Identité et capitalisme de consommation dans les romans de Chuck Palahniuk : une étude comparative de Lullaby et Survivor

Ce mémoire propose une analyse de l'enfermement identitaire présent dans les romans Lullaby et Survivor de l'auteur Chuck Palahniuk et montré en rapport au rôle que les personnages tiennent dans leur famille et à leur pratique d'habitation. En utilisant les théories de Baudrillard et de Foucault, l'imposition d'une identité par la société moderne s'explique en relation à sa domination par le capitalisme de consommation et par la présence médiatique. Les univers romanesques de cet auteur s'inscrivent dans la tradition américaine où, par l'emploi du langage littéraire, sont développées les notions de liberté et de libre arbitre au coeur de l'identité nationale américaine rendant possible la lutte contre les différents dispositifs de contrôle présents dans cette société (m'inspirant du projet de Weinstein). Cette étude ne porte pas seulement sur l'enfermement identitaire, tant individuel que culturel des personnages, mais aussi sur les problématiques de l'identité masculine et de la passivité dans ces deux romans. L'auteur tente de solutionner lesdits problèmes en brisant la solitude de ses personnages que ce soit parce qu'ils réussissent à faire partie d'une communauté les reconnaissant comme un sujet unique, parce qu'ils établissent une connexion grâce au partage de leur histoire personnelle ou parce qu'ils retrouvent les sentiments d'appartenance et d'amour liés à la famille.

Dinámica del debate sobre el lobby israelí y su influencia en la toma de decisiones en política exterior estadounidense respecto de Israel. 2002-2012

El interés de este estado del arte es establecer la dinámica que ha tenido el debate en torno al lobby israelí y su influencia en las decisiones en política exterior. Ante esto lo que se pretende es determinar cual es la tendencia que se sigue y específicamente cual es el estado del debate hoy en día. Por esto se pretende probar que el lobby israelí como fuerza de influencia, no es la única que busca fijar políticas en los EEUU en materia de política exterior ya que existen otros grupos que así mismo le hacen contrapeso. Para esto se recurrirá a fuentes de diferente tipo, en donde se recolecten los principales exponentes sobre el tema y así analizarlos a mayor profundidad.

La historia de mi vida = My life story.

Este texto en dos idiomas, esta pensado para ser utilizado, especialmente, por los niños bilingües, aunque lo pueden usar todos los niños de diferentes niveles educativos y de distintas edades. Les sirve para escribir sobre sus vidas, mostrar su individualismo y sus experiencias culturales.

The giant turnip.

Una versión del clásico cuento ruso. Como cada año los niños de la clase de Miss Honeywood cultivan frutas y verduras en el jardín de la escuela y cuando regresan del verano, encuentran que las frutas y verduras han crecido. Pero, para su sorpresa, esta vez ven un nabo que es tan alto como una jirafa y tan ancho como un elefante. Todos los niños se preguntan como lo sacarán de la tierra.

Normal mode Rossby waves and their effects on chemical composition in the late summer stratosphere

During past MANTRA campaigns, ground-based measurements of several long-lived chemical species have revealed quasi-periodic fluctuations on time scales of several days. These fluctuations could confound efforts to detect long-term trends from MANTRA, and need to be understood and accounted for. Using the Canadian Middle Atmosphere Model, we investigate the role of dynamical variability in the late summer stratosphere due to normal mode Rossby waves and the impact of this variability on fluctuations in chemical species. Zonal wavenumber 1, westward travelling waves are considered with average periods of 5, 10 and 16 days. Time-lagged correlations between the temperature and nitrous oxide, methane and ozone fields are calculated in order to assess the possible impact of these waves on the chemical species. Using Fourier-wavelet decomposition and correlating the fluctuations between the temperature and chemical fields, we determine that variations in the chemical species are well-correlated with the 5- and 10-day waves between 30 and 60 km, although the nature of the correlations depend strongly on altitude. Interannual variability of the waves is also examined.

