The research reported is a theoretical investigation of the interaction of land-use and transport in relation to the use of energy. Of particular interest is the relationship between the spatial arrangement of settlements and the use of energy within them for both transport and building services. The literature of scenarios of energy futures is reviewed, and three scenarios of future constraints on regional planning are adopted. The adopted scenarios emphasise constraints imposed by energy policy and the availability of fuels; they form the background to the comparison of a number of theoretical regional settlement patterns, in terms of their implications for land-use and their potential for fuel-conservation. A study of an existing regional settlement pattern is used in combination with published land-use data as the basis of a configurational model. This model is intended to characterise the real pattern spatially, quantitatively and in a manner suitable for experimental manipulation. The model encompasses the pattern of developed land (disaggregated by uses), the shape of the transport network, and the intensity of development (in terms of population and floorspace). A review is then made of published proposals for energy-efficient settlements, which are found to include concentrated, dispersed, nucleated and linear patterns. Five modified versions of the regional configurational model are then constructed in order to characterise the range of realistic possibilities for future regional form which might result from the fuel-conservation policies inherent in the proposals reviewed. The five regional configurations and the original pattern are then compared by means of a specially-developed land-use transport and energy-evaluation model. The comparison is made in terms of the accessibility of the population in each pattern to employment and services (measured 'biy the model as "benefits"), and. in terms of the use of fuel in both transport and domestic space heating. Fuel use in transport is related to modal split and vehicle speed; fuel use in homes is related to dwelling size and location. Parametric calibration of the land-use and transport models allows the comparison of the patterns to be repeated in the context of each of the three adopted energy scenarios, taking into account changes in travelling behaviour, vehicle efficiencies, and building services technologies. The results of the comparison are discussed and assessed in terms of their implications for long-term strategic planning policy.

The ability of an explosive to break rock is influenced considerably by the extent of confinement in the blasthole and it is believed that confinement is improved by the use of stemming. The aim of this paper is to present the first and second stages of results in developing a stemming performance testing and evaluation facility for small diameter boreholes. The results showed that different stemming products have differences in terms of their functionality, which can have a major impact on the efficiency of rock breaking. Two test procedures were used, one through the exclusive use of compressed air and the second using a purpose built high pressure test rig with small quantities of explosives. Both tests were used to identify and evaluate the ability of various stemming products to resist the escape of explosive gas through the collar of a blasthole. Extensive research was conducted to determine the types of stemming products most commonly used in South African underground hard rock mines, and the differences in design between the various products are discussed. The first stage of tests using compressed air only did not prove adequate to predict with certainty the pressure behaviour in the borehole of a particular product under high pressure conditions. The purpose built high pressure test rig did not prove to be a very effective tool to test stemming products under high pressure conditions. The test rig only incorporated the effect of gas pressure on the stemming product and in doing so omitted to take the effect of the shock wave into account. This study proved that to only take the gas pressure generated in the blasthole into account in not sufficient to effectively test stemming product design. A more comprehensive study should include the effect of gas pressure in the borehole, shock waves generated by the explosive and also the coefficient of friction of both the surface of the stemming product as well as the inside of the blasthole. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Mining Engineering / unrestricted

Omega Pharma is a distributer of over the counter products, selling thousands of products produced at more than 200 manufacturers and sold in most European countries. The company was founded in Belgium in 1987 and has since then had a high market focus and expanded through acquisitions of brands and products. The company has in recent years started working towards centralization and supplier base management. A project team has been set up to work strategically by choosing key manufacturers and by reducing the supplier base. A first step in this is to look more closely at products with a low turnover and that are not strategically important in order to evaluate if the product is profitable and which products that could be moved to other manufacturers or cancelled from the portfolio. Therefore the purpose of the study is to: Create an evaluation model based on revenue, total cost and manufacturer performance to evaluate a product and if cost reductions can be achieved by ending the production of the product or moving the product to a different manufacturer. A four step approach for analyzing total cost was followed in order to, in a structured way, create the model and identify the relevant elements related to revenue, total cost and manufacturer performance that were to be present in the model. The four steps were: In a first step elements and costs were identified that might be relevant for the model. This was done based on previous research, holding interviews at the company and reviewing documents. The second step was to adapt the elements to the model. In the third step, it was decided how the elements and costs that were to be in the model would be calculated and presented as well as looking into how the model would be built. The fourth step consisted of doing test runs and a sensitivity analysis to test the robustness of the model. The result handed over to the company is in the form of the evaluation model created based on the above stated purpose. Within the model, there are 4 manufacturer performance parameters and 1 for revenue. When it comes to costs, the amount varies depending on the case analyzed. To evaluate product profitability there are 7 cost elements containing 20 identified costs. When evaluating moving a product to another manufacturer there are the same costs, however an additional element for transfer is added containing 5 costs. For the situation ending a production, there are 2 costs. In order to facilitate the use of the model, estimations were done to the costs to the extent possible. From test runs the model was further adapted to the company as it was identified what values connected to a product where possible for the user to find in the system and in what units of measure. The sensitivity analyses showed that none of the estimated values would, if the estimation was not accurate, affect the evaluation of the product. They could however affect the cost element of that cost.

