What does it mean to be lawful in a secular age? Reincarnating Law in the Cosmos orbits around such a humanistic inquiry, offering a local contribution to a global jurisprudence by theorizing contemporary Indigenous and state laws in Canada in reciprocal relation to secular modernity. In this context, the study marks the first substantive engagement with Val Napoleon’s Ayook: Gitksan Legal Order, Law, and Legal Theory (2009). The study interprets Napoleon’s reification thesis on Gitxsan law and society as part of a historical disembedding process and evaluates it with reference to a 2016 pipeline agreement signed between a segment of Gitxsan hereditary leaders and the province of British Columbia. Translating Charles Taylor’s concept of excarnation for the legal sphere, it then expands upon Napoleon’s thesis by postulating the steady disembodying and disenchanting reduction of Gitxsan lawful life. To address this dilemma, the study supplements the active and reasoned sense of Gitxsan citizenship posited in Ayook by recasting it in phenomenological terms as a distinctly embodied form of legal agency. To clarify this aspect of agency, the study applies critical race feminist Preeti Dhaliwal’s legal research and playwriting method known as jurisprudential theatre. Dhaliwal’s method shapes the study in two significant ways. First, her impetus for developing the method draws from her own witnessing and overcoming of excarnation in the Canadian law school and immigration system, demonstrating it to be a larger problem traversing multi-juridical borders. To address this problem, the method, in turn, enables the innovation of a new Gitxsan concept of legal agency – the ‘wii bil’ust (giant star) – and an original drama that reveals the real-world struggle and heroism of reincarnating the Gitxsan legal order across generations over the past century. To encourage the broader reincarnation of law, and building on Jeremy Webber’s critique of the functionalist account of customary law, the study points towards a shared grammar of incarnational law. That is, a grammar deepened by embodied modes of relationality, reimagined cosmologies attuned to our earthly predicaments, and creative fluency in multiple languages and traditions, among other habitable zones. / Graduate / 2023-07-15

One of the most difficult tasks towards designing earthquake resistant structures is the determination of critical earthquakes. Conceptually, these are the ground motions that would induce the critical response in the structures being designed. The quantification of this concept, however, is not easy. Unlike the linear response of a structure, which can often be obtained by using a single spectrally modified ground acceleration history, the nonlinear response is strongly dependent on the phasing of ground motion and the detailed shape of its spectrum. This necessitates the use of a suite (bin) of ground acceleration histories having phasing and spectral shapes appropriate for the characteristics of the earthquake source, wave propagation path, and site conditions that control the design spectrum. Further, these suites of records may have to be scaled to match the design spectrum over a period range of interest, rotated into strike-normal and strike-parallel directions for near-fault effects, and modified for local site conditions before they can be input into time-domain nonlinear analysis of structures. The generation of these acceleration histories is cumbersome and daunting. This is especially so due to the sheer magnitude of the data processing involved. The purpose of this thesis is the development and documentation of PC-based computational tools (hereinafter called EQTools) to provide a rapid and consistent means towards systematic assembly of representative strong ground motions and their characterization, evaluation, and modification within a performance-based seismic design framework. The application is graphics-intensive and every effort has been made to make it as user-friendly as possible. The application seeks to provide processed data which will help the user address the problem of determination of the critical earthquakes. The various computational tools developed in EQTools facilitate the identification of severity and damage potential of more than 700 components of recorded earthquake ground motions. The application also includes computational tools to estimate the ground motion parameters for different geographical and tectonic environments, and perform one-dimensional linear/nonlinear site response analysis as a means to predict ground surface motions at sites where soft soils overlay the bedrock. While EQTools may be used for professional practice or academic research, the fundamental purpose behind the development of the software is to make available a classroom/laboratory tool that provides a visual basis for learning the principles behind the selection of ground motion histories and their scaling/modification for input into time domain nonlinear (or linear) analysis of structures. EQTools, in association with NONLIN, a Microsoft Windows based application for the dynamic analysis of single- and multi-degree-of-freedom structural systems (Charney, 2003), may be used for learning the concepts of earthquake engineering, particularly as related to structural dynamics, damping, ductility, and energy dissipation. / Master of Science

No description available.

