The use of online personalized advertisements has drawn attention among firms, in efforts of acquiring and maintaining competitive advantage. By collecting individual consumer information, firms are able to personalize advertisements to specific individuals in online contexts. The collection and use of individuals’ personal information have given rise to privacy concerns among consumers. However, contemporary research displays disparate conclusions regarding the extent to which these privacy concerns influence the effectiveness of online personalized advertisements. In order to provide insights regarding this discrepancy, this study explored the theoretical foundations of consumer perceived benefits and risks, upon which contemporary research was based. Two focus groups were conducted to explore how consumers perceive benefits and risks of online personalized advertisements. Using pattern matching, the interpretation of the empirically gathered material implied that consumer perceived benefits, in form of perceived relevance, appears to be insufficient in appealing to the interests and preferences of consumers. Instead, consumers’ perceptions of relevance appear to be dependent on several elements. Furthermore, the findings imply that consumers are aware of the risks through personal information disclosure, yet appear to be unconcerned by them. Instead, consumers seem to possess a sense of hopelessness in online environments, that attempts to restrict the availability of their personal information are pointless.

One situation in survival analysis is that the failure of an individual can happen because of one of multiple distinct causes. Survival data generated in this scenario are commonly referred to as competing risks data. One of the major tasks, when examining survival data, is to assess the dependence of survival time on explanatory variables. In competing risks, as with ordinary univariate survival data, there may be explanatory variables associated with the risks raised from the different causes being studied. The same variable might have different degrees of influence on the risks due to different causes. Given a set of explanatory variables, it is of interest to identify the subset of variables that are significantly associated with the risk corresponding to each failure cause. In this project, we develop a statistical methodology to achieve this purpose, that is, to perform variable selection in the presence of competing risks survival data. Asymptotic properties of the model and empirical simulation results for evaluation of the model performance are provided. One important feature of our method, which is based on the idea of the L1 penalized Cox model, is the ability to perform variable selection in situations where we have high-dimensional explanatory variables, i.e. the number of explanatory variables is larger than the number of observations. The method was applied on a real dataset originated from the National Institutes of Health funded project "Genes related to hepatocellular carcinoma progression in living donor and deceased donor liver transplant'' to identify genes that might be relevant to tumor progression in hepatitis C virus (HCV) infected patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The gene expression was measured on Affymetrix GeneChip microarrays. Based on the current available 46 samples, 42 genes show very strong association with tumor progression and deserve to be further investigated for their clinical implications in prognosis of progression on patients diagnosed with HCV and HCC.

Ce travail entend redéfinir nos exigences de justice en matière de santé. Dans un premier temps, nous retraçons l’élargissement progressif du champ des politiques de santé à la faveur d’une redéfinition de la santé, intégrant ses facteurs non plus seulement biologiques, mais aussi sociétaux et psychiques. Cette brève généalogie nous mène vers un problème de justice fondamental posé par l’individualisation des risques sanitaires : comment repenser la justice en matière d’accès à la santé, à l’âge où nos connaissances nous permettent de relier plus étroitement que jamais le destin biologique d’un individu aux différents aspects de son identité, et en particulier à son statut social ? Nous examinons ensuite les réponses de l’utilitarisme eudémoniste, du libertarianisme, de la théorie de la reconnaissance et du libéralisme politique à ce problème. Il nous apparaît alors que seule une théorie libérale, en tant qu’elle conçoit la justice comme équité, peut y apporter la réponse la plus complète. Un approfondissement de l’intuition libérale nous conduit à distinguer deux façons principales de penser l’équité en santé : une approche procédurale et une approche empirique, que nous défendons. Enfin, nous évaluons les politiques de santé contemporaines à la lumière des options normatives dégagées dans les parties précédentes. Nous examinons alors trois questions majeures : l’équité des politiques d’accès aux soins dans différents contextes nationaux, la pertinence des politiques de promotion de la santé et la question de savoir si l’équité en matière de santé doit être pensée par-delà les frontières. / The aim of this work is to redefine justice requirements across the public health and health-care sectors. First we shall recount how health policies progressively evolved towards a broader definition of health, including not only biological determinants but also societal and psychical ones. This brief genealogy shall lead us to a fundamental problem of justice,: how should we reconsider justice in health-care in an age where, due to biotechnological knowledge, the biological fate of an individual is increasingly entangled with different aspects of his identity, and particularly with his social status? Subsequently, we shall examine the solutions that the different theories of justice, such as eudemonist utilitarianism, libertarianism, the theory of recognition and liberalism, have put forward in answer to this problem. Thus it becomes clear that the liberal theory offers the most complete response, since it rests upon a conception of justice as fairness. By the enhancement of the liberal intuition, we shall define two main ways of thinking health equity: a procedural approach and an empirical one, which we endorse. Finally, we shall assess contemporary health policies in the light of the different normative options previously displayed. We shall scrutinise three main particular questions: health-care equity in different national contexts, the suitability of health promotion policies and the question as to whether health equity should be conceived beyond national boundaries.

