Balancing is usually done in the later phases of creating a game to make sure everything comes together to an enjoyable experience. Most of the time balancing is done with a series of playthroughs by the designers or by outsourced play testers and the imbalances found are corrected followed by more playthroughs. This method occupies a lot of time and might therefore not find everything. In this study I use information gathered from interviews with experienced designers and designer texts along with features from methods frequently used for aiding the designers to make a conceptual design of a tool that is aimed towards simplifying the process of balancing and reducing the amount of work hours having to be spent on this phase.

Emotional and external eating are common eating behaviours in the general population, while not disordered eating per se they have been linked to overeating, obesity and problems engaging in health behaviours. Theories of emotional and external eating have been around for decades however little is known of the factors that contribute to these eating behaviours. Emotional and external eating tend to co-occur, and high correlations between them have been reported. Some theorists have argued that they are not distinct constructs. The current study aimed to provide further understanding on the nature and distinction between emotional and external eating in a non-clinical sample. The associations of impulsivity, alexithymia and negative affect in emotional and external eating were investigated, utilising a cross-sectional design. These variables have been shown to be related to eating behaviour in clinical samples however there has been limited research in non-clinical samples. Emotional eating was positively associated with alexithymia, negative affect and lack of perseverance, the relationship with urgency was less clear. External eating was indirectly associated with depression through the mediating variable urgency. The results indicated that emotional and external eating do show some similarities in the variables associated with them, however, the pattern of associations were different for the two eating behaviours. It appears from this study that the theoretical distinction between emotional eating and external eating is warranted with emotional eating appearing to be directly associated with problems with affect regulation whereas external eating is indirectly associated with negative affect.

Contributing to the broader debate on the nature and identity of the European Union (EU), this thesis is a study of the EU from the outside looking in: an examination of how this novel process of integration among the nations of Europe is viewed by its partners around the world, in particular in New Zealand through its television news media. While there are many studies which examine how the EU is understood and represented within its borders, there is an absence of parallel studies which consider the image of the EU from an external perspective. Recognising that the television news media plays a particularly important role in influencing the knowledge and perceptions of people on foreign matters, the thesis presents an analysis of the entire EU television news coverage in New Zealand's two prime-time television news bulletins throughout 2004. The primary research question that the thesis investigates is, how is the EU framed in the television news media of New Zealand, an external 'Other' of the EU? The study was multi-methodological in nature and analysed each of the relevant news items using content analysis, as well as undertaking deeper analysis of the metaphorical categorisations and the visual images of the EU, to detect the entire range of EU representations and the overall image of the EU these created for New Zealand television news audiences. These findings were then compared against corresponding research from Australia, South Korea and Thailand, as well as to the perceptions of New Zealand's leading newsmakers, in order to account for the most important trends in EU image formation in New Zealand. In particular it was found that the EU was often entirely absent from the New Zealand television news space, and when it was visible, was often presented in a way which ignored the extensive domestic relevance of the Union for New Zealand and its immediate region.

External flaming from buildings occurs as a result of a large amount of fuel being available in the room of fire origin in comparison to the amount of ventilation provided. The size of the openings in a compartment affects the amount of oxygen available within the fire room, and hence the amount of combustion that can take place inside. Excess fuel that is not burnt within the room flows out of the opening and combusts upon reaching the oxygen in the air outside. It is in this situation that flames are seen projecting out of the window. Flames projecting from openings pose the threat of fire spread from the room of fire origin. This threat increases with the size of the flames. Thus a dependable method for predicting the size of flames projecting from openings is required. This research addresses the issue of predicting flame heights projecting from openings, based on the heat release rate of a fire. The results are based on laboratory experiments and are presented in non-dimensional form, allowing application to scenarios that have not been specifically tested. This work supports the findings of other researchers, with appropriate adjustments made to compensate for differing experimental approaches. This indicates that the relationships established between the non-dimensional heat release rate and flame height are formed from a sound underlying principle. An empirical relationship between the non-dimensional flame height and heat release rate of a fire is presented in a simplified format to enable ease of use. The temperatures attained, and other observations from the compartment fire experiments are also presented and discussed. These were found to have dependence on a number of factors, with relationships varying between the individual experiments. The widely-used computational fluid dynamics model Fire Dynamics Simulator, Version 4 (FDS), was found to currently be unreliable in modelling the experimental scenarios. The results obtained were unrealistic and bore minimal resemblance to the experimental results, with extensive computational simulation time. The ability of the programme to model the compartment fire scenario requires further investigation to determine whether a finer grid resolution may improve results, or whether it is simply not able to model combustion processes involved at this stage.

In today competitive business environment MNCs need to extend their R&D and include external sources to explore and exploit knowledge; Open Innovation is used to meet this increased competitive environment. The aim of this thesis is to explore how MNCs act when they select their external collaboration channels; why MNCs select a specific channel of innovation and problems associated with the work. The conclusion of this thesis could help MNCs and their managers regarding the choice of Open Innovation channels. This thesis also studies different Open Innovation channels and when companies work with several channels together.   A qualitative multiple-case study was conducted to explore how seven MNCs act when they select which external channel to collaborate with to increase their innovation capacity. An MNCs´ Open Innovation channel selection process is formed by the innovation needed, the innovation needed tend to form which channel to collaborate with, for example the timeframe perspective; when MNCs are focusing on long-term development of products they collaborate with universities. Further, if an MNC wants to develop an already existing technique, they choose to collaborate with suppliers, as they are familiar with the product. All companies use their already existing network as a channel to gain external innovation and new ideas.

