Research question: To examine what aspects affect some consumers to avoid e-bikes and others to desire them. Purpose: The main purpose of this study is to see if e-bikes have a symbolic value. We aim to see if e-bikes is associated as an environmentally friendly product. We will examine stereotypes and brand avoidance. Further we will see what attributes consumers associate with typical users of e-bikes. Theory: To test our research question we chose our main theory of the matching process between self-image and typical user. Prior studies on e-bikes in areas as typical users and environment were analyzed. Previous studies on e-bikes were analyzed in areas such as environment and typical users. Methodology: A survey was made on two groups who are underrepresented in sales of ebikes. Students aged 21-30 and cycling enthusiasts. Results and conclusions: • We found that e-bikes have symbolic value. • Many respondents perceive e-bike users as environmentally friendly, comfortable and lazy. • E-bikes being perceived as environmentally friendly can be a pre-purchase indicator for students, but not for cycling enthusiasts • Different groups of students have conflicting user imagery, one group describe e-bikers as lazy, and another group describe e-bike users as healthy • The stereotype that e-bike users are old is not very frequent • Viewing e-bike users as lazy influences impacts the perceived value and are likely to lead to brand avoidance

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:58:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Lucia Pereira.pdf: 455051 bytes, checksum: a4d691e150067401086040b754f7e5b0 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-10-19 / In order to address the problem Does the myths of the good teacher permeate the positioning of teachers in respect to the teaching practice? , this work aimed to understand the placement of teachers in basic education against the four myths of good teacher: 1) The good teacher is always ca4lm and balanced, invariably can control yourself, never loses his composure or show strong emotions; 2) The good teacher accepts all students from the same way, having no favorites; 3) The good teacher can create an environment that, while remaining quiet and calm, promote an exciting learning, stimulating and free; 4) the good teacher knows all the answers, having a higher wisdom to the students. Study participants were eleven teachers of basic education working in a private school located in the southern city of Sao Paulo. The option for a qualitative approach and the critical incidents as a resource for production information was chosen. Understanding critical incidents as "detailed description of a fact and the situation that gave rise to it in order to provide a basis for the participant to give an opinion, trial or decision making", were drawn up four incidents concerning in the four myths surveyed for presentation to the teachers. Based on their responses, were proposed categories of analysis, from which (we tried) to identify clues to the accession of the participants in each myth analyzed. Data analysis was conducted in light of the theoretical framework of Carl Rogers and Thomas Gordon. The results showed great support by the participants to the four myths surveyed, suggesting the importance of the issue to be considered in training programs for teachers / Com o intuito de responder ao problema os mitos do bom professor permeiam o posicionamento dos professores a respeito da prática docente? , este trabalho teve como objetivo compreender o posicionamento de professores do ensino básico frente a quatro mitos do bom professor: 1) o bom professor é sempre calmo e equilibrado, invariavelmente consegue controlar-se, nunca perde a compostura ou demonstra emoções fortes; 2) o bom professor aceita todos os alunos de igual maneira, não tendo favoritos; 3) o bom professor consegue criar um ambiente que, ao mesmo tempo em que permanece calmo e sossegado, favorece a aprendizagem excitante, estimulante e livre; 4) o bom professor conhece todas as respostas, possuindo uma sabedoria superior à dos alunos. Foram participantes do estudo onze professores de educação básica, atuantes em uma escola particular localizada na zona sul da cidade de São Paulo. Optou-se pela abordagem qualitativa de pesquisa e pelos incidentes críticos como recurso para produção de informações. Entendendo-se incidentes críticos como descrição detalhada de um fato e da situação que lhe deu origem, de forma a oferecer base para o participante emitir uma opinião, julgamento ou tomada de decisão , foram elaborados quatro incidentes, referentes aos quatro mitos pesquisados, para apresentação aos professores. Com base em suas respostas, foram propostas categorias de análise, a partir das quais se procurou identificar pistas da adesão dos participantes a cada mito analisado. A análise dos dados foi conduzida à luz do referencial teórico de Carl Rogers e Thomas Gordon. Os resultados indicaram grande adesão dos participantes aos quatro mitos pesquisados, sugerindo a importância da questão ser considerada nos programas de formação de professores

<p>The topic of this thesis is computation of Mass waveforms, and we consider a number of different cases: Congruence subgroups of the modular group and Dirichlet characters (chapter 1); congruence subgroups and general multiplier systems and real weight (chapter 2); and noncongruence subgroups (chapter 3). In each case we first discuss the necessary theoretical background. We then outline the algorithm and display some of the results obtained by it.</p>

The topic of this thesis is computation of Mass waveforms, and we consider a number of different cases: Congruence subgroups of the modular group and Dirichlet characters (chapter 1); congruence subgroups and general multiplier systems and real weight (chapter 2); and noncongruence subgroups (chapter 3). In each case we first discuss the necessary theoretical background. We then outline the algorithm and display some of the results obtained by it.

