A global transition to renewable energy is required to address the sustainability challenge and mitigate the socio-ecological consequences of climate change. This thesis explores what factors contribute to slowing down the transition to renewable energy in Southeast Asia. The region was chosen due to its rising energy demand, high energy poverty rates and unsustainable energy generation. The objective is to identify what barriers and enablers inhibit and encourage the financing of decentralized solar energy systems (DSES) in the region.  The study applied a qualitative approach where five exploratory and 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain rich and diverse insights into the current state of DSES within Southeast Asia. The PESTLE analytical framework was used to code the results in a systematic way. This study found several barriers inhibiting an increased deployment of DSES. These included ineffective regulatory frameworks, systemic corruption and market monopolization of DSES, financial issues related to the small size of projects as well as technical and financial capacity among local actors. At the same time, the study identified multiple enablers to address these challenges, including policies encouraging transparency and standardization, capacity building for maintenance or financial literacy and falling project costs due to technological innovation.

There has been an increase in reactionary racial violence in the past eight years following the presidency of Barack Obama, and in response to perceived threats to the racial and cultural order posed by movements for racial justice and the refugee crisis. Complicit to the spate of organized racial violence are passive white bystanders, who, through their inaction, have tolerated and given free reign to a resurgence of racial violence. Only a minority of whites have responded to calls for solidarity from Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). This study set out to uncover how these minority of whites respond to racism. Drawing on narratives and questionnaires of thirty-eight white persons, I begin with an exploration of the frames that shape participants’ understanding of antiracism. Three frames are discussed: the (a) equality and human rights frame, (b) anti-oppression frame, and (c) whiteness-centered frame. The core of this study is on antiracism praxis. I discuss two categories of praxis: quotidian antiracism and organizational antiracism. In the former category are three types of antiracism strategies: (a) confrontation, (b) counterclaiming, and (c) covert and clandestine antiracism. The latter category consists of equality and equity focused strategies in education that I distinguish based on setting: (a) classroom antiracism and (b) administrative antiracism. This discussion is enriched by an investigation of the enablers and obstacles of antiracism and what respondents consider when deciding to engage in bystander action. In conversation with Frankenberg’s (1993) ‘race-cognizance’ concept, I present a subsidiary antiracism awareness that I call self-implication cognizance. I detail five ways participants stop themselves from ‘racing to innocence’ by implicating themselves in the hegemonic order of whiteness. This study contributes a typological model of frames and praxis and a situated picture of enablers of antiracism to the scholarship of white antiracism. It also offers insights for progressive whites and organizations interested in racial justice, equality and equity. Subject keywords: antiracism, activism, whiteness, white racial identity, racial awareness, frames, enablers, obstacles, racism / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The aim of the dissertation is to indicate that a large number of problems in rural communities are the consequence of ineffective knowledge management, and that the effective management of knowledge could significantly improve the range and quality of services provided to community members. Knowledge is reviewed by examining the process of changing social facts into data, data into information and information into knowledge. Knowledge management is examined by reviewing the history of knowledge management as well as defining the term knowledge management. A generic model for knowledge management is developed that divides knowledge management into five basic processes namely; knowledge identification, knowledge mobilisation, knowledge generation/elaboration, knowledge application and knowledge evaluation. The model further describes the knowledge management ”enablers” that can either facilitate or debilitate the management of knowledge. Various practical suggestions are proposed that will facilitate the implementation of a knowledge management programme in a rural community. / Psychology / MA (PSYCHOLOGY)

Evidence suggests that Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) is an effective intervention leading to positive behaviour change when used with parents and their children. The aim of this paper is to explore the processes of Video Interaction Guidance (VIG). Utilising a case study methodology it explores some of the key processes within the video intervention through in-depth analysis of shared review sessions. It also examines what parents and EPs perceive as significant and helpful within the process of VIG. Results reveal that the interplay between the visual image and the nature and content of discussions appears to be qualitatively different when parents are more actively engaged in video review sessions. Parents perceived the intervention in different ways, which appeared to correspond with their level of engagement in shared review sessions. The limitations of the study and suggestions for future research are discussed and the direct implications are dealt with in the overall conclusion in Paper 2 (pg. 93). Abstract Evidence suggests that Video Interaction Guidance (VIG) is an effective intervention that leads to positive behaviour change when used with parents and their children. This paper aims to evaluate the perceived impact of VIG when used with four parents and their children. Utilising a mixed methods case study methodology, it explores parents’ views of their experiences of the video intervention and examines whether any changes are maintained over time. Findings indicate that parents perceived some positive attitudinal and emotional changes. However, it was not clear that any changes were maintained over time and whether they could be solely attributed to the impact of VIG but were perhaps a result of a combination of other factors. A number of common themes emerged across cases that related to barriers and enablers of successful outcomes in VIG as perceived by parents and EPs. The direct implications of this study, suggestions for further research, and for Educational Psychology are discussed.

