<p dir="ltr">This work provides a new framework for investigating instances where multitasking and focusing do not need to trade off, but can rather coexist.</p>

這是一個高度競爭與不確定的年代，隨著全球化與自由化時代的來臨，配合資訊科技的日新月異與交通工具的發達，無論是政府部門或是公民營企業，為順應世界潮流，在組織結構與人力資源運用上，都必須有適度彈性，以維繫組織的生存。 走過ㄧ個世紀的中華郵政亦配合政府組織再造政策，於民國92年1月1日由官署型態轉型為國營的公司體制；但在改制公司後，相關組織員額及用人費用仍受相當限制，因此在配合政府精簡用人政策下，尋求更靈活的人力運用方式做好更適切的人力配置及人力彈性運用的規劃，以降低用人費用，健全公司營運，即成為中華郵政公司在人力資源管理上的一大挑戰。 本研究以「文獻探討法」暸解過去學術界對於人力彈性運用的相關理論外，針對個案公司-中華郵政公司人力彈性運用現況探討，並選擇中華郵政公司各類工作人員進行深度訪談，彙整分析該等人員意見，印證相關文獻、理論及政府政策，進而提出本研究之結論及建議，以供中華郵政未來人力彈性運用參考。 本研究結果發現：一、郵政人力不足源於人事行政局員額管制不當。二、郵政核心業務定義不清，致對於外包項目尚有爭議。三、對於目前外包項目及數量均有檢討必要。四、人力彈性運用層面尚有改善空間。 本研究依據上述研究結果，提出建議如下：一、建請人事行政局以「用人費」代替「預算員額」管制。二、釐清郵政核心業務，並評估核心人力與外圍人力比例，以規劃公司整體戰略與長期的策略性人力資源。三、各種人力彈性運用措施的落實與推廣。四、人力資源彈性運用，除財務指標有形成本外，尚應結合非財務指標無形成本做綜合考量，避免爭議。五、對於外包公司應善盡監督責任。 / The Chunghwa Post Corporation, which exists for one century, also cooperates with government re-organizing policy. In 2003, Chunghwa Post Corporation was changed from a government department to a state-run company. Although it is already a company structure, the relevant organizational structure and personnel expense are still quite limited. With obeying the government policy to reduce human cost, the challenge in human resource management for Chunghwa Post Corporation is to seek for more flexible and appropriate human resource arrangement and planning, to reduce the personnel expense and to make company operation healthy. In this research, besides the using of literature analysis method to understand related theories about the manpower flexibility in former researches, we also study the current manpower flexibility in the target case company, the Chunghwa Post Corporation. We interview all kinds of staff members in this company, summarize and analyze their opinions, reference to related documents, theories and government policies. After all, we provide our conclusion and suggestion to Chunghwa Post Company for future manpower flexibility. We found 4 results in our study: First, the shortage of postal manpower is due to the personnel quota is not proper handled by Central Personnel Administration. Second, the core postal business is not clear and that makes the outsourcing item controversial. Third, it is necessary to re-exam current outsourcing items and quantities. Last, there is still the space to improve the manpower flexibility. Due to the results of our research, we provide following suggestions: First,to suggest Central Personnel Administration use personnel costs instead of buddget personnel to make control. Second, we should make clear the core postal business, so we can evaluate the ratio of core and outside manpower, to plan the whole strategy and long-term human resource. Third, all kind of manpower flexibility arrangements should be well implemented. Forth, manpower flexibility is not only about the visible financial indexes, the invisible, non-financial indexes should be measured together to avoid dispute. Last, we should well monitor the outsourced company.

How to make teams Flexible without sacrificing their Efficiency? This is an important question especially in the context of Product Development (PD) organizations, as they operate in a dynamic environment and are highly team-driven. The answer to this question lies in understanding the role of all individual constituents that contribute to building Team Flexibility. One such constituent is teams’ Structure. This research work examines the role of Structural antecedents in building Flexibility into PD teams. This study considers PD Team Flexibility as a means to deal with both change and uncertainty. A conceptual framework of structural practices was developed to reflect this perspective. An ex-post facto survey based research design with Convenient Sampling technique was adopted for this study. Data was collected from 108 PD teams (both public and private sector) about their current structural practices, complexity of product development activity and their performances. The information collected from these teams was analysed to determine the key factors which would result in building Team Flexibility. The analysis of the data resulted in producing five antecedents. The results from the study suggest that, in general, designing structural practices centered on team ‘Participation and Control’ and ‘Time Bound Formalization’ antecedents helps in simultaneously achieving high Flexibility and Efficiency. The result also hints at the possibility of Large teams achieving both Flexibility and Efficiency with the introduction of appropriate practices designed around these antecedents. A caveat to the above claim is that complexity of PD activity would moderate the effectiveness of these antecedents and hence should be borne in mind before implementing them.

