Public schooling in the Unites States of America has long been the site of more than just meeting the academic needs of the country’s youth. Among the many roles the school house has played in the history of public schooling in the United States is the mechanism to deliver non-instructional services to students. School-delivered, non-instructional services are those services that extend beyond addressing the academically-disposed, educational needs of children and aim to meet the social, emotional, and physical needs of young people while they are in the care of educators. Through an historical example grounded primarily in archival research, I establish a genealogy of school-delivered, non-instructional services by examining how staffing developed in the Cobb County School District in Cobb County, Georgia during the 1938-39 to 1976-77 time period. I will point to the role of federal involvement in public education and the professionalization of social services during this time period to connect the changes that occur in the instructional employees and non-instructional employees, with a specific examination of lunchroom employees and counselors, in one school system.

Repeated instances of bullying plague schools and immobilize the learning environment for many students. Dissimilar views of policies related to bullying make it difficult for school personnel to consistently intervene on behalf of the victim. The purpose of this case study was to bring awareness to the diverse perceptions school personnel have concerning bullying and the constraints those perceptions place on implementing policies and practices set forth by the school. This qualitative case study examined the understanding and knowledge that school personnel had about bullying policies and practices at three private/independent middle schools in the metro Atlanta area. The research questions addressed were: What are school personnel’s understandings of the bullying policies at their school? What were their perceptions of bullying within their school? How does school personnel’s perception of bullying impact their efforts to intervene? Participants for the study included 3 middle school principals, two deans of students, three counselors and nine teachers. Data collected through interviews, non-participant observations, and documentation provided by each school yielded findings that clarity and awareness of bullying policies and practices were not always apparent. Additionally, varying perceptions of bullying impacted intervention efforts by school personnel. The study revealed the need for a clear and concise definition of bullying, along with policies and practices that address the issue. Additionally, school leaders need to monitor and hold school personnel accountable to address bullying consistently within the school.

The thesis seeks to examine how newly arrived students are welcomed and introduced to the Swedish school system in Uppsala municipality. When organizing the structure of integrating immigrant children, municipalities in Sweden use different models. Depending on the model, different values are favored such as integration/segregation and collectivism/individualism.  Through interviews and textual analysis the model used in Uppsala is studied as an example of how municipalities choose to organize the structure around newly arrived students. The results show that the ambition in the organization in Uppsala is to actively use integration promoting arrangement in their every day work as well as they’re aiming to find individual solutions for each and everyone. The reality, however, reflects a lack of awareness about to what extent individual arrangements are in fact carried out and the special needs an immigrant child might have in comparison to other children. The mere existence of the school unit LYSA, which is responsible for children who have not yet received a placement in one of the permanent schools in the city, is also a drawback in achieving the ambition of the municipality, as LYSA is a separate unit that makes integration harder.