The research begins with an examination of the problems attending the growth in the use of English as a lingua franca between non-native speakers. It is argued that vanable first-language specific phonological 'errors' generate much of the miscommunication that is a characteristic of such interlanguage talk (ILT), original support for this claim being provided by a pilot study involving non-native speaker postgraduate students. Following a brief reappraisal of the place of language transfer in second language acquisition, its role in interlanguage (IL) phonology is examined in detail. Phonological transfer is revealed as a central and complex feature of the developing IL The theoretical position is exemplified by a selection of phonological transfer errors drawn from ILT classroom observation, such errors being redefmed in seriousness according to a taxonomy of new criteria based essentially on their effects on ILT communication. The extensive variation to which these taxonomic errorS are subject is discussed in the light of current theories of IL variation, and Accommodation Theory is concluded to have the greatest potential to account for phonological transfer or variation in ILT. The motivations underlying the accommodative processes of convergence and divergence are discussed and the framework is then extended to a motivation considered more salient in ILT: that of interlocutor comprehensibility. Two empirical studies investigate phonological variation in ILT from an accommodation perspective, the findings leading to the conclusion that while accommodation has an essential role in determining phonological error in ILT, its linguistic manifestation is usually one of suppression and non-suppression rather than of traditional convergence and divergence. Pedagogical implications of the research include the benefits of pair and smallgroup work, thus supporting previous research, and the need for classroom exposure to IL varieties of English.

Ph.D. (Educational Psychology) / This study works with a metaphor analysis of the creative work of English First Additional Language learners that may be overlooked at a first-level reading. The research is located in a postcolonial South Africa where English is a powerful enabling medium that can exclude learners from appropriate language competence at their school grade level. Instead of taking a probing and fresh look at the African context, the local curriculum still imposes English as the first language onto EFAL. The influence of language and culture upon each other lies at the heart of metaphor production and education. The research probes the significance of the way in which EFAL learners express meaning through metaphor. Metaphor is no longer viewed as a poetic device only, but is now reconceptualised as a profound part of our everyday thinking. The method used in this study rests on a deeper level of understanding the metaphor expressed in learners’ essays. According to a newly developed method, metaphors are identified, interpreted, contextualised, themes are distinguished and lastly these themes are related to similar metaphoric themes in the field. It is found that learners make use of themes that are reported from other languages in other parts of the world. These metaphors are distinguished as master or universal metaphors and seem to be embedded in human thinking. The five dimensions of the research approach make it possible to relate, in a cyclical way, from the most basic element, identification, to the most comprehensive element, master themes, of the method. Both the specificity and complexity of metaphor use and production are studied in a conceptualisation of metaphor that enables language analysis at a deeper level. Another contribution of this study is to look at metaphor beyond traditional linguistic matters, so that an original and powerful use of language is discovered. Although this contradicts years of training, errors made by learners become unimportant when viewed against the plethora of metaphors in their writing. Concepts that we believe in determine what we perceive, how we live in the world and how we relate to others. The conceptual system that we believe in plays a major role in defining our daily realities. Our system of concepts is metaphorical, with metaphors structuring how we perceive, think and act. This study creates a new methodology to explore the meaning behind metaphor production of learners who are estranged in the English class, and so contributes to understanding the way in which learners express their lifeworlds. There seems to be limited studies on the use of metaphor in creative writing by L2 speakers of any language. It is concluded that learners’ familiarity with and proficiency in English as the LoLT could be enhanced when they are encouraged to use English in a way that reflects their identities and cultural understandings through metaphor.

The subjects of this research are Kenyan medical scientists. The study aims to investigate the Kenyan medical scientists' information behaviour in the context of their research information acquisition. It also aims to show how research can function in conditions of relative information deprivation. The theoretical framework of the study has been designed to include both quantitative and qualitative methods. Wilson's model of information behaviour is used to develop the conceptual framework of this study. Triangulation is used in data collection and is achieved by the use of interviews, documentary analysis and observation. Both quantitative and qualitative techniques have been used for the analysis of data It is found that the medical scientists work under conditions of relative information deprivation. Libraries are inadequate and have deteriorating collections, while informal personal contacts are difficult to establish and maintain. Personal collections are thin and disparate while travel to conferences is also severely constrained. In spite of this, excellent research is continuing using the limited resources available. An attempt is made to show how research functions.

