Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Theory of comfort'

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2002.
There are no leaves 76-78; manuscript misnumbered between 75 and 79. Typescript. Vita. Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

The aim of the research was to generate a grounded theory to explain the behaviour of young women in the sun. The study sought to explore the sun-related experiences of young women in order to gain new insights into the influences upon them. The study was qualitative by design and utilised grounded theory method as developed by Glaser. Twenty female participants, aged 14 to 17 years old were included in the study. They formed six groups. Thirteen interviews were carried out with the groups and six one-to one interviews took place with individuals. All interviews were semi-structured and were based upon the participants' experiences of being in the sun. Data was analysed using the constant comparative method of data analysis, concordant with Glaserian grounded theory method. Five explanatory categories emerged from the data; Fitting In, Being Myself, Being Physically Comfortable, Slipping Up and a core category of Being Comfortable. One of the issues that emerged was that some young women believed their social acceptance depended on their appearance and they conformed to this end. The theory, derived from the categories, proposes that when in the sun, young women direct their activities toward meeting physical and psychosocial comfort needs. Comfort matters to them because it has implications for their wellbeing. This thesis contributes to the literature about the behaviours of young women in the sun. By increasing understanding of the factors that influence them, it also adds to the body of knowledge related to the primary prevention of skin cancer with teenage girls in the United Kingdom. The outcome of the research and its contribution to knowledge is a grounded theory, which explains the basis of the behaviours of young women in the sun. It appears that no other study has explored the experiences of UK adolescent females specifically, in a qualitative way and with the intention of producing a theory to explain them.

Auditors need to feel comfortable when signing the audit in order to produce comfort to society. Today, most companies use complex IT-systems that require that an IT-audit is performed. Rarely auditors possess the sufficient knowledge to perform the IT-audit and therefore an external part of the audit team is involved, namely IT-auditors. It can therefore be problematic for the auditors to ensure the quality of this part of the audit. In this thesis we aim to widen the understanding of how IT-auditors affect how auditors experience that they become comfortable. To investigate the addressed problem the following research question is asked: How do financial auditors experience that they become comfortable with IT-auditors? Ten auditors were interviewed on how they experience the different senses of the Comfort theory to become comfortable. With these senses as background, the study’s aim is to gain a perception of how auditors in Sweden perceive that they become comfortable with IT-auditors, which makes the auditor comfortable to sign the audit. The conclusions are that certain characteristics, such as technical and social skills together with good communication and understanding of the IT- auditors work is perceived as important factors for auditors to become comfortable

The aim of this dissertation is to study and assess comfort, pleasure and cognitive engineering for relevance in engineering design processes, working towards finding an integrated theoretical structure. From this overall aim, operative aims and research questions were derived and pursued with the support of literature studies and analysis of five empirical studies. The operative aims are: establish the levels of scientific knowledge (in terms of development potential and feasibility); test the levels of development in practice of theoretical structures, data collection methods and representation formats; and, apply activity theory to attempt compatibilizing the three theoretical structures (broken down into subconcepts, operatives and measurable variables). Conclusions and conclusive remarks are delivered, springing from the analyses made. The results of the assessments of model validity and maturity showed that universal design methods in comfort, pleasure and cognitive engineering, for direct application by engineering design, are presently not available, with an exception found for thermal comfort. Predictability concerning seat comfort, cognitive engineering and pleasure with products has not yet been achieved, but it is deemed feasible for some of their sub-areas: modelling physical discomfort in sitting, modelling pleasurable product properties for cultural sub-groups and predicting patterns of the impact of change on joint cognitive systems. Other sub-areas are not considered worthwhile pursuing for attaining engineering systematization, since their predictability is not deemed attainable. This situation hence precludes the development of a complete integrated comfort, pleasure and cognitive engineering design method for unaided application by engineering design. In these areas, design problems are thus better tackled using a combined process of research and design, which recurs to the existing theoretical structures but also to context based research intended to fill in the gaps of theory. A moderate level of compatibility between the theoretical structures of comfort, pleasure and cognitive engineering was attained. While pleasure pursues in practice the goal of adding gains, comfort and cognitive engineering struggle in practice with relieving pain and minimizing loss. The psychological human aspect is common to all three areas, although it is not pursued in practice in comfort, nor does cognitive engineering pursue in practice the psychological aspect of emotions. Partial commonalities were found between comfort and pleasure (in what concerns physical aspects) and between cognitive engineering and pleasure (in what concerns psychological aspects) at the level of subconcepts. A common underlying activity structure of activity-goal-user-artefact was demonstrated for the empirical studies dealing with comfort and cognitive engineering. This showed, for both areas, that deriving measurable variables and identifying operatives could be done from the operation level of activity theory, once the elements relevant to the design problem are classified according to the activity-user-goal-artefact categories. Activity theory also enabled structuring and organizing a common research-design process underlying the conduction of specific design studies in comfort and cognitive engineering. This process is also suggested as applicable for designing Human Factors and Ergonomics quality wherever theory gaps are found.

