The aim of this thesis was to describe and explore how the partner relationship of patient–partner dyads isaffected following cardiac disease and, in particular, atrial fibrillation (AF) in one of the spouses. The thesis is based on four individual studies with different designs: descriptive (I), explorative (II, IV), and cross-sectional (III). Applied methods comprised a systematic review (I) and qualitative (II, IV) and quantitative methods (III). Participants in the studies were couples in which one of the spouses was afflicted with AF. Coherent with a systemic perspective, the research focused on the dyad as the unit of analysis. To identify and describe the current research position and knowledge base, the data for the systematic review were analyzed using an integrative approach. To explore couples’ main concern, interview data (n=12 couples) in study II were analyzed using classical grounded theory. Associations between patients and partners (n=91 couples) where analyzed through the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model using structural equation modelling (III). To explore couples’ illness beliefs, interview data (n=9 couples) in study IV were analyzed using Gadamerian hermeneutics. Study I revealed five themes of how the partner relationship is affected following cardiac disease: overprotection, communication deficiency, sexual concerns, changes in domestic roles, and adjustment to illness. Study II showed that couples living with AF experienced uncertainty as the common main concern, rooted in causation of AF and apprehension about AF episodes. The theory of Managing Uncertainty revealed the strategies of explicit sharing (mutual collaboration and finding resemblance) and implicit sharing (keeping distance and tacit understanding). Patients and spouses showed significant differences in terms of self-reported physical and mental health where patients rated themselves lower than spouses did (III). Several actor effects were identified, suggesting that emotional distress affects and is associated with perceived health. Patient partner effects and spouse partner effects were observed for vitality, indicating that higher levels of symptoms of depression in patients and spouses were associated with lower vitality in their partners. In study IV, couples’ core and secondary illness beliefs were revealed. From the core illness belief that “the heart is a representation of life,” two secondary illness beliefs were derived: AF is a threat to life, and AF can and must be explained. From the core illness belief that “change is an integral part of life,” two secondary illness beliefs were derived: AF is a disruption in our lives, and AF will not interfere with our lives. Finally, from the core illness belief that “adaptation is fundamental in life,” two secondary illness beliefs were derived: AF entails adjustment in daily life, and AF entails confidence in and adherence to professional care. In conclusion, the thesis result suggests that illness, in terms of cardiac disease and AF, affected and influenced the couple on aspects such as making sense of AF, responding to AF, and mutually incorporating and dealing with AF in their daily lives. In the light of this, the thesis results suggest that clinicians working with persons with AF and their partners should employ a systemic view with consideration of couple’s reciprocity and interdependence, but also have knowledge regarding AF, in terms of pathophysiology, the nature of AF (i.e., cause, consequences, and trajectory), and treatments. A possible approach to achieve this is a clinical utilization of an FSN based framework, such as the FamHC. Even if a formalized FSN framework is not utilized, partners should not be neglected but, rather, be considered a resource and be a part of clinical caring activities. This could be met by inviting partners to take part in rounds, treatment decisions, discharge calls or follow-up visits or other clinical caring activities. Likewise, interventional studies should include the couple as a unit of analysis as well as the target of interventions.

Women’s narratives of their lived experience when love and abuse co-exist in intimate partner relationships, provide insight into the ways that their action for safety is impacted by their beliefs about love, the micro-politics of these relationships, and the macro-politics of the structural inequalities that constrain these relationships. Women’s vulnerability to abuse is increased and their access to safety limited by a belief in love as a promise, the dominant romance narratives including the fairy tale and dark romance narratives, by the practice of love with the two core conditions that support abuse, and by the social structures and institutions of society that constrain these relationships. Understanding the impact of how love is practiced, the dominant narratives of love and abuse, and the ways that social structures and institutions constrain women when love and abuse co-exist will enhance women’s access to safety and social work services.

