CNPq / O objetivo desta pesquisa é analisar como dois cursos de Engenharia da Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (UTFPR) estão respondendo às exigências socioeducacionais preconizadas pelas Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais de Engenharia (DCNs) (BRASIL, 2002b), que estabeleceram, entre outros aspectos, a necessidade da construção de outra identidade profissional mais sintonizada com os desafios políticos, econômicos, culturais e ambientais da realidade brasileira e mundial. Em especial, nosso olhar investigativo se voltou para entender os sentidos construídos sobre as relações entre tecnologia e sociedade nos cursos de Engenharia. Considerando, de um lado, a necessidade de um olhar que acompanhe o caráter heterogêneo, fronteiriço, coconstruído e negociado do processo de revisão curricular e, de outro, a relevância do enfrentamento da tensão determinista e dos desafios sociotécnicos regionais para a configuração do novo perfil de engenheiro, buscamos articular um quadro conceitual-metodológico fundado na perspectiva teórica da análise sociotécnica, nos Estudos Latino-Americanos de Tecnologia Social, bem como na perspectiva discursivo-dialógica do Círculo de Bakhtin. O corpus foi constituído por documentos legais e institucionais relacionados à implementação das DCNs nos dois cursos de Engenharia, bem como por entrevistas semiestruturadas com professores e estudantes desses dois cursos. Os resultados mostraram duas configurações curriculares nas quais as relações entre tecnologia e sociedade são entendidas e dimensionadas com diferentes enfoques: no primeiro curso analisado, constatou-se uma significativa perspectiva determinista tecnológica, traduzida em uma organização curricular disciplinar, em que prevalece uma ênfase voltada predominantemente para a formação tecnológica no seu sentido mais estrito, sendo que o mercado e o setor industrial aparecem como principais interlocutores sociais da atuação do futuro engenheiro; no segundo curso de Engenharia pesquisado, percebeu-se, de um lado, uma tensão dialógica entre uma formação voltada para a problematização dos aspectos sociais da tecnologia em diversos setores da sociedade e, de outro, uma organização curricular disciplinar que enseja desafios consideráveis para a superação da tensão determinista. / The objective of this study is to analyze how two undergraduate Engineering courses at the Federal Technology University at Paraná (UTFPR) are attending the socio-educational recommended by the Brazilian National Engineering Curricular Directives (Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais de Engenharia – DCNs) (BRASIL, 2002b). Among other aspects, they established the need to construct a professional identity which is more synthesized with political, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges of the current Brazilian and international reality. Our investigative perspective was especially directed to better understand the senses constructed concerning relationships between technology and society within Brazilian Engineering courses. On the one hand is the need to look at what accompanies the heterogeneous, frontier-based, co-constructed character negotiated from the curricular review process. On the other hand is the relevance of facing the determinist tension and regional socio-technical challenges to configuring the new engineering profile. As such, we seek to articulate a conceptual-methodological framework based on the Socio-technical Analysis theoretical perspective in Social Technology Latin-American Studies, as well as Bakhtin‟s discursive Circle dialogue perspective. The corpus was constituted upon legal and institutional documents related to implementing the DCNs within the two Brazilian Engineering courses, as well as semi-structured interviews with professors and students from these courses. Results show two curricular configurations in which the relationships between technology and society are understood to be dimensioned on different emphases: the first course analyzed showed a significant determinist technology-based perspective, translated into a curricular disciplinary organization, in which the emphasis geared predominantly to technological formation in its strictest sense, given that the market and industrial sector appear as the principle social players of the future engineer‟s contribution; while the second course studied revealed a dialogical tension between formal education geared to discussing the social aspects of technology in various sectors of society and a disciplinary curricular organization which gives rise to considerable challenges to overcoming such determinist tension.

