No description available.

This essay analyses escape artistry and its relation to body and mind. Drawing mainly from Finnish escape artist Uno Sunell’s life and advertisements for circus and vaudeville, escape artistry is analysed in relation to two themes: body – mind, and disenchantment – sense of wonder. The theoretical framework consists of modern performance theory influenced by Asian cultural traditions, combined with Deleuze’s and Guattari’s concept Body without Organs. The analysis is divided into two main parts. The first part shows how escape artistry incorporates spiritualistic and exotic elements in the performance, how it addresses contemporary ideals of masculinity, and how it makes use of pain to inspire a sense of wonder in the audience. The second part is a reflection on escape artistry in relation to its historical context, focusing on the biography of escape artist Uno Sunell. Here, the relationship between individual and stage persona is discussed in relation to mental and physical illness, authorities and disciplinary institutions, and the economic strains on the travelling entertainer.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Companies in the fashion industry are constantly facing new challenges. Recently, a debate has been raised about how fashion companies communicate gender. A debate that critically reviews how companies maintain a certain gender stereotype about how women and men should appear and perform. The gender stereotypes in these cases are primarily portrayed through communication in the form of advertising, through employees and in stores. Businesses in the fashion market tend to segment their products and their range towards gender, rather than to the consumer as an individual. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate how consumers and a fashion company relate to gender, performativeness and clothing, in order to locate how fashion industry players can contribute or counteract the creation of gender stereotypes through their actions in fashion. To investigate this, potential consumers and a representative from the company Hope have been interviewed. Hope is a Swedish company that offers high quality Scandinavian fashion. The company has a critical view of the fashion industry's binary assortment and applies innovative business strategies to boost equality in the fashion industry. The potential consumers who have participated in the study through focus-groups have been given the opportunity to discuss how a gender-neutral assortment would be perceived, and to assess it in different contexts. The results from the interviews were synthesized in theoretical models which were inspired by Judith Butler's theories about gender and performativity. Butler's research lack guidance regarding application through practical means and therefore theoretical models were created. These theoretical models can be applied to other studies regarding gender and performance theory. The results of the study points to a non-binary fashion industry, where the conventional binary assortments have not been reduced, but has been modified to fit and satisfy more consumers on an individual level. There are also indications that a non-binary selection, which Hope has produced, can come to be a competitive business plan as it is not a costly change of direction. The non-binary selection can result in changed views regarding normative gender classification and contribute to a new standard in stereotypical constructions. / Företag som befinner sig i modebranschen står ständigt inför nya utmaningar. På senare tid har en debatt lyfts kring hur modeföretag kommunicerar genus. En debatt som ser kritiskt på hur företag upprätthåller en viss genusstereotyp kring hur kvinnor och män bör se ut och vara. Genusstereotypen i dessa fall porträtteras främst genom kommunikation i form av reklam, genom anställda samt i butik. Företag på modemarknaden tenderar att segmentera sina produkter och sitt sortiment mot kön, snarare än mot konsumenten som individ. Därför är syftet med denna studie att undersöka hur konsumenter och ett modeföretag förhåller sig till genus, performativitet och kläder, för att kunna lokalisera hur aktörer i modebranschen kan bidra eller motverka till skapandet av genusstereotyper genom sitt handlande kring mode. För att undersöka detta har potentiella konsumenter samt en representant från företaget Hope intervjuats. Hope är ett svenskt företag som erbjuder skandinaviskt mode i hög kvalité. Företaget ser kritiskt till modebranschens könsindelning och arbetar med innovativa affärsstrategier för att öka jämställdheten i modebranschen. De potentiella konsumenter som deltagit i studien har i fokusgrupper fått diskutera hur ett könsöverskridande sortiment hade upplevts samt hur det kan värderas på olika nivåer.Resultatet från intervjuerna syntetiserades sedan i teoretiska modeller som har inspirerats av Judith Butlers teorier om kön och performativitet. Eftersom Butlers modeller saknar vägledning om hur de ska tillämpas praktiskt fick teoretiska modeller formuleras, vilka kan komma att tillämpas vid andra studier där man praktiskt vill tillämpa Butlers teorier. Studiens resultat visar för en framtida könsneutral modebransch, där den konventionella könsindelningen inte reducerats men modifierats för att passa och tillfredsställa fler konsumenter på en individuell nivå. Undersökningen påvisar även indikationer på att ett könsöverskridande sortiment, likt det Hope tagit fram, kan komma att bli konkurrenskraftigt då det för företaget inte heller är en kostsam innovation. Det könsöverskridande sortimentet kan resultera i en förändrad syn på normer om vad som är kvinnligt och manligt och kan därför ge effekten av reducering av stereotypa föreställningar.

No description available.

