Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-14T13:16:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 3212075 bytes, checksum: 892726a71d4fd27b59d29f7f173f15d9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-12-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Since the promulgation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the subject of rights became part of a fertile field of researches and debates. Some empirical studies have signaled that the concept of human rights depends on the progress of the decision- process perspective of the other, however, such studies didn t focus to verify systematically the existence of this relationship. This thesis aimed to determine the evolution of the conception of HR during human development and if this conception is related to the decision- process perspective. The theoretical approaches adopted were Doise s social psychological perspective on Human Rights plus Piaget and Robert Selman s theories about the decision-process perspective. To accomplish the goal, six studies were proposed during this research. The first study was provided to create items from the Scale of Understanding about Human Rights-SUHR according to four levels of hierarchical conceptions about HR. The second one aimed the psychometric validation of the SUHR and analysis of socio-demographic factors on this scale based on the study about 300 students, divided into 3 age groups: GI=8years old, GII=12 years old and GIII=16 years old, equally distributed according to their sex and the type of their school. The instrument used was the SUHR, a Likert type 5-point scale, in which students pointed out if they understood each of the proposed items, as well as the degree of agreement about them. In SPSS (version 21), descriptive statistics, factor analysis and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) were computed. Considering Bartlett's sphericity test, and Kaiser and Cattell s criteria and Parallel Analysis, it was observed that the SUHR presented a factorial organization composed by three dimensions: Guiding principles of humanity, Governing principles of the society and Basic concrete rights revealed the relationship item-factor and the indicators of internal consistency accepted by the statistical literature. Differences were found in the scores of medium scores of age and school integration on levels of understanding of HR. In the third study, were performed a confirmatory factor analysis of SUHR through new data collection in which attended 240 students with similar characteristics to the previous socio- demographic research. In AMOS GRAFICS program, carried out a confirmatory factor analysis; was adopted the ML estimator (MaximumLikelihood) and it was compared to alternative structural models (one factor, two factors and three factors, this one was the expected model) which confirmed the existence of SUHR s three factors which were positively interrelated. The fourth study aimed to develop items related to the stages of social perspective taking to the Scale of Social Decision-Process Perspective-SSDPP. A number of 149 students, aged between 5 and 26 years (Medium age=12,10 years old, SD = 6, 17 %), with 67.3 % of public institutions and 32.7 % of private institutions participated of this study. We used the Dilemma of Olga and the dilemma of the Landless. The answers to the dilemmas were categorized according to the levels of decision-social perspective proposed by Selman. The analysis of the frequencies of responses to the dilemma of Olga revealed significant differences in the age variable, no differences were found for the variables school type and gender. However, the analysis of the frequencies of responses to the plight of landless revealed significant differences in the age and type of school. Based on these analyzes, it was possible to prepare the items for all the stages of making social perspective that made up the instrument. The fifth study, the same students participated in the study and the instrument used was 3 ETPS-scale type Likertde 5 points, in which the students pointed understood if each proposed item, as well as the degree of agreement regarding each. The data collected with the ETPS related to Olga's Dilemma and Dilemma of Landless underwent an AFE following the same criteria used in the analysis of ECDH, however, the factor structure proved confusing and poorly interpreted. Thus, we chose to carry a measure by theory, starting from the theoretical perspective of Selman to assess the structural quality of the scale in question. Regarding the Dilemma of Olga, the AFC indicators revealed that both confirmed Selman's theory about the stages of social perspective taking as the guarantee of a scale capable of measuring these stages. However, the results of the analyses performed with the dilemma of Landless revealed indicators of confirmatory factor analysis under those considered acceptable by the relevant literature. Differences were found in scores of mean scores of age and school integration on levels of decision- process perspective. Finally, in the sixth study, was performed the verification of the desired theoretical model (association between stages of perspective taking to the levels of conceptions of DH). In AMOS 21.0 program, was generated what has been satisfactorily corroborated hypothesized theoretical model. The