11,934 research outputs found

    Grasping nothing: a study of minimal ontologies and the sense of music

    Get PDF
    If music were to have a proper sense – one in which it is truly given – one might reasonably place this in sound and aurality. I contend, however, that no such sense exists; rather, the sense of music takes place, and it does so with the impossible. To this end, this thesis – which is a work of philosophy and music – advances an ontology of the impossible (i.e., it thinks the being of what, properly speaking, can have no being) and considers its implications for music, articulating how ontological aporias – of the event, of thinking the absolute, and of sovereignty’s dismemberment – imply senses of music that are anterior to sound. John Cage’s Silent Prayer, a nonwork he never composed, compels a rerethinking of silence on the basis of its contradictory status of existence; Florian Hecker et al.’s Speculative Solution offers a basis for thinking absolute music anew to the precise extent that it is a discourse of meaninglessness; and Manfred Werder’s [yearn] pieces exhibit exemplarily that music’s sense depends on the possibility of its counterfeiting. Inso-much as these accounts produce musical senses that take the place of sound, they are also understood to be performances of these pieces. Here, then, thought is music’s organon and its instrument

    Corporate Social Responsibility: the institutionalization of ESG

    Get PDF
    Understanding the impact of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) on firm performance as it relates to industries reliant on technological innovation is a complex and perpetually evolving challenge. To thoroughly investigate this topic, this dissertation will adopt an economics-based structure to address three primary hypotheses. This structure allows for each hypothesis to essentially be a standalone empirical paper, unified by an overall analysis of the nature of impact that ESG has on firm performance. The first hypothesis explores the evolution of CSR to the modern quantified iteration of ESG has led to the institutionalization and standardization of the CSR concept. The second hypothesis fills gaps in existing literature testing the relationship between firm performance and ESG by finding that the relationship is significantly positive in long-term, strategic metrics (ROA and ROIC) and that there is no correlation in short-term metrics (ROE and ROS). Finally, the third hypothesis states that if a firm has a long-term strategic ESG plan, as proxied by the publication of CSR reports, then it is more resilience to damage from controversies. This is supported by the finding that pro-ESG firms consistently fared better than their counterparts in both financial and ESG performance, even in the event of a controversy. However, firms with consistent reporting are also held to a higher standard than their nonreporting peers, suggesting a higher risk and higher reward dynamic. These findings support the theory of good management, in that long-term strategic planning is both immediately economically beneficial and serves as a means of risk management and social impact mitigation. Overall, this contributes to the literature by fillings gaps in the nature of impact that ESG has on firm performance, particularly from a management perspective

    Programmes d'intervention familiale intensive : ajustement des interventions et évolution des familles présentant des profils cliniques distincts

