A inovação, tanto tecnológica como organizacional, deixou de ser um modismo para ocupar um lugar de destaque dentro das organizações. Com a abertura dos mercados e a sofisticação do padrão de exigências de consumidores, tanto no mercado interno, como no exterior, a diferenciação passou a ser palavra de ordem e a inovação uma necessidade. Dentro da inovação tecnológica, as atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento são consideradas essenciais e tem merecido, cada vez mais, a atenção de pesquisadores. Considerada tradicionalmente uma área eminentemente técnica, com foco em concepção de soluções tecnológica e comercialmente viáveis, tem assumido novas atribuições, o que implicou na alteração do seu perfil, passando a interagir com as demais áreas organizacionais. Desta forma, o universo simbólico do grupo de técnicos da área foi ampliado e incluiu no seu repertório novos valores e imagens da organização, influenciando o processo decisório. O presente trabalho de pesquisa, para a tese de doutorado em administração, foi construído com o objetivo de analisar o processo por meio do qual esta dimensão subjetiva se manifesta na área de P&D, no tocante à forma de realizar as atividades desta unidade organizacional, ou seja, internamente ou através de contratos com agentes externos. Considerando as especificidades do referido estudo, optou-se pela abordagem qualitativa, estudo de caso múltiplo, coleta de evidências através de entrevistas não estruturadas e o método de análise de narrativas, em quatro empresas de base tecnológica, localizadas na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre. Apesar das possíveis fragilidades inerentes ao referido método, de natureza interpretativista simbólica, a análise dos quatro casos pesquisados permitiu evidenciar a inclusão de variáveis de cunho subjetivo no processo de decisão na área de P&D, com vista à definição da forma de realização de suas atividades. A referida dimensão subjetiva representou, na maioria das narrativas, a confluência de valores individuais, coletivos (dos grupos e subgrupos organizacionais) e da cultura organizacional, em seus aspectos objetivos e subjetivos, contidos em regras, procedimentos, normas, processos, práticas, imagens, símbolos, sinais, narrativas, mitos, etc. Foi possível verificar, também, que as diversas construções de realidade social, dentro das organizações, propiciam diferentes condições de manifestação de interesses individuais em processos de decisão na área de P&D, condicionando o posicionamento dos indivíduos no tocante à externalização das atividades desta unidade organizacional. Já a maneira como é exercida a influência da cultura organizacional, como também a intensidade e grau de sua efetividade, depende da forma pela qual a cultura foi constituída, da história subjacente à sua construção e da natureza comportamental dos integrantes da organização. No entanto, é importante destacar que o método de análise empregado faculta diferentes percepções, na dependência situacional e contextual, ou seja, permite ao analista "descobrir" novas nuances a cada releitura do mesmo texto, suscitando novas interpretações. / Innovations, technological and organizational, are not considered a fad anymore, occupying now a prominent place within organizations. With the opening of markets and the sophistication of the requirements of the consumers, both domestically and worldwide, differentiation has become something vital for the organizations and innovation a path to reach it. Within the technological innovation, research and development is considered essential and has become, increasingly, object of the attention of researchers. Traditionally considered a highly technical area, focused only on the development of the solutions technological and commercially viable, this unit has assumed new responsibilities, resulting in the change in its profile, through the interaction with other organizational areas. Thus, the symbolic universe of the group of the technicians of this unit was expanded and included in its repertoire new values and images of the organization, influencing decision-making. The research for the present management doctoral theses was built in order to analyze the process by which the subjective dimension is manifested in R & D, specifically in the decisions about how will be performed the activities of this organizational unit, that would be executed internally or through contracts with external agents. Because the specificities of the study, was opted for a qualitative, multiple case study, evidence collection through non structured interviews and the narrative analysis method in four organizations, technology-based, located in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. This methodology, considered adherent to the objectives of the research, despite its nature, interpretative and symbolic, the four cases investigated has highlighted the inclusion of the subjective variables in the decision-making process in R & D in order to define the form in which their activities should be performed. This subjective dimension was represented in the narratives through the confluence of the individual and collectives values, (groups and subgroups organization) oriented by organizational culture in their objective and subjective aspects, reflected in rules, procedures, standards, procedures, practices, images signs, symbols, narratives, myths, etc.. Was evidenced that the various constructions of the social reality within these four organizations provide different conditions for the expression of the interests in the individual decisionmaking in R & D. This different conditions influence individual and collective positions in the relation to the outsourcing of activities of this organizational unit. The way, effectiveness and the intensity of this influence depends on the organizational culture, the story behind its construction and behavioral characteristics of the members of the organization. However, it is important to emphasize that the employed method of analysis provides different perceptions, depending on the situation and context, that is, allows the analyst to "discover" new nuances with each new reading of the text that can inspire new interpretations.

