The thesis set out to explore means of coping with change when in a state of isolation and basic parameters and references in life have been lost. Isolation may be a result of a change in environment, such as an interstate move to take up a new job,or changing from an office environment to home based work. It can result from relational changes such as marriage breakdown or from major life stage changes such as retirement. The first stage of the study involved the establishment of a collaborative group to explore issues that each member had experienced in coping with change. The second stage was an individual exploration of the author's own journey involving changes in work environments and interstate moves. The third stage was a consideration of literature that reflected and supported the thesis, of gathering information from relevant case studies conducted.Out of these stages came the hypothesis that people cope with change in isolation through a sense of belonging associated with several factors.Reflections on the research process and methodologies have been considered and implications arising out of the research are discussed. The thesis concludes with evocations of the impact of the research findings on others. / Master of Science (Hons)(Social Ecology)

Background: The traditional approach of strategy emphasizes the role of planning as a main driver for success. Thus, in an environment with a low propensity for change, managers are able to predict the market evolution and therefore allocate wisely their resources in order to optimize the company's actions. However, markets are substantially more dynamic and managers are faced with higher and more complex level of uncertainty. In such climates, anticipating and understanding change is becoming increasingly relevant and top companies are not just competing in the present, but also into the future. Purpose: To uncover and discuss how companies can enhance their strategies through procedures for anticipating and more appropriately preparing for change. This will consist of understanding how companies gain foresight and relevant types of information about potential future changes, how companies understand what these changes mean in terms of their context and their future, and, finally, how they respond once they have gained an understanding. Methodology: The research has a qualitative approach and is based four case studies. Both secondary and primary data were used. The primary data collection was conducted with through structured interviews. Conclusions: Managers need not resort to costly or time consuming tools for enhancing their foresight insight and their strategies. Instead, they should constantly be aware of inherent biases, use counterfactual thinking and challenge their own mental models as well as the resulting views and understandings. Without doubting the mental models first and foremost, companies can innovate only incrementally. Furthermore, managers need to understand the potential of open foresight and the power within the company’s networks. In this way, they can distance themselves from the trend-impact-reaction cycle. Finally, companies should adopt a more anticipatory approach, rather than one which sustains the industry on order to better shield their strategies from disruptive change.

Background: Due to various factors, such as the restructuring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 1996, Police Social Work Services decided to broaden the scope of its services by developing and introducing proactive personnel capacity building programmes (PCBP's). Fifteen PCB programmes had been developed by 1999, which gave rise to the need for a comprehensive impact assessment of these programmes. This resulted in the Evaluation of Personnel Capacity Building Programmes (EPCBP) research project that was launched in 2001. The evaluation of the Healthy Lifestyle and Coping with Change programmes formed part of this comprehensive study. Objectives: The primary aim of the study was to determine the effect of the Healthy Lifestyle (HLS) and Coping with Change (CWC) programmes on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of SAPS personnel. Method: The comparison group pre-test and post-test design and triangulation were used during this research. Six measuring scales and a presenter's evaluation questionnaire were developed and completed by 196 (HLS) and 184 (CWC) experimental group respondents, 38 (HLS) and 41 (CWC) comparison group members and 10 (HLS) and 7 (CWC) presenters. Results: With the help of various measuring instruments and the triangulation of measurements, it was determined that the Healthy Lifestyle and Coping with Change programmes had a practical significant effect on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the respondents. It was concluded that these programmes were effective tools in the hands of Police Social Work Service (PSWS) because they not only empowered SAPS personnel to lead more productive professional lives, but also enhanced their personal well-being. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

Background: Due to various factors, such as the restructuring of the South African Police Service (SAPS) in 1996, Police Social Work Services decided to broaden the scope of its services by developing and introducing proactive personnel capacity building programmes (PCBP's). Fifteen PCB programmes had been developed by 1999, which gave rise to the need for a comprehensive impact assessment of these programmes. This resulted in the Evaluation of Personnel Capacity Building Programmes (EPCBP) research project that was launched in 2001. The evaluation of the Healthy Lifestyle and Coping with Change programmes formed part of this comprehensive study. Objectives: The primary aim of the study was to determine the effect of the Healthy Lifestyle (HLS) and Coping with Change (CWC) programmes on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of SAPS personnel. Method: The comparison group pre-test and post-test design and triangulation were used during this research. Six measuring scales and a presenter's evaluation questionnaire were developed and completed by 196 (HLS) and 184 (CWC) experimental group respondents, 38 (HLS) and 41 (CWC) comparison group members and 10 (HLS) and 7 (CWC) presenters. Results: With the help of various measuring instruments and the triangulation of measurements, it was determined that the Healthy Lifestyle and Coping with Change programmes had a practical significant effect on the knowledge, attitude and behaviour of the respondents. It was concluded that these programmes were effective tools in the hands of Police Social Work Service (PSWS) because they not only empowered SAPS personnel to lead more productive professional lives, but also enhanced their personal well-being. / Thesis (M.A. (MW))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2006.

The analysis of cultural policy in the last decade suggests that creativity and the arts in general are extensively used in political agendas as means of capitalizing on the forecasted socio-economic potential of creative/artistic activities (e.g. Flew, 2005; Garnham, 2005; Hartley, 2005; Hesmondhalgh, 2007). Although some critical studies have highlighted instrumentalism, short-sidedness and practice/practitioners’ averse policy-making and intervention planning (Belfiore, 2004, 2009; Caust, 2003; Oakley, 2009; Newman, 2013), so far only very few studies have exposed the experiences and voices of particular groups of creative workers in the different national (country-specific) contexts to support this criticism. There has been a significant lack of studies that aim to understand how creative workers experience and cope with the changing policy context in their work. In particular, the voice of non-artists has rarely been considered when seeking a better understanding of the sector’s dynamics. This thesis explored the Scottish cultural sector through the eyes of cultural leaders. The study was carried out during a time of significant transformation to the funding structure, processes and relationships in the sector, catalysed by the establishment of a new funding agency (the funder). It focuses on cultural leaders’ understandings of an increasingly politicised cultural landscape that constitutes the context of their work. The thesis also looks at the influence of these understandings on the leaders’ role responsibilities, as well as the essence and the sustainability of the cultural sector. The empirical work for the thesis followed a qualitative research approach and focused on 21 semi-structured interviews with cultural leaders and industry experts based in Scotland. These individuals were purposefully chosen as a group of stakeholders who are able to engage in discussions about the cultural sector in the context of recent changes in the governance and financial subsidy of Scottish (publically funded) arts. The research findings illustrated the importance of leaders’ values and beliefs, which reflect the purpose of their work and shape their enactments in the sector. In particular, the intrinsic motivation, artistic ambitions, social and civic responsibilities of leaders emerged as crucial qualities of their work roles. The findings revealed a discrepancy between these artistic and civic concerns of cultural leaders and the socio-economic expectations of the funder, which contributed to a great deal of unproductive ('inorganic') tensions for which leaders had to find coping mechanisms. Bourdieu’s (1977, 1992) theoretical concepts were used as a starting point in understanding the cultural sector as a cultural field, and cultural leaders as actors enacting their work-related practices in the evolving socio-political and economic system of cultural production. However, upon further analysis of the data, the notions of a ‘worldview’ and ‘stewardship’ emerged and were used to better explain the greater complexity of work in today’s cultural sector. This thesis thus builds upon Bourdieu’s concept of ‘field’ and ‘artistic logic’ and explains the changing cultural sector as a holistic cultural field where cultural leaders enact their stewardship-like work responsibilities from within a strong and dynamic artistic worldview.