Till följd av det ökade allmänna intresset för hållbar utveckling har organisationers upprättande av hållbarhetsrapporter ökat. Samtidigt har tidigare forskning visat att hållbarhetsrapporter präglats av felaktig information i syfte att verka som ett skyltfönster. Därmed finns ett intresse för intressenter att en oberoende part granskar och säkerställer att organisationers hållbarhetsrapporter och miljöarbete överensstämmer. För att skapa legitimitet finns det en möjlighet för organisationer att certifiera sitt miljöarbete och miljöledningssystem enligt den internationella standarden ISO 14001 i syfte att påvisa att organisationens miljöarbete lever upp till standardens krav. Certifieringen inkluderar bland annat en revision utförd av oberoende revisorer. Tidigare forskning har påvisat att sannolikheten för att organisationer certifierar sig enligt ISO 14001 ökar när miljöarbetet är av en symbolisk karaktär. Tidigare forskning har även påvisat att revisorers arbetssätt inte är rationellt i lika stor utsträckning som tidigare antagits. Istället gör de känslomässiga och subjektiva bedömningar, detta tillsammans med fler delar benämns som revisorers komfort.  Syftet med studien är att undersöka om samt hur revisorer uppnår komfort i revisionsprocessen gällande certifiering av ISO 14001. För att besvara studiens forskningsfrågor genomfördes en kvalitativ studie med tio semistrukturerade intervjuer där respondenterna var revisorer vilka utför ISO 14001 certifieringsrevisioner. Studien visar att ISO 14001 revisorer uppnår komfort, dock skiljer sig processen till att uppnå komfort från vad tidigare forskning konstaterat om finansiella revisorer. Fortsatt visar studien att det går att urskilja två idealtyper av ISO 14001 revisorer där uppbyggnaden av komfort särskiljer sig mellan diverse typ. Vidare framkommer det att båda idealtyper kan uppnå komfort genom enbart praktisk kompetens alternativt genom praktisk kompetens kombinerat med defensiva strategier.
Due to the public interest in sustainable development increases organizations establishment of sustainability reports have increased. At the same time it has been shown that sustainability reports are characterized by incorrect information in order to act as a display window. Hence, there is in stakeholders interest that an independent part reviews and ensures that organizations sustainability reports and environmental work are consistent. For organizations to create legitimacy for their environmental work they have the opportunity to certify their environmental management system in accordance with the international standard, ISO 14001. This in order to demonstrate that the organizations environmental work meets the requirements in the standard. The certification includes, among other things, an audit performed by independent auditors. Former studies have shown that the probability of organizations certifying their environmental management system according to ISO 14001 increases when the environmental work is more of a symbolic nature. Moreover former studies has shown that the auditors working process is not rational to the same extent as previously assumed. Instead they make emotional and subjective assessments, this together with more parts is referred to as auditors comfort.  The purpose of the study is to investigate if and how auditors achieve comfort in the audit process regarding certification of ISO 14001. In order to answer the study’s research questions, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with respondents consisting of auditors who perform ISO 14001 certification audits. The study shows that ISO 14001 auditors achieve comfort, however the process of achieving comfort deviate from what former studies has stated about financial auditors. Furthermore, the study show that it is possible to distinguish two ideal types of ISO 14001 auditors where the structure of comfort differs between various types. Moreover, it appears that both ideal types can achieve comfort through only practical competence or through practical competence combined with defensive strategies.

Bakgrund och problematisering: Till följd av ökad globalisering, datatillgänglighet och ökade möjligheter för informationsbehandling, är det nuvarande redovisningssystemet under förändring. Redovisningen går från att baseras på den mer traditionella industriella ekonomin till att anpassas mot en mer informationsbaserad ekonomi med större fokus på relevans i årsredovisningarna. Detta innebär ökad användning av värdering till verkligt värde snarare än värdering till anskaffningsvärden, vilket skapar nya utmaningar för revisorer i verifieringen av de finansiella rapporterna då osäkerheter kan uppstå angående verkliga värdens rimlighet. Syfte och frågeställningar: Genom tillämpning av verkligt värde-värdering har en ökad osäkerhet uppstått i de finansiella rapporterna. Dessa osäkerheter kan vara svåra att minska om värderingarna bygger på svårverifierbar data. Studien ämnar ge en ökad förståelse kring hur revisorer upplever de osäkerheter som uppstår vid revision av poster värderade till verkligt värde, samt hur dessa osäkerheter hanteras. Teori: Studiens teoretiska ramverk bygger på  Pentlands (1993) och Carrington & Catasús (2007) tolkning av trygghetsteorin i en revisionskontext. Pentland (1993) gör en tolkning av Collins (1981)  teori om rituella interaktionskedjor och applicerar denna i en revisionskontext. Carringston & Catasús (2007) studerar hur revisorer upplever själva “källan” av trygghet utifrån Kolcaba & Kolcabas (1991) trygghetsteori.  Studiens teoretiska perspektiv grundar sig i dessa två teoretiska utgångspunkter för att tolka och analysera den insamlade empirin. Metod: Studiens tillvägagångssätt bygger på en kvalitativ metod där den insamlade empirin utgörs av nio intervjuer med revisorer verksamma inom de fyra stora revisionsbyråerna. Uppsatsen har en hermeneutisk vetenskapssyn vilket innebär att den insamlade empirin tolkas utifrån de valda teorierna för att på sådant sätt öka förståelsen för hur de intervjuade revisorerna upplever och handskas med osäkerheter som följer av verkligt värde-värderingar.  Resultat och slutsatser: Studien finner indikationer på att revisorerna upplever informationsbristen som den främsta källan till osäkerhet. I linje med Pentlands (1993) studie om revision som en trygghetsskapande process, tolkas dessa osäkerheter utgöra en källa för otrygghet hos revisorerna. Studien finner indikationer på att mängden kunskap och erfarenhet revisorn besitter påverkar den upplevda otryggheten i samband med revision av verkligt värde-värderingar. Studien visar också hur revisorer genom interna- och externa värderingsexperter, modeller samt diskussioner inom revisionsteamet och inom revisionsbyrån minskar denna känsla av otrygghet och uppnår det tillstånd då revisorn känner sig trygg med värderingarna.

