This study is aimed at understanding and comparing the organizational management system and performance among the TV center of Republic Of China's armed forces, and collects info of the multi-media units of the USAF and educational program production unit of the Open University of Kaohsiung to get a picture of the current status of those organizations pertaining to multi-media program production, and serves as a reference for the future development of the TV centers of ROC's armed forces. The research approach used there is characteristic-oriented. TV centers of the Army, Navy, and Air Force are the study objects. Through interview with members of each service's TV center and the Open Universality of Kaohsiung to gain more detail information to be used as reference. From the result to understand the organization, manpower, equipment investment, production quantities and contents, then further the study on those multi-media units of USAF and the Open Universality of Kaohsiung to induce two discussion topics:merging and outsourcing. The first issue is to discuss whether it's practicable for merging the TV centers of the services. The second issue is to find whether it's feasible for the programs to be outsourced. Finally I'd like to bring up the limitation, contribution and suggestion of this study.

This research advances distributed information sharing by equipping nodes (e.g., software agents) in a distributed network with (1) partner selection algorithms in cooperative environments, and (2) strategies for providing and requesting information in competitive environments. In cooperative environments, information providers are willing to provide requested information, but information consumers must consider uncertainty in the quality of provided information when selecting appropriate information providers. In competitive environments, if a self-interested agent can be an information consumer and provider at the same time, agents need to determine the best ways to request and provide information so that the information acquisition utility can be maximized. This research defines a set of metrics for evaluating information acquisition utility, and presents a game-theoretic approach for determining the best information sharing strategies based on stochastic games. The results show how agents build collaborative relationships with appropriate agents and how the information acquisition utility is affected by those relationships. / text

Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Pastoral Studies))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

A Christian’s calling is largely misunderstood among the Churches today by both the clergy and the laity. It is not just a call to believe the Gospel, nor is it merely a call to pastoral ministry or to the mission field, rather it is a call to do specific good works that God has prepared in advance for you to do (cf. Eph.2:10). Rick Warren contends that this especially focused ministry depends on the way God has 'shaped' you. SHAPE stands for spiritual gifts, heart, abilities, personality and experience. Warren’s SHAPE analysis is a useful tool to help equip Christians by identifying their callings. Church elders could incorporate elements of SHAPE analysis into their equipping process and thus bring great benefit and clarity to those who battle to discern their call to specific good works. While the plain reading and applying of the Bible (according to the literal, grammatical, historical hermeneutic) is the primary method of guidance and is sufficient for identifying a Christian’s calling and equipping him to do it (cf. 2Tim. 3:16-17), this does not prevent the use of other helpful tools such as SHAPE analysis. Unfortunately many Christians do not devote themselves to a study of the Bible and so they lack general knowledge of it and therefore lack direction when it comes to their ministry calling. Christians therefore need all the help they can get, including SHAPE analysis. Care does need to be exercised when using SHAPE analysis for it can be understood as being highly introspective, which has dangers attached to it and even includes personality-analysis, which lacks Biblical precedent. The absence of thorough Bible study and godly character from the calling equation is also a cause for concern and makes SHAPE analysis deficient on its own to equip the believer effectively for ministry. Using SHAPE in addition to the general application of the Bible is however most beneficial. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Practical Theology / unrestricted

Evangelical churches hold evangelism as a hallmark of their movement, but evangelism and conversion rates are in decline. Might this decline be the result of absent or inadequate evangelistic equipping on the part of the church? This project presents a phenomenographic analysis and critique on how congregations are being equipped for evangelism. It employs both surveys of congregational members as well as pastoral leaders. Follow-up interviews with pastoral leaders have also been used to clarify findings from the initial surveys. These interviews have been analyzed to discover the qualitatively different understandings that are evident in the data regarding the phenomenon of evangelistic equipping. These understandings are categorized, and a description of each category type is provided. The results of these findings provide a more expansive understanding of the equipping task and offer specific ways in which the task of evangelistic equipping can be expanded to serve the Evangelical church better.

