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The study addressed the problem of recurring technical and musical errors exhibited by students in their private lessons. In an effort to remedy this problem, an attempt was made to structure the entry and exit environment of the private lesson in such a way as to increase the improvement in performing skills by scheduling thirty minutes of practice immediately before and immediately after the private lesson. The purpose of the study was to determine the effect on growth in performing skills (as measured by sight performance) of this arrangement called the Structured Border Lesson (SBL).

In the mid 90’s, systems of customer relationship management (CRM) spread like wildfire across the globe and there have been a continuous discussion of what features that should be included and how much technology that should be involved. This discussion has led to different perspectives of how to utilize the systems full potential in the most efficient way and ultimately, a vast variety of different systems of CRM have been created. The challenge is no longer to create, but to implement the system to the organization with low risks and without resistance from the employees. Through a literature study, this thesis will try to identify the most recurrent issues within the implementation-phase and through a few interviews confirm that the recurring problems still exist. Due to its vast variety and the time limit of this thesis, the main focus will be to identify the most recurrent issues but not solve them.

Les cycles romanesques sont ces œuvres formées par la réunion de plusieurs récits autonomes : sommes “à la Balzac”, suites, séries, trilogies, etc. Il s’agit d’un type spécifique de “transtextualité” (Genette), où s’exprime un désir ambigu de totalisation, qui affirme à la fois l’ouverture et la clôture du texte. Selon une démarche de poétique historique, nous analysons les formes de ces cycles, tout en les inscrivant dans l’histoire de long terme du genre romanesque. D’où un corpus large, s’étendant du XIXe siècle à nos jours : La Comédie humaine de Balzac, le Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse de Potocki, les trilogies de Dumas, Les Rougon-Macquart, les Trois Villes et les Quatre Evangiles de Zola, le Cycle du Hussard de Giono, les cycles de science-fiction d’Asimov, et les romans « post-exotiques » de Volodine. L’examen des procédés de connexion entre les récits montre que le cycle n’est pas fondé sur la cohérence du monde qu’il représente, mais sur la cohésion des textes qu’il rassemble. Chaque cycle est une totalisation singulière de textes, traversée de tensions et de dysfonctionnements.Mais ces œuvres sont autant de réponses à une question qui subsiste pendant ces deux siècles : comment retrouver une totalité épique adéquate au monde moderne né de la Révolution ? Les cycles romanesques réactivent la « racine épique » du roman (Bakhtine). Cette visée épique, et ses transformations, sont un aspect de ce que serait une histoire de l’idée de totalité en littérature. / Novel cycles are the works formed by the reunion of several independent stories : balzacian cycles, sequels, series, trilogies, etc. In this specific type of “transtextuality” (Genette), an ambiguous desire for totalization appears, tending simultaneously towards the openness and the closure of the text. A historical poetics approach allows to analyze the cycle’s forms by connecting them to the long-term history of the novel as a genre. Hence the wide corpus studied, spanning from 19th century to our days : Balzac’s Comédie humaine, Potocki’s Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse, several trilogies by Dumas, Zola’s Les Rougon-Macquart, Trois Villes and Quatre Evangiles, Giono’s Cycle du Hussard, Asimov’s science-fiction cycles,and Volodine’s « post-exotic » novels. A study of the connecting devices that tie novels together shows that the cycle does not rely on the consistency of the world that it represents, but on the cohesion of the texts it is made of. Each cycle is a unique totalization of texts, where tensions and dysfunctions abound.Still, in the long-term history of the novel, these works can be seen as many different answers to the same question : how is it possible to bring back an epic totality that would fit the modern world, born from the French Revolution ? Novel cycles reactivate the “epic root” of the novel (Bakhtin). This epic root, and its transformations, are a part of a more general history of the idea of totality in literature.