data were discussed according to theoretical and empirical studies. / Desde a promulgação da Declaração Universal dos Direitos Humanos, a temática dos direitos passou a integrar um campo fértil de debates e pesquisas. Alguns estudos empíricos sinalizaram que as concepções acerca dos direitos humanos dependem do avanço do processo de tomada de perspectiva do outro, contudo, tais estudos não se detiveram a verificar sistematicamente a existência desta relação. Diante desta lacuna, esta tese objetivou verificar como evolui a concepção acerca dos DH durante o desenvolvimento humano e se esta concepção está relacionada ao processo de tomada de perspectiva. Os enfoques teóricos adotados foram a perspectiva psicossociológica de Doise sobre os Direitos Humanos e as teorias de Piaget e de Robert Selman sobre a tomada de perspectiva. Para alcançar este objetivo, foram propostos seis estudos. O primeiro estudo se prestou a construir os itens da Escala de compreensão acerca dos direitos humanos- ECDH de acordo com quatro níveis hierárquicos de concepções acerca dos DH. O segundo estudo teve como objetivo a validação psicométrica da ECDH e a análise das variáveis sóciodemográficas sobre os fatores da escala e contou com a participação de 300 estudantes, divididos em 3 grupos de idade: GI= 8anos, GII=12 anos e GIII= 16 anos, distribuídos, igualmente quanto ao sexo e ao tipo de escola. O Instrumento utilizado foi a ECDH, uma escala tipo Likert de 5 pontos, em que os estudantes assinalaram se compreenderam cada item proposto bem como o grau de concordância em relação aos mesmos. No SPSS (versão 21), foram computadas estatísticas descritivas, análise fatorial e índices de consistência interna (Alfa de Cronbach). Considerando o teste de esfericidade de Bartlett, os critérios de Kaiser e Cattell e a Análise Paralela, observou-se que a ECDH apresentou uma organização fatorial composta três dimensões: Princípios orientadores da humanidade, Princípios reguladores da sociedade e Direitos básicos concretos que revelaram tanto a relação itemfator quanto indicadores de consistência interna aceitáveis pela literatura estatística. Foram encontradas diferenças nas pontuações dos escores médios da idade e da inserção escolar sobre os níveis de compreensão dos DH. No terceiro estudo, realizou-se a análise fatorial confirmatória da ECDH, mediante nova coleta de dados da qual participaram 240 estudantes com características sócio-demográficas semelhantes aos do estudo anterior. No programa AMOS GRAFICS, realizou-se uma análise fatorial confirmatória; adotando-se o estimador ML (Maximum Likelihood) e comparando aos modelos estruturais alternativos (um fator, dois fatores e três fatores, este último, o modelo esperado) que confirmou a existência dos três fatores da ECDH os quais estiveram interrelacionados positivamente. O quarto estudo teve o objetivo de elaborar itens referentes aos estágios de tomada de perspectiva social para a Escala de Tomada de Perspectiva Social ETPS. Participaram 149 estudantes com idades variando entre 5 e 26 anos (Média= 12, 10 anos e DP= 6, 17%), sendo 67,3% de instituições públicas e 32,7% de instituições privadas. Utilizou-se o Dilema de Olga e o dilema dos Sem-terra. As respostas dadas aos dilemas foram categorizadas conforme os níveis de tomada de perspectiva social propostos por Selman. A análise das freqüências de respostas dadas ao dilema de Olga revelou diferenças significativas em relação à variável idade; não foram encontradas diferenças quanto às variáveis tipo de escola e gênero. Já a análise das freqüências de respostas dadas ao dilema dos sem terra revelou diferenças significativas quanto à idade e o tipo de escola. Com base nestas análises, foi possível elaborar os itens relativos a todos os estágios de tomada de perspectiva social que compuseram o instrumento. Do quinto estudo, participaram os mesmos estudantes do estudo 3 e o instrumento utilizado foi a ETPS - escala tipo Likert de 5 pontos, em que os estudantes assinalaram se compreenderam cada item proposto, bem como, o grau de concordância em relação cada um deles. Os dados coletados com a ETPS referentes ao Dilema de Olga e Dilema dos Sem-terra foram submetidos a uma AFE seguindo os mesmos critérios adotados na análise da ECDH, contudo, a estrutura fatorial mostrou-se confusa e pouco interpretável. Assim, optou-se realizar uma medida por teoria, partindo-se da perspectiva teórica de Selman para avaliar a qualidade estrutural da escala em questão. No que tange ao Dilema de Olga, a AFC revelou indicadores que tanto confirmaram a teoria de Selman sobre os estágios de tomada de perspectiva social quanto a garantia de uma escala capaz de mensurar esses estágios. Contudo, os resultados das análises realizadas com o Dilema dos Sem-terra revelaram indicadores da análise fatorial confirmatória aquém daqueles considerados aceitáveis pela literatura pertinente. Foram encontradas diferenças nas pontuações dos escores médios da idade e da inserção escolar sobre os níveis de tomada de perspectiva. Por fim, no sexto estudo, efetuou-se a verificação do modelo teórico pretendido (associação dos estágios de tomada de perspectiva com os níveis de concepções acerca dos DH). No programa AMOS 21.0, gerou-se o modelo teórico hipotetizado que foi satisfatoriamente corroborado. Os dados foram discutidos à luz da literatura pertinente e de estudos empíricos.

