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Due to critical flaws in the existing studies, this study advances a new theory--the theory of controlled commodification--for the analysis of media and culture in the peripheral capitalism of Singapore. Since political independence, the state in Singapore has pursued a developmental policy based on the principles of the market economy that has given rise to its newly industrialized status. It promotes the development of the capitalist institutional framework, structures, and practices for the commodification process, yet restricts the process where it pertains to the flow of commodities effected through the exchange mechanism of the marketplace. The critical manifestation of this fundamental contradiction is in the media-cultural terrain. The existing approaches, in failing to grasp or address this contradiction, have provided a theoretically inadequate account of Singapore's media and culture. Thus they are overly narrow or localized (as in the works of media freedom, development media, and communication developmentalism) or overly broad or globalized (as in the cultural dependency perspective) or ahistorical in treating the convergence and conflict of the local-global forces (as in Galtung's structural theory of imperialism). The theory of controlled commodification is premised upon a historical appreciation of the local-global articulation of the commodification process within such peripheral capitalism as Singapore. Constructed from the two Marxian media-cultural approaches of Western Marxism and the Marxian political economy, the theory assumes the centrality of the (Singapore) state--as a managerial state for (global) capital--in the constitution of media operating as a commercial, profit-oriented institution in a market economy. Adopted for the analysis of Singapore's print and electronic media, together with its politics and culture, the theory of controlled commodification sheds the much needed light on the intricate relationship between state control of media and culture, on the one hand, and the commodification process, on the other--i.e., the very contradiction of peripheral Singapore, itself. Although controlled commodification is developed specifically in relation to Singapore, its theoretical thrust is argued to be applicable to other peripheral capitalism as well.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 121-126). / vi, 126 leaves, bound ill. 29 cm

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This dissertation reconstructs how blood groups were made into pre-eminent objects of human genetic research and powerful markers for producing human biological difference. By tracing the ways in which three British laboratories became international centres for blood-group genetic research, it also offers an expanded history of postwar human genetics. In early 1930s Britain a community of geneticists, including R.A. Fisher and B.S. Haldane, promoted blood groups as having the potential to give the study of human heredity 'a solidly objective foundation, under strict statistical control'. Fisher and colleagues at the Cambridge Galton Serum Unit- especially Robert Race and Arthur Mourant- implemented this vision, the dissertation shows, using the arrangements for large-scale blood transfusion set up early in the Second World War. In 1946, Mourant became director of the Blood Group Reference Laboratory and Race of the Blood Group Research Unit, both at London's Lister Institute. As well as standardising blood-grouping reagents and investigating serological problems for the World Health Organization, these laboratories collected, analysed and published vast quantities of genetic data, making the Lister the global centre for blood-group genetics. During this period, human genetics changed from a marginal research field to an established discipline, partly, the dissertation argues, as a result of this blood-group research. By the 1950s a third of all human genetics publications were on blood groups: as one of the few human traits with simple Mendelian inheritance, they formed the basis for linkage studies and association surveys, and underpinned innovation in theoretical population genetics. Against a backdrop of intense international discussion about the meaning and scope of race science, blood groups were also made into tools for a supposedly 'obj ective' and 'unprejudiced' anthropology. This first history of how blood groups became scientific objects follows their collection in Britain and overseas, the grouping of samples, their transformation into data, and their presentation as credible genetic knowledge. It also offers the first sustained analysis of the functions of genetic nomenclatures. I argue that mid-century human genetics was profoundly influenced by the questions and practices of physical anthropology, by clinical practice, and by international infrastructures for medical research.

