本文主要著重在處理條件評估法下，「不知道」受訪者的回應。當「不知道」受訪者的產生機制並未符合完全隨機時，考量他們的真實意向就顯得極為重要。 文中使用中央研究院生醫所在其研究計畫「竹東及朴子地區心臟血管疾病長期追蹤研究」（CardioVascular Disease risk FACtor Two-township Study，簡稱CVDFACTS）第五循環中的研究調查資料。 　　由於以往的文獻對於「不知道」受訪者的處理，皆有不足之處。如Wang (1997)所提出的方法，就只能針對某種特定的「不知道」受訪者來做處理；而Caudill and Groothuis (2005)所提的方法，由於將「不知道」受訪者的差補與願付價格的估計分開，亦使其估計結果不具備一些好的性質。在本文中，我們提出一個能同時處理「不知道」受訪者且估計願付價格的方法。除了使得統計上較有效率外，也保有EM演算法的一個特性：願付價格模型中的估計參數為最大概似估計值。此外，在加入三要素混合模型(Tsai (2005))後，我們也可避免用到極端受訪者的訊息去差補那些「不知道」受訪者的意向。 　　在分析願付價格的過程中，我們發現此筆資料的「不知道」受訪者，其產生的機制為隨機，而非為完全隨機，這意謂著不考量「不知道」受訪者的分析結果，必定會產生偏差。而在比較有考量「不知道」受訪者與沒有的情況後，其結果確實應證了我們的想法：只要「不知道」受訪者不是完全隨機產生的，那麼不考量他們必定會產生某種程度的偏差。 / This paper investigates how to deal with “Don’t Know” (DK) responses in contingent valuation surveys, which must be taken into consideration when they are not completely at random. The data we use is collected from the fifth cycle of the Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Two-township Study (CVDFACTS), which is a series of long-term surveys conducted by the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica. Previous methods used in dealing with DK responses have not been satisfactory because they only focus on some types of DK respondents (Wang (1997)), or separate the imputation of DK responses from the WTP estimation (Caudill and Groothuis (2005)). However, in this paper, we introduce an integrated method to cope with the incomplete data caused by DK responses. Besides being more efficient, the single-step method guarantees maximum likelihood estimates of the WTP model to be obtained due to the good property that the EM algorithm possesses. Furthermore, by adding the concept of the three-component mixture model (Tsai (2005)), some extreme information are drawn out when imputing the DK inclinations. In this hypertension data, the mechanism of the DK responses is “Don’t know at random”, which means the analysis of DK-dropped results in a bias. By using our method, the difference between DK-dropped and DK-included is actually revealed, which proves our suspicion that a DK-dropped analysis is accompanied by a biased result when DK is not completely at random.

Makt samt organisatoriskt commitment är två väsentliga begrepp gällande ett företags ledarskap och deras anställda. Ledarskapets kärna utgörs av den influens ledargestalten har över sina underordnade och begreppet makt ska för ledaren fungera som ett drivmedel gällande hens influens. Det gäller således för ledargestalter att tillämpa makten i syfte att influera sina anställda mot organisationens uppsatta mål. För att lyckas få de anställda att sträva efter samma mål som organisationen satt upp samtidigt som de ska arbeta för att få kompetent arbetskraft att stanna krävs det av ledaren att hen kan främja organisatoriskt commitment bland de anställda. Syftet med studien är därmed att utifrån positioneringsmakt och kunskapsmakt analysera hur ledare för ett konsultföretag skapar affektivt, kalkylerande och eller normativt commitment hos sina anställda. Då studien avser att inge en djup och grundlig förståelse gällande dess syfte tillämpas en fallstudiedesign med en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi samt en deduktiv ansats. Vidare ämnar studien undersöka ett specifikt fallföretag utifrån vilket studiens primärdata samlats in via tio intervjuer. Intervjuerna har fördelats på åtta av Crabats anställda konsulter, företagets VD samt företagets ägare. För att på ett djupare plan kunna presentera studiens problematisering har en teoretisk referensram utformats vilken behandlar studiens huvudbegrepp samt beskriver övriga relevanta begrepp inom ämnet. Det går inte genom studiens slutsatser att urskiljer vilken form av maktbas som främjar vilket commitment i fallföretaget. Dock går det att konstatera att fallföretaget tillämpar två maktbaser, kunskapsmakt samt positioneringsmakt, vilka i valt fallföretag sammantaget gynnar tre former av commitment, affektivt, normativt samt kalkylerande commitment. Då fallföretaget utgörs av majoriteten män hade det varit intressant om vidare forskning undersökte om ovannämnda maktbaser främjar andra former av commitment i en konsultverksamhet med en majoritet kvinnor. / Power and organisational commitment are two essential concepts regarding a corporation’s leadership and workforce. The core of leadership consists of the influence the leader has over the workforce and the concept of power is to work as a propellant regarding his or hers influence. It thus applies that the leader utilise the power to influence the workforce to work towards the organisation's goals. For the leader to achieve the above and at the same time strive to retain proficient labour it is vital that he or she can enable organisational commitment among the employees. The aim of the study is therefore to analyse how a leader within a consulting firm uses his or her power in order to generate organisational commitment. The study is intended to convey a deep and thorough understanding