The record of climate change in Signedalen and Krossfjorden, northwest Spitsbergen, since the Late Weichselian glacial maximum, has been constructed using an integrated analysis of lacustrine, terrestrial and marine sediments. Thirty-four piston cores were taken from two series of linked lakes in Signedalen, fed by three small cirque glaciers. Six further cores were taken from the fjord inlet, Signehamna, into which meltwater from the linked glacier-fed lakes and a further two glaciers drain. Signehamna drains into Lilliehookfjorden, which with Mollerfjorden, combines to form Krossfjorden, from which 16 .cores were made available. Cores were analysed for moisture content, loss-on-ignition, bulk density, grain size, magnetic susceptibility, infra-red stimulated luminescence, by X-radiography and by radioisotopic dating methods, 210Pb and 14C. Bathymetric maps were constructed following echo sounding survey of the lakes. Seventy-two water samples from the linked lakes were used to assess contemporary environmental conditions, and to aid interpretation of sedimentary structures within core sediments. Results of lichenometric survey of moraine ridges and pro-talus deposits in and around Signedalen were analysed using discriminant analysis, and compared with Werner's (1988) lichen growth curve in order to establish a chronology of moraine stabilisation. Seismic records of Krossfjorden have revealed evidence of glacier advance at least as far as the sill separating Krossfjorden from the outer parts of the fjord and shelf associated with the Late Weichselian glacial maximum (Sexton et al., in press). Overlying the basal unit of a possible till , or sediments associated with rapid glacier retreat, is a blanket of homogeneous sediment formed by ice-distal deposition during the Holocene. There is no evidence of Younger Dryas glacier expansion preserved in the marine sediments, or in terrestrial moraines. Denudation rates calculated from lacustrine sediment accumulation infer the presence of smaller glaciers in Signedalen during the Younger Dryas than at present. The early to mid Holocene appears to have been characterised by relatively warm conditions, with much reduced glacier presence in Signedalen. Evidence of Neoglacial cooling, between approximately 3,000 yr BP and 1,500 yr BP, is found in lichenometric recorckof talus deposits, although precise dating of the inception, and duration of this cooling is problematic. No moraine sediments are recorded from this period. The Little Ice Age maximum, dated by licheno~etry to AD 1890, was the most extensive glacier advance to have affected the cirque glaciers of Signedalen and the tidewater glaciers of Krossfjorden, and is associated with the highest denudation rates recorded in the lacustrine sediments. It also appears to have been responsible for the formation of rock glaciers within the protalus deposits of Signedalen. Since this date, a general retreat of glaciers has been interrupted periodically by still-stands or slight readvances when climatic conditions deteriorated.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

This thesis explores the nature and impacts of social change in a remote rural, island area within the Scottish Gaidhealtachd. It seeks to contribute to an in depth understanding of how the social and economic system of crofting, as well as the Gaelic culture which has related closely to it in such areas, has evolved over the past 40 years. The case study area of South Uig in the Isle of Lewis has low population numbers and offers an opportunity to study these processes of change in microcosm. Where appropriate, inferences can be drawn from the study which may contribute to the formulation of policy for similarly remote rural places and the fragile cultures which are integral to them.

No description available.

No description available.

Service Oriented Virtual Organizations (SOVOs) business processes and services are subject to change to meet the internal and external requirements of the competitive, complex and rapidly changing environment they operate in. More practical and efficient ways of change management are needed to allow different partners to initiate changes to their business process and services in a faster and user-transparent manner. This thesis proposes a Change Management Framework for service oriented virtual organizations including a structural and a procedural framework. The structural framework categorizes changes in the SOVO into three layers of change; which include the value network layer, the collaborative process layer and the service providers’ layer, and identifies the impact of change on each layer. Furthermore, the structural framework identifies various triggers of changes which eventually lead to actions taken at the three layers. The change management procedural framework is derived from the ITIL V3, ECM and ECOLEAD best practices and recommendations, customized to fit the SOVO change requirements. It provides different components including the six layers for change processes, change control, change actors and related management processes. The change management procedural framework provides a sequence of steps and methods that the SOVO and its participated organizations can follow in initiating changes to their business processes or services. We design an implementation architecture and a prototype for building the change management console which enables the SOVO change management participants to initiate, assess, collaborate, monitor and authorize changes. The prototype is developed to realize and validate the change management process of change in the SOVO environment. We employ the various capabilities of the IBM Business Process Management (BPM) (including its recent Web 2.0 capabilities) to increase the collaboration between partners in the process of change. We demonstrate that the proposed solutions facilitate and enhance the process of change by effectively engaging the SOVO partners in the process of change.

Responsible for CO2 emissions of the order of 1 Gt, about 2-3 % of the global total, the shipping sector is part of the challenge to reduce emissions, in order to avoid dangerous climate change. Aiming to inform the sector’s response to the challenge, this research addresses two knowledge gaps. Current methods of estimating carbon emissions from shipping are subject to large uncertainties and lacking with respect to a set of greenhouse gas accounting criteria. Based on Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, a new methodology is developed to monitor fuel consumption and ensuing carbon emissions around the globe. Results from applying the method to a sample fleet of 13 vessels and validating it against fuel consumption records covering a time interval of one year demonstrate that, for the first time, estimating shipping emissions from individual ship AIS movement data has become possible at the global scale. Lacking information on the performance of carbon abatement technologies is the second knowledge gap. Due to its geographical and temporal variability, wind power technology is particularly dependent on a transparent assessment to exploit its carbon saving potential as a freely available and renewable energy source. Numerical performance models of two wind power technologies - a Flettner rotor and a towing kite - are combined with wind velocity data from a weather model to calculate their propulsive power contribution. Average results along five analysed sample routes range between 0.3 MW and 1.0 MW for a single Flettner rotor andbetween 0.1 MW and 0.9 MW for the modelled towing kite. Both methodologies are ready for further use. Applying the AIS-based method to data covering the world fleet may provide a concise, up-to-date view of greenhouse gas emissions from shipping when and where they take place. The wind power technology model can be applied to any shipping route around the world. Next steps towards fully exploring and optimising the potential of wind power technology are outlined. A better understanding of greenhouse gas emissions from shipping and of mitigation options gained from applying the models may, in turn, contribute to the sector’s successful response to the climate change challenge.

While change seems to have become a feature of contemporary organizations, the success rate of change initiatives is admittedly very poor, not only when initiating the change, but even after the successful implementation of a well-planned change, as employees are likely to return to their old habits; thus most change efforts do not persist. Organizations however need to ensure that their change initiatives, which in most cases come at a heavy cost in terms of investment, last long enough to attain their goals. Given the lack of change management research in the Middle Eastern context, particularly with respect to the institutionalization of change, this study explores how best to institutionalize change interventions in the Middle East. The research employs a mixed-methods approach, combining semi-structured interviews with 17 senior managers and a questionnaire survey of 312 employees, in order to gather data from the case study of the Abu Dhabi Police. The quantitative data is assessed using descriptive and inferential statistical analysis, while the independent samples t-test is used to explore variations between groups. The findings reveal the significant role of communication in creating shared meanings, perceptions and interpretations; the language-based approach is thus recommended as an additional conversational instrument to enlighten managers and enrich their interventions. This study identifies four categories of factors that are critical to institutionalization; the characteristics of these critical factors and associated issues are also highlighted as a contribution to the design and implementation of institutionalization strategies. The study concludes by developing a framework incorporating three basic conceptual elements that should be considered as a whole during any attempt to institutionalize change; it comprehensively integrates the institutionalization strategies and the critical factors, in order to convey a change message that shapes the enactment of institutionalization processes.