The diploma thesis focuses on decision-making process during choosing the form of business. It finds and describes the criteria that should be considered in this selection. These criteria compares and evaluates on a model situation in relation to the five chosen variants. The thesis contains suggestions of precedures leading to the choosing the suitable form of business, characterizes their advantages and disadvantages and presents situations in which the procedure is convenient to use.

During the last decade there has been a major change in the labour market where the work has become more limitless and the number of entrepreneurs has increased. This study analyses how self-employed female accountant experience their personal identity and professional identity. Central questions are the individual experience of the personal- and professional identity, the connection between them and which importance self-employment has for the perceived personal identity. Previous research indicates that there are several separate studies about self-employed, accountant and identity but not in a combination with each other, which lays the foundation for the study's relevance. The theoretical starting points are Erving Goffman's stigma theory and the dramaturgical perspective as well as concepts about the boundless work and identity. The study is based on a qualitative research method in which five semi-structured interviews have been conducted. The results indicate that there is a connection between the personal identity and the professional identity. Besides, it emerged that the role of self-employed has importance for the perceived personal identity. / Under det senaste decenniet har stora förändring skett på arbetsmarknaden där arbetet blivit allt mer gränslöst och antalet egenföretagare ökat i omfattning. Studien undersöker hur egenföretagande kvinnliga redovisningskonsulter upplever sin personliga identitet och yrkesidentitet. Centrala frågor är individens upplevelse av sin personliga- och yrkesidentitet, kopplingen dem emellan samt vilken betydelse egenföretagande har för individens upplevda personliga identitet. Den tidigare forskningen tyder på att det finns ett flertal separata studier om egenföretagare, redovisningskonsulter och identitet men inte i kombination med varandra, vilket ger upphov till studiens relevans. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna är Erving Goffmans stigmateori och det dramaturgiska perspektivet samt begreppen gränslöst arbete och identitet. Studien utgår från en kvalitativ forskningsmetod där fem semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts. Studiens resultat visar att det finns en koppling mellan den personliga identiteten och yrkesidentiteten hos urvalsgruppen. Ytterligare framkom det att rollen som egenföretagare har en betydelse för individens upplevda personliga identitet.

SAMMANFATTNING Utgångspunkten till detta arbete var akutmottagningen som med sitt komplexa uppdrag och stressande arbetsmiljö är en stor utmaning för att utföra god och säker vård. Det krävs kunskap och erfarenhet av en sjuksköterska för att kunna bedöma och prioritera rätt när det är en hög omsättning av såväl kritiskt som icke kritiskt sjuka patienter som söker vård på en akutmottagning. Utmaningen för ny personal är att arbeta efter rutiner och att lära sig den nya verksamheten. Personalomsättningen i vården är stor, vilket medför en risk att kunskap och färdigheter går förlorade. Detta kan i sin tur medföra att patientvården bli lidande och kvaliteten försämrad. Syftet var att beskriva nyanställda sjuksköterskors förväntningar och upplevelser av att vårda patienter på en akutmottagning. Metoden var en kvalitativ design med induktiv ansats där semistrukturerade intervjuer användes för att samla in data. Sex nyanställda sjuksköterskor från en akutmottagning ingick i urvalet. Manifest innehållsanalys med induktiv ansats användes för att analysera data. I resultatet framkom tre kategorier, faktorer påverkade av förväntningar, formande erfarenheter, möjliga förbättringar. Dessa kategorier delades upp i följande subkategorier: tidigare upplevelser, patientgrupp, sjuksköterskans roll, arbetsmiljö, växande i sjuksköterskerollen, förvärvad kunskap, oväntade och extrema händelser, känsla av otillräcklighet, dimensioner av vård, ökade resurser som höjer kvaliteten och information och utbildning. Slutsatsen från resultatet tyder på att det fanns en viss skillnad mellan förväntningar och erfarenheter av att vårda patienter på en akutmottagning hos nyanställda sjuksköterskor. Patienterna var fler än förväntat och det fanns oväntat många icke kritiskt sjuka patienter. Flertalet patienter stannade kvar på akutmottagningen på grund av platsbrist på sjukhuset vilket skapade ett ökat omvårdnadsansvar. Förväntningarna var att akutmottagningen var en stressande arbetsmiljö som var krävande dock vad arbetet innehöll var inte tydligt innan anställningen. Erfarenhet av arbetet upplevdes som omväxlande dock krävdes flexibilitet och kunskap för att kunna ta hand om såväl basal omvårdnad, oväntade händelser och skapa ett tryggt bemötande för patienterna. Att börja som oerfaren sjuksköterska upplevdes speciellt stressande de första månaderna. Erfarna sjuksköterskor var ett stöd för de nyanställda sjuksköterskorna i processen att växa i sjuksköterskerollen. Nyckelord: akutmottagning, nyanställda sjuksköterskor, vårda patienter, förväntningar och upplevelser.

