The strategic decision making process (SDMP) is a major issue in organisations. It is part of the larger topic of strategic management and related to strategic planning. Achievement of strategic objectives outlined in the strategic plan of an organisation depends on the decisions taken through the process. Yet the literature shows that the concept of SDMP is not well understood and organisations find it difficult to develop and implement an SDMP, particularly Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The literature indicates that decisions are taken in organizations in different ways for example using intuition, data, collaboration and ad-hoc considerations. In addition contextual factors are argued to affect the SDMP although very little research has been conducted to explain how contextual factors affect SDMP they do in HEIs. Some examples of contextual factors namely decision process characteristics have been identified and discussed as part of the SDMP literature in industry. However, lack of knowledge about SDMP and how contextual factors influence SDMP is regarded as to be a major obstacle for HEIs in taking decisions and choosing the best alternative amongst available decisions. This research seeks to contribute to address this important issue. Whilst there are many strategic decision characteristics (contextual factors) identified in the literature, this research focuses on decision importance. The rationale for choosing decision importance was that there is always some concern in the minds of the decision makers in the HEIs on what constitutes an important decision. What is considered as important decision while the decision is being taken may prove to be less important after implementation if there is no clear understanding of how to assign importance to a decision. Even in the industrial sector, Elbanna and Child (2007) it has been argued that decision importance has not been studied well. Relying upon the theoretical model developed by Elbanna and Child and other arguments found in the literatue, this research argued that the SDMP is a combination of relationships between decision characteristics, SDMP characteristics and decision outcomes that are influenced by environmental factors. As far as environmental factors were concerned environmental uncertainty was chosen as an external environment factor while organisational performance was chosen as the internal contextual factor. These two factors were argued to moderate the relationship between SDMP characteristics and SDMP outcomes and theoretical support for this conceptualisation was taken from the model developed by Elbanna and Child. A research model was developed to address the research questions, and the aim of the study was “to examine the different decision specific characteristic, SDMP characteristic and SDMP process outcome variables and develop a relationship amongst them in the context of HEIs in a changing environment”. The research was conducted in the United States of America and data was gathered from faculty members involved in decision making at the department level and higher. A positivist epistemological and objective ontological stance was adopted and a deductive approach was used. The research model was tested using the data collected from 485 valid responses to a survey questionnaire. Linear regression was the primary analysis approach and supplemented by path analysis. Results from the regression analysis showed that decision importance exerts influence on decision effectiveness through the mediators, rationality in decision making, intuition and decentralization in decision making. However, the outcome of path analysis showed that only rationality in decision making and intuition are important while decentalisation was not found to be statistically significant. Similarly environmental factors exerted pressure only on the relationship between rationality in decision making and decision effectiveness. The contradicting SDMP factors rationality in decision making and intuition were both found to be necessary to SDMP in the HEI context. This research has contributed to knowledge in terms of establishing a relationship between decision importance and decision process effectiveness mediated by rationality in decision making and intuition and development of the model. Theoretically the findings of this research show that the modification imposed on the model developed by Elbanna and Child was found to be statistically significant and found support from the literature. Environmental factors affected the relationship between rationality in decision making and decision effectiveness. This research has provided a model that can be used to help decision makers in HEIs to implement SDMP practically in the organization, to guide the process towards more robust decisions. The findings of this research find application in supporting policy makers to increase the likelihood of more effective decisions so that the decisions taken more effective.

