Nonprofit organizations are pivotal actors in society, and their websites can play important roles in aiding organizations in their socially-beneficial missions by serving as a platform to present information, to interact with stakeholders and to perform online transactions. This dissertation analyzed nonprofit websites in the United States (U.S.) and in Thailand in a series of three articles. The first developed a website evaluative instrument, based on an e-commerce model, and applied it to nonprofit websites through a manual decoding process. That article's findings suggested that Thai websites are not considerably different than U.S. nonprofit websites, except more American websites offer online transactions. The second article analyzed two different types of nonprofits in Thailand using the same model to assess website development in an emerging market. That analysis suggested local Thai nonprofits' websites lagged significantly behind those of internationally connected nonprofit organizations in the country in the features they offered. The third article compared the adapted model employed in the second analysis, which used manual decoding for website examination, to a commercially available, automated evaluation service. That analysis highlighted the differences between the two assessment tools and found them to be complementary, but independently insufficient to ensure robust nonprofit website evaluation. / Ph. D. / Nonprofit organizations, such as public charities, are integral in our society. With increased Internet access, members of the general public often visit nonprofit websites to learn about such institutions. Nonprofits, however, lack a systematic tool to analyze how well their websites are developing and whether they are successful in securing their aims. This dissertation developed and applied an evaluative model to examine nonprofit entity website features and efficacy in the United States and in Thailand. The analysis found U.S. and international nonprofits websites were better developed than local Thai organizations, but still evidenced significant design challenges. Comparing the results of the developed evaluation model to those produced by a commercial automated assessment tool, the author found neither to be sufficient alone for measuring the quality of nonprofit websites.

Plusieurs établissements de santé québécois mettent en œuvre des programmes d’externat en soins infirmiers. Chaque programme présente des caractéristiques qui lui sont propres, mais dont les retombées demeurent en partie méconnues. Par ailleurs, la manière dont l’externat intervient sur la transition étudiante-externe n’a encore jamais été étudiée. But : Évaluer les retombées d’un programme d’externat et comment il intervient sur l’expérience de transition des externes en soins infirmiers. Méthode : Étude de cas unique avec méthodes mixtes, incluant l’intégration d’entrevues individuelles semi-structurées (n=10) auprès d’externes et d’infirmières, de sources documentaires (n=15) et de données administratives quantitatives. Une analyse de contenu, de modélisation et des analyses statistiques descriptives ont été réalisées selon la nature des données. Résultats : Les caractéristiques du programme d’externat sont mises de l’avant par le biais d’un modèle logique de programme. Une consolidation des cinq compétences visées par le programme d’externat et un renouvellement de l’identité est observée qualitativement. Les données quantitatives ne révèlent une amélioration que pour deux compétences, soit la contribution à l’évaluation de l’état de santé et la consignation des informations et observations. Trois avenues explicatives de la modulation de l’expérience de transition en fonction des caractéristiques de l’externat et des interventions mises en œuvre par les infirmières superviseures ressortent : 1) la période d’accueil et de formation comble l’incertitude en début d’externat, 2) le déroulement est perturbé par un manque de préparation et une mauvaise compréhension, et 3) le maintien difficile d’une vision globale de la progression de l’externe. Conclusion : L’externat ne se résume pas qu’à combler la pénurie, c’est un investissement pour consolider les acquis et l’identité des infirmières en devenir. / Several Quebec healthcare establishments offer nursing externship programs. Each program has its own characteristics, the outcomes of which are still only partially understood. Furthermore, the way in which the externship affects the transition from student to extern has not yet been studied. Aim: Evaluate the impacts of an externship program and how it affects the transition experience of nursing externs. Method: Single case study with mixed methods, incorporating semi-structured individual interviews (n=10) with externs and nurses, documentary sources (n=15), and quantitative administrative data. Content analysis, modelling, and descriptive statistical analyses were performed depending on the nature of the data. Results: The characteristics of the externship program were exposed through a program logic model. Qualitatively, strengthening of the five competencies targeted by the externship program and a renewal of identity were observed. The quantitative data showed improvements in only two competencies, namely ‘contributing to health status evaluation’ and ‘recording information and observations’. Three explanatory narratives emerged regarding how the externship’s characteristics and the interventions practiced by supervising nurses shaped the transition experience: 1) a welcome and training period helped overcome uncertainty at the beginning of an externship, 2) a lack of preparation or poor understanding hindered externship progress, and 3) it was difficult to maintain an overall view of externs’ progress. Conclusion: A nursing externship is not only about filling a labour gap; it is an investment in consolidating the skills and the identity of future nurses.