Thesis / This research is mainly concerned with determining whether the existing evaluation methods/measurement instruments used in Business Management at Technikon SA, are still suitable, adequate and acceptable enough for continued use, or whether there is a need for the introduction of alternative methods. The first objective in this research was to determine what the exact role and function of evaluation in the education process is. On the basis of literature, it was determined that evaluation, and by implication measurement, is a crucial component of the education process and that no real teaching or learning can occur without it. Second, an attempt was made to determine what the nature and extent of the shortcomings of the existing measurement instruments were. Also on the basis of literature it was found that there are numerous and serious disadvantages in the existing measurement instruments. Third, the researcher also attempted to determine whether any other (alternative) measurement instruments, in addition to the existing ones, were available. It was discovered that there are a variety of alternative evaluation/measurement instruments available. Fourth, the measurement instruments used in Business Management were analysed and compared to the Business Management curriculum objectives to determine whether they were indeed suitable for the subject. It was found that, although a positive correlation seems to exist between the measurement instruments and the curriculum objectives, there were certain definite shortcomings in the existing measurement instruments in terms of the realization of some of the curriculum objectives. Fifth, focus group interviews were used as a research method to get an understanding of the views of TSA learners on the aspect of evaluation and the methods/instruments currently used. Most of the participants expressed a need for more practical types of measurement/evaluation. However, many participants felt the written examination should not be abolished entirely, but be used in conjunction with other more practical methods. The research concluded with a number of recommendations based on the findings in this research. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

Bakgrund: I en konkurrenskraftig miljö med föränderliga villkor krävs en tillämpning av sofistikerade styrverktyg inom ett företags ekonomistyrsystem. Verksamheten PostNord AB har i och med en bolagisering och avreglering genomgått en strukturomvandling men har fortfarande ett statligt uppdrag samtidigt som de konkurrerar med helt kommersiella företag. Problemdiskussion: PostNord AB får i dagsläget inte önskad effekt på styrning i verksamheten då det brister i förhållning till budgeten. Detta har utmynnat i en diskussion kring relationen mellan budget och prestationsmätning och dess styreffekter i organisationen. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att kartlägga PostNord ABs ekonomistyrsystem med särskilt fokus på budget och prestationsmätningar och dess styreffekter i organisationen. Vidare är syftet att ge rekommendationer på förändringar av dagens styrsystem, vilka kan ge en förbättrad styreffekt inom PostNord AB - Region Växjö. Metod: Studien innefattar en fallstudie som forskningsdesign. Insamlingen av empiriskt material har skett genom intervjuer, dokument och observationer. Intervjuerna har utförts semi-strukturerat och respondenturvalet har skett utifrån ett kedje- samt lämplighetsurval. Resultat: Problemområden beträffande ekonomistyrsystemets styreffekter har identifierats där förbättringsförslag rörarande företagets mest kritiska områden har rekommenderats. Dessa innefattar en nedtoning av budgeten till förmån för prestationsmätningar, mål kopplade till mått, ökad kommunikation mellan nivåerna samt förhöjd motivation genom ökat deltagande. Slutsats: Marknaden som PostNord AB verkar på kännetecknas av tämligen fasta spelregler med en likartad infrastruktur för distribution. Avgörandet för företagets framgång beror på hur det på mest fördelaktiga sätt kan anpassa och maximera sin verksamhet efter rådande villkor. Detta talar för en ökad användning av processinriktade prestationsmätningar. / Background: In a competitive environment with changing conditions the use of sophisticated management tool are required within a company’s management control system. The company Post Nord AB has, with corporatisation and deregulation undergone a structural change, but still has a state-mandated while competing with fully commercial enterprises. Problems Discussion: Post Nord AB is in the current situation not receiving the desired effect on the control of the business when because of imperfections in the attitude to the budget. This has led to a discussion on the relationship between budget and performance measurement and its control effects in the organization. Purpose: The aim of the study is to map Post Nord AB’s management control system with particular focus on the budget and performance measurements and its control effects in the organization. A further purpose is to provide recommendations on changes to the current control system, which can enhance the control effect in Post Nord AB - Region Växjö. Method: The study includes a case study research design. The collection of empirical data were collected through interviews, documents and observations. The interviews were conducted semi- structured and the selection were based on a chain and suitability selection. Results: Issues concerning control effects of the management control system have been identified and improvement proposals have been recommended. These include a dimming of the budget in favor of performance measurements, goals related to measurement, increased communication between levels and enhanced motivation through increased participation. Conclusion: PostNord AB acts on a market characterized by fairly fixed rules with a similar distribution infrastructure. The essential for the company’s success depends on how it in most beneficial ways can customize and maximize their business to the prevailing conditions. This suggests an increased use of process-oriented performance measurements.

