Emergency work is considered to be one of the most demanding occupations with significant social, physical and psychological consequences for the well-being of the emergency worker. Burnout, as well as its antithesis, work engagement, are two possible transactional outcomes impacting on the well-being of the emergency worker. Measurement of burnout and work engagement requires valid, reliable and culturally fair measuring instruments. However, research on burnout and work engagement in South Africa are characterised by poorly designed studies, a lack of sophisticated statistical analyses and poorly controlled studies. Furthermore, research paucity in terms of burnout and work engagement seems to prevail in the multicultural South African emergency worker context. A lack of norms for the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS), as well as the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) makes the identification of burnout and engagement in the emergency services difficult. Consequently, investigating the reliability, validity, equivalence and bias would result in the standardisation of the MBI-HSS and the UWES, suitable for use in the multicultural emergency work setting. Amongst the factors that could play a role in the prevalence of burnout and work engagement are stress because of the demands of a job, a lack of job resources, as well as dispositional variables such as affect and situational variables, such as coping strategies. The operationalisation of occupational stress for emergency workers as well as information in terms of the standardisation of measurement of coping strategies for emergency workers in the South African context are lacking in the literature. The objectives of this research were to standardise the MBI-HSS, UWES and Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) and to develop a valid and reliable occupational stress measure for emergency workers in South Africa. Another objective of the current study was to develop and test a causal model of burnout and work engagement of emergency workers, including occupational stress, coping strategies and affect. Finally, moderating effects of coping strategies and affect with regards to burnout and work engagement were tested for. The research method was by means of five separate articles, each consisting of a brief literature overview and an empirical study. A cross-sectional survey design was used. An accidental sample of emergency workers in Gauteng (N = 405) was used. The MBI-HSS, UWES, Emergency Worker Stress Inventory (EWSI), COPE, Affectometer 2 (AFM) and a biographical questionnaire were administered. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlations, principal component factor extraction, exploratory factor analysis with target rotations, canonical analysis, multiple regression analysis and structural equation modelling were used. Structural equation modelling confirmed 3-factor models of burnout (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalisation and Personal Accomplishment) as well as work engagement (Vigour, Dedication and Absorption). Internal consistency for the MBI-HSS and UWES was confirmed. Construct inequivalence was found for the Nguni group but not for the Afrikaans, English and Sotho groups. Item bias analysis revealed evidence of both uniform and no uniform bias for some items of the MBI-HSS, while no uniform bias was found for the UWES. In terms of the EWSI, a 3-factor structure was obtained by means of principal factor extraction with varimax rotation, namely lack of resources, job demands and inherent emergency work stressors. Principal factor extraction on the COPE revealed four factors, namely problem-focused coping, seeking social support, passive coping and turning to religion. Both the EWSI and COPE were found to be internally consistent. Construct equivalence was obtained for the Afrikaans, English and Sotho groups, but not for the Nguni group. Evidence of uniform bias was found for the EWSI, whereas no uniform bias was found for the COPE. Structural equation analysis showed that the lack of resources predicted the core of burnout, namely emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. Problem-focused coping predicted personal accomplishment, while positive affect predicted emotional exhaustion. Work engagement was related to low burnout scores. Depersonalisation was associated with work engagement. Recommendations for the organisation and future research were made. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Industrial Psychology))--Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education, 2003.