This thesis concerns methods of reduced complexity for electronic structure calculations.  When quantum chemistry methods are applied to large systems, it is important to optimally use computer resources and only store data and perform operations that contribute to the overall accuracy. At the same time, precarious approximations could jeopardize the reliability of the whole calculation.  In this thesis, the self-consistent field method is seen as a sequence of rotations of the occupied subspace. Errors coming from computational approximations are characterized as erroneous rotations of this subspace. This viewpoint is optimal in the sense that the occupied subspace uniquely defines the electron density. Errors should be measured by their impact on the overall accuracy instead of by their constituent parts. With this point of view, a mathematical framework for control of errors in Hartree-Fock/Kohn-Sham calculations is proposed.  A unifying framework is of particular importance when computational approximations are introduced to efficiently handle large systems. An important operation in Hartree-Fock/Kohn-Sham calculations is the calculation of the density matrix for a given Fock/Kohn-Sham matrix. In this thesis, density matrix purification is used to compute the density matrix with time and memory usage increasing only linearly with system size. The forward error of purification is analyzed and schemes to control the forward error are proposed. The presented purification methods are coupled with effective methods to compute interior eigenvalues of the Fock/Kohn-Sham matrix also proposed in this thesis.New methods for inverse factorizations of Hermitian positive definite matrices that can be used for congruence transformations of the Fock/Kohn-Sham and density matrices are suggested as well. Most of the methods above have been implemented in the Ergo quantum chemistry program. This program uses a hierarchic sparse matrix library, also presented in this thesis, which is parallelized for shared memory computer architectures. It is demonstrated that the Ergo program is able to perform linear scaling Hartree-Fock calculations. / QC 20100908

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Antecedents:Malgrat la importància oferta en la literatura, el concepte de congruència de valors és encara poc conegut. La literatura és ambigua i el tema és encara poc conegut. La congruència de valors es tracta a les àrees de gestió i psicologia relacionant-la amb diverses actituds cap al treball o cap als resultats empresarials. No obstant això, el procés que afecta a aquests resultats segueix sent molt polèmic. És a dir, no sabem exactament per què la congruència de valors produeix efectes en els resultats empresarials. Pregunta de recerca:Aquesta tesi intenta explicar l'efecte de la congruència de valors. És a dir, quin és la correlació o relació semicausal entre la congruència o incongruència de valors i determinades actituds laborals tals com la satisfacció laboral, compromís organitzacional, d'una banda, i de salut, tals com l'estrès laboral o la salut física, per l'altre. Enfocament teòric:Reconeixent el fet que les explicacions actuals sobre els efectes de la congruència dels valors són especulatives, fragmentades i de caràcter social, en aquesta tesi s'utilitza la teoria basada en l’autoconcepte com a teoria subjacent per comprovar empíricament el mecanisme de mediació de les variables de autoconcepte en la relació entre la congruència de valors i els resultats empresarials. S'afirma que aquest mecanisme individual és similar a l'efecte de mediació dels mecanismes socials tals com la confiança. Disseny:En aquesta tesi s'utilitza l'enfocament de tres papers relacionats. En el primer d'ells es fa una revisió de la literatura existent sobre congruència de valors i contextualitza la investigació des d'un marc global. El segon paper utilitza la teoria de l’autoconcepte per explicar els efectes de la congruència de valors en els resultats laborals relacionats amb l'actitud, tals com a salut mental (burnout) i una sèrie de resultats relacionats organitzativament com la propensió d'accidents i de les intencions de rotar. Les dades van ser recollides entre les infermeres que treballen en un gran hospital universitari a Catalunya. El tercer paper utilitza algunes de les variables derivades de la teoria de l'autoconcepte per provar empíricament la importància relativa i la configuració de mecanismes individuals i mecanismes socials com a mediadors entre la congruència de valors i una sèrie de resultats específics individuals, com la satisfacció en el treball, el compromís amb l'organització i l'esgotament. Aquest tercer estudi es va dur a terme en un hospital del nord-est de Xina. Resultats: El primer paper estableix les bases per a futurs estudis especificant les necessitats i les