The purpose of this thesis is to describe how value propositions can be seen as an operant resource in a wireless environment, for service providers’ opportunity to co-create value with their customers. To see how a service provider offer service in a wireless environment interviews have been conducted at Westra Wermlands Sparbank with the focus on service offered through a smartphone application. The findings in the empirical study was that the service provider does not have the opportunity to actively instruct its customers in a wireless environment since the majority of the customers get the smartphone application on their own without processing from the service provider. What the service provider therefore can do is to integrate its instructions into the smartphone application so it is easy to understand and to show the customers what possibilities they have when using it. Thereby the offered value proposition can be seen as an operant resource in a wireless environment. Moreover, the service provider gets the opportunity to co-create value with its customers.

This thesis investigates the role of co-design in the design and development of services that help householders to make decisions to make their homes more energy efficient by installing energy saving measures. The key issues facing co-design research are (1) the lack of understanding of how to increase and assess its impact and effectiveness, and (2) the provision of empirical evidence of the benefits associated with it. This thesis identifies and reviews different theoretical approaches to help provide evidence of the benefits associated with co-design (Chapter 2), adopting, applying and testing them throughout the empirical work. Research methods are also discussed alongside the particular challenges facing co-design research (Chapter 3). An exploratory study involving co-design practitioners (Chapter 4) confirmed what was shown to be lacking in the co-design literature, concluding with a need to focus on assessing the impact and effectiveness of co-design processes both theoretically and practically. A mixed methods study follows (Chapter 5) that took a service design perspective to identify how co-design could be applied to the design of energy advice and information, to explore householders individual decisions in detail, and to engage with householders to aid their understanding of the complex and intangible topic of energy . Chapters 6 and 7 then describe how co-design was applied to energy-related retrofit: firstly assessing the impact of co-design on householder s quality judgements of personalised information-based energy advice reports (i.e. the resulting designs from the co-design process), and secondly focusing on impact of the process aspect of co-design (i.e. what goes on ) on householders energy-related retrofit intentions, decisions and behaviours (i.e. the outcomes). Evidence of the benefits associated with co-design is provided including impact on the quality of resulting designs, and the role of co-design in enabling detailed understanding of peoples lived experiences and circumstances. The limitations of the particular analysis approach taken are then reported. The final study (Chapter 8) co-designs future energy-related service propositions with householders, building and energy technologists and user centred designers, highlighting the potential roles for smart energy data . The study concludes that immersing future end users into complex problem spaces is useful for co-designing future service propositions, and that it is beneficial to introduce wider stakeholders to develop concepts further. In understanding the outcomes of these studies, this thesis discusses (Chapter 9) the application of co-design to the energy-related retrofit domain, focusing in particular on (1) the implications of the approach taken to assessing the impact and effectiveness of co-design processes, (2) the benefits and drawbacks of incorporating personalised energy information in co-design activities, and (3) the limitations of integrating measures of impact and effectiveness into collaborative activities. Recommendations for the effective application of co-design are also presented. In conclusion, specific contributions and avenues for further work are highlighted (Chapter 10).

The desire to understand and model the complex phenomenon of economic growth has been an old and interesting pursuit. Many such models have been proposed and two of the most prominent canditates are the Solow-Swan and Romer models. This paper investigates the similarities and differences of the a priori mentioned models on a balanced growth path and on a partial transition dynamics - only the capital dynamics - using numerical simulations. Furthermore, the problem of the speed of convergence shall be analyzed and a method for the analysis will be presented. The simulations are investigated by means of different economic scenarios, called experiments, and are used to illustrate the capabilities and incapabilities of each model. The findings of this paper are that both models are adequate for the investigation of economic growth. However, as seen by the mathematical analysis and the experiments, the incapability of the Solow-Swan model to adequately explain the technological growth rate is a strong disadvantage over the more modern Romer model. Furthermore, this paper summarizes the choices of the numerical values - using real world data - which should be used for the variables of the Solow-Swan and Romer models.