Orientador: Armando Boito Junior / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Université de Provence / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T21:02:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Gutierrez_Andriei_D.pdf: 1510602 bytes, checksum: 2e90e658878236b2cbd68b7be4de54f7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: A tese tem como objeto de estudo o grupo profissional dos engenheiros brasileiros face às transformações políticas e econômicas que ocorreram no país após os anos 1990, respectivamente, a adoção das políticas neoliberais e a reestruturação produtiva. Analisa como as diferentes frações do grupo profissional foram afetadas por essas transformações e como suas distintas organizações de interesse agiram na conjuntura política. De um lado, mostra como a partir da combinação das políticas de abertura comercial, de desregulamentação financeira, de privatizações e de reforma do Estado existe uma tendência de aumento da participação do setor privado na economia e de crescente dependência financeira, patrimonial e tecnológica em relação ao exterior, transformando qualitativamente as atividades relacionadas à engenharia. De outro lado, a tese sugere que as políticas de desregulamentação do mercado de trabalho, de reforma da previdência e de focalização dos gastos sociais do Estado tiveram um efeito sobre o grupo profissional no sentido de uma tendência à individualização da gestão de carreira e do bem-estar. A partir de análises quantitativas entre os engenheiros e qualitativas entre estes e suas organizações de interesses, a tese tem como foco central de análise a evolução histórico política do grupo profissional. Parte, num primeiro momento, da descrição da literatura que trata das organizações de interesse dos engenheiros nos anos 1970 e 1980 para, num segundo momento, estudar de modo aprofundado como essas organizações agiram na conjuntura política da década de 1990 e início dos anos 2000. Também faz uma análise exploratória do perfil político dos engenheiros das empresas estatais, em especial da Petrobras, em comparação direta com as transformações ocorridas nas suas situações de trabalho. De um modo geral, a tese defende que a dinâmica das lutas macrossociais exerce um peso considerável no posicionamento político das diferentes frações do grupo profissional e de suas organizações de interesse / Resumé: L'objet d'étude de notre thèse correspond au groupe professionnel des ingénieurs brésiliens face aux transformations politiques et économiques menées au Brésil dans les années 1990 et 2000, notamment l'introduction des politiques néolibérales et de la restructuration productive. La thèse analyse comment les différentes fractions du groupe professionnel ont été touchées par ces transformations et comment ses distinctes organisations d'intérêt ont agit dans la conjoncture politique. D'un coté, la thèse montre comment la combinatoires des politiques d'ouverture commerciale, de déréglementation financière, de privatisations et de reforme de l'État sont liées à l'augmentation de la participation du secteur privé dans l'économie et à la croissante dépendance financière, technologique et patrimoniale du pays envers l'extérieur. D'autre par, la thèse suggère que les politiques de déréglementation du marche de travail, de reforme du système de retraites et de focalisations des dépenses sociales de l'État ont eu un effet sur le groupe professionnel : il y a une croissante tendance d'individualisation de la gestion de la carrière et du bien-être. A partir d'une étude quantitative avec des ingénieurs et qualitative entre ceux et leurs organisations d'intérêt, notre thèse est ciblée sur l'analyse de l'évolution historique et politique du groupe professionnel. Elle part, dans un premier moment, de la description de la littérature que porte sur les organisations d'intérêt des ingénieurs dans les années 1970 et 1980 et analyse, dans un deuxième moment, la façon dont ces organisations ont agit dans la conjoncture politique des années 1990 et 2000. La thèse fait également une analyse exploratoire des profils politiques des ingénieurs des entreprises étatiques, en spéciale la Petrobras, en les comparant directement avec les transformations dans leurs rapports de travail. D'une manière plus générale, notre thèse soutient que la dynamique des luttes macrosociales a d'influence considérable sur le positionnement politique des différentes fractions du groupe professionnel et de ses organisations d'intérêt / Abstract: This thesis analyses Brazilian engineers professional group in the context of the neoliberal policies and of the productive restructuring. It studies how the fractions of the professional group have been affected by these structural transformations and how their different political organizations have reacted in the political conjuncture. On one hand, the thesis shows how the combination of opening up the economy, privatization, States' reform and financial liberalization could raise private sector activities and Brazilian economic dependence. This thesis describes how both transformations have been qualitatively touched engineers activities. On the other hand, it suggests that the liberalization of labor market, the reform of the public retirement system and the policies of focusing State social investments have had an effect on the professional group: a trend towards an individual career and well being management. Through quantitative analyses amongst engineers and qualitative studies among them and their interest organizations, the thesis focuses on analyzing the evolution of political history of the professional group. First, it describes the literature which shows the Brazilian engineers interest organizations during the 1970s and 1980s. Second, it studies in depth how these organizations have acted in the political context of the 1990s and early 2000s. This thesis also makes an exploratory analysis of the political profiles of the engineers of state companies, particularly Petrobras, in direct comparison with the changes occurring in their labor conditions. In general, the thesis argues that the dynamics of the macrosocial conflicts carries considerable weight in the political positioning of the different fractions of the professional group and its interest organizations / Doutorado / Ciencia Politica / Doutor em Ciência Política