Background: There are innumerable diabetes studies that have investigated associations between risk factors, protective factors, and health outcomes; however, these individual predictors are part of a complex network of interacting forces. Moreover, there is little awareness about resilience or its importance in chronic disease in adulthood, especially diabetes. Thus, this is the first study to: (1) extensively investigate the relationships among a host of predictors and multiple adaptive outcomes; and (2) conceptualise a resilience model among people with diabetes. Methods: This cross-sectional study was divided into two research studies. Study One was to translate two diabetes-specific instruments (Problem Areas In Diabetes, PAID; Diabetes Coping Measure, DCM) into a Chinese version and to examine their psychometric properties for use in Study Two in a convenience sample of 205 outpatients with type 2 diabetes. In Study Two, an integrated theoretical model is developed and evaluated using the structural equation modelling (SEM) technique. A self-administered questionnaire was completed by 345 people with type 2 diabetes from the endocrine outpatient departments of three hospitals in Taiwan. Results: Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed a one-factor structure of the PAID-C which was similar to the original version of the PAID. Strong content validity of the PAID-C was demonstrated. The PAID-C was associated with HbA1c and diabetes self-care behaviours, confirming satisfactory criterion validity. There was a moderate relationship between the PAID-C and the Perceived Stress Scale, supporting satisfactory convergent validity. The PAID-C also demonstrated satisfactory stability and high internal consistency. A four-factor structure and strong content validity of the DCM-C was confirmed. Criterion validity demonstrated that the DCM-C was significantly associated with HbA1c and diabetes self-care behaviours. There was a statistical correlation between the DCM-C and the Revised Ways of Coping Checklist, suggesting satisfactory convergent validity. Test-retest reliability demonstrated satisfactory stability of the DCM-C. The total scale of the DCM-C showed adequate internal consistency. Age, duration of diabetes, diabetes symptoms, diabetes distress, physical activity, coping strategies, and social support were the most consistent factors associated with adaptive outcomes in adults with diabetes. Resilience was positively associated with coping strategies, social support, health-related quality of life, and diabetes self-care behaviours. Results of the structural equation modelling revealed protective factors had a significant direct effect on adaptive outcomes; however, the construct of risk factors was not significantly related to adaptive outcomes. Moreover, resilience can moderate the relationships among protective factors and adaptive outcomes, but there were no interaction effects of risk factors and resilience on adaptive outcomes. Conclusion: This study contributes to an understanding of how risk factors and protective factors work together to influence adaptive outcomes in blood sugar control, health-related quality of life, and diabetes self-care behaviours. Additionally, resilience is a positive personality characteristic and may be importantly involved in the adjustment process among people living with type 2 diabetes.

Submitted by Marco Antonio Oliveira da Silva (maosilva@ipen.br) on 2017-05-25T13:33:55Z No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2017-05-25T13:33:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / O processo de sinterização de pastilhas de UO2-Gd2O3 tem sido investigado devido à sua importância na indústria nuclear e ao comportamento complexo durante a sinterização. A sinterização é bloqueada a partir de 1300°C, quando a densificação é deslocada na direção de maiores temperaturas e a densidade final obtida é diminuída. Esta pesquisa contempla o desenvolvimento de combustíveis nucleares para reatores de potência visando aumentar a sua eficiência no núcleo do reator através da elevação da taxa de queima. Foi estudado o uso do Gd2O3 de tamanho nanométrico, na faixa de 10 a 30nm, o qual foi adicionado ao UO2, visando verificar a possibilidade de evitar-se o característico bloqueio da sinterização devido ao efeito Kirkendall observado em pesquisas anteriores. As amostras foram produzidas por meio da mistura mecânica a seco dos pós de UO2 e de 7% Gd2O3 (macroestruturado e nanométrico). Os pós foram compactados e as pastilhas foram sinterizadas a 1700°C sob atmosfera de H2. Os resultados indicam que o característico bloqueio da sinterização no sistema UO2-Gd2O3 macroestruturado, que ocorre na faixa de temperatura de 1300-1500°C, retardando a densificação, foi observado de forma menos intensa quando o Gd2O3 nanométrico foi utilizado, ocorrendo à temperatura de 900°C, e facilitando a densificação posterior. Os ensaios dilatométricos indicaram uma retração de 22, 18 e 20% respectivamente nas pastilhas de UO2, UO2-7%Gd2O3 macro e UO2-7% Gd2O3nanométrico. Foi verificada uma retração 2% maior quando o Gd2O3 nanométrico foi utilizado quando comparada com a obtida com o uso do Gd2O3 macro, usado comercialmente, resultando em pastilhas com densidade adequada para uso como combustível nuclear. / Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia Nuclear) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Esta dissertação se dedica ao estudo dos processos comunicacionais mediados pelo tutor a distância junto a cursos oferecidos na modalidade de EAD, por meio de ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem, que fazem uso de várias ferramentas digitais de comunicação, tendo como principal objetivo verificar se esse agente educacional pode ser chamado de educomunicador. Partimos da revisão de duas teorias emergentes da EAD surgidas em países como Canadá, Estados Unidos e Reino