This thesis critically examines the predominant narratives which emanated from political discourse in relation to two significant events in Scotland in 2014 the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and the independence referendum. In particular, the thesis scrutinises the extent to which the staging of the Games in Scotland was exploited politically in relation to debates about Scotland s constitutional future. Given the importance of the referendum and its proximity to the Games, it is unsurprising that the event became intertwined with political positioning from parties on both sides of the constitutional debate. Utilising a novel methodological approach which synthesises analytical frameworks from the field of narrative analysis (Somers, 1994) and political discourse analysis (Fairclough and Fairclough, 2014), this thesis critically examines a range of political discourse sources produced by the five political parties represented in the Scottish Parliament, such as parliamentary speeches, press releases, manifestos and policy documents. Furthermore, the analysis of political discourse is complemented by analysis of nine interviews with MSPs from the respective political parties, namely the Scottish National Party, the Scottish Labour Party, the Scottish Conservatives, the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Green Party. The findings of these complementary analyses are further interrogated through reference to existing academic literature on the relationship between nationalism, politics, sport and international sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games. The thesis identifies a number of emergent findings which make an original contribution to the study of the interconnection between sport, political nationalism and the Commonwealth Games, demonstrating the nuanced and contrasting narratives of the respective pro-independence and pro-union parties with respect to Scotland s constitutional future and the political ramifications of the Games for the independence referendum. These nuanced positions are demonstrated through consideration of: a) the contrasting narratives of the parties on the Games sporting and economic legacy; b) the political symbolism of the Games for Scotland s constitutional status; c) discourse asserting that the Games should remain an apolitical event; d) the nature of cross-party consensus supporting the Games; and, e) the role of the Games and sport in contemporary political communication. Given the emergence of numerous examples within this thesis whereby the Games became embroiled with political considerations, it is hoped that the prevailing political perceptions regarding the apolitical nature of sport can be challenged, thus allowing for a more diverse array of ideological approaches to the politics of sport.

Background: Since athletes are often perceived as unbreakable, their mental health problems might be bypassed or denigrated by their coach, peers or even by the media. However, athletes are as, if not more, susceptible to mental health problems as anyone else. As the media continues to be the primary source of information, the way in which the media portrays mental health problems can affect how people perceive and regard them. In this research, I examined how Finnish elite athletes with mental health problems are portrayed in the Finnish news websites by qualitatively analyzing eight articles of four Finnish athletes, two former and two current. Furthermore, I compared the articles with one another in order to study the eventual differences between each article’s portrayal of the athletes’ mental health problems. Method: This analysis was conducted by applying a narrative discourse schema to the selected eight articles, which enabled me to examine both the structures of the articles as well as the underlying discourses and social context. Results: Nearly all of the articles are framed from the athlete’s point of view in terms of including more citations from the athlete than comments from the journalist. Furthermore, none of the articles regarded mental health problems among athletes in general, but rather portrayed each case as a single incident. Male athletes with a depressive disorder were complimented far more compared to female athletes. Moreover, female athletes eating disorder and anxiety were often associated with appearance and pressure regarding their sports career. Conclusion: The way in which athletes with mental health problems are portrayed in the Finnish news websites can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly, they can be perceived as hopeful recovery stories from the athletes perspective, as they portray how successful athletes can also develop mental health problems and still continue their career. Secondly, by not addressing the problem as a whole nor including any factual information in any of the articles indicates the journalists lack knowledge and/or apathy about the issue, and that it is a difficult subject to portray acceptably.

