Yes / This study argues for recognition of the constitutive role of context in shaping the dynamics of the policy‐practice interface in the field of gender equality in universities. Using a comparative and reflective case‐study approach, we draw on our experiences, as action‐researchers, of developing and implementing Gender Equality Action Plans (GEAPs) in four universities in four different European countries and we explore the role of national and local context in the mediation and translation of the GEAP model. Drawing on the concepts of gendered organizations, dialogic organizational change, and policy mobilities, we argue for the need to be critical of approaches to gender equality in higher education (HE) that presume policy measures and good practice models transfer unproblematically to different HE organizations in different international contexts; instead, we draw attention to the contingent ways in which uneven gender relations articulate and manifest in different contexts, shaping possibilities for, and obstacles to, gender equality intervention. Thus, we argue that context plays a crucial constitutive role in the interpretation, enactment, and impact of gender equality policy in HE. / FP7 Science in Society. Grant Number: 321378

This report discloses the implementation of a collaboration tool in the form of action plans and discussion functionality in behalf of the company ZonderaCom AB (Zondera). The current tool used for this purpose is inflexible, have a hard time meeting customer requirements and therefore needs to be replaced. The new application is part of a larger entity where user management and database schemas are already in place. The functionality of this application consists of issue management, chat/discussion, document management, notes, sharing and printing. For users with higher permissions a summary view will also be available. The application is implemented using ASP.NET Core MVC, Entity Framework (EF) and SQL Server as the database engine. A SPA-based approach is used where the UI (User Interface) is dynamically rendered and loaded via Ajax and partial views. The source code for the application is largely omitted from this report due to business reasons. Interface’s and database schemas are used to display code and database structure. / Denna rapport behandlar implementeringen av ett samarbetsverktyg i form av handlingsplaner och diskussion till företaget ZonderaCom AB (Zondera). Det verktyg som använts tidigare i detta syfta är oflexibelt, har svårt att uppnå återkommande kundkrav och behöver därför bytas ut. Applikationen är en del av en större helhet där användarhantering och databas redan finns på plats. I applikationen ska funktionalitet för aktivitetshantering, chatt/diskussion, dokumentuppladdning, anteckningar, delning och utskrift implementeras. För användare med högre behörighet ska även en administrativ översikt finnas tillgänglig. Applikationen implementeras med hjälp av ASP.NET Core MVC, Entity Framework (EF) och SQL Server som databasmotor. Ett SPA-baserat angreppsätt används där gränssnitt laddas dynamiskt via Ajax och partial views. Källkod för applikationen och implementering på detaljnivå har till största del utelämnats ur denna rapport av affärsmässiga skäl. Interface och databasscheman används för att visa kod- och databasstruktur.

The purpose of this study was to examine how teachers see the use of action plans for students in need of special support in physical education. The questions used were: What do the teachers consider being the causes for students not reaching the objectives in physical education? What experiences do four teachers have considering the work with action plans for students in need of special support? And, what experiences have one chosen head of school about establishing action plans for students in need of special support? To reach the answers to these questions qualitative interviews were made with four teachers from different schools. The interviews deal with the teachers views on assessment, curriculum, and the work with action plans for students in need of special support. The results show that that the underlying causes for students not reaching their objectives was either lack of participation or difficulties in certain parts of the subject. Despite this, the teachers write very few action plans even though it appears there are students in need of special support. The head of school whom were interviewed had both knowledge and confidence in working with these types of issues but was rarely informed that there were students in need of special support in physical education.        The conclusion of the study is that the teachers in the survey in most of the cases choose to help and support a student in need of special support without including the principal in the process. In addition the difficulties in grading student in physical education according to the teachers, is grounded in a vague national syllabus for physical education. / Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur lärare ser på arbetet med åtgärdsprogram för de eleverna med behov av särskilt stöd inom ämnet Idrott och hälsa. Frågeställningarna som användes var: Vilka anser lärarna är de bakomliggande orsakerna till att elever inte når målen i Idrott och hälsa? Vilka erfarenheter har fyra utvalda lärare i ämnet Idrott och hälsa med arbetandet kring utformningen och uppföljningen av åtgärdsprogram för elever med behov av särskilt stöd i ämnet Idrott och hälsa? Samt, vad har en utvald skolledare för erfarenheter av upprättande av åtgärdsprogram för elever med behov av särskilt stöd? För att få svar på dessa frågeställningar gjordes fyra kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra olika på fyra olika skolor.  Detta för att få en djup och bred bild av problemet som undersöks. Texten behandlar lärarnas syn på bedömning, kursplanen samt arbete med åtgärdsprogram och elever i behov av särskilt stöd. Resultatet visar att de bakomliggande orsakerna till att elever är i behov av stöd är antingen att de väljer att inte delta eller att de har svårigheter i vissa moment. Lärarna skriver dock enbart i enstaka fall åtgärdsprogram trots att de även framkommer att det ofta finns elever som är i behov av särskilt stöd. Skolledaren intervjuades visade både kunskap och trygghet i hur man i ledningsposition arbetar med elever i behov av särskilt stöd men det är sällan denne får några indikationer på att åtgärdsprogram eventuellt krävs i Idrott och hälsa. Studiens slutsats är att lärarna i undersökningen i en klar majoritet av fallen då det visar sig att en elev är i behov av stöd väljer att internt hjälpa och stötta elever i Idrott och hälsa utan att blanda in skolledning i processen, samt att mycket av bedömningssvårigheterna i ämnet Idrott och hälsa enligt lärarna, grundar sig i en otydlig kursplan.