A presente tese tem por objetivo analisar as decisões dos agricultores familiares de Frederico Westphalen/RS com relação à sucessão geracional nas suas propriedades, sob a ótica da teoria da decisão e orientações de valor, elencando os diferentes fatores que influenciam sucessores e sucedidos nesse processo. Para alcançar este propósito, além de análises bibliográficas e documentais acerca do tema e suas nuances, teorias balizadoras e elaboração de uma construção histórica dos sistemas agrários do campo empírico, considerando o papel de pessoas e instituições nessa construção, foi aplicado um questionário a 50 potenciais sucessores e a 50 sucedidos, buscando compreender os direcionamentos decisórios destes atores sobre sucessão. Os dados coletados a campo, entre os meses de julho e setembro de 2015, foram tabulados com o suporte estatístico do programa Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS), gerando cruzamentos e informações relevantes acerca do tema e suas relações com o futuro das propriedades rurais familiares. O estudo mostra que a abertura de possibilidades e alternativas de aprimoramento acadêmico dos potenciais sucessores, mesmo em áreas agrícolas, tem oportunizado uma gama de escolhas profissionais que contribui para o constante desinteresse pela sucessão. A postura dos pais nessas situações também é condicionante para que o filho desperte ou não o interesse pela propriedade e tenha uma preparação adequada para assumi-la, sendo o incentivo dos sucedidos visto como um condicionador importante nas decisões dos potenciais sucessores O estudo aponta também para uma necessidade de pensar a sucessão geracional como um processo e não como uma decisão pontual. A participação dos filhos nas decisões cotidianas da propriedade, bem como na divisão dos resultados financeiros e das responsabilidades, mostram-se fatores determinantes para que esse processo aconteça. Além de delinear e analisar fatores influenciadores das decisões dos atores, o estudo classifica potenciais sucessores e sucedidos dentro das orientações de valor de Ruth Gasson (1973) – instrumental, social, expressiva e intrínseca. Comparando as orientações de pais e filhos, tem-se uma importante diferença de percepção. Assim, tem-se nas variáveis que influenciam o processo decisório dos atores e suas percepções e orientações de valor, atreladas à importância da agricultura familiar, como base de sustentação econômica e social local, a justificativa para que se estruturem alternativas viáveis em prol da manutenção do jovem no campo. / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the decisions of family farmers of Frederico Westphalen / RS regarding the generational succession in their properties, from the point of view of decision theory and value orientations, listing the different factors that influence successors and successors in this process. In order to achieve this purpose, besides bibliographical and documentary analyzes about the theme and its nuances, beacon theories and elaboration of a historical construction of the agrarian systems of the empirical field, considering the role of people and institutions in this construction, a questionnaire was applied to 50 potential successors and 50 family farmers, seeking to understand the decision making process direction of these actors over succession. The data collected in the field between July and September 2015 were tabulated with statistical support from the Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS), generating crosses and relevant information about the theme and its relations with the future of the properties rural areas. The study shows that the opening of possibilities and alternatives for academic improvement of potential successors, even in agricultural areas, has provided a range of professional choices that contributes to the constant lack of interest in succession. The parents attitude in these situations is also a condition for the child to arouse or not the interest for the property and to have adequate preparation to assume it, being the incentive of the successes seen as an important conditioner in the decisions of the potential successors The study also points to a need to think of generational succession as a process and not as a one off decision. The participation of the children in the daily decisions of the property, as well as in the division of the financial results and the responsibilities, are determining factors for this process to happen. In addition to outlining and analyzing factors influencing actors' decisions, the study ranks potential successors and succeeded within Ruth Gasson (1973) value orientations - instrumental, social, expressive, and intrinsic. Comparing the orientations of parents and children, one has an important difference of perception. Thus, the variables influencing the decision-making process of the actors and their perceptions and value orientations, linked to the importance of family agriculture, as a basis for local economic and social support, are the justification for structuring viable alternatives for maintenance the young man in the field.

