, it seeks to find out how the disinformation policy can be integrated into the EU by norm entrepreneurs, and what normative clashes can be found in the process of the birth of the disinformation policy of the EU. A possible formation of the EU disinformation policy is analysed through three stages of the norm life cycle - norm emergence, norm cascade and norm internalisation. In the norm emergence part, the Baltic states with France and Germany are examined in terms of their motivation and efforts to promote a disinformation-related norm. The norm cascade part discusses a normative clash of a regulation norm and the norm of freedom of expression. Lastly, the norm internalisation part analyses the challenges of the incorporation of the norm in the system once the previous stages are accomplished. The research has shown that even though a common regulation norm of the EU is inevitable, the EU should introduce a cooperative mechanism of its member states and private actors to prevent clash with...

PhDr. Jana Gombárová Islamic Culture in Euro-Mediterranean Dialogue and its Reflection in the Czech Lands Abstract The general aim of the present Ph.D. thesis is a reflection of Islamic culture within the Euro-Mediterranean multi-cultural dialogue. Its specific aim is a study of reflection of the Arab and Islamic communities in the Czech Republic. The first chapter provides methodological and theoretical analyses of the conceptions of "end of history" by Francis Fukuyama and "clash of civilisations" by Samuel P. Huntington, which provoked a wide and controversial discussion both around the world and in our country. It also provides an analysis of more recent "catastrophic scenarios" (Laqueur, Spencer, Rodrígez, Sarazin). The Islamic culture within the Euro-Mediterranean dialogue and with the history of Barcelona process of cooperation of the European Union with the South- Mediterranean countries, which culminated in founding of the Union for Mediterranean in 2010, are also included in the chapter. Anna Lindh Foundation as a European non- government organisation and its network in the Czech Republic is an object of special interest. The last part of the chapter includes the controversial results of the "Arab Spring" characterized by the rise of Islamists to power. The second chapter is focused on...

It is well-known that the early assignment of prominence in sequences like THIRteen MEN vs. thirTEEN, (defined as the Rhythm Rule, or post-lexical stress shift), is an optional phenomenon. This dissertation examines some of the factors that encourage the application of stress shift in English and how it is phonetically realised. The aim is to answer two sets of questions related to why and how stress shift occurs in English: 1a) Does prosodic boundary strength influence stress shift? 1b) Does the adjacency of prominences above the level of the segmental string encourage stress shift? 2) How is stress shift realized? a) Is stress shift only a perceptual phenomenon? and b) Which syllables, if any, change acoustically when stress shift is perceived? To answer these questions, four experiments were designed. The first three experiments test whether the strength of the prosodic boundaries before and after the target word (e.g., canteen) influence stress shift. The effect of the strength of the left-edge prosodic boundary was investigated by comparing perceived stress patterns of the target (e.g., canteen) as produced in isolation where it is preceded by an utterance- and a phrase- initial prosodic boundary (the Isolated condition) with its rendition when embedded in a frame sentence (e.g., Say canteen again) where the left prosodic boundary before canteen is weaker (the Embedded condition). Results show a very clear tendency towards late phrasal prominence on the final accentable syllable (e.g., -teen in canteen) in the Embedded condition while in the Isolated condition this pattern appeared in less than half of the targets, showing that the stronger left boundary increased the incidence of stress shift. Two more experiments manipulated the strength of the boundary to the right of the target (#) respectively by changing the syntactic parse of the critical phrase (e.g. canteen cook) in sequences like (1) and by manipulating constituent length as in (2). Results showed that the syntactic manipulation significantly affected the strength of the prosodic boundary between the clashing words which was stronger in (1b) relative to (1a), and affected the incidence of stress shift, which was higher in (1a) relative to (1b). The length manipulation also affected the rate of stress shift, which was significantly higher in the phrase with the shorter word, e.g., soups (2a) relative to phrase with the longer word, e.g., supervisors (2b). (1) Example from the Syntax Experiment a. Who is the canteen (#) cook these days? (Pre-modifier + Noun) b. How do the canteen (#) cook these days? (NP + VP) (2) Example from the Length Experiment a. It should include the canteen (#) soups again. (Shorter constituent) b. It should include the canteen (#) supervisors again. (Longer constituent) Whilst we knew from the literature that the grouping of the clashing words within one Intonational Phrase (IP) encourages stress shift, results from the Syntax and Length experiments indicate that this (i.e., the phrasing of the clashing words within same IP) is not sufficient condition for the occurrence of stress shift, and that fine-grained degrees of boundary strength below the Intonational Phrase can drive changes in prominence pattern. The fact that higher rates of stress shift (and associated significant acoustic changes) were driven by manipulations of constituent length --for sequences with the same syntactic structure-- provides support for the idea that prosodic (rather than syntactic) boundaries directly influence stress shift. The fourth experiment tests the definition of stress clash in English in cases like fourteen candles where the two main lexical prominences are strictly adjacent along the time dimension, in fourteen canoes where the prominences are not adjacent in time, but adjacent at the higher levels of the metrical hierarchy, and in fourteen canteens where the main lexical prominences are not adjacent, and do not clash. This experiment highlighted and resolved an unacknowledged disagreement about what clash status sequences with one weak intervening syllable (e.g., fourTEEN caNOES). The fourTEEN caNOES type were shown to behave like metrically clashing sequences (e.g., fourteen CANdles) in attracting stress shift, and differently from the non-metrically-clashing sequences (e.g., fourteen CANTEENS) in discouraging it. These results provide empirical support for the Standard Metrical Theory (e.g. Selkirk, 1984; Nespor & Vogel, 1989) claim that 1) stress clash matters in triggering stress shift and that 2) stress clash in English is defined at the higher prosodic levels and not restricted to the level of the segmental string as indirectly assumed in a growing body of research (e.g., Vogel, Bunnel & Hoskins, 1995; Tomlinson, Liu & Fox Tree, 2014). Along with the establishment of prosodic boundary strength as one of the predictors influencing stress shift, another important contribution of the thesis is providing empirical evidence that the English Rhythm Rule is not solely a perceptual phenomenon and that it is associated with acoustic correlates. The main correlates of perceived stress shift consistently appearing across experiments is the decrease in the duration of the main lexical prominence of the target (e.g., -teen in canteen) and the increase of fundamental frequency and Sound Pressure Level peaks and on the initial syllable (e.g., canin canteen), when followed by a main clashing phrasal prominence. The acoustic analysis shows that the first accentable syllable also contributes in the perception of stress shift. This latter result does not lend support to the deletion formulation of the Rhythm Rule (Gussenhoven, 1991) which stipulates that the impressions of stress shift are solely associated with changes of prominence in the last accentable syllable of the target (e.g. -teen in canteen). Along with the determination of the acoustic correlates of perceived stress shift in English, the present research 1) indicates that fine-grained gradations of prosodic boundary strength can influence stress shift, 2) shows that while stress clash can increase the incidence of stress shift, stress shift can take place even in environments completely free of stress clash, and 3) provides evidence that stress clash should not be construed simply as the concatenation of two main lexical prominences along the time dimension.