Women’s narratives of their lived experience when love and abuse co-exist in intimate partner relationships, provide insight into the ways that their action for safety is impacted by their beliefs about love, the micro-politics of these relationships, and the macro-politics of the structural inequalities that constrain these relationships. Women’s vulnerability to abuse is increased and their access to safety limited by a belief in love as a promise, the dominant romance narratives including the fairy tale and dark romance narratives, by the practice of love with the two core conditions that support abuse, and by the social structures and institutions of society that constrain these relationships. Understanding the impact of how love is practiced, the dominant narratives of love and abuse, and the ways that social structures and institutions constrain women when love and abuse co-exist will enhance women’s access to safety and social work services.

When the profit is compressed by the cost, quality, delivery, efficiency and flexibility in the tranditional industries, it is always the focus for the academic community and the field about how to build up two basic forces of competition: ¡§quick response¡¨ and ¡§competitive advantage¡¨ in the trends toward continuously short life cycle of product and extremely small amount yet many varieties of product. Applying lean production with ¡§small quantity yet most variety¡¨ to the activities of business operation is expected to create a highly lean and refined enterprise through the process of management in the company operation and to make more benefits to reach the goal of business and survive in the field. This research discusses if ¡§customer participatation¡¨, ¡§the relations with suppliers¡¨ and ¡§the management technique of organization¡¨ quoted from the the management concepts of lean production influence manufacturing efficiency and also treats the correlation between them. Furthermore, it verifies the difference between each dimension of management concept of lean production mentioned above with the organization performance. It takes the tranditional manufacturing industry in Taiwan as the objects of sampling and collects the cognitions of the interviewed on the three measuring dimensions including relation with suppliers, the management technique of organization, and customer participatation to the agreement degree for the execution inside organization and also the agreement degree to suppliers. The raw data are verified by SPSS software package and we get some conclusions below: There is remarkable positive influence between the suppliers with lean production and manufacturing performance. The factor of suppliers¡¦ participation has direct influence, and the next is information feedback from suppliers. But no direct influence existed to those suppliers with JIT delivery. There is remarkable positive influence between the management technique of organization and manufacturing performance. We find direct positive effect between manufacturing process SPC and employees¡¦ participation EMP. But there is no remarkably direct influence to ¡§Pull production¡¨, ¡§Continuous production process¡¨, ¡§ Shorten preparing time¡¨ and ¡§Total production maintenance¡¨. However, the influences of ¡§ Shorten preparing time¡¨, ¡§Total production maintenance¡¨ are bigger than ¡§Pull production¡¨ and ¡§Continuous production process¡¨. There is remarkable positive influence between the customers with lean production and manufacturing performance. Mainly direct influence effect for customer participation exists but no direct influence effect for information feedback from suppliers relatively. There is remarkable positive influence between the suppliers with lean production and customers¡¦ participation. The study finds that there is direct influence effect for information feedback from suppliers and customers¡¦ participation. Second are suppliers¡¦ participation and suppliers with JIT delivery. The result of this research provides managers in the manufacturing industry a path to improve the manufacturing performance of company by undertaking 5 remarkable indexes: (1) Suppliers¡¦ participation, (2) Information feedback from suppliers, (3) Management of manufacturing process, (4) Employees participation, (5) Customers¡¦ participation. Enhancing the relations with suppliers as well as customer participation, and upgrading management technique of organization will effectively improve the quality and delivery performance for the suppliers. Also it improves the manufacturing performance, and promotes the satisfication level of customers to increase enterprise¡¦s competition at last.

The topic of this thesis is involuntary childlessness and its impact on partner relationships. The theoretical part describes theories which try to explain, why people want to have children; here the knowledge about infertility, its therapy and other ways of solving this problem are summarized. The next part of the thesis deals with involuntary childlessness and its psychosocial aspects; special attention is paid to involuntary childlessness in connection to partner relationships. This part also summarizes the coping strategies of partners and presents the possible ways of psychological help for them. The empirical part was implemented by using the qualitative research, the semi-structured interviews and the method of Inclusion of Other in the Self scale. Total of 11 respondents took part, all women and each of them with experience in the area of involuntary childlessness. This part presents answers on the questions about the sense of parenthood for involuntarily childless women, their emotions and partner relationships. It surveys the areas of partner relationships, which were affected by the involuntary childlessness and describes what happens in relationship during this experience. It also shows the view of the individual respondents on the role of the social environment, on the life without...

