Leadership and the negotiation of order in small groups

This thesis is focussed on the role differentiationhypothesis as it relates to small groups (Bales, 1958). The hypothesis is systematically examined, both conceptually and empirically, in the light of the Equilibrium Hypothesis (Bales, 1953) and the Negotiated Order Theory of leadership (e.g. Hosking, 1988). Chapter 1 sketches in a context for the research,which was stimulated by attempts during the 60s and 70s to organise small groups without leaders (the leaderless group, based on isocratic principles). Chapter 2 gives a conceptual and developmental overview of Bales' work, concentrating on the Equilibrium Hypothesis. It is argued that Bales' conceptual approach, if developed, can potentially integrate the disparate small groups and leadership literatures. Chapters 3 and 4 examine the concepts `group', `leader' and `leadership' in terms of the Negotiated Order perspective. In chapter 3 it is argued that two aspects of the concept group need to be taken separately into account; physical attributes and social psychological aspects (the metaphysical glue). It is further argued that a collection of people becomes a group only when they begin to establish a shared sense of social order. In chapter 4 it is argued that leadership is best viewed as a process of negotiation between those who influence and those who are influenced, in the context of shared values about means and ends. It is further argued that leadership is the process by which a shared sense of social order is established and maintained, thus linking the concepts `leadership' and `group' in a single formulation. The correspondences with Bales' approach are discussed at the end of the chapter. Chapters 5 to 8 present a detailed critical description and evaluation of the empirical work which claims to show role differentiation or test the hypothesis, both Bales original work and subsequent studies. It is argued here, that the measurement and analytical procedures adopted by Bales and others, in particular the use of simple means as summaries of group structures, are fundamentally flawed, and that role differentiation in relation to particular identifiable groups has not been demonstrated clearly anywhere in the literature. Chapters 9 to 13 present the empirical work conducted for the thesis. 18 small groups are examined systematically for evidence of role differentiation using an approach based on early sociometry (Moreno, 1934). The results suggest that role differentiation, as described by Bales, does not occur as often as is implied in the literature, and not equivocally in any case. In particular structures derived from Liking are typically distributed or weak. This suggests that one of Bales' principal findings, that Liking varies independently of his other main dimensions, is the product of statistical artifact. Chapter 14 presents a general summary of results and presents some considerations about future research.

A comparative study of straw, perennial grasses and hardwoods in terms of fast pyrolysis products

The aim of this study is to characterise and compare fast pyrolysis product yields from straw, high yielding perennial grasses and hardwoods. Feedstocks selected for this study include: wheat straw (Triticum aestivum), switch grass (Panicum virgatum), miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus), willow short rotation coppice (Salix viminalis) and beech wood (Fagus sylvatica). The experimental work is divided into two sections: analytical (TGA and Py-GC-MS) and laboratory scale processing using a continuously fed bubbling fluidized bed reactor with a capacity of up to 1 kg/h. Pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) has been used to quantify pyrolysis products and simulate fast pyrolysis heating rates, in order to study potential key light and medium volatile decomposition products found in these feedstocks. Py-GC-MS quantification results show that the highest yields of furfural (0.57 wt.%), 2-furanmethanol (0.18 wt.%), levoglucosan (0.73 wt.%), 1,2-benzenediol (0.27 wt.%) and 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol (0.38 wt.%) were found in switch grass, and that willow SRC produced the highest yield of phenol (0.33 wt.%). The bio-oil higher heating value was highest for switch grass (22.3 MJ/kg). Water content within the bio-oil is highest in the straw and perennial grasses and lowest in the hardwood willow SRC. The high bio-oil and char heating value and low water content found in willow SRC, makes this crop an attractive energy feedstock for fast pyrolysis processing, if the associated production costs and harvest yields can be maintained at current reported values. The bio-oil from switch grass has the highest potential for the production of high value chemicals. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A comparative evaluation of the legislative controls on unfair terms and exemption clauses in consumer and business contracts in England and Brazil

The purpose of the present study is to make a comparative evaluation of the legislative controls on unfairness in the context of B2B, B2C and small businesses contracts in England and Brazil. This work will focus on the examination of statutes and relevant case law which regulate exemption clauses and terms on the basis of their ‘unfairness’. The approach adopted by legislation and courts towards the above controls may vary according to the type of contract. Business contracts are more in line with the classical model of contract law according to which parties are presumably equals and able to negotiate terms. As a consequence interventions should be avoided for the sake of freedom of contract even if harmful terms were included. Such assumption of equality however is not applicable to small businesses contracts because SMEs are often in a disadvantageous position in relation to their larger counterparties. Consumer contracts in their turn are more closely regulated by the English and Brazilian legal systems which recognised that vulnerable parties are more exposed to unfair terms imposed by the stronger party as a result of the inequality of bargaining power. For this reason those jurisdictions adopted a more interventionist approach to provide special protection to consumers which is in line with the modern law of contract. The contribution of this work therefore consists of comparing how the law of England and Brazil tackles the problem of ‘unfairness’ in the above types of contracts. This study will examine the differences and similarities between rules and concepts of both jurisdictions with references to the law of their respective regional trade agreements (EU and the Mercosul). Moreover it will identify existing issues in the English and Brazilian legislation and recommend lessons that one system can learn from the other.