The purpose of this study was to examine social workers view on the implementation of routines and guidelines related to workplace violence. How it is prevented and their thoughts about how the routines and guidelines around this subject are working from paper to practice. Violence is a general problem, although it´s more pronounced in organisations with close contact with clients. Laws regarding workplace state that both employers and employees are obligated to see to that the prevention work is fulfilled. The essay aims to find out if this is working in the real life or what the problem could be if it´s not working. The research approach of this study is qualitative and four semi-structured interviews are used. The obvious results were that there are flaws in the staff's knowledge of their own guidelines and action plans. The staff perceived that the workplace offers training about workplace violence and that there are meetings revolving around this subject but nonetheless they felt insecure about what to really do if a situation of violence occurs. The social workers also admitted that none of them had read the documents for prevention work. Although the workplace has clear routines and guidelines, much more work needs to be done to engage the employees and make everyone work together.

Submitted by Maria Creuza Silva (mariakreuza@yahoo.com.br) on 2013-06-27T12:36:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Diss MP. Silvana Cruz. 2012.pdf: 825499 bytes, checksum: f1d2bed895798a3e990e052035c910da (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria Creuza Silva(mariakreuza@yahoo.com.br) on 2013-06-27T12:42:09Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Diss MP. Silvana Cruz. 2012.pdf: 825499 bytes, checksum: f1d2bed895798a3e990e052035c910da (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-06-27T12:42:09Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Diss MP. Silvana Cruz. 2012.pdf: 825499 bytes, checksum: f1d2bed895798a3e990e052035c910da (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / As ações de Vigilância Sanitária são fundamentais para a garantia da saúde das pessoas. Contudo, apenas recentemente as instituições gestoras da saúde passaram a buscar uma atuação planejada nessa área. Uma experiência interessante de estruturação do planejamento das ações de Visa é representada pelo Plano Diretor de Vigilância Sanitária (PDVISA). Resta saber se essa experiência produziu, na prática, resultados consistentes. Neste sentido, desenvolveu-se o presente estudo, tendo como objetivo principal analisar a coerência e a consistência técnica de 24 planos de ação de Visa, elaborados em onze municípios da 24ª DIRES do estado da Bahia, no período de 2007 a 2011, a partir da implantação do Plano Diretor de Vigilância Sanitária. Tratou-se de uma pesquisa de caráter descritivo com abordagem qualitativa, utilizando a técnica de análise de conteúdo. Os dados permitiram descrever a estrutura dos documentos, sua coerência interna e sua consistência técnica analisando em detalhes, as três partes centrais dos planos: a análise situacional, as ações estruturantes e as ações estratégicas. Em relação à estrutura, 18 dos 24 planos municipais seguiram o Guia de Orientações do PDVISA, organizando o documento nos seguintes itens: análise situacional da Visa local, definição de áreas temáticas, ações, atividades, metas propostas, meios de verificação, responsáveis, parceiros e recursos financeiros necessários. O estudo revelou ainda que, apesar das suas limitações, o Guia é parcialmente consistente, representando um avanço no planejamento da Visa nas realidades estudadas, pois proporcionou direcionalidade ao planejamento local. Quanto à coerência interna, dois dos 24 planos, em geral, eram coerentes. Dentre os itens dos planos, observou-se maior coerência entre as ações propostas e as atividades. Pouca coerência, todavia, foi observada na previsão de recursos financeiros. No que concerne à consistência, nenhum dos 24 planos são, em geral, consistentes. A de menor destaque foi a análise situacional no item caracterização da situação de saúde da população Ao analisar a consistência das ações estruturantes, observou-se predomínio de ações voltadas à composição da equipe mínima de Visa, aquisição de veículos e capacitação da equipe revelando precárias condições estruturais das Visas municipais. Quanto às ações estratégicas, houve predomínio das intervenções em produtos, serviços com maior constância na área de alimentos. As ações que visam à integralidade da assistência da saúde não são alvo freqüente de programação apontando a incipiência em ações integrativas. Enfim, os planos são frágeis tanto no que se refere à coerência, quanto no que se refere à consistência. Ainda que se reconheça um avanço, no sentido de que, antes do PDVISA, não havia plano nenhum, é preciso admitir que os planos estejam longe de atender à necessidade de ações de Visa bem estruturadas. / Salvador

