Research has indicated a strong interest in knowing who is being represented and how information is being represented in the communication about childhood immunization. This study uses a two-part analysis to look at source representation and framing in childhood immunization communication. A quantitative analysis of articles from the New York Times and USA Today were examined for their source representation, their use of fear appeals, through the Extended Parallel Processing Model (EPPM), and the use of frames, through the application of Prospect Theory. A qualitative semiotic analysis was conducted on 36 images that appeared on www.yahoo.com and www.google.com to find common themes for who is being represented and how information is being portrayed through the images. Results found a high prevalence of representation from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, other governmental agencies and views from health/medical professionals in both the articles and images.

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This study observed the effects of different school forms on the political interest of its students. The purpose of investigating the political interest based on school form is to see if there are any outstanding differences between private and public schools regarding political interest. The reason for this investigation was the falling grades and the diminishing political interest observed in prior studies used for this assignment as well as a reform in the school system called “Skolreformen” in Swedish that has been in effect for over 20 years at this point. Data was collected via a survey where students in four different high schools, both in the public and private, answered questions about their political interest, current study situation, view on the future and other questions related to school and political interest. A quantitative method was used, where the answers of the survey were cross tabulated to correlate different operative indicators and build a narrative to be analyzed. Quantitative correlation analysis was used to analyze the narrative. The study concluded that the political interest is overall low in both school forms. No major differences were noted between school forms, the view of the future affects political interests in a greater regard than what was expected.

機構投資者在現今全球的金融市場中佔有舉足輕重的地位，但是在財務理論的領域裡，他們卻是被極度忽略的一群。本文的第一個部分（見第二章）建構在傳統的期望效用理論之下，進而推導出機構投資者的最適動態資產配置模型。研究發現機構投資者的最適動態資產配置乃是由標竿避險元素與跨期-規模避險元素所共同組成。標竿避險元素述說了機構投資者跟隨標竿投資組合的現象，而跨期-規模避險元素除了為資產配置迷思提供了一個可能的解決之道外，更指出機構投資者會隨著所管理的資產增加而趨於保守。再者，近年來傳統的期望效用理論履遭學者們的質疑，許多實證結果均顯示展望理論更能貼切描述人們的行為模式。本文的第二個部分（見第三章）假設機構投資者的行為模式符合展望理論的公理與假說，進而推導出機構投資者的動態資產配置模型。研究發現當機構投資人處於獲利的狀態之下時，其最適動態資產配置和第二章所得到的結果完全相同，但是，當機構投資人處於損失的狀態下時，他會變得比較積極，持有的風險性資產會大於處於獲利狀態之下時所做的決策。雖然行為財務學已行之有年，但是大家對於損失趨避係數對資產配置所造成的影響所卻知極為有限，本文在此提供了一個參考的模型。本研究發現，損失趨避係數對動態資產配置的影響力會被風險趨避係數、個別投資人對機構投資者績效的敏感度以及機構投資者本身所收取的管理費所抵消掉。此外，近年來金融市場巨幅震盪的現象履見不鮮，本文的最後一個部份（見第四章）假設機構投資者的行為模式符合展望理論的公理與假說，進而在跳躍模式下推導出機構投資者的動態資產配置模型。研究發現在跳躍模式下機構投資者的最適動態資產配置乃是由標竿避險元素、跨期-規模避險元素與跳躍避險元素所共同組成。這個新的元素－「跳躍避險元素」，用以描述機構投資者在面對 跳躍模式所帶來的不同衝擊時所產生的不同回應。本研究發現即使面對相同的投資環境，機構投資者仍然會因為本身所處的狀態不同而有不一樣的投資決策，這個結果迥異於傳統的理論模型，是一個相當有趣且值得進一步研究的議題。此外，本研究還發現損失趨避係數在不同的狀況之下會分別發揮不同的影響力，對損失趨避係數在財務理論上的意義提供了另一個新的視野。 / Institutional investors do matter in financial market, but most of the studies on institutional investors have not determined holdings of different assets by institutional investors. Institutional investors who receive payments and deposits from their customers but they are also subject to withdrawals from them. Compared with individual investors, institutional investors do bear the extra risk that evokes from individual investors. Appling dynamic programming approach, we derive the optimal dynamic asset allocation of institutional investors. In chapter 2, we find that the optimal dynamic asset allocation of the institutional investor with exponential utility function contains two components: the benchmark hedge component and the intertemporal-size hedge component. The benchmark hedge component indicates that the institutional investor takes care of the volatility of benchmark portfolio. The intertemporal-size hedge component provides a possible solution to asset allocation puzzle and depicts that the position of risky assets held by the institutional investor is inversively proportional with its total net managed assets. In chapter 3, we take operating cost into account and find that the optimal dynamic asset allocation of the institutional investor with revised value function will hold more risky assets when she is facing losses, and the sensitivity of loss aversion to dynamic asset allocation strategy is inversively proportional with the absolute risk aversion coefficient, the sensitivity of flow to performance, and the management fee charged by the institutional investor. In chapter 4, we consider both the operating cost and the risk of a sudden large shock to security price into account and find that the optimal dynamic asset allocation of the institutional investor has a further component than that in chapter 3. The further component is labeled "jumps hedge component". Besides, the optimal dynamic asset allocation is divided into four situations that figure the institutional investor with different status quo will make different investment decision. It is a very surprisingly result. Furthermore, we find a very interesting phenomenon that the loss aversion coefficient plays different roles in different situations.

Svensk bostadsmarknad har länge präglats av en snedvriden konkurrens med en markant fördel till Sveriges kommunala allmännyttiga bostadsaktiebolag jämte de privata bostadsaktiebolagen. I syfte att utjämna existerande sektoriella diskrepanser och skapa en konkurrensneutral marknad med jämlika villkor för privata respektive kommunala bostadsaktiebolag, infördes per den 1:a januari år 2011, Lag (2010:879) om allmännyttiga bostadsaktiebolag. Lagen innebär för de kommunala bostadsaktiebolagen ett avsteg från den tidigare självkostnadsprincipen mot ett i högre grad affärsmässig agerande enligt vinstdrivande syfte. Denna studie avser utifrån sambandet mellan risk och avkastning inom svenska bostadsaktiebolag, undersöka huruvida svenska kommunala allmännyttiga bostadsaktiebolag efter införandet av lagen uppvisar ett mer affärsmässigt agerande i termer om risk och avkastning på totalt kapital. Studiens teoretiska utgångspunkter tar huvudsakligen ansats i prospektteorin samt den förväntade nyttoteorin, vilka utgör två välrenommerade modeller i syfte att förklara beslutstagande under risk. Den förväntade nyttoteorin antar att individer är rationella nyttomaximerare och därefter agerar antingen riskaversivt, risksökande eller riskneutralt. Prospektteorin hävdar i motsats till den förväntade nyttoteorin att individen kan vara en kombination av riskaversiv, risksökande och riskneutral. Varav individen således inte alltid antas agera rationellt. Författarna har funnit flertalet tidigare forskare vilka genom perspektivet av den strategiska företagsledningen, bevisat stöd för prospektteorin som förklarande modell av beslutstagande under risk på företagsnivå, inom och mellan olika branscher. Därmed ställer författarna följande frågeställning: Uppvisar Sveriges kommunala allmännyttiga bostadsaktiebolag ett i högre grad affärsmässigt riskbeteende efter införandet av Lag (2010:879) om allmännyttiga bostadsaktiebolag? Utifrån sekundärdata insamlad via databasen Retriever Business har ett kvantitativt metodangrepp tillämpats i syfte att besvara studiens framställda hypoteser. Insamlad data består av de svenska bostadsaktiebolagens årliga avkastning på totalt kapital för tidsperioden 2006-2010 samt 2011-2014. Det empiriska materialet har vidare analyserats genom korstabeller, rangkorrelationer samt deskriptiv statistik. Resultatet visade att prospektteorin utgör ett bra alternativ som deskriptiv modell av beslutstagande under risk inom svenska bostadsaktiebolag. Enligt prospektteorin påvisades att svenska bostadsaktiebolags riskbeteende varierar beroende på bolagets branschallokering i förhållande till branschens genomsnittliga prestation, varav den strategiska företagsledningen inom svenska bostadsaktiebolag kan antas vara en sammanslagning av både risksökande och riskaversiva. Därmed motsäger resultatet den förväntade nyttoteorins antaganden om att individen alltid agerar rationellt. Vidare påvisade jämförelse av de kommunala bostadsaktiebolagens riskbeteende före och efter reformen att de kommunala bostadsaktiebolagens riskbeteende inte påverkats i större utsträckning, varför indikationer ges att allmännyttiga bostadsaktiebolag inte agerar i högre grad affärsmässigt efter Lag (2010:879) om allmännyttiga bostadsaktiebolag.

How can political science account for the decision of African states to strengthen their ties with China, often at the expense of other alliances and often in the face of economic risks? This thesis explores this question in the context of relations between Ethiopia and China, especially in the context of investments made by Chinese sovereign wealth funds in the Ethiopian economy. To begin to answer this question this thesis recasts the China-Africa debate to focus on African, i.e. Ethiopian, agency. The focus is on how Ethiopia's political leaders make foreign policy decisions and on the factors that shape their preferences. This focus reveals the influence of cognitive variables on their foreign policy decisions; the influence of their guiding ideology, 'revolutionary democracy,' is especially key. An analysis of Ethiopia's formal institutions demonstrates they are inadequate to explain the policy choices of Ethiopian leaders; they have been designed to reflect the concepts of revolutionary democracy. Using the language of prospect theory, a descriptive theory of decision-making under risk, this thesis contends that Ethiopian leaders select foreign policy options by weighing their possible outcomes as gains or losses relative to revolutionary democracy as their reference frame. Ethiopian leaders sanctioned China's finance of the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation despite the monopoly it gave to China and its impact on Ethiopia's debt. They formed a front company between Ethiopia and China's military industrial complexes despite its negative effects on economic development. They opened Ethiopia’s regions to Chinese capital although capital flows only to state-owned enterprises. Yet in each case, ideological objectives were advanced. This examination demonstrates how non-structural factors play a critical role in a bureaucratized state. Theoretical frameworks that account for these factors, like prospect theory, are therefore valuable to more robust understandings of Ethiopia, and Africa's, deepening relations with China.

Lean Startup Teori (LST) har kommit att växa i popularitet inom entreprenörskap världen över. LST är en teori som för startup- företag skall minska kostnader och tid samt för entreprenörer skapa en arbetsprocess som underlättar beslutsfattande. I denna studie har länkar mellan problematik inom beslutsfattande (overconfidence, prospektteori, gloriaeffekten samt escalation of commitment) och LST undersökts genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med entreprenörer i Sverige. Vidare har generella lärdomar från de olika fallen  undersökts för att belysa fördelar och svagheter inom LST. Då pionjärer inom LST hävdat att teorin lämpar sig inom alla  sektorer och branscher har även detta  påstående granskats. Studien fann att LST- processer motverkar de negativa effekterna associerade med overconfidence och  gloriaeffekten men kan inte hantera de  problem som introduceras i samband med prospektteori samt escalation of commitment. Vidare når studien slutsatsen att LST kräver en fit med varje enskilt startup - företag och fungerar bäst inom branscher och industrier som har låga inträdesbarriärer form av kapitalkrav. / Lean Startup theory (LST) has been growing in popularity in entrepreneurship worldwide. LST is a theory for startup companies to reduce costs and time, and for entrepreneurs to create a process that eases decision-making. In this study, links betweenproblems of decision making (overconfidence, prospect theory, the halo effect and escalation of commitment) and LST has been examined through semi-structured interviews with  entrepreneurs in Sweden. Furthermore, general lessons from the cases has been studied to illustrate advantages and  weaknesses of LST. As pioneers of LST argue that the theory is suitable for all  sectors and industries, this claim has also been examined. The study found that LST processes counteract the negative effects associated with overconfidence and the halo effect, but cannot handle the problems that areintroduced in conjunction with the  prospect theory and escalation of  commitment. Furthermore, the study reaches the conclusion that LST requires a fit with each startup company, and functions best in sectors and industries where the entry barrier of capital requirement is low.

[pt] Esta dissertação tem como objetivo testar o efeito disposição, que é a tendência dos investidores em vender os investimentos ganhadores mais rapidamente que os investimentos perdedores, através da análise das carteiras de todos os fundos brasileiros de investimentos em Ações, no perí­odo compreendido entre novembro de 2003 e março de 2008. Embora a análise do número de transações revele que os fundos de investimento estão sujeitos ao efeito disposição, diferentemente do mercado acionário americano, quando são analisados os volumes transacionados, não é possível identificar o efeito disposição, especialmente em relação aos fundos de varejo, os que apresentaram a maior tendência de realização de perdas em detrimento dos ganhos. / [en] The goal of this study is to test the disposition effect, the tendency of investors to sell winning investments too soon and hold losing investments too long, by analyzing all the Brazilian Equity Funds portfolios from november 2003 to march 2008. Although the analysis based on the number of trades shows the Equity Funds are subject to the disposition effect, unlike the American stock market, when the analysis is based on the trading volume, the disposition effect is not identified, mainly in the funds open to non-qualified investors, that showed the stronger tendency to realize the loses instead the gains.

