Since the early 1980's, the Punjab state of India has been in turmoil as a result of a separatist movement that developed among elements of the Sikh community. Political tensions not only characterized the relationship between the Punjab and New Delhi/ but also between Sikhs and Hindus and among different segments within the Sikh community itself. The most important attempt to end the conflict in the state has been the Rajiv Gandhi-Sant Longowal Accord signed on July 24, 1985. However, the Accord failed and by mid-1987 the Punjab was once again racked by political violence. This thesis focuses on the events that led to the signing of the Accord and the forces that caused its demise. Bargaining theory provides the general theoretical framework against which the data are analyzed. This thesis highlights the fact that political bargains in Third World weakly-institutionalized states are often the result of particular configurations of political power which are short lived. The corollary of this is that once the configuration of political forces changes, the chances of success for the previously reached political bargain are weakened. In the particular case of the Punjab Accord, there was a change, beginning in late 1985, in the relative political power of the participants in the bargain. Also, the terms of the bargained Accord unleashed forces on both sides which undermined its implementation. Third World leaders should draw two major lessons from this. First, they should be careful not to have exaggerated perceptions of their power since this may be counterproductive in the future if they cannot deliver what they have promised. Second, these leaders should attempt to consult all interests with a stake in the bargained settlement as a way to prevent opposition to it. / Arts, Faculty of / Political Science, Department of / Graduate

One criticism of previous work in the field of adolescent development has been the paucity of research examining the unique and combined contributions of different developmental contexts on adolescents' functioning. In an attempt to address this issue, the current study examined adolescents' perceptions of autonomy and relatedness within parent, peer, and school contexts in relation to school functioning and psychological adjustment. Adolescents (N = 478) in Grades 8, 9, and 11 completed self-report questionnaires assessing feelings about their relationships with parents and peers, and perceptions of school. Teachers completed ratings of adolescents' strengths and competencies. Academic achievement was assessed using end of year school grades. Results revealed several significant gender and grade differences. Whereas girls reported greater deidealization of their parents and peers, and higher quality of attachment to peers than did boys, boys- reported being less dependent on their peers than did girls. Overall, adolescents in grade nine were more dependent on their peers and reported more trust and communication in their peer relationships than did adolescents in grade eight. Correlational results indicated that school functioning was positively associated with school autonomy, parental attachment, peer attachment and school belonging, and that problems in psychological adjustment were negatively associated with peer autonomy, school autonomy, parental attachment, peer attachment, school belonging, and positively associated with parental autonomy. Results of the multiple regression analyses indicated that autonomy and relatedness variables accounted for significant amounts of variance in GPA, teacher-rated school competencies, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems. Analyses also revealed variables which uniquely predicted areas of functioning across contexts and gender. This cross-sectional study provides new theoretical insights regarding relations of autonomy and relatedness to school functioning and psychological adjustment during adolescence across multiple contexts. The findings contribute to a more thorough understanding of the dimensions of autonomy and relatedness that may have important implications for educators and parents of adolescents for improving educational practice and for promoting school success and positive adjustment. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate

This study explores teachers’ autonomy in relation to the implementation of a new Learning Management Systems (LMS). The purpose of this study is to study teachers’ work in relation to a new digital teaching tool to gain knowledge of how it can have impact on teacher autonomy. The research design was inspired by a mixed methods approach. The empirical data consists of a digital survey with 40 responding teachers, followed by six qualitative interviews with teachers. The research design later expanded by also including four qualitative interviews with school principles. The data was analyzed in light of Lortie’s (1969) conception of semi-professionals; Freidson’s (2001) theory of the logics of profession, market and bureaucracy; and Water’s (1989) theory of collegial structures. The result of this study indicates that the LMS has an impact on teacher’ autonomy by shifting focus from teaching for substantial knowledge to “teaching for the test”; and by giving parents and students a narrow insight into the teachers’ discretional work, which can challenge the discretion. However, the result also indicates that the teachers maintained autonomy by only using the LMS to a limited extent. This decision space, to choose whether or not use the tool, was understood as organized by the principals through collegial relations with the teachers.

The topic of the project has been about the future of luxury mobility and how the brand Rolls-Royce could evolve alongthe technological advancements until the year 2038. As luxury is changing from being about possession to the experience of luxury, the goal was to design a vehicle that could support both new internal and external experiences about the vehicle. The identified obstacle that could limit the scope of new experiences in an autonomous vehicle is motion sickness. As cities grow and technology develops the future cities are crowded so personal space, and privacy is being limited.During the process, the tools used varied from form exploration through sketching, concept principle testing and finalization in 3d software as well as visualization tools to communicate the proposed solutions. Working out of the Rolls-Royce designstudio provided brand insight but also expertise in the field of color & materials as well as advice on engineering solutions from the design team.The result Rolls-Royce Luxe Nomad is a vehicle for exploring the world outside the urban areas. Going far and beyond in search of new and unique experiences but also making the trip there as enjoyable as possible. The concept provides a solution inspired by high-speed trains that could limit those effects. Through understanding the future customers need of privacy a method of controlling the amount of insight was developed to enhance the user experience and giving them an increased sense of control of their space.

The aim of this study was to examine what experience supportstaff have about the work with ensuring supportusers self-determination and participation. The purpose is broken down into two main questions, firstly how supportstaff work with self-determination and participation. Secondly what kind of experience the supportstaff have about opportunities and difficulties in the work with ensuring self-determination and participation. We used a qualitative method and gathered data by using ​thematically open issues ​interviews. We interviewed seven supportstaff in different parts of Sweden. We used two different theoretical approaches, empowerment and Michael Lipsky’s theory about street-level bureaucracy. All informants experienced both difficulties and opportunities in the work to ensure the supportusers self-determination and participation. The informants described how the difficulties can consist of both organizational structures but also in the staff's own approach towards the supportusers. Different working methods, competence and also relationships that are based on trust emerged from the result as opportunities for ensuring the supportusers self-determination and participation. The results of this study is in alignment with previous research, but the study includes new elements for future research.

The topic of this diploma thesis is the design of an autonomous delivery robot, designed for the delivery of food and groceries over shorter distances. The diploma thesis includes design and technical analysis of existing products and deals with the design of an autonomous delivery robot. The proposed concept solves the technical shortcomings of current products and its design reflects new possibilities in the field of autonomous delivery systems.

abstract: Vehicular automation and autonomy are emerging fields that are growing at an exponential rate, expected to alter the very foundations of our transportation system within the next 10-25 years. A crucial interaction has been born out this new technology: Human and automated drivers operating within the same environment. Despite the well- known dangers of automobiles and driving, autonomous vehicles and their consequences on driving environments are not well understood by the population who will soon be interacting with them every day. Will an improvement in the understanding of autonomous vehicles have an effect on how humans behave when driving around them? And furthermore, will this improvement in the understanding of autonomous vehicles lead to higher levels of trust in them? This study addressed these questions by conducting a survey to measure participant’s driving behavior and trust when in the presence of autonomous vehicles. Participants were given several pre-tests to measure existing knowledge and trust of autonomous vehicles, as well as to see their driving behavior when in close proximity to autonomous vehicles. Then participants were presented with an educational intervention, detailing how autonomous vehicles work, including their decision processes. After examining the intervention, participants were asked to repeat post-tests identical to the ones administered before the intervention. Though a significant difference in self-reported driving behavior was measure between the pre-test and post- test, there was no significant relation found between improvement in scores on the education intervention knowledge check and driving behavior. There was also no significant relation found between improvement in scores on the education intervention knowledge check and the change in trust scores. These findings can be used to inform autonomous vehicle and infrastructure design as well as future studies of the effects of autonomous vehicles on human drivers in experimental settings. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Human Systems Engineering 2019

The doctrine of informed consent, defined as respect for autonomy, is the tool used to govern the relationship between physicians and patients. Its framework relies on rights and duties that mark these relationships. The main purpose of informed consent is to promote human rights and dignity. Some researchers claim that informed consent has successfully replaced patients' historical predispositions to accept physicians' advice without much explicit resistance. Although the doctrine of informed consent promotes ideals worth pursuing, a successful implementation of these ideals in practice has yet to occur. What has happened in practice is that attorneys, physicians, and hospital administrators often use consent forms mainly to protect physicians and medical facilities from liability. Consequently, ethicists, legal theorists, and physicians need to do much more to explain how human rights and human dignity relate to the practice of medicine and how the professionals can promote them in practice. This is especially important because patients' vulnerability has increased just as the complexity and power of medical science and technology have increased. Certain health care practices can shed light on the difficulties of implementing the doctrine of informed consent and explain why it is insufficient to protect patients' rights and dignity. Defining a normal biological event as a disease, and routinely prescribing hormone drug therapy to menopausal women for all health conditions related to menopause, does not meet the standards of free informed consent. Clinicians provide insufficient disclosure about risks related to long-term use of hormone therapies and about the absence of solid evidence to support their bias toward hormone therapies as a treatment of choice for menopause related health conditions. The contributing problem is women's failure to act as autonomous agents because they either choose not to take an active part in their own therapy or because they fear to question physicians' medical authority. To insure that patients' autonomy and free choice are a part of every physician-patient interaction, physicians and patients need actively to promote them as values that are absolutely indispensable in physicians' offices, clinics, and hospitals.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Turnover intention among non-academic staff at business schools has become a cause for concern. This can be attributed to inadequate professional development of non-academic staff, as well as the lack of comprehension of the true scope of the role of non-academic staff within the academic institutions. The purpose of the current study was to answer the research-initiating question: “what is the influence of psychological capital and job autonomy on the turnover intention of support staff at a Business School in the Western Cape?

In an attempt to help middle school art students to be more engaged and have more ownership over their learning experience, the researcher, who is also the classroom teacher, created and implemented student-directed and teacher-supported strategies. Using a design-based research methodology, the author conducted a qualitative study over a twelve-week period investigating the affordances or limitations of implementing more student-directed strategies. The results showed three categories of student responses. The students that were ready and capable to direct their own learning excelled, guiding their own learning, and were able to generate personally relevant and disciplinary connected art. The second category of students initially did not have the artistic skills or the skills necessary to direct their own learning. Through interventions and scaffolding, these students were able to direct their learning and make personally relevant and disciplinary connected art. The last category of students struggled to guide their learning, were unmotivated, and relied on the teacher to direct their learning. The results suggest that neither a teacher-centered or student-directed model alone is adequate to achieve desired outcomes of students guiding their learning and achieving high academic standards. There is a need for a teacher to perceive and adapt their practice to address the multifaceted needs of students.