Loss aversion is a theory which states that losses loom larger than gains. Negative outcomes are weighted heavier than positive outcomes in decision making but could this weight change when different prospects are evaluated? This thesis focuses on how the loss aversion changes toward different magnitudes of a loss for young individuals when they are faced with a 50/50 chance of winning or losing a gamble. The loss aversion is tested toward six different magnitudes of a potential loss ranging from 100 kr to 4 000 kr. The loss aversion toward these six different magnitudes is then compared to examine how the loss aversion changes. This data was collected using a survey experiment that was digitally distributed to economics students at Linnaeus University in Växjö.The results from the subsequent analysis showed that the loss aversion was not constant towards all six losses. The loss aversion was different in ten out of fifteen pairwise comparisons. Respondents became more loss averse when the loss increased but the loss aversion did however seem to be less sensitive to increases in losses above the 1 000 kr mark.

This study forms part of a broader research project that involves the investigation of the effect of a health promotion intervention (Win-LIFE) on a resource-constrained community's practices, needs and expectations related to food choice, preparation and production. As part of the Win-LIFE intervention, the South African Life Skills school curriculum was enriched, and the current study followed its implementation and focused on the experiences of 31 Grade 5 learners in a school in the Bronkhorstspruit area. For the purpose of this study I followed a qualitative methodological approach, relied on interpretivism as meta-theory and implemented a case study research design, applying Participatory Reflection and Action (PRA) principles. Data were generated by means of PRA-based activities, supported by observations, and documented through field notes, audio-visual techniques and a reflective journal. Thematic inductive analysis was completed following data generation. Four themes with related sub-themes emerged. The first theme relates to the positive experience of experiential learning. The second theme concerns the role of a supportive facilitator. The third theme entails the positive outcomes of the learning process. The last theme relates to the challenges experienced by the learners. The findings of this study indicate a positive general experience of the enriched Life Skills curriculum by the Grade 5 learners, which led to benefits both proximally and distally in the various spheres in which the learners functioned. Learners demonstrated the ability to acquire knowledge and skills in a way they enjoyed, transferred these to their families, and their motivation to learn increased. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

Användningen av Robot Processautomatisering (RPA) hos företag blir allt vanligare och det är viktigt att lyckas med RPA-införandet för att maximera syftet med automatiseringen samt undvika störningar i verksamheten.  Det uppkommer en del risker under RPA-införandet som behöver hanteras. Dessa risker resulterar samtidigt i kunskap och värdefullt information som bör uppmärksammas vid RPA-införandeprocessen. Dessutom är det viktigt att ta hänsyn till långsiktiga effekter som inträffar efter RPA-införandet och analysera vilka konsekvenserna av dessa blir. Försäkringssektorn är inget undantag och den påverkas mycket av digitaliseringen. Det finns stora möjligheter till utveckling för svenska försäkringsbolag och RPA kan hjälpa till att hantera administrativa processersom förekommer mycket inom försäkringsbolag. RPA kan ge extra stöd för att hjälpa försäkringsföretag attautomatisera hela arbetsflöden och effektivisera ett större antal av verksamhetsprocesserna. Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats i informatik som presenteras i kapitel 1 Inledning är att beskriva och analysera organisatoriska framgångsfaktorer för hantering av risker vid RPA-införandet, underliggande komponenter till införande samt effekter efter införandet som påverkar olika intressentgrupper. För att få djupareperspektiv på undersökningsområdet fokuserar studien på en process som heter ”Adressändring företag i affärssystemet ” . I kapitel 2 Teori och tidigare studier presenteras relevanta teoretiska studier och utifrån dessa bygger uppsatsförfattaren en analysmodell. Fallstudiemetod tillämpas i uppsatsen och data samlas in från fallföretaget med hjälp av semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex representanter som involveras i RPA- införandet av valda processen.  I kapitel 4 Analys modifieras och anpassas analysmodellen till fallföretaget. Den modifierade analysmodellen presenteras i avsnitt 4.5 Modifiering av analysmodell.  I kapitel 5 Slutsatser presenteras de viktigaste slutsatserna från studien vilka är följande:  Vid val av process som ska robotiseras ska processens egenskaper kunna sammankopplas med tekniska förutsättningar. Att de intressentgrupper som påverkas av processen som ska robotiseras involveras i RPA-införandet. Att tydligt definiera rollerna för de personer som involveras i RPA-projektet. Betydelsen av en standardiserad utbildning hos intressentgrupper i Fas 1 av införandeprocessen. ”Change management”/Förändringshantering är den centrala framgångsfaktorn för hantering av risker vid RPA införandeprocessen. Vikten av att definiera samt mäta effekter vid RPA införandet.

