During this unique moment of feminist inquiry wherein breastfeeding has been a focal point of interdisciplinary research, little sociological scholarship has been presented which has centered on the various meanings that African American mothers, as a diverse group, attach to their experiences with breastfeeding and/or infant formula use. While patterns of behavior have been explored in a cross-racial context, most social science studies have not focused on how the choice between breastfeeding, using infant formula, or using a combination of the two has impacted (or has been shaped by) African American mothers’ constructs of self, motherhood/mothering, their birth experiences, and their sexuality. In order to understand the interplay of the decision-making process and these constructs, I conducted a qualitative study in which I participated in face-to-face interviews with a diverse group of thirty African-American mothers. They ranged in age from 18 years-old to 50-years-old. At the time of her interview, each mother had at least one child who was three-years-old or younger. Through our discussions, we explored how pre-pregnancy perceptions, lived experiences as a mother, familial influences, and the discourses surrounding motherhood within an African-American context affected the perceptions and experiences that the mothers in the study had with their infant feeding practice(s). Findings suggest that while African Americans mothers know that “breast is best,” that knowledge is not the only reason for their decisions. The first step in understanding why African-American mothers choose the feeding method(s) that they choose is embracing the reality that choosing is an ongoing and dynamic process which is often informed by what she does versus “is supposed to do” versus how she is portrayed weighed with the consequences of her choice(s) for herself and her family. Further, African American mothers are in the active process of negotiating an evolving definition of themselves within this post-Civil Rights, Affirmative Action context wherein choices appear abundant, but the choosing always comes with a price.

The paper aims to examine how the wives of men with dementia experience their lives and how they perceive support from the society. The paper also aims to highlight the family care consultants´ work and views on support for families of people with dementia. Three spouses of people with dementia and three family care consultants were interviewed and the results were analyzed using Antonovsky's (1991) three theoretical concepts; comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness that comes from his theory Sense of coherence. The results show that the three wives whose men suffered from dementia spend most of their time, effort and energy on their husbands. They do not have time to think about their own needs and what support they feel they could use for themselves. They do not think about themselves as caregivers, they are spouses. Family care consultants are well aware of the importance of meeting and see the relatives in their lives, and denounces the importance of a support designed individually. Family care consultants understand that the most important and the best support society can provide a family care giver is that their close ones are well taken care of and given good care.

Syftet med undersökningen är att studera och öka förståelsen för relationen mellan bemanningsföretagens konsultchefer och deras kontaktpersoner vid kundföretagen. Genom att beskriva och analysera hur kontakten mellan konsultchefer och kundföretag ser ut är målet att besvara följande frågor: vem som ansvarar för vad, hur ser konsultchefen respektive kundföretaget på sin och den andra partens roll samt hur de ser på den överlappning som uppstår i ansvar och ledning av konsulterna. Undersökningen är kvalitativ och intervjuer har används för att samla in empiri. Fem personer intervjuades: tre konsultchefer på bemanningsföretag och två kontaktpersoner på kundföretag som hyr in personal av bemanningsföretag. I intervjuerna framkom att faktorer som har betydelse för hur relationen mellan konsultchef och hans eller hennes kontakt vid kundföretaget utvecklas är tid och volym på antalet konsulter som hyrs in. I vilken utsträckning konsultchef och kontaktpersonen vid kundföretaget delar ledarskap tycks hänga samman med om relationen över tid förblir formell eller om det tillkommer mer informellt utbyte. Undersökningen visar att när kundföretagen hyr in konsulter från samma bemanningsföretag under längre tid eller hyr in många konsulter finns större möjlighet till ömsesidigt utbyte i betydelsen att de kan diskutera fram beslut, dela på arbetsuppgifterna och ansvaret gentemot konsulterna samt byta erfarenheter som ökar lärandet. / The purpose of this study is to analyze and increase the understanding of the relationship between consultant managers in temporary work agencies (TWA) and their contacts in the client companies. The study aims to describe and analyze how they stay in contact with each other, who is responsible for what, how they view their own and the other's role and how they see the overlap that occurs in the responsibility and guidance of the agency workers. The study is qualitative and interviews were used to collect empirical data. Five people were interviewed: three consultant managers in TWA and two contacts who work in the client companies that hire TWA. The interviews revealed that the factors that are relevant to how the relationship between the consultant manager and his or her contact at the client company is developing are time and volume of the number of agency workers. The extent to which the consultant manager and contact person at the client company share leadership appears to be related to if the relationship over time remains a formality, or if there will be more informal exchange. The study shows that when the client companies hire agency workers from the same TWA for a longer time or hire many consultants, there are greater opportunities for mutual exchange in the sense that they can discuss the decisions, share tasks and responsibilities with regard to consultants, and share experiences that increase learning.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the consultants' approach to the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in temporary work agencies. We examined the motivation of three temporary work agencies to see if there are any differences in how they motivate their consultants. The intrinsic motivation comes from the own spontaneous interest while the extrinsic is related to the surrounding circumstances. We created a survey with 42 questions for the consultants, concerning motivation in order to understand their attitudes to the phenomenon of motivation. The following issues are addressed in our study: - What are consultant’s experiences of motivation in the temporary work agencies and are there any background factors that may impact? - Are there any differences in how consultants in the three different temporary work agencies are experiencing motivation? As analytical tools, we used concepts and theories of the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation based on Self-Determination theory. The results of this study showed no distinct differences between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation of all consultants, but in general the intrinsic motivation was experienced slightly higher rated. The consultants appeared to be aware of what was expected of them and communication was valued fairly well. A positive attitude towards the organization was that the consultants were the least satisfied with, in our study. Our conclusion is that the intrinsic and extrinsic motivations interact with each other, depending on the work situation. / Sammanfattning Syftet med denna studie var att kartlägga konsulternas syn på den inre och yttre motivationen i bemanningsföretag. Vi undersökte motivationen på tre bemanningsföretag för att se om det fanns någon skillnad i hur de motiverar deras konsulter. Den inre motivationen handlar om det spontana egna intresset medan den yttre uppstår från omgivningens omständigheter. För att uppnå syftet har vi använt oss av en enkätundersökning med 42 frågor riktade till konsulterna för att fånga deras attityder till motivationsfenomenet. Följande frågeställningar besvaras i studien; - Hur upplever konsulterna i bemanningsföretagen sin motivation och finns det några bakgrundfaktorer som får betydelse? - Finns det några skillnader i hur konsulterna i de tre olika bemanningsföretag upplever motivationen? Som analysverktyg har vi använt oss av begrepp och teorier om den inre och yttre motivationen som bygger på Self-Determination theory. Resultatet av studien visar inte på några markanta skillnader mellan den inre och yttre motivationen hos samtliga bemanningsföretag, men den inre motivationen upplevdes lite starkare. Konsulterna visade sig vara medvetna om vad som förväntades av dem och kommunikationen värderades relativt bra. En positiv inställning till organisationen var det som konsulterna var minst nöjda med enligt vår studie. Vår slutsats blev att den inre och yttre motivationen samspelar med varandra, beroende av arbetssituationen.

