With the financial crisis, many firms suffered from liquidity shortages and needed to quickly change their way of working to release capital from the operations. Scholars argue that firms should handle immediate crisis with short-term measures first, and then change the underlying organizational routines to prevent recurrence. The management of working capital has received increased attention amongst corporate managers as a result of the crisis, whereby it is interesting to understand how firms can reduce their working capital in a sustainable way. By using the problem-finding and problem-solving approach, this study explores how successful firms have found and solved problems to make them sustainable. To answer the research question a multiple-case study is performed, where five firms are explored through interviews with key respondents. The study indicates that urgency is the main driver for both introducing and increasing the focus on working capital management. Different strategies for obtaining sustainable working capital management are found, where focus and commitment from the top management is suggested to be the glue that makes it last. It is furthermore suggested that managers have two main tools for creating and sustaining desired routines and practices; communication and control.

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of perceived family competence on late adolescent problem-solving abilities, family relationships, and affective experience. Specific areas of interest were perceived confidence in problem-solving and approach rather than avoidance of problems; intergenerational intimacy, intergenerational individuation, and personal authority in the family system as the adolescent relates to parents; and level of depression. Subjects were 256 late adolescents whose parents were still married and living together. Results indicated that perceived family competence had an effect on the dependent variables in the expected directions. Specifically, individuals who scored high on perceived family competence were high on perceived problem-solving confidence, approached problem-solving, were high on intergenerational intimacy, intergenerational individuation, and personal authority in relation to parents, and had less depression than individuals low on perceived family competence. Several sex differences were noted. Females had significantly higher approach to problem-solving than did males. Women reported significantly higher intergenerational intimacy with parents than did men. There was a significant interaction on personal authority such that for the high perceived family competence group, women scored higher than men. However, there were no significant differences between males and females in the low perceived family competence group.

The problem with which this study was concerned is a comparison of the problem solving ability of physics and engineering students in a two year college. The purpose of this study was to compare the problem solving ability of physics and engineering students in a two year college and determine whether a difference exists. Data was collected from an instrument administered to twenty-six engineering students and twenty-three physics students as a major examination in their regular courses. The instrument was validated by being taken from representative texts, by approval of the instructors using the examination, and by approval of a physics professor at a university. The instructors and professor were considered a panel of experts. Comparison of test scores of students who were registered in both physics and engineering and who took the exam twice, established concurrent validity of the instrument. A questionnaire was also administered to both groups of students to determine their personal problem solving strategies, if any, and to collect other demographic data. Additional demographic data, as available, was 2 obtained from the registrar. Instructor profiles were determined from interviews with each of the four instructors involved. Analysis of the data indicated there is a significant difference in the ability of engineering students and physics students to solve statics problems. The engineering students scored significantly better in solving both engineering problems and in overall problem solving, as hypothesized. The engineering students also scored significantly higher in problem solving ability on physics problems, resulting in the rejection of the hypothesis that there would be no difference in the problem solving ability of the two groups on physics problems.

Face à des situations d’apprentissage de nombreux processus cognitifs peuvent être mis en œuvre par les apprenants en vue de créer de nouvelles traces mnésiques (mémorisation d'exemplaires ou abstraction de connaissances notamment). Depuis plusieurs décennies de nombreuses recherches ont mis en évidence que la mise en œuvre privilégiée de l’un ou l’autre de ces processus est fonction de différents paramètres : particularités interindividuelles, niveaux des apprenants, oucaractéristiques de la tâche. Notre thèse porte sur ce dernier point : sur les liens entre certaines caractéristiques du matériel à apprendre et les processus cognitifs des apprenants. Plus particulièrement, nous nous intéressons à la question de l'impact du mode de présentation de problèmes, étudiés par des apprenants en vue de progresser. Si de nombreux travaux ont déjà porté sur la structuration interne des problèmes et leur lien avec les mécanismes cognitifs (cf. Sweller et al, 2000), très peu de recherches ont porté sur les effets du mode de présentation et d'organisation de plusieurs problèmes de difficultés similaires ou différentes. C'est pourquoi nous avons mené ce travail de recherche. Afin de mieux comprendre les interrelations entre la résolution de problèmes et l'apprentissage de connaissances qui peut en découler. / No english summary

