The aim of this study was to explore how match-related statistics contribute to winning association football matches. This is relevant for stakeholders in the football industry to facilitate the understanding of what factors contribute to winning matches and can thus be of use when formulating match tactics. A model was constructed through the use of binary logistic regression, where winning/not winning was used as the response variable and standardized match-related statistics were used as predictor variables. Using the acquired coefficients, it was concluded that, among other variables, the home advantage and the ability of a team to finish on target has a strong correlation with winninggames. Further, the study explores the impact of a team’s ability to win football games on the financial landscape of the modern football world. The results show that some of the examined statistics are well correlated to winning a match, but that the tactical useability of these insights is low. / Syftet med denna studie var att utforska hur matchrelaterad statistik bidrar till att vinna fotbollsmatcher. Detta är relevant för aktörer inom fotbollsbranchen för att underlätta försåelsen av vilka matchrelaterade faktorer som bidrar till vinst och kan således användas för att forma matchtaktik. En modell konstruerades genom binär logistisk regression, där att vinna/att inte vinna användes som responsvariabel och standardiserad matchrelaterad statistik användes som prediktorvariabel. Genom att använda koefficienterna tillhörande modellen,kan man fastslå att bland annat hemmalagsfördel samt ett lags förmåga att träffa mål korrelerar starkt med att vinna matcher. Dessutom utforskar studien påverkan av ett lags förmåga att vinna fotbollsmatcher på det finansiella landskapet tillhörande den moderna fotbollen. Resultaten visar att vissa av de studerade variablerna korrelerar starkt med att vinna fotbollsmatcher, men attmöjligheterna att använda dessa insikter till att forma taktik är begränsade.

En présence de diffusions multiples, les algorithmes de Monte-Carlo sont trop coûteux pour être employés dans les algorithmes de reconstruction d'images de géométries tridimensionnelles réalistes. Pour des trajectoires de premiers retours, l'approximation de diffusion est communément employée afin de représenter la statistique des chemins aux nombres de Knudsen tendant vers zéro. En formulant des problèmes équivalents sur des trajectoires de premiers passages, l'usage de l'approximation est étendue en un développement théorique. Cette nouvelle formulation assure un bon niveau de précision, sur une large plage de valeurs du nombre de Knudsen en ce qui concerne l'évaluation des moments de la distribution des longueurs des chemins de premier retour. La résolution numérique du modèle formulé est confrontée aux simulations numériques type Monte- Carlo sur des géométries mono-dimensionnelles et un cas tridimensionel ouvrant des perspectives vers une généralisation aux applications réelles. / For multiple scattering, Monte-Carlo algorithms are computationally too demanding for use in image reconstruction of 3D realistic geometries. In the study of first return path, the diffusion approximation is commonly used to represent their statistical behaviour when the Knudsen number tends to zero. With the formulation of equivalent problems for first passage path, the use of the approximation is extended in a theoretical development. The new model provides a good level of accuracy, for a wide distribution of Knudsen numbers when evaluating the moments distribution of the first return paths length. Numerical application of the model is confronted to Monte-Carlo simulations on one dimension geometries and a simple three-dimension case opening perspectives for the generalization to practical applications.

A la rupture de la paix d’Amiens, le Premier Consul retient en otage les Britanniques présents sur le sol de la France en réponse au gouvernement britannique qui détient aussi des Français. Mais la raison est avant tout économique. Les Anglais sont séparés des autres prisonniers de guerre et ne servent que dans les domaines où ils excellent comme les filatures. Leur dénombrement s’avère difficile, à cause de documents incomplets ou de mutations trop fréquentes. Les dépôts, au nombre de quatre en 1803, passent à douze en 1810, puis à quinze à de la fin des hostilités.La vie en société s’organise et les prisonniers ont tendance à recréer la vie « à l’anglaise » particulièrement festive dans divers dépôts. Mais les jeux d’argent sèment la discorde et entraînent les duels et les dettes. Les évasions nombreuses provoquent la colère du Ministère de la guerre. Les échanges sont rares et blessés et invalides font l’objet de tractations pour les échanges.La santé reste un problème majeur, la qualité de la nourriture est douteuse. La mortalité est importante.Hormis les mariages et les naissances, ils ont laissé peu de choses puisqu’ils n’ont rien bâti mais demeure le souvenir. / After the breaking off of the Peace of Amiens, the Premier Consul keeps the British who were present on the French ground as hostages as a reply to the British Government who keeps also French prisoners. But the true reason is more economical. The British prisoners are treated differently from prisoners of war and are only used in what is useful, such as spinning factories.Having a precise census of the British population in the depots was difficult: the documents are incomplete and the transfers from depot to depot too often. There were four depots at the beginning but it went to twelve in 1810 and 15 by the end of the war.Social life is organized and the prisoners tend to recreate the “British way of life” with much rejoicing in the various depots. But money games bring quarrels and debts. Escapes arises hunger in the French War Ministry. Exchanges are seldom and wounded and disabled men are part of these exchanges. Health remains a major problem and food is of poor quality. Death rate is severe. Except weddings and births, they have not left anything as they did not build but remembrance is still there.