A inovação, tanto tecnológica como organizacional, deixou de ser um modismo para ocupar um lugar de destaque dentro das organizações. Com a abertura dos mercados e a sofisticação do padrão de exigências de consumidores, tanto no mercado interno, como no exterior, a diferenciação passou a ser palavra de ordem e a inovação uma necessidade. Dentro da inovação tecnológica, as atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento são consideradas essenciais e tem merecido, cada vez mais, a atenção de pesquisadores. Considerada tradicionalmente uma área eminentemente técnica, com foco em concepção de soluções tecnológica e comercialmente viáveis, tem assumido novas atribuições, o que implicou na alteração do seu perfil, passando a interagir com as demais áreas organizacionais. Desta forma, o universo simbólico do grupo de técnicos da área foi ampliado e incluiu no seu repertório novos valores e imagens da organização, influenciando o processo decisório. O presente trabalho de pesquisa, para a tese de doutorado em administração, foi construído com o objetivo de analisar o processo por meio do qual esta dimensão subjetiva se manifesta na área de P&D, no tocante à forma de realizar as atividades desta unidade organizacional, ou seja, internamente ou através de contratos com agentes externos. Considerando as especificidades do referido estudo, optou-se pela abordagem qualitativa, estudo de caso múltiplo, coleta de evidências através de entrevistas não estruturadas e o método de análise de narrativas, em quatro empresas de base tecnológica, localizadas na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre. Apesar das possíveis fragilidades inerentes ao referido método, de natureza interpretativista simbólica, a análise dos quatro casos pesquisados permitiu evidenciar a inclusão de variáveis de cunho subjetivo no processo de decisão na área de P&D, com vista à definição da forma de realização de suas atividades. A referida dimensão subjetiva representou, na maioria das narrativas, a confluência de valores individuais, coletivos (dos grupos e subgrupos organizacionais) e da cultura organizacional, em seus aspectos objetivos e subjetivos, contidos em regras, procedimentos, normas, processos, práticas, imagens, símbolos, sinais, narrativas, mitos, etc. Foi possível verificar, também, que as diversas construções de realidade social, dentro das organizações, propiciam diferentes condições de manifestação de interesses individuais em processos de decisão na área de P&D, condicionando o posicionamento dos indivíduos no tocante à externalização das atividades desta unidade organizacional. Já a maneira como é exercida a influência da cultura organizacional, como também a intensidade e grau de sua efetividade, depende da forma pela qual a cultura foi constituída, da história subjacente à sua construção e da natureza comportamental dos integrantes da organização. No entanto, é importante destacar que o método de análise empregado faculta diferentes percepções, na dependência situacional e contextual, ou seja, permite ao analista "descobrir" novas nuances a cada releitura do mesmo texto, suscitando novas interpretações. / Innovations, technological and organizational, are not considered a fad anymore, occupying now a prominent place within organizations. With the opening of markets and the sophistication of the requirements of the consumers, both domestically and worldwide, differentiation has become something vital for the organizations and innovation a path to reach it. Within the technological innovation, research and development is considered essential and has become, increasingly, object of the attention of researchers. Traditionally considered a highly technical area, focused only on the development of the solutions technological and commercially viable, this unit has assumed new responsibilities, resulting in the change in its profile, through the interaction with other organizational areas. Thus, the symbolic universe of the group of the technicians of this unit was expanded and included in its repertoire new values and images of the organization, influencing decision-making. The research for the present management doctoral theses was built in order to analyze the process by which the subjective dimension is manifested in R & D, specifically in the decisions about how will be performed the activities of this organizational unit, that would be executed internally or through contracts with external agents. Because the specificities of the study, was opted for a qualitative, multiple case study, evidence collection through non structured interviews and the narrative analysis method in four organizations, technology-based, located in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. This methodology, considered adherent to the objectives of the research, despite its nature, interpretative and symbolic, the four cases investigated has highlighted the inclusion of the subjective variables in the decision-making process in R & D in order to define the form in which their activities should be performed. This subjective dimension was represented in the narratives through the confluence of the individual and collectives values, (groups and subgroups organization) oriented by organizational culture in their objective and subjective aspects, reflected in rules, procedures, standards, procedures, practices, images signs, symbols, narratives, myths, etc.. Was evidenced that the various constructions of the social reality within these four organizations provide different conditions for the expression of the interests in the individual decisionmaking in R & D. This different conditions influence individual and collective positions in the relation to the outsourcing of activities of this organizational unit. The way, effectiveness and the intensity of this influence depends on the organizational culture, the story behind its construction and behavioral characteristics of the members of the organization. However, it is important to emphasize that the employed method of analysis provides different perceptions, depending on the situation and context, that is, allows the analyst to "discover" new nuances with each new reading of the text that can inspire new interpretations.