This study examines NACA's organization in the light of Alfred D. Chandler's <i>Strategy and Structure</i>. It analyzes the agency's administration. NACA's strategy of maximizing existing technology and its committee's structure were the key elements in its failure to develop jet propulsion in the early 1940s. We will focus first on NACA and its organization. The second chapter will describe jet propulsion, particularly the acquisition of a Whittle engine from England and General Arnold 's role in keeping NACA out of the development of the Whittle engine in the United States. The third chapter will concentrate on the reasons that combined and led to the difficulties of NACA in the mid-forties and the 1950s. That chapter will look at the rise of the aviation industry, the criticism it expressed against NACA, and finally NACA's strategy as one of the causes of failure. / Master of Arts

Os Laboratórios de Investigação Médica (LIM) do HCFMUSP foram criados com a publicação do Decreto n. 9.720, de 20 de abril de 1977, que oficializou o Regulamento do Hospital das Clínicas da FMUSP (HCFMUSP). Por esse instrumento, os LIM se apresentam como uma das unidades do HCFMUSP, ao qual se vinculam administrativamente. Pelo mesmo instrumento, vinculam-se academicamente à Faculdade de Medicina da USP (FMUSP). Esse conjunto de laboratórios desenvolve pesquisa básica e aplicada nos diversos campos das ciências da saúde, além de métodos diagnósticos. Até a implantação da Reforma Universitária, em 1968, as atividades de pesquisa básica transcorriam nos departamentos básicos da FMUSP, articuladas com os departamentos aplicados, que se estabeleceram no HCFMUSP desde sua criação, em 1943, resultando no avanço da assistência médica prestada aos pacientes. Os departamentos básicos, com seus laboratórios e salas de aula, ocupavam quase todo o edifício sede. Com a aplicação das medidas da Reforma Universitária e presentes no Estatuto da USP, esses departamentos foram transferidos para o campus da Cidade Universitária, onde nuclearam, sobretudo, o Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Decorreu da Reforma importante ruptura na produção de conhecimentos na FMUSP, além do arriscado esvaziamento do prédio. O objetivo desta dissertação é reconstituir, pela perspectiva histórica, a trajetória institucional percorrida para sanar as perdas sofridas pela FMUSP e pelo HC e que culminaram com a criação dos LIM no período compreendido entre a implantação da Reforma Universitária até sua efetiva incorporação à estrutura do HCFMUSP, em 1977. O percurso da criação dos LIM foi reconstituído pelo diálogo entre os vestígios encontrados na documentação institucional e as memórias de atores institucionais que viveram esse período, apoiado pela historiografia acerca do ensino e das práticas médicas da FMUSP e do HCFMUSP / The Medical Investigation Laboratories (LIMs) of the University of São Paulo Medical School Clinics Hospital (HCFMUSP) were created with the passing of decree n. 9.720 of April 20, 1977, which formalized the latter\'s by-laws. As set by the decree, the LIMs are one of the units of HCFMUSP, to which they are administratively connected. The same instrument also establishes an academic link between the labs and the Medical School of the University (FMUSP). This set of labs conducts basic and applied research in the most diverse fields of health sciences, and develops diagnostic methods. Up until the 1968 University Reform in Brazil, basic research activity was conducted by the basic departments in conjunction with the applied departments of the Medical School - which existed at HCFMUSP since its foundation in 1943. This arrangement resulted in improvements in the medical care provided to patients. The basic departments, along with their labs and classrooms, occupied almost the entire headquarters building. With the enforcement of the measures defined by the University Reform - also present in the by-laws of the University of São Paulo - these departments were transferred to the main campus (Cidade Universitária) and mostly placed under the umbrella of the Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICB). As a consequence of the Reform, there was a risky emptying of FMUSP\'s building, and a disruption in its knowledge production. The objective of the present dissertation is to reconstruct, from a historical perspective, the institutional path taken with the aim of overcoming the losses faced by the medical school and its hospital, which culminated in the creation of the LIMs in the period between the implementation of the University Reform and the laboratories\' actual incorporation into HCFMUSP\'s structure in 1977. The LIMs\' creation process was reconstructed based on a dialogue between the traces found in the institution\'s documents and the recollections of players who witnessed the process, with the support of historiography on FMUSP and HCFMUSP\'s medical and teaching practices