A presente pesquisa buscou mensurar e compreender o impacto da Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel) no desenvolvimento socioeconômico da Região do Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento (COREDE Sul), Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.A metodologia de trabalho se valeu de diferentes dados quantitativos e qualitativos sob a perspectiva da divisão Estadual em COREDEs. Primeiramente, baseado na discussão teórica, expõe-se dados quantitativos secundários oficiais que também são usados em uma aplicação de análise de regressão linear múltipla. O resultado da análise estatística indicou que, entre os parâmetros independentes utilizados – ex: PIB, população urbana e rural e quantidade de Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES) –, todos influenciam positivamente o IDESE (Índice de Desenvolvimento Socioeconômico) do COREDE. Porém, dentre esses parâmetros, o que mais influência é a quantidade de IES. Em um segundo momento, a metodologia usou o mapeamento de profissionais pertencentes a três conselhos de classe, a saber: Conselho Regional de Engenharia, Arquitetura e Agronomia (CREA-RS), Conselho Regional de Medicina (CREME-RS) e Conselho Regional de Medicina Veterinária (CRMV-RS). Buscando parâmetros de comparação com os dados da UFPel, utilizou-se dados de egressos de duas outras IESs do Estado, cujos históricos de institucionalização têm similitudes.Optou-se por trabalhar com os dados da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria e Universidade de Passo Fundo. Com esta estratégia de comparação, pôde-se identificar quanto cada uma dessas IESs retém de seus egressos nos COREDEs onde as mesmas estão localizadas; bem como, saber para que outros COREDEs os demais egressos migraram. O resultado da pesquisa retrata a localização residencial/comercial dos profissionais observados em 2013. A terceira estratégia de análise usou o dado ‘quantidade de egressos’ da UFPel, entre os anos de 1990 a 2012, para compará-lo aos respectivos registros profissionais iniciados a partir de 1990 até o presente. Esta comparação proporcionou a identificação quantitativa do impacto dos egressos da UFPel nos campos profissionais de trabalho observados. Por último, aplicou-se um questionário de campo que objetivou apreender a percepção de funcionários das prefeituras municipais, que compõem o COREDE Sul, sobre o papel da UFPel no desenvolvimento econômico dessa região. O trabalho de pesquisa concluiu que a UFPel é muito importante para a região do COREDE Sul e para o Estado no que tange à agricultura. Todavia, através das diferentes análises quantitativas feitas pela pesquisa, fica a percepção de que mais poderia ser aproveitado do recurso acadêmico e humano existente na UFPel. Através dos questionários, transpareceu a falta de comunicação objetiva e eficiente entre a universidade e as administrações municipais. A pesquisa apontou para um impacto importante, abrindo caminhos a serem perseguidos pelo trabalho de investigação científica, já que a mesma mostra a distribuição geográfica parcial do capital humano gerado por três IESs importantes do Estado. / The research sought to measure and understand the impact of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) in the socioeconomic development of the Southern Regional Development Council (COREDE Sul), State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The work methodology was based on the data analysis from the COREDE division point of view. Firstly, based on a theoretical discussion, quantitative data was shown, discussed and the parameters used in a multiple linear regression application. The statistical analysis results indicated that among the independent parameters utilized – e.g. GDP, urban and rural population and quantity of higher education institution (HEI) – all of them positively influence the COREDE IDESE (Index of Socioeconomic Development). However, among all of them the one most influence it is the amount of HEI. Secondly, the methodology mapped the residential address of professionals belonging to three professional councils (Council of Engineering, Architecture and Agronomy(CREA-RS), Council of Medicine (CREME-RS) and Council of Veterinary Medicine (CRMV-RS)). Seeking parameters to be compared with data from UFPel, data from two other HEIs were used. We chose to work with the data of the Federal University of Santa Maria and Passo Fundo University. With this comparison strategy, it was possible to identify how much each of these HEIs retains its graduates in COREDEs where they are located, as well as where the remaining graduates migrate. The research result depicts the residential/commercial location of professionals observed in 2013. The third analysis strategy used the 'amount of graduates' from UFPel, between the years 1990-2012, to compare it to their professional records started from 1990 to the present. This comparison provided the quantitative identification of the impact of UFPel graduates in professional observed fields. Finally, we applied a field questionnaire aimed at apprehending the perception of officials from different municipalities that make up the Southern COREDE on the role of UFPel in the economic development of this region. The research concluded that UFPel is very important for the region of COREDE Sul and the State regarding agriculture production. However, the overall perception is that more could be leveraged from the existing academic and human resource at UFPel. Through the questionnaires, it was possible to apprehend the lack of objective and efficient communication between the university and municipalities. The research pointed to an important impact, opening avenues to be pursued by scientific research work since it showed a partial geographic distribution of the human capital generated by three important State HEIs.