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This dissertation investigates and examines the dynamics of intercultural theatre practice. Existing scholarship on interculturalism in theatre praxis regards intercultural theatre as a site for bridging cultures and cross-cultural performance traditions, and for investigating the performance of power between the collaborating parties, learning, cultural imperialism, cultural translation and hybridity, among other features. However, much of the existing literature does not offer a historical perspective allowing one to understand the dynamics of contemporary North-South collaborations. Moreover, most studies do not adequately weave the experiences of the participants in such collaborations into their analyses. This study contributes to filling that research gap. This research specifically seeks to investigate and examine the dynamics of intercultural theatre collaborations in Uganda, taking Makerere University‘s Department of Performing Arts and Film‘s intercultural theatre activities in recent years as case studies. The inquiry was mainly driven by the impetus to explore the North-South intercultural theatre dynamics and to examine the socio-cultural, socio-political, socio-economic features and other notions that were manifested in these intercultural theatre collaborations and performances. In order to pursue the above line of inquiry I used a multiple case study design by examining three cases: the Stanford-Makerere, New York-Makerere and the Norwegian College of Dance-Makerere collaborations. The multi-case study model was reinforced by the use of personal interviews, direct observation, focus group discussions, document analysis and emails of inquiry in order to solicit the views of individuals who had participated in the above collaborations. Theoretically, the study is hinged on a multiplicity of concepts and discourses: symbolic interaction, intercultural communication, theatre studies, postcolonial studies, international education and the discourse on globalisation. In the analysis of the different cases it was discovered that the issue of economic inequality in the contribution towards the funding of the collaborations, among the different modes of power performativity manifested in the collaboration processes, sometimes leads to an imbalance in the decision-making process. Consequently, the power imbalance contributes to the North-South intercultural theatre collaborations‘ unending crisis of identification with imperialism. The study further shows that there are cultural, linguistic, pedagogical, structural and socio-psychological aspects of difference that are negotiated during the course of the collaborations. It was found that the process of navigating the socio-cultural differences provides the participants with an experiential learning environment of living with/within and appreciating cultural differences, thus providing a bridge across the socio-cultural divide. The cultural bridge in theatrical terms, however, leads to the generation of theatrical hybridity and fusion, which again brings into play the debate on intercultural performance authenticity/inauthenticity in theatre discourse. Also, based on the view that intercultural theatre collaborations are microcosms of multifaceted global intercultural interactions, it was seen that the socio-cultural differences that are negotiated through the intercultural theatre collaborations can give one a microcosmic platform for critiquing the grand concept of the ―global village‖ and the associated notion of ―world cultural homogenisation‖. Since this study uses a novel multidisciplinary approach in the analysis of intercultural theatre phenomena, I believe it will contribute to critical theatre studies in Uganda and elsewhere. The findings will also hopefully contribute towards the assessment of intercultural theatre collaborations at Makerere University in order to improve them. The study will also advance the view that intercultural theatre‘s aesthetic and experiential processes can help in interpreting and understanding our respective multicultural environments. Broadly, it will contribute to the discourse on intercultural communication, performance and cultural studies. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie proefskrif ondersoek die dinamika van interkulturele teaterpraktyk. Bestaande navorsing oor interkulturaliteit in die teaterpraktyk beskou interkulturele teater as ‘n forum vir die oorbrugging van kultuurgrense en interkulturele opvoeringstradisies, en vir die ondersoek na aangeleenthede soos die uitvoering van mag tussen die deelnemende partye, leer, kulturele imperialisme, kulturele vertaling en hibriditeit. Die bestaande literatuur bied egter grotendeels nie ‘n historiese perspektief waaruit die dinamika van kontemporêre Noord-na-Suid-samewerkings verstaan kan word nie. Verder verweef die meeste ondersoeke nie die ervarings van die deelnemers aan sulke samewerkings bevredigend in hul analises nie. Hierdie ondersoek