<p>Neuroticism and partner relationship quality are associated with happines. A Swedish longitudinal project was utilized to examine whether these two aspects together determine happiness. Adolescent neuroticism was measured at age 15 witht he High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ). Measurements of neurotic manifestations were adminstered at ages 15-18. Adult neuroticism was measured at age 37 using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-I). Measures of partner relationship quality and happiness were also administered. An adolescent neurotic dimension and partner relationship quality were related to happiness. Overall, neuroticism appears to be a better predictor of happiness with both direct and indirect effects through the influence on partner relationship quality.</p> / <p>Neuroticism och partnerrelationens kvalitet är två aspekter relaterade till människans livsglädje. Data från ett svenskt longitudinalprojekt användes för att undersöka om dessa tillsammans verkar avgörande för livsglädjen. Ungdomsneuroticism mättes vid 15 års ålder genom High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ). Neurotiska manifestationer mättes också mellan 15 och 18 års ålder. Den vuxnes neuroticism mättes sedan vid 37 års ålder med Eysencks Personality Questionnaire (EQP-I). Partnerrelationens kvalitet och livsglädje användes som utfallsmått. En neurotisk dimension från adolescensen och partnerrelationens kvalitet i vuxen ålder var relaterad till livsglädjen. Totalt sett tycks ungdomsneuroticism vara en av de tydligaste förutsägelserna för livsglädjen; dels genom direkt påverkan och dels genom indirekt påverkan via partnerreltionens kvalitet.</p>

Neuroticism and partner relationship quality are associated with happines. A Swedish longitudinal project was utilized to examine whether these two aspects together determine happiness. Adolescent neuroticism was measured at age 15 witht he High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ). Measurements of neurotic manifestations were adminstered at ages 15-18. Adult neuroticism was measured at age 37 using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-I). Measures of partner relationship quality and happiness were also administered. An adolescent neurotic dimension and partner relationship quality were related to happiness. Overall, neuroticism appears to be a better predictor of happiness with both direct and indirect effects through the influence on partner relationship quality. / Neuroticism och partnerrelationens kvalitet är två aspekter relaterade till människans livsglädje. Data från ett svenskt longitudinalprojekt användes för att undersöka om dessa tillsammans verkar avgörande för livsglädjen. Ungdomsneuroticism mättes vid 15 års ålder genom High School Personality Questionnaire (HSPQ). Neurotiska manifestationer mättes också mellan 15 och 18 års ålder. Den vuxnes neuroticism mättes sedan vid 37 års ålder med Eysencks Personality Questionnaire (EQP-I). Partnerrelationens kvalitet och livsglädje användes som utfallsmått. En neurotisk dimension från adolescensen och partnerrelationens kvalitet i vuxen ålder var relaterad till livsglädjen. Totalt sett tycks ungdomsneuroticism vara en av de tydligaste förutsägelserna för livsglädjen; dels genom direkt påverkan och dels genom indirekt påverkan via partnerreltionens kvalitet.

