According to Faircloth, Capella & Alford, (2001), a brand is one of the most important assets a company can possess. A brand is what the consumers relate to when differentiating one com-pany from another and therefore plays a vital role for determining competitive advantage. How-ever, in the modern world, with the increasing technology advances, companies are losing more and more control of what is said and spread about their brands. What takes companies years to build can nowadays be destroyed in just a short amount of time. When dealing with negative publicity, a company‟s actions have a crucial role in determining the outcome of the negative publicity. The theoretical literature suggests that strong respective weak corporate response, will decide whether the consumers‟ brand attitude will be improved or wors-ened. Furthermore, it is also argued that consumers‟ commitment level can temper the effects of negative publicity in the sense that the more committed a consumer is, the more he/she will re-sist a change in brand attitude. Therefore, the purpose of this study is "to examine if consumers’ atti-tude towards a brand is changed depending on strong or weak corporate response to the negative publicity. A significant aspect is to investigate and further associate the commitment variable to the outcome of change in attitudes as a result of the negative publicity." In order to determine the cause-and-effect relationship between corporate response and brand attitude, an experiment was conducted where corporate response was the independent variable and brand attitude was the dependent variable. Furthermore, the commitment variable was in-cluded as a covariate; an independent variable not manipulated by the experimenter but still ex-pected to affect the outcome. Three different questionnaires were created: 1) Negative publicity with weak corporate response, 2) Negative publicity with strong corporate response, and 3) Negative publicity only. The experiment was conducted on consumers in Jönköping. The results indicate that whether a company decides to reply with a strong or weak corporate re-sponse to negative publicity, it will in the end have an effect on the consumers‟ brand attitude. Furthermore, the results also reveal that a consumer‟s level of commitment reinforces the effect of corporate response on his/her attitude towards a brand. In other words, the degree of the consumers‟ commitment towards a brand can temper the effect of negative publicity, ultimately saving companies from the consequences of negative publicity. / Ett varumärke är enligt Faircloth, Capella & Alford (2001), företagets viktigaste tillgång. Varu-märket spelar en viktig roll i att avgöra ett företags konkurrensfördel, då konsumenter relaterar till ett varumärke för att kunna differentiera mellan olika företag. I takt med de ökande teknolo-giska framryckningar i den moderna världen, har företag däremot börjat förlora alltmer kontroll över det som sägs och sprids om företagets varumärke. Det som tar företag åratal att bygga upp kan numera förgöras under en kort tidsperiod. När det gäller att handskas med negativ publicitet har företagets handlingar en stor inverkan på konsekvensen av den negativa publicitet som företaget har utsatts för. Den teoretiska litteraturen föreslår att stark respektive svag företagsrespons kommer att avgöra om konsumenternas attityd gentemot varumärket kommer förbättras eller försämras. Dessutom menar man att konsumen-tens lojalitetsnivå har en dämpande effekt på negativ publicitet. Ju lojalare en konsument är, des-to mer kommer han/hon att motstå en ändring i attityd gentemot varumärket i fråga trots den negativa publiciteten. Därmed är syftet med denna uppsats att ”undersöka om konsumenters attityd gentemot ett varumärke ändras beroende på stark eller svag företagsrespons i förhållande till den negativa publici-teten. En betydelsefull aspekt är att utreda och associera den kompletterande variabeln, lojalitet, med de utfallande ändringarna i attityd till följd av negativ publicitet”. I avsikt att utröna orsak-och-verkan relationen mellan företagsrespons och varumärkesattityd, ut-fördes ett experiment där företagsrespons var den oberoende variabeln och varumärkesattityd var den beroende variabeln. Därutöver, var lojalitetsvariabeln inkluderad som en covariate, dvs. en oberoende variabel som inte var manipulerad av forskarna men som ändå förväntades påver-ka resultatet. Tre olika enkäter var utformade: 1) Negativ publicitet med svag företagsrespons, 2) Negativ publicitet med stark företagsrespons, och 3) Endast negativ publicitet. Experimentet ut-fördes på konsumenter i Jönköping. Resultaten påvisar att vare sig ett företag väljer att hantera negativ publicitet genom stark eller svag företagsrespons, kommer resultatet att ha en inverkan på konsumenternas varumärkesatti-tyd. För övrigt visar resultaten att nivån av konsumentens lojalitet gentemot ett varumärk kom-mer att förstärka effekten av företagsresponsen på kundens varumärkesattityd. Med andra ord, graden av konsumenters lojalitet mot ett varumärke kan dämpa effekten av negativ publicitet och därmed rädda företag från degeneration av varumärket till följd av negativ publicitet. / Grade: VG, (ECTS) A

