Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Human Ecology-Personal Financial Planning / D. Elizabeth Kiss / Maurice M. MacDonald / The purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants that explain and predict an individual’s propensity to perform responsible financial actions and make on-time mortgage payments. The research was guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) (Bandura, 1986) and explored personal factors, environmental influences, and attributes of behavior as co-factors within a combined causal framework. Data for this study came from the publicly available, 2009, 2012, and 2015 National Financial Capability Study (NFCS) datasets. These datasets were selected for the specific questions, timeframe, and richness of the financial information provided by the respondents. Responses for each survey were weighted to be representative of Census distributions according to the American Community Survey (FINRA Investor Education Foundation, 2017). The data are weighted to be representative of each state based on age, gender, ethnicity, and education. The two variables of interest were the responsible financial actions index and mortgage payment history. To isolate the determinants of these two variables more accurately, this research adopted a multi-step approach to the analytical procedure. The analyses began with the construction of the responsible financial actions index – unifying the most fundamental responsible financial actions recommended by financial professionals into a single value. Once confirmed as a valid and reliable measure, the responsible financial actions index was explored empirically as both a dependent variable and a target variable. Further analyses involved the application of the SCT Triadic Model to develop OLS and Multinomial Logistic regression models. Utilizing a series of regression models, this study explored empirically the hypothesized relationships among variables categorized as personal factors, environmental influences, attributes of behavior, and on-time mortgage payment history. When exploring variables to predict the responsible financial actions index, the OLS regression models provided consistent findings when analyzing data from the 2009, 2012, and 2015 surveys. As predicted by the SCT Triadic Model, the following personal factors, age, subjective and objective financial knowledge, financial self-efficacy, and financial risk tolerance were significant across all three survey years. The following environmental influences were significant: income, educational attainment, and marital status. To estimate the odds of paying a mortgage on-time, a series of Multinomial Logistic regression analyses were conducted. When evaluating these results, key findings were identified across all three years of data in two models. Model 1, never late vs. late once, and Model 2, never late vs. late more than once. In Model 1, for all three years, self-efficacy was found to be predictive of on-time mortgage payment history. In Model 2, for all three years, both financial self-efficacy and the financial actions index were found to be predictive of on-time mortgage payment history. These findings contribute to the body of empirical literature related to consumer economics and personal financial planning providing insight and understanding for how financial outcomes can be improved through basic responsible financial actions. This has important implications for financial professionals, counselors, and educators given the applicable value for the responsible financial actions index. For example, these results should encourage educators to work towards identifying new pedagogical approaches for improving financial self-efficacy among students.

