Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 146-152). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

In Ni, Pearson and Poteshmans' (2005) Journal of Financial Economics-article, they claim that the expiration-day price-distribution of optionable stocks is subject to inefficiencies caused by stock price manipulation and portfolio rebalancing by delta hedgers. In this thesis, two main shortcomings of Ni et al.'s (2005) study are identified. In particular, they appear to have been ignorant of fundamental microstructure factors, and they did not derive an expression to represent the theoretical price-distribution of the relevant assets. After accounting for essential microstructure variables, and calculating the theoretical distribution, results that contradict Ni et al. (2005) are found. In particular, optionable stocks are found to experience efficiency gains on expiration days, and the distribution of underlying asset prices is closer to its theoretical benchmark on expiration days relative to non-expiration days.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Union Theological Seminary, New York, N.Y., 2008. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 226-238).

With twelve films released over the last thirty years, the Friday the 13th series has proved a popular mainstay of the slasher sub-genre of horror, in spite of negative critical reception and minimal academic engagement. The academic discourses that do address the series often frame their arguments based on socio-political function, socioeconomic platforms, psychoanalytic traditions, and cultural relevance. While there is some work that attempts to understand the generic positioning and function of the Friday the 13th films, little work has engaged with the film texts in order to understand and explain the form and structure of each instalment in the series. This thesis not only aims to explore and describe the aesthetic form of the slasher sub-genre of horror, but also to argue the central significance of perspective on the aesthetic effect of the slasher. Perspective, a term that builds upon theories of point of view and subjectivity, permeates the formal design of the slasher film. Therefore, this relationship will be the driving focus of the analysis undertaken with regards to the Friday the 13th films, which will include chapters focusing on specific uses of the camera, sound, editing, and sequences creating a narrative understanding of preceding films in the series. Following this analysis, the aesthetic development of the Friday the 13th series will be contextualised within contemporary generic trends, demonstrating to what extent this franchise is representative of the slasher, and where it proves anomalous or progressive. This will not only demonstrate the role the Friday the 13th films play within the slasher, but also how the slasher has aesthetically evolved over more than three decades. Ultimately, the relevance of this analysis and formal historicizing will be suggestive of the wider context of film studies and cinema as a whole.

Crux Fidelis is a musical and theatrical setting of the Roman Catholic Good Friday service. The work consists of three movements during which seven themes are developed in cyclic fashion thus making the overall form of the piece one of thematic variations. Variable tempos and moods are used throughout the work and are determined by the text. Linear construction, used primarily throughout the work, results in occasional vertical sonorities. A further synopsis of the elements of the work is included in the discussion and analysis.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Boston University

The goal of this thesis is to discuss the formation of Robinson Crusoe¡¦s capitalist identity in Daniel Defoe¡¦s Robinson Crusoe with the issue of dominance/submission and the concepts of capitalism. Defoe¡¦s Robinson Crusoe is regarded as the first novel in the English literary history. The novel tells how Crusoe, from exiled on an isolated island to return to English society, manipulates power of mastery with authority to undergo metamorphosis to be a colonizer and a successful capitalist. The novel deals with not only the issue of the establishment of Robinson Crusoe¡¦s identity struggling on the isolated island, but also the hegemony of Britain and the advocacy of Capitalism and Protestantism. This thesis consists of four chapters. In chapter one, I will briefly discuss the historical background and reasons, socially as well as politically, for the rise of the novel in the eighteenth century, and Daniel Defoe¡¦s background, his writing style, and his first novel Robinson Crusoe. In chapter two, I will clarify the illusion of the biblical Eden in the novel, and discuss the significance of the island for Robinson Crusoe. Moreover, how Crusoe¡¦s progression civilizes the island, resulting in the loss of the biblical Eden. Crusoe¡¦s status is reversed from God to a capitalist looking for profit. In chapter three, I will discuss the formation of Crusoe¡¦s identity with power and authority. How he establishes his identity through the process of mastery over non-humans and humans. In conclusion, I will give an overall review of the whole thesis.

