Orientador: Sadao Omote / Banca: Maria de Lourdes Horiguela / Banca: Maria Alves de Toledo Bruns / Resumo: A longevidade da espécie humana tem sido pesquisada mundialmente com objetivos diversos. Com o conhecimento das implicações biológicas, psicológicas e sociais do envelhecimento, a sociedade pode melhorar as condições de saúde, lazer, cultura e educação das pessoas, além de, ao favorecer o contato intergeracional, diminuir o preconceito ao idoso permitindo que os conhecimentos da tradição cultural sejam aprendidos e multiplicados pelos jovens. Este estudo se propôs investigar se as Universidades Abertas à Terceira Idade poderiam funcionar como uma rede de apoio afetivo e social para seus alunos. Através de dois instrumentos para medir atitudes, avaliaram-se as redes que funcionariam como suporte afetivo e social. Como rede afetiva, os alunos escolheram os filhos, marido e netos e por extensão, os cunhados e irmãos. Em situações difíceis, a oração e a fé forneciam apoios importantes. Entes queridos falecidos também foram lembranças que confortavam. Como rede social, médicos, vizinhos, serviçais, amigos conquistados na UNATI, professores, monitores e a coordenação foram referidos como suportes importantes em suas vidas. Conclui-se que as UNATIS foram consideradas pela população estudada, como importantes redes de apoio social. / Abstract: The longevity of human specie has been worldwide researched with different objectives. With the knowledge about the biological, psychological and sociological implications of aging, society could look up for the people health, leisure, culture and education conditions, and while improving the intergeneration contact, decrease prejudice against the elder, allowing the knowledge about the cultural tradition to be learned and multiplied by the youth. This study proposed to investigate if the Universities for the Elderly (UNATI) could work as an emotional and social support network for its students. It was evaluated, by two instruments that measure attitudes, the networks that could work as emotional and social supports. Students chose kids, husband and grandchildren as the emotional support network, and for extension, brothers-in-law and brothers. In difficult situations, prayer and faith were important supports. Deceased dear relatives were supporting memories, too. As the social network, doctors, neighbors, employees, friends from UNATI and its professors, monitors and co-ordination, were referred to be important supports in their lives. The conclusion of this research was that UNATIs were considered an important social support network. / Doutor

Cette thèse s’intéresse à la relation de long-terme entre la longévité et le développement économique. Dans le premier chapitre, j’analyse l’impact des dépenses de santé sur la croissance et le bien-être. Pour cela, j’étudie l’influence du taux d’imposition dans une économie avec temps de vie endogène (Chakraborty (2004)). Je détermine le taux d’imposition qui maximise le taux de croissance. Puis je m’intéresse aux variations du niveau de production dans l’état stationnaire par rapport au taux d’imposition. Enfin, j’étudie le taux d’imposition qui maximise le bien-être dans l’état stationnaire. Dans le second chapitre, j'analyse l’impact sur la croissance de dépenses de santé choisies par les agents. En effet, je développe un modèle de croissance endogène dans lequel les individus peuvent dépenser des ressources pour vivre plus longtemps dans leur période de retraite. Je donne une caractérisation complète de l’équilibre général dynamique puis je détermine l’impact sur la croissance des dépenses de santé. Enfin, le troisième chapitre étudie l’impact théorique du vieillissement sur l’allocation sectorielle des travailleurs. Je développe un modèle multi-sectoriel dans lequel j’examine les conséquences sur le revenu par travailleur et l’allocation sectorielle des travailleurs d’un choc de longévité et de fertilité. Je montre que contrairement aux modèles uni-sectoriels, le revenu n’est pas forcément monotone par rapport aux variables démographiques. Des chocs démographiques réalistes produisent des mouvements non-négligeables de travailleurs. / This dissertation is interested in the long-run relationship between longevity and economic development. In the first chapter, I analyse the impact of health expenditures on economic growth and welfare. For this, I study the influence of the tax rate in an economy à la Chakraborty (2004). I first determine the growth-maximizing tax rate, which is shown to be 0 in low-income countries. Second, I show that the steady-state income level is an inverted U-shaped function or a decreasing function of the tax rate. Third, I study the tax rate that maximizes the steady-state welfare level. In the second chapter, I propose a theoretical model to study the growth impacts of health expenditures chosen by the agents. Indeed, I develop a Diamond model with endogenous growth in which young individuals can spend resources to increase their longevity in retirement period. I give a full characterization of the dynamic general equilibrium and determine the growth impacts of health expenditures. They can speed up or slow down economic growth. They can be a barrier or a necessity for growth to take place. A calibration to OECD countries suggests that the latter case is the most likely one. Finally, the third chapter studies the theoretical impact of the aging process on the sectorial labor allocation. To this aim, I develop a multi-sector two-period overlapping generations model in which I examine the consequences of both a longevity shift and a fertility shift on the labor allocation of the economy and on the income per worker level. I show that contrary to one-sector models, the income per worker level is not necessarily monotonic with respect to demographic variables. Realistic demographic shocks are also shown to create significant labor reallocation across sectors.

