Bakgrund: Uppmärksamhetsfokus på omgivningen/externt fokus har återkommande visat förbättra motorisk färdighet, inlärning och prestation under flertalet olika motoriska uppgifter i jämförelse med fokus på egna kroppen/internt fokus. Instruktioner som uppmuntrar till internt fokus är mer förekommande vid rehabiliteringen av skador som ruptur av främre korsbandet, däremot har externt fokus visats påverka kinematiska variabler som kan minska risken för återskada. Uppmärksamhetsfokus inverkan på kinematiken under knäböj på vippbräda har dock inte studerats tidigare. Syfte: Syftet var att undersöka om instruktioner som uppmuntrar olika uppmärksamhetsfokus har en inverkan på uförande mätt som rörelseflyt, knästabilitet och balans under ett knäböj på vippbräda samt om det fanns skillnader i utförande mellan personer utan knäskada och personer med främre korsbandsrekonstruktion (ACLr). Metod: Sexton deltagare (11 icke-skadade, 5 ACLr) genomförde sex knäböj på en vippbräda under tre omgångar med instruktioner som uppmuntrade till antingen inget särskilt fokus (neutralt), externt fokus (på vippbrädan) eller internt fokus (på fötterna). Alla knäböj registrerades med ett tredimensionellt kamerasystem. Neutralt fokus utfördes först följt av externt eller internt fokus i randomiserad ordning. Utfallsvariabeln rörelseflyt mättes som avvikelser i knäböjets hastighetskurva, knästabilitet som adduktion/abduktion av underbenet och balans som brädans avvikande lutning i horisontalplan. Resultat: Internt fokus ledde till signifikant mindre knäadduktion (gruppmedian skillnad 1.9°) under flexionsfasen när man slog ihop alla 16 deltagare jämfört med neutralt fokus. Inga andra signifikanta resultat noterades mellan uppmärksamhetsfokus eller mellan grupperna utifrån utfallsvariablerna.   Slutsats: Uppmärksamhetsfokus hade ingen konsekvent inverkan på rörelseflyt, balans och knästabilitet bland våra deltagare. Fler studier med högre deltagarantal vid liknande komplexa uppgifter behövs.

This study extends Regulatory Fit Theory (Higgins, 2000) to examine horizontal regulatory fit (Scholer & Higgins, 2010) in the context of performance feedback. Participants completed the Regulatory Focus Questionnaire (Higgins et al., 2001) to measure their chronic motivational orientation, then worked on an adapted version of an in-basket task (Holmes & Hauenstein, 2012) across two sessions. Hypotheses predicted that compared to instances of non-fit, conditions of regulatory fit between chronic and situational and motivational orientations (Promotion vs. Prevention) would have a significantly greater impact on the following three outcomes: 1) Variety and Frequency of Feedback Use, 2) Feedback Recall, and 3) Attitudes toward both Feedback and the In-basket Task. Overall results supported this assertion. Participants in condition of regulatory fit engaged in a significantly greater variety of behaviors and did so more frequently than those in non-fit conditions. Additionally, participants in regulatory fit conditions had stronger positive attitudes toward feedback than those in non-fit conditions. Counter to previous research, regulatory fit did not have significant impact on feedback recall in the current study, nor did regulatory fit have a significant impact on the attitudes toward in-basket task. / Master of Science

進入21世紀，公司對履行企業社會責任的概念越來越重視。然而，先前的研究較少注重於何種因素驅使公司朝永續企業發展，本研究從心理學調節焦點的角度探討公司執行長的心理特質是否對社會責任的履行有重要影響，而調節焦點把一般人區分為促進焦點與防禦焦點。 本文依據S&P1500中4714個樣本觀察值，利用各公司致股東報告書裡的關鍵字衡量樣本公司執行長的調節焦點強度。實證結果發現，擁有高促進焦點的執行長與企業社會責任的缺失有負向關係，而高防禦焦點的執行長則會降低公司社會責任的優勢並產生較多缺失。這些結果代表不同心理特質的執行長，由於對達成目標的方式也不同，進而影響到實際公司的策略結果。本研究結果對公司董事會、提名委員會及其他利關係人在選任高階經理人以推行企業社會責任時具有重要意涵。

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This research investigates the new psychological contract phenomenon in an organisational case study. The research question underpinning this study is - What are the core attributes of the new employment relationship? To investigate this research question, the researcher applied Noer's (1997) new employment relationship model to a disproportionate stratified sample of 19 participants from three organisational perspectives in an Australian-based international travel retail organisation, Flight Centre Limited, which specialises in the sale of discount international airfares. Data from a survey instrument were analysed using a "Multi-source Assessment" instrument. The data analysis method was used to create a schema to guide and inform a series of focus groups. The research findings validated Noer's five attributes of Flexible Employment, Customer-focus, Focus on Performance, Project-based Work and Human Spirit & Work. In addition, three other attributes of the new employment relationship emerged from the data, namely, Loyalty & Commitment, Learning & Development and Open Information. The research findings validate eight core attributes of the new employment relationship and therefore make a contribution to the expanding body of research in this field. The research approach also provides organisational practitioners with a unique consulting methodology to merge the changing needs and interests of individual and organisation.

