Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:34:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RenatoSA_DISSERT.pdf: 579996 bytes, checksum: ea1b221d1f258e0dd61c5b7549c8f5e1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-08-02 / The analysis of some aspects of development in Brazil in the past three decades reveals an improvement on a range of indicators isolated in the south east the richest region and north east the poorest region. From a database of twenty variables, the main purpose the study was to verify if there are indications of convergence or divergence in five dimensions of development between the two regions from 1990 to 2010. Aiming to identify the states more similar and different, and to verify changes in the composition of low development groups and high development in the adressed period, was used the analysis of groupings (Cluster Analysis). Additionally, to test equality of distance between states all the time, was used the non-parametric Test of Wilcoxon. This makes it possible to verify IF the distance between the states of two regions has been increasing or has been falling, showing signs of divergence or convergence. The results of Cluster s analysis suggest that there are indications of convergence inside the cluster of north east, but the distance between two regions has not changed. The results of test of Wilcoxon suggests that there have been no changes statistically significant in the distance between the states, in the two regions the standards of development became more homogenous, but the two regions will be far apart / A an?lise de alguns aspectos do desenvolvimento no Brasil nas ?ltimas tr?s d?cadas evidencia que houve uma melhoria em uma s?rie de indicadores isolados tanto no Sudeste regi?o mais rica - como no Nordeste - regi?o mais pobre. A partir de uma base de dados de vinte vari?veis, o objetivo principal do estudo foi verificar se h? ind?cios de converg?ncia ou diverg?ncia em cinco dimens?es do desenvolvimento entre as duas regi?es no per?odo de 1990 a 2010. Visando identificar os estados mais similares e mais diferentes entre si, bem como verificar altera??es na composi??o dos grupos de baixo desenvolvimento e de alto desenvolvimento no per?odo abordado, foi empregado a An?lise de Agrupamentos (Cluster Analysis). Adicionalmente, para testar a igualdade das dist?ncias entre os estados ao longo do tempo, foi utilizado o teste n?o param?trico de Wilcoxon. Este ?ltimo tornou poss?vel verificar se a dist?ncia entre os estados das duas regi?es vem aumentando ou diminuindo, apresentando ind?cios de diverg?ncia ou converg?ncia. Os resultados da an?lise de Cluster sugerem que h? ind?cios de converg?ncia dentro do cluster do Nordeste, por?m, a dist?ncia entre as duas regi?es n?o foi alterada. Os resultados do teste de Wilcoxon sugerem que n?o houve mudan?as estatisticamente significativas na dist?ncia entre os estados. Dentro das duas regi?es os padr?es de desenvolvimento se tornaram mais homog?neos, por?m, as duas regi?es continuam muito distantes

This dissertation provides a journey into the world of beliefs and values of Saudi Arabia’s organisations, people and society at large, and how these influence and shape HRM practices and the employment relationship in the country. Designed as a single country case study, the dissertation uses a multi-case research design where two large companies operating in Saudi Arabia (an indigenous and a foreign multinational corporation) are explored and compared through methodological triangulation in data collection methods (interviews, surveys and focus group). The main findings identify that institutional pressures (regulatory and normative) are strong catalysts facilitating the impact of Islamic teachings on the workplace in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The regulative forces represent the organisations’ rules, regulatory constraints (forced by regulatory bodies) and penalties for violations. They are a result of the KSA’s legal system and its political culture. The normative forces identify values and social behavioural norms which define how things should be done within the organisation. They are a result of the wider Saudi culture. Apart from its contribution to knowledge of the HRM practices of Saudi Arabia at micro- and meta- level, the dissertation also provides an analysis at two additional levels. it contributes firstly to the growing knowledge on the influence of Islamic beliefs in the workplace, and secondly, to the enlargement of theory on the subject of religion and its impact in the workplace. Moreover, the dissertation makes a contribution to the literature on HRM practices and approaches in Saudi Arabia. This extends to other countries of the Arab Gulf, holding strong potential to become a source of knowledge and reference for foreign organisations which operate and wish to operate in that region.

This thesis deals with trading using technical analysis. Mostly attention is paid shares traded on the Prague Stock Exchange. The practical part describes computer program, which gives recommendations for the purchase and sale of shares based on moving averages and methods of moving average convergence / divergence and relative strength index. The conclusion is stated financial comparison of the methods.

