Submitted by JOSIANE SANTOS DE OLIVEIRA (josianeso) on 2019-02-28T12:36:40Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Josiane Márcia Cabral_.pdf: 2226809 bytes, checksum: dba46f8a9eb329199603ac48641a3966 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2019-02-28T12:36:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Josiane Márcia Cabral_.pdf: 2226809 bytes, checksum: dba46f8a9eb329199603ac48641a3966 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-27 / Nenhuma / As respectivas literaturas em negócios sociais inseridos em contextos de base da pirâmide (BoP) ainda não são claras sobre quais as características de sucesso para este tipo de modelo de negócio sustentável. A premissa de que este tipo de negócio ainda seja novo, juntamente com diferentes vertentes da literatura, fazem com que não se conheça os elementos constituintes de tais organizações. Tendo isso em vista, este trabalho ousou reunir três estudos sobre: capacidades organizacionais, estratégias de escalonamento social e barreiras ao crescimento, inseridas no contexto de um estudo de caso múltiplo, desenvolvido na Região Sul do Brasil por duas instituições de microfinanças. Foi mostrado que o modelo sugerido pode ser utilizado para dimensionar as características de sucesso de negócios sociais na base da pirâmide. Argumentou-se ainda sobre quais são os elementos responsáveis por determinar o sucesso dos negócios sociais estudados. / The respective literatures in social businesses inserted in basic contexts of the pyramid (BoP) still are not clear on what the characteristics of success for this type of sustainable business model. The premise that this type of business is still new, together with different aspects of the literature, make it difficult to know the outline elements of such organizations. To this end, this paper dared to gather three studies on organizational capacities, social scaling strategies and barriers to growth, inserted in the context of a multiple case study developed in the south of Brazil by two microfinance institutions. It has been shown that the suggested model can be used to size the social business success characteristics at the base of the pyramid. It was also argued on which elements are responsible for determining the success of the social businesses studied.

<p>This dissertation focuses on managerial decision making, and specifically explores conditions wherein managers may increase their propensity to escalate commitment towards a failing project. Escalation researchers (e.g. Schmidt and Calantone, 2002) have listed four classes of factors that may impact a manager's propensity to escalate commitment towards a failing project, and have called for research into how exactly these factors impact escalation. In this dissertation, we explore two such factors. The first factor relates to the characteristics of the decision process used by firms to evaluate the project. Here, for example, researchers have looked at whether the manager was also involved in making decisions about the project in a prior period, and Boulding, Morgan and Staelin (1997) have shown that such manager's positive beliefs about the project (formed in a prior period) make a manager more likely to escalate commitment. The second factor relates to project characteristics. Here, for example, researchers have looked at whether or not the project relates to a product that is perceived as new, and Schmidt and Calantone (2002) have shown that managers are more likely to escalate commitment towards a failing project relating to a new product. </p><p>The first dissertation essay uses three experiments to examine how a hitherto unexplored characteristic of the decision process might lead to increasing escalation of commitment. Specifically, building off research into the illusion of control, we examine whether the opportunity to use managerial skill during the decision process makes a manager more willing to escalate commitment towards a failing project. We find that whenever managers act on cues that cause them to think they can use their managerial skill to control some outside factor (even though in reality they cannot), managers overestimate their ability to "control the odds" related to this outside factor. Such beliefs feed forward and lead managers to make suboptimal decisions about the overall project.</p><p>The second dissertation essay looks at how project characteristics might make a manager more (or less) likely to escalate commitment towards a failing project. We explore this issue in the hitherto unexplored real options setting. Real options have emerged as an important part of marketing strategy, and have been used to structure new product alliances, value customers etc. We run a controlled experiment and we examine whether differences in option-structure (which is a project characteristic) impact the propensity to make suboptimal option-exercise decisions. We find that managers are more likely to make suboptimal option-exercise decisions in the case of put options (vis. call options), and - as predicted by the endowment effect literature - this increased propensity to make a suboptimal decision is mediated by/ explained by the psychological ownership construct.</p> / Dissertation

No description available.