This essay aims to investigate theoretically how two currently used coursebooks, What’s Up 9 and Solid Gold 1, in a local area of Southern Sweden, present (introduces and covers) grammar. The overall aim is to investigate how grammar is presented, using the present simple and the present continuous as examples. The findings are also mapped to teaching approaches, as well as SLA (Second Language Acquisition) research, to see what approaches are favoured for teaching grammar in the first decades of the 21st century. In order to investigate the course- books, a qualitative content analysis and conceptual analysis was chosen with the presentation of grammar mapped into different categories, by using concepts for teaching and approaches used in SLA. The results show that the two proposed coursebooks favoured a FoFs (Focus on Forms) approach for presenting grammar. Furthermore, the results show that grammar is pre- sented explicitly and, if the teachers use the structures proposed in the coursebook rigidly, they automatically follow a deductive teaching procedure. When using a FoFs, explicit instructions and taking a deductive teaching approach, it may be regarded as the coursebooks suggest a grammar-translation approach as well. However, when observing other exercises connected to the reading texts in the coursebooks, it was detected that both coursebooks favoured a text- based approach for teaching, where the learners are supposed to learn the structure of different texts. In doing so, the grammatical structures are learned subconsciously and implicitly, which indicates that grammar is, in general, taught implicitly in the coursebooks, but presented (intro- duced and covered) explicitly.

One of the most important tasks that business leaders undertake in order to achieve a superior market position is strategic planning. Beyond this obligation, business owners desire to maximize profit and maintain steady growth. In order to do this, resources must be invested in the most efficient way possible in order to achieve performance excellence. Adjusting business operations quickly, however, especially in times of economic uncertainty, is extremely difficult. Business leaders therefore need insight into which elements of organizational improvement are most effective in order to strategically invest their resources to achieve superior performance in the most efficient way possible. This research examines the results of companies which have a demonstrated ability to achieve performance excellence as defined by the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Malcolm Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence. This research examined award-winning applications to determine common input factors, compared the business results of a subset of those award-winners with the overall market for a time-frame of 11 years, and then investigated the profitability, liquidity, debt management, asset management, and per share performance ratios of award-winners compared with their industry peers over 11 years as well. The main focus of this research is to determine whether participation in performance excellence best practices have created value for shareholders and business owners. This objective is achieved through the analysis of performance results of award winning companies. This research demonstrates that the integration of efforts associated with performance excellence is in-fact advantageous.

Com o objetivo de investigar as partículas modais da língua alemã presentes em materiais didáticos de ensino de alemão como língua estrangeira (ALE) destinados a aprendizes iniciantes, realizamos uma pesquisa empírica a partir das séries Deutsch als Fremdsprache 1A Stufen International, Studio D e a fim de verificar: quais partículas são apresentadas e quais funções comunicativas (com base em Helbig, 1990) elas exercem nas interações representadas nos materiais em questão. As ocorrências foram também analisadas com relação aos tipos de foco propostos por Long (1989; 1991). Verificamos, ainda, quais os tipos de atividades e/ou exercícios propostos nesses materiais em que tais partículas estão inseridas. No corpus, foram identificadas 17 partículas modais ou conjuntos de partículas, com um total de 617 ocorrências. As cinco partículas com maior número de ocorrência são: denn (32%), doch (19%), mal (15%), ja (10%) e eigentlich (7%). A partir da análise das situações comunicativas propostas nos materiais do corpus, desenvolvemos um elenco de 31 funções, no qual destacam-se aquelas expressas por denn, doch, mal e ja, evidenciando sua importância desde os primeiros passos na língua. No corpus, as partículas modais são utilizadas principalmente para expressar cortesia e atenuação, para fazer valer a vontade do falante diante de seu interlocutor, ou, ainda, para direcionar o interlocutor ao consenso desejado pelo falante. No que se refere aos tipos de exercícios nos quais as partículas estão inseridas, a totalidade deles é mecânica/reprodutiva nos volumes relativos ao nível A do Quadro Europeu Comum de Referência (QECR) para Línguas. Dessa forma, fica clara a importância da exposição às partículas modais desde o início da aprendizagem do alemão como LE, ainda que não de forma produtiva. Os resultados da análise mostram que tanto materiais comunicativos quanto não comunicativos abordam o tema a partir do foco no significado, no qual a atenção do aprendiz é deslocada para esse significado sem se deter na forma, excluindo-se o ensino formal da gramática, que é aprendida implícita e incidentalmente. A partir dessa constatação, pode-se inferir que os três materiais, em princípio, reconhecem que as partículas modais são importantes para a comunicação autêntica, mas que não necessariamente precisam ser trabalhadas pelo professor. / In order to investigate the modal particles of the German language presented in teaching materials of German as a foreign language for beginners, we conducted an empirical research on the series Deutsch als Fremdsprache IA, Stufen international and Studio D, in order to verify which particles are presented and which communicative functions (based on Helbig 1990) they exert on the interactions represented in the materials in question. The occurrences were also analyzed in relation to the types of focus proposed by Long (1989; 1991), as well as the types of proposed activities and / or exercises in which such particles are inserted. In the corpus, 17 modal particles or sets of particles were identified, with a total of 617 occurrences. The five particles with highest occurrence are: denn (32%), doch (19%), mal (15%), ja (10%) and eigentlich (7%). From the analysis of the communicative situations presented in the corpus materials, we developed a set of 31 functions, in which those expressed by denn, doch, mal and ja stand out, evidencing their importance from the first steps in the language. In the analyzed materials, the modal particles are mainly used to express courtesy and attenuation, to assert the will of the speaker in relation to his interlocutor, or even to direct the interlocutor to the consensus desired by the speaker. Regarding the type of exercises in which the particles are inserted, its totality is of the mechanical / reproductive type in the volumes referring to level A of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Thus, it is clear the importance of exposure to the modal particles from the beginning of the learning of German as a foreign language, even though in a non-productive way. The results of the analysis show that both communicative and non-communicative materials approach the theme from the focus on meaning, in which the attention of the learner is shifted to meaning without dwelling on form, excluding formal grammar teaching, which is learned implicitly and incidentally. From this observation, on can infer that the three materials, in principle, recognize that the modal particles are important for authentic communication, but do not necessarily need to be actively approached by the teacher.