Supply chains are increasingly incorporating sustainable elements as mean to meet intensified TBL awareness in the market and to promote competitiveness. Suppliers play a key role in enhancing Triple Bottom Line (TBL) outcomes in supply chain since they are responsible for raw materials that will be incorporated in the final product. Supplier Development (SD) can improve suppliers\' TBL capabilities, improving TBL outcomes throughout the supply chain. This research aims to explore Triple Bottom Line Supplier Development (TBL SD) for an improved TBL performance at supply chain level. To address the research general purpose a systematic literature review was conducted, followed by a basic literature review, in order to identify TBL SD practices, enablers and barriers. The systematic literature analysis was performed with support of QDA Miner software. A survey was performed involving Brazilian buying organizations to investigate the impact of TBL Supplier Development on the organizations\' performance at the operational, environmental and social dimensions. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS SEM) through Smart PLS 3 software. The results obtained point that practices adopted by organizations are in accordance to what literature suggests, highlighting the role of training and resources sharing as important practices adopted. The most impactful enablers to enable TBL SD are supplier evaluation, resources availability, and TBL culture at organizational level. Surprisingly, barriers appeared to be only slightly negatively correlated to TBL SD Adoption. It can be concluded that TBL SD adoption leads to improvements in all TBL legs (Operational, Environmental, and Social) although the impact on environmental performance is stronger. In turn, it was found that enhanced environmental performance can lead to improvements in both social and operational performance. Another interesting finding is that organizations in the Brazilian context are adopting TBL SD for internal reasons, and not due to pressures coming from the local market and community. / As cadeias de suprimentos estão incorporando cada vez mais elementos sustentáveis como meio de atender à crescente conscientização do mercado e promover competitividade. Fornecedores desempenham um papel fundamental no aprimoramento dos resultados sustentáveis na cadeia de fornecimento, uma vez que são responsáveis pelas matérias-primas que serão incorporadas no produto final. Nesse contexto, o desenvolvimento de fornecedores pode melhorar as capabilidades sustentáveis dos fornecedores, entregando melhores resultados a toda a cadeia de suprimentos. Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo explorar o Desenvolvimento de Fornecedores Sustentáveis para um melhor desempenho sustentável no nível da cadeia de suprimentos. Para atingir o objetivo geral da pesquisa, foi realizada uma revisão sistemática de literatura, seguida de uma revisão básica da literatura, a fim de identificar as práticas de desenvolvimento sustentáveis, fatores influenciadores e barreiras. A análise da revisão sistemática da literatura foi realizada com o apoio do software QDA Miner. Uma survey envolvendo organizações brasileiras foi realizada para investigar o impacto da adoção do Desenvolvimento de Fornecedores Sustentáveis no desempenho das organizações pesquisadas, tanto nos aspectos operacionais, ambientais e sociais. Os dados foram analisados usando a Modelagem de Equações Estruturais por Mínimos Quadrados Parciais através do software Smart PLS 3. Os resultados obtidos apontam que as práticas adotadas pelas organizações estão de acordo com o que sugere a literatura, destacando o papel do treinamento e compartilhamento de recursos como práticas importantes adotadas. Os fatores influenciadores mais impactantes para a adoção do Desenvolvimento de Fornecedores Sustentáveis são avaliação de fornecedores, a disponibilidade de recursos e a cultura sustentável no nível organizacional. Surpreendentemente, as barreiras parecem estar ligeiramente correlacionadas de forma negativa com adoção do Desenvolvimento de Fornecedores Sustentáveis. Pode-se concluir que a adoção do Desenvolvimento de Fornecedores Sustentáveis leva a melhorias em todas as dimensões da Sustentabilidade (Operacional, Ambiental e Social), embora o impacto no desempenho ambiental seja mais forte. Por sua vez, o desempenho ambiental pode levar a melhorias no desempenho social e operacional. Outra constatação interessante é que as organizações no contexto brasileiro estão adotando o Desenvolvimento de Fornecedores Sustentáveis por motivos internos, e não devido a pressões vindas do mercado e da comunidade local.

