This research was geared towards the investigation of management strategies (factors) that affect the performance ofMSMEs in Kenya. Many developed countries record a time in history when entrepreneurial activities led to revival of economical growth after decline. This implies MSMEs is a very vital sector especially for a developing country like Kenya. MSMEs stagnate and their performance is uncertain according to writers such as Namusonge, Management inadequacies have been suggested in several studies. The objectives of this research was to, 1. To identifY the critical management factors affecting the performance of MSMEs in Kenya; ii. To establish the process through which managerial factors affect the performance of a MSMEs in Kenya ; m. To determine the integrative effect of various management factors in the MSMES in Kenya; IV. To establish the effect of demographics and management factors on performance, v. To establish effects of external environment on internal management factors A conceptual model was formulated from the literature review showing relationships of the management strategies and the environment they operate in. These relationships became the basis for the hypotheses which were later tested. In chapter 4, a mini research (pilot study) was conducted in May 2007,whose main aim was to test the reliability and validity of the research instruments. The 36 questionnaires returned were analysed through descriptive method. Results obtained indicated the instruments were reliable and the results valid. A few corrections suggested were made. The major correction was addition of question 35 to collect financial information. The data collection was done between mid August and mid October 2007.In chapter 5, the researcher analysesd the results of the survey after receiving 180 questionnaires. Time was a constraint. In chapter 6, the hypotheses and conceptual model were analysed and the results obtained suggested that, most strategies did not affect the profitability separately but severally. The integrated effect of the management strategies and the associated factors had a higher impact on performance of the MSMES than any individual strategies. In chapter 7, the conclusions, summaries and Recommendations are given. / Business Management / D. Com. (Business Management and Policy)

Magister Economicae - MEcon / The research study investigated the potential impact that organisational capacity assessments can have on the long-term sustainability of non-profit organisations (NPOs). The researcher employed longitudinal research design as the main instrument in the collection of data. Data was collected from four local non-profit organisations in the Cullinan and Bronkhorstspruit areas of South Africa. These organisations were evaluated by means of a questionnaire, which was developed by the researcher. NPOs can only play a pivotal role in community and social services if management, leadership, governance and other elements of organisational capacity are well developed and continuously strengthened. This is critical for attracting local and international donors who provide crucial running costs and relieve national, provincial and local government departments of the financial burden. Currently, the South African government supports NPOs in South Africa. The legislative and registration aspects of NPOs are regulated by the NPO Act (Act 71 of 1997) and the Income Tax Act (Act 58 of 1962). The State of South African Registered NPOs Report 2010/2011 indicated a growth of the number of registrations to have increased by 8.3%. However, in the same financial year a total number of 468 NPOs were deregistered; 98% of these lost their registration due to non-compliance of regulatory requirements. According to the State of South African Registered NPOs Report (2016) the total number of applications received for the financial year was 16 726 (53.7%), however 4 421 (46%) did not meet the requirements of sections 12-13 of the NPO Act, an issue that would definitely affect the existence of non-compliant institutions.

The transition from apartheid to democracy in South Africa, which began in 1994 led to a change in a plethora of policies and/or legislation. In recent years there has been much debate on how the standard of education provisioning in schools could be raised in the light of the introduction of the much debated Revised National Curriculum Statement (RNCS) and thereafter the National Curriculum Statement (NCS). These reform initiatives have brought about confusion and a sense of unsettledness amongst educators, including principals as well as their School Management Teams. Furthermore, the abovementioned and other policies required educators to acquaint themselves with either the materials that are used or the content of the curriculum and the planning and presentation of lessons. This entails in some occasions that educators who are more experienced have to assist the less experienced ones since they understand the RNCS and more recently the NCS better than the others. According to me this emphasises the importance of educator development towards raising the standards in schools. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a process that fits the role of an educator as a lifelong learner. The aforementioned is captured in the Norms and Standards for Educators (2000). The need for more attention to be accorded to the professional development of practising educators is emphasised in the Report of the Ministerial Committee on Teacher Education (2005). This report led to the development of the National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development which has as its aim to attempt to address the need for suitably qualified educators in South Africa. The National Policy Framework for Teacher Education and Development will be used in this study along with the Integrated Quality Management Systems (IQMS) as tools to achieve the continuous development of educators in South African schools. The Personnel Administration Measures (PAM) of 1999 are also used since they stipulate the roles and responsibilities of the educator, including those of the principal, deputy principal(s) as well as the heads of department. In particular it stipulates that the principal (Department of Education, 1999:10) is responsible for the development of staff training programmes, school-based, school-focused and externally directed, and to assist educators, particularly new and inexperienced educators, in developing and achieving educational objectives in accordance with the needs of the school. This research project deals with the challenges experienced by educators regarding their own Continued Professional Development (CPD). It thus aims at coming up with an empirical account of the challenges experienced by the said educators. The study will focus on, among others, the educators’ experiences in the implementation of the IQMS as a developmental tool for educators in schools. It looks at the roles that different staff members in senior positions in terms of the CPD of the educators. These include the developmental opportunities available in the sampled schools. Carefully selected and drafted interview questions assisted me in soliciting answers from the sampled educators. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Education Management and Policy Studies / unrestricted

I samhället finns en stor efterfrågan på digitala detaljplaner eftersom digital och enhetlig data gör informationen analyserbar och sökbar. Även om nya detaljplaner ska vara digitala är den stora majoriteten av befintliga planer fysiska kartor med tillhörande bestämmelser på papper. För att underlätta transformationen och erhålla stringenta tolkningar av äldre planbestämmelser vid digitalisering av befintliga planer sammanställs här rådande vägledning om hur bestämmelser från 1949-1969 ska översättas. Efter att en enhetlig tolkning och formulering gjorts på ett dataset bestående av planbestämmelser från Värmdö kommun testas hur ett maskininlärningsprogram med hjälp av denna data kan generera en korrekt översättning från Boverkets planbestämmelsekatalog baserat på en äldre planbestämmelse. Trots begränsad data presterar programmet väl vid tolkningar avplanbestämmelser från Värmdö kommun under perioden. Däremot genereras färre korrekta tolkningar när programmet testas på bestämmelser från Haninge kommun, något som tyder på att träningsdata behöver vara mer diversifierat för att programmet ska vara generellt användbart vid tolkning av planbestämmelser från perioden. I arbetet diskuteras även hur rådande vägledning om tolkning av planbestämmelser kan utvecklas för att skapa bättreförutsättningar för enhetlig och analyserbar data. / The actors within the urban planning process in Sweden, whether they are municipalities, real estate developers or individual homeowners, benefit from digital development plans because digital and uniform data is easier to access and use in analyses. New development plans are required to be digital, but the large majority of the existing plan stock consist of physical maps with regulations on paper. To facilitate the transformation and acquire uniform translations of older planning regulations when digitizing older plans, guidance from government authorities on how to understand regulations from 1949-1969 is here compiled. After a systematic translation and formulation has been conducted on a dataset consisting of planning regulations from Värmdö municipality, the data is used in a machine learning program to test to what extent the program can predict the correct modern translation of the old text. When tested on regulations from Värmdö municipality, the performance was satisfactory despite the limited dataset used for training the program. However, when the program was tested on regulations from another nearby municipality, the result sank significantly, implying that the training data needs to be more diversified for the program to be generally useful when translating regulations from the time period. The research alsodiscusses how current guidelines on the topic can be developed to create better prerequisites for uniform and analysable data.

Title Transformation and the Utilization of the School Garden of the Elementary School Jílové u Prahy Since Establishment Until Today. Annotation The goal of my thesis is to monitor the establishment and the development of our school garden. In the first, theoretical part of my thesis, I outlined the historical events and attempts that would lead to the establishment and the decline of school gardens in the Czech Republic. This is closely linked to the historical developments of the Czech educational tradition. This part of my thesis is backed up by the information found in specialised and professional literature. In the second part of my thesis, i.e. my research, I have focused on collecting the information about the process of building a new school in Jílové u Prahy and about the development and changes in the adjoining school area from the day it was opened until now. My research is based on documents found in the archive, class records and annual reports. I gained lots of valuable information from interviews with eyewitnesses. In my conclusion, I compare the development phases of the school area and outline my findings in terms of the function of the school garden for the teaching process at the ground school. Key Words Key words: history of school gardens, ZŠ Jílové u Prahy, school area, school garden,...

O objeto da presente tese é o desenvolvimento de uma proposta metodológica para planejamento energético no desenvolvimento de áreas urbanas, na escala de distritos, bairros e unidades de vizinhança. A metodologia proposta é aplicável a estudos de desenvolvimento de novas áreas urbanas, distritos ou bairros e estudos para requalificação de áreas urbanas já ocupadas, como ferramenta de suporte ao planejamento e ao processo decisório. Inicialmente, foi produzida uma base referencial dos principais condicionantes para o planejamento energético urbano, segundo o escopo considerado nesse trabalho de pesquisa. Nessa etapa foram identificadas e analisadas as interdependências entre esses fatores e sua participação no consumo energético e nas emissões de poluentes. A proposta metodológica está estruturada em dois módulos principais: Módulo 1 - Gerenciamento da Demanda de Energia, envolvendo aspectos relacionados à Morfologia Urbana, Mobilidade Urbana e Edificações, tais como densidade populacional e construída, uso e ocupação do solo, geometria de quadras e cânion urbano, sistema de transporte urbano de passageiros, sistema viário, tecnologias veiculares e combustíveis, soluções passivas em conforto ambiental e substituição tecnológica de equipamentos em edificações; e Módulo 2 - Gerenciamento da Oferta de Energia, incluindo sistemas de geração e distribuição de energia elétrica e térmica para aquecimento e resfriamento em escala urbana, inclusive com aproveitamento de recursos energéticos residuais e renováveis. Dos Módulos 1 e 2 resultam os níveis de consumo de energia e as emissões totais de poluentes, incluindo Gases de Efeito Estufa e poluentes locais. Na composição da proposta metodológica participam variáveis e parâmetros relacionados aos condicionantes de planejamento energético urbano, bem como procedimentos de cálculo que integram e compatibilizam as configurações urbanas quanto à morfologia, mobilidade, edificações, e geração de energia. Os procedimentos foram sistematizados em um conjunto de planilhas eletrônicas e gráficos comparativos, desenvolvidos para aferição da proposta metodológica, suporte na visualização de resultados e indicadores e posterior aplicação como ferramenta no planejamento de áreas urbanas. A proposta metodológica foi aplicada no caso da Operação Urbana Água Branca, no Município de São Paulo, ficando demonstrado o potencial de integração de estratégias e comprovando a tese em questão. Nas duzentas e dezessete diferentes situações configuradas por meio da metodologia proposta, foi possível identificar não apenas importantes potenciais quantitativos, mas também a contribuição relativa dos diversos condicionantes para o resultado global, em termos energéticos, urbanísticos e ambientais. Além dos cenários apresentados, a proposta metodológica permite que diversos outros possam ser configurados para outras áreas urbanas a serem desenvolvidas ou requalificadas, desde que as variáveis e os parâmetros sejam adequadamente adaptados a cada realidade. / The subject of this thesis is the development of a methodology for energy planning in the development of urban areas, in the scale of districts and neighborhoods. The proposed methodology has two main applications as a tool to support strategic planning and decision-making process: studies for the development of new urban areas, districts or neighborhoods, and studies for rehabilitation of urban areas already used. Initially, a conceptual and technical approach was done about the main constraints for urban energy planning, according to the scope considered in this research. In this stage, the interrelationships among these factors and their impact in terms of energy consumption and pollutant emissions were identified and analyzed. The proposed methodology is organized into two main modules: Module 1 - Energy Demand Management, involving aspects of urban morphology, urban mobility and buildings, such as population density and built area, land use, urban blocks and urban canyon geometry, urban transport, road system, vehicle and fuel technologies, passive solutions to environmental comfort and technological replacement of equipment in buildings; and Module 2 - Energy Supply Management, including district and local systems for generating and distributing electricity and steam for heating and cooling purpose, including the use of renewable and waste energy resources. Levels of energy consumption and the total emission of pollutants, including greenhouse gases and local pollutants, result from the Modules 1 and 2. The proposed methodology involves variables and parameters related to the constraints of urban energy planning as well as calculation procedures that integrate and match the urban settings under consideration, as urban morphology, mobility, buildings, power generation and district systems. The procedures were systematized into a set of spreadsheets and charts developed to verify the proposed methodology, visualization support of results and indicators, and later application as a tool for planning of urban areas. The proposed methodology was applied to the Agua Branca Urban Operation study-case, in the city of Sao Paulo, in which the potential of integrating strategies was demonstrated. In thirty-six different situations defined by using the proposed methodology, it was possible to identify not only important quantitative potentials but also the relative contribution of various constraints to the overall result in terms of energy, urban and environmental issues. In addition to the scenarios presented, the proposed methodology allows the configuration of several other options to different urban areas to be developed or rehabilitated, but variables and parameters need to be properly adapted to each situation.

O objeto da presente tese é o desenvolvimento de uma proposta metodológica para planejamento energético no desenvolvimento de áreas urbanas, na escala de distritos, bairros e unidades de vizinhança. A metodologia proposta é aplicável a estudos de desenvolvimento de novas áreas urbanas, distritos ou bairros e estudos para requalificação de áreas urbanas já ocupadas, como ferramenta de suporte ao planejamento e ao processo decisório. Inicialmente, foi produzida uma base referencial dos principais condicionantes para o planejamento energético urbano, segundo o escopo considerado nesse trabalho de pesquisa. Nessa etapa foram identificadas e analisadas as interdependências entre esses fatores e sua participação no consumo energético e nas emissões de poluentes. A proposta metodológica está estruturada em dois módulos principais: Módulo 1 - Gerenciamento da Demanda de Energia, envolvendo aspectos relacionados à Morfologia Urbana, Mobilidade Urbana e Edificações, tais como densidade populacional e construída, uso e ocupação do solo, geometria de quadras e cânion urbano, sistema de transporte urbano de passageiros, sistema viário, tecnologias veiculares e combustíveis, soluções passivas em conforto ambiental e substituição tecnológica de equipamentos em edificações; e Módulo 2 - Gerenciamento da Oferta de Energia, incluindo sistemas de geração e distribuição de energia elétrica e térmica para aquecimento e resfriamento em escala urbana, inclusive com aproveitamento de recursos energéticos residuais e renováveis. Dos Módulos 1 e 2 resultam os níveis de consumo de energia e as emissões totais de poluentes, incluindo Gases de Efeito Estufa e poluentes locais. Na composição da proposta metodológica participam variáveis e parâmetros relacionados aos condicionantes de planejamento energético urbano, bem como procedimentos de cálculo que integram e compatibilizam as configurações urbanas quanto à morfologia, mobilidade, edificações, e geração de energia. Os procedimentos foram sistematizados em um conjunto de planilhas eletrônicas e gráficos comparativos, desenvolvidos para aferição da proposta metodológica, suporte na visualização de resultados e indicadores e posterior aplicação como ferramenta no planejamento de áreas urbanas. A proposta metodológica foi aplicada no caso da Operação Urbana Água Branca, no Município de São Paulo, ficando demonstrado o potencial de integração de estratégias e comprovando a tese em questão. Nas duzentas e dezessete diferentes situações configuradas por meio da metodologia proposta, foi possível identificar não apenas importantes potenciais quantitativos, mas também a contribuição relativa dos diversos condicionantes para o resultado global, em termos energéticos, urbanísticos e ambientais. Além dos cenários apresentados, a proposta metodológica permite que diversos outros possam ser configurados para outras áreas urbanas a serem desenvolvidas ou requalificadas, desde que as variáveis e os parâmetros sejam adequadamente adaptados a cada realidade. / The subject of this thesis is the development of a methodology for energy planning in the development of urban areas, in the scale of districts and neighborhoods. The proposed methodology has two main applications as a tool to support strategic planning and decision-making process: studies for the development of new urban areas, districts or neighborhoods, and studies for rehabilitation of urban areas already used. Initially, a conceptual and technical approach was done about the main constraints for urban energy planning, according to the scope considered in this research. In this stage, the interrelationships among these factors and their impact in terms of energy consumption and pollutant emissions were identified and analyzed. The proposed methodology is organized into two main modules: Module 1 - Energy Demand Management, involving aspects of urban morphology, urban mobility and buildings, such as population density and built area, land use, urban blocks and urban canyon geometry, urban transport, road system, vehicle and fuel technologies, passive solutions to environmental comfort and technological replacement of equipment in buildings; and Module 2 - Energy Supply Management, including district and local systems for generating and distributing electricity and steam for heating and cooling purpose, including the use of renewable and waste energy resources. Levels of energy consumption and the total emission of pollutants, including greenhouse gases and local pollutants, result from the Modules 1 and 2. The proposed methodology involves variables and parameters related to the constraints of urban energy planning as well as calculation procedures that integrate and match the urban settings under consideration, as urban morphology, mobility, buildings, power generation and district systems. The procedures were systematized into a set of spreadsheets and charts developed to verify the proposed methodology, visualization support of results and indicators, and later application as a tool for planning of urban areas. The proposed methodology was applied to the Agua Branca Urban Operation study-case, in the city of Sao Paulo, in which the potential of integrating strategies was demonstrated. In thirty-six different situations defined by using the proposed methodology, it was possible to identify not only important quantitative potentials but also the relative contribution of various constraints to the overall result in terms of energy, urban and environmental issues. In addition to the scenarios presented, the proposed methodology allows the configuration of several other options to different urban areas to be developed or rehabilitated, but variables and parameters need to be properly adapted to each situation.

La tesis se enmarca en la relación entre espacios naturales protegidos, turismo y desarrollo sostenible. Y lo hace desde la óptica de la planificación de las prácticas turísticas, un tema bastante novedoso en nuestro país y que está de plena actualidad. Los objetivos fundamentales de la investigación son los siguientes:Determinar, de manera genérica y en clave de sostenibilidad, el papel del turismo en los ENP españoles.Estudiar con detalle dos instrumentos de planificación del turismo en las áreas protegidas españolas: la Carta Europea del Turismo Sostenible en los espacios protegidos y los Planes de Desarrollo Sostenible andaluces derivados de la Ley 2/1989.Evaluar el alcance de dichos instrumentos en dos territorios concretos: el Parque Natural de la Zona Volcánica de la Garrotxa (Girona) y el Parque Natural Cabo de Gata-Níjar (Almería). / The PhD thesis framework is the connection between protected areas, tourism and sustainable development. The main approach is the Tourism Planning, a quite new and current topic in our country. The research has got the following main aims:To set the role of tourism in the Spanish protected areas, both in general and under a key of sustainability.To study in great detail two Tourism Planning tools in the Spanish protected areas: the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism and the Sustainable Development Plans in Andalucía which are a requirement from Law 2/1989.To avaluate the scope of both tools in two specific territorios: the Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Nature Park (in Girona) and the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Nature Park (in Almería).

South Africa's transition to constitutional democracy marked the end of a system of government that perpetuated injustice on the basis of race. The previous system of government, underpinned by the principle of parliamentary supremacy, did not only exclude the majority of the population from public governance processes, it also economically exploited the majority of the population. As such, it laid the foundation for widespread poverty and inequalities in access to basic services. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (the Constitution), is committed to correcting these past injustices and aims to establish a society based on social justice. This constitutional vision finds expression in the notion of transformative constitutionalism. Klare introduced the notion of transformative constitutionalism over a decade ago. For purpose of this thesis, the notion represents the socio-economic and political vision of post-apartheid South Africa to eradicate extreme poverty and inequalities in access to basic services as well as establish a democratic system of government that is inclusive, caring, participatory, representative and accountable. It captures the constitutional commitment to establish and maintain a society based on social justice by inter alia, eradicating poverty and inequalities in access to social services. The realisation of the socio-economic rights entrenched in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution (by all organs of state) is one of the ways in which to contribute towards meeting this transformative constitutional mandate, and by extension, striving towards the attainment of social justice. Although transformative constitutionalism and the achievement of a socially just society remain an ideal, the Constitution as the supreme law in the country, obligates the state, constitutive of public and private entities, to work towards its realisation, to the fullest extent possible. As part of post-apartheid institutional transformation, the Constitution established three spheres of government – national, provincial and local - which are distinct, interrelated and interdependent. All three spheres are obliged to operate in accordance with the principles of co-operative government and intergovernmental relations and are co-responsible for realising a number of constitutional objectives. Since 1996, the Constitution obliges local government (municipalities) to play an expanded "developmental" role. This has marked a move away from local government being regarded as merely a service delivery arm of government. xii The extended function of local government that came about with the constitutional dispensation finds expression in the notion of "developmental local government". This study is based on the premise that developmental local government must and can, together with the authorities in the other two spheres, contribute to transformative constitutionalism and social justice. Primarily, this study questions the extent to which the legal and policy framework on local government in South Africa enable local government (municipalities) to contribute towards realising the constitutional socio-economic rights underpinning the mandate of transformative constitutionalism. This study presents a review of relevant literature in order to establish links between the theoretical concepts underpinning this thesis. It examines the legal and policy framework on "developmental" local government in South Africa and analyses the central legal framework for the realisation of socio-economic rights at the local government level. In addition, the study explores the relevance and potential of local government indigent policies and Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) - as legally prescribed governance instruments - in contributing towards a more just society by examining their underlying legal and policy framework. It further distils from the theories and perspectives of social justice, benchmarks to guide local government towards achieving the transformative constitutional mandate aimed at social justice. Based on the legal, policy and other gaps identified, recommendations are made on how to optimise the potential of IDPs and municipal indigent policies in contributing towards achieving social justice. / PhD (Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

South Africa's transition to constitutional democracy marked the end of a system of government that perpetuated injustice on the basis of race. The previous system of government, underpinned by the principle of parliamentary supremacy, did not only exclude the majority of the population from public governance processes, it also economically exploited the majority of the population. As such, it laid the foundation for widespread poverty and inequalities in access to basic services. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (the Constitution), is committed to correcting these past injustices and aims to establish a society based on social justice. This constitutional vision finds expression in the notion of transformative constitutionalism. Klare introduced the notion of transformative constitutionalism over a decade ago. For purpose of this thesis, the notion represents the socio-economic and political vision of post-apartheid South Africa to eradicate extreme poverty and inequalities in access to basic services as well as establish a democratic system of government that is inclusive, caring, participatory, representative and accountable. It captures the constitutional commitment to establish and maintain a society based on social justice by inter alia, eradicating poverty and inequalities in access to social services. The realisation of the socio-economic rights entrenched in the Bill of Rights of the Constitution (by all organs of state) is one of the ways in which to contribute towards meeting this transformative constitutional mandate, and by extension, striving towards the attainment of social justice. Although transformative constitutionalism and the achievement of a socially just society remain an ideal, the Constitution as the supreme law in the country, obligates the state, constitutive of public and private entities, to work towards its realisation, to the fullest extent possible. As part of post-apartheid institutional transformation, the Constitution established three spheres of government – national, provincial and local - which are distinct, interrelated and interdependent. All three spheres are obliged to operate in accordance with the principles of co-operative government and intergovernmental relations and are co-responsible for realising a number of constitutional objectives. Since 1996, the Constitution obliges local government (municipalities) to play an expanded "developmental" role. This has marked a move away from local government being regarded as merely a service delivery arm of government. xii The extended function of local government that came about with the constitutional dispensation finds expression in the notion of "developmental local government". This study is based on the premise that developmental local government must and can, together with the authorities in the other two spheres, contribute to transformative constitutionalism and social justice. Primarily, this study questions the extent to which the legal and policy framework on local government in South Africa enable local government (municipalities) to contribute towards realising the constitutional socio-economic rights underpinning the mandate of transformative constitutionalism. This study presents a review of relevant literature in order to establish links between the theoretical concepts underpinning this thesis. It examines the legal and policy framework on "developmental" local government in South Africa and analyses the central legal framework for the realisation of socio-economic rights at the local government level. In addition, the study explores the relevance and potential of local government indigent policies and Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) - as legally prescribed governance instruments - in contributing towards a more just society by examining their underlying legal and policy framework. It further distils from the theories and perspectives of social justice, benchmarks to guide local government towards achieving the transformative constitutional mandate aimed at social justice. Based on the legal, policy and other gaps identified, recommendations are made on how to optimise the potential of IDPs and municipal indigent policies in contributing towards achieving social justice. / PhD (Law), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014