Young African American men who have sex with men (AAMSM) are at greater risk of being infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and less likely to seek HIV testing than are members of other demographic groups. This behavior results in a significant public health threat because young AAMSM with an unrecognized HIV infection are less likely to practice safer sex and, therefore, more likely to pass the infection on to their partners. This study is an examination of the social and personality factors that influence HIV testing rates among young AAMSM, using Aday's model of the social determinants of health and the Big Five model of personality as the theoretical frameworks. A cross-sectional design was employed, and social networks were used to recruit study respondents. Forty-three young AAMSM completed online questionnaires, and multiple regression techniques were used to examine relationships among the variables of interest. Statistical analysis indicated that neither the social risk factors derived from Aday's model nor the Big Five model predicted HIV testing. However, it is unknown whether these nonsignificant findings are attributable to a genuine lack of influence or the unique characteristics of the sample. Given the null results of this study and the mixed findings of prior research, further studies are required to draw conclusions regarding the influence of social and personality factors on HIV testing in this high-risk group. Additional research could be helpful in developing more effective strategies for encouraging HIV testing among young AAMSM. The potential for positive social change lies in slowing the spread of HIV through this vulnerable population and in engaging young AAMSM in the medical system to improve their long-term health prospects.

<p>Uppsatsen innehåller en studie av hur etiska regler, vilka framför allt återfinns inom advokatyrket, påverkar konkurrensen och de konflikter som uppstår mellan de svenska och europeiska konkurrensreglerna och dessa etiska regler. Mer specfikt identifieras vilka konkurrenshämmande effekter dessa regler medför, och vilka alternativ som finns för att kombinera etiska regler och konkurrensregler på ett sådant sätt att minsta möjliga skada uppstår för konsumenterna av advokattjänster. Resultatet av uppsatsen är att vissa etiska regler bör elimineras eller modifieras, eftersom de påverkar marknaden på ett negativt sätt utan att medföra motsvarande vinster annorstädes. The essay contains a studie on how ethical rules, here represented by the rules for the law profession, influence the competition. Furthermore are the conflicts that appear between the ethical rules and the Swedish and European competition rules identified and analysed. Different solutions are discussed with the purpose of reducing consumer damage on the law service market to a minimum. The conclusion of the essay is that some of the ethical rules that presently exist on the law service market are partly or fully useless, and/or bring about unnecessary restrictions without positive effects on other parts of the economy.</p>

Uppsatsen innehåller en studie av hur etiska regler, vilka framför allt återfinns inom advokatyrket, påverkar konkurrensen och de konflikter som uppstår mellan de svenska och europeiska konkurrensreglerna och dessa etiska regler. Mer specfikt identifieras vilka konkurrenshämmande effekter dessa regler medför, och vilka alternativ som finns för att kombinera etiska regler och konkurrensregler på ett sådant sätt att minsta möjliga skada uppstår för konsumenterna av advokattjänster. Resultatet av uppsatsen är att vissa etiska regler bör elimineras eller modifieras, eftersom de påverkar marknaden på ett negativt sätt utan att medföra motsvarande vinster annorstädes. The essay contains a studie on how ethical rules, here represented by the rules for the law profession, influence the competition. Furthermore are the conflicts that appear between the ethical rules and the Swedish and European competition rules identified and analysed. Different solutions are discussed with the purpose of reducing consumer damage on the law service market to a minimum. The conclusion of the essay is that some of the ethical rules that presently exist on the law service market are partly or fully useless, and/or bring about unnecessary restrictions without positive effects on other parts of the economy.

Research questions:   What are the brand images and brand identities of Renault Trucks, Novembal/Tetra Pak and IKEA? Is there a brand gap? How does country-of-origin have an effect on the perception of the brands? How does the respondent’s sex have an importance in the perception of the brand and the effect of country-of-origin? Purpose:   The purpose of this thesis is to describe, compare and analyze the existence of brand gaps and the effect of country-of-origin with the final intention to provide management recommendations for the studied companies. Method:   A quantitative consumer survey of 42 subjects was collected and analyzed. In addition, interviews were conducted with three Swedish companies, as well as an interview with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Lyon. Aaker’s (1997) Big Five model was used in the analysis. Conclusions:    The study demonstrated the brand identities and brand images of the companies. A brand gap is widely present. Aaker’s (1997) model had to be modified and includes new dimensions and traits. Country-of-origin (COO) plays a role in 100% of the consumers’ perception and purchasing process. COO bias, ethnocentrism and animosity are present and play a role in the 42 consumers’ attitudes and purchase decisions in Rhone-Alps. Men      and women have different attitudes and degree of ethnocentrism towards the effect of country-of-origin (COE).