La question de l’efficacité de l’aide publique au développement est complexe et protéiforme. L’aide se présente sous de nombreuses formes et implique de nombreux instruments et acteurs, dont les objectifs et mêmes les philosophies diffèrent fortement entre les pays et les organisations. De cet enchevêtrement, les économistes ont jusqu’alors échoué dans leurs recherches de relations macroéconomiques robustes censées guider l’action publique. Ainsi, aucun consensus ne semble pour l’instant émerger de ce débat. Dès lors, l’orientation des politiques de développement a essentiellement été influencée par des hypothèses contestables reposant sur des fondements empiriques fragiles. Ce travail tente d’apporter de nouveaux éléments au débat sur l’efficacité de l’aide au travers de sept essais. Les trois premiers chapitres se consacrent à la question de la relation entre aide et croissance du point de vue statistique. Les nouvelles approches qui y sont proposées tentent de surmonter la plupart des défauts de la littérature empirique existante. Nous y montrons que la relation entre aide et croissance est extrêmement complexe et qu’il est difficile de l’appréhender à l’aide des méthodes économétriques usuelles. De plus, bien que l’aide semble globalement efficace en termes de croissance du PIB, son efficacité dépend de différents facteurs révélés par la présence de seuils aussi bien conditionnels que non-Conditionnels. Parmi ces facteurs, la vulnérabilité économique semble jouer un rôle primordial et sa prise en compte s’avère indispensable pour une compréhension globale du lien entre l’aide et la croissance économique. Dans une seconde partie, les deux chapitres suivants s’intéressent plus particulièrement à l’aide sectorielle, à travers l’étude de l’efficacité de deux initiatives largement reconnues que sont l’aide à la scolarisation primaire universelle et l’aide au commerce. Leur efficacité sera alors déterminée non plus en termes de croissance du PIB mais en termes de scolarisation et de performance à l’exportation. A l’instar des trois premiers chapitres, nos résultats semblent confirmer la présence d’une relation significative entre l’aide et les objectifs visés. Nos conclusions, notamment celles en termes d’éducation, vont clairement à l’encontre de l’idée selon laquelle l’aide aurait fait plus de mal que de bien. Enfin, en se basant sur les résultats précédents, les chapitres six et sept explorent, dans une troisième partie, les possibilités d’amélioration des stratégies actuelles d’allocation de l’aide mises en œuvre notamment par les grands bailleurs multilatéraux. Une de nos principales observations est que la vulnérabilité économique est un facteur important devant être pris en compte dans le design des méthodes d’allocation de l’aide. / Aid effectiveness is a complex issue. Aid comes in many instruments, has many targets and involves many stakeholders whose objectives, methods and philosophy greatly differ across countries and institutions. From this mixed bag, economists have struggled finding strong regularities at the macroeconomic level to guide the political debate and consensus have failed to emerge. Hence, political stances have often been influenced by strong assumptions based on weak or at least hotly debated evidence. This work is an attempt to provide new perspectives on the aid effectiveness debate through seven essays. The first three chapters address the technical question of the aid/growth relationship issue using new approaches and new statistical instruments in an attempt to overcome most of the caveats of the aid empirical literature. We show that the aid/growth relationship is complex and difficult to measure using common statistical methods. Moreover, while aid is globally effective, its effectiveness depends on different factors reflected by the existence of conditional and unconditional thresholds. Among those factors, economic vulnerability seems to be a key component that has to be taken into account in order to identify this relationship. In a second part, we try to assess the effectiveness of two flagship initiatives which are Aid for Trade and Universal Primary Education with regards to the outcomes they ultimately target, namely, export performance for the former and school enrolment, gender parity and repetition rate in primary school for the later. As in the first three chapters, our results support the existence of a significant relationship between aid and the targeted outcomes. Those results, notably for the education sector, clearly argue against the idea that aid has done more bad then good. Finally, based on previous results, in a third part, chapters six and seven explore the mean to improve the current aid allocation strategies used notably by the Multilateral Development Banks. One of the main conclusions is that economic vulnerability is a central factor to be taken into account in the design of aid allocation strategies.