Doctorat en sciences psychologiques / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

This thesis examines the possibility that connectivity in learner lexicons can be measured using receptive word-association tasks.

This thesis describes the conditions that influence technology acquisition when an industry partner is involved. The objective of this thesis is to contribute to the knowledge regarding the conditions that affect effective acquisition of technology by collaboration by identifying and describing the relationship between the following variables: key activities and influential factors. The results are drawn from the analysis of eleven case studies involving experiences from different industries including chemicals, oil and gas and biofuels. The research adopts the perspective of an acquiring firm, which is interested in incorporating a new technology into its operations in order to meet a particular business need. Such a business need can be, for example, entering into a new market, meeting key customer requirements or improving operational efficiency. The results indicate that technology acquisition involving an industry partner can be described as a six-stage process where the acquiring firm may or may not get involved in the development of the technology concept. During the process a number of factors can influence the acquisition and implementation of the technology in the acquiring firm’s operations. These factors can be divided into six categories: business alignment, structural match, development management, technology uncertainty, implementation opportunity and contextual factors. The results also suggest that effective acquisition of technology by means of collaboration is achieved by the combination of three conditions: effective partnership management, effective execution of the co-development project and effective transference of the technology to the recipient system in the acquiring firm. The research provides relevant implications for theory and practice. On the one hand, technology acquisition by means of collaboration has been marginally addressed in technology management literature; extant literature has given more attention to organisational modes to acquire technology by collaboration rather than increasing our understanding of the dynamics of technology partnerships. On the other hand, the outcomes offer practitioners an account of the key factors and activities in technology acquisition projects involving an industry partner. These insights are key to systematically managing collaborative projects aimed at acquiring new technologies.

The thesis goal is to analyze the Škoda Power Company, to assess the company acquisition by the Doosan Corporation at the end of the 2009 year and to suggest measures with potential to increase benefits from the acquisition both for Škoda Power Company and its owner. The Škoda Power company financial health and performance (earnings, profitability, debt ratio, liquidity), output and sales, research and development, identity of the firm, particularly the firm culture, communication and behavior and their changes as a result of Doosan Way philosophy implementation, staff, average earnings, labor productivity in the 2007 -- 2012 years are analyzed. Areas with the highest potential of synergy effects impacts are discovered using strategic analysis of the firm, synergy effects are discussed and improving measures are suggested if the synergy potential exceeds the real synergy effects.

The purpose of this thesis is to propose a theory of language acquisition which could serve as a basis for further studies in this area. The thesis is divided into two sections, the first dealing with the psycholinguistic aspects of language and its acquisition, and the second dealing with the activities of the brain which relate to language ability, behavior, and acquisition.

Mergers and acquisitions have become increasingly popular as a method for enabling growth, and in 2021, global M&A value hit an all-time high. However, as mergers and acquisitions are complex organizational events, an estimated 70-90% of acquisitions fail to deliver value and prove to be a significant waste of time and resources. This study aims to expand the knowledge on acquisitions and their underlying success factor. Specifically, the study adopts the human perspective of employee retention and investigates two main issues; How managers of acquisitions work to retain key employees and what factors affect key employees’ willingness to remain in an acquired company. Data was collected by conducting semi-structured interviews with seven respondents from six different tech consultancy firms. The respondents all work for firms that operate in Sweden and conduct international business activities. Furthermore, all firms were involved in an acquisition deal in 2020 on the Swedish market as either being an acquiring firm or an acquired firm. The study found that to retain key employees in an acquisition, managers focus on primarily using financial and non-financial incentives, communication to instill trust in the acquisition, and creating a sense of belongingness and identity in the new company. On the other hand, for key employees, primary motivating factors for staying in an acquired company were non-financial incentives in the form of development opportunities, a strong vision and commitment communicated by acquisition managers, and identification with the company.

The purpose of this longitudinal, ideographic clinical research project was to analyze a corpus of expressive language emitted by a child at the two word stage of language development via grammatico-semantic relationships (Brown, 1973) and via Developmental Sentence Analysis (Lee, 1974).