The goal of this thesis is to map children users' theoretical knowledge of risks of the Internet. It deals with problems of cyberbullying, cyberstalking, sexting and cybergrooming in the youngest city of the Czech Republic, in Milovice. It describes the dangerous behaviour patterns that the children at the age of 11-15 years (i.e. the second stage of elementary schools) in that city are confronted with and that they tend to follow-up. The research shows how they perceive risks of the Internet and how much they trust strange people online. It finds out whether the children make relations with strangers and whether they meet them in real world, where they would look for help if needed and whether they are familiar with some projects focused on the Internet safety. The definition of risk factors of the new media and specification of child users are crucial for the thesis. The thesis also briefly describes Czech legislation connected with risks of cyberspace and outlines the profiles of the aggressors and their victims. It shows possible after-effects of cyber criminality on the real examples. It introduces various tools, projects and children and parents approaches that help them with the prevention and minimization of risks. The empiric part of the thesis is solved by quantitative method. In...

Étudier la sécurité urbaine à Beyrouth, ville schizophrène, espace de guerre et de paix, est en soi un défi, vu la spécificité de sa précarité sécuritaire. Dans cette ville, marquée par des schismes politico-confessionnels intercommunautaires et intracommunautaires et où l’État n’est pas le seul détenteur de l’autorité, le facteur socio-économique, communément déterminant en tant qu’échelle de mesure de risques urbains et surtout sociaux, s’est avéré presque inopérant. Partant du fait que les fluctuations socio-économiques n’ont pas de répercussions signifiantes sur les risques et l’insécurité urbaine dans cette ville, une analyse plus spécifique de la sécurité urbaine est venue soutenir le principe que des risques «existentiels », endogènes à la structure politico-spatiale locale de cet espace, sont plus déterminants. L’originalité du pays s’est aussi revêtue dans une apparence de structure étatique unie, masquant une territorialisation de l’espace et des états non-unis libanais. Un mécanisme d’autoprotection est venu se substituer au contrôle et à l’autorité d’un État fragile où régime politique, ingérences, et groupes armées participent à sa destruction. La spécificité de cet espace multi-politico-confessionnel fait que l’étude de sa sécurité nécessite une lecture du territoire à une échelle micro-locale, et une analyse du mécanisme d’autoprotection qui laissent à réfléchir à de nouvelles échelles de mesure de l’insécurité dans le cadre d’une sous-discipline que nous appelons « géographie sécuritaire ». Le cas de Beyrouth se voit se détacher des analyses classiques en matière de géographie et se rapprocher, comme dans le cas d’autres États faibles ou fragiles, de la sociologie urbaine et de la micro politologie qui mettent en lumière des facteurs latents influençant la sécurité. Ce nouvel outil de « géographie sécuritaire », s’imposant à nous, chercheurs, servira, pour les géopoliticiens, comme une loupe, au prisme de laquelle, une meilleure lecture des sous-espaces infra-locaux des territoires en difficulté sera possible. / Studying urban security in Beirut, a schizophrenic city of war and peace, is in itself a challenge due to its unique security vulnerabilities. In this city, characterised by politico-religious antipathies as much as inter and intra-denominational hostilities, where authority is not lodged exclusively in the general government, the socio-economic factor, usually efficient as a scale of measurement for urban and mainly social risks, proved to be quite inoperative. Based on the fact that socio-economic fluctuations did not have significant repercussions on risks and urban security in this city, a more specific and comprehensive approach unveiled the presence of more decisive « existential » risks, endogenous to the particular type of the country’s politico-spatial structure. The country’s eccentric character revealed itself in an apparently united State structure that masks a territorialisation of public space, and thus, non-united Lebanese States. A mechanism of auto-defense grew among individuals to replace the weak authority of a fragile State in which the political regime, foreign interferences and armed group play a destructive role. The approach to the study of security in this multi-politico-religious space, which must be driven by an interpretation of the territory on a micro-local scale along with an analysis of the auto-defense mechanism, helped pave the way for the introduction of a new tool for measuring security in the framework of a sub-discipline that we agreed to call « Securitarian Geography ». Unable to fit in the classical analysis of geography, Beirut, like many other weak or fragile States, tends to require advanced studies in urban sociology and micro-political studies that put forward latent factors influencing security. This new scientific tool called «Securitarian Geography », introduced by us as researchers, will be a novelty tool in the hand of geopoliticians, to better study the specificity of infra-local sub-spaces in vulnerable territories.

