Univ., Habil.-Schr.--Frankfurt (Main), 1997. / Literaturverz. S. [715] - 760.

Zugl.: Köln, Universiẗat, Diss., 2005 u.d.T.: Trunk, Achim: Ausweg Europa.

Recent studies on networking, social capital and elites have done much to expand academic knowledge in each of these topic areas. Elites are defined in several ways, including their attributes and their use of and access to power. However, far less research has been conducted on how those attributes and/or power are used by local political elites. A great deal of research has also been conducted on social capital, what it is and how it can benefit society, but less work has been done on the local politician’s individual production and use of social capital. Despite the important role that networks and networking play in producing social capital, local elite networks thus remain largely unexplored. We know little of how their networks are constructed and used in the pursuance of status and less on how the elite adapt the use of their networks in response to socio-economic change. In focusing on the construction and use of social capital networks by the Borough Aldermen and Councillors in Northampton over the longue durée, this work redresses those shortcomings. The research uses a large number and variety of sources which provide a wealth of qualitative and quantitative data with which to explore elite networking and social capital in the town. The work contributes towards furthering academic knowledge on how elites gain maintain and propagate status. The research reveals that the elite use two different constructs of networks, each of which provides different benefits for the user. It is the symbiosis of these networks which enables the political elite to respond to socio-economic and political events. The research also finds that overlapping networks produce the largest exchange of social capital, which is translated into gaining and maintaining status. It is clear that, over the longue durée, the importance of business networks in producing social capital has drastically reduced, and has been replaced by the growing importance of political association membership. It is also evident in the research that the expansion of formal institutions in the business and political arenas has led to individual Councillors and Aldermen making strategic choices. Using a market mentality of returns, they decide which networks give greater social capital and are thus more valuable and useful in gaining and maintaining elite status.

The purpose of this research programme was to propose a new structure for judo coaching. Judo coaching predominantly uses traditional methods emphasising progression through belts rather than success in competition as the measure of achievement. The research programme examined this issue in four stages involving seven studies. Stage 1 involved a qualitative examination of five elite coaches on what constitutes an effective coach, leading to the initial development of a 39-item judo coaching scale. Given the importance of demonstrating measures are valid, stage 2 investigated the validity of the scale among judo players and coaches. Factor analytic studies on data from 260 (130 coaches and 130 players) yielded a 7-factor solution; 1) Coaching is about winning, 2) Attitudes to coaching at different levels, 3) Attitudes to judo structure, 4) Relationships with players, 5) Presentational issues, 6) Technical knowledge link to coach level, and 7) Coach-player interactions. Multisample confirmatory factor analysis found support for the invariance of the model between coaches and players, thereby showing that relationships are consistent between different groups. Stage 3 used a multi-method approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods. Responses to the judo coaching scale indicated perceptions of coach effectiveness vary as a function of being a player or a coach, and by level of participation (elite-v-non-elite). Qualitative results emphasise the importance of emotional control, an aspect not focused on in the interviews completed in stage 1. Stage 4 of the research investigated relationships between judo coaching scale scores and emotional intelligence. The study also investigated levels of emotional intelligence between elite and club coaches. High emotional intelligence is associated is proposed to be indicative of being able to manage the emotional states of other people and so should be a desirable quality in coaches. Results show significant relationship between judo coaching scale score and emotional intelligence factors, with further analysis showing that elite coaches reported higher emotional intelligence scores than club coaches. Based on the findings from the studies completed above, a revised judo coaching structure is presented. An elite structure should be based on players having specific performance targets including technical and tactical skills, psychological, and physiological, aligning judo more closely with the structure used in other Olympic sports. Coaches should also be given targets related to developing emotional control among players and instilling players with a self-belief to attain performance targets related to the above. Effective integration and usage of such personnel is required including developing and inculcating sport science knowledge into the practice of elite coaches, and then modifying this knowledge for use in the club system. It is hoped that findings from this research stimulates discussion, and action in the British Judo Association to revise the current system, which could lead to better judo coaching, better players, and ultimately enhanced Olympic success at London 2012.

published_or_final_version / History / Master / Master of Philosophy

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No description available.