A presente pesquisa buscou mensurar e compreender o impacto da Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel) no desenvolvimento socioeconômico da Região do Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento (COREDE Sul), Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.A metodologia de trabalho se valeu de diferentes dados quantitativos e qualitativos sob a perspectiva da divisão Estadual em COREDEs. Primeiramente, baseado na discussão teórica, expõe-se dados quantitativos secundários oficiais que também são usados em uma aplicação de análise de regressão linear múltipla. O resultado da análise estatística indicou que, entre os parâmetros independentes utilizados – ex: PIB, população urbana e rural e quantidade de Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES) –, todos influenciam positivamente o IDESE (Índice de Desenvolvimento Socioeconômico) do COREDE. Porém, dentre esses parâmetros, o que mais influência é a quantidade de IES. Em um segundo momento, a metodologia usou o mapeamento de profissionais pertencentes a três conselhos de classe, a saber: Conselho Regional de Engenharia, Arquitetura e Agronomia (CREA-RS), Conselho Regional de Medicina (CREME-RS) e Conselho Regional de Medicina Veterinária (CRMV-RS). Buscando parâmetros de comparação com os dados da UFPel, utilizou-se dados de egressos de duas outras IESs do Estado, cujos históricos de institucionalização têm similitudes.Optou-se por trabalhar com os dados da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria e Universidade de Passo Fundo. Com esta estratégia de comparação, pôde-se identificar quanto cada uma dessas IESs retém de seus egressos nos COREDEs onde as mesmas estão localizadas; bem como, saber para que outros COREDEs os demais egressos migraram. O resultado da pesquisa retrata a localização residencial/comercial dos profissionais observados em 2013. A terceira estratégia de análise usou o dado ‘quantidade de egressos’ da UFPel, entre os anos de 1990 a 2012, para compará-lo aos respectivos registros profissionais iniciados a partir de 1990 até o presente. Esta comparação proporcionou a identificação quantitativa do impacto dos egressos da UFPel nos campos profissionais de trabalho observados. Por último, aplicou-se um questionário de campo que objetivou apreender a percepção de funcionários das prefeituras municipais, que compõem o COREDE Sul, sobre o papel da UFPel no desenvolvimento econômico dessa região. O trabalho de pesquisa concluiu que a UFPel é muito importante para a região do COREDE Sul e para o Estado no que tange à agricultura. Todavia, através das diferentes análises quantitativas feitas pela pesquisa, fica a percepção de que mais poderia ser aproveitado do recurso acadêmico e humano existente na UFPel. Através dos questionários, transpareceu a falta de comunicação objetiva e eficiente entre a universidade e as administrações municipais. A pesquisa apontou para um impacto importante, abrindo caminhos a serem perseguidos pelo trabalho de investigação científica, já que a mesma mostra a distribuição geográfica parcial do capital humano gerado por três IESs importantes do Estado. / The research sought to measure and understand the impact of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) in the socioeconomic development of the Southern Regional Development Council (COREDE Sul), State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The work methodology was based on the data analysis from the COREDE division point of view. Firstly, based on a theoretical discussion, quantitative data was shown, discussed and the parameters used in a multiple linear regression application. The statistical analysis results indicated that among the independent parameters utilized – e.g. GDP, urban and rural population and quantity of higher education institution (HEI) – all of them positively influence the COREDE IDESE (Index of Socioeconomic Development). However, among all of them the one most influence it is the amount of HEI. Secondly, the methodology mapped the residential address of professionals belonging to three professional councils (Council of Engineering, Architecture and Agronomy(CREA-RS), Council of Medicine (CREME-RS) and Council of Veterinary Medicine (CRMV-RS)). Seeking parameters to be compared with data from UFPel, data from two other HEIs were used. We chose to work with the data of the Federal University of Santa Maria and Passo Fundo University. With this comparison strategy, it was possible to identify how much each of these HEIs retains its graduates in COREDEs where they are located, as well as where the remaining graduates migrate. The research result depicts the residential/commercial location of professionals observed in 2013. The third analysis strategy used the 'amount of graduates' from UFPel, between the years 1990-2012, to compare it to their professional records started from 1990 to the present. This comparison provided the quantitative identification of the impact of UFPel graduates in professional observed fields. Finally, we applied a field questionnaire aimed at apprehending the perception of officials from different municipalities that make up the Southern COREDE on the role of UFPel in the economic development of this region. The research concluded that UFPel is very important for the region of COREDE Sul and the State regarding agriculture production. However, the overall perception is that more could be leveraged from the existing academic and human resource at UFPel. Through the questionnaires, it was possible to apprehend the lack of objective and efficient communication between the university and municipalities. The research pointed to an important impact, opening avenues to be pursued by scientific research work since it showed a partial geographic distribution of the human capital generated by three important State HEIs.

