The Seattle Repertory Theatre is one of the most successful regional theatre companies in the country. This study attempts to determine the components-of its success. It concludes that the unique community acceptance and support of the Seattle Repertory Theatre is due primarily to the innovations of its Artistic Director, W. Duncan Ross, including a departure from the "permanent company" repertory theatre concept to a more flexible "nucleus company" supported by special guest artists, a shift in play selection emphasis from traditional dramatic plays to more contemporary and comedic works, and shortened .duration for each play from four to three weeks. Also examined are the growth of American Theatre, Ross's community involvement, guest directors, critical acceptance, and audience attendance.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-16T14:48:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 2591414 bytes, checksum: 7d0876b45145b2d4909efd2ccc9586f4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-04-30 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / With high degree of breadth on the organisation and interdependence with its processes, the deployment of integrated management systems (ERP Enterprise Resource Planning) is not a simple task. Project management failures, unmet expectations, lengthy deployment deadlines and costs that reach up to five times the value of product licensing itself are among the factors that stimulate the development of research on the organizational consequences of deploying such systems and managerial factors that influence or hinder the success of deployments. It can be seen a predominance of technical focus on the issues inherent in deploying ERP. However, it's growing discontent with the inability of that focus to explain some important aspects in CISS projects. In fact, software development is a complex sociotechnical activity, whose success lies in the collective sense of work teams as to their efficiency and ability to solve problems in joint effort. Accordingly, the focus of research, even in those involving technical and social prospects, has prioritized the technology provider teams performance, or development teams, thus ignoring completely the performance of its counterpart in the success of a deployment the customer team. Working on this subject, Bellini (2006) proposed a conceptual framework, METRICS, for planning, control and evaluation support on the performance of the "CuTe" (customer teams), in implementing customized information systems software (CISS). The framework was applied in the execution of a major project ERP deployment in southern Brazil, adopting case study and indepth interviews with analysts, developers and users-keys (lead users) from the system. Considering the relevance of this discussion, the demand for validation of theoretical models, the calling to methodological diversity in the field and regional differences that may interfere in this validation, this dissertation seeks answer to question: the METRICS framework members constructs are verifiable from the construction of cognitive maps of professionals engaged in CISS projects in Brazilian Northeast? Aiming, therefore, to obtain empirical evidence that contribute to a new and original assessment of the original theoretical constructs and nomological networks contained within the framework. Data collection to answer the research question was enlighted by the theory of personal constructs and repertory grid method, integrated with laddering techniques and content analysis, applied on interviews with 16 professionals involved in CISS projects, while the outcomes were discussed from the socio-technical perspective of work systems. With 68 measures empirically verified, 77.3% METRICS framework found backing in professional practice of individuals engaged in CISS projects in the Brazilian states of Bahia, Paraíba and Pernambuco. Discussion of conceptual and theoretical results suggests METRICS framework s actuality, as well as its suitability for broader research on professional management and IT teams. / Com elevado grau de abrangência sobre a organização e interdependência com seus processos, a implantação de sistemas integrados de gestão (ERP enterprise resource planning) não é tarefa simples. Falhas de gestão de projetos, expectativas não atendidas, longos prazos de implantação e custos que alcançam até cinco vezes o valor de licenciamento do produto em si estão entre os fatores que estimulam o desenvolvimento de pesquisas sobre as consequências organizacionais da implantação de tais sistemas e os fatores gerenciais que influenciam ou dificultam o sucesso das implantações. Observa-se predominância de enfoque técnico sobre as questões inerentes à implantação ERP. No entanto, é crescente o descontentamento com a incapacidade desse enfoque em explicar alguns aspectos importantes em projetos. De fato, o desenvolvimento de software é uma complexa atividade sociotécnica, cujo sucesso reside no senso coletivo das equipes de trabalho quanto à sua eficiência e capacidade de resolver problemas em esforço conjunto. Nesse sentido, verifica-se que o foco das pesquisas, mesmo aquelas envolvendo as perspectivas técnica e social, tem priorizado o desempenho das equipes provedoras de tecnologia, ou equipes de desenvolvimento, assim ignorando quase por completo o desempenho de sua contraparte no sucesso de implantações a equipe-cliente. Trabalhando sobre essa temática, Bellini (2006) propôs o framework conceitual METRICS para apoio ao planejamento, controle, avaliação e registro do desempenho de equipes-clientes (CuTes customer teams) em projetos de desenvolvimento de sistemas de informação customizados (CISS). O framework foi aplicado na execução de um grande projeto de implantação ERP na Região Sul do Brasil, adotando estudo de caso e entrevistas em profundidade com analistas, desenvolvedores e usuários-chaves (lead users) do sistema. Considerando a relevância dessa discussão, a demanda por validação de modelos teóricos, o chamado à diversidade metodológica no campo e diferenças regionais que possam interferir nessa validação a presente dissertação busca resposta à seguinte questão de pesquisa: Os construtos do framework METRICS são verificáveis a partir da construção de mapas cognitivos de profissionais de TI atuantes em projetos CISS no Nordeste? Objetiva-se, portanto, obter evidências empíricas que contribuam para uma nova e original validação dos construtos e redes nomológicas daquele framework. A obtenção dos dados para resposta à questão de pesquisa se deu à luz da teoria dos construtos pessoais e do método repertory grid integrado a técnicas de laddering e análise de conteúdo, com aplicação em entrevistas com 16 profissionais de TI atuantes em projetos CISS, e os resultados foram discutidos sob a perspectiva sociotécnica dos sistemas de trabalho. Com 68 medidas verificadas empiricamente, 77,3% do framework METRICS encontrou respaldo na prática profissional de indivíduos engajados em projetos CISS nos estados da Bahia, Paraíba e Pernambuco. Os resultados sugerem a atualidade conceitual e aplicada do framework METRICS em projetos CISS, bem como sua adequação para a realização de pesquisas mais abrangentes sobre gestão de profissionais e equipes de TI.

