In the following thesis, I draw on these parallel ideas in works of Heidegger and Oakeshott, in order to develop two contrasting frameworks termed "the meditative idiom" and "the calculative idiom." My aim is to establish how these idioms can signal sweeping and mutually exclusive frameworks or mindsets by means of which human beings approach projects generally and literary projects in particular. Heidegger and Oakeshott present their accounts of various types of thinking and idioms in reference to the experience of literature in the context of living. My efforts to combine their frameworks continue in this same vein. This thesis focuses on what occurs when a person interacts with literature through the meditative or the calculative idioms. Drawing on Susan Sontag's essay Against Interpretation, I argue that when someone approaches literature with the aim of interpretation, they are working within the calculative idiom. This approach contrasts with the way events unfold in the meditative idiom or, better, the way this approach allows them to unfold and reveal themselves of themselves. Allowing as much is inherent to Heidegger's concept of aletheia as an "unconcealing." In this connection I claim that the meditative idiom prevents literature from becoming vitiated through interpretation. Along with consulting Heidegger, Oakeshott and Sontag, I draw upon other philosophers in attempt to elucidate what occurs during an interaction with literature.

xiv, 95 p. / I examine whether recently required Risk Factor update disclosures in quarterly reports provide investors with timely information regarding potential future negative outcomes. Specifically, I examine whether Risk Factor updates in 10-Q filings are associated with negative abnormal returns at the time the updates are disclosed and whether quarterly updates are followed by negative earnings shocks. I find that firms presenting updates to their Risk Factor disclosures have lower abnormal returns around the filing date of the 10-Q relative to firms without updates, although I find little evidence to suggest that the strength of this relationship is positively associated with the level of information asymmetry between managers and investors. Using analyst forecasts and a cross-sectional model to forecast earnings as measures of expected earnings prior to the release of Risk Factor updates, I find that firms with updates to their Risk Factors section have lower future unexpected earnings. I also find that firms with Risk Factor updates are more likely to experience future extreme negative earnings forecast errors. These findings suggest that the recent disclosure requirement mandated by the SEC was successful in generating timely disclosure of bad news. However, I also find some evidence that firms with updates to their Risk Factors section have stronger future positive performance shocks relative to firms without Risk Factor Updates, consistent with firms that disclose Risk Factor updates also having greater upside potential. / Committee in charge: Dr. Steven Matsunaga, Chairperson; Dr. Kyle Peterson, Member; Dr. Angela Davis, Member; Dr. Trudy Ann Cameron, Outside Member

No neuroimaging investigation to date has considered the effects of social context on self-referential processing, despite the fact that the hypothesis that people engage different selves in different contexts has been with psychology for more than a century. To address this gap in the empirical record, a suite of three functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments was conducted in order to assess patterns of neural activity associated with self-referential (compared to non-self-referential) processes (Experiment 1), computational models of reinforcement-learning processes (Experiment 2), and social context modulation of personally relevant cognition (Experiment 3). I demonstrate that distinct patterns of neural activity in cortical midline structures and the mesial ventral striatum are associated with thinking about the self privately, sharing information about the self with a parent, and sharing with a friend. These differentiated disclosure responses (Experiment 3) are evident at the whole brain level and in regions of interest defined by functional activity in independent tasks of self (Experiment 1) and reward (Experiment 2). In addition to providing empirical evidence for contextually differentiated self-representations in the brain, this dissertation validates the use of fMRI paradigms designed to functionally localize self-referential and reward-related activity either independently or in conjunction, as well as distinguish components of ventral striatal activity unique to each task. Finally, I consider strategies for approaching future investigations of self and social cognition in terms of reinforcement learning.

A quantitative, descriptive, explorative survey was conducted to explore and describe nurses’ perceptions of disclosure to children of their HIV positive status in Addis Ababa. 100 nurses working in six conveniently sampled health centres participated by completing a self-administered questionnaire. The findings revealed that the majority of participants were of the opinion that children have the right to know their HIV status, participate in their own treatment, and that disclosure contributes towards improved adherence. Forty-one of the participants said that it is nurses’ role to support caregivers in the disclosure process. But 56.3% felt they lacked the training to disclose to children that they are infected with HIV. Accordingly, it is recommended that relevant and applied training is required to equip nurses with the knowledge and skills to disclose to children their status. The importance of nurses’ proactive role in disclosure to children of their HIV status needs to be emphasised. / Health Studies

