Successful implementation of new technologies is necessary for survival in today's increasingly competitive banking environment. The banking sector is now the UK's largest investor in new technology. As a result of de-regulation and new technological opportunities, the dominant market position of the traditional banks is under threat from new market entrants. Such organisations are harnessing the latest technology to develop their services, and are not constrained by the costs of running national branch networks and integrating a diverse historical legacy of incompatible computer systems. This thesis addresses the question of why the massive investment by UK retail banks in information technology is not being translated into significant productivity gains. The issue is referred to in the literature as the IT productivity paradox. It will be argued that the importance of the banks to the economy as a whole, and the position of the industry as the UK's largest investor in new technology, make it a particularly suitable arena in which to study this phenomenon. Six empirical case studies of recent new technology projects are analysed by the development of grounded theory. The findings indicate that dysfunctional organisational structures and cultures, together with poor management of expertise, combine to sabotage change and constrain the potential of new technology projects. Most significantly, a lack of organisational learning is contributing to the paradox. Even successful projects had limited impact because the lessons learned were not disseminated throughout the organisation. The study concludes that the full potential offered by information technology will continue to elude the banks until their apparently complacent attitude towards organisational change is addressed.

ABSTRACT WHERE WE CANNOT SPEAK The poetry collection Where We Cannot Speak and the accompanying critical essay “Borges and the Golem Paradox: a Rhetoric of Silence?” explore the theme of language and silence. The poetry collection is written in the voice of the imaginary (but published) poet, Gershon Holtz, who reflects my Jewish heritage and upbringing. The poems articulate the silences of those oppressed by war and persecution, and also the silences of meditation and the ineffable, which can reside in the presence, absence, and margins of the poet’s voice. The collection is comprised of two sections: (i) “The Mantelpiece”, which delves into culture, conflict, and memory; and (ii) “The Beautiful Salon”, which reflects upon themes of place, time, loss, and responses to silences represented in visual art and poetry. The critical essay is concerned with the cabalistic figure of the golem—a human being made in an artificial way by magic art, through the use of holy names. Argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges (famous for creating fictitious authors and books) wished that, of all his work, the first stanza of his poem “The Golem”, might be remembered. The essay provides a reading that demonstrates how the poem embodies Borges’ views on the nature of signification, language, and knowledge. The paradoxical outcome is that, just as the golem did not have the power of speech, language conceived of as an instrument for textual golem-making is silent in its capacity to represent the world. The essay concludes with some thoughts on my own poetic practice and links the essay with the poetry collection via the figure of the textual golem, Gershon Holtz. This fictional poet becomes a symbol for the problem of language and representation—interpreted both as what we cannot speak about, and the silences inherent in language itself.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 1996. / Title from the title screen (viewed September 8, 2009) Degree awarded 1996; thesis submitted 1995. Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Faculty of Arts, University of Sydney. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

<p>Multinational Corporations (MNCs) are facing the paradox of globalization and localization in entering each new market. Generally, there are two perspectives which regard to how a MNC configure its cross-border activities: The first is global convergence perspective, which focuses on leveraging corporate resources and attaining global synergies. The second is international diversity perspective, which lays more emphasis on local adaptation and harnessing diversities. Both perspectives have their pros and cons, a balance between international standardization and local adaptation is vital.</p><p>For the major Auto Giants in the world operating and competing worldwide, the significance of China market is as clear as day to everyone. This paper focuses on how the major Auto Giants balance the paradox of globalization and localization in the China market. In other words, how the MNCs deal with the dilemma of globalization and localization under different strategic contexts? We adopt a model which divides their activities in China into 6 stages and which includes criteria with regard to the dilemma of localization and globalization.</p>