Self-concept structure has been extensively studied in the literature especially with regard to its relationship with psychological adjustment. However, the behavioral outcomes of the cognitive structure of the self and the mechanisms through which the relationship between self-concept structure and psychological adjsutment operate are still to be maintained. This study offered that the two dimensions of self-concept structure, differention and integration, would be related to the two dimensions of behavioral flexibility: Behavioral repertoire and deliberate adjustment of behaviors. iv Differentiation, tapping behavioral repertoire, was assumed to determine whether a person is flexible or rigid, while integration tapping deliberate adjustment were supposed to determine the quality of flexibility (i.e., whether the repertoire is controlled by the individual or by situational factors). By crossing these two dimensions, a model with four behavioral patterns was proposed: (1) Functional flexibility, characterized by both high integration and high differentiation / (2) situational flexibility, characterized by high differentiation but low integration / (3) stereotypical rigidity, characterized by low differentiation but high integration, and (4) effacing rigidity, which is low on both dimensions. Three studies were conducted on university students (N = 163, N = 123 and N = 242 for the three studies respectively) in order to test this model. Results revealed that the behavioral repertoire dimension of behavioral flexibility was linked to selfconcept differentiation, whereas the deliberate adjustment dimension was related to selfconcept integration. Functional flexibility and effacing rigidity patterns were clearly specified by measures of psychological adjustment, locus of control, need for cognition, need for approval and Big Five dimensions. Stereotypical rigidity and situational flexibilty patterns, however, seemed to require more elaboration. The model offering that flexibility mediates the link between self-concept structure and self-esteem was not supported.

Background Long life does not inevitably mean more healthy years; older women have an increased risk of disabilities, diseases and adverse life events. Nevertheless, many older women experience health. This may be explained by possessing resources that promote health, despite adversities. Inner strength is seen as a resource as such. In this thesis inner strength is interpreted according to a theoretical model where inner strength comprises four interrelated and interacting dimensions: connectedness, creativity, flexibility and firmness, and being rated by the Inner Strength Scale (ISS). Aim and methods The overall purpose of this thesis was to explore inner strength as a health resource among older women. In study I six focus group interviews were performed with older women (66-84 years; n = 29) and the interviews were analysed by a concept driven approach and by means of qualitative content analysis. Studies II–IV had a quantitative, cross-sectional design. A questionnaire was sent to all older women (65 years and older) living in Åland, an autonomous island community in the Baltic Sea, and 1555 (57%) women responded. The data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results In study I, exploring how inner strength and its dimensions can be identified in narratives of older women, connectedness was interpreted as a striving to be in communion, creativity as the ability to make the best of the situation, firmness as having a spirit of determination – “it is all up to you”, and flexibility as a balancing act. The results of study II showed that strong inner strength was associated with better mental health, but not physical health. In exploring factors associated with health-related quality of life, fewer symptoms of depressive disorders was the strongest explanatory variable, and together with not feeling lonely associated with better both physical health and mental health. Better physical health was also explained by not having a diagnosed disease, being of lower age and the opportunity to engage in meaningful leisure activities. Better mental health was additionally explained by having enough money for personal needs. In study III the result showed that non-depressed women were likely to have a strong inner strength, as well as never or seldom feeling lonely, taking fewer prescribed drugs, feeling needed and having the opportunity to engage in meaningful leisure activities. In study IV poorer mental health was associated with weaker inner strength in total, and in all four dimensions of inner strength. Symptoms of depressive disorders and feeling lonely were related to lower scores in three of the dimensions (except firmness and creativity, respectively) and poorer physical health was associated with lower scores in two of the dimensions (firmness and flexibility). Some other health threats were significantly associated with only one of the dimensions (connectedness or creativity), and others were not significantly associated at all. Conclusion The results add nuance to the notion of inner strength and deepen empirical knowledge about the phenomenon. It is elucidated that the ISS can be used not only to rate inner strength but also to offer guidance as to the areas (i.e. dimensions) in which interventions may be profitable. It is further shown that inner strengths can be identified in narratives of older women. Mental ill health has shown to have overall the strongest association with weakened inner strength among community-dwelling older women. The causality can, though, not be studied due to the cross-sectional design; therefore, longitudinal studies are recommended. Notwithstanding that limitation, the findings can be used as a knowledge base in further research within this field.

