We propose an approach to address data uncertainty for discrete optimization problems that allows controlling the degree of conservatism of the solution, and is computationally tractable both practically and theoretically. When both the cost coefficients and the data in the constraints of an integer programming problem are subject to uncertainty, we propose a robust integer programming problem of moderately larger size that allows to control the degree of conservatism of the solution in terms of probabilistic bounds on constraint violation. When only the cost coefficients are subject to uncertainty and the problem is a 0 - 1 discrete optimization problem on n variables, then we solve the robust counterpart by solving n + 1 instances of the original problem. Thus, the robust counterpart of a polynomially solvable 0 -1 discrete optimization problem remains polynomially solvable. Moreover, we show that the robust counterpart of an NP-hard α-approximable 0 - 1 discrete optimization problem remains α-approximal. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

Literaturbericht Rezensierte Bücher: Bösch, Frank: Die Adenauer-CDU. Gründung, Aufstieg und Krise einer Erfolgspartei 1945– 1969, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Stuttgart 2001, 575 Seiten, ISBN 3-421-05438-X. Bösch, Frank: Das konservative Milieu. Vereinskultur und lokale Sammlungspolitik (1900–1960) (= Veröffentlichungen des Zeitgeschichtlichen Arbeitskreises Niedersachsen 19), Wallstein Verlag, Göttingen 2002, 266 Seiten, ISBN 3-89244-501-X. Bösch, Frank: Macht und Machtverlust. Die Geschichte der CDU, Deutsche Verlags- Anstalt, München 2002, 312 Seiten, ISBN 3-421-05601-3. Gauland, Alexander: Anleitung zum Konservativsein, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, München 2002, 131 Seiten, ISBN 3-421-05649-8. Geppert, Dominik: Thatchers konservative Revolution. Der Richtungswandel der britischen Tories 1975–1979 (= Veröffentlichungen des Deutschen Historischen Instituts London 53), Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, München 2002, 463 Seiten, ISBN 3-486-56661-X. Mannheim, Karl / Stehr, Nico / Kettler, David / Meja, Volker (Hrsg.): Konservatismus. Ein Beitrag zur Soziologie des Wissens. Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 2003, 288 Seiten, ISBN 3-518-28078-3. Rill, Robert / Zellenberg, Ulrich (Hrsg.): Konservativismus in Österreich. Strömungen, Ideen, Personen und Vereinigungen, Stocker-Verlag, Graz 1999, 368 Seiten, ISBN 3-7020-0860-8. Schrenck-Notzing, Caspar v.: Lexikon des Konservatismus, Stocker-Verlag, Graz 1996, 608 Seiten, ISBN 3-7020-0760-1.

This thesis aims to describe and analyze the politicians who belong the right-wing political conservative traditions in Turkey by the mediation of their understanding and mentality. In this framework, the study primarily intends to investigate and analyze their perceptions of political and ideological imaginations. Turkish right seems to have a quite heterogeneous structure. While the recognition of the heterogeneity embodied around the political-institutional structuring is crucial to understand the Turkish right-conservatism, focusing merely on the heterogeneity and differences is inadequate to understand the right-conservative tradition. This study aims to analyze the aforesaid diversity and heterogeneity in the axes of politics and ideology. In spite of its heterogeneous qualifications, there are some attributions which made the Turkish right-wing conservative tradition homogeneous on certain economic, social and cultural issues. In this context, the study aims to analyze and understand the differentiations and affinities among the politicians who belong to the mainstream right-wing conservative political parties by focusing on the politicians discourses.

This paper examines the relationship between the accounting conservatism construct and the prediction of corporate bankruptcy. Prior research has explored the link between accounting quality and bankruptcy prediction, but it has not examined the relationship between accounting conservatism and bankruptcy prediction. This study hypothesizes that the inclusion of conservatism metrics in the bankruptcy hazard model estimation process should have an incremental effect on the predictive ability of bankruptcy hazard models. This paper finds that the inclusion of conservatism metrics does enhance the predictive power of bankruptcy hazard models for certain subgroups of a population partitioned on the basis of accounting conservatism metrics.

Es necesario replantear las causas de la crisis del régimen liberal en España, y analizar la cuestión con una nueva perspectiva. Existen muchos indicadores de que no puede seguir sosteniéndose la tesis de que las fuerzas del régimen fueron en general, y en todos los aspectos, fundamentales refractarias al las reformas. Esto es especialmente llamativo en lo que atañe al Partido Conservador, cuya naturaleza ideológica y cuya trayectoria política entre 1876 y 1923 es analizada en esta tesis. El Partido Conservador fue una fuerza liberal conservadora contraria a la revolución, pero dispuesta a aceptar ciertas reformas. Esta disposición se materializó sobre todo en una política de reforma social que, pese a su moderación, en el contexto de los años posteriores a 1914, le hizo situarse en una posición que desbordó por la izquierda los planteamientos predominantes en las clases conservadoras, que abandonaron al régimen y apoyaron la nueva situación política de 1923 en gran medida como rechazo a la política reformista del régimen a partir de 1917. / It is necessary to rethink the causes of the crisis of the restoration liberal regime in Spain, and discuss the matter from a new perspective. There are many indicators to reject the thesis that the forces of the regime were in general and in all aspects basic refractary to any reform. This is particularly striking regarding the conservative party, whose ideological nature and whose policies between 1876 and 1923 are analyzed in this study. The conservative party was a liberal force contrary to the revolution, but too bent to accept certain reforms. This political force showed this reformist attitude especially in the social policy. In the context of the subsequent years to 1914, that policy was developed to such a level that the party finally placed itself n a position that did not match to the dominant approaches in the conservative classes. The wide support received in September 1923 by the military and rightist coup the etat of general Primo de Rivera is closely linked to the large reject to the upper classes of society to the reformist politics of the regime started after 1917.

