Research into whether insider trading exists in the shares traded on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (“JSE”). The purpose of the research is to examine the share price in target companies and to determine whether or not it increases significantly during the days immediately preceding a takeover, delisting or share buy-back announcement. Out of a total of 5,039 merger and acquisition transactions, during the six- year period from 2000 to 2005, only 30 transactions met the criteria of information availability and non-occurrence of confounding events. The Average Cumulative Abnormal Returns (CAAR) of target companies during a 21-day event window period were examined. The examination of the CAAR was based on the historical bootstrapping technique and the CAAR was plotted on the frequency distribution to test for significance. The CAAR of the sample tested to be statistically significant in the days prior to the first public announcement. Evidence of a share price build-up in the days prior to the first public announcement was found. Controlling for confounding events, this price build-up could be indicative of insider trading. This research study seems to be the first study focused on insider trading and pre-announcement price run-ups on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This study problematizes the down play of heroic perspectives in the currently rising critical and post-heroic leadership research. It argues that compromising either the critical or the post-heroic perspectives in favour of the other would constrict or mislead our understanding of the social influence of leadership processes. This study calls for maintaining the theoretical uniqueness of both perspectives in order to enhance new understandings and broader knowledge claims. Therefore, the study adopts a reflexive-ethnographic examination of the leader-follower and group dynamics, in an International Human Rights Based Organization. The overall aim is to develop an understanding of how individuals in an International Organization like Global Peace Organization (GPO) cope with the universal scope of their organization and the diversity in their work environment. This aim is fulfilled through examining self-narratives generated by the participants in their day to day interactions. To facilitate the coherence between the two leadership perspectives in this examination, a dialectical dimension is enhanced by extending the emerging tactics of reflexivity and intertextuality to the various stages of research. The critical perspective then reveals a context-driven approach in the self-narratives where participants use their particular worldviews to interpret dilemmas and conflicts originating in their work. Conflicts between participants and their leaders also reflect power interplays based on crafting a sense of we-ness / us in self-Other encounters. However, an added perspective on interpersonal relations suggests the significance of the single factor where the less secure participants tend to mask their resistance with creative impression-management strategies. This eventually transforms their insecurities into more positive attitudes and behaviours which repositions them as informal leaders in their groups.

The purpose of this study was to determine the needs and relationships of high-risk community members in Cocke County Tennessee to food sources. Cocke County was chosen as the representative county in this pilot study due its high percentage of residents living at or below the poverty level, which can lead to hunger and food insecurities. A community food assessment was conducted among residents participating in a commodities disbursement program in Cocke County. Two hundred seven individuals participated in this survey. The results of the surveys were posted and analyzed using an online statistical analysis software program. With the needs of the Cocke County community identified, steps will be taken to implement a plan of action and the results from this study will also be used as a model to identify needs in both Greene and Hancock counties as well as other counties in the Northeast Tennessee region.

Previous studies about the welfare state and fear of crime have suggested that a generous welfare state safeguard against fear of crime and that this is especially true for victims of crime. This study delves further into these ideas but assesses the role of welfare attitudes and victimisation on fear of crime. The aim is to investigate whether welfare attitudes, including support for government responsibility toward welfare services and income redistribution, are associated with fear of crime across Europe. Additionally, it aims to investigate whether there are differences in fear of crime between victims and non-victims at different levels of support for the welfare state. A multilevel ordered logistic model is used to assess this, with ESS data on the individual level and data from different official sources on the country level. The study found no or only slight evidence of a correlation between welfare attitudes and fear of crime. Support for welfare services was not associated with fear of crime. However, support for income redistribution increases fear of crime slightly. In terms of victimisation, prior victimisation increased the probability of fear of crime, which was consistent in the level of support for welfare services but differed in the level of support for income redistribution. Among victims, there was a higher probability of fear of crime at higher levels of support for income redistribution, and a lower probability of fear of crime at lower levels of support.

