The problem for this study was to identify standards desirable for faculty when four-year hospitality management education programs are accredited. A modified Delphi technique was used to determine standards and reach agreement among a panel of hospitality professionals concerning desirable standards to be used to evaluate faculty during the self-study section of the specialized accreditation process. Nine faculty qualifications identified in the literature as being common to the self-study section of specialized accreditation constituted the framework of the study. These qualifications included academic preparation, scholarly productivity, applied professional experience, involvement in professional associations, competency in area of specialization, teaching effectiveness, interest in curricular experimentation, ability to work with students, and public service. A professional panel consisting of 15 hospitality management education administrators/faculty and 12 hospitality management industry representatives developed standards for each of the above qualifications. The panel rated the desirability of the standards using a Likert-type scale (4=very desirable, 3=desirable, 2=undesirable, l=very undesirable). All standards receiving a total of two-thirds of the responding panel members' votes in the very desirable and desirable categories were included in a proposed accreditation model of faculty standards. Unexpectedly, the panel questioned the inclusion of the qualification of public service and agreed to omit the evaluation of faculty on this qualification during specialized accreditation. It was recommended that eight of the qualifications and their corresponding standards be used by The Council on Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Education (CHRIE) to form criteria necessary for the self-study section of specialized accreditation. It was also recommended that the developed standards be used by hospitality management faculty as a means of self-evaluation. Finally, it was recommended that hospitality management education administrators use the standards as (a) guidelines when hiring and evaluating faculty and (b) a means for assessing faculty needs prior to faculty development programs. / Ed. D.

The issue of standards for household latrines is complex because discussions related to standards for latrines in literature from the water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) sector tend to focus on the negative aspects of standards and highlights cases where the miss-application of standards in the past has caused problems. However, despite concerns about the constraints that standards can seemingly impose, there is an acknowledgement that standards can play a more positive role in supporting efforts to increase access to household latrines. The World Health Organisation has long established and widely recognised standards for water supply quality and quantity but there are no equivalent standards for sanitation services and there is currently no guidance that deals with the topic of standards for household latrines. Household latrines are a small component of the wider sanitation system in a country and by considering how standards for household latrines operate within this wider sanitation system the aim of this research is to understand what influences standards can have on household latrines and explore how the negative perceptions about standards and latrine building can be overcome. The development of guidance on how to develop well written standards is the core focus of this research. This research explores the factors that can influence the development and use of a standard for household latrines in Rwanda using three data collection methods. Document analysis using 66 documents, including policies and strategies, design manuals and training guides from 17 countries throughout Sub-Saharan Africa was used in conjunction with the Delphi Method involving an expert panel of 27 from Rwanda and 38 semi-structured interviews. The research concludes that perceptions about standards for household latrines are fragmented and confused with little consensus in Rwanda on what need a standard should meet and what role it should play. The study has found that the need for a standard must be considered in the context of the wider sanitation system otherwise it can lead to duplication of efforts and increased confusion for all stakeholders. The study also found that there is an assumed link between standards and enforcement of standards through regulation and punishments which creates the negative perceptions about standards in Rwanda. However, despite this aversion to standards, there are still intentions to promote the standardisation of latrine technologies and designs, led by national government in Rwanda and in other Sub-Saharan African countries. The contribution to knowledge of this research includes a decision process presented at the end of the study which can be used by decision makers who are interested in developing a standard for household latrines. The decision process acts as a tool for outlining how a standard can operate within the national sanitation system. This understanding provides decision makers with the basis for continuing the debate on what a well written standard looks like in the national context and supports the development of a standard that is fit for purpose and provides a positive contribution to the sector.

Thesis (DPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2004. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The area of study is the notion of validity in image-based research, i.e. research approaches where visual images such as photographs or video recordings form an integral part of one or more of the methods used. In the literature investigation chapters of the study, (1) the notion of validity is reviewed with special reference to contributions by Cook and Campbell, Guba and Lincoln, Kvale, Lather and Morse; (2) the inherent properties of visual images are discussed from a semiotic perspective, and (3) following a discussion of reflexivity in image-based research, the various domains of image-based research practice are demarcated according to the unit of analysis, the data format, the researcher role (outsider, insider, participant) and the production of the visual material (ex ante or ex post with weak or strong researcher control). The literature investigation chapters were taken as the point of departure for the development of a conceptual framework for assessing validity in image-based research, the mechanics of which are illustrated with reference to selected aspects of image-based research projects by Lomax and Casey, Clark and Zimmer, Rich and Chalfen, DuFon and Chaplin. The conceptual framework was refined on the strength of a Delphi study. The Delphi procedure involved canvassing and pooling the opinions of experts in the field of image-based research about issues of validity with a view to ensure that the assumptions made during the development of the conceptual framework fit sufficiently with image-based research practice. Flowing from the literature investigation chapters as well as the Delphi procedure, the central thesis of the study is that the notion of validity is in the first instance contextdependent and that this is compounded in the case of image-based research by the relative instability of iconic codes and the strong drift towards 'unlimited' semiosis inherent in the visual communication process. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die studieveld behels ‘n ondersoek na die gedagte van geldigheid soos van toepassing op beeldgebaseerde navorsing, d.w.s. navorsingsbenaderings waar visuele beelde soos foto’s of video-opnames ‘n integrale deel uitmaak maak een of meer van die metodes wat gebruik word. In die hoofstukke wat die literatuurstudie uitmaak, word (1) die gedagte van geldigheid onder die loep geneem met spesifieke verwysing na die bydraes van Cook en Campbell, Guba en Lincoln, Kvale, Lather en Morse, (2) word die inherente eienskappe van visuele beelde vanaf 'n semiotiese oogpunt bespreek, en (3) word die verskeie velde van beeldgebaseerde navorsingspraktyk afgebaken volgens die eenheid van ontleding, die dataformaat, die rol van die navorser (buitestaander, binnestaander, deelnemer) en die produksie van die visuele materiaal (ex ante of ex post met sterk of swak navorserkontrole). Die hoofstukke wat gemoeid is met die literatuurstudie is as vertrekpunt geneem vir die daarstelling van ‘n konsepsuele raamwerk vir geldigheid aangaande beeldgebaseerde navorsing, en die werking hiervan is geïllustreer met verwysing na geselekteerde aspekte van beeldgebaseerde navorsing deur Lomax en Casey, Clark en Zimmer, Rich en Chalfen, DuFon end Chaplin. Hierdie konsepsuele raamwerk is verder verfyn op grond van ‘n Delphi-prosedure. Die Delphi-prosedure het behels dat die opinies van deskundiges in die veld van beeldgebaseerde navorsing aangaande kwessies van geldigheid ingewin en saamgevoeg is met die oog om te verseker dat die aannames wat gemaak is ten tyde van die ontwikkeling van die konsepsuele raamwerk genoegsaam gepas is vir die praktyk van beeldgebaseerde navorsing. Die tesis van die studie, gebaseer op die uitkomste van die literatuurstudie en die Delphi-prosedure, is dat die gedagte van geldigheid konteks-afhanklik is, wat in die geval van beeldgebaseerde navorsing vererger word deur die feit dat ikoniese kodes relatiefonstabiel is en dat die proses van visuele kommunikasie 'n sterk tendens na 'eindelose' semiosis toon.

published_or_final_version / Transport Studies / Master / Master of Arts

We are living a new and emerging technological wave that is mainly based on Artificial Intelligence. It is being led by the great IT corporations and could potentially bring transformation and disruption in large scale to the economy, industries, businesses, organizations, and people in the years to come. Frey & Osborne (2017)\'s research was an important milestone in evaluating the impact of AI and automatization in the future of employment and their key conclusion that 47% of total U.S. employment was at risk of being potentially extinguished in a decade or two had an enormous impact on the mass media. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate what could be the key impacts of Artificial Intelligence on Organizations and Work. In doing so, we scrutinize the authors\' research and propose an alternate ranking of occupation\'s susceptibility based on a different method and grounded on experts\' opinions. We also evaluate Frey & Osborne (2017)\'s key finding regarding to employment impact by technologies and identify key positive and negative qualitative impacts of AI on organizations and work, occupations and labor market. Taking into account the nature of this research, which is forward-looking, experimental and propositional, focused on current and future implications of Artificial Intelligence, we performed field research with experts supported by a Delphi Method, which is complemented by other techniques. Delphi is a robust and proven method commonly used in future research to assess the direction of long-range trends, with special emphasis on science and technology, and their probable effects on our society and our world. Among our key conclusions, we evaluate bottlenecks applied in to the occupation context and compare them to those identified by Frey & Osborne (2017). We also create our susceptibility ranking that takes into account an integration complexity factor, derived from Metcalfe\'s Law, which shows that occupations with less integration complexity, like clerks and assistant positions, are more likely of being replaced, while the ones that demand higher integration of abilities are practically not at risk. These results help in elucidating the current and future situation of this theme and allow us to suggest some possible suppositions. One of the most important is that no occupation will reach the 100% susceptibility index in twenty years, contrary to Frey & Osborne (2017)\'s research, which means that few occupations can be entirely replaced with acceptable quality by machines that combine Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and related technologies. Yet, our most relevant finding is this research is related to complexity and integration of occupations. Technologies may emulate individual abilities to a higher extent in the future, but more important than that is being able to harmonically combine these capabilities and make them work together with synergy to achieve even basic tasks of occupations. This integration challenge in association with Autor (2015)\'s Polanyi\'s paradox corroborates the fact that no matter how advanced technology might be in a specific ability, it takes more than that for machines to successfully replace humans in an occupation, which we understand confirms the future scenario of collaboration, complementation and synergy between humans and machines, rather than the replacement and displacement / Vivemos uma nova e emergente onda tecnológica que é principalmente baseada em Inteligência Artificial. Ela está sendo liderada pelas grandes corporações de TI e pode trazer transformação e rupturas em grande escala para a economia, indústrias, empresas, organizações e pessoas nos próximos anos. A pesquisa de Frey & Osborne (2017) foi um marco importante na avaliação do impacto da IA e da automatização no futuro do emprego e sua conclusão fundamental de que 47% do emprego dos EUA está em risco de ser potencialmente extinto em uma década ou duas, teve um enorme impacto nos meios de comunicação de massa. Assim, o objetivo deste estudo é avaliar quais podem ser os principais impactos da Inteligência Artificial sobre as organizações e o trabalho. Ao fazer isso, examinamos a pesquisa dos autores e propomos um ranking alternativo da suscetibilidade das ocupações com base em um método distinto e fundamentado em opiniões de especialistas. Também avaliamos as principais conclusões de Frey & Osborne (2017) em relação ao impacto no emprego pelas tecnologias e identificamos os principais impactos qualitativos positivos e negativos da IA em organizações e trabalho, ocupações e mercado de trabalho. Levando em conta a natureza desta pesquisa, prospectiva, experimental e proposicional, focada nas implicações atuais e futuras da Inteligência Artificial, realizamos uma pesquisa de campo com especialistas apoiados pelo método Delphi, que é complementado por outras técnicas. O Delphi é um método robusto e comprovado, comumente usado em pesquisas com orientação futura para avaliar a direção de tendências de longo prazo, com especial ênfase em ciência e tecnologia, e seus prováveis efeitos em nossa sociedade e em nosso mundo. Entre nossas principais conclusões, avaliamos os gargalos aplicados no contexto das ocupação e comparamos com aqueles identificados por Frey & Osborne (2017). Também elaboramos nosso próprio ranking que leva em conta um fator de complexidade de integração, derivado da Lei de Metcalfe, que mostra que ocupações com menor complexidade de integração, como assistentes, têm maior probabilidade de serem substituídas, enquanto as que exigem maior integração entre habilidades estão praticamente fora de risco. Estes resultados ajudam a elucidar a situação atual e futura deste tema e nos permitem sugerir algumas possíveis suposições. Uma das mais importantes é que poucas ocupações atingirão o índice de suscetibilidade de 100% em vinte anos, contrariamente à pesquisa de Frey & Osborne (2017), o que significa que nem uma única ocupação pode ser totalmente substituída com um nível de qualidade aceitável por máquinas que combinem Inteligência Artificial, Robótica e outras tecnologias. No entanto, nosso achado mais relevante nesta pesquisa está relacionado à complexidade e integração de habilidades para ocupações. As tecnologias podem emular habilidades individuais em maior escala no futuro, mas mais importante do que isso, é poder combinar harmonicamente essas capacidades e fazê-las trabalhar em sinergia para alcançar tarefas básicas de ocupações. Este desafio de integração associado ao Paradoxo de Polanyi de Autor (2015) corrobora o fato de que não importa quão avançada seja a tecnologia em uma habilidade específica, é preciso mais do que isso para que máquinas substituíam com sucesso humanos em uma ocupação, o que entendemos que confirma o cenário futuro de colaboração, complementação e sinergia entre humanos e máquinas, ao invés de substituição e deslocamento

The problem of this study is to predict how basic design will be taught in the year 2000 in the United States of America according to the perceptions of design educators who were polled using a Delphi exercise. Basic design is an introductory course in design disciplines covering fundamental principles, components, and applications of design. This study has a twofold purpose. The first is to predict how basic design will be taught in the year 2000 to allow design educators to better prepare for the future. The second is to provide a basis for further research that might address specific areas in the future of teaching design.

Background – As we live in a more digitized world, technological advancements have already taken place and have reshaped many different industries. One of these industries is the audit profession, which is a profession where the digitalization can contribute immensely. The digitalization is an on- going process within the field of audit and have resulted in improved tools and more efficient auditing. However, new emerging risks, such as IT-risks, have progressed along the digitalization. Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore how the digitalization affects the auditing in Sweden, and more precise, how it affects the audit process and the risk that emerges from the digitalization. Furthermore, the study will examine if there are any perceived differences among small and big audit firms in the concept of digitalization. Method – The Delphi method has been used to gather the primary data needed for the study. Practitioners from both the Big 4-firms and the smaller firms have been selected to take part of the study as experts by participating in a brainstorming session and by answering a questionnaire. This classification of the firms will be the two panels of experts within the study. Conclusion – The results indicates that the perception of digitalization of the audit process and the audit risks within the Big 4-firms and the smaller firms are somewhat alike but not ultimately. The two panels agree that the effects of the digitalization have been substantial and that the auditing in the future will be even more efficient. Regarding the risks the panels have more differentiated opinions, where the second panel, consisting of the smaller firms, believes that the digitalization has affected the risks to a larger extent than the first panel. As this thesis aimed to investigate, there is indeed a perceived difference among the Big 4-firms and the smaller firms regarding the digitalization effect on the audit process, although not a substantial one.

O presente estudo busca fornecer subsídios para a evolução da qualidade de seleção da fiscalização da Compensação Financeira da Exploração Mineral (CFEM) visando a propiciar um aumento na recuperação de créditos em cada fiscalização. Pretende-se mensurar os parâmetros que possam ser utilizados na definição da priorização de empresas a serem auditadas in loco, com a construção, através de pesquisa exploratória por meio de análise documental e entrevistas com especialistas do setor da matriz de priorização. Com esta pesquisa, espera-se contribuir na otimização da arrecadação das receitas públicas, assim como melhorar os resultados através do aumento da eficácia das fiscalizações, ou seja, aumentando o grau de acerto das fiscalizações e reduzindo o número de fiscalizações sem resultado. A Auditoria Fiscal realizada pelo DNPM em empresas de mineração pode ser dividida nas seguintes etapas: Seleção da empresa; Observação dos Processos Operacionais da Empresa; Inspeção da Documentação Contábil, Fiscal e Gerencial; Relatório de Fiscalização; Lavratura da Notificação Fiscal de Lançamento de Débitos para Pagamento (NFLPD). Nesta pesquisa, foram utilizados métodos primários (entrevistas com especialistas do setor) e secundários de pesquisa como a revisão da literatura. O método Delphi foi utilizado para coletar a opinião dos especialistas do setor. Quanto à técnica, utilizou-se a matriz GUT (Gravidade, Urgência, Tendência) que tem como objetivo estabelecer as prioridades das ações entre diversas alternativas, em que são atribuídos graus de importância nos valores de 1 a 5 para cada um dos problemas que compõe essa matriz. Na fase de entrevistas, identificou-se o nível de consenso e a prioridade dos critérios para seleção de empresas para fins de auditoria da CFEM. Concluiu-se que a adoção de critérios para direcionamento das auditorias externas da CFEM é mais eficiente do que a seleção aleatória realizada atualmente na SUP/DNPM/RS. Propõe-se que essa conclusão seja considerada em futuros planejamentos na SUP/DNPM/RS, para produzir melhorias em termos de arrecadação da CFEM e para tornar o processo de seleção eficiente. / The present study seeks to provide subsidies for the evolution of the selection quality of the Financial Compensation for Mineral Exploration (FCME) supervision in order to provide an increase in the recovery of credits in each inspection. It is intended to measure the parameters that can be used to define the prioritization of companies to be audited in loco, with the construction, through exploratory research through documentary analysis and interviews with specialists of the sector of the prioritization matrix. With this research, we hope to contribute to the optimization of the collection of public revenues, as well as to improve the results by increasing the efficiency of the inspections, that is, increasing the degree of correctness of the inspections and reducing the number of inspections without result. The Fiscal Audit carried out by DNPM in mining companies can be divided into the following stages: Company selection; Observation of the Company's Operating Processes; Inspection of Accounting, Tax and Management Documentation; Inspection Report; Drawing up of the Tax Notification of Debits for Payment (TNDP). In this research, primary (interviews with industry experts) and secondary research methods were used as the literature review. The Delphi method was used to gather the opinion of industry experts. As for the technique, the GUT (Severity, Urgency, Tendency) matrix was used to establish the priorities of the actions among several alternatives, in which degrees of importance are assigned in the values from 1 to 5 for each of the problems that compose this matrix. In the interview phase, the level of consensus and the priority of the criteria for company selection for FCME audit purposes were identified. It was concluded that the adoption of criteria to guide FCME's external audits is more efficient than the current random selection performed at SUP/DNPM/RS. It is proposed that this conclusion be considered in future SUP/DNPM/RS planning to produce improvements in terms of FCME collection and to make the selection process efficient.

Nas últimas décadas o mercado brasileiro para a piscicultura apresentou uma série de mudanças significativas, tais como crescimento em produtividade e exploração de espécies com aptidão aos diferentes sistemas de cultivo empregados. Frente a essas modificações, o Rio Grande do Sul, parece ter vivenciado um caminho oposto, já que os últimos levantamentos estatísticos apresentam uma queda na expressão de sua produtividade. Entre as etapas que compõem a aquicultura, a produção de juvenis é de grande importância uma vez que é um insumo indispensável a continuidade da cadeia, no entanto a falta de profissionalismo das unidades produtoras, pode trazer perdas para esta atividade. Portanto com a união dos diferentes temas abordados, esta tese tem por objetivo construir cenários em escala regional, buscando alternativas para que o RS retome o crescimento deste setor e aproveite o seu potencial econômico, além disso, busca através de estudos de caso com custos de produção, construir indicadores auxiliares à gestão dentro das unidades produtoras de pescado. A construção de cenários ocorreu com o método Delphi e os estudos de caso ocorreram com a análise de Custo-Volume-Lucro aplicado em dois sistemas de produção aquícola. A construção de cenários trouxe relevância para o desenvolvimento de políticas favoráveis à piscicultura no RS, ainda chamou atenção para o potencial da tilápia, como uma espécie promissora. A análise de Custo-Volume-Lucro teve fácil aplicação em ambos os casos estudados (produção de juvenis de peixes no RS e engorda de tilápias em tanques-rede na Bahia). Ainda, trouxe indicadores referentes aos insumos, volume produzido, vendas e lucratividade, possibilitando o planejamento e o desenvolvimento de estratégias para que o futuro desses sistemas não seja comprometido. / In the last decades the Brazilian market for fish farming has undergone a series of significant changes, such as growth in productivity and exploitation of species with aptitude for different farming systems. In the face of these changes, Rio Grande do Sul (RS) seems to have experienced an opposite path, since the last statistical surveys show a decrease in the expression of its productivity. Among the stages that make up aquaculture, the production of juveniles is of great importance since it is an indispensable input to the continuity of the chain, however the lack of professionalism of the producing units, can bring losses to this activity. Therefore, with the union of the different themes addressed, this thesis aims to build scenarios on a regional scale, seeking alternatives for the RS to resume the growth of this sector and to take advantage of its economic potential, in addition, search through case studies with costs of Management indicators within the fish producing units. Scenario construction occurred with the Delphi method and the case studies occurred with Cost-Volume-Profit analysis applied in two aquaculture production systems. The construction of scenarios brought relevance to the development of policies favorable to fish farming in RS, still called attention to the potential of tilapia as a promising species. The Cost- Volume-Profit analysis was easy to apply in both studied cases (production of fish juveniles in RS and fattening of tilapia in tanks in Bahia). Still, the results refer to the inputs, volume produced, sales and profitability, enabling the planning and development of strategies for the future of non-committed systems.

A necessidade crescente de atividades de manutenção em edificações habitadas, e sua inerente complexidade, tornam a adoção de métodos de gestão de extrema importância para a realização de obras com desempenho técnico e operacional eficientes. Assim, a presente pesquisa discute proposta de método para gestão de obras de manutenção de revestimentos de fachada, concebido em decorrência da necessidade de consolidação de técnicas eficientes para condução desse tipo de atividade. A pesquisa contempla uma fase inicial exploratória que aborda aspectos conceituais fundamentais e descreve relatos de casos acompanhados pelo autor em que as técnicas de gestão foram adotadas de forma não sistêmica, e cuja análise crítica gerou informações importantes para a elaboração da proposta. Em seguida o trabalho mostra a proposição inicial do método, elaborada a partir das discussões relatadas posteriormente na bibliografia e nas considerações oriundas da fase inicial exploratória. Para avaliação da proposta foi realizada uma validação interna de conteúdo, a partir de pesquisas orientadas com especialistas escolhidos mediante critérios de seleção pré-definidos, utilizando método Delphi. Como atividade complementar, foi ainda discutida a eficiência das ações propostas por meio de um estudo de caso prático. As respostas obtidas em ambos os casos indicaram a adequação das ações propostas, o que possibilitou a apresentação do método de gestão final consolidado, considerado cientificamente eficiente. / The increasing need for inherently complex maintenance activities in inhabited buildings makes the adoption of management methods a very important tool for the execution of technically and operationally efficient projects. This research presents the proposal of a method for the management of façade covering maintenance construction projects, conceived as a result of the need for the consolidation of efficient techniques to conduct this type of activity. The research starts with an exploratory phase that addresses fundamental conceptual aspects and describes cases where management techniques were not formally adopted. This critical analysis generated important information for the elaboration of the method. Then the work presents the initial proposal of the method, devised from the discussions subsequently reported in the literature and in the considerations from the initial exploratory phase. For the evaluation of the proposal, an internal validation of content was carried out by means of a guided poll with specialists chosen through pre defined selection criteria using the Delphi Method. As a complementary activity, a practical case study was done in order to assess the efficiency of the method. The feedback obtained in both cases indicated the appropriateness of the proposed actions, allowing the presentation of the final management method, considered to be scientifically efficient.