The financial crisis started in 2007 caused a global recession. Firms have been facing an extremely difficult time since then. A lot of them experienced a severe drop and fluctuation of profitability. Even so some firms still performed well during the hard time. In this study we are searching for the determinants of comparatively good performance (including both profitability and profit stability) for firms. With an empirical study on Swedish firms, we explored the relationship between several firm variables and firms' performance during the crisis. The result showed that some variables indeed has an impact on performance, among which industry effect was the most influential variable, while diversification strategy also has a positive impact on performance. We stress the benefits of diversification strategy as it is a strategic choice directly made by managers of firms. We suggest that diversification strategy plays an important role in the long-term success of firms, as it has a positive effect on profitability not only when economy is in stable stage, which has been proved by some further literature, but also when the economy is experiencing a recession, which is the result of our study.

The essay intends to problematize the notion of heroism in Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game by contemplating the hero himself as well as his enemies. Particular focus will be placed on the good and evil dichotomy, arguing that it is essential to the heroic tale since the hero is supposed to fight evil and foster good. Seeing that Ender is also a murderer, the matter debated will be that he both is and is not a hero.

This study is to discuss the correlation between artificial buying desire and some of its influential variables, different price promotion on nth good and different buying motivation. For the purpose of study, 360 students of college degree and master degree in Taiwan are categories into five groups based on their buying motivation. They are (1) pursuit convenience group ;(2) pursuit fashion and convenience group; (3) pursuit fashion group; (4) pursuit relationship group and (5) unknowing motivation group. The conclusions of this study are presented as follows: 1. Consumers who face different price promotion on nth good in the convenience store have significant difference. 2. Consumers who have different buying motivation in the convenience store probably have significant difference. 3. Consumers of different buying motivation who have same promotion situation in the convenience store probably have significant difference. The conclusions above are significant to the management in the following aspects. 1. For students of college degree and master degree in Taiwan, nearly 20% still can be developed. 2. Convenience store which uses different price promotion on nth good should seriously consider its effect. 3. Convenience store should design different promotion activities for different consumer of different buying motivation, and try to separate them.

In this paper I explore the question ‘can a good manager be a good person?’ the answer is yes, no, or to a greater or lesser degree. Ultimately it depends on the ends at which the business, in which the manager works, aims towards. For these ends underpin what is ‘rational’ for how a manager should behalf. If a business’ end goal is purely profit maximisation then there is no room for a manager to take moral considerations into account, and therefore be a good person. If a business sees itself as a ‘practice’, consciously aiming to promote the social good the answer is yes, a good manager can be a good person. There are those businesses, and their managers, that fall somewhere in between these two ideal-types.

South Africa has been considered a bastion of democracy on the continent of Africa since its first fully democratic election in 1994. Yet, under its second president since apartheid, Thabo Mbeki, the consolidation of South Africas democratic gains tended to slow or even stagnate. This thesis develops a theoretical backdrop by explaining competing theories of leadership and development in Africa. With Thabo Mbekis promotion of the African Renaissance he should be considered to of promoted a good governance model of growth and leadership within South Africa. To determine whether Mbeki actively followed through in implementing good governance practices as leader of South Africa and the ANC this thesis analyzes three aspects of the African National Congress (ANC): centralization, corruption and the 2007 leadership succession. Through this analysis of these three aspects of the ANC under Mbeki the thesis moves to determine whether the former president should be considered to have cultivated a good governance regime while in office or whether his leadership of South Africa embraced more neopatrimonial logic.<p> This study finds that under Mbeki neopatrimonialism expanded significantly, particularly within the ruling ANC, and can to a certain extent be used to explained Mbekis actions while president of South Africa. Despite actively promoting a good governance agenda this thesis argues that Mbeki contributed to the stagnation of democratic gains in South Africa. This legacy will continue to effect future South African leaders including Mbekis arch-rival Jacob Zuma.

South Africa has been considered a bastion of democracy on the continent of Africa since its first fully democratic election in 1994. Yet, under its second president since apartheid, Thabo Mbeki, the consolidation of South Africas democratic gains tended to slow or even stagnate. This thesis develops a theoretical backdrop by explaining competing theories of leadership and development in Africa. With Thabo Mbekis promotion of the African Renaissance he should be considered to of promoted a good governance model of growth and leadership within South Africa. To determine whether Mbeki actively followed through in implementing good governance practices as leader of South Africa and the ANC this thesis analyzes three aspects of the African National Congress (ANC): centralization, corruption and the 2007 leadership succession. Through this analysis of these three aspects of the ANC under Mbeki the thesis moves to determine whether the former president should be considered to have cultivated a good governance regime while in office or whether his leadership of South Africa embraced more neopatrimonial logic.<p> This study finds that under Mbeki neopatrimonialism expanded significantly, particularly within the ruling ANC, and can to a certain extent be used to explained Mbekis actions while president of South Africa. Despite actively promoting a good governance agenda this thesis argues that Mbeki contributed to the stagnation of democratic gains in South Africa. This legacy will continue to effect future South African leaders including Mbekis arch-rival Jacob Zuma.