Since the Open-Door Policy has been carried out in 1979, China has gained dramatic improvements in many fields, such as economies and military. At the same time, the considerable changes also bring China many crises from the complicated international envirorunent. This thesis will illustrate these questions through nationalism and realism theoretical framework by using case study with a qualitative approach as the method. With the Five Peaceful Principles of Co-existence based foreign policy, this thesis will experience "Century of Humiliation" of China again and redefine the rising power of China through a case study about Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands dispute between China and Japan. Although it is a little hard to analyze this case under a complicated international environment, plenty of document information will support to get a result of how China's foreign policy and national security are interlinked? Finally, "national insecurities" and "humiliating history" are drawn as the key factors that affect China's foreign policy making, and the interconnections of China's peaceful diplomacy and national security. "National insecurities" and "humiliating history" drive China to make the foreign policy of peaceful development, otherwise, to ensure national security, China need to strengthen the comprehensive national power.

Le désengagement conjugal fait référence à une perte d’amour entre les partenaires amoureux. Il comprend une indifférence émotionnelle ainsi que des stratégies d’évitement cognitif et comportemental. Ceci constitue une des difficultés le plus souvent rapportées auprès des couples qui consultent en thérapie conjugale. Par ailleurs, la problématique serait parmi les plus difficiles à traiter en thérapie selon les thérapeutes conjugaux. Bien que quelques études et écrits cliniques ont examiné le processus de désengagement conjugal et l’ont mis en lien avec le bien-être conjugal, aucune étude n’a examiné le désengagement auprès des couples présentant de la détresse conjugale. Le peu d’études réalisés sur le sujet ont principalement utilisé des approches individuelles et recruté des échantillons provenant de la population générale. Compte tenu de la prévalence du désengagement auprès des couples requérant les services de thérapie conjugale, ainsi que la difficulté à traiter cette problématique en thérapie conjugale, des études supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour mieux comprendre les prédicteurs de désengagement auprès d’une population clinique et l’impact de la thérapie conjugale pour réduire le désengagement. La théorie de l'attachement propose un cadre théorique pertinent pour l’étude du désengagement conjugal. Ainsi, cette thèse examinera les insécurités d’attachement comme prédicteurs de désengagement dans un contexte clinique. De plus, la thèse évaluera dans quelle mesure la thérapie conjugale en milieu naturel réduit le désengagement, ainsi que le rôle des insécurités d’attachement des deux partenaires dans le cadre d’une telle thérapie. Le but principal de cette thèse est donc de mieux comprendre le désengagement conjugal dans un contexte clinique afin de proposer des pistes d’intervention aux thérapeutes conjugaux. Afin de mieux comprendre le désengagement dans un contexte clinique, une première étude a été effectué au sein des couples en détresse entament une thérapie conjugale. L’étude à examiner l’association entre l’insécurité d’attachement de chaque partenaire et le niveau de désengagement dans une perspective dyadique. Les analyses réalisées auprès de 171 couples hétérosexuels révèlent que les insécurités d’attachement sont liées au désengagement conjugal au-delà de ce qui est expliqué par la dépression, la satisfaction conjugale et l’engagement conjugal. Nos résultats suggèrent que le désengagement pourrait se présenter différemment chez les hommes et les femmes. Alors que le désengagement des hommes serait principalement lié à leurs propres insécurités d'attachement (évitement), le désengagement des femmes serait lié à la fois à leurs propres insécurités d'attachement ainsi qu’à celles de leur partenaire. Plus précisément, un plus haut niveau de désengagement chez la femme serait lié à son propre évitement ainsi qu’à l’anxiété d’abandon de son partenaire. De plus, l'association entre l'anxiété d’abandon chez la femme et son propre désengagement serait modérée par l’évitement de son partenaire. En effet, les femmes présentant plus d'anxiété d’abandon rapportent moins de désengagement lorsqu'elle est en couple avec un partenaire présentant plus d’évitement de l’intimité. Ces résultats soulignent l’importance des enjeux d’attachement chez les couples qui entament un processus de thérapie conjugale et qui présentent un haut niveau de désengagement. Les interventions visant à comprendre la dynamique d'attachement ainsi qu’à réduire la dépression et augmenter la satisfaction conjugale et l’engagement des partenaires du couple pourraient fournir aux thérapeutes une piste pour aider les partenaires à s'engager de nouveau dans leur relation. En s’appuyant sur les résultats de cette première étude dyadique, notre deuxième article visait à examiner si la thérapie de couple offerte en milieu naturel parvient à réduire le désengagement auprès des couples qui consultent en thérapie conjugale. L’étude a également examiné dans quelle mesure les insécurités d'attachement sont associées à l’amélioration du désengagement au fil de la thérapie conjugale. L’échantillon comprenait 163 couples hétérosexuels débutant une thérapie conjugale dans une clinique privée. Les partenaires ont complété des questionnaires pré-intervention après la première séance d’évaluation et ont rempli des questionnaires de suivi