本研究建構一社會網路互動下的新凱因斯動態隨機一般均衡模型，探討效用基礎下波茲曼分配背後的網路結構，以及，社會網路對新凱因斯動態隨機一般均衡模型參數的影響。根據本論文模擬結果，效用基礎下波茲曼分配背後所隱含的社會網路結構呈現局部區域性連結拓璞，此結論與熱力學對波茲曼分配中粒子互動方式的假設相同，然而，區域性連結之網路結構（如環狀網）並非目前實證研究所觀察到的網路型態（如冪分布網路或高群集係數之小世界網路），故吾人是否得以直接利用效用基礎下波茲曼分配來描述社會上人與人之間的互動現象必需更忱慎考量之。另外，社會網路互動也將使新凱因斯動態隨機一般均衡模型之參數估計產生偏誤，依本研究估計結果觀之，只要加入社會互動，總合需求曲線中實質利率之參數估計將為正號，即實質利率對產出缺口的影響為負向影響，也就是文獻上的投資儲蓄迷思(IS puzzle)，若進一步觀察社會網路結構對該實證迷思的影響則可發現當社會網路群聚程度越高時，該估計偏誤將越嚴重。 / We construct a social network-based New Keynesian DSGE (Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium) Model to investigate the underlying social network structure derived from the performance-based Boltzmann-Gibbs model, and thus interpret the process that social network structures affect the estimation bias in the New Keynesian DSGE framework. According to our simulation results, the underlying social network structure derived from the performance-based Boltzmann-Gibbs model should be local. This finding is consistent with the study of thermodynamics, which the Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution is based upon, i.e. the local interaction. However, it contradicts not only the purpose of combining the performance-based Boltzmann-Gibbs machine and New Keynesian DSGE model, but also empirical studies of social network structures in the real world. Accordingly, maybe we have to consider further whether the performance-based Boltzmann-Gibbs machine is a suitable tool for calibrating social interaction under the stylized New Keynesian DSGE framework. Furthermore, if we embedded interaction behavior in the stylized New Keynesian model, the so-called “IS Puzzle” can be consequently observed. We also realized that “IS Puzzle” is connected with network structures. The more clustering the network structure is, the more significant “IS Puzzle” would be.

基金經理人與投資人間的代理問題起源於兩者目標的不一致，前者要求個人薪酬財富的極大化，後者要求投資組合價值的極大化。造成目標歧異的原因有兩個：其一是在資訊不對稱的環境下，投資人無法觀察到經理人投資組合是否真正從投資人利益角度出發，因此引發了經理人的道德危險；其二是在競爭激烈的基金產業□，年度定期績效評比結果與經理人薪酬紅利多寡相連結等制度的設計，加重經理人選擇持有一個高風險投資組合的逆誘因，特別是期中累積績效較差的輸家，隨著年終總績效結算日期的接近，在自利動機的驅使下可能會透過較高的操作風險調整幅度，企圖扭轉頹勢以求反敗為勝。 本研究首先利用卡方檢定、t檢定與Logistic迴歸模式，實證國內基金經理人是否具有自利性風險調整的行為傾向，接著從契約設計的觀點，以理論模式推導命題的方式，探討三種不同型態的誘因費契約對於抑制經理人自利性風險調整行為的作用，並間接利用問卷調查的方式來驗證其效果。研究的結果發現： 1.國內基金經理人不管是贏家或輸家，在越接近年終總績效的結算時，都會偏向選擇一個高風險的操作水準，同時，上述特性在非外資型投信公司所發行的基金、新基金、小規模基金、資淺經理人所操盤的基金特別明顯。 2.基金投資人對於季等短期績效的過分重視，是導致國內經理人操作風險調整幅度偏高的主要原因之一。 3.純粹誘因費契約以及只加上「上限條款」設計的契約，這兩種契約都無法抑制經理人冒高風險的傾向；而純粹誘因費契約加上「懲罰條款」的設計，有抑制經理人自利性調高操作風險行為的效果。 本研究成果的貢獻主要有兩點： 1.在政策應用上，本研究提出契約條款設計的理念，對於我國擬開放勞退等大型基金委託代客操作，雙方契約該如何設計以確保投資人的權益，有相當參考的價值，本研究同時也對投信公司、基金經理人等提出相關的制度性建議。 2.在理論推導上，本研究融合一般化均衡分析法與選擇權理論的應用，將不同型態的誘因費契約化成經理人向投資人所購買的歐式買權，標的資產為經理人所持投資組合的價值，履約價格為比較基準指數的價值，執行日期為一年期的績效評比，模型導証的重點是經理人所選擇投資組合的風險程度與該類比選擇權價值的關係。 / An important question for the contracting literature is the extent to which real behavior is driven by the financial incentives contained in compensation schemes. To address this issue, (1) we use the tournament concept as the framework, and focus on the competitive nature of mutual fund environments how to affect the managers' portfolio decision-making processes. (2) we also use the Black-Scholes option pricing model as the framework, and analyze the impact on the mutual fund managers' risk-manipulation behavior of a performance-based incentive plan. Given the asymmetric information financial markets, most investors of mutual funds can not measure the funds' risk without error, thus, agent-divergent behavior may potentially arise. In a tournament reward structure, the managers' rational attempting to maximize their expected compensation may revise the risk level or alter the composition of their portfolio during the assessment period. While there will be times when such changes don't serve the best interest of funds' investors. Our research demonstrates the following results: 1. An empirical investigation of 86 open-type mutual funds during 1995 to 1998 with the methods of test, t test and the Logistic regression shows fund managers with poor performance would become aggressive and tend to increase fund volatility in the latter part of an annual assessment period. The effect is obviously clear toward the end of the year and it is involved with the investors' myopic of the assessment to the managers' performances. 2. In our model, the bonus is similar to a call option on the funds' portfolio. Three types of incentive contracts are compared. The results show that the incentive contract with penalty can reduce managers to adversely alter the risk of the portfolio they manage. It dominates the pure incentive contract and only with a ceiling incentive contract. Questionnaires investigated by fund managers will support some hypothesis.