<p> </p><p> </p><p>According to Faircloth, Capella & Alford, (2001), a brand is one of the most important assets a company can possess. A brand is what the consumers relate to when differentiating one com-pany from another and therefore plays a vital role for determining competitive advantage. How-ever, in the modern world, with the increasing technology advances, companies are losing more and more control of what is said and spread about their brands. What takes companies years to build can nowadays be destroyed in just a short amount of time. When dealing with negative publicity, a company‟s actions have a crucial role in determining the outcome of the negative publicity. The theoretical literature suggests that strong respective weak corporate response, will decide whether the consumers‟ brand attitude will be improved or wors-ened. Furthermore, it is also argued that consumers‟ commitment level can temper the effects of negative publicity in the sense that the more committed a consumer is, the more he/she will re-sist a change in brand attitude. Therefore, the purpose of this study is <em>"to examine if consumers’ atti-tude towards a brand is changed depending on strong or weak corporate response to the negative publicity. A significant aspect is to investigate and further associate the commitment variable to the outcome of change in attitudes as a result of the negative publicity." </em></p><p>In order to determine the cause-and-effect relationship between corporate response and brand attitude, an experiment was conducted where corporate response was the independent variable and brand attitude was the dependent variable. Furthermore, the commitment variable was in-cluded as a covariate; an independent variable not manipulated by the experimenter but still ex-pected to affect the outcome. Three different questionnaires were created: 1) Negative publicity with weak corporate response, 2) Negative publicity with strong corporate response, and 3) Negative publicity only. The experiment was conducted on consumers in Jönköping. The results indicate that whether a company decides to reply with a strong or weak corporate re-sponse to negative publicity, it will in the end have an effect on the consumers‟ brand attitude. Furthermore, the results also reveal that a consumer‟s level of commitment reinforces the effect of corporate response on his/her attitude towards a brand. In other words, the degree of the consumers‟ commitment towards a brand can temper the effect of negative publicity, ultimately saving companies from the consequences of negative publicity.</p><p> </p><p> </p> / <p>Ett varumärke är enligt Faircloth, Capella & Alford (2001), företagets viktigaste tillgång. Varu-märket spelar en viktig roll i att avgöra ett företags konkurrensfördel, då konsumenter relaterar till ett varumärke för att kunna differentiera mellan olika företag. I takt med de ökande teknolo-giska framryckningar i den moderna världen, har företag däremot börjat förlora alltmer kontroll över det som sägs och sprids om företagets varumärke. Det som tar företag åratal att bygga upp kan numera förgöras under en kort tidsperiod. När det gäller att handskas med negativ publicitet har företagets handlingar en stor inverkan på konsekvensen av den negativa publicitet som företaget har utsatts för. Den teoretiska litteraturen föreslår att stark respektive svag företagsrespons kommer att avgöra om konsumenternas attityd gentemot varumärket kommer förbättras eller försämras. Dessutom menar man att konsumen-tens lojalitetsnivå har en dämpande effekt på negativ publicitet. Ju lojalare en konsument är, des-to mer kommer han/hon att motstå en ändring i attityd gentemot varumärket i fråga trots den negativa publiciteten. Därmed är syftet med denna uppsats att ”undersöka om konsumenters attityd gentemot ett varumärke ändras beroende på stark eller svag företagsrespons i förhållande till den negativa publici-teten. En betydelsefull aspekt är att utreda och associera den kompletterande variabeln, lojalitet, med de utfallande ändringarna i attityd till följd av negativ publicitet”. I avsikt att utröna orsak-och-verkan relationen mellan företagsrespons och varumärkesattityd, ut-fördes ett experiment där företagsrespons var den oberoende variabeln och varumärkesattityd var den beroende variabeln. Därutöver, var lojalitetsvariabeln inkluderad som en covariate, dvs. en oberoende variabel som inte var manipulerad av forskarna men som ändå förväntades påver-ka resultatet. Tre olika enkäter var utformade: 1) Negativ publicitet med svag företagsrespons, 2) Negativ publicitet med stark företagsrespons, och 3) Endast negativ publicitet. Experimentet ut-fördes på konsumenter i Jönköping. Resultaten påvisar att vare sig ett företag väljer att hantera negativ publicitet genom stark eller svag företagsrespons, kommer resultatet att ha en inverkan på konsumenternas varumärkesatti-tyd. För övrigt visar resultaten att nivån av konsumentens lojalitet gentemot ett varumärk kom-mer att förstärka effekten av företagsresponsen på kundens varumärkesattityd. Med andra ord, graden av konsumenters lojalitet mot ett varumärke kan dämpa effekten av negativ publicitet och därmed rädda företag från degeneration av varumärket till följd av negativ publicitet.</p> / Grade: VG, (ECTS) A