In 2012 and 2014, two hashtags, #1ReasonWhy and #GamerGate, exposed a highly sexist video game industry that was not welcoming female participation. This was affecting women working or wanting to work in it. Feminist technoscience studies explain this phenomenon by applying theories concerning the masculine domination of our society and the perception of women as “others.” Despite the numerous challenges and struggling for inclusion, women still create video games, many as independents, taking advantage of free game engines. Hence, my aim in this thesis was to understand the interconnections between technology, specifically in the video game industry, and its social impact. I focus on the balance of male and female participation in the video game creation, the role of game engines, and the enablers and inhibitors for female inclusion, as an important component of decision making for organizational change in this industry. I conducted an inductive qualitative research approach with eight semi-structured interviews with female video game creators from the Latin American region. My findings reveal that using free/affordable technology, such as game engines, is not enough to guarantee female inclusion in the video game industry. This industry is resistant to change and tends to reinforce male predominance by hiring only a specific type of worker that matches the perfect gamer, usually young males. The participation of women in the video game creation teams (which include developers, designers, artists, testers, among others) would bring balance, diversity, new voices and fresh/new ideas, as well as women empowerment to the table. In addition, eleven inhibitors and eight enablers were identified as factors for female inclusion in the video game industry.

Sverige är världsledande när det kommer till sjukvård och när det kommer till sopsortering men vad händer när dessa styrkor kombineras? Kan det skilja sig i uppfattningar bland vårdpersonal på ett svenskt sjukhus, samt hur ser uppfattningarna ut avdelningarna emellan. Denna studie syftar till att granska barriärer och möjliggörare för miljöarbetet på akutmottagningen och akutvårdsavdelningen på Vrinnevisjukhuset i Norrköping, med fokus på engångsartiklar. Uppsatsen bygger på kvalitativ intervjumetodik och intervjuerna har genomförts med fem intervjupersoner på akutmottagningen och akutvårdsavdelningen på Vrinnevisjukhuset i Norrköping. Resultatet av studien visar att anledningen till att engångsartiklar används på avdelningarna är till stor del på grund av hygieniska skäl samt svårigheter med återvinning på grund av smittorisk. Respondenterna tar även upp att sterila instrument och patientsäkerhet är viktigare än miljöarbete. Studien visar även att det finns skillnader mellan avdelningarna när det kommer till motivationen för miljöarbetet. Andra barriärer som upplevdes som problematiska på de båda avdelningarna var bristande kommunikation, okunskap och administration när det kommer till att kommunicera och implementera miljöåtgärder. Ekonomi spelar en central roll inom miljöarbetet när det kommer till Närsjukvården i östra Östergötland (NSÖ).  Det som respondenterna såg som möjliggörare var mer utbildning, bättre kommunikation, att skapa hållbara administrativa mål, tekniska lösningar, budget för miljöarbete och ett starkt stöd på lednings- och chefsnivå. / Sweden is one of the leading countries in the world when it comes to both health care and recycling, but what happens when these two are combined? Can it differ among health professionals in a typical Swedish hospital and can it differ in-between departments? This study aims to examine the barriers and enablers for environmental work in the emergency department and the emergency care unit at Vrinnevi hospital in Norrköping, with focus on disposable health care items. We have conducted qualitative interviews with five respondents at the emergency department and emergency care at Vrinnevi hospital. The interviews were designed with the aim to make respondents share their own perceptions and experiences about environmental work from a long career in healthcare. Our results suggest that the reason why disposable items are used in the departments is largely due to hygienic factors. It is also difficult to recycle in case of infection risk. The respondents stated that sterile instruments and patient safety are more important than environmental work. The study also shows that there are differences between the departments when it comes to the motivation for environmental work. Other barriers that were perceived as problematic in both departments were lack of attitude towards recycling, administration and communication. When it came to communication and implementation of environmental actions, the attitudes between the respondents differed. Financial resources also play a central role in the lack of environmental work within “Närsjukvården I östra Östergötland” (NSÖ) (the local health care in eastern Östergötland). The enablers that the respondents saw were more education, better communication, creating sustainable administrative goals, technical solutions, higher budget for environmental work and strong support at a management level.