Made available in DSpace on 2015-04-11T14:03:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Luiz Leandro dos Reis Fortaleza.pdf: 2077496 bytes, checksum: 9190072bf4351fdd7e773bc46292d03a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-06-20 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The software industry needs professionals who, in addition to technical knowledge, possess certain skills that positively affect the development process software. In this dissertation initially held up a mapping systematic about which skills are reported in the literature as being more important for the software engineer. This mapping served to limit the scope of this work to the skills of communication and collaboration. The development of communication skills and collaboration, according to several authors, occurs from practical activities. Therefore, try to enable the best students, with regard to communication and collaboration, would integrate them into projects with industry. However, it is not always possible to establish partnerships with industry software. An alternative is to simulate the industrial scenario in the academic environment. A practice that has grown in the industry is the geographical distribution of staff development, known as Distributed Software Development (DSD). Then, simulate a scenario DDS is a possible way to bring students from reality of the software industry. This is the approach proposed in this dissertation. Two experimental studies were conducted to obtain evidence about the effectiveness the proposed pedagogical approach. Every experiment we sought to improve way of collecting and analyzing data, and performed the triangulation of these data aimed obtaining the most reliable conclusions. It was observed that the use DDS is quite motivating for students, but there are other factors that This affect motivation, such as the affinity between team members co-allocated. Properly manage these factors in order to maintain participants motivated, can be the difference between success and failure of the activity of teaching, one Since skill development is influenced by motivation. / A indústria de software precisa de profissionais que, além do conhecimento técnico, possuam determinadas habilidades que afetam positivamente o processo de desenvolvimento de software. Nesta dissertação de mestrado realizou-se inicialmente um mapeamento sistemático sobre quais habilidades são reportadas pela literatura como sendo mais importantes para o engenheiro de software. Este mapeamento serviu para limitar o escopo deste trabalho às habilidades de comunicação e colaboração. O desenvolvimento de habilidades de comunicação e colaboração, segundo diversos autores, ocorre a partir de atividades práticas. Portanto, tentar capacitar melhor os alunos, no que diz respeito à comunicação e colaboração, seria integrá-los em projetos com a indústria. Todavia, nem sempre é possível estabelecer parcerias com a indústria de software. Uma alternativa é simular o cenário industrial em ambiente acadêmico. Uma prática que tem crescido na indústria é a distribuição geográfica da equipe de desenvolvimento, conhecida como Desenvolvimento Distribuído de Software (DDS). Então, simular um cenário DDS é uma possível forma de aproximar os alunos da realidade da indústria de software. Esta é a abordagem proposta nesta dissertação. Foram realizados dois estudos experimentais visando obter indícios sobre a eficiência da abordagem pedagógica proposta. A cada experimento buscou-se aprimorar a forma de coleta e análise dos dados, e efetuou-se a triangulação destes dados visando a obtenção de maior confiabilidade para as conclusões. Observou-se que a utilização de DDS é bastante motivadora para os alunos, todavia existem outros fatores que afetam esta motivação, como por exemplo a afinidade entre os membros das equipes co-alocadas. Gerenciar adequadamente tais fatores, visando manter os participantes motivados, pode ser o diferencial entre sucesso e fracasso da atividade de ensino, uma vez que o desenvolvimento de habilidades é influenciado pela motivação.

No description available.

The present study investigated the relationship between level of security clearance in engineering occupations and stress. A total of 63 male employees in the field of engineering and design with varying levels of security clearance employed by a large Southwestern defense company participated in the study. Data was obtained utilizing the Engineering Stress Questionnaire which measures sources of stress, work locus of control, social support, job difficulty, job characteristics, perceived stress, and demographic variables. T-tests revealed no statistically significant differences between employees with low security clearances and high security clearances with regard to perceived stress level. However, correlational support was found for hypotheses involving social support, job difficulty, job characteristics, sources of stress, and perceived stress. Path analysis was performed to investigate the impact of variable relationships.