The thesis looks at Protestant missions to the Ottoman Empire and the countries which emerged from it through Bosch's "Enlightenment missionary" (2003) and Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations" (1996) paradigms. It argues that Muslim resistance to Christianity is rooted in innate Muslim intransigence and in specific historical events in which missionaries played important roles. The work utilizes a simple formula: it contrasts the socio-political and cultural framework missionaries imbibed at home with that of their host environment, outlines the goals and strategies they formulated and implemented, looks at the results, and notes the missiological implications. The formula is applied to four successive periods. We begin with the pre-World War I missionaries of the late Ottoman Empire. We look at their faith in reason, their conviction in the cultural superiority of Anglo-Saxon Protestantism, their attitude towards Islam, their idea of reaching the Muslim majority by reviving the Orthodox churches, and the evolution of their theology and missiology. World War I changed the landscape. The Empire's demise led to a struggle for Turkish and Arab national self-determination leading to the establishment of the Turkish Republic and various Arab entities, notably French and British mandates. Protestant missions almost disappeared in Turkey, while a small number of "veterans" kept the enterprise alive in the Arab world. While the Arabs struggled to liberate themselves from the Mandatory Powers, these veterans analyzed past failures, recognized the importance of reaching Muslims directly and began experimenting with more contextualized approaches. The post-World War II era saw the retreat of colonialism, the creation of Israel, a succession of wars with that country, and the formation of a Palestinian identity. Oil enabled the Arabian Peninsula to emerge as a major economic and political force. The missionary enterprise, on the other hand, virtually collapsed. Unlike their veteran predecessors, the pre-Boomer generation, with a few notable exceptions, was bereft of fresh ideas. During the 1970s the evangelical Baby Boomers launched a new enterprise. They tended not to perceive themselves as heirs of a heritage going back to the 1800s, though the people they "targeted" did. Their successors, the GenXers, products of post-modernism and inheritors of Boomer structures, face a region experiencing both increased political frustration and the re-emergence of Islam as a socio-political power. In closing we look at Church-centered New Testament spirituality as a foundational paradigm for further missions to the region. / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / D. Th. (Missiology)