abstract: In the past few decades, there has been a remarkable shift in the boundary between public and private information. The application of information technology and electronic communications allow service providers (businesses) to collect a large amount of data. However, this ``data collection" process can put the privacy of users at risk and also lead to user reluctance in accepting services or sharing data. This dissertation first investigates privacy sensitive consumer-retailers/service providers interactions under different scenarios, and then focuses on a unified framework for various information-theoretic privacy and privacy mechanisms that can be learned directly from data. Existing approaches such as differential privacy or information-theoretic privacy try to quantify privacy risk but do not capture the subjective experience and heterogeneous expression of privacy-sensitivity. The first part of this dissertation introduces models to study consumer-retailer interaction problems and to better understand how retailers/service providers can balance their revenue objectives while being sensitive to user privacy concerns. This dissertation considers the following three scenarios: (i) the consumer-retailer interaction via personalized advertisements; (ii) incentive mechanisms that electrical utility providers need to offer for privacy sensitive consumers with alternative energy sources; (iii) the market viability of offering privacy guaranteed free online services. We use game-theoretic models to capture the behaviors of both consumers and retailers, and provide insights for retailers to maximize their profits when interacting with privacy sensitive consumers. Preserving the utility of published datasets while simultaneously providing provable privacy guarantees is a well-known challenge. In the second part, a novel context-aware privacy framework called generative adversarial privacy (GAP) is introduced. Inspired by recent advancements in generative adversarial networks, GAP allows the data holder to learn the privatization mechanism directly from the data. Under GAP, finding the optimal privacy mechanism is formulated as a constrained minimax game between a privatizer and an adversary. For appropriately chosen adversarial loss functions, GAP provides privacy guarantees against strong information-theoretic adversaries. Both synthetic and real-world datasets are used to show that GAP can greatly reduce the adversary's capability of inferring private information at a small cost of distorting the data. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2018

A inovação, tanto tecnológica como organizacional, deixou de ser um modismo para ocupar um lugar de destaque dentro das organizações. Com a abertura dos mercados e a sofisticação do padrão de exigências de consumidores, tanto no mercado interno, como no exterior, a diferenciação passou a ser palavra de ordem e a inovação uma necessidade. Dentro da inovação tecnológica, as atividades de pesquisa e desenvolvimento são consideradas essenciais e tem merecido, cada vez mais, a atenção de pesquisadores. Considerada tradicionalmente uma área eminentemente técnica, com foco em concepção de soluções tecnológica e comercialmente viáveis, tem assumido novas atribuições, o que implicou na alteração do seu perfil, passando a interagir com as demais áreas organizacionais. Desta forma, o universo simbólico do grupo de técnicos da área foi ampliado e incluiu no seu repertório novos valores e imagens da organização, influenciando o processo decisório. O presente trabalho de pesquisa, para a tese de doutorado em administração, foi construído com o objetivo de analisar o processo por meio do qual esta dimensão subjetiva se manifesta na área de P&D, no tocante à forma de realizar as atividades desta unidade organizacional, ou seja, internamente ou através de contratos com agentes externos. Considerando as especificidades do referido estudo, optou-se pela abordagem qualitativa, estudo de caso múltiplo, coleta de evidências através de entrevistas não estruturadas e o método de análise de narrativas, em quatro empresas de base tecnológica, localizadas na região metropolitana de Porto Alegre. Apesar das possíveis fragilidades inerentes ao referido método, de natureza interpretativista simbólica, a análise dos quatro casos pesquisados permitiu evidenciar a inclusão de variáveis de cunho subjetivo no