Studiens fokus ligger på chefskapet, vad chefer upplever behövs för att leda i mångfaldsarbete, och vidare till vad organisationen kan göra för att stödja cheferna i deras vardag. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och datainsamlingen har skett med intervjuer av nio chefer i en stor bank i Sverige som arbetar aktivt med mångfaldsfrågor. Studiens största fynd är att chefernas beskrivningar åtskiljer sig utifrån deras position. Chefer som har en kundnära position resonerar kring mångfald utifrån ett kvantitativt synsätt. Chefer med en position av mer övergripande karaktär beskriver mångfald utifrån ett kvalitativt synsätt. Dessutom finns olika beskrivningar på nyttan med mångfald utifrån specialist eller generalist perspektiv. Vi ser därför att mångfald presenteras och diskuteras utifrån flera spännande perspektiv, vilket är av intresse och värde för organisationer som vill initiera mångfaldsarbete. För att underlätta chefernas vardag kan banken skapa mätbara mål med mångfald och stödstrukturer för nätverk. / This thesis focus on management and managers experiences, what they need to lead diversity, and on to what the organization can do to support managers in their everyday lives. The study has a qualitative approach and the data collection was conducted with interviews of nine executives of a major bank in Sweden that actively address diversity issues. The study's main findings are that managers´ descriptions are separating due to their position. Managers who have a position which is customer related reasons of diversity based on a quantitative approach. Managers with a position of a general nature describe diversity based on a qualitative approach. In addition, there are different descriptions of the benefits of diversity from a specialist or a generalist perspective. We therefore see that diversity is presented and discussed from several exciting perspectives, which is of interest and value to organizations if they are initiating diversity work. In order to facilitate, the bank can create diversity targets and support structures with available networks.

The business environment has been changing as it becomes easier to interact acrossboundaries with globalisation. One of the key elements of globalisation is the culturaldiversity resulting from the cross-cultural and ethnic interactions between individuals.This constant growing globalisation challenges small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs) to interact with different cultural backgrounds in their foreign markets and withtheir local staff. This cultural diversity can bring both positive and negative outcomes toSMEs depending on how they approach these challenges.The purpose of our research is to discover the contribution of cultural diversity in theinternationalisation process of a Swedish SME, named CodeMill and to understand howthis contribution is ensured by this particular SME. Our research focuses on two specificcriteria of cultural diversity, which are expressed as (1) the individual's internationalexperience as an employee and (2) the SME's social network abroad. Our studyprovides them with practical contributions presented in a final framework, whichexplains how to take advantage of cultural diversity to enhance the positive outcomes ofit and strengthen their internationalisation process.A qualitative case study was conducted with CodeMill, a locally based InformationTechnology (IT). They fulfilled the principal requirements in terms of employees andyearly turnover in order to be categorised as an SME. Conducting seven semi -structured interviews in total, with people from different hierarchical levels and spheresenabled us to gain insights on how matters relating to cultural diversity are handled inCodeMill. Secondary Data served to confirm information we received from theinterviews and functioned as an additional source of information.The study proposes a framework that has been revised from the analysis of ourempirical findings. This framework is positioned within the field of Cultural DiversityManagement in an internationalisation context. The gathered findings implicate that thelevel of informational diversity, which needs to be used with a high synergy level,determines the importance of the contribution of cultural diversity. This can be ensuredvia three key elements: leadership, research & measurement, and follow-up. Thecompany’s Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO), especially included the three investigateddimensions of innovativeness, proactiveness and risk-taking proved to be applied inCodeMill. They were considered to have a positive influence on the internationalisationprocess of the company. CodeMill enhances its internationalisation process thanks to sixcompetitive advantages ensuing from its level of cultural diversity. However its socialnetwork hinders the opportunities to enter new markets. We found proof that CodeMillbenefits strongly from connections at an organisational level (e.g. partner companies,international customers); whilst an individual’s international experience, gathered fromliving abroad or just having personal international contacts, did not significantlycontribute to the firm’s internationalisation.

Vi lever idag i en allt mer globaliserad värld, vilket bidragit till ett mångkulturellt samhälle. Dagens organisationer står i och med detta inför utmaningen att anpassa sig. Utmaningen med mångfald är, att trots skillnader, lyckas samarbeta. Genom samspel och god kommunikation formas människan in i den sociala miljön på arbetsplatsen. Denna studie undersöker medarbetarnas attityder till och upplevelse av sin organisations kulturella mångfaldsarbete. Undersökningen är en kvantitativ studie som utfördes med hjälp av enkäter. Studieobjektet är en specifik enhet inom en internationell organisation, som är starkt styrt av sina gemensamma värderingar. Huvudresultatet visar på hög trivsel och en positiv attityd till att arbeta med mångfald, att mångfaldsplanen upplevs som bra och att medarbetarna uppskattar att arbeta i mångkulturella team. / Today we live in a more globalized world then ever before, which has lead to a multicultural society. Organizations today are now facing the challenge to adapt. The challenge with diversity is to cooperate despite our differences. Through interaction and good communication the individuals can adapt to the social environment in the organization. This study examines the employees’ attitudes towards and experience of their organization’s work with cultural diversity. The study is a quantitative survey that was conducted using questionnaires. The object of study is a specific unit within an international company, which is closely ruled by their common values. The main results shows high satisfaction at work and a positive attitude towards working with diversity, the diversity program is perceived as good and the employees enjoy working in multicultural teams.