近年來，金融環境的變遷，使金融業面臨很大的變化，金融業勢必提高非利息收入並發展不耗用資本的業務，因此財富管理業務成為銀行獲利來源重要的一環。理財專員是銀行財富管理業務的軸心，銀行理財專員的遴選便成為一項重要工作。 本研究採用五大人格特質理論的觀點，探討理財專員的人格特質與工作績效的關聯性。本研究以問卷調查方式，採用五大人格特質繁體中文量表，工作績效除了實際手續費收入之外，分為任務績效與脈絡績效，透過發放問卷由理財專員自評，問卷內容分為人口統計變項、五大人格特質量表及工作績效自評量表，研究對象為國內F銀行理財專員共183人，採用量化分析方法包括敘述性統計、皮爾森相關分析及迴歸分析，探討人格特質與工作績效的關聯性，實證結果發現： (1) 人格特質中的「經驗開放性」、「親和性」、「勤勉審慎性」及「外向性」與其工作績效是顯著有相關的，且皆屬於正相關。 (2) 「親和性」的人格特質對理財專員的「任務績效」及「脈絡績效」有正向的影響的。 (3) 「勤勉審慎性」的人格特質對理財專員的三項工作績效指標有正向的影響，而且該特質對於三項工作績效因素構面的影響力皆是最大的。 (4) 「經驗開放性」的人格特質對理財專員的三項工作績效指標有正向的影響。 (5) 「外向性」的人格特質對於理財專員的「脈絡績效」有正向的影響的。 本研究建議個案銀行日後在遴選理財專員時，可優先考慮選擇人格特質中具有「勤 勉審慎性」者，預期未來會有較佳的工作表現。 / In more recent years, changes in the financial environment are significant. Banks have to increase the profits from the non-interest income and develop the business not entailing Regulatory Capital. So the fee incomes from the Wealth Management Section become more important for banks. The financial advisor is the key factor of the Wealth Management Section. The selection of financial advisors is very important for the banks. The study is based on the view of the personality theory of Big-Five factor. The purpose of this study is to find the relationship between the personality traits of financial advisors and the job performance. The study involved a survey, comprised of three sets of questionnaires concerning demographics, Big-five personality and job performance. 183 financial advisors in the domestic F Bank participated in this study. The quantitative analysis of the questionnaires was conducted through descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and regression analysis were used to indicate the direction and relationship between personality and job performance. The result of this study was showed as following： 1. Four of Big-Five factors including “Extraversion”, “Openness to Experience”, “Agreebleness” and “Conscientiousness” are positively correlated with job performance. 2. The factor “Agreebleness” has a positive effect on “task performance” and “contextual performance”. 3. The factor “Conscientiousness” has a positive effect on “task performance”, “contextual performance” and “fee income”. The factor “Conscientiousness” has the greatest effect on job performance among the Big-Five factors. 4. The factor “Openness to Experience” has a positive effect on “task performance”, “contextual performance” and “fee income”. 5. The factor “Extraversion” has a positive effect on “contextual performance”. Based on the results, the researcher recommends that F Bank select employees with personality trait “Conscientiousness” and “Conscientiousness” as the financial advisors. The researcher expects the financial advisors with personality trait “Conscientiousness” have better job performance.

Participation in Peace Support Operations (PSOs) is one of the most common military duties assigned to present-day Western soldiers. Previous research concerned with the psychological effects of these missions on the individual soldier has focused on issues of mental health and how to ensure military effectiveness. This study takes a different perspective, and examines how PSOs affect the political psychology of the peace soldier, asking: how and to what extent do the sociopolitical psychological orientations of the individual soldier change as a consequence of peace support operations? The study combines theory from clinical, social, and personality psychology to construct a framework for understanding how and why the values and the attitudes toward violence of the soldier may be affected by PSO deployments. It is argued that although combat exposure may cause changes in attitudes and values, these variables will overall remain stable across the deployment. Stability is predicted to be the norm due to the importance of certain attitudes and values to the soldierly identity, and owing to the good person-environment fit that the deployment provides for the soldiers. It is also argued that the individual’s personality traits will predict levels of change and stability. Empirically, two Swedish contingents deployed to northern Afghanistan under the auspices of NATO’s ISAF mission are analyzed. Change and stability are examined by combining statistical analyses of surveys with in-depth interviews carried out at both the pre- and post-deployment stages. As hypothesized, the study finds that both values and attitudes exhibit high levels of stability across the mission. Contrary to expectations the soldiers’ experiences of combat exposure had little to no effect on attitudes and values. Combat exposure was, however, limited during the deployments studied. Finally, the individual’s personality traits are identified as being relatively potent factors for inducing change and stability. By demonstrating that low-exposure PSOs have only minor effects on the sociopolitical psychological orientations of soldiers, the study advances knowledge of the political psychology of the peace soldier and provides additional contributions to the fields of value and personality psychology. Among other things, the study demonstrates the stability of values in a very challenging environment, and how personality traits affect change and stability in values.