Purpose: Environmental impact by humans has increased significantly, with the construction industry accounting for 40% of the world's energy consumption. In order to counteract this, the world's demands on sustainable buildings have increased. There are a number of environmental certification systems to help, where Miljöbyggnad is the most common in Sweden. The possibilities for influencing a project are greatest in the early stages, which also applies for environmental work. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate how a project classified according to the Miljöbyggnad Silver affects the bidding process for a construction project, in comparison with a similar project without environmental certification requirements. Method: A literature study which aims to form a theoretical framework, a document analysis of a reference project based on provided documents and semistructured interviews with calculation engineers at Serneke Bygg AB in Gothenburg. Findings: The results of the document analysis and interviews contradict each other to some extent. The document analysis shows several aspects that can be influenced by the calculators' work, while the respondents mention only a few differences between a project with or without certification according to Miljöbyggnad Silver. Respondents consider themselves lacking knowledge about environmental construction, while at the same time they are uncertain of how much that is needed. The document analysis, on the other hand, indicates that additional knowledge is required to ensure that the above mentioned aspects are taken into account in the calculation phase in order to ensure that the bid meets the requirements for Miljöbyggnad Silver. Implications: In order to ensure that the environmental building requirements are met in the tender phase, the recommendation is that the calculators, or one employee, will acquire knowledge about Miljöbyggnad. However it depends on the company's ambition regarding the accuracy of the tender if this will be implemented. Their attitude will have significance to how the work process and time aspect will be affected with the increased requirements of knowledge. Limitations: Only one type of environmental certification and one individual project have been selected. The study's goals are considered to be met, but the results and conclusions could have been further strengthened if more projects were studied and interviews had been conducted with the head of the department. / Syfte: Människans miljöpåverkan har ökat markant och bygg- och konstruktionsbranschen står för 40 % av världens energikonsumtion. För att motverka detta har omvärlden ökat kraven på hållbara byggnationer och det finns ett flertal miljöcertifieringssystem som hjälp, där Miljöbyggnad är det vanligast förekommande i Sverige. Möjligheterna att påverka ett projekt är störst i tidiga skeden, vilket även gäller miljöarbetet. Därför är målet med studien att undersöka hur ett projekt klassat enligt Miljöbyggnad Silver påverkar en byggentreprenads kalkylarbete, i jämförelse med ett likadant projekt utan miljöcertifieringskrav. Metod: Litteraturstudie för att bygga ett teoretiskt ramverk, dokumentanalys av ett referensprojekt utifrån tillhandahållna handlingar och semistrukturerade intervjuer med kalkylingenjörer på Serneke Bygg AB i Göteborg. Resultat: Resultatet från dokumentanalysen och intervjuerna motsäger varandra till viss del. Dokumentanalysen visar på flera aspekter som kan påverkas av kalkylingenjörernas arbete, medan respondenterna endast nämner ett fåtal skillnader mellan ett projekt med respektive utan certifiering enligt Miljöbyggnad Silver. Respondenterna anser sig sakna kunskap om Miljöbyggnad, samtidigt är de osäkra på om och vad som behövs. Dokumentanalysen indikerar däremot att ytterligare kunskap krävs för att säkerställa att aspekterna ovan beaktas redan i kalkylskedet. Detta för att kunna säkerställa att anbudet möter kraven för Miljöbyggnad Silver.   Konsekvenser: För att kunna säkerställa att kraven enligt Miljöbyggnad möts redan i anbudsskedet är rekommendationen att kalkylingenjörerna, alternativt en anställd, fördjupar sig inom Miljöbyggnad. Om det görs beror dock på företagets ambitionsnivå gällande noggrannheten i anbudet och deras inställning kommer ha betydelse för hur arbetsprocessen och tidsaspekten påverkas i och med ökat krav på kunskap. Begränsningar: Endast en typ av miljöcertifiering samt ett enskilt projekt har valts. Studiens mål anses vara uppfyllt, men resultatet och slutsatser hade kunnat stärkas ytterligare om fler projekt studerats samt om intervjuer förts med kalkylchefen.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate what experienced professional engineers value regarding work related factors and what makes them stay in an employment and in an organization. Theory: The theory used is derived from relevant research regarding work life science and was divided into several parts. The first part contains research about Employer Branding and how employers can use strategies to attract candidates and retain current employees. The second part concerns turnover intentions which is used to examine whether there are relationships between work-related factors that professional engineers believe they have in their workplace and their intentions to stay. The third part embraces Model of retention which contains eight work-related factors which are divided into organizational- and job level. These eight work-related factors shows to have impact on retention of professional workers. Some items were added from Bloom Live Connect Grow Employer Branding framework to complete the ability to measure retention levels. At last we used theory regarding employee engagement to predict the target group’s engagement level to see if it had significant impact on retention of experienced professional engineers. Methodology: A cross-sectional quantitative approach was used in this study and a questionnaire was sent out to 301 experienced professional engineers that had an employment within a global industrial enterprise. Approximately 158 experienced professional engineers completed the survey which lead to a responding frequency of 52,5 % percent. Findings: The result of the study showed that almost all 26 items tested out of Model of retention scored high means. Therefore they proved to be important for the maintenance of professional engineers to make them want to remain in an employment and in an organization. The only work-related factor that showed statistical significance from the regression analysis performed was compensation. Another interesting disclosure found was that the target group proved to be engaged, but nevertheless, there was a greater intention to leave than to remain in the workplace. Practical implications: It is important for employers to pay attention to the results of this study when shaping workforce strategies to become competitive as an employer. Social implications: Engineers are a sought-after target group in the labor market and therefore it is important for employers and HR-departments to work with strategies regarding remaining valuable competences such as experienced professional engineers to ensure the future of the organization.

