Research related to culture, and analysis of the collected information needs frameworks to understand and solve the complex questions about cross culture behaviour and their integration, particularly when a company with strong native cultural influence starts its operation in another country which has similarly strong local culture. Using Hofstede and Trompenaars, Hampden’s dimensions of cultural understanding, this study aims to understand and assess the challenges related to integration of cultures, when Swedish MNC IKEA started its IT Operation in Shanghai, drawing conclusions about how and if the cultural behaviours did fit the existing frameworks and underlining the cultural gaps still existing in the organisation.

L'évolution des composants d'électronique de puissance se heurte aujourd'hui aux limites physiques du silicium. L'utilisation des semi-conducteurs à large bande interdite permettraient de dépasser ces limites. Parmi ces nouveaux matériaux, le diamant possède les propriétés les plus intéressantes pour l'électronique de puissance : champ de rupture et conductivité thermique les plus élevés parmi les solides, grandes mobilités des porteurs électriques, possibilité de fonctionnement à haute température& Les substrats de diamant synthétisés actuellement par des méthodes de dépôt en phase vapeur ont des caractéristiques cristallographiques compatibles avec l'exploitation de ces propriétés en électronique de puissance. L'utilisation technologique du diamant reste toutefois difficile ; ses propriétés de dureté et d'inertie chimique rendent son utilisation délicate. L'objet de ces travaux est dans un premier temps d'évaluer les bénéfices que pourrait apporter le diamant en électronique de puissance. Ensuite, différentes étapes technologiques nécessaires à la fabrication de composants sur diamant sont étudiées : dépôts de contacts électriques, dopage et gravure ionique. Enfin, une étude sur la fabrication de diodes Schottky est présentée. Les résultats obtenus permettent d'établir les perspectives à ces travaux et les challenges scientifiques et technologiques qu'il reste à relever.

Title: Advertising message and Customer Satisfaction A case of Lidl Sweden Problem: “Are the customers satisfied when they compare marketing message with services provided by Lidl grocery store?” Purpose: We aim to analyze the satisfaction level of customers at Lidl store and how effective messages delivered in the advertisement. Method: We used a primary research through the interviews of the managers in Lidl, and a survey questionnaire by the customers. We also used the secondary data from the website of Lidl and some qualitative information from textbooks and different sources. Conclusion: After the research, we conclude that the advertising messages of Lidl is clear and most of the customers feel satisfied with price and the quality of Lidl’s products. However, about the non-food products, the customers do not feel so pleasant and they do not have much knowledge about after sale services.

This Master’s thesis explores environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in the alpine sport industry. A mixed methods case with a single alpine sport provider in Quebec was performed. The first study is a qualitative examination of how and why ECSR is employed and communicated. Results indicate ECSR is strategically motivated, and as such, the focal organization runs the risk of using several greenwashing techniques in communications that could jeopardize gaining competitive advantage. The second study quantitatively investigates alpine sport consumers’ environmental expectations, engagement with environmental products, and perceptions of the focal organization’s environmental reputation. The results show the focal organization’s customers do indeed have environmental expectations, but believe the focal organization’s environmental reputation remains neutral. The thesis supports arguments of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being strategically motivated and other findings of skiers having conflicting environmental values. Lastly, the thesis provides insight regarding greenwashing, a phenomenon that remains unexplored in sport management.

This dissertation examined the experiences of African American and Hispanic community college transfers studying in a predominantly White institution (PWI) teacher education program. Extant literature has demonstrated that there is an increasing shortage of public school teachers of color. To address this pervasive crisis, universities must recruit larger numbers of under-represented students from America's community colleges to fill the gap. Additionally, under-represented students in predominantly White institution (PWI) teacher education programs must be retained and graduated in higher numbers to impact teacher production. To understand the needs and experiences of these students, three African American and four Hispanic students successfully studying in the College of Education and Human Development at Texas A & M University were interviewed to examine their experiences as they transitioned into and through the pre-service teacher education program. This study utilized a case study analysis and data collected through interviews, observations, and document analysis were analyzed utilizing constant comparative techniques. Key themes that emerged through data analysis included (1) Student Perceptions of the Transfer Process, (2) The Role of Intimate Support Structures, (3) The Role of Institutional Support Structures, (4) Situational Factors Faced by Under-represented Transfers, and (5) Strategies Employed by Under-represented Transfers in a Predominantly White, Teacher Education Program. Findings from this study suggest that Texas A & M University should improve the marketing of academic support resources and provide narrowly tailored services to meet the needs of under-represented transfer students. Additionally, Schlossberg's Transition Theory is amended to better represent the assets and liabilities utilized by these populations in this particular PWI.

This Master’s thesis explores environmental corporate social responsibility (ECSR) in the alpine sport industry. A mixed methods case with a single alpine sport provider in Quebec was performed. The first study is a qualitative examination of how and why ECSR is employed and communicated. Results indicate ECSR is strategically motivated, and as such, the focal organization runs the risk of using several greenwashing techniques in communications that could jeopardize gaining competitive advantage. The second study quantitatively investigates alpine sport consumers’ environmental expectations, engagement with environmental products, and perceptions of the focal organization’s environmental reputation. The results show the focal organization’s customers do indeed have environmental expectations, but believe the focal organization’s environmental reputation remains neutral. The thesis supports arguments of corporate social responsibility (CSR) being strategically motivated and other findings of skiers having conflicting environmental values. Lastly, the thesis provides insight regarding greenwashing, a phenomenon that remains unexplored in sport management.