The case of tomato in Ghana: processing

Processing of highly perishable non-storable crops, such as tomato, is typically promoted for two reasons: as a way of absorbing excess supply, particularly during gluts that result from predominantly rainfed cultivation; and to enhance the value chain through a value-added process. For Ghana, improving domestic tomato processing would also reduce the country’s dependence on imported tomato paste and so improve foreign exchange reserves, as well as provide employment opportunities and development opportunities in what are poor rural areas of the country. Many reports simply repeat the mantra that processing offers a way of buying up the glut. Yet the reality is that the “tomato gluts,” an annual feature of the local press, occur only for a few weeks of the year, and are almost always a result of large volumes of rainfed local varieties unsuitable for processing entering the fresh market at the same time, not the improved varieties that could be used by the processors. For most of the year, the price of tomatoes suitable for processing is above the breakeven price for tomato processors, given the competition from imports. Improved varieties (such as Pectomech) that are suitable for processing are also preferred by consumers and achieve a premium price over the local varieties.

Hoax e-mails and bonsai kittens: are you e-literate in the docuverse?

As a society we are still to a large degree on that first wave of enchantment and wonder with what the information superhighway has to offer us - instant communication with loved ones and colleagues - either next door, at the next desk or on another continent - beautifully word processed reports, elegant spreadsheets and shopping at midnight in Paris or reading the latest dissertation on Iranian politics.

Our social mantra is very much 'is Internet, is good', and our logic is often placed around a misguided belief that if the information was found on the 'Net, then it must be good'.

This paper discusses the importance of not only having the skills of computer literacy, that is defined as being able to use computers and software to navigate the Internet, but also the importance of information literacy, defined as the skill of being critically literate.

A creative twist: management theory, creativity and the arts

For many theorists and practitioners in the area of organizational theory, HRM, marketing and other domains of organization studies, organizational creativity is something to be distilled and managed as an element of organizational performance. The article argues, however, that this process of appropriation from the creative arts is subject to a number of problematic transitions. The article's starting point is the notion of creativity itself. Within the creative arts, the question of what constitutes creativity and its relationship to artistic practice is subject to considerable debate. This debate centers on the question of whether creativity represents an essentialist and inexplicable (even spiritual) component of artistic practice or whether creativity is a trait of work and cannot be attributed as a unique aspect of art. The mantra of creativity provides nothing more than a means to control individuals and provide them with a false hope that contributing to the success of business will provide a means to self fulfillment.

The importance of national ICT visions for information society in South East Asia

This paper addresses the question ‘How necessary is a national information and communications technology (ICT) strategy/vision for the development of an information society?’ For the purpose of this paper, ‘information society’ is reduced to two key dimensions: penetration of ICT, and access to government information on-line. In considering the question, the paper calls on data contained in the International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) case studies of e-readiness in eight South East Asian (SEA) nations (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam). The background to the paper includes an overview of the SEA nations in terms of demographics and a discussion of the dilemma of government involvement in developing an information society in the light of the ‘small government mantra’ that has dominated in recent years. National ICT strategies visions of each nation are presented, followed by on overview of their information society policies and practices and their ICT penetration. The importance of the vision is then contrasted with other factors including level of development and national income. The conclusions draw attention to the importance of a vision irrespective of level of development and resource availability. In fact, for the least developed nations, poor infrastructure may be an opportunity to leap frog to the most advanced networks supporting an information society, if the vision is relevant, powerful and broadly held.

The interdependency between knowledge management and quality

In this paper, the authors seek to examine the link between Knowledge Management (KM) and Quality. They propose that as KM reaches its maturity in terms of acceptance as an important part of doing business in the modern world, that Quality will again become the mantra of successful companies. A national survey of 1000 Quality certified organisations in Australia was distributed with a 25% response rate. The survey asked questions pertaining to their use of KM, their Quality culture as well as their Quality performance measures. As a result of preliminary analysis of the data, the authors suggest that in order to survive in such a dynamic environment, organisations will have to embrace KM as a fundamental component of delivering a Quality culture.

Knowledge management : the fundamental component for delivery

This paper seeks to examine the link between Knowledge Management (KM) and Quality Management (QM) with a particular focus on the role of a Quality Culture. The authors propose that as Knowledge Management reaches its maturity in terms of acceptance as an important part of doing business in the modern world, that quality will again become the mantra of successful companies. This time, however, quality will not only be defined in terms of the properties of the product and/or services that the organisation provides, but in a more holistic manner that is subject to rapid change and shifting customer preferences. This increasingly dynamic knowledge-driven environment will require companies to pay close adherence to quality in order to satisfy demand and stay ahead of the competition. A national survey of 1000 quality certified organisations in Australia was distributed with a 23% response rate. The survey asked questions pertaining to the organisations' use of Knowledge Management, their quality culture, as well as their quality performance measures. As a result of an analysis of the data, the authors suggest that, in order to survive in such a dynamic environment, organisations will have to embrace Knowledge Management as a fundamental component of delivery of a quality culture.