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-17T15:01:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 1042878 bytes, checksum: a51218f848685b72e53e81460e3ca14d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-08-31 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / The philosophy of religion developed by Søren Kierkegaard shows an inseparable relationship between the issuess which restrict christianity; namely the consciousness of the conditions of human extistence, the discrepancies within the system of hegelian philosophy and within the Lutheren Church of the state, representative of Denmark christianity. The present work investigates the possibility of the development of a concept of christianity in the evolution of the works of the danish philosopher, especially his pseudonymous works. This project begins with a brief look at the life of Kierkegaard in order to carry out a dialectic analysis of the basic concepts of christianity in the pseudymous work of the author. The attempt to establish a dialogue between the religious conceptions of the pseudonyms throughout this dissertation precedes the analysis of the final criticism which Kierkegaard levies against the christianity of his country. What the project seeks to demonstrate is that Kierkegaard s conceptions of christianity are based, primarily, on the questions concerning the paradox permeats between the truth of the New Testament and the diminishment of authentic christian witness within danish christianity. / A filosofia da religião desenvolvida por Søren Kierkegaard apresenta uma indissociável relação com as questões que cerceiam o cristianismo, a saber, a consciência das condições do existir humano, as divergências com o sistema filosófico hegeliano e com a Igreja Estatal Luterana, representante da cristandade dinamarquesa. A presente pesquisa tem como propósito investigar a possibilidade do desenvolvimento de um conceito do cristianismo na evolução das obras do filósofo dinamarquês, sobretudo em suas obras pseudonímicas. A proposta tem como ponto de partida uma breve abordagem à vida de Kierkegaard para, subsequentemente, ser feita uma análise dialética de conceitos basilares do cristianismo em obras pseudonímicas do autor. A tentativa de estabelecer um diálogo entre as concepções religiosas dos pseudônimos no decorrer desta dissertação preludiam a análise da crítica final que Kierkegaard tece à cristandade de seu país. O que se procura demonstrar é que as concepções do autor acerca do cristianismo fundamentam-se, primordialmente, nos questionamentos acerca do paradoxo que perpassa pela verdade cristã neo-testamentária e pelo rareamento da autenticidade do cristianismo na cristandade dinamarquesa.

Lorsqu’il s’agit, aujourd’hui tout comme hier, de se mesurer à l’art de vivre des stoïciens, dans cette mise à l’épreuve de cette philosophie et de ces dogmes autant que de nous-mêmes, il convient de nous assurer d’un style, lequel sera assumé comme une méthode ; et cela, afin de provoquer cette altérité étrange, ces consonances et ces tensions qui ne manquent pas de s’installer au cœur de l’événement et du vivre philosophiques. C’est alors que la forme de l’essai épousera le mieux notre propos puisqu’il s’inscrit dans cette tentative moderne (depuis Montaigne) d’une assurance et d’une défiance de soi vis-à-vis de soi et, à la fois, vis-à-vis des pratiques étonnantes d’une subjectivité antérieure et déviante nous obligeant à rendre compte de ce que nous sommes. Cette situation, de fait, paradoxale nous amène à constituer un continuum fictionnel, mais qui a sa part de vérité fonctionnelle, dans la circonscription de la thématique envisagée : le champ de la sociabilité passionnelle et somatique du stoïcisme sera valorisé, dans l’essai de représenter ce que, pour eux et pour nous, signifierait l’attitude stylistique de composer l’imagination au service de la raison ; le refuge, chez Marc-Aurèle, dans la « citadelle intérieure » -le principe hégémonique- conduit et régule l’écriture d’une méditation à l’autre en sorte qu’elle ne se perde dans la transcription des émois du cœur et dans le vague à l’âme des sentiments diffus et chimériques ; mais l’effet thérapeutique se dissipe, une fois la méditation achevée. Hadot et Foucault dans leurs lectures conjointes, mais surtout différenciées, nous permettent de raviver cet art de vivre en mettant l’accent sur toutes une série de pratiques, d’exercices spirituels, sur cette tension entre l’expressivité somatique et thérapeutique au regard de la sagesse ou au regard de processus et de formes de subjectivation et d’éprouver, ainsi, une actualité littéraire, via le dandysme, à laquelle la formule l’esthétique de l’existence semble nous convier. / If we have to compare, today as much as yesterday, our lifestyle with that of the Stoics, in testing this philosophy and these dogmas as much as ourselves, we should adopt a style, which will be assumed as a method; and that in order to cause this strange otherness, the consonances and these tensions do not fail to settle in the heart of the event and the philosophical way of living. Then the form of the essay will best match our purpose as it is part of this modern attempt (since Montaigne) of assurance and suspicion in relation to ourselves and, at the same time, in relation to the amazing practices of previous and deviant subjectivity, forcing us to realize what we are. This, in fact, paradoxical situation leads us to constitute a fictional continuum, but it has a piece of functional truth in the realm of the envisioned topic: the field of sociability of passions and the somatic sociability of stoicism is valued, in trying to represent what, for them and for us, the stylistic attitude would mean, composing the imagination in service of reason; the refuge, in Marcus Aurelius, in the “inner citadel” - the guiding principle - leads and regulates the writing from one meditation to the next so that the writing does not lose itself in the mere transcription of the feelings of the heart and the melancholic, diffuse and deceptive emotions; but the therapeutic effect wears off, once the meditation is completed. Hadot and Foucault in their joint lectures, but especially differentiated lectures, allow us to revive this art of living by focusing on a whole series of practices, spiritual exercises, and on this tension between the somatic and therapeutic expression in view of wisdom or processes and forms of subjectivation and experience, as well as, a contemporary literary phenomenon, via dandyism, to which the formula aesthetics of existence seems to invite us.

