В работе были проанализированы основные подходы, применяемые для оценки кредитоспособности в сфере малого и среднего бизнеса, даны рекомендации по ее совершенствованию. / The paper analyzes the main approaches used to assess the creditworthiness in the sphere of small and medium-sized businesses, gives recommendations for its improvement.

In South Africa, legislation dictates that employees must be developed resulting in the need to identify candidate's development capability. As such, it is essential to be able to measure the learning potential of candidates. In practice, cognitive ability has been linked to the complex process of job performance. This study aimed to determine whether learning potential can be used as a predictor of job performance. The Learning Potential Computerised Adaptive Test (LPCAT) was utilised to measure learning potential and job performance was measured through a promotion ratio (taking job knowledge and tenure into account). The moderator variables were investigated. A sample of 135 technical employees was drawn. The data was statistical manipulated reporting various significant relationships confirming the internal reliability of the LPCAT and indicating a strong significant relationship between learning potential and job performance. Variables such as learning potential, job grade and tenure are significant when predicting job performance. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MA (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the challenges affecting teachers’ classroom assessment practices and to explore how these challenges influence effective teaching and learning. The study was qualitative in nature and employed an instrumental case study approach. Semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analyses were used in the investigation. The study utilized the conceptual framework based on the model suggested by Hargreaves, Earl and Schmidt (2002). The model comprised four perspectives – technological, cultural, political and postmodern, with the intention of accounting for teachers’ assessment practices. Teachers from four different schools in North West Province were interviewed and observed. The data collected through the observations and interviews allowed me to map out the different challenges encountered by teachers in their classroom assessment practices. I also analysed documents that teachers used in conducting assessment. Document analysis was used to triangulate the information collected through observations and interviews. Textual data was analysed using content analysis. The teachers’ narratives varied according to their teaching experience and background within the diverse contexts of their particular school environments. Major challenges that emanated from this study were policy interpretation, overcrowding, support, parental involvement, moderation mechanisms (internal and external), assessment planning, implementation and communication as well as lack of resources. In order to address these challenges, teachers relied on cluster meetings, their colleagues and mostly their personal experiences. The study also revealed that teachers’ understanding and practices of classroom assessment are influenced by their social and educational context. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)

Performance in Lesotho at senior level (COSC) has been poor. One of the subjects which is performed poorly is Biology 5090. This prompted the researcher to examine factors responsible for the poor performance in Biology 5090. The study also aimed at finding ways in which teachers envisage to improve Biology 5090 performance. Data was collected from three schools through semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The study also adopted the General System Theory (GST) as the theoretical framework. Data was analyzed in line with qualitative content analysis, and from the perspective of the GST. The data analysis scheme was developed and presented (appendix P). The results of the study showed that Biology 5090 performance was affected by factors such as human resources, and the transformation process. The study also suggested ways in which Biology 5090 performance could be improved in Lesotho. These include: in-serving training, team work and others. / Science and Technology Education / M. Ed. (Natural Science Education)

In the nineteen years of South Africa’s democracy, its education system, as a vehicle for political, economic and social reform, has been characterised by transformation and change. Educators, as policy implementers, have been integral to that process. For the educators at the school selected for this study, changes have included, among others, frequent curriculum revision; a different approach to assessment; changes in school management as well as making a transition from a mainstream to a full service school, focused on the inclusion of learners who experience mild to moderate barriers to learning. Against this background the purpose of this study was to explore the subjective experience of educators in this particular school, and the subsequent impact that aspects of curriculum change and educational reform may have had on them; then secondly to put practices in place that would enable them to positively embrace new ideas, create knowledge and share ideas as educators. The study was conducted with 21 educators at a full service school. The research findings show them to be overloaded with administrative tasks as pressure is put on them to present evidence of their competence and functionality; many of them were tired, confused or angry. They felt rushed and obligated to implement a curriculum that they perceive to compromise effective teaching and learning; and ultimately, the learners. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Guidance and Counselling)