Thèse numérisée par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

This thesis provides insights into the creation of a model for predicting odds in the Premier League. It illustrates how the ELO system and historical odds, in combination with Monte Carlo simulations, can be implemented through logistic regression to predict odds in an unbiased way. The findings are that the model performs generally well, but significantly worse at the beginning and end of the Premier League seasons. For further improvements, it is most likely necessary to factor in variables not available in the current model. Such factors could for example be incentives, injuries, or changes in the squad, all not being accounted for by the model in this case. / Detta examensarbete ger insikter om skapandet av en modell för att förutsäga oddsen i Premier League. Den visar hur ELO-systemet och historiska odds, i kombination med Monte Carlo-simuleringar, kan implementeras genom logistisk regression för att förutsäga oddsen på ett opartiskt sätt. Resultaten visar att modellen generellt sett fungerar bra, men betydligt sämre i början och slutet av Premier League-säsongerna. För ytterligare förbättringar är det troligtvis nödvändigt att ta hänsyn till variabler som inte är tillgängliga i den nuvarande modellen. Sådana faktorer kan till exempel vara incitament, skador eller förändringar i truppen, som alla inte tas hänsyn till i modellen i detta fall.

Organizations are seen as custodians of portfolio of projects and are increasingly delivering their businesses through multiple complex programs. To be successful in delivering their businesses, these organizations are required to build a project management capability within their structures. Projects today have become far more than solving of technical problems; they have become more of venues for mastering business and change. Project maturity is used as an indication of or a measurement of the organisation’s ability to use projects for different purposes. An organisational Project Management Maturity Assessment is an effective method for establishing a baseline and provides an impetus for organisational change. Project Management Maturity Models are regarded as effective tools for benchmarking and implementing improvements in organisational performance. In this Dissertation, a study in applying project management maturity model to review, assess, and analyze the degree of organizational project management maturity of one of the Professional Soccer clubs participating in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in South Africa is presented. The project management practices and capabilities of the PSL Soccer clubs are reflected. The purpose of this paper is to not only demonstrate the methodology and results of the assessment, but to also report on the outcome of the study and propose the necessary recommendations for improvement. The research was strictly focused on those Professional Soccer clubs which are participating in the South African PSL. For confidentiality purposes, the club in this dissertation is referred to as “The Club”. There has been no similar study that has been carried out in this field before. Therefore, this study aims to break new grounds in conducting a research of this kind in this specific sports field. The main research question posed in this study is: What is the level of organizational project management maturity of the South African PSL Soccer clubs? This research question is supported by five other sub-questions which are answered in a research chapter dealing with the synthesis and analysis of the research results. These research questions were motivated by the following reasons: Organizations are changing drastically in their fundamental ways of conducting business. This change is happening within a short period of time and at an accelerated pace. This change occurs both structurally, operationally, and culturally in response to factors such as globalization, new technology, competition, and the world economy that is various challenges in the marketplace. Organizations are also under pressure to improve on their performance in order to maintain high levels of competitiveness and continue to be successful in the global marketplace and therefore, consistent improvement on their projects or program delivery is required in order to attain competitive advantage and sustained growth. Therefore, considering the reasons presented above, the researcher found it necessary to evaluate the current levels of project management maturity in the PSL Soccer clubs. In order to achieve the study objectives two models were used as tools to assess the degree of The Club’s project management maturity and further highlighted a recommended path for improvement. Firstly, Organisational Project Management Maturity (OPM3) model, which is a standard developed under the stewardship of Project Management Institute (PMI), was used as the main model. Secondly, the Integrated Management Systems Incorporated’s (IMSI) project management assessment model was also used as a supporting model.