Up to date, it is unclear how Choice-Based Conjoint (CBC) models perform in terms of forecasting (external) real world aggregate shop data. In this contribution, we measure the performance of a Latent Class CBC model - not with an experimental holdout sample - but with aggregate real world scanning data. We find that the CBC model does not accurately predict real world market shares. In order to improve the forecasting performance, we propose a correction scheme based on external scanner data. Our analysis based on 8 brands shows that the use of the proposed correction vector improves the performance measure considerably. (author's abstract) / Series: Working Papers SFB "Adaptive Information Systems and Modelling in Economics and Management Science"

A wide use of social media and the development of digital communication channels have changed the game in grassroots activism. Embracing those new ways of communication gives a way to new forms of activism and raises questions about media’s shifting role in the sphere of social movements and collective action. The general aim of this study was to map the role of media in the Let’s Do It! (LDI) movement that fights against illegal waste by organizing clean-up campaigns and by building awareness about the problem among the general public. The purpose was to find out what role media plays in the mobilization of clean-up actions; in communicating with the whole LDI movement and in sustaining the global network. The research questions posed were: What communication channels are used, and how are they used by activists to reach general public and to engage the volunteers when organizing the local and the global clean-up campaigns in the LDI network? What is the value of the global Let’s Do It! network and how is global-local communication organized? To find out about the use of communication channels and the purpose of the global network, a web-survey and in-depth interviews with global and local members of Let’s Do It! were conducted. The results show that different communication channels have a different role in the process of coordinating clean-up campaigns and in sustaining the network. Traditional media is important for gaining wider visibility; digital channels of communication, especially social networking platforms, are multifunctional with combining the internal and the external communication; and face-to-face meetings and interpersonal relationships are deemed crucial in forming strong ties and sustaining the network both globally and locally. The actual media use is also strongly influenced by the cultural context and the resources available for the local teams.

This thesis examines records created through diplomatic activities and considers approaches to their archival description, using those created by the Canadian Department of External Affairs in the 1920s as a case study. The objective of the thesis is to explore the history of this record genre with a focus on how archivists can provide users with access to more authentic and meaningful diplomatic records. Chapter One will provide a broad overview history of the diplomatic genre as well as the place of such contextual knowledge about the creation and characteristics of these records. Chapter Two will introduce a key strategy that archives can implement to more effectively relay contextual knowledge to archival users through the function of description. Chapter Three will then introduce a case study, building upon the approach identified in Chapter Two, and based on Canada’s Department of External Affairs in the 1920s.

Since the face forms over the brain in the course of embryonic development, facial anthropometry may reflect brain structure. The motor functions of each side are controlled by the side of the brain opposite the body side. The purpose of this study was to establish whether a correlation exists between handedness and the location of the external auditory meatuses, as a possible consequence of brain asymmetry. Facial photographs were taken of 78 volunteers. Straws, placed in the external ear canals, were used to mark the external auditory meatuses. The level of the top of each meatus was measured from each volunteer's visual plane, as established by connecting the center of a point of reflected light in each pupil. Each volunteer was also given the Edinburgh Laterality Inventory (Durden-Smith and DeSimone, 1984:53) to determine "true" handedness (50 right-handers and 28 left-handers). Right-handers, as determined by either writing hand or laterality inventory, were found to exhibit a greater tendency for the left auditory meatus to be lower. Specifically, 68% of the right-handers, as opposed to 39% of the left-handers, exhibited a left external auditory meatus located at a lower position on the skull than the right meatus. This was significant at the 0.05 level. The differences in external auditory meatal distances from the visual plane were greater on the left in right-handers 68% of the time, equal 10%, and greater on the right 22% of the time. A reverse correlation for the right asymmetry for left-handers was not found. Instead, for the left-handed sample a nearly even distribution for meatal location was found: 39% left asymmetry, 29% symmetry, and 32% right asymmetry.The study strongly supported the hypothesis that right-handers have a significant tendency for left asymmetry in location of the external auditory meatuses. The study did not support the hypothesis that the meatal asymmetry correlates to the side opposite the handedness of the individual. Of-perhaps greater significance is the finding that the percentages of left asymmetry of both groups match the brain asymmetry percentages found by Galaburda (1984:15) for the planum temporale, an extension on the upper surface of the temporal lobe of the brain. The level of the external auditory meatuses, as a reflection of brain asymmetry, may serve as an external measurement of the location of Wernicke's area which is located near the planum temporale and has a major role in speaking and comprehension of the spoken word and in reading and writing. Simple techniques for locating the language centers of the brain would be an advantage in developing education plans and teaching strategies for students with each of the possible hemispheric dominance patterns. / Department of Anthropology

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to shed light on one part of the external auditor’s work by examining how the cooperation between external auditors and internal auditors is organized and if external auditors face a dilemma when cooperating with internal auditors. The focus will therefore be on what aspects are considered by the external auditor in the decision to cooperate with internal auditors (and to use their work), as well as how the external auditor safeguards the audit quality by maintaining an independently and professionally executed audit. Design/methodology/approach - This study was realized through a qualitative research method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with external auditors that have engagements with internal audit functions. All respondents are employed in the Big 4 and are operating in Sweden. Findings - The results of the study show that external auditors tend to use the work of internal auditors when they cooperate. To gain efficiency improvements is the main beneficial aspect the external auditors consider in the cooperation with internal auditors. The findings would suggest that some external auditors may act after self-interest more than others because if they start the cooperation and spend the time to evaluate the internal auditors’ work, they would prefer to use it. This would also indicate that the external auditors’ independence and professionalism can to some extent be compromised because there seems to be an acceptance of a certain degree of lower audit quality when using the work of internal auditors. Originality/value - The use of semi-structured interviews makes it possible to obtain deeper knowledge and complement prior studies concerning cooperation in the audit industry and how the external auditor considers different aspects in a decision-making environment.