This thesis presents a quantitative study of trust in the police amongst first and second-generation immigrants in Sweden. Previous research suggests that the most socio-economically vulnerable groups in society trust the police the least. People with immigrant backgrounds tend to a larger extent belong to these groups. Yet, few studies have examined trust in the police amongst immigrants within a Swedish context. The aim of this study is divided into two parts. Firstly, the study aims to examine if there are differences in trust in the police between first and second-generation immigrants, and the majority population of Sweden. Secondly, there is an attempt to explain any differences found using the procedural justice model and performance theory. Using data from the European Social Survey (n = 1497), a series of regression analyses are performed to first examine differences between the groups, and then examine whether perceptions of procedural justice and police performance have a mediating effect on first and second-generation immigrants' trust in the police. The findings suggest that first generation immigrants report slightly higher trust in the police, while second generation immigrants report lower levels of trust. Further, perceptions of procedural justice do not mediate trust in the police amongst those with immigrant backgrounds. However, perceptions of police performance mediate both first and second-generation immigrants’ trust in the police, but in opposite directions. The thesis is concluded with a discussion about key findings, limitations of the study and suggestions for future research.

Desde 1970, a relação entre o grau de internacionalização e o desempenho das empresas multinacionais (EMNs) tem sido amplamente estudada na literatura de negócios internacionais. Entretanto, os resultados são bastante controversos. Diante disso, revisões recentes sobre o tema propuseram uma nova agenda de pesquisa para avançar na busca por um melhor entendimento acerca da relação Internacionalização-Desempenho. Atualmente, por exemplo, há um consenso de que a literatura de Internacionalização-Desempenho minimiza o papel da gestão, aspecto amplamente negligenciado na literatura de negócios internacionais, mas que é altamente relevante, pois o processo de expansão internacional traz consigo exigências de processamento de informações por parte dos executivos do alto escalão. Portanto, este estudo pretende preencher essa lacuna de pesquisa, incorporando o efeito das características do alto escalão sobre a relação Internacionalização-Desempenho. Para tanto, o trabalho retoma a perspectiva tradicional da relação Internacionalização-Desempenho, combinada às teorias do Alto Escalão ou Upper Echelons e Capacidade de Processamento de Informações, para propor que a influência do grau de internacionalização sobre o desempenho da empresa depende do contexto de gestão dessas empresas, em especial das características relacionadas à capacidade de processamento de informações do alto escalão. A amostra do trabalho é composta por 100 EMNs selecionadas nas bases Capital IQ e Thomson One. Os dados foram levantados para o período 2004-2014, sendo estabelecida uma defasagem de 3 anos entre as variáveis independentes (2004-2011) e dependente (2007-2014), totalizando um painel com 100 unidades transversais e 8 unidades temporais (8×100=800 observações). As hipóteses do trabalho foram testadas com a aplicação da técnica de dados em painel, através do método dos Mínimos Quadrados Ponderados (MQP). Os resultados sugerem que existe uma forte influência de certas características do alto escalão sobre a relação internacionalização-desempenho, tais como nível educacional, experiência internacional, média etária e diversidade de nacionalidades. Assim, o estudo encontra apoio para a tese de que a influência do grau de internacionalização sobre o desempenho da empresa depende do contexto de gestão e da capacidade de processamento de informações do alto escalão dessas EMNs, aspectos cruciais para a empresa superar os desafios inerentes à expansão internacional e obter melhor desempenho no contexto internacional. Além disso, os resultados sugerem que o tamanho da empresa, a intensidade de P&D e a liquidez contribuem positivamente para o desempenho internacional das EMNs. Neste sentido, o presente estudo realça o papel da gestão para a relação Internacionalização-Desempenho, ao mesmo tempo em que proporciona à literatura de negócios internacionais uma melhor compreensão acerca do reflexo das características do alto escalão sobre as estratégias internacionais e o desempenho das EMNs / Since 1970 the relationship between the degree of internationalization and the performance of multinational corporations (MNCs) has been widely studied in international business literature. Meanwhile, the results are controversial. As a consequence, recent reviews about the topic proposed a new research agenda in order to advance the knowledge about the relationship between internationalization and firm performance. Currently, for example, there is a consensus that the literature about the internationalization-performance minimizes the role of management, a highly neglected aspect in the international business literature, but which is highly relevant, as the process of international expansion per se brings along requirements about information processing by top management team (TMT). Therefore, the present research intends to fill the research gap, incorporating the effect of top management team characteristics on the relationship between internationalization and firm performance. For this purpose, this research resumes the traditional perspective about the internationalization-performance relationship combining the theories about Upper Echelons and the Information Processing Capacity in order to propose that the influence of the degree of internationalization on firm performance depends on the management context of those companies, in particular the characteristics related to Information Processing Capacity by the top management team. The sample consists of 100 MNCs selected in the databases Capital IQ and Thomson One. The data have been collected for the period 2004-2014, whereas the independent variables (2004-2011) and the dependent variables (2007-2014) feature time lags between them and the panel is composed of 100 cross sections and 8 time units (8×100=800 observations). The hypotheses have been tested with panel data through the WLS (Weighted Least Squares) method. The results suggest a strong influence of certain top management team characteristics on the internationalization-performance relationship, such as educational level, international experience, average age and nationality diversity. Thus, the research finds support for the hypothesis that the influence of the degree of internationalization on performance depends on the management of these companies, in particular on the characteristics of information processing by TMT that are crucial aspects for the inherent challenges emerging in international expansion and for performance in the international context. Moreover, the results suggest that the firm size, the R&D intensity and liquidity contribute positively to the international performance of MNCs. Hence, the present study highlights the role of management for the internationalization-performance relationship and at the same time enriches the international business literature towards a better understanding about the TMT\'s characteristics in international strategy and MNC\'s performance