Abstract This thesis increases the understanding of public-private partnerships (PPPs) by examining their development in a centralized public procurement context. The thesis discusses on how the actors in centralized public procurement participate in the development of PPPs and what drives and challenges the actors to transit from traditional transactional arm’s length tendering to partnership thinking in public procurement. The PPP research is integrated into the research stream of Industrial Marketing and Purchasing (IMP) and the interaction approach to recognize PPPs as socially constructed during the public procurement process. The triadic approach is applied to regard PPP development as dynamic and examine the relationship dynamics between the three actors of centralized public procurement. The empirical setting of the thesis rests on a qualitative case study design using two cases. It analyzes PPP development in a standardized product procurement of food and a more diversified service procurement of home nursing. The empirical data is primarily acquired through qualitative interviews, which are supported by information from written documents and seminars on procurement regulations and procedures. The thesis shows that the development of PPPs in the context of centralized public procurement is an ongoing and dynamic process, in which the three actors actively participate by initiating, building, and facilitating the development process. The thesis further finds that cooperative interaction contributes to PPP development by increasing knowledge exchange and promoting the transition from transactional procurement logic to partnering in public procurement. The procurement type and the network in which the PPP is embedded influence the process by reflecting the actors’ ways of participating in the process and how trust is built between them. The thesis further shows how relationship dynamics influence the process in the triadic setting; that is, the procurement logic of a single actor or the logic underlying the relationship of two actors engender and intensify the problems or promote the partnership thinking in the triad. The findings of this thesis aid managers to identify how they can proactively foster the development of PPPs in centralized public procurement, and identify the influence of relationship dynamics on the process. / Tiivistelmä Tässä väitöskirjassa keskitytään julkisten ja yksityisten organisaatioiden välisten kumppanuussuhteiden kehittämiseen keskitetyssä julkisessa hankintakontekstissa. Tutkimus tarkastelee sitä, kuinka keskitetyn hankintakontekstin kolme eri toimijaa osallistuvat suhteen kehittämiseen ja sitä, mikä edistää ja haittaa heidän siirtymistä perinteisestä transaktionaalisesta kilpailutuksesta kohti kumppanuutta. Tutkimus yhdistää julkisten ja yksityisten organisaatioiden välistä kumppanuutta käsittelevää kirjallisuutta teollisen markkinoinnin ja ostamisen tutkimukseen sekä erityisesti vuorovaikutusnäkökulmaan, koska kumppanuus ymmärretään työssä sosiaalisena ja vuorovaikutteisena prosessina, joka kehittyy hankintaprosessissa. Työ hyödyntää myös triadia näkökulmaa kolmen toimijan välisen kumppanuuden dynamiikkojen tutkimiseksi. Tutkimuksessa toteutettiin laadullinen kahden tapauksen tapaustutkimus, jossa kumppanuuden kehittämistä analysoitiin standardoidussa ruokatuotehankinnassa ja kotihoidon palveluhankinnassa. Työn aineisto on kerätty haastatteluiden kautta, ja sitä on tuettu kirjallisten dokumenttien ja julkisen hankinnan seminaarien kautta kerätyn tiedon kautta. Tutkimuksessa esitetään, että julkisten ja yksityisten organisaatioiden välisten kumppanuussuhteiden kehittäminen keskitetyssä hankintaprosessissa on jatkuva ja dynaaminen prosessi, johon kolme toimijaa osallistuvat aktiivisesti käynnistämällä, luomalla tai tukemalla prosessia. Työssä tunnistetaan myös, että yhteistyöllinen vuorovaikutus edistää kumppanuutta lisäämällä tiedon vaihdantaa ja tukemalla toimijoiden siirtymistä perinteisestä transaktionaalisesta hankinta-logiikasta kohti kumppanuutta. Hankintatyyppi ja laajempi verkosto, johon suhde on kytkeytynyt, vaikuttavat siihen, kuinka toimijat osallistuvat kumppanuuden kehittämiseen ja kuinka luottamus siinä syntyy. Tutkimus havainnollistaa myös kumppanuuden kehittämisen dynamiikkaa triadissa suhteessa. Yhden toimijan tai kahden toimijan välisten ongelmien huomattiin synnyttävän ja voimistavan ongelmien kehittymistä kaikkien kolmen toimijan välillä ja toisin päin; yhden toimijan tai kahden toimijan välinen kumppanuus vahvistaa kumppanuutta triadissa. Tutkimus tarjoaa yritysjohdolle tietoa siitä, kuinka kumppanuutta voi vahvistaa keskitetyssä julkisessa hankinnassa ja siitä, kuinka tunnistaa prosessiin vaikuttavia dynamiikkoja.

