Syfte: Syftet med denna studie har varit att utforska och skapa ökad förståelse hur konsumenternas köpbeslut och efterköpsbeteende kan förändras av att heminredningsföretag inom e-handeln använder Artificiell Intelligens (AI) samt vilka eventuella konsekvenser AI användandet har på konsumenternas förtroende för företagen.  Problembakgrund: Med tanke på e-handelns framfart och att AI ständigt utvecklas är det relevant att ämnet diskuteras. Förtroende för AI skiljer sig mellan de svenska medborgarna samtidigt som implementeringen av AI ökar hos företagen.   Metod: Studien behandlar hur AI påverkar köpbeslut, efterköpsbeteende och förtroende med utgångspunkt i en kvalitativ studie och med en induktiv forskningsansats. Semistrukturerade intervjuer med femton personer genomfördes för att kunna besvara forskningsfrågorna.  Slutsats: Utifrån studiens empiri och analys kunde slutsatser dras att AI påverkar konsumenternas köpbeslut, efterköpsbeteende och förtroende på olika sätt i vardera steg. Detta ger en indikation från studien att företag som använder AI bör se till att det är genomtänkt och välutvecklat. Slutsatsen är att AI i dagsläget inte används av företag på ett tillräckligt utvecklat sätt utifrån dess potentiella kompetens, därav fyller det inte sin fulla funktion och konsumentens förtroende kan antas påverkas mer negativt än positivt. Om AI istället används på ett mer genomtänkt och välutvecklat sätt påverkar det konsumenternas förtroende positivt. / Purpose: The purpose of this study has been to explore and create greater understanding of how consumers' purchase decisions and post-purchase behavior change as a result of interior design companies in e-commerce using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what possible consequences AI use has on consumers' trust in the companies. Problem background: Considering the progress of e-commerce and that AI is constantly developing, makes the topic relevant to discuss. Trust in AI differs between Swedish citizens, while the implementation of AI is increasing among companies. Method: The study investigates how AI affects purchase decisions, post-purchase behavior and trust based on a qualitative study with an inductive research approach. Semi-structured interviews with fifteen people were conducted in order to answer the research questions. Conclusion: Based on the study's empirical data and analysis, conclusions could be drawn that AI affects consumers' purchase decisions, post-purchase behavior and trust, in different ways at each stage. This gives an indication from the study that companies using AI should ensure that it is well thought out and well developed. The conclusion is that AI is currently not used by companies in a sufficiently developed way based on its potential competence, therefore it does not fulfill its full function and consumer trust can be assumed to be affected more negatively than positively. Instead, customer trust is enhanced when AI is applied in a well thought out and well developed manner.

This research study aims to obtain a holistic view of the area of store atmospherics, which forms part of the retail industry. A consumer-centred response approach was followed. Store atmospherics and its influence on consumers’ buying behaviour has received very little attention in the literature to date. Consumers’ views on in-store atmospheric elements and the influence of these elements on their buying behaviour were obtained. The primary research aim that was derived from the preliminary literature was therefore to explore the influence of store atmospherics on consumers’ buying behaviour in apparel retail stores in the Tshwane region. The type of research design used in this study was exploratory, making use of a qualitative approach and a communicative technique of interviews. The selected method was focus group interviews and naïve sketches. The data gathered was analysed by means of Tesch’s inductive descriptive coding technique, better known as thematic analysis. It was found that atmospheric elements have the ability to influence consumers in either a subconscious or a conscious way. This has a direct influence on the amount of time that consumers will spend in-store and ultimately influences their buying decisions and behaviour either positively or negatively. This had a direct influence on the amount of time that consumers will spend instore and ultimately influences their buying decisions and behaviours either positively or negatively, meaning that the consumers’ will display either an approach- or avoidance behaviour. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