limitacions de treballs previs. En els dos estudis empírics, s'ha trobat que la teoria de l’autoconcepte es pot aplicar en el context de la comprensió del procés d'efectes de la congruència dels valors. En el segon paper, s'ha observat que, per a diferents tipus de valors, l'esgotament intervé de forma diferent entre els efectes de la incongruència de valors en els resultats. Quant al tercer paper, s'ha trobat que, per a diferents resultats, les variables de l’autoconcepte intervenen entre els efectes de la congruència dels valors de forma diferent, però s'ha constatat que la confiança en l'organització és un mediador social consistent. Això últim reforça el recent interès a utilitzar en major mesurada la construcció de la confiança en les investigacions sobre organitzacions. Això va resultar ser vàlid en el context xinès. Conclusions: Aquesta tesi sosté que l'estudi sobre la congruència de valors és molt important tant per als individus com per a les organitzacions. A pesar que els seus efectes directes o de mediació, això també afecta a resultats relacionats amb la salut de l'individu (és a dir, esgotament o la salut física), així com a resultats relacionats amb la salut de l'organització (el compromís, la propensió d'accidents,, la previsió de volum de negoci, i similars). / Antecedentes: A pesar de la importancia ofrecida en la literatura, el concepto de congruencia de valores es aún poco conocido. La literatura es ambigua y el tema es aún poco conocido. La congruencia de valores se trata en las áreas de gestión y psicología relacionándola con diversas actitudes hacia el trabajo o hacia los resultados empresariales. No obstante, el proceso que afecta a estos resultados sigue siendo muy polémico. Es decir, no sabemos exactamente por qué la congruencia de valores produce efectos en los resultados empresariales. Pregunta de investigación: Esta tesis intenta explicar el efecto de la congruencia de valores. Es decir, cuál es la correlación o relación semicausal entre la congruencia o incongruencia de valores y determinadas actitudes laborales tales como la satisfacción laboral, compromiso organizacional, por un lado, y de salud, tales como el estrés laboral o la salud física, por el otro. Enfoque teórico: Reconociendo el hecho de que las explicaciones actuales sobre los efectos de la congruencia de los valores son especulativas, fragmentadas y de carácter social, en esta tesis se utiliza la teoría basada en el autoconcepto como teoría subyacente para comprobar empíricamente el mecanismo de mediación de las variables de autoconcepto en la relación entre la congruencia de valores y los resultados empresariales. Se afirma que este mecanismo individual es similar a los efectos de mediación de los mecanismos sociales tales como la confianza. Diseño: En esta tesis se utiliza el enfoque de tres papers relacionados. En el primero de ellos se hace una revisión de la literatura existente sobre congruencia de valores y contextualiza la investigación desde un marco global. El segundo paper utiliza la teoría del autoconcepto para explicar los efectos de la congruencia de valores en los resultados laborales relacionados con la actitud, tales como salud mental (burnout) y una serie de resultados relacionados organizativamente como la propensión de accidentes y de las intenciones de rotar. Los datos fueron recogidos entre las enfermeras que trabajan en un gran hospital universitario en Cataluña. El tercer paper utiliza algunas de las variables derivadas de la teoría del auto-concepto para probar empíricamente la importancia relativa y la configuración de mecanismos individuales y mecanismos sociales como mediadores entre la congruencia de valores y una serie de resultados específicos individuales, como la satisfacción en el trabajo, el compromiso con la organización y el agotamiento. Este tercer estudio se llevó a cabo en un hospital del noreste de China. Resultados: El primer paper establece las bases para futuros estudios especificando las necesidades y las limitaciones de trabajos previos. En los dos estudios empíricos, se ha encontrado que la teoría del autoconcepto se puede aplicar en el contexto de la comprensión del proceso de efectos de la congruencia de los valores. En el segundo paper, se ha observado que, para diferentes tipos de valores, el agotamiento media de forma distinta entre los efectos de la incongruencia de valores en los resultados. En cuanto al tercer paper, se ha hallado que, para diferentes resultados, las variables del autoconcepto median entre los efectos de la congruencia de los valores de forma distinta, pero se ha constatado que la confianza en la organización es un mediador social consistente. Esto último refuerza el reciente interés en utilizar en mayor medida la construcción de la confianza en las investigaciones sobre organizaciones. Ello resultó ser válido