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Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och ta reda på hur stödet i samhället ser ut när en man utsätts för våld av en kvinna i en nära relation, men även att utifrån det kunna bidra med kunskap kring ämnet “män som våldsoffer i en nära intim relation”. För att kunna besvara syftet och frågeställningarna använde vi oss av en kvalitativ ansats med ostrukturerade intervjuer som metod. Sju socialsekreterare som arbetar inom socialtjänsten med våld i nära relationer i kommuner i olika län i Sverige intervjuades. Informanternas svar jämfördes och analyserades sedan med hjälp av tidigare forskning inom området samt teorier inom kvinnors våld mot män i intima partnerrelationer. De slutsatser vi kunnat dra genom denna studie är att socialsekreterare inom socialtjänsten inte känner att det har likvärdiga hjälpinsatser att erbjuda män och att de saknar kunskap och verktyg för att kunna hjälpa män som blir eller har blivit utsatta för våld i en nära relation. / The purpose of this study is to investigate and find out how the support in society looks when a man is exposed to violence by a woman in intimate partner relationship, but also to be able to contribute knowledge about the topic “men as victims of violence in intimate partner relations”. In order to answer the purpose and the questions, we used a qualitative approach with unstructured interviews as a method. Seven social secretaries who work in social services with violence in close relationships in different parts of Sweden were interviewed. The informants' answers were compared and then analyzed with the help of previous research in the field as well as theories in women's violence against men in intimate partner relations. The conclusions we have been able to make through this study are that social secretaries in social services do not feel that they have equivalent help to offer men and that they lack knowledge and tools to be able to help men who are or have been exposed to violence in an intimate partner relationship.

由於全球化的浪潮，將市場競爭帶向新的局面，企業不再只尋求短期 的利潤，更傾向與他們的外部競爭者以及內部人員維持長期的合作關係， 以替企業帶來更大利益，這種共生共存的關係，亦即夥伴關係。已有許多 研究發現，發展夥伴關係能為企業帶來益處，學者也找出建立夥伴關係和 夥伴關係演化過程中的關鍵成功因素，或者針對形成夥伴關係的結合力進 行研究，然而，很少有學者提及如何管理夥伴關係，本研究以此觀點出發， 目的在找出供應商夥伴關係管理的重要因素並提出實踐的執行項目，以供 企業評估並改進其供應商夥伴關係管理的流程，另外提出夥伴關係度量 (Partner Relationship Metrics)之概念，讓企業據此分數來選擇供應商夥伴。 本研究首先由17 篇關於夥伴關係的文獻中找出18 個夥伴關係的關鍵 成功因素(Critical Success Factor, CSF)，並在每一關鍵成功因素下，定義若 干個關鍵執行項目(Key Practice Items, KPI)。這些關鍵執行項目都代表著供 應商合作關係中執行的行動，以關鍵成功因素及文獻中學者所提的關鍵結 合力(Bond)形成訪談內容，採取企業訪談法挑選台灣資訊電子製造業供應 鏈中分別屬於零組件供應商、加工製造者以及系統組裝商的六家企業進行 訪談。研究結果顯示，六家企業都認為順應性(Adapatibility)、信任(Trust)、 參與度(Participation)是重要的因素，另外也發現，訪談對象依其企業規模、 屬於買方或賣方市場等因素乃訪談結果有差異的原因之一。 關鍵字：B2B、供應商夥伴關係、關鍵成功因素、夥伴關係度量 / Over the past few years, companies have faced increasing challenges in their relationships with external competitors as well as internal employees. Recent years, managers tend to build a long term, ongoing relationships which are called partnerships. Researches have found that developing partnerships can contribute to the profit of a company and reduce the risk. Some researchers focused on the factors of the successful partnership; others on the bonds between partners. However, studies is lacking on how to manage a partnership. The purpose of this project is to find factors that make a successful supplier partnership and propose some key practice items (KPI) as well. Furthermore, we define partner relationship metrics (PRM) by combing bonds and success factors of partnership to help managers evaluate their supplier partners. This project is based on partnership literatures and business interviews. First, we chose 18 critical success factors (CSF) of the partnership from 17 literatures. Then, we surveyed 6 businesses of Taiwan Information & Electronic Industry and divided them into 3 categories to get the empirical data. We found all companies agree that Adaptability, Trust and Participation are the top 3 important factors in managing their supplier partner relationships. In addition, we discovered that the size of the companies and the one who holds the power in the supplier-buyer relationship influence the research results. Key words: B2B, supplier partner relationship, critical success factor (CSF), partner relationship metrics (PRM)