Following the collapse of Arthur Andersen in the Enron debacle, whistle-blowing within audit firms has taken on greater importance. Given the profession's requirements to be confidential, independent and to act in the public's interest, there is a need for a model that addresses auditors' whistle-blowing intentions. This thesis presents a conceptual model on whistle-blowing intentions among external auditors, where individual-led antecedents influence whistle-blowing intentions, but are moderated by isomorphic and issue-specific factors. Survey questionnaires were administered to 226 external auditors, and 18 individual interviews as well as 2 focus groups were conducted in Barbados. Results indicated that individual antecedents (attitudes, perceived behavioural control, independence commitment, personal responsibility for reporting, and personal cost of reporting) were significantly related to internal whistle-blowing, but only perceived behavioural control was significantly related to external whistle-blowing. Partial support was found for the moderating effects of perceived organizational support, moral intensity, team norms and group cohesion on the relationships between the majority of the independent variables (attitudes, perceived behavioural control, independence commitment, personal responsibility for reporting and personal cost of reporting) and internal whistle-blowing. However, partial support was found for the moderating effects of perceived organizational support, moral intensity, team norms iii and group cohesion on the relationships between fewer independent variables and external whistle-blowing. Overall, respondents preferred anonymous internal channels of reporting, and showed a general reluctance to report externally. The presence of an open-door policy, ethics partners, hotline, on-going training and clearly defined policies could encourage whistle-blowing. Further implications for research and practice are discussed.

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An important issue that managers are facing in today’s intensive business environment is how to compensate their employees to keep them motivated. The trend is to be rewarded for the individual performances, which has increased the usage of commission based salary systems. Previous research suggests that commission salary provokes internal competition, while it damages cooperation. However, the main issue in feminine and masculine societies is what motivates people, which indicates that the effects of commission based salary systems needed to be examined from a cultural perspective. Therefore, with the main aim was to enhance the understanding of this, the problem was addressed by the overreaching research question: How do commission based salary systems affect cooperation and internal competition in masculine and in feminine societies? To answer this, empirical data was acquired from Sweden and the United States. Sweden is recognized as the most feminine society, where social motives are dominating. The United States on the other hand, is recognized as a masculine society that encourages competition and where money is the main motivator. The empirical data derived from personal interviews with real estate agents that work with commission salary. Three case companies within each country were included in the study and three interviewees within each company participated. The findings showed that commission salary tends to increase the work effort, limit the cooperation, while it increases the internal competition. Nevertheless, the effects it has distinctively differs between the societies. In Sweden, the importance of group cohesion and interpersonal relationship results in a higher level of cooperation than in the United States. Despite that commission salary evokes internal competition, colleagues are colleagues above all in Sweden. In the United States however, cooperation mainly occurs when it serves the individual performances. Here, money and the own success are what matter the most and due to the competitive mindset, internal competition becomes significantly more intensive in the United States than in Sweden. In contrary to Sweden, commission salary can turn colleagues into competitors, for better or for worse. / Master thesis