nÃo hà / Diante da popularidade das redes sociais da internet no mundo e das vantagens e desvantagens da cibercultura, a internet se apresenta Ãs instituiÃÃes de ensino superior (IES) como um meio propÃcio a atividades de marketing visando melhoria competitiva. No que tange Ãs redes sociais da internet e seu carÃter de atuaÃÃo conversacional e informacional, tais ambientes se tornaram uma das principais ferramentas tecnolÃgicas e de socializaÃÃo da era atual. Como teoricamente esses ambientes sÃo uma oportunidade para exposiÃÃo de marca e relacionamento com clientes, questionou-se como as instituiÃÃes de ensino superior brasileiras atuam nas redes sociais da internet. Com base nisso, esta dissertaÃÃo realizou um estudo dividido em duas fases. A primeira realizada atravÃs de um censo com todas as IES do Brasil e a segunda atravÃs de uma anÃlise em profundidade com casos mÃltiplos envolvendo as cinco IES de maior nota do Ãndice Geral de Cursos (IGC) no paÃs. No censo, foram pesquisadas informaÃÃes institucionais e cadastrais das instituiÃÃes de ensino superior, dados de populaÃÃo e de Produto Interno Bruto (PIB) das regiÃes brasileiras e caracterÃsticas sobre atuaÃÃo das IES nos sites de rede social Twitter e Facebook. Jà na anÃlise em profundidade, foram observadas caracterÃsticas de conteÃdo publicado, contato pÃblico com os usuÃrios associados, aplicativos paralelos usados e divulgaÃÃo realizada pela IES. Viu-se nesta pesquisa que 50,5% das IES do paÃs possuem registro em sites de rede social, mas que apenas 33% das IES brasileiras se mantÃm ativas no Facebook e somente 41% das IES do paÃs no Twitter. Viu-se tambÃm que o Sudeste à a regiÃo que mais possui IES com atuaÃÃo ativa em sites de rede social, mas que à a regiÃo Sul que mantÃm o melhor desempenho interno em percentual de IES com atuaÃÃo ativa. Foi possÃvel tambÃm perceber que as cinco melhores IES do IGC nÃo necessariamente sÃo universidades pÃblicas nem atuantes ativamente em sites de rede social, mesmo que essa condiÃÃo se mostre ao analisar as cinco melhores IES do IGC dentro de cada regiÃo. Concluiu-se, por fim, que as IES do Brasil atualmente fogem das tendÃncias mundiais em relaÃÃo a redes sociais da internet por ainda nÃo se perceber uma adesÃo em grande escala, mas com perspectivas de crescimento a partir do prÃximo relatÃrio do IGC

A presente pesquisa buscou mensurar e compreender o impacto da Universidade Federal de Pelotas (UFPel) no desenvolvimento socioeconômico da Região do Conselho Regional de Desenvolvimento (COREDE Sul), Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil.A metodologia de trabalho se valeu de diferentes dados quantitativos e qualitativos sob a perspectiva da divisão Estadual em COREDEs. Primeiramente, baseado na discussão teórica, expõe-se dados quantitativos secundários oficiais que também são usados em uma aplicação de análise de regressão linear múltipla. O resultado da análise estatística indicou que, entre os parâmetros independentes utilizados – ex: PIB, população urbana e rural e quantidade de Instituição de Ensino Superior (IES) –, todos influenciam positivamente o IDESE (Índice de Desenvolvimento Socioeconômico) do COREDE. Porém, dentre esses parâmetros, o que mais influência é a quantidade de IES. Em um segundo momento, a metodologia usou o mapeamento de profissionais pertencentes a três conselhos de classe, a saber: Conselho Regional de Engenharia, Arquitetura e Agronomia (CREA-RS), Conselho Regional de Medicina (CREME-RS) e Conselho Regional de Medicina Veterinária (CRMV-RS). Buscando parâmetros de comparação com os dados da UFPel, utilizou-se dados de egressos de duas outras IESs do Estado, cujos históricos de institucionalização têm similitudes.Optou-se por trabalhar com os dados da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria e Universidade de Passo Fundo. Com esta estratégia de comparação, pôde-se identificar quanto cada uma dessas IESs retém de seus egressos nos COREDEs onde as mesmas estão localizadas; bem como, saber para que outros COREDEs os demais egressos migraram. O resultado da pesquisa retrata a localização residencial/comercial dos profissionais observados em 2013. A terceira estratégia de análise usou o dado ‘quantidade de egressos’ da UFPel, entre os anos de 1990 a 2012, para compará-lo aos respectivos registros profissionais iniciados a partir de 1990 até o presente. Esta comparação proporcionou a identificação quantitativa do impacto dos egressos da UFPel nos campos profissionais de trabalho observados. Por último, aplicou-se um