The aim of this study is to report findings of inquiry into the role that problem-based approach can play in the teaching and learning of Technology in Thabo-Mofutsanyana District in Qwaqwa. This study followed qualitative research methods and ethnographic design informed by the researcher’s desire for the study to be conducted from firsthand knowledge generated in the research setting. The researcher interviewed Grade 9 Technology teachers and experts, observed teaching and learning in two participating and two non-participating secondary schools in Murray & Roberts Technology Olympiad and analysed Technology teachers’ lesson plans and workschedules, portfolios and files of Grade 9 Technology learners. Key findings that this study produced include: PBL is a need in the teaching of Technology; learners function at a higher level of thinking; learners treat concepts at higher and deeper level; learners become more motivated and learners are able to discover theories and make inventions. / Educational Studies / M. Ed. (Didactics)

La gestion préventive des risques naturels et technologiques constitue un enjeu de premier ordre pour les autorités étatiques que ce soit à l’égard des populations, des biens et de l’environnement ou pour le coût que la réalisation de tels risques peut représenter. Aussi, le décideur public, contraint juridiquement de protéger ces enjeux, est dans l’obligation, après avoir évalué et qualifié le risque, de déclencher une action publique préventive. C’est au cours d’un processus décisionnel complexe qu’il devra déterminer le degré de dangerosité du risque et les mesures préventives appropriées et proportionnées. S’effectue alors, pour le décideur public, la recherche du meilleur compromis possible entre les libertés et les objectifs de sécurité dans le cadre d’un difficile bilan coûts/avantages. Le droit tente d’encadrer ce processus décisionnel en laissant une marge d’appréciation importante et nécessaire au décideur public dans la détermination du degré d’acceptabilité du risque. C’est la recherche de ce compromis qui sera étudiée dans le cadre de cette thèse et plus particulièrement la manière dont le droit encadre cette recherche, gère cette question délicate et éventuellement contrôle les décisions entérinées. / Preventive management of natural and technological hazards is a major issue for state authorities, in regards to the people, property and the environment or in regards to the cost represented by the realization of such risks. Therefore, policy makers legally bound to protect these interests are required to initiate a preventive public action after evaluating and qualifying the risks. The level of hazard and the appropriateness and proportionality of preventive measures will be determined within a complex decision-making process. The policymakers then strive to reach the best possible compromise between freedom and security objectives within the framework of a delicate cost/benefit analysis. The law attempts to regulate this decision-making process by leaving a large and necessary margin of discretion to the public policy makers in determining the acceptability of the risk. This thesis will explore the process to reach this compromise, and in particular how the law governs it, manages this delicate issue and potentially controls the endorsed decisions.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-03T18:35:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Paulo_Roberto_Macedo_de_Andrade.pdf: 958605 bytes, checksum: 8bf349be18c9e86bd6ece938301717a8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-05 / The decision-making process of credit developed by banks for analysis and credit concession. to corporate entities involves a series of procedures for information gathering objective and subjective. By subjective information has information related to customer records and sources information the past relationship with the market, and objective information has been obtained from those collecting information of its financial statements as of the balance sheet and income statements, which undergo a process of standardization or reclassification of accounts, lets you extract and briefly present a set of economic and financial indicators that assess liquidity, activity, debt and profitability of these companies that will serve as a basis for analysis and interpretation of current economic and financial situation of that particular company or client entity. However, these financial indicators, called traditional, allowing only provide information to evaluate the financial situation of a company or corporate customer from past to present, and there is a great need to assess trends and future prospects. The objective of this dissertation is to describe and evaluate the importance of the Model Fleuriet as financial management tool, which allows you to analyze the trend of the financial situation of a company, combining the assessment of indicators such as the financial