Background: Group CBT approaches have been shown to be equally as effective as individual CBT for reducing depressive symptoms and preventing relapse; however, the predictors of response are poorly understood. The primary objective of the studies presented in this thesis was to further examine the formal and process factors within group CBT for depression that contribute to various treatment outcomes. The first study investigated the relationship between group CBT for depression and changes in interpersonal distress, as well as the process mechanisms that might influence this relationship. The second study assessed whether formal feedback provided to therapists and clients derived from the Outcome Questionnaire (OQ-45), a robust measure of client functioning, would enhance group processes and treatment outcomes. Method: Study 1: Secondary data from clients having received individual CBT for depression at a community-based mental health training centre constituted one condition (18 clients). Data for the group condition (12 clients) were collected from clients attending group CBT for depression at a tertiary care facility. Relationship distress, as measured by the OQ-45 relationship distress subscale score, was assessed at intake and termination. Group participants also completed process measures at the start and end of treatment. In study 2, participants were recruited from a tertiary care facility to participate in a CBT group for depression. Participation involved completing brief questionnaires assessing psychological and process variables before and after treatment, as well as the OQ-45 at every session. Three groups (21 clients) received standard CBT and two groups (12 clients) received enhanced CBT, which included feedback about their progress from the OQ-45. Results: Results of study 1 suggest that clients who participated in group CBT experienced a significantly greater reduction in relationship distress across time than clients who participated in individual CBT. Results also indicate that therapeutic alliance, and not group cohesion, mediates the relationship between pretreatment relationship distress on posttreatment relationship distress in group CBT. Results of study 2 indicate that participants in the enhanced condition experienced greater improvements in quality of life, dysfunctional beliefs, and therapeutic bond at termination, relative to participants in the standard condition. Trends also suggest a greater reduction in depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Group CBT for depression may be more effective than the individual modality for reducing interpersonal distress. Furthermore, therapeutic alliance plays a significant role in improving interpersonal distress within a structured group CBT protocol. Feedback from the OQ-45 may help improve client outcomes and enhance therapeutic bonding with facilitators in group CBT for depression.

More and more attention is paid in the academic debate to the issue of sub-state entities, represented by regional governments, as partially independent actors of international politics. This phenomenon, referred to as paradiplomacy, is particularly visible in the European Union, where since 1980s regional governments have been mobilising to gain direct influence on the shape of European politics. A regional government that acts as an agent of European politics may or may not be actively supported by its central government. This thesis tries to investigate the relationship between the direct representations of the Visegrád Group regions in Brussels and their respective national Permanent Representations. In the first chapter, I discuss the theoretical issues related to regional mobilisation in Brussels by referring to the work of researchers who deal with multi- level governance in the context of the European Union. In the second chapter, I present and justify the choice of research design, case studies, and semi-structured interviews as the main source of obtaining data necessary to answer the research question. In the third chapter, I included the analysis of the obtained information, and in the fourth chapter, the conclusions drawn from it. This research shows that direct regional...

Text of the thesis focuses on the activity of the Group of the European People's Party in the European Parliament. It focuses on this issue from three different perspectives. The first perspective presents a theoretical approach on the concept of europarty as transnational political actor that has developed on the basis of the development of the European integration and the development of the European institutions. The second perspective focuses on the work of the European People's Party, as a classic example transnational European party structure. It refers to its historical development and formation in the context of strengthening the position of the European Parliament. It also encompasses the Group of the European People's Party and its influence in the European Parliament in historical perspective. At the same time reveals the inner structure, program policies and operation mechanism of this parliamentary faction. The third perspective focuses on the analysis of the cohesion of the Group of the European People's Party in the seventh term of the European Parliament. The group cohesion is viewed as one of the main characters determining the strength and importance of the parliamentary factions. The analysis is based on the theoretical assumptions of British political scientist Simon Hix. In...

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Following the collapse of Arthur Andersen in the Enron debacle, whistle-blowing within audit firms has taken on greater importance. Given the profession's requirements to be confidential, independent and to act in the public's interest, there is a need for a model that addresses auditors' whistle-blowing intentions. This thesis presents a conceptual model on whistle-blowing intentions among external auditors, where individual-led antecedents influence whistle-blowing intentions, but are moderated by isomorphic and issue-specific factors. Survey questionnaires were administered to 226 external auditors, and 18 individual interviews as well as 2 focus groups were conducted in Barbados. Results indicated that individual antecedents (attitudes, perceived behavioural control, independence commitment, personal responsibility for reporting, and personal cost of reporting) were significantly related to internal whistle-blowing, but only perceived behavioural control was significantly related to external whistle-blowing. Partial support was found for the moderating effects of perceived organizational support, moral intensity, team norms and group cohesion on the relationships between the majority of the independent variables (attitudes, perceived behavioural control, independence commitment, personal responsibility for reporting and personal cost of reporting) and internal whistle-blowing. However, partial support was found for the moderating effects of perceived organizational support, moral intensity, team norms iii and group cohesion on the relationships between fewer independent variables and external whistle-blowing. Overall, respondents preferred anonymous internal channels of reporting, and showed a general reluctance to report externally. The presence of an open-door policy, ethics partners, hotline, on-going training and clearly defined policies could encourage whistle-blowing. Further implications for research and practice are discussed. / University of the West Indies