L'augmentation du nombre des sinistres à grande échelle d'origine climatique, technologique, sanitaire, et bien d'autres, nous interpelle sur le mode de gouvernance des systèmes concernés, sur les choix de couverture de ces risques et sur les mesures de prévention mises en place. La question qui a animé notre recherche est : dans quelle mesure la gouvernance d'un système favorise-t-elle la gestion des risques ? Notre analyse empirique s'appuie sur deux cas d'étude, qui se concentrent, sur la gouvernance d'un système face à des risques catastrophiques pour l'un, et des risques communs pour l'autre. D'une part, les risques majeurs sont connus comme étant très peu probables mais avec de possibles lourdes conséquences. La dynamique de la gouvernance adaptative, pour la gestion des risques majeurs d'un système, souligne la nécessité d'adopter une approche flexible (dynamique). Nous proposons ainsi un cadre d'évaluation de la capacité d'adaptation d'un système dans le domaine des risques majeurs. D'autre part, les risques communs affectent l'ensemble de la population. Face aux risques communs dont les conséquences s'étalent dans le futur, nous considérons que la gouvernance adaptative dans une démocratie délibérative se réfère au paradigme selon lequel la gouvernance permet aux décideurs de se projeter vers le long terme. Le dilemme consiste à prendre (à présent) des décisions (c.-à-d. des risques, au sens général du terme) dont les effets (ou les conséquences) ne se font sentir que dans le futur. La gouvernance d'un système doit favoriser la gestion des risques. Notre travail de recherche est structuré autour de trois parties (i.e. « Gouvernances et risques », « La gouvernance d'un système exposé à un risque catastrophique », et « La gouvernance d'un système exposé à un risque commun »), chacune composée de trois chapitres. L'objectif ultime de la gestion des risques, voire des incertitudes qui caractérisent nos sociétés contemporaines est une raison d'être légitime des modes dynamiques de gouvernance qui incitent les différents acteurs à travailler ensemble, de diverses manières, afin de relever les défis auxquels ils sont confrontés. / The increase in large-scale climate, technological, sanitary, and many other types of losses, challenges us on the governance of the concerned systems, the choices made to hedge these risks and implement prevention measures. The question which animated our research is : to what extent the governance of a system promotes a better risk management?Our empirical analysis is based on two case studies which focus on the governance of a system while facing catastrophic risks for first one, and on common risks for the other. On the one hand, catastrophic risks are known to be highly improbable but with possible serious consequences. The dynamic of the adaptive governance system facing catastrophic risks underlines the need for a (dynamic) flexible approach. We therefore suggest an assessment framework for the adaptive capacity of a system in the field of catastrophic risks. On the other hand, common risks affect the whole population. We consider that the adaptive governance in a deliberative democracy refers to the governance paradigm which addresses common risks whose consequences spread out into the future. Thus, it induces decision makers to look at the long run. The dilemma consists in taking (now) decisions (i.e. Risk, in the general sense of the word) whose effects (or consequences) are only felt in the future. The governance of a system shall promote risk management. Our research is structured into three parts (i.e. "Governance and risk", "Governance of a system exposed to a catastrophic risk" and "Governance of a system exposed to a common risk"), each composed of three chapters. The ultimate objective of the management of risks, or even uncertainties, which characterize our contemporary societies is a legitimate reason for having dynamic modes of governance that prompt different actors to work together in various ways, in order to meet challenges they face.

The Diploma thesis deals with risks that can appear while doing social work in prisons or also risks that follow from its absence. The thesis has two parts. The first part is theoretical, written from expert resources, general facts and concerned on connection of social work with penology - prison service. At the end of this part the thesis is dedicated to risks that follow from the connection. The second part is practical, concerned on a research which was done by qualitative form via questionnaire survey. The whole thesis is divided into chapters which are logically connected. The aim is to find out how the social work determines imprisonment of custodial sentence and where are the risks of doing social work. The practical part supports, confirms and extends the theoretical part.

