La investigación tuvo como propósito la determinación de la relación entre condiciones de servicio de saneamiento y calidad de vida. Se desarrolló un tipo de investigación aplicada, con un diseño de estudio no experimental, siendo el instrumento aplicado para ambas variables una encuesta a los comerciantes del Centro Comercial Aguas Verdes de Chiclayo. Se obtuvo como resultado, que existe incidencia estadística entre las variables, utilizando el programa estadístico SPSS, al haber obtenido como resultado 0.042, con lo cual se acepta la hipótesis planteada. Se concluye que, el mejoramiento de las condiciones del servicio de saneamiento permite la mejora de la calidad de vida de la población. / The purpose of the research was to determine the relationship between sanitation service conditions and quality of life. A type of applied research was developed, with a non-experimental study design, the instrument applied for both variables being a survey of merchants at the Aguas Verdes Shopping Center in Chiclayo. The result was that there is a statistical incidence between the variables, using the SPSS statistical program, having obtained 0.042 as a result, thus accepting the proposed hypothesis. It is concluded that the improvement of the conditions of the sanitation service allows the improvement of the quality of life of the population.

Text in Afrikaans / The purpose of this study is the development of a Gestalt therapeutic program for conscious, multisensory perception. The program is aimed at children in the age group between eight and twelve years. A qualitative research approach is used with grounded theory as research strategy. Applied research is used with incidental sampling. The objectives as the steps taken to attain the purpose were literature study of the main concepts, the development of the program, and the refinement of the program. A collective energy model is designed to conduct the program in a group of eight children. After the observation of the interaction in the group and feedback by the group members the program was refined in nine sessions. The research was done in the theoretical framework of gestalt play therapy. / Social work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

No description available.

The applied tourism research community is characterized by a large and growing group of research producers and users; communications and networking amongst its members can build the capacity of the community and create knowledge networks along its social, cultural, and organizational boundaries. The purpose of this thesis research is to examine the role of tourism research associations in the social structuring of a cohesive applied research community and, consequently, in the fostering of its growth. Following an embedded single case design, the study uses the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA hereafter) as an example of an applied tourism research community. The research examines members’ perceptions of the association in the capacity-building of the membership community through research communications and professional networks. Based on documentary sources, an instrument was developed for primary data collection through an online census of TTRA members. Data collection was completed in the Spring of 2007, with a response rate of 28.7%. Data analysis is guided by hypothesis, with results of the case study described and discussed in the contexts of research communications, knowledge networks, scientific community, and research association planning and management. First, with respect to research communication, a number of social demographic factors are found to have exerted an impact on media use frequencies and decisions, and perceptions of research communication in the membership community. Notably, these include members’ occupations, career stages, membership categories, and research-oriented training. The chapter structure of TTRA does not affect members’ behaviour in research communication. However, the study confirms a distinction between academics and practitioners and lends support to discussions on the two-community theory concerning cultural and functional differences in producing and consuming research. The study also finds that TTRA-endorsed media are of limited use in the membership community for professional communication. In addition, association members form distinct clusters by the frequency and variety of information sources they have consulted for research communication. Second, in terms of networks or networking amongst TTRA members, types and extent of member interactions are influenced by members’ occupations, in particular whether the member is an academic or practitioner. Professional networks are formed on the basis of research interests and expertise; so are the perceptions of research networks and the perceived role of TTRA in professional networking affected by gender, career stage, membership positions, and disciplinary and research-oriented preparations. The study finds that the strengths of ties amongst members are both causes and consequences of the size of a community or network. TTRA is generally perceived as becoming too academic and, in light of this, the association is seen as an important facilitator of scholarly networks. Nonetheless, the association community is characterized by pro-academic and pro-practitioner clusters in terms of membership perceptions of research networks and their attitudes towards networking. In addition, while chapter affiliations do not have an impact on network perceptions and behaviour, results from this study point to the facilitator role of association conferences for research communication, professional networking and association capacity-building. Third, the facilitator role of the association for community capacity-building is widely acknowledged by its members. Respondents see professional networking and association conference venue as particularly important factors in attracting attendance from the membership community. The study confirms the essential role of conferences in building a sense of community for a research association. There is a considerable degree of consensus amongst members on their perceptions of TTRA as a community. Homogeneous clusters are formed by membership perceptions of a community and their willingness or engagement in community service provisions. Conceptually, the clusters developed around (or for) research communication, networking and association capacity-building are highly consistent in terms of pattern matching in case study analysis. The research has also discussed theoretical and practical implications, some of which are expressed as recommendations for association planning and management. The study concludes with reflections on limitations and prospects for future inquiries.

The applied tourism research community is characterized by a large and growing group of research producers and users; communications and networking amongst its members can build the capacity of the community and create knowledge networks along its social, cultural, and organizational boundaries. The purpose of this thesis research is to examine the role of tourism research associations in the social structuring of a cohesive applied research community and, consequently, in the fostering of its growth. Following an embedded single case design, the study uses the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA hereafter) as an example of an applied tourism research community. The research examines members’ perceptions of the association in the capacity-building of the membership community through research communications and professional networks. Based on documentary sources, an instrument was developed for primary data collection through an online census of TTRA members. Data collection was completed in the Spring of 2007, with a response rate of 28.7%. Data analysis is guided by hypothesis, with results of the case study described and discussed in the contexts of research communications, knowledge networks, scientific community, and research association planning and management. First, with respect to research communication, a number of social demographic factors are found to have exerted an impact on media use frequencies and decisions, and perceptions of research communication in the membership community. Notably, these include members’ occupations, career stages, membership categories, and research-oriented training. The chapter structure of TTRA does not affect members’ behaviour in research communication. However, the study confirms a distinction between academics and practitioners and lends support to discussions on the two-community theory concerning cultural and functional differences in producing and consuming research. The study also finds that TTRA-endorsed media are of limited use in the membership community for professional communication. In addition, association members form distinct clusters by the frequency and variety of information sources they have consulted for research communication. Second, in terms of networks or networking amongst TTRA members, types and extent of member interactions are influenced by members’ occupations, in particular whether the member is an academic or practitioner. Professional networks are formed on the basis of research interests and expertise; so are the perceptions of research networks and the perceived role of TTRA in professional networking affected by gender, career stage, membership positions, and disciplinary and research-oriented preparations. The study finds that the strengths of ties amongst members are both causes and consequences of the size of a community or network. TTRA is generally perceived as becoming too academic and, in light of this, the association is seen as an important facilitator of scholarly networks. Nonetheless, the association community is characterized by pro-academic and pro-practitioner clusters in terms of membership perceptions of research networks and their attitudes towards networking. In addition, while chapter affiliations do not have an impact on network perceptions and behaviour, results from this study point to the facilitator role of association conferences for research communication, professional networking and association capacity-building. Third, the facilitator role of the association for community capacity-building is widely acknowledged by its members. Respondents see professional networking and association conference venue as particularly important factors in attracting attendance from the membership community. The study confirms the essential role of conferences in building a sense of community for a research association. There is a considerable degree of consensus amongst members on their perceptions of TTRA as a community. Homogeneous clusters are formed by membership perceptions of a community and their willingness or engagement in community service provisions. Conceptually, the clusters developed around (or for) research communication, networking and association capacity-building are highly consistent in terms of pattern matching in case study analysis. The research has also discussed theoretical and practical implications, some of which are expressed as recommendations for association planning and management. The study concludes with reflections on limitations and prospects for future inquiries.

Die kompetenzzellenbasierte Vernetzung ist ein wissenschaftlicher Ansatz für die Kooperation elementarer Leistungseinheiten, der eine neue Perspektive für kleine und mittelständische Unternehmen darstellt, wie diese im globalen Wettbewerb mit Konzernen bestehen können. Die Arbeit beschreibt die systematische Generierung von Produktinnovationen ohne Kundenauftrag aus Initiativen innerhalb des Netzes. Als Grundlage für den Aufbau von Wettbewerbsvorteilen durch die Kooperation wird ein Verfahren zur Clusterbildung eingeführt, das beschreibt, wie sich Kompetenzzellen anhand der Charakteristik ihrer Kompetenzen effektiv zu einem Cluster verbinden lassen. Der beschriebene Innovationsprozess umfasst dann sowohl die methodische Suche nach neuen, marktgerechten Produktkonzepten, die im Produktentwicklungsprozess konstruiert werden, als auch die Technologieentwicklung, bei der neues Wissen für die Definition zukünftiger Produkte generiert wird. Für Letztere wird ein Ansatz zur Auswahl der Beteiligten beschrieben, die anhand einer annähernd objektiven Bewertung der Innovationsfähigkeit erfolgt. Der Nachweis der Funktionsfähigkeit des Verfahrens wird am Beispiel eines Forschungsinstitutes erbracht. / The competence-cell-based networking is a scientific approach to the cooperation of elementary performance units representing a new perspective for small and medium-sized enterprises of how they can stand in the global competition with large concerns. This thesis describes the systematic generation of product innovations without customer orders through initiatives within the network. As a basis for gaining competitive advantages through this cooperation, a clustering method is introduced. It explains how competence cells can be joined effectively to a cluster by means of their characteristics. The described innovation process comprises the methodical search for new, market-oriented product concepts which will be designed in the product development process. Furthermore, it comprehends also the technology development, with which new knowledge for the definition of future products is generated. For the latter, an approach for selecting the required participants is described, which is accomplished by a nearly objective evaluation of the innovative capability. The functionality of the method was verified by an example of a research institute. / Las redes basadas en células de competencia son un planteamiento científico enfocado a la cooperación de unidades funcionales elementales que representan una nueva perspectiva para las pequeñas y medianas empresas para poder subsistir en la competencia global contra grandes consorcios. La tesis describe la generación sistemática de innovaciones de producto, sin órdenes de cliente, a partir de iniciativas dentro de la misma red. Como base para la creación de ventajas competitivas a través de la cooperación se introduce un nuevo procedimiento para formar agrupaciones, el cual describe como se pueden agrupar de forma efectiva células de competencia por medio de sus características. El proceso de innovación descrito comprende tanto la búsqueda metódica de nuevos conceptos de productos orientados al mercado, que se diseñaran en el proceso del desarrollo de productos; así como también el desarrollo de tecnología, con el que se genera nuevo conocimiento para la definición de futuros productos. Para este último, se describe un método para la selección de los participantes necesarios que se efectúa por medio de la valoración aproximadamente objetiva de su capacidad para innovar. La funcionalidad del modelo propuesto se comprobó por medio de un ejemplo de un instituto de investigación.

Text in Afrikaans / The purpose of this study is the development of a Gestalt therapeutic program for conscious, multisensory perception. The program is aimed at children in the age group between eight and twelve years. A qualitative research approach is used with grounded theory as research strategy. Applied research is used with incidental sampling. The objectives as the steps taken to attain the purpose were literature study of the main concepts, the development of the program, and the refinement of the program. A collective energy model is designed to conduct the program in a group of eight children. After the observation of the interaction in the group and feedback by the group members the program was refined in nine sessions. The research was done in the theoretical framework of gestalt play therapy. / Social work / M. Diac (Play Therapy)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:49:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseJLMC.pdf: 2573293 bytes, checksum: e97d2ef13b6cde5e6d1649ca1b19be7c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-09-01 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / Continuous development of new and improved products is seen as a key factor for business survival and growth. A new product that satisfies consumer s needs in an efficient and opportune manner increases competitive advantage. New product development (NPD) process has a multidisciplinary and multifunctional character, demanding specialized kinds of technical knowledge, peculiar of different disciplines or functions. A successful NPD requests a good integration among these functions, so that an auxiliary tool that helps this integration can increase project s performance and, consequently, competitive performance. In this thesis an auxiliary tool for managing functional integration in new product development processes is proposed, based in three conditional factors (Context, Technological Positioning, Competences) and three dimensions (Communication, Coordination and Collaboration). The tool s proposal includes a discussion about these conditional factors and dimensions, describing how they can be used to acquire an adequate functional integration in new product development process. As a secondary contribution of the thesis, a discussion about a particular case of integration, the one between applied research and NPD project, is made, including a theoretical discussion and case studies. / O desenvolvimento contínuo de produtos novos e aprimorados é considerado um fator chave para a sobrevivência e o crescimento das empresas. Um produto que atenda às necessidades dos consumidores de maneira eficiente e oportuna aumenta a vantagem competitiva. O processo de desenvolvimento de produto (PDP) tem um caráter multidisciplinar e multifuncional, demandando conhecimentos técnicos especializados, próprios de diversas disciplinas ou funções. Um PDP bem sucedido requer uma boa integração entre estas funções envolvidas, de forma que uma ferramenta de auxílio a essa integração pode melhorar o desempenho no desenvolvimento de produtos e, conseqüentemente, o desempenho competitivo. Nesta Tese propõe-se uma ferramenta para auxiliar a gestão da integração funcional no Processo de Desenvolvimento de Produto baseada em três condicionantes (Contexto, Competências, Posicionamento Tecnológico) e três dimensões (Comunicação, Colaboração e Coordenação). A proposta de ferramenta inclui uma discussão sobre esses condicionantes e dimensões, descrevendo como estes podem ser usados para atingir uma integração funcional adequada no projeto de desenvolvimento de produto. Como uma segunda contribuição da Tese, um caso particular de integração, a das atividades de Pesquisa Aplicada com os Projetos de Desenvolvimento de Produto, é também abordado através de uma discussão teórica e em um estudo de casos.

This diploma thesis primarily focuses on analysis of internal communication in a particular company and proposals for improvement. To meet this objective, first the importance of the internal communication for the company and the factors that affect it are described. After that channels and tools of internal communication and the importance of IT for communication in the company were generally defined. Then the various means of communication using IT were analyzed. Another information source used in the thesis are the results of the applied research, which was conducted among employees and management of ANAFRA company and focused on identifying critical issues that ANAFRA in the context of internal communication face. The last part of the thesis combines all of the previously gathered information and proposes solutions of the identified problems. Conclusions of the thesis may serve as referential valuable source for professionals and owners of small and medium businesses.

Inclusive public dialogue about issues of concern to science and society can democratise and widen the knowledge base for decision-making so scientific research and developments are made accountable to citizens’ priorities. This participatory model of science communication is not yet widely practiced. More research is needed into how to make such communication effective. Formative audience research can inform a communication strategy’s design to meet its objectives effectively and enhance its relevance to participants’ needs and communication preferences. However, audience research designs based on transmission models are inadequate for the participatory objectives of public dialogue. They must therefore be adapted. This dissertation proposes how audience research should be designed and conducted when the objective of communication is public dialogue about science, such as biotechnology. The methodology involves building an evaluation framework from the literature and applying this to a case of applied research. Four sub-questions are addressed. First, audience research and participatory development communication literature is reviewed to propose how audience research should be designed and conducted for public dialogue broadly. Second, literature on public engagement about science is analysed for the challenges in public dialogue about science and the implications for audience research. Third, a set of guidelines is presented for evaluating the appropriateness of audience research for public dialogue about science. Finally, these guidelines are used to evaluate a case of qualitative audience research commissioned by the Public Understanding of Biotechnology (PUB) programme, judging the appropriateness of its design to the communication objectives and extracting further lessons for audience research. The findings present a “double-dialogical” approach to audience research, where the research methods and the information elicited reflect dialogical objectives. This approach emphasises listening over telling, building relationships over interrogating targets, and optimising inclusivity and diversity in identifying participants, framing issues, and selecting channels and spaces for deliberative dialogue, wherein participation and information dissemination play complementary roles. Following these principles, audience research can build democratic foundations for public dialogue about science while recognizing the following challenges: the specialized and technical nature of science, the complexity of issues, the power of commercial interests, the need for social accountability, low motivation and interest amongst publics, and the resistance of technical experts and decision-makers towards dialogue. A framework of guidelines is offered for designing and evaluating audience research for public dialogue about science, structured around 5 interrelated elements: WHY – clarifying the objectives of communication and audience research; GENERAL – overall research design considerations; WHO – conceptualizing and investigating dialogue participants; WHAT – framing issues from multiple perspectives; and HOW – identifying spaces and channels for public dialogue. Applying the framework to the case study demonstrates the guidelines’ usefulness for evaluation purposes, grounds the study in an actual case of audience research and extracts lessons for future applications. The framework succeeds in judging the appropriateness of the study’s design for its purpose. The study contributes to the search for effective means of public engagement by proposing practical guidelines for the first steps of such a process, a methodological praxis for audience research that can be useful in scholarly and practitioner communities and can be refined and adapted for various contexts. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Information Science / unrestricted