en el contexto chino. Conclusión: Esta tesis sostiene que el estudio sobre la congruencia de valores es muy importante tanto para los individuos como para las organizaciones. A pesar de que sus efectos directos o de mediación, ello también afecta a resultados relacionados con la salud del individuo (es decir, agotamiento o la salud física), así como a resultados relacionados con la salud de la organización (el compromiso, la propensión de accidentes,, la previsión de volumen de negocio, y similares). / Background: Albeit the critical importance accorded in the literature to the concept of value congruence it is still poorly understood. The literature dealing with it is ambiguous and inconsistent. Value incongruence in the management and psychological disciplines, has been related to various job attitudes and other work related outcomes, but the process of which it affects the latter remains controversial. That is, we do not know exactly why value congruence (or value incongruence) is supposed to have these effects on the outcomes studied. Research question:This thesis is an attempt to understand the process of value congruence’s effect. That is to say: what are the correlational or semi causal relationships between value congruence and value incongruence on selected attitudinal outcomes such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment on one hand, and health outcomes, such as job burnout or physical health , on the other hand?. Theoretical approach:The underlying theory of “self-concept” has been used in its application to the construct of value congruence. More specifically, the mediating mechanism of self-concept variables on the relationship between value congruence and outcomes was empirically tested. Furthermore, the relative importance and the particular configuration of individualmechanism vssocial mechanism functioning simultaneously as mediatorshave been tested. . Design:This thesis uses three connected papers. The first paper is a comprehensive review of the literature on value congruence. Itintegrates value congruence research into a coherent framework.A clear agenda for research results from the conclusions reached in this first paper. The second paper inspired by the “self-concept theory”,tests the relationships between value congruence on specific outcomes such as mental health (burnout), physical health, and a host of organizationally related outcomes such as accident propensity and turnover intentions. Data was collected amongst nurses working in a large university hospital in Catalonia. The third paper also uses some variables derived from the self-concept theory to empirically test the relative importance and the particular configuration of individualmechanism and social mechanism functioning simultaneously as mediatorsbetween value congruence and a host of specific individual outcomes such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment and Burnout. This third study was carried out in a county hospital in northeast China. Method: The first paper is qualitative in nature. It synthesizes and classifies related definitions, models and measurement based on the literature. The second and the third papers are empirical studies based on cross-sectional pre validated surveys conducted in Spain and China in the health care settings. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed throughout different phases of the studies. Multiple regressiontechnique was employed to test the mediation effect. Results:The first study sets up the agenda for future research in specifying needs and limitations of previous research. In the two empirical papers, it has been found that self-concept theory can serve for understanding the effects of value congruence. More specifically the second paper shows that for different types of value incongruence, burnout mediatesin a differential manner the effects on the outcomes studied. Third paper, found that, for different outcomes, self-concept variables mediates the effects of value congruence differentially, but trust in the organization, a specific variable that was added in this study, was a consistent social mediator. The latter reinforces recent call to further use the construct of trust in organizational research. This was found to be valid in the Chinese context. Conclusion: The thesis argues that studying value congruence can be very important to both individuals and organizations. Regardless of its direct or mediating effects, it impacts outcomes connected with individual health (i.e. Burnout or physical health) and also outcomes connected with organizational health (commitment, accident propensity, turnover intention, and alike). The thesis also shows how important it is to identify various linkages and configurations between value congruence and outcomes while borrowing from the self-concept theory.