Cette thèse traite de la cohésion des groupes latinos dans la société américaine. Elle analyse l’influence des relations intra-communautaires sur l’insertion des Latinos dans la société américaine et déconstruit la représentation des communautés latinos perçues comme monolithiques afin de déterminer dans quelle mesure ces relations conduisent à des assimilations différenciées. Elle montre notamment que l’insertion dans la société américaine découle des relations entre différentes communautés latinos et analyse l’influence du contexte de réception sur cette insertion socio-économique, sur les pratiques politiques et, de façon plus générale, le poids politique de ces groupes.Le choix de métropoles aussi diverses que Miami, Los Angeles et Boston souligne l’importance du contexte urbain sur la formation des relations entre ces différents groupes latinos, et son influence sur leur insertion dans la société américaine, mesurée par les stratégies adoptées par les groupes latinos et par leur participation politique. Cette analyse est cruciale pour comprendre la complexité des interactions entre groupes dont les relations représentent un enjeu de taille, car elles permettent d’anticiper l’avenir des relations ethniques aux Etats-Unis. Cette perspective ouvre ainsi sur un contexte sociologique plus large, permettant d’anticiper les problèmes politiques et économiques auxquels les Etats-Unis seront confrontés en matière d'intégration, d’immigration et de représentation dans les décennies à venir. / This dissertation examines the cohesion of Latino groups in American society. It analyses the influence of intra-community relations on the integration of Latinos in American society and deconstructs the representation of Latino communities perceived as a monolithic group allowing to determine to what extent these relationships lead to different assimilation paths. In particular, it shows the differential impact of the relationships between different Latino communities on their integration into American society and investigates the influence of the context of reception on the socio-economic integration of different Latino groups, policies and practices, and, more generally, their political clout.The choice of cities as diverse as Miami, Los Angeles and Boston highlights the importance of the urban context on the formation of relationships between the different Latino groups, and its influence on their integration into American society, as measured by the group strategies that Latinos adopt and their political participation.This analysis is crucial to the understanding of the complex interactions between Latino groups whose relationships are a major challenge, as they allow to anticipate the future of ethnic relations in the United States. This perspective opens to a broader sociological context which may help better comprehend the political and economic issues that the United States will confront in topics such as integration, immigration and representation in the coming decades.

The main aim of this dissertation was to examine the relationship between team success and team cohesiveness with a sample of elite youth sport teams. The secondary aim of this international thesis was to translate and analyze the psychometric properties of responses to the Czech and Slovak versions of the Youth Sport Environment Questionnaire (YSEQ; Eys, Loughead, Bray, & Carron, 2009b) in a sample of elite youth handball and soccer players. The accomplishment of the second purpose involved three phases of research. First, the questionnaire was translated into the Czech and Slovak languages by method of parallel back-translation. In Phase 2, feedback was sought on the translated versions of each questionnaire from both researchers (N = 2) and athletes (N = 52) to ensure the clarity of the instructions and the readability of the items. Subsequent confirmatory analyses in the final phase provided an adequate fitting model for both Czech and Slovak versions with an independent sample (N = 352) from youth sport teams. These results offer further support to Eys et al.'s (2009b) proposed two dimensional model underlying their measure of cohesion for youth sport groups. In terms of the general purpose, we employed structural equation modeling to examine the direction of that relationship via a...