Import sanctions were used to a very limited extent against South Africa in the early sixties and latter half of the seventies to clearly signal the international community's disapproval of the country's apartheid policy. In the middle eighties South Africa was further exposed to a two year wave of export and financial sanctions. This was after the government had already committed itself to move away from apartheid as a policy that was no longer deemed feasible. All these sanctions were lifted in the early nineties after the abolition of apartheid but before negotiations for a new constitutional dispensation had firmly got under way. Contrary to some popular impressions, the 1985-87 sanctions were also severe1y limited in scope and nature, with the result that their economic impact was only marginal at best. They were introduced at a time when the country unexpectedly had to face a foreign debt crisis and had to drastically adjust the economy downward, not unlike that experienced by many other developing countries. The severe recession and greater socio-political unrest that followed did not lead to an escalation of sanctions, but nevertheless threatened to make large parts of the country ungovernable. The evidence is that sanctions only played a minor role in bringing about this poor and deteriorating state of affairs. The political aims of abolishing apartheid and preparing the way for negotiations was achieved mainly as a result of certain internal political developments, together with the political implications of such major other outside developments as the economic collapse of Sub-Saharan Africa and the Soviet Union. South Africa's experience with sanctions confirms that as elsewhere their economic impact as an instrument of foreign policy was invariably exaggerated, whereas their contribution in explaining the subsequent course of political events was at best uncertain. / Department of Economics / Ph.D. (Economics)

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is the most prevalent nosocomial infection in intensive care unit (ICU), associated with high mortality rate (14-70%). The objective of this study is evaluate the factors that influence the death of patients with VAP, especially bacterial resistance, prescription errors and de-escalation of antibiotics. Was developed a retrospective study in adult ICU of the Federal University of Uberlândia, which included 120 patients with VAP. We used the chi-square test for qualitative variables, the Student t test for quantitative variables and multiple logistic regression to determine the predictors of mortality.Was identified high mortality of VAP (35%), with a high rate of antimicrobial resistance. The de-escalation of antibiotics and the presence of resistant bacteria had no effect on mortality. The more frequent error prescription of antibiotics was the delay in the start of antibiotic (64.4%). Among the antibiotic prescription errors, patients using incorrect attack dose died 4 times more (P = 0.031) and who did not correction by renal function died 3 times more (P = 0.000). The multiple logistic regression analysis found that the incorrect adjustment for renal function was the only factor that interfered in mortality (1,803-42,531, R² de 0,469). In conclusion, antibiotic prescription errors influenced mortality of patients with VAP, stressing that adequate treatment of VAP is still a challenge that deserves to be continually reassessed, so that the expected clínical response to therapy be guaranteed. / A pneumonia associada à ventilação mecânica (PAV), é a infecção nosocomial mais prevalente na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva (UTI), associada a elevada taxa mortalidade (14-70%). O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar os fatores que influenciam o óbito dos pacientes com PAV, com destaque para à resistência bacteriana, descalonamento e erros de prescrição de antibióticos. Foi realizado estudo retrospectivo realizado na UTI de adultos da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, em que foram incluídos 120 casos de PAV. Utilizou-se o teste do qui-quadrado para análise das variáveis qualitativas, o teste t de Student para variáveis quantitativas e a regressão logística múltipla para determinar os preditores de mortalidade. Foi identificado elevada mortalidade por PAV de 35% com alta taxa de resistência antimicrobiana. O descalonamento de antibióticos e a presença de bactérias resistentes não influenciaram na mortalidade. O principal erro de prescrição de antibióticos foi o atraso no inicio do antibiótico (66,6%). Dentre os erros de prescrição de antibióticos, os pacientes que utilizaram dose de ataque incorreta morreram 4 vezes mais (P=0,031) e os que não ajustaram pela função renal morreram 3 vezes mais (P=0,000). A análise de regressão logística múltipla constatou que o ajuste incorreto pela função renal foi o único fator que interferiu na mortalidade (1,803-42,531, R² de 0,469) . Em conclusão, os erros de prescrição de antibióticos influenciaram na mortalidade de pacientes com PAV, reforçando que tratamento adequado da PAV ainda é um desafio que merece ser continuamente reavaliado, para que a resposta clínica esperada com a terapêutica seja garantida. / Mestre em Ciências da Saúde