questionário de campo que objetivou apreender a percepção de funcionários das prefeituras municipais, que compõem o COREDE Sul, sobre o papel da UFPel no desenvolvimento econômico dessa região. O trabalho de pesquisa concluiu que a UFPel é muito importante para a região do COREDE Sul e para o Estado no que tange à agricultura. Todavia, através das diferentes análises quantitativas feitas pela pesquisa, fica a percepção de que mais poderia ser aproveitado do recurso acadêmico e humano existente na UFPel. Através dos questionários, transpareceu a falta de comunicação objetiva e eficiente entre a universidade e as administrações municipais. A pesquisa apontou para um impacto importante, abrindo caminhos a serem perseguidos pelo trabalho de investigação científica, já que a mesma mostra a distribuição geográfica parcial do capital humano gerado por três IESs importantes do Estado. / The research sought to measure and understand the impact of the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel) in the socioeconomic development of the Southern Regional Development Council (COREDE Sul), State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The work methodology was based on the data analysis from the COREDE division point of view. Firstly, based on a theoretical discussion, quantitative data was shown, discussed and the parameters used in a multiple linear regression application. The statistical analysis results indicated that among the independent parameters utilized – e.g. GDP, urban and rural population and quantity of higher education institution (HEI) – all of them positively influence the COREDE IDESE (Index of Socioeconomic Development). However, among all of them the one most influence it is the amount of HEI. Secondly, the methodology mapped the residential address of professionals belonging to three professional councils (Council of Engineering, Architecture and Agronomy(CREA-RS), Council of Medicine (CREME-RS) and Council of Veterinary Medicine (CRMV-RS)). Seeking parameters to be compared with data from UFPel, data from two other HEIs were used. We chose to work with the data of the Federal University of Santa Maria and Passo Fundo University. With this comparison strategy, it was possible to identify how much each of these HEIs retains its graduates in COREDEs where they are located, as well as where the remaining graduates migrate. The research result depicts the residential/commercial location of professionals observed in 2013. The third analysis strategy used the 'amount of graduates' from UFPel, between the years 1990-2012, to compare it to their professional records started from 1990 to the present. This comparison provided the quantitative identification of the impact of UFPel graduates in professional observed fields. Finally, we applied a field questionnaire aimed at apprehending the perception of officials from different municipalities that make up the Southern COREDE on the role of UFPel in the economic development of this region. The research concluded that UFPel is very important for the region of COREDE Sul and the State regarding agriculture production. However, the overall perception is that more could be leveraged from the existing academic and human resource at UFPel. Through the questionnaires, it was possible to apprehend the lack of objective and efficient communication between the university and municipalities. The research pointed to an important impact, opening avenues to be pursued by scientific research work since it showed a partial geographic distribution of the human capital generated by three important State HEIs.

The problem with which this study is concerned is to determine the status of academic program evaluation in Texas' senior colleges and universities. The purpose of the study is to determine current procedures, timelines, participants, and use of results of academic program evaluation in the surveyed institutions. The presidents of the seventy-three senior colleges and universities in Texas were contacted for permission to conduct the study. Fifty-four presidents gave their permission and supplied designated contact individuals, forty-six of whom responded for a 62 per cent response rate. The twentyitem survey instrument, which was designed to fulfill the purpose of the study, was evaluated by experts in the field of academic program evaluation at the senior institutional level. All data are reported by frequency, percentage, and rank ordering because these data indicate frequency of use and degree of importance.