In September 2015, the leaders of the world agreed to head on a journey towards a socially, environmentally and economically sustainable future at 2030 by the adoption of the 2030 Agenda containing 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Sweden pledged to be the global leader in this transition. This study explores how Sweden constructs this leadership narratively and in which manner it is legitimized, using concepts borrowed from Pierre Bourdieu as an added dimension to the narrative analysis. The result is that the main narrative of Sweden’s identity in this context is one of being an experienced role-model. The most salient characteristics underpinning this main narrative are being ambitious, a moral power, economically rational, and knowledgeable. Its legitimacy is argued to rest on knowledge, social and good-will capital. Tensions are found between the logic of the field from the Swedish perspective and what is aimed for in the 2030 Agenda in terms of competing in contrast to collaborating, promoting one model of development in contrast to national ownership and assuming market logic versus a logic where sustainability in all three pillars is the superordinate goal.

The theme of this thesis is Cultural criminology and narrative analysis. The work is divided into four chapters that focus on the subject of cultural criminology, its methods and benefits. The first chapter introduces cultural criminology, its main concepts, influences and development. The second chapter presents selected methods of cultural criminology in detail, namely ethnography and media analysis. The third section describes in detail the narrative analysis and its benefits. In addition, this chapter provides an example of using this method of narrative analysis in a document created by Anders Breivik before his terroristic attacks in Oslo, Norway in July 2011. Finally, the third chapter introduces the narrative criminology, criminological approach to the study of crime that is emerging as an independent forensic industry. The fourth chapter summarizes the benefits and drawbacks of cultural criminology and its possibilities as a criminological movement. The aim of this thesis is to present cultural criminology - new theoretical and methodological approach to the study of crime that places crime and its control in the context of culture. The objective of this thesis is to acquaint readers with how this trend evolved, with its subject, methods and theoretical foundations. This work presents how...

The focus of this study was to explore how Clinical Psychologists narrate their experience of relatedness within a multi-disciplinary team. Mental health services in the UK are facing increased financial pressure and a necessity for all professionals to justify their role. In this context value often appears to be placed on the cheapest way of providing individual, independent care for clients rather than on the relational value of job satisfaction, joint working and therapeutic relationships. The aim of this study was to explore the experience of Clinical Psychologists and through this contribute to thinking around collaborative and interdisciplinary working. This study was guided by eight individual semi-structured interviews which were conducted with Clinical Psychologists who work in Multi-Disciplinary working age adult Community Mental Health Teams and explored using Narrative Analysis. The participants consisted of seven females and one male who had been qualified between three and fifteen years and were working at various pay bands between 7 and 8c. Four relational narratives were found. These were connections to the self of the psychologist, connections to clients, connections with colleagues and connections with the system. The first relational aspect was how the Clinical Psychologists in this study storied their ability to remain connected to their own humanity and their personal values within the context of their Multi-Disciplinary Teams. The second level involved the stories about relationships and connections with clients, particularly thinking about the perceived impact and consequences of the other relational levels for the clients and their safety. The third relational aspect was the stories that Clinical Psychologists told about their sense of relatedness to their colleagues within their teams and the importance of having time available for this. Finally, the fourth level, which was evident within all the other relationships, was of the impact of the wider system and context. These stories emerged from the analysis process with the understanding that the interviews were co-constructed and represented multiple voices. This study confirmed that despite a history of both research and legislation highlighting the benefits and values of inter-professional working and compassion the reality remains elusive. To achieve these aims there needs to be a shift in focus from short-term planning evaluating efficiency in relation only to perceived financial value, to thinking more widely and long-term about relational value. There is a need for investment and recognition of the aspects of team working that are less easy to quantify financially. Further research could explore the experience of other professional groups within CMHTs, and other MDTs, and of clients. This would give a voice to individuals who did not have an explicit voice in this research.