Parental and offspring life spans are modestly associated and a transmission of disease risk from parents to offspring has been proposed as a possible explanation. Using birth cohort data consisting of 86 168 offspring and their parents, the aim of this explorative study was to quantify and describe the association between parental age-at-death and risk of disease in offspring over a 33-year follow-up period. Hospitalizations due to diseases of the circulatory, musculoskeletal, and digestive systems, as well as mental and behavioural disorders and neoplasms were studied using standard survival analysis methods. Increased parental age-at-death was clearly associated with lower hazard rates for all disease outcomes except for neoplasms. Offspring to short-lived parents had a 59% higher hazard rate (HR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.52 – 1.67, p<0.00) for hospitalization due to circulatory diseases compared to offspring of long-lived parents. For all disease outcomes except for neoplasms, there was a strong gradient in the offspring’s hazard rates based on parental age-at-death. Hazard rates were only minimally reduced when adjusting for parental SEI and parental household income. The results support a disease-mediated pathway linking parental age-at-death to disease risk in offspring across a wide range of disease outcomes.

The achievement gap stands as one of the top priorities framing educational policy through the past half-century. The middle school level amplifies this gap especially in urban areas. The role of principal leadership in closing the achievement gap is key. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the leadership styles of principals assigned to Title I middle schools, staff longevity, school climate, and overall school achievement. The researcher applied a non-experimental, ex-post facto research design to investigate the research hypotheses. Utilizing the Google Survey Platform, 290 staff members across 30 middle schools within a large urban school district in southeast Florida, completed a survey which included questions related to longevity, and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ Form 5x). Results of the school district’s School Climate Survey, Staff Form, were employed to gauge school climate. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed several significant positive associations between transformational leadership and numerous of the academic areas explored (e.g., reading learning gains of the lowest quartile, math proficiency, and social studies proficiency). In contrast to what was predicted, transactional leadership, also positively predicted some of the academic achievement factors evaluated (e.g., math proficiency, and math learning gains). Staff longevity negatively predicted school grade. Staff climate positively predicted math proficiency, and math learning gains. On the other hand, staff climate negatively predicted school grade, the three factors related to reading achievement (e.g., proficiency, learning gains, and learning gains of the lowest quartile), and social studies proficiency. New research questions arose as a result of the investigation. Further research is recommended that examines the leadership variables explored within a larger sample, and in other geographical areas with similar demographics. As well, additional research is suggested involving staff longevity and school climate alongside a measure of collective instructional efficacy where urban schools are concerned.

