Much has been written about the way in which e-learning has changed learning in higher education without transforming it to meet the changing needs and expectations of stakeholders in the sector. The beliefs and practices of teachers in the sector have remained largely unchanged despite the widespread adoption of e-learning tools. This study used a phenomenographic approach to identify the conceptual frameworks of practitioners. Among the indicators used to define these frameworks were practitioners’ levels of engagement with e-learning tools and the broader concept of technology-enhanced learning. The study identified limited evidence of the transformation of beliefs and practices in the sector to a more student-centred paradigm, despite the adoption of the language associated with such a change by the majority of practitioners interviewed. It showed how many e-learning initiatives had led to the internalization of such change with the adoption of exemplars and best practice. Examples of externalization (where exemplars were adapted to context and the modifications passed to others) were much more limited. Cases were identified where practitioners had used e-learning as a means of reinforcing the existing, teacher-centred paradigm. The majority of practitioners, however, were identified as being in a ‘transitionary’ state, adopting the language and some of the practices of a ‘transformed’ state. This study, therefore, considered factors influencing the adoption of a more student-centred paradigm through the use of e-learning. Using Activity Theory, the barriers to such change were explained and lessons for future approaches to professional development derived. Through an exploration of collaborative technology-enhanced learning initiatives, the nature of learning communities that should be at the heart of such transformation were identified. This study should, therefore, be of value to practitioners wishing to innovate, those who design and deliver the professional development programmes to support them and those managing such change in HE.

The thesis deals with a separate analysis of the local development and the state of social activities. Closer examination focuses on the method of financing and support of local development and civil society initiatives in the Central Bohemian Region. In the Czech Republic are these initiatives defined best by the competition "Village of the Year" since 1995. The aim of this work is to assess the impact of civic initiatives in the local development and quality of life in selected communities. The results of the competition in the field of communities' social life are represented by both the current state and the information from directed interviews and surveys. These interviews were conducted with the representatives of the communities awarded for a community life. Contribution of the thesis will be to provide partial conclusions and recommendations concerning the potential development of rural communities with regard to the existence of civil initiatives, primarily in the Central Bohemian Region. Some general or cross-sectional findings can be applied to other regions in the Czech Republic.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, University of the Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters in Management Strategic Marketing 2016 / Context: Annually in South Africa, results of the Sunday Times Top Brands survey are released. Within this study is a ranking “brands that do the most to uplift the community” voted by the public, which is widely quoted by those brands included in the study. If this is the dominant study reporting on a “socially responsible organisation”, the study provides a guideline on how the organisation will be more likely to be thought to be in the top companies “doing the most to uplift communities”. A brief statement of the conceptual framework of the research: This, study employed the recently developed Porter and Kramer (2011) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) vs. Creating Shared Value (CSV) model as a return on corporate social development programs framework. The study sought to assess whether management in companies that are highly ranked adopt the CSR paradigm constructs (where the value is doing good) or the CSV paradigm constructs (where the value is economic and societal benefits relative to cost) as proposed by the Porter and Kramer (2011) model [Abbreviated abstract. Open document to view full version] / GR2018

The concept of ‘empowerment’ has been widely used among development practitioners since the early 1990s. This thesis aims to contribute to the literature on empowerment by developing an analytical framework that incorporates: (a) the dialectical nature of power, (b) multiple levels of analysis, and (c) the subjectivities of power that different actors have and that affect the way they respond to policies. The model is applied to the analysis of Mozambique’s transition to peace and the study of a national initiative called District Development Fund, known as the ‘7 Million’, which aims to promote empowerment by reducing poverty and promoting local participation in the rural districts. The analysis focuses, on the one hand, on the ‘7 million’ policy formulation, stressing the power struggles that shaped its final outcome and, on the other hand, the policy implementation in the district of Angoche, where I conducted extensive fieldwork. I argue that, even though the ‘7 million’ had some positive aspects – including providing a discourse that underlines the relevance of the districts and the local community in matters of governance – its effects in promoting local empowerment have been far below its potential. One of the reasons for this is to be found in the dynamics of power-to and power-over that take place at the local level and that partly reflect structural aspects linked to the Mozambique state formation and peacebuilding process. More generally, the case illustrates the limitations and contradictions of policies that aim promoting ‘bottom-up’ empowerment from the ‘top-down’.

Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries / Department: Regional and Community Planning.

The concept sustainable development is defined as meeting the needs of the existing global population without compromising the opportunities for future generations to also meet their needs. Therefore, in order to work towards sustainable development, active sustainable choices need to be made in a company’s business activities. This thesis has a qualitative approach that aims to study five different Swedish textile companies and how they work towards sustainable development in their code of conduct for suppliers. Theories are collected from literature, articles and web sources, which include sustainable development, social, environmental and economic sustainability and codes of conduct. The main target is to identify different sustainable approaches towards sustainable development in the code of conduct for suppliers focusing on the social, environmental and economic sustainability. The empirical data is collected from five personal interviews with representatives in charge of sustainable activities from the selected companies. The result of the study confirms that all companies to different extents are working towards sustainable development in their code of conduct for suppliers. Sustainable approaches in these codes are agreements with suppliers including following the country’s laws and regulations of the suppliers. The companies also collaborate with third-party industrial research institutes to reduce water and chemical supply in the production. Moreover, the study shows that the concept sustainable development seems to be less embedded in the code of conduct for suppliers. Companies rather work with sustainable activities in forms of running projects and establishing agreements beyond having a code of conduct. / Program: Master programme in Applied Textile Management

This dissertation focuses on workplace accidents, a chronic problem in Turkey. I conducted my fieldwork in İstanbul’s Tuzla shipyards, where approximately 160 workers have died in work accidents since 1992. The Tuzla shipyards are both a symbol of negative working conditions and chronic work accidents in Turkey, and a site where the definitions, causes, and effects of work accidents are problematized, examined, and contested. In my research, I explore the ways in which various conflicting actors describe, identify, and explain accidents at work in relation to contested understandings, discourses, and practices of development. To be sure, the definition of accidents at work as preventable or inevitable dramatically shape the evaluation of the problem and the ways in which work accidents were acted upon or not by contesting actors. While I examine the ways that work accidents are identified I also investigate how different actors legitimized their positions in relation to contested understandings of development. The enduring nature of workplace injuries in rapidly developing Turkey has caused many activists and academics to question the contemporary obsession with development and the belief that economic growth will inevitably lead to social justice. Following these critical insights, I investigate the relationship between the prioritization of national economic growth and the persistence of workplace injuries in Turkey. Although I analyze the critiques of work accidents as critiques of the obsession with economic development, I also observed a more complicated narrative of class mobility and the aspiration for development amongst the working class themselves. The Tuzla shipyards zone is not only a uniquely dense industrial zone where workplace injuries are common, but also a unique site where a few workers have been able to quickly form their own subcontractor companies and benefit from rapid economic growth in the shipyards. Based on my ethnographic observations I argue that the dominant discourse about development also affects working classes’ aspirations and their desires to have a better life.

Thesis (M. P. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1987.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--University of Hong Kong, 1983.