Submitted by Elizabete Silva (elizabete.silva@ufes.br) on 2015-11-10T18:10:52Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) DISCLOSURE DE INFORMAÇÃO –.pdf: 947838 bytes, checksum: 827dc04a72f7ce1452ce79251e70c488 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Morgana Andrade (morgana.andrade@ufes.br) on 2015-11-16T19:35:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) DISCLOSURE DE INFORMAÇÃO –.pdf: 947838 bytes, checksum: 827dc04a72f7ce1452ce79251e70c488 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-11-16T19:35:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) DISCLOSURE DE INFORMAÇÃO –.pdf: 947838 bytes, checksum: 827dc04a72f7ce1452ce79251e70c488 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015 / O disclosure de informações contábeis já vem sendo estudado há vários anos, principalmente pelo fortalecimento e disseminação de modelos padronizados como o International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). O presente trabalho propôs-se a analisar quais são as caraterísticas dos relatórios de sustentabilidade de duas organizações. O principal intuito foi entender as características do disclosure, analisando esses materiais, as informações disponibilizadas, suas ações, suas práticas de avaliação e monitoramento e a utilização de um dos programas de diretrizes mais conhecidos do mundo, o Global Reporting Initiative - GRI. Foi possível verificar que os relatórios de sustentabilidade, apesar de trazerem diversas informações importantes sobre aspectos ambientais, econômicos e sociais, ainda deixam de trazer informações que permitam uma avaliação mais consistente das ações das organizações nesses três campos, como, por exemplo, dados comparativos e indicadores de impacto que demonstrem a efetividade das ações. / The disclosure of accounting information has already been studied for several years, mainly by strengthening and dissemination of standardized models such as the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). This study aimed to analyze which are the characteristics from the sustainability reports of two companies. The main goal was to understand the disclosure features, analyzing these materials, the information made available, their actions, their assessment and monitoring practices and the use of one of the best guidelines programs known, the Global Reporting Initiative - GRI. It was observed that the sustainability reports, despite bringing important information about environmental, economic and social, yet fail to bring information to enable a more consistent evaluation of the actions of the organizations in these three fields. For example, comparative data and impact indicators that demonstrate the effectiveness of actions.

