The "movements of the squares" involved first and foremost an awakening or re-discovering of the radical imagination both in the square encampments, and in later projects created with the movements' decentralizations. The new alternative projects born after the square have materialized the movements' radical imaginaries in urban environments, extending and deepening concerns of broad political change over everyday life. Based on ethnographic work on the Indignados' movement in the city of Barcelona, this paper delves more particularly into three Indignant urban projects. It untangles three common and interlinked radical imaginaries both embodied and actualized in participants' social practices, and further orienting their future visions: commons, autonomy and ecologism. Scrutinizing their meaning, it also sheds light on connected issues such new ways of interfacing with local state authorities and redefining the boundaries between the public and the common. It shows that the ecologism imaginary cannot be properly grasped if disconnected from the other two imaginaries, and argues that a transformative eco-politics can only be claimed as such if it is able to articulate such an integrated vision typical of "socio-environmental movements". / Series: SRE - Discussion Papers

abstract: With robots being used extensively in various areas, a certain degree of robot autonomy has always been found desirable. In applications like planetary exploration, autonomous path planning and navigation are considered essential. But every now and then, a need to modify the robot's operation arises, a need for a human to provide it some supervisory parameters that modify the degree of autonomy or allocate extra tasks to the robot. In this regard, this thesis presents an approach to include a provision to accept and incorporate such human inputs and modify the navigation functions of the robot accordingly. Concepts such as applying kinematical constraints while planning paths, traversing of unknown areas with an intent of maximizing field of view, performing complex tasks on command etc. have been examined and implemented. The approaches have been tested in Robot Operating System (ROS), using robots such as the iRobot Create, Personal Robotics (PR2) etc. Simulations and experimental demonstrations have proved that this approach is feasible for solving some of the existing problems and that it certainly can pave way to further research for enhancing functionality. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S. Electrical Engineering 2013

Nowadays, arbitration is increasingly defined by its procedural flexibility and suitability to adapt to the needs and circumstances of different parties in different situations. In so being, arbitration employs the agreement to arbitrate as the device through which parties can utilise this procedural flexibility to create an exceptionally party-oriented process. Consequently, the drafting of these agreements and the choices concluded by the parties in them can very much determine whether a particular process is going to produce an efficient and effective outcome or rather frustrate the intentions of the parties and, generally, the objectives of international commercial arbitration. This thesis looks into the most influential decisions/choices made by the parties during the drafting stage of their arbitration agreements and attempts to underline the best practical and legal techniques to approach these decisions within today’s modern regulations of international commercial arbitration. The thesis begins its analysis by examining the separate procedural nature of arbitration agreements in comparison to the substantive nature of ordinary contracts. Such examination revealed that the separability of arbitration agreements produces certain consequences that can potentially uphold arbitration agreements in situations where the main contract was found illegal, non-existent, or invalid, for instance. A clear recognition of the distinct nature of arbitration agreements and the effects of that on the status of arbitration clauses, specifically, can provide the parties, from the very beginning, with rather precise expectations as to the future status of their arbitration agreement. In focus on the role of parties’ autonomy in producing timely awards, it was essential to analyse the different limitations that could restrict this autonomy and, possibly, frustrate the expectations and intentions of the parties. Such analysis revealed that these limitations were limited to incapacity, non-arbitrability, waiver of right to arbitrate, as well as public policy and mandatory rules of law. Finally, in scrutinising the most influential choices which parties can make in their arbitration agreement to positively and effectively create an intelligent international arbitration settlement, it was found that these choices mainly consisted of the choice of the seat of arbitration, the arbitrators, the language of the arbitration, and the law(s) applicable to the arbitration. Throughout this thesis, it is argued that through the consensual nature of international arbitration along with the autonomy bestowed upon its parties, the latter can have a better chance of achieving a practically and legally efficient settlement.

Magister Legum - LLM

The present thesis is about the Autonomy of the Igreja Presbiteriana de Moçambique (IPM). The IPM was started by Mozambicans who had heard the message of the gospel in South Africa (Spelonken) since 1870. Yosefa Mhalamhala, one of the Mozambicans converted in Spelonken, went to Mozambique in 1880 and spread the gospel. In 1882 an African Church was born in Mozambique. Five years later, in 1887, Swiss missionaries joined the African Church in Mozambique and founded the Swiss Mission. Since then, the African Church has been known as the Swiss Mission. Step-by-step, the Swiss Mission established schools, hospitals, agricultural settings and other services that helped Mozambicans to grow and to identify themselves with the image of God. Pastoral schools trained African ministers and evangelists. In 1948, the Swiss Mission declared Autonomy of the church under the Swiss Mission and baptized it as “Igreja Presbiteriana de Moçambique” (IPM). Since 1948, the leadership of the church that had previously been exclusively in the hands of Swiss Missionaries was systemically handed over to Africans. The handing over was finalized in 1970 through the signing of a Convention, exactly twenty two years after the declaration of Autonomy. In 1998, the IPM celebrated fifty years of Autonomy. This Autonomy, however, is perceived as “a heavy burden” by leaders, workers and members of the IPM. Workers feel as though the leadership is failing to meet their rights, while the leadership accuses workers of not performing their job adequately. While the leadership and workers fight with each other, church members relax. As a result the IPM is financially weak and dependent from her mother church. The present thesis aims at challenging this phenomenon of dependency disorder that is affecting the IPM, and to call her to accountability while bearing in mind that she is called to care for God’s flock that has been entrusted to her responsibility. The IPM is reminded that in her search for liberty, she has trust in Christ; who is a liberator of the oppressed, gives sight to the blinds, heals the heartbroken, and proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4: 18-19). Gerkin and Pollard methods of Pastoral Care and of Positive Deconstruction were employed in order to help the process of liberation take place within the IPM, so that she can reaffirm herself as an authentic and autonomous church. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Managers are frequently offered conflicting advice to increase the organisation‟s ability to meet its goals; grant employees autonomy, which may lead to self-management and empowerment or alternatively, exercise control which may enable managers to retain a firm and organised workforce. Management are constantly challenged with this complex dilemma. This research will focus on the key factors that influence the various combinations of autonomy and control and their respective outcomes. To this end, qualitative research with an exploratory design was conducted, as this approach has the potential to delve deep into this quandary. Consequently, in-depth interviews with 16 leading management and HR experts were held to uncover their unique insights regarding this dilemma. The rich data that was unearthed was analysed using content and frequency analysis. The empirical findings of this research found that combinations of autonomy and control can certainly co-exist in an ever-changing fashion. Management are able to create environments with high levels of autonomy whilst simultaneously retaining high levels of monitoring and oversight when the management control is subtle and indirect. This approach will solve the dilemma under review by neutralising employee‟s negative resistance commonly associated with direct control. A total of seventeen factors were identified that could influence the different levels of autonomy and control in organisations. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

Submitted by Fabio Sobreira Campos da Costa (fabio.sobreira@ufpe.br) on 2017-06-22T14:09:03Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Maria Rita Tese final pdf.pdf: 2723454 bytes, checksum: a5c4d5dde08d65f1641e2216cc5b4257 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-22T14:09:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Maria Rita Tese final pdf.pdf: 2723454 bytes, checksum: a5c4d5dde08d65f1641e2216cc5b4257 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-05-19 / A tese reflete a interpretação adotada no Brasil, sobre o exercício da autonomia na constituição de filiação. Partindo de uma visão histórica do comportamento humano em família e a relativização dos conceitos e convenções no tempo, busca-se a justificativa para o limite binário do sistema de filiação que vem sendo criticado por crescente entendimento que o relativiza, em nome da ampliação da liberdade existencial. A socioafetividade e os avanços da biotecnologia na reprodução humana são frequentemente invocados pela doutrina e em decisões judiciais, que defendem a relativização da binariedade e a existência de novas “categorias” como a “multiparentalidade”. Tal relativização tornou-se uma tônica sem reflexões sobre o paradigma consequencialista, que é limitado em nosso sistema. A autonomia das relações privadas no Estado Liberal abstencionista pautou-se em um individualismo, que findou gerando sérios desequilíbrios na igualdade entre as partes. Já no Estado Social que intervém protetivamente, e busca garantir direitos fundamentais, a autonomia resvala de um interesse individual a um interesse coletivo e de ordem pública e submete o indivíduo a limites que visam a segurança e estabilidade nas relações existenciais. Nesse sentido, a tese conta com uma base doutrinária nacional e estrangeira, além de pesquisa jurisprudencial e sociojurídica na esfera da autonomia parental, contribuindo para uma revisão na aplicabilidade das normas de responsabilidade parental que proporcione soluções harmônicas em nosso sistema jurídico e garantia de sua unidade. / The thesis reflects the interpretation adopted in Brazil, on the exercise of autonomy in the constitution of membership. From a historical view of human behavior in the family and the relativization of the concepts and conventions in time, seeks the reason for the torque limit of the membership’system that has been criticized for growing understanding that relativize it, on behalf of the expansion of existential freedom. The partner affection and advances in biotechnology in human reproduction are often invoked by the doctrine and judicial decisions, defending the relativization of binarity and the existence of new "categories" like "multiparentality". Such relativism had become a tonic without reflections on the consequentialist paradigm, which is limited in our system. The autonomy of private relations in the Liberal State abstentionist was based on individualism, which ended causing serious imbalances in equality between the parties. In the welfare state intervening protectively, and seeks to ensure fundamental rights, autonomy slips of an individual interest to a public interest and public order and submits the individual limits that aimed at security and stability in existential relations. In this sense, the thesis has a national and foreign doctrinal basis, and jurisprudential and socio legal research in the sphere of parental autonomy, contributing to a review of the applicability of parental liability rules to provide harmonic solutions in our legal system and its unit warranty.

Traditional conceptions of autonomy, which highlight the separation of the individual from the social forces around them, contradict a core assumption of sociological thought: that the individual is embedded in society. What then are we to make of autonomy’s cultural power to structure a person’s relationships and commitments? Moreover, how do people maintain autonomous social identities despite the dependencies that structure modern life? I explore these questions through ethnographic inquiry of the daily negotiation of carework and autonomy at an independent living community for adults with intellectual disability. I find that autonomous social identity emerges when autonomous actions are socially and temporally distanced from the actions of others. By framing dependence as a momentary state on the way to a more autonomous future, staff attribute autonomy to participants based on their progress toward future goals. The result is paradoxical. When daily productivity becomes the most salient indicator of autonomy, participants are obligated to be autonomous as a condition for their status as adults. I argue that this obligation to autonomy is a basic mechanism through which social institutions, like adulthood, induce self-governance as a mechanism of social control.

The study investigates the effect of mushrooming, unaccountability unsupervised leadership tendency, which has affected the African religiosity and took it by storm. Hence, the study of this nature will gaze its attention in South African townships in particular. Thus, by referring “independent church” a researcher does not specifically mean traditional churches who gain independence from western churches, which were planted in the African soil, but rather means the regular breaking away of churches by leaders, in order to start their own, if they do not see eye to eye with the current church leader. These are modern churches, which are young and most of them are yet in ownership of land and infrastructure. On the other hand, a researcher designates independent prophetic or new charismatic churches because these churches are the extension of the charismatic movement or neo-Pentecostals. In Addition, it is also due to practices by these churches, which are bizarre and unusual, which includes, eating of grass, eating of snakes, drinking of petrol, spraying of Doom on the congregants and other experiences Kgatle (2017) denotes in his study, to demonstrate the power of God (2017). As practices such as these are a new phenomenon in the history of South African church. Hence, they are called Prophetic based on showing more interest in prophesy, healing, deliverance, and the gospel of prosperity. These pastors have autonomy and freedom to practice without any accountability. Thus, there are lot of questions asked about independent prophetic churches growth. Is it genuine growth? Can it be attributed to mission advancement? Many have attributed such growth, as a result of people who have pulled from classical Pentecostal, mainline churches as well and most probable other traditional movements. This growth could not therefore be attributed to missionary expansion, if it does, there is a notion that some followers who are attracted to these churches are purely drown to them seeking prophetic voice, either or miraculous intervention such as healing and deliverance. Hence, leaders who do not have a responsible structural place for accountability challenge a researcher. Thus, the situation has led to the damage of theology and image of the church. Henceforth, self-appointed, theologically untrained and lack of mandate from mother bodies by such leaders poses societal challenges and outcry. Thus, the bizarre acts committed by these independent prophetic churches have left many speechless and asking questions. What South African church has become? To what extent is the independency of the independent church? Which religious body do the leaders account to? Who carries the accountability of the pastor? Is the claim of reporting straight to God justifiable? Have these tendencies of being not accountable led to chaotic state, which, currently have plucked the church? Hence, the study is therefore investigating the effect of mushrooming of the independent prophetic churches and its unsupervised leadership, which has dented the image and landscape of the church fraternity; thus, the above questions have helped to guide the research. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2020. / Practical Theology / PhD / Unrestricted

This research study sought to examine if and how ten youth referred for being “at risk” at a high school in Johannesburg, South Africa could explore and express their autonomy through a music therapy process. Within this qualitative case study, video and focus group data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2017) reflexive thematic analysis methods. Four themes emerged, namely adolescents’ formulation of their autonomy, navigating autonomy in context, opportunities to explore and express autonomy within the music therapy process specifically, and transfer and application into daily life. Autonomy was found to be both an individual pursuit and a relational process for these adolescents. Both of these aspects were explored in an integrated way through this group music therapy intervention. This indicated that music therapy is a useful approach for youth deemed to be “at risk” because the process can hold both the growth of an individual and their need for independence, whilst simultaneously offering belonging within a contained group process. / Dissertation (MMus (Music Therapy))--University of Pretoria 2020. / Music / MMus (Music Therapy) / Unrestricted