The study is concerned with perception and management of risk by decision makers in the competitive bidding sector of the British Construction industry. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate that, contrary to the implicit assumption of earlier research on this subject, perception and management of risk in decision making is not an exclusive preserve of buyers alone, but that sellers also perceive and manage risks in their selling decision making process. The study was concerned mainly with seller organisations. However, customers were also included so that comparisons between the views of sellers and the buyers could be made on a limited number of issues in order to reinforce particular points of view. In spite of the exploratory nature of the study, three hypotheses, based on the literature review, were examined. After a careful consideration of relevant factors, 200 construction companies of different sizes, operating in the competitive bidding sector of the industry, and 150 customers representing nine different sectors, were selected at random for the main and the subsidiary samples respectively. A questionnaire, with a covering letter, was mailed direct to the Managing Director or Chief Executive of each of the organisations included in the samples. From the main sample, 63.5% responded, out of which 47.0% of the replies were usable. In the case of the subsidiary sample, 67.3% responded, out of which 56.0% of the replies were usable. Data analysis indicated that, (a) most construction companies - the sellers - perceived and managed risks in their contract selling decision making process; (b) in spite of the relevance of the marketing concept, most traditional marketing methods were not effective in the competitive bidding sector of the industry; and (c) a careful evaluation of the critical phases through which a contract decision process evolved was essential for effective management of risks inherent in construction contracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2002. / "July 2002." Includes bibliographical references (p. 174-193).

The risks and opportunities that climate change presents for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) have been largely overlooked by previous research (Schaefer et al. 2011, Williams & Schaefer 2013). The subsequent lack of knowledge in this field makes a meaningful, profitable and sustainable engagement of SMEs with climate change challenging. Current research has difficulty explaining (1) why SMEs rarely engage with climate change (2) how climate change is currently communicated to SMEs and (3) how SMEs overcome the knowledge gap between business practice and climate change science (cf. Hoffman 2004, 2006, Hart 2007, Goodall 2008). In this thesis I critically examine 31 SMEs which engage with climate change knowledges, 5 Innovation-Support-Organizations (ISOs) which communicate climate change knowledges and 2 business-led communities of practice that discuss climate change-related business practices. Over a three-year period, I explore why and how business leaders approach the knowledge gap between climate change science and business practice, drawing on a variety of ethnographic research methods: (1) in-depth semi-structured and open interviews; (2) participant observations; (3) practitioner's workshops; and (4) an online survey. My research demonstrates that the participating ISOs communicate climate change in an overly simplistic way. The participating ISOs focus on persuading business leaders to engage with climate change. The participating business leaders who hear this persuasive message are already willing to engage with climate change. Their motivations to engage are lay-knowledge-dependent, derived from personal values, space and place identity. What the participating business leaders require is practical advice on how to mitigate the impact of, and adapt to, climate change, and they therefore try to overcome the limitations of current climate change communication through forming and joining communities of practice. By doing this, they can make sense of climate change in specialist niche communities and benefit from social belief systems. To enhance the number of SMEs engaging with climate change, I recommend that the participating ISOs target the personal values of business leaders and actively use these specialist niche communities niches within which the participating business leaders develop business practice to learn about climate change-related business practices themselves. Overall, my PhD shows that to create meaningful, profitable and sustainable engagement with climate change, business leaders and ISOs, as well as governments and society, need to address their "confusion and anxiety about the goals, ambitions and destinies [they] foresee" for themselves (Hulme 2013: 298).

Tato disertační práce se zabývá problematikou zpracování vysokofrekvenčních časových řad. Zaměřuje se na návrh algoritmů a metod pro podporu predikce těchto dat. Výsledkem je model pro podporu řízení rozhodovacího procesu implementovaný do platformy pro komplexní zpracování dat. Model navrhuje způsob formalizace množiny podnikových pravidel, které popisují rozhodovací proces. Navržený model musí vyhovovat splnění požadavků na robustnost, rozšiřitelnost, zpracování v reálném čase a požadavkům ekonometriky. Práce shrnuje současné poznatky a metodologie pro zpracování vysokofrekvenčních finančních dat, jejichž zdrojem jsou nejčastěji burzy. První část práce se věnuje popisu základních principů a přístupů používaných pro zpracování vysokofrekvenčních časových dat v současné době. Další část se věnuje popisu podnikových pravidel, rozhodovacího procesu a komplexní platformy pro zpracování vysokofrekvenčních dat a samotnému zpracování dat pomocí zvolené komplexní platformy. Důraz je kladen na výběr a úpravu množiny pravidel, které řídí rozhodovací proces. Navržený model popisuje množinu pravidel pomocí maticové gramatiky. Tato gramatika spadá do oblasti gramatik s řízeným přepisováním a pomocí definovaných matic umožňuje ovlivnit zpracování dat.