One usually makes assertions by means of uttering indicative sentences like It is raining. However, not every utterance of an indicative sentence is an assertion. For example, in uttering I will be back tomorrow, one might be making a promise. What is to make an assertion? C.S. Peirce held the view that to assert a proposition is to make oneself responsible for its truth (CP 5.543). In this thesis, I interpret Peirces view of assertion and I evaluate Peirces reasons for holding it. I begin by reconstructing and assessing Peirces case for such view as it appears in (EP 2.140, 1903), (EP 2.312-313, 1904), and (CP 5.546, 1908). Then, I continue by elaborating on three aspects of Peirces view of assertion, namely, assertion as an act involving a certain kind of responsibility, the proposition as what is asserted, and responsibility for truth as a responsibility to give reasons. With respect to these three aspects, I argue for the following claims: (1) Peirce construed the responsibility involved in asserting as a moral responsibility; (2) Peirce held that propositions are types; and (3) Peirce was committed to a dialogical interpretation of responsibility to give reasons. Finally, I end by presenting two objections to Peirces view of assertion and its corresponding replies. I conclude that Peirces account of assertion is a valuable contribution to the philosophical debate on assertion. / Costumamos fazer asserções quando proferimos sentenças indicativas como \"Está chovendo\". Mas, não toda proferição de uma sentença indicativa é uma asserção. Por exemplo, quando dissemos vou voltar amanhã, poderíamos estar fazendo uma promessa. O que é fazer uma asserção? C.S. Peirce argumentou que \"asseverar uma proposição é fazer-se responsável pela sua verdade\" (CP 5.543). O propósito do presente texto é interpretar a visão de Peirce sobre a asserção assim como examinar as razões que a suportam. Para cumprir esse propósito, primeiro reconstruo e examino o argumento que, em defesa da sua visão, Peirce propôs em (EP 2.140, 1903), (EP 2.312-313, 1904), e (CP 5.546, 1908). A continuação aponto para três aspetos constitutivos dessa visão, a saber, a asserção como um ato que envolve certa responsabilidade, a proposição como o que é asseverado, e a responsabilidade pela verdade como a responsabilidade de dar razões. Tendo em consideração esses três aspetos, passo a defender as seguintes teses: (1) Peirce concebeu a responsabilidade envolvida na asserção como uma responsabilidade moral. (2) Peirce pensou que as proposições são types. (3) Peirce interpretou responsabilidade de dar razões de modo dialógico. Para finalizar, apresento duas objeções à visão de Peirce sobre a asserção e as réplicas respetivas. Concluo que a visão de Peirce sobre a asserção é uma contribuição valiosa ao debate filosófico sobre a asserção.

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-07-19T11:23:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 diogotomazpereira.pdf: 1570437 bytes, checksum: 83a3dbee30ae2e573a19d5550b79b519 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-08-09T15:09:17Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 diogotomazpereira.pdf: 1570437 bytes, checksum: 83a3dbee30ae2e573a19d5550b79b519 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-09T15:09:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 diogotomazpereira.pdf: 1570437 bytes, checksum: 83a3dbee30ae2e573a19d5550b79b519 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-05-25 / FAPEMIG - Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / Estudos realizados sobre a Inquisição Moderna ocorrem substancialmente em duas direções: uma análise sobre os aspectos jurídicos-institucionais do Tribunal do Santo Oficio e, sob outra ótica, uma investigação sob determinadas transgressões que foram alvo de perseguições. O presente trabalho enquadra-se na segunda vertente, onde buscarei examinar os processos-crime dos réus julgados pelos delitos de blasfêmia e de proposições heréticas, oriundos do Brasil, que se encontravam sob jurisdição do Tribunal de Lisboa. Após uma distinção entre os dois delitos - que facilmente são confundidos por estarem relacionados à fala -, buscarei uma análise que mostre como as blasfêmias estavam enraizadas na cultura do colono na América portuguesa. Expressões que faziam parte do dia a dia de homens e mulheres, jovens ou velhos; discursos grosseiros, jocosos, rústicos, que não visavam atacar, ofender, mas sim, expressar uma insatisfação momentânea. Quanto às proposições heréticas apresentarei os agentes históricos desse delito que, normalmente, eram pessoas instruídas na fé, que sabiam ler e escrever. Oposta às blasfêmias, as proposições tinham o intuito de romper, de agredir, de gerar novas ideias e propagá-las o máximo possível. As análises realizadas na presente dissertação sobre a perseguição aos delitos de blasfêmias e proposições heréticas servirão como auxilio na busca pelo entendimento da realidade social vivida pelos colonos do Novo Mundo frente às políticas de intolerância do Santo Ofício português e seus desdobramentos. / Most studies carried out on the Modern Inquisition subject occur substantially on two perspectives: through the analysis of legal formalities of the Holy Office and, from another point of view, through the investigation of transgressions that were persecuted. This paper is part of the second type of perspective, where I will try to examine the criminal proceedings of the defendants who were tried for the crimes of blasphemy and heretical propositions coming from Brazil, which was under the jurisdiction of the Lisbon Court. After a distinction between the two offenses - which are easily confused because they are related to speech - I will seek an analysis that shows how blasphemies were rooted in the colonist's culture in Portuguese America. Expressions that were part of the daily life of men and women, young or old; discourses that were crude, jocular, rustic, not aimed at attacking, offending, but expressing a momentary dissatisfaction. As for the heretical propositions, I will present the historical agents of this crime, who were usually people of faith who knew how to read and write. Opposed to blasphemies, the propositions were intended to break, to attack, to generate new ideas and to propagate them as much as possible. The analysis conducted in this dissertation about the persecution of crimes of blasphemies and heretical propositions will serve as an aid in the search for comprehension of the social reality lived by the settlers of the New World against the policies of intolerance of the Portuguese Holy Office, as well as its unfoldings.

