<p>This essay uses the concept of performativity to illustrate how identity change and the possibility to shape one’s identity, agency, are treated in Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient. Originally a theory introduced by queer theorist Judith Butler, performativity explains how a sense of identity stems not from innate qualities but from behaviour, or stylized acts, that is regulated by the norms of society. These acts are not the effect but the cause of a sense of identity. Butler argues that since identity is shaped through interplay between the individual and society, it can be actively re-shaped, and that there thus is a possibility for the individual to achieve agency. As other theorists have pointed out, there are great difficulties and dangers in trying to subvert one’s identity in undesired directions. Some writers even question the suggestion that active identity change is at all possible. These theoretical ideas are fruitfully illuminating when reading The English Patient, where identities are shaped and re-shaped through performative patterns. By looking at the main characters of the novel, it becomes clear that while identity change is possible, most characters are not in control of these changes. Only characters that try to re-shape uncontroversial aspects of identity manage to achieve agency. This paper shows that not only does the text point to the dangers of trying to subvert controversial aspects of one’s identity. It also points to the difficulties of disentangling oneself from the societal mechanisms that one tries to oppose, and hence to the multilayered difficulties of achieving agency. While identities in The English Patient are not fixed but change, identity change only rarely entails agency.</p>

<p>Nowadays, when the world feels smaller as a result of the increasing flow of information, the competition of tourism between countries is getting bigger. This has caused that the marketing of the country has become vital. It is important for the country to send out the right signals so that the tourists have the right image of a destination. Once the image has been created, it might be hard to change it.</p><p>Scandinavian Travel Agent AB is a company arranging different trips around Scandinavia. They work as incoming agent for foreign tour operators, which they help with different types of travel arrangements in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. Now they want to expand their business to other countries, and at the same time they want to identify how Sweden is seen as a tourist destination. We helped them with this by investigating travel agencies and tour operators in the Netherlands.</p><p>Our purpose with this thesis was to find out what kind of picture the Dutch travel agencies and tour operators have about Sweden. Furthermore, we wanted to know how the Dutch market looks like considering the trips to Sweden. To be able to analyze the phenomena of image we have taken closer look at the decision- making process, which was originally created by Mathieson and Wall (1984). It contains four areas (tourist profile, travel awareness, destination resources & characteristics and trip features) that have effect on the decision making process. Since we thought that image also has a big influence on the tourists’ decision, we chose to investigate that subject as well.</p><p>With the help of our theories we created two different questionnaires, one to Dutch travel agencies/ tour operators having Sweden as a travel destination, and one to Dutch travel agencies/tour operators not currently offering trips to Sweden. After receiving the answers we interpreted them together with our theories and we found out that the respondents have a correct image of the reality. Sweden’s nature with the forests, water and snow were some of the most common parts of their image. Stockholm was also a prominent feature together with beautiful and clean nature. Sweden was also seen as a modern and safe country with high quality. Some respondent also mentioned space, but it was not as common answer as we expected.</p><p>Regarding the image, we found out that an image handles both a person’s affective and cognitive images, which arises from many different sources and influences. After doing this research our believes, about the image as a part of the decision making process, were strengthened. Therefore we saw the need to change the already existing model.</p><p>Our suggestions to the Scandinavian Travel Agent AB, is to first contact the travel agencies/tour operators who are currently offering Sweden, since they seem to be most interested in expanding to Sweden. Among the other travel agencies/tour operators an interest has to be aroused. This can depend on the fact that companies with Sweden can see the demand and the opportunities better than the companies who do not have Sweden.</p>

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Understanding the wide range of outcomes achieved by firms trying to implement TQM and similar process improvement initiatives presents a challenge to management science and organization theory: a few firms reap sustained benefits from their programs, but most efforts fail and are abandoned. A defining feature of such techniques is the reliance on the front-line workforce to do the work of improvement, thus creating the possibility of agency problems; different incentives facing managers and workers. Specifically, successfully improving productivity can lead to lay-offs. The literature provides two opposing theories of how agency interacts with the ability of quality-oriented improvement techniques to dramaticlly increase productivity. The 'Drive Out Fear' school argues that firms must commit to job security, while the 'Drive In Fear' school emphasizes the positive role that insecurity plays in motivating change. In this study a contract theoretic model is developed to analyze the role of agency in process improvement. The main insight of the study is that there are two types of job security, internal and external, that have opposite impacts on the firm's abilty to implement improvement initiatives. The distinction is useful in explaining the results of different case studies and can reconcile the two change theories. / National Science Foundation, grant SBR-9422228, the Ford Motor Company and the Harley-Davidson Motor Company