The term "resurgence" generally refers to the reappearance of certain behaviors during extinction. Different definitions describe these behaviors as previously reinforced, previously extinguished, or simply previously learned. At first glance, these definitions seem the same. And, researchers have not given much thought to the differences between them. However, these definitions could refer to different initial teaching procedures, and these differences may produce different results during extinction. The present study used the Portable Operant Research and Teaching Lab (PORTL) to examine how differences in the initial teaching procedure affected the behavior of college students during extinction. In the first condition, participants learned four behaviors. Each behavior was extinguished before the next behavior was taught. When all four behaviors were put on extinction, they resurged in the reverse order from how they were taught. A second condition followed the same procedure as the first with one difference. Each behavior was not extinguished before the next behavior was taught. When these four behaviors were put on extinction, they resurged in the order they were learned. These results indicate that the initial training procedure can influence the order in which behaviors appear during extinction.

Este trabalho tem como foco analisar o material didático de matemática, mais precisamente os livros de matemática do Ensino Fundamental de 6º e 9º ano, no sentido de explorar as situações colocadas pelos autores e validar as experiências nelas contidas, através de um estudo aprofundado, estabelecendo critérios para análise de resultados matemáticos que norteiam a vivência de nossos alunos em geometria. Foi realizada uma pesquisa, envolvendo materiais didáticos, professores de Matemática e estudantes do 6º e 9º anos, utilizando-se do espaço da Sala de Leitura com o interesse de promover discussões sobre a real aplicabilidade dos conceitos de Geometria, analisando soluções de problemas propostos e validando resultados como fonte de pesquisa para o conteúdo estudado. Foram observadas situações de ensino aprendizagem significativas no material da rede SESI e na rede pública, porém os alunos não tem conhecimento prévio para utilização de recursos que determinam a estratégia de resolução, ou seja, os professores ainda utilizam a teoria pra chegar à solução enquanto que o material, nas dimensões observadas, tem como ponto de partida a situação problema para elencar hipóteses e elaborar a teoria construindo o conhecimento através de conceitos vivenciados e validação dos resultados. Experiências com alunos do 6º ano constataram muita dificuldade em resolver os problemas propostos pelo material, pois não conseguem caminhar sozinhos, isto é, necessitam de algum exemplo para iniciar as estratégias de resolução. Em questionários responderam que não sabiam muito de geometria, pois o conteúdo era deixado para o fim do semestre e que precisavam de um modelo para que conseguissem resolver os problemas propostos. No sentido de subsidiar o trabalho do professor foram propostas resoluções de problemas do material adotado sem o modelo, tirando assim o aluno de sua zona de conforto, ou seja, fazendo com que ele consiga construir estratégias de desenvolvimento para solucionar o problema com o mínimo possível de ajuda do professor. Também os alunos do 9º ano apresentaram muita dificuldade em construir estratégias de resolução, porque essa cultura de seguir o modelo perpetua há muitos anos nas aulas de geometria, que são deixadas para o segundo semestre. Com as análises e procedimentos realizados, é possível afirmar que a metodologia de Resolução de Problemas pode representar uma estratégia eficaz no processo ensino-aprendizagem de geometria e que os materiais didáticos adotados oferecem recursos para isso acontecer, garantindo que o aprendizado ocorra de modo significativo e contextualizado. / This work aims to analyze the didactic material of mathematics of the 6th and 9th grade of Primary Education, in order to explore the situations offered by the authors and validate the experiences in them, through an in-depth study, establishing criteria for analyzing mathematical results that guide our students\' experience in geometry. A research was carried out, involving didactic materials, Mathematics teachers and students of the 6th and 9th grades, using the Reading Room as workplace, with the purpose of promoting discussions about the real applicability of the concepts of Geometry, analyzing solutions of proposed problems and validating results as a research source for the studied content. Significant teaching situations were observed in the material of the SESI Education network and in the public Education network, but the students do not have prior knowledge to use resources that determine the strategy of resolution, in other words, some teachers still use the theory to reach the solution, while the material, in the observed dimensions, has as its starting point the problem situation to list hypotheses and to elaborate the theory constructing the knowledge through known concepts and validation of the results. Experiences with 6th grade students have found a deep difficulty to solve the problems proposed by the material because they cannot solve the exercises alone, thus, they need some example to start the strategies of resolution. In questionnaires, they answered that they did not know much of geometry, because the content was left to the end of the semester and that they needed a model, so that they could solve the proposed problems. In order to subsidize the teacher\'s work, students were asked to solve problems of the adopted material without the \"model\", thus taking the students out of their comfort zone, enabling them to build development strategies to solve the problem with the least help possible from the teacher. Students of the 9th grade had a great difficulty in constructing resolution strategies because this \"culture\" of following the model perpetuated for many years in geometry classes, once they are left for the second semester. With the analysis and procedures performed, it is possible to affirm that the Problem Solving methodology can represent an effective strategy in the teaching-learning process of geometry and that the adopted didactic materials offer the resources for this to happen, ensuring that the learning occurs in a significant and contextualized manner.