On propose d'analyser la gestion de la dette publique pour montrer que, si l’on tient compte des critères d’optimalité, la dette publique peut être un choix de financement du déficit public plus judicieux par rapport à la hausse des prélèvements obligatoires ou au seigneuriage. Pour ce faire, une étude comparative entre ces trois modes de financement est menée en tenant compte de leur faisabilité institutionnelle et en revisitant la notion d’optimalité d’un point de vue financier, i.e. compte-tenu des impacts sur la santé financière de l’Etat et d’un point de vue économique, i.e. par rapport à la performance économique du pays. Il est montré que la sous optimalité ou la non optimalité de la hausse des prélèvements obligatoires ou du seigneuriage peut être un motif incitant le Gouvernement à financer le déficit public par endettement. Toutefois, il est montré également que ce dernier doit répondre à des critères d’optimalité sinon il ne peut être considéré comme efficace. Par la suite, on montre que pour atteindre l’optimalité de la dette publique, le Gouvernement doit veiller à sa soutenabilité. Autrement dit, le Gouvernement doit éviter que la dette publique ne suive une tendance explosive qui risque de la rendre non optimale. Enfin, on met en avant le rôle que jouent les risques financiers dans la gestion de la dette publique pour montrer que c’est en partie la mauvaise prise en change de ces risques qui rend la dette publique non soutenable et non optimale. / The objective of this thesis is to analyze public debt management in order to show that, based on optimality criteria, public debt could be a more judicial financing choice in comparison with taxation or seigniorage. A comparative study between these three financing strategies is conducted by taking into consideration their respective institutional feasability and by revisiting the concept of optimality from a financial viewpoint, i.e. regarding the potential impacts on public finance soundness, and from an economic aspect, i.e. regarding the potential impacts on the economic performance of the country. The non optimality of taxation and seigniorage could be a motive for the Governement to finance public deficit by indebtedness. However, it must be highlighted that public debt must also comply with optimality criteria, otherwise it will be considered inefficient. Subsequently, it is shown that Government must aim at public debt sustainability in order to ensure its optimality. In other words, Governement must avoid public debt to follow an explosive path, which is likely to lead to its non optimality. Finally, the role of financial risks in public debt management is put forth in order to suggest that non optimal or non sustainable public debt is partly due to failing financial risk management. The case study is conducted in the member countries of the Indian Ocean Commission.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide companies with an understanding of how Swedish apparel companies manage supplier risks connected to production activities located in China. In order to conduct this study, previous literature regarding supply chain risk management has been analysed in relation to the empirical data collected during this study. In order to answer the research question, a qualitative method and a deductive approach have been used. A qualitative method was chosen as a deeper understanding of the phenomenon supply chain risk management was desired. A deductive approach was further chosen as the topic was acknowledged by reading previous research, which clearly emphasized existing research gap within supply chain risk management.  The literature review presented in this thesis regards the importance of managing a global supply chain and the risks connected to a global supply chain. Presented is also a process of how to manage risks, and the process consists of three steps, which further provides alternative strategies in order to conduct each step. Further, the reasons why Swedish companies outsource production activities to China and the importance of supply chain risk management in China is presented. The literature review is finalized with a conceptual framework summarizing the chapter. Differences and similarities between collected empirical data and the literature review is discussed and analysed in the analysis chapter. The following chapter provides conclusions answering the research question as well as theoretical and practical implications. This thesis has contributed with filling the research gap regarding supply chain risk management, this as the thesis focuses on one specific market and one specific industry. A new framework has been constructed based on previous research and the empirical findings. This framework also contributes to the practical implications as companies with a desire to outsource to China can use the process presented in the framework. The process includes three steps which will facilitate for companies to manage supplier risks in China. This thesis has also contributed to create an understanding for companies regarding the great importance of supply chain risk management. Therefore, this thesis can contribute with valuable information for Swedish apparel companies wanting to include supply chain risk management when outsourcing to China.

This diploma thesis deals with possible usage of financial derivatives in context of government debt risk management, mainly in the Czech Republic. After the opening analysis of government debt development, the thesis describes risks, which are involved in government debt management. After that it handles with quantification of those risks and of their possible securing, especially with respect to financial derivatives usage. This thesis tries to answer the question, whether using financial derivatives in government debt management is reasonable. To solve this I used an analysis of 2010 data, in which I compare profitability of emission of classical bonds compared to emission of so called structured instruments, i.e. joint of classical bond and financial derivative. In conclusion of thesis there is usage of financial derivatives confronted with their negative characteristics as well as with cases of their abuse.