The objective of this study is to examine the association between goodwill and governance structures – specifically, potential agency conflicts and internal and external board monitoring mechanisms – over a four-year period (2004-2007). To do this, I perform two distinct analyses to test (1) whether governance structures appear to be determinants of aggregate goodwill, and (2) whether governance structures appear to moderate investors’ perceptions of aggregate goodwill. I then extend these tests to a sample of U.S. merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions where I calculate a more refined measure of residual goodwill and re-perform the tests using this alternative goodwill measure. I find that potential agency conflicts are associated with both goodwill and residual goodwill, whereas monitoring mechanisms appear to have little measureable association with either of the goodwill measures. In addition, I provide evidence that investors perceive goodwill balances less favorably when agency conflicts are high and limited evidence that their perceptions of goodwill improve when external monitoring is strong. Based on these findings, I conclude that governance structures should be considered when evaluating goodwill. My results also suggest that previous findings based on residual goodwill may need to be reevaluated. Specifically, my analyses highlight an important distinction between the purchase price and consideration elements of residual goodwill, and I propose future avenues of research which may be used to investigate this important distinction further.

Zugleich: Diss. Wirtschaftswiss. Zürich, 2004. / Register. Literaturverz.

In dieser Arbeit wurden Zusammenhänge zwischen den sexuellen Erfahrungen junger Frauen und Männer, ihren Persönlichkeitseigenschaften und ihren sexualmoralischen Einstellungen auf der einen Seite und der Einschätzung ihrer sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit auf der anderen Seite untersucht. Die Grundlage für das Modell der sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit bildeten die Vorstellungen der Arbeitsgruppe um Matthias Grundmann (Grundmann et al. 2006) sowie von Emirbayer und Mische (1998). Das in dieser Arbeit entwickelte Modell zur sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit ist ein multidimensionales Konstrukt, das sich aus den Komponenten „sexuelle Kommunikation“, „sexuelle Zufriedenheit“, „sexuelle Reziprozität“ sowie „sexuelle Eigenverantwortung“ zusammensetzt. „Sexuelle Kommunikation“ beinhaltet die Fähigkeit, sexuelle Wünsche zum Ausdruck bringen zu können. „Sexuelle Zufriedenheit“ beschreibt den Grad der Zufriedenheit mit dem eigenen Sexualleben. „Sexuelle Reziprozität“ verweist auf die Fähigkeit, sexuelle Aufmerksamkeiten sowohl Annehmen als auch Geben zu können. „Sexuelle Eigenverantwortung“ betont schließlich die Einschätzung, inwieweit die eigene Sexualität selbst bestimmt gestaltet werden kann. Mit Emirbayer und Mische werden die sexuellen Erfahrungen der Frauen und Männer als Korrelate der Einschätzung der Dimensionen der sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit betrachtet. Mit Grundmann et al. sind es zudem verschiedene Persönlichkeitseigenschaften sowie sexualmoralische Einstellungen, deren Beschaffenheiten Aussagen über die sexuelle Handlungsfähigkeit erlauben. Um die Thematik der sexuellen Handlungsfähigkeit empirisch zu betrachten, wurden im Jahr 2006 695 junge Potsdamer/innen im Alter von 19 bis 21 Jahren im Rahmen einer standardisierten Erhebung zu ihren sexuellen und Beziehungserfahrungen befragt. Die empirischen Analysen verdeutlichen eine ko-konstruktive Anschauung von der Entwicklung sexueller Handlungsfähigkeit. Diese entsteht nicht im Individuum allein, sondern innerhalb der Interaktions- und Aushandlungsprozesse des Individuums mit den Anderen seiner sozialen und sexuellen Umwelt. Von Bedeutung erweisen dabei sowohl die Erlebnisse der sexuellen Biografie als auch die Persönlichkeitsmerkmale eines jeden Einzelnen. Nur geringfügig erscheinen die erfragten sexualmoralischen Ansichten von Bedeutung. / This study examines the connections between young women’s and men’s sexual experiences, their psychometrically meassures, and their moral attitudes according to sexuality on the one hand and the young women’s and men’s evaluation of their sexual agency on the other hand. The model of sexual agency used in this study is based upon the conceptions of Matthias Grundmann and collegues (Grundmann et al. 2006) as well as upon the conceptions of Mustafa Emirbayer and Ann Mische (1998). According to Emirbayer and Mische, in this study young women’s and men’s sexual experiences are conceived as correlates of their self-evalutation of sexual agency. Moreover, according to Grundmann et al., it is suggested that the young adults’ personality traits and their moral attitudes concerning sexulity are able to characterize their state of sexual agency. In this work a multidimensional construct of sexual agency has been developed. The multidimensional construct of sexual agency consists of the four dimensions “sexual communication”, “sexual satisfaction”, “sexual reciprocity”, and “sexual self-responsibility”. “Sexual communication” characterizes the ability to communicate one’s own sexual wishes. “Sexual satisfaction” describes the state of satisfaction with one’s sexual life. “Sexual reciprocity” contains the ability of both taking and giving sexual pleasures. Finally, “sexual self-responsibility” emphasizes the capability of creating one’s sexuality in an self dependened way. Based on a quantitative sample the subject of sexual agency has been examined empirically. In the year 2006 695 young adults, aged 19 to 21 years and living in Potsdam, Germany, have been asked about their sexual experiences and their experiences concerning romantic relationships. Data support a co-constructive view of the development of sexual agency. Thus, the development of sexual agency is not an exclusively individual demand, but a demand of the individuum’s negotiations with it’s social others, with men and women of it’s social and sexual society. Therefore, aspects of the individual’s sexual biography as well as the individual’s personality traits are important for the self-evaluaton of it’s sexual agency. However, data also show that the moral attitudes concerning sexuality are less important for the perception of one’s state of sexual agency.