regarding its aim, therefore we applied a case study design with a qualitative research strategy and a deductive approach. Furthermore, the study intends to examine a specific case company from which the study's primary data has been obtained through interviews with the company’s employees, the company's president and the owner. To be able to present the reader with a deeper understanding regarding the study’s problem discussion a theoretical framework, which addresses the study's main concepts and describes other relevant concepts appropriate to the subject has been developed. We could not based on the study’s conclusions distinguish between which powerbase that benefits which form of organisational commitment. However, it is clear that the case company applies two forms of power bases, knowledge - and the positioning base of power which, in the selected case company collectively promotes three forms of commitment, affective, normative and calculating commitment. Since the case company’s employees are comprised by a majority of men, it would be interesting if further research investigated whether the above-mentioned power bases promotes other forms of commitment in a consultancy with a majority of women employed.

There is a revolutionary change in the world of work that impacts on the individual, work and society. The future of work suggests flexibility, boundary less communities and change in work, as we know it today. As the world of work changes from a worker intensive industrial society towards an automated information society, the retention of technological advantages e.g., human, intellect and knowledge capital is no longer assured. Employers struggle to retain their valuable high technology employees due to a general shortage of experienced candidates and aggressive recruitment tactics by others in the high technology arena. The purpose of this study is to investigate specific retention factors that induce organisational commitment and can thus increase the retention of high technology employees. High technology industries operate in volatile market and experience accelerating growth and rates of change. High technology employees are educated, have a strong preference for independence and hold a large portion of the organisation's intellectual capital. A core belief in human resources is to retain and develop employees to obtain a competitive advantage. In order to retain these valuable employees it has become necessary for organisations to transform from using an employee controlling to a more employee commitment driven strategy. To gain employees' commitment to the organisation and increase retention, the employer needs to identify which retention factors induce organisational commitment. Compensation, job characteristics, training and development opportunities, supervisor support, career opportunities and work/life policies were identified as the top six retention factors in the content analysis done on high technology literature. Organisational commitment has been defined as a mindset, which ties the individual to the organisation. Different forms and foci of organisational commitment are discussed with the approach developed by Meyer and Allen's three component model (1991). The consequences of organisational commitment benefit the organisation in terms of increased job performance, intention to stay, increase in attendance, loyalty, decrease in turnover, greater creativity, more co-operation (particularly across discipline specialities), more volunteerism and more time devoted to productive work on behalf of the organisation. This study focused on a 100% South African owned telecommunications company based in the Gauteng province. A questionnaire was developed and a population of 94 telecommunications professionals, technicians and associated professionals were selected to investigate the influence of various identified retention factors on organisational commitment. The statistical analysis of the data culminated in a regression analysis that measured the significance and the strength of the relationship between the identified retention factors and organisational commitment. The main conclusions were that compensation, job characteristics, supervisor support and work/life policies were significantly related to organisational commitment. On the other hand, in this study training, development and career opportunities were not related. High technology organisations are not just interested in the retention of employees but also creating a mutually beneficial interdependence with employees. The identified retention factors might serve as a means to demonstrate the organisation's support for, or commitment to, their employees and in turn cultivate a reciprocal attachment by employees. Employees' organisational commitment is related to their belief that the identified retention factors are motivated by the desire to retain good employees and to be fair in the treatment of employees. Future research needs are discussed. / Dissertation (MCom (Human Resources Management))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