El presente estudio es de carácter cualitativo y de diseño fenomenológico, tuvo como objetivo describir las representaciones sociales de la vejez en un grupo de mujeres adulto mayores en Lima metropolitana. Se utilizó como instrumento de recolección de datos la entrevista semiestructurada a profundidad. El escenario de la investigación se ubicó en una asociación de hipertensos, con seis mujeres adultas mayores. Como resultado de la investigación se obtuvo que las adultas mayores adoptan diferentes creencias de su entorno cercano como familiares e hijos. Asimismo, la vejez es vista como una etapa de nuevas oportunidades, tranquilidad, abandono y cambios fisiológicos. / This is a qualitative study with a phenomenological design, the objective of which was to describe the social representations of old age in a group of elderly women in metropolitan Lima. A semi-structured in-depth interview was used as a data collection instrument. The research scenario was located in an association of hypertensive patients, with six elderly women. As a result of the research, it was found that older women adopt different beliefs from their close environment such as family members and children. Also, old age is seen as a stage of new opportunities, tranquility, abandonment, and physiological changes. / Tesis

Hoarding a too large cash reserve is often unfavourable due to lost investment opportunities. Similarly, an insufficient cash reserve can be detrimental, as one might fail to meet payment obligations. Finding the optimal balance is nothing that is done in the blink of an eye, particularly when the underlying variable is stochastic, e.g., the life span of a human being. Resscapital is a fund manager investing in the secondary and tertiary markets for life insurance policies, also known as the life settlements market. They are currently on a mission to set up a closed-end fund where one of the main challenges is balancing the invested capital and the amount of capital set aside for payment obligations. The stochastic nature of life insurance policies entails the difficulty to foresee future premium payments and face value payouts. Without a model forecasting the cash flows, decisions regarding the cash reserve are based on nothing better than a guesstimate. Thus, with the aim to help determine the minimum cash reserve required to cover the payment obligations, this thesis was initiated. By developing a methodology based on general theory, the objective of this thesis is reached and the purpose fulfilled. The proposed model uses Monte Carlo simulation to generate scenarios that eventually creates a distribution of required cash reserves. Following the inversion principle, the remaining lifetime for each and every individual is simulated from their empirical distribution of survival probabilities, respectively. After simulating the occurrences of demise, an algorithm builds up the cash flows for the entire fund term for that specific scenario based on predetermined parameters. Since cash flows stem from both assets and management, the portfolio must be revalued continuously, demanding a gradual evaluation of the cash flows during the fund term. Repeated a large number of times, the quantile corresponding to any confidence level is attained by using a Value at Risk methodology. Analysis of the results and sensitivity analysis on the parameters provides a deeper understanding of the underlying factors, revealing, among other things, that longevity risk for policies with short life expectancy is a key driver of the required cash reserve. Furthermore, validation of the model shows that the results are sufficient and serve the purpose well.

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Typdetaljer för olika byggnadsdelar som finns tillgängliga på internet och i böcker är idag begränsade i sin utformning. Terrasstak och källarväggar har båda en utmanande konstruktion där det ställs höga krav på utformning då de är husets skydd mot det yttre klimatet. Uppdragsgivaren WSP hade upplevt ett problem med att konstruktörer på företaget ritade olika vid projektering av dessa typer av detaljer. Företaget ville därför hitta en metod där konstruktörerna kunde utgå från samma typdetaljer. Syftet med detta arbete var att underlätta kvalitetssäkringen av konstruktionsdetaljer vid projektering av terrasstak och källarväggar genom att skapa ett underlag att utgå ifrån. Målet blev då att framställa tydliga typdetaljer med tillhörande teknisk beskrivning. Genom litteraturstudier, projektgranskningar, samtal med konstruktörer och experter på och utanför företaget har underlag insamlats. Ett underlag som sedan legat till grund för analys och slutsats. Analys och slutsats genomfördes utifrån ett livslängdsperspektiv med fokus på aspekterna; byggbarhet, fuktsäkerhet, robusthet och kostnad. Resultatet visade tydligt att konstruktörerna ritat dessa detaljer olika och att de inte alltid har kunnat motivera sina val. Resultatet visade också att gällande terrasstak är det omvända konceptet det bästa ur livslängdssynpunkt och för källarväggar är det viktigt att väggen hålls varm och torr. För både källarväggar och terrasstak råder flera olika förutsättningar som påverkat framtagningen av typdetaljer. Slutligen resulterade arbetet i två typdetaljer för terrasstak och tre för källarväggar. / Construction details available on the Internet and in books for various building components are today limited in their design. Terraces and cellar walls both have a challenging construction where high demands are made, as they are the house's protection against the external climate.   The initiator WSP had experienced a problem that designers at the company designed differently when designing these types of details. The company therefore wanted to find a method where the designers could use the same type details as guidance.   The purpose of this work was to facilitate the quality assurance of design details when designing terrace roofs and cellar walls by creating a basis for starting. The goal was then to produce clear construction details with an accompanying technical description.   Through literature studies, project reviews, conversations with designers and experts on and outside the company, information has been collected to a sufficient extent as a basis for analysis and conclusion. Analysis and conclusion were conducted based on a longevity perspective focusing on the aspects; constructability, moisture safety, robustness and cost. The result clearly showed that the designers at the office designed these details differently and that they could not always justify their choices. The result also showed that the terrace roof as per the reverse concept is the best solution according to the longevity perspective, and for cellar walls is the important aspects to keep the wall dry and warm. For both cellar walls and terraces, there are different conditions that affect the production of construction details. This eventually led to two types construction details of terrace roofs and three for cellar walls.