Problématique. Basée sur les constats effectués lors d’un essai clinique randomisé qui visait à évaluer les effets du lait maternel de fin d’expression sur la croissance et le développement de nouveau-nés prématurés et qui s’est soldé par un recrutement infructueux, une intervention de soutien à la lactation chez les mères de nouveau-nés prématurés a été développée. La mère d’un nouveau-né prématuré est en effet trois fois plus à risque qu’une autre de présenter une production lactée insuffisante. Il est donc crucial de soutenir ces mères dans l’établissement et le maintien d’une production lactée adéquate. Le but de cette étude pilote est d’estimer les effets d’une intervention de soutien à la lactation sur l’expression de lait maternel et la production lactée de mères ayant donné naissance prématurément ainsi que d’évaluer les aspects d’acceptabilité et de faisabilité de l’intervention, de l’étude et de ses procédures. Hypothèse de recherche. Les mères de nouveau-nés prématurés qui reçoivent une intervention de soutien à la lactation expriment leur lait significativement plus longtemps et plus fréquemment et produisent significativement un plus grand volume de lait à plus grande concentration lipidique sur une base quotidienne que celles qui reçoivent les soins usuels. Méthode. Devis : Projet-pilote de type essai clinique randomisé. Échantillon: Quarante mères de nouveau-nés prématurés de <30 semaines de gestation admis à une unité de soins intensifs néonatals. Procédures: Les mères du groupe témoin reçoivent les soins usuels alors que celles du groupe expérimental reçoivent une intervention de soutien à la lactation. Cette dernière comporte quatre volets: une séance d’enseignement portant sur l’établissement et le maintien d’une production lactée suffisante, un suivi téléphonique, une ligne d’aide téléphonique et le prêt d’un tire-lait électrique double pompage. Dans les deux groupes, les mères sont amenées à tenir un journal de bord de leurs séances d’expression et du volume de lait maternel exprimé. Résultats. L’étude et ses procédures de même que l’intervention de soutien sont acceptables et faisables. Les résultats observés en lien avec l’hypothèse de recherche sont orientés dans la même direction que cette dernière à l’exception de la concentration lipidique du lait maternel. Recommandations. Une étude à plus grande échelle doit être réalisée afin d’évaluer les effets de l’intervention de soutien à la lactation sur la production lactée de mères de nouveau-nés prématurés. Quant à la clinique, des actions concertées doivent être menées afin de créer un contexte propice et des conditions favorables à l’expression de lait maternel chez les mères de nouveau-nés prématurés. / Problem statement. Based on observations from an unsuccessful randomized clinical trial that aimed to evaluate the effects of hindmilk on the short-term growth and development of preterm infants, a lactation support intervention for mothers of preterm infants has been developed. Mothers who give birth prematurely are three times more likely to have an insufficient milk output compared to those who give birth at term. It is therefore crucial to support these mothers in order to facilitate the establishment and maintenance of their milk supply. The aim of this pilot study is to estimate the effects of a lactation support intervention on the expression of breast milk and milk output of mothers who gave birth prematurely and assess the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention, study and its procedures. Research hypothesis. A lactation support intervention in mothers who deliver prematurely enables them to express their milk significantly longer and more frequently, and produce a greater milk output with a higher lipid concentration compared to mothers who deliver prematurely and receive usual care. Method. Design: A pilot study of a randomized clinical trial. Sample: Forty mothers of preterm infants born at <30 weeks of gestation and admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit. Procedures: The mothers in the control group receive usual care while those in the experimental group receive a lactation support intervention. The intervention has four components: an education session on the establishment and maintenance of an adequate milk supply, a telephone follow-up, a telephone helpline and the loan of a double electric breast pump. In both the intervention and control groups, mothers kept a logbook of the frequency, duration and volume of their breast milk expressions. Results. Both the study design and the intervention are feasible and acceptable to mothers of preterm infants. With the exception of milk lipid concentration, the results are oriented in the same direction as the research hypothesis. Recommendations. A larger scale study should be conducted to evaluate the effects of the lactation support intervention on the frequency, duration, and volume of breast milk expression among mothers of premature infants. As for the clinical practice, concerted interprofessional actions must be undertaken to create the environment and conditions conducive to breast milk expression in these mothers.