Sistemas de informação do setor público tem apresentado historicamente uma baixa taxa de conclusão com sucesso. O tamanho e a complexidade dos projetos de sistemas de informação de porte grande em organizações de governo estão aumentando ainda mais. Entretanto, muitas organizações governamentais não possuem a habilidade para gerenciar esse tipo de projeto. Um caso extremo de projeto problemático é o que ocorre na situação de agravamento, na qual recursos continuam sendo comprometidos em um curso de ação destinado ao fracasso. O agravamento do projeto aparenta ser consequência de uma combinação de fatores. As principais teorias que explicam o agravamento de projetos focam principalmente nos fatores psicológicos, sociais e organizacionais, os quais são aplicáveis tanto a projetos de sistemas de informação quanto a projetos de outras áreas de aplicação. Esta pesquisa preenche uma lacuna na literatura por focar nas características específicas do projeto que levam um projeto de Governo Eletrônico a se tornar problemático e entrar em situação de agravamento. Logo, o propósito desta pesquisa é aprimorar o entendimento dos fatores de projeto (riscos) que levam projetos de Governo Eletrônico à situação de agravamento. Para investigar o fenômeno do agravamento em projetos reais de Governo Eletrônico, esta tese apresenta um estudo de casos múltiplos com três casos, dois da Secretaria da Fazenda do Estado de São Paulo e um terceiro de uma organização pública brasileira anônima. Os casos deste estudo são analisados sob o ponto de vista de um modelo de referência baseado na teoria de problemas complexos (Wicked Problems Theory). Esta pesquisa concluiu que os principais riscos que levam um projeto de Governo Eletrônico a situação de agravamento são os riscos de complexidade, e os riscos de escopo e requisitos. Esta pesquisa também apresenta algumas maneiras para tratar esses problemas: buscar a simplificação consciente das regras de negócio (requisitos), para aumentar a viabilidade técnica do projeto; aplicar uma metodologia mais adequada às características do projeto; e proteger o projeto da interferência dos prazos políticos. / Information systems (IS) projects in the public sector have historically been a problematic area with a very low rate of successful completion. The size and complexity of large-scale information systems projects in government organizations are on the rise, but most government organizations lack the ability of managing such projects. An extreme case of project problems is the escalation situation, where resources continue to be committed to a failing course of action. Project escalation seems to be promoted by a combination of factors. The main theories that explain project escalation focus mostly on psychological, social and organizational factors related to escalation, which are common for both information systems and non-information systems projects. This research fills a gap in the literature by focusing on the project characteristics that lead an e-government project to become problematic and escalate. Thus, the purpose of this research is to improve the understanding of project factors (risks) that lead e-government projects to escalation. In order to investigate the escalation phenomenon in real world e-government projects, this thesis presents a collective case study with three cases, two from the Treasury Secretary of São Paulo State and a third one from an anonymous Brazilian public organization. The case studies are analyzed through the eyes of a reference model based on the Wicked Problems Theory. This research shows that the main risks that lead an e-government project towards escalation are complexity risks, and scope and requirements risks. This research also reveals some ways of dealing with these issues: seeking to consciously simplify business rules (i.e., requirements) in order to increase technical feasibility; applying a methodology better suited to the project characteristics; and protecting the project from the interference of political deadlines