La conception des bâtiments selon le code sismique européen ne prend pas en compte les effets de l'interaction sol-structure (ISS). L'objectif de cette recherche est de proposer une technique de modélisation pour prendre en compte l’ISS et l'interaction structure-sol-structure (ISSS). L'approche de propagation unidirectionnelle d’une onde à trois composantes (1D-3C) est adoptée pour résoudre la réponse dynamique du sol. La technique de modélisation de propagation unidirectionnelle d'une onde à trois composantes est étendue pour des analyses d'ISS et ISSS. Un sol tridimensionnel (3D) est modélisé jusqu'à une profondeur fixée, où la réponse du sol est influencée par l’ISS et l’ISSS, et un modèle de sol 1-D est adopté pour les couches de sol plus profondes, jusqu'à l'interface sol-substrat. Le profil de sol en T est assemblé avec une ou plusieurs structures 3-D de type poteaux-poutres, à l’aide d’un modèle par éléments finis, pour prendre en compte, respectivement, l’ISS et l’ISSS dans la conception de bâtiments. La technique de modélisation 1DT-3C proposée est utilisée pour étudier les effets d’ISS et analyser l'influence d'un bâtiment proche (l'analyse d’ISSS), dans la réponse sismique des structures poteaux-poutres. Une analyse paramétrique de la réponse sismique des bâtiments en béton armé est développée et discutée pour identifier les paramètres clé du phénomène d’ISS, influençant la réponse structurelle, à introduire dans la conception de bâtiments résistants aux séismes. La variation de l'accélération maximale en haut du bâtiment avec le rapport de fréquence bâtiment / sol est tracée pour plusieurs bâtiments, chargés par un mouvement à bande étroite, excitant leur fréquence fondamentale. Dans le cas de sols et de structures à comportement linéaire, une tendance similaire est obtenue pour différents bâtiments. Cela suggère l'introduction d'un coefficient correcteur du spectre de réponse de dimensionnement pour prendre en compte l’ISS. L'analyse paramétrique est répétée en introduisant l'effet de la non-linéarité du sol et du béton armé. La réponse sismique d'un bâtiment en béton armé est estimée en tenant compte de l'effet d'un bâtiment voisin, pour un sol et des structures à comportement linéaire, dans les deux cas de charge sismique à bande étroite excitant la fréquence fondamentale du bâtiment cible et du bâtiment voisin. Cette approche permet une analyse efficace de l'interaction structure-sol-structure pour la pratique de l'ingénierie afin d'inspirer la conception d'outils pour la réduction du risque sismique et l'organisation urbaine. / Building design according to European seismic code does not consider the effects of soil-structure interaction (SSI). The objective of this research is to propose a modeling technique for SSI and Structure-Soil-Structure Interaction (SSSI) analysis. The one-directional three-component (1D-3C) wave propagation approach is adopted to solve the dynamic soil response. The one-directional three-component wave propagation model is extended for SSI and SSSI analysis. A three-dimensional (3-D) soil is modeled until a fixed depth, where the soil response is influenced by SSI and SSSI, and a 1-D soil model is adopted for deeper soil layers until the soil-bedrock interface. The T-soil profile is assembled with one or more 3-D frame structures, in a finite element scheme, to consider, respectively, SSI and SSSI in building design. The proposed 1DT-3C modeling technique is used to investigate SSI effects and to analyze the influence of a nearby building (SSSI analysis), in the seismic response of frame structures. A parametric analysis of the seismic response of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings is developed and discussed to identify the key parameters of SSI phenomenon, influencing the structural response, to be introduced in earthquake resistant building design. The variation of peak acceleration at the building top with the building to soil frequency ratio is plotted for several buildings, loaded by a narrow-band motion exciting their fundamental frequency. In the case of linear behaving soil and structure, a similar trend is obtained for different buildings. This suggests the introduction of a corrective coefficient of the design response spectrum to take into account SSI. The parametric analysis is repeated introducing the effect of nonlinear behaving soil and RC. The seismic response of a RC building is estimated taking into account the effect of a nearby building, for linear behaving soil and structures, in both cases of narrow-band seismic loading exciting the fundamental frequency of the target and nearby building. This approach allows an easy analysis of structure-soil-structure interaction for engineering practice to inspire the design of seismic risk mitigation tools and urban organization.