Recent research has implicated working memory in unconscious tasks, controversially shifting the viewpoint of conscious access necessitating working memory functions (Soto, Mäntylä &amp; Silvanto, 2011). The aim of this study was to investigate the flexibility of unconscious working memory using continuous flash suppression (CFS). Participants (n=18) completed a simple delayed-match-to-sample (DMS) task. Two conditions required the matching of either objects or spatial locations. CFS was used to render stimuli invisible and the perceptual awareness scale (PAS) helped to determine subjective conscious experience. Analysis determined no significant findings in d’ or reaction times. This confirmed the null hypothesis, that there would not be an affect on working memory due to presentation of visually suppressed information. These results may have been due to a lack of effect, complexity or procedural issues. Further research is needed to elucidate these non-significant results. This is especially critical since alternative methods examining unconscious working memory have found significant results.

People who cannot manage their daily life have the right to be granted assistance, according to SoL §4. The purpose of this study was to investigate how older people, who have been granted assistance with an open framework, feel that they are involved and able to influence the decisions that are being made. The advantages with a framework decision are that older people receive a greater influence and involvement, which provides greater security and a more flexible way of working. To fulfil the purpose, a qualitative interview with six care holders was conducted. The theoretical framework refers to Habermas’s Communications theory and Antonovsky’s theory of KASAM. The results o suggest that older people have difficulties in accepting their needs and try to fend for themselves for as long as possible. Furthermore, the study shows that good communication between the care holders and the organisation is vital, as the elderly do not know who to turn to when wanting to appeal or apply for more help. Moreover, our informants feel that they are involved in their care as they are able to interact with their home care staff and able to make decisions regarding what to wear for example. The informants also inform us that they do not change their relief efforts very often and that it is their relatives who are responsible for bringing forward complaints, when needed. However, it is mostly the care holders themselves that decide when or if their needs are changed, but for some of our informants this responsibility lies on their relatives. f our study

Today's energy production is changing from scheduled to intermittent generation due to the increasing energy injection from renewable sources. This alteration requires flexibility in energy generation and demand. Electric heat pumps and thermal storages were found to have a large potential to provide demand flexibility which is analysed in this work. A three-fold method is set up to generate thermal load profiles, to simulate heat pump pools and to assess heat pump flexibility. The thermal profile generation based on a combination of physical and behavioural models is successfully validated against measurement data. A randomised system sizing procedure was implemented for the simulation of heat pump pools. The parameter randomisation yields correct seasonal performance factors, full load hours and average operation cycles per day compared to 87 monitored systems. The flexibility assessment analysis the electric load deviation of representative heat pump pool in response to 5 different on / off signals. The flexibility is induced by the capacity of thermal storages and analysed by four parameters. Generally, on signals are more powerful than off signals. A generic assessment by the ambient temperature yield that the flexibility is highest for heating days and the activated additional space heating storage: Superheating of the storage to the maximal temperature provides a flexible energy of more than 400 kWh per 100 heat pumps in a temperature range between -10 and +13 °C.

Over the last two decades, share repurchases have emerged as the dominant payout channel, offering a more flexible means of returning excess cash to investors. However, little is known about the costs associated with payout-related financial flexibility. Using a unique identification strategy, we document a significant cost. We find that actual repurchase investments underperform hypothetical investments that mechanically smooth repurchase dollars through time by approximately two percentage points per year on average. This cost of financial flexibility is correlated with earnings management, managerial entrenchment, and less institutional monitoring. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The aim of this study is to investigate an inter-action and a roleplay activity that takes place every Friday at a preschool in a suburb of Stockholm. The aim is to investigate learning in this activity and how it is corresponding to the curriculum for preschools. What is the teachers aim and how do the children think, talk and act before, during and after the game. It is a qualitative study and data was collected through qualitative interviews, field notes from observations and recordings with my I-phone. The results showed that the play is useful as a pedagogical documentation and as a tool for reflection. According to the educators it is possible to involve the entire curriculum for preschool in this roleplay, such as fundamental value, conflict resolution, children´s participation, traditional topics as mathematics and languages. The activity has developed in a cooperation with children and teachers together.