Knowledge management as perceived by quality practitioners

Purpose – This paper seeks to explore the relationship between knowledge management and quality management with a particular focus on the role of quality culture. The paper also aims to address the assumption that as knowledge management reaches its maturity, in terms of acceptance as an important part of doing business in the modern world, quality will again become the mantra of successful companies.

Design/methodology/approach – A total of 1,000 quality managers from Australian organisations were surveyed for their perspectives on current and future knowledge management and quality management approaches. The questionnaire utilised both quantitative and qualitative data collection methods. The questionnaire was broken into three sections: respondent profile, current knowledge management and quality management practices, and future predictions for both knowledge management and quality management.

Findings – The key finding of the paper was that organisations would have to embrace a quality culture as a fundamental component of implementing knowledge management in order to compete successfully in such a dynamic business environment. The responses from this survey assist in identifying the relationship between knowledge and quality management, and the importance and future of both knowledge and quality management.

Originality/value – This paper is based upon the assumption that quality is in fact, resurging. It has identified quality culture as the significant link between knowledge management and quality management that leads to successful competitive advantage. Organisations are urged to recognise knowledge management as a vehicle for success not a stand-alone process. It is the first time that such a survey has been designed, and the first time a paper has produced an explanation to the current situation.

Applying outcomes of lifelong learning to organisational achievement

The focus of this doctoral research study is making the most what a person knows and can do, as an outcome from their lifelong learning, so as to better contribute to organisational achievement. This has been motivated by a perceived gap in the extensive literature linking knowledge with organisational achievement. Whereas there is a rich body of literature addressing the meta-philosophies giving rise to the emergence of learning organisations there is, as yet, scant attention paid to the detail of planning and implementing action which would reveal individual/organisational opportunities of mutual advantage and motivate, and sustain, participation at the day-to-day level of the individual. It is in this space that this dissertation seeks to contribute by offering a mechanism for bringing the, hindsight informed, response “but that’s obvious” into the abiding explicit realm at the level of the individual. In moving beyond the obvious which is prone to be overlooked, the emphasis on “better” in the introductory sentence, is very deliberately made and has a link to awakening latent individual, and hence organisational, capabilities that would otherwise languish. The evolved LCM Model – a purposeful integration valuing the outcomes from lifelong learning (the L) with nurturing a culture supporting this outcome (the C) and with responsiveness to potentially diverse motivations (the M) – is a reflective device for bringing otherwise tacit, and latent, logic into the explicit realm of action. In the course of the development of the model, a number of supplementary models included in this dissertation have evolved from the research. They form a suite of devices which inform action and lead to making the most of what an individual knows and can do within the formal requirements of a job and within the informal influences of a frequently invisible community of practice. The initial inquiry drew upon the views and experiences of water industry engineering personnel and training facilitators associated with the contract cleaning and waste management industries. However, the major research occurred as an Emergency Management Australia (EMA) project with the Country Fire Authority (CFA) as the host organisation. This EMA/CFA research project explored the influence of making the most of what a CFA volunteer knows and can do upon retention of that volunteer. In its aggregate, across the CFA volunteer body, retention is a critical community safety objective. A qualitative research, ethnographic in character, approach was adopted. Data was collected through interviews, workshops and outcomes from attempts at action research projects. Following an initial thirteen month scoping study including respondents other than from the CFA, the research study moved into an exploration of the efficacy of an indicative model with four contextual foci – i.e. the manner of welcoming new members to the CFA, embracing training, strengthening brigade sustainability and leadership. Interestingly, the research environment which forced a truncated implementation of action research projects was, in itself, an informing experience indicative of inhibitors to making the most of what people know and can do. Competition for interest, time and commitment were factors governing the manner in which CFA respondents could be called upon to explore the efficacy of the model, and were a harbinger of the influences shaping the more general environment of drawing upon what CFA volunteers know and can do. Subsequent to the development of the indicative model, a further 16 month period was utilised in the ethnographic