During the past decade, an increase in activity associated with the education of the gifted has been evident. This study provides a social and evaluative framework from which to view two organizational means of making educational provision for gifted students. In-class provision in one school is compared statistically and descriptively with a partial withdrawal system in another. The Stake evaluation model was used to provide a focus and classification system for the collection and processing of naturalistic data. Group tests of ability, attainment and attitudes were administered in order to obtain some more objective data. Evolutionary changes in the schools during the twelve month period make for difficulties in comparison; the reasons for the changes occuring highlight the difficulties which classroom teachers have in understanding and coming to grips with teaching gifted students. Any advantage in terms of student outcomes was weighted towards the school with in-class provision. The writer postulates that this was due to the collective responsibility, or ownership of the program, assumed by the teachers in this school, as opposed to the situation in the other school, where only one teacher, the withdrawal teacher, was prepared to assume this responsibility. This study will provide valuable insight for any professionals who wish to undertake similar programs.

The provision of work experience opportunities for students at the Canberra Institute of Technology (CIT) is an important feature in promoting the practical application of theory learned in the classroom. At the outset of this study, the variety and scope of work experience programs at CIT was not known and there were no apparent efforts to co-ordinate this activity. The effectiveness of these programs was not known, and there were no strategies in place to measure their worth. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe work experience programs, to analyse existing evaluation methods and to propose a Model of Evaluation appropriate to the maximum number of programs. The review of related literature resulted in the selection of Stake's comprehensive Countenance Model (1967), chosen for its consideration of the complexities of purpose and the wide variety of experiences which students may encounter. A significant part of the application of Stake's Model was the development of an Evaluation Kit for Work Experience Co- Ordinators at CIT and the subsequent trial on the Work Placement subject of the Certificate in Travel course in the School of Tourism and Hospitality. Stake's Countenance Model of Evaluation appears to embody an appropriate structure to measure the worth of programs. Recommendations for future directions include the wider trial of the Kit in a greater number of programs to further establish its usefulness to decision-makers, and the need to remain alert to emerging issues and trends in work experience practice in Australia.

With the emergence of a new service delivery model, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), interest in quality management in the planning and operation of SaaS systems is increasing significantly. Most current quality management approaches for SaaS focus primarily on the perspective of service provider. They largely ignore the perspective of service customer as well as the nature of ongoing business relationship between the service provider and customer. Based on an extensive exploration of this relationship, the thesis research makes contributions in the following four areas: 1. A theory of SaaS business relationships is introduced by integrating an adapted quality paradigm with the notion of value co-creation (co-value) for the service provider and customer. In the theory, we define a specification of four quality-based service types (Ad-hoc, Defined, Managed and Strategic). 2. The theory is used as the foundation for building a model that assists service customers in SaaS evaluation in support of service planning and ongoing operations. 3. Based on the model, an evaluation tool is designed and used in a particular service area. As an example, a case study is undertaken to assist the decision making of email service adoption in the University of Alberta. 4. Two surveys are conducted to assist in the building and evolution of the evaluation model, as well as in the use of an email service evaluation tool.

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For providing education quality particular methods, norms, standards and procedures are used. However, traditionally quality in universities is understandable still very narrowly – as attention to particular education quality aspects. It‘s very important for quality conception to include not just the programmes, but workers, rooms, administration, methods of training, collaboration with specialists preparation branch and so on. Quality evaluation of study programmes problems overseas are being analysed a long while ago, but in Lithuania these researches are much less developed and still no data found about quality evaluation of study programmes reliance on evaluation conception and it‘s base factors. The purpose of this research paper is to determine practical use of quality evaluation model and prerequisites in Lithuanian universities.

The thesis focuses on the evaluation of company Model Obaly, a.s. The main goal is to quantify the market value of the company for the potential external investor. The estimated value refers to May 1st, 2014. The yield method of discounted free cash flow to the firm (FCFF) is applied for the company evaluation. Among others, there is financial and strategic analysis developed as minor goals of the thesis. Within strategic analysis, the author has conducted an examination of macroeconomic and microeconomic environment. The examination is carried out with PEST, SWOT analysis and Porter's five forces analysis. Financial analysis includes horizontal and vertical analysis of financial statements, ratio analysis and an examination of an indicator economic value added. Within the process of the evaluation there is evolved a financial plan, based on which is quantified the market value of the company to May 1st, 2014.

Despite a constantly growing selection of front-end JavaScript frameworks, there is a lack of research to guide the choice of which one to use in a software project. Instead, the decision is generally based on experience and personal preferences within the team. The aim of this thesis is therefore to present a structured evaluation model to provide for more informed decisions. A preliminary study is carried out where the most important qualities of a framework are identified, both according to previous literature and to practitioners. The pre-study result is used to construct a structured model to assess framework performance for the identified qualities. Finally, a test of the model is carried out to see if it can guide the choice of framework in a specific project. The study shows that the design of the model does contribute with important insights on framework performance in prioritized quality areas and the trade-offs that this entails for other important qualities. Thus, the model provides necessary information to make well-founded decisions. Furthermore, it fills the gap in contemporary research by providing an understanding of what is important in a framework according to practitioners.