by Kong Siu Cheung. / Thesis (M.Ph.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1988. / Bibliography: leaves 114-122.

Chan Wai Yu. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 99-110). / Acknowledgements --- p.ii / Abstract --- p.iii / Table of Contents --- p.v / List of Tables --- p.viii / List of Figures --- p.ix / Chapter Chapter I --- INTRODUCTION / Chapter 1 --- Background to the study --- p.1 / Chapter 2 --- Purpose of the study --- p.3 / Chapter 3 --- Limitations of the study --- p.4 / Chapter 4 --- Significance of the study --- p.5 / Chapter Chapter II --- REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE / Chapter 1 --- Definitions of problem and major approaches in problem- solving research --- p.6 / Chapter 2 --- Information-processing theory of problem solving --- p.8 / Chapter 3 --- Cognitive theories and the acquisition of procedural knowledge in problem solving --- p.11 / Chapter (i) --- Anderson's ACT* theory --- p.12 / Chapter (ii) --- Schneider and Detweler's model --- p.16 / Chapter (iii) --- Research in skill acqusition --- p.23 / Chapter 4 --- Cognitive theories and transfer of problem-solving performance --- p.29 / Chapter (i) --- Transfer and Anderson's ACT* theory --- p.30 / Chapter (ii) --- Other studies and explanation about transfer --- p.32 / Chapter (iii) --- Research in transfer --- p.34 / Chapter 5 --- Research in genetic problem-solving --- p.38 / Chapter 6 --- Brief summary of literature review --- p.40 / Chapter Chapter III --- RESEARCH DESIGN / Chapter 1 --- Definition --- p.42 / Chapter 2 --- Hypotheses --- p.44 / Chapter 3 --- Sampling --- p.44 / Chapter 4 --- Subjects --- p.45 / Chapter 5 --- Materials --- p.45 / Chapter 6 --- Procedure / Chapter (i) --- Pilot studies --- p.47 / Chapter (ii) --- The main study --- p.48 / Chapter 7 --- Data analysis / Chapter (i) --- The practice schedule experiment --- p.55 / Chapter (ii) --- The protocol --- p.57 / Chapter Chapter IV --- ANALYSIS AND RESULT / Chapter 1 --- Statistically analysis of tests scores / Chapter (i) --- Reliability --- p.59 / Chapter (ii) --- Comparison of the problem solving test scores between the two groups --- p.61 / Chapter (iii) --- "Effects of treatment groups, test types and time conditions on the performance" --- p.65 / Chapter 2 --- Analysis of the protocols / Chapter (i) --- Problem-solving procedures --- p.72 / Chapter (ii) --- Problem-solving performance --- p.77 / Chapter 3 --- Discussion --- p.87 / Chapter (i) --- Acquisition --- p.87 / Chapter (ii) --- Retention --- p.89 / Chapter (iii) --- Transfer --- p.90 / Chapter (vi) --- General discussion --- p.93 / Chapter Chapter V --- CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTION FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATIONS / Chapter 1 --- Conclusions --- p.95 / Chapter 2 --- Suggestion for further investigations --- p.97 / Bibliography --- p.99 / Appendix A The power law --- p.111 / Appendix B Figure8 --- p.112 / Appendix C Supplimentary note --- p.113 / Appendix D Pretest --- p.114 / Appendix E Practice schedule exercises --- p.115 / Appendix F Posttests --- p.125 / Appendix G Problems in the second protocol interview --- p.133 / Appendix H Transcripts of the protocols --- p.134

