Background: The Swedish island Gotland provides suitable conditions for the successful implementation of electric cars. Despite these conditions and the availability of the product in the Gotlandic market, electric cars do not find acceptance among consumers on Gotland. This phenomenon of consumer resistance behavior represents a rather under-researched area in current literature. Since resistance behavior is one of the main reasons responsible for the high failure rate of innovative products such as electric cars, this justifies the relevance of this study. Purpose: The aim of this study is to explore the reasons for consumer resistance behavior towards electric cars on Gotland. By answering this question, the authors intend to contribute not only theoretically to the existing theory of this phenomenon but also to shed new light on the special case of Gotland regarding the non-adoption of electric cars. Methodology: In order to answer the research question, an exploratory case study approach was chosen. Quantitative data in form of a questionnaire as well as qualitative data including a group interview and six expert interviews were collected and analyzed. Key findings: The barriers preventing consumers on Gotland from adopting electric cars are rooted in four different areas. First, functional barriers occur due to the limited range of electric cars, the existing charging infrastructure, the purchase cost, as well as the technological development status of the car batteries. Second, institutional barriers arise since the local government does not provide sufficient support for the further implementation of electric cars and related issues. Third, a contextual barrier in terms of the local car industry was figured out. This contributes a lot the last identified barrier, the cognitive barrier, which concerns the consumers themselves since their lacking knowledge and awareness about issues related to electric cars on Gotland is one of the main reasons for the resistance towards this innovation. As long as these barriers exist, consumers tend to postpone the buying decision of this product to a future point in time.

Mobile communication has become a vital part of modern communication. The cost of network infrastructure has become a deciding factor with rise in mobile phone usage. Subscriber mobility patterns have major effect on load of radio cell in the network. The need for data analysis of subscriber mobility data is of utmost priority. The paper aims at classifying the entire dataset provided by Telenor, into two main groups i.e. Infrastructure stressing and Infrastructure friendly with respect to their impact on the mobile network. The research aims to predict the behavior of new subscriber based on his MOSAIC group. A heuristic method is formulated to characterize the subscribers into three different segments based on their mobility. Tetris Optimization is used to reveal the “Infrastructure Stressing” subscribers in the mobile network. All the experiments have been conducted on the subscriber trajectory data provided by the telecom operator. The results from the experimentation reveal that 5 percent of subscribers from entire data set are “Infrastructure Stressing”. A classification model is developed and evaluated to label the new subscriber as friendly or stressing using WEKA machine learning tool. Naïve Bayes, k-nearest neighbor and J48 Decision tree are classification algorithms used to train the model and to find the relation between features in the labeled subscriber dataset

Migrants into European countries are often less educated than European natives. We analyse whether migrants' children are more or less likely than natives' children to achieve upward educational mobility across generations, and study differences in the factors, which contribute to differences in mobility for the two groups. We find that migrants' descendants are more often upwardly mobile (and less often downwardly mobile) than their native peers in the majority of countries studied, and show that the main factor contributing to these patterns is the education level of parents. Although a lower parental education means that their children are less likely to access the same amount of human, social and financial capital as children of more highly educated parents, migrants' descendants over the last two generations were able to make significant progress in reducing education gaps with natives.

Depuis longtemps, il est connu que les immigrés s'insèrent difficilement sur le marché de travail des pays développés. Cette thèse vise à clarifier ce constat, en exploitant trois différentes bases de données. Elle est organisée autour de trois questions :(1)Quel est l'impact de la diaspora et de la qualité de l'enseignement supérieur sur le choix des étudiants étrangers des pays d'accueil pour poursuivre leurs études?(2)Obtenir un diplôme dans le pays d'accueil a-t-il un impact positif ou négatif sur le déclassement des Marocains Résidant à l'Etranger?(3)Quel est l'impact du déclassement sur le salaire dans les pays de l'Union Européenne chez les autochtones vs les immigrés ?La recherche aboutit à 3 résultats essentiels :•La qualité de l'enseignement supérieur et la diaspora des immigrés dans les pays de l'OCDE ont un impact positif sur la mobilité internationale des étudiants.•Les marocains résidant à l'étranger et ayant au moins le secondaire dans les pays d'accueil, sont les moins déclassés, et leur insertion professionnelle s'avère facile.•Les immigrés déclassés dans les pays de l'Union Européenne sont moins rémunérés que les autochtones déclassés / For a long time, it is known that immigrants have significant difficulties on the labor market in developed countries. This thesis tries, to a certain degree, to clarify theses difficulties, using three different databases. The analysis relies, mainly on econometric models. It is articulated on three questions:(1)Which factors determine the international mobility of students?(2)Is the fact of obtaining a degree in host country has an impact on the probability of Moroccans living abroad to be overeducated in the European labor market?(3)What is the incidence of the overeducation situation on wages of natives versus immigrants in European Union labour market?The research conducted here leads to three main results:• The quality of higher education and the network of immigrants in OECD countries have a positive impact on international mobility of student.• Moroccans residing abroad who have at least secondary level in the host country, have more opportunities to not be overeducated, and their professional insertion is easier• Immigrants overeducated are paid less than native overeducated in the European labour market.

