Orientation: South Africa’s cultural and linguistic diversity requires special measures to ensure that the assessments used in employment settings are scrupulously fair. To this end, Section 8 of The Employment Equity Act requires that psychometric tests are scientifically proved to be valid and reliable and not to discriminate unfairly against any individual or group. The South African Personality Inventory (SAPI) sets out to meet these criteria by incorporating culture-specific elements and by providing versions in each of South Africa’s 11 official languages. o Research purpose: The key determination of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Afrikaans version of the South African Personality Inventory (SAPI). The aforementioned properties include item analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), reliability analysis, product-moment correlation and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). o Motivation for the study: To contribute to the fair, valid and reliable use of the SAPI questionnaire in all language versions of the instrument by examining the psychometric properties of the Afrikaans version and comparing it with the validated English version. Once this has been done for each of the 11 official South African languages versions, a culturally neutral instrument will be available for the full diversity of employment settings in South Africa. o Research design, approach and method: This study used a quantitative cross-sectional research design with an emic approach, objectivist ontology and a post-positivist research paradigm. Primary data was collected by administering the Afrikaans version of the SAPI questionnaire to a non-probability sample of 201 purposively selected white Afrikaans-speaking South Africans who are economically and non-economically active and have a minimum qualification of Grade 12. An online Afrikaans version of the SAPI along with a biographical questionnaire was used to collect data. Item analysis was investigated by means of a descriptive statistical analysis. An initial principle component analysis followed with exploratory factor analysis was performed to determine the instrument’s factor structure. A reliability analysis was conducted in order to measure the internal consistency of the instrument. Product-moment correlations explored the relationships between variables. Further analysis was done to detect the relationships of the variables and to detect differences. Main findings: The White Afrikaners attach immense importance to the social-relational factors. From the six factors, only three factors were extracted, namely the Social-relational Positive, combined Social-relational Negative/Conscientiousness, and Intellect/Openness factors. These factors showed adequate validity and reliability. The item functionality needs to be re-evaluated in order to measure all the six factors of the SAPI and different analytical techniques should be applied. The relationships between the remaining three factors were sufficient, and only age differences were detected in the experience of Social Relational Negative/Conscientiousness o Practical/managerial implications: The results of this study provide a firm foundation for the further investigation of the validity of the Afrikaans version of the questionnaire. Furthermore, insight is given to researchers and practitioners on the need to develop, adapt or translate psychometric instruments, especially for use in an environment which is multicultural and multilingual. o Contribution/value-add: This study contributes to cultural-specific research on the assessment of personality in South Africa. Its thorough investigation and attempt to validate the Afrikaans version of the SAPI is supported by an extensive body of literature relevant to standardizing the SAPI. Practitioners and organisations will now be able to administer a culturally informed personality assessment where the home language of the employees is Afrikaans. / Dissertation (MCom)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Human Resource Management / MCom / Unrestricted

Cross-cultural research requires tests of measurement invariance to determine if different populations have equivalent latent constructs. A psychometric assessment of the Agricultural Production Perspectives Scale (APPS) was necessary to determine the validity of the scale constructed and whether data from multiple countries could be compared. Using 918 farmers sampled from Kenya, Uganda, Mali, and Lesotho, I conducted exploratory factor analysis and scale reliability tests to determine whether the item loadings and factors were equivalent across populations. No factor structure could be obtained across country or agroecological populations. The data were reanalyzed within each agroecology to determine localized factor structures. Results indicate that a market driven factor and agrarian driven factor tend to emerge across multiple agroecologies suggesting some emergence of latent variables. Recommendations for scale revisions are included to increase reliability and measurement invariance. / Master of Science / CCRA-8 (Technology Networks for Sustainable Innovation)

