Submission for the degree of Doctor of Science at Aston University

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

Submission for the degree of Doctor of Science at Aston University

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

Bound volume of work submitted for the degree of Doctor of Science (also one book and five paper-back reports included)

DUE TO COPYRIGHT RESTRICTIONS ONLY AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT ASTON UNIVERSITY LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SERVICES WITH PRIOR ARRANGEMENT

Research of the Influence of Methods of Compression on the Co-efficient of Information Security of Objects Under Attacks

In this paper a possibility for quantitative measuring of information security of objects, exposed to information attacks and processed with methods of compression, is represented. A co-efficient of information security, which reflects the influence of the level of compression obtained after applying methods of compression to objects and the time, required by the attack to get access to the corresponding object, is proposed. Methods’ groups with the highest and respectively the lowest values of the co-efficient of information security for all methods’ groups in relation to all attacks’ groups are determined. Assessments and conclusions for future investigations are proposed.

Strategic supplier performance evaluation:a case-based action research of a UK manufacturing organisation

The main aim of this research is to demonstrate strategic supplier performance evaluation of a UK-based manufacturing organisation using an integrated analytical framework. Developing long term relationship with strategic suppliers is common in today's industry. However, monitoring suppliers' performance all through the contractual period is important in order to ensure overall supply chain performance. Therefore, client organisations need to measure suppliers' performance dynamically and inform them on improvement measures. Although there are many studies introducing innovative supplier performance evaluation frameworks and empirical researches on identifying criteria for supplier evaluation, little has been reported on detailed application of strategic supplier performance evaluation and its implication on overall performance of organisation. Additionally, majority of the prior studies emphasise on lagging factors (quality, delivery schedule and value/cost) for supplier selection and evaluation. This research proposes both leading (organisational practices, risk management, environmental and social practices) and lagging factors for supplier evaluation and demonstrates a systematic method for identifying those factors with the involvement of relevant stakeholders and process mapping. The contribution of this article is a real-life case-based action research utilising an integrated analytical model that combines quality function deployment and the analytic hierarchy process method for suppliers' performance evaluation. The effectiveness of the method has been demonstrated through number of validations (e.g. focus group, business results, and statistical analysis). Additionally, the study reveals that enhanced supplier performance results positive impact on operational and business performance of client organisation.

Research of Influence of Medication Preparations on the Process of Renewal of the Broken Equilibrium of Man Organism on the Doctor of Phytotherapy Workstation

In the given work by authors new approach to the exposure of degree of influencing of medications of vegetable origin in a time of renewal of broken equilibrium of man organism is offered. During realization of the given approach it is suggested to use the mathematical vehicle of.

Research of the Acoustic Characteristics of the Bell "Mazepa" of the Sofia Cathedral (Kiev) and their Comparison with Characteristics of Bulgarian Bells

Experimental researches of one of the eldest bells («Mazepa»-see Appendix1) in Ukraine, are considered in the article. The spectra and spectra- time analysis of bell ringing is embodied, main frequencies of oscillation and musical intervals of sounding are determined. Comparative description of bell sounding with the known bells of Russia and Bulgaria is given.

Vállalkozói attitűdök kutatása egyetemi-főiskolai hallgatók körében (Research of students’ entrepreneurial attitudes)