In software visualization, but also in information visualization in general, there is a great need for evaluation of visualization metaphors. To reduce the amount of empirical studies a omputational approach has been applied successfully, e.g., to graph visualization. It is based on measurable aesthetic heuristics that are used to estimate the human perception and the processing of visualizations. This paper lays a foundation for adopting this approach to any field of information visualization by providing a method, the repertory grid technique, to identify aesthetics that are measurable, metaphor-specific, and relevant to the user in a structured and repeatable way. We identified 25 unique aesthetics and revealed that the visual appearance of the investigated visualizations is mainly influenced by the package structure whereby methods are underrepresented. These findings were used to improve existing visualizations.

An auditors’ job is to review the company's figures and, as an independent part, give an accurate picture of its financial situation. Auditors have to relate to ISA where ISA 570 can be found and which deals with the going concern. The standard addresses a couple of factors that may be indications that a company can have problems with their continued operation. The problem is that ISA does not evaluate the events, which is more significant than others in the assessment, but it is up to the auditor to consider. The purpose of this paper is to describe the factors, which the auditor believes is more important than others in assessing the going concern and explain why it is so. In order to solve the purpose we used both a quantitative and qualitative method. The quantitative method was based on a grid model called The Reperatory Grid and the qualitative method consisted of interview questions. In order to obtain data we interviewed three certified public accountants. In our results and conclusion, we concluded that it is difficult to determine whether an event is more important than anyone else. The explanation is that the objects that the auditor takes into account most often is situation-specific and therefore require the auditor to use out of their previous knowledge of the company, but also create a comprehensive picture of the specific situation with the help of various dimensions. / En revisors uppgift är att granska företagets siffror och, som oberoende part, ge en tillförlitlig bild av företagets ekonomiska ställning. Revisorn måste vid granskningen förhålla sig till standarden ISA. I ISA finns standarden ISA 570 som behandlar fortsatt drift (going concern). Standarden tar upp ett par faktorer som kan vara indikationer på att ett företag kan få problem med sin fortsatta drift. Problematiken är att ISA inte värderar vilka faktorer som är mer betydelsefulla än andra vid bedömningen, utan det är upp till revisorn att ta ställning. Syftet med denna uppsats är att beskriva vilka faktorer som revisorn anser är mer betydelsefulla än andra vid en bedömning av going concern samt förklara orsaken till varför det är så. För att ta reda på syftet användes både en kvantitativ och kvalitativ metod. Den kvantitativa metoden utgick från en gridmodell som kallas The Reperatory Grid och den kvalitativa metoden bestod av intervjufrågor. För att få fram data intervjuades tre auktoriserade revisorer. I vårt resultat och slutsats kom vi fram till att det är svårt att avgöra om någon händelse är mer betydelsefull än någon annan. Förklaringen till detta är att de faktorer som revisorn beaktar oftast är situationsspecifik och därför behöver revisorn använda sig utav sin tidigare kunskap om företaget, men även skapa sig en helhetsbild över den specifika situationen med hjälp av olika mått.

Zugl.: Berlin, Humboldt-Univ., Diss., 2007

Landau, Univ., Abt. Landau, Diss.--Koblenz, 2002. / Literaturverz. S. XV - XXXVIII.