Abstract Bachelor’s degree thesis in Business Administration School of Economics and Management, University of Växjö, FEN 330, Spring 2006 Authors: Malin Jansson and Mirja Wynn-Williams Supervisor: Stig Malm How does Good Laboratory Practice improve quality? Background: The quality systems that steer manufacturing of pharmaceutical products from the testing phase to commercial manufacturing are the national and international regulatory frameworks and legislation. Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) is a quality system concerned with the organizational process and the conditions under which non-clinical health and environmental safety studies are planned, performed, monitored, recorded, archived and reported. In Sweden the Medical Products Agency monitors and regulates compliance with the principles of Good Laboratory Practice. Aim: The aim of our thesis is to explore the reasons why companies/laboratories adopt Good Laboratory Practice. We shall do this by identifying the advantages and disadvantages of adopting GLP principles for companies/laboratories, and how quality is improved by adopting GLP principles. We have summarized our aim in one principal question: How does Good Laboratory Practice function as a tool for quality improvement? Limitations: We will focus on GLP, and this thesis will not consider other Good Practice procedures such as Good Manufacturing Practice or Good Clinical Practice. Only laboratories in Sweden monitored by the Medical Products Agency are targeted in the empirical part of this work. Method: Literature research and interviews with GLP contact persons listed by MPA. Results and conclusions: Though costumers’ needs and legislation seem to be the motivations for companies deciding to comply with GLP, quality improvement seems to be the biggest advantage of validation. Proposal for further research: Do laboratory assistants and technical employees differ from management in their experience and views on GLP?

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This paper¡¦s purpose is to highlight the retribution of Taiwanese folktales and hope that through combining stories and religions together to educate people and encourage people to behave good and honest. This paper uses the view of Buddhism and Taoism to analysis 148 pieces of Taiwanese folktales by synthesis, induction and comparison. Hope that in using of the folktales and the religion theory to encourage people to behave good and honest instead of evildoing. Regulating their own behavior by following the good and ethical standards, to make sure that they can live their life safely and healthy. The first chapter includes research motives, methods, scope of the study and documents investigation. Second chapter defines the folk literatures and folk tales¡¦ ways and means of transmission for the relation between Fujian and Taiwanese folk tales and the process of Taiwanese folk tales development. Third chapter is the main part of this paper. First I sorted out Buddhist and Taoist ideas; which are retribution of good and evil, through their classic. Then I analyze the religious view through the pattern of the retribution which happens in the roles of Taiwanese folktales. The main focus is on Buddhism¡¦s causal concept, hell concept and the concept of reincarnation. Taoist concept of celestial theory, remain-sustain theory and Gods dominate over rewards and punishments theory. Fourth chapter discusses about retribution causes, methods and results of the role in the Taiwanese folk tales, as well as the meaning that folktales has on itself. Fifth chapter is to conclude the ideas and theory which were presented in this paper. Buddhism believes cause and effect cycle. Taoist believes that Gods dominate over reward and punishment. Buddhist theory of causation tells us that people who behave badly will become livestock or even fall into hell after death. People who behave good and honest will go to heaven or reincarnate to a good family after death. Taoism theory¡¦s judge system tells people that Gods record each person's words and deeds. People believe "What goes around, comes around" for over thousands of years and it has created a strong constraint among the people. Folktales also help build up this strong constraint force. Perhaps the constraint in people¡¦s mind has grown weaker in this emotionless modern generation. I hope this paper can recall people's minds and the goodness of the heart once again, in hoping that this emotion and believe will last along in the future.

A recent pursuit of the auction design literature has been the development of an auction mechanism which performs well in a multi-good setting, when the goods are not substitutes. This work began in earnest with the Federal Communications Commission spectrum license auctions in the early nineties and continues to this day. In a setting in which goods are not substitutes, the value of one good depends nonnegatively on the quantities of other goods that are won. This type of interdependent value structure has proven difficult to account for in auction design. However, the need for mechanisms that account for such a value structure hinges on the magnitude of the interdependence, whose computation is an empirical exercise. I identify a setting in which to perform this computation. I develop an empirical methodology that allows me to recover bidders' value functions in a multi-good auction setting. This methodology allows me to assess the magnitude of any interdependence in the goods? value structure. Since the auction setting that I analyze is a variation of the standard uniform price auction, which has been adapted for a multi-good setting, I am able to measure the benefit of having a direct revelation mechanism. This counterfactual study is performed by maximizing the value of the auction using the recovered bidder value functions. I find evidence that there is an interdependent value structure in the setting. The counterfactual auction finds that the standard uniform price auction, adapted to a multi-good setting, performs poorly in the presence of such a value structure. The setting for this analysis is an auction for financial transmission rights held in Texas in 2002. The auction involved twenty two firms and collected almost $70 million in revenue. This research is the first to empirically assess efficiency in this type of auction setting.