Training stress in the absence of adequate recovery has been associated with a decrease in well-being and performance. Thus, there is potential for the high training and competition loads that elite English youth football players experience to have a negative effect on wellbeing and performance. The aim of the thesis was to assess the utility of well-being and physical performance assessments in managing the development of elite English youth football players. The first study (Chapter 4) examined the sensitivity of a subjective well-being questionnaire (WQ; developed ‘in-house’ by sport science practitioners at a category two academy and only taking < 30 s to complete), by comparing the player’s next day responses between two acute training bouts of varied duration; 15 mins (low load) compared to 90 mins (high load) high intensity intermittent exercise (Loughborough intermittent shuttle test, LIST). WQ items showed small to large deteriorations following the high load compared to low load (d=0.4-1.5, P=0.03-0.57). The ability of the WQ to differentiate between responses to high and low training loads indicated that this questionnaire could be used to detect training induced stress prior to training on a daily basis throughout the season. Other modes of monitoring assessment evaluated were either not sensitive to differentiate between high and low loads (countermovement jump; CMJ) or detected differences between high and low training load responses (HR indices) but lacked utility in detecting individual changes. The second study (Chapter 5) applied well-being and physical performance assessments to elite English youth football players during a high intensity, low volume pre-season training period. Trivial changes in perception of WQ items of sleep, recovery, appetite, fatigue, stress and muscle soreness were observed across weeks (P=0.35-0.93, 2 P  =0.02-0.08) with no negative WQ responses evident. Internal training load was lower to a large extent in week 1 (P= < 0.001, 2P  =0.54) yet no differences in internal training load were evident across weeks two, three, four and five. Trivial to small associations (r=-0.21 to 0.19) between internal training load and WQ responses were observed. Small to moderate improvements in aerobic performance were evident post training in comparison with pre training (P < 0.001-0.53, d= 0.33 – 0.94) with a large to moderate improvement in submaximal HR measures (P < 0.001 – 0.09; 2 P  = 0.34 - 0.74) observed across the training weeks. Trivial to moderate impairments in neuromuscular performance were evident post training in comparison with pre training (P < 0.001 – 0.21; d=0.17 – 1.00). Collectively, the preservation of well-being prior to each training session during a pre-season period and improvements in aspects of physical performance were indicative of a balance between stress and recovery. The third study (Chapter 6) examined player perceptions of well-being and physical performance across a season in Elite English youth football players. Increases in training exposure (P < 0.05; 2 P  =0.52) and moderate to large deteriorations in perceptions of well-being (motivation, sleep quality, recovery, appetite, fatigue, stress, muscle soreness P < 0.05; 2 P  =0.30-0.53) were evident as the season progressed. A large improvement in Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test performance (Yo-Yo IRT; P < 0.05; 2 P  =0.93) and a small to moderate impairment in neuromuscular performance (P > 0.05; 2 P  =0.18 - 0.48) was observed as the season progressed. These findings show an imbalance between stress and recovery in English elite youth football players even when players experienced lower training exposure than stipulated by the elite player performance plan (EPPP). In summary, this thesis highlights the potential utility of subjective well-being assessments to inform the management English elite youth football player development. Furthermore, it highlights the high training volumes that English elite youth players are exposed can potentially lead to an imbalance between stress and recovery.

Esta tese analisa a presença dos negros na alta burocracia brasileira que exerciam no período entre 2003-2010, cargos de Direção e Assessoramento Superior (DAS) nos mais variados ministérios e, principalmente, na Secretaria de Políticas de Promoção da Igualdade Racial (SEPPIR) e na Fundação Cultural Palmares. A hipótese central aqui defendida é a de que os mesmos podem ser considerados elites burocráticas nos moldes daquilo que Wright Mills denominou como “método posicional”. O estudo focalizou num grupo de 104 negros que ocupavam cargos de confiança na administração federal em Brasília por ser essa cidade considerada o centro do poder. A partir daí, por intermédio da prosopografia se analisou os dados relativos à trajetória social e políticas destes negros que compõem a alta burocracia brasileira, bem como a sua relação com os movimentos sociais, partidos políticos, sindicatos e sociedade. Além disso, conhecer a sua formação acadêmica, formas de recrutamento, experiência profissional, relevância do cargo ocupado e então, traçar uma radiografia destes negros que ocupam ou ocuparam cargos no governo federal e verificar se existe um caminho para as posições de poder semelhante a outros grupos de elite no Brasil. / This thesis analyzes the presence of blacks in Brazilian high bureaucracy exercised in the period between 2003-2010, Director of positions and Superior Consulting (DAS) in various ministries and especially the Secretariat for the Promotion of Racial Equality (SEPPIR) and the Palmares Cultural Foundation. The central hypothesis defended here is that they can be considered bureaucratic elites along the lines of what Wright Mills termed as "Positional method". The study focused on a group of 104 black held positions of trust in the federal government in Brasilia to be this city considered the center of power. From there, through the prosopography analyzed data on the social and political trajectory of these blacks who make up the Brazilian high bureaucracy, as well as their relationship with the social movements, political parties, trade unions and society. Also, know your academic background, forms of recruitment, work experience, relevance of the position held and then draw a radiograph of those blacks who hold or have held positions in the federal government and whether there is a way for the similar positions of power to other elite groups in Brazil.

Socióloga / En Chile, la cuestión de la ‘puerta giratoria’ - entendida como el flujo de personal entre altos cargos políticos y empresariales - ha sido objeto de escasa atención pública y académica, no obstante conlleva enormes externalidades para el funcionamiento de las instituciones democráticas y las condiciones de competencia en el mercado. A partir de los debates planteados por los teóricos de la sociología de las élites, el presente estudio buscó indagar en la magnitud y las principales características del tránsito de personal desde las altas posiciones políticas a los cargos directivos en grandes empresas. Se construyó una muestra aleatoria simple a partir del universo conformado por los cargos directivos de las empresas de mayor tamaño con información pública disponible hacia el año 2013. La producción de información se llevó a cabo a partir de la metodología de revisión documental, y se aplicaron procedimientos de análisis estadístico univariados y bivariados. Los resultados muestran que, en comparación a otros países, la incorporación de directores con trayectoria política (DTP) es un fenómeno muy extendido en las grandes empresas chilenas, y que la trayectoria política se asocia con características como la presencia en múltiples directorios, en múltiples actividades económicas, y en industrias altamente reguladas y competitivas (sector financiero). Asimismo, los resultados dan cuenta de que la mayor parte de los DTP ocuparon cargos políticos no electos en el marco de gobiernos de derecha. En suma, se sugiere que esta modalidad de vinculación inter-elitaria se sustenta en la valoración del capital político que los directores aportan a las empresas. Asimismo, cuestionan la visión de que el Estado y los empresarios se han constituido como agentes autónomos en las últimas décadas. Por último, muestran que la expansión de la racionalidad tecnocrática conlleva la emergencia de nuevos mecanismos selectivos para incidir en la esfera política