La cascade d’énergie qui a lieu dans les océans, depuis les grandes vers les petites échelles, est capitale pour comprendre leur dynamique et le mélange irréversible associé. Les attracteurs d’ondes internes font partie des mécanismes conduisant potentiellement à une telle cascade. Dans ce manuscrit, nous étudions expérimentalement les attracteurs d’ondes internes, dans une cuve trapézoïdale remplie d’un fluide stratifié linéairement en densité. Dans cette géométrie, les ondes peuvent être focalisées vers un cycle limite : l’attracteur. Nous montrons que la formation de l’attracteur est purement linéaire : des petites échelles sont donc créées grâce à la focalisation des ondes. Les principales caractéristiques de l’attracteur dépendent uniquement de la géométrie trapézoïdale de la cuve. A l’échelle de l’océan, nous montrons que les attracteurs d’ondes internes sont très probablement instables. En effet, ceux-ci sont sujets à une instabilité de résonance triadique, qui transfère de l’énergie depuis l’attracteur vers un couple d’ondes secondaires. Cette instabilité et ses principales caractéristiques sont décrites en fonction de la géométrie du bassin. Pour des expériences de longue durée, l’instabilité produit plusieurs paires d’ondes secondaires, créant une cascade d’instabilités triadiques et transférant l’énergie injectée à grandes échelles vers des échelles plus petites. Nous montrons, pour la première fois de façon expérimentale, de très fortes signatures de turbulence d’ondes internes. Au delà de cet état, la cascade atteint un régime de mélange partiel du fluide stratifié. Cet ultime régime apparait indépendant de la géométrie trapézoïdale du bassin, et donc, universel. Cette thèse est complétée par une étude sur la masse ajoutée et l’amortissement par émission d’ondes d’objets oscillant horizontalement dans un fluide stratifié en densité. Cela a des applications concernant la conversion de l’énergie des marées en ondes internes. / A question of paramount importance in the dynamics of oceans is related to the energy cascade from large to small scales and its contribution to mixing. Internal wave attractors may be one of the possible mechanisms responsible for such a cascade. In this manuscript, we study experimentally internal wave attractors in a trapezoidal test tank filled with linearly stratified fluid. In such a geometry, the waves can form closed loops called attractors. We show that the attractor formation is purely linear: small scales are thus created by wave focusing. The attractor characteristics are found to only depend on the trapezoidal geometry of the tank. At the ocean scale, we show that attractors are very likely to be unstable. Indeed, internal wave attractors are prone to a triadic resonance instability, which transfers energy from the attractor to a pair of secondary waves. This instability and its main characteristics are described as a function of the geometry of the basin. For long-term experiments, the instability produces several pairs of secondary waves, creating a cascade of triadic interactions and transferring energy from large-scale monochromatic input to multi-scale internal-wave motion. We reveal, for the first time, experimental convincing signatures of internal wave turbulence. Beyond this cascade, we have a mixing regime, which appears to be independent of the trapezoidal geometry and, thus, universal. This manuscript is completed by a study on added mass and wave damping coefficient of bodies oscillating horizontally in a stratified fluid, with applications to tidal conversion.

L’étude de structures de communautés dans les réseaux devient de plus en plus une question importante. La connaissance des modules de base (communautés) des réseaux nous aide à bien comprendre leurs fonctionnements et comportements, et à appréhender les performances de ces systèmes. Une communauté dans un graphe (réseau) est définie comme un ensemble de noeuds qui sont fortement liés entre eux, mais faiblement liés avec le reste du graphe. Les membres de la même communauté partagent les mêmes centres d’intérêt. L’originalité de nos travaux de recherche consiste à montrer qu’il est pertinent d’utiliser l’analyse formelle de concepts pour la détection de communautés, contrairement aux approches classiques qui utilisent des graphes. Nous avons notamment étudié plusieurs problèmes posés par la détection de communautés dans les réseaux sociaux : (1) l’évaluation des méthodes de détection de communautés proposées dans la littérature, (2) la détection de communautés disjointes et chevauchantes, et (3) la modélisation et l’analyse des réseaux sociaux de données tridimensionnelles. Pour évaluer les méthodes de détection de communautés proposées dans la littérature, nous avons abordé ce sujet en étudiant tout d’abord l’état de l’art qui nous a permis de présenter une classification des méthodes de détection de communautés en évaluant chacune des méthodes présentées dans la littérature (les méthodes les plus connues). Pour le deuxième volet, nous nous sommes ensuite intéressés à l’élaboration d’une approche de détection de communautés disjointes et chevauchantes dans des réseaux sociaux homogènes issus de matrices d’adjacence (données dites à un seul mode ou une seule dimension), en exploitant des techniques issues de l’analyse formelle de concepts. Nous avons également porté un intérêt particulier aux méthodes de modélisation de réseaux sociaux