在臺灣，路跑成為近年全民運動的熱門項目之一，根據「運動筆記」統計，賽事數量連續五年上升，達到 2015 年的 488 場賽事。路跑幾乎在國內的各個城市及鄉鎮遍地開花，代表其受歡迎程度且不侷限於個別區域。其中最大型的城市馬拉松－ 2016 臺北國際馬拉松，成功吸引 22,000 名國內外跑者參賽。是什麼因素引起跑友參加路跑賽事？跑友喜歡怎麼樣的路跑賽事；不喜歡哪種賽事？以上問題引起作者的注意，決定透過研究其價值主張，分析箇中因素。同時也問自己，若今天要承辦一場路跑，到底要怎麼辦才會成功。 本研究挑選國內外超過二十路跑及馬拉松賽事，討論個案所屬主辦單位如何決定於商業模式中提供何種價值主張，且使用何種方法配合其價值並傳遞給跑有及其他受眾。本研究先透過半結構式訪談國內馬拉松賽事的主辦單位及承辦單位，再訪談參賽者、教練及跑團。探討前者做了哪些努力及在哪方面用心；後者是否接受、認同且買單前者的作法，以期待主辦單位、合作廠商、跑友、市民都在路跑賽事中獲得收穫，皆大歡喜。同時，也期望主辦單位能參考跑友認為賽事不優的地方給予改進，優良的價值接受肯定並持續進步，讓國內馬拉松早日追上世界六大馬的水平。研究結果歸納如下： 壹、 路跑賽事的本質、城市及鄉鎮文化特色行銷、紀念品對路跑賽事的附加價值與魅力、冠名及好口碑賽事的品牌力、提供選手與民眾體驗的機會，以上五項皆為跑友的參賽動機與因素。 貳、 解決痛點及創造收穫的分析結果，可歸納成十三個價值主張，包含體驗、把事情搞定、信任、成本降低、風險降低、可及性、便利性／易用性、紀念性、榮譽感、效果／成績、設計、品牌／地位、兼容性、公益性。 參、 上述價值再做必要性及附加性價值分析、價值水平分析、生命週期分析、價值主張宣言及情感面產品面體驗式價值分析，另外也提出日後可發掘及發揮創意之價值的嘗試方向。 【關鍵字】：全民路跑、馬拉松、價值主張 / Road running races are getting popular in Taiwan these years. According to information of “Running Biji” website, the amount of races had increased gradually in five years ago, and reached as many as 488 competitions in 2015. Not only in main cities, even towns and villages are crazy in organizing races too. One of the biggest races, 2016 Taipei International Marathon had successfully attracted more than 22,000 participants, in both Taiwanese and foreigners. Author is feeling curious about this phenomenon, and decided to figure out what are the reasons which called runners to these races, and, the favorites or dislikes while running in these events. The purpose of this study is to identify value propositions of road running races, and try to validate the result with organizing races fictitiously. In this study, more than 20 races and marathons had been selected for further discuss in how organizers make decisions in providing various type of value propositions to target audience. The first phase of the project involves in semi-structured interview of organizers, runners, coaches and running club where they confirm or disagree the hard work by hosts, as a result of all people who involved in road running races including municipal government, sponsors, citizen would be feeling fulfilled at last. Simultaneously, we wish that host can study and treat the survey seriously, try to improve the quality or races, to make Taiwan races become one of the world best marathons in the future. Through induction and research, we reflect and summarize this study in following points: 1. Why do runners participate in races, can be described in following five reasons: the essence of road running races, the attractiveness of city and town culture, the gifts and souvenirs, the brand power in sponsorship or dependable races and organizer, and the experiences of competition. 2. Analyzation of pain relievers and gain creators, can classify in 13 value propositions. They are experience, getting the job done, trust, cost reduction, risk reduction, accessibility, convenience/usability, commemoration, honor, effect/result, design, brand/status, compatibility and public benefit. 3. Further discussions on above values are needed, including compulsory or additional value, value level, life cycle, declaration of value, and essence of value. Suggestion for practicing potential values is provided too. 【Keywords】：Road Running、Marathon、Value Propositions