This dissertation explores postcolonial fiction that reflects the structural situation of a genocidal number of third-world women who are being trafficked for sexual purposes from postcolonial countries into the global north—invariably, gender, class and race play a crucial role in their exploitation. Above all, these women share a systemic disposability and invisibility, as the business relies on the victim’s illegality and criminality to generate maximum revenues. My research suggests that the presence of these abject women is not only recognized by ideological and repressive state apparatuses on every side of the trafficking scheme (in the form of governments, military establishments, juridical systems, transnational corporations, etc.) but is also understood as necessary for the current neoliberal model to thrive undisturbed by ethical imperatives. Beginning with the turn of the twentieth century, then, I analyze sexual slavery transnationally by looking at James Joyce’s “Eveline,” Therese Park’s A Gift of the Emperor, Mahasweta Devi’s “Douloti the Bountiful,” Amma Darko’s Beyond the Horizon, Chris Abani’s Becoming Abigail, and Roberto Bolaño’s 2666, concentrating on the political, economic, and social discourses in which the narratives are immersed through the lens of Marxist, feminist, and postcolonial theory. By interrogating these postcolonial narratives, my project reexamines the sex slave-trafficker-consumer triad in order to determine the effect of each party’s presence or absence from the text and the implications in terms of the discourses their representations may tacitly legitimize. At the same time, this work investigates the type of postcolonial stories the West privileges and the reasons, and the subjective role postcolonial theory plays in overcoming subaltern women’s exploitation within the current neocolonial context. Overall, I interrogate the role postcolonial literature plays as a means of achieving (or not) social change, analyze the purpose of artists in representing exploitative situations, identify the type of engagement readers have with these characters, and seek to understand audiences’ response to such literature. I look at authors who have attempted to discover fruitful avenues of expression for third-world women, who, despite increasingly constituting the bulk of the work force worldwide, continue to be exploited and, in the case of sex trafficking, brutally violated.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to seek understanding, describe and analyse how auditors practically reassure and maintain their independence towards clients. Methodology: The study is conducted with a qualitative method with a deductive approach. The study is based on interviews with both experienced and recently graduated auditors. Conclusion: Our empirical results show that there are economical incentives that contradict the requirements to fulfil the auditor’s independence. The conclusion is that the media view is narrow and biased. Furthermore the auditors agree that an acceptable level of comfort is achieved by offering a high value, being a part of a large network of professionals and the ability to set materiality and evaluate risks.

Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) created multiple challenges for the mental health of soldiers who served there. The local facility in this study determined there was a gap in providing OEF/OIF veterans assistance with mental health issues. The practice-focused question explored whether a training module for nurses would assist in the identification of signs and symptoms of mental health issues in OEF/OIF veterans, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, addictions, and suicidal/homicidal ideations, to help ensure timely referral for services. The project used Kolcaba's comfort theory as the basis for the training module. A pretest, training module, and posttest were created and administered to the expert panel. Results showed the training module contained information to assist nurses in identifying the signs and symptoms of mental health issues as well as educated the nurses on various interventions that were available for the veterans. It was determined by the expert panel that the training module should be implemented to assist in decreasing the gap in care for OEF/OIF veterans. This training module might support positive social change by empowering nurses to assist veterans with coping skills overcome mental health issues and lead positive and productive lives.

Little empirical work has been conducted on workplace practices in university settings. Meanwhile, the impact of feedback on changing consumption patterns has been mainly studied through individualistic approaches. The academic workplace with its variety of users offers a setting that could provide a range of insights as to how practices form and change under the impact of efficiency interventions and, in turn, how relevant policies could be formed. This research looks at workplace practices related to the regulation of indoor temperature and the use of office equipment. It examines the potential of reducing energy usage in the workplace through a case study on the understanding of and interventions in practices using consumption feedback. A framework based on social practice theory is applied where daily practices are configured by routines, technologies, knowledge and meanings. The research takes place in a UK university building, where the provision of real-time consumption feedback through a display is employed to raise energy awareness. It follows a case study approach featuring three different office typologies and associated user groups: the shared, enclosed administrative office; the PhD open-plan office, and the post-doctoral cellular office. The study begins with an examination of the thermal characteristics and comfort preferences in the case study offices. It then examines how users shape their practices in the workplace. Finally, it observes the impact of feedback through real-time displays on the reduction of energy consumption. A mixed methods approach is employed combining qualitative and quantitative data. Semi- structured interviews and on-site observations are cross-related to environmental conditions monitoring, electricity audits and thermal comfort diaries. Data collection takes place in two phases— (February 2014 and July 2014) —to capture differences in practices between the winter and summer as well as before and after the installation of real-time displays. By exploring the empirical evidence through a practice theory framework, this research shows how social dynamics, the difference between the notion of comfort at home and work, and striving for productivity can prefigure ‘passive’ thermal comfort practices in the workplace. The real-time displays did not trigger change despite the fact electricity audits revealed a savings potential related to high standby use. The inadequacy of building maintenance structures, significant installation delays and the type of projected information were the main factors restricting change. The use of a practice approach advanced the understanding as to why it is so difficult to save energy at work and use feedback as a successful intervention. The combination of qualitative enquiry and energy audits meanwhile indicated the potential source of savings.