The use of information and communication technologies and computerised training tools in nursing education has gained traction globally and locally. Nursing campuses in KwaZulu-Natal are yet to explore this avenue despite the existence of numerous challenges with conventional methods of teaching and learning, and Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) pre-service training. Integrated Management of Childhood Illness Computerised Adaptation and Training Tool (ICATT), an e-learning tool has been identified as an innovative technology that has the potential to strengthen IMCI pre-service training and increase training coverage at nursing campuses. The aim of this study is to investigate the nursing campuses’ readiness for the use of ICATT, and to develop guidelines and a model for improving the use of ICATT at the nursing campuses. This study adopted a sequential exploratory mixed methods design and was conducted in three phases at ten nursing campuses in KwaZulu-Natal. In phases one and two, data was collected sequentially using a semi-structured interview schedule and self-administered questionnaires. The qualitative component involved seven individual administered questionnaires. The qualitative component involved seven individual interviews with campus principals, eight focus groups of nurse educators and eight focus groups of learners. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework was used to identify themes. In the quantitative component, data was collected from nine campus principals, 35 nurse educators and 235 learners and analysed using SPSS 23. Findings from phases one and two revealed that campus principals, nurse educators and learners had positive attitudes and identified enabling factors regarding ICATT use. Additional findings revealed that pre-existing barriers related to human, material, infrastructural and financial resources could impact on the nursing campuses, nurse educators and learners’ readiness to implement and use ICATT. Findings from phases one and two led to the development of guidelines and a model for ICATT implementation at nursing campuses. Phase three employed the Delphi method to obtain consensus opinion from 11 experts for the refinement of the guidelines. The readiness for ICATT use model and the guidelines can facilitate the successful implementation and use of ICATT. / Health Studies / Ph. D. (Health Studies)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the current status of schools of teacher education (STE) in Turkey in terms of how they prepare future teachers to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in their professions, and the current situation of K-12 schools in terms of how teachers employ ICT in their professions. The primary focus was to develop a deeper understanding of ICT perceptions, competencies, classroom use, related courses effectiveness, main barriers, and possible enablers to integrating ICT. This study may contribute to the existing literature by revealing and establishing baseline data on the current status of ICT integration into schools of teacher education and K-12 in Turkey. The results of this study can be used by policy makers, Ministry of National Education, Higher Education Council, universities, and K-12 schools to reexamine the current status of ICT and revise related policies, strategies, and courses. A mixed method approach was used by utilizing questionnaires from 51 deans, 111 faculty members, 1330 prospective teachers, and 1429 K-12 teachers / and interviews with 6 faculty members, 6 prospective teachers, and 6 K-12 teachers. It could be interpreted from the results that most of the participants expressed positive perceptions about the integration of ICT into teacher education and K-12 schools. Generally, faculty members perceived themselves as competent overall, while prospective and K-12 teachers did not. Faculty members and prospective teachers perceived ICT related courses beneficial and effective in ICT integration into education. On the other hand, K-12 teachers showed a degree of overall unsure (neutral) perception towards their ICT related courses and considered themselves well prepared for professional life. There were strong agreements between the participants as to the main barriers and possible enablers.