Magyarország 2006-ban csatlakozott a Szt. Gallen-i Egyetem (Svájc) által koordinált (GUESSS Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey) kutatáshoz, amely a hallgatók vállalkozásindítással kapcsolatos elképzeléseit és vállalkozási tevékenységét kérdőíves adatfelvétel segítségével vizsgálja. Az online megkérdezésnek köszönhetően Magyarország esetében 2011-ben 5 677 hallgató válaszai alapján értékelhették a szerzők a hallgatók vállalkozásindítási szándékát és azok legfontosabb alakító tényezőit. A kutatás nemzetközi jellegének köszönhetően eredményeik összevethetők a nemzetközi tapasztalatokkal is. A tanulmány bemutatja a nemzetközi kutatás célját, elméleti hátterét, a kérdőívet és a kérdezés folyamatát. A magyar adatbázis legfontosabb jellemzői mellett a szerzők ismertetik a vállalkozásindítási szándék, a főiskolai-egyetemi környezet nemzetközi összehasonlító adatait. _______ Hungary joined the GUESSS (Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students’ Survey) research project organized and led by the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland in 2006. GUESSS evaluated students’ entrepreneurial intentions and activities with the help of a questionnaire. In 2011 an online survey was conducted in Hungary, addressing 5.677 students. The students’ responses regarding their business start-up activities and intentions as well as the most important factors shaping them were evaluated. The international nature of the research allowed the authors’ to compare Hungarian results to international practices. This paper describes the purpose of the international research, its theoretical background, the questionnaire and the interview process. Apart from presenting the most important features of the Hungarian data set, they describe the start-up intentions, the university and college environment and compare them to the international data.

A vállalkozói hajlandóság vizsgálata a női hallgatók körében Magyarországon (Research of entrepreneurial intentions of the Hungarian female students)

Köztudott, hogy a nők lényeges szerepet töltenek be a gazdasági életben, ezért fontos megvizsgálni azt, hogy melyek az ösztönző és az akadályozó tényezők a vállalkozásindításuk során. Egy 2011-es nemzetközi kutatás többek között a magyar női hallgatók vállalkozói hajlandóságát befolyásoló tényezőket vizsgálta. A kutatás többek között a motivációs tényezőkre, a személyiségjegyekre, valamint a korlátozó tényezőkre irányult. A vizsgálat eredményei azt igazolták, hogy a női vállalkozói létet nemcsak a pénzügyi indítékok vezérelték, hanem a belső tényezők is. Elsősorban az egyéni tényezők jelentették az akadályokat számukra, a szervezeti-környezeti korlátok szerepe kisebb jelentőséggel bírt. A vizsgálat eredményei többnyire a szakirodalmi adatokat igazolták. _____ It is widely known, that women play an important role in the economy, which makes the determination of motives and obstacles during business start-ups inevitable. Hungarian female students were surveyed during an international study in 2011 to determine the factors of entrepreneurial intentions. The survey included among other factors the motives for self‐employment, the personal characteristics and the barriers they faced. Results revealed that primary motivations for females during business start-ups were not only monetary motives, but also intrinsic factors. Problems faced by Hungarian female students were mainly individual; the organizationalenvironmental ones had lower importance. Results on motives and barriers were mostly consistent with the authors’ literature findings.

Alberto Baraya Naturalism/Artificiality: Expeditions, and Research of the Herbarium of Artificial Plants

https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/frostcatalogs/1000/thumbnail.jpg

Executive functions predict conceptual learning of science

Peer reviewed

The Role of Luxury Fashion Brands : A qualitative research of how the consumption of luxury fashion brands relate to young consumers' self-concept

The market for luxury brands has outpaced other consumption categories through its growth, and has been found in continuous development. As there is an increasing amount of luxury categories, the consumption of luxury fashion brands account for the largest proportion of luxury profits, and the marketing costs for such brands has shown to surpass those of other fashion categories. Consumer researchers have throughout decades emphasized how individuals participate in consumption behavior to form their self-concept in relation to brands. However, previous research has disregarded the multidimensional perspective regarding the theory of self-concept when examining the consumption of brands. Hence, the current research paper aims to strengthen the existing self-concept theory by exploring the role in which luxury fashion brands have by focusing on how the consumption of such brands relate, and contribute, to the consumer’s self-concept. By applying a qualitative method to investigate such purpose, and involving the existing theory of self-concept, brand image, and brand personality, it appeared that luxury fashion brands has a function to operate as a confidence booster for young consumers’ perception of their self-concept. In terms of the theoretical contribution of this paper, this research further illustrates how the theoretical explanation of brand image and brand personality relates to two different dimensions of the consumer’s self-concept. The consumption of luxury fashion brands has shown a significant role in individuals’ consumption behavior by emphasizing a striving, and motivating, part in the self-concept of young consumers.