Doctorat en philosophie et lettres / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

Cette thèse étudie la sémantique des constructions gradables du point de vue de la langue des signes, en se basant sur les données de la Langue des Signes Italienne (LIS). Des travaux récents sur les langues des signes (Lillo-Martin and Klima (1990), Sandler & Lillo-Martin (2006) Schlenker (2011), entre autres) ont montré l’importance de les inclure dans le domaine empirique des recherches sémantiques. En effet, la modalité visuelle et l’iconicité permettent parfois de réaliser de façon explicite des éléments abstraits du système logique du langage qui restent implicites dans les langues parlées. Ainsi, la contribution unique des langues des signes dans les débats sémantiques ouvre de nouvelles perspectives pour mieux comprendre le fonctionnement du système logique des langues.La thèse contient trois études de cas. La première étude se concentre sur les adjectifs gradables et les constructions comparatives. Nous proposons des arguments en faveur de l’existence des variables de degrés (Kennedy 1999) : i) en LIS, une classe d’adjectifs gradables représente explicitement les degrés et les échelles dans l’espace des signes, (ii) grâce à un morphisme iconique, les échelles sont représentées comme un ensemble de points ordonnés dont chaque point représente un degré, (iii) les expressions qui se réfèrent aux degrés peuvent devenir des antécédents pour des pronoms de degré, comme dans le domaine nominal, temporel et modal. De plus, nous montrons que ces constructions sont des comparatives mixtes qui expriment une comparaison explicite et que les trois différents marqueurs comparatifs (MORE, iconic-more et ∃--icon-more) présentent différentes propriétés morpho- syntaxiques et sémantiques : le premier marqueur, MORE, n’est pas iconique et se comporte plus ou moins comme le comparatif anglais « more ». Par contre, on observe une différence intéressante entre les marqueurs iconiques ∃-icon-more et iconic-more. En effet, ils présentent différentes propriétés articulatoires. Le marqueur iconic-more a un mouvement qui se termine par une forte décélération alors que le mouvement du marqueur ∃-icon-more ne l’a pas. Nous montrons que la présence et l’absence de décélération sont associées à des interprétations sémantiques différentes. La présence du marqueur iconic-more donne lieu à une lecture exacte alors que ∃-icon-more donne lieu à une lecture existentielle. Pour expliquer ce contraste, nous soutenons que le lieu marqué par une forte décélération du mouvement correspond à un pronom déictique. En revanche, les marqueurs ∃-icon-more et MORE ont une interprétation existentielle comme dans les langues parlées. Dans la deuxième étude, nous étendons le domaine empirique des constructions gradables en incluant parmi celles-ci les constructions temporelles. Dans les constructions temporelles, les moments auxquels se passent les événements et les relations temporelles sont explicitement représentées dans l’espace de signation grâce à un morphisme iconique qui représente l’échelle temporelle comme une ligne horizontale. Ces constructions possèdent exactement les mêmes propriétés sémantiques que les constructions comparatives. Plus précisément, les marqueurs temporels ont des interprétations déictiques et existentielles parallèles à celles des constructions comparatives et des pronoms anaphoriques pouvant être utilisés pour se référer aux moments représentés explicitement dans espace de signation Enfin, la dernière est une étude comparative entre les composants iconiques des adjectifs absolus de la LIS et un geste co-verbal en italien ayant approximativement le sens de « complètement ». Nous montrons que la composante iconique et le geste co-verbal apportent tous les deux une contribution non assertive et que leur contribution peut ne pas être prise en compte (ne pas être copiée) dans la résolution de l’ellipse. Ces propriétés suggèrent que l’on peut analyser la composante iconique des adjectifs absolus de la LIS comme un élément gestuel. / The aim of this dissertation is to investigate gradable constructions in Italian Sign Language (LIS). In the semantic literature, the debate about the existence of degrees as ontological elements has been very active. In this dissertation, we show that Italian Sign Language pro- vides evidence not only for the existence of degrees, but also for degree-denoting variables. First, degrees can be overtly represented as ordered points (i.e loci) in signing space by means of an iconic mapping. Second, degree expressions can be established on points in space (i.e loci), which can be anaphorically linked to later pointing pronouns, as in the nominal do- main, temporal and modal domains. Additionally, focusing on comparative constructions, we show that articulatory properties of comparative markers influence the interpretation of comparatives. Specifically, the presence/absence of sharp deceleration makes visible a specific degree which is then interpreted as a deictic element. Furthermore, we show that the visibility of degrees is not just limited to the adjectival domain but that it extends to the temporal domain, but it extends to the temporal domain. Specifically, in temporal constructions the temporal scale is iconically represented as a set of ordered points in the horizontal plane. Moreover, temporal markers, as comparatives markers, express a relation between the time arguments of the two clauses. To account for these properties, we propose an analysis of temporal clauses in terms of comparative clauses. Finally, we move to LIS absolute gradable adjectives and show that the iconic component of some of these adjectives can be analyzed as co-speech gestures. However, while co-speech gestures are optional, the iconic component of LIS absolute adjectives is an integral part of the adjectives and it cannot be omitted.