Contexte. Le manque d'adhésion aux stratégies d'intervention est un problème fréquemment observé chez les patients qui présentent un trouble grave de santé mentale. Ses [i.e. Ces] conséquences peuvent être sérieuses, et ce, particulièrement au moment d'un premier épisode psychotique. Selon plusieurs auteurs, l'organisation des services exercerait une influence importante sur l'adhésion des patients. Cependant, en dépit des ressources importantes qui sont consenties au traitement intra hospitalier des patients psychiatriques, les connaissances concernant les modes organisationnels qui y sont privilégiés demeurent limitées. La présente étude a tenté de combler cette lacune. Objectif. Établir une taxonomie des modes d'organisation à partir des variations notées dans l'organisation des services hospitaliers destinés aux personnes qui consultent à l'urgence en raison d'un premier épisode psychotique. Méthode. Une étude descriptive simple a été réalisée. Des entrevues effectuées auprès de deux informateurs clés dans chacun des 13 hôpitaux de l'île de Montréal dotés d'un département de psychiatrie et d'une urgence ont permis de documenter différentes dimensions de l'organisation des services, soit la vision, la structure organisationnelle, les ressources et les pratiques. Les données ont été analysées en s'inspirant de l'approche configurationnelle et les résultats soumis à un comité d'experts à des fins de validation. Résultats. Quatre modèles d'organisation différents ont pu être distingués. La diversité des mécanismes de coordination mis en place afin d'assurer un agencement logique des services constitue un premier contraste observé entre les modèles. Ce contraste permet de distinguer deux modèles dits"coordonnés" et deux modèles dits"peu coordonnés". Chacun de ces types peut également être distingué selon l'étendue de l'offre de services qui s'y trouve. Ce second contraste permet d'obtenir des modèles qui sont dits"variés" ou"limités". Conclusion. Cette étude a permis de tracer pour la première fois un portrait des caractéristiques organisationnelles du réseau hospitalier montréalais dans la prise en charge des patients qui consultent à l'urgence, particulièrement ceux avec un premier épisode psychotique. La taxonomie des modèles d'organisation qui en découle représente par conséquent un premier jalon pour étudier l'influence des facteurs organisationnels sur différentes mesures de résultats, dont l'adhésion aux stratégies d'intervention de ces patients.

There has been a significant amount of growth in soccer game attendance and media coverage since the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in South Africa was established in 1996. However, match attendance started to decline from the 2013 season. PSL teams need to do something to get the fans back into the stadiums. A stable fan base is of vital importance for a team’s competitive advantage since the growing commercialisation of sport. The South African PSL is no exception and teams need to comprehend the importance of loyal fans. Team identification is linked to higher game attendance and more fans that are loyal and, therefore, it is relevant to the PSL teams. Higher game attendance will increase the teams’ revenues through ticket sales. Highly identified fans are loyal fans and increase the likelihood of better sponsorship deals for a team. Higher levels of team identification with a team could be obtained through a unique brand personality. Brand personality is necessary for sport team managers in order to understand fans’ perception regarding a team brand. As such, managers will be able to better position the teams’ brand and reach the target market accordingly. In South Africa, members of the Generation Y cohort made up 38 percent of the country’s population in 2014 (Statistics South Africa, 2014:9), which in terms of its size, make this cohort a highly relevant market segment. Generation Y, specifically African Generation Y, represents an important current and future market segment for PSL teams. This study focuses on the student segment of the Generation Y cohort. Given that a tertiary qualification generally is associated with a higher future earning capacity and a greater role model status within a society, university students are likely to be of particular interest to marketers. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of African Generation Y students’ perceived brand personality of South African PSL teams on their PSL team identification. The study used an adapted version of a team identification scale (Swanson et al., 2003) and sport brand personality scale (Braunstein & Ross, 2010) to measure the perceptions. The sampling frame for the study comprised the 26 public registered higher education institutions (HEIs) situated in South Africa. The study used one traditional university and one university of technology located in the Gauteng province. A non-probability convenience sample of 450 full time African Generation Y students was taken from the two HEIs. Of the questionnaires completed, 438 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis and independent sample t-tests. The findings suggested that Generation Y students exhibit a positive level of team identification towards their favourite team. Generation Y students perceived their favourite PSL team more hard working, confident, respected, skilled and successful. The results also suggest that the level of team identification with the PSL teams could be predicted by two dimensions (successfulness and ruggedness) of brand personality. Generation Y male and female students only differ regarding the perception of two of the brand personality dimensions (successfulness and sophistication). The findings of this study contribute to the limited literature available concerning the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of sport teams in the South African context. The study shed light specifically on the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. These were the top two teams identified by the respondents. These findings will assist these PSL teams to understand the brand personality perceptions of the team amongst African Generation Y fans better. The study also indicates some relationship between brand personality and team identification. The results suggest teams can use their brand personality to influence team identification amongst fans positively. These results can be used to assess and alter their current marketing strategies.