Certaines études récentes confirment que les tests de personnalité sont largement utilisés à des fins de sélection dans les organisations nord-américaines et que leur fréquence d’utilisation continue de croître (Boudrias, Pettersen, Longpré, & Plunier, 2008; Rothstein & Goffin, 2006). Or, les résultats des recherches portant sur le lien prévisionnel entre la personnalité et le rendement global au travail sont peu convaincants (Morgeson et al., 2007b; Murphy & Dzieweczynski, 2005). La présente thèse vise à vérifier si une amélioration des liens prédictifs entre la personnalité et le rendement au travail pourrait être obtenue en modifiant la façon d’opérationnaliser les variables prévisionnelles issues des inventaires de personnalité et en précisant les critères à prédire de manière à les rendre plus spécifiques et mieux arrimés. Pour ce faire, la capacité prévisionnelle d’une approche centrée sur le critère, c’est-à-dire l’utilisation de composites de traits de personnalité, est comparée à l’approche traditionnelle centrée sur le prédicteur, dans ce cas-ci, les cinq grands facteurs de personnalité (Big Five). D’autre part, le rendement au travail est opérationnalisé sous l’angle des compétences en emploi, ce qui permet d’en différencier les dimensions et d’augmenter la spécificité des critères. Des hypothèses précisant les facteurs de personnalité qui devraient permettre de prédire chacune des compétences évaluées sont testées. De plus, des hypothèses précisant les traits de personnalité servant à créer les variables composites sont aussi testées. Finalement, une hypothèse portant sur la comparaison de la puissance prévisionnelle des deux approches est mise à l’épreuve. L’échantillon de la recherche est composé de 225 employés occupant divers emplois au sein d’une grande organisation québécoise. Ils ont complété un inventaire de personnalité au travail dans le cadre des processus de sélection de l’organisation. Leur supérieur immédiat a effectué une évaluation de leurs compétences et de leur rendement au moins six (6) mois après leur embauche. Les résultats démontrent que la maîtrise des compétences est mieux prédite par une approche centrée sur le prédicteur (c’est-à-dire les Big Five) que par une approche centrée sur le critère (c’est-à-dire les variables composites). En effet, seules trois hypothèses portant sur le lien entre certains facteurs de personnalité et les compétences se sont avérées partiellement soutenues. Les résultats d’analyses statistiques supplémentaires, réalisées a posteriori afin de mieux comprendre les résultats, laissent supposer la présence de variables modératrices, dont, notamment, les caractéristiques situationnelles. En somme, il nous semble plus probable d’arriver, dans le futur, à trouver une méthode structurée de création des variables composites qui permettrait d’obtenir des liens prévisionnels plus puissants que de découvrir des variables composites qui seraient elles-mêmes généralisables à tous les emplois et à toutes les organisations. Par ailleurs, nous encourageons les praticiens à porter attention à la façon d’utiliser les données de personnalité. Pour le moment, il semble que les facteurs de personnalité permettent de prédire, en partie, le rendement futur en emploi. Or, les preuves empiriques concernant l’efficacité d’autres approches demeurent relativement rares et, surtout, insuffisantes pour guider fidèlement les praticiens à travers les choix nécessaires à leur utilisation. / Recent studies confirm that personality tests are widely used for selection in North American organizations and that their frequency of use continues to grow (Boudrias, Pettersen, Longpre & Plunier 2008; Rothstein & Goffin, 2006 ). However, research shows that the predictive relationship between personality and overall job performance is generally weak and that it remains similar to the initial results on the subject (Morgeson et al, 2007b;. Dzieweczynski & Murphy, 2005). This thesis aims to determine whether an improvement in the predictive relationship between personality and job performance could be achieved by modifying the way data obtained from personality inventories is used and by specifying the criteria to predict. To do so, the predictive ability of an approach centered on the criterion, that is to say, the use of compound variables of personality, is compared with the traditional approach centered on the predictor, in this case, the five factors (Big five). Moreover, job performance is operationalized in terms of job competencies, which makes it possible to differentiate the criteria and to increase its specificity. Hypotheses specifying the personality factors that should predict each competency are tested. In addition, hypotheses specifying the personality traits used to create the compound variables are also tested. Finally, a hypothesis comparing the predictive power of the two approaches is tested. The sample consisted of 225 employees occupying various jobs in a large Quebec organization. These employees have completed a work-contextualized personality inventory through the selection process of the organization. Their immediate supervisor conducted an assessment of their competencies and of their performance at least six (6) months after being hired. Thus, the design of this research is predictive and the method used is based on a confirmatory strategy, which is similar to the normal practices of testing used by industrial and organizational psychologists. Results indicate that the competencies are better predicted by a predictor-centered approach. Indeed, only three hypotheses pertaining to the relationship between personality factors and competencies proved partially supported. The results of additional statistical analyzes, performed in order to better understand the initial results, suggest the presence of moderating variables, including, in particular, the situational characteristics. In conclusion, it seems, at this time, much more likely for researchers to find a structured method for creating compound variables that would provide stronger predictive relationship, than to discover new compound variables that would be predictive of performance in every job and every organization. In addition, we encourage practitioners to pay attention to the way they use personality data. For the moment, it seems that personality factors predict, in part, future job performance. However, empirical evidence on the effectiveness of alternative approaches is relatively rare, and insufficient to accurately guide practitioners through the choice necessary for their use.