Magister Bibliothecologiae - MBibl / In the academic world, open access institutional repositories (IRs) are beginning to play a vital role in storing and disseminating scholarly communication. Through this method, higher education institutions are able to showcase their intellectual outputs and to contribute to sharing and building knowledge. This evolutionary process of scholarly communication is an important feature of knowledge societies.Furthermore, IRs allow scholars to make known the research they are involved in,which can result in their academic reputation improving, as well as the reputations of the institutions they represent.The purpose of this study is to examine the processes of establishing IRs in the four tertiary education institutions in the Western Cape, which form part of the Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC). Within this consortium is the collaborative library project, the Cape Library Consortium (CALICO), which represents the four academic library services. The researcher investigated whether the four Western Cape Higher Education Institutions have established IRs and their experiences in doing so. They are examined in the light of the guidelines for successful IRs already established in the international professional literature on IRs. Throughout the study,the partnerships that are needed for the success of IRs, with a specific emphasis on the crucial role that the librarian might play in this regard, are a central focus.The study is a qualitative case study, relying on interviews with key informants from the four HEIs and analysing policy and other supporting documents. The study confirms comment in the literature that IRs evolve in “messy” and “spotty” ways. The key findings might be summarised in the form of four assertions:• “It is all about people”• Philosophical differences are significant • Context and history cannot be ignored • The role of the university library is ambiguous.It is hoped that the study of fledgling IR projects might provide insights useful to the broader IR research and professional literature.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Higher education institutions in South Africa have invested heavily in information technology and information systems, with variable outcomes. Organisations in other sectors, such as engineering, the defence industry, public administration and business, have developed and adopted standards and guides to good practice for the development and operation of software-based systems. In the history of standards-making there was an early vision of the need to extend standardisation beyond software engineering into the world that acquires and uses systems, and yet the overall scope of available standards is still limited. Seeing slow progress in the international committees that develop nationally-endorsed standards (such as ISO-IEC/JTC1/SC7) practitioner communities moved to develop good practice guides such as COBIT and ITIL, that have found considerable interest in progressive organisations. Hence a range of potential guidance is available. In order to assess the extent to which standards and good practice guides might assist higher education, the four tertiary institutions in the Western Cape were approached and a representative range of academic, administrative and managerial individuals agreed to contribute to the study as respondents. Interviews were organised in two parts: the first an open conversation about their involvement with systems, and the second a structured examination of systems-related events that they considered significant. By inspection of those events, bipolar scales were developed by which respondents were able to characterise events (for example as ‘challenging’ or ‘easy’, or as ‘functional’ or ‘dysfunctional’). Respondents rated events on those scales. Repertory Grid analysis was applied so as to investigate which scales correlated with event success. 30 scales (out of 170) proved to be adequately correlated with success, and by principal component analysis they were combined to form nine ‘success scale’ groups, indicating nine areas where the deployment of standards or good practice guides might be expected to lead to more effective use of improved information systems. The study adopted an abductive approach to the work, keeping open the question of what might be the contribution to knowledge. In the event, a new Reference Model emerged from the data analysis that contributes to the effective choice and management of standards and good practice guides .A review of available standards and good practice guides using the new Reference Model concludes that the good practice guides are more applicable than the internationally developed standards, and in some areas management models and frameworks have a contribution to make. The utility of standards, good practice guides and management models will depend on the circumstances and context of use, which are extremely variable. A portfolio approach to the management of information systems provides a means to deal with that variability. It is further found that the IMBOK1 can be used to assess the linkages between information technology, information systems, business processes, business benefits and business strategy. The new Reference Model has a role to play in resolving the need for standards in the four junctions between those five IMBOK domains. Selected standards are assessed in that way, and an illustrative commentary is provided showing how projects and other systems-related initiatives can be assessed using the new Reference Model and the IMBOK. / Carnegie Corporation of New York