Le XVIIe siècle a connu l’épanouissement de la création des tragédies. Notre thèse propose une étude sur un composant moins étudié de ce théâtre, l’espace. Le premier chapitre de notre étude essaie d’abord de dessiner la géographie de la tragédie de l’âge classique et établir des liens éventuels entre les lieux et les thèmes, ensuite nous étudions les différents espaces représentés par la scène et leurs caractéristiques. Le deuxième chapitre quitte la scène pour s’intéresser à la topographie des espaces hors scène. Nous verrons les fonctions de ces espaces hors scène et leurs échanges avec la scène et les dynamismes qui s’en dégagent. Conformément à une esthétique épurée, la tragédie classique relègue de nombreux événements hors scène. Nous cherchons, dans la deuxième partie de ce chapitre, à classer ces événements et nous nous interrogeons sur les diverses raisons pour lesquelles ils ont lieu hors scène. Le troisième chapitre se penche sur l’espace en parole, l’espace tel qu’il est vécu par les personnages. Nous analysons comment les personnages associent des espaces (en scène ou hors scène) à différentes expériences humaines et aux différents destins. Dans certaines pièces, l’espace peut même être au centre d’un enjeu. Nous analysons les enjeux qui se jouent autour de l’espace. Le quatrième chapitre est consacré à l’étude des mouvements des personnages et des objets en scène. Les mouvements des personnages et les objets théâtraux contribuent aussi à la construction de l’espace théâtral. La scène tragique est globalement un espace dépouillé où les héros sont primordialement des « êtres-parlant ». Les gestes et les objets, quand ils existent, sont autrement signifiants sur la scène tragique. Nous concluons que l’espace est loin d’être un décor inerte dans la tragédie française du XVIIe siècle. C’est un élément actif qui entretient diverses dynamiques avec les personnages. / The 17th century has witnessed the full bloom of the creation of the tragedies in France. My thesis proposes a research on a less studied component in this theatre—space. The first chapter of my study tries to draw the geography of the classical age tragedy and establish the possible links between places and themes, then I address myself to the different spaces represented by the stage and their characteristics. The second chapter quits the stage to discover the offstage topography. We shall see the function of these offstage spaces, their exchanges with the stage and the dynamisms that come from these exchanges. Conforming to a purified aesthetics, the classical tragedy relegates numerous events behind the scene. In the second part of this chapter, I try to classify these events and question why they happen offstage. The third chapter approaches the space in speech, the space as it is experienced by the characters. I analyze how the characters associate the spaces (on stage or offstage) with different human experiences and destinies. In certain plays, space itself can be at stake. The stakes implicated in space will be analyzed. The fourth chapter focuses on the characters’ body and objects on stage. Characters’ movements and theatrical objects contribute to the creation of theatrical space. The tragic scene is overall a stripped space where the heroes are primordially ‘speaking beings’. Gestures and objects, when they exist, are highly significant on the tragic scene. Lastly I conclude that space is far from being an inert set in the 17th century French tragedy. It is an element that maintains different dynamics with characters.

This qualitative study explores midwifery practice during the second stage of labour focusing specifically on whether midwives adopt a directed or physiological approach to maternal pushing. It was undertaken against the backdrop of research findings suggesting that there is no proven benefit to directing a woman's pushing efforts but anecdotal evidence suggests that this remains a routine and accepted part of midwifery practice in the United Kingdom (UK). Semi- structured interviews were undertaken with ten midwives who had recent experience of caring for women during the second stage of labour, ten women who had recently given birth and four obstetricians. A form of thematic analysis was undertaken. Findings were viewed through a lens of critical social theory (CST) and drew on feminist principles to provide a deeper understanding of the emergent themes. Findings indicated that a directed approach to second stage pushing was the norm in this UK Maternity Unit and was deeply embedded within the cultural context of what it meant to be a midwife that involved ' doing' rather than 'being'. Reasons explaining why midwives continue to use directed pushing were grouped into themes; ' time passing and watching the clock' 'different worlds' , 'different women', 'midwives take charge', 'growth of confidence and changing practice' and 'conflict'. When viewed from a CST perspective midwives undertaking directed pushing is seen as an example of institutionalised oppressive behaviour symbolising the way in which knowledge and rationality are disregarded in favour of a risk averse practice that is paradoxically the opposite of what evidence recommends. Midwives are identified as being oppressed by the dominant biomedical model to the extent that they do not view directed pushing as an intervention. In order to promote a more physiological approach with its' associated benefits, a return to a social model of midwifery with a focus on salutogenesis rather than pathogenesis is called for. Recommendations for midwifery education, practice and research are provided in order to support the transformational shift in midwifery culture that is needed if such a change is to become a reality.