There is evidence for increased rates of psychoses and mood disorders in immigrant populations, with some contradictory findings showing that migrants have better mental health outcomes than their native-born counterparts. Explanatory theories considered individual and contextual factors. Acculturation processes are regarded to play an important part, but again there are contradictory findings. The relationships between immigration, acculturation and mental health are complex and more explorations are needed. The aim of this study was to explore whether construing before and after emigration was related to acculturation processes and mental health in Polish immigrants in the U.K. Forty adult immigrants participated in this study; measures of psychological well-being, cultural attitudes, and repertory grid interviews were used. Participants reported positive attitudes towards Polish and British cultures, significantly more positive attitudes towards the heritage culture. As a group, participants compared favourably to their counterparts living in Poland in terms of levels of psychological well-being. They also construed themselves more favourably following emigration. Nevertheless 20% of participants reported a history of mental health difficulties. Nearly half (45%) of participants reported clinically significant levels of distress, which is more than double the national prevalence rate in the U.K. The main findings of this study indicated a relationship between how Polish migrants construe themselves and significant others, their psychological adjustment and cultural attitudes. More positive attitudes towards Polish culture were associated with higher levels of positive affect. A positive view of Polish culture was associated with a relatively more salient construing pre-emigration. Contrary to the prediction, high levels of conflict in construing of significant others before emigration was related to a positive view of Polish culture. A relatively more conflicted view of self post-emigration was related to less positive attitudes towards British culture. As predicted, more structured construing post-emigration was linked with better mental health outcomes. Furthermore, a relatively more favourable view of self following immigration was associated with higher levels of positive affect and fewer symptoms of psychological distress. The latter was also linked with relatively lower levels of conflict in construing of 'self after emigration'. Case examples are presented. Recommendations for clinical practice and further research are made.

Asperger syndrome is a relatively recent diagnostic classification. Several factors, including a high prevalence of mental illness, mean receiving a diagnosis in adulthood is a very unique experience but remarkably there is little literature about the impact on individuals. Instead the dominance of the medical/psychiatric paradigm pervades and limits understanding and possibilities. The main implication is a lack of clarity about what support services are needed and effective, and as such the needs of this population are often overlooked. This is the first study to explore the sense of self among a sample of males and females diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in adulthood using social constructionist and constructivist ideas. It was interested in whether personal construal of the self before diagnosis and self after diagnosis were differentiated. Given the importance in the development of self-concept of discriminations between the self and others, the research also sought to explore how people diagnosed with Asperger syndrome in adulthood construe other people with and without Asperger syndrome. Using the repertory grid and other techniques from Personal Construct Psychology (Kelly, 1955) in combination with a semi-structured interview, this study presents a novel exploration of idiosyncrasies and commonalities across a demographically diverse sample of eight participants. An extended analysis of a unique subsample of women diagnosed aged 50 years and over was undertaken. Both cognitively complex and simple construct systems were found across the sample. Findings indicated the self before diagnosis was construed critically and was more elaborated than the self after diagnosis. Several participants had a reduced sense of self following diagnosis. The diagnosis offered an explanation of symptoms but for some participants these symptoms were a way of life and accommodating the new label with the existing view of self posed challenges. An overarching and striking theme was the sense of difference felt by participants before and after diagnosis. This study offers a fresh insight into a virtually unexplored population which, through dissemination, may influence the way clinical psychologists and other practitioners work to support adults diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Recommendations for clinical practice included approaches that target the need for individuality, commonality and sociality, and should be gender-specific where possible. Such approaches might elaborate multiple aspects of self, the diagnosis and related dilemmas. They should support people to widen their perceptual field to alternative ways of construing and explore change. The mixed method approach was assessed to be a strength of the study and a number of recommendations for future research are presented.