Student Number : 0317880W - MA dissertation - School of Psychology - Faculty of Humanities / A large portion of literature on organisational development is devoted to how organisations have changed and the subsequent effect that these changes have had on the human beings within them. Organisations are constantly trying to change and develop themselves so that they are better equipped to face challenges that exist within the greater macro environment. These changes affect all facets of the organisation and often have a life altering impact on the employees involved. One such impact that this fluctuating corporate environment has had on employees is that they are required to develop themselves to safeguard against unexpected changes that may jeopardise their job security. Employees are constantly trying to improve themselves and their marketability so that they may progress in their careers. The major shift from previous decades is that employees are currently more committed to their careers than to their organisation (Cavanaugh & Noe, 1999). Moving up the organisational hierarchy is one way to achieve career development (Garavan, Collahan, 1996) and may be regarded as reward for the self-development that one has worked so hard for. If employees do not see an opportunity to further themselves and their careers, a possible response would be to leave the organisation and look for other avenues to achieve this development. The present study aimed to explore this by determining how a personality construct effects ones perceptions of intraorganisational mobility and the reactions that these perceptions generate. A large South African banking institution was used to sample employees for the study and being a service firm, all indications are that it is an extremely underresearched organisational form (Malos, Campion, 2000). The key strategic focus of the group is said to include among others, to focus on customer service, to improve transparency and to meet transformation goals in line with the financial sector charter. This is in response to numerous restructuring and change efforts that have taken place within the last two years. The organisation serves as an illustration of corporate life within South Africa. The company is continually trying to change and develop to meet the challenges of the greater macro environment. In doing so, the employees are required to respond proactively to the changes that take place and develop themselves accordingly. In light of this, the organisation provided a useful backdrop from which to analyse the relationship between locus of control, perceptions of intra-organisational mobility, satisfaction with promotion opportunities and future career planning.

Key words: Peripheral neuropathy, HIV/AIDS, Progressive resisted exercise, Performance oriented mobility, Quality of life. Background: Distal symmetrical poly-neuropathy (DSP) has emerged as one of the major neurological complication associated with HIV/AIDS and antiretroviral therapy. People with DSP commonly have problems with pain, mobility, altered gait and balance all which affect their quality of life. While therapeutic strengthening exercise has been reported to attenuate these impairments in other co-morbid conditions like diabetes mellitus and in HIV/AIDS, there is no evidence available on the effects of exercise on DSP in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of progressive resisted exercises (PRE) on performance oriented mobility and health related quality of life in (PLWHA) related DSP. Objectives of this study were to determine the effects of PRE on gait, balance and pain levels and establish if there is a relationship between performance-oriented mobility and health-related quality of life in PLWHA related DSP. Methods: In order to fulfil the objectives, an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial was conducted over two studies, with a combined sample of 160 participants sourced from two family care clinics at two central hospitals and ten anti-retroviral therapy dispensing municipal clinics in Harare, Zimbabwe. While the experimental group with 80 participants had an intervention program of PRE sessions of one hour for the lower limbs, done twice per week over 12 weeks, the control group of 80 participants was given advice to walk unsupervised at home. Loss to follow up in this study was at 60% (n=97) and the data was analysed using an intention to treat analysis approach. Results: Participants of an average age of 42.2 years (SD=8.5) constituted of 70.6% (n=113) female participants. Combination antiretroviral therapy containing stavudine, was used by 59% (n=94) of the participants and 59% (n=94) of the participants had moderate to severe neuropathy. Proximal muscles exhibited weakness (hamstring muscles strength = 3.43 kg force (SD=1.5)) when compared to leg muscles (gastrocnemius muscles strength = 12.8 kg force (SD=2.0)). Gait and balance scores did not show differences in effect between the intervention and the control group (95%CI 0.00-0.02, p = 0.8). Similarly there were no differences of effect for muscle strength (95%CI 0.00-0.08, p=0.13-0.8) and pain (95%CI 0.0-0.06, p>0.13). However the effect on quality of life changes were significantly different between the two groups (95%CI 0.00-0.12 p= 0.04). Quality of life was positively associated with gait, odds ratio 1.01 (95%CI 1.00 – 1.04), moderately associated with balance odds ratio 0.68, (95%CI 0.52 – 0.93) negatively associated with pain odds ratio 0.98 (95%CI 0.97 – 0.99). Conclusion: This research study established that progressive resisted exercises have positive effects on the health related quality of life in PLWHA related DSP. However this study did not show a difference of the effects of progressive resisted exercises on performance oriented mobility in PLWHA related DSP when compared to advice to exercise at home. The study findings may not be generalized to all individuals living with HIV/AIDS who have DSP as the participants were from a particular demographic setting. This project may be continued at the participating family care clinics as a roll on of the perceived benefits of exercise for people with HIV related DSP.