après 15 semaines en thérapie. Les résultats révèlent que le désengagement diminue lorsque les couples suivent une thérapie conjugale, et ce même après seulement quatre à 10 séances d’intervention. Cependant, les insécurités d'attachement nous informent pour qui la thérapie semble la moins efficace. L’évitement de l’intimité de l’homme et l’anxiété d’abandon de la femme étaient associés à un plus haut niveau de désengagement chez l’homme lors du suivi de 15 semaines, et ce même après avoir contrôlé pour la dépression et la satisfaction conjugale. Ces résultats suggèrent que les insécurités d’attachement peuvent être des facteurs qui rendent la thérapie plus difficile, surtout chez les hommes. Les résultats sont discutés à la lumière des interventions cliniques pour la thérapie de couple. / Romantic disengagement refers to a loss of love between romantic partners. It is characterized by emotional indifference as well as cognitive and behavioral distancing strategies. Lack of love appears among the most reported difficulties by couples seeking relationship therapy and the most difficult problems for therapists to treat. It is also considered an important factor in relationship functioning and maintenance, as it is associated with relationship dissatisfaction and divorce. Although a few studies and clinical writings have examined the process of romantic disengagement and linked it to relationship outcomes, no study has examined disengagement among distressed couples. The few studies conducted have mainly employed an individual approach within community samples. Given the prevalence of disengagement among distressed couples and the difficulty associated with its treatment in therapy, studies are needed to better understand disengagement in a clinical context. Attachment theory offers a theoretical framework for assessing romantic disengagement, as it provides an explanation of why individuals form and maintain relationships. Thus, this thesis examined attachment insecurities as predictors of disengagement among distressed couples seeking relationship therapy. In addition, it assessed the role of more contextual factors including depression, relationship satisfaction and commitment on romantic disengagement. Moreover, the thesis evaluated the effectiveness of couple therapy in a naturalistic setting for reducing disengagement and assessed whether attachment insecurities act as risk factors for disengagement change in therapy. The underlying aim of the thesis was to better understand romantic disengagement in a clinical context in order to propose clinical implications for therapists. In an attempt to better understand romantic disengagement within a clinical context, a first study was carried out among 171 relationally distressed couples seeking relationship therapy in a naturalistic setting. The study examined the association between attachment insecurities (avoidance and anxiety) and romantic disengagement from a dyadic perspective while controlling for depression, commitment and relationship satisfaction. Analyses revealed that attachment insecurities are associated with greater romantic disengagement but suggest that disengagement may present differently for men and women. While for men disengagement appears to be mainly linked to their own attachment insecurities (avoidance), disengagement in women appears to be associated to both to their own and their partners’ attachment insecurities. More specifically, women reported higher romantic disengagement when she was high on attachment-related avoidance and when her partner was high on attachment-related anxiety. Male attachment-related avoidance was found to moderate the association between female attachment-related anxiety and female romantic disengagement in that women with higher attachment-related anxiety report lower disengagement when paired with a partner high on attachment-related avoidance. These results highlight the importance of attachment insecurities for couples who present in therapy with high levels of disengagement. Furthermore, it suggests that intrapersonal and contextual factors such as depression, relationship satisfaction and commitment play an important role in understanding romantic disengagement in couples seeking therapy. Interventions aimed at understanding the couple’s attachment dynamic, as well as reducing depression and improving commitment and relationship satisfaction may provide therapists with a lead for aiding partners high in romantic disengagement to re-engage in their relationship. Building on the results of our first study, our second article aimed to examine whether couple therapy was effective at reducing disengagement among distressed couples and the extent to which attachment insecurities help or hinder changes in disengagement. Participants included 163 heterosexual couples seeking relationship therapy. Couples completed questionnaires after the first intake session and 15 weeks into therapy. The results revealed that disengagement decreases when couples undergo therapeutic treatment, even after only four to 10 intervention sessions. Moreover, attachment insecurities play a role is who is more likely to improve in therapy. Attachment insecurities were associated with romantic disengagement at follow-up even when controlling for depression and relationship satisfaction. Men higher on attachment- related avoidance reported greater romantic disengagement at follow-up. Moreover, men also reported higher disengagement at follow-up when paired with a woman high on attachment-related anxiety. Results suggest that attachment insecurities may be factors associated with progress in therapy, especially for men. Findings are discussed in light of clinical interventions for couple therapy.