I dagens samhälle blir kreativitet och nytänkande allt viktigare för företags överlevnad och konkurrenskraft. Därmed har även behovet av kreativa personer på arbetsplatsen ökat. Studiens syfte var att undersöka om kreativitet, genom Runcos ideational scale, kunde kopplas till något personlighetsdrag i Big Five samt till hur pass kreativt en person arbetar. Detta undersöktes genom en enkät med 66 frågor i 3 delar. Enkäten lämnades ut i både pappersform och som webenkät till ett stort antal företag. Resultaten av totalt 152 enkäter, som analyserades med hjälp av korrelationer och regressioner, bekräftade alla hypoteser utom en; samvetsgrannhet har en negativ korrelation med kreativitet. Även oväntade kopplingar kunde dras, såsom att det fanns en positiv korrelation mellan vänlighet och hur pass kreativt en person arbetar. Studien resulterade i slutsatsen att vissa personlighetsdrag har betydelse för hur kreativ en person är samt hur pass kreativt en person arbetar. / Sofia Tikkanen

The advent of digital typography has seen the printed letter permeate many aspects of our world, due to its function as the visual manifestation of verbal language. However, few scientific researchers have paid attention to these innocuous and ubiquitous characters. Furthermore, existing typeface research has generally been divided into two strands: For nearly ninety years, communicators (writing, marketing, business, and design professionals) have made attempts to investigate how typefaces of different classes and styles might indicate different personalities to the viewer, and explored the notion of typeface appropriateness. More recently, psychologists have taken advantage of word processing software to manipulate perceptual fluency by changing the fonts of different documents, finding several interesting effects. In this study, two experiments were conducted, with the aim of acknowledging and synthesizing both lines of inquiry. In Experiment 1, a restaurant menu was printed with either an easy-to-read, fluent font or a difficult-to-read, disfluent font. It was expected that reading the disfluent font would influence participants’ (n = 110) choices from the menu as well as certain judgments about the dishes. However, there was only one significant effect, whereby participants who read the disfluent font expected to enjoy their chosen dessert less than those who read the fluent font. In Experiment 2, participants (n = 94) judged a person of the opposite sex using the Big Five Inventory, a measure of human personality. The target photograph was paired with a name set in one of two fonts (familiar and unfamiliar). Female participants rated the target higher on the factor of Openness when the name was printed in the novel font. The results of the current study indicate that to some extent, document designers may safely continue selecting typefaces through intuition, and do not necessarily need the supplementation of additional empirical research.

I dagens samhälle blir kreativitet och nytänkande allt viktigare för företags överlevnad och konkurrenskraft. Därmed har även behovet av kreativa personer på arbetsplatsen ökat. Studiens syfte var att undersöka om kreativitet, genom Runcos ideational scale, kunde kopplas till något personlighetsdrag i Big Five samt till hur pass kreativt en person arbetar. Detta undersöktes genom en enkät med 66 frågor i 3 delar. Enkäten lämnades ut i både pappersform och som webenkät till ett stort antal företag. Resultaten av totalt 152 enkäter, som analyserades med hjälp av korrelationer och regressioner, bekräftade alla hypoteser utom en; samvetsgrannhet har en negativ korrelation med kreativitet. Även oväntade kopplingar kunde dras, såsom att det fanns en positiv korrelation mellan vänlighet och hur pass kreativt en person arbetar. Studien resulterade i slutsatsen att vissa personlighetsdrag har betydelse för hur kreativ en person är samt hur pass kreativt en person arbetar.