Dans cette thèse, la notion d’"interpersonnage" – qui conçoit le personnage dramatique comme un être d’interactions multiples –, permet d’aborder l’étude pluridisciplinaire d’une vaste population de mères dramatiques contemporaines.Les analyses montrent d’abord qu’un certain nombre de mères s’éloignent des stéréotypes existants, et renvoient à des caractères plus complexes, à la charnière entre deux grands types dramatiques : la Mère et la Femme. L’analyse des échanges entre les "interpersonnages" maternels et leurs "constellations" familiales amène à constater la déliquescence de la figure paternelle, le rejet des grands-parents et la fragilisation des relations de voisinage. En revanche, même s’il est fréquemment le lieu de violences et de névroses, le duo mère/enfant demeure indestructible. L’étude des personnages les plus atypiques – mères adoptives, mères porteuses, "pmères" et mères fantomatiques – permet de vérifier la dimension symbolique des mères alternatives, toujours mues par le désir de se relier à un(e) Autre, et souvent étroitement reliées à des traditions mystiques ou profanes.Finalement, la thèse montre qu’au théâtre, l’image de la mère traditionnelle, domestique et dévouée, longtemps perçue comme un être "ahistorique", se trouve concurrencée par d’autres figures maternelles et par d’autres types de liens. Dans une Espagne contemporaine où de rapides évolutions politiques, sociales et scientifiques ébranlent la sacro-sainte "institution maternelle", les mères rejoignent le flot impétueux de la grande Histoire. Le théâtre est témoin de cette "historicisation" de la maternité. / The drama character of the mother is on one hand connected to its surrounding characters in the dramas, – mostly family members –; and is on the other hand linked to many archaic traditions and motherhood stereotypes. Therefore, the concept of “inter-character” (“interpersonnage”) might be a powerful tool for the multidisciplinary study of our selected sample of forty-five mothers in contemporary drama.Some of the mothers we studied do not fit in the Mother stereotypes and rather appear as more complex characters, sitting at the threshold between two classical drama figures: the Mother and the Woman.Studying the interactions between the mother “inter-characters” and their family “web” will shed some light on several phenomena: the decay of the father figure, the rejection of grandparents; and the thinning of the links with neighbors. However, the “mother-child” duo seems to remain unaltered; although often loaded with violence and neurosis.Eventually, the study of the most atypical mothers – adoptive, surrogate, father-like and ghostly –, leads us to take into account their symbolic dimensions. They belong to an ancestral tradition – profane or mystical –, and seem to remain haunted by the urge to connect to mankind.The dramatic representation of the traditional Mother as a dedicated housewife, seemingly a timeless feature, is now losing ground to other representations of mothers and relations. In contemporary Spain, shattered by the rapid political, social and scientific changes of the previously unchallenged “Mother institution”, the mothers are now making History; this evolution is witnessed in Drama.

This thesis focuses on investigating inter-departmental Electronic Information Sharing (EIS) through Inter-organisational Systems (IOS) in the context of Local Government Authorities (LGAs) in England and Wales. There is an increasing demand to involve LGA departments in sharing information electronically in order to reduce the cost of storing and managing data, increase the level of data accuracy and timeliness and improve the accountability of the authority. During the last decades, several LGAs in the United Kingdom have started to employ IOSs to support information sharing and networked collaboration within their departments in order to meet a diverse range of citizen needs including housing services, social care services and education services. However, reaching a great level of crossdepartmental collaboration is not easy and requires additional time and effort. Normative literature proposed various models and frameworks that examine various issues and factors influencing the effort of EIS in the private and public domain. However, the applicability and validity of those models in the context of LGAs is arguable. Therefore, this research proposes and validates a novel conceptual framework that can be used as a tool for decision-making while sharing information electronically. The framework consists of four main levels: (a) investigation and presentation of factors influencing Electronic Information Sharing in LGAs based on external environment, organisational capacity, technology environment, EIS characteristics and inter-departmental environment, (b) investigation and presentation of the phases that departments adopt while participating in the EIS effort, (c) mapping of the influential factors onto the participation phases and (d) prioritisation of the factors influencing EIS in LGAs in relation to different phases. By validating the conceptual framework through using a qualitative, interpretive, multiple case study research strategy, this thesis attempts to contribute to the theoretical, methodological and practical aspects of inter-departmental EIS. Despite the results of the cases cannot be generalised, yetthey can allow others to relate their views with the onesreported in this thesis.