Intresset för hållbarhetsfrågor har sedan 1990-talet ökat kraftigt i samhället och genom detta har även hållbarhetsredovisning blivit av allt större betydelse. Detta har påverkat företag, vilka alltmer hamnat under press att ta ansvar för verksamhetens sociala och miljömässiga konsekvenser. Genom hållbarhetsredovisning har företag möjlighet att kommunicera sitt hållbarhetsarbete till sina intressenter. För att säkerställa att hållbarhetsinformationen är tillförlitlig behöver denna granskas. Hållbarhetsredovisning är dock ett område under utveckling och vid bestyrkande av informationen finns många utmaningar, vilka granskaren måste hantera för att skapa komfort genom granskningsprocessen. I studien används begreppet granskare som ett samlingsbegrepp för revisorer, miljörevisorer hållbarhetskonsulter och hållbarhetsspecialister som utför granskning av hållbarhetsredovisning. Syftet är att utforska vilka utmaningar en granskare möter vid granskning av hållbarhetsredovisning samt vad det är som gör denne komfortabel i granskningsarbetet. Studien utgår från komfortteorin och en litteraturöversikt som identifierade tre huvudsakliga utmaningar i form av kvalitativ information, kunskap och kompetens samt tolkningsproblematik. Dessa ställs sedan mot studiens empiri som har samlats in genom nio semistrukturerade intervjuer. Respondenterna är revisorer, miljörevisorer, hållbarhetskonsulter och hållbarhetsspecialister med erfarenhet av att granska hållbarhetsredovisning. Studiens slutsatser är att de huvudsakliga utmaningarna granskaren möter vid granskning av hållbarhetsredovisning är kvalitativ information och tolkningsproblematik. Angående utmaningen om kunskap och kompetens fanns det åsiktsskillnader om utmaningens storlek och resultatet indikerar att den drivande faktorn för dessa skillnader är huruvida respondenten i fråga har en utbildningsbakgrund inom hållbarhet eller ekonomi. Vidare är studiens slutsats att komfort uppnås genom att granskaren samlar in bevis för att styrka hållbarhetsinformationen och på detta vis blir trygg i granskningen, vilken således är färdig när granskaren är komfortabel.
Interest in sustainability issues has increased vastly in society since the 1990s, and through this, sustainability reporting has also become increasingly important. This has affected companies, which are under increased pressure to take responsibility for the social and environmental consequences of their business. Through sustainability accounting, companies have the opportunity to communicate their sustainability work to their stakeholders. To ensure that the sustainability information is reliable, assurance is needed. However, sustainability accounting is an area under development where there are several challenges in assurance engagements, which reviewer must handle in order to create comfort through the assurance processes. In this study the word reviewer is used as a collective name for auditors, sustainability auditors, sustainability consultants and sustainability specialists who performs sustainability accounting assurance. The purpose of this study is to explore what challenges the reviewers face in sustainability accounting assurance, as well as how the reviewer produces comfort in the assurance process. The study is based on the comfort theory and a literature review that identifies three main challenges in the form of qualitative information, knowledge and competence as well as interpretation issues. These are compared to the empirical data of the study, collected through nine semi-structured interviews. The respondents are auditors, environmental auditors, sustainability consultants and sustainability specialists with experience in sustainability accounting assurance. The conclusions of the study are that the main challenges the reviewer faces in sustainability accounting assurance are qualitative information and interpretation issues. Regarding the challenge of knowledge and competence, there were differences of opinion about the extent of this challenge and it is indicated by the results that the driving factor for these differences of opinions is whether the respondents in question have an educational background in sustainability or economics. Furthermore the conclusions of the study shows that comfort is achieved through obtaining audit evidence which confirms the sustainability information and makes the reviewer secure. Thus the assurance is complete when the reviewer is comfortable.

Diskussionerna om ”granskning” av miljö- och hållbarhetsredovisningar har i Sverige funnits sedan mitten av 1990-talet. Specialistrevisorn Lars-Olle Larsson menar att efterfrågan ökar angående bestyrkta hållbarhetsredovisningar. Detta på grund av de ökade kraven från organisationer som Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Förenta Nationerna (FN) och Amnesty International. Med andra ord har uppmärksamheten riktas mot såväl företagens samhällsansvar som den enskilda revisorn och revisorsprofessionen. Det finns en pågående forskningsdebatt som grundar sig på struktur kontra bedömning i revisionsprocessen. Vi har valt att använda denna debatt som utgångspunkt i vår uppsats. Eftersom standarder och riktlinjer är en del av en strukturerad arbetsprocess har vi valt att se närmare på vilken påverkan dessa har på revisorns subjektiva bedömningar. Vårt huvudsyfte är att skapa förståelse för hur revisorer uppfattar att deras bedömningar på olika sätt kan påverkas av de olika regler, riktlinjer och standarder som de följer i deras arbete med granskning av hållbarhetsredovisningar. Vi har valt att tillämpa en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi för att få en djupare förståelse av forskningsämnet. Fokus i arbetet kommer att ligga på revisorns subjektiva bedömningar, då subjektivitet är svårt att kvantifiera lämpar sig en kvalitativ ansats bättre för vårt ändamål. Som datainsamlingsmetod har vi valt att göra intervjuer med respondenter som specialiserat sig inom området hållbarhetsredovisning.  Eftersom våra respondenter har sitt säte i Stockholm fanns ingen möjlighet att utföra personliga "face-to-face" intervjuer, därför har vi utfört telefonintervjuer. Det empiriska materialet tyder på att även om våra respondenter söker en hög grad av struktur i deras arbete med hållbarhetsredovisning så är det för att uppnå en känsla av komfort och inte för att utesluta de egna subjektiva bedömningarna. Struktur underlättar helt klart granskningsarbetet och förbättrar kvaliteten på hållbarhetsredovisningen men det går inte att bortse från att de subjektiva bedömningarna ligger till grund för revisorers arbete.
In Sweden, discussions concerning "audit" of environmental and sustainability reports have existed since the mid-1990s. Specialist Auditor Lars-Olle Larsson believes that demand for certified sustainability reports will increase as the demands of organizations such as Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), United Nations (UN), and Amnesty International intensify. In other words, attention has been directed at both the social responsibility of the corporations as well as the individual auditor and the auditor profession. There is a current research debate based on structure and judgement. This debate will be the starting point of our paper. As standards and guidelines are part of a structured work process, we have chosen to look closely at their influence on the auditor's subjective judgement. Our main objective is to create an understanding of how auditors perceive that their judgements can be affected in a variety of ways by regulations, guidelines, and standards used in auditing sustainability reports. To gain a deeper understanding of the research topic, we have chosen to apply a qualitative research approach. Our focus will be the auditor's subjective judgements, and as subjectivity is difficult to quantify, a qualitative approach better suits our purpose. Our method of collecting data will be by conducting phone interviews with respondents based in Stockholm who specialize in sustainability. The empirical material suggests that even if our respondents aim for a high degree of structure in their work with sustainability reports, it is to achieve a sense of comfort as opposed to exclude their own subjective judgements. Structure facilitates inspection, and improves the quality of sustainability reports, but the fact that subjective judgement is underlying the auditors' work cannot be ignored.