<p>In theory, the phrase "mergers and acquisitions" (abbreviated M&A) refers to buying, selling and combining different companies in order to gain improved financial performance, create a global presence, and face the global competitive market. Nevertheless, many researches have underlined the high rate of failure among M&A, and the difficulty to achieve expected results and synergies. Among the reasons of failure, many analysts have pointed out the determinant influence of the cultural aspect in the success or the failure of a cross-border merger. However, the cultural issue in M&A is often neglected and too less stressed.</p><p>In order to have a better understanding of the cultural aspect in the merger and acquisition process, and point out its influence on the merger process as well as the corporate culture, we first present a theoretical part introducing the cross-border merger and acquisition concept with the perspective of the national culture, and the role that leaders could play in order to limit the negative impact of culture and the clashes on cross-border M&A. Therefore, a part including three cases of "cultural failure" in the merger process illustrates the concepts explained in the theoretical part. Those well-known cases are: DaimlerChrysler, UpJohn & Pharmacia, and Volvo – Renault. The cases show how the cultural issue had been underestimated and had implied cultural clashes and extra-costs for the companies involved.</p><p>After concluding our findings, we end the thesis with a prospective part based on the possible evolution of the merger and acquisition market. Indeed, we believe that our research topic will gain importance in the future, and the influence of culture on M&A deals may increase.</p>

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / This thesis compares the Western response to two radical challenges in eras considerably removed in time: the 1900-1901 Boxer rebellion in China and today's Islamic terror. It brings a much-needed historical perspective to bear in assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the contemporary Western conceptualization of the al-Qaeda and Taliban threat as a "clash of civilizations." It demonstrates that the current struggle against Islamic fundamentalism is not an altogether new challenge to Western interest and values. Al-Qaeda and the Taliban are in the end an expression of the same forces of resistance that also led to the origination of the Boxers in 19th century China. The cultural pressure that the West unavoidably developed by its imperialistic policy in the 19th and early 20th centuries was replaced by the penetration of the world with values, standards and symbols of the Western way of life and civilization in the course of globalization. The West ought to understand that the current terrorist threat is not "the next stage of history," as some scholars erroneously puts it, but a known historical phenomenon in a new form, for which neither the West nor other cultures bear the blame. / Major (GS), German Army

[pt] Atualmente o processo que envolve a construção de um empreendimento é baseado em documentos impressos e desconexos. Há uma tendência global de que um mesmo projeto seja elaborado por diversas empresas e diferentes equipes, porém, as ferramentas computacionais que são utilizadas ainda são as mesmas de décadas atrás. Devido a essa mudança de paradigma, a metodologia conhecida como modelagem da informação da construção, BIM, vem aos poucos ganhando aceitação na área de AEC (Arquitetura, Engenharia e Construção). Motivada por esse processo de transição, essa dissertação tem como objetivo estudar e avaliar algumas das ferramentas computacionais disponíveis no mercado que são utilizadas na implementação da metodologia BIM. Essa avaliação é feita a partir do projeto de um empreendimento real que foi feito utilizando a metodologia tradicional, isto é, documentos 2D independentes. O projeto é modelado em 3D com uma base de dados integrada de acordo com a metodologia BIM. O projeto baseado no modelo 3D é então comparado com o projeto original. Ao término desse estudo são obtidos exemplos reais dos benefícios da modelagem 3D parametrizada. Uma série de deficiências são detectadas nos documentos 2D originais, o que não teria acontecido caso a metodologia BIM fosse usada desde o início do projeto. Além disso, é avaliada a integração entre uma ferramenta de modelagem 3D estrutural (Autodesk Revit Structure 2012) e um software de análise estrutural (Autodesk Robot 2012). Estratégias de integração são testadas e as melhores práticas são descritas em detalhe. Os resultados obtidos sugerem que o uso da metodologia é promissor e sua implementação deve ser seriamente considerada no Brasil. / [en] Currently the process involved in the construction of a facility remains fragmented and dependent on paper-based communication modes. There is a global trend where a single project may be developed by different companies and may involve several teams of specialists. However, the computational tools that are still in use are the same as the ones being used for decades. Due to this paradigm shift, a methodology known as Building Information Modeling, BIM, has been gaining acceptance in the AEC (Architecture, Engineering and Construction) area. Motivated by this process of transition, this thesis aims to study and evaluate some of the computational tools available in the market that are used to implement the BIM methodology. This assessment is made using the design of an actual facility, which is done using the traditional 2D design methodology, i.e., disjoint 2D documents. The project is modeled in 3D with using integrated database according to the BIM methodology. The resulting project is then compared to the original project. At the end of this study, real examples of the benefits of parameterized 3D modeling are obtained. Several inconsistencies in the original design documents are observed, which would not have occurred if the BIM methodology had been used from the beginning of the project. In addition, the integration between a 3D structural modeling tool (Autodesk Revit Structure 2012) and a structural analysis tool (Autodesk Robot 2012) is evaluated. Integration strategies are tested and the best practices are described in detail. The findings of this work suggest the use of the BIM methodology is promising and support its use in Brazil.