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Background: Studies show that healthcare professionals often experience ethical difficulties in their relations with patients, relatives, and other professionals and in relation to organisational issues, and these can sometimes be difficult to handle. Failing to act or to relate in accordance with one’s values for what is good and right might cause a troubled conscience that is connected to feelings of guilt and ill-being. Ethical issues related to the care of patients with end-stage renal disease have been described, but no studies in this context have been found that explore registered nurses’ (RNs’) and physicians’ experiences of being in ethically difficult situations that give rise to a troubled conscience. The importance of communicating ethical issues in order to understand and handle ethically difficult care situations has been emphasized. Various forms of clinical ethics support (CES) have been described and evaluated, but studies on the communication processes and the organisation of CES interventions are sparse and no study describing a CES intervention based on Habermas’ theory of communicative action has been found. Aim: The overall aim was to increase our understanding about being in ethically difficult care situations and about how communication concerning ethical issues in healthcare can be promoted. More specifically, the aim of studies I and II was to illuminate experiences of being in ethically difficult situations giving rise to a troubled conscience among RNs and physicians, while studies III and IV aimed to describe the communication of value conflicts (III) and the organisation and performance of a CES intervention (IV). Methods: In studies I and II narrative interviews with ten RNs (I) and five physicians (II), were performed in a dialysis care context. The interviews were analysed using a phenomenological hermeneutic approach. In studies III and IV, eight audio- and video-recorded and two audio-recorded sessions of the CES intervention, were conducted and sorted by the data tool Transana and analysed in accordance with a qualitative content analysis (III) and a qualitative concept- and data-driven content analysis (IV). Results: The RNs’ narratives (I) resulted in the theme ‘Calling for a deliberative dialogue’. Their narratives expressed feelings of uncertainty, solitude, abandonment, and guilt in complex and ambiguous ethically difficult situations. The narratives concerned the value conflict between preserving life by all means and preserving life with dignity. The physicians’ narratives (II) resulted in the themes ‘Feeling trapped in irresolution’ and ‘Being torn by conflicting demands’. Their narratives expressed feelings of uncertainty, solitude, abandonment and guilt related to the obligation to make crucial decisions and in situations when their ideals and the reality iii clashed. The analysis of the communication of value conflicts during the CES intervention inspired by Habermas’ theory of communicative action (study III) revealed a process of five phases: a value conflict expressed as feelings of frustration, sharing disempowerment and helplessness, revelation of the value conflict, enhancing realistic expectations of the patients and relatives, and seeing opportunities to change the situation instead of obstacles. The CES intervention (study IV) was organised as a framework with a given structure and an openness for variations to facilitate communicative action. Three courses of actions to reach a communicative agreement were identified and concerned the approach to achieve a permissive communication, opening up for extended views, and enhancing mutual understanding (IV). Conclusion: The results show that both RNs and physicians expressed feelings of uncertainty abandonment and loneliness in similar ethically difficult situations but from different points of view. They struggled with the same value conflicts and feelings, but they did not share their struggles with each other. The lack of communication and confirmation led to distrust and increased feelings of uncertainty. The CES intervention, inspired by Habermas’ theory of communicative action, offered the possibility of dealing with experiences of ethically difficult care situations. In the permissive atmosphere, the professionals helped each other to balance their ambiguity, frustrations, and powerlessness and came to an agreement about how to handle the value conflicts and how to act. The findings from this CES intervention constitute a step towards a CES method that is clearly described so that leaders can be educated and extended intervention studies with different kinds of data can be conducted in order to further develop knowledge about how to promote an inter-professional dialogue about ethical difficulties.

In der Metakontrastmaskierung wird die Sichtbarkeit des ersten Stimulus (Target) durch das Auftreten eines zweiten Stimulus (Maske) reduziert. Zwei Maskierungsfunktionen (MF) treten hauptsächlich auf: Typ A, wenn die Sichtbarkeit mit ansteigender SOA zumimmt, und Typ-B, wenn die Sichtbarkeit in kurzer und langer SOA hoch ist und auf ein Minimum in mittlerer SOA abfällt. In fünf Studien wurde systematisch untersucht welchen Einfluss experimentelle Parameter auf das Auftreten der MF haben. Je länger die Maske im Verhältnis zum Target präsentiert wird, desto weiter verschiebt sich das Minimum der MF hin zu kürzerer SOA und desto mehr ähnelt sie einer Typ-A-MF (monoton ansteigend). Die Maskierung ist in kleinen Stimuli stärker als in großen Stimuli, sowohl im Zentrum als auch in der Peripherie. Bei beiden Stimulusgrößen findet bei der kürzesten SOA die stärkste Maskierung statt. MF unterscheiden sich nicht, wenn sich die Vorhersagbarkeit der Präsentationsorte der Stimuli unterscheidet. Scheinbewegungen werden in langen SOAs eher wahrgenommen als in kurzen SOAs. Darüber hinaus wurden inter-individuelle Unterschiede gefunden, die Einblicke in die Mechanismen erlauben, die in der Metakontrastmaskierung beteiligt sind. Einige Versuchspersonen zeigen eine Typ-A-MF und berichten Scheinbewegungen in der Abfolge der Stimuli wahrzunehmen, hauptsächlich in langen SOAs. Andere zeigen eine Typ-B-MF und berichten negative Nachbilder in Form des Tagets im Inneren der Maske wahrzunehmen, hauptsächlich in kurzen SOAs. Typ-A- und Typ-B-Versuchspersonen unterscheiden sich in ihrer Top-Down-Verarbeitung der Stimuli, nicht aber in ihrer Bottom-Up-Verarbeitung. Zwei Prozesse stellten sich heraus, die in der Verarbeitung der Metakontraststimuli beteiligt sein könnten. Nach der Integrations-Segregations-Theorie steht die getrennte (segregierte) Wahrnehmung zweier Stimuli, die Scheinbewegungen ermöglicht, mit dem Segregationsprozess in Zusammenhang. Dagegen steht die gleichzeitige (integrierte) Wahrnehmung zweier nacheinander folgender Stimuli mit dem Integrationsprozess in Zusammenhang. Da Prozess 1 stark mit einer Typ-A-MF verknüpft ist, einhergehend mit der Wahrnehmung von Scheinbewegungen, könnte dieser Prozess dem Segregationsprozess entsprechen. Da Prozess 2 stark mit einer Typ-B-MF verknüpft ist, einhergehend mit der Wahrnehmung negativer Nachbilder, könnte dieser Prozess dem Integrationsprozess entsprechen. Es wird angenommen, dass diese beiden Prozesse an der bewussten Wahrnehmung des Targets in der Metakontrastmaskierung beteiligt sind.

Ce travail porte sur la fonction des éducateurs spécialisés en institution. Malgré les différents profils des éducateurs et leurs différents cadres d’intervention (spatiaux et temporels), la fonction éducative peut être définie comme fonction « chorale », en référence au choeur de la tragédie grecque, dans sa qualité première d’institution. La métaphore tragique a permis d’envisager cette fonction selon le paradigme groupal proposé par la métapsychologie. Les théories psychanalytiques du groupe rendent possible l’examen du travail du lien intersubjectif et de la question des transferts dans l’éducation spécialisée, tant du coté de l’équipe éducative que du coté des « confiés ». La fonction éducative conçue comme fonction « chorale », fonction d’une psyché groupale, permet de penser les relations éducatives plurielles dans leur potentiel de figuration, contribuant à la tâche primaire. La problématique du lien intersubjectif s’avère pertinente pour fonder une « clinique éducative ». / This work concerns the educative function of caseworkers in institution. Despite the caseworkers‘ different profiles and their different frameworks (time and space related), the educative function could be described as a choral function in reference to the Greek tragedy’s choir, in its institution first quality. The tragic metaphor made it possible to think this function according to the group paradigm offered by metapsychology(psychoanalysis). Group psychoanalytical theories made it possible to examine the inter‐subjective link and the question of transfer in social work, so much for the caseworkers than the “users”. The educative function, as a choral function, function of group psyche, allowed us to think the plural educative relationship in their conformation potential, contributing to the primary task. The inter‐subjective link problematic turns out to be relevant to found a “clinic of education”.

The thesis is focused on the possibilities of municipal cooperation in the Czech Republic, specifically on voluntary groups of municipalities. The aim is to analyse their activities and the advantages they bring to the involved municipalities. In the theoretical part, the various possibilities of municipal cooperation are generally outlined. Further, some important terms and aspects of regional development and municipal cooperation are explained, including the most important preconditions for such cooperation. In the practical part two examples of municipal cooperation are shown - The group of municipalities of the river Desná valley and Jesenicko Micro-region. Basic information about those subjects, their formation and activities including their most important projects can be found in here. The last two chapters deal with comparison of both micro-regions, especially in the fields of fundraising and management. They include also the results of the structured interviews with some of the representatives of involved municipalities and the data gained from a survey carried out among the citizens of some of those municipalities.

Magister Commercii (Industrial Psychology) - MCom(IPS) / Twenty-first century organisations have become more conscious of implementing work-life balance practices due to the fusion of females into the labour market, the existence of double career couples with children and equality gender. Several studies around work-life balance has been embarked upon, however, the perception of female traffic officers within the South African environment has not yet been explored. The present study seeks to understand and provide female traffic inspectors with better insights about how they are currently experiencing work and home life through self-awareness. A phenomenological approach based on a research design of inquiry was used to engage with female traffic inspectors and to obtain their experience, as well as its impact. The sample used for this study consisted of six female traffic inspectors from the Western Cape Government, Department of Transport and Public Works: Metro Region. The current research used one research instrument namely in-depth interview to address the research question using semi-structured, audio-taped interviews. Recurring themes that emerged from the study indicate that female traffic inspectors’ experience of work-life balance challenges involved job stress, work support, organisational culture and the work environment. These challenges have impacted on their work life and family life which gave rise to inter-role conflict, work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict, which negatively impacted on their attitude in attempting to adapt to their work environment. It became evident that most of the participants were finding it difficult to balance work and family as they realise that “something had to give”.

In order to create sustainable competitive advantages, organizations are embedded in dyadic exchange relationships, which depend on the coordination of the behavior of the actors involved. Often, coordinated behavior is explained by trust. Since trust develops in a process of reciprocal responses to presumed trustworthy behavior, it is a reciprocity-based concept. While inter-organizational exchange relationships can appear in different stages (forming, establishing, broken), different reciprocity types (direct, indirect, negative) can be distinguished. The study links reciprocal behavior to different stages of inter-organizational exchange relationships in order to investigate reciprocity as a possible coordination mechanism of behavior and thus explore the basis of coordination of trust-based behavior. Qualitative Comparative Analysis as a set-theoretic approach is applied to analyze the empirical data consisting of 78 qualitative semi-structured interviews with managers of small-, medium- and large-sized companies. The results show that different reciprocity types become effective in different stages of an inter-organizational exchange relationship: For forming inter-organizational exchange relationships indirect reciprocal behavior, besides direct reciprocity, becomes effective while in establishing inter-organizational exchange relationships, direct reciprocal behavior is evident. Negative reciprocal behavior leads to a break up of relationships. Using these results, on the one hand, the concept of trust can be sharpened by deepening the understanding of the trust-building mechanisms and on the other hand, reciprocity can be seen as coordination mechanism in exchange relationships of different stages. In doing so, with this knowledge, relationships can be coordinated towards a long-term orientation in order to create sustainable advantages.

Thesis advisor: Paul Gray / This thesis is a study of inter-sectoral collaboration and the impact of crises and social learning and cooperation initiatives on corporate change. The main purpose is to demonstrate how governments, corporations, and non-governmental organizations can most effectively work together to solve some of the world's most pressing development problems. Using case studies of extractive multinational corporations operating in Colombia, Papua New Guinea, and Nigeria, this paper presents support for the fact that crises are essential catalysts for corporate change. Moreover, analysis of these cases reinforces the critical role social learning and cooperation initiatives play in driving longterm improvements in corporate practice. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology. / Discipline: College Honors Program. / Discipline: International Studies Honors Program.