This thesis aims to explore the disconnect between calls for safe zones as a tool of humanitarian intervention, and the dark history of safe zone failure. This thesis begins with a brief discussion of current calls for safe zones in Syria, and how a proper theoretical framework and historical understanding are needed to discuss whether or not safe zones can be successfully implemented in Syria. The following literature review discusses not only prominent academic arguments and the history of humanitarian intervention, but it suggests a framework for deconstructing case studies. This framework looks first at the interests of an intervening actor. The level of interest of that actor directly informs its willingness to overcome the challenges of safe zone implementation. The challenges of safe zone implementation are both practical and existential. If an actor’s interest in a given crisis is not great enough to make it willing to overcome these practical and existential challenges, or the actor is willing to overcome them but lacks the ability to do so, the safe zone will fail. In most cases of failed safe zones, moral hazard plays a role. Moral hazard can be evident in either the intervening actor’s decisions or the decisions of the international community to support or not support the intervention. This thesis then deconstructs three historical cases of safe zones with this method: Srebrenica in Bosnia, Operation Provide Comfort in Iraqi Kurdistan, and Operation Turquoise in Rwanda. Following these three case studies, this paper discusses safe zones in Syria with the help of this method and the broad historical understanding of safe zones established through the case studies. This thesis concludes with a discussion of how the analysis and available historical cases show that safe zones are dangerous tools of humanitarian intervention and should not be undertaken without adequate levels of interest and willingness to address challenges.

Hospice services provide a holistic approach to end-of-life care to terminally ill patients though there is some evidence to suggest that African American military beneficiary populations may not access hospice care as often as expected. The purpose of this nonexperimental study was to evaluate reasons for the low use of hospice care among the terminally diagnosed members of this population, between the ages of 18 and 64. Kolcaba's comfort theory provided the theoretical framework for this study. The research explored whether a statistically significant difference exist among African Americans military beneficiaries population as compared to non-Hispanic Whites pertaining to their knowledge of hospice care, attitudes and beliefs about hospice, distrust in the health care system, and advanced care plans. This study used a simple random sample of 32 participants (18 African Americans and14 non-Hispanic White) from a military ambulatory care setting in Maryland. Johnson, Kuchibhatla, and Tulsky's End-of-Life Care survey was used to collect data from the 2 groups of participants. Data were analyzed using a one-way multivariate analysis of variance. The results indicate that there are not statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of knowledge of hospice care, attitudes and beliefs about hospice, distrust in the health care system, and advanced care plans based on race. Based on the results of this study, further research is recommended to replicate using a larger sample size to include other minority groups at more than one medical treatment facility. The implication of this study may open up an avenue to policy makers and administrators who are responsible for disseminating information about hospice benefits to focus on improving the quality of the end-of-life for terminally ill patients.

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The care given to a child seriously sick and in an Pediatric Intensive Therapy Unit must provide comfort to her. So, to operationalize the main study, still in the research project elaboration, it was done an opinion research searching for a first contact with the study object, resulting in the article entitled “Nurse perceptions in the pain evaluation in the pediatric intensive therapy unit”. After that, it was done a basis review with the aim of adding content referring to the Comfort thematic and to the Kolcaba Theory, main reference of this study, which originated the article “ Scientific contribution of the national nursing based on the Theory of Comfort by Kolcaba: an integrative review”. The results obtained in the opinion research and in the integrative review sustained the elaboration of the main proposal of this dissertation with the aim of implementing the use of the pain scale by nurses to improve the evaluation of the 5th vital signal in children at PITU, promoting the comfort based on the Theory of Kolcaba. The specific objectives were to analyse with the nurses the care that can be given to release the pain and promote comfort of children at PITU and describe the potentialities and weaknesses emerged in the process of implementation of the pain scale. A research of a descriptive exploratory type, with a qualitative design, being the action research in the modality of participant, elected as the investigative means to the process of development of this study. Twelve nurses from a PITU from the South of Brazil participated. The data collection occurred from July to November, 2016 by the generation of meetings and interviews to which two scales were used in the pilot test, being afterwards elected the most adequate scale for the unity. The data were grouped in categories and after that, in units of analysis. The results were grouped in two main thematic: I) the perceptions motivated by the implementation of the Pain Scale and II) the Pain Scale as co-actor in the promotion of comfort. The use of the Comfort Theory as theoretical basis of this study showed a strict link to the objective chosen, contributing and spreading the true importance in providing the comfort, by means of the improvement of the know-how and the art of doing the assistance in nursing with quality. The findings showed the relevance in the implementation of the pain evaluation scale, for a more effective care in nursing allied to the use of the Comfort Theory to which it contributed with the study object, providing the promotion of physical, psycospiritual, socialcultural and/or environmental comfort for kids highly ill. Therefore, it is emphasized that the product generated by this investigative process was the implementation of the Pain Evaluation Scale in children at PITU.
O cuidado proporcionado à criança gravemente enferma e internada em Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Pediátrica (UTIP) deve prover conforto para a mesma. Assim, para operacionalização do estudo principal, ainda na fase de elaboração desse projeto de pesquisa, realizou-se uma pesquisa de opinião visando um primeiro contato com o objeto de estudo, para resultar no artigo intitulado “Percepções de enfermeiros na avaliação da dor em unidade de terapia intensiva pediátrica”. Posteriormente, realizou-se uma revisão em bases de dados, com o objetivo de agregar conteúdo referente à temática “Conforto e a Teoria de Kolcaba”, referência principal desse estudo, que originou o artigo “Contribuição científica da enfermagem nacional fundamentada na Teoria do Conforto de Kolcaba: revisão integrativa”. Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa de opinião e na revisão integrativa sustentaram a elaboração da proposta principal dessa dissertação, com o objetivo de implementar o uso de escala da dor por enfermeiros para melhorar a avaliação do quinto sinal vital em crianças internadas em UTIP, promovendo o conforto à luz da Teoria de Kolcaba. Os objetivos específicos foram analisar com os enfermeiros os cuidados que podem ser realizados para aliviar a dor e promover conforto às crianças internadas em UTIP e descrever as potencialidades e fragilidades emergidas no processo de implementação da escala de dor. Pesquisa do tipo descritivo exploratória, com delineamento qualitativo, sendo a pesquisa-ação na modalidade participante eleita como forma investigativa para o desenvolvimento do estudo. Participaram 12 enfermeiros de uma UTIP do Sul do Brasil. A coleta dos dados ocorreu no período de julho a novembro de 2016, por meio de encontros e entrevistas, quando duas escalas foram utilizadas em teste piloto, sendo posteriormente eleita a escala mais apropriada à unidade. Os dados foram agrupados em categorias e posteriormente, em unidades de análise. Os resultados foram agrupados em duas temáticas principais: percepções motivadas pela implementação da escala da dor e escala da dor como coadjuvante na promoção do conforto. A utilização da Teoria do Conforto como fundamento teórico desse estudo demostrou uma estreita afinidade ao objetivo elencado, contribuindo e disseminando a real importância em proporcionar o conforto, por meio do aprimoramento do saber e da arte em realizar uma assistência de enfermagem com qualidade. Os achados evidenciaram a relevância da utilização da escala de avaliação da dor, para um cuidado efetivo de enfermagem aliado à utilização da Teoria do Conforto, a qual contribuiu com o objetivo do estudo oportunizando a promoção do conforto físico, psicoespiritual, sociocultural e/ou ambiental às crianças gravemente enfermas. Portanto, enfatiza-se que o produto gerado por esse processo investigatório foi a implementação da escala de avaliação da dor em crianças internadas em UTIP.