    Get PDF
    La prĂ©sente thĂšse par articles porte sur les programmes d’intervention familiale intensive et s’inscrit dans le cadre du programme de doctorat en psychoĂ©ducation de l’UniversitĂ© de Sherbrooke ayant pour thĂšme Les difficultĂ©s de comportement des enfants et des adolescents et les interventions psychoĂ©ducatives. Les donnĂ©es utilisĂ©es pour rĂ©aliser cette thĂšse proviennent de l’étude de PauzĂ© et ses collĂšgues (2014) visant Ă  examiner l’impact de l’application fidĂšle du programme Crise-Ado-Famille-Enfance (CAFE). Les programmes d’intervention familiale intensive, Ă©laborĂ©s afin de prĂ©venir le placement d’urgence des jeunes en milieu substitut et s’adressant particuliĂšrement aux adolescent(e)s prĂ©sentant des problĂšmes de comportement et Ă  leur famille, sont largement implantĂ©s au QuĂ©bec et en AmĂ©rique du Nord. Ces programmes offrent une intervention ajustĂ©e aux profils cliniques des familles et ciblent Ă  la fois l’urgence de la situation de crise et les facteurs psychosociaux en cause dans l’émergence et le maintien de la crise familiale et des problĂšmes de comportement des adolescent(e)s. Plusieurs mĂ©ta-analyses ont dĂ©montrĂ© l’efficacitĂ© de ces programmes, notamment pour rĂ©duire les taux de placement en milieu substitut, diminuer les problĂšmes de comportement des adolescent(e)s et amĂ©liorer le fonctionnement familial. Toutefois, les rĂ©sultats de ces mĂ©ta-analyses sont mitigĂ©s et la comprĂ©hension de l’efficacitĂ© des programmes demeure toujours lacunaire, notamment en raison de l’hĂ©tĂ©rogĂ©nĂ©itĂ© des difficultĂ©s prĂ©sentĂ©es par les familles et de l’utilisation d’indicateurs de changement majoritairement centrĂ©s sur le fonctionnement de l’adolescent(e). La prĂ©sente thĂšse vise Ă  pallier ces limites en s’intĂ©ressant aux processus cliniques au cƓur de ces programmes, c’est-Ă -dire Ă  ce qui prend place avant et pendant l’intervention et Ă  la relation entre ces processus et les rĂ©sultats de l’intervention. Le premier article de la thĂšse, intitulĂ© Intensive family intervention programs: tailoring intervention to family clinical profiles et publiĂ© en 2020 dans la revue Children and Youth Services Review, vise Ă  identifier des profils cliniques de familles bĂ©nĂ©ficiant d’un programme d’intervention familiale intensive et Ă  les comparer en fonction de l’intervention reçue. RĂ©alisĂ©e Ă  partir de caractĂ©ristiques individuelles de l’adolescent(e) et de caractĂ©ristiques familiales de 237 familles ayant bĂ©nĂ©ficiĂ© du programme CAFE, les analyses de profils latents ont menĂ© Ă  l’identification de quatre profils cliniques distincts. Les analyses de comparaison ont permis de mettre en lumiĂšre des diffĂ©rences concernant l’intervention reçue par ces familles et signalent un certain manque d’ajustement de l’intervention aux profils cliniques des familles. Le second article de la thĂšse, intitulĂ© Intensive family intervention programs: Evolution of families with different clinical profiles et soumis en 2021 Ă  la revue Family Process visait quant Ă  lui Ă  examiner l’évolution des jeunes et des familles prĂ©sentant des profils cliniques distincts Ă  la fin de l’intervention ainsi qu’une annĂ©e suivant l’entrĂ©e dans le programme. Les rĂ©sultats montrent que l’ensemble des familles Ă©voluent positivement, tant sur le plan des comportements extĂ©riorisĂ©s de l’adolescent(e) que sur le plan du fonctionnement familial. Les rĂ©sultats montrent Ă©galement que les changements se maintiennent aprĂšs la fin de l’intervention. Les familles prĂ©sentant un profil clinique sĂ©vĂšre semblent toutefois prĂ©senter une Ă©volution plus tardive sur le plan des comportements extĂ©riorisĂ©s de l’adolescent(e), soulignant l’importance d’ajuster les paramĂštres de l’intervention offerte aux profils cliniques des familles. Les rĂ©sultats de la prĂ©sente thĂšse contribuent Ă  l’avancement des connaissances en mettant en lumiĂšre la complexitĂ© des profils cliniques prĂ©sentĂ©s par les familles bĂ©nĂ©ficiant d’une intervention familiale intensive et en s’intĂ©ressant Ă  l’ajustement de l’intervention aux caractĂ©ristiques des jeunes et des familles, principe clĂ© de ce type de programmes. La prĂ©sente thĂšse contribue Ă©galement Ă  l’avancement des connaissances en allant au-delĂ  de l’efficacitĂ© gĂ©nĂ©rale des programmes et en portant un regard sur les processus cliniques et leur impact sur l’évolution des familles prĂ©sentant des profils cliniques distincts. Ces rĂ©sultats permettront d’amĂ©liorer les services offerts aux jeunes et aux familles bĂ©nĂ©ficiant des programmes d’intervention familiale intensive

    A Comparative Study on Students’ Learning Expectations of Entrepreneurship Education in the UK and China

    Get PDF
    Entrepreneurship education has become a critical subject in academic research and educational policy design, occupying a central role in contemporary education globally. However, a review of the literature indicates that research on entrepreneurship education is still in a relatively early stage. Little is known about how entrepreneurship education learning is affected by the environmental context to date. Therefore, combining the institutional context and focusing on students’ learning expectations as a novel perspective, the main aim of the thesis is to address the knowledge gap by developing an original conceptual framework to advance understanding of the dynamic learning process of entrepreneurship education through the lens of self-determination theory, thereby providing a basis for advancing understanding of entrepreneurship education. The author adopted an epistemological positivism philosophy and a deductive approach. This study gathered 247 valid questionnaires from the UK (84) and China (163). It requested students to recall their learning expectations before attending their entrepreneurship courses and to assess their perceptions of learning outcomes after taking the entrepreneurship courses. It was found that entrepreneurship education policy is an antecedent that influences students' learning expectations, which is represented in the difference in student autonomy. British students in active learning under a voluntary education policy have higher autonomy than Chinese students in passive learning under a compulsory education policy, thus having higher learning expectations, leading to higher satisfaction. The positive relationship between autonomy and learning expectations is established, which adds a new dimension to self-determination theory. Furthermore, it is also revealed that the change in students’ entrepreneurial intentions before and after their entrepreneurship courses is explained by understanding the process of a business start-up (positive), hands-on business start-up opportunities (positive), students’ actual input (positive) and tutors’ academic qualification (negative). The thesis makes contributions to both theory and practice. The findings have far reaching implications for different parties, including policymakers, educators, practitioners and researchers. Understanding and shaping students' learning expectations is a critical first step in optimising entrepreneurship education teaching and learning. On the one hand, understanding students' learning expectations of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education can help the government with educational interventions and policy reform, as well as improving the quality and delivery of university-based entrepreneurship education. On the other hand, entrepreneurship education can assist students in establishing correct and realistic learning expectations and entrepreneurial conceptions, which will benefit their future entrepreneurial activities and/or employment. An important implication is that this study connects multiple stakeholders by bridging the national-level institutional context, organisational-level university entrepreneurship education, and individual level entrepreneurial learning to promote student autonomy based on an understanding of students' learning expectations. This can help develop graduates with their ability for autonomous learning and autonomous entrepreneurial behaviour. The results of this study help to remind students that it is them, the learners, their expectations and input that can make the difference between the success or failure of their study. This would not only apply to entrepreneurship education but also to other fields of study. One key message from this study is that education can be encouraged and supported but cannot be “forced”. Mandatory entrepreneurship education is not a quick fix for the lack of university students’ innovation and entrepreneurship. More resources must be invested in enhancing the enterprise culture, thus making entrepreneurship education desirable for students