Conflict over territory is a major concern to scholars and policymakers, and much of conflict over territory is driven by the issues that make territory more or less attractive, or salient, to states. I examine the impact that tangible and intangible issue salience has on territorial claims, and in particular, how it drives both conflict and conflict escalation. I argue that intangible issues, such as ethnic or religious kin, plays a greater role in driving more severe forms of armed conflict and conflict escalation, compared to tangible factors such as natural resources. This is theorized to be due to the difficulty in dividing territory with intangible elements, as well as domestic political pressure driving leaders to escalate. These suppositions are supported, with the finding that identity plays a particularly crucial and unique role in driving states to more severe forms of armed conflict. Further, I examine how natural resources may be viewed by states by their type and form of utilization, with certain resources likely to be more valuable or strategic to states based on their rarity, concentration, or ease of substitution, based in part on a state's level of development. The results support a fairly uniform role of natural resources, with particular resources and combinations of resources serving to drive low level conflict, but with generally little impact on severe forms of armed conflict. Development also is found to play a role, driving poorer states to dispute natural resources of certain types. Lastly, I return to the topic of conflict over territory with an ethnic dimension by examining the role of issue indivisibility in the negotiations process, and find that negotiated settlements are harder to reach, and states more likely to favor unilateral action when disputing territory with an ethnic or religious component compared to other types of issues in claimed territory.

This dissertation presents results from three research projects, which extend available findings in the area of psychology of decision-making. It focuses on intuitive decision-making, the role of context and its relationship to decisional satisfaction and well-being. First research project addressed the possibility of generalisation of selected intuitive heuristics on non-financial decisions. Despite some methodological issues, results show that we invest time more easily than money, and intuitive heuristics cannot be automatically generalized to time decisions. Second research project focuses on context and its impact on decisional satisfaction. It shows decisional satisfaction can be influenced through decisional context. Eliminating escalation of commitment impacted resulting satisfaction on an experiential level, although cognitive level remained intact. Last research project focused on interindividual differences in relation to decisional satisfaction and well-being. Results show that higher competence influences decisional style, but it only higher self-confidence, perceived decisiveness, comes with higher decisional satisfaction and well-being. Data from this study do not allow to make judgment as to the direction of a causal relationship. Nevertheless, it opens many new questions in the...

Critical infrastructures are vital services, and attacks on such systems affect people's social and economic well-being. Therefore, operators of such services must have appropriate measures in place to handle IT-related incidents. However, reports show that organisations classified as Operators of Essential Services (OES) do not have appropriate measures to handle IT-related incidents. A case study approach is used in this study to test the usability and the applicability of Wahlgren's Escalation Maturity Model level within various public sector organisations in Sweden regarding their escalation and communication of IT-related incidents. A follow-up semi-structured interview is also conducted with employees at the technical level to determine if the current organisation's maturity level shortcomings are known across different organisational levels. The tool's maturity level scaling attributes are difficult to understand because all organisations in this study achieve the same level of maturity, even though there is a wide range of performance regarding the number of questions answered in the affirmative. The data output generated from the testing of the model can assist organisations in improving their incident escalation activities. However, the lack of precision of the model makes it challenging to apply in the public sector. The results reveal that all the five organisations obtained an escalation maturity level of zero (0), non-existent, regarding escalation of IT-related incidents. As a result, with the current model, the participating organisations will have a difficult task complying with the NIS Directive's security and notification requirements.

The Russian-Ukrainian relationship is inherently complex. Since the end of the Cold War, there have been several defining moments in this relationship, which have contributed to how Russia perceives any potential challenges to its security. Securitising discourse from Russian political leadership, namely the President, offers an insight into what aspects of this relationship are escalated so extensively that extreme courses of action may be deemed necessary (i.e., a full-scale invasion of Ukraine). Drawing on Buzan et al. (1998), this project identifies the key sectors that Russia politicises, and those that it securitises vis-à-vis Ukraine. In addition, this study highlights the key sub-themes within politicisation and securitisation that were found within these sectors. This is all within a timeframe where relations have moved from comparatively stable to a time of war (February 2019 – February 2023). There is some degree of overlap between the themes politicised and securitised, especially across the military, political, societal, and economic sectors of security. There were no cases of securitisation within the environmental sector. Overall, this study found a significant shift in Russia’s securitisation framing of Ukraine from mid-2021 onwards.