There has been a significant amount of growth in soccer game attendance and media coverage since the Premier Soccer League (PSL) in South Africa was established in 1996. However, match attendance started to decline from the 2013 season. PSL teams need to do something to get the fans back into the stadiums. A stable fan base is of vital importance for a team’s competitive advantage since the growing commercialisation of sport. The South African PSL is no exception and teams need to comprehend the importance of loyal fans. Team identification is linked to higher game attendance and more fans that are loyal and, therefore, it is relevant to the PSL teams. Higher game attendance will increase the teams’ revenues through ticket sales. Highly identified fans are loyal fans and increase the likelihood of better sponsorship deals for a team. Higher levels of team identification with a team could be obtained through a unique brand personality. Brand personality is necessary for sport team managers in order to understand fans’ perception regarding a team brand. As such, managers will be able to better position the teams’ brand and reach the target market accordingly. In South Africa, members of the Generation Y cohort made up 38 percent of the country’s population in 2014 (Statistics South Africa, 2014:9), which in terms of its size, make this cohort a highly relevant market segment. Generation Y, specifically African Generation Y, represents an important current and future market segment for PSL teams. This study focuses on the student segment of the Generation Y cohort. Given that a tertiary qualification generally is associated with a higher future earning capacity and a greater role model status within a society, university students are likely to be of particular interest to marketers. The main purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of African Generation Y students’ perceived brand personality of South African PSL teams on their PSL team identification. The study used an adapted version of a team identification scale (Swanson et al., 2003) and sport brand personality scale (Braunstein & Ross, 2010) to measure the perceptions. The sampling frame for the study comprised the 26 public registered higher education institutions (HEIs) situated in South Africa. The study used one traditional university and one university of technology located in the Gauteng province. A non-probability convenience sample of 450 full time African Generation Y students was taken from the two HEIs. Of the questionnaires completed, 438 were usable. The statistical analysis of the collected data included exploratory factor analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis and independent sample t-tests. The findings suggested that Generation Y students exhibit a positive level of team identification towards their favourite team. Generation Y students perceived their favourite PSL team more hard working, confident, respected, skilled and successful. The results also suggest that the level of team identification with the PSL teams could be predicted by two dimensions (successfulness and ruggedness) of brand personality. Generation Y male and female students only differ regarding the perception of two of the brand personality dimensions (successfulness and sophistication). The findings of this study contribute to the limited literature available concerning the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of sport teams in the South African context. The study shed light specifically on the level of team identification and brand personality perceptions of Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs. These were the top two teams identified by the respondents. These findings will assist these PSL teams to understand the brand personality perceptions of the team amongst African Generation Y fans better. The study also indicates some relationship between brand personality and team identification. The results suggest teams can use their brand personality to influence team identification amongst fans positively. These results can be used to assess and alter their current marketing strategies.

The English Premier League is regarded as one of the most prominent sporting competitions in the world. In the last decade the league (and by definition it’s member clubs) have become highly attractive to wealthy foreign investors, having taken ownership of a number of clubs across the league. This thesis seeks to investigate the motivations and consequences behind this foreign direct investment (FDI). The study uses a multi-method approach not commonly found within the sports economics or FDI literature combining both quantitative and qualitative methods. The thesis has generated responses from ‘elite’ level respondents at Premier League clubs together with members of the supporters’ movement. Existing data from club sources and market reports has been collected in order to assess the motivations and consequences of FDI. The thesis finds the motives behind football FDI to be somewhat different to those held by other forms of business organisation. Football is a mostly loss-making industry, but despite this weakness, some investors have purchased Premier League clubs for economic reasons. The importance of non-economic motives, such as profile enhancement, and the notion of the trophy asset were also found to be influential motives behind some football FDI. These aspects are not strongly reflected in the FDI literature, and they imply football is different to other forms of investment. FDI is shown to be mostly beneficial for the clubs receiving the investment, but for non-acquired clubs negative consequences are found in terms of wages, transfer costs, profits, and debt. For the Premier League itself, FDI has been positive in terms of enhancing the league’s stature, revenues, and the quality of matches. Some benefits were found at the regional level. This thesis covers the gap within the literature surrounding FDI and football, and also raises wider points about the generalizability of FDI theory to all industries.