The aim of the thesis: to design the model of the consulting process of the preparation of development plans of municipalities and recommendations for the improvement of the advisory process of the preparation of development plans of municipalities. Tasks: 1. To carry out the theoretical analysis of the organisation of the development plan designing process and establish the main problems of practical designing as well as the defects of the organisation of this process; 2. To analyse the theoretical methods of consultation organisation and their place in the preparation of municipal development plans; 3. To carry out the analysis of the advisory process of the preparation of municipal development plans; 4. By employing a questionnaire survey, to find out the opinion of representatives from municipalities on the issues of consultations on the preparation of strategic development plans; 5. On the basis of the theoretical and practical researches, to establish the role of a consultant in the preparation of strategic development plans of municipalities and submit a summarised model of the advisory process concerning the preparation of development plans as well as recommendations for the improvement of this process. Research object of the paper is the advisory process of the preparation of strategic development plans of municipalities. During the process of research, material on the role of consulting in preparing development plans was collected from municipalities and analysed... [to full text]

Um die dezentrale Kommunikation zwischen Beratern und Softwareentwicklern zu verbessern, entschied sich die Saxonia Systems AG zum Test des Microblogging-Dienstes Yammer. Nach nur vier Wochen waren bereits 89 Anwender im System aktiv, die 1.391 Postings verfasst hatten. Die Evaluation durch eine Online-Nutzerbefragung zeigte die prinzipielle Tauglichkeit und Akzeptanz, aber auch die derzeitigen Grenzen von Microblogging auf.

The focus of this study was the unconscious dynamics in the consultant-client relationship as industrial and organisational psychologists seek to achieve change in client organisational systems. Twelve psychodynamic themes were used to interpret a journal maintained by the consultant throughout one consulting assignment, in an effort to understand the unconscious processes influencing the effectiveness of the consulting relationship. Analysis found that the client system imported the consultant to carry nurturing and healing on behalf of the system, but projected onto and into him the confusion, pain, hostility and incompetence in the system, stripped him of authority and manipulated him out of his role as change agent. The consultant unconsciously accepted the projections, failed to contain the system&#8217;s anxiety, gravitated towards the paranoid-schizoid position and was unable to effect meaningful change. Recommendations where made for the use of this form of psychodynamic analysis as a self-evaluative tool in the consulting context. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A.