Two key themes of this special issue are: how violence challenges democracy and how democratic politics might, over time, diminish violence. This paper explores how violence(s) embedded in Latin America's state formation process are multiplied rather than diminished through democratization, generating a securitizing logic which fundamentally distorts democratic principles. Known for its high levels of historic violence(s), Latin America today is second only to Southern Africa in levels of homicide in the world. Some see contemporary violence in the region as a rupture from the past: ‘new violence’ characterized by its urban and social nature in contrast to the rural and political nature of the past. Violence, however, has a reproductive quality, by which it is transmitted through space as well as time. This article argues that rather than reflecting a rupture with the past, violence in Latin America has merely accelerated its complex reproduction in many forms across (gendered) spaces of socialization. The paradox is that the proliferation of this violence has occurred alongside democratic transitions. Although the state is not directly responsible for all the violence which is taking place, this article argues that in many countries it is the very trajectory of the state-formation process which has facilitated this rapid reproduction of violence. I call this process ‘perverse’. Democracy is increasingly subject to the fears and insecurities of the population, enabling the state to build its authority not on the protection of citizens' rights, but on its armed encounters and insidious collusions with violent actors in the name of ‘security provision’. Categories of people become non-citizens, subjected to abuse by state, para-state and non-state violent actors. If this process continues, democracy will ultimately be securitized.

This item contains the agenda, minutes, and attachments for the Faculty Senate meeting on this date. There may be additional materials from the meeting available at the Faculty Center.

Thèse de doctorat présenté en vue de l'obtention du doctorat en psychologie - recherche intervention, option psychologie clinique (Ph.D) / Bien que les relations amoureuses puissent enrichir la vie d’un individu et favoriser son bien-être, elles peuvent également être une source de détresse lorsque des difficultés conjugales surviennent. Les comportements positifs et négatifs émis par les partenaires pourraient avoir un rôle important à jouer dans la satisfaction et l’engagement conjugaux et sont donc souvent ciblés dans le cadre de la psychothérapie conjugale. Cependant, peu d’études se sont intéressées simultanément à ces deux types de comportements pour comprendre leur contribution relative au fonctionnement relationnel. De plus, la présence d’insécurités d’attachement (anxiété d’abandon et évitement de l’intimité), fréquentes chez les partenaires qui consultent en thérapie de couple, pourrait teinter la manière dont ces comportements sont perçus. Ainsi, il semble important de réaliser des études s’intéressant à la fois à la perception des comportements positifs et négatifs du/de la partenaire et aux insécurités d’attachement dans l’étude du lien entre ces variables et le fonctionnement relationnel. Bien que plusieurs études se soient intéressées à ces facteurs de manière indépendante, peu d’entre elles les ont considérés conjointement afin d’atteindre une compréhension plus nuancée du lien entre ces variables. De plus, très peu d’études se sont intéressées à ces variables chez les partenaires de couples en situation de détresse conjugale, un contexte pouvant aussi affecter les perceptions d’un individu à l’égard des comportements de son/sa partenaire. Cette recherche doctorale vise à mieux comprendre les liens entre la perception des comportements positifs et négatifs, les insécurités d’attachement et des indicateurs de fonctionnement relationnel chez les couples consultant en thérapie conjugale. La première étude s’est intéressée aux liens entre la perception de deux comportements du/de la partenaire, un positif (soutien conjugal) et un négatif (violence psychologique), et deux indicateurs de fonctionnement relationnel chez les deux partenaires : la satisfaction conjugale et la volonté d’investir dans la relation. Cette étude s’est aussi intéressée au rôle modérateur de l’anxiété d’abandon dans ces associations. La deuxième étude s’est intéressée