Contemporary operatic scenography has been undergoing broad aesthetic, theatrical and technological transformations. My dissertation analyzes the work of three key designer-directors—Robert Wilson, Achim Freyer, and Karl-Ernst Herrmann—in order to investigate the changing relationship between the visual and the theatrical in contemporary opera, as well as opera’s place within current trends in theatrical design and broader visual culture. Combining an analysis of current productions with wide-ranging archival research, I reconstruct and explore these artists’ individual stylistic development and their mutual influence. Through this focus on the hybrid figure of the contemporary designer-director, I address two key historical changes in operatic culture: first, the greatly increased importance of scenography and visuality in global opera and second, the emergence of new scenographic idioms, which have rapidly displaced the dominance of historicist and realist conventions in staging. Throughout, I show how Wilson, Freyer, and Herrmann’s work has been central to the development of a “new international style” in operatic scenography. Combining close visual analysis with historical contextualization, I examine how this style—characterized by abstraction, rich colors, striking lighting and radical theatrical effects—has transformed the look of opera, while also framing these developments within the longer history of modernist scenography, and the long-standing tensions between stylistic innovation and aesthetic traditionalism.

What is the role of a movement director in the American Theatre? Why is it vital for a movement vocabulary to be considered when creating theatre? This thesis analyzes the process of collaboration in educational and professional theatre settings. It attempts to show that through collaboration with a director of a piece of theatre, a movement director can help guide a theatrical event to a fully embodied performance that serves the text and fully forms a director’s aesthetic.

In recent years the microelectronics industry as found itself at an impasse. The tradition pathway towards smaller transistors at lower costs has hit a roadblock with the failure of 157 nm lithography and the continued delays in 13.5 nm extreme ultra violet light sources. While photolithography has been able to keep pace with Moore’s law over the past four decades, alternative patterning technologies are now required to keep up with market demand. The first section of this dissertation discusses the new resolution enhancement technique develop in the Willson lab termed pitchdivision. Through the incorporation of specifically tailored photobase generators (PBGs) into commercially available resists, the resolution of current 193 tools may be doubled. Special two-stage PBGs were designed and synthesized to increase the image fidelity of pitchdivision patterns. The next project deals with the design, synthesis, and evaluation of resists that find amplification through unzipping polymers. An aromatizing polyester polymer that acts as dissolution inhibitor in novolac and is inherently sensitive to 13.5 nm exposure is discussed. Initial results show excellent sensitivity and promise towards a new class of EUV resists. / text

Sjukhuskuratorer har samtal med patienter som lider till exempel av depression, ångest eller andra besvär orsakade av psykosociala faktorer så som stress, livskriser eller alkohol. I denna studie ställdes frågan vilka effekter det patientnära arbetet kan ha för sjukhuskuratorn. Syftet var att utifrån ett emotionsteoretiskt perspektiv undersöka hur sjukhuskuratorer upplever att de påverkas av det patientnära arbetet. I studien ställdes frågan vad sjukhuskuratorer upplever att det patientnära arbetet har för effekter för dem själva och hur sjukhuskuratorer hanterar det som uppkommer i det patientnära arbetet. Tidigare forskning har visat att andra yrkesgrupper på området, exempelvis sjuksköterskor och terapeuter i allmänhet, påverkas av att använda ett härbärgerande förhållningsätt. I denna studie intervjuades fyra sjukhuskuratorer om deras tankar och känslor kring arbetets effekter. Resultatet analyserades med hjälp av Hochschilds begrepp emotionellt lönearbete och Goffmans begrepp om främre och bakre region. Resultatet visar att det patientnära arbetet hade effekter. Sjukhuskuratorerna tog med sig tankar och känslor från det patientnära arbetet i den främre till den bakre regionen. Sjukhuskuratorerna hanterade det som uppkommit i det patientnära arbetet vid samtal med kollegor och handledning och när de fick stunder för sig själva. Samtliga sjukhuskuratorer ansåg att det patientnära arbetet har gjort dem mindre sociala, samt att det skapat ett behov av ensamhet och självreflektion. / Hospital social workers have patients suffering from a range of symptoms, amongst these are depression, distress or other disorders caused by psychosocial factors, such as stress, a life crisis or alcohol. In this study the question was asked what effects the patient-care can have for the hospital social worker. The purpose of this research study was to examine from the perspective of emotion theory, how hospital social workers felt they were affected by the patient-care. Our research questions were what effects the hospital social workers see that the patient-care have for themselves, and how the hospital social workers deal with what emerges from the patient-care. Earlier research has shown that other occupational groups, such as nurses and therapists in general, are affected by harbouring what arises in the patient-care. Four interviews with hospital social workers conducted about their thoughts and feelings on the effects of the job. The result has been analyzed with Hochschild’s notion of emotional labour and Goffman’s concepts front stage and back stage. The results show that the job does affect the worker. The hospital workers harbour thoughts and feelings that emerge in the patient-care on the front stage, until they are able to deal with it in different regions on the back stage through colleges, guidance and by themselves. All of our interviewed hospital social workers deemed that they had become less social due to the nature of the patient care. In addition they also thought that it had created a need of seclusion and self-reflection.