The aim of this thesis is to describe, analyse and understand how children in preschool construct cultural diversity in their interaction. A wide definition of culture is being used, thereby stressing the cultural background of all children. The study is based on observations and conversations with children in three Swedish preschools. In observing and talking to the children the main interest has been on the extent to which experiences from the children’s individual backgrounds, called cultural impulses, are discernible in their play and interaction. In the analysis a theoretical framework of childhood sociology has been used in order to understand what meaning the children’s actions in their peer cultures have in the construction of cultural diversity. The activities going on in the peer culture have also been studied in relation to the pedagogical context. The findings show diversity within the peer group when it comes to gender and competencies but the actions within the peer cultures contain power game and inclusion as well as exclusion. These are results of hierarchies in the group, building on for example status and social position. These hierarchies are strong in the processes in which it is determined which of the cultural impulses from the children that will be a part of the play and which ones that will be rejected. In Swedish preschool one part of the pedagogical context is the seldom-questioned "fri lek". This is a period of varied length during which the children play by themselves with little or no interference from the pedagogues. The results from the observations indicate that this kind of play has very different meaning for the children. For some it is a possibility to make use of their own experiences in their peer culture and for some it means subordinating to those with higher rank in the hierarchy. / Felaktigt serienummer (#44) i avhandlingen.

Background: Research results show that the potential of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has increased. That means there is a growing pressure on Swedish companies to act with responsibility: general public has a positive attitude towards companies that communicate their CSR. Advertising agencies have been criticized by their way to manage the question of social responsibility. One of the characteristics of an advertising agency is their anonymity; even though their products are extremely visible, it is rarely clear who gave rise to an advertising production. If this is put in relation to CSR in general, we find ourselves in a contradictory situation when CSR in many cases is about exposure of the responsible corporation. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to explain whether CSR can be applied to advertising agencies, by describing in which way their conditions limit respectively make possible to run business in terms of CSR. Research Method: The thesis has a qualitative approach, and the empirical data is in large parts based on personal interviews, where the interviewees represent Swedish advertising agencies. Result: We have identified a number of limitations and possibilities related to advertising agencies concerning CSR. Principally limits are that the advertising industry by tradition does not sanction responsibility in this matter, that professionals belittle the social effect by their own business but recognize the impact of advertising productions taken all together. Finally, efficient advertising and customer satisfaction are top priority concerns: ethics may have to step aside due to these matters. On the other hand, there are several aspects to suggest that CSR is to be applied on agencies: the surrounding world is an important matter to agency activities. Our results show that the attention given an agency in factual can be used in characteristics of CSR: the professionals have the opportunity to choose how and what to produce.

The refugee problem is a canker in contemporary human affairs without the ‘limboness’ that protractedness adds to it. Yet many refugee situations, especially in Africa, become forgotten emergencies as women assume new roles both at the family and community level, whilst children are born and bred in camps which were meant to be temporary in the first place. This study explores the life situation of Liberian Refugee Women and Children at the Gomoa Budumburam Refugee Settlement in Ghana. It examines the livelihood means they employ as a means of coping, emphasisng their security and educational concerns. It touches on the challenges faced by the camp children or the youth a they strive to deal with their situation and assign meaning to their lives. Actor-oriented theories help conceptualise ways in which the refugees display agency in mediating the structures that enable them and/or constrain them in their protracted displacement. In view of the need to find solutions to the refugee problem, the three proposed solutions are examined in the light of the reasons informing refugees’ choice of one solution over the other. The concepts of Space and Place help analyse the realities of the solutions available vis-à-vis the preferred choice of the refugees. Highlighting the importance of hearing refugees’ voice on problems and solutions they consider viable in their situation, a qualitative methodological approach is employed. This is complemented by observations, focus group discussions, informal conversations as well as secondary data sources. The analysis relates the data collected to the outlined objectives, research questions and theories. It brings to the fore the resourcefulness displayed by the refugees as they employ various strategies to cope on a short and long term basis. The study has also revealed the refugees’ ideas about “home” as where one makes it, rather than a nostalgic country of origin to which one must return for life to be complete. (S) GBV has been highlighted as an area needing more attention than that accorded it presently if the causes of women’s vulnerabilities are to be addressed in a wholesome way. Suggestions have been made based on refugees’ recommendation as well as that of the organizations in place and the researcher’s.