Community-pharmacy is in a state of flux with a series of significant recent changes including the Community-pharmacy Contract, the reconstitution of the RPSGB and the General Pharmaceutical Council. There are also socio-cultural changes such as greater numbers of women in the profession, and an increase in pharmacists reducing their hours of work. The latter comes at a time when workload/roles are expanding and diversifying, leading to potential scenarios in which there are shortfalls between the hours worked and workload demands. This will have an impact on community pharmacists, but its magnitude may be dependent on how they are professionally and organisationally committed. Whilst there has been some promising commitment research in the USA, little research has been published in GB. However, multidimensional models of commitment have been researched extensively in other professions.A programme of research was developed and conducted to characterise and understand the role of professional and organisational commitment in community-pharmacy in GB using the Three-Component Model of commitment (TCM). Various methods were used to answer the research questions including focus-groups to assess qualitatively the contextual appropriateness of the constructs (stage 1.1), and cognitive-interviews to assess construct validity (stage 1.2). Stage 2 consisted of a large survey study, which examined the psychometric validity of the measurement scales as well as salient a-priori theoretical relationships found in both community pharmacy in GB and other professional contexts. A total of 32 participants were recruited for stage one and 713 community-pharmacists participated in stage two. Ethical approval was attained from the University of Manchester Ethics Committee for both stages one and two.The research found that beyond the affective facets of professional and organisational commitment both normative and continuance facets made significant, unique and yet varied contributions to the influence of both withdrawal-behaviours and work-performance behaviours in the community pharmacy population in GB. However, the levels and strengths of the different facets of professional and organisational commitment also appeared to differ amongst the different subgroups in community pharmacists in GB. For example, independent/small-chain pharmacists exhibited significantly higher levels of affective and normative organisational commitment and significantly lower levels of organisational withdrawal behaviours compared to large-multiple pharmacists. The implications of these and other differences were highlighted and recommendations made salient to the profession and community pharmacy organisations about how the levels of the different facets of commitment may be managed to foster greater work-performance behaviours and mitigate the different withdrawal behaviours.

It is important to know the heat generated due to nuclear decay in the final repository for spent nuclear fuel. In Sweden, the heating powers generated in spent nuclear fuels are currently measured in the calorimeter System 251 at the Clab facility, Oskarshamn. In order to better measure, and increase understanding, of the temperature measurements in the calorimeter, a simple thermodynamic model of its temperature evolution was developed. The model was described as a system of ordinary differential equations, which were solved, and the solution was applied to calibration measurements of the calorimeter. How precise the model is, how its parameters affect the model, et cetera, are addressed. How the temperature evolution of the system changes as the values of parameters in the model are changed is addressed. The mass correction of the calorimeter could be estimated from this model, which validated the established mass correction of the calorimeter. How the measurement results from the calorimeter would be affected if the volume of the calorimeter was changed was also considered. Additionally, gamma radiation escape from the calorimeter without being detected as heat in the calorimeter. The gamma escape energy fraction was estimated by SERPENT simulations of the calorimeter, as a function of the initial photon energy. The gamma escape was also estimated for different values of the radius of System 251.