Unido que fundamentam e consolidam as práticas voltadas ao estabelecimento da comunicação dialógica dentro desses espaços virtuais, práticas essas edificadas na adoção de processos ligados à gestão da comunicação e que são desenvolvidas por esse tutor a distância, para que pudéssemos mapear indicadores que fossem comuns também às práticas educomunicativas. Valemo-nos também da análise de estudos sobre programas de EAD já implementados na França e na Austrália, que têm esse tutor a distância como um dos pilares dessa modalidade de ensino. A possibilidade de aproximação da EAD com a Educomunicação nas práticas desse agente educacional foi verificada a partir da realização de um estudo de caso como pesquisa de campo junto ao programa FGV Online. Uma das conclusões foi que esse tutor a distância ou professor tutor, como denominado pela referida instituição, pode ser chamado de educomunicador, posto que houve a identificação de atividades voltadas à comunicação dialógica e ao estímulo do protagonismo dos alunos conjuntamente com esses educadores virtuais, enfatizando que se observou a ocorrência desse contexto por conta da opção de abordagem metodológica focada em tais práticas pelo programa de EAD da instituição e quando há uma formação prévia desse agente educacional sobre as práticas educomunicativas voltadas à gestão da comunicação e à formação de ecossistemas comunicativos. / This dissertation is dedicated to the study of communication processes mediated by the e-moderator at distance education courses, through virtual learning environments that use various digital communication tools, to verify if this agent might be called educommunicator (educomunicador). We developed a review of some key recent theories of Distance Education emerged in countries like Canada, USA and UK, along these last 20-30 years, which underpin and consolidate practices of dialogical communication in these virtual spaces, built in processes linked to communication management, which are developed by the e-mentoring, so we could map indicators which were also common to the new educommunication practices. We have also analysed studies on distance education programs already implemented in France and Australia, that have this e-mentoring as one of the pillars of this context. In order to verify the possibility of rapprochement between Distance Education and Educommunication based on the practices of that education agent, we adopted the method of case study in conducting our field research near FGV Online Program. One of the conclusions reached was that the e-moderator may be called educomunicador according to dialogic communication and leadership traits of the students along with this virtual environments, since the program of distance education institution adopts the use of such practices and this agent attends a previous course on specific communicative practices focused on communication management and training of communication ecosystems.

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are being seen by governments, increasingly, as important engines of economic growth. They are viewed as sources of innovation and employment creation. Technology innovative SME’s commercialization strategy often includes forming a partnership with a large company (LCO). This is because what the SME lacks in terms of market links, marketing and distribution channels, the LCO can often provide. LCOs, on the other hand, need to be innovative in order to survive in a dynamic and ever changing business environment. LCOs are therefore open to new ideas, being in the form of knowledge and capabilities. The reality is, however, that many partnerships fail. For an SME whose growth is dependant on a partnership with an LCO, understanding how it can influence the partnership such that it will result in success is critically important. This research sets out to gain a better understanding of this topic. Research Problem Technology innovative businesses operate in the knowledge economy where the one sure source of competitive advantage is knowledge (Takeuchi and Nonaka, 2004). However, knowledge is a high risk commodity and can be easily appropriated by an opportunistic company. A major risk in collaboration is that the partners can gain access to the knowledge and skills of the company (Littler et al, 1995) – this is termed knowledge spillover. Where this is unintentional, it can result in the company exposing its knowledge and skills being made very vulnerable. Furthermore, the high rate of partnership failure is attributed to a lack of cooperation and the opportunistic behaviour of partners (Das et al, 1998). It is important, therefore, for SMEs wishing to partner with an LCO, to understand both what attracts the LCO to partner with them in the first instance, as well as what safeguards need to be in place to protect themselves against possible opportunistic behaviour by the LCO. Methodology A sample of 43 technology innovative SMEs was interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire. The frequencies of the variables were analysed and compared with findings in the literature. In order to improve the variation of the dichotomous responses, the independent variables were compounded into the following variables: competencies, ability capabilities, awareness capabilities, formal safeguards and informal safeguards. The relationship between the number/level of competencies and capabilities and partnership success was determined, as well as the influence of formal and/or informal safeguards on this relationship. Backward conditional logistic regression was performed on the compounded variables in order to determine which model best fitted the data, in other words which predictors most affected partnership success. To better understand the negative relationship between ability capabilities and perceived partnership success, as well as the positive relationship between awareness