cycle, working capital, the need for working capital and cash balance, enabling managers who use it to make decisions faster and more assertive to correct the course of the operating company and how it can be used as a tool in decision-making accessory credit. The methodology as the approach to the problem was a qualitative study and used an explanatory research to further study and survey of new facts from existing knowledge made through a literature search and a field survey by done through a questionnaire to a group of credit analysts from various financial institutions, to assess the importance given by them for the use of traditional financial indicators and financial Model Fleuriet indicated for the development of its activity. It was concluded that the Model Fleuriet is little known and used by most credit analysts in their daily analysis and credit concession, as well as financial institutions where they work and that only 14% of respondents believe in the superiority of Model Fleuriet compared to traditional indicators, highlighting the analysts with over 10 years experience. As a suggestion of continuity this study proposes a new research in the financial market in order to assess the financial stability of companies listed on the Bovespa using traditional indicators and Model Fleuriet and development of a practical study in a financial institution with the implementation of Model Fleuriet in their analysis procedures and credit concession. / O processo decis??rio de cr??dito desenvolvido pelas institui????es financeiras para a an??lise e concess??o de empr??stimos para pessoas jur??dicas envolve uma s??rie de procedimentos para levantamento de informa????es objetivas e subjetivas. Por informa????es subjetivas tem-se as informa????es ligadas ao cadastro do cliente e fontes de refer??ncias pelo hist??rico de relacionamento com o mercado e, por informa????es objetivas, tem-se aquelas obtidas a partir do levantamento de informa????es de seus demonstrativos financeiros como o balan??o patrimonial e demonstrativos de resultados, os quais passam por um processo de reclassifica????o ou padroniza????o das contas, que permite extrair e apresentar resumidamente um conjunto de indicadores econ??mico-financeiros que avaliam a liquidez, a atividade, o endividamento e a lucratividade dessas empresas que servir??o como base para an??lise e interpreta????o da atual situa????o econ??mico-financeira daquela determinada empresa ou cliente pessoa jur??dica. Contudo, esses indicadores financeiros, chamados tradicionais, trazem informa????es que permitem apenas avaliar a situa????o econ??mico-financeira de uma empresa ou cliente pessoa jur??dica do passado para o presente, sendo que existe uma grande necessidade de se avaliar tend??ncias e perspectivas futuras. O objetivo dessa disserta????o ?? descrever e avaliar a import??ncia do Modelo Fleuriet como ferramenta de gest??o financeira, o qual permite analisar a tend??ncia da situa????o econ??mico-financeira de uma empresa, conjugando a avalia????o de indicadores como o ciclo financeiro, o capital de giro, a necessidade de capital de giro e o saldo de tesouraria, permitindo aos gestores que o utilizam a tomarem decis??es mais r??pidas e assertivas para corrigir a rota operacional da empresa e como pode ser utilizado como uma ferramenta acess??ria no processo decis??rio de cr??dito. A metodologia utilizada quanto a abordagem do problema foi uma pesquisa qualitativa e utilizou-se de uma pesquisa explicativa para aprofundar estudo e levantamento de fatos novos a partir de conhecimentos j?? existentes feitos atrav??s de uma pesquisa bibliogr??fica e de um levantamento de campo ou survey, por meio de um question??rio feito a um grupo de analistas de cr??dito de v??rias institui????es financeiras, para se avaliar a import??ncia dada por eles quanto ?? utiliza????o dos indicadores financeiros tradicionais e dos indicados financeiros do Modelo Fleuriet, para o desenvolvimento de sua atividade. Concluiu-se que o Modelo Fleuriet ?? pouco conhecido e utilizado pela maioria dos analistas de cr??dito em suas atividades di??rias de an??lise e concess??o de cr??dito, como tamb??m pelas institui????es financeiras onde atuam e que apenas 14% dos respondentes acreditam na superioridade do Modelo Fleuriet em rela????o aos indicadores tradicionais, destacando-se os analistas com mais de 10 anos de experi??ncia. Como sugest??o de continuidade desse estudo prop??e-se nova pesquisa junto ao mercado financeiro a fim de se avaliar o equil??brio financeiro de empresas listadas na Bovespa utilizando-se os indicadores tradicionais e o Modelo Fleuriet e o desenvolvimento de um estudo pr??tico numa institui????o financeira com a implanta????o do Modelo Fleuriet em seus procedimentos de an??lise e concess??o de cr??dito.

Although South African consumers are reflecting increased green purchasing intentions, the factors that will lead to their intended behaviour to select green hotels have yet to be researched. Accordingly, the research proposes to explore the predictive ability of the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and then further modify and develop extended model structures surrounding the TPB, to identify and confirm an independent theoretical model that will effectively and comprehensively be able to predict South African consumers’ intended behaviour towards selecting green hotels. To answer the aim and objectives set, the research positioned itself within a non-experimental quantitative paradigm. An online questionnaire was distributed to South African consumers that stayed at a hotel at least once within a 12-month period. A total of 402 completed and error-free responses were used for statistical analysis. Descriptive statistical analysis was used to assess, derive and understand the demographic profile of the respondents and determine the respondent’s characteristics as South Africans who intend to stay at or visit hotels. Structural equation modelling (SEM) revealed that Azjen (1991)’s original TPB is a strong predictor of behavioural intention, indicating its applicability to the domain of South African consumers’ behavioural intention towards selecting green hotels. In addition, it was found that South African consumers’ intended behaviour towards selecting green hotels can statistically be best explained by expanding on the original TPB model to include emotive and non-cognitive predictor variables, namely anticipated regret (AR) and perceived moral obligation (PMO), as direct constructs to behavioural intention as well as by including environmental knowledge (EK) as a direct predictor variable to attitude (ATT). Furthermore, it found that the relationship between behavioural intention and perceived behavioural control (PBC) was the strongest and most significant, followed by subjective norm (SN), ATT, PMO and AR. Lastly, the findings revealed that PBC, ATT, SN, PMO and AR can all act as positive and highly significant intermediaries between EK and behavioural intention. The study contributed towards theory by identifying and assessing the psychographic factors that will best explain the consumer decision-making processes leading to behavioural intention in context to green hotel selection. The study further extends its contribution by adding value to environmental sustainable literature in context to an emerging economy, namely South Africa. Although South African consumers are reflecting increased green purchasing intentions, the psychological factors that will lead to the intended behaviour towards selecting green hotels have not received much attention in research. It was, therefore, important and theoretically valuable to not only investigate the predictive ability of the original TPB, but to also modify, develop and extend model variations surrounding the TPB to thoroughly explore the predictive ability for South African consumers’ intention to select green hotels. / Life and Consumer Sciences / M. Sc.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-29T13:48:38Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Ivy B G Turner.pdf: 404366 bytes, checksum: 8f7580f072c2944058d678625559e197 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-06-19 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The objective of the present work was to present factors that promote congressional activism in the area of foreign policy. The work involved an analysis of the main subjects related to the participation of the United States Congress in the foreign policy-making process, the intention being to present the latest thinking in this area. As such, the work seeks to contribute to the body of research being developed on the influence of domestic factors in American foreign policy. Although information and studies in Brazil about the United States abound, this is not the case for this specific area of investigation. It should be stressed that the intention of this work was not to explain the performance of the institution through history, but rather to focus on the institutional structure of the process by which US foreign policy is formulated / O objetivo do presente trabalho esteve em tentar desvendar quais fatores promovem ativismo congressual em temas de política externa. Para tanto, realizou-se análise das principais questões relativas à participação do Congresso na formulação da política externa norte-americana. O intento foi apresentar o estado da arte do debate acerca do papel que o Congresso possui neste processo. Ao estudar este tema pretendeu-se contribuir com as pesquisas acerca da influência de fatores domésticos na política externa norte-americana por que, apesar das informações e estudos disponíveis no Brasil acerca dos Estados Unidos serem abundantes, não o são nesta área específica. Ressalta-se que o trabalho não teve intenção de explicar a atuação da instituição ao longo da história, sendo uma análise focada na estrutura institucional do processo

De nombreuses études concluent à la supériorité des démocraties dans la guerre. A travers notre analyse des relations unissant aujourd’hui les piliers de la trinité clausewitzienne classique – pouvoir politique, peuple et armée – notre recherche s’attache à mettre en évidence l’importance, à cet égard, de la définition du « sens de l’action ». Complexe à conceptualiser, cet objet naît de l’interaction des trois piliers de la trinité qui contribuent à le construire. Cette dynamique prend son origine dans le sens conféré, par le discours politique,à la décision de recourir à la force. Ce sens politique repose sur les intérêts nationaux tels qu’appréhendés par les décideurs, mais également, du fait de la contrainte démocratique, sur les préférences de l’opinion publique telles que perçues par le politique. Le soutien public apparaît essentiel pour alimenter la volonté politique dans le conflit, mais influence aussi le moral des militaires déployés en opérations. Notre étude s’attache donc, en second lieu, à analyser les composantes du sens conféré par les militaires à la mission qu’ils exécutent, afin de déterminer dans quelle mesure un sens politique insuffisamment clair peut influencer le soutien public et, in fine, une éventuelle perte de sens chez les soldats. Cette analyse multiscalaire cherche en définitive à répondre à la question de savoir pourquoi l’on se bat, en approfondissant deux cas d’étude : la participation de l’Armée de terre française à la FIAS, en Afghanistan, et à la FINUL renforcée, au Liban. Elle peut s’inscrire, plus largement, dans le courant d’analyse cherchant à déterminer les facteurs d’efficacité dans la guerre, en esquissant l’idée que les démocraties peuvent, du fait des contraintes qui leur sont propres, présenter une faiblesse à cet égard. / Many studies have determined that democracies perform better in war. Through our analysis of the relationship that links the pillars of today’s clasewitzian trinity – political leaders, people and soldiers – our study seeks to highlight the importance, to this regard, of defining the « meaning of the action ». In spite of a complex conceptualization, this object can be apprehended by analyzing the interactions of the three pillars, within the frame of a military intervention abroad. This interactional dynamic’s origin lies in the meaning given by the political discourse to the decision to use force. This political meaning leans on national interests (as perceived by policymakers), but also on public preferences (as perceived by policymakers), due to democratic constraint. Public support appears essential to underpin the political will during a conflict, but it also affects soldiers’ morale in the field. Secondly, our study thus seeks to analyse the components of the meaning given by soldiers to their mission,in order to determine to what extent an uncleared or blurred political meaning might affect public support and ultimately provoke a loss of meaning among the military. This multiscale approach aims to answer to the ultimate question of knowing why are we fighting, by deepening two case studies : the French Army contribution to ISAF (in Afghanistan) and UNIFIL II (in Lebanon). It can more broadly come within the framework of previous researchs studying strategic and battlefield effectiveness, by underlying that democracies might have a weakness in this regard.

La presente tesi è un contributo allo studio delle implicazioni economiche delle intenzioni di fecondità e all’analisi degli aspetti economici legati ai processi decisionali riproduttivi. Precisamente la tesi, composta da tre capitoli indipendenti e basata su dati Italiani, si focalizza su donne, su individui che vivono in coppia e sulle coppie. In particolare lo studio mira a comprendere: i) l'interazione esistente tra il mercato del lavoro (con un focus particolare sul ruolo del settore occupazionale femminile) e le preferenze per la formazione della famiglia; ii) le influenze della ripartizione dei ruoli domestici all’interno della coppia sulle intenzioni riproduttive; iii) le determinanti (all’interno delle coppie) dell’accordo/disaccordo circa l'intenzione di diventare genitori una seconda volta, e -per coppie che registrano un disaccordo- iv) le determinanti che spingono una donna a contrastare l’intenzione positive del suo partner per un secondo figlio. La tesi utilizza il mixed-method design, una strategia basata sull’analisi quantitativa dei dati nonché sull’analisi approfondita di interviste: questo approccio consente di studiare l'argomento da diverse prospettive e -grazie ai due metodi di ricerca -quantitativo e qualitativo- di approfondire le conoscenze del fenomeno di interesse. / The thesis is a contribution to the study of the economic implications of fertility intentions and desires and of the economic aspects of the fertility decision making process. Precisely, it is based on three autonomous chapters and it aims at understanding: a) for women and for individuals within the couples the interplay between fertility and labour market preferences (with a particular focus on the role of women's sector of employment), and the influences that the (un)balanced division of domestic duties play on the intentions of becoming parents for another time in Italy; b) for couples living together the determinants of their (dis)agreement about the intention of becoming parents again; and c) for couples that disagree on future fertility plans, the determinants of female’s contrasting attitude towards her partners’ positive fertility intention. The dissertation uses a mixed-method design- a strategy based on survey data analysis as well as in-depth interviews analysis: this approach allows investigating the topic from different perspectives, by means of both quantitative and qualitative research methods in order to provide new insights into the phenomenon of interest.

Decision making for fast-moving consumer goods involves a choice between numerous similar alternatives. Under such demanding circumstances, a decision is made for one product. The decision is dependent on the interaction between the environment and the mind of the consumer, both of which are filled with information that can influence the outcome. The aim of this dissertation is to explore how the mind and the environment guides attention towards considered and chosen products in consumer decision making at the point-of-purchase. Consumers are equipped with several effort reduction strategies to simplify complex decision making. The selection of strategies can be conscious or automatic and driven by information in the environment or the mind of the decision maker. The selected decision strategy reduces the set of options to one alternative in an iterative process of comparisons that are fast and rely on perceptual cues to quickly exclude irrelevant products. This thesis uses eye-tracking to explore this rapid processing that lacks conscious access or control. The purpose is to explore how product packaging and placement (as in-store factors), and recognition, preferences, and choice task (as out-of-store factors) influence the decision-making process through visual attention. The results of the 10 experiments in the five papers that comprise this thesis shed new light on the role of visual attention in the interaction between the environment and the mind, and its influence on the consumer. It is said that consumers choose with their eyes, which means that unseen is unsold. The results of this thesis show that it is just as important to be comprehended as it is to be seen. In split-second decision making, the ability to recognize and comprehend a product can significantly impact preferences. Comprehension stretches beyond perception as consumers infer value from memory structures that influence attention. Hence, the eye truly sees what the mind is prepared to comprehend.