The aim of this study was to provide an account of the power relations that are implicit in the experience of clients who initially withhold but eventually disclose a sensitive issue in the psychotherapeutic dialogue. Mainstream psychotherapeutic literature has maintained that clients who withhold sensitive material implicitly express a psychological powerlessness. The literature review also turned attention to an alternative view, not arising from within the psychotherapeutic literature. Specific reference was made to the work of Foucault who suggests that although clients may appear to be empowered through self-disclosure, they are in fact constrained, since disclosing themselves constitutes. an appropriation of selfunderstanding which forecloses openness to other forms of self-understanding. The tension between these conflicting accounts about the relation of self-disclosure to empowerment was discussed as an issue requiring further exploration through clinical research. A phenomenologically orientated research method was used to describe the experiences of five clients who withheld and subsequently disclosed sensitive issues in psychotherapy. These descriptions yielded a thematically differentiated process of psychological change. The structure of client inhibition and self-disclosure was seen to correspond to the concepts of powerlessness and empowerment outlined in the psychotherapeutic literature. The apparent empowerment of clients during self-disclosure casts doubt on Foucault's perspective. However, on further reflection and through a review of the research method, it became apparent that the lack of support for Foucault's perspective was a consequence of the particular research method used rather than an indication of the non-existence of constraint. Ricoeur's hermeneutic phenomenology was used to develop the above methodological critique. Using this alternative approach the researcher critically evaluated the findings of the phenomenological study. This facilitated a reinterpretation of the clinical material. It emerged that the experience of empowerment represents a particular form of selfunderstanding, and it was shown, in relation to the clinical material, how this can indeed as Foucault suggests (because of its very specificity) constrain the client from understanding him/herself in alternative ways. It was revealed that the experience of empowerment is a necessary but limited component of successful client disclosure. This does not, however, go far enough. It was suggested that ideally, critical reflection on the constraints of self-understanding, rather than self-disclosure per se, should be regarded as the destination of the urge to self-disclosure.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-29T11:13:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_8559_DISSERTAÇÃO PAULO VICTOR GOMES NOVAES_Versão Defesa.pdf: 1753784 bytes, checksum: cb2138a937aaa6e040eba50600d8c6a2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-04 / Esta dissertação investiga como os estágios do ciclo de vida impactam no disclosure voluntário, no custo de capital próprio e também na relação entre eles. Utilizando uma amostra de empresas não-financeiras entre 2008 e 2014, e seguindo o modelo de Gebhardt et al. (2001) para desenvolver o Custo de Capital Implícito (ICC), usando a base de dados I/B/E/S, da Thomson Reuters®, encontra-se que, em média, as empresas são beneficiadas com a redução do custo de capital por meio da melhora no nível de evidenciação voluntária. Usando a métrica de ciclo de vida de Dickinson (2001), encontra-se que o nível de disclosure voluntário cresce até atingir o estágio de maturidade e então esse nível decresce. Ainda, o ICC se difere significativamente entre os estágios de ciclo de vida. Contudo, não são encontradas diferenças significativas entre os estágios de crescimento, maturidade e shake-out, embora o nível de ICC diminua depois de sair do estágio inicial e ele cresça novamente no estágio de declínio. Finalmente, encontra-se que a melhora no nível de disclosure voluntário nos estágios de crescimento e maturidade é mais bem compensada com uma redução maior no nível de custo de capital. Os resultados para o disclosure voluntário são robustos usando uma série de testes de sensibilidade, muito embora os resultados não tenham se mantido para o custo de capital usando proxies diferentes.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-29T11:13:29Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_9384_Dissertacao_Adelzira_Final_REV06.pdf: 953191 bytes, checksum: 15ccfe390ed46e4a90f46af62bb1b2aa (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-12-18 / CAPES / A evidenciação das informações contábeis consiste em um processo estratégico da gestão empresarial, pois fornece inúmeros serviços aos diversos usuários das informações. A produção e a divulgação dessas informações refletem os aspectos normativos que regem a contabilidade das empresas, bem como os objetivos dos gestores responsáveis pelo processo contábil. O objetivo deste trabalho é identificar os fatores que explicam o nível de disclosure das empresas S.A. de capital fechado com sede no Estado do Espírito Santo, relacionando-o com as características contábil-financeiras e os possíveis incentivos/obrigações econômicos existentes. Para tanto, foram analisadas as empresas S.A de capital fechado que publicaram suas demonstrações em Diário Oficial e/ou em Jornais de grande circulação. Foram utilizados modelos de regressão linear múltiplas, além de modelos de regressão logística. Os resultados demonstram que grande parte dos achados da teoria do disclosure em estudos empíricos de empresas de capital aberto, também se aplicam ao rol de empresas S.A. de capital fechado. Por exemplo, verificou-se que empresas auditadas por Big four apresentam níveis de disclosure maiores. A variação grau de disclosure pode ser explicada pelo setor no qual a empresa está inserida. Em setores mais complexos, que demandam maior volume de capital investido o nível de disclosure tende a ser maior. Constatou-se também que existe uma correlação positiva entre nível de disclosure e idade da empresa, revelando que empresas mais maduras tendem a divulgar mais. / Financial information disclosure has been a key (strategic) process in business management. Both production and distribution of information are under normative issues that head companies’ accounts as well as the goals followed by accounting process managers. This study aims to identify the factors that explain the level of mandatory disclosure of anonymous private companies located in Espírito Santo State. To this end, this work analyzed private companies that published their balance accounts in either “Diário Oficial” of Espírito Santo State. A disclosure index was developed to measure the level of compliance of firms to the different levels of obligations they were subject to. Multiple linear regression models as well logistic regression models were employed. The Management Report and the Comprehensive Income Statement were the reports with lowest levels of compliance. Regarding determinants of disclosure, results are similar to observed in research about voluntary disclosure of public companies, when observed leverage, big four auditing company and age. However, the usual relationship of size with disclosure was not present in this research about mandatory disclosure.