I examine the difficulties that several philosophers of language are liable to encounter in their attempts to provide an account of the connection between truth and assertion. I then attempt to provide an account of this connection. The analysis is concerned chiefly with difficulties which consist in elucidating the conceptual connection between truth and assertion in a way that respects certain linguistic intuitions while at the same time rendering the concept of truth amenable to a semantic interpretation. The proposed view suggests one way in which we might go about meeting the theoretical demands implicit in addressing this concern, among others, demonstrating the extent to which a theory of truth should be regarded as belonging to the province of epistemology. Insofar as semantical considerations figure into such a theory, a more systematic investigation of the interface between epistemology and natural language semantics is recommended. The solution to many problems at this interface, I argue, lay in an analysis of judgment.

<div>Philosophers who affirm the existence of propositions contend that the contents of declarative sentences, beliefs, doubts, and so on are entities (the things picked out by the term “propositions”), and that these entities have truth-values. Unsurprisingly, there’s rampant disagreement among those philosophers about sorts of things are called “propositions”. Propositions have been identified with sui generis abstract objects, interpreted facts, properties, and types of cognitive acts (this is not an exhaustive list). Despite this debate, most agree that propositions are representations (this is how they come to have truth-values), and that propositions are not to be identified with token mental representations. I agree that propositions are representations, but argue that propositions are mental representation tokens. The view I defend has sparse contemporary support, but has an impressive pedigree—ancestral views were widely popular in the late medieval, and early modern periods. In this dissertation I argue at length against contemporary criticisms that this view is still credible.</div><div>In chapter one, I defend a mentalist semantics; that is, I argue that linguistic representation is parasitic on mental representation: for a sentence to mean that p is for it to express (or be conventionally used to express) the thought that p. Once this is established, I argue in chapter two that mental representations (as opposed to non-mental ones) are ideal candidates to serve as the contents of sentences and propositional attitudes. I compare my preferred view, that propositions are token mental representations, against rival views (sorted into two groups) and show that a cost benefit analysis of each favors my position. In chapter three, I start exploring what these mental representations might be like. I argue that they’re structured entities whose constituents are modes of presentation of the things represented. I decline to analyze the relation which unites these modes of presentation, but argue (contra some contemporary philosophers) that this relation is not predication. Finally, in chapter four, I argue against the widely popular view that propositions have the things they’re about as constituents. I show that such a view cannot accommodate thoughts about nonexistent entities. I propose that the modes of presentation which are constituents of propositions are non-descriptive, but criticize the mental file conception of non-descriptive modes of presentation.</div>