Bakgrund: Tidigare forskning visar att det finns flera faktorer som bidrar till preoperativ oro, vilket är ett tillstånd som kan orsaka flera negativa konsekvensen både i direkt anslutning till operation som långt senare efter operation. Ett av målen vid ett preoperativt möte mellan anestesisjuksköterskan och patienten är att anestesisjuksköterskan ska minska patientens stress. Därmed är det av värde att göra en översikt avseende aktuell forskning kring omvårdnadsåtgärder som kan vidtas av anestesisjuksköterskor för att lindra preoperativ oro. Syfte: Studiens syfte var att beskriva vilka omvårdnadsåtgärder som kan att vidtas av anestesisjuksköterskor för att lindra preoperativ oro hos patienten. Metod: Metod var integrerad litteraturöversikt bestående av 20 vetenskapliga artiklar, varav 14 kvantitativa och sex kvalitativa. Vid litteratursökning användes databaserna CINAHL och PubMed. Resultat: Analysen resulterade i fyra kategorier som beskriver omvårdnadsåtgärder som anestesisjuksköterskor kan vidta för att lindra preoperativ oro: Individanpassa den preoperativa informationen, Skapa en bekväm miljö, Bemöta individanpassat och empatiskt och Ha en lugnande närvaro och kommunikation. Slutsats: Analysen resulterade i fyra distinkta kategorier gällande omvårdnadsåtgärder mot preoperativ oro. Utifrån komfortteorin är det möjligt att anföra att om anestesisjuksköterskor kombinerar omvårdnadsåtgärder från de fyra kategorierna för att lindra patienters preoperativa oro har patienter större möjlighet att nå total komfort. Framtida forskning behövs avseende effekten av omvårdnadsåtgärder som utförs av just anestesisjuksköterskor samt effekten av patientens egna strategier för att lindra preoperativ oro.
Background: Previous research has identified several factors contributing to patients experiencing preoperative anxiety, which is a condition that can cause several negative consequences both directly in connection with the surgery, as well as long after the surgical procedure. One of the aims during a preoperative meeting between the nurse anesthetist and the patient is for the nurse anesthetist to ease the patient’s stress. Thus, it is of value to conduct and overview of current research regarding nursing interventions that can be conducted by nurse anesthetists to alleviate preoperative anxiety. Aim: The aim of the study was to describe what nursing interventions that nurse anesthetists can conduct to alleviate a patient’s preoperative anxiety. Method: Integrative literature review consisting of 20 scientific articles, of which 14 were quantitative and six qualitative. The literature search was conducted in the databases CINAHL and PubMed. Result: The analysis resulted in four categories describing nursing interventions that nurse anesthetists can conduct to alleviate a patient’s preoperative anxiety: Individualize the preoperative information, Create a comfortable environment, Treat individually and empathically and Have a soothing presence and communication. Conclusion: The integrative literature review with data from the 20 scientific articles resulted in four categories describing nursing interventions to alleviate preoperative anxiety. It is possible to say, based on the theory of comfort, that the patient has a greater chance to reach total comfort if nurse anesthetists combine multiple nursing interventions from the four categories to alleviate the patient’s preoperative anxiety. Future research is suggested to focus on the effect of nursing interventions performed by nurse anesthetists and the effect of the patient’s own strategies to alleviate preoperative anxiety.

I Sveriges Riksdag togs år 2016 ett beslut om lagändring som tvingar stora företag att lämna hållbarhetsrapporter och att låta företagets revisor granska rapporten. Det nya området som revisorer ställs inför, att granska hållbarhetsrapporter enlig lag, är ett outvecklat område där revisorer har lite erfarenhet. En revisor kan aldrig granska all information som företagen presenterar i sina rapporter och därför kan revisorn först anses klar med sin revision när han eller hon känner sig komfortabel. Ett tillstånd av komfort grundar sig i individens känsla för när han eller hon är klar med sin granskning.     Syftet med denna studie är att bidra med en ökad förståelse för vad det är som gör en revisor komfortabel i sin lagstadgade granskning av hållbarhetsrapporter. För att uppfylla syftet har vi valt att göra en kvalitativ undersökning, i form av intervjuer och en kompletterande dokumentstudie, som grundar sig på en abduktiv analysstrategi. Som teoretisk utgångspunkt har vi valt att använda oss av Carrington och Catasús (2007) studie om revision som komfort samt begreppen: revisorsprofessionen och granskningsprocessen.     Resultatet av denna studie visar på att revisorer till stor del uppnår komfort i granskning av hållbarhetsrapporter genom att samarbeta med kollegor eller hållbarhetsspecialister. Revisorerna har generellt interna dokument att följa vilket gör att de tydligt vet när de kan känna sig klara och komfortabla med sin granskning. Antalet revisorer som utför denna typ av granskning är begränsat och därför finns det behov av mer forskning på detta område i framtiden när mer erfarenhet av lagstadgad granskning av hållbarhetsrapporter finns hos revisorsprofessionen.
In the Swedish Parliament, in the year of 2016, a decision was made to amend the law, which forces large companies to submit sustainability reports and forces the company's auditor to review the report. The new area that auditors are faced with, to assure sustainability reports according to law, is an undeveloped area where auditors have little experience. An auditor can never review all information presented by the companies in their reports, and therefore the auditor can first be considered ready with the audit when he or she feels comfortable. A state of comfort is based on the individual's sense of when he or she is finished with his review.   The purpose of this study is to contribute with an increased understanding of what makes auditors comfortable in their assurance of sustainability reports. To fulfill the purpose, we have chosen to do a qualitative study, in the form of interviews and a document study, which is based on an abductive analysis strategy. As a starting point, we chose chose to use Carrington and Catasús (2007) study of audit as comfort as well as the concepts: the audit profession and the assurance process.   The result of this study shows, among other things, that auditors largely achieve comfort in reviewing sustainability reports by collaborating and taking the help of their colleagues or sustainability specialists. The auditors generally have internal documents to follow, which means that they clearly know when they can feel comfortable with their review. The number of auditors performing this type of review is limited and therefore there is a need for more research when the auditors have collected more experience in the area of statutory assurance of sustainability reports