The effects of feature frequency and similarity on object recognition have been examined through behavioral experiments, and a model of the formation of visual object representations and old/new recognition has been proposed. A number of experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that frequency and similarity of object features affect the old/new responses to test stimuli in a later recognition task. In the first experiment, when the feature frequencies are controlled, there was a significant increase in the percentage of &ldquo / old&rdquo / responses for unstudied objects as the number of frequently repeated features (FRFs) on the object increased. In the second experiment, where all features had equal frequency, similarity of test objects did not affect old/new responses. An evaluation of the models on object recognition and categorization with respect to the experimental results showed that these models can only partially explain experimental results. A comprehensive model for the formation of visual object representations and old/new recognition, called CDZ-VIS, developed on the Convergence-Divergence Zone framework by Damasio (1989), has been proposed. According to this framework, co-occurring object features converge to upper layer units in the hierarchical representation which act as binding units. As more objects are displayed, frequent object features cause grouping of these binding units which converge to upper binding units. The performance of the CDZ-VIS model on the feature frequency and similarity experiments of the present study was shown to be closer to the performance of the human participants, compared to the performance of two models from the categorization literature.

This study aims to see if it is possible to generate abnormal returns in the Swedishstock market through the use of three different trading strategies based on technicalindicators. As the indicators are based on historical price data only, the study assumesweak market efficiency according to the efficient market hypothesis. The study isconducted using daily prices for OMX Stockholm PI and STOXX 600 Europe from theperiod between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019. Trading positions has beentaken in the OMX Stockholm PI index while STOXX 600 Europe has been used torepresent the market portfolio. Abnormal returns has been defined as the Jensen’s αin a Fama French three factor model with Carhart ­extension. This period has beencharacterised by increasing prices (a bull market) which may have had an impact onthe results. Furthermore, a higher frequency of rebalancing for the Fama ­French andCarhart model could also increase the quality of the results. The results indicate thatall three strategies has generated abnormal returns during the period. / Denna studie syftar till att se om det är möjligt att generera överavkastning på densvenska aktiemarknaden genom att använda tre olika handelsstrategier baserade påtekniska indikatorer. Eftersom indikatorerna endast baseras på historiska prisdataantar studien svag marknadseffektivitet enligt den effektiva marknadshypotesen.Studien genomförs med hjälp av dagliga priser för OMX Stockholm PI och STOXX 600Europe från perioden 1 januari 2010 till 31 december 2019. Positionerna i studien hartagits i OMX Stockholm PI medan STOXX 600 Europe har använts för att representeramarknadsportföljen . Överavkastning har definierats som Jensens α i en Fama French trefaktormodell med Carhart-­utvidgning. Perioden som används i studien har präglatsav stigande priser (en bull market) som kan ha påverkat resultatet. Dessutom skulleen högre frekvens av ombalansering av Fama ­French och Carhart-­modellen ocksåkunna öka kvaliteten på resultaten. Resultaten visar att alla tre strategier har genereratonormal avkastning under perioden.

The visual system and good ocular motor control play an important role in the effective development of gross motor, sport, fine motor and academic skills (Erhardt et al., 1988:84; Desrocher, 1999:36; Orfield, 2001:114). Various researchers report a link between ocular motor problems and attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Cheatum & Hammond, 2000:263; Farrar et al., 2001:441; Gould et al., 2001:633; Armstrong & Munoz, 2003:451; Munoz et al., 2003:510; Borsting et al., 2005:588; Hanisch et al., 2005:671; Mason et al., 2005:1345; Loe et al., 2009:432). A few studies were carried out to analyse the links between ADHD and ocular motor control with regard to matters like visual attention, visual perception and ocular motor control like eye movement outside the normal fixation point, but no studies have been reported on the status of the ocular motor control of South African populations, and the effect of visual–motor intervention on the ocular motor control or visual–motor integration of learners with ADHD. The aim of the study was twofold, namely firstly to determine the ocular motor control functions and status of visual–motor integration of a selected group of 6– tot 8–year–old learners with ADHD in Brakpan, South Africa, while the second aim was to determine whether a visualmotor– based intervention programme can improve the ocular motor control and status of the visual–motor integration of a selected group of 6– to 8–year–old learners with ADHD in Brakpan, South Africa. Statistica for Windows 2010 was used to analyse the data. The Sensory Input Screening measuring instrument and the Quick Neurological