dra by tot die vul van daardie navorsingsgaping. Hierdie navorsing poog spesifiek om die dinamika van interkulturele teatersamewerkings in Uganda te ondersoek deur van onlangse interkulturele teateraktiwiteite aan die Departement Uitvoerende Kuns en Film aan die Makerere Universiteit gebruik te maak as gevallestudies. Die beweegrede vir die ondersoek is hoofsaaklik die verkenning van die dinamika van interkulturele Noord-na-Suid-teatersamewerking en ‘n ondersoek na die sosio-kulturele, sosio-politiese en sosio-ekonomiese kenmerke en ander opvattinge wat in hierdie interkulturele teatersamewerkings en -opvoerings gemanifesteer het. Om hierdie ondersoek te onderneem, het ek drie gevalle in ‘n meervoudigegevallestudie-ontwerp bestudeer: die samewerkings tussen onderskeidelik Stanford en Makerere, New York en Makerere, en die Norwegian College of Dance en Makerere. Die meervoudigegevalle-ontwerp is versterk deur die gebruik van persoonlike onderhoude, direkte waarneming, fokusgroepgesprekke, dokumentanalise en e-posnavrae in ‘n poging om die opvattings van individue wat aan die bogenoemde samewerkings deelgeneem het, te verkry. Teoreties is die studie gefundeer in ‘n veelvoud konsepte en diskoerse: simboliese interaksie, interkulturele kommunikasie, teaterstudies, postkoloniale studies, internasionale opvoedkunde en die diskoers oor globalisering. In die analise van die verskillende gevalle is bevind dat die kwessie van ekonomiese ongelykheid in bydraes tot die befondsing van samewerkings, onder die verskillende modusse van magsperformatiwiteit wat in die samewerkingsprosesse gemanifesteer het, soms ‘n wanbalans in die besluitnemingsproses tot gevolg het. Gevolglik dra hierdie magswanbalans by tot die nimmereindigende krisis van identifikasie met imperialisme waaronder interkulturele Noord-na-Suid-teatersamewerkings gebuk gaan. Die ondersoek toon verder dat daar kulturele, linguistiese, pedagogiese, strukturele en sosio-psigologiese verskille is wat oorkom moet word vir suksesvolle samewerkings om plaas te vind. Daar is bevind dat die hantering van sosio-kulturele verskille die deelnemers van ‘n eksperimentele leeromgewing voorsien vir die belewing en waardering van kultuurverskille, waardeur die sosio-kulturele skeiding oorbrug word. Die kulturele brug lei egter, in toneelmatige terme, na die ontwikkeling van toneelmatige hibriditeit en versmelting, wat weer die debat oor die outentisiteit al dan nie van interkulturele opvoerings in die teaterdiskoers aktiveer. Verder is daar, gebaseer op die siening dat interkulturele teatersamewerkings mikrokosmosse van veelvlakkige globale interkulturele interaksie is, bevind dat die sosio-kulturele verskille wat deur interkulturele teatersamewerkings oorkom word, ‘n mikrokosmiese platform kan voorsien vir die kritisering van die begrip van die sogenaamde ―wêrelddorpie‖ en verwante nosies van wêreldwye kulturele homogenisering. Aangesien hierdie ondersoek ‘n nuwe multidissiplinêre benadering tot die analise van interkulturele teaterverskynsels gebruik, glo ek dit sal bydra tot die teaterkritiek in Uganda en elders. Die bevindinge sal hopelik bydra tot die assessering van interkulturele teatersamewerkings aan Makerere Universiteit om hulle te verbeter. Die ondersoek sal ook die siening voortdra dat interkulturele teater se estetiese en ervaringsprosesse kan help met die interpretasie en verstaan van ons onderskeie multikulturele omgewings. Breedweg sal dit bydra tot die diskoers oor interkulturele kommunikasie, opvoering en kultuurstudie.

As China emerges as a major player on the international business scene, it is becoming increasingly important for Western negotiators to understand how the Chinese negotiate business deals. Existing knowledge regarding the Chinese negotiation style is largely based on considering China as one single country and the Chinese as to negotiate in one homogeneous way. Regional differences in the Chinese negotiation style have traditionally been overlooked in the literature. Guided by a negotiation analysis approach, this thesis conducts an exploratory study of the diversity of the Chinese negotiation style from a regional sub-cultural perspective. It suggests four characteristics of the Chinese negotiation style based on the frameworks of international business negotiations and the Chinese cultural roots and values. This thesis investigates five research questions, which address the characteristics of regional negotiation styles and the consequences of these different styles in relation to Sino-Western negotiations. A case