Like most ethnic and multicultural narratives, Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club revolves around the development of an identity in which immigrant experience and all the questions of ethno- cultural identity that attend to it play central roles. The aim of this essay is to investigate the process of identity formation of the second-generation Chinese immigrant daughters who encounter Chinese culture at home while having the immediate experience of living in America, with a focus on the cultural, language and generational gaps that exist between the Chinese mothers and their American- born daughters. This study is guided by a theoretical framework that combines postcolonial theory and a number of established theories of identity construction including the concept of hybrid identity in order to analyze and explore the American-born daughters’ identity creation. Based on this analysis, this paper presents evidence that an identity formation process that involves cultural hybridization has occurred and the outcome of this identity formation is that of a hybrid identity.

Background: When it comes to brand communication, gaps can arise. These occur when the brand management’s view of the brand does not match the customers’ Brand image. In order to prevent reputation crises brand managements need to monitor the Brand identity and Brand image and identify possible gaps. Purpose: To identify and analyse what communication gaps that can occur between a company’s Brand identity and customers’ Brand image. Research question: What communication gaps can occur between a company’s Brand identity and the customers’ Brand image? Theory: Marketing Communication, Sender-Receiver model, Brand image and Brand identity focusing on Personality, Positioning, Vision & Culture and Relationship. Method: A case study of the Swedish food company Coop was conducted to investigate the relationship between their Brand identity and the customers’ Brand image. The case study was conducted in two steps; firstly, information concerning Coop’s Brand identity was gathered through in-depth interviews. Secondly, a questionnaire was handed out to Coop’s customers to see whether their Brand image was consistent with Coop’s Brand identity. The aim was to find similarities and dissimilarities between data and thereby identify communication gaps. Results: Several communication gaps were identified between Coop’s Brand identity and the customers’ Brand image when it came to the concepts of Personality, Positioning, Vision & Culture and Relationship. Coop experiences most communication gaps in Relationship, they has not managed to create close relationships with their customers.

In order to close the achievement gaps between traditionally underserved groups and their peers, institutions of higher education must make developmental education a priority by implementing college-wide strategies inside and outside the classroom to help underprepared students succeed. Since community colleges offer educational opportunities to anyone seeking to further their education, and hence serve the majority of underprepared college students, it is difficult to overstate the importance of assessing and strengthening the quality of educational practices for developmental students at these institutions. Assessing the extent to which underprepared college students are actively engaged in meaningful educational experiences, and the relationship between engagement and student outcomes, will help college leaders and policymakers implement research proven engagement strategies to help a population of students that has been historically underserved attain academic success and reap the societal and economic benefits of higher education. Relationships between engagement and three critical outcomes for underprepared college students were investigated: developmental sequence completion, subsequent college-level course performance, and attainment. Similar to studies conducted on the four-year sector, the present study found similar effects of engagement on developmental students attending community colleges. While generally having a positive effect on outcomes, engagement has been proven to have compensatory effects for students which have been typically underserved including minority, nontraditional age, and first-generation students. The present study found that the impact of engagement varies according to student characteristics and level of developmental course need and subject area. Further, the study suggests that certain types of engagement can have greater influence on students which characteristically are least likely to earn a college degree. / text

Στόχος της παρούσας διπλωματικής είναι η διερεύνηση της συμπεριφοράς ενός συγκεκριμένου είδους φυτικού έλαιου που καταπονείται εντός διακένου, υπό αυξανόμενη AC τάση. Αναζητούμε, λοιπόν, την επίδραση του μονωτικού ελαίου στην τάση διάσπασης καθώς μεταβάλουμε τους διάφορους παράγοντες από οποίους εξαρτάται (π.χ. το μέγεθος διακένου, το ρυθμό φραμμικής αύξησης της τάσης {kVrms/sec}, τη θερμοκρασία, το χρόνο χαλάρωσης του υγρού μεταξύ δύο διαδοχικές μετρήσεις, την επίδραση των φυσαλίων στην μονωτική συμπεριφορά του ελαίου, κ.α.). Η διπλωματική εργασία τούτη αποτελεί μια συνεισφορά στη διεθνή ερευνητική προσπάθεια που γίνεται πάνω στο αντικείμενο της συλλογής πληροφοριών και εξαγωγής συμπερασμάτων για τη συμπεριφορά και τις ιδιότητες (ηλεκτρικές, μηχανικές, χημικές) διαφόρων τύπων σύνθετων μονώσεων. Ιδιαίτερα χρήσιμη αποσκοπεί να είναι στις διεθνείς προσπάθειες βελτίωσης των επιδόσεων και της αξιοπιστίας – με ταυτόχρονη διατήρηση ή και ελάττωση του μεγέθους των σχεδιαζόμενων μονωτικών διατάξεων – για Μετασχηματιστές Υψηλής Τάσης, που αποτελούν το κυρίαρχο μέσο στα παγκόσμια δίκτυα μεταφοράς και διανομής ηλεκτρικής ενέργειας. / This diploma thesis aims to the examination of the “behavior” of specific plant oil that is worn out within interspace under linearly increased AC voltage. So we search out the effect of the insulating oil on the voltage decomposition, as we alter the numerous factors on which it depends (the size of interspace, the rate of the voltage’s linear increase {kVrms/sec}, the temperature, the liquid’s relaxation time between two successional counts, the effect of bubbles on the oil’s insulating behavior etc).