Cette thèse doctorale consiste en une investigation sur la pénétration des différentes formes et types d’influence française sur la politique stratégique de l’Ordre de Saint Jean, et la perte graduelle de la domination espagnole à Malte. Elle examine l’influence française consécutive sur l’architecture maltaise au cours du XVIIᵉ siècle qui résulta de ce changement d’allégeance. À cette fin, les facteurs politiques, stratégiques, sociaux et esthétiques, ainsi que la formation et les carrières des différentes personnalités concernées, en particulier les ingénieurs militaires français, sont examinés afin de comprendre l’importance de leur rôle sur le développement des fortifications des îles maltaises et sur l’idiome architectural local. Les relations des chevaliers appartenant aux trois Langues françaises avec la Cour de France sont étudiées dans leur contexte historique. Cet aspect est aussi examiné à travers la fréquente correspondance entre les Grands Maîtres et les rois Louis XIII et Louis XIV. L’étude montre comment l’arrivée sur la scène locale d’ingénieurs militaires eminents, durant l’été 1645, signale le passage de l’Ordre de la sphère d’influence de l’Empire espagnol à la française. Les ingénieurs militaires français s’activent dans l’archipel maltais depuis que Vauban avait donné à la France la primauté du développement de l’architecture militaire dans la seconde moitié du XVIIᵉ siècle. L’importance de Médéric Blondel, le premier ingénieur résident français, comme catalyseur du développement de l’influence française sur l’architecture maltaise est démontrée. Ce travail examine comment son influence se reflètera sur les architectes maltais de la fin du XVIIᵉ siècle et sur les éléments classiques qui sont introduits dans l’architecture baroque maltaise imprégnée de l’école classique d’architecture française très appréciée par Louis XIV. / This doctoral thesis consists of a research-based investigation on the different forms and types of French influence within the strategic politics of the Order of St. John and the gradual loss of Spanish domination in Malta. It examines the French influence on Maltese architecture during the seventeenth century that resulted from this change of allegiance. For this purpose the political, strategic, social and aesthetic factors, as well as the study of the formation and careers of the different personalities involved, are analysed in order to understand the importance of their role on the development of seventeenth century fortifications of the Maltese Islands and on the local architectural idiom. The various connections of the Knights belonging to the three French Langues with the French Court are therefore investigated in their historical context. This is also examined through the frequent correspondence between the Grand Masters and Kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV. The study shows how the arrival on the local scene of eminent French military engineers during the summer of 1645, marks the passage of the Order from the Spanish sphere of influence to the French. The French military engineers were active in the Maltese archipelago since Vauban had put France at the helm of the development of military architecture in the second half of the seventeenth century. The importance of Médéric Blondel, the first French resident engineer, as a catalyst of the development of French influence on Maltese architecture is investigated. The study examines how his influence is reflected on the work of Maltese architects at the end of the seventeenth century and on the classical elements which are introduced into Maltese baroque architecture that is highly influenced by the classical school of French architecture so greatly appreciated by Louis XIV.