Thèse numérisée par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal

Le succès de carrière a fait l’objet d’une multitude d’études et deux formes de succès ont été identifiées; le succès subjectif et le succès objectif de carrière. Dans le cadre de notre recherche, nous nous sommes intéressés au succès subjectif de carrière compte tenu de son association confirmée avec le bien-être psychologique, la qualité de la vie au travail (Nabi, 2003; Peluchette, 1993), la motivation intrinsèque, la confiance en soi (Abele et Spurk, 2009b) et l’engagement envers l’organisation (Hennequin, 2009a). En outre, selon diverses études (Arthur, Khapova et Wilderom, 2005; El Akremi, Guerrero et Neveu, 2006), le succès de carrière a tendance à être examiné plus sur la base des critères objectifs (salaire et promotions) que des critères subjectifs (la perception de l’individu). Par ailleurs, il y a eu une méta-analyse, élaborée par Ng, Eby, Sorensen et Feldman (2005) qui a examiné les déterminants du succès de carrière, à la lumière de deux perspectives théoriques développées par Turner (1960); soit la perspective de la mobilité par concours « contest mobility » et la perspective de la mobilité sponsorisée « sponsored mobility ». Ces auteurs ont révélé que les recherches sur le succès de carrière ont une portée limitée; « there is only a limited range of variables being examined as predictor of career success » (p. 396); d’où la nécessité d’examiner d’autres déterminants de succès de carrière, en les associant aux deux perspectives théoriques développées par Turner (1960). La présente recherche s’inscrit également dans la lignée des études qui ont pour but d’analyser les déterminants du succès de carrière. Toutefois, elle traite des liens entre le succès subjectif de carrière, les possibilités de mobilité externe et la congruence personne-organisation. Sur la base des recommandations de Ng, Eby, Sorensen et Feldman (2005), nous avons associé la congruence personne-organisation au modèle de la mobilité sponsorisé et les possibilités de mobilité externe au modèle de la mobilité par concours. Notre étude est de type explicatif, compte tenu du fait qu’elle tente de vérifier les liens entre le succès subjectif de carrière, les possibilités de mobilité externe et la congruence personne-organisation. À cet effet, nous avons eu recours à des données qui ont été colligées auprès de professionnels des ressources humaines, membre de l’ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines et en relations industrielles (Saba et Dufour, 2005) afin de pouvoir tester empiriquement les liens que nous anticipions entre notre variable dépendante (succès subjectif de carrière) et nos variables indépendantes (congruence personne-organisation et possibilités de mobilité externe) en tenant compte à la fois de notre variable médiatrice, à savoir le sponsorat organisationnel qui intervient dans le lien entre la congruence personne-organisation, et de nos variables de contrôle, qui sont l’âge, le genre, le statut marital, la scolarité, l'ancienneté dans l'organisation et l'ancienneté sur le marché du travail. Par ailleurs, nous avons adopté une méthode quantitative et nous avons procédé à des analyses statistiques, afin de faire sortir les caractéristiques de la distribution des variables; à des analyses bivariées, afin d’analyser les relations (statistiques) entre notre variable dépendante (succès subjectif de carrière) et chacune de nos variables indépendantes (la congruence personne-organisation et les possibilités de mobilité externe) et à une régression multiple, afin de déterminer si des corrélations existent entre les différentes variables à l’étude, nous avons également effectué un test de médiation afin de vérifier le rôle médiateur du sponsorat organisationnel dans le lien entre la congruence personne-organisation et le succès subjectif de carrière. De façon générale, nos hypothèses de recherche on été confirmées. Les possibilités de mobilité externe et la congruence personne-organisation sont liées positivement au succès subjectif de carrière. De plus, nous avons identifié une médiation partielle du sponsorat organisationnel dans le lien entre la congruence personne-organisation et le succès subjectif de carrière. / Career success has been the focus of much research. In the literature, two forms of success have been identified, subjective and objective career success. In our study, we are interested in subjective career success given its confirmed association with psychological well-being, quality of life at work (Nabi, 2003; Peluchette, 1993), intrinsic motivation, self confidence (Abele & Spurk, 2009b) and commitment to the organisation (Hennequin, 2009). In addition, according to various studies (Arthur, Khapova, & Wilderom, 2005; El Akremi, Guerrero, & Neveu, 2006), career success is more often examined on the basis of objective criteria (e.g., pay level, promotions) than in terms of the perception of the individual. Furthermore, a meta-analysis of 140 studies published by Ng, Eby, Sorensen, and Feldman (2005) examined the predictors of