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Architecture

No description available.

This work presents a study of the discovery potential for the neutral supersymmetric Higgs bosons h/A/H decaying to tau pairs with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The study is based on Monte Carlo samples which are scaled to state-of-the-art cross sections. The analyses are designed assuming an integrated luminosity of 30 1/fb and a center-of-mass energy of sqrt(s) = 14 TeV. The results are interpreted in the mmax h benchmark scenario. Two final states are analyzed: The dileptonic channel where the two tau leptons decay to electrons or muons and the lepton-hadron channel where one tau decays to an electron or muon and the other tau decays to hadrons. The study of the dilepton channel is based completely on the detailed ATLAS simulation, the analysis of the lepton-hadron channel is based on the fast simulation. The collinear approximation is used to reconstruct the Higgs boson mass and its performance is studied. Cuts are optimized in order to discriminate the signal from background and to maximize the discovery potential given a certain Higgs boson mass hypothesis. In the lepton-hadron channel the selection is split into two analyses depending on the number of identified b-jets. Procedures to estimate the dominant backgrounds from data are studied. The shape and normalization of the Z to tautau background are estimated from Z to leptonlepton control regions. The ttbar contributions to the signal regions are estimated from ttbar control regions. The individual analyses are combined and sensitivity predictions are made depending on the Higgs boson mass mA and the coupling parameter tanβ. The light neutral MSSM Higgs bosons with mA = 150 GeV can be discovered when at least tanbeta = 11 is realized in nature. The heavy neutral MSSM Higgs bosons with mA = 800 GeV can be discovered for tanbeta ≥ 44. However, due to the large width of the reconstructed Higgs boson mass and the mass degeneration, only the sum of at least two of the three Higgs boson signals will be visible.

This diploma work deals the possibilities of use of demonstration set in teaching of optics in the physics. It is focused on general use of technical didactical means in teaching and various approachs to experiments in the school physics. Comparison of actually available sets for demonstration experiments is incorporated in this work. It contains also set of selected experiments and worksheets which were used for verification of tasks. Results of the worksheets are analysed and form the part of the work. The aim is to verify the benefit of use of demonstration sets in the physics teaching.