EU:s revisionspaket begränsar kraftigt revisorernas möjlighet att tillhandahålla non-audit services (NAS) gentemot företag av allmänt intresse. Revisorer på små och medelstora revisionsbyråer påverkas dock inte av reglerna, varför det är intressant att studera hur dessa hanterar vilka tjänster man ska tillhandahålla och hur det påverkar revisorns roll.   Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur revisorn, på små och medelstora revisionsbyråer, hanterar olika rådgivningstjänster och det relaterade oberoendehotet i sin roll som konsult, som ett led i att försöka erhålla en förståelse för hur revisorn uppfattar växlingen mellan sin roll som revisor och den allt mer förestående konsultrollen. Studien baseras på kvalitativ forskning, för att försöka förstå och tolka revisorns upplevelser, varför intervjuer genomförts med sex kvalificerade revisorer.    Studiens huvudsakliga slutsatser är att revisorerna har svårt att definiera vilka tjänster som är revisionsnära och vilka som är av mer fristående karaktär. Revisorn måste tillhandahålla rådgivning för att upprätthålla revisionen, varför rådgivningstjänsterna kan betraktas som en integrerad del av revisorns tjänster. Revisorn tvingas i viss mån att växla mellan sin roll som revisor och konsult, till följd av att klienterna har höga förväntningar på rådgivning, medan revisionens övriga intressenter förväntar sig att klientföretagen kontrolleras genom en oberoende granskning. I slutändan anser respondenterna ändå sig vara revisorer även i utförandet av konsulttjänster. / The audit rules adopted by the EU strongly limit the auditors’ ability to provide non-audit services (NAS) to audit clients of public interest. Auditors in small and medium-sized audit firms are not affected by those rules. Therefore, it is interesting to study how they handle which services to provide and how it affects the auditor's role.   The purpose of the study is to investigate how auditors of small and medium-sized audit firms manage various advisory services and the related threat to independence in the role of consultant. Consequently, the study also seeks to gain an understanding of how the auditors perceive the issue of having to shift between the role as auditor and the increasingly imminent role as consultant. The study is based on qualitative research, in order to understand and interpret the auditor's experiences, which is why interviews were conducted with six auditors.   The main conclusions of the study are that the auditors have difficulty defining which services are audit-related and which are less audit-related. The auditor must provide advice to maintain the audit. Advisory services can therefore be regarded as an integral part of the auditor's services. The auditor is forced to shift between the roles of auditor and consultant, as a result of the clients’ high expectations for advisory services. This is in contradiction with the audit's other stakeholders’ expectations for the companies to be checked through an independent examination. However, the respondents still consider themselves to be auditors even in the performance of consulting services.

Submitted by paulo junior (paulo.jr@fgv.br) on 2010-03-15T20:41:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Lucia Pombal.pdf: 412985 bytes, checksum: 638001b779423f1cb0f2913f2db8e64f (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by paulo junior(paulo.jr@fgv.br) on 2010-03-15T20:41:53Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Lucia Pombal.pdf: 412985 bytes, checksum: 638001b779423f1cb0f2913f2db8e64f (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2010-03-17T14:01:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Lucia Pombal.pdf: 412985 bytes, checksum: 638001b779423f1cb0f2913f2db8e64f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-01-13 / Recently, the Corporate Social Responsibility issue has been presented to the society as a significativily relevant, polemic and dynamic subject. Although studies show that companies have an approach about this theme which involves a socially responsible actions management with their stakeholders, few companies implement this market tool in their business by unknowing its results. This paper aims to fill in this gap by examining the practices and concepts involved in this issue. The study, thus, seeks to identify the level of the Internal Social Responsibility in an organization, based on the experience of the audit and consultant company, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, focused on Corporate Consulting at Rio de Janeiro. Concepts about community organization, company responsibilities and social role, sustainable development and the Corporate Social Responsibility were taken as the theory basis. The paper presents a qualitative approach and the means employed were literature and the work field. The research was done with 41 consultants, of which 37 answered the questionnaire. As a result, the research points to confirm the assumptions raised, which means, the Corporate Social Responsibility can be used as a management model able to focus its business on the sustainable development, stakeholders and society commitment. / Recentemente, a questão da Responsabilidade Social Empresarial tem se apresentado perante a sociedade como um assunto significativamente relevante, polêmico e dinâmico. Embora estudos mostrem que empresas têm abordado este tema através de uma gestão formal das ações socialmente responsáveis junto aos seus públicos envolvidos, deve-se destacar que poucas empresas implementam esta prática em seus negócios por desconhecerem seus resultados. Este trabalho visa contribuir para o preenchimento desta lacuna, analisando práticas e conceitos vinculados a este tema. O estudo busca, então, avaliar o grau de Responsabilidade Social Interna numa organização, partindo da experiência da empresa de auditoria e consultoria Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, com foco em sua área de Consultoria Empresarial do escritório do Rio de Janeiro. Tomou-se como base teórica, conceitos sobre autogestão e organização comunitária, responsabilidades e papel social da organização, desenvolvimento sustentável e a responsabilidade social da empresa. O trabalho apresenta uma pesquisa de abordagem qualitativa e, com relação aos meios, bibliográfica e de campo. A pesquisa foi aplicada junto a 41 consultores, dos quais 37 responderam ao questionário previamente elaborado. Como resultado, a investigação aponta para confirmação das suposições levantadas, ou seja, a Responsabilidade Social Empresarial pode ser utilizada como uma forma de gestão capaz de focar os seus negócios no desenvolvimento sustentável, no relacionamento transparente com os públicos envolvidos e no compromisso com a sociedade.