capabilities and perceived partnership success, cross tabulations were performed on all the individual items to determine the Phi Square. An explanation was provided for those items that proved to be statistically significant. Because of the small sample used for this quantitative study and in order to verify the major findings, four case studies were conducted on SMEs that had participated in the original survey. The findings of the survey were then compared with the findings of the case studies. Main findings The main findings from the survey were the following: 1. SMEs’ abilities rather than their competencies, appeared to influence the success of the partnership 2. the more ability capabilities an SME had, the lower the perceived success of the partnership. This was influenced by where the SME had developed its own IP; and where the SME had segmented is potential market in accordance with Moore’s (1999) market segmentation strategy for hi-tech products 3. a positive relationship between awareness capability and partnership success was influenced by the SME having an understanding of the LCO’s SWOT, but this same relationship was negatively affected by the LCO preferring to enter into a JV with another LCO when sourcing technology 4. the relationships listed in items 2 and 3 above were influenced by safeguards, namely: 4.1 the greater the number of safeguards (formal and informal) that were put in place, the more positive will be the relationship between increasing numbers of awareness capabilities and the perceived success of the partnership 4.2 the greater the number of safeguards (formal and informal) that were put in place, the less negative will be the relationship between increasing numbers of ability capabilities, and the perceived success of the partnership 4.3 formal safeguards were more effective at moderating the relationship between capabilities and partnership success than informal safeguards The main findings from the case studies were as follows: 1. having ability capabilities, awareness capabilities and competencies was associated with high levels of partnership success (not in support of the survey findings) 2. above average levels of capabilities/competencies were associated with low levels of partnership success (in support of the survey findings) 3. there is a positive relationship between the level of safeguards and the association between capabilities/competencies and partnership success (in support of survey findings) 4. both formal and informal safeguards are important in ensuring a positive association between capabilities/competencies and partnership success (not in support of survey findings). In conclusion, the findings from the case studies did indeed validate some of the findings of the survey, namely, in the absence of safeguards, above average levels of capabilities/competencies are associated with low levels of partnership success; and there is a positive relationship between the level of safeguards and the association between capabilities/competencies and partnership success. / Thesis (PhD (Technology Management))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM) / PhD / unrestricted

Face à la baisse continue de la consommation de vin dans les principaux pays européens traditionnellement vinicoles et aux opportunités de croissance de consommation sur les nouveaux marchés, l’avenir de nos vins français se joue essentiellement à l’export. L’export apparait donc non pas comme une option stratégique mais comme une nécessité pour nos entreprises vitivinicoles françaises. Face à cet enjeu, l’objectif de notre travail de recherche a été de déterminer les politiques adéquates à l’export afin de comprendre dans quelle mesure l’entreprise vitivinicole française était performante à l’export. Les résultats contradictoires des recherches antérieures étudiant l’impact des éléments de politique export (produit, marché et d’exportation) sur la performance export nous ont orienté vers une approche contingente et le défi de notre travail de recherche a été de démontrer théoriquement et empiriquement qu’il n’existe pas de politique export adéquate mais plusieurs en fonction de la stratégie à l’export de l’entreprise(stratégie de marque, de terroir et prix volume), résultant des ressources uniques de l’entreprise d’après la théorie basée sur les ressources. Spécialement réalisées pour ce travail de recherche, une étude quantitative auprès de 120 entreprises vitivinicoles françaises ainsi qu’une étude qualitative auprès de 50 entreprises vitivinicoles nous ont permis de valider empiriquement l’effet modérateur de l’avantage concurrentiel à l’export de l’entreprise sur la relation entre la politique et la performance export. / Faced with the continuing decline in wine consumption in the main European countries and growth opportunities in new markets, the future of French wines mainly relies on exports Export therefore does not appear as a strategic option but as a necessity for French wine companies. Faced with this challenge, the objective of our research was to determine the appropriate (or suitable) export policies in order to understand how the French wine business could achieve export performance. The conflicting results of previous research examining the impact of the export policy on export performance components have guided us to a contingent approach and the challenge of our research has been to demonstrate theoretically and empirically that there is not only one adequate export policy but several ones depending on company export strategy resulting from the its unique set of resources, according to the resource-based view. Specially carried out for this research, a quantitative study on 120 French wine businesses and a qualitative study on 50 wine businesses have enabled us to empirically validate the moderating effect of export strategy on the relationship between export policy and export performance.