The current study is an empirical study of preference for campus open space around the drill field on Mississippi State University (MSU) campus. 83 students at Mississippi State University were selected as research objects. Based on the literature review, a research process was designed to employ VEP, content analysis and multivariate analysis---Biplot to explore the interested research problems. The study identified two most preferred landscape scene types - "Legibility" and "Coherence" using Kaplan?s "information processing model". A statistical analysis tool for multivariate analysis-Biplot was used to reveal the landscape preference patterns for campus open space as well as how certain landscape features can contribute these patterns. The study found factors such as gender, educational and cultural background can heavily affect these patterns. The result indicated that "vegetations" including tree, seasonal flowers and open grassland, were the most preferred landscape feature on campus open space. Finally, the limitations of this study were discussed and some recommendations for future landscape preference study were provided.

This ex post facto descriptive study used personal and environmental variables to differentiate 1,318 youth who attained either self-employment or positions working for a governmental entity within four years after high school. Differentiation was assessed based on the "push" and "pull" theories of employment. The sample was taken from the High School and Beyond 1980, 1982, 1984 and 1986 Sophomore Cohort database. The sample was analyzed as a whole, by females only, and by males only. Statistical techniques used in this study included factor analysis, logistic regression, Cramer's phi, and canonical correlations. Attainment of either self-employment or employment in a government position for the sample as a whole,for females, and for males could not be explained by the study. Neither could environmental variables indicate type of employment (signifying that these youth were not "pushed,") nor did substantial evidence exist favoring the impact of personal variables on employment choice (indicating that these youth were not "pulled.") Further research is needed to understand the self-employed/small business owner profile for developing potential entrepreneurs and an appropriate high school level, entrepreneurship curriculum. / Ed. D.