Neste estudo é feita uma apresentação de alguns aspectos da obra de Herbert A. Simon que foram julgados de particular importância para a economia. A teoria comportamental do autor é o eixo em torno do qual estes aspectos resultaram girar. Esta teoria por sua vez foi aqui dividida em dois temas: o da racionalidade e o da organização. Estes temas são duas partes essenciais da teoria e devem caminhar sempre juntos no sentido de que, respectivamente, tratam da estrutura da teoria e do contexto ao qual ela se aplica. No que diz respeito ao tema da racionalidade, são tratados aqui os argumentos de Simon relativos às restrições ao exercício da racionalidade pelos agentes associadas às suas capacidades cognitivas. Em particular, Simon argumenta que a hipótese de onisciência, implicada pelas hipóteses de racionalidade da teoria econômica neoclássica, gera problemas para a teoria, tanto em sua faceta normativa quanto na positiva. São também apresentados os conceitos de racionalidade restrita e de racionalidade procedimental. Este último foi desenvolvido por Simon a partir do primeiro, tendo em vista principalmente as dificuldades da teoria econômica de lidar com situações de incerteza. Na medida em que as restrições à racionalidade são admitidas pela teoria, o comportamento passa a depender fortemente tanto do contexto em que ocorre quanto das características psicológicas (cognitivas) do agente. Grande parte do trabalho de Simon em economia girou em torno do conceito de organização. De fato, organizações constituem um contexto predominante do comportamento econômico, tanto mais quanto grandes organizações têm dominado o cenário nas últimas décadas. Neste sentido, é questionada também a predominância do conceito de mercado sobre o de organização na teoria. Esta dependência que o comportamento econômico tem do contexto leva Simon a argumentar em favor de uma aproximação entre economia e empiria, em particular do estudo empírico de como o comportamento se dá na prática – ou seja, onde empiria não deve ser tomada como sinônimo de econometria. Uma contextualização histórica do trabalho de Simon também foi realizada. Foram explorados aí alguns temas. Primeiro, foi conceituado o “regime da Segunda Guerra Mundial" surgido em torno da confluência entre as empreitadas científica e militar durante a Segunda Guerra. Em segundo lugar, a importância deste regime para a carreira de Simon foi discutida, em particular a disponibilidade do computador, a partir de meados da década de 1950, para sua pesquisa. Em terceiro lugar, foi identificada e descrita como importante manifestação desse regime a “pesquisa operacional" e foram traçadas algumas de suas implicações para a economia em particular e, de maneira mais vaga, para as ciências sociais em geral. / This study presents some aspects of Herbert A. Simon’s work that were thought to have particular importance to economics. The author’s behavioral theory is the axis around which these aspects orbit. This theory, in turn, was divided here into two themes: rationality and organization. Both of them are essential parts of the theory and always work hand in hand in the sense that, respectively, they are the structure of the theory and the context to which it applies. Concerning rationality, Simon’s arguments about the constraints to the exercise of rationality related to the agents’ cognitive limitations are presented. In particular, he argues that the hypothesis of omniscience, implied by the neoclassical economic theory hypothesis of rationality, causes trouble to the theory, in either its normative or positive side. The concepts of bounded rationality and procedural rationality are also presented. The latter was developed by Simon based on the former in an attempt to circumvent the difficulties of the economic theory to deal properly with uncertainty. When the bounds to rationality are admitted by the theory, behavior then depends strongly on the context in which it occurs and on the agent’s psychological (cognitive) characteristics. A major part of Simon’s work in economics dealt with the concept of organization. Indeed, organizations constitute a predominant context to economic behavior, especially when we consider the role large organizations have been playing in the last decades. Proceeding in that line of thought, the preponderance in economics of the concept of market over the concept of organization is questioned. The aforementioned dependency of behavior to the context leads Simon to argue in favor of an approximation of economics and empiric work, especially concerning how behavior is to be found in practice – or else, where empiric work is not to be taken as synonym for econometrics. Simon’s work was historically contextualized and some themes were explored as related to this context. First, the “World War II regime", emerging out of a confluence of the military and scientific enterprises in the war, was conceptualized. Second, the importance of this regime to Simon’s career was stressed, and particularly important was the availability of the computer for his research from the mid-fifties on. Third, an important manifestation of this regime, “operations research", was identified and described. Some of its implications for economics in particular and, in a vaguer manner, for the social sciences in general were also traced.