Job quality is important: there is a substantial evidence base which illustrates the potential risks of poor quality work. These arise from the occurrence of accidents and disease due to unmanaged hazards, as well as from psychosocial factors such as poor pay and security, shift working or the combination of low control and high demands. There is also a body of evidence which demonstrates a positive impact from good quality work, with contributions to longevity, improved health and happiness, and business success. Despite this recognition of the importance of job quality, there is a lack of agreement around exactly what it is: particularly when trying to define it as a single construct. This research aimed to address this insufficiency by exploring the concept of the good job, and seeking to define job quality from an ergonomics perspective. This approach encourages a broad outlook, taking account of the physical and psychosocial aspects of work, the interactions between them, and the impact of individual variation. A theoretical model is presented to summarise the concept of job quality based on these considerations: this was applied to a study of three bus companies using both a quantitative survey tool and qualitative methods. In developing the model, an initial study was undertaken using repertory grid interviews to explore notions of work and job quality, and to identify the most important areas for further investigation. Interviews were conducted with individuals (n=18) who were employed in a wide range of jobs, and varied substantially in their priorities and preferences. Job content and relationships were often identified as more important than pay levels; but there was also evidence of compromise, where interviewees had prioritised jobs which met their practical needs. Also, individuals perceived a good job differently from one which was good for their health, and overall did not consider good health to be an essential outcome of a good job. Two subsequent studies were undertaken with a focus on jobs commonly done by those with low formal education, who may have more to gain from improved job quality. Semi-structured interviews were carried out firstly with cleaners and manufacturing employees (n=30) and then with bus drivers (n=80). A number of job features such as safety and job/employment security were found to be important for almost all interviewees, and thus were identified as core features of a good job. Other factors such as autonomy and preferences for particular working patterns were more variable, highlighting the importance of job-employee fit. The theoretical model of job quality constructed was based on these findings and the literature. The model was applied in a qualitative study of bus and coach drivers in three companies to assess whether this was a good job, whether it could be a good job, and what the barriers to this might be. In two of the companies bus driving was found to be a poor job, with low pay and inadequate health and safety management. In the third company it was better but there were still challenges: particularly time pressures, low physical activity, and varied and unsociable working patterns. It was identified that some of the barriers to good job quality for bus drivers and potentially in jobs more generally are difficult to address as they are intrinsic to the job. The best solution to these difficulties is to ensure a good fit between job and employee. Other barriers were identified which appeared to be financial, such as low pay in the two smaller companies, but they could also reflect cultural factors within the organisation or within wider society. A final study considered the measurement of job quality, in the light of the importance and extent of individual variation highlighted throughout the research. The DGB-Index (Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund Index), a questionnaire tool designed and used in Germany which specifically accounts for this, was used in the same three bus companies (n=423). The results were compared with those from the qualitative study and reached similar conclusions, thus confirming the utility of the DGB-Index for job measurement and comparison when translated into English. The research demonstrated that it is possible to define and measure job quality and to compare it between organisations. The model of a good job constructed to facilitate this differs from those found in the literature: it takes into account the variation between individuals and the fact that they construe good jobs in different ways. Thus it highlights the importance to job quality of a good fit between job and individual in addition to the need for work to be good in terms of the more universal features such as job security, safety and adequate pay.

Research regarding the potential value of using a personal construct psychology (PCP) framework to explore recovery in psychosis has been minimal. Mental health policy guidelines (Shepherd et al., 2008) recommend that recovery in mental health is an important area that needs further research. This study aims to further understanding of recovery in service users with psychosis, by examining personal constructs elicited from participants, in contrast to the researcher supplying constructs (Bell and McGorry, 1992). Further, it attempts to define the degree of recovery using the Recovery Assessment Scale (RAS, Corrigan et al., 1999). Thirty two adults from the NHS and voluntary sector participated in the study; each completed a repertory grid (Kelly, 1955). The RAS enabled recovery to be defined by splitting the sample, and comparisons made between low to moderate and high recovery groups. The main findings of the study show that participants in the high recovery group showed less differentiation between their different selves; greater self-esteem; an experienced sense of control over their environment; a higher degree of quality and quantity of support; and a higher degree of hope and goal setting than participants in the low to moderate recovery group. In addition, content analysis (Landfield, 1971) of current self constructs showed that participants in high recovery construed themselves as being more self-sufficient, more active socially, and displayed higher tenderness compared to those in low to moderate recovery. Findings show how repertory grid methods can be applied clinically in order to help with case assessment and formulation, and help facilitate individually tailored therapeutic interventions to enhance recovery. For example, self differentiation findings suggest that to help an individual move towards a higher degree of recovery involves firstly loosening, and then tightening up their construing system. Secondly, self-esteem measures enabled identification of personal goals to strive towards in terms of an individual’s conception of their current and ideal self, and thus steps to take to progress toward recovery. Thirdly, the Pawn and Origin Scale (Westbrook and Viney, 1980) highlighted the degree of control over one’s external and internal world, thus highlighting areas that could be worked on to progress toward higher recovery. Clinical interventions addressing implicative dilemmas were also identified as enabling a change in behaviour, and therefore movement toward recovery. Limitations of the study are discussed, including using HICLAS (De Boeck, 1992) to measure self elaboration in recovery; and future research outlined, including exploring recovery in psychosis through a longitudinal study, and sampling across different mental health populations.