aux liens entre les insécurités d’attachement et le sous-engagement des deux partenaires en considérant la perception des comportements positifs et négatifs du/de la partenaire en tant que variables intermédiaires. Dans l’ensemble, les résultats obtenus suggèrent que les comportements positifs pourraient être particulièrement importants pour expliquer le fonctionnement relationnel des partenaires en situation de détresse conjugale. Les comportements négatifs seraient également associés à leur fonctionnement relationnel, mais dans une moindre mesure que les comportements positifs. La première étude a aussi permis de démontrer que le lien entre le soutien conjugal perçu de la part du/de la partenaire et le fonctionnement relationnel varie en fonction du niveau d’anxiété d’abandon d’un individu, bien qu’il y ait des différences de genre. La deuxième étude a démontré que la perception des comportements positifs du/de la partenaire pourrait constituer un mécanisme impliqué dans l’association entre les insécurités d’attachement et le sous-engagement des partenaires. Nos résultats suggèrent que l’augmentation des comportements positifs, tout en favorisant leur perception par les partenaires, pourrait constituer un facteur-clé des interventions visant à améliorer le fonctionnement relationnel des partenaires en situation de détresse conjugale. / While romantic relationships can enrich an individual's life and promote their well-being, they can also be a source of distress when relational difficulties arise. Positive and negative partner behaviors could have an important role to play in relationship satisfaction and relationship commitment and as such, they are often targeted in the context of couple therapy. However, few studies have considered these two types of behaviors simultaneously to understand their relative contribution to relationship outcomes. In addition, the presence of attachment insecurities (attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance), which are frequent among partners who seek couple therapy, could change the way that these behaviors are perceived. Thus, it seems important to carry out studies focusing both on the perception of positive and negative partner behaviors and on attachment insecurities in the study of the association between these variables and relationship outcomes. Although several studies have investigated these factors independently, few studies have considered these factors together to achieve a more nuanced understanding of the association between these variables. Moreover, very few studies have looked at these variables in partners of relationally distressed couples, a context also likely to affect an individual's perceptions of their partner's behaviors. This doctoral research aims to better understand the links between the perception of positive and negative partner behaviors, attachment insecurities, and relationship outcomes among couples seeking couple therapy. The first study focused on the links between the perception of two partner behaviors, one that is positive (support) and one that is negative (psychological aggression), and two relationship outcomes in both partners: relationship satisfaction and the willingness to invest in the relationship. This study also investigated the moderating role of attachment anxiety in these associations. The second study investigated the links between attachment insecurities and both partners’ under-commitment by considering the perception of positive and negative partner behaviors as intermediate variables. Overall, the results suggest that positive partner behaviors could be particularly important to explain relationship outcomes in relationally distressed partners. Negative behaviors would also be associated with relationship outcomes, but to a lesser extent than positive behaviors. The first study also showed that the link between perceived partner support and relationship outcomes varies with an individual’s level of attachment anxiety, although there are gender differences. The second study showed that perceived positive partner behaviors may be a mechanism involved in the association between attachment insecurities and both partners’ under-commitment. Our results suggest that increasing positive behaviors, while also promoting their perception by the partners, could be key for interventions aimed at improving relationship outcomes in relationally distressed partners.