No description available.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the heavy metal pollution on microbial diversity along the gradient from a platinum mine tailings dam using culture-dependent (plating methods) and molecular methods. Tailings and soil samples were collected from seven sites (6 samples per site) at increasing distances from the tailings dam. Samples were collected over a two year period and included two rainy and two dry periods. Concentrations of various heavy metals were determined using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results demonstrated that seasonal variations in metal concentrations occurred and also that concentrations were significantly different'(P < 0.05) between the experimental sites for each metal. The relative relationship between metals was in the following order: Al > Ni > Cu > Cr. Since soil metal concentration benchmarks for South Africa are lacking, the concentrations were compared to the Canadian microbial benchmarks (MB) and Netherlands maximum permissible concentrations (MPC). Concentrations of most of the heavy metals exceeded the MB and MPC. Levels and diversity of culturable fungi and bacteria at each site were determined using plate count methods. Results indicated that levels of bacteria and fungi were not suppressed by high concentrations of heavy metals. Significantly higher levels (P < 0.05) of fungi were found at the sites on the tailings dam (higher concentrations of heavy metals), compared to sites more than 300 m away. A commonly used soil health index (Shannon-Weaver diversity index) was used to compare microbial community diversity at each site and to evaluate whether or not the heavy metal contamination impacted negatively on these soil bacterial and fungal communities. Shannon-Weaver diversity indices were higher at sites on and close to the tailings dam than sites more than 300 m away. However, ratio of fungal to bacterial levels as determined by plate counts was inconsistent. Representatives of bacterial species that were grouped using colony morphology and whole cell protein profiles were identified by 16S rDNA sequences as Bacillus barbaricus (B. barbaricus) and -Paenibacillus lautus {P. Lautus). Restriction enzyme digest, SDS-PAGE and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses provided supporting evidence that representatives were correctly grouped. Cluster analysis results demonstrated that the RAPD profiles of the metal tolerant P. lautus representatives were sufficiently dissimilar to discriminate between individuals from the spatially separated sites. The spatially separated sites also represented sites with high and low heavy metal concentrations. Observed genetic variability was thus also associated with varying levels of heavy metals. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the potential of using RAPD analysis as biomarkers for genotoxic effects of heavy metals on bacterial genomes. / Masters / Thesis (M.Sc. (Microbiology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the heavy metal pollution on microbial diversity along the gradient from a platinum mine tailings dam using culture-dependent (plating methods) and molecular methods. Tailings and soil samples were collected from seven sites (6 samples per site) at increasing distances from the tailings dam. Samples were collected over a two year period and included two rainy and two dry periods. Concentrations of various heavy metals were determined using an inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The results demonstrated that seasonal variations in metal concentrations occurred and also that concentrations were significantly different'(P < 0.05) between the experimental sites for each metal. The relative relationship between metals was in the following order: Al > Ni > Cu > Cr. Since soil metal concentration benchmarks for South Africa are lacking, the concentrations were compared to the Canadian microbial benchmarks (MB) and Netherlands maximum permissible concentrations (MPC). Concentrations of most of the heavy metals exceeded the MB and MPC. Levels and diversity of culturable fungi and bacteria at each site were determined using plate count methods. Results indicated that levels of bacteria and fungi were not suppressed by high concentrations of heavy metals. Significantly higher levels (P < 0.05) of fungi were found at the sites on the tailings dam (higher concentrations of heavy metals), compared to sites more than 300 m away. A commonly used soil health index (Shannon-Weaver diversity index) was used to compare microbial community diversity at each site and to evaluate whether or not the heavy metal contamination impacted negatively on these soil bacterial and fungal communities. Shannon-Weaver diversity indices were higher at sites on and close to the tailings dam than sites more than 300 m away. However, ratio of fungal to bacterial levels as determined by plate counts was inconsistent. Representatives of bacterial species that were grouped using colony morphology and whole cell protein profiles were identified by 16S rDNA sequences as Bacillus barbaricus (B. barbaricus) and -Paenibacillus lautus {P. Lautus). Restriction enzyme digest, SDS-PAGE and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analyses provided supporting evidence that representatives were correctly grouped. Cluster analysis results demonstrated that the RAPD profiles of the metal tolerant P. lautus representatives were sufficiently dissimilar to discriminate between individuals from the spatially separated sites. The spatially separated sites also represented sites with high and low heavy metal concentrations. Observed genetic variability was thus also associated with varying levels of heavy metals. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the potential of using RAPD analysis as biomarkers for genotoxic effects of heavy metals on bacterial genomes. / Masters / Thesis (M.Sc. (Microbiology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Studies on the representation of 'local' populations, in and through tourism, have tended to focus on 'traditional' peoples in 'developing' countries. In this study of the representation of ethno-cultural diversity in the discourse of Official Tourism Organisations (OTOs), by contrast, I focus on a 'developed' West European country: England. This study was carried out in order critically to inspect the representation/signification of 'minority' ethnic populations in the text and talk of OTOs in England within the period 2000-2003. The study is framed within an anti foundational dialogue of social constructionism. In analysing OTO discursive practices I use Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to explore the representation of ethno-cultural diversity in a number of 'interview', 'operational' and 'promotional' texts. The CDA framework employed is designed to reveal patterns of discourse in the text as well as to provide a basis for understanding the micro context (for 'operational' and 'promotional' texts) of text production and distribution. Also, the framework facilitates a consideration of the macro institutional context within which OTOs in England operate. From the analysis of OTO texts carried out in this study I propose a number of interpretative findings, including 'discourses' of denial, equality and otherness. Overall, the 'interpretative findings' suggest that OTO texts are produced and circulated within a discourse of silence on matters of ethno-cultural diversity in England. I conclude this study by suggesting a number of transforrnative actions for the development by OTOs in England of an ethical 'politics of articulation'. In addition I identify a number of problematic arenas within which tourism studies scholars might pursue future research agendas and to that end I propose some potentially useful points of entry into the broader social science literature.

Thesis (M.B.A.) - Carleton University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 114-120). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Carleton University, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 37-43). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 129-138).