The aim of this study is to gain insight into the leadership processes and dynamics operative in the early Pauline churches. The study is based on Paul’s Early Letters (i.e. 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Romans) and uses a combination of socio-historical and exegetical approaches. The idea that leadership in the early Pauline churches was determined by wealth, social status, and patronage is prominent in the literature, and is examined in detail. Recent research on the economic stratification of first-century Graeco-Roman society challenges the idea that leadership in the early Pauline churches was exercised by wealthy patrons. It can be observed in the Early Letters that Paul’s leadership role was the most prominent one, and that other leaders, both local and itinerant, were regarded as his coworkers. The study therefore examines Paul’s thinking about his own leadership role, especially his ministry aims and methods. Two aims stand out: (a) that believers appear blameless at the return of Christ; and (b) that the body of Christ be built up. Paul saw himself as an apostle and as God’s coworker; he was convinced that the gospel, as God’s power for salvation, received through faith, was the means by which these aims would be accomplished. Therefore his ministry was first and foremost a ministry of the gospel which aimed to establish people in faith. Passages relating to Paul’s coworkers show that they were ministers of the gospel in their own right, and that they shared in all aspects of Paul’s ministry except those pertaining specifically to his apostleship. Paul often refers to his ministry as a grace that he has received from God. The ministry of others is similarly understood in terms of grace (Rom 12:3-6). This observation leads to a study of divine equipping in the ministry of Paul and his coworkers. I conclude that, for Paul, the work of the Holy Spirit in empowering leaders and making their work effective was fundamental to authentic ministry/leadership. Finally, theoretical perspectives from leadership studies and social psychology are used to bring conceptual unity to the exegetical results. A definition of leadership is formulated and the wellknown power/interaction model of French and Raven is adapted and used to analyse leadership in the early Pauline churches. The aim is to understand both theological and socio-historical aspects of leadership and how they interacted in the early Pauline communities. I conclude that leadership in these communities entailed a social process in which the most important forms of influence were spiritual and empowering. A local leadership role had begun to develop, but was not yet formalized into an official structure. Overall, I conclude that the gospel of Jesus Christ, as God’s power for the salvation of all who believe, was the central dynamic of leadership in the early Pauline churches. / PhD (New Testament), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The aim of this study is to gain insight into the leadership processes and dynamics operative in the early Pauline churches. The study is based on Paul’s Early Letters (i.e. 1 & 2 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 & 2 Corinthians, and Romans) and uses a combination of socio-historical and exegetical approaches. The idea that leadership in the early Pauline churches was determined by wealth, social status, and patronage is prominent in the literature, and is examined in detail. Recent research on the economic stratification of first-century Graeco-Roman society challenges the idea that leadership in the early Pauline churches was exercised by wealthy patrons. It can be observed in the Early Letters that Paul’s leadership role was the most prominent one, and that other leaders, both local and itinerant, were regarded as his coworkers. The study therefore examines Paul’s thinking about his own leadership role, especially his ministry aims and methods. Two aims stand out: (a) that believers appear blameless at the return of Christ; and (b) that the body of Christ be built up. Paul saw himself as an apostle and as God’s coworker; he was convinced that the gospel, as God’s power for salvation, received through faith, was the means by which these aims would be accomplished. Therefore his ministry was first and foremost a ministry of the gospel which aimed to establish people in faith. Passages relating to Paul’s coworkers show that they were ministers of the gospel in their own right, and that they shared in all aspects of Paul’s ministry except those pertaining specifically to his apostleship. Paul often refers to his ministry as a grace that he has received from God. The ministry of others is similarly understood in terms of grace (Rom 12:3-6). This observation leads to a study of divine equipping in the ministry of Paul and his coworkers. I conclude that, for Paul, the work of the Holy Spirit in empowering leaders and making their work effective was fundamental to authentic ministry/leadership. Finally, theoretical perspectives from leadership studies and social psychology are used to bring conceptual unity to the exegetical results. A definition of leadership is formulated and the wellknown power/interaction model of French and Raven is adapted and used to analyse leadership in the early Pauline churches. The aim is to understand both theological and socio-historical aspects of leadership and how they interacted in the early Pauline communities. I conclude that leadership in these communities entailed a social process in which the most important forms of influence were spiritual and empowering. A local leadership role had begun to develop, but was not yet formalized into an official structure. Overall, I conclude that the gospel of Jesus Christ, as God’s power for the salvation of all who believe, was the central dynamic of leadership in the early Pauline churches. / PhD (New Testament), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Le discours commun plaide en faveur l'autonomie du malade. Pourtant soigner la maladie chronique révèle aussi des attachements. C'est ce que nous proposons de mettre en évidence, à travers notre thèse qui prend pour exemple le diabète et envisage, à travers le développement de la notion de travail d'équipement, de questionner l'autonomie, qui est loin d'aller de soi. A partir d'entretiens, d'observations de terrain et d'objets, de recherche de traces, nous interrogeons des pratiques telles que l'éducation thérapeutique, l'introduction des médicaments, des équipements (lecteur de glycémie, pompe à insuline). Tous ces éléments sont autant de médiations, pour le malade, son entourage, les professionnels de santé, les associations de malades, qui influencent le cours de la vie avec la maladie. Le travail d'équipement permet de faire le lien entre la sociologie de la santé et de la maladie, l'interactionnisme, la phénoménologie et la sociologie de l'acteur réseau. Il offre une grille de lecture de la maladie chronique et du soin, au regard de tous les équipements qui contribuent à la prise en charge la maladie. Il permet de définir ce qu'est l'autonomie dans le cadre d'une maladie qui tient le malade et va plus loin ouvrant vers la construction identitaire de l'homme-avec-la-maladie. / Common speech calls for patient autonomy. Yet chronic illness care also reveals attachments. This is what we propose to highlight, through our thesis that takes for example diabetes and plans through the development of the concept of ‘the equipping work', questioning the autonomy, which is far to go self. From interviews, field observations, objects screening, and search of traces, we interrogate such practices as therapeutic education, the introduction of drugs and equipment (glucometer, insulin pump). These elements are all mediations, for the patient, family members, health professionals, patient organisations, which influence the course of living with the disease. Equipping can make the link between the sociology of health and illness, symbolic interactionism, phenomenology and the actor network theory. It provides a grid of chronic illness and care, with all the equipements that contribute to the management of disease. It allows defining autonomy despite the strength of disease ties and leads to rebuild the identity of the man-with-the-sickness.