This graduation thesis examines ski centres in the Czech Republic, mainly its most frequent problems they face. The other objectives are to find out the structure of their skiers, how is promotion important for them and what measures they implement to help their development and visit rate. For these reasons was prepared a questionnaire and its results offer a survey of opinions of Czech ski centres representatives.

Process optimization became a common practice for vast majority of market oriented companies. However, the focus on supporting services generally starts only after the potential for savings by optimizing the core activities is fully utilized. Emerging trend of passed ten years represents shared services centres, which in fact comprise both of the above components and together with offshoring offer more important cost savings. The aim of the thesis was to prepare a comprehensive material representing a complex overview of the process optimization activities and describe shared services centre as a special option of the optimization that allows maximization of the benefits from optimizing supporting services. The problem, which is being addressed in the thesis, should answer the question if the selection criteria of an optimization project have been influenced by the financial crisis and what is now different. The thesis is in the theoretical part presenting key optimization methods, process mapping techniques as well as recent trends in the optimization and shared service centres area. The market has been importantly impacted by the financial crises and companies re-focus on cost-optimization projects. However, acquiring financial resources became more difficult, which results in the fact that the priority is given to projects which do not require important initial investment and bring cost saving benefits relatively soon. A special attention is dedicated to presenting a clear method for differentiation of supporting services. In the second part is presented an optimization project in a complex and structured way offering a practical guidance of the respective phases, activities performed and pitfalls that may arise in technical or managing aspect of the project. The aim is to present these problematic areas together with measures how to prevent them. For each of the project phases are presented key activities, tools and methods that should mainly contribute to clear idea regarding time and resource planning for process optimization project. The main contribution of the thesis is that it represents a structured material that could be used by management of the company while considering and planning process optimization project. The topic is also presented in a complex way covering both theoretical and practical side of the optimization activities and shared service centres, which is generally not the approach of the authors that either focus on a particular optimization method, project management or theoretical basis of the optimization.

The activity with which this thesis is concerned is that of retailing; the area of focus being the shopping centre. This environment is one which displays a complex set of spatial and human relationships involving amongst others location, size, rent structure, shopping mix, movement, fashion, socio-economic status, expenditure patterns and consumer behaviour. It can be demonstrated that if certain of these factors are left to respond to what is generally known as the "market mechanism", the resultant environment usually exhibits certain undesirable features such as congestion, pollution and commercial blight. The planner seeks, amongst other aims to create an environment which is optimal and balanced and which provides for human needs such as convenience and safety.

Free-standing birth centres (FSBCs) were formed in Ontario in 2014 and operate with the support of birth centre aides (BCAs), a novel birth worker role. As a recent introduction to the Ontario maternity care system, there have been no academic inquiries into BCAs and only a hand full of investigations on birth centres (Mattison, 2015; Mattison et al., 2020; Murray-Davis et al., 2014; Sprague et al., 2018). From a feminist perspective, an analysis of the BCA role offers a unique opportunity to conduct a feminist analysis of work in healthcare between largely women care providers (i.e., midwives and BCAs), leadership, and reproductive justice activism. My dissertation consists of three standalone papers based on empirical data gathered through in-depth semi-structured interviews and document analysis at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre (OBWC). For my first paper, “Mapping the Development of Birth Centre Aides at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre”, I applied a feminist sociology of professions framework (Davies, 1996; Witz, 1992) and employed an institutional ethnographic methodology (Smith, 1990) to understand how the BCA role was developed and operationalized in the OBWC. I mapped the development of the BCA role at the OBWC descriptively and visually using the documentary and interview data with key stakeholders from the OBWC (n=16), including BCAs, administrators, and midwives. In the second paper, “Feminist Leadership in Healthcare: The Case of Birth Centre Aides and the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre,” I integrated Tronto’s (1993) ethic of care with Dickson and Tholl’s (2014) LEADS in a Caring Environment leadership framework in an instrumental case study (Stake, 2005) to understand how BCAs lead from their position within the OBWC and how they experience feminist leadership practices in the OBWC. Finally, in my third paper, “Birth Work as Reproductive Activism: The Case of Birth Centre Aides at the Ottawa Birth and Wellness Centre,” I applied a reproductive justice theoretical framework (Ross, 2017; SisterSong, 2015) through an instrumental case study (Stake, 2005) to understand how BCAs undertake quiet reproductive activism at the OBWC. Taken together, my dissertation offers new knowledge on the role and development of BCAs in the OBWC and contributes to advancing feminist scholarship on healthcare leadership and reproductive justice activism.

Many unemployed construction workers, some with years of trade experience, often travel vast distances to the city and congregate daily at certain places in the city, hoping to earn a day’s wages and. Some have to sleep on the street and in parks, only to wait, hope and believe that the following day an employment opportunity will arise. The study adresses unemployment and the physical, metaphysical and socio-economic boundaries which exists around building supply stores. This dissertation aims at uplifting the unemployed who do not have formal qualifications and are willing to work with acquired trades on site. The prospective workers claim to be skilled in trades such as painting, brick laying, plumbing and plastering. The study investigates how architecture can diffuse the boundaries between the possible employees and the unskilled workers by advertising how skills are being taught and transferred to the workforce Using the Builders Warehouse franchise chain, three different training centre typologies are proposed in the parking areas of the stores based on size, number of unemployed gathering in the area and available parking bays. The programme focuses on providing proper training based on the training programme of the Atteridgeville Campus of the Tshwane Technical College where the workers can obtain a skill with an associated qualification as determined by CETA (Construction Education Training Authority). Training provided will also focus on new technologies and materials as well as energy efficient building materials. Ultimately the Training Centre should become a threshhold, to foster mutually beneficial relationships to be formed between the building supply store, clients and unskilled or unemployed workers gathering around the store. The investigation of the problem of unemployed construction workers initiated the development of a architectural typology, termed “trade architecture”. / Dissertation MArch(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

Call centres across the globe experience high levels of absenteeism and labour turnover. The reason being: job dissatisfaction. South African call centres are also facing the same problem where absenteeism and labour turnover is on the increase. Job satisfaction is influenced not only by situational aspects of the job environment but by dispositional personality factors of the individual as well. The aim of the study was to determine the possible relationship among locus of control, self-determination and job satisfaction. The study population consisted of (N= 187) call centre agents from a Municipality in Gauteng. The results of the empirical study indicate there is a relationship between locus of control and job satisfaction. Copyright 2006, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Carrim, N 2006, The relationship amongst locus of control, self-determination and job satisfaction in call centres, MCom dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-02132012-105055 / > C12/4/70/gm / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Human Resource Management / unrestricted

This study responds to the effect that current food production has on the natural environment, by researching urban systems and ecosystems. In reaction to the findings, a new food production system and the urban buying and retail culture are investigated. A food market and hydroponic production building is designed to serve as an alternative to the supermarket and conventional food production. AFRIKAANS : Hierdie studie reageer op die uitwerking wat huidige voedsel produksie op die natuurlike omgewing het, deur stedelike stelsels en ekostelsels te bestudeer. In reaksie op die bevindings word ‘n nuwe voedsel produksie stelsel en die stedelike koop-enverkoop- kultuur ondersoek. ‘n Varsprodukte mark en hidroponiese produksie-gebou word ontwerp om ‘n alternatief te bied vir die supermark en konvensionele voedselproduksie. / Hierdie studie reageer op die uitwerking wat huidige voedsel produksie op die natuurlike omgewing het, deur stedelike stelsels en ekostelsels te bestudeer. In reaksie op die bevindings word ‘n nuwe voedsel produksie stelsel en die stedelike koop-en verkoop- kultuur ondersoek. ‘n Varsproduktemark en hidroponiese produksie-gebou word ontwerp om ‘n alternatief te bied vir die supermark en konvensionele voedselproduksie. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Architecture / unrestricted

Title: General and special performance of members of athletic sports centres Objectives: The primary aim of the thesis is to evaluate the general physical performance of 14-year-old and 15-year-old members of sports centres from 2018 and compare whether it is better than it was in 2012 and 2015. The secondary aim is to determine whether the general performance of athletes corresponds to special performance in the race. Methods: The first part of the thesis is a literary search, which represents a theoretical framework of the topic. The second, main part of the thesis is practical. Initially, the data of the examined group provided by the Czech athletic federation, Department of Youth, were statistically processed. Subsequently, the characteristics of the statistical population in 2018 were compared with the years 2012 and 2015. Based on factual data search, a comparison of general and special performance of selected sports centre members was drawn. Finally, the validity of the hypotheses was verified. Results: A comparison of testing results of sport centres members from 2018 with 2012 and 2015 proved that the general physical performance of 14-year-old and 15-year-old members is increasing year-on-year. In 2018, athletes achieved better average results in all four motor tests: a 50-meter run from...

This study puts the spotlight on adult education, focussing specifically on how the EFA ABET policy is being implemented at grassroots level of ABET learning centres. A case study of a South African public ABET learning centre located within the Gauteng Province, and comprising of a multicultural group of ABET Level 2 adult learners with varied age-groups was conducted. Using the bio-ecological model, the study explores the dynamic interrelated and interdependent interactions between the individual adult learner learning to read and the influence of his context; thereby exploring the impact that EFA ABET policy has had on adult learners in South Africa. As part of the micro-system, the learner’s academic self-concept in reading literacy is explored as a key factor determining the adult learner’s achievement in learning to read. Rather than focus on the deficiencies of the system, this study adopts a solution-focused approach by investigating the assets that exist within the system that enable adult learners to develop a positive academic self-concept and facilitate their acquisition of reading literacy. The findings suggest that there are internal and external assets existing within the ABET learner’s ecosystem which when mobilised can be utilised to promote a positive academic self-concept in reading literacy. This potency of the assets in enhancing the academic self-concept was mediated by the locus of control for agency as well as the synergy of focus amongst the assets. Where the locus of control was located externally, it created limited impact because the learners were limited to activate and mobilise those assets to achieve their goal of acquiring reading literacy. Where control was locates internally, the learners were stimulated to persevere in their endeavours to acquire reading literacy despite the challenges they were facing within their eco-system. Where assets were focused on promoting a common goal, they facilitated mobility and focus of energy toward the acquisition of reading literacy. However, where the assets had divergent foci, they created the divergent priorities and undermined effective attainment of the goal of acquiring reading literacy. / Dissertation (MEd (Educational Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Educational Psychology / MEd / unrestricted

Thesis (M.Urban Design) / Cannot copy abstract