In developing countries like Ethiopia, education is considered to be a means of development and a stepping stone toward the eradication of poverty. Effective education requires effective teaching, learning and assessment strategies, which, in turn, necessitate the use of effective pedagogical and psychological approaches to meet the demands of a new generation of learners. Effective education becomes possible when learners are properly assessed and empowered via various appropriate assessment techniques. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to investigate how instructors’ assessment practices at a university in Ethiopia influence/enhance student empowerment. In order to achieve this aim, I used a convergent parallel/triangulation mixed-method research design, which allowed me to collect both quantitative and qualitative data simultaneously. Instructors and students from the six colleges of Debre Markos University were the participants of the study. I employed questionnaires and interviews as a data-collection instrument. From a total of 5944 students and 450 instructors, 600 students and 210 instructors were selected, via probability sampling techniques, to complete questionnaires. Six department heads and six instructors were chosen, via non-probability sampling techniques, for the interviews. Before collecting the main data, a pilot study was conducted. The quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Moreover, the qualitative data were analysed according to themes and word descriptions. The results of the study indicate significant variations between the perceptions of students and those of instructors, across different colleges, with regard to the practice of assessment. In addition, instructors’ teaching experience, training backgrounds, and levels of education were found to influence their assessment practice to some extent. The qualitative data indicate that students face various problems in the assessment process. Most instructors are very much dependent upon written assessment methods. Moreover, instructors face challenges (such as large class sizes, time shortages, high workloads, poor student-achievement levels, insufficient resources, lack of awareness of different assessment methods, lack of commitment, and negative belief) in the attempts to employ different assessment methods. Finally, the study revealed that empowering students in their study areas is simply untenable if instructors continue to utilise their current assessment practices. Therefore, this study contributes to a large body of literature that acknowledges the contribution of effective assessment in empowerment of students in a more effective and educationally responsive manner. At the end, the study presents important information to decision makers who create policies related to assessment in higher learning institutions. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / D. Ed. (Didactics and Curriculum Studies)

Title: Postural stabilization and balance - theoretical background and definitions (literature review) Objectives: The aim of this theses is to investigate the present situation of theoretical background of postural stabilization and balance and find out the differences between both of these phenomenons. The theses should summarize the current literature including the newest studies. Furthermore, it discusses the most used computerized measurements methods for assessing balance and postural control. Methods: The theses has character of literature review. It is divided into several parts. The beginning introduces the theoretical background. The descriptive and analytical chapter discuss the most used computerized measurement methods for assessing balance and postural control. The discussion summarizes the current situation and results of the theses. Results: The total amount of the 104 studies was found, but only 12 of them met the criteria of the theses. Currently the most used methods for assessing balance and postural control are the computerized dynamic posturography and the visual feedback posturography. In the published studies there were found several differences in the methods of posturography. Even, there was revealed ideological diversity in the authors' opinions and disunity in...

Avec 42% de la consommation d'énergie finale et 25% des émissions de CO2, le secteur des bâtiments en France représente un enjeu majeur pour maîtriser la facture énergétique des ménages, des collectivités et de l'État. Cette thèse s'attache ainsi à analyser la façon dont les territoires sont en capacité de s'engager dans des projets destinés à réduire les consommations énergétiques des bâtiments. Elle propose de formaliser une démarche de conception collaborative de programmes d'efficacité énergétique des bâtiments, mobilisable par des acteurs souhaitant s'engager dans de tels projets. L'hypothèse de base de la thèse consiste en effet à affirmer qu'une amélioration significative et durable des bâtiments ne peut s'envisager sans revoir en profondeur le fonctionnement actuel du secteur bâtiment-énergie afin de l'engager vers un modèle basé sur l'économie de fonctionnalité. Trois terrains d'expérimentations ont servi de référence à la construction de l'argumentation et à sa validation : les départements de Meuse et de Haute-Marne, les villages de Dammarie-sur-Saulx et Epizon, et la ville de Commercy.Ce travail conclut sur les facteurs clés de succès d'un programme d'efficacité énergétique et de son évaluation ; la nécessité d'avoir un nouveau modèle économique comme repère pour fonder la pertinence de l'action. Elle souligne enfin son intérêt pour d'autres programmes prenant en charge une évolution de l'organisation de la filière du bâtiment / With 42% of the final energy consumption and 25% of CO2 emissions, the French building sector represents a major challenge to manage the energy bill for households, regional communities and the State. This doctoral thesis analyses how communities are able to be involved in projects aiming at reducing energy consumptions in buildings. It proposes to formalize a collaborative design process of energy efficiency program, usable for local actors. The original thesis hypothesis asserts that a significant improvement of the energy efficiency in buildings depends on a paradigm shift of the economic model and proposes the functional economy as a potential solution. Three experimentations were followed to build the argumentation and its validation: the departments of Meuse and Haute-Marne, the two villages of Dammarie-sur-Saulx (Meuse) and Epizon (Haute-Marne) and the city of Commercy (Meuse). This work defines on key success factors of a energy efficiency program and its assessment; the need to use a new economic model as a landmark to establish the action relevance. This work highlights also other programs taking account an evolution of the building sector organisation

Outdoor air pollution is a major contributor to adverse health effects of citizens, in particular those living in urban environments. Air quality monitoring networks are set up to measure air quality in different environments in compliance with national and European legislation. Generally, only a few fixed monitoring sites are located within a city and thus cannot represent air pollutant concentrations in urban areas accurately enough to allow for a detailed human exposure assessment. Other approaches to derive detailed urban air pollutant concentration estimates exist, such as dispersion models and land-use regression (LUR) models. Low-cost portable air quality monitors are also emerging, which have the potential to add value to existing monitoring networks by providing measurements at greater spatial resolution and also to provide individual-level exposure assessment. The aim of this thesis is to demonstrate how measurements and modelling in combination allow detailed investigations of the variability of air pollutants in space and time in urban area, and in turn improve on the current exposure assessment methods. Three types of low-cost portable monitors measuring NO2, O3 (Aeroqual monitors) and PM2.5 (microPEM monitor) were evaluated against their respective reference instruments. The Aeroqual O3 monitor showed very good correlation (r2 > 0.9) with the respective reference instruments, but biases in the slope and intercept coefficients indicated that calibration of Aeroqual O3 monitor was needed. The Aeroqual NO2 monitor was subject to cross-sensitivity from O3, which, as demonstrated, can be effectively corrected by making O3 and NO2 measurements in tandem. Correlation between the microPEM monitor and its reference instrument was poor (r2 < 0.1) when PM2.5 concentrations were low (< 10 μg m-3), but significantly improved (r2 > 0.69) during periods with elevated PM2.5 concentrations. Relative humidity was not found to affect the raw results of PM2.5 measurements in a consistent manner. All three types of monitors cannot be used as equivalent or indicative methods instead of reference methods in studies that require quantification of absolute pollutant concentrations. However, the generally good correlations with reference instruments reassure their application in studies of relative trends of air pollution. Concentrations of PM2.5, ultrafine particles (UFP) and black carbon (BC) were quantified using portable monitors through a combination of mobile and static measurements in the city of Edinburgh, UK. The spatial variability of UFP and BC was large, of similar magnitude and about 3 times higher than the spatial variability of PM2.5. Elevated concentrations of UFP and BC were observed along streets with high traffic volumes whereas PM2.5 showed less variation between streets and a footpath without road traffic. Both BC and UFP significantly correlated with traffic counts, while no significant correlation between PM2.5 and traffic counts was observed. The relationships between UFP, NO2 and inorganic components of PM2.5 were further investigated through long-term measurements at roadside, urban background and rural sites. UFP moderately correlated with NOx (NO2 + NO) and showed varying relationships with NOx depending on the particle size distribution. Principal component analysis and air-mass back trajectory analysis revealed that PM2.5 concentrations were dominated by long-range transport of secondary inorganic aerosols, whereas UFP were mainly related to varying local emissions and meteorological conditions. These findings imply the need for different policies for managing human exposure to these different particle components: control of much BC and UFP appears to be manageable at local scale by restricting traffic emissions; however, abatement of PM2.5 requires a more strategic approach, in cooperation with other regions and countries on emissions control to curb long-range transport of PM2.5 precursors. A dispersion model (ADMS-Urban) was used to simulate high resolution NO2 and O3 concentrations in Edinburgh. The effects of different emission and meteorological input datasets on the resulting modelled NO2 concentrations were investigated. The modelled NO2 and O3 concentrations using the optimal model setup were validated against reference instrument and diffusion tube measurements. Temporal variability of NO2 was predicted well at locations that were not heavily influenced by local effects, such as road junctions and bus stops. Temporal variability of O3 was predicted better than for NO2. Long-term spatial variability of NO2 was found to correlate well with diffusion tube measurements, while modelled spatial variability of O3 in ADMS-Urban compared poorly with diffusion tube measurements. However, it was found that the O3 diffusion tube measurements may be subject to some unidentified biases affecting their accuracy. Land-use regression (LUR) models are widely used to estimate exposure to air pollution in urban areas. An appropriately sized and designed monitoring network is an important component for the development of a robust LUR model. Concentrations of NO2 were simulated by ADMS-Urban at ‘virtual’ monitoring sites in 54 different network designs of varying numbers and types of site, using a 25 km2 area including much of the Edinburgh city area. Separate LUR models were developed for each network. These LUR models were then used to estimate ambient NO2 concentrations at all residential addresses, which were evaluated against the ADMS-Urban modelled concentration at these addresses. The improvement in predictive capability of the LUR models was insignificant above ~30 monitoring sites, although more sites tended to yield more precise LUR models. Monitoring networks containing sites located within highly populated areas better estimated NO2 concentrations across all residential locations. LUR models constructed from networks containing more roadside sites better characterised the high end of residential NO2 concentrations but had increased errors when considering the whole range of concentrations. No particular composition of monitoring network resulted in good estimation simultaneously across all residential NO2 concentration and of the highest NO2 levels implying a lack of spatial contrast in LUR-modelled pollution surface compared with the dispersion model. Finally, the results from the measurement and modelling studies presented in thesis are synthesised in the context of current exposure assessment studies. Low-cost air-quality monitors currently do not possess and are unlikely in the near future to provide the robustness and accuracy to replace the existing routine monitoring network. Development of the low-cost air-quality should be aiming at upgrading them as the indicative method as defined in the data quality objective in the EU directive. The monitoring sites used to build LUR models should capture well the population distribution in the study area as opposed to capturing the greatest pollution contrast. The traditional methods of evaluating LUR models are also ineffective in characterising the models’ capability at estimating pollutant concentration at residential address. Given that the dispersion models are also subject to the availability and uncertainties in the input data, future air quality model development should endeavour to incorporate both dispersion and land-use regression models, where the uncertainty in the input data can be reduced by using LUR models built on actual measurements, and the limitation in the statistical modelling can be replaced by adopting the deterministic approach used in the dispersion model.

In South Africa, legislation dictates that employees must be developed resulting in the need to identify candidate's development capability. As such, it is essential to be able to measure the learning potential of candidates. In practice, cognitive ability has been linked to the complex process of job performance. This study aimed to determine whether learning potential can be used as a predictor of job performance. The Learning Potential Computerised Adaptive Test (LPCAT) was utilised to measure learning potential and job performance was measured through a promotion ratio (taking job knowledge and tenure into account). The moderator variables were investigated. A sample of 135 technical employees was drawn. The data was statistical manipulated reporting various significant relationships confirming the internal reliability of the LPCAT and indicating a strong significant relationship between learning potential and job performance. Variables such as learning potential, job grade and tenure are significant when predicting job performance. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / MA (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)