study research strategy is employed to study four regions in China, including the Northern, the Eastern, the Southern and the Central region. Each case was studied using three research methods: semi-structured interviews, secondary documents, and negotiation experiments. Interview data analysis focuses on the perceptions of the Chinese negotiators, the Chinese government official, and the foreign negotiators regarding regional negotiation styles, whereas the experiments examine the students cognitive information on regional differences. The results confirm that regional negotiation styles exist in China. The findings show that Northern and Central negotiators have the Chinese negotiation style in the literature. They place emphasis on relationship and face and show low time-sensitivity and risk-taking propensity. On the contrary, Eastern and Southern negotiators are extremely task-oriented and deal-focused, which means they place little value on relationship and face in negotiations. Differences also exist between the two groups of business-oriented negotiators as Southern negotiators have higher time-sensitivity and risk-taking propensity than Eastern negotiators. Differences in historical and geographical backgrounds are found to be the key drivers in the forming of these regional negotiation styles. Importantly, the experiment results show that, in contrast to the conventional idea, Western negotiators might find it easier to negotiate with the relationship-focused Chinese than with the deal-focused Chinese. This is because Northern and Central negotiators appear to be cooperative in Sino-Western negotiations, whereas Eastern and Southern negotiators tend to use a competitive approach. This thesis provides a number of contributions to the existing literature. First, it provides a better understanding of the overall picture of the Chinese negotiation behaviour and fine-tunes the Chinese negotiation style from a regional sub-cultural perspective. This regional approach to the study of culture is not only rare in Sino-Western negotiation studies, but also uncommon in the literature of international business negotiations. Second, this research highlights the fallacious assumption of cultural homogeneity with nations. It calls for academic attention to balance inter-cultural and intra-cultural diversity in the studies of international business. Third, a step is taken towards exploring the regional values and behavioural differences in China. The findings of this research provide directions for future regional studies on other managerial issues.

Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The conservation of resources which fall under communal tenure has been a major dilemma for the past 60 years. In South Africa communal lands support more than a quarter of the country’s citizens, mostly the poorest members of society whose livelihoods rely heavily on natural resources. Wildlife enterprise is an alternative land use strategy for implementing community based resource management on communal lands. Additionally, safari hunting has been recognised as an efficient means of initiating wildlife based land use practises. In the 1980’s a community owned game reserve, which utilised safari hunting as an income source, was established on one of South Africa’s black homelands, the Ciskei. Since then, the reserve has been disbanded but little is known about how it operated, the reason it was formed or why it failed. The aim of this study was twofold: firstly, to document and understand the happenings of a failed community owned hunting reserve in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province and secondly, to determine what level of support there would be amongst the local residents if the reserve was to be re-established. Semi structured, qualitative interviews were conducted to gather information about the reserve from key informants. Structured, randomly selected household surveys were used to gauge local residents support on the idea of having the reserve re-established. Additionally, in doing so it was possible to view, though indirectly, the thoughts and attitudes of the residents to the notion of safari hunting as a land use option. In review of the reserve history it was found that complexities that make up the social settings of communal lands in South Africa were ignored and dealt with through the age-old approach of top-down management regimes. Once the power of the initial authorities was lost the entire project was doomed to failure as local residents felt no need to