Yes / In the last few years, several studies have examined the predictors of mobile banking (m-banking) adoption using the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT). However, contradictory results in some of the UTAUT relationships were found in the existing literature. Therefore, we aim to clarify and synthesize the empirical findings from the m-banking studies published since 2004 by conducting weight and meta-analysis with a focus on the UTAUT theory. We also seek to identify the roles of moderating variables on each UTAUT path. A total of 364 path coefficients from 127 studies were relevant for data analysis. CMA software V3 was employed to combine the effect sizes. All UTAUT relationships were found to be significant. Performance expectancy emerged as the strongest antecedent of usage intention. We also find that usage intention is the most critical predictor of use behavior. It was also revealed that sample size and culture significantly moderated the linkages between facilitating conditions and usage intention, effort expectancy and usage intention, and usage intention and use behavior. Theoretical contributions and managerial implications are also discussed toward the end.

The theoretical section of the thesis Comparison of the misanthropic Show Jana Krause and the philanthropic Mark Eben's show Na plovárně aims to characterize the talk show genre both abroad and in the Czech Republic. It briefly outlines the development of the genre and its arrival in the Czech television stations. It also gives a definition of a presenter, describes the ways of communication, construction of the interviews with the guests, their selection, introduces Jan Kraus and Marek Eben and characterises both talk shows - Na Plovárně and Show Jana Krause. The practical section deals with an analysis of production in which interviews with representatives of both production teams are analysed. A qualitative analysis aims to answer the question: "How do the philanthropic and misanthropic concepts of the talk show differ, from the perspective of content and production intentions?" The conclusion contains a summary of the collected data.

Professional Learning Communities– A Necessity for Improving Teaching? The aim of this study was to examine what factors are important for teachers in professional learning communities to improve their teaching in order to increase the results of the students. The study was based on a program of development about language improvement that took place in two schools during the autumn of 2014. The authors of this study were also in charge of the improvement program. The data used in the analysis was based on individual questionnaires and group interviews. The theoretical framework of the study was founded on Timperley’s (2011) inquiry and knowledge-building cycle, Hargreaves and Fullan’s (2012) theory about professional capital and Stoll’s (2006) characteristics of effective learning groups. The results obtained in this study indicate that the following factors are of crucial importance for teachers to improve their teaching; leadership, systematic surveys of what students need to develop, a clearly understandable aim within the specific area of development, a clear structure within the learning group and between the meetings, scheduled time for the meetings, teachers’ mindset, a scientific approach, the use of science and initiated moderators of the learning groups. The study showed that professional learning communities working with these factors are going to be successful.

大陸地區電子商務時代的到來讓機票購買變得在線化，推動了機票在線平台的集體成長。為了應對競爭，大陸地區的多家機票在線平台都通過各種方式去提高其顧客忠誠。本研究以大陸地區機票在線平台為行業背景，旨在探究顧客滿意、服務品質、轉換成本、促銷這4個因素對顧客忠誠的影響作用以及顧客信任對顧客忠誠的調節作用。為了研究顧客忠誠的影響因素和調節因素，本文採用了問卷調查法，對大陸地區機票在線平台的顧客進行調研。通過網路問卷的發放，筆者收集了156個樣本。研究發現，顧客滿意、服務品質、轉換成本、促銷都分別對機票在線平台顧客忠誠有顯著的積極影響。此外，顧客信任作為調節因素加強了顧客滿意對顧客忠誠的影響、服務品質對顧客忠誠的影響、轉換成本對顧客忠誠的影響，但在促銷對顧客忠誠的影響中並未存在調節效應。基於研究之發現，本文對機票在線平台的經營提出了一些建議，希望能夠為提高平台的顧客忠誠提供參考。 / The arrival of the e-commerce era in mainland China has made the purchase of air ticket become online and has promoted the collective growth of the online ticket platforms. In order to meet the competition, many online air ticket platforms try to improve their customer loyalty through a variety of ways. Taking the online air ticket platforms in mainland China as the industry background, this study aims to explore the effect of customer satisfaction, service quality, switching costs and promotion on customer loyalty, as well as the moderating effect of customer trust on customer loyalty. To study the influencing factors and moderating factor of customer loyalty, a questionnaire survey was conducted for the customers of mainland China online ticket platforms. Through the issue of the questionnaire online, the author collected 156 samples. The study found that customer satisfaction, service quality, switching costs and promotion all have a significant positive impact respectively on customer loyalty of online ticket platform. In addition, customer trust, as a moderator, strengthens the impact of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty，the impact of service quality on customer loyalty and the impact of switching costs on customer loyalty, but there is no moderating effect in the impact of promotion on customer loyalty. Based on the findings of this study, the paper puts forward some suggestions on the operation of the online ticket platforms, hoping to provide reference for improving the customer loyalty of the platforms.