En cours / En cours

De la marche à pied à l’automobile, l’évolution des territoires peut s’exposer selon la succession des systèmes de transport. Ce rapport est démontré par notre méthode de représentation systémique. Celle-ci est également représentée et testée dans un contexte de recherche particulier : les territoires transfrontaliers. Si des projets de coopérations et d’échanges transfrontaliers s’opèrent dans des contextes métropolitains, nous constatons une rupture importante aux frontières des territoires transfrontaliers « d’entre-deux ». Les territoires frontaliers d’entre-deux sont-ils plus vulnérables que les territoires « états » ; du fait de leur modèle urbain et de leurs systèmes de transport ? L’objectif du présent travail est d’étudier les processus frontaliers opérant sur ces territoires d’entre-deux. L’approche utilisée est résolument éloignée des études classiques. Elle repose sur les théories systémiques et développe la compréhension et la perception des phénomènes urbains transfrontaliers, appliquées au territoire transfrontalier de Mons-Valenciennes. Afin de construire notre modèle systémique, nous expérimentons différentes représentations sur 20 cas d’étude et modèles urbains selon leurs systèmes de transport ; par leur triangulation systémique structurelle, fonctionnelle et historique. Ces représentations s’accompagnent d’une recherche d’informations géographiques et de données transposables afin de construire notre base de données dans un Système d’Information Géographique (SIG) transfrontalier. Nous appliquons finalement ce SIG sur le territoire transfrontalier d’application afin d’en représenter sa vulnérabilité selon un modèle systémique pour la mobilité. / From walking to driving, the evolution of territories can be exposed according to the succession of transport systems. This relationship is demonstrated by our method of systemic representation which is also represented and tested in a particular research context: cross-border territories. While cross-border cooperation and exchange projects are happen in metropolitan contexts, we are seeing a significant break in cross-border "between-the-border" territories. Are the border territories between the two more vulnerable than the "state" territories; because of their urban model and their transportation systems? The purpose of this thesis is to study the border processes operating in these two territories. The approach we used is resolutely far from classical studies. It is based on systemic theories and develops understanding and perception of transboundary urban phenomena, applied to the cross-border territory of Mons-Valenciennes. In order to build our systemic model, we experiment different representations on 20 study cases and urban models according to their transport systems; by their structural, functional and historical systemic triangulation. These representations are accompanied by a search for geographic information and transposable data in order to build our database in a cross-border Geographic Information System (GIS). We finally apply this GIS on the concerned cross-border territory in order to represent its vulnerability according to a systemic model for mobility.

Bilen har länge varit central i samhället. Användandet av personbilar står för stora mängder utsläpp som hotar kommande generationers livskvalitet. Denna studie syftar att studera resvanor och attityder gentemot bilanvändning och kollektivtrafik. Undersökningsområdet är Barkarbystaden beläget nordväst om Stockholm. I området pågår en stadsomvandling med tillhörande utbyggnad av den blå tunnelbanelinjen. I dagsläget bor det 5000 personer i Barkarbystaden vilket prognostiseras att öka med 25 000 ytterligare personer till år 2032. Denna expansion betyder att många fler resor kommer att göras både inom samt till och från stadsdelen vilket innebär att det redan nu är nödvändigt att studera mobilitet med individen i fokus. Informationen i denna studie kan användas som underlag vid planering av trafik i de kommande delarna av Barkarbystaden. Med hjälp av litteraturstudier erbjuder uppsatsen en insikt i vad Mobility Management är och hur det kan användas för att påverka invånarnas resa innan den påbörjas. De metoder som används för att ta reda på vad invånarna i Barkarbystaden tycker om att resa med bil och kollektivtrafik är en enkätundersökning, observationer och dialoger. De negativa effekterna från personbilar gör att antalet resor behöver minska för att värna om klimatet. För att få individer att göra färre resor med bilen behövs kunskap om vilka åtgärder kan åstadkomma detta. Det är därför viktigt att studera individens åsikter om det befintliga transportnätet.Studien visar en jämn fördelning av individer med bil eller kollektivtrafik som primärt transportsätt och att individer i Barkarbystaden är väl medvetna om att kollektivtrafiken är viktig för att minska de utsläpp som försämrar klimatet. Däremot är det tydligt att stora delar av respondenterna har en negativ attityd till att använda kollektivtrafiken i praktiken. Resultatet av enkäterna pekar på att kollektivtrafikens brister gör att många använder sig av bilen som primärt transportsätt istället. För att få fler att resa med kollektivtrafiken krävs nya åtgärder. Sammanfattat beskriver respondenterna att hårda åtgärder så som att bygga nytt och bygga om är viktiga för att de ska välja kollektivtrafiken istället för bilen. Trots att respondenterna primärt belyser hårda åtgärder beskrivs några Mobility Management-åtgärder som anses effektiva för att få fler att välja kollektivtrafik framför bil. Dessa metoder var exempelvis gratisresor, bättre skyltning och informationskampanjer om kollektivtrafikens positiva sida.

2045 a progressive European city is banning driving and BMW has to respond. Technological evolution, and a culture used to new interfaces leads to the option to recreate the relationship between human and car. But how to interact with our new friends? Talking to experts in the fields of science fiction, environmentalism, horse riding and piloting helped in first constructing a future and then tailoring an interface-vision for its inhabitants and their autonomous cars. The result is a tactile bond connecting driver and machine. Working together with your car doesn't have to mean loosing control, it's just another quality of control.