Neste estudo é feita uma apresentação de alguns aspectos da obra de Herbert A. Simon que foram julgados de particular importância para a economia. A teoria comportamental do autor é o eixo em torno do qual estes aspectos resultaram girar. Esta teoria por sua vez foi aqui dividida em dois temas: o da racionalidade e o da organização. Estes temas são duas partes essenciais da teoria e devem caminhar sempre juntos no sentido de que, respectivamente, tratam da estrutura da teoria e do contexto ao qual ela se aplica. No que diz respeito ao tema da racionalidade, são tratados aqui os argumentos de Simon relativos às restrições ao exercício da racionalidade pelos agentes associadas às suas capacidades cognitivas. Em particular, Simon argumenta que a hipótese de onisciência, implicada pelas hipóteses de racionalidade da teoria econômica neoclássica, gera problemas para a teoria, tanto em sua faceta normativa quanto na positiva. São também apresentados os conceitos de racionalidade restrita e de racionalidade procedimental. Este último foi desenvolvido por Simon a partir do primeiro, tendo em vista principalmente as dificuldades da teoria econômica de lidar com situações de incerteza. Na medida em que as restrições à racionalidade são admitidas pela teoria, o comportamento passa a depender fortemente tanto do contexto em que ocorre quanto das características psicológicas (cognitivas) do agente. Grande parte do trabalho de Simon em economia girou em torno do conceito de organização. De fato, organizações constituem um contexto predominante do comportamento econômico, tanto mais quanto grandes organizações têm dominado o cenário nas últimas décadas. Neste sentido, é questionada também a predominância do conceito de mercado sobre o de organização na teoria. Esta dependência que o comportamento econômico tem do contexto leva Simon a argumentar em favor de uma aproximação entre economia e empiria, em particular do estudo empírico de como o comportamento se dá na prática – ou seja, onde empiria não deve ser tomada como sinônimo de econometria. Uma contextualização histórica do trabalho de Simon também foi realizada. Foram explorados aí alguns temas. Primeiro, foi conceituado o “regime da Segunda Guerra Mundial” surgido em torno da confluência entre as empreitadas científica e militar durante a Segunda Guerra. Em segundo lugar, a importância deste regime para a carreira de Simon foi discutida, em particular a disponibilidade do computador, a partir de meados da década de 1950, para sua pesquisa. Em terceiro lugar, foi identificada e descrita como importante manifestação desse regime a “pesquisa operacional” e foram traçadas algumas de suas implicações para a economia em particular e, de maneira mais vaga, para as ciências sociais em geral. / This study presents some aspects of Herbert A. Simon’s work that were thought to have particular importance to economics. The author’s behavioral theory is the axis around which these aspects orbit. This theory, in turn, was divided here into two themes: rationality and organization. Both of them are essential parts of the theory and always work hand in hand in the sense that, respectively, they are the structure of the theory and the context to which it applies. Concerning rationality, Simon’s arguments about the constraints to the exercise of rationality related to the agents’ cognitive limitations are presented. In particular, he argues that the hypothesis of omniscience, implied by the neoclassical economic theory hypothesis of rationality, causes trouble to the theory, in either its normative or positive side. The concepts of bounded rationality and procedural rationality are also presented. The latter was developed by Simon based on the former in an attempt to circumvent the difficulties of the economic theory to deal properly with uncertainty. When the bounds to rationality are admitted by the theory, behavior then depends strongly on the context in which it occurs and on the agent’s psychological (cognitive) characteristics. A major part of Simon’s work in economics dealt with the concept of organization. Indeed, organizations constitute a predominant context to economic behavior, especially when we consider the role large organizations have been playing in the last decades. Proceeding in that line of thought, the preponderance in economics of the concept of market over the concept of organization is questioned. The aforementioned dependency of behavior to the context leads Simon to argue in favor of an approximation of economics and empiric work, especially concerning how behavior is to be found in practice – or else, where empiric work is not to be taken as synonym for econometrics. Simon’s work was historically contextualized and some themes were explored as related to this context. First, the “World War II regime”, emerging out of a confluence of the military and scientific enterprises in the war, was conceptualized. Second, the importance of this regime to Simon’s career was stressed, and particularly important was the availability of the computer for his research from the mid-fifties on. Third, an important manifestation of this regime, “operations research”, was identified and described. Some of its implications for economics in particular and, in a vaguer manner, for the social sciences in general were also traced.