Screening Test II (QNST–II) were used to assess the ocular motor control functions (fixation, ocular alignment, visual tracking and convergence–divergence), while the Beery Developmental Test of Visual–Motor Integration (VMI–4de weergawe) was used to determine the status of the learners’ visual–motor integration (VMI), visual perception (VP) and motor coordination (MC). The Disruptive Behaviour Scale, a checklist for ADHD (Bester, 2006), was used as measuring instrument to identify the learners with ADHD. Fifty–six learners (31 boys, 25 girls, with an average age of 7,03 years +0,65) participated in the pre–test and were divided into an ADHD (n=39) and a non–ADHD (n=16) group for aim one. Two–way tables were used to determine the percentage of ocular motor control deficits in the learners with and without ADHD, and an independent t–test was used to analyse the visual–motor integration of these learners. The Pearson Chi–squared test was used to determine the practical significance of differences in VMI and VP (d>0,05). The results of the study reveal that the majority of learners displayed ocular motor control deficits, regardless of whether they were classified with ADHD or not. The biggest percentage of learners fell into Class 2 (moderate deficits), particularly with regard to horizontal (68,57%; 52,63%; w=0,16) and vertical tracking (65,71%; 73,68%), as well as convergence–divergence (80%; 78,95%; w=0,11). However, it appears that ADHD learners experience more serious problems (Class 3) with visual tracking than learners without ADHD (both eyes: 22,86%; compared to 10,53% (w=0,22); right eye: 11,43% compared to 0% (p=0,05; w=0,34); left eye: 14,29% compared to 0% (p=0,02; w=0,38)). Learners with and without ADHD displayed a practically significant difference with respect to visual perception (d=0,37) and motor coordination (d=0,5) compared to learners without ADHD (who achieved better results). For aim 2 the subjects were divided into three groups. A pre–test–post–test design compiled from an availability sample of three groups (intervention group with ADHD (n=20); control group with ADHD (n=10) and control group without ADHD (n=17)) was used for this part of the study. The intervention group participated in a nine–week (3x/week and for 45 minutes) visualmotor– based intervention programme in which the ocular motor control functions section was applied for about 5 minutes per learner. Forty–seven learners (25 boys and 22 girls) with an average age of 6,95 years (+0,69) constituted the experimental group, while a control group with ADHD with an average age of 7,2 years (+0,79) and a control group without ADHD with an average age of 7,12 years (+0,60) did not receive any intervention and just participated in the pre– and post–test opportunity. A two–way cross–tabulation table was used to determine the changes in ocular motor control functions. These results mainly revealed that practically significant changes occurred in all three groups, be it improvement or deterioration in the various classes of ocular motor control. It appears that as far as horizontal and vertical visual tracking is concerned, and with convergence–divergence, more subjects were moved back from Class 3 (serious cases) to Class 1 (no deficits) and 2 (moderate deficits) in particular than in the other two groups that had received no intervention. Independent t–testing was used to analyse intragroup differences in the visual–motor integration subdivisions, while a covariance analysis (ANCOVA) (corrected for pre–test differences) was used to determine adjusted average post–test difference values. These results revealed that the motor coordination of the intervention group improved more than that of the control group with ADHD (p=0,18). This can lead to the conclusion that the intervention programme did have an effect on this specific skill. Abstract The overall indications of the results are that learners with ADHD have a general tendency to achieve poorer results in ocular motor control tests and with skills involving visual–motor integration, visual perception and motor coordination than learners without ADHD. Although only a minor improvement was identified in the experimental group after participation in the intervention programme, it is recommended with regard to motor coordination in particular that a similar programme be compiled for ADHD learners that focuses more specifically on the ocular motor control needs of each learner, and that it be presented on a more individual basis in order to accomplish greater improvement. / Thesis (M.A. (Kinderkinetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The visual system and good ocular motor control play an important role in the effective development of gross motor, sport, fine motor and academic skills (Erhardt et al., 1988:84; Desrocher, 1999:36; Orfield, 2001:114). Various researchers report a link between ocular motor problems and attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Cheatum & Hammond, 2000:263; Farrar et al., 2001:441; Gould et al., 2001:633; Armstrong & Munoz, 2003:451; Munoz et al., 2003:510; Borsting et al., 2005:588; Hanisch et al., 2005:671; Mason et al., 2005:1345; Loe et al., 2009:432). A few studies were carried out to analyse the links between ADHD and ocular motor control with regard to matters like visual attention, visual perception and ocular motor control like eye movement outside the normal fixation point, but no studies have