Gabon is a Sub-Saharan francophone country which has been independent since August 1960. Its Educational System is modelled on the French System. However, the Gabonese Education System currently does not have any guidelines or policies for the system-wide implementation, integration and use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) into the education system. The Gabonese Government committed itself to some ICT-related partnerships, but did not launch any programme or activity relating to those commitments. In addition, the Government provided funding to change the country’s Internet connectivity by satellite with the WASC/SAT3 sub-marine cable in order to make Internet access and connection ten times cheaper at the international level. Unfortunately, the benefit from this investment is not experienced in the country as the potential users, such as teachers, keep having challenges with Internet connection. After fifty years of independence, the government also does not offer sufficient opportunity for teachers to enhance their pedagogical knowledge and skill through teacher professional development (TPD). As a result, no research, guidelines or policies exist for the implementation and use of Open Distance Learning (ODL) for TPD supported by ICT. The aim of this qualitative descriptive exploratory research study was to explore, describe and understand the enablers and challenges of initiating ICT in the ODL training of Gabonese in-service teachers. Although the academic seat for this research was the School of Continuing Teacher Education on the Potchefstroom Campus of the North-West University in South Africa, the research project’s focus, conceptualisation, data-collection and data-interpretation were all based and conducted within the researcher’s heimat, i.e. the Gabonese Education System context. An interactive qualitative casestudy research design (Denzin & Lincoln, 2005; Merriam, 1998) was used in this investigation to obtain in-depth context sensitive data concerning the attitudes, fears, needs, expectations, infrastructure and readiness of the Gabonese Education teachers (at schools and training institutions) for the implementation and use of ICT for ODL training of Gabonese English (second language) teachers, collected through qualitative research methods, i.e. semi-structured open-ended individual and focusgroup interviews, as well as additional research artefacts in the form of photographs to visually record the unique contexts involved. The researcher decided to involve Gabonese English (second language) teachers in the investigation, as he has worked in this discipline for at least twenty years. To ensure sufficient participants, the researcher made use of a snowball strategy where participants in the research referred others. Participants were also selected according to specific selection criteria. Two English (second language) teachers, one school principal, four ICT specialists, one advisor of English teachers, and one inspector of English teachers (ICT specialist) participated in eight individual interviews. Nine English teachers and two advisors of English teachers participated in four focus-group interviews. All interviews were conducted in French. At the North-West University in South Africa, the researcher transcribed the interview data and used ATLAS.ti™ (qualitative data-analysis software) to construct an integrated data-set for analysis. Qualitative data-analysis was performed under the guidance of an expert researcher in qualitative data-analysis. The relevant research findings were translated into English for the purpose of this report. Qualitative data-analysis of the integrated data-set identified six categories of data related to three themes, i.e. (i) Gabonese Education, (ii) ICT in Gabon and (iii) ODL in Gabon. The six categories are: (i) Challenges of Gabonese Education, (ii) Enablers of Gabonese Education, (iii) Challenges to implementation and integration of ICT, (iv) Enablers of ICT; (v) Challenges of ODL, and (vi) Enablers of ODL. These categories supported by codes and quotations provide basic ideas on the research enablers and challenges of initiating ICT in ODL training of Gabonese in-service teachers. The discussion comprises thirty codes, and recommendations are made. The findings of this rich qualitative exploration could benefit and support the Gabonese Education Department, policy makers and academic institutions in their quest to implement, integrate and use ICT in the TPD of in-service teachers via DE and ODL. / Thesis (MEd (Curriculum Development))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013.