processo de decisão na área de P&D, com vista à definição da forma de realização de suas atividades. A referida dimensão subjetiva representou, na maioria das narrativas, a confluência de valores individuais, coletivos (dos grupos e subgrupos organizacionais) e da cultura organizacional, em seus aspectos objetivos e subjetivos, contidos em regras, procedimentos, normas, processos, práticas, imagens, símbolos, sinais, narrativas, mitos, etc. Foi possível verificar, também, que as diversas construções de realidade social, dentro das organizações, propiciam diferentes condições de manifestação de interesses individuais em processos de decisão na área de P&D, condicionando o posicionamento dos indivíduos no tocante à externalização das atividades desta unidade organizacional. Já a maneira como é exercida a influência da cultura organizacional, como também a intensidade e grau de sua efetividade, depende da forma pela qual a cultura foi constituída, da história subjacente à sua construção e da natureza comportamental dos integrantes da organização. No entanto, é importante destacar que o método de análise empregado faculta diferentes percepções, na dependência situacional e contextual, ou seja, permite ao analista "descobrir" novas nuances a cada releitura do mesmo texto, suscitando novas interpretações. / Innovations, technological and organizational, are not considered a fad anymore, occupying now a prominent place within organizations. With the opening of markets and the sophistication of the requirements of the consumers, both domestically and worldwide, differentiation has become something vital for the organizations and innovation a path to reach it. Within the technological innovation, research and development is considered essential and has become, increasingly, object of the attention of researchers. Traditionally considered a highly technical area, focused only on the development of the solutions technological and commercially viable, this unit has assumed new responsibilities, resulting in the change in its profile, through the interaction with other organizational areas. Thus, the symbolic universe of the group of the technicians of this unit was expanded and included in its repertoire new values and images of the organization, influencing decision-making. The research for the present management doctoral theses was built in order to analyze the process by which the subjective dimension is manifested in R & D, specifically in the decisions about how will be performed the activities of this organizational unit, that would be executed internally or through contracts with external agents. Because the specificities of the study, was opted for a qualitative, multiple case study, evidence collection through non structured interviews and the narrative analysis method in four organizations, technology-based, located in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. This methodology, considered adherent to the objectives of the research, despite its nature, interpretative and symbolic, the four cases investigated has highlighted the inclusion of the subjective variables in the decision-making process in R & D in order to define the form in which their activities should be performed. This subjective dimension was represented in the narratives through the confluence of the individual and collectives values, (groups and subgroups organization) oriented by organizational culture in their objective and subjective aspects, reflected in rules, procedures, standards, procedures, practices, images signs, symbols, narratives, myths, etc.. Was evidenced that the various constructions of the social reality within these four organizations provide different conditions for the expression of the interests in the individual decisionmaking in R & D. This different conditions influence individual and collective positions in the relation to the outsourcing of activities of this organizational unit. The way, effectiveness and the intensity of this influence depends on the organizational culture, the story behind its construction and behavioral characteristics of the members of the organization. However, it is important to emphasize that the employed method of analysis provides different perceptions, depending on the situation and context, that is, allows the analyst to "discover" new nuances with each new reading of the text that can inspire new interpretations.

