Finite element analyses are frequently used to model growing fatigue cracks and the associated plasticity-induced crack closure. Two-dimensional, elastic-perfectly plastic finite element analyses of middle-crack tension (M(T)), bend (SEB), and compact tension (C(T)) geometries were conducted to study fatigue crack closure and to calculate the crack opening values under plane-strain and plane-stress conditions. The loading was selected to give the same maximum stress intensity factor in both geometries, and thus similar initial forward plastic zone sizes. Mesh refinement studies were performed on all geometries with various element types. For the C(T) geometry, negligible crack opening loads under plane-strain conditions were observed. In contrast, for the M(T) specimen, the plane-strain crack opening stresses were found to be significantly larger. This difference was shown to be a consequence of in-plane constraint. Under plane-stress conditions, it was found that the in-plane constraint has negligible effect, such that the opening values are approximately the same for the C(T), SEB, and M(T) specimens. Next, the crack opening values of the C(T), SEB and M(T) specimens were compared under various stress levels and load ratios. The effect of a highly refined mesh on crack opening values was noted and significantly lower crack opening values than those reported in literature were found. A new methodology is presented to calculate crack opening values in planar geometries using the crack surface nodal force distribution under minimum loading as determined from finite element analyses. The calculated crack opening values are compared with values obtained using finite element analysis and more conventional crack opening assessment methodologies. It is shown that the new method is independent of loading increment, integration method (normal and reduced integration), and crack opening assessment location. The compared opening values were in good agreement with strip-yield models.

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<p>Sammanfattning</p><p>Vi har undersökt hur kreditprocessen påverkas ur kredithandläggarens perspektiv, av att det kreditsökande småföretaget använder sig av en extern rådgivare eftersom tidigare forskning tyder på att det blivit svårare för dessa företag ett erhålla finansiering från banker. Ändringen i förmånsrättslagen 2004 är en bidragande faktor till småföretagens prekära situation eftersom det försämrade bankens utdelning vid en eventuell företagskonkurs. När en småföretagares kunskaper inte räcker till, kan en extern rådgivare konsulteras för vägledning i kreditprocessen. Vårt syfte med uppsatsen var att beskriva kredithandläggarnas uppfattning om den externa rådgivarens olika funktioner i kreditprocessen samt att analysera hur kreditprocessen påverkas av att en extern rådgivare agerar i småföretagets intresse. Vi har genom en kvalitativ undersökning och studerat fyra kredithandläggare i fyra olika banker med erfarenhet av vårt ställda problem och fångat deras respektive betraktelser. Resultaten pekar på att respondenterna upplever problemet på ett liknande sätt och våra huvudsakliga slutsatser har framkommit efter att vi studerat den externa rådgivarens olika funktioner i kreditprocessen. Konsultation av extern rådgivning innebär att kunskap tillförs i kreditprocessen vilket leder till att ett mer genomarbetat beslutsunderlag kan presenteras för banken. Vidare ger en extern rådgivare legitimitet åt kredithandläggarens beslutsunderlag och ökar därmed förtroendet för småföretaget vilket kan förbättra relationen mellan de två sistnämnda parterna. En risk har belysts för kredithandläggaren med att den externa rådgivaren undanhåller viktig information eftersom denne har ett egenintresse av att småföretaget beviljas krediten då det kan leda till ett fortsatt framtida samarbete dem emellan. </p><p>Abstract</p><p>We have investigated the effect on the credit process out of the creditor’s point of view, when a small business consults an external adviser since earlier research indicates that it has become more difficult for these businesses to provide capital from banks. The alteration in the Law of priority in debtor’s property on credits 2004 is a contributory cause to the small businesses precarious situation since it deteriorated banks dividends in a possible liquidation. If a small businessman’s knowledge doesn’t ad up, an external adviser can be consulted as guidance in the credit process. Our purposes with this essay were to describe the creditor’s opinion regarding the external adviser’s different functions in the credit process and to analyze the effect on the credit process when an external adviser acts in the small business interest. Through a qualitative investigation we have studied four creditors in four different banks with experience from our named problem and captured their respective reflections. The result indicates that our creditors experience the problem in a similar way and our main conclusions have emerged by studying the external adviser’s different functions in the credit process. Consultation of an external adviser represents that knowledge provides the credit process which lead up to more thoroughly decision-making data to present for the bank. An external adviser also concedes legitimacy towards the creditor’s decision-making data and increases thereby the confidence towards the small business which can improve the relation between the two last mentioned parties. A risk have become elucidated for the creditor which means that the external adviser withhold important information due to ones own interest that the small business gets granted the credit since it can lead to a continuous future collaboration between them.</p>