Christianity is not anti-intellectual; however, there is a distinct quality of anti-intellectualism in the rhetoric of the Christian Right. This thesis explores the ways in which rhetors in the Christian Right encourage anti-intellectual sentiment without explicitly claiming to be against intellectualism. I argue that the Christian Right makes these anti-intellectual arguments by invoking the tropes and topoi of populism, anti-evolution, and common sense. I analyze how Pat Robertson, as a representative of the Christian Right, used the stock argument, or topos, of populism in his 1986 speech, in which he announced his intention to run for President. I argue that while Robertson used the generic argumentative framework of populism, which is "anti-elitist," he shifted the meaning of the word "elitist" from a wealthy person to an intellectual person. This formed a trope, or turn in argument. Next, I consider the Christian Right's argument against the teaching of evolution. I analyze William J. Bryan's argument in the Scopes Trial, a defining moment in the creation-evolution debate. I show that Bryan used the topos of creationism, which included the loci of quality and order, to condemn the teaching of evolution, arguing that it would be better to not have education at all than for students to be taught something that contradicts the Bible. Finally, I consider how both Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin used the topos of common sense. Reagan used this topos to create a metaphorical narrative that was to be accepted as reality, or common sense. Sarah Palin, then, used the common sense narrative that Reagan had created to support her views. By calling her ideas "common sense" and frequently referencing Reagan, her rhetoric gives the illusion that good governing is simple, thus removing the space for an intellectual in public life.

Trough this thesis, it is aimed to study &quot / the conservative-democratic&quot / identity of the Justice and Development Party(AKP), which was established just before the November 3, 2002 elections and has still been running the country as the single party, in the context of the Turkish center-right tradition. Although the AKP comes from the political legancy of the National View Tradition (MG), it has presented itself as a new political formation at least aspiring to a centrist location in the political spectrum.Thus, the AKP puts itself in the political tradition inherited from the Progressive Republican Party, the Democratic Party, the Justice Party, and Turgut &Ouml / zal&#039 / s Motherland Party with an attempt to forge a synthesis between liberal and conservative trends within Turkey around a new social consensus. In this thesis, the components of the &quot / conservative-democratic&quot / rhetoric of the AKP is analyzed to shed light over its conceptualization of democracy, pluralism, social change and secularism.This thesis is presented through an over its rhetoric of &quot / change&quot / . It is argued that the conservative-democratic rhetoric of the party is characterized by ambivalent points, if not contradictions, which reflect the party&#039 / s ongoing search for a distinct position and identity and its aim of appealing to broader sections of the conservative electorate.

This thesis aims to analyze German Conservatism and the impact of Germany&rsquo / s policies towards Turkey&rsquo / s membership. The point of departure is privileged partnership which is offered to Turkey in replace of membership to the EU. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a prominent defender of privileged partnership and previous Chancellor Gerhard Schr&ouml / der who supported Turkey&rsquo / s accession, had a totally different attitude. It is questioned whether this sharp change in foreign policy derives from German Conservatism and Christian Democracy. As a result, it is not possible to claim an essentialist opposition to Turkey&rsquo / s accession by German Christian Democrats but privileged partnership is a product of German Conservative thinking which sees European Integration as a cultural project.

The Democratic Party which was established in 1970, splitting from the Justice Party will be analyzed within this thesis in terms of its ideological components. In this sense, centre right wing and conservative political parties are taken into account to understand the ideology of the party. The period of the Democratic Party is so sufficient to compare and contrast the ideologies of different parties. The Democratic Party is also critical as the party did not participate into any governments, different from the all parties at that period. So, it will show a centre right wing party&rsquo / s reactions in the absence of patronage routes which is a difference from other members of the centre right wing tradition of the DP and the JP. The absence of the concrete ideological explanations, doctrines which can be observed as an handicap of the centre right wing will be analyzed whether the Democratic Party can overcome or not.

Die Glücksgöttin Fortuna in Rom ist wohl eine der bekanntesten Gottheiten, die menschliche Geschicke leiten sollen. Andere Schlagwörter in diesem Zusammenhang sind Zufall, Pech, Schicksal, Glückssträhne etc. Geht man davon aus, dass Menschen zu diesen Konstrukten greifen, weil sie die Geschehnisse in der Welt und die ihnen zugrunde liegenden Ursache-Wirkung-Beziehungen nicht verstehen, so ist eine Klärung des Kausalitätsprinzips nötig. Bisher ist es nicht gelungen, Kausalgesetze in der Geschichte zu ermitteln. Nichtsdestotrotz existiert eine Vielzahl von Ansätzen zur Untersuchung ursächlicher Beziehungen. Einige ausgewählte Konzepte werden in dieser Arbeit anhand von Fallbeispielen vorgestellt.