Este trabalho destina-se a realizar um estudo dos efeitos da heurística da ancoragem em estimativas numéricas, e esta fundamentado em pressupostos teóricos apresentados por Amos Tversky e Daniel Kahneman em um estudo seminal de 1974. Sendo assim, este trabalho tem por objetivo examinar quais os efeitos da heurística da ancoragem nas estimativas numéricas sob a perspectiva da avaliação de bens de consumo. Os objetivos específicos foram testar o método proposto por Jacowitz e Kahneman (1995) para a mensuração dos efeitos da ancoragem em estimativas de quantidades incertas e comparar os resultados deste estudo, com os resultados dos trabalhos realizados anteriormente nesta área em outros países. O método utilizado segue as etapas propostas por Jacowitz e Kahneman (1995). Os resultados indicaram que, embora, novos experimentos sejam necessários para um avanço no entendimento de como a ancoragem pode influenciar o processo decisório de consumo, a confirmação da manifestação dos efeitos da ancoragem na estimação de quantidades incertas no experimento 1, e dos preços de diferentes produtos e serviços no experimento 2, numa avaliação do grupo total de participantes da pesquisa, foi a principal contribuição deste trabalho, além de seus resultados corroborarem com os resultados encontrados em estudos similares realizados em outros países, revelando que, no contexto brasileiro, também se observam os efeitos da ancoragem. Além disso, os resultados estendem a pesquisa dos efeitos da ancoragem na estimação do preço de produtos e serviços, e contribui para um melhor entendimento do comportamento do consumidor. Especificamente, o experimento 2 fornece novas percepções relativas aos estudos da ancoragem e indica como um número arbitrário apresentado a um indivíduo pode alterar o seu julgamento, quanto ao preço de um produto ou serviço. Deste modo, esses resultados sugerem que, em vez de dependerem de um enfoque mais passivo na estimação do valor de um produto para os compradores em potencial, e fixarem um preço de acordo com os métodos tradicionais de precificação, os varejistas podem adotar um papel mais ativo na determinação dos preços de determinados produtos, baseados na análise de fatores subjetivos que afetam os julgamentos de preços dos consumidores. / This research paper aims to study the effects of anchoring heuristic in numerical estimates, based on the theoretical presuppositions presented in the seminal work of Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman in 1974. The purpose of this work is hence to examine what effects of anchoring heuristic has in numerical estimates for an assessment of consumer goods. The specific objectives were to test the method suggested by Jacowitz and Kahneman (1995) to measure the anchoring effects in estimates of uncertain quantities and compare the results of this study with those of surveys previously conducted in this field in other countries. The method used follows the steps suggested by Jacowitz and Kahneman (1995). The results indicated that, although new experiments are necessary to further understand how the anchoring is likely to influence the consumer decision process, the confirmed appearance of the anchoring effects on the estimate of uncertain quantities in experiment 1, and the prices of different products and services in experiment 2, in an overall group assessment of those who participated in the research, was the main contribution to this work, besides the fact that its results corroborated the results found in similar studies conducted in other countries, thereby revealing that the anchoring effects are also observed in the Brazilian context. Moreover, the results broaden the research on the anchoring effects when estimating product and service prices, and contribute to a better grasp of consumer behaviour. Experiment 2, more specifically, supplies new perceptions as to surveys on anchoring and reveals how an arbitrary number presented to an individual can change their judgement as to the price of a product or service. Hence, the results suggest that instead of having to concentrate more passively on a value estimate of a product for potential buyers and fixing a price according to traditional pricing methods, retailers may adopt a more active role when fixing the price of specific products, based on the analysis of subjective factors that affect the consumer’s judgement on prices.

Afin d'être autonomes, les robots doivent êtres capables de prendre des décisions en fonction des informations qu'ils perçoivent de leur environnement. Cette thèse modélise les problèmes de prise de décision robotique comme des processus de décision markoviens avec un espace d'état et un espace d'action tous deux continus. Ce choix de modélisation permet de représenter les incertitudes sur le résultat des actions appliquées par le robot. Les nouveaux algorithmes d'apprentissage présentés dans cette thèse se focalisent sur l'obtention de stratégies applicables dans un domaine embarqué. Ils sont appliqués à deux problèmes concrets issus de la RoboCup, une compétition robotique internationale annuelle. Dans ces problèmes, des robots humanoïdes doivent décider de la puissance et de la direction de tirs afin de maximiser les chances de marquer et contrôler la commande d'une primitive motrice pour préparer un tir. / The autonomy of robots heavily relies on their ability to make decisions based on the information provided by their sensors. In this dissertation, decision-making in robotics is modeled as continuous state and action markov decision process. This choice allows modeling of uncertainty on the results of the actions chosen by the robots. The new learning algorithms proposed in this thesis focus on producing policies which can be used online at a low computational cost. They are applied to real-world problems in the RoboCup context, an international robotic competition held annually. In those problems, humanoid robots have to choose either the direction and power of kicks in order to maximize the probability of scoring a goal or the parameters of a walk engine to move towards a kickable position.