The 'silent dilemma' of transitional justice:silencing and coming to terms with the past in Serbia

This article explores the intersections of silence and transitional justice in Serbia, where, it is often suggested, the general public is silent and indifferent about human rights abuses that took place during the former Yugoslav conflicts. It considers both the 'silent' public and the ways in which transitional justice may be complicit in silencing it. Based on scholarship that suggests silences are not absences but rather sites of silent knowledge or a result of silencing, the article explores some of the dynamics hidden within the public's silence: shared knowledge, secret practices and inability to discuss violence. It also considers the ways in which audiences subvert and resist organized transitional justice initiatives or are caught up in a 'silent dilemma' in which they are unable to speak about the past under the discursive conditions created by transitional justice practitioners.

An interpretation of the energy variations of dispersion managed solitons in terms of effective average dispersion

We show that the variation in dispersion managed soliton energy that occurs as the amplifier position varies within the dispersion map, for a fixed map strength, can be interpreted using the concept of effective average dispersion. Using this concept we physically explain why the location of the amplifier can produce a greater or lesser energy enhancement factor than the lossless model. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

A Metaontology for Medical Diagnostics of Acute Diseases. Part 1. An Informal Description and Definitions of Basic Terms

The aim of this article is to describe formally a metaontology for medical diagnostics of acute diseases in the language of applied logic. The article includes an informal description of the metaontology, and the part of its model which contains the definitions for basic terms of knowledge and situations and also their integrity restrictions in the form of ontological agreements.

Stability in Terms of Two Measures for Differential Equations with “Maxima”

Атанаска Георгиева, Стела Глухчева, Снежана Христова - Изследвана е устойчивостта на нелинейни диференциални уравнения с “максимуми” по отношение на две мерки. Приложени са две различни мерки за началните условия и за решението. Използван е методът на Разумихин, а също така и методът на сравнението на обикновени скаларни диференциални уравнения. Приложението на получените резултати и достатъчни условия за устойчивост е илюстрирано с пример.

Limit Theorems for Maxima of Heavy-Tailed Terms with Random Dependent Weights

2000 Mathematics Subject Classification: Primary 60F17, 60G52, 60G70 secondary 60E07, 62E20.

Solutions of Fractional Diffusion-Wave Equations in Terms of H-functions

MSC 2010: 35R11, 42A38, 26A33, 33E12

Duppying yoots in a dog eat dog world, kmt:determining the senses of slang terms for the Courts

I describe and discuss a series of court cases which focus upon on decoding the meaning of slang terms. Examples include sexual slang used in a description by a child and an Internet Relay Chat containing a conspiracy to murder. I consider the task presented by these cases for the forensic linguist and the roles the linguist may assume in determining the meaning of slang terms for the Courts. These roles are identified as linguist as naïve interpreter, lexicographer, case researcher and cultural mediator. Each of these roles is suggestive of different strategies that might be used from consulting formal slang dictionaries and less formal Internet sources, to collecting case specific corpora and examining all the extraneous material in a particular case. Each strategy is evaluated both in terms of the strength of evidence provided and its applicability to the forensic context.

A származtatott termékek árazása és annak problémái az egyensúlyelmélet szempontjából (Pricing of derived products and problems with it in terms of equilibrium theory)

A szerző röviden összefoglalja a származtatott termékek árazásával kapcsolatos legfontosabb ismereteket és problémákat. A derivatív árazás elmélete a piacon levő termékek közötti redundanciát kihasználva próbálja meghatározni az egyes termékek relatív árát. Ezt azonban csak teljes piacon lehet megtenni, és így csak teljes piac esetén lehetséges a hasznossági függvények fogalmát az elméletből és a ráépülő gyakorlatból elhagyni, ezért a kockázatsemleges árazás elve félrevezető. Másképpen fogalmazva: a származtatott termékek elmélete csak azon az áron képes a hasznossági függvény fogalmától megszabadulni, ha a piac szerkezetére a valóságban nem teljesülő megkötéseket tesz. Ennek hangsúlyozása mind a piaci gyakorlatban, mind az oktatásban elengedhetetlen. / === / The author sums up briefly the main aspects and problems to do with the pricing of derived products. The theory of derivative pricing uses the redundancy among products on the market to arrive at relative product prices. But this can be done only on a complete market, so that only with a complete market does it become possible to omit from the theory and the practice built upon it the concept of utility functions, and for that reason the principle of risk-neutral pricing is misleading. To put it another way, the theory of derived products is capable of freeing itself from the concept of utility functions only at a price where in practice it places impossible restrictions on the market structure. This it is essential to emphasize in market practice and in teaching.