Submitted by Marcia Silva (marcia@latec.uff.br) on 2016-07-15T20:54:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERT EDUARDO GURGEL DO AMARAL ARDUINO.pdf: 2065093 bytes, checksum: cff22b2b72c45eeee85f4facfd01289c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-07-15T20:54:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DISSERT EDUARDO GURGEL DO AMARAL ARDUINO.pdf: 2065093 bytes, checksum: cff22b2b72c45eeee85f4facfd01289c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-24 / O objeto do estudo foi elaborar uma modelo estrutural completo dos fatores que influenciam o sucesso da atuação do PMO e que benefícios essa atuação positiva traria para a gestão de projetos no Sistema Eletrobras e a partir disso, realizar um aperfeiçoamento do modelo estrutural por meio de métodos estatísticos. Para isso foi realizado uma pesquisa de campo (survey) no intuito de levantar dados junto aos profissionais envolvidos em Gestão de Projetos dentro do Sistema Eletrobras, a partir do modelo proposto e foram evidenciados os fatores de sucesso na atuação do PMO (Project Management Office) que possibilitam o escritório de gerenciamento de projetos tornar-se um vetor de gestão por excelência na empresa. Para alcançar o objetivo idealizado, realizou-se (a) Levantamento bibliográfico para conceituar gerenciamento de projetos e PMOs, (b) identificou-se os fatores que influenciam o sucesso de atuação do PMO, (c) identificou-se as abordagens teóricas dos fatores diretos que mais contribuem para que o PMO da Eletrobras possa atuar como um vetor de gestão por excelência, otimizando o aumento da eficiência da sua atuação e o sucesso na gestão de projetos. Averiguou-se quais abordagens teóricas, a partir do sucesso de atuação do PMO, traziam benefícios para a gestão de Projetos no Sistema Eletrobras. Assim, para realizar os trabalhos estatísticos para a avaliação de adequação do modelo, foi utilizado o software SPSS Statistics, para a execução da AFE (Análise Fatorial Exploratória), em busca de testar o modelo baseado na teoria previamente apresentada. Foram obtidas 116 respostas válidas preenchidas por colaboradores com envolvimento em gerenciamento de projetos no sistema Eletrobras. No início o modelo teórico era composto por vinte abordagens teóricas e três fatores independentes. Após as etapas do SEM, obteve-se dezessete abordagens e dois fatores independentes, diferentes do modelo proposto. Com isso, a hipóteses H1 e H2 não foram rejeitadas, pois apresentaram fator significante com (P < 0,05). A hipótese H3 teve que ser excluída, pois na AFE suas abordagens teóricas compuseram um único conjunto com a hipótese H2, visto que a Matriz da Variância Total Explicada demonstrou ser o modelo mais ajustado com somente dois fatores. Todas as análises foram validadas pelo alpha de cronbach. / The object of study was preparing a full structural model of the factors that influence the success of the PMO acting and that this positive performance would bring benefits for project management in the Eletrobras System and from this, carry out an improvement of the structural model through methods Statistical. For it was conducted a field survey (survey) in order to collect data with professionals involved in Project Management within the Eletrobras System, from the proposed model and were shown the success factors in the performance of the PMO (Project Management Office) which enable the project management office become a vector of management excellence by the company. To achieve the idealized goal, there was (a) Bibliographic survey to conceptualize project management and PMOs, (b) identified the factors that influence the PMO acting success, (c) identify the theoretical approaches of the factors direct that contribute most to the PMO Eletrobras can act as a vector management par excellence, optimizing the increased efficiency of its operations and success in project management. It was found that theoretical approaches, from the PMO acting success, bringing benefits to the Project management in the Eletrobras System. Thus, to perform statistical work for the evaluation of the adequacy of the model, SPSS Statistics software was used, for the implementation of EFA (Exploratory Factor Analysis), seeking to test the model based on the theory presented previously. 116 valid responses were obtained filled by employees with involvement in project management in the Eletrobras System. Earlier the theoretical model was composed of twenty theoretical approaches and three independent factors. After the stages of SEM, seventeen approaches was obtained and two independent factors, other than this model. With this, the H1 and H2 hypotheses were not rejected because they presented with significant factor (P <0.05). The hypothesis H3 had to be excluded, as their theoretical approaches the AFE comprised a single set with the hypothesis H2, whereas Matrix Total Variance Explained proved to be the most adjusted model with only two factors. All analyzes were validated by Cronbach's alpha.

Social Capital and Open Innovation are important for organisational growth, as both of them influence Innovation, Learning and Job Satisfaction. The literature indicates that informal network measured as social capital and formal network measured as open innovation influences positively to organizational innovation performance, learning and job satisfaction. Most of the studies in this area have been carried out using univariate approaches, and only few dimensions of both Social Capital and Open Innovation have been considered. Current literature outlines the positive influence of Social Capital and Open Innovation on Learning, Innovation and Job Satisfaction. In this study, an attempt has been made to develop a multi-dimensional framework for Social Capital and Open Innovation, in order to better understand the nuances of Learning, Innovation and Job Satisfaction in an R&D setting. Another important factor influencing the R&D outcomes is Absorptive Capacity; it is the capacity of the organisation to identify and use external knowledge. The direct and moderating role of Absorptive Capacity has been examined. Both theoretical and conceptual models have been proposed, and a measurement scale in form of a questionnaire has been developed. Data was collected from 35 organisations across India operating in the field of defence R&D. The sample included Government-run R&D organisations, Public Sector Units (PSUs) and private firms, and total of 331 engineers/scientists responded to the survey. Data was analysed using statistical methods such as Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), Common Method Variance (CMV), and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Reliability and validity of the proposed scales for the constructs have been verified using appropriate techniques, and further inferences have been drawn by using regression techniques and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) to assess the proposed relationships. It has been found that both Social Capital and Open Innovation have positive influence on Learning, Innovation and Job Satisfaction. Further, it was found that Absorptive Capacity had a positive association with both Innovation and Learning. However, Absorptive Capacity did not moderate the relationship of Social Capital with both Innovation and Learning, but was found to moderate the relationship between Open Innovation and Innovation, for both outbound and inbound approaches of Open Innovation. Bonding Social Capital had a relatively stronger positive association with Learning, while Bridging Social Capital was found to have a stronger relationship with Innovation. In summary, networking factors Social Capital and Open Innovation have strong positive association with R&D outcomes measured as innovation performance, learning and job satisfaction.