O disclosure tem papel fundamental no funcionamento do mercado de capitais, sendo essencial para a adequada avaliação das oportunidades de investimentos pelos agentes econômicos, na medida em que reduz a assimetria informacional. A literatura mostra que diversos fatores afetam as decisões sobre o nível de disclosure, e, considerando que no Brasil o principal conflito de agência ocorre entre acionistas controladores e minoritários, considera-se que características de governança corporativa seriam possivelmente um fator determinante das decisões de disclosure. A presente pesquisa teve por objetivo detectar se haveria relação significante entre disclosure e governança através de regressões pelo método dos Mínimos Quadrados Ordinário e pelo modelo Tobit para o ano de 2002, onde o nível de disclosure foi a variável dependente (foi criado um índice de disclosure especialmente para este estudo). Foram utilizadas cinco variáveis de governança, duas relacionadas à estrutura de propriedade, direito de controle (BLOC) e diferença entre o direito de controle e o direito sobre o fluxo de caixa do acionista controlador (DIF); e três relacionadas ao conselho de administração, número de membros (CONS), independência (INDEP) e presença do presidente da empresa ocupando o cargo de presidente do conselho (PRES). A relação entre disclosure e governança não é conhecida de antemão e assume-se que a mesma pode ser complementar ou substituta, buscando detectar se em um ambiente de fraco monitoramento dos gestores/controladores as empresas seriam motivadas a serem mais transparentes (a fim de compensar por um nível inadequado de governança), ou ao contrário (seriam menos transparentes por não possuírem incentivos em abrir informações). A variável DIF corroborou o efeito de substituição entre nível de disclosure e governança, enquanto que a significância da variável INDEP no teste Tobit confirmou o efeito de complementação entre estas duas variáveis, mostrando que o grau de independência do conselho é relevante para empresas que hoje não praticam disclosure voluntário passem a fazê-lo. As demais variáveis de governança, em geral, não apresentaram significância. Adicionalmente, foi selecionada uma amostra apenas de empresas que captaram recursos junto ao mercado de capitais e, em geral, os resultados foram semelhantes. Em relação às variáveis de controle, observou-se que empresas cujo controlador é de origem privada nacional, empresas maiores, com maior nível de endividamento, empresas mais bem avaliadas pelo mercado e com melhor desempenho tendem a mostrar maior nível de transparência. O presente trabalho procurou contribuir para a discussão sobre o tema dada a escassez de pesquisas acadêmicas relacionadas ao assunto no contexto brasileiro. A busca por uma estrutura ideal de disclosure, assim como a adequação a padrões de governança corporativa que protejam investidores da expropriação por parte de acionistas controladores visa, em última instância, contribuir para o desenvolvimento econômico e institucional do país.

Magister Legum - LLM / Political lobbying is a recent and widespread phenomenon that arises in countries where many big and economically important companies are located. It is a relatively new phenomenon and the term 'lobbying' has featured in political science literature only since the 1990s.¹ Lobbying groups are ubiquitous and are located in the centres of competence where political decision-making takes place.² One can distinguish two main aims of lobbying: lobbying for a government contract (Beschaffungslobbyismus) and lobbying with regard to laws (Gesetzeslobbyismus).³ The focus of this paper is on the latter. It is concerned to analyse how lobbyists influence the lawmaking process and what the consequences are for society. Lobbying is the influence on decision makers and decision-making processes through the provision of information.⁴ Politicians need information to contribute to ministerial or 1 parliamentary discussions and for their decisions in elections and votes. They often do not have the capacity to collect enough information. That is when the lobbying groups become important. They provide the politicians with information needed and thus ensure that their point of view ends up in the draft law and later in the law.⁵ There is also lobbying in the private sector. Representatives of the pharmaceutical industry, for instance, try to influence doctors by giving them free specimens and computer programmes, paying for education workshops and other benefits with the aim that the doctors prescribe the products of the pharmaceutical companies.⁶ To analyse this aspect of lobbying as well would exceed the scope of this paper and will not be attempted. An interesting aspect is that lobbying has become more integrated and international. Lobbyists do not work exclusively in their countries of origin. In the EU it is as important to lobby decision makers in the European institutions as to lobby them in the national institutions because a significant part of politics is decided now in Brussels.⁷ Furthermore, lobbyists from different countries meet to harmonise their lobbying strategies. In Brussels, for example, American and German lobbyists meet regarding restrictive export rules into the US and the EU. The American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) is an American interest group that works in Brussels to ensure the effective representation of US businesses in Europe.⁸ Nevertheless, the national level remains important for lobbyists. The policy of the EU relies always on national policy and through the Council of Ministers - as the most powerful part of the EU - national interests are represented strongly in Brussels. Directives, moreover, have to be implemented on a national level. One can see that national lobbying is also an important tool to influence European policy.⁹ The scope of this paper, however, is to shed light on lobbying activities in the Federal Republic of Germany. Therefore, lobbying in the EU will play a lesser role.