Thesis (MComm)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Do firms that have low dependence on physical assets as well as high profitability outperform companies with the opposite characteristics in the market? Despite the lack of empirical research, conventional wisdom would suggest that they should. Conceptually, investors should prefer profitable companies to less profitable companies, and lower capital-intensive to high capital-intensity firms. Using a large sample of global stocks over the period from 1988 to 2010, the effect of using capital intensity and return on capital employed (ROCE) as filters for portfolio inclusion was investigated. A quantitative research approach was followed in this study. This involved dividing the sample into five subsets, or quintiles, according to the specific metric (for example capital intensity). The total return of an equally weighted portfolio was then measured for each quintile for the subsequent 12 months. The portfolio was rebalanced annually and the subsequent 12-month return recorded. Because enhanced performance on new capital investments may take longer than 12 months to be reflected in share prices, quintile performance was also measured over five-year holding periods. The empirical findings of this study reveal that there was no discernible pattern of outperformance by low capital-intensive quintiles using annual rebalancing. However, the lowest capital-intensive firms had the highest average returns using five-year holding periods. The highest ROCE firms performed best with annual rebalancing and with five-year holding periods. Combining both capital intensity and ROCE, a portfolio focused on low capital intensity and high profitability produced a compound annual growth rate that is 9.18 percentage points higher than a portfolio focused on the highest capital intensity and the lowest ROCE. Over five-year holding periods there is a distinct outperformance by low capital-intensive firms with high operational profitability. These results indicate that allocation of investment capital to capital-intensive companies with low operational profitability seems likely to impair long-term returns, and there may be value in a focus on low capital-intensity firms that are able to generate high returns on capital employed. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Sal maatskappye met lae afhanklikheid van fisiese bates, asook hoë winsgewendheid, maatskappye met die teenoorgestelde eienskappe uitpresteer in die mark? Ten spyte van ‘n gebrek aan empiriese navorsing, sal konvensionele wysheid voorstel dat dit so moet wees. Beleggers behoort winsgewende maatskappye bo minder winsgewende maatskappye te verkies, en laer kapitaalintensiewe bo hoë kapitaalintensiewe maatskappye. Die gebruik van kapitaalintensiteit en opbrengs op kapitaal aangewend (OOKA) in die beleggingsbesluit word ondersoek deur gebruik te maak van ‘n groot steekproef globale aandele oor die tydperk 1988 tot 2010. 'n Kwantitatiewe navorsingsbenadering was gevolg in die studie. Dit het die verdeling van die steekproef in vyf onderafdelings, of kwintiele, volgens die spesifieke maatstawwe (byvoorbeeld kapitaal-intensiteit) behels. Die totale opbrengs van 'n gelyk-geweegde portefeulje is vervolgens gemeet vir elke kwintiel vir die daaropvolgende 12 maande. Die portefeulje is jaarliks herbalanseer en die daaropvolgende 12 maande se opbrengs is aangeteken. Omdat verbeterde prestasie op nuwe kapitaalbeleggings langer kan neem as 12 maande om in aandeelpryse weerspieël te word, is kwintiel prestasie ook oor vyf jaar hou periodes gemeet. Die bevindinge van hierdie studie dui daarop dat daar geen beduidende verbetering in prestasie onder laer kapitaalitensiewe kwintiele oor een jaar houperiodes was nie. Die laagste kapitaalintensiewe maatskappye het egter oor ‘n hou periode van vyf jaar die hoogste gemiddelde opbrengs gelewer. Die hoogste OOKA maatskappye het die beste gevaar met jaarlikse herbalansering en met 'n houperiode van vyf jaar. 'n Portefeulje gefokus op lae kapitaalintensiteit en hoë winsgewendheid het 'n saamgestelde jaarlikse groeikoers gelewer wat 9,18 persentasiepunte hoër was as 'n portefeulje gefokus op die hoogste kapitaalintensiteit en die laagste OOKA. Oor houperiodes van vyf jaar was daar duidelike uitprestering deur lae kapitaalintensiewe ondernemings met hoë operasionele winsgewendheid. Hierdie resultate dui daarop dat die toekenning van beleggingskapitaal aan kapitaalintensiewe maatskappye met lae operasionele winsgewendheid waarskynlik langtermynopbrengste benadeel en dat 'n fokus op lae kapitaalintensiteit maatskappye, wat in staat is om 'n hoë opbrengs op kapitaal te genereer, moontlik meer lonend kan wees.

The investigation to the appropriate mass media for the micro-enterprises (informal sector) is in line with the principle of economic development for post-apartheid South Africa envisaged by the Reconstruction and Development Programme. In many countries, such as Latin America, Japan, United States of America, small business sector is the backbone of the economy, providing jobs and means for large companies to out-source tasks. This also applies to South Africa, the micro-enterprise in this country ''fulfils a social and economic function which neither state owned corporations nor the foreign transnational corporations, can perform. Due to their knowledge of the clientele they are able to determine more precisely the real and basic needs of the society and thereby render people-oriented, as against a purely commercial service" (Mersham and Skinner 1992 :33). However, lack of access to appropriate, relevant and understandable information and advice is one of the most critical aspect which hinders development of small enterprises, particularly, micro-enterprises and survivalist and small start-up enterprises. Due to the past discrimination and lack of opportunities this problem is most serve among black entrepreneurs who are participating in this sector. In addition, the central problem that has an impact in the process of reaching the micro-enterprises is the fact that the nature of communication systems and their relevance for the micro-enterprise activities, seem to have more over-emphasis on the print media. Subsequently, over-emphasis on the print media concentrate efforts on more easily and receptive individuals and communities, ignoring the micro-enterprises that require the service, since the majority of the micro-enterprises are comprised of people who have been disadvantaged by an incomplete education. It becomes therefore, essential to investigate how micro-enterprises consume mass media and the central role it plays so that an appropriate mass medium to reach this sector could be identified. Since my perception is that there is no assurance that the formulated policies and strategies by the Department of Trade and Industry become known to the intended beneficiaries . Most importantly, the approach taken in this study, is the one which tries to understand the role of the mass media in national development but which is more specific to the micro-enterprises. The media are seen as educators or teachers of the micro-enterprises. The ideal is that mass media can be used to teach people skills of different kinds and, under some conditions, to influence the attitudes and behaviour of the micro-enterprises. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1995.