<p>This thesis investigates acquisition of negation and focus particles in oral L2 French. It concerns adverbs of addition (aussi, encore), restriction (seulement) and temporal contrast (déjà, encore). These items all lack independent referential value i.e. they depend on other constituents in an utterance for their interpretation, they are not structurally obligatory and they variably affect other constituents in an utterance. The learner has to capture the significance of each item, its syntactic position and its pragmatic function in a given context.</p><p>The study aims at describing the development in oral production of 24 Swedish learners, beginners to very advanced, and 6 native speakers, in all together 80 interviews, in order to postulate an acquisitional itinerary.</p><p>The analysis consists of two parts. The first one concerns negation types such as non in various functions, constituent negation (pas X), phrasal negation (ne…pas) and semi-negations (ne…aucun/jamais/personne/rien). The results show, inter alia, that non is used in different pragmatic functions at different levels of acquisition. At the initial stage, non is also used idiosyncratically as a constituent negation and as a preverbal phrasal negation. At the post-initial stage, where also the verbs are mainly finite, phrasal negation (ne) pas is post-verbal. Furthermore, the analysis showed that jamais and rien appear prior to the other semi-negations. In the second part, the use of focus particles is analyzed. The study revealed that the additive particle aussi appears first, in an initial or final position of an utterance, followed by additive encore and restrictive seulement at the post-initial stage and that the temporal adverbs encore and déjà are almost solely used by advanced learners. An acquisitional sequence was postulated, with idiosyncratic negation and additive focus particles appearing previous to post-verbal negation and restrictive particles. The temporal adverbs of contrast appear at the advanced stages.</p>

This thesis investigates acquisition of negation and focus particles in oral L2 French. It concerns adverbs of addition (aussi, encore), restriction (seulement) and temporal contrast (déjà, encore). These items all lack independent referential value i.e. they depend on other constituents in an utterance for their interpretation, they are not structurally obligatory and they variably affect other constituents in an utterance. The learner has to capture the significance of each item, its syntactic position and its pragmatic function in a given context. The study aims at describing the development in oral production of 24 Swedish learners, beginners to very advanced, and 6 native speakers, in all together 80 interviews, in order to postulate an acquisitional itinerary. The analysis consists of two parts. The first one concerns negation types such as non in various functions, constituent negation (pas X), phrasal negation (ne…pas) and semi-negations (ne…aucun/jamais/personne/rien). The results show, inter alia, that non is used in different pragmatic functions at different levels of acquisition. At the initial stage, non is also used idiosyncratically as a constituent negation and as a preverbal phrasal negation. At the post-initial stage, where also the verbs are mainly finite, phrasal negation (ne) pas is post-verbal. Furthermore, the analysis showed that jamais and rien appear prior to the other semi-negations. In the second part, the use of focus particles is analyzed. The study revealed that the additive particle aussi appears first, in an initial or final position of an utterance, followed by additive encore and restrictive seulement at the post-initial stage and that the temporal adverbs encore and déjà are almost solely used by advanced learners. An acquisitional sequence was postulated, with idiosyncratic negation and additive focus particles appearing previous to post-verbal negation and restrictive particles. The temporal adverbs of contrast appear at the advanced stages.