BAKGRUND: Black Friday slår årligen svenska försäljningsrekord men under de senaste åren har ett nytt fenomen observerats bland vissa klädföretag. Som en reaktion till den överkonsumtion och hållbarhetsproblematik som shoppinghögtiden för med sig har vissa företag börjat utföra ett aktivt avståndstagande mot Black Friday och andra shoppinghögtider och marknadsför sitt misstycke. Det är av intresse att se hur konsumenter, vilka är de som shoppinghögtider vänder sig till, ställer sig till dessa avståndstaganden och om de rent av kan ändra konsumenternas konsumtionsbeteende. SYFTE: Syftet med studien är att kartlägga konsumentbeteendet kopplat till klädföretag som aktivt tar avstånd från shoppinghögtider som Black Friday genom uttalanden, försvårande av konsumtion eller annan sorts marknadsföring. Detta för att konstatera vilka effekter denna typ av avståndstagande kan ha på svenska konsumenter, deras köpbeteende och inställning till både konsumtion och företaget. GENOMFÖRANDE: En enkätundersökning har använts för att samla in data till studien och resulterade i svar från 245 respondenter. Statistiska samband mellan den beroende variabeln “Konsumtionsbeteende kopplat till grönt avståndstagande” och sju oberoende variabler har undersökts genom en multipel regressionsanalys. SLUTSATS: Studiens resultat menar på att en konsument som redan innan den stöter på ett grönt avståndstagande från ett företag ställer sig positivt till fenomenet, har en tidigare positiv inställning till både hållbar konsumtion och hållbar affärsutveckling samt litar på den hållbarhetsinformation hon blir marknadsförd uppvisar den största möjligheten att ändra sitt köpbeteende och börja konsumera mer av det avståndstagande företagets varor. / BACKGROUND: Black Friday hits new Swedish sales records every year but in the last years a new phenomenon has been observed among some clothing companies. In response to the overconsumption and sustainability problems that the shopping holiday brings with it, some companies have begun to actively distance themselves from Black Friday and other shopping holidays and market their displeasure. It is of interest to see how consumers, who are the target group of shopping holidays, react to these distancings and whether they can ultimately change the consumer behavior of consumers. PURPOSE: The purpose of the study is to map consumer behavior associated with clothing companies that actively distance themselves from shopping holidays such as Black Friday through statements, consumption hinderance or other types of marketing. This is to ascertain which effects this type of distancing can have on Swedish consumers, their consumption behavior and attitudes towards both consumption and the distancing company. IMPLEMENTATION: A survey was used to collect data for the study and resulted in responses from 245 respondents. Statistical relationships between the dependent variable “Consumption behavior linked to green distancing” and seven independent variables have been examined through a multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSION: The results of the study point to the fact that a consumer who, even before experiencing the green distancing from a company, already supports the phenomenon, has a previously positive attitude to both sustainable consumption and sustainable business development, and trusts sustainability information he or she is marketed shows the strongest possibility to change his or her buying behavior and start consuming more of the distancing company’s products.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att undersöka om prisreducering, julhandel, känslor och erfarenheter på den svenska online-marknaden följer tidigare påvisat konsumtionsmönster i fysiska butiker kring Black Friday. Metod: Tvärsnittsstudien har utförts bestående av en enkätundersökning för att identifiera mönster och samband för Generation Z:s konsumentbeteende under Black Friday i förhållande till de fyra faktorerna. Totalt deltog 119 st studenter från Högskolan i Borås i enkätundersökningen från ett bekvämlighetsurval. Resultat: Studien visar på ett etablerat samband mellan vikten av prisreduceringar och julklappshandel. Vidare visade resultatet på en positiv relation mellan associationen av positiva känslor och tidigare positiva erfarenheter där stockout, tidseffektivitet och spontanshopping hade en större påverkan. Slutligen gick det även att observera en positiv relation mellan associationen av negativa känslor och tidigare negativa erfarenheter. Dock kunde ett undantag identifieras då tidseffektivitet visade på ett negativt samband där erfarenheten inte ökar associationen av negativa känslor. Originalitet/Värde: Då utformningen av marknadsföringen är vital för att generera en ökad försäljning blir det också viktigare att förstå vad som driver konsumenten till köp. Tidigare studier undersöker primärt den fysiska marknaden men då internet utgör en stor del av vardagen för Generation Z blir online shopping mer och mer relevant. Online-handeln i Sverige fortsätter att växa kontinuerligt och konkurrensen ökar avsevärt varje år. Studien har därför bidragit med en ökad förståelse för hur exempelvis företag, marknadsförare och e-handelsbutiker ska kunna anpassa marknadsföringen under Black Friday och liknande prispromotionshögtider för att möta konsumentens behov. / Purpose: The aim of the study is to investigate whether price reduction, Christmas shopping, emotions and experiences in the Swedish online market follow previously demonstrated consumption patterns in brick and mortar stores around Black Friday. Methodology: The cross-sectional study was conducted consisting of a survey study to identify patterns and relationships for Generation Z's consumer behavior during Black Friday in relation to the four factors. A total of 119 students from the University of Borås participated in the survey from a convenience sample. Findings: The study shows an established connection between the importance of price promotions and Christmas gift shopping. Furthermore, the results showed a positive relationship between the association of positive feelings and previous positive experiences where stockout, time efficiency and spontaneous shopping had a greater impact. Finally, a positive relationship between the association of negative feelings and previous negative experiences was established. However, an exception could be identified due to time efficiency showing a negative relationship where the experience does not increase the association of negative feelings. Originality / Value: As the design of marketing is vital for generating increased sales, it also becomes more important to understand what drives the consumer to make a purchase. Previous studies primarily examine the physical market, but as the internet forms a large part of everyday life for Generation Z, online shopping is becoming more and more relevant. Online commerce in Sweden grows continuously and competition increases significantly every year. The study has therefore contributed to an increased understanding of how for example companies, marketers and e-commerce stores can adapt marketing during Black Friday and similar price promotion holidays to meet consumer needs.This thesis is written in Swedish.

Background: Most current research on consumption events like Black Friday has been done in an US context. Black Friday do not have any cultural heritage or any other social connection to Sweden, however, it is already considered as the second most significant sales opportunity annually in the country. Additionally, research has confirmed that online retailing has been faster than offline retailing regarding adoption to consumption events. Therefore, to qualitatively investigate motivation towards Black Friday consumption online, in a Swedish context, would provide new insight in the field. Purpose: This research serves to contribute to the research of motivation towards consumption events online, viewed upon from the consumers perspective. By uncover meanings for utilitarian and hedonic motivation dimensions towards consumption events online, using Black Friday Weekend as an empirical example, this research aims to, besides adding to previous research, clarify ambiguous situations and provide valuable insights for online retailers that may lead to potential business opportunities. Method: In order to achieve in-depth understanding of the topic, a qualitative study with exploratory design was conducted. Data was gathered through focus group interviews with participants chosen through a purposive sampling technique. The data was analyzed through thematic analysis which generated the empirical findings. Conclusion: Throughout this research, sixteen themes related to motivation emerged, eight utilitarian and eight hedonic. The themes offer more accuracy and a deepened understanding of motivation towards consumption events online for the empirical foundation researched by explaining meanings of the motivation dimensions in this particular context, namely Black Friday Weekend in Sweden.