hétérogènes. Nous nous sommes intéressés en particulier aux données tridimensionnelles et proposé dans ce cadre une approche de modélisation et d’analyse des réseaux sociaux issus de données tridimensionnelles. Cette approche repose sur un cadre méthodologique permettant d’appréhender au mieux cet aspect tridimensionnel des données. De plus, l’analyse concerne la découverte de communautés et de relations dissimulées qui existent entre les différents types d’individus de ces réseaux. L’idée principale réside dans l’extraction de communautés et de règles d’association triadiques à partir de ces réseaux hétérogènes afin de simplifier et de réduire la complexité algorithmique de ce processus. Les résultats obtenus serviront par la suite à une application de recommandation de liens et de contenus aux individus d’un réseau social. / The study of community structure in networks became an increasingly important issue. The knowledge of core modules (communities) of networks helps us to understand how they work and behaviour, and to understand the performance of these systems. A community in a graph (network) is defined as a set of nodes that are strongly linked, but weakly linked with the rest of the graph. Members of the same community share the same interests. The originality of our research is to show that it is relevant to use formal concept analysis for community detection unlike conventional approaches using graphs. We studied several problems related to community detection in social networks : (1) the evaluation of community detection methods in the literature, (2) the detection of disjointed and overlapping communities, and (3) modelling and analysing heterogeneous social network of three-dimensional data. To assess the community detection methods proposed in the literature, we discussed this subject by studying first the state of the art that allowed us to present a classification of community detection methods by evaluating each method presented in the literature (the best known methods). For the second part, we were interested in developing a disjointed and overlapping community detection approach in homogeneous social networks from adjacency matrices (one mode data or one dimension) by exploiting techniques from formal concept analysis. We paid also a special attention to methods of modeling heterogeneous social networks. We focused in particular to three-dimensional data and proposed in this framework a modeling approach and social network analysis from three-dimensional data. This is based on a methodological framework to better understand the threedimensional aspect of this data. In addition, the analysis concerns the discovery of communities and hidden relationships between different types of individuals of these networks. The main idea lies in mining communities and rules of triadic association from these heterogeneous networks to simplify and reduce the computational complexity of this process. The results will then be used for an application recommendation of links and content to individuals in a social network.

Dutch composer Peter Schat’s (1935-2003) pursuit of a compositional system that could generate and preserve intervallic relationships, while allowing the composer as much flexibility as possible to manipulate musical material, led him to develop the tone-clock system. Fundamentally comprised of the twelve possible trichords, the tone clock permits each to generate a complete twelve-tone series through the “steering” principle, a concept traced to Boulez’s technique of pitch-class set multiplication. This study serves as an overview of Schat’s tone-clock system and focuses primarily on the effects of the steering function in “Genen” (2000). Furthermore, I expand on the tone-clock system by combining transformational theory with Julian Hook’s uniform triadic transformations and my proposed STEER and STEERS functions, which express the procedures of the steering principle as a mathematical formula. Using a series of transformational networks, I illustrate the unifying effect steering has on different structural levels in “Genen,” a post-tonal composition.

This diploma thesis clarifies the issue of Triadic nexus among Slovakia, Hungary and the Hungarian minority concerning education and economic access to areas inhabited by the Hungarian minority, which affect the graduates of minority schools in the Slovak labor market. At the same time it aspires to refer to this relationship as one of the factors that may impact on reduction in the number of members of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia. The main focus is on the trilateral approach to the issue of education in the Slovak minority schools in Hungarian language in case of teaching the state language. The consequences of the different trilateral relation approach to minority education can lead to inefficiency of minority schools teaching Slovak language, which can, in conjunction with the current economic approach of Slovakia to the areas inhabited by the Hungarian minority, lead to migratory pressures on graduates of minority schools as for the choice of university studies and their employability. The lack of language skills reduces their competitiveness and flexibility compared to linguistically better equipped individuals. The statistical data in education, employment and population movements that will be analyzed and compared, are freely available, and confirm this hypothesis.