Sammanfattning Vi har undersökt hur kreditprocessen påverkas ur kredithandläggarens perspektiv, av att det kreditsökande småföretaget använder sig av en extern rådgivare eftersom tidigare forskning tyder på att det blivit svårare för dessa företag ett erhålla finansiering från banker. Ändringen i förmånsrättslagen 2004 är en bidragande faktor till småföretagens prekära situation eftersom det försämrade bankens utdelning vid en eventuell företagskonkurs. När en småföretagares kunskaper inte räcker till, kan en extern rådgivare konsulteras för vägledning i kreditprocessen. Vårt syfte med uppsatsen var att beskriva kredithandläggarnas uppfattning om den externa rådgivarens olika funktioner i kreditprocessen samt att analysera hur kreditprocessen påverkas av att en extern rådgivare agerar i småföretagets intresse. Vi har genom en kvalitativ undersökning och studerat fyra kredithandläggare i fyra olika banker med erfarenhet av vårt ställda problem och fångat deras respektive betraktelser. Resultaten pekar på att respondenterna upplever problemet på ett liknande sätt och våra huvudsakliga slutsatser har framkommit efter att vi studerat den externa rådgivarens olika funktioner i kreditprocessen. Konsultation av extern rådgivning innebär att kunskap tillförs i kreditprocessen vilket leder till att ett mer genomarbetat beslutsunderlag kan presenteras för banken. Vidare ger en extern rådgivare legitimitet åt kredithandläggarens beslutsunderlag och ökar därmed förtroendet för småföretaget vilket kan förbättra relationen mellan de två sistnämnda parterna. En risk har belysts för kredithandläggaren med att den externa rådgivaren undanhåller viktig information eftersom denne har ett egenintresse av att småföretaget beviljas krediten då det kan leda till ett fortsatt framtida samarbete dem emellan. Abstract We have investigated the effect on the credit process out of the creditor’s point of view, when a small business consults an external adviser since earlier research indicates that it has become more difficult for these businesses to provide capital from banks. The alteration in the Law of priority in debtor’s property on credits 2004 is a contributory cause to the small businesses precarious situation since it deteriorated banks dividends in a possible liquidation. If a small businessman’s knowledge doesn’t ad up, an external adviser can be consulted as guidance in the credit process. Our purposes with this essay were to describe the creditor’s opinion regarding the external adviser’s different functions in the credit process and to analyze the effect on the credit process when an external adviser acts in the small business interest. Through a qualitative investigation we have studied four creditors in four different banks with experience from our named problem and captured their respective reflections. The result indicates that our creditors experience the problem in a similar way and our main conclusions have emerged by studying the external adviser’s different functions in the credit process. Consultation of an external adviser represents that knowledge provides the credit process which lead up to more thoroughly decision-making data to present for the bank. An external adviser also concedes legitimacy towards the creditor’s decision-making data and increases thereby the confidence towards the small business which can improve the relation between the two last mentioned parties. A risk have become elucidated for the creditor which means that the external adviser withhold important information due to ones own interest that the small business gets granted the credit since it can lead to a continuous future collaboration between them.

Research on self-efficacy has been a productive field and abundant research has shown that teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs influence teachers’ actions and performances and thus affect students’ learning outcomes. However, there is a lack of literature on EFL teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs and even less research was set in Chinese EFL contexts. On the one hand, this study was conducted to provide a general picture of the current status of EFL teachers’ perceived English proficiency, self-rated self-efficacy beliefs and self-reported teaching practices in terms of some demographic perspectives; On the other hand, it aimed to explore the correlations among Chinese primary EFL teachers’ perceived English proficiency, self-efficacy beliefs and teaching practices. The quantitative study surveyed 217 in-service primary EFL teachers. The descriptive results showed that: (1) EFL teachers varied in perceived English proficiency in terms of age, years of teaching experience and college major; (2) age and teaching experience did while college major didn’t make a difference for EFL teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs; (3) the surveyed EFL teachers, in general, had a greater preference to communication-oriented language teaching (COLT) than form-oriented language teaching (FOLT). The results from the correlational statistics showed that: (1) perceived English proficiency (PEP), on the whole, had a significant predictive effect on self-efficacy beliefs (SEB). It was striking that among the four skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of English language, speaking had the most significant predictive effect on self-efficacy beliefs; (2) EFL teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs (SEB) had a predictive effect on COLT practices whereas not on FOLT practices; (3) The mediation model of showing the causal impacts of PEP (through SEB) on COLT was tested. i.e. Chinese primary EFL teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs played a complete mediating role between perceived English proficiency and communication-oriented language teaching. The findings of the present study added on the compelling evidence that self-efficacy beliefs matter in the realm of primary EFL teaching in China. In light of these findings, implications were generated to primary EFL teacher education and in-service EFL teacher training programs, such as courses related to improving English proficiency, especially speaking skills, should be offered for non-English major EFL teachers; training courses related to improving self-efficacy beliefs, especially on classroom management strategies, and the recommended communicative-oriented language teaching practices should be offered to pre-service and inexperienced in-service EFL teachers.