No / This paper presents a framework for high-level exploration, Register Transfer-Level (RTL) design and rapid prototyping of Network-on-Chip (NoC) architectures. From the high-level exploration, a selected NoC topology is derived, which is then implemented in RTL using an automated design flow. Furthermore, for verification purposes, appropriate self-checking testbenches for the verification of the RTL and architecture files for the semi-automatic implementation of the system in Xilinx EDK are also generated, significantly reducing design and verification time, and therefore Non-Recurring Engineering (NRE) cost. Simulation and FPGA implementation results are given for four case studies multimedia applications, proving the validity of the proposed approach.

Platforms have become one of the most important business logics in the last twenty years and have enabled unprecedented rapid growth for various companies. This the-sis begins with an overview of the state of research on platforms, business models, servitization and recurring revenue models. The third chapter then presents the meth-ods used in the individual studies. Subsequently, the fourth, fifth, and sixth chapters of the thesis present the results of the empirical research from the three field studies. Field Study I (chapter four) reveals three business model patterns of IoT platforms that could be identified in the machinery and equipment industry. In field study II (chapter five) the results from field study I are then taken into account and with the help of a qualitative approach are investigated deeper. As a consequence of this re-search, a business model continuum emerged along which companies with IoT plat-forms move as they increasingly integrate services into their portfolio of offerings and evolve the business model from a linear to a platform-oriented logic. Finally, field study III (chapter six) takes an in-depth look at the issue of recurring revenues. Com-panies with a platform logic transform their business model in the area of the profit equation in such a way that they generate predominantly recurring revenues in order to construct a more resilient business model that is secure against crises. In addition to a summary of the results, this dissertation outlines the theoretical and managerial implications obtained during the empirical work and concludes with future research and opportunities of this work.:Academic Curriculum Vitae of the author II Bibliographic description III Foreword IV Table of contents VI List of abbreviations IX List of tables X List of figures XI 1. Motivation 1 1.1 Emergence of platforms 1 1.2 Managerial importance 6 1.3 Theoretical importance 15 1.4 Research gap and question 17 1.5 Structure of the thesis 19 2. Research approach 24 2.1 Research process 24 2.2 Research methodologies 25 2.3 Reference on publications 26 3. Theoretical Background 28 3.1 Platforms 29 3.1.1 Platform definition, concepts, and typologies 37 3.1.2 Foundational elements of platforms 41 3.2 Business models 45 3.2.1 Definition 55 3.2.2 Business model concepts 56 3.2.3 Holistic view 57 3.2.4 Component view 59 3.2.5 Business model innovation 61 3.2.6 Platforms as business models 63 3.3 Servitization 65 3.3.1 Servitization definition and concepts 73 3.3.2 Digital servitization 76 3.4 Types of recurring revenues – Capturing value within service- and platform-oriented business models 78 3.4.1 Definition, characteristics, types and (dis-)advantages of recurring revenues 79 3.4.2 Approaches to the integration of recurring revenues in companies 82 3.4.3 The Hockey Stick - revenue growth model 83 4. Field Study I: Clustering business model innovations in product-oriented companies enabled by a platform approach 86 4.1 Empirical context, research approach and question 86 4.2 Quantitative survey to identify patterns of business model innovations 87 4.2.1 Research method 87 4.2.2 Results of business model innovation patterns 94 4.3 Discussion 97 4.3.1 Theoretical contributions 97 4.3.2 Managerial contributions 100 5. Field Study II: Exploring different development stages of platform-oriented business models 102 5.1 Empirical context, research approach and question 102 5.2 Case studies to gain deeper insights into the business model innovation patterns 103 5.2.1 Case study method 103 5.2.2 Case studies for the three BMI patterns 105 5.3 Discussion 122 5.3.1 Theoretical contributions 122 5.3.2 Practical contributions 126 6. Field Study III: There is more than one Hockey Stick - Growth trajectories for businesses with recurring revenues models 127 6.1 Empirical context, research approach and question 127 6.2 Growth trajectories for recurring revenue models 130 6.2.1 Empirical evidence for the Hockey Stick (Step 1) 130 6.2.2 Empirical evidence for growth trajectories of recurring revenue (Step 2) 134 6.2.3 Discriminating factors of recurring revenue growth trajectories (Step 3) 136 6.2.4 Growth trajectories 139 6.3 Contributions 148 7. Conclusion 151 7.1 Summary of the results 152 7.1.1 Summary of Field Study I 153 7.1.2 Summary of Field Study II 155 7.1.3 Summary of Field Study III 158 7.2 Implications for research 160 7.2.1 Field Study I 162 7.2.2 Field Study II 164 7.2.3 Field Study III 165 7.2.4 Overarching theoretical implications 166 7.3 Implications for management practice 168 7.4 Future research opportunities 171 Bibliography 175 Appendix 209 Resume of the author in table form 240 Declaration of academic integrity 245 Declaration of origin 245

Orientador: Luiz Fernando Rolim de Almeida / Resumo: Plantas que presenciam a seca podem armazenar informações sobre esta experiência, tal como uma memória ao estresse. As informações adquiridas com a memória do estresse podem ser utilizadas para aumentar a tolerância a futuros eventos de défice hídrico, porém, o crescimento das plantas pode ser limitado. O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar as respostas fisiológicas, bioquímicas e epigenéticas de Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench durante e após o primeiro e segundo evento de défice hídrico, bem como as vantagens e desvantagens de eventos recorrentes de seca para a tolerância e crescimento. Neste estudo foram utilizados quatro tratamentos que foram: Controle, onde a irrigação foi mantida, Défice Hídrico na Fase Juvenil, onde as plantas foram submetidas a desidratação na fase juvenil seguido de reidratação, Défice Hídrico na Fase Adulta, onde a irrigação foi suspensa na fase adulta seguido de reidratação e Défice Hídrico Recorrente, onde a irrigação foi suspensa na fase juvenil e adulta seguido de reidratação. Foram avaliadas as trocas gasosas, fluorescência da clorofila a, conteúdo relativo de água na folha, densidade estomática, crescimento, enzimas atioxidativas, conteúdo de açucares totais e sacarose e ocorrência da H3K4me3 no gene Sb04g038610. Mesmo com o intervalo entre o primeiro e o segundo evento de seca, o que poderia resultar na remoção da memória do estresse formada no primeiro evento, as respostas fotossintéticas, antioxidativas, morfo-anatomicas e de estado hídrico dem... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Plants that experience drought can store information about this experience, such as a memory of stress. Information acquired with stress memory can be used to increase tolerance to future water deficit events, however, plant growth may be limited. The objective of this study was to investigate the physiological, biochemical and epigenetic responses of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench during and after the first and second water deficit event, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of recurrent drought events for tolerance and growth. Four treatments were used: Control, where irrigation was maintained, Water Deficit in the Juvenile Phase, where the plants were submitted to dehydration in the juvenile phase followed by rehydration, Water Deficit in the Adult Phase, where irrigation was suspended in the adult phase followed by rehydration and Recurrent Water Deficit, where irrigation was suspended in the juvenile and adult phases followed by rehydration. Gas exchanges, chlorophyll a fluorescence, relative leaf water content, stomatal density, plant growth, atioxidative enzymes, total sugar and sucrose content and the occurrence of H3K4me3 in the Sb04g038610 gene were evaluated. Even with the interval between the first and second drought events, which could result in the removal of the stress memory, the photosynthetic, antioxidative, morpho-anatomical and water status responses demonstrated that S. bicolor plants showed increased tolerance to drought during recurrent water defici... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Doutor

Because of the non-recurring and transitory nature of discontinued operations, accounting standards require that the results of discontinued operations be separately reported on the income statement. Prior accounting literature supports the view that discontinued operations are non-recurring or transitory in nature, and also suggests that income classified as transitory has minimal relevance in firm valuation. Finance and management literature, however, suggest that firms discontinue operations to strategically utilize their scarce resources. Assuming that discontinued operations are a result of managerial motives to strategically concentrate resources into remaining continued operations, this dissertation examines the informativeness of discontinued operations. In doing so, this dissertation empirically tests the financial performance, investment efficiency, valuation, and analyst forecast accuracy effects of discontinued operations. In 2001, Financial Accounting Standards Board's (FASB) Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) 144 (hereafter SFAS 144) replaced Accounting Principles Board's Opinion 30 (hereafter APB 30) and broadened the scope of divestiture transactions to be presented in discontinued operations. Some stakeholders of financial statements argued that discontinued operations were less decision-useful in the SFAS 144 era because too many transactions that do not represent a strategic shift in operations were separately stated as discontinued operations on the income statement. With the possibility that the discontinued operations reported in SFAS 144 era may not reflect a major strategic reallocation of resources, this dissertation examines whether the relationship between discontinued operations, firm performance, investment efficiency, and analyst forecast accuracy are different in the pre-SFAS 144 and SFAS 144 era. Using a sample of firms that discontinued operations between 1990 and 2012, this dissertation study finds limited evidence that firms experience improvement in financial performance following discontinued operations and that such improvement is only observed in pre-SFAS 144 era. The results also suggest that any improvement in financial performance documented is conditional on the profitability of the operations discontinued and provide no support for investment efficiency improvement following discontinued operations. Related to the valuation implications of discontinued operations, this dissertation shows that investors differentially value profitable and loss discontinued operations. However, such valuation differences are not dependent on the performance improvement implications. Finally, results support that analyst forecast accuracy of earnings decreases following the reporting of discontinued operations, but such effect is only observed in the pre-SFAS 144 era. This dissertation makes several contributions to the literature. First, this study extends the literature on corporate divestment by using a large sample of discontinuation decisions and hand-collected data on the profitability of the operations discontinued. Second, this research extends the literature on market studies by analyzing whether market response to a discontinuation decision is dependent upon the profitability of the operation discontinued. Third, based upon a review of the literature, it is believed that this is the first study to examine the possibility that analyst forecast accuracy may change following a discontinuation decision. Finally, this study extends the literature that examines the effects of changes in accounting rules and regulations on the informativeness of financial statement items. These results should be of interest to investors, regulators, and analysts.

After the Cold War, mediation as an armed conflict resolution process was thought to become an increasingly common tool to address even the most complex armed conflicts. Recurring conflicts especially should be the focus of mediation. However, with regards to armed conflicts that reoccur, there is a gap in the research of mediation in relation to the rounds of violence. This thesis argues that the more rounds of violence a recurring armed conflict experiences the less likely it will experience mediation. To examine the relationship between the rounds of violence of a recurring armed conflict and mediation onset, this thesis employed Structured Focused Comparison (SFC) to compare two recurring armed conflicts. One with a low mediation occurrence (West Papua) and one high mediation occurrence (Aceh). While the case comparison provides limited support for the hypothesized relationship between rounds of violence and mediation, the results instead may provide support that recurring armed conflicts are not increasingly resistant to mediation the more rounds of violence they experience.

Mental health is a growing concern for adolescents. Billions of dollars are spent annually on mental services for youth. Many adolescents experience abuse, suicidal ideations, psychotic disorders, substance abuse, and other challenges. Recurring inpatient psychiatric hospitalizations are increasing among adolescents. The recurring admissions impact adolescents significantly socially, psychologically, and financially. Social workers are a vital part of this treatment process from admission to discharge. The research question asked what were the issues and challenges social workers encounter when conducting discharge planning with adolescents receiving recurring inpatient psychiatric treatment. The purpose for this doctoral project was to carefully examine the discharge planning process while identifying ways social workers can positively impact the process. Key concepts for this project were adolescent, inpatient hospitalization, recurring hospitalization, and discharge planning. Systems theory was used to inform the project. This action research study allowed social workers to share their experiences and perspectives about the role of social workers in discharge planning. Seven participants were identified using purposive sampling. One focus group provided data for project. Data analysis consisted of in vivo and process coding. Four participant-inspired themes identified related to issues and challenges in discharge planning include (a) adequate resources, (b) insurance restrictions, (c) rapport with adolescents, and (d) parental participation. Social work practice and positive social change implications include establishing follow-up protocol for all adolescent discharges from inpatient settings and increasing the use of encouragement and engagement strategies for rapport building with adolescents.