The budget is used in many organizations to estimate and control costs. The budgeting process requires extensive knowledge and information exchange between the budget setters in the organization. It is therefore critical for budget setters, often finance and line managers, to communicate and exchange knowledge to reach a budget for the upcoming period.   The aim of this thesis is to highlight both budgeting and internal communication findings from past research, and develop a model for how internal communication is affected by different factors during the budgeting process. Specifically, we develop an unprecedented model based on previous research and test it through qualitative semi-structured interviews. We then improve and develop the model to provide a theoretical framework for future research on factors affecting internal communication during the budgeting process.   Our empirical study of communication between line managers and finance managers in GE Healthcare in their budgeting process indicates that the factors are intertwined, and that the various factors can affect internal communication during the budgeting process directly and indirectly.  The factors we find to directly affect internal communication are geographical distance, interpersonal relationship, communication method, organizational distance and characteristics of the budgeting process. The indirect factors are characteristics of the participant and time constraint. The study also finds a series of interconnected relationships of both the direct and indirect factors with each other.

Solar cells constitute the most direct way of converting solar energy to electricity, and thin-film solar-cell technologies have lately been growing in importance, allowing the fabrication of less expensive modules that nonetheless have good power-conversion efficiencies. This thesis focuses on solar cells based on Cu(In,Ga)Se2, which is the thin-film technology that has shown the highest conversion efficiency to date, reaching 20.3 % on the laboratory scale. Solar modules still have some way to go to become entirely competitive with existing energy technologies, and there are two possible paths to this goal: Firstly, reducing their manufacturing costs, for instance by minimizing the material usage per module and/or by increasing the throughput of a given factory; and secondly, increasing the power output per module in other words, the module efficiency. The subject matters of this thesis are related to those two approaches. The first issue investigated is the possibility for reducing the thickness of the Cu(In,Ga)Se2 layer and compensating for lost absorption by using a ZrN back reflector. ZrN layers are fabricated by reactive sputtering and I present a method for tuning the sputtering parameters so as to obtain a back reflector with good optical, electrical and mechanical properties. The reflector layer cannot be used directly in CIGS devices, but relatively good devices can be achieved with a precursor providing a homogeneous supply of Na, the addition of a very thin sacrificial Mo layer that allows the formation of a film of MoSe2 passivating the back contact, and optionally a Ga gradient that further keeps electrons away from the back contact. The second field of study concerns the three-stage CIGS coevaporation process, which is widely used in research labs around the world and has yielded small-area cells with highest efficiencies, but has not yet made it to large scale production. My focus lies on the development and the effect of gradients in the [Ga]/[In+Ga] ratio. On the one hand, I investigate 'intrinsic' gradients (ones that form autonomously during the evaporation), and present a formation model based on the differing diffusivity of Ga and In atoms in CIGS and on the development along the quasi-binary tie line between (In,Ga)2Se3 and Cu2Se. On the other hand, I determine how the process should be designed in order to preserve 'extrinsic' gradients due to interdiffusion. Lastly, I examine the electrical effects of Ga-enhancement at the back and at the front of the absorber and of In-enhancement at the front. Over a wide range, In-rich top layers prove to have no or a weakly beneficial effect, while Ga-rich top regions pose a high risk to have a devastating effect on device performance.