keep the project alive. Results showed that 73.7% of the respondents would support the redevelopment of the Ntabethemba Reserve while 19.5% would not. The remaining 6.8% could not say whether they would or would not. The majority of the respondents (73%) believed that the area should be marketed for safari hunters, whilst 13% were against it, 9% were neutral and 5% were unsure. The Ntabethemba Reserve can be viewed as a ‘joint-management’ project where management responsibilities were adopted by a non-community party. If a future project is to be undertaken it needs to be aware of the complex socio-ecological setting of the area and account for this in ways that are beyond those advocated in the traditional approach to protected area conservation. The highly skewed distribution of livestock ownership needs to be taken into consideration in that those few individuals who own the most livestock would lose the most from any development that reduces grazing lands. Both the benefits and the costs need to be distributed in such a way that a situation is avoided where only a few are benefiting at the expense of others. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die bewaring van hulpbronne in gebiede met kommunale grondregte is reeds vir die afgelope 60 jaar uiters problematies. In Suid-Afrika is meer as ‘n kwart van alle landsburgers afhanklik van kommunale grondgebiede vir hulle lewensonderhoud. Dit is hoofsaaklik die armste lede van die gemeenskap wat op die natuurlike hulpbronne in hierdie gebiede staatmaak. Natuurlewe-ondernemings bied ‘n alternatiewe strategie vir grondverbruik, wat die implementasie van gemeenskapsaangedrewe hulpbronbestuur op kommunale grond moontlik maak. Daarmee gepaard, is safari-jag ‘n erkende en effektiewe metode om praktyke rondom natuurlewe-gesentreerde grondverbruik te inisieer. Gedurende die 1980’s is ‘n natuurreservaat met gemeenskapsregte in een van Suid-Afrika se swart tuislande, naamlik die Ciskei, gevestig. Safari-jag is as inkomstebron in hierdie reservaat benut. Die reservaat is sedertdien ontbind. Daar is egter min inligting oor hoe die reservaat bedryf is, oor die redes waarom dit geskep is, of waarom dit misluk het. Hierdie studie was tweedoelig: eerstens om die gebeure rondom ‘n mislukte jagreservaat met gemeenskapsregte in die Oos-Kaapprovinsie te dokumenteer en te begryp, and tweedens, om te bepaal of, en in hoe ‘n mate, die plaaslike inworners die hervestiging van die reservaat sou ondersteun. Half-gestruktureerde, kwalitatiewe onderhoude is gevoer om inligting oor die reservaat van sleutelinformante in te win. Gestruktureerde, ewekansig geselekteerde huishoudelike steekproewe is gedoen om die steun vir die moontlike hervestiging van die reservaat te peil. Op indirekte wyse was dit verder moontlik om inwoners se houdings en benaderings tot safari-jag as grondverbruikerskeuse te evalueer. Toe die geskiedenis van die reservaat in oorsig geneem is, is bevind dat die ingewikkelde sosiale agtergrond van gemeenkappe met kommunale grondregte in Suid-Afrika verontagsaam is, en dat die afgeleefde bestuursbenadering “van-bo-af-ondertoe” ook hier gebruik is. Toe die eermalige owerhede al hulle uitvoerende magte verloor het was die projek tot mislukking bestem, omdat die plaaslike inwoners geen rede gesien het om dit aan die lewe te hou nie. Die resultate het getoon dat 73.7% van die respondente die herontwikkeling van die Ntabethemba Reservaat sou ondersteun, terwyl 19.5% dit nie sou doen nie. Die oorblywende 6.8% kon nie sȇ of hulle ten gunste daarvan was of nie. Die meerderheid van die respondente (73%) is van mening dat die gebied as safarijaggebbied bemark moet word, terwyl 13% daarteen was, 9% neutraal en 5% onseker was. Die Ntabethemba-reservaat kan eerder as ‘n projek van “gesamentlike-bestuur” beskou word, as ‘n inisiatief wat uiteraard op “kommunaal-gebaseerde natuurlike hulpbronbestuur” (CBNRM) gegrond is. As ‘n projek in die toekoms weer geloots word, moet sorgvuldig ag geslaan word op die ingewikkelde sosio-ekologiese agtergrond van die gebied. Dit mag nie, soos in die verlede, bloot volgens die tradisionele benadering tot die bewaring van beskermde gebiede van stapel gestuur word nie. Die erg skewe verspreiding van veebesit is uiters belangrik in hierdie konteks, aangesien die paar individue wat die meeste vee besit, die grootste verliese sal moet dra as ‘n ontwikkeling plaasvind wat weidingsverliese behels. Beide voordele en verliese moet opgeweeg en eweredig versprei word, sodat ‘n paar mense nie ten koste van ander begunstig word nie.