Cette thèse répond à un double objectif : analyser théoriquement, à l’aide d’un modèle d’arbitrage travail-loisir, la réaction du temps de travail du médecin aux différents modes de rémunération lorsque seul le nombre de consultations et de patients peut faire l’objet d’un contrat entre le médecin et sa tutelle ; et observer empiriquement comment le temps de travail des médecins généralistes français évoluerait suite à une revalorisation du tarif de la consultation si l’on tient compte de leurs différents registres de motivations.Dans la première partie, nous présentons tout d’abord le modèle nous servant de base pour analyser l’offre de travail des médecins généralistes dans différents contextes (chapitre 1). Ensuite, nous montrons comment celui-ci peut être « enrichi » pour analyser les problèmes d’inégalités de santé, à travers le choix du médecin en termes de durée de consultation (chapitre 2). Enfin, nous analysons théoriquement comment l’offre de travail des médecins réagit à un choc de vieillissement de la population, selon le schéma de paiement en vigueur, paiement à l’acte ou capitation (chapitre 3).Dans la seconde partie, nous présentons tout d’abord une revue de littérature retraçant l’émergence du concept de motivation intrinsèque en économie de la santé (chapitre 4). Ensuite, nous regardons comment la théorie standard de l’offre de travail peut intégrer l’interaction possible entre les motivations intrinsèques et extrinsèques (chapitre 5). Enfin,nous cherchons à identifier empiriquement l’existence possible d’un effet contreproductif des incitations économiques sur les motivations intrinsèques, dans le champ de la promotion de la santé (chapitre 6). / This PhD dissertation has a twofold objective: to theoretically analyse, by using a workleisure trade-off model, the sensibility of physician’s working time to different payment systems when only the number of consultations and patients are contractible; and to empirically observe how French GP’s working time would change if consultation fee increased, in the specific case where different range of human motives are considered.The first part is dedicated to the presentation of the main properties of the basic model we use to study the labour supply behaviour of self-employed GPs in various contexts (chapter 1). Then, we show how this model can be ‘fitted’ to deal with the issue of health inequalities through physician’s choice in terms of consultation length (chapter 2). Finally, we theoretically investigate how physicians’ labour supply reacts to a population ageing shock, according to the effective payment scheme - fee-for service or capitation (chapter 3). The second part presents a survey on the emergence of the concept of intrinsic motivations in health economics aiming at specifying the theoretical background with which the remainder of our work is in line (chapter 4). Next, we explore how standard labour supply theory can integrate intrinsic motivations as a key determinant of human behaviour and, more especially, the effect of extrinsic incentives on the former in the field of general practice (chapter 5). Lastly, we intend to check, from an empirical perspective, if economic incentives can have a detrimental effect on intrinsic motivations in the particular field of health promotion, by using two different strategies (chapter 6).

Empirically, self-employed persons often operate with the support of their partners or other household members as co-workers in the firm. The formal or informal employment of the marriage partner in particular seems to have a lot of advantages, such as fiscal benefits and low wage costs. But from a theoretical point of view, these advantages are jeopardized by serious cooperation problems: If the spouse of the self-employed decides to work in the jointly-run business, former qualifications are lost. Hence a one-sided dependence on the part of the co-working spouse arises, which increases with the amount of relation-specific investments. Hence the actors are confronted with a cooperation problem, because the decision for co-working requires trust concerning the future action of the self-employed. Within this framework, this paper is focused on the determinants which influence the decisions concerning collaborating in the business of a self employed life’s companion as well as the extent of labor provided in the case of co-working. It can be assumed that the three types of determinants investigated in this paper affect the assignment of a spouse or cohabitation partner in the business of a self-employment person: (1) economic determinants which are individual productivity and human capital of the life’s companion, (2) the situation of the family and the household, and (3) characteristics of the entrepreneur and the firm. Based on a sample of self-employed empirical analysis indicates that trust and specialization play a crucial role in explaining co-working of the life’s companions of self-employed persons. However, economic determinants like productivity and human capital do not show the expected effects on collaboration.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.