Studiens syfte var att undersöka terapeuters erfarenheter av att arbeta med hundassisterad terapi med kvalitativ metod. Studien bygger på intervjuer med sex yrkesutövare som inkluderade terapihund i sitt klientarbete. Datainsamlingen bearbetades med en tematisk analys vilken gav fyra huvudteman. Kontextuella terapifaktorer, Terapiprocess, Påverkan på terapeutroll och verksamhet och Terapihunden som terapeutisk agent. Resultatet visar att terapihund kan användas som en icke-verbal terapiingrediens, den erbjuder en brygga vid terapialliansbyggande och den inkluderar beröring. Terapeuterna uppfattas ha ett utvidgat ansvar som terapihundförare, och de förefaller ta hand om terapihundarna med stor lyhördhet, vilket ger intrycket att djurens välfärd kan påverkas positivt. Terapihundarna väljs ut och tränas utifrån lämplighet och deras beteenden bygger på väl utvecklade sinnen och ett eget känsloregister. I analysen tolkas terapirelationen som inte bara dyadisk utan också triadisk. I diskussionen konceptualiseras terapihunden från en tvåpersonspsykologisk position. Denna modell föreslår att terapihunden bör erkännas som ett tredje subjekt i den terapeutiska triaden med sin egen subjektivitet, snarare än som endast ett verktyg som kan användas i en terapimetod. Resultatet kopplas till tidigare forskning och framtida forskningsområden diskuteras. / The aim of this study was to investigate how therapists experience their use of dog-assisted therapy with qualitative method. The study is built on interviews with six professionals who included therapy dogs in their work with clients. The empirical data was analyzed thematically and four main themes emerged: Contextual therapy factors, Therapy process, Impact on the therapist role and on the working place and The therapy dog as a therapeutic agent. The results showed that therapy dogs can be utilized as a non-verbal ingredience and as a bridge building alliance and they can offer tactile stimulation. The therapists are perceived to have an expanded responsibility as dog instructors and they seem to care for their therapy dogs with high sensitivity, which gives the impression that it may affect the animals’ welfare positively. The therapy dogs are selected and trained by criteria of suitability and their behaviours are built on their perceptual abilitys and their own emotional range. In the analysis the therapeutic relationship is interpreted as not only dyadic but also triadic. In the discussion the therapy dog is conceptualized from a two-person psychological position. Such a model proposes that the therapy dog should be recognized as a third subject in the therapeutic triad with its’ own subjectivity, rather than only as a tool to be used in a therapeutic method. The findings of the study are related to previous research and future topics of research are discussed.

The purpose of this study is to increase the knowledge about how teachers work with digital learning material and high-achieving students in the subject of mathematics. The study is based on active teachers in grades two, three and four. We used semi-structured interviews to gain an understanding of what the teacher´s working method with high-achieving students looks like.  Digitization has brought about a major development in the school and based on our study, a clear use of digital resources can be seen in the classroom. The study shows that digital learning materials are being used by all teachers but to varying extents. The variation was largely due to different opportunities, limitations and the interest and knowledge of the teachers. However, most of the teachers were positive about the digital learning tool as the high-achieving students could easily receive tasks that were adapted to their level of knowledge. It also appeared that it was used to vary the teaching by offering different ways of working. Some teachers expressed difficulty in meeting the high-achieving students as they considered themselves to have a lack of knowledge in mathematics at a higher level. Furthermore, many teachers expressed that they have difficulties influencing digital teaching as it is characterized by several different factors. Through the interviews, it emerged that the teachers had different conditions depending on the organization, skill development and the school´s ability to purchase digital learning materials.

This thesis aims to enhance the current literature by investigating the causes for the service paradox in service ecosystems and the capabilities required to avoid them. To fulfill this purpose the following research questions were derived: RQ 1: What are the possible key causes for the service paradox for integrated solution providers in a triadic value constellation? RQ 2: What key capabilities allow integrated solution providers to avoid the service paradox in a triadic value constellation? This study used an exploratory, qualitative, single-case study of a service ecosystem, with an abductive research approach. In total, 13 companies within the ecosystem took part in the research, and the data was collected through five unstructured interviews, 19 semi-structured interviews, and one workshop. The result from the interviews was derived using thematic analysis. The findings are divided into three parts. First, we identified four key causes of the service paradox for integrated solution providers in a triadic value constellation. The four key causes are: (1) Cost creep, (2) Unsustainable in-house costs, (3) Brand damage, and (4) Industry-specific factors. Second, we identified five key