exploration of the relevance of the model within the CFA as the host organisation. As a consequence, the model is a more fully developed tool (framework) to aid reflection, planning and action. Importantly, the later phase of the research study has, through application of the model to specific goals within the CFA, yielded operational insight into its effective use, and in which activity systems have an important place. The model – now confidently styled as the LCM Model – has three elements that when enmeshed strengthen the likelihood of organisational achievement ; and the degree of this meshing, as relevant to the target outcome, determines the strength of outcome. i.e. - • Valuing outcomes from learning: When a person recognises and values (appropriately to achievement by the organisation) what they know and can do, and associated others recognise and value what this person knows and can do, then there is increased likelihood of these outcomes from learning being applied to organisational achievement. • Valuing a culture that is conducive to learning: When a person, and associated others, are further developing and drawing upon what they know and can do within the context of a culture that is conducive to learning, then there is increased likelihood that outcomes from learning will be applied to organisational achievement. • Valuing motivation of the individual: When a person’s motivation to apply what they know and can do is valued by them, and associated others, as appropriate to organisational achievement then there is increased likelihood that appropriately drawing upon outcomes from learning will occur. Activity theory was employed as a device to scope and explore understanding of the issues as they emerged in the course of the research study. Viewing the data through the prism of activity theory led not only to the development of the LCM Model but also to an enhanced understanding of the role of leadership as a foundation for acting upon the model. Both formal and informal leadership were found to be germane in asserting influence on empowering engagement with learning and drawing upon its outcomes. It is apparent that a “leaderful organisation”, as postulated by Raelin (2003), is an environment which supports drawing upon the LCM model; and it may be the case that the act of drawing upon the model will move a narrowly leadership focused organisation toward leaderful attributes. As foreshadowed at the beginning of this synopsis, nurturing individual and organisational capability is the guiding mantra for this dissertation - “Capability embraces competence but is also forward-looking, concerned with the realisation of potential” (Stephenson 1998, p. 3). Although the inquiry focussed upon a need for CFA volunteer retention, it began with a broader investigation as part of the scoping foundation and the expanded usefulness of the LCM Model invites further investigation. The dissertation concludes with the encapsulating sentiment that “You have really got to want to”. With this predisposition in mind, this dissertation contributes to knowledge through the development and discussion of the LCM model as a reflective device informing transformative learning (Mezirow and Associates 1990). A leaderful environment (Raelin 2003) aids transformative learning – accruing to the individual and the organisation - through engendering and maintaining making the most of knowledge and skill – motivating and sustaining “the will”. The outcomes from this research study are a strong assertion that wanting to make the most of what is known and can be done is a hallmark of capability. Accordingly, this dissertation is a contribution to the “how” of strengthening the capability, and the commitment to applying that capability, of an individual and an organisation.

Citation patterns within the leading top-tier finance journals implications for journal rankings and other issues

This paper examines all citations and self-citations to a list of 95 finance journals appearing in the Journal of Finance, Journal of Financial Economics and Review of Financial Studies from 1995 through 2005. Additionally, the publication profile of 100 prolific authors in top-tier finance journals is tabulated for these 95 journals. Citations to non-finance journals in economics and accounting are also tabulated for comparison with their finance counterpart along with working papers. Six ranking schemes are constructed with each scheme identifying the top fifty finance journals. Citations to finance journals are highly concentrated within ten journals and similarly for self-citations. Authors of papers appearing in top-tier finance journals pay scant attention to the bulk of research published in other finance journals. Furthermore, these authors cite other economic journals with greater frequency than their counterpart in finance. Of the top fifty finance journals identified in this paper, only 21 are listed in Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), and this compares to approximately 500 listed economic journals. Some glaring omissions from SSCI are identified, but most notably the Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, Journal of Financial Research, Journal of Empirical Finance and Journal of Fixed Income. An analysis of 2006 citations patterns is also presented. The top-tier mantra assigned to finance journals has a void with the decision by the Journal of Business to cease publication with the November 2006 issue. This paper identifies five finance journals anyone of which could potentially fill the void.