<p>Developing engineering talent in organizations has long been an issue for industries. Notably, with rapidly changing business models and flattened organizational structures, engineers are required to transition into managerial and leadership roles more quickly than ever before. Yet engineers and employers alike often characterize this as a difficult transition. Further, there remains a lack of empirical research on the nature of engineering managerial work practices. To address these issues, this dissertation aims to holistically uncover the experiences of recently transitioned engineering managers. Specifically, the study investigates the meaning-making and experiences of the participants’ transitional journeys and also addresses related questions such as what changes and challenges they face during the transition and how they navigate the challenges associated with the transition. The study is examined through the lens of work-role transition frameworks and models that emphasize the role of the individual in the transition.</p> <p>In order to address the research objectives, an interpretive qualitative study is employed. To explore and understand the lived experiences of recently transitioned engineering managers, I conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 newly transitioned engineering managers at a Telecom firm in the United States. The interviews were then used to develop narrative accounts of participants describing their journeys of transition. The interviews were also analyzed thematically to identify: a) specific patterns in how the participants experience and make sense of their transition to engineering managerial roles; b) changes experienced by engineers during the transition; c) challenges faced by engineers as they transition to managerial roles, and d) new skills developed by participants to navigate the transition. </p> <p>The findings suggest that most engineers struggled with the transition, especially during the early stages. This difficulty in part stems from the various personal changes that they experience as a result of the transition, changes related to their individual cognitive, physiological, and social aspects. Moreover, the transition experiences are also impacted by both the situational factors of the individual (e.g., demographics, career progression) as well as the organizational factors, including HR policies related to training and development, dual pathway offerings, etc. The findings in this study, in part presented as narratives, are expected to contribute to the field of engineering education and practice by providing insights into the experiences of engineering professionals taking up managerial and leadership roles. More specifically, the narratives are expected to serve as examples and provide inspiration for engineers at a variety of career stages. The thematic findings are also expected to help students, engineering educators, engineering leadership faculty, and industry affiliates understand and improve the managerial transition process and associated role expectations, which for the most part, remain largely unexplored. </p>

The majority of the existing urban areas in South Africa began as colonial centres. This study seeks to evaluate the role the Royal Engineers played in the development of the Cape Colony from 1806 until the acceptance of responsible government by the Cape Colony in 1872. The Colonial State implemented a capital works programme of staggering breadth and scale. During this time South Africa was delineated, urbanised, developed and connected to the world markets. This was achieved via a highly trained and professional military establishment; the Royal Engineers. The role of the Royal Engineers and the legacy of towns, forts and infrastructure are studied in depth in this thesis. British imperial approach to colonial expansion and development in both a spatial and theoretical manner forms the basis of this thesis. The case study covers the Eastern Cape of South Africa. The physical and spatial development of this region are analysed in order to glean any lessons which could be learnt from the approach adopted to colonial settlement. This Study illustrates that a small highly trained group of military engineers had a significant impact on the establishment of early towns and infrastructure in South Africa. They have left a lasting footprint on South Africa’s spatial development and many of the towns and much of the infrastructure is still in use today (specifically the harbours, railways and mountain passes). The Royal Engineers’ approach to development and background training is studied and then reduced to its theoretical approach. This theoretical approach is then analysed in order to glean the lessons history can teach us about development, specifically development on ‘terra nova’. An attempt is made to extract planning theory from historical analysis of developmental elements which worked in the past. The study begins by analysing the background and training of the Royal Engineers and then moves on to assessing the spatial and physical impact their plans had on the development of South Africa. The discussion then moves beyond what the Royal Engineers did to understand how they made it happen; to arrive at a positive theory of planning or to ask when does planning work ? The Royal Engineers were schooled in the sciences and trained to be experts in almost all things; they were the master craftsmen and skilled problem solvers of the era. The training they received at Chatham, is a very early example of professional training; it was comprehensive, high quality and practical. Those who emerged from this training carried out vast public works around the British Empire; they produced very few theories of development but they did challenge ideas. The avant- garde designs of some colonial towns such as Queenstown, Khartoum, Adelaide and Savannah show a desire to improve on settlement forms and to provide design solutions to urban problems. The Royal Engineers adopted a pragmatic approach to development, they initially received a very good scientific academic training, they then learnt by example whilst serving under engineer commanders. As a unit they learnt by observation, experimentation and example. What is striking in their approach is that they saw a problem and simply went about solving it and their solutions were inevitably physical structures and infrastructure. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Town and Regional Planning / unrestricted