Magister Artium - MA / This paper examines selected discourses found in the journals kept by 21 working-class women during a training course for domestic workers in South Africa. The principal aim of the paper is to examine how emotion, voice and agency are expressed through literacy practices such as writing. With critical discourse analysis, the existing literacy levels of these women are revealed as well as the way in which women express identity, agency and emotion through the act of writing and reflecting on their experiences. A secondary aim is to uncover those recurrent discourses and attitudes that either empower or disempower these women. This is done to showcase how women's perception of themselves and their opportunities help them become active or inactive agents in their communities and families. Contributions are made to the study of women's language and literacy practices, with particular investigation of how their identities are shaped and moulded by language use. Critical discourse analysis and narrative analysis are the main analytical tools used in the study, highlighting aspects like agency, voice and ideology. These aspects are examined through the lens of women's experiences. / South Africa

Keeping forestland intact has emerged as a critical policy objective at state and federal levels. This target has been supported by substantial public investment. The collective impact from the bequest decisions of millions of landowning individuals and families has the potential to affect the extent and functionality of future forests in the United States. Despite a growing body of research devoted to studying these transitions in forest ownership, much remains unknown about how family forest owners make decisions in this arena. The social and emotional dimensions of woodland succession planning have been particularly under-examined. This thesis explores the process of planning for the future use and ownership of woodlands through in-depth analysis of 32 semi-structured interviews with family forest owners in Massachusetts, Maine, New York, and Vermont. The first article investigates how family forest owners evaluate and integrate stories derived from their social networks when planning for the future of their woodlands. Analysis of the themes contained in stories framed as “cautionary tales” revealed common fears surrounding succession planning. The second article explores the complexity of emotional relationships with family forests showing how emotional geographies manifest in the succession planning process. Together, these studies deepen understanding of how family forest owners plan for the future of private woodlands and offer implications for Extension and outreach.

This study explores the experiences of infertile married African women in South Africa. The study explores the women’s emotional experiences, their experiences of their relationships and the possible ways in which their culture may have influenced their experiences. The literature review gives an overview of female infertility, motherhood and feminism- from its conception to its current status in South Africa. The study is carried out in a clinical setting where the participants are already attending an infertility clinic for treatment. Six black women participate in this study and they are all married and experiencing primary infertility. This study does not include women experiencing secondary infertility because although they may presently be infertile, they have previously experienced one or more successful pregnancies. Therefore, primary infertility is chosen as the focus of this study because unlike secondary infertile women, primary infertile women have never experienced pregnancy and childbirth and thus their infertility is more noticeable and severe. The study is qualitative in nature and it is conducted within a feminist social constructionist research paradigm. This research paradigm is deemed to be more relevant in researching an issue pertaining to women, because feminist research enables social scientists to explore women’s social history, women’s perception of their own situation, their own subordination and their own resistance (Mies, 1993). Through social constructionism, the women are each able to make meaning out of their experiences and to include the influences of their culture, gender and social context in the construction of their experiences. Furthermore, since feminist research perspectives have supported the process of telling sensitive human stories as research, a narrative approach is employed in gathering information regarding the women’s experiences of being infertile. Thus, through telling their own self-narratives, the women are able to relate their experiences as well as the events that took place in their lives regarding their infertility. Structural narrative analysis as well as content narrative analysis are employed in the analysis of the women’s narratives. What emerges from their stories is the hope and the subsequent disappointment that follows from their countless visits and consultations with different health professionals, both western and traditional, as they search for pregnancy. It also emerges that in addition to their personal experiences, these women’s marital and familial relationships, as well as their extended social relationships, also contribute to the emotional distress that they experience as a result of their infertility. Although most of the women mainly report negative experiences, there are also some who report positive experiences and some form of support in their lives. It is hoped that the results obtained from this study will enable psychologists to intervene effectively and to work collaboratively with other health professionals towards delivering services aimed at assisting infertile African women medically, socially and psychologically. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted