Thesis (doctoral)--Rostock, 1911. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Texte remanié de: Proefschrift--Sociale wetenschappen--Katholieke hogeschool Tilburg. / Contient un résumé en néerlandais et en anglais. Bibliogr. de Lambert J.J.M. Poell p. XXXII-XXXIV. Bibliogr. p. XXI-XXXI. Index.

Forecasting the stock market is well-known to be a very complex and difficult task, and even by many considered to be impossible. The new model, emph{Historical Consistent Neural Networks} (HCNN), has recently been successfully applied for prediction and risk estimation on the energy markets. HCNN is developed by Dr. Hans Georg Zimmermann, Siemens AG, Corporate Technology Dpt., Munich, and implemented in the SENN (Simulation Environment for Neural Network) package, distributed by Siemens. The evalution is made by tests on a large database of historical price data for global indicies, currencies, commodities and interest rates. Tests have been done, using the Linux version of the SENN package, provided by Dr. Zimmermann and his research team. This thesis takes on the task given by Eturn Fonder AB, to develop a sound basis for evaluating and using HCNN, in a fast and easy manner. An important part of our work has been to develop a rapid and improved implementation of HCNN, as an interactive software package. Our approach has been to take advantage of the parallelization capabilities of the graphics card, using the CUDA library together with an intuitive and flexible interface for HCNN built in MATLAB. We can show that the computational power of our CUDA implementation (using a cheap graphics device), compared to SENN, is about 33 times faster. With our new optimized implementation of HCNN, we have been able to test the model on large data sets, consisting of multidimensional financial time series. We present the results with respect to some common statistical measures, evaluates the prediction qualities and performance of HCNN, and give our analysis of how to move forward and do further testing.

In this essay, we have chosen to focus on a wonder regarding where Swedish company management is headed. With that said, we are interested in seeing some form of future prospect, which we can never really take for granted since the future has not yet occurred. With that said, we have chosen to relate to the future in a specific way. Mainly through Johan Asplund and his tankefigursmodell. Through this work, we answer various wounderings, such as "What does Swedish business management mean?", "What does Swedish business management look like?" and "What is said in relation to future Swedish company management, and what does it mean?". We have chosen to approach our main wonder through an Asplundisk approach with focus on aspect vision, meaning statements, fixation images and tankefigurer. We address our wonder in the theoretical field by looking at Swedish business management from three aspects in time; the past, the present and the future. We address the empirical field by looking at two aspects. First, we look to Swedish recruitment companies to form an idea of what type of people they are looking for in leading positions for the future. Secondly, by looking at OMX30's annual reports, we listen to “the CEO: have the floor”, to interpret how they view future Swedish company management. We come to the conclusion that there is a movement happening regarding Swedish company management that takes place over time. The movement takes us from the tankefigur of the past “Tänkare eller Görare” to the tankefigur of the future “Tänkande Görare”. We note that it seems like the present constructs the idea of the future man in a rather tricky way and that there are tensions between what is said and what is done, in relation to the future. Wonders that we acknowledge in our conclusion are for example; Are sustainability aspects a facade and are the conversations about complexity and uncertainty perhaps not as new and future as we seem to think? Has it become a convention in relation to Swedish company management to speak in certain terms? What is typically Swedish and does this differ from the outside world? Through this work our contribution is, in our opinion, twofold. On the one hand, we have a contribution that lies in the fact that through our wondering approach we interpret the tankefigur of the future, its overarching discourses and corresponding basis and look at the meaning of what we can see. Secondly, the contribution lies in the approach itself. The way we choose to write this essay might differ from the convergence and can thus create wonders and revelations for someone else, which might be enlightening or eye opening. / I denna uppsats har vi valt att fokusera på en undran om vart svensk företagsledning är på väg. Med det sagt är vi intresserade av att se någon form av framtidsutsikt. Vi är dock medvetna om att vi inte kan ta framtiden för givet eller konstatera den som självklar, eftersom den ännu inte har inträffat. Med det sagt har vi valt att förhålla oss till framtiden på ett specifikt sätt. Främst genom Johan Asplund och hans tankefigursmodell. Genom detta arbete svarar vi på olika undringar, såsom "Vad betyder svensk företagsledning?", "Hur ser svensk företagsledning ut?" och "Vad talas det om i förhållande till framtida svensk företagsledning och vad betyder det?". Vi har valt att närma oss vår huvudsakliga undran genom ett Asplundiskt synsätt med fokus på aspektseende, betydelseangivelse, fixeringsbilder och tankefigurer. Vi tar upp vår undran inom det teoretiska området genom att undersöka svensk företagsledning ur tre aspekter; dåtiden, nuet och framtiden. Vi tar upp svensk företagsledning i relation till vår empiriska undersökning genom att se till två aspekter. Först vänder vi oss till svenska rekryteringsföretag för att bilda oss en uppfattning om vilken typ av personer de söker till ledande positioner inför framtiden. För det andra, genom att titta på OMX30:s årsredovisningar, lyssnar vi på ”VD:n: har ordet”, för att tolka hur de ser på framtida svensk företagsledning. Vi kommer fram till att det sker en rörelse kring svensk företagsledning som sker över tid. Rörelsen tar oss från dåtidens tankfigur "Tänkare eller Görare" till framtidens tankfigur "Tänkande Görare". Vi noterar att det verkar som om nutiden konstruerar idén om den framtida människan på ett ganska knepigt sätt och att det finns spänningar mellan det som sägs och det som görs, i förhållande till framtiden. Undringar som vi uppmärksammar i vår reflektion och slutsats är bland annat; Är hållbarhetsaspekter en fasad och är samtalen om komplexitet och osäkerhet kanske inte så nya och framtida som vi verkar tro? Har det blivit en norm, förhållande till svensk företagsledning, att tala i vissa termer? Vad är typiskt svenskt och skiljer sig detta typiska från omvärlden? Genom detta arbete är vårt bidrag, enligt vår mening, tvåsidigt. För det första har vi ett bidrag i tolkandet av framtidens tankefigur, dess övergripande diskurser och motsvarande bas samt vårt undrande förhållningssätt när det kommer till innebörden av det vi kan se. För det andra ligger bidraget i själva tillvägagångssättet. Vi väljer att skriva den här uppsatsen på ett sätt som kan skilja sig från normen gällande uppsatsskrivande. Detta hoppas vi kan skapa undringar och nyfikenhet hos någon annan, vilket kan vara upplysande eller ögonöppnande.

This thesis concerns six Swedish history paintings from 1864 until 1897 with motifs depicting the Swedish renaissance. The purpose of the thesis is to examine the influence of 19th century fashion on the depiction of garments from the renaissance, and what this portrayal deflects concerning the artists contemporary vision of fashion and bodily ideals in the 16th century. Using a checklist method to approach the artworks the thesis examines how and to what extent the artists used visual culture from the 16th century in their visualization of the era and wether or not this portrayal is affected by the artists contemporary fashions. Interwined with the method is the theoretical framwork of the thesis, based upon the notion of fashion in art as a fabricated construct and history usage. The thesis presents the idea that the history painting depicting events spanning between a period of 70 years still uses a similar fashion in the works, even considering the time frame of different styles. The idea of gender coded garments and body siluetts during the 19th century heavily affects the fashion in the paintings, as well as the artist’s contemporary attitudes towards representations of sexuality and bodily beauty.

This essay aims to explore the tradition of visionary experience as expressed through the 4th century apocryphal text The Apocalypse of Paul. Emerging motifs from The Apocalypse of Paul is studied alongside those from the 1979 study on near-death experience, To die is gain, by German Lutheran priest Johann Christoph Hampe. A general enquiry it seeks to answer is; are the motifs in The Apocalypse of Paul of contemporary relevance, as testimony of neardeath experience? Further, this thesis aims to study possible correlations of emerging patterns through the theology of death and afterlife developed by the late Karl Rahner, as an attempt to re-cast traditional eschatological teachings of the church to modern sensibilities. Basic narrative characteristics in The Apocalypse of Paul is put in relation to the interpretation of NDE-characteristics in To die is gain. Correlations and/or discrepancies are put in relation to the eschatological thought of Karl Rahner. The study is structured around a disposition of The Apocalypse of Paul divided in seven subgroups. Each subgroup is analysed using Hampes’ tripartite division of the NDE-phenomenon.Further, granted the grouping based on Hampes’ systemisation, each section will provide a basis for study of Rahnerian theology of dying.

Djupgående analyser av filmerna Konspiration 58 och Forgotten Silver, tillhörande genrehybriden mockumentärfilm.

Denna uppsats behandlar ämnet Ingemar Hedenius och hans syn på kristendomen och religion. Dessa två frågeställningar är vad uppsatsen är byggd på. Vilken filosofisk kritik har riktats mot Hedenius behandling av gudsbegreppet? Hur ska denna kritik mot Hedenius värderas? Vilken roll spelar retorik i Hedenius argumentering? Jag har besvarat dessa frågor med hjälp ifrån relevant litteratur, videoklipp samt sökt information på nätet. Hedenius valde på ett provokativt vis skriva en bok om tro och vetande, dels för att filosofi intresserade honom men också som revolt mot sina föräldrars kristna tro. Han möttes av mycket kritik för sin bok men stod upp för sina åsikter och argumenterade gärna för dessa. Slutsatsen jag har kommit fram till genom detta arbete är att Hedenius bakgrund spelar en ganska stor roll till varför han valde att börja med religionskritik samt att hans sätt att framföra kritiken var speciell och kontroversiell för hans tid.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The current effects of globalisation are requiring of leaders to deal with many changes in the workplace, including a globally changing, diverse workforce. The question that this research report aims to address is what does it require of a leader to be successful in the business environment today and what characteristics or behaviours would such a leader display? It is argued that although the context of leadership has and will continue to change, the fundamentals of leadership have essentially remained the same (Kouzes and Pousner, 2002:xviii). A comprehensive study of literature in the field of leadership will reveal the views of various writers on this subject, namely what constitutes effective leadership. Five leadership theories, which in the researcher's opinion give a balanced overview of the various theories, are discussed in more detail and later on used to evaluate the leadership characteristics and style of one of the very successful leaders in South Africa, the current CEO of Sanlam, Dr. Johan van Zyl. The combination of these five theories focuses on leadership characteristics, leadership behaviours, different leadership styles and the relational aspect of leadership, that is the interaction between the leader and his followers. These five theories include the situational leadership theory, servant leadership, transformational leadership, the theory of level five leadership and emotional intelligence. A broad overview of Sanlam's history focusing on the company's transformation in recent years and its contribution to broad based empowerment are also discussed, providing the background and context to discuss the leadership provided by Johan van Zyl in recent years. The fourth chapter of this report provides an analysis of primary data collected through questionnaires sent to senior executives of Sanlam as well as through an interview with Van Zyl. The final chapter contains conclusions from the research results, namely the leadership characteristics and style of Van Zyl and his leadership approach as compared to the various theories studied. The researcher is of the opinion that valuable lessons are to be extracted from examining Van Zyl's leadership characteristics and style and that these could be applied to modern business practice. The research results showed that Van Zyl has characteristics of most of the leadership theories investigated in this study including characteristics of the situational leader, transformational leader, level five leader and that of an emotionally intelligent leader and that this is standing him in good stead for the transformation and strategic repositioning of Sanlam. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die huidige gevolge van 'n globaliserende wereld vereis van leiers om voortdurende veranderinge in die werksplek te bestuur, insluitende 'n globaal veranderende, diverse werkspan. Die vraag wat hierdie navorsingsprojek pobeer beantwoord is wat vereis dit van 'n leier om suksesvol te wees in die besigheidswereld vandag en watter leierseienskappe en gedrag sal so n leier betoon? Dit word beweer dat alhoewel die konteks van leierskap verander het en voortdurend sal verander, het die fundamentele begrip van leierskap dieselfde gebly. 'n Omvattende literatuurstudie in die veld van leierskap sal die standpunte van verskillende skrywers in die vakgebied daarstel om vas te stel wat, volgens die teorie, effektiewe leierskap behels. Vyf leierskap teoriee, wat in die navorser se opinie 'n geredelike oorsig gee van die verskeie leierskapsteoriee, word in groter diepte beskryf en later gebruik as die grondslag waarop 'n baie suksesvolle leier in Suid-Afrika, huidige uitvoerende beampte van Sanlam, Dr. Johan van Zyl se leierskap eienskappe en styl ge-evalueer word. Die kombinasie van die vyf teoriee fokus op leierseienskappe, gedrag, leierskapstyle, en die verhoudingsaspek van leierskap, byvoorbeeld die interaksie tussen die leier en navolgers. Die vyf teoriee sluit die situasionele leierskapteorie, dienende leierskap ('servant leadership'), transformasionele leierskap, vlak vyf leierskap en die teorie van emosionele intelligensie in. 'n Bree oorsig van Sanlam se geskiedenis wat fokus op die maatskappy se transformasie die afgelope paar jaar en bydrae tot breed gebaseerde swart ekonomiese bemagtiging ('broad based black economic empowerment') word ook bespreek en dien as die agtergrond en konteks om Dr. Johan van Zyl se leierskap te evalueer. In Hoofstuk Vier word 'n analise van primere data gedoen. Die data is ingesamel deur vraelyste wat voltooi is deur senior bestuurders van Sanlam asook deur 'n onderhoud met Van Zyl. Die finale hoofstuk beval afleidings i.v.m die leierskapseienskappe en -styl van Van Zyl en sy leierskapsbenadering soos vergelyk met die teoretiese benadering bestudeer. Die navorser is van die opinie dat belangrike lesse geleer kan word vanaf die studie van Van Zyl se leierskaps eienskappe en -styl en dat dit toegepas sal kan word as moderne besigheids beginsels vir leiers. Die bevindinge van die studie het getoon dat Van Zyl eienskappe van die meeste van die leierskapsteoriee wat bestudeer is in die studie betoon. Dit sluit eienskappe in van n situasionele leier, 'n transformasionele leier, n vlak vyf leier en 'n emosionele intelligente leier. Hierdie bevindinge word onderskraag deur die literatuur oor leierskap en die navorser is van die opinie dat hierdie eienskappe hom in n goeie posisie plaas vir die transformasie en strategiese herposisionering van Sanlam.

This essay aims to investigate the representations of inner Eurasia’s indigenous religions in the texts of west Europeans from the Age of Reason. Primary sources for the study are texts of John Bell, Lorenz Lange, Anders Pihlström and Philip Johan Tabbert von Strahlenberg. The inquiry attempts to map correlations between the authors’ positions, attitudes and their representations of the local religious traditions. Since the theoretical starting point for this study is discourse analysis from the perspective of historiography and sociology of knowledge, the investigated phenomenon is placed in a system of background factors, or dispositifs, which include aspects of epistemology and colonialism. The conclusion of this inquiry is that all authors constitute the indigenous religions in the discourse of heathendom but do so in a variety of ways employing different patterns of interpretation.