This thesis investigates how Victor Turner’s concept of ‘cultural performance’ can be used to explore and analyse the experience of film. Drawing on performance theory, hermeneutics, phenomenology and Bakhtin’s dialogism, Sections One and Two develop this investigation through a theoretic discussion which relates and yet distinguishes between three levels of ‘performance’ in film: filmmaking performance, performances as text and cultural performances. The theory is grounded within four films which were researched for this thesis: Once Were Warriors (Lee Tamahori, 1994), Rats in the Ranks (Bob Connolly and Robin Anderson,1996), beDevil (Tracey Moffatt, 1993) and Link-Up Diary (David MacDougall, 1987). Section Three undertakes the close analyses of the latter two films. These analyses address specific cultural performances that are performed ‘across’ cultures and which are concerned particularly with Australian society’s relationship with indigenous Australians. ¶ Section One locates Turner’s concept of ‘cultural performance’ within his wider theory of ‘social drama’ and introduces the three-tiered mode of analysis which is developed throughout this thesis. His concept of ‘liminality’ is also investigated in order to consider specific relationships between performances which take place in film and theatre. Performances which take place in film are located in this Section within the theatrical understanding of performance as ‘for an audience’. I describe this relationship between performances in film and theatre through Kristeva’s interpretation of Bakhtin’s concept of heteroglossia as intertextuality, especially through her distinction of a ‘transformative’ intertextuality. Three specific concepts from theatre and performance theory are interrogated for their relevance to film theory: 1. Brecht’s theory of ‘gest’, 2. ‘direct address to the audience’ in relation to the ‘gaze’ in film and 3. Rebecca Schneider’s conceptualisation of ‘the performance artist’. ¶ Using these three tropes of performance, Section Two develops a theory of performance in film. Besides Turner’s concept of ‘cultural performance’, this theory draws on aspects of several other substantial bodies of work. These works include Richard Schechner’s performance theory, Michael Taussig’s understanding of ‘mimesis’, Vivian Sobchack’s phenomenology of film, Paul Ricoeur’s theory of text ‘as meaningful action’, Gadamer’s concept of ‘meaningful play’, Bakhtin’s conceptualisation of a ‘dialogic’ text and Catherine Bell’s theory of ‘ritualised behaviour’. The two analyses in Section Three do not rigidly follow the three-tiered process of analysis which is developed in the previous two Sections. They rather focus on the films as sites for particular cultural performances which are specific for each film and which need for their description, different aspects of the theory that is offered through this thesis. These analyses especially draw on my interpretation of David MacDougall’s ‘transcultural cinema’ and Jodi Brook’s conceptualisation of a ‘gestural practice’ in film, which she positions both in terms of Brecht’s theatrical concept of ‘gest’ and Walter Benjamin’s concept of the ‘shock’ of modernity. ¶ The film analyses are of one fiction film, beDevil, and one non-fiction film, Link-Up Diary. Both films use audiovisual images of Aboriginal Australians as content. According the terms of this thesis, these people must also be considered as filmmakers. Although this role may constitute varying degrees of authority and power, a film analysis which considers the filmmaking roles of people whose images are present in the filmic text also allows a particular consideration of the social relationships which exist between people who ‘film’ and people who ‘are filmed’. My focus on the cultural performances of these two films allowed an even closer description of this relationship for two reasons. Firstly, both Moffatt and MacDougall respectively present their own images in the films. Secondly, my analyses of these films as cultural performance draw out and describe the different ways in which the two films address the same ‘social drama’: the relationship between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. My analyses expose how a description of these differences in address can extend beyond the distinction between one film as ‘fiction’ and the other as ‘non-fiction’ towards a description of the different ways in which people relate to each other, at both the individual level and at the level of society, through the production and reception of a particular film. While locating these films as cultural performances within in particular sets of social relationships, my consideration of film in this thesis in terms of theatrical performance also enables a description of the experience of film which draws on the social experience of live theatre. The theory developed in this thesis and its application in the analyses of these two films suggest further areas of research which might look more closely at whether or not, or how much people draw from the social practices of live theatre as they live their lives with film – a signifying practice which has existed just over one hundred years.