Previous research has shown that separately and in some combinations internal and external variables (e.g., fashion consciousness, the weather), in addition to the demographic variables of the individual (e.g., gender, age), can affect dress choice. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between the variables within the Choice of Professional Dress system and businesswomen's choice of professional dress along the classic–innovative fashion continuum (e.g., whether the professional dress is considered by the dress adopter as more classic or more innovative). A model was developed for this study to illustrate the relationships between multiple variables that are proposed to influence an individual's choice of professional dress. A survey questionnaire was created to investigate businesswomen's choice of professional dress along the classic–innovative fashion continuum in regards to variables within two of the internal subsystems, the demographic subsystem, and the two external subsystems of the Choice of Professional Dress system. Data was collected via an online survey managed by a marketing research company. Participants were predominately married, Caucasian, businesswomen between 30 and 40 years old who held primarily occupations such as office and administrative support or management and financial operations. Multiple regression analyses and ANOVA were employed to test the relationships between the Choice of Professional Dress variables and businesswomen's selection of professional dress for work, as proposed in five main hypotheses. Results of the multiple regression analysis and ANOVA indicated significant relationships between businesswomen's choice of professional dress along the classic–innovative fashion continuum and demographics (i.e., age, education), as well as internal variables (i.e., fashion consciousness, professional image/role, comfort, appearance labor, availability of professional dress) and external variables (i.e., company culture, company dress policies, profession). These results contribute to academia by providing a deeper and richer understanding of businesswomen's professional dress choice as well as the placement of these choices by businesswomen on the Fashion Continuum. Based on the findings, academic and practical suggestions as well as recommendations for future research were provided.
Ph. D.

Denna uppsats undersökte vad som påverkade Malmö högskolas studenter i sina val av tåg- eller flygresor mellan Malmö och Stockholm. Uppsatsen föreslog fyra hypoteser som undersöktes maximering av fritid, ersättningsvaror, komfort samt miljöhänsyn. Data samlades in genom att utforma och dela ut en enkät till 248 elever som analyserades statistiskt. Miljöhänsyn visade sig ha mindre inflytande på valet av resesätt än de andra undersökta faktorerna, ett resultat i linje med tidigare forskning. Kostnaden visade sig vara den viktigaste faktorn. Tågresande var mer vanligt bland den undersökta populationen än i den svenska befolkningen. Resultaten var associerade med osäkerhet eftersom populationen var troliga att ändra resesätt efter avslutade studier. Syftet med uppsatsen var att göra en initial mätning av ovanstående variabler som kan användas i framtida studier med fokus på generationsskifte.
This thesis investigated what influenced student at Malmö Högskola in their choice of train or plane travel between Malmö and Stockholm. The thesis proposed four hypotheses that were investigated: maximization of leisure time, substitute goods, comfort and environmental concern. Data was collected by manufacturing and distributing a questionnaire to 248 students which was analyzed statistically. Environmental concern was found to have less of an influence on the choice of travel means than the other investigated factors, a result consistent with previous research. Cost was found to be the most important factor. Train travel was more common among the sampled population than in the Swedish population. The results were associated with some uncertainty as the population was likely to change their choice of travel means after graduation. The thesis aimed to carry out an initial measurement of the above variables to allow the resulting material to be used in future studies with a generational replacement approach.

There is an identified problem with patients receiving suboptimal pain management at a hospice agency in the northwestern United States. At this agency, undertreatment of pain is prevalent. Evidence indicates that this may be a result of a lack of guidelines, education, and knowledge of appropriate prescribing. Known barriers to the correct prescription and administration of potent opioids in the hospice setting include prevailing beliefs, knowledge, skills, and attitudes, all of which can impact care negatively. Contextually, hospice principles mandate patient comfort and caregiver involvement in continuous quality improvement, which includes adequate and informed pain management. Moreover, hospice metrics demand requisite knowledge, skills, and attitudes for optimal care, including pain management at the end of life. The Academic Center for Evidence-Based Practice (ACE) star model was used to guide the development of an evidence-based, guideline-supported educational program that will improve pain management at the hospice agency when implemented. The purpose of this project was to use transdisciplinary expertise and team collaboration to develop the program and then to conduct a formative and summative evaluation utilizing experts to prepare the guidelines and process for implementation. Ten experts reviewed the guideline, the educational materials, the process, and the evaluation plan and conducted reviews using the AGREE II tool. The panel of experts agreed within the 6 AGREE domains. Future implementation of this guideline, translation process, and evaluation tool will impact social change through the empowerment of the clinical staff, patients, and caregivers to provide the best pain control and comfort at end of life, a vulnerable time for all patients.