A presente pesquisa tem por objetivo explorar os diferentes esquemas utilizados por estudantes do sétimo ano ao serem confrontados com problemas envolvendo razões e proporções, a fim de identificar e analisar quais são os conceitos relacionados à proporcionalidade mobilizados por alunos que ainda não estudaram este conteúdo em ambiente escolar. Para tanto, foi realizada uma coleta de dados em três turmas de sétimo ano de uma escola de ensino fundamental da rede municipal de Canoas – RS, na qual foi proposto, durante oito horas-aula, um total de quatorze problemas matemáticos envolvendo proporcionalidade, que puderam ser resolvidos em grupos de dois ou três alunos. O conjunto de dados coletados foi composto pelas resoluções escritas dos alunos e um diário de campo contendo anotações sobre a conduta (falas, ações) dos estudantes durante o trabalho com os problemas matemáticos. A análise dos dados foi baseada na Teoria dos Campos Conceituais de Gérard Vergnaud, e permitiu identificar diversos esquemas que utilizaram estruturas aditivas para resolver problemas de proporcionalidade e que, ainda sim, se mostraram suficientes para levar os estudantes à resposta correta do problema. Também foi possível observar esquemas do campo conceitual multiplicativo, contendo indícios significativos da presença da proporcionalidade como um conceito-em-ação. Desta forma, a pesquisa aponta formas de explorar problemas de proporcionalidade diferentes daquelas que estabelecem relação direta deste conteúdo com a linguagem fracionária, como podemos observar em livros didáticos e documentos curriculares norteadores atuais. / The present research aims at exploring the different schemata mobilized by seventh year students when they are confronted with problems involving reasons and proportions to identify and analyze which are the mobilized concepts related to proportionality in students who have not studied this content in the school environment yet. For that, a data collection was carried out in three seventh year classes of a primary school of the municipal network of Canoas - RS, in which a total of fourteen mathematical problems involving proportionality were proposed during eight classroom hours, be solved in groups of two or three students. The set of data collected was composed of student's resolutions and a field diary containing notes about the behavior and the student's speeches during the work with the mathematical problems. Data analysis was based on Gérard Vergnaud's Theory of Conceptual Fields and allowed the identification of several schemata that used additive structures to solve proportionality problems and which, however, were sufficient to lead students to the correct answer to the problem. It was also possible to observe schemata of the multiplicative conceptual field, containing significant evidence of the presence of proportionality as a concept-in-action. In this way, the research points out ways of exploring proportionality problems different from those that establish direct relation of this content with the fractional language, as we can observe in didactic books and current guiding curricular documents.

Thesis. 1975. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Economics. / Vita. / Includes bibliographies. / by James D. Hess. / Ph.D.