A double case study applying action research methodology was conducted in two pharmaceutical preparation manufacturers in the Netherlands to improve their manufacturing systems by implementing time-based manufacturing (TBM) practices. Following the diagnosis phase, the situation of each Company was analysed and suitable improvement interventions were selected for implementation in the Case Companies. At the end of the action research project, semi-structured interviews were taken in each Company a year later, and the achieved results of the improvement programmes were collected and analysed. This research extends the existing theory of time-based competition and demonstrates that TBM practices apply also in the pharmaceutical preparation manufacturing industry. Furthermore, this study shows how to improve TBM practices and reduce the throughput time by providing the route for improvement and implementation. Although the first Case Company did not improve the core TBM practices and manufacturing performance, its infrastructure improved through the implementation of an ERP system and further enhancement of its quality management system, illustrating that the design of the infrastructure is a key factor to become a time-based competitor. The second Case Company succeeded to improve the 2 TBM practices and throughput processes resulting in the reduction of the order cycle time and increase of the delivery dependability. Based on the data of the two Case Companies, this study demonstrated the relationship between these two manufacturing performance parameters, which indicates that manufacturers may strive for both delivery speed and delivery reliability using the same improvement plan. Adopting TBM is a long journey of many years and needs a continuous improvement infrastructure.

Building Information Modeling, or BIM, is a digital representation of physical and functional characteristics of a facility that serves as a shared resource for information for decision-making throughout the project lifecycle (National Institute of Building Sciences, 2007). The masonry construction industry currently suffers from the lack of BIM integration. Where other industries and trades have increased productivity by implementing standards for software-enhanced workflows, masonry construction has failed to adopt information tools and processes. New information technology and process modeling tools have grown in popularity and their use is helping to understand and improve construction processes. The Systems Modeling Language, or SysML, is one of the process modeling tools we can use to model and analyze the various processes and workflows. In this research, a case study methodology was applied to analyze the masonry construction industry to understand the current state of masonry construction processes and workflows. This thesis reviews these concepts and the applied case studies which are necessary to move forward with the implementation of BIM for masonry.

American research universities, especially over the past 30 years, have increasingly become involved in technology transfer activities. For public land grant institutions, involvement is largely inspired by a desire to maximize revenue opportunities and demonstrate economic relevance. This intrinsic case study addresses the efforts of a public, land grant and flagship institution, the University of Kentucky, to augment its technology transfer activities, with a specific focus on its attempts to spin off university technology-based firms. The data were gathered primarily through oral history interviews with technology transfer personnel, entrepreneurs, and spinoff personnel. Its purpose is to understand better the structure of the university’s technology transfer operations, the impact of changes in institutional administration and priorities on these efforts, and variables that challenge and accommodate accomplishment of organizational goals. The findings of this study indicate that the structure of technology transfer operations at the university is complex, and somewhat confounding. Administrative changes impact various groups differently than others, and a major challenge to the accomplishment of goals is funding. Moreover, distinct but related groups seem to lack consistent, overarching goals.

<p>This thesis presents empirical research in the field of software development with a focus on handling semantic aspects. There is a general lack of empirical data in the field of software development. This makes it difficult for industry to choose an appropriate method for their particular needs. The lack of empirical data also makes it difficult to convey academic results to the industrial world.</p><p>This thesis tries to remedy this problem by presenting a number of empirical evaluations that have been conducted to evaluate some common approaches in the field of semantics handling. The evaluations have produced some interesting results, but their main contribution is the addition to the body of knowledge on how to perform empirical evaluations in software development. The evaluations presented in this thesis include a between-groups controlled experiment, industrial case studies and a full factorial design controlled experiment. The factorial design seems like the most promising approach to use when the number of factors that need to be controlled is high and the number of available test subjects is low. A factorial design has the power to evaluate more than one factor at a time and hence to gauge the effects from different factors on the output.</p><p>Another contribution of the thesis is the development of a method for handling semantic aspects in an industrial setting. A background investigation performed concludes that there seems to be a gap between what academia proposes and how industry handles semantics in the development process. The proposed method aims at bridging this gap. It is based on academic results but has reduced formalism to better suit industrial needs. The method is applicable in an industrial setting without interfering too much with the normal way of working, yet providing important benefits. This method is evaluated in the empirical studies along with other methods for handling semantics. In the area of semantic handling, further contributions of the thesis include a taxonomy for semantic handling methods as well as an improved understanding of the relation between semantic errors and the concept of contracts as a means of avoiding and handling these errors.</p>