Under de senaste tio åren har spelföretag hittat nya sätt att tjäna pengar på spel, såsom att stycka upp dem och sälja innehållet genom flera mindre transaktioner, så kallade mikrotransaktioner, via olika affärsmodeller. Tidigare var det vanligast med fullprisspel, eller premiumspel som de också kallas. Det har också blivit vanligt med motsatsen till sådana spel. Dessa kallas freemium-spel och är gratis att spela eller åtminstone att börja spela. Freemium-spel har blivit den typ av produkt som genererar mest i intäkter av alla affärsmodeller globalt. År 2012 var sådana affärsmodeller bland de minst inkomstbringande. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka gamers upplevelser av mikrotransaktioner i spel, och därtill att undersöka vad som får dem att göra eller undvika sådana transaktioner. Studien är baserad på fem kvalitativa, semi-strukturerade intervjuer som har gjorts både genom fysiska samtal, röstchatt och vanlig chatt. Studien visar att den enskilt viktigaste faktorn i respondenternas beslut att köpa nedladdningsbart innehåll, däribland genom mikrotransaktioner, avgörs av rent sociala aspekter. Finns inte möjligheten att dela en spelupplevelse med andra människor blir alla former av nedladdningsbart innehåll betydligt mindre intressant för respondenterna. De flesta av respondenterna i denna studie berördes inte nämnvärt av kontakten med mikrotransaktioner såtillvida att de inte tvingades att betala för innehåll genom dem. Om majoriteten av respondenterna fick välja hade de helst sluppit alla former av mikrotransaktioner och i stället köpt spel där allt innehåll ingår från start. Denna rapports angreppssätt är dock explorativt och dess konklusion är således inte en slutgiltig sådan, utan resultatet från undersökningen i rapporten är menat att lägga en grund för vidare forskning inom problemområdet. / Over the past ten years, gaming companies have found new ways of making money from games, such as by cutting them up and selling the content through several smaller transactions, known as microtransactions, through various business models. Previously, it was most common with full-price games, or premium games as they are also called. It has also become common with the opposite form of such games. These are called freemium games and are free to play or at least start playing. Freemium games have become the type of product that generates the most in revenue of all business models globally. In 2012, such business models were among the least income-generating. The purpose of this study is to investigate respondents' experiences of microtransactions in games, and also to investigate what causes them to buy or avoid such transactions. The study is based on five qualitative, semi-structured interviews that have been done both through physical conversations, voice chat and regular chat. The study shows that the single most important factor for the respondents when deciding to buy downloadable content, including through microtransactions, is determined by social aspects. If the possibility of sharing a gaming experience with other people is not available, all forms of downloadable content will be considerably less interesting for the respondents. Most of the respondents in this study were not significantly affected by the contact with microtransactions as long as they were not forced to pay for content through them. If the majority of the respondents had to choose, they would have preferred to avoid all forms of microtransactions and instead buy games where all content is included from the start. However, the approach of this report is explorative and its conclusion is therefore not a definitive one. Instead, the result of the study in this report is intended to lay the groundwork for further research within the problem area.

Earlier planting to escape summer drought and high temperature has increased the importance of cold tolerance in corn. The objectives of this study were to assess cold tolerance among the corn hybrids using morpho-physiological traits and to classify hybrids into different groups of tolerance. Corn hybrids were subjected to optimum, low, and very low temperatures during seed emergence and seedling growth and morphological and physiological traits were assessed. Variability existed among the corn hybrids for the measured traits. Total, leaf and root weights and cumulative length and length per unit volume were the most important morphological traits in describing hybrid variability. Principle component analysis and total low temperature response index methods were used to categorize hybrid tolerance to low temperature. Based on relative scores assigned in this study and their yield potential in the niche environment, producer could select hybrids to maximize corn production in an early planting production system.