The half-life of two-neutrino double beta decay of 150 Nd has been measured with data taken by the NEMO-3 experiment at the Modane Underground Laboratory. Using 1918.5 days of data recorded with 36.55 g of 150 Nd the half-life of this process is measured to be T2ν 1/2 = (8.99 ± 0.18 (stat.) ± 0.71 (syst.)) × 1018 y. SuperNEMO is the successor to NEMO-3 and will be one of the next generation of 0νββ experiments. It aims to measure 82 Se with an half-life sensitivity of 1026 yr corresponding to ⟨mββ⟩ < 50 - 100 meV. In order to achieve this target, a testing apparatus for the scintillator characterization has been developed and 140 scintillator blocks were characterized for the calorimeter of the SuperNEMO. It was determined that none of the blocks violate defined criteria of uniformity (± 3% for the energy resolution at 1 MeV) nor the criteria of energy resolution (< 16% at 1 MeV). The average uniformity of the blocks was found to be 0.7% and the average energy resolution of these blocks is 12% at 1 MeV. However, it was discovered during the visual tests that 23 out of 140 blocks contain more than 20 visible dust specks, thus alarming the possible contamination of these blocks with the natural radioactive isotopes.

Seed addition experiment was conducted on the moisture gradient with aim to demonstrate that many species not accounted by current measures of species pools in a site should be included because they are in fact able to establish successfully if biotic filter is removed. Transplant experiment was established to compare the sensitivity of seedling recruitment and survival of transplants in the field. Recruitment of seedlings in field was observed and compared with germination of seeds under different chilling treatments in laboratory.

Experiments based on the method of mark-recapture can be used for estimation of the abundance of natural populations, for monitoring dispersion of groups or individual specimens within a population using group or individual marking. Semiaquatic bugs (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha) were marked and recaptured many times in the field during research, individual marking was much less used since marking of small insects is difficult. The aim of this work is to develop a method of individual marking of semiaquatic bugs so that it would meet conditions such as durability, legibility and non affecting health of the marked specimen. Semiaquatic bugs of Aquarius paludum, Gerris lacustris, Limnoporus rufoscutellatus (Gerridae) and Velia caprai (Veliidae) species were selected as experimental organisms. Partial aims of this thesis were to try using this method to describe the abundance of the monitored population and to monitor dispersion of the selected species, both at lotic (V. caprai) and lentic habitats (water striders, family Gerridae). A new method of individual marking of semiaquatic bugs was developed on the basis of modifications of the commonly used methods. After a series of tests and in-field research, this method proved to be suitable as it met the essential conditions for marking insects. The abundance of the monitored population was estimated and dispersion of the selected species (V. caprai) in running water was described by using this method. The partial aims of this thesis were met, too. It was confirmed that individuals of the V. caprai species move between the monitored areas along the water course. This inclination to move is greater than tendency to remain in the place of release. The gained data also show conclusively higher rate of movement of V. caprai specimens in the upstream direction, compared to the downstream. The tendency of V. caprai to travel larger distance upstream than downstream, is significant too. No statistically relevant difference in either direction of the water course (up or down) in the surpassed altitude difference was confirmed. The differences in the monitored phenomena between the sexes and generations were compared as well. The differences, however, were not significant. A movement of the adults of the water cricket Velia caprai thus can be characterized as an upstream migration, common in insects of lotic habtitats. A part of the study taking place in still waters showed, that G. lacustris specimens move on the surface of the pond, but not to a larger degree than they remain in place. On the other hand, A. paludum specimens were proved to move away from the place of release rather than remaining in that place. These also overcome greater distance than G. lacustris specimens.

Left-hand drive (LHD) vehicles share higher road accident risks under left-hand traffic because of blind spot areas. Due to low import prices, the number of wrong-hand drive vehicles skyrockets in emerging countries like Georgia, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. I identify the causal effect of wrong-hand drive vehicles on road safety employing a new “backward version” of the synthetic control method. Sweden switched from left-hand to right-hand traffic in 1967. Before 1967, however, almost all Swedish vehicles were LHD for reasons of international trade and Swedish customer demand. I match on accident figures in the period after 1967, when both Sweden and other European countries drove on the right and used LHD vehicles. Results show that right-hand traffic decreased road fatality, injury and accident risk in Sweden by approximately 30 percent. An earlier switch would have saved more than 4,000 lives between 1953 and 1966.