been reported on the status of the ocular motor control of South African populations, and the effect of visual–motor intervention on the ocular motor control or visual–motor integration of learners with ADHD. The aim of the study was twofold, namely firstly to determine the ocular motor control functions and status of visual–motor integration of a selected group of 6– tot 8–year–old learners with ADHD in Brakpan, South Africa, while the second aim was to determine whether a visualmotor– based intervention programme can improve the ocular motor control and status of the visual–motor integration of a selected group of 6– to 8–year–old learners with ADHD in Brakpan, South Africa. Statistica for Windows 2010 was used to analyse the data. The Sensory Input Screening measuring instrument and the Quick Neurological Screening Test II (QNST–II) were used to assess the ocular motor control functions (fixation, ocular alignment, visual tracking and convergence–divergence), while the Beery Developmental Test of Visual–Motor Integration (VMI–4de weergawe) was used to determine the status of the learners’ visual–motor integration (VMI), visual perception (VP) and motor coordination (MC). The Disruptive Behaviour Scale, a checklist for ADHD (Bester, 2006), was used as measuring instrument to identify the learners with ADHD. Fifty–six learners (31 boys, 25 girls, with an average age of 7,03 years +0,65) participated in the pre–test and were divided into an ADHD (n=39) and a non–ADHD (n=16) group for aim one. Two–way tables were used to determine the percentage of ocular motor control deficits in the learners with and without ADHD, and an independent t–test was used to analyse the visual–motor integration of these learners. The Pearson Chi–squared test was used to determine the practical significance of differences in VMI and VP (d>0,05). The results of the study reveal that the majority of learners displayed ocular motor control deficits, regardless of whether they were classified with ADHD or not. The biggest percentage of learners fell into Class 2 (moderate deficits), particularly with regard to horizontal (68,57%; 52,63%; w=0,16) and vertical tracking (65,71%; 73,68%), as well as convergence–divergence (80%; 78,95%; w=0,11). However, it appears that ADHD learners experience more serious problems (Class 3) with visual tracking than learners without ADHD (both eyes: 22,86%; compared to 10,53% (w=0,22); right eye: 11,43% compared to 0% (p=0,05; w=0,34); left eye: 14,29% compared to 0% (p=0,02; w=0,38)). Learners with and without ADHD displayed a practically significant difference with respect to visual perception (d=0,37) and motor coordination (d=0,5) compared to learners without ADHD (who achieved better results). For aim 2 the subjects were divided into three groups. A pre–test–post–test design compiled from an availability sample of three groups (intervention group with ADHD (n=20); control group with ADHD (n=10) and control group without ADHD (n=17)) was used for this part of the study. The intervention group participated in a nine–week (3x/week and for 45 minutes) visualmotor– based intervention programme in which the ocular motor control functions section was applied for about 5 minutes per learner. Forty–seven learners (25 boys and 22 girls) with an average age of 6,95 years (+0,69) constituted the experimental group, while a control group with ADHD with an average age of 7,2 years (+0,79) and a control group without ADHD with an average age of 7,12 years (+0,60) did not receive any intervention and just participated in the pre– and post–test opportunity. A two–way cross–tabulation table was used to determine the changes in ocular motor control functions. These results mainly revealed that practically significant changes occurred in all three groups, be it improvement or deterioration in the various classes of ocular motor control. It appears that as far as horizontal and vertical visual tracking is concerned, and with convergence–divergence, more subjects were moved back from Class 3 (serious cases) to Class 1 (no deficits) and 2 (moderate deficits) in particular than in the other two groups that had received no intervention. Independent t–testing was used to analyse intragroup differences in the visual–motor integration subdivisions, while a covariance analysis (ANCOVA) (corrected for pre–test differences) was used to determine adjusted average post–test difference values. These results revealed that the motor coordination of the intervention group improved more than that of the control group with ADHD (p=0,18). This can lead to the conclusion that the intervention programme did have an effect on this specific skill. Abstract The overall indications of the results are that learners with ADHD have a general tendency to achieve poorer results in ocular motor control tests and with skills involving visual–motor integration, visual perception and motor coordination than learners without ADHD. Although only a minor improvement was identified in the experimental group after participation in the intervention programme, it is recommended with regard to motor coordination in particular that a similar programme be compiled for ADHD learners that focuses more specifically on the ocular motor control needs of each learner, and that it be presented on a more individual basis in order to accomplish greater improvement. / Thesis (M.A. (Kinderkinetics))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.