This study reflects on an outreach initiative between two differing tertiary cultures established on different continents. The aim is to develop an understanding of what happens when a prestigious American university and a South African Higher Education Institution meet around a computer-mediated situation. Various inter-relating aspects such as cooperation and cooperative learning, educational technology, Higher Educational Institutions, globalisation, the international Digital Divide, cultural diversity, commonalities, cultural differences, an international learning programme, and power relations in international partnerships are explored. The effect of technology on education is that information is no longer restricted to a single geographical setting, instead it has expanded and became a dynamic international driving force. Increasing educational needs compel Higher Education Institutions to provide in these needs and to adapt to a more flexible learning style. Globalisation causes the world to get smaller, compressed, interconnected and resulted in a world that is in effect flat. Information communication technologies are changing the world. On the one hand the Internet promotes communication and freedom but on the other hand causes uneven development all over the globe. The Digital Divide pertains to the divide between the global well-resourced learners and the local under-resourced learners. Cultural differences between nations and organisations can be interpreted against the background of different models of cultural dimensions. The focus of the study is to explore the effect of commonalities and cultural differences on cooperative learning at organisational level. Power relations between international partners were challenging and resulted in conflict and differences of opinion. The project started with the University of Pretoria’s visit to Stanford University in November 2004. The preparation, organisation and planning phases continued through 2005. The ELISA project was intended as a three-year intervention from 2006 through 2008. The first year was supposed to be a pilot phase to gather and provide information for use in the second and third years. This study pertains to the pilot phase which started in February 2006 until June 2006. It was successfully completed and achieved a 93% success rate. However, in September 2006 Stanford unexpectedly informed the South African partners that the project would be discontinued due to several reasons. Their objections related to the lack of visible progress regarding content scheduling, media production, course logistics, and research practicalities. Although there were accommodating personalities among the project leaders on both sides interpersonal conflict between the remaining project leaders developed. The partners on both sides could not generate sufficient commonality regarding the need to continue. The situation was worsened by the fact that the initial rationale for the project lacked shared motivation among the project leaders on both sides. It is suggested that more research be conducted to explore possible differences of opinion and undercurrents among project leaders throughout the project, and to scrutinize the initial rationale as well as curriculum issues in good time, and to investigate the role of power relations between international partners that are funded by international grants, and the effect of these power relations on the learning experiences of the students involved. Copyright / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Science, Mathematics and Technology Education / unrestricted

O presente trabalho apresenta um estudo sobre a identificação e a avaliação dos principais atributos e respectivas dimensões da qualidade, na percepção dos alunos de graduação do curso de Administração, que influenciam na sua satisfação em relação aos serviços prestados pela Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS). Ao identificar e avaliar estes atributos e as dimensões da qualidade dos serviços prestados, na perspectiva dos alunos do referido Curso, existe a possibilidade de contribuir para um melhor planejamento e desempenho institucional, buscando a qualificação do curso de Administração, estimulando a retenção de clientes (alunos), além de ampliar o nível de competitividade da Instituição no mercado. Para tanto, a pesquisa foi desenvolvida em duas fases: a primeira, caracterizada como uma pesquisa qualitativa, de caráter exploratório, implementada por meio de entrevistas individuais em profundidade; e a segunda, caracterizada como uma pesquisa quantitativa, de caráter descritivo, com a aplicação de uma survey. Para o processo de análise dos dados foram utilizadas técnicas estatísticas que evidenciaram a avaliação do grau de satisfação geral e por atributo identificado, bem como, a identificação das dimensões (fatores) da qualidade dos serviços prestados pela Instituição de Ensino Superior. Pela Análise Fatorial, foram contemplados 39 atributos que ficaram agrupados em 10 dimensões (fatores). / This paper presents a study about the identification and evaluation of the main characteristics of quality according to the business Administration students related to their satisfaction with the services offered by the Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS). When naming and evaluating these features, as well as the quality of the services offered, according to those students' views, the chances of innovating the administrative processes are enlarged. These not only contribute to qualify the program of business Administration and to keep the students at the Institution but also enlarges the Institution´s competitiveness in the market. The survey was divided into two parts: the first one, under a qualitative exploratory basis, through individual interviews; and the second part was characterized by a quantitative research, in a descriptive basis. In order to analyze the data, statistical resources were applied so that the level of satisfaction for each item could be evidenced, as well as the range of the quality in the services offered by the Higher Education Institution. By Means Factor Analysis, 39 features were put in 10 categories.