The aim of this study is to learn about and demonstrate the process in which Försäkringskassan (The Swedish Social Insurance Agency) customizes texts and the texts linguistics influence on a potential beneficiary. I use three different questions to fulfill the purpose of the study. I examine what the manuals writers of Försäkringskassan use say about the issues of sentence length, addressing the beneficiaries and wording – three language features that represent different perspectives within plain language research. Furthermore, I examine how decision texts are created and tailored for its beneficiary group and how the language in decisions is perceived by potential beneficiaries. The study’s main method is a case study, which is composed of three data collection methods – comparative text analysis, unstructured interview and survey analysis. The purpose with the different data collection methods is to produce a variety of data that can be discussed in relation to previous research in areas relevant to the purpose of this study. The manuals used by the social insurance staff seem to have a peripheral position on the issue of sentence length, although the survey respondents are expressing criticism towards too long or too short sentences. The study shows that Försäkringskassans decision process is effective, since decisions are created through collaboration of language experts, lawyers and insurance specialists – a collaboration which has also been praised by Språkrådet. However, certain problems arise with the legal language and in some cases Försäkringskassan have to resign themselves to use words and concepts that cannot be described as plain language. The study also demonstrates the need of continuous text reviewing, since the texts should follow current research in plain language and Föräkringskassans guidelines. The fact that Försäkringskassans role as a text transmitter affect the perception of language and content is clear due to results of the survey, a fact which is also supported by previous research. How language is perceived by a beneficiary depends both on the recipient's background knowledge and by his or her attitude towards Försäkringskassan as a text sender.

Social media is connecting individuals all over the world, where the power of interaction and information sharing has shifted from companies to consumers. Since companies now have a harder time reaching out to consumers, social media influencers have been used as a solution to influence the purchase decisions of consumers and thereby drive purchases. However, while social media influencers are said to have an impact on the purchase decisions of consumers, less is actually known about the influence on all stages of the purchase decision process. As the purchase decision is not solely based on its own but rather follows from a series of steps, also called the purchase decision process, more research based on this area is of importance. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to explore how consumers perceive the influence of social media influencers during the different stages of the purchase decision process. In order to gather consumers’ perceptions about the influence of social media influencers, a qualitative study has been conducted where thoughts and experiences of participants have been studied. The findings of this study show that social media influencers ability to provide content, expertise, attractiveness, social identity and trust shows evidence of how the influence of social media influencers play an important role in each and every stage of the purchase decision process of consumers. The implications of this thesis is that the study could be of use to companies who seek to engage in influencer marketing and want to better understand how social media influencers affect consumers. The original value of the study is that it acknowledges how the influence of social media influencers affects all stages of the purchase decision process, as no previous study has explored this context.

The diploma thesis inquires into analysis of buyer decision process in the mobile phones market. The thesis is divided in two parts. The theoretical part inquires into the buyer decision process as itself. The practical part then examines the present world market of mobile phones and thanks to performed questionnaire investigation also manner and intensity of usage of mobile phones among czech consumers. Last but not least it covers single phases of the buyer decision process in the Czech Republic.

The topic of these Thesis is the use of the multi-criteria methods at budgeting the expenditure side of the state budget. The first chapter of the thesis describes in detail the ex ante analysis as a support tool for decisions on public expenditure and also the economy, efficiency and effectiveness as the criteria for the ex ante and ex post analysis of the public expenditure of the state budget. Furthermore, I describe here analysis of decision making, specifically the individual elements and the structure of decision-making process.The second chapter focuses on various methods of quantification of the weight of the criteria and the methods of multi-criterial decision. In the third, final chapter, I apply the methods described in second chapter to a specific example.