Talent management is an organisational process aimed at maximising the benefit gained from the organisation's workforce, mostly by assessing the future potential of senior organisational members to fill key positions based on their proportional contribution to the business. Despite the increasing prevalence of talent management, evidence is accumulating to indicate an extremely low success rate of just 20-25% in predicting high performers. While talent management continues to address a growing business need, a better understanding of the process may help to refine its practice. The underpinning assumptions of the practice of talent management are that organisations are systemic and linear, and that talent management must produce a single answer identifying what it means to be a 'talent' in any specific circumstance. As a profession, talent management also maintains a fantasy of control: the expectation that assessed individuals will indeed behave as anticipated, and that stated targets will remain unchanged. As a progressive and trending HR process, talent management's close connection to organisational power relations and political dynamics is rarely acknowledged. The emotional toll on assessed senior executives, as well as potential ramifications for their colleagues, is also often overlooked, despite the significant implications for individual careers and broader inferences of inclusion-exclusion inherent in the process of talent selection. Talent management practitioners and scholars tend not to consider the impact on individuals of inaccurate assessments and mistaken decisions. As a talent manager practitioner who decrees the fate of individuals, such glaring oversights provoked in me an acute ethical anxiety that drove this research. This work offers a critical perspective on the practice of talent management - in particular, the process of judgment involved in the assessment of 'high potentials' and the potent dynamics of inclusion in/exclusion from the talent group. Having witnessed first-hand the inconsistency between apparently robust predictions (based on best practice) and subsequent outcomes, I began this research with strong feelings of ambivalence towards my practice of 25 years and my prospering business of 10 years. The critical perspective of the current study took shape within the research framework, which is based on the philosophy of pragmatism and the complex responsive process of relating that draws on it, as well as on process sociology and complexity sciences. The research methodology insists that scholars take their own direct experience seriously, collect their raw data through writing narratives, and then exercise reflection and reflexivity both as individuals and as part of the Doctor of Management (DMan) learning community. The narratives 'translate experience so that it is meaningful to the reader' (Cunliffe, 2010, p. 228). Applying this innovative approach not only to my research, but also to my professional practice, has led me to challenge the most fundamental assumptions of talent management. I now have a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the process of judgment at its core, and have developed a new way to approach and implement this process within my work. This thesis culminates in three main arguments describing talent management from a new perspective, as well as redefining the role and degree of involvement of talent management consultants. First, the central process of judgment emerged not as an objective analysis communicated in a unidirectional, linear way from the assessor to the assessed, but rather as a relational and social process that involves shifting power relations and an inclusion-exclusion dynamic influenced by many unpredictable factors. Second, from the perspective of the research framework, the assessor can no longer be seen as an objective observer, but must be regarded as a participant who is simultaneously both involved and detached and who must rely on their practical judgment. Talent management's traditional promise of future-oriented focus and reliable predictions is illusory, given that all participants are continuously merging their ongoing experiences to spontaneously co-create the future in unpredictable ways. . Understanding that the assessment process is not a simple numerical exercise (ranking individuals on various scales) and that no single truth can be obtained through an assessment process (since assessment results are co-created with all participants in the process) has eased my ethical concerns and enabled me to continue practising my profession with confidence, by taking a fresh viewpoint of what it is that I am doing. It is my hope that other talent management practitioners will find these insights useful and generalisable, and valid to their own practice - extrapolating from the local to the global.