The thesis examines two interrelated topics; the perception of management theory in general, and the efficacy of the learning organisation in particular. The purpose of this thesis, therefore, is to compare the rhetoric espoused in the learning organisation literature with a survey of senior managers in large, commercial organisations. The results revealed a positive disposition towards business and management theory in general. The survey also demonstrated that leadership is considered the most important variable in the success of a company. This is facilitated through the attraction and retention of the appropriate staff and creating sufficient space for them to operate. Learning is embedded by anticipating the future, learning from the past and enabling good communication. However, the latter is balanced through change management. This is derived through legitimate authority and a reliance on planning. Finally, a strategy of experimentation is balanced by challenging industry rules. Themes involving politics, corporate alignment and corporate longevity were found to have relatively little convergent validity. The third section of the questionnaire reveals a positive disposition towards the learning organisation. The contribution of this thesis is in three areas. First, it is the only work to evaluate the anti-guru school. Second is the development of a syncretic model of learning organisation concept using structural equation modelling. Finally, it explains and examines the largely misunderstood concept of management fashions.

M. Tech. (Department of Logistics Management, Faculty of Management Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The food retail industry is an important contributor to the economy. Buyers and suppliers in this industry work in collaboration with each other to achieve superior supply chain performance. To achieve this, they have to find ways and methods to improve it. The purpose of this study was to investigate the drivers of supply chain performance in the food retail industry in the Gauteng province. This study considers three of these drivers, namely buyer-supplier trust, buyer-supplier commitment and supply chain relationship longevity. A quantitative approach was adopted in which a survey questionnaire was used to collect data from 429 managers and staff members from food retailing firms in the Gauteng province. The study used a non-probability convenience sampling technique to select respondents. Data were analysed with the aid of two software packages, namely the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 24.0) and the Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS version 24.0). A confirmatory factor analysis was applied in examining and testing the relationships between observed constructs and their causal latent constructs while structural equation modelling was used to test the hypothesised relationships between constructs. The results of the research revealed that buyer-supplier trust, buyer-supplier commitment and supply chain relationship longevity positively and significantly influence supply chain performance. Buyer-supplier trust exerted a positive and significant influence on both buyersupplier commitment and relationship longevity. Also, the results showed that buyer-supplier commitment has a positive and significant influence on relationship longevity. The study concludes that to achieve greater supply chain performance, food retailers should expedite the levels of trust, commitment and length of relationships with their suppliers. The results of this study provide useful insights on how businesses in the food retail industry could benefit from trust, commitment and relationship longevity as well as on how to improve supply chain performance. The results of this study contribute to the existing body of knowledge by generating new information on buyer-supplier relationships. Therefore, the study is useful to buyers and suppliers in the food retail industry who wish to enhance supply chain performance and develop better relationships.