    From wallet to mobile: exploring how mobile payments create customer value in the service experience

    Get PDF
    This study explores how mobile proximity payments (MPP) (e.g., Apple Pay) create customer value in the service experience compared to traditional payment methods (e.g. cash and card). The main objectives were firstly to understand how customer value manifests as an outcome in the MPP service experience, and secondly to understand how the customer activities in the process of using MPP create customer value. To achieve these objectives a conceptual framework is built upon the Grönroos-Voima Value Model (Grönroos and Voima, 2013), and uses the Theory of Consumption Value (Sheth et al., 1991) to determine the customer value constructs for MPP, which is complimented with Script theory (Abelson, 1981) to determine the value creating activities the consumer does in the process of paying with MPP. The study uses a sequential exploratory mixed methods design, wherein the first qualitative stage uses two methods, self-observations (n=200) and semi-structured interviews (n=18). The subsequent second quantitative stage uses an online survey (n=441) and Structural Equation Modelling analysis to further examine the relationships and effect between the value creating activities and customer value constructs identified in stage one. The academic contributions include the development of a model of mobile payment services value creation in the service experience, introducing the concept of in-use barriers which occur after adoption and constrains the consumers existing use of MPP, and revealing the importance of the mobile in-hand momentary condition as an antecedent state. Additionally, the customer value perspective of this thesis demonstrates an alternative to the dominant Information Technology approaches to researching mobile payments and broadens the view of technology from purely an object a user interacts with to an object that is immersed in consumers’ daily life

    Foundations for programming and implementing effect handlers

    Get PDF
    First-class control operators provide programmers with an expressive and efficient means for manipulating control through reification of the current control state as a first-class object, enabling programmers to implement their own computational effects and control idioms as shareable libraries. Effect handlers provide a particularly structured approach to programming with first-class control by naming control reifying operations and separating from their handling. This thesis is composed of three strands of work in which I develop operational foundations for programming and implementing effect handlers as well as exploring the expressive power of effect handlers. The first strand develops a fine-grain call-by-value core calculus of a statically typed programming language with a structural notion of effect types, as opposed to the nominal notion of effect types that dominates the literature. With the structural approach, effects need not be declared before use. The usual safety properties of statically typed programming are retained by making crucial use of row polymorphism to build and track effect signatures. The calculus features three forms of handlers: deep, shallow, and parameterised. They each offer a different approach to manipulate the control state of programs. Traditional deep handlers are defined by folds over computation trees, and are the original con-struct proposed by Plotkin and Pretnar. Shallow handlers are defined by case splits (rather than folds) over computation trees. Parameterised handlers are deep handlers extended with a state value that is threaded through the folds over computation trees. To demonstrate the usefulness of effects and handlers as a practical programming abstraction I implement the essence of a small UNIX-style operating system complete with multi-user environment, time-sharing, and file I/O. The second strand studies continuation passing style (CPS) and abstract machine semantics, which are foundational techniques that admit a unified basis for implementing deep, shallow, and parameterised effect handlers in the same environment. The CPS translation is obtained through a series of refinements of a basic first-order CPS translation for a fine-grain call-by-value language into an untyped language. Each refinement moves toward a more intensional representation of continuations eventually arriving at the notion of generalised continuation, which admit simultaneous support for deep, shallow, and parameterised handlers. The initial refinement adds support for deep handlers by representing stacks of continuations and handlers as a curried sequence of arguments. The image of the resulting translation is not properly tail-recursive, meaning some function application terms do not appear in tail position. To rectify this the CPS translation is refined once more to obtain an uncurried representation of stacks of continuations and handlers. Finally, the translation is made higher-order in order to contract administrative redexes at translation time. The generalised continuation representation is used to construct an abstract machine that provide simultaneous support for deep, shallow, and parameterised effect handlers. kinds of effect handlers. The third strand explores the expressiveness of effect handlers. First, I show that deep, shallow, and parameterised notions of handlers are interdefinable by way of typed macro-expressiveness, which provides a syntactic notion of expressiveness that affirms the existence of encodings between handlers, but it provides no information about the computational content of the encodings. Second, using the semantic notion of expressiveness I show that for a class of programs a programming language with first-class control (e.g. effect handlers) admits asymptotically faster implementations than possible in a language without first-class control
    • 

    corecore