objective and subjective career success in the light of the two theoretical perspectives advanced by Turner (1960), namely contest mobility and sponsored mobility. The authors of this synthesis concluded that «There is only a limited range of variables being examined as predictors of career success » (p. 396); hence the importance of examining other predictors of career success that relate to the theoretical perspectives developed by Turner (1960). Our study is therefore situated in research that aims to analyze the predictors of career success. It examines the links between external marketability, person-organization fit and subjective career success. Based on the recommendations of Ng, Eby, Sorensen, and Feldman (2005), we associated external marketability to contest mobility and person-organization fit to sponsored mobility. We used data collected from human resource professionals, all members of a professional association located in Quebec (Canada) (Saba & Dufour, 2005). The analysis tested the relationships that we hypothesized between the dependent variable (i.e., subjective career success) and the independent variables (i.e., person-organization fit and external marketability). Further analysis tested the mediating influence of organizational sponsorship in the association between person-organization fit and subjective career success. These analyses included age, gender, marital status, education, organisation tenure, and experience in the labour market as control variables. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and multiple regressions were used to describe the sample and to test our hypotheses. In general, our research hypotheses were supported. External marketability and person-organization fit are positively related to subjective career success. In addition, we have identified a partial mediation of organizational sponsorship in the relationship between person-organization fit and subjective career success.

La présente thèse explore la dynamique des institutions informelles dans la gouvernance nationale et mondiale et l'ajustement de l'ordre politico-économique, dans un pays en transition et à l'échelle mondiale dans un contexte de crise financière internationale, en utilisant l'approche institutionnelle comparative. Elle adopte le point de vue de la nouvelle économie institutionnelle (New Institutional Economics - NIE) afin d'étudier comment différentes formes de gouvernance, notamment les mécanismes de gouvernance informels, émergent et fonctionnent dans diverses circonstances. Le chapitre deux fournit la preuve de la prédominance des relations accommodante et concurrente entre les systèmes de fourniture de services publics et d'ordre public, qui sont formellement et informellement décentralisés dans soixante-quatre provinces vietnamiennes. Notre analyse de l’«informalité» dans le chapitre trois soutient l'argument selon lequel les mécanismes formels ne sont pas suffisants pour inciter les acteurs publics à assumer leur pleine responsabilité, mais doivent être accompagnés de ceux informels pour combler les déficits de responsabilité du système formel. L'analyse empirique de quarante-cinq pays développés et en développement dans le chapitre quatre découvre que la non-congruence institutionnelle, en général, a un effet complémentaire sur la taille de l'économie informelle, mais agit comme un substitut dans les pays qui ont un faible niveau de non-congruence, une bonne gouvernance de la corruption, ou une grande pro-activité dans la prise d'initiatives visant à réduire l'écart de perception de la légitimité des activités économiques informelles. / This dissertation explores the dynamics of informal institutions in national and global governance and the adjustment of the economic political order in a transition country as well as on the global scale after two recent global financial crises, using the comparative institutional approach. It adopts the perspective of the New Institutional Economics (NIE) to study how alternative forms of governance, particularly, informal mechanisms of governance, emerge and work in various circumstances. Chapter two provides evidence to the prevalence of the accommodating and competing relationships between the formally and informally decentralized systems of providing public services and public order in 64 provinces in Vietnam. Our “informality” analysis in chapter three has supported the argument that formal mechanisms alone are not sufficient to create incentives for public actors to make private efforts to full accountability, but needs accompanying with other informal ones to fill in accountability deficits of the formal system. The empirical analysis of 45 developed and developing countries in chapter four finds that institutional incongruence, in general, has a complementary effect on the size of the informal economy, but acts as a substitute in those countries that have a low level of incongruence, good governance of corruption, or high proactivity in taking initiatives to minimize the perception gap about the legitimacy of informal economic activities.