Robots are constantly evolving, from Da Vinci's first robot to humanoids that exist today and are used in various industries. This study examines how a humanoid is perceived as service staff in a car dealership and this was done through a qualitative case study where semi-structured interviews and on-site observations were combined. These were carried out at Riddermark Bil, which is one of Sweden's largest car dealers for used cars. The theory part is based on the concept of anthropomorphism and the uncanny valley theory which are related and important to customers' acceptance of the robot. Anthropomorphism is about giving non-human objects, such as robots, human properties to make it easier to interact with them. Uncanny valley comes into the picture when these human qualities create an expectation in man that is not achieved by the robot and a feeling of discomfort arises in man. This feeling of discomfort is what characterizes the uncanny valley. The analysis showed that uncanny valley exists in the car dealership with the humanoid and customers, and how the degree of anthropomorphism affects the viewer and the interaction. What turned out overall was that most people, customers and staff, are positive about interacting with a humanoid, but present it does not really meet the expectations placed on it. Finally, it is discussed how uncanny valley affects customers in a car dealership and what the reasons for this are.

Die vorliegende Dissertation wurde mit dem Ziel entworfen, ein besseres Verständnis zu erlangen, was die Anforderungen sind, die den künftigen Arbeitsgruppenmitgliedern erlauben, Bedürfnissen von modernen Unternehmen zu genügen. Die Kooperationsbereitschaft von Gruppenmitgliedern scheint ein Schlüsselfaktor zu sein, der ihre Fähigkeit freisetzt, einer beliebigen Aufgabe entgegen zu handeln. Quantitative wie auch qualitative Daten wurden im Rahmen einer explorativen Studie erhoben. Ein Fragebogen (Intercultural Attitude Orientation) wurde mit der Absicht entwickelt, Einstellung von Individuen gegenüber Diversität quer durch Populationen abzufragen. An der explorativen Studie haben 1351 Individuen aus 97 Ländern teilgenommen. Bei einer Faktorenanalyse von 12 Items wurde die entgültige acht Items umfassende Skala gebildet. Eine experimentelle Gruppenstudie wurde entworfen, um Entscheidungsprozesse anzustoßen, die erkennen lassen, ob die Kooperationsbereitschaft der Gruppenmitglieder die Gruppenperformanz erhöht. An der experimetellen Studie haben 249 Individuen teilgenommen, die nach einem Zufallsverfahren in Arbeitsgruppen eingeteilt wurden. Die unabhängigen Variablen waren demografische Gruppenkomposition und Informationsdiversität. Die abhängigen Variablen waren Messungen der Gruppenperformanz. Es wurde festgestellt, dass trotz der demografischen Gruppenkomposition Arbeitsgruppen, die Pakete mit unterschiedlichen Informationen erhielten, besser abgeschnitten haben, als Gruppen, denen Pakete mit ähnlichen Informationen zur Verfügung gestellt wurden. Erfahrung der Gruppenmitglieder mit Diversität, ihre Einstellung gegenüber Diversität, Social Dominance Orientation, Zufriedenheit, Kooperation, Ähnlichkeit in Arbeitsstil und Anzahl der gesprochenen Sprachen wurden getrennt im Hinblick auf die Gruppenergebnisse analysiert. Es wurde herausgefunden, dass diese Messungen in einigen Fällen zueinander in Beziehung standen, was einen Einfluß auf Gruppenprozess hatte. / The current dissertation has been designed with the attempt to seek a better understanding of the requirements for prospective workgroup members to fit demands of today''s organizations. Members'' willingness to cooperate appears to be a key factor unlocking their ability to act upon any given task. Quantitative as well as qualitative data have been gathered in the context of an explorative study. A questionnaire (Intercultural Attitude Orientation) has been constructed with the intent to sense individuals'' attitude toward diversity across populations diverging in age, gender, nationality, and occupational status. The explorative study involved the participation of 1351 individuals from 97 different countries. Out of twelve explorative items, one factor solution was extracted, thus building the final 8-item scale. An experimental group study was designed to elicit decision-making procedures set to entangle whether or not members'' readiness to cooperate enhances group performance in the context of a short and cognitively demanding task. The experimental study involved the participation of 249 individuals randomly assigned into workgroups. The two independent variables were group demographical composition and information diversity. Demographical composition was defined either according to national or gender demographics. The outcome variables were measures of workgroup performance. It was found that despite workgroup demographical composition, groups which received diverse information, performed better than workgroups, which received similar information. Members'' quality and quantity of exposure to diversity, attitude toward diversity, social dominance orientation, satisfaction, cooperation, work-style similarity, and number of spoken languages were separately analyzed with regard to group outcomes. Findings revealed that these measures were in some cases linked to one another, thus affecting group process.

This dissertation of limited scope, part of a Course-work Master’s in Ancient Languages and Cultures, consists of five chapters which deal with issues relating to the perception and literary treatment of non-human animals in African and Classical traditional stories involving animal characters. The focus of the research was placed upon arguing that: human characteristics were attributed to animal creatures in the myths/traditional stories from both cultures; both cultures made attempts to explain how certain animals became domesticated and how others remained wild; mythical thinking is not a preserve of one culture, it is rather part of human nature; mythical monsters are present in both cultures and that they have always to be destroyed by man, though not easily; myths served several functions for both cultures, ranging from educational entertainment to socializing purposes, to making attempts to explain ancient man’s environment and its happenings. The study was undertaken in the hope of enabling certain recommendations to be formulated, on the basis of the findings, to effect a better and more informed strategy for teaching Classical Mythology and Classics, in general, in the Mawian/African context. / Classics & World Languages / M. A. (Specialisation in Ancient languages and culture)

This dissertation of limited scope, part of a Course-work Master’s in Ancient Languages and Cultures, consists of five chapters which deal with issues relating to the perception and literary treatment of non-human animals in African and Classical traditional stories involving animal characters. The focus of the research was placed upon arguing that: human characteristics were attributed to animal creatures in the myths/traditional stories from both cultures; both cultures made attempts to explain how certain animals became domesticated and how others remained wild; mythical thinking is not a preserve of one culture, it is rather part of human nature; mythical monsters are present in both cultures and that they have always to be destroyed by man, though not easily; myths served several functions for both cultures, ranging from educational entertainment to socializing purposes, to making attempts to explain ancient man’s environment and its happenings. The study was undertaken in the hope of enabling certain recommendations to be formulated, on the basis of the findings, to effect a better and more informed strategy for teaching Classical Mythology and Classics, in general, in the Mawian/African context. / Classics and World Languages / M. A. (Specialisation in Ancient languages and culture)