Bonus and commission schemes are common practice among firms as an incentive for the salesforce. Despite the growing body of literature on value co-creation and the practical relevance, it remains unknown how these management tools relate to each other. There is a gap in research on conflict theory but it is argued that they derive from a paradox. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of bonus and commission schemes and the potential tensions and conflicts that are caused by different paradoxes. It shows an exploration of how these paradoxes connect to value co-creation in car dealerships from a salesforce perspective. A theoretical framework is established to review the available literature. We have conducted six in-depth interviews to pursue rich qualitative data to fully grasp the dynamics of the dealership. We have found results that indicate a number of paradoxes that exist in the dealerships. We discuss that the variety of paradoxes bring tensions and conflicts forward, but also that some of the paradoxes are harmless. We also find that our respondents implicitly support value co-creation and that long-term relationships are essential. In our discussion a model is presented to present an overview.

It is widely accepted that, for many buckling problems of plates and shells in the plastic range, the flow theory of plasticity either fails to predict buckling or significantly overestimates buckling stresses and strains, while the deformation theory, which fails to capture important aspects of the underlying physics of plastic deformation, provides results that are more in line with experimental findings and is therefore generally recommended for use in practical applications. This thesis aims to contribute further understanding of the reasons behind the seeming differences between the predictions provided by these two theories, and therefore provide some explanation of this so-called ‘plastic buckling paradox’. The study focuses on circular cylindrical shells subjected to either axial compression or non-proportional loading, the latter consisting of combined axial tensile stress and increasing external pressure. In these two cases, geometrically nonlinear finite-element (FE) analyses for perfect and imperfect cylinders are conducted using both the flow and the deformation theories of plasticity, and the numerical results are compared with data from widely cited physical tests and with analytical results. The plastic buckling pressures for cylinders subjected to non-proportional loading, with various combinations of boundary conditions, tensile stresses, material properties and cylinder’s geometries, are also obtained with the help of the differential quadrature method (DQM). These results are compared with those obtained using the code BOSOR5 and with nonlinear FE results obtained using both the flow and deformation theories of plasticity. It is found that, contrary to common belief, by using a geometrically nonlinear FE formulation with carefully determined and validated constitutive laws, very good agreement between numerical and test results can be obtained in the case of the physically more sound flow theory of plasticity. The reason for the ‘plastic buckling paradox’ appears to be the over-constrained kinematics assumed in many analytical and numerical treatments, such as BOSOR5 and NAPAS, whereby a harmonic buckling shape in the circumferential direction is prescribed.

In the last decades it has been argued whether psychic distances have lost their importance on the world markets. The access to information through the internet may have reduced them and made them more understandable, but it has also increased the overall world trades leading to more diversity and therefore to more different market segments that have to be considered. This contrary statements are investigated in this master thesis and further evaluates the current importance of psychic distances in relation to the perception of the managers towards it. Therefore it gives an insight into how psychic distances affect the management of a web- based companies called Compare AG. The progress of this work mirrors this discussion along with the development process of the company. It will show how it went from a unexperienced firm, which merely copied their concept to another market expecting it to work, to a company that adapts to the foreign markets and has specialists for every country to cope with any kind of market changes illustrating both opinions on how important psychic distances still are today especially for internet-operating companies.