capabilities for integrated solution providers to mitigate the service paradox. The five key capabilities are: (1) Relational capabilities, (2) Technological capabilities, (3) Learning and communication capabilities, (4) Operational capabilities, and (5) Market capabilities. Finally, the two previous findings were combined into a framework that provides a guide for which key capabilities mitigate which key causes. This study contributes to current servitization literature by deepening knowledge on factors affecting the success of servitization efforts. Furthermore, this study extends the knowledge of how a dynamic and collaborative approach impacts the development of novel servitization solutions. For practitioners seeking to develop integrated solution offerings, the framework developed in this study provides a list of priorities for the servitization effort. The framework also allows managers to evaluate their servitization process and implement quick actions to improve performance. / Denna avhandling syftar till att bidra till den aktuella litteraturen genom att undersöka orsakerna till tjänsteparadoxen i tjänsteekosystem och de färdigheter som krävs för att undvika dem. För att uppfylla detta syfte formulerades följande forskningsfrågor: RQ 1: Vilka är de möjliga huvudorsakerna till tjänsteparadoxen för integrerade lösningsleverantörer i en triadisk värdekonstellation? RQ 2: Vilka nyckelfunktioner gör det möjligt för integrerade lösningsleverantörer att undvika tjänsteparadoxen i en triadisk värdekonstellation? För att besvara dessa frågor använde vi oss av en undersökande, kvalitativ, enfallsstudie av ett tjänsteekosystem, med en abduktiv forskningsmetod. Totalt deltog 13 företag inom ekosystemet och data samlades in genom fem ostrukturerade intervjuer, 19 semistrukturerade intervjuer och en workshop. Intervjusvaren analyserades med hjälp av tematisk analys och resultaten presenteras i tre delar. För det första identifierade vi fyra huvudorsaker till tjänsteparadoxen för integrerade lösningsleverantörer i en triadisk värdekonstellation. De fyra huvudorsakerna är: (1) Smygande kostnader, (2) Ohållbara interna kostnader, (3) Varumärkesskador och (4) Branschspecifika faktorer. För det andra identifierade vi fem nyckelfärdigheter för integrerade lösningsleverantörer för att motverka tjänsteparadoxen. De fem nyckelfärdigheterna är: (1) Relationskapacitet, (2) teknisk kapacitet, (3) inlärnings- och kommunikationskapacitet, (4) operativ kapacitet och (5) marknadskapacitet. Slutligen kombinerades de två tidigare resultaten till ett ramverk som ger en vägledning för vilken nyckelfunktionerna minskar vilka viktiga orsaker. Denna studie bidrar till aktuell tjänstefieringslitteratur genom att fördjupa kunskapen om faktorer som påverkar framgången för tjänstefieringsinsatser. Vidare utökar denna studie kunskapen om hur ett dynamiskt och samarbetsinriktat förhållningssätt påverkar utvecklingen av nya tjänstefieringslösningar. För utövare som försöker utveckla integrerade lösningserbjudanden ger ramverket som utvecklats i denna studie en lista över prioriteringar för tjänstefieringsarbetet. Ramverket gör det också möjligt för chefer att utvärdera sin egen tjänstefieringsprocess och vidta relevanta åtgärder för att undvika tjänsteparadoxen.

This study evolved from an involvement with professional people in a rural and semi-rural environment thereby taking into account the role which the Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP) plays in their professional context of work. Two underlying factors motivate the study. Firstly, that professional needs and capacities of faith, belief and spirituality are not been catered for in the EAPs. Secondly, that an African-Christian wholesome sense making approach provides more satisfactory answers to the lack of faith, belief and spirituality in the EAPs than the modern versions of the classic dualist and tripartite anthropological schemes of soul and body or soul, spirit and body. Furthermore, a wholesome sense making approach supports and tackles people’s wellness and well-being levels more satisfactorily than the classic dualist and tripartite views. An outline of an EAP in which faith leaders and consultants and their programmes are integrated and which contributes to the enhancing of well-being levels and performance management of professional people is described. The main focus of the study revolves around wholesome foursome experiential patterns in which alternating emphases of faith experience are acted out in the sense of ‘I believe God, I believe myself, I believe my human neighbours and I believe the physical natural environment’. This four side pattern of faith experience functions as an important theoretical assumption in the study. A second theoretical assumption has to do with the foursome processual framework of God’s grand acts of creation, reconciliation (redemption= cross and resurrection of Jesus), renewal (ongoing renewal of everything) and consummation and fulfilment towards the end (aim and goal) in which we as people and the physical natural environment are intrinsically and continuously involved. A third theoretical assumption revolves around the foursome experiential professional performance pattern of ‘I perform for God, I perform for myself, I perform for my human neighbours and I perform for the physical natural environment’. The foursome experiential patterns are also set as evaluative pointer patterns around which the empirical investigative part is constructed. / Philosophy & Systematic Theology / D.Th. (Systematic Theology)