The present empirical study examined factors that affect the acceptance and use of social media platforms by farmers and vendors in farmers’ communities in North Mississippi for marketing their small farm businesses. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), structural equations modeling was used to examine several relationships: (1) the influence of performance expectancy (PE) on behavioral intention (BI) to use social media; (2) the influence of effort expectancy (EE) on BI; (3) the influence of social influence (SI) on BI; (4) the influence of facilitating conditions (FC) on actual use (USE) of social media; (5) the moderating influence of gender on the PE–BI, EE–BI, and SI-BI relationships; (6) the moderating influence of age on the PE–BI, EE–BI, SI-BI, and FC–USE relationships; and (7) the moderating influence of experience using social media on the EE–BI, SI-BI, and FC–USE relationships. Results from 169 respondents who completed questionnaires indicated that PE, EE, SI, and FC (key constructs) did predict farmers and vendors’ BI to use social media and actual USE of social media for marketing their small farm businesses and agriproducts. Respondents’ characteristics (e.g., age, gender, social media experience) did moderate some of these relationships in different ways. Thus, the present study provided additional empirical support for UTAUT. Additionally, responses to questions that assessed constructs in UTAUT suggest that respondents are open to social media as a marketing tool for their small farm businesses. Other results indicated that farmers and vendors prefer to market their products through farmers markets and community supported agriculture groups as compared to retail outlets and noted barriers present in retail marketing channels. This study provides information that will be beneficial for the development of educational programs and contributes to the literature on the factors affecting farmers’ intention to use social media to promote agriproducts to connect new markets.

Orientador: Andréa Aparecida Zacharias / Resumo: Na atualidade, uma série de desastres inter-relacionados ganharam notoriedade no Brasil e no mundo, reunindo episódios que marcaram crescentes perdas, humanas e econômicas, associadas aos riscos e suas consequências. O processo de urbanização, juntamente com a impermeabilização do solo, retificação e assentamento em cursos d’água e encostas, contribuíram para o aumento do impacto de inundações, enchentes e vários outros processos advindos da ação antrópica que levam ao risco socioambiental. Somam-se nas últimas cinco décadas mais de dez mil mortes em desastres naturais no Brasil, a maioria destes relacionadas a inundações e queda de encostas. A magnitude de um desastre está vinculada com os fenômenos sociais, econômicos e demográficos, entre outros, e contribuem para aumentar a vulnerabilidade e exposição da população. O recorte espacial aqui analisado compreende a Região Administrativa do Lavapés, macrozona que envolve a área urbana do município de Bragança Paulista/SP. Bragança Paulista sofre, historicamente, uma série de problemas socioeconômicos e ambientais. Destaca-se o aumento na magnitude e frequência das enchentes devido à extensa cobertura impermeabilizada, pois grande parte da água que antes era infiltrada no solo, passa então a compor o volume que escoa superficialmente. O objetivo principal desta pesquisa funda-se sobre o estudo da espacialidade da vulnerabilidade socioambiental aos riscos hidrológicos, em específico as inundações, considerando a atuação dos fato... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: A series of interrelated disasters have currently gained prominence over the Brazil and worldwide, gathering episodes that have resulted in increasing losses, both human and economic, related to risks and their consequences. The urbanization process, along with degree of saturation, soil imperviousness, rectification and improper settlement on hillslopes and near to the rivers, have contributed to an increasing impact of floods and several human-induced processes that lead to socio-environmental risk. In the last five decades, there have been more than ten thousand deaths caused by natural disasters, most of them related to floods and landslide. The magnitude of a disaster is related to social, economic and demographic phenomena, among others, and contributes to increasing the population's vulnerability and exposure. We analyzed the Lavapés Administrative Region, a macrozone encompassing the urban area of Bragança Paulista/SP municipality. The city of Bragança Paulista have suffered, historically, a plenty of socioeconomic and environmental issues. The increasing intensity and frequency of the floods are noteworthy due to extensive impervious cover, since large water volumes that were previously infiltrating, now become part of the surface runoff. The main objective here relies on the spatial distribution of socio-environmental vulnerability related to hydrological risks, particularly floods, considering the triggering factors in urban areas. The methodological procedures are... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre