While there is much research aiming to assess the determinants of welfare state attitudes, there are not many studies focussing on how human values influence attitude formation. This thesis explores the relationship between values and welfare state attitudes across national contexts. In doing so, it focuses on the moderating influence of contextual factors on the values-attitudes link. In order to measure values properly, and to study their effects on welfare state attitudes, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and multi-group structural equation modelling (MGSEM) is used. These methods enable testing for measurement equivalence across groups, a prerequisite for comparing the effects of human values across countries. The individual-level data used in this thesis comes from the European Social Survey (ESS) between 2002-08. The findings show that values can play an important role in welfare state attitude formation, but that the impact of values on attitudes differs considerably across national contexts. Several country-specific contextual factors such as the generosity of redistributive institutions, their framing and their distributive outcomes moderates the values-attitudes link. In more generous welfare states and where redistributive issues are more articulated in the political debate, the impact of, for instance, egalitarian values on redistributive attitudes is comparably strong. Moreover, in countries where lower social classes are more exposed to risks and lack resources to meet these risks, class differences in the values-attitudes link are greater. Finally, the results show that the particular values that underlie welfare state attitudes in Eastern Europe are fundamentally different to those in Western Europe. The results imply that the impact of values on welfare state attitudes mainly depends on (i) whether people perceive welfare state institutions to have important consequences for the extent to which their values are attained, and (ii) the presence of competing motives. Hence, it is not necessarily the case that people who support the welfare state do so, for example, due to holding egalitarian values. In contrast to previous research, which has been quite unsuccessful in confirming direct relationships between institutions and attitudes, the results in this thesis suggest that there are indeed clear and consistent macro-micro relationships, but that these are more complex. Rather, it is in the interplay between values, attitudes and institutions that this relationship can be found. / Forskningen kring välfärdsstatsattityder och dess determinanter är omfattande, men väldigt få studier intresserar sig för hur grundläggande mänskliga värderingar påverkar dessa attityder. Den här avhandlingen syftar till att fylla denna lucka genom att fokusera på relationen mellan värderingar och attityder till välfärdsstaten. Särskilt fokus har lagts på att utforska den modererande inverkan som kontextuella faktorer har på länken mellan värderingar och attityder i olika nationella kontexter. I den bemärkelsen syftar avhandlingen även att bidra till forskningen om hur institutioner och andra kontextuella faktorer är kopplade till formeringen av attityder, där man ännu inte lyckats hitta en tydligt framträdande relation mellan den nationella kontexten formeringen av attityder på individnivån. För att kunna mäta värderingar på ett adekvat sätt, och för att kunna estimera och jämföra effekterna av värderingar på välfärdsstatsattityder i olika nationella kontexter, har konfirmatorisk faktoranalys (CFA) och strukturella ekvationsmodeller (MGSEM) använts. Dessa metoder tillåter testandet av ekvivalens med avseende på de mätinstrument som används, dvs. om måtten för värderingar har samma betydelse i olika grupper, vilket är en förutsättning för att kunna jämföra effekterna av värderingar i olika länder. Data på individnivå beträffande värderingar och attityder har hämtats från European Social Survey (ESS) från åren 2002-08. Dessutom har kontextdata hämtats från en rad olika källor. Resultaten visar att värderingar kan spela en betydande roll i att forma attityder till välfärdsstaten, men samtidigt att värderingarnas inverkan varierar kraftigt mellan olika länder. Flera faktorer i den nationella kontexten, såsom graden av generositet i välfärdsstatssystemen, samt de välfärdsstatliga institutionernas diskursiva inramning och deras socioekonomiska utfall, modererar länken mellan värderingar och attityder. Exempelvis, jämlikhetsorienterade värderingar har större betydelse för attityder till välfärdsstaten i mer generösa välfärdsstater och där omfördelningspolitiska frågor i högre grad präglar den politiska debatten. Vidare finns det klasskillnader i kopplingen mellan värderingar och attityder, i bemärkelsen att de med lägre utbildning och mindre intellektuellt krävande arbeten i mindre utsträckning formar sina attityder baserat deras värderingar. Dessa klasskillnader är särskillt stora i länder där de lägre klasserna är särskilt riskutsatta samt i högre grad saknar resurser att möta dessa risker. Medan värderingar har en betydande påverkan på generella attityder till välfärdsstaten i många länder så är länken mellan värderingar och stödet för specifika omfördelningsstategier svag eller icke existerande i de flesta länder som studerats. Slutligen så visar resultaten att de värderingar som ligger till grund för välfärdsstatsattityder i Östeuropeiska länder är fundamentalt annorlunda än de i Västeuropa. Jämlikhetsorienterade värderingar spelar en betydande roll i Västeuropeiska länder medan konservativa värderingar spelar en mer framträdande roll i Östeuropa. Resultaten föreslår att relationen mellan värderingar och attityder till välfärdsstaten beror på (i) om människor upplever att välfärdsstatens institutioner har betydande konsekvenser för deras möjligheter att få sina värderingar realiserade, och (i) frånvaron eller närvaron av konkurrerande motiv. Därmed är det inte nödvändigtvis så att människor som är mer jämliksorienterade i sina värderingar även är mer positivt inställda till välfärdsstaten och omfördelning. Detta beror istället på kontextuella faktorer, såsom institutioner och deras utfall, och deras inverkan på länken mellan värderingar och attityder. I motsats till tidigare forskning, som haft svårt att hitta tydliga kopplingar mellan exempelvis institutioner och attityder, så visar resultaten i denna avhandling att finns tydliga kopplingar mellan makro- och mikronivån men att dessa inte är så okomplicerade och direkta som man tidigare trott. Istället verkar det vara i samspelet mellan värderingar, attityder och institutioner som denna relations kan hittas.

Lack of motivation is a substantial productivity cost for organisations and business in generally work under the assumption that pay predicts performance. Satisfaction of the basic psychological needs has in research demonstrated a positive relationship with a better performance (i.e. Baard et al., 2004). If this is the case in the complex nature of sales work, with its primary focus on goals set (sales target) is yet to be decided. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between the basic psychological needs, health and sales performance. The results emanating from this study on 252 sales people goes against previous research on performance as no significant relationships were found between the basic psychological needs and sales performance. However the study provides a strong empirical confirmation of the proposition that the basic psychological needs play an important role for health. Overall the results suggest that goal-setting (i.e. sales target) has significant consequences in shaping salespeople's cognitive aspect of motivation, putting the basic psychological needs behind and may result in impaired health.

The inhibiting and deactivating effects of basic nitrogen species present in gas oils on catalyst active sites has been well recognized over the years; however, recent studies have shown comparable inhibiting and deactivating effects exhibited by non-basic nitrogen species. A novel pre-treatment technique employing the heterogeneously cross-linked macroporous polymer poly(glycidyl methacrylate) (PGMA) as the hydrophilic support coupled with organic compound tetranitrofluorenone has shown promising results for the selective elimination of non-basic nitrogen heterocyclic species from bitumen derived heavy gas oil (HGO). Characterization techniques such as Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), low temperature N2 adsorption–desorption (BET), CHNOS elemental analysis, fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), epoxy content titration, and thermo gravimetry/differential thermal analyzer (TG/DTA) were employed for determining the optimum parameters during each step of the polymer synthesis. Step 1 comprised of direct polymerization of the monomers under the determined optimum conditions, with specific surface area of 34.7 m2/g and epoxy content of 5.8 wt% for the PGMA polymer support. Step 2 comprised of substitution of the epoxy ring with the acetone oxime functionality; FT-IR results indicated characteristics peaks at 1650 cm-1 which ascertained the presence of acetone oxime on the polymer, with epoxy content titration indicating a decrease of up to 33% of the epoxy content due to the substitution. Coupling of the organic compound tetranitrofluorenone with the polymer was performed in the final step, with TGA and DTG results indicating highest weight loss of approximately 126.9 μg, which signified that sample T had the greatest amount of organic compound present in comparison to the other samples (sample N to Sample S). The optimized polymer (sample T) was capable of removing nitrogen up to 6.7%, while having little to no influence on the sulphur or aromatic species. These results were in agreement with step 4 TGA analysis that showed sample T had the highest presence of the organic compound. Reusability of the polymer multiple times with consistent removal is another known advantage of such a pre-treatment technique; hence reusability studies were performed, and showed that the polymer was indeed capable of multiple uses, with consistent removal of nitrogen compounds at approximately 6.5% from fresh heavy gas oil feedstocks. Kinetic studies were performed as the final phase in order to evaluate the performance of the treated HGO in comparison to non-treated HGO. The effect of parameters such as temperature and LHSV were determined, with higher temperatures resulting in higher conversion of HDS and HDN. Similarly, as the LHSV was decreased, the conversions were increased for both HDS and HDN due to longer contact time between the feed and the catalyst. The highest obtained conversions were at an LHSV of 0.5 hr-1 and temperature of 395°C with treated HGO having HDS of 97.5% and HDN of 90.3%; while non-treated HGO having HDS of 94.9% and HDN of 78.3%. Employing the power law model, the results indicated that for treated HGO the reaction order for both HDS and HDN was 1.50; while for non-treated HGO the reaction order for HDS was 2.25 and for HDN was 2.00. The activation energies were then calculated with 141.4 kJ/mol being obtained for HDS and 113.8 kJ/mol for HDN for treated HGO; while for non-treated HGO the activation energy for HDS was 150.4 kJ/mol and for HDN was 121.4 kJ/mol. It was observed that the conversion of both HDS and HDN were higher and the activation energies were lower for treated HGO, indicating that the removal of non-basic nitrogen species prior to hydrotreatment had a positive impact on catalyst performance and consequently the level of conversion.

Childhood exposure to family violence is a risk factor for dysfunctional intimate relationships in adulthood (e.g., Fagan & Browne, 1994). Family violence research has commonly utilized Social Learning Theory to explain cross-generational patterns of family violence. However, not all individuals who experience a violent home environment become abusers or victims in their parental or marital roles (e.g., Duffy & Momirov, 1997), which illustrates resiliency - positive adaptation or development in spite of serious threats or significant adversity (Masten, 2001). Considering strengths and resources, rather than risks and vulnerabilities, is relatively new in the field of family violence. Consequently, a basic interpretive qualitative research design (Merriam, 2002) was utilized to investigate the experiences of three heterosexual women who self-identified as (a) having observed a pattern of interparental violence in childhood and (b) currently being in non-violent intimate adult relationships. The studys purpose was to describe and understand this phenomenon, with special attention given to identifying possible resiliency and protective factors. Interviews were conducted on multiple occasions and transcripts were analyzed in terms of Kearneys (2001) shared meaning and descriptive categories. The shared meaning involved the role of emotional work required, and the descriptive categories included five themes (i.e., Diverse Experiences of Family Violence, Family Violence is Always with You, Complex Daughter-Mother Relationships, Understanding and Making Sense of Healthy Relationships, and Sources of Strength and Positive Influences). Findings are described alongside implications for counselling practice and future research.

Arithmetic cognition research was at one time concerned mostly with the representation and retrieval of arithmetic facts in memory. More recently it was found that memory retrieval does not account for all single digit arithmetic performance. For example, Canadian university students solve up to 40% of basic addition problems using procedural strategies (e.g. 5 + 3 = 5 + 1 + 1 + 1). Given that procedures are less efficient than direct memory retrieval it is important to understand why procedure use is high, even for relatively skilled adults. My dissertation, therefore, sought to expand understanding of strategy choice for adults basic arithmetic. Background on this topic and supporting knowledge germane to the topic are provided in Chapter 1.<p> Chapter 2 focused on a well-known, but unexplained, finding: A written word problem (six + seven) results in much greater reported use of procedures (e.g., counting) than the same problem in digits (6 + 7). I hypothesized that this could be the result of a metacognitive effect whereby the low surface familiarity for word problems discourages retrieval. This was tested by familiarizing participants with a subset of the written word stimuli (e.g. three + four = ?, six + nine= ?) and then testing them on unpractised problems comprised of practiced components (four + six = ?). The result was increased retrieval reported for unpractised problems with practiced components. This indicates that surface familiarity contributes to strategy choice.<p> Chapter 3 focused on another classic phenomenon in the arithmetic cognition literature, the problem size effect: Response time, error, and procedure rates increase as a function of problem size. A previous study reported a reduced problem size effect for auditory multiplication problems compared to digit problems. I hypothesized that if this reduction was due to problem encoding processes rather than an effect on calculation per se, then a similar pattern would be observed for addition. Instead, I found that the size effect for addition was larger. I concluded that the auditory format promotes procedures for addition, but promotes retrieval for multiplication.<p> Chapters 4 and 5 were concerned with a well-known methodological issue in the strategy literature, subjectivity of self-reports: Some claim self-reports are more like opinions than objective measures. Thevenot, Fanget, and Fayol (2007) ostensibly solved this problem by probing problem memory subsequent to participants providing an answer. They reasoned that after a more complex procedure, the memory for the original problem would become degraded. The result would be better memory for problems answered by retrieval instead of by procedure. I hypothesized that their interpretation of their findings was conflated with the effect of switching tasks from arithmetic to number memory. I demonstrated that their new method for measuring strategy choice was contaminated by task switching costs, which compromises its application as a measure of strategy choice (Chapter 4). In a subsequent project (Chapter 5), I tested the sensitivity of this new method to detect the effects of factors known in the literature to affect strategy choice. The results indicated that Thevenot et al.s new method was insensitive to at least one of these factors. Thus, attempts to control for the confounding effects of task switching described in Chapter 4, in order to implement this new measure, are not warranted.<p> The current dissertation expanded understanding of strategy choice in four directions by 1) demonstrating that metacognitive factors cause increases in procedure strategies, 2) by demonstrating that the process of strategy selection is affected differentially by digit and auditory-verbal input, 3) by investigating the validity of an alternative measure of strategy use in experimental paradigms, and 4) by discovering a critical failure in the sensitivity of this new measure to measure the effects of factors known to influence strategy use. General conclusions are discussed in Chapter 6.

This Bachelor thesis is a study of collective political violence in the context of the Chechen conflict which continues to this present day. The information gathered and analysed as well as the frameworks used in the analysis are taken from numerous academic texts written on the subjects of Chechnya, Terrorism and theories on conflict and conflict resolution. The Chechen conflict is a decade long intra-state conflict which has its roots in a separatist movement for secession following the breakup of the Soviet Union. The dynamics of the conflict has evolved throughout the years, maintaining many of its fundamental elements whilst at the same time transforming as new actors and dimensions emerge. Following an abductive approach, the analytical frameworks of John Burton and Ted Gurr as well as a theoretical perspective derived from Bruce Hoffman’s understanding of terrorism, have been used to recontextualise to information gathered through the selected academic texts relevant to the conflict. The aim of this recontextualisation is to attempt to identify hidden mechanisms that could be responsible for the occurrence of collective political violence in the context of Chechnya. Numerous deprivations of the Chechen people’s basic human needs can potentially lead to frustration being perceived through a sense of shared group interest identity. Elites can then use this identity to mobilize the discontented masses in order to obtain political power for themselves whilst achieving the goals of the group they claim to represent. Russia’s Counterterrorism strategy does not seek to address these grievances and therefore violence is likely to continue to occur.

Competence based self-esteem (CBSE) refers to a disposition where an individual strives for self-worth by achievements to compensate a low basic self-esteem (BSE). This kind of self-attitude is linked to burnout. The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of an 8-week mindfulness based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention on self-ratings of CBSE, BSE, burnout and mindfulness. Four MBSR groups were enrolled and a total sample comprised 29 participants. Results of repeated measures ANOVAs showed a significant decrease in CBSE and burnout as well as significant increases in BSE and mindfulness. It was further found that pre test - post test change in mindfulness was significantly associated with reduced CBSE. These results indicate the effectiveness of MBSR to reduce burnout and suggest the program’s applicability in treating self-esteem related problems.

At the end of 2005, the State Council of China passed ”The Decision on adjusting the Individual Account of Basic Pension System”, which adjusted the individual account in the 1997 basic pension system. In this essay, we will analyze the adjustment above, and use Life Annuity Actuarial Theory to establish the basic pension substitution rate model. Monte Carlo simulation is also used to prove the rationality of the model. Some suggestions are put forward associated with the substitution rate according to the current policy.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the current conditions of the recognition and satisfaction of the open admission program of twelve-year basic education. In addition, to analyze the differences between the recognition and satisfaction of the open admission program in school environmental variables and performance of personal variables. The methodology adopted by this study, is quantitative by using questionnaire. The samples consisted of 620 teachers selected from 97 public and private junior high schools in Kaohsiung city. 620 questionnaires were released, 498 were retrieved, and after discarding 8 invalid questionnaires, there were 490 valid questionnaires, reaching 98.3% of valid questionnaires. The researcher analyzed the survey data by various statistical methods, including: t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe method. The findings of this study follow: I. The current conditions of recognition of the open admission program of twelve-year basic education are general, especially on the dimension of adaptive guidance. II. The current conditions of satisfaction of the open admission program of twelve-year basic education are a little unsatisfied, especially on the dimension of adaptive guidance are satisfied. III. Teacher who are male and whose seniority are over 26 years have the most significantly greater effect in the different conditions between teachers¡¦ performance and the recognition of the open admission program of twelve-year basic education IV. Teacher who are male and whose position in subject teacher have the most significantly greater effect in the different conditions between teachers¡¦ performance and the recognition of the open admission program of twelve-year basic education. Some suggestions will be proposed to the governmental administration, the education authorities, junior high school principals and teachers, and the extended research as well, based on the findings. Key words: twelve-year basic education, open admission program and policy satisfaction

This study was to explore the process how a specified elementary school pushed school-based curriculum, there were three purposes of the study: 1.Through the practice of school-based curriculum, to understand existing curriculum development and judge the inner value and effectiveness. 2.Through the case research of school-based curriculum, to find the interaction of related individual, affair and object during planning and executing of school-based curriculum development. 3.Through the process of exploring school-based curriculum, to find the incompleteness for reference of pushing school-based curriculum. Than to build developing and executing mechanism of school-based curriculum. ...