This dissertation offers a new understanding about wartime decision making in the face of likely, but unintended, harm to foreign civilians. It empirically identifies conditions under which leaders in democratic nations are more or less likely to choose to attack a target when confronted with a dilemma between pursuing national security objectives and avoiding civilian casualties. An innovative targeting decision model was constructed that described both the theorized structure of the decisions inputs and the process by which these inputs are assembled into a choice. The model went beyond the normal target benefit and civilian casualty cost considerations of proportionality to also include the contextual input of prospect frame. Decision makers were expected to address the same benefit and cost differently depending on whether they were winning or losing the conflict. This was because the prospect frame would influence their risk attitudes, as predicted by prospect theory. This model was then tested via two decision-making experiments that used military officers and defense civilians as participants. Additionally, a statistical analysis of data collected from an extended period of the second Intifada was done to seek evidence that the model also applied in actual wartime decision making. All three tests supported portions of the targeting decision model. Higher target benefit and lower civilian casualty estimates increased support for the planned attack. Prospect frame influenced decisions in the cases where both target value and the civilian casualty estimates were high and the resulting dilemma was very difficult. In these situations, those told that their forces were losing the conflict were less sensitive to humanitarian harm and more likely to support the attack than when they were told their side was winning. Furthermore, the Intifada data analysis of attacks approved by Israeli officials against Palestinians found this same effect of prospect frame held generally across all six years of observations.

大抵面對一連串戰敗、不平等條約的陰霾，英法日德美各國殖民勢力的入侵，民初上海因為歷史造成地域血緣上的混雜性，掙扎於「華╱洋」夾縫內，注定要以邁向「現代化」作為自我建構身分和翻轉形象的策略。彼時一波波新政策、新思維和新文化景觀衝擊著上海，民初上海的文化歷史舞台，上演著政治性、戰鬥性和革命性等直截的激烈論爭，以及文學性、哲學性和藝術性等間接的表述詰疑。民初上海，因為其獨特的身世背景――租界空間、華洋文化、都市治理、建築形構和住民型態等――已構成一個豐富的文本；如今，再加上歷來研究者建立在這個文本上的批評研究――懷舊記憶、商品消費、新聞產製、建築美學和社會空間實踐等――使它構成一個更為多義和可解讀的龐大文本。 程小青（1893—1976）創作的《霍桑探案》，作為民初新興的偵探文類，交會著地理學、都市學、社會學、新聞學、犯罪學、心理學、科學和醫學等多方視域，確實值得加以探勘。本論文雖立基在前人對於上海學的研究基礎上，卻針對「偵探――文本――都市文化」之間的緊密關係，作一個更為清晰的分層處理。從《霍桑探案》泰半取材自上海市井民間的文化故事與社會平日的案件觀之，其以小博大之視野，呼應了近現代中國政潮起伏、社會局勢凌替，和民生人心動盪之圖景，則不容小覷。是而，本論文將聚焦於程小青的偵探小說，對其上海文化圖景之內蘊與意涵，作層層之釐析。論文主體分別由地理空間層面、文化記憶層面、傳媒消費層面和醫學科學層面，逐次地展開「街道的表情學」、「日常生活的實踐」、「跨時空之旅」和「從偵察路線圖探討民初上海的醫病關係」層層深入的剖析。 以地理空間層面言，《霍桑探案》不以考究學理和艱深詞彙的地理學介紹為目的，倒是反過來鑑照了民初上海的地理空間，鮮活地捕捉每個街道的表情──從馬路上的黃包車、馬車、汽車和電車，到街坊里弄的舊石庫門、新石庫門和洋房，均豐富了民初上海立體多層的歷史記憶。 就文化記憶層面言，《霍桑探案》透過「偵探」的日常生活以實踐一種與市民經常性、韻律性和對話式的互動關係，從而對老上海文化記憶與摩登上海文化風情進行建構。在建構過程中，「小食挑子、老虎灶、孵茶館」和「舞廳、戲院、西餐廳」不啻成為兩組強大的反差和對比，霍桑和包朗將第二組概念視為歧出，力圖拉近與第一組概念的距離，似乎想以此贖救上海文化逐漸掉失、歪斜、墮落的「本」。 在傳媒消費層面上，以《霍桑探案》作為探討的個案，文本中所展現的「新聞圖景」和「偵探遊戲」，所蘊涵著脈絡化的意義，可從傳媒和消費兩個層面來辨析。以傳媒角度言，新聞報紙不僅被挪用、編織、進入小說的偵探版圖，又成為偵探偵查時不可或缺的一個重要依據。 由醫學科學層面言，綜合「敘事層面」、「地理景觀」、「身體空間」三層面探討的「偵察路線圖」，可歸納出《霍桑探案》不只勾勒偵探個人的「探案歷程」，還過渡到對社會「醫／病關係」的想像。 本論文以文學研究為主，偵探理論和文化研究為輔，分為地理空間、文化記憶、傳媒消費和醫學科學等層面論述之，以此勾勒出一幅嶄新的民初上海文化圖景，豐富了偵探小說、上海都市和文化研究的區塊。