Background: P2W games (Pay-to-Win) occupy a significant position in the Chinese gaming market, attracting a large number of players to participate and spend money. However, there is still a knowledge gap in understanding the motivational factors behind the behavior and psychology of Chinese players in terms of their purchase motivation in specific games Diablo: Immortal. Purpose: The objective of this study is to use the TCV framework to explore in depth the purchase motivations of Chinese players in the P2W game Diablo Immortal and to find out what factors have the greatest impact on the purchase of virtual items within this game. Method: In the method section, the article uses a qualitative research method to conduct semi-structured interviews. Convenience sampling and snowball sampling were conducted through friends close to the author, and 8 respondents were selected who met the research criteria. After data collection, a thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data.  Conclusion: This study reveals that Chinese players in the P2W game Diablo: Immortal are motivated to purchase virtual items based on five key themes: functional value, social value, emotional value, conditional value, and monetary value. Among these, social value emerges as the strongest motivator, followed closely by conditional value, emotional value, functional value, and monetary value. The findings highlight the importance of enhancing the social aspects of the game, such as fostering player interactions and creating a sense of community. Additionally, developers should consider offering attractive discounts and promotions to stimulate player buying behavior. These insights provide valuable guidance for game developers and operators seeking to understand and cater to the motivations of Chinese players in the context of virtual item purchases.

Development for sustainable poverty alleviation requires engagement with the values and cultural frames that enable or constrain communities to steward ecosystems and maintain their capacity to support human well-being. Rooted in a social-ecological systems (SES) perspective, this thesis explores the concept of sense of place to understand how emotional and cultural connections to place mediate human responses to change and influence interventions for development. Sense of place is both the attachments to place, as well as the descriptive meanings to which one is attached. Paper I presents an approach and agenda for studying sense of place in SES that emphasizes place attachment and meaning underlying stewardship actions and responses to change. This is empirically explored through a case study on the Wild Coast, South Africa - an area with multiple contested meanings. In this former Bantustan (an area set aside for black South Africans), Apartheid created interdependence between small-holder agriculture and labour migration, where rural homesteads relied on remittances from migrant household members. Today, the contribution of agriculture to livelihoods has declined and many households rely on income from social grants. Interacting social and ecological factors in this region have resulted in social-ecological trap conditions and circular migration continues to be the pattern. Community conservation and ecotourism is one strategy for local socio-economic development. Papers II and III explore community tensions around a proposed nature reserve declaration. In Paper II, a focus on the meanings of locally-defined ecotopes (e.g. forest and abandoned fields) illuminates the interpretations of underlying social-ecological processes. Paper III examines the use of place meanings in narratives of change to show tensions in the discourse of win-win conservation. The stalling of this particular intervention indicates the importance of engaging with multiple meanings of place and the cultural importance of nature. Papers IV and V focus on declining agriculture and continued labour migration. From a theoretical model of people’s abilities, desires and opportunities, Paper IV develops a typology of responses that may contribute to maintaining or resolving social-ecological traps. For this case study, the model identifies the mismatch between i) cultural expectations that frame the desire to farm, and ii) the decline in opportunities for off-farm income to support agriculture. Paper V demonstrates that these expectations are expressed in the idea of emakhaya (the rural landscape of home) as well as reinforced through cultural rituals. The paper identifies a place-based social contract between the living and the ancestors that helps to maintain circular migration and agricultural practices. This suggests that sense of place contributes to system inertia but may also offer opportunities for stewardship. Sense of place is socially constructed as well as produced through experience in ecosystems, and thus constitutes an emergent property of SES. The thesis demonstrates the use of participatory methods to produce an inclusive understanding of place and SES dynamics. The application of place meanings through these methods facilitates critical engagement with imposed interventions. Finally, the thesis shows that sense of place and culture are key for understanding inertia in SES and the capacity for transformation towards stewardship. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 2: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 5: Manuscript.</p>