Thesis / This research is mainly concerned with determining whether the existing evaluation methods/measurement instruments used in Business Management at Technikon SA, are still suitable, adequate and acceptable enough for continued use, or whether there is a need for the introduction of alternative methods. The first objective in this research was to determine what the exact role and function of evaluation in the education process is. On the basis of literature, it was determined that evaluation, and by implication measurement, is a crucial component of the education process and that no real teaching or learning can occur without it. Second, an attempt was made to determine what the nature and extent of the shortcomings of the existing measurement instruments were. Also on the basis of literature it was found that there are numerous and serious disadvantages in the existing measurement instruments. Third, the researcher also attempted to determine whether any other (alternative) measurement instruments, in addition to the existing ones, were available. It was discovered that there are a variety of alternative evaluation/measurement instruments available. Fourth, the measurement instruments used in Business Management were analysed and compared to the Business Management curriculum objectives to determine whether they were indeed suitable for the subject. It was found that, although a positive correlation seems to exist between the measurement instruments and the curriculum objectives, there were certain definite shortcomings in the existing measurement instruments in terms of the realization of some of the curriculum objectives. Fifth, focus group interviews were used as a research method to get an understanding of the views of TSA learners on the aspect of evaluation and the methods/instruments currently used. Most of the participants expressed a need for more practical types of measurement/evaluation. However, many participants felt the written examination should not be abolished entirely, but be used in conjunction with other more practical methods. The research concluded with a number of recommendations based on the findings in this research. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics)

Ce mémoire présente les travaux de thèse visant à étudier le comportement parasismique des éléments de murs à ossature en bois aux travers d’approches expérimentales et du développement d’une méthodologie d’application de méthodes basées sur la performance sismique. Les approches expérimentales sont constituées de trois campagnes d’essais : (1) une série d’essais monotones et cycliques à l’échelle d’assemblages agrafés et pointés, (2) une série d’essais monotones et cycliques à l’échelle de l’élément de mur à ossature en bois et (3) une série d’essais dynamiques sur table vibrante. La base de données constituée par les résultats d’essais permet alors l’examen des propriétés de résistance et de raideur des éléments de murs suivant les conditions de sollicitation (vitesse d’essai, chargement vertical). Le développement d’une modélisation à l’échelle macro du comportement cyclique et dynamique de tels éléments est également proposé à l’aide de modèles de loi de comportement hystérétiques. Une méthodologie d’application aux structures à ossature bois de méthodes basées sur la performance sismique (méthode N2 et MPA) ainsi qu’une analyse de vulnérabilité - construction de courbes de fragilité - à l’aide de la méthode N2 sont proposées. / This thesis presents a study of the seismic behavior of light timber frame walls with stapled and nailed sheathings through experimental approaches and the development of a methodology for the application of seismic performance-based methods. The experimental approaches consist of three test campaigns: (1) a series of static tests on stapled and nailed connections, (2) a series of static tests performed on light timber frame walls and (3) a series of dynamic tests performed on light timber frame walls on a vibrating table. The database consists of these test results then allows the examination of strength and stiffness properties of the wall elements according to the stress conditions (strain rate, vertical load). The development of a macro-scale modeling of the cyclic and dynamic behavior of such elements is also proposed using constitutive law models. A framework of the application to light timber frame structures of seismic performance-based methods based (N2 method and MPA method) and a vulnerability analysis - fragility curves - using the N2 method are proposed.