The sustainable logistics management plan was established by Decree 7746 of June 5, 2012, and with it all federal institutions were required to prepare logistic plans having sustainable development as the main point. For the success of this plan it is necessary to be incorporated into the organizational practices of each public administration servant. In the face of this situation and aiming to insert the plan and sustainable variable in UFSM organizational environment, the creation of action plans as main objective was defined. So we used a questionnaire to diagnose the profile of UFSM servants, assess the level of knowledge regarding sustainable issues and identify aspects considered the most important ones for the development of action plans. Besides, interviews were conducted with the setting-up committee of the PLS in UFSM in order to obtain a deepening of the process of design and its implementation. The results showed that the servants, regardless of individual factors, generally have a low level of knowledge on topics related to sustainability in public administration. Issues related to the development of sustainable construction projects, the realization of rational consumption campaigns and the re-use of materials were the main points raised by respondents as suggestions for preparing action plans. Later, the strengths and weaknesses in the organizational environment were identified in order to explore these aspects in planning actions. In the preparation of plans the aspects of the inclusion of them in the work routine had priority and enabled an initial discussion on the subject, as the level of knowledge is not satisfactory and it is essential to move forward on this discussion. / O Plano de Gestão de Logística Sustentável foi instituído pelo Decreto 7.746, de 5 de junho de 2012, diante disso todas as instituições federais tiveram que elaborar planos de logística tendo o desenvolvimento sustentável como ponto principal. Para que esse plano obtenha o sucesso almejado, é necessário que esteja incorporado às práticas organizacionais dos servidores de cada órgão da administração pública. Diante de tal situação e objetivando a inserção do plano no ambiente organizacional da UFSM, definiu-se como objetivo principal do trabalho a criação de planos de ação. Para tanto, utilizou-se um questionário para diagnosticar o perfil dos servidores da UFSM, avaliar o nível de conhecimento referente a temas sustentáveis e ainda identificar os aspectos considerados de maior importância para elaboração de planos de ação. Também foram realizadas entrevistas com a comissão elaboradora do PLS da UFSM a fim de se obter um aprofundamento sobre o processo de elaboração e implementação. Os resultados mostraram que os servidores, independente dos fatores individuais, possuem, de uma maneira geral, um baixo nível de conhecimento sobre tópicos ligados à sustentabilidade na administração pública. Questões relacionadas ao desenvolvimento de projetos de construções sustentáveis, a realização de campanhas de consumo racional e o reaproveitamento de materiais foram os principais pontos levantados pelos pesquisados como sugestão para elaboração de planos de ação. Posteriormente, identificaram-se os pontos fortes e fracos no ambiente organizacional, a fim de explorar esses aspectos no planejamento de ações. Na elaboração dos planos priorizaram-se os aspectos relacionados à inserção do plano na rotina de trabalho e que possibilitem uma discussão inicial sobre o tema, visto que o nível de conhecimento ainda não é satisfatório e é imprescindível que se avance nessa discussão.

Background: The primary objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of the Healthy Lifestyles Program (HLP), a novel 12-month complex intervention based in cognitive behavioural therapy and theories of behavioural change, delivered in a community-based setting in Hamilton, Canada. The secondary objective was to explore implementation factors. Methods/ design: A pragmatic pilot randomised controlled trial using quantitative and qualitative evaluation methods. Participants were randomly allocated to either intervention group (n=15) or comparator group (n=15). The intervention group attended weekly group education sessions and met in-person with a healthcare team monthly to create personalized health goals and action plans. The comparator group met with a research assistant every three months to develop health goals and action plans. We assessed feasibility of the program by measuring recruitment, participation and retention rates, missing data, and attendance. All participant-directed and clinical outcome measures were analyzed for between and within group changes using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE). Content analysis was conducted for qualitative data. Results: We recruited and randomized 30 participants to each group (n=15) within 3 months. Retention rate was 60% (9/15) for the intervention group and 47% (7/15) for the comparator group. Less than 1% of participant-directed and clinical outcomes were missing. Participants attended an average of 29 of 43 educational sessions and 100% of one-to-one sessions. The healthcare team valued the program’s holistic approach to care, increased time and interaction with participants, professional collaboration, and the ability to provide counselling and health supports. Location accessibility was an important factor facilitating implementation. Reducing the number of psycho-social education sessions and having access to a gym could improve retention and delivery of the program. Conclusion: This study has demonstrated the feasibility of the HLP with minor modifications recommended for a larger trial and for the intervention. / Thesis / Master of Public Health (MPH) / Rates of chronic physical and mental health illness are rising in Canada. Lifestyle or behavioural changes can prevent or manage chronic diseases. The aim of this pilot study is to test the feasibility of delivering a 12-month Healthy Lifestyles Program to participants in Hamilton, Canada. The Healthy Lifestyles Program is a complex intervention designed to help participants identify health goals and action plans to achieve those goals with the guidance of healthcare professionals. We observed that the program was successfully delivered, accepted by participants and staff and required minor changes to the study design for a scaled-up study. The program showed positive trends for improving goal attainment, depression, and loneliness scores. The results of this study will help inform the design and scale-up of a larger study.

Awareness of critical public health issues stemming from historical and contemporary environmental injustice has been growing, yet institutions are still working to identify how to respond. How do we transform University Health System infrastructure, in the built environment and affiliated community assets and human capital, to center equity and the lived experience of climate injustice in urban communities? Through the application of urban bioethical principles and examination of a public state-related university and its health system in a major U.S. city, I argue that the higher education institutional climate action planning process for medical schools and their attendant university health systems, in concert with public sector actors, can be a vehicle and accelerator for achieving health equity in urban communities and suggest what exactly that could or should look like. This thesis will look at the role of university health systems in addressing climate change and mitigating its impacts. More specifically, it looks to provide context for the influence of “meds and eds” in urban communities: how their status as anchor institutions and sites of economic development implicates their responsibility to anticipate the differentiated material experience of climate change. As sites of care delivery, medical education and training, and major employers these institutions have a duty to ameliorate the associated inequitable health outcomes of climate change. I provide a model for action by all urban university health system stakeholders with recommendations to sustain equitable resilience in the face of environmental crisis. / Urban Bioethics

This thesis analyzes the impact of the political decision to broaden the scope of the Government of Canada's 3-year National Homelessness Initiative (Human Resource Development Canada, NHI, 2002) from an urban focus to one that includes smaller communities. This change provided the opportunity to study the phenomenon of homelessness and how rural responses are formed. This author postulates that this focus of attention on an almost invisible phenomenon—rural homelessness—and the accompanying community planning processes funded by the Supportive Community Partnership Initiative (SCPI) will impact local social policy development. A multi-dimensional analytical approach was adopted and considered three components: first, a policy review, a broad look at the policy agenda framework in Canada; then, a case study to illustrate implementation issues related to the National Homelessness Initiative; and, finally, a reflection on current practice in order to realize a holistic critique of public policy. The influence of socio-economic, political, and cultural factors on local planning and capacity building will be highlighted. Various models of governance were adopted across the country and guided the collaborative processes. This thesis presents an in-depth look at the community action plans and activities of the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH) in both the rural and urban settings of Simcoe County. The processes adopted, capacity building components identified, and outcomes over the 7 years covered by the SCPI agreement are examined. The limitations of using participatory local action planning to respond to complex issues such as homelessness are detailed along with a modified community-based policy development model recommended as a learning tool to be used by those volunteers acting as agents of change. It is widely recognized that safe, affordable social housing is a fundamental need, and one that is extremely difficult to meet. The contribution this research makes is to reveal how effective government-community partnerships can be in a rural setting.

This thesis analyzes the impact of the political decision to broaden the scope of the Government of Canada's 3-year National Homelessness Initiative (Human Resource Development Canada, NHI, 2002) from an urban focus to one that includes smaller communities. This change provided the opportunity to study the phenomenon of homelessness and how rural responses are formed. This author postulates that this focus of attention on an almost invisible phenomenon—rural homelessness—and the accompanying community planning processes funded by the Supportive Community Partnership Initiative (SCPI) will impact local social policy development. A multi-dimensional analytical approach was adopted and considered three components: first, a policy review, a broad look at the policy agenda framework in Canada; then, a case study to illustrate implementation issues related to the National Homelessness Initiative; and, finally, a reflection on current practice in order to realize a holistic critique of public policy. The influence of socio-economic, political, and cultural factors on local planning and capacity building will be highlighted. Various models of governance were adopted across the country and guided the collaborative processes. This thesis presents an in-depth look at the community action plans and activities of the Simcoe County Alliance to End Homelessness (SCATEH) in both the rural and urban settings of Simcoe County. The processes adopted, capacity building components identified, and outcomes over the 7 years covered by the SCPI agreement are examined. The limitations of using participatory local action planning to respond to complex issues such as homelessness are detailed along with a modified community-based policy development model recommended as a learning tool to be used by those volunteers acting as agents of change. It is widely recognized that safe, affordable social housing is a fundamental need, and one that is extremely difficult to meet. The contribution this research makes is to reveal how effective government-community partnerships can be in a rural setting.