碩士
實踐大學
服裝設計研究所
91
The thesis conceal uncertain sphere of body boundary that depict the conceptual issue of 氥e-comfort , physically and spatially, with the practice of 烞elf-framing theoretical approach into fashion design methodology. This research tries to explore the sense of skin (inside or outside) and its perception (painful or joyful) into an operational design grammar system. Therefore, the representation of this 浻raming-the-body project will be recognized from three levels: from idea (de-comfort as subject) to material (equipped body as framed object), from historical entity image (gothic-torture-machine type of installing) to updating fashion practice (fetish or medical dress-up), from the presence of a metaphysical paradigm (comfort identify its sphere through de-comforting operation) to its representation (performance of fashion design as action-art-type of self-experiment) Part I: Historical review 1. De-comfort: a theoretical review The documentation about concept of body, boundary, comfort仜rom different academic fields (art history, fashion history, cultural history) focus on redefining the meaning of de-comfort in the cross-discipline and diachronically way. 2. De-comfort: a biographical review Based on personal memory (Orthodontics and Tattooing), the analysis creates a list of interposition, accelerant in order to theoreticalize the process of de-comfort documentation from my real human body boundary experience ranging from the variation of psychological and environmental influence. Part II: Design Process (Exhibition and Performance) The action-art-type of self-dressing will perform its 洖e-comfort conceptual issue into this real visual/chorographical practice. And the representation of framing the installed body and installing object experience this design process within both exhibition and performance. A) The operation and transformation of conceptual modeling: Simulation of these 洖e-comforting condition wish to explore the interaction between the installed flesh (skin, blood, hair) and the installing objects (needle, color, and bondage) Therefore, the thesis can represent the mechanism through the interaction between physical movement and equipped object to develop the framing text/ context of installed body as the new fashion design entity. B) Application on fashion design From the design grammar mention above, the research demonstrate installation units (leather and metal, steel stick, coil spring, needle) to nine composition sets as the final stage to identify the possibility of this fashion-design theory.

碩士
華梵大學
美術學系碩士班
105
Abstract "Calligraphy as comfort" means that through the operation of handwriting to produce expressing and relaxing function which is a comfortable feeling. With the “therapeutic effect of calligraphy” as its central theme, this study examines famed calligraphy masterpieces spanning various dynasties, ranging from Eastern Jin Dynasty’s calligrapher Wang Xizhi to modern work by Yu Youren. The selected masterpieces are categorized into four groups, which respectively, describe the personal traits of the artists, the written content and form of their work. “Anguish,” “Malaise,” and “Sorrow” are three types of calligraphy work that can be characterized as unruly, as they were produced under negative emotional states — disturbed emotions are clearly visible from indicators such as irregular character sizes and corrective smears. “Bliss” describes calligraphy written under positive moods, which are characterized by neat fonts and a profound force of expression. What all of the listed masterpieces have in common is the expression of personal emotions by means of confiding, seeking approval or changing focus — and through doing so, achieving a therapeutic effect to help the wounded heal. In addition to the famed calligraphy masterpieces, the calligraphy creation needs the basic training, creative principles and psychological state is also an integral part of this article.This study will use a complete chapter to do a detailed description. And then combined with the above description to categorized into three groups which are the character characteristics, ink characteristics and characteristics of life. It will be joy, anger, sadness, happiness and feelings of life in different time through the operation of calligraphy to express personal emotion for achieving therapeutic effect .

碩士
國立中山大學
行銷傳播管理研究所
106
The convenient internet provides people with the function of communication and exchange information, and has become an important tool for people to interact and communicate with each other, and also becomes one of the areas where people communicate. These interactions provide social support, and users can use this to adapt to stress of life and get emotional well-being. Social network service not only bringing users closer to each other and increse trust, it can also enhance the development of relationships. This study was designed to study the status of Facebook self-disclosure and social support of the internet obtained, and the impact of social support to get emotional adjustment caused are further discussed. This study finds that Facebook self-disclosure is related to social support of the Internet. And confirms that social support of the internet has a positive impact on Facebook''s self-disclosure, social support of the internet positively influences emotional adjustment. Moreover, in the relationship between Facebook self-disclosure, social support of the internet, and emotional adjustment, social support of the internet and Facebook self-disclosure are fully intermediating. Facebook self-disclosure influences emotional adjustment through social support of the internet. Keywords: Internet, Facebook, self-disclosure, social support, emotional adjustment

abstract: The death of a parent or sibling for youth under age 18 is life-altering and necessitates support and opportunities for expressing grief. Scholarship from psychology and medical disciplines often equates youthful grieving as a disease to be cured rather than a natural process to be experienced. Stage-based grief models explain adults coping with loss of loved ones by working through a series of discrete phases mostly tied to deficit-based emotions such as anger or depression. Progressive grief models have been emerging throughout the past 20 years in response to stage-based models; however these models tend to highlight deficit-based emotions and are applied to youth as afterthoughts. Thus, there is a noticeable absence of research exploring positive or strength-based emotions in adolescent grief from a communicative, youth-centered perspective. A communicative approach to exploring adolescent grief narratives offers a practical yet pliable theoretical lens for interpreting meaning from mourning. Using qualitative methods, I conducted full participant research as a volunteer with Comfort Zone Camp, a national organization sponsoring weekend-long grief camps for youth. I engaged in participant observation while volunteering to explore the communicative processes of 26 grieving adolescents and also conducted post-camp follow-up interviews with youth, parents, and adult volunteers. Analysis was based on 192 field work hours, 11 interview hours, artifacts, and camp documents. Findings of the dissertation indicate grieving adolescents use communicative processes, including sharing emotional pieces, co-authoring loss, and naming hurt, to perform a range of emotions. Along with deficit-based emotions, grieving adolescents perform strength-based emotions, including confidence, forgiveness, happiness, deservingness, hope, gratitude, resilience, love, and compassion. Evidence also supports that grieving campers performed compassion individually and in groups. Theoretically, this dissertation expands on existing grief theory by demonstrating that adolescents communicate strength-based emotions in grief, captured visually in the Concert of Emotions model. This study expands on compassion theory by exploring implications of collective compassion expressions. Specifically, this dissertation offers the co-performing sub-process to account for collective compassion extending past compassion models that focus on individual expressions. Practically, this research yields new understanding into how grieving adolescents constitute themselves as compassionate, helpful contributors as they face loss.
Dissertation/Thesis
Doctoral Dissertation Communication Studies 2015