La presente investigación tiene como finalidad evaluar el impacto de la táctica de negociación “ganar – ganar” sobre la creación de valor compartido de los proyectos residenciales de unidades premium localizados en Santiago de Surco, desde un ángulo estratégico - gerencial. La importancia del estudio se relaciona con validar el aporte de una metodología de negociación al posicionamiento y a la capacidad competitiva de los proyectos en mención. El estudio consta de seis capítulos. En el primero se desarrolla la literatura más adecuada para justificar teóricamente los fundamentos y resultados del estudio; se describe brevemente el desempeño del sector inmobiliario en los últimos cinco años; y, finalmente, se identifican las características de la oferta y demanda del mercado premium, a nivel Lima Metropolitana y Santiago de Surco. El segundo capítulo presenta las pautas generales que direccionan la investigación. El tercer capítulo describe la metodología seleccionada en función a las características del problema de investigación (ruta cualitativa y diseño etnográfico). El cuarto capítulo desarrolla el proceso para la extracción de información de la muestra de especialista y homogénea. En la misma línea, se desarrolla el “Índice creación de valor compartido ajustado al segmento residencial premium” con el objetivo de identificar a los proyectos creadores de valor compartido. El quinto capítulo exhibe los resultados obtenidos a través de la validación de las hipótesis planteadas; de la misma manera, revela el tipo de relación existente entre las variables de estudio. Finalmente, el sexto detalla las conclusiones y recomendaciones. / The purpose of this research is to assess the impact of the winning negotiating tactic on the creation of shared value of residential projects of premium units located in Santiago de Surco, from a strategic - managerial angle. The importance of the study relates to validating the contribution of a trading methodology to the positioning and the competitive capacity of the projects mentioned. The study consists of six chapters. The first develops the most appropriate literature to theoretically justify the fundamentals and results of the study; briefly describes the performance of the real estate sector over the past five years; and finally, the characteristics of the offer and demand of the premium market are identified, at the Lima Metropolitana and Santiago de Surco level. The second chapter presents the general guidelines that address the research. The third chapter describes the methodology selected based on the characteristics of the research problem (qualitative path and ethnographic design). The fourth chapter develops the process for extracting information from the specialist and homogeneous sample. In the same vein, the "Premium Residential Segment Adjusted Shared Value Creation Index" is developed to identify shared value creator projects. The fifth chapter shows the results obtained through the validation of the assumptions raised; in the same way, it reveals the type of relationship between study variables. Finally, the sixth details the conclusions and recommendations. / Tesis

Thesis focuses the topic of individual change and discusses possibilities of its support in terms of psychological (self)coaching. The theoretical part summarizes key psychological traits, which may affect the success of change implementation, than provides insight into the various phases, stages and processes of both individual and organizational change. Attention is then moved to the issue of individual change goals setting and there are shown several models of goals formulation. Next chapter introduces psychological coaching as a suitable approach to the facilitation of individual change and describes specific techniques and strategies that support individuals achieving goals. Particular attention is also paid to the strategy of small steps or quick wins, also known as Kaizen, as well as the other mentioned techniques and tools that can be used in (self)coachning and selfmanagement. The research verifies the effect of Kaizen strategy on individual goals achievement. Results confirm the positive impact of Kaizen on individual success in goal achieving, but also the degrese of precieved satisfaction derived from working on goals.

Cette thèse étudie le rôle du conformisme social dans un contexte de vote. Dans le premierchapitre, nous présentons la définition, en psychologie sociale, du conformisme. Nous passons enrevue les éléments cl´es de la littérature afin de montrer l’influence du conformisme. Dans le deuxièmechapitre, nous procédons `a une revue de la littérature sur le rôle économique du conformisme, quirassemble des travaux en économie expérimentale et en psychologie sociale. Dans le troisième chapitre,nous présentons des modèles théoriques en économie comportementale étudiant le rôle du conformisme.Sur cette base, le quatrième chapitre est consacré `a une approche économique de la modélisation despréférences conformistes lorsque les électeurs souhaitent voter pour le candidat vainqueur, lors d’uneélection sujette `a la règle de la majorité. Concrètement, nous proposons d’expliquer comment le désirdes électeurs de voter pour le gagnant peut dissuader le candidat sortant de prendre des décisionsinefficaces pendant son mandat `a des fins de réélection. Dans le cinquième chapitre, nous présentonsun modèle intégrant des préférences conformistes, comme le désir de faire le même choix que lamajorité, lors d’un vote `a l’unanimité. La résolution du modèle permet de mettre en évidence qu’unepréférence pour se conformer au comportement d’autrui peut améliorer le bien-être social des votantset atténuer le problème du passager clandestin. Bien que le conformisme ait toujours eu une mauvaiseréputation, tous nos résultats mettent en lumière son utilité dans divers contextes de vote. / This thesis studies the role of social conformity in voting. In the first chapter, we presentthe definition of social conformity in social psychology. We review key elements of literature in order toshow the influence of conformity. In the second chapter, we conduct a literature review on the economicrole of conformity, which brings together work in experimental economics and social psychology. In thethird chapter, we present theoretical models in behavioral economics studying the role of conformity.On this basis, the fourth chapter is devoted to an economic approach to modeling the preferencesof conformity as voters’ desire to win in a re-election under Majority rule. Concretely, we offer anexplanation about how voters’ desire to win can deter incumbents from inefficient decisions while inoffice. In the fifth chapter, the thesis comes to model conformity preferences as desire to make the samevote as the majority in voting for collective decision-making under the unanimity rule. The findingsof the